Louis's Turmoil (Sequel to Louis's Secret Life and Sebastian)
Addie, January, 2000
 

Louis gently carried his sweet Sarah, setting her down on the sumptuous
double bed.  She seemed to disappear amongst the soft rose embroidered quilt
and the lace covered pillows.  Her little face screwed up momentarily as she
stirred slightly, but Louis bent down and crooned to her, humming the French
lullaby that had become theirs.

"Are you sure she can stay for a while Lestat?" Louis questioned as he
settled in the large wicker chair beside the bed.

"She is very sweet isn't she Louis?  Kind of reminds me of someone."  Lestat
replied.

Louis looked at his maker with sorrowful and almost frightened eyes.  "We
won't make the same mistake again, will we?"

Lestat's eyes seemed to mist over for a second or two, staring off into the
distance, or was it into the past?  He let out a long sigh and looked back
at Louis, who was still staring at him with those deep evergreen eyes.

"No Louis.  Neither of us will make that mistake again." he said, then moved
towards the bed.  He sat on the other side to Louis and both of them watched
the little girl sleeping peacefully.

"We will have to get a nanny of course.  We can't expect her to stay up with
us all night." Louis mused.  Lestat just nodded.  He was so grateful to have
his precious fledgling back that he would do anything he wanted, and that
included letting another child come into their lives.

*****************************************************************
Sebastian awoke from his stupor to find himself seriously restrained and in
the company of Marius.

"No more lies Sebastian.  No more deceit.  No more hurting other coven
members.  Do you understand?" Marius was glaring at him, then alternately
pacing up and down.

Sebastian did not answer him.  The look of anger in Marius's eyes was enough
to make him mute and to shiver in fear.

"Well are you going to answer me?" Marius shouted.

Sebastian just nodded dumbly, the trembling becoming worse.

"Where did this darkness inside of you come from Sebastian?  Your Grand sire
is a brat, thoughtless sometimes, downright stupid at others, but he has a
heart of liquid gold.   And as for Louis....... Well you know how he is
Sebastian.  You know why you fell in love with him in the first place,
before you knew what he was."

Sebastian finally found his voice, and a tiny stutter of confirmation spewed
out of his shaking lips.

"What are we going to do with you?" Marius murmured, almost under his
breath, then turned off the light and left Sebastian to his musings.
 

Sometime during the early hours of the morning...........

Sebastian had been left alone, chained to the bed in the darkness.  He
supposed so that he could contemplate the havoc he had caused.  Trying to
sleep before the dawn, he had taken to counting the spots on the wall paper.
  It wasn't working, his mind was still full of his confused thoughts.

He heard a soft shuffle beside the bed, and peering into the darkness saw
two black orbs staring at him.

"What are you doing here?" Sebastian questioned the dark haired vampire who
was leaning over him.

"You blew it didn't you Sebastian.  I should not have sent a child to do a
man's errand."

"I tried, I really did.  But that dammed Lestat had to catch me. I thought
he was going to kill me again when he drained my blood."

"Perhaps he should have." the dark eyed vampire replied.

"Give me another chance Pierre, I will seduce Louis.  I know that deep down
he still loves me.  That incredibly vain maker of his will hurt him again.
It's inevitable."

"Oui Sebastian, Lestat always manages to hurt everyone around him at some
time or another." Pierre agreed.

"He must have hurt you very badly Pierre, to want to take revenge like
this."

"Oh Sebastian, you don't know the half of it."
 
 

Louis:-

It was early evening and Louis was sitting cross-legged on the floor, Sarah
facing him, and together they were playing a very vocal game of cards.

"Snap!" Sarah cried out with glee, clapping her small hands together and
laughing happily.

"You are too fast for me little one." Louis smiled at her.

"Oh Uncle Louis, I do love you so." Sarah said to him, as she leant over and
gave him a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

"I love you too little one, but I am afraid it's your bed-time.  Come on mon
amour, I will read you your favourite story about Angelina the Ballerina.
Perhaps you will be a beautiful ballerina like her one day."

Sarah leapt up and spun around the room, arms out wide, her golden hair
cascading and flowing about her lithe body "Look at me Uncle Louis.  Look at
me."

Lestat was watching this gleeful duo from his computer desk where he was
checking with his stock broker in London for the latest on his burgeoning
share holdings.  He smiled to himself, and remembered another little golden
haired child dancing around the room.  It was such a long time ago.  But
this one will grow into a beautiful young woman, he thought.  He was proud
of his fledgling.  Around Sarah he was the most caring and compassionate
person.  He always fed well before he held her in his arms.  But Lestat was
also sure that even if Louis were starving, he would not harm a hair on her
little head.

Sarah ran over and gave Lestat a goodnight kiss.  She was always a little
hesitant around him, almost afraid.   She did not quite understand why.  He
was kind like Uncle Louis, certainly as good looking as him, but there was
something about him that unsettled her.

Lestat was also a little hesitant, and did not return the kiss, he just
smiled and bade her goodnight.

Sweeping her up in his arms Louis carried her up the stairs to the bedroom.
Lestat was just about to log off from the computer when he heard a knock at
the door.

