Chapter 8 Vampire Justice

Tango and Mick arrived at Josef's together and were greeted by Franklin at the door. "Please come in," he invited. "Mr. Kostan is in the lounge. Refreshments are awaiting you gentlemen there."

Both of them grinned at him and his old fashioned courtesies. Franklin was nothing if not polite and genial; of course since he worked for Josef he was also a hell of a fighter when needed but all in all, Franklin much preferred the genteel roll of major domo.

Mick and Tango headed into the lounge and found Josef setting out a box of poker chips. Mick only grinned and Tango laughed outright. "So, you suspect the human's won't want to play for blood Josef?"

"Maybe later, get 'em drunk enough!" Josef quipped. "Sort of changes the game play a bit though. Still, might as well bring them into the fold because if my senses aren't deceiving me, and they never do I might add, both will eventually joined our ranks."

Mick stopped to think about that for a moment as he mixed a few drops of O- into his scotch. Carl, well he could see that if he stayed with Cami and all indications were that he would. But Clark? Would he do that? And how would Dorothy feel about it? Something to consider to be sure.

It also made him wonder just how much he and Beth missed while they were in Seattle. What happened the night Beth was turned? He knew that Lani, Josef, Audrey and Logan told Dorothy and Clark. Maybe there was more to the story then they knew.

Clark and Logan walked in them, closely followed by Carl. Drinks were passed around, minus the blood for Clark and Carl and Logan choose a Coke instead of scotch Mick noticed. So did Josef and the smirk he wore was hard not to imitate. Logan was very nervous and Mick wondered if it were the group of people here or the fact that he was playing poker that wasn't on the computer. It made Mick smile broadly seeing his fledgling of long ago finally coming out of the basement. He wondered if Audrey would be joining their world since Josef had mentioned Carl and Clark.

The men settled down to play and Logan fiddled with his chips, noisily stacking and unstacking them until Mick caught his eye and shook his head. Logan dropped them and looked around, feeling very out of place. A short while into the second hand Logan's phone rang, inducing frowns from Josef and Tango. Mick mentally rolled his eyes and cursed, knowing that he should have reminded Logan to switch it off.

"Oh, I gotta take this and Josef, you might be happy I did."

"Hey, we got her Logan. She's on board the freighter Adrianne heading to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. They dock tomorrow. We got the bitch Logan!" Ryder exclaimed.

Logan looked up, grinning like mad and saw that Mick, Josef and Tango had heard. "Hey Ryder, I'm here with Josef, so hang on a minute."

He looked up at Josef and said "Switch to speaker." He pushed the speaker button and set the phone on the table.

"Ryder, this is Josef. You're positive? It is Katrina?"

"Yes, positive ID by one of our guys in Aruba where they docked briefly early this morning. We've got eyes on her now on board. Next port is Haiti. What do you want to do?"

"I want a welcoming committee on her when they make port and then I want her ass on the jet back to LA. Stake her and cover her ass with enough silver chains that she can't even think about moving. Oh, and make sure they put some plastic down on the leather of the jet; no blood stains on the leather. When you get her back to LA take her to the warehouse and keep her there until Monday when we'll deal with her. I have plans this weekend and that bitch isn't going to ruin them. Give her just enough blood to keep her semi-conscious. I want her to know what's waiting for her. That okay with you Tango, Mick?"

Both men nodded and Logan ended the call. Satisfied smiles spread around the table as they sipped their drinks. Everyone but Carl understood what was happening and Josef caught him up on the details.

"I suppose I shouldn't be telling the plans to you Carl, being as how you are not involved and that you are an officer of the law." He fixed a cool stare at Carl, watching him closely.

Carl took the measure of Josef's eyes. He knew that this was a test and instead of panicking he could meet this one easily. First off, this was the bitch that caused Beth to die; not that it was a bad thing in the end but if there were no such things as vampires then she would be gone. Next, this was how justice should work. Justice was supposed to protect the people it served; it should be unwavering and immediate and vampire justice apparently was. An eye for an eye, life for a life? Carl could support that after so many years of watching the bad guys hide behind a justice system that didn't do anything more that allow them to manipulate that system. Mick had taken care of Tejada; he'd never admitted it but Carl knew it and so did Josef most likely. Tejada met the justice he'd deserved, after ruining so many lives with his dictatoresque style of running drugs and glorified violence. Yeah, the bastard got just what he deserved and if Carl could have had a hand in that he would have been a happy guy.

