Halloween had a history rooted in many cultures. These days it was
mostly thought to be a night for
children to dress up and hunt for treats.
While a few still believe the haunting, evil side of the holiday, most
dismissed this as bunk or
superstition.
Those beliefs suited one man as he thought it was quite amusing how mortals regarded such things.
“Trick or treat!” a group of costumed heroes and goblins shouted as the
door opened to a house in New
Orleans’ Garden District.
“My what horrid ghouls you are all.” A tall slender young man’s shadow
opened the door slowly to drop
bags of candy into the waiting bags.
“Though, a warning my young friends, be
careful whose door you knock upon this night because you never know
what may answer.”
The shadow appeared and sent the group of kids scurrying away in laughing
fright at the sudden sight of
the yellowish eyes, almost white skin
with bloodstained fangs.
“You really do enjoy this night don’t you?” a calm dry voice asked from inside the home,
“Ahh Louis, even after all these years you still don’t fully understand
our gift.” Lestat de Lioncourt laughed
as he closed his door and wiped the wine
from his mouth as he allowed the fangs to decrease while his eyes
returned to their normal gray color.
Having been born in France several centuries ago Lestat had openly embraced
his life as a vampire
while his companion was less eager.
“I do not share your ideas of our ‘gift’. Perhaps you have succeeded
in fooling the humans with your
music and books but I will stick to myself.”
Louis had been born and raised in New Orleans hundreds of years before.
Always slim, his brown hair
was long and held away from his fine-boned
handsome face with a gold band.
It had been Lestat who had made the young plantation owner a vampire.
While he had at first welcomed
the change, Louis had soon learned his
mistake and to this day he really didn’t know if he hated or loved his
friend.
“You will not ruin this night with your usual negativity.” Lestat
loved life. True he accepted things were bad
at times but in recent years he had gained
more wealth and had his friends and family close. “I adore this night
above all others.”
“Yes, you even changed your visit to Texas for it.” Louis raised his eyes
to catch his friend’s warning
look. “I’m sure Morgan and her two
detectives are so…..”
“Don’t push it old friend.” Lestat growled impaitently fingering the keys
of an old piano he detested. “I
only go to Houston because I enjoy teasing
Morgan.”
Louis couldn’t help but add another barb. “Oh, a certain dark haired
police officer whom you feel is too
close to….”
The older vampire snarled in a surprising show of anger. “Louis,
I have nothing but respect for Sergeant
LaFiamma and if I like annoying him or
protecting a girl too naïve for my own good it is merely….” He stopped
suddenly. “Where the hell is Gabreille?”
The thought of his mother’s absence made Lestat uneasy due to some arguments they’d had recently.
“Hmm? Oh, she dropped a note off for you.” Louis held out a folded
slip of paper. “She said she had to
go clean up one of your messes.
I thought it odd but…Lestat?”
A quick snatch and Lestat read his birthmother’s handwriting and actually paled. “Damn her.”
“What’s going on?” Louis demanded, surprised when his maker grabbed
him by the arm. “Hey!
Lestat?! What, who or where?”
The elder vampire, cursing rapidly in French, focused one thought to his friend. ‘LaFiamma.’
Halloween may be great for kids but cops hate it.
“Crank calls, rampages by little mutants. I hate this night.” Estaban
Guiterriz swore after he slammed his
phone down.
The homicide division officers were also overwhelmed by their share of
Halloween pranks. Normally it
took all their personal and clear heads
to deal with the nights’ tricks.
On This night, one officer was off and his partner’s head was far from clear.
“Levon, are you alright?” Carol ‘Legs’ O’Brien asked as she stopped by a desk. “You look tired.”
Sgt. Levon Lundy, a native Texan with wavy blond hair and sharp blue eyes,
slowly leaned back in his
seat to look at the concerned blond policewoman.
“I’m fine Carol.” He assured her while unconciously glancing at the empty
desk across from him. “Just
still not used to LaFiamma being out of
action this long.”
The Lommard native had been operating solo for 2 weeks since his partner had been injured in a bust.
A laugh came across the squad room as Ben Donnelly, a vice cop who was
passing through the office,
tossed a file to Joe Bill McCandliss before
coming closer to Lundy.