Funny, he thought to himself, he had not heard anyone approaching.

A very worried Marius was standing on the doorstep, and Lestat ushered him
inside quickly.

"It's Sebastian isn't it Marius?" Lestat said to him, taken slightly aback
by Marius's obvious agitation.

**********************************************************************

Sebastian

"Where are you taking me?" Sebastian cried out as Pierre smashed the
handcuffs open with a hammer he had conveniently hanging on his belt.

"Away from the pompous Roman, and where we can discuss our next move.  Come
on, lets get your out of here."

Sebastian found himself being carried out through the window and into the
cold night air.  Pierre was very strong, but also a little unhinged, and
Sebastian was sorry that he had befriended him.

Sebastian thought to himself that Marius would be furious and he knew that
he would head straight for Lestat and advise him of his escape.  In a way he
would rather have stayed with the "pompous Roman" as Pierre called him, he
was after all a kindly and understanding teacher.

Sebastian looked down as Pierre descended into a dark courtyard, that led
into even darker chambers on either side.

"Welcome to my home Sebastian.  You can stay here with me now."

Sebastian eyed Pierre as he fussed about the apartment, closing the
curtains, straightening a chair, tidying some papers on his desk.  Then he
spied the violin in the corner of the room.

"Do you play?" Sebastian asked him, merely trying to break the silence with
some inane conversation.

Pierre stopped with his fussing and looked over at the violin, his
expression changing rapidly from deadpan to anger, then back to deadpan
again.  "Not any more." he snarled.

Sebastian was about to ask him 'why not?' but chose discretion.  He also
tried to probe his mind briefly, to try and understand him a little more,
but as usual it was shut up tight.  He wondered if Pierre could read his.

"Oh yes, very easily Sebastian.  You really must learn to control that
fault." Pierre said to him.

Sebastian coughed and tried in vain to stop the embarrassed flush from
creeping up from his neck to his ears.

"You are strong Sebastian.  Your strength comes from Lestat not from that
weakling Louis.  I just do not know what Lestat sees in him."

*I do!* Sebastian thought, and quickly wished that he had not.

"Ha!  You really do love that insipid green-eyed piece of shit, don't you
Sebastian.  He's stolen your dark heart."

"Why do you hate him so much Pierre? What did he ever do to you?"

"Oh my dark-hearted one.  It's not the weakling that I hate, its his
uncaring and hateful maker that I want to hurt."

"Are you going to tell me why you hate him so much, or do I have to keep
guessing?" Sebastian said to him, trying to stay calm.  Pierre seemed very
agitated now, talking about Lestat.  He was balling his hands into fists and
slamming them over and over again against his thighs.

"Well perhaps I should begin by telling you that in a vampiric sense, I am
your Uncle."
 

Louis came back down the stairs after reading to his little angel for over
an hour.  He looked happy and content, and had a warm smile playing across
his serene face.  He stopped abruptly at the bottom of the stairs when he
saw Marius deep in conversation with Lestat.

Immediately he knew something was wrong from the serious expressions on both
of their faces. He moved into the room slowly,  listening to what they were
saying.

"He just disappeared.  The chains holding him to the bed were smashed.  He
must have had help Lestat."

"Merde!" swore Lestat.  "How the hell did you let this happen Marius?
Didn't you hear anything?"

"I was out of the house Lestat.  I assumed he was safely incarcerated.."

"Have you seen him in the company of another vampire Marius?  Have any of
the others seen him with another vampire?  Do you think it could be Armand
who's helping him or......"  Lestat stopped in mid sentence when he saw
Louis standing there silently taking it all in.

"You think it's me don't you Lestat." Louis announced, with an indignant
expression on his face.  "You think I have helped him to escape don't you?"

Lestat jumped up quickly and grabbed Louis by the shoulders.  "No Louis, of
course not, I don't think it was you.  But someone has helped him.  Do you
know of anyone Louis who might have befriended him?"

Louis's eyebrows knotted slightly as he tried to think if Sebastian had
mentioned anyone.   He brought his hand to his forehead and rubbed it
lightly, as though the physical effort would coax it out of his head.
After a minute of two of frustrating silence he remembered.

"When I was drinking from him Lestat, there seemed to be a fleeting memory
of someone.  He was gaunt, but good looking none-the-less.  He had brown
eyes and hair, a slim body.  I think his name was Pedro, or maybe it was
something like Pierre."

"Pierre!" Lestat exclaimed shocked

"Was he a vampire Louis?"

"I.....I think so.......he was white, his eyes had a haunted eerie look
about them..........I didn't think much of it at the time.  My thoughts were
elsewhere Lestat.  Why?  Do you know of this vampire?"

"I thought he was dead Louis.  He must have thought I was too for a long
time.  Merde!  If it is Pierre, Louis, Sebastian is in bad company."

**********************************************************************
Pierre:-

"Let me tell you my tale Sebastian.  It is a long and sorry one."

"It was about 150 years ago, give or take a decade.  I never really took too
much notice of dates and things.  All I wanted to do was to play the violin.
  I played on the streets and in the little dingy cafe's where my only
payment would be a meal and a drink.  I lived on the streets sometimes,
guarding my violin with my life.

