fitzsgirl

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Chapter 13

 

Vicki continued to stare at Mary and Jessica stunned that the two women were safe and, from what she could tell, in relatively good shape.  Her mind replayed the bloody scenes found in both of their homes.  She thought to herself No one can live with that much blood loss.  Finally her voice caught up with her head and she voiced her concerns.

 

“So are you OK?”

 

Jessica saw the many questions on her face and responded. “Of course we are, why wouldn’t we be?”

 

“Oh I don’t know because you lost a tremendous amount of blood and have been missing for the past few days.  We confirmed that the blood found in both of your homes belonged to each of you respectively. So do care to explain?”

 

Mary and Jessica looked over at John, who was still being held in a choke hold by Henry. John sighed before requesting Henry to release him so that he could explain.  Reluctantly Henry let him go and allowed him to collect himself and his thoughts.  With a heavy heart, John began to relay his extraordinary tale of love and loss.  He explained that centuries ago he had fallen in love with Nox.  She was the beautiful and charming daughter of Chaos and the mother of Eros, the God of Love.  When Nox’s father found out about their amore, he swiftly put an end to the romance, but not before creating sheer havoc for the young lovers.  Nox had pleaded for her father to allow her to stay in human form and remain with Casanova.  She professed her love for him adamantly and stated that he felt the same for her, so much so that she was willing to relinquish her immortality to be with him and live this one lifetime as a couple.  Chaos did not believe his daughter nor did he feel that this human was worthy of her love, so he made her a deal.  He would grant Casanova immortality and place Nox’s soul into a human, but the lovers would be parted.  Nox’s soul would continue to pass from descendent to descendent until Casanova was able to find her.  It would be the true an ultimate search of soul mates. If he gave his heart to another besides Nox then the lover would die a horribly painful death.  Nox’s human form would also be placed with the same curse.  All those that she would love besides Casanova would die, as well.  The two would be left to wonder the ends of the earth in loneliness until they were able to find each other.  If they were truly destined to be together than eventually their souls would recognize its counter part and be re-joined to live the rest of their days in peace.

 

Once John had finished his story, Vicki quickly began the interrogation.  She was somewhat skeptical of this whole soul mate story that he was trying to spin.

 

“So what does this have to due with Mary and Jessica?”

 

John wearily eyed her and then with an exasperated tone, frankly stated “Mary is the descendent of the original soul bearer that Nox’s essence was placed.  She carries Nox’s soul and therefore is my intended.”

 

Vicki stating the obvious blurted out “But she was married and has a daughter.  What about the whole die a horrible death thing if you stray from the path?”

 

At this point Mary spoke up to answer Vicki’s question. “My late husband Frank was a good man and just as the prophecy predicted, he met a terrible end to his life all because he dared to love me.  The one blessing that I was given was my daughter.  She was the gift of our love.  You can’t imagine the guilt and mourning that I have felt since the realization that my love was the cause of his death.  It wasn’t until after he had died that I became aware of my soul’s search.  When John finally found me, it was as if the flood gate of love, passion and acceptance swept over me.  I finally felt complete.

 

After a brief pause Henry spoke up “What was the purpose of the blood ritual? I could feel the use of magic in both of your homes.”

 

“Well sir to complete the joining of our souls, we not only had to find each other, but we also had to seal our commitment with the combining of body and blood.  For Mary’s part, we had to consummate our relationship, and then we had to join our life essence with the co-mingling of our blood.  Mary’s body is not fully immortal until the sacrifice ritual is complete.  As far as, Jessica is concerned, she too would be granted an immortal life through her connection to Mary and her unconditional love.  It was the gift granted to her by her son Eros.”

 

Mike piped up and said “So I don’t understand, is Mary and immortal or not?”

 

With this question voiced, John lowered his head with a look of defeat.

 

“No.  To complete the ritual, Mary and Jessica must drink from the stream of eternal life.  Unfortunately, somewhere within all of this madness we have misplaced the vial that contains the precious elixir.  We are unable to complete the ceremony.”

 

“So what happens now if the ceremony is not completed?”

 

With a pained expression, John answers in a whisper “Mary and Jessica will die.  We are running out of time, if the ceremony is not completed by midnight then they will both die and I will continue to roam this earth alone.”

 

Realization hit Vicki like a ton of bricks.  “Wait I think that I can help you.  We found a vial at Mary’s that first night.  I took it to Rajani to examine the contents.  It was in an antique looking perfume type container.”

 

“That’s it.  Can you get it and meet us at this location?”  John was handing Vicki a slip of paper with the address of the botanical gardens.

 

“Yes, but we are going to have to hurry if we are going to get it and meet there by midnight.  It is already after 11:00pm”

 

Henry took John and the ladies to the botanical gardens to begin making preparation for the upcoming ceremony while Mike drove Vicki to the morgue to obtain the vial.  Hastily they ran into Rajani’s office only to find the door locked.

 

“Shit.  What are we going to do Mike?”

 

“Well Vic, unless you can sprout some keys, I guess we are screwed.”

 

“Not acceptable.  We can’t let’s those women die.”

 

Vicki spied the fire extinguisher hanging on the wall and went to grab it.  She started to swing at the glass when Mike grabbed her arm.

 

“What the hell are you doing?  You can’t break into her office.  Have you lost your mind?”

 

“Mike I don’t have time to wait for the night shift to come in.  We only have 20 minutes until midnight.”

 

“Do you have your lock picking tools?”

 

Vicki padded her jacket and looked frantically for her purse, but then remembered that she had left it in Henry’s car.

 

“Damnit, Mike I don’t have them on me.”

 

With a heavy sigh, Mike looked at the Vicki and then at the door.  “Well here goes, but just so you know if I get fired for this, then you will be forced to hire me.”

 

She smiled at him and said “Deal.”

 

With the glass broken, they quickly entered into the office and began to seek out the needed substance.  After what seemed like an eternity, Vicki finally found it and screamed in triumph. 

 

“Got it.  Let’s roll.”

 

Pulling into the designated location with only a few minutes to spare, Vicki and Mike took off running towards the gardens.  When they approached the rose garden, both could see a triangle shaped pattern outlined with flickering candles blazing in the darkness.  John stood at the pinnacle of the triangle with each woman flanked on the far corners.  In the center of the triangle was a bowl filled with a mixture that looked suspiciously like potpourri and a sweet smelling aroma of smoke billowing from it.  The trio was chanting in unison with their arms lifted towards the sky.  Vicki ran to John and handed him the vial.  He smiled tenderly at her, whispering “Thank you” which she simply nodded her acceptance.  She then walked over towards Henry and took her place at this side.  With the last words of the chant completed, a cloud appeared to hover over the three.  John lifted the container up towards it and all watched as it simply disappeared from sight.  At that moment a jolt of lighting projected out of the cloud, striking all of the figures, dropping them to their knees.  Once they were able to catch their breath, a figure began to appear out of the cloud.  It approached Mary, taking her in its arms.

 

“Nox your faithfulness has been rewarded and your soul will finally be joined with its life mate.  Immortality is granted to your human body for both you and Jessica.  She is beautiful by the way.”  With an outstretched hand, the figure reached for John.  It then joined the two lover’s hands and continued to speak.  “I never thought you worthy of my daughter, but you have proven yourself over the centuries with your unparalleled pursuit of her soul.  You will be given all that you desire and entrusted with my most precious gift, my daughter. Take care of her, guard both of your hearts and souls to be bathed in each other’s love for all eternity.”  Chaos smiled sweetly before turning to the remaining people standing in the distance.

 

“You vampire and mortal one, please step forward.” 

 

Henry grabbed Vicki’s hand and did as he was instructed, knowing that whatever was about to happen he and Vicki could handle it together. 

 

“I am in your debt for assisting my daughter in her quest of eternal bliss.  My kind does not let a debt go unrewarded.  As such I will grant you your greatest desires and fulfill your life’s quest for the perpetual uniting of its soul’s counterpart.”

 

He gently placed a hand on the top of Henry and Vicki’s head.  Suddenly a bright light engulfed all of them and a sensation of floating overtook the two. As Chaos looked into their hearts and minds to reveal the secret desires placed their, he smiled at his discoveries.  He then began to speak in inaudible language.  When he was finished, he joined their hands. 

