Moonlight, the Next Chapter: Darkness

Chapter 13

Five O'Clock

Intro Song: Can't Go On Without You, Kaleo

"It's almost five o'clock and you look like you're still celebrating last night. Have fun?"

Adam Durand's sarcastic tone seemed to make no impact on the man slumped in a chair in his father's office, downing what appeared to be straight whiskey. John Giles looked like hell, his eyes bloodshot, hair standing up in places, clothes rumpled and stained.

When there was no response to his question, Adam tried again. "Is that blood on your clothes?!"

"What if it is?" Giles responded listlessly, draining the glass in his hand.

Durand wrinkled his nose. "You smell like offal. When was the last time you showered?!"

"I have no fucking idea, Adam, nor do I care. It's been a long night. Just leave me the hell alone." Giles had no intention of humoring the fucking pain-in-the-ass prince of all things Crucis. Heaving himself up out of the chair, he refilled his glass from the decanter on the antique library table behind Christophe's desk. Carrying the brimming highball glass carefully back to his seat, the sullen man sat back down with a heavy sigh. Without looking at the younger Durand, he took a long swallow, then rested his head against the back of the upholstered chair and closed his eyes.

This cannot go on. Adam pulled up a chair and sat down across from the distraught man. His father would have his hide if he didn't straighten this out. "Look, John. I get it, I do. Your wife's dead, you're grieving, and you want revenge on the vamps that did it. I understand. But-"

"Do NOT tell me you understand, you limp-dick little fuck!"Giles roared, jerking himself upright in his chair and reaching out to swat at the younger man, spilling whiskey on both of them in the process. "Don't presume to know what I'm going through. You have no idea how I feel!"

I'm going to fucking kill you for that. Adam's face betrayed none of his thoughts as he put his hands up in front of him, palms out, the spilled alcohol running down his sleeve and staining his immaculate white shirt. "No, no, you're right, John," he said soothingly. "I've never been in love, I've never lost someone I love - I don't know what it's like for you. You're right," he repeated.

Giles slowly sank back in his chair, transferring his glass to his left hand so that he could shake the whiskey off his right. He took another swallow, refusing to look at Durand.

"When you have proven your abilities to lead, you will be allowed to lead." His father's words echoing in his head, Adam tried another tactic."I may not understand losing your wife, but I do know about revenge. I know that's what you're trying to get with all these vampires you're killing - revenge for Rebecca. But the way you're going about it...it plays right into the hands of these monsters. And I don't think you want that."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Giles snarled, his eyes glowing dangerously as he glared at the younger man. "I'm killing vampires - slowly and painfully. How can that possibly help them?"

"You know the plan, John. We're going to kill them all - if they don't get wind of it and have the chance to prepare to fight us. If." Adam repeated the word slowly for emphasis, leaning forward in his chair toward the grieving man. "I'm sure Christophe has spoken to you about this. Your random acts of violence, while perhaps fulfilling on some personal level, could jeopardize our plans to annihilate the whole lot of them."

Seeing Giles set his jaw stubbornly, Adam continued, a hard edge creeping into his voice. "You'll keep them on-edge…watchful...suspicious. All that will make it that much harder for us to succeed. Your selfish pursuit of your fantasies of revenge will end up keeping you from what you really want – killing the vampire who fed on Rebecca and drained the life from her." He had deliberately made his words as painful and provocative as possible and he watched the older man stiffen as they .

"John, you said yourself that you don't know who was responsible for Rebecca's death, so the only way you're likely to get her killer is if we reach them all. And the humans who help them. So you tell me," Adam finished, leaning back and crossing one leg over the other. "I know they're fun, but are these little killing sprees of yours worth it?"

The angry man's red-rimmed eyes stared resentfully at Christophe Durand's son, hating him for being right. He'd felt dead inside ever since seeing Rebecca's drained body. The only time he came alive was when he was searching for her murderer or killing a vampire. None had yet confessed to the crime, even while being tortured, but he hoped he would eventually find her killer. His fevered mind rejected the notion that, because she had been killed in Chicago, her murderer may not even be on the East Coast.