He was with Cami and that meant that his life was changed. He was going to eventually be with these men, in body as well as spirit. He and Cami hadn't spoken of it, but his mind was made up. These were beginning to be family of sorts and he stood with them, 100 percent.

"I'm with you Josef. What do you need from me?"

"No turning back from this point Carl. You need to understand that. This is a one way door you are going to walk through."

Carl saw Mick looking at him; he could swear that he saw regret briefly flitter across his face. Mick wasn't necessarily happy with his existence; Carl had heard the story of how he was turned and so he understood why. Mick was trying to make peace with it and with Beth at his side he would eventually Carl thought. But Carl wasn't a wide-eyed youth who didn't understand what this was about; he understood it well and went into it with a clear understanding and expectations of what was going to happen.

"I'm with you. All of you," he promised, looking around the table, meeting the eyes of the men who would ostensibly be his partners in this. Each man gave a small nod, including Clark who was also ready to end this with Katrina.

"Okay, it's done then. Tango, I believe it's your deal," Josef said, handing the cards to Tango who took them and began the shuffle.

As far as hands went that night, no one won big or lost big. But a bond was created that was going to last forever; they just didn't all realize it at the time.



OOOOOOOOOOOO



As he drove home Carl thought about the evening; he'd taken a step across the line that he had always lived by. Investigation, prosecution, trial by your peers, jail. He's seen it happen a thousand times and unfortunately half the time it didn't work. You could have the bastards nailed to the door and they still missed out on the paying for their crimes part of it all.

What amazed him was that he wasn't just okay with this new form of justice, he wanted to get in there and watch it work. The law of past centuries had it right; you catch them and once that verdict was read you took them out and hung them or shot them dead. No time for one appeal after another, tying up money and court time until the system could barely move.

This was it - the way that he could finally help. He grabbed on with both hands.

The other thing on his mind was Mick and what Ben had shared. Tonight at the game was not the time to tell him; this was private and needed to be done when they were alone. Likely Mick had no idea about all this and it would undoubtedly be a shock for him. He didn't know what Ben's plans were ultimately; he knew the fingerprints matched but did he conceive of the possibility that Mick was an immortal? That was doubtful.

No, he'd tell Mick soon, maybe this weekend.

Feeling a great deal of pressure off him, he finally smiled as he pulled into the garage at his townhouse. All in all, it had been a great evening.



OOOOOOOOOOOO



Clark stepped into the kitchen and looked around. As usual Dorothy had left the light over the sink on, but otherwise the house was dark and quiet. He sat the alarm and headed into the bedroom.

When he walked into the darkened room he found his wife sleeping peacefully; there was an empty glass and a plate on the nightstand and he knew she'd had her nightly snack of milk and graham crackers. He carried them both into the kitchen and ran water in the glass and then put them both into the dishwasher.

In the bedroom he sat down on the chair opposite the bed in preparation for taking his shoes off. A stray bit of moonlight shone through a crack in the blinds and illuminated her face and for a moment he caught his breath because she looked so young, so innocent. The years started spiraling backwards; she was 16 and he 18. He had joined the army straight out of high school; not sure what he was looking for but knowing that he had to prove something to himself and build a new life for he and Dorothy both.

She had been angry that he was going and made no bones about it; she felt abandoned and to her, a few years in the army seemed like a lifetime. It was risky he knew; she had two years of high school to complete and she needed to do that and with him here both of them would have found it an impossible task to stay focused on what they needed to do. So he left and soon her letters stopped and no one would say anything about why or what was going on. He had figured that she had moved on and it broke his heart but he had no choice but to accept it. When he had came home and he discovered the truth he had never been more angry. He had thought she had betrayed him and when he saw that there was no other guy around to be a father to that little girl he knew what he was supposed to do; be there, to love them and protect them both.

And that was exactly what he did and what he would do in the future.

After he undressed he slipped into the bed next to her and leaned down to kiss her gently. Her eyes fluttered open briefly and she smiled at him and curled around his body. There were no moments more perfect than this. Her in his arms, the warmth of her, the indescribable perfume of her essence. These were they things that made life complete. It was his job to make sure it always stayed that way.



