Echo of Eternity

by MountainSunrise

Summary:

After the battle with Ir'sia, Geoff just wants some peace. But fate isn't finished with him yet.

Notes:

This was originally intended to be one of at least three one-shots. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1

Four years ago

Geoff Castellucci sighed and rubbed his eyes as he followed his wife Kathy into PattyCake Productions. Rehearsals were set to begin on VoicePlay's cover of "We're Good", and if all went well they'd start filming the video in a couple of days. Adriana Arellano and Cesar de la Rosa would be singing with them on this one. They had worked with Adriana before but Cesar was brand-new to them, and hopefully he'd get along well with them.

Geoff hadn't even seen Cesar yet; Layne had found him and invited him to come make a video. Layne usually made good choices when it came to collaborators, but every now and then he brought in someone that for whatever reason made Geoff's blood drinker instincts scream threat. And when that happened Geoff was just unable to work with them. Hopefully Cesar wouldn't be one of those.

"There you guys are," Layne Stein said as they walked into the stage area. "We were about to report you missing."

"Thanks for the concern." Geoff sighed. He hadn't slept well the night before, and he wasn't really in the mood for Layne's antics. "I take it everyone else is here?"

"Yep." He gestured over to the stage curtains, where their two guest performers were talking to Eli Jacobson while they waited. "You know Adriana, of course. I'll introduce you to Cesar."

Geoff and Kathy followed Layne over. The brunette woman and Hispanic man looked over as they approached. Geoff felt his blood freeze as he saw the young man's face, and he barely heard Layne. "Cesar, this is Geoff and Kathy Castellucci. Geoff and Kathy, meet Cesar de la Rosa."

The young man, Cesar, held out his hand with a smile. "Hello."

Kathy shook the offered hand and greeted him, but Geoff couldn't move. That face...that hair... He was suddenly back in the Appalachian forests of eleven centuries ago, looking at that young man kneeling in front of him. "Sik'thir, please..."

"I will not do it." Desperation filled his heart as he knelt in front of his companion and grasped his arms. "Nahuel. You are stronger than this!"

Nahuel's painted, tear-streaked face looked up at him. "My strength is gone..."

"Geoff?" Kathy's voice broke through. "Geoff, what's wrong?"

He turned and walked away from her. From the perfect image of Nahuel come back to haunt him. His stomach felt as if it had been sliced open, and he could barely breathe. Away. He had to get away...

Cesar laughed nervously. "What, doesn't he like me?"

Kathy's voice was next. "I'm sorry, he's not usually like this." He heard her footsteps behind him. He quickened his pace to get away from her but couldn't outrun his memories. "You are the only one who can..."

"No. Do not make me do this!"

Somehow he ended up sitting on the floor in PattyCake's dark basement. The tears spilled down over his cheeks as he fought to calm himself. Nahuel. The one blood drinker he had made in his seven millenia of life. His companion for five centuries, until...

He heard the basement door open--he wasn't aware he'd closed it--and Layne's voice at the top of the stairs. "We've checked everywhere else. If he's not down there he's not in the building."

Kathy called from the top of the steps. "Geoff? Are you down there?" The lights came on, and he heard them coming down the steps. "Geoff. There you are." Two sets of footsteps approached, and he buried his face in his hands. Kathy sat down next to him and hugged him. "Come here..."

Layne's voice came from behind him. "Hey Geoff. What happened?" He felt Layne's hand on his shoulder.

"I'm okay." He wiped his eyes.

"No, you're not." Kathy's voice was firm. "Now what happened?"

What was he supposed to tell her? Kathy didn't know he was a blood drinker. She didn't know about how he'd made Nahuel, or how he'd later given in to Nahuel's pleas and killed him. How was he supposed to explain these things to her?

In the end he said nothing and kept his eyes on the floor. After several minutes he stood up, still keeping his eyes averted, and wiped his face. "...Let's get to work."

"Okay," Kathy said, her concern clear in her voice. She kept a light hand on his arm as the three of them returned to the stage area. Once there he gave an apology to Cesar, but it was weakened by the fact that he couldn't meet Cesar's eyes. Layne quickly got everyone to work, but the awkwardness lingered in the air.

When they broke up to take a lunch break Geoff went to the dressing room and sat down. He studied his sad, tired expression in the mirror. Why won't it stop hurting...

He heard someone approaching, and when he glanced in the mirror he saw Cesar coming up behind him. He lowered his eyes as Cesar pulled up a chair next to him and sat down. "Hey." Cesar put a hand on Geoff's arm, and Geoff stared at it, surprised by his boldness. "Have I done something to offend you? If I did--"

"No," Geoff said quickly. "You've done nothing." Cesar didn't move or say anything, and finally Geoff decided to try a partial truth. "It's just that...you bear a strong resemblance to a friend I lost."

Cesar's voice softened. "Oh. I see." Silence for a few seconds. "If I can ask...what happened to them?"

Geoff closed his eyes. "Suicide." Assisted suicide...but suicide all the same...

Another surprise came as Cesar hugged him. "I'm sorry." Their eyes finally met as Cesar pulled back, and Geoff saw the kindness and sympathy in his face. "I've lost friends to suicide. I know how much that hurts." He squeezed Geoff's hand. "I know we've just met, but if you want to talk..."

Geoff found himself gently squeezing back. "Thank you...but I think I need to be alone for a few minutes."

"Sure." Cesar gave his hand another squeeze. "See you after lunch." He left, and Geoff took a deep breath as he felt the knot in his chest loosen. After a few minutes he went to the breakroom and made himself a cup of coffee. The hot cup felt good in his hands, and his nerves calmed as he sipped.

Kathy came in after some time. "There you are." She smiled as she held up a brown paper bag. "I picked you up some lunch. Hungry?"

"I could eat, thanks." They ate their lunch while sitting on the couch together, and then rejoined the others in the stage area. His eyes met Cesar's, and he managed a small smile which Cesar returned, and the group continued with their rehearsals.

Days later, after the video was finished, Layne and Eli suggested offering Cesar a permanent place in VoicePlay, and Geoff agreed. Cesar accepted the offer. Even though it was a long time before Geoff was completely at ease around Cesar he soon grew to love the younger man's energy and joy of life. And eventually, he could look at Cesar without immediately thinking of Nahuel.

***

Present day

"Can I go to PattyCake with you tomorrow?"

Layne Stein looked up from the cookies he was decorating and over to where his young daughter Doris was licking pink frosting off a spoon. "No, sweetie. You've got to go to school."

Doris pouted. "But I want to see Uncle J."

"Maybe Mom will bring you by after she picks you up from school."

"Maybe." Doris plunged the spoon into a container and came out with a heap of frosting. "She's still mad at Uncle Geoff, though."

Layne sighed. "I know." His wife Cyndi still hadn't forgiven Geoff for turning Layne into a vampire, even after six months, and it was getting on Layne's nerves. They'd gone in circles arguing about it, and now it was such a sore spot that they were avoiding the topic altogether. "But I'll do my best to make sure you get to see Uncle J before he has to go back to base. I promise."

"Okay," Doris said, not sounding entirely convinced. "Can I have a cookie?"

"I think you've eaten enough sugar. You'll be up all night, and it's a half-hour past your bedtime now."

"Please?"

Layne chuckled. "All right. Just one."

She gave him that smile that always warmed his heart. "Thanks, Daddy."

He watched as Doris piled the pink frosting on one of the cookies and gobbled it down. "All right now. You've had your treat, so brush your teeth and then off to bed."

"Okay." She kissed his cheek. "Love you, Daddy. Good night."

"Good night, sweetie. Love you too." He watched her scamper off, then sighed. Doris knew what had happened to him, all the girls did. The older girls had gradually adjusted, but Doris had taken it in stride from the beginning and he was grateful for that. The last thing he wanted was for his baby girl to be afraid of him.

He pulled a large square bowl from the kitchen shelf and began to place the cookies inside. VoicePlay hadn't been able to get anything done today, so they were looking at an extra long day tomorrow. Layne had decided to make the cookies as a morale booster. He knew that Geoff at least would very likely need one.

A construction crew had begun to remodel the abandoned prison where Ir'sia had imprisoned Geoff and found not only Ir'sia's body but those of her victims. Kathy had told them about the Orlando police asking Geoff to accompany them to the site that morning to 'see if anything came back to him'. Layne had expected the police to ask the same of him, but so far he hadn't heard from them. Geoff had come into PattyCake afterwards, pale and quiet, and had given his best shot at work before VoicePlay had decided to break off early and pick back up tomorrow.

Layne couldn't imagine what was going through Geoff's head at the moment. He thought about a conversation they'd had with Cesar about two months after the whole ordeal. "It's not quite fair. You two were taken as well but everyone's only worried about me."

Cesar's voice had been uncharacteristically serious. "No one's worried about us because you saved our asses. You're the one who went to hell and back." Geoff had turned his head away at that. They all knew he was struggling. He was more paranoid now, less light-hearted, more the ancient clan chief than the bass singer they knew. But then considering what he'd been through it was understandable...

Layne snapped the lid on the now-full bowl and put the decorating supplies away. Hopefully tomorrow would be better. They had an entire video to shoot before J. None's leave was up. Fortunately it wasn't one of their more theatrical ones, but there would still be makeup to do and plenty of takes to film. But then it wasn't the first time they'd worked under time constraints. They'd get it done.

He unconsciously glanced at the closed kitchen window before turning off the light and heading to bed. Cyndi was already in bed, and she looked up from her phone at him as he came in. "Hi baby."

"Hi." He turned his back to her and began to change into his pajamas. "Doris wants to come by PattyCake tomorrow and see J."

He didn't have to see her to hear the frown in her voice. "...All right. For a few minutes."

"I'll be late tomorrow." He finished changing and laid down, his back still to her. "Don't bother saving me any dinner. I'll eat out."

"Okay." She had a great deal to say, he could sense it, but she kept quiet. After a few minutes the bedroom went dark as she turned off the lamp. "...I love you, Layne."

Then trust me, he thought. He closed his eyes. "...Love you too. Good night."

"Good night." She settled in, and before long they were both asleep.

***

The Blood Drinker had lived in the jungles since the time of his great-grandfather. As a child he had often sat at his grandfather's feet, and then his father's, and listened to the old tales. No one knew where the Blood Drinker had come from. He dressed as the men of the village did, in animal skin loincloths against the jungle heat, but he did not paint his pale skin with clan markings. His long braided brown hair held no ornaments. Those who had gotten close enough to see his eyes said that they were of a strange mixed color.

At first brave--or foolish--warriors had attempted to kill the Blood Drinker and had only sated his appetite. But as time had passed it became clear that the Blood Drinker did not kill people unless they attacked him first, and so he was left alone. The stories around him had grown. Some said he was a fallen god, cast out from the heavens and fated to wander the jungles for all time. Elders said they had seen him with gray hair, and that he drank blood to keep his youth. Some had heard him singing sadly in strange words, and said that he was an ancient being, mourning the loss of his people and had come to the jungles searching for them.

Whatever the reason for his presence, the jungle people and the Blood Drinker were able to coexist in peace. In fact the Blood Drinker's presence seemed to benefit the tribe. Thieves no longer troubled the traders. Now and then jaguars or other predators were found near the village, their bodies drained of blood. Fruit or game would sometimes appear before the huts of women who had just given birth. But the Blood Drinker himself was never seen in the village.

In his twenty-first year, driven by curiosity, he went into the jungles to find the Blood Drinker for himself. Several days passed as he searched, but eventually his patience was rewarded. He heard the Blood Drinker's song and followed it to where he sat under a tree, staring into a small fire. The Blood Drinker's voice reached into depths that he had never heard before, and he remained hidden in the foliage and listened in awe.

The song cut off and the Blood Drinker's eyes looked directly at his hiding place. There was no malice or anger in those eyes, only a deep sadness. He spoke only one word, in his people's speech: "Go." And he withdrew--but not far.

He made a camp for himself nearby. The next day when he awoke he found the Blood Drinker had left, but he was skilled in hunting and found him again. Over the next moon the pattern was repeated. He approached the Blood Drinker again and again, never coming any closer than he had before, doing his best to show that he meant no harm. And every time the Blood Drinker only said that one word.

After several weeks he caught a young tapir live. He bound its legs and mouth and carried it to where the Blood Drinker sat. This time he approached to within five paces and set the tapir down before backing away.

The Blood Drinker was wary, but after several heartbeats he approached the tapir and drank from it. Once he was done he sat the tapir back on the ground and went back to his place. There was a silence, and then the Blood Drinker nodded. "Come."

He smiled as he walked up to the Blood Drinker and sat down near him. "I am Nahuel. Who are you?"

There was a pause before he answered. "Sik'thir."

Cesar de la Rosa groaned as his alarm went off. "All right, all right, I'm up." He sat up and silenced his phone, then stretched and rubbed his eyes before heading to the shower.

His brain began to work as he cleaned up. What a weird dream. Of course he knew where the Blood Drinker had come from: his friend Geoff, an actual vampire. But he had to wonder where he'd gotten everything else.

Cesar put it out of his mind as he finished his shower and dressed. He'd stop and pick up some energy drinks and maybe some breakfast on the way to PattyCake. A grin crossed his face as he remembered Layne's promise to bring cookies. Hope they're chocolate chip.

He grabbed his backpack and went out the door, ready for a full day.

***

Geoff rested his head against the passenger seat in his van while Kathy drove to PattyCake. There was a low ache in the back of his neck, and his stomach was still sour from the day before. He'd wanted to stay home and sleep, but there was work to be done.

The police had taken him to the prison where Ir'sia had kept him and Layne. Apparently the construction workers had been gutting the building to make it a new shopping center--why anyone would think that was a good idea was beyond him--when they'd stumbled upon the bodies of Ir'sia's victims and Ir'sia herself. The remains had been taken away by the time Sergeant Rodriguez had led Geoff through the prison, but he'd still been able to smell rotting flesh. He hadn't had to fake his discomfort when he'd seen the straightjacket Ir'sia had bound him in, the cell where she'd kept Layne, and the bloodstains from their last fight.

Rodriguez had stood behind him as he'd struggled to keep calm. "Is anything coming back to you, Mr. Castellucci?"

His brain had been working as fast as it could. What could he safely tell her? "I remember being in a straightjacket."

"Do you remember how you got out of it?"

"No." He shivered as he remembered waking up and not remembering anything. Ir'sia had come so close to wiping his memory away. "I remember being trapped. I remember it being dark. That's all."

He'd felt her disappointment and dissatisfaction, but she hadn't questioned him any further. She'd driven him back home, then he'd gone to PattyCake but hadn't been able to work. His mind had been back in that prison. They'd finally decided to quit for the day and try again later. He'd spent the rest of the day in bed, staring up at the ceiling and unable to think about anything else besides Ir'sia.

Kathy pulled into PattyCake's parking lot and stopped the van. "Looks like everyone's already here except for Cesar."

Geoff smiled a little. "As usual." He knew Cesar wouldn't be too long in coming.

They got out of the van and went inside the studio. Layne, Eli, Tony, and J were sitting on chairs in the staging area, and J looked up at them as they came in. "Hey Geoff! Feeling better?"

"Yeah, a little." Geoff managed a smile, but a pang of guilt went through him as he remembered that J was the only one there who didn't know the full truth. He had no idea that Geoff, Kathy, and Layne were blood drinkers now. They had discussed telling him, but too many people knew as it was. The last thing Geoff wanted was for them to end up in some government laboratory.

"That's great, man." J gave him a big grin. "Glad to hear it."

"Thanks." He was about to go on when he heard Cesar's footsteps approaching.

Layne looked past Geoff toward Cesar. "About time you got here!" he called out teasingly. "You ever heard of an alarm?"

"What's your problem?" Cesar asked. "I'm not even late!"

Geoff's eyes widened and his breath froze when he heard Cesar. The words weren't English or Spanish, but rather...no. It wasn't possible. His mind was playing tricks on him...

"Cute, Cesar," Layne said. "Now what'd you call me?"

"Huh? I didn't call you anything." Geoff understood the words perfectly, even though he knew no one else would.

They were spoken in Nahuel's native tongue.

Geoff looked at his friends, who were all looking at Cesar in some degree of confusion except for Layne, who was getting irritated. "Stop it, Cesar. We've got work to do."

Cesar frowned in irritation as well. "I'm not doing anything!"

It's not just me. They hear it too. Geoff cleared his throat and spoke in Nahuel's tongue. "Cesar...can you understand me right now?"

The younger man blinked. "Of course I can."

Geoff stared at Cesar as panic overcame him. How? It's not possible! It can't be! He found himself backing away from Cesar. "You shouldn't...you can't..."

Kathy grabbed one of his arms. "Geoff? What is it?" He tried to turn and run but her grip was firm. "Geoff, answer me!"

Layne took his other arm. "Geoff, calm down!"

"What's going on?" J demanded.

"What is it?" Cesar asked, still in Nahuel's tongue. "What'd I do?"

Past and present merged then, and instead of Cesar, Geoff saw Nahuel as if he'd come back from the dead. "No. No!" He slipped into Nahuel's tongue without realizing it. "I'm sorry, Nahuel. I'm so sorry. I couldn't save you..." Others were talking, but he couldn't hear their words. The studio melted away and he was kneeling in the forest, biting into Nahuel's neck, draining him dry. He drew back, and the younger blood drinker went limp in his arms as his heartbeat and breathing stopped. Sik'thir threw his head back and screamed his grief to the sky...

Someone slapped his face. "Geoff! Stop! Stop it! It's Cesar! It's only Cesar!"

Kathy.

PattyCake rematerialized around him. He was on his knees and Layne was behind him, holding both his arms. Kathy was in front of him looking ready to cry. Behind her Tony, J, and Eli were holding their ears, and he realized that he had indeed screamed. Cesar had shrank against the far wall, his eyes wide as he stared at Geoff.

His eyes met his wife's. "Kathy..."

She smiled in relief. "There you are." She hugged him. "You scared us there. Layne, help me get him to the breakroom." Layne hoisted him up and steadied him as they followed Kathy.

Once there they sat him down on the couch, and Kathy got him a cup of water while Layne left to check on the others. She sat down next to him and handed him the cup. "What happened?"