Reluctantly, he acknowledged to himself that Adam's words made sense. Vampires were everywhere, killing, maiming, turning helpless humans. One person couldn't reach every one of them – and the likelihood that he or she…it, you mean it…would confess was admittedly slim. It was his responsibility to end all this.

Yet, he needed to avenge his wife. He didn't want her killer to die easily, blown to bits in a bombing or killed outright with silver ammunition. That was too easy, too...humane. He wanted the vampire responsible to die at his own hands. Slowly. Painfully. Knowing that their life was ending. Just like Rebecca…

Adam reached out to place a hand on Giles' arm. "Will you at least wait until Christophe comes back before you go on any more hunting expeditions? Talk to him about it? I know he's counting on you to help him destroy these vermin once and for all."

Shaking off Adam's hand as if it were a poisonous spider, Giles heaved himself up out of the chair. Resentfully, he nodded his acquiescence, swaying slightly as the whiskey hit him. Talk to Christophe. Looking down at the blood splatters on his cuff, he grimaced. The sounds of the vampire he had tortured and killed during the night echoed in his ears but did nothing to ease his closed his eyes for a moment as an image of his dead wife's face rose up to haunt him, then staggered toward the door.

"Go get some sleep, John - and take a shower. Trust me – Christophe won't see you until you clean yourself up." Adam watched his father's second-in-command walk toward the door, moving with the slow, deliberate steps of an octogenarian.

John paused, his hand on the doorknob. Without turning around, he said, "Even though you are a little prick, Adam, I hope you never feel the pain of a loss like what I'm going through." His voice was rough with unshed tears as he added, "I wouldn't wish it on any human - only on vampires." Shaking his head, he left, the door closing quietly behind him.

Beth walked out onto the shady terrace, shielding her eyes as she searched the patio. Spotting the pair she was searching for, she hurried to the table where her friends were seated. This was her first chance to connect with them since Mick's ambush in the desert and she was anxious to see them again.

The three were meeting for lunch at what had become their favorite restaurant, Taste - an outing Beth had been looking forward to for days. She still remembered the look on their faces when Mick had strode out onto that same patio to give her a key to his apartment. Had that really only been a month ago? It seemed like a lifetime.

Both women had been sympathetic and understanding when she finally called them. "You let us know when you're ready for us - and, if you need anything at all," her normally impatient friend, Marissa, had told her during a three-way call. The kind words had brought tears to her eyes.

Reaching the table, Beth encircled a pregnant Alison with her arms from behind to give her a hug, before moving on to Marissa. "It's so good to see you both!" she exclaimed. "Look at you, Alison, you are adorable!"

"So, Beth, can you tell that Alison has doubled in size?" Marissa loved to tease their friend.

"Doubled?!" Alison sputtered. "Marissa, what are you talking about?! I've only gained seven pounds since I found out I was pregnant!"

"Sure, but it's all in your tummy," the BuzzWire reporter pointed out, laughing. "Honestly, Ali, I don't know why you care. I agree with Beth - your belly is adorable. I'd be eating at least two of everything I liked, if I were you. Worry about taking it off later."

Before Alison could open her mouth to respond, Beth chimed in, taking a seat across from them. "Well, maybe," she commented dryly, "it's comments like 'you've doubled in size' that keep her from indulging, 'Rissa." She looked from her crestfallen friend to Alison's pink-cheeked outrage for a moment before bursting out laughing. "You have, uhm, grown, Ali - but, you're supposed to," she hastened to add. "And you look fabulous!"

The scientist shook her head at her friends, her auburn hair gleaming in the afternoon sunlight shining down on the patio. "I," she announced with fake haughtiness, folding her hands over her belly in an attempt at a queenly posture, "am a pregnant queen, immune to the comments of non-pregnant commoners."

The good-looking server who had appeared at the table during this exchange was fighting a losing battle to keep from smiling as he handed the folder to Alison. "Your majesty, would you care for a menu?" All three women burst out laughing. "I'm guessing a drink menu is out of the question?"

