Fan Fiction ❯ The Vampire Hunter ❯ Chapter 6

Chapter VI

Clark finished the cup of coffee Samantha had given her and continued to chitchat with the woman, while Samantha refilled her cup. She was actually pretty good company. Clark felt herself relax, as more and more time passed. It meant that Gabrielle was having a full discussion with the other vampire and was hopefully getting through.

"So, how did you get to be Gabrielle's servant? She's never had one, you know. Always refused to give the Gift."

"We met a few nights ago. She asked for my help and I couldn't refuse." Well, it was basically the truth.

"Hmm, I wonder how long she'll make you wait? My Mistress has promised me only one more year of service and then she'll take me. She's really very nice, not like some of the others I've met. No disrespect intended to any of them, of course."

"Of course."

Clark heard a sound behind her and turned to see Gabrielle walk into the kitchen. She was trailed by two female vampires. Samantha quickly got up from her stool at the counter and stood before Michelle.

"Mistress?"

"Sam, get our bags. We're going with Gabrielle on a little visit. I want you to do as Gabrielle's... as this woman tells you."

Samantha hurried off to prepare their things and Clark stood to regard the two new vampires.

Gabrielle gestured to her. "Michelle, Shiri, this is Clark. Clark, this is Michelle and Shiri. They've decided to join me against Blake."

With that simple little sentence, Clark understood that Gabrielle had told these two a lot.

"Good, it's been a long night," Clark said.

She knew the statement was slightly antagonizing, basically throwing in their faces the fact that she'd recently killed several of their own, but for some reason, she felt a need to make sure these two vampires knew exactly where she stood. And that was with Gabrielle.

"Yes, I'm sure it has been. Though, you don't appear to be any worse for wear," remarked Shiri.

Clark looked internally for a moment and realized the vampire was right. She hadn't eaten since early the night before, but she didn't feel hungry at all. She also didn't feel sleepy or in any way tired. Whatever Gabrielle had been doing to her during their little healing sessions was keeping her in top condition.

"I've been taking care of her. It's something I'll teach you, if you decide you want to learn," Gabrielle answered for her.

Michelle nodded her acceptance for the time being and Samantha returned with the body bags for her Mistress, Shiri, and Gabrielle. Shiri's bag was a bright red with black embroidery and Michelle's was black with red embroidery.

The three vampires climbed into their respective bags and Clark and Samantha carried them to the car. Clark had wanted Gabrielle next to her in the passenger seat, but it was getting later in the day and laying the three vampires in the backseat made more sense than advertising them to all who happened to look at the car.

Samantha climbed into the passenger side and Clark started the car. It was nearly ten AM by the time they reached the second to last name on the list. Samantha and Clark were greeted by another servant and received help in carrying their charges inside the huge mansion.

They were shown to a couple guest rooms, after depositing the three vampires in the basement and helping them out of their body bags. Claudio was very surprised by his visitors, but he was a gracious host and tried not to let his ire show at being so rudely awakened by the three females.

Clark and Samantha sat on the bed in Clark's room and talked for a few minutes, before Clark heard a crash. She was on her feet and pelting down the hallway before the sound ended. Samantha followed her, though she had a hard time keeping up with the woman.

"No!"

Clark heard the masculine voice and knew the discussion was not going the way Gabrielle had hoped. She heard another crash and then was finally at the door to the room the four vampires were in. She pushed it open and glanced around to see what the situation was.

Claudio was backed up into a corner of the room, the three female vampires in a half-circle around him. Gabrielle was trying to talk to him, while the other two just watched.

"It's true. We're not demons. We never were."

"You're saying there's no Heaven, no Hell."

"I don't know if there's a Heaven and Hell, I just know we didn't come from either place."

"You're lying. The Father was evil. All of his powers were evil. That's why we're so strong. But you're afraid of that strength. That's why you're trying to take it away from us. Goodness is a weakness. Blake will make sure you see that."

Claudio's world was crumbling and he latched on to the only things he could, in order to keep his beliefs intact.

"That's not true," Gabrielle said.

"Then how did he get your blood? He stole your power because you're weak. You try to be human and you're not. You're pitiful," Claudio spat.

"Claudio, we have to work together. Do you really think Blake will stop with humans? We're all a threat to his power now. Everyone down to the Ninth Order will be seen as an enemy to him," Gabrielle tried to reason.

"No, Blake would never turn on his own kind the way you have. You're a traitor. All of you are!" he screamed at them.

Shiri had had enough of the dialogue and moved forward. Claudio bared his fangs at her and prepared to defend himself. Michelle moved to back up her lover and then Gabrielle surprised all of them by simply appearing at Claudio's neck. She drained him and he fell to the floor.

Gabrielle turned around and saw Clark standing in the doorway, a shaken Samantha right behind her. She held out her hand and Clark opened her trench coat to reveal enough weapons for a small army. She pulled one of the wooden stakes out from her belt and flipped it to Gabrielle.

