Blueblood: A Dark Southern Aristocracy

Laws No Longer Apply

The search for other vampires in Manhattan began and Stan used his programs to search for other disappearances and deaths that had yet to be explained. He seemed to be enjoying working with the computer, but he also was very dedicated to the search and looking for clues. I got the feeling he had been more of a geek in high school. While not really enthusiastic about sports maybe, he was fit. A little on the thin side, but I watched as Mark would remind him of simple things like it was time for lunch. They weren’t physically intimate, so Mark said, but I saw a definite “bromance.” There was something between those two.

They were all given the disflavor to make them less a target should we find a vampire, which we would. Shelly and Chuck went out combing the various areas that there were people reported missing when it was daylight. In Manhattan, that’s not easy. In a city where there were millions of people. There were those that vanished daily from runaways, domestic issues and just runaways from law enforcement due to questionable behavior, but sometimes, they didn’t fit into any of these categories. It was a daunting task, but these people hired were doing nothing else.

The possible cases were pretty much the same. Then one that broke my heart was the report of a strange little “creature” seen at night. There were deaths recently, mostly homeless drunks in this part of the city. The vampires saw an opportunity and went in wherever. The part of the city this was we were looking that night, Colin said was rundown, and the people there were often little better than common criminals from prostitutes and drug dealers. What I didn’t like…well…Colin and I were investigating this area with Chuck. Yes, it was at night, and I was a little wary of going there. Chuck, Colin, and I didn’t wear our nice clothes. Jeans and t-shirts. Colin and I even took off our wedding rings, wore no watches or wallets and put our IDs in our pockets in case we were stopped by any police, but I didn’t see any that night. Chuck did have to carry his badge. He was an agent with the FBI, but not looking like one now in faded, tattered jeans and t-shirt. There was a lot of traffic on the street. Not as in cars, but people. They were going here and there to do…whatever they needed. I heard this creature came out late after ten. We also got in an area to look where deaths had occurred.

At about 2:30 that morning and I was getting tired. Chuck, Colin, and I were thinking that whatever had happened that night already did happen.

We were all startled when we heard a man yell from an alley. This was not a pain cry, but one of terror. We hurried toward where the sound had come from. What I saw…well…there was a little creature. I could see this creature…was a child! Probably not more than five! Still wearing pajamas that had happy clown faces on it with the feet at the legs that he had been put in to go to bed, but they were filthy and torn in places. He was Latino, I think, with dark hair and his skin should have been dark, but he was pale. He was so dirty. He was approaching a man quickly who had been drinking from a bottle from a bag. A wino? Homeless. He lay in the alley but was backing from this creature with eyes wide with horror. Whatever drunken feeling he’d gotten from what he had been drinking was not enough to make him unaware now!

I was not prepared for a child! “My, God!” I gaped.

Chuck pulled out his sun gun and was ready to use it but couldn’t.

Colin took Chuck’s arm with the sun gun and forced it down. “You’ll send him scurrying away. We need to grab him!”

“But he could attack that man,” Chuck said hurriedly.

Colin nodded and ran toward the little vampire which he tackled before he got to the drinking man. I had no idea there would be vampires that young. Blame Hollywood again. The tales I knew of the victims turned were not that young. Even one movie made it a crime to turn someone that age, the other where a girl about six or seven was turned accidentally by the one new vampire who thought he’d killed her out of mercy. Was this the vampire’s case here? The little vampire reacted with a hiss and a scream like the cry of outrage at being stopped. Even as young as he was, he was fighting Colin who was having trouble containing him. I was frozen.

“Help me!” Colin urged suddenly.

I was instantly back and hurried over to him to help, grabbing thrashing legs. I was getting a weird smell now. He was dirty, but I smelled a strange odor that was musty and the smell of death like I had with victims in the Middle East with our men and women in uniform who had died.

“He’s not a child, Devon,” Colin said urgently for me to understand.

This little vampire was hissing and tried to bite us at first but pulled away from whatever he smelled in our blood. He still had baby teeth, but he also had fangs. They were really too big for his little mouth.

Chuck had been watching, no more ready to come help than I had been. “What do I do?” He finally asked.

“There isn’t a choice,” Colin said struggling as he held the little vampire to keep him from running away. “It’s a monster! This is not a little boy!” Colin looked around and found something he could use in a sharp piece of glass. “Damn it!”

Then I watched in horror as Colin used the sharp glass and ran it deep and down the little vampire’s carotid arteries on both sides of his neck. The little vampire gurgled as black fluid oozed out. It was not blood as it should be.

Colin held the little vampire who fought a few minutes more and slowly stopped. Colin got up as the little vampire’s body dropped to the ground.

“What is that thing?” The drinking man asked terrified.

“A nightmare,” Colin shot back. “Which is now over.”

The drinking man staggered up and hurried away down the alley.

Colin looked at Chuck and me and saw we were both still in shock. He grabbed me up, pulling me to him. “I didn’t tell you, there are some…not many…who are turned when children. I’m sorry.” He hugged me. He looked at Chuck. “I should have known when the reports said a little creature, but that, what it was is a monster. He wasn’t a child, Chuck. He was a vampire.”

Chuck was gathering himself but nodded after a minute. “What do we do now? We can’t leave him here.”

