Chapter 2 - Oh Bugger, Where's Me Ruby Slippers?

"Do I have some mystical fucking tracker on me or something?! What the hell are you doing here?!" Alias growls at me.

"Nice to see you too and how the hell should I know? I got my ass shoved into a portal by Tarquin who wanted to test something." I scowl at him.

Wait a moment. It's mid freaking morning, why the hell am I currently able to talk to a vampire who should be bursting into flames? I sniff the air and his scent hits me. Werewolf. Well well well....

"So how come you're not bursting into flames Alias? The sun is kinda bright this morning." I ask him.

"I got an upgrade, like you did." he grins.

"What?! How the hell do you know about that and you're a nuwisha too now?" I scowl, he doesn't smell of coyote, he smells of wolf. I think I might be jumping the gun here though.

"Calm down sweetheart, you're going to have an aneurysm at this rate. Kyron fell through to this world yesterday and told me everything. Well, after a bit of a Mexican standoff, I know about the order to kill me. But we shouldn't talk about this out here. We've currently got a bit of a situation and we're not sure how to handle it."

I sigh and dust myself off and shift down back to human whilst re-adjusting my clothing. My irritation obvious as I wonder how the fuck I'm going to get back. This is the other world that I'd been to once before a while back as a vampire and it had ended up with a rather large explosion and some very pissed mages following us back to our dimension.

"Well, I haven't a fucking clue how to get back or if Tarquin will be kind enough to attempt to retrieve me, so would you mind if I hung with you whilst I wait? I'll try not to be a bother." I don't really have much of an option and if this 'is' my old friend Alias, it would be nice to spend some time with someone who doesn't hate my guts. Alias motions for me to follow him and all three of us walk towards one of the rooms.

However, this is really bothering me. Besides Alias there's another man. He's the spitting image of Leon. Someone I thought I would never see again in this lifetime. It can't be him. It just can't.

"Come on Lawrence, you know that we should be out there showing our beautiful art to the world! No one compares to us when we dance, we owe it to everyone to show them how the art of the dance can stir you!" laughs Leon. He's prancing besides me, full of a glee that he gets whenever he's had a stomach full of handsome noble blood and probably an ass full of noble too.

_ _

"Yes I understand Leon, however that is not our mistresses' will. You know that as well as I do to go against her is to court true death. I too wish to dance for all to see me, yet we are her servants, not her equals. Please put the notion out of your head and allow our mistress to do as she sees fit." I smile softly at him, trying to soften the edge of my remark.

_ _

He huffs and shakes his head. "Tch, Lawrence, you will never be a force to be reckoned with if you are content to lick her boots."

_ _

I grab him and spin him around, pressing him up the stone wall. My arm under his chin, my fangs sliding out from my lips and I hiss a little.

_ _

"Watch your tongue Leon. I may not be the mistress, but I would be more than a match for you." I drop him down the wall and he looks at me in shock.

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I let a smile slide across my lips and I hold out my hand to him. "That tongue is as skilled as your dancing when it comes to the bedroom. Do not let it wag in the breeze so often, it would pain me to lose such a glorious talent."

_ _

His cool hand slips into mine and I pull him up and against my body. I pull him close to me and my arms encircle his waist.

_ _

"Words have power Leon, be wary where you wield it. Once you reveal power, you cannot hide it forever."

_ _

We had gone back to my room and I still remember how fantastic it was to be with him.

_ _

We enter one of the motel rooms and for a motel, it's pretty swanky. The beds have been slept in, they're your basic doubles with white sheets and a light brown coverlet. The pillows are. I blink and look around, the pillows are under the window for some reason.

Alias smiles at me as he starts making some tea.

"Darlin, I haven't been so happy to see someone in quite some time. I'd be more than happy for you to hang around." he says.

I grin back at him "Missed you too m'dear. Old Morgain is livid you slipped through her grasp, though I guess I ought not to be too surprised considering the Cyclops development. Oh where are my manners? Who's this handsome gentleman that I have been so rudely excluding?" I gesture towards the carbon copy of Leon.

"This would be Soothing Song, another member of the Pack I belong to and a good friend." says Alias.

