NEW BLOOD
by Sally Beamand, 1995
datchet@aol.com

This story is set very soon after TOTBT .  David Talbot has moved out of
the house and while he wants to remain good friends with Lestat he insists
that he needs time to adjust to his new life, and wants to find things out
for himself.  Although David promises to return, Lestat is hurt by what he
sees as a rejection by David.  Therefore with David gone the atmosphere in
the house between Lestat and Louis is rather uncomfortable.  And so it
begins...


Act 1 


"Ah blessed darkness"  Lestat thought with a smile as he made his way back
to the house.  He had fed well, the night was still young and he was
feeling restless, in need of some excitement.
He entered the house and found Louis in the front room, seemingly absorbed
in an old black and white movie showing on the television.  He stood in
the doorway for a moment just silently watching Louis.  He felt a tiny
burst of happiness that Louis was there with him, that after all that had
happened Louis had come to stay with him.  Lestat had forgiven Louis for
refusing him the Dark Blood, but the thought of how Marius had turned his
back on him made him almost uncontrollably angry.
Louis tore his gaze away from the screen and looked up at Lestat with a
smile.

"You're back" he said

"Yes I'm back" Lestat said sitting down in a nearby chair with an
exaggerated sigh.  "I'm back and I'm bored.  Everything is so dull
lately".

Louis nearly laughed out aloud

"Haven't you had enough excitement for one decade Lestat ?"He said

This made Lestat bristle with anger for a split second, then he relaxed. 
It was time to tell Louis what had been on his mind for several days.  He
turned in the chair to face him.

"Louis, I've been thinking lately" he said

Louis wanted to get back to his movie, but something in Lestats voice and
face made him turn off the television and give him his full attention. 
When Lestat saw this he continued

"I've been thinking about how David once said that the Talamasca had in
its possession some items belonging to me, and other things like Claudias
diary and some paintings belonging to Marius.  Well I think that the time
has come for me to reclaim what is rightfully mine"

Louis remained silent and he lowered his head so that his face was hidden
and slowly shook his head.

"No" he said quietly

"What do you mean no?"  Lestat questioned irritably  "They are mine and I
want them!"

"No you don't" said Louis rising up from his chair  "You just want to stir
up more trouble.  Haven't you caused enough trouble at Talamasca with this
fiasco over David?"

Lestat stiffened at the mention of David's name.

"How dare you"  he said  "David has nothing to do with this.  You would
have to drag him into it though wouldn't you ?"

Louis felt rather contrite, knowing how sensitive Lestat was about David
and it did seem rather insensitive of  him to throw it in his face like
that.  However at the same time he did not think it wise for Lestat to go
anywhere the Talamasca for a while.

"Lestat, look"  he reached out and put a hand on Lestats shoulder  "all I
mean is..."

"Oh shut up!"  Lestat said his eyes blazing  "Why should you know how I am
feeling ?  Why should you know more than I what I should and shouldn't do
?  All I want is to get back what is mine and I shall!".

With that he wrenched himself free of Louis grasp and walked out.  Louis
stood staring at the doorway with mixed emotions.  If Lestat just wanted
to reclaim his things then fine but he just knew that Lestat had trouble
in mind.  Things had been tense between them since David left and it
seemed like the slightest thing sparked off an argument.  Lestat needed a
diversion, something to take his mind off everything and causing trouble
at Talamasca would be just right for him.  Louis sat back in his chair
with a sigh and refocused on the television screen, trying to force all
thoughts of Lestat out of his mind.  He had long since given up trying to
influence Lestat or talk him out of things.



Lestat left the house seething with anger and all the more determined to
go to Talamasca and collect his things.
When he arrived, he stood outside the huge house, taking a moment to
collect his thoughts.  He entered the building through a small side
entrance.  He knew the whole building from his time with David, so he had
no trouble locating the door to the cellar.  He was about to open it when
a voice called out to him.  He stopped and turned to face the person and
then he froze.  A tall, well built young man with long curly brown hair
tied back from his face and brown eyes so beautiful and deep you could get
lost in them.

"What are you doing please ?" the man inquired politely.

Lestat still stood there speechless, a sickening feeling of deja vu
rolling over him.

"Who are you ? do you have authorization to enter that door?"  he asked
now looking slightly suspicious.

Lestat shook himself out of his daze and regained his composure.

"Please allow me to introduce myself... my name is Lestat de Lioncourt" he
said with a charming smile.  

His smile grew wider as he saw the effect his words were having on the
man.

"Lestat de Lioncourt"  the man repeated.  "Well Mr. Lioncourt, my name is
William Bailey, pleased to make your acquaintance".  he said, extending
his hand to Lestat.

Lestat reached out and shook the hand, laughing while he did so.  He
squeezed the hand slightly and saw the flicker of surprise and pain in the
mans eyes.

"You must come with me"   William said "There are many people you must see
here.  So many things that have been left unexplained since David's
departure. Perhaps you will be able to help us clear them up".

"No" Lestat said sharply.  He continued rather more quietly, "You don't
understand, I came here only to collect a few things you have here that
belong to me.  I was hoping to slip in without anyone seeing me, so if you
would just let me be I would be most grateful".

The man said nothing for a moment and Lestat could sense his excitement at
seeing him.  William did not want Lestat to go so he said

"I agree to alert no one else to your presence, but you must allow me to
help you find what you are looking for".

Alert no one else of his presence!  Lestat nearly laughed out loud but
instead he smiled and agreed.  He was secretly pleased that William was so
excited by his presence.

Once in the cellar William immediately went to a large sealed vault in the
wall and pulled out a large wooden crate.  He unlocked it and opened the
lid to show Lestat what was inside.  Lestat stood still for a moment,
suddenly not wanting to look inside at all.

"Its all there"  William said breaking the silence  "Even Claudias diary"

Lestat looked up his expression hardening 

"You seem to know a lot about all this" he said "Why?".

"Oh, I've read all your files, and at one point I worked with David
Talbot, collating the information on you all".  he gave Lestat a boyish
grin, suddenly unable to contain his delight at finally meeting a vampire.

Lestat continued to stare at him, a far away look in his eyes.  Abruptly
he snapped out of his trance and smiled at William.