Colin thought. “It will be a few hours before he is ash. We need to get him to the VUN before he completely turns to ash.” He looked around to see almost no one here. “We need to get him off the street for now.” He reached in his pocket and pulled his keys. “Get the car.” He tossed them to Chuck who nodded and went to do that. Colin then turned the little vampire’s head and took out his phone. He pulled his camera feature up and snapped a few photos. Then he pulled me into a tight hug again as he rocked me. “I should have told you. I’m so sorry.”

Looking at the little vampire, I could see what he was before he was turned. He was dirty, but he had been a cute little boy. “I guess those stories and movies are very wrong.”

Colin nodded. “Very wrong.” He pulled me away from the vampire’s body. “A hunter vampire just hunts blood. There are real animal predators out there in the wild that look for the very young game. They are easy targets because they’re weak. Most vampires, after they are turned might have a little humanity in them left to not hurt a child. Some are so far gone, they don’t care. They just want blood.”

“But did he have some humanity in him?” I asked. “He was just a baby.”

Colin shook his head. “His mind hadn’t developed enough to know what’s happened and he couldn’t have a purpose. The venom would have overridden anything that was human.”

I shook my head. “If he had some humanity…what would happen? He’d remain five or six forever? What future could he have?”

“Any future ended a month ago,” Colin said. “That’s how long I think he’s been hunting. His pajamas were not that dirty. They were bloodstained, but not like he’d been doing it that much.” He looked back at the little vampire. “We need to search the database for missing children. That’s why I took the photos.” Then he went over and took the vampire’s hand. Using the photo feature again, he snapped pictures of the little hands. “Stan might be able to get the prints off this. The body will have gone by dawn.”

Chuck brought the car over and got a blanket from the trunk. Wrapping the vampire in it, we put him in the trunk.

I was still shaking, but we got in the car and rode back to the VUN.

Chuck cringed a little when we dumped the little vampire on the black glass table. It was already starting to disintegrate. Stan was shocked now, too.

“Do the 3D scan, please?” Colin instructed quietly. “We can match it up to records and perhaps find where he came from.”

Stan nodded and activated the scanner. A light traveled over the body a few times. “He’s so young,” Stan said as he worked, not able to take his eyes off the little vampire. Chuck was just staring in quiet shock. I don’t think any training had necessarily prepared him for this.

Colin nodded. “Yes, he was.” He sighed. “Okay.” He pinched his nose. “What you learned through books, shows on TV and movies is mostly wrong.” He looked up. “A vampire is after one thing. Blood. As I told Devon, most vampires will not hunt a child, but there are those like what we had in here before.” He pointed to where the wild vampires had been kept they were allowed to see real vampires, like the one that turned Amanda…they will feed on whatever it can find. They don’t have restraint and they don’t have to be invited in to come in your house. Children don’t normally survive being fed on. They don’t have enough blood in their bodies, but a vampire will take what it can.”

“How many children have you known that became vampires?” I asked as I heard him and slowly coming to grips with what he was telling us.

“In my entire life…three, this is the third.” Colin said. “I heard of one as young as two, but she was killed pretty early after being turned. A two-year-old can’t hunt well. The venom doesn't give the ability to grow and learn.” He looked at Chuck and Stan. “This isn’t Hollywood. The sweet stories about tortured vampires that still have souls, that are romantic…sexy…are all lies.” He said. “They are horrible, monstrous things. This boy could not have been rehabilitated. He was a child when he was bitten.” He smiled sadly at me. “You asked the right question. If he had some humanity, he would be a child forever? He looks like a child, but he wasn’t a child. What I killed was a vampire, plain and simple. He was going to kill that man. He probably killed the others in that area. Now, he won’t anymore. Understand?” He looked at Chuck, who simply nodded. Then to Stan, who, though still looking at the vampire nodded. “Devon?”

“Of course, Colin.” I waved at the vampire. “A child is supposed to make you want to take care of them. That’s instinct. Ones like him were children and this looked enough like a child to make us want to take care of him. In the Middle East, mothers often used their children as a means to block our firing on them. They would hold the child in a dangerous way, knowing we would not be so ready to hurt the child, much less kill them.” I explained. “It’s just natural.”

Colin nodded. “Well, nature’s being rewritten. That...” he pointed to the little vampire, “…is a monster. It’s not a child, but a killer.”

Stan saw the scan as completed. He took the pictures that Colin brought, downloaded them, and began a search for who this little vampire had been.

Colin looked at his watch. “It will be dawn in an hour. We could dump it in the security net at the top of the building and let the sun take care of it.”

“If caught by a passing helicopter or someone sees him?” Chuck asked.

Colin pointed to the vampire that was crumbling even further. “We’ll wait. It won’t look human much longer. We’ll dump what’s left and let nature take over. It will be faster in sunlight.”

Even as bad as this was, Stan was smiling as he watched the clear screen above the table give the image of the vampire clearly. The pictures he’d downloaded had come up and he watched the monitor run programs on the screen as it raced through the information being given as it searched the other databases for this child.

“This may take a while.” Stan frowned as he watched.

I looked surprised to hear that. “I thought this computer was fast.”

Stan tried not to look offended. “It is! It’s the other systems that are the problem. This computer can reach them and have those computers search their own files, but their systems are a bit slow.” He said in a tone like talking about a special needs person or a child. If that was to those poor computers or our lack of understanding was a toss-up. “It could overload the other systems.” He shrugged. “Our system has to talk slow so the other systems can make sense of it. Otherwise, it’s hard to understand and overload them.”

Colin nodded understanding. “Like playing at 33 to understand when it’s supposed to be 78.”

