TITLE: WAR OF THE LEGENDS 4 AUTHOR: DONNILEE E-MAIL: DONNILEE@SNET.NET RATING: NC-17 CATEGORY: MSR, O/O KEYWORDS: X-FILE SPOILERS: Duane Barry, 3 TIMELINE: Near end of Season 7. Requiem never happened. SUMMARY: Dissention in the Clan ranks threatens the fragile victory of the vampires over the werewolves. Meanwhile, Mulder and Scully get their hands on the lycanthropes research. Could it be the answer to their prayers? WARNING: Bizarre and rough sex between supernatural beings will be had in the course of this fic. There are scenes between werewolves (in wolven form) and vampires. Some might interpret this as beastiality (I don't) but if that sort of thing might squick you, you are hereby forewarned. I don't want to receive flames or hear later that I surprised you with a gross situation that made you want to chuck your lunch. So you have been warned! DISCLAIMER: All characters used from the show, The X-Files are the property of Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions, and Fox Broadcasting. No copyright infringement intended. No money made here. THANKS: To my faithful beta readers, FatCat and XL who take so much time and care to help me with these endeavors. I love you both. Thanks for all your time and effort. XXXXXXXXX PART 1 (PG) BATON ROUGE GENERAL MEDICAL CENTER 3600 FLORIDA STREET BATON ROUGE, LA Mulder and Scully returned to the hotel exhausted and fell into a deep sleep for about six hours. They awoke at noon, showered and dressed. Their first stop was Baton Rouge General Medical Center where the five young women were being treated for their injuries. They knew that physical injuries were going to be the least of the problems the five would face. When they pulled into the parking lot, they were surprised to find Lothian waiting for them on the sidewalk. They approached carefully, hands unconsciously going to their augmented weapons tucked into their belts. He smiled sadly and held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, indicating he meant them no harm. "Sorry," Mulder said, not wanting to insult the young man if he was truly on their side. "Good afternoon, Lothian." "Good afternoon," he said, lowering his hands as theirs moved away from their weapons. "What are you doing here?" " I slept for a while but couldn't stand the inactivity anymore. Lyndlay will be asleep for another seven hours at least. I wanted to know how the girls were doing but I didn't dare go in to see them. I'm not sure if they'll be able to sense what I am." Mulder and Scully nodded. "Why don't you wait in the cafeteria?" "All right. I'll get a cup of coffee. I wouldn't mind talking to you for a few moments before you go up to see the girls, if you don't mind." They nodded again and made their way inside, flashing badges at the reception counter. The receptionist gave them the room numbers and said," We've put them a wing by themselves. That way we were able to post a security guard in the hall and protect them all at once. Damned reporters won't leave those poor girls alone." Scully said, "We'll request a police officer be sent down to relieve the security guard. The last thing these girls need is to be bothered by the press." The woman smiled, "That would be great. I've been tossing those vultures out on their ear, but they're sneaky. A few got by me." Mulder smiled in amusement, and they waved as they went past her and followed the signs to the cafeteria catching up with Lothian. They all got coffee and a donut, then made their way to a corner table out of the way where they wouldn't be overheard. Once settled, Lothian began talking. "I want to give you some information. I also want to ask a favor in return." They nodded, waiting. "I want to try and find my friends. I think I know where they may have gone." Mulder nodded. "This has been really hard on you, hasn't it?" he asked sympathetically. Lothian merely nodded, frowning. "I don't know if you can understand my position. I knew their experiments were evil. I knew they were an affront to nature. Then again, so am I. Right?" Scully answered, "I understand that you didn't really have a choice." "In one way I wanted the experiments to work, if only to provide us with a way to control the rage. I don't like hurting people, or killing them, but I've done it." He was silent a few moments. "When I'm transformed, I have the instincts of a wild animal. I can think, but not rationally like I can when I'm human, if you know what I mean? I generally fixate on one thing to the exclusion of all else. I'm either in a rage with a gnawing hunger in my gut, or now, with this potion, I'm filled with such lust that nothing can stop me." "Go on," Mulder said. "Always before, I tried to stay away from people when the full moon came. I would go deep into the Bayou to a cabin my parents' owned out there. I have several freezers out there that I keep stocked with meat." "You think this is where your friends went?" Mulder questioned. He nodded. "I only told a few people about it, but four of those that are missing, are ones I told about it. We had a mutual desire to not kill human beings, but knew our control was extremely limited during a full moon. You can't imagine the hunger," he said softly. "Did you want our help in going out there to see if they are there? Is that the favor?" Scully asked. He shook his head. "No, I will go alone. They fear humans almost as much as they fear vampires. They knew that Turlus was taken away and I'm sure they surmised that it wouldn't be long before humans would know they exist and want to hunt them down. We've been pushed to the brink of extinction. We've learned that we fight not one great enemy, but two. "Public knowledge that we exist is a huge obstacle to overcome that we didn't have before. Human fear can be deadly and we already have the vampires gunning for us. Ridley and Jeremy may be exceptions but I'm not stupid enough to think that the rest of them won't try to kill me or my friends on sight." "Why do you fear us?" Mulder asked. "We don't fear you physically in a one on one situation," Lothian said with a sad smile. "However, you do now have access to their silver ammunition. We fear exposure. People fear what they don't understand. We may not like what we become, but we don't want to die either. I have no idea if there are others of our kind elsewhere in the world. I imagine there are, but I've never heard of them. "We have always understood that the vampires have the advantage of long live. We have finite lives. We tend to live longer than humans, but we do die of old age. Vampires, if careful, can essentially live forever. This makes them a stronger race by simple virtue of their long lives. "So you believe that you and your friends are the last of a dying breed of lycanthropes," Scully concluded. He nodded. "Vampires crave blood the same way we do. In that, we are similar, although neither species wants to admit it. The advantage the vampires have is that they rarely lose control of their blood lust. They are more rational creatures even when they are lusting for blood. The disadvantage is that the only way to hide their fangs is to close their mouths." The corner of Mulder's mouth turned up. "Pros and cons of supernatural beings," he mused. "Even with my extensive knowledge of legends and our current experiences, I can't believe I'm sitting here listening to this." Scully smiled at him and then said to Lothian, "This is a lot for us to take in. These last few days have been bizarre in the extreme. However, I see what you're saying. What I don't know is where you're going with it." "I know something that even the scientists don't know. Turlus knew but he didn't tell Patricia." "What's that?" Lothian looked into Scully's eyes and then into Mulder's. "Our saliva and blood are lethal to vampires." "We knew that," Mulder said, feeling a tad impatient. He tamped it down, knowing it was hard for Lothian to come to them and reveal this information. Lothian nodded. "Yes, but what only I know now is that our sperm is not." "What?" Scully asked. "Our sperm is not lethal to vampires," he said slowly. Understanding dawned for both Mulder and Scully and their eyes widened in surprise. Scully said, "Are you implying you didn't exactly have safe sex with Lyndlay." He shook his head and smiled. "No, I didn't. Condoms were the last thing on my mind," he quipped. Mulder barked out a shocked, "HA!" Then he clamped down on his reaction. Scully scowled at him. He shrugged and said, "I'm not laughing because it's funny, really, but because this entire thing is bizarre." "What do you think this means?" Scully asked, bringing the conversation back on point. He was silent as though contemplating his answer. "It means that I think we can impregnate vampires. I think that our species could blend together." "You think that your genes could be combined?" Scully concluded. He nodded. "I think we'll find out soon." Mulder eyed him cautiously. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?" he asked. Scully looked confused and asked, "What?" Mulder held Lothian's gaze. "Lyndlay is pregnant, isn't she?" he asked slowly. Lothian nodded solemnly. "Even she doesn't know it yet." "But you do?" Scully asked. He nodded. "Yes, I do. I can smell it on her," he said confidently. "Holy shit," Mulder muttered. "There's a favor in here somewhere, isn't there?" He nodded. "It will take some convincing on my part, but I want to take Lyndlay away from the Clan. I want to hide out until our child is born and we see if it's viable, if it even survives. In addition, if it does, what will it be able to do? Will it be a vampire? Will it be a werewolf? A lupine? A combination of the two? Will it be one form, or will it have the ability to shape shift as I do?" He hung his head under the weight of all the questions surrounding his unborn child. "You want our help in finding a place to hide," Mulder stated. Lothian nodded. "Yes. I know you don't owe me anything but I have no one else to turn to," he said, his face a mask of distress. Scully softly asked, "Are you sure Lyndlay will want to have this child?" He raised his head, tears pooling in his eyes. "No, I'm not. I can't imagine her wanting to get rid of it though. You know how precious children are to vampires." They nodded and then Mulder said, "Even if you find your friends and they want to start a new den somewhere, are you sure they would accept this child?" "You're looking at a potentially very isolated and lonely life," Scully offered. He nodded. "I know, but I don't see any choice." "You have choices," Scully said. He stared at her. "Maybe, but I don't consider them choices. Leave her and disappear? No, I can't do it. Ask her to abort the child? No, I can't do it." He looked deeply into Scully's eyes. "It makes no sense. It never has, but I love her, Agent Scully. I've loved her since the day I laid eyes on her in New Orleans during Mardi Gras." He smiled at the memory. "You can't help who you love, can you?" Mulder gazed at Scully, a soft look on his face. "No, you can't," he replied. "I could never leave Scully either," he said without hesitation. Scully returned his look and smiled. "I understand too." "Can you help me?" Mulder raised his eyebrows at Scully in question. She swallowed and said, "We'll try. No promises." He nodded. "That's all I can hope for." Mulder inquired, "You said you would give us some information?" He said, "I'm a young werewolf. As we get older, our hold on reality during transformation gets less and less. We become more animal and less human. In order to retain our human qualities, we have to struggle and make an effort. Many don't bother and they become what you saw in that house; animals nearly rabid with lust, rage and hunger. This potion is the first thing that we've ever found that helps control the rage. If I can mate when transformed, I don't feel the hunger. My theory is that I would retain my hold on my rage and not get worse if I could have this regularly." "How does this involve us?" Scully said. He looked at her. "My friends and I will need a source for this medicine. That's the way I think of it, as medicine. None of us are scientists. None of us know how to make it." Scully licked her lips. "You want us to make it?" He nodded. Mulder said, "That's a tough one since we don't have the research." Lothian reached into his sizeable inside jacket pocket and withdrew a case with five CDs in it. He slowly slid it across the table towards Scully. "Now you do. I went back to the Bower's house a couple of hours ago. I found this on a computer in Madeleine's bedroom closet." "Madeleine?" Scully asked. "Patricia Bower," he clarified. "She was the she-wolf Lyndlay killed that was attacking Bareslay. Her real name was Madeleine." He pointed to the CDs. It's all there, every experiment. What worked, what failed. I added notes on what I discovered by using it when I was a human. There's also other fertility research in there. Research they did on humans to determine if we could mate with them. Perhaps it will help you." Scully's hand trembled slightly as she reached out for the plastic case. She picked it up and brought it to her chest. "I'll do the best I can. Lord knows I'd like to see the rest of you be able to maintain your reason." He nodded. "You would be doing us a great service. Perhaps, in the future, my child will be the answer for both our species. They are not fertile as a rule, and neither are we. Yet together, we have created life." "Who was the scientist doing the research?" Mulder inquired. "A Dr. Pierre Abirwick. He's dead. He was one of the ones killed in the house." "Humans know you exist now," Mulder stated, changing the subject. "Yes, and that's a big danger. I'm hoping that they think we were decimated completely in that raid. I'm hoping you won't tell them otherwise." His question was trenched in his statement. Mulder and Scully both nodded. Scully asked, "I'll need to take these things to a lab where I can use the equipment to see what I can do with this. How can we reach you?" Lothian extracted his wallet, pulled out a card and handed it to her. It contained two numbers, a home number and a cell phone number. It also contained a strange name: Dartagnon Sinclair. Scully looked up from the card to see his smiling face. "You're real name?" she asked. "No, Lothian Roche is my real name. Dartagnon Sinclair was my great, great grandfather's name on my mother's side. I adopted it after I became a werewolf. We all have to be somebody in society when we are human." She nodded. "Says here you write and sell computer software," she said, reading the card with a logo for 'Sinclair Softmates'. He nodded. "I do. I'm a wizard with software, but I'm a lousy scientist." They smiled at him. "We better get up to talk to the girls. We'll call you with a report." "One last thing," he said, stopping them as they stood up. "Yes?" Mulder asked. "I don't want the vampires knowing you have that research." "Why not?" Mulder asked suspiciously. "If they know you have it, it could put you in grave danger. They would kill to have that research. They did kill trying to get it. Don't forget that. Ridley and Jeremy are reasonable vampires. However, all is not peaches and cream within the Clan ranks. I don't know if you know that. Be careful, Agents. Guard those disks with your life." He paused dramatically. "Trust no one," he concluded. They both nodded gravely, hearing the one thing they had understood for years. They were on their own. They could trust no one. It was easy to forget how deadly these creatures could be, both the werewolves and the vampires. They were both thinking that it wouldn't be wise to let their guard down. Lothian added, "If you need anything from me, don't be afraid to ask. I will owe you for this." He stood and stuck out his hand. Mulder and Scully both shook his hand in turn. "There is one thing you can do for us," he said. "What's that?" "Tell us how to kill the vampires if we need to." Scully raised her eyebrow but didn't interfere. Lothian smiled. "There is a weapon that can kill them." "Really?" Scully asked. He nodded. "I'll get some to you." They nodded, not asking any more questions. The cafeteria was getting too crowded. Lothian followed them out into the hallway. They turned toward the elevators and he turned towards the front door. He hoped he'd done the right thing, taking the intrepid Agents into his confidence. He really didn't have a choice. He wasn't lying when he'd said he had no one to turn to. Once he was turned into a werewolf five years ago, he'd been unable to have any contact with his family. They believed him dead. Now the members of his race that he knew about were essentially wiped out. His friends were his only hope of finding others of his kind. He needed the agents help and was frightened by that need. However, he didn't feel as though he had many choices left. They'd helped the vampires. He could only hope that they were open minded enough to help him and his remaining pack members. He felt more alone than he had ever felt in his entire life. He was glad he had Lyndlay. He honestly didn't know what he would do if he had to leave her. Although Ridley and Jeremy had extended an olive branch and they were hovering within a cautious truce, he didn't trust them completely because they did not speak for the entire Family. He had to find his friends and find out what their plans were for the future. He had no idea if he could trust them either with what was in his future. A child. Half vampire, half lycanthrope. To both races it would be an abomination. It could also be the answer to all their prayers, vampires and lycanthropes alike. XXXXXXXXXX PART 2 (NC-17) SPANISH MOON NIGHTCLUB JEREMY'S HOME THE EVENING AFTER THE RAID Ridley came to awareness slowly, her eyelids opening and taking in the strange surroundings. It all came flooding back to her, the events of the previous evening. She sighed, knowing her choices would reverberate through the Clan for years to come. She felt tears sting her eyes. She longed for a day when this turmoil would end. She couldn't, however, bring herself to regret any of the decisions she'd made in the last few days. She'd been right to trust the agents. She'd been right to go to Lyndlay and have a one on one. She'd been right to choose Jeremy. Speaking of Jeremy, she felt him stir behind her. His arm was draped over her and cupping her breast as they lay on their sides. His body was molded against her back and she felt him shift, nudging his big thigh in between her legs and parting them. There was nothing soft about Jeremy. She'd seen him naked the night before and he'd appeared to be formed from the hardest marble. His whole body was glowing white and hard to the touch. It made her crazy with lust. She hummed, feeling his erection begin to rise, sliding stealthily up between the cheeks of her ass. She gasped, as it sent a bolt of arousal through her body. There was nothing soft about that either. It was nearly as hard as marble as well. She'd seen Jakes naked as well. Although they hadn't consummated, they'd slept naked. He'd insisted on it and she'd conceded, knowing she was pushing his good will by asking for more time. He wasn't nearly as impressive as Jeremy despite his age. His body was tall and thin and well built, but he didn't possess these bulging muscles, and he certainly didn't possess this enormous weapon between his legs that Jeremy was now rocking against her. Jakes had made no attempts to hide the fact that he lay next to her and jerked off, trying to make her feel guilty, no doubt. She shook her head to dislodge those thoughts. XXXXXXXXXX NC-17 PORTION XXXXXXXXXX Jeremy hissed softly behind her, his nose buried in her hair at the back of her neck. He flexed his hips, gently rubbing his erection across the sensitive skin in the crack of her ass. He growled, "Ridley." She shivered in delight, hearing his gravelly voice float into her ear. He was obviously aroused now and pulsing against her low back. Her hand slid over her hip and found his washboard abdomen, sliding over the bulging muscles and down until she reached her goal. She leaned forward enough to slide her hand down and grip his turgid shaft. He groaned, pushing into her palm. She whispered, "God, you're