"So tell me what you know.  Maybe I can help you fill in some details
then".  He said sitting down.


It was about an hour before dawn when he arrived back at the house.  Louis
was still sat on the sofa watching the television, but there was a pile of
books next to him on the floor.  Lestat walked in and sat down next to
him.  He slipped his arm around  Louis shoulder, trying to let him know,
without words, that he wanted to put their latest argument behind them. 
Louis seemed to realise this and he relaxed against Lestat, laying his
head on Lestats shoulder.  They stayed that way for a while, until Louis
shifted to face Lestat, putting an arm around his waist and moving closer
to him.  He looked up and smiled at Lestat.

"So, how did your night go ?"  He asked him.

"Oh very uneventful really"  Lestat replied not wanting to talk about what
was churning in his brain.  

He looked down at Louis, smiling at his beauty and as Louis opened his
mouth to say something else, Lestat bent down and kissed him.

"Not now Louis"  He said.

Now he just wanted to forget what had happened and spend the last precious
hour of the night with Louis.



Act Two


Almost every night thereafter, Lestat found himself drawn back to
Talamasca, to William.  He enjoyed listening to Williams talk about the
others.  He knew a surprising amount about the others and their
whereabouts. There had been several sightings of Armand and Daniel who
were still in Miami.  There had even been a brief and somewhat
questionable sighting of Marius and Pandora in Cairo.  For a moment,
Lestat found himself hoping that someone could tell him something of
Gabrielle's whereabouts.  After all they seemed to know so much about the
others,  why not her.  But he knew this was foolish, she had been gone too
long this time.  He especially enjoyed listening to William talk of the
times he had worked with David.  William seemed to have a great deal of
respect for David and his work and he told Lestat that he hoped to be able
to continue the research where David had left off.

So this went on for several weeks, until one night when Lestat was
preparing to go out again.  There was a knock at his door and Louis walked
in.

"Going out somewhere Lestat?"  He said with a slight hint of sarcasm in
his voice.


'I'm going to visit William"  Lestat replied briefly.

Louis sighed and turned to leave.

"Louis!  What's the matter ?"  Lestat asked

Louis stopped and turned to face him.  He looked slightly sad.

"Lestat you are becoming obsessed with William and the Talamasca"  He said
 "When are we going to go out together like we used to?  I can't remember
the last time we went anywhere together.  What is it that fascinates you
so?"

For a moment Lestat was touched that Louis missed his company so, but not
so touched that he could let Louis distract him visiting William.

"Louis"  He said rather impatiently "We have eternity to spend together. 
I hardly think that my spending time with a mortal like William is that
important.  Surely you can live without me for a few months at least".

Louis showed no reaction to this last remark.  Instead he carried on;

"Lestat, I've seen you befriend mortals before and you usually kill them
at the end of it"  He said with a small smile "But this one is different
isn't it ? Why ?  What is there about William that is so different from
the others ?"

"Nothing, I'm just indulging my curiosity, that's all"

"Lestat I know you and I know when you are not telling me something.  I
demand that you answer my question.  What is there so different about
William ?"

Lestat fixed him with an angry glare for a second.  Then he gave in.

"Okay Louis if it really is that important to you, I suppose I should tell
you"

"Stop stalling and get on with it"  Louis replied

Louis please, this is a very personal subject for me, please try and be
patient"  Lestat said mockingly as he walked across the room and sat down.
 Louis was silent, waiting for him to continue.  When Lestat spoke again
his voice was strangely quiet.

"William is an extremely intelligent and interesting young man and I am
fascinated to hear how much he knows about all of us".  He paused and
looked up at Louis rather accusingly for a moment before he continued. 
"He reminds me of David"  He said quickly sitting back with a sigh and
awaiting the inevitable from Louis.

"I expected something like this"  Louis said "You really miss David don't
you ?"

Lestat nodded.

Louis took a deep breath and continued.

"David *will* be back Lestat, *soon*, I am sure of it.  However in the
meantime I think you should stop visiting William.  I know you and him
have become good friends but you are making him out to be someone he is
not.  You are trying to replace David with William and it is simply
ridiculous.  You must stop letting yourself get entranced by mortals for
whatever reason, its dangerous.

Having said his piece, he waited for an angry outburst from Lestat, but
instead Lestat simply nodded again.

"I know"  He said.  Then he laughed  "I've learnt my lesson when it comes
to mortals Louis"  With that he flashed Louis a brilliant smile and left
the room.

Louis watched him leave

"You never learn Lestat"  He said softly.  Then it was his turn to leave,
he could feel the hunger rising inside of him and it was time to feed.

Despite what Louis had said, try as he might Lestat could not stay away
from Talamasca.  Of course he did not tell Louis of his visits anymore
because he did not want to be lectured   The friendship between Lestat and
William grew more and more each time they met.  Until suddenly one night,
in the middle of a conversation William made the suggestion that he should
visit Lestat instead of Lestat keep coming to Talamasca.

"It really does make sense Lestat"  He said  It would save you having to
come here every night and I could do a little research and have a bit of a
holiday.  I think it would be beneficial all round".

For a moment Lestat said nothing, just letting the thought turn in his
mind.  

"Yes I think that would be a very good idea William"  He said with a
smile.  "I shall make the arrangements for you to come as soon as
possible".



"You did *what* ?"  Louis erupted into an uncharacteristic rage when
Lestat told him of William's imminent arrival.

"For Gods sake Lestat just what do you think you are playing at ?  Don't I
get a say in who comes to live here or am I just another lodger too?"

"I fail to see what the problem is Louis.  He is my friend and he will
have no need to interfere with you.  You probably won't even know that he
is here".

"And you seriously believe that ?  He will be following us around, making
little notes for those damn files.  I don't know what possessed you to
invite him here".

"Well its done now, he arrives tomorrow night"  Lestat said sitting back
in the chair with a smile on his face.

"Please Lestat"  Said Louis attempting to reason with him "have you any
idea how dangerous it is to let a mortal stay in this house with us ?"

"Louis I am not a complete idiot"  Lestat said beginning to get angry now 
"I know what I am doing".

"So that's it, the final word".

"Yes, that's it"  Lestat replied folding his arms as if to indicate the
end of the conversation.

"Well then you leave me no other option - I shall move out".

"What!"