I got Colin’s reference and smiled as Stan looked like Colin had spoken Chinese! “What?” Stan asked.

I chuckled. “An old technology reference, Stan.”

Colin looked at Stan shocked. “I’m not talking about a Victrola! Records, Stan? Vinyl records? Albums?”

Stan smiled as he nodded. “Oh, yeah, I think granddad had some of those!”

Colin shook his head. “Infant.” He groused.

I pushed Colin toward the door. “We’ll be back.” I smiled at Stan. “Are you okay, Chuck?”

My question seemed to bring him back from his own thoughts. “What?” Then he understood. “Oh, yeah, I’m fine. This was just not what I expected.” He smiled. “I have some meditation techniques that will help.” He lifted his arm and sniffed. “After a shower.” He looked at us. “Are we done for tonight?”

Colin nodded. “It’s almost dawn. Yes, we’re done.”

Chuck nodded and left.

Colin brought me into his arm as we walked to get some coffee for him. “Are you okay?”

“With the vampire?” I asked. “It’s like I said when asked about the rights of these creatures. We put down animals that are sick. I know that and understand. This was just…unexpected.”

“You know we had to do this?”

I nodded. “I do. I don’t like it…but I understand.”

“But it wasn’t a child,” Colin stressed.

I nodded harder. “But it looked like a child. I understand the way and what. This is a whole new world.” I said kissing him. “I’ll get it. It’s just unexpected.”

Colin lifted his own arm and sniffed. “I think we should skip the coffee and go shower and then go to bed.”

I shook my head. “I don’t think I can sleep yet. I’m too pumped up.”

Colin looked with a leer. “I didn’t say we would sleep right away.” His eyebrows danced as he kissed me. “I love you.”

I nodded. “I get that. I love you, too.”

Colin pulled me along faster. “I know you do. I’ll look forward to you proving it.”

 

The previous night had been tough. The next day was a little tense. The agents were still having to adjust to how things were different. It was after lunch when Colin and I got up. When we arrived at the office we used with the agents, Shelly, Mark, and Ruben were discussing what we’d been through earlier that night. Stan had shown them the 3D images we had of the little vampire.

“…but he was a child.” Shelly said to Stan like she’s said it before.

Stan looked very uneasy as he scratched his ear, looking like he was being told he was wrong by his mother…or a big sister. “I took careful notes and I kept records.”

Ruben nodded. “Where’s the body?”

Colin came in the middle of the room. “There is no body.”

“He was killed last night.” Shelly frowned. “Unless you disposed of it. There should be a body.”

I watched Colin pinch his nose in frustration. “This is not a normal situation.” He sighed more frustrated. “The laws, natural and human, the rules are different with vampires.”

Ruben said patiently. “Okay.” Ruben nodded. “Tell us what happened.”

Colin told them what happened that night, in detail with absolute accuracy. “Stan showed the images. He showed you the scan. He was not human.” He started to march in a circle as he paced. “One more time, this was not a little boy. He was no longer human, but a vampire. You’re following guidelines and procedures that are applicable to situations involving humans.” He looked at Stan. “Show the images again of what that thing looked like right after I ended him.” The image of the little vampire came up. “That was right after I stopped him. Now, the image an hour later?” The image appeared. “This is only an hour! He’s falling apart, becoming ash!” He looked at the surprised look on Shelly’s face. “These are not humans. They are vampires. The rules and laws you’ve followed cannot be applied. Why do you think we need you? You were chosen for special circumstances for special reasons.”

Shelly nodded. “I understand that…”

Colin shook his head. “No. You don’t.” He said angrily. “You’re looking at these things as human. They are not human. Some, like the one that attacked Amanda, are not human at all. Those like that little monster we caught last night, was not human, but you’re looking at it like he was.”

Shelly was having a difficult time with this. “We weren’t there.”

“But I was,” Chuck said coming in the room. “What I saw was not human.” He looked more like an agent now with the suit and hair combed and neatly done. “That was a monster, just like Colin said. If you can’t trust him or even your eyes.” He pointed to the images. “Trust me.”

“What about you and Devon?” Shelly asked. “You're both vampires.”

Colin frowned. “I’m not human either. Neither is Devon.” He said reluctantly and quietly. “But we want to be again. That’s the difference. We didn’t lose that part of us that is human. We never let go.”

She thought for a few seconds and then was looking at the image. “So, he just…burned?”

George came in after Chuck. “It’s chemical, but yes. He burned and was blown away. His body is gone. Turned to ash this morning.”

Chuck nodded. “The laws of nature and rules can’t apply here. That thing was a threat, Colin got rid of it. We have to adjust. Our thinking needs to change.”

“The venom is real. The vampires are real.” George said. “Either change thinking or don’t do this. They are a threat. Believe that.”

Ruben nodded. “It’s just taking time.”

“Colin, Devon, me, Alex, Gabriella, Burke are all vampires,” George said. “There is a difference between us and them. We don’t want to be, but we are. We are aware of what we are. They don’t even think about whether they are or not vampires. They just are.”

Ruben nodded again. “It’s taking time.”

Colin nodded. “Time we don’t necessarily have. If we’re going to be effective here. You’re going to have to change how you see things.” Colin said. “George is working to find a way to get rid of what we are. What he came up with in this serum is the closest we can to being human again.”

“I had a hard time with the new rules, Colin. Remember?” I reminded him.

