The day of reckoning.
There was no band playing a dirge or other cautionary music. It felt like there should be.
We checked into a 'nearby' hotel. Nearby to what I did not know.
We got up early and cleaned up. Then we cleaned up again after the cleaning up led to other things. It did not completely feel like this would be our last time together, but it could be, which made it less satisfying than it usually is. Stress does that, I suppose. That led to me hating the idea that our possible last time was less than spectacular.
On the other hand, the least good time with Jessica exceeds any other experience I have ever had before her, so I should not complain.
I dressed in the Jessica-selected-and-approved suit, and we left for the meeting place. If there is ever any doubt that males are the lesser sex, even among humans, suits prove it. Jessica asked me if I thought high heels and pantyhose are fun, and I agreed each sex has its challenges in the clothing department. At least a woman looks like someone unique. Men look like clones.
"Pantyhose are no longer in style, you know." I pointed out.
"Because, like ties, women kept strangling their boy-toys with them." Came her retort.
Where we arrived is not what I expected. No castles and dungeons. No dark side alley, with basement access to the Vampire den.
We were at a standard-issue middle-sized church. From the design of the building, I guessed something in a protestant type denomination. Not ornately fancy. No gold foil covered spires. No bell tower. Stone colored brick, a typical high roof over the sanctuary, small windows of stained glass up high just under the roofline, small iron looking cross up top. Even if it is not an overtly decorated, in your face church with crosses and statues of various saints in every sightline, it is not the kind of place I imagined Vampires would congregate. Things like holy water and crosses are meaningless to us, in terms of causing pain or repelling. Still: it seemed od.
It is also odd to include myself in that 'us'.
The parking lot empty and the front door unlocked. Abandoned Vampire church... We entered a standard issue church foyer, complete with the table holding the guest sign-in book. There were wood double doors into the sanctuary, and halls both left and right. There were also restrooms and coatrooms in alcoves on either side of the foyer. I assumed the halls went all the way around to the back of the sanctuary, and then along to the lower one-story building behind it. The meeting rooms and kitchen that churches like this always have would be back there.
I tried not to inhale deeply. All churches I have ever been in, regardless of denomination or affiliation, including a Jewish temple, have this particular smell. I wonder if it is that churches the nation over are all cleaned using the same chemicals, or built from supplies provided by only one supplier? Smelling it now, on judgment day is not adding to the experience.
I am far too nervous to appreciate the irony of the term 'Judgment Day' in a church.
A young woman popped out of the sanctuary doors. She looked to be about 25, slender with shoulder length blonde hair.
"Maria!" she exclaimed and hurried over to give Jessica a hug.
'Maria'? Hmmm.
"Helen!" Jessica greeted happily, returning the hug in full measure. I pondered the fact that this young woman is over five hundred years of age. Surreal. She not only did not look it. She moved and acted so young, I half expected her to squeal in delight.
They looked at each other from arm's length and said things like "Oh you look great! It's been too long!" and similar.
Helen looked at me next. "You must be Adrian." There was a hint of an upper-class British accent. The accent faded by years of being other places I guessed.
"I am" I admitted.
She gave me a good look up and down. I felt like I was being scanned. Then she addressed Maria/Jessica/recently Sarah again. "Still prefer the men, eh Maria? He is a little different looking than your normal selection."
Jessica/Maria looked sheepish. "Bad habit, Helen. I just can't seem to break it."
"A shame..." Helen looked over at me again with the penetrating look. I am glad I have clean underwear on because it was just x-rayed.
"We'll talk later. I can't really associate with you just yet. I hope you understand." Helen told me.
"Sure. I look forward to getting to know you." I mustered.
"I'll let the others know you are here. Follow me back in a minute or so. At the back of the sanctuary, up on the dais, is a door, through the choir room, leads to a hall. Turn right, and go to the end."
Helen re-entered the doors, and let them swing shut.
"Maria? Still prefer men?" I asked suspiciously.