 

“I am truly amazed by your love for each other and willingness to sacrifice for the other’s happiness.  The longings that each of you had in your hearts, revolved solely around the other’s pleasure, so because of your selflessness, I am granting those desires.  For you mortal one, I give the gift of immortality.  With this gift you will be able to walk all your days at the side of your beloved.  Both of your lives will be interconnected from this day forward, if one should perish so will the other.  Also, all of your physical aliments will be healed, never to be touched by sickness again.” 

 

Slowly Chaos turned to face Henry.  He started to speak, but was hastily interrupted by Henry. 

 

“You have just given me the greatest gift that I could ever expect.  Nothing else could possibly make me happier than I am right at this moment with the knowledge that I will spend all of my remaining days with Vicki.”

 

“I am glad that you are pleased with my gift, but I can assure you that what I have given you will add to your happiness.  From this day forward vampire, you will be able to walk in the day and feel the warmth of the sun on your skin.  Also, I give you the ability to father children with your beloved if you so desire.”

 

A stream of tears rolled down Henry’s cheeks.  He was rendered utterly speechless.  Finally composing himself, he simply let out a “Thank you.”

 

“You are most welcome.  Cherish your gifts, as well as, each other.  Stay true to your heart and the love that has been formed there.  When two souls are joined for a life’s journey, they are given strength and purpose that transcends all understanding.  Go with love.”

 

With a burst of energy and a spark of light, Chaos was gone.  Vicki and Henry stared at each other in disbelief before finally merging into a passionate embrace.  Realizing that the others were staring at them, Vicki immediately became uncomfortable.  She reluctantly pulled away from Henry and turned to the others.

 

“Wow talk about a family reunion.  Christmas must have been a blast at your house.”  This solicited a roar of laughter. 

 

Mary responded “Ms. Nelson we don’t actually celebrate Christmas where I am from, but yes my father has always been a little eccentric when it came to bestowing gifts.”

 

On their way back to the condo, Henry glanced over to Vicki to see how she was handling all of the changes that had just taken place.  She decided to break the silence and asked him “So what do you want to do tomorrow on your first day back in the sun after almost 500 years?”

 

“You mean besides buy the strongest sun screen made?”

 

“Seriously”

 

“Oh I don’t know.  I would have to think about it.  It’s not been an option for so long that I would not even know where to begin.  Why don’t you take me to do some of your favorite things and help me get reacquainted with the world?”

 

“Hmmm.  I think that I can do that.”

 

“Vic, how did you feel when Chaos said that we could have children if we so desired it?”

 

“It definitely opened up some possibilities.”

 

“Are you saying that you wouldn’t be opposed to the idea?”

 

Pondering his question momentarily, Vicki responded “Henry there is no one that I would rather have children with than you, but do you honestly think that the world is ready for another Vicki Nelson?”

 

“I think that the world would be blessed to have such a wonderful and perfect creation in the form of a smaller version of you.”

 

Henry always knew the right thing to say and Vicki was touched by his words.  She smiled and then leaned in towards him to place a tender kiss on his cheek.

 

“Well Henry, you know what they say about having kids?”

 

“And what is that?”

 

“Practice makes perfect”

 

With that statement trailing in the air, Henry speed off to his home to begin their life of bliss and the pursuit of the “perfect” child because even if he had another thousand years to practice with her, it would still not be enough.

Chapter 12

The sun descended on the Toronto skyline and with it tucking safely in the horizon, Henry awoke with a gasp. He quickly glanced around his condo with a frown due to not sensing Vicki’s presence.  Since their relationship had blossomed into more than friendship, he always enjoyed waking to find her either lying next to him or tucked in some secluded corner of his home reading, typing on the computer or watching TV.  It was the most domestic that Henry had ever been in his long life and he thoroughly enjoyed their private moments shared together.  Going to grab his cell phone to call her, he noticed the blinking light indicating that he had a message.  Upon retrieving his message he hurriedly showered and dressed with anticipation of meeting Vicki at her office.

 

Mike was already at Vicki’s when Henry came strolling in looking every bit the picture of complete perfection.  He breezed over to Vicki and placed a seductively wicked kiss on her lips.  The effect was not lost on Mike.

 

“Well good evening your lordship.  If you could reign in your sexual advances towards Vicki for a moment than maybe we could get this case of hers solved and the rest of us can go and have a pleasant evening.”

 

“Jealous are we detective.”

 

“Of you stealing my girl?.........Absolutely”

 

“I think that you mean my girl and I didn’t steal her, she came more than willingly.”  Henry had a very smug, self satisfied smirk on his face as those words trailed from his mouth.

 

At this point, Vicki was becoming extremely irritable.

 

“Boys, can we control the testosterone for a moment and concentrate on finding answers about this Casanova.”

 

Henry’s only response was a slight bow and retort.  “As my lady wishes”

 

After getting Henry up to speed on the events from earlier today, they formulated a plan for confronting their mystery man.  The hour was approaching to when he had arranged the meeting at his office space.  When they arrived at 12786 Yonge Street, the building was brightly lit and Henry could sense at least 3 bodies moving about inside.  They were getting ready to storm into the building when Vicki’s cell phone rang.  It was Rajani.  Vicki quickly flipped the phone open so that she would not alert the occupants to their presence.

 

“Hey Rajani what’s up?”

 

“Vicki I have identified that contents of the vile that you brought me.”

 

“Fantastic what was it?”

 

“Well for the most part it is simply a mixture of different Chinese herbs, but the interesting item that I found was the presence of Jiao Gu Lan.”

 

“What the hell is that?”

 

“It is a holistic herb that has been linked with anti-aging and longevity.  The binding substance appears to be molecular.”

 

“OK.  You lost me.”

 

“There is DNA in it.”

 

“Is it blood?”

 

“Blood or something like blood.  It’s hard to say, but definitely not human.”

 

“Thanks Rajani.  You have been a big help.”

 

Vicki hung up the phone and just shook her head.  “Damn, I have a bad feeling about this.  Why can’t a missing person’s case be just that without having to draw in the entire freak show along with it?”

 

Henry had already heard the extent of the conversation, so Vicki quickly filled Mike in on what Rajani had uncovered.  Mike simply threw his hands up in the air.

 

“I knew it.  Didn’t I say earlier Hell on earth.  So what do you think this guy is?”

 

“Mike we don’t know, but we are getting ready to find out.”

 

With that Vicki took off towards the front door, both men hot on her heels. She tested the door which surprisingly was unlocked and barged inside.  There was a nicely dressed gentleman shuffling through papers.  By the look on his face, they had definitely held the element of surprise.

 

“Can I help you?”  He asked in his most distinguished voice, trying to not sound shaky or off guard.  However, he could not fool Henry who had honed in on the sound of his rapidly beating heart. 

 

Vicki promptly responded back “I surely hope so, we are looking for John Casanova.  Is that you?”

 

“Why yes madam.  How can I be of assistance?”

 

“Well for starters my name is Vicki not madam and then you can tell me the whereabouts of Mary Gallagher and her daughter Jessica.”

 

“And why do you want to know?”

 

“Hey I am the one asking the questions here.  Now tell me where they are.”  Vicki was becoming irate and it was apparent by the sternness and the high pitched tone in her voice.

 

“I do not know who you are or what you want with them, so I will not give you any further details without some explanation first.”

 

Vicki narrowed her eyes at the man, trying to intimidate him.  When it did not work, she sighed heavily and explained that Jessica had hired her to find her mom and now both women were missing.  John laughed softly which inflamed Vicki.  She started towards him when Henry grabbed her arm.

 

 He whispered “Vicki let me give it a try.”  With that he rushed the man, grabbing him by the throat.  His eyes faded to black and his fangs descended. With his hypnotic and authoritative tone, Henry asked him

 

“Where are Mary and Jessica?  You will tell us everything that you know about them and their whereabouts.” 

 

John trembled in Henry’s grasp.  His concentration was broken by a shrill scream and a feminine voice pleading for his release.  Everyone turned to see a stunningly, beautiful woman standing in the doorway.  She had a glowing aura about her that was currently being threatened by the look of terror on her face.  Vicki cautiously looked the woman up and down.  There were all sorts of thoughts running through her head.  She proceeded with the most obvious.

 

“And just who the hell are you?”

 

The woman glanced at Vicki shocked and after a long silence she responded to her question.

