Mine...Yours Pt. 02

"I learned much from the debacle of seafood pizza. I have made culinary strides that would put other vampires to shame! Did you know that most deep fried foods, except for..." He flipped open his journal and checked a few notations, "Here it is. Foods not to be consumed that have been deep-fried. Zucchini, cheesecake, any form of pork, or candy bar." He raised his eyes from the page to meet mine. "I believe I saw heaven, though, eating a deep fried Twinkie. That, my friend was glorious."

I chuckled. "You really have been going all out on this haven't you? It's only been three months since you found a combination of blood that let you eat food again." He nodded. "I have been trying all of my old recipes, those I remembered and those I wrote down. 700 years is a long time to remember, and I am finding that things, and tastes will change. Take the pizza, for example. I used to adore seafood. Now I can't stand most of it. Is that a product of my change, or is it simply a matter of time changing my palette? I don't know. I tell you this though..." His voice trailed off as he gazed at the rack of lamb, before putting it in the oven and setting the timer. "I am having so much fun re-learning it all!"

I finally got down to what I needed to discuss. "Will, I am going to toss my clothes in the washer, yes...I brought my own soap. Then I need to have a serious discussion with you." His expression firmed, now serious he said. That will be just fine, the lamb has another few hours to go anyway. Let me get a glass and we can talk."

Meeting together in the living room I took great delight in flopping down onto his love seat. I got it for him, sort of. It was being thrown out from where I work, along with its bigger cousin the couch. I of course grabbed them and looked them over. A few tears and some stains seemed to be the only problems, so with sowing kit and carpet cleaner in hand I got them fixed up. I gave the loveseat to William since he does not seem to like me putting my stocking feet on his furniture. That way I had a seat to crash land/fall into at his house when I came to visit. He likes it because when snobby friends come over they turn up their noses at it in disdain!

"So..." Will began, sitting comfortably in his chair, a full port glass of, well, blood in hand. "Tell me what is on your mind."

"The Gatewatch." I said simply. I watched him carefully for any response or signal. My Sight was in gear, and he appeared calm. His other side, well, it raised it's dark head and was looking directly at me, and chuckled...chuckled? "So your neighbors finally told you who they are? You must have Seen them at some point. I almost told you myself several times. How did it happen, see Hilda sunbathing and she decided to change form to warm her fur out in the sun or something like that?"

Well, at least he isn't surprised and I guess he figured they were safe. "I was invited to their Halloween party and found out last night." He laughed at that. "A Halloween party, really? How appropriate! Did they all change and show you their forms were real and you had to act surprised?"

I sighed, he was making this out like it was no big deal but I guess to him this shouldn't be a big deal. After all, he and I are friends. A little thing like this shouldn't be too big of a deal, at least to his mind. I decided to shake it up a little.

"Nope, found out when a succubus attacked me at the party after she used some kind of hinky juju to make all the people in the party participate in an orgy. Probably feeding on it in some fashion, I don't know." He shot up in his chair trying to swallow his drink while he was spluttering.

"So I attacked the succubus and beat her down, then she...I don't know, dissipated, disintegrated, something like that. Before she left she told me that she was there to kill the Gatewatch, someone had hired her or something. Ah, yeah, a wizard paid her in spells to kill them. She kept saying how her body was too weak and that the wizard had used like a cheap sacrifice. Anyway, that's beside the point. I want to know what the Gatewatch is, what it does, and how it's going to affect me since they live next door."

Will's mouth opened and closed several times, "You...you, Gregory Brooks... You fought a succubus? Even weakened, that... " His voice just trailed off into nothing and he gazed off into space. He also was not answering my question.

"Will, I find it hard to believe that now you are the one who is speaking mono-syllabically. I thought that our power of speech is what separated us from the animals." I tried to make him laugh, but it didn't seem to be working. "Will? Hey Will...William Abernathy!" I shouted. He jerked in his chair, and then his eyes found my face again.

