Agent Fox Mulder (i_want_2) wrote in multi_fiction, @ 2008-08-19 11:06:00 |
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Entry tags: | angel, au, buffy, het, kindred, magnificent 7, rated: adult, slash, wolf lake, world of darkness, x-over |
Fic: Beloved Of The God 2/2 M7 AU Xover
Beloved of the God
By: Lopaka Tanu
Disclaimer: I do not own World of Darkness, Kindred: The Embraced, Magnificent 7, and Buffy: The Vampire Slayer.
Warning: Violence, Character death.
Rating: Adult Slash & Het.
Summary: Once, they were known as Oracles, then prophets; later, they were heretics. Now, in the age of science, they call them mad. What do you call a person who really can hear the voice of a god?
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Winter - 1990.
Vin signed the last of the agreements with the bank after having provided the necessary information that he was in fact the heir to the fortune left by his Clan. It mattered very little to him that he was bankrupting six mega corporations and the entire west coast branches of this bank. They owed their success to him and he had come to collect. A deal with the devil would always bring about ruination for those who didn't invest wisely.
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Spring - 1993.
Vin tossed back a shot of tequila and grimaced. This was practically the worst brand he had ever tasted. Giving Lilly a dark look, he shook his head. The fact that a fledgling Remnant's unlife depended upon this decision was the only bright spot in this whole affair. Those ugly blood suckers were some of the dumbest creatures in existence.
Sitting back, Vin stretched out in the booth. His braids hung around his head in loosely beaded lengths. The gold beads were to celebrate the successful opening of the new club he and Lilly were funding. She would provide the talent and the management, he would provide the backing she lacked.
Lilly wrapped her arm around him and drew a finger down his chest. The fact that he was only sixteen kept her from doing any more. Even she had standards. After a century of discriminating tastes, this child would hardly be a match, no matter how old his symbiot. "Tell me, Vincent, just what do you plan for those studios in the Valley?"
"They are under new management already. However, I am always looking for prospective new talent." Vin pushed her hand off his chest so he could grab his glass of wine. When Lilly slipped it from his fingers, he growled at her. "Why do you insist on treating me like a child?"
"Because, physically, you are. Hosting an Oracle does not make you thousands of years old." She slipped back, avoiding his seeking hands for the glass. "Stop that right now, or I will send you to bed without supper!"
"I ain't a child, Lilly. You just want to be a busy body." Glaring at her, he reached around her and goosed her. When she twisted to slap him, he snatched the glass back. "I don't need a mother, I haven't had one in over three thousand years."
"That would explain your atrocious manners. It is time you learned some new lessons in etiquette." Her eyes going silver, Lilly stared directly in Vin's eyes, imposing her will upon him. "You will obey me."
"Not likely, Lilly. Nice try, but I out rank you." Patting her head condescendingly, he stood up. "Your sire's grand sire was just a gleam in his father's eye when I was toppling the greatest Kingdom of the age. It has been fun, but I gotta go."
Lilly watched him climb out of the booth with a fuming air. She would have to try again next time. Concerning Vin, there would always be a next time. No matter how long it took, he would show up.
Moving for the door, Vin passed through the bustling crowd. For its first night, the club was doing great business. He had complete trust in Lilly to keep the place busy. They both knew in ten years it would have a new name and new owners, at least on paper. She had owned this building since it was first built in nineteen o'seven and would probably see it torn down for something better.
He was distracted by a pleasant face near the bar and ran in to a guy. Turning his attention to the man, he narrowed his eyes. The guy was a blonde with a constant pissed off expression and bad ass clothing to go with it. When his eyes changed to silver, Vin grabbed him by the neck and squeezed.
Cash felt his body weaken and his consciousness darken. Lust and pain warred with each other, replacing the rage that had taken control. Falling to his knees, he weakly tried to pry the hand from around his throat. Glancing up, he saw the scariest thing in his short unlife.
Vin smiled at the gangrel, drawing him up for a kiss. "You belong to me." Pressing their lips together for only a moment, he pushed the gangrel away. With a final smile at the now enthralled Kindred, he stalked out of the club. It was always good to make groupies.
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Spring - 1995.
Spring in L.A. might as well been summer in hell as far as Vin was concerned. This place was a dirty, smog filled pit filled with back stabbing devils. Of course, shooting them was illegal in this day and age, if you got caught that is. The key was finding the right place and time to do it, and the proper alibi. Having great lawyers was key too.
That is why he had been head hunting among the available firms. He was planning on taking a trip and needed someone to run his businesses for him. Darnell, Chipowitz, and Ciskoski was a promising lead, however they were slimier than a fresh water eel. Lukos and Hajj were too fanatical for his taste, they tended to funnel money for terrorist organizations. Edymon, Rummel, Smithe, Ito, and Matsuni held some reservations against those that weren't of their persuasion, heterosexual.
Looked like WolfRam and Hart it was. Sure, they were evil, but the world being as it is, that was a good thing. Besides, he really liked their representative. Holland Manners was very amusing.
