Vampire love story

Nick, Vachon, and Marcos were busy making plans to rescue Tracy and Natalie. Vachon was still having a hard time seeing Marcos as an ally. For four hundred fifty years they were enemies; could he trust him now?

Gathering an array of wooden arrows and gasoline, they planned each step carefully. Their only hope was a surprise attack. If they failed, the Enforcers would kill not only Tracy and Natalie, but the three of them as well. The Enforcers were known for leaving messages. Sunrise would be the least of their pains.

LaCroix watched them with amusement. "Do you really think these mortal women are worth it?"

"Shut up, old man. You do not know what is at stake here." Both Vachon and Nick turned to stare at Marcos. Nobody spoke to LaCroix like that.

LaCroix's eyes turned gold as he approached the Inca. "Then perhaps you should illuminate me." The hold he had on Marcos was unbreakable, and Marcos knew he could easily be crushed.

"There is a child involved. Tracy carries the son of my brother. Our eternal orders demand that we stop senseless killing, saving those who treasure life. This child must live. You can kill me, but I will not dishonor my master."

LaCroix released the Inca. Turning to Vachon, he asked, "Is this true? The child is yours?"

"Yes." Vachon's thoughts spun round the child, needing to keep him safe. The love he felt for Tracy was compelling; the love he felt for his child was terrifying.

"Interesting." He walked back to his table, studying them, his mind spinning webs in which to catch this child.

***

Tracy and Natalie sat quietly, thinking what may be their last thoughts. "Hey, Nat, did you ever wonder where you'd be if you never heard of vampires?"

Natalie sighed. "Often. At least today anyway."

"Do you think it would have been any better if they were werewolves?"

Natalie stared at Tracy, amazed at the way her brain worked. "Tracy, you're an idiot." She started laughing. "Although...do you think werewolves have Enforcers?"

Tracy joined in. "I'm pretty good with a revolver, got any silver bullets?" The laughter of the hysterical filled the room. It was into this scene the Enforcer walked.

"I'm glad you find something to laugh about on your last day." The woman was tall, elegantly dressed, and horrifying in her evil. It reeked from her, permeating the room with the stench of hatred. This vampire truly hated mortals.

Natalie glared at the Enforcer, fighting back the hatred and rage she herself was feeling. "So tell me, are we going to get to speak for ourselves?"

"You are worth less than nothing. Why should we listen to you?" spat the Enforcer.

"If we are worth less than nothing, why kill us?" retorted Natalie. The Enforcer glared at Natalie, who glared right back. "Do you want to die? Do you know how easily I could snap your neck? I could split your spine with just the thought!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Tracy pulled Natalie back as the Enforcer swept from the room.

"Are you nuts? Do you want to die now? Thank you, but I've got something to live for, if you don't mind." Tracy was aghast at Natalie's aggravating the situation.

"Tracy, they're not going to kill us until they get Nick and Vachon here. And I don't feel like playing kissass to a bunch of Enforcers. I get rather pissed when my life is threatened."

"I don't want to die, Natalie." Tracy began to cry. "Oh, shit, Natalie, I'm sorry. Must be the hormones."

Natalie put her arm around Tracy. "It's okay, Trace. Just don't give up hope. We'll get my little godchild out of here safely." Tracy smiled. "Oh, you didn't know I was going to be godmother? Well, now you do."

The smiles of the women never quite reached their eyes.

***

"They are coming."

The Enforcers could feel Nick and Vachon approaching. Standing in the doorway of the warehouse where the women were kept, Nick called out.

"Give us the women. We can still just walk away."

Laughter that seemed to come from the depths of hell greeted him. Three Enforcers stepped forward, a woman flanked by two men. All had eyes glowing red. The woman spoke.

"Your mortal toys still live. Bring them out, Adam." The man on her left turned away. Within moments he arrived with Tracy and Natalie, fighting him the whole way.

"Be still!" yelled Vachon. Tracy jerked her head towards the sound, finding Vachon in the doorway.

