She's Vampire

Mike had been watching the back door of Vicki's building for hours, hoping to catch Henry without Vicki at his side. As the one he was looking for opened the door and came out alone, he called out, "Fitzroy! We talk now!"

Henry stopped and saw Mike standing in the circle made by the street light as it reflected off the damp asphalt. "I can spare a few minutes. Walk with me."

They walked side by side for several feet before Mike spoke, "Yes or no. Is Vicki a vampire?"

Henry took in a quick breath and let it out slowly, this was not a question he wanted to answer, "Why would you ask that?"

Mike started to grab Henry's arm, heard a low growl, thought better of it, and said instead, "I'm done with games. Answer the question, yes or no. Is Vicki a vampire?"

Henry turned away saying, "God help me." Spinning back around, he looked Mike straight in the eye and said, "Yes."

Mike froze to the sidewalk not able to breathe, not able to move. He thought he was ready to hear the words but now that he had, everything stopped. Henry watched as Mike processed the simple word and all that it meant. Mike started shaking his head from side to side in denial, "No. No. No. She'd hate that. She's not a vampire. You're lying." He turned toward the apartment, but before he could take a step, Henry clamped his hand over Mike's mouth and pulled him back against his body. Vampire power mentally restrained Mike as Henry goose marched him toward his own car and shoved him in the back seat. Henry got in the other side. Mike's eyes were wide with furry as he struggled to fight a restraint he couldn't see. Henry's commanding voice filled the car. "I can kill you and put your body where no one will ever find it. Don't doubt me, I am very capable when it comes to body disposal. Listen to what I have to say, it's your choice to live with it or die."

Mike screamed out with all the pent up anger of the last few years, but as he looked into Henry's eyes and he saw only compassion. Even though he was exhausted from fighting the restraints, Mike's snarl was every bit as vicious as Henry's as he said, "I'll listen, then I'll kill you."

Henry looked at his rival for Vicki's love, "I don't doubt you'll try." As the last word faded, Vicki opened the front seat passenger door and got into the car saying, "Listen Mike, it's not the way you think. Henry did what was needed, either I became vampire or I died." She looked at Henry, "Tell him all of it." She nodded for Henry to start.

Henry glanced at Vicki and closed his eyes, taking the time to form his words carefully. He opened them and looked into hers while addressing his words to Mike, "I love her. I have loved her from the beginning. Nothing can or will ever change how I feel about Vicki. That last night in my condo, you kissed her and left her crying, while I took the prince's high road, said 'so be it' and slammed my bedroom door in her face. You and I left her standing alone and crying." He stopped speaking for a moment then resumed, "Don't ever call me a bastard again unless, you include yourself." He lessened the restraint holding Mike and allowed him to slump into the seat. "I know you watched over her during the day while I watched over her during the night. She found a life for herself. I also know you sent Jamus, and I sent Lana. Together we made sure she had good detectives to help her with her agency."

Vicki let out a resigned sigh. She had known for months about Jamus, tonight was the first she knew about Lana.

Henry spoke directly to Vicki, "Forgive me, I knew of your need for independence, but I had just as great a need to help you."

Vicki spoke softly, "I should be angry with you but I'm not. You've both shown me how much you care." Looking to Mike she gave a half hearted smile then said to Henry, "Tell him the rest."

Henry started speaking again, "It was going along just fine. The agency was doing well. Vicki was adjusting to her visual limitations, and you and I were watching over our girl. But fate plays nasty games with lives. Vicki was shot going into a convenience store. By the time I got to her, she was bleeding heavily and the police sirens sounded too far away to be of any help. I had seconds to make up my mind. If I started the process to turn her, I would buy the time to talk with her once more, tell her I loved her and give her a choice between being vampire and dying. That's what I did. I gave her a choice." He turned to Vicki saying, "I can't speak for you on this part."

