Time, Death & Scar Tissue...

48. The Arrival

Kathryn thought that the Grand Ballroom of the Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel was aptly named. The Louis XIV style room was accented in gold leaf and mirrors. Crystal chandeliers dripped from the high ceiling, their style was reflected in the wall sconces. Even without further adornment the room had a golden glow that might have been warm and welcoming, if it were not for the sheer size of the place. No room that holds a thousand people and has a stage for an orchestra could be considered welcoming. It was simply a beautifully appointed space, much like Charlotte was a beautifully appointed woman. Music floated out into the lobby and Kathryn stopped for a moment before going through the double doors to take a deep breath.

“Kathryn.” Charlotte said as they entered in a swirl of colored gowns, black tuxedos and forced laughter. Kathryn's hand tightened a little on Lucien's arm but she smiled at her hostess. “You look more beautiful than you did last year.” Kathryn let go and kissed the older woman on both cheeks.

“So do you.” She lied. Charlotte Worthington was a lady who had impeccable taste in everything except evening wear. The bright red gown she chose hugged all the wrong places on her ample figure and if that wasn't bad enough the sequined designs that adorned it only called more attention to her flaws. The shape of the Edwardian diamond necklace she wore competed with the neckline of the dress and, while it was stunning, the lacy piece looked wrong against the solid structure of the dress. “Where's Alex?” Charlotte's husband, Alexander, was almost always around to greet the guests, mostly because he got to kiss the ladies.

“Probably chasing some young thing around the dance floor. Who is this?” Charlotte turned to Lucien with a curious smile. “When your father came in he said you were unescorted this evening.”

“He must have been mistaken.” Kathryn said with a practiced smile, quickly quashing the clever retort that formed on her lips. She made the introductions and tried not to think about how her heart was racing.

“It's a pleasure to have you at our little gathering, Mr. LaCroix.” Charlotte turned back to Kathryn. “Your father and stepmother and Minerva and the judge is already here somewhere. You can show your friend where the buffet is, but,” She leaned closer to Kathryn and lowered her voice. “I wouldn't indulge too much if I were you. You don't need the extra calories.” She patted Kathryn's hand and was on to the next arrivals.

“Was that a remark about your weight?” Lucien asked when they were far enough into the room that they wouldn't be overheard.

“Yes, but she says that to any woman who's slimmer than she is.” Kathryn laughed and started scanning the room. She saw Minerva at a table on one side of the room, her father was on the other. She noticed her father's mother there as well. “Friendly grandmother or intrusive grandmother?” She asked.

“Me.” He replied. Kathryn smiled as he led her out onto the floor. The music at Charlotte's parties was always strictly ballroom and this was a waltz. Kathryn didn't mind, it was the only kind of dancing she felt comfortable with. Since they had never gone dancing anywhere though, she wondered if Lucien enjoyed it as well. All of those fears were laid to rest within seconds of stepping out on the floor. He lead on the dance floor as easily as he did in any other situation she had ever seen him in. Kathryn relaxed against him.

“I didn't know you were such a good dancer.” He said. Kathryn felt a little blush rise to her cheeks.

“Well, I could say the same of you.” She said, feeling as though she was floating. “You didn't strike me as the dancing type.” His eyebrow quivered.

“Dancing is a necessary social skill, much like light conversation or appropriate table manners. Besides, I rather like surprising you.” He smiled slightly and Kathryn followed his lead without thinking through the other dancers. She smiled and nodded at the few people she knew, but most people at Charlotte's party were strangers to her.

“Well you do it very well, both dance and surprise me.” She laughed. “Not many people learn the former though, and it seems like men don't like to dance even if they know how.” She smiled up at him. When they turned again, Kathryn's eye was caught by a voluptuous woman in a sequined silver gown, her long dark hair was worn in an intricate braided bun. For a moment it seemed as though the woman was watching Kathryn too, but with the motion of the dancers she lost sight of her. He was watching her closely when her eyes turned back to his, but he didn't say anything.

“Which side of your family do you usually sit with?” He asked.

“I usually split my time between the two, it keeps the peace.” She answered, her eyes back on his.

“Your escort didn't mind all that bouncing around?” He looked surprised.

“Usually my escort was Judge Thayer's clerk, Sam. He's nice but he's more interested in the waiters if you know what I mean.” Kathryn laughed softly and he smiled.

“I take it the judge doesn't know?” He said.

“Nope. Neither do his parents. Grandmother knows of course.” Kathryn smiled a little.

“Now that doesn't surprise me in the least.” His arm tightened around her waist and Kathryn laid her head on his shoulder. “We'll sit on our own.” She could tell by the tone in his voice that his mind was made up. She sighed softly, happy to relinquish some of the responsibility for the decision.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As with mortals, there were very few universal truths about vampires. All were sustained by the same substance and all were limited to darkness. Aside from that, there were more differences than similarities. They related to mortals differently and therefore hunted differently. Each sire related to his or her children differently and thus families functioned differently. Each vampire was more comfortable with different abilities, some relied on their mental skills while others shunned those and focused more on physical strengths. All in all, there were more differences between vampires as a group than there were between vampires and mortals. It was one of the strange little tidbits of truth that took centuries to fully realize.

