"Good evening my children and how are we this fine Spring evening? AAAAHHHH............ Spring............. The time of birth and change........ What changes are you considering in your life? Are you yearning for the morning when you should be enjoying the night? Imagine if you will, the possibilities of changing your past; of returning
to correct that ill-fated decision you made at the time? Examine that exact moment in time closely. Were you truly happy? I THINK NOT! Indeed my children, it is Spring......... Perhaps the changes in your life should focus on accepting the present and letting the past Rest in Peace. I AM the Night Crawler and I shall be here FOREVER!"
LaCroix sighed and shut down the microphone. He rose slowly from the chair and entered the bar once again. A familiar vibration swept over him as he glanced over to find the beautiful dark-haired vision of a vampire who he had once called his daughter. She caught LaCroix's swiftly masked look of surprise, where he was emcee of a dance contest. It was almost worth all the trouble to actually catch that look from him. Surprise was so rare, coming from Lucien. Amused, she sipped and watched the show. When it was nearly closing time, she turned to find Lucien at her elbow. A slight tilt of his head was all she needed to convey paragraphs of meaning. She followed him to the silence of the back of the Raven.
"Ah, Janette. It is good to see you again, but what brings you here?" He smiled his wintry smile, the closest thing to warmth he had ever allowed himself to express.
"Lucien, it's good to be back." If her heart had been beating as a mortal's did, it would have beaten a hole in her chest by now. Could he see her nervousness? "I wasn't sure whether or not I would be welcome here, after all that has happened." That much was true. She tried to remain calm. Blood sweat would give her away, especially to Lucien. This clearly was not a time to rely on an antiperspirant. She looked down, avoiding his eyes by feigning the need to think. He was right about "others" thinking something was unusual, and possibly dangerous. When a vampire relocates, it is necessary to cut all ties and to assume a new persona, without looking back, and without contacting former associates, whether vampire or not. "Others," in this case, might well mean the Enforcers, though they had not been very active of late. They were still a sound reason for compliance. She remained silent, even though she had gone over this possible line of questioning before, and had formed plausible answers. The reality of LaCroix's presence made answering them much harder.
"Back to my original question, my dear. There must be a reason for your actions. I can only assume that you are in some kind of trouble. I hope no one is pursuing you." It was a question as well as an accusation. She mustered her courage and all her acting skills. LaCroix smiled, but he still looked a bit dubious. Ah! After so many centuries, she could at least read his face. "Very well, then. You may, of course, stay here. I cannot give you back your old position, since you deeded the Raven to me when you decided to move on. For safety's sake, I'm afraid you will have to remain incommunicado, at least until some other arrangement has been made." Next page and Bottom / Back one / Top She smiled ironically, shielded from view by LaCroix's back. She gave LaCroix the address of her present haven, so her luggage could be collected and brought. Now that she had a place to stay, she could use this as a base for her explorations. She would have to be discrete, for LaCroix was very good at uncovering any secrets in the most uncomfortable way. Centuries had taught her she would be wise to step carefully. Back one / Back to top / Main Page / Prologue / Chapter One / Chapter Two / Lucien LaCroix by Froggi; Janette du Charme by Elena du Charme. Edited 12/2/2002
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One tends to forget the pain, the darkness of living and the desperation of the past. Do you truly wish to endure that agony? To experience the hard lessons life and the pain brought you? Resurrect the ghosts of the past and you shall undergo the nightmare again. Is that what you truly wish? To relive the severity of life that motivated you to come to the decisions of the present? "REMEMBER: With all its faults this may well be the best of all possible worlds.
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She smiled beneath her disguise. How could he help but recognize her, whatever she wore? He had known her over nine hundred years. She ordered their special blend of wine and blood from a vampire she had known for years. It gave her some satisfaction that he did not recognize her. It was amazing what a little makeup and a change of clothes could do.
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"My dear, whatever would make you think you would not be welcome? After all, you are my child still, even though these amazing circumstances have placed Nicolas in the position of your earthly "father". I am puzzled, though. When we move on, the custom is to leave for a long period of time. You cannot just pick up here at the Raven as you left off. It would be too suspicious. I am concerned about what others might think."
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"I've felt quite lost, Lucien. I went to Montreal; I flew to Paris. The joy I usually feel in Paris was gone. I'm not used to travelling without you. I actually missed Nick." That too, was true. Better to mix truths with the lies, to add plausibility. "Always before, when it was time to move on for one of us, it was time for all. While I can take care of myself, I found I wanted the company. I didn't want to go to Nick first, since he was the source of my unease the last time. I was hoping I could at least find shelter here for a while, since you have been my mentor for so long."
He led her downstairs, through the wine cellar and through secret passageways to the safety of the Raven's subcellar. Here vampires came for shelter from the world above. Many times she had sheltered homeless waifs in these cellars. When she had deeded the Raven to LaCroix, it had been with the understanding that there always be a home for strays. Now she was one of the strays, herself.
Chapter Three / Chapter Four / Chapter Six / Chapter Seven / Chapter Eight / Chapter Nine / Chapter Ten / Chapter Eleven / Chapter Twelve / Chapter Thirteen