Jessica smiled slightly. "Took you no time to get there. Yes. Helen is the one that turned me who also could not completely turn me to women. Full time, I mean: she is hell on wheels in bed though. She always asks me if I am ready."
I looked the way Helen had gone and said in open wonder "She is five hundred years old."
"More than that" Jessica assured.
"Inconceivable" I said in a particular way.
"I don't think that word means what you think it means" Jessica replied in perfect nerd repost.
"You get a 'Princess Bride' reference, but not a 'Revenge of the Nerds' reference. The parameters of your historical movie viewing are coming into focus." I said in mock sadness.
"Shall I test you on some Jane Austin?" Jessica inquired sweetly.
Ok. Ouch. "Err... no."
"Not even the movie versions?" She further poked.
"Again, No."
She did the mock sadness right back at me. "Well, I think we are starting to see your cultural limitations as well..." Then she switched gears. "Let's go. We don't want to keep them waiting."
She came into my arms for a hug, and I gently wiped a tiny hint of tears that suddenly appeared on her high boned cheeks.
I kissed her, taking my time. Focusing on her. Smelling her. Wanting this to be the thing I remembered if it was not going to go my way. When we stopped, we touched foreheads for a moment, in silence. That was as intimate as the kiss. It made up for the stressed-out-sex earlier. I wanted to tell her I loved her so much.
Reluctantly, I nodded and we moved apart, turned and entered the sanctuary.
Inside the hall of pews is not a huge place, and the Vampire (?) church was filled with all the standard items. Stained glass, wooden crucifixes, raised dais at the end, two lecterns on either end of the dais, big red-velvet covered table in the middle, with candlesticks and other silver things sitting on it.
We crossed to the back of the room walking slowly. I did not look around. It is all designs and objects I have seen before, one place or another. I still did not appreciate the irony of being a Vampire on trial in a church.
There was a door hidden from the rooms direct line of sight, blocked by the crucifixes being mounted on a false wall. You had to be on the dais to see it. I guessed the priest, preacher, minister or whatever the head person is called in this denomination could make a sort of dramatic entrance this way. There is a small room behind with robes hung on hooks, enough for a choir it appeared. Either that or the preacher has a real robe fetish.
Another door led us out in the hall behind the sanctuary. We followed Helen's directions and turned right. The hall was dimly lit, not that it mattered to us. At the far other end of the hall, there was an open door spilling light across the hall floor and wall. I guess I really did have to go to the light. My feet felt like lead.
The room at the end of the hall turned out to be the church kitchen and dining room area. Seated at a church-social standard issue collapsable table were three women. Helen, and two others. Two chairs sat facing them on the other side of the table.
Judgment, church picnic style.
"Have a seat." Helen said, still friendly sounding, and indicating the two chairs. Helen looked at her lover and asked: "Maria, have you met either Becky or Nova before?"
Jessica shook 'no'. "No, I don't think so. I heard Nova speak a number of years ago at a Conclave. I enjoyed your talk about the Anasazi very much."
The middle woman, who looked to be a young American Indian nodded "Thank you. I know it seems cliche to have an, as we are called, 'Indian' studying other natives to this continent, but I find their history very interesting, and I did know some of them." A smile at her own joke. "I remember that talk. About the rumored cannibalism in the group being garbage. I was there: I would know!"
Wow! That pulled me away from even starting to think about Jessica and Helen as lovers, though I could feel my curiosity wanting to go there. The things human historians would love to learn by talking to old Vampires. What they could recall from 1000 or 2000 years ago. Reportage from the scene, by people that lived it.
Helen resumed introductions "This is Becky. Becky, Maria." Nods to each other. "As I was telling you two, I am responsible for Maria coming over: Lost in the moment. She turned ...85 or so years ago."
Becky, a compact brunette nodded at Jessica. "Nice to meet you, Maria." It struck me that all of these women are fairly small framed. What Jessica said about her height being unattractive when she was born took on a new understanding. People used to be smaller.