Then I met Lestat. Or rather he met me, dragging me from my bed  of rags one
night to take my life.  The swoon Sebastian, you know what it is like to
have Lestat drink from you.  I would have been happy to die then and there
as my life had hit rock bottom.  All my money was gone and I was starving.

Just when I thought I was leaving this earth he dropped me to the ground and
stared at me.  He kept saying a name over and over again.  'Nicki, Nicki,
Nicki."

Of course I thought he was slightly mad and tried to flee from him.  I had
not even managed to stand up when he was holding me tightly in his arms.
"Play for me musician." he whispered, and leant down and brought the violin
up to my chin.

I played for him for hours.  All the tunes I knew, then started over again
from the beginning of my repertoire. All the while he was weeping, or
laughing, or cursing.  His mood seemed to swing from euphoria to the depths
of despair.

When I finally fell down to the ground from sheer exhaustion, not caring
whether he was still going to take my life or not, he thrust a great deal of
money into my hands.  I watched him, my whole body shaking with fatigue as
he disappeared out of the alley into the early dawn's light.

The money was enough for me to find simple lodgings and feed myself for a
week.  I thought I had seen the last of this strange, yellow haired demon,
but he came back demanding that I play for him again.  This time he didn't
disappear, but stayed with me all night, then fell into a dead faint when
morning came.  I protected him.   He was my saviour.

The next evening he made me play for him again, then we talked about music
and art and life, before he gave me more money.    He told me that he was
falling in love with me.  But I knew it was just the music he loved.  He
told me about his Nicki.  There was so much sorrow there, so I pretended
sometimes to be him.  I was beginning to fall fatally in love with him.

He began to come around more often, sometimes he was agitated when he came,
complaining about Louis, and Claudia.  About how they hated him.  Then one
night he didn't come.  I never saw him for weeks.   I searched for him night
and day, but he had gone.

One evening I saw Louis, walking silently through the dark streets.  He was
uncomfortable with his surroundings, constantly looking about him.  When I
approached him he seemed startled.  He told me that Lestat had gone away; he
was never coming back.  I tried to push him further, I needed to know where
he had gone,  I needed to receive some communication from him.  But all
Louis did was push money into my trembling hands.
 

Not long after that I heard a banging at my door and a hideous creature was
standing there. At first I didn't recognise him.  His skin was scared
deeply, and he was so gaunt I could not understand how he was still
standing.  I was terrified and  I slammed the door shut, but he just broke
through it like it was kindling.  It was him of course, horribly disfigured,
and he grabbed me with his bleeding hands and sunk his teeth into my neck.
 

This time I thought I was going to die for sure.  He drank and drank until
the room had disappeared and all of my sins flashed through my mind.  My
body was no longer mine, it now belonged to this creature who was devouring
me.  Then the nectar, the sweet strong taste of his blood came coursing
through my body.

That's when I became the same as you, Sebastian.  A fledgling vampire.  I
still thought he loved me, that he made me into one of them because he loved
me.  But I soon realised different.

He just wanted me to help him defeat them.  The weakling and the abomination
of a little girl vampire.  He dragged me through the streets, my body still
dying and he forced me to enter their apartment with him.

It was horrid Sebastian.  Louis and Claudia were strong, stronger than I was
as a new fledgling and stronger than Lestat was after being in the swamp for
so long.  They beat us down.  The abomination beat me over and over with a
fire poker until I could no longer see.  The pain was so intense, there were
flames everywhere, I was choking and screaming, and the abomination of a
child vampire kept hitting me, harder and harder.  I could hear Lestat
screaming as well, growling and snarling like a wild animal.

I passed out from the pain and the smoke, but for a second I came to as I
felt my body being flung out through the window, hitting the ground outside
with a sickening thud. When I awoke I was lying in the gutter in some back
alleyway, and I never saw Lestat again until he rose from the ground to
become "The Vampire Lestat" Rock star.  He just deserted me Sebastian, left
me to fend for myself, discarded me like a piece of filth.

You know, I never played the violin again.  I carry it around with me as a
reminder of how he used me.  I was horribly burned and disfigured, but
somehow I managed to survive.  I was a monster, ugly and full of hatred and
self loathing.

I thought he was dead, burned up in the fire that Louis had started. I did
not learn differently until I read the his story.

That's why I hate Lestat, Sebastian.  He left me to die in some dank
alleyway and took off across the other side of the world in search of them.
They are still together, are they not.  His green eyed weakling, fawning
about  the feet of the ever magnificent Vampire Lestat.

How can he love that weakling so much Sebastian.  I like my vampires strong
like you.  That's why if you want Louis, I will move heaven and earth to
help you have him.  No matter what it takes.  I want to see Lestat lonely
and miserable like I have been always."

Sebastian had stared at Pierre the whole time, engrossed in his pitiful
tale.  "Yes I want Louis back Pierre."

"So be it!"
 

Marius began to pace up and down, head bowed, arms behind his back.  He was
muttering under his breath.  Lestat was sitting on the couch trying to
contact some of the other coven members on their telephones.  He used the
phone a lot more often now, he said trying to reach them via their minds was
so exhausting and sometimes the messages got confused.

