Xenethia Tells a Story

Xenethia looked around Henry and Vicki's apartment checking to make sure nothing was left behind that she didn't intend to leave. There were two envelopes resting on the dinner table, one for each of them. Xenethia didn't make a habit of leaving gifts, but these two touched her heart.

Sounding harsher than she meant to, she shouted for the 'boys' to hurry up with packing their stuff, gathering the cats, and getting the car. "We need to be ready to get out of Dodge when Vick and Hank show up."

The two smallest cats, kittens really, sat at X's feet meowing. She bent down and stroked them saying, "You'll be happier here. They need you and you'll be my eyes. Between you and Elemental they should be safe enough."

****

Across town at the Four Seasons, Vicki watched Henry dress as she put their things in the travel bag. She was amazed to see how much they had accumulated in only a few days. and she was relieved to be going back to their apartment. X was leaving and finally they would be able to start building a real life together.

Henry turned his head to better study the back of his hair in the mirror and readjusted a few waves. Vicki laughed, "Crap and damn. Not only do you look younger than me, your hair's better than mine. You're a peacock Henry Fitzroy."

Henry squared his shoulders, "Crap and damn? You're beginning to sound like X. Would you rather I look my age and not take pride in my appearance?"

Vicki came over to where he was standing and reached up to tangle her fingers in his hair, doing a fine job of messing it up, "Nope." She put her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss then took his comb and undid the damage she caused to his hair.

"What's all this?"

"Loving you. Seeing you and knowing you love me confuses the hell out of me."

"That's all? You accept me. I can be what I am and you're not afraid. In you I've found true love. First Ginevra taught me what love should be and you've shown me it can still happen. I plan on taking very good care of you."

"I'm independent and I'll resent your trying to take care of me."

It was his turn to finger her hair and trace the curve of her jaw. He studied her face and tapped her gently on the nose saying, "Making sure you get fed regularly is my job, after that I'll do my best to stand back and let you live your life."

She smiled and copied his gesture, "Good. Making sure we don't neglect our love for each other is my job. So, do you think we have time for me to do my job before we go home?"

Henry frowned at the blink of light above Vicki's head and said, "Let's go home. We're needed."

***

Xenethia stood with tears in her eyes, looking down at the old man that lay dead at her feet. "Crap and damn Sonny, why now? Couldn't you have waited just a bit longer?"

Junior looked from his brother to Xenethia and said, "Don't cry. He's been talking a lot about Dottie lately. He's finally with her."

Xenethia wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and whispered, "I'm not crying. You'll have to call emergency."

Before Junior had a chance to make the call, Henry and Vicki arrived. Taking one look, Vicki said, "Tell me what happened and I'll see if I can call in a few favors."

X looked towards Junior and he started talking, "For a long time now Sonny's had a bad heart. X was trying to get us back to where Sonny's wife is buried so they could be together again when the end came, but we stopped here first."

"Has he been under a doctor's care? Are there medical records documenting his heart problems? If so, we might be able to skip an investigation."

Junior opened Sonny's wallet and handed Vicki a medical card with all the pertinent information. Vicki nodded and said, "I'll handle this." She took out her cell and placed a call using her old badge number and explained that there was no need for the ambulance to rush.

While they waited, Henry came to the conclusion it would be better for everyone if he and Xenethia were somewhere else.

He followed X into the bedroom and closed the door behind them.

"It's never easy to see someone you love die. If you want to tell me about him, I'll listen."

Xenethia walked over to the bed and sat down while pointing to the straight back chair next to the dresser. "You're so unlike the majority of our kind. You know what it's like loving and losing a human companion. Sonny and Junior have been a part of my life for over eighty years. I raised them, watched them leave to find loves of their own only to lose them and then come back to me A parent should never have to bury a child and right now I feel like a parent about to do just that."

Henry nodded, remembering the loss of his many lovers. He thanked God for the gift of knowing each one of them and was truly grateful he would never have to say 'good bye' to Vicki.

Henry tilted his head as he heard the ambulance pull up and doors slamming. "They'll be here for Sonny in a few minutes. There's time to see him once more."

"Crap and damn, Henry. He's gone. The shell on the floor is just that. An empty shell. His spirit is with his wife, and I'm left with the memories of a small boy."

She walked over to the closed door and heard Vicki's explaining how the old man and his brother came to be at her apartment.

"Vicki knows how to spin a story. You two should write a book together."