Becky looked at me with some curiosity. "You must be Adrian, the male Vampire that Maria created."
"Yes" I answered, not really comfortable with all the creating this and creating that stuff being floated here. Becky looked over at Helen "I am guessing that she resisted your charms if she created a male Vampire and is here with him."
Helen smiled ruefully. "Yes, so far she has. I keep hoping she'll come around. Oh... sit you two, sit. Don't just stand there looking down at us." Even though Helen had indicated the chairs, we both continued standing there for some reason.
We sat.
Nova looked at me with some interest, and it felt like the same study she might give a shard of pottery at an archeological dig.
Becky shifted in her chair. "Let's get started, shall we? I know you have not had much time to bring Adrian up to speed on his new world, so I'd like to begin by asking Adrian if he has any questions about what we are doing here today."
I looked at Becky and wondered if she is the oldest here. No way to know. She seemed to be in charge in some indefinable way. "No M'am. No questions. Jessica has been telling me many things in the last week or so. If I understand this correctly: You three are to decide if I am to live or die. If I can be trusted or not to keep the secrets of the Vampires. I do not know exactly how you will be able to do that, because there is no magic."
I paused. Looked at impassive expressions. Decided to go on. "If it had turned out that there is magic, my life as a scientist would be crushed. No magic means you cannot cast a binding spell or some equally silly thing. Since it is not known how you decide my fate, Jessica bought me this suit. She is not sure how you can tell if I am any good as a Vampire either. Said it is something of a secret."
That got a grin from Becky, an interested look from Nova, and a funny look at Jessica from Helen.
Becky said "A good choice, Jessica. Maria." To me, she added "The color and cut are good on you. Go on"
As no poisoned arrows were sticking out of my back or chest, fired from secret holes in the walls, I continued: "It seems Vampires are the next stage in evolution, or that is the theory explaining why we exist at all. Being the next stage in humanity, and having more than human levels of sight, hearing, physical strength, and so forth are not useful for something like deciding what kind of person I am. I suppose your hearing and sense of smell might give you insight into my veracity, and my fear, but not certain knowledge. There is nothing that can be done here to know with any guarantee what I might or might not do. I surmise from this that you will use your judgment and experience to make this decision about me today."
I decided I had spoken too long, so I wrapped it up. "History, your judgment, and how you feel about this suit will be your guides. I wore this suit because Jessica said it was not negotiable and I have learned to do what she says when she uses that tone of voice. Sorry. I tend to make jokes when I am nervous."
All three nodded. "Just so, Just so." Becky said. "You understand the distrust of the male Vampire?"
I gave a very small shrug. "Yes... and no. There are reasons perhaps, but I do not see exactly how they apply to me in particular. I am not the male Vampire of legend. I may not be as strong, fast or otherwise useful as a female, but I am not useless. I see that culture and history, and downright rarity all play a part. It is your job to figure out how the general rules fit the specific situations. I do not think I am a threat, and I would never do ANYTHING that might cause Jessica to come to harm, but I have no way I can think of to convince you of that. Words are cheap. Actions are everything. For you to know what I will do, you would need to wait and see what I will do. Anything less than that is informed guesses."
Nova, who nodded along as I said my piece, glanced up the line of her fellow judges before saying: "All very true, and well spoken young man. Let us talk for a moment of the other issue of the day." Her 'Young Man' label seemed ludicrous since she appears younger than me. The way she said it also left no doubt in my head she is ancient.
Helen brightened. "Yes: I am curious what you plan to do about this police officer on the loose in Texas, Maria". That seemed an odd thing to be cheery about.
Jessica leaned forward, looked over at me with a slightly puzzled look which I returned. She addressed the panel as a whole. "Well, that depends on what happens with Adrian. If you all decide to kill him, then there is no issue, at least as far as Arnold Romney. I can do something like leave the country for the rest of Arnold Romney's life. The life I built as Jessica would come to an end. I could bury myself in work and mourn."
