Act 13
"Good question," she replied. "Like I told you and Natalie last night. Someone is placed on this side waiting to help those sent back with their adjustment. I'm that person for both of you."
"We seem to be handling everything ok. We aren't any different than two days ago."
"But you are. Neither of you realizes it yet, but there are some changes. There's going to be some obstacles ahead of both of you, and I can help with them. That's my job."
"I thought you were a cop." He almost sneered.
"I am. I've always been a cop. My history with the B.P.D. is verifiable. I've spent the last ten years there."
"Helping others get through things like this?" Nick was frustrated. He wanted some tangible answers, but she wasn't giving him any.
Katherine nodded. "I need another cup of coffee," she told him.
Nick took his seat on the sofa while she poured another cup. His detective's mind was spewing out questions in rapid order. There was so much he wanted to know. She began to speak before he had the chance to question her.
"There is a lot more going on here than you are aware of, Nick. The things that have been happening around here in the last few weeks have been no accident. Most of them involved you personally, but some did not. Other forces, in a world not known by the average person, have been playing with the timeline. They are trying to get ready for a major upheaval of some sort. My people are not sure exactly what that's going to involve, but we know that specific lives and unlives will be affected. We are trying to prevent as much damage as possible."
"Which things?" Nick immediately though of Linda Wyatt's virus that wiped out a number of the vampire community.
"The re-incarnation of Francesca, Divia's appearance a few weeks ago, your partner's death to name a few." She took a sip from her cup.
"I can see some relationship between Francesca and Divia, but how does Tracy fit in?
"She was getting too close to Javier Vachon and the community. Tracy was a mortal who knew about you guys, and she had no history to prove she wasn't a threat to any of you."
"But she was ok, she wouldn't have done anything to hurt us."
"I know that Nick. But the Enforcers weren't very happy about the situation. And she was so innocent, she might have inadvertently done something to expose everyone."
"Natalie knows. No one's gone after her." He got worried. The thought of the Enforcers taking Natalie was almost too much.
"But she has a history time and again of protecting you. She's the one who developed the cure for that virus. She's pulled you through some questionable situations. As far as everyone is concerned, she's proven her intentions. Tracy was a wild card. They couldn't be sure."
They sat in silence for a while. Nick was trying to understand what was going on. Katherine wondered if she was telling him too much.
"Vachon was destroyed. I saw him myself. Now he's ok. What happened?" He asked her.
"He did take a stake to his heart, that's true. In his delirium caused by Divia's attack on him, he managed to have Tracy destroy him. In her innocence in these matters, however, she removed the stake and buried him in a shallow grave near the port." Nick nodded his head. "It took him awhile, but he managed to dig himself out. I personally admire Tracy's strength of character. Most mortals would have turned and run. She did love him very much. I felt bad when I learned she was killed."
Nick stared off into the distance as he remembered the night she was shot and killed. "It was all my fault," he said quietly.
"No, Nick. It wasn't your fault. I just finished explaining to you that it was taken care of by someone else. On the surface it may appear your fault, but it really was a set up. It would have happened whether or not you were there. Really."
"Who are these other guys? Aren't they the Enforcers?"
She looked away from him. "I am not at liberty to say." She took another drink, but the coffee was bitter and cold. She pushed the cup to the middle of the table.
"Ok then, what are you? Obviously, you aren't mortal. You're not a vampire. So what else is there?"
Instead of answering him, Katherine got up and looked out the window. The sky was beginning to lighten, giving the buildings an eerie look of being there, yet not. The traffic below was beginning to pick up. Little cars with people going nowhere, oblivious to what was happening around them. Sometimes she wished she didn't know as much as she did. She looked at the grey blue sky once more, wishing she knew how to answer that one.
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Slowly, the sky blended into a light blue with fluffy white clouds. It was the afternoon she discovered the secret about her father.
"But Mother, Father said you are never to hit me like that again." The little girl rubbed her cheek. It was still stinging from the slap she received from her angry mother.
"Your father!" The tall blonde woman towered over her daughter. Her piercing blue eyes flamed with derision. "Your beloved father is not here to protect you now, you impudent little brat! How many times have I told you not to go into this room?" She grabbed Katherine by the arm and shook her. "How many times, Katherine?"
