Chapter 17
Vlad sat on the black stonewall, he looked over at his companion, she was at a loss, her world having crashed about her a few short seconds ago. He wondered at what had plunged her into her deepest depression. "I no longer feel my powers." She muttered softly and this brought Vlad's attention to focus on her more intently.
"What do you mean you cannot feel your powers."
Angelique turned, "They are gone." Her hysteria was rising with each passing minute.
"What would cause such a catastrophic failure?"
She thought a moment and turned her over bright gaze on Tepes, "If my benefactor was dead or no longer held his powers."
Vlad laughed, and this incensed Angelique. "What do you find so amusing?"
Vlad stood, "You and your all encompassing need to consume those powers and hold so tightly to them as if they defined who you are."
Angelique would have struck him silent and turned him to a toad if she had those powers he now derided. "Do not mock me Tepes, you hold to your curse as if that defined who you were or are. Look at us both here because of one woman, the one you mooned over thinking she was your beloved Elizabeta, when in fact she was not Elizabeta."
Tepes was finding her tirade amusing until she brought up Elizabeta in such a callous manner. Reaching over he grabbed her by the front of her dress and jerked her to face him nose to nose. "Explain yourself woman."
Angelique had long ago thrown caution to the wind when her emotions over took her common sense. "I mean," her voice was as low and menacing as his, "That I cast a spell on her and made her know and say things that would cement your belief that she was your long lost dead wife."
Angelique might have regretted and reconsidered those words had she know his strength. With one arm he flung her into the all-consuming shadows that had plagued their arrival to hell. Angelique landed hard and was certain she must have broken a rib.
"If it were not for the fact that I need you as fodder to get me out of here, I would kill you where you lay." Those words were so cold and calculated he spoke each word distinctly and with a slowness that left no doubt of his ire.
"Now get up witch and lets move." Hugging her arm to her injured rib she pushed herself up, and pushed her hair out of her face with her free hand.
Sitting upright she saw his boots on the floor under her nose and if she had her powers she would have made him pay for this act against her. Wincing as she attempted to stand, finding her pain over whelming so she sat back down and shot her glare which said it all; there was nothing but contempt in that one look.
"You would do well to remember you do need me and if I am injured you can follow the trail left by Sorin by yourself."
Vlad was in no mood to placate this she witch, she had made a fool of him and he was not soon to forget such a affront.
"I said get up." His voice held a cold edge as he jerked her to a standing position. "Consider yourself lucky for now I do not kill you here and now."
Angelique gasped feeling the brutal jerk send shards of pain shooting through her body. She decided she would not afford him any more of her conversation and fell into step behind him in silence and she plotted,. And oh how she plotted and made a mental list as to who would get the brunt of her ire first.
Sorin sat in orientation waiting and would bide his time. He had not forgotten his encounter with Victoria or her daughters. The one called Jeanette intrigued him. She was as driven for her purpose as he had been and she had her mother's beauty. No he could not say she shared her mother's charm for Jeanette was acerbic and terse when using her professional attitude. Which in her own right made her very appealing for the right man. He was not that man; his thoughts were fixed on Victoria.
He had dreamt of making her live out his days in hell as was her just deserts, then in that one tender qualifying moment she had turned his heart from a lump of coal to a burning need and want. Oh yes, he wanted Victoria as much as Tepes had wanted her, his desire he felt was more focused than Vlad's idealized want of something he had lost so many years ago.
He stood and moved around the classroom, and paced between the two rows of tables with stylized metal frame folding chairs. He looked around at the various monitors on the wall. He knew he was in the 21st century he just was not sure when in the 21st century.
This was a very organized special operations group and they offered a lot of perks to those interested in joining their ranks. He knew he would have to weather a probationary status until they felt he was trustworthy enough to assign to a team.
He anticipated that he would be tested and his expertise would be where he would be assigned. He was now more focused than ever. Baal had given him his choice of women to use as he saw fit, but like the others that Vlad had cast his way, they were unremarkable and only worth his cursory notice.
His sights had been set higher than sex slaves of hell. He had been drawn into the purity of the love one woman shared with another man and he was not that man. He smiled as he thought of ways he could mold that love to his means and needs.
He turned to the sound of a door opening, moving into the room with her no nonsense attitude was Jeanette, "The powers to be have decided you will train with Martin Ingram." She set a tablet on the table opening the flap he noticed it was a device that was used for storage of information.
Using her finger she moved it over the face of the tablet looking at the written information, "After orientation you will be expected to sign a waiver and oath to the organization that is SHADOWS operations." She pushed her finger sending the existing page she had read off the screen to be replaced by another screen of information.
"May I ask what year this is?" She seemed to have not heard him as she read the information on her instrument. "You can ask does not mean I am obliged to tell you." She frowned studying one document and then glanced up, "But I am feeling generous, its 1998."
