POSSIBLY SAM - PART II - chapters 6 through 10 (PG-13)

A place for Penina Spinka's G to PG-13 stories
Post Reply
Penina Spinka
Freelance freshie
Posts: 226
Joined: Sat Jan 24, 2009 10:10 pm
Location: Sun City Arizona, USA

POSSIBLY SAM - PART II - chapters 6 through 10 (PG-13)

Post by Penina Spinka »

I'm back from Baltimore. For those who read THE BEAT, and begun POSSIBLY SAM, thank you. This continues the 2nd Sam Novel, when Mick brings Josef to meet Sam (and Francis) to ask for their help so Josef can communicate with Sarah. Here is chapter 6 of the 10 chapter story. Please send your thoughts.

No infringement intended, nor profit sought. Respect and thanks to the creators of Moonlight, and all of us who loved it.

Rating: PG-13

Possibly Sam

Chapter 6


Francis walked before me into Sam’s bedroom. The double bed was covered with a spread. Beside it on the floor was the freezer I had slept in, the freezer Francis used during his visit. I was a little surprised when he opened the lid and beckoned me over. “What?” I asked. Don’t think for a minute I wasn’t scared of him myself, although his kindness to Josef had ameliorated that fear a little.

“Which way did you get in?”

“Huh?”

“Sam told me you panicked when you couldn’t find the release latch. He heard your thoughts and it’s a very good thing he did. If you had harmed Sam, I would have had to kill you. That’s why he spoke to you before he opened the lid. So, tell me. Which way did you get in?” I told him my head was facing in the same direction as Sam’s on the bed, my feet closer to the door.

“No wonder.” He chuckled. “I like to sleep facing Sam so when I wake up so I can see him without turning around. You were facing the wrong direction. The latch would have been by your feet; that’s why you couldn’t find it. Just so you’ll know for next time, you were not locked in.”

I shook my head and said, with a short smile, “I’m very glad you won’t have to kill me.” Most of my fear of him was gone by now, but not all of it. “If you don’t mind my asking, why are we all so attracted to Sam?”

“Not all of us are, Mick. Just the special ones.” Francis sat on the edge of Sam’s bed. He propped the pillows behind him, then backed up until he was reclining. He patted the place beside him. I didn’t know if Francis could read minds like Sam, but I felt really weird about this. What did he want to do to me? It wasn’t as though I could refuse him. He could hold me down with one finger.

“Come on. We might as well be comfortable while we talk,” he said. I moved onto the bed beside Francis and propped up the other pillow. “I don’t mind your asking at all; Sam is one of my favorite subjects. He’s lived many lives, and if he doesn’t remember them, he’s gained something from each one. He has a very old soul. In almost every one of his lives, we were lovers. Sometimes, he was a man and sometimes a woman, but I always know him when I see him. Something in his soul calls to me, but I still have to narrow down the location. I watch over him and visit when I can. Each time he dies, I wait about 20 years to begin my search again. It’s always odd for me when I see him again for the first time, introducing myself, seeing him begin to realize that he knows me.” He smiled wistfully.

I probably have that same look on my face when I think about Beth. I remember telling her I don’t categorize things into strange and not, but this was beyond strange -- Hindu reincarnation, or the New Age stuff I always scoffed at it. Here it was staring me in the face. “You don’t know what he’ll look like, or if he’ll be a man or a woman?” I asked. Almost as strange as our conversation was the thought that I was having a conversation with a vampire who lived when the pyramids were new. He had kicked off his shoes and invited me to be comfortable with him. Actually, Francis had kicked off his shoes, and so had I. We both wore the same kind of socks. It felt surreal.

“No. That’s what makes searching for Sam so interesting. He’s always loved music. I spend a lot of my nights in concert halls. This time I found him in a jazz club in Greenwich Village. Some century I might find him in a bar on Mars or on one of Jupiter’s moons. I don’t interfere with his lives, but when we find each other, it makes the waiting worth it.

“As to why you were attracted to him, you needed each other. Sam is beautiful in every way a man can be beautiful, body and soul. We’re attracted to beauty. He was put on this earth to do good things, this time, as a Mohawk shaman. He thinks he might enjoy being one of us, but he craves variety too much for that. I think he’ll embrace his roots eventually and go back to his reservation where he’ll marry and pass his genes on to the next generation for his people. I’ll still visit him and he’ll always welcome me. I believe this time, his life is going to be long and happy.”

I gathered there must have been short, unhappy lives as well, but he didn’t say. “When you met him, Sam’s music charmed you because your soul was in need. You found what you needed and learned something about yourself. You helped his family as well.” There was no hint of jealousy. I supposed after the first thousand years, you matured past such foolish emotions.

“I’d like to ask another question, if it’s all right,” I said. When he nodded permission for me to go on, I said, “I don’t understand why what Josef did was wrong. I mean I know it didn’t work, but that was a failure, not a crime. Why was Josef so afraid you were going to punish him?”

“There have been laws in the past about making new vampires. Permission must be requested and granted from one’s sire. Those laws aren’t enforced much any more, but he knew I was old and I might be a stickler about them.” He shook his head and rubbed his lips. “The rules are much more recent than I am.”

“My ex-wife got in trouble with her sire for turning me so I guess the rules are still enforced sometimes. Less than a year ago, I fell in love with a human. I might want to turn her someday, but only if she agrees. Do I need permission?”

Francis jerked his head toward the living room. “Do you think Josef would say no?” He wasn’t expecting an answer, but I had to smile. Not if Josef knew what was good for him, if Beth said yes. Wait. Was Francis telling me Josef was my sire now, for real? Had he taken over when he turned me back?

I wondered aloud what Sam was doing with Josef. I heard a guitar playing for a short while. “They’re talking. Music always helps, doesn’t it?” He didn’t wait for my reply. “Since we’re going to leave them alone a while longer, we have something else to discuss. I know everything that happened between you. Sam told you that on the phone.” I nodded. “He told me you were turned without warning and were given no choice in the matter.”

“That’s true.” I didn’t like to talk about it. “By my wife on our wedding night.”

“That may be why you have trouble controlling the bloodlust when you feed. Sam said you were afraid to let him give you blood; you feared that you might kill him. He had to judge for you when you’d taken enough.”

I inhaled and blew out a long breath, unnecessarily I know, but I was trying to collect myself. It was very uncomfortable for me to discuss my weakness. Sorry, your majesty, that’s private, wasn’t going to cut it with Francis.

“I think my wife had the same kind of weakness. When she was caught up in the passion of taking blood, sometimes, she’d forget to stop. Mostly, it didn’t matter to her, but that’s why she killed me so fast the night she turned me. It must have been the bloodlust. I hate having to kill to survive. It’s wrong. That’s part of why we aren’t together, anymore.”

Francis put a consoling hand on my arm. I felt the waves of power that flowed from him, but his hand was gentle. So was his voice. “She’s no longer your sire; she’s been replaced in your mind and your heart, but most especially, in your blood. You’re connected to Josef.” I supposed he must have sensed that, because I hadn’t had a chance to tell Sam about my week on the sunny side of life, or how Josef brought me back. “Your first sire’s weakness no longer affects you. Josef has great control; doesn’t he?”

