Forever Knight

Therapy

LaCroix stared idly at his drink. Clarisse had taken the night off and had asked him to keep an eye on the After Sunset Restaurant. That was not a difficult thing to do. At first glance, it was like any other neighborhood family restaurant and bar. It was only if you looked carefully at the 'drinks' that some of the customers were nursing that you would see anything out of the ordinary. The After Sunset welcomed the vampire community as well as the mortal one.

"Lucien LaCroix. It’s been a long time." The man said as he came up to him. "Clarisse mentioned you were living here in Los Angeles, but I have been terribly busy since I arrived and I haven't had the chance to see you."

"Jerosz Kirinskow." LaCroix said, grasping the other's hand firmly. "It has been a long time. You gave the keynote address at the Vampire Symposium in New York City. That was in 1900. Something about the changes that the Community would have to make if it wanted to continue into the Twentieth Century. If I remember correctly, and I have no reason to think otherwise, you were correct with the greater majority of your predictions. What brings you to Los Angeles?"

"My practice, actually. While we cannot contract physical diseases, we are prone to many of the same mental problems as mortals. You know, depression, paranoia, mood swings, and things like that. I found that the pressures of modern life affected vampires in much the same way as they do mortals. More acutely, actually, since vampires live much longer. Some of us have had a difficult time adjusting to the changes in lifestyle. Mortals can talk to a psychiatrist about their problems and work them through, but vampires have no one like that. So, I went back to school and got another doctorate. This time in psychiatry. I limit my practice to treating vampires. In addition, I'm the chairman of the committee for the next Symposium. I'm gathering background for possible speakers and workshops."

"You always did have the knack for getting people to open up to you. It must come in handy. I can imagine some of the patients you get."

"Actually, vampires are very much like any other patients." Jerosz said, taking his drink and heading for a table. He looked to be about fifty, fair complectioned, with a thick mane of curly hair and just enough salt and pepper for effect. His face was round and open and there were hints of laugh lines around his eyes and the corners of his mouth. He was well built, with just the barest hint of middle age spread. He projected an aura of trust, empathy, and compassion. "Would you like to join me? I promise I won't psychoanalyze you, although you would make an interesting case study."

"In what way?" LaCroix said as he sat across the table from the doctor.

"For one thing, you are one of the few elder vampires left. There aren't too many of us who have seen as many changes as you have. How you managed to cope with them and how you are coping now would be of great assistance in helping others to adjust."

"I should be glad to give you the expertise I have accumulated throughout the centuries."

The doctor thought he detected a look of patronization on the elder vampire. "Good. Can I put you down as a speaker at the millennium symposium? Or perhaps you'd like to chair a workshop?"

"I shall have to think on that."

"I have heard rumors that you have mellowed somewhat in your treatment of your son, Nicholas, in the past few years. I would be interested in hearing about that, also."

"My treatment of my son is my business." LaCroix said indignantly.

"I understand that, and I don't mean to pry into your personal matters, but as one man to another, what's it like to have a mortal for a daughter-in-law and mortal grandchildren?"

"Are you asking that as a doctor or as a fellow vampire?"

"As a vampire, of course. I wouldn't pretend to treat you, of all people, as a patient. Would you be more comfortable if we talked in private? Say, in your place, or maybe you would like to come to my hotel?"

"My apartment would be agreeable. It's upstairs." LaCroix said showing Kirinskow the way to the back stairs.

*********

"I'm not sure I can put it into words." LaCroix settled back into the easy chair in his living room and took a sip of his drink. Jerosz sat in another chair across from him. "I suppose it really would be better if I went back a few years to Toronto. Nicholas was involved with a mortal, a Doctor Natalie Lambert. He was very much in love with her and she with him. She was trying to find a cure for him, to help him be mortal again. Of course, I couldn’t let that happen. I had to find a way to quash the romance and all thoughts of a cure, and at the same time make Nicholas's life as miserable as possible." LaCroix wasn't usually this open, but something in Dr. Kirinskow's charisma encouraged him to bare his feelings.

"In order for you to understand that line of reasoning, I have to go back another 775 or so years. To Brabant and to Nicholas's sister, Fleur. I loved her with a passion I had never felt before for either mortal or vampire. I wanted desperately to bring her across, but Nicholas argued me out of it. He said that I would destroy everything I loved about her if I did so. He was right, of course, but at the time I could not see that. Only recently have I discovered what he was trying to tell me. I finally agreed, but I made a solemn vow that I would destroy any mortal he ever fell in love with. I kept my promise with a vengeance. Every time he became interested in a mortal, I destroyed her. I made it physically, mentally and emotionally, as painful as possible, and made sure he understood it was his fault for denying me Fleur.

This one was different. He truly loved her. Almost as much as I had loved Fleur. That made me work all the harder to break them apart. It did not work this time. All my efforts accomplished was to bring them closer together. Are you sure you are not trying to get inside my head?"