Stan moved forward a little. “I found a match to that…thing last night.” He waved his hand and the screen above came on. He hit an icon and typed again. “Manuel Rodriguez.” A school photo came up from where he was in kindergarten. “He was reported missing three weeks ago by his mother.” He hit another button. “His address is here.”

“How’d you get this so fast?” Colin asked.

“Schools and police records are available. Birth certificates and cross-references were done by him.” He patted the computer. “I finally just downloaded the files from Social Services, various school records, and NYPD so I can do it quicker. He got it in seconds.” Stan said proudly of the computer.

I frowned. “You shouldn’t be able to do that. There are protections.”

Stan nodded. “Which was no problem to him.” He said again proudly.

Shelly threw her hands out. “Something else to worry about. This is borderline with breaking laws.”

“It’s not National Secrets, Shelly. These records are confidential in some cases, but necessary.” Mark said and walked to Stan, which, thanks to my vampire nature I heard him say in almost a whisper to Stan. “That sounds like a lot of work. Are you eating, Stan?” He asked, putting a hand on Stan’s shoulder. I did notice that his hand moved slightly. He cared. “Have you slept?”

Stan seemed to not understand but then nodded. “I will! This is more important.”

Mark nodded. “When we’re done here, you take a nap!” Mark told him firmly. He looked at Ruben. “He can take a break, can’t he?”

Ruben smiled. “If he needs to, of course.”

Stan looked at Mark, but the look was soft. “I took a nap earlier in the room over there.” He pointed. “I’m fine, Mark. Stop worrying.”

“Fine,” Mark nodded. “Tonight, we go home, and I will put you to bed.” He said kindly. “I know you. You get obsessed with these things at times. We’ll even have a good meal. They have an excellent restaurant here.”

Colin had heard this conversation between these two as well. “They really only need to go one more step.”

I nodded. “I agree, but this is working for them. If they are or if they’re not physically intimate, that’s up to them. Right now, this is working for them.”

Colin frowned and looked at the map. “That address is near where we found the little vampire.”

Shelly nodded. “No doubt a mother that worries about her child. We know what happened to him. Do we tell her?”

Colin shrugged a nod. “And what do we tell her?” He looked at her. “We have no body for her to bury, it burned away because he was a vampire!? Do we tell her that? She’ll want details.”

Shelly nodded. “But she deserves resolution.”

I walked up behind Colin. “Yes, she does.” I agreed. “But will telling her that be a resolution? When I met Colin, I never imagined my life would turn out like this. I was a medic in the military. I came home to have what I was completely changed. I needed a job, but never in my wildest dreams would I have said I was going to be a vampire hunter.” I grinned taking Colin’s hand. “Now, I am married to a vampire and a vampire myself. This is all new territory for everybody.”

Ruben smiled at Shelly. “I told you all this was…not a usual task force.” He said to Shelly. “Will this be a problem?”

Shelly frowned as she thought. “I just feel I’m operating outside the law.”

Colin shook his head. “No. You’re operating in an area where there is no law. How could there be a law for this?”

Stan smiled. “Now that the awkwardness is out now.” He touched the computer table again. “There are things I found.” He waved at the large glass above the table where a map of the United States appeared that was outlined with glowing red spots. “I found where the hot spots are. Eliminating all the deaths for causes that are natural like heart attacks and strokes and other things…there were the deaths that are results of bullets and violent where who was killed them was clearly human…these are the areas with the most unexplained death and missing people.”

I looked at the map. The brightest were in areas were cities. New York state had a large red spot that lessened as you went out with the red becoming dots. Chicago was bright, but not as bright as New York. Los Angeles and I was surprised to see redder in the South but less defined. There were a lot of little dots, but in Charleston, there was a red almost as bright as New York. “What’s going on in the South?”

Stan shrugged. “I don’t know if it’s due to bad investigations or anything else, but there is a lot of unexplained down there.”

Colin looked at the map. “There is someone else other than Burke and his group.” He concluded as he looked at me. “Maybe they just haven’t responded yet.”

I nodded. “Atlanta…Charlotte…” I looked back at Colin. “I sort of understand, there are more people there, but Charleston?”

Stan nodded. “That’s what he says,” He patted the computer.

“Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, but Charleston?” I asked. “We’re not big!”

Chuck was nodding as he looked at the map, too. “No…but it’s old.” He walked up looking at the map closer. “The first European settlements in the New World was on the East Coast.” He said logically. “Charleston, or rather Charles’ Towne, was one of the first settlements. There were others, of course, but their red is bigger, too.”

Colin nodded. “The bigger cities are natural hiding places, but in Charleston, there would be older vampires.”

“Older than you,” I said to Colin. “You lived there almost a century before moving here. Were there any hints of another vampire?”

Colin shook his head. “No.” Colin chuckled. “It’s hard to believe. Then news didn’t travel as fast as today.”

I looked at Stan. “Can we be more precise with Charleston locally?”

Stan nodded. “Sure.” He hit the recessed keyboard on the black glass. The East Coast grew, the Southern portion grew, and Charleston became huge. The red was concentrated downtown.

I shook my head. “It doesn’t make sense that the old part of Charleston isn’t redder. The newer part of Charleston is landfill. Old Charleston would have been the only land to build on.”

Colin came up. “Yes, it does. In the modern world, if you needed to get suspicion away from where you are, you’d hunt away from where you live.”

Chuck nodded. “The best criminals don’t target their own neighbors.”

