By Maria Wiberg

Sequel to To Love Forever

"Not everything is black and white. Sometimes you have to get your hands dirty, make compromises. In life, the road to darkness is a journey, not a light switch."

- Lex Luthor, Smallville

Part 1

“Terry, make me forget…”

The simple plea echoed through his dreams. Dripping with sweat Peter Caine sat up in his bed. “Forget what?” he wanted to scream, but as usual there would be no answer. He felt like the shadows were moving in on him from every corner. He could feel his hand trembling when he reached for the light switch. "Calm down, Caine!" he chided himself. Nothing to be afraid of. It was only a dream.

Wiping the sweat from his face with the already damp sheet, he looked at the alarm clock. It was barely past midnight. He already knew he probably wouldn’t get any more sleep that night. The dark dreams of shadows chasing him through darkened alleys that had plagued him the last year, had become even more frequent the last few days. He’d tried to confront the only Terry he knew, getting only questions in return. If only he could figure out what it was that he was supposed to have forgotten. If only he could get the year he’d lost back. He fingered the scars on his shoulder absentmindedly, as if they’d bring him the memories of how he’d gotten them back.

He fell back onto the pillows, resigned to the idea of another sleepless night.

~~~

Peter woke, as he had done so many times the last couple of weeks, with a sense of loss and a smoldering headache. He’d managed to fall asleep after his last nightmare, but he was far from rested. Something was eating away at him, especially when he slept. He tried remembering the illusive dreams. All he came up with was a strange feeling that he’d forgotten something important. It was damn annoying.

As usual, he shook it off as he got out of bed to get ready for another day at work. Even work was getting to him. His latest case, or cases, involved what seemed to be a vampire. They had twelve dead bodies with fang marks and one victim still living, but in a deep coma, caused by loss of too much blood. The doctors didn’t have much hope that she’d ever regain consciousness. They had fingerprints, they had DNA, but what good did that do when they had nobody to compare them to? They needed at least a suspect. Ten days now and they were no closer than day one.

~~~

“I know you don’t believe in vampires, Peter. But I found some pretty interesting information,” Kermit told when Peter entered the ex mercenary’s, now computer geek’s, office at the 101st precinct.

“You can’t be serious!” Peter snorted when he saw the look on his friend and colleague’s face. Was he the only one not affected by this vampire nonsense?

“Deadly,” Kermit confirmed, turning back to his computer screen. “These sources are the best and most reliable you can find. And they all treat vampires as a very real threat.”

“So, you say we arm ourselves with crosses, stakes and garlic and go stake out the cemeteries?”

He hadn’t been serious, but Kermit nodded gravely and pointed at the computer screen, as if Peter would understand what the long listings meant at only a glance “Look at these sites. It seems I’ve done this search before and forgot about it. It is really weird. I have no recollection of ever doing it, and still here are notes and search flags made by me just over a year ago.”

“I wish I could help you there buddy, but you know that year is still lost to me.” Peter wanted to groan out aloud, he hated it when he was reminded of the year he’d lost to that strange amnesia.

“It seems you’re not the only one forgetting things, kid.” Kermit looked just as annoyed as Peter did when someone mentioned what had happened during the time he lost.

With a growing sense of dread, Peter read one of the online notes over Kermit’s shoulder. This was far from the first time people had been bitten and drained by a vampire in the area. Kermit’s short and concise notes told a very different story. “How could these events possibly have been covered up?” Peter wondered, shaking his head in disbelief.

Kermit didn’t acknowledge that he’d even heard a word Peter said. He had already started to hack away at the keyboard to search for more clues. Screen after screen of vampire references flashed across the monitor. Peter started to wonder how Kermit could keep track of what was displayed when the printer in the corner came to life.

By the time Kermit handed Peter the thick pile of printouts, the headache from that morning returned with a vengeance. Even Kermit was massaging his temples. “You too?” Peter said with a tired sigh.

“Yeah. It’s weird, I haven’t had a serious headache in years, but the more I read about this the worse it gets.”

~~~

“I think we may be on to something here!” Peter waved the printout excitedly in between the screen and Kermit’s face.

Kermit leaned back and looked up at Peter.

“It’s right here. Headaches, lost time, loss of memory; they’re all symptoms of contact with vampires. They ‘made us’ forget all about them!” He didn't want to believe in this, but if Kermit was this sure about the authenticity of these reports, he had to.

“I believe you’re right, kid. Look at this.” The older man pointed to the document on his monitor screen.

Peter read the document with a sense of dread. It was a witness report dated almost a year ago, signed by Kermit.

“Everything else, and I mean every trace of any document, both on my hard drive and security backups, are gone. Probably, the only reason this document is still in existence is because I can’t edit or delete content on that server once the document is uploaded. Someone’s gone through a hell of a lot of trouble to make sure I don’t remember this.”

“I lost a whole year, Kermit. Why do you think that was necessary?”

“I can only guess that you were into this a lot deeper than I ever was. This document doesn’t say anything about you, only what I observed about this unnamed vampire.”

It was as if all the pieces suddenly fell into place. They had told him he had started to work nights, then quit entirely. They had thought him gaunt and pale. He’d worked as a bartender and then left town. The woman! It had to have been the woman. He couldn’t remember her now, but they had told him he’d been with a beautiful woman. “Does it say anything about a woman?”

“No, it seems I only had time to write one single report. I can’t find anything else on here regarding this.”

Peter raked a hand through his hair. Had he been in close contact with a vampire? He had to find out. Maybe if he confronted Terry with these facts he’d finally tell him the truth. He couldn’t remember how many times he’d plagued Terry with the question about what he’d forgotten. He could still hear the “Terry, make me forget…” echo in his mind when he thought about the bartender. They’d been working together; Terry had to know ‘something’.

Whatever had happened, he better find out before he talked to Kermit about it. This was the best lead he had so far about his missing memories. “Keep looking, Kermit. I have something I have to check out. I’ll see ya tomorrow.”

He didn’t see Kermit’s curious look when he rushed out the precinct doors to find and confront Terry.

~~~

“Peter! What are you doing here?” Terry called out with a loud whisper as he pulled him aside almost before he was in through the door.

“I needed to talk to you. How did you get here so fast?” He could have sworn he’d seen Terry by the bar as he came down the stairs. Yet, here he was now, pulling him into a small room right by the entrance to the underground club.

Terry closed the door behind them and then leaned back against it. “You shouldn’t be here, Peter. It’s not good for your health to be in this particular club. How ‘did’ you find me by the way?”

“I was looking for you at Delancey’s. They told me you set up a new business here. Why didn’t you tell me you sold Delancey's?” Something was definitely up with his friend if he didn’t want Peter to find him.

“Crap!” Terry mumbled. “I knew I shouldn’t have told them where I went.”

“Don’t be mad at them, I was kind of persuasive, and besides, they know we’re friends.”

Terry opened the door slightly, looking outside as if to check if it was okay to talk. This was weird; he’d never seen Terry this nervous about anything. “Okay, what’s this about?” he asked when he closed the door again, this time a little less nervously.

Peter squirmed slightly now that he had Terry’s full attention. “It’s about when I worked for you. Did I ever mention vampires to you? Kermit and I discovered some very disturbing facts about vampire encounters. They fit perfectly on the both of us; but especially me.” Now there it was, Terry would deny it and he’d be outta there.

But Terry didn’t deny it at all. Instead, he sank back against the closed door and sighed. Closing his eyes, the bartender mumbled something unintelligible.

“What?”

“Yes,” Terry almost whispered. “Yes, you encountered vampires.”

“No shit!” That was all that went through his head. He’d fully expected Terry to deny all knowledge, just as he always denied knowing anything about his memory loss.

Terry got a wicked glimmer in his eyes. “You not only encountered them, you were a vampire for a while.”

“I what?” He blurted out, surprised.

“You heard me.”

“I was a vampire?” The idea of being a vampire didn't want to register in his mind. He slowly drew a hand through his hair, trying to fathom the idea. "But, how?" he objected.

“Yes," Terry interrupted Peter's efforts to form a coherent question. "And then your dear ‘Pop’ cured you.”

“But why can’t I remember?” He paused, realization hit. Pop knew? How could his father have kept this secret from him?

“You don’t remember, because you asked me to make you forget,” the bartender replied and with that his eyes flashed yellow. Making claws in the air with his hands, he made a playful but very effective growl.

“You’re a…” Peter stepped back in surprise. If a vampire could hide what he was that well, it was no wonder the vampires could pass unnoticed among the rest of the population. He’d spent a lot of time in Terry's company and never suspected.

“I told you it wouldn't last when you asked me to erase everything that happened from your memory.”

It was hard to comprehend why he had made such a request. “I told you to do it? Why?”

Terry’s eyes glimmered steadily yellow again, and Peter found them strangely compelling. Frozen, he continued to stare into the vampire’s eyes.

“Remember,” Terry commanded.

The word echoed though his brain, and suddenly the headache that had been pounding through his head since that morning dissipated. He gasped. It felt like his head was going to explode when a full year’s worth of memories bubbled up to the surface from the depths where it had been hidden from his view. He remembered!

And they weren’t just any memories either. They were memories of a life as a vampire. All the evil he’d done; and all the deaths he had caused… “What have I done?” he moaned and sank to his knees, oblivious of Terry’s presence in the room.

He didn’t ‘want’ to know these things. The reason behind the memory loss seemed insignificant when compared to the atrocities he’d committed as a vampire. He’d suspected he had come in contact with vampires, even feared that he had been one, but the truth was just too much. He felt sick.

“Get a grip!” he sniveled, trying to dry off the tears that were sneaking down his cheeks. He couldn’t go back to the precinct like this; with puffy red eyes and terror written all over his face from facing death in the eye. He couldn’t face Kermit, remembering what he’d done to him, or what Kermit had done to Moura. It was too fresh; it felt like the events that welled up from within had happened only yesterday.

As if a mind reader, Terry appeared with the same thing he’d offered the last time Peter’s memories were overwhelming him; a bottle of vodka and a friendly ear.

