This is an amateur effort and does not intend to infringe on the rights of Anne Rice and her companies.

Spoilers for QotD, MtD and TVA

The warm breeze was something Daniel had never really appreciated before, but now he liked the gentle caress on his skin, it felt like a gentle touch. He was sitting on the stone rail of the terrace, staring over the ocean. An unlikely thing to do for him, the restless, cheerful fledgling, but sometimes even he needed a rest to collect his thoughts. Right now he was only thinking of the face of a certain vampire he hadn't seen for months after their last fight. Armand was staying at the Night Island at the moment, Daniel had made sure of this. He probably was just out hunting or 'walking among mortals', as he called shopping in Miami.

A sudden noise made Daniel flinch. He couldn't sense anybody, which could only mean that Armand had returned. Usually his lover didn't make a noise if he wanted to remain unnoticed, and Daniel prepared himself for facing his angel and personal devil again. When he turned around, what he saw wasn't exactly what he had expected.

Actually it was exactly what he had not expected. A woman. More a girl, to be correct. After his mind had recovered from the initial shock, he began to wonder what this stranger was doing here, in the lair of a vampire. Certainly Armand hadn't begun to get sloppy about security measures, had he? No, he would never allow anybody to prowl the villa by night. So who was this? A servant? No, they only came during the day to tidy up. A burglar? Then she wouldn't wait for his reaction, besides entering the house without being noticed was impossible. A mortal that had caught Armand's attention? Daniel's heart tightened at the thought of this. Had he hurt his maker that badly that he would want to create another fledgling? Armand had vowed that Daniel was the only one...but then he had also vowed that he would never make a vampire, and Daniel was the living (no pun intended) proof that vows could be broken. There was one thing, though, that had him question this theory. He couldn't hear the other's thoughts, and no mortal could shield that good. But if she was a vampire, he should be able to read her. For a moment he wondered if he had somehow made a fledgling without noticing, but immediately pushed the thought away. Sure he would have known something like that, and he was rather certain that he hadn't seen her before. He would have remembered her, she had a startling effect on him.

Looking closer, he noticed details of her appearance. The first that came to mind was black. Her hair, her eyes, even her expression seemed to radiate the color. And her clothes - tight jeans and shirt, and a hooded coat, all black, of course - just underlined the general darkness. With her pale face she looked like a gothic freak, and then again she was as far from that as possible. Again he thought that she had to be a vampire; she surely wasn't mortal, and didn't appear to be a ghost.

'Have you seen enough?' she asked suddenly, smiling at him. Daniel just stared at her, unable to take his eyes from her lips. When she had smiled, he had thought for a moment that he had seen a grinning skull.

'Who are you?' he finally managed to say.

'That depends on your concept of a name,' she answered.

'Well, what do other people call you?'

'I have many names, and all are used.' Daniel sighed. This was going to be difficult.

'Can you tell me some of them? Preferably name and christian name.' The girl seemed to be thinking for a moment.

'I don't think that I have something that suits this.' Suspicion dawned on Daniel that she was either dumb, insane, or wanted to go on his nerves.

'What do you want me to call you?'

'Whatever you prefer.'

'Hell, how shall I know what I prefer when you don't give me a choice!'

'You want a choice?' the irritating effect of her calm voice was enormous. 'Let me see...what do you like best? Hel, Grim Reaper, or Mors?' It took Daniel a few seconds to just stare and wait until his mind told him that he had heard right.

'Are you kidding? You seriously want me to believe you are Death?'

'Yes. You can use that name too if you want.' Daniel burst out laughing. The situation was too weird, even for him.

'Ok, Death, I see. May I ask what drugs you take? The effects are really interesting, to say the least.'

'You don't believe me.' She sounded sad and insulted, and Daniel began to regret his words. Even if she was lying - and he was rather sure of that - he could try to be polite.

'Let's say I'd like to get a proof. You can't expect me to believe that Death is just stopping by.'

'A proof? What do you consider a proof?' Daniel groaned.

'Not that again. Do you perhaps have some sort of ID card?'

'I am Death, the Harvester of Mankind, and you ask me for an identification?'

'Erm...yes.' She shook her head.

'And I wondered why they call you crazy.' Hesitating for a moment, she reached at the inside of her coat and produced a sword with the most unusual blade Daniel had ever seen. It reflected the dim moonlight and seemed to glow in the dark, shining in a cold blue. Somehow it reminded him of the lightsabers in Star Wars. 'Are you content with that? The weapon that parts life from death?'

