Chapter 76

Hotch mentally winced as he and the rest of the vampires finally came to a halt. After scaling up and down buildings and jumping from roof to roof, they ended up in Washington DC's South East district. Everyone, local and tourist alike, knew that the South East side was the most dangerous. He took a deep breath and smoothed out his tie as he looked around the decrepit rooftop where they had stopped. He listened and then cringed. He could hear most of what made that section of DC so bad and had to forcibly make himself not go and track them down. He looked at Michael. "We're here, why? I don't see or hear a bar anywhere close." He had thought that the younger acting vampires were taking him to some obnoxious club that played loud noise that some called music and such, but he didn't think even that type of club was anywhere close to where they were.

Michael smiled. "It wouldn't be our type of bar if just anyone could find it, Aaron," he told him and then started for the door that lead into the building.

Hotch frowned and watched as Jenny started to follow Michael. Sebastian moved in beside Hotch. "You don't have to go in there, Aaron."

"We've come this far, we might as well go in," Christian offered as he moved to follow the others and pulled Willie along with him.

Hotch looked back and forth between the open door and the man who had changed him. "Why don't you think I can handle this?"

"It's not that I think you can't handle it, Aaron, it's that I don't think you will like it," Sebastian clarified.

Hotch took a deep breath. "I'll be alright."

Sebastian sighed and then motioned to the door. "Then let's go."

The door lead to several flights of stairs and not seeing any of the others, Hotch knew they had just jumped. Not knowing what was at the bottom, though, made Hotch take the long way and Sebastian chose to stay with him.

When they were about halfway down, Hotch's foot froze on its way to the next stair and he fixed his companion with his stare. "This isn't an ordinary bar, is it?"

Sebastian frowned. "How can you tell?"

Hotch's stare deepened. You didn't deny it. Son of a bitch! He exhaled roughly. "Because I can smell the blood! Is this some sort of vampire bar, or have you all brought me to some kill or something to see how I'll react?"

The detective started shaking his head immediately. "No! It's a bar! I swear!"

Hotch shook his head as he turned away from the man.

"I told you that you probably wouldn't like it."

Hotch huffed and suddenly Michael was beside them. "What's taking you two so long?" Once he actually noticed the looks on their faces, he frowned. "What?"

Sebastian sighed. "Aaron's not liking this."

"But you haven't even seen it yet."

"I don't need to see it. I can smell it."

Michael frowned even more. "But you drink blood just like the rest of us, correct?"

"Of course I do, but I don't need to go to a bar to get it. I have plenty at home," Hotch insisted. He wasn't sure whether the aforementioned blood was in a bag, a bottle, or a body; but he was sure he didn't really want to find out.

Sebastian took a deep breath. "It's not like everyone is feeding off of the humans in there, Aaron, if that's what you're thinking."

Hotch's breath caught in his chest, and he ran a hand along the back of his neck as he turned away from them. So there are human's in there? Son of a bitch! Suddenly he turned back to them. "Fine. Let's go," he put in as he gestured down the stairs. As much as he didn't want to find out what a vampire bar was like, he had to make sure the humans within it weren't being used as local flavor.

Sebastian nodded down the stairs to let Michael know that he wanted a moment alone with their newest member, so with a sigh, Michael left without a word. The ancient vampire took another deep breath and faced Hotch with serious eyes. "You have admitted to feeding on your own wife, Aaron. Don't act so shocked that others do the same thing."

A soft snort left Hotch before he could stop it, and he winced. "Yes, but she gave me permission under her own free will. In fact, she actually pushed the issue when I tried to get out of it."

Sebastian actually chuckled and then quickly swallowed it down when Hotch's frown didn't lessen. "You're not the only vampire who does that with their partner, Aaron."

Hotch inhaled deeply as he studied the man who had changed him. "So you're saying that every human in there is there of their own free will? That they aren't there because they were compelled or being drained to feed vampires?"

Sebastian smiled. "Yes, Aaron. I can guarantee it." He motioned down the stairs. "Let me show you, and once you put your mind at ease, you can leave. I'll even go with you, if you want."

Hotch sighed. "Alright," he said as he started down.

Sebastian moved in beside him. "But just so you know, while this place only caters to vampires, some don't. There are places that allow anything that drinks blood in their doors."

Hotch glanced at him out the corner of his eyes. "You've been here?"

Sebastian shook his head. "Not this particular one, but all the bigger cities have them. Once you know what to look for, they're pretty easy to find."

"So how do you know that this place only serves vampires?"

"The tags on the building," he stated plainly.

Hotch frowned. "The graffiti?"

"Yes. If we leave the same way we came, I'll show you what signs to look for."

After another flight of stairs, Sebastian stopped him with a hand on his arm and waited for Hotch to look at him. "Use this as an educational experience, Aaron. Please use your profiling abilities to watch and learn only."

