212. Closing In On Me

Warnings: language, some violence

Bridgeport, present day...

Leigh was just making dinner when Krisis got a text message from Cameron; he frowned darkly as he read it.

“What’s wrong?” Leigh asked him as she turned away from the chopping board, already dreading his answer. She couldn’t handle any bad news right now; her first few days as a newling were hard enough. Her constant craving for blood, the thoughts she couldn’t seem to block out, the sounds and smells bombarding her, it was all too much for her. Krisis had said it would get better, in a couple of days she’d feel okay, but so far she felt like shit.

She absently massaged her forehead. It wasn't a headache she was trying to drive away; it was Patty's heartbeat inside her head. Leigh thought it was incredulous that she could hear the housekeeper's pulse even when she wasn't in the room with her; she found it especially annoying that she could read her thoughts too. The poor woman was afraid of her; she was scared out of her head that any moment she'd pounce on her. And the sad part is it’s all true, Leigh would be lying if she said she wasn't tempted to make a meal out of the housekeeper, as a result Krisis had proposed they should give her time off, for a few weeks, just until she had a handle on her urges.

"Mickey's gone-" Krisis filled her in on Michaela and Cameron.

“No!” Leigh was devastated for her niece and Cameron. Right after Appaloosa Plains she could tell they were heading in different directions, but she'd hoped that they'd work things out, she'd prayed that Michaela wouldn't shut Cameron out the way she had with Krisis after Vladimir attacked her, obviously her wishing and praying had done shit.

"Hey, " Krisis pulled her close to him and kissed the top of her head. “They'll work through this."

"What if they don't?" Leigh blinked up at him from behind her glasses. She didn't need them anymore. Since her transformation, her vision was crystal clear, but she still wore them out of fondness, they were a reminder of her former life, of who she was not too long ago and how far she and Krisis had come, it's a miracle they didn't get smashed up when she was shot.

"They will," Krisis cupped her cheek with his palm.

Leigh caught it and kissed it. "You sound so sure."

"I am. We worked through our giant pile of shit, didn't we?"

Leigh found herself laughing at his choice of words. But he was right, if they could work through all their obstacles, Cameron and Michaela would survive this too.

"I have to go see Cam; will you be okay on your own? Leigh I don't want to lea-" Krisis didn't finish what he was saying.

Leigh stood on tiptoes and kissed him on the lips before she ushered him out of the room.

He turned back though; he couldn’t leave her without making sure she’d be okay. He knew she was struggling with Patty’s scent, and the last thing he wanted was a repeat of Hollow Creek.

He pricked his wrist and offered it to her, “here.”

Leigh’s eyes darkened with lust when she saw the droplets of blood falling from his hand. He didn’t have to ask her twice, she clamped her mouth over the two puncture marks, reaffirming their blood bond and her devotion to him…

The dance floor was hopping mad with college students when Krisis arrived at The Black Room.

On stage, Blood Note was covering Bon Jovi’s Living on a Prayer.

He stood just inside the entrance and scanned the crowded room, looking for Cameron.

His eyes rested on him sitting at the bar, staring morosely at his glass.

As Krisis approached the bar, he kept thinking he should have brought Leigh with him, he wasn’t good with words and emotions, hell he avoided those two things like the plague. Leigh would know what say to Cameron.

He reached the bar a little too soon for his liking, he was unprepared for this talk, so he just stood there trying to come up with something comforting to say, and that’s when he noticed the two blonds vying for Cameron's attention.

The loud music reverberating on the walls made it hard for Krisis to hear what they were saying, but the suggestive way they kept smiling at his friend left little to the imagination, it was obvious how they wanted the night to end. Krisis knew Cameron wasn’t ready for that, he was still bleeding for Michaela, heck, they just broke up, fucking his fan girls would definitely take care of the itch, but it wouldn’t ease his pain. No, fan girls were the last thing Cameron needed. 

Sherri, the bartender, caught his eye and waved at him. “The usual?”