'No scythe?'

'Too big, this is much handier.'

'This is only a sword, you could just be a Highlander freak.' Raising her brows, she stared at him in surprise and began to laugh.

'People call me by many names, but never has anybody used Highlander Freak. You are quite creative. What can I do to convince you?'Daniel shrugged.

'No idea. Don't you ride a skeleton horse? Seeing that mare would be proof enough, I think.'

'Always these superstitions,' she said. 'Have you ever thought about this? How should the bones be moved without the necessary muscles? And don't you think it would be rather uncomfortable to sit on a bare spine? I do use a horse, but it's a normal one, flesh and blood.'

'Where is it?' She snapped her fingers, and suddenly a horse - black, of course - was standing on the terrace, looking a bit confused. 'How did you do that?'

'Some tricks come with the job. I hope you don't mind him' Daniel was glad that he was sitting, or he would have fallen to the floor now. The situation was bizarre; a girl who claimed to be Death, with some kind of lightsaber, had just let a horse appear in front of him, which was sniffing at Armand's favourite potted plant with a hungry look in his eyes.

'You really mean it, don't you?'

'Of course, why should I lie to you. There is no reason for me to do so.'

'And what do you want from me? Don't tell me that I'm dead, I think I would have noticed.' Daniel got up and tried to chase the horse away from the orchids. 'Move on, horsey, Armand doesn't like it if somebody chews his plants.' Death appeared at his side and fed the horse some sugar lumps before she let it disappear again with a snap of her fingers.

'You haven't died, though you are technically dead. Vampires are kind of difficult.'

'Thanks, that is reassuring. I thought I'd been burned to ashes without realizing. So vampires give you a headache?'

'Yes. My task is it to usher souls to Heaven and Hell when their bodies die and they float freely. But when it comes to your kind, there are...complications. It's a classic case of vita post mortem, to use the technical term. I can never be sure if I should bother to come collect the soul of a victim because there's always the possibility that I just stand somewhere in the shadows watching as I'm sabotaged. You are a perfect example for that.' Daniel raised his brows in surprise.

'Me? Why?'

'Because nobody thought he would actually give you the blood. I lost a bet due to his impulsiveness,' Death said a little reproachfully. 'That hasn't happened since Lazarus, and in that case it was cheating. You can't imagine how foolish I felt when he turned you. At that moment I had my sword at your throat already, metaphorically speaking, and then this indecisive brat just slashes his throat and spoils everything. Such experiences can be rather annoying, to say the least.'

'Sorry that I didn't die,' Daniel said sarcastically. 'If I had known that you had placed a bet I wouldn't have disappointed you.' Death made a dismissive gesture and smiled.

'It was my fault as well, I have to admit that. You were special to him, that was clear. I just didn't think he would break his vow to save you.'

'Neither did I, to be honest. That he would watch me die, yes, but not that he would bring me over. He probably didn't know himself until he allowed me to drink. Later Lestat said that I should consider myself a living wonder'

'It certainly was surprising for everybody,' Death said. 'Especially for those involed, being you, Armand and me of course. You had reached a turning point, one way or another you would have died. It only was that I really expected you to join me, not him. You were practically at my side already, he nearly waited for too long.' She sighed and ran her fingers over the gleaming sword. Daniel's eyes widened when he saw them pass right through the blade.

'How did you do that?' Death looked confused and pulled her hand back, and Daniel saw that she wasn't hurt. Well, it was probably impossible for Death to cut herself with her own weapon.

'You mean my fingers?' He nodded, and she continued. 'As long as I'm in charge and doing my duty nothing can affect me. It's necessary, or I wouldn't survive an hour in my job. Just take today's first date, the guy had been killed on a railway. During the time it took to collect his soul I would have been knocked down by trains twice if it weren't for the fact that matter can't harm me.'

'So you are a spirit?'

'Not really, I'm far more physical. The term that describes me best is antropomorphic personification.' Death moved over to the railing and looked over the ocean. 'What a pretty sight. You certainly have a taste for beauty, though I should have known that already, your choice of companions shows it clearly.' Daniel sighed.

'I wish Armand would be as easy to live with as he is beautiful. The constant fighting is terrible, but there isn't a chance that it will stop.' Death nodded and settled on the railing in a swift motion.

'One could say you have a manic-depressive relationship.'

'That hits the point exactly.'

'I get lots of suicides due to this,' Death mused. 'Of course it might be different with vampires. Daniel stared into her eyes.