“Y’all ask me our boy is more worried about who LaFiamma is spending most
of his time off with.”
Donnelly, a big barrel chest Texan, let
his grin grow a bit to wide as he slapped Lundy’s shoulder.
“Boy I never saw how you stood working with that sissy born Yankee and as for your….’cousin’…”
Lundy’s temper was short on those 2 subjects, his friend and his cousin.
“Don’t start Ben.” He warned
wearily while hearing a disturbance from
down the hall.
“That girl was always….” Donnelly stepped back as Lundy stood quickly, anger clear in his eyes.
“Leave Morgan outta this.” He growled when the squad room doors slammed
open as a uniformed
rookie was practically thrown in.
“What in the hell?”
As cops turned, drawing guns a hurried shadow came through the door.
“Lundy!” Lestat’s eyes pinned the lanky cop instantly before looking around
the room as if searching
desperately for someone. “Damn,
where’s your partner? Where’s LaFiamma?”
Not sure what was more shocking, the appearance of the famous singer or his concern for LaFiamma.
“Lestat, what are?” Lundy stopped when Lestat’s hands slammed down on the desk
Dimly hearing Louis urging restraint, Lestat forced himself to relax and focus only on Lundy.
“Levon where is your partner?” he asked with a forced .
calmness.
Lundy noticed the edge in the voice but there was something else that bothered the Texan.
“Joe’s having dinner with Morgan…” he stopped as the vampire offered a vehement oath. “What?”
Slowly Louis came up beside his friend. “Sgt. Lundy, where exactly
are they having dinner?” he asked,
well aware of the attention they were
getting.
“LaFiamma’s apartment.” Lundy replied, blinking as Lestat suddenly grabbed him. “HEY!”
“They’re
in danger so get off your Texas tail and lets go!” Lestat snapped impaitently,
pulling the confused
cop along with him as Louis just shook
his head.
“Levon?” Carol, finally finding her voice. “What is going on?”
Lundy had managed to grab his white stetson and could only shrug.
“Carol, call LaFiamma’s place
and….” The words trailed off as an angry
ex-singer gave one tug and the cop was yanked out.
“Lestat you are close to ruining your cover.” Louis declared sternly as
they entered the underground
garage and the Texan was finally able
to free his arm.
“Hold on and tell me what the hell is going on?” Lundy urged. “Lestat,
my cousin said you had delayed
your visit.”
The gray eyed vampire finally halted by Levon’s Jimmy 4x4. “The short
of it is your partner and maybe
even Morgan are in danger.”
“From what?” Levon demanded cursing himself for thinking a simple dinner
between his partner and
young cousin could be anything but that.
“Danger from who?”
Lestat finally answered after Levon had drove out of the garage. “My
mother.”
Sgt. Joseph LaFiamma had been in Houston for over 4 years now and still
admitted that he, at times,
missed his family and life back in Chicago.
The 6’2 policeman with thick black wavy hair and deep intense green eyes
had that Italian look that
women loved with a smile that matched.
He was also a complete opposite of his mule-headed Texas partner.
LaFiamma took great pains to
point that out to Lundy at every opportunity.
Where Joe loved style and fashion, which his custom slacks and Italian
leather loafers showed, his
partner lived in old jeans and a work
shirt.
The 2 also had different temperments. Joe was typically hot-headed and
impaitent where Levon was
more laid back, as all Texans were in
Joe’s opinion.
Though,
not all of being stuck in Texas was bad in Joe’s opinion. At least
not since he got to meet his
partner’s young cousin. That made
up for a lot, except for her employees.
“I’m still waiting for Lundy to show up.” He spoke from the kitchen where
he was trying to stir sauce for his
pasta with his good arm.
Getting hurt in the line of duty was one of the worst parts of being a
cop, especially in Houston.
LaFiamma had been shot 2 weeks prior and
was soon to go back on active duty. Something he was thrilled
about. He actually missed the fighting
with his friend, though he’d never admit that to Lundy.
Tonight was one of the obvious signs that Lundy was getting bored by being
solo also. He hadn’t thrown
the expected fit when told that LaFiamma
had asked Levon’s 26 year old cousin to have dinner at his place.
