fitzsgirl

First Time Love

2008-08-03T08:05:36Z

This is a one shot story that was co-written with Ccrulz and it explores the thrill of first time sexual encounters.

After several hours finishing the grueling task of wrapping up the Blondel case, Vicki and Henry decide to relax on the couch and watch a movie.

"So my lady what would you like to watch?"

"Hmmm, what are my options?"

"Well lets see, I brought Juno or Titanic."

Vicki frowns at both options, not wanting to spend the evening delving into chick flicks.

"Where are the slasher vampire movies we normally watch?"

"I thought that we would try something different tonight."

"If you insist, Juno it is"

As Henry begins to ready the DVD player, Vicki proceeds to partake of the chinese that had been delivered.

"So Henry what exactly is this movie about?"

"The premise is basically about teenage sex and the consequences of your actions."

As they both get settled into the couch and watch the opening sequences of the chosen movie, Vicki begins to laugh spontaneously. She can't help but let her mind drift back to her first sexual encounter. The awkwardness of the experience was both powerful and overwhelming.

"Vicki what exactly is so funny?"

"Nothing, never mind let's just watch the movie."

"Oh no, spill it something has tickled your fancy and I want to know what it is."

"Well if you must, I was thinking back to my own first sexual experience."

"Is that so. Was it really that comical?"

"Actually it was. It was very romantic in the back seat of Brad Haney's camaro. He was captain of the wrestling team. And quite the stud-muffin I might add," she says with a big grin.

Henry furrows his brow, prompting her to say.."what?"

"Never pictured you with a jock, that's all."

"He was captain of WRESTLING team, Henry, he could put your body in positions you can only imagine, at least for a girl of sixteen," she responds with lift of an eyebrow.

"Go on..." Henry says with a wave of his hand.

Vicki sighs, "You want all the horny details?"

"Of course."

"Fine. Well, he just won a wrestling match and was high on adrenaline. We had been dating for quite some time and although we had done many fun things, we'd never gone all the way. We decided to grab a bite to eat and..."

Henry interjected, "He grabbed a bite of you instead?"

Vicki rolled her eyes, "He was human, not vampire. ANYWAYS...as I was saying, we went to get something to eat. He drove to our spot, one thing led to another and there you have it."

"Uh no, that's not it, more please? Details?"

"Why?"

Henry smiles, "Because I'd like to know why the ever-confident Vicki Nelson was getting a chuckle out of her first sexual encounter."

"If you must know, it was the first time I'd ever seen a man, much less an uncircumcised one."

"And that's funny how?" Henry frowns.

Vicki stares at him a moment, realizing that in his day, he would not have been circumcised.

"Oh..OH..but you're not..." she then points to his area.

"I am NOW, but I wasn't..had to modernize, less questions for a man my supposed age. Please continue."

"What do you mean you had to modernize?"

"As I said, questions started to arise with members of the opposite sex, " Henry sighed.

"I don't believe you. You can vamp people, what would be the purpose? Prove it." She smiles with confidence.

"You want to play show and tell?" Henry asks slyly and seductively.

"You wanna hear my story or not?" she answers, crossing her arms in defense as Vicki would in an emotional challenging situation.

"Absolutely." Henry decides he'll save his seduction for later.

"So we eat our dinner, talk a little, then of course start making out as usual. This time however, I've made the decision to go all the way with him." Vicki waits for his reaction..nothing.

"As we were getting into it, the song "Easy Lover" came on the radio and I was of course, mortified."

"So are you an easy lover Vicki?" again with the sexy, seductive voice.

"No. But, I could never look at him the same when that song came on. What about your first time your royal highness? Was it the end all to be all?"

"Well, it wasn't exactly the same fan fare as you. We didn't have a song dedicated to us."

"Your turn," she smiles.

"My father had arranged for a cortisan to come to the castle to teach me in the art of making love."

"And you were how old?"

"Twelve."

"WHAT??? Does that shit work at that age?"

"Quite well, I assure you, there were no complaints. I can show you if you like? I've had many years since then to perfect my skills."

This time, Vicki visually blushes with Henry sensing her desire he realizes she is completely hot for him.

"Shouldn't we finish the movie?"

"There is something else that I would rather finish and I think that you do as well."

"You wish."

Henry inches closer to her and haphazardly plays with her hair. She glances down momentarily then back up to look him in the eyes. The smoldering way that he is drinking in every inch of her body instantly makes Vicki wetter than she already had previously been. Henry, again sensing this, moves in to kiss her softly at first, then delves in for a deep, probing kiss. She freezes and then starts to push back. However, Henry leans in to stand his ground not wanting to let this opportunity pass him by.

"Henry what are you doing? I don't think this is a good idea."

"I think that the lady doth protest too much. Vicki, for once in your life give into your desires. What is the worst thing that could happen? Other than receiving complete and total satisfaction."

Vicki ponders his words momentarily and then thinks to herself "What the Hell." With brutal force, she body slams him into the couch, pinning him beneath her. Although Henry is shaken by her show of force, he quickly recovers and finds that he is completely turned on and ready to go. Vicki grinds down onto him bringing a hiss from his lips. She leans over to turn off the TV, but in the process accidentally engages the CD player. At that moment the song "Gett Off" by Prince begins to play. They both look at each other with a smile creeping across both of their faces.

"Vicki I didn't know this was your thing, but I would be more than happy to provide the needed 23 positions. However, I have to draw the line at a one night stand."

"How do you know that I would allow you in my bed more than once?"

"Once you get a taste of my brand of Vampire passion, nothing but Henry will do and I, like the energizer bunny, keep going and going and going."

"So that means I will keep coming and coming and coming? Well that is if you are as good as your touting yourself to be."

"Oh I am Ms. Nelson, I can assure you of that. Now, enough talk." With that, Henry grabs her hips pushing her back down onto him once more. Vicki closes her eyes, groans and allows him to remove her shirt. At that point, things escalate with the ripping of fabric and clothing being discarded in various places in the room. Finally, his warrior princess is nude in all her glory for the very first time. He is amazed at the beauty before him and keeps his eyes transfixed on her luscious curves. Vicki feels him at her entrance and then glances down between her legs. He wasn't lying. Not only is he fully circumcised, he is extremely well-endowed. Her eyes travel back up to his face to see a smug look.

"Do you like what you see?"

"Well Henry, it's not about the size but the motion in the ocean."

"Don't worry, you're in for one wild ride." Henry then proceeds to pull her into a kiss once more, her breasts grazing his bare chest.

Deciding to move to the bedroom, Vicki has had enough of the playful banter and wants to move on to the main attraction. She begins by seductively trailing kisses down his sculpted body enjoying his unique taste and feel of his cool skin. The pleasure that she is bestowing on him immediately elicits a groan and she smiles at the effect she is having on him. Her lips and tongue make contact with the inside of his thigh while her hands begin to swirl circles around his hardened shaft. She heightens the sensation by playfully biting him and then sucking a tuft of skin into her mouth. Using her tongue, she laves her way up toward his quivering member, taking his sac in her hand and sucking him into a frenzy. Henry is just about to lose it when she abruptly stops.

"It's not nice to tease Ms. Nelson, turn about is fair play," he tells her as he rolls her onto her back. Vicki's breathing quickens in anticipation of his next move. Starting at her neck, Henry kisses her while alternately licking and nipping her with blunt teeth. His hands travel to her breasts and begin to knead the flesh wantonly. Vicki arches into his ministrations relishing in every touch, roll and pinch provided by his soft skillful fingers. Still continuing his travels southward, Henry stops to dip his tongue into her navel. She giggles and shudders simultaneously. His hands caress her lower back and hips while he moves into position between her legs. He repays her with agonizing torments to her inner thighs before making his way to her moist center. Taking a moment to breath in her intoxicating scent, Henry gazes lustfully at the throbbing bud waiting for his touch. The desire for this creature laid out so invitingly before his hungry eyes is too much and he dives head first into her. He first takes time to lick up and down her lips to part them for the onslaught that his tongue is going to give to her most private and sensitive area. She gasps at this overtly sexual act and bucks her hips forward to receive more of this fabulous attention. He readily gives it to her by bringing her to the brink of explosion with skill like none other. Vicki cries out as she spasms multiple times. Her body wracked with electric pleasure, Vicki closes her eyes and tries to regain her breath.

Although ready to burst, Henry pulls upon his inner strength to push back the beast as he positions Vicki on her knees to take her from behind. With one smooth, slow thrust Henry enters her wet tight walls. He lets her adjust to his enormous size and she moans with the unbelievable feel of having him sheathed inside of her. Before Henry can begin thrusting, Vicki rolls back and down onto him eliciting grunts of pleasure from Henry deep within his throat. They match a rhythm which eventually turns into heated animalistic passion with Vicki pushing harder and Henry driving deeper. Sensing that Vicki is nearing her orgasm, Henry repositions her once more to be underneath him so that he can look into her face as they reach a climax together for the first time.

Renewing their rhythm, both begin their journey into the abyss. Henry lets his beast go, extending his fangs he pierces Vicki's neck to sample her impending orgasm. After taking his fill, Henry pulls away to look into her eyes as they reach their destination of coital bliss.

As they lie together trying to compose themselves, Henry asks, "Did THIS first time meet your expectations?"

"Well, you're not the wrestling captain, but you definitely have all the right moves."

The End

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.

When the Past Comes Back to Haunt you Part II

2008-07-28T21:16:44Z

Here is Part II---Please take the time to read Part I before venturing on, so that the story will make sense.

The sun set and Henry hurriedly completed his nighttime ritual before heading out the door to find Vicki. He didn’t want to take the time to feed, so he made up his mind to persuade one of the gas attendants to make a donation on his way out of town. After a couple of hours driving, Henry finally spotted the Banff National Park sign. It indicated that he had another 17 miles until he reached the cabins on Storm Mountain. Once he got close, he rolled down the windows and began to sniff the air trying to pick up on Vicki’s scent. If she was indeed here, he would find her. It didn’t take long before he located the exact thing that he was looking for. Vicki’s cabin was tucked away in an alcove by the lake. It was on the far end of the grounds and seemed to afford the most privacy. Henry was comforted by this fact for two reasons. The first being that once he made his presence known a fight most currently would ensue and the second privacy would be needed to keep him secure during the day. After parking the car out of sight, Henry made his way up the winding path to the cottage. He could hear her heart beat and briefly peered into the windows to see her sitting on the couch reading some sort of book or magazine. With trepidation, he made his way to the back porch and stood in the open door. Taking a measured breath, he composed himself momentarily before speaking.

“Vicki”

Upon hearing his voice, she instantly froze in place. Her stomach was doing somersaults and blood immediately began to race. She knew that he would pick up on the changes in her body, alerting him to the fact that she was both excited and surprised to see him.

“Henry what are you doing here?”

“I came to see you. Can I come in?”

“Umm, well I guess so.”

“I know that you must be surprised to see me, but I was worried about you after reading your note.”

“Well you shouldn’t be. As you can see I am fine.”

“Why did you leave like that?”

“I told you. I needed some time by myself.”

“If you wanted to get away, then I would have been happy to take you anywhere that you liked. All you would have had to do is simply ask.”

“Henry what part of alone do you not understand. I didn’t want to spend time with you. You are part of the reason that I…..”

“That you what Vicki.”

“Nothing, never mind. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No. I won’t forget about it. What did I do to make you want to leave?”

“Henry let it go. Can we just change the subject?”

“Not until you tell me what is going on with you. It’s not like you to just up and take off like that.”

“I told you that I have a lot on my mind.”

“OK, well do you care to elaborate on what exactly that is supposed to mean. Maybe I can help.”

“Henry thanks but no thanks. I can do without a shrink.”

“Vic sometimes you do act a little crazy, but I don’t think that you need a shrink. I was offering to talk as a friend.”

“It’s complicated”

“Problems usually are, but two heads are better than one so spill it.”

“I just can’t talk about this with you.”

“Why not?”

“Just BECAUSE” Vicki was starting to get slightly irate. Her mind was telling her who does he think that he is marching in here and expecting her to spill her guts to him? He is part of the problem, can’t he see that.

“Victoria I know that you do not like to discuss your emotions, but something is seriously wrong and you need to get it off of your chest before it eats you alive.”

Henry contemplated his next words for a moment before proceeding.

“Does this have anything to do with Christina and what happened? Because if so, I must say how truly sorry that I am for this whole mess. I should have trusted you and not let my judgment get fogged.”

“Ya think????”

“My judgment was clouded by my…”

“No shit it was clouded Henry. I tried to tell you that she was jerking your chain, but would you listen. NO, not the mighty Prince. Your blind obsession with that devil almost got me killed and let’s not forget about the poor victims that she did in fact leave her mark on.”

“I know and I’m sorry, but we won’t have to worry about her again. I made it perfectly clear what would happen if she strayed in my territory again.”