Now that that was settled, he turned his attention to other matters. His pet blood sucker was acting funny again. Cash didn't like the fact he was enthralled to a mortal. In fact, he seemed to take great pleasure in making Vin's life hell. Vin decided it was time to get rid of him.
But first, he needed a replacement. Careful review of the city's occupants had revealed a suitable candidate, someone who had survived it all and yet remained untouched.
That was where Ramona came in.
She was a flake, but very amusing. He was standing over the sewer grate that Cash had tossed her body down after embracing her. She would be crawling out tonight when the sun went down. Seems she wasn't as blessed as her sire, she was a night walker.
Turning to look at his pet, he narrowed his eyes in the evening sun. "Are you sure this is the place, Cash?"
"Yeah, I did it here. A gangrel remembers locations." He was chaffing under the gaze of his master. His skin itched with the need to touch Vin. Being bound to an incubus was hell on the will power and he was learning just how much he could take. Cash found himself unconsciously holding hands with the teen.
Vin looked down at their joined hands and smirked. "You'll find distance and your own blood will break you of the habit." Squeezing their hands, he let go. "Eventually."
"I look forward to it." Cash clenched his fingers as they watched the sun start to set. Finding them distracting, he folded them under his arms.
"It's time. Go back to San Francisco and thank Stevie Ray for me." Heading for the side walk, Vin stuck his hands down in his pockets. "I'll be out of touch for a while. I have a feelin Ramona will be a handful."
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Spring - 1996.
Vin lowered the end of his mare's leg, allowing the barrel to cool from the silver shot. Damned werewolves were everywhere in the heart of Texas. He had been following Ramona for a year now and she seemed too dumb to do anything except find more trouble. Pretty soon, he would just have to either reveal himself or just shoot the stupid bitch.
Tonight they were out hunting with her new spawn on the full moon. Dip shit had embraced a werewolf's child, despite the fact it would never shift. She lost her friend for it and now he had to mop up the mess.
Raising his gun, he fired on the charging were. Garou were protective of their human relatives, they might bare a werewolf of their own one day. Called them some name that meant family, but it didn't matter, they were second class citizens to the wolves.
Cocking the shot gun after loading another round, he started off for the rest of the pack. He would have to kill them all because of Ramona's stupidity. Grinding his teeth, he double checked his reason for following her instead of leading his business empire back west.
Oh yeah, he hated it.
Vin was a loner by nature, a vagabond with no true home. Plus that and the fact she made life interesting for him again. Ah, the ignorance of youth, how he loved it!
He didn't notice the man come up behind him with the dart gun. It wasn't until he was falling face first in to the sand that he realized something was wrong. A booted foot kicked him over.
Kneeling beside the teen, the white demon in black kevlar smirked at his brother. "Hello, Vin, long time no see."
"Let me go, Jess."
"Sorry, no can do, me amigo. De elders want your ass back. Seems they gotta plan and your defection to the blood suckers wasn't part of it. Time to come home."
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Spring - 1996.
Vin stood in front of the elders, listening to them continue on endlessly about the history of the Rel. Had he been a Rel, it would mean something to him. But he wasn't, he was an Oracle; the only useful thing about him among their number was as a translator. His ability to speak with a God extended to other species too.
"And to this night, we keep the knowledge, listen for more, and never forget." The elder lowered his head in acknowledgement of the end of the ritual. The other six joined him in the service. When he raised his head, he stared at Vin with a put upon sigh. "You are now an adult."
"Have you chosen your place among the people?" The female elder offered up a large white silk scarf that symbolized the barer an adult.
Taking it from her, Vin wrapped it around his neck and folded his arms.
"Do not sulk, you are not child, Vin." The third elder patted Vin on the head. Standing two feet taller, he easily dwarfed Vin.
First Elder again spoke. "The people have chosen your brother for our speaker among the not-people. He does not know their words, they do not comprehend ours. Your abilities would come to great assistance to him."
Snorting, Vin glanced up under heavy braids at them. "Jess can speak their language just fine."
"Bear shit, Jesse is incoherent to those among us who speak the words."
"It's called slang." Seeing their incomprehension, he sighed. "Fine, I'll speak for him."
"Excellent!"
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Summer - 1996.
Shadows descended in the room as the rising sun shown through the doors. The stone doors had been thrown open for sun light to be shown upon Vin. He sat upon a tripod in the middle of a chamber. Steam surrounded him in a thick haze, created by the burning of incense and rising ground waters.
People began chanting, beseeching the god for his favors. Raising his head, Vin stretched out his arms. Warmth filled his being and he smiled. The words of Eros were on the edge of his mind. All they need do was ask and he would speak them.
The slamming of a book cover awoke him from the revelry. Glaring grouchily at the Felish Archivist, he had to bite back on the crack he had been about to make. Jess had sent him here after he had insulted the Felish Ambassador for the third time in under two minutes. He hated their species with a burning passion.