 

“I’m Mary, Mary Gallagher.” 

 

At that moment, Jessica walked in to stand beside her mother.  She glowed with that same aura and with a smile on her face, she pleasantly greeted the visitors.

 

“Hello Ms. Nelson.  How are you this evening?”

 

For once Vicki was dumb struck.  Her mind could not formulate the words that were so desperately trying to escape.  The one thought that she did coherently have is can this case possibly get anymore bizarre.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 11

Vicki strolled into the office around 11:00am only to be greeted by an overly ecstatic Goth.

 

“Coreen, you seem more chipper than normal.  What gives?”

 

“That’s because I may have found our mystery man’s location here in Toronto.”

 

“What?”

 

“Well it seems that he has a lease on a building off of Yonge Street.”

 

“Really.  OK then there is no time like the present to head over and pay him a social call.”

 

“Vicki, this guy is dangerous.  Don’t you think that it would be better if we waited until Henry was up and could go with us?  I mean we are really not even sure what he is.”

 

“Oh come on Coreen, live a little.”

 

“That’s my point.  I want to live to see tomorrow.  Not be this psycho path’s next victim.”

 

“Then, I guess I will just have to go by myself.”

 

“But…..”

 

Coreen couldn’t even get the words out before Vicki was headed out the door to catch a cab.  A feeling of dread overcame her knowing that if something happened to Vicki, Henry would have her head probably literally.  With that thought trailing through her mind, she contemplated her next move.  Reluctantly she picked up the phone to call the only person that she knew might be able to help.  She held her breath with each ring hoping that it was the right decision.

 

“Detective Celluci”

 

“Mike, it’s Coreen”

 

For a moment all she heard was silence.

 

“Hello”

 

“I’m here, I just didn’t expect to hear from you.  How are things?”

 

“Pretty much the same.  Listen I need your help.”

 

“Let me guess a Warlock escaped from the asylum and you need me to hunt him down.”

 

“Nooooo.  Well at least I don’t think that he is a Warlock.”

 

“Coreen please.  I have already told Vicki that I do not want to be involved in anymore of her whacked out cases.”

 

“Mike I know but this is different.”

 

“Aren’t they always?”

 

“That’s not what I mean.  Vicki has run off to investigate this guy who we think has killed both her client and the girl’s mother.”

 

“WHAT!!!! Wait does this have to do with the stuff that she was having Rajani look into for her?”

 

“Yes, so you already know about the case?”

 

“Sort of.  Where is she at?”

 

“12786 Yonge Street.  The guy leases a building there.”

 

“Alright, I will head over there.  Finish filling me in on the dregs of Hell that I am heading into.”

 

Coreen told him everything that they knew which by her own admission was not much. Driving towards the given address, Mike’s stomach began to churn and his head was about to explode.  He knew that his day was going to go downhill fast once he found Vicki.  Not only was she going to be pissed that Coreen called him to come and check on her, but he was also going to have to have a very serious talk about not following protocol and reporting what she found to the police, especially if two murders had taken place.  Mike’s hands were balled up in a fist as he pounded on the steering wheel, shaking his head at her foolish actions.

 

Pulling up to the disclosed location, Mike did not immediately see her but he knew that she was close.  Heading around the back of the building, he spotted the impetuous blonde trying to climb through a window.

 

“Vicki what the HELL are you doing?”

 

With her most nonchalant and innocent expression she answered “Not much.  What brings you here Mike?”

 

“Cut the crap.  Breaking and entering is against the law you know.  I should arrest you for this stunt.”

 

“Hey, I hadn’t broken in yet.  I was just trying to get a better look inside.”

 

“Sure you were. Do you want to tell me what’s going on or do I need to take you downtown to the station?”

 

“Well, I just wanted to check out this Casanova fella.   Coreen found this address.  Apparently he is leasing this building to run his business out of while in Toronto.  I am trying to track down my client and her mother.”

 

“Speaking of which, why didn’t you call in your little discoveries at their respective houses?”

 

“Actually I did try to tell you about what I found at the mother’s house, but you didn’t want to hear what I had to say.  As far as my client’s house, we just found it last night.”

 

“We.  You mean you and the blood sucker.”

 

“MIKE.  His name is Henry.  Act your age and stop calling him names.”

 

“Whatever, but that still does not answer my questions as to why you have not called the possible crime scenes in for the police to investigate.”

 

“I need more to go on, plus there is no bodies as of yet and I knew that the police would not take the case seriously.”

 

At that moment a car pulled up and a well dressed man was escorted out by a chauffeur.  He unlocked the building and went inside.  Vicki was having difficulty seeing what he was doing in the interior with her poor eyesight.  Mike grabbed her shoulders and pulled backwards so that he could take her place at the window.

 

“Hey”

 

“Shhhhh.  Why don’t you talk a little louder so the whole neighborhood can hear you.”

 

“What do you see?”

 

“Not much, he has his back to me.  It looks like he is opening a safe to get something, but I can’t tell what.”

 

“Wait, what’s that noise?”

 

“It’s his cell phone.  Sounds like he is making plans to meet someone here later tonight.  Oh, now he is leaving.”

 

“Do we have the all clear?”

 

“Yes”

 

“Great.  Let’s get inside.”

 

Vicki started to head back in through the window when Mike took her arm.

 

“What now?”

 

“You can’t go in there.”

 

“Why the fuck not?”

 

“Because he set the alarm before he left and if you walk in the perimeter beams will be activated and you will definitely end up in jail.”

 

“Dammit.  Ok then we go to plan B.”

 

“Which is?”

 

“Come back later tonight when he is here and get some answers.”

 

“Will Captain Canine be with you?”

 

“MIKE”

 

“Sorry, Will Henry be with you?”

 

“Of course”

 

“Well, then I will see you here tonight 9:30pm.”

 

“Sounds like a date”

 

That comment solicited a sly grim from Mike.

 

“So you would like a date with me huh?  If that’s the case don’t bring Henry.”

 

Vicki simply rolled her eyes.  “You know what I meant.”

 

“Do you want for me to drop you back by the office?”

 

“That would be great.  Thanks.  Oh and Mike?”

 

“Yes”

 

“I am glad that we are talking again.”

 

“I will hold my judgment on that until after tonight.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I want to see first what kind of supernatural Hell you are dragging me into before I rejoice over the two of us making amends.”

 

“Fair enough”

 

 

 

 

 

( You are about to view content that may only be appropriate for adults. )

Chapter 9 

Vicki could not wrap her mind around the events of the past few days.  This case was completely baffling.  Every lead turned into a dead end, and they were no closer to answers than when they started.  Henry went to see Betty to research possible supernatural aspects of this mystery man Casanova’s identity.  As they searched through the piles of obscure books that she had gathered in her office for his arrival, he filled her in on the evidence that they had uncovered thus far which by his own admission was not much.  Henry was becoming rather frustrated by their lack of progress and began to shift and pace.

 

“Betty there has to be something that we are missing.”

 

“So what makes you so sure that this being is immortal?”

 

“There is nothing that I can directly pinpoint except the events are strange at best plus I can sense the magic involved in whatever ritual this guy is performing with those women in their bedrooms.”

 

“OK, let’s go back to the obvious.  He is using the name Casanova which is of course a well known lover and womanizer.  Didn’t you also say that Coreen and Vicki found some connection to the original Casanova and Mendoza?”

 

“Well according to the history books, Casanova lived in Spain for a short time and was supposedly involved with the inquisition.  He may or may not have known Mendoza.  There is no direct proof.”

 

“Henry, for arguments sake, let’s say that they did meet and Mendoza shared his revelations with Casanova about a formula for longevity.  Do you think that’s possible?”

 

“It would explain a few things, but I still think that we are not completely on the right track because Mendoza had to have vampire blood to make his herbal remedy work.  This Casanova person is not consuming vampire blood but human blood.  How would that prolong your life?”

 

“I know that we have already addressed this question, but I have to ask again, you are sure that this guy is not a vampire?”

 

“Yes, I am positive.”

 

“Have you identified that substance in the vial that you found at Mary’s home?”

 

“No, not yet.”

 

“Do you think that it was something used in the ritual?”

 

“I don’t know, but Vicki has Rajani working on it.  At this point, anything could be a possibility.”