“Please what did you give her a friendly tap on the wrist? She should have been treated with the same justice that was given to Alexander, death. A tiger doesn’t change their spots Henry. How long do you really think it is going to be before she comes up with some other sick game to play and get you all hot and bothered to do her dirty work?”

“It’s not like that; I told her that she was the past. She knows that I am serious this time.”

“This time. You are unbelievable Henry.”

“What?”

Shaking her head, Vicki turned on her heels and headed for the door

“Where are you going?”

“To get the hell away from you.”

Henry intercepted her before she reached the door and grabbed her arm.

“Get your paws off of me.”

“No, not until we finish talking about this. I don’t understand why you are so angry at me. Yes, I made some bad decisions concerning Christina, but I can’t help but believe that this is about something more.”

“Give the man a gold star.”

“Do you care to elaborate?”

“What is so special about her that keeps you running back for more?”

“Vicki, I don’t know how to explain it. Sometimes love just sweeps you off your feet. It was like that with her. She made me feel alive and wanted. No one had ever loved me just for me they always were after something more. It felt good to be loved simply for yourself.”

“In theory that sounds great Henry, but the reality is that she never loved you. She used you for her own gain. That woman is manipulative, calculating, and has a heart of ice. She is incapable of loving anyone but herself.”

At this declaration, Henry became very defensive. “What do you know about it? Have you ever let yourself go to just fully love someone? Let all of the walls fall down and become vulnerable to another person.”

Vicki just glared at him wishing that she had something hard to throw in her hands.

“This isn’t about me Henry. How funkin’ dare you judge me?”

“That’s right. Judging is your department and since we are talking about playing games what about the ones that you play?”

“I don’t play games. What you see is what you get?”

“Bullshit. You are a pro at toying with others feelings. You lead Mike around by the nose just like a lost puppy dog and then you come to me with elusive promises of reciprocating my feelings by giving me scraps off your table. However you have no intention of ever letting either one of us in. Do you?”

“Where did that come from?”

“What you can’t take the tables being turned and the spot light shining on your own flaws?”

“That’s it. I have had it. Leave NOW!!!!”

Vicki tried to retreat back into the house when Henry grabbed her and forcefully pushed her against the wall. Staring at each other in a deadlock gaze with neither party willing to relent, Henry finally took the lead and crashed his lips into hers. The pent up passion was roaring under the surface begging to be released. He forced his tongue into her mouth and pressed his body firmly against her so that she had no means of escape. Vicki’s anger slowly faded and she began to return his advances with a lust all her own. Her mind kept screaming that she needed to stop, but her body continued to plunge forward into his advances. Finally, she was able to get her hands free to push his jacket off of his shoulders and then began to fumble with the buttons of his shirt. Frustration took over and she ripped the garment the remaining way off. Henry had already busied himself with the playful ministrations of stroking her breasts and unsnapping her bra. Vicki let out a breathless plea, “Henry we should stop.” His only response in return was “No, not this time. I have let you run from me, from us, for far too long. It ends tonight.” With that, he began to work on the zipper of her jeans, pushing them down to her ankles while slipping a hand into her lace panties to finger the hardened nub that beckoned him. Instantly her hips bucked forward, seeking out more of his attentions. The sensations that he was creating had her nerve endings on fire. He could feel and smell her wet juices as they dripped down upon his fingers, slowly he eased one finger then two into her while his thumb continued to play with her clit. This had her panting and moaning for more. She could feel her release building inside her womb, begging to be set free. Henry leaned into her ear and began to slowly kiss and lick the lobe, pulling her further into the erotic current that he was creating. When she had almost reached her peak, he slowed his ministrations and whispered into her ear “Tell me what you want.” Vicki could barely formulate a response. Her mind was in a haze of passion. However, when his hands slowed to the point of stopping, she finally muttered a response. “I want you to take me, all of me please.” That was all that Henry needed to hear as he swiftly discarded the remainder of his clothes and then lifted her further up the wall before impaling her on his rock hard shaft. It had been a long time since Vicki had been breached by a lover and at first his aggressive act was painful, but as he slowly began to trust, the pain was replaced by absolute pleasure. Henry could sense her discomfort and slowed his pace so that she could get used to his swelling manhood. However, she quickly began to encourage him to move faster and harder which he happily obliged. The feeling of finally being inside her silkened walls was exquisite. Although he was very experienced from his many years of practice, Henry couldn’t remember ever having such a euphoric feeling in the arms of a lover. As they both climbed higher towards their goal, Henry allowed his eyes to fade to black and his fangs to elongate. He looked into her beautiful hazel green eyes once more before she pulled him towards her breast. “Drink my love, drink.” At first her words did not register in his head. He was too wrapped up into the wondrous passion filled dance to be aware of anything other than how incredibly good she felt, as well as, the pounding of her blood just under the surface of her skin. As he drank in her essence, it warmed his heart the emotions that he pulled from her welcoming body. How had she been able to close herself off from this passion for so long? Just as an approaching storm, thunders and washes over all in it’s path, so did their combined orgasms, creating a perfect moment of unity. Once there breathing had slowed and the trembling within each of the bodies ceased, Henry gently allowed Vicki to slide down to where her feet touched the ground. With a groan, he dislodged himself from her warm body. Forehead to Forehead, Henry was finally able to let the weight of her words earlier hit him. He responded in kind by saying “You know that I love you too.” Vicki froze, excited by his words but also terrified of their implications.

“But I never….”

“Vicki don’t deny your feelings any longer. You called me love. It has to mean something.”

“It does, but I didn’t mean to say it. It just slipped out.”

“Well that happens when you are experiencing a perfect moment.”

“So do you really…”

“Love you. Yes I do and I have for sometime.”

“What about Christina?”

“I am going to tell you the same thing that I told her, she is my past and you are my future.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. Don’t you know by now? I would lay down my life for you Victoria. If Christina had harmed you in any way, I would have been unable to move forward. I promise that I will never allow her to twist and warp my feelings again. It is you that I live for now.”

“So where do we go from here?”

“Well that is entirely up to you Ms. Nelson. All that I ask is that your future holds a place for me in it.”

“I think that can be arranged.”

“Good, now can you do something for me?”

“Already, man talk about fast recovery. I think that I am going to like being involved with a vampire.”

“As tempting as that thought is, it’s not exactly what I had in mind.”

“OK so what do you have in mind?”

“I need for you to help me secure this place for my daytime needs. Would you please provide your assistance? Sunrise is fast approaching and I don’t want to be caught off guard.”

“Hey, I’m not going to let you break up with me that easily.”

“I can promise you Victoria, breaking up with you is the last thing that I ever plan to do. Come on, let’s get these black out shades up so that we can enjoy some more one on one time.”

As Vicki lay beside the sleeping vampire, she replayed their night of passion in her mind. This trip had not turned out the way that she had originally planned, but she would be the last to complain about her new circumstances. Life was good and with Henry by her side, she knew that it would only get better.

Fin

When the Past Comes Back to Haunt You Part I

2008-07-28T21:14:56Z

This is a one shot that is set after "The Devil You Know." Vicki is feeling overwhelmed with jealousy and anger after the way that Henry behaved while Christina's was in town. How will she cope?

The past few days had been a blur of activity. Christina was in town and Henry once again was being drawn into her web of lies and deceit. His rational mind shut off to all of the clues that presented themselves because his heart still ached for the untimely death of the love that they once shared. How could he have been such a fool? The blinders that were so firmly placed over his eyes had almost resulted in Vicki’s death. His heart was weighted with the guilt of that truth. If he had been a moment later to Vicki’s office that night then things would have gone gravely different. He would have lost the one woman that had captured his heart in over 480 years. When he told Christina that Vicki was the future he meant it. Now he just had to find away to prove it to her and convince her to allow him into her life. That would not be any easy task. Vicki built an unbreachable layer around her heart and refused to let anyone closer than arms length. Plus with everything that had occurred, her trust in Henry had waivered. It was bad enough that he sought out help from Mike once the dead model appeared on his doorstep, and then he refused to listen to Vicki when she pointed out the holes in Christina’s story. Finding an access route into her life would take much more than an “I’m sorry.”

Vicki sat in her office staring out at the Toronto landscape. It was a particularly gloomy day. The sky was overcast and rain had continued to fall. Coreen had been right in her assessment that Vicki was territorial when it came to Henry. She could not shake the feeling that Christina had invaded her space and was trying to take something that was rightfully hers. However, she did not own Henry nor had either of them verbalized their feelings for one another. The one thing that was painfully obvious is that Henry definitely still felt strongly for his sire. Why could he not see the truth about Christina and her evil plans? He had willingly been a pawn in her twisted game. After all of these years, what was the hold that she had over him? Whatever existed between them was powerful enough that he allowed her to enslave him at her side. He would do her bidding regardless of the cost and the night of the photo shoot that price was almost Vicki’s life. Yes he had rescued her from Christina, but he still allowed her to live even after everything that she had done over the past few days. If it had been anyone else that committed those crimes and threatened his existence, they would have been dead in a heartbeat. That action alone further validated her feelings that things between the two lovers was far from finished. Suddenly Vicki felt the overwhelming need to escape. Her mind had so many questions with very few answers. The one person that she wanted to turn to and that had the answers that she needed was also the last person that she wanted to see. With that she packed a bag, tied up some loose ends and caught a cab. Sunset was fast approaching and she wanted to be out of the city before he awoke and came looking for her. He would try to say all of the right things and patch over the recent events, but she was currently too vulnerable to hear it. Her guard was done and the recent wounds were open and bleeding. Vicki did the one thing that she always could count on to protect herself which was run away and run she did.

With a gasp, Henry rose from his vampire slumber. His lungs burned from the intact of air and his heart ached, but not from waking. It was the result of living with the guilt that he felt. He quickly showered and then dressed so that he could go to the one place that would hopefully bring him comfort. As his black jag pulled up to the curb, he sensed that something was a miss. The lights were off in her office, as well as, the adjoining apartment plus he could not hear the rythmatic beat of her heart. With unnatural speed, he scaled the stairs and quickly found entrance into her private sanctuary. Her scent lingered there proving that she had just recently left. If he inhaled deeply, then he could also smell the pungent scent of decay that was customary when one of his kind was near. It had been two days and he could still feel Christina’s presence. His mind began to swirl with thoughts and he hastily reached for his cell phone to try and locate Vicki’s whereabouts. The one hope that he held to was that she had not flung herself into Celluci’s arms to ease the memories of the past few days. His call abruptly ended when her voice mail answered after the one and only ring. He hung up the phone and quickly glanced around the room. On her desk, there was a note taped to the computer monitor. When he approached, he realized that it was addressed to him.

Henry,

As you can probably tell, I am not here. I have decided to take a few days off to try and clear my head. The past few days have left me confused. There are so many questions with very few answers. I know that this will not make sense to you, but it is what I need to do so that I can move forward.

Take care,

Vicki

Immediately he picked up his phone and dialed Coreen’s number. Surely she would know where Vicki had gone. Henry could not simply allow her to walk out of his life like that, especially when there were still so many things left unsaid.

“Hey, Hey”

“Coreen, It’s Henry.”

“Oh Henry how are you?”

“I’m fine. Look Coreen, I came by the office and there was a note from Vicki that said she was going on some kind of trip. Do you know where she was headed?”

“No, well you know Vicki, she would never tell me something like that.”

“What did she say exactly?”

“Just that she needed to take a breather and that I should take off for the next few days. She said that she would call me when she got back in town.”

“That’s it. Did she give you a way to reach her?”

“No, she said that I could leave her a message on her cell phone and she would check it periodically.”

“Alright, thanks Coreen.”

“Is there something wrong?”

“No, no. Everything is fine. I will talk to you soon. Oh, please call me if you hear from her.”

“Will do”

Henry knew from her scent, Vicki had recently left and that she would have taken a cab to her destination. It was as good a place as any to start looking for her. After several hours of calling various cab companies, he finally located the one that had picked her up. The driver was going off duty in fifteen minutes which gave Henry just enough time to track him down and have a word before he disappeared into the night. Upon arriving at the dispatcher’s office, he quickly found the man that he was looking for and began his interrogation.

“Excuse me sir, is your name Rick?”

“Yes who are you?”

“My name is Henry and I am hoping that you can help me with something.” Henry flashed the man a roll of $20s which immediately got his attention.

“Huh, sure money talks.”

“Yes it does. Did you pick up a woman at Nelson Investigations on Keenamen St?”

“Blonde lady right?”

“That would be the one.”

“Yeah, it was early afternoon.”

“Where did you take her?”

“To the bus station. She was heading out of town. The lady was down and out, something about man troubles.”

“Alright thanks for your help and here is a little something for your trouble.”

Henry started to leave and then turned around to ask one more question.

“Hey one more thing, you don’t happen to know where the bus was going that she took do you?”

“Let me think, she said but it’s been a hella of a day. It was something like Stone Mountain or……Hmmm. No I got it. Storm Mountain that’s what it was.”

“Thanks you have been a big help.”

“No problem. Hope you find what you are looking for man.”