"Lestat I cannot and will not live in the same house as a mortal.  I shall
live elsewhere for as long as he is here".

"Now who's being ridiculous Louis ?  Don't you think you are rather
overreacting ?"

"Well I wouldn't expect you to understand".

"Oh stop being so bloody dramatic Louis"  Lestat said his temper finally
snapping.  "William is coming here as my guest and if you must move out
while he is here then so be it".

Louis shook his head in exasperation and turned to leave.

"Louis" Lestat suddenly called out, but Louis kept walking.

"Louis wait"  Lestat caught hold of him and pulled him around to face him.
 Louis tried to pull away, his green eyes blazing in anger, but Lestat
kept a firm grip on him.

"Louis, if you must go while William is here then go but promise me you
will return when he leaves"  Suddenly Lestat didn't want Louis to go, he
didn't want to lose him like he had all the others.

Louis expression softened "Of course I'll come back"  He said with a smile
 "but I must go while you do this".

Lestat nodded and pulled Louis closer in a warm embrace.

"Be careful Lestat"  Louis whispered and then he pulled free and left.

Lestat stood, feeling saddened by Louis departure but satisfied that Louis
would keep his promise to return and if he didn't well Lestat would just
track him down like he had done before.



    Act 4



And so Louis left and the next evening William arrived.  Lestat was amused
at how delighted William was to be there.  William was very impressed with
the house and spent the longest time just walking from room to room,
marveling at the beautiful antique furniture and examining the many
precious paintings on the walls.  Lestat felt a twinge of some emotion
that he couldn't quite define when William walked into Louis study and
began examining the vast bookshelves.

"This place is amazing"  William said excitedly  "Its a goldmine!  These
paintings alone are worth millions".

Lestat just smiled and shrugged.  "Money means little to us"  he said 
"There are always plenty of ways to acquire more".

And so the days and nights passed.  William usually stayed up with Lestat
almost all night.  Although Lestat was happy to help William with his work
there were a few things he would allow William to see or know.  Firstly he
would never let William see him feed and secondly he gave William not the
slightest clue as to where he spent his daylight hours sleeping..

Rather quickly though, Lestat grew tired of William's incessant
questioning.  He began to find William's constant desire for more and more
information both draining and irritating.  The final straw came when
Lestat awoke one evening to find William sitting in the study at Louis
desk making yet more notes for his files.  He stood and watched him for a
moment.  Rather than seeing William, he saw Louis sitting there like
always, reading one of his dusty old books by the light of a single
candle, his beautiful face creased in a slight frown.  Lestat often
watched Louis read and Louis was often so engrossed in his reading that he
would not even be aware of Lestats presence.
Although he would not admit it to himself, he was missing Louis calm
reassuring presence in the house.  At first he had thought he and Louis
had needed the time apart because they had been arguing so much lately but
now he wanted him back.  Now was the time to tell William to leave.

Lestat had crossed the room and sat down in a chair before William had
even noted his presence.  When William did notice him he straightened up
and smiled as he collected together all his notes and placed them in his
folder.

"We need to talk"  said Lestat before William had even had a chance to
open his mouth.  "I have decided that the time has come for you to leave"
he continued quickly "Please don't take offense but it seems that most of
your work is done and I want you to move out so my dear friend Louis can
return home.  I would like you to leave as soon as possible".

William sat back in his chair, obviously somewhat stunned by this sudden
turnabout of events.  He was silent for a few moments as he struggled to
digest what Lestat had just said.

"Well"  he said eventually  "I do not wish to outstay my welcome, you have
been very kind to me, but can I at least have until the weekend ?  I need
a little more time to complete my work".

"Of course you may William"  Lestat said as he rose to leave.  He began to
walk away and then he stopped and turned to face William once again. 
"I'll expect you gone by Saturday then".  It was more of a statement than
a question.  He flashed William his most charming smile and then he was
gone.

William remained motionless for several minutes after Lestats departure,
his face slowly twisted into an angry scowl.  "Damn you Lestat"  he said
banging his fist on the table  "just when things were going so well".  His
mind raced to think of a way to deal with this sudden problem.  Slowly he
regained his composure.  "Well theres more than one way to get what you
want" he said eventually.

By early Friday evening William had his suitcases packed and ready to go. 
Despite the fact that it was to be his last night there his spent little
of the night with Lestat.  Lestat seemed not to care, instead he was
rather preoccupied with trying to track Louis down and let him know that
he could return home.

When Lestat returned home from his hunt it was nearing sunrise.  It seemed
that William had fallen asleep while waiting for Lestat to return.  Lestat
decided not to wake for he had said his good-bye earlier.  Instead he
continued up the stairs, up to the attic.  At the top of the stairs was a
thick heavy door.  Behind the door was Lestats sleeping chamber, a fairly
small dark room with no windows only two skylights that were covered up. 
In the middle of the room lay his black lacquered coffin.  The lid was off
as it lay waiting for him.  He could feel the tiredness beginning to creep
over him.and when he closed the lid above him it was only a matter of
minutes before he fell asleep.

Downstairs William opened his eyes as soon as he heard Lestat go up the
stairs.  He had merely feigned sleep when Lestat had walked in.  He had
also done his best to clear his mind of all thoughts in case Lestat could
tell what he was up to.  He stood up from the chair rather too quickly and
as a result he felt a sudden wave of dizziness and he gripped the arm of
the chair for support.  He was feeling very weak and tired but it was
vital that he maintained enough strength to carry out the next part of his
plan.  So far it had all been so easy.  Ever since Lestat had told him to
leave and he had devised this little plan, he had been visiting each of
the nearby hospitals to donate his blood.  Each hospital had gratefully
accepted his offer of young healthy blood.  How he had wanted to laugh as
he watched them draw the blood from his arm.  Eventually though they began
to refuse his donations for he had given too much blood, so he had began
carefully draining it himself.  However now time was running out and he
must hurry

Lestat awoke quickly, his mind opening as he became more aware of his
surroundings once again.  But something was wrong.  He knew this
instinctively, he was waking up too soon.  He had been asleep only a
matter of minutes.  He snapped open his eyes to see what was happening and
immediately he cried out.  The lid of his coffin had been removed as had
the covers over the skylights.  It was still not yet daylight but the blue
night was growing paler by the second.  The illumination was blinding him.
 He shut his eyes tightly but the light seemed to burn through his
eyelids.  He attempted to throw his arm over his eyes and thus block out
the light but he found he couldn't move for he was bound in heavy iron
chains.  Chains that normally a vampire of his immense power could have
broken effortlessly but the sun had already weakened him to the point that
no matter how hard he strained they remained unbreakable.  