“He promised he’d behave and not clog up the phone lines.” The soft British
lilt caused him to look
toward the living room of his apartment.
Morgan Harrison was more than Lundy’s only other blood family. She
was also a 26 year\old ½ British
Federal agent with more government clearances
than even the Secret Service had.
5’4 with long auburn hair and clear blue eyes, she was also a top leader
in the corporate world as
president of Harrison Enterprises.
It was that occupation that also brought along Joe’s nightmare: the Queens
Court Raiders.
That night, much to the Italian’s joy, the mercenary team was out of the
country, his partner was probably
up to his ears with Halloween pranks and
a certain annoying vampire had delayed his visit.
“We got lucky tonight, doll.” Joe turned the sauce on simmer, grabbed 2
glasses and went to join his
guest in his living room.
The loft like apartment showed his sense of style with leather furniture, glass and a loft like bedroom.
“Kelly’s
outta the country and Lestat chose to stay home.” He caught the girl’s
eyes as he sat down.
“Something wrong?”
Morgan had grown up in the government field and also had her fair share
of weird friends so her senses
were often attuned for possible trouble.
This night, they were overly hyper.
“No, just an odd sense.” She shrugged and took the glass of red wine he offered. “Must be the night.”
Joe considered a response but thought better out it. He knew Morgan
could be edgy and he had no
intention of upsetting her. He liked
to see her smile and hear that laugh.
“Nothing’s
wrong. It’s just you and me tonight. Good food, good wine and…” Joe
lightly brushed a finger
across her cheek and felt her tense then
relax. “I won’t hurt you Morgan.”
“I know that Joe.” She sighed, sitting the glass aside to stand up and
look out his window at the dark
street. “It’s just a little odd.
I know we’ve been out a couple times and all but I’m not at all what a
man like you
needs.”
“Whoa, who’s talking about needs?” Joe had known without being warned repeatedly
by Lundy that
Morgan had no experience with men or life
and what she did know was through acts that she never should have
endured. “Babe, we’re friends.
If there’s any attraction or chemistry between us, fine but I ask you out
because I
like being with you and cause it bugs
your cousin.”
Morgan laughed lightly at that, already knowing that Levon always dreaded
her going out with his friend.
Not because he didn’t trust the Italian
but because he was an overprotective airhead.
“Thanks Joe.” She turned as he took her arm gently.
“That’s what friends are for.” He winked teasingly, starting to lean closer
when suddenly with a crash the
large window closest to them was busted.
LaFiamma
only had a second to respond to the threat that came through the window.
He started to pull
Morgan behind him when a blow to his chest
sent him flying across his living room.
“Joe!” Morgan landed hard on one side but quickly rolled to one knee, automatically
reaching for the
9mm pistol she always carried but had
left home this night when their foe materialized. ‘Oh, Lord.’ She
breathed. “Gabrielle.”
The female vampire turned slowly from staring at LaFiamma’s prone form
to eye the young woman her
son actually adored.
“Well, this is a surprise.” Gabrielle looked like a beautiful woman
in her late 20’s with long hair that on
this day she had dyed a deep blonde.
Her accent had long ago been left behind. This night, her voice held a
colder, cruel tone than she usually had.
“What the hell are you doing here Gabrielle?” Morgan demanded, swearing under her breath.
“Fixing one of the latest of my son’s blunders.” Gabrielle again eyed Joe
as he layed still, stunned after
the attack. “I have ignored many
of Lestat’s stunts and his insistence of having mortals close but I will
put a stop
to this one here and now.” She declared
firmly.
It didn’t take long for Morgan to understand what that meant. “Joe?
What the hell does Joe have to do
with L?” she asked, hoping to buy enough
time that maybe she could either come up with a plan or Joe could
recover.
“Since meeting this mortal cop, he has been all that my son had talked
about. He is just another mortal
attachment that Lestat does not need.
Mortals have done nothing but cause him grief and I will see no more of
it!” Gabrielle snapped, moving away from
Joe slowly. “You are as much a problem to him but Marius has also
been won by your charm and innocence.”
