What is TURAC??
lad...@wkuvx1.wku.edu
open to the public or a secret socciety. any replies to
lad...@wkuvx1.wku.edu will be appreciated.
thanks,
Chris
devoted devotee of Anne, Poppy, and Clive
Jeff Bates
: Hi! i was just wondering what TURAC is and if it is an organization
Hello Chris,
TURAC stands for: The Unholy Roman Armandian Church.
--
Jeff B.
"So oftentimes it happens, that we live our lives in
chains, and we never even know we have the key." Glen Frey
The Black Rose
Sequel to "Hollywood Vampires"
Part 29, Posts 281-290
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 281: Louis
The images of the past filled his mind. Gala opera balls, women in
swirling satins, he and Lestat resplendent in the garb of the 1800's.The
Music and the great voices of the past. An over powering longing crashed
over him with all the force of a tidal wave. Lestat! How he missed him,
how he *wanted* him!
Louis grabbed the telephone and called down to the concierge.
"This is Monsieur de Pointe du Lac in suite 512... would you happen to
know where the parcel in my room was delivered from? ...The Hotel St.
Louis? Thank you."
Louis' mouth curled into a smile. "I've found you, Lestat!"
He contacted the hotel switchboard. "If you please, could you connect
me with The Hotel St. Louis? Merci beaucoup." Louis sat down at the desk
and pulled a rose from the vase. "Good Evening." He spoke to the clerk at
Lestat's hotel. "Do you have one Lestat de Lioncourt registered... could
you connect me, please?"
Louis could hear the phone ringing at the other end of the line.
"de Lioncourt," snapped the familiar voice on the other end of the
connection.
"I would say so..." replied Louis, smiling.
"Louis..." breathed the familiar voice.
"Thank you for the floricultural display. Don't you think you went a
trifle overboard?" Louis said.
"No," replied Lestat, chuckling. "I thought something tasteful would
be in keeping with your modest style."
Lestat listened to Louis' rich laughter. He closed his eyes and
sighed. ::Mon Louis...::
"The journal is quite nice, Lestat. Thank you."
"My pleasure." Lestat answered.
"About the opera tickets..."
"You're no longer fond of Puccini's works?" Lestat sniffed in mock
dismay.
"I'm quite fond of his music." Louis said. "I was wondering if you
would care to join me? It's rather short notice..."
"If we hurry, we can make curtain time..."
Louis smiled. "I'll see you in front of the theatre in half an hour."
"I'll be there, Louis." Lestat replied.
Louis quickly changed into a dark green collarless silk shirt and
black Armani suit. This was the 1990's, not the 1890's. No one dressed up
for the opera anymore. Before leaving the suite, he hastily scribbled a
note to Antonio.
"Went to the opera. See you later." and simply signed it "L" .
Lestat was waiting for him on the steps of the theatre. When he saw
Louis, a smile flashed across his face. He stepped forward to greet him.
"I was beginning to think you were having second thoughts." Lestat
grinned.
Louis glanced at the pavement. "I shouldn't have walked out on you like
that... at the bar."
"We were both a little... stressed." Lestat controlled the urge to
reach for him. He was so very close. "Why don't we go in? It's started. We
can slip into our box."
Louis nodded. He followed Lestat into the theatre. All the feelings of
hurt were melting away at the very sight and scent of his lover. He was
with Lestat once more. Soon, all would be forgiven.
An usher held open the door to the box. Lestat stepped aside and
allowed Louis to pass through first. Louis stopped midway through the
door, glanced up into Lestat's stormy grey eyes and slightly smiled.
Lestat placed his hand on Louis' shoulder, and they entered the box
together.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 282: David
David had slept late that night. For the first time, in a long
time, he had no dreams...or at least none that he could remember. He felt
thankful for that. He got up, took a shower and got dressed, then he
searched the hotel room for any sign of Lestat or Santino. He found
Santino in the adjoining suite reading a newspaper. He leand over the top
of the leather chair and planted a kiss on Santino's forehead.
"When did you get up?" Santino said coldly.
"Just about twenty minute ago...Listen Santino, about last nigh,
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound like I didn't care about Lestat. I do
care about him and his happiness, I just don't think it's my place to tell
him what to do, that's all. Can you understand that?" Santino smiled at
him.
"Yes, I can see you're point. But our worries may be over."
"What do you mean?"
"Lestat sent Louis a little gift, Louis called and invited him out
to the opera. Of course Lestat accepted...things will run their course and
they will be back together before dawn." David let out a little chuckle.
"What is it?" asked Santino.
"I don't think they'll be able to fix all their problems with one
night at the opera!"
"No, but it's a start!"
"A start for what?! That is the question that should be asked."
"Then you don't think it will work?"
"No, I don't. I can't see much future in that relationship to tell
you the truth."
"What! You don't want them to be together? you don't think they
*belong* together? David--"
"Santino, it doesn't matter what I think. Maybe they will find
happinesstogether, I hope they do, but it's not likely to work on the
present heading thier on."
"And what heading is that?" He snapped at David.
"Mutual assured destruction. Look at them Santino! Two-hundred
years, how much has changed for them? Oh I have no doubt that they will
get back together, but how long will that last till the next blow up? I
think we should just be thankful that this time no one got thrown in a
swamp or set on fire."
"That's past!"
"Is it? We're talking about a couple whose signiture song is
"Burning Down the House"!
"So Antonio should just be able to move right in and take over
Lestat's place--"
"Antonio has nothing to do with Lestat and Louis' problems. He's
the one I feel sorry for in all of this. And what's with this double
standard of your's? Why is Louis forbidden to do what Lestat freely
does?"
"What are you talking about?" Santino asked impatiently.
"Think about it Santino, exhibit 'A' is sitting right in front of
you. Lestat took what he wanted, and never considered how I or Louis would
feel about it! Tell me, how am I different then Antonio? Lestat took me
when he was feeling rejected by Louis, just as Louis turned to Antonio
when Lestat rejected him. And where are we left when the two of them
decide to patch things up? Their reckless, the both of them are
shamefully reckless with others!"
"And you claim to *love* Lestat!" Santino spouted in anger.
"Yes, I do! That doesn't mean that i have to agree with every
little stunt he pulls! I flew half way around the world at dawn because I
thought that he was in danger! Don't even *think* that you could lecture
me on things you know nothing about! Go ahead, play matchmaker for Prince
Charles and Lady Di, call me when you're done. If I wanted a relationship
with a babysitter, I would have stayed with Marius!" David quickly walked
out of the room and into the hall of the hotel. He needed to get out...to
get away from the troubles of the coven. He needed to find the place where
he could leave himself and the coven, behind.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 283: Brad
Jesse roared around the trailers, scattering crew members as she
went. Brad grinned with exhilaration, laughing as he fought to keep the
wild red hair out of his eyes and mouth. Maybe this was just what he
needed - to be racing through the night on the back of a Harley driven buy
a knockout redheaded woman. So what if she wasn't exactly alive. She was
fun to be with, smart as a whip, and great looking on top of it - better
still she cared about him.
She'd fixed him eggs, for crying out loud, even though the sight of
'em made her sick. Eggs take a lot of people that way. He could tell they
were catching her wrong though she pretended they weren't. She'd made
herself queasy just because she thought he needed some food in him. Brad
smiled into her hair and gave her a squeeze, glad that she'd showed up so
unexpectedly.
He heard a loud shout an looked up just in time to see some of the
crew guys drag a big lighting stand out of Jesse's way. The blue and red
gels flipped and tumbled on their hinges at the violent treatment. Brad
slapped his head in annoyance.
"Jess! JESSE!" he yelled trying to be heard over the Harley's engine.
No good. She couldn't hear him. He tried another track. ::JESSE!::
::OW! What?:: Jesse turned her head around and looked at him over her
shoulder.::
::We - look OUT!:: Brad held his breath as Jesse deftly maneuvered
around two crewmen who'd suddenly appeared before them carrying a piece of
scenery. ::We need to go back to the trailer for a minute::
::Whatever for? You *want* to get jumped or something?::
::No, I left some things I need to get. I've got to go back for them.
The other stuff can stay there.::
::Oh all right. But if TC comes back around, I swear I won't be so
nice to him.::
::He's not a bad guy, Jesse. He was actually being nice for a change,
trying to help me..."
::Yeah, help you out of your clothes maybe,:: Jesse scowled as she
headed the bike back in the direction they'd just come. ::Way to ruin a
good getaway, Pitt!::
Brad laughed out loud as the pulled up in front of his trailer. "I'm
sorry Red...OUCH!" Brad yelped as a sharp, bony knuckle poked him in the
ribs. "Okay, I'm sorry Ms. Jessica, Ma'am.:: Brad jumped back and winked
at her as she swung at him again. "I see you've got that infamous redhead
temper." Brad bounded up the stairs as she made to get off the Harley.
"Okay, I'll quit. I'll be back in a sec." Brad paused in the open
doorway. "Wait for me?"
"Duh. I only saved you from a fate worse than death so I could leave
you alone and unprotected at the first opportunity!"
Brad laughed and ducked into the trailer. He dragged his battered
duffle bag from the storage compartment and began stuffing clothes in it.
He grabbed the picture of his family, wrapped it in a soft sweat shirt and
tucked it carefully in the bag. The last thing to go in was his window and
sketch pad. He hadn't touched the glass since Tony...
Shit. Tony. He'd forgotten all about that.
Brad dived for the phone and dialed the number of Martin's office on
the set. "Hi this is Brad. Yes I've heard the news, Tom came over to my
trailer to tell me himself. No, I'm not worried, things will get
straightened out. Listen, has Antonio heard? He has? He did? Are you sure
he's not still on the set? He can be reached where?" Brad ripped a sheet
out of his sketch pad and wrote down the name of the hotel Tony said he
could be reached at. "Hey, thanks for the info. No, I don't know where
I'll be yet. I'll call Marty's main office and leave word as soon as I
know myself." Brad thought hard for a moment, his eyes on the bottle of
vintage scotch that still sat on the small table.
Before he could think better of it he went on, "Tom will be checking
in periodically, right? When I talked to him he said he was working on
getting things straightened out...he will? In that case I'd like to leave
a message for him. Tell him I said to be on his guard with that individual
we discussed. And tell him that I'm fine and not to be concerned. I'll
leave word where he can reach me."
That task accomplished, Brad hung up and took a swift inventory of
the room. He had what he'd come for - his window and the picture of his
family, the rest he wouldn't miss at all. Without really thinking about
it, he snagged the bottle of scotch and shoved it down in the bag.
Slinging the duffle on his back he made for the door.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 284: Daniel
Daniel watched Pandora, but he couldn't quite comprehend what was
on her mind.
"I need a damn telephone!" She kept repeating, as she lifted the
dirty clothes from the floor. "There's gotta be a fun here somewhere...
DAMN!" She began throwing the old magazines and scripts all over the
place.
"Pandora, calm down! What the hell are you trying to do? What do
you need a lawyer for?"
Pandora paused her search for a moment and stared at Daniel. "I
think it's very obvious, Daniel...*WE* are getting the movie back on---"
"NO!"
"What do you mean, no? I don't understand!"
"Listen, Pandora, I might be crazy, but I'm not an IDIOT! If Lestat
closed the production then, it *stays* closed!"
"You're out of your mind!"
"No, *you* are out of your mind! Do you really think I'm going to
risk my butt by defying Lestat? He'll burn me to ashes before I'm able to
say a word!"
"It was your idea to get cast as Lestat!"
"That's different! He wouldn't kill me for that! Forget it! If you
want to become ashes, then that's your problem! I'm out of here!" Daniel
turned around and began walking towards the door.
"Daniel, wait!" Pandora yelled. "Don't leave me...," she said
again, this time, lowering her voice.
"Pandora, please understand... I'M SCARED!" Daniel collapsed into
sobs.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 285: Pandora
Pandora felt her heart breaking after seeing Daniel in such a
pitiful state. The natural tenderness was awoken in her soul and she
approached Daniel to comfort him.
"Shhhhhh!" She wrapped her arm around him and rocked him softly.
"It's okay...there's nothing to fear. I'm here with you...I promise
nothing will happen to you!"
"It's not that...I just don't think we're doing the right thing. Do
you know what Lestat will do if he finds out about this?"
Pandora stroked Daniel's hair with her hands and smiled. "Daniel,
I *never* stopped to think about that! I don't fear Lestat...I don't fear
anyone! I'm not afraid of anything. I believe that my existence will come
to an end, someday, at the right time; in the right place, but I don't
know when that'll be. If I were to see the sunrise tomorrow, I wouldn't be
worry about it. I live my life the way I want; taking risks every second.
I'm not afraid! Lestat...He can't harm me!"
"But he *can* harm me! He'll kill me!"
"Armand wouldn't allow it!" Pandora replied quickly.
Daniel pushed Pandora away. "Don't mention his name again! Don't
talk about him again!"
"There's so much pain inside you...I felt it this morning, before
we went to bed. You were crying, why?"
"I was NOT!"
"Daniel, don't lie to me. Open up! Let me get inside you; I want to
help you."
Silence.
Daniel took a deep breath and began pacing around the room. "We're
really getting of the subject line," he finally said. "so, are you going
to forget about this movie, or should I take my leave?"
Pandora wanted to insist, but it was obvious that the fledgling
didn't want to talk about his problem with her. "If it makes you feel any
better, I'll desist. We can forget about the movie...at least for a
while."
"Thanks."
"And Daniel, when you're ready to talk...I'll be here!"
"What are you going to do about Martin?" Daniel asked, changing the
subject once again.
Pandora had to laugh. "Stop trying to play stupid, Daniel! Don't
change the subject!"
"Ummm...you know what, Pandora? I'm getting hungry again!" Daniel
smiled, a wide smile that showed his sharp fangs.
"It's good to see you smile!" Pandora remarked.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 286: Marius
He hadn't meant to rebuff Armand, or to pull either of them back
into the chaos that was the coven quite so quickly. But he couldn't help
it. Something had touched him, had pulled him from his own dreams and now
pushed at him to hurry them along. It was like a mental itch which he
could neither pinpoint, or scratch. And though he returned his lover's
kiss and responded to his questions, Marius was distracted.
In a way, the distraction was a blessing. It was something outside
of the immediate worries of Armand and Lestat, around which his world had
centered for too many nights in a row. He had almost surprised himself
when he answered Armand's query with Gabrielle's name, but even as he said
it he knew it was right. There was the feeling of something _wrong_ from
her, and to deal with Gabrielle was a welcome relief from having to deal
with her son.
They dressed and left the hotel, heading towards the movie set,
where Marius could feel the faint touch of Gabrielle. They arrived to find
the place in chaos. Easy to find the cause- it fairly screamed from every
mortal's mind as the humans scurried about. The movie had been stopped. It
was finished.
_Surely this site is cursed,_ Marius thought grimly, looking
around. _And the cursing demons are we, who have meddeled too much and
with too many._ Too many memories of what had happened in this place, and
memories that were far too recent. Some good, admitedly, but several that
his mind shied away from as well. He pushed it all away, cut out the
clamoring mental babble of the mortals, and, taking Armand's arm, strode,
unhindered and unnoticed, across the set to where the trees were clustered
and he could feel the presence of another of the coven.
Armand slowed as they approached and Marius squeezed his hand
gently, leaning down to press a kiss to his brow. "It will be alright,
caro," he whispered. And then, raising his voice to call out, "Gabrielle?"
She was there, seated against the base of one of the trees, her
head pillowed on her knees and her golden hair streaming over her shoulder
and down to trail amidst the grass. She raised her face at his voice,
meeting his gaze with tired eyes and a wane smile.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 287: Gabrielle
"Hi sweeties." Gabrielle made an attempt to smile a little more
confidently, but failed miserably as the effort sent her head back to her
knees. She groaned audibly, in evident frustration with her lack of
strength.
"Are you alright, Gabrielle?" Marius asked, his voice tinged with
undisguisable concern.
She waved him off and brought her eyes to meet his,
"Yes, I'll be fine. Would you mind being a dear and helping me to
my feet?"
"But of course." Marius replied as he extended his hand, she took
it and suddenly she was at her feet. She was swaying dangerously and used
Marius to steady herself.
"Sorry." she winced slightly as she tightened her grip on his arm.
"Boys, you're going to have to assist me a bit here. Looks like old age
finally caught up with me, but I don't feel 200 if a day!"
She heard Armand snicker a bit from behind Marius, she swung her
head in his direction and shook her finger.
"I heard that."
Still holding onto Marius, she shook her golden mane away from her
face. She looked up into Marius' crystal blue orbs. Worry was reflected
there,
"Are you sure you're ok, Gabrielle?"
"Take a night off from your parental duties, cher. I'm fine. The
fire has taken me back a few notches but nothing that can't be fixed. I
took some of Jesse's blood, it helped a little. I'm still a little woozy
however."
She slipped her arm around Marius and leaned against his familar
weight comfortably,
"I'm just so tired, that's all."
"Fire?"
Gabrielle raised an eyebrow at Marius' inquiry.
"Oh, you haven't been told?" She nodded towards Armand, "The one
that Monsieur le Imp caused at the Pon? The one that after my darling
Antonio and you two took off, trapped me there and nearly burnt me to a
crisp before Louis saved me? You didn't know about that little accident?"