“Let me drive you home, and then I’ll try to answer your questions. Or if you wish; leave you be.”

“Thanks, Terry. I don’t think I can face anyone right now.” He slowly and slightly unsteady got to his feet as he accepted the bottle. Maybe some booze would numb the pain. The memory of what he’d done weighed on him like nothing he’d ever experienced. The pain of losing Moura that had made him choose to forget was nothing compared to knowing what he’d done as a vampire.

How could he ever have rationalized killing all those people? He couldn’t remember ever being sorry, not even after he returned to humanity. It was as if his human conscience had been disconnected until it had been reset by the memory loss.

He put the bottle to his lips, and drank a healthy amount without thinking. It wasn’t enough; he repeated the procedure until he couldn’t even hold on to the bottle. Anything was better than facing his deeds.

“Moura, she died…” this was so weird. It had happened over a year ago, but the memory of her death, and what he’d gone through, was as fresh as if it had happened yesterday.

Terry hugged Peter across the shoulders with one arm, and led him towards the door. “Take your time, get reacquainted with what happened. I’ll swing by your place tomorrow evening and tell you what’s going on. Maybe this was for the best; we have a problem in the community.”

~~~

Kwai Chang Caine gasped when an overwhelming sense of grief and pain hit him through the link with his son. Instinctively, he knew his son must have finally found out the truth about his lost year. Nothing else could possibly cause such distress.

It had been hard keeping the secret, especially lately, when the loss had began troubling Peter more and more. But knowing his son, he knew it had been necessary. He too had lost a loved one, and if he could have chosen to forget, he would have been very tempted as well. At least in his own case, he had had Peter to take care of and focus on. Peter had nothing, his love was in ashes in another dimension. The ones responsible were his coworkers and best friends. The situation had been hopeless.

When Peter had told him about his plans to forget, he had agreed to never reveal what he knew. It had been the hardest promise he had ever had to keep. One pain was lost; another was gained. The lost time had eaten away at his son, but revealing the truth had been out of the question.

He wondered what had happened for Peter’s vampire friend to lift the veils and let Peter have his past back. Maybe it was the new rumors that there was a vampire killer in town again. Caine had not seen anything personally, but the frequent whispers in the community were getting harder to dismiss.

Knowing vampires were indeed real, he had to consider that the rumors were based in truth. He better talk to Peter, and set things right between them. Maybe Peter had found out more about the rumors from Terry. There had to be a very good reason for Terry to give Peter his memories back.

Part 2

“A Master vampire in town, Terry? Are you sure?” Peter looked at his vampire friend through the hangover haze that still remained. He shouldn’t have had the entire bottle of vodka the night before, even if it had done a good job of sending him into oblivion. For the first time in quite a while he’d slept without the nightmares. He’d woken up to a nightmare instead. He was a killer. He had taken the lives of dozens, if not hundreds, of innocent people while he was a vampire. He didn't want to remember their faces, begging him to spare their lives, or as frozen masks of horror in death.

He’d called in sick, there was just no way he could face Kermit, or anyone. And yet, he had found his way to the club to find out what was going on. It was early for a vampire encounter; the sun wasn’t even down. He had counted on the fact that Terry was an early riser when he came knocking on the back door to the place.

“I’m sure, Peter. He comes here almost every night and you don’t get to be as old as I am without recognizing evil when you see it.” Terry looked as worried as he sounded. “And believe me, this is an evil one, more so than you could possibly imagine.”

“Do you know anything about him? Anything specific; like where he stays, or what he’s up to?” Could this be the murderer he was looking for?

"He owns the building. Actually, that's why I'm here. I decided I needed to be closer to keep an eye on what's going on."

"He bought a whole building? Why?" Damn, this guy seemed serious. You didn’t buy property if you were only passing through. Peter began to get an idea why his friend was so visibly worried.

"The old and powerful ones often do that, take up residence somewhere and surround themselves with a band of minions. They also like to form pacts with the local mafia, or crime lords,” Terry explained.

"No wonder crime is up in the area. Not only do we have the vampire murders I’m investigating, we have an increase in robberies and burglars as well. I don’t like this at all.” He pushed away the beer Terry had placed in front of him, suddenly not thirsty.

“I don’t like it either, Peter. You know me, I like to keep a low profile, mind my own business. This guy is high profile. It won’t be long until the rest of the city knows exactly who this guy is and they will fear him.”

“Do you have any ideas on how to get this guy out of here, preferably forever?" If he was as old and powerful as Terry, could he be killed at all?

“Depends…”

“On what?” Peter filled in when Terry hesitated.

“It depends on whether you’d be willing to be turned into a vampire again. If you want to take them out, you need to get close; infiltrate the group.”

Peter groaned. “That’s why you returned my memories to me; so that I would help you take him out. You’re damn sneaky, Terry.”

“Okay, I’m sneaky. I want this guy out of here, and you’re the best man for the job, Peter. If anyone can do it, you can.”

“Best man? Me? No way!!" There was no way in hell he’d return to the life of a vampire. “How do you know I won’t go evil on you and join the gang instead of taking them out? See what happened last time.”

“Because I know you, Peter. Even in your darkest hour, you were basically a decent guy. Why don’t you talk to your father, maybe he can do something?”

Peter shook his head. Terry had more confidence in him and his father than he did. The memories from his time as a vampire were very clear. He’d been as evil as they came, at least for a time. What made Terry think he’d be able to overcome that evil this time? “Are you sure there’s no other way? Why can’t you do something? You're already a vampire!"

“I’ve been keeping an eye on them since they arrived and I haven’t been able to get close enough to find out anything. There’s only so much anyone would tell a bartender.”

Terry might have been around a while, but he was no detective, and certainly no cop. Not that the little technicality of a badge mattered in this case, no justice system in the world could touch these guys.

Peter sighed. They wouldn’t confess to murder, that was for sure. If this Master was as old and powerful as he seemed by the fear he sensed behind Terry’s words, there was no way he would admit to it. Terry was right, he had to get into the group and gain their trust. His father had to come up with something to help him out, evil was not an option. Maybe he didn’t have to lose himself in the darkness this time around. “Let me think about it, Terry.”

He had to talk to his father before he made any kind of decision. It would be painful, but he had to face Kermit and the reality of what he had done to his friend as a vampire.

~~~

Peter sat down heavily on the floor in front of his father. Caine was already comfortable in his usual meditation pose. Peter knew he needed to relax and meditate, too. The sudden and unexpected return of his memories had thrown him right into a turmoil he didn't know how to handle. But he also knew it would be very difficult to meditate with his mind in chaos, nothing in his life was easy. He sighed.

"Breathe, my son," Caine urged, and Peter obediently took a deep breath to center himself and relax into the position. It wasn't easy, his head fairly buzzed with information he'd thought was gone forever.

"Yes..." He breathed deeply and closed his eyes to, at least, shut out the images of the room.

"Concentrate, my son. Focus on the reason behind your pain."

Peter inhaled deeply, his heart lurched painfully in his chest when he brought up the image of Moura and the love he'd felt for her. The last time he'd seen her, when he'd said goodbye forever, the dark curls that used to frame her beautiful face had melted into ashes. Mere moments after her soul had fled; her newly mortal body had turned into a fine, almost white ash, instead of the black ashes of a dead vampire. All that was left was his memories and his pain.

"I don't understand, Pop. All I had left was my memories of her, and I choose to let those go too." True, he could remember his reasoning at the time. The pain had driven him to the limit, but he knew now that the decision to take the memory of Moura away had been a huge mistake. Not knowing what had happened during that year had cost him so much more than her.

He opened his eyes and looked at his father. "Can you help me, father? I need to face this evil that I was a part of again. The vampires are back in the city and I will have to infiltrate their organization. I can't do that as a human. Is there anything we can do to protect me from turning evil if I become a vampire again? "

Caine nodded silently. "I will see what I can find out for you, my son. I am uncertain."

"That's all I can ask. I won't go through with this without some sort of protection. I don't want to hurt you or anyone else by doing this. I know you can return me to humanity, but if they turn me I might not want to go back. It took me a long time and many lives before I came to that point last time. God knows if I will again."

"I will talk to the Masters of Shambhala."

"Great, Pop! Can you do it now?"

“Come back tomorrow morning, these things can not be rushed.”

Peter sighed and got off the floor. He knew he could learn a lesson or two in patience from his father and Lo Si. He couldn’t help feeling a great deal more hopeful now that his father was on the case. He only needed to keep telling himself this would indeed work out.

~~~

Peter didn’t have to go far to find Kermit. He discovered the Kermitmobile parked right outside the entrance to his father’s building, blocking his exit.

“Where the hell did you disappear to?” Kermit barked.

Peter immediately noticed that his friend seemed genuinely worried. “I’ve been doing some research,” he said with a shrug, trying to sound more casual about it than he actually was. Could he tell Kermit the truth?

“And?” Patience wasn’t Kermit’s strong suit either.

“A vampire cult has taken up residence in Chinatown. So far I haven’t been able to verify that they really are vampires, but they do pretend to be. I have a contact that can introduce me to them. I thought going undercover would be a good way to find out who they really are, and if the murderer is among them.”

“That’s way too dangerous. What if they really are vampires?”

“Don’t be silly, Kermit,” he denied. Could he really confirm that everything was real? Uncharacteristically enough, Kermit already seemed to believe in vampires.

“Peter, they are real. I know they are." Kermit removed his glasses. "Even if you don’t take the threat seriously, I do. Do you really think this is a good idea?" Peter knew Kermit was deadly serious when he met the old mercenary's eyes.

But Peter couldn't allow Kermit to dissuade him. He had to do this; there was just no other way. "We have no other leads. This is the closest to one we got."

"But what will you do if they are real?" Kermit repeated.

Peter looked at Kermit. How much should he tell him? Better not tell him too much until he knew more himself. "I was just talking to Pop. He says he might have a way to protect me from them. I'll wait until I know if he comes up with something. I'm not completely insane, I'm not exactly eager to die either."

"You don't want to play with those guys, Peter." Kermit looked strangely scared, as if he knew more than he said.

"What aren’t you telling me?" Peter asked back. He thought he knew everything, but what had Kermit found out?

"If they're real, you won't get out of there alive. They're ruthless."

"But, Kermit. We must have escaped them once before, or we wouldn't have this strange amnesia. I'm sure this won't become that dangerous. We might even get lucky and they're just a cult."

Kermit looked intently at him with his piercing brown eyes. "Do you even believe that yourself?" Peter wished the old guy had put his sunglasses back on; he always came on too strong when he didn't wear them.

Peter looked away. It was all a lie, but he couldn't face what he'd done to Kermit. The truth was ugly. Maybe, eventually, if he became a vampire again, he'd be cold enough to tell Kermit the truth. As for not telling the truth about the cult; that had more to do with Kermit's protective manners. If Kermit knew for a fact that there was a vampire in town; he'd never let Peter get anywhere near the club. "You know me, the eternal optimist," he tried to joke back; though it fell flat at his friends disapproving look.

"You better pray your father can come up with protection other than garlic and holy water." Kermit finally put his glasses back on. He turned to get back into the car, effectively ending the discussion. But Peter knew better than believing Kermit had given up on the subject. He usually returned, better prepared and better armed.

"I won't do it if he can't," Peter called out to his friend's back. The only question that remained was; what would he do about the vampire if he didn't find a way to protect himself from the evil? Could he let him get away with it? He shivered at the thought of the unrestrained evil he'd face. Without any protection, there would be one more evil force unleashed; himself.

"Please, Pop, find a way!" he prayed.