'Is that the reason why you are here? What is going to happen with me?'

'Nothing as far as I can say. You should be alright.'

'But what is the reason for you being here?' Death jumped down on the marble floor again and paced the terrace, looking rather nervous. She avoided meeting Daniel's stare and tried to bring as much distance between them as possible without making it too obvious. Finally she sat down on one of the iron chairs in the corner.

'I told you that vampires are special for me. You belong to my realm without losing your life, which makes you stand outside the order of things. It's only natural that I care a lot for you, after all you present a link between this world and mine. And the fact that there are only a few of you left makes you the more precious. For me you are as close to children as it is possible to think of this term in connection with me.' Death waited for Daniel to say something, but he simply beckoned her to continue. Her words made him shiver, though he couldn't really say why.

'Whenever one of you dies, I have to come for you. Nobody knows better than me what it means to lose somebody you love. For you it is a fact that he dies, but I am the fact and experience it far more intense. Only when I collect the soul the person has died, and so I feel as if I myself killed him. It is the finality of my actions that makes them so frightening.' Death sighed and drew her legs up, resting her head on her knees. 'And it is happening again.' Daniel slowly turned his head to face her.

'Are you telling me that one of the coven is...dying tonight?' Death nodded. 'But you can't let that happen, I mean...why...' His voice faded, and he just stared at her, eyes wide with fear.

'There is nothing I can do that doesn't have consequences on what you call reality. Not even I can force history to happen the way I prefer.'

'But then what is the use of telling me? If there can't be anything done to prevent it. Why do you make me know it?' Death shot him a warning glance.

'Would you care about this acquaintance of yours if you didn't know that you will never see him again? I don't think so, that's the problem with you and your kind, humans and vampires! You start whining when you lose somebody forever, but as long as they're alive you make their life a living hell.'

'So you're only telling me to see me suffer? How positively delightful this must be for you, to see me in this state of worrying!' Death stood up so abruptly that she overturned the chair.

'You don't know what you are saying! Do you think I like it to see anybody mourn for a loved person? Do you think so?' Daniel could tell from the angry edge in her voice that his accusations had hit a vulnerable point. Usually he would have pulled back now, but right now he felt like twisting the blade in the wound and cause more pain.

'Why should I believe that this is not the motive for it? You are used to these feelings, hell, you are the cause of them! So don't feed me this crap that you didn't tell me to provoke them because I know that is exactly the reason why you are doing it!'

'Don't you dare talk to me like this!'

'Oh yes, I forgot. If I say anything that offends you you'll kill somebody else to see what I'll do then.'

'Kill? I never kill!'

'You are Death, need another proof?'

'I don't kill, only take care of what happens after.'

'Well, then take care of whoever you want and stop tormenting me with your prophecies!'

'You think it is a prophecy what I'm trying to tell you? Treat me like Cassandra, that's what you do! Ask him if he tries to end his life! Maybe your precious Armand can make you believe what I say!' The sudden silence was oppressing. Daniel looked at Death, who obviously was regretting what she had just said.

'Armand? But that can't be...he would never...liar! You are a liar! He would not kill himself without coming to me first! There is no reason why he should do it!' A glance at Death made him question himself if he believed what he had just said, and he slumped down on the cold marble floor, covering his face in his hands. 'It can't be true-' a sob made it impissible for him to finish.

'I'm sorry.' He was drawn into an embrace, and cried against her shoulder. How could this be true? Why should Armand end his life? The answer was obvious, the only reason could be Daniel, who had just left as so often after a fight. He had killed his lover. His death was his fault. He thought of the youthful face he would never see, the lips he would never kiss. Never again would he touch the soft auburn curls, look into the dark eyes that always seemed to be too large for the face. Armand was lost forever to him, he would only live in his memories. His maker, lover and friend was gone, now he was utterly alone.

I will never forget you, I promise.

He couldn't remember how long he had been crying when Death pulled gently away.

'Dawn is coming,' she said. 'You will have to seek shelter.' Daniel shook his head violently. 'There is no use in you following him. Would he want this?'

'No', he choked. Of course not. Armand would never want me to join him.'

'Exactly.' Death released him. 'He wouldn't want it.'

'But I-' he wanted to say that he couldn't go on without him, that he needed him to survive. But could somebody who saw thousands die every hour understand what it felt to lose a single one.

'You have to see that he wanted it. He chose to do it.'

'Because of me.' Death sighed and took his hand in hers.