He took a drink to steady himself before he answered. "Cesar was speaking in Nahuel's tongue."

Her eyes widened. She knew about Nahuel; she was the only one he'd told the full story to. "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "I'm certain." Her arms went around him as he went on. "I...I guess you'd say I had a flashback to when...to when he died."

"Oh Geoff. I'm sorry." She gave him a squeeze. They both fell silent, neither of them daring to ask how Cesar could have possibly known Nahuel's language to begin with.

***

Layne braced himself as he walked back to the stage. He had no idea what all that had been, but right now he had other things to worry about. Geoff had bared his fangs when he'd screamed, and Layne knew J had seen them. Guess the cat's out of the bag now. Thank God no one else was here.

When he walked in Eli had Cesar by the shoulders. "Cesar, look at me. Focus on what you're saying!" Cesar said Eli's name and then something in that strange language, and Eli shook him. "Cesar, focus!"

"I...I'm trying!" Cesar sounded and looked like he was ready to cry. "I'm trying, Eli!"

Eli smiled in relief. "There you go."

"What the hell was that?" Tony asked.

"I...I don't know!" Cesar said helplessly. "I didn't mean to...I thought I was speaking English!"

"That doesn't make any sense," Eli said.

J's voice interrupted them. "You know what else doesn't make any sense?" They turned to look at him, and he gestured to his mouth. "Those teeth of Geoff's. So does he wear vampire fangs for fun now, or is there something I should know about?"

The four of them looked at each other, and then Layne sighed. "Better sit down, J. It's a long story."

Chapter 2

Cesar sat quietly in a chair in the stage area and leaned against Eli as Layne explained things to J. Eli had an arm around his shoulders, and Cesar was grateful for the comfort. He couldn't get rid of the crawly feeling in his skin.

"I'm sorry, Nahuel. I'm so sorry."

Cesar shivered a little. The name from my dream. He remembered Geoff telling him that he looked like a friend Geoff had lost, but he was sure that Geoff had never told him that friend's name. Or if he had Cesar couldn't remember when. But he must have. How else would I know it?

But then...the language...At first he'd thought the guys were messing with him, until Geoff had panicked. Try as he might Cesar couldn't remember what sounds he'd been making. He would have sworn he was speaking English...

What's happening here?

J's voice broke into his thoughts, and Cesar looked up to where J paced back and forth. "God damn...I...why didn't someone tell me all this when Geoff went missing?"

Layne sighed from where he sat near Tony. "What could you have done?"

J frowned, but nodded. "All right, that's fair. But still..."

"We're trying to keep this as quiet as we can because we don't want to wind up in some government lab. Tony and Cesar wouldn't even know if Ir'sia hadn't gone out of her way to bring them into it."

"Besides," Eli said quietly, "you're in the military."

J shot him an offended look. "What, so I can't be trusted?"

Eli's voice rose a little. "J, it's not a matter of if the government finds out. It's when. And when they find out you know, you're going to be in trouble."

J sighed and sat down in a chair near Layne, obviously still irritated but unable to argue that. Tony looked around at them, his eyes settling on Cesar. "That still doesn't explain what the hell all that was about."

Cesar swallowed. "I wasn't trying to scare Geoff. I thought I was speaking English."

Eli's arm tightened around Cesar's shoulders as he spoke. "Whatever that was, it's no language I've ever heard. I guess we're going to have to wait for Geoff to explain."

Tony glanced toward the stage door. "He's been quiet for a while. Think it's OK to check?"

Layne spoke next. "Hang on." He went still, then stood up. "They're in the breakroom. Kathy says it's okay to come on back."

J blinked. "Wait. You can read minds now?"

Layne looked at him. "One of the perks of being a vampire."

"Blood drinker," Eli corrected him. "Geoff doesn't like to be called a vampire."

J looked at Eli, then Layne. "What else can you do?"

Layne stood up. "Me? Not much. But Geoff can purr. Like a cat. Come on, let's go."

J blinked. "Purr?"

"Yeah. Ask him about the B-negative one sometime."

Eli took his arm off of Cesar's shoulders as they stood up. Cesar smiled to himself as he thought about Geoff's purr. He'd managed to get a couple of purr-hugs out of Geoff, and he didn't have the words to describe the feeling of peaceful esctacy that the purr brought him. Maybe after things calm down we can get him to show J. Might be just the thing we need to lift the mood.

They walked as a group to the breakroom. When they got there Geoff and Kathy were sitting on the couch. Geoff was staring at a spot on the floor while Kathy held his hand in both of hers. Cesar felt a pang as he saw the sorrow on Geoff's face.

"Hey Geoff," Layne said softly as they gathered around. "You okay?"

"No," Geoff said.

J spoke carefully. "They told me about what's going on."

Geoff winced. "I'm sorry, J."

"No, I get it. I'm not...I wish you'd have told me earlier. But I get it."

"Thank you." Geoff's voice was very quiet.

After a couple beats of silence Kathy gently prompted him. "Tell him, Geoff."

Geoff looked at Cesar, and Cesar could see the pain in his eyes. "...I told you that you resembled a friend I lost."

"Nahuel?" Cesar asked.

Geoff nodded. "That was a bit of an understatement. You're his exact image. Down...down to the timbre of your voice. That's why I panicked when I saw you that first day. I looked at you and all I could see was him."

Cesar's heart beat faster as his stomach twisted. "...Tell me about him."

Geoff lowered his head. "He was the one blood drinker I made, before Kathy and Layne. I met him around the year 400, as near as I can place it--"

"B.C. or A.D.?" Layne asked. Geoff sighed as everyone else gave him irritated looks, and Tony threw an elbow into his ribs. Layne grunted and rubbed his side where the elbow had hit him. "It's a legit question!"

"A.D.," Geoff answered. He shook his head. "Anyway. It was down in the jungles that you call the Amazon rainforest today." Cesar blinked as his dream came back to him. Geoff went on. "I was living by myself in the jungles near a village. Nahuel came into the jungles to find me. He brought me a goat as an offering--"

"A tapir," Cesar said without thinking.

Geoff blinked. "What?"

"Nahuel brought you a tapir. Not a goat." How do I know that? I don't even know what a tapir looks like.

Everyone was giving him odd looks by now. J frowned. "How do you know?"

"I...I was dreaming about it this morning." Cesar swallowed and stared at Geoff. "He tracked you for weeks, and you kept telling him to go away. He gave you the tapir to drink from and you finally let him come to you. He told you his name and you told him yours. And...that's when I woke up."

Geoff's eyes were wide, and everyone else stared at Cesar with varying degrees of confusion or disbelief. Kathy whispered. "Geoff?" He merely nodded.

J laughed nervously. "This is getting really freaky."

"Like a movie where someone's the reincarnation of an ancient god or something," Layne said.

Geoff laughed softly, humorlessly. "That's it, isn't it?" His eyes met Cesar's. "You are Nahuel, aren't you? Nahuel, come back to punish me."

"No," Kathy said quickly.

Layne held up his hands. "Hey, I was kidding."

"Punish?" Cesar asked. "Why would he want to punish you?"

"I killed him. Why else?"

Cesar went cold as everyone else stared at Geoff in shock. "You said he..."

"Committed suicide? He did. I was the tool." Geoff laughed bitterly. "He begged me to kill him...he said he didn't have the strength to keep going." He wiped at his dry eyes. "So I finally did it."

There was silence for several seconds. Layne was the first to speak. "You did what he asked. Why would he--"

"He must have changed his mind at the last second. When he wasn't able to stop me." He looked at Cesar. "So. What's my punishment? What does Nahuel want to do to me?"

"Geoff, stop it," Kathy said firmly.

"I-I don't know," Cesar stammered. "I mean--"

"You'll find out. If you're remembering his life...you'll see the end. You'll find out." He got up and walked out of the breakroom, and Kathy quickly followed.

Everyone else looked at each other, no one quite knowing what to do. After a few seconds, Layne followed Kathy and Geoff. Eli touched Cesar's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Cesar nodded. "Yeah. I think so."

A few more seconds passed, and Tony sighed. "I guess we're not getting anything done today."

"Probably not," Eli agreed. He looked at J. "Guess we'll have to try for tomorrow."

J nodded and rubbed the back of his head. "I'll try to rearrange things. I've only got a couple days leave left though."

Eli nodded. "We'll work something out." He looked at Cesar. "Why don't you go home and get some rest. That was a lot to deal with."

Cesar nodded. "Yeah, sounds good. Let me know what we're doing later."

"As soon as we get it figured out." Eli smiled.

Cesar managed to smile back. "See you guys." He left the breakroom and picked up his backpack from the stage area before leaving PattyCake. He passed Layne in the lobby and they exchanged good-byes, but when he got to the parking lot he saw that Geoff and Kathy had already left.

His mind whirled all the way back to his apartment, and once there he shut himself in his bedroom and stretched out on his bed before Googling reincarnation. He didn't find a lot of useful information, and just ended up frustrating himself. He set his phone aside and closed his eyes for a moment.

"What's my punishment?"

Cesar didn't like the idea that he'd been sent to punish Geoff. He knew that Geoff would have done everything he could to save Nahuel. Geoff had come for Cesar when he'd been kidnapped by Ir'sia's goons. He'd almost bled himself dry to save Kathy's life. He'd saved Layne from Ir'sia and had nearly died doing it. Cesar's stomach twitched as he remembered going into that abandoned prison and finding Geoff in a pool of blood with a horrible wound in his stomach. No, Nahuel's death had not been Geoff's fault. He didn't care what Nahuel wanted, he wasn't going to hurt his friend.

As long as I don't lose myself.

Cold fear hit him then as he remembered what had happened. Had Nahuel surfaced just enough to let Geoff know he was there? What if...what if Nahuel took over? What would happen to him, Cesar, then? Would he just fade out? Or would he be trapped in his own head, witnessing everything that Nahuel did but powerless to stop it? No. No, that's not going to happen. I'm Cesar, damn it. This is my life and he's not getting it! He already threw his life away. He threw immortality away...

Cesar had thought of living forever before. But Geoff, for all intents and purposes, had done just that. Cesar had looked it up and seven thousand years ago would have been right at the end of the Stone Age. Geoff was older than the wheel, older than writing. He'd seen nearly everything. And now he and Layne and Kathy would see the future...and if Cesar was being honest, it made him a little jealous. He wanted to see it too. And he had so many questions he wanted to ask Geoff about where he'd been and what he'd seen...Geoff had to have some good memories he'd want to share. He couldn't have been miserable his entire life.

He'd thought about asking Geoff or Layne to change him, of course. Anyone would, or at least he thought so. In fact he'd almost asked Geoff at least twice, but something had held him back. Maybe it had been the look in Geoff's eyes. But still...

Cesar yawned. The stress of the morning was getting to him, and he curled up on his side. He could think about all that later. He'd get a quick nap, then decide what he'd do later that evening...

"Nahuel!"

Nahuel and Sik'thir both looked up from where they sat at the call. Nahuel knew who it was; his hunt for the Blood Drinker had lasted nearly two moons, and his people were coming to find him. He frowned at that; it had only been three sunsets since Sik'thir had allowed Nahuel to sit with him, and Nahuel wasn't willing to leave him yet. He wasn't sure he wanted to leave Sik'thir's side at all.

Sik'thir looked down at the ground. "You should go."

"No," Nahuel said, and Sik'thir looked at him in surprise. "I want to stay with you."

Sik'thir looked away. "You belong with your people. Your wife and children need you."

"I have neither," Nahuel said honestly.

"Your father and mother, then."

"Both have died. I want to stay with you." He put a hand on Sik'thir's arm. "I want to learn from you."

Sik'thir looked doubtful. The call came again, and Nahuel could tell they were close. Sik'thir looked in the direction the call came from, then stood. "If you wish, then, follow me."

Nahuel followed. As the days passed they moved south into lands that Nahuel had never seen before. They hunted together with each of them taking what they needed from their prey. Eventually they found a tribe unknown to Nahuel's people. It proved hostile, and Sik'thir defended himself and Nahuel with such breathtaking ferocity that the warriors ran for their lives. After the battle Nahuel stared at Sik'thir in admiration of his strength and skill, and his curiosity began to grow into something more.

They kept moving south, and Sik'thir began saving the pelts of the prey they captured. Eventually it grew cold, and Sik'thir used the pelts to make clothing to keep them warm. They came across long-forgotten burial sites and shrines covered in moss, and even an abandoned village. Sik'thir said they should stay in the shelters the village provided. "The cold season is coming." Nahuel didn't think it could be any colder, but agreed. They had been traveling for several moons now and it would be good to rest.

The two of them explored the village and repaired the sturdiest hut. It wasn't long after that Nahuel got his first look at falling snow, and he was amazed when Sik'thir told him about his homeland where the snow fell deep and lasted for moons. At Sik'thir's advice they put in a supply of food for Nahuel before the true cold came, and Sik'thir made them blankets out of the various animal pelts. As the cold worsened Nahuel was truly grateful for those blankets.

It was during one of the long, cold nights that Nahuel made his request of Sik'thir. "Can you make me like yourself?"

Sik'thir stared at Nahuel with wide eyes. "What?"

"Can you share your magic? Can you make me into a blood drinker like yourself?"

Sik'thir looked away and fell silent for a long time. "I know how I was made. I have never made another. I do not know if I can."

"Will you try, for me?"

"You will die if I fail. I would have to drain your blood until you are near death, then you would have to drink from me. It is...a painful process."

Nahuel moved close to him and took his hand. "I am willing to risk it."

"I am not." Sik'thir stood and walked away. A cold blast of air hit Nahuel as Sik'thir lifted the animal skin that covered the entrance to their hut and stepped into the darkness. Nahuel remained close to the fire and watched the smoke drift through the hole in the roof as he wondered if he had been wrong to ask.

Sik'thir was mostly silent over the next few days but he seemed thoughtful instead of angry. He hunted for Nahuel as always, but stayed outside of the hut as much as he could. On the third night Nahuel begged him to come in and warm himself, and they lay next to each other by the fire. He was alarmed at how cold Sik'thir's skin was, but Sik'thir reassured him that he was well.

The next morning Sik'thir broke his silence. "Why do you want to become a blood drinker?"

Nahuel met his eyes. "I want to stay with you. I want to keep traveling with you." He reached out and took Sik'thir's hand. "You have taken care of me all these moons, and I worry that I will become a burden to you."

"Never."

"But I will grow old and die. I could be injured. If I was a blood drinker, neither of those things would matter anymore."

Sik'thir looked away in thought. "Nahuel...I did not ask to be a blood drinker. It was forced upon me. I am older than you can imagine...and I have often wished for death."

"You are alone." Nahuel took his hand. "But you do not have to be."

Sik'thir said nothing, but he did not draw his hand away for a long time. His eyes were downcast and thoughtful. Nahuel remained silent and left him to his peace.

More days and nights passed, and then as they sat beside the fire Sik'thir asked "Do you still want to become like me, Nahuel?"

His heart beat fast in his chest at those words. "Yes."

Sik'thir moved close and pulled Nahuel into his arms. All Nahuel could see was his eyes, soft and tender. His voice was gentle as he cradled Nahuel's head with a hand. "Hold onto me. This will hurt."

Nahuel nodded and embraced him. Sik'thir dipped his head, and Nahuel felt Sik'thir's lips against his neck just before he bit down. He stiffened with pain, but that pain soon faded as Sik'thir drank. He rested his head against Sik'thir's shoulder and held on. He kept waiting for the pain to return but it did not. Instead he began to feel heavy and wished he could sleep.

It seemed like years had passed before Sik'thir pulled back. Nahuel watched in a trance as he broke the skin on his neck, and then gently pushed Nahuel's head toward the wound. "Bite down and drink."

Nahuel did as he was told, and Sik'thir's hot blood hit the roof of his mouth. He gulped it down, and as he drank he realized he could hear Sik'thir's heartbeat, strong and reassuring. His body felt like it was being pricked all over with tiny needles, but it was not unpleasant. As he drank Sik'thir leaned back, and Nahuel leaned forward until he was on top of Sik'thir.

"Stop."

Nahuel pulled back and looked into Sik'thir's pale face, and was surprised when Sik'thir rolled them over and bit into his neck again. Nahuel felt his fangs push through the roof of his mouth, and he leaned up and bit into Sik'thir's neck to drink as he was being drank from.

Cesar jolted awake with a gasp. His heart was racing and his body was drenched in sweat, and he could still taste Sik'thir's blood--Geoff's blood--on his tongue. For several seconds he could only stare into the darkness and try to reorient himself. He wasn't afraid; weirdly enough, he felt euphoric, as if he'd just made love...

Wait. What time is it? He checked his phone and saw that it was one-thirty in the morning. One-thirty...He'd slept for more than twelve hours! He'd only meant to get a quick nap!

He sat up and rubbed his face, trying to shake the last of sleep off. He checked his phone and saw a text from Eli asking if he was all right. There was one in the group chat from Layne saying that they'd all meet at PattyCake at six and get what they could done with J in the morning. J, Eli, and Kathy had all agreed.

Cesar bit his lip as a strong desire to see Geoff washed over him. It grew into a need, and he was soon leaving his apartment. He did wonder if it was his own want or Nahuel's, but tried not to think too hard about that as he drove over to Geoff's house.

***

Geoff sat on his living room couch and stared at the television, which was playing some black-and-white movie that he wasn't paying attention to. He'd watched the local eleven o'clock news, and of course they had talked about finding the bodies at the prison. Thankfully his name and Layne's weren't yet attached to the story. The current theory was that a cult had set up shop there for reasons unknown. Almost nothing but the skeletons and clothing of the victims had remained, so it was unlikely that the police would find out they'd been meals for blood drinkers.

He hoped.

Geoff wondered if the police would try to reconstruct Ir'sia's head, or what they would find if they examined her bones. Would they be able to tell how ancient she'd been? If so, would someone dig deeper? Or would it be ignored as a mistake or contamination during the testing?

Ir'sia...He hugged a throw pillow as he thought about her. The incident with Cesar had made him realize the utterly terrifying reality that if Nahuel had come back, so could Ir'sia. Maybe not anytime soon, but he knew he'd always be looking over his shoulder waiting for her to attack him again...I'll never be rid of her. Never...