"What's happening" he cried out involuntarily, feeling himself begin to
panic slightly.

"Don't worry Lestat, this won't take long"  a familiar voice said

"William!  The lid... close the coffin"  Lestat said furiously.

"Later"  William replied.

Lestat eyes were still tightly shut against the blinding light and he made
only a small sound as he felt William take hold of his wrist and slice it
with a small silver razor.  Then he felt it...the slow sucking, the
tightening and pulling in every part of his body.  He struggled as best he
could but it was useless for not only was he weakened by the light but he
was weakened further by this draining of his blood.  The pain was intense.
 The sunlight was burning his thin, pale skin and the tugging in his veins
left him gasping for breath.  On and on it went, it seemed never ending
and he could feel himself becoming more and more detached.

Eventually it stopped but that still offered no release from the pain.  As
he lay there Lestat could here William talking quickly and excitedly, but
it seemed to be coming from a great distance.

"I'm sorry it had to be this way Lestat"  he was saying  "really I am but
I have wanted this for so long.  What mortal doesn't want it ?  I had
hoped you would offer it to me but when you asked me to leave it became
clear that I must take matters into my own hands"  William paused for he
was breathing heavily, then he continued.  After all I got this very idea
from one of your books - remember Magnus ?  Then William did a strange
thing.  He stood and began to replace the covers on the skylights and then
he struggled to replace the lid of the coffin.  Lestat however was not
aware of this, his whole body was alive with pain.  He tried vainly to
open his mind to the others, to call to them for help but even if his
thoughts could reach them they would all be asleep by now.

William almost ran from the room, he could feel the strong blood coursing
through his body.  He knew form all his research what was going to happen
to him now and he had prepared for it.  What was most important now was to
get as far away as possible.  

Back in the room Lestat was once again in cool darkness.  He was becoming
progressively more detached from his pain as he slipped further and
further into the deepest sleep.

The next evening Louis returned to the house.  He was a little surprised
and rather disappointed that Lestat was not there to welcome him back. 
Then he reprimanded himself for being surprised at Lestat's absence, after
all Lestat had never been particularly considerate.  As he had already fed
earlier he walked into the study and sat down to read while he waited for
Lestat to return.

As the night progressed Louis found it increasingly difficult to his
concentrate on his reading.  Why had Lestat not returned yet?  Eventually
Louis set his book aside and decided to go out and search for him.  He
walked into the hallway and opened the closet to extract his coat.  Then
he stopped.  Lestat's coat, gloves and hat were hanging in the closet. 
Louis stared at this for a moment, feeling rather confused and anxious. 
Had he just not noticed these objects when he first came in or was it
possible that Lestat had returned when he was reading?  He paused a moment
longer while he thought about what to do, then he gave in to his growing
anxiety and hurried along the hallway and up the stairs to the attic.  He
paused at the entrance to the attic, fully prepared to force the lock on
the door, then he saw that it was already unlocked.  He pushed the door
open slowly and stepped inside.  The room was cool, dark and silent and at
first Louis could find nothing amiss.  Then he saw the chains.  They lay
in thick, heavy tangle in the corner of the room.  The sight of them lying
on the floor was enough to make Louis hurry to Lestat's coffin and he
pushed the lid aside.  He looked inside and suddenly took a sharp step
backwards.

"My God!" he whispered, one pale hand rising to his face in an unconscious
gesture of shock.

Lestat was lying motionless in his coffin and it was his appearance that
had shocked Louis so.  His skin was paler than ever before and all the
veins were showing.  Indeed his whole body was shriveled, his face looked
sunken and the skin seemed to be almost hanging off the bones.

Louis approached the coffin once more.  "Lestat?" he said tentatively.  He
cleared his throat and then tried again, louder this time "Lestat".

There was still no movement from Lestat, no sign that he had heard Louis. 
Louis leaned down into the coffin so that his face was next to Lestat's
and it was only because of his sharp preternatural hearing that he heard
Lestat's slow, shallow breathing.  He put his hand out and gently touched
Lestat's face.  The skin was delicate and so very cold.  Louis
straightened up abruptly with a sharp intake of breath.  There was a faint
shimmer of red in his beautiful green eyes.  He had no idea what had taken
place here during his absence, but he did know that it was very serious
and too much for him to cope with on his own.  He needed help.  He opened
his mind, and with as much force as possible he sent out a cry for help. 
However Louis was so distressed that all he sent was a desperate and
rather incoherent stream of messages, directed at no one in particular. 
Frustrated with his ineptness, Louis abandoned his efforts at
communication and simply stood there feeling utterly helpless.  He stood
there motionless until the silence was broken by the sound of a telephone
ringing downstairs.  Louis heart quickened at the sound of it and he ran
to the phone and snatched it up.

"Hello?"

"Louis?  Louis what's happened?  Are you alright?"