They were partially responsible for the western expansion of the United States. Their actions had cost his mother's people their lands, their food, their way of existence and eventually, their very lives.
He was the last of his kind and he swore to himself they would one day know his pain. Speaking of which, now was as good a time as any. Lifting the mare's leg, he pointed it under the table at the Archivist.
"Put it down." Jess, having witnessed his brother's actions, knew it was only a matter of time before Vin snapped. The Felish were a necessary evil in his existence, but Vin ignored their many uses in favor of revenge. There would come a time when they would suffer for the mistakes of their elders, and Jess hoped he was there to see it. His people too had lost many in the western expansions.
"I am gonna do it, Jess. One of these days I won't be held back by you and there will be a reckoning." Lowering his sawed off shot gun, Vin replaced it in his leg holster. Standing, he pushed the stack of books off the table and walked towards Jess. "Did you get what you came for?"
"More than enough," Jess said with a nod.
"Fine, lets get out of this hell." He shoved the Felish Archivist that tried to block his path, making sure that the demon slammed through another stack of books. As he passed by the sputtering demon, he stomped on its hand and tilted his hat in acknowledgement.
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Winter - 1996.
Vin completed the last of the translations to summon the Goddess Heratha. He knew it was a waste of time, Hear had been a forgotten one since the ancient war a century before. The death of eight Oracles had seen to the loss of contact with their Gods and Goddesses. He and the other Oracles were the only ones who knew the rituals to summon the forgotten ones.
"Goddess Hear, patron mother, we beseech thee, come forth and work thy will. Speak through the vessel of sacrament, speak and be heard once more." After speaking the last of the incantation, Vin sat back and waited. And waited.
Nothing happened and after a while the candles had melted down to their stubs. With a deep breath, he turned to the disappointed witches. "There's nothin gonna happen. She's gone."
Black Cienna sat forward, the dagger of Triluth clutched in her hand. "That isn't true! The Dark Mother is very real, she has spoken to me! You will summon her properly!"
"The Dark Mother is not Heratha, idiot! That's Lilith. Hear is the patron mother." Gossamer stood up from the summoning circle, her black satin dress catching up parts of the pine boms. "We have called upon you for a reason, Oracle. We know you are the only one who can summon her, it is important."
Glaring at her, Vin tossed the amulet at her head. He wasn't a bit surprised when it bounced off the edge of the protective spell that created an invisible barrier between them. These bitches had done their home work and he was stuck here serving them until he was released or died. From the psychotic gleam of Black Cinnamon or whatever the hell she called herself, he knew he was most likely going to be sacrificed to another demon god.
Aldomar Stevens watched Vin with half lidded eyes. Every time the Oracle would look his way, he would wink and make kissing motions.
Vin wished they would lower the barrier, he would show them the true power of an Oracle. He was half tempted to try rushing the barrier again when the door to Gossamar's bedroom flew open.
Derrik, Gossamar's younger brother stomped in to the room, his nose buried deep in a spawn comic book. "Janie, mom said time for your friends and you to go to sleep!"
Rushing to throw her brother out, she tripped over a bundle of sage and pine. The bundle kicked across the room under the bed and broke the circle.
Finally free, Vin stood up and pulled out his mare's leg. He took aim at the psychotic bitch and cocked the gun.
"Dissolve the spell, send him back now!" Gossamar tried to reach her book as she yelled for Aldomar and Black Cienna. Too late, she was coated in Black Cienna's blood and gore from the shot gun blast.
Derrik's screams filled the house as he too was covered.
Vin quickly dropped the shot gun and drew his short sword. Turning towards Aldomar, he swung the blade at the retreating boy. It cut him across the chest and Aldomar screamed. "You will pay for using me! I don't care for it one bit!" Just as he drew back to sever the boy's head, a wave of light enveloped him and he disappeared.
Gossamar lowered her hand drained of energy. The book fell from her weak fingers and she crumpled to the floor. Panting heavily, she glanced up at her frozen little brother.
Aldomar placed a hand over the cut in his shirt. Pulling it back he found blood on his hand and quickly needed new underwear. "Oh god, he was going to kill me."
"No shit, dumb ass. He was a fucking demon, they do that." Growling, she turned to Black Cienna who was quickly reforming. "I thought I told you to lock the door."
The last of the healing spell finished putting Black Cienna together. "Ow! Fuck you, Deanna. You didn't get turned to paste by the fucker."
Gossamar was about to reply when her brother started to come out of his catatonia. "Aldomar, take care of my parent's and the pimple's memories. I'll remove Black Cienna's remains. God, BC, you are everywhere!"
Black Cienna just flipped her off before dropping her hand again from exhaustion.
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Twenty Minutes Later.
Vin reappeared in the cave of the elders. They were still in the middle of the ritual and he was stuck here. Growling, he placed his chin on his hand and let his free arm dangle to his side. Finding something missing, he glance down. He had left the shot gun behind after killing that bitch. Cursing, he sat back and crossed his arms. If he ever found those kids, they would die slowly.
