This assumes that St. Elizabeth’s was never sold and turned into condos. It assumes that none of the VC after M*mn*ch The Drivel and TVA ever happened. Much waff and m/m bonding ensues. Don’t like it, don’t read it. Pairings are Le/Lo.

All standard disclaimers apply. No infringement intended. Characters belong to Mater Gloriosa (you know who she is) No money, no sue. Nuff said.

Parings: Le/Lo

Rating: R or M for Mature

Like all good specs, it has a soundtrack. For insight and inspiration, listen to:

Ever the Same – Rob Thomas

Stay with You – The Goo Goo Dolls

Saving Me – Nickelback

What’s Left of Me – Nick Lachey

The Forbidden Spec

By Terri Botta 2006

*********

6

When he woke on the third night the thirst was screaming, clawing at his insides like a ravenous beast, and he knew that he must look horrible. His hands alone were desiccated, the skin shriveled and his veins bulging out like dark ropes. Lestat took one look at him and started to cry.

.:Louis. Louis, please if you will not drink from me, please go feed. Please, you must feed.:.

.:I will, Lestat.:.

.:Go. Go now. I’ll be alright while you are gone. Please. It is killing me to see you like this,:. Lestat pleaded.

.:You mean for me to leave you alone here?:. he asked, surprised.

The expression on Lestat’s face told him that being left alone was the last thing he wanted, but they both knew that Louis needed blood or the thirst would start driving him insane.

.:I’ll survive. I’ll stay very still and quiet. And you won’t be gone long, will you, Louis? You’ll come right back?:.

.:Of course, but I worry about what will happen while I am away. Our bond is so new and I fear that you will panic again if I leave you.:.

.:I’ll be okay as long… as long as no one comes.:.

Well, of course that was the problem, wasn’t it? If he left, there would be no one to guard Lestat in his absence nor anyone to keep intruders out. He didn’t know if he could trust David and Marius to stay away either. David just might try to sneak in while he was gone. Would Marius stop him? He wished there was a way to put up one big ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the door of the orphanage and actually have it honored.

.:I can do that,:. Lestat offered.

.:You can?:.

.:I’ll barricade the door.:.

.:How will you do that?:.

.:I’ll move the furniture in the entryway in front of the doors.:.

.:Can you see them from here to move them? Remember that you can’t leave your body,:. he reminded.

At the mention of astral projection, Lestat shuddered and he felt his maker’s revulsion.

.:No, but I’ll be able to see through your eyes.:.

He blinked, shocked. .:You can do that?:.

.:Yes. Can’t you see through mine, Louis?:.

.:I…:. He trailed off, flabbergasted. .:I… don’t know. How would I do that?:.

.:You’d just come into me and see through me,:. Lestat answered as if that explained everything.

.:I’m sorry, Lestat, I don’t know how to do that.:.

.:It’s easy. You just do it like this.:.

He felt Lestat come into him and take him by the ‘hand,’ then he was drawn across the bond that connected them until he was nestled into the back of Lestat’s mind. Suddenly he was seeing with an eerie kind of double vision until he realized that he was witnessing his own shocked face as Lestat looked at him. The image, and the feeling of being outside of his own head, frightened and horrified him so much that he let out a pained cry and recoiled violently.

His vision went blank and when he came back to himself he was trembling uncontrollably and Lestat’s worried voice was pleading with him.

.:Louis! Louis! I’m sorry Louis! I’m sorry!:.

The shock was still wearing off, but he was calming down, his automatic instinct to protect Lestat coming to the fore and giving him an anchor to hold onto until the last of his panic faded.

.:It’s alright, Lestat. I’m alright,:. he assured him, taking Lestat’s hands and squeezing them tight. .:I… I don’t think we should do that again. At least not for a while.:.

.:Yes, yes. I’m sorry. It was too much too fast. Like Akasha with me. I changed so quickly from her blood. I had no time to get used to my new powers before she forced me to use them.:.

.:I know. It’s alright.:.

Still rattled and deeply disturbed, he just held Lestat in his arms and waited for his pounding heart to slow down.

.:Mon Dieu. I don’t even know half of what you’re capable of, Lestat, and now, what, in all that is sacred, will I be able to do now with this bond in place?:. he bemoaned forlornly.

.:I told you that you were insane to do this, Louis. It must be undone! We should find the witch that did this to you and demand that she undo it!:.

That shocked him and he looked into Lestat’s eyes, horrified. .:NO!:. he refused vehemently. .:I do not want to be separated from you. I do not want the veil of silence to come between us again. For all that this frightens and confuses me, I will not give it up. Do not ask me to do this thing, I cannot!:.

.:But Louis…:.

He glared and let Lestat feel his conviction, his absolute resolution to stay connected to his maker, and Lestat did something he never expected the once Brat Prince to do: he gave in. He felt the surrender as keenly as if it were his own, the sudden release of tension and the acceptance of Louis’s choice. Then he realized that Lestat dreaded being separated, but he’d been willing to suffer it if it would spare Louis pain, even if it meant that he would lose his anchor and go spiraling off into madness again.

An image of Lestat after Maharet had bound him in chains and imprisoned him in the orphanage’s basement flashed in his mind, and the memory of those horrible, terrible nights came back to him with vivid clarity. He begging Maharet not to destroy Lestat, pleading with her to let him see his maker, to read to him, watch over him. The long nights in the dank cellar, reading the passages from Wynken’s books, describing the tiny illustrations along the page borders. The agony of seeing Lestat so confined and suffering, and, underneath it all, the love, the steadfast, undeniable love he felt for the one who had made him. The love that, once acknowledged on that fated night in San Francisco when he had heard a rumor that Lestat had risen in New Orleans and he had felt his heart beat again, could no more be denied than his thirst for blood.

There was a strained sob and he looked to see Lestat crying again, rivulets of red tears streaming down his stark white face. Lestat had seen it all, felt it all; felt the deep and burning love that Louis held for him, and wept.

.:Louis. Louis. Oh God, Louis. I love you. I’ve always loved you. Always, always…:.

.:I know. I know, Lestat. I didn’t always, but I do now.:.

.:Oh, Louis! I’m so frightened. You’re all that’s real to me, but I fear I’ll destroy you with my raving.:.

.:Hush,:. he ordered gently, placing one finger on Lestat’s lips. .:We’ll have none of that. I was going to hunt, you were going to barricade the door, and then we were going to go home. Right?:.

Lestat sighed. .:Home. Yes, home. I want to go home.:.

.:Then let me take care of my necessary business so we can go,:. he said gently, carefully disengaging from Lestat’s arms and rising from the bed.

Lestat immediately grabbed the pillow and pressed his face to it, and Louis knew he was doing it because the pillowcase smelled like him. Smiling softly, he walked over to the antique secretary David had put in the room and pulled forth a rubber band and a sharp letter opener. He quickly pulled his hair back and secured the majority of it with the rubber band, then he used the letter opener to neatly slice his black mane just above the band and offered the severed locks to Lestat.

.:Here. Something of me to hold on to while I am away from you.:.

Lestat blinked at him, his eyes moving from the skein of hair up to his face then back to the hair again.

.:Your hair… you cut your hair.:.

.:To give to you so you will have part of me to keep close. And it’s not like it won’t grow back over the day.:.

A trembling hand reached up to accept his gift and Louis smiled when he saw Lestat press the black tresses to his lips.

.:Thank you.:.

He bent down and kissed his maker’s forehead. .:I will return with all speed. Lestat, you will barricade the door?:.

Lestat nodded. .:Yes.:.

With a great deal of trepidation still in his heart, he quietly slipped out of the room.

.:Lestat… lock the door behind me, Lestat,:. he instructed gently and smiled when he heard the lock click home after he closed the door behind him.

Walking down the stairs, he felt Lestat in his head, looking through his eyes as he passed through the old orphanage, taking note of the large hall tree and dusty furniture in the parlor off the front hall. He reached the front doors and paused, wondering if leaving was the right thing to do. He was very hungry. He needed to feed, but…

.:Stop,:. Lestat’s voice said in his mind, startling him.

.:Lestat? Is something wrong?:.

He probed the bond but felt nothing untoward.

.:No, just turn around so I can see.:.

Ah. Now he understood. With Lestat looking through his eyes, he needed Louis to be looking in the direction of the furniture. Obligingly, he turned to face the interior of the building and watched with amusement as the settee and tables from the parlor slid out.

It was odd because he could feel what Lestat was doing, the mental pushes he was giving the objects in order to force them to move. It was an eerie feeling, but he also marveled at the power his maker was able to wield, even from a distance. Of course, Lestat would not have been able to do any of it if he hadn’t been able to see through Louis’s eyes, so he felt some measure of ownership in the task.

More furniture from the drawing room, plus several statues from Roger’s relic collection, came out, and they all scraped their way down the hall towards him. He opened the front doors and took a step backwards onto the stoop, letting the objects follow right up to the entryway, then he closed the doors in front of him and heard the furniture slide up against them.

.:That will do, Lestat,:. he praised, hearing the thumps on the other side.

A rush of happiness and pride came across the bond as he felt Lestat disengage from his eyes.

.:I’ll be back very soon,:. he promised.

Turning his back to the doors, he stepped off the stoop and walked down the front path. As he was turning to head towards his hunting grounds, he spied an old tree that had been ripped down by the hurricane’s winds. He’d seen it before, lying broken on the grounds of the house across the street, and he wondered…

.:Lestat…:.

.:Hm?:.

He showed Lestat an image of the tree, followed by his idea.

.:Will you help me?:. he asked.

.:Of course,:. came the immediate answer.

Setting his jaw, he strode over to the tree and grabbed it by the trunk. He was weak from hunger, but he knew Lestat would help him do it; he knew Lestat understood what he wanted to do. Strength poured into him and he felt Lestat helping him lift the massive thing, using his mental powers to pick it up, and together they dragged it across the street where Louis deposited it right in front of the orphanage doors, wedging the branches against the brick steps and Corinthian columns.

Task complete, he wiped his hands and surveyed his work.

‘There,’ he thought with satisfaction. ‘There’s no way anyone can misconstrue that message: Stay the hell out.’

He turned towards his hunting grounds again, his eyes growing predatory. Lestat was safe, at least for the short term, and now it was time to feed.

********

He returned in less than an hour. It was past curfew so he’d had to be extra careful not to be seen by any of the police or patrolling guardsmen. It was an easy enough task but he was being cautious all the same. Despite David’s warnings that New Orleans was being abandoned, there were still quite a number of mortals eking out an existence in the remains of the city.

His hunting grounds were the areas devastated by the flood, which meant most of Orleans, Jefferson and St. Bernard Parishes. There was a thin sliver of space between St.Charles Avenue and the river that had not flooded, as well as the French Quarter and parts of Marigny, but everything else had been under water, and some of it was still partially submerged.

Everywhere he roamed he witnessed horrors the likes of which he hoped he would never see again. He saw houses sitting in the middle of the street, houses smashed into other houses, cars and sheds tossed and wrecked like children’s toys. Toxic flood water tainted everything and the odor of proliferating mold made its way into clothing, hair and skin. He didn’t need a cadaver-sniffing dog to know that there were bodies still under the rubble; he could smell the stink of decaying flesh wafting out of the piles of debris.

The squalor and fetid stench of death and offal took him back to the days when New Orleans was still a colony, back to the days when the streets were made of pounded dirt and horses were the main method of transportation. Back then no one cared about the poor and the sick, so hunting among them had been easy, but it had been twelve nights since the levees had broken and the city was still in terrible shambles. He had been following the latest news on a tiny portable radio that he’d brought to the orphanage and he didn’t like it. He didn’t know what anyone was doing (other than passing blame), but it seemed that things should have been progressing much faster than they were.

He’d also donated a great deal of money to the organizations that were doing the most good and trying to rebuild lives. What else did he have to spend his fortune on? All he really bought was books or videos, and that barely amounted to much more than his pocket change. Lestat and Armand might be exceptionally good at acquiring and spending money: purchasing large estates, apartments, and any manner of modern electronics and luxuries, but he excelled at amassing his fortune and reinvesting it. And why not? He’d always been a shrewd and accomplished businessman, and his birth into darkness had not changed that in the least.

As such he had access to large sums of money that were easily transferred into the hands of those who needed them, and he gave freely when he was moved to do so. The rebuilding of New Orleans seemed a worthy enough venture for him to invest in, and he would probably even purchase some distressed properties for later renovation and rental.

The others didn’t understand why he cared. Marius, especially, had lived through the destruction of countless cites and civilizations, and could not fathom why the city meant so much to Louis. But if anyone could call themselves a New Orleanean, was it not he? New Orleans had been his home for over a century. The cathedral had been built during his mortal lifetime. He’d spent his childhood on the banks of the Mississippi, lost his innocence (in more ways than one) in the taverns of her darker streets, and lived his fragile but oddly happy lifetime with Lestat and Claudia in the very Rue Royale flat that they would be returning to that evening. He loved the city as he loved no other. In his heart, his home would always be New Orleans.

He knew it was almost blasphemous to give ungodly sums of money to the relief effort while feeding upon the very people he was trying to help, but that was the paradox, and punishment, of his vampire life. It was also very ironic and he had an odd fondness for irony. Ironic in that he would help pay to rebuild the city while sucking its residents dry, and ironic in that he, a bloodthirsty murderer, would be doing more for the storm victims than the leaders and mortals in power.

It wasn’t supposed to be that way. After the revolution and The Enlightenment, things were supposed to change. Humanity was outgrowing its barbarism and cruelty. Or so they thought, but in reality, humanity hadn’t changed at all. Case in point, monsters like himself were still walking the night with no one the wiser that Death had just passed them by. Given that, it seemed almost heretical that he should seek anything but damnation and misery, but he couldn’t. He wanted to live.

Sixty years ago he would have ended it if he hadn’t been such a coward. In the last years that he had been with Armand, nothing had touched him, and after Armand had left him, he’d just drifted. Alive but not alive, existing in a hazy state of apathy.

Then Lestat came back. Lestat: bright, indomitable, infuriating Lestat.

Lestat’s reemergence had given him hope again, lit the fire in his soul that he had thought had gone out forever. No one could make him feel the way Lestat did. His maker brought out all the passion and emotion inside of him, even when he was furious and raging. Knowing Lestat lived, that they would see each other again, that his maker could come into his life at any time and spin him around in a whirlwind of love and hate. That had been a reason to go on. As long as Lestat existed, so did Louis. It was their unspoken pact, not even agreed upon between them and never mentioned. It was just an undeniable truth.