Gabrielle smiled sweetly at the two of them as their mouths
dropped open.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 288: David
David walked the streets of New Orleans as if he were drifting
through a fog. He tried to block out the sights and sounds around him,
but it was to no avail, his vampire senses would not allow it. It was as
if he were a sponge soaking in every sound, every breath, every mind,
until all was one. Desperate to return to himself, to save what was left
of his sanity, his vampire instinct took over. He went after the first
prostitute he could find. He took her to a secluded back street and
greedily took her. As his fangs pierced her neck and the blood began to
flow into his mouth and down his throat, he felt a peace, a peace he had
been lacking for months now. He could hear the rhythm of her heart beating
with his own and he held her tighter, believing that if he kept listening,
it would continue to beat and she would live. He kept drinking long after
she was dead, unable to put her body down in his swoon. Then a wave of
nausea hit from the dead blood that coursed through his veins. He dropped
her and stumbled backwards.
It only lasted a moment, and then it passed. It may have killed a
weaker fledgling, but his blood was strong. His thoughts were cleared and
he could once again make coherent sense of his surroundings. How long had
it been since he took a mortal victim? He silently grieved for her and
then disposed of her body. He hated taking life and he often wondered how
long he could continue being what he was. But how could he stop it? He
already proved that not even the sun could kill him, nor the blood of the
dead. Was this what Lestat thought after his time in the Gobi Dessert?
Best not to think of these things now.
David headed to the set. Perhaps putting his mind on frivolous
things would relieve him of the funk he was settling in. That thought was
short lived, for as soon as he arrived there he found the set in total
chaos. Everyone was shouting at each other, putting the blame for the shut
down on anyone they could think of. Confused by what was going on, David
scanned the area to see if a vampire was behind the mayhem. The first one
he locked onto was Jesse, but she was hardly responsible for any of this.
He sensed distress from her thoughts and quickly abandoned the notion of
meddling with the movie. He moved in her direction and found her standing
outside of a trailer.
"Jesse! I'm so glad I found you. What are you doing here, is
everything okay?"
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 289: Marius
"Gabrielle!" Marius managed to gasp, at last. "I had no _idea_! I
didn't think... How badly were you hurt?" He looked down at her, as though
expecting to see the ravages of the fire on her face and figure. "Are you
alright?"
"I'm fine," Gabrielle repeated emphatically. "I said I was just
tired, didn't I? Marius, leave it be."
"But..."
"But," Gabrielle echoed, mocking. A smile curved her lips.
"Really, I'm just a bit woozy. I'll be fine."
"Yes, of course," Armand said quietly, slipping in against her
other side to offer his support as well. "And that is, obviously, why you
need help in order to stand upright, or, indeed, to stand at all. Is this
another example of the famed Lioncourt stiff-necked pride, Madame?"
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 290: Gabrielle
"Not a case of pride, petit cher, simply the truth. So, Armand.
Still want to kill my son?" Gabrielle smiled down upon him wickedly, her
eyes blazing with an inner flame.
Armand was most obviously taken aback by her comment, his eyes
grew wide.
"I..."
Gabrielle placed a finger to his smooth lips and sent her thoughts
to him,
:: Remember I can read you like the back of my hand, cher. Jesse's
blood only helps my cause. I can understand perfectly why you're out to
kill my son. Rest assured the boy is going to get a good spanking when I
get my hands on him. ::
For good measure, she sent out a few thought of the fire to him.
He gasped.
:: Yes, that's what I went through. We're even. ::
Armand nodded, but Gabrielle noticed that he had shut his mind up
tight, barring any entry. She pulled him near to her side, leaning on his
small frame for comfort as she let another wave of diziness pass before
her eyes. She shook her head slightly.
"Well," she announced happliy, "I am being carried around by two
stunning men, I do get myself into the worst situations, don't I?"
Marius chuckled and cleared his throat,
"Gabrielle?"
"Yes?"
"Lestat...."
Gabrielle looked up at him, her eyes resting comofortably on his
handsome features.
"Is in very big trouble. Not mention probably wants to kill my
fledgling and wouldn't mind me going down with Tonio as well. My fault
Lestat is so screwed up, dysfunctional family, I think that's what they
call it now. His father never gave him what he needed....boy do I have
some news for my boy...."
The Black Rose
Sequel to "Hollywood Vampires"
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 291: Marius
Marius smiled wryly. "Such as the fact that, at 200 years old, he
should be mature enough to handle this situation without breaking up the
entire coven, dysfunctional background or no?" Though his tone was light,
his expression was not. He met Armand's eyes briefly, noting the
tightening of his lover's face and the way Armand looked away. He sighed,
looking out over the flurry of activity that was the movie set.
"I don't know how to help him," he whispered softly to himself.
"I don't know how to fix _any_ of this."
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 292: Jesse
Jesse blinked as she saw David standing in front of the cycle. She
rubbed the tears from her eyes and stared at him with a startled
expression.
"David? What on earth are you doing here?" She looked closer at him.
"David! Your skin!" She was instantly beside him, her fingers lightly
touching his cheekbone.
"I had a little run in with the dawn, that's all, my dear..." He began.
David suddenly found himself being tightly hugged by a weeping Jesse.
"Why did you go into the sun?" She lifted her face to his. "What's
happened? The entire coven's gone to Hell! Lestat and Louis have split,
Lestat's enamoured with that mortal Tom in one way or another, Gabby seems
to be on her last legs... and now I've become known as the coven's slut!"
Brad was behind her turning her around.
"No one thinks of you that way, Jess. You're sweet and kind..." He
tried to soothe her. He looked at David, suddenly realizing he was in the
company of another vampire. "Shit!"
"It's alright, Brad. He won't hurt you... Brad this is David, my
friend and my teacher from the Talamasca. He's also..."
"I know..." Brad swallowed. "Lestat's latest addition to the family"
David offered Brad his hand. "Delighted to meet you. A friend of
Jesse's is a friend of mine."
He turned to Jesse. "Where were you off to?"
Jesse shrugged. "Away from here. Brad needs to get away, and I was
helping him escape. I don't want to go to a hotel with him. He doesn't
need the tabloids up his ass... Oh! I'm sorry, David. You know what I'm
like when I'm upset! Do you have any ideas? A safehouse of sorts?
Somewhere we can sort ourselves out. There are some motel cabins not too
far from here, but they aren't very nice."
She looked expectantly into David's eyes.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 293: David
David thought for a moment, there weren't too many places that a
star of Brad Pitt's calibar could escape notice. He immediately thought
of the Rue Royale, but quickly dismissed the idea. All they needed was
for Lestat or Louis to happen in on them. His next thought was of his
apartment he had just rented shortly before the fiasco with the coven
started.
"I have a place you could stay Jesse, but I'm afraid it's not well
furnished yet. I've been kind of...busy and haven't gotten around to fixing
it up. It should do for one night though, then we could find your friend
a better place to stay." Jesse flung her arms around him and squeezed
tightly.
"Thank you David, I owe you one!"
"Nonsense! After all that investigating and Talamasca training I
put you threw, *I* will be owing you for the rest of this century and half
of the next!" He hugged her again and then turned to Brad.
"Shall we, Mr. Pitt?"
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 294: Armand
"Lestat." Armand snapped. "It is ever Lestat. If we are going
to discuss *him* I insist upon it being in a place of more comfort." With
a quick motion he bent then swept Gabrielle into his arms. It seemed
she might object, but then thought better of it. She did rouse herself
enough to guide the way to Antonio's trailer, but then rested quietly.
The door opened before them, the light activated and the door closed again
before they really registered where they were.
Antonio had created a plush, exotic dwelling within the steel
walls of the trailer. Everything was in blush reds and deep burgandys.
Armand raised an eyebrow at Marius before he carefully deposted Gabrielle
into the gentle embrace of the velvet sofa. Gabrielle sighed, but made
no move to leave his arms. Rather than object, Armand simply shifted so
that her head rested against his shoulder. Then, without preamble, he
began to speak, telling her of the chase through the desert, and the
meetings with Lestat in China.
"But now he's back, and he has already attacked Antonio." he
concluded grimly. Then he looked to Marius, knowing he had insight
to add to the conversation.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 295: Marius
Marius had stood, leaning against the arm of a chair through
Armand's entire recital. When Armand finished and looked to him he did
not respond for a long moment, lost in his own thoughts.
Finally, he spoke, his head bent and his eyes fixed on his hands,
where they rested against his folded arms. "Lestat.... I do not belive he
does these things out of maliciousness. His way has always been to lash
out when he was hurt, and the more he hurts the more the lashes out. He
acts without thinking, hurting others by mistake, and then can not admit
that he has made the mistake. Louis- with Antonio- has, perhaps, hurt
Lestat worse then he will ever admit. Worse then he has ever been hurt."
He raised his head, meeting Armand's dark eyes and Gabrielle's saphirre
ones. "Ragazzo, I can not help but empathise with him! When you left,
that night... The pain I felt was everything, and if Antonio had refused
to help me I would have hurt him, and not thought twice about it.
Everything fell into one side or another- something that helped me to
find you, or something that hindered me. And if it hindered me, I thought
nothing of sweeping it aside. Lestat must feel very similarly, right now,
and I don't doubt that he won't think twice about doing anything to win
Louis back. I can't even find fault with that!" He sighed, closing his
eyes and shaking his head. "It is Louis' decision to leave, yes. But
Lestat truely does love him. I'm just afraid that he will hurt- or even
kill- in the name of that love."
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 296: Pandora
"Daniel, it's good to see you smile" she said and watched as his
smile grew wider. "Now to keep you smiling.... I'll tell you what, since
it seems as though we are going to be in New Orleans for quite some time,
why don't I get in touch with one of my lawyers to arrange for
accomodations, and while I'm talking to him you can go grab a midnight
snack."
"Accomodations? But what's wrong with where we're staying now?"
asked Daniel.
"Don't be silly, I have no interest in staying in a hotel room for
weeks on end. Besides, I have felt for quite some time that a little
'pied-a-terre' in New Orleans would be just the thing."
"Okay, but I would rather not split up with you, why don't I wait
while you contact your lawyer and then we can both go get a snack
together?"
She smiled at him, "Daniel, you're a sweetheart, all right, let's
go." With those words she linked her arm through his and said "shall we
go to our rooms? It would be easier to have a quiet space in which to
talk to my lawyer and make the necessary arrangements."
"Yes perfect," he said, as they sauntered out.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 297: Daniel
Daniel and Pandora walked out of Martin's trailer, leaving no trace
of their presence behind.
"What's gonna happen with Martin now?" Daniel asked.
"I think he'll be fine. However, I'll be watching out for him." She
wrapped her arm around Daniel's shoulder and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.
Suddenly, Daniel became stiff, his eyes darting from side to side.
"What's the matter, Daniel?" Pandora became alarmed.
"Someone else is here! Very close to us!"
Pandora closed her eyes and began scanning. "Daniel, it's only
David!"
"God, I feel relieved!"
"Who did you expect, Count Dracula?"
"No, I was thinking about Lestat!"
"Ooooh!" Pandora shivered. "That's really scary!" she teased.
Daniel gestured for her to be quiet. They stood in position, and
watched as David's erect figure emerged from the shadows.
"He knows we are here," Pandora whispered. "Let's show ourselves."
:Who are you! Let me see your face: David thought.
"It's okay, David. It's only us!" Pandora said, walking out of her
dark hiding place. Daniel followed.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 298: Jesse
Jesse reached up and smoothed her thumb over David's cheekbone.
"We'll talk once we get there...ok? You look troubled. You can tell
'Auntie Jessica' all about it, hmm?" She reached up and kissed his again.
"I can't stand it when you look that way, David." She smiled.
She returned to the Harley. "Come on, Brad. Let's roll."
Brad climbed on behind her and held on as she reved the engine.
::So, where are we going?:: He asked her. Brad was getting the hang of
this mind communications. He had to watch it, in case his thoughts
wandered.
::I heard that:: Jesse giggled in his mind. ::We're off to Burgundy
St.::
::Where'd your friend go?::
:: To his apartment. I guess he'll be there in a few minutes.::
::Is it close to here?::
Jesse glanced back over her shoulder and grinned at him.
::It will take us about a half hour if I tear up the road:: She
replied.
Brad couldn't help but laugh.
::Jess - that's a 'vampire thing', right?::
::You've got it, Sweetie.::
The apartment was spacious, but sparsely furnished. Jesse walked across
the living room, her feet moving soundlessly across the bare wood floor.
Brad walked behind her, his boot heels clicked on the floorboards as he
followed. Jesse opened the tall windows and walked out onto the balcony.
"You'll have to be as careful about your visability as I am in avoiding
the the morning sun." She turned around, leaned against the railling and
looked up into this face. "Brad, these are the rules. Don't come near any
of us while we sleep. We may look harmless, but we're lethal. If I look
like hell as soon as I wake up, it's because I have to feed. I suggest you
hang out somewhere out of here around sunset. The scent of blood can be
overpowering to us at times." She smiled. "Don't look so worried. David's
strong, and I'm stronger. But just to be safe, stay away."
"You are blunt, aren't you?" Brad smiled.
"Ya gotta be, Brad. Life's a bitch. Death can be a bigger bitch if you
let it get to ya." She smiled brightly. "Now, let's check out David's
bachelor pad and sort out the sleeping arrangments."
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 299: Gabrielle
Gabrielle tightened her grip on Armand, squeezing a bit tighter
than she meant, her eyes grew wide.
"You think that he would *kill* Antonio? *My* Antonio?" Gabrielle
made a wave of her hand as if she was dismissing the situation as utterly
ridiculous.
"Yes, he would." Armand responded quietly.
Gabrielle locked eyes with him, at once lost in their fathomless
depths. She shook her head, "No, he's despicable, but not that horrid. Not
Antonio, he would not harm him. He knows how much I love....." Gabrielle
looked away to Marius for support.
"He would kill, Gabrielle. You know that as well as I. You and
Lestat are not on the best of standings right now. I hardly doubt that in
a rage he would take the fact that Antonio is your fledgling in account."
Gabrielle's hand fluttered to her head and she sank further into
Armand's arms. Her sapphire eyes blinked wide open, locking onto Armand's
and then to Marius.
"Then, simply, we must make sure that doesn't happen."
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 300: Marius
Marius seated himself beside Gabrielle, slipping an arm about her
shoulders. "Gabrielle," he said softly, "I think, perhaps, the wisest
thing to do would be to find Antonio, rather then confront Lestat." His
smile held a glint of humor in it. "Besides, my dear, you are hardly up
to outshouting your son at the moment, and your fledgling, despite the
brave face he puts on it, has been woefully neglected by all of us in
these first few weeks. He's managed quite well, but I think he might
appreciate some company, especially if it was yours. And if we can find
Louis as well... I'd like to know what he intends to do. Beyond the
immediate action of leaving Lestat. I have a feeling Lestat's actions
will hinge mainly on what Louis does."
The Black Rose
Sequel to "Hollywood Vampires"
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 301: Lestat
Lestat's heart was pounding. And he felt the most curious sensation
of almost giddy illness. Which, he thought, was utter nonsense. After
all, wasn't all of this to be expected? Was there really a doubt that
Louis would have come to him?
Was there?
But never mind that. There were more important things. Like the
dreams! There had been no nightmares the night before. Surely Louis had
noticed this! Lestat had been in New Orleans, David and Santino were in
the same suite as he was and yet there were still no nightmares!
Of *course* Louis had noticed this. Lestat was sure of it. Why
else would he have agreed to come to the opera with him? It was all in the
past now. No more to worry about. They could be together once more.
The performance on stage might never have happened for all Lestat
noticed. He watched Louis the entire time, unable to take his eyes off of
his beautiful lover. And then Louis would turn his head slightly and see
that Lestat was watching. Then Louis would blush, Lestat would smile, and
they would both laugh.
If Louis noticed the opera, Lestat couldn't say. But he doubted it.
Louis had "accidentally" turned his head slightly a few too many times.
And then when the curtain fell--or rather there was the thunderous
applause of the audience--Louis turned to Lestat, smiled, then asked "Will
you walk with me?"
Perfection. Intoxicating perfection.
"That was very nice," Louis said, after a time. "Thank you,
Lestat."
"I thought you might like the opera," Lestat said. "I seem to
remember you had a fondness for it once."
Louis laughed. "A fondness... yes, I suppose you could call it
that. And you--" Louis' smile grew serious, yet still more brilliant. "I
liked your note, Lestat. I liked it very much."
They were at the Omni now. Lestat summoned an elevator to take them
upstairs. "The journal? Yes. I thought you'd like that too. After all,
there's so much to write about." Lestat grinned as they stepped into the
elevator together.
"True," Louis said. "But that's not what I meant. I meant your
other note."
"My--" the elevator doors opened. They stepped out into the hallway
and went to the door to Louis' room. "My other note?" Lestat asked.
"Yes," Louis said. "'I feigned sleep, just to watch you - so--'"
"'--beautiful, lost in the music,'" They said it together,
surprising themselves into silence.
"You... liked that?" Lestat asked.
"You seem surprised," Louis said. "Why wouldn't I like it? Words
like that, from you, I--" Louis stopped himself, looking away from Lestat
and towards his hotel door. For a moment, he looked miserable.
Lestat would have done anything to make that misery go away. He
touched Louis' shoulder, drawing his attention back to him. He was
rewarded by seeing some of the happiness return to Louis' face.
"Tonight was very nice though, yes?" Lestat asked him. They were
close now. Closer than before. Lestat couldn't remember how they'd gotten
that way but he was too lost in the sensation to care.
"Oui," Louis said. He placed his hand on Lestat's chest as though
to steady himself. "Very nice, yes."
Not knowing why his hand was trembling so, Lestat placed his palm on
Louis' cheek, drawing him closer. "Before I go--"
"Go?"
"--perhaps, a good night kiss?"
"Oui," the word was a mere breath before their lips touched and then
there were no more words at all.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 302: David
"Daniel! Pandora! It's so good to see you both again! Your
looking exquiste as always Pandora." He leaned over and kissed her hand.