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Late Spring - 1997.
Vin adjusted the collar of his new uniform. He always hated suits. It was necessary for the appearance of the Rel among the High Council. They seemed to judge a group by the appearance of the members instead of their usefulness. It was all a petty beauty pageant and he was the main contestant for them.
"Stop fiddling with it, little brother. There is nothing to worry about tonight. The Council merely wishes to approve of your unique skills in order to qualify as an official translator." Jess adjusted his own white leather uniform. The Rel Elders had specifically created it for him to celebrate his new position. It brought out the whites of his eyes, skin, and horns.
Vin took another deep breath. He hated big crowds. After taking a moment to center himself, he opened his eyes. "I'm ready."
"Okay, lets go." Taking Vin's hand in his own, he dragged the reluctant young man through the doors in to the Council's chamber. Jess let go of Vin just inside the room and walked to his chair.
Orrin Travis stood from his seat and gestured for Vin to step forward. "Please, come in to the light so we can see you."
"My appearance isn't necessary to do my job." Standing back just out of the light, Vin studied the gathering of twenty-seven beings. Some he knew, others he knew of, and the rest were a complete mystery to him. The most surprising of them all to him was Lilly.
Noticing her business partner, Lilly smiled at him. "We are here to vote on whether or not you can fulfill your duties, Mr. Tanner. It helps that you have had contact with some of us as we are already convinced."
"Not all of us are so impressed by our encounters with the legendary Tanners, cherie." Papa Juno of the Samedi sat up in his chair, visibly at odds with the presence of Vin. He gave a tight smile as the eyes of the Council and Vin fell upon him. "Oui, I was there at the time of your summons. My master of the time was most taken with the abilities of your host."
"Too bad his opinion was not shared by all. It was unfortunate we could not teach them all that lesson." Vin stepped a little closer, anger and the symbiot warring within. "We are not through with your former master or his ilk."
"However, we have no grudge with vous. We approve of your appointment." Sitting back, Papa Juno allowed a light smile to play across his lips.
The Felion's mandibles stretched in anxious anticipation. "We question your qualifications. Were you involved with the death of our sisters, the Felish?"
"The deaths of the Felish was deemed an inner clan war that wiped them out to the demon. That it took place during the week we were adjourned makes no difference." Judge Travis lowered his gavel to make it an official point. "Keep to the basics of the vote."
"Very well." Compound eyes twitched in anger, but the demon nodded. "We agree on condition. You must always be in the company of an enforcer when present among our number."
"All in favor of the following stipulation?" Travis glanced about to count the raised hands. "Motion carried. Welcome, Vin Tanner, you are the new Official Translator."
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Summer - 1997.
"Vin, we have been appointed by the Council to investigate the man for a potential enforcer. His career and abilities ear marked him for service in the Agency." Jess stood in front of the mirror adjusting his robes once more. Practicing the lines he was going to tell Vin made it easier to speak with his constantly pissed off brood mate.
Vin had been a member of the official translator envoy for two months now and it was pure hell for them. He had been shuttled off to six dimensions this week alone. Pretty soon, he figured the Oracle would snap and people would die.
"I'm not going." Standing in the door way, Vin released the twin braids from his hair and shook out the curls.
"Now don't start, little brother. You have a duty to the Council and are expected to carry it out." Finishing up his uniform, Jesse turned to face his brother. "We are meeting with the lawyers for the man in twenty minutes, get ready."
"Lawyers?" Vin twisted to watch him pass by. "What did he do?"
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Thirty Minutes Later.
"He did what?" Vin wanted to reach across and slap the snide look off the face of the Lawyer. She got on his nerves and served very little purpose but to drive him nuts. That she ignored him despite him speaking for Jesse made him even angrier.
"He summoned a lava field to kill an entire tribe of Garou last fall." Diana Kilpatric adjusted her immaculate skort over long legs. "They believe he did it again tonight, and used a few shamans to drain him of energy. If we don't interfere soon, he will die of power drain."
Vin once again found his gaze drawn to her assistant. The blue eyed man felt familiar and he wanted to reach out and touch the man. That something also sent a shiver of desire down his spine. He knew this man from some where. "Who are you?"
Lindsey smiled at Vin. "My name is Lindsey McDonald, I am an assistant to Ms. Kilpatric."
"McDonald. I don't recognize the name. You from around here?" Ignoring the glare the lawyer sent him, Vin shifted in the leather seat of the limo. It would be only a short bit before they arrived at the police station and he could get out of the death box. He hated cars!
"No, I came from out west. This place was just a convenient stop off to do my summer internship." Lindsey's smile grew even more at the scathing glare his boss sent him. She was an incompetent hack, in his opinion, and would be better served by being ignored.
Before Deanna could reply, the limo came to stop and the door opened. Vin jumped for the exit and slipped out. Ducking his head back inside, he smirked. "All ashore who's going ashore."
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Mid Winter - 1998.