His thoughts were beginning to spiral when an unexpected voice cut in. Geoff? Can you hear me?

Cesar? Geoff blinked.

Yeah. He sounded relieved. I'm on your front porch. Can I come in?

Geoff went to the front door and unlocked it. Cesar jumped into his arms almost before the door was completely open, and Geoff held him close without thinking. "Cesar? What is it?"

His face was buried in Geoff's shoulder. "I needed to see you."

Geoff managed to shut and lock the door with one arm, then picked Cesar off his feet and carried him into the living room and sat down on the couch. "Did you have another dream?"

"Yeah." Cesar sat on his lap, head still against Geoff's shoulder.

Geoff gently pet Cesar's hair with one hand. If Cesar needed comfort, he'd provide. "...What did you dream this time?"

"Highlights, I guess, from the day the two of you left the village to the day you made him a blood drinker." He heard Cesar swallow. "You really didn't want to do it, did you?"

Geoff sighed. "I didn't. I haven't told any of you exactly how Ir'sia made me, and I won't. You don't want to know. Just know that it was painful. I wasn't sure if I even could change Nahuel, and if I could I didn't want him to go through that pain."

Cesar settled against him. "What made you change your mind?"

"I'm a selfish bastard. I wanted to keep him with me." He laughed bitterly. "I didn't want him to die of illness or injury or old age. I didn't ...I didn't want to be alone anymore."

"I don't think that makes you selfish. Who wants to lose the people they love? I'd probably do the same if I could." A pause. "You were lovers, weren't you?"

Geoff shook his head. "Not in the way you're probably thinking, no. Not physically. But I loved him very much. We were companions. Confidants. Brothers."

Cesar nuzzled into Geoff's neck. "Why didn't you purr when you made him?"

"I didn't know I could. I didn't discover the purr until...until after." A sigh escaped him. "Cesar...promise me something."

"Sure."

"When you see the end...tell me the truth about what you see. Don't try to spare my feelings. Let me know...let me know what he wants." He wanted to say that he'd take his punishment, even if Nahuel wanted to kill him...but then again he had Kathy and William to think about. He was responsible for Layne now. Am I going to have to choose between leaving them and killing Cesar? Even the thought made him sick.

Cesar pulled back. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Cesar...you might not have a choice."

"No." Cesar's eyes narrowed. Geoff saw determination on his face and realized Cesar had already thought about all this. "He is not taking me over. I won't let him! I won't let him do anything to you."

"...You've seen his anger, then."

"No, I haven't seen anger. But even if he is angry, I'm not going to hurt you."

"But you will tell me. Promise me, Cesar. I...I need to know." It would haunt him for the rest of his life otherwise.

Cesar nodded slowly. "I promise."

"Thank you."

Cesar set his head back on Geoff's shoulder. "...Will you purr for me?"

A small smile came to Geoff's face as he started purring. Cesar relaxed almost immediately and snuggled into him with a satisfied sound. He started petting Cesar's hair again, and the younger man's breathing soon evened out as he went to sleep. Geoff held him close and leaned his head back. He kept purring for a minute or so before he drifted off as well.

***

Layne groaned to himself as he heard a phone go off. When he reached for his phone to silence it he realized it was Cyndi's phone that was making the noise. His phone screen showed 3:37 AM, much too early for a casual phone call, and he started to get nervous.

Cyndi's sleepy voice came from next to him. "Hello?" A pause, and then her next words were more alert. "Ashley? What's wrong?"

Ashley? Eli's wife? Layne sat up and watched Cyndi's face go from concern to horror. "Oh my God...Yes, I'll tell Layne. All right. Goodbye." She hung up the phone and sat up.

Layne's heart beat fast in his chest as their eyes met. "What's wrong?"

Cyndi's eyes were wet. "That was Ashley. Someone broke into their house...Eli got shot in the head. Ashley said they're taking him to Regional."

Layne scrambled out of bed and dressed as quickly as he could. Geoff? Geoff, wake up!

He felt Geoff being startled from sleep. Layne? What's wrong?

Ashley just called. Eli's been shot in the head. He's being taken to Regional. I'm on my way.

Geoff's shock and anger were clear as day. Cesar's with me. We'll meet you there.

Got it. Layne said good-bye to Cyndi, then ran out of the house. He prayed they'd be on time as he drove to the hospital.

Chapter 3

Cesar drove to the hospital while Geoff sat in the passenger seat. Kathy had promised to join them later after dropping William off at school. Both men were too worried for conversation, so the drive was silent. Geoff kept trying to contact Eli but Eli's mind didn't answer.

They were nearly there when Geoff heard Layne. I'm here with Ashley.

Geoff bit his lip. How bad is it?

Bad. They've removed the bullet but told Ashley he's not going to make it. Ashley's calling everyone to come say goodbye.

Tears of grief and frustration stung Geoff's eyes. Damn it...we'll be there in a few minutes.

All right. He's back in the ER right now.

Geoff sighed and relayed the information to Cesar. Cesar was quiet for a few minutes, then asked "Can you help him?"

"I don't know. I'll...I'll know more once I see him."

Cesar nodded and fell silent. Geoff looked out the window as he thought. How am I going to do this? He'll be monitored, and his injuries are documented by now...even if I had time to change him, if he just miraculously heals and sits up they'll want to study him...would Eli even want the blood in the first place...

They parked at the hospital a few minutes later and quickly walked through the emergency entrance. There weren't that many people there, and Geoff quickly saw Layne sitting next to a pale and teary-eyed Ashley, who was holding tightly to baby Asher. Her mind was all but screaming in her distress, and he could feel her worry and grief.

Ashley looked up as Geoff and Cesar approached, and their eyes met. Cyndi's voice popped into Ashley's head. "Don't let Geoff get to Eli."

"Why?"

"...Eli didn't tell you about him?"

"No..."

"I'll explain later, but Geoff's a monster. He hurt Layne. He'll hurt Eli too."

Geoff stopped cold, stung. Layne's face went red as his eyes snapped to Ashley, telling Geoff that he'd heard it too. No time now, Layne. Layne looked at him and nodded slowly, but he could still feel Layne's anger. He took a slow breath to calm his own nerves.

Cesar walked past Geoff and hugged Ashley. "I'm so sorry."

"Thank you." Ashley leaned into the hug.

"They'll catch the asshole who did this. I know they will."

"I hope so." The image of how Eli had looked laying on the floor of their living room came from Ashley then, and Geoff grimaced and looked down. When he looked back up she was crying quietly. "This...how could this happen?"

The three men had no answer, and were silent for a bit. Geoff finally sighed and looked at Ashley. "Can we see him?"

She nodded. "Bed six. I...I'm waiting on his family."

That works. "All right." Geoff motioned to Layne and Cesar, and they followed him to Eli's room.

Geoff winced as he walked through the curtain over the doorway and caught the scents of fresh blood and infection. He'd smelled the latter often enough over his life, but it had never hit as hard as it did now. He stared at the bandages over Eli's scalp and eyes, the tubes running under those bandages, the ventilator in his mouth, and the IVs going into his left arm and hand. It's a wonder he's even alive at all...

Layne's voice trembled. "What's that smell?"

"His wound's already getting infected," Geoff said as he took a step closer. Eli? Can you hear me? No answer. No images. Nothing.

"Can we help?" Layne asked.

"I don't know." He felt paralyzed as he remembered the night he'd changed Kathy, and Ir'sia's cruel words after. "Her mind was already dead. You didn't revive your woman. You resurrected a corpse." Was Eli already brain-dead? The ventilator wasn't an encouraging sight...He looked at the screens, but none of them appeared to be monitoring his brain.

"We have to try," Layne said. "We can't let him die like this!"

Geoff put a hand to his forehead and tried to think. If only he could move Eli to a quieter, safer location without killing him... "I'll need another way to get blood into him. If I take that ventilator out all kinds of alarms are going to start going off."

Cesar frowned and began to study the IV tubes. "Can you use these?"

"I'd need one with a needle for my vein." Geoff frowned. "Plus I'd have to drain him first, and that would set the blood pressure monitors off. Someone would come to at least check on him."

Layne frowned in thought. "What about...putting some blood directly on his head? Would that heal the wound?"

"It could." He thought about how he could heal the bite marks he left on his prey with a few drops of blood. "But then...I don't know how much it would take. I might still end up having to change him. And I don't know if...I don't know if Eli's still in there. I can't hear anything from him. I might be making a monster..." That made him think of Cyndi. If he did have to change Eli to save him, would Ashley be able to accept it? Or would she be angry and resentful like Cyndi? He sighed and hung his head. "I don't know what to do. I don't know what he'd want."

Layne put a reassuring hand on Geoff's arm. Cesar walked out, and to Geoff's surprise came back a minute or so later with a confused-looking Ashley, who was carrying Asher in his carseat. At their questioning looks, he said "I think she needs to be in on the discussion."

Geoff nodded, understanding. Ashley's face was grief-stricken as she looked at Eli, and he realized she'd already given up hope. And normally the situation would be hopeless. But... "Ashley. I need to talk to you."

"Okay." Her eyes never left Eli.

There was a chair nearby, and at Geoff's gesture Layne guided her into it. Geoff came in front of her and braced himself. "Ashley...I need to show you something. And I need you to not freak out."

She blinked as she looked at him, and Geoff took a breath and bared his fangs. She jumped hard, her mouth dropping, but didn't cry out. Her eyes went to Layne, and he bared his fangs as well. Ashley swallowed, and Geoff heard her think That's what Cyndi meant...

Geoff nodded. "Ashley, listen carefully. There's a chance I can save Eli if I act now. But there's risks. I...I can give him some blood, but I don't know if I'd be able to help him with just a little, or if I'd have to give it all. To make him like myself, like I did Layne. If that happens...after a few days he'd be able to eat and live like a human. For all appearances, as long as he was careful, he would still be fully human."

Ashley's eyes were wide and Geoff saw a spark of hope come into them. "...You said there were risks?" As if becoming a blood drinker didn't count.

"If his brain is too badly damaged, Eli might already be gone. We might end up with...with just a shell. Or he could be dangerous. The body might defend itself even if there's no conscious mind behind it. I don't know." He took Ashley's hand and looked her in the eyes, then at Cesar and Layne before looking back at Ashley. "If that happens...I'll take care of him. I'll take the responsibility and end things."

Her eyes rested on Eli for a few seconds, but to Geoff it felt like hours. She finally looked at Geoff. "Do it. If there's even a chance you can help him, do it."

"I might have to change him," he reminded her. "Can you live with that?"

Her voice rang with sudden strength. "I don't care. He's my Eli. I can't lose him." She looked down at where Asher slept in his carseat. "I don't want my baby to grow up without his father."

Geoff felt a pang of anger from Layne then, but the beatboxer remained silent. Geoff turned toward Eli and took a breath to steady his nerves. "You three might not want to see this."

"I'm staying," Ashley said.

"So am I," Layne said.

Cesar piped up. "Me too."

Geoff smiled a little. "All right." He thought a moment. "Cesar, stand outside the curtain and don't let anyone come in until I say it's okay."

"What do I tell them?"

"Tell them we're praying," Layne said. Geoff had to admit it was a good idea. Only the most callous of people would interrupt such a thing.

Cesar nodded. "Got it." He slipped through the curtain.

"Ashley, you'll want to stand back," Geoff advised. "This is going to be...gruesome." She took a few steps back but didn't take her eyes off Eli.

"What do I do?" Layne asked.

"Be ready if I need you." He carefully lifted the bandages from Eli's head and sucked in a breath as Layne turned his face away. The doctors had left Eli's skull open, and Geoff could see his brain. Blood had seeped into the lower layers of the bandages. He avoided looking directly at the mess as much as he could while he bit his wrist and let his blood drip into the open wound. He wasn't at all sure how much blood he should use, but he let it drip until his wrist clotted of its own accord and then carefully replaced the bandages.

There was a tense silence as the three of them waited with their eyes fixed on Eli. Geoff was about to despair when Eli's body shuddered and his left leg kicked once. He went still, but Geoff heard the noise from the ventilator become uneven.

Ashley came up and held Eli's hand. "Eli?" No response except for the noise from the ventilator becoming more uneven.

"Cesar!" Layne called. "Get a nurse!"

"Right!" Cesar called back.

Geoff heard Cesar leave, then come back with a nurse. They came through the curtain and Layne explained about the noise. The nurse did a quick examination, pressed some buttons on the machine, then turned to Ashley. "He's breathing over the ventilator."

Cesar grinned. "So he can come off that thing?"

"We'll keep monitoring him for right now, but he might be able to come off it soon. I've adjusted the ventilator to make it easier for him. We'll check again later." The nurse left.

The curtain had barely closed behind her when Ashley hugged Geoff. Her relief and gratitude were plain for him to hear. "Thank you."

He returned the hug. "Don't thank me just yet. I'll give him some more later. Maybe...maybe if we take it slow, give it time to get out of his system, we can keep him from changing."

Ashley nodded, then pulled away from Geoff and held Eli's hand. Cesar and Layne both hugged Geoff, and as he put an arm around each of them he could feel their relief as well.

***

Layne's teeth were grinding unconsciously as he pulled into his driveway. Eli's parents had arrived at the hospital, and Geoff and Cesar had still been there when he'd left. Eli's condition hadn't improved by much more, but at least he was still breathing on his own. A nurse had examined Eli and told Ashley that he might be able to come off the ventilator by the end of the day. Layne had felt how Ashley had been ready to kiss Geoff's feet in gratitude.

Unlike Cyndi.

He'd texted Cyndi to meet him at the house after she'd dropped the girls off at school. She was already back, and Layne steeled himself as he locked the car and slowly walked into his house. His stomach felt sick and his mouth tasted sour; he wasn't used to being angry.

He closed the door behind him and heard Cyndi from the living room. "Layne?"

"Yeah, it's me." He fought to keep his tone even as he walked into the living room. "Your monster's home."

He felt the change in the atmosphere. Her eyes were wide and scared as she looked at him. "...Layne?"

"You called Geoff a monster. Don't deny it."

"Ashley told you?"

"She didn't have to." He tapped his head. "I heard it from her. In your own voice. So that's what you really think of him? Of me?"

Cyndi tried to reach out to him. "Layne, you're not--"

He stepped back. "I'm just like him now. So if he's a monster, then so am I!"

She stepped back, shocked; he'd never raised his voice to her like that before. They stared at each other for a few seconds before she spoke. "You're not like him."

"Yes I am, Cyndi. I'm a vampire, the same as he is."

"It's his fault all that happened to you."

"No, it isn't. It's Ir'sia's fault. She was the one who kidnapped and drank from me. Geoff was trying to save my life when he told Kathy to give me blood. I would be dead now if she hadn't. Dead, Cyndi!" He stepped toward her. "Is that what you would've wanted? Should Kathy have let me die from blood loss? Should Geoff have let me starve to death so you wouldn't have a monster for a husband?"

"You're not a monster! You didn't ask for this!"

Layne yelled. "Yes I did! Don't you get it? I could have told Geoff no. That I didn't want the blood. I could have asked him to end it for me. But I didn't want to die, Cyndi! I didn't want to leave you and the girls. Do you blame me for that?"

Cyndi began to cry, and that only made the rage boiling in Layne's veins worse. The words kept coming out. "You don't trust Geoff around the girls anymore. Why trust me?" He grabbed her upper arms and bared his fangs. "Look at these, Cyndi. Take a good hard look! This is me now. This is what I am! You're worried Geoff might hurt the girls. Why aren't you worried about me hurting them? I'm around them a lot more than he is!"

"You wouldn't hurt the girls. I know that."

"How? How do you know? Geoff's had thousands of years to learn how to control his urges. I'm a newborn vampire. I could lose control of myself. I could lash out--"

"No."

"I could even accidentally hurt them. I'm a lot stronger now--"

She put her hands to her ears. "No!" She collapsed against him as she cried. "Stop. Please, Layne, just stop. I can't..."

He folded his teeth back. "You know I'm right. And you're afraid I'll do just that. You just don't want to admit it. That's why you're lashing out toward Geoff. If you can keep him away, you can pretend everything's fine." He let go of her and took a couple steps away as he waited for her to answer.

When she didn't say anything Layne couldn't help but sigh. "I'm going to PattyCake for a while, then probably back to the hospital. And I want you to think about things. About what you want. And I'll tell you right now...if you can't accept me, I'll leave." He felt her sudden fear as she looked up at that, her eyes wide and wet. "I love you, Cyndi. But I'm not going to spend the next forty or fifty years with someone who doesn't believe in me." He turned and walked toward the door.

"Layne!"

He stopped, but didn't look back.

"...I love you too."

Layne swallowed. "Then trust me, Cyndi. That's all I'm asking." He left the house and drove to PattyCake. The studio was dark and empty when he got there, and he didn't bother to open it up. He went to his office and shut himself in, and only then did he allow himself to cry.

***

Nahuel woke up still laying on top of Sik'thir. For a long time he stayed where he was with his eyes closed. He ran his tongue against his new fangs and wondered at how sharp they were. He could still hear Sik'thir's heartbeat, slightly out of time with his own. The smell of the now-dead fire was sharper now, and the sound of the wind outside was louder.

He finally opened his eyes and looked at Sik'thir. His sleeping face was drawn into an expression of pain, and Nahuel gently touched his cheek. The bite marks he'd left on Sik'thir's neck were gone, and when he felt at his own neck the skin was smooth.

Nahuel carefully climbed off of Sik'thir and went to the door. The sunlight nearly blinded him as he pulled the animal skin back. When his vision cleared he stared at the scene before him. The sky had never looked so blue or the snow so bright. Joy swept over him as he took a deep breath and smelled the scents of the surrounding forest as he never had before.

He heard Sik'thir come out of the hut. "Nahuel. How do you feel?"

"I am happy," he said. "Very happy." He turned to look at Sik'thir. "Everything is so beautiful, and even the cold does not bite as strongly."

Sik'thir smiled. "Then I am happy." They looked out over the forest for a bit, then Sik'thir motioned for him to follow. "Come. I will teach you how to hunt as I hunt." And Nahuel was more than willing to follow.

