Memories of her flooded his mind as he took in the sight of the beautiful, dark haired waitress going about her duty with the captivating smile he had thought of as his own ages ago.
The year was 1792. He had just turned 18 when his father, the lord of a large estate in Transylvania, had taken in a French family to work for the Waldgraves. Lord Waldgrave introduced the Devereauxs to the household. There were three sisters, two brothers and the parents, Mr. Jaques and Mrs. Angelique. Lord Waldgrave's only son greeted each person politely, but what he was anxiously waiting for was his father's introduction of the youngest Devereaux and the most gorgeous girl he had ever seen in his life. A nudge to his shoulder broke the trance in which the 16-year-old girl with the honey-colored eyes, smooth caramel skin and ebony tresses had him.
"Do not be rude, son. Stop ogling and say hello to Gabrielle."
"He...hello...Gabrielle. It is very nice to meet you."
"Bon jour, monsieur." The 16-year-old beauty curtsied and smiled at him as she returned his greeting. That was all it took. He fell in love with her in that instant.
The family quickly settled in and fell into a comfortable routine in their daily labor. The young Waldgrave sought this opportunity to spend every possible moment with young Miss Gabrielle Devereaux. Their evenings were spent talking, laughing and learning about each other under the huge century old oak tree in the middle of the vast backyard of the Waldgrave estate.
The sound of the door chimes startled him out of his reverie when a customer walked out of the diner. He looked at his watch and decided to go in for a closer look at his former lover's double; her long, silky locks now held back from her face in a pony tail. It made her look as young and as innocent as she did all those years ago, he remembered. He still had about forty-five minutes before sunrise, so he picked the booth behind the one he had seen her wait on and sat down. He grew nervous as he saw her walking out of the kitchen headed towards his table.
She was smiling at him. She looked so jovial and bubbly, he wondered if she had just started her shift.
"Hello. My name is Angie. What can I get for ya?" She greeted him with the angelic voice he had committed to memory.
"He...hello...Gabr...uh...Angie. Would it be possible to get my order to go?"
"Sure. No problem." He sensed her watching him intently as he perused the menu.
"I will have scrambled eggs and bacon and three buttermilk pancakes to go, please." He had decided to give the breakfast to the bum he had seen just a few blocks away being as he had no use for it.
Angie jotted the order down on her notepad and smiled at him as she said, "I'll be back with your order.” She was about to turn to go, when she remembered to ask, “Oh...would you like anything to drink with that?"
"Oh yes. Must have something to wash it all down, right? Apple juice."
"Got it." She smiled at him again and walked off to place the order.
After watching her go into the kitchen, he sat at his table on the deserted diner, and listened to her tell the man about the mysterious-looking, handsome young guy sitting at table 3 waiting for his to-go order. She told Carl, as he had heard her call him, he seemed familiar, but couldn't remember where or when she had seen him. She also told the cook she got a strange, tingly feeling when she grabbed the menu from him. That was all he needed to hear, now certain it was his Gabrielle who had taken his order.
He decided to just leave after paying for the food, not trusting himself to control his urge to embrace and kiss the only woman he had ever loved. He would come back, he determined. He thanked her and left the diner, going back to the Metro bench to place the bag next to the still sleeping, homeless man.
Continuing on his way home, he didn't feel the presence of the figure following him.
"I see you found her." The deep, thunderous voice made him stop and turn abruptly.
"Larek!" He could not believe his eyes. He had thought he had escaped Larek's radar for good by moving to the new world almost two centuries before. Larek had the same intimidating effect on him as he did when they first met. He was as tall and breathtakingly handsome as the younger man, but was the complete opposite of him. Where he had short, dark brown straight hair, Larek had long, blond curly locks held back in a low ponytail. Larek's eyes were also a contradiction. They were dark brown compared to his ice blue ones, but still they were infinitely more menacing and sinister.
"Hello Julian." Larek smiled sardonically. "It has been a long time."
"Not long enough. How did you find me?" The initial shock was being replaced quickly by anger.
"A sire always knows where his fledgling is, my child." He ignored Julian's scoff at his endearment and continued coolly, "I see you still hold that grudge against me."
"Did you really think I could forgive you for what you did to me? To her?" He bit back, a painful look in his luminous eyes.