Morgan knew things had just gotten worse. “If all this is true then
I doubt if Lestat will be thrilled with you.
Go home.”
A quick laugh and Gabrielle took advantage of Morgan’s mild injuries and
her shock of the attack by
moving with the quickness of a vampire
and soon had the girl by the throat.
“My son will be upset but he will get over it. I can not kill you
due to your unnatural immunity to my kind
but the policeman is a different matter.”
Gabrielle replied as her fingers slowly closed around the girl’s
throat.
Morgan was unable to fight back against the attack and soon felt her conciousness
begin to slip as a
siren was heard in the background.
“Don’t do…this Gabrielle.” She whispered as things finally went black.
“Ah, to do this quick would be too easily.” Gabrielle dropped the girl
and easily lifted the unconcious
Houston cop up just as the apartment door
crashed open.
“Mother!”
Lestat snapped, easily pinning his mother by the open window with Joseph
LaFiamma over her
shoulder. “Damn!” he started to
go after her as she vanished out the window when he caught another sight.
“Damn, damn, damn!!!”
The blond gray eyed vampire quickly knelt beside Morgan where she had been
dropped. “Louis!” his
mental yell was unnecessary cause Louis
along with a gasping Levon Lundy had arrived just then.
“Lestat, what the..?!” Levon froze at the sight of his cousin laying still in the vampire’s arms. “Is she….?”
“Alive just out cold.” Lestat quickly handed the girl off to Lundy.
“Louie, stay with them and I’ll be back.”
He was gone in a flash after his mother
and LaFiamma before either man could answer.
Lundy swore soundly but did gently lay Morgan on the couch while Louis
looked for something to block
the broken window with. “Now what
do we do?” he asked in concern for not only his cousin but also his friend.
Louis looked at the Texan with genuine understanding. “Now we wait.”
“Why?” a question asked over and over but not nearly as vocally as by a
confused and angry young
woman. “Why Lestat? Why is
she doing this?”
After searching for hours for his mother, Lestat had returned to the apartment
where Lundy and Louis
were waiting.
Morgan had slowly regained conciousness and was surprised when it was her
cousin’s voice she heard
gently speaking.
“As I told Lundy, my mother feels that Joe is a threat to her relationship
with me.” Lestat sighed, ignoring
the pain the blue eyes were shining toward
him. “She’s jealous.”
“Where is he?” Levon demanded, figuring if he had to report this
to his superior things would never be
believed. “Where are they?”
Lestat hesitated on that. “I don’t know yet. By all rights,
she’ll have to find someplace to go to ground
soon.”
“Great, will she kill him before then or…Morgan?” Lundy kicked himself
as his cousin stood up quickly
and pulled away from all of them.
“Sugar, we are gonna find Joe.”
The girl’s eyes were cloudy a second then she turned. “I know we
will Levon.” She replied then eyed
Lestat. “The question is, how do
you plan on handling Gabrielle? If she hurts Joe I’ll see her fry.”
“I know, my love.” Lestat murmered, avoiding her eyes, “I should
have seen it and stopped her before
she had this chance.”
“You couldn’t have expected anything like this.” Louis replied, his eyes
going back and forth between the
2 mortals. “Though, Levon’s point
is a good one. We need to find them before she has to sleep or who
knows
what will happen to him.”
Morgan glared at him. “You guys are so supportive.” She muttered,
fingering a bruise on her throat and
trying to see how this could have been
prevented. “She is a stranger in Houston so surely we can come up
with
a good place to start looking.”
Neither vampire answered. Lundy considered this. “She’d need
someplace remote and unlikely to have
many people around.” He looked around
quickly. “The warehouse district has several abandoned buildings.”
“Worth looking at.” Lestat agreed, eyeing Morgan. “You can feel her, right?”
“I’ll feel her alright.” Morgan’s eyes were cold and worried Lundy.
“You and Louis go ahead and Levon
and I will catch up.”
Understanding
that she wanted time with her cousin alone, Lestat agreed. It was
after he & Louis had left
the cop’s loft, that Morgan sat down wearily.
“You o-kay, sugar?” Lundy asked gently, sitting next to her on LaFiamma’s couch.