Lestat managed to reach David who agreed to return from Maharet's for a few
days to help.  Armand and Daniel were across the other side of the world
having a holiday in Australia.  They sounded like they were having so much
fun that Lestat did not push the matter.  Armand did offer to come if
Sebastian could not be found soon.  He did not sound too enthusiastic
though.

Louis sat quietly watching them both.  If someone else was manipulating
Sebastian, then perhaps he wasn't all bad.  Perhaps there was hope for him
after all.  Louis certainly hoped so.   He arose and walked silently over to
the window.  It was a perfect evening.  Balmy.   A light breeze wafted the
perfume of the hibiscus and frangipani in through the window.  The garden
was beautiful, especially at night, as they had recently installed garden
lights that lit up the little grottos and flower beds.

He could hear frogs croaking and crickets calling out for their mates.  The
full moon sent its beams through the leaves of the tree that hung in
mournful salute over the garden seat.  Louis found himself drifting outside,
strolling nonchalantly along the cobbled path, past the statue of the little
boy having a pee in the garden, and sat on the seat listening to the water
rippling and twinkling from the  fountain.  So peaceful.  He shut his eyes,
let his head loll backwards as he felt the breeze blowing his hair back
gently off his face.

Suddenly he was being shaken almost violently from his reverie.

"What the hell do you think you are doing Louis?  You should not be out here
by yourself."  Lestat was pulling him up from the garden seat and glaring at
him.  Lestat's eyes held the reflections of Louis wide startled ones.

"It's peaceful out here Lestat.  I was just breathing in the fresh air."

"It could be dangerous Louis, what if Sebastian is lurking around somewhere?
   He could try and kidnap you.  For god's sake Louis, haven't you any
brains?"  Lestat was angry with him.  He had turned around to talk to Marius
after he finally hung up the phone only to find him gone.

Dragging Louis inside he continue to berate him.  "I will have to come with
you when you feed Louis.  I can't let you out of my sight."

"Don't be ridiculous, I can look after myself."

"Merde!  Is your memory so short Louis?  You are not going out alone until
Sebastian and his cohort have been found.  Do you understand me?"  Lestat
was almost shouting, and Louis put his hands to his ears in mock pain.

"All right, all right.  I understand you.  You don't have to shout."

Louis was pushed unceremoniously down on the couch, and Lestat sat close to
him, holding his hand.

"What are you going to do Lestat?  Hold my hand for the next six months?"

Lestat smiled at his fledgling.  "If I have to Louis." and he squeezed his
hand tightly.

Marius put on some music and the three of them tried to relax, but Lestat
was so on edge that he was sitting upright on the couch, jiggling his knees.

"You are driving me crazy."  Louis said to him, putting his hands on
Lestat's knees to try and stop him.

"What was that?" Lestat jumped up.  "I heard a noise."

"I didn't hear anything Lestat." said Louis.

"Neither did I." reiterated Marius.

"Well I did and it was coming from downstairs.  Stay here with Louis,
Marius, I'm going to investigate."

Marius and Louis watched in awe as Lestat exited the room in a millisecond,
his blonde hair billowing out behind him.  If they had not had vampire eyes,
all they would have been aware of was a turbulent breeze.

A couple of seconds later, they both did hear a noise.

"It's coming from the balcony Louis.  I will just check it out." said
Marius, walking silently over to the double French doors.

Louis was beginning to feel a little jittery, his hands were shaking, and he
glanced furtively around him.  Why was he worrying?  Here he was with two of
the most herculean vampires in the world.  He would be safe surely.

He heard a thud then the tinkle of glass.

"Marius are you all right?" Louis cried out  plaintively.

No answer

Louis called again.

"No Louis, Marius is not all right."  said a voice from the shadows.

"Who are you?" Louis asked the voice.

"Your worst nightmare."
 

Pierre walked slowly around a trembling Louis, eyeing him up and down,
sneering as he did so.  He let his hand linger on his shoulder for a second
or two, then brought it up to his face.

Louis flinched and pushed his hand away.

"I remember you." said Louis.

"Really!" replied Pierre.  "I didn't think anyone remembered me?"

"I thought you were dead."

"Oh yes.  Of course.  The last you would have seen of me was lying in a pool
on blood while your apartment burnt to the ground.  You didn't think to try
and save me?"

"I had to get Claudia out, the walls were falling down around us."

"The abomination you mean." Pierre snickered sarcastically.

"How dare you call......"

Pierre silenced Louis with a hard slap to the side of his face, flinging him
across to the other side of the room.

Just as Louis managed to shake his head and look up he saw Sebastian rushing
into the room.

"Lestat is in the basement, I've bolted him in, but he won't be there for
long."

They could all hear a loud banging and splintering of wood as he spoke.

"Sebastian! " Louis cried out to him.  "What are you doing with this
revenant?"

Pierre turned around with a snarl, grabbed Louis, picked him up and threw
him against the wall.  Louis cried out in pain and surprise as the wind was
pushed out of his lungs, and he heard a sharp cracking sound that was his
ribs breaking.