"This shouldn't be possible Gregory. No regular human can fight a succubus, even if it was in its weakest form. Even if the wizard had only used a mouse as a sacrifice, they are that strong! Tell me how it happened." That last was a demand, not a question. I bristled, I don't mind answering questions, or helping someone if they ask. Just don't make it a command, like you're ordering me around. That pisses me off! Probably why I never did well in the BDSM experimentation of my youth.

"First tell me what the Gatewatch is, then I may...or may not tell you about what happened." I replied. His look was questioning, his other form was raging! Guess I am not the only one who doesn't like to be ordered, or given ultimatums. He stood quickly, "This is important Gregory, tell me what happened, now!" I stood as well, "Will, you know how I work, and you know what buttons should not be pressed dealing with me. You are my friend, so I am telling you just this once because you are my friend. Don't hand out orders like you are King Tut! I am not your lackey or your stooge or henchman. You don't order me around! Ask me, give me some respect! Just because you're all out of sorts over this is no reason to forget the proper protocol..." I was interrupted as he said almost frantically.

"Please tell me now...right now, please. I will answer all questions you have if you please right now tell me with a fucking cherry whipped topping if you tell me quick right now, with another please!"

Okay...wow.

"This is really serious isn't it?" I said softly.

"Yes, Tell me now. Please."

So I told him. He asked me how I got into the house, I told him how I had been invited. He asked how people were positioned in the living room, I told him as best as I could remember. He seemed to mull over this a bit, even pulling out a sheet of paper and a pencil to have me map out how people were placed in the living room. I did my best, but I really didn't see much. I was still a little miffed at the time, and there was food to eat so I had gone for that. I tried to remember all the names of the people involved in the orgy; he helped me with that since he knew most of the people who would have gone to the party. Finally he asked about my fight, and I explained the things I had been feeling without getting into my Door, and how I had lashed out at the succubus, catching her by surprise. He shook his head at that.

"Something isn't adding up. Succubae, read emotions constantly, it is similar to your gift of Sight as you call it. She would have seen your bodies desire and acted before you had time to finish your move. They are crafty and vicious, a succubus will never come out the loser in a battle or in contract negotiations." He thought a moment, and then smiled. "Maybe you should have had one as an attorney at your trial!"

"I think the prosecution already had one." I muttered darkly. At least Will was smiling again. He seemed really put off by the whole situation, but now... Maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought. "So am I in the clear? Can I ask my questions now?"

"You can ask your questions, I have a lot to think about, but no...you are not in the clear at all dear boy. Some how, you managed to beat a creature from the Outside, not a demon, and Outsider. Something not of this plane. Now you have learned it's name, and it has a connection to you. Also it swore by one of their people's most powerful totems to "Drain you dry" I think she said. No, you are most certainly not in the clear my friend. What I am curious about though, my friend is how she didn't pick up on your emotions, and how did you block her ability to inspire mind-altering lust in you. Any ideas? This could be handy for people to know in the future."

I shrugged, "I can't be the only guy in existence to be able to use my brain and have an erection at the same time Will. I don't see how it's that complicated. Sure, I felt lust, I also felt scared, angry and a whole bunch of other emotions too." He shook his head at me.

"Seriously Will, just tell me how much trouble am I in. Do I need to put lines of salt at the doors and windows of my house, bathe in holy water, leave spots of my blood at different places around town to throw her off my scent?" I sighed, as if I didn't have enough trouble in my life. Got into an argument with my neighbors and possibly alienated them, and now...THIS!

"Succubae are creatures of lust, and have negotiated contracts with mortals before and in return for sexual favors have granted magical power and gifts. Think of them like an evil genie. Succubae are not evil, per Ce, they are just different. Mainly because they are Outsiders...they just don't think like us. That is why they are so good at negotiations, because they don't think like us; they can find loopholes in any written contract. Even the blood bonding oaths have not been all that successful. I only know of two that actually worked. The others all had the master's die, rather quickly too." He pondered this statement before he said it.

"Strange isn't it. It was always the longer the contract or binding where the mistakes are made. The more words used, the more chances for them to find a loophole. Isn't that true in life as well." He snickered.

"That still doesn't help me any. I need, just tell me about the Gatewatch. Lucre..." I didn't even finish her name before William was across the room with a hand over my mouth!