huge." He chuckled in her ear and it was an erotic sound. He said, "It's time, Ridley." "Yes, it's time, love." He leaned over and rolled her onto her back. He lowered his face, capturing her mouth with his big, full, soft lips. He pressed harder and his tongue slid into her mouth, slithering over her tongue and sliding along her teeth, till it tickled the back of her throat. She moaned loudly, the sound echoing into the cavern of his mouth as his hand came up and cupped her breast, squeezing gently. His fingers found her nipple and pinched it lightly. She bucked her hips and her hands sought out his shaft again. He chuckled again, his voice a sultry, low baritone. He began kissing her face, her ear, and licking the pulse in her neck as his hand left her breast and traveled down over the flat plain of her stomach. He tugged gently on the curls of her mound and she moaned, bucking her hips again. His fingers slid down and swiped across her slit, finding her wet and foamy with arousal. He slid between her legs and she raised them up to drape them over his hips. He looked down at himself, poised at her entrance and then looked back up to catch her eye. "Ridley Tayte, you have my allegiance and blood bond," he said quietly. Ridley smiled at his formality and played along. "Jeremy Rousseau, you have my allegiance and blood bond," she intoned with equal formality. He smiled widely and pressed his glans inside her soft foamy entrance. His eyes fluttered shut at the sensation. He murmured, "I've wanted you for so long. You can't know what this means to me. I love you so much. I've burned for you. I've dreamed of being the one that excites you." "I love you too, Jeremy, Ridley whispered. "Do it. Go on, the anticipation is driving me crazy. You make me so hot." Growling with primal lust, he shoved himself deeply into her sheath, burying himself to the balls in one swift stroke. "Awwwwwwww," he groaned, feeling her walls part like a wave around him and then collapse, locking him tightly inside. "Fuck!" she yelped and then hissed softly, a sound they often made when hit with a wave of arousal. Jeremy's cock was oversized by any man's standards, a full ten inches long and easily two and half inches in diameter. Combine that with the fact that a vampire's cock was unnaturally hard and the sensation was unbelievable. His swift entry had speared into her, stretching her pussy beyond its normal limits. None of her lovers had ever been this big, not even Sawyer. He pulled out slightly and the feeling was incredible. Her walls were tugging on his cock as if they didn't want to let go. Her insides were warm, tight and slick as he pressed back in and ground against her clitoris. As all vampires did, he began leak copious amounts of precum into her vagina to soften his entry. "You're so tight, Ridley. I didn't expect you to be this tight. It's even better than I ever dreamed." His cock felt hot to her insides and her body jerked and twitched in reaction to it. She felt her walls swell as they absorbed his precum and moaned as she felt an intense bolt of lust sing through her veins that she'd never felt before. At the same time her nipples began to burn and sting. 'NO way!' she thought, realizing what was happening even though it had never happened before. Not even with Sawyer. 'Oh, please, please, please, let it happen!' she chanted to herself. She arched her back, raising her breasts into the air. She whimpered, afraid to believe it was going to happen for her. He took the hint and dropped his head, surrounding her peaked nipple with his lips and began to suckle. He reveled in the sounds of her moans and sucked harder. He felt her nipple swell and bulge and he stopped, amazed. He pumped slowly and steadily increasing the length of his strokes. Her walls had tightened around him with every suck on her nipple. She shocked him when she put her hand on the back of his head and said, "Yes, Jeremy, suck them hard." "Ridley?" he asked, slightly embarrassed to find his hands were trembling where they lay on the outside of her shoulders as he held his weight on his forearms. "You sure?" She lifted her hips to meet his thrusts and licked her lips. "SUCK THEM!" He lowered his head again, grunting as he took her other nipple into his mouth and slowly increasing the suction until he felt her nipple swell and bulge like the other one. He took his weight on one arm and the other slid off her shoulder and he palmed her breast. He squeezed and she hissed with pleasure as she felt both breasts grow heavy and hard. He felt it too and jerked back. He watched in amazement as the slight cup of flesh at the bottom of her breasts caused by the weight of them disappeared. Her breasts rose up into firm mounds of flesh that stood up proudly as they ignored gravity, swelling like perfect domes of flesh as they bulged out to the side and grew, each pulse of her heart swelling them bigger and bigger. He switched back and forth, sucking as hard as he could until he ran out breath. He squeezed with his free hand, feeling them harden as they filled. "Ridley?" She panted. "YES! Oh my God, Jeremy! It's never happened before! I've always wanted it! With you, Jeremy. Jesus, it's gonna happen with YOU!" His mouth dropped open and he hissed, feeling male pride and lust wash through him at her announcement. Her breasts were swelling as they continued to fill with blood, becoming hard as plastic as the skin stretched to its limits. His voice held awe and surprise. "You're going into heat? Are you sure?" Waves of pleasure crashed through her and her body quivered and flushed hot underneath him. "Uuummmpphhh! Oh YES! Ahhhggggg! Awwww! Oh GOD, SUCK ME!" she screamed. "Ridley, are you sure you want to me have that much strong blood?" he cried, desperately trying to hold himself back. Outsiders wouldn't know what this meant, but he did. If she allowed it, he would be getting more of her blood, by sucking out the bloody breast milk from her breasts that was produced in copious amounts when a female went into heat. Vampires could reproduce. Unlike humans, however, they had to come into heat, much like an animal and it was so rare an occurrence it was always cause for celebration. All they knew was that some partners triggered it in each other and others didn't, and no one knew why. They'd both heard about how euphoric the sex was when this happened. Those lucky few that had experienced it would babble about how incredible it was but were never able to adequately describe the experience. They did know that apparently, being in heat induced a lust in female vampires that was unmatched at any other time and allowed their bodies to do things they couldn't do at any other times in order to conceive. They also released pungent pheromones that drove their partner wild and prolonged their endurance and pleasure as well. "Hhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Ridley hissed as her body going rigid and Jeremy inhaled deeply feeling a rush as his head swam upon inhaling the pheromones she'd just released. He pulled one of her legs higher, pressing her knee into the mattress coming down on top of her and putting all his weight behind his shaft, jerking his hips and punching deep. Then she felt it. A white, hot flash of pain shot through her as his cock punched her stretched cervix up into her womb. It stretched over the head and closed behind the ridge of his cock. This was something she'd only ever heard about. She convulsed underneath him and screamed in pleasure. She sounded wild. His massive cock grew even larger with the excitement he felt over being the one to bring her into heat. He was the one that would give her this pleasure and hopefully the one thing every female vampire craved, a child, his child. He could hardly believe it. He ground into her, feeling her cervix suck on the end of his cock like it wanted to pull it completely inside. It clamped down and sucked him deeper, easily pulling in three inches of his massive shaft. He swiveled his hips, drawing back and feeling her cervix clamp behind the ridge of his glans and squeeze the head as he did. He hollered, "Ridley! Baby, your muscles are sucking so hard on the head of my cock. I can't pull out!" "It's my ... cervix," she stuttered. "Heard about it ... AHHHH, FFFUUUCCCKKK!" she shrieked, throwing her head back and arching her neck until her body bowed up from the bed to meet him as he stroked into her. He continued to rock his hips and she groaned, feeling his cock stab up into her womb, held captive by her stretched cervix that was rhythmically squeezing the head and end of his shaft. He rocked, faster and faster and she screamed, feeling darts of sensation that bordered on pleasure/pain. Each one was followed by a wash of lust that wiped the ache away and made her insides expand and contract violently. Each contraction caused a gigantic abdominal throb that left her head spinning with ecstasy, her cervix muscles clamping down behind the ridge of his cock harder, trapping him deep inside her. She could feel the big, thick veins in his fat cock as they bulged with blood and the pulsing of his mushroomed head as it pressed into her, creating a balloon of her stretched cervix that protruded up into her womb. His hips continued to pull pack just a little, until he felt the ridge of his cock pulling on the muscle. This caused her muscle to clamp down harder, holding him in. It also caused the most exquisite, hard sucking of his glans he'd ever felt his life. Every hard suck caused his balls to twitch and throb. It felt like she was going to suck his nuts right up through his shaft. Then he would push back in as deep as he could, hearing her moan and feeling her hips quiver underneath his. He began to snap his hips, faster and faster, never retreating more than a couple of inches, until he was snapping into her in short, quick, hard thrusts. "Ridley! Oh fuck, yeah. You're sucking me, baby, sucking me so hard. Oh Jesus. OH FUCK! YEAH! This is fantastic. You're gonna suck my cum right out of my nuts. Yeah, yeah. SUCK it out of me!" He became a driving maniac, his hips jack hammering into her, creating constant stimulation. She screamed, feeling a gigantic pulse in his cock as he swelled even larger and became so hard he felt like steel. Her full C- cup breasts had now swollen till they were DDs, hard and rigid with blood. They were so swollen that her nipples had almost completely flattened out. She whimpered and said, "Suck them Jeremy. Oh shit, they hurt. Oh Gaaawwwddd, they're so hard, they hurt, so full, pllleeaassseee, SUCK ME!" she screamed. He braced himself, coming up fully on his knees and bending over her slender frame. Her breasts looked huge perched on top of her chest. He latched onto one nipple and began to suck hard, feeling her nipple rise up again and form a tight peak. It grew in width and length until it was fat and sticking out prominently. It was now hard and extremely sensitive. "HARDER!" she shrieked. He groaned, taking a deep breath through his nose and then sucked with all the strength he could muster on her now meaty nipple, pulling it deep into his mouth between his fangs. She wailed, arching her back and began to orgasm as she felt her nipple burn and sting. It released a hard spray of breast milk into his harshly sucking mouth. He felt a blast of her blood shoot into his mouth and hit the back of his throat. He sucked, swallowed and sucked again, feeling her cervix clamp and suck him with every pull of his mouth. She writhed underneath him, no longer coherent as her breast squirted into his mouth, her breast deflating. Every suck and release of fluid caused her to spasm with release after release. It was pure ecstasy with every stroke and suck, which he was coordinating admirably. He felt some softness return and immediately moved to the other breast. She was incoherent with mind-blowing pleasure, totally unable to control her body's reactions at this point. He was in awe of the fact that he was the one doing this to her. He was giving her pleasure no other man ever had. Jeremy's own head was spinning with the strength of her blood. He'd already had more than any man had ever gotten from her when they made their blood allegiance. Now, she was giving him the biggest gift of all, her breast 'milk'. Her breasts were huge and he knew to deflate them he would have to suck all that blood out, blood mixed with milky substance that was the vampire's breast milk. It was more potent than regular blood. The stronger the vampire, the stronger her blood was, and the stronger her breast milk was. She had to know what this would do to him. This much breast milk would give him incredible strength, perhaps even greater than hers. Yet, she hadn't hesitated to offer it to him. Yes, it deflated her aching, rock hard breasts, but she could do it by squeezing them hard enough too. Instead, she allowed him to suck it out of her, begging him for her release. He growled and hissed against her breasts as he sucked and breathed, sucked and breathed, feeling jolts of lust, euphoria and strength surge through his veins. He held it in his mouth until his mouth was bulging full and then he would swallow it all at once, giving him a jolt unlike anything he had every experienced. He wondered if this was what it felt like for humans to become high on drugs. This feeling could quickly become addictive. He felt his balls beginning to burn hot, the heat churning deep in his sacks in response to her pheromones. He groaned loudly as the heat swirled in his nuts, making him twitch with pleasure. She began to tremble and shake violently. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she reached an enormous climax that left her screaming in long, drawn out, keening wails of pleasure, loud enough to be heard on the street above them. He might have been worried if he hadn't seen the euphoric smile on her face. She kept quivering, her climaxes coming hard and fast as he continued to suck and pump her with short strokes. He felt his balls swell to an enormous size and become so hard they throbbed. He screamed with her as she felt his cum blast against the ballooned bubble of her cervix that was encasing the head of his cock. There was nowhere for it to go, and the pressure built higher. He shifted slightly, groaning as he fired another long shot of cum inside. Her clitoris jumped and began firing off shocks of pleasure as he climaxed with her. He bellowed with pleasure and threw his head back, sending more cum into her. He wasn't pulling out. Her cervix was clamped over the ridge on the backside of his glans. She was still coming and it was squeezing even tighter. She was having a cervical orgasm. It was nearly unheard of in their species. He tried to pull back and she shrieked as his cock tugged painfully at her clamping muscle. He was locked inside her. He shoved in deep again. "Oh MY GOD!" he shouted, as he felt his nuts spasm so hard it nearly hurt. Cum raced up his shaft, sent a bolt of mind- blowing pleasure to his brain as it slammed into the narrowing head that was squeezed tighter than any cock ring. Suddenly, it burst through to the other side with stinging warmth, filling her and surrounding his cock head in warmth. He could feel his huge load of cum swimming around the sensitive head, knew it was trapped there, her muscle refusing to release him. He felt her tremble and then finally felt a slight loosening inside her. Ridley was incoherent with mind-bending pleasure as Jeremy continued to blast his cum inside her. She gurgled and hissed, feeling her cervix blow up like a balloon. Then it happened. She felt a cramping in her abdomen in the area of her ovaries and the opening in her cervix dilated and opened like the shutter of a camera. All that sperm caught there, suddenly rushed directly into her womb. Jeremy watched in awe as she went berserk. He couldn't believe what was happening to his own body. Every time he breathed in, he got a nose full of her powerful pheromones. Pleasure would slam into his brain, his cock would throb, and his nuts would clench in spasm and fire another stinging rope of cum inside her. He'd felt the pressure abate as her cervix had opened, something he'd only heard about. He was still stuck inside her, still coming as he rode out the orgasm of his life. He knew he was pumping his sperm directly into her fertile womb. Her arms flung out to the side, slapping the bed as her fists clenched and then her fingers spread white, her palms turning white as she stiffened. Her hands seemed fist up and unroll in time with the great wads of seed he was ejaculating into her. Five hundred years, two previous partners and he'd never felt pleasure like this in his life. He'd never ejaculated like this before either. It wasn't stopping and it was boggling his mind. Her orgasms were the most incredible climactic release he'd ever seen and the most incredible release he'd ever experienced for himself. She shrieked her breasts thrusting into the air again as her back arched. Grunting with the effort, he wrenched his mind away from the unbelievable pleasure between his legs as his fat cock continued to produce an unending supply of sperm from his swollen nuts and dump it into her womb. He lowered his head and sucked her breasts again. The combination of her bloody breast milk, his orgasm, and her grasping vagina were nearly too much. He struggled to stay conscious as her blood flowed down his throat sending him into ever increasing convulsions of pleasure. Finally, she let out a strangled groan and passed out, her body falling limp on the mattress. He let his weight lower onto her, his cock continuing to twitch and eject small drops of cum into her womb. He was enjoying the skin-to-skin contact. He hummed as he continued to suckle her breasts, realizing that this was what was keeping him hard. His cock almost hurt from the violent ejaculations he'd just endured for nearly five minutes. Her insides were relaxing now but he was still hard. He took the opportunity to yank his cock backwards. He actually heard a popping sound as his cock was released. Some of his cum shot out into her vagina and washed over his cock. Careful not penetrate into her cervix again, he began stroking slowly back and forth, enjoying the aftershocks of pleasure. She moaned, slowing coming around. Ridley opened her eyes and looked down from under hooded eyelids, sated and still euphoric from her experience. She gasped as she realized Jeremy was still suckling her breasts. They were down to a bearable size now but still swollen and throbbing with a hot ache. He was still hard and moving inside her. Only now, he was stroking in long, deep, gentle strokes that just tapped her cervix and then backed up. "Mmmmperfect," she muttered. "Ah, it's just right. Nice long strokes. Oh my love. Jeremy, it's so good, never been this good. Oh fuck, I love you sooooo mmuucchh," she groaned out. Tears of happiness were streaming down her face. Her mind raced as she lay under the man she loved as he continued to worship her body. She was overwhelmed by the fact that she was finally with the one she'd loved for so long. He was a gentle, honorable man who would never betray her. He was her perfect match intellectually, morally and physically. On top of all that, he may have just given her a most precious gift. She never thought she'd have a child. It didn't hurt that he was total eye candy and so sexy he made her knees weak. It's a good thing she hadn't been standing up through any of this! He groaned in return, never taking his lip lock off her engorged nipple that was still squirting her bloody milk into his mouth. He hummed in euphoric pleasure as he continued to suck. She warbled out a strangled scream as her body jerked and her back arched again in another orgasm as his cock stimulated her engorged clitoris with every stroke. He pulled off her nipple with an audible pop and moaned, feeling dizzy. "Oh fuck, Ridley. My cock won't go down for anything. I'm still hard, baby. You're scent is incredible. I can't believe it, Ridley. You came into to heat." "I know," she whimpered. "I'm so glad it was with you, Jeremy. It's so incredible. I love you. I should have told them all to go to hell and followed my heart all those years ago." He moaned and murmured, "Love you so much, Ridley. You're mine now and I'll never let you go." He felt the sensation in his cock change as his climax finally ended. He was starting all over again. "Oh shit, oh shit, Ridley. I'm firing precum again. I can feel it, oh yes. I'm gonna go again, Ridley. I'm getting so hard! Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh FUCK!" he growled, suddenly ramming into her, and punching into the back wall of her vagina and piercing straight through her cervix and into her womb, now weakened from its earlier collapse. She shrieked and came again, feeling her internal muscles convulse on his cock again and her breasts begin to fill again. "Oh NO! OH JEREMY! No! It never happens twice! Oh Gaaawwwwddd!" He groaned, "Oh God, yes! We're meant to be together, Ridley! Baby, bite me. You've lost too much blood," he rasped out when he saw her pasty pale complexion. He shifted into position, exposing his neck to her. He was still hard, still stroking, still twitching as his dick fired sprays of precum jism into her at the bottom of every stroke. Ridley hissed and struck, her fangs sinking deeply into his neck, causing him to groan with the contact. Feeding on each other, like in the blood allegiance ritual was lust producing in itself. Normally they would have exchanged blood while making love. They had done that earlier because they'd been rushed. She'd given him so much of herself. It was his turn to give back. He wondered if his gained strength from her breast milk would translate back to her now that she was feeding on him. He was gorged on her breast milk. That and her pheromones were sustaining his cock beyond any normal endurance. Vampires had incredible control and endurance, but this was beyond anything either of them could have ever imagined. She'd given him more milk than she probably should have but she couldn't seem to care. Unlike Jakes, she trusted Jeremy and didn't mind if he became stronger than she was. Nobody really knew all the dynamics of this anyway. There was a small chance all this would result in nothing after all. She couldn't think that way though. She had to believe that she was conceiving right now, as he continued to press his long, fat shaft up into her spasming tunnel. She sucked greedily from his jugular, feeling her nipples beginning to burn and sting again. Her breasts were filling up a second time. She was stunned and couldn't imagine why it was happening again. It was a miracle to her that it had happened once. Jeremy's stamina held out and they did it all over again. Only this time, she drank deeply from his neck until she felt full and flushed with his warm blood. Then he sucked it out of her breasts again. They were both sure they'd reached nirvana. XXXXXXXXXX END NC-17 PORTION XXXXXXXXXX PART 3 (R ) SPANISH MOON NIGHTCLUB JEREMY'S HOME When Lyndlay and Bareslay roused, they both stayed in bed listening to the cries of pleasure and shrieks of ecstasy coming from the other room. Lyndlay got up slowly and dressed in yesterday's clothes, sad that Lothian had not been there when she woke up. Bareslay read the note and was happy to be alive, but was near to weeping when he realized he had no idea what had become of Zoë Basset. He hung his head and stood, testing the strength of his limbs. He figured Lyndlay must have given him blood. Why were they here though? Where was the rest of the Clan? Who had Jeremy chosen for a partner? Obviously, he'd made a choice and was in there now consummating the union, judging by the shrieks of lust emanating from the other room. Eventually the sounds of consummation quieted and he decided he needed to talk to Lyndlay to find out what had happened after her was attacked. He carefully opened the door and stepped into the living room, just in time to see a door on the other side of the room open and a man walk in. He was tall with brown hair and brown eyes. He shut the door quietly behind him and then turned to face the room. As he did, both he and Bareslay gasped. Bareslay caught his scent and hollered at the top of his lungs. "Wwwooollllfff!" He lunged for the pistol laying on the coffee table three feet in front of him. He snatched it up and drew his arms up into a firing stance, bracing himself with his legs apart. He felt an incredibly strong arm wrench his arms downward just as he pulled the trigger. The bullet blasted harmlessly through the carpet into the concrete floor below. The lycanthrope had made a flying dive to the side and was now picking himself up off the floor. He twisted furiously as a second arm came around his side and grabbed his other wrist. "Woolllfff!" he screamed in total panic. Lothian stood with his back to the door and his hands raised. The arms tightened, holding him in place. A low-pitched, sultry voice penetrated his panic. "It's all right, Bareslay. Trust me. Let go of the pistol," she cooed in a gentle voice. His numb fingers released the pistol and she took it from his hand. He was shaking, trembling in her arms. "Riddlleeyy!" he choked out. He saw from the corner of his eye that Lyndlay was now in the room also. She walked toward the lycanthrope as Jeremy approached and took the gun from Ridley. "Lyndlay, what are you doing?" he hollered. Ridley loosened her grip and stepped to his side, one hand still on his bicep. He had no illusions that he could break free from her grasp even though she merely held his arm with one hand. He'd been shocked by the strength he felt when she'd shoved his arms down. It had been frightening. He'd known she was old and strong but he'd had no idea. Feeling her strength was awe- inspiring. She had to have ten times his strength and had subdued him so easily it frightened him. He wasn't used to feeling weak. He stared up at her with wide eyes and turned back to see Lyndlay cupping the man's cheeks. "Are you all right?" she asked. Lothian nodded and swallowed hard, his hands rubbing gently up and down her arms. "We have a lot to tell you, young Bareslay," Ridley said. "I suspect you have a lot to tell us as well." His trembling was subsiding. "What the hell is going on here?" he growled, eyeing his sister and the wolf in their intimate stance. He looked at Ridley and for the first time noticed she was naked. He saw Jeremy standing beside her, as naked as Ridley and it finally dawning on him that it had been Ridley in the bedroom with Jeremy. Jeremy had been bonding with Ridley! That was treason! He shot a look disgust and betrayal at Ridley. He yanked away, and her firm grip didn't budge. All he succeeded in doing was nearly tearing his shoulder out of its socket. He grunted in pain. Ridley looked at him sternly. "I see the judgments on your face. I ask that you hear us out first. You have no idea what's going on here. We have no idea what happened to you last night. If not for our combined efforts, a human, and this wolf, you would be dead now," she growled. "We all risked our lives for you last night, staying out nearly till dawn until you could be moved. Do you understand me? You'd be DEAD!" she bellowed. He cringed under her regard, never having seen her look angry like this before. Ridley was not known for having a temper. He deflated under her burning gaze and began to tremble again. She let go of his arm suddenly and he staggered with the sudden release, falling onto the couch. He stared up at her, then at Lyndlay. He was visibly shaking. Lyndlay left Lothian's side and sat next to her twin, taking his hand and sandwiching it between hers. Their eyes met and Lyndlay said, "You've been through a lot, and I know what you see here is a shock. There are more to come, believe me, but you must trust us, Bareslay. We may be in grave danger from members of our own Clan. We'll explain everything. First, how do you feel?" "I don't know," he answered honestly. "I feel incredibly weak," he said, glancing nervously at Ridley. Jeremy pressed his lips together to keep from smirking as he looked at Ridley over the children's heads. Ridley subtly shook her head and he swallowed. He knew this was no time for mirth, but he'd felt Ridley's strength first hand and knew exactly how weak it could make you feel. Since this young one was a mere 16 years old, he couldn't even imagine how strong she seemed to him. Her only response was, "We'll be right back." She returned to the bedroom with Jeremy and they emerged several minutes later fully dressed. He crossed the room and sat down in a wing-backed chair on the other side of the coffee table. He motioned for Lothian to come into the room. He walked slowly and sat in an overstuffed chair next to Jeremy. He and Bareslay stared at each other, neither one backing down, both wary of the other. Jeremy motioned to Ridley and she came to him and slid sideways onto his lap, her legs sideways between his. She twisted and leaned back into his chest, her head resting next to his. "Who should start?" she asked quietly. Bareslay's eyes darted around the room and then he hung his head. "I don't care, but somebody please tell me why you have allowed a fucking wolf in your home, Jeremy!" Jeremy smiled. "That's one I think you're sister should answer." His head snapped up and he looked at his sister. "Lyndlay?" She squeezed his hands and swallowed noisily. Then she met his eyes and said, "He's my lover, Bareslay." "WHAT?!" he shrieked leaping to his feet. "You've fucked a Lycanthrope? Are you out of your mind? You disgusting whore!" he bit out. Lyndlay looked like she'd been slapped and Lothian hung his head. She was getting a taste of the shock and disgust that most members of the Clan would display if they knew of her union with Lothian. It was especially disheartening coming from her twin. Then he looked at Ridley, "How could you allow this? What's the matter with you? I heard you this morning! You've committed treason with him! How could you? Have you all gone mad?" He pointed to Jeremy who sat calmly in his chair. Ridley was on her feet with the speed of a rattler and poised to leap at him should he attack Lothian and do anything stupid. He froze and stared at Ridley. Showing her long fangs, she hissed a warning so loudly they were all startled. "Sit down, Bareslay," she growled. "I know this is a shock and you've had a hell of a time the last day or or so. You are not from our Family and because of that, I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt. However, you are not with your parents and you are not at home. You are in my Partner's home. Whether you like it or not, I am your ELDER. You will act accordingly and you will address me with RESPECT!" she bellowed. He visibly cringed under her reprimand and his lower lip trembled. Tears pooled in his eyes and he gingerly made his way back to the couch, cowering before her. She said, "For the last time, young man. You will sit there and you will LISTEN before you cast your self-righteous judgments on the people that have saved your life." He squeaked out, "I'm sorry, Mistress. I'm so sorry!" He began to cry and Lyndlay wrapped her arms around him and embraced him. Lyndlay looked at Ridley as she walked to the kitchen and returned with a straight-backed chair. She supposed they didn't need to rub their union in anyone's face, just yet. She sat down and watched them for a few moments. Lyndlay said, "He's not ready for all this, Mistress." She sighed. "I know that. Unfortunately, we have no choice, and we have no TIME. I must know what happened in that house last night. I have to make some decisions quickly. That means I have to lay all this on your brother and hope for the best." Lyndlay nodded and gently pried her brother off of her. She cupped his cheeks and made him look at her. "Listen to Ridley, my brother. There is a story, more than one. No treason has been committed here. You will understand once you give her a chance to explain. I hope one day, you can understand what I've done. For now though, you must trust me." He nodded and looked timidly at Ridley. "Oh God, is Jakes dead?" he asked suddenly, realizing this was a possibility he had never considered. He had no idea what had gone on after he was attacked by the she-wolf. Ridley sighed at his impatience. "Are you ready to hear me now?" she asked. He nodded again. "Good." XXXXXXXXXX BATON ROUGE MEDICAL CENTER 3600 FLORIDA STREET BATON ROUGE, LA The girl with long, dark hair looked up at the smiling FBI Agent. She said, "So that's all there is to tell, Agent Mulder." The two agents had been by earlier and questioned each of the girls gently about their experience. All five girls were relieved to find that people believed them. The story was all over the news along with the jail footage of Turlus and the stampede of werewolves in the sewers, so at least everyone didn't think they were crazy. They had left to do some investigating elsewhere, she supposed, but then returned again to ask if any of them wanted any family contacted. It didn't seem to be a surprise to either agent to find out that none of them had family. They were all sixteen and had been living in a home for girls as wards of the state. All had lost their parents through tragedy or abandonment. They'd been prime candidates for the werewolves. They recognized Patricia Bower as one of their kidnappers when shown her picture. Mulder and Scully assured her that they were dead now. "You've all taken a morning after pill just in case?" Scully inquired. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding Zoë's hand. "Yes, they gave them to us. Even the bible thumpers couldn't blame us for this one," she replied saucily. Mulder smirked. Zoe's face clouded. "You were there with them, weren't you?" she asked Mulder. "The ... other rescuers?" she whispered. He nodded. "I carried you out." She said, "Will you see them again?" "We plan on meeting with some of them tonight." She pointed to her bedside table. "See that card there." Mulder walked over and picked up a small off-white envelope with a card inside. He looked at her, waiting. "If you meet one named Bareslay, can you give that to him?" she asked shyly. He nodded. "Friend of yours?" he asked gently. She sniffled. "He said he would come for me one day, but I was kidnapped before that day came. I don't even know if he still lives." Scully smiled secretly at Mulder and said, "He lives. He nearly died fighting the werewolves." "He was there?" she gasped. Scully nodded. "Yes, we didn't know how or why. Perhaps he was looking for you?" She swallowed harshly. "I don't know," she said quietly. "The other girls don't know about them, the Clan," she said cryptically, in case anyone was listening. Mulder regarded her for a moment. "We'll see what we can find out." XXXXXXXXXXXXX COMFORT SUITES BATON ROUGE, LA They had gone from the hospital to the police station, filled out more reports and went back to the hospital. Now they returned to the hotel, exhausted from inadequate sleep and just weary from the events of the past few days. There was no time to rest yet though. Mulder made coffee in the efficiency kitchen while Scully dialed the number on the card she retrieved from her suit jacket. It rang twice before he answered. [Hello?] "Lothian?" she asked. [That's me,] he replied. "The girls are going to be all right, physically anyway. The doctors at the hospital have assured me that they will receive counseling even after they are released back to the girls' home they came from." [That's good. I'm relieved.] "One more thing," Scully added. [Yes?] "Are you still with Jeremy and Ridley?" [Yes.] "Is Bareslay still there?" [Yes,] he said tensely. [We are filling him in now on the events of the evening. Then he is to tell us what happened to him.] "Are you at the Spanish Moon?" [Underneath it, yes.] "Can we come over?" Scully motioned to Mulder to get their coats. [Hold on,] he said. Scully heard him ask, [Can the agents come over here, Jeremy?] She didn't hear the answer but he came back on the line. [Yes, come now. I'll meet you outside and show you how to get down here.] XXXXXXXXXX SPANISH MOON NIGHTCLUB JEREMY'S HOME Mulder and Scully parked behind the nightclub. It was not open for business and hadn't been since the night before last. They exited the car and Lothian appeared out of the shadows at the back of the building. They startled, not having seen him at first. It was oddly reminiscent of being surprised by the others and they both felt a bolt of nervousness. As if he sensed it, he said, "I won't hurt you." They both sighed. Mulder said, "We know. This is where we were attacked." He nodded. "I'm sorry about that." "Not your fault," Scully mumbled. He waved them toward the right and they followed. He heaved open a large storm cellar door on the ground and motioned for them to go down the cement stairs that had appeared. Mulder eyed him and said, "You first." He laughed good-naturedly and said, "Fair enough. Follow me." He understood their wariness and the fact that they didn't want him behind them. He descended, bending deeply to avoid hitting his head. Mulder followed suit. Scully barely had to duck. They emerged into a finished basement that looked like a storage area with boxes stacked everywhere. He led them forward about twenty feet and they ran into another wall. He knocked on the door and it opened. Jeremy stood there, looking as impressive a figure as ever. He waved them in and they all entered single file. Bareslay looked up as they entered. This was his first real contact with the agents. He was curious about the humans that had supposedly helped them out so much. "Hello," Mulder said to the room at large. "Hello, Agents," Ridley replied as she appeared carrying two more chairs in from the kitchen. She set them down next to Lothian and retreated to her chair. "We've had quite a morning," she said calmly. Bareslay looked away. Lyndlay cleared her throat and Jeremy smirked. Mulder and Scully observed all these reactions and determined that it hadn't been a smooth one. "What can you tell us?" Ridley looked at Mulder. "Not much. We still don't know what happened to the Clan's planned attack. I can only assume that they have retreated to the mansion. We are cooking up a plan to lure Jakes out here. I'd rather confront him off of his own turf and without the entire Clan at his back, jumping to conclusions. "Meanwhile, Lothian is going to try and find his friends and find out what they are up to. The surprise of the morning has been young Bareslay, here," she concluded. He still wouldn't look at her. Jeremy took up the story. "Apparently, Bareslay planned an assignation of his own last night. However, upon arriving at the rendezvous point, he found that the person he was going to meet was not there. Having smelled werewolves, he rightly assumed that his friend had been snatched by the lycanthropes lycanthropes. He went to rescue her, going back to the mansion to stock up on weapons and ammunition. When he discovered the sewer entrance blocked, and heard the Clan coming, he fled above ground. He lucked out and saw the broken louver in the attic that Lothian had busted and was able to enter the house that way." "You climb that easily?" Scully asked. Jeremy shrugged. "I imagine he jumped. Right?" he asked, turning to the young vampire. Bareslay nodded. "Two stories was a high jump for me, but I made it," he said casually. Scully then remembered seeing Ridley jump up to the roof of the bar with apparent ease and that was only one story. Jeremy continued. "He crept downstairs and found them all asleep. Not questioning it, he began blasting away. Apparently, he had killed the lot of them when he heard a snarl upstairs and went up encountering others, which he slaughtered. Unfortunately, he was running out of ammo when the big she-wolf attacked him. He had killed her bed partner but didn't get a shot off at her. She nearly killed him, and that's where we came in." Mulder cleared his throat. "Did you find the person you were looking for, Bareslay?" he asked. The young vampire frowned and shook his head. He was clearly very upset and his face was a mask of distress. "No, I didn't find her," he said softly. "It was all for nothing," he said, tears in his voice. Mulder stood and reached into his jacket and extracted the small envelope with the cream colored card inside. He