"And you look like shit!" Daniel interrupted. He put his hand on
David's face to feel the darkened skin. "What happened David! It looks
like...I mean you didn't try to--"
"No Daniel, I didn't try to end it. It was a mistake I made, but I'm
all right now." He could see that Daniel didn't accept his quick brush off
and knew that he would have to go into an explanation...but it would have to
wait. "Daniel, what on earth made you dress in that God awful outfit!" He
said attempting to change the subject. Daniel shot an evil look over to
Pandora. "Ah. Well come to think of it, it does kind of grow on you if you
try to avoid direct eye contact." ::Don't ever let them dress you my dear
boy.:: David said directly to Daniel ::You'll come out looking like a fool
every time::
"May I ask what the two of you are doing here?" Daniel and Pandora
looked at each other and wondered if they should let him in on their failed
scheme.
::Should we tell him?:: Pandora asked
::Why not, I think he's the most trust worthy out of the whole coven::
::Mind including me in? Forgive the pun:: David mused as they spoke
between each other privately.
"Well you see," Daniel said, "We got ourselves parts in the movie."
"Oh? And what parts were they?" David asked
"Very important, I assure you." Pandora replied wickedly. David
looked at the way Daniel was dressed one more time and fit it together.
"Oh my. don't tell me! Lestat?" David began to laugh himself into
a fit. The thought of Daniel playing the Brat Prince, it was some how....
appropriate. He tried to regain his composure in front of them, but failed
miserably...or rather somewhat comically. "Dressed...heh...dressed like THAT!"
He began laughing again. "He would burn you to a cinder for that alone!"
Daniel looked less then amused...but it had been so long since David laughed
like that...indeed, it had been many years! "Oh, I'm sorry Daniel, I'm sure
you'd be a great...hehheh...a great Lestat." He tried to muffle the oncoming
laughter and was a little more successful this time. "Too bad the movie is
a no go, I think I would have paid *good* money to see that."
"Well if you're done having fun at my expense, may I ask you what
*you* are doing here? I thought you were in England with Santino."
"I was, but...things came up and I had to return. I'll tell you
about it later, when I get more settled. As for why I'm on the set, I heard
Jesse and I thought I would see her."
"Where is she?" Pandora asked with concern. "I thought I felt her
here earlier, she didn't seem too happy about something."
"She's a little concerned about her actor friend, a Mr. Brad Pitt.
So I told then they could stay at my new place till they could find something
better."
"BRAD PITT! Jesse is staying at your place with BRAD PITT!" Daniel
said incredulessly.
"Yes. Just for the night, but we'll have to find a new place soon
because I bearly have any furnishing there. I'm on my way there now if you
would like to join me."
"I'll do you one better." said Pandora, "I'll find all of you a
luxurious place to call home." She smiled at the two men that looked
totally confused and shocked. David looked to Daniel who merely shrugged.
"I was saving this as a surprise for you Daniel, you looked so sad lately
and I knew that you didn't like staying in the hotel, so I bought us a house
to live in while we're here. David smiled to himself ::So Daniel found himself
someone while Armand was out tracking the beast...serves him right, and his
fledgling sister to boot!::
"Thanks for the offer Pandora, but I don't think you would want three
other people living in a house with--"
"Yes we would!" Daniel interrupted.
"Yes, I think it would be best if we had some company. Daniel is a
little nervous around me sometimes." She put her hand on Daniel's head and
mussled his hair a little. "Besides, it's appaulingly huge and if anyone needs
to be alone...with their thoughts, or what have you, there is more then enough
room. Please, it would be my pleasure. And if you, Jesse and Mr. Pitt don't
like it, then you could always find something else. But wouldn't you rather
stay in a nice, comfortable, well decorated house, then a little old
apartment?"
"M'Lady, you drive a hard bargin. Shall we go and tell them?" David
asked the two.
"That would seem appropriate." Pandora said with a wink.
"Daniel, you better grab hold of one of us--"
"Not necessary my dear Mr. Talbot, I have aquired the gift from the
beautiful Mlle Reeves. Take note." Daniel lept into the air and fell flat
on his face. He muffled into the ground. "I swear I did this before!"
"Daniel for christ's sake you don't just jump!" David scolded. He
picked him up and took to the air with Pandora in persuit.
They arrived on the roof of David's Apartment complex and headed down
the stairway. He opened the door to his room where Jesse and Brad were waiting.
"Hope you weren't here too long, but I ran into some friends. Mr. Pitt, these
are some mutual friends of Jesse and I. Daniel, Pandora, meet Mr. Brad Pitt.
I hope we can all be good friends, because Pandora has a little surprise
for all of us, it seems she has a rather large house we could all stay at
for an indefinate amount of time. What do the two of you think?"
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 303: Brad
"Dan and I have already met, David. Nice to meet you, Pandora. I
have to tell you, you are one damned gorgeous woman!" Brad smiled at
the lovely dark haired women. He picked up her hand and made a courtly
bow. "I'm practicing my "Louis". I figure you guys can tell me where
I'm going wrong better than anyone - other than Louis, that is." He
winked at Pandora, strangely at ease in this room full of killers.
Damn it all, vampires or not, they seemed like nice people!
"It would be a pleasure to say with you all. Jesse's told me to
make myself scarce when you're waking up - that kind of thing, and
I'll be sure to do whatever else you suggest. Quite frankly, I could
use a bit of advice...from vampires.
"You see I don't know what to do about, Tony - Antonio, and I
think Lestat's messing around with Tom. Tom says everything's fine,
but I don't think so."
"What are you worried about that little cretin for," Jesse said
darkly.
"Jess, I know he insulted you, and I'm going to speak to him
about that, but he's not a bad guy really - just a bit over the top.
His head's been all turned around by Lestat, I can tell - and I'm
worried about him. When he was in my trailer, he didn't mention Nick
and the kids once - and he *always* mentions them. He'll go on and on
until you want to jump for him! But this time he acted like they
didn't even exist anymore.
"Man, you don't want to mess with Lestat!" Daniel piped in. "If
he's interested in Tom, you'd better steer clear, less you want to end
up looking like a piece of burnt toast!"
"I've got to do something, Dan. Besides, I...I think Lestat might
try to hurt Tony."
"Why would Lestat..." Daniel began.
David sent a silent communique to the group.
"Oh Lordy Jesus," Daniel moaned. "I'm outta here. It's been nice
knowing you guys, but I've just remembered an appointment I have clear
on the other side of the world. If I rush, I can just make it..."
Daniel tried to make for the door, but Pandora stopped him.
"We are *not* running from Lestat!" she said firmly. Daniel
struggled with her, but when he saw it wasn't getting him anywhere,
gave it up.
"All right! But if I get hurt, I'm going to blame you, because
you halted my very sensible flight reflexes." Turned loose, Daniel
stomped over to Brad in a huff. Leaning in he whispered, "You're
borrowing a pack of trouble, Brad, if you interfere with Lestat."
"Thanks for the warning, Dan, but there's nothing else I can do,
really." Brad smiled at him. He hesitated for a minute and then went
on. "Um, Dan? Pandora picked that outfit out didn't she?"
"Yes," Daniel sighed heavily. "I've already been told it looks
ridiculous."
"No - not ridiculous. It's just that the color is God-awful on
you. It's really clashing with your eyes! Makes you look like a lab
rat or something."
"Gee, thanks."
"Wait, I've got something." Brad dug around in his duffle and
pulled out a black Blues Travelers shirt and handed it to Daniel, who
pulled a face."
"Ugh. I hate them. Got any NIN in there?"
"Nope. Gotta excuse me, Danny, I'm a country boy at heart. Not
that I can't get into NIN mind you, but I've got to be really wasted
and partying hard first!"
They shared a laugh as Daniel pulled the shirt over his head.
"There. That's much better," Brad grinned at him. "Now you almost
look human..." Brad trailed off, realizing what he'd just said an
looked at Daniel. Daniel burst out laughing.
"Thanks for the shirt, Brad."
"Any time, Dan. And for God's sake don't put that jacket back on.
Carry it, not close to your face, mind you. And put it down somewhere
away from you every chance you get. Make sure you don't leave it
anywhere though. Women hate that shit. She'll think you did it on
purpose."
"What's up, Danny Boy? Trying to steal my fella?" Jesse appeared
and wrapped a arm around Brad's waist. Brad blushed and Daniel smirked
at Jessica.
"Wouldn't be too hard, Jessica. When's the last time you combed
your hair, by the way?" Daniel jumped back to avoid the swing Jesse
took at him.
"If you three are finished, can we get this show on the road?"
Pandora said impatiently. "I was thinking of turning in a bit early
tonight..." she gave Daniel a small smile, and Jessie snickered.
"Sure thing, Pan," Jessica grinned, sliding a glance at Daniel.
"Lead the way."
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 304: Louis
Louis could feel his heart accelerate as he lifted his lips to meet
Lestat's. He felt Lestat's warm mouth claim him, his tongue moving
slowing, deliberately between Louis' parted lips deepening the kiss until
both were near breathlessness. There was no more hurt, no more anger; just
the lush sensuality that was Lestat.
Lestat pulled him closer, the gentle caress of his hand on Louis
shoulder now crept up the beautiful white throat and into the silky
midnight hair. He drew back, resting his forehead against Louis'.
"I need you..." Lestat whispered, his voice husky with emotion. "I can't
stand being parted from you..."
Louis brushed his lips against his lover's.
"I felt as if the world was ending..." Louis whispered.
Their mouths were together again, bodies entwined, hands in each
other's hair. Lestat pressed Louis against the door to his suite, kissing
him fiercely, Louis returning his passion.
"I want you so badly..." Louis heard himself whisper into Lestat's
hair.
Lestat moved back slightly, his eyes dark with desire.
"What are we waiting for?" He smiled, enticingly.
"The truth, I suppose..." said Antonio. He stood leaning against the
wall by the elevator, arms folded, dark eyes burning. He looked more like
Armand than himself at that very moment in his immortal life.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 305: Pandora
"If you three are finished, can we get this show on the road?"
Pandora said impatiently. "I was thinking of turning in a bit early
tonight..." she gave Daniel a small smile, and Jessie snickered.
"Sure thing, Pan," Jessica grinned, sliding a glance at Daniel.
"Lead the way."
"Okay then, we're heading to the Garden district... I have a lovely
house on First Street. Wait until you see it, I just bought it and I just
love it. We'll have to refurnish it though.... I don't really like that
dreary old, plantation style stuff that's in there now. there's even a
great garden for Gabby to sleep in." She smiled wickedly around the
group. "Well, how shall we get there? Walk or fly?"
"Pandora, did you say First Street?" asked David.
"Why yes, I did. Is that a problem?"
"Well," he answered, "not really, just don't say the word Talamasca
in that neighborhood. There is one positive thing, the neighbors will be
used to strange occurences."
"Out with it David, what in God's name are you talking about"
demanded Daniel. "I mean really, are you just *trying* to make me more
nervous? Is that it?"
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 306: Jesse
Brad drew Jesse aside.
"What's going on? What's all this about First Street?" He asked in a
hushed tone.
Jesse sighed and pulled him into the kitchen.
"I don't know why I'm doing this... they all can hear us," She
mumbled."Let me explain. There's a very strong witch clan that lives on
First Avenue."
Brad stifled a snicker. Jesse cuffed him lightly.
"I'm serious, Brad!" She hissed at him.
"Sorry. I guess if there can be vampires, there can also be witches!" He
replied.
"Damned straight. To make a long story short, when I was in the
Talamasca, one of my mentors made a study of them. His name was Aaron
Lightner. He actually married into the family. There were under currents
in the order, and somehow Arron was murdered. It's very involved and
unpleasant for David and me. We didn't know what was going on, and we
couldn't save him. So it's very nasty."
"Is it going to bother you? I mean, living on First Street?" Brad took
her cool hand in his to comfort her.
She sighed. "It won't change anything if I get upset. It's all over
anyway. Besides, I've got you to take care of, huh?" She gave him a
dazzling smile.
They walked back into the main room.
"Alright." Jesse announced. "I'll take Brad over on my Harley. The rest
of you can get there on your own devises."
"This will be better for you, Brad." Jesse said as they walked to the
bike. "Garden District is more quiet. You won't have the press following
you around."
"No, just a flock of vampires." He laughed.
"The word is coven, Brad. Coven." Jesse climbed on the bike.
Brad sat behind her. "Jess, can I ask you a question?"
"Uh huh." She turned the key and the cycle roared to life.
"Did you..." Brad began. ::Did you really choose to be this way?"
::What way, Sweetie?:: She replied in his mind.
::A vampire. Did you really choose it the way it said in the book?::
::Yes. Does that shock you?::
::Not really. Not since I got to know you.:: He answered.
::Why is that? Is it because we seem mysterious or glamourous? It's not
Brad. It can be very grim.:: Jesse touched his mind with a slight chill of
reality.
::Not that, Jess. You just seem so determined.:: Brad replied to her.
Jesse sent him a hug. He responded by tightening his grip around her
waist.
::What was that for, Brad?::
:: I like you, Jess.::
::I like you too, sweetie.::
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 307: Antonio
The anger he felt was very specific - cold burning deep within
him. He moved from the shadows to confront the lovers with no fear, eyes
burning with iced fire. "The truth, Louis." Antonio whispered, his voice
carrying just a hint of death. "I have learned something which may be of
value to you. Perhaps not. It is for you to judge."
"This display is melodramatic, even for the Jumping Bean." Lestat
commented evenly.
Antonio spoke to Louis, but kept his gaze fixed on Lestat. "I
have been on the phone for hours, tracking down an elusive bit of
information. I told you earlier, Louis, that the movie had been shut
down..."
"It has *what*?" Lestat's question was cut short by the expression
on Antonio's face.
"Which is unusual. For a tiny production this is normal. But for
this? Millions upon millions at stake. The power behind it is
staggering. Even if the distribution is cancelled, the film is always
made, just in case. The money is all up front, you see." He smiled then,
redefining dangerous. "I get paid, no matter what."
"This *is* facinating." Lestat snapped. "Do you have a point?"
"The point is that the production capital was shifted last week.
Were this a corporation, the term would be a very quiet hostile takeover.
When they learned the company name, at first they thought it was a joke.
Then, when the financing was withdrawn, in it's entirety, they thought it
a curse."
"What company?" Louis asked quietly.
"The name of the company that shut down the film is Lioncourt Inc.
You, Louis, stand in the arms of the Chief Executive Officer."
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 308: Louis
Louis stood silent. Dumbfounded. He glanced from Antonio's face to
Lestat's and back again.
"I don't understand..." he whispered.
"He planned it, Louis!" Hissed Antonio, his blazing eyes meeting
Lestat'.
His hand slipped slowly from it's resting place on Lestat's arm, Louis
looked up into Lestat's face. "How could you?"
"How could I *WHAT*?" Replied Lestat.
"Shut down the entire production." As what had happened became clear to
Louis, his expression became one of contempt. "Tell me, Lestat. Was all
*this* part of it? Was it all some great, dramatic scheme to win my
confidence? Was this all part of some great plot of yours to rid me of
Antonio's friendship?"
Lestat held out his hands to Louis. "No... there isn't a plot." He
placed his hands on Louis' shoulders. "I didn't plan *any* of this."
Louis shook his head, pain registering in his eyes. "How can I believe a
word you say? How can you deny what has obviously happened? Lestat... you
never told me about this corporation of yours... what else have you been
keeping from me? When we were together I thought we were honest and open
with each other..."
"We were, Louis..."
Louis shook his head. "You planned this. It is so like you Lestat.
Jealousy, revenge... it's so like you."
Louis turned and placed his hand on the doorknob.
"Louis! Do you believe I would actually be threatened by this... this
third rate, calf-eyed, half-wit..." Lestat stormed.
"I don't know what to believe about you anymore, Lestat." Louis replied
in a controlled, icy voice. He opened the door to his suite and walked
inside.
"Tonio..." Louis called from inside. "Contact housekeeping. I want the
refuse from these rooms immediately! I'll be in my room."
Lestat levelled his gaze at Antonio.
"So." Lestat folded his arms and stared down his nose contemptuously.
"The Chihuahua wants to play."
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 309: Antonio
Antonio gazed at Lestat, his expression as full of contempt as
Lestat's own. "How could you do that to him?" he hissed. "Your childish
games are pathetic." Then, with an air of calm indifference, he entered
the suite and closed the door firmly behind him. Ignoring the riot of
roses around him, he crossed to Louis' bedroom and knocked softly.
"Louis... do you wish to talk? To leave, perhaps? At least until the
rooms are cleaned... "
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 310: Pandora
Daniel was quizzing David about the Mayfairs when Brad and Jesse
dissappeared into the kitchen. Being the nosy vamps that they all were,
of *course* they eavesdropped. Daniel gasped and turned to David
"Witches?!?! We're going to live with witches?"
Pandora sighed "not with witches Daniel, near them."
At that point Jesse and Brad reappeared in the room and Jesse
announced that they would take the Harley over, she seemed to think that
that would be easier on Brad. Silently Pandora agreed with her ::Good
call Jess, here's the address, it's 1616 First ok?::
As they left Pandora turned to the others "Okay all, follow me"
she turned and wrapped her arms around Daniel, "I'll take him, and David
you don't need the help." With that she turned to the window and set off.
David followed, although he was a little surprised at her abruptness. They
flew for a few minutes until Pandora landed on a lawn. And what a lawn,
it was immense. There was a tennis court, a pool, and what looked like a
sauna in the space surrounding them.