My heart ached at her words. She looked so miserable. Her voice was steady, but her eyes glimmered with unshed tears.
She went on, glancing at me again. "However, if you let Adrian live which is my strong preference, now that he is healed..." She stopped there and looked at Helen "Helen: You told them of his beating?"
"Yes: I briefed them on everything we talked about." Helen replied in a matter of fact kind of way.
Jessica acknowledged that then continued "Then should you let Adrian live I would go back to Texas and find a way to repair the damage. Maybe to un-break Arnold Romney's mind. Whatever it takes and whatever it costs. To be clear on this point, while I know I have no say in this, I desire the latter option. Very, very much prefer it. I... I would not want to lose Adrian from my life. I will pay whatever I need to in order to have the Crew fix this if it comes to that. I would rather be given the chance to take care of it myself. It is my responsibility. It would also give me a chance to further teach Adrian. He is also my responsibility, as I was yours after you turned me, Helen."
Helen leaned back and templed her fingers. "Interesting" she said, her expression not readable. Her scent gave me no clues. Or her heartbeat, which is very slow.
I was suddenly not sure this is going to go our way. Jessica was speaking calmly, but the gist of it is that she is pleading for my life and promising to spend way more money on me in the process.
"If you need money for the Crew, I can sell my house and land. It is worth far more than I paid for it now. I can program from anywhere. The 'Nightwing'. Wherever." I offered to Jessica, which had the effect of creating a few more latent tears, and she patted my knee under the table.
"No worries, Adrian. I promise." Jessica said to me, the other three forgotten for a microsecond.
I looked over and tried to read the three women, who looked back at the two of us. Helen wants to be with her Maria / my Jessica. Becky and Nova knew Helen wanted that before we started this conversation, and they are fellow members of the Council.
Helen had just been told that Jessica wanted to be with me. Teach me. Be the same thing to me that Helen had been to Jessica. Would I die because of jealousy? I am pretty sure Becky and Nova will accede to whatever Helen wants.
The phrasing Jessica used is interesting. Not an all-out declaration of love, but she is standing up to the Council on my behalf. There may be forms and limit's to this I do not understand. Would saying more make things worse? If a female Vamp loves a male Vamp, is that viewed the same way as the 'mixed race' BS that Jessica's parents endured? Not saying Jessica loves me. She has never said that, other than writing it on a note one time. She just promised her fortune to fix things up with the Crew. I am a very expensive boy toy if nothing else.
I have no idea how to read this. No way to know. No experience to base anything on.
I wish I could have washed the Oxford shirt once. It chaffed on my neck.
Becky asked Jessica "You say 'Broke his mind'. He is insane, this officer?".
Jessica spoke analytically."In a way. Here is what I theorize happened. He pulled me over for speeding. I was not going all that fast so I was surprised to be stopped. When he came up and asked for my license and insurance, he seemed very nice. Very friendly. Said I had been doing 50 in a 45, and that there were animals out in rut that time of year that made speeding more unsafe than usual. He was sorry, but he was going to have to give me a ticket. Very pleasant. Nice voice. Good manners. When he leaned down to hand me back my license, I made a decision. I did not want to be 'on the radar'. I did not want a ticket. It should be so easy to get out of it. I had not fed in more than two months, and I figured I'd kill two birds with one roadside situation. When the pheromones reached him, I could see it in his eyes. I asked if there were any other options. He said we should talk about it in the back of his cruiser."
"Love the classics" Nova injected.
Becky looked over at her. "Nova, given the way you drive, you probably created this classic."
Nova grinned back, stark white teeth contrasting with her dark Amerind complexion "A snack and sex in a cop car? It's fun. It works. Usually." Then to Jessica "Sorry: Go on."