held it up. "Is her name Zoë Basset?" he asked mildly. Bareslay leaped up to his feet and said, "Yes!" Mulder stood and held out the note. "She asked me to give this to you." He darted across the floor so quickly, that Mulder and Scully gasped. Mulder literally took a step back and nearly stumbled when his knees hit the chair behind him and he plunked down gracelessly. "Geez!" he exclaimed. Bareslay looked sheepish and muttered, "Sorry, I forgot." He held out his hand and Mulder slowly held out the card. Bareslay took it slowly as well, but Mulder could tell he was dying to rip it open and read it. Scully said, "Go ahead. We're just not used to seeing things move quite that fast," she added. They all chuckled and Bareslay drifted back to the couch. He sat down and looked up and around the room. Ridley asked, "Would you like some privacy?" He nodded. "You may go to the room you slept in," she said. He stood and said, "Thank you, Mistress." He retreated quickly and closed the door behind him as he entered the bedroom. Jeremy was grinning at Mulder. "I think you just made the young man's day." Mulder smiled. "I might not when he figures out what happened to her." Ridley said, "She was one of the girls downstairs, wasn't she?" Mulder nodded solemnly. "Yes. She seems to have come out of it the least traumatized however. She's the one that woke the others and got them out of the room, despite being scared for her life." Lothian said, "They wouldn't have killed them." Mulder looked at him. "We know that now, but they certainly didn't at the time. In fact, she was puzzled when she woke up and realized she was still alive." He frowned. "Damn it!" Lyndlay said, "None of this is your fault, Loth." He sighed. "I know that. I just feel like I should have done something to stop it." "They would have killed you," she said simply. He nodded and said, "Maybe." "You know they would have," she soothed. Ridley said, "This is getting us nowhere. We have to get moving. Lothian, it's time to go search for your friends. Jeremy, it's time to call Jakes and see if we can get him out here. Lyndlay, you're going to have to call your father and let him know you and your brother are all right. He's bound to be frantic by now." XXXXXXXXXX PART 4 (NC-17) SPANISH MOON NIGHTCLUB JEREMY'S HOME She turned to Mulder and Scully. "You two go get some rest. We'll be in touch. There's nothing more you can do now. I thank you with all my heart." She paused. "Agent Scully, you are a rare human being. Lyndlay, Bareslay and I all owe our lives to you." Scully shook her head. "No, Lyndlay saved her brother and you probably would have won that fight with Jeremy's help." Ridley was shaking her head. "No, Agent Scully. We all owe you a life debt. Bareslay knows it now too. If you should ever need our help in the future, you need only call us. We will come. End of story." "That's not necessary," she said. Jeremy spoke up. "Agent Scully. I don't think you understand. We vampires take a life debt VERY seriously. In the past, it's only come up where another member of our Clan has saved us. This is a unique situation. A human has never saved one of us, let alone three, or four, counting myself. This in no way lessens the obligation of the life debt, however. We take it just as seriously as if one of our own kindred had saved us." Scully nodded solemnly. "Well, thank you," she said, feeling that was totally inadequate. Ridley smiled, "No, thank you. We have your cards. Should our contact information change, we will call and let you know. It might when all the dust settles. It's too long of a story to explain in detail, but suffice it to say that Jeremy is my Partner now. I never consummated my allegiance with Jakes." They looked confused. She smiled. "Like I said, without going into a long drawn out explanation of vampiric rituals, just know that I am with Jeremy now, not Jakes. Don't go to Jakes for help." Jeremy could see they still didn't understand. He said, "What she means is that should you ever need her and she was unable to come to your aid for any reason, I would go in her stead." "Ah," Scully said, understanding at last. Ridley added, "It's unlikely that I couldn't come if called, but it could happen." They stood up and shook hands with everyone as Bareslay entered the room once again. He looked troubled but he was no longer agitated. "Good news?" Ridley asked. He said, "She was hurt badly, Ridley." "I know and I'm sorry, Bareslay, I really am," Lothian interjected. Bareslay looked at him, unsure whether to believe he was sincere. Then he glanced at his sister, wondering how she could consider such a union. It wasn't for him to say. Some might condemn his desired union with Zoë, but at least she was human. He nodded and said, "I'm sorry too. I'm sorry I didn't save her." Mulder said, "I think you did, Bareslay." "How so?" he asked. Mulder smiled. "You cleaned house in there, buying us all time to arrive. If we'd been busy killing them, Lothian here never would have heard her cry out behind that steel basement door. They could have died down there. He has keen hearing. We never would have heard them. Maybe the werewolves wouldn't have killed them, but they could have died from their injuries." Bareslay looked at Lothian. "You found her?" He nodded. "I found them, yes." Mulder added, "He immediately rushed to us for help to get them out of basement and to the medical people outside. Lothian risked exposing himself by helping carry the girls out to the ambulances." The young vampire's expression changed somewhat as he regarded the man that his sister was in love with. Perhaps they did possess some compassion after all, he thought. "I thank you for that," he said finally. "You're welcome," Lothian replied. "I apologize for what I said earlier." He hesitated and then said, "I'm sorry I was going to take a shot at you." "Apology accepted," he replied. Bareslay said, "If you ever hurt my sister, however, I'll kill you myself." Lothian smiled. "I'm home free then," he concluded. Everyone was smiling as Mulder and Scully left. Mulder spoke under his breath to Scully, "Guess she wasn't kidding when she said they'd had quite a morning." Scully chuckled and said, "I'm glad I missed it." XXXXXXXXXX COMFORT SUITES BATON ROUGE, LA They returned to the hotel for the last time that day. It was dark out and they ordered room service, eating soup and sandwiches for dinner. When they were done, they decided to go to bed early and figure out what to put in their reports for the Bureau tomorrow. It was going to be a long report and somehow they had to leave out the vampires if they were to keep their promise. They never intended to break that promise. They were both aware that it could mean their lives. Neither one doubted Jakes' warning that they would be hunted down and killed if they revealed the vampires to the world. They didn't need to though. The media and the public were buzzing about the werewolves and that was plenty enough to keep them occupied for a long while. Somehow, they'd managed to keep the vampires from the press. Although some of the victims had obvious fangs, Scully convinced the coroner that the fangs were obviously dental implants and not pertinent to the cause of death. He was too frightened by the bodies of the werewolves to argue with her about it. The cops, as people are want to do when confronted with the unexplained, came up with an explanation. They concluded that the vampires were humans that had filed their teeth as some sort of cult ritual and merely believed themselves to be vampires. The popularity of the Goth clubs in the area was cited as a further example. Mulder and Scully decided to take a shower first and stripped in the bedroom. They got into the shower and soaped each other up, washing their hair and kissing intermittently. They were tired but wired, and not quite ready to sleep yet. They stepped out and Mulder dried her off. She retreated to the bedroom and he shaved, finished drying himself, brushed his teeth and followed her into her bedroom. He dropped his towel and crawled under the covers with her, immediately seeking her warm, little body. He wrapped himself around her and she hummed in contentment. "It's been a really strange few days, hasn't it?" she said. It was a rhetorical question. He hummed and buried his nose in her hair, undulating against her. He loved the little gasp she let out when she felt his erection against her ass cheeks. He quipped, "Careful. Little Mulder might get a complex if you keep calling him strange." Her body shook as laughter bubbled up from inside her. "Little Mulder?" she questioned, unable to stop herself from chuckling slightly. XXXXXXXXXX NC-17 PORTION XXXXXXXXXX She felt his lips smile against her neck and then begin kissing her. He shifted and slipped his erection between her legs and began thrusting back and forth gently. She moaned as he hit her clitoris from behind and then pulled back, coating his shaft with her wetness that was suddenly leaking out of her in copious amounts. "How do you do this to me?" she moaned. His hand slid down over her hip and he fingered her lips. She felt his urgency as he swiped at her nerve bundle and made her pussy quiver. His fingers slid down and opened her lips. He lodged the swollen dome of his cock into her entrance and gently pushed inside. He stopped, breathing shallowly. "Christ, you're so wet, Scully. Makes me so hot knowing that I turn you on." He began thrusting gently in and out until he felt her muscles relax and then he pushed deeper. She was groaning by the time he was fully embedded inside her. He bent her torso forward a bit more and leaned back. He began making love to her with long, slow, deep thrusts that filled her to capacity. Scully rocked her hips back to meet his invasion, loving how it felt to feel her muscles stretch to accommodate his girth and length. Her walls were relaxed and highly elastic now as her fluids lubricated her to a warm slickness. He moaned but took his time, continuing his languid pace. She said, "I want you on top of me, Mulder. I want to see your face." "Mmmm, kay," he muttered, sliding out and rolling her onto her back. Her legs wrapped around his lean hips as he lowered himself into position. He slid back inside without fuss and began his slow thrusting again. Her heels dug into his buttocks, encouraging him to pump her harder. He moaned and speeded up just a bit, enjoying the nice, easy pace and wanting to make it last. He slid one hand down to her hip and then underneath her, cupping her ass and pulling her against him as he thrust, grinding their pubic bones together and crushing her clitoris in between. He kneaded her butt cheek, sending bolts of pleasure through her and she moaned. Each time his cock filled her and brushed her engorged clitoris it felt like electric shocks were vibrating out to every nerve ending. She lifted her head and began nipping and licking his nipple. He shouted, feeling himself stiffen. He'd didn't know if he'd ever been this big and swollen or this hard. "I love you, Scully," he choked out as he sped up. "Love you too," she blurted out. He felt her thrash beneath him as her hands gripped his biceps. "My dick is hard enough to cut diamonds," he muttered. "Yes," she agreed. "Feels so good. Fuck me with it." He growled and buried his head in the crook of her neck, hunching up onto his knees for more power and being slamming his cock deep inside her. His hand left her butt and slid between them, pushing her spongy bundle of nerves against their joining as his cock slid in and out, causing it to vibrate. The added stimulation was all she needed and she shouted, tumbling over the edge as her climax blew through her. Mulder shouted. His whole body felt like it was throbbing as he was rushing toward his own release. Her body tightened again and she arched up off the bed, impaling her body on his rigid shaft. His balls tingled. "Fuck, I'm gonna come, Scully!" he hollered out. Three more strokes and he let go, filling her with his release. "Oh, holy shiitt, Scully! Oh my God!" XXXXXXXXXX END NC-17 PORTION XXXXXXXXXX They collapsed and he kissed her gently as they came down. She looked up at him, smiling. Her thumb ran across his swollen lower lip and he smiled at her intense scrutiny. "You like that lip?" he teased groggily. "Mmm, mmm, mmm," she responded. He chuckled then he was serious again. "I love you. I can't believe how much has changed in a few short days. I think I owe the vampires threatening my life for this miracle of having you in my arms. I'll have to thank them someday," he joked. She smiled and then sucked his lower lip into her mouth and made contented, little humming noises as she did it that amused the hell out of him. She finally released his lip after nipping gently and said, "I love you too. I love your lips, and your pecs, and your gorgeous ass." He was chuckling again as she squeezed his glutes. "Ditto," he said. She wiggled on his now flaccid penis and it slipped out of her. She sighed. "I love your cock, too," she blurted out. He buried his nose in her hair and hugged her tightly. "I'm glad. Your opinion is the only one that matters to me," he murmured. "Let's sleep." "Yeah. Are we going back to D.C. tomorrow?" she asked. He said, "I don't know. I'll decide tomorrow. I think we might want to stick around a couple of days. Once we go back, we might not be able to come out here again so easily." "Mmm, sleep. We'll talk about the research tomorrow." "Kay," he mumbled, rolling off her. He pulled her into his side and she cuddled up. They both felt sleep descend over their exhausted bodies. XXXXXXXXXX SPANISH MOON NIGHT CLUB JEREMY'S HOME As it turned out, they didn't need to call Jakes. He showed up with Melryk, Malison, Parys and her Partner, Ambrose. Parys and Ambrose were the next oldest Elders after Jakes and Ridley. In a way, it annoyed her how Jakes towed them around like damn body guards everywhere he went. Fortunately, Lothian had left. They pounded on the door and Jeremy opened it to let them in. Melryk stormed in first, seeing his children and nearly sagging with relief. Then his relief turned to anger. "Where the HELL have you two been? Why haven't you called us? You're mother has been beside herself with worry over you two!" he hollered, conveniently leaving himself and his own worry out of the equation. Ridley said, "We were just about to call you. It's early, they haven't been awake long," she reminded them all. Jakes turned to Ridley. "Where the hell have YOU been?" he growled. "I could ask you the same question," she answered coolly. Silence fell over the room as they all felt the tension rise up a notch. Ridley approached Jakes and stood a couple of feet in front of him. She stopped and they faced off like two adversaries. He met her glare and they engaged in a staring contest. Malison finally clucked her tongue. "What is this nonsense all about?" Jeremy interrupted, not wanting to confront Jakes with the others watching. "It's was a rough night last night for all of us. Why don't you all sit down and we'll tell you about it. Your son is a hero, Melryk. Don't you want to hear about it?" They all relaxed marginally and fanned out to take the available seats. Lyndlay and Bareslay sat on one end of the couch holding hands. They were both terrified of what was going to happen. They had always looked up to their parents, knowing how incredibly strong they were. They'd always been well loved and educated. Even knowing there were stronger vampires in other Families, it was daunting to realize just how strong the ones in this room were. Jakes and Ridley easily had 200 years on their parents and hundred years on Parys and Ambrose. Bareslay had experienced first hand how powerful Ridley was and it had frightened him. Now these 'super powers' were facing off, or would eventually. They both feared the outcome, hoping they wouldn't be caught in the crossfire, so to speak. The twins knew that Jakes would have no choice but to retaliate over Ridley's actions, whether he was in the right or the wrong. Otherwise, his leadership and credibility in the Clan would be in ruins. Once seated, Jeremy delayed the inevitable by giving a shortened version of the previous night and finding Bareslay, and how the female FBI agent once again proved her worth by arresting Bareslay's bleeding until Lyndlay could give him blood. He told of Bareslay's heroics in killing so many werewolves, going through fifteen clips of ammunition. He was hoping to pump the boy up in the eyes of his parents. Jeremy concluded, "I'm not sure I've ever seen a greater display of courage. He was a true soldier for the Clan." There was no doubt they were impressed. However, when the story was finished, Melryk asked, "Why did you go off alone, Bareslay?" He hesitated. He thought about lying and saying he had been looking for Lyndlay, but somehow he knew he would be caught in the lie. "I was worried about someone, a friend, who was missing." "Not your sister?" Malison asked. He shook his head. "I knew she was with Ridley. She'd told me she was leaving with her. I didn't have time to tell you before I left," he lied. Lyndlay had told only one person that she was leaving the mansion with Ridley. She had told Bareslay she was going, but not told him why, only saying Ridley had requested her help with something and she could hardly refuse one of the leaders of the Clan. She'd sworn him to secrecy so he'd never had any intention to telling his parents. "Seems everyone knew that but me," Melryk said sarcastically, looking at Jakes. Jakes said, "I told you I was sorry." "Sorry for what?" Ridley asked. "I forgot to tell Melryk that I had sent you on a scouting mission to see what was happening at the jailhouse and that you had requested Lyndlay's assistance." He glared at her, daring her to refute him in front of the others. She merely gave him a look that expressed her disapproval of the lie, but she nodded slightly. Now was not the time to get into it with Jakes. Parys and Ambrose had been silent up till now. "There's more to this story. Who were you worried about and why would you think they were with the werewolves? Who would you risk your life to save if not your sister?" Bareslay swallowed. "Someone I love dearly. I was supposed to meet her and when I arrived, she wasn't there. I could smell that the wolves had been there. I panicked and ran back to the mansion, grabbing several weapons and all the ammo I could find from the weapons closet. I figured she had been kidnapped for some reason." They all waited. He glanced at each of them and licked his lips. "She's human," he whispered. Ambrose asked gently, "You know we are prohibited from associating with humans. It's our best defense. Ridley and Jakes dealing with the agents who saved your sister is one thing. They are wise and keeping a close eye out to make sure they don't betray us. What is your relationship with this human? You could endanger the entire Clan!" The young vampire looked at the wall, down at his lap and finally met the stare of his parents. He sat up a little straighter, bucking up his courage to defy them. He took a deep breath and then said, "I'm in love with her." His parents, along with Jakes, Parys and Ambrose gasped at his pronouncement. "WHAT?" Melryk shouted. "How did you even meet her? How can you do this? What made you think you could get away with this? What the hell were you thinking, boy?" Ridley interrupted. "We can't help whom we fall in love with," she said mildly, looking pointedly at Jakes. All heads turned towards her. "This has been an unusual time. We've had help from humans lately, not our standard procedure. Perhaps we have not provided the best example." Malison frowned. "That's too recent. You think you're in love with a human. Unless it was love at first sight, this wasn't something that happened overnight, or within the last few days since the humans have come." Bareslay's face showed his anger. "I don't THINK I'm in love with her," he ground out. "I KNOW I'm in love with her." "You're just a child," Malison said, dismissing his statement. He stood up calmly and looked at her. "No, mother. I'm not a child. Compared to you, maybe, but I'm an adult. Excuse me, but I have FEELINGS! I