When Lestat had come to see him just before the debacle of the Body Thief, and he had seen Lestat’s tanned skin, he had known what Lestat had tried to do. He remembered the horror he had felt when Lestat told him of his trip to the Gobi, and how his heart had broken in two. To think that Lestat would end it and leave him behind to face the endless nights of eternity without the one being who reminded him of the sun… He’d wanted to scream, to rail at Lestat: ‘How could you leave me and not take me with you!’ He didn’t know if he would ever forgive Lestat for doing that to him.

Grief and regret slammed into him, making him pause mid-step on the street, and he grabbed his chest at the sudden pain. He came back to himself, suddenly realizing that Lestat must have been ‘listening’ or at least feeling some of the turmoil that had been going through his head.

.:Lestat?:.

A mental sob was his answer and he began to run for St. Elizabeth’s as fast as he could.

.:Lestat!:. he called again.

.:I’m sorry, Louis. I’m so sorry. I… I never knew how much my trying to end it had hurt you. I… I thought you’d be the only one who would truly understand…:.

He turned down St. Charles and raced for Napoleon. .:But I did understand! I did! And that’s why it hurt so much. You’d go and end your misery but leave me alone to endure without you!:.

Lestat did not seem mollified and Louis feared that he would go off again without him there to ground him. It made him run all the harder and he leaped right over the front fence of the orphanage, skirting around the building to the interior courtyard where he jumped up to the second story balcony and forced his way into the hall. Doing so proved that their barricading of the front doors had been nothing more than a polite request to stay away, and anyone who had really wanted to get in could have simply come in through the center entrance.

He hit the door of the bedroom with such force that it ripped right off of its hinges and flew inward. He flew in right after it, headed for the bed where Lestat lay curled in a fetal position. His momentum was so great that he couldn’t stop, and he found himself careening onto the bed as he grabbed for Lestat and they both went sailing right off the mattress, blankets and all. They landed with a heavy whomp on the floor, he on top of Lestat and Lestat looking up at him with eyes as wide as saucers.

“Lestat!” he cried, both verbally and mentally as he grounded them both.

.:Louis!:.

Relief flooded through him when he saw that Lestat’s eyes were clear and present.

.:Oh thank God.:.

.:Huh?:.

.:I was afraid…:.

.:That I was going to go mad again,:. Lestat finished for him.

He blushed and nodded sheepishly. .:Oui.:.

.:One could say that it appears you are the one to be worried about, mon cher.:.

Looking back at what was left of the bedroom door and the rumpled state of both of them on the carpet, he had to agree. .:I suppose it could appear that way,:. he conceded with a wry smile.

.:And poor me! Naked and about to be ravished by my fledgling!:. Lestat teased, answering his smile with one of his own.

He took a moment to examine their situation and saw how… suggestive their positions appeared. Lestat’s smile only widened at his embarrassment with no hint of his earlier upset.

‘I think I may have just knocked him out of his despair,’ he realized. ‘Well, of course, we’re touching each other again.’

.:Not that I would object to being ravished by you…:. Lestat added almost wistfully.

He hastily crawled off his maker and straightened his clothes. .:Well, yes. However, one would hope such ravishment would happen behind closed doors, and being that this room has no door…:.

.:It did a moment ago,:. Lestat pointed out, amusement sparkling across the bond.

He humphed and gave Lestat a disapproving look, but there was no heat in it and they both knew it.

.:Oh those eyes!:. Lestat said, his own eyes dancing, and for a moment Louis was completely entranced by them. .:Such fire in those eyes. I used to annoy you just so you would look at me that way. You are truly magnificent when you are scolding me.:.

Louis was shocked to discover that it was true. He was absolutely certain that he would know if Lestat were lying to him and he was not. That meant Lestat had just admitted to purposefully antagonizing him just to make him angry.

.:Not angry. Just to get a reaction from you. You were so quiet and withdrawn all of the time, and I hated being ignored by you. I’d needle you just so you would look at me.:.

The statement came with a rush of images, memories of times past when Lestat would watch him, full of love and longing, confusion and need. Lestat, young himself and abandoned by all who had loved him. So alone and desperate for companionship and love, his companionship and love. Angry and resentful of Louis’s desire for solitude, he’d lashed out in his own pain.

Of course, Louis had figured all of that out years ago. If it was one thing the 90’s had brought it was a plethora of self-help and psychology books, and Louis, who was practically born reading, devoured whole shelves of them. He gave names to all of Lestat’s peculiar personality traits: passive-aggressive, megalomania, ADHD… All fancy terms to describe what happened to a child when one parent was extremely abusive, the other cold and distant, and the child suffered multiple traumas; being raped into vampirism notwithstanding. Understanding why Lestat did half of what he did only went so far, however, and most of the time he wasn’t sure what he could do about it. But now with the bond between them in place maybe he could start helping Lestat deal with everything that had happened to him, and maybe even help his maker come to terms with a few things. It was a lofty dream, he knew, and full of his own vanity, but they first needed to deal with Lestat’s latest trauma and the repercussions thereof.

.:We were going to go home,:. he said gently. .:Are you up to it?:.

Lestat’s eyes grew wistful and haunted. .:Yes. I want to be free of this place.:.

.:Then let us find you some clothes. I am sure that David left some here.:.

He stood up slowly and made his way to the armoire, opening the dark wooden doors to reveal a number of sets of clothes ranging from three-piece suits to jeans and pullovers. Since David was slightly taller than Lestat but not as broad, he chose a loose grey sweater and a pair of jeans. He didn’t bother with undergarments. If Lestat wanted them, there were ample in his maker’s own drawers at the Rue Royale.

Lestat accepted the clothes and pulled the sweater over his head. The jeans were a little tight in the crotch but were fine for the relatively short trip to the French Quarter. Louis wasn’t certain if they were walking or flying until Lestat nearly vomited at the thought of taking to the air.

.:I… I need to keep my feet on the ground,:. Lestat explained as they both shook off the queasiness.

.:I understand. We should keep to the alleys then, so as not to be seen.:.

He’d explained what had happened to New Orleans; about the hurricane and the flooding. Lestat had been deeply grieved but not surprised. After all, it had been common knowledge for decades that New Orleans was terribly vulnerable to a hurricane, and perhaps the biggest surprise was the very fact that people were surprised when it actually happened. Still, the loss was terrible and martial law still ruled the city.

When Lestat was dressed and ready, they left the orphanage by the side door, leaving the furniture and tree piled where they were, and began walking towards the French Quarter. It was about a four mile walk but at vampire speed it would only take them about twenty minutes to get to their flat. They could get there faster if they hurried, but Lestat was moving sluggishly as if his feet were heavy.

They went down Napoleon to Perrier and headed East towards Amelia. That would take them up to Prytania and over to Camp, then on to the Quarter once Camp crossed Canal. From there Royale was only two blocks north. The neighborhood around them was silent as a tomb, the houses dark and still. No one was allowed back into the city and all those who had fled were still gone. There was still no electricity in this part of town so the incessant hum from the transformers wasn’t there either.

Louis could feel the discomfort rolling off Lestat and knew that his maker was uncomfortable being out in the open. He hooked his arm into Lestat’s and pressed close, encouraging Lestat to walk arm-in-arm with him the way that they used to when they had lived together with Claudia.

The thought of their long dead daughter brought forth a wash of melancholy from Lestat and Louis was surprised to feel how deeply Lestat still grieved. The grief was furthered by Lestat’s knowledge that he was the direct cause of Claudia’s death.

“No,” he said aloud. “No, you were not. Armand was determined to have me and Claudia was in the way. If you had not come to Paris, he would have found another way to get rid of her. Your presence in France was merely an opportunity that played into his hands. He must have known that you loved Claudia and me very much, and what better way to hurt you than by forcing you to testify against us.”

.:No. I knew Armand was using me. I knew it. I knew it when he locked me up and starved me, denying me neither mortal nor vampire blood until I had told him what he wanted me to say…:.

“I understand this, Lestat. You were out of your mind with thirst, and still scarred and wounded from…” He didn’t say ‘From what we did to you’ but it hung in the air around them.

.:No, Louis. You don’t understand. I knew I couldn’t save both of you. I knew I had to make a choice, and, God forgive me, Louis, I chose you. I knew when I did it that I was condemning her to death, but I did it anyway. She was my daughter, but it was you, always you, Louis, who were my soul.:.

The admission took a lot out of Lestat, and Louis felt the undercurrent of fear that Lestat had when he said it, as if he was half worried that Louis would reject him when he heard the truth. He stopped on the street and looked at his maker, placing one hand on his shoulder and gazed into the blue-grey eyes. When he spoke, it was mentally so that Lestat would know that he was not lying.

.:I know Lestat, and I forgive you. I forgave you long ago. What Claudia… what we did to you… I would not have blamed you if you wanted us both dead. The very fact that you have forgiven me, that you keep forgiving me for the way that I treat you…:.

Lestat stopped him by placing a hand over his and kissing his fingers. .:And you forgive me, Louis. I’ve treated you horribly and you’ve forgiven me.:.

He lowered his eyes and ventured close enough to rest his head against Lestat’s forehead. .:Yes.:.

Lestat’s hand brushed through his hair comfortingly and he sighed.

.:I love you, Louis. I would never let anything happen to you. I don’t know if you know this but…:.

Lestat paused and he was hit with an image as seen through Lestat’s eyes: Mekare holding Akasha’s severed head while the world went black all around them, and the knowledge that all he had to do to save the Queen was take the head and reattach it to the body…

The vision shocked him and he went cold with the understanding that Lestat had known he could save Akasha but didn’t; he had chosen not to help her. He had chosen to let her die.

“Lestat…” he breathed, shaking off the morbid, painful memory.

.:She was going to kill you, Louis, and I couldn’t let that happen. I knew that you wouldn’t yield to her even as I couldn’t yield and that we’d all pay with our lives. At first, I wanted her to kill me so that I wouldn’t have to watch the rest of you die, but when Mekare came and attacked the Queen, I saw a way to save us all. I could have helped her but I didn’t, and in the end I think she knew. She knew I wouldn’t help her and maybe that killed her as much as the beheading. I’ve always thought that it was possible for her to have saved herself. What did Mekare know about it anyway? She might not have known that body parts can be reattached with us. All Akasha had to do was take her head back, but maybe she was waiting for me to do it and when I didn’t…:.

.:She allowed herself to die. Lestat, do you really think that’s true?:.

Lestat shrugged. .:I don’t know. I just suspect. But she knew me and she had to have known that I would never have let her touch you. If she’d hurt you, I would have fought her until the ends of the earth.:.

.:Lestat…:.

Lestat’s arms came around him and they embraced as he pressed his cheek against Lestat’s hard shoulder. There was too much flowing between them, ebbing like the floodwaters that drowned New Orleans, and they could only hold each other and wait for the storm to pass. When it did, Lestat kissed his temple and breathed softly into his hair.

.:Take me home, Beautiful One. I want to be warm and safe with you.:.

.:Yes,:. he wholeheartedly agreed.

He pulled away and smiled at Lestat as he took his hand and they resumed walking. There was something roiling just under the surface but it was a jumble of emotions that he couldn’t untangle, and he really didn’t want to take the time to deal with it while they were still out in the open.

“Halt! Freeze!” came a loud voice and they both whirled to see two police officers standing at the end of the block.

Shaking his head, he mentally chastised himself for being careless. He’d been so wrapped up in Lestat, and in keeping him grounded, that he hadn’t been paying attention. Obviously they had been spotted by two officers out patrolling for people out past curfew, and they had probably been spotted hugging as well. It didn’t bode well for them. Normally he would have just moved too fast for them to see and blinked out of sight, but for some reason Lestat seemed rooted to the ground and he wasn’t about to leave him.

.:Lestat…:.

.:What do they want with us? We’re just walking.:.

.:We’re out past curfew, Lestat. Lestat, we need to get out of here…:.

Lestat heard him but continued to stand there as the officers approached.

“Freeze. Don’t move,” one officer ordered.

.:Let me handle this,:. he warned Lestat, not liking the cold look on his maker’s face at all.

Lestat did not answer as he slipped his hand from Lestat’s grip and took a step forward, his hands up.

“Monsieurs, we do not wish any trouble,” he said softly.

“You’re out past curfew, mister,” the policeman answered.

“Ah, yes. We are. However, we are just going home.”

“Not anymore, you’re not,” the second officer replied, reaching for something on his hip.

It looked like a radio, but perhaps it was his gun as well. He couldn’t tell because it was partially hidden by the man’s body.

“You’re under arrest.”

“That would be very unwise, Monsieur. My companion is not well and I really must get him home,” he stated calmly.

.:Polite to the last, Louis. Get them out of here,:. Lestat warned.

He could feel Lestat’s growing anger and it was making him very uncomfortable.

The officer gave Lestat a once over. “He looks fine to me.”

“I assure you that you do not wish to do this.”

“And I assure you that you do not want to get on the wrong side of me,” the second officer snapped.

Louis sighed mentally and briefly closed his eyes to quell his natural instinct to kill the mortal in front of him.

“Please, Monsieur, I beg of you. Do not do this.”

“Just look at it this way, maybe you and your companion will make some new friends in the holding cell,” the man said.

It was the emphasis on companion that set off the alarms, and then suddenly he was reading the man’s thoughts as clearly as if he were speaking, or maybe it was Lestat who was reading the thoughts and he was just hearing them secondhand through the bond. It didn’t really matter except that now he was privy to the mind of a man who had made certain judgments about him and Lestat, their sexual orientation and their ‘real’ reason for being out after curfew. The thoughts were filthy and the man’s mind was laced with hatred and prejudice. It was an altogether unpleasant experience.

“Monsieur, my companion and I are not interested in making any new friends this night. We really just want to go home,” he said deliberately, trying to block out the unwanted images from his mind.

Lestat was very close to him now, pressed to his back and he could feel his maker’s breath on his neck. He knew if he did not get the situation under control quickly something terrible was going to happen and he feared what Lestat would do.

The second policeman smiled coldly and drew out a set of handcuffs as the first one pulled out his radio.

“I’m going to call this in,” the first officer said as the second advanced.

“That’s funny, I’ve always heard you guys like that sort of thing,” the second officer leered at them.