~~~

"Detective Caine, in my office!" Captain Simms barked across the room when Peter arrived at the precinct the next morning.

"Right away, Captain," he confirmed, but still stopped by the coffee machine on his way. He needed his morning cup; he'd missed his first when he'd overslept. When he'd finally fallen asleep early in the morning, a new nightmare had begun. The pleasure he'd felt when he killed people as a vampire began to surface. He shuddered with both disgust and delight when he remembered the pure ecstasy of drinking blood. He forcefully pushed back the memory, and focused on the present.

"What's up, Captain?" he wondered as he plopped down on one of the visitor’s chairs. Sometimes, it was hard to tell if she was angry or not, but this was not such an occasion. He could see it in her eyes that she was mad as hell.

"Detective Griffin briefed me about your activities yesterday."

Peter gulped. He'd hoped to keep this to himself until he knew for sure how he'd play it. He had not planned to visit his father until later. "If this works, we might just get our murderer. A new vampire cult in town, and we got vampire murders. Makes sense to check them out, don't you think?" He tried his best to look and sound convincing.

"I agree, Detective. This just might be the break we've been waiting for."

"You don't object?" Peter was confused. With her smoldering anger, and Kermit so dead against it, he'd expected her to be against it too.

"Why should I? This sounds like a good initiative on your part, Caine."

She didn't know. Kermit hadn't told her the truth as he'd thought at first. She only knew the lie. He was relieved. The fewer who knew, the better; and the fewer would be in danger from the vampires.

"Kermit didn't particularly like the idea," he explained.

"I'm sure Kermit is just being careful. You do have a tendency to run off without backup. However, the commissioner will condone anything to get this guy. And I'm inclined to agree. If you think this cult has anything to do with the murders, you have my blessing."

"Thanks Captain." Peter was relieved, he'd expected to have to fight hard for this idea, and here he got free reign.

"Detective Griffin will assist you as your outside contact. I expect you to stay in frequent contact with him. No running off on your own, understood?"

Peter nodded gravely. He had no objections, though he knew there were things he could never tell either Kermit or the Captain. "There are some things I need to check up on first, but I expect I'll contact my source and set it all in motion tonight."

"Let us know when you begin." She nodded towards the door. "You are dismissed."

Peter left her office, wondering how the hell he could back out of this if his father didn't find a way to protect him. Could he back out?

Unable to concentrate on anything else, he began clearing his desk from the worst clutter. If all worked out well, he might not return in a while. He tried his best to ignore the others stares.

"Peter Caine, cleaning his desk!" Skalany teased. "What did she do? Fire you?"

"Why don't you ask her?" he quipped back.

"No," Jody cut in. "If she'd done that, he would have been outta here already. I vote for mandatory sick leave. You look like shit, pal!"

"None of the above," Kermit cut in when he passed them on his way to his office.

"Okay, okay, I have a new assignment," Peter confessed.

"You know we can't talk about this," Kermit reprimanded them all sternly.

Peter nodded. "Reminds me, I have an appointment. I'll talk to you later, Kermit."

Finally, he was out of there. Peter stood outside and looked at the old place for a while. Would he ever return?

~~~

Caine held out two small jade amulets in his palm. “The Shambhala Masters gave me these. They will link us together when our connection is lost, and they will prevent the vampire demon from possessing you completely."

Peter picked up one of them by the sturdy gold chain looped through it. He studied it carefully as it slowly rotated in front of him. It reminded him of his grandfather’s old amulet, the one that had thwarted the evil his uncle Damon had tried to unleash. Carefully, he let it come to rest on his palm. “Whoa!” It tingled pleasantly against his skin. “It’s alive.”

Caine silently put his around his neck and Peter did the same. It still tingled pleasantly and it made him feel better about what he was about to do. “Are you sure this is enough to protect me?” he couldn’t help asking. Somehow it seemed too small and insignificant, in spite of the tingle of energy.

Caine made a kind of half nod. “They said the best protection is awareness. Last time you followed your instincts, you did not know to fight them. This time you know what to expect, and you have the desire to fight the darkness that will come over you.”

Peter squeezed the amulet and nodded. “I will be careful, father. But, if something goes wrong I want you to take me out, don’t let me get lost in the dark.” It was a very real possibility that he would, if the amulet wasn’t strong enough.

“Do not worry, my son. I will do my best to protect you, even if we are no longer connected.”

“Promise?”

Caine nodded gravely. “I promise.”

“Good enough for me.” Peter buttoned up his shirt and took a deep breath to get ready. All he could do now was ignore the bad feeling in his gut, and hope the precautions were enough.

~~~

“There he is now,” Terry called out with a loud whisper and a nod towards the club entrance, interrupting Peter’s gloomy thoughts of blood and death.

Peter emptied the shot of vodka he’d ordered to calm his nerves as he could actually feel the other vampire approach him from behind. A chill went through his body when he realized there was something very familiar about the buzz he felt down his spine when the vampire closed in on him. He was amazed he could feel him at all, even Terry seemed perfectly human.

By the time the vampire reached the bar, Terry had already poured a glass with fresh warm blood. Peter set the shot glass down and reached for the glass with a very full bodied red wine that Terry had given him. He had wanted a beer, but changed his mind to at least blend in a little with the crowd. The vampire didn’t look anything like he had expected. The tall blond man, dressed in a very expensive black suit, looked very young and fit, not at all unlike Peter himself.

What set this man, or vampire, apart was the aura of evil that surrounded him. There was something in the very presence of the man that made the hairs on Peter’s neck stand erect. The amulet from Shambhala seemed to squirm against his skin. This was definitely the ancient evil Terry had described. “God help me,” Peter thought.

The evil one drank the blood in one gulp. Then he directed his attention towards Peter. The two icy blue orbs seemed to see right through him. “How intriguing,” the vampire said with little more than a whisper, but the words never the less echoed through Peter’s whole being. “A vampire who returned to humanity, and he’s family too…”

Peter gulped, unable to break eye contact. “Hi, I’m Peter,” he responded lamely. What did the guy mean about him being family? How had he even known he'd been a vampire before? Suddenly, the amulet around his neck felt very inadequate to protect him. At least, the guy had not torn his shirt open to see what he had around his neck.

“So, this is the cop you told me about, Terry,” the vampire mused, looking over Peter again. Peter couldn’t help feeling like a piece of meat under the harsh scrutiny.

Peter gaped at Terry. Had he manipulated him into this meeting from the beginning? He felt like a child, with the adults talking over his head as if he wasn’t there at all. What was going on?

“Come, let’s go upstairs, shall we?” the ancient vampire said with a too friendly smile, as he wrapped his arm around Peter’s shoulders. “We have things to discuss.”

Peter looked helplessly at Terry when he was lead away. But Terry only laughed; he looked way too pleased with himself. Peter had wanted an introduction and boy had he gotten one.

Part 3

Not counting the basement where the club was located, the old building had five floors, which was more than many other buildings in Chinatown. The vampire led Peter into the rickety old elevator and pushed the button for the top floor.

Peter breathed a sigh of relief when the squeaky ride came to a stop and he could step out onto a surprisingly soft carpet. He looked around, surprised at the luxury that surrounded them. “Nice…” he mumbled, before he was pushed forward towards a door at the other end of the large lounge they had entered.

“Let’s take care of the essentials first, shall we?”

“Okay…” Peter had to agree, wondering what essentials he was talking about. He was beginning to get irritated at himself for being such a wimp. When had he ever blindly followed someone like he was doing now? Not a word of protest had come over his lips even though every cell in his body screamed for him to run, run as fast as his heart was already racing. He had not even tried to squirm out of the firm hand on his shoulder. The power this vampire possessed seemed to suppress all such actions. How would he ever be able to fight this kind of power? He could only hope the protective measures he had gone through would help him stay sane and on the right side of evil.

On the other side of the door was a spacious office. “Make yourself comfortable,” the vampire commanded as he pushed Peter in the general direction of one of the visitor’s chairs which were in front of the huge black desk.”

Peter sank down into one of the comfortable black leather chairs without protest. Nervously running his hands up and down his legs, he was unable to take his eyes off his host. He studied him as he opened a large refrigerator hidden behind a panel in the wall. He gulped nervously when he saw the vampire grab two large gallon jugs with blood. This wasn’t good, not good at all.