'No, you have nothing to do with it.' How kind of her to attempt to comfort him. How ironic.

'What else could there be, if not me? We had a fight, and I drove him away.'

'It wasn't you. He felt ready to leave this world. Five centuries are not easy to endure for anybody; it was the time for him to go on.'

'But why didn't he tell me? Why didn't he say goodbye?' Armand, I would not have left you alone. We would have gone together, united for eternity.

'You have to understand that he had to face this alone. It was his choice, and his destiny.' Death stood and looked down at the cowering Daniel. 'I have to leave, his soul must be collected.' Daniel flinched at the words, he wanted to cry out that she should stop. Feeling the sleep reach for him already, an idea came to his mind, but he couldn't quite grasp it. It kept slipping from his desperate attempts to remember it.

'When-' his voice was raw and sounded thin to him, 'when did it...happen?' Death gave him an insecure look, as if she tried to decide whether she should answer his question or not.

'It lies still in the future, though it is close already.'

'But then he can be stopped! He can be saved!' The thought of Armand being still alive and influencable made Daniel see the light again.

'No.' One word that shattered his last hopes.

'But...why not?' Death reached for her sword and rested it in its scabbard.

'You would not understand it, so there is no use in explaining.'

'No use? He dies and you say it is not necessary to tell me why?' The last words were shouted, Daniel jumped to his feet and faced Death again. 'You enjoy this, don't you!' She shook her head.

'Not in the least, it is only my duty to take care that no irregularities occur.'

'What do you mean with this? Stop speaking in riddles!' Death sighed.

'In the order of the world, as you might call it, certain facts are given from the beginning. The revolving of the earth around the sun, gravity, all the phyiscal basics can be counted as such. It is important to keep them balanced, or the whole order would be lost.' She paused, waiting for a possible question, but he beckoned her impatiently to continue. 'Another factor is the number of births, and the amount of deaths. If I spare somebody, it would effect the whole system, like a tug at one point of a giant net.' Again Daniel had the feeling that there was something important in her words, but he couldn't discover it. And the more he tried, the more distant it grew.

'So you are saying that even though it has not happened yet, he can't be stopped?' Death nodded, a finality in her movements.

'It may sound cruel-'

'You can be sure of that!'

'It may sound cruel,' she repeated in a calm voice. 'But the changing of a detail for the sake of one is impossible from a moral point of view. Nobody can justify an action that saves one and damns thousands.'

There it was, the thought that had been hovering in his mind. 'You say that the number of...of deaths is given.' Death nodded again, curious this time. 'But is it already certain who dies?'

'Not really, chance always has a hand in the final event.' Daniel gathered what little ability to think logically was left, trying to suppress fear, sleepiness and grief.

'So it would be possible to replace Armand?'

'There is going to be a dead vampire, that much is certain already.'

Exactly what he had supposed, though he would have preferred another answer.

'If you have to collect an immortal soul,' Daniel paused, closing his eyes and exhaling slowly, 'then take mine.'

'You would give your life for his?' Death looked at him in surprise. 'A noble offer.' Daniel nodded grimly. 'But have you thought of everything?'

'What do you mean?' he asked, nervous and also scared to some extent, though not nearly as much as he had expected. Daniel had been facing death several times already, Louis, Armand, Akasha had been threatening him, but he had never been so close to it as now, and never so calm.

'Armand commits suicide. Would he want you to suffer the result of his actions?' Daniel considered this.

'I don't think he really wishes to end his life, he would have acted otherwise. Telling Marius and me, for example. Giving us a chance to be prepared.' Daniel wondered how he could talk so emotionless of his beloved's death, but didn't spend too much time with it. The less he felt now, the better. 'Something must have scared him so much that he has done it without actually realizing what it would mean. It was a rush action, no more' Death rose her brows.

'Interesting how much can be interpreted into a death. So you really want it?'

'Yes.'

'Are you sure? There will be no way back.'

'Yes.'

'I will never understand you. The mere thought of dying scares you to death, and on the other hand you take it voluntarily. Why?' Daniel looked over the calm sea, leaning against the railing.

'You would not understand. It is a matter of trust, friendship and love. I do it because Armand is the most important person on earth for me, and I would not want to go on without him.'

'But you lose him either way.' Daniel sighed.

'I know, and that makes the decision easier for me. If I give my life for his, he will not die and be able to have the life he should have had all the time. There is no such effect if I only follow him.'