“Me too.”

Henry was relieved that at least he now had a general location. It was close to sunrise, so he would have to wait until tomorrow to head up to Storm Mountain in the Banff National Park. It would take a couple hours to get there, but he felt confident that Vicki would stay put until he arrived. The next part of his plan would be to figure out what he was going to say to her once he got there.

Earlier that evening, Vicki had reached her destination. It was all that she hoped it would be. The cabins were cozy and quaint, overlooking the picturesque lake with the mountains off in the distance. However, the best part was the utter silence. There were no busy streets, cars or people to interrupt her train of thought. When she walked back into the kitchen area, she instantly spotted the stocked bar. Well, well running away definitely has its advantages she thought and then generously helped herself to the bottle of scotch. The caretaker had been kind enough to bring up the list of provisions that she requested, now all that she had to do was simply sit back and enjoy the rest of her evening.

As time ticked away, Vicki began to doze and her mind entered a dream filled state. She was running through the trees, screaming for help, but no one came to her aid. Unsure as to what she was running from, she finally stopped in a clearing and listened to her surroundings. The only thing that she heard was the faint echo of a women’s voice saying you think that he cares about you, he does, but I made him and I own him. He belongs to me for all eternity. Vicki sprung up, her heart was pounding in her chest and a thin layer of sweat had formed over her brow. She instantly was fuming with anger. How dare that bitch stake claim to Henry? Even in her dreams, Vicki felt powerless. Why was she running was it because Christina threatened her? No, Vicki never ran from a fight. It wasn’t in her nature. What was it then? Finally it dawned on her; she was running out of fear of her own insecurities. Christina had been playing upon her feelings of inadequacy. Somehow she knew that Vicki felt conflicted about her thoughts for Henry, as well as, a little unworthy of the attention that he tended to lavish upon her. Plus just looking at the two women anyone could see the differences. Christina was tall and beautiful, mysterious even. She had a quality that would draw in any man that she desired. The seductive nature that she possessed was intoxicating. Who could possibly resist her charms? Then there was Vicki. Yes she was strong willed, challenging, smart, attractive and sometimes funny but she was no match for Henry’s sire. How could she ever compete with a woman like that? No wonder Henry was putty in her hands to be manipulated in any manner she saw fit. The emotions of the past few days hit Vicki like a ton of bricks and she sank back down into the couch. Tears of sorrow and angst ran down her cheeks. What could she offer Henry or any man for that matter? In a few years, she would be blind, not to mention that fact that she was aging. As the years passed, Vicki would become more a burden to Henry. Naturally he would seek out the companionship from someone younger, more attractive, healthy and able to match his stamina. Even if he wanted her now that was no guarantee that he would want her in the future. One way or another, Vicki would end up alone, broken. It was better if it happened on her terms vs. at the hands of some man that she empowered by professing her love. Oh shit, did I just say love? Vicki pondered over her recent string of thoughts and they terrified her with what they revealed. She knew that it was true. How could she continue to deny it? It was love that she felt for Henry and that is one of the reasons that Christina’s visit bothered her so much. Jealousy took over and banged at the walls of her heart, begging to be given reign. Christina had everything that Vicki wanted. She had Henry’s undying devotion and an eternity of being the recipient of his love. Hell the man painted a portrait of her every year since his turning. If that wasn’t love then Vicki didn’t know what was. She surely could not imagine having the same obsession for Mike over the years. Several months ago, when Vicki verbally expressed her thoughts that Christina was lucky to have received such love from Henry, he asked her if she was feeling lucky herself. Of course, she simply shrugged off the comment as another flirtatious advance, but secretly her heart was screaming that yes she did hope to be that lucky. Enough of these thoughts, Vicki decided that it would be best to try and go back to sleep, maybe she could trick her mind into forgetting for several more hours if not she could always hit the mini bar again and get wasted. An alcohol induced comma sounded pretty good about now.

Sleep was a success; Vicki awoke several hours later feeling rested and refreshed. It was already late afternoon, so she decided to grab a quick bite and then take a stroll outside before dusk. Once the sun started to go down, it would make it impossible to see with her eye condition. As she walked through the woods, her mind kept drifting to Henry. She knew that he would be worried when he discovered that she left, but it was a necessary evil. Things were so jumbled in her head right now that she didn’t feel that she would be much use to anyone until she was able to straighten things out. Her emotions were all over the board, one moment she was longing to be with Henry and the next she was filled with rage at the way that he had behaved over the past few days. For now, she was content to hold onto the rage, it felt much safer.

To be continued......

What hurts the most

2008-07-19T16:23:20Z

This story is a different take on what might have happened if Henry did in fact leave for Vancouver after Deep Dark. How would there lives have changed? Would Vicki finally have the courage to face her feelings? Would fate step in and give them their happy ending or would they continue in their lives alone? It is a one shot story that came to me while I was watching the final episode and thinking of various ways that the story could continue after Deep Dark. I hope that you enjoy. While writing this story I listened to the song "What hurts the most" by Rascall Flatt and felt that it was applicable to their situation.

It had been almost a year since that fateful night when all hell broke loose. Vicki was still reeling from the events trying to comprehend how her life had taken such a drastic turn. She had managed to fulfill her obligation to Mike and help him get reinstated back into the police force, but that is where their relationship ended. He made it perfectly clear to her if she was unwilling to be apart of his life in a romantic sense, then he longer wanted to associate with her. Mike would have been a safe bet, but Vicki knew that if she gave into his wishes, then she would betray her own heart. As far as the rest of Toronto was concerned, they still wore the battle scars of Astaroth’s reign. The evil that he unleashed was not of biblical portion, but more heightened than usual. After several attempts to track him down and send him back where he came, all they could do was simply seal the portal so that he could not bring anymore of his followers with him. Coreen had decided to go visit family in the states and find some normalcy after the shocking events that had transpired. As such Vicki was left with her thoughts and utterly alone. Each night she took her place on the old tattered couch, scotch in hand and proceeded to drink her troubles away, but when dawn approached her heart sank in oblivion. She had an overwhelming feeling that what she needed to make right would not be found either in the bottle that she held so fiercely or the town the used to bring her comfort. No her heart had been ripped from her chest and taken miles away to reside in Vancouver. If it weren’t for her foolish pride, she would have ran after it that night that her world ended, but her loyalty and sense of honor would not let her run from her perceived responsibilities. Plus she secretly never thought that Henry would actually leave. However he called her bluff and moved to Vancouver just as he had promised. After several weeks of investigative work, she had tracked his new location down and tried several times to muster the courage to pick up the phone and call him. Each time though she would submit to defeat and hang up before the first ring. As tough as Vicki Nelson could be, her weakness was her inability to follow through on matters of the heart. She was commitment phobic in the truest sense of the word and could not reconcile her head and her heart. The feeling that time would somehow heal this wound buried deep within in her just would not materialize, and she wondered if Henry felt the same torment. Did he still think about her, long for her or even want her? Had he replaced his tears from that night with the comfort provided by another woman? The very idea of Henry with anyone brought a profound jealousy that she knew was unjustified. He didn’t belong to her and was free to do as he wished, but she wanted him and with her mind finally made up she packed a bag and headed for the airport. In just a few short hours she would find out with her own eyes what Henry Fitzroy had been up to during their separation.

At the exact moment that the plane touched down in Vancouver, Henry inhaled his first violent lung full of air. He immediately felt a foreboding that the night would be full of surprises. However, never in his wildest dreams could he imagine that his world would once again be turned completely upside down. Needing to ink several pages for his next novel, he sat down at his work station and began to sketch, but within fifteen minutes he was utterly frustrated with the results and decided that maybe it would be best to feed. Once his hunger was satisfied, then he would hopefully have better concentration. Quickly changing into a tailored shirt and jeans, he grabbed his coat and keys to head out into the night and see what distractions that it offered. Club Montreal was around the corner from his high-rise and would fit perfectly into his plans. There was no shortage of beauties that were more than willing to follow a handsome stranger into a dark corner for a fleeting romantic rendezvous. Immediately upon stepping in the club, he found his choice. She was tall and thin with a muscular build, shoulder length blonde hair and striking features. The woman had a self assured stance and gave off a challenging aura. After several minutes of polite conversation and seductive flirting, she finally succumbed to his charms. Right before finishing his evening meal, his mind drifted to the same thought that occurred during every feeding. Pushing the anger down, his fangs withdrew and he began to kiss the wound closed. His body was struggling for control and he felt that with each passing day he was losing the battle and then he made the fatal mistake and let her name slip from his lips, Vicki. It came out as a whisper, but was enough for this latest conquest to hear and with a slap, she let him know exactly how she felt about his transgression. Henry just shrugged it off and then willed her to forget their encounter. He was used to this treatment. It was a common occurrence that had overtaken his existence. Feeding had lost its joy and life was simply lived by going through the motions. He couldn’t forget her nor could he bring himself to forgive the choices that she made. A thousand years would not be enough time to understand why she would simply throw his heart to the side and choose a future with a man out of guilt or obligation. Did she really believe that since he was no longer completely human that his heart could not be broken? Had she ever seen him truly as a man or simply the monster that lurked underneath? Why would she not let herself love him?

When he left that night, he justified the decision by saying it was what she wanted. She made her choice and he had to live by it. The beast within wanted to rip both her and Celluci to shreds for the pain that they had inflicted upon him, but then he knew that he couldn’t fault the detective for loving her anymore then he could stop loving her himself. After he closed the bedroom doors that night, he listened intently as Vicki sat in his living room and sobbed. He longed to run out there and comfort her, even beg her to reconsider. However, the prince within would not subject himself to any further indignities at her hand. It was done and he would move on. Life would begin again somehow.

Vicki entered his building. It was everything that she had expected, decorated with rich opulence and affluent airs’. Henry of course occupied the top floor, nothing but the best for our darling prince. As the elevator made the climb, her nerve and bravado started to fade. It was slowly being replaced with fear and apprehension at the confrontation to come. Her mind fogged over with thoughts of what she was going to say once she did come face to face with him. Suddenly the world started to spin and all that was clear had become lost. What the hell was she doing here? How could she have fooled herself into thinking that this was a good idea? If Henry really did still want her in his life, then he would have stayed or came back seeking her out. Neither of those options had occurred. The ringing of the elevator chime to signal that she had arrived at the destination woke her out of the dazed state that had overtaken her mind. Stepping out of the elevator, she became panic stricken and her flight instincts kicked in overdrive. Feverously, she ran down the stairs taking her to the parking garage. The need to escape was over powering. As she cleared the final landing and hurled herself through the door, her body was propelled into what she thought was a brick wall. Stunned and sprawled out on the pavement, she tried to compose herself as a hand pulled her to her feet.

“Thanks. I am sorry, I didn’t see you”

“You are welcome. Do you care to tell me what you are doing here?” At the sound of his voice, Vicki raised her eyes to meet the stone cold gaze of one Henry Fitzroy.

“I..I.. Uhmm came to see you.”

“Is that so, then why were you running out of my building like a half crazed woman?”

“Well I didn’t think that you were home, so I…”

“Thought that you would run”

“NO, I just thought that I would come back later.”

“I see”

An awkward silence overtook them as each one wrestled with thoughts of what to say next. Henry couldn’t bear the tension any longer and proceeded to take the first step.

“So Vicki, now that I am indeed here. What is it that you wanted to see me about?”

“Can we go upstairs to talk?”

With a resigned sigh, Henry held the door open and led her back into the building. He could hear the erratic beating of her heart and see the blood coursing rapidly in her veins. The sensations swirling in his head were overwhelming. For a year, he had desperately tried to forget her and now she was here in is territory. He wouldn’t dare allow himself to hope; instead he firmly placed the neutral façade. The last thing that he wanted to happen was for her to sense the inner struggle and affect her unexpected visit was having on him.

Upon reaching his floor, Henry ushered Vicki into his private sanctum. It oddly had a striking appearance to his place in Toronto. The wall colors and flooring were different, but all of the furniture pieces and artwork were the same. She glanced around once more before proceeding to walk over to his work area which Henry abruptly intercepted. He wasn’t willing to allow her to see the numerous drawings that were variations of her image. It would give her the window into his soul and a glimpse of the torment that she had inflicted upon him all of these months. No the days of Vicki Nelson having the upper hand were finished.

“Vicki why are you here?”

“What Henry aren’t you happy to see me? The least that you could do is offer me a drink.”

“I am sorry, where are my manners. What would you like?”

“Scotch, bourbon whatever you got will be fine”

“Very well, bourbon it is”

As Henry left the room to fetch her drink, Vicki sat on the couch trying to take slow measured breaths. Her hands were shaking, palms sweating, and the butterflies in her stomach were making her nauseous. Come on Nelson, get a grip. You can do this. She quietly said to herself. Returning from the kitchen, Henry handed her the drink and then walked over towards the windows that overlooked the city. Simply looking at her was sitting his nerves on fire. It was taking every ounce of control to stay in check.