Within the blink of an eye the vampire was no longer across the room. Peter had time to spot a pair of glowing eyes before the vampire struck. He was strong and merciless. Peter couldn’t escape the deadly fangs buried into his neck. He cried out in agony, but the first excruciating pain soon turned into lazy dizziness when he lost more and more blood. He couldn’t stay awake. He would sleep now and it would all be over. “I’m sorry, Pop…” echoed though his mind as he was wrapped in darkness.

Drops of fire, of power and light called out to him. He reached out, held onto the fiery power, and sucked it into him. He let it lead him out of the dreaded darkness. The pure power ran down his throat, fed his starving body, and changed everything he was in the process. The change came quickly and effortlessly, in a moment he was fully awake. Instantly, he reached for the blood his new father handed him.

Peter smiled when he put the empty bottle down on the desk in front of him. “I forgot how good it feels to be a vampire,” he said contentedly. He licked the last drops of blood from his fangs and lips as he sank back into the chair with a sigh. He felt no regret about the change. “It’s good to be back.”

“From the eagerness you embraced my gift; I take it you didn’t go back voluntarily?”

“You could say I was tricked. I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to return for a while now,” Peter lied smoothly. The reason behind his eagerness was more along the lines of getting rid of the guilt and pain he’d suffered since he found out how many he had killed as a vampire. “Thank you.” This felt so much better. The nagging guilt was gone, as if it had never existed.

~~~

Caine gasped and grabbed the table in front of him to steady himself when the link to his son was torn away from him. He knew it would happen, but it was still a shock to lose that comforting presence in his mind. “My son…I wish there had been another way…”

He hoped the amulets were enough to keep Peter safe from the evil that normally ruled the vampire’s mind. Peter had never put his trust in the mystical Shambhala Masters like he had done this time. He had trusted them to keep him safe from evil. All he could do now was pray that it had been enough.

With a weakened sigh, he sank down onto the floor to meditate, to try and regain his balance without the strength of his son to back him up. He lit the candles around him one by one, imagining that each tiny flame made the darkness Peter walked in a little lighter.

~~~

Peter silently studied the man, the vampire, in front of him. The aura of evil that had surrounded him downstairs was gone. If anything, he projected a feeling of affection and friendliness. "I'm Chaar, and I'm the Master of this lair," the vampire said with a relaxed smile. Strange name, how old could he be?

"I'm Peter Caine, but you already knew that. What am I doing here, other than to satisfy your curiosity?" he better ask the questions while the guy was in a friendly mood. Who knew what he'd do if he found out why Peter was really there.

Chaar laughed, this time the cold undertones Peter had sensed before was gone. "There's no need to be defensive, my son. We're family now." Why did it feel so good to hear him say that?

"Okay," Peter nodded, unable to suppress a smile of his own. "Why am I family now, and not your evening snack?" He found he wasn't under some spell anymore, he could talk freely. All the questions he had wanted to ask on the way up from the club came to the surface.

"All right, I will explain. But first, let's have some more to drink." Chaar took the time to walk over to the bar and retrieve two labeled bottles. He opened them with an old fashioned cork screw before he grabbed two wine glasses and returned to the desk. Peter didn't remember him getting the other bottle he'd been given, but then he'd been very occupied with the transformation.

Peter immediately reached for the glass and bottle when Chaar set them down in front of him. The blood called out to him from the opened bottle. He had not realized he was already hungry again. "Thanks, Chaar."

"While you have the aura, and the strength of a much older vampire, you are still young, Peter. Young vampires need to drink a lot the first couple days to make sure the transformation goes well."

So that was another thing he'd done wrong last time. He had practically starved the first couple days and he had not had human blood for months. No wonder he'd reacted so violently back then. It was strange, he didn't feel that unrestrained beast emerging at all this time, and this was clearly human blood he was drinking. "I transformed into a wild beast last time I was a vampire. Why am I still sitting here, sane and unaffected now?" he asked his new Master.

Chaar tilted his head, looking almost as curious as Peter. "That is one of the reasons why I decided to turn you back. When I saw you downstairs, you were clearly human, but you had the aura of a vampire. Most puzzling, wouldn't you say?"

How can that be? He had been human for over a year now. Had he kept some part of the vampire even through a filter like Shambhala? Whatever the reason, he better change the subject before Chaar found out more than he was prepared to share, even with a second father. "Maybe it was because I never really wanted to be human again. I kept what little I could, even if I wasn't aware of it."

"You will like the experience more this time I think. You will be stronger and in more control; which in turn will aid you in your mission here."

Peter arched his eyebrows in surprise. "You know why I'm here?"

"Of course I do. You are here to find the vampire killer. That is also the other reason I decided to take you in."

"Oh," Peter was still in shock. He had not expected this at all.

"We're no fools, Peter. In this day and age we can't risk getting exposed. Killing has been outlawed for decades. A murder attracts unwanted attention, fang marks or not. I want you to find out who the killer is. If it’s a member of the lair, I want to know."

Peter nodded, what Chaar said made perfect sense.

Chaar looked at his expensive gold watch. “I have another meeting. Why don’t you go rediscover what it’s like to be a vampire? I’ll see to that Black, my second in command, have a suite ready for you by dawn.” He pressed a button on the built in control board on the desk.

“Yes, Master?” a gruff voice immediately replied through hidden speakers in the desk.

“I have a job for you,” Chaar ordered, and cut the connection without even waiting for a reply. “Peter, I want you to know you have my full cooperation. Make friends among the people here. Do whatever you need to find the killer, he’s endangering us all.”

“Have no doubt,” Peter quipped back. Knowing he was dismissed, he put his glass down. "I'll do my best," he promised before he turned to leave the room.

As he swung the door open, he almost took a step back in surprise when he was faced by the chest of the tallest black man he had ever met. This had to be Black. He tilted his head back and almost stepped back again when his eyes met only a dark cold void in the man’s eyes. “Hi, I’m Peter.” He greeted with a forced smile, reaching out to shake the other’s hand.

Black didn’t respond as friendly, the only response the friendly greeting returned was a curtly nod as the tall man almost pushed him aside on his way into the office. Peter couldn’t suppress a shudder. Was this the kind of welcome he’d receive from everyone here? He sure hoped not.

Peter leaned back on the other side of the closed door, relieved he was still alive. He knew the men in the room behind him were evil, but for now at least Chaar was on his side. Ironic, he would have thought he’d have to work alone in this once he was inside, but he had the support of the Master. Not that it would help much, everyone else was a suspect. He realized he didn't even know how many vampires lived there, the lounge was still empty.

Slightly nervous, he fingered the tips of his fangs before he let them disappear with the rest of his vampire visage. He would have to tell Kermit and the Captain, this wasn’t a change he could hide. How much should he tell them? If he said too much he wouldn’t be able to trust them anymore, he knew that much since the last time he’d been a vampire. At least, he was the only one with the power to restore Kermit’s memory, the old guy would only find out what he wanted him to. The best would probably be to only tell Kermit what had happened the last time around, and not actually give him the memories back. It would definitely be safer if Kermit didn’t know who had taken his and the others’ memories.

~~~

Chaar leaned back into his chair with an amused smile when Black entered the room. It would be interesting to watch Peter and Black interact. The two men were total opposites. Peter was open and friendly by default while Black was openly hostile and suspicious to anyone he didn’t know.

“So, that was our new local connection?” Black asked with a nod towards the door as he sat down into the chair Peter had just left.

Chaar nodded. “Yes. That was Peter Caine.”

“I thought you only choose new converts. Why this one?”

Chaar smiled again, even Black was falling for the illusion of strength and age radiating from Peter. Good, that would make the former cop’s secret assignment so much easier. “I’m very pleased he agreed to join us, Black. He has friends among both cops and criminals in this city. He will certainly be more useful to us in the initial stages of the invasion than any new convert would. Peter already knows what it means to handle humans on a daily basis.” He had not told Peter about the other job he had in mind for him yet. He would be a key player in their mission to take over the city’s world of crime. He’d let Peter settle in a little before he told him.

“How can you be sure he will be loyal? He has no ties to you, or this lair,” Black objected.

“Oh, he is connected. He’s Moura’s convert.” A connection he would have to investigate further later. Something in Peter’s eyes told him of great sadness regarding her. Maybe she was indeed gone forever this time?

“Okay, Master,” Black agreed, but looked less than convinced that Peter could be trusted.

“Don’t worry about him, Black. No questions or prying into his private affairs, understand? I want you to make him feel welcome here. Give him the full VIP treatment with private suite on this floor.” Chaar appreciated Black’s devotion to his and the lair’s well being, but sometimes he was going overboard with the security measures.

Black grumbled again. “Yes, Master. I’ll try to curb my suspicious nature around Caine. You better be right about him.”

“Don’t worry about it. He won’t be operating alone; I will assign Amadeus as his partner.”

“Good. But don’t forget to tell Amadeus to watch his back, will you?” Black turned and left the room. Chaar could hear him mumbling until the door slammed shut behind the tall man.

He wondered what was going on with Black; he’d been moody and more violent than usual since they arrived in the city. Black was an expert when it came to security. He had been the first to report the rumors about vampire killings, but he had dismissed them as rumors. Normally, Chaar would just mention any concern to Black and the problem was gone. This time Black had not done a very good job of finding out the identity of the murderer, the killings continued. The lack of progress in the police investigation told of vampire involvement.

Chaar was certain he’d made the right decision to bring in a new guy to do the investigating this time. He looked forward to getting to know Peter Caine better. Something about the young one seemed to stay hidden even through the conversion. Strangely enough, he couldn’t read his mind as he could with so many other converts. Maybe it was Moura’s influence; he had never been able to read her mind either. Whatever the reason, the man was a mystery.

~~~

“Dammit, Peter, why do you always have to run head first into trouble?” Kermit cursed to himself when he realized Peter wasn’t coming back out from the club.

With a tired sigh he made himself a bit more comfortable in the seat of the anonymous looking surveillance vehicle. Whatever happened, as long as Peter was still in there, he’d make sure he had backup if he needed it.