Shelly nodded. “The hardest serial killer I hunted for was a man, not one of his neighbors suspected. When I got evidence, his neighbors couldn’t believe it. For them, he was the kindest, friendliest neighbor that they knew. He was a member of the school’s PTA, coaching Little League and to everyone around him that best neighbor they knew.” She waved at the map. “He or she…this vampire would be calm where he lives. Attacking no one near him.” She touched Colin’s arm. “I’m sorry I’ve been humanizing these creatures. I’ll get there.”

Colin smiled. “I think you are there, already.” He looked at the rest of them. “Pull up Manhattan?”

The map changed to downtown Manhattan.

Colin looked again. “I think…yes…” he said studying the map. “That’s where we just broke up that nest here. I think there will be a reduction in deaths. That doesn’t mean there aren’t vampires, but we killed seven hunters. Alex can help you search for the others.” He turned to me. “We need to go back to Charleston.” He looked at Stan. “Can our computer at home connect with this one?”

Stan again tried not to be offended. “Of course.” He touched the glass tabletop. “All I need is the address…I’ll make a link. Your computer there will be able to access everything here.”

“Can you print a map of Charleston?” Colin asked.

“Print!?” Stan was near as horrified as we were about the little vampire. He was offended then. “I certainly will not. We have those tablets. Handheld interactive tablets you can access this computer.”

Colin nodded with a smile as he waved Stan down. “Sorry. I forget, sometimes.”

Stan grinned at Colin. “Grandpa.” He said remembering when he’d been called an infant by Colin. And I

I chuckled. “That’s great, great, great Grandpa for you.”

Colin smiled. “Respect your elders.” He growled and shook his finger at Stan.

 

It was later when Colin, Mark and I got Stan to let go of the computer. In many ways, it seemed we were literally prying his fingers loose to get him to leave it. I smiled at the easy way that Stan responded to Mark. They were more than work buddies. They were even more than friends. Mark cared for Stan, but what I found interesting was Stan really listened to Mark. We took them to Vamps. It was a member’s only restaurant in the VUN. The Vamp name was a play on words, the logo suggested a female vamp from the roaring twenties that was loose and fancy-free, unafraid. It was frequented by vampires. So, the vamp name was the play on the word. What Colin and I liked was that the kitchen knew who they were serving and gave more than a healthy portion.

“You guys are married,” Mark said casually as he looked at us after Stan had excused himself to the bathroom. “I have to admit, I never would have suspected you were gay.”

I grinned. “I don’t think that’s relevant. Two humans that care about each other should be free to love as they like.” I felt that he was fishing for something else. I was pretty sure I knew what and who it was about.

Mark shrugged. “I don’t think it’s relevant either.” He smiled. “Just say it.” He looked at me. “You think Stan and I would be the perfect couple.”

Colin chuckled. “Second perfect couple.” He took my hand. “The most perfect couple that’s fully human.”

Mark nodded. “I would be interested in Stan, but it’s complicated. Stan’s psyche is a little different. If I push too hard, too fast, he might have problems. He didn’t have many friends when he was younger. He didn’t fit in. He never tried to fit in.”

“But you care for him.” Colin pointed out.

“And he listens to you,” I added.

Mark nodded with a smile. “I do and he does.” Then he got a more serious look. “He was abused when he was little, by an uncle when Stan was about eight or nine. I don’t claim to be gay or straight, but I love Stan. If he wants something from me, I’ll give it to him. I just have to be careful. He’s very fragile.” He sighed. “Life for an agent is tough. You sometimes don’t get home for a while. You’re on call a lot and there’s not a lot of time for relationships. Stan has a keen mind, that’s what the FBI saw and wanted. I just took the position of protector.”

“The fact you two are doing this together sort of cancels that problem.” Colin pointed out.

“Yes,” Mark nodded as Stan came back. “If it happens, we will, but just so you know. You’ll see we’re close, but I’m leaving it to Stan to make the first move.”

Stan sat with a sigh. “I’m tired, Mark.”

Mark nodded. “I’ll take you home.” He said kindly. “And putting you to bed!” He said pointedly.

“Yes, Mother,” Stan said, but he was very tired. He smiled at Mark. “Thanks.”

“We’ll be flying back to Charleston tomorrow morning. We’ll be in touch from there.” Colin said as the two stood.

Stan smiled. “We look forward to hearing from you. Any help we can give.”

 

We flew home to Charleston on a commercial flight. Gabriella was staying in Manhattan. Duh. We had the tablets Stan had mentioned and I was researching the files about Charleston on the plane.

“The fact there is another vampire in Charleston is kind of…disheartening,” Colin said. “I lived there a while. I had no clue.”

I nodded. “You weren’t supposed to,” I said simply. “Whoever this vampire is, they know how to cover their tracks.”

“He might have been the one to turn Brett Marshall.”

“Or not, but he has to feed daily,” I pointed out. “We’ll have to glean the news feeds more. We also need archived data to see the past.”

Colin frowned as he sulked a little. “This isn’t the life I wanted for us.”

I sighed at this tiresome guilt he had been carrying. “This isn’t your fault, Colin. I don’t blame you at all.” I put the tablet down. “This is our life now. George is trying to undo it, but still, this is our life. We took vows to be in each other’s lives. Good and bad. Are you never going to forgive yourself? You did not do this.”

Colin shook his head. “I did to you.”

I frowned. “No, I did it to myself. I gave myself to you. I chose.” I pulled his head toward me. “Please, let it go.”

Colin smiled. “I’m trying.”