One thing that LaCroix had recognized early on though, was that almost all vampires gravitated to social gatherings. The type of gathering depended on the tastes of the individual, but they all provided access to gossip, a forum for intrigues and ready access to a meal. The latter could have been found anywhere. The first two could be useful, but more often they were simply interesting. LaCroix found that eternity was, in a word, dull. Diversion quickly became more valuable than any other commodity.

So, as he danced with Kathryn it didn't surprise him to see a number of his own kind. Some were Elsbeth's whores, though he hadn't yet caught a glimpse of the woman herself. There were others too, though, and as they moved around the floor he received small gestures of respect from them. LaCroix didn't delude himself into thinking that he was so well-loved, they acknowledged him because it was expected, and safer.

He led Kathryn toward her father as the music changed. She greeted him again and then turned to the imperious looking woman in a severe black dress standing just behind him. She was taller than both Kathryn and her son. It was clear from her posture that she was accustomed to the deference of others and Kathryn paid her that deference with a light kiss on the cheek. He could hear her heart racing as she made the introductions, but she appeared composed. As soon as introductions were made, Kathryn's father asked her to dance and Mira remembered seeing an old friend from school. She scurried away as well, leaving him alone with Rosalind Paige.

They stood watching each other. Rosalind looked wary and appraising, LaCroix settled on a look of curiosity because he was genuinely curious what Rosalind was going to say. He thought he had a pretty good idea, but recently he had been surprised several times. He wasn't about to take chances.

“Please, sit.” She said.

“Ladies first.” He smiled slightly. She sat and he followed suit. Again she maintained her silence and he let her. Silence was often far more successful in obtaining information than questions were. To ask questions one had to know something, to remain silent one could know absolutely nothing and still make it look as if all had already been revealed. LaCroix was not about to bow to a technique he used himself, he watched her.

“My granddaughter means a great deal to me.” She said finally.

“She means a great deal to me as well.” LaCroix replied.

“Spare me the false sentimentality. You believe that my granddaughter is worth a great deal of money now, and that she'll be worth even more in the future.” There weren't many people around and those who were present seemed engrossed in their own conversations. Still, it shocked him that she would do this in such a public setting. He glanced over at Kathryn and noticed that the ones who had acknowledged him had insinuated themselves between her and Elsbeth's whores. He knew that wasn't accidental, he would find out who had organized it later.

“You believe that no one could be interested in Kathryn for any reason other than this supposed fortune?” He took a glass of champagne off of the tray the silent waiter offered. Rosalind's eyes narrowed. She had expected him to protest, since he hadn't, she scrambled for something else to say. He feigned a sip and enjoyed the spectacle.

“My granddaughter is a trial when she's minding her manners and between her mother and Minerva the girl is lucky she has any of those at all.” Her voice wasn't quite as composed.

“And yet this abrasive person means a great deal to you.” He said.

“She is my-”

“Heir.” He finished. He had allowed her to twist long enough. “Allow me to finish this for you, Rosalind. You were attempting to make me feel nervous in front of the matriarch of the family. I would guess that works with your son and I strongly suspect that worked with your husband as well.” Her eyes widened and he watched the anger rise from under the collar of the dress to redden her face.

“You are very presumptuous.” She said softly. Mortal ears might have missed the comment.

“Just as your son told you, I'm sure.” He replied. “Since I seem to be on the right path allow me to continue. After I was suitably intimidated you were going to explain that you were not an unreasonable woman, and you would have offered some sum of money, assuming that I would try to bargain for more. You would have upped that offer until I agreed to leave Kathryn alone. From what my investigator could uncover-”

“You had me investigated?” She had turned a shade of red he had never seen before.

“Didn't you have me investigated?” His eyebrow quivered and her jaw tightened. “As I was saying, my sources tell me you have substantial assets, so does your son.”

“This is extortion.” She hissed.

“It would be, if I had any intention of taking anything for you.” He smiled slightly.

“Everyone has a price, Mr. LaCroix.” Her thin lips had turned into a cold little smile.

“Usually I would agree with you.” He glanced around and was panicked when he couldn't see Kathryn right away. A couple turned on the dance floor and he saw her chatting with a woman he didn't recognize at first. He was pleasantly surprised to realize it was Corrina. The young man with her looked surprisingly ordinary as well. Judging from her reactions, it seemed Kathryn was pleasantly surprised too. “This situation is unlike any other. You'll excuse me now Rosalind, it was very interesting meeting you.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kathryn didn't think she had ever danced quite so much at one of these parties. Lucien seemed positively tireless when it came to dancing, as he was with just about everything else. For an hour he was silent about his conversation with her grandmother, and for that hour she let it rest. Finally, he had found them a table for two in a more secluded corner where the music was a comfortable undertone to conversation and she couldn't take it anymore.

“She offered you money to leave me alone didn't she.” Kathryn said, the little quiver of his eyebrow told her that she was right.

“She hinted.” He said. “I wasn't about to let her make an offer. You don't seem surprised.”

“Let's just say it's a pattern.” Kathryn laughed and took a sip of her water. “She tried to pay Mother to leave Daddy alone when they were first dating. And you didn't say how it went.”

“Nothing escapes you, does it.” He said with a slight smile.

“Well, some things do.” She blushed a little. “Corey