"Javier!" she yelled. He silenced her with a look. Just then an arrow flew from between Nick and Vachon, piercing the heart of the woman Enforcer.

Screeching, Adam released his hold on Tracy and Natalie and turned to remove the arrow, only to find another lodged in his back. The Inca's aim was true, piercing his heart.

Vachon flew to Tracy, sweeping her up in his arms at the same time Nick grabbed Natalie. Before the third Enforcer could react, a third arrow found its mark. "Now!" yelled Nick, and they flew out the door as Marcos lit the gasoline that surrounded the warehouse. Hearing the shrieks of the dying vampires, they fled.

Flying into the night, they returned to the Raven. The minute they walked into the building, they met another council of Enforcers. The doors locked behind them, the ambush complete. The five had no choice but to stand and be judged.

"You should die for what you've done tonight." Christoff, the leader of this particular council, shook with rage at the death of his comrades.

"We saw what you did. You cannot run from us forever."

"Quite right, Nicolas." LaCroix stepped into the arena. "There may, however, be another way around this particular problem."

"What do you suggest LaCroix?" Christoff addressed him respectfully. Even the Enforcers took pause around Lucien LaCroix.

"This woman is pregnant." He stroked Tracy's hair, causing Tracy to shiver with fear and disgust. Vachon longed to attack, to knock LaCroix's hands off her, but knew he'd never even complete the thought.

"What do we care about a mortal child? This means nothing to us." Christoff was annoyed that such a concern would be brought to his attention.

"Ah, but there's the trick. The child is Vachon's." Vachon and Tracy looked at each other, weighing the cost of this knowledge before the Enforcers.

"Impossible." Christoff was plainly skeptical.

"Yes, but then again, so are we." The Enforcers spoke quietly among themselves, finally turning to the group before them.

"We see why Tracy has a reason to maintain her silence. But there is no need for Natalie to live."

Nick felt the rage burning him, and longed to grab Natalie and fly, but he knew they'd never make the door. "If you touch her, you die."

Christoff laughed. "Brave words from one so near to being a pile of ash."

Once more, it was LaCroix who intervened. "Well, Christoff, as much as I may personally concur with your analysis of the situation, I do see one need that she fills. Tracy is going to need a doctor. This child may exhibit special needs that should not necessarily be seen to in a hospital. For the sake of the community, for the sake of its security, perhaps the good doctor should be allowed to live."

Christoff remained silent, weighing the situation. Curiousity about this child won out. "They will live. But we are watching you." With that, the council took to the skies.

***

Vachon and Marcos sat quietly in the church, Tracy sleeping in the bed.

"She's been through a lot these past days," Vachon murmured, grateful to have her back. "Thank you for saving her. I must admit I was surprised."

Marcos looked at Vachon. Even though they were virtually the same age, Marcos thought of Vachon as his younger brother. "You are no longer quite as stupid and irresponsible as before."

Vachon smiled, feeling strangely comfortable with his once mortal enemy. "Yeah, I guess things do change."

"More than your ways have changed, Vachon. Your blood is changing. It is time for you to decide. You can become whole again."

Vachon looked to Marcos in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"If you drink from my blood, you will become wholly vampire again. But you must never drink from Tracy again. Her blood poisons you."

Vachon looked at Tracy lying in their bed, and thought of never drinking from her again. "Can't happen," he whispered.

Turning to the Inca, he declined the offer. "Thank you, Marcos, for everything. I wish I would have done things differently from the beginning. Or maybe not. Anyway, there's the baby to think about now. Maybe he'll need a mortal father."

"Then I will leave." Marcos started to rise, only to have Vachon stop him.

"Wait. Will you at least stay for the wedding?"

Marcos smiled. "I will stay. And I will watch over you, and your son."

Vachon smiled, picturing what his son will look like. "Do you think he'll look like me? I mean, when he's twenty five we'll look the same."

"I don't think so, Vachon. Look." He pointed at Vachon's hair.

Looking at the hair he rarely cared for but always prized, Vachon's eyes grew larger than normal as he spotted two silver hairs amidst the ebony. "Gray? I'm turning gray?"