“So how have you been? Do you like Vancouver?”

Henry slightly glanced over his shoulder before responding. “Yes it suits me fine.”

“How is your writing going?”

“Good”

The cordial conversation was grating on her nerves, but she didn’t know how to lead into what she really wanted to talk about. Discussing matters of the heart were not her strong suit, more like a handicap.

“Vicki I know that you did not travel this far just to discuss my writing or the high points of Vancouver. What is the real reason behind your visit?”

“I told you”

“No you didn’t”

“Yes, I did. I wanted to see you.”

“Alright well now you have seen me. Is that all?”

“Henry you are not going to make this easy for me are you?”

“Oh you mean like you did for me back in Toronto”

“Hey I am not the one that left.”

“No you are just the one that pushes everyone away, until they have no choice but to leave.”

“That’s not true”

“Whatever you say”

“You know maybe this was a bad idea. I shouldn’t have come.” Vicki started to gather her things and head for the door when Henry called out.

“So how is dear old Mike? I am surprised that you too haven’t started to pop out a few kids by now.”

“I wouldn’t know. We haven’t spoken in sometime.”

“Interesting. Isn’t that the reason you stayed? To share his one lifetime with him.”

“For you information, NO IT WAS NOT. Mike lost his job because of me. His life was spiraling out of control due to the supernatural freak show that I kept pulling him into. I had to stay and make things right, help him get his job back.”

“Is that the only reason?”

“I didn’t choose him over you, but you would have known that if you had stayed or even called.”

“What about Astaroth?”

“We tried everything to destroy him, but nothing worked. The best that we were able to do is seal the portal and strip him of some of his powers. He is still running free.”

“Please tell me that you didn’t come here hoping to drag me back into that mess.”

“No, I….”

“What, you what?”

“I needed to see you, to be close”

“Why?”

Vicki took a much needed breath. She was trying desperately not to let the tears spill from her eyes. Deep down, she knew that the only choice available was to put her cards on the table and let the chips fall where they may. Henry had dug in and was not about to give her an inch of wiggle room.

“Because as much as I would like to believe that life without you is possible, it’s not. I mean sure I could continue to exist apart from you, but Henry I don’t want to just go through the motions of life anymore. I have done it for 30 plus years. After meeting you, I know that there are more possibilities. I guess what I am trying to say is that in the mix of all this craziness, I fell in love with you and I don’t know how to stop. That’s why I am here.”

Henry stared at her speechless. She was finally opening up to him, telling him everything that he had longed to hear. Why was he hesitating? He should be happy that what he hoped for was coming true.

“Vicki I don’t know what to say.”

A single tear started to trail down her cheek and with a shaky voice she simply said “It’s too late. Isn’t it?”

“What’s too late?”

“Us”

This was it. Henry had a choice to make. Could he forgive her for all of the pain, unreciprocated advances, lost hopes and dreams? He had always been a romantic at heart, believing that love would prevail. However, the last few weeks of their relationship had taken a toll on his theory and then when she so easily allowed him to walk out of her life, it sealed their future. Now she stood before him professing her love and wanting another chance. When he spoke the words “So be it”, he meant it. His royal upbringing would never allow for him to recant on such a decree. Yet the man couldn’t help but be drawn into her inviting request. Seeing the tears flow from her eyes broke his resolve. The women that he loved stood before him opening herself up, tearing all the walls down that she had so carefully built. Henry closed the gap between them and took her into his arms.

“Do you know how much I have wanted to hear those words from you? What took you so long?”

With a slight chuckle, Vicki lifted her face from his chest to look into his eyes. “I was scared, but I’m not anymore. I love you Henry. Where you are is where I want to be.”

Henry took her face into his hands and proceeded to give her a slow, passionate kiss. Breaking only to allow her the opportunity to breath, he said with such clarity and finality “Welcome home Vicki and I love you more than I ever thought humanly possible. You complete my soul and where you are is where I want to be, as well.”

The months of torment that had previously been written over both of their faces was slowly being replaced by another look altogether, one of pure, unadulterated passion. Henry watched Vicki with fascination. He had never seen such a feral stare within her that now played across her sparkling eyes. The desire that they held for him was electrifying. He immediately became aroused and wanted nothing more than to rip the clothes from her body and take her right there on the hardwood. However this was there first time and he knew that the occasion for animalistic passion would come. Tonight he would make love to her and allow his sensual side to rule.

He gently lifted her and carried her effortlessly to the bedroom. Once again he started to tenderly kiss her while slowly unbuttoning her shirt. However Vicki had other plans in mind. She grabbed him by the hair at the nape of his neck and plunged her tongue wholly into his mouth, taking him very much by surprise. Then she aggressively shoved him against the door and ripped his shirt from his sculpted chest. Henry gasped out her voracity. At one time, he wondered if she was fully capable of giving herself over to passion. Tonight all of those fears were being entirely squelched. He was prepared to give as good as he was getting. With the same force, he hauled her pants down and relieved her of the remaining garments covering her luscious figure. All the while, Vicki’s hands were roaming over his body, yanking at his belt, wanting to free him of any further hindrances. She had denied her feelings for far too long. Feeling fully liberated, Vicki was more than willing to let the tigress out of the cage. Henry’s eyes took in the smoldering sight before him. He had always known that she was beautiful, but in her naked form, the vision of raw sexuality that stood before him was unfathomable. Moving in towards her lips, he sampled the offerings that she was presenting to him. Slowly but surely, he moved his attentions downward. Upon reaching her full, round bosom, he first began to lick and nibble around the parameter. As the circles became tighter, Vicki gasped knowing that once he reached her taunt nipple that he would take her breast completely into his mouth. Holding true to form, Henry did exactly that suckling like a starved man devouring his last meal. When he finally pulled away, he blew across her moist skin enjoying the sight of her flesh pebble from the effect. Moving lower still, he trailed down her stomach and then to her inner thighs. Vicki’s mind was in a daze and felt like all of her nerve ending were being set on fire. She longed to have him between her legs giving her core the same wonderful attention that he gave her breast. The man had talent with his mouth that she only dreamed existed. She knew that once he turned his attentions on her sex that the result would be mind blowing. As she continued to arch and stretch trying desperately to encourage him in the right direction, he simply smiled enjoying the torment that he was giving her. Finally unable to withstand anymore of his delays, she whimpered out a breathy plea “Henry please, I can’t take much more.” That was all the encouragement that he needed, Henry pushed her back into the wall and then lifted one of her legs over his shoulder. With brutal force he dove into her moist center and began to feast on her core. His tongue snaked up inside her while his fingers skillfully rolled her clitoris. Vicki ran her hands through his curls moaning and bucking her hips towards his face uncontrollably. With a thunderous climax, she finally came into is awaiting mouth and Henry lapped up all of the juices that she so willing bestowed. Her knees buckled underneath her, but with Henry’s lightning quick reflexes, he caught her and carried her limp body over to the bed. Once Vicki had caught her breath, she took the opportunity to invoke the element of surprise and playfully rolled Henry onto his back. It was her turn to explore all that Henry’s body had to offer and she fully intended to take advantage of it. Every inch of him was rock hard, sculpted and chiseled to perfection. One particular area was excitedly thumping her with the anticipation of what was to come. Taking her cue, she placed herself between his legs and began to run her tongue up and down his painfully engorged shaft. She was running her finger nails up and down his legs to enhance the sensation. Looking up to see him staring at her with wonderment, she slowly took in his entire length. The feeling of being encased in her mouth had Henry seeing stars. Once she adjusted to his impressive size, she began to move up and down creating an unbelievably wonderful friction. Henry instinctively wanted to thrust in her mouth, but pulled all of his control up to stay in place and allow her to do the work. She, of course, did not disappoint and sucked and pulled him into oblivion. Throwing his head back, he roared as he came into her mouth, spilling all of his months of pinned up essence that he had to give. She gratefully took it and licked her mouth clean as she once again began to travel up his body. Growing impatient to be inside of her, Henry grabbed Vicki under the arms and hauled her up the rest of the way to his mouth placing a passion filled kiss on her lips, reverently worshiping them for the pleasure that they had just bestowed upon his manhood. Then he lifted her ever so slightly and plunged into her tight pulsating cavern. Heaven couldn’t possibly feel as good as she did at this very moment. Her inner walls greedily clutched and pulled him in deeper. As he began to thrust and claim what was finally his, the beast within rattled to be freed from its cage. Far too long had it been denied her blood and refused to be kept at bay any further. His eyes darkened and fangs elongated watching Vicki ride him with complete abandonment. Unable to hold back, he swiftly changed positions and pounded her relentlessly. She cried out with the euphoric feeling that it was creating and begged for more. Pumping harder and faster, he happily gave into her requests. As both of them neared completion, Henry leaned down towards her neck and licked the protruding vein, then sank his fangs into it, so that he could capture the trapped essence that awaited him there. The blood exploded into his mouth, the taste was like no other that he had ever experienced. He had tasted her blood before but not in the throws of orgasm and the combination of the two made it sweet and spicy, as well as, highly addictive. In that moment, he knew that his appetite for her would never be satisfied. Her blood would call to him and all other meals would pale in comparison. Forcing himself to pull away, he continued to thrust until his own completion rumbled through him like a tidal wave. Once both of their breathing slowed, Henry looked down into her beautiful eyes to be met with the same look of love and content as he suspected showed though his own eyes. He leaned down to capture her lips once more in a kiss that told the story of love reclaimed and a renewed commitment to life. With dawn pressing down upon him, Henry reluctantly rolled off of Vicki, pulling her with him into a loving embrace.

“Thank you”

Shocked by his words, Vicki asked “For what?”

“Finally having the courage to tell me how you truly feel, I love you for that.”

“I love you too”

With a gasp, Henry succumbed to the day. He was finally content with the knowledge that Vicki was his now and always.

The night came quickly and for once Henry was grateful to be released from his vampire death. He looked forward to awakening with Vicki by his side, but as his senses returned, so did the knowledge that she wasn’t there with him. Panic set in and as he took his first breath, he leaped from the bed and raced around his condo searching for her. However, the search was in vain because she was nowhere to be found. Anger boiled over the surface and he wailed his frustration. Was it all a dream? Had she actually come to him? Did she panic and run for the safety of Toronto? What happened in the matter of just a few short hours? Just as his mind was completely shifted into overdrive, his keen senses picked up on her scent and the beat of her heart. He hastily made his way to the door and practically tore it off of the hinges to get to her. Grabbing her by the wrist, he pulled her forcefully into the condo and into his welcoming arms. She dropped the contents that she had been holding and gasped out the sheer emotion that was rolling off of him.

“What’s wrong? What is it?”

Tears streamed down his face and with a shaky voice he proceeded to say “I woke and you were gone. It scared me. I thought that you left or that it was all a dream.”

“No, I just went to get some food. I had planned to be back before you got up, but I got lost. Henry look at me. I am not going anywhere. I love you, remember.”

“I remember, just promise me that you will always be here when I wake. I have been alone for so long. Now that I have you, I don’t want to ever let you go.”

“As long as I am physically able to be here with you, I will be. I promise you that.”

“I love you Victoria.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Well you know actions speak much louder than words Henry. I think that I need a little proof.”

“You insatiable, wanton women”

“Would you have it any other way?”

“Hell no, I like you just as you are my love. I wouldn’t change a single thing about you.”

“That’s good because you are stuck with me now.”

“Hmm, now that has some possibilities….”

The hurt that drove him to Vancouver had finally resolved itself. For the first time since being turned a vampire, Henry felt a sense of hope in his heart. He had a partner to share his life and the love of the only women that he deemed worthy of his heart. The future seemed filled with promise and he looked forward to seeing what it would bring.

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.

Henry's Day in the Sun

2008-07-01T04:58:03Z

This short story is set after The Worlds Greatest Lover. At the end of that story, Henry and Vicki are granted some special gifts from the GOD Chaos, one of which is Henry's ability to walk in the daylight. This is just a fun filled piece that explores some of the activites that Henry might enjoy after being able to walk in daylight after 480 years.

The sun was just about to rise in the Toronto skyline. Henry had taken up residence in front of the large picture window in his living room. Today would be the first time that he was able to enjoy the splendor of the morning without fear of exploding into flames since his turning almost 480 years ago. Even with the gifts presented to them by Chaos, both he and Vicki were still somewhat cautious about this first day in the sun. She had strategically covered all of the windows except one and had a dark out shade handy just in case she needed to cover him quickly. Once the sun started to peak through the clouds and make its presence known through the window, Henry reluctantly placed his hand in the ray’s stream of light. He could feel the warmth and a slight tingling sensation which he could only account for nerves. If he had a heart still beating in his chest, it would have erupted from the joy that he felt. Slowly he made his way out onto the balcony to fully immerse himself in the light. The sensation was glorious. He looked over his shoulder at Vicki and the look embedded on her face was one of pure bliss. As happy as she was to have her sight restored, watching Henry enjoy this simple pleasure that he had sorely missed gave her satisfaction is ways that were unimaginable. He held out his hand for her to take which she graciously accepted. They both stood there quiet and motionless just enjoying their surroundings. Finally Vicki broke the silence.