Vin gripped the bowl of the toilet and rest his face on the cool porcelain. His internal clock was all screwed up and these late night puking fests were killing him. He blamed it all on that damned Chris. Every morning he woke up with a hard on and the strength to use it. Every morning Vin woke up and was given no choice but to go along with it. The sex was great, but it was exhausting.
He had to take a couple naps a day to keep up and it interfered with his work schedule. The Council was expecting him to increase his work schedule in the next couple of weeks. When another wave of nausea swept through him, he gripped the toilet again and hoped it passed soon. If this kept up, he wouldn't be able to do it anymore.
After it passed, Vin stood up on shaky knees and walked to the sink. He turned on the water and washed his face with a cold rag. After he turned it off, he caught his appearance in the mirror. Vin shuddered at the black rings forming under his eyes. "Shit." It was worse than he thought.
The light turned on and Chris came in the bathroom rubbing his eyes. "What's goin on, Vin?" Walking over to the toilet, Chris pushed down the front of his briefs and relieved himself. He started to flush until something caught his attention on the edge. "You've been puking again. I thought you said it would pass."
"It will, Chris, just give me time to get better." He felt his ire rise. "Besides, how am I supposed to get better when I can't sleep because someone wakes up hornier than a goat with two dicks every mornin?"
"Don't get angry with me. You have the option of saying no. You may be an incubus, but I'm not a mindless animal. I won't fuck you if you say no!" Chris flushed and came up behind Vin. Sticking his arms to either side of Vin, he brought them flush and washed his hands. "Give me more credit than that, Vin."
"I do, cowboy, I'm just tired." Rubbing his face, Vin relaxed in the embrace. He smiled when Chris wrapped his arms about his chest. "Give it time, Chris, that's all I ask. It will go away eventually."
Chris kissed the back of Vin's neck and sighed. He knew it was futile to argue with Vin. "Fine, I suppose I have no choice. But if it don't go away in the next month, I am taking you to the Council medics."
"Fine, be that way." Chuckling, Vin squashed Chris' tickling fingers under his arms. "Don't even, I am too tired for sex."
"Who is wanting sex? I'm just tickling you." The look he was receiving in the mirror was all he needed to begin laughing. "Okay, so this usually ends up with us having sex. But you enjoy it."
"Yeah, I do." A thought occurred to Vin that took his smile away. "Why are you awake?"
Caught off guard, Chris froze. After a moment of thinking, his mind came back to the reason. "There is nothing, I was simply worried about you. You weren't in bed and I woke. You know I need you beside me to sleep."
"Don't play dumb with me, Larabee. I'm older than you, I can't be fooled by a simple distraction." With an angry sigh, Vin noted his lover's usual reaction when faced with the true nature of his existence. This served to distract him from the current issue. "Don't put up your brick wall, Chris, I know it bothers you. Get over it!"
"I can't just get over it. To know that I share you with something so old that it makes most known history a joke makes me uncomfortable. How can I make you love me, be anything of a mystery to you when you've experienced it all?"
Vin tightened his grip on Chris' hands. "Don't even start. You know I love you, that isn't the point. Just because I have more life experience than you means shit, cowboy. Love has nothing to do with mystique, that's just an illusion. It is you as a person I have grown to care about, not some damned idea or illusion."
Hiding a smile behind his lover, Chris rested his forehead on the back of Vin's head. He eventually freed his fingers from their under arm prison and slid them teasingly down Vin's body. Upon reaching the Oracle's stomach, he was surprised to feel Vin buck him off and run for the toilet. "What's wrong?"
After wiping his lips, Vin slapped the handle to flush the toilet. An arm wrapped around his stomach, he tried to stand and fell back down. Before he hit the floor, Chris caught him. Wide eyed, he clutched his stomach. "I don't know. May be I should see the healers."
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Two Days Later.
Vin sat up on the edge of the bed, tying the robe around his waist. The Rel healer had forced him to remain in the cave for two days. In that time, his lover hadn't been to see him once. The reason he was sitting up now was the latest of morons to darken his doorstep. "What do you want, Eli Joe?"
"The same thing I wanted two days ago. I want to know who joined you in killing the Felish." Tilting his dark haired head, the vampire played with a dagger, using it to clean out from under his fingers. Leaning back against the cave for support, he tried to appear nonchalant. "I'm not going to leave until you tell me."
"What makes you think I will tell you shit? I know who killed the Felish, but then again, so does anyone who works with the Rel. However, you are wrong, I wasn't there when they died, though I wished I had been. Your masters are just gonna have to be satisfied with that." Holding his stomach, Vin adjusted the belt around his waist. It hurt to even touch the area these days. For some reason, it felt like his insides were getting too big for him.
"I can make you tell me."
"You can't lay a hand on me. You're nothing but a baby trying to play at being an adult. Go away, child, you bother me." Closing his eyes, Vin turned back to his bed and laid down.
Eli Joe curled his fingers in impotent rage. "May be not, but you're not the only one." He was gone before Vin could open his eyes.