Jessica gave the slightest of smiles about the byplay, but continued with a flat recitation. "It was not a busy road. Another reason I felt it odd to get pulled over. Once we were inside the police car, he became a different person. The pheromones are more concentrated in the enclosed space of course. Their effect on him was not what I expected at all. He lost his polite manner. He said 'Bitches that want out of tickets better be ready to do whatever the hell I want' and 'Ever had it up your ass babe? All you whores love that. Deep down.' and all kinds of gross stuff. I did not see that sudden change in personality coming. Sex off the menu, now I was thinking how to get him close enough to juice him, get a drink, tell him he had a great time, and be done. While a human male could hardly hurt me or force me to do anything I did not want to, his attitude really pissed me off. If anyone was going to get it up the ass, it would be him."
I wondered how often stuff like this happens. The three women nodded along in agreement as Jessica told the story. I am glad I heard it before so that I would not turn into a rage-monster on the spot.
Jessica continued. "He reached over to crushed my nipples through my clothing. It hurt like hell. He told me 'shuck your panties you sloppy cunt. I'm gonna ram you up the ass so hard you'll be walking funny for a week! You are gonna love it bitch. All of you cock sucking sluts do.' "
Jessica gritted her teeth in anger. I found I was too. "That was it! I reached over, grabbed his arm, pulled it to my mouth and bit down hard. He tried to fight. Harder than usual even. He nearly dislocated his shoulder I think. I went directly into the brachial vein. I wanted the juice to hit him as fast as it could. He struggled, whimpering about me not eating him, then relaxed. He said I was a cock sucker, but I guess he was not so happy about me sucking on other parts of him." Jessica gave an evil grin.
Nova looked sad. "Just because some women like to do that that I am not sure how that became a label for a bad person. Have you ever met a man who does not like it?"
Helen looked sour "A way that a woman has total power over a man. His favorite body part wrapped in teeth and ready to be bitten off. They need to flip it around. Men never want to admit to weakness."
There was a silence as they waited for Becky to chime in. She finally said "What? Sure. I am married to a human man. Whatever. Carry on Maria."
Becky has a human husband? That is very interesting.
Jessica went on as if there had not just been a conversation about oral sex in the middle of my trial. "Arnold tasted terrible. Just awful. Fresh blood has never tasted that bad. I took one little suck, and could barely swallow. I focused on putting Juice in. Now I was even angrier. I was not going to get laid. I was not going to get a drink. This had all been for nothing! With an armload of hypno, I told him that this was the best sex he ever had. Nothing else would ever compare in his creepy little life. That he reached climax more times in one encounter than ever before. That he had no idea how much he liked nice girls and straight sex. Like that, on and on. I was so pissed, and I laid it on thick. He orgasmed. I told him he needed to clean up and have a nap. I drove away." She shuddered at the memory. "He is such a fucking asshole!" she exclaimed.
The subcommittee agreed with her conclusion: More proof about what we males are like. Great.
Jessica finished up. "I went to a liquor store, bought some inexpensive Scotch, and washed my mouth out. His blood was foul. Cocksucker? No way in the god damn world. Can't even imagine that little delight if his blood tasted like garbage. Then the crap started. Shortly after that incident, he started stalking me, and when he saw Adrian and I together, he went crazy."
Helen looked interested in that part, and asked for more details "What do you mean when he saw you together? What kind of situation?"
"Twice. The first time was when I met Adrian at the nude beach. I was hunting there. I took him back to my boat, you know her: the 'Nightwing'. Adrian and I spent the night together on her, though not sleeping. That is the night I turned Adrian. A wonderful and wild night. If Arnold had any sort of equipment like binoculars, Arnold would not be happy. We sat naked on the deck until sundown. We came out later and made love under the night sky. Arnold had to know I was getting well and properly laid. Delicious blood and magnificent sex. Made up for Arnold's back seat and then some."
"In ignorance and thinking with deep regret that our night was to be a one-time thing, I dropped Adrian off at his car the next morning. Arnold Romney followed him on the road for a while, surely getting his plates. Arnold was not in the parking lot when I took Adrian to the car. No one was. That means he came back or watched from another place."