---

The years began to pass, more than Nahuel could count. They went further south until the sea itself stopped them, then turned back north along a different path. The weather became warm again, and the mountains and forest gave way to the jungles once more.

One day as they walked Sik'thir asked him "We are a few days' travel from your village. Do you want to see it again?"

Nahuel was surprised at the question. After some thought he answered "No. There is nothing for me there."

"Nothing?"

He sighed. "My mother died birthing me. My father died of sickness in my tenth year. I have no brothers or sisters of my own. My mother's brother took me in, but he had many sons who let me know that I was not part of their family. I did not belong. I was a burden, allowed food and shelter only because of their father's kindness. I do not wish to return to them."

"Your people came to find you," Sik'thir reminded him.

"And I still chose to stay with you."

Sik'thir nodded. "That you did." He fell silent then, his face thoughtful.

They walked a little more before Nahuel asked "Where is your homeland?"

Sik'thir lowered his head. "I do not know. And even if I did...there is nothing left. The blood drinker that made me made sure of that."

The pain in his voice was obvious, but that reminded Nahuel of something else he wanted to ask. "Are there many blood drinkers?"

"I have not seen another since I escaped from the one who made me."

"Is that why you travel? So that one will not find you again?"

"She is dead. I killed her. I killed many of her clan who came after me. What became of her clan after they stopped hunting me I do not know. As for why I travel...I have no other purpose now." Nahuel had other questions, but something in Sik'thir's voice kept him from asking more just then.

They traveled to the west for several days before turning north again. Jungle gave way to grassland, to deserts, to mountains and forests. Time passed. Now and then they would find villages and settle nearby to observe as Sik'thir had done with Nahuel's people, sometimes for a moon or two, sometimes for a few generations. They hunted the villages, but Sik'thir warned Nahuel to kill "only those deserving of death. The ones who take pleasure in cruelty and wrongdoing."

"But why does that matter? We need blood to survive. Blood is blood."

Sik'thir's answer surprised him. "I was the leader of my clan before I became a blood drinker. I had the power of life and death over my people, and my father taught me to use this power wisely." He lowered his head. "It was clan law that if the leader--if I sentenced someone to death, then I was the one who carried that sentence out. So I had to be certain, very certain, so that I did not have innocent blood on my hands."

Nahuel could feel the weight of that responsibility in Sik'thir's words. "...But how can I tell the innocent from the guilty?"

"You can hear their thoughts now. I will teach you."

And so he hunted as Sik'thir taught him. It was easy to hear what Nahuel came to call "the darkness" in the hearts of their prey, and if he doubted he let Sik'thir decide. Very rarely did Sik'thir disapprove of Nahuel's choice, and eventually Nahuel no longer felt the need to seek his guidance. But as the years passed, the darkness in the blood that Nahuel drank began to stain his soul...

Cesar blinked awake. It took him a few moments to realize he was in the intensive care unit's waiting room, stretched out on a couch, his head on Geoff's leg. Geoff's hand was resting on his head, and when he glanced up he saw Geoff was still asleep.

He heard Kathy. "Hi, Cesar."

Cesar jumped and sat up. "Oh. Hi, Kathy. Uh...sorry. Been here long?"

Kathy smiled at him from her chair. "A while. You two looked so comfortable I decided to let you sleep."

He glanced around and saw they were alone. "Ashley with Eli?"

She nodded. "His parents got here, and they're all in his room."

Cesar lowered his voice. "Did Geoff tell you that he--you know?"

"I picked it up from Ashley." Kathy frowned in concern as she looked at Geoff. "That's why I'm letting him sleep." She looked back at him. "How are you doing? Still dreaming?"

He nodded. "Yeah." A little shiver went through him as the end of the dream he'd just had came back to him. He was glad it had ended when it did. I don't want to see what that darkness did to him...

His fear must have shown on his face, because Kathy came over and hugged him. "It'll be all right."

"I hope so." He returned the hug and drew back, then glanced at Geoff. "Is...is he okay?"

Kathy sighed. "No. He hasn't been okay since that whole mess. But he's trying." She chuckled. "Did he tell you guys what happened with William's school?"

Cesar raised an eyebrow. "I didn't hear."

"Well, it seems they're doing a unit on Ancient Rome in William's social studies class." She glanced at Geoff affectionately. "Geoff was a gladiator under the emperor Trajan."

His mouth dropped. "No way! How did that happen?"

"He said he was a free gladiator, fighting under contract. So he tells William all this stuff about what life was like back then. And William goes to school the next day and starts arguing with his teacher! Kept saying 'Daddy was there and this is what he says'. He ended up getting detention for backtalking. Fortunately the teacher thought William was talking about Geoff visiting Rome as a tourist, so all they said was that no matter what Geoff's 'independent research' said, William had to learn the material the way the school taught it."

Cesar laughed as quietly as he could to keep from disturbing Geoff. It felt good to laugh again. "Oh man. That's hilarious."

Kathy laughed softly. "We had a long talk with William about how he needed to just go along with what the teacher was saying. I hope it sticks."

"I am definitely going to have to ask Geoff about that. What else has he done?"

"He hasn't said much about anything else. I keep telling him he needs to write a book about his adventures but he just keeps brushing it off. Says no one would want to read it."

"Is he serious? People would eat that up! He wouldn't have to write it like an autobiography, either." Cesar grinned in his excitement. "Just write it in third-person--"

Geoff lifted his head, making them both jump. "No. I'm not writing a book." He groaned softly and rubbed his face. "What time is it?"

"Just after ten," Kathy said. "Have a nice nap?"

"It was adequate." He stretched his back out. "Anything new?"

Kathy shook her head. "Not since I got here."

Geoff slowly stood. "I should go check."

"Ashley and Eli's parents are in there right now." Kathy stood and began to follow him out.

He nodded. "Got it."

Cesar followed them into Eli's room. The intensive care rooms had actual doors instead of curtains, and Geoff knocked softly at the partially open door before walking in. Ashley looked up at them and gave them a wan smile. "Hi."

"Hi," Kathy said softly. "Any changes?"

"No," Ashley said.

Eli's mother was holding his hand. "He's still fighting, though." Eli's father nodded and patted her shoulder.

"He'll pull through," Cesar said. "I'm sure he will." Especially with Geoff helping him.

Kathy looked at Ashley. "Have you eaten?" Ashley shook her head. "You should. You'll need your strength to take care of Asher."

"I could do with some breakfast," Eli's father said.

Kathy smiled. "Go ahead. We'll sit with Eli for a bit. We can watch Asher too."

Ashley's eyes briefly flickered to Geoff, who was looking at Eli with a slight frown on his face. "Thank you." Ashley handed the baby to Kathy, then she and Eli's parents left the room.

It was a minute or so before Kathy spoke. "Geoff...can you tell anything?"

Geoff shook his head. "I still don't hear anything from him. The infection smell isn't as bad as it was earlier."

"Are you going to give him more blood?" Cesar asked.

He nodded. "Kath, can you keep watch outside for a few minutes?"

"Sure."

"If anyone asks, tell them we're praying again," Cesar said.

A smile came to Kathy's face. "Okay." She carried Asher out and closed the door behind her. Geoff glanced around, then stepped to where he was blocking Cesar's view of Eli's head. Cesar heard him remove the bandages, then saw him bring his wrist up to his mouth.

A mix of joy and awe came over Cesar as Geoff lowered his bleeding wrist. I'm watching a miracle. He remembered that Nahuel's people had thought that Geoff was a fallen god...

Geoff's voice cut into his thoughts. "Maybe I should start a cult?" His voice was light and teasing, but still carried a warning.

Cesar shook himself to clear his head. "If you do, can I write the scriptures?"

"Knock yourself out." Geoff held still for a while longer, then replaced the bandages and stepped back.

"Now what?" Cesar asked.

"We wait for something to happen." Geoff took Eli's hand. Kathy came in shortly after and put one hand on her husband's shoulder while cradling Asher with her other arm. Cesar stood near them and watched Eli, unsure of what he was waiting on. After a few minutes Eli's body began to twitch, and Cesar imagined whatever magic was in Geoff's blood flowing down through Eli's body and into his arms and legs--

Kathy gasped. "Geoff, did you--"

"I saw it too," Geoff said, his voice cold.

"Saw what?" Cesar asked.

Geoff looked at him, his face like stone. "We caught an image of what happened. Including the shooter's face."

The look on Geoff's face unnerved him, but he tried to smile. "You said you couldn't hear anything from him a little bit ago. So, it's working, right?"

Geoff seemed to blur out then, and when Cesar could see him again he and Kathy had moved to just inside the door. Geoff's hand was on the door handle to open it, and Kathy was holding him by the opposite wrist. To Cesar's surprise, Asher didn't even stir.

"Where are you going?" Kathy demanded, her voice firm.

"Over to Eli's," Geoff growled. His tone sent a shiver down Cesar's spine. He sounds like he did in my dreams. That's Sik'thir talking.

Kathy didn't let him go. "Why?"

Geoff's eyes were on Eli. "To pick up the shooter's scent. And then I'm going hunting."

"No, Geoff. Stay here."

"There is nothing more I can do here for now."

"Geoff. Look at me." Kathy said. His eyes slowly went to her. "Leave it to the police. There's been so many people there by now you'd never get the right scent. Even if you did, you'd never find them. They might not have even been from Orlando."

Cesar could tell Geoff didn't like it, but he sighed. "You're right."

Kathy squeezed his arm. "We'll go home when Ashley gets back. We can relax, and check on Eli again this evening."

Geoff sighed and nodded. "All right." He walked back to Eli's side and stood at parade rest, his arms crossed. A shiver that wasn't entirely fear went through Cesar. Yes, that was definitely Sik'thir standing there, and Cesar knew that he would never give up the hunt. One of his clan had almost been killed. Sik'thir had sentenced the would-be killer to death, and he would carry the sentence out. Maybe not soon, but justice would be dealt...

Cesar glanced at Kathy then, and saw her giving Geoff a worried look. It quickly brought him back down to earth, and he remained quiet as they waited for Ashley and Eli's parents to come back.

***

"Layne? Hey, Layne."

Layne grumbled as he was shaken awake. He frowned as he looked around him and realized he was still sitting in his desk at PattyCake. Tony had a hand on his shoulder. "...Hi, Tony." He sat up. "What time is it?"

Tony was looking at him with concern. "About noon. You all right?"

Layne sighed and ran a hand down his face. "No."

"What happened?"

"I think I'm getting a divorce."

Tony blinked. "Hold on." He left Layne's office, and came back a minute or so later with a bottle of vodka and a pack of red plastic shot glasses. "Sounds like you'll need this."

Layne blinked. "Since when do you have those here?"

"Since we did that video for the Cheese Grater." Tony laughed softly as he took two cups out of the package.

Layne groaned as he remembered that particular customer. "Yeah, don't blame you."

Tony poured them each a shot and waited until they'd drank them to ask. "What's going on?"

Layne sighed and recounted the story, starting with what he'd picked up from Ashley. "...And then I came here," he finished. "I thought maybe I could distract myself with work, but I guess I ended up falling asleep."

Tony poured himself another shot and drank it slowly. "Wish I knew what to tell you."

"It's all right. I'll figure it out." Layne shook his head. "I think I'll find a hotel for the night. I don't really feel like going home right now."

"Maybe that's for the best. Give both of you a chance to calm down."

Layne leaned back and looked at the ceiling. "What's that old curse again? 'May you live in interesting times'?"

Tony chuckled. "Something like that. It sure has been 'interesting'. First all that craziness with Cesar, then Eli, now you and Cyndi. All we need now is--"

"Don't say it," Layne warned. "For the love of God, don't even think it."

Tony smiled wryly. "Sorry." He finished off his drink. "Why don't you go on and get some rest. I can take care of things here."

Layne sighed. "Since I'm here, I might as well get some work done." It would be better than laying around thinking.

Tony held up the bottle. "Want some more before I put it up?"

"Maybe later."

"All right." He stood. "I'll be working on the stage."

Layne nodded. "Okay." Tony left, and Layne turned his computer on. Might as well tackle some of the endless paperwork while he had some time.

***

Geoff sat on his living room couch and stared at the now-black television. He'd watched the midday news. The home invasion and shooting had been featured, and the anchor had identified Eli's name although no picture had been shown. Geoff had to wonder how much longer it would be before a fan posted something about it. That's the problem with being on social media. Everyone finds out everything sooner or later whether you want them to or not...

There was still no official word on the actual shooter. Geoff had examined the memory he'd seen over and over. Eli had heard a noise in his living room and had left his bedroom to investigate. He'd found the intruder--Caucasian, no older than mid-twenties, with stringy muscles and greasy dishwater-brown hair and a stubble beard--in his living room. Geoff had seen the kid's surprised face just before he'd fired the gun and Eli had blacked out. Eli was trained in martial arts, but he couldn't stop bullets.

Just a stupid kid, Geoff thought as he leaned back. Probably looking for a wallet or something to sell for drug money. And Eli was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Kathy had said to leave the shooter to the police, but the clan leader in him wanted to hunt that kid down so badly he could already taste blood. It wasn't right that Eli was fighting for his life right now. But thankfully Eli was strong...

He heard Kathy's footsteps as she came into the living room. "Hi, honey."

"Hey, Kath." He smiled as she came over to the couch and settled in his lap. They held each other and he rested his head on hers while he pet her hair. Her weight was nothing to him, and as always her presence calmed his nerves.

Sometimes it was still difficult for him to believe that she was a blood drinker now. She hadn't shown the faintest interest in hunting, preferring human food. The only signs of her change was a strength that was surprising for a woman of her small size and an almost animalistic maternal instinct.

He remembered the first time he'd seen her; he'd been hunting and had caught the thoughts of a man that had started to follow her as she'd walked from a convenience store near her home. The thoughts going through his prey's mind had disgusted Geoff, but Kathy had never known she was in danger. He'd snatched his prey before it could lay a hand on her. He'd enjoyed his meal and torn the prey's throat out to hide the bite mark before leaving it in the sewers to rot.

But something about her had caught his attention, he still wasn't sure exactly what. The next night had found him back in her neighborhood. He'd had to be careful not to be spotted, but he was a hunter and used to concealing himself. He'd looked into her mind and found she worked at Universal Studios. He'd gone there a few times to see her perform, knowing the crowd would hide him, and managed to get a job there as well. He'd started talking to her, and after several weeks he'd asked her out for coffee. She'd accepted, and to his relief hadn't noticed that he was only pretending to drink his. Coffee dates had soon become a weekly event for them.

On their third "date" she'd tried to kiss him and he'd drawn back, suddenly conscious of his concealed fangs. She'd been embarassed and thought she'd pushed for too much, but he'd leaned in and kissed her cheeks before briefly resting his forehead against hers. And that had become their little ritual in place of the goodnight kiss. Even after marriage they hadn't exchanged mouth-to-mouth kisses until he had made Kathy a blood drinker, and then she had insisted they make up for lost time.

Her voice interrupted his thoughts. "Geoff?"

"What is it?"

She pulled back to look at him. "If the police catch the shooter...I want you to promise me you'll leave him alone." Geoff frowned and looked away, but she put a hand on his cheek and made him look at her. "Look. I know you want justice for Eli. We all do. But you're not the clan leader anymore. You can't be judge, jury, and executioner this time. You're dealing with humans, not an ancient enemy. The best thing to do is let the police and the courts handle it." Her thumb rubbed his cheekbone. "You promise?"

He sighed; he never had been able to resist her. "I promise, Kath."

"Thank you." She smiled, then leaned against him again.

Geoff frowned, unsure if he should tell her what was on his mind, but decided to take the chance. "...I'm scared, Kath."

"What's wrong?"

"I keep thinking of what's going on with Cesar. If Nahuel came back...so can others. What happens when Ir'sia comes back?"

"What happens if she doesn't?"

That made him pause, and he realized that it wasn't a certainty that Ir'sia would come back. Kathy pulled back again and looked at him with a very serious face. "Geoff, I know you're hurting. I know you're trying. But we have literal centuries in front of us. And...and we can't spend them looking over our shoulders for enemies. I don't want to live in constant fear. I want to enjoy life like we were before all that happened, just living and doing what we do and making sure William grows up safe and happy. I want to spend my life with Geoff, not Sik'thir!"

Geoff's voice sharpened at that. "I told you. I will always be Sik'thir."

"And you also told me that when Ir'sia was gone, Sik'thir could rest and you could be Geoff again." She kept her gaze steady. "And she's gone. You know she is. That means it's time for Sik'thir to rest. Geoff can look after me and William and take care of VoicePlay just like he did before Ir'sia showed up."

He sighed. "Things have changed, Kath."

"I know. But it's nothing Geoff can't handle." She pet his cheek again.

"...I'll try, Kath."

"That's all I want. And you won't be alone. I promise."

He held the hand on his cheek and smiled. "...I love you, Kath."

"I love you too, Geoff." She kissed him and then leaned on him again. Geoff held her close and pet her hair. They'd have to pick William up from school eventually, but they had time to enjoy each other's company for a while.

***

Layne sighed as he stretched out on the hotel bed. The room wouldn't pass for a 5-star luxury suite anytime soon, but it was clean. The quiet unnerved him, so he turned on the television. A game show came on, and he let it play without really paying attention to it.

He'd left the hospital not too long before. The ventilator had been taken out, and Layne had spent most of his visit just making sure Eli was breathing. He'd peeked into Eli's mind and seen the shooting along with random dream scenes. Seeing the shooting had been rough, but at the same time encouraging. If Eli was dreaming and remembering that had to mean his brain was healing. And that meant he was going to pull through.

His phone sounded Cyndi's ringtone, and he almost ignored it. With a sigh he finally answered. "Hello?"

"Layne, it's me." Cyndi sounded sad and tired. "Where are you?"

"At a hotel."

A pause. "...When are you coming home?"

"When I'm ready." His voice was so cold he barely recognized it.

"What do I tell the girls?"

"Tell them whatever you want."

"Layne...how can I apologize? What do you want me to do?"

It came to him in a moment. "Thank Geoff."

"What?"