With a sigh that sounded somewhat like awe, David turned around to
see the house. It was beautiful, Four floors of plantation style, New
Orleans perfection. There was even Ivy climbing the walls, and a terrace
on the roof! "Pandora, you have outdone yourself" he breathed, "this
place is magnificent. Thank you for inviting me to join you."
"No problem," she smiled "shall we go in?"
The Black Rose
Sequel to "Hollywood Vampires"
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 311: Daniel
With a sigh that sounded somewhat like awe, David turned around to
see the house. It was beautiful, Four floors of plantation style, New
Orleans perfection. There was even Ivy climbing the walls, and a terrace
on the roof! "Pandora, you have outdone yourself" he breathed, "this
place is magnificent. Thank you for inviting me to join you."
"No problem," she smiled "shall we go in?"
"Definitely," Daniel said. "Can I get to pick my bedroom first?
Please?" he whined.
"Sure, Daniel. Go ahead." Pandora shot a condescending look towards
David. :He's such a brat!:
:I know...: David smiled.
They walked inside the grandious mansion. The furnitures were mostly
antiques, ancient paintings all over the walls and a huge bookshelf filled
with books. "We really have to make some changes around here," Daniel frowned.
"For instance, instead of that horrible bookshelf, we could put a cool
entertainment system like the one Armand got me last Christmas! You saw it,
right David?"
"The one with the "movie screen sized T.V" and virtual reality
equipment?"
"Yup!" Daniel grinned.
"Yes, I saw it, Daniel." David sent a mental message to Pandora,
:That's all he would talk about when I went to visit them! As soon as the
sun set, he ran downstairs to play games and watch movies. Armand and I
had to bring him food, because he would not go out to hunt for the
first few days.:
Pandora had to laugh.
"And instead of that painting," Daniel continued. "We could make
a new window...there's not enought light in this house...Are you two
listening to me?" He turned to see David and Pandora who were already
walking away from him.
"Daniel, you can play decorator tomorrow. I'm tired." Pandora said.
"*WE* are tired!" David added.
"So what are we waiting for, let's go to bed!" Daniel ran up the
stairs and began opening all the doors, inspecting each room until he found
one that suited him. "I like this one!" He pointed to the principal bedroom.
"Daniel, just take it!" Pandora waved him off. "Go to sleep!"
"I wonder were Jess and Brad are?" said David.
"Good question," Pandora agreed.
"They'll be here soon," Daniel said. "David, would you like to
share room with me tonight? I mean, with the witches living so close
to us and all...just for a few days, while I get used to this house.
I'm a bit scared!" He shot David a smutty grim.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 312: Jesse
The motorcycle came to a roaring halt outside of 1616 first street.
Lights seemed to illuminate every room of the massive house.
Jesse jumped off the Harley and gave it a disapproving glance.
"This thing is so loud! Do you think it needs a muffler?"
"Jess! They're supposed to sound like that." Brad laughed.
"Must be my hearing, then." She shrugged. "Let's go in. Looks like
everybody's here."
She paused by the front gate and shivered. Brad came up behind her and
placed his hands on her shoulders. "What is it?"
"Psychic disturbance." She muttered.
Brad wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close in a reassuring
hug. "Jesse, you and your bunch are enough to disturb *any* psychic! C'on.
I don't want to hang around in the street."
Jesse unlocked the front door with her agile mind, and they walked into
hall. There was a grand staircase going up to the second floor, and rooms
to eitherside of the hallway.
Daniel suddenly appeared at her side, jumping up and down, flapping his
hands and squeeking in a high falsetto voice "Miz Scarlet, Miz Scarlet!
The Yankees! The Yankees!" He fell in a laughing fit on the steps.
Jesse ignored him and walked through a great arch into a sitting room.
Pandora was loungling elegantly on one of the sofas. David was examining
one of the paintings that hung on the wall. Brad took two steps in and
suddenly sprinted into the adjoining room.
"Jesse! Come look at this!" he shouted.
"Mortals..." sighed Pandora. "So easiy excited."
Jesse followed Brad into a dining room. He was joyfully looking at the
stained glass windows that adorned the outside wall.
"Do you know what these are? Jess! They're Tiffany! Original Tiffany
windows! The morning sun will come right through! Oh, Jesse! Wait til you
see these colors..." He stopped, remembering she'd never see sunlight
through artglass windows. He turned to her. Jesse was smiling up at him
wistfully.
"You'll have to tell me all about it. In fact, you'll have to run out,
buy a camera, and take pictures to show me." Jesse touched his arm. "It's
OK, Brad. Why don't you go check out the upstairs? Maybe there are more
windows like that."
Brad gave her a peck on the cheek and dashed out of the room. Jesse
walked slowly back into the sitting room.
Daniel had wrapped himself in one of the red velvet draperies.
"Ah've come home to Tara!" He squeeked. He flutterd his eyelashes at
David. "Oh! Rhett! Do you like mah dress? Ah made it myself!"
David blinked at Pandora. "Do you know what he's going on about?"
Daniel skipped over to them and knelt at Pandora's side.
"But Ah don't know how to birth a baby, Miz Mellie!!" He squeeked
Jesse sank into an overstuffed arm chair. "I think our Daniel's fallen
through a time warp and into "Gone With The Wind". She glanced over at
Daniel,as he lie on the floor giggling.
"Shall we call this place Tara to confuse him?" Jesse looked at David.
"There's no place like home!" giggled Daniel.
"Wrong movie," Yawned Jesse.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 313: Daniel
"There's no place like home!" giggled Daniel.
"Wrong movie," Yawned Jesse.
"Perhaps," said Daniel, a bit annoyed. "You know, Jess, I was
just about to go to sleep when you guys got here! Your motorcycle made
such an infernal noise that we all had to come downstairs to make sure
the house was not being demolished!"
Brad grinned. "I already explained Jesse that's the way they're
supposed to sound, Daniel!"
"Yeah, but having witches living next door, you have to be cautious
with every single sound! They could be casting a spell or something!"
"You're such a big baby," said Pandora.
"I know!" He smiled. "That's why David is going to sleep in the
same room with me tonight...to take care of me..." Daniel began walking
up the stairs, turning back to look at David. "Are you joining me or what?"
David stood up and reluctantly approached Daniel. :Do I have a
choice?: He sent the thought to the others.
:The guillotine?: Pandora teased.
:Eternity in the bath with Lestat?: Jesse smiled.
"Stop talking behind my back!" Daniel whined, striving to surpass
their shields.
"It's 'PG13', Daniel! Armand would kill us if he knew we're letting
his baby hear this kind of conversations!" said Jesse.
Daniel blushed slightly and without saying another word, ran up
the stairs.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 314: David
"Daniel!" David shouted up the steps to the unruly fledgling.
"What?" Daniel backtracked down the steps and peered over the ledge.
"Don't you think it's a bit rude to leave Pandora without so much as
a good night kiss?"
"Huh?" Daniel looked genuinely confused.
"After all, she did buy this house for you. A little gratitude would
be nice, don't you think?"
"Uh...I guess so." Daniel said sheepishly
"Why thank you David." Pandora grinned. "I'm glad someone remembered
their manners." She extended her arms out and waited for Daniel to comply.
"Oh come on movie boy, I'm not going to bite...unless you ask me to."
"Oh fine, hold on!" Daniel hopped on the bannister and slid down the
railing to the bottom of the staircase where Pandora was waiting. He swept
her into his arms and dipped her ever so gracefully as he kissed her full on
the mouth.
"You drop me," warned Pandora, "and the witches will be using your
ashes in their next brew!"
"Frankly my dear Pandora, I--"
"One more quote from that movie Danny Boy and you'll be lucky if there
are any ashes left to spread!" Jesse cut in. Daniel set Pandora back on her
feet and started back up the steps.
"Sheesh! You women have no sense of humor! David, are you going to
join me or what?"
"Yes, I'll be up in a minute. Pandora, thank you again for having me
here, I don't think I could have spent another night at the St. Louis.
Jessica, we'll talk more tomorrow. Looks like I'm going to have my hands
full tonight." Jesse winked at him.
::Yes, it appears you will. *Do* tell me all about it tomorrow night::
::Jessica, get you're mind out of the gutter. I thought I trained you
to act a little more professional then that!:: David jested.
::*This* from the man that pissed off his lover's mother, the Candomble
preistess of the village and was plagued by spirits for weeks!::
::Ah, well appearently you were under the false impression that I
teach by example, when in fact, I follow a 'do as I say, not as I do' policy.::
"DAVID!" Daniel shouted. David rolled his eyes and started up the
steps.
"Duty calls."
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 315: David
David entered Daniel's room and was surprised to find it empty.
"Daniel, quit playing games, I'm really not in the mood tonight." Just
as he said it, the door slammed behind him. Daniel stood in front of it
with his arms crossed over his chest. The humor that had graced his face
just moments before was gone and replaced by a sad disappoving look.
"Why David!"
"You mean Pandora? I was only joking Dan--"
"I'm not talking about that and you know it! The tan David! I want
you to tell me why you could play the stand in for George Hamilton!"
"Daniel please! I told you already."
"Yeah, it was a mistake and you're okay now. Bullshit! Vampires don't
'accidentally' stay out in the sun! And what about Santino, why aren't you
with him?"
"I'd rather not get into that now!" David said in irritation.
"Well I'm not letting up until you tell me! Why would you go out in
the sun! Is it that hard to get used to this life? There must be a better
way then to end it all, there must be!"
"Daniel! I told you, I didn't try to kill myself. It was near dawn
in England when I heard..." David paused for a moment and wondered if it
would be wise to tell Daniel the truth. "I sensed that Lestat might be in
danger, so I flew to him. I was caught in the sun for a short length of time,
but I'm alright now." Daniel looked away in disbelief, David did not look
okay to him.
"Why would Lestat be in trouble, and how would you know if he was?"
"That's not important. We're all fine now so--"
"Damn it!, Why won't you tell me! How did you know about Lestat!"
David let out a sigh and gave in, Daniel deserved to know.
"I sensed the tension from Marius and Armand. They had tracked him to
Hong Kong...I was worried about what might happen."
"They tracked Lestat?"
"Yes."
"But why?"
"I don't know, I suppose Armand still blames Lestat for the dreams.
I don't pretend to know what goes on in his mind. What surprised me was Marius.
I didn't think he would blindly follow Armand in his quest."
"So Armand really meant to kill Lestat?"
"I don't *know* Daniel! Maybe, but he didn't."
"You wouldn't have flown halfway around the world before *dawn* if
you thought they just wanted to chat! He wanted to kill Lestat! I hate him."
Daniel said coldly.
"No you don't, your just angry now."
"I hate him David, God help me I do!"
"Daniel, calm down."
"Calm down! I gave all of myself to him! He made me love him! He
made me obessess over him until I was at the point of death! He made me
want either him, or nothing! And now he leaves me to be with his new lover
and his own vengeful heart! I'm not an idiot, I know that I'm not wanted
by him anymore."
"Daniel no! Armand still loves you."
"Then where is he when I need him most? Do you know the things he
made me do when I was still mortal? The countless lovers he made me take
to bed so he could watch! The countless places he would drag me off to,
when he knew I was too tired to keep up! I lead him out of the darkness
and into the twentieth century! He would have died without me! Where is
he when I need him?! Where is he in my darkness? I was nothing more then
a toy!" Daniel fell to his kness and began to sob uncontrollably. David
knelt beside him and put his arms around the shaking body.
"Daniel, believe me, Armard does love you. He wouldn't have brought
you over if he didn't. He needs to be with Marius now...and he needs to
sort out his past with Lestat. He'll be back, you just have to give him
time."
"No! He won't be back, because I have nothing left to give him!
I flamed away in his heart until I burnt myself out, there is nothing left!"
"That's not true! Daniel, why do you think this?"
"The fire, there is aways the fire..."
"Daniel! You're talking nonsense!"
"No, I'm talking perfect sense! Why go on when you're all used up!
I can't stand it anymore I just can't--" David pressed his mouth to Daniel's
and swallowed his last cry. Desperate to maintain Daniel, desperate to keep
from falling into the same state and losing both of them, David allowed his
passion to ignite.
::Think of me Daniel, think only of me. Nothing else exists. Not
Armand or Lestat or any of the coven. We are all that is.::
::But--::
::No, nothing else. It's time you learned that 'nothing' can be a
a pleasant thing::
::I don't under--::
::Shhhh, just enjoy the silence, and let yourself be:: Daniel
collapsed into David arms and they passed away the rest of the night, thinking
only of each other.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 316: Daniel
::Shhhh, just enjoy the silence, and let yourself be:: Daniel
collapsed into David arms and they passed away the rest of the night, thinking
only of each other.
Nothing else in the world had mattered. Only their passion, their
desire. It had been really easy to seduce Daniel, in such a weak state.
And 'nothingness' acquired a whole new definition. It meant love, and
companionship, and trust, and lust...
Daniel had pierced David's back with his sharp finger nails, tearing
the skin of his golden skin, hurting him, pleasuring him.
"Daniel," David moaned.
The only reply was a muffled sigh from Daniel's lips. Their hearts
beating to the same rhythm, finally becoming one body, one soul.
The lay on the bed, the white sheets were now scarlet, smeared
with their dark blood as a symbol of their union. They held onto each other,
as if every minute that passed, were the last one in their lifes, as if
they would never let go of each other. The morning sun would soon rise
over the horizon, and they wanted to enjoy the last hours of darkness in
company of each other.
"Feel better, Daniel?" David asked, placing a soft kiss on the
boy's face.
"I always do when you're around, David. Always."
"You know, Pandora is really not going to like the aspect of this
room...And the broken mirror of that dressing table," David chuckled.
"How that HELL did we do *that*!?" Daniel sat on the bed, noticing
the chaotic appearance of the room, total disarray.
"I don't know, Daniel...but I do have some glass incrusted in my
leg," David uncovered himself and showed Daniel the particles of glass
in his inner thigh. "see, right here!"
Daniel fought hard to contain his laughter. "Oh, God! Let me get
that out of your leg before it heals."
"I'll get it," David waved him off. "It's not really deep under the
skin." He easily removed the piece of broken mirror from his leg.
"David, I didn't realize we had done all this...I'm so embarrased!"
He blushed.
"Embarrased? Why?"
"Well, I'm sure the others could hear us! What are they going to
think? What will the mortal think?"
"We'll claim it was a hurricane!" David teased. "That'll be a good
excuse for the noise and for this mess!"
Daniel smiled. "You know David, I wish I could forget about the
world spinning 'round me. I wish I could just stay here and love you for
eternity, you and no one else. I wish..."
"What?"
"I wish Armand would die!"
"Daniel!"
"I wish his death! May the light of the morning sun disturb his
rest and burn him to ashes, him and his lover!" He said bitterly.
"Don't say that," David said saddly.
"You're right. I won't say that. Maybe I should just find Lestat
and beg him to destroy Armand. Of maybe I'll go after him myself. He has
to settle with Marius somewhere, right? Maybe if I can find their lair,
I can go there before dawn and set the place on fire, the way Louis
burnt the theater of Vampires---"
"STOP! You'r talking non-sense!"
"If he ever goes back to the Night Island, I'll burn it, I'll burn
it with him and Marius inside! Even if I risk my life, shall I die
accomplishing my task, I'll die in peace....I'll be satisfied!"
"Daniel, we'll talk tomorrow night, when you're sober." David turned
off the light and turned his back on Daniel.
"Sweet dreams, David," Daniel whispered.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 317: Louis
He lay on the bed, curled on his side, facing the wall.
::Please, Tonio,:: Louis touched Antonio's mind. ::I wish to be by
myself. It is far too close to dawn to leave the rooms. We shall take
care of it tomorrow evening. I'll be stronger then. All I wish to do now
is sleep.::
Louis closed his mind and eyes. It had all been too much for him. The
instant he dared hope all would be well, that Lestat and he could be
reunited; the world had crashed in on him.
::Lestat would never change. He'd forever be underhanded,
manipulative.:: The thoughts went round and round Louis' mind. :: He could
bring such depth of feeling, such passion- only to be dishonest, to lie,
to be hurtful...::
He lay motionless, waiting for the death sleep to pull him under and let
him drown in oblivion.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 318: Antonio
Antonio heard Louis' words, but worse, he felt the pain behind
them. More of the emotional timebombs immortality hid beneath the
romantic surface. Looking around the room, he knew that housekeeping
would never make it in time, and he did not wish Louis to wake to the
spectical. So he made a quick decision. Thowing open a large window o
overlooking the street, he gathered the roses, one armload at a time, and
threw them to the street below. If anyone questioned it, he would assure
the press it was an old Spanish custom. The strong breeze captured the
delicate flowers and scattered them far into the night. The vases
followed into a nearby dumpster. Finally all that remained was the
lingering scent... and the journal.
"Twisted bastard." he thought, reading the inscription. "How could
he hurt someone like Louis this way?"
Finally he stood once more before Louis' door. Antonio thought
about knocking, but decided against it. He would leave, if asked. But
the pain... it flowed like waves from within. Opening the door quietly,
he saw Louis curled into a miserable ball on the bed. Moving silently,
Antonio shut the door, pulled the drapes, then slid onto the bed behind
Louis. After only a moment's hesitation, he placed his arms around his
friend, holding Louis tightly to him.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 319: Louis
Louis covered Antonio's hand with his own.
"Thank you," he whispered, silently releasing a great shuddering sigh.
"I... I don't know what to say..."
"Shhh." Antonio soothed him, "words aren't necessary. They will only get
in the way. Try to sleep. I can't tell you it will be better tomorrow, but
you will be stronger. You will be stronger every night."