It was Armand.  For a brief moment Louis felt positively weak with relief
at the sound of Armand's voice.  "Armand, something terrible has happened
to Lestat.  I ..."  Louis paused hardly daring to say it.  "I think he is
dying and I don't know how to help him".  Once again Louis felt
overwhelmed by his helplessness and he felt the cold blood tears start to
trickle down his pale cheeks.
On the other end of the line Armand was silent as he pondered this
dilemma.  "Louis" he said "you must stay where you are and I will be there
as quickly as I can, I promise".
Louis nodded "yes" he said hoarsely and then he hung up.
He turned and went back up the stairs.  There was still no apparent change
in Lestat's condition.  Louis knew that Lestat needed blood but if he was
unconscious how could he drink it?  Then slowly, very slowly Louis raised
his hand.  His bought his wrist to his mouth and after a split second of
hesitation, he bit it.  He then held the open wound above Lestat's mouth
and let the blood drip freely.  He hardly dared breathe as he did this,
watching his blood trickle from his wrist.  It seemed he remained this way
for an eternity and then suddenly he saw a movement.  Lestat stirred, made
a small noise and opened his mouth.  It was only opened a fraction but it
was enough to let the blood run in.  As he tasted the blood he opened his
mouth wider, swallowing faster and Louis lowered his wrist pressing it to
Lestat's open mouth.  Lestat drank quickly and desperately and it didn't
take Louis long to realize that he must stop it before he lost too much. 
He gently pulled his wrist from Lestat's grasp and stepped back.  He was
tired from the loss of blood, but elated that Lestat was not actually
dead.
Lestat was breathing deeply and as Louis watched him he opened his eyes. 
Louis smiled at him and instead of tears of despair and helplessness he
felt tears of happiness and relief begin to flow.
Lestat said nothing, he simply lay there watching Louis and his face was
utterly devoid of any emotion.
"Lestat, what's happened here?" Louis asked gently
"Blood"  Lestat said, his voice a hoarse, dry whisper  "need more blood
Louis".
Louis nodded "I know" he replied "but I cannot give you anymore of mine
Lestat.  Armand will be here shortly, he will help us". 
Lestat closed his eyes briefly.
"You should sleep more, rest,  try to regain your strength"  Louis
continued softly.
Lestat nodded  "Louis..." he whispered but Louis gently cut him off.
"Don't try and talk now Lestat, it doesn't matter, just sleep".
Lestat sighed and seemed to sink a little deeper into his coffin.
Louis just remained at the side of the coffin and watched Lestat as he
slept.

"Louis?"

Louis started rather violently  he had lost all track of  time as he
watched Lestat sleep.  He turned to see Armand standing in the doorway.
Armand approached Louis slowly, his angelic face full of touching concern.
 He reached out and embraced Louis tightly.  He then stepped back and held
him at arms length.  "Are you alright?"  he asked, looking closely into
Louis eyes.
"I'm fine, but Lestat, he needs blood"  Louis said quickly
Armand nodded "And by the looks of it, so do you my friend" he said with a
smile.  "I have my car waiting outside.  I think we should take Lestat
back to the Night Island, its safe there.  But first you should go and
feed again, we don't want you to get sick on us.  I will take care of
Lestat.
Louis agreed at once and he took one last look at Lestat's coffin before
he left.


Louis turned away from both of them.  The tension in the air could have
been cut with a knife.
"Louis ?"  Lestat asked softly.
Finally Louis turned back to face them.  Lestat had to smile slightly when
he saw Louis face.  He just looked so beautifully sad, the torment of the
decision he was being forced to make showed so clearly, from his creased
forehead to the shimmer of red tears in his dark green eyes.
Louis looked at Lestat and walked slowly over to Armand.  Lestat felt his
heart rise into his throat.  Louis would never go to Armand, surely not,
he would not let it.  He opened his mouth to speak but Louis raised a hand
as if to silence him and Lestat obeyed.
Louis looked deep into Armand's eyes as he spoke  "Armand, as much as your
offer truly does appeal to me, I cannot accept.  I must stay with Lestat,
that's the way it should be, the way it will always be.  I love him. 
Please don't misunderstand me, perhaps when this is all over and if I am
still welcome I will come here for a time and we can spend some time
together.  I would like that but just not now".
Armand was completely motionless as Louis leaned close and placed a kiss
on his pale cheek "Thank you for everything you have done" he said softly.
 Then he straightened up and gave Armand one last small smile and walked
away.
Louis just looked at Lestat as he walked past him without saying a word.
and left the room.  Lestat watched him leave and then he glanced at
Armand.  He felt a burst of selfish happiness : you won't take him from me
a second time Armand: he thought with a small smile.  Then he turned and
went after Louis, wondering if Armand had heard his little thought.
If he had turned to look at Armand's face, he would have found the answer
to that question.

"Louis wait!"  Lestat called but he caught up with Louis quickly.  Lestat
felt elated, there were so many things he had to say to Louis.  He grabbed
Louis and pulled him around to face him with a big grin.  The grin faded
fast when he saw Louis face.  He still looked so sad.
"Lestat please, I just want a little time by myself" he said quietly.
Lestat let go of him and looked at him closely "You made the right choice
Louis, I promise you that".  Then he pulled Louis closer into a warm
embrace.  How he loved the feel of Louis so close, and to think he could
have lost him.  He closed his eyes, just savoring the moment and then he
let Louis go and watched him walk away.
: Well let Louis be miserable for a while:  Lestat thought : I'll be
waiting when he comes around:
Lestat was actually glad Louis wanted to be alone, he really didn't feel
in the mood for Louis depression right now.  Right now he wanted to go out
and mix with some mortals and have fun.


When Louis awoke the next evening he got up from his coffin and found
Lestat sitting there watching him.  "At last, you're up" Lestat said with
a smile as he rose.  "Come Louis, we have some hunting to do before we
leave here".
Louis nodded and followed him out without a word.

When they had both fed well, it was time for them to start their journey.
"Come Louis, hold onto me tightly"  Lestat said, hooking his arm firmly
around Louis waist.
"But Lestat, are you strong enough for this yet?" Louis asked worried
"Of course I am Louis"  Lestat laughed
"Where are we going?"
"London of course, one of my favorite places" Lestat replied.
And then they were climbing, rising higher and higher into the clouds
until they could no longer see the city below.
As they sped towards their destination, Lestat's mind was racing, trying
to find a way to start this long awaited conversation with Louis.  He was
saved from this by Louis, who spoke first;
"When I saw you there in that coffin, I really thought you were dead" he
said softly
"I really thought I was dying!"  Lestat laughed, then he saw the look on
Louis face and realized that this was no time for humor.
Louis continued  "I didn't know what to do, if it hadn't been for
Armand..."
"No!"  Lestat cut him off "Armand simply took me to Miami, it was you who
saved my life Louis.  It was you that gave me the blood at the crucial
moment".
Louis was silent for he knew how rare it was for Lestat to talk like this
and he didn't want to interrupt.
"However, maybe Armand helped more than you know Louis.  When I thought
you might leave me and go with him, it was terrible.  He made me realize
that I often take you for granted like that but not anymore.  When we get
to London things will be good, really good, back to how they used to be. 
I'm just sorry it took nearly losing you to make me realize all this".
Louis smiled and said nothing, instead he tipped his head back and
accepted Lestat's soft kiss.