“So Henry how does it feel?”

“Words simply escape me at this moment. I can’t begin to express the depths of my emotions.” A single tear began to slide down his cheek as he tried to compose himself.

“I never thought that I would be able to experience the warmth of the sun or the beauty of the day again. Vicki I feel like I am dreaming, but if it is a dream then don’t wake me from it because it is perfection.” Vicki just chuckled lightly as she attempted to pull him back into the condo.

“OK enough admiring from the tower. It’s time we hit the streets. What would you like to do first?”

“Well I have some ideas, but the first thing that I have in mind would require a large amount of trust on your part. Do you trust me?”

“Of course, I trust you. What is it?”

“You’ll see.”

Henry went into the other room to make some calls and arrangements for the days activities. Forty five minutes later, they were headed away from town. Vicki’s curiosity was getting the best of her.

“So where exactly are we going?”

She received no response from Henry except a Cheshire cat grin.

“Are we almost there? It seems like we have been driving in this car forever.”

“Patience my love. We will be there soon enough.”

As they made there way over the next hill, it became apparent what their morning activity would be. Vicki simply gasped and stated very matter of fact “You have got to be kidding me.”

“No my dear, I would never jest about pleasure or fulfilling fantasies.”

“This certainly cannot be a fantasy of yours.”

“The thought of it has always intrigued me, but it was not an option that I could pursue. However all of that has changed and I would like to experience the exhilaration of the act. I hear that it is very liberating.”

“Henry I am sure that there are quite a few things that will get liberated during this little stunt.”

“So are you telling me that you don’t want to try it?”

“Let’s just say that it is never been one of my top priorities.”

“Come on Vic I will be right there with you. Where is that adventurous spirit that I have come to love?”

“Hey fighting demons is one thing, but this is a whole new ball of wax.” Finally with a huff and the preverbal roll of her eyes, Vicki relented. “Alright, Alright if it will make you happy I will do it.”

They quickly completed the last of their preparations and were on their way. Within fifteen minutes, the time of truth had approached and they were given the green light. Henry looked at Vicki and gave her the thumbs up.

“All set”

“HELL NO. I never have understood why anyone would want to jump out of a perfectly good plane.”

“Well I guess you are getting ready to find out.” With that Henry gave her a little shove and she was out the door, screaming for dear life. He, of course, was right behind her enjoying every moment. They both soared through the clouds taking in the breathtaking views. Picturesque would not begin to describe the scenery at 10,000 feet. The world took on a whole new view. Floating through the clouds gave the vampire all that he desired. He was euphoric plummeting to earth with his mate at his side. This is what true freedom was akin to and he very much liked it. Once upon the ground, he simply grabbed Vicki and kissed her until her knees went weak with desire.

“What did you think?”

“Ya know Henry after becoming immortal, I never thought that I would have to face death so quickly, but all in all it was pretty fun, especially once my feet touched ground again.”

“Vicki I was looking more for exhilarating, thrilling, invigorating something along those lines, not simply fun.”

“Oh baby, don’t worry you will get all of those later tonight.”

“Promises, Promises.”

“It’s not a promise. It’s a fact. So where to now?”

“How about lunch?”

“Perfect, but wait you don’t eat food.”

“Who said anything about me eating food? You can have lunch and I will have the waiter.”

“Funny not”

“Hey a man’s got to eat.”

“Fine, but remember don’t play with your food.”

“Noted”

After lunch, they took a leisurely stroll through the park. Henry enjoyed watching the children playing and the couples walking together arm in arm. It felt good to be apart of the human race. The normalcy of the moment had been something that was lacking in his life for so many years. As the day began to slip through their fingers, Vicki turned to Henry and asked how he wanted to see his first sunset. With a twinkle in his eye, he stated that he wanted to go down to the sea wall and watch it as the waves crashed along the shore. They were able to locate a secluded spot and Henry pulled out the blanket that he had tucked away.

“So was this day all that you imagined it to be?”

“Yes it was, but mainly because I had you to share it with.” Turning to Vicki, he caressed her cheek and tenderly kissed her on the lips.

“You know Vicki, the day is not over. There is still one more thing that I would like to do to commemorate this wondrous occasion.”

“And what would that be?”

“Let’s go back to the condo and I will be happy to show you.”

Vicki was instantly aroused at the thought of what Henry had planned for the remainder of the evening. The notion had crossed her mind more than once today. He made haste getting home being slightly encouraged by Vicki’s ministrations of his manhood during the car ride. Henry was starting to see stars from her overly provocative behavior. Once the door to this condo closed, all restraint was lost. He quickly pinned her against the wall and plunged his tongue into her waiting mouth. The voracity of the kiss was almost animalistic. Clothes began to fly through the room piece by piece as Henry got down to business. His erection was painfully engorged and he needed the relief that only Vicki could provide. Dipping his head to her chest, he blazingly took her nipple into his mouth to suckle and taunt. With his hand he glided down her side and leg to find her center dripping wet with anticipation. He teased her sensitive nub while stroking his fingers up and down into her welcoming warmth. Immediately he was rewarded with her moans of ecstasy and a sharp intake of breath which signaled she was more than enjoying the attention that he was paying to her most sensitive areas. Finally fighting to keep the last remnants of sanity, Henry spun Vicki around to face the wall and slightly bent her over before plunging deep inside her. She had not expected him to take her with such force, but the feeling was proving to be more than erotic. The force of his thrusting was almost teeth shattering, but her ability to care had fled as the walls of her inner sanctum rippled with the pleasure that he was creating. Slowly he pushed her to the brink before crashing fast and furious into the tidal wave of orgasm. At the moment that she reached her pinnacle, Henry moved her hair and bit into the luscious shoulder that was exposed to him. Each draw of her blood made her pulsate harder against his steel shaft that was buried deep within. This brought her second orgasm of the evening and the taste of the exquisite act took Henry with her and he violently spilled his seed at the entrance of her womb. He was grateful for the quivering of her walls around him as he was milked of every last drop of his essence. Shaking and spent, Henry helped an equally rattled Vicki upright to stand in front of him. He held her closely since she was still not able to fully stand without assistance. Stroking her hair, he gently leaned down and kissed her with all of the passion that he felt in that moment.

“H..Henry.”

“Yes love”

“Now that was exhilarating.”

“My thoughts exactly. Come the night is young and I want to spend the rest of it in your arms showing you exactly how thrilling an eternity with a vampire can be.”

The Worlds's Greatest Lover---Chapter 13

2008-06-06T22:38:43Z

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.

The World's Greatest Lover ------Chapter 12

2008-06-03T18:17:52Z

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.

The World's Greatest Lover---Ch. 11

2008-05-22T23:41:01Z

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”

World's Greatest Lover---Chapter 10

2008-05-11T23:52:23Z

Chapter 10

On the drive home Vicki succumbed to sleep. When they arrived at Henry’s condo, he slipped her into bed and began to quietly remove the remnants of her clothes. The electricity from his touch elicited a sexual spark deep within her core and she began to stir. As her eyes fluttered and then finally opened, she saw his beautiful face hovering above hers. It had the most delicious expression which reflected all of the love and adoration that he felt for this woman curled up under his sheets.

“I was trying not to wake you.”

“Hmmm, well now that you have…..”

Vicki grabbed Henry by the shirt and pulled him down into a passionate kiss. Lips met and then parted as tongues explored each crevice to claim the others mouth as their own. Vicki’s fingers began to slowly unbutton his shirt, caressing the skin on his chest as she finished the task. He momentarily broke their connection to remove the offending garment so that skin to skin contact could be made. The feel of his cool skin against her was exhilarating. Henry had a way of reading her body to know instantly what it was that she craved in bed and tonight it was passion, and he intended to take his time and give her everything that she desired.

“Vicki, do you know how beautiful and desirable you are?”

She simply blushed at his comment and tried to pull him into another kiss, but he relented. Henry wanted Vicki to see herself through his eyes.

“It’s true. I want you to know just how much I love you. It’s greater than any love that I have ever known. I am amazed everyday to have such a woman as you in my life.”

In a hushed tone, she whispered in his ear “Show me.”

That was all of the encouragement that he needed. Henry leaned into her and placed a gentle kiss on her lips before trailing down her neck. When he reached the pulse point, he simply nuzzled it and gave it a slight nip. This of course sent shivers up Vicki’s spine. Henry’s seduction was driving her crazy. Smiling at the effect that he was having on her, his lips continued to travel down to her breasts, lingering to suck and lick them to a peak. Vicki ran her fingers through his luscious curls and forced his head down onto her even more. She wanted as much of his mouth as possible touching her skin. He met her demands with enthusiasm, taking every inch of her into his mouth to taste. The desire that she felt for him was dripping off of her skin. His erection was becoming painfully large, but he wanted to taste her womanhood before he indulged in his fantasy to be inside her warm center. From the sounds of Vicki’s moans and the way that she was moving her body, it was apparent that she had some fantasies of her own.

Once, he finally did reach the prized destination, the teasing became more wicked. Instead of delving into her wet folds, Henry began to nip and lick up and down her thighs. After he had thoroughly rattled her senses, it was time to give into her now wanton demands. Placing both hands on either side of her hips, he briefly stilled to sniff the sexual aroma that was being transmitted from her body.

“Henry please, I need….”

“Shhh, love I know exactly what you need.” With those words trailing off of his tongue, he delved head first into her warm sea of ecstasy. Slowly he lapped up the tide of pleasure that was coursing from her and then plunged his fingers into her center as his tongue stroked the pulsing erogenous zone that called his name. The faster his attentions became, the more her body spasmed until finally she came mercilessly in his mouth. The aftershocks of her orgasm were still being felt when he rose to eye level, taking in the beauty on her face. Henry always loved to watch Vicki’s expressions when she was coming down off of her sexual high. It made their lovemaking even more erotic for him. Once she finally stilled and looked up to meet his eyes, he leaned down to kiss her and then with slow precision entered her longing body. Both of them gasped at the feeling of finally being joined. Neither had ever known what it meant to be truly one until they had given themselves over to each other. Henry began to thrust while the walls of her body constricted around his manhood pulling him further into the debts of her. As they rocked back and forth together in harmony, Vicki moaned into his ear to give her more which he obliged. Thrusting harder and deeper, Henry could feel both of their climaxes approaching. He bent down and languished kisses around her breast before releasing his fangs into her soft flesh and suckling the spicy, passion filled juices. This final act sealed their fate and they both came uncontrollably together.

Collapsing into her arms, Henry looked at her breathless and asked “Do you believe me know?”

“I don’t know. I might just need years of convincing.”

With a slight laugh and a shimmering twinkle in his eyes, Henry responded “You shall have it my love. I will accept a lifetime and nothing less.”

Finally contented, Vicki lay in the arms of the man that she loved and drifted off to sleep knowing that tomorrow would be a new day with endless possibilities. She had a renewed vigor that with the sun rising, they would also find answers and hopefully Casanova himself.

The World's Greatest Lover---Chapter 9

2008-05-03T03:52:50Z

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.

The World's Greatest Lover---Chapter 8

2008-04-24T03:59:51Z

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.

The World's Greatest Lover--Chapter 7

2008-04-18T19:41:39Z

Chapter 7

The shrill sound of her phone ringing brought Vicki’s attention back to the moment at hand. She had been pre-occupied pondering the recent encounter that she shared with Henry. The passion from their lovemaking was still burning within her.

“Hello”

“Oh, Hi Rajani. How are you doing this evening?”

“Really. Is that normal?”

“Are you absolutely positive about the results?”

“OK well thanks for calling. No I will. You too.”

Lost in her own thoughts, she did not hear Henry walk into the room.

“Vicki, Vicki…..”

“I’m sorry were you saying something.”

“Yes, I was asking who it was on the phone?”

“Oh, sorry, It was Rajani calling with the results of the tests that I asked for her to run on the blood and our mystery vile.”

“And”

“Well she said that the blood actually belonged to two separate people and that one of the victims was definitely Mary, but she could not identify the other person. She said that the compounds within the blood indicated the presence of a foreign substance that was not human in nature.”

“What do you mean?”

“It was unidentifiable. So what I mean is this sample of blood might belong to our mystery man.”

“But you just said that the blood was not from a human.”

“You are right, I did. I am not completely sure that our Mr. Casanova is completely human, at least not anymore.”

“If he is not human, than what is he?” Henry had a furrowed look on his face while asking this last question. He was not completely sure that he wanted to know the answer. After their last run in with Asteroth, he was hoping that the cases Vicki had decided to take would not be laced with the supernatural.

“That is the million dollar question now. Isn’t it?”

Vicki proceeded to fill Henry in on what Coreen had discovered earlier during her internet search. She also shared with him her suspensions about a possible link between Casanova and Javier Mendoza. Henry was patiently taking in each piece of information and trying to decipher it into something of meaning.