I bumped my forehead against his gently. “Try harder.” I kissed him. “I love you, husband.”

Colin grinned. “I know.”

 

We got back to Wentworth Manor about lunch time. Entering I noticed the usual people that worked here. I still felt a little…aware…we had servants. That just was not right to me. Not that it was wrong, these people needed jobs, so why not? I just never considered myself the servant needing type. That wasn’t true for everyone in my family. A house this size was not always easy to locate other people, but it was nearly noon, so we went into the dining area and then to the cozier dining area we often used. There was my mother, looking like a real queen dressed in pink the color of a rose, wearing  a casual suit with pants and eating with a gentleman I didn’t know. He was in his late fifties or early sixties, but a nice-looking man with graying hair though what had been ashy blond and he looked like he tried to stay in shape. A lady we hired was serving them something that was steaming.

My mother looked up and a smile came to her face. “My boys!” She said happily getting up and hugging us.

The lady that was serving the meal smiled at us both. “Mister Devon, Mister Colin, welcome home. Shall I serve you two?”

Colin grinned at her, “You know me, Bertie.”

Bertie chuckled. “I do. I’ll get more. It’s shrimp and grits.”

“Shrimp for me, thank you, but no grits,” I said.

Colin grinned. “I like both of your shrimp and grits.”

Bertie shook her head. “I know that, too.” She chuckled as she went back to the kitchen. She glanced back as she walked. “How could that boy be raised in the South and not like grits, I’ll never understand.” She muttered as she went.

Mom looked at her guest. “David, these are my sons. Devon Wentworth and Colin Wentworth. Devon, Colin…this is David Braun. I showed him a few properties and decided we should have lunch.”

David stood and shook our hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. You’ve got a great home here.”

Colin nodded. “It was a work of love. The property has been in the family for two centuries. I just rebuilt the home.”

David nodded. “And what is that you do to afford this sort of life?”

“I do investments and work with a company in Manhattan. We make good money.” Colin said sitting.

Mom smiled touching David on the hand. “David is shopping for property here in Charleston to expand his business. He’s from Atlanta.”

My eyes widened as I saw her touch him, and the smile that came on David’s face as he looked at her and took her hand and squeezed it lightly.

Colin’s mouth went up slightly in the corners when he saw my reaction to what he’d seen. “Really? What sort of business?” Colin asked.

“I have a chain of stores that I own, this will be my first store outside Georgia.”

They were on a date!? My mind was going over some things like…she was an adult; I didn’t know the man, so how could I judge him?

 

I had mixed feelings about Mom with her friend. She was not married. I hadn’t hidden my affection for Colin from her. She was the one to push me toward Colin in the first place, but…well…she was my mother! Dad has been out of the picture a while and she was lonely. When my mother touched this man, so casually, I admit to being a little…annoyed? Why was I annoyed?

Colin noticed but waited until we were getting ready for bed. He looked at me as he was undressing. “Are you going to say something? Or are you just going to stew?” He asked smiling.

I was so busy with my thoughts; I didn’t quite get what he was asking me. “What?”

He chuckled and came over. “Big surprise! Your mother is dating.” He said not quite in a sing-song voice, but close.

“He came for lunch! That’s not a date,” I said huffily.

Colin grinned. “Isn’t it?” He sat behind me and spoke to my ear. “Who’s to know? Maybe she’s just having him for sex.” He suggested behind me.

The very idea pissed me off as I spun. “Are you crazy!?”

Colin laughed. “I remember someone telling me about Gabriella, she’s an adult. She can make her choices.” He pinned me on the mattress. “Well, Mom’s an adult. She’s had sex before…the evidence is you’re here!”

I hated it when he was making me eat my own words. I grimaced. “This is my MOTHER,” I said like that should be enough of an explanation. “I was ten when I fully understood about sex and that is how babies come into the world. I knew mom and dad made me when I was five years old, but…as a result of sex!? Then when I understood more at eight, I thought I must have been conceived as Christ had been, no humans involved!” I chuckled. “Then when I accepted they were both human and maybe they had sex. I conceded that they did it once to have me, but never again.” I smiled at the absurdity of those thoughts as a child.

Colin nodded. “Immaculately conceived?” He grinned. “I seriously doubt that. To be fair, your mom accepted a lot. First, her little boy is gay. Then second, was he was in love with a man that turns out to be a vampire. Talk about your alternate lifestyles. I’d say she should be cut some slack…and acceptance. She’s a widow and I saw no wedding ring on him!”

I nodded. “I know that she’s an adult and deserves to be liked and even loved, in here.” I tapped my own head. “I need to understand it here. Accepting it is more difficult.” I said tapping my chest and then my eye narrowed. “And my mother doesn’t just have sex!” I rolled us where I was on top. “Parents aren’t supposed to be human; you know?”

Colin chuckled again. “But we are.” He gave a shrug. “Or I used to be.”

I groaned. “Colin, there’s more human in you than in a lot of people I know. Don’t give me the used to be shit.” I watched his eyebrows rise. “Yes, I cussed. I really mean it! You’re the kindest man I’ve ever met. You want me to give Mom slack, cut yourself slack.” I leaned closer kissing him, but I knew this would be an ongoing battle from him having thought this way for so long. “And, I will say, what you said back at VUN, about the sexy vampires…?”

He grinned. “Yes?”

“I see one right now.”

Colin laughed as he and I kissed. “So, do I.” He chuckled as our kissing became deeper and more consuming.