Louis nodded and closed his eyes. Antonio must have fed well that
evening. His body was warm and comforting. Louis settled against him and
sought sleep. He sighed again, his body trembling. It caught in his throat
and became a heartbroken sob.
"I'm sorry..." Louis wept. "I don't *do* this. I can't hold it back!"
"Let it go, Louis." Antonio whispered to him. "Let it go... Say good bye
to him, find the strength in your spirit. You can, Louis. You are strong.
I *know* you are. These are not tears of weakness, but of loss. Find the
resolve in your heart to leave him."
Louis turned his face into the pillow, silent tears tracing their
crimson paths. There could never again be anything between himself and
Lestat. He wouldn't be able to face Lestat until he could look into those
eyes with out being overcome with love. If necessary, he'd put distance
between them so he could heal.
'Good bye, Lestat.' Louis thought to himself. 'I'll never permit myself
to be seduced by your words or by the mere sight of you. Never again.'
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 320: Brad
Brad wandered the upper floors of the mansion. Everywhere he
turned, something beautiful met his eye. But that beauty didn't hold
him for long because as the sound of laughter and conversation dimmed,
and the intense presences of his new companions faded, he began to
recall how he came to know them in the first place.
Antonio.
He hadn't seen him nor heard from him all night, and Brad was
beginning to worry. "You promised me, Tony." Brad whispered into the
darkened hall. Without conscious thought, his hand reached up and
touched the bite marks on his throat. "Damn you, you could have at
least called me, so I'd know you weren't a pile of ash somewhere!"
Brad spotted a phone on a small table at the end of the hall, and
went towards it. He called his personal assistant and checked for
messages. There were plenty of messages, but none were from Tony or
Tom. Brad hung up and dialed the Omni Hotel <ooc - is that the
hotel?>.
"Is Mr. DeValle in?" Brad asked, using the pseudonym Tony favored
when traveling these days.
"Mr. DeValle is in Sir," the concierge replied, "but he asked not
to be disturbed. Would you care to leave a message?"
"Yes, I would. Tell him I'm staying with friends, he'll be able
to find me easily enough, and..." Brad hesitated a moment, "put this
down exactly as I say it."
"Of course, Sir."
"Say, 'You promised.' Would you read that back to me, please?"
"'I'm staying with friends, you'll be able to find me easily
enough. Next line reads, 'You promised.' Is that correct, Sir?"
"Yes, it is. Thank you. Just sign it "B", he'll know who it's
from."
"Yes, Sir. Will that be all, Sir." The concierge positively oozed
high priced efficiency and confidentiality.
"Yes, thank you again."
"My pleasure, Sir. Have a good evening."
Brad hung up the phone with a soft click. He stood in the dimly
lit hall for a few moments and fought off the depression that tried to
claim him. He was sinking into "Louis mode" already, and he hadn't
even shot one scene yet! Louis wasn't even depressed in this book! He
was worried, yes, but happy to be reunited with Lestat.
Then Brad remembered what Louis had been worried about. Louis had
been worried that Lestat was in danger from other vampires, and might
end up as vampire toast. "Thanks a bunch, Louis," Brad muttered. "Now
that you've picked my best friend to fool around with, I've got my own
piece of impending vampire toast to worry about!"
His anxiety for his friend was renewed by this train of thought,
and he hurried back downstairs to join the others, maybe they could
help him locate Antonio...
The Black Rose
Sequel to "Hollywood Vampires"
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 341: Daniel
Daniel left the house to hunt alone at David's request. He walked
out on the street and took a deep breath. The fresh night air, always
deliciously scented. He looked up and saw light in Pandora's room.
:Pandora, are you there?:
He kept staring at the window, and suddenly it opened, revealing
Pandora's siluet. "I'm here, Daniel. What are you doing?"
"I'm out to hunt," Daniel yelled back. "Would you like to come
along?"
"No, thank you. I'm not very hungry tonight," she replied.
Daniel shrugged. He put his hands inside his pockets and turned
around.
"Bye, Daniel," said Pandora. "I'll see you when you get back...
maybe I'll finally teach you how to fly..."
A big grin formed on Daniel's face. :I'll be back soon!: he
thought.
Now, David and him were suppossed to go shopping, but obviously,
that was off. He walked the streets for several minutes, only stopping
once in a while to examine a girl or a guy walking by him, someone
attractive, appealing, a good candidate for a victim. Finally, he found
what he was looking for. A tall guy, wearing leather, combat boots, and a
nose earring. His hair was dyed green. Daniel liked that! He definitely
liked that, very much. If he fed on him, he would probably get some
interesting insights... memories, past experiences, all would be his when
the blood was extracted from the body. And the clothes, he liked the
clothes as well. Well, that would save him the trip and the money. Not
that money mattered to him at all. He had enough of it. Armand had fixed
that. But it was a good way to save, he thought.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 342: Louis
Brad's words had stung him. Oh, he had acted as if he were above that
sort of thing. But he wasn't. Little did that mortal know how it pained
him to know that, yes. He *had* set Antonio up to be hurt. He hadn't
planned it. Heaven only knew Louis never expected to see Lestat's face
again.
And it was a saddened Louis who walked into the hotel lobby on his way
to his suite.
"Excuse me, Monsieur?" The Concierge called to him. The man crossed the
spacious lobby, an envelope in his hand. "This was delivered for you a few
hours ago."
"Merci," Louis mumbled as he took the paper from the Concierge's hand.
That familiar writing on the front of the envelope!
Louis sighed and pocketed the letter. "Now, what game is his tonight?"
"Antonio?"
Louis called into the darkened rooms as he opened the door.
No answer. Louis sat down in one of the chairs and turned on a light.
He could feel the letter in his pocket.
"Better not put it off." Louis said to himself, as he removed the
letter from the envelope.
It was hard to read the letter. He started twice, halting each time and
lowering the piece of papar. At last, he took it up, steeling himself to
read it through.
Near the end, one sentence, a few words, clutched at his heart.
"I try and try and try and yet after 200 years I still find I
don't know what the Hell I'm doing."
"Oh, Lestat." He whispered. "How is it you can suddenly find words that
move me?"
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 343: Gabrielle
Armand blinked his eyes at Gabrielle who know stood at full height
above him, hands on hips. A formidable figure. She watched as he groaned
and buried his head back into the pillow.
"Excuse me, Armand." she drawled, then her eyes narrowing, "Call
him, now" she growled.
Armand nudged Marius and Marius turned to on his side to face Gabrielle,
"Gabrielle, what is it?"
"I need to find Antonio." her tone was very matter of fact.
Marius closed his eyes for a moment and scanned the city, a flicker
of Antonio flashed insie his head. He smiled,
"It seems that he is looking for you as well my dearest , Marquise."
Gabrielle walked to the nearest window and peered out of it at the
black city below,
"Well, then. One of you point him in the right direction."
Armand sighed and put his hand up, "I'll call him, a moment please."
Armand closed his eyes and reached out for Antonio's mind, he felt
the young fledgling start at the presence of his mind, he laughed a bit at
that,
::Antonio, Gabrielle requests your presence, you no doubt know
where our rooms are.::
Gabrielle stared down into Armand's eyes and smiled, she walked to
his side and pressed a kiss to his cheek,
"Thank you, mon cher. Now get dressed!"
With a wave of her hand, she left the room.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 344: Jesse
Jesse stepped into the house, a loud crash greeted her ears. She ran
down the hall towards the source of the noise. As she opened the door to
the kitchen, a large cast iron frying pan came flying towards her. Jesse
snatched it from it's flight.
Brad stood by the stove, his eyes wide in amazement. "How'd ya do that?"
He gasped.
"It's a 'vampire thing'," Jesse replied, casually walking into the room.
"Don't even *mention* vampires!" Brad growled.
Pots and pans lay dented and scattered over the floor.
"What's this?" Jesse placed the frying pan on the stove. "A show of
artistic temperment?"
"Never mind." Brad grumped.
Jesse watched as he turned the burner on 'high' under the pan and then
unwrapped a steak.
"Uh... Brad, if you intend to eat that steak, I wouldn't cremate it."
"I'm gonna sear it." Brad threw the steak in the cold pan. It lay
soundlessly. "Go on..." Brad yelled at it "Cook, damn you!" He poked it
a few times with a fork.
Jesse sat down at the table and watched as Brad tormented the steak.
"That's not just a piece of meat, is it Brad. It's Louis... You're
screaming at him at the top of your lungs.
Brad suddenly opened the back door and flung the frying pan and it's
contents outside. He stood for a moment glaring after it and then curled
his hand into a fist.
"I just burned myself," He mumbled.
Jesse was on her feet and dragged him to the sink. She turned the cold water
on and thrust his injured hand under it.
"Now, then. Before you either tear the house apart or burn it down, would
you tell me what's going on? I could read you, but that would be rude. Do you
want to talk? Or should I just leave you alone?"
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 345: Louis
Louis stood at the window looking out into the street. The letter from
Lestat lay on the floor, at the foot of the chair, where it had slipped
from Louis' fingers. His arms were wrapped around himself, as if trying to
keep in the last bit of warmth. He'd lost track of time, staring into the
night. He was prone to that when he was troubled. He could hear Lestat's
voice in his mind...
"Louis! You're spacing out again! Earth to Louis!"
But Lestat wasn't there in front of him, snapping his fingers under
Louis' nose. There was just the emptiness of the hotel room, not the
warmth of the flat, nor the love they once shared.
Louis raked his hair back out of his eyes.
"Can we ever get that back, Lestat? Do I know you?" He whispered.
Then seized by thought, he sat down at the desk and took pen and paper
from the drawer, and wrote a reply to the letter.
"Lestat-
After two hundred years, do we really know each other? Can we say
that we know ourselves? We're far from the same men that we were when we came
into this dark life. We're far from being the same vampires who reunited only
ten years ago. And so much has happened during those ten short years.
I cannot say that we will come together as we did before. I cannot
promise that will happen, or that we can be companions or lovers. What I can
say is that I want to understand you, I want to know you again.
I believe what you've told me about the production. I will trust
you on that.
May we start there?
L."
Louis sealed the letter in an envelope and wrote "Lestat de Lioncourt" on
the front.
He picked up the telephone and called the front desk.
"I have an important message that must be delivered at once. Yes. From
Monsieur de Pointe du Lac. To the Hotel St. Louis, to Mr. de Lioncourt. I
want the letter placed in his hand. It's most urgent."
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 346: Antonio
The voice came into his mind like an icy finger.
::Antonio, Gabrielle requests your presence, you no doubt know
where our rooms are.::
Armand had summonsed him to his Gabrielle.
Antonio walked quickly through the night, his mind set on the source, his
destination.
So... She was with Armand once more. What would lie before him in the
presence of his dark brother? Was Armand's mind still touched with the burning
anxiety that had taken him to the brink of madness and beyond?
Antonio found the building and, not waiting for the elevator, rushed up
the steps to the rooms.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 347: Gabrielle
A soft knock came upon the door. Gabrielle's head twirled in that
direction and moved swiftly towards the door, calling out to the rest of
the room's occupants,
"I'll get it!"
"How would we have guessed?" she heard Armand mumble nearby.
::I heard that, imp.:: she told him, a bit amused and grateful that
their easy way of joking with one another was showing some life.
::Not half of it, my dear Marquise.:: the warm reply chimed in her
mind. She snickered and placed her hand on the doorknob and took a slow
breath. Slowly, she turned it and heard the lock click. She swung it open
and her eyes met those of her most beloved fledgling.
"Tonio." she breathed, a sly smile spreading across her lips.
He smiled and she opened her arms to him and enfolded him in a
locing embrace. She kissed him deeply and drew back, holding him at arm's
length, her eyes twinkling with mischeif.
"So, mon cher. How has your life been going? Rocky start?"
He produced a half smile and shook his head,
"I don't know where to start?"
She pulled him over to the nearest device meant for sitting and sat
him there, she curled into his arms and started up at him, her expression
instensely serious,
"The beginning is usually a good place."
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 348: Daniel
He had been right, the guy with the green hair had had some truly
interesting experiences in his life, and to make things even better, the
clothes fit like a dream too. As an after thought, he stopped and grabbed
the nose ring the guy had been wearing. It might be fun to see the rest
of the coven's reaction to *this* one. He smiled a little but then
sobered as his thoughts attempted to return to their melancholy mood.
After all, melancholy was his normal state these days. :No way, f*ck
this. I refuse to be all depressed right now. I just can't take it.: He
made a supreme effort of will and began thinking pleasant thoughts.
Thoughts like: how cute Armand would look as a toasted hamburger, Marius
with a REALLY deep... even ashen tan, Armand pleading for mercy and not
getting any... :ENOUGH! I have got to stop this!:
Resolutely he turned and headed back for the Garden District and
Pandora. After all, she *had* promised him flying lessons....
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 349: Pandora
After Daniel left to go hunting Pandora decided to curl back up.
She was getting to like this lazing around in bed thing, she had rarely
had the chance to do that lately, what with all the craziness that had
been happening. She snuggled herself under the covers and let her mind go
blank.
She didn't realize it, but she fell asleep. So to her it was only
seconds later that she heard a loud crashing and banging sound coming from
the kitchen. In fact, she was hearing a lot of them. She sat up in bed
with a start and scanned quickly for the reason. Ahh, it was that lovely
mortal, the one that Jesse was in love with (even if she wasn't admitting
it to herself), and was he ever upset. She scanned him quickly and
discovered the reason. She wondered if she should go down stairs and talk
to him, but at that moment she felt Jesse enter the kitchen and realised
that she would just be in the way if she joined them.
She settled back into the bed and resolutely promised herself that
she would NOT eavesdrop. Well... not much anyway.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 350: Brad
"Do you want to talk? Or should I just leave you alone?" Jessie
carefully patted his hand dry, checking for blisters. It hurt like
hell, and he had a nice rosy stripe across his palm, but no blisters
were making themselves known. Brad studied the riot of curls that
blocked his view of his injured hand.
"No, don't leave, Jess. I want to ask you something." Brad
hesitated, unsure of how to proceed. Best just to come out with it, he
decided. "You've probably figured out by now that I had a bit of a set
to with Louis. It didn't start out that way, but it ended up with me
throwing a major fit in a empty room. He came over here to warn me off
Tony! He implied in that way of his that I would only end up hurting
Tony terribly, and wind up insane in the bargain! He made me so mad!
He reminds me of this English Lit. teacher I had in college. Without
raising his voice or showing any trace of anger, that guy could insult
your entire family and call you a pig-humping idiot and it would take
you a week and the Oxford frigging English Dictionary to decipher what
he said!
Jesse chortled, "That's our Louis, all right!"
"Yeah, well, he said some stuff, and I said some stuff, and we
both ended up P.O.'d, and he pulled a fade out on me." Brad was quiet
for a moment, remembering that little scene. "He was being an ass, but
so was I. We both said things the other didn't want to hear. It was
very uncool." Ranting aside, Brad was more upset about the argument
than he'd realized. A number of things Louis said were only now just
sinking in.
"One of the things he said that caught me completely off guard
was that I was hurting you." He turned a miserable gaze upon Jesse,
"Am I, Jess? Am I toying with your affections, like Louis said? If I
am, I don't mean to be! I swear, Jesse, if I'm causing you any grief
at all, tell me and I'll split.....
The Black Rose
Sequel to "Hollywood Vampires"
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 321: Jesse
Jesse inspected the windows for security from the sun. Yes, Pandore ahd
chosen the house well. Not only were there shutters out side, but heavy
draped and shades as well. Jesse pulled the old maroon velvet drapes and
received a showering of dust. She tipped her head forward and shook her
hair. Too close to dawn for a shower, she'd do that in the evening.
Jesse pulled off her jeans and laughed to herself. Tomorrow she'd have
to do some serious shopping. She'd lived in these for at least a week!
That never seemed to bother Maharet, she thought to herself. She'd wear
the same clothes until they were almost shreds.
She pulled back the covers and slid under the sheets. They too smelled
of dust. The death sleep came upon her, leaving Jesse with a question
lingering in her mind... How long would it be before she, like Maharet,
wouldn't care about dust?
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 322: Lestat
Santino jumped out of his chair when he heard the suite door slam.
"Don't EVEN ask," Lestat snarled, brushing past him to get to the
phone. Lestat punched in a few numbers then waited impatiently for an
answer.
"What--" Santino started, but stopped at Lestat's glare.
"Yes?" Lestat turned his attention to the person on the line.
"Jade? What the HELL is going on? What do--the movie of course! How am I
responsible for that? I never said anything about the movie! Fine, I'll
wait."
"You probably don't want me to ask again, do you?" Santino said,
unable to stop feeling a little bemused by the situation.
"Not really, no," Lestat said. Jade spoke again. "Oh great, just
wonderful. This is the last time I pay anyone this much. They're supposed
to be lazy and stupid for God's sake! Although stupid sounds more and more
appropriate. Alright, fine, let me think.... Alright, fix it just to get
it out of the way but don't put my name on it. Right now I think anything
coming from me will instantly be set on fire. And I include myself in that
statement. Just get the movie back on track, leave me out of it as much as
possible and I'll deal with the rest later. Thanks, Jade."
"So," Santino said as Lestat hung up the phone, "the movie has shut
down due to something you did--"
"Something I had no idea I did," Lestat said.
"And now you think to fix it so that no one will be mad at you, but
you're not going to put your name on it."
"Yes."
"So the end result of this is that everyone will be mad at you for a
mistake you did not mean to make and no one will give you credit for the
reparations you've gone out of your way to do. Have I got this right?"
Lestat drummed his fingers on a table. "It sounded like a good idea
at the time."
"Indeed," Santino said.