"Not for me!" Marissa grabbed the sheet out of the startled man's hand. "What!" she demanded when she noticed the smirk on Beth's face. "Don't judge. You're not the only one who's had a hard week, okay?"

"Seriously, 'Rissa? I've been puking for, what, almost five months now, and Beth's boyfriend almost died and will be convalescing for months. What do you have going on that trumps that?" Alison glared at the brunette.

"How about being shot at?" Marissa studiously read over the drink menu, ignoring the startled glances her friends exchanged.

"What the fuck?!" The normally ladylike Alison shouted the obscenity, then looked guiltily at the tables around them, catching the irate stares of her fellow diners. "Sorry," she muttered, slinking lower in her seat before turning her attention back to Marissa, hissing, "I mean - what the fuck, 'Rissa!"

Beth leaned over her menu to take Marissa's hand. "What happened, honey?"

The young woman launched into her explanation, her brunette hair stirring in the gentle breeze wafting across the veranda. "Well, I had the windows open and the front door cracked since it was so nice last night and I was walking across the living room with a glass of wine, right? And all of a sudden, I hear a car backfiring outside. Except I suddenly realized it wasn't a car backfiring!" Her dark brown eyes were huge as she paused dramatically.

"And?" Beth prodded gently.

"I peeked out the window and saw these guys wrestling in the street - and one of them had a gun and was trying to shoot the other guy!"

Alison gasped. "Oh god, Marissa! What did you do?"

"Well, it occurred to me that it probably wasn't a good idea to have the lights on - backlit targets and all - so I turned off the lights first. Actually...I kinda got in a hurry and broke my favorite lamp trying to get it off. Totally trashed my rug when I spilled my wine too." She looked sheepishly at her open-mouthed friends.

"Then what?" Alison also reached across the table to grab Marissa's other hand.

The brunette shrugged, as if trying to downplay the experience. "Then I dropped to the ground and crawled out of the living room on my belly like a damn snake. And went and hid under my bed like the dumb blondes do in horror movies – sorry, Beth, but it's always an airhead blonde. Humiliating."

Beth started laughing. "Uhm, when you're in survival mode, nothing is humiliating. I'm so glad you're alright! Did the police come? Were they arrested? Were drugs involved? Could you ID them? Did you get interviewed?" Her reporter instincts had kicked in and she fired questions at her friend non-stop.

"Damn, Beth!" Marissa leaned back in her chair, releasing her friends' hands. "You'd think you were still a reporter!"

The remark stung, but Beth did her best to hide it. Marissa didn't have a mean bone in her body, but her mouth often got ahead of her brain.

Alison watched the interplay and her quick scientist's mind caught Beth's reaction to the off-handed comment. "Once a reporter, always a reporter, right Beth?" Without waiting for a response, she continued, "We're just glad you're okay. Being able to crawl on one's belly is a good survival skill. One I'm not sure I could still do it at this point! You have to get out of that neighborhood though!"

"I know." Marissa sighed. "There just isn't much I can afford right now that's in a better area."

"Stay at my place," Beth blurted impulsively.

"What?!"

Even though she hadn't thought about making the offer before now, Beth quickly embraced the idea. It made sense. "I mean it. Why don't you stay at my place for the time being? I'm at Mick's right now so no one is using it. It would actually be good to have someone staying there. It would give you a chance to get out of that neighborhood while you look for something else. Just give me a couple of days to sort things out there and straighten up."

"What if you need to move back?" Marissa hoped that the question would provoke Beth into providing some clarification around the status of her relationship with the handsome P.I. - information she was dying to know. No such luck, however.

"Then we'll just be roommates for a while till you find something else!" Beth responded brightly, refusing to rise to the bait. "So...what do you think?"

"I think...that's a very generous offer and a fabulous idea!" Marissa exclaimed, jumping up to hug her friend before plopping back down in her chair.