 

The next morning, I hit the internet to find someone with a good knowledge of Charleston. I should have guessed it would be at the College of Charleston. I made an appointment to see this person who was a professor of Charleston History. I’m never late. I said we’d be there at ten for our appointment. We arrived at 9:45 am.

We waited outside her classroom for her to finish teaching her morning class. I smiled when I saw this professor. She was about forty and thin, but you could just tell by her mannerisms she was a bit of a flake. Her brown hair was clean, but not done in any attractive style. The idea of covering any grey had not been a concern for her. She dressed in something that looked comfortable, pants and a loose blouse, but neat also without style. The glasses on her face had large lenses. When she was done and students were heading out of the lecture hall, we approached her.

“Hello, Professor Cooke,” I said to her. “I’m Devon Wentworth. We had an appointment with you at ten?”

The professor was putting things in her briefcase looked up with a nod. “You did?” She thought. “Oh, yes, you did.” She remembered and looked at Colin and her eyes grew. “And you’re Colin Wentworth!” She said in awe.

Colin looked shocked. “I am. Do you recognize me from the TV show?”

She was not ready for that. “What? No. I don’t watch much TV.” She shook her head. “It’s just that…how are you related to Colin Wentworth? I mean, the original Colin Wentworth from the early 19th century?”

Colin wasn’t ready for this either. “He’s an ancestor.”

“A direct ancestor, I’d say.” She pushed her glasses farther up her nose and looked at him carefully with her brown-green eyes. “I guess the rumors are true.”

I frowned. “What rumors?”

She motioned for us to follow her. We arrived at her office, which I wasn’t surprised to see. It was cluttered with books and objects in what appeared to be in a haphazard kind of organization. She went to a shelf and looked quickly and pulled out a large book. She knew where things were in here. “There’s not a lot about this branch of the Wentworth family; practically none after the war.” She smiled. “That’s the Civil War.” She flipped a few pages until she reached where she knew it to be. “Here.” She turned the book around to show a picture of a painting. “You can see…you are almost the spitting image of the original Colin Wentworth.” This picture was like the one I’d seen when I met Colin, but Colin was alone in this pose. Only this picture wasn’t tattered or torn. It was Colin. “Before the war, he was a very progressive man. He made a few enemies with some other plantation owners when he insisted on paying those that worked for him. The rumor is…after his wife died. He managed to marry his daughter off and then shortly afterward, disappeared. It was rumored that he had run off with another woman and fathered another family.”

Colin chuckled. “That’s the rumor?” I jabbed him lightly unseen by the professor.

“Yes, and as his daughter married, but had no children, he might have fathered a family elsewhere. He had to!” She said waving at Colin. “Where are you from?”

“New York,” Colin answered.

“A reverse carpetbagger?” The professor chuckled. Carpetbaggers were big after the war. They were Northerners that came from the North often exploiting the war-torn Southerners. They saw the opportunity for business and came to make a profit, sometimes not so honestly. “But you clearly are a Wentworth. Did you know your grandparents and great-grandparents?”

“I knew of them, but they died when I was young.” Colin covered. “My parents, too. I know very little about the past hundred and fifty years.”

“But your accent is clearly Southern.” She observed and then shrugged. “Well, it’s a mystery.” She sat waving at the two chairs in front of her desk. “What can I do for you?”

“Well,” I began sitting in a chair. “We’d like to find out just how old the family is here in Charleston. When did they arrive and who else was here at the beginning. Were the Wentworths here at the beginning?”

Colin nodded. “And, since we’re talking about people that disappeared. Are there records of people who disappeared in the past? We know that Colin Wentworth disappeared, but were there others?”

She nodded. “There were plenty.” She wrote on a piece of paper. “We have an extensive database now. I’m writing the address and password that will allow access to the records.” She told us there was an archive that we could access if needed and who to look up.

After we were done, Colin wasn’t happy. “We could have done this without coming here. This may not have been a good idea.”

“Why not?” I asked as we got back in the car.

“She recognized me,” Colin said.

“She recognized you are a Wentworth,” I said logically as I shrugged. “From a painting, just like I did. That wasn’t even the best painting she showed us. Putting together that you are the same Colin in that painting would be nearly impossible. It doesn’t add up logically.” I smiled. “Just like you told me when I saw that picture. We all know that’s impossible for you to be two hundred years old. The resemblance is a genetic fluke.” I waved the web address I was given. “At least now we have a website to search and a password for delving deeper. With that marvelous computer, we can access a lot.” I grinned. “With Stan’s programs and Stan’s help, we may get closer to finding this elusive vampire after all these centuries.”

Colin shook his head. “Old habits die hard. I was so used to hiding. I don’t like the attention.”

I nodded as I started the car using the key fob as we approached it. I hate using words to say this, but it purred like a tiger! “And we drove this why?” I waved at the Aston Martin we got in. “A sports car that is almost never seen on the streets of Charleston definitely attracts attention.” I pointed outside as I pulled onto the street. Almost every guy on the sidewalk was looking and a few girls. This was a college area and full of young men and women, all gawking with smiles that grew at seeing what they seldom, if ever, see.

Colin chuckled. “Point taken.”

I nodded. “And now, we know a little more about your past.”

Colin’s eyebrows rose. “We do?”

I chuckled. “Sure. You were a womanizer and ran off with a young thing and started a whole new family!”

Colin laughed at that.