"Look, Santy, just keep this between us, please? I can't deal with
this right now. At least this way it's not a constant problem and I've got
some room in which to think."
"You're thinking already and this is the result, which frightens
me," Santino said. "But you mean well. Which is also frightening but I'll
leave it at that. Go to bed, Brat. Sleep on it."
"A good idea," Lestat said. He started to head off to his bedroom
but stopped halfway there. "Santy? Where's Da--"
"Don't EVEN ask."
Lestat smiled sympathetically. "Right. Night, Santy."
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 323: Marius
It had become painfully obvious that, despite her protests,
Gabrielle was in no shape to do much of anything. Marius had over ridden
her objections and flatly refused to let her attempt to walk, much less
fly. "You, my dear Marquis, are going no where but back to bed," he had
told her firmly, ignoring the furious look she had shot him when he
scooped her up in his arms.
"But Antonio..." she had protested.
Marius sent out a touch, then nodded, shushing Gabrielle again.
"Is with Louis. He's fine. We can go to him tomorrow night. Right now, we
are going to go back to the hotel. And you are going to bed and staying
there, if I have to tie you there. Do we understand each other?"
A smile had tugged at her lips. "Well, there's an interesting
mental image, Marius." He had glared and she had laughed. "Oh, stop it!
I'm not impressed with that look, and you know it. Alright, alright. I'll
behave. I promise."
"And I will hold you to that," he replied.
They had gone back to the hotel and a quick exchange between
Armand and the man at the front desk had secured a room next to their own.
They took Gabrielle there and Marius put her down on the bed. She was
asleep almost as soon as her head touched the pillows, too tired to do
more then mumble a protest as they helped her out of her jacket and shoes.
Armand paused long enough to smooth the blankets over her and brush back
the hair that had fallen over her forehead before following Marius from
the room.
The question came as soon as they entered their own room. "Will
she..."
Marius nodded, reaching out to catch Armand's hand briefly in his
own. "Yes. She'll be fine. She just needs to rest."
Armand accepted that, the small line between his brows easing a
little. Marius drew him closer, running his fingers gently through the
tousled auburn curls. "She's not the only one. I think we're all tired."
Armand started to speak but Marius hushed him, pressing a fingertip to his
lips. "No. Not now. We'll talk about it tomorrow evening, when Gabrielle
wakes." Bending, he pressed a light kiss to Armand's forehead. "Let's go
to bed," he whispered.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 324: Brad
Pandora patted the couch next to her. "Come sit here, and tell me
what's wrong?"
"Is it that obvious?"
"To a vampire?" Pandora chuckled, "Yes."
Brad sighed heavily. "I'm just afraid that Lestat might have hurt
Antonio. I haven't heard from him all night and he promised he would
keep in touch with me, let me know he was all right." Brad couldn't
keep the hurt he felt from sounding in his voice.
Pandora touched the bite marks on side of his neck with gentle
fingers. "Perhaps he is being wise, young man. It would be very hard
for him just now to be near you. You care for each other a great deal,
don't you?"
Brad nodded miserably.
"Then you must allow him time, Brad. If you have a deep affection
between you already, then it will be doubly hard for him. Everything
is amplified, when you are as we are, every sensation, every emotion
is more intense, more vibrant. And there is no mortal experience that
can compare with the taking and sharing of blood."
Brad blushed a deep scarlet and Pandora's words.
"I see I don't have to tell you that." Pandora's smiled at him
with gentle humor. She seemed quite different at the moment, the
sarcasm and wildness he'd seen earlier in the evening had vanished. He
suddenly remembered that she was very old, wondered just how old..."
"Don't you dare ask me how old I am," Pandora grinned at him
showing just enough teeth to make him pale slightly.
"Sorry, but that's not a good subject to get into with me,"
Pandora reached out and patted Brad's arm reassuringly. Just then
there was a loud crashing sound from upstairs.
"What the..!" Brad jumped to his feet. "Is someone breaking in?"
He looked around for something to defend them with. Pandora laughed
until the blood tears streamed down her face. "Relax, child. You don't
need to protect me or this house. Anyone breaking in here would never
be seen or heard from again!" Brad looked sheepishly at her and
shrugged his shoulders. "Just reflex, Ma'am."
"You `Ma'am' me again, Brad, and I'm going to dress you in a huge
diaper so that you appear to be some freakishly large child who, as a
child, would not be out of line calling me Ma'am."
"Sorry, Ma...Pandora." Brad grinned at her.
Pandora grinned back, this time keeping her teeth to herself.
"Anyway, that noise you heard was just Daniel and David having sex.
You know a bit what it's like, so you can imagine what it would be
like for two vampires. Although, breaking furniture usually doesn't
enter into it. But boys will be boys - always breaking things! Don't
they know if you take your time you can go all night? Why when I...
This is more than you wanted to know, isn't it?"
Brad nodded his head vigorously. For the second time in the space
of a few minutes, Brad had blushed a deep, bright red. Pandora took
pity on him and rose from the sofa. "I think you've had enough
excitement for one night, come on - let's go to bed. Oh, child, I'd
didn't mean together!" Pandora was again laughing helplessly. "Brad,
I can see, you are going to be ruinous for my makeup jobs! I'm going
to spend all my time in the bathroom washing the tear streaks off my
face!"
As the made there was slowly up the staircase, Pandora said
quietly. "Your Tony is safe. He's with Louis."
"Thank you, Pandora. I'll be able to sleep now." Brad walked her
to her door and waited politely as she opened it. "Goodnight,
Pandora." Brad again took up her hand and made to kiss it.
"Not this time," Pandora laughed, and grabbing him by the back
of the neck, pulled him into a deep kiss. "Hmmmm. You *are*
scrumptious. Jesse can't have all the fun!" Pandora winked at him and
then closed the door in his face.
Brad just stood there a minute, staring at the closed door - only
to leap half way across the hall at the sound of glass breaking.
Daniel and David, again. He chuckled to himself, looking forward to
teasing Daniel about it the next time he saw him. As he made his way
to the room he'd selected for himself he paused, and made his way to a
huge window.
He stood silently and watched the sun come up, simply because he
could....
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 325: Louis
The dream began as dreams begin - No definite beginning, just a gentle
drifting into an awareness. He saw it through his own eyes, as if he was
living, breathing the dream.
Louis felt as if he was crossing a room. The surroundings were familiar.
The place lived in his memory... Pointe du Lac, his family's plantation.
"Louis."
He heard a voice call him. He turned and walked into the hall.
Lestat lounged on the staircase, smiling.
"I've been waiting for you."
"Why?" asked Louis.
"Is there a reason I should not be waiting for my lover?" Lestat rose
to his feet and walked slowly to Louis' side. He reached over and smoothed
the hair from Louis' eyes, and let his hand lightly trail down his neck.
"Come to me, Louis..." Lestat was closer, his lips brushing Louis' cheek.
Their lips met and Louis felt the heat of desire burn though him.
Louis drew back. "That didn't happen... we never kissed that way
until..."
Lestat laughed. The laugh echoed through the house.
"My sweet, shy Louis... were you shy with Antonio the way you were shy
with me?"
Again the laughter.
"Stop it, Lestat! You *know* I can't abide that laughter..." Louis
covered his ears, turning away.
Lestat's hands were on his shoulders, spinning Louis around to face
him.
"Louis..." Lestat's voice was quiet. "Why do you go to him, when it's
me you long for? Didn't you tell me you wanted me? Didn't you tell me you
thought our separation felt as if the world ended? Louis... you want me,
come to me..."
In his dream, Louis touched Lestat's face. "Yes... Lestat..."
"Lestat... Yes! Lestat..."
Louis suddenly found himself sitting up in bed, in the hotel room, his
arms stretched out before him.
There was a hand on his shoulder, a firm grip...
With a gasp Louis turned to the one at his side.
"Louis... you're just dreaming... you're alright." Antonio said softly,
calming him.
"Mon Dieu..." Louis sighed and lay back against the pillows, covering
his face with his hands.
"You're alright." Antonio repeated, reassuringly.
Letting his hands fall to his sides, Louis sighed again.
"Go back to sleep. It's just sunset. You need to rest." Antonio's voice
was soft, gentle.
Louis closed his eyes. "Yes... I'll try." But the face of the golden
haired demon still glowed in the candle light in his mind's eye.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 326: David
David woke to find Daniel still sleeping in his arms. From the
looks of the room, they had made quite an impression on their new home.
Hopefully, he could get it cleaned up before the rest of the newly formed
coven got a look of it.
The New Coven...that might take some getting used to, but that is
what it was. The old coven had dissolved, that was certain. It was
unlikely that a group that powerful and diverse would ever join together
as one again. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, ::Too many chiefs and
no Indians:: David thoughtto himself. What would he tell Lestat and
Santino? He couldn't live with them again, it just wouldn't work. He had
been given a new start with life and he would be damned before letting
Lestat's antics decide the course of his action. David only wished Santino
understood this better. Playing attended to Lestat just wasn't on David's
agenda.
But for the moment, eveything was perfect. He was with Jesse
again, and he was happy for that. He would get to know the beautiful and
ancient Pandora, and all the stories that she must have locked within her!
The scholar in him looked on that with anticipation. Then there was
Daniel, Armand's only child...Armand's very lost child that hid behind the
pretense of humor. Daniel would find healing here, he was sure of it. They
were like two lost fledglings that clung to each other, an unlikely couple
that have only their dispair in common...But tonight, he had a good
feeling, things were going to get better for them. This new home, this new
life, it just seemed so...right.
Daniel stirred a bit in David's arms before his eyes fluttered
open. He smiled up at David and they kissed long and passionately.
"I hope you're feeling better tonight." David said with a smile.
"How could I not when I have such a wonderful nursemaid." Daniel
joked.
"Those things you said last night, about Armand, did you mean them?
Do you really hate him that much?"
"Yes." Daniel got out of the bed and began picking up his clothing.
"Daniel, you have to let that hate go. Let Armand go, you have us
now. Jesse, Pandora, you, me, were together as a family, let us help you
get over *him*. You are not used up Daniel, I think we proved that last
night." David smiled and then pulled Daniel back on to the bed. "Tell me,
would you rather plan your revenge on Armand, or make love with me?"
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 327: Daniel
"Would I rather do what or make love to you?" Daniel teased. "Well,
David, that's a though question..."
David smiled and pulled Daniel down on the bed, pressing his lips
against the fledgling's.
"Wait!" Daniel pulled away.
"What is it?"
"Jesse is awake!"
"So?"
"Well, nothing, I thought I would let you know. You know, in case
we get out of hand again and start playing rough...I don't want to make
too much noise!"
"Daniel, there's *nothing* left to break! Don't worry about it.
We'll be fine," David paused. "Then again, perhaps you're right...we
should clean up this mess. I don't want to give Pandora a bad impression!"
"And you're serious?" Daniel giggled.
"Yes, I *am* serious, Mr. Molloy, now, help me to clean up!"
"David, I think you got me mistaken. Do I look like a cleaning lady
to you?"
"Do I?" David snapped.
They both laughed.
The room looked presentable. Of course new furniture would have to
be purchased, for all that remained was the bed. A naked bed, the sheets
and bed spread ripped and stained with blood. Daniel made a big bundle
with the sheets and opened the window.
"What do you think you're doing?" David warned.
"I'm disposing the sheets, that's what I'm doing!"
"Are you crazy? What are people going to think! They'll think we
murdered someone in here, for God's sake! Give me that!"
"Here," Daniel said sheepishly as he handed David the bundle of
blood smeared rags. "I'm sorry, David, but that's what Armand and I used
to do everytime we went to a hotel, so..."
"Yes, but you left the hotel right away! We're staying in this
house, remember?"
"Makes sense." Daniel nodded.
David placed the clothes on the floor. He passed a hand through
his tangled dark curls. "Damn! We don't have a mirror in this room!"
"You look fine. Who're you trying to impress?"
"My victims, of course! Daniel I'm thirsty. Get your clothes on and
let's go out to hunt."
The pair of dirty jeans and the shirt he had borrowed from Brad
the night before would serve the purpose. David also wore the clothes from
the night before.
"I think we need to go shopping!" Daniel said.
"Yes, I think so too. Ready?"
They opened the door of their room and walked out to the long
corridor.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 328: Louis
Louis had risen the moment the sun dipped below the horizon. Antonio
slept on, unaware that Louis had wakened.
Louis had silently gone into the bathroom to wash his face. The
bloodtears from the night before had dried and caked to his face. As he
dried himself off with a towel, Louis glanced at his reflection. The sad
green eyes in the gaunt face stared back at him.
"You are a sight, aren't you?" He shook his head, disapprovingly. Louis
dragged a brush through his hair and secured it at the nape of his neck.
The thought that Lestat hated it when Louis wore his hair pulled back
entered his mind. Louis closed his eyes.
"Damn." He muttered, as he headed for his closet. ::There is so much
unresolved... so much that MUST BE resolved::
As he tucked the black silk shirt into his trousers, he glanced at the
sleeping form in the bed.
"I'm not being very fair to you, mon ami." Louis whispered.
There were so many feelings swirlling inside if him. So many feelings to
be sorted out, resolved. Louis stepped into the hall and closed the door.
There was one who deserved some answers. One he had to visit that night.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 329: Gabrielle
Gabrielle climbed out of the depths of the death sleep, unfamiliar
with her present surroundings. She couldn't really remember how she had
ended up in Marius' and Armand's suite, then again, days lately were more
often than not lived in a haze. She sighed reluctantly and climbed out of
bed, shaking her heAd as she did so. She gathered her hair at the nape of
her neck and secured it there.
Softly, she opened the door and proceeded to Armand and Marius'
room. She giggled slightly,
"I do hope I won't disturb the two in any way."
She laughed aloud as a mental picture formed in her mind, "Now
wouldn't that be a kodak moment?"
She softly rapped upon their door. No answer. Most likely they had
not risen yet, Gabrielle was known as an early bird, rising before the
rest of the coven when convenient. She turned the doorknob, trying in vain
not to make a sound. The door creaked unmercifully as the opened it, she
cursed it under her breath.
She smiled upon the bed where Marius and Armand lay curled
together, such contentment. She approached the bed and kneeled beside
Armand. She apprehensively reached out for him, running a finger along his
ivory cheek. Armand murmered softly and the dark eyes opened drowsily.
Gabrielle smiled as she smoothed the hair back away from his face,
"Good evening, mon cher. It's time we found my fledgling, and time
we make some sense out of all this madness."
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 330: Pandora
Pandora awoke early that evening; the last rays of amber could
still be seen filtering through the window as soon as she removed the
draperies. That was her favorite hour, the time when the night began and
the day ended, the time when the sun kissed the earth good-bye. It was a
glorious hour, the only hour when her pupils could recreate in the faint,
yet brilliant rays of the yellow star, a dim light, making the skies
appear to be of an indigo shade. She stretched her arms out and looked
down the street through the window. People passing by, carrying groceries,
the evening issue of the journal. A mother with her children. An old man
in a bicycle. Human, so lively, and warm. ALIVE.
Pandora smiled to herself. She pulled the draperies back down and
sat back on the bed. She scanned for the others. Jesse was
awake...finally! David and Daniel had been awake for quite a while, she
could hear them whispering to each other in the middle room. She could've
gone there and greet them, but she didn't want to disturb. It was obvious
they were *busy* And Brad, her mortal guest, where could he be? She didn't
feel him in the house. He was probably out.
What to do next? She now had a house, a new coven forming, the
friendship of David, and Daniel, the young one that she would take care
of. What else could she ask for? Happy. She was happy. But then, a shadow
from the past...a hidden desire...Martin.
She had to call him. She walked towards the little night table
next to her bed and picked up the phone, dialed Martin's number and
waited.
"Yes, I need to speak with----"
"Mr. Martin is not taking any calls," the masculine voice responded
on the other end.
"I see...well, this is really important. Please tell him that
Emerald called; tell him that I'll try to meet with him sometime soon."
"I will, m'am. Anything else?"
"No, that's all." Pandora hung up the phone and sat on the bed.
What couldn't she stop thinking about him? He was just a mortal, one more
of the thousands she had met throughout the years, but this one, was very
special.
She lay back on the bed and closed her eyes. She was not hungry.
No need to hunt that night. She would wait until the others were ready to
socialize to go out of her room.
The Black Rose
Sequel to "Hollywood Vampires"
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 331: Jesse
She sat bolt upright, waking, startled in the strange room. Jesse
blinked and gazed at her surroundings.
::Oh... Pandora's new house.:: She thought to herself, remembering the
previous morning.
Slowly, Jesse rose form the bed and walked over to the window. Pulling
aside the velvet drapes, she looked out on the street below. Everything
quiet, lights illuminating the houses across the street. She scanned for a
moment. The residents of the Victorian homes across the street were
unsuspecting their new neighboors were of the vampiric persuasion. Jesse
smiled. They never would. She scanned again. Just as she expected, she was
the last to rise. The sleepyhead of the bunch.
There was much to be done that night. First, she'd go pick off someone
from one of the dives on Bourbon Street, then she had to get some clothes.
For a moment she considered shopping with Brad, but then decided she'd
move faster on her own.
She scanned for Brad. He wasn't in the house. Perhaps he was off in a
restaurant for his dinner, or buying some groceries. What ever. As long as
he was far from her when the hunger gnawed away at her insides.
Jesse walked out the door and took a breath of the cool night air. It
was pleasant here. If things worked out with the coven, Jesse thought she
might stay a while.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 332: Brad
The alarm shrilled, and a long lanky arm reached out from a pile of
covers and slapped it off. Brad stretched luxuriously and sat up in bed.