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Two Days Later.
Vin awoke to the sounds of foot steps filling his chamber. Four days and still no one but the healer and Eli Joe coming to visit him. This might be a welcome change. When he opened his eyes and saw that it was in fact his lover there, he smiled. "Chris..."
"Don't!" Chris stared down at Vin with disgust and burning rage. "How could you do it?"
Vin was about to ask him what when he noticed there were others behind him. Chris' entire team were back there and from the amused looks on their faces they knew what was happening. Probably had a hand in it as well. "What are you asking?"
"Don't give me that shit, Tanner! You know exactly what the hell I am talking about. I knew you were a fucking monster, but this is surprising even for you." Chris tightened his hands until they formed in to fists.
Figuring it was a lost cause, that he had been judged guilty all ready, Vin set his face in a bored expression. "What are you talkin about, there are so many things I've done, they just sort of blur together after a while."
"You son of a bitch!" Grabbing Vin by the hair, Chris jerked him from the bed and threw him to the floor. "He was your god damned brother, you fucking, cold hearted bastard!" When Vin tried to stand up, Chris kicked his arms out from under him. "Don't even think about it!"
Vin hit the hard cave floor face first. Rocks scraped his chin and chipped his teeth on impact. He tried to curl up in a ball, but Chris kicked him again.
"I loved him, you disgusting slug! I loved Vin and you forced him to do that!" Bending down, Chris knelt beside Vin and grabbed him by the hair again. "Was he ever real or did you pretend to be him all this time as some sort of sick game? I know about you, Tanner, how you jump hosts and take them over. I know you're a killer."
Gasping, Vin opened his eyes and stared Chris down. "So are you."
Chris let him go and rose to his feet. Standing back, he glared down at Vin. "Do it." He turned on his heel and walked out.
Eli Joe came up to Vin and unrolled a piece of paper. Reading from it, he kept snickering. "Oracle Tanner, by order of the High Council for the crime of murdering one of its members, one Jesse Kincaid, you are here by sentenced to death."
Vin tried to protest, but found himself placed face first on the ground and a boot on his back holding him there. He tried to struggle in vain. A slight sting in his back was the warning of something piercing him. "What are you doing?"
"Just carrying out sentence, Vinny." Slapping his ass cheek, Eli Joe smirked. "You should have told me what I wanted to know." He started to laugh when Vin struggled even harder. "It was such a shame that Tanner is a cold blooded killer. Why, when he learned Jesse was going to tell the Council on you for the genocide of the Felish, he just went insane and tortured the demon to death. And it was a bloody death. They say it took him hours to die. Just before he did, though, he had enough time to write your name in his own blood."
But Vin couldn't hear anymore. Liquid fire had flushed through his veins and he was screeching, tearing at his back. He could feel the symbiot inside him trying to break free of his body. Strong cramps wracked his body and he clutched his abdomen.
Eli Joe stood up and let go of the crying Vin. Gesturing for the others to follow him, Eli Joe headed for the exit. On his way out, he passed the Rel healer and tossed him the scroll. "From the high Council."
Jocasha tossed the scroll to the floor and rushed to Vin's side.
By now Vin had started to go in to convulsions and blood was running from every orifice. Curling up, he grabbed his knees and screamed when another spasm hit. His pajama bottoms were suddenly filled with blood as his body expelled a mass of blood and flesh. Shaking from after shocks and crying, Vin clutched desperately to the healer.
The healer rubbed at his brow and stroked his back in soothing circles. "Hold on, child, I will help you." Standing, he picked Vin up and placed him on the bed. He pushed the pajama bottoms down and began wiping at the blood. His brow furled up in surprise. "What is this?"
Vin, head shaking, pushed the healer away. "It doesn't matter, it's dead now. You have to help me, I have to get away."
"You are Vin, it is my duty to help you."
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Later Winter - 1998.
Vin stood over the dead bodies of a Sabbat blood pack. Three weeks after and Vin was still weakened by his experience. To say he was surprised to find what had been expelled from him when Tanner thrashed inside him in death throes was an understatement. It was done now, over with. The future was with his new master.
The healer had done his job, Vin was now away from it all and free of the bull shit. In the process, he had been saved by an unlikely source. Cash had been surprised by Vin's request for help, but had grudgingly given his assistance. Having a new childe, he had had to foist his former master off on his sire's sire.
Xavier, the Justicar for the Gangrel of the Camarilla, was in San Francisco putting down yet another anarch plot to take over the city. When he learned of Vin's special abilities, he had been more than happy to accept him as a ghoul. The ancient vampire would have preferred a new Childe, but Vin was completely against it.
They had finished in San Francisco and now New York was their next target. Rumors of something had abound and the Camarilla sent in Xavier to investigate. It was believed an Antediluvian had risen and was trying to amass an army to feed its blood lust. Antediluvians were rumored to be only to drink the blood of other kindred, a kind of kindred boogie man.
So far, he had only found a Sabbat hunting pack and someone he had forgotten about.
