Mine...Yours Pt. 07

"That is a statue dear." Nancy said.

"Oh...is that also a statue?" Lucretia asked, pointing in another direction.

"No, that is a man painted like metal who is holding still." Nancy said patiently.

I was so happy when the light changed to green and I could keep driving!

Finally made it to the Pearl district and pulled into Will's garage. I wondered how to get Nancy in the house, sure she could have scurried along with us, but that seemed kind of rude. With Lucretia being all jealous, I wondered how to go about carrying her in. Nancy solved the problem by hopping into Lucretia's hood as it hung down her back.

We walked up to the front door and I took a moment to brush Lucretia's hair out of her face, adjust her hoody a little, zip it up a touch more. This was her first time meeting my best friend and for some reason I wanted her to look good. First impressions and all that kind of stuff. Lucretia was smiling at me the entire time.

"What?" I asked, while straightening her hood, making it even on both sides, Nancy looking at me with twitching whiskers as if she knew something I didn't. I swear, women all over, even animal type women. They all know the "I know something and I am not telling you what it is!" look down cold!

"Nothing!" Lucretia smiled at me.

"Tell me, what's up?" I asked again.

Lucretia looked down at her boots before glancing at me shyly. "I like you fussing over me Master."

Oh for heaven's sake! I am turning into such girl. Guys don't care about stuff like that! Yeesh!

I put one hand on top of her head and mussed her hair up! Felt better immediately.

She grimaced and stepped a little behind me to pull her hair straight as I pressed the doorbell. Don't know why I did that, always just walked in before...it just felt right this time.

I heard footsteps and Will opened the door. He was wearing a nice red polo shirt and dark blue jeans with what looked to be square toed loafers.

He smiled as he saw me and opened his mouth to say something when Lucretia gasped in shock.

"Vampyre!"

Will's jaw snapped shut as he rounded on my succubus, then he gasped and then growled.

"Outsider!"

I wanted to say something but Will snagged my coat with one hand and I was flying into his house head first! I hit his carpeted floor and rolled several times before I ended up sideways against the baseboard of a wall. I groaned as I started to rise, I heard Lucretia give a screech of rage as William slammed the front door and hit the lock!

"Will...?" I asked, well...maybe I just said it, didn't ask...Or did I think it? Not sure...head fuzzy. I'm certain I said it out loud...I think.

I guess I was feeling a little loopy from my earlier flight and subsequent crash landing.

"Don't worry Greg, I will protect you." Will said, walking briskly away from the front door.

His eyes were bright, and had settled on a deep red color instead of his usual color-changing pattern. I shook my head and groaned. There was a pounding noise and I thought it was coming from between my ears but it was actually coming from the front door. Will looked in that direction and gave a satisfied grin.

"I built my whole house to be strong enough to prevent any attacks from Outsiders. Not one of them have the strength to breach these walls!" He said to me confidently. I finally got my brain in gear and said the first thing that came to my mind.

"Does that include a Lady Outsider who is bound to me?"

William's grin slipped a little. "A Lady you say...bound to you?" I nodded. Will drew a deep breath and then let it out in a sigh.

"Oh...bugger!" he groaned. Just then the ceiling caved in!

Lucretia came sailing down to the floor amidst a ruin of wood, tar paper and composite shingles, the moment her clawed feet touched the carpet she launched herself right at William! She moved so fast I didn't even see her move.

One moment I saw her falling, the debris hitting around the area where she would be landing, the next she was gone. Where she should have been standing were four deep gouges in the carpet.

Will must have the reflexes of well...something that has really good reflexes! Somehow he dodged Lucretia's attack and as she went by him his eyes seemed to boil a deep red. She tumbled over a couch and then I saw William do something I never thought he would ever do.

He roared!

Calm, reserved William who had a dry wit, and a penchant for good food roared a challenging battle cry that made my legs go weak! An answering shriek came from behind the couch before it sailed through the air at William's face. He made a motion with one hand and what looked like a stream of red liquid shot from his fingers and sliced the couch to ribbons and it fell apart in midair to pepper his body harmlessly.

He snapped his fingers once and the liquid came sailing back to him and floated over his hand looking for all the world like a teardrop.