I hold my hand out and Soothing shakes it. A good friend huh? How good a friend I wonder. I can feel the grin spreading on my face as the words tumble from my lips.

"Oh really? Just 'how' good a friend hmm?" I grin at Alias.

"Not like that you perv, if you're part of a garou pack, you should know that garou shouldn't mate with garou!"

I laugh gently, this I've missed.

" Yeah, I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. I know that your heart belongs to..."

Realisation hits me like a ton of bricks. Garou cannot mate with garou, Alias is a garou now. Alias came to this world in order to get back with Colt, now in one fell swoop he's gotten his chance at redemption at the cost of any chance of being with Colt. Fuck. I clap my hand across my mouth as I realise I've just put my foot right in it.

"Oh my god Alias, I never realised. I'm so sorry."

Alias is shaking his head " It's ok, I already know about how it has to be and I also know about Leonis."

Oh my god, I had forgotten, Leonis was Alias husband. Now he was the un-dead, a vampire. A lethal one at that, the Assimites had trained him really well. I couldn't help but compare it to my own sorrow and he had just as many reasons to break down as well. I found my body moving forward and immediately hugging him tight.

" Oh god, my friend, I am so sorry." I hug him tightly and then smile softly over his shoulder.

"Wow, this sorrow and friendship lark really does have some strong feelings doesn't it?" I chuckle, trying to lighten the situation but also posing the question to see if Alias had some of the same difficulties I had with the returning emotions.

"I'd forgotten you were a lot older than me, I was a bit overwhelmed at first, but you'd been dead for nearly two hundred years. What the hell happened with you?" asks Alias.

"Nothing fun hun. Basically I walked face first into a trap which gave me this form and cost me Tyr. We now have a Tyr in our world from another world, I'm guessing this one since you're here. I was mortal, I broke down, went a bit loopy, discovered I now had to eat and drink and other stuff. I got used to it again pretty quick surprisingly. It's the feelings that I haven't gotten a grip on yet. I'm worried that some of them are stronger than others for the wrong reasons." I say. A knot forming in my stomach thinking about both my Tyr and the one in our world.

"Speaking of Tyr, we're actually trying to get his adoptive brother out of custody. His niece has gone ahead with my little brother and our pack alpha." says Alias.

I raise an eyebrow in surprise. "Little brother? You have been busy Alias, how'd that happen?"

"About the same time I went back to my real name." he says.

I frown at him. "Your real name?"

"I'm Alex again now. Alias was the name my sire gave me and I left that behind the day I became purified in Erebus."

"That's cool Alia... Errr I mean Alex. But now you're talking about stuff I have no idea about."

He hands me a cup of tea and I listen as he explains how he got accidently merged with a Black Spiral and how his little brother used to be one. The pair of them got to go to a place called Erebus that allowed them to basically be cleansed and restart their lives as garou. Lucky bastards. I'm more than a little jealous about that, how come he lands on his feet with nice people and I get stuck with hard nosed bastards. Though I have to confess, being stuck with Colt wasn't exactly a bad thing. Though the fact that Tyr had an adopted niece and his adopted brother is stuck in custody is more interesting to me right now. I failed my Tyr, the other Tyr was busy and I was in a position to help the weretigers in this world. I know exactly what I'm gonna do now.

"Incredible. You certainly sound like you've managed to get what you needed rather than what you wanted. As for your little problem right now, you can count me in to help. The Tyr in our would and I don't get on, but it doesn't matter which world I'm on, if a tiger is in trouble, I'm gonna lend a hand."

He smiles and nods "It's appreciated friend. Soon as we actually figure out what the hell to do." he looks over at Soothing.

"Well, waiting right now seems like a good idea. We don't know where he's being held, though the local police station would be my guess. If we let the 24 hours pass and he's not free. We will have to start tracking him down. Not exactly sure how we're going to do that either." says Soothing.

I bite my thumbnail as Soothing's voice is exactly like Leon's, this is a painful co-incidence. I don't want to remember what happened to him.

"I'm leaving Lawrence and you can't stop me!" he shouts at me.