He'd slept surprisingly well - considering his housemates would, upon
waking, probably regard him as nothing more than a appetizer! He streched
once more and got up. For sure, now was not the time for lingering in bed.
He threw back the covers and made his way to bathroom to shower and
dress. He had no idea how long he had to get clear of the house, and he
didn't want to chance it. He pulled on a pair of the baggy, draw string
trousers he favored and one of his many T-shirts, and after running a comb
through his increasingly shaggy hair, made his way down to the kitchen.
There wasn't a bit of food in the place.
"You're the food, you dope," Brad muttered to himself. He thought for
a minute about calling a cab, but decided it was a better idea to walk for
a bit, just to get clear of the house, and *then* call. He scratched a
note on the refrigerator note pad that said he'd gone for some groceries,
and left the house.
He meandered while he was out, taking his time with his shopping, and
chatting with the local folks. His friendly, easy manner always relaxed
people, and those who recognized him quickly forgot he was a big "star"
and regarded him as a sweet natured, good looking young man.
The old ladies at the market he'd selected fussed over the contents
of his grocery cart and put in fruits and vegetables when he wasn't
looking. By the time he checked out, he had all kinds of healthy
foodstuffs in his cart that he knew would soon be growing new and
interesting forms of mold.
The old ladies were happy though, and that made him feel good. As he
made way outside he took a good squint at the sky. It was full dark now,
and he decided the coast would be clear to go back to the house.
He was standing outside the door with his hands full of groceries,
wondering how he would get it open without putting anything down, when the
door opened on it's own.
"Louis! What are you doing here?" Brad tried to peer around Louis to
see into the house, "is Tony with you?"
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 333: Louis
"Louis! What are you doing here?" Brad tried to peer around Louis to see
into the house, is Tony with you?"
Louis shook his head.
"No, he's not. I wanted to talk to you..." Louis smiled slightly. "I
hope you don't mind. Here, let me help you." He stepped forward and took
two of the bags from Brad's hands. "I haven't the faintest idea where
you'd like these. You lead the way. I'll follow."
Brad walked into the hall with Louis silently following behind. Brad's
mind started to race. Why would Louis want to see him? Or had he come to
FINISH him?
"I wouldn't do that." Louis replied to the unspoken question.
Brad gave a nervous smile over his shoulder as they reached the kitchen.
"That's a load off MY mind." Brad said with a chuckle. He placed the
bags he was carrying on the counter next to where Louis had placed the
others.
"So..." Brad began to place the food in the refrigerator and on the
shelves, "You wanted to talk to me?" He glanced at Louis, who was sitting
on the countertop across from him. His face wasn't as stark white as
Jesse's was when he'd left her at her bedroom door. He looked very much
alive, very human.
"Yes." Louis replied, softly. "I would like to talk with you about
Tonio."
Brad looked up from what he was doing and met Louis' gaze. "What do
you want to talk about?"
Louis smiled slightly. "Your relationship with him... and mine."
"Oh." Brad took a beer from the six-pack. It was warm, but better than
nothing. "Let's go sit down."
Again, Louis followed him silently down the hall.
"How do you guys do that?" Brad asked.
"Do What?"
"Walk so quietly. Jesse does it too." Brad settled into an armchair.
"Our feet seldom touch the ground." Louis remained standing.
"Sweet Jesus!" Brad exclaimed.
"Quite." Louis smiled.
That smile put Brad at his ease. There was nothing malevolent about
Louis.
"I find this hard to put into words. What shall I call you? What do
you prefer?" Louis inclined his head.
"Brad... can I call you Louis?"
"Please do." Louis walked across to the fireplace. "I thought I
should talk to you, Brad. I know you have a very deep friendship with
Tonio. I know it goes beyond that... please, I'm not judging you. I'm
merely here... as a friend. You know that Tonio is a vampire, an immortal
like myself. For a mortal to have a relationship with one of the undead...
it is a very difficult thing. There are dangers, risks to you, both
physical and mental."
"Mental?" Brad looked at him, startled.
"Yes, both to the human and the vampire. You risk insanity if you
decide to continue with Antonio. And it affects him, too. Confusion,
depression. I know from person experience.
Brad suddenly remembered reading about Louis and Babbette. "I see.
I hadn't really thought of it."
"No. You're *both* inexperienced." Louis gave him a gentle
smile."The physical risk I needn't tell you. You know you risk death
everytime he drinks from you."
Brad swallowed hard. He remembered the ecstasy, of Tony's drinking
from him, not caring if he lived or died.
"That brings me to the next subject." Louis walked over and sat
down. "What would you say if he wanted to bring you over? Or what if you
decided you couldn't live without him? If he brought you over, there'd be
the veil of silence between you forever. You'd stay young, but you'd watch
your family grow old and die. Immortality is not all beauty. It's torment.
It's damnation in living endlessly."
Louis reached over and touched Brad's hand. "I don't want you to
answer me. You have to answer these questions for yourself. But Brad, you
can't risk your mind. You're a gifted actor. You're a gentle person."
"What are my choices?" Brad asked.
"You know them." Louis replied.
"Louis... where do you stand with Tony?" The words came out before he
could stop them.
Louis thought quietly for a moment. He looked into Brad's eyes and
smiled. "He's my friend. He had helped me through some very hard nights. I
admit, there is an attraction. After all, we are of the same kind. But the
only one I will ever love is Lestat. We are apart now. He left me, but has
now returned. I no longer know him." Louis sighed, shaking his head. "But
as for Tonio, at the moment we are companions of sorts. He has strong
feelings for you, my friend. But only the two of you can deal with that."
Louis rose to his feet. "Unless you have any questions for me, I'll be
on my way."
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 334: Brad
Brad stared at Louis in disbelief. "What a load of horse shit!"
Brad rose from the couch and paced around the room, much like Louis
had done. His body fell into the same loose easy glide, his hands
clasped each other behind his back. "He's my friend," Brad said, in a
remarkable imitation of Louis' dulcet tones. "He had helped me through
some very hard nights. I admit, there is an attraction. After all, we
are of the same kind." Brad stopped and faced Louis with a hard stare.
"You used him, Louis. Plain and simple. You took up with him to
ease your own hurt!"
"No!" Louis interrupted. "You misunderstand!"
"I don't think so," Brad retorted, folding his arms across his
chest. Tony was a fantastic man, and I'm sure he's a equally fantastic
vampire. Rather hard to resist for someone running away..."
"You speak of things you know nothing about," Louis said coldly.
"Oh, I see. You weren't making love to Tony to try and erase
Lestat from your mind? You weren't wallowing in Tony's sweet,
affectionate nature? You didn't gladly accept his admiration and
attention because you were tired of being mistreated - because you
were _lonely_?" Louis' face had become a cold, hard mask. Brad knew he
was treading dangerous ground.
"Oh hell, Louis, I'm not trying to come down on you! It's just
that you've put Tony right smack in the middle of you and Lestat! Tony
told me Lestat actually caught the two of you going at it!" Louis
turned away from Brad's crudeness.
"I'm not tippy-toeing around this, Louis." Brad reached out and
grabbed at Louis arm. Of course he couldn't budge him. "When Tony told
me that little bit of news, I almost had a heart attack! Do you know
what my first thought was? Do you? Take it out of my mind. It's been
rattling around up there since Tony told me Lestat found you
together."
Louis delved into Brad's thoughts then shook his head in denial.
"You needn't worry, Brad. Lestat won't..."
"Won't what? Won't turn Tony into a smoking cinder? Won't attack
him and drain him and wall him up somewhere where he'd starve or go
mad after a few years? I could go on, Louis, I've thought of quite a
few things Lestat could do to Tony with out killing him. You see, he
could do something God awful to Tony, then squirt a few and do his
best contrite act and all would be forgiven - after awhile for sure,
but still forgiven."
"Look man, I'm sorry for getting all in your business like this,
but I've got to look out for Tony! I know I've got a lot to think
about as far as our future relationship goes, but I also know that I
won't ever stop being his friend! And as his friend, I have to tell
you that I don't think you'd be doing him any favors by getting
involved with him when things with you and Lestat are such a mess!
"Louis, a lot of other people wind up getting hurt when you and
Lestat are on the outs. The way you hurt each other is bad enough, but
when you drag others into it - that is definitely uncool!"
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 335: Louis
Louis regarded Brad calmly, appearing as still and as silent as a
statue. At length he drew a breath and slowly shook his head. "I should
have know you would misunderstand." He sighed. "I came here out of concern
for you, mon ami. You are in far greater danger yourself than Antonio is
from Lestat."
"I cannot explain a vampiric relationship to you. You cannot begin to
fathom the emotional intensity involved, or the whys or wherefores of
vampiric companionship. You haven't been on this earth long enough to
garner the knowledge to even slightly comprehend the bonding involved in
friendship of our nature. I do not have to explain my relationship with
Antonio to you. We are vampires. You are mortal. There lies the
difference."
Louis walked to the mantelpiece and ran his hand across the smooth
marble. "I came here with concern for you, a mortal whom my companion
holds most dear. His love for you took him close to the edge where your
very welfare is concerned." Louis glanced over to Brad. "And you... you
are just as near hysteria with your passion for him. Heaven help you both
if you taste his blood."
"Whilst you are so concerned with my relationship with Antonio, may I
remind you of your own ties to a fledgling of the most powerful, the
Queen, Maharet? Are you concerned for hurting Jesse while you are playing
house with this new coven? It would be wise for you to remember you are
toying with the affections of one of the most remarkable of fledglings
ever made. Do you know she is Lestat's equal in many aspects of her
existance?"
"And as for Lestat, my destiny with him is uncertain. But I know my
destiny with Antonio. We shall always be friends. That friendship was
sealed by the exchange of blood. You shall never know these ties, the true
kinship that was formed in that act. You never shall, unless you, too,
accept the dark gift, mon ami."
Louis smiled, the tips of his fangs barely gleeming over his lip. "You
cannot understand the mysteries of our kind." He bowed slightly. "I shall
bid you a good evening."
Before Brad could draw a breath, Louis had vanished from the room.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 336: Brad
"Well," Brad said to the empty air where Louis had been only seconds
before, "I see I'll have to add "Pompous Ass" to my list of Louis
personality traits! And here I thought Lestat had cornered the market on
that!" Brad stomped angrily around the room looking for something to
break.
"_I_ don't understand the nature of a vampiric relationship! ME! I'm
not the one moping and mooning around after the same obnoxious jerk for
centuries! And sharing kinship my ASS! I know what it felt like for me,
and David and Daniel were breaking furniture, for Christ's sake!" Brad
realized he was shouting at a empty room.
"Way to hit and run, Louis," Brad sneered, flinging himself down on
the sofa. Flipping over on his stomach he pounded the pillow a few times!
"We are vampires. You are mortal. There lies the difference." Brad
mimicked. "What colossal condescension! Pulling that `I am a living
statue' routine, feeding me that load of crap and steady calling me his
friend!
"Well fuck THAT!" Brad threw the pillow he'd been beating up on
across the room, and dived for the phone.
"Yeah, hello, is Mr. Devalle in? No? I'd like to leave a
message...ready? Okay, this is the message: 'Are you a liar now, or what?
If you were going to cut me off you should have just said goodbye. If you
want to see me, I'm at 1616 First Street. P.S., Louis is not the God
Damned BIBLE! His word on everything isn't the Gospel! ESPECIALLY WHEN
HE"S SO SCREWED UP!!'
"You got all that? What? No. No signature. He'll know who it's from!"
Brad slammed down the receiver and stared at it for a minute. "Damn, that
was rude of me." He thought about calling the hotel again and apologizing
to the desk clerk, but decided to leave well enough alone. He was still
shivering with suppressed anger, directed at whom he wasn't sure, and
suddenly wished Tom was here. Now that boy could rant and throw a fit!
Maybe Tom could give him a few pointers.
Brad chuckled at the thought of a good all out TC fit being conducted
right here amongst all these lovely breakables. Brad knew then that he had
well and truly lost it. When he started wishing for Tom's company, it was
time to chill out!
He headed out toward the kitchen to wrestle up some food. Banging the
pots around would do wonders for his temper.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 337: Lestat
[text of a letter for Louis left at the front desk of the Omni.]
Louis,
I've tried every way I can of speaking to you and none of them have worked.
This method is a little old-fashioned, but hopefully it will get to you.
I know that you barely tolerate my existance at this moment but just bear
me out long enough for me to tell you this: I did *not* shut the movie
down!
Yes, I know that my company was involved with it and I know that my name is
currently all over it but I swear to you Louis, I did not order this
myself. It was an accident of one of my agents who misinterpreted my order
to cut all ties between me and the coven. I had no idea the movie was a
part of that! It didn't even occur to me!
And I did this *three nights* before I came back to New Orleans. *Three
nights* before I found out about Antonio. And quite frankly, Louis, if I
wanted to hurt Antonio, getting him fired from his job is hardly the way in
which I would accomplish it. Give me a little credit, at least, for
revenges which aren't quite so sloppy and splashed all over the evening
news.
But maybe that's my mistake. Asking you for some credit on anything.
Apparently I have none of it now with you. And I miss that, Louis. God, I
think I'd take anything right now, even your hatred, so long as it was
something coming from you.
I suppose I've earned your anger. Even if I did not intend to shut the
movie down I still intended to cut all ties with you and everyone else and
perhaps that was the truly foolish mistake.
I try and try and try and yet after 200 years I still find I don't know
what the Hell I'm doing.
But at least I can try to do the right thing.
I'm sorry, Louis.
--Lestat
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 338: Antonio
The first thing Antonio noticed was the absence of the form next to him
in the bed. Louis rose earlier than he on most evenings, so this didn't
come as much of a surprise. He sat up in the bed and listened. There
wasn't the familiar sound of a shower; in fact Louis wasn't in the hotel.
He scanned further. He found Louis walking slowly through the a section of
the city filled with lovely Victorian houses. What had Louis called it?
Ah, yes. The Garden District. Louis seemed somewhat upset, but then this
seemed to be Louis demeanor. That beautiful melancholy soul who knew the
depth of great love, too often grieving because of that sungod false
lover, Lestat.
Antonio dressed quickly, deciding to hunt before Louis returned. His
thoughts turned to his lovely maker, Gabrielle. And to his mortal lover,
Brad. He stopped for a moment. Yes. Brad was his mortal lover. How could
feelings that intense change because Gabrielle had bestowed the Dark Gift
upon him.
As he walked the darkened alleyways of the seedier side of the city,
his thoughts returned to Brad and the rich intoxicating taste of his
blood. NO! He had to clear his mind of that! He could have killed him all
too easily.
Antonio noticed a derelict stumbling over himself. A choice morsel.
Old enough to impart the taste of a life, drunk enough to produce a slight
buzz.
He took the victim swiftly, mercilessly. The swoon passed all too
quickly. Antonio deposited the body in a dumpster, after healing the
puncture wound with two drops of his own blood.
Into the night he walked, hopeful that he should find his beautiful
Gabrielle.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 339: Jesse
Jesse was coming in the front door when she met David and Daniel in the
hall.
Daniel reached out and tweaked one of the wayward curls that framed her
face.
"Hi, Reds." He grinned.
"Hi, Twerp." She replied, paying more attention to David."Good evening,
David."
"Why is it you're always going after me like that," said Daniel.
"I don't know, you've picked on me since day one... Daniel, would you
mind awfully if I talked to David for a bit?" Jesse was picking up all
sorts of 'vibes' from David, not really words or thoughts, just feelings.
Daniel opened his mouth, but David spoke first.
"Daniel, why don't you feed and then we'll meet here later. I do need
to talk to Jesse." He smiled into Daniel's violet eyes. "You don't mind,
do you?"
Daniel shrugged. "I don't care. I don't want you to run off, though."
David pressed his hand against Daniel's shoulder. "I won't."
They watched Daniel leave the house.
"You know, we should go somewhere and talk. Brad will be back, and you
haven't fed." Jesse looked up into David's face.
"My, but you are protective." David smiled.
"He's my responsibility," Jesse sighed. "I can't risk having him near
a hungry vampire."
"Quite." David replied.
They stepped out onto the porch. Jesse glanced down the street and
frowned.
"I don't like being so close to THAT house. I've tried to avoid the
Mayfairs. I know it wasn't their fault, but still." She shook her head.
"David, do you want to go to Lafayette Cemetery? To Aaron's grave and pay
our respects?"
David took a breath. He hadn't expected that.
"We can talk there, too. No one to bother us. You remember what you
used to say about cemeteries...'quiet neighbourhoods?'" Jesse smiled.
She didn't see David return the smile. He simply nodded. "Do you want
to fly, or shall we take my Harley?" She added.
David glanced dubiously at the motorcycle. "Fly"
"Chicken." Jesse nudged him. There it was again. A nod, not a sign of
that smile.
They landed a few moments later in the old cemetery. Jesse noticed a
frown on David's face. She touched his arm. "Perhaps this wasn't a good
idea." She said to him softly. "David - let's just sit down over here."
David sat next to her on a bench. Jesse looked up into his face.
"You aren't happy, are you?" She said, quietly.
David took her hand. "Is there such a thing as a happy vampire? You
tell me."
"I am." She smiled. "Oh, there are times when I'm not thrilled with
taking human life. But, it's *our* life, isn't it? Don't you enjoy the
hunt?"
David stared at the crypt across the path from them. "May I tell you
something, my dear?"
Jesse slid closer to him. "This is serious, isn't it, David?"
He nodded. "I believe I won't survive very long with this."
"David!"
"Please, let me finish, Jessica. You know, in the beginning, I
believed it really was a gift... eternal youth and all that, but now..."
His voice trailed away.
"It's the killing, isn't it?" She whispered.
