Act 3
She fumbled with her key as she tried to unlock her room door. Natalie had given her some leads on places to look at. She'd get in touch with the realtor to make arrangements to see them after she slept awhile. Entering the room, she remembered the evening before when Vachon whispered he'd wait for her this morning. She looked around and did not find him. Half-relieved, and half disappointed, she turned on the TV to catch the morning news.
She listened abstractly as she changed into a nightshirt. She'd glanced around for him one more time before she changed. *One show a night is enough for him.*
"And in other news tonight, the body of the son of Toronto's leading insurance agency was found in Canaby Street Park last night," the reporter was saying. They showed the park and the body in a plastic bag. Nick and her were escorting Tommy to their car and in the background was a man, tall, wearing a big yellow coat and a fireman's hat. "Oh S*#t," she said out loud to no one.
"That's fine language from a fine lady like you," he said from the corner.
She jumped off the bed, nearly twisting her ankle in her surprise. "Vachon, why can't you knock like everyone else?"
He reached out his arm to catch her. "Because I'm not everyone else," he said with amusement on his face. He was toying with her and both of them knew it.
She was tired and a little angry that he needed to play games with her. "All the other vampires I know have used the door. Out of courtesy."
"Maybe I'm not the courteous type," he said softly as he pulled her close to him.
She gently pushed him away, and looked into those chocolate brown eyes. Eyes that were full of questions, anticipation, and nearly 500 years of taunting women. "Rough night?" He saw she'd returned to the news.
"Uh, huh," still lost in thought. The newscast had cut to a commercial. He reached over and turned the set off. "Hey, I was listening to that."
"Not anymore. They changed subjects, and anyway, I can tell you about that guy in the body bag."
"What? What do you know about him?"
"Just enough to keep you hanging until you're done with your story." He stood there, confident he had her in a corner.
She crinkled her nose at him. "Can I get a raincheck on that? I am very tired. This case has really worn me out."
"You promised me." He crossed over and stood face to face with her. "You don't strike me as a woman who doesn't live up to her promises." From out of nowhere, urges he'd normally suppress with ease welled up to the surface. He pulled her closer to him, eyes changing uncontrollably to green and fangs ready to take her.
Just as quickly she had pushed him off of her, spun him around and had him in an armlock, face down on the floor. "It will be on my terms, Vachon, IF I'm ever ready. Never, never do that again," she whispered heavily with authority in his ear. "I'm going to let you up now. Will you promise to behave?"
"Yes," he barely breathed out as he nodded his head. She slowly eased up and walked away from him. "I truly don't know what came over me." He rubbed his left arm as if she'd hurt him.
She stood across the room, hand on her hip, glaring at him. "By this point in time, I'd have figured you had a handle on these things." At the same time, she became more attentive to sounds at the door. Her expression changed, "Vachon, get out of here. I'll talk to you tonight. How do I get in touch with you? No, never mind, meet me back here around six."
Normally not one to be ordered around by a woman, he started to protest, but he sensed something in her posture, the expression on her face, and he left just as the sun began to break the horizon. He felt kind of silly running away like that, *but what the heck, she can handle herself, look at what she just did to me.*
Act 4
Jumping into bed the way a kid does when he gets caught being out of it, she tucked herself under the blankets before the door opened. A tall figure strode into the room and paused at the foot of the bed. "You never were any good at pretending you were asleep."
"Why Charles, whatever do you mean?" Katherine opened her eyes and stared at him.
"You know exactly what I mean. Sit up, we need to talk." Charles settled himself on the foot of the bed.
Katherine propped the pillows against the headboard and settled back, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "What do you want to know? I've just gotten here and the dust is just settling."
He sat there with fatherly patience. "You know what it is we wish to know. We are aware of the length of time you have been here. We are concerned about subjects we didn't count on. What are your plans with the young one?"
"The young one?" She tried to buy time to think.
Charles became slightly irritated with her. "Stop playing games, Katherine, it will do you no good. Now tell me, what are your plans with the Spaniard?"
"I am not playing games, Charles. I know perfectly well what I am doing."
"You were cleared to tell de Brabant. Only him. Now three of them know of you. Are you going to run an ad in the paper next? Your presence here is dangerous..."
"For the time line. Yes, Charles, I've heard it dozens of times. I know. As for who knows what, I've been discreet with the amount of information they all have gotten."
Charles started to interrupt, but her look stopped him, "They all know exactly what I've wanted them to know, nothing more than needed. I have things under control."
"The last time you said that we lost a few good people. The last time we felt these feelings from you, Geoffrey's time ended. Is that what you want?" He watched her close her eyes in the pain of remembrance. "Are you prepared to go through that again, Katherine?"
Flashes of the tall dark haired vampire with the piercing blue eyes flooded her mind. She could almost feel him flowing through her, her through him. Then she flashed on men with stakes, blood, and blackness. Knowing her actions caused the Enforcers to trap and kill Geoffrey would be something she would never forget. She lost two men who meant everything to her that night. No one could ever understand how deeply their deaths touched her.
When she opened her eyes, Charles was reaching for the tissue box. "I'm sorry, Katherine, but someone needed to remind you of your priorities. Here, blow your nose."
Taking the tissue, she did as instructed. "Remind me of my priorities?" She practically screamed. She spent almost her entire life doing what she was told what to do without question. "MY priorities, Charles? I have always kept those in line. There could never have been any question of that. I've always been the good little girl. I've done what I've been told, and when there's a possibility of being normal for just a little while, of having a friend, then some one shows up and REMINDS ME of my priorities?" She stared at him, incensed.
"Geoffrey and Jonathon are gone, Charles. I've accepted that and paid for it everyday since it happened. But, I will not become a slave to their memory the way I was with my father. It took me too long to shake him, I will not be tied down by them."
"I see." Charles sat back. "We are sorry that you feel that way. We have tried to make you feel a part of the family ever since you came. It was never our intention that you would not feel---"normal". For that, I'm sorry." His tone was sincere, and she knew he truly meant those words. "Perhaps if you had been older when you were brought to us, you would feel differently." He looked at her with regret in his eyes. "You were so young. You should have experienced life more. It would help you in these cases."
In spite of herself, Katherine yawned. "I'm sorry, Charles. I know it's not your fault. You are only the messenger. Tell them to trust me. I do know what I am doing after all these years. There will be no mistakes this time. I promise. With regard to the "young one," tell them this. I will be careful not to give in to him too much. I will try not to repeat what happened fifty years ago. But remind them this is my last one, for a long time, Charles. They promised after Jonathon that I might have some rest. I want a chance to feel "normal" if only for a little while."
She paused and thought a second. "I only took this one because of the circumstances around it. If I find my "rest" at the same time, then why should they complain?"
He stood from the bed. "All right, dear Katherine, I will pass along the information. They are concerned about your well being; we all are. But another vampire? Be careful, my child, be careful." He let himself out quietly.
*Another vampire? What do you expect, guys? It's in my blood.* She straightened out the pillows and fell into a fitful sleep.