They arrived just after sunset.  Lestat landed and set Louis down
carefully.  He straightened his clothing and looked around.  They were
surrounded by trees and grass but there was also the sound of busy traffic
and the lights of buildings close by.  The night was cold but clear.
"Where are we?"  Louis asked, also looking around
"If I planned it correctly, we are now in Hyde Park, London"  Lestat
announced, feeling rather pleased with himself.  "Come Louis,  I have
already booked us rooms in a hotel near here".
Indeed Lestat had booked them two connecting rooms in at Claridges under
his favorite alias Sebastian Melmoth.
Louis was just looking around his room when the connecting door opened and
Lestat walked in.
"Lets go Louis, we have so many places to see.  I just love London!"  Then
he stopped and looked at Louis critically  "Hmmmm, first we need to get
you some new clothes, you've been wearing those for nights now.  I know
just the place".
It seemed Lestat had prepared everything.  He had even hired a car, "cant
fly everywhere" he had told Louis.  It was a beautiful maroon Jaguar XJS. 
In that sleek, powerful car, Lestat drove them to Harrods.  Once in that
huge shop he began picking out clothes for him and Louis.  They then took
all their new purchases back to the hotel and got changed.
"Very nice, very nice indeed"  Lestat smiled when he saw Louis in his new
clothes.  "Well, where shall we go Louis?  The opera, ah yes the opera in
Covent Gardens, it will be just like old times".
And it was.  For almost a week, this went on, they spent their nights
going to the theatre or just looking around the city.  Both Lestat and
Louis were very happy, things were going perfectly.  However, they were
both aware that it could not go on like this for much longer, they had
come to London for a reason.  A very important reason.


In the end it was Lestat who finally bought the subject up.  "It really is
about time we visited the Talamasca, Louis" he said as they were preparing
to go out one evening.
Louis nodded "Yes, we do seem to have ignored the real reason we came
here" he said reluctantly
"Completely"  Lestat agreed  "We got a little side tracked with other
matters..."  he said with a wicked smile.
Louis couldn't help returning the smile.
"So back to the subject in hand"  Lestat finally continued  "I think we
should go to the Talamasca and read through their files on William and see
if we can get any clues to his whereabouts".
"Oh and they are just going to let us walk in and read them.  No, that's
too dangerous Lestat".
"Well then I'm open to any suggestions Louis" Lestat replied
Louis was silent
"Come on Louis, tell me your bright idea"
Louis looked up at him sharply
"I'm not mocking you Louis, its obvious you have a better idea than mine,
so just say it" Lestat said soothingly although if the truth be told he
was rather irked at the way Louis had rejected his idea.
"Well... we could ask David about William.  He might know something".
"Brilliant idea Louis!  One small problem though - we don't have the
faintest idea where David is.  He left remember?"
Again Louis didn't answer and Lestat looked at him closely.
"You know something don't you Louis? *Don't you* ?"
Louis nodded again  "When you were out hunting that night on Armand's
island, Marius told me where David had gone to.  I wasn't going to tell
you because I knew you would want to go there immediately but now I think
the only person who can help us with this is David.  He is living in his
own house, right here in England, in the Cotsworlds".
"All this time I have been wondering where he is and he has been in the
most obvious place of all"  Lestat said thoughtfully.
Louis watched his reaction carefully.
"I agree"  Lestat said eventually  "He is the only person who can help us
we must see him right away".


They arrived at David's house a short time later.  For some time they
stood outside the house, Louis waiting patiently, while Lestat just looked
at it remembering everything.  He loved this manor house, it just had so
much character to it, it was timeless.
There was a light on in the room that Lestat remembered as the library. 
He entered through the rear door as he had always done.  Before he entered
the library he turned to face Louis.
"I know" Louis said  "I'll wait here"
Lestat smiled, Louis was always so very understanding.  He knew that
Lestat wanted a minute alone with David.  Lestat nodded at Louis and then
walked into the room.
He stopped in the middle of the room, he always got the strangest feeling
of deja vu when he saw David living in the body that he himself had lived
in for a brief period.
David was sitting in a soft leather chair by the fireplace, looking at the
doorway.
"I knew you would come.  It was only a matter of time".
Lestat didn't quite know what to make of this greeting and he struggled to
find the right words.
"I'm sorry"  David said rising from his chair  "I didn't mean it to sound
like that.  I am truly glad to see you again my friend".  His welcoming
smile contained so much warmth that Lestat felt strangely close to tears. 
He had missed David so much.  He didn't say anything, he just let David
embrace him.  David stepped back and looked into the darkness beyond the
doorway.
"Please come in and join us Louis"  he called into the darkness.
A second later Louis appeared in the doorway.
"How are you David?"  he asked with a friendly smile "we've been worried
about you all this time".
"Yes, I know, it really was rather rude of me to leave that way but I hope
you understand it was something I had to do".
Lestat was silent because quite frankly he didn't understand but he didn't
want to upset things now so he didn't challenge David.
It was Louis that replied.  "Yes we all need time to ourselves now and
then David".
David nodded.  "Please take a seat, the pair of you, it looks as if we
have quite a bit of catching up to do here".