“He does.” I thought of the plane and the numerous other times I’d seen him feed.

“Because he does, you do. You don’t have to be afraid any more.”

“Really?” I covered my mouth with one hand, wishing I could take back the doubt my word expressed. I hadn’t meant to be rude.

“Really. We’ll prove it tonight. I think they’re done in there.” He rose gracefully from the bed and I followed him into the living room. The guitar was on the floor. Josef and Sam were both on their knees facing each other. They were leaning towards each other, taking support from each other. Their cheeks were touching, and their arms were resting on each other’s backs. They might have been in a trance or doing some kind of religious thing. Sam’s face looked peaceful and so did Josef’s.

“Wake up, kids,” Francis said. “We’re going clubbing.” They pulled apart to look at us. Sam had gotten Josef to take off his mask, to stop hiding behind his snide remarks and humor. For the first time since we met, Josef looked truly guilt-free and at peace. I hoped it would last.
Last edited by Penina Spinka on Wed Sep 02, 2009 3:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
Read Sam stories by Penina My index: http://www.moonlightaholics.com/viewforum.php?f=560
User avatar
draco
Logan's WoW nemesis
Posts: 659
Joined: Fri Jan 23, 2009 4:09 pm

Re: POSSIBLY SAM - PART II - chapters 6 through 10

Post by draco »

This story of Sam and Francis is really interesting. The possibility to have a soulmate you are so connected with sounds very comforting.

I'm glad he didn't have to hunt Mick down, too :teeth:
Clubbing... this should get interesting :hug:
Penina Spinka
Freelance freshie
Posts: 226
Joined: Sat Jan 24, 2009 10:10 pm
Location: Sun City Arizona, USA

Re: POSSIBLY SAM - PART II - chapters 6 through 10

Post by Penina Spinka »

Here is chapter 7 of POSSIBLY SAM. Thank you for reading and commenting.

Possibly Sam

Chapter 7

We followed the gray BMW in Josef’s rented Porsche. It was nearly three in the morning. I’d checked the paper for sunrise. We had to get to Josef’s east side Brownstone on Waverly Place before 6:38 then or suffer what was the worst part of the day for a vampire, when night became day. We weren’t far from Greenwich Village when Francis pulled over to park beside the old apartment building that housed the Club. Considering New York congestion, we were lucky to park right behind them. There was still street traffic; people going home from their night’s entertainment.

When we reached the sidewalk, Francis pointed, and then motioned us to the building’s lobby, his other arm linked with Sam’s. “It’s downstairs. This club’s been operating since before the Great War.”

That would have been World War I. I learned at school that the sinking of the Lusitania by a German U-boat in May of 1915 led to the United States entering the war. They had tried to stay on the sidelines until then. I don’t know how much history is taught in schools these days. Not much if the radio talk show hosts have it right. I studied World War I, which we called the Great War in September of 1929, when I started second grade. Our subject matter got pushed aside in favor of the newest event – the Stock Market Crash, in October. I guess I’ve lived through some history too. One of my last clients was an actress who was supposed to star in a movie about the Lusitania before her producer murdered her. It would be nice if I could avoid sad thoughts, but something always triggers them.

The apartment building was built about 1900. “Los Angeles hardly has anything this old, just the Indian Missions and the old Spanish section.” I said.

Josef nodded. “New York values the classics.” Josef lived in New York during the 1950s, but I don’t think he knew about this club. Sam craned his neck to see the height of the building. It was at least 20 stories tall, and elegant in its grandeur.

“The club is called Music of the Night,” Francis said.

“From Phantom of the Opera?” Sam asked.

“No. The name comes from Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Didn’t you read that, Sam?”

“I never got around to it,” Sam said. “Why mix up reality with fantasy?”

Francis shook his head, disappointed. “Think. Think hard.”

Sam’s face went blank for a moment and then he smiled. “It was put into play form. I played the lead role in London at its premier in 1919.” My mouth dropped and I think Josef’s did too, but he covered it well and turned to me.

“A past life,” I whispered to him in sub-human tones. “One of many.”

“That’s where I found you that time,” Francis told Sam. “You remember a little. In case you want to recall the details, rent the audio book of the play or the novel. Listen to it the next time you drive home for a visit. It’s a classic.”

“Sure, if you like.” Sam said. He was quite a contradiction - young and old at the same time. Josef and I exchanged a glance. In spite of Sam’s complexity, he was amazing, and now Josef knew it too. It was a blessing to both of us that I met Sam that night at the Vanguard. Francis believed in Fate, so who was I to doubt it?

“Those are the most repeated lines of the play. Dracula heard wolves howling and said, ‘The children of the night. What sweet music they make.’ The other one is when the Count said he didn’t drink wine. We drink wine frequently. I doubt if Stoker knew any of us personally, but he brought blood drinkers to the public attention. I’m not sure he did us a favor. Remember Sam, when we’re downstairs, no vampire will approach you. You smell of me. I hope you’re hungry. You haven’t had anything to eat for too long. They say the Music has an excellent restaurant. Pick what you want.”

I wondered if the Music was a Freshie frequented establishment like The Pulse, or a place where vampires brought their regulars. I suspected it was a combination of the two. A doorman greeted us. We walked through the lobby and entered the elevator. There actually was an elevator man. “Floor, gentlemen?” he asked.

“The Club.” Francis tipped him $5 for taking us down one flight. Josef made an I’m impressed face. I was sure they were going to be talking business before our visit was over. Fine. That would leave me some alone time with Sam.

We were escorted to a table for four in a private alcove with several easy chairs. There was a piano off in the corner playing without amplification. It was loud enough for the paying guests. “Will any one in your party want something off the restaurant menu?” the hostess inquired of Francis. She sensed the human among us. I was impressed that Josef was able to hold back and not try to play host, but we were out of Francis’ league for status. Josef looked the same age as Sam, having died at 25 in 1624.

Francis spoke for us. “Yes. Please have a waiter bring it. We’ll require two private hostesses later for my associates.” Josef looked at me. “Something new?” he asked.

“We’ll see.” A waiter appeared before us, expertly unfolding the menu in front of Sam. I tried to be unobtrusive as I listened for a heart beat. The lack of one told me our waiter was a vampire. Some of us probably drive buses at night. Not every vampire is wealthy. My friend Guillermo is a medical examiner. He does all right, but he wouldn’t have liked the prices on the menu.

The waiter’s nose twitched. I hope I’d been more discreet than that. He looked in Francis’ direction, and although he didn’t vamp in fear, his complexion paled. He probably couldn’t wait to go back and tell the others about the celebrity at his table.

Sam barely looked over his choices before he ordered rare prime rib, potatoes with everything, buttered peas, and a large Coke. In my living days, I loved all that. At least, after what Francis told me, I would not be lacking the best undeath can offer.

“Will there be alcohol, gentlemen?” asked the waiter.

I ordered my usual Scotch, Josef asked for bourbon, and Francis requested a brandy. We made small talk about the neighborhood while we waited for Sam’s dinner to arrive. It did not take long before the waiter was back, crisp and polished, with a covered platter. The hostess set down our drinks. We were private enough to talk in low tones. We would have smelled anyone coming by or taking too strong an interest in us. Sam enjoyed his dinner while Francis explained the plan they conceived.

