Blood Ties - Passion : there's nothing else worth living for – Chapter 3

"Where's that? " Celluci inquired.

"Bishop's university in Sherbrooke, Quebec. Actually, it's south of Sherbrooke, in Lennoxville. They have a Department of Sociology which offers courses for a B.A. in Criminology as well as undergraduate studies. Apparently, she'll be teaching the junior students. It's a three and a half-hour drive. We can be there tomorrow and... she teaches evening classes – perfect! " Then he added: "Get yourself some sleep while I go hunting," and winked at Mike, then he looked at himself in the mirror, grinned at his reflection, grabbed his jacket and left.

They woke up Coreen after Henry had returned and left to reach Montreal before sunrise. On the way, they discussed their strategy. They decided to lay low during the day, not show themselves in town, in case she might see them.

She was teaching the 8:30 course and they had arrived before her and sat at the back of the room. Students had filled the lecture theater steadily and the place was full. People were excitedly discussing the new professor. She seemed to be the talk of the town. Henry chatted with a couple of very enthusiastic girls who told him all about her course. "She tells us about her cases, she makes it so real... and all the boys are in love with her. The poor thing is becoming blind, you know..." Henry winced at this. "But she's so great, everybody wants to help her carry her things and drive her where she needs to go. Not that she accepts though. She's made it clear she doesn't want anybody to pity her... Ah, here she comes!" They gasped, turning their attention to the door.

Vicki walked in the room, greeting her students and sat with one leg on the edge of the desk. She was dressed in her favorite jeans and leather jacket. She was like the old Vicki, except her glasses were thicker and her gaze was betraying the fact she wasn't seeing much anymore.

Coreen felt Henry tense next to her and saw him fist his hands on his knees, leaning forward as if he wanted to stand and run to her. Celluci saw it too and grabbed his arm, shaking his head at him. "Wait. You don't want to put her in an awkward position in front of her students, do you? " Mike warned him.

A student asked Vicki a question about her previous lecture and she started answering him, her eyes sweeping the room. She paused in the middle of a sentence. She'd just spotted them. Her eyes locked with Henry's. He tentatively smiled at her. Everyone in the room turned to stare at him. Fitzroy felt as if time had hung still. The bond between them was so strong, it was almost palpable. Her breathing had become erratic and she was now hyperventilating.

She suddenly stood up, apologizing for not feeling well and briskly left the room. Henry jumped to his feet, took the steps of the theater two at a time and left behind her.

As soon as he had disappeared through the doorway, uproar swept through the room. Coreen glanced at Mike, motioning to him for them to leave. They got outside and sat on a bench. Right now, they knew they had no business being with Henry and Vicki.

Vicki had left the building at a run, only slowing down when she had to descend the steps outside then walked as briskly as she could towards the stretch of lawn in front of the university. She rounded an old oak tree in the middle and laid her back to it, aware trying to hide from him was useless. He suddenly appeared in front of her, as if out of nowhere. He was just as she remembered him, only more handsome maybe. It hurt so much to see him. Why did he have to come back to her? She ducked her head, not wanting to look into his eyes, ashamed at the memory of the last time they'd seen each other, afraid to see pity in his gaze. She knew he had loved her, passionately, had wanted her, but of course, that was gone now. He couldn't possibly love her still, she was so pitiful... He'd probably moved on and that bothered her because what the hell was he doing here ? It was no coincidence, of course.

"Vicki? Please? " he pleaded, " Look at me. You can't act as if I wasn't there."

"Go away! " she whimpered, " Leave me alone, Henry! Why did you have to come back?! Can't you let me be?"

"No, as a matter of fact, I can't. You've put yourself in danger, coming here on your own, not having the protection of your friends anymore. You seem to have forgotten how dangerous it is for you out there..."

"As if you cared, Henry?" she sniffled. " You're the one who left me unprotected, remember?"

That hurt and she knew it : she knew exactly what she was doing, reproaching him with the one thing he reproached himself with too. He had known from the very moment he'd said goodbye it was a huge mistake, but he'd counted on his man in Toronto and on her friends to care for her. He couldn't have survived seeing her with Mike and being the "good friend" he sure didn't want to be.

"Do you really believe I don't know that?" he whispered, but she averted her eyes and smirked. That made him want to lash at her for all the anguish and guilt he'd felt ever since she'd chosen to vanish into thin air. "Don't you dare tell me I was careless with you. You were not unprotected. You ran away, Vicki, for God's sake!" he yelled at her, grabbing her arms and shaking her.

"So, this is why you are here, Henry? To chide me like a kid. I guess you're here because Mike and Coreen called for your Lordship's assistance, because, of course?" she added wickedly, " They probably knew the whole time where you were, right?! "

" Stop it, Vicki, you're becoming mean. This is not like you... ", he said sadly.