OOOOOOOOOOOO



Lani woke up Friday morning with a smile on her face. Tonight it would be just her and Josef at the beach house and she couldn't wait. She jumped into the shower and enjoyed the warm water as it streamed over her but she still had to pack for the weekend so it wasn't a long shower.

She wasn't taking that much with her but it still took time to organize. A couple of bathing suits, some shorts and tops, that kind of thing. She was gathering toiletry items when she heard a knock on her door. Had to be Josef she thought with a smile.

Wrapped only in her robe she answered the door, not bothering to look out first to see who her visitor was.

"Lani, you need to make sure who is here before you open this door!"

"How do you know that I didn't?"

"You didn't look through the peep hole." He looked at her standing in front of him, the scarlet silken robe playing peek-a-boo with the equally satin skin beneath it. His mouth bent and captured hers, drinking her in as a gnawing ache gripped him. Cool fingers slipped inside her robe and played lightly along her spine. He pulled her to him and picked her in his arms and carried her to the bedroom. She slid to her feet then and untied the robe, letting it fall to the floor in a hushed whisper. Before she had time to take a breath he had his clothes off and fell to the bed, pulling her with him.

He drank her in, her mouth sweet and hot and he shivered as her tongue swirled around his. She maneuvered under him and then he was between her legs and buried deep within her. She let out a long, throaty sigh and looked into his silvered eyes with joy, so happy to see her vamp again.

"I want to taste you!" she told him and he turned his head and bit into his shoulder and her mouth claimed the precious blood, sucking greedily on it until there was no more. The waves of pleasure rocked through her and her legs clasped him tightly as he let himself go; cool lips found his spot and bit lightly and they each tumbled over the edge together, holding tightly as soft moans filled the air.

A few minutes later she stretched and sat up, staring down at him, a pleased Cheshire cat smile on her face. "Well, that didn't take long," she laughed.

"Don't remind me. That'll teach me to be away from you for two days." Her eyes raked down his body and saw his manhood twitch slightly. Her hand reached out to clasp him firmly and he grinned. "Can't get enough of me, huh?"

She laughed and then swatted him on the thigh. "For that you'll have to wait until tonight for more." She scooted off the bed and grabbed her robe and tied it securely around her and went back to packing her bag.

He sat up and watched her, his eyes hungrily raking over her every movement. Silk did such enticing things to a females body, showing curves and shadowing at the same time. He was hard again just watching her. She caught him watching him and laughed.

"So why did you show up here this morning anyway?"

"I thought we could ride into the office together and then we leave this afternoon we don't have to worry about your car. Is that one bag all you're taking?" It was a small bag he noted; that could bode well for him. A wicked gleam shone in his eyes for a moment.

"This and my garment bag," she said pointing to it hanging on the door. "That is for Monday morning so I don't have to come home to dress. And I think you have a very good idea! But you need to get in gear Josef because I have a meeting with Audrey, Thor and Darryl in about 40 minutes! So pony up cowboy, it's time to hit the trail!"

He laughed as he stood up and started pulling his clothes back on. The Armani was now wrinkled but he just didn't care. He'd worry about it later. All that mattered was being with her, here and now.



OOOOOOOOOOOO



In the morning he woke first, as was his habit. She was still sleeping soundly as he hopped on the treadmill and knocked out 5 miles before hitting the shower. Time was weighing heavily on his mind; he was determined to get that time.

As Clark fixed breakfast he thought about what he was going to say to her and knew that she was going to be angry with him - most likely anyway. As luck would have it he didn't have long to wait. He was pulling the poached eggs out of the pan when she came into the kitchen, squeaky clean and smelling of jasmine from her shower.

Dorothy inhaled deeply and her stomach rumbled and then she felt several kicks from the rascals that were temporarily nestled in her stomach. She grinned and stood in front of Clark and took his hand and placed it on her belly so he could feel it too. She watched his face as he felt the movement and then saw tears well up in his eyes as he smiled at her. She could only return the smile with gratitude that this man was here with her.

He kissed her and said, "Sit down honey. Breakfast is ready and you and I are apparently not the only ones who are hungry."