"Do not speak her name!" He hissed. "She has a link to you, and will find you if you call her name. Do they teach people NOTHING in schools anymore?"

I gulped. Good to know, call her name she comes running, or winging, or however they travel from one place to another.

"So, back to the Gatewatch?" I asked sheepishly. Will nodded. "I personally think they should be the ones telling you this, but from what you shared you had a bit of a misunderstanding on the issues of personal boundaries?" He raised an eyebrow at me.

"You could say that, yes."

"Ah, well...unfortunate. The Gatewatch's main purpose is to stop people from summoning Outsiders. They do it through education, and force. They teach those in the magical community the dangers of these rituals, and also the punishments for doing them. You need three to be a Gatewatch. One with links to death, one with links to life, and one with links to magic. A Vampire, Werewolf, and a witch are perfect for this. A witch is preferable to a wizard or a mage to join the group for a number of reasons. Mages are a like a one-trick pony, their skill level really only fits in one field like, ohhhh... Pyromancy, or kinetics, or telepathy. Wizards are more powerful that witches, having a broad base of spells they can use, but do not play well with others. Also, they have a tendency to want to break the rules. This is just speaking generally. Many wizards are good men and women, just the rule breakers are commonly from this group of people."

I nodded my head and gestured for him to continue.

"There's not much more to tell you Greg. The Gatewatch is called just that for they close the gates, that rituals to summon Outsiders open. It creates a tear in the membrane between the Planes making it easier for less powerful entities to be called or push through on their own into this world. A Lord or Lady can push through on their own, but imagine if any imp or other creature could cross on a whim. It could be catastrophic!"

I grinned at that, "Or it could make life interesting! The police sure as hell wouldn't be after me as much, they would be too busy dealing with other crap."

"Is there anything else you want to know? I admit, I have more than enough to keep me busy for a while, busy...? The lamb!"

William was off like a shot, racing back to the stove. The timer was off, but it must have been on silent or something. The smell of over cooked meat was in the air, not true burning smoke, but the kind of smell that you knew that a chainsaw might have a hard time cutting your dinner. I couldn't help it, the wounded look on Will's face was just too much, and I began to laugh.

Chapter 7: Friends

I went to work after ordering in dinner at William's house. The charred sacrifice of lamb was unceremoniously dumped in the round filing cabinet. We talked of my work, and his work. Oh yeah, I never mentioned it. William does land acquisitions. Whatever that is. I really have no idea. He buys land for other people and makes sure it is...good? Yeah, no idea. We talked about it for over an hour and a half and I still have no clue as to what he does. I must be dumb or something.

Anyway, went to work, and starting driving all through the industrial complex, just enjoying the night. I know I said before that working at night has its downsides, never really got into the good sides though. No harsh sun glare in your eyes, no blistering heat, no annoying people. Yes, I said it. Annoying people. Just quiet, with a little bit of background music from the local 24-hour classical music station. No idea what they were playing, it just sounded good, and peaceful. I think it was Beethoven's, 1 and ¾ concerto symphony. If I offended anyone by writing that I am sorry, sort of. Can't they come up with a good name, and use proper wording so it makes it more memorable? I mean, I like the way the music sounds, but to give it some long name with numbers in it is just silly.

Work was easy, since I had pushed hard last night to get it all done for the Halloween party, wow. It's been less that 24 hours since that all happened. I felt my throat tighten. In less than 24 hours I kicked my three friends out of my home. I kicked them out of my home! I knew my Door was shut tight, but really... No amount of bottling can stop all emotions. I still felt sadness, I still felt regret. Sure they had been pushy, what woman isn't, but under it all I knew they meant well, didn't I? Was it like Will said, and my pride wouldn't let me open up to them, why did I keep on throwing up fronts and walls? Why?

Because I am scared of being hurt again...Duh! Am I easy to figure out, or what?

Okay, so we have isolated the problem, now what? How do I get past this fear? Should I just jump in with both feet, and get it over with? No that will look like I am dumping on them. Then again, I also kicked them out of my house, how do I reconcile that? Man, I hate being out of practice with this social crap. It was better when I was isolated and alone. I didn't have to deal with all this touchy feely stuff.

