Dammit Dammit Dammit.
He finally got together with Petra and now he had to share her.
It sucked. I mean, Claude was a good enough guy and all, and really he wanted Petra to be happy, but still it kind of sucked. I mean after all, he’s waited a few centuries, she’d know Claude what, a week? Vince sighed to himself as he looked out over the city, crouched on some building rooftop, perched like some dark superhero. He then realized how stereotypical his pose and silhouette was and intentionally laid down. Fuck those guys and their underwear costumes.
He fished in his pocket and pulled out a milk bone he’d stolen from Claude’s house and bit into it, munching idly as he thought.
I want her to be happy, I really do, but what about me? She says I shouldn’t put myself down, that I deserve to be happy, then pulls this. I mean what the fuck right? But what am I supposed to do, give her an ultimatum, and lose her completely?
He wasn’t used to this. It was all so…. complicated now; it used to be simple. He got mad at himself for being all mopey and introspective and decided to wander around town a little bit. He stopped by all the usual haunts; Mandy’s, Brandon’s, Claude’s, even decided to check out Donovan’s, and David’s work. Nothing seemed out of place anywhere. He wasn’t looking into windows and spying, just making sure that nothing was on fire.
No big fires, no major gunfights, no suspicious strangers lurking in corners – well other than the usual ones anyway. So he decided to hunt. He hadn’t done so in a while. He took the old school approach, waited for some mugger to corner a woman. He jumped down from the roof, and surprised the scoundrel. “I’m Batman” he said with a smile before pummeling the would be evil-doer. Handed the lady her purse, and wished her a good night. She thanked him, and ran away. The man laying on the ground looked up from behind a bloody nose and asked “What now, you gonna call the cops? I’ll be out in two hours”. Vince grinned an extra toothy grin and said “Not exactly”.
Dinner had been delicious, had a nice tex-mex flavor to it. He picked his teeth with a toothpick as he walked out of the alley, and tried to decide what to do next. He was both bored and definitely didn’t want to be thinking about the Petra situation right now.
Ok. That’s it, lets go train the kids. He headed towards Mandy and Michael’s house to see who wanted to learn how to kick ass.
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Michael laid in bed alone. Lucas was out with Ash – they deserved some them time. He wasn’t worried about it; what he was worried about right now was Mandy. It felt like she was pushing people away; her father, him…she was growing closer to the vampires, and further from the humans it seemed. Though that was probably inevitable, it still made him…angry. He wanted to be a part of her life, and these people were…stealing her from him. He wanted to be with her, to help her, to be useful to her. To be part of her unlife. He had to figure out how to become more useful. After a few minutes of thinking, he came to a decision. He went to his computer and started looking for college courses. He signed up for several; business management, leading to an MBA. Then he did some research. Guns, he was going to learn what he could. He e-mailed his dad
“Dad. I want to learn more about firearms, I want to become a good protector for Mandy, so I’d like you to build a custom set for me, and stock me up with ammo. White Phosphorus if possible. I’m thinking a FNX-45 TACTICAL with some slight modifications. Of course I’m going to need a concealed carry permit and a good holster to go with it. I might even get some custom tailored clothing.
I want you to know Dad I’m serious about this. With everything that’s going on, it’s time that I grow up, and take my place. I want that place to be at Mandy’s side, and I’m willing to do anything that’s necessary to make that happen.”
With the e-mail sent, he turned back to the computer. He thought for a moment, then decided that maybe he would enlist some help, and headed to the living room to talk to Chris.
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Brandon was pacing back and forth in his office deciding what to do. He hated himself for being indecisive, but this was all so new to him. He had actual feelings for Jett and he couldn’t even explain why. He wanted to pursue them but didn’t want to scare Jett off, he’d been treated so badly by his former domitors. And what about the blood bond, and what if Jett only reciprocated because he felt that he owed Brandon, that’s not what he wanted.
First things first, a letter to Marcus:
“Dear Marcus,
I’ve grown very much accustomed to Jett and enjoy his company. I think I’d like to keep him. The truth is I’ve developed feelings for him. I am of course willing to compensate you in whatever manner you deem appropriate. Please contact me as soon as possible so that we may discuss specifics.”
He printed out a copy of the letter then sent it on it’s way, printing an extra copy to show Jett. He got up and headed towards Jett’s room to show him what his intentions were, and to tell him how he felt.
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Claude spent time cleaning a gun. It relaxed him; that’s how he thought, it’s how he came to terms with things. His hands were so practiced at the motion that it was almost muscle memory and he could concentrate on other things while doing it. Of course his mind turned mostly to Petra. He did like her, though it was early in the relationship he might even say he loved her. And after what he’d gone through to be with her…. well it definitely was something he couldn’t take back. Maybe this was the way with vampires, after all when you lived this long monogamy was probably impossible. So he tried to think about it, and really search his feelings, get in touch with his emotions instead of his logical brain.
At the end of it, he found that he was okay sharing her. In fact, he might be kind of excited, after all he’d gone through with Mandy, he was starting to change is views on sex and relationships in general. Maybe that was the key. This was a new life, a chance to start over, Throw the old him out and reinvent himself. With this thought he found himself wanting to take charge. Fuck this waiting game
He fired off a couple e-mails first to his old handler”
“Dear Bob,
I have a message I want you to pass along to the head honchos at the Company
Go Fuck Yourselves
Assuming they aren’t reading this already he’s whats going on. You came at me, fine, I was ready for that, but you came to my family, my friends. You wanted a war, so now you’ve got it. You think you can control me? You think you know what I’m capable of, but you’ve never seen me when I’m truly backed into a corner. Bob you’ve been a trusted friend, and co-worker for years. I suggest you take a vacation to a tropical island, this is going to get messy, and I don’t want you to be a part of it. I will not stand for this.
To whom it may concern at the CIA, remember, I know where a lot of bodies are buried, and you’ve left me with little choice. I was one of your best employees, both effective and loyal, and now I’m treated like an enemy combatant, so an enemy I shall become, when this is all over, remember you brought it upon yourselves. “
For the next e-mail
“Mandy, my dear daughter, I’ve decided to take a new lease on life, and have declared war on the CIA. Things may get messy, I want to thank you for pushing me away when you did. I see now that it was for the best, and with my new clearer sight, I see exactly what I have to do. Please be careful. I spent most of my life trying to keep you away from the dangers of my work, only to have you end up in even greater danger. But I intend to fix that immediately. I’m going to ask a favor of my new sire, and make things right. Hopefully it will be over quickly. “
With that out of the way, he pulled out the number Azira gave him and called her.