Jessica looked over at me and smiled. "That night was so amazing. I never experienced anything like it ever. I wanted to see Adrian again, but I could not see how to do that. You all know the problems. Humans and Vampires. Lifespans. Secrets. Shortly after that night, Adrian was in the hospital going through the change. I had no idea. The odds against him turning are huge! Just because I bit him over and over: that should not have mattered. If it had been a woman, I would have stayed around. Checked. Like Helen did with me. But a man? Why bother, other than wanting to get laid like that again."
Jessica sighed. "I left the area for a few days to run down to Old Mexico and take care of some things: Identity maintenance stuff. Check in on my clinic. The usual. When I came back home I saw I was being followed, and I figured out who it was. Arnold the creeper. I moved my boat from its shed to another place on the lake and was just getting back from that to get my car when I saw Arnold putting a body into the trunk of his police car. I had no idea it was Adrian."
Jessica gestured at me open-handed, palm up. "Adrian, once he came through the transition, he wanted to find me again and see if we could be more than that one night together. He had no idea I am Vampire, or that he now was. He wanted to be sure that we talked at least one last time so he would know whether or not we had any kind of future, or if I was even interested."
She looked over at me with a kind of shy smile. I smiled back. Helen observed the exchange and did one of her own with the other two women on her side of the table. "He just wanted to know where we stood. He is everything Arnold is not. The antidote for the worst date with a human ever. If you call attempted sodomy on the back seat of a cop car a date."
"You know this about Adrian how Maria? He told you?" Helen asked. It was softly asked.
"He told me. He showed me. That is jumping ahead in the story, Helen. I followed Arnold and his police cruiser with the body in the trunk to a deer processing plant up the road from the marina. He pulled around back of the building, and I watched from a distance as he pulled a body from the trunk. I had no idea who it was, but I was worried that Arnold went further off the deep end: That he was stalking any man around me now. I ran back, grabbed my car. I needed to get whoever he had away from him. When I got back to the processing plant, I snuck in and saw Arnold had hung this person by their heels from a meat hook and beat them bloody."
Jessica paused and acknowledged the grimaces. "I know... Yuch. The processing plant and the body in the trunk should have been clues. I had no idea he would go this far, or I would not have run back to get the car. I have seen many screwed up men over the years, but never one like this."
Jessica made a wavy back and forth gesture, like a pendulum. "The man suspended from the chain was awake despite having been severely beaten, and Arnold grabbed a knife and was going to gut him. I dropped Arnold to the floor with his own Nightstick, pulled the poor guy down... and only then saw it was Adrian. He was so beaten up and lost weight, so it took looking at him up close and scenting him to know who he was. It all suddenly made sense. Arnold's worse fear come to pass. He thought I had a new lover. Turns out I do, but I didn't then. Not yet."
I was unduly pleased to hear her call me her lover. That she did so openly to this group of women even more important to me. I tried not to show how that made me feel. Helen would probably not like it.
Jessica continued: "I loaded poor Adrian into the car and we took off. It was my responsibility that he was in that condition. I figured I could get out on the road and we could run long enough for him to heal up, or take him to a hospital should he have a bad turn. I could tell that despite his being beaten, he was not in immediate danger of dying. I am a medical doctor, so I could give him the care he would need. Later I could return to deal with Arnold. Of my two responsibilities, Adrian was the more immediate. There was not a lot of time to think it through.
"While we were on the road, I began to put together some things Adrian said, and how fast he healed. I realized he had turned. That I had turned him." She paused, looked down at her hands, and her voice had a note of wonder. "That changed... everything. From a beaten slab of human meat in a deer processing plant to here. Mostly whole again. Mine." She looked up, scanned all three faces in turn. "He is my turn, my responsibility, and he is one of us."
Nova looked me over me in a clinical way, then at Helen with an unspoken question. Helen looked thoughtful, rubbing her chin.