Hotch mentally winced with the way the last word was stressed. "In other words, I'm going to see things that I won't like."

The older man shrugged. "It's hard to say what you will see and hear, but you are young in all of this. I wouldn't want you causing any trouble over something you don't understand."

After a few seconds of studying the man, Hotch started back down the steps. "And you don't want me making my uniqueness public."

Sebastian smiled. "There is that."

After another flight, Hotch's nostrils flared as the smell of blood grew even stronger. Sebastian apparently noticed because he paused. "Are you alright?"

Hotch swallowed and nodded. "I'm fine." Sebastian didn't look so sure, though, so Hotch smiled. "I fed last night, remember?"

"I guess I really don't know why I'm worried about it. There will probably be vampires a lot older than you in there who still can't control it."

"So no one will notice if I change and have a little trouble changing back?"

Sebastian laughed. "No, no one will notice."

When there was just two more flights left, Sebastian stopped again, and Hotch stopped beside him. He mentally winced at the uneasy look that had overcome the man, but he waited in silence to see what the man had to say.

After a deep breath, Sebastian shook his head and then started out again, but Hotch grabbed his arm and turned him back towards him. "What?"

The older man sighed. "I was going to try and explain some of the things you might see in there, but I think it will just be easier if you see them for yourself."

"I can imagine what I'll see in there," Hotch muttered.

"I doubt that."

Hotch looked at him and Sebastian laughed. "Your wife, maybe, but you. . ."

Hotch shook his head and started down again.

The other man laughed some more as he caught up with him. "Hell, I guess you could always bring her here."

Hotch glanced at him as they went down the last few stairs. "You brought Maria to places like this?"

"Yes, and that includes even before I changed her." He smiled at some distant memory. "Maria loved to dance." He shook himself and gestured towards the door. "She and I would go out every few weeks."

The door opened and a tall, slim man bowed his head as Hotch and Sebastian moved closer. Sebastian leaned closer to Hotch. "Course, that was in Italy and a long time ago." He saw Hotch's eyes surveying the place and he leaned in even closer. "But these places haven't really changed over the years."

Hotch nodded and watched the man shut the door behind them; he could tell the man was a vampire, too. He leaned in close to his companion. "I guess since we can sense each other, he didn't have to have proof of what we are."

Sebastian nodded. "No, and if someone tries to bring a human in here, he makes sure they haven't been compelled."

Hotch stopped and turned curious eyes towards him after glancing back at the man guarding the door. "How does he do that?"

"He simply compels them to tell the truth."

"So I couldn't compel someone to lie about it?"

Sebastian chuckled as he gestured toward the far end of the room where several doors were. "Being under the influence of one vampire doesn't stop the compelling power of another."

"Good to know," Hotch muttered as he mentally smiled. He had to admit, the place was a lot nicer than he was expecting. Classy was the first word that came to mind as he looked around the large fist room. There were dimly lit tables going around the outside and a large, shellacked, wooden horseshoe bar in the middle. As Hotch took a deep breath, he almost got lightheaded with all of the scents that assaulted him. He swallowed deeply and looked at the detective. "There are many different types of blood here, aren't there?"

Sebastian nodded. "Just like most bars have many different types of liquor; these bars have all different kinds of blood from animal and human alike, from the rare and exotic to the ordinary."

Hotch's eyes searched the bar a little more closely. There were a few groups of vampires and humans enjoying each other's company, several couples wrapped up so closely they almost made one individual, and even some lone vampires enjoying a quiet drink, but almost all of them were drinking blood. And just like a regular bar, the patrons' were drinking out of several different sized glasses from small shot glasses to larger mugs.

His mouth watered and he changed without meaning to as he had to fight the urge to order some immediately.

"They're in one of the back rooms," Sebastian offered as he gestured to the back corner and then cringed once he noticed Hotch. He put a hand on Hotch's arm and leaned him to speak more softly. "It's alright, Aaron." When Hotch obviously wasn't going to stop trying to force himself to change, he pulled him a little closer. "Half of the vampires in here are changed."

Hotch finally looked at him, and then looked around at the other occupants of the room. About half of them were in their vampire form. He sighed. I guess a lot of us can't control ourselves.

Sebastian smiled as he allowed himself to change. "Hell, many of us do it on purpose. Knowing we can fully relax here makes it easier for those who have to fight to keep it back all the time." His pointy smile looked just a little disturbing as he leaned in even closer to Hotch's ear. "No one will think anything of you. I promise."

Hotch took a deep breath as his hands balled into fists and his eyes squeezed shut. One he opened them, he was back to normal. "I'm good."

The detective chuckled. "That's see how long that last once Michael orders the first round."

Hotch swallowed hard.

Sebastian shook his head and led him to the door in the back right.

Hotch huffed but followed his mentor. Before he got through the doorway, movement in the room next to theirs got his attention, and he froze as the Hotchner Stare came out in full force.