They got the preliminaries out of the way fast and then they explained to
David the whole situation with William.  David remained silent throughout
this part of the conversation and Lestat found himself wishing now more
than ever that he could read David's thoughts.
When they had finally told him everything they sat and waited for his
reaction
David showed not the slightest bit of surprise and Louis wondered if he
had somehow already known what had happened before they came.
"So will you help us David ?"  Lestat asked finally
There was a long pause and then David said  "Of course I will help you but
I am afraid I am at a loss as to William's whereabouts.  When I knew him
he lived in a small flat right here in London but obviously he wont be
there now".
They were all silent as they thought about where William could have gone. 
Louis began to think it was hopeless, William could have gone anywhere, it
could take years to find him.
It was Lestat who spoke first.  "Where exactly is his house in London,
David ?"
"Why, do you think he may have left some clues there?"
"More than that.  I think he *is* there"  Lestat said firmly.
Both David and Louis looked at Lestat as if they thought he was mad.
"But we have already dismissed that possibility Lestat"  David said with
infinite patience.
"No, just wait, think about it for a minute.  When you wanted time alone
you came here to your very own house and just look at Louis living for
years in the very house he had talked so much about in his book.  Look at
how it turned out.  No one found Louis in that house although you would
have thought it the first place people would have looked for him.  Look at
you living here.  The possibility of you being here did cross my mind but
I dismissed it as being too obvious".  He stopped and looked at their
faces.  "Don't you understand?  The most obvious place is always the last
place you would look".  Now understanding began to dawn on their faces and
he continued quickly  "William expects us to look all over the place for
him, while he remains safe in his home".  He paused again  "I rest my
case"  he said sitting back in his chair and folding his arms with a
slightly self satisfied smile on his face.
Louis nodded slowly  "I think you may actually be right Lestat"
"Well no need to sound so surprised Louis"  Lestat said rather
indignantly.
"No I didn't mean it like that" Louis said amused  "I think we should go
there right away".
"Wait a minute Louis"  David interrupted  "we cant be so hasty, we have
only a few hours before dawn.  We will have to wait until tomorrow night".
"You're right as usual David"  Lestat said with a sigh.  He felt
frustrated, now he knew where William might be he wanted to go there and
finish it.
"Have you thought about what you will do when you find him?"  David asked
Lestat sat up a little straighter in his chair.  "Of course, every night I
think about it"  he said.
"Well, what did you decide?" 
"What do you think David?  That little bastard was my friend, I trusted
him...well almost.  Anyway he repaid me by nearly killing me, isn't my
intent obvious?".
"That's what I was afraid of"  David said and suddenly rose from his chair
and began studying the bookshelf, his back to them.
"You cant kill him Lestat"  he said quietly after a moment.
"Why on earth not?"  Lestat said sounding genuinely surprised.
"Please Lestat, I cannot let you do this"  David replied.
"I'm afraid you have no say in it David, this is between me and William. 
Maybe you don't understand the severity of the crime he committed against
me".
"Oh, I know how terrible it must have been Lestat.  However you must
consider that he didn't kill you even though he had the opportunity to. 
You said yourself he took great pains to block out the sunlight and
replace the lid of your coffin afterwards.  Good grief, he even apologized
to you".
"Yes and that apology was *not* accepted"  Lestat said banging his fist on
the arm of the chair for emphasis.  "For heavens sake David, why are you
siding with him?".  Lestat was truly confused and a little hurt by David's
words.
"Lestat please"  David said patiently  "You yourself always said that no
mortal could refuse the Dark Gift and then you flaunted it in front of
him.  You told him all about your life.  You tempted him with it and it
became too much for him".
"Flaunted it?"  Lestat said practically jumping out of his chair  "I was
helping him with his work by telling him those things".  He stopped and
turned to Louis  "Louis you understand - tell him" he said.
Louis shook his head "leave me out of this Lestat. Do what you feel you
must do but do not include me in your arguments"  he said gently.
Lestat stared at him a moment.  "I should have expected as much from you" 
he said disgustedly.
Louis sighed resignedly and got up and walked out.  He didn't want to get
dragged into this argument.  It was best if he simply left them to it.
Lestat watched him leave and he realized he had been rude to Louis like he
promised he would never be again and this made him angrier still.  He
turned to face David  "I am going to kill William and there is nothing you
can do to stop me"  he hissed.
David shook his head sadly  "Oh but there is my friend.  I simply wont
tell you where he lives unless you promise not to harm him"
Lestat stared at him incredulously  "You wouldn't"  he said
"Lestat please understand.  William was once a friend of mine and I'm sure
we can find a better way to deal with this situation".
"You have no right to make this decision for me"  Lestat said  "I will
simply find William without your help and deal with it my way".  He walked
to the doorway and stopped.  "It was a pleasure to see you again *my
friend*" he said and shot David one last evil glare before he left.
He left the house wondering where the hell Louis had wandered off to. 
Then he spotted him walking slowly in the garden.  He moved fast, grabbing
Louis roughly around the waist from behind and lifting him into the air
before Louis even knew what was happening.
They were silent the whole way back to the hotel and Louis could feel the
anger radiating from Lestat.
When they arrived back at the hotel Lestat was still fuming and he simply
deposited Louis outside the door of his hotel room and then disappeared
into his own room without a word.
A short time later, just as Louis was preparing to sleep the door that
connected his room to Lestat's opened and Lestat walked in.  Louis
immediately sensed Lestat was now much calmer.
"Louis, I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to be rude to you back there, please
forgive me"  Lestat said walking up to him.
Louis smiled  "Of course I'll forgive you Lestat"  he said and to prove it
he leaned forward and kissed him.  It was Louis who broke the kiss.  "Its
almost dawn Lestat and I am getting very tired".
"Of course Louis"  Lestat said and turned to go.
He paused in the doorway  "Sleep well my beautiful one, we may have a busy
night ahead of us tomorrow" he said with a smile.

Louis awoke the next morning to find Lestat pacing back and forth in his
room.
"Good evening Louis"  he said distractedly.
Louis said nothing and just watched Lestat pace.   He seemed oblivious to
Louis presence, lost in his own thoughts.  Louis had rarely seen him like
this and it worried him to see Lestat so worried.
"Lestat what happened between you and David after I left last night?"
Lestat stopped his pacing and turned to face Louis with a rather surprised
expression on his face.  He said nothing and just stared at Louis for a
long time before suddenly resuming his pacing.
Louis frowned  "Lestat please, I want to know what is worrying you so" he
said walking over to Lestat.
Lestat turned to face him again and looked directly into Louis brilliant
green eyes.  "Do you love me Louis?"  he asked suddenly.
Louis was puzzled  "Of course I do Lestat" he replied with a smile.
But this was not enough for Lestat.  "Say you will always love me Louis,
no matter what".
There was a strange urgency to his voice that made Louis even more uneasy.
"You know I always will Lestat, no matter what happens".
Lestat looked at Louis for a moment longer and then he nodded and turned
away.
Louis watched his back and a moment later Lestat spoke again.  
"Come Louis, we must pay another visit to our friend David".