“No, not really.” Morgan sighed, looking around at the damage. “I
felt weird all night but just shrugged it
off as usual fears. I should have
listened to the feelings. I should have…”
Lundy understood her feelings of guilt. He’d been dealing with his own
since his partner had been shot.
“Morgan, like Louis had said no one could
have expected this to happen. If Lestat couldn’t, you surely couldn’t
have.”
Morgan hated this. “Levon, it was so perfect tonight. Everything
was and Joe…he was…I mean I think
he was going to…” she trailed off suddenly,
a faint pink staining her cheeks.
The Texan caught both actions and wasn’t sure either was good. “What
exactly was LaFiamma gonna
do, Morgan?” he asked warily, swearing
he was going to murder his partner if he got him back in one piece.
“Nothing
Levon.” She replied quickly, standing and reaching for her jacket when
his hand touched her arm.
“Levon, please…”
“What happened between you and LaFiamma?” he asked again, sensing her fears
even before he seen
her eyes. “Sugar, I’m not going
to hurt you. I admit I may not like knowing he kissed you but I can’t
tell you not to
like him.”
Morgan bit her lip. “He didn’t kiss me Levon.” She assured him, hearing
the silent breath he released at
hearing that. “We’ve got to go.”
“Yeah, let’s go.” He agreed, keeping his own thoughts that he hoped they succeeded to himself.
“At times like this, I rue the day I made her.” Lestat muttered as he looked at another empty warehouse.
Louis was silent. The pair had each searched several of the abandoned
warehouses along one of
Houston’s older industrial sites.
“It isn’t unfeasible that she has already killed him and left the city.”
He spoke quietly but his eyes still saw
his maker tense.
The arrival of Lundy’s Jimmy cut off the conversation yet it was clear
from her eyes that Morgan had still
heard them.
“No, if she would have killed Joe she would’ve left him for Levon or I
to find.” The girl looked around.
“Lets keep looking. Humor me.”
“I’ve been humoring you since we met.” Lestat sighed but was already off toward another warehouse.
Levon looked around at all the empty, ruined buildings. “It’ll take
forever to search all these.” He
complained, wondering how a vampire thought.
“No, actually the ones with boarded up or less windows would be the best
to look into first.” Louis spoke
walking slowly toward a building while
Morgan muttered under her breath about vampires. “Sunlight would
be
less of a threat that way.”
“Sunlight
isn’t her most pressing concern, chum.” Morgan declared, eyes landing on
a warehouse away from
them. “Me shoving a stake through
her bloodless heart is.”
Lundy watched his cousin, worried about her emotions. “Can’t Lestat
find her? You guys….feel each
other right?”
Louis shook his head. “Lestat can’t feel Gabrielle because he made
her. A vampire cannot feel ones he
or she has made just like I can’t feel
Lestat because he made me.” He explained as simply as he could.
“She’s here.” Morgan’s voice was ice when a bone chilling scream was heard.
“Always knew…meeting that guy would be…worse than Kelly.” Joseph LaFiamma’s voice was strained.
The Italian cop had woken up in pain. Not clear on where he was or why,
he did know he was in DEEP
trouble. His arms had been bound
tightly and expertly behind him and where he laid on the cold stone floor
he
could see his captor pacing the caged
tigress.
“Deciding
on what to do with me now?” he asked, working on freeing his hands but
knowing his injured arm
had been reinjured by the way his shoulder
was twisted and aching.
Gabrielle
turned with a smile. “I know what I am going to do with you.” She
replied, shrugging. “It’s just
deciding how to do it that I am pondering.
So many ways.”
“Fine, before you decide to use me as dinner care to at least clue me in
on why you hate me?” Joe
figured stalling couldn’t hurt though
his thoughts kept going back to his loft and Morgan.
“Even in the hour of your death you think of her.” Gabrielle laughed as
she came closer to kneel before
her captive. “You need not fear
Joseph. I did not harm the little girl. She has an unnatural
immunity toward
vampires. None may touch her except those
she allows.”
“Like Lestat.” Joe seen the woman’s eyes narrow.
The natural mother of the brat prince tense slightly. “Yes, like
my son.” She sighed. “Lestat shows actual
human emotion for her. But you,
I have seen him hurt by too many mortals and at least with you I can stop
it.”