 

“Why Henry, you are starting to sound just like a detective.  How proud Vicki must be?”  With that comment, Henry gave Betty a slight smirk along with a raised eyebrow, then moved onto the next stack of books.

 

“Wait, I think that I might have found something.  Betty how much to do you know about Roman myths?”

 

“Not much, why?”

 

“According to this book, there is mention of Nox taking a human lover that eventually broke her heart.  I will give you one guess who this supposed lover was.”

 

“Casanova”  Henry turned to greet the familiar voice which answered his question.

 

“Very good, my love.”

 

Vicki strolled over to where Henry had set-up residence and glanced down at the book he was studying.  She then placed her hand on his shoulder and made a very surprising gesture by kissing him on the cheek.  He immediately smiled at her public display of affection.

 

“So it sounds like you two have been productive.  What did you find out?”

 

“Just what you overheard”

 

At that point Betty interjected “Wait if I recall correctly wasn’t Nox the daughter of  Chaos, as well as, the mother of Eros, the God of Love?”

 

“As a matter of fact, she was.  I can see that someone was paying attention in their history class.”

 

This possible connection peaked Vicki’s interest.  “So Henry what else does the book state about the relationship or the fall out from the relationship that Casanova had with Nox?”

 

“Well my darling, not much.  But I will tell you this, you do not break the heart of a Goddess and come out unscathed.  I am sure that there were consequences for his actions.”

 

With that, Vicki phoned Coreen.

 

“Hey I need for you to do some research for me?  Yes, I know that it is late.  Alright, we will talk about overtime.  Coreen, stop complaining about the time and just grab a piece of paper to write down some notes.  Geez.”

 

Vicki was shaking her head with exasperation at the young goth.  In the background, she could hear the girl scramble and thrash around trying to locate pen and paper, as well as, fumble for the lights on her nightstand.

 

“Tell me when you are ready.  OK, I want for you to research a roman myth about the Goddess Nox having an affair with a human that broke her heart.  There is a brief mention in one of Betty’s books that is leading us to believe that it may be Casanova.  If we are right, then this could be the clue that we need to crack this case wide open.”

 

Coreen was becoming increasingly excited about this possible new piece of information.

 

“So Vic, you think that this guy that Mary was dating is in fact the real Casanova?”

 

“Could be”

 

“Cool”

 

“Did you find out anything more concerning the whereabouts of John Casanova?”

 

“No.  He apparently moves pretty frequently.  The visa information showed that he was in Canada procuring art pieces.”

 

“What about his bank records, company filings, things like that?  Did anything point to where his home base was located?”

 

“Not really, everything goes through Swiss bank accounts and the company filings are in the Cayman Islands which can be very difficult to trace.  The Visa states that his home country is Italy, but the address provided was a dead end.  According to the caretaker, he has not seen the owner in years.  He would not give me any additional information over the phone.”

 

“Whatever this guys agenda, he does not want to easily be found does he?”

 

Coreen answered in agreement “He definitely wants to try and remain a mystery.”

 

“All that tells me is that he has one hell of a secret to hide and I am going to find out exactly what it is.”

 

Henry could begin to feel sunrise approaching.

 

“Come on Vicki, it is almost dawn and we both could use some rest.”

 

“You’re right.  Thanks Betty for your help.  We will talk to you later.”

 

With that they headed back out into the night.  As much as Vicki did not want to admit it, her body was demanding sleep.  The case would not be solved this evening, but soon very soon she was going to discover all of the mysteries of our dear Casanova.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 8

 

As they pulled up to Jessica’s house, Vicki had an eerie feeling that something was just not right.  There was trepidation in each step that took her closer to the door.  She knocked, but Henry could already sense that no one was home.  Using her superior lock picking skills, she jimmied the door open, and then cautiously proceeded in through the narrow hallway.  Glancing around the room, everything seemed to be in order.

 

Jessica’s home was nothing what Vicki had expected when first meeting the young women.  It was tastefully decorated in neutral furnishings, no bold or shocking colors.  Her belongings were organized in a very structured way which stunned Vicki.  When Jessica came to her office, she was grundged out with a look of a girl that desperately needed a bath, nothing about her screamed neat or systematic.

 

“So what do you think Henry, do you see or sense anything interesting?”

 

When he didn’t answer, she proceeded to get his attention a second time.

 

“Henry, did you hear what I said?”

 

Becoming slightly annoyed by his avoidance of her questioning, she turned to look at him.  He was concentrating on something and from the looks of his furrowed brow, it was apparently quite perplexing.

 

“What is it?”

 

He raised a hand at her.  Whatever it was that he was picking up, he definitely wanted to give it his full attention.  Then with nostrils flared, he began to sniff high in the air, as if he was picking up on a trail.  Slowly he made his way towards the closed doors at the far end of the house, continuing to smell his surroundings in the process.  Passing each room until he came to the very last one at the end of the hall, he guardedly opened the door.  There on the bed was the answer to his question.  Vicki rushed in behind him and gasped at the sight.  There were red candles that filled the room and the air was thick with a sweet smelling perfume.  The covers and sheets of the bed were drenched in what appeared to be blood, just like at Mary’s home.

 

“Henry is that what I think that it is?”

 

“Well it all depends”

 

“On what?”

 

“If you think that it is red wine than no, but if you think that it is blood, then you would be correct Sherlock Holmes.”

 

With that, she smacked him on the chest.

 

“Smart Ass”

 

“Be serious, what do you think is going on?”

 

Henry simply shrugged his shoulders.  He was just as baffled as she was regarding this case.

 

“OK, we know that there is something supernatural about this guy, at this point though we are just not sure what.  Do you still think that it is not a vampire?”

 

“Vicki, as I told you back at the condo, I would sense another vampire in my territory plus there was no record of him in the book according to Augustus.  If this was a vampire, do you honesty believe that he would leave this much blood behind.”

 

“Good point”

 

“No my dear, I think that we have a whole new ball of wax with this one.”

 

Vicki paced the room deep in thought.  Her mind was racing through a million scenarios, nothing about this case made sense.  What was this guy doing with the bodies?  Apparently the blood played some part in the ritual that he was performing.  But what?  If he wasn’t a vampire, than exactly what was he?  Each question brought about a series of more questions, none of which had answers.

 

“I think that we should head back to the office and scan the files for other forms of immortals, as well as, blood rituals.”

 

“Vic maybe we should call Betty and see if she has any insight into what this thing might be.”

 

“That’s a good idea.  She might have something in the archives that could pinpoint his identity.”

 

Before leaving, Vicki went over to the bed and collected a sample of the blood.  She felt that it was a waste of time to do so because in her heart she already knew that it belonged to Jessica.  However, the former detective felt that even the smallest detail can sometimes break a case.  She hoped that this time, her instincts would prove her right.  They had not failed her in the past and maybe once again they could be called upon to give her a push in the right direction.

 

 

( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )

( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )

 

Chapter 5

 

The sun had risen several hours before over the Toronto skyline.  As Vicki awoke, she felt Henry’s lifeless body beside her; his arms still cradling her in an almost protective manner.  She looked upon him with amazement and wonder.  How much had he changed her life in such a short period?  It was beyond words.  She slowly made her way to the bathroom to begin her day, or afternoon, as it was.  The water was invigorating, running down her body, re-awakening all of her senses.  As she lathered, her mind raced over the previous night’s events.  There were so many questions, but very few answers.

 

What was in that vile that she found? 

 

Where was Mary? 

 

Who is this mystery man?

 

What had he done to her?

 

And most importantly, was she still alive?

 

Vicki dressed quickly and made her way out.  She wanted to run by Dr. Mohadavan’s office before it got late.  More specifically, she did not want to take the chance on running into Mike.  He had been working the night shift since Crowley brought him back into the force after his suspension.  As such, he would be making his way into the office in about 3 hours.  She shuttered to think of the fireworks that would ensue if he caught her sulking around the police department seeking help for yet another one of her “special cases.”  Mike had made if perfectly clear when they last parted that he did not want any more involvement with her life.  He was tired of being drawn into this other supernatural, freaky world.  Vicki knew deep down that part of his reaction had to do with her choice to be with Henry.  Mike had made peace with his feelings towards Henry, but he would never understand Vicki’s decision to choose the bloodsucker over him.  His pride would not allow that, so he did the only thing that a man of Mike Celluci’s breeding could do.  He walked away, shut down, and vowed to create a new life where the name Vicki Nelson no longer existed.