“Vicki it just doesn’t make sense. If he was somehow involved with Mendoza than I would have encountered him before.”

“What else could it be Henry? Do you think that he could be a vampire?”

“No, nothing like that. If he was a vampire than I would have sensed him in my territory, plus the chemical make-up of the blood would have had distinct markers.”

Vicki glanced over at Henry while he was talking; giving him that how can you be so sure look. He immediately pick-up on her questioning gaze and responded.

“Vicki if it will ease your mind than I will call Augustus and have him check the records. If this Casanova was turned, then there will be evidence in the census book.”

“Thanks. I do not want to leave any stone unturned. There is just something about this whole thing that has me unsettled. The more that we look into this woman’s disappearance the stranger the clues become.”

“Did Rajani have any information to share about the contents of the vile?”

“No, she is still working on that. She said that hopefully the tests will yield some results by tomorrow.”

“OK you said that Coreen is looking into this guy’s background. Let’s head over to the daughter’s and see if there is anything else that she can tell us about him. If nothing else, maybe we can find out some detailed information about his habits, mannerisms, anything that might shed light on who or what he might be.”

“Great idea Henry. I knew that I kept you around for a reason. You are starting to sound more and more like a PI every day.”

“Hmmm. Is that the only reason that you keep me around?”

“Well that and the fringe benefits.”

“Such as….”

“You just keep that filthy little mind on the case. Remember, I like to reward hard work, so….” Before she could finish her sentence, Henry swiftly grabbed her from behind, twirling her around to face him.

“Just how HARD do you want it to be?” The pressure of his erection was pressing directly into her thigh. There was no question of the desire that she felt rising within him. The air was perfumed with pure lust and Henry made his intentions well known.

“As stimulating as that proposition is, we need to go before it gets too late.”

Vicki struggled in vain to gain release from Henry’s iron grip. He pressed his lips wantonly on her mouth, then trailing down her neck he found that one pulse point that absolutely drove him crazy. His hand had already ventured into her pants and was gently stroking her womanhood. Henry could immediately tell just how stimulated Vicki had become over his actions. She was dripping wet with need for him and his thirst for her demanded to be quenched. Seductively, he pushed her jeans and lace panties down to her ankles and began to suckle and lap at her juices; plummeting his tongue into her hot, pulsating center with each groan of pleasure that she released from her throat. The more that she squirmed, the more eager and demanding his attention became. Finally, Vicki could not hold herself in check any longer and she came in his mouth. Henry looked up at her with a wicked smile, then rose and plunged himself into her inviting center. She met his thrusts with enthusiasm. Her mind was swirling with the after shocks of her most recent orgasm, along with the sensation of having Henry completely engulfed inside her. His hand had slipped into her shirt and was rubbing feverishly at her engorged breasts. As she felt herself prepare for the impending release, Henry extended his fangs and sank them into her chest taking only small amounts of blood. He simply wanted to taste her sweetness, as well as, push her over the precipice into the depths of pleasure. The door behind them shook as they came together in unison.

“So tell me Vicki, did I earn my pay today?”

“Yes you did. You keep up that level of hard work and there just might be a raise, as well as, a promotion in your future.”

“I always was an over achiever.”

With that they headed out into the night.

The World's Greatest Lover--Chapter 6

2008-04-13T19:23:07Z

Chapter 6

It was getting late, so Vicki thought it would be best to call and check in on Coreen, see how she was progressing with the search for the mystery man Giovanni Casanova. The phone rang several times before the perky assistant finally answered.

“Vicki Nelson Investigations, no case to strange, How can I help you?”

“Coreen really, you need to get a new line. Don’t answer the phone like that?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Exactly how would you like for me to answer the phone?”

“Normally, answer it normally. How is the research coming?”

“It’s pretty much been a dead end. The only information that I have found so far relates to the actual Casanova who was born in Italy in 1725 and let me tell you this man was quite interesting to research. He was an adventurer, musician, churchman, soldier, spy diplomat, writer, as well the center of many scandals, specifically involving women.”

“So, what does that have to do with our current suspect?”

“Well nothing, I guess but I just thought that it was interesting, especially when I found out that he served in Rome for the Cardinal, as well as, an inquisitor for the state.”

“What a minute, inquisitor, you mean religious inquisitor, like Javier Mendoza?”

Vicki’s brow was beginning to furrow. The wheels in her head were turning and Coreen could hear her voice was taking on that detective tone.

“Vicki, what are you thinking?”

“Not really sure yet, did your research mention anything about Casanova traveling to Spain?”

“Actually it did. He traveled pretty extensively throughout Europe during his life, including a trip to Spain in 1770 after yet another scandal drove him from Warsaw. He fled to Spain for safety; apparently the attentions that he was bestowing on the wife of one of the top government officials there resulted in a duel which ended badly, so he hid in Spain until approx. 1774.”

“What happened then?”

“He went back to Venice and became a spy for the state.”

“He certainly was not boring was he now. Coreen, did it mention anything about his death?”

“The only thing that I could find was that he supposedly died in 1798, but the circumstances around his death were somewhat suspect and no one really knows where his body is buried.”

“Interesting. Did he have any descendents?”

“None that were mentioned. You don’t think that this is actually “The Casanova” do you?”

“Now, now Coreen. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The only thing that I know for sure is that we need to find out exactly who our current Casanova is and what he’s up to. Try researching some other name variations like John Casanova, Johnny Casanova, anything that may give us a lead.”

“OK, I will get right on that. Where are you going?”

“I am going to head back to Henry’s. It’s almost sunset. Call me if you find out anything more?”

“I will and don’t do anything that I wouldn’t do?”

“Humm, Coreen, you pretty much left me wide open there, didn’t ya.”

“Ha, Ha funny not.”

With that Vicki clicked the phone shut. The possibilities for how that conversation could take a downward turn were endless, so she thought it best to just cut the friendly banter off at the pass.

As Vicki entered Henry’s building, she saw Greg manning his typical post which was actually straddling a chair watching mind numbing reality TV shows.

“Good evening Ms. Nelson. How are you?”

“Oh, I’m fine Greg. How are you doing? Anything interesting happening this evening?”

“No same old thing, except Mrs. Donovan’s poodle tried to make another escape.”

“Well, I hope for her sake, you were able to catch the little hair ball. That would be just a tragedy if something happened to that dog.” The sarcasm flowing from Vicki’s lips could actually be felt.

Greg gave her a smirk in return and simply muttered “Yes that would be tragic.”

Everyone in the building hated that dog. He was a true menace, barking obnoxiously at each resident, biting at their ankles, and on occasion even hiking on them. There would be no mourners for little “Winston” if he did in fact meet an untimely death. Henry always enjoyed provoking the poor creature whenever in close proximity. The moment that Mrs. Donovan would turn her head, he would let his eyes darken, fangs slip, and growl at the little guy. This of course would instantly cause the dog to wet the spot directly where he stood.

Vicki unlocked the door to Henry’s condo. All of the lights were off and the blinds were secure. She still had a few moments before he awoke from his deep sleep. Being the adventurous spirit that she was, Vicki decided to seize this opportunity to give Henry a wake-up surprise. She went and gathered a few items and placed them by the bed stand before she undressed and put on the sexy lingerie that Henry had purchased for her at an upscale store last week. After being satisfied that her new look would peak Henry’s interest, she proceeded to remove some of Henry’s favorite play things from the bedside drawer. Moving from one side to the other, she began to put on the shackles securing him to the bed by his hands and feet. Vicki knew full well that if Henry wanted to, he could break free, but then again she had a tremendous amount of confidence that she could persuade him to stay put until she finished having her way with him.

The sun slowly set in the horizon and Henry took a sharp gasp as he awoke from his slumber. Instinct told him to struggle against his restraints, but a soft voice coming from the edge of the bed encouraged him to remain still. He took in a deep breath and filled his lungs with her scent. She slowly, seductively crawled across the bed to directly hover over him, letting her hair gently brush his chest. The mere sight of her was intoxicating, immediately his manhood swelled with the need to posses her.

“Vicki what are you doing?”

“Shhhhh, no talking.”

With that she leaned over and took his mouth, permanently silencing him. After she allowed her tongue and lips to fully explore him, she moved down to his neck, nipping and licking causing Henry to moan and arch. Then she made her way down to his chest, circling his nipples, blowing on them until they were hard and wanting. Vicki took the jar of honey that she had sitting on the side table and placed her finger in it removing some of the sweet contents drizzling it over each nipple. Henry could barely contain himself as she licked away every last drop. Her movements were driving him crazy, especially when she traveled further down. His body writhed with the thought of her next destination. To heighten the experience, Vicki took the can of whipped cream and swirled the contents from his base up to the tip of his quivering member. The physical pain of waiting for her lips to touch him seemed unbearable. He began to beg in a hoarse whispered tone.

“Vicki, please touch me, I can’t hold my restraint back much longer.”

She obliged his request and slowly began to lick and suck the melting cream off of him. With each stroke of her tongue he gasped for air, twisting and turning under her, trying to push himself further into her luscious mouth. Knowing the torture that she was bestowing on him, she gave into his wishes and took him full and deep in her mouth. Vicki moved her head in a rhythmic motion up and down over him, glancing up to see his head thrown back in ecstasy. She could feel that he was close and then suddenly, he violently came in her mouth, causing her to almost choke on his explosion. However, she remained resolved to take in every last drop and swallowed everything that he gave her. Once his shaking slowed, she moved back up his body to meet his eyes. He lifted his head up and claimed her lips, forcefully kissing her. The sheer need in his eyes and the urgency of his kiss signaled that he wanted much more.

“Untie me, I want, NO, I need to touch you.”

“This is about your pleasure; I want to make all of your desires come true.”

“Well that won’t be possible if I can’t feel you, all of you. Untie me, now.”

“As you wish”

Vicki slowly, methodically untied Henry from the bed, freeing him from all of his restraints. With a flash of movement, he was on top of her, pinning her underneath him. He aggressively began kissing, exploring with wanton abandon. First he took her left breast in his mouth while rubbing the opposite one to peak perfection. Vicki simply grunted her pleasure at his actions. Then he moved to her stomach, leaving kisses everywhere that his mouth touched. The smell of her desire brought Henry to the edge. He felt the animal in him rise. The beast wanted to take her, claim what was his. When he reached her thigh, he extended his fangs and grazed the skin, causing Vicki to shutter. He slowly lathed open mouth kisses on her most intimate spot, plunging his tongue deep within her and then suckling at the swollen tender area that made her gasp for air. He continued to manipulate his tongue in her until she was close to her release. When he felt her starting to quiver under his touch, we withdrew his tongue and plunged his fangs deep within her thigh while forcing his fingers within her to push Vicki into a mind blowing orgasm. The taste of her blood was sweet and tangy. The beast thoroughly enjoyed the swirling pleasure that was flowing into his mouth. He drank until she subsided from her aftershocks and then gently licked the wounds closed. By the time that he rose to meet her face, Vicki could feel his need pressing into her for entrance. He demanded full submission and she would give it to him. Slowly, fully he took her and she felt overwhelmed by the sensation of his manhood inside her. Henry could feel the enthusiasm, as the walls that surrounded him pulsated the need that she felt.

“Henry faster…” Those were the only words that Vicki could muster. He sped up to meet her demands and was rewarded by the moans that escaped from her throat. As they both neared their respective climaxes, Vicki took Henry’s ear lope in her mouth and suckled and nibbled until his nerve ending were almost raw. He growled as his seed poured out into her and she clamped on tighter until she found her own liberation.

They both lay in each other’s embrace washed in the aftermath of their passion. Finally Henry broke the silence.

“Vicki promise me something.”

“Anything, what is it Henry?”

“Promise me that each night when I wake, you will always be right there to start my day just like you did today.”

They both looked at each other and simply laughed knowing that the reality was that is exactly how they wanted to live, lost in each other’s embrace. The need that they felt for one another was too great to be quenched by intermittent encounters. It had to be satisfied on a continual basis for both of their sanities.

The World's Greatest Lover--Chapter 5

2008-04-06T01:47:02Z

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.

The World's Greatest Lover

2008-03-24T20:34:04Z

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.

The World's Greatest Lover

2008-03-21T03:04:23Z

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.

The World's Greatest Lover

2008-03-19T03:34:46Z

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.

The World's Greatest Lover

2008-03-18T21:11:51Z

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.”

Continuing Saga--Life After Deep Dark

2008-03-05T15:34:07Z

Chapter 12

As Henry and Vicki made there way back to the condo, both of them sat in silence contemplating the previous week’s events and looking forward to what the night would hold for them. Vicki turned to look at Henry and finally broke the silence.

“I knew that you would not give up on me. In my heart, I held on to the hope that you would find me and end this horrible nightmare that Astaroth had unleashed.”

