Date: Sun, 28 Feb 1999 17:52:02 -0500 From: vampwrtr@INNOCENT.COM Subject: Icy Rain 01/01 To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU a perfectly dreadful ditty, humbly sumbitted. definitely not part of the series of stories normally issued from my keyboard. usual disclaimers. apologies in advance to those who will hate me for this one. comments and virtual plagues to vampwrtr@aol.com FOREVER KNIGHT "Icy Rain" The rain continued to fall softly, casting a slick glean upon the buildings and the roads. It had been descending all day, unaware and uncaring of the beings it drenched in its wake. He had been watching it through the bedroom window for hours; the clouds making it dark enough for him to look, as long as he didn't get too close to the pane. He was oblivious to the discomfort of the chair in which he was sitting, it no longer mattered to him. Nothing mattered now. He turned away from the window and looked into the unconscious face lying on the pillow. He displayed no outward sign of concern, save for the slight twitching in his jaw muscle. In fact, to the casual viewer, he appeared merely to be an assigned guardian; one without so much as a glimmer of emotional involvement. Appearances could be so terribly deceiving. He swallowed hard, suddenly needing to look away. It should have been impossible. Vampires couldn't become ill, there should have been no drug, no fear of oblivion, no death; and yet, the proof of the impossible was lying right here, in front of him. And he knew this was his fault. He closed his eyes, before any moisture could escape them. He would have given anything if it could have been him instead. If the Enforcers wished to make an example of someone, it should have been him; of this he was certain. They had not yet explained why, but he was sure that he was being punished. The Enforcers knew that the worst anguish they could cause him, would be to harm a loved one in his stead. The sound of laboured breathing caused him to look sharply at the face on the pillow once again. It was so pale and fragile looking now; and yet, the regal features still managed to convey the tremendous inner strength that had always existed. A moan escaped lips which were dehydrated from waging a losing battle. He moved to sit on the bed, running a soothing hand along the forehead bathed in sweat, "Shh, it's all right. I'm still here. You won't be alone, I promise you." Only a shallow breath rattled in answer. He gently gripped the cold hand lying on the bed, his emotions threatening to topple the last of his reserve. He failed to hear the door to the room open; nor did he hear the cautious footsteps on the wood floor, as one of his own kind approached. Janette placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Go rest, I'll watch him for awhile." The determined blue eyes stared hard into hers, "No. I promised him I wouldn't leave, and I won't. It should have been me." "He wouldn't have allowed it, you know....." Her voice trailed off, and they stared at each other. How ironic, that even in death, he would stubbornly have his own way. He would leave the two of them behind, to grieve him for all eternity. Janette doubted that he even knew how profoundly they would feel his absence. It was suddenly quiet in the room: A kind of stillness that can only follow death. They both looked down into the face of the one they had loved more than any other; his eyes had opened in expiration, and were staring statically back at the two of them. There was nothing more they could do for him. After so many centuries of living, it was over in an instant. Janette finally spoke, shattering the overwhelming silence, "A bientot, mon pere. Je t'aime, eternelement....." She bent down and kissed the cold, lifeless lips on the pillow one last time. Unable to cope with the stabbing pain in her heart, Janette stifled her grief by covering her mouth as she fled the room. For a long moment, Nick stared down into his father's face, wishing the icy blue eyes would glare with intimidation at him once more. But LaCroix' eyes remained unseeing, as they would now through eternity. Nick's own eyes filled with tears, his pain rising in his throat. Gently he reached down and closed the lids of the soft blue eyes. He would mourn those icy eyes, and the soul behind them, for he knew that he would never gaze upon their like again. fin 28 February 1999 end part 01 vampwrtr@innocent.com http://members.aol.com/vampwrtr/forever_lacroix/