“Me? What the hell harm to I pose to him?” Joe demanded, biting his
bottom lip as pain shot through his
body as her hand slashed his face.
“He is obsessed with you and I will end your life before…” Gabrielle had
drawn a knife from somewhere
and was slashing it downward when a blur
flashed and a hand grabbed her wrist. “WHO?!”
Lestat, for all his power, may not have been able to feel or sense Gabrielle
because he was her maker
but that didn’t mean his senses were totally
useless.
“O-kay Joe, where are you?” he asked silently, searching the area carefully
for any sign or sense of the
cop and trying very hard to ignore Morgan’s
pain and anger. ‘I know it’s my fault Morgan.’ He thought back
silently when he blinked. “Hell.”
Moving quickly and silently, Lestat easily located the pained thoughts
to catch some of his mother’s
words and soon understood it wasn’t really
Joe she was upset with.
Yet when he seen the moonlight flash off the blade of the knife she was
going to kill LaFiamma with,
Lestat knew playtime was over and moved
to intercept the knife before it killed the mortal.
“WHO?!” Gabrielle twisted in his grip to see who had stopped her.
“That will be quite enough Mother.” Lestat tightened the grip his had until
he gained control of the dagger
and stepped between her and Joe.
“Back off.”
Gabrielle did step back a few steps while Lestat quickly looked down at the Houston detective.
Joe was bruised and obviously his arm was broke along with some other bones
but nothing life
threatning.
“Why?” was all he asked. A simple question but the anger in his eyes spoke volumes.
“For your own good of course.” She answered, anger as she looked down at
Joe. “You have been
attached to mortals before but never like…what
is so funny?”
Lestat was laughing now, kneeling down to check own his friend and still
chuckling. “Mother really. Your
jealously over my relationship with mortals
is touching but stupid.
“Gabrielle,
my life is my own. I do not question when you disappear for months
at a time and I expect you to
return the favor and not question who
I claim as friends.”
The older vampire shook his head. “My ‘attachment’ to Lafiamma as
you called it is nothing more than a
way to tease Morgan. “I enjoy coming
here because it annoys Kelly and Joe is equally amusing to tease.
That
is all.”
“And if he becomes closer to the girl?” Gabrielle challenged, not seeing
the anger in her son’s gray eyes
turn to ice cold killer instinct until
he was an inch from her.
“Morgan
is protected by her powers and Marius’ ruling that if any harm comes to
her he will burn the one who
did it.” Lestat hissed, making his next
point clear. “If I think the girl is too naïve for her own good
or if I think
Lundy is a blind fool for allowing her
to be so close with Joe that is my business. Joe is of no concern
to you
Mother because he is in love with Morgan.
He may not know it fully yet but he is and your only concern is getting
the hell out of here before Morgan arrives
because I’m not sure I will stop her from frying you.”
As mother and son exchanged glares, gabrielle finally broke the contact
with a short nod. “Fine, I will let
him live this time and hope you are right.
But if you are not…”
“You will do nothing.” Lestat cut her off firmly. “I mean it Mother.
If I think you would do any harm to those I
love or care for I will destroy you now.
Leave these mortals be and go back to your jungles or wherever.”
Gabrielle’s
eyes went to Joe who was struggling to stay concious then back to her son.
“For you.” She
agreed, smiling a thin smile at Joe before
vanishing as quickly as she came.
“Well that was fun right Joe?” Lestat easily freed the ropes and took a
closer look at the Chicago native.
“I am sorry Joe.”
LaFiamma
finally blinked past most of the pain to focus on the gray eyed blond vampire
next to him. “I don’t
like your family.”
Lestat laughed as he carefully helped the dark haired cop to his feet.
“No, I never did either.” He agreed.
“Come, lets go meet the others outside. Louis really doesn’t like
rats and
this place is crawling with them.”
Joe didn’t bother asking too many questions, he was just glad to still
be breathing and vowed never to
complain too much about the Queens Court
Raiders again.
Something Lestat said did register. “Others?” he questioned tiredly as shock began to settle in. “Who…?”