"I echo that," Alison chimed in. "Besides Dara, you two are my closest friends and I don't want to have to replace either of you. I'm going to need babysitters!"

"Settled then," Beth announced, flipping open her menu as their server reappeared. "I think I could use a drink too, 'Rissa. We'll have margaritas, hold the salt," she told the waiter, who hurried away.

"Poor Beth, we haven't even asked you how Mick's doing!" Alison exclaimed.

"Yes, how is our man-god? Is he all scarred up?"

"Marissa!" Alison growled, shaking her head warningly at her impulsive friend.

"What? I didn't mean anything by it!" Marissa turned to Beth. "Scars are sexy on men." Besides, no matter what, he's still got that gorgeous face, right?"

The image of Mick's massive incision flitted across Beth's mind and she shivered unconsciously. "Right," she said faintly.

"So," Alison said, "how is he, Beth? And how are you?"

"He's going to be okay - feeling well enough to be getting antsy as a matter of fact."

"That's great!" Marissa exclaimed.

"That's...surprising." Alison frowned thoughtfully. "From what you told me when we talked before, I'm amazed that he can do more than get from his bed to a chair without help."

"Well...I mean...he's still...I mean...he's honestly not doing much more than that," Beth stammered. Dammit! Get it together! Taking a deep breath, she continued, "He wants to do more than he can or should. But I pointed out to him that he's exhausted just getting to the sofa to lie down." She spread her hands in a gesture of helplessness. "Typical male."

Alison snorted. "Not just men. Don't you remember how bad Dara was when she had that nasty ankle sprain? I practically had to tie her to the couch! I don't think it's being male so much as it is being damned stubborn and a bone-headed idiot!"

"Well, that defines most of the men I've ever met so..." Marissa drawled and all three women laughed as the waiter reappeared with their drinks. Taking up her glass, she pronounced, "I'd like to propose a toast."

Beth scooped up her margarita, while Alison grabbed her water glass. Both women looked at their friend expectantly.

"To bone-headed idiots!"

"To bone-headed idiots," Beth and Alison echoed.

Laughing, the three friends clinked glasses and drank, then turned to the important task of ordering lunch.

More lighthearted than she'd felt in weeks, Beth looked across the table at her friends, their heads close together as they conferred over the menu. I'm so lucky. She didn't notice that they were being watched closely from an isolated table across the patio.

Gabby was just finishing dressing when Victoria strolled into her bedroom without knocking - again.

"Dammit, V! How many times have we discussed this?! Knock first, for Christ's sake!" Irritated, she jerked her tank top down, smoothing the soft cotton over her angular hips.

"Excuse me! I didn't realize you were so modest." The elegant vampire sat down on the edge of the bed and crossed her shapely legs.

"It's not about modesty - it's about privacy!" Gabrielle snapped. She studied her mentor in the full-length mirror as she twisted her hair up into a loose up-do. As mid-summer approached, the nights were growing increasingly humid and she hated the feeling of hair on her neck when it was hot. "What's up, V?"

"What makes you think something's up?"

Gabby smiled mirthlessly into the mirror, holding the older vampire's gaze. "I don't think you came here just to see what I was wearing on my date tonight."

Victoria grimaced. "Another date, Gabrielle? With a human again? When the Asian woman said nothing, she continued, "What is this sudden fascination with the human race?"

The younger vampire shrugged her shoulders as she worked a diamond stud into her ear. "I just thought I'd have a little sex is all. Last time I checked, that wasn't illegal." She turned around to face Victoria, hands on hips. "Or is that no longer the case now that the Council is involved? Are they going to cast judgment on my love life too?" Her tone was bitter and accusatory.

"I'm not the enemy, Gabrielle," Victoria responded mildly. "You would do well to remember that. In point of fact, I'm your biggest ally."

Gabby dropped her gaze, ashamed. "I- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to accuse you. I know I screwed up royally, but how long do I have to pay for it?

"How long do vampires live?" Victoria answered, her smile holding a hint of sadness. Unfortunately for you, vamps have very long memories."