She took in a deep breath, glancing momentarily at the floor board of the car, and then back up to meet Henry’s penetrating blue eyes.

“For the first time in my life, I felt powerless to stop someone who had threatened me. You were right about the effects of dark magic. I can see that now.”

Henry gave a slight, crocked smile. It warmed his heart that she was finally willing to let her guard down and talk to him honestly.

“Vicki, I would never let anything happen to you..”

“I know.”

She began fidgeting in her seat. Her cheeks were becoming scarlet red almost matching the dress that she was wearing. Vicki was not good at expressing her feelings. She hated mushy, touchy, feely emotional displays. However, something compelled her to keep going. She knew that Henry needed to hear how she felt and that if she had any hope of keeping him here in Toronto, she would have to let go and just let the chips fall as they may. Henry could sense her uneasiness and the rapid increase of her heartbeat. He could smell her fear. Not wanting to further her discomfort, he just sat patiently waiting for her to take the lead.

“Henry when I was held captive, fighting to stay in control of my own body, the only thought that I held to was that I could not leave this world with regret.”

She paused momentarily trying to keep her composure.

“I don’t want things between us to be left unsaid or undone.”

“Vicki, I_ _ _ _”

“Please Henry let me finish while I still can”

“I’m sorry, please continue.”

“Remember that night in the condo when you asked me to come with you?”

“Yes, of course I do”

“Well, I wanted nothing more than to jump in you arms and say yes. Frankly, that is all that I have wanted to do since we’ve met. At first, I wouldn’t because of the unknown. You’re a vampire and I’m a human being with a limited life span. I really wasn’t sure what kind of future we could have.”

Henry just starred at her with a reassuring look that communicated he understood her feelings.

“Then, I was afraid of getting in over my head. I know that I have joked about you being the Lord of Lechery and snacking on a different woman every night in your bed, but it really wasn’t a joke. Seeing you with someone else, knowing as I aged there would be someone more attractive, younger without the physical baggage, made me stay guarded. I don’t want my heart broken nor do I want to be perceived as someone’s burden. I have taken care of my self since I was 10. It‘s difficult to trust in others plus when I see you with other women, it reminds me of what my mother endured with my father. He was always looking for something better.”

“Victoria, you can’t compare me to your father. I would never leave you, please give me more credit than that. Everyone ages, changes, evolves but when it happens you just have to depend on that deeper connection that has been formed.”

Briefly he looked away before stating what had been burning is his heart for so long.

“I love you and there will never be another person more important in my life than you are. My love transcends this life, when your light is extinguished by death, then I too will let the flames take me into the sweet abyss.”

“Henry you can’t mean that.”

“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it. I have lived a long time and I know the value of life and death. For the first time in 450 years, you have opened my heart to true love. Did you honestly think that I would live my life without it, without you?”

“Then why were you so willing to throw everything away and move to Vancouver.”

“Because if you love something you set it free, if it comes back to you, then it is yours for eternity.”

She finally understood. It hit her like a ton of bricks falling down upon her head. Never in all of her years had she been so completely and unconditionally loved. Tears started to well up in her eyes, but she fought to maintain her facade. The car had stopped and Henry walked to the passenger side door to escort her from it. As she exited, she slowly turned towards him and met his gaze, then reached up to give him the kiss that had been waiting anxiously upon her lips. He could feel her passion and the longing that was buried within her calling his name. She hadn’t told him that she loved him, but he knew deep within his heart that she did.

He led her through the lobby and into the elevator that would take them to the fourteenth floor. As they exited and walked towards his door, he felt a hunger rise in him that was stronger than he had ever known, but it wasn’t for blood. It was for her. He placed the key in the door and mechanically opened it as he had done a thousand times. Once inside, he could barely contain his urges. He smelled her desire. Finally, he turned as the hunter wanting to capture his prey and took her in his arms, ravishing her mouth, pushing his body forcefully against hers. She could feel how much he wanted her and met his enthusiasm with her own. He slowly placed moist kisses down her neck, then chest finally sweeping her up into his arms.

Once in the bedroom, he laid her gentlely on the bed. Then slowly began unbuttoning his shirt while she rose to remove his belt and unzip his pants. The seduction taking place permeated the room. Both of them wanting each action to be burned within their memory. Henry leaned down to kiss her, hot open mouth kisses that ignited her core. The desire was building along with the anticipation of what was to come. He removed her scarlet red dress and then with one quick action ripped the lace panties away to remove the final barrier. She was warm, wet and throbbing for his touch. Henry began to move down her body, stalking every inch. He was going to make her his tonight. There would be not part of her that would not submit to him.

Vicki let a moan as Henry approached her breast, taking her erect nipple into his mouth. As he suckled the tip and then blew his warm breath over the area, she began to loose herself. He could feel the impending explosion which brought him a great deal of satisfaction. To further the cause, he moved down towards her quivering center. She was hot, moist wanting his lips upon her. To encourage him, she lifted her hips to meet his mouth. He met the challenge and plunged his tongue into her, sucking and nipping at her clit. The pleasure was almost unbearable. He could tell that her orgasm was near, so he obliged her and sent her body over the edge. She writhed under him, calling out his name:

“Henry, Oh God Henry”

That only fueled his passion for her more. He pulled himself up towards her mouth and grabbed her arms, pinning them down on the bed and then with one swift motion he entered her, growling deep within his throat and throwing back his head. Their bodies sank into the rhythm of their passion making the perfect song. He could feel her inner walls pulsate around him and in that moment he knew that he could simply loose himself inside of her. When he felt that both of them were going to explode together, he let the animal within him rise. His eyes blackened and fangs extended. The blood scent was overpowering. The veins in Vicki’s neck hummed with the passion that her body was experiencing. Unable to hold back any further, he plunged his fangs into her neck, tasting the sweetness of the nectar that coursed through her veins. It was intoxicating. The sensation of his taking her blood sent Vicki over the moon and she had the most intense orgasm of her life. She never knew that any man could make her feel that alive. Henry’s own orgasm came in time with Vicki’s. A lifetime of passion exploded for both of them. Their bodies lay their shuttering from the aftershocks of their love making. The weight of the world had been lifted and was replaced by pure utter joy.

As they lay there, entangled in each others arms, Henry could feel sunrise approaching. Right before sun took him for the day, she muttered the words that he had longed to hear.

“I love you, Henry.”

They were soft and tender, somewhat uncharacteristic of Vicki. Henry could hear the vulnerability in her voice and knew the struggle that had taken place within her to release the words.

With a long deep sigh, he let the same expression trail out as his breath left him.

“I love you too.”

Vicki smiled, letting her heart be warmed by what she had heard, as well as, the courage that she had shown. No longer broken, she lay there in Henry’s arms at peace.

The End

Continuing Saga----Life After Deep Dark

2008-03-02T17:58:49Z

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

Continuing Saga---Life After Deep Dark

2008-02-28T02:31:27Z

Chapter 10

The night was beginning to creep away from him. Henry could feel sunrise approaching. With that, he headed back to Vicki’s office. Before he could slip into oblivion, he needed to make sure that everyone was on track for tomorrow’s confrontation with Astorath. As he parked in front of her office, dread overtook his senses. The one person that he longed to see was not there. Was she safe? What if he could not find the exorcist to perform the ritual? Would Vicki’s soul be lost forever? His head began to pound as the questions of doubt washed over him.

The one thought that kept running through his head is that he had to save her, to tell her how much he loved her and what she meant to him. When they spoke last, he pleaded for her to come with him to Vancouver, but he had not truly conveyed the depth of his feelings for her. If he had, would it have made a difference? They could have been long gone and out of the reach of the demon. He knew Vicki well enough to know that it would not have changed her decision. She had never run from a fight in her life and she would not start now when so much was at stake. Henry had made the fatal error of giving her an ultimatum. He should have just stood by her and let this situation play out, but his pride had gotten in the way. The very sight of Mike kissing her, touching her face, pulling at her emotions was more than he could bare. Instead of responding to her that night with understanding and compassion, he pushed back with all of his righteous indignation by saying “So Be it” and then walking away. Hearing the words in his head, he knew that it made him sound just like a spoiled, pampered little royal sulking when he didn’t get his way. His Princely, blue blood nature, had prevailed. He was disgusted by his words, by his actions. Now he only wanted to make things right.

He quickly made his way up the steps to her office. The voices mingled together as they discussed each detail of the plan. He could tell that Betty had joined Coreen and he also heard Mike. By the pacing sounds, they must have tried to unsuccessfully contact Vicki. He could hear the concern in both Coreen and Mike’s voice, along with Betty’s soothing words. As always, she was trying to put everyone’s minds at ease.

As Henry entered the room, he was rushed with a fury of activity. Coreen was ranting about her numerous attempts at trying to reach Vicki.

“Henry have you heard from her? We have been calling and calling. She won’t answer her phone.”

Then Mike chimed in with his comments:

“Yeah Fang boy. Where is she? You always seem to have the 411 on anything concerning Vicki.”

Henry took a deep breath and ran his hand over his face before he began speaking.

“Astorath has her?”

“What? How?” They all were peering at Henry with a puzzled and worried look.

“I don’t know how he got her, but he definitely has her.”

The irritation was building on Mike’s face.

“Fitzroy, can you stop with the cloak and daggers and answer the question. How do you know for sure that he has taken her and please don’t say that it is because of your vampdar or whatever you call it? I just can’t take that tonight.”

“I had tried to call her several times when finally someone answered the phone.”

“Who, who answered the phone?” The perky Goth interrupted.

“The pope you genius, who do you think?” Mike sniped back with a hateful tone.

“You don’t have to be rude about it. I was just asking.”

Henry finally had his fill of the bantering.

“Enough already. Are you going to let me finish?”

“By all means your highness, go ahead.” Mike answered, still being in rare form.

Henry shot him a look that could kill.

“As I said before, I called Vicki and Astorath answered her phone. From what I can tell, he has not harmed her, but he will if I do not show up tomorrow night at Norman’s apartment at 11:00 pm to finish the ritual.”

“Henry I thought that you were supposed to be protecting Vicki. What kind of Count Vampulla are you?”

“Listen Celluci, I have had just about enough of your smart ass remarks. If you had not pissed her off earlier this evening, then she probably would be safe.”

Mike started moving towards Henry screaming.

“Don’t try to pin this on me. I was not the one that got her mixed up in all of this supernatural crap to begin with.”

At this point both men were facing off for a showdown. Coreen moved in between them to breakup the impending explosion.

“Guys, now is not the time for a shoot out at the OK corral. We need to focus, so that we can get Vicki back. Remember, we have a little problem with a demon to deal with here.”

Henry being the bigger man, backed off and looked over to Betty.

“Have you gathered everything that we will need for tomorrow?”

“Coreen and I have everything that is required. Did you find a suitable exorcist?”

“I am working on it, Betty.”

“Henry if we do not have the right person, this will never work.”

“I know. He’ll be here. Don’t worry. Augustus has never let me down. Well ladies and Mike, this has been a pleasure as always, but I need to go prepare for my nap. I will contact you as soon as I awake at sunset.”

With that Henry grabbed his coat and headed back out into the night towards his condo. Normally he would welcome slipping into death, but this time was different. His mind raced with fear and concern for the woman that he loved. Silently he said a pray that she would be alright and that they would all survive the night to come.

Continuing Saga--Life After Deep Dark

2008-02-26T22:06:22Z

Chapter 9

As Henry made his way to see Augustus, he had a nagging feeling that he needed to take a detour and check on Vicki. The lights at her office lit up the night and he could see Coreen working on the computer through the window, but there was no sign of Vicki. Reluctantly, he made his way up the stairs to her office. Sensing that she was not there, he inquisitively asked:

“Coreen, where’s Vicki?”

Unaware that he had entered, Coreen spun around and literally jumped out of her skin from the unexpected surprise of his visit.

“Oh my God Henry, you scared me.” As she said with a gasp. “I thought that you were leaving.”

“Well my plans changed, so where’s Vicki?”

“She’s not here and frankly I am not sure where she is.”

Looking slightly annoyed, Henry said:

“Can you call her?”

“Uhh, all right. I guess that I can do that.” She was slightly stuttering due to the fact that she knew Vicki had gone to see Mike. However, she did not want to tell Henry for fear of his reaction. As she dialed the phone, she held her breath hoping that she would not catch Vicki at an awkward moment.

“There’s no answer.” At this point, Henry was getting irritated. With the latest events and the threat of Astorath being let loose in the city, he could not believe that she would not have checked in.

“Call Mike and see if he has seen her or knows where she might be.”

Coreen obliged his request.

“Mike. It’s Coreen. I am looking for Vicki. Is she with you?”

“No, well do you know where she might be?”

“If she calls or you talk to her, please have her call me. Thanks.”

She hung up from Mike and relayed to Henry what he had told her.

“Mike said that she stopped by earlier to talk to him, but from his tone, I suspect that the conversation did not go well. He said that she left around 10:30 and that he has no idea where she was headed.”