"Lucien. I am almost as old as you are, and we have known each other, how long now? Eight hundred ... nine hundred ... years? I have known Nicholas almost from the time you brought him across. I wouldn't do that to an old friend like you, would I?" Jerosz said, holding his right hand with three fingers in a Boy Scout salute.

"I suppose not." LaCroix continued. "Doctor Lambert and Nicholas had never been intimate. He was afraid that if he tried anything like that, he would accidentally harm, or even kill, her. A notion I reinforced at every possible opportunity. One night, after a very emotionally traumatic week for both of them, she begged him to make love to her. He reluctantly agreed. In his passion, he took too much, and he did kill her. You see, I had never taught him the technique of when to stop. It was one of the things I used to control him. Naturally, I was on hand to witness his folly. What happened next was a real shock. He begged me to stake him. To kill him. He said that without her, he did not want to go on. Life was not worth living. He also said that I was his best friend." He stopped for a moment and took a long sip from his glass. "I started to do as he wanted. Then I suddenly realized that his love for Doctor Lambert ... Natalie ... was a real and eternal love. He was willing to die rather than be separated from her."

"How did you feel at that moment?" Jerosz prompted, tenting his hands on his knees and leaning toward Lucien.

"It felt like a dam broke inside me. I began to feel things I hadn't felt in ... centuries. Some emotions I had never felt ... ever before. I could not do it. I could not kill him. Then, what could only be described as a miracle happened. Nicholas was still determined to end his existence. He opened the shutters on his windows and stood waiting for the sunrise. Instantaneously, Doctor Lambert was before him."

"I thought you said she was dead."

"She was. This was her spirit. Her ghost, if you will. She told him that he could not end it this way. She said that if he did, he would truly be doomed to eternity in Hell. She stated that he must continue on, that it was the only way that they could be together forever. She said that she would watch over him and that I would be there to watch over him, too. Seeing this, I began to realize that there really was a God, or a Creator, or some Higher Power watching over everyone. Even creatures like me. I began to see that Nicholas had to be whatever he was destined to be, not what I tried to force him to be. The change wasn't immediate, but it had started."

"Go on." Jerosz said, nodding.

"We came to Los Angeles. It was only supposed to be a temporary stop. I had every intention of moving to the Continent. You know, Paris, Milan, or the Riviera. Of course, I would drag Nicholas with me.

Then he met Atonia ... his wife-to-be. By all past experiences in situations like this, I should have used every means to break them up and then used his failure as another opportunity to relentlessly torture him. As I said, though, I was changing. I found myself helping him and even encouraging him in his friendship with her. Mind you, I did not want to do this. I fought these urges every inch of the way."

"What changed your mind?"

"One night he came home in a very disturbed state. He had met a female vampire of ... how can I put it ... extraordinary allure. He wanted her. No emotion. Pure lust. He attempted to satisfy that need with Clarisse. He was unable to do anything. He claimed that every time he tried, all he saw was Doctor Lambert and that last night they had spent together. He turned to me for help. I did not deride him or berate him as I had done in the past when he failed. I did not even want to. All I could feel at that time was his anguish, his emotional pain, and it hurt me, too. That was something I had carefully shielded myself from in the past. I had never let his suffering affect me. This time it did. Another dam broke. All I wanted to do was hold him close and take away all his torment. I realized that a lot of his suffering was of my doing. I wanted to wash away eight hundred years of pain and agony from both our hearts. In that moment, I think I truly became his father.

Shortly after that night, another miracle occurred. Doctor Lambert appeared to me and enlisted my aid to get Nicholas and Atonia together. She said they were meant to be together. I gave it freely, even willingly. I assisted her in planting certain seeds about him and Atonia and how he could make love to her without harming her. It took a while, but it finally bore fruit."

"After eight hundred years of taunts and guilt, how did he take to your assistance?"

"Jerosz. Really. Do you think I made it obvious that I was helping him? Of course not! I let him think it was his idea and that he was doing it without my blessing."

"Why?"

"If Nicholas thought for one second that I was behind this, he would have run, not walked in the opposite direction. Only by making him believe that he was working against me could I make him do what I wanted.  What was right.  I know it sounds confusing, but that was the relationship between myself and Nicholas."

"Tell me, Lucien. What is your relationship with your mortal family? The last time I remember, you viewed mortals as little more than lunch." Jerosz said, leaning back into the chair.