Dorothy took her seat and sipped the pineapple juice that was sitting by her plate. It was cold and delicious and as Clark sat the eggs, toast and fruit on the table she sighed at how wonderful it all smelled. She looked at the clock and saw that it was after 8 already. "Aren't you late for work?"

"I'm taking off today," he told her as he sat down across from her.

Her eyebrows rose a bit at that news which was so unlike him. "Hm," she said, taking a bite of the egg.

"Hey, I'm the boss, I can do it," he laughed. "How are your eggs?"

"Delicious, as always. You do spoil me; you realize that I can do all this myself though. You don't have to babysit me Clark."

"This is where I belong; where I want to be," he told her as he lightly caressed her hand. "Now, how was shopping with the girls?"

She told him all about it, including how worried she was about Beth. "I know that it's bothering her Clark; I just want to be there for her."

"You will be honey, you always are."

"What about poker night with the boys? How do vampires play poker?" She laughed when he did; she could only imagine how it went for Logan.

"Good actually. And we have some good news; Ryder and Logan have found Katrina and she'll be back in LA soon. It won't be good for her."

"I don't care! I hope that she...that som...I just hope that Josef takes care of it because I know that he's capable of doing it."

Clark nodded, not going into detail. She didn't need to know them; she just needed to know that it had been taken care of. "Dorothy, I've been thinking. For a while now. After the babies are born, maybe a year or two down the road I'm going to be turned." He watched as she blanched white and sat her fork down on the table.

"Honey, you know that I've been considering it for awhile now; I've made up my mind. I have to be able to protect you and the babies Dorothy."

It had felt like a slap in the face and yet she knew that he would say those words sooner or later. He hadn't protected her when she was raped and she knew how much guilt he felt over it. Not that he could have; he might actually have been killed trying. Now this was his chance to make it for that, to ensure that he would always be there to protect them. How could she ask him not to? How could she not want it for herself? Did she want it? It seemed that most of the people she loved were now vampires. How could they raise the babies if they were both vampires though?

Clark watched the emotions fly over her face and saw her confusion and uncertainty; he understood it all because he'd experienced it all himself at one time or another. "Dorothy, just take some time to think about it, okay? It's what I have to do, please understand that. If you decide you never want that, I'm okay with that. I'll spend every minute I can get with you and love you always."

"And watch me die?" He heard the small catch in her voice.

"If that is what you want. It wouldn't be my choice, but I'll support you whatever decision you make."

She met his eyes and saw that tears were running down his face; her fingers brushed away her own tears and she blinked. "I don't know if I'm ready for the decision Clark, but I understand yours. I won't fight you on it Clark." The words were spoken so quietly and were barely above a whisper but in the breathless quiet of the morning they both knew that the decision had been made, by both of them.



OOOOOOOOOOOOO



Beth had taken the information about Katrina with a good deal of equanimity he thought; maybe too much but that remained to be seen he decided. Since she had been turned she often didn't react immediately to things the way she used to, she put more thought into what she did, which was a good thing. He had talked to her a lot about that when she was learning about her new abilities and he had tried hard to impress on her that if she went flying off the reservation in reaction to something she put herself and the whole tribe in danger. At least something he'd taught her seemed to be sinking in.

Still, what did she think about it? She was quiet this morning, even before he'd told her. She had said that they had a good time shopping but his gut told him that something was wrong and she wasn't telling him about it. He could be needlessly worrying but he couldn't let it go. When he probed a bit harder he was treated to a huge smile and the 'come hither' look crept into her eyes, except he recognized it now. She was trying to use allure on him to deflect his questions. It took everything he had to resist her and he wasn't sure that he could actually. In the end, he couldn't, but he didn't forget about things either.

Beth and Audrey had made plans for Mick and Beth to come over this evening to see Travis and the plans for the new house which was coming along nicely. As they got ready in the early evening Mick watched her closely but still couldn't tell what was wrong.

At Audrey and Logan's Beth was amazed at Travis and Plato both. They seemed to almost be connected; where one went the other followed. Travis ran to her when she came in and then he stopped short, sniffing the air. He sat down and meowed softly, as if considering this new set of circumstances.

Beth knelt down and reached her hand out to him, rubbing her fingers together and calling his name. He took a cautious step forward and Plato meowed in the background, causing Travis to meow back and look over his shoulder at Plato.