“Don’t take too much from your hostess tonight, Josef,” Francis said. “When you go home to Sarah, I want you to swallow some of her blood. I expect we’ll come to you about three or four in the afternoon. Do it before we come. It will help you communicate with her if Sam is successful in calling her spirit.”

Josef’s mouth hung open. I think he was as scared of what we would do tomorrow night as he was originally of Francis. “Are you sure it won’t make her worse?” he asked. What could be worse? I thought.

“It won’t make her worse.” I think Francis was keeping his words simple for a good reason. This entire project was emotional and there was no guaranty of success. That’s why Sam needed to make sure Josef would be calm.

“I’ll have Sam tonight. Mick, remember what I told you and don’t worry.” He turned away from us to watch Sam who was happily enjoying his desert, a crème Brule. Francis looked at the young man, his ancient love, with glowing eyes and a smile that said everything. He had found him again and was enjoying every moment of it. Even watching Sam eat filled him with pleasure. I envied Francis tonight for what was going to pass between them.

Josef rested his hand on my wrist and leaned toward my ear. “He was able to give you more confidence than I could,” Josef said, a little wistful.

“He gave me an explanation you couldn’t, because you didn’t know it either. You gave me what was most important. I’m in your bloodline now, not Coraline’s. I have the same control you have. I don’t have to be afraid I won’t stop in time.”

A slow smile came to Josef’s face. “No more of that vegan soy stuff from the morgue for you? Guillermo’s going to be disappointed to lose your business.”

“It won’t hurt to keep some on hand. I might be too busy to go to the clubs and I’m not going to have Freshies at my beck and call.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing for you, but what would Beth say?” There was always that, but it was something to deal with at a later time.

“She’s not here,” Josef said.

I looked around to see two lovely young women slinking their way over to us. “Very true.” Josef made room for his hostess. Mine was a redhead. Fate was on my side tonight. I smiled her a welcome and we exchanged names. “Jackie,” I said. “They’re playing a slow dance. Would you care to join me?” Freshies don’t say no even when they’re called hostesses. It’s part of the job description.

When we returned to the table, we were alone. Sam’s dishes had been taken. I suppose Francis brought him someplace where they could be private. Josef was dancing with his hostess so I knew he’d fed light. I asked Jackie how long she’d been a hostess at this kind of club. She was experienced so nothing I could do, within reason, would frighten her. I sat back on an easy chair within our alcove and extended my hand to her. Her smile was genuine as she lowered herself onto my lap and leaned towards me. My arm kept her from falling. There had to be a certain amount of trust from these women or they could not do what they do. It’s a profession not listed in the career books.

Jackie was not putting on an act for my benefit. She was looking forward to giving me blood. Josef often assured me I knew everything he could teach me except for control, but I trusted Francis on that score. “Are you hungry, Mick?” she asked. Nothing coy about Jackie. Henceforth, I would show more respect to her professional cohorts in Los Angeles.

I was just as direct. “Yes.” I breathed her in. No perfume, but the lingering scent from her shampoo, the faintest smell of lilies. Nice. She waited to see if I was interested in her wrist or her neck. The wrist was safer. I wasn’t going to be safe tonight; I was going to be good. I took her chin and tilted her head. She smiled.

My skin and eyes paled, and my canines elongated. Instinct told me what to do, but I was more than an animal, even changed. Her skin became translucent to my white vampire eyes, so I could see her blood stream. She responded to my desire with an increased pulse. I traced the lines with gentle fingers, chose the place, and pulled her in. I made the bite quick enough that she would feel only a moment of sharpness.

Her hot blood filled my mouth. It was rich and sweet. She had not been fed on for at least a week. That’s why properly trained hostesses were paid so well. They could only serve us three nights a month and many were saving for college. I assumed they had outside jobs as well, but with the right temperament, they could supplement their incomes nicely. New York rents were high, if they weren’t exclusives, living in the residence of their keepers like Josef’s Freshies. For visitors like me, they were well worth what they cost.

I felt Jackie’s pleasure build as I fed, feeling both her and my release at the same time - twice the enjoyment. One of my hands rubbed her back while the other supported her head and caressed her hair. Her pulse and respiration rate increased, so I slowed my feeding to extend the moment. When I judged that she would suffer if I continued, I pressed my tongue against the wounds I had made. I pulled back to look at her.

Her eyes were closed in residual pleasure, not for lack of oxygen to her cells. Yes. I knew all about the physiology of blood and humans, but knowing was never enough to give me the assurance I craved nearly as much as the blood. The control was innate now. I was satiated and satisfied Jackie was doing well. I leaned back in to lick her throat clean of blood and then asked her how she felt.

“Fine,” she replied, and she smiled.

“Wonderful.” I snapped my fingers and a waiter appeared at my side. “A glass of red wine for the lady. Will you have some pate and crackers too, Jackie?”

“I wouldn’t mind.”

We were talking when Josef returned to the table with his hostess of the night. He kissed her goodbye and she left. Jackie finished her snack and told me her bill would be added to our check. I tipped her $50.00 extra. She deserved it.

“So, Francis was right?” Josef asked. His knowing smile told me he didn’t need a verbal response. I looked like the cat that fell into the cream. “Now, if you had listened to me, you could have been enjoying Freshies since, when was it, March, when I brought you back into the fold?”

“March 16th. I died again and was born again. I don’t tend to forget days like that. There’s still Beth.”

“You’ll have to work that out with her, but you can stop being a monk now. Love and Freshies are not mutually exclusive. She can’t feed you twice a day, even if you had the control of Francis. She’ll have to learn to understand that if she loves you. Someday, you might need to accept that she’s going to need male Freshies, unless she prefers females. It’s for blood, not for sex. They’re both great, but there is a difference. Remember what you are,” Josef said.

“Yeah. I’m pretty sure I do,” I said. I was still grinning when Sam and Francis returned to the table. Sam must have read my mind. He was immediately aware of what transpired while they were gone. He pumped his fist in the air. I learned on the reservation that among Mohawks, that was a sign of approval.

“Good for you, Mick,” he said. I couldn’t help but return his smile. Doing what came naturally felt so good, I almost didn’t miss not getting any of Sam’s prime rib.
Last edited by Penina Spinka on Sat Sep 05, 2009 3:21 am, edited 4 times in total.
Read Sam stories by Penina My index: http://www.moonlightaholics.com/viewforum.php?f=560
User avatar
draco
Logan's WoW nemesis
Posts: 659
Joined: Fri Jan 23, 2009 4:09 pm

Re: POSSIBLY SAM - PART II - chapters 6 through 10

Post by draco »

Finally, Mick has some of his confidence back :yahoo:
I'm glad Francis (and Josef) could give him this security for his feeding :hug:
Penina Spinka
Freelance freshie
Posts: 226
Joined: Sat Jan 24, 2009 10:10 pm
Location: Sun City Arizona, USA

Re: POSSIBLY SAM - PART II - chapters 6 through 10

Post by Penina Spinka »

Thank you Draco. I'm glad you discovered this. I hope a few more readers will. They may have read it on other sites, but it improves every time I look it over. I'll post the next chapter Sunday. Penina.;
Read Sam stories by Penina My index: http://www.moonlightaholics.com/viewforum.php?f=560
Penina Spinka
Freelance freshie
Posts: 226
Joined: Sat Jan 24, 2009 10:10 pm
Location: Sun City Arizona, USA

Re: POSSIBLY SAM - PART II - chapters 6 through 10

Post by Penina Spinka »

Here is the next chapter. I hope you like it. Thank you for reading.