"That is quite true. I had to hold on to my feelings for Fleur. I had to keep the pain and torment in me alive and festering. I could not allow myself to become involved with another mortal. So, if I viewed them as inferior beings, little more than pets, it was easier to detach myself from them. That is, until that fateful night of Natalie … Doctor Lambert's death. As I have said before, that was a turning point for me. My relationship with Atonia and her mother, Robyn has been one of delight and pleasure. Of course, the twins, Natalie and Joseph are the apple of my eye." A positive twinkle came into the elder vampire's eyes and he grinned broadly at the thought of his granddaughter and grandsons. "Especially Nattie. Did I tell you I am the one who gave her that nickname? And little Donald can beguile me just by looking at me."

"Sounds like they have themselves firmly wrapped around your heart."

Lucien nodded.

"You mentioned Atonia's mother. What is your perception of her?"

"Robyn Parker is one of the most interesting women, mortal or otherwise, I have ever met. She has overcome many hardships as a single mother to raise Atonia and her sister, Sheryl. Yet, with all her problems, she maintains a positive, upbeat attitude that is nothing short of amazing. She is intelligent, discerning, genuinely cultured, very perceptive, and totally fascinating."

"Sounds to me like you may becoming smitten with the lady. Does she know about us?"

"Oh yes. Nicholas and Atonia told her before they were married. Although, I believe she would have figured it out by herself eventually. I did mention she had a very inquisitive mind, didn't I? She took the news quite calmly. So far, it hasn't seemed to make a noticeable difference in her relations with any of us. The Enforcers know that she knows and they have been assured by both myself and Nicholas that she can be trusted with the secret. Also, she, as well as all of us are under the personal protection of Lady Zera. I doubt if even the Enforcers want to incur her anger." He took out his wallet and opened it. The lapel pin that Zera had given him was fastened to the inside flap.

"I heard about that. It is a high honor. But you didn't answer my question. What are your feelings toward Robyn Parker?"

"Robyn and I are ... just friends ... nothing more ... yet. If something deeper develops, we will deal with that. For now, I am taking it one step at a time. You must remember I am still learning about Mortal-vampire relationships."

"How does Nicholas feel about all of this?"

"You will have to ask Nicholas about that. He is downstairs with his family right now."

"I shall."

*********

Nick pulled the chair out for Toni to seat herself. He had brought the family to the After Sunset for a dinner out. She had a particularly difficult time. She had taken the twins and Donny with her to the studio, and like any youngsters, the twins had managed to disrupt the entire day. Nothing was done intentionally or maliciously, but they created minor havoc just the same. Donny, it seemed, was having a particularly bad episode of teething. He cried the entire time. She came home with a migraine and did not feel like cooking or doing anything. When Nick suggested a night out, she jumped at the chance. Nattie and Joey sat in their chairs like perfect angels. Donny fidgeted slightly in the highchair and sucked languidly on his thumb. He was just about ready for a nap. No one would have guessed that three hours ago they were into everything.

Jerosz walked to the table. "Nicholas Knight, I believe." He said, extending his hand. "I am Jerosz Kirinskow. I am a friend of your ... of Lucien LaCroix."

Nick smiled. "Yes. I remember you. Last time we met it was in Athens, when they revived the modern Olympic games."

"Oh, yes, that is right. That was a truly exciting time. I'm just sorry we weren't able to attend the actual events. The gatherings afterward, though, were most delightful."

"I'm forgetting my manners. This is my wife, Toni, and these are my children, Nattie, Joey and Donny. I'm sure you've heard about them."

"Have I heard of them? The Community talks of very little else. In a sense, that is why I'm here. I just talked with Lucien and he suggested I have a talk with you." He took out a notepad and scribbled a number on it. "This is my hotel. Call me later and perhaps we can set up a convenient time to meet."

*********

Nick sat in the chair opposite Jerosz in his hotel suite.

"I assume Lucien has told you about my switching occupations from medical research to psychiatry."

"Yes. He mentioned something about that. I don't see much of him. After almost eight hundred years, we have only just begun to develop a solid relationship. It is steadily improving, though. I presume you are here to talk to me about my family. Is that correct?"

"Actually, I am going to let you do most of the talking. About whatever subject you want. I can imagine you are very proud of your wife and offspring."

Nick grinned broadly. "It shows that much?"

Kirinskow nodded.

"I'm so proud of them it's not even funny. I'm afraid I'll wake up one day and find that it's all been a dream. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to be sure. A wife and children are some of the things I thought I would never be able to have. I know I had LaCroix, and Janette, and Clarisse, but that wasn't the same. You know what I mean?"

"I think so. I had a wife once. When I was mortal. That was a very very long time ago." A wistful look came to the doctor's eyes. "Tell me your feelings about them?"

"It's incredible. It's something I had dreamed about ever since ... ever since LaCroix brought me across. I spent the last two centuries looking for a way to reverse the ... deed. Without success. When Natalie Lambert died ... I presume LaCroix told you about Natalie?"

A nod.

"When she died, I felt that all hope of ever becoming mortal again died with her. I grudgingly accepted my fate as a vampire. I was empty inside. I knew that without Natalie, there was no use even trying to come back across. There was nothing for me.