"Did you say her name again after I told you not to?" Will said to me quietly. His eyes were unnervingly intense, and his skin was as white as bleached bone. His fangs were very pronounced as they stretched his upper lip. His nostrils flared and I saw Lucretia charging him again. At which point I did something stupid.

I know...me? Do something stupid? Shocking huh?

I stepped between them, my hands raised palm out in either direction. I wasn't sure what was going to happen...I just knew I couldn't have my best friend and my roommate do this. I heard a gasp of surprise from Lucretia as her chest slammed into one hand. I heard Will's roar die out as his own attack, not sure what it was, splashed red all over me, it made a sizzling noise and steam rose from it. I felt a weakening on that side of my body, but no real pain. He quickly called the liquid back.

"Greg! Are you all right? I didn't mean to hurt...hurt...you?" I looked down and a translucent blue film seemed to be slowly undulating around my body. I mean, my entire body! I looked down and could see that it was even under the soles of my shoes! I looked over at Lucretia and I could see her looking closely at my eyes again. It made me wonder, when I had hurt her in my sleep last night, had I looked different?

"Lucretia, did he hurt you?" I asked.

"No Master." She responded. I could hear a startled gasp come from William.

I turned to look at him, and my voice came out eerily calm, "Lucretia is mine. Please...don't attack her again."

William dismissed whatever that red glob was in his hand with a shake of his wrist. He peered closely at my face then dropped his head to look at the floor.

"Well...this should be an interesting story. If I am to hear it I bloody well need a drink!" He walked right past me and past Lucretia who was still in her battle form and disappeared down the hall.

My succubus began running long fingered clawed hands all over me as if to reassure herself that I was okay and I was actually there.

"I got so scared when that vampyre grabbed you and took you away from me!" She murmured. Her hands were sliding over my face and around my neck. I beckoned to her with a finger and she leaned in a little closer. I gave her a quick peck on the lips making her blink in surprise.

"Now I have kissed you in all three forms!" I grinned up at her. She smiled, but it was a nervous one as she glanced in the direction William had walked.

"Don't worry he's my friend. It will be fine." I assured her. She appeared unconvinced.

"Is this another one of those misunderstandings?" she asked me. I nodded.

"Then by the Void he better apologize...that chjorzit!" she growled.

"What does that even mean?" I asked.

She opened her mouth to answer, then stopped and appeared to reconsider. Finally, after a couple of false starts she explained it.

"It's something I shouldn't have said...it's very bad." She responded.

"Would you say it to his face?" I asked.

She thought about it. A couple of times she opened her mouth to speak and thought better of it.

"Maybe if I hated him, but no. It might anger him and then he would destroy me." She finally stated.

Will, destroy her? Huh, that told me something about Will then, he wasn't an ordinary...wait. Lucretia called him a Vampyre. That difference in names again. Well, time to get some answers from my friend.

I heard a squeaking noise and went back to the front door. I opened it and Nancy hesitantly came inside.

"Are you all right Gregory?" she asked while surveying the ruin in the room.

"Just fine, come on in and meet my friend." I said. She scampered next to me until she caught up with Lucretia who had changed into her human form. My succubus put Nancy back into her hood and followed me into the main living area of William's home.

He was standing in front of his blood dispenser and was currently mixing a drink that seemed rather heavy on aardvark. He slammed it down and then began mixing another.

"Will...?" I began.

"Wait dear boy..." William said, after he polished off his glass again. He filled it a third time now, seeming to make it heavy on the platypus. He took a careful sniff, made a face at the drink and added a single drop from his hummingbird vial he kept next to the brass taps. Another test sip and he gave a grunt of satisfaction. He set his glass down, and closed his cabinet locking it tight. Then picked up his glass to lean against the wall while watching me closely.

"Well, I believe I am suitably inebriated to hear how my good friend is now MASTER to one of the most deceitful beings in existence!" He took another swallow from his glass, grimaced, and eyed his drink like it had betrayed him somehow.

Lucretia glanced at me nervously and unconsciously her hand found mine. I gave it a light squeeze to reassure her. William noticed this with widened eyes, and shook his head sadly.