The two blonds turned around to see who she was talking to. They squealed like the real fan girls they are when they saw him there, looking awkward and uncomfortable.

“Krisis!” One of them threw her arms around him like they were old friends, and the other followed suit, painting his face with her lipstick.

Once the blonds’ excitement simmered down, Krisis politely asked them to leave him alone with Cameron. They reluctantly agreed, but not before he’d left his million dollar signature on the front of their well endowed chests. 

“Thanks,” Cameron gave him a small smile before he turned back to his glass.

“For what?” Krisis asked as he took one of the seats the blonds had just vacated.

“For getting rid of those two. I was this close to punching them!”

Krisis laughed at his statement, Cameron didn’t have it in him to punch a woman. He was a Don Juan through and through.

“Here you go,” Sherri placed his drink in front of him and asked after Leigh and the kids.

Krisis told her they were all doing okay; the triplets were especially excited about school, Lily, not so much though.

Sherri said something in response to his announcement, Krisis didn’t quite catch it, he was more concerned with Cameron who looked gloomier by the minute.

“Do you want to get out of here?” Krisis yelled over the music.

Cameron didn’t answer his question. Instead he  growled at him harshly! “This is your fault! She left me. I did everything you said, I gave her all the space she needed and she still left me! I should never have listened to you!”

Krisis could have defended himself and argued his case, but he knew Cameron was looking for a fight; anything he said would just fuel his rage.

Sherri came over then to check if they were okay. The glum looks on their faces told her they were not, so she kept their drinks coming, and before long Krisis found himself right where he didn’t want to be, listening to Cameron spew his guts over Michaela.

The crowd on the dance floor thinned, and so did the noise, before long the club was empty and it was just the two of them, a handful of bouncers, Sherri and the girls from Blood Note.

“We should go,” Krisis interrupted Cameron’s tirade. As part owner of the club they wouldn’t dare kick him out, but it was late and everyone wanted to head home.

Cameron didn’t argue or resist when Krisis helped him from his seat and led him out of the club.

Any hopes of getting back to Leigh that night were shattered when they arrived at Cameron’s penthouse and found J.D. waiting.

“What the fuck happened? You were supposed to make her stay!” J.D. roughed Cameron up as soon as they jumped out of the car.

Drunk as he was, Cameron managed to throw the first punch and a scuffle broke out.

Krisis was tempted to sit it out and let them have a go at each other. But he knew come morning they’d all feel like shit over the fight.

He quickly pulled them apart before their battle could escalate. “Listen, let’s all go upstairs, we’ll have a few drinks and sleep it off and in the morning we can all decide how to bring Mickey home.”

Cameron was open to his suggestion, J.D. didn’t look so sure. But he shrugged his shoulders in defeat and followed them upstairs.

Krisis and JD were both stunned to find Cameron’s living room in a state.

“I was pissed, I didn’t know what else to do,” Cameron explained the mess as he walked into the room with a six-pack in his hand.

They huddled around the TV, nursing their beers. A very old Chuck Norris movie was on. All three hated Chuck Norris, but they couldn’t bring themselves to turn it off.

“I called David,” J.D. broke the strained silence.

“Ah!” Both Krisis and Cameron cried at once. J.D.’s shitty mood suddenly made sense. David was J.D.’s contact at the VIA. He’d been keeping them updated on the Clarkes’ investigation.

“What did he say?” Cameron asked.

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing. But I know they’re closing in on me, man!” J.D. hiccupped in his bottle. It was empty now, he desperately needed more, if only to numb himself and forget what’s coming.

As if he’d read his mind, Krisis went to the bar to mix them something stronger.

“We’ll fight this. Thornton, Zahara, hell I’ll speak to Charles if I have to,” Cameron sounded upbeat. And for a second both Krisis and J.D. were tempted to believe him, but they knew it wasn’t just up to the VIA…

Credits: Thanks Karima for Blood Note, they livened up The Black Room. 

Aeon, I'm in love with your poses . Thanks for sharing them.