Then I met Toni. I was attracted to her from the start, but at the same time I was scared. I mean really scared about starting anything with her. Natalie came to me and told me that I needed Toni's companionship. She also told me to tell Toni exactly who and what I really was. It was one of the hardest, and at the same time, one of the easiest things I had ever done. Toni accepted me as though the fact that I was a vampire was no different that if I had diabetes or something like that.

While LaCroix did not encourage me with Toni, he did not discourage me either. I think somewhere in the back of my mind I knew that he secretly approved of Toni.

Then Hoiman got into the act."

"Hoiman?"

"A cat. A very unusual cat. You'd have to know him to know what I mean."

"So, how did you and Atonia finally get together?"

"An automobile accident. She nearly died. I realized then that I was in love with her. I knew I couldn't live without her. I told her so. Then she laid the bombshell on me. She told me that Natalie's ghost and LaCroix were working with her to find techniques that would allow me to make love to her without harming her."

"Did they work?"

"Did they work? I've got three kids to prove they worked. Actually, the techniques they suggested were very simple. First, I had to feed very well before we tried. That way, I would take only enough blood to ... ah ... ah ... do I have to go on?"

"If it makes you uncomfortable to talk about it ... "

"It does."

"Then, by all means, talk about something you feel comfortable with."

"No. I want to talk about it. Secondly, I had to learn to mentally control the vampire tendencies until just the right moment. That was what was the hardest part. I found, though, it was sort of like riding a bicycle. The more I did it, the easier it became, until it was sort of automatic. I also found that this control carried over into my everyday life and I found that I was able to do more and more things that mortals do."

"Considering all of this, do you still want to become mortal?"

A faraway look came into Nick's eyes. "I ... I'm not sure. I have everything that any mortal man could have. I have a beautiful wife, three fabulous children and I can go out in the daytime. Although I'm limited in the amount of time I can spend, and I have to stay in the shade. From the protection of the porch, I have seen the sunrise and sunset. I have even felt the warmth of the sun, though only for a few minutes at a time.

I can also eat solid food, though only in very small portions. Because I am eating, I do have to use the ... bathroom ... at least twice a week. Since some of my nourishment comes from solid food, the hunger and bloodlust are not as overpowering as they used to be.

I am still fully vampire, though. That means I am immune to disease and injury, although I'm noticing that it takes a little longer for me to heal than it once did. If I were mortal, I wouldn't have that. Or extraordinary strength, or vision, or hearing. I would definitely miss flying and telepathy."

"You still haven't answered my question. Would you become mortal if you had the chance?"

"Ask me that question when ... or if ... a cure is found. Right now, though, I am content with my life as it is."

"Doesn't all this control over the vampire mean that when you do let it loose, it is out of control? I know that anything that is severely repressed tends to go haywire when it is finally freed."

"In a sense, yes. That's why, during the full moon, Jeb Puckett, and I go hunting in the mountains. Jeb's another vampire and a good friend of mine. We go into the deep forest and for three days I let the vampire run free. We hunt and take deer, wolves, and bear. The blood we harvest and save for the rest of the month. We don't normally kill, but when we do, we donate the meat to one of the local Indian tribes or to a homeless shelter. It seems that is more than enough to keep everything in check. Lately, LaCroix has been coming with us, too."

"What does your wife think about all of this?"

"You'll have to ask her."

"Do you think she'll talk to me?"

"Ask her."

**********

"Thank you for meeting with me, Antonia." Jerosz Kirinskow said as he showed Toni to an easy chair in the living room of his hotel suite. He took the opposite one

.

"It's Atonia." She corrected. "But everybody, except LaCroix, calls me Toni. He calls everybody, except for Nattie, by their full given names."

"Very well, Toni. I assume Nicholas told you why I wanted to see you?"

"Yes. He said you were a vampire psychologist and that you were gathering information on mortal-vampire relationships. I take it we are the most famous ... or is that infamous ... of any of them."

"Actually, at this time, you two are the only ones that I am aware of. It is a most ... fascinating concept . Please, don't take me wrong. I am very happy for Nicholas and you. It's just that I am, after all, a psychiatrist and I tend to think of everything from that perspective."

"I understand. What do you want to know about Nick and me?"

"Whatever you want to tell me."

"I've never been to a shrink before." Suddenly, her face flushed and she started stammering. "I'm sorry .. I mean psychiatrist ... I didn't mean ... I mean ... I ... "

"It's all right. No offense meant and none taken. That appellation had been tagged on us for so many years, it has become synonymous." He placed a hand on hers. "If you want to use it, feel free to do so. I don't mind at all." He leaned back. "Tell me how did the two of you meet?"