Gabrielle caught the spike and flung it down towards Claudio's chest. It embedded itself in his heart and pinned him to the floor. Claudio closed his eyes, as he died. Clark moved into the room to stand next to Gabrielle. She watched the two other vampires warily.

"Clark. You're Dana Clark, aren't you?" asked Shiri, as the name clicked into place in her memory.

"Yeah, that's me," Clark answered. She looked behind her and saw Gabrielle, who was watching Clark with a hint of amusement in her eyes.

"Go finish up. I can handle things here," Gabrielle told her.

Clark nodded and went off in search of the servants that were still somewhere on the grounds.

"You could have killed us all at any time. Why didn't you? Why did you stop with just the Second Order?" asked Michelle.

"You didn't deserve to die. My reasons for killing the Second Order had more to do with wanting to preserve my own life than punishment for killing my siblings or corrupting humans. Either way, you and the others had nothing to do with any of that."

"I can't believe the Dana Clark is working for you," Shiri said. "How did you manage that one?"

"She's not wor.. She's working with me, not for me. And it's a long story."

"You'll have to tell it to me someday." Shiri thought over their current situation. "Do you plan to let her live after this crisis is over?" she asked.

"Of course."

"But she knows where Michelle lives. She could come back at any time and kill her. I can't let that happen," Shiri warned.

"She won't do that."

"Why not? She's a Hunter. It's her job. She'd be a fool to pass up an opportunity like that."

"That's not the way she is."

"Oh? And when did you become such an expert?"

Michelle was a little surprised at her lover, especially after seeing how easily Gabrielle had dispatched Claudio. Now was not the time to make waves.

"I just know that she wouldn't use knowledge gained from an alliance to do something like that."

"And what about once that alliance is over?"

Neither Shiri nor Michelle was expecting the pained expression that appeared on Gabrielle's face at the mention of an end to their partnership.

"I can ask her to promise not to use the information she's gained about Michelle's lair. She won't break her word."

"That's not enough," Shiri said.

"It will have to be."

"Maybe not."

Gabrielle looked up and met Shiri's challenging eyes. Her own eyes turned cold and Shiri wondered if she'd miscalculated.

"If anything happens to her, I will make sure there aren't even ashes left. If you're that worried, move to another location. But no one is to harm her."

Michelle shook her head at her lover. Shiri had always been a little too headstrong in her protection of Michelle, but after witnessing the cold fury that was Gabrielle, Michelle was beginning to see that her lover was rather tame.

Michelle sent Samantha for their bags and the three vampires stood around in an awkward silence. Samantha returned and Clark was with her.

"All done," Clark reported to the quiet group.

She wondered what had happened in her absence. Gabrielle appeared to be doing a slow burn and both Michelle and Shiri were rather subdued. Samantha was doing her best to keep her head down and remain unnoticed.

"We should get going," Clark said into the silence.

Gabrielle nodded and took her bag from Samantha's hands. Clark helped her into it and then carried her out to the car. By the time she returned, Michelle and Shiri were ready to be carried out. She helped Samantha carry each bag out and then they were on the road again.

By noon, they were at the last house on the list. Samantha went to the door by herself and got help for her and Clark to carry in their Mistresses. The place was a basic brownstone and if anyone had asked the neighbors about the man that lived there, they would have heard nothing but praise for the quiet and courteous owner.

However, if any of them had ever actually walked into the building, they would have been shocked to find that the place had basically been gutted. All of the windows were facades; they were completely bricked over. The building had been turned into one big room with landings at each level, but no stairs. The servant occupied the bottom level, but only another vampire would be able to easily reach the upper levels.

Once the door was closed and bolted shut, Gabrielle and the others released themselves from their body bags. The servant, Richard, took over seeing to Clark and Samantha, while the three vampires jumped up to each of the landings to visit with his Master.

David smiled when he opened his eyes at the presence of the three females.

"Ladies. Good day. What can I do for you?"

"I want to talk to you. I want to ask you to reconsider your decision to attack the VHA," Gabrielle began.

"Why?"

"Because it's unnecessary. And wrong."

"The VHA has been trying to kill all of us since its inception. I don't see how it's wrong to defend ourselves," David reasoned.

"But this isn't defense. This is all out war. And I think it can be avoided."

"How?"

Gabrielle told him everything she had told Michelle and Shiri, including the news about Blake and her role in killing the others who had decided to attack the VHA. He took it all pretty well, but he still wasn't convinced.

"You still haven't explained why any of this will matter to the humans. They're not going to care whether we're demonspawn or extraterrestrials. I don't really agree with Blake's ideas about killing off the Hunters; they're just doing what they think is right. But I can't sit idly by and watch as our people are killed. We've been letting them slaughter us for millennia. Don't you think it's about time we fought back?"

"We feed on them, David. Up to this point, I think the casualties have been pretty small on our side. But if we go on the offensive, there will be no turning back."

"You're saying we should just sit back and let them keep hunting us?"