"Apologize to Geoff for telling Ashley he's a monster, then thank him for saving my life. And be sincere about it. He'll know if you're lying. When you can do that, I'll come home and we'll talk."

She was silent for longer than he would have liked. "All right."

"Good night." He hung up, then laid there and stared at the ceiling. He took long, slow breaths to counter the feeling of having been kicked in the chest, and eventually dropped off to sleep.

***

Cesar lay on his side in bed and waited for sleep to come. He'd considered taking some energy shots to stay awake but that would only be delaying the inevitable. He knew he was going to see Nahuel die, if not in this dream then in the next. It wasn't something he was looking forward to.

Cesar closed his eyes and tried to think of something else. Kathy's words about Geoff's being a gladiator came back to him. I wish I could have seen that. He imagined Geoff in an outfit like a gladiator would have worn in movies, fighting lions with his bare hands as a crowd cheered for him. I bet he made it look easy.

He thought about what Kathy had said about Geoff writing a book. I'd read it. I bet it'd be good, too. A guy can do a lot in seven thousand years. Cesar began to imagine what kind of life he'd be living in seven thousand years. Would he still be a performer? Probably. He'd play for audiences on the Moon, or Mars, or beyond...surely space travel would be easy by then...as Geoff had traveled the world, Cesar would travel the stars...

He fell asleep without realizing it.

Chapter 4

At some point Nahuel lost his desire to drink.

A weariness he could not explain to himself, much less to Sik'thir, settled in his bones. The hunt became a burden. The blood lost its taste. He had always enjoyed their travels before, but now the thought of exploring new lands soured his stomach. Yet he tried to carry on as before, because he did not want to disappoint Sik'thir.

Sik'thir must have sensed his exhaustion. Even though the weather was warm, he had them stop and build a shelter out of the surrounding trees as if the cold was coming on. As the days passed, Nahuel rested in the shelter as Sik'thir hunted alone and brought back game for Nahuel to drink from. Sik'thir stayed close to him, but he remained silent and waited for Nahuel to speak in his own time.

One night as they sat watching the fire Nahuel asked "How long have we been traveling together?"

"About five hundred years."

It came as a shock. He knew many years had passed, but still...Nahuel drew his knees up and rested his chin on them. "How do you keep track of them?"

"It is difficult," he admitted. "I am not sure of the exact number." When Nahuel didn't answer he asked "Do you regret coming with me?"

"No." He sighed. "I am sorry, Sik'thir. I do not know what is wrong with me these days."

"You do not need to apologize." A silence. "What are you thinking?"

Nahuel stared into the fire. "I think about continuing as we are and it...it wearies me. It seems so...so...empty."

Another silence. "What do you want to do?"

"I do not know."

Sik'thir moved next to him and held him. Nahuel sighed as he leaned against Sik'thir and took what comfort he could. The elder pet Nahuel's hair as he talked. "Do you want to go back to the jungles?"

"There is nothing for me there." He closed his eyes and focused on the feeling of Sik'thir's hand in his hair.

"But they are familar. You were born and raised there. The jungles may bring you some peace."

Nahuel thought about it then shook his head. "No. I never knew peace there."

"Then we can find a village and settle. Live near people as we have done before."

His stomach turned at the thought. "No," he said as he looked up at Sik'thir. "I...I can't drink evil blood anymore. The thought sickens me." Yet he knew Sik'thir would not allow him to drink from the innocent...

Sik'thir frowned deeply. "Then...I can drink, and you can take what you need from me."

Nahuel looked up in surprise. "Could you survive like that?"

"I may need to drink more than usual, but I could. And I can bear the burden."

He thought about it, then sighed. "No." He pulled away from Sik'thir. "Blood itself no longer tastes like it should..."

Worry wrinkled Sik'thir's brow. "...There is another way. You can survive for a time off of the food you ate before, but you will weaken and age if you do so."

Nahuel remembered his elders' stories about seeing the Blood Drinker with gray hair. "What about you?"

"I will also not drink." Sik'thir looked at him. "There is plenty of game here, as well as fish and plant food. We are in no danger of starving. And if we begin to grow too weak, we can drink again."

Nahuel stared at Sik'thir, then nodded. "I will try."

Sik'thir nodded. "It will be some time before you can eat. Your hunger will tell you."

Nahuel leaned against him. "Thank you, Sik'thir." Maybe going without blood for a time was what he needed. Maybe then the darkness would leave him...

Sik'thir's arms tightened around Nahuel again, but he remained silent. Nahuel remained there as long as Sik'thir allowed.

Time passed. True to his word, Sik'thir stopped drinking blood along with Nahuel. They spent time hunting for meat and gathering, and they had to find what plants were edible through trial and error. Being blood drinkers kept them from death but not from sickness, and as Sik'thir suffered along with him Nahuel tasted the bitterness of guilt. He knew that Sik'thir was going through all of this only because of him. He was becoming the burden he had feared he would be before becoming a blood drinker, yet Sik'thir did not complain.

The cold came, and the darkness in Nahuel grew along with the nights. The weariness turned into despair. Sik'thir once again seemed to know; he spent long hours holding Nahuel and providing silent comfort. One night Sik'thir spoke with a sadness Nahuel had never heard from him. "What can I do for you?"

It took Nahuel a long time to answer. "I do not know."

Sik'thir's arms tightened around him as silence fell over them again...

Cesar woke up to the sounds of his alarm and his heart throbbing in his ears. He silenced his phone and lay in bed taking deep breaths to calm himself. His stomach lurched, and he barely made it to the toilet before last night's dinner forced its way back out. Once his stomach was calm he sat on the bathroom floor taking long, slow breaths. He pulled a handtowel from the nearby shelf and wiped the sweat off his face with it, then buried his face in the cloth.

He'd lost loved ones to suicide before. He'd never understood what kind of mindset would make someone throw their life away, but he thought he did now. He could still feel the utter hopelessness that had invaded Nahuel's soul, and in that moment he could have pulled the trigger on himself.

The hopelessness faded away as Cesar sat there, and he finally forced himself to get up. He was due to meet Omar and EJ to start on a new project in a few hours, and he had to get his head together. He'd get a shower and some food, and hopefully be able to function by the time they met up. After that he'd go see how Eli was doing...

Thinking of Eli made him think of Geoff, and his stomach twitched again. Geoff was waiting on an explanation...but Cesar wasn't going to tell him anything yet. Maybe after he saw the end. Maybe then he'd have some definite why to tell him. Something that would put them both at ease.

I hope this is over soon...I can't take much more of this.

***
Geoff sighed to himself as he sat in front of his computer. He was alone in the house at the moment; Kathy had said she was going shopping after dropping William off at school. Later they would be going to see Eli, and he'd probably give him another dose of blood.

He'd thought about how much more to give Eli, and he'd decided to keep dosing him until the wound in his head closed, unless Ashley stopped him first. It wouldn't be a perfect cure. Eli would probably still need months of care and physical therapy and who knew what else. But he'd be alive, and hopefully not a blood drinker.

Hopefully.

He didn't want to be the cause of two of his friends' marriages breaking up.

Layne had told him about how he'd walked out on Cyndi. Geoff had tried to apologize, but Layne had been firm. "If she can't trust you she can't accept me." He knew Layne was right, but he still felt guilty. And he had to wonder what would happen with Ashley when the terror of losing Eli had worn off and she realized what was at stake.

He shook himself out of those thoughts and looked at his computer screen for a few seconds before opening a particular project. He'd said he wouldn't write a book, but he'd said nothing about writing songs. And really, he hadn't even composed it; it had been in his clan for generations before him and he had merely put it on paper, or rather on the screen.

It was his clan's song to honor warriors fallen in battle.

Not even Kathy knew what he was working on, and he didn't think he'd ever release it to the public. He didn't know why he felt the need to make this, or why he had to do it now. He could have done so at any time, but the impulse had recently seized him and refused to be ignored.

Writing the song had proved more difficult than he'd thought. The music hadn't been a problem, but his clan had never had a fully evolved written language and assigning English letters to his native words had been an experience. Then had come the translation, and he couldn't make the English words flow with the music to his satisfaction.

A deep sigh escaped him as he stared at the screen and memories came back to him...

He stood next to his father on a small rise not far from his clan's village. Another clan had come to raid them; he didn't know or care who they were. They could see the fires of the enemy camp in the twilight. Sik'thir crossed his arms as he thought. "We should attack now, before they have a chance to rest."

Sik'thoth's long, gray-streaked brown hair and beard had swayed gently in the faint breeze. "Not yet. We must be patient. We will attack while they sleep. For now we will eat and rest."

They did so. After eating Sik'thir and a few warriors lay on the rise where they could see the enemy camp, keeping watch for a surprise attack. The moon rose. Finally the enemy camp slept, except for a few guards, and Sik'thoth came to stand beside him. Sik'thir looked up, and his father silently raised his spear and pointed it forward. It was time. Sik'thir stayed by his father's side as they and their warriors made their way toward the camp. Finally at Sik'thoth's signal they hunkered down and two of the warriors crept forward and quickly killed one of the enemy guards. The second guard was dispatched in the same manner, but the third was able to raise an alarm.

The silence was shattered as Sik'thir and his father led the charge into the enemy camp. The battle was fierce but Sik'thir's warriors were skilled, and they began to push the enemy warriors back from the village.

Then Sik'thir heard his father groan and saw him fall to his knees with an enemy spear in his chest. Rage overcame him and he thrust his spear through the enemy's throat hard enough for the head to come out the other side. He turned to his father and their eyes met just before Sik'thoth's eyes rolled back into his head and he took his last breath.

There was no time for grief. Now that Sik'thoth had fallen, his warriors were in danger. They were already beginning to retreat with no leader to guide them, and if the warrior line broke the village was in danger...Sik'thir picked up his father's shield and spear. "Those who followed Sik'thoth, now follow me!" He plunged into the battle and let his rage flow. One after another of the enemy fell to his hand, and his warriors fought with a ferocity that matched his.

Finally the last of the enemy warriors had either fallen or run away, and Sik'thir stood breathing heavily as he heard his warriors cheering around him. He turned around and his warriors fell quiet and parted ranks to let him pass as he walked back to his father.

Sik'thoth lay still as Sik'thir knelt next to him. He gently touched his father's face. "The village is safe, Father," he whispered. "Your people, your descendants, will live still." His warriors gathered around him, and Sik'thir stood. "Gather our dead and take them back to to the village. Leave the others." He bent down and picked his father up as his warriors moved to obey him. Those who were not carrying a body carried weapons. The enemy camp would be scavenged later, but for now Sik'thir and his people had their duty.

One of the village women was waiting about halfway back and ran to tell the village when she saw them coming. The women and old men came out to celebrate the victory and mourn the dead. Sil'ar came to meet Sik'thir, their twins in a sling on her back. Her face fell when she saw Sik'thir carrying his father. "I am sorry, Sik'thir..."

He nodded, unable to speak. He and the other warriors carried the dead to the burning pit, where the dead were burned to keep them from becoming food for the beasts. In the moonlight Sik'thir and the other men fought their exhaustion to cut trees for the pyre as the women and children gathered branches and guarded the bodies of the fallen. The trees were laid over the ashes at the bottom of the rectangular pit, and as the sky began to lighten the dead warriors were laid out upon the logs with their weapons. Sik'thir was laying his father's shield over his body when a village elder stopped him. "Those are the clan leader's weapons. They are yours now."

No one objected. Sik'thir slowly picked his father's shield and spear up and climbed out of the pit. Once the dead were laid out the women and children covered them with the branches and twigs. One of the elders had already lit a torch, and he handed it to Sik'thir. Sik'thir stood looking down at the pit for a few seconds before throwing the torch in. There was silence as the wood began to catch fire, and an elder raised his voice in his clan's song to honor the brave dead. Sik'thir and the rest of them joined in, and Sil'ar held his hand as he watched the flames grow.

Only then did he allow himself to cry.

He was singing the song aloud without realizing it, his mind still in that ancient village. Sil'ar had been his only family at that point. His mother had died giving birth to his sister when he was in his seventh year, and the baby had died as well. Sik'thoth had not cried at the burning, so young Sik'thir had not cried either. But they had later, once they were alone...

"Geoff?"

He jumped and turned to see Kathy standing beside him. "...Hi, Kath. I didn't hear you."

She put a hand on his shoulder. "What was that you were singing?"

He looked away. "Just...just an old song."

"Very old from the sound of it." She waited before speaking again. "What was it?"

Geoff sighed. "It was from my people. The song we sang at the funerals for fallen warriors." He glanced at the screen. "I've written it down."

She looked at the screen as well. "...Will you play it for me?"

He sighed but nodded. It was a short and simple song, easily playable by one hand. When he was done he sighed. "I don't know why I wrote it down..."

"I'm glad you did. It deserves to be preserved." She squeezed his shoulder. "Will you translate it for me?"

"It doesn't translate well into English."

"But still. I'd like to hear it. Even if you just recite it."

Geoff sighed. "All right." He decided not to try to sing it yet.

"Your body lies in the pit.
Your blood is on the battle grounds.
Now the battle is over and all is quiet.
The wheat waits for the harvest.
The women tend the children,
The sons who will defend the clan,
The daughters who will tend hearth and home.

Noble warrior,
Your name will live on forever.
The tales of your bravery will be told to the children
Around the fires of the winter nights.
The winds will tell of your deeds
As it flows over the battle grounds.
We will take courage from your name
As we face the foe in battle
To defend the clan and kin.

Oh noble warrior,
We have now no fear of death.
You have trod the path before us
And shown us the way.
One day we will follow you.
Our ashes will join with yours.
Our names will be remembered with yours
Through the tales told to children.
We will find you in what lies ahead."

He fell silent, and Kathy took his hand. "That was beautiful."

"I'm...glad you liked it."

"Are you going to release it?"

"I...I don't think so." He sighed. "Besides, who would want to listen to it?"

"You have followers who would go absolutely crazy over a Geoff Castellucci original. They don't have to know the real origin."

"I can't get it to work."

"Maybe you're thinking about it wrong. You've already written down Sik'thir's version, haven't you?" He nodded and she went on. "So now Geoff can do what he always does. Take an old song and give it new life."

He raised an eyebrow as he thought about it. "Do a cover of it."

"Yes, exactly." She kissed his cheek.

Geoff looked at the screen again and, oddly enough, found himself warming to the idea. He could, couldn't he? He could make it a modern hymn, and put it out there for others to sing once more. Kathy was right. No one had to know where it came from. What mattered was that it would no longer be forgotten. "Yes...I think I'll do that."

She kissed his cheek again. "Have fun. I'll look forward to hearing it." She walked away to let him work, and he turned back to his computer with renewed energy.

***

Cyndi swallowed back nerves as she walked into PattyCake. She'd been disappointed when Layne's car wasn't in the parking lot, but hopefully Tony would know where he might be.

Layne hadn't answered his phone when she'd tried to call him that morning, and that worried her. The girls all knew something was wrong, and Doris had been sullen as Cyndi had dropped her off at school. Cyndi had tried to reassure her that her daddy would be home soon, but she'd just looked away and nodded. She hadn't said anything, but Cyndi had been able to read her face. You made Daddy leave.

But it's okay, sweetie. I'll get him back.

She found Tony working with a group in the stage area. Their eyes met and he held up a finger to tell her to wait. She nodded and stood silently as Tony worked--it looked like they were doing another Disney video, of course--and several minutes later Tony walked up to her.

She followed him out into the hall, and he sighed as they walked. "Layne's not here."

"I guessed that when I didn't see his car. Where is he?"

"Don't know. Haven't heard from him since he left here yesterday." They went into his office and he shut the door behind him. "He's pretty pissed off."

Cyndi took a breath. "I know."

Tony's face was serious. "If you want my advice, leave him alone. He'll come to you when he's ready."

"And how long will that be?"

"How should I know? I'm not a mind-reader."

"Well I've got a little girl at home who wants her daddy."

Tony's eyes narrowed. "She'd have her daddy if her mommy wasn't being such a little bitch about things."

Cyndi's hand jumped out and cracked across Tony's face. "Don't you dare. You didn't hear him screaming when he was attacked. You weren't the one he begged to leave because he was afraid he'd hurt you."

Tony's head was turned to the side, his eyes closed, the slap mark red on his cheek. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at her, and his voice was cold as his eyes when he spoke. "No. I wasn't. But I was one of the ones who saw him after that witch got through with him. She tortured him, Cyndi. He was dying."

"And it's Geoff's fault he was in that situation. If he...if he had just left with that woman, everything would have been fine!"

Tony's eyes narrowed. "Then Layne deserves his share of the blame, too."

"What? Layne didn't--"

"Geoff could have left, sure. Then again, Layne could have abandoned Geoff when he found out the truth. When that witch came here to take Geoff away Layne could have stood back and let her have him. But he defended Geoff. That was his decision. And that's why the witch came for him. So what happened to Layne is as much his own fault as it is Geoff's. Isn't it?" He paused. "Well?"

Tears stung Cyndi's eyes as she lowered her head, but Tony wasn't done. "It doesn't matter what physical changes he's gone through. He's still Layne. The same man you fell in love with and married. The same man who took your daughters in as his own. The exact same man who you had a baby with. And you need to pull your head out of your ass and thank God that there was someone out there who had the power to help him and who cared enough about him to do it." He drew back. "I have work to do. Have a good day, Cyndi."

She stared after him as he left the little office. The tears flowed down her cheeks as she quickly walked out of PattyCake and got into her car. She sat and cried for a while until her mind and emotions calmed down, then started her car up and drove away from PattyCake.

***

Layne's eyelids felt like sandpaper as he sat by Eli's bed. Ashley and Eli's parents had gone to get some lunch, so he was alone with Eli at the moment. Every now and then Eli's mouth would twitch or his hands would clench into fists. The doctors had told Ashley that those were reflexive movements and didn't mean anything, but Layne kept expecting him to wake up any second.

He had swiped the roof of Eli's mouth with a finger to check for fangs as soon as he was alone with him, but the roof of Eli's mouth was still smooth. He'd considered giving Eli some blood to help him along, but had decided to leave it up to Geoff. Two vampires giving blood might be more likely to trigger a change...

His thoughts were interrupted when J softly knocked on the door. "Hey."