Several very Goth looking teenagers had come and gone since Peter entered the club, but so far nobody that could qualify as any type of leader. Maybe he was already in the building even though he had not seen anyone enter or leave the main part of the building. He should have taken the time needed to find the blueprints to the building, he hated being in the dark when it came to the layout of the enemy base.

“Kermit!” came a loud whisper from right outside the window.

“Peter!” Kermit jumped in surprise, when he suddenly had Peter’s familiar face only inches from his own outside the car. How the hell had he gotten all the way across the street without him noticing?

“They’re for real,” was the first thing Peter said when he sank down into the seat next to Kermit. He looked strangely pale, as if the healthy August tan he’d entered the building with had somehow been washed off him while he was in there.

“What is? Did you get to meet the leader of the cult?”

“Yeah,” Peter said with a nod. “We’re in. As of an hour ago I’m the newest member of the cult. It’s just that they’re no cult. At least not in the sense we imagined. They are indeed vampires.”

Kermit looked again at his friend’s pale face. “Are you certain? They could be faking it, you know.”

“There’s something I need to tell you,” Peter began, and then hesitated again.

Kermit waited silently for Peter to get to the point.

“They’re not faking it. They are real vampires, Kermit. And I know that because…” he let the sentence trail and instead showed Kermit just why he knew they weren’t faking it. “…because they made me one, dammit!”

“Whoa!” Kermit took a deep breath of surprise. It didn’t matter how many eye witness accounts he’d read, and how he’d tried to warn Peter about their existence; he had not truly believed in them…till now. He didn’t care that he must look rather stupid, he gaped at Peter’s wild appearance.

Peter’s appearance melted back into his normal human face like some movie morphing effect. It was beyond everything he’d ever thought physically possible, but then again the very existence of vampires defied every law of nature he knew.

“Don’t worry, it’s not so bad,” Peter said with a crooked grin and a wink.

“But…you’re dead!”

Peter chuckled. “Peter Caine, walking, talking corpse. Happy to meet you.”

“Can we be serious here for a moment,” Kermit urged with a growl of his own. He just couldn’t see the humor in the situation. His best friend had just been turned into some supernatural being, and he actually seemed to like the situation.

“I am serious, Kermit. This really isn’t so bad. My father and I took some precautions, and they paid off nicely. While my body and mind have turned into that of a vampire, I’m not evil.”

“I don’t understand how you can be this calm.”

Peter sighed. “I’ve been a vampire before Kermit. During the time I lost, I was a vampire. When pop cured me, they took my memory. Whatever happens during this case, my father can bring me back to humanity again.”

“You mean the vampire I did research on was ‘you’?” Suddenly everything he'd read in the report made sense; the headaches and Peter's memory loss too. He should have guessed.

“Yes, and you got a bit too close to the truth to be allowed to remember it.”

“If it's so important to keep it secret, why are you even telling me now?”

“Because it serves a purpose. We’re on a case. I need your help. Besides, I can always fix your memory later.”

Kermit got a chill down his spine at the cavalier attitude. “Listen to yourself, Peter! Yesterday you wouldn’t wish it upon your worst enemy to lose his memory, and now you’re talking about it as if it was common practice.”

“It is common practice, Kermit. We do it all the time. It’s a necessity if we want to survive.”

“And keeping vampires alive is a good thing?”

“Perhaps not,” Peter mused. “But the world isn’t ready for something like this to come out. My Master may be evil, but he’s also a realist. He too wants these vampire murders stopped. I think he suspects it’s someone in the vampire community, but he’s not getting anywhere in his investigation. Even if they fear his power, they’re not likely to tell him anything to their disadvantage. So, no matter what you think of my change, it will help us with the case. I can walk freely among them when I investigate.”

“This is crazy!” was all Kermit could reply. He didn’t like to admit it, but the more Peter talked, the more sense it all made.

“It’ll be okay, Kermit. I promise you won’t find any dead bodies with my fang marks on them.”

“I better not. This will be difficult enough to tell the Captain tomorrow. What am I going to tell her?” How do I tell her that her hotshot detective has turned into a creature of the night?

“Tell her I’m working undercover, that’s what I am doing after all. She doesn’t need to know the other part, does she?”

“As long as you have the situation, and yourself under control, maybe not. But the moment I even suspect you’ve turned on us…” He ended the sentence with his usual frown. The kid’s attitude was starting to grate on his nerves. When would he ever start taking things seriously?

“Uh, I do hope you realize that I will have to act the part. While I can promise you there will be no dead bodies, I can’t promise you there won’t be bites.”

“Okay, okay, undercover is undercover. I’ve been forced to do some pretty nasty things myself to keep my cover in my old career.” He suppressed a shudder at the thought.

“Oh this will be a pleasure, Kermit,” Peter said with a glimmer in his eyes that made Kermit’s heart skip a beat and the hairs on his neck stand erect. That was the vampire talking, and it immediately made Kermit uncomfortable.

“Get out of my car, you blood sucking monster. Get back to your coffin,” Kermit barked, when Peter showed him his fangs again.

“Later, Kermit,” Peter quipped and was gone.

Kermit stared incredulously at the empty seat. How did he do that? One moment he was in the car, and the next he was gone. The street was empty, at least as far as the light from the street lights reached. Kermit shuddered, rarely had he felt so helpless, and so uncertain if to trust a friend. Peter had promised, but could he really trust the word of a vampire? He hoped he didn’t make the wrong decision when he trusted Peter.

~~~

The meeting with Kermit had gone better than Peter had expected. He’d shocked Kermit enough to keep him away from the more sensitive subjects. But he had no illusions he wouldn’t be against the wall next time, answering some very uncomfortable questions.

Dawn was near, and he reluctantly descended from high above the city. Chaar's second in command waited for him when he expertly landed on the roof of the building. “About time,” the man grouched irritably.

“Sunrise is minutes away,” Peter couldn’t help quip back when Black turned without a word. Something about the man’s whole appearance rubbed him the wrong way.

Peter quit trying to be friendly and followed him down the stairs from the roof. No small talk with this guy. He wondered what kind of accommodation he’d get. A dorm room or a private suite? The lounge spoke of luxury and ample space to socialize, but also no privacy.

“Chaar ordered me to give you a suite fitting a senior associate. You have suite number two,” he said, pointing towards the far right corner of the lounge, and then he was gone.

Surprised at the favorable location of his new home, Peter briefly wondered if Black’s attitude was due to the fact that he so easily had waltzed right in and gained Chaar’s trust. He’d been surprised when Chaar had told him that he had the aura of a much older vampire. He guessed the reason behind that was his Shaolin training and the fact that he’d been a vampire before. He intended to use it to his advantage around the lair, whatever the reason behind it.

With a leisurely yawn, he released control of his appearance. His fangs dropped down from their hidden location in his gums, and he could feel his face returning to its natural state. It was time to sleep. He headed for the suite. The power he had felt growing all evening was rapidly fading. The sun was rising, he could feel it like a heavy weight on his shoulders now that the change within was completing. By morning there would be nothing left of the human he’d been, he’d be one hundred percent vampire again. “Good!” he mumbled to himself.

Part 4

Peter grabbed one of the bottles from the fridge and a wine glass from the shelf above the sink. Having the first meal of the day was one of the things that still felt half normal. The only difference was that his diet now consisted of bottled human blood instead of fresh coffee and the good old cop donut.

He looked around the spacious suite he’d been given. It had three bedrooms, and shared a very comfortable living room area with a black leather couch and a big screen TV. So far he was the only occupant. The suite kitchen consisted of a basic sink and an open cupboard for bottles and glasses. At further investigation, he found a large cooler for long time storage hidden behind a panel in the wall next to the sink. The small fridge in his bedroom barely fit three bottles. It had to be for snack purposes only since any vampire drank that much or more in a day.

He didn’t much care how well equipped the suite was anyway. He was happy as long as the bed was comfortable and the room dark enough during the day. Indeed, the dark curtains were perfect to keep the sun from flooding the room through the large windows.

He sank down into the soft leather couch with a smile when he remembered Kermit’s remark from the other day. “Get back to your coffin!” He didn’t need one of course. A normal bed was all he required to sleep comfortably through the day, though he missed Moura in his arms now that he had his memory back.

A quick knock on the door reminded him that he had work to do. This was only an assignment, not his life anymore; though he knew he’d easily fit in if he wanted to. He had known from the start he couldn’t pretend to be one of them, he had to let the beast within not only come to the surface; he had to embrace it. Whatever happened, he would be prepared for any type of mischief they wanted him to play a part in. He had a suspicion they’d test his loyalties, and he’d make sure he passed that test. He hoped Kermit didn’t show up, he wouldn’t like what he saw. Hell, he knew he wouldn’t like what he had to do without the beast firmly in control either.

Relinquishing control was always difficult at first, but he knew it was the key to ultimately staying himself in the end. The two parts of him had to meld together and make a happy union. His father had helped him realize that evil was a choice, a choice he need not pick. He could choose another path. That path may lead through a dark alley, or a light sunny park, but both lead to the same goal. He could almost hear his father’s voice. “Keep one eye on the goal, my son. It will take you longer to reach your destination, but you will not get lost.”

When he had been a kid, and most his life since then, he had wanted to reach his destination as fast as he could. This time though, he’d have to be patient and give himself a lot of time. He’d be human again, and these vampires would cease to exist, but until that time he would have to be one of them.

Why did he always have to take the hardest of paths?

“Peter? Are you awake?” The knock on his door returned with an eagerness that betrayed a mission, and not just a visit to the new guy. It was time to get going. He left the glass in the sink, as he passed it on the way to the door.

He swung the door open and greeted the young looking woman on the other side with one of his most winning smiles. “Hey babe, what’s up?”

~~~

When Karen Simms opened her office door to leave for the evening, the bullpen outside was quiet but for one very busy detective. Caine.

“Detective Caine?” she interrupted his eager hacking at the computer terminal. “I didn’t expect you back here for a while.”