don't appreciate you dismissing them as if they were NOTHING and I can't know my own mind and heart!" She physically sat back in her chair, surprised at his outburst. Her children had always been well behaved and obedient. This was a side of them she didn't understand. She said, "It was a mistake to bring them here with us, Melryk." He pursed his lips. "Tell me about it. We've had nothing but trouble with you two since we came here." He pointed at Bareslay. "Now another human knows we exist because of you. A human who has taken no oath of secrecy." "You don't know that," Bareslay said. "I took her oath." "YOU took her oath?" he sang out facetiously. "You're not in a position to take anyone's oath! When did you become an Elder? That you can make decision that may affect the entire Clan?" he asked harshly. Bareslay hung his head. "I'm not an idiot, and I would appreciate you not treating me like one." Melryk stood up and said, "I don't care what you think you were doing. You could have gotten yourself killed with that stupid stunt! You're forbidden to have any contact with humans!" "I always thought you were reasonable. I see I was wrong. You won't even listen, will you?" Melryk was rigid with anger. "Did you hear me? You're FORBIDDEN to ever see her again!" he shouted. Bareslay stared at him for a moment. Then he said, "I hate you." He turned on his heel and walked into the bedroom where he'd slept, slamming the door so hard it rattled on its hinges. They were all silent for a moment. Then Ridley said, "They're not my children, but I would make a suggestion." Malison and Melryk both looked at her and nodded. Malison said, "Couldn't hurt." "Bareslay has been through a lot last night and tonight. He almost died yesterday doing the work single-handedly that the entire clan had planned on doing. I think we need to cut him some slack. I know how upsetting it is that he's been seeing a human, and obviously lying about it too." She paused. "However, I think that if you want to have any sort of decent relationship with him, you will talk to him again in private and explain to him WHY you feel the way you do. He doesn't understand that you fear for him, for all of us, and the exposure he could bring. All he knows is that he's in love." Malison sighed. "We shouldn't have done this in front of everyone. He was bound to be defensive." Ridley nodded. Melryk said, "I'm sorry to air our dirty laundry in your home, Jeremy. This was a family matter first and a Clan matter second." He leaned his head to the left in deference to Melryk, indicating that he was not upset and accepting his apology. Finally, Ridley said, "I think we need to separate. You need to take your children home." She gave Lyndlay a small nod. "Parys and Ambrose, I don't know why you came, but I have some private matters to discuss with Jakes." Parys and Ambrose rose and headed for the door. "Later then," Ambrose said. Melryk and Malison waved to Lyndlay. Melryk said, "Come along, Ridley doesn't need your help anymore. You can tell us about the police department later. Please get your brother. Tell him we will listen to him once we are safely back at the mansion." Bareslay emerged from the bedroom knowing he had no choice but to return to the mansion. As they passed Ridley, he and Lyndlay stopped and bowed to her, heads to the left. She put a hand on each of their shoulders. "I will be in touch with both of you. Thank you for your help, Lyndlay." She nodded and gave Ridley a secretive smile. Once they were all gone and their footsteps had died away, Ridley sat back down. XXXXXXXXXX PART 5 (R) SPANISH MOON NIGHTCLUB JEREMY'S HOME Wylott Yorke hid in the shadows as he watched the who's who of the Baton Rouge and New Orleans Families leave the Spanish Moon. The infamous twins, Lyndlay and Bareslay and their parents, Melryk and Malison were followed by Parys and Ambrose, the second oldest Partners in the Baton Rouge family, as they left the alley entrance. What the fuck was going on? It burned him that Jakes was so consumed with Ridley. On the one hand he understood Jakes' need to have a female Partner for the sake of appearances. On the other hand, couldn't some traditions be broken. Would he really lose that much respect for having a male Partner? Homosexuality, although fairly uncommon, was not unusual or frowned upon among the Families. He didn't think Jakes even loved Ridley. She was just the proverbial forbidden fruit. He wanted her once long ago, couldn't have her, and it had stuck in his craw ever since. Jakes was nothing if not ambitious, and he hated to lose. He'd lost Ridley to Sawyer two and a half centuries ago and he still resented it even though the poor sap was dead now. Talk about holding a grudge. He'd been most surprised to see the first man that had emerged. He didn't recognize him. Wylott was downwind and caught his scent. A lycanthrope! Holy Shit, he thought. What was he doing here with Jeremy and Ridley? He'd have to ask Jakes about that later. The high-level vampires had arrived minutes after the lycanthrope left. He wondered if he was one of the ones Jakes had dealt with earlier. He'd thought it was a bad idea from the start, but Jakes wouldn't listen to him. If the lycanthrope had revealed Jakes' duplicity to Ridley, it could have lasting repercussions. He didn't relish the idea of going on the run with Jakes. However, he knew he would if Jakes asked him to go. He was in love and would follow him anywhere. They had all filed out now except for Jakes. Once they were all out of sight, he stepped out of the shadows and slinked towards the cellar door. Jakes had told him to stay behind, but he couldn't. He needed to know what was going on. He had a feeling Ridley was up to no good. It wouldn't bother him a bit to see her taken down off her pretty pedestal. XXXXXXXXXX Jakes said, "I smelled a fucking wolf in here. What's that all about?" 'Pleasant as always,' Ridley thought. Jeremy answered. "Because there was a wolf in here," he answered mildly. Jakes raised his eyebrows. "Do tell," he said sarcastically. "He helped us last night, believe it or not." "Really?" he asked, in a tone that clearly indicated he didn't believe Jeremy. Ridley said, "We're not sure how but he figured out a way to end his transformation and become human again. He met us at the house and discovered the human girls in the basement of Turlus' house." "What happened last night?" Jakes asked. "We went into the sewers and found them blocked off. The lab was completely sealed. When we went topside to cross over onto Turlus' property, we saw a crowd of humans. Christ, there were ambulances, policemen, and firemen. We didn't dare try to get in." "So you did tell them you knew who Turlus was?" "Yes, I did my homework." "Funny, you told me that you didn't know what Turlus' alias was in the real world. Remember? Way back when we first met with him. Then when Ashton Bower's name came up, you denied knowing him. You tripped yourself up, Jakes. I found his name among some papers on your desk about your preliminary communications with Turlus." Jakes' lips thinned with anger. "What were you doing going through my desk?" "I didn't have to. Your pad of notes was sitting right on top of your blotter." "I didn't know who he was initially. I only found out later." "Before or after I asked you?" she quizzed pointedly. "What are you saying?" "I'm saying I caught you in a lie, Jakes. At the very least, you kept critical information from me. I'm no shrinking violet, no passive flower like Brianna and you know it. She was sweet but had no taste or will to be involved in leading the Clan. I may not be politically savvy but you knew I wanted to lead by your side. I trusted you and that was the first of many lies that I uncovered." "Is that what you've been doing? Digging into my politics?" "I'm supposed to be a leader of this Clan as well. I suspected you were hiding things from me. I won't be anyone's showpiece Jakes." He swallowed. "No, you won't, will you, Ridley? And that's a pity, because you're really becoming a pain in the ass." "What did you do?" Ridley asked, changing the subject. "With what?" "When you saw the crowd at the Bower residence?" "We watched from the tree line for a while and then we retreated to the mansion until we could figure out what happened. I sent Parys and Ambrose to the police station. They stood around out of sight and listened to the reporters camped outside making broadcasts. They knew a werewolf had been killed and assumed it was Turlus." Jeremy said, "It was. I killed him." Jakes looked at Jeremy in surprise. He was so focused on Ridley that he'd nearly forgotten Jeremy was in the room. Something was bothering him here but he couldn't put his finger on it. He was so angry with her for disappearing the night before it was confusing his thinking. "Good job," he said lamely. Jeremy nodded. "He was about to attack the male agent. I repaid my life debt by killing Turlus. "So what happened in that house?" he asked again. Ridley said, "We told you. Bareslay went on a rampage. We discovered that they found a way to temper their rage long enough to mate while transformed. The drawback is that they fall into a deep slumber for about two hours afterwards where they have very little ability to respond to a threat, even if awakened. It's as though they are in a stupor if they can move at all." "How did you find that out?" Ridley said, "From the wolf that was here earlier." "And how did you hook up with him?" he asked. Ridley debated how much to tell him. "He came to us," she said finally. "He came to you? Really, Ridley, how stupid do you think I am? What would possibly motivate him to come to us?" he said in a disgusted tone. Her face hardened into a mask of anger, but she tamped it down. "They came to you, didn't they, Jakes? Is it unreasonable for one of them to think they could also approach your Partner? Besides, he cares for one of us," she added. His head snapped up to look at her. "You?" he asked with laughter in his voice. "No one is stupid enough to develop a real relationship with a lycanthrope." "No. Not me, but why is that so difficult to believe? You formed relationships with them." "No, alliances, that's different from a friendship or a romantic attachment." "Ah, that didn't work out so well for you, did it?" "What's that supposed to mean? Sawyer ended all my hopes for negotiations." "So you wanted us to think. I know differently now. Hate to tell you, but Turlus was a figurehead. He wasn't the power behind the throne." He raised an inquiring eyebrow. "Who was the power behind the throne? Which vampire does this mystery wolf care for? Whoever it is may have jeopardized all we've worked for." "You mean all YOU'VE worked for." He stood up. "Tell me who it is!" he demanded. She said, "I won't break that person's confidence. They can't even get a fair hearing with you, obviously. How do you think the rest of the Clan would react to them? You don't even know the circumstances and you've made assumptions and essentially called that person a foolish traitor. Well, let me tell you something, Jakes. If not for that person, we might all be dead. We might have wandered into that den of 63 lycanthropes while they were still awake and been slaughtered. Bareslay undoubtedly would be dead now for sure." He pressed his lips together. "That Clan member should have come to ME with this information." "They didn't trust you," she bit out. "But they trusted you?" he shot back. "YES!" she shouted. "What would you have done with the information Jakes? Held onto it until it was too late? Sent in your sacrificial lambs for Dr. Abirwick?" "What the hell is that supposed to mean? What are you talking about?" She stood up and looked him in the eye. "It means I know of your dealings with Turlus Westow a/k/a Ashton Bower. I know all about the deal you made with him. You're a damned traitor, Jakes. Our own Clan leader is a God-damned TRAITOR! You were going to sell our own people down the river. Anyone who ever disagreed with you was going to end up on a death list, weren't they?" she screamed. He advanced on her so that he could look down on her, something not too many people could do. "What the hell are you talking about, Ridley?" "Who were going to sell down the river, Jakes?" she asked viciously. "Was it members of our own Family? Or were you going to betray someone else's Family?" "I don't know what you're talking about!" he hollered. She made a sound of disgust in the back of her throat. "Save it, Jakes. I know you sold Sawyer out too." His look of feigned confusion fell from his face. "Who have you been talking to?" She shook her head. "I can't believe you. Do you honestly think I'm going to give you a name so you can persecute them too? Trump up charges against them to get them out of your hair? The Council never questions your judgments, do they?" "You can't believe me? Oh, grow up, Ridley. I wanted that research. I wanted it for US!" "So you killed Sawyer to get it? To get me?" He snarled. "I didn't kill Sawyer!" "No, you sold him out to Turlus, just like you were going to sell out others for their warped fucking experiments. You may as well have killed him yourself. What the hell has happened to you, Jakes?" she bit out. "When did you become so self-centered, bitter and cruel? You aren't the man I grew up with." "I think you better tell me what you know." "Why? So you can sell me out too to get rid of me? Tell me, if Brianna hadn't opted for the long sleep, would you have arranged for her to be killed in that atrocious fashion as well?" He hissed. "Shut up!" "Why? Truth hurt, Jakes?" "You fucking BITCH!" he screamed. "This is all your fault!" "No, Jakes. This is all YOUR fault. This whole fucking war you were trying to pin on Sawyer. It's all yours, Jakes. All your fault, but like a sniveling coward you are, you tried to cover it up and shift the blame to everyone else. Why, Jakes? Why did you do it?" He was panting harshly, totally caught off guard. "How do you know what I did?" he ground out. "You have this all wrong. You don't know what you're talking about. Someone has filled your head with lies." She reached into the pocket of her coat and extracted a CD jewel case. She held it up between two fingers. "From Turlus' wife's computer," she said with finally. "The real power behind the throne. It's all on here, every communication, every deal, and every name. Oddly enough, all the names are people I know you don't like." He moved with lightening speed and snatched it out of her fingers. Gripping it by the sides, he smashed it down as he brought up his knee, breaking it cleanly in half. Shards of plastic flew out onto the floor. "There's your fucking evidence!" he spit out. She smiled at his childishness and his fear. His violent reaction was typical of a guilty man. "If you're not guilty, then why react this way?" she asked mildly. He failed to notice the threatening note in her voice. "I'm not guilty. Whatever was on there was lies!" "There was nothing on there, Jakes," she said calmly. "What?" he screeched. "What kind of game are you playing, Ridley?" "Your game, Jakes, and you're not giving me nearly enough credit. Do you honestly think I would wave the actual evidence under your nose and give you a chance to take it from me?" "You don't know what you're talking about!" "Oh, I know exactly what I'm talking about, Jakes. Soon, the entire Council of Elders will know too!" He hissed again, clenching his fists. "You just want to be leader, don't you? You conniving, power hungry bitch! You discredit me and you get to take over as leader of the Clan!" he crowed triumphantly, as if he had miraculously seized on her underhanded motivation. She just shook her head sadly. "You don't get it, do you, Jakes? You can't even fathom that someone would do something just because it's the right thing to do, can you? You can't even fathom that someone might be as smart as you or as clever." He drew himself up to his full height and Jeremy stood up, still observing and letting Ridley handle this, but putting himself on alert. He could see Jakes temper was about to blow and he wanted to be in a position to interfere if he needed to. Jakes deflated suddenly. "Please, Ridley," he begged, changing his tactics. Ridley had to give him credit for being a good actor. "I did this all for us! I wanted you for my Partner for so long. I love you so much and I knew you wanted a child. I hoped I could give it to you by using their research. I screwed up but I did it all for US! Please, I promise never to hide anything from you ever again. Just, please ... forgive me." He hung his head down. Ridley sensed the acting and insincerity in ever note of his voice. She glanced at Jeremy and saw the worried look on his face. He was afraid she would crumple to Jakes' appeal. She could see it on his face. She smiled reassuringly at him and he smiled back. Jakes looked up to see the smile they exchanged. "What? What the fuck are you smiling about?" "One, I don't believe you," Ridley stated. "Two, even if it were the truth, which I know its not, you're too late Jakes. You betrayed and lied to the entire Clan and me. I can't forgive you for that. I'll make sure you're taken down as leader of this Clan if it's the last thing I do." His rage boiled over. "No! You're coming home with me. I never should have given you this much freedom. I should have demanded my rights! I was trying to be generous with you, Ridley, but it's over now. No more leniency. You're coming home with me now and we're consummating this union if I have to drag you kicking and screaming and you're not going to say a word! If that doesn't work, I'll fuck you right here on this floor!" he screamed. Jeremy spoke for the first time. "No, Jakes, you won't." Jakes whirled on Jeremy. "Who's going to stop me? You?" "Yes," he spit out. He glanced at Ridley and she nodded, giving him permission to deal the final blow. Jakes laughed. "I could squash you like a fucking bug, Jeremy!" Jeremy smiled. "I don't think so. You see, Jakes. Ridley isn't yours anymore." "What?" he said quietly with menace. Jeremy didn't back down, gazing at him. "Ridley is my Partner now." He leaped at Ridley and grabbed her arms. He stuck his face into her neck and inhaled deeply. He could smell the sex and the metallic scent of fresh blood on her breath. He began to shake her violently. "You traitorous bitch! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU BOTH. TREASON! When the council hears of this, you two are FINISHED!" Ridley held her ground and braced herself. A small dart of fear flashed through her. Jakes was incredibly strong but so was she and she was recently flushed full with Jeremy's blood. She brought her hands up and pushed with all her strength. His grip loosened just enough as he took an unsteady step backwards. It was enough. "There was no treason. We hadn't consummated!" "But the Council doesn't know that," he threatened. "And they never will!" He balled up his fist and swung at Ridley's face. He spun out of his way, but he just missed smashing into her beautiful face. Jeremy stepped behind him and in a flash, wrapped his big arms around Jakes arms and wrenched them behind his back. "YOU'RE DEAD, JEREMY ROUSSEAU!" Jakes hissed. He began to struggle as Jeremy stepped back, pulling him away from Ridley and his grip broke from her arms. He flailed and twisted, alarmed as he suddenly realized that Jeremy's strength was at least equal to his now. "My God!" he snarled. "How much blood did you give him, Ridley? You stupid bitch!" Ridley smiled as Jeremy held him, if not easily, without a great deal of strain. Jeremy leaned in to put his lips to Jakes ear. "She gave me enough," he hissed. "There was no treason here and you know it. She told me you hadn't consummated and I know she didn't lie. Your scent was not on her before, Jakes, and it never will be in the future." "You belong with ME!" he bellowed. "Let go of me, you stupid, wretched traitor! You're not strong enough to beat me! I'll see you go down, Jeremy, if it's the last thing I do." Jeremy dealt the final blow to all Jakes' plans. "Oh, I am strong enough to beat you, Jakes." His eyes flashed with rage at Ridley. "How much did you give him! You're not as strong as I am. No matter how much it is, it won't be enough!" Jeremy spoke again. "It was plenty. However, I think it was all the breast milk that did it." "AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH! YOU FFUCCKKIIINNGG BASTARD!" he raged. His adrenaline lent him strength and he twisted violently, breaking Jeremy's grip and whirling around. Just then, the door crashed open and they all whirled to face the new intruder. Ridley and Jeremy didn't recognize him but knew instantly he was a vampire, and a strong one judging by the pallor of his skin. Jakes hollered, "Stay out of this Wylott!" "No! I'm through with being tossed aside, Jakes! You bonded with ME! Make a decision, Jakes, her or me. Make it NOW!" he bellowed. Jakes ground his teeth together. He didn't have time to deal with Wylott's petty jealousies right now. The stupid boy-toy still didn't know his place, but he grudgingly admitted to himself that he could use some help right now. He realized he couldn't overpower both Ridley and Jeremy. He took a deep breath and said, "YOU, I choose you." Wylott grinned from ear and ear and looked triumphantly at Ridley, thinking she would care. Ridley hissed, "You bonded with him? Who's the traitor, Jakes? Who committed treason? You were going to bond with BOTH of us? You scumbag!" she screeched. "Just one more crime to add to the list!" The two powerful men faced off and hissed, both growling out a battle cry. Jeremy knew it would come to this. Jakes would not go down easily. Ridley and he had already known they would have to fight him. They both hoped that between them, despite his great strength, they could defeat him. If they didn't, there was no telling how many Clan members were in danger of death or betrayal. For although the local lycanthropes were decimated, they didn't really know if there were others from distant places that would come to take their place. They leaped at each other, colliding violently. Jakes was stunned at the wall of hardness he encountered when he crashed into Jeremy's chest. He was like marble. Jakes was taller and had a longer reach. He was probably more nimble too. His rage was overpowering his senses and he grabbed Jeremy's hair. Wrenching his head back, they struggled across the room, looking like they were dancing. Jakes didn't have a strong grip but threw his head back to strike anyway. Before he could strike, Ridley's arm came around his neck and her body crashed into his back. She pulled back with all her strength and he heard a vertebra crack in his neck. He elbowed her and felt it connect with her rips. She grunted and hissed, yanking again. His height was a distinct advantage in leverage. Twisting, he elbowed her again and she let go. Jakes bellowed with rage and turned to grab her, making a huge mistake. Taking his attention from Jeremy, even for an instant, allowed the more muscular man to wrap him in a bear-hug from behind, lifting him completely off his feet. Using all his strength, Jeremy forcefully pulled Jakes down, wrapping one foot around the front of his legs. Jakes went down, throwing out his hands to break his fall. He hit the ground, barely stopping his face from connecting with the floor. Seconds later, Jeremy's heavy, hard body crashed down on top of him. Jakes heard both wrists snap and screamed in pain as his arms shot out above his head. Ridley fell to her knees, grabbing his wrists in a death grip. He roared in pain as she squeezed his broken wrists. They would heal, but that didn't mean the pain wasn't blinding. Jeremy grabbed his ponytail and yanked his head back, exposing his neck. Wylott decided he'd seen enough. He attacked Jeremy, tearing his attention away from Jakes. They struggled, throwing punches and dancing around one another. He would show Jakes his worth by saving his life. The Clan leader owing him a life debt would be a great hold on his lover. He would be honor bound to come when Wylott called. Jeremy landed a blow to his ribs and he felt them break. 'Holy shit, the big man was strong!' Wylott was younger and very agile, but he didn't possess near the strength that Jeremy had. Jeremy was easily holding the upper hand. He heard Ridley howl in rage and distress, however, and took his attention away from the youngster, looking at the struggle going on only a few feet away from them. Wylott took advantage of this distraction and drew on all his strength, finally getting the upper hand. He whipped out a pair of titanium handcuffs and secured Jakes. With much struggling, he managed to get him into a chair. He grabbed a whip hanging on the wall and tied Jakes bound hands to the chair. He was still struggling viciously, snarling and hissing. Wylott backed up, panting and turned his attention to Jakes. Jakes was tumbling around with Ridley but finally had her pinned. Wylott's eyes darted back and forth between Jakes and Ridley and Jeremy. Finally pinned, Jakes hissed and struck, his fangs easily piercing his Ridley's neck. XXXXXXXXXX PART 6 (R) SPANISH MOON NIGHTCLUB JEREMY'S HOME She bellowed in rage as she felt Jakes begin to pull deeply from her jugular. Jakes groaned as his taste buds ignited over the first splash of blood that rushed into his mouth. He sucked greedily and felt his cock rise up like steel, biting into Ridley's crotch. He was lost in the flavor of her blood and his lust mounted, taking over his mind. His focused narrowed to the grip on her neck as he greedily sucked the life out of her. Jeremy was going crazy and had managed to tumble onto his side, chair and all. Wylott watched in astonishment as the cuffs bent under his powerful arms. Ridley struggled and kicked but Jeremy could see that she was losing. Even having taken in his blood, she had still lost at least that much and merely hours before. He was frantic and screamed, "Jakes! You kill her and you kill a child!" He didn't think Jakes had any positive emotions left, but he hoped to appeal to any tiny spark of compassion he might have. Jakes actually lifted his head from her neck, fangs dripping with her blood and said, "You mean I'll kill YOUR bastard?" "Please, Jakes! Kill me, but let her go! Damn you, you son-of-a- bitch!" Jakes laughed and threw his head back, enjoying watching the dashing, handsome Jeremy squirm in his bonds. "Fuck you, Jeremy. I'll teach you not to mess with what's mine!" He was about to strike again when a body flew through the door that had been left open by Wylott. It moved so fast, a human would have had trouble seeing it. Nevertheless, the vampires tracked it easily. Not fast enough to avoid it, though. The body leaped and crashed into Wylott, lifting him off his feet. They flew through the air for a few suspended moments before crashing to the floor. Wylott hissed in pain as his ribs collapsed. He felt one puncture his lung, and pink foam welled up out of his mouth. He screamed in fear, seeing the man he'd only seen once before straddling him. The scent of lycanthrope filled his nostrils and he bellowed in fear and panic. Instead of biting him though, the wolf rose up on his knees, one hand on his throat, and punched him with all his might in the chest. He screamed and felt his consciousness dim as his now shattered ribs floated in his chest. He flailed his arms, trying to gain purchase on the man's clothing or his throat. It was all for nothing. Weakened by his earlier broken ribs, he succumbed, and everything went black. Once this adversary was limp, Lothian sprang to his feet. He headed for Jakes. Jakes had retreated from Ridley, furious that he had to stop once again. He glanced at his useless lover and that was all the hesitation needed. Lothian threw himself at Jakes, latching his hands on his throat. Just then there was a loud crack and sharp pinging noise. Jeremy burst upright from the floor, the whip, and shards of chair falling at his feet. His wrists were bleeding where the titanium cuffs had bitten into them, but he was free. He had so much rage and adrenaline pumping in his system, he didn't even feel the injury. Caught off guard, Jakes staggered, and Lothian bodily shoved him with all his strength away from Ridley. Jeremy easily caught him and wrestled him to the ground, fear for Ridley and their child, combined with anger lending him even more strength. He hissed and bellowed another battle cry. He glanced over to see Ridley coughing and pushing herself up to her knees. He nearly sagged with relief. Jakes hadn't drained her dry. He could tell she was weak though and couldn't fight. Seeing her pasty face and weak, fluttery movements as she tried to regain her feet, he felt rage wash through him again. He hissed again and struck, nearly breaking Jakes' neck with the force of his strike. He growled fiercely as he felt Jakes blood flood his tongue. Jakes began to struggle and Lothian dropped to his knees at his head, grabbing his flailing arms and easily holding his broken wrists above his head, leaving Jeremy free access. Jeremy sucked hard, swallowing mouthful after mouthful of Jakes blood. He thought of Ridley and pulled back suddenly, gasping and feeling dizzy from the sudden rush of blood and strength. "Ridley," he rasped out. "Drink." She crawled on all fours to the side of Jakes head. Lothian continued to hold his arms. Jeremy straddled him and cupped his head, wrenching it to the side for Ridley. She struck and began to drink deeply. Jakes groaned and croaked out, "You won't get away with this! They'll never believe you!" Jeremy flashed him an evil-looking smile. "You're finished, Jakes." He looked up and addressed Lothian, "Good timing," he acknowledged. Lothian flashed a grin that quickly disappeared and then concentrated on holding the struggling vampire. He heard a moan behind him and glanced at the other vampire. "Who's he?" "Jakes' lover, I guess." Lothian's eyebrows rose towards his hairline. Jeremy nodded in acknowledgment. "Man, oh, man," he muttered. "Oh what a tangled web we weave ..." Jakes' struggles lessened and he became desperate, realizing that Jeremy was probably stronger than he was now, although by how much he couldn't tell. He was feeling dizzy and weak from all the blood Ridley and Jeremy had gulped. It enraged him that they were stealing his strength. He had held onto it tightly like a miser with his gold for his entire life. Even Wylott had only been given a little, enough to make him strong enough to take the sexual beating that Jakes inflicted on him weekly. This was all Ridley's fault in his mind. If she had consummated, he would have gotten rid of his long-term lover along with Sawyer. He felt real fear for the first time, and considered that he might actually die here. In a desperate attempt to startle them into releasing him, he screamed and arched his back. Then he yelled out, "I'll kill you both, and everyone involved in that massacre. When the ... Clan finds out you betrayed me ... and that little bitch, Lyndlay. You took her with you! She was in on this too, wasn't she?" "Shut up, Jakes!" Lothian roared. Jakes laughed, despite his weakening state. "Ah, so now we know who you CARE for, don't we? Is she the little traitor? Fucking a Goddamned lycanthrope? I have friends back at the mansion. Her days are numbered!" he gasped out. Lothian felt rage well up in him like a wave. It stiffened all his limbs and he went rigid. He roared, sounding almost like a lion, and jerked as he felt his body spasm and lock up, spasm and lock up. He was transforming! What the fuck?! Lyndlay was pregnant ... pregnant with his child. A long buried instinct that was rarely experienced by lycanthropes welled up in him. His mind raced and then locked onto one thought. Jakes was going to kill his mate and thus, kill his child. He obviously had no compunction about killing one of his own to further his agenda. The fact that Jakes was weakened and nearly drained dry did not even cross Lothian's mind. His threats and insults were circling his brain, feeding the rage that triggered his transformation. He screamed with the flash of pain that always came at the height of transformation and snarled, feeling his muscles bulge and his body sprout hair. He roared again, trying to control his rage. "Drinth now!" he screamed at Jeremy. "I cannthh conntroolll ittthhh." Jeremy ripped Jakes shirt open and struck his fangs into the base of his neck. It was harder to draw blood this way but he wanted all he could get. Ridley was still drawing deeply, her strength returning as his strong blood flooded her arteries and veins. About three more sucks was all they got and Lothian roared, his jaws snapping and biting into his tongue. He drew blood and roared one last time. Something in the quality of his roar jarred both vampires. They wrenched themselves backwards, drops of blood flying from the ends of their fangs as they leaned back out of the way. Lothian struck with all the heat of his primitive rage to protect his mate and child, sinking his teeth into Jakes neck. He snarled and shook his head, tearing chunks of neck meat away with his sharp canines. He shook his head, pieces of flesh falling to the floor and howled, throwing his head back with the overwhelming surge of his rage and the grumbling satisfaction of the kill. He spit out the flesh, feeling his equilibrium return. He groaned with remorse and grief and howled again. He staggered to his feet and ran to the kitchen, turning on the tap and sticking his head under it. He felt the water pour into his mouth, rinsing the taste and the last of the vampires blood away before he could swallow it. The cold water cooled his rage and he stood up, shaking his head and spraying water everywhere. He felt his body twitch and jerk as his muscles deflated and his transformation ended. When it was through and he was in human form once again, he crumpled to the floor. Now sure that Jakes would die, Jeremy and Ridley rose to their feet and eyed the mysterious lover who lay injured and unconscious but not dead on the other side of the room. They went to him and Ridley slid down onto her butt, pulling him between her legs. Jeremy straddled both their legs. They struck at the same time, fangs entering each side of his neck, Ridley from behind and Jeremy in front. They drank until he was drained dry. He never felt a thing. Meanwhile, Jakes screamed in pain as the werewolf's saliva and few drops of blood invaded his system like cancer out of control. He jerked and spasmed and wailed. He went into a series of convulsions and finally laid still, his hands wrapped around his mauled neck in vain. Lothian walked slowly back into the room, Jakes blood staining the front of his shirt. He was panting and tears streaked down his face. Jeremy and Ridley rose and looked at him in silence, not sure what had happened. He was clearly upset, his rage obviously gone. While Ridley had felt a pang seeing Jakes die in pain, her sympathy was washed away once she thought of Sawyer dying just that way because of Jakes' betrayal. Jeremy asked carefully and quietly, "What happened Lothian?" He shook his head as if to say, 'I don't know.' Then he said the only thing that made sense to him. "He threatened Lyndlay," he croaked out lamely. Ridley's sharp instincts picked up on his hesitation. "That's not all, is it? Has that happened before?" she asked gently. "No, I've only transformed without a full moon after taking the potion and being aroused." "What was different this time?" Jeremy asked. He hung his head, unsure what to tell him. He was confused and felt very vulnerable. He wanted to trust them, but he honestly didn't know if he could. He'd returned to have them send a message to Lyndlay that he was leaving to find his Den mates. He joined in the fight, feeling he had no choice. Now they were looking to him for an explanation of why he had suddenly transformed for no apparent reason, and without his will or control. Ridley said, "You can trust us, Lothian. You've proved your worth several times over. We're not going to betray you. You just transformed. I thought you couldn't do it at will without arousal." "I didn't think so either. Besides, it wasn't exactly 'at will'. I didn't want to transform. I wasn't trying to transform. It just happened." "Something triggered it. What was it?" Lothian slowly raised his head, figuring he really had no choice but to tell them. "He threatened to kill Lyndlay," he repeated. "And?" Ridley coaxed, sensing there was more to it. He met her gaze and whispered, "That was a threat not just against Lyndlay as my chosen mate." She looked puzzled but Jeremy's face cleared with understanding. Lothian nodded at him. "It was threat to kill my child," he said softly, and he hung his head again, unable to look at them. "Oh my God," Ridley whispered. He swallowed harshly, waiting for their speech on irresponsibility, or their anger. When it didn't come, he looked up again. "I don't know why, I felt this enormous protective instinct well up inside me and the rage burned through me like a brush fire. Usually I can control it, funnel it into lust and arousal when I do this without the moon. Lyndlay has been with me before to ... arouse me." Ridley surmised, "There was no arousal this time, and therefore, nothing to funnel the rage into. Must be some sort of wolf's instinct to protect their young. The potion has mimicked the effects of the moon. The moon triggers rage, maybe now rage triggers the moon effect or transformation as it were." He nodded. "That's all I can figure. Now that I have the potion in my veins, it's subtly changing my control and ability to transform." "You scared me," Ridley admitted. He nodded at her and smiled sadly. "Scared myself," he admitted. They all looked at each other with understanding. Jeremy cleared his throat. "I understand, Lothian. I felt the same rage and fear for Ridley only minutes ago. The only difference is that I don't transform. I just got pissed enough to break out of those bonds." He paused and then asked, "Now what?" Ridley looked at the two bodies on the floor. "We take them to the mansion. That man over there is our proof of Jakes' betrayal of me." Lothian said, "The disk I gave you is proof of his dealings with Turlus to turn over at least ten vampires for testing initially and more later." She nodded. "Should we call for help in transporting them?" Jeremy shook his head. "No, we're both strong enough to carry them now. I only want to explain what happened here once." Ridley agreed. She turned to Lothian. "Why did you come back, by the way?" "I was going to give you a message for Lyndlay." "Do you want to give it to her yourself?" Ridley asked. He paled. "Are you inviting me to the infamous Family mansion?" he asked incredulously. "Yes, I am." "Are you out of your mind?" he exclaimed. "I've heard of going into the lion's den, but that's ridiculous." She chuckled. "We'll protect you." He raised an eyebrow and looked at the dead bodies. Jeremy sighed. "I know you helped us here, and we owe you for that. Ridley was nearly drained when you busted in here." "I owe another life debt, don't I?" she asked wearily. "Well, if you take me with you to the mansion, you may get to pay it back immediately," Lothian joked. She smiled. "To my knowledge, there are no other vampires as strong as Jakes and I. Now we can add Jeremy to the list. They won't challenge us. They'll be so stunned by the news of Jakes' betrayal." "What if I stay down on the road?" he said. Ridley smiled. "I'll make sure they will welcome you and not attack and then send Lyndlay to get you from the end of the road. How's that?" He nodded. "I'll risk that much. Let me drive you to the bayou. I can wait in my car at the end of the road for you to come get me." XXXXXXXXXX WALSHEFORD HOME LOUISIANA BAYOU The house was buzzing with rumors about Bareslay and his human love interest, the story Lyndlay told of Jeremy killing Turlus at the police station, and the fact that their leader had gone in search of his Partner, found her, but had not yet returned. As Ridley and Jeremy entered and walked down the halls, all conversation stopped in their wake and all eyes turned to follow them, waiting to see what was happening. They knew something was wrong, but didn't have any idea what they were supposed to do now. Gasps went through the crowd when they saw Jakes slung over Jeremy's shoulder in a