Possibly Sam

Chapter 8


We reached Josef’s brownstone at six, 38 minutes before daybreak. Josef told me to go to bed and walked into Sarah’s room. I heard the front door close when the night nurse left. He wouldn’t have wanted her or any of Sarah’s other caregivers here when Sam and Francis came.

Before we left Los Angeles, Josef called his New York liaison and had him order a new freezer unit for his Waverly Place Brownstone. I was grateful it had arrived on time. Josef and I were close, but not that close. I carried it into the second bedroom, set it down besides Josef’s and plugged it in. With the Plexiglas lid, I could see where I was when I awoke. I don’t like wakening in an unfamiliar room and didn’t like to panic. I made sure I could find the latch before I undressed and climbed inside to sleep. Shades and blackout curtains hid the rising sun but I knew when it was dawn. Josef’s extra years gave him the strength to resist its power, but I was soon out.

When I awoke and pushed open the lid of my freezer, Josef was standing beside me. “It’s three in the afternoon,” he said. “Time to follow doctor’s orders and take some of Sarah’s blood,” he said. I looked at him, wondering if he was going to be disappointed. “I spent the rest of last night holding Sarah, talking to her, telling her what we were going to try. If part of her can hear me, even if she can’t respond, I had to prepare her. If you think this hard on me, imagine what it must be like for her.” I heard the grief and the hope in his voice. “She was only 22 when I stole her life.”

“That was never what you meant to do,” I told him for the countless time. “I’ll help myself to some of your extra stock for breakfast. Then, I’m going to shower and call Beth,” I said, and climbed out of my freezer.

“It’s in the fridge,” Josef said while I opened my suitcase and retrieved my bathrobe. “You’ll find it.” He had clothing in the closet. Over the years, he must have visited Sarah frequently. He told me they were business trips, but I’m sure she was always part of it. Josef’s was a love for the ages. If only Sarah knew it.

While I let the water jets in the shower stream over me, I thought of Francis and his love for Sam. That was a love for the ages too. Who knew how many centuries or more they had known each other, yet he had never tried to turn Sam. Or maybe he had. Maybe Sam had been like Sarah and couldn’t be changed. It was not a question I’d ever ask Francis. Speaking of love, I had to hear Beth’s voice. If only she could accept what I was entirely, with all of its aspects. I didn’t feel guilty about last night, but Beth would likely see it as cheating on her, just when we were getting closer.

It would take time to make her understand. Sustenance was the main reason we fed, but the closeness we needed with the living was a big part of it. Joy was inherent in the act when a vampire drinks from a human. Swallowing blood wasn’t supposed to be like taking medicine, as Josef reminded me often enough. Since I’d given up drinking fresh from the source, I’d been treating it that way. Twenty-two years was a long time. I had a feeling things were about to change. Beth, I thought. How am I ever going to get you to understand this? Difficult, dangerous and complicated was how I’d explained vampire human relationships. This wasn’t dangerous except to our newfound relationship, but it was complicated and difficult. We were still fragile together.

In my mind, with the water beating down, I went over how I’d tell her I still had to be close to others to feed properly. Even though I could finally do so without fear, Beth would see my face buried in a woman’s wrist or neck and feel it as a betrayal. I looked to the ceiling as if the answers were written there. They weren’t.

Dried and dressed, I found the phone in its re-charger where I’d left it before I prepared for sleep. I disconnected it, then pressed the number to her office and was greeted by Beth’s secretary. Beth got on seconds later. “Mick,” she said, a little breathless. “How is it going?”

“Well, we met Francis at Sam’s last night. I’ll tell you about him when we get back. He’s quite, well, interesting.” I had mentioned him to Beth as an old acquaintance of Sam’s, a very old acquaintance. I didn’t have to spell it out.

“I can imagine. Did Sam agree to try to help?” She knew enough not to get specific or say the wrong words.

“They both did, and try is the operative word here. We don’t know if it’s going to work. Josef is leaving everything in their hands, doing exactly what they tell him to do. You know what it’s like to get Josef to trust anyone? We went out for drinks last night and to get dinner for Sam. Josef let Francis treat without a word.”

“Wow!” She was quiet for a moment. “He must be pretty impressive.”

“Yeah. He is. Josef is doing his best to explain everything to Sarah now.” She knew what I meant. “Is everything all right on your end?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary.” We were speaking in code for nothing involving vampires. It sounded like an ordinary conversation. Thank goodness for Beth, I thought. She was one in a million.

“Well, I guess I have to get back to work,” she said reluctantly. She couldn’t ask the questions she wanted to ask and it was driving her crazy. “Do you know when you’re coming home?”

“Not for sure, but probably tomorrow evening. Depending on how it goes, Josef might stay here longer. I can fly commercial if I need to.”

“Just be careful,” she said. “Be careful for Josef.” She meant she hoped he wouldn’t lose it if nothing could be done for Sarah, and that he wouldn’t take it out on me for suggesting what Sam might be able to do.

“I will,” I said. “I miss you. See you soon, okay?”

We ended it there. I hadn’t told her yet that I love her. Although I admitted it to myself and to Josef, even to Francis, it scared me to take our relationship to the next level. I wondered if it scared her too. She knew about Sarah. What if we tried to make it work and she agreed to join me as a vampire? What if I ended up losing her like Josef lost Sarah? If I admitted my feelings to her, we’d have to stop dancing around the issue. I couldn’t be like Francis was with Sam, not interfering, just visiting her in each of the many lives she would live in the future. I couldn’t even think like that.

Josef came out of Sarah’s bedroom, dressed casually. “Well, she’s as prepared as I can make her,” he said.

“Did you have breakfast?” I asked.

“Besides the few swallows I took from Sarah? No. Sam told me he and I are going to have to exchange blood to try to make this thing work.”

I hadn’t planned on it, but I suddenly began to feel sorry for myself, sorry enough to express my feelings out loud. I wanted to drink Sam’s blood again, but that wasn’t part of the plan. “Nice!” I said. “You and Francis both get to have him, and I’m out in the cold.”

Josef gave me a peculiar look, but I didn’t mind. If I could get his mind off Sarah for a few minutes, I was doing well. “I didn’t know you thought of him that way.”

“Let’s just say I thought of him that way before we ever said hello.” That could have been taken more than one way, and I knew it.

My friend’s eyes opened a bit wider and his smile broadened. “There are things about you, my friend, that you’ve kept hidden from me all these years. Who would have thought?” Let Josef think what he wanted about Sam and me. There was a mutual desire for closeness, not sex, between us. “Does Francis know about this?”