 

As she entered the morgue, Vicki could see Dr. Mohadavan working on one of her so called “patients”.  It always struck her odd that this place so filled with death and despair, could ultimately be a place of peace, as well.  Above all else, Rajani had made it her mission to give these souls peace before transitioning to their final resting place.  She believed this to be her mission in life.  What she discovered during her short time with each of these residents is the exact piece of evidence that police could use to solve the violent crime that brought them to her in the first place.  Maybe it was that miniscule piece of DNA, odd shaped wound, unique bruising, something, anything, but if it was there she would find it, collect it, log it and they would use it like a part of a puzzle to bring resolution.

 

“Good afternoon Ms. Nelson.  How are you today?”

 

“Oh, I’m fine Rajani.  How are you?”

 

“Can’t complain, at least better off then my current patient here.”

 

“I can see that.  What happen to him?”

 

“He had the misfortunate run in with a chain saw.  As you can tell the chain saw won.”

 

“Man Rajani that’s something straight out of the Texas Chain Saw Massacre.”

 

“Well not exactly.  It wasn’t that dramatic.  He simply tripped and the saw fell on him.  Unfortunately for Mr. Jenson here was working out in the woods alone and bleed out before his wife located him.”

 

“Ouch”

 

“So, Vicki what can I do for you?  I know that this is not a social call.”

 

“Very perspective Rajani.  Actually, I do need your help with something.”

 

“And that would be?”

 

“Well I have some items here that I need for you to run some tests on for me.”

 

“Let me see what you got?”

 

Rajani begin investigating the various items that Vicki had cataloged in her plastic containers.  The first item that she spied was of course the petite vile.

 

“What is this?”

 

“Well I was hoping that you could tell me?”

 

“Mmm, very interesting scent.  Perfume?”

 

“I don’t think so, something else I would presume.  Oh and for the blood samples, I have some DNA that I would like for you to match.”

 

“What exactly is all of this stuff for Vicki?”

 

“It’s a case that I am working on.”

 

“And what type of case would this be?”

 

“Missing persons.”

 

“Well if there is blood involved, why haven’t the police been called in?”

 

“Rajani long story, but the short order of it is that the daughter tried to talk to the police but they wouldn’t listen.  They think that it is simply a woman who ran off with a lover for a week-end rendezvous. “

 

“And you don’t?”

 

“Normally when someone is leaving for a romantic week-end, they don’t leave large amounts of blood behind.”

 

“Good point.  Well Ms. Nelson.  It will take a couple of days to run these tests for you.”

 

“Is there any possibility of getting them sooner?”

 

“I can try but…..”

 

“Thanks Rajani.  You are a doll.  This might just be what we need to crack the case wide open and either find this woman alive or at least find her body and give the daughter peace.”

 

“Well since you put it that way, I’ll give it my full priority.”

 

“Great, call me when you have something.  Oh and by the way, please don’t mention any of this to Mike.”

 

At that exact moment the door swung open and a familiar voice filled in the hollow space.

 

“Don’t tell Mike what?”

 

As Vicki turned, the only thoughts that were going through her head were “Oh Crap.”

 

“Hi Mike.  How ya doin’?”

 

“I’m just fine Vicki, now what are you doing here?”

 

“What aren’t you going to ask me how I’m doing?”

 

“I don’t need to.  You are obviously getting into more trouble.”

 

“Now why would you say that, maybe I just came by to say hello to a friend.”  With that she gave Rajani a sheepish smile.

 

“Somehow I doubt that.  Let me guess, there is a new convention of half dead mutant creatures and you want to drag Rajani into your twisted little investigation.  Well let me remind you that she works for the police department and not Vicki Nelson Investigations.”

 

“I can’t believe that you would say that Mike.  For your information, the half dead mutants left town last week, and they now prefer to be called Zombies.”

 

“Huh, Well heaven forbid that I not be politically correct.  That point aside, you still have not answered my question as to why you are here.”

 

At this point Mike was starring her down with arms crossed.  She had this strange feeling that this was the same look that the prisoners at the OK corral got right before their execution.

 

“Ok, Ok Mike.  My client…”

 

“Here we go…”

 

“No it’s not like that.”

 

“Well then please enlighten me to what it is like.”

 

“I would if you would stop interrupting me.”

 

“Alright, by all means continue.”

 

“Thank you.  As I was saying, my client has a mother that is missing.  When I went to investigate I found some items that I would not identify, as well as, some blood.”

 

“Blood?  Why didn’t you call the police?”

 

“There was no body, plus the daughter had already tried going to the police and they would not give her the time of day.”

 

“I see, so since you felt that your skills were obviously so much more superior, you would simply investigate the case yourself.”

 

“Well someone has to?”

 

“Vicki, I’m not going to sit here and argue this with you.”

 

“Good then don’t.”

 

“I know that you want to help your client, but you should let the police handle this.  Plus there is a thing called obstructing justice which I believe is what you are doing.  Do you want to end up in jail?”

 

“No, who do you think is going to put me there?”

 

By now, Mike was grabbing at his hair.  Vicki tended to have that effect on him, most men really.

 

“Look, I’m not asking for you to get involved, but I really do need Rajani’s help with these samples.  Can you just look the other way on this one?”

 

With a sigh of defeat, Mike uttered “Fine, but as I said before, I don’t want to be part of this in anyway.  Do you understand?”

 

Vicki nodded in agreement and then walked out of the room, leaving Mike to wonder how in the hell he allowed himself to be pulled back into her madness.

 

 

 

Chapter 4

Upon reaching the condo, Henry could sense Vicki’s exhaustion mixed with frustration over the case.  It was late and both of them had been burning the midnight oil.  He retreated to the bathroom to draw her a much needed bath in hopes to loosen her tighten muscles.  Once all of the preparations were made, he returned to the living room and found Vicki staring out the window.  Gently sliding in behind her, he wrapped his muscular arms around her waist as she leaned back into him. 

 

He whispered into her ear “Hey love, I drew you a bath?  I thought that it might help you relax before bed.”

 

Vicki was somewhat stunned.  She knew that Henry was attentive, but never had she experienced a man that gave so much of himself in a relationship.  Henry always strived to meet her needs without even a word from her.  He instinctively knew what she needed.  It was comforting to have such a man in her life, but scary at the same time, especially for the self-reliant Vicki Nelson.  However, she was committed to make this relationship work.

 

Henry led her by the hand into the bathroom where she found, not only the bath, but also the warm scents of lavender mixed with vanilla and jasmine.  Candles flickered throughout the room giving an almost ethereal appearance.  On the edge of the tub was a bottle of Vicki’s favorite wine with a glass poured and ready for her.  She almost gasped at the scene that was set before her. Not only was it inviting, but also carefully planned down to the most minute detail.

 

“How did you do all of this?  I mean when did you……….We just got here.”  Henry slightly smiled over the fumbling of her words.  He could gage the disbelief mixed with satisfaction in her voice.

 

“Do you like it?”

 

“Of course I do.  Thank you.  It’s perfect and just what I need.”

 

Vicki began to undress when she noticed that Henry had turned and was making his way back into the living area.

 

“Where do you think your going?”

 

Henry turned to face her, somewhat stunned by her tone.

 

“I was going to work on some drawings while you enjoyed your bath.”

 

“Oh no your not.  This tub is much too big for just one person and how could I possible relax knowing that you are in the other room working.”

 

“Well since you put it that way……” 

 

With vampiric speed Henry made his way to Vicki, stopping directly in front of her.  He then leaned forward and gave her a warm, soft open mouth kiss. As he tenderly explored her mouth, she took the liberty to remove his shirt and pants.  They both stood their draped in candlelight, basking in the building desire.  Slowly Henry slipped into the warm water, pulling Vicki to rest directly in front of him.

 

“Are you comfortable?”

 

“Ummm, if I were anymore comfortable than I would slip into unconsciousness.” 