The older, more powerful vampire closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye.
"You are mine, Julian Waldgrave. I gave you the gift!" Larek was about to caress his face when Julian pushed his hand away in disgust.
"The gift? I did not ask for this! You took me against my will!" He turned and began to walk away, not wanting Larek to see the red tears that had started to run down his cheeks. The memory of seeing his beloved die at the hands of this creature made his lifeless heart ache.
"Is she the reason why you reject it? That little harlot..." He didn't finish his sentence. At hearing the last word, Julian lunged at him in full force.
Larek, anticipating his attack, merely raised his hand and without touching Julian, stopped him in mid flight. With a flick of his wrist, he flung Julian all the way across the street. Larek's overpowering strength made him hit a brick wall so hard, it collapsed on top of him.
Julian just got up, dusted himself off and began to walk away, deciding to just continue on his journey home. Dawn was fast approaching and he didn't have enough time or strength to fully deal with Larek just then.
"I will see you soon, my child." The voice whispered in his mind menacingly.
****~*~*~****
The following night, Julian awoke to the realization that he had not been free of Larek's grasp, not by a long shot. He couldn't shake the feeling of being watched, even in his own home. He wondered why he hadn't felt it from the beginning, since he first moved to America. He dreaded the walk to work and wished he could just blink and be at the station in a second. As quickly as his thought entered his mind, Julian was at the station. A bit shocked and startled, he looked at his surroundings, acclimating himself for a moment. Finally, he recognized the brick building and the few SUV's and pick-up trucks parked there so he proceeded to walk into the firehouse. He saw that everyone was gathered around the dining table. Some were studying for their weekly quiz and some were just lounging around or snacking.
"Waldo! You're early, man! Fell out of bed or somethin'?" Mark, the pipeman, asked him as soon as he saw Julian walk in the door.
"Hello everyone." Julian greeted everyone distractedly, still confused and thinking about what had just happened.
"I guess so..." Mark answered mostly to himself, feeling ignored.
"Hey man!" Joseph shouted from behind the book he was reading. "Glad you came early. Your girlfriend here was missing you." He chuckled, pointing at Mark.
"Yeah! And you should have comforted me, you big, insensitive lug." Mark ran to Joseph and grabbed his face and gave him a loud smacking kiss full on the lips.
Joseph pushed Mark away, looking very annoyed, and said in a strong, determined voice, "Stop that, you pansy!" He walked over to where Julian was standing and paused to see the tension in their faces and then proceeded to say, in a very girly fashion, "You're gonna make your sweetie here jealous," pinching Julian's butt in the process. Joseph had noticed his brooding so he tried to lighten his mood.
Even if he was just a volunteer, Julian was considered one of them. Every single firefighter there treated him as an equal, as a brother. They made him feel needed, important and with a purpose. They made him feel...human. That last thought reminded him of how Larek had turned him that fateful night of his 21st birthday into the vile creature he was:
He had struggled for a long while but Larek's strength was so great, Julian knew he didn't stand a chance, so he just gave up and let him do what he wanted. Julian had been certain Larek was going to kill him. There was no other explanation for what he was doing to him, but the following night, he had woken realizing he was not dead. He sat up in one quick jerk and looked around. His eyes widened in horror as he noticed he had been lying inside a coffin. He jumped out immediately and ran around the spacious room looking for the door. He had to get out of there. He had to find out what was happening to him. He felt as if his body was floating instead of running and he heard voices and sounds coming from every direction. They were coming from near and far, he realized. He could even hear his father breathing in his sleep…on the second floor of the main house across the field from Larek’s sleeping quarters. Julian’s hands were cupped tightly at his ears. The noises were just too many for his new sensitive hearing and his new, untrained vampire body. Larek followed his every move the whole time, like a proud father watching his son take his first steps.
"Where am I?!" He screamed so loud, the walls shook. He realized then his voice had also changed.
"You are in my quarters." He heard the familiar voice of his tutor. "Do not fear, my child. I will teach you everything..." Larek tried to approach him, but Julian remembered the struggle from the night before and he drew back away so fast, he was on the opposite wall before Larek could touch him.
"What have you done to me?" His angry voice was a few decibels lower.