He swung around on his chair, and leaned back in an almost indecent manner. “Captain,” he said with a grin and a look that made the skin on her arms crawl. “I had some research to do, and it’s not like I can do it where they can trace anything back to me.”

“That’s what we have got Kermit for,“ she countered. “Just tell him what you need.”

“That’s okay, Captain. I don’t mind.”

Now he focused solely on her and she felt a pressing need to take one step back. Something about him had changed radically. Angry at herself for being such a wimp, she took a resolute breath. This was Peter Caine, not some stranger walking towards her in a dark alley downtown. Still, she had to fight to keep her voice normal. “They won't think it's strange that you are here?”

“Actually, no, they know exactly who I am. They think I’m here to quit and set up a channel of information.” He was off the chair and directly in front of her before she had time to even react. She backed up a half step in surprise. She had no idea anyone could move that fast. He handed her a neatly printed paper. “Here’s the resignation part. Make sure it’s processed if they check up on it. I will take care of the informant part when I see Kermit later.”

“I will take care of it, detective.” She turned to put it on her desk.

When she turned back, he was gone. She hadn’t even heard him move. Something wasn't right with her young detective; this wasn't the Peter Caine she knew. He had a whole new confidence, and a most unnerving way of looking at her. She had always liked Peter Caine, and felt very comfortable and safe around him. But now she had to suppress a shudder when she even thought of being alone with him again. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what was different, but something in the way he had looked at her made her skin crawl. She hugged her arms around her and noticed that every hair on her arms were still standing erect.

“Don’t get in too deep, Peter. We want you back when all this is over,“ she said with a whisper to the empty room.

~~~

"What's up with Detective Caine?" The Captain asked when Kermit entered her office.

She looked like she'd seen a ghost. Uh oh, Peter must have been there. Damn, he had hoped to be able to warn her about him first. "That's what I'm here to talk about, Captain." He used her title on purpose, even if they were on a first name basis after hours. They had grown closer lately, though not as close as some of their coworkers wanted to believe. But their friendship had to take a back seat for the moment, what was going on with Peter needed his full attention.

"When he was here earlier to turn in his resignation, he acted like a stranger. His whole demeanor seemed different. What's going on, Kermit?"

He squirmed, he'd been debating with himself ever since Peter had told him what had happened. Should he tell her, or not? He took a deep breath, and tried to ignore his sweaty palms. "Do you believe in Vampires?" he blurted out before he could change his mind again and just say Peter was only acting the part.

"Of course not, don’t be silly. I thought we agreed this cult is only a bunch of kids going too far with pretending to be vampires?"

He shook his head, sighed, and sank down into one of the chairs. This was going to be a long night.

~~~

“Hey Terry, what’s up?” Peter greeted when he sat down at the same spot by the bar he had occupied only days before as a human being.

Terry looked at him a tad nervously. “Heya Peter,” he greeted back. “What’ll it be tonight?”

Peter chuckled. Terry should be nervous; he’d played a dangerous double play. But the demon part of Peter made him unable to feel any regret; quite the opposite. He felt better than he had in a long time. “Why don’t we share a bottle of your finest? I’m back, and you’re the one who made it possible. I feel like celebrating.”

“You’re not mad at me for telling Chaar about you?” Terry still looked nervous.

“Hell no! This is exactly what I wanted. It feels great to be a vampire again.” He surprised not only Terry with those words. He had not dared admit it even to himself how good it felt when the demon became an integral part of who he was.

“But I thought you hated it?” Terry replied with a puzzled frown.

“I did. But it’s different this time,” he replied, thinking back how the transformation had plagued him last time.

Terry put two glasses on the counter in between them and poured them both a healthy amount of blood from the dark bottle. “Different? In what way?”

“Remember when you first introduced me to human blood? I went crazy. I roamed the streets like some wild animal with no control at all.”

“Yeah,” Terry nodded. “It happens to us all. The beast emerges.”

“Well, this time around that part never happened. There’s no savage beast lurking beneath the surface, threatening to take over. There’s only me, Peter Caine now.”

Terry now looked even more confused when Peter emptied the glass and still remained as calm and focused. “But you have turned, I can sense it.”

“Oh yeah, I’m a vampire in every sense of the word. The difference is that this time I’m the one in control, not the beast. There’s no difference between me now and when I’m all ‘vamped out’. I decide when I change, not the kind of blood I drink.”

“Amazing. That sort of thing usually isn’t possible until you’re centuries old.”

“I have my father to thank for this. You were right; he had a way to protect me. While I’m far from the Peter Caine I was as a human, I’m not a beast either. The change is not as violent, but it’s still as complete. I haven’t lost focus on the mission, but my priorities are different now.”

“I agree, no matter who you were as a human, you change when you become a vampire. You’d be surprised if you knew how many vampires were holy men as mortals. And then they became the most vicious of beasts. Do your old friends at the precinct know about your change?”

“Nope.” And he had no plans to ever let them know either. “No need to worry them without reason. Besides, I wouldn’t want them to turn on me, would I?”

Terry smiled back and raised his glass in a toast. “Welcome back, and I hope this time for good.”

“Forever.” Peter said in agreement and the both of them emptied their glasses.

Terry had just refilled their glasses when a familiar voice interrupted them. “What are you two celebrating? I had no idea you started working here, Terry.”

“Kermit!” Peter hadn’t noticed the familiar heartbeat among the other human hearts through the blaring music designed to hide any sensitive discussions between vampires.

“Beer,” Kermit ordered and climbed on a chair next to Peter.

“Just my return to vampirism,” Peter said with a smile devised to confuse his friend.

“Is that really something to celebrate?” Peter could see Kermit’s surprise when he realized just who Peter’s vampire contact was, but he didn’t comment on it.

“Depend on how you look at it I suppose.” Peter looked inward and felt the power of the vampire surge though his veins. Yes, it was definitely worth celebrating.

He knew his eyes glowed when he looked up at Kermit again. “But no matter how ‘you’ look at it, ‘I’ like the change.”

Kermit shook his head and sighed visibly. “I know you told me this might happen, and I shouldn’t worry. Do I have reason to be concerned about you?”

“Being a vampire is seductive, Kermit. And while I do enjoy the good sides of the experience I have no intention of continuing on any longer than I have to.”

Kermit didn’t look convinced.

“You have my word, Kermit. When all this is over, I will let my father return me to mortality.”

He’d told Terry and Kermit different stories, and though Terry had heard what he told Kermit, he would not take it as truth. Lying to humans was something vampires did easily. And this lie was right in line with what he’d talked to Terry about before Kermit arrived. Keep the humans in the dark.

But he had indeed told Kermit the truth. He did intend to return when the case was over, no matter how good it felt to be a vampire. It wasn’t the destiny he wanted.

Terry filled up his glass once again and they drank in silence for a while.

“I heard you turned in your resignation the other night,” Kermit began conversationally.

“Yeah. If I’m to make a believable vampire, I can’t continue on as a cop.”

“I know, but did you have to spook the Captain in the process?”

Peter had to laugh at his expression. “Can I help it that she likes dangerous men?”

Kermit glared at him. “Just tone down the alien charm next time, will ya? You scared her. I can tell.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll try to be more ‘human’ next time.”

“So, what’s our next move?”

Peter looked around. The place was beginning to fill up. They couldn’t afford to be overheard when it came to that part of their collaboration. “Let’s take that discussion outside, shall we?”

Kermit nodded, and emptied the last of his beer, as Peter did the same with his blood.

“Later, Terry.“ He nodded towards the bartender before he turned towards the exit.

“We have a vampire suspect to kill,” Peter said when they were seated in the car outside.

“Who?”

“She’s ninety two but she looks and acts like a teenager. She willingly confessed to me that she kills. Not these specific ones, but she’s guilty of a number of others.” Peter had been amazed how quickly she had opened up to him earlier that night. She had confessed what she was up to without any second thoughts. She didn’t suspect that he wasn't who he pretended to be.

“She’ll kill again if we don’t stop her?”

“Definitely. It’s a way of life she’s adopted over the years. She charms old men, and drains their lives away.” It was strange how someone living off men's foolishness, would be so trusting among her own kind. It was also strange how Chaar or Black never found out when she had told the new guy almost immediately. No wonder Chaar had trouble finding the vampire killer on his own.

“Even old men are human beings. We can’t allow her to continue like that, Peter.”

“You have no qualms about killing her without any type of evidence or trial?” For Peter as a vampire it was not a problem, but Kermit was still human. If he had still been human, it wouldn't have been as easy to take a life, guilty of murder or not.

“I'll take your word for it. If you say she did this, she did. You know as well as I that no justice system will ever be able to catch her.” Peter looked at his friend; he looked more like a mercenary on a mission than a doubtful cop.

“True, your database is certainly evidence of that. Witness reports from people who don’t even remember writing those entries. We both know how efficient the vampire's mind tricks are.” Their power over humans are vast, but in this time and age with all the recording technology available, they can never feel entirely safe. Without knowing it, Kermit had stumbled on their biggest weakness when he found the info in that secret database. They could use a computer expert like Kermit on their side.

Kermit looked grim as he checked his weapon one extra time; though he should know it wouldn't make much of an impact against a vampire. “Just make certain about their deeds and their true age. If they can be brought back to humanity, let’s do that. If not, they’re history.”

“We have to be careful though. If even one gets away from us 'we' are history.” This was risky business, that's for sure. One slip, and he would be killed as a traitor. Not even Chaar would be able protect him if they found out he was hunting other vampires.

“You think the big guy you mentioned, has anything to do with this?”

Peter shook his head. Chaar was not the one they were looking for. “No, he’s as upset about this as we are. It seems the way of the vampire has changed a lot the last decades. Where it once was rule to kill for food, they now take great care not to make any move that might set the humans on the right track to discovering our existence. We own blood banks and organize drives to collect blood from all over the country.”

“But you weren’t that careful last time, were you?”