 

“Good”

 

Reaching over to a basket that was placed by the tub, Henry took a wash cloth and methodically stroked up and down her back, cleaning every inch of her creamy skin.  She sighed at the feel of his cool hands caressing her and then arched her neck as he approached.  He could see the veins bulging; hear her blood pumping faster as the passion grew within her.  Although he had earlier fed from her, the temptation was too great to resist.  Her neck beckoned him to sink his teeth into it and he obliged the request.  As he drank from her, Vicki let out a slight moan, just enough encouragement for Henry.  With that he lifted her onto his lap and slide his throbbing penis into her warm cavern.  He moved slowly at first, allowing his beloved to regulate the tempo, but soon her enthusiasm had grown and she wanted more of him.  With an orgasm near, Henry reached around to the front of her and lovingly massaged her breast with one hand and her special spot with the other.  The feel of Henry inside her along with his hand between her legs was more that she could bear.  Vicki’s climax came hard and fast.  Her body trembling from the passion that he had ignited within her.  Henry was equally as explosive when the time of his release approached.  Once the aftershocks subsided, they lay there in the bath intertwined.

 

Vicki finally muttered the words that always seemed to capture Henry’s heart.  “I love you.”

 

“Oh, I love you to, more than words can say. Do you still doubt the theory of soul mates?”

 

“Soul mates?”

 

“Yes, soul mates.  You know the one person in this universe that you were destined to be with.”

 

“I don’t know Henry.  I still have a hard time grasping that. Don’t you think that the concept of that “one person” is kinda corney?”

 

“No, I don’t”  He sputtered back defiantly.

 

“Well look at you Henry.  You have lived 480 years and there have been many women in and out of your life.”

 

“True but don’t confuse a soul mate with a passing play thing.  Victoria, I truly believe that life happens for a reason, for every action there is a reaction.”

 

“I don’t think that I follow you.”

 

“I met Christina at my father’s court for a reason.”

 

“What reason would that be?  I would hardly count meeting Christina as a blessing.”

 

“But if I had not met her, then I would have never been turned.  She gave me the one thing that was essential for me to fulfill my destiny, immortality.  Without it, I would have never lived long enough to meet you.”

 

Vicki suddenly had a lump in her throat and felt her eyes tear up.  She was grateful that her back was turned to Henry, so that he would not see the emotion on her face, but deep down she knew that he had sensed it.

 

“So you think that meeting me was your destiny?”

 

“I know it was.  Whether you believe it or not, you are my soul mate Victoria Nelson.  There has never been another person in all of my lives that has completed me as you do.  I have lived my life and traveled this road, simply to be with you.”

 

With those words trailing off of his tongue, Henry turned Vicki towards him and claimed her mouth.  For once, she knew what it meant to hear Puccini in her head.  How a kiss or touch could evoke so much emotion was mind blowing to her, but he did it. 

 

Although she would never admit the impact that his words had on her, she secretly smiled in her heart.  Henry had given Vicki the greatest gift that she had ever known which was unconditional love.

 

Chapter 3

 

The home of Mary Gallagher was eerily quiet.  No one had been there for days as was indicated by the mounting newspapers that had accumulated on the front porch.  Vicki took the key that Jessica had given her and let herself in through the front door.  The first thing that she noticed was the purse lying on the kitchen table just as the daughter had described.  Taking a few moments to search the contents, she discovered that Mary’s wallet was inside with all of her credit card intact, as well as, a large sum of cash tucked in the side pocket.

 

“Hmmm that’s strange”

 

“What?  Did you find something?  Henry muttered as he made his way through the door.

 

“Well she has this large wad of cash in her purse.  If she was going on a trip, don’t you think she would take it with her?”

 

“You would think so, but who knows, maybe our mystery man is financing the trip.”

 

“If he is I sure hope that he is not taken her to this cheesy hotel.”  With that she held up the garish Niagara Falls brochure.

 

Henry could hardly contain his chuckle at the sight of the brochure she had that featured a heart shaped bed with two very out of style patrons sprawled across the floor in front of the fire.

 

“So what exactly are we looking for?”

 

“Anything that will give us a clue to her whereabouts or the identity of our famous Casanova.”

 

Vicki continued her search of Mary’s purse, as well as, the paperwork that was stacked on the desk in the adjoining room.  Nothing was jumping out at her that would possibly lead them to the location of the missing woman.  Henry decided to proceed to the other rooms of the house.  He figured if they split up to conduct their search, then possibly they could wrap this task up and get back to his planned evening.  As he entered Mary’s bedroom a strong, pungent scent overtook him.  With teeth barred, a feral growl erupted from his throat.  Vicki heard the noise from the other room and ran to see what had him so worked up.

 

“Henry what is it?  Do you sense something?”

 

“Magic”

 

“Magic, what the hell are you talking about?”

 

“A Dark Magic ritual was performed in this room and they used blood to seal the act.”

 

“Blood, are you sure?” Henry just gave her one of his you’ve got to be kidding looks, and then turned to sniff out the exact spot where the ritual took place.

 

“Never mind, what am I saying, of course you’re sure.”

 

As he approached the bed, he hesitated before pulling back the comforter and exposing the collection of Blood.

 

“Whoa, so I guess we can rule out the romantic getaway.”

 

“I think so Ms. Nelson.”

 

“Based upon the amount of blood loss, I think that we have more than just a missing person on our hands.  Damn, I was hoping that my gut feeling was wrong.”

 

Henry just nodded in agreement.  “What now?”

 

“I think that it’s time we find out more about this mystery boyfriend.”

 

Vicki scrapped a small sample of the blood into a plastic collection bag and then they started to make there way out of the house.  She spotted a petite crystal vile that was lying on the floor by the garage door.  It had an old world quality about it, something you would expect to see at one of those street vendors in the Venetian markets.  She pulled the top off and revealed a rather sweet smelling substance, similar to perfume but strangely different.

 

“Henry smell this.  What do you think might be?”

 

“I’m not sure. Can you take it by Dr. Mohadavan office tomorrow and have her test it, along with the blood?”

 

“I can, but if Mike finds out, he’ll have my head.”

 

“So, don’t let him find out.”

 

On the ride back to Henry’s condo, Vicki kept turning over in her head the possible circumstances that surrounded the evidence that they discovered.  She pictured Mary lying in bed sleeping completely unaware that her lover was about to take her life.  It was unimaginable the screams, the pain, the fear that had to have overtaken her as she realized the fruition of his ghastly deeds.  At that moment, Vicki made a silent pact that this man would NOT go unpunished.  She would find him and he would pay for what he’d done.

 

Without even looking at her, Henry could sense the turmoil that was taking place within.  Vicki lived by a strict code of justice, right and wrong.  There was very little gray in her world. 

 

“Hey Love tell me what you are thinking?”

 

Shaking her head, she could only manage to say “What am I going to tell Jessica?”

 

“Vic for now, let’s just concentrate on finding out exactly what happened to her mother.  You won’t ease her pain by telling her what we found.  It’s better to have answers, something tangible that she can hold onto.”

 

“You’re right.”  With that she simply looked up into his beautiful, blue eyes and found the reassurance that everything would be fine.

 



Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 2

Night had fallen on the Toronto skyline.  Vicki was so engrossed in her research that she had not noticed that the sun had set.  She had plans to meet Henry at their favorite martini bar for cocktails.  As she skimmed Mary Gallaghers online credit card records for some hint of where the woman had been the past few days, a breeze shuffled the papers on her desk.  Immediately it came to her what she had forgotten or I should say who she had forgotten.  As her eyes glanced up to meet his, the look that Henry gave her was chilling.  One thing that she had learned from the past few months of being in a relationship with a vampire is that they do not like to be stood up, especially this vampire.

 

“Victoria, were you planning to keep me waiting the entire evening?”

 

“I am so sorry.  Time just got away from me.  It’s this new case that I took on today.”

 

“Case, you stood me up for a case?  You could have called.”

 

“Henry I promise I will make it up to you.  It’s just this girl came in today needing help finding her mother.  She disappeared a couple of days ago and the circumstances are slightly odd.”

 

“What do you mean odd?”

 

“Well, she’s been dating this guy and then all of a sudden disappears without a word.”

 

“Maybe she left town for a romantic get-away.  Unlike us, some people actually do that Miss Workaholic.”  At that Vicki picked up the reference guide that she had been thumbing through and pitched at Henry.  Of course, with his quick reflexes, he simply caught it and shot her a smug look. 

 

“That might be true, but normally when you leave for a week-end away you take luggage, clothes, your purse, something.  The daughter said that things looked untouched at the house and her mother missed several appointments at work.”