“Francis knows everything. I’m going out for the paper. I’ll be back.” I left him wondering while I went out for a walk. The late afternoon shade in New York City made my walk comfortable. Even with the computer’s up-to-the-minute reports, Josef likes the feel of an old-fashioned newspaper. I found a left over Wall Street Journal at a newsstand in an office building on Lexington Avenue. The trees had that beautiful shade of green when the leaves are new. Lilacs bloomed on the side streets, in front of houses and apartment buildings. The New York air smelled like paradise over subway exhaust.

Instead of newspapers, I remembered when I would flip on my cell phone ten times a day to check out breaking news on Buzzwire. Of course, I was looking on the chance that Beth was broadcasting. Those days were over now that she worked at the ADA’s office. When I returned to Waverly Place, Francis’ BMW was parked in front of the house. The great experiment was about to happen. I could imagine what Josef was going through, and the effort it cost him to remain calm.

When I let myself in, Sam came over to me. I couldn’t help inhaling, testing the air for Josef’s smell on him. “Not yet,” Sam said. Every time he did that, it made me jump mentally. He was hearing my thoughts. “Come with me.”

He brought me to the far corner of the living room. The furniture here was comfortable and had been dusted frequently. Sarah’s nurses did not have to do much for her. It was a cushy job if you didn’t mind caring for a live dead body eight hours a day. “Francis is disconnecting the wires that were monitoring Sarah, removing the blood drip, and checking her over. He used to be a doctor and he keeps up with what’s been discovered in the last few centuries.”

“What do you think about Sarah?” I asked.

“Until I get closer, I can’t be sure. Her body hasn’t decomposed, but that doesn’t mean she’s in there. She’s in a death sleep. On the other hand, you and Francis, and Josef have no beating heart or breathing lungs either, but I can sense you. I can’t guess at the chances of her waking up. It would take a miracle.”

I covered my eyes. “He knows that. It’s what he wants.”

“I’m not saying it can’t happen, but that’s up to the Creator. Would you like to help?”

“Of course I want to help, if there’s anything I can do.”

“I brought one of my guitars and my water drum. I’ll play the drum and sing a calling chant specifically for her. If Sarah’s really dead, her ghost will hear it. She will come and Josef will be able to talk to her. I don’t know if she’ll enter her body or not. Stay with me on the guitar. Keep the beat and don’t stop playing until I tell you to.” I nodded. Sam was the boss here. Even Francis would defer to him in this. “Do you want to see and hear everything I do?”

“Is that possible? Of course I do.”

“Then we can arrange it. You’ll have to take some of my blood, just a few swallows. Can you do that?”

My mouth watered in anticipation, but just looking at him did that. “After last night, I can. I didn’t have a chance to tell you, but I found a way to become temporarily human back in March. It only lasted for a week before I asked Josef to turn me back. It’s a long story. Francis sensed that I’m in Josef’s bloodline now, and that makes a huge difference in my control. I’m sure I can limit myself to a few sips.” I held out one hand expecting him to give me his wrist.

He made no move toward me, but looked at me as if I should know better. “No.” Why not? I thought, hurt and upset. What had I said to make him change his mind? “I can’t play my drum if my wrist hurts.”

"Oh," I thought and smiled happily once more. I held out both arms this time, and he walked into my embrace. It felt so good to hold him close to me again. “Do it now, my friend,” Sam said. He wrapped his arms around me and rested his head against my shoulder.

Putting my mouth to Sam’s neck was the ultimate test in control. He knew how much I wanted him. It was over too soon. I pressed my tongue against his wounds to stop the flow. “I missed you,” I admitted, licking my lips. “You’re so delicious. Maple syrup. You had pancakes for breakfast.” I had caught his memory with his blood.

He chuckled. “Right. I missed you too.” We were both still smiling when we left the living room, but we did our best to put on our serious faces when we let ourselves into Sarah’s bedroom.
Last edited by Penina Spinka on Wed Sep 09, 2009 3:29 am, edited 4 times in total.
Read Sam stories by Penina My index: http://www.moonlightaholics.com/viewforum.php?f=560
User avatar
draco
Logan's WoW nemesis
Posts: 659
Joined: Fri Jan 23, 2009 4:09 pm

Re: POSSIBLY SAM - PART II - chapters 6 through 10

Post by draco »

I hope Sarah is not too far gone, so that Josef can at least say goodbye... I don't want to sound pessimistic but I don't think that she will wake up like nothing happened ever again...
I just hope that Josef can take it, whatever will occur. And that he lets Mick help him in the worst case scenario. :pray:

Love that story and I'm happily waiting for the next part :hug:
Penina Spinka
Freelance freshie
Posts: 226
Joined: Sat Jan 24, 2009 10:10 pm
Location: Sun City Arizona, USA

Re: POSSIBLY SAM - PART II - chapters 6 through 10

Post by Penina Spinka »

This might be that worse case scenario, but the story will have a happy ending. Here is chapter 9 of POSSIBLY SAM. Tomorrow is going to be busy and I have some time today.
Penina

Possibly Sam

Chapter 9

Both Francis and Josef knew at once what Sam and I had done. To their highly developed senses, we reeked of one another. With two less mature, more territorial vampires, I would have been in trouble. Francis smiled benevolently. He would excuse anything his beloved did, but Josef was a different story. He wouldn’t be angry, but he looked at me with a quirked brow and a questioning smirk. “I told him to do it,” Sam said firmly. “Mick is going to help. It was needed.”

“Then, I’m glad for him,” Josef said. “He was feeling left out. We can’t have that.” Bless Josef’s sense of the ironic. “With Mick smelling from Sam, he’ll be that much more of a temptation.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at me. Was I a temptation to Josef? I hoped he was joking. Did he want to drink my blood too? Sam’s was the more potent at the moment since Francis had shared blood with him. We knew Josef was about to get some of that to help him make the connection with Sarah. I think my friend was just riding me for admitting my affection for Sam.

What came first tonight was Josef’s love for Sarah. He’d never attempted to get physical with me except when he drained me of my human blood to re-turn me. Because of my second turning, he had become my sire. He could do with me as he chose, but I didn’t think I had cause for worry. Josef had always been drawn to females, as was I most of the time. Sam was the only exception, but I think that had less to do with his gender than his soul. Over the years, it had lived in both male and female bodies. Francis loved him either way. I felt the same.

Josef looked at me once more, unsmiling this time. “Mick. You know where to find my will and where I keep the number of my lawyer?” he asked.

“Yes. Why?” I said. The truth of what we were attempting began to penetrate my sluggish brain. This was serious.

“If I don’t make it through this, you, my friend, are going to be a very wealthy vampire. You’ll have to start reading the wall Street Journal for yourself.”

“What do you mean, you might not make it through this? Why shouldn’t you?” I didn’t even try to keep my voice low.

Instead of replying, Josef turned to Sam. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

“Kneel,” Francis told Josef. The word brought back a flash of memory and it was not a pleasant one. This one was better. When Josef knelt, Francis rested both hands on Josef’s head. The two looked like a painting I’d once seen in a museum somewhere - an ancestor blessing his descendent. It was no more than the truth. I cursed myself for never thinking that my brilliant idea could pose a danger to Josef. What would I do without him?

I looked over to the bed. Sarah remained as beautiful as she was on the day she submitted herself to her vampire lover. The drips that fed her blood had been disconnected. She looked very young and innocent with her auburn curls spilling over the pillow. Her cheeks were rosy, like a child that came in from playing in the snow, and she was just as cold.