"He saved me when I was being robbed. I was cleaning Gene Roddenbery's star on the walk of fame when this punk grabbed my purse. Nick and LaCroix just happened to be there at the time. Nick chased him and got my purse back. They say one good turn deserves another and, since they didn't have a place to stay, and there just happened to be an empty apartment in the co-op where I lived, I offered to rent it to them. You see, I was the manager of the month. All the tenants take turns managing the complex every month ... But I'm going off on a tangent. I have a tendency to do that occasionally."

"Understandable. It's hard to explain something as complicated as a relationship in fifty words or less." Jerosz said with a slight smile. "Continue."

"Over the next few months, I saw a lot of him. It was easy, considering his apartment was across the hall from mine. And before you ask, I didn't do it deliberately. It just happened that way. I was attracted to him almost from the start. I knew that he was not like any other man I had ever known. He was kind, gentle and very sad. LaCroix had told me that he was mourning the loss of the woman he loved, so I sort of kept my distance. I didn't want to push. I knew that would only make him feel worse. I've been on the rebound a few times myself, and I know that's the worst time to start a relationship with someone else, although that's what most people do. That's just what I didn't want with Nick."

"When did you realize that you were becoming more than friends?"

"I think it was the night of the tenant's party. That's when he began to open up to me. At first, it was the carefully rehearsed story that he gave everyone, you know, born in Chicago, Parents died when he was young, raised by LaCroix, his foster father. Et cetera. Et cetera. yadda yadda yadda. I had no reason to doubt him."

"When did the doubts begin?"

"He seemed to genuinely want to be more than friends, but every time he'd start to get close, he'd back off. It was like one step forward and three steps back. I thought it was because of Natalie. That maybe he felt he was betraying her if he got close to me."

Jerosz nodded.

"Then he told me with the real reason that he kept his distance. That he was a real ... live ... so to speak ... vampire."

"How did you feel?"

"It freaked me out. I mean completely. But only for a little while. Then I got to thinking that he wasn't any different after he told me than he was before. If he meant to do anything, he would have done it long ago. I figured he must care a lot about me. After all, it took a lot of guts and courage, and trust on his part to tell me that. I mean, the Enforcers could have killed him for that. I think that's when I first realized that I was falling in love with him."

"What's it like for you to be in love with a vampire?"

"I wouldn't know. I'm not in love with a vampire. I'm in love with Nick. The fact that he's a vampire is just about immaterial. True, it means that we do have to take extra precautions when we want to be intimate, but other than that, we have many of the same problems as if we were of different races or different faiths. There are complications. Other people don't have Enforcers watching over them all the time, or friends capable of draining them if they're mad at them, but it's nothing we can't overcome or work around."

"If you found out that one of your friends was in love with a vampire, what would you tell them?"

Toni thought for a few moments. "I'd tell them to follow their heart. If they were at the stage where they were truly in love, they have conquered the biggest hurdles already. I think Nick and I would give them all the help and moral support we could."

"How about if it was your mother?"

"I'd tell her the same thing. And yes, I have seen the way LaCroix and her act together. I think they're falling for each other. To spite the horror stories that I've heard about him, I believe he's changed even more than he thinks he has. Lucien is a good man and he has been a positive influence on Mom."

I understand that your twins, Natalie and Joseph have inherited the aberrant nucleotides, or vampire gene as they are called. Are you worried they may become vampires?"

"I wouldn't call it worry. Of course, we are concerned about their future, as any parents would be for their children. If they do become vampires, I hope we have taught them enough so that they will be able to deal with it in a positive way."

"Would you mind of I talk to your children?"

"No. But I must warn you, they're five-year-olds going on forty."

"Now I can see why Nicholas is so in love with you. You are a remarkable person."

**********

"Tell me, Joseph, Natalie, what do you think about your father?" Jerosz asked the two seated on the couch across from him.

"I think he's real neat. And it's Joey. The only time anybody calls me Joseph, I'm in real trouble." Joey replied.

"And I'm Nattie."

"I'm sorry, Joey, Nattie. It's just that I'm around big people all the time and I'm not very good at dealing with children."

"That's okay. We understand. Lots of adults are uncomfortable around kids these days. Grandfather says it's because they aren't sure how to treat them. He says that it all goes back to when they outlawed spanking in schools." Joey explained.

"Yeah. He says that since then, people let little kids get away with anything because they're afraid of being accused of child abuse." Nattie added.

"Do you get spanked?"

"Uh. huh." Nattie said. "But only if we've been really really bad. Most times we gotta make things right. You know, like if we lie, or take something that isn't ours, or hit somebody, we gotta tell the truth or give it back or apologize"

"Grandfather says if the gods didn't mean for spankings, why did they make rear ends." Joey added.

"But you ought to know that. After all, you're a psyach .... psiatr ... you treat people for mental problems." Joey said.

"Daddy says you treat vampires, too. Aren't you afraid they'll get mad at you and bite you or something?" Nattie continued.