_ _

I wince, he's gone too far this time. Our mistress was severe old school and I meant medieval, not aristocracy. As far as she was concerned, we belonged to her until she got tired of us or we would benefit her better by going somewhere else. Leon had been trying to scrape together enough power and resources behind the scenes to run away. But he'd been sloppy and I'd found out. I'd suspected as much for some time, however I knew that if I had found out then she would also know.

_ _

"I do not wish to stop you Leon. I wish you to continue existing! I found out about your plans, she would already know!"

_ _

"You would betray me Lawrence?! You who I call my heart!?"

_ _

"No you fool! I have done nothing of the sort! Our mistress is power, she will already know of your plans! You must not do this or it will be the end of you!"

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"Once I am safely on board the boat, there will be little she can do!"

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"You think she will allow you to simply waltz out of here? You're going to get yourself killed! Then what?! Do you not care what you will tear away from me?!"

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"Then come with me! There is room for two on this trip, the pair of us can leave together!"

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I shake my head. "That is suicide. The only hope we both have is to become strong enough that she decides to send us somewhere to become her envoy's. That is the closest either of us will get to freedom!"

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"Bah! We can manage on our own!"

_ _

"Yes we could manage Leon, but we could not exist long as she would find us and destroy us! Please listen to me, it is not too late! The resources you have gained, give them as a gift to her and beg for her forgiveness. She will make you an example and parade you around like a dog on a leash for a while, but she will get bored and at least you will be alive!"

_ _

He's shaking his head stubbornly. I'm frustrated and I'm pacing in the storage room.

_ _

"Please Leon, I beg you. Do not do this. Not just for my sake, but for your own. Our mistress is no fool and only we would be the fools here to defy her. You must see that this life is not as bad as it could be! You have never lived on the street and prayed that each day might be your last in order to end your torment. You were born to a noble family and your dancing is an equal in elegance as mine is in emotion. Please, do not let this stubborn attitude cost you your life!"

_ _

"You can't change my mind Lawrence. I leave in an hour."

_ _

"What a pity you did not listen. Lawrence is truly the epitome of loyalty to both you and myself, yet you would throw away your life on a whim." says a deep and sultry voice from the corridor.

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Had I a heartbeat, it would have stopped right then. I was frozen in fear as I realised she must have been listening to the entire conversation.

_ _

"Such a waste young Leon. Such a pity. However if you cannot live with my rules. You must die."

_ _

Her power is crushing over me and I can do nothing but stare at her beauty. Her red bodice laced up her slender front, revealing all of the white flesh of the top of her large breasts. The spill of black curls down the sides of her face and across the edges of those creamy mounds of flesh. Her skirt whispers across the floor as she steps forward, the red and black material flowing down her body to the floor. My eyes are locked onto her face, the pale complexion enhanced by touches of powder to her cheeks and her lips glisten ruby red like she had kissed your very heart. Only her eyes gave her away to me, they held no warmth, no life. They were like glass in a statue, they held nothing but a cold and dark stare.

_ _

She was breath taking and I could do nothing but kneel in her presence. She was my world and I existed to serve her.

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"I will not give up my life!" I hear Leon snarl besides me.

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There is a blur and he charges her. She fixes him with a look and he is reduced to a quivering wreck on the floor. I can do nothing. I cannot disappoint her, I cannot go against her will.

_ _

"My little dancing demon. Your talent will be missed in this world, I pray that Lawrence will be the one to continue in your stead. If it is any consolation, I will regret your passing." she sweeps forward and has hold of his chin and lifts him up with ease.

_ _

Her fangs slide out and my eyes widen, she is going to do it. Her fangs plunge into his neck and his eyes roll back. Moan after moan and noises that I had not heard outside of the bedroom come from Leon. I am helpless to resist her and she does not want me to help. I can do nothing as the body of my friend, my lover, turns to dust in her hands.

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She finishes and takes a handkerchief from her pocket, delicately dabbing the corners of her mouth and turns to face me with a horrible smile.

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"Good little boy Lawrence. You may someday earn my favour. Understand the warning of Leon's death."

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She sweeps from the room in a graceful turn, her skirt billowing behind her like the wings of death itself and in that moment I realised that she was a monster.

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I would avenge him. I would slay her.