"Leave him be Pierre.  Come on we have to leave.  Lestat is coming, and
where is Marius?"  Sebastian said hastily.

"I'm here!" Marius said, coming in through the French windows, glass in his
hair and a nasty gash on the back of his head.

"And so am I." growled Lestat, flinging himself at Sebastian.

Sebastian found himself on the ground with Lestat pounding into him over and
over.  He was groaning and blood was dribbling from the corner of his mouth.
  Within a couple of seconds Sebastian was a bloody unconscious heap on the
floor.

Marius meanwhile, had come up behind Pierre and was holding him firmly in an
arm-lock.  Louis struggled to his feet and moved towards Sebastian's prone
body.

Lestat moved quickly to Louis, and held him away from him, eyeing the damage
that had been inflicted upon his fledgling.

"Mon amour, are you OK?"  Lestat asked him, an expression of utter horror on
his face.

"Oui!   LOOK OUT LESTAT!" Louis cried suddenly, as Sebastian sprang up
behind them  about to pounce.

Lestat swung around in a flash of arms and teeth and grabbed Sebastian
around the neck.  Louis tried to step in between them.

"Get out of the way Louis." Lestat screamed at him.

"Don't hurt him." Louis screamed back.

Sebastian managed somehow to release himself and raised his arm  ready to
strike, but Lestat was far too quick and brought his fist down with an
almighty thud.  It connected with Louis.

"What the hell happened Lestat?" David said, surveying the damage to their
apartment in horror.  "It looks like the remnants of a world war."

Lestat was systematically slamming his fist into the brick wall.  Blood was
running down his wrists.  Then he began to bang his head as well.

Marius went over to him and tried to placate him.

"We'll find him Lestat.  Come on just calm down.  Destroying the wall and
yourself is not going to help."

"Merde! I hit him so hard Marius.  It was meant for Sebastian." he cried,
then began to bang his head again.

David rushed over and between them they managed to get Lestat to sit down on
the couch.  Blood was running down over his face, and he looked like he had
been painted with a red dye.

"For God's sake, tell me what's happened? Who's been hurt?" David moaned to
them, very worried now.

Marius sat next to Lestat, and taking out a handkerchief began wiping his
face.  "It was an accident David, Lestat never meant to hurt Louis."

"TELL ME!" David shouted.  And they both looked up startled at the normally
reticent and polite vampire standing in front of them with his hands on his
hips.

"Well....." Marius began.  He told David briefly about their intruders, then
about the fisticuffs between Lestat and Sebastian.  "Louis was trying to
break them up when Sebastian tried to hit Lestat really hard.  Lestat was
too fast and brought his hand down with his full force.  Unfortunately Louis
got in the way."

"Oh my God!  Is Louis all right?" David asked him.

"No I don't think so." Marius resumed.  "He fell to the floor with a
sickening thud, and Lestat and Sebastian just stood there and looked at him.
  Lestat fell to his knees and lifted Louis's head, but he had stopped
breathing.  He listened to his chest but his heart had ceased as well."

"Shit!  What happened then?"

Lestat began to wail and grabbed Louis's body to him, cradling him like a
baby.  Sebastian knelt down as well and tried to touch him.
Lestat screamed like a banshee and pushed Sebastian away from him.
Unfortunately I momentarily let go of Pierre, and while Sebastian and Lestat
were glaring at each other, Pierre managed somehow to grab Louis out of
Lestat's hands.  In the ensuing chaos, Pierre took flight out of the doors,
and while Lestat was trying to make chase, Sebastian came up behind him and
hit him hard across the back of the head with the fire poker."

"I then lunged for Sebastian, knocking the fire poker out of his hands, and
grabbed him by his hair.  Lestat was lying at my feet, and I tripped over
him, letting go of Sebastian, who leapt from the balcony."

Marius looked extremely embarrassed telling this woeful tale, and Lestat was
positively seething.

"Why didn't you take off after them?" David questioned them both.

"I tried." answered Marius.  "But as I was about to disappear out of the
door, Lestat woke up, and mistook me for Sebastian"

"How could he do that?" David asked.

"Well you see, Lestat's vision was obscured by all the blood from the cut to
his head, and I think Sebastian and I had the same coloured trousers on.
Well anyway, he pulled my feet out from under me and my head went right
through the glass windows, knocking me out again."

David started to snicker.

"If you think this is funny David, I will throw YOU out the bloody window."
Lestat growled at him.

"I'm sorry, Lestat. I just cannot understand how you could let them take off
with Louis."

"Well they did!" grumbled Lestat.  "And neither Marius or I can pick up
their thoughts.  Its as though they have disappeared off the face of the
earth."
 

Sebastian was panting like a dog when he finally caught up with Pierre and
Louis.

'My God Pierre, they are going to kill us when they catch up with us."

"They won't find us, the walls of my home are lined in lead.  No thoughts
can penetrate.  We will be able to lay low for weeks if need be.  Think of
all the fun you can have with Louis.  Think of all the fun WE can have with
him." Pierre snickered.

"They will catch up with us eventually though." Sebastian said worriedly.

"You will just have to get Louis on your side then won't you Seb,. then
Lestat won't hurt you."