He was surprised, this much technology in such a short time. "Might I ask how you have managed to acquire so much technology in this short period of time."
Closing her tablet with a decided irritated thump she looked at him, "We got it from the future, once we mastered how to fold time we did not have to live with the past we had things to correct in the future and we had a few techs that joined our organization that came from the 21st and 22nd century."
She slid her hip on the desk dangling a shapely leg, which she swung back and forth. That was when he had noticed she was not dressed in her typical grey sensor encrusted jumpsuit. She was actually dressed in what he would learn was called her b.d.u., her basic duty uniform.
Which was a black jump suit with a patch that was decorated with a pyramid with an all seeing eye over the point of the pyramid. Added to the distinctive patch were the letters S.H.A.D.O.W.S. Operations embroidered in a curve under the pyramid, he noticed that the pie shape patch had two small good bars accenting the point of the patch which he figured denoted her rank.
The door slid open and a young pimply face man entered the room, seeing her sitting on the table, he snapped to attention and saluted, "Lieutenant Collins, Captain Morgan is asking for you."
Jeanette wanted to smile she heard the name Captain Morgan she was always reminded of the Rum. "Thanks Jimmy, tell him I am about done, I have to get the newbie's print and have him sign off and see to his assignment."
The young man flushed that she remembered his name and none of this went unnoticed. "Sir, the Captain says to tell you a new incursion has appeared and you are needed now."
Jeanette slid from the desk, slammed her tablets folder shut, and pitched it to the boy who just caught it. "You finish up, be sure you get him signed to the oath and explain what happens to those that violate the oath." She turned to Sorin, "I guess I will see you later, good luck Cadet Sorin." She moved from the room and he did enjoy the back view of her retreating form.
Josette stood in the ready room; the newest incursion was directly on Collinwood. She was not happy as she stood watching the monitor and the darkness was creeping closer to her house. Moving her fingers to the wristband, she sighed, this newest problem was in their time, a time when the family would be celebrating the Collins annual Liberty Ball.
She was not sure why they were attacking now; they usually waited for the holidays to make such a bold move. Hearing the arrival of her team she turned to look at them. They were looking as grim faced as she felt. "It's a real time event, and it looks like we have at least four class five targets along with two class nine leader."
Jeanette slid into the room, and looked at her teammates, "Jeanette, would you review with Radu what class of menace a class five and nine, while the rest of us go dress out."
The other team mates turned to head to the locker room, while she and Radu were the only ones to show up in sensor uniforms. She actually smiled as she turned to Radu with a sardonic expression written on his face. "A class five is a demon with limited intelligence, they are usually large and exceptionally strong but are stupid. Where a class nine is a low-level spell caster that can manipulate the class fives. "
Jeanette smiled, "Well it looks like there is hope for you yet mutt, come on we have to hustle, even though they are a low level risk they can do a lot of damage to civilians."
Radu felt excited, he was ready for this assignment and did not want to disappoint. He had grown bored sitting and waiting. Moving to the 'chamber' a term they had called the fold room, he was startled to hear, "Oh by the way, Sorin has been recruited and will be assigned to missions starting next month."
Radu was not sure how he felt about the news he just had handed to him. "You don't trust him do you?"
Radu tried to match her stride as they moved forward. "Of course not, he is on probation and will need to prove himself. We have placed him with a hard ass, the meanest most demanding son of a bitch the company ever had as his Training Officer."
She smiled as she thought about how she had manipulated him having, Mad Marty as his training officer. Martin had been a hard-core drill instructor with the Marine Corp. He was no nonsense and a killer, a trained assassin for his country. It was during one of his missions in Afghanistan that had brought him to the attention of SHADOWS operations.
He had managed to take out a very nasty nest of vampires hidden in a coven outside of Kabul. "He is not going to have a very pleasant time. Mad Marty can sniff out a phony in five seconds, so if he tries to be sly, Marty will take him down a peg. So come on we have to get ready to fold mutt."
She stepped out in front of Radu and he watched the very attractive rear view of his new partner moving away he could not help but place a playful slap on that tight looking butt as she sashayed down the hall turning to shake a figure at him.
"Watch it fleabite, I might be forced to give you another bath!"
He laughed, "How do you know I might like another bath!" She turned and picked up her speed running and laughing towards what could be certain death with not a care in the world. Radu followed determined he would do what ever he had to do to protect her from anything dangerous.
Vicki stood awaiting Michael's return; his council had summoned him. She was both excited and nervous about returning to her life. Chewing nervously on her bottom lip she walked around a place that had been her home for the past month.