"The killing, the isolation, the eventual madness..." he sighed,
"Jesse, I'm beginning to think it's all a great cosmic mistake."
Jesse threw her arms around him.
"David..." she whispered."I'm so very sorry..."
They sat together, Jesse holding him tightly. She feared if she
lessened her grip around him, she would lose him altogether.
_________________________________________________________________________
Post 340: David
David held on to Jesse as if she were the anchor that would keep
him tied to this world. Some how, even with all the pain, her embrace was
a comfort to him. He felt in that moment, all would workout and life would
be...bearable. He slowly loosened his grip and backed away, letting his
arms fall around her waiste. He placed a light kiss on her lips and
smiled. "Oh Jessica, I could almost--"
"What? David, please talk to me."
"It's nothing, just the musings of an old man." Jesse frowned at
him.
"You're not old anymore David. You're young again, you have so much
left to enjoy!"
"Jesse, experience didn't die with my old body, it's all still up
here" he said as he tapped his forehead. "I know what it's like to be old,
it's not a feeling one forgets that easily." He stopped a moment and
looked out into the cemetary. "You see these graves? I should be here, it
is the logical conclusion to all life. I feared death, Jessica. Even as
Lestat took me and I fought, I feared death. I fought him, and I knew that
if I won, I would die. But I lost that battle...and then I lost my fear of
death. And now, I fear that I cannot die. I was a fool to think that I had
escaped the resposibilty, that I was not morally culpably for what I have
become."
"But David, you're not! You protested, you begged Lestat not too!"
"Yes, but what of every night after?" Jesse just shook her head in
confusion. "You see," he answered, "Every time I kill, I make a choice. I
decide that my life is worth more then someone elses. I sit like some
royal Titan as judge and executioner on some hapless victim. The
responsibility still rests with me in the end, because I choose to
continue my life as a killer. There will come a time when I will no longer
be able to make that choice, I know this now. I knew it when I was mortal,
but I allowed myself to forget it when I first became a vampire."
"No! David, this feeling, we all get it from time to time, it will
pass! Please tell me you don't mean to end it! I couldn't bear to think
that you would die! When Lestat brought you over, I secretely rejoiced
that you would go on forever. David, you are my teacher, my mentor and my
friend, how could I be so happy when you are so miserable." David's
expression saddened.
"Oh Jessica, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to upset you, it's just
that I had to tell someone, and I feel closer to you then anyone else.
Forgive me, I shouldn't be loading all of this on you."
"I'm glad that you told me, just promise that you won't do anything
without speaking to me first. I love you David, you're like a fath--"
Jesse stopped and reconsidered her last remark. David laughed at her
embarrassement.
"More like you're grandfather, but that's quite alright. Any
relation to you, would be quite an honor." He smiled again and Jesse took
some comfort in that. At least he could still be reached and reasoned
with, but she still sensed that his soul was troubled...no doubt it would
be for a long time to come. "Shall we return to the house? I believe
Daniel wanted to do some shopping."
"But you haven't fed." Jesse protested.
"Not tonight, I'm not in the mood. I promise you, Brad will be safe
from me, I'm strong enough to skip every few days. And please, don't tell
the others, I don't want to worry Daniel or Pandora."
"I promise." Jesse replied. They passed the walk back home in
silence.
Donovan Tansley (INT)
segments featured a story that reported that George Clooney (from E/R) is
negotiating with Warner Brothers to play Batman in the next movie. After
seeing this I wondered if Val Kilmer will now be free to play Lestat in
TVL. Unless of course, Tom Cruise will continue in the role. Does this
seem like a possibility to anyone?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"When are you going to realize that if it
doesn't apply to me it doesn't matter?"
--Murphy Brown--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ken Crooker
I wondered if Val Kilmer will now be free to play Lestat in
> TVL. Unless of course, Tom Cruise will continue in the role. Does this
> seem like a possibility to anyone?
I don't know, but I 'd much rather see Val Kilmer play Lestat than Tom
Cruise. ALthough Tom did a lot better than I thought he would do as
Lestat, I still can't believe he got that part. HE is too "Pretty" to be
Lestat!
--Ken's girlfriend Sara
>
Kenneth W. Crooker II
pol...@skypoint.com
madman
> Last night I watched the television show Extra. One of the early
>segments featured a story that reported that George Clooney (from E/R) is
>negotiating with Warner Brothers to play Batman in the next movie. After
>seeing this I wondered if Val Kilmer will now be free to play Lestat in
>TVL. Unless of course, Tom Cruise will continue in the role. Does this
>seem like a possibility to anyone?
I could maybe see Val Kilmer as Lestat, he's certainly cocky and self
centered enough, but I don't think he's quite right. I'd still push
for Peter Murphy or Bowie. Tom did do a surprisingly good job tho, so
who knows maybe Val would too.
...Forever Remain...
Madman
AcademyNS
really want to get a reputation in Hollywood as the guy to call when the
originator of a role moves on? I mean, he took over Batman when Michael
Keaton got sick of it, would he really want to step in and do the same
thing with a Tom Cruise role? If it were me, I'd worry about becoming "Mr.
Hand-Me-Down".
The Thing
> > I wondered if Val Kilmer will now be free to play Lestat in
> > TVL. Unless of course, Tom Cruise will continue in the role. Does this
> > seem like a possibility to anyone?
>
> I don't know, but I 'd much rather see Val Kilmer play Lestat than Tom
> Cruise. ALthough Tom did a lot better than I thought he would do as
> Lestat, I still can't believe he got that part. HE is too "Pretty" to be
> Lestat!
> --Ken's girlfriend Sara
> >
Wait... Tom's too "pretty", so you'd rather see Val Kilmer in the part???
What's the difference? They're both "pretty"!
Though, personally, that's how I picture Lestat, anyway.
>
> Kenneth W. Crooker II
> pol...@skypoint.com
>
>
+----Catherine Johnson ------------------------ c...@gas.uug.arizona.edu----+
| "Well the music's bad, but at least it's drowning out the dialogue." |
| -Tom Servo, _Mystery_Science_Theater_3000_ |
+----Bishopess of TURAC - Minion of Laura and Steph - Wife of Angela B.----+
The Thing
"Donovan Tansley (INT)" <tan...@luna.cas.usf.edu> wrote:
> Last night I watched the television show Extra. One of the early
>segments featured a story that reported that George Clooney (from E/R) is
>negotiating with Warner Brothers to play Batman in the next movie. After
>seem like a possibility to anyone?
From everything I've heard, Tom would be willing to do the part again.
And all I can say is... GEORGE CLOONEY??? Yuk!
LORI-ANNE COHEN
(INT)" <tan...@luna.cas.usf.edu> writes:
>
> Last night I watched the television show Extra. One of the early
>segments featured a story that reported that George Clooney (from E/R)
is
>negotiating with Warner Brothers to play Batman in the next movie.
After
>seeing this I wondered if Val Kilmer will now be free to play Lestat
in
>TVL. Unless of course, Tom Cruise will continue in the role. Does this
>seem like a possibility to anyone?
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> "When are you going to realize that if it
> doesn't apply to me it doesn't matter?"
> --Murphy Brown--
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>
>
I must admit I have not heard this rumor nor have I ever considered Val
Kilmer Lestat material...but hey, I thought the same thing of Tom
Cruise. Truth is stranger than fiction though.
LAC
Ken Crooker
Ooops, I just deleted that you wrote you'd like to see Bowie be
Lestat--but that's what I wanted to comment on! I totally agree that he
is just like Lestat, he even LOOKS like Lestat (in my mind's eye, that
is). I told Ken this and he gave me the wierdest look, but hey, it's
true! I am glad to see someone else feels the same way I do!! I have
pictured Lestat to look like Bowie since I was first introduced to him a
long, long, time ago in a lifetime far, far, away!!
-Ken's girlfriend Sara
David E Strutt
: Last night I watched the television show Extra. One of the early
: segments featured a story that reported that George Clooney (from E/R) is
: negotiating with Warner Brothers to play Batman in the next movie. After
: seeing this I wondered if Val Kilmer will now be free to play Lestat in
: TVL. Unless of course, Tom Cruise will continue in the role. Does this
: seem like a possibility to anyone?
I've always thought Gary Coleman would play a great Lestat, provided of
course they couldn't get Leslie Nielson, Mariah Carey, or Kurt Cobain.
How about Kyle McLaughlin or Alec Baldwin? They're both terrific actors.
Actually I'm all for Cruise playing the role again. I actually pictured
him when I first read the series (way back in 1991). I hope they don't
get that dork Kilmer.
Dave
Debbie Horcoff
>I wondered if Val Kilmer will now be free to play Lestat in
>> TVL. Unless of course, Tom Cruise will continue in the role. Does this
>> seem like a possibility to anyone?
>I don't know, but I 'd much rather see Val Kilmer play Lestat than Tom
>Cruise. ALthough Tom did a lot better than I thought he would do as
>Lestat, I still can't believe he got that part. HE is too "Pretty" to be
>Lestat!
>--Ken's girlfriend Sara
Wait, wait just a minute, here--WHAT!!! Lestat IS pretty, he's
gorgeous, he's a masculine version of his mother! I don't believe
this. In every book it is emphasized how beautiful he is. Tom's not
pretty ENOUGH to be the perfect Lestat.
Good God, Val Kilmer--the first time I laid eyes on him I was reminded
of a rather unpleasant version of Michael York. And to add to the
unpleasantness is his ' drier than the Sahara' acting. This man put
me to sleep with his expressionless demeanor and colorless
personality.
If those were my only choices---Go Tom!
Debbie
Maggie May
<tan...@luna.cas.usf.edu> wrote:
> Last night I watched the television show Extra. One of the early
>segments featured a story that reported that George Clooney (from E/R) is
>negotiating with Warner Brothers to play Batman in the next movie. After
>seeing this I wondered if Val Kilmer will now be free to play Lestat in
>TVL. Unless of course, Tom Cruise will continue in the role. Does this
>seem like a possibility to anyone?
>
Sadly Tomis reprising the role(no I'm not a Cruise fan especially as
Lestat).I would of loved to see Val as Lestat.Val could even sing
Lestat's songs.No need to hire a singer!
BTW Val let Batman to play the lead in the movie version of tv show
The Saint.
>-maggie magg...@usa.pipeline.com
mag...@village.ios.com
--------------------------------------------------------
I sometimes hold it half a sin
To put in words the grief I feel;
For words, like Nature, half reveal
And half conceal the Soul within.
-Tennyson "In Memoriam"
AcademyNS
page 36, there is a photograph of a French actor named Olivier Martinez,
who has a movie coming out called "The Horseman on the Roof.". He's blond,
handsome in that European male model kinda way, he's French, and he can
act. Moreover, the magazine's picture caption referes to him as "the
French Tom Cruise".
How 'bout him?
Brent T. Engel
(Ken Crooker) writes:
>
>
>I wondered if Val Kilmer will now be free to play Lestat in
>> TVL. Unless of course, Tom Cruise will continue in the role. Does
this
>> seem like a possibility to anyone?
>
>Cruise. ALthough Tom did a lot better than I thought he would do as
>Lestat, I still can't believe he got that part. HE is too "Pretty" to
be
>Lestat!
>--Ken's girlfriend Sara
>>
Tom Cruise was good he would be even better.
Colette.
Renee Sweeney
>Has anyone considered John Malkovich for Lestat? I think that although
>Tom Cruise was good he would be even better.
>
>Colette.
>>
>>Kenneth W. Crooker II
>>pol...@skypoint.com
>
No way! Malkovich, although a wonderful actor, is disgusting to
look at. Lestat is/was/will always be beautiful.
I never particularly cared for the casting of Tom as Lestat, and
in watching "Interview" again this past Saturday night, still
don't. Not sure who might be the "perfect" Lestat...Val Kilmer,
hmmmmmm...Have to mull that one over some more...He's certainly
got the lips for it (!)...
C-ya later guys!
Renee' (in Dallas, where it is very dull & gloomy today-perfect
novel setting...)
Interweb
He's handsome and young enough to play the role.
Joon
Kristine Coblentz
would make an amazing Lestat. I think it would be best if Lestat was cast
with an "unknown" rather than a big name actor who brings baggage with them.
In article <313e537d...@news.gnn.com> R...@gnn.com (Rtk) writes:
>From: R...@gnn.com (Rtk)
>Subject: Re: Casting Lestat
>Date: Thu, 07 Mar 1996 03:36:18 GMT
>When I first read TVL, Keifer Sutherland was the image that immediately
>came to mind, probably from seeing him in "The Lost Boys." I don't know,
>though, Keifer might be a little too rough around the edges to play Lestat.
>
>
>
>
>--
>Rae-Ann
Mark A Filetti
> A few weeks ago, I happened to catch a showing of the THE BRIDE, an '80's
> film about the Frankenstein legend. Sting played the Dr, and Jennifer
> Beals was his creation.
>
> Anybody else seen this movie? Sting was tall, blonde, beautiful, and
> deadly. I thought, now there is Lestat! Wonder if he'd consider it now?
In his hey-day Sting would have made a devesating Lestat IMHO. Sting in The
Bride and in Dune was very scrumptious. Unfortunately Sting is much older
now than he was then and has many laugh-lines, he lacks the smooth complexion
of 20 yr old Lestat. But I guess that is what make-up is for and it might be
nice to have a singer play Lestat for the rock-god phase. Hmmmm Sting sings
"Age of Innocence". Now *that* is an interesting idea. All you Sting fans
out there, be aware that he has a new album coming out here in the States
on March 12th. :)
Theresa
>
>
SORCHA5
Date: 8 Mar 1996 17:03:41 GMT
<<A few weeks ago, I happened to catch a showing of the THE BRIDE, an
'80's
film about the Frankenstein legend. Sting played the Dr, and Jennifer
Beals was his creation.
Anybody else seen this movie? Sting was tall, blonde, beautiful, and
deadly. I thought, now there is Lestat! Wonder if he'd consider it
now?>>
~v~v~
Well actually about the time Sting did the "Bride"-- TVL was
written/released so that puts it in perspective as well.Pity it wasn't put
into film then when he looked liked that. Why else did he write "Moon Over
Bourbon St" because he loved the book IWTV and **asked** to play the part
if ever made into film. We know the rest.
Try and find a film "Brimstone and Treacle" British film of a few years
earlier, if you want a truly sinister Sting..."Burn for You" theme song of
same film, would be prefect for any AR vampire film.
Eron Drew
#In article <313e537d...@news.gnn.com> R...@gnn.com (Rtk) writes:
#>From: R...@gnn.com (Rtk)
#>Subject: Re: Casting Lestat
#>Date: Thu, 07 Mar 1996 03:36:18 GMT
#
#>On Tue, 05 Mar 1996 17:58:35 +0100, Interweb <inte...@infoboard.be> wrote:
#
#>>I see Kiefer Sutherland in Lestat. What do you think of ?
#>>He's handsome and young enough to play the role.
#>>
#>>
#>> Joon
#
#
#>When I first read TVL, Keifer Sutherland was the image that immediately
#>came to mind, probably from seeing him in "The Lost Boys." I don't know,
#>though, Keifer might be a little too rough around the edges to play Lestat.
#
#
#
#
#>--
#>Rae-Ann
#
#I think that Keifer Sutherland would make a good Lestat but I think he lacks
#some of Tom Cruises grace and charm.
keifer sutherland would make a far more believable vampire than tom cruise
i just had a hard time believing that he was lestat
perhaps this has something to do with reading all of anne rices books
before seening the movie and not liking the fact that i now had to give up
the images i had created in my mind for each character and have them
replaced by obviosly famous well known people
perhaps they should have tried to have a whole cast of unknown actors instead
sincerely
eron e drew esquire
--
eron e drew esquire
ed...@d.umn.edu
****************************
check out my homepage at
http://www.d.umn.edu/~edrew/
Lestat_de...@sys280.chatlink.com
How about Sting as Lestat and David Bowie as Nicki?
DeNece Dugan
Kinet Chi
ed...@d.umn.edu2 says...
[snip]
>replaced by obviosly famous well known people
>perhaps they should have tried to have a whole cast of unknown actors
>instead
That's the best "casting suggestion" I've seen. I feel that when you put a
known actor into a new role you are not only casting the actor, you're also
casting every well know role he/she has played.
The "news" (actually gossip) media also do their best to make sure you can't
isolate actor in that new role. All of those "The Making of..." type shows
will inevitably include comparisons to the other films the actor's done.
All of this takes away from the character we want to see portrayed.
Mozart
>Kiefer? Nahhhh!
>How about Sting as Lestat and David Bowie as Nicki?
NAAAAHHHHH!
Shelley Barton
Cruise in IWTV that he can't be bettered in the part, but as he has to
sing in TVL I'm now not so sure. However, after seeing Jon Bon Jovi (sp?)
on TV the other day I got to thinking he would make an excellent choice.
His latest hair (!) is very Lestat (sort of shoulder length blond and
curly) and his singing voice is exactly as I would imagine Lestat's would
be. The only drawback is that he is not as elegant and arrogant as Cruise
as Lestat.
Any thoughts?
Shelley
********************************************************************
But who will look after me my love, my dark angel, when you are gone?
Claudia to Louis IWT
********************************************************************
Lestat
being cast as anything ever again. I could go on about him, but then
"sometimes it's a bitch."
No,I think Tom can easily prove a good Lestat again, in spite of the
singing that will be required of him. Given the technology of the day, a
voice can seamlessly be contrived for him.
But will this ever happen, I query...will there really be a VL movie? Tom
is asking no less than $15mil to perform in it, and I wonder what Mr. Pitt
would charge for the five minutes he appears in the story...