fireman's carry, and Ridley toting the young vampire, Wylott in a similar fashion. Ambrose strode forward in the foyer and said, "What is the meaning of this?" Ridley met him head on. "Meeting of the entire Clan in the ballroom, NOW!" she bellowed. "Parys! Ambrose! Find two cots immediately and bring them to the ballroom." They were too stunned to object to the stern order and fled the foyer to find cots in one of the many bedrooms downstairs. Minutes later, everyone filed into the ballroom. Parys and Ambrose arrived with the cots and set them up along one wall. Ridley and Jeremy laid down their burdens on the cots. Gasps were heard around the room as many saw Jakes' neck for the first time. Whispers and hisses of, 'Those filthy bastards! They will all pay! Mother-fuckers are going down!' Ridley turned and hissed, gaining everyone's attention in a second. They all took a good look at her now. She and Jeremy were disheveled. Blood dotted their necks and clothes in various places. It was suddenly dawning on everyone that they had been in a serious battle. Ridley read their faces, realizing they all thought they'd been in a battle with the lycanthropes. She cleared her throat and said, "I will explain everything. Give me a minute to compose my thoughts." She motioned with her head for Jeremy to follow her and a sea of bodies parted, bowing and leaning their heads to the left as they crossed the floor and stepped up onto the raised dais. When Jeremy followed her up the steps, several gasps were heard. Something wasn't right. It was slowly dawning on everyone that something momentous was about to be announced. This was bigger than a fight with the wolves. The Elders drew to the front of the crowd and formed a semi-circle in front of the dais. Parys nodded. Melryk and Malison looked on silently, troubled expressions on their faces. Clay, a high ranking member of the Family stepped forward and said, "Jeremy, it's been a long time since you've darkened the door of the mansion." His unasked question was clear. Jeremy met his gaze and almost smiled. "I like to keep people guessing," he said. Clay chuckled. "Well, you certainly have everyone guessing now." They all nodded curiosity and a need to know warring with the pull of the approaching dawn. Jeremy merely smiled and looked at Ridley. "I'll leave the explanations to Ridley," he said with quiet deference. She scanned the crowd, knowing that some of this was going to be very hard to believe. They were looking at her as their Clan leader now. Some feared that, others were relieved. She also knew that the Elders Council could vote to replace her with someone else. They wouldn't hesitate if she handled this wrong. She took a deep breath. "Our leader is dead, as you can see. He didn't, however, die the way you think." Someone shouted, "That isn't a lycanthrope bite?" She held up her hand for silence and heard someone say, "Shut up, let her tell us what happened." She smiled in that direction and nodded, not knowing who said it. "I have a fairly lengthy story to tell and its two hours before dawn. I will tell you all I can before we have to retire. I may not finish. If I don't, we'll convene here first thing tomorrow evening. I ask that you reserve all judgments until the very end of my story." Ambrose said, "This is serious, Ridley. Those bastards killed our LEADER. Not to diminish Sawyer as we needed to take revenge, but killing our leader is the ultimate insult and atrocity. He must be avenged." She stared at him. "I asked you to wait until I'd told my story," she said in a stern voice. He looked at the ground, embarrassed at being reprimanded, however gently, in front of the entire Clan. "Yes, Mistress, I'm sorry," he said quietly. She nodded. "Jakes was killed by a lycanthrope." No one looked surprised by that. "He was killed because he did something stupid." That brought some gasps from the crowd. "He threatened the life of that wolf's pregnant mate, thereby threatening the wolf's child. Not a smart thing to do." Her eyes met Lyndlay's in the crowd and saw understanding dawn on her face. Lyndlay placed her hand on her belly in a gesture of surprise and shock. Ridley could tell some didn't understand why this was a big deal. They were killing wolves wherever they found them. She waited till there was silence again and then dropped her bombshell. "If the wolf hadn't killed him," she said in a loud clear voice, pausing for effect. "I would have," she said clearly, her voice carrying to the back of the room without trouble. "Or would have died trying." Gasps and groans and expressions of shock were rippling through the room. She couldn't have shocked them more if she'd suddenly grown another head. One thing was for sure, she had their undivided attention now. XXXXXXXXXX PART 7 (PG-13) WALSHEFORD HOME LOUISIANA BAYOU It was some time before all the exclamations of disbelief and surprise abated among the crowd. Ridley stood proudly with Jeremy next to her and simply waited. All at once, it seemed, they all realized she was waiting for silence. It fell like a stone and she looked around the room. When she was sure she had everyone's attention, she said, "Jakes betrayed us all." More gasps were heard as she held up her hand. "Let me tell you the story," she said in a commanding voice. They quieted again and she removed a CD disk from her coat, holding it up. "I have here in my hands, evidence against Jakes Vynter and his secret dealings with the lycanthropes. He had made a secret deal with their leader. He promised to give them several of our fellow vampires to use in their experiments in exchange for the research information." More sounds of disbelief and shock. She continued, "I will print out this information as soon as I have a chance and make it available to anyone who wishes to view it. In the meantime, you need to know some other facts." Ambrose stepped forward slightly and said, "Mistress, does everyone need to know the whole story?" It was his way of subtly asking if she really wanted all Jakes' misdeeds to be known to the entire Clan. 'Propriety be damned,' she thought, as she stared at Ambrose. "Do I want everyone to know what a traitor Jakes Vynter was? Yes, I do. Do I want everyone to know what a hypocrite Jakes Vynter was? Yes, I do. Do I want there to be any rumors or questions about something I've told only the council behind closed doors? NO. I don't!" she bit out. Successfully chastised once again, he stepped back into the semi- circle of Elders fronting the dais. "In case you're wondering, Ambrose, you and Parys were on his list to be betrayed due to your strength and morality. He didn't want anyone left in the end that could challenge his authority." They both got shocked expressions on their faces and stared at her, waiting for what she would say next. She met each ones eyes, waiting to see if anyone else would protest. No one did. She looked out at the crowd again and began to tell them of how he sold out Sawyer to the werewolves in order to get rid of him and be able to Partner with her. In addition, she told them of his secret homosexual lover that he had actually bonded with, thereby committing treason by the very act of taking her to Partner and planning to bond with her. Then she got to the hard part, explaining her own duplicity in the fact that she and Jakes had never formed a blood allegiance. She had never directly lied to any of them, but she had allowed Jakes to infer that they had bonded. Because of her anguish over Sawyer's recent death she did not correct him and had been grateful for the extended time he had given her. She suspected, now, that he gave her time because he figured there was nowhere else for her to go, or he may have been planning on throwing away his lover or selling him out too. There was no way to know. She was completely honest in telling them that she was desperate and didn't know whom she could trust. She was sure of only one person, the man she had secretly loved for over 250 years, Jeremy Rousseau. Therefore, she had gone to him and offered a blood allegiance. Despite the dangers, he had accepted, and they were now Partners for better or worse. She didn't regret her decision; she loved Jeremy with all her heart. She ended her speech and there was now complete silence and stunned expressions ringing the room. She said, "I will voluntarily step down as leader of the Clan if the Council of Elders asks me to. I understand if you cannot accept me in this position. I'm not a great politician like Jakes was. However, I can promise you that I would never betray my own people, never betray my Partnership bonds, and I will NEVER lie to you." She waited a few beats and when no one said anything she announced. "We all need sleep. I will leave it to the Council of Elders to meet and decide my fate as leader of the Clan. I will make myself available to answer any and all questions they may have about my decisions and behavior." She met each council member's eyes again and said dramatically, "May your conscience guide you." With that, she strode off the dais and Jeremy followed her, walking a respectful two strides behind her. The bodies in the room parted like a wave before them. She hit the double doors in full stride and pushed them open with more strength than was necessary. They burst open, banging against the wall and swinging shut again behind her and Jeremy. She didn't stop until they had climbed the stairs and entered the bedchamber that she had shared with Jakes until now. She shut and locked the doors and turned to face Jeremy. He wore a proud little smile on his face and it was evident that he had been impressed with her performance. He raised his arms and she slid into them easily, embracing him tightly. Her lips grazed his ear as her breath shuddered out of her, draining away some of her tense nervousness. She whispered, "I love you, Jeremy Rousseau." He smiled into her hair and kissed her gently on the temple. "I love you too, Ridley. You were magnificent down there." She shrugged and then pulled back, meeting his gaze. "Let's sleep. It's been a long night." He nodded. "And tomorrow we will know if you're pregnant," he reminded her. She smiled. "I'm not through dropping bombshells yet, am I?" "Afraid not," he murmured, a full smile gracing his face now. "Life with you isn't going to be dull, is it?" She threw back her head and laughed. "I hope it will be eventually, Jeremy. God, I hope so." Jeremy looked up suddenly. "Shit, Ridley. We forgot about Lothian!" "Damn! You get Lyndlay and tell her I'll arrange a meeting for tomorrow at your place. I'll run out and tell him it's not a good time to bring him in here." "Right. Go quick. We don't have much time." She nodded and raced out of the house through the back door. She didn't want to answer questions at this late hour about where she was going or whom she was meeting. She ran full tilt to the end of Cicadas Road and found Lothian leaning against the fender of his car. He looked up startled when he saw her. "Ridley. Christ, it's almost dawn," he said. She nodded and said, "I know. I'm sorry Lothian, I couldn't bring you up there. Too many shocks in one night. Meet us at Jeremy's tomorrow night at dark. I'll send Lyndlay to you." He nodded. "I'll delay my search till I can see her tomorrow night. Kiss her good night for me, will you?" he said cheekily. She smiled. "I will. Tomorrow then." "Right. Now go. Run for Christ's sake." She winked at him and ran all the way back to the mansion. She was surprised to find that even this exertion had not winded her. Jakes' blood was surging through her veins and she was a little giddy at the strength she felt. She couldn't imagine what Jeremy was feeling. His sudden rise in strength was more profound than even hers. He had gotten blood from Jakes and Wylott and her breast milk. Considering the fact that he was quite a bit younger to start with, the insurgence of old blood would be overwhelming to most anyone. However, Jeremy was strong of heart and mind and he was handling it amazingly well. She barely made it in time, thankful for the newfound strength that gifted her with a speed she could have only imagined before. Jeremy breathed a huge sigh of relief when she snuck back into the bedroom. "Thank God. I was so worried." He looked sleepy and made his way to the bed slowly. He stripped and she quickly stripped and joined him. They curled up together and felt sleep drop over them like a shroud. XXXXXXXXXX There was silence for several beats after Ridley and Jeremy made their dramatic exit. No one missed the fact that Jeremy had deferred to Ridley, and had basically, been there in a show of support rather than implying he was leading by her side. That was significant to many, who admired and respected Jeremy Rousseau and also knew how rare it was for him to appear at the mansion. Those who were loyal to Ridley felt that Jeremy must be extraordinary for her to have chosen him over Jakes and be willing to give up the leadership to be with him. Being leader, she could have gotten his help without offering her blood allegiance or Partnership. Ambrose turned to the face the crowd and said, "Dawn is approaching quickly. Let's sleep on all this new information. The Council of Elders will convene tomorrow night to discuss these events and the effect they will have on the Clan. In the meantime, I need to two volunteers to help me take Jakes below to his sarcophagus. Tomorrow we will make a decision as to whether he and Wylott will be given a funeral or not." XXXXXXXXXX BATON ROUGE MEDICAL CENTER 3600 FLORIDA STREET BATON ROUGE, LA Using her credentials, Scully had convinced the hospital to allow her to use their laboratory facilities. They were local heroes now, having slayed the den of werewolves. As far as the media was concerned it was the FBI agents and their small band of 'Werewolf Hunters' that had slain all the creatures in the den of madness that was hitherto known as Ashton Bower's residence. The public was still ignorant that the werewolf hunters had been vampires, and Mulder and Scully intended to keep it that way. After calling Ridley and meeting the group at Jeremy's apartment underneath the bar, she wanted a sizeable syringe of blood from Ridley, Lyndlay, and Lothian. After hearing that both Ridley and Lyndlay were pregnant, she had taken a syringe from Jeremy too, explaining that she didn't want any pregnancy chemistry or hormones to interfere with some of her results. She would test both. Lothian decided that they had to tell Ridley about the research that he had placed in her hands. Even though he had been afraid she would be upset that he hadn't given her the research as well, she took the news with surprising calm. She immediately realized she probably would have given it to the FBI agents as well, knowing the Family didn't have the facilities to test the research themselves. She told Scully merely to ask if she needed money. The Clan apparently had more money than Mulder and Scully could imagine amassed in their treasury. Not wanting to risk exposure by using FBI resources if they didn't have to, Ridley had gone back to the mansion and returned with ten thousand dollars in cash, handing it over as if it were nothing. Lothian and Ridley discussed with Lyndlay the consequences of her pregnancy. She was stunned, saying she had felt funny lately but hadn't known what was going on. Ridley spent several hours explaining the pregnancy process of vampires to her. They surmised that Lyndlay had indeed come into heat, but because of the fact that she was mating with a werewolf She hadn't produced bloody breast milk during the mating. She said that she had produced fluid but that it had been free of blood. They deducted that the only ingredient that Ridley and Jeremy had that she and Lothian didn't was the male vampiric precum, an obvious precursor to conception and must be what causes the blood in the breast milk. She was now well educated in what to expect. For all her worldliness, she was still only 16, and by tradition would not have had to pick a Partner for many years to come. Melryk and Malison had made the mistake of delaying the talk about the responsibilities of sex, mating and what to expect if she were to come into heat and get pregnant. They all agreed that her pregnancy needed to remain a secret until Ridley could find a way to safely reveal it to the rest of the Clan. Scully found all this information fascinating and had taken copious notes as she was allowed to listen in on the conversation between the two female vampires. She returned to the hospital and bought all the supplies that she would need and locked herself into a quarantined lab room where she worked through the night and well into the morning. Mulder spent the morning making phone calls and doing research of his own. By noon, with the help of the Lone Gunmen again, he had set in motion the purchase of a cattle ranch in Montana. That evening he would propose the idea to Ridley, Jeremy, Lothian and Lyndlay so that he could finalize the deal the next day. This was to be the place the two young lovers could hide out while awaiting the birth of their child. XXXXXXXXXX Scully looked into a teaching microscope that allowed her to view two slides at the same time. She gasped. As tired as she was she felt adrenaline and excitement race through her at the new discovery. Out loud, she whispered, "Dear God." She sat up and pulled out her cell phone, hitting the Speed Dial. She listened to it ring several times as she stretched and tried to get the knots out of her abused back. [Mulder.] "Mulder, I'm going to come back and get some sleep, but I've just made an amazing discovery." [What'd you find, Scully?] he asked, excitement apparent in his voice. Her voice was actually trembling, "You're not going to believe this, Mulder." [Try me,] was his only response. Scully decided to send portions of her blood samples in sealed syringes to the Gunmen directly from the hospital. They said they might know someone that could help. Without hesitation, she'd sent a copy of the research information and blood out in an overnight package before returning to the hotel. XXXXXXXXXX COMFORT SUITES BATON ROUGE, LA AN HOUR LATER Mulder looked at Scully in astonishment. "So you're telling me that both species are related?" She nodded. "The virus in their blood is nearly identical. There are small differences that suggest a mutation ages ago. One consumes this enzyme and the other one attracts it like a magnet. The trigger for the magnet affect is the full moon." "And the other?" "It consumes it, essentially making the vampires anemic, anemic to the point where a normal person would probably die or need a total blood transfusion. Instead, because the mutation has afforded them fangs and a way to replenish, they simply drink blood to satisfy the hunger for red blood cells. I mean, there are many tiny other differences as well, but I'm sure it's the same virus mutated two different ways. It's amazing!" He smiled at her. "Good work, Scully. They may not like finding out that they are related, but it's going to be valuable information to them." She nodded. "It might be to us, too. I have more checking to do on the research. I've found things in Lothian's blood that aren't showing up in the others, yet there are traces of it in Ridley's blood in a dormant form, I think. I'm too tired to explore it now. I have to get some sleep." "Go sleep, Scully, you've been up nearly 24 hours now." "What did you find out about the ranch? Is it still for sale?" "Yeah, but I'll tell you about that later. Go rest. I have another meeting set up at Jeremy's as soon as it's fully dark." "What time is it?" "Only noon. Go sleep. I'll wake you. You should be able to get at least seven hours, maybe more. They will call me when they are ready for us to visit." She yawned behind her hand. He smiled affectionately at her and kissed her on the forehead. "To bed with you, Scully," he playfully ordered. She turned and headed into her bedroom. Over her shoulder, she tossed, "Bossy." He chuckled as he watched the door close behind her. It had been an exciting week. It seemed the new discoveries were coming fast and furious. He had phoned Skinner and gotten permission to stay on a few more days