Obviously some sort of feline communication but what the verdict was Mick couldn't tell. He saw his wife waiting patiently and also scented her hurt at Travis' reaction. Logan did too and it made him feel awful.

Travis finally came forward and let her touch him and then backed up a bit. He wasn't going to let her pick him up, that much was for sure. "It's okay Travis; I won't hurt you, I promise," she told him. He finally retreated across the room, Plato following him and they laid down near the windows with Plato curving his body protectively around Travis.

"I - I guess it makes sense, it's been so long and I'm a vampire now." She watched him with tears sparkling in her blue eyes.

"Beth, would you care for something to drink?" Audrey said, trying to change Beth's focus.

"Sure," she said, following Audrey to the kitchen. Mick and Logan followed and sat at the dining room table so they could look at the plans for the house.

The girls brought back wine for all of them; the glasses for the vampires were laced with blood and Beth was amazed at how comfortable Audrey was with it all. At they sipped Logan and Audrey told them about the designs for their green home.

"The water heater heats the water as you need it; it's amazing actually. I thought I would take several minutes for it to get hot but it happens really quickly," Audrey told them.

"Yeah and there are built in water reservoirs that collect rain water that can be used for non-potable needs, like flushing toilets or watering the yards and stuff. It's all so amazing," Logan said, so excited he could hardly sit still.

Mick smiled at these two, at how happy they were. Why hadn't Logan put a ring on this amazing girls finger yet he wondered? He made a point to speak with him soon and see what was going on with that. Mick had almost thought that when he and Beth got back that Logan and Audrey would at the least be engaged if not married.

The evening wore on and it was getting late. Beth mentioned that they were going to the beach with Lani and Josef for the weekend. "So, you won't mind keeping Travis for a bit longer," she asked.

"No, of course not. He'll need time to be around you again Beth. I'm sorry he seems a bit awkward with you right now. I think he and Plato are just so used to each other, you know?"

Beth nodded and thought about that for a moment. "I can see that; it makes me happy that he has a friend, you know? Has he been a problem, staying here I mean?"

"Not at all Beth. We've come to love him," Audrey said and then realized how that must sound.

Beth thought of the picture in Audrey's office, their furry kids and she knew what was the best thing for Travis, maybe for all of them. She swallowed down the tennis ball that felt lodged in her throat and finally spoke. "Maybe he's better off here. I don't want to tear him away from Plato, from what he obviously feels is his home now," she said and couldn't stop the small quiver in her voice.

Mick's arm rapidly went around her; he knew this was the best thing for Travis but not for Beth. Circumstances had taken so much away from her, her cat, her chance to have a baby, her life. In the end it all came back to him; if he had stayed out of her life she may have had such a different one.

He hated what his life had done to hers and yet, he also knew that she didn't regret it; that she was happy with her life. Maybe not everything in it, but life in general. And so he forced himself to see that he had given her a lot as well. Not nearly as much as she had given him but in the end, well, as she would say, they made a good team.

"Oh Beth," Audrey said, knowing how much this was hurting her friend. "He is always welcome here, but he'll also adjust if he goes back to your house, it will just take time like it did for him here."

"That's just it Audrey, he probably feels like no one wants him the way he has been shuffled around. He needs a home, he needs his friend and someplace stable. I have to do what is best for him," she finished.

Audrey nodded, "Okay then, he can stay here with us, but you can see him anytime and if Logan and I go out of town or something you have to baby sit both of them."

"Deal," Beth promised. They stood up to walk to the door, Travis watching from the couch where he and Plato had moved to. Beth stepped towards him and scratched him behind the ears and then did the same for Plato. "You take care of each other, you guys here me?" she said as she stepped back. She needed to leave before she broke down completely. "We'll talk to you guys next week, okay?" she said without waiting for a reply.

In the car she let it all go, sobbing as she did her best to make peace with her decision. "I know he's just a cat, but I loved him Mick," she said as she dug a tissue out of her purse.

"I know Beth; I do understand." He watched her as he drove home. She leaned her head against the window and watched the lights stream by. She'd be okay eventually but he still knew that there was more to all this that he needed to know. Hopefully in time she would tell him.



To be continued...