What happened next occurred so quickly that even in hindsight Louis wasn’t sure if he could have prevented it. He felt the surge of power through the bond and it momentarily stunned him. At the same time, the first officer’s handheld radio exploded in a shower of electrical sparks and the second officer’s metal handcuffs grew so hot they burned the man’s hand. Both officers shouted in alarm and surprise and both drew their weapons.

Before Louis could even utter a single word at this turn of events, he felt something else happening and he realized far too late that Lestat’s rage had flared out of his control. Triggered by the threat he perceived to Louis, Lestat’s protective instincts came roaring out, and Louis felt as if he were being kicked in the stomach as a blast of white-hot energy shot across the bond. Then he felt Lestat killing the men with his mind, felt their brains begin to boil, felt the blood cells popping from the heat. To his horror, he watched as blood began to pour from the orifices in their heads, running from their ears, noses and eyes as they tried to scream but couldn’t because Lestat was preventing them from breathing.

.:Lestat! Lestat, stop! You’re killing them! Stop!:.

The men dropped over dead as he fell to his knees, sickened and reeling from what he had just witnessed. With his mind in shock and the scent of the spilled mortal blood driving his vampire instincts insane, he was unable to process what had happened, and he grabbed his head, doubling over and moaning, as a torrent of emotions came ricocheting across the bond.

.:Louis! Louis! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!:. he heard Lestat cry.

Desperately he tried to grab the threads in order to ground them both and rein Lestat in, but then something warm and wet was pressed to his lips, and he opened his eyes to see that Lestat had cracked open the second policeman’s chest (the one whose thoughts they had been reading) and ripped out the heart. Lestat was pushing the organ against Louis’s mouth, urging him to drink the thickening blood. His lips parted unbidden and he sunk his fangs into the soft flesh, sucking the blood from the severed organ. Ripping his mouth away, he gasped for breath, the revulsion he felt almost making him choke. Both he and Lestat were smeared with the dead men’s blood, and his head was spinning. He couldn’t believe that he had just felt Lestat kill two men with his mind alone, and he was literally shocked speechless. Lestat, on the other hand, was realizing that he had hurt and traumatized him, and he was practically begging for forgiveness.

.:Louis! Louis, I’m sorry. Please speak to me. Louis, please!:.

He managed to look at Lestat, his face still betraying his alarm and dismay, but what Lestat must have seen only made his maker more desperate.

.:Louis!:. Lestat grabbed him by the forearms, gripping tightly and shaking him a little bit. .:Louis, I’m sorry!:.

He gritted his teeth and pulled himself together because he could feel Lestat careening off the deep end and he knew that he had to do something before Lestat completely lost it. He threw his arms around his maker and grounded, shunting everything into the anchor and feeling the pain siphon down into the earth beneath them.

.:I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry,:. he heard Lestat repeating, mental sobs accompanying the audible ones as Lestat hugged him tight.

He was coming out of it now, taking stock of the situation and trying to figure out what they could do. He and Lestat were sprawled on the pavement next to a growing pool of blood, and he had two dead policemen and one mentally unstable vampire who was just a push away from complete madness. He knew he needed to deal with the bodies and get Lestat out of there, and for once he was glad that the neighborhood was empty. He had no idea if the first officer had been able to contact his superiors, but he was fairly certain that someone would come looking for them if they didn’t check in when they were supposed to.

He mentally considered his options, wondering where he should start and what his priorities ought to be. If he took Lestat home, the bodies might be discovered in his absence, but if he dealt with the bodies, Lestat might get worse. What he really needed was some help, but he despaired that neither David nor Marius were anywhere nearby because he had been so adamant about being left alone with Lestat. He was just about to send out a plea for assistance when he felt the coming of a very powerful vampire mind.

.:I’m here, Louis,:. Marius’s mindvoice said soothingly.

His relief was palpable and he almost wept. .:Marius. I am so glad that you ignored me.:.

Marius laughed softly as he came into view, his blue eyes surveying the carnage on the sidewalk. .:You didn’t think I was going to let you walk Lestat home without any backup? I was afraid something like this would happen.:.

.:Don’t blame him! It was my fault!:. Lestat pleaded, almost groveling. .:I did it. It was all me!:.

Lestat’s mindvoice was panicked and Louis realized that Lestat was afraid Marius was going to punish them.

.:Non, non, Lestat. Marius is here to help us,:. he assured him.

.:I won’t let him hurt you, Louis!:.

.:Marius has no intention of hurting either of us, Lestat,:. he insisted, but Lestat did not seem comforted.

Images from the past came into him, memories of Lestat’s first meeting with Marius and the ancient vampire’s threats. Marius had made Lestat promise never to reveal what he knew, threatened him with deadly retribution should he break his vow, and Lestat had taken the warnings to heart. It was because of Marius’s threats that Lestat had told him nothing of their vampire nature or origins, and because of him that Lestat’s two fledglings eventually rose up against him.

He knew now the reasons why Lestat kept them in ignorance and why Lestat became so angry and upset when Louis questioned him. He knew Lestat was trying to protect them, and their questions had only ripped the scabs off wounds that had never really healed. He understood and forgave Lestat all of that, but it seemed that they both still harbored some old resentment and fear. After all, Louis could blame Marius for everything. If he hadn’t made Lestat promise not to tell, then the chances were that none of what had happened would ever have occurred. Lestat would have told him everything instead of getting angry and making Louis feel as if Lestat were trying to keep him subservient.

.:You can scold me for my failures later, young one,:. Marius chided, reminding him that he could read his thoughts easily. .:For now, you must get Lestat home. I will deal with the bodies.:.

He flushed with shame and nodded, urging Lestat to stand, but Lestat would have none of it. His maker gripped him tight and refused to budge.

.:Lestat…:.

.:I’ll protect you from him, Louis, I swear!:.

.:I know, Lestat.:.

“Lestat, take your fledgling home,” Marius ordered in a voice Louis had never heard him use.

Panic arced across the bond and he barely had time to utter a single gasp before Lestat was winking them both into the ether. When the world stopped streaking around him in swirling Technicolor, he found himself on the balcony of their Rue Royale flat with Lestat on top of him and the both of them retching.

Mon Dieu! He felt as if half of his internal organs had been left behind on Prytania. What had Lestat just done? But then he knew. Lestat had responded to Marius’s order and teleported them home instantly.

Lestat was shaking, dry heaving in great gasps, and he placed his hands on Lestat’s shoulders to quell his trembling even as he fought his own nausea.

.:Lestat. It’s alright, Lestat,:. he comforted, untangling himself from Lestat’s legs.

.:Louis. Oh God, Louis.:.

.:I’m here. We’re okay. We’re home. You brought us home.:.

Pulling Lestat to his knees, he rose up and staggered for the French doors. He reached for the handle and realized that the doors were locked. He didn’t want to break the frame or any of the windows in order to get in, but he didn’t know what else to do. Then he remembered Lestat’s little trick.

.:Lestat. Unlock the door, Lestat.:.

Lestat obeyed and Louis felt the little spike of power right before the lock turned and the door opened with a soft click.

‘I wonder if I can do that now,’ he thought. It would be a very handy talent to have if he could. Maybe later, when things were better, he and Lestat could do some experimenting on what powers had been transferred between them.

With his hand gripping Lestat’s forearm, he urged them both into the parlor where they collapsed again, but at least now they were inside and no longer at risk of being seen. They stayed on the carpeted floor for several minutes before he managed to get his wits about him enough to decide on a plan of action.

They were both covered in blood from the two policemen but the flat had neither electricity nor running water. There was, however, a small amount of water stored in the tank of the unused toilet. If rationed prudently, it should be enough to clean the blood from their hands and faces. Goal in mind, he reached for Lestat and they stumbled to the bathroom.

In years past, Lestat had a perverse fondness for baths. As such there was a shelf beside the lavish tub with candles and bath oils. He took one of the candles and lit it, ignoring the fizzling and stale smell of the dust being burned away. The single flame provided more than enough light to see by and he began undressing them both. He ripped off their shirts, tossing them on the marble tile floor as he took the lid off the commode to get to the water inside the tank. Grabbing a dusty washcloth, he soaked it in the cold water and began wiping the blood off his face, neck and hands, then he turned to Lestat and cleaned him.

Lestat allowed it, his mind blank and his body cooperative. He gathered that his maker was still in shock so he handled him gently and carefully. He washed the blood from Lestat’s face and neck, then moved to his hands, cleaning them thoroughly and making sure he got the blood under the nails. Neither of them uttered a sound and that actually worried him more than he could say. A quiet Lestat was unpredictable.

When they were both clean, he tossed the bloody washcloth into the tub, blew out the candle and guided Lestat out of the bathroom. Lestat went without protest and allowed Louis to lead him. He debated on which bedroom they should go to, but in the end decided on his own room. He knew Lestat’s room was more lavish than his, but it had also been empty for over a decade and it was dusty and in need of cleaning. Tomorrow night he would endeavor to air it out and change the sheets, but for now his room would have to do. All he really wanted was to lie down and get Lestat back on an even keel. Judging by the emotions coming across the bond, that was what Lestat wanted too.

When they got to the bedroom, he looked down at both of their remaining clothing and realized that Lestat’s borrowed jeans and his own trousers were stained with blood. Lestat seemed to notice this at the same time he did and reached down to tear off the jeans with a careless rip. He didn’t bother to remind Lestat that the jeans belonged to David; if David had wanted them then he wouldn’t have left them behind at St. Elizabeth’s.

Stepping out of the ripped jeans, Lestat left them, and his shoes, on the floor next to the bed and crawled, naked, under the bedclothes. He watched him, uncertain. While Lestat had almost no modesty, and would strip down to nothing without a care, he, on the other hand, was far more demure. It was one thing to be shirtless in bed with Lestat, but he wasn’t certain if he was comfortable being naked with him.

.:I have silk pajamas in my room,:. he heard Lestat say softly.

He started a little because the voice was unexpected, but quelled his surprise quickly. Lestat was looking at him, his blue-grey eyes tired and sad. His blond hair was spread across the pillow in a halo around his head, and he looked for all the world like a fallen angel exiled from Heaven.

.:Maybe that’s what I am,:. came the sorrowful reply.

He shook his head and smiled gently. .:Non, Lestat. You will always be my angel. My blond angel.:.

.:Mon ange,:. Lestat said with a playful smile on his lips.

He flushed and lowered his eyes, feeling very self-conscious.

There was still the dilemma of his bloody trousers, but he didn’t want to leave the room in order to get the pajamas Lestat had spoken of, then he remembered that Lestat had given him a set of his own silk nightclothes some years ago. He probably still had them… somewhere. Following a vague memory, he opened his armoire and rummaged until his hand touched a small, flat cardboard box. He pulled it out, opened the top, and was pleased to see the emerald green silk pajamas he was looking for. He hadn’t even removed them from their container.

He took out the bottoms but left the button-up top, and slipped out of his soiled pants. The silk felt wonderfully soft and smooth as he pulled them on and tied the drawstring before he turned to where Lestat was waiting on the bed. He knew his maker had been watching him undress, but he tried not to let it trouble him. The healer had warned him that intimacy would be part of the bond, and that meant he would lose some measure of his privacy. He had accepted that fact when he agreed to all of this and now it was just coming home to roost. Managing a shy smile, he lifted the covers to slide into bed, but Lestat stopped him.

.:Non. Let me look at you for a moment. It’s been so long since I have seen you like this and you are so beautiful.:.

He blushed, embarrassed, and looked away, unable to bear Lestat’s appreciative eye.

.:Does this mean that you forgive me?:. Lestat asked suddenly.

.:Forgive you?:. he replied, confused.

An image of the two dead policemen came across the bond and he blanched.

.:For killing those two mortals,:. Lestat clarified.

He shook his head. .:There is nothing to forgive, Lestat. It was my fault for not being more cautious.:.

.:You always did love your precious guilt,:. his maker teased but the bond between them told him that Lestat was just needling him.

In the past, he would have replied that Lestat never carried any guilt at all, let alone wear it the way he did, but now he knew better. Lestat did feel guilt, felt it very keenly and strongly, and for vastly different reasons than he did. Just because Lestat didn’t wear his guilt openly didn’t mean he didn’t feel it, and Louis was only beginning to understand that.

.:But you are my guilt, Louis. Every time I see you I am reminded of how much penance I have to do to make up for all wrongs I’ve committed against you.:.

He snorted and gave Lestat a look that told him exactly how he felt about that.

.:Shall we make a list then, of all the things we have done to each other? How does your burning my house compare to me shoving you into the fire?:.

If they hadn’t been connected, chances were Lestat would have flown off in a rage, but because Lestat could feel everything Louis was feeling, the tirade never came. Instead, understanding passed between them and Louis finished getting into bed. Lestat put his arms around him and looked into his eyes.

.:I love you,:. Lestat said.

He smiled and snuggled close. It was true what the healer had said about physical contact between them. When he was touching Lestat, or held in his arms like this, he felt such peace, as if all was right with the world and nothing else mattered.

.:Yes,:. Lestat agreed, then kissed him, full and deep.

He sighed into Lestat’s mouth as their lips dueled, and the love he felt inside and all around him was almost overwhelming. When they finally parted, he was dizzy but oddly happy. Lestat had never kissed him that way before and it left him breathless.

.:It was the first time that I knew you would accept my advances,:. Lestat explained. .:But be certain that there is much more where that kiss came from. Much, much more.:.

He smiled at Lestat’s wanton tone and kissed his maker’s nose. .:I look forward to it.:.

Lestat grinned, a genuine grin that reached his eyes, and slid one hand down to his waist so he could pull him closer. .:I always knew you had it in you.:.

“Mmm,” he agreed as Lestat kissed him again.

Their tongues dueled for several moments then Lestat broke the kiss and placed his head next to his on the pillow. Simple happiness flowed between them as they lay together, bodies touching and legs entwined. Lestat was content and so was he, then he saw an image of Mojo very clearly in his mind.

.:Perhaps tomorrow you will bring him after your hunt? You’ll fetch him from his keeper for me? I would so love to see my dog.:.

The sadness and regret that he felt went right across the bond and Lestat’s face fell.

.:I see. So, he’s dead then.:.

He nodded. .:Oui. Last year. He was a fine old dog, Lestat. I cared for him a great deal.:.