 

“So naturally you suspect foul play.”

 

“Henry, look the police are not going to take this case seriously.  She went to them and they think she’s being overly dramatic.  No, I have this gut feeling that her mom’s in trouble and if she is we need to move fast to find her.  This poor girl has already lost her dad.  I don’t want her to loose her mother as well.”

 

Henry knew that he was not going to win this battle.  He had plans for a nice relaxing evening, finished with passionate love making.  However, Vicki was obviously not going to put aside work for such distractions.

 

“OK, so where do we start detective?”

 

“Well I have been going through phone records, online credit card statements, anything that will give me an idea of where Ms. Gallagher has been for the past few days.”

 

“So has all of this research given you any ideas?”

 

“No, nothing.  The only thing that I turned up was that she cleaned out her bank accounts about a week ago plus her daughter said that the insurance company had called and wanted to confirm a change of beneficiary that her mother supposedly requested.”

 

“Who was she changing the beneficiary too?”

 

“This is the best part.  It was her new boyfriend, Giovanni Casanova.”

 

“As in the Casanova.”

 

“Yeah Henry I know, that was my reaction too.  His parents obviously had high expectations for him.”

 

“I’d say”  At this point Henry had used his stellar vampire speed and was standing right in front of Vicki with one arm wrapped around her waist and another delving deep into her golden blonde hair.  He leaned forward and whispered into her ear. “Lucky for you, love, that you already have the worlds greatest lover.”  Then he leaned forward to kiss her, but before his lips could make contact, she gave him a shove.

 

“There you go with that modesty you’re so famous for. C’mon Henry focus.  We need to find out what happened to this woman.”

 

“What I don’t even have time for a nibble.”

 

Vicki sighed because she could not deny him this one simple pleasure, especially since she had ruined their romantic evening.  Actually, it was more that she did not want to deny herself the pleasure.

 

“Oh, alright.  A man has to eat.”  With that she gave Henry a devilish smile and he took his cue.  Slowly he kissed and licked down her pulse point until he found that one perfect sweet spot.  With coal black eyes and fangs extended, he sensually plunged his fangs into that vein that had been calling his name from the moment that he stepped into the room.  The sweet juices erupted into his mouth.  He could taste the passion in her blood that was mounting for him.  Vicki moaned slightly at the erotic feeling of his suckling.  If Henry had been a lesser man, he would have taken her right then and there, but he would control his urges for now.  Once he had taken what he needed, he simply licked and nuzzled the wound until it was fully closed.  Then he leaned over and gave her a loving kiss which she gratefully accepted.

 

“Ms. Nelson, let’s go find this Ms. Gallagher so that we can get back to more important business.”

 

Vicki was still trying to come out of her lustful haze.  “Right, Ms. Gallagher.  Umm, I guess we should go and check her house out.  Maybe we can find something that the daughter missed.

 

“After you my darling”

 

“Wow, what a gentlemen.  You are the original Casanova.”

 

“Yes, I am, but if there is still doubt than I would be more than happy to prove it to you later tonight at my condo.”

 

“Hmmm, I might just have to take you up on the offer.”

 

“You better”

 

With that, they grabbed their coats and headed out the door to Henry’s Jag.

 

This story takes place after Continuing Sage---Life After Deep Dark.

Vicki and Henry help a young girl locate her mother after she is persumed missing. However, the case takes on a whole new meaning when they discover who the mother's new boyfriend is.

Chapter 1

It had been two months since there confrontation with Asteroth and for the most part life had returned to normal.  Vicki and Henry’s relationship was moving forward to a new level.  Although his attempts to convince her to move in with him were pretty much unsuccessful, she had come to grips with her feelings and decided to just embrace the budding relationship.  Mike was reinstated to the police force.  They had placed him on probation and Crowley made it perfectly clear that she did not want to see any cases that involved Vicki Nelson as an advisor.  As such, Mike was keeping his distance.  He refused to be drawn into her “world of darkness”, especially now that she had made the decision to pursue a relationship with Fang Boy.  Coreen continued to work for Vicki, but due to the lack of exciting cases decided to take classes at the university and pursue a degree in paranormal studies.  Dr. Sagara was extremely pleased and offered the perky Goth an internship in her department.

 

The day started out fairly normal.  Vicki was finishing her latest “My wife is cheating on me” case.  She had completed the tape transcripts of the recent romantic rendezvous and was cataloging the photos when she heard a knock at the door.

 

“Ms. Nelson?”

 

“Yes, can I help you?”

 

Standing at her door was a young woman who by Vicki’s best guess could not have been more than 20 years old.  She had perfected the grundge look and appeared to have been in need of a meal, as well as, a good night’s sleep.

 

“I saw your ad.  It said that you’ll take on any case and that no case is too strange.  I’m hoping that you can help me find my mom.”

 

“Well, Uh----“

 

“Jessica”

 

“Ok Jessica.  Why don’t you sit down and tell me what’s going on first and then I will tell you if I can help you?”

 

“My mom has been dating this guy for the past couple of weeks off and on.  It didn’t appear to be really serious to me and then I get this message from the insurance company that she was changing her beneficiary on the policy.  They wanted to make sure that she had authorized the change.”

 

“Did you ask your mother about this?”

 

“I went to see her and she was gone.  There were brochures on her desk for Niagara Falls with information about one of their local wedding chapels.”

 

“So do you think that your mother ran off there to get married?”

 

“NO,  NO Way.  My mom would have said something to me.  After my dad died a few years ago, we became really close, almost too close.  She wanted to smoother me, scared that something would happen to me just like dad.  I can’t believe that she would run off and marry some guy that I hardly know.”

 

“Have you been able to contact your mother?”

 

“No, and that’s the weird part.  She always has her cell phone on, just in case I need to get a hold of her.  When you call her number, it goes straight to voice mail, plus nothing is missing from her house.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“If she left town, then she didn’t take any clothes, luggage or money.  Her purse was laying on the table.  Plus she missed several appointments at work and that is really not like her.  She is the most responsible person that I know.”

 

“Ms. Nelson, you’ve got to help me.  There’s no one else.”

 

“It’s Vicki.”

 

“Alright, Vicki”

 

 “Did you call the police to file a missing person’s report?”

 

“Yes, but they said there was nothing that they could do to help me since there were no signs of foul play. What if something has happened to her?  You have to believe me, my mom would not have just ran off like that with no word about where she was going.”

 

“Alright, I’ll do some digging around and see what I can find.  For now, I want you to go home and try to get some rest and I will call you when I find something out.  Give me the keys to your mother’s house and I will go by there and take a look.”

 

“Thanks Vicki. Please find my mom for me.  I don’t know what I’ll do if…..”

 

“Jessica, let’s not think about that right now.  There’s probably a rational explanation for her disappearance.  Just stay positive.  I’ll find her.”

 

Vicki placed her hand on the girl’s shoulder trying to give her some reassurance that everything would be OK.  While on the police force, she had worked several missing person cases, seeing both good and bad outcomes.  Secretly, she hoped that this would be one of those times when good prevailed, if only for the sake of the girl.

 

Jessica got up and started to walk out of the office until she was interrupted.

 

“One more thing, what was the name of the man that your mother was involved with?”

 

“Giovanni Casanova”

 

“Excuse me”

 

“Yeah weird, Huh.  Mom called him Johnny,  I used to joke with her about his name, Casanova.”

 

Vicki slightly shook her head and then had the strange feeling that this case was not going to be your cut and dry, romance gone astray, especially now that she had to deal with “the world’s greatest lover.”

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

( You are about to view content that may only be appropriate for adults. )

Chapter 11
 

As the sun rose over Toronto, Henry took his first breath of the day.  With that one action, the gravity of the situation hit him like a ton of bricks.  All of the fear, anger, frustration and anticipation of the battle to come swept over him just as a wave surges towards the shore.  He could not control it.  He looked around the room and gathered his thoughts.  Tonight he would face Astorath, hopefully for the last time.  Winner would take all.  Was he strong enough to beat him?  Would he be willing to do whatever it took to send him back to Hell?  A resounding YES bellowed from within him.  Tonight it would the hunter that prevailed and Astorath would be his prey.

 

Henry finished dressing and then called to check in with Betty and Coreen.  They had done all that he had instructed.  Next he called Augustus to see what progress he had made in getting the exorcist.