His pet.
Ramona was still flaky as ever, her friends completely ignorant, her childe even more so. But she was his flake. She was surprised to see him standing over the body of a Sabbat that had been about to kill her, a gun in his hand.
"Miss me?" He smiled.
"Who are you?" She stared at him in shock.
"I'm the person who had you embraced." Cocking his gun, he stalked off, leaving her and the others behind them. "Come with me if you want to remain undead. There's something seriously fucked up around here and we are going to deal with it."
"Who is we?"
"Clan Gangrel, Ramona. Come and say hi to the family."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two Days Later.
They were all either dead or on the run. Vin and three others were all that remained of Gangrel that had gathered at the behest of Xavier to combat the creature. Even Xavier had fallen in the battle. Vin had lost sight of Ramona and figured she was probably dead by now.
It had come upon them suddenly and the power it used had melted many. Others were slaughtered under its claws and the power of its influence. They had turned on each other when it commanded and killed them all.
Vin was the only one left who had gotten a clear view of the one eyed creature. Xavier had claimed it an Antediluvian but Vin knew he was wrong. He had told Vin to make sure it was destroyed at all costs and that is why he was still following it.
He was about to bring up his gun and blow the thing a new hole in the head when something swooped out of the sky and attacked the cycloptic abomination. Vin flew back from the telekinetic blast of the shapeshifter as it sent them all flying. He crashed to the ground and covered his face as lightning exploded from the sky and struck the creature.
The Earth shook violently and Vin had to cover himself or get hit by falling trees limbs. He rolled over and watched the battle from under his arm. The two beings were flying above the ground like supermen as it continued to quake. They struggled back and forth, each trying to kill the other.
Suddenly the world grew brighter around them as the air itself grew hot and glowed. The light became so bright Vin could no longer stand to watch. A sonic boom soon followed and the light was gone. The Earth shook one last time from an impact and he rose to his feet shakily.
The creature was no where to be seen.
Cocking his gun, he cautiously walked to the edge of the crater. It took him a moment to realize who he saw at the bottom. Without the aid of Tanner's living memory, it became harder for him to fully recall all the details of his long life.
"Ez?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Autumn - 1998.
Vin was in heaven. The Valley, Ezra's home away from home, was to him, the meaning of paradise. The company Ezra had founded with dubious monies had been using recycling to transform a barren valley in to a green paradise once more. He had memories of this place being green and fertile over two hundred years ago before the main creeks had been redirected by Mexican settlers.
Since then the rains had stopped coming and the valley dried up. Now Ezra had put them back on course and provided the vegetation a medium to grow on with garbage. For the first time in almost two hundred years, it had rained five years ago. They hadn't stopped coming since.
There was only one major draw back to his shangri'la, the damned garou. Every where he went there was another damned group of them popping up seeking sanctuary. If they didn't put a limit on the immigration, the valley would be just another city. Hell, there was talk of putting in a city anyways.
Of course it was only talk. The one person who had brought it to motion at the Council meeting had mysteriously disappeared and the motion was dropped. That was one true mercy killing in Vin's eyes, not that he did it or anything.
As an Oracle, he would have been in heaven. As a gangrel he was in paradise. He only came near the town for sustenance and then he was back out among the other animals, running with the wild horses. His sire was nonplussed that his childe preferred the animals to his civilized hotel in town, but that didn't stop Vin.
Besides, Vin wasn't the only one that preferred the animals to the Humans. The Dunne boys were with him today, they were stalking the mustang herd to check on the foals. They had to make sure they were healthy, a herd to the north had been put down because of rabies spreading through out their number.
A slight flash caught his eye. Looking up, he saw the reflection of the sun off a car mirror on the old service road bridge. He couldn't make out who it was, but they weren't being too cautious about their approach. Deciding it was his duty to get back to town and warn Ezra, he whistled for JD and Duke. "Dunnes, go meet our guests on the service road, take Lone Foot Pass. I'll head to town and warn the others!"
JD smiled despite his brothers' sighs. "Aye, Vin! You heard him, guys, lets go!" He kicked the horse in to a run for the pass. The Mustangs would have to wait another day.
"Cowboy wanna be," Duke, the oldest Dunne, called after his brother. He turned to complain to Vin, but the Kindred had already flown the coop. "Great. Let's go, boys. We gotta little green horn to round up. Kiya!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Summer - 1999.
Vin awoke with a start, something was wrong. Glancing over at his sire, he found Ezra to be dead to the world. Acting on a hunch, he rolled over and touched Ezra on the shoulder. When nothing happened, he pushed harder. Still no response.
"Ezra?" Vin sat up and placed both hands on Ezra's chest. He felt no reaction at all. Usually his touch would elicit a slight erection or tightening of the body, but nothing happened. "Ezra!" He tried to shake him, but he wouldn't wake up.
Feeling for the bond he shared with his sire, Vin sensed nothing. He was empty inside.
Ezra was dead.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Late Summer - 1999.