Layne looked up. "Hi J." He leaned back and stretched a little. "How're you?"

"Good. Got to fly back this evening, thought I'd come see Eli before I left." J's eyes rested uneasily on Eli. "I guess he isn't joining the club?"

For some reason that made irritation shoot through Layne, but he did his best to keep the bite out of his voice. "Geoff's helped him a little. He's trying to keep from turning Eli."

J nodded. He went to Eli's side and put his hands on the bed railing. "I gotta ask...what's it like being...you know?"

"Not much different, except for being stronger and picking up random thoughts now and then."

J flashed a grin at him. "So you think you could beat me in arm-wrestling now?"

A smirk came to Layne's lips. "Easily."

"Ha! We'll get everyone together and you can prove it." J's eyes went to Eli. "That includes you, Eli. I want you to see me kick Layne's ass."

Layne snorted. "Well now he's got something to live for, doesn't he?" He frowned. "Hey, J? If...if it was you, what would you want?"

J's eyebrows rose. "You mean..."

"Yeah."

J was quiet for several seconds as he considered. "I don't know, man. Like right now it's easy to say I wouldn't want it. But if I was where Eli's at...yeah. If Geoff was offering, I wouldn't refuse."

Layne nodded. "What do you think D'Mone would do if you turned?"

"Eh, she'd probably freak out at first, but I think she'd be cool with it after a while." J frowned. "Why do you ask?"

Layne sighed. "Because Cyndi's not cool with it." He told J about the fight with Cyndi, and by the time he was finished J was standing next to him with a hand on his shoulder in support. Layne shook his head as he stared at the floor. "She was referring to Geoff, but I can't stop hearing her say that word. 'Monster'. And I wonder how long it's going to be before she turns that word on me." He looked up at J. "I know that the longer I stay away the harder it'll be to go back. But I need her to understand."

J's next words were spoken in a very careful tone. "I'm not saying she's right...but I get where she's coming from."

Layne blinked in surprise. "You do?"

"I mean...all that going on had to scare her. And it's not like this kind of thing is covered in relationship advice books. Unless you count 'Twilight'." Layne snorted, and J smiled a little. "But yeah. Geoff got in trouble, you got caught up in it, so I guess it's natural that she blames him."

"Guess so." Layne sighed. "So, what, you think I should go home?"

"Up to you. But sometime the two of you need to have a good long talk. Talk. Not argument. And I think you need to listen to what she has to say." J looked at him very seriously. "I don't want to come back for my next leave and find you in the middle of a divorce."

"Me neither." Layne nodded. "All right. I'll try to talk to her."

"There you go." J clapped him on the shoulder. "It'll work out. You'll see."

Layne hoped J was right. After a bit the conversation turned to other, lighter topics until Eli's family came back. Layne and J left the hospital then, and Layne decided to go back to the hotel for now. He felt somewhat better about the entire situation, but he wasn't ready to talk to Cyndi just yet.

***

Geoff wished he had Kathy with him as he walked toward Eli's room, but she had stayed at home to take care of William. He'd called Ashley before he'd left his house, and she was alone with Eli. Hopefully that hadn't changed.

His nerves were on edge. The day had gone fairly quietly; he'd worked for a while on his new song, gotten a workout in, and made dinner. Then the six o'clock news had come on, and he'd seen the face from Eli's memory. The police had caught the kid trying to break into another house. He hadn't been linked to Eli yet, but surely it was only a matter of time.

Fury had swept through him as he'd looked at the mugshot the news channel had posted. Kathy had been sitting on the couch next to him, and of course she'd felt it. She'd looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Remember your promise."

"Yes, Kathy." But it was a struggle. She'd given him a suspicious look when he'd left, despite his reassurances that he was only going to visit Eli. He was actually surprised she hadn't insisted on coming along to make sure he went to the hospital.

He knocked once on the door before going in. Ashley was sitting in a chair by Eli's bed, and she looked up at him with tired eyes. "Hi Geoff."

"Hi Ashley." He glanced at Eli and took a peek into his mind, which was still active with images. He quickly pulled back before walking to the other side of the bed. "I'll make things quick."

She nodded. He pulled the bandages away. The wound was smaller, with bright purplish scar tissue forming around the edges and bruising beginning to creep over Eli's skull and down his forehead. Now that Eli's eyes were uncovered Geoff could see his eyelids twitching. It made him hesitate, but after a few seconds of thought he went ahead and gave Eli some blood, then put the bandages back again.

A minute or so passed, and then Eli made a short, sharp gasping sound. Ashley leaned in, her eyes wide with concern. "Eli?" His hand lifted and she grasped it. "Eli? Are you awake?"

"Ashley?" It was a weak, hoarse whisper.

She began to cry, and Geoff felt his own eyes grow wet. He backed away and left the room as quietly as he could. The waiting room was empty, and he let his own tears fall as he sat down in a chair. Kath. Layne. Eli's awake.

He felt their happiness and relief as he pulled out his phone to text Cesar.

Chapter 5

Cesar shouldered his backpack, took a sip from the energy drink in his hand, and tried his best to act like his normal self as he entered the studio where the Cardona brothers were waiting on him. He'd forced himself to stay awake the night before by drinking several energy shots, and now his heart was pounding and his arms and legs felt shaky. It had been a stupid thing to do, he knew that, but he hadn't wanted to dream about Nahuel. He hoped that if he exhausted himself enough he could sleep without dreaming.

Omar looked up from where he and EJ were talking as Cesar walked in, and frowned as he saw Cesar's face. "You okay? You look like crap."

"Thanks," Cesar replied dryly. "Didn't sleep good last night. I'll be fine." He covered his mouth as he yawned. "Ready to get started?"

They stayed silent, and when he looked at them they were both giving him odd looks. Omar spoke first. "What was that?"

"What was what?"

EJ frowned. "Are you trying to speak Elvish or something?"

A cold fist hit Cesar in the gut as he realized he was speaking in that other language again. Nahuel's language. He took a breath and focused on his words as hard as he could. "I didn't sleep good."

Omar nodded slowly. "...Are you good to work today?"

"Sure. I'm fine." Cesar tried to hide his sigh of relief as he finished his energy drink and threw the can away. "Let's get started."

The brothers glanced at each other, but didn't say anything as the three of them began their rehearsals. Cesar kept his mind on his work as best he could as the day wore on.

He wondered how long he could keep this up.

***

Ashley covered her mouth as she yawned. The chair in Eli's room was probably the most uncomfortable place she'd ever slept in her life, but she didn't want to leave him alone when he was finally able to wake up. At the moment he was asleep under a heavy dose of painkillers, but several times during the night she'd awakened from a light doze to find him looking at her. He'd smiled when their eyes met, then gone back to sleep. Once he'd asked about Asher, and when she'd said he was safe and with Eli's parents a visible relief had come over Eli before his eyes had closed again.

She could barely believe that just two days ago a surgeon had told her that Eli had less than twenty-four hours to live. "The bullet went along the top of his skull. We removed it but there's severe tissue damage. His brain is already swelling." She'd felt cold and numb as she started calling Eli's family and friends, not expecting one of them to come offering a miracle.

The doctors and nurses were all amazed at how quickly Eli was healing. Several blood tests had been run, but whatever was in Geoff's blood apparently wasn't showing up on them. One nurse had commented that Eli's quick recovery showed that "God does answer prayers." It had taken all the strength Ashley had had left to not laugh in her face and ask her why God had allowed Eli to get shot to begin with.

She glanced over at Eli and realized his eyes were open. She stood up and took his hand, and smiled at their eyes met. "Hi Eli."

"Hi." His voice was still so weak, and it made her want to cry.

"How are you feeling?"

"I've had better days." He closed his eyes for a second, then opened them again. "My head is killing me."

She wasn't surprised. "I'll ask the nurses to give you something." She hesitated, but then leaned down. "Eli...do you remember what happened?

"Someone broke in."

"Yes. You got shot." She swallowed back a sudden thickness in her throat. "The doctors said you wouldn't make it. I was calling everyone. VoicePlay came. And Geoff...Geoff helped you."

His eyes widened a little. "He gave me..."

"I told him it was okay." She swallowed. "He said he was going to try to do it without changing you. He just gave you a little...enough to heal your head." He stared at her silently, and she squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry, Eli. I was scared. The doctors said you had no chance, and then Geoff offered you one, and I had to take it." He squeezed her hand as tears fell from her eyes. "All I could think about was Asher having to grow up without you--"

She cut off as he slowly raised his hand and put his fingertips on her lips. "Thank you."

Ashley took his hand and kissed it. "I was afraid you'd be mad at me."

He smiled at her, but his eyes were closing again. "I'm alive...how could I be mad at that?"

She leaned down and kissed his cheek. "Love you Eli."

"Love you too." The words were barely a murmur, but they made Ashley smile. It was good to hear them again.

***

Geoff took slow, even breaths as he ran on his treadmill. He was pushing the machine to its limit, but it didn't feel fast enough. He wanted to stretch his legs out and run at his full blood drinker speed until he collapsed.

Or found his prey, whichever occurred first.

He'd checked the news that morning and seen that Eli's would-be murderer was out of jail on bond while the police investigated his connections to other break-ins. Sik'thir's instincts had screamed to catch the culprit before he had a chance to flee, but before Geoff could stand up from his chair Kathy had been beside him with a hand on his arm and a stern look on her face. "Remember your promise."

He'd sighed in defeat. "Yes, Kathy." And so he was running, desperately trying to get rid of the searing agitation in his veins that was demanding he hunt. There was also a voice in his head that told him it would be easy to go and find his prey while William was at school and Kathy was working at PattyCake, and he was doing his best to shut that up.

The fans had finally figured out what had happened to Eli, and were sending donations in to cover Eli's medical costs. Kathy had gotten on VoicePlay's Instagram account to thank them and ask that local fans please respect Eli's privacy, and Geoff had done the same with Patreon. Several comments had been left on both platforms about what a hard year VoicePlay had been having, and Geoff had had to laugh at that as he'd given some generic reply on Patreon. They had no idea...

The front doorbell rang and startled him out of his thoughts. He shut the treadmill off, grabbed a towel from a nearby table, and quickly wiped the sweat from his face and arms as he headed to answer the door. He threw a quick mental glance to see who it was, then paused.

It was Earl, and he was...upset. Not quite hostile, but getting there. Geoff frowned slightly to himself, but kept his tone even as he opened the door. "Good morning, Earl."

Earl's face was red as he nodded back and said "Good morning" in a strained voice. "Can I come in?"

Geoff stood aside and let Earl enter the house. "So...what brings you here?" He gave his hair a final wipe with the towel and tossed it aside.

"I went to see Eli," Earl said. "I heard him and Ashley talking about...something interesting."

Geoff frowned as he headed for the living room. And he came here...I can guess what he heard. "I see." He sat down in an armchair, and Earl took the couch. "What was that?"

Earl's gaze was steady. "Ashley said that you healed Eli. Is that true?"

"If I did, I must not have done a very good job. He's still in the hospital."

"But he's going to make it. He was dying two days ago." Earl's eyes never left Geoff's face. "Did you help Eli?"

He almost denied it again, but he nodded after a few seconds. Earl obviously believed it. "I helped him, yes."

Earl swallowed as he stared at Geoff. "You're a healer."

"...It's not that simple."

There was a long silence. Geoff could feel the turmoil of emotions Earl was going through: anger, sadness, confusion, a bit of betrayal. Earl struggled to find his next words: "You know why I left VoicePlay."

Yes, Geoff knew. They all knew why, even though the secret was carefully guarded from the fans: Earl had fought stomach cancer. For a while it had been doubtful that he'd make it, but Earl had pulled off the impossible and made it to remission. Geoff slowly nodded. "I know."

"You...could you have..."

"I don't know, Earl. I honestly don't." Geoff kept his gaze and voice calm and steady. "You didn't need my help. You beat it yourself."

Earl swallowed and looked away. Geoff heard what Earl didn't say: Why didn't you at least try? Why is Eli's life more valuable than mine? He supposed it was a fair question. "There was too much risk. There was still hope for you. There wasn't hope left for Eli. What I did was a last resort."

Earl laughed bitterly, and then Geoff caught something: the cancer was back. Earl was preparing to go through another round of treatments and he was scared, as anyone would be. He didn't have much hope left in him, and he was getting desperate.

And that could make him dangerous, Geoff thought. He waited for Earl to speak again.

Finally Earl decided to go for it. "I don't care about the risk. I...whatever you did for Eli, I want you to do it for me."

"Earl..."

"The cancer's back, Geoff. I...I can't go through that again."

For a brief second Geoff was back in the forest with Nahuel, with another loved one's life in the balance. Why does this keep happening?! He took a deep breath. "You...you're stronger than you think, Earl. You don't need my help."

"Please, Geoff."

"You have no idea what you're asking for."

Anger crept into Earl's voice. "Then tell me."

Geoff's eyes narrowed. All right then, I will. "Do you believe in vampires, Earl?"

Earl blinked, caught off guard. "I...what?"

"Do you believe in vampires." He bared his teeth. "Because you should."

Earl's mouth dropped and his mind went blank for a few seconds. Geoff laughed. "That's right. I'm a blood drinker. A vampire as you call it." He kept his fangs out as he laughed again, humorlessly. "What, did you think I was some kind of modern-day Christ and all I had to do was put my hands on you and pronounce you well? If only." He stood and walked over to stand in front of Earl. "I'm gambling with Eli's life. So far I'm ahead, but that could change at any moment. And can you guess what will happen if I lose my bet? Either Eli will die a horrific death or else he will have to become like me. And your God only knows what price he'd have to pay for that."

Earl's mind was wide open. Geoff didn't catch any fear coming from him; he was utterly baffled. Geoff went on. "You want to know the price I paid? Torture. Rape. Slavery. The loss of everyone and everything I ever knew and loved!" His voice rose until Earl was covering his ears with his hands. "Do you think I'm so heartless that I never considered helping you before? I did. But I didn't know. I didn't know the limits. I didn't know what it would do to you! And I loved you enough to not want to risk your life, your humanity, to find out!"

Geoff grabbed Earl's hands and yanked them away from his ears. The two of them stared at each other for several seconds, and Geoff's voice was much softer when he spoke again. "Go home, Earl. Go back home to Nick and be glad you can hold him without the urge to drink his blood. Be glad that you'll grow old with him and join him in eternity one day. Get through the treatments with your own strength and be proud." He let go of Earl. "Go. Get out."

Earl, too shocked to respond, sat there for a few seconds more with an open mouth and stared at Geoff's face. He slowly stood up, and as their eyes met again Geoff felt guilt, shame, and embarassment coming from him. He wanted to apologize, but wasn't sure if Geoff would accept it. Geoff stayed quiet, and Earl began to walk away.

He got three steps before he stopped and turned back around. "I'm sorry, Geoff."

Geoff took a deep breath. "Thank you...so am I."

Earl stood there a bit longer, unsure, then left. Once the front door had closed behind him Geoff allowed himself to collapse on the couch and bury his face in his hands. He should have known something like this would happen sooner or later. Earl was likely only the first. Sooner or later word would spread and others would come, demanding he either heal or change them, perhaps trying to bribe him or threaten him if he refused.

He lifted his head from his hands and stared at the floor between his feet. Well, he'd deal with that when the time came. He'd protect his family and friends as he always had.

Geoff slowly stood and went to his studio. His thoughts were threatening to spiral into despair again, and he couldn't allow that to happen. Hopefully he could distract himself.

***

Layne rubbed his eyes, then looked around at the half-broken-down set and smiled a little as he thought about how vampire muscles came in handy on days like today. That morning they had finished shooting the raw footage for one video, which Kathy had taken home to begin editing, but another was starting tomorrow and of course a completely different set was required. Tony was bringing in the parts for the new set almost as fast as Layne could put the old ones away. Layne could have also used his vampire speed but he was still having trouble judging distances with that. Launching himself into a wall or down all the basement steps at once would only serve to make Tony laugh at him.

The door to the hallway opened and Layne was startled to hear Doris' voice. "Daddy!" He turned to see his little girl running toward him. Cyndi was standing near the door, but he didn't have time to say anything to her before Doris jumped in his arms. "I missed you, Daddy."

He picked her up and held her tight as a pang went through him. "I missed you too, sweetheart." He kissed her cheek. "How was school today?"

"Boring. When are you coming home?"

He glanced at Cyndi over Doris' shoulder. "That depends on some things." Tony had told him about Cyndi's visit. He hadn't mentioned the slap, but Layne had seen it anyway and it had done nothing for his mood. He set Doris down. "Mommy and I need to talk. Stay here, but don't get in Uncle Tony's way, all right?"

"Okay."

He ruffled her hair and slowly walked over to Cyndi. When he was next to her he spoke in a low voice. "Have you apologized to Geoff yet?"

"No."

He scoffed and turned away. "I didn't think so."

She grabbed his arm. "Layne, you can't keep avoiding me. We need to talk."

He was about to snap at her when he remembered what J had said. "All right. Come on. We'll go to my office." He pulled his arm away from her and the two of them walked the short distance to his office in silence. Once there Layne closed the door behind them and sat in his chair. Cyndi stood on the other side of the desk, and the two of them looked at each other for several seconds.

He finally broke the silence. "You had no right bringing Doris into this."

"She's already in it, Layne. I wanted to remind you of that. You're not just hurting me by staying away. You're hurting her and the rest of the girls."

"And you're not just hurting Geoff when you throw insults at him. You're hurting me."

"That's not the same thing."

"Isn't it? You called him a monster. How long is it going to be before you hit me with that?"

Cyndi shook her head. "Layne, I would never--"

He held up his hand, stopping her. "The fact that you're using that word at all tells me that you would." She was silent, and he waited a bit before speaking again. "Cyndi, tell me the truth. Would you be happier if I'd died?"

Her eyes widened. "Of course not!"

"Then I don't get it. Because Ashley is grateful to Geoff for helping Eli. But you're angry with him for helping me."

She crossed her arms and looked away. "I'm angry with him for hurting you."

Layne threw up his hands in exasperation. "How did he hurt me, Cyndi?"

"It's his fault you were ever in danger. You never should have gotten mixed up with whatever was happening between him and that woman."