 

Armed with the new site address and password, we both started going through the records. I will say this, whoever had scanned and digitally put the information in the data files did a good job. Stan used the computer at the VUN to compile and cross-reference everything. I don’t know that anyone had bothered to do anything like this in the past. What it was that Stan had programmed his program to do, it was looking at each entry. It took out the causes that were natural and man-made. We were left with the disappearances and mysterious deaths and saw death certificates if available and even investigations as they had been done to find a common thread. We video-conferenced Stan in Manhattan.

He let out a grunt of disgust after a few minutes. “Okay, let me do what I did here in New York.” He said as he typed. “I’m downloading the whole database.”

I was shocked. “I know we have plenty of memory, but all these databases?”

Stan nodded. “Most databases are centrally located. Complete and one location that allows local access for certain files for certain things. All these files need to be transferred to our database. Since most records were handwritten back then, Buddy here will have to read, digitally translate and transfer all that to a data file.”

“Buddy?” I grinned. “You named the computer?”

Stan grinned. “Of course, I did.” He said logically. “He is my buddy, so why not?” Then he typed again. “I’ve programmed Buddy to cross-reference all deaths looking for keywords; extreme blood loss, bled to death, and those like that…depending on how the doctor at the time was educated and how thorough he was. Reading the older writing might take a while longer, with the odd pen strokes and artsy writing and just bad penmanship, but once done, it will be quick. Then we’ll have some names and locations.”

I smiled at Stan. “You’re a smart man, Stan.”

Stan smiled, but I saw since he had a fair complexion, he was starting to pink. “It just makes sense.”

“The FBI was right to recruit you. You’re an asset for them, and now for us,” Colin said.

Now Stan was really turning red. “I hope to be.” He chuckled. “I did my best for the FBI, but…this is a better fit for me.” He frowned. “We’re still dealing with serial killers, but…” he shrugged. “When Ruben asked if we’d do this…and then when I saw those vampires…I knew we had to do this.”

“We?” I grinned. “You're saying we as a whole team or we as in you and Mark?”

Stan looked confused. “Well, sure…we as a whole team. Mark and I always have worked together. We were even at the academy at the same time. I don’t think I could have done it in the past without him.”

Colin nodded. “You work well together.”

Stan chuckled. “Well, yeah…I wouldn’t have made it through the physical part of training if he hadn’t helped me. He was always pushing to do another sit up and that last rep when I was working out. He coached me on how to subdue a suspect better. I’d have been lost without him.” Then he shrugged a nod. “In return, I helped him with the books part. I tutored him on procedure, math, and criminology. It’s a fair exchange. He’s smart, but it came quickly for me, so I helped him.”

“It sounds like you really like Mark,” I said lightly hinting about what Mark said about Stan.

“Sure.” Stan nodded. “He’s my best friend. I dread it when he moves on or gets married.”

“Do you worry about that he will?” Colin asked.

Stan frowned. “It’s inevitable. He’s always attracting women. He’s good looking and a very nice guy. I don’t know if I can do this if he’s not here.”

“Have you discussed this with Mark?” I asked.

Stan shook his head. “Absolutely not! I don’t want to trap him to stay just because of me.”

“Maybe he’s staying because he likes you, too,” Colin suggested.

“In a brother kind of way, sure,” Stan said sadly.

“You can ask him,” I said. “He might like you more than a brother. You’re practically the same age. It’s clear he cares about you.”

Stan stopped and looked at us through the screen. “He does?”

“He’s always looking out for you. He makes sure you eat, sleep and take care of yourself.” I said. “He knows you can get tunneled and watches out to make sure you don’t get so engrossed to do that. You don’t see that?”

“You think he likes me more than just as a friend?”

“Two human beings that care for each other like that isn’t bad.” Colin smiled.

“Talk to him,” I suggested.

Stan lost what he was doing. That meant something if it took his mind off working with Buddy. “You think he might…” he shook his head suddenly. “No, no way.”

“And how are you going to know, if you don’t ask?” I said logically. “He is a friend. He might like you a lot more! You’re a nice person and good looking yourself!”

Stan went back to his work clearly embarrassed. “No, I’m not.”

Colin chuckled. “Do we seem like people who give false compliments!? You know we’re married! We know a good-looking man when we see him. You are! And you’re a nice guy and very smart.”

Stan gave a sputter at the smart part. “Too smart,” He muttered, but even while he was working he finally shook his head. “No. There’s no way.”

“Tell me,” I said. “You say he’s always attracting women. Does he respond to that?”

Stan stopped again. “I…I don’t know.” He thought again. “I’m sure he does.”

“But you’re not sure,” Colin said pointedly. “Does he date much?”

Now Stan was very uncomfortable. “I don’t…he never said…the job requires too much time…” his eyes widened. “I never asked!”

“There you go!” I pointed out. “You never asked. Perhaps you need to.”

Stan sat back. I mean, he stopped completely and sat back just thinking. “I never saw this. He’s always there. I assumed it was to keep me on track for the job. We were professional partners!”

“That may only be a part of it,” Colin suggested. “You do yourself harm if you don’t talk to him. He may like to be partners on another level.”

Stan now was alarmed. “I can’t do that!” He said in almost a panic. “What if he is just being friendly? If I offend him, he could leave me!”

“Talk to him!” I said again more firmly.

Stan was almost shaking as he thought now as his eyes were open to the idea. “I should.” He looked at us. “Shouldn’t I?”

Colin and I both said at the same time. “YES!!”