They arrived to find David had been expecting them.  After greeting them
he fell silent and simply looked at Lestat expectantly.  Louis knew
something important was taking place between David and Lestat and he took
a chair in the corner of the room and sat in silence.
Lestat looked out of the window as he spoke  "I've been giving a lot of
thought to what you said last night David"  He looked at David but David
said nothing, waiting for him to continue.
"I've been thinking a lot and I have decided you are right.  We can find a
better way to solve this problem".
David looked at Lestat sharply  "I want your word that if I take you to
William you will not harm him Lestat".
"Don't you trust me David?"  Lestat asked.
"Don't toy with me Lestat.  I want your word.  Promise me!"
Lestat looked at David for a long time before he replied.  "I promise"  he
said finally.
David nodded and stood up.  "I knew you would come around to my way of
thinking Lestat and I cannot tell you how glad I am".
"So will you take me there now?  William and I have a lot of things to
sort out"
"Of course"  David said warmly  "We shall go at once".


When they arrived at William house they stood on the pavement for a
minute, just looking at it.
"Well, lets go in and see our friend"  Lestat said and he walked up to the
door.  Instead of knocking he just forced it open and went inside.
"Lestat!"  David called and hurried after him.
Louis simply remained on the pavement watching the empty doorway for a
moment, then he gave a little shake of his head and followed them inside.

Lestat found William right away, he was sitting at his desk surrounded by
paperwork.  When he saw Lestat he leapt up from his chair and made as if
to flee.  His face was panic stricken.
"No William, wait!"  David called entering the room  "Please we mean you
no harm.  Its me David Talbot".
William hesitated looking from Lestat to David and then back to Lestat.
Lestat couldn't help himself and he gave William a terrible smile.
William moved fast making to exit the room via the window, but David moved
faster.  He caught hold of William and held on to him tightly.
"William please, we wont hurt you I promise.  We just need to talk"  David
said.
Louis drifted into the room but no one seemed to notice him and he stood
leaning against the fireplace and watched them.
The conflicting emotions showed clearly on William's face.  He wanted to
stay and talk but he was also so frightened.
David kept a tight grip on his arm as he steered William over to a chair
and sat him down.
William looked like a caged animal and his eyes darted around the room,
finally fastening on  Louis.  Louis just looked back at him, his face
curiously impassive.
When Lestat saw William looking at Louis like this he got a very
unpleasant thought.  William was undoubtedly very strong, what if he were
to hurt Louis or use him as a form of protection.  Lestat felt his heart
tighten.  Louis was so vulnerable, he should have thought of this and
tried to keep him away from this danger.   He moved slightly closer to
Louis and William seemed to smile when he saw this, as if he knew what
Lestat was thinking.  Lestat was tense, his eyes narrow as he watched
William.
David seemed unaware of all this.
"William that what you did was terrible"  David was saying  "However I'm
sure we can all work this out and find an acceptable solution to the
problem".
William remained motionless, his eyes fixed on Lestat's.
"We understand the temptation  that you were faced with"  David continued
"For Gods sake David, shut up!"  Lestat said suddenly and savagely  "Don't
keep giving him excuses, I want to hear him explain it all".
William's eyes widened and David looked at Lestat angrily and then stepped
away from William.
"Well, what do you have to say for yourself William ?"  Lestat asked
softly
"Lestat, I..."  William stopped and cleared his throat nervously  "I told
I was sorry, I said it didn't have to be that way and - "
"NO!"  Lestat cut him off  "If I had wanted to give you the Dark Gift I
would have.  You had absolutely no right to take matters into your own
hands the way you did.  You almost killed me!"
That was it.  William's fragile calm shattered in the face of Lestat's
anger.  It all happened so fast.  William jumped from his chair in a dark
streak, reaching out for Louis.  Louis tried to move but he was not fast
enough.  William's hand fastened around his wrist in an iron grip and
although he resisted, Louis was yanked forwards.
"NO!"  Lestat cried out and he moved equally as fast.  He caught hold of
Louis around the waist and with all the strength he could muster he pulled
Louis back.
William's eyes locked briefly with Lestat's and then suddenly he let go of
Louis.  Lestat stumbled backwards, dropping Louis who fell to the floor.
William had turned and was almost at the window.
"Lestat no!  Don't do it!"  David yelled but it was too late.
William let out an unearthly shriek as the flames began to engulf him.  In
a matter of seconds he was nothing more than a fireball.  Still screaming
he used the last of his strength to lurch towards Lestat.  Lestat reached
down and wrenched Louis, who was looking rather dazed, to his feet and
pulled him away.
They watched as William collapsed on the floor, in the place where he and
Louis had just been.
And then it was over.  The fire went out leaving simply a pile of hot
ashes on the floor.  The room was silent.
Lestat looked at Louis but Louis eyes were on David who was shaking his
head.
"David"  Lestat said letting go of Louis arm and walking towards him 
"David I'm sorry. I couldn't let him go, you saw what he tried to do".
"You promised Lestat"  he said sadly.
"For Gods sake, he tried to take Louis, he had to be stopped.  What would
have happened if I had let him go?"
"He was prepared to talk about it Lestat and you deliberately frightened
him into making a mistake".
"I did nothing of the kind"  Lestat cried  "David please understand".
David just looked at Lestat and then walked out of the room.  Lestat
watched him go with mixed emotions.
Louis walked forward and put a hand on Lestat's shoulder  "Are you
alright?"  he asked anxiously.
Lestat laughed rather shakily  "I'm fine Louis, you know me.  How about
you, are you alright?"
Louis nodded
"When he grabbed you like that I was so frightened, I don't know what I
would do if I ever lost you Louis".  he reached out and touched Louis pale
face.
"Well, now we are even"  Louis said with a smile.
"Yes. Even"  Lestat said returning the smile.  "Come Louis, lets go home" 
he said putting his arm around Louis shoulder.


Weeks went by and they never heard from David.  They never really spoke
about what had happened either.  Lestat was sad about David.  Instead of
getting him back like he had wanted to do he had pushed him further away. 
And yet surely he was not to blame, he had only done what he had to do. 
At least he still had his beloved Louis.  Things were going so well
between them and they were happy again like in the old times.  But they
were both aware that their peace could be shattered at any time...maybe
sooner than they thought....
                  


                                             THE END  (for now anyway :-)