'You really want it?' This was no question, but a mere stating of the obvious. 'Then we have to go, his time is coming.' Death looked at Daniel. 'And yours.' She rose her hand and snipped her fingers.

Daniel suddenly felt as if he was floating in the air. Everything was dark, he could not see where he was. A hand touching his shoulder made him flinch.

'Don't be afraid,' Death whispered into his ear.

The darkness faded, and they were standing in front of a church.

'Where are we?' Daniel asked, shivering. The air was a lot colder than where he had been moments ago.

'New York. In front of St. Patrick's Cathedral. It will happen here.' Daniel looked around and saw a thin woman hammer against the wooden portal with her fists, demanding to be let in.

'What is she doing?' Death followed the direction of his look and shook her head.

'She thinks she has seen a miracle. Do you see the piece of cloth she clutches to her heart? A dirty rag, but she believes it to be the Veil of Veronica.'

'So she is mad?'

'Yes,' Death stated, her voice sounding final. 'And she will never realize that she is making a fool of herself.'

A crowd was forming, laughing at the woman while she screamed to open the door. Her hands were covered with blood from the cuts she had recieved, and it stained the former white cloth, adding crimson to the brown and grey that spotted it. Finally a priest opened the portal, and she fell on her knees, praising God.

'Look,' Death said. Daniel turned his head and saw Armand, followed by Lestat and a third vampire he assumed to be David Talbot. They all ran up the stairs to the woman who was crawling into the church now, kissing the cloth and stammering prayers.

'What are they doing here?'

'You know it very well.'

'He kills himself over the cloth? The woman caused it?' Death nodded. 'But he would never do such a thing! He can't believe that it is really Veronica's Veil!'

'He does not. But he wants to, and that finally causes his actions. His suicide is an attempt to find out whether there is a God, or just a myth.'

'But-'

'Understand, Armand has been struggling for belief all his life, and always it has been taken from him. This time he won't let this happen.' Daniel sighed and watched the scene that was unfolding.

The woman had disappeared into the church, the priest following her, threatening to call the police if she continued her strange behaviour. She had not even noticed his presence. Lestat was staring at the portal that was being closed again, disbelief and puzzlement clearly mirrored on his face. He is involved in this, Daniel thought. What has he done now? David was talking to him, apparently attempting to distract him of the ongoings around him. For a moment Daniel wondered what had been going on that it could leave Lestat completely shaken and drive Armand into Death's arms. Armand.

To Daniel his maker had never seemed so vulnerable, so full of despair. His face was a mask of pain, doubt and darkness. Even his body language expressed his feelings as it had never before. For the first time Daniel could see past the shields of Armand, and what he saw shocked him to the marrow of his bones. This was not the calm, controlled demon he had been so familiar with; all defenses, all masks had been shattered, and what was left was a frightened, hurt boy.

Daniel was staring at him, noticing what was happening but not understanding. He saw Armand step forward, he saw him raise his arms. In the back of his mind he knew that dawn was coming, that he had to seek shelter, but his limbs did not move when he tried to hide from the searing sun that would arrive in a few seconds. Armand was shouting something, Daniel concentrated to understand the words. A cry to Heaven, a plead to God to confirm his belief in him. He felt a hand on his shoulder, holding him back, and noticed that he had wanted to run and drag the frail form away from the steps.

'Not yet,' something whispered, sending shivers down his spine. 'Not yet.'

The world was starting to spin, his knees would not support him any longer. Sinking to the ground, he stared at the crowd of mortals that had gathered to watch this spectacle. They were laughing, thinking that Armand was only another of those obsessed who believed that they would be taken to Heaven with an angel's wings. He loathed them for their foolishness. Can't you see what he is? he wanted to shout out loud. Don't you know that you are driving him to do this? But his thoughts were hidden for them, they would never know, oblivious to the pain they were causing.

Armand was looking to the east now, waiting for the sun, the only being he had ever loved in the centuries of his existence, Daniel realized. This great ball of fire was his mistress, his friend. His death. Somewhere in the background David was dragging Lestat away, who was staring at his nemesis with wide eyes, unable to understand yet what was happening. He would know in time.

The light was touching Armand now, it looked like a lover's caress, hiding Daniel's lover in a deadly embrace. Daniel could feel the heat of the flames, smelled the burned flesh and hair.

'Are you still willing to take his place?' a voice boomed in his head. Dazed from the pillar of fire that was dancing in front of the church, a sharp contrast to the shadows veiling the walls, Daniel nodded.

Remember me. Never forget that I love you. Remember me, Armand.