Henry gave a half smile, "We just may. She's got a wicked imagination. So tell me how you ended up raising two human children."

***

The depression had been going on for what seemed like years. Men out of work, leaving families behind following leads for jobs that didn't pan out. Sometimes they came back home, but more often they lost their way and were never heard from again.

Thia was a working girlwith a secret. She gave pleasure, took her client's money and their blood. She had a small room at the top of a rundown hotel that didn't ask questions as long as the room was paid up. She'd hear the sounds of small children in the room below, but since she was awake all night and never had trouble sleeping all day, she didn't complain. Once in a while she'd see a tired young woman sneaking up the back fire escape with a sack of food. She'd hear the children greet their mother and the shushing sounds a she made when trying to keep her children quiet.

Thia began seeing the woman on street corners doing her best to attract a paying client or two, and could tell this one was not a pro.

One long cold night when the customers were few and far between Thia started talking to Vivian. She learned about the three and five year old boys and the hard time their mother was having keeping a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs. Vivian was alone in the world, her husband had left and never came back. The money had run out and there wasn't a chance for more so she left the farm hoping to find work in the city but didn't have any luck. One prospective employer offered her money for a few minutes of pleasure and Vivian found a profession of sorts. She rented the room and brought her children up the back way. They were quiet little guys and understood that in order to say warm and dry they had to hide.

Feeling a little sorry for the boys, Thia would give Vivian part of her earnings. Vivian always promised to pay her back someday.

Late one evening as Thia was getting ready for sun rise she heard a light tapping on her door. She heard the rapidly beating hearts outside her door and knew that Vivian's children were knocking and opened the door.

Sonny clutching Junior's small hand and looked up with huge brown eyes saying, "Momma hasn't come home yet. She told us if that ever happened we were to come to you and you'd take care of us."

Thia opened the door wider and told the boys to sit on the couch. Three curious cats joined the boys. She closed her eyes, stilled her breathing and listened for Vivian. The vampire's gift of hearing and remembering sound, let them track a individual heartbeat for miles. There was no sound of Vivian and she knew there would never be one again. She'd have to wait until the sun set to find out more.

"Sonny, you and Junior will have to stay here until your mother comes. She told you to come here if she was late and she'd know to come here looking for you. I'll be sleeping all day, as long as you don't open the door for anyone but your mother you'll be fine. I'm going up to your apartment for a minute to get you guys some food."

She ran up the stairs and looked around the place finding some toys, books, and food.

When she got back, Sonny was sitting on the couch with a cat across his lap, Junior had another one licking his chin and the third cat was sitting between them. She put the toys and books on the floor and placed finger foods on the table within easy reach then said, "Boys, please listen. I have to go to bed now. Be quiet, don't open the door for anyone. There's food on the table for you and I'll be awake just after it gets dark outside. Your mom will be here if she can."

Junior asked, "Kitties stay?"

"Yes Junior, the kitties will stay with you. You be just like the kitties, stay hidden from strangers and stay quiet."

Sonny said, "We know how to hide, stay quiet and not open doors. Momma sleeps all day too."

Vivian was never seen or heard from again. Thia took care of the boys, making sure they were clothed, fed, loved, educated and safe. They eventually learned of her true nature but didn't ask questions.

From the beginning Thia never considered them 'food'. They were her children and she loved and cared for them. As they grew from boys, to teens, to men she guided them every step of the way.

The one and only time the three of them talked of vampire, she offered to turn them if they chose and both turned her down.

Sonny said, "You cared for us when we were little and helpless, now we can care for you during the day."

***

X may have told Henry more, but Vicki opened the door to the bedroom saying, "They're taking him to a mortuary that I know does good work. Xenethia, they'll take good care of Sonny."

Xenethia nodded and stood up, "I'll talk with Junior and tomorrow he can call them to make arrangements."

Vicki responded, "That's what Junior told them too. That he'd call in the morning."

Xenethia went out to where Junior stood looking out the window as Sonny was placed with care and dignity into the back of the ambulance.

"Vicki, I'm grateful that you're vampire. I don't ever want to face a night without you in it."

Vicki put her hands on her hips, "At last!"

Henry raised an eye brow in question.

"You finally get it. Why I had to drink your blood to kill the mummy. I didn't want to live in a world without you in it."

Henry saw a bit of glitter in Vicki's hair as Elemental sparkled, knowing its vampires were happy with each other.