When Josef got up, he thanked Francis. “No matter what happens, whether this works or not, thank you Sam, for trying. Francis, thank you for your blessing and your help. I won’t forget either of you.” Sure. He’d just blame me. “What next, Sam?”

Sam pointed to a chair. “Mick, sit there.” The guitar was waiting for me. I picked it up and held it on my lap, sliding the pick onto my finger while I waited for Sam’s instructions. “Francis, would you bring over my drum and drumsticks, please?” He did so, and set them down next to him. Sam did not take them up yet, but asked Francis, “What did you learn from examining Sarah and what did you do to her while I was in the other room with Mick?”

Francis gestured toward the body on the large bed. “As we know, she’s in a death sleep. I freed her tongue and moistened her eyes. I flexed her muscles and bathed her. If her soul or her ghost is willing to rejoin and reanimate her body, it is as ready as it can be. The rest is up to you.”

“No,” Sam said. “Not me. I have no power of my own to perform miracles. It’s up to the Creator.” Sam approached Sarah and passed his hands over the surface of her body using his shaman senses. He touched her forehead and her heart with the palm of his hand. “I don’t sense her soul within her.”

“Then, where is she?” Josef was exerting tremendous control not to cry or give way to an uncontrollable rage, but I felt the tears in his voice.

“”We’ll soon know. If not her soul, her ghost will answer my summons.” He held out his arms to Josef in invitation. “For you to see and hear her, you must share blood with me. You may have to die again. Are you willing?”

“I’ll do anything,” Josef said simply.

“Then come to me, Josef,” Sam said. “You know what we have to do.” I had supposed he would take Josef to a different part of the house to perform their exchange in private; this was a part of the ceremony. Josef had never been ashamed to feed before me, but Francis was here, Sam’s lover. The elder was like the god of vampires to me, as much as I once scoffed at the idea. He had been born into that ancient time and culture when men worshiped us as demigods and protectors. Francis had given Josef his blessing. Now, he sat with his hands resting on his knees, unmoving as a carved god in a temple of ancient Luxor, except for his living and intense eyes.

Josef and Sam stood facing each other. Sam was the shorter, as Josef was an inch or so shorter than me, but Sam’s power made him seem the taller of the two. Sam said, “Let the Creator accept our sacrifice on behalf of this woman, Sarah Whitley. Do it now, Josef.” Because of what I took from Sam, I felt what he felt. I experienced the sharpness of Josef’s fangs as they entered Sam. Sam never cried out. He only sighed as he had done with me. Josef paced himself carefully, waiting for Sam’s mental command to stop. When it happened, he released Sam and stepped back. Sam’s long hair was tied back in anticipation of what was needed. The marks I left on him were already gone. The new wounds closed in moments. It must have been Francis’ blood working inside him.

For the first time since the day Josef drained me and fed me his blood, I felt Josef’s feelings. This time, they came by way of Sam. Hope and fear were so tightly knit in Josef; it made me dizzy. We in this room were all connected now, through blood and love. There was a power here that Sam alone had the resources to harness. He was the only human, and young to boot, but in this, he was stronger than any of us.

“Give me yours now,” Sam directed, “as I told you it must be done.” Josef removed his shirt, and then, withdrew a knife from his pocket and unsheathed it. The blade was silver. I moved away from the poisonous metal, but Josef took the crystal handle and moved the point in a line over his heart. It must have been painful, but the silver would keep his wound open long enough for Sam to take in a good quantity of Josef’s blood. I saw the agony on Josef’s face as the knife cut, but he hardly flinched. He dropped the knife and brought Sam close.

Sam seemed to absorb Josef’s strength with his blood, standing straighter while Josef grew weaker. Josef began to tremble and sway with the effort of standing up, but Sam held him steady. When he taken as much as he could, I thought Francis or I would help him lift Josef, but he did it himself as if Josef were light as a child. He carried him to the bed himself. Sam was strong enough, having taken into himself the blood of the two most powerful vampires I knew.

He lowered Josef to the bed beside Sarah. Josef’s skin had turned the color of ash and he shivered as if he were cold, or old and infirm. I’d never seen him like this. In a few moments, Josef’s pained eyes closed and he was as still as death.

My brain was racing with fear. Is Josef dead? I thought the question.

He’s been dead for a long time, came the answer from Sam’s mind. He’s in death sleep now, like Sarah. Sam sat, then lifted his drum to his knees and began to play the summoning beat I had heard twice, once when he summoned me to him, and the second time when he summoned a shaman with twice his own occult strength. My blood had increased Sam’s power that time. This time, he was immeasurably more powerful.

Sam chanted words to the beat of his drum, first in Mohawk and then in English so I could understand. "Orenda," he began. I heard him all the way through both, before I fit my fingers to the strings of my guitar to follow the pattern of his beat. “Creator,” Sam chanted in translation, “let the souls of these lovers unite. Give them the ability to see and hear and feel each other. Sarah Whitley, ride the winds of love and memory back to the body you once inhabited. See the soul of this man who loves you. Remember him.”

He repeated the words several times in both languages. The music was putting me into a strange state of mind. I felt like this when I first heard Sam play. I might have been under water, not needing to breathe, but even I froze for a moment when Sarah sat up. Keep playing, Mick, Sam’s voice commanded in my head.

She yawned. “Charles?” she asked. I felt Sam’s confusion at her question. He went by that name when they knew each other, I sent. I forced my fingers back to the strings of my guitar and continued to match the steady beat of Sam’s drum. I was riveted at the sight of the two on the bed. Josef sat up and turned to her.

“Yes, my darling,” he said, his eyes intense, his voice filled with wonder and joy and hope. “I’m here with you. We’ll never be parted again.”

“Charles? Where are we?”

Josef didn’t know how to answer at first. He paused to listen to Sam’s directions. “We’re in New York in our house. We chose it together. You’ve been here all along. I tried to turn you like you asked me to, in 1955, but it went wrong. This is 2008.”

Sarah sighed. “I haven’t been here. I’m home in bed. I’m married with children. I dreamed you, Charles, and you were like something out of a novel. Now, I’m dreaming you again.”

“But you’re real. We’re together again. You’re Sarah Whitley. I love you.”

Sarah rose from the bed and walked in front of the mirror. She stood up on her toes and twirled, beautiful as ever in her silk nightgown, not a living corpse on a bed. “I must be dreaming again. I dreamed I was in love with a vampire names Charles. How strange to see you as if you were real! My father warned me.”

“You remember your father?” Josef asked in a rush.

“In my dream of you, I had a different father, a rich man who gave me everything I could want. I was ready to give it all up to be with you. Do you remember how we loved each other, Charles?”

“Yes! Yes! I still love you. You love me. We’re real! Please remember me, my darling. Be alive for me again.”

With an indulgent smile, she stroked his cheeks and lips. Josef stared at her. His non-beating heart was breaking and I felt it shattering within him as she spoke. “I can’t live in a dream. People depend on me. You’re nothing but a fantasy, Charles, a fantasy that thinks he’s real. You’re my handsome dream lover, but I have a real husband. I have to wake up soon and get my children ready for school. It was lovely seeing you again.”