Layne sighed. "That was her doing, not his. He wanted to protect me. Protect all of us."

"Well, he failed!" She looked at him. "The night she took you away, we all woke up to you screaming. I came into the kitchen right as she was dragging you out the window. I thought...I was worried you wouldn't be coming back. And then when you did, I had to watch you waste away. And then when you shut yourself in the closet and begged me to take the girls and leave before you hurt us..."

Layne looked away. "Not my proudest moment."

"And then to find out that it was all because that woman wanted you as bait for a trap."

"Cyndi--"

"He should have just gone with her!"

He slammed his fist down on his desk, making her jump. "Don't you ever dare say that again. Unless you'd tell a woman to go back to an abusive husband, don't you even think it where I can hear you." He took a second to calm himself. "Just so you know, he was going to leave Orlando to draw her away from us. Kathy and Eli and I made him stay. We were willing to risk it. I was willing to risk it."

Silence hung between them, and he was the first to break it. "I wish none of that had happened. But it did, Cyndi. And now...now we have to make the best of it. You're scared. So am I. I'm scared of losing you and the girls. I'm scared that Geoff and Kathy and I might end up in a laboratory somewhere. There might be other vampires out there that could want to hurt us. I think about how I could get angry and lose control of myself and hurt someone I love." He closed his eyes as his voice thickened and he swallowed to steady it. "I need you, Cyndi. I need you to keep me grounded. To remind me of what I have. That I'm still who I was before all this."

"Layne..."

"And when you start spewing hate at Geoff...it doesn't just hurt because he's my friend. It hurts because I'm like him, and I'm waiting for you to turn that hate on me. And I...I can take a lot, Cyndi. But not that."

His eyes were still closed, but he heard her coming around behind him. Her arms went around his neck and she leaned her head on his. "Layne, I'm sorry." He could hear the sorrow in her words and mind. "I love you, baby. And I could never, ever say those words to you."

He didn't move to return the hug. "Then stop saying them at all. And lay off Geoff."

"I will. I promise."

"And you'll apologize to him. And to Tony for slapping him."

"I will." He heard her swallow. "And you--you'll come home?"

He closed his eyes and nodded. "I'll come home."

"Tonight?"

"Tonight." He chuckled. "I'm getting tired of sleeping in hotel beds anyway."

She kissed the side of his head and he leaned backwards into the hug. He knew they'd still be tiptoeing around each other for a while, but at least the wounds had finally begun to close.

***

Kathy brought William home from school and helped him with his homework while Geoff cooked dinner. He knew she could tell something had happened, but she didn't say anything in front of William.

After dinner Geoff spent some time with his son while Kathy worked on a video, then they went through the usual bedtime routine. Once William was in bed for the night they sat on the couch, and without thinking Geoff stretched out on his side and rested his head in her lap. She gently pet his head while he lay with his eyes closed, and after a few minutes of silence she asked him "Did something happen today?"

He sighed deeply. "Earl came by. His cancer's back. He wanted me to heal him."

She tensed up. "How...how did he find out?"

"Ashley and Eli. He said he overheard them talking." He told her about the encounter.

Her voice was very soft when she spoke next. "I'm sorry, Geoff."

He was silent for a bit as he stared off into space. "I fought in World War One. For France."

Her voice carried surprise at the subject change. "You did? What was that like?"

"It was misery. Sheer unadulterated misery. The movies, the books, nothing does it justice. My name then was Geoffrey Castile, and I was down in the trenches. I got shot in the leg once. I told anyone who asked that it was just a flesh wound, and there were bigger things for everyone to worry about." He leaned into her. "I was still in France when World War Two was about to break out. I left and came to America. Fortunately I was from one of the 'desirable' countries, so it was easier for me than it was for a lot of others." He paused. "I made it out just in time. Paris fell to Germany five days after I arrived in New York."

Kathy rested her hand on his head. "I'm glad you made it."

He rolled over to where he could look up at her. "Sometimes I wonder if I could have done something. If I should have stayed and joined the Resistance. But I was afraid. Hitler...he reminded me of Ir'sia. The...the sheer relentlessness. The complete disregard of anyone and anything that stood between them and what they wanted. The lengths that they would go to..." He sighed. "I didn't want the Nazis to get their hands on me. Just imagine what they would have done if they had found out what I was and how to make more."

Her eyes went wide as she realized. "My God."

Geoff nodded. "Maybe it was the coward's way out. But then, maybe I did the right thing."

"You did what you thought was best." She gently pet his face. "You protected yourself. No one would blame you for that."

He gave her a grateful smile, then his face grew serious. "And now...the secret's getting out, Kath. I can't exactly run away to protect myself this time. And..."

"And?"

"Ever since Earl left, I've been wondering...I've given the blood to you, to Layne and Eli. Did I have the right to deny Earl? Do I have the right to deny it to anyone?"

Kathy smiled sympathetically at him. "You've heard the saying 'my body, my choice'?"

"Of course."

"I think that applies here, too. It's your blood. You have the right to give it to anyone you want. Or not to give it." Her hand went through his hair again. "And you don't have to justify it to anyone. Not even me."

He smiled up at her and closed his eyes again. Feeling her hand gently petting his hair soothed him, and he finally felt himself relaxing. "I wish I'd found you a long time ago."

"I'm glad we've found each other now," she said quietly. After a bit she asked "You could have gone anywhere. Why did you choose Orlando?"

"I was looking at a map and it seemed like as good a place to start as any," he said. "And when I got here, I just decided to stay." He opened his eyes and looked at her. "It has its good points."

She caressed his cheek, and he kissed her palm. They remained where they were for a while longer, then Kathy said "We should probably get to bed. It's getting late."

He nodded. "Good idea." He slowly sat up, and Kathy got up and headed for the bedroom. He started to follow her, but then paused and considered for a few seconds before pulling his phone out of his pocket and texting Earl. If all else fails, let me know. He put the phone back in his pocket and started up the stairs after Kathy, but stopped when his phone dinged halfway up. He pulled his phone out again to check.

Earl had replied to his text. Thank you.

Geoff smiled a little and texted back You're welcome. He put his phone back in his pocket before going to join Kathy in the bedroom.

***

Cesar parked in front of Geoff's house. He wasn't sure how he had managed to get there without crashing his car, but he had, in spite of the flashing spots in his vision. His legs shook underneath him as he made his way up the sidewalk. He almost rang the doorbell, but decided to call out instead. Geoff, it's Cesar. I'm at your house. Can I come in?

A couple of minutes later a pajama-clad Geoff answered the door. "Cesar?" He blinked when he saw Cesar's face. "What the--"

"I've been trying to stay awake," Cesar said. He could hear the trembling in his voice. "I...I'm going crazy. I don't want to see him die. I don't..."

"Whoa, whoa, slow down. Come in." Geoff pulled him inside and shut the door behind them. "When's the last time you slept?"

"Night before last. I've been taking those five-hour energy shots and drinking energy drinks--"

Geoff's eyes widened. "How many of those have you had?"

"I don't know. At least a box of the shots?"

"A box?" Geoff took his arm and guided him to the living room. "When did you start taking them?"

He let Geoff sit him down on the couch. "Last night after rehearsals. I'd take one every time I started to feel sleepy..."

"No wonder your heart's beating so fast. And with energy drinks..." Geoff walked away and came back with a large glass of water. "Drink all of this. Your blood's probably turning into syrup."

Cesar took the glass and drank it, not realizing how thirsty he was until the water hit his mouth. "Thank you." He set the empty glass down on the coffee table.

"You're welcome. Now, tell me the problem."

The pause to drink had helped calm him, and he was able to form his thoughts. "I don't want to go to sleep. I don't want to see him die," Cesar whispered. Tears came to his eyes and fell down his cheeks. "I'm scared. I think it'd kill me to see that..."

Geoff sat down and pulled him into a hug. "It'll kill you to keep going like this."

"Help me. Please." Cesar knew he sounded pathetic. "I can't take this anymore..."

"Cesar. Calm down. You'll be fine. You're just overloaded." He put a hand on the back of Cesar's head and gently pushed until it was resting on Geoff's shoulder. "We've got to get your heartbeat slowed down before your heart gives out. Take deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth." Cesar did his best to comply. "There you go. Just keep breathing slowly."

"I'm sorry."

"Shh. Just breathe. I've got you." Geoff began to rub his back in a comforting motion. "I'm not going anywhere."

Cesar kept breathing in long, slow breaths. Geoff was quiet for a long time, and then the purr started. Cesar tried to relax into it, but for the first time his body refused to let go.

"Go to sleep," Geoff whispered. Cesar could barely hear it over the purr. "I'll be right here."

He didn't know if he could sleep, but Geoff kept purring and rubbing his back. Eventually Cesar felt his body calming down, and it wasn't long before he was drifting off.

***

Geoff sighed and stopped purring as he heard Cesar's breathing even out. He shifted a bit and laid his head back. I can't take much more of this either. Between what was going on with Eli and Cesar and what had happened with Earl he was emotionally exhausted.

He shifted again, rested his head against Cesar's, and closed his eyes. Even in sleep the younger man was clinging tightly to him, and Geoff gave him a small squeeze. Well, hopefully at least this would be over soon. Cesar would be able to relax and get back to his usual cheerful self. And I might have some closure, even if I don't have answers.

Geoff was nearly asleep when he felt Cesar's mind latch onto his. And before he realized what was happening, he was looking at himself as he had been eleven centuries ago.

Notes:

I don't know anything about why Earl left VoicePlay or about his current state of health. Remember that this is called fanfiction for a reason.

Chapter 6

Geoff quickly tried to pull back from Cesar's mind but it refused to let him go. Cesar. Wake up. He tried to shake the younger man, but he couldn't move his body from where it lay on its side on the dirt floor of the cabin--

No. Not his body. Not Cesar's either.

It was Nahuel's.

Pain throbbed in his very soul--in Nahuel's soul. He didn't want to move. His stomach was twisted into painful knots, but he couldn't bring himself to eat....Yet Geoff was still conscious of his own body, of Cesar in his arms and Cesar's fingers painfully digging into him...but there was nothing of Cesar's mind to be found. Only Nahuel...

He heard his own voice in Nahuel's language. "Nahuel. You must eat."

"I am not hungry."

His voice--Sik'thir's voice--was gentle but firm. "You have not eaten in days. You will starve if this goes on."

"I do not care." Nahuel was silent as his eyes searched Sik'thir's face. "Sik'thir...I need to ask you something..."

"Go on."

"Before, you said you often wished for death..."

Sik'thir hung his head, and Geoff felt shame as he remembered..."Yes," Sik'thir finally said. "Very much so in the early times..."

"Have you tried to end it?"

"Several times." Sik'thir sighed deeply as he and Geoff both remembered. Sik'thir had tried everything he could think of. He'd hung himself by the neck, impaled himself on a spear, thrown himself from a high cliff, tried to burn in his own funeral pyre, and had driven a spear through his neck. He'd even tried to drown himself in the sea but had washed up on shore. All of his attempts had brought him nothing but varying levels of agony, and eventually he had resigned himself to living.

"Can anything kill us?" Nahuel asked.

"As far as I have found, the only thing that can kill a blood drinker is another blood drinker."

Geoff felt as if he'd been kicked in the stomach. I'm sorry, Nahuel. I shouldn't have said that...

The beginning of an idea began to form in Nahuel's mind as Sik'thir went on. "Sit up, Nahuel. Eat. You need your strength."

Nahuel sat up and drank the broth that Sik'thir had boiled for them. He glanced around the small cabin, and the darkness within him was so strong it seemed to dim his vision. He desperately wanted it to end...He looked at Sik'thir and saw the obvious worry in his face. He tried to smile for Sik'thir, but failed. Once the meal was over Sik'thir held him, but Nahuel couldn't take any comfort from it.

Time passed. Nahuel forced himself to get up and move for Sik'thir's sake, if nothing else. Every step felt as if he was walking through thick mud. His entire being felt as if he was carrying a heavy burden, and soon all he could think of was that he just wanted rest. He just wanted peace...but the only peace he could see was the release of death.

And Sik'thir had said that the only thing that could kill a blood drinker was another blood drinker.

Nahuel tried not to think about it, but the exhaustion grew stronger and his thoughts kept returning to what Sik'thir had said...and then one day as they gathered food from the forest he could no longer keep his silence. "Sik'thir."

"Yes?"

"I need you to kill me."

Geoff felt the jolt of shock and panic he'd felt back then as Sik'thir turned and looked at Nahuel with wide eyes. "What?"

Nahuel began to cry as knelt in front of Sik'thir. "Please...I beg you. I can not bear this anymore..."

"No." The panic in Sik'thir's face and voice was obvious. He knelt on the ground next to Nahuel and held him. "No, I can not. I will not."

Geoff's breath came harder as Nahuel continued to plead. "I can not keep going like this."

"Yes, you can. You are stronger than this, Nahuel! Let me help you." Nahuel was silent, and it was Sik'thir's turn to plead. "Tell me what you need. Tell me what I can do to help you!"

Geoff was crying by now, and even in sleep Cesar's fingernails were pressed into his skin hard enough that Geoff could smell his own blood. He desperately tried to pull away from Cesar's mind, or Nahuel's, but it held him in an iron grip.

Nahuel shook his head. "I do not know..."

"Let me try. Please, Nahuel..."

Nahuel was silent, but nodded. Sik'thir pressed his forehead to Nahuel's in relief and stroked his hair. "It will get better, Nahuel. You must stay strong."

Nahuel badly wanted to believe that, but as time passed it only got worse. Not even a moon had passed before Nahuel was crying at Sik'thir's feet again. "Please..."

"Do not make me do this." Sik'thir was crying as well now. "It will pass. I swear to you, Nahuel. It will pass."

"My strength is gone, Sik'thir. Give me death as you gave me life."

Geoff saw his own stricken face through Nahuel's eyes and remembered the guilt that had sliced through him at those words. He'd thought about how he should have never settled near Nahuel's village. He should have left Nahuel to his life. He'd made Nahuel a blood drinker out of his own selfishness, his inability to face being alone again...Nahuel was in pain because of him...

He couldn't let Nahuel suffer anymore...

Sik'thir knelt so that he and Nahuel were eye to eye and held his arms out. "If you want it, I will."

Nahuel embraced Sik'thir and closed his eyes. He felt Sik'thir take a breath, and then the elder's teeth pierced the skin on his throat. Relief and gratitude filled his heart as Sik'thir slowly drank. His heart beat faster, but his body weakened and he began to feel cold. Still he did not stop Sik'thir.

Geoff felt the scream building in his chest and throat. He'd drank slowly, giving Nahuel every possible chance to change his mind...

Nahuel felt himself falling asleep, but before he did he leaned in and whispered into his companion's ear.

"Thank you, Sik'thir."

Nahuel slid into sleep.

Surprise cut through the pain in Geoff's mind. He'd been too blinded by his own grief to hear Nahuel's thanks then. He'd watched the dream expecting Nahuel to feel fear or anger at the end...but he'd died at peace...then why...

He wasn't prepared to the scene to change.

Cesar walked into PattyCake Productions with Adriana. He hadn't been entirely sure what to expect when Layne had invited him to collaborate on a VoicePlay video, but Adriana and Omar had reassured him that he'd like them.

And it was Cesar's memory now, Geoff knew it...but the mind hadn't changed.

It was still Nahuel's mind. He could feel it.

He'd watched a few of their music videos, and to his surprise the bass singer, Geoff, seemed familiar. Cesar didn't put much thought into it; he'd probably seen him in other videos or in passing at other events. The performing community in Orlando had its circles, but those circles often overlapped.

They found Tony first, then Layne and Eli. They stood around chatting until Geoff and Kathy arrived. Layne brought the two of them over to meet Cesar. Kathy gave him a friendly smile, but Geoff backed off and almost ran away from him.

Kathy apologized, and she and Layne went to look for Geoff. Cesar couldn't help but feel rattled. He was used to white people being uneasy because of his brown skin, but what he'd seen in Geoff's face hadn't been racial distaste but pure terror. He wondered what could have made Geoff react like that.

Kathy and Layne brought Geoff back. He made an apology and the group limped through work until a lunch break was called. Geoff walked away, and Cesar followed. Geoff was sitting in front of a mirror in the dressing area when Cesar found him, and Cesar spent several seconds looking at the sorrow on the older man's face and feeling a strong desire to comfort him.

Geoff looked up as Cesar walked over and sat down. His eyes widened a little as Cesar put a hand on his arm. "Hey...have I done something to offend you? If I did--"

"No," Geoff said. "You've done nothing. It's just that...you bear a strong resemblance to a friend I lost."

That made sense. "Oh. I see...If I can ask...what happened to them?"

Geoff closed his eyes. "Suicide."

A pang of grief went through Cesar. He'd lost loved ones to that; he knew that pain. Without thinking he hugged Geoff tightly. "I'm sorry. I know how much that hurts. I know we've just met, but if you want to talk..."

Geoff's face softened a little as Cesar pulled back, but he shook his head. "Thank you...but I think I need to be alone for a few minutes."

"Sure. See you after lunch." Cesar squeezed his hand as he got up. No wonder Geoff had reacted so violently, he thought. He'd felt that sudden panic when he saw someone who looked like a loved one that had passed. Well, he'd try to stay out of Geoff's way for a while...

They finished the video. Layne offered him a permanent place in VoicePlay, and Cesar accepted. He was a little worried about how Geoff would react, but as they spent more time around each other Geoff's unease melted away. Soon it was as if he'd known Geoff his entire life...

The images snapped away from Geoff and he came crashing back into reality. He blinked and looked around to orient himself. It was still night by the looks of things. He and Cesar were still on the couch, and Cesar was still in his lap. Geoff listened for Cesar's heartbeat, and to his relief it had slowed down a bit. Cesar's grip on him had finally loosened, and his face was calm.

Geoff adjusted a little to where he was comfortable and held Cesar close to him. He rested his head against Cesar's as he tried to sort through his thoughts. His chest felt tight and his eyes stung with unfallen tears.

He didn't understand what had happened...

He didn't know how much time had passed before he heard Kathy's voice. "You know, some wives would be jealous if they found their husband cuddling someone else like that."