Julian was looking at himself, noticing the new pale hue of his skin. All kinds of different smells and textures also seemed to be invading his newly acquired preternatural senses. It was just too much for Julian to deal with.
"This is my birthday gift to you, Julian. You are mine now…my child…"
His recollection was interrupted by the loud sound of the siren indicating there was a new call coming in. There was a fire at one of the buildings of the university close by.
"That's us, Waldo! Joe! Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!" Mark ran past trying to get to the truck as fast as he could. Julian and Joseph followed right behind him. They all rushed to the pumper, put on their gear and drove off in a rush to carry out their mission.
****~*~*~****
"Wow, man! You really know your stuff. What you did back there for those students...man! That was incredible!"
"Yeah, Jules! Why don't you just apply and get paid for doing this? Work the full 24-hour shifts with us, man. Or are you just too good for us mere mortals?"
Joseph had been joking, but that last question sure did make Julian's head turn quickly and stop what he was doing. He had no idea what to say to that. There was no excuse he could give them for not being able to work a full shift.
"Um...well...um..."
Captain Gallagher, who had heard the conversation while he was coming out of his office, interrupted Julian.
"You know how small our budget is, guys. We don't need another salary to shrink ours."
'Saved by the bell,' Julian thought as he laughed along with the others.
"Captain, may I have a word with you?"
"Sure, kid. Step into my office." They both walked the few yards to Captain Gallagher's office and he closed the door behind them, ignoring the wolf whistles and catcalls the other men were making outside.
"They're a sick bunch, you know that? I ought to fire their asses." He chuckled and then continued, "Now, what is it that you want to talk to me about?"
"Well," he hesitated. "You see...something unusual happened."
"What's that?"
"Last night, after I got ready to come here, one moment I was in my room wishing I did not have to walk to work and the next I was here outside the station. I just thought it and it happened...instantly."
"I see."
"It took me a second to realize where I was, but then everything felt normal again. Am I making any sense? It was...strange."
"Ah...my little fledgling is growing up."
"Growing up? What do you…Wait! You mean...you know about this?"
The captain nodded. "How old are you, Julian? I mean...how old are you...REALLY?"
"I am approximately two hundred and thirty one years old."
"Just as I thought."
"What? What is it, captain? What do you know that I do not? And more precisely, how is it that you know about this?"
"Julian, I haven’t told anyone what I’m about to tell you. Promise me that just as I've kept your secret, you will keep mine."
"Captain, you know I will. You are the only human I trust. In return, rest assured you can do the same with me."
"I know, Wald. I know." The captain smiled and gave him a squeeze on the shoulder, a paternal gesture. "Well, the reason I know about your changes is because I was...well...” He paused and scratched his neck nervously. “Wow! There's no easy way to say this," Julian was expectantly watching the captain pace the office back and forth. "The reason I know this is because I was a vampire once, too." He stopped pacing and turned to face Julian to see his reaction.
"What?" Julian could not believe what he had just heard. "What do you mean you were a vampire once? How did you become human again?" He had so many questions and after the captain's revelation, he had even more.
"First things first. You see, once you become a vampire, you don't ever change physically, but as you age, you do acquire more 'powers' so to speak. You are at about the right age, just like my sire told me."
"What powers does one get? Are they the same for every vampire? I apologize, captain. I have so many questions."
"I'll try to answer as many as I can, son." The captain comforted the apprehensive creature that was looking to him for answers. "The boons, as my sire called them, are different for each vampire. You just have to wait and see what you'll get. Just don't freak out. Take your time to learn each one and master them as they are acquired."
"But I do not desire to have more powers." He protested. "I want to...How is it possible for a vampire to become human again, captain?"
"Julian, I don't think it's a good idea to..."
"Why not?" He interrupted. He had carried that curse for too long. He was desperate, and now that he had hope, he wanted to know for sure.
"I'm not sure the ritual will work on so young a vampire."
"Ritual?"
The captain nodded. "There is a price to pay as well, my boy."
"Tell me. I am willing to pay any price."
"Well..."
****~*~*~****
Julian decided to walk home again. He had to put his thoughts in order, especially about the ritual. The captain hadn't beat around the bush. He told him everything that had to be done. He needed to come to a decision: would becoming human again be worth the price that had to be paid?