Katherine just stared at her mother in silence. Any answer would have inflicted another beating and she was probably going to get one anyway.
She was almost right.
"What am I going to do with you?" Thoughts of locking her in her room all-day or better yet in the cellar came to mind. But it had been done before and no lesson was learned from it. Then an idea occurred to her. *Yes, it could work. And if it works right, I just might be rid of you forever.* "All right, Katherine. Since you are so interested what is behind this door, maybe it's time you found out." She tightened her grip on her daughter's arm that would later be seen as bruises and turned to unlock the door.
The key squealed in protest as it released the lock. The door opened slowly, revealing a darkened room. Katherine resisted going in. "Oh, so now you're not too sure about this? Well, it's too late now." She pulled Katherine across the threshold into the blackness.
Mother's keen eyes found a chair in the seemingly empty room and forced her daughter into it. Katherine was too scared to move. "You think your father is a wonderful man, don't you? You think he would never do anything to hurt you? Well, we shall see my sweet. We shall see." With those words her mother finished tying her into the chair. "Just wait," She told her as she closed the door behind her.
The room became pitch black, but as her eyes acclimated to the darkness, Katherine saw to her relief, a single candle burned across the room, shedding a small amount of light. The black became grey to Katherine and she was able to make out a long wooden box alongside the candle. She wasn't sure what it was, but it did look familiar.
At first she struggled with her bonds, but each movement only made them tighter. She was smart enough to figure out that she was going to be there awhile and made herself relax. The closed room in the summer heat made her sleepy. In spite of her apprehension, she dozed off.
The sound of the lid on the wooden box moving woke her. She should have been terrified, but something told her not to be frightened. Before she saw him, she knew the figure rising from the box was her father. Had she always known? Maybe. All she knew was he would not hurt her.
"Daddy," she cried out softly.
Her father, now standing at the side of the coffin stiffened in response to her voice. Inherently, he knew that it was his precious daughter who was sitting in the room with him. Instinctively, he was hungry. He hadn't fed in two days. The sound of her beating heart and the smell of her blood was too much for him. Without a word, he approached her.
"Daddy! It's me, Katherine. It's ok. I know. I mean, I understand." She saw him through loving eyes, this monster who claimed to be her father was almost upon her. She saw his glowing eyes fixate on her neck and she knew what he wanted. What he needed.
With much love and trust, she turned her head to the side and submitted to him. Her neck stung bitterly as his teeth broke the tender skin. She wanted to cry out, but couldn't. She felt her blood flow into him, and felt the strength he gained from it. She thought she should have fainted but didn't. Even now, she felt safe in his arms.
As was his custom, he took very little. He hated the very act that sustained him. His victims would wake weakened, and without memory of the moment, but no worse for the wear. This one, though, did not pass out. He could not shut her memory down. The blood had a familiar taste. A taste of innocence blended with knowledge beyond its years. *No!* His mind cried out with the comprehension of what he'd just done.
He released her as if she were poisoned, stepped back and screamed in shame. "No!"
The entire house shook with his rage. Mother smiled to herself. *It's done.*
"Daddy," Katherine whispered to him. "It's ok. I'm ok. Daddy, look at me," she begged.
Stunned to hear her speak to him, he forced the vampire back to its secret sanctuary and knelt down before her. "Katerina, my dear little Katerina."
Tears flowed from her green eyes. "It's ok," she told him between sobs. "Untie me". She was more concerned about him than herself. She was afraid this would kill him.
The bonds disintegrated in his grip. He was torn between raw anger and the need to console his daughter. Once free, he cradled her in his arms. "I'm so sorry, Katerina. I'm so sorry."
She freed herself from him to look at him. She ran her hand down his face, pausing at his mouth. She looked at him with the innocence of a child, but the voice of an adult told him, "I know. I think I've always known." She hugged him. "I love you daddy."
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Nick turned from her, his own eyes glowing from the power of her words. He got up, went to the refrigerator, pulled out a second bottle and took a long, long, drink. From across the room he whispered in awe, "Did he drink from you again?"
Katherine nodded her head slowly as if in a trance. "Yes. My blood seemed to have some affect on his condition. He started drinking daily, but only a little and then that slowly tapered off to weekly. He hardly ever spoke to mother after that. The house was very cold. At the same time, though, the attacks in the village and surrounding area had practically ended, and along with it the investigations, so that brought him some comfort.