Marcos laughed at the horror on the face of the vain vampire.

***

Nick and Natalie collapsed on his bed, Natalie feeling weak from loss of blood. "You're intent on draining me tonight, aren't you, Nicolas?"

"Just returning the favor, my love. I'm feeling rather -- drained -- right now myself." Turning Natalie on her back, he settled his weight upon her once more. "Want to do it again?" he asked, his boyish grin looking down on her.

"Nicolas, give me a break!" she shrieked as he began nuzzling her neck.

"I've got no blood left to give you, my body hurts everywhere, and you want me to do it again?"

His grin was his only answer. "Oh, what the hell," she replied, pulling him down for a kiss.

An hour later, Natalie was showering while Nick finished dressing for the wedding. Kidding Vachon about not having a church wedding, he was surprised when Vachon asked Nick to stand up for him. They were having a civil ceremony on a hilltop. Tracy wanted it because she could see a cross in the distance. Her own private church, she said.

Natalie emerged, a vision in black. Her beauty never diminishes, everytime I see her she's more beautiful. Natalie walked to him slowly, then stopped as she saw the vampire appear in his eyes. "Oh, no you don't Nicolas Knight! If you think you're getting me out of this dress after all the trouble I had getting into it --"

"Relax, Nat, I promise to keep my hands to myself. Besides, you haven't even commented on how spiffy I look."

"'Spiffy', Nick? Okay. You look real spiffy." She smiled at him.

"Actually, you look incredible, Nick. You want to hear something funny?" He nodded. "This is how I always imagined a vampire would look, elegant, wearing black, too beautiful for words."

"Isn't that how I always look, Natalie?"

"Fine, Nick, just kill the moment." She laughed. She was in love with an 800 year old adolescent.

"Come here, Natalie, you forgot something." He held out his hand.

Taking his hand, she wondered about that look in his eye. "What did I forget?"

"Your jewelry." He took out a small box, and knelt down on one knee.

"Be mine forever Natalie. Walk with me, have my children, be my friend. I will love you forever. Will you marry me?"

Unable to move, unable to breath, Natalie felt her tears on her cheeks. Saying yes by simply holding out her hand, Nick slipped the engagement ring on her finger. Kissing her softly on the lips, they left to watch their friends begin their new life together.

***

Overlooking the lights of Toronto, Vachon and Tracy pledged their lives to one another. That night, they flew to Spain to begin their honeymoon. Vachon wanted to show Tracy where he grew up, the homelands of the Vachon family.

On the plane, Vachon held an envelope, not knowing what to expect. LaCroix had shown up at the wedding. "I still don't know what he wanted. He wasn't invited," Tracy snipped.

Vachon laughed. "You know, if it weren't for him, we'd probably all be dead now. Don't you think we can be a little generous?"

"Well, he just gives me the creeps!"

"Tracy, do you have any idea how ironic that statement is?" Tracy didn't care. "Well, time to open it up." Vachon began opening the envelope.

"Why can't he even just give a present normally? Does he always have to be so 'dramatic'?" Tracy complained. Vachon sat in shock as he read the enclosed deed and letter.

"Vachon,

This child of yours will need some security. Since it's a safe bet you haven't invested wisely these past years, I've taken care of some things for you. Some well placed suggestions have returned the Vachon lands to you.

Use them wisely."

Vachon pulled the deed out with shaking fingers. "That sonovabitch," he whispered. "He knows how to keep you close, doesn't he?"

"What are you talking about, Vachon?"

"Tracy, how do you feel about living in Spain?" He explained how his family's lands had been turned over to the state through the years. The Vachon family at one time had been a rich and powerful one. And now it all belonged to him.

"Does this mean we owe him, Javier? I mean, is he going to show up on our doorstep one day and demand the baby like some troll?"

"Tracy, we owe him anyway. And LaCroix can collect whenever he wants. That's one of the costs of our life. But nothing will happen to our baby, I swear to you that."