"No. Well, actually, the ones that the VHA has been going after are as bad as the criminals I feed on, so I can't argue with them on that point. Many of the younger ones give the Gift indiscriminately. I see no reason to protect them. But you and I and the others have been around for a long time. We know that the Gift is precious and shouldn't be given to just anybody. That's why you've had Richard as your servant for so long. You want him to know what it is he will be receiving and the responsibility that comes with it. Right?"

"Yes. He has to know that he will have the power of life and death within his hands. It's not a game. But that doesn't answer my question."

"Alright. What I'm suggesting is that we let the VHA hunt those of the lower echelons, until they're satisfied that we have been exterminated. With no more to hunt, the VHA will eventually disband. When enough time has passed, we can resurface, this time with the truth of our origins. My father wanted us to be the guardians of the human race. I've tried to live that goal by only taking the scum of the humans for my sustenance. I realize in time, if all of us did that, there would soon be no more criminals left to feed on, but I think there must be a middle ground. There must be some way for our kinds to live in peace."

"I think you're dreaming, but... I will follow you before I'll bow down to Blake. And I believe you're right about him turning on us. He's too paranoid to let anyone live who could be a threat to him." David looked at those around him. "Why don't you sleep here for now and then we'll go to the others at dusk. You'll be safe here, I promise."

"Let me go explain what's going on. I'll be back."

Gabrielle leapt off the side of the loft and landed on the bottom floor with a soft thud. Clark was waiting for her in the main area of the first floor, while the others had lunch in the kitchen area. She looked up at Gabrielle's arrival and smiled. They'd obviously made another ally.

"It went well?"

"Yes. David's agreed to join us against Blake. We're going to stay here and get some rest. We'll be leaving at dusk." Gabrielle looked uncomfortable. "I need to ask you something."

"What?"

"I need your promise that you won't use your knowledge about where Michelle and David live to come back and kill them later."

Clark regarded Gabrielle for several moments before speaking.

"You think I would do that?" she asked quietly.

"No, but I told Shiri I would ask you to promise that you wouldn't. She doesn't know you and she's very protective of Michelle. They've been lovers since before they became vampires. There's something else, too."

"What?"

"The place we're going to is the Gathering Place. It is the main gathering site of the upper Orders. A week ago, you would have given your right arm for this information, so that you could wipe them out. I.. I want to believe that you wouldn't use this knowledge against my kind, but I can only imagine how tempting such information would be for you. I want to know if it will be better for you not to know, than to have to carry the information and not use it, or make the decision to break your word, if you promise me you won't."

Clark thought it over. Gabrielle was right. Having the information and never being able to use it would be very difficult. But she also didn't want to leave Gabrielle to face the other vampires by herself. Granted, Gabrielle would have Michelle, Shiri, and David with her, and Clark knew Gabrielle was very capable of taking care of herself, but there was still this need to be there for her.

Clark sat down and shook her head. Too many things had changed in the last few days. She was a Vampire Hunter, but when she was with Gabrielle, she actually entertained thoughts of having Gabrielle drink from her and drinking from Gabrielle, becoming a vampire herself, a creature she thought she would always despise.

"I don't know anything anymore," Clark mumbled.

Gabrielle knelt in front of her. "What do you want me to do?"

Clark looked down into the blue-green eyes that seemed to be begging her for a direction to turn in. She briefly wondered if Gabrielle would just run away with her. She could stop hunting vampires and Gabrielle could just feed on her. Life would be perfect. But she knew there would be no riding off into the sunset for her or Gabrielle.

"I want to be there when you face Blake and the others. I can promise that, right now, I have no intention of using any of the information about where the other vampires live to kill them later and the same goes for wherever this meeting place is. But if certain things were to change, then I might break that promise without a second thought. If you want to be sure, blindfold me until we're inside and again when we leave."

Gabrielle nodded her head. She stood up just enough to reach Clark's mouth and kissed her. She kept her fangs retracted and tried to keep it light, but Clark pulled her in at the waist and pressed her tongue over Gabrielle's teeth. She had no control over the reflexive lengthening of her canines. She moaned and pressed harder. She battled with herself and just barely won against the urge to pierce Clark's flesh.

Gabrielle broke away from the kiss and took a step back. She needed distance to get herself under control, but Clark stood and pressed her body against Gabrielle's. Clark looked down and just stared into Gabrielle's eyes. She kept her hands at her sides and didn't try to kiss Gabrielle again, but Gabrielle still just barely kept herself in check.

Gabrielle watched Clark's pulse beat rapidly at her neck. She finally lifted her eyes to Clark's and was surprised at the intensity she saw there.

"You should go rest," Clark told her quietly. Gabrielle could hear the need in her voice. She wanted Gabrielle to do just about anything but rest.

"Yeah, I should," Gabrielle replied.

She didn't move for a long moment, but she eventually tore herself away from Clark's blue eyes and leapt up onto the first landing. She continued until she was back on the top level. David and the others had already gone to sleep and she joined them, her vampiric need to sleep during the daytime reasserting itself with ease.