"You made a blood compact to boot! Really Greg? When you step into it you don't do things by halves do you dear boy?"

"Maybe if you had explained a way to protect myself I could have avoided all this?" I ventured. I had never seen William like this, normally he was serious or he was funny or...not like this. His eyes stayed red the entire time he watched us.

"What are you drinking Will?"

"Blood, obviously...what were you thinking Gregory?" He indicated Lucretia, not his drink.

"I was thinking of how to save my own ass when Lucretia and Moth..." My voice trailed off as his eyes seemed to boil and his hand clenched tight around the glass he was holding. It shattered and I saw something that almost made me recoil back a step.

The falling blood slowed and stopped, then it reversed its fall to coat his fist. A moment later it seemed to seep in through his pores into his body! What the heck was going on? I engaged my Sight to view my friend to get any idea I could about what he was feeling. I got another surprise...there was no specter...it was all him.

"Do you mean to tell me that Mother came here, to this Plane?" he said softly. I nodded.

His sharp eyes landed on Lucretia and he asked. "This is her daughter?"

Lucretia spoke then, "I am her youngest." William's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"I thought Astar was the youngest?"

"No. I was born shortly after the last time Mother came to this Plane."

William appeared to do some quick math in his head, "How long ago were you born?" he asked suddenly.

"What does that have to do with anything?" I asked. He ignored me and glared at my succubus. She appeared to be thinking, then turned to me.

"A year has four seasons? Spring, summer, fall, and winter?" she asked.

"Yes." I said.

She appeared to think some more and was ticking off numbers quietly on her free hand. William was starting to get more and more agitated. Finally she put him out of his misery.

"I was born 220 years ago by this Planes definition of passing time."

Will let out a huge sigh of relief and slid down to sit on the floor. "Thank all the gods of my forefathers and all the angels that blew their trumpets!"

Lucretia put two and two together and got four. "You thought that you had seeded me?"

William gave a tired smile, "That's one way to state it, but it sounds so...clinical when you put it like that!"

Now I got it, boy my brain is such a slow turtle!

"You got busy...with Mother?" I asked incredulously. He grimaced at that.

"She makes it sound clinical, you make it sound tawdry...like...like I bent her over a basin or something! Is it so hard to believe that I wanted to know the pleasures of a woman? Is that not what you do with a succubus, enjoy their delights?"

I thought about it, and it made sense. From everything I knew a vampire couldn't have sex in the regular way folks do. A succubus, based on the little info I have could...I pushed that picture from my mind! Mother and William doing the naughty wasn't something I wanted in my...Oh! I thought of it again! Blech!

"Isn't that what you have done Gregory? I can imagine that if you had the chance to taste Lucretia's skills that it would help you with your reticence around the fairer sex?" William asked.

I wanted to smack him upside the head for saying that! How dare he make such statements about my Lucretia? She wasn't just some sex object to me! She was my student, my roommate, my friend! I L...!

My heart was pounding as I slowly breathed in. Thank goodness for deep breathing relaxation techniques. They came in so handy, better than aspirin for taking care of headaches and better than a slap in the face to wake you up. William was standing now, and he glanced between the two of us there in front of him.

"There is more going on here than I realize..." he began, and rolled his eyes at me as I gave him a short nod. "Then I think you better tell me the whole story before I...What in the world is that?"

Nancy poked her nose out from behind Lucretia's head and climbed onto her shoulder.

"Really Gregory, I have enough blood in the house. I appreciate the sentiment, but, I have no need for you to bring me a snack." Will said.

"A SNACK?" Nancy huffed in anger. She raced down Lucretia's clothing and skittered across the hardwood floor of William's living room right towards his foot! He blinked in surprised and backed up against his couch. Quickly Nancy scaled the couch and climbed onto the arm of it so she could better chew him out.

"How dare you sir! Gregory had invited me to come here to speak to someone who was a friend to help me in my situation! Then you throw Gregory around, someone who has been nothing but kind to me, and then lock him away from his Lady! Then you fight each other and make horrid accusations about them both! I for one will not stand for it! I would rather be HOMELESS than accept any help from an uncouth lout such as yourself! If you ever had any upbringing I suggest you apologize to my two friends right this instant!"