Memories of his years with Mojo came back and he allowed Lestat to sift through them; images of their walks, their visits to Lestat (Lestat blanched at these, deeply disturbed by the picture of himself in his catatonic state,) their late night wanderings. He had loved the dog. Mojo had been his only real link to Lestat, the only companion who loved Lestat as much as he did, and he missed the dog dearly.

.:I buried him in the garden. There’s a marker.:.

Lestat nodded but said nothing.e

.:Perhaps when things are better we will get a puppy, n’est pas?:. he offered.

Lestat sighed and grief came from him in a wave, making a lump form in Louis’s throat.

.:Thank you for taking care of my dog, Louis. Thank you for loving him so much.:.

.:He was no trouble, Lestat. I was glad to do it.:.

Lestat laid his head back down on the pillow and draped one arm across Louis’s chest.

.:I’m tired,:. Lestat said, which really meant that he was heart sore and grieving and just didn’t want to talk about it anymore.

Louis understood and didn’t press. He let love flow across the bond and drew the blankets over their shoulders to ward off the night chill. It was September, after all, and there was no heat in the flat to warm the dampness. Lestat snuggled close and they both closed their eyes to doze.

A couple of hours later, he felt Marius’s mind tap his gently. He came awake and searched for the ancient vampire, finding him just across the street from the front of their townhouse.

.:All is well?:. Marius asked.

He smiled and looked at Lestat’s sleeping face. .:Yes.:.

.:We’ll leave you be then. Call if you need us.:.

.:I will. Thank you, Marius. I’m sorry if I have been… inhospitable lately,:. he apologized.

.:It is understandable. We’ll stay close but we won’t interfere or try to visit until you tell us Lestat is ready.:.

.:Thank you.:.

.:Keep us informed, please?:.

.:I will. I give you my word.:.

.:Thank you.:.

The connection broke off and he felt Marius leave. He was grateful to the ancient vampire for being so patient and understanding, even when Louis was being rude. He could only hope to be so wise when he was over a thousand years old. Beside him, Lestat muttered in his sleep and he soothed him with soft words and a nuzzle. His maker settled down again and he relaxed, pressing close and allowing himself to fall back to sleep.

Just before dawn, as if by some internal alarm clock, they both woke and made their way up to Lestat’s sun-proof lair under the rafters. There they forwent the narrow sarcophagus and curled up together on the floor, a blanket wrapped around them. They were both already asleep by the time the sun rose.

7

Two nights later electricity was restored to their street, and three nights after that they had running water. He and Lestat celebrated by taking a hot bath together. The bath was long overdue and he’d gotten into the tub without reservation, the past five nights slowly wearing away his modesty as he and Lestat shared the nights together. He shampooed Lestat’s hair twice and allowed Lestat to shampoo his as they washed each other amid the candlelight and scented bath oil. It was opulent and sensual, so like Lestat with his penchant for modern luxuries, but he couldn’t say that he didn’t enjoy it or what came after.

Lestat had begun touching him almost immediately after they had returned to the Rue Royale. The kisses and promise of more to come had only scratched the surface of what Lestat had been planning, and each night had brought them closer and closer together. Lestat reveled in physical closeness with him, taking their relationship to a level he had not experienced before. Where he had previously been the object of Lestat’s cautious affections, now he received the full measure of Lestat’s attentions, and what followed was a tender seduction of soft caresses and loving gestures that would begin almost as soon as he returned from his nightly rounds.

Lestat still did not hunt. In fact he rarely left the bedroom, although Louis had persuaded him to don a pair of pants and come sit in the parlor where he had lit a fire in the hearth. He’d also been out briefly to the garden to see Mojo’s grave, but that had been as far as he’d gone outside. Louis worried that Lestat hadn’t fed in over a decade but the acquisition of blood did not seem to be a top priority for his maker. Even so, Louis feared that it wasn’t healthy and the lack of feeding might be hindering Lestat’s recovery.

It wasn’t that Lestat was afraid to go out, which was what he thought at first, but then they had gotten a message from Marius about Memnoch. Apparently the healer had contacted Marius and told him that Memnoch was “no longer a threat” and that the “situation had been dealt with.” Whatever that meant, but he took it to mean that they no longer had to worry about Lestat being spirited away. He fully expected Lestat to be itching to go out after that, but his maker had merely expressed relief and returned to bed.

The other thing that had him somewhat worried was that Lestat was almost completely silent. Oh his maker talked a great deal with mindspeech and they’d had quite a number of conversations, but his physical voice, his spoken word, was practically nonexistent. Louis had asked him one night if he could speak and Lestat had smiled.

“Oui,” Lestat had answered, his voice rough from disuse.

“Will you talk to me then?” he’d asked.

.:Of course.:.

“Non, non. I mean like this. With our spoken voices.”

“Why?”

“Because I like to hear it. Before, it was hard to get you to be quiet, now you hardly ever speak.”

.:I thought you didn’t like my mindless chatter,:. Lestat had replied teasingly.

It had been another of those statements that could have started an argument if he had not felt Lestat’s true feelings through the bond.

“The sound of your voice has always been a comfort to me,” he had admitted.

.:Except when I was cursing or yelling at you.:.

“Yes, there is that. But the other times… When you spoke softly to me it was a balm on my soul.”

He had thought to appeal to Lestat’s vanity then. “And I do love to hear you sing. I remember when you used to sing while playing the harpsichord. Would you sing for me now, Lestat?”

Lestat had smiled, but Louis had known that Lestat knew his true intentions and had played into them. He had opened his mouth and begun to sing, very softly. He sang Frère Jacques but he’d replaced “Frère Jacques” with “Vampire Louis” and made the tune into a parody that had them both giggling.

“Stop it, you are being a brat,” he had scolded, but that had only made Lestat laugh more.

.:Maybe I don’t talk because I can’t kiss you and speak at the same time,:. Lestat had said, taking his face in his hands and kissing him. .:And maybe I don’t talk because I like this better. There’s no confusion of meaning when we talk like this, no way for us to misunderstand each other.:.

The admission had been serious and Louis had accepted it, but he still worried. Lestat’s booming voice was normal, as were his sudden outbursts and his fits of laughter. He had been known to recite poetry or Shakespeare on a whim and tell jokes just to make others laugh. Part of what had made the Rue Royale home to him had been the rooms filled with Lestat’s voice and Claudia’s laughter. Now it seemed that he had lost both.

Lestat knew how he felt and to his credit he did try to speak at least once or twice a night just so Louis would be comforted, but he would return to mindspeech almost immediately. Louis wondered if Lestat would ever chatter again with the same happy, carefree voice that could brighten a room, and he despaired that it was gone forever. But then he remembered the healer had warned him that this Lestat would not be the Lestat that he had known, and that it might take years and years for Lestat to heal.

And a healed Lestat hunted. A healed Lestat drank blood. Not because he needed it, but because he wanted it. Which led him to his current dilemma.

They had been back at the Rue Royale for a week, and they seemed to have fallen into a routine. He would rise, go out to hunt, then come home and lay in bed with Lestat. Sometimes they would sit in the parlor but more often than not, they would be in bed. He didn’t mind this, but he didn’t think it was helping Lestat either. So tonight he had made a decision. If Lestat would not go out to feed then he would bring blood to Lestat. He would drink far more than he needed and get Lestat to feed from him.

He knew he could do this without Lestat’s knowledge because Lestat had been giving him privacy during his hunts. His maker simply would not ‘listen’ while Louis was hunting and for that Louis was eternally grateful. The first two nights he had cut his hair and given the locks to Lestat, but after the third night, Lestat admitted that he preferred Louis leave his hair long and he would just hold the pillow until Louis got back. He swore to Louis that he would be fine by himself in the short time it took Louis to go out, and Louis reluctantly took him at his word.

Tonight he went out and fed heavily, taking three victims. He was so engorged with blood that he was dizzy with it and he practically staggered home. His feet were heavy on the steps and his vision swam with a red haze as he made his way up to the flat. Lestat must have heard his key in the door because his maker touched his mind as soon as he entered.

.:Louis? Are you alright? You feel strange, mon cher.:.

.:I’m fine, Lestat. Just a little full.:.

He reached the top of the stairs and turned down the hall, headed for his bedroom where he knew Lestat waited. They had opted to remain in his room rather than move into Lestat’s although he wasn’t sure exactly why. Lestat had given him the choice, and he’d chosen to stay where they were. Lestat seemed content enough so he didn’t question it. Besides, he liked his room better because… well because it was his and it had everything the way he liked it.

Opening the door, he saw Lestat turn over in the bed and look at him. Being full of so much blood made him feel a little drunk, and the expression of horror and concern on Lestat’s face almost made him laugh.

.:Mon dieu! Louis! What have you done to yourself?:.

He smiled softly at his maker and made his way to the bed.

.:It’s time for you to feed, Lestat,:. he answered. .:You haven’t hunted in over a decade, and you need blood to help you heal. I’ve fed enough for both of us so you can take from me.:.

The shock Lestat felt came across the bond and he almost laughed again. Shocking Lestat was a rare treat indeed.

.:You wish me to… to feed from you?:.

He nodded as he stripped off his shirt and settled down on the bed, his neck arched and offered. Lestat stared at him, his eyes wide with surprise.

.:Drink, Lestat. I’ve overfed. If you don’t take from me, I’ll be sick all night.:.

Lestat shook his head in stunned wonder. .:I cannot believe that you would do this for me.:.

.:Why not? Would you not do the same for me?:.

.:Of course, but…:.

.:But you never thought I’d ever share a kill with you.:.

.:No.:.

He smiled. .:First time for everything. Now drink.:.

At first he thought Lestat was going to refuse, then he felt a pang of nausea from being too full, like a drunkard who’d imbibed too much and was now suffering the consequences. He heard Lestat sigh.

.:The things you do, Beautiful One. First you bind yourself to me, then you do this? Which of us is the crazy one here?:.

.:I think we’re both completely out of our minds, but that makes us a matched pair, non?:.

.:True.:.

He felt Lestat lean close to take in the scent of blood coming from his skin. Lestat inhaled right next to his jugular and all the hair on his neck stood at attention. He almost forgot to breathe for all the anticipation he was feeling, but when Lestat’s lips touched his flesh he relaxed immediately because he didn’t want Lestat to think that he was nervous or reticent. He waited for several moments as Lestat smelled him, his body coming closer and sliding along his sensuously, then he let out a little gasp as Lestat bit his throat.

Since Lestat hadn’t fed in over a decade, he had expected him to be rough, so Lestat’s gentleness surprised him. He barely felt the prick of his maker’s fangs through his flesh and the first draws on his jugular were tentative. Once Lestat tasted the blood, however, he became a little more forceful, but still not as aggressive as Louis had expected him to be. He shifted a little closer as he reseated his bite, and Louis felt his arms come around him to pull him into the familiar embrace.

How many times had he held a victim in much the same way? Face buried into the soft neck, teeth driven into the hot fount of blood as his arms held the mortal pressed against him? He moaned with pleasure as the swoon took him and heard Lestat moan in answer as the experience was shared across the bond between them.

There were no words to describe the intimacy, the profound feeling of being drained by Lestat. It wasn’t abusive or selfish; it was love freely given. He was feeding Lestat, like a mother nursed her child or a…

.:Lover fed his beloved,:. Lestat’s voice whispered.

.:Yes,:. he agreed, closing his eyes and tangling his fingers in Lestat’s blond hair.

He was floating, suffused with ecstasy and peace as Lestat fed. He didn’t fear that Lestat would take too much; he trusted his maker… no, his lover… (They were lovers now, were they not?) trusted his lover’s ability to know when he’d taken enough.

The urge to reciprocate, to bite Lestat and complete the circuit was very strong, but he resisted it. He did not want to drink Lestat’s blood; he did not want to be stronger. He knew he would strengthen with age, but that was a slow process. If he were to drink from Lestat, all the power would come at once. What increase in power he’d gained through the bond was more than enough for him to handle. He didn’t think he could take any more. So he fought the urge to bite even though he knew Lestat would love it, and hoped that his lover would understand.

He didn’t know how long Lestat fed. Time had lost all meaning for him by that point and he was just lying there, relaxed and happy. Eventually, though, he felt Lestat’s feeding ebb until it stopped and the teeth slowly slid from his skin. The separation was agony and he didn’t know if he could have borne it if not for the bond between them. Lestat’s love washed over him, soothing the pain, as he was kissed, caressed, and coveted. Lestat’s hands slipped down into the waistband of his pants, undoing the zipper and pushing them off. He did not protest as Lestat stripped him, dropping the pants on the bedroom floor as they wrapped themselves around each other. Lestat’s lips were warm and tasted of blood. He couldn’t get enough of it as Lestat rolled on top of him, covering him with his body and pressing him to the mattress. Such a welcome weight.

.:Thank you,:. Lestat said, kissing him deeply.

.:You’re welcome,:. he replied. .:Mmmm, you’re warm.:.

.:Because of you.:.

He saw no reason to argue with that and smiled as Lestat kissed him breathless.

8

To say that their relationship changed after that night was an understatement. From that night on, there was a new intimacy between them that had not been there before, a new familiarity that had nothing to do with nudity and everything to do with love.

He didn’t repeat the feeding for the next few nights because Lestat said he didn’t need the blood and he believed him. Still, he vowed not to let Lestat go more than two weeks without a decent meal, and Lestat agreed to this because he knew Louis would fret if he did not. Since that night Lestat had been almost completely agreeable, not arguing with him about anything. It was uncanny really, and it made him a little unsettled.

Another thing that was unsettling him was the increasing sexuality of Lestat’s caresses. Lying naked in bed, Lestat would touch him in ways that could not be misinterpreted, and the touches were blatantly sexual. He accepted the caresses and fondling, but it confused him. They seemed incongruous with the vampire nature and with everything he knew about vampire sexuality, and he began to wonder if what they were doing wasn’t natural but a side effect of the bond spell.

He knew the healer had warned him that his relationship with Lestat would involve physical intimacy, but surely she could not have meant what was happening between them now. Vampires did not engage in sex and they did not feel sexual desire or mortal lust. Everything was centered around the bite and the bloodlust, so he was quite baffled by both his and Lestat’s actions. Lestat, however, seemed to have no compunctions about what they were doing and blithely, happily, lavished affections upon him with his hands and mouth.