"Yes, I'm a vampire psychiatrist. And, no I'm not afraid of vampires. You see, I'm a vampire, too."

"We knew that." Joey said.

"How?"

"We just did."

"Do you want to be vampires?"

Joey scrunched his face and bit his lip for several moments. "Only if I can be a race car driver like my Cousin Jeb. He's a vampire too, you know."

"And what about you, Nattie?"

"I want to be a doctor." She thought a moment. "Did you always want to be a doctor?" She asked.

"Not really. I was a Mesopotamian shepherd in my mortal existence." He answered. "I didn't consider practicing medicine until many centuries after I had been brought across."

"A shepherd!" Joey exclaimed. "Like at the stable on Christmas? Maybe I'll become a shepherd. Did you like it?"

"Yes." Jerosz leaned back in his chair. "Well, if you two are finished psychoanalyzing me, could we get back to your father?"

Joey also leaned back and tented his hands. "Of course, Dr. Kirinskow. Ask anything you want."

"We'll be more than happy to answer your questions." Nattie said as she, too leaned back and folded her hands in her lap

**********

Smiling, Jerosz escorted Jeb Puckett and Clarissa La Pont into the living area.

"Clarisse." He said, lightly embracing her. "It is so good to see you again." He offered his hand to Jeb. "And this is Jebediah Puckett, your adopted son. I have heard a lot about you, Jebediah."

Jeb had a decidedly uncomfortable expression as he shook the doctor's hand.

"What's the matter? Did I say something wrong?" Jerosz asked.

"No, Sir, not exactly." Jeb said. "It's just that ... the only people who ever called me Jebediah was Mr. LaCroix and Mrs. Brandish. She was my fourth grade teacher. Then there is my Pa. Of course, Pa only calls me that when he is powerful angry with me. Everyone else calls me Jeb."

"I'm sorry. If it's all right with you, then I'll call you Jeb, too."

A wide grin spread over the young vampire's face. "I'd surely like that, Doctor Kirinskow."

"I noticed you called him Mr. LaCroix. Why is that? Most people simply call him LaCroix."

"My Pa taught me to respect my elders. I reckon you ain't gonna get no more elder than Mr. LaCroix is."

Jerosz smiled. "I guess not. Did Clarisse did tell you that I am doing research for the upcoming Symposium?"

He turned to Clarissa. "This ain't gonna hurt, is it? Every time I go to Doctor Tom, he pokes a needle into me for his research."

Jerosz laughed softly. "I'm not that kind of a doctor. I'm a psychiatrist. I just want to ask you and Clarisse a few questions about your adoption."

Jeb's grin spread over his entire face. "Yeah! Ain't it wonderful! It all started back in Haven's Corners. That's in Georgia. Right about ten miles north of Hazzard.

There was this real evil vampire going around doing all sorts of hurtful things to the people, like killing them and draining their blood. I found out later, he did these same things in a lot of other places, too. Then he would attack some unsuspecting local person and turn them into vampires. He'd leave them where somebody'd find them. Since they didn't have no training, and often as not, they'd be in the first hunger, they'd attack and kill whoever found them. The sheriff would think they'd gone berserk and then they'd have to be killed. They'd get the blame for what Smiley... that's what I called him ... for what he done.

I was lucky, though. Miss Clarissa found me right after Smiley brung me across. She taught me what I needed to know to be a good vampire. She stayed with me for a long time and even after she left, she stayed in touch. I always thought of her as sort of my Ma. My real Ma died when I was eight and Miss Clarissa, here, is the closest thing to a Ma I ever had. Now she's my Ma for real." Jeb reached over and squeezed Clarissa's hand. Clarissa returned the gesture.

"Jeb seemed so despondent when Nicholas's son Donny was born and we all could share in his bond and he couldn't." Clarissa continued. "That's when Lucien suggested that there could be a way. Before Donny was born, he had a severe reaction to the vampire factor in his blood. It was affecting both him and Toni. If it had gone untreated, it could have killed them both. Doctor Nichols did a complete blood transfusion in utero on him. LaCroix thought that there might be a possibility that if Jeb were drained and his blood replaced with blood from one of us, he would be bonded to us as we were to each other. He wanted it to be his blood, but I convinced him that I should be the one, since I was Jeb's master in all but the fact. Everyone agreed. The experiment was hugely successful as you can plainly see."

"How does that make you feel?"

"Right proud." Jeb exclaimed. "As I said before, Miss Clarissa has always been like a real Ma to me, and now she is, since I have her blood in me. I also have a grandpa, an uncle, an aunt, a niece and two nephews. That's in addition to my mortal family. I guess I'm the luckiest man ... or vampire ... on this here planet."

"Not quite, Jeb." Clarissa corrected. "I have you for a son and I couldn't want for better if you had been my biological offspring."