He looked over to where Kathy, in her bathrobe, was coming into the living room. "Good thing you're not some wives then." His tongue felt thick.

She frowned as she saw his face, then walked over to the couch and sat down next to him. "Is everything okay?"

He closed his eyes and sighed as she pressed up against him. "It's better. I thought his heart was going to stop when he got here. He had an entire box of energy shots and who knows what else. He didn't want to sleep."

"I can guess why." She fell quiet.

He finally spoke. "Did you see his dream?"

She shook her head. "No."

"I did. I got him to sleep, and then his mind just...pulled me in. I saw what happened to Nahuel, through his own eyes. I saw...I saw his death."

Her voice was very gentle. "Was it...did it happen like you thought it would?"

He shook his head. "He died at peace. He...he thanked me for killing him." He took a breath. "And then it went right into Cesar's memory of when we met. But it was still Nahuel's mind. I...I don't understand, Kath. If he died at peace, then why all this? Why not just leave Cesar alone? What...what does he want?"

Kathy was silent for a while. She finally rested her head on his shoulder. "You're talking like they're two separate people. Like Nahuel has possessed Cesar somehow. I don't think that's it. From what you just said, I think that Cesar is Nahuel. Nahuel reborn in spirit, not just in body."

Geoff frowned in thought as she went on. "I've heard stories of people remembering past lives. I've always thought they were dreaming, or lying for attention. Maybe they're not. Maybe we do live again and again. Who knows? Maybe someday science will figure it out. But the important thing here is that you have your answers. You know you didn't do anything wrong. You fulfilled his last wish. And now you can let him go."

He took a sharp breath at that, and she patted his arm. "You can still remember him and honor his memory. But you need to let go of the guilt. You've carried it for how many centuries now? It's time to put it down. There's no reason to hang onto it." Her hand rubbed his arm comfortingly. "Maybe whatever's left of Nahuel in Cesar wanted to let you know that."

He sighed. "I hope I can put it down."

"You will. And I'll be here to help you." She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Come to bed, Geoff. I'll get a pillow and blanket for Cesar."

"All right." They arranged Cesar on the couch and tucked him in. Geoff ran his hand over Cesar's face one more time before he followed Kathy to their bedroom. He got under the blankets and sighed as he rested his head against his pillow.

She smiled at him as their eyes met. "Better?"

He nodded. "Much better."

She kissed him. "Good night, Geoff. Love you."

"Sweet dreams, Kath. Love you too."

She nestled up against him and was soon asleep. Geoff lay awake for a while longer making sure everything was peaceful in the house, but eventually joined her in sleep.

***

It was barely light outside when Layne woke up. He was laying on his back with Cyndi snuggled up next to him, her head on his shoulder. A smile came to his face as he reached up to pet her hair. This was the first time they had cuddled up in months, and he'd missed it.

After a few peaceful minutes he heard quick little footsteps in the hallway. They passed the bedroom door and went toward the kitchen. Doris, he guessed, up for an early-morning snack. He closed his eyes. He was warm and comfortable, and Doris was more than old enough to get a snack on her own.

He'd left PattyCake with Cyndi and Doris the night before, and when they'd gotten home the older girls had hugged him and said they were glad he was back. Takeout had been ordered and a movie picked out, and the evening had passed like so many others had. Doris had fallen asleep in his lap and he'd carried her to bed. She'd woken up long enough to smile at him as he'd tucked her in. "I love you Daddy."

He'd almost melted. "Love you too, sweetheart."

"Don't leave us ever again, okay?"

"I won't."

"Promise?"

"I promise." He'd sat with her as she'd gone to sleep and hoped he could keep that promise.

He didn't realize he'd fallen asleep again until he was awakened by a resounding crash from the kitchen. Cyndi jerked awake, startled. "What was that?"

"I think I know." He got up and headed to the kitchen, where a despondent-looking Doris held a large spoon as she stood over an upside-down mixing bowl that, from the looks of it, had once contained pancake batter. The batter was splashed onto the floor and over her pajamas, and Layne could even see little drops of it on her face. Cyndi came up and gave a little "Oh!" at the sight.

Layne kept his voice even. "Doris? You okay?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry. I wanted to surprise everyone with pancakes."

He couldn't help but smile. "Well, since I'm up, I'll help you make them."

Her face lit up. "Really?"

"Sure. But let's clean up first."

"Okay." Doris took a big step to get out of the batter, and Cyndi helped her clean up while Layne started on the mess on the floor. Once Doris was clean she helped Layne finish cleaning up the spilled batter, and then she and Layne made breakfast while Cyndi got the older girls up.

Doris looked up at him as he fried eggs. "Are you going to PattyCake today?"

"Yeah, there's a new video to start on."

"Can I come?"

He smiled wryly. "You've got school, baby."

"No I don't. It's Saturday."

Layne blinked. "Saturday? Is it really?"

"Yeah." Doris giggled at his confusion. "So can I come?"

"You know what? Sure. And maybe we'll go see your Uncle Eli after work." His heart warmed to see the grin come over Doris' face.

It wasn't long before the other girls came down, all of them excited and talking over each other about their plans for the day. The table was quickly set and breakfast was served. Layne watched his family as they talked and ate, and at one point his eyes met Cyndi's and she gave him a warm smile. He smiled back, glad that things were settling back down again.

***

The smell of food cooking woke Cesar up. He blinked in confusion as he looked around and wondered how the hell he'd wound up in Geoff's living room. It wasn't long before he remembered, and his cheeks heated up a little as he sat up.

Geoff's teasing voice caught his attention. "Hello there, Sleeping Beauty." Cesar turned to look at him. His hair was tied back and he was wearing an apron over his clothes. "It's about time you woke up. Kath and I were starting to worry."

Cesar rubbed his eyes. "What time is it?"

"About eight-thirty." He sat next to Cesar and his voice grew serious. "How much do you remember about last night?"

"Enough to know I made a fool out of myself." He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Geoff."

"Forget it. Do you remember your dream?"

Cesar slowly nodded. "Yeah." He frowned. "I...it wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be."

Geoff nodded. "Surprised me too."

"You watched?"

"Couldn't help it. Your mind wouldn't let me go. Don't ask me how that happened. I don't know." Geoff frowned in concern. "How are you feeling?"

Cesar considered. "Better. Like, my mind is clearer than it's been in days." He studied Geoff's face. "...Is it over?"

"I think so."

Cesar thought for a minute, then shook his head. "I don't get it." Geoff waited, and he went on. "I mean...I was expecting something horrible. I was scared Nahuel would take me over or something...I thought I'd be forced to fight you..."

"So did I."

"But...I saw everything, and...nothing's happening. I don't get it. Everything's...fine. So what was the point? What was all that about?"

Geoff sighed. "Kath thinks that you were actually Nahuel in a past life, and you were just remembering."

Cesar blinked. "But when I was speaking his language..."

A smile softened Geoff's face. "Well, if you remembered his life, why not his language? It was our main language for centuries. How often have you slipped into Spanish when you're tired or upset?"

It made sense, but... "So all that worrying..."

"For nothing."

Cesar stared, then hugged Geoff tight. Geoff returned the embrace and rested his head against Cesar's before saying "Don't you ever drink energy shots by the box ever again. I thought your heart was going to give out on you."

"I won't." Cesar grinned. "Saw some new colors, though."

Geoff shook his head, but his hand patted Cesar's back affectionately. They sat there for a couple of minutes before Kathy cleared her throat. "If I keep finding you two cuddled up like that, I'm going to get suspicious."

Cesar pulled back. "Hi, Kathy."

"Hi. Cesar. Are you going to be joining us for breakfast?"

He nodded. "Sure." He was suddenly aware of just how hungry he was.

"We're going to see Eli afterwards," Geoff said. "Do you want to come along?"

Cesar nodded again. "I'll just need to call Omar and see what's planned for today." And probably apologize for the day before.

"All right. Go ahead and call him." Geoff patted his arm before following Kathy into the kitchen.

Cesar found his phone in his pocket and called Omar. To his relief Omar didn't sound too angry. "Hey Cesar. Feeling better?"

"Yeah. I am." The two of them talked for a few minutes and made plans to meet up after visiting Eli. Once the call was done Cesar leaned back on the couch for a moment and closed his eyes. "Kath thinks that you were actually Nahuel in a past life..." A wry smile came to his lips. All that panic, all that fighting...and it was just memories. He wondered if it would have ever come back to him if he'd never met Geoff.

"Hey Cesar!" Geoff called. "We're waiting on you!"

"Coming!" The smile was still on his face as he joined Geoff and his family for breakfast.

***

Eli was sitting about halfway upright when Geoff, Kathy, William, and Cesar entered the hospital room. There were still bandages wrapped around his head and a tired look on his face, but he smiled when he saw them. "Hey guys."

They all greeted Eli, and Geoff stepped up to get a good look at his face. "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good, considering." He reached out, and Geoff took his hand. "Getting tired of being in here, though."

Ashley smiled. "They say Eli will get to go home soon, though. Maybe even tomorrow."

"That's great," Kathy said. "Has Ashley shown you the messages coming in on Instagram and Patreon?"

"No," Eli said. "I'll have to check them later." A pause. "The doctors came in earlier and had me moving my arms and legs and wiggling my fingers and toes around. No one can believe how fast I'm healing." He glanced at the open door with a frown. "Can someone shut that door?" Kathy shut it, and then Eli looked at Geoff. "Everyone here knows?"

Geoff nodded. "Yeah."

Eli took Geoff's hand in both of his. "Thank you."

Geoff swallowed back a sudden lump in his throat. "No problem." He squeezed Eli's hand.

"And...don't take this wrong...thank you for not changing me. I mean, I'm glad you saved me, but--"

"I get it," Geoff reassured him. "I know what you're trying to say." He remembered what he'd told Earl about how he should be glad that he'd be in eternity with Nick, and all the sadness he'd felt knowing that Kathy and William and his friends would die and leave him behind. Yes, he understood what Eli meant.

Eli smiled at him, relieved. Ashley looked at Kathy. "The police came to see Eli earlier."

"What did they want?" Kathy asked.

"They asked him about what happened, and showed him a picture and asked him if it was the guy who shot him."

Eli sighed. "I said it was, but I only saw the guy for a second. I hope I didn't just put some innocent man behind bars."

"They wouldn't have asked unless they were almost certain," Kathy said. I wouldn't worry about it."

Ashley nodded. "That's what I said too."

Geoff nodded, remembering the image Eli's mind had broadcasted. "Just focus on healing up the rest of the way."

Eli smiled. "I'm actually starting to look forward to getting back to work. I'm getting bored already."

Geoff grinned at him. "Well, when you're ready just let us know." Without thinking he went on. "I might have a project I'll need some help on too."

Eli looked at him, curious. "Oh?"

He nodded as Kathy took his hand. "Yeah. It'll be a while, though. I just started arranging it."

"What is it?"

Well, he couldn't backtrack now. "An old song. One from my clan."

Eli's eyes widened, and he could feel Cesar's eyes on him as well. "That'll be interesting," Eli said. "Of course I'll help. Just let me know when you're ready."

"I'll help too, if you need it," Cesar said.

Geoff felt the smile on his face. "Thanks guys." They stayed and chatted with Eli for a little while longer before leaving to let him rest. Cesar hugged Geoff, Kathy, and William in the parking lot before leaving to meet up with Omar. Geoff felt an odd sense of relief as he watched Cesar get in his car and drive off.

"Looks like things are settling down," Kathy said.

"Everything back to normal," Geoff agreed as Kathy unlocked the van and helped William inside. And he couldn't say how grateful he was for that.

***

Cesar usually blasted the radio when he was driving, but now he left it off. He thought over everything as he drove to meet Omar and EJ.

He wondered if he'd have more dreams of Nahuel's memories. Well, if he did, now he knew there was nothing to be afraid of. He was glad that Nahuel had finally found peace at the end, for Geoff's sake as much as Nahuel's. From what Cesar had seen Nahuel's death was still a raw wound in Geoff's soul, and maybe now that wound could heal.

Eli's words came back to him. "Thank you for not changing me." Cesar had been surprised at that, but now he thought he understood. He'd only been thinking about the pros of living forever, not the cons. He'd thought before that Geoff couldn't have been miserable his entire life, but now he wondered if Geoff had been miserable more often than he'd been happy...

And besides...Nahuel had come back and found Sik'thir again. Maybe he'd come back again before he'd been born as Cesar. Maybe if Cesar died, he'd come back and find his loved ones again. And if people came back again and again, then death became irrelevant, didn't it? Death was just a pause. A chance to rest before jumping back into life again. Maybe in death you remembered everything. Maybe you were given a choice of whether to be born again or not.

Who knew? Maybe being dead was as interesting and wonderful as being alive.

Cesar grinned to himself. Well, he'd find out eventually, wouldn't he? He'd enjoy his life as much as he could until that happened, and help his friends and family enjoy theirs as he always did.

He turned the radio on to his favorite station. A song he liked was playing, and he sang along to it as he drove.

***

Sergeant Angela Rodriguez sighed to herself as sat at her desk at the Orlando Police station and flipped through a special file she'd created for the acapella group VoicePlay. In it was all the information she had on the Castellucci and Stein kidnappings and the Jacobson shooting. All of her police instincts were telling her that there was something going on with the group, although she had no proof of anything.

She'd watched Castellucci when she'd takeb him back to the prison. His body language had told her that he knew more about what had happened at that prison than he was admitting. She'd seen his eyes scanning the cell bay as if he were looking for something. They'd rested on a particular cell and on a particular spot on the floor as if he'd been remembering. His face had shown terror, as if he was expecting to be attacked. Rodriguez had to ask herself what the man was afraid of. She hadn't bothered to talk to Stein; he would protect Castellucci. She'd leave them alone until she had something concrete to go on.

Unfortunately it didn't look like she ever would. A couple of the skeletons from the prison had been identified through dental records, but she had the feeling that the rest would never be. The Orlando police had limited resources, and the prison case was already being shuffled to the back burners. It would probably be dropped into the cold case files, forgotten unless some true-crime television show decided to feature it.

She'd gone to see Jacobson that morning and he'd identified the man who had shot him. Her colleagues had gone to re-arrest the shooter, a man in his early twenties whose biggest crimes until now had been breaking and entering and small-time burglary. He'd be facing third-degree attempted murder charges, but a good lawyer could keep him off of death row.

Then there was Jacobson himself. No one healed from a shot to the head that quickly; from what she understood, he shouldn't even be alive at all now. Something was up there, not criminal, but at least weird. She'd be keeping an eye on him as well...

Rodriguez sighed and closed her file. She had things to do, she couldn't focus solely on VoicePlay. But if anything else happened with that group, she was going to get to the bottom of it.

***

One month later

Geoff could smell the coffee and pastries as soon as he and Kathy walked into PattyCake. J was home on leave again, and they were going to try to get the work done that they hadn't been able to do last time. He hoped things went well, with no crazy surprises this time.

When they got to the staging area, Tony was setting up the cameras while Eli sat in a folding chair holding a laptop, calling to Cesar who stood on a scaffolding hanging lights. "Move that one to the left!" Cesar moved the light, and Eli gave an exasperated sigh. "My left!"

"Sorry!" Cesar moved the light. He caught sight of them and waved. "Hey Geoff! Hey Kathy!"

"Hey Cesar," Geoff said as Kathy waved back.

Eli turned around in his chair. The scars from the shooting were now a bright white, shining out from the rest of his scalp but easily coverable with makeup. So far he didn't seem to be suffering any lasting ill effects from either the wound or the blood, which Geoff was grateful for. "Hi guys." He sighed. "Cesar's driving me crazy."

"Hey!" Cesar cried, insulted. "I'm doing my best!"

"Everyone here?" Kathy asked.

"We're waiting on Layne. He's picking J up." Eli turned back to his laptop. "I'm trying to get this set up before they get here so we can jump right in."

Kathy nudged Geoff. "Why don't we get some coffee and a snack before they get here."

He nodded. "Sounds good."

They went to the breakroom and ate, and when they returned to the staging area Layne and J were just walking in. Greetings were exchanged, and Eli looked around. "We're all here. Everyone ready to get started?"

"Not quite," J said with a grin. He looked at Layne. "We've got business to settle."

Layne blinked. "We do?"

"Yeah." J smirked at everyone. "Layne here apparently thinks he can beat me at arm-wrestling."

Layne's confused expression melted into a grin that matched J's. "Yeah, I can. Easy."

"What are you willing to bet?"

Layne's grin widened. "Loser buys lunch for everyone."

"Deal."

Layne chuckled. "All right, everyone. We'll go to my office. My desk is nice and sturdy."

Geoff saw Tony roll his eyes and Cesar grin as everyone followed Layne. Geoff silently called out to the beatboxer. Go easy on him, Layne. You could break his arm if you're not careful.

Don't worry, Layne said back. I don't want to embarass him too much.

Geoff smiled and shook his head. They all crowded into Layne's office and the desk was cleared as the spectators got into position. Layne and J faced each other across the desk and gripped hands. Layne glanced at Kathy. "Okay, Kathy. Start us off."

Kathy already had her phone out and recording. She raised her other hand. "Three...two...one...go!"

Layne and J began to push as everyone else called out encouragement to both sides. Layne let J get him about halfway down a couple of times, playing with him, then easily pushed J's hand back up and over. The rest of them cheered as Layne pinned J's hand down on the desk.

Layne held his hands up in celebration. "I win!"

J rubbed his arm, but he was still grinning. "Yeah, you got me." He looked around. "So, guess I'm buying lunch. What does everyone want?"

"Pizza!" Cesar called out.

"We always have pizza," Layne whined. "Let's get tacos."

"What about chicken?" Tony asked.

Geoff grinned to himself as the rest of them began to argue over what to order for lunch. His clan was intact with everyone alive and well, and he would keep watching over them as he always had. He took Kathy's hand and squeezed it, and she gave him a small, warm smile.

It was a good time to be alive.

Notes:

Not sure if I'll be writing any more about Sik'thir/Geoff's adventures, at least not right away. I hope you enjoyed the story, and see you soon!

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 2 of The Blood Drinker