Louis couldn’t blame Lestat for his attentions. Lestat had always been one to do things his own way, to never obey any rules, and to just follow his heart. If his heart was leading him to lay his lover face down on the bed and kiss him all the way down his body, then that was precisely what Lestat would do. And if that same heart was telling him to spread Louis’s legs and kiss him in much more private places, Louis could scant talk him out of it.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like it. No, he liked it quite a lot. That was the problem. As far as he was concerned, he shouldn’t like it. Not for any mortal morass against same sex pairings, but because vampires simply didn’t do that sort of thing. Not with each other at least. Although Armand had hinted that he and Marius had engaged in mortal sex acts while pleasuring a human woman. But even then a mortal had been involved, and as far as he could tell, Armand and Marius weren’t performing the sex acts on each other.

So what he and Lestat were doing was completely different and it had him very concerned. It was one thing to be able the feel and hear his lover through the bond, but if their feelings were being manipulated by the spell that was something else entirely, something unacceptable.

He had tried to discuss it with Lestat because there was no way he could hide his growing discomfort, but Lestat failed to see the problem. As long as both of them were having a good time, he didn’t see any need to puzzle out why they wanted to do what they were doing. For Lestat, he was reveling in the closeness and wanted more… much more. Much more than Louis was comfortable giving until he had learned what was going on.

Lestat agreed to meet with the healer to talk about Louis’s concerns and a message was sent via Marius for the healer to visit. The reply came that she would come over the following night to see them. Lestat cooled his ardor a little bit and gave Louis some space, but Louis was careful to make sure Lestat knew that he was not being rejected. He allowed Lestat to kiss and cuddle with him, but nothing more amorous than that. Lestat wasn’t happy about it, but he accepted Louis’s reservations and thankfully did not press for more than Louis was ready to give.

The following night, Louis rose, went out almost immediately and returned in less than an hour. When he got back, he was surprised to find Lestat already dressed and sitting in the parlor waiting for him. It was the first time in the almost two weeks since Lestat awakened that Louis had seen him fully clothed, but there he sat on the divan dressed in a tight-fitting T-shirt and a pair of jeans. He was even watching TV, changing the channel with his mind instead of using the remote.

.:Lestat?:. he asked, a little confused to see his lover out of the bedroom, dressed and waiting.

.:There’s another damn hurricane,:. Lestat answered without preamble.

.:Another one?:.

The screen on the television blipped to a local news channel and the announcer came on talking about another Category 5 hurricane named Rita raging through the Gulf of Mexico.

.:It’s coming our way,:. Lestat added grimly,

.:Oh no, not again.:.

.:Nagin’s cancelled the opening of New Orleans and ordered an evacuation.:.

.:Are we going?:. he asked, somewhat hopefully.

Lestat gave him a look and disapproval came across the bond. .:As they say in these times: Hell no. I think I can keep it south of here anyway.:.

He blinked, astonished. .:You can do that?:.

.:If you’ll help me. I won’t be able to see it firsthand because I can’t ‘go out,’ but if I watch this channel and extend my mind, I can probably affect its path.:.

He sat next to his lover and took his hand. .:Just tell me what I can do.:.

Lestat smiled at him and raised the hand to his mouth so he could kiss Louis’s fingers. .:Just keep me with you, Beautiful One, and ground me if you feel me getting too far out.:.

.:I’ll do my best.:.

.:I know you will.:.

Someone rang the bell at the carriage gate and Louis felt Lestat unlock it and the door at the bottom of the stairs. A few moments later, they both heard someone coming up the steps and Lestat turned off the television with a little mental pulse.

The healer looked much different than she had the last time he had seen her. Gone was the simple cotton sari; replaced by loose, cammo print khaki pants, a pair of military issue work boots (probably waterproof steel-toes,) and a dark green “Baghdad on the Bayou” T-shirt that he had seen some of the relief workers wearing. With her hair pulled back into a ponytail and smudge of dirt on her cheek, she looked like a street urchin out to play children’s war games.

Both of them stood when she entered and nodded when she gave them a slight bow. He could feel Lestat trying to remember her from before but he only had a vague recollection of her. His lover was trying to puzzle her out and couldn’t, and it made him a little defensive.

“Marius said you wished to see me,” she said softly.

“Yes,” he replied, but before he could begin to explain the situation, Lestat stepped forward and knelt at her feet.

.:Lestat?:. he asked, confused.

Lestat did not answer him, but he did hear him address the healer politely. .:You are the one who broke the spell, the one who bound me to Louis.:.

“I am,” she replied.

Lestat wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his cheek to her ribcage. .:Thank you.:.

The healer smiled and stroked Lestat’s hair tenderly. “You’re welcome.”

Louis didn’t know what Lestat was doing and he couldn’t tell from what was coming across the bond. In fact, he was having a hard time feeling Lestat at all and it made him very worried.

.:It’s alright. It’s because he’s touching me,:. the healer assured him.

As he watched, stunned, the healer raised her wrist to Lestat’s mouth and pressed it to his lips.

“Drink, young one. It will help you in your healing.”

He saw Lestat obey and begin to feed. All the hairs on the back of his neck stood at attention as his lover drew blood from the healer’s vein, and his discomfort grew with each passing minute. He didn’t know why seeing Lestat drink from her bothered him so much, he just knew that something about it seemed wrong to him. It wasn’t that he thought Lestat could hurt her; rather it was a more emotional response, as if he was jealous, but he couldn’t understand why he would be.

He remained silent as Lestat fed, watching as the healer continued to stroke Lestat’s hair and encourage him. He was just starting to relax and decide that his jealousy was unfounded and petty when Lestat suddenly collapsed to the carpet, unconscious.

“What have you done?” he demanded, rushing forward.

“Peace. He is only sleeping,” the healer explained.

He shook his head, kneeling next to Lestat and touching him worriedly. “No! I can’t feel him anymore. Did you break our bond?” he accused, angry and hurt.

The healer placed a calming hand on his shoulder. “I have done nothing of the sort. I have merely put him into a dreamless sleep. It will be good for him and will also give us some privacy.”

“Why?”

“I had assumed that you wished to speak with me without his listening in. Was I mistaken?”

He blinked at her, surprised that she had managed to discern so much so quickly. “How did you know?”

“Through the bite. Lestat told me much of what has been going on between you. I must admit that I am pleasantly surprised. You are doing remarkably well with him.”

“Thank you,” he stammered, still very unsettled by the fact that he could not feel Lestat and there was a large hole inside of him again. He hated the feeling of emptiness. “Please… what have you done? I can’t…”

“Just relax. He is still with you, just deeply asleep. If you probe the bond you’ll find him.”

He reached inside and felt around, searching for the familiar mind and breathed a sigh of relief when he found it.

.:Lestat.:.

There was no answer, but he could tell that his lover was very deep inside of himself.

.:See? I told you he was there.:.

He nodded. “Yes, you did. I’m sorry. I wish you had explained what you were going to do. I do not like to be manipulated,” he chastised, allowing himself to feel a little angry. “I am not by nature an argumentative person. In fact I’ve been told that I’m quite reasonable. But I can get defensive when I feel like I’m being forced. In the future, please explain things to me and I will decide whether or not I will cooperate.”

The healer regarded him for a moment then lowered her eyes. “I see. Forgive me. I have touched an old pain that I did not realize was there. I give you my word that I will not do such a thing to you again.”

Her sincere apology smoothed his ruffled feathers and he relaxed. “Thank you.”

“Come, let us get him on the couch where he will be more comfortable and then we can talk about your concerns.”

“Of course,” he agreed, getting nervous as he remembered the reason why he had asked the healer to come.

He reached down and picked up Lestat’s limp body, still somewhat amazed that he could lift the powerful vampire at all. Just two weeks ago such a thing would not have been possible for him and he was still getting used to his new abilities. Placing his lover gently on the divan, he sat next to him with Lestat’s head in his lap so he could stroke the blond curls if he wanted. The healer sat in the chair opposite him, a high-backed bergere like the one Lestat had once kept in his old house.

There was a moment of awkward silence, then he cleared his throat. “I… I want to thank you for coming. You are right, of course. This conversation will be easier for me knowing that what I say will remain in confidence.”

“It is a sensitive subject for you, very private,” she stated.

He lowered his eyes and felt himself flush. “Yes.”

“Lestat told me that you are having difficulties with physical intimacy.”

He started and frowned. Trust Lestat to be blunt about it. “What exactly did he tell you?”

“That you were experiencing some new feelings and his attentions were frightening you. He doesn’t mean to, you know, and he feels very badly about it.”

“He isn’t frightening me. I just don’t understand what he… what we’re doing,” he admitted.

“In what respect?” she asked, but her voice was leading and not curious.

He didn’t answer at first and he felt the embarrassment tainting his cheeks pink. He knew that he had insisted on speaking to the healer, but now that she was there, he found it difficult to discuss his fears.

“Louis? Young one?” she pressed gently.

He sighed and looked down at Lestat’s sleeping face. His lover looked so peaceful. Why couldn’t he be that peaceful?

“We… he… he’s touching me and doing… things to me… sexual things,” he finally said.

The healer did not seem at all surprised by his admission and he realized that Lestat had probably already told her everything. He didn’t know how he felt about that, but he didn’t like it. It was almost like a betrayal, as if Lestat had usurped him by not allowing him to tell it his way.

“Don’t think like that,” the healer chided. “Lestat did not tell me all, only that there were things you were not comfortable with that were making you unhappy. I had already garnered much of the rest on my own. He did not reveal your secrets. He respects your privacy far too much for that.”

He was duly chastised and felt guilty for not trusting Lestat. After all, his lover understood him well enough to give him the privacy he needed for his hunts. Why wouldn’t he have understood his need for discretion in this as well?

“I’m sorry. Old habits die hard,” he whispered.

“It’s alright. I understand. There is much history between you and not all of it has been pleasant. Still, I do stand by my belief that you were the better choice.”

He agreed wholeheartedly. “Oh yes. I believe that as well, and for the most part our bond is wonderful. It is just this part that is… disconcerting.”

“I did warn you that physical intimacy would be part of the bonding,” she reminded.

He nodded, nervously running his hands through his hair. “I remember, but I assumed that you meant our kind of intimacy… the sharing of blood, not… these things.”

“Lestat told me that you blame your feelings on the bonding spell.”

“Yes! I want to know. Are we feeling these urges because we are bonded? Is the spell making us want these things? Maybe it is not meant for two vampires to be bonded in this way.”

“No,” the healer said.

He sighed, defeated. “I thought as much. Perhaps there is another spell then, one more suited to our kind…”

She waved a hand at him, cutting him off. “No. You misunderstand. I was telling you that it is not the spell that is making you feel these things.”

He blinked at her. “It’s not?”

“No. What you are feeling is perfectly normal for a bonded pair.”

“It is?”

“Yes.”

“But… but it is unnatural! Vampires don’t feel these things. We don’t want these things. It goes against the vampire nature,” he argued.

“I know far more about the vampire nature than you think I do, young one. In fact, I would garner that I know more about it than you do,” she stated firmly.

The steady look in her eyes set him back a moment and he had to gather his wits about him.

“I… I don’t understand,” he finally admitted.

Her expression softened and she looked at him kindly. “Just because the bloodlust eclipses mortal lust does not mean that vampires don’t feel it. It is unfortunate that your experience with members of your own kind has been so limited. You have essentially remained within a particular circle of vampires with a particular set of views. With the destruction of most of your kind in the recent past, those views have become even more prevalent. However, if you had expanded your circle of influence, you would have found many vampires, whole covens even, who regularly engaged in these acts which you so adamantly state are against your vampire nature,” she explained gently.

It took him a moment to process what she had just said and the thinly veiled meaning.

“They engaged in sexual relations?” he questioned.

“Yes.”

“With mortals or with each other?”

“Both.”

He sat back in the divan, flustered and confused. “But how is that possible? We don’t… we can’t… it doesn’t work!”

The healer laughed, making him all the more embarrassed. A gentleman simply did not discuss these things with a member of the fairer sex! But in this case he had no choice because she was the only one who could give him answers.

“There are other things you can do to bring pleasure, and can you honestly tell me, with a vampire as strong as Lestat, that that problem is even an issue?” she said, a teasing light in her eyes.

He blushed, vividly remembering Lestat’s physical attributes and his condition.

“No,” he admitted, unable to look at her.

“Louis, look at me.”

He reluctantly obeyed and raised his eyes to hers.

“You refuse to drink from Lestat, right?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

“Therein lies the crux of all of this. The bonding binds the two of you on all levels and you will seek to become one in all ways possible: mind, body, heart and soul. The mind, heart and soul do not appear to be giving you any problems, but the body is reaching an impasse. Lestat wants to be physically one with you. You feel this desire as well, but you will not allow yourself to be one with him in the sharing of blood, so he seeks unity with you in another way.”

“So if I were to drink from him, we wouldn’t be feeling this way?”

She shook her head. “That is doubtful. Every bonding I have ever known has included a sexual element. Such intimacy has always been a part of it.”

“So it is the spell!” he said.

“No. It is the love,” she corrected.

He refused to argue the point. “So if I want these urges to stop, I must drink from Lestat. If I don’t, then I must submit to his advances.”

The healer frowned slightly. “You make it sound as if you are unwilling.”

“Not unwilling. Uncertain. This is all very new for me.”

“It’s new for Lestat too.”

“Lestat has always been much more… adventurous than I.”

“That is in keeping with his personality, yes,” she agreed.

He paused, conflicted and unsettled, and very glad that Lestat was unconscious for all of this because he was certain that his lover would have lost patience with him by now.

“So what am I to do then?” he asked.

“That’s for the two of you to figure out.”

He frowned. He wasn’t an innocent. He did understand the mechanics of things. He just wasn’t certain how it would all work.

“You should trust your lover. The last thing in the world he wants to do is hurt you.”

“I know that,” he snapped irritably. He didn’t like anyone reading his mind without his permission, but it seemed that just about everyone with telepathy could do it.

“That is because you broadcast your thoughts. I am not reading your mind at all. You are freely telling me these things.”

“I don’t know how to block others out,” he confessed.

“Let Lestat teach you. He knows how. You have but to ask and he will gladly show you.”

He nodded. “I know. We’ve just had… more pressing concerns. Most nights it’s not an issue because it’s just the two of us here.”

“Anyone with talent could read your mind from across the street. Why do you think Marius and David have been so willing to leave the two of you alone? They’ve been scanning your thoughts for updates.”