"I just feel like there's a target on me." She moved over to sink down on the bed next to her mentor.

"That, I understand - even if I don't understand your wanting to sleep with humans. Just do your job and you'll be fine, Gabrielle. The Council understands that I need your help...now more than ever."

"Do you, V?" Gabby studied the taller vampire. "Do you really?"

"Especially now," Victoria emphasized. "I've received word that another vampire has gone missing."

"Here in New York?" Gabrielle's voice betrayed her confusion.

"No, not here. I'm keeping close tabs on the community and there haven't been any more disappearances. Baltimore. Jeffrey Costan. I don't think you know him." When Gabby shook her head, she continued. "He's a prominent vampire in that city with a lot of ties to the business community and several successful business ventures. There's no evidence that he would up and disappear on his own. None," she emphasized firmly.

"Dammit!" Gabby flopped onto her back on the bed next to where her mentor was sitting, throwing her arms over her head as she stared up at the ornate plasterwork on the ceiling of her bedroom. "What is going on, V?"

"Crucis," her mentor said simply, looking down at her. "I know it. In my bones, I know it. I can feel it."

Gabby raised her head to stare at the leader of the New York community. "If I'm going to stand up this good-looking guy I've got lined up, I need a damn compelling reason. Don't you think it's time you told me everything? And don't bother saying you haven't been hiding anything," she added when Victoria opened her mouth to respond.

"You're right. I haven't been telling you everything and I need to. I've done you a disservice," Victoria admitted. Julian was right; it was time for Gabrielle to know it all if she was to be able to be of help.

The younger vampire sat up, startled. This was the first time in her memory that she could recall Victoria Silver admitting she was wrong.

"Close your mouth, Gabrielle. It's not ladylike."

For the next hour, the beautiful vampire recounted her experience with Crucis. Their origins. The pogroms they'd initiated under the guise of class or ethnic warfare. The attempts at vampire annihilation they had spearheaded in Europe. Their brutality and viciousness. Finally, Victoria touched on their activities in the United States, beginning in the 20th century. She left nothing out, including her personal experience with losing loved ones in horrific ways to their fanaticism.

When she finished, there was a lengthy silence. Finally, Gabby, blinking back tears, blurted out, "They've caused you so much pain, V. Why didn't you tell me before now?"

"I thought I was protecting you from the more frightening aspects of our existence. There hadn't been any more...incidents...for years. I had deluded myself into thinking that they had left the U.S., returned to Europe. Perhaps I'm narrow-minded, but I felt that Crucis was their problem. The old European vamps, that is. I should have known better," Victoria added bitterly. "Fanatics like that never let go, never stop..." Her voice trailed off, her brilliant blue eyes filling with tears as her mind flooded with unwanted memories.

Gabby reached out to take her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "We can handle them, V. Now that I know what we're up against, I'll be better prepared." After a long pause, she added softly, "Thank you. I know that wasn't easy for you."

"No. It wasn't." The striking vampire dashed away a tear that had marred her perfectly made-up face. "But it was time. I'm sorry if you felt I wasn't being honest with you, but I had to do what I thought was right. I've felt for some time that Crucis is behind all the disappearances and attacks, but I had to be sure. That's why I went to see Josef in California; I knew he'd listen to me, even though he hates acknowledging that I'm right on this. He's seen and experienced their danger before. And I admit that I also underestimated the Council's fear - they were even more reluctant to acknowledge Crucis's resurgence than I was. They're afraid."

"That won't help."

"No, it won't." A fleeting smile crossed Victoria's face. "It's up to us - to convince them that we're right and come up with a plan to beat Crucis."

A sudden thought occurred to Gabby. "Does Mick know all this?"

Victoria shook her head. "Josef hasn't told him yet."

"But why, for heaven's sake?!"

"The same reasons I kept it all from you. We try to protect younger vampires, not alarm you unduly. The transition is hard enough as it is. And, in Mick's case, Josef didn't want to make his existence any more painful than it already is."