Vicki's eyes grew large. This was her first time telling her story to anyone but Henry, "I didn't see the gunman. I only heard the shot and felt the searing pain as I walked into the store. There was a light shining for me to follow. As I moved toward it, something grabbed me from behind." Mike gnashed his teeth and tried again to reach Henry, and Vicki snapped, "Stop it Mike. It wasn't Henry. It was Astaroth." Holding out her forearms she said, "My marks were on fire, burning and glowing. He said I was his. The light was drawing me forward and he was holding me back. Henry gave me a choice; being pulled apart for all eternity or living as vampire until Astaroth was beaten. I chose vampire. Don't blame Henry for my not wanting to spend eternity being pulled in two directions."

Mike processed the words, trying to figure out what he would have done. He looked away as they watched him with pleading eyes, "God. I hate you both. Everything I was taught, everything I believe in, tells me vampires are the cursed evil that should be destroyed at any cost."

Vicki took each word as a verbal slap turning her head from side to side as he said them. She said, "You've been around both of us for months, do you feel tainted?"

Mike sat there, continuing to look away from both vampires and said, "Let me out of here. I need to get away from you and think."

Vicki opened the car door in silence, slid out and walked to the apartment. Henry got out from the back seat, "Do what you must."

Mike was left alone sitting in the back seat, in the dark with his thoughts.

Henry followed her into the back entrance, not bothering to lock doors as he went, deciding locks wouldn't keep Mike out if he wanted in. He found Vicki sitting on their bed looking at one of the paintings he had held back from the recent show. It was a scene in the park, two young lovers sitting on a bench holding hands, looking at each other. Sunlight danced around their heads and color exploded from the canvas. She started speaking as he came closer, "I don't regret what we did. Being with you, and knowing the truth of vampire has meant everything to me." She looked up into his sad face and said, "You didn't lock the doors. You're giving Mike the final choice, aren't you?" He didn't bother to deny it. She continued speaking, "No matter what happens, the last few months with you have been worth every minute living as vampire."

He said nothing as they undressed each other while kissing always touching. Together as vampire and human they loved. He kissed her shoulder where the had bullet shattered bone and tore blood vessels. She kissed the places on Henry's chest where the sword had pierced him, once by her hand and once by Astaroth. As he penetrated her hidden warmth she wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him into her and onto her. He pressed forward trying to bury himself into her very being. With the next kiss they tasted each other's blood and allowed passion to rule them both.

When dawn came they were lying side by side.

Mike sat in the car until the sky was bright blue, then climbed out, reached down and pulled a sharpened stake from his ankle holster. He walked to the back of the building and found the door leading to Vicki's apartment unlocked,climbing up the stairs with the slow deliberate steps of a condemned man walking up to greet the hangman's noose. At the top he found no resistance to his turn of the doorknob and opening of the door, walked in, looked around and saw a neat room smelling fresh and clean. He kept moving forward and in her bedroom he saw the night blooming jasmine full of fragrant blossoms. He looked at the bed and found the two vampires lying side by side holding hands, perfect in their death. He saw their pale white skin with a faint touch of rose coloring to their lips. Vicki's golden tresses were scattered on the pillow creating a frame for the face he had loved. Henry's hair with it's streaks of white above each ear created a halo. He reached out and touched Vicki's hand expecting it to feel wooden, or like waxy skin, but no, it was soft and cool, just as it had been the last time he held it. He pulled his hand away and lifted the one holding the stake high over his head, ready to plunge it into her heart. When he was done with her, he planned to do the same to Henry. He turned his head away so that he didn't have to watch his hand drive the stake home, it was then he saw the painting of the couple in the park. His eyes traveled along the wall until he saw the picture of Vicki he had wanted the one time he was in the attic. The light, the love, the beauty of Henry's work called to his soul crying out, "How can anyone that creates this beauty be evil? Vicki was never evil in life, how could she be evil as vampire?"

Mike blinked back his tears, letting the wooden stake fall from his hand, not paying attention to where it fell on Vicki's chest as he turned toward the steps. He left them in peace, locking doors behind him as he made his way out of the building.

At sunset, Henry opened his eyes to find Vicki sitting up in bed turning a wooden stake over and over in her hands. He said to her, "Mike made his choice."