Masks

A Month Lost

"Jessica!" Alexander yells as she hits the floor, falling into torpor. "Please, please answer me," he pleads with her torpored body. He takes her into his arms, feeling what had happened to the beautiful woman that he loves. His eyes turns to Lars, daggers in the glare and Lars would be dead where he stood if looks could kill.

Lars sighs as he sees Alexander's glare, and motions for a container of blood for Jessica. "Feed her Alexander," Lars orders. As he feeds her, Lars adds, "Through the blood she will find her strength. And then we will be able to have our information network..."

Alexander cuts his sire off. "Do you not care about what you just did?" His voice echoes angrily in the room as he feeds Jessica the last of the blood. "You don't care that you just ruined her life! You just see a thing that can make you great!"

Alexander would have continued more except for Lars crossing the room in two steps and gripped Alexander's neck hard, almost crushing his throat and lifting him into the air. "I do care," Lars says through clenched teeth. "The future of the clan, the family which you belong to, needs this in order to stay alive and alert." He grows and lets a little bit of slack on his childe's neck. "I know that you love her brother, but you could not have stayed with her for long except through ghouling or embrace." Alex looks away from his brother's eyes who knows the truth and is speaking it. "I just made your life easier Alex, even if you don't want to believe me."

A man of six foot five, long light brown hair tied back, and looking like he just steeped out of 18th century London. "Lars," the man says with a very calming and soothing voice, a British accent marking his words, "put your childe down." Lars lets go of Alexander, who falls down to the ground with a very loud thud. "I see that it has been a success," the man says with a nod to Jessica. "However, the curse has done a number on the lady. Her forehead has collapsed onto her eyes...permanent blindness. She will die within a week unless you do not put her into a coffin of blood tonight," he stresses on the last word as Lars and Alexander both raise eyebrows. "I am not kidding, gentlemen. I have seen many things in my life and unlife, but this...never. Her unlife will be hard but none at all if she does not get into the coffin tonight."

"How long will she need to be in there?" Lars asks as Alexander picks up his beloved carefully.

"One month. No more, no less." The man looks down to his watch and smiles. "Gentlemen, you have six hours before the sun rises. Good luck." And the man walks out of the room as Lars dials a number.

"Run as fast as you can Alex," Lars says to Alex as he waits for the phone to be picked up by the person he has dialed. "Run as fast as your love for her will can make you go. The coffin will be waiting for you and Jessica when you get to Mount Prospect." Alex nods and stands with his love in his arms to run as he has never run before.

On Lars' phone, finally a Nosferatu picks the phone up. "Rose, get a coffin ready and have it full of blood."

"Of blood, sir?"

"Yes, of blood, Rose. The newest addition of our clan is coming with Alexander as he runs as we are speaking. Have the coffin ready, don't ask questions now and you will get more than just answers later." And he hangs up on Rose as he dials up Prince Montgomery's number. "My Prince..." he starts but is quickly cut off as the Prince starts to speak. "Yes, she did get brought into the family but there are complications..." Lars listens into the phone and nods as he does so. "I will make a full explanation to you tomorrow night but she will not be ready by that time. She will be ready in a month." He holds the phone away from his ear as the Prince starts to scream at him. "Sir, it could not be helped! The curse works differently on all and no one, and I mean no one, can predict how it will effect one potential Kindred to the next." Lars' words calm down the Prince who starts to understand the passing of the curse from the Nosferatu clan point of view. "Thank you, sir." He clicks off the phone and prays to powers that may be there or may not be there that Alexander got their quickly and Rose got the coffin of blood.

*~*~*~*

"Almost there my love," Alex whispers to Jessica as he runs to Mt Prospect, sprinting at sometimes and just dead running at others. 'We will get there, we will. And I am sorry that this happened,' he thinks. 'I did not think that this would happen, my love. I did not, but at least we will be together.' He takes a sharp right at a four-point crossing and sees Rose at the end of the pipe before another turn. "Oh thank God," he says to Rose as he stops. Rose looks over the one he is carrying and raises an eyebrow.

"This is the one who will help us?" Rose asks with a raised eyebrow as Alexander nods a yes. "Very well then...come with me. I have the coffin ready for her." And they walk to Lars' haven and there is the coffin filled with blood, opened to put Jessica in it. Alexander reluctantly puts her into it, seeing her sink down to the bottom, her body taking in the blood. The red blood flowing into her body from everywhere...her eyes, her mouth...even her private parts. Alexander and Rose watch with Alexander saying a silent prayer as he hopes this works...