Vin held Ezra's body to him and rocked slowly. The blood of a garou had failed and he was out of options. Nothing was working, no spell, no magics, no amount of blood was enough. He had even tried draining himself to no avail. Drying his last blood tear, Vin gently laid Ezra back down in the altar.
Standing up, he picked up the stone and gold lid of the sarcophagus and placed it inside the altar. After securing it in with gold chains, he pushed the altar's covering over it. On top of the altar, he inscribed the symbols of protection by Eros. If nothing else, his god would protect Ezra's remains from looters and diablerists.
With one last look, Vin turned and walked away, sealing the tomb doors with a steel tie.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Autumn - 1999.
Vin felt the blood of his hostess course through his veins and laid back to enjoy the buzz. Lilly had consumed a pot head and generously allowed him to partake of her blood. He wanted to forget about it all. It was too much for him at times and this was the best medicine. Recently he had taken to drinking the blood of addicts, draining them of all blood. Like the old commercial said, good to the last drop.
He would wonder for days in a slight drug haze from a really good one. It didn't matter that he went for days without eating. He stayed out of the sunlight, it bothered him for some reason anyways. He had inadvertently wandered in to the Haven just this evening and been caught by Lilly trying to drain a drunk.
Instead of throwing him out, she brought him up here to her private rooms. That there was a good looking man, in his semi-stoned opinion, already in the bed made little difference to him. He climbed in behind her and allowed the man to wrap his arms around Lilly.
It took him a minute to realize the man was not kindred, and another five before he realized the man looked familiar. His brain was really fuddled tonight, not that it mattered. Tracing a finger over the man's amused features, Vin peered out from under Lilly's arm at the man. "I know you!"
Lilly pushed her way out of the bed, climbing out to sit in a chair and watch from the side lines, her slip riding high. She had wanted this from the moment she had laid eyes upon the man twenty years ago. Then she had almost broken her no boys rule for the fifteen year-old, but Ezra had already staked a claim. Mages were a rarity.
Vin laid back as Chris reached over and ran a hand through his hair. He knew this wasn't right, but for the life of him couldn't think why. A stray thought came to him. Lilly had done this on purpose. Trying to fight off the malaise caused by the man's touch, he frowned. "No."
"Shhh, calm down, Vin, it's just me." Chris leaned over his ex, bringing their faces close together. He placed a kiss to Vin's cheek, another on his forehead, and the final on his lips. "Please let me in."
"No. Wrong, this is wrong." He tried to fight, but found his arms wouldn't respond. "Go away!"
"I'm sorry, Vin." That confession broke a dam of emotions inside him and he clutched the man beneath him closer. "You belong to me, damn it!"
"Get off me! You hurt me!" Shaking his head, Vin closed his eyes. "Have to remember. You hurt me. Have to remember." Finally, his arm moved and it slapped Chris across the side, pushing him away. "Get away!"
Rising on his side, Chris watched Vin curl up. Tracing a hand down Vin's side, he stopped at his waist. "I will do anything, Vin, anything to get you back."
"Too late, you hurt me. I'm with Ez!" Vin started to chuckle and pant at the same time. "But Ez ain't Ez anymore. Ez is gone, left me too."
Lilly gasped. Rising from her chair, she sat on the edge of the bed and reached out to stroke Vin's head. "What happened?"
"Ezra is dead. I woke up, he didn't. I tried everything." He sat up and stared her in the face. Pain was clearly written in his features. "He wouldn't wake up, he wouldn't. So I stuck him in the vault. Placed him in the special place, he's there now." Frowning, Vin grabbed his head. "Hurts to think. I don't want to think anymore."
Chris wrapped his arms around Vin from behind and pulled the Kindred to him. Kissing Vin's neck, he rest his head on the muscles of the junction. "Give in to me, Vin, let me take away your pain."
"You cause pain, Chris. I don't want any more. You let them kill me!" Shoving Chris' arm from his body, he tried to move forward only to find his path blocked by Lilly. "Let me go."
"I can't do that, Vin. If I do, you'll die." Turning around, she reached in to the bed side table. "Forgive me, Vin, but this is the only way." Lilly pulled out a small amulet and turned back to Vin. Holding it out, she wrapped it around his shifting neck and fastened the clasp. "Forget your pain."
The amulet glowed white and Vin's eyes flashed the same. He went straight with the shock and fell back against Chris' body. The anxiousness he had felt before disappeared, lust taking its place. Giggling, he reached a finger out and ran it down Chris from face to navel.
Lilly reached out to remove the necklace but found her arm clasped in Vin's free hand. She tried to pull back, but a wave of intense desire filled her. Smiling, she climbed in beside them. Cursing herself mentally while Chris stuck his tongue down her throat, she reminded herself that Vin was a damned natural born slut, that his touch alone was enough to inspire others.
When Chris pulled back from the kiss, he licked his lips and smiled down at the dazed Vin. "Welcome to the team, Vin."
"No more talking."
THE END....................
For more information, check out the AU Post.