Part of the Blood Brothers 'verse, but this is a stand-alone. Unnecessary to read previous fics to enjoy this one. No beta for this chapter, but my thanks to leakey_lover and bookfan85 for all their hard work in the previous ones.
Disclaimer: Not mine or ever will be.
Strap yourselves in, we're going back to the future....
Ano domini: 2225
When the vampire finished the tale, all the characters and events vanished into a locked cabinet in the past….
The last words dripped from the white haired vamp's mouth, and were wiped clean by the howls and whistles from a crumbling world.
Black noise filled the cathedral's shell as the bloodsucker closed his eyes. With his mind overwhelmed by memories, the head lowered until his chin rested upon his chest.
Jennings sat on the first step of the platform, cursing his pedantic tongue. Now was the time to offer condolences and assurances, and his brain was mud.
"You can't help being a moron. It's the air you breathe—what's left of it." The vivid blue orbs were open and concentrating on the bleeder. The sad, faraway expression chased away by the human's thoughts. "Tox screens are pointless now. Bet you didn't know water's not supposed to be green."
Back on safer, conversational ground, the young man diffidently answered, "No, my Lord."
A high-pitched squeal echoed off unyielding stone and scrolled through the air. A bat perched on the leather-covered shoulder. A white finger ran up the side of the small head, and the creature pushed against it in return, communicating, or performing an unhuman mating ritual.
The needle-like teeth dropped a cylinder of paper into the waiting hand.
The vampire's eyes widened as he scratched at his grizzled face, looked at the applicant, and spoke briskly, "I'm sorry. This was a waste of my time, but don't take it personally."
"Wha—what?! It can't be. I—I'm from the Borgia's bleeder line!"
"That and two thousand credits will get you beautiful funeral," was the harsh reply.
"No! No, this can't be happening." The man sounded desperate.
The vamp turned his attention to his pet, having lost interest in the candidate, but the winged mammal screamed in indignation and flapped away.
The Borgia lieutenant stood up in dismissal, reaching to a height not seen among living men anymore. The roughly clad voice offered one last crumb of encouragement.
"Try one of the other less picky clans from the splinter factions. I hear the wombat vamps who broke from the Tudors are hard up. They'll kiss your ass for a chance to bite your neck."
"But, but, but…!" sputtered Jennings and stopped. His Lordship's eyes glowed red.
Bowing, the man turned on his heels, walked upright for several steps, but he could feel the vampire's eyes scalding his back. He bent down and scurried away like the vermin scattering before his feet.
There was a series of furious squeaks protesting from the rafters. The middle-aged vamp followed the progress of the agitated mammal spiraling down from the arches above to the slate tiles in front of him.
"Now's not the time to nag, Wilson."
"What's the right time House? When the Tudor's and Tang's overwhelm La Famiglia simply by outnumbering our troops? We needed him!"
Wilson stood before House, transformed from Bela. Brown eyes glared, legs splayed, and left hand planted on hip. The right was shoved into a pocket of his jacket, but both elbows were akimbo.
"What the hell were you thinking? He's one of us!"
"He's a spy!" House's blue eyes snapped as he spit out his bitter disappointment.
"That can't be. His blood came back untainted." But Wilson sounded less sure.
"Which means we can't rely on the tests anymore or there's a mole working in the labs. I'll have to warn Cuddy." House sat back down in the chair and rubbed his chin.
"Are you're sure he'd been bitten? He didn't have a tattoo did he?"
"No tattoo. Whatever clan he's from, they're using new technology. Thank goodness, I come fully loaded with the old." House pointed to his eyes and tapped his nose. "Vampire hunter.
"I could make out a slight pooling under the skin where meathead had been punctured, and his scent was off. Didn't have that fresh strawberry-mint shower gel fragrance like you."
Wilson's voice had an edge. "Then, why did you give him all that information about the ring…and our relationship? What goes on between us is private."
"I fed him only the information I wanted to give him." House walked over to the dusty wall, and wrote, "RING" with a finger, creating a ghostly whiteboard. "He will tell his leaders that the ring exists.