"From that day on, I avoided mother as much as possible. I would rise early, get my own breakfast and leave the house before she woke, staying out until sunset when I would meet my father. He was my only comfort. She would make my life miserable if she caught me alone in the house."
Nick took another drink from the bottle. "Your mother knew about your father?"
Once again, she nodded. "She's the one that made him what he was. She was a witch from the islands." Katherine looked at Nick through a different light. "He didn't want to be a vampire, either."
Nick looked uncomfortable. "How did you survive?"
"I really don't know. The Old Ones think it has to do with my parentage, Dad being a vampire when I was conceived, his blood in my veins. From the moment that coffin opened, I knew that was what I was meant to do." She met his eyes, with out embarrassment or apology, just an acceptance of who and what she was.
"Is your father still alive? What about your mother?"
More memories of her parents flooded back to her. Things she put out of her mind long ago. She wished her mind were an erasable board that she could shake and be rid of the painful memories permanently, just like an Etch-a-Sketch. But it wasn't and she'd have to deal with the pain again and again.
A log slid to the side in the fireplace, producing a brand new array of colorful flames. Katherine watched the sparks dance and swirl. Just like that night?
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"Daddy!" Katherine screamed in heavy sobs as she burst through the doors of the old mansion. "Daddy!" She ran up the stairs into his arms, shaking with grief and fear.
From his room upstairs, he heard her crying hysterically as she ran through the woods to the house. Quickly, he made his way to the stairway. Something was seriously wrong.
"He's dead, Daddy. He's dead. I found him. I found him." She buried her face in his chest.
"Who is dead, Katerina, who?" He asked her gently.
"David. She killed him. I know it."
"It's all right, my little one. Come, let's go where we can talk." He carefully led her down the stairs to the drawing room. He closed the doors behind them.
"Ok, take a deep breath and start from the beginning. "
"I went into town today to see Mr. Thornbill. He had some questions about the wedding and I offered to help straighten them out. David wasn't there. We both thought it strange, because he's always been there to discuss the details with his father. Well, I did the best I could and we got some of the issues out of the way. On the way home, I decided to stop at the house to see how the building was going. I thought maybe David had gone there because he likes to keep an eye on things. It was strangely quiet. No one was working, but I thought I felt someone there. I called out. There was no answer. I started to walk around to the front of the house when I found him." Her voice cracked. "I found him Daddy. He was hanging by a rope from the bedroom window. Oh, daddy, he had to have been there a long time!" She broke into tears at the memory of it. When she recovered, she looked at her father and told him. "I heard laughing in the distance. A taunting laugh. A familiar laugh. It was Mother's, I know it."
"Katherine! How can you be sure?" His wife had done some abominable things in the past, but he found this difficult to believe.
Fearing he wasn't going to believe her, Katherine began to cry again. "I know it Daddy! She killed him because I loved him. I saw him. I heard her! I hate her! I hate her!" Her sobs became uncontrollable. She felt scared, alone and empty. The fear was enveloping her like a blanket.
Her father saw the panic in her face. The sense of loss and shock was overwhelming her. There had to be a way to calm her down. There had to be a way for him to reach her. He did the only thing that seemed reasonable at the time. He gathered her into him arms, held her head gently to the side and sank his teeth into her neck. Her heaving sobs gave way to whimpers.
At that moment, Mother swung open the doors to the drawing room. The look of amazement and shock on her face told Father instantly that she had never considered this a possibility. A look of disbelief quickly faded into recognition of the thing limp in her husband's arms. She knew then what it was she had borne seventeen years ago. She knew then that she could never let her leave this house again. "How dare you?" she cried out in disgust.
The vampire bared his fangs in anger at the intrusion. He threw his unconscious daughter onto the love seat and flew after his wife. "How dare I?" he growled. "You did this. You are the one who started this seven years ago. What were you thinking then? What were you thinking now?"
"Your own daughter. You attacked your own daughter. What kind of person are you?"
He bared his teeth once more and his eyes glowed with anger. "The kind you made."