The look of irritation on Henry’s face was quickly turning to one of concern. He took his phone out of his pocket and tried to call her. The phone rang but there was no answer.

“Vicki, its Henry. Please call me as soon as you get this message.”

Once he hung up the phone, he looked over to Coreen and instructed her to have Vicki call him as soon as she heard from her.

“So does this mean that you are staying?”

Henry just gave her a stern look and walked out.

A million thoughts ran through his head as he made his way back to the car. He hoped that Vicki was just being her normal, stubborn self and that she simply was not answering her phone because she was angry. However the fear within him began to build. What if something more sinister had not happened to her this evening? Was she in danger? Great, he thought, now I am going to have go search for her. Knowing that his time was precious and that he needed to speak with Augustus, he hurried to the location that they had pre-arranged. He briefly filled him in on what needed to be done. Augustus was less than thrilled over the plan that they had constructed, but he agreed to assist him in finding the exorcist.

“I will contact you once a suitable person is found.” Augustus said as he headed off into the night.

“Thanks. I really appreciate your assistance with this matter. You know the delicate nature of the situation, so please be as discreet as possible.”

“Henry, I will do what I can, but I don’t know how the powers that be will react to your request. Just prepare yourself.”

Henry nodded acknowledging his understanding of Augustus’s words.

Now he had to go search for Ms. Nelson. Where was she?

Henry tried to call her again on her cell phone. It simply rang just as before, but this time someone answered.

“Good evening Nightwalker.” The voice on the other end was eerily familiar.

Henry did not need to ask the identity of the person. He already knew who it was.

“Astorath what have you done with Vicki?”

“Oh, don’t worry. She is safe for now. I wanted to ensure that you would not forget about our date tomorrow night, 11:00 pm sharp. Be there or your precious little Vicki might find herself in a heated situation.”

“I’ll be there, but don’t you dare hurt her or Hell will not be big enough for you to hide.”

“Promises, promises. I would not think of hurting her. She is my ticket to freedom.”

With that Astorath hung up. Henry stood there in disbelief. He silently began to pray for her safety, holding the cross around his neck for comfort. Then he looked up towards the moon that was shinning brightly in the sky and uttered the words:

“Vicki I promise you on my life that I will get you back safely. Hang on, just hang on.”

Continuing Saga----Life After Deep Dark

2008-02-25T04:44:56Z

Chapter 8

Vicki was strolling through the park, enjoying the night air. She was replaying the past year in her head, trying desperately to make since of what had happened. As she wrestled with how to defeat Astorath, a familiar presence approached her from behind. Suddenly the hairs on the back of her neck stood on ends, her skin begin to tingle and burn. She knew exactly who it was, and as she quickly turned to face her nemesis, the tattoos on her wrists began to glow. There he was face to face with her, eyes radiantly gleaming bright red in the dark.

“Did you miss me?” He laughed with a wicked tone.

“How can I miss you when you won’t go away?”

“Vicki, I told you that we would see each other again and soon. I think that it’s time we get down to business.”

Vicki looked at him with a slightly puzzled look and said:

“Exactly what business do the two of us have with each other?”

“Don’t play coy with me; you know exactly what I want.”

“Oh right, well after much consideration, being your concubine, Bitch in Hell doesn’t exactly peak my interest.”

“Now, Now Vicki, it wouldn’t be like that. I wouldn’t let anyone call you a Bitch, plus think of the perks.”

“Perks, what perks could you possibly offer me that would entice me to give you my soul?”

Astorath sighed and looked up to the moon before meeting her gaze once again.

“How about your sight, immortality, and let’s not forget Henry. We all know how much you desire him.”

“What are talking about? You know nothing about my feelings or the desires of my heart. You are just trying to confuse me, like you did back at Henry’s place.”

At this point, Vicki wanted to pull out her asp and beat the crap out of him, but she knew that she was no match for his supernatural strength. Astorath could read her thoughts and knew precisely how badly she wanted to strike him.

“Go ahead Vicki. Try to come at me. I would love to roll around in the dirt with you, but we all know how this is going the end.”

“Is that so, well then please enlighten me. I’m all ears.”

With a strong authoritative voice, he thundered “You will submit to me. It’s just a matter of time.”

Becoming very indignant, Vicki looked him square in the eyes and said:

“NEVER, you might as well pack your little bags and go back to Hell!”

Astorath laughed and with that he flew at her.

“Not without you my dear.”

Vicki felt as if a mack truck hit her. Her body was engulfed with pain and then nothing.

Continuing Saga--Life After Deep Dark

2008-02-24T04:47:44Z

Chapter 7

As Henry pulled up to the campus, he could feel the eyes starring at him in the darkness. The evil was lurking within the shadows waiting for the opportunity to pounce. He quickly made his way to Betty’s office. She greeted him with her normal cheery disposition.

“Good evening Henry.” Henry walked towards her, arms extended and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek.

“Betty have you found anything that will help us?”

“Not yet. I have scoured through much of the well known literature without any hint of how to deal with this type of breach. Most of the documented cases that I have found deal with expelling a minor demon. This situation is going to be much trickier.”

“Betty we only have until tomorrow night. Astorath sent me a package. He wants me to meet him at Norman Bridewell’s at 11:00 pm sharp. My guess is that he plans to finish the ceremony which means that we have to act fast. All of our lives are in danger, especially Vicki’s.”

“Henry, I know that you are worried about the outcome. Have you thought about leaving this place and taking Vicki far away from all of this danger?” With a heavy sigh, Henry looked over at his old friend and said:

“Betty I asked for her to come with me to Vancouver, but she refused. Her sense of ethics will not allow her to leave this city while this monster is running loose. She feels responsible for the evil that has been unleashed and wants to make it right. There is a part of me that is angry; hurt really, because she refuses to leave with me, but I have to admit that she would not be the Victoria Nelson that I have come to love if she did run from danger.”

“Henry love has always been a double edged sword. I would not give up on Vicki, regardless of how she may try to push you away. Be patient with her. The resistance that she shows towards you comes from fear. When we first met, I too struggled with reconciling my feelings for you. I could see the man in your eyes, the humanity deep within your soul, but the vampire was always lurking under the surface. Once I accepted both sides of you, then I was finally able to really love you. Vicki is in that same place, but with time she will be able to open herself up to loving you, just as I did.”

“Do you really think so?”

Betty moved towards Henry, placing her hand on his chest.

“I know so.” She smiled tenderly at him.

“Well I guess, we have our work cut out for us. Over on the table are some other reading materials that I had my assistant pull for us to review. Maybe we will find some answers.”

They began to feverishly skim through the mounds of books and papers. With each one that they reviewed, Henry became frustrated. They were not finding the answers that he needed.

“Henry, I think that I have found something.”

He quickly rushed to Betty’s side.

“What is it?”

“I was reading a passage in the Roman Ritual which is the authority for the Roman Catholic Church in these types of situations. It has a section on exorcism. According to this passage, the person performing the ritual has to be of the highest faith. There can be no hint of corruption or self doubt. Didn’t you say that Father Casciolis struggled with feelings of remorse when he performed a similar ceremony a few years ago which ended in the girl’s death?”

Betty looked up to meet Henry’s gaze. He thought back to his previous conversations with the Father. He knew that there were some areas of his life that had been less than holy. The father struggled with a drinking problem, as well as, temptations of the flesh. Henry could only feel further guilt for involving him in this situation.

“What does the book say that we should do? How can we rid Father Casciolis body of this demon and send him back to hell once and for all?”

“It might not be as simple as we would like. First we need to find someone who has the highest level of faith and authority, someone whose life is irreproachable. Apart from going to the Vatican, no one springs to mind that will fit the bill.”

Henry shuffled around. He had a contemplative look on his face. Who could he find that could help them? He would have to think about that later.

“What else do we need?”

“According to the Ritual, we will need a purple robe and various symbols of faith such as the Rosary, Statue of Mary and Challis. In addition, we will need a bible and plenty of holy water on hand. Every inch of the building will need to be dosed in holy water, as well as, all participants of the ritual. This should keep him from passing to another person during the ceremony. However, we have to be careful with this part because if we do it prior to Astorath entering the building then, he will sense it and retreat. One other thing, we will need something to bind him to, as well as, Vicki will need to be there. She must be cleansed for the ceremony to work properly, if not, once the priest performs the ritual, not only will he cast the demon out of the Father, but he may also send Vicki to Hell right along with him.”

Fear crept up Henry’s spine as he played in this mind the events that would soon transpire. He knew that Vicki had little faith. Tomorrow night, she would need every once of it that she could muster.

Also, there was still the problem of finding someone to perform the ceremony. With a deep sigh of resignation, he knew what he must do. There was only one person that could help him find such a man of faith and it was Augustus. He would have to inform the council and get permission to summon the needed person.

“Betty call Coreen and have her help you with gathering what we need.”

“Of course, where are you going?” Betty responded with a puzzled sound in her voice.

“I have to go see a man about a suitable exorcist.” With that Henry fled into the night.

Continuing Saga---Life After Deep Dark

2008-02-22T17:54:14Z

Chapter 6

Henry grabbed his coat and headed downstairs to get his car.

“Good evening, Mr. Fitzroy.” Greg was spending yet another evening reading gossip magazines while he was supposed to be manning the door. Henry simply gave him a slight dismissing wave. He did not have time for pleasantries.

“Wait, Mr. Fitzroy. I have a package for you.” Henry spun around with a look of bewilderment.

“A package?”

“Yes sir, there was a gentlemen that just stopped by. I told him that you were home, but he said that he just wanted to drop it off.”

Henry looked down out the manila colored envelope. There was no return address on the envelope and on the front; just simple black writing that said Henry Fitzroy.

“What did this man look like?”

“Well, he was tall, dark hair, he had a black suit on and blood shot looking eyes. I almost offered him some eye drops, but I thought that he may not find my offer offensive.”

“Thanks Greg. If you see him around again, notify me at once.”

“Well do, Mr. Fitzroy.”

With that Henry headed to his car. He knew instantly that the man Greg was describing was Father Cascioli. The package burned in his hand and had a distinct odor of pure evil. Henry was hesitant to open it and reveal the contents. He finally took a deep breath, gritted his teeth and carefully ripped it open. Inside there was a picture of Norman’s apartment building with a note attached that said “Be there tomorrow night 11:00pm sharp.” While starring at the picture, something else fell from the package. Henry gasped as he realized that it was a picture of Vicky, apparently taken today. There were strange writing and symbols written all over the picture. Henry could tell by the overpowering scent that it was blood. He did not know whose blood, but it wasn’t Vicki’s. Her scent was distinct, nonetheless, it made him uneasy. Astorath was trying to make a point and Henry was clear on what that point was. If it was a fight that Astorath wanted, then that is exactly what he would get. However, he was not prepared for it. He knew that the best person to help him find a way to defeat this demon was Betty. She had extensive knowledge in demonology and might have the resources to find a way to defeat this monster.

Before he headed to see Dr. Sagara, he would detour by Vicki’s and make sure that she was alright. He knew that Astorath had been watching here, but he would not harm her before the final ritual ceremony. He needed her alive and in tact, otherwise his plan to bring his demon servants to earth would be unsuccessful. Regardless, Henry did not like the idea of her being alone. After their last conversation, he was not comfortable seeing her face to face. He had decided to simply peek in on her, without his presence being detected and then meet with Betty. When he pulled up to her office, there was one light flickering in the window. He quietly made his way to her door, but it was eerily still. With his ear placed to the door, he listened for a heart beat, movement, something, but to his surprise there was nothing to be heard.

“Vicki where are you.” He thought to himself. Then a sickening feeling came over him. It felt as if a dagger had been plunged into his stomach.

“Was she with Mike?” After last night, he knew that it might be a distinct possibility, but he hoped that she would not so easily dismiss her feelings for him and run instantly into Mike’s arms.

Henry made the drive to Mike’s home. With baited breath, he began to walk towards the door. He could tell by the scent that surrounded the home that Vicki had been there and recently. He peered into the window, but all that he saw was Mike sitting in his arm chair in the dark sipping on some concoction. Henry could tell by his superior hearing that Mike was alone. He also could tell that whatever had happened between Vicki and Mike earlier in the evening had not put Mike at ease. He had a restlessness about him that even someone without enhanced vampire skills could recognize.

As Henry made his way back to the car, there was a sense of relief that Vicki had not immediately ran into Mike’s arms. He remembered her words “Don’t you know that all I have wanted to do since we met was say yes.” Did he dare cling to hope that there might still be a chance for them if he could get Astorath out of their lives once and for all?

But the question still remained:

“Where was she?”

He would have to push that thought out of his mind for now. He had more important business to attend to which included meeting with Betty. Hopefully, they could put together a plan to defeat Astorath and prevent any of his followers from passing through to create even more chaos. Plus Henry could not push out the thought that if he didn’t defeat him, then he would have two monsters on his hands, Astorath and the Council. At this point, both seemed equally dangerous and deadly.