" Well, maybe you didn't know me so well, after all, Fitzroy! "

"Vicki", he went on, a pained look on his face, "They didn't know where I was, I swear, ok? They're good friends and you're sadly mistaken about them. They care for you... I care for you." He held up his hand to caress her cheek but she moved her head to the side and he let his hand drop and sighed.

"You care about me, Fitzroy? You care about me, really?! " she replied, mocking him. " What would it look like if you didn't, then! You left me, that's what it is. You never cared about anybody but your damned self. Screw you, Fitzroy! I was better off without you. This is the only good thing you ever did for me, after all : leaving me was a blessing. I couldn't care less about you. Now, please, humor me," she said, waving him away, a bitter smile on her face, "and don't ever, ever come to see me again. "

She suddenly realized that she'd gone too far, but it was much too late. Henry's eyes had become increasingly darker as she had been rambling on. The dark ink of his pupils had invaded the white of his eyes and for the first time she'd known him, she suddenly felt very scared of him. He bent towards her, his hands resting on both sides of her head on the tree trunk and curled up his lips, a predatory snarl making his long teeth glitter in the moonlight. She gasped as he opened his mouth and spelled out in his vampire's low, altered voice : "Don't ever talk to me like that again, Vicki. I love you. Don't you dare say I don't care about you. Understood?"

Seeing the fright in her eyes, he slowly relaxed and his eyes returned to normal. She was trembling from the night breeze and the terror she had just experienced. He wrapped his arms around her and she came to rest her head on his shoulder, nuzzling his neck. He gently stroked her head, caressing her hair, breathing in deeply the wonderful fragrance he'd missed so much. Her shivers receded but she did not leave his embrace. She wrapped her arms around his waist and dropped a light kiss on his neck. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. I love you too," she whispered in his neck, nuzzling at it again, sending shivers down his spine.

Henry smiled dreamily, but couldn't help teasing her, wanting more; "What's that I heard, Victoria ? I'm not quite sure I got it right, you know, being old and all that..."

She poked at his side, making him laugh and repeated : "I love you, you dummy."

"My dear young lady, since you're part of the common people, it's Lord Dummy, if you please!" he bantered.

She snorted and looked up at him, her eyes twinkling. "Henry," she whispered, her voice hoarse from emotions too long repressed. "I missed you so very much..." That was all he needed to know.

He took her head in his hands and kissed her. The kiss was light and tender first but, feeling her respond to it, he pressed his lips with more urgency to hers, leaving one of his hands on her cheek still cupping her face while the other stroke her hair and then descended down her back and wrapped itself around her waist, pressing her to his body, making her gasp.

"Henry, please...", she moaned against his mouth.

"Is it a please to stop or do you wish me to go on?" he asked, his voice husky with desire.

From now on (this chapter and the next ones), a few nods for the fans : I used quotes from the show (and a couple more from Vampire Diaries!): it's treasure hunting time ! ;)

"Hey, what do you think you're doing, Fang Boy?!" Mike and Coreen were standing just a few feet from them and Mike was not looking happy, to say the least.

"What do you want, Constable?" Henry slowly turned his head towards Mike, his eyes darker than they were supposed to be. Coreen grabbed Mike's arm, her gesture a warning to lay low, but Mike plodded on.

"I don't like you being so close to her," he hissed.

"Define close," Fitzroy smirked.

"Sharing the same breath close, if you see what I mean!" he said, pissed off at seeing Fitzroy still holding her tightly against him. "Back off, your Lordship!"

Vicki tried to intervene but before she had the time to say anything, Mike glared at her. "Can it, Vicki! This is between him and me."

"Now, Constable, don't you think there are other more appropriate ways to talk to a lady? " he teased him. "Besides..." he went on, a predatory look on his face, "sometimes, I think you forget who I am..."

"Henry, stop it," Vicki said soothingly. "I'm yours for the taking, you know it. He still has to accept it, that's all. Don't be too harsh on him, will you?"

"Whatever you say, m'lady," he replied, kissing her forehead.

Coreen closed the distance between herself and Vicki. Henry took a step back and let the two friends hug. "I'm so glad to see you're ok," the goth girl said, sighing with relief. "Don't ever do that again. We were worried sick."

Vicki looked at Mike over Coreen's shoulder with an enquiring look. "Yes, I was worried too and yes, I'm pissed off that you left without a word," he winced but got closer and held out his arms. She came to wrap her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "I've missed you too," she told him and then stepped back. Mike turned towards Henry, trying to ease the tension, knowing he'd been wrong to lash at him earlier: "You know, Henry, you and I might be very different but we do have one thing in common - she drives us both insane!"

"Yeah, consistently!" Henry laughed, looking at him, his eyes merry, and wrapped his arm around Vicki's shoulder, kissing the top of her head, at the same time eying Mike to see how her former lover was going to react. He saw him cringe a little but he said nothing. After all, Vicki had made her choice.

TBC