The mother had entered the room completely now, fired up with hatred of many years. She flew at him, hitting and clawing at him. He threw her aside like a ragdoll. She landed on the marble floor in front of the fireplace. As she pulled herself up to go after him again, she grabbed the poker hanging to the side of the mantel. No one noticed the bottom of her skirt had dragged into the hearth and caught fire. She ran toward her husband, her creation, with the poker in her hand poised for attack.
She was fully engulfed in flame by the time she struck him in the chest.
Surprised by the sight of her in flames and the iron poker flying through the air at him, the vampire was unable to defend himself. He slumped forward into his burning wife after the metal stake pierced his heart. Together, they fell into a heap and went up in flames.
Katherine regained consciousness quickly, but not soon enough to help her father. In stunned silence, she sat and watched the two of them go up in flames before her. There was nothing she could do.
The Old Ones found her in the room, now burning quite nicely, staring at the flames. She sat mesmerized by the colors and shapes that floated from the blaze before her. Gently, they led her from the house and took her to their home.
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They both sat in silence a few minutes as they each dealt with the picture she had painted. It was an awful way to end a life. An unusual way to begin a new one.
Katherine looked at Nick. He sat before her looking very uncomfortable. *Another drink might help,* he thought, and finished the bottle. *A child of a vampire.* Then he remembered the old man's words from the other night. *You still have things to do, family.*
"Jasper said something about a family. Could this be true?" Nick was excited.
Katherine yawned. It had been an exhausting night. "Nick, I'm tired. Can't we finish this later?" By the time she finished her question, her head was down on the pillow on the couch, and she was fast asleep. Nick found a blanket and covered her. He sat back on the chair across from her and watched her sleep.
Act 14
"Oh my god, Nick," Natalie exclaimed from the top of the stairs.
Startled, Nick looked up to see Natalie staring down at him from the upper floor of the loft. He had been so caught up with Katherine, he never sensed her home. "How long have you been here?"
" I booked off early," Natalie told him when she reached his side, never taking her eyes off the sleeping figure on the couch, "I heard everything she said." She looked from Nick to Katherine to Nick again, trying to comprehend what she had heard the past few hours.
Nick bent over, adjusted the blanket on Katherine, then straightened up. "Nat?" He stopped, at a loss for words. He searched her face hoping to find them.
"I believe her now," was all Natalie could say as she found safety and comfort in Nick's arms.
Nick was exhausted. He had brought Katherine here in search of answers. He never anticipated these. He nestled his face in Natalie's hair and whispered, " A vampire's daughter, the Old Ones, cures. Natalie, I need time to sort this all out."
As she nodded against his shoulder, she closed her eyes, trying to make some sense out of the last hours. "Nick?" she began with apprehension in her voice.
"I know, Nat. I know." As he stood there comforting Natalie, he was bombarded by the awareness of her confusion, fears and hopes that had been awakened by his discussion with Katherine. *If one vampire can bring a child into this world, why not another? But this child was conceived by a witch and Natalie, you are certainly not a witch.* The memory of a dream he had a few months ago still lingered. *Could it be possible?*
Arm in arm, they stood silently watching Katherine sleep. She looked so peaceful and innocent lying there on the couch. The sleeping figure changed positions as Natalie whispered to Nick, " You'd never know it to look at her, would you?"
She took a closer look at him. Natalie had never seen him that tired. "Nick, get to bed. Even you need some rest."
The sound of her voice brought him back from convoluted thoughts. "You booked off early? Are you ok?"
"I got very tired. Guess this all caught up with me, and since there wasn't a whole lot to do, I put myself on the beeper and came here. I slept for a little while until I heard you two come in. Neither of you noticed me up there and I thought it was best to keep quiet. I hope you don't mind."
"It's ok. Somehow, I don't think she'll mind, either." Nick gave her a quick hug. "I AM tired. I think I'll go and lie down for awhile. You're sure you're ok?"
She gave him her most encouraging smile. "I'm tough. Actually, I don't think I could sleep a wink right now. I think I'll go work on my laptop." She gave him a kiss. "Sleep well."
Nick sighed as he looked down upon the sleeping Katherine. She had given him so much to think about. *Somehow, I just don't think so.*
Natalie watched him climb the stairs to the loft, then she turned and gazed upon their guest. *You must have seen quite a lot Katherine, and yet you look so untouched by it all. What other secrets are you keeping? What other secrets?*