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THEY MET
Jack bowed and kissed Raven’s hand. His eyes never left her face and, as he straightened up, he saw the slight blush in her cheeks. “Miss Avante, I hope it will not seem terribly forward of me if I ask you to consider reserving a dance or two for me this evening.”
Raven had looked down, but her eyes met Jack's once again as she replied, “Please, call me Raven, and I would be happy to do as you ask.”
At that moment, the world stood still for Jack. Raven’s hand was still in his and their eyes locked together for slightly longer than was appropriate. Jack suddenly realized he had not let her go and disengaged his fingers from hers.
THEY KISSED
She kissed him now, holding him as if her life depended on his closeness. Jack held her tightly, lost in the happiness he felt. Her lips moved from his, traveling down his face, his jaw line, his throat.
Suddenly, he felt a sharp stab at his throat. His delicate wife suddenly seemed strong as a bear, holding him so tightly he fell to his knees. His limbs felt so heavy he could not move them and Raven’s hold on him remained strong as a vise. He sank back further until he was flat on the floor. Raven had followed him down, straddling him. She pulled away from his throat and his strength returned.
Jack looked up at his beloved wife with confusion. “What have you done to me?"
Raven answered his question with one of her own. “Do you want to live forever, Jack?
THE END OF ONE LIFE
When they reached his home, Jack's happiness was short-lived. His father greeted him quietly. He looked tired and disheveled, for a man who had habitually been fastidious. He had several days' stubble of a beard and his hair fell whichever way it chose.
Raven took her leave and Jack sat down in the parlor with his father. With tears glistening in his eyes, Charles broke the news to his son that his mother was dead.
“What happened, Father?”
“Your mother loved to ride horses. She wanted to ride Admiral. I would not hear of it. I insisted she ride Merriweather, her own mare. She told me she had ridden Admiral in the North Field a few days earlier and he had done splendidly. I told her she must not take such risks. She finally allowed me to have my way and took Merriweather. We had a sudden cloudburst. That mare never could stand thunder. Your mother was thrown. She died instantly. I feel it is my fault she is dead. The stable boy brought her back to the house on Admiral and he was a perfect gentleman.”
THE BEGINNING OF A NEW LIFE
That evening at supper, Jack asked his father point blank, “Father, have you considered our conversation of this afternoon?”
“You were discussing it with Raven I take it?”
“Raven and I have no secrets, Father. So, tell me, did you come to a decision?”
Charles stared at his son for a moment before exclaiming, “You are serious!”
“Very serious, Father. It is entirely possible to live forever. The question is, would you wish to do so?”
Charles stood up. He leaned forward with his fists on the table, his eyes showing the fire Jack had always remembered in his father. “If you have the ability to make it so then, by God, show me the way! I meant what I said this afternoon. No price would be too high for such an opportunity. If you do not have this ability then stop tormenting me with the possibility. I have been through enough with your mother’s death. Pray, do not offer me false hope as well.”
NEW FRIENDS ARE MADE ALONG THE WAY
As they walked along the main thoroughfare, they saw a heap of old clothing lying by the side of the road.
“Who would do such a . . . ,” Jack did not finish his sentence. It was not a pile of old clothes but a man lying face down on the side of the road. Jack hurried over and gently turned the man over. He expected to find an old drunk. Instead, he found a young man who looked as if he had been badly beaten.
“I have no money if that is what you seek,” the young man said.
“I only wish to assist. Where is your home?”
“I have no home. My last sanctuary turned out to be more than I expected as you can see.”
“What is your name?” Jack asked, meeting the young man’s eyes.
“I am Pierre Lafleur, artist, among other things, at your service. You will forgive me if I do not stand?”
Jack had to chuckle in spite of himself. “Come along Pierre. A sense of humor such as yours should not be wasted.”
ETERNAL LOVE ENDS IN MADNESS
Jack looked into Raven’s eyes. He saw what he dreaded to see. “You have let go of life,” Jack said sadly.
“Not intentionally, Jack. My love for you has sustained me for many years now. Aramis warned you that I may not last forever. Apparently, he was correct. Please end this. You understand there can be no other way.”
“I will end it. I will end it because I cannot bear to see you suffer. I want you to know this, my love. I will love you eternally, and I will mourn this day eternally. The fact that I knew that it might come to this one day does not make it any easier.”
Raven kissed Jack. Their lips seemed to cling together forever. It was a kiss that had to last forever. Jack knew he would remember that kiss as perfectly as the day he received it for all eternity. Their lips parted, and Raven rolled her head back and to one side, exposing her throat to Jack. Jack, with tears streaming down his face, felt his fangs come out. He held Raven with a viselike grip. Jack hesitated for a moment, trying to find the strength to strike.
Raven whispered, “Now, my love, lest your hesitation turns to days and endangers more lives.”
JACK LOSES RAVEN BUT GAINS HIS BROTHER ETERNAL
Jack crossed the distance between himself and Pierre in a heartbeat. He grabbed Pierre and pinned him up against the wall. “What makes you think I would not rip your heart out if what you say is true?” hissed Jack, his face inches from Pierre’s.