"How is he?  Is he breathing yet?" Sebastian asked, watching Pierre leaning
over Louis's body.

"Doesn't look like it.  That was one hell of a blow Lestat landed him.  I
think his shoulder and neck are broken."

Pierre slammed the heavy lead door shut on his house, effectively blocking
out all the light.  Then he systematically turned on all the lights with his
mind.  It appeared to be quite comfortable.  Perhaps they really would be
all right there for a few weeks.

Sebastian glanced around him and saw that Pierre had all the modern
conveniences.  Comfortable furnishings, albeit a bit garish, a stereo
system, big screen television and two computers.  He wandered through the
rest of the house, checking out the bedrooms, outfitted with luxurious king
sized beds.  There was a complete surveillance system as well, with closed
circuit cameras.

"No-one will be able to penetrate my little fortress Sebastian, if that is
what you are thinking."

"It certainly looks impressive Pierre, but what about food.  You might be
able to go for weeks, but I certainly can't."

"What do you think we brought Louis along for.  His blood is older than
mine, it should sustain you."

Sebastian seemed startled.  "Can I survive on one of our own for that length
of time?"

"You might be able to, I'm not too sure about Louis though.  Especially if
he doesn't wake up for a while."

"Can't I just slip out every now and then to feed, Pierre.  Louis will need
all his blood to heal.  You said I had to get him on my side, it won't
exactly bode well for me if I drain him every night."

"Tough!"  You will not leave this compound, it would be far too dangerous.
Understand?"

Sebastian nodded begrudgingly, then walked over to where Louis had been
unceremoniously dumped.  He felt his forehead, it was freezing cold, then
brought his fingers down to his neck to check for a pulse.  "Still nothing."

Pierre finished checking all the closed circuit cameras to make sure  there
were no unwelcome guests, then picked Louis up slinging him over his
shoulder.

"Careful with him."  Sebastian cried.

"Why?  He's dead after all."

"Where are you taking him?"

"Down to the cellar, I don't want to make him too comfortable."

Sebastian reluctantly followed Pierre down the spiral stairs to the cellar,
Louis's head bumping on the railings all the way down.  He then followed him
into a small, cold, dark room, where Louis was dropped onto the stone floor.

"Grab those chains Seb.."

Sebastian did as he was told, realising that he was as much a prisoner as
Louis.  He tried to be gentle with him, but Pierre became impatient, pushing
him out of the way.  He roughly stripped  off all of Louis's clothes, then
chained him to the bed by his ankles.

"Pierre do you really need to chain him up, he's not going anywhere.?"
Sebastian begged him, holding Louis's limp hand in his own and caressing the
back of it with his fingers.

"We have to break him first.  Scramble his brain.  Abuse his body.
Eventually he will come to love us.  They say that kidnapped victims quite
often fall in love with their captors.  Once he is dependent solely on us
for company and sustenance, he will be under our control. Then we can
unchain him and teach him to be our lap dog.  Oh this is going to be such
fun."
 
 

Lestat and Louis's apartment, the next night............

"I see you finally got here imp." Lestat snarled at Armand who was walking
around the apartment, fingering everything.  The soft texture of the velvet
curtains, the smooth texture of the glossy teak sideboard, the erotic marble
statue of the couple making love.

"Si!  It's quite a trip from Australia.  I can't believe that you have lost
Louis again, brat."

Lestat turned on him, fire in his eyes.  "Enough of the sarcasm you little
pipsqueak.  Are you going to help us or not?"

"What was that you called me, oaf?" he snarled back.

"Stop bickering you two." Marius scolded them, moving over to embrace Armand
first and then Daniel.  "I am glad you are here, thankyou for cutting your
holiday short."

"Your welcome." smiled Armand.

David came out of the other room and welcomed them as well,  bidding them to
make themselves comfortable.

"I'm glad your fledgling has manners, Lestat. He obviously learned them
before he met you."

Armand was up against the wall with Lestat's hand around his neck before he
could blink.  "Do you want me to shove this brass vase up........"

"Lestat, put him down." David yelled.  "We are all here for the same reason,
and that is to rescue Louis.  Now we cannot do it effectively if you two are
fighting like school boys."

"Truce!" Armand choked.

"Truce!" Lestat agreed and put him down.

Daniel looked concerned.  'How long has he been gone?"

"Only a night and a half." Marius answered.  "But we lost all track of them.
  None of our friends or acquaintances have seen them.  There is no talk
around the city.  Can you try for us Armand, please?"

"I have been Marius.  Ever since we arrived in the city.  I cannot detect
even a glimmer."

"We will have to search the hard way then." Lestat mused, "Door to door."

"God Lestat, that could take forever.  How do you know they are even in this
city?" questioned Daniel.

"Well for a start Danny, I could pick them up for about 15 minutes after
they disappeared.  I was actually tracking them from the air, but everything
suddenly went blank.  So that means they are still in the city, gone
underground somewhere, within a 5 mile radius from here.  That cuts the
search area down."

"Yeah to about 50,000 dwellings and buildings Lestat." advised Armand.

"It's Louis we are looking for Armand.  Are you with me or not?"