She took another glance at herself in the mirror and sighed. “In my dreams, I’m always slimmer and younger, but real life is waiting. It will be morning soon. I’ll have to wake up and make the coffee. Goodbye, my sweet Charles. I’ll always remember you.”

“No. Don’t leave me again!” he cried. “Stay with me.”

I heard Sam and Josef in silent dialogue. Their lips did not move, but I heard them as though they spoke aloud. “Sam. Make her stay,” he demanded.

“If she stays, her living body will die. Her new family loves her too, and she loves them.

“I don’t care. I had her first. She belongs to me; only to me.”

“You killed her by accident the first time. If you keep her now, you will have killed her on purpose. Is that what she would want?” Sam’s answer made Josef wince. I felt his turmoil ripping him in half, wanting her, but wanting to do what was best for her. He’d never had to make such a painful decision.

“She should go back then. I would never hurt my Sarah again.” He grimaced with the pain of losing her again, pain that must have hurt worse than a silver knife.

Sarah could not have heard any of this. I only heard it because of the blood Sam gave me. She learned forward and kissed him on the lips, but lightly. “Goodbye, my sweet, handsome vampire,” she said. She stretched out on the bed again, closed her eyes and seemed to fall back into her undead sleep. Her eyes, however, closed as they were, grew flat, and her cheeks drained of color. She became pale as candle wax. She was truly dead this time, no longer the sleeping beauty in suspended animation.

Josef made a sound like a man strangling, starved for air that he did not need. He took a deep breath and screamed. His agony cut through me. Then, he closed his eyes and became very still. Like Romeo and Juliet at the end of the play, their love for each other had killed them. There was nothing I could do.

Sam played his drums in another beat now, sending out a tone of comfort and peace. It was the beat he once played to reconcile the warring factions on his reservation, to get them to come together in peace. I followed his music on my guitar as well as I could while tears dripped down my cheeks, hoping and praying that Josef would not take the place of the sleeping beauty on the bed, to lie for years in unending sleep.
Last edited by Penina Spinka on Wed Sep 09, 2009 3:35 am, edited 3 times in total.
Read Sam stories by Penina My index: http://www.moonlightaholics.com/viewforum.php?f=560
User avatar
draco
Logan's WoW nemesis
Posts: 659
Joined: Fri Jan 23, 2009 4:09 pm

Re: POSSIBLY SAM - PART II - chapters 6 through 10

Post by draco »

Oh no!!!!
Don't let Josef slip into a never ending sleep, too! :eek2: :confused2: :fingerscrossed:
I think it's up to Mick to persuade him to stay. No one else is as close to Josef than him. I just hope the mental link they all share for now is strong enough to help Mick influence Josef :pray: :fingerscrossed:
Penina Spinka
Freelance freshie
Posts: 226
Joined: Sat Jan 24, 2009 10:10 pm
Location: Sun City Arizona, USA

Re: POSSIBLY SAM - PART II - chapters 6 through 10

Post by Penina Spinka »

Draco, thank you for your comment. You are really understanding this story. Only Mick can save Josef now. I'll post the concluding chapter tomorrow. You're my only reader on this site although so many people read "The Beat". I hope the last chapter will please you. Penina
Read Sam stories by Penina My index: http://www.moonlightaholics.com/viewforum.php?f=560
Penina Spinka
Freelance freshie
Posts: 226
Joined: Sat Jan 24, 2009 10:10 pm
Location: Sun City Arizona, USA

Re: POSSIBLY SAM - PART II - chapters 6 through 10

Post by Penina Spinka »

Here are the last two chapters of POSSIBLY SAM - PART II. If you read it, please send me your thoughts. I thank anyone who invested the time to read this story and value your opinions.

Possibly Sam

Chapter 10

I felt waves of sympathy from Sam and Francis, but that wasn’t good enough. Josef and I had been through too much together. I didn’t want to mourn him; there had to be a way to fix this. I couldn’t believe I had lost Josef. My intent was to get him back his lost love or to help him move on. Never would I have gone forward with my crazy idea if I thought there was a chance I’d lose Josef.

“Sarah’s been dead since 1955, and Josef is dead now,” I said. “Am I supposed to arrange a double funeral? Josef is a part of me. I can’t lose him!”

“I don’t know what else to try,” Sam said. His voice was husky with swallowed tears.

“Follow your instincts,” Francis said. “You know him best.”

I looked down at my friend. “This can’t be. I won’t have it,” I said, as if I had the power to change fate. I lowered myself to the bed and covered Josef with my body, resting my cheek on his, my hips against his, as if I could warm him to life. Fool, I told myself. I was thinking like a medic. Human instincts wouldn’t help. “Josef, I need you,” I said and touched his face. “Don’t leave me.” I sounded like an irrational child, a new orphan who had lost his last parent. Nothing changed.

Sam picked up his drumsticks and began that primal beat that had first called me to him. Each time he played it, the beat was individual, like a heart beat. It was only the drum. He had no words to calm my soul if Josef had gone to a place where I couldn’t reach him.

If I was deranged, so be it. Josef was more than sire or brother to me. There was a connection between us that couldn’t be broken, like Sam’s connection to Francis. The elder walked to the bed and rested one hand on me, the other on Josef. “Listen to your vampire instincts,” he said. “What do they tell you to do?”

I turned Josef to me, leaned across him and moved so that my neck was stretched out before his mouth. If he was truly my new sire, we had a blood connection stronger than any other. If there was a spark of life left in him, he had to sense me. One miracle had already taken place on this bed. I pressed the back of his head toward me and prayed for my own miracle. Maybe Josef’s instincts would bring him back.

I felt the slightest movement and then sharpness as Josef’s fangs pierced my skin. It hurt, but I snuggled closer to him, feeling warm and loved as he drew my blood into himself. “Let him take enough,” Francis whispered. I was content to just be there for Josef. The drumbeat stopped and then Sam was beside us too. My eyes were half closed, seeing nothing but Josef, shirtless and bloody. I felt Sam rather than saw him beside us. Blood loss was making me weak, but I didn’t care.

“You’ve taken enough, Josef,” Francis’ voice came. “Stop.” Josef took another swallow, but stopped. It was instinctual for him to obey the elder, the father of us all. I drew back for a moment. Josef’s eyes hadn’t opened. He was expressionless as a robot. I continued to hold him, not wanting to move.

“Who am I, Josef?” I whispered urgently. “Tell me.”

“Hmm. You taste like…let me think about this. Oh yes.” He licked his bloody lips. “I taste friend, father, brother, son.” I tried to understand. Francis was father, Sam was friend; I was both brother and son to Josef. Because Sam had Francis’s blood and I had taken some of his, Josef was sensing the essence of all of us. His next words proved it. “I taste a little Sam, some Francis, but most of all, my Mick.” He hadn’t moved anything but his lips. His words were spoken so softly; they might have been in my mind.

“Damn it, Josef!” I shouted. “Wake the hell up!”