“You would not harm me. You are a good man. That is why I wish to be like you. I want to have eternity to learn, explore, and try new things. I want to know what it is like never having to be concerned about time. I would pledge my eternal service to you in exchange for that chance.”
Jack was staring deeply into Pierre’s eyes as Pierre made this promise. He seemed to hold Pierre’s gaze forever. Jack finally smiled and let Pierre go. “Very well then, I could use some help tonight.”
IN THE PRESENT, A WAITRESS CAN BECOME SO MUCH MORE
“Your name is Destiny. What a beautiful name. How did your parents know that you would fit such a name when you were born?” Pierre asked her with another disarming smile.
Destiny gave a little laugh. “I’ll have to admit it gets people’s attention. My parents were into being different. They finally decided on Destiny. Considering some of the names I've heard, I expect I was lucky.”
“My name is Pierre. I am the design artist, sometime photographer and talent scout for the Hawk Talent Agency. Permit me to give you my card. I would very much appreciate it if you would consider coming into our studio sometime on Monday. I think you could have a career in modeling.”
Destiny’s shoulders stiffened. She attempted to hand Pierre his card back saying, “If this is a line, I’m not biting.”
Pierre looked offended. “Please,” he said, meeting her eyes, “call the agency Monday morning. You will see that I am legitimate. I really think you have a look that would sell, if you will pardon the expression. You cannot tell me that this job pays enough.”
JACK FINDS DESTINY IRRESISTIBLE, YET STILL HE RESISTS
Jack stopped kissing her and pulled her close, cradling her head against his chest. Softly he said, “Forgive me, Destiny, I did not mean to take advantage of the situation.” His eyes were still closed, avoiding eye contact, desperately fighting to regain control.
Destiny looked up at him and placed one delicate hand against his face. She could see the conflict in his profile; his head was tilted toward the ceiling, his eyes closed. “I was kissing you too, Jack. There is no need to apologize.”
Pierre had been watching discreetly from where he and Brandy were dancing. He decided it was time to intervene. He never used his powers on a human mind as a rule but he looked now into Brandy’s eyes and aloud said, “Come, I need your help.” The rest was nonverbal, but Brandy understood exactly what he meant.
They danced closer to Jack and Destiny. Brandy placed a hand on each of Jack’s shoulders from behind and was bouncing up trying to see Destiny’s face over his shoulder, teasingly saying, “I saw that, you two.”
Pierre plucked Destiny out of Jack's arms as effortlessly as one picks a dandelion from its stalk, and so suddenly that she had no time to find anything unusual with the action. Pierre spun Destiny around and said, “Let me show you how to really dance while Brandy has a waltz lesson with my ever-so-formal brother.
BRANDY TO THE RESCUE
Outside in the hall, Brandy found Pierre just exiting the elevator with a New York Police Department detective, still arguing that this would not be the best time to speak with Jack.
Brandy ran over to Pierre screaming, “Honeeeeeee, I thought you’d never get back.” She jumped up and locked her arms around behind Pierre’s neck, kissing him fully on the lips with abandon.
“What are you doing?” Pierre asked her telepathically, swinging her in circles as if this were a regular routine of theirs.
“Stalling for time,” was Brandy’s simple reply whispered in his ear, which she then began making a production of nibbling on. “OOOh, you taste good enough to eat!” she exclaimed loudly.
Pierre put her down, having to fight to keep from laughing. “No, you do!” he said, and began nibbling on her neck making goofy “yum-yum-yum” sounds.
THE PERFECT BODYGUARD MUST BE WILLING TO RISK EVERYTHING
"You have to understand, Pierre. When you bond with a human there is a price. You always know when they die. You suddenly feel it. You know and remember their last moment of life forever. Do you have any idea what that is like? Do you know how many times I have experienced it? Would you want that responsibility?”
SOMETIMES YOUR “FATHER” DOES KNOW BEST
Jack acted as if he would turn away but Aramis spun him back, grabbing both of Jack’s shoulders and shaking him. Jack tried to brush Aramis’ hands from his shoulders and suddenly found himself pinned against the far wall. “You will not be tossing me around like you did Pierre.”
“Just leave me alone!” Jack spat out angrily.
“Never! Not while you are acting like a spoiled child who did not get his way! I made an error, Jack. I should have come to you immediately after Raven’s death. I had no way of knowing that it was driving you away from all that you love. I expected that when I told you that Raven might be running out of time, you would take it to heart and begin to make the adjustment in your mind. Instead, you went ahead through your life with her believing it would never end. You never for a moment accepted the facts until you found Raven there with that dead child in her arms. I felt your pain that night, though thousands of miles separated us. I felt Raven’s peace as well; the peace you brought to her by ending her life. You are strong, Jack. All you ever wanted was life. Stop this ridiculous routine of self-pity and get back on your feet. I swear I will not lose you as I did Raven. Raven could not be helped, but you can. It is time to move forward. A century is too long a time to grieve.”