Tracy thought about things for a moment, then smiled. "I guess I better work on my spanish. !Hola! ?Como Esta?"

"God, Tracy, you're killing my ears." They spent the rest of the flight arguing over enunciation.

***

Nick and Natalie had flown out for the birth. Everything seemed to be going well. From all indications, the baby was a healthy mortal child, but Natalie wanted to be the one to deliver the baby just in case. Vachon was a wreck.

Tracy, it seems, was a screamer. Through every contraction she screamed as she worked, waiting for her body to complete what must be done. Vachon was sure something was wrong. "Natalie, help her. The baby's killing her!"

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Vachon, either calm down and help us or go outside with Nick. This is childbirth, Vachon, it's messy, it's painful, and it takes a long time. The baby is not killing her."

Another scream and it was time to push. "Okay, Tracy, you've got to work with me now." A scream, a growl, a push. "I see the head, Tracy, you're doing great." After several long exhausting minutes, Tracy finally delivered her baby.

"A boy! Vachon, you've got a son!"

Cutting the cord, she gently placed the child on Tracy's stomach. Crying, Tracy looked at the mass of dark hair on her baby, and laughed. "He's already got long hair like you!" Vachon kissed Tracy as Natalie left the room.

Finding Nick, she assured him all was well. "The baby's fine, he's beautiful. Oh Nick, I can hardly wait!" Taking his hand, she guided it to her own womb, wondering at the life Nick had planted deep within her.

****

Epilogue

Five years later

Tracy's body screamed for release. Vachon had spent the last hour teasing her, bringing her just to the edge of satisfaction, then letting her rest. "Damn you, Javier, finish it!"

Lying next to her, running one fingertip down the bridge of her nose, over her open moist lips, he silently mouthed, "No." His finger followed down her neck, lighting rubbing the pulse he could see pounding with her heat. Trailing his fingertip down between her breasts, he stopped to play with the pendant he'd bought her years before. She'd never taken it off.

"You're almost there, Tracy. Almost," he trailed off as he bent his head to her breasts. Tracy begged, pleaded. Finally Vachon spread her legs with his knees, pulling them up over his rock solid thighs. Fitting himself to her, he commanded, "Look at me, Tracy. Watch me." Tracy could never refuse him in their bed. As always, he was her master here, she the more than willing toy. Staring into his beautiful eyes, she watched as they turned gold. His fangs descended as he thrust into her in a powerful surge which wrought a scream from Tracy. Her release always triggered his own, and he sank his teeth into her and drank. Her blood never lost its power, its pull over him.

He rarely drank anything else these days. Oh, there had been a few encroachers who needed to be scared off the Vachon lands. But hey! What's life without a little playtime, he thought.

Tasting the difference in her blood, he pulled back and stared into her baby blues. Seeing her knowing smile, he felt his heart actually beat once, and fell to her side to hold her. "Why didn't you tell me? I would have been more careful!" he scolded.

"I didn't want you to be careful. With Javier you hardly ever touched me until I tied you up again. With this baby, let's just keep things the way they are, hmm?"

She kissed his chest, enjoying the new fullness of hair that aging provided him. "Besides, it's kind of fun having you figure out you're going to be a daddy again." She stilled suddenly, hearing a noise.

"Was that the kids?"

"If it is the kids, it's because you woke them up with your screaming. Honestly, Tracy, you're so loud sometimes -- OW!" he yelped as Tracy tweaked a curl of hair right off his chest.

"Another baby. Thank you, Javier. I love having your babies."

"They are beautiful, aren't they? Javier looks just like me."

"Yes, I know. Luckily he didn't inherit anything else but your looks!" Tracy squealed as Vachon tickled her, then cuddled up to sleep until dusk.

***

"Do it again, Javier!" Three year old Isabella laughed at her brother's antics. Javier had just turned five, and his favorite Uncle Lucien had come to see them in secret again. He loved the tricks Uncle Lucien taught him.

Javier threw out his arms and floated around the nursery. "Do it again, Javier!"

*****

The End