to 'tie up loose ends'. He settled into the couch with his laptop spread across his legs and began to type up their final report. Much needed to be left out, but he figured the information on the lycanthropes would be plenty enough to rock the world of the FBI brass. The side benefit of knowing these creatures existed was that it would further justify the need for the X-Files in general. He was going to make sure that was pointed out to Skinner. Never knew when you could use the ammunition against the brass. They were always looking for ways to shut them down. Mulder worked diligently, turning out a tight, clean report on their adventures in Louisiana and managing never to mention the vampires. He referred to them only as 'werewolf hunters' and 'confidential sources' that had approached him. As he waited for the call from Ridley, he started their expense report. He didn't want Scully to have to deal with any of the paperwork when this was done. It usually all fell to her, but he knew that she was going to be busy with this research for days to come, and probably even after they returned to Washington. XXXXXXXXXX SPANISH MOON NIGHTCLUB JEREMY'S HOME THAT EVENING "Any word from the Council?" Jeremy asked as Ridley came through the door. "Not yet. They grilled me. The information from the disk really helped. Madeleine had even scanned hand written notes that went back and forth between Jakes and Turlus. That went a long way towards convincing them of Jakes' misdeeds. Several council members recognized his handwriting. If it had all been typed notes by Madeleine, they might have figured some of it was forged or made up." She plopped down on the couch, looking weary. He eyed her curiously for several moments and then asked, "Ridley, do you want to lead the Clan?" She sighed. "I don't know, Jeremy. It's a huge responsibility." "You were going to take it on with Jakes," he reminded her. "Yeah, I was, but he was the leader, I was just a second. Really being at the helm would involve a lot more on my part. What do you think? I know you don't want to live at the mansion. If I am Clan leader, I'll have to stay there, Jeremy." He nodded. "Ridley, I love you. Wherever you go, I go. End of story, but we do have the baby to consider." She smiled at him and patted the couch beside her. He sat down next to her and wrapped a big arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side. She laid her head on his shoulder. "How did I live this long without you by my side, Jeremy?" she whispered. He chuckled. "I don't know, but I'm glad we're together now." "Me too. I'm sorry, Jeremy. I was an idiot. I could have been with you all this time." "We made our choices. We did what we thought was right at the time. Ridley, if you don't want to rule, you can be here with me. But, if you do want to rule, I'll support you and move to the mansion. Whichever decision you make, I'll be there for you." "I know, and I love you for it." He kissed the top of her head. "I can't quite believe your mine yet," he whispered. She smiled against his shirt and kissed his chest through his black tee shirt. "It's like a dream come true, Ridley." She hummed. "You're so sweet." "I've been called a lot of things, but sweet isn't one of them," he teased. "Well, you are. I don't know why I never realized it before. When I didn't know where to turn and I didn't know whom to trust, you were the only one I could picture. I never doubted you, not even for a minute. I knew I could trust you." He squeezed her tighter then tipped her face up with his fingers. He leaned in and kissed her softly. "I love you, Ridley. Whatever happens, don't ever forget that. I know you've known love in your life. You loved your first Partner, you loved Sawyer." "I loved you too, Jeremy." He placed his fingers over her lips. "No one will ever love you as much as I do, Ridley. Our timing sucked," he proclaimed. She chuckled. "When you were widowed from your first Partner, I was Partnered to the tune of 200 years." "I couldn't ask you to break those vows, Jeremy, even though our code gave me the right as an Elder. I know you offered to leave her, to ask that she release you from your vows, but I couldn't ask you to do it. You were still so young and then Sawyer came along." "Yeah, Sawyer, lucky son-of-a-bitch. Do you know how many hearts broke when he showed up and men realized that you were in love with him and their chances were squashed?" She snuggled into his side. "You exaggerate." "No, I don't. No one's heart was more broken than mine, Ridley. I told you I loved you then. When you told me not to ask to be released, I thought that meant that you didn't return my feelings." "No! I loved you then, Jeremy, but circumstances were against me, against us both, I guess. Yes, I loved Sawyer, but that doesn't mean I loved you any less. You can love two people at the same time, you know. Hindsight is 20/20 though. I wonder now if Sawyer and I had the relationship I thought we did. He did go off without me. Whether Jakes ordered him to go alone or not, he should have told me." "I'll never go off alone without telling you, Ridley," he promised. She cupped his face. "Please don't. I've lost two Partners now, one to a freak accident and one to an assassination. I couldn't bear losing you too." They hugged and were still snuggling when a knock came on the door. Ridley rose and answered it. Lothian and Lyndlay stood there, and behind them were Bareslay and Zoë. Ridley raised an eyebrow at Bareslay and couldn't help the smile that came across her face. She backed into the room, opening the door fully and waved them in. "Jeremy, I think we're becoming a haven for wayward young blood drinkers. What do you think?" He laughed and stood up to greet his guests. "It would appear that way, wouldn't it?" he replied. They all took seats and Lothian asked. "Any news on a place to hide?" he asked abruptly. Jeremy pulled out his cell phone. "Not yet, let me call those Agents and get them over here. We'll find out if they've had any success locating a place for you to go." He looked at Bareslay as he listened to the phone ring. "I take it you and Zoë want to go too?" He nodded. "She's not pregnant, thank God, but they'll never accept her. They won't let me turn her, and I understand that we are both too young right now for that. But I can't bear the thought of every losing her, especially now." Zoë was silent and overwhelmed being in the presence of these powerful vampires and Lothian for the first time. She eyed him with more trepidation than the others, but they all frightened her. Bareslay was the only vampire she'd known before this and he'd always been so gentle with her. She was in awe of the tall, dark-haired, female vampire that was supposedly the leader of their Clan. She couldn't believe such a powerful figure was aiding her and Bareslay. Jeremy crossed the room and entered the kitchen, talking softly into the phone. He said, "Right, we'll be waiting." He hung up and returned to the living room. "They're on their way over. They said they have good news," he announced. Lothian smiled and Jeremy turned to Ridley, "For all of us." XXXXXXXXXX PART 8 (PG-13) SPANISH MOON NIGHTCLUB JEREMY'S HOME HALF HOUR LATER Mulder and Scully entered the apartment and looked around. Two chairs were set up for them at the head of the coffee table. Everyone was gathered round to hear what they had to say. Zoë relaxed considerably knowing she wasn't the only human in the room anymore. She noticed the Agents carrying weapons on their belts and that reassured her as well. She trusted Bareslay but was not sure of the others. They laid out their plan concerning the ranch in Wyoming, giving the costs factors and the work involved. They were mulling this over when Lothian said, "I have to find my friends. If I do, they might come with us to work the ranch. We can do the work of three men, and that way, I wouldn't have to hire humans and risk exposure." "Good thinking," Mulder praised him. "That way the drug you need to control your rage would be available to them too." He smiled and Ridley asked, "Jeremy said you have more news?" Scully nodded. "Two pieces of news actually. The first one will shock you, the second might explain your sudden fertility," she answered. Ridley stared at her, "Tell me." Her voice was eerily anxious. Scully said, "Well, I can show the scientific results and data, but to make a long story short, Werewolves and Vampires are evolved from being infected with a virus." "We knew that," Jeremy said. Scully held up a finger. "However, did you know it's the same virus?" She paused dramatically, waiting for that to sink in. "WHAT?" Ridley exclaimed. Scully smiling, knowing she had a captive audience now. Lothian was staring at her as well. "Continue," he coaxed. She said, "Basically, after examining your blood samples, I've determined that the virus found in both your bodies is the same core virus. The difference is that the two species were formed by the development of two different mutations in that virus. Now, who knows how that occurred? It could have been environmental, some other virus reacting with this one, or any other number of reasons. In any event, your chemical make up is eerily similar. Like many similar virus', they can kill each other. However, those opposing elements are only found in the blood." "And saliva," Ridley added. Scully shook her head. "Not really. The only reason saliva is harmful is because it often has your blood cells in it from ingested blood or biting your tongue or whatever. All other fluids in the body should be safe as long as there are no blood platelets in it." Ridley scrunched her brow in thought. "That would explain why Lyndlay was able to mate with Lothian and produce offspring." "Yes, it would. The other part of this equation has to do with the fertility. Lothian took the potion they developed that blocks his virus from attracting this enzyme the virus pulls to itself. That enzyme in combination with the virus stimulates all sorts of endocrine systems and creates the adrenaline and rage that you associate with transformation. The potion blocks the enzyme from attaching to the virus cells, BUT it increases blood flow, effectively dilating the blood vessels." Lothian stared at her. "Oh my God! It's the Lycanthrope version of Viagra," he joked. They all laughed. Scully continued, "Now in the vampires, this virus cell essentially eats or absorbs that enzyme, creating a type of anemia that makes you crave the blood." "How does this relate to my pregnancy?" Ridley asked. "Well, after cross testing these samples, I discovered that the chemical compound in the potion that Lothian took, which is in the blood sample he gave me, it's also in your blood, Ridley, but not in Jeremy's." "How can that be? I never took any of their potions?" "No, you didn't, but you killed several werewolves by biting and draining them in human form, right?" "Yes," she said carefully, nodding slowly. "I think the human form werewolves you exsanguinated had drank the potion. Therefore, when you drained them, you ingested what was left in their blood stream of the potion they took. Lothian couldn't have been the only one they had take it." "And what does it do for me?" Ridley asked. "Well, I checked that too. In Lothian's case, it prevents his virus from attaching to the enzyme that creates adrenaline and stimulates the portion of the brain that produces rage. In your case, that same potion works slightly different on your virus, preventing it from absorbing that enzyme." "In English?" Ridley said impatiently. They all chuckled. "You didn't develop the normal anemia that would create the hunger for blood. HOWEVER, your female hormone, oestrogen, which is produced by the ovaries does absorb the chemical compound of the potion. I think this stimulated you to ovulate. I suspect this is what put you into heat, in combination with Jeremy's ... contribution." They chuckled at her choice of words as she warmed to her subject. "In a human, HCG, human chorionic gondotrophin, is produced by the developing placenta, which in turn stimulates the ovaries to produce higher levels of oestrogen and progesterone that sustain pregnancy. "These hormones cause the lining of the womb to thicken, increase blood circulation, in particular to the womb and breasts. They also relax the muscles of the womb to make room for the growing baby. In your case, from what you said, I think Jeremy's semen or pre- ejaculate has the same effect on your womb as the hormones produced by a placenta in a human, making it ready to conceive. Instead of the placenta causing the hormone release, I think that Jeremy's semen triggers that effect in you. Of course, I'd have to do more tests to be sure. "At the time of birth, in a human, other hormones come into play that cause the womb to contract during and after labor and stimulate production and release of breast milk. In your case, the potion stimulates all these systems and everything goes into overdrive. Since your mating cycle includes the production of bloody breast milk at the time of fertilization, it happened for you during mating, rather than after childbirth, but it will probably occur again after childbirth, if my theory is correct. "So in effect, thanks to the potion, you were ripe but dormant until you mated, then Jeremy's pre-ejaculate triggered everything. At least, that's my theory," she concluded. They all stared at her in amazement, even Mulder. He had not gotten all these details from her earlier. Finally Ridley smiled, "You're frighteningly smart for a human, you know that?" she deadpanned. They all cast amused looks at one another. "It's the best theory I've heard. I've never gone into heat before. It makes sense." They had a long discussion about their plans that they would put into effect over the next few days. A lot hinged on whether Ridley would be voted on to remain as head of the Clan. If she were, things would go a lot easier as she would have access to everything the Clan owned. If she was voted out and replaced, things would get a lot stickier. Since she'd amassed her own private fortune in her many lifetimes, she proposed that she and Jeremy go to the mansion and get a large sum of her money to pass onto the young vampires and their chosen mates in order for them to buy the ranch. They could pay it back when they got the cattle ranch running. Everyone went his or her separate ways, agreeing to meet back there at Jeremy's house the following night. In the meantime, while Ridley still had access, Jeremy and Ridley were going to the mansion to get her money and then find out what the council had decided. Ridley decided to leave it to fate. If the Council elected to toss her out, she would move in with Jeremy and work the best she could from there to help the Agents and the young vampires. If they voted to leave her as head of the Clan, Jeremy and she would live at the mansion. Jeremy could then choose two Partners to live in his apartment and run the bar. Lothian left to travel out in search of his friends. He was going to check his family's cabin first. He had a strong feeling that they were hiding out there. He would tell them of his plans to leave and set up a new den on the cattle ranch. If they accepted that and wished to leave with him, they would be welcome. If they decided to stay behind, he wouldn't interfere with that decision either, but he and Lyndlay were leaving. XXXXXXXXXX COMFORT SUITES BATON ROUGE, LA The next few days were a whirlwind of planning and excitement for everyone. Scully worked day and night, with only naps in between in order to get the most out of her time in the lab before they had to return to Washington D.C. The Gunmen arranged and set up the closing on the ranch with the buyers. Scully and Mulder were going to act as their representatives. Lothian, using his name of Dartagnon Sinclair, gave them Power of Attorney for him so that they could sign any papers in his name. Meanwhile, Lyndlay and Bareslay secretly packed their belongings and planned a quick trip to New Orleans to gather a few items they'd left at home before coming to Walsheford. They both spent a long time composing letters for their parents, hoping that eventually, they would understand the decision they had made. They didn't plan on telling them where they were going for now. They both, however, pledged to contact them periodically and let them know they were doing well. Lyndlay left it up to her parents whether or not they told everyone else that she was pregnant or kept that a secret. She would let them know the results when the child was born. Scully began contemplating how she could try to produce this potion from the research. She didn't want to get her hopes up but she was seeing a connection to the effect of the potion on Ridley and her own situation. She wondered if it would trigger her to ovulate. Questions chased themselves around in circles in her head. 'Would she dare try to take the potion?' 'What would happen if it didn't work?' 'What was in it that might endanger her health?' All these questions and more would have to be answered and examined before she would take the chance. She wanted a child very badly, and she wanted that child with Mulder. On her last day in the lab, she was cleaning up everything while one last test ran on the computer. She was testing her own blood and its reactions to the Lycanthrope drug. Mulder entered the lab and helped her pack up her slides and samples. She'd gotten more blood samples to take home with her and she carefully packed them in dry ice inside a cooler. The computer beeped and she walked over to see what it had come up with. She moved the mouse and the screen saver disappeared. She read rapidly and gasped. Mulder looked over her shoulder not able to understand what he was seeing or reading on the graphs. "What is it?" he asked. "Mulder," she said softly. "What is it, Scully?" he asked, his concern ratcheting up a level. "How do you feel about having children?" she blurted out. He gave her an undecipherable look. "I'd only want children with you, Scully." She turned to look at him and smiled. "I think I just found out a way to do it." He swallowed and licked his lips. "Are you kidding me?" She shook her head in amazement herself. "This could work. I know it. Mulder, this could work!" "What could work?" he asked, slightly anxious at the lack of information. She printed it out, saved it on a hard disk and removed the disk, sticking it in her briefcase. She carefully deleted all the files connected to her research from the hospital computer and sent an e-mail off to the Gunmen to let them know that they should wipe out any information backed up on the mainframe of the hospital. She closed her briefcase, picked up the cooler and started for the door. "Scully?" he asked, bewildered. She turned at the door and looked back at him. "We have a plane to catch, Mulder. I'll tell you all about it on the way." "Tease," he said without malice. She grinned. "Be a gentleman and get the door, would you?" He leaped forward, realizing her hands were full. He opened the door and followed her out, letting it close behind them. Once in the car, Scully said, "God, I hope I'm right." "If you are?" he asked carefully. "Then I could be pregnant six months from now." "Jesus, Scully!" "Is that something you want?" she asked fearfully, realizing they had never discussed having children as a couple. He looked at her as he started the car. "I'd love it, under one condition." She frowned. "What's that?" she asked. He smiled. "That the kid gets my name." "Of course it would, Mulder." "Well, if we were married, there would be no question about it, would there?" She started at him. "Mulder?" she said faintly. He smiled, put the car in gear and pulled out of the parking lot, heading for the airport. "Later, Scully. We have a plane to catch," he said calmly, mimicking her words of a few minutes earlier. She punched him lightly in the shoulder. "Tease," she shot back. He grinned. "If you give it, you gotta be able to take it, Scully." They both laughed and smiled at each other. This had been one hell of a trip. Now it looked like it was going to be a very worthwhile trip as well. THE END. CONTINUED IN "WAR OF THE LEGENDS 5".