"Of course I am." he replied.

********************************************************************

Two nights later......

Sebastian sat in the corner of the dungeon, his knees up to his chest,
looking at Louis who had not yet opened his eyes.  Every now and then he
would check him.  He could detect a faint pulse, and his breathing was very
shallow, but there was no other response.  Sebastian was starving, he had
not fed in two days and was beginning to feel very faint.

"Drink from him Sebastian."

Sebastian looked up to see Pierre standing in the doorway, his hands on his
hips, glaring at Louis.  He was livid that he was still unconscious.

"He always was such a weakling."

"Let me go outside Pierre, just for a few minutes so I can find a victim,
please."

"NO!  I already told you that it is too dangerous.  Drink from him
Sebastian, you are starving. I'm going upstairs.  Don't be a fool , take his
blood." And with that Pierre clomped back up the spiral staircase, purposely
making as much noise as he could.

"Yeah, yeah, I know you are pissed off dickhead." Sebastian grumbled to
himself.

Sebastian hung his head , then stood up slowly and walked over to Louis.  He
checked his neck again.  His pulse was a little steadier, maybe one little
drink wouldn't hurt.  He bent down and touched his cheek, it was still icy
cold.  He knelt down beside him and kissed him lightly on the cheek, then
moved his lips around to the vein.  Gently he pierced it and began to take a
small amount from him.  He had never tasted anything so delicious in his
life, it was sweet and strong and fulfilling.  He could feel it warming him
up, renewing his strength.  Then with the greatest amount of willpower he
slipped his fangs out, gasping at the effort.

"I'm sorry Louis." he whispered.

Louis's eyelids flickered for a second, then he heard him murmur, "Lestat."

"Louis, you are awake."

Sebastian looked into his face as he slowly opened his eyes.  They seemed
glazed and were rimmed in red and there was so much pain in them.  Louis let
out a deep groan, his pupils rolled up to the top of his eyes and he shut
them again.

"My poor love.  Sleep again.  I will try not to take any more blood from
you.  You need it all for yourself."

Sebastian swore to himself that he would not drink from him any more, he
loved Louis, and would refuse to hurt him ever again. He stayed in the
dungeon with him until the death sleep gave them both a respite from their
personal terrors.
 

Pierre came down again the next evening, appalled that Sebastian had slept
on the cold floor next to his maker.  He derided him, telling him he was
wasting his time on one such as Louis.

Sebastian watched as he went over to Louis and pulled his hair hard but he
did not flinch.  Sebastian let out of sigh of relief, for he knew that as
soon as Louis was awake Pierre would begin inflicting abuse.

"Stay here with him if you want to Seb, I'm going to watch a video.  Come on
up if it gets lonely down here." he laughed at him, as he slammed the door
shut.

Sebastian was starving, so he stayed as far away from him as possible,
without actually leaving the room.

"Sebastian!"

Sebastian looked up startled, when he heard his name being called weakly.
It was Louis, his eyes were looking at him imploringly.

"Help me please Sebastian."

'Louis!" he cried and went over to him.  "Louis, I'm here."

Louis groaned again and grimaced in pain.  "It hurts so much Sebastian, I
need some blood, please help me."

"I can't Louis, Pierre has taken me prisoner as well.  I can't even give you
my blood, I'm starving myself."

Louis groaned again, and blood tears began to drip slowly down his gaunt
cheeks.  His lips were trembling as he tried to speak again.

"Louis, try not to weep, you cannot afford to lose any more blood."
Sebastian whispered to him, wiping the tears away with his shirt sleeve.  "I
have an idea Louis, please listen to me carefully."

Louis managed to blink his eyes to let Sebastian know that he was listening.

"I am going to try and get out of here so that I can feed.  Then I will come
back and feed you.  Do you understand?"

Louis blinked again.

"And one more thing Louis.  What-ever happens, if Pierre comes back down
here, make out that you are still unconscious, please.  Try very hard.  Can
you do that?"

Louis blinked one more time, then passed out.

*Good* thought Sebastian  *The longer he stays in this state the better.
Now to affect my escape.*

*******************************************************************

"This is fucking useless." Lestat swore.  "No-one in this goddamn city has
seen nor heard anything of them."

"I really think you should try and calm down a bit Lestat.  You are leaving
a trail of destruction behind you." David groaned.

"Nobody gets in my way when I am trying to find Louis, David."

"Yes, but you didn't really have to burn that last shop down.  I am sure
that poor man was telling the truth."

'Yeah, yeah.  I know, I went overboard.  So sue me." he snarled.

David saw Daniel on the corner and called to him to come over.

"Anything Daniel?" David questioned him.

"Sorry Dave.  I just rang Armand on the mobile and he's had no luck either."

"Merde!" Lestat shouted out again, and began hitting his head against the
nearest wall.

Daniel looked at him in shock.  "Does he always do that when things don't go
right David?"

"Just lately he has." David sighed  Then he heard his phone ringing.

"Marius!  Any news?"

"What!  That's a bloody ripper.  Where are you?"

David nodded a couple of times.

"What's going on Marius? WHAT?" screamed Lestat, so loudly that Marius
didn't need a phone to hear him.