She walked to the mediation area and looked around one last time. The calm she had felt here, she looked down at her stomach and rubbed her belly. "Soon, my dear we will be home again soon." She had not realized how much she had missed her family especially her husband.
When she thought of Barnabas and the love he held for her she was warm and flushing with her thoughts. She was so excited to see her mother and father, her brothers and sisters. From behind she felt the gentle touch of Canice drifting to her sister's side. "I sense your excitement my dearest sister of nature."
Vicki nodded, "I am very excited Canice, I am going home to a man that loves me unconditionally and I love him with my whole being, we are going to be parents and start our family built on that love." Sorcha rush by and paused looking at her sisters.
"You will be going soon little one, are you excited?"
Vicki smiled and nodded, "I am so happy and to know that you all will be with me at one time or another makes my life complete. I have never felt so much kinship or love from kinship as I have with each of you."
Sorcha nodded, she was not allowed to tell her what was awaiting her and her family in the years to come, she just knew at this time, she had earned her happiness and would be allowed to enjoy that happiness.
Life was just beginning for her sister and she did not want to think of trying times to come. "I feel as excited for you my sister." Canice offered as she drifted across the room to peer over the balcony.
"I see Michael I am sure he will be here to take you to your family." Canice drifted back to enfold Vicki in a warm hug. Sorcha moved in for her hug.
Michael moved into the room, "Well Victoria are you ready to return to your life?"
Vicki nodded, "I am excited and ready." Michael held out his hand to her, "Then come its time." Vicki turned one last time to see her sisters fade from view then reached for Michael's hand. He pulled her into his hold and held her\ he lifted his chin, oh what a magnificent sight to behold, the strong god like man in his golden armor with his helmet of golden wings shining forth in a brilliant light that enfolded everything around them to give Vicki a feeling of spinning and falling with a rush of air and the light works affecting the area around them with a pressure that pressed her into his arms.
With the transfer of the time of healing to her time culminated in a brilliant flash of light. She had to wait for her equilibrium to be restored and allow her to stand-alone. She held her face buried in his chest until she felt the vibration of his voice against her cheek, "We have arrived my dear."
Vicki lifted her face to peer up and found she was no longer held in Michael's arms. She was standing on top of widows hill. Closing her eyes she lifted her chin and peered up to the night sky, the evening was warm and summer had made its trek from the icy fingers and occasional breath of the warmth of spring.
She felt the gentling breeze on her face and knew it was a welcome home caress from her sister, "Thank you." She whispered and allowed her voice to be carried out to the ocean that lay unchanged and as ever turbulent with its relentless flow of waves upon the sandy shore and rocky abutment that was another of her sister's gifts. Vicki felt the wind lift her hair and blowing it over her face.
She stood watching the wonder of her world and felt safe and secure. The sound of footsteps gave her pause and she turned, the forlorn figure that walked towards the peak of windows hill was a well loved and missed figure. His eyes cast to the ground, the silver wolf's head cane held firmly in hands she had missed, the timeless Inverness coat with the collar turned up.
He paused when he realized he was not alone on the hill. His incredulity was evidence in his voice as he croaked, "Vicki?"
She held her arms out "Barnabas, I'm home." He rushed forward to pick her up and swing her around to set her away from the edge of the hill. Crushing her close she felt her breath were being forced from her in his hold.
Pushing her back just far enough to cover her mouth with his and kiss her with the passion he knew she deserved. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed into his body, letting her own passion respond to his as they held each other for what seemed like an eternity.
He reluctantly released her to step back and look at her and noticed she had grown fuller with the baby. "Oh my love, you have returned to me and I do not want to ever let you go." He pulled her back in his arms and kissed her again.
It seemed hours had passed while they bruised each other's lips with the passion of their kisses, they broke, "Come my love its time we went home. A lot has happened since you left."
Vicki sighed as she slipped her arm around her husband's waist. "Please do not say that the changes have been your love for me has diminished?"
He shook his head paused and looked into her gaze, "Never could my love diminish for you. If anything my love has grown and consumes me with its intensity."
She laughed and the sound was music to his ears. "I have missed you beyond measure and would surely have perished had you never returned to me. Now, we are together and complete. Vicki paused and her look was one of concern.
He looked at her with concern, "My love?"
She laid her hand over her stomach. "What month s it my love?"
He looked at her with a modicum of concern, "It is July."
She smiled, "Barnabas my dearest, we are about to become parents."
She looked down at her pants that had become wet as her water broke and she felt the first pangs of labor coming on her. "I think we need to get to the hospital our daughter does not wish to wait any longer she is ready to come out."
Barnabas was all concern and attentive as he ushered her towards the old house. "I am going to be a father."
He said the words in disbelief. "Yes, you are going to be a father, and we must hurry so you are not a father delivering his child." She laughed even with the pain of labor was beginning to set in.