"Make his existence more painful? That's a curious way to put it." Gabrielle frowned, her forehead creasing with worry as she leaned toward her mentor. "He needs to know, V. If I needed to know everything, he certainly does. Josef isn't doing him any favors by being so protective. Why does he think Mick can't handle it?"

"Mick is different. In a lot of ways, he's...fragile." Victoria sighed, making up her mind. There had been too many secrets between her and her protege. "I'm going to tell you something about Mick, Gabrielle - and you are sworn to secrecy." She held the younger woman's gaze with her intense stare. "His ex-wife turned him on their wedding night. Without his consent. He didn't even know she was a vampire, didn't know vampires existed." When Gabby gasped in shock, the older vampire nodded. "Exactly. I'm ashamed that she is even a vampire. That bitch..." She spat out the word.

Heartsick, Gabrielle's eyes filled with tears. "Poor Mick," she murmured. It explained so much. "What did he do?"

"I don't know much more than what I just told you. That was all he shared with me and Josef is, understandably, hesitant to confide more personal details. He did divulge that Mick has struggled with his existence because of the way Coraline introduced him to our life and needs. She intentionally mislead him about what he needed to do to survive. I'm sure that reconciling himself to being a vampire has been difficult for him, to say the least. That's why Josef is so protective of him. I know you'll keep all this in confidence," she added unnecessarily.

"Of course I will, V. I can't imagine what Mick must have felt - waking up as a vampire without any say in it or even knowing about us!" Gabby jumped up and began pacing the spacious room.

Victoria stood as well, smoothing the skirt of her expensive St. John suit. "I doubt that what Mick just went through will have helped him. I suspect that Josef is trying to wait until he's stronger before he divulges to him the full extent of what we're up against. I can't say I disagree."

"Nor do I," Gabby said, shuddering as the image of his torn body lying on the kitchen table in Temecula, flashed through her mind.

"He can't wait much longer, though. We will need Mick if we are to survive this threat. Just like we need you." Victoria reached out to take the younger vampire by the shoulders. "We have no one but ourselves to turn to in this fight. No one is on our side. We do need you, Gabrielle, despite how shabbily the Council has treated you. I need you. Now, finish getting ready for your date. It's five o'clock so I expect the drinks are flowing." Smiling slightly, Victoria released her protégé and headed for the door. Pausing for a moment to look back, her hand on the knob, she said, "I do need you, Gabrielle. I hope you realize how much." The vampire leader left, closing the door gently behind her.

Her head reeling from Victoria's revelations, Gabby punched out a quick text message to her date, cancelling their rendezvous. She couldn't possibly concentrate on some human she was interested in only for sex. Not with the threat hanging over their heads that Victoria had described. She needed to absorb all this, then talk to those who had last seen the missing vampire in Baltimore, do more research, make a list of questions to go over with Victoria...

Gabrielle abruptly sat down on the floor, suddenly overwhelmed by the emotions welling up in her. Poor Mick. Poor V. She'd never before felt anything like pity for Victoria Silver...until now. Now, after the stories of Crucis cruelties, her loves and losses...The phone buzzed in her hand, interrupting her reverie. Her eyes widened as she read the response from her cancelled date. Asshole! "Be honest, you weren't attracted to him for his wit and personality," she mumbled, jumping effortlessly to her feet.

With a quick calculation of the time on the West Coast, Gabby hit the 'contacts' button on her phone, then stared for a long moment at Mick's phone number. It was late afternoon in California; he might be up by now. She desperately wanted to talk to him but what would she say? Sorry about your luck being turned into a vampire, Mick? We really aren't all that bad? What could she say? It was up to him to tell her about himself when he felt ready.

With a heavy sigh, Gabrielle Sinclair shoved her phone in her hip pocket. She wanted to huddle with Victoria to plan their next steps, but first, she needed alcohol, and lots of it. "It is five o'clock somewhere," she muttered as she headed out the door after her leader.

End Song: It's Five O'Clock Somewhere, Jimmy Buffett