Becky said "Well, you managed to put together about the worst string of luck I have heard of in recent years. If there is an original fault, it is only in you losing your temper and telling this policeman all these things that clearly are in conflict with his core personality. I have always said Vamps shouldn't use the Juice without passing a course in human psychology. We tend to place far too much reliance upon it."
Jessica nodded agreement. "I know better: I was angry. I would love to take such a course, however. Any chance there will be one at the next Conclave?"
Nova looked interested. I am getting the impression she is a scholar, and that anything with the word 'course' in it is going to be her thing. "We should check around" she agreed "Surely we have a psychologist or psychiatrist somewhere in our ranks that could lead a session like that. We could present them this situation as a case study!"
Oh. Fine. Exhibit 'A': The poor helpless male Vampire that is the center of all this trouble, and the male human cop that is raising the ruckus. More fuel for the 'males are useless' meme, complete with a presentation slide deck.
Helen waved a hand. "We are getting off topic, interesting as that course could be." she sounded like she would rather watch ice melt. "So my dear Maria, now that we understand how you came to be in this jam, I think the course here is obvious. This is easy. If there had not been a male Vamp that needed judging, we could have taken care of this by phone!"
Becky agreed."Yes. Although having you here and watching and listening to you has been invaluable as well. Would you mind returning to the foyer while we discuss these issues?" She flicked a glance at me that told me I am in the general classification of 'issue'.
"No.. Yes. Sure. No problem." Jessica replied. I could tell Jessica did not see how this was all so 'easy', which made me feel better because I was confused. I thought we came here to judge me. I did not like them grilling her.
As we walked back up the hall, Jessica grabbed my hand and brought it to her lips. I was slightly surprised, but we stopped and I looked into her dark eyes for a moment. I would be lying if I said my heart rate stayed steady. It may be slower now, but that does not mean it won't skip a beat from time to time.
My hand still to her lips, I told her "No matter what Jessica, I would not have traded this time with you for anything. I mean that. Anything."
Her eyes glittered, she smiled, and kissed my hand again, and then leaned into my lips. A soft brush. "I don't want to lose you." She whispered. I did not answer, just pressed my forehead to hers, and kissed the back of her hand that held mine.
We continued on up the hall, entered the door, the little robe room, and then popped out onto the dais in the sanctuary. I stopped under the bright quartz halogen lamps that illuminated the crucifix and thought about that symbology.
"I wonder why they chose to meet us here?" I asked, not expecting an answer.
"Oh... Sorry. I should have said. This is Becky's church. She is the pastor here." Jessica waved around the room.
'Well lovely' I thought, then said: "Guess we impressed her then."
Jessica heard the preceding thought in my tone. "What do you mean? As in, we didn't?"
"Exactly. You knew Helen from way back. You heard Nova talk at a conclave. No mention of Becky and her thing, even though she has a public speaking gig every week, right here in River City." I indicated the room she just did.
Jessica seemed unconcerned. "Oh. I see. I doubt she expected we would have heard her talk, at least in her religious capacity. She's kind of unusual in this profession. Vamps tend to not go to church, more or less lead them."
Despite my situation, that intrigued me. "Why not? Just curious."
Jessica picked up a silver cup, looked it over, set it back down. "I don't know. I am a fallen Catholic as you well know. Fell. Dug in. Fell some more. Seems being a Vampire changes your point of view on things. I am not saying that all Vampires are non-theists. Many of them are very spiritual people. It's that some of them knew Jesus, knew Buddha, knew Mohammad. Hard to worship the person who lived just up the street and hung out their laundry the same as you."
That Vampire long view. "Ah. There is that. Interesting. I would like to hear a talk about that at a Conclave. Of course, I would like to live long enough to go to a Conclave."
"Been a while since that one came around. They tend to rotate topics. And yes: I truly hope you'll get a chance to hear about it."
Neither of us is the praying type it seems, despite our setting, so we walked up the center aisle between the pews, holding hands.