Anger and indignation flared in him when she told him that and he clenched his fists. “Pardon? Do you mean to tell me that our privacy is being invaded without my consent?”

She shrugged and gave him a sympathetic smile. “All the more reason to learn how to control your powers. Especially if you want to keep your private activities private.”

He blushed, remembering how private some of those activities could get (and if Lestat had his way, they would only grow even more private.) He did not know where all of it would lead, but he did know that he did not want anyone else probing into their personal business.

“I will have a talk with them to make certain they understand my wishes.”

The healer nodded. “That would be a good place to start.”

“I am certain that if Lestat and I pursue this… aspect of our relationship, it will cause a stir amid our ranks.”

“From what I have gathered, Lestat is extraordinarily good at causing stirs,” she pointed out with a teasing look.

He smiled and looked down at his lover. “Yes, that is true, but I am usually not directly involved in his scandals.”

“Oh really?”

He shook his head. “Non.”

“Lestat tells it differently. According to him, you are at the heart of most of them.”

He chuckled. “Well he would say that, wouldn’t he? I suppose it’s just his way of getting my attention.”

“He loves it when you scold him. He thinks you’re beautiful when you’re angry.”

“So he has told me.”

“And it makes making up all the sweeter.”

He flushed again and bit his lip. “True.”

“However, I think you can temper his impulsiveness by redirecting his passion.”

“Redirecting his passion? Is that what you would call it?” he answered, giving her his own teasing smile.

“Well, I could tell you that bedding him well enough would make him too tired for scandals.”

He laughed silently and shook his head. “Never.”

“You seem more at ease now. Have you made peace with it?”

He cocked his head, considering. “If you assure me that our feelings are genuine and not the result of the spell, then I feel I can find my way to accept it.”

“I assure you that everything you are feeling comes from your own hearts,” she stated emphatically.

“Then I suppose my way is clear,” he sighed.

“For now. I am certain that it will become murky again as you explore this new dimension to your relationship, but you know that you can call me anytime if you have questions.”

He nodded. “Thank you, Madam.”

She smiled and stood. “I’m going to wake him up now. He’s been ready for a while but I’ve been keeping him down.”

“Please don’t do that. After all he has suffered, I don’t want him further traumatized,” he said, stroking Lestat’s hair. He had felt something coming across the bond but he’d been ignoring it because he thought Lestat was just dreaming.

“Don’t worry. If he had fought the compulsion at all I would have let him awaken.”

“I’m sorry. I’m just protective.”

“As well you should be. He’s your bonded. It’s only natural that you would seek to keep him safe from harm.”

“That would be like trying to stop a bolting horse with a piece of baling twine.”

She laughed and touched Lestat’s forehead. Instantly he felt Lestat come awake with a deep breath, and the empty place inside him filled once again. He watched as Lestat smiled and stretched, sighing as he opened his eyes. The first thing Lestat looked at was his face, and his lover smiled a beatific smile that lit up his features and made Louis’s heart skip a beat.

.:Beautiful One.:.

.:Lestat,:. he answered, stroking the blond curls.

Lestat crooned and turned into the touch, sighing.

“Did you have a good rest?” he asked.

.:Yes,:. Lestat replied, slowly sitting up and taking stock of his surroundings. He smiled when he saw the healer and gave her a little nod. .:Your blood is an elixir, ma chere.:.

“So I have been told.”

.:So did the two of you talk? Is everything resolved so we can turn our attention to this blasted hurricane?:. his lover questioned.

“Ah, yes. Rita. The mayor has ordered another evacuation,” the healer answered.

.:We’ve heard.:.

“I trust that you are not leaving.”

Lestat snorted. .:Of course not. New Orleans is my city. I’m not about to abandon her because of some damn storm.:.

“I thought as much.”

“Lestat believes he can affect the hurricane’s path.”

The healer nodded. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he can. You’ll have to let it get closer before you can give it a push, though. You’ll probably be able to keep it from making landfall here but I doubt you’ll be able to stop the storm surge.”

Lestat frowned. .:And those bumbling idiots haven’t fixed the levees yet. Any surge will cause more flooding.:.

“And you won’t be able to do both: turn the hurricane or hold the levees. You’ll have to choose,” she cautioned.

.:A devil’s choice, cherie.:.

“Unfortunately.”

.:So do I let her flood or get blown down?:.

“You could do nothing and see where the storm heads,” she suggested.

.:I don’t think so.:.

She shrugged. “It is an option.”

“Humph,” Lestat replied, crossing his arms. .:I might give it a push tonight if I feel like it. I might be able to save New Orleans from Rita but I can’t save her from fools.:.

The healer leaned over and kissed Lestat’s cheek. “You do what you feel you must, but don’t overtax yourself, okay?”

Lestat gave her a grudging look but nodded. .:I promise. Louis won’t let me anyway.:.

“I knew I could count on him to keep you in line,” she teased.

.:Don’t tempt me. I might do something outrageous just to prove you wrong.:.

Louis rolled his eyes and sighed. “Oh please, no, Lestat. I cannot possibly imagine what you could do that would top what you’ve already done.”

.:Give me time. I’m sure I can come up with something.:.

The healer laughed and shook her head because they both knew he wasn’t being serious, or only half serious at least.

“From what I have heard, I think there would be quite a number of individuals who would be overjoyed to see you do something scandalous because it would mean that you’ve returned to your old self,” she said.

The statement drew a stunning smile from Lestat and a preen.

.:Such a vain child,:. he chided, taking Lestat’s hand.

Lestat sniffed at him, his nose upturned.

.:Brat.:.

.:Of course.:.

The healer chuckled. “Well, I shall leave you two to yourselves. If there is to be another hurricane or more flooding, I need to be ready. Be safe both of you.”

He stood and gave her a slight bow. “I thank you for coming, Madam. You have done much to set my mind at ease.”

“I’m glad that I was able to help. I am sure that I will see you both very soon.”

“We look forward to it.”

She moved to leave, giving them a final smile and wave as she headed for the stairs.

“Bonne nuit, mes amis,” she said in French.

“Bonne nuit,” he answered.

They watched as she left and Lestat stood as soon as the carriage gate clicked closed. Louis felt him lock it behind her as his lover stretched his arms over his head with a groan. Then Lestat began walking slowly towards the bedroom, peeling off clothes as he went, starting with the T-shirt. Louis saw him toss it carelessly into the corner of the bedroom. The jeans joined it a moment later as Lestat climbed into bed and gave him a come hither look, tossing his hair over one shoulder suggestively. Louis shook his head and smiled.

“What is it with your obsession with nudity?” he asked lightly.

.:I’m not obsessed with nudity. I’m obsessed with being nude with you,:. his lover corrected.

.:So I’ve noticed.:.

.:You know there is something I could do to top what I’ve already done,:. Lestat said leadingly as he innocently looked at his fingernails.

Louis came close and sat on the edge of the bed, still fully clothed. .:I shudder to think what it could possibly be.:.

His lover gave him a lascivious grin. .:I could top you.:.

He knew full well what Lestat meant by using that term and looked down his nose disapprovingly. .:Lestat, don’t be crude.:.

.:I’m sorry, Beautiful One. I fear I shall never be a refined Southern Gentleman such as yourself.:.

Lestat didn’t look sorry, probably because he could feel that Louis wasn’t really offended.

.:And I shall never be a bourgeois aristocrat like you,:. he teased back.

.:You have no idea how glad I am of that. Please stay just as you are, my love. Your constancy is the rock I cling to in troubled times.:.

He smiled and took Lestat’s hand gently. .:As you are mine, Lestat. I love you.:.

.:And I love you, mon cher. More than you can possibly know.:.

He gave Lestat a knowing look and touched his chest with his free hand. .:Oh I think I do.:.

Lestat smiled and relaxed against the pillows, beckoning him with his eyes. He sighed and gave in, beginning to undress while Lestat watched.

.:So, did you discuss our problem with her?:. his lover asked.

He blushed. .:Yes.:.

When he finished undressing, he folded his clothes neatly and put them away, ignoring Lestat’s impatient glare.

.:I hope she gave you your answers. I’d hate to think I let her knock me out for nothing,:. Lestat commented, scooting over so Louis could get into bed.

He gasped. .:You knew what she was doing?:.

Lestat gave him a tolerant look. .:Of course I did. It wasn’t like she was trying to hide it. So? What did she say?:.

He sighed and slid between the sheets, allowing Lestat to wrap arms around him and pull him closer.

.:So?:. Lestat prodded.

He smiled and raised an eyebrow in a gesture Lestat could easily interpret. Lestat saw it and rolled his eyes.

.:Oh all right.:. “So? What did she say?” his lover asked again in a harsh whisper, giving Louis what he’d wanted.

“You sweet talker you.”

Lestat glared at him and poked him in the ribs. “Well?”

He chuckled and grabbed the offending hand, bringing it to his lips so he could kiss the fingers. “She told me that what we are feeling is genuine and… natural.”

Lestat poked him with the other hand. “Told you so.”

“I still don’t understand how it can be,” he reiterated, leaning into Lestat’s embrace.

Lestat kissed him but it was a loving kiss and not a passionate one. .:You always did question. Always had to have your answers, even when I had none to give you.:.

.:Or had ones you couldn’t give me,:. he amended, settling next to his lover, cheek pressed comfortably against Lestat’s chest.

Lestat sighed and ran fingers through his black hair. .:I’m sorry I was crass earlier.:.

.:It’s alright. You know I wasn’t offended.:.

.:No, but it was in poor taste and I know that it… frightens you.:.

.:It doesn’t frighten me,:. he insisted.

.:Yes it does. I licked you and you got all tense and shy on me.:.

.:You licked my…:. He paused, unable to continue, but he didn’t have to because Lestat already knew. .:No one had ever done that to me before. Can you blame me for being a little shocked?:.

.:No, I suppose not.:.

.:Just give me a little time to get used to this. I’m still not sure about it,:. he requested, stroking Lestat’s arm lovingly.

.:I know and I won’t push you. We’ll take the next step when you are ready.:.

.:You know, if it weren’t for this bond between us, I would never have believed a statement like that from you,:. he commented lightly, even though he knew the subject was a minefield.

.:What do you mean?:.

.:You not pushing me. You always pushed me. You pushed until I pushed back.:.

Lestat was quiet and Louis felt a myriad of emotions coming across the bond, none of them very good.

.;Lestat?:. he asked worriedly.

.:Do you want him back? The Lestat who hurt you? Who abused you and destroyed your things?:.

.:You didn’t abuse me, Lestat.:.

.:Yes, I did. There’s no denying it. I was abominable to you.:.

He took Lestat’s hand, feeling the sorrow and self-loathing Lestat felt.

.:I forgave you all of it.:.

.:You shouldn’t have. You should have run screaming. You should have left me to rot on the chapel floor.:.

He squeezed the hand as hard as he could. .:Never.:.

He smelled the blood before he actually lifted his head to see the blood tears streaming down Lestat’s face.

.:Let us have no more talk of this. We are together now and we won’t repeat the past mistakes,:. he comforted.

.:How do you know that?:. his lover asked.

He tugged on the bond, grounding them and letting Lestat feel everything. .:Because we have this and to hurt me is to feel the pain yourself. To betray me is to betray yourself.:.

.:But it was always that way, Louis. The only difference is now you know I feel the pain too.:.

He sighed and stroked Lestat’s hair tenderly. .:Come now. We have no time for these things. There is a hurricane coming and you said you were going to try to do something about it,:. he reminded, changing the subject.

Lestat relaxed and nodded. .:Yes.:.

.:Will you show me how you do it?:.

His lover seemed surprised. .:Of course, but why?:.

.:Because I want to see if I can do it too. I want to see how much of your power has been transferred to me.:.

Lestat’s brow furrowed. .:But I thought…:.

.:That I would shy away from it?:. he finished for him. .:I must admit, there are many things that you can do that I have no desire to learn. However, there are a number of things that might be useful. This telepathy, for instance, and your ability to unlock things with your mind.:.

.:True.:.

.:Besides, I’ll be able to do them all eventually, yes? I’ll get stronger as I get older.:.

.:Yes. We get stronger as we go along, you know that.:.

.:So, better to learn what I can from you now so I’ll be able to adjust when I develop these talents for myself.:. he explained.

.:I don’t know how long it will take. Even though you’re over two centuries old, you’re still the weakest of us. I blame myself for that. I made you poorly, didn’t give you as much blood as I should have,:. Lestat confessed sadly.

.:You wrote in your book that Marius told you to make your fledglings weak.:.

.:He did. He said a fledgling that was too strong too soon would go mad,:. Lestat confirmed with a bitter edge to his thoughts. .:Funny, Gabrielle isn’t insane, and neither is David. Nicki doesn’t count because he was mad to begin with, and me… Well, I didn’t start out insane, and I don’t think Magnus’s strong blood has much to do with my current malady. I wish I hadn’t listened to Marius and made you as strong as I could. You don’t know how many times I’ve wished you would let me remake you. I worry about you so much…:.

.:You shouldn’t worry about me. As you can see, I’ve managed quite fine so far.:.

.:That’s true,:. Lestat admitted. .:In any case, Marius should look at his own children. Pandora is a basket case and Armand… Armand went into the sun after he saw the Veil.:.

Sorrow came across the bond and Louis realized that Lestat did not know Armand had survived his meeting with the dawn. He chastised himself for not telling Lestat before now but, to be honest, the subject hadn’t really come up. In fact, both of them avoided discussing Memnoch and the aftermath of the incident at all.

He felt Lestat’s shock and then his profound relief when he saw the image of Armand, suntanned but very much alive, in his mind.

.:So the urchin lived through it.:.

.:Yes. He came back several months after it happened. He brought two mortals with him and left them in Marius’s care. Marius turned them without Armand’s permission. He said he did it because then they would still be able to hear Armand’s thoughts, but Armand has yet to forgive him,:. he said, sending his memories along the bond to fill in the blanks.

Lestat nodded, a dark mood crossing over his thoughts. .:I know I wouldn’t.:.

.:I suppose we’ll be hearing from him before too long. I’m sure he’ll want to see you after he finds out that you’re back. He drank from you while you were catatonic…:.

.:Imprisoned,:. Lestat corrected.

.:Imprisoned. And you rose to listen to Sybelle play the piano, although now we know that you did not do that under your own power.:.