“No, I guess not." Peter looked away from his friend's accusing eyes. He was unable to feel any regret now, but there had been so many mistakes the last time around. "But you see, Moura left this guy, and didn’t want to be involved in that kind of organization anymore. She never told me the rules they live by. She said she wanted to be free.” It was a freedom that had ended up costing them both more than they were willing to pay.

“Then this Chaar must have seen her as a threat, yet he took you in, no questions asked.”

“Well, while she did run away from him, she was his favorite daughter. He could sense the link within me to her; it made him curious how it could be that I was human again.”

“We will just have to take advantage of that curiosity as long as we can, and make sure we find the killer before he finds out what we're up to, won’t we?” Kermit said with a grim smile.

“Oh yeah,” Peter echoed his friend’s usual response. If he could manage to walk the fine line. Even contemplating going against his master and father made a part of him protest wildly. He didn’t tell Kermit how easy it would be for him to turn.

Kermit was about to talk again when Peter hushed him with a hand to his arm. “Someone’s coming,“ he whispered.

It was her, the girlie vampire they needed to kill. At least they were having some luck. He had wondered how he’d manage to lure her into the alley, and here she was now. “Get the stake ready,” Peter continued with a hushed whisper, as they both left the car.

“Are you sure we need to kill her? She looks awfully young.” Kermit whispered back.

“She’s ninety two, Kermit. She wouldn’t survive Shambhala.”

Both of them expertly melted into the shadows to watch the vampire girl walk closer.

Peter smiled and put some distance between himself and Kermit. His dormant hunting instincts kicked in at the sight of his prey and he didn’t need Kermit’s enticing heartbeat that close. Besides, he could see the girl already homing in on it as well. This was a situation not even the old mercenary could hide from. At least not as long as his heart was beating.

Kermit noticed it too, Peter saw him reach for the stake when she came closer.

“I’m never gonna get used to this age thing,” Kermit mumbled and hid the stake behind his back as he stepped out into the alley. The mere fact that he was human and present in the secluded back alley would attract her attention.

Peter watched hidden in the shadows while Kermit stumbled forwards, pretending to be drunk, something he was strangely good at, considering that Peter had never actually seen him drunk. Kermit would make a great actor if he ever wanted a change in careers.

As predicted, before he’d taken more than a dozen steps, she was upon him, intent upon having a free snack. But, her fangs never got as far as making contact with Kermit’s neck; Peter grabbed her forcefully from behind and holding her arms locked behind her back, he buried his own fangs into her neck with a most satisfying growl. The hunger for blood flared up and he drank deeply, even as Kermit plunged the wooden stake right through her heart.

Peter licked his fangs with a satisfied sigh on his lips when he dropped the dying girl on the ground. She sank to her knees, a surprised look in her glimmering eyes before they lost their color, and her whole body melted into ashes. Then she was gone. It was an amazing sight. It both terrified and relieved Peter to see how easily they could be destroyed. A stake through the heart and they were gone.

Claudia had been a warm and caring individual, someone he might have liked and made friends with, and now she was dead. Her only crime; being a vampire and living off fresh human blood. It was hard, until now he had not realized just how hard this assignment would be.

Saving someone, returning them to humanity was one thing; ending their existence was quite another.

Peter slowly picked up the used stake. “Good job, Kermit!” he acknowledged, turning away from the utter look of disgust present on his friend’s face. He also had to turn away to hide the look of pure hunger that was still present in his eyes. Vampire blood may be delicious, but it didn’t sate the hunger. He aimed towards the opening of the alley and started walking.

“Peter? Wait up!” Kermit called out from behind.

“I’m sorry, Kermit. I gotta go,“ he grunted without looking back. He couldn’t let Kermit know how he was changing. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?”

He heard a questioning “Are you okay?” from behind as he took to the air just before he reached the end of the alley. He would never let Kermit know how much he enjoyed being a vampire again. It was an admission that would serve him better not told.

Part 5

It was easy for Peter to embrace the hunger. With the blood supply in the lounge in mind, he used the roof access to the lair. Hunger was something that overcame a vampire easily, something the others would understand and identify with. More than a few went directly for the refrigerator when they returned to the lair.

Wordlessly, with a large glass of blood in hand, he threw himself in one of the many couches in the main room. There, he could observe what was going on and get to know the others in a relaxed environment. The bar downstairs was way too loud and humans too close. Also, he’d found it very interesting to observe how the other vampires interacted without fear of any outsiders watching. Some showed their real selves, while others kept their human faces. Peter still felt mainly human. He hoped someone would slip and say something that could put him on the right track to find out which one of them was the killer.

Peter had barely sat down before the elevator doors cranked open across the room. Two very familiar faces stepped out; Clarence Choi and Jack Wong. Their entrance caused quite a stir among the vampires in the room; this was not a place humans should walk into without a vampire as chaperone. Luckily for the visitors, Chaar came out of his office to meet his guests before anyone had the chance to intercept them.

Peter tried his best to make himself invisible, almost succeeding. When they were about to enter his office, Chaar called out a command to Peter. “Peter, why don’t you join us?”

“Sure, Boss,” Peter groaned, “be right there.” Inwardly, he cursed his bad luck, but decided he better act the part. He lazily got out of the couch and sauntered into the room. Two pairs of very surprised eyes immediately locked on to him.

“Hi guys,” Peter greeted, as he shut the door behind him.

The looks on their faces were priceless; surprise, disbelief and in Jack Wong’s case: fear. Jack knew exactly what Peter Caine was capable of since Debville, even though he had not been allowed to know about the vampire part.

“Caine? What are you doing here? The word is that you’re back on the police force,” Jack wondered while Clarence was squinting suspiciously at Peter.

Peter flashed his most wicked smile. “I always liked being a cop,” he said, hinting at the truth behind the rumor.

“Peter is my eyes and ears in the community,” Chaar cut in. “And as such he will be the one you contact from now on.”

“But…” Clarence objected.

“You thought you would be dealing directly with the boss?” Chaar sneered with such vehemence the two humans simultaneously took a step back. Peter loved seeing them at the disadvantage, a nice change of roles. They were usually the ones who were the intimidators.

“Yes…” they began before they were cut off again.

“You thought wrong!” Chaar’s anger was like a visible force stabbing at the two human visitors.

Again they stepped back, this time right into Peter’s arms. With one arm around each, Peter pushed them forwards again with a little more force than he really needed. “Have a seat,” he ordered the two. This was fun; these two had loved to make his life miserable when he’d been a ‘real’ cop. He enjoyed this, and had no second thoughts about toying a bit with them. He walked around the desk, and leaned casually against the wall behind Chaar, trying to not look too amused.

“Gentlemen,” Chaar continued, this time a little less hostile. “Do as you are told and this joint venture will become equally profitable for all of us.”

“We’re not yours to command, dammit!” Jack Wong grouched. “Who do you think you are to come breezing into town and think you can take over?”

Peter smiled, Jack sure had spunk. Not even he had been able to argue under Chaar’s powerful gaze.

“So, what you are saying is that you will NOT comply?” Chaar said with a too smooth voice that made the skin crawl down Peter’s undead back even if he was not the target of his Master's attention. But Jack only blinked once or twice. It could be that Jack was used to dealing with the just as creepy and dangerous Bon Bon Hai on a daily basis.

“Our boss is second to none,” Jack stated. “He sent us here tonight to let you know he’s more than willing to set up something new with you, but there will be no taking orders, or percentage of our existing operations.”

Chaar grinned evilly. “All right, if that is the way you like it.” He rose. “You’re dismissed.”

The two thugs were at the door in no time at all; obviously very aware of the danger they were in, even though they had no idea of the exact nature of it.

“And don’t bother to come back here again, we will let you know what happens when you disobey my orders,” Chaar called out after them. When the two had disappeared, he turned towards Peter. “You know them, don’t you?”

“Yes, they belong to the local crime lord Bon Bon Hai. You might say we have some history. The main thing with them is that they don’t think on their own, they’re firmly under their Master’s control.” Not that they wouldn't take any opportunity to make a cops life miserable on their own when they could.

“I’m sorry to burden you with even more work, Peter, but I need you to set the others into the picture. It would save us a lot of work. I had not expected to have such an excellent local insider when I got here.” Chaar smiled, and Peter felt a wave of what must be appreciation drift his way.

“That’s okay. The more I interact with the others, the better chance I have to catch our sloppy killer. Besides, I’d love to see Bon Bon Hai squirm a bit.” It was true, he'd love to have a chance to get back at his old enemy. What good was all this power if you couldn't use it to your advantage?

“Good, I’ll let the others know you will be in charge of this part of the operation to begin with.”

“What’s the plan? It would help to know the goal if we’re to make their lives miserable.” To be honest, even if Chaar had hinted what he was up to, he had never really gone into any details.

“We make them pay us to let them even continue operation. We usually take over everything by means of controlling their leader. We don’t get involved in the daily operations at all, we just reap the benefits. When we’ve milked as much as we can from the local crime lords, we move on. On occasion, when one of them tries to resist, we make sure the police shut down one part of their operation at a time. We continue until they bend, or we let them break.”

“So, if we don't get what we want, we do society a service. I'm cool with that. I'd love to leave town knowing they're all shut down. It will be very interesting to see how Bon Bon Hai reacts. He's been in league with the Dark Warrior for a couple years now. He was given more power than even my Pop could handle. He might even try to retaliate.”

“Indeed…” Chaar mused. “Then he might just be the challenging adversary I had hoped for.”

“You still think he’ll crack?”

“It doesn’t matter how strong they are personally when their organization starts to break up, and it will.”

“My old Captain will be happy." Peter chuckled. "If I hadn't quit, I would probably have gotten a promotion for this." Captain Simms would definitely learn to love him when he started giving her all she needed to shut down a huge part of the city's drug operations. Hell, maybe the Mayor would give him a medal for it too.

“We’re vampires, we use whatever resources are available. Be it Police or Crime Lords, we own the night, and the right to dominate those inferior humans." Chaar rose from his chair, and started moving towards his living quarters beyond the office. The meeting was over. "Talk to Amadeus, Peter, he knows how to set things in motion.”