 

“Augustus, it’s Henry.  Did you find our man?”

 

“Yes, but we will be cutting it close to get him here before 11:00pm.  The council was able to persuade the Vatican to send Cardinal Rorberto Moncello, especially after they explained the gravity of the situation.”

 

Henry had heard rumors of the reputation that Cardinal Moncello possessed.  He had fought the evil of the demon world many times in his life, and had been highly successful.  If anyone could rid this world of Astorath, than it was him.

 

“When is he scheduled to be here?”

 

“The last report that I have stated that he was expected on the 9:35pm plane from Rome.”

 

Henry glanced down at his watch.  It was 7:53pm.

 

“Well let’s just pray that will be enough time.  Get him to the church that is around the corner from Norman’s as soon as you can.”

 

Henry hurried out of his building and headed towards Vicki’s to meet the others.  When he arrived, he could tell by the voices buzzing in the air that everyone was assembled.  As he entered the office, Betty crossed the room and gave him a reassuring smile.

 

“So, everything taken care of?”

 

Henry gave her a half crooked smile in return.  “Yes, the Cardinal’s plane should arrive at 9:35pm and then Augustus is going to bring him directly to the chur…..”

 

Mike interrupted.

 

“Cutting it a little close don’t ya think?”

 

“Don’t worry Mike, he will be there.”

 

“He sure as Hell better be there.  This is Vicki’s life were talking about.  If this little plan of your goes south, then it’s your head Fitzroy.”

 

“Mike, don’t make idle threats that you know you can’t keep.”

 

“I’m not.  I have a stake sharpened with you name on it.”

 

Both men were eye to eye at this point, chest puffed, venomous and ready to strike.  Coreen finally jumped between them.

 

“FOCUS, guys.  Your bickering is not going to save Vicki.  Gess, how she deals with the two of you is beyond me.”

 

With the testosterone in the room beginning to settle, they made the last preparations for their plan tonight.

 

Once they had arrived at the church, Henry immediately made his way up to the front to light some candles and pray for GOD’s intervention, as well as, protection for Vicki.  At this point, he didn’t care anymore about what happened to him, as long as she was safe.  Slowly Henry rose, crossing himself and kissing the crucifix around his neck.  He heard the car pull up in front of the church and knew that Augustus had arrived.

 

Cardinal Moncello entered the building with all of the authority and dignified demeanor that he was known for.  Confidence exuded from every pore.  He was a man on a mission and tonight that mission was to put this demon back in Hell where he belonged.  Henry approached the Cardinal, bowing his head and bending to kiss his ring.

 

“Your excellence, thank you for coming.  I wish that you were visiting our fair city on better circumstances.”

 

The Cardinal simply nodded to acknowledge his warm welcome.

 

Mike being his normal gruff self piped up.

 

“Enough with the chit chat.  We have a demon to deal with if you haven’t forgotten.”

 

Cardinal Moncello gave Mike a harsh glare that spoke volumes.  He was not accustom to being treated rudely.

 

“Very well then, let’s get to the business at hand.  Please afford me the opportunity for a moment of reflection and pray so that I might ready myself for the confrontation.”

 

Mike whispered to Henry “Is this guy for real?” Of course, Henry simply shook his head.

 

After several minutes, the Cardinal rose from his kneeling positioned and began to place the garments on, as well as, the various rosaries around his neck, each having its own significance. Finally he looked up at the others and said:  “Are we ready?”

 

As they approached Norman’s building, Henry could feel the dark energy.  It surged from every pore of the building.  He also could sense Vicki.  She was afraid and in pain.  This made his heart quicken and pushed a knot up into his throat.  He kept uttering his simple plea:

 

“God please protect her, please.”

 

They made their way up the stairs.  There was not need for the element of surprise.  Henry knew that Astorath had already sensed their presence. Coreen and Betty stay outside and began the process of dosing the building with holy water.  They had cleverly obtained an old fashioned fire house pump and had the Cardinal bless the water that had been placed inside.  After they had finished with this, they begin to chant the binding spell that Betty had found in an old manuscript.  If it was successful, then Astorath would not be able to leave the room marked by his pentagram.  It would give the Cardinal time to perform the exorcism without the demon fleeing.

 

When the men entered the room, Henry looked at Raymond, his eyes glowing red.  He hoped that they would be able to save him from the destructive powers of Astorath.  Then he scanned the room for Vicki.  She was tied in the center of the pentagram, wearing a red flowing gown.  Her wrists were glowing and she was barely conscious.  Henry could hear her heartbeat, which was slow and steady, so he knew that she was still alive for now.

 

Looking back at Raymond, he said with a growl:

 

“What have you done to her?”

 

Raymond just looked at him and laughed.   Then glanced over to the Cardinal and snarled,

 

“So you thought that you would bring this man of GOD to try and stop me.  Let’s hope that his resolve his much stronger than your last attempt for sanctification.  Although I am going to enjoy adding to my numbers.”

 

At that moment, Cardinal Monticello stepped forward placing the Superpelliceo et stola violacea indutus around his neck.  The alb and a purple stole shown in great contract against the blackness and burning flames that were surging from the center of the room.  He then begin to recite the "Ecce crucem domine, fúgite partes advérsae,” all while making the sign of the cross directly in front of Raymond’s body.  The Cardinal continued his prayers while Henry, Mike and Augustus scattered the religious relics around the room.  Astorath was fighting like a caged animal, lashing out at anyone that came within arms length of him.  The ritual was beginning to break down his defenses, but he still had a few tricks up his sleeve.  Just then Vicki’s body began to writhe with pain.  She was gritting her teeth and gasping for air.  Henry wanted to run to her, but the Cardinal sharply told him “No”.  The demon had planted part of himself in her.  This was the risk of the exorcism, once the demon was plucked from Raymond, it would have the opportunity to transfer to Vicki if they were not careful.

 

The Cardinal could feel Astorath’s will fighting back.  He took out the Blessed Sacrament in a Pyx and placed it around his neck for further protection and then he began to chant more forcefully, shooting streams of holy water onto the body and Raymond and then Vicki.  As he continued, he took out a medal of Saint Benedict and rushed towards Raymond.  Talons rose out of his fingers and struck the Cardinal.  The life and death struggle began.  Henry could feel the evil power begin to grow strong.  He immediately rushed to the Cardinal and grabbed for the medal.  With all of his might, he plunged the razor sharp shaft deep into Raymond’s chest.  Gasping for air, Raymond’s eyes were transformed from red to almost a normal tone.  Arising to a standing position the Cardinal delivered the final blow.  He drove the Medal of the Immaculate Conception of Mary directly through Raymond’s heart.  With a final desperate gasp, the struggle was over.  Astorath rose from his body and tried to flee to Vicki.  Before he could reach her, Henry grabbed the remaining holy water and drenched him.  Astorath began to scream as his flesh burned and essence faded.  The Cardinal retorted a final prayer and with that the demon was gone.  The entire house started to shake; the walls were coming down around them.  Henry ran to Vicki and took her in his arms.  They barely had time to clear the door when the remains of the building collapsed.

 

Henry lay on the ground gently rocking Vicki in his arms.  She was slowly regaining consciousness.  As he glanced over her body to ensure that she was not harmed, he noticed that her marks were gone.  The ritual had purified her.

 

“OH, what happened?”  She sounded groggy, like coming out of a drunken stopper.

 

Henry just smiled at her tenderly, and then gently kissed her forehead.

 

“It’s over.  Astorath is back in Hell where he belongs.”

 

With a relieved look on her face, Vicki glanced up at this man that once again had saved her life.  She had so many feeling running through her that she did not know where to begin.  The only words that she could utter were “Take me home.”

 

Henry’s brow lowered, “Are you sure that’s such a good idea?  I don’t think that you should be alone tonight.”

 

Vicki smiled with a devilish look and responded “Who said anything about being alone?”

 

“Since you put it that way my lady, let me lead the way, but I think that I could make you much more comfortable at my home.”

 

“If you insist!”  She put her arms around Henry’s neck and softly laid her head on his chest.  She thought to herself that tonight would be the night that she finally let go of all her fears.  Henry would hear the truth about her feelings.  She was going to convince him to stay in Toronto, one way or the other.

 

TBC