"Before this mutual admiration society goes much further would the two of you consider giving a seminar about this at the next Symposium?"

"I'll have to give that a lot of consideration." Clarissa said. "It was, after all, an extremely personal thing."

"Me too, but we'll let y'all know as soon's we make a decision."

**********

"I am glad you agreed to see me, Michael." Jerosz Kirinskow said as he showed Mike Taylor to a seat. "Or do you prefer Mike?"

"Either one, But mostly Mike. Nick said he wanted me to talk with you, Dr. Kirinskow. Is it okay if I call you Doc?"

Jerosz nodded assent.

"I'm not sure why you want to see me, though. I will admit that I was way out in left field a few months back, but I've worked things out, and I'm on a pretty even keel, now."

"I know that, Mike. Actually, I asked you here to talk about Nicholas."

"Nick? Why him? Sure I know he can appear to be a little weird sometimes, well, maybe a lot weird, but take it from me, he's the most together guy I know. I mean, he's my partner. I trust him with my life. He's saved my bacon more times than I can count, maybe more than I know about. I've even saved his once or twice. Trust me, he may be a wee off center, but he sure doesn't need a shrink, no offense."

"None taken. I'm actually not concerned with his mental health. I just want to know about your relationship with him."

"Relationship? I already told you, he's my partner. He's my friend, too. Why, me and Tracy, she's my wife, we're even Joey's godparents."

"So I've heard. How can I put this delicately. I know you know."

"Know? Know what?" Mike fidgeted in his chair.

"What he is."

"Of course I know what he is. He's my best friend. He's a damn good cop and a wonderful human being." Mike said a bit too loudly and a bit too nervously.

"No. I mean I know you know what he really is. You see, I am also a member of the Community, too." Jerosz closed his eyes and when he opened them, they were rimmed in gold.

"Look, he didn't tell me anything. I mean, I found out on my own. You can't blame him for that. If you're going to do anything, do it to me." Mike was perspiring openly.

Jerosz smiled slightly. "I am not an Enforcer. I really am a psychiatrist. My specialty is vampire psychology. I am only gathering background on Nicholas to update my files. Nothing more."

"Oh." Mike relaxed noticeably. "In that case, ask away. I'll tell you anything you want to know about Nick."

"It's heartening to see that he has such loyal and devoted friends. Now, I'd like to know just how you were able to deduce exactly what Nicholas was."

"Well, actually, I figured it out right before he got married. No, that's not right either. I saw him fighting with another vampire and he got staked real bad. I really freaked out. I mean, wouldn't you if you saw your partner with a stake through his heart?" Mike looked at the doctor and then realized who he was talking to. "Then again. No, I guess you wouldn't."

"I think I probably would. Go on with your story"

"Nick and LaCroix sort of calmed me down and I pushed the whole thing into the back of my mind. All that I was thinking about was that there was a killer on the loose and we had to get her before she struck again. Did I tell you the other vampire was a lady? Well, anyway, Nick, that LaCroix guy, and me, we went back and killed the other vampire. I really freaked out a second time, I mean really full goose bozo. Nick managed to give me a reasonable explanation of everything that had happened. I was satisfied with it and things were okay between him and me for a long time. "

"When did you know for sure."

"When Donny, that's his youngest kid, was born. That kid has the most incredible habit of making everything be peaceful and content. Tracy, she's a psychic, too, did some sort of a mind meld with Donny and me. I don't know if it triggered the memories from the first time or whether I saw it in Tracy's mind, but I knew for sure that Nick was a ... you know ... "

"You can say it. A vampire."

"Yeah. As I said when I came in, I went off the deep end. Then, he risked his life and nearly died saving my life. That's when I realized that it doesn't matter what he is, he's just Nick. My partner. My friend."

**********

There was a knock at the suite door and when Jerosz answered it, two burly Enforcers entered and positioned themselves on either side of the entrance. Presently, a small elderly lady entered. She had a regal bearing and her gray linen dress was exquisite. She looked every inch an aristocrat born of noble blood. He bowed low, took her right hand in his and gently kissed the large ruby and diamond ring. "Lady Zera." He said respectfully.

He motioned to the overstuffed chair and as she made herself comfortable, he went to the refrigerator and poured a glass of the 'Henley House Special' for the ancient vampire. She accepted graciously.

"We have heard that you are researching Nicholas de Brabant and his family. May we ask why?" She asked.

"I am merely gathering information for the Symposium." He said as he sat in a lounger across from her.

"Jerosz." Lady Zera said, with a little more emphasis than necessary. "I have known you too long. You could have gotten all the information you needed from Aristotle's records, or from Larry Merlin. You did not have to come all the way here and interview them in person. Do you want to tell me the real reason or do I have to use other methods to discern it?" She smiled and just the barest tips of her fangs showed.