"And don't look so glum. I only gave him the PG-13 details of our relationship."
"And you told him I was dead!"
"I never said that. You flew to the lab. I said you were gone."
Wilson was slightly mollified, but challenged another fact in the story. "What about the Nosferatu? They were no scarier than seven foot teddy bears!"
"I may have indulged in a little misdirection." House's mouth twisted in a sly grin as he wrote "GUARD."
"But you widely exaggerated your experience in the Hell Pit. Each time I hear you tell that story, House, it becomes worse."
"PIT" joined the growing list.
"Again. I want our enemies to know we have a weapon to fear. Something worse than turning to dust." House smiled in triumph.
House continued jotting on the wall. He wrote, "HQ" and "CESARE."
"I altered facts about the ball to mislead him about the Godfather and the location of our head office."
An outline of a heart with an "X" slashed through the center went up next.
The blue eyes peered at the brown. "He'll tell his family that you're dead, and I'm shattered.
"They'll think you're not around to offer peace treaties at the drop of a fang, or prevent me from going lethal weapon and activate our troops."
"Is that what you're considering? Making the first move? You know we don't have the resources or the alliances." Giving into his frustration, Wilson's arms were a blur as they flailed. He caught himself, and shoved the dark brown fist back into his pocket.
House ignored the outburst. "Of course not, but other clans don't know. They may think twice about attacking, and that buys us more time."
Reviewing the list, Wilson conceded. "You're right. And as far as your crazy plans go, this one makes the most sense."
Wilson pulled his right hand from his pocket and massaged the dark brown, leathery, claw tipped fingers. As he stretched each digit out, webbing fanned in-between.
A man-sized bat's paw.
House cradled the mismatched hand in both of his. "Say the word, and I'll restore it back to normal."
"Always the healer." Wilson shook his head. "The hand can wait. We must conserve the Godfather's ring."
They looked into each other's eyes…and blinked.
Two spirals of smoke curled up into the rafters and through a clerestory window. The columns morphed into men.
House and Wilson sat together on a parapet overlooking the city blanketed in fog, the clouds above crackled with daggers of lightening.
"The winds of war are blowing our way, Wilson…We must begin marshaling the troops. Implement aggressive strategies."
"La Famiglia's not ready, House. We need more time. It's hard getting recruits, and with all the dark communities converting humans to undead, the situation is liable to get worse. It's anyone's guess when or how circumstances will get better—"
"Don't Obama me. I'm a specialist in pulling off last minute miracles." House reminded his partner.
"Yeah. You are."
Out of long habit, Wilson heaved an old-fashioned sigh. "We'll have to move now that our location is blown."
Neither was happy about leaving their current home across the street from the hospital.
House tried cheering his souled mate. "We can search for an apartment with a kitchen that needs remodeling, even if we never use it. Either that, or an abandoned hotel."
Wilson wanted to reciprocate the best way he could. "How about a place over a pizza parlor or Chinese restaurant? You can enjoy the smell, and who knows? You may get lucky and sink your teeth into a some Chinese."
"Har har, Wilson. Childish vampire joke. You been hanging upside down from the ceiling, eavesdropping on the children's ward again?"
"We're over two-hundred-and-fifty years old, House. The humans are all children to us."
Snaking his arm around the waist of his partner, House nibbled on an earlobe and whispered, "That's why I love your company. We have so much in common."
Turning in his lover's arms Wilson let out a small snarl signaling his growing passion. His tongue lapped at House's neck, and warmed the throat with kisses. His hand ran under the t-shirt, pulling the fabric up. Teasing one nipple with his thumb until the nub became hard, his tongue flicking at the other.
House returned the favor, unzipping Wilson's pants, and running his hand over hairy flesh until he staked a claim on smooth, bare real estate that twitched and stiffened under his expert touch. His voice rasped a lusty growl, "Inside. Now."
From within a small private chamber drifted hoarse whispers….
"Blood brothers forever, Wilson."
"Blood brothers forever, House.
~fin~
Thank you for reading. All comments welcome anytime. 3