"Marius has found Sebastian." said David calmly.
 

Lestat, Daniel and David ran like lightening the few blocks to where Marius
was holding Sebastian.  Sebastian had given up struggling, and was waiting
calmly with his arms twisted hard behind his back.  He was weak, he had not
had a chance to find a meal yet and Marius was holding him upright.

Lestat was livid, Marius could almost see smoke coming out of his ears, and
sparks from his glittering eyes.

"Lestat, don't do anything rash.  We have to find out where Louis is."

David had hold of Lestat's arm, but Lestat just yanked it away.  "Leave me
alone David."  He walked up to Sebastian so that he was only inches away
from his face.

"You little shit.  Tell me where Louis is right now or I will cut your
fingers off one by one, then your arms, then your......."

"He's down the road, in a basement, I will show you where right now Lestat.
Just calm down please.  I never hurt him.  I escaped so that I could help
him.  Please believe me?"  Sebastian's words tumbled out of his mouth at a
hundred miles per second.

Lestat stopped, his mouth agape.

"Good!  Let's go then."

**********************************************************************
 

Pierre found himself asleep on the couch, the video had finished, and black
lines were crackling across the screen.
*Shit that was a boring movie* he thought to himself.

He lowered his legs to the floor, flicked off the television and stood up,
stretching himself out fully.  *I need to have some fun, I wonder if that
weakling is conscious yet?*

Pierre called out to Sebastian a couple of times.  Receiving no response he
walked up the passage to Sebastian's bedroom where he could hear music
wafting from the doorway.  He peeked his nose in.  He didn't want to disturb
Sebastian, as he wanted to have Louis all to himself, so when he saw the
lump in the bed he assumed that Sebastian had given up on Louis and come
upstairs for a comfortable nap.

He began to hum to the music that was playing, and sauntered down to the
basement room where his captive was chained up waiting for him.

"Oh Louis!!  Are you awake yet my lovely?"

No response.

He walked over to the emaciated body lying limply on the bed and yanked  his
hair.

No response.

"Dam!"

He looked at Louis's almost serene face, with his long black eyelashes
resting softly against the paleness of his gaunt cheeks.  He pushed a stray
strand of hair back from his forehead.  He allowed his fingers to linger for
a second or two on Louis's broken and bruised shoulder, then slapped his
face hard.

Still no response.

"Fuck this!" he swore out loud.  He was so sure that Louis would have awoken
by now.  Then another idea flashed into his devious mind.  "Ahahaaaa!! I
know how to waken you my lovely." he whispered into Louis's ear.  And he
raced up to his bedroom, coming back down with a large pillow in his hands.

He ripped the pillow to shreds then picked up one of the feathers that was
now floating softly around the dungeon.

"A little tickling may just do the trick." he crooned to Louis.
"Now I wonder where you are the most ticklish.?

He let the feather splay softly down either cheek, but Louis didn't flinch,
he wafted it over his neck, testing his Adam's apple for any movement.
None!  He let it play around his left nipple, so pink and enticing, and for
a second or two he thought about giving it a little suck.  Still nothing!
Then he brought it further down Louis's chest so that it was running lightly
under his ribs, then down to the delicate skin at his side.

He wriggled!

He continued his ministrations, flicking the feather up and down his sides,
flicking it across his chest and tickling the other side, in turn.
Louis was awake.  He could see his chest heaving as he tried to stay calm at
the intensely annoying sensations.  Pierre moved up to Louis's mouth and
began to kiss him hard, biting into his lower lip and drawing blood.  Louis
flinched.

Pierre stuck his tongue forcefully into Louis's mouth and probed deeply,
sucking on his tongue, pushing his lips apart.  Louis gagged at the
sensation.  Pierre opened his eyes to be staring into the green depths of
Louis's.

"I thought that might bring you around."

Louis did not say a word, but his look was withering, filled with anger and
hatred.

"Oh, don't you like me Louis?" Pierre snarled sarcastically at him.

Still Louis did not answer him, he just continued to stare.

Pierre stepped back for a second, as though assessing the situation.  He was
still in control after all.  He pushed Louis back onto the bed and straddled
his body.

Louis struggled, he used all the strength he could muster to push Pierre off
of him, but knew that he was not strong enough to break the chains binding
him to the bed.   Louis sat up, wincing from the pain of his broken
shoulder, and readied himself to fend Pierre off again.

Pierre's eyes were glistening.  "Oh no Louis, you are not going to hurt me
again.  Not like the last time when you and that beastly child beat me with
the poker."

"You were trying to kill us.  I was protecting Claudia." Louis screamed at
him, but Pierre cut him short, pushing his back against the iron bead head,
and knocking the wind out of him.

Louis let out the most pitiful wail he had ever heard.  Pierre stopped,
startled, looking at the pain in Louis's eyes.   He angrily pushed Louis
harder against the bed head and he screamed again, this time his eyes were
open wide, blind and glazed, and his whole body was shaking violently.  Then
a whimper like that of a beaten puppy flowed from his lips.  Louis's eyes
rolled up to the top of his head, and he passed out again.

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