DAPHNE, PSYCHOPATH IMMORTAL STYLE
“I can’t kill you tonight. If they sense you are dead they won’t pay me all that beautiful money to keep you alive, will they?”
“I don’t think so,” agreed Destiny, trying to keep her voice even.
“You didn’t say anything about killing her,” Alan protested.
“Are you thinking again, baby brother? Do I have to punish you in front of Destiny again? How is she going to think of you as a man if I have to keep disciplining you?” asked Daphne, approaching Alan.
“I wasn’t . . . it’s just that . . . ”
Daphne grabbed him by the ear and shoved him down to his knees. “Come on Daphne, this is . . . ” Alan protested but he was cut short by Daphne’s backhand, which threw him against the far wall.
Daphne walked over to Alan and picked him up by his shirtfront. Once she had him on his feet, she let go and just glared at him for a minute. “Don’t criticize my methods, Alan. If I hadn’t come and got you, you would be an old man now.”
“I wasn’t criticizing.”
“Good. Now that we have that straightened out,” Daphne said, turning to leave, “make sure she stays put tonight. I don’t care what you do to her; just make sure she doesn’t leave. I have some friends to meet.”
The door slammed behind Daphne and Alan just looked at Destiny.
“Why do you let her treat you like that?” Destiny asked.
“Because she can,” Alan said and left the room.
JESSICA’S BELIEF IN THEIR WORLD SEEMS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE
“Jareth, may I look in your eyes? I mean, I really want to know what it was like for Charles when he found me lying there bleeding to death,” Jessica said as they were about to leave the apartment.
“I don’t mind at all. Just understand that without intending to, I will pick up some of what you are about at the same time.”
“That’s okay. I want you to know. I want the rest of the family to know how much I have wanted this and for how long. I always believed that the vampires were out there and now I know.”
SAMANTHA IS ALIVE!
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a woman who literally caused him to do a double take as she disappeared into Macy's. Jack hesitated for a moment, then made up his mind and crossed the street to the store, dodging traffic adeptly. He saw the woman again just as she was disappearing around a corner and he hurried after her, having no idea what he would say if confronted about his behavior.
The woman had stopped just around the corner to examine a handbag and Jack very nearly plowed into her as he turned the corner himself.
“Oh, I beg your pardon,” Jack apologized.
The woman looked up. “That is quite all right, I . . . ”
“Mother?” Jack said softly, a look of disbelief on his face.
ANTONIO MARRACCINI, "FALLOUT" FROM DAPHNE’S CROWD
“So, Daphne’s little idiot brother is out by himself. Where’s your sister, boy?” a voice said next to Alan.
Alan turned to see a young man with dark hair and eyes looking at him intently. The man was not particularly tall and, while good looking, did not quite achieve handsomeness.
“Antonio Marraccini, I guess I should have figured you would be hanging around,” Alan said.
“Where is your sister? I can’t believe Daphne let you off your leash.”
“Daphne moved and left no forwarding address. I’m a solo agent now.”
“Daphne would never have let you go. What happened to her?”
“If you must know, she decided to jerk the wrong chain, so the person took the chain, wrapped it around her neck and hung her with it. If she couldn’t prevent it, I don’t suppose you think I could have.”
“I can only guess you mean Daphne’s dead. So why didn’t whoever it was kill you, too?”
“They were intelligent enough to see that I really didn’t have anything to do with her actions.”
Antonio’s eyes narrowed. “You seem to have become a great deal wiser in the process.
EDWARD GOLD AT YOUR SERVICE
Aramis dumped his load into the coffin and the three men jockeyed the box on to its wheeled cart and pushed it to the incinerator. Once there, Edward produced an efficient looking knife and with a quick slice, separated Antonio’s head from his body.
“Would not want him to feel anything in the fire, no matter how rotten the bastard was,” Edward said without emotion, walking over to the sink to clean his knife. When he had put his utensil away, he walked back and unceremoniously shoved the coffin into the incinerator. “It will not take long.”
“Very good,” Charles said, obviously uncomfortable.
“Charles, the man tried to kill your boy. You simply do not have a mean bone in your body, do you?” Edward said, patting Charles on the shoulder.
“I suppose I do not.”
VICTOR AND CRYSTAL MEET, IT’S NOT EXACTLY LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
Crystal turned her head and Victor suddenly had a fist buried in her hair, snapping her head all they way to one side. “Have it your way,” he hissed and buried his fangs in her throat.
When Victor pulled away from her throat moments later, the fire had gone from his eyes and he was holding Crystal up against the wall now, having made her too weak to stand on her own. He picked her up and carried her over to the bed, dumping her unceremoniously down onto it. Crystal tried to roll over on her side but Victor was suddenly on top of her, pinning her flat on her back.
“Just leave me alone, I’m too tired to pucker now,” Crystal said, squirming in an attempt to free herself from Victor.
“Interesting effect, isn’t it, kind of like having too much to drink.”
“Just leave me . . . ”
“Not for a minute, little one. Your ass is mine!”
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