“Then let’s get started,” Peter couldn’t help smiling in anticipation. If all this turned out well, Bon Bon Hai’s empire would be crushed, and any vampire casualties from his and Kermit’s hunts would be blamed on him. This would be fun, but it would also be for tomorrow, it was time to sleep.

“Good morning, Peter,” Chaar said, leaving Peter behind in the office.

"Good morning, Master," Peter replied, for a moment turning towards the large windows to watch the sunrise behind the safe glass. He felt much more hopeful that things would work out, than he had since this whole thing started. He might not be any closer to finding the killer, but he knew now that his decision to go back to this life wasn't for nothing.

He turned his back on the sun; it wasn't a part of his life anymore.

~~~

Kermit sat down a tad heavily on one of his Captain’s visitors chairs. Keeping up with Peter’s nocturnal habits, and still making an appearance at the precinct every day, was already starting to get to him. What happened to the time when he had managed days without any sleep at all?

“Are you okay?” Captain Simms asked when he leaned his head back against the wall in a manner he knew she’d see as uncharacteristic for him. He was too tired to keep up the façade.

“Nothing a couple hours of sleep wouldn’t cure,” he said with a sigh, closing his eyes briefly. “But that isn’t what’s troubling me. I’m worried about Peter. He seems to like this assignment a bit too much.”

“I can see what you mean, I didn’t quite like what I saw the other night either, but Detective Caine is one of the best detectives we have in this city. The energy he puts into his assignments are what makes him great, even though he rushes into things at times.”

“That’s just it. I don’t think he thought this through as much as he should have. Being a vampire again, it changed him, and so far I think he likes it a bit too much.” It felt good to have someone to talk to about this. He knew Peter didn’t want him to tell her, but he'd felt he had to, even if it was only to keep his own sanity.

“So? He can like it as much as he wants as long as he does his job.” That was his Captain, always thinking about the job first. She had to be worried, even if she didn't show it.

Kermit sighed, he knew it wasn't quite that easy. “I only hope we can keep him working after all this is over.”

“He came back to us once. What makes you think he won’t do that this time?”

“I’m not sure. I can’t put my finger on it…” If only he could remember how Peter had acted last time. Peter had his memory back, why didn't he? He made a mental note to ask Peter about it again.

“Keep your eyes open, Kermit. I don’t want a rogue detective roaming my streets, but we must cut him some slack here. He is undercover among the most ruthless killers in history. If he has to become one of them for a while to survive and bring them down, then so be it.” Karen's voice was firm and determined, and Kermit knew he had nothing to come up with to meet her arguments. She’d seen the changes too, and if she was prepared to let it slide for now, then so would he.

“You’re right, of course. I must be getting soft in my old age. It’s just… Paul asked me to look out for the boy, and I don’t think I’m doing a very good job, sending him right into the enemy camp.”

“Understandable, but unnecessary. Caine’s a big boy now, and more than capable to take care of himself. Just make sure you’re there when he needs you.”

Kermit yawned. “Yeah, that’s the trick when he’s out flying somewhere, leaving me behind.” He'd never get used to seeing Peter just lift off and fly away. It always left him unnerved and jealous at the same time. He wondered what it was like, effortlessly soaring through the skies.

“Stop complaining and get yourself home and in bed. You’re clearly of no use to me in this condition.” Jeez, he'd spaced out on her, completely in his own thoughts.

Kermit didn’t object, instead he ordered his protesting limbs to get going. No easy feat, but he did get himself off the chair with minimum of energy. “Good morning,” he mumbled, and left her behind to deal with the new day.

It was definitely time to catch some sleep. He was sure Peter was already long gone into the dreams of the undead. Did vampires dream? Or were they indeed ‘dead’ to the world during the day? He was too tired to care.

~~~

“Hey, Jack! Long time no see…” Peter greeted with a growl to his voice when the long haired gangster stepped out of his car right outside his own house. Peter had easily followed him home from the club downtown where he conducted his business.

“Whoa!” The poor guy almost tripped over himself trying to get away from Peter.

“Miss me, old partner?” Peter joked, wrapping his arm around him.

“I thought you returned to your old ways, Caine. What’s going on here?”

“Well, let’s just say it didn’t stick, and now I’m back in good old evil form again.” He let his words sink in with a most evil glare, then he let go of the other. Jack staggered back. He just loved getting under Jack’s skin. Jack might be a bad guy, but he was as susceptible to intimidation as every other human. Their days together in Debville had been fun, but Peter was probably the one person Jack truly feared next to his boss Bon Bon Hai.

Jack shivered when he reached out his hand to greet Peter. “Good to have you back on the right side of the law, Caine.”

Peter grabbed Jack’s sweaty palm with his own cold hand, and shook it just a tad too hard. “You know I have a new boss now, and he expects you to comply with his wishes, or you will find yourselves on the receiving end of my wrath.”

Jack gulped visibly. “Yeah, I’ll do my best to make Bon Bon Hai understand. But you know how he is, there’s just no scaring him. The Dark Warrior is backing him, you know that.”

Peter didn’t even blink at that. He grinned to let Jack know just how unimpressed he was. “The Dark Warrior may have given him some favors, but he isn’t here, now is he?”

“No,” Jack agreed, with another gulp. “He’s not.”

“Then let your boss know I’m coming by tomorrow evening to introduce myself and my new partner Amadeus,” Peter indicated his friend standing silently in the shadows behind him. “I’m pretty sure he will do as he’s told once he’s tasted our power. We have our own deal with the Dark Warrior.”

Jack backed up against his front door when Amadeus moved closer. “I’ll let him know, and then I’ll make sure I’m outta there. I wouldn’t want to be in your way.”

Peter smiled. He just loved it when his old enemies crawled at his feet, eagerly doing everything he told them to. “Good night then, Jack.” He flashed a deadly smile and took off quick enough to just disappear right in front of Jack’s eyes.

Flying silently back towards the lair with Amadeus, he couldn’t help wonder what Jack made of him and the other vampires. He probably thought them possessed by some dark power. He’d been careful not to let Jack know that he was a vampire when they were partners in Debville. Whatever he believed didn’t matter as long as he did as he was told, and kept his mouth shut about it.

~~~

Peter landed soundlessly on his father’s outdoor terrace. It was hard to face his father as a vampire. Though Caine had helped him retain some control over the beast, the change was still present within. This time he was a vampire through and through, no second thoughts or doubts, and still he planned on honoring the agreement that when it was all over and the killer was taken care of, he would return to humanity.

“My son,” Caine greeted with a bow, already aware of Peter’s presence, though the Shaolin could not sense him in the way he used to when they were linked as father and son. Peter missed that connection as much as he knew Caine did. The Jade amulets kept some kind of connection between them, but it wasn't by far as strong as the one they used to have.

“Pop.” He didn’t know what to say but he could sense the question in the air.

“Did the amulet work?”

“It worked, Pop, at least to a degree. No more mindless beast taking over, but I'm still a hundred percent vampire.” To any but himself, the difference between now and the last time he’d been a vampire was almost undistinguishable.

“Come, my son. Let me show you how different you really are this time.”

“What do you mean, Pop?” It would take his dad to see something in him he didn't even know was there.

“While you might seem and feel like one of them, Shambhala has given you a hidden light that will make all the difference.”

Peter followed Caine inside. He hesitated when Caine entered the meditation room. He did not want to get blinded by the light from the holy objects present in there. He vividly remembered the pain that the unexpected light had caused him last time he'd been in there as a vampire. He had never expected that part of the vampire legends to be true, but the objects had blinded and hurt him. He turned his head away, and towards the floor as he entered. Caine touched him gently on the shoulder. “Do not look away, my son. You have nothing to be afraid of here.”

Peter hesitantly looked up, and was met by a beautifully bright, but totally safe light radiating from the holy Buddha statue on the altar. “How can this be, Pop?” It was amazing, the light didn't burn or even blind him.

“The amulet keeps you safe, it amplifies the light of Good that is still present within you.” He paused, urging Peter closer to the altar. “Touch it. Feel the energy.”

Peter reached out, unable to make his outstretched hand stop trembling. Touching such an object went against all his new vampire instincts. The statue tingled pleasantly under his hesitant touch. It didn’t burn or blister at all. Slowly, he opened the box with the Book of Shambhala. The white book also glowed slightly. He touched it reverently, letting his cool fingers bathe in the beautiful warm light. It didn’t hurt. “Does this mean I’m not damned?” he wondered, turning to look at his father.

“This means that even though you walk in the dark, your chi never left the light.”

Still confused, Peter sat down in front of the altar to try to meditate. He felt his father join him on the floor in front of him. A pair of warm hands grabbed his. His father’s light immediately surrounded them and a peace came over him like none he’d felt since he became a vampire.

Part 6

Early next evening, Peter and Amadeus landed silently in the back alley outside the Black Dragon Club, where Jack Wong did business. Peter had not been to the club since Jack took control over it, but he knew the layout well from earlier visits. Silently, like dark shadows, they turned the corner and entered the club. There were no need for words; they both knew what needed to be done.

"Wanna dance, handsome?" A way too young girl offered, as Peter circled around the dance floor, trying to stay in the shadows.

He looked down at her school girl outfit. She eagerly pawed at his more intimate parts with her hands, completely unashamed. Anger towards Jack that he allowed this at his club bubbled up from inside. "Listen to me…" he said with his low vampire voice, using one hand to remove her hand from his pants and the other to guide her attention to his eyes. "You will go home. You will never come here again. Understand?"

The girl nodded dazedly without breaking eye contact. "I will go home," she repeated.

"You will go to school and you will be a good girl from now on," Peter continued. The girl continued to nod.

Peter broke the spell with a blink. The girl blinked too, and looked at him as if confused. "I have to go," she said, as she turned to run. Peter hoped she ran all the way home.

They continued towards the back room to find Jack. While the short meeting with the girl had taken barely a minute, it had manage