Then why, in the midst of all this celebration, did his eyes keep wandering back up to the shadows, to the pillar where the first shot had come from? Even if no one else had noticed, Louie's ears had distinctly heard two shots tonight, not one. He'd known that Zhivado had been aiming at him, and it was only because of the second shooter that his father had died instead. He never got the chance to see who the mysterious shadow was, because it slipped away while Ian and Moira were discussing his future.
===================================================
"Thank Lunaris, the shop is secure," moaned Edmund. He'd managed to slip out of the VonHelson castle relatively unscathed, though the few malevolent vampires that were still about weren't that much of a challenge now that their master was gone. He slid the rifle bag behind a panel in the office, slipping the few precious silver-pointed bullets that he had remaining into their velvet case before walking to the wall safe behind his desk.
After placing the case inside, next to the vials of green or pink fluid (kept in case any of the creatures had gotten too lucky), he locked the safe, then swung the painting back into place. He stood back, admiring almost for the first time the simplicity of the time when he'd first commissioned the painting of himself, back when Ian had first came into his care. The scar on his forehead had been fresh then, and still stung him on certain nights over the many years since he'd rescued the boy. Those early days, when the boy's Hunger had threatened to reduce him to a ravemous monster, and Johnny had been reluctant to expend money to find him a cure, Edmund would offer Ian his own blood, which was only necessary for a couple nights before the robust Gambino finally broke down (Johnny had been more worried about Edmund wasting away than curing Ian, but it had all worked out in the end, hadn't it?).
He walked back out to the front, tucking a pink vial into his pocket, then shut the light off before stepping back outside to lock the store up for the night.
=================================================
The pricking on his neck was all the warning he had, and he reacted quickly. Whipping around, he had his hands up to fight off his assilant, only to blink and look confused.
"Calm down, it's only me," Louie said softly. He kept both hands out, showing that he was clearly unarmed. "I..."
"Gods, boy, don't do that to me!" Edmund gasped, dropping his hands, then rubbed his nose. "I'm not so young anymore, and tonight's been bad enough as it is."
Louie looked down, rubbing the back of his own head. "Y-yeah, I know what you mean. Dad and Zhiv went too far creating all those vampires, and the twins are idiots." He chuckled, and smirked. "You wanna know where we ended up finding them?"
Edmund cocked his head. "I'm not sure I want to know, but go ahead and tell me."
Louie stepped close, hook an arm around Edmund's neck, drawing him close in order to whisper. "Fawning all over Liam in the dungeon. They didn't even notice when we released Gino, though Liam gave us a thumbs-up." He snickered, releaseing Edmund in order to double over, trying not to laugh out loud.
Edmund chuckled at the mental image of Liam sandwiched between the two blonde bimbos, momentarily forgetting how close Louie had been to him just a moment before. The boy was rail thin, but he'd felt tawt muscles beneath the black shirt, bespeaking of much strength.
Once the two finally got over the giggles, Edmund offered Louie his hand. "How about we go and have ourselves a drink, you and me? My treat."
Louie took the hand, shaking it firmly. "Why the sudden generosity?"
Edmund grinned, mimicing Louie's earlier move, hooking an arm about the boy's shoulders. "For making my night, and for being a better man than your father."
Louie blushed a little, but stood tall as they walked to the bar. "Then maybe you can tell me some stories of my brother when he was young. We missed out on a lot of time."
Edmund smiled genuinely, patting Louie fondly on the shoulder. "I'd be honored."
===================================================
~Fin~?
Community Member