Jerosz smiled slightly. "Lady Zera, forgive me. I should have known better than to try to fool you. True, I could have gotten the facts in other ways, but fact sheets are extremely impersonal and printouts don't tell me what a person is feeling or thinking. I am, after all, a psychiatrist, and my questions are why and how, not who and where."

"Forgiven. We will agree that Nicholas and his family are interesting. What are your thoughts on them?"

"Lady Zera. If I did not know better, I'd say you are trying to psychoanalyze me."

"Jerosz." She said, holding her right hand in the Boy Scout salute. "Would I do that to you?"

Jerosz smiled, remembering his earlier conversation with Lucien LaCroix. "I guess not. I want to have all the information I can about them. I know you are aware that there are several factions in the Community that would like to make Nicholas into a king or perhaps even a god. Others would prefer that he, and all those associated with him, be staked, beheaded, immolated, and their ashes spread over the Sahara. I've got the impossible job of trying to keep them all happy, or at least away from each other's throats ... literally ... during the Symposium."

"Have you enlisted the aid of the Enforcers?"

Jerosz blanched and swallowed hard. "The Enforcers?" He gasped. "They are more interested in punishing Code breakers than in preventing problems. I suspect that some of them may be at the core of those who would have Nicholas staked."

"Would you rather I asked them. They will do whatever I say."

Jerosz Kirinskow only nodded numbly. He knew she was powerful, even for an ancient, but he had no idea ... "In order to have that kind of influence, you must be very old. If you don't mind my asking, how old are you?"

"You should know better than to ask a woman her age, but as old as you are, I am that from you. And then some."

Jerosz swallowed hard. "You must have been one of the first of us. Tell me, How is it possible. If a vampire is created by the bite of another vampire, how were the first vampires created?"

Zera sighed. "They weren't created. They just were. According to some legends, they were either a separate species from homo sapiens or possibly aliens stranded on earth. It is immaterial which story is true. They were relatively immortal, and they could exist in the daytime and eat food, although not in large quantities. For centuries, they were respected and even worshipped by primitive man. Eventually they attempted to interbreed, but they had only extremely limited success and many of those offspring died in infancy or childhood. As now, though, the sexual act requires the taking of blood. They discovered that most of the humans that they took blood from became vampires as well. Unfortunately, the mixing of vampire and human blood produced many unwanted side effects. These hybrids were intolerant of the sun, and could only digest blood. Even so, vampires and mortals still lived in relative peace.

It wasn't until sometime around 4,000 years ago that mankind began to fear vampires. By that time, most of us were the children of the hybrids. Many of the originals and the firsts had either died or were killed. Those that remained devised the Code in an attempt to restore peace and goodwill among the vampires and mortals. The Code was originally set up as a series of guidelines, and the Enforcers as a loosely organized group of mediators and counselors. Unfortunately, the Code and the role of the Enforcers have gotten out of hand. Over the centuries, the Code has evolved into a set of hard and inflexible rules, commandments, if you will.

The Enforcers have gone from guides to a closed, secret cadre who are judge, jury and executioners. Their only purpose is to see that the Code is followed to the strictest letter under any and all circumstances. Although you can still find a good many individuals in their ranks who are genuinely concerned about the welfare of the Community, far too many of the Enforcers are little more than mindless automatons carrying out what they believe is a sacred duty to uphold the Code. A few, and unfortunately a few too many, are in it only for the thrill and use the Code to feed their addiction to blood and killing."

"I know, but unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about it."

"Perhaps there is. I have allowed Nicholas far more leeway than normal in order to try to convince those in charge that mortals can know of our existence without jeopardizing anyone. So far, I have had only minimal success. Many still view him and his actions as a threat. It is only my protection that has kept them from taking action against him and his mortals."

"Do you see Nicholas as possibly a throwback to the originals or the firsts? Is that why you have taken him under your wing, so to speak?"

"Dr. Kirinskow." Lady Zera said rather decisively. "I cannot say how I think of Nicholas. It is too soon to tell exactly what he is. All I know for certain is that he is most unique among our kind. Only time will tell if he has, indeed, discovered a cure or a way back."

Jerosz leaned back in his chair. "You have given me much to think on, my Lady. This is a history I have never heard. I shall be happy to give you any sort of help that I can in your efforts to restore the Community to its once proud place."

Zera stood and Jerosz rose also. "I shall hold you to that." She extended her hand and the Doctor kissed the ring. In an instant, she, and her escorts were gone."

**********

Jerosz turned to the black briefcase that had been sitting on the desktop during all of the interviews that he had conducted. He opened it and took out the tape recorder. He removed the audio tape and wrote 'Zera' on the cover. Then he placed it in the tape case with all the others.

He smiled. < Yes, it is going to be a very interesting Symposium this time. > He thought.

**********

The End?

Not by a long shot!