.:Yes. I have no memory of that. What I do remember, I’d rather not.:.

He agreed. He knew all too well how horrible the nightmares Lestat still had could be, and Lestat was getting upset so it was time for a subject change again.

.:So? Will you show me how to push Rita away?:.

Lestat sighed and Louis felt him shaking off the bad memories. .:Of course, Beautiful One.:.

They settled next to each other, heads sharing the same pillow and bodies pressed comfortably together.

.:Now, I am going to extend my awareness until I find the hurricane,:. Lestat instructed. .:I want you to see if you can follow me.:.

.:How do I do that?:.

.:You just… reach out with your thoughts. Try to imagine looking through a spyglass and seeing what is far away.:.

He waited and opened completely to the bond so he would feel everything much more keenly. He could almost see Lestat casting out a mental hand to search for the storm.

.:There. There it is. Now you try,:. Lestat told him after several moments.

He creased his brow and concentrated, trying to mimic Lestat’s actions and felt his mind expanding, his mental ‘eye’ roving far beyond his body. The feeling was disconcerting, as if he had loosed the tether on his physical form.

.:No you haven’t. Believe me, when you leave your body, you know it,:. Lestat informed.

.:How will I know when I’ve found the hurricane?:.

.:It’ll feel heavy, like an invisible wall, but when you push on it, you will feel it pushing back,:. his lover answered.

He nodded that he understood and stretched his awareness out, seeking the wall Lestat had described. He was beginning to think that he wasn’t going to be able to do it when he suddenly made contact with something hard and heavy. He gave it a mental push and felt as if he were being swept into a vortex. He gasped and pulled back immediately.

.:Found it.:.

Lestat’s approval came across the bond and he smiled.

.:Very good, Louis.:.

.:Now what will you do? How will you push it away?:.

.:I’ll just force my will on it and make it yield,:. Lestat answered as if that explained everything.

.:How? It’s so wild and out of control.:.

.:Yes, but it isn’t conscious. It’s a slave to the wind currents.:.

.:So you’ll create a countercurrent,:. he said, trying to understand the methodology.

.:No, I don’t think so.:.

.:So then how will you…:.

.:Louis, I don’t know how I do what I do, I just do it,:. his lover admitted a little impatiently.

.:But there must be some reasoning to it,:. he pressed.

.:If there is, I don’t know it. Akasha never showed me how my powers worked or why they worked, she just showed me how to use them.:.

.:Oh.:.

.:Ask Marius. Maybe he knows. Or Maharet. With all of her following of The Great Family, maybe she’s devoted some time to figuring it all out.:.

.:But don’t you want to know any of it? Don’t you wonder why we can do what we do?:.

.:No,:. Lestat answered simply, then added more gently, .:I’m not a scholar, Louis. I never was. I was illiterate until I was turned. I don’t need answers. If something works, I don’t need to constantly ask why. That is your repertoire. You are the one who questions everything. You were always reading, locked away with your books. Always asking why, why, why. You drove me crazy with it.:.

The last was spoken a little sullenly, as if Lestat was feeling peevish, and indeed the sentiment came across the bond, along with something else that flashed in his mind before Lestat could stop it: an image of Gabrielle, sitting in her salon with her books, reading all day and all night, and never once offering to teach her son to read. Such resentment and longing he felt then, and he realized that his tendencies for books and solitude only triggered unhappy memories of Lestat’s mortal life. How alone and shut out Lestat had felt, remembering his mother’s rejection and coldness.

.:Lestat…:.

.:Don’t,:. his lover interrupted. .:It’s nothing. It’s in the past and we shouldn’t dwell on it. You always liked to read. I like to read too. You read Wuthering Heights and I read Sam Spade. What does that tell you?:.

.:That I like stuffy romances and you like a good action flick, something with a lot of explosions,:. he teased, breaking the sour mood.

.:Hasta la vista, Baby,:. Lestat teased back, then added. .:Now hush while I open up a can of ‘whup-ass’ on this thing.:.

He laughed so hard that he almost lost his connection to the storm. .:Where did you hear that?:.

.:The television. Some banal sit-com I turned on to pass the time while I waited for you to get back.:.

.:Ah, I see. You do know that Arnold Schwarzenegger is the Governor of California now, don’t you?:.

.:That is truly frightening. And you’re doing it again. Hush.:.

.:I shall be as quiet as a mouse,:. he promised, the corners of his mouth upturning as he tried not to snicker.

.:I doubt it. And here I always thought I was the chatty one,:. Lestat complained but Louis knew he was only joking.

He didn’t answer because Lestat’s attitude turned serious and he felt his lover focus his attention on his task. He couldn’t really see what Lestat was doing but he could feel it very keenly. Lestat was creating an invisible shield, like a force field out of a science fiction novel, and using it to push against the storm. Nothing happened at first, then he felt Lestat shove a little harder and the pressure he was feeling from Rita abated a little. Lestat gave it an even harder shove and he found himself having to stretch his awareness farther in order to find the hard spot again.

.:There. I think you did it,:. he said.

He felt Lestat’s agreement and his exhaustion. Apparently what he had been doing was taxing on him. Louis hadn’t realized it at first because he was concentrating on what Lestat was doing with the hurricane, but now he could feel how much pushing on the storm had taken out of his lover. Still, Lestat didn’t seem to be ready to quit.

.:One more good push,:. he heard Lestat say. .:Then I’ll stop.:.

.:Here, let me see if I can help you,:. he offered.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to ‘see’ through the bond. Then he aligned himself with Lestat and prepared to add his strength to his lover’s. He waited for Lestat to gather the energy around him and tried to do the same. His own shield was much smaller than Lestat’s but when he touched it to his lover’s, it merged with Lestat’s and increased its size. Together they gave Rita the hardest push they could, and Louis felt the power surging through him, then the rush of triumph when the monster yielded.

.:There. That should do it,:. Lestat said, sighing. .:Thank you for your help. You did very well.:.

Louis felt the pleasure and pride Lestat had for him and warmed under the praise. Together they contracted their awareness until they were both back in the bedroom, snuggled next to each other.

.:That was amazing, Lestat. I felt it move. It was this surge of power that came right through me. Does it always feel that way?:. he said happily.

Lestat nodded. .:Yes.:.

His lover’s mindvoice was weary and he thought it was odd because he wasn’t feeling tired at all. It made him wonder if Lestat’s exhaustion was a telling sign that his lover was far from being his former self. Lestat must have been aware of his train of thought but he made no comment, and that concerned Louis even more.

.:Don’t worry about me,:. Lestat finally said. .:I’ll be fine.:.

.:We should turn on the news, see how far we were able to alter its course.:.

.:In a couple of hours. Give it time for the weathermen to notice.:.

.:Yes,:. he agreed.

.:I’m going to take a nap. Wake me when you want to turn on the television.:.

.:I will.:.

.:I love you.:.

.:And I, you.:.

Lestat smiled and rolled to his side, pressing his face into Louis’s hair. Louis felt him fall asleep a few minutes later, but he stayed awake.

In truth he was too excited to sleep. If Lestat and he had been successful, it meant Rita’s path had been turned, and New Orleans would be spared the worst of it. To have that kind of power, to be able to affect the world in such a way, it was terrifying, yes, but it was exhilarating too. If Lestat had been conscious before Katrina hit, could he have turned her the same way? Could all of the horror have been avoided if his lover had been able to give the storm a good shove?
‘All of the horror could have been avoided if the engineers had built the levees the way they were supposed to. We’ve known for years that they needed to be fixed,’ he thought angrily.

Why should the safety and fate of New Orleans be left in the hands of one vampire when the mortals in power couldn’t care less about what happened to her? It was a profound injustice, but not an uncommon one. Such things happened all the time in places all over the world. The dance of the haves and the have-nots had been taking place for ages, and it showed no sign of ending.

As he lay there, Lestat snoring softly beside him (it was so amusing to know that his lover snored,) he let his mind wander from random thought to random thought until he became aware of a very gentle mindtouch. It was so tentative that, if the healer hadn’t warned him that his mind was being scanned, he wouldn’t have noticed it. But now that he was aware his thoughts were being read, he could feel when it was happening.

He pretended not to notice for a few moments, then he sent out a light mental slap; nothing with any force behind it, but a definite blow that would get someone’s attention. He immediately felt the reader’s shock.

.:Yes?:. he asked politely, just a little smug.

.:Good evening, Louis,:. Marius’s mindvoice responded guardedly.

.:Good evening, Marius. Did you need something?:.

.:There is another hurricane coming.:. the ancient vampire stated carefully.

Louis could tell, although he didn’t know how he could tell, that Marius was confused and a little unsettled. He smirked a little and didn’t feel the least bit sorry. If what the healer had told him was true, Marius had been reading his thoughts for weeks without so much as a by-your-leave, and he felt quite justified in setting the other vampire back on his heels.

.:Yes, we’ve heard the reports,:. he answered pleasantly.

There was a moment of silence then Marius added, .:David and I are leaving the city.:.

.:Lestat and I are staying.:. He was putting on his air of a Southern Gentleman now, polite and perfectly mannered, the epitome of poise and graciousness… But no one could use a civil tongue like a knife the way a Southern Gentleman could.

.:We guessed as much. We’ll check on you when we return.:.

.:I am certain that we will be fine but your concern is very much appreciated.:.

.:How is everything?:.

He smiled to himself at Marius’s leading tone. .:Everything is fine. Lestat and I attempted some weatherworking tonight. If we were successful then Rita’s path should have been turned. We’ll check the news channel in a couple of hours to see what happened.:.

There was no answer at first and he could almost picture Marius’s stunned face, then he heard the other vampire say, .:That is welcome news. Weather manipulation has never been a talent of mine, but I have no doubt that Lestat has mastered it quite well.:.

.:Yes, I believe he has, although doing so exhausted him. He’s sleeping now,:. he replied, throwing Marius a small tidbit of information.

.:Ah.:.

.:I was not aware that using our mental powers could be so taxing,:. he mused, hoping to pry some information out of Marius. It seemed fair play because Marius had obviously been prying information from him for quite some time.

.:It can. It depends on what you are doing. Mindspeech shouldn’t be at all tiresome, but manipulating things, especially at a distance, can exhaust you quite quickly. I’m not surprised Lestat tried to push the storm, but I think it was probably too much for him. He most likely stretched himself beyond his current limits, and that’s why he is so tired.:.

.:Ah.:.

He grew quiet, waiting. Beside him, he felt Lestat rising to slow awareness and turned his head to watch the blue-grey eyes open sleepily. He smiled when Lestat looked at him, one rogue blond curl falling haphazardly over his face.

.:Who is out there?:. his lover asked.

.:Marius.:.

Lestat frowned a little. .:Meddling again?:.

He shrugged. .:I’ve dealt with it.:.

His lover sighed and stretched, one hand reaching out to caress his side tenderly. .:Thank you.:.

.:I trust the meeting with the healer went well?:. Marius finally asked.

Louis thought for a moment. It was a very loaded question. He doubted that the healer would tell Marius anything about the nature of their discussion so Marius would obviously be curious about why they had wanted to talk to her.

.:Very well, thank you. Thank you for contacting her for us. Her advice was very welcome and valuable,:. he answered.

.:Was she able to answer your questions?:.

He chuckled and Lestat raised an eyebrow at him.

.:What?:. his lover asked.

.:Marius wants to know if the healer was able to answer our questions,:. he told him.

Lestat laughed. .:And what are you going to tell him, mon cher?:.

He smiled. .:What do you think I should tell him?:.

.:Tell him we’ve been given the go ahead to have wild, raucous sex, and he’s not invited,:. Lestat replied wickedly.

He slapped Lestat’s rump lightly. .:Behave.:.

.:You don’t really want me to,:. his lover teased, sitting up and giving him a heated look. .:Face it, Beautiful One, you love it when I’m bad.:.

.:So I can scold you.:.

Lestat grinned, then crawled on top of him, taking his wrists and pinning them above his head.

.:Among other things,:. Lestat hinted, just before he claimed his mouth in a searing kiss.

All conscious, rational thought left his head completely until Marius’s mindvoice interrupted his pleasure-filled haze.

.:Louis? Is everything alright?:. the ancient vampire asked.

.:Marius wants to know if everything is alright,:. he said.

.:Tell him to get lost. We’re busy.:.

.:Yes, Marius, everything is fine. Lestat just woke up and he needs my attention,:. he replied dutifully as Lestat began licking his neck.

.:Please tell him that we look forward to seeing and speaking with him when he is ready.:.

.:I will,:. he said, arching and trying to remain focused as Lestat did his best to distract him.

.:I’ll let you two alone then. We’ll contact you when we are back.:.

.:Yes, thank you, Marius.:.

.:Take care of yourself and Lestat, and be careful.:.

.:I will. I promise.:.

.:Good night then.:.

.:Good night.:. ‘Go away.’

.:Want me to blast him? You know, crazy Lestat lost control of his impulses? Would give me a good reason to singe him a bit,:. Lestat offered.

He chuckled between breaths. .:Your impulse to set things on fire is not the impulse I’m currently concerned with.:.

Lestat laughed and pulled back, coming to rest comfortably beside him. He was glad of it because his arms were beginning to hurt after being pinned for so long.

.:I know,:. Lestat said simply, giving him a loving smile.

He smiled back. .:Marius is gone.:.

.:I know that too.:. Lestat tapped his forehead. .:I know everything.:.

He snorted. .:Really?:. he asked incredulously.

Lestat just grinned then looked around the bedroom. .:How long was I out?:.

.:About thirty minutes.:.

His lover took a deep breath and stretched his arms over his head, reaching up towards the canopy.

.:I feel totally refreshed.:.

.:I’m glad.:.

.:But it’s still too soon to check the news to see if the storm turned,:. Lestat noted with a pout. .:What will we do to pass the time?:.

.:I’m sure you’ll think of something.:.

His lover smiled evilly.

.:I’m sure I will,:. Lestat agreed, just before he tackled him.

9

Two nights later all of his good humor and hopefulness was gone, and he found himself desperately trying not to sink into a black despair. While they had been able to alter Rita’s course so she moved much farther west of New Orleans, the outer bands of rain still managed to cause a big enough rise in water level to break through the half repaired levees. By ten o’clock on September 23rd the Lower Ninth Ward was submerged again with the floodwaters rising fast.