It took a real force of will, not to laugh!

I wish I had a camera to take a picture of William with an awestruck look on his face getting a stern lecture on etiquette from a...a talking RAT! Oh it was priceless.

William recovered quickly though. He immediately nodded to Nancy and turned his attention back to us. His face was serene, but I knew him. His eyes were flabbergasted!

"Miss Lucretia, I humbly apologize for any discomfort I gave you on arriving here at my home. I can only plead ignorance of all the facts of the situation, and a desire to protect my friend." He gave a small bow, and held it. I gave Lucretia's hand a quick squeeze, she looked to me and I motioned with my eyes in William's direction. She seemed to finally get it.

"I thank you for your apology and I accept. You may rise." I hadn't expected that last part. I gave her a questioning look and she gave me that predatory smile again.

Oh yeah...she's royalty!

I went through the same thing with him apologizing, but I brushed it off. I'm a guy, no need to forgive each other for something like this! Guys just forget about stuff, women...different story. Men forget, never forgive...Women forgive but never forget.

Nancy was tapping her foot while watching William. He crouched down, resting his elbows on his knees to get a better look at his accuser. He smiled at her, showing just a hint of fang.

"Now, Gregory, please introduce me to this charming creature!"

"Of course. This is my good friend William Henry Abernathy the Ninth. William, this..." I was interrupted by Nancy clearing her throat.

"Thank you Gregory, but I would prefer to introduce myself." She said not unkindly. I shrugged and waved her to continue.

Nancy faced my friend and bowed her head once and then raised it up half way. In a soft, but carrying voice she began to speak.

"Mr. Abernathy, my name is Nancy Drew Dickson. I was so named by my former Master Allan Wade Dickson. I ask that you please call me Nancy as those other names have little meaning for me anymore. Other than the rough beginning on our meeting...I am very pleased to make your acquaintance."

William looked even more dumbfounded, yet very gratified at the same time.

"Forgive me...Nancy...I must ask. What has become of your former Master?"

"He cast me aside in favor of a familiar more suited to his needs...I..." Nancy's voice hitched for a moment and a soft squeak come out. She cleared her throat and continued.

"I don't know anything about him now. I haven't spoken to anyone until I met Greg and his Lady."

William rubbed his chin and looked off to the side for a moment. He nodded his head once then held out his hands together, palm up in front of Nancy.

"If you will allow me, I was about to prepare a luncheon, may I have the privilege of your company in the kitchen?"

Nancy's whiskers twitched and then she slowly stepped into his palms and he carried her to the center island in his kitchen. He looked around for a moment and then set a large towel on the counter.

"For your feet." He explained to Nancy. "I am sure a lady such as yourself has clean paws, but my counter is cold and I would like you to be comfortable."

Nancy preened a little at the praise, and Lucretia and I joined them as we set about preparing to cook.

The best way to get to know William is through food, and talking and preparing items to eat in the kitchen is a sure fire way to get him to relax...as long as you don't get in his way. Being what he is I have almost been trampled before when a timer went off and William rushed to get his soufflé' out of the oven in time!

Soon we were seated around the dining table. William seemed to almost be his usual self. It was if he could sense something different about Lucretia, and me for that matter. That being said he seemed very alert, noticing my roommate's movements and mannerisms as she told her side of how we met. We finished up with her starting to draw energy from me in the cab of my truck and how I handled it in turn. The part where we came to his doorstep he already knew of course.

William wasn't going to pass up this chance to try out his cooking on fresh new food tasters! While he was serving food he excused himself when the doorbell rang. The insurance adjuster had come and gone with a shake of his head about how unlucky it was to have a meteorite strike the house. I have no idea how Will had managed to convince the poor fellow of that happening, but he managed it!

"So, what is it you needed me for? I assume it wasn't just the story of how you and your darling succubus came to live together?" William asked while he finished serving us our meal. It was breaded razor clams and poached halibut with a weird sauce that smelled great and looked terrible!

"There are a number of reasons actually..." I told him. "First up, Nancy needs a home. Secondly, I got a bunch of gold that I need to turn into cash, and thirdly...thirdly? Is that even a word?"