“You don’t have to scream in my ear.” His eyes opened and he looked at me, then up to Francis and Sam. Tears of joy flooded my face and drenched Josef’s face. “What do you think you’re doing?” Josef gave me a little shake and a push “You’re getting me all wet. Move.” I got out of the bed and stood shakily next to Sam and Francis. Josef wiped his face and chest with his handkerchief and then sat up on the side of the bed to face us. “Well, Mick? What do you think you were doing?”

“Going insane?” I suggested first, but I amended it. “Actually, I was praying for my own miracle, and got it.”

“What am I going to do about you, my friend?” Josef asked. His expression softened just enough that my tears of relief started again and I had to look away.

“What about you?” Francis asked Josef. “You’ve been through a shock.”

Josef looked at Sarah’s body and blew out a long breath. “You can say that again. Sarah thought her last life was a dream. She’s living in another body now and she’s happy.” He wiped at his eyes. “I had to let her go back. I’ve lost her, and there’s nothing left to be done. It wasn’t meant for us to be together.” He got off the bed and looked at his dead love. “I’m so sorry, dearest,” he whispered. “Forgive me.”

He shook off his somber mood and looked around. “I have things to take care of. Sarah has to be properly interred. She’s human again, isn’t she? She won’t wake up some in her coffin, six feet underground?” Horror shadowed his eyes. He looked to Francis to answer his question.

“She’s human again, but put your mind at rest,” the elder vampire said. Josef’s resurrection apparently surprised him less than it surprised me. He must have seen a lot in his 4000 plus years. “Cremation is your best option for her and for you. We’ll stay with you until it’s done. We nearly lost you too. Mick brought you back.”

Josef refused to comment about that. “Where’s my cell phone?” Josef looked for the charger and retrieved his phone. He made arrangements for Sarah’s cremation. He got the right party and gave his orders. “The biggest floral arrangement you can buy. Have it say, ‘To Sarah Fitzgerald. With all my love, Charles.’ Don’t ask questions. Get a move on. We’ll be there shortly. Be ready.” He shut the connection. Her body would be picked up within the hour, cremated and interred in a mortuary tonight. Francis looked at him.

“The Cleaners have lawyers, vampire lawyers, working for them. They can pull anything off,” he explained. “It will nice and legal, nothing that will draw attention to us.” Francis nodded.

“I’ll call the placement agency next to tell Sarah’s nurses their patient is dead and their employment is over. I’ll send them each a sizeable bonus. They gave Sarah the best care they could. Then, I need to call my realtor to sell the house and everything in it. Lastly, I need to alert my flight team that we’re ready to leave. I don’t want to be in New York one minute more than I have to.”

“Are you sure the nurses will keep their knowledge of Sarah to themselves?” Francis asked.

“I interviewed each of them carefully and paid them well. They didn’t understand her condition, but they did their best for her. My love is what killed her. I understand that now.” He looked at me and hung his head. “Poor Mick. You helped me see this through. I’m not an easy guy to have for a friend.”

“That’s the truth,” was the best I could do for a retort.

“As long as you’re being so agreeable, get a bag of blood from the refrigerator and pour yourself a glass. And wipe your nose. Take a shower and wash the blood off. You look like hell.” He gave me one of his signature grins. “Get a move on. I need a shower too.”

“Thanks,” I said. “Thanks a lot.” I left to do as he said while Josef made his calls.


After Sarah’s ashes were finally laid to rest, Josef arranged pick up of his rented car at the cemetery office. Before dawn, Sam and Francis drove us out to the airport and to Josef’s private terminal. The plane would be gassed up, with pilot, co-pilot and hostesses aboard and ready to take off for L.A. when we got there. Francis would not suffer much from the morning sun on their way back to Sam’s apartment. His age gave him strength even Josef could hardly imagine. While he drove, he and Josef talked business and investments. I called that one right.

I sat in the back with Sam, our shoulders touching, my arm wrapped around his. In our too short visit, we hadn’t had much time for talk. I wanted to keep this part of our conversation private, as it would not be good for Josef to hear it. Could you have prevented Sarah from going? I asked Sam mentally.

No. She would have returned to her living body anyway, but Josef agreed to it. It was better for him that way. He can finally begin to let go of his guilt.

That is why Sam was a shaman and I wasn’t. The rest of our conversation was less personal. This was my chance to bring Sam up to date with what had happened to me since I left him in January. “And now this,” I concluded. “You have my eternal thanks. If there is ever anything I can do for you, you know how to reach me,” I said. “Anything at all. You only have to ask.”

“I know,” Sam said. “I have everything I want already.” He lifted his chin to Francis and then, squeezed my hand. “I think you and I go back a long way too. We’ll see each other again, in this lifetime and in others.”

“I hope so,” I said. Josef was all right, or as close as he could come to it. I’d be seeing Beth soon, and that was wonderful. I loved her and I hoped that love would grow. We had our problems to iron out, but I had high hopes we loved one another enough to do so. No matter what happened in LA, I knew part of my heart was right here, never judging, always accepting and sitting beside me. For now, I was content.


The End
Read Sam stories by Penina My index: http://www.moonlightaholics.com/viewforum.php?f=560
User avatar
draco
Logan's WoW nemesis
Posts: 659
Joined: Fri Jan 23, 2009 4:09 pm

Re: POSSIBLY SAM - PART II - chapters 6 through 10

Post by draco »

I'm so glad that Mick was able to bring Josef back from the brink of his abyss.
The easy banter right after the ordeal gives me hope that he will be okay with losing Sarah. The fact that she was happy in her new life must be somewhat of a consolation for Josef, too.

I like the thought of Sam and Mick being equally connected as Francis and Sam are (well maybe not that close but still bonded).

Will there be more stories of Sam. Francis and Mick? I like the constellation of these three and I hope you might come up with more stories for them.

Thanks so much for posting these here, even if I seem to be the only one who hasn't already read it before somewhere. :hug: :flowers:
jen
Cleaner
Posts: 6411
Joined: Mon Apr 20, 2009 12:11 am

Re: POSSIBLY SAM - PART II - chapters 6 through 10

Post by jen »

Well done, Penina!

This is quite different and it has been some time since I read the Beat. May be time for me to revisit that one.

You have created some very interesting characters in this fascinating universe.

Thank you.

:hearts: :hearts: :hearts: :hearts: :hearts:
Mick and Beth--two of the lovely faces of Moonlight
Image
Beautiful banner by the Fabulous Phoenix
Penina Spinka
Freelance freshie
Posts: 226
Joined: Sat Jan 24, 2009 10:10 pm
Location: Sun City Arizona, USA

Re: POSSIBLY SAM - PART II - chapters 6 through 10

Post by Penina Spinka »

Thanks again. I just checked and I never put New Day in here. I should do that, and if you are interested in more Sam and Francis, I'm in chapter 16 of their story when they were both in their first lives as twin princes of Transylvania. Sam was becoming a king, and you know what Francis was becoming. I am glad you enjoyed Possibly Sam. New Day picks up right after they drop off Mick and Josef at Josef's hanger at Kennedy and head back to Greenwich Village. Francis tells Sam about their beginning and an adventure they had 1000 years later. I'll begin putting it in this week. Take care, Penina
Read Sam stories by Penina My index: http://www.moonlightaholics.com/viewforum.php?f=560
Post Reply

Return to “Penina Spinka's Office”