The vampire didn’t answer as he helped the now weakening policeman out
of the warehouse just as
Louis and Lundy neared it.
“Damn.”
Lundy seen his partner and swore even as Louis murmered something in French.
“LaFiamma, you
o-kay?”
Joe blinked at his friend’s voice. Hardly expecting to see his partner
out vampire chasing. “I guess for
having my date…” he stopped then suddenly
grabbed for Lundy’s arm. “Morgan, is she alright? Hell, I couldn’t
help her and…”
“Morgan’s
fine Joe.” Levon assured his partner, seeing the 2 vampires exchange
a look. “She’s scared but
fine. Louis and I left her back
at the Jimmy trying to find backup.”
Letting Lundy help his friend, Lestat caught Louis’s eyes. “Mild
lie. She was getting sick. Pain or
something.” Louis shrugged. “We
may have to talk with Kelly about having a mystic or 2 come down here and
see just what is between Morgan and the
cop.”
“Later.” Lestat sighed.
Morgan Harrison was sitting in her cousin’s jimmy muttering under breath
about stuid twits when she
looked up. “Joe!”
The girl ignored the smirking Lestat as she ran to her friend. She
could see his injuries and the way
Levon was supporting him heavily.
“What happened? Are you alright? Is she…?”
“One question at a time darling.” Lestat urged calmly. “Joe’s hurt
but nothing some more time off won’t
cure and as for my mother, she is going
back to the jungles and won’t bother anyone again.”
The look Morgan shot him said more than she could then she turned her attention
on her friend as Levon
finally got him to the Jimmy to sit down.
“How are we gonna explain to the Lieutenant about these injuries?” Levon
wondered as he dug for a 1st
Aid kit. “Vampire attacks?
She’d commit all of us.”
“H.E. will handle a cover story.” Morgan answered, worried about LaFiamma’s
lack of response. “Joe,
say something. Anything.” She urged.
Panic getting worse because she had never seen the Italian this quiet for
so long.
Joe’s green eyes finally looked up to meet her blue ones and he seen the
tears starting to come. “Our
next date, I think we’ll go to your place.”
He decided. “At least there the worst thing I have to worry about
is your
employees.”
FOUR DAYS LATER:
“Damn LaFiamma!” Lundy swore as he said his end of a new leather sofa down
with a thud. “Why didn’t
you get lighter stuff?”
Fixing the damage gabrielle’s attack cause wasn’t hard once a few of Morgan’s
employees from
Houston’s branch had a long talk with
joe’s landlord and urged him to forget the event happened.
LaFiamma’s
arm had been broken along with 4 ribs so he was again out of action for
another week or so.
The story given to the police department
was that he and Morgan had stumbled into a robbery. It wasn’t exactly
feasible but the added pressure from the
Mayor’s office had it accepted.
Today Lundy and a few of their fellow officers were bringing in the new
furniture. Of course, LaFiamma
had been banished upstairs to his bed
so he wouldn’t be tempted to help.
“Levon, this thing ain’t plastic so pick up your end and get a move on
it, son!” Joe Bill McCandliss
snapped from the other end.
LaFiamma
winced from his bed. Figuring his friends would never let him live
this down once he was back at
work. “They doing more damage to
my place?”
Morgan peeked over the railing to look downstairs then came back to the
bed with a grin. “Lets just say
Levon and the boys won’t get jobs as decorators
if they ever retire from the force.”
Joe groaned at this. Not sure what was worse. Being laid up again
or having his partner, McCandliss
and Guieterriz decorating his loft.
“Joe, I know I’ve told you this but I’m sorry this happened.” Morgan sighed,
sitting on the side of the bed
and staring at his carpet. “I never
figured that when I started hanging out more in Houston that you or Levon
might become a target of my enemies.”
LaFiamma
had listened to the girl for the last 4 days and he knew she really did
blame herself for all that had
happened.
“Babe, it is not your fault. No one could have seen this one coming.”
He assured her, finally having
enough. “Look at me Morgan.”
As Morgan slowly turned, Joe gently lifted her chin so their eyes met.
“I do not blame you.” He grinned
suddenly. “Besides, what other way
could I get Lundy to move furniture?”