"You missed a full dumpster back there." A voice said from the passenger seat.

I screamed, in a manly way. I did not sound like a goosed cheerleader. That's the story that I am sticking too, and Jemima, will back me up on that.

Yes, Jemima. She did something that only vamps can do. Appear out of nowhere in a moving truck while I am busy thinking about other things. Rotten, stinking, annoying vampires!

I stopped the truck hard, clanging the hitches of the four dumpsters behind me, and then popped my door stepping out of the truck and pulling my keys with me. She just sat there, looking at me with a little grin on her lips that lit up her eyes. I mean that not literally lit up her eyes...just that, you know, normal light up eyes. That doesn't help. Its that little grin women wear when they know something you don't know or they are as pleased as punch about something and you don't know what it is but it makes them smile and you feel like a doofus. Yes, that was a run-on sentence.

"Hey." I said non-comittaly. "There a reason you just took a year off my life. I just about had a coronary."

"I just came to talk Greg." She said.

"I got a cell phone, could of called." Why am I so short with her? This is a chance for reconciliation!

"You never gave us your number. IF we wanted you we just had to go over and knock on your door."

Well, she had a point. If I remember correctly, they also never asked for my number, again...just walk over and knock.

"Why didn't you come over and knock?" I asked finally.

"You told us to get out and never come back." she said simply. Her smile was gone now. Amazing really, when Jemima smiled, she looked about 23 years old. When her facial muscles were at rest, or in some other expression than smiling, she looked anywhere from 30-50 years old. Maybe it's a thing that women can do. Never really noticed it before.

"Well, you're here. So talk. " Really Greg? How RUDE can you be? She is trying to mend fences and you're being as curt as you always are. Just apologize for being rude and kicking them out. Then explain how you would like to get to know them better but set boundaries so they don't go so fast. It's not that hard!

Jemima grimaced as if she had a bad taste in her mouth, "Greg..." I stopped her.

Actually, Jemima, I'm on the clock." I said. Her mouth firmed into a thin line and it looked like she was going to slap me. Not sure how strong vampires are, but I am sure it would hurt like of a son of a gun!

"So, would you mind walking and talking with me? I really want this job done so I can sleep tomorrow." She appeared to consider that request, then nodded graciously.

"Fair enough."

"Groovy."

"You did not just say that!"

"I'm not the one with a 70's hairstyle. Your hair is so poofy you could probably use it as a crash helmet."

"I will break your teeth and use your tongue as an ashtray!"

"You don't smoke."

"I'll start!"

"It's bad for you! Your teeth will turn yellow!"

"I'll use whitening strips!"

I couldn't help it; I really tried not to, but the image of Jemima with three whitening strips... One across the front of her teeth, and one down each fang wrapped with a little bread twisty to keep them from falling off? Oh Gawd! I laughed! A deep belly laugh, which had me tipped back in may chair looking at the headliner of the work truck. I could see her staring at me, looking like I was a crazy person. Her eyes were changing color rapidly, and her fangs were starting to show. See her fangs brought the image back to my mind and I lost it again. I probably did sound like a lunatic, and my laughter did possibly have a manic quality to it. I blame the fact that, until recently I didn't have much to laugh about.

I wiped the laughter tears from the corners of my eyes, still giving a hiccupping chuckle every now and then. I did something then I have no explanation for, I blame the endorphins released from laughing. I held out my hand to her. Low, by her thigh where she was sitting, palm up. She looked down, cocking her head to the side a little, then her eyes met mine.

"I'm sorry I over-reacted to you all yesterday. I apologize. If I hurt your feelings, then I am even more sorry. Really, I am." I said quietly.

She studied my hand a little more closely; she looked like she was going to make a joke about garbage men and dirty hands. Then her face softened, and she rested her hand in mine. Fingers that could rend 4 x 4 posts closed gently around my thick mitt of a hand. "It's cool Greg, if anyone knows that you don't like snooping people it should have been me. I'm...we're sorry for pushing. Well, me and Gwen are. Hildy still thinks we did the right thing, but I know she's sorry for hurting your feelings."