_ _

My eyes are drawn to Alex, his naivety hasn't changed. He's still oblivious to how the world works. He has little idea as to what being part of a garou pack will involve. He wasn't even fully aware of how to survive in vampire society and they were more patient.

"There is something I do need to mention to you Alex."

"Hrm?"

"You really haven't a clue how lucky you've gotten with Wyrmripper. He can't actually afford to look as weak as he has been doing around you." I say.

"I'd hardly call compassion weak." Alex replies.

I can't help but laugh. "Oh, you're just getting to the good part aren't you Alex? I've had the fun of learning just how brutal life can be in front of all the garou. Colt has been especially brutal. Though it's not his fault as such, apparently because of the whole political situation and what the fuck we actually are or were, we're not exactly going to be welcomed with open arms."

He flinches. "Well I can understand the cautiousness, but we're trying to do the right thing aren't we?"

"Well yes, but that's not exactly the core issue. They're pretty much ready to die each day, so when you fuck up, you could put someone else's life on the line. I recently made a huge mistake and it nearly cost me my life. I gave a bane infested sword to a Black Spiral Dancer." I say.

"How can that be so bad..."

"YOU DID WHAT?!" snarls Soothing.

I sigh softly and turn to Soothing. "I got drugged and chased, when given the choice between that and my life I chose that. Later that choice got the lost cairn back to us."

That makes Soothing recoil and blink. "Wait, a cairn was lost?"

I groan "Yeah, long story short, the werewolves lost their cairn to the vampires in our world. My cock up prompted a very powerful mage to keep us from being pissed at him to repay me by granting me 1 wish. I wished for the cairn to be returned to the garou."

Alex frowns gently "Wow, that's something but... How come you didn't wish for Tyr back?"

I wince and hang my head. "You can't make a deal with a devil and expect no price. Believe me, I want Tyr back so badly it hurts. But it wasn't my first thought. I looked to the guidance of the others around me and they suggested that I wish for that. We were right that there is a price as the vampires are pissed about it and we're pretty much at war. But I dread to think what the price would have been had I have asked for Tyr to be returned to me. He lost his life so that I got mine back, if I were to keep it, who would have taken his place?"

"You seem to have learned your lesson at least there." says Soothing rather darkly.

"Heh, the irony being as a Nuwisha, I'm supposed to do the teaching." I shake my head gently.

"So because you sacrificed your chance at getting Tyr back in exchange for the cairn, they overlooked a minor detail?" Alex asks.

"MINOR detail?! What the hell are you on about Alex? He gave a fucking bane blade to a Black Spiral dancer!" growls Soothing.

I sigh and shrug. "I don't get it either. It's like the pair of us are staring at the fucking elephant in the room but we couldn't hit it if we tried."

Soothing is looking really pissed at the pair of us now.

"Hold on a minute there Soothing. I think I'm starting to understand." says Alex.

"Please enlighten me if you would be so kind Alex, because I'm still trying to get a clue."

"Okay. Basically we're both looking at it from two different viewpoints that the garou or nuwisha, don't have. We were both mortal. Brought up in very different worlds than the one that garou go through. They live their lives fighting one evil after another in the hopes they'll eventually turn the tide in this war. We spend our lives trying to figure out what we actually want to do. It gives the wyrm a perfect chance to get in. Then we both became vampires, a whole new world there where time was something that didn't matter to us anymore. We could do pretty much what we wanted and it was only our survival that was paramount."

I tilt my head, that all makes perfect sense to me. "Okay, I get that our viewpoints will be skewed because of our history, but I don't get why they have to be so cruel when they're supposed to be the good guys."

"I think it's because our version of good guy isn't the real good guy. To us, Colt and Tyr appeared as the mythical 'knights on white horses'. Leading a valiant crusade against the forces of darkness. When the actual truth is that they were fighting an impossible fight and doing the harsh things that others won't do because that's what they needed to do. It basically boils down to us looking at them as Superman when in reality they're more like the Punisher." says Alex.

"So what you're saying is that we're the ones that need to readjust to this world instead of using our viewpoint to question why they should make certain decisions?" I reply.

"Yes and no. Remember, they've been doing this longer than you've been around. Granted yes they haven't won, but nor have they lost. So they must be doing some things right. What it generally boils down to is that the pair of us are rather naive about the world we're actually in. Although I personally agree with your decision that a sword isn't worth your life. What if that sword had been Tyr?"