The entire city was in shock. The electricity was out again and the streets were deserted. He’d had a hard time finding a victim, and the one he did find was so frozen with grief and despair that she hadn’t even realized he was killing her until she was nearly dead. He shared the same heartbroken sentiment, the same numbing horror that made him nearly sick, and he staggered as he headed back to the flat, a lost wanderer stumbling through a night made ever blacker by the storm. He wasn’t even certain how he knew which way was home.

The rain was coming down in sheets, the wind howling through the empty avenues, and he was soaked to the skin by the time he made it back to the Rue Royale. Lestat was waiting for him when he climbed the stairs, dressed in only a pair of black jeans, his white skin glowing in the light of the oil lamps that had been lit in the parlor. It was such a relief to see him; out of bed, blond hair a tangled mess of curls, mouth frowning with concern, and he practically fell into the waiting arms.

There were no words as Lestat held him, and no recriminations when he burst into tears and sobbed like a child. Lestat picked him up, cradling him, and carried him to the bathroom. There his lover turned on the water to fill the large tub and heated it with his mind until it was steaming. He was stripped gently, each touch a caress, and placed in the scented hot water where Lestat bathed him tenderly. When it was done he was wrapped in a thick towel and carried to the bedroom.

He allowed it, all of it, because he had no energy to argue or fight, and for once he just wanted to sink into Lestat’s embrace and let his lover take care of him. So he did not object when Lestat began kissing him and touching him in ways he had always thought were wrong for vampires. He did not protest when he was laid out on his stomach and laved with attention in all of his private places. He just wanted Lestat to make his pain go away; for him to fulfill a promise made over two centuries ago to give him a better life than the one he was leading.

Over the course of the slow seduction, he wept several times and Lestat licked his tears away. His lover was unfailingly gentle and patient (a side of Lestat very few would even believe existed,) and he reluctantly, inevitably, gave himself over. It felt so good to feel something other than pain or heartache, so good to just let Lestat hold and comfort him. Lestat’s arms had always been the source of both his greatest pain and pleasure.

When the moment finally came for Lestat to claim him, he found the act to be almost a relief. Lestat had prepared him for the invasion, easing the way with one of the scented bath oils, and entered him with careful pressure. There was pain, as was unavoidable in such things, but the pain was negligible and soon went away as his body acclimated itself. What came after was a sensation so completely alien yet so perfect that he couldn’t even begin to describe how it felt.

It wasn’t anything like mortal lovemaking, all heated and brief in its momentary passion. It was slow, deliberate, and sublime in its sweetness. It was more than just a simple joining, it was oneness, completion. It was…

.:Union,:. Lestat offered, privy to his thoughts.

.:Yes.:.

He arched his back, surrendering completely, and let Lestat take him to heights of pleasure the likes of which he hadn’t known in two hundred years, outside of the swoon. Even then, it wasn’t at all like killing, and for the life of him he couldn’t understand why the other vampires in his loose-knit coven had never tried it.

.:Cowards,:. Lestat commented.

He smiled and nodded absently, not concerned with what any of the others would think at that moment. His entire universe was Lestat and the warm pleasure they were sharing.

Their joining lasted for hours. There was no release or rush to climax, merely a mutual agreement that the lovemaking should come to an end. In the final few minutes, Lestat bit him, feeding slowly from his throat and making him gasp and shiver with ecstasy. When it was over, he lay, sated and content, in Lestat’s arms as his lover whispered words of love, both mentally and verbally. There was a peace inside of him, a peace that Lestat shared, that came from the completion of their bond.

Something the healer had said about the nature of their bonding came back to him, about how they would seek to become one in all ways possible, and it occurred to him that the physical joining had been the last piece of the puzzle, the final act that sealed the bond between them. He certainly felt closer to Lestat, and the bond was definitely stronger and more stable.

.:But if that is true, why didn’t she just tell us that?:. he wondered.

.:Because she knew you were afraid,:. Lestat answered.

.:I wasn’t afraid,:. he argued, irritated.

.:You certainly weren’t gung-ho about it.:.

.:Well, no, but could you blame me? I’ve never been the adventurous type, Lestat.:.

.:No, you just let me take all the risks then followed after,:. his lover pouted.

.:Because you were much more suited to such things, Monsieur le Rock Star,:. he huffed, rolling over so his back was to Lestat.

.:And he just rolls over and goes to sleep. I feel so cheated,:. Lestat teased wickedly.

.:Shouldn’t that be my line?:. he jibed back, trying not to let Lestat see his smile.

.:Hmph. Keep that up and I’ll start to think I wasn’t any good.:.

.:No comment.:.

Shock and surprise came across the bond, but both could feel the underlying humor.

.:I’ll get a complex, Louis! Really, I will!:.

.:To go with all your other complexes?:.

.:Louis!:.

He chucked and rolled over again, placing one arm around his lover and looking up at him.

.:You were good. Or shall I say that you have no problems with… performance.:.

Lestat grinned and kissed him. .:I love you.:.

.:I love you too.:.

.:It’ll be dawn soon. Shall we go up to our lair?:.

.:Our lair?:.

.:Well, it is ours, isn’t it?:.

He smiled happily and nodded. .:Yes.:.

.:Well then? Shall we retire to the eaves?:.

.:Yes,:. he agreed. .:I find myself oddly worn out and I fear that if I were to fall asleep now, I wouldn’t wake until tomorrow night.:.

.:Worn out? Really Louis?:. Lestat teased as they both slowly rose from the bed.

.:Yes, although I admit I’m somewhat perplexed as I cannot imagine what I could have possibly been doing to exhaust me so.:.

Lestat shrugged as they made their way to the stairs, still naked and wrapped in the blankets from the bed. .:Funny, I can’t either.:.

They both looked at each other then started to laugh. Lestat kissed him and swept him up into his arms, carrying him up the stairs to their sun-proof hiding place. Once safely tucked away from the coming dawn, they spent their last few conscious moments kissing and curling together on the floor.

Wrapped in Lestat’s arms, Louis felt safe and protected. The horror of what had happened to their fair city was still there, and his heart was still heavy with the sorrow of it, but for now he had Lestat and his lover was holding him close. It was enough.

********

They made love again the next night, and the night after that. Then they discovered that it was better to wait a night or two between couplings to heighten the pleasure, and it was all the keener for the waiting. Lestat brought him to raptures every time, always feeding lightly from him in the final moments, and he clung to his lover, lost in ecstasy and delight.

Their joining had a profound effect on both of them, and their bond was definitely stronger, as if it had reached its final maturity. They had more control over it and were experimenting with exactly how much of each other was shared between them. The first thing Lestat did was teach him how to shield his thoughts in order to keep out unwanted intruders. He had been just as incensed as Louis had been when he found out that Marius and David had been scanning Louis’s mind.

There were many changes, some very subtle and others much more blatant. Lestat was more stable and settled, even talking more and moving about the flat. Louis hoped that they both would go out soon. He was eager to walk the streets with Lestat by his side again. They were both happier and more content with each other than they had ever been. How could they not, when they were so intimately connected? While there were arguments and disagreements, none of them were the heated rows that they had once had, and they were usually resolved fairly quickly.

It came as a shock to Louis to discover that Lestat could actually be rather submissive. When he first realized it, he could not believe his own revelation, but careful examination (and subtle experimentation) had proved it to be true. Once he got past Lestat’s defense mechanisms, he found his lover to be quite amicable and cooperative, something he doubted any of the others would ever believe (or see.) All it took was a simple acknowledgement that Lestat had been forced to fight all his life, that nothing had been easy for him and always there had been those who were supposed to love him, but who had abused him instead (beginning with his own father). By making himself appear non-threatening, he could slip past Lestat’s walls of aggression and get to the heart of things. What he found there was a man who was more than willing to go along with just about anything so long as it seemed that he wasn’t being forced, and that was easy enough for him to handle.

It also came as a surprise to him to realize that he was actually the dominant of their pairing. Too often others mistook his passiveness for submission, and that could not be further from the truth. If he gave in and went along, it wasn’t because he was submissive, it was because he simply didn’t care. When he did care, however, he could not be moved from his convictions, and that shocked almost everyone. His dominance wasn’t aggressive or blatant. It was much more subtle and he led quietly, using only a little of his authority when needed. Often, he didn’t even have to try very hard at all to get Lestat to do what he wanted, but he realized that such power could too easily be abused so he used it very sparingly. He only pushed when it was important, and that kept things nicely balanced between them.

Lestat knew he was the silent leader and didn’t seem to care. Louis let him make all the trivial decisions and made sure that he had ample input on the important ones, and Lestat deferred to him unless he had strong objections. If he had strong objections, chances were Louis already knew about them and would address them ahead of time so in the end there was no real conflict. That wasn’t to say that they didn’t needle the hell out of each other because both loved the passion of their arguments. It just meant that the arguments always ended pleasantly… very pleasantly.

One thing Louis did notice, however, was that Lestat used him as a shield. Not a physical shield. Oh no, Lestat was the unchallenged protector of their pair and woe betide anyone who threatened them. No, Lestat used him as an emotional shield. Like when David and Marius were first allowed to visit about a week after Rita came through. Lestat hadn’t wanted to talk to them so he had relayed all his answers to their questions through Louis. It had frustrated their guests but Lestat had just thumbed his nose at them. Louis had to acknowledge that the visit was anything but comfortable, with Lestat feeling cornered and pacing like a caged animal, and David and Marius feeling flustered and concerned. He, of course, was right were he always was: smack in the middle, but at least now everyone knew which side he was solidly on so no one tried to curry his favor.

The evening had ended amicably, with a promise that David and Marius were welcome to visit again in a few nights. He’d sighed with relief after they had gone, his back leaning against the closed door. Lestat had come to him then, taken him into his strong arms and guided him back upstairs to their bedroom. There they had reconnected with each other in ways David and Marius could only dream of, and all his previous tension and upset had been forgotten.

Lestat was like that with almost everyone who came to visit. Although to say that they had guests frequently was an overstatement. Aside from David and Marius, the only others to visit were Jesse (no doubt sent on the behalf of Maharet) and Armand. Jesse, Lestat had felt pity for because he knew she was just there to garner information for her maker. It didn’t mean that he wanted to speak with her, but at least he had kept his answers polite and civil, and he had treated her kindly. They both liked Jesse and neither of them wanted to punish her for what Maharet had done. Louis suspected that Jesse would spend more time telling her maker about the bond between him and Lestat than actually reporting Lestat’s mental state.

When Armand came to visit, however, Lestat was completely different. Daniel had come with him, and he and Daniel had sat in the parlor while Lestat and Armand went off together to the back library. Lestat’s desire to be alone with Armand had surprised him, but he had not refused his lover’s request. He knew that he could listen in if he had wanted to, and that Lestat would call him if he was needed so he tried not to worry. Soon, however, he realized that Lestat’s request had been for Armand’s benefit and not for any need for Lestat to have privacy. From what he could garner, Armand was feeling very vulnerable and wounded, and Lestat had known the immortal teen would do better in private.

So he and Daniel had had a pleasant visit discussing the latest films and music, the deplorable state of New Orleans, and the complete ineptitude of the people in charge to both prevent and respond to the situation. Daniel had been appalled by the sheer incompetence of the authorities to provide the hurricane survivors with basic services like food, water and shelter. Their conversation had also covered more sensitive subjects such as Daniel and Armand’s reconciliation, the whereabouts and health of Sybelle and Benjamin, and Armand’s open loathing for what Marius had done. It would seem that Armand would not be forgiving Marius anytime soon for making his mortal pets into vampires. Daniel had mentioned something about arranging David’s and the healer’s transportation from Indonesia, and expressed happiness to have been able to provide the assistance.

Daniel had asked if the healer was still in New Orleans and seemed genuinely pleased to hear that she was. Apparently, the fledgling hoped to track her down and ask her for help with Armand. It seemed that the immortal teen was still having a number of difficulties from his ordeal with the Veil and Daniel was looking for ways to ease his maker’s suffering. Louis secretly suspected that another bonding might be the answer, but then seriously wondered if either of them would survive it, so he hadn’t mentioned the possibility.

Their conversation had been interrupted by the return of Armand and Lestat from the back library, and the four of them had watched a film to pass the evening. When it was over they had all stood to say their good-byes and Armand had hugged Lestat and kissed him on both cheeks. Lestat had touched Armand’s face, the skin somewhat faded over the years but still obviously tanned.

“Don’t do something this stupid ever again,” Lestat had whispered hoarsely, his ragged voice thick with unshed tears.

Louis had been shocked because it was the first time Lestat had spoken aloud to anyone but him.

“I won’t,” Armand had promised, stepping away.

Armand had then turned to him and kissed his cheeks. “Take care of him, Louis. He needs you much more than you think he does.”

He had smiled and nodded. “I will.”

Their guests had left shortly thereafter with an open invitation to visit almost anytime, then he and Lestat had gone to bed. Lestat had been the needy one that night; the memories of his ordeal, and those of what had happened to Armand were too close, and he’d needed Louis’s comforting. Louis had held him, wiped away his tears, and offered his blood to ease Lestat’s heartache. He had fallen asleep with Lestat’s head tucked under his chin and his lover’s hands curled against his chest.

Louis was thankful that visitors did not come every night because meeting with other vampires and answering personal questions took a toll on his lover. While it could be said that Lestat was well on his way towards recovery, there were still aspects of his ordeal that pained him, and the oddest of things could trigger a flashback. The healer had warned him that such things might happen, but if he hadn’t seen and felt it himself, he never would have thought post-traumatic stress could affect vampires. Unfortunately, Lestat was a classic case.

Handling Lestat had always been a challenge, but now that he knew all of his thoughts and emotions, it was doubly difficult because he could feel exactly why Lestat was reacting the way that he was, and it was hard not to automatically rise to his lover’s defense. As it was, his protectiveness of Lestat had only increased and often he wondered if the others weren’t afraid of the wrong vampire. Lestat was incredibly powerful and known for his temper, but he’d never burned down half a city or an entire opera house.

He let them continue to think that Lestat was the one to be wary of and did not correct their assumptions. Like any good poker player, he knew better than to reveal his hand too soon. Let someone try to hurt his lover or separate them, however, and they would quickly learn which of the two was the most fearsome and vengeful. In the meantime he played the part of Lestat’s attentive lover and reluctant voice. To do so made Lestat happy and he was happy with that.