A small grim came at that and another thud from downstairs had them both
wincing. “I better go down
and direct traffic or there won’t be…Joe?”
Morgan looked back when Joe’s hand took hers and tugged her back beside
him. “What? You need
something?” ever concious of his injuries
and what her doctor’s had said of shock or other side effects the girl
was always close if her friend needed
anything.
“Yeah, I need something.”Joe agreed, not sure if this was a good idea but
after days of watching her
handle everything from his care to the
cover story for the cops to the repairs to his apartment and listening
to his
friend berate herself over what had happened
LaFiamma was sure of one thing. He wanted to finish what they
had been doing the night they’d been interrupted.
“What?” morgan glanced at a paper she’d made that had time schedule of medicines. “Joe?”
LaFiamma
lightly ran a finger down her cheek and back in order to brush a
strand of hair back and because
he knew it usually made her smile.
When he seen that smile, the young Chicago native made a motion to bring
her closer to him.
“Joe if you want your house to stay in one piece I’ve got to go downstairs.”
Morgan warned but caught his
eyes and froze. “Joe?”
“The night Lestat’s mother showed up, I was about to do something.” Joe
spoke softly, figuring it was
only right to give her enough time to
stop the act. “You’re my friend Morgan. My partner’s cousin.
I promised I’d
never hurt you and I won’t so I don’t
want this to scare you.”
Morgan stayed silent a few seconds then looked up. “Joe, I need to
know 1 thing.” She paused a long
second. “I don’t want to be used
as a tool just to annoy Levon and I know that I a lot of….”
The rest of her words were cut off as LaFiamma reacted in typical style
and stilled the rest of what she
was saying with a kiss that wasn’t used
as a first kiss between friends. This was a heat searing kiss meant
to
show something though at that moment not
even he was sure what.
“Me and Lundy are partners. Friends even but what is between you
and me is something different.” Joe
spoke carefully, his eyes showed his temper
but his hand was gentle when he touched her face after breaking
the kiss. “I am not using my attraction
to you as a way to bug him. Hell, me and Lundy don’t need anything but
each other to fight. Did I scare
you?
“What is bewteen us Joe?” morgan asked curiously, not moving away like he expected her.
The question surprised LaFiamma cause he stopped to think. “I…don’t
know.” He admitted. “I care for
you a lot. More than I realized
until I thought she had hurt you. I’m thinking we need to take this
slow or else
Lundy will have a stroke.”
Morgan grinned at that even as she heard her cousin coming up the steps.
“Kill McCandliss yet levon?”
she looked at him.
Lundy was muttering when he reached the top of the stairs. “Since
you told us where to put eveything,
care to come downstairs and help Legs
hang the paintings you bought?” he asked, rolling his blue eyes that
were so much like her own. “I do
not do that.”
“God I’m glad to hear that.” Morgan smiled as she went past Lundy but still
felt his hand squeeze her
arm. “Behave the both of you.” She
warned before letting out a shout. “Estaban! Don’t you dare hang
that thing
over there!”
“McCandliss’ offering.” Lundy grinned at his partner before pulling a chair closer. “O-kay?”
As LaFiamma nodded, he also caught the hidden question in the Texan’s eyes.
“I won’t lie to you Lundy.
I am attracted to her.”
“Yeah, I know that partner.” Levon sighed, frowning only slightly. “Kelly won’t be happy>”
“Robinson
is never happy.” Joe returned with a snort. “She’s worried about
you and your reaction. I know
she’s like a little sister to you Levon
and since I have one or two of those I know how I’d react…”
“Get back on your feet and then we talk about how I feel about you and
my cousin, laFiamma.” Lundy
declared, nudging his friends’ good arm.
“Besides, I can always hold onto the thought that if Morgan’s stays
here more often that will mean the ‘Raiders.”
The groan out of his partner made the Texan smile as he went back down
for the next load of furniture but
he couldn’t help watching as Morgan directed
the hanging a portait of flowers and still wondered if the growing
relationship between her and his friend
was a good thing since he knew things about Morgan that Joe didn’t
yet. Things that would make vampires
look tame.
Well, that is a tale for another day.
THE END