"What?" I frown at him.

"I think that's where we're going wrong. We put self preservation above most of our own goals, apart from the ones which involve people we care about. I know that I'd put myself in danger to save the pack I belong to now, hell I already have done. Fighting the wyrm to them is just as big a goal as saving the ones they care about." he says.

"Youch. Not to put too big a dampner on your ideas there, but my rules are different to garou. I have a different set of guides to follow." I interject.

"Well ok, but you're part of a garou pack aren't you? You said Colt was your alpha?" says Alex.

I nod.

"Then you need to follow their rules as well as your own. So you'd be subject to the same laws and punishments if you wanted to be around them. If you honestly can't accept that right now, then I'd suggest you find a way out of your current situation or a way to deal with it." says Alex.

"What about you?" I enquire.

"I'm getting there. I think if I consider myself surrounded by Sabbat waiting for their chance then I think it'll put me in a better stead for a while until I can prove myself."

I gently whistle. "Well that's one way of looking at it. I don't really want to leave Colt and the others, so I guess I'd better find a way to deal."

"Well that made some sense to me and explains a bit more why you keep getting confused about some things, but I have to ask, what are the Sabbat?" interrupts Soothing.

"Errr... Well, do you remember me telling you that I was pretending to belong to a group of vampires called the Toredor?" says Alex.

Soothing nods.

"Well the Toredor, Ventrue, Malkavian, Tremere and Bruja are all clans of vampire that belong to a group called the Camarilla. They're more interested in keeping alive and in power through subtly and are strictly forbidden from breaking what they call the masquerade. It's basically never let humans know they exist. The Sabbat are made up from other clans of vampires and they aren't so fussy. They think humans are food and future generations. For lack of a better term, Camarilla were the good guys and Sabbat were the bad and I use that in the loosest way possible." explains Alex.

"I'd describe the Camarilla as a lot of things, I don't think 'good guys' would be on the list though." I remark dryly.

"I know, but this world doesn't have vampires so it's hard to explain." says Alex.

"No vamps? You lucked out then Alex. You get to hang out with a cute guy, don't have to worry about the vamps, got a younger brother. Nice little family you have going." I say. I can't keep the bitter edge out of my voice, it was so unfair.

"I'm sorry it didn't go well for you Lawrence. If I could change it for you, I would." says Alex, gently laying his hand on my shoulder.

I'm being an ass. I sigh gently.

"I'm sorry Alex. It's hard to control the emotions. They often bubble over when I'm not expecting it and sometimes confuse me. I'm worried that sometimes what I'm feeling is just brought on by being new to the situation."

"I get how you mean on that. Though I've been lucky here that I've been able to let them out instead of bottled up. I wish I could have been there for you." replies Alex.

I try to give him a smile, but it just doesn't reach my eyes.

"Thanks hun. I'm glad I was right about you though. I knew that even though your heart was dead, you'd find a way." I say, gently putting my hand on his.

He blushes and squeezes my hand gently.

"Thanks Lawrence. Trust your feelings and the people around you. I know you can trust Colt with your life." says Alex.

"I already did. Twice." I reply.

"Didn't let you down did he?"

"Course not, I'm still here aren't I? Without Colt or the others, I don't know how long I'd have lasted." I smile softly, the thought of Colt making a twinge run through my chest. I wonder if he's alright, he's probably pissed that I've gone missing again.

I sigh and stretch. "So come on, what tricks have you picked up since being garou? I mean, you've been gone over a month. You must have had something done."

The look on his face makes it pretty clear that he was a little shocked about that news.

"A.... A MONTH?! I've only been gone a week and a bit! I only became a garou three days ago!"

Soothing coughs, "Erm, actually, you were in Erebus for the rest of the time."

I smirk softly. Well then, I should impart what little wisdom I've gotten onto him. Might as well give him a leg up instead of stuck in the deep end.

"Well that's a bit of a shit. However, since we don't really have anything else to do right now, I'll give you a crash course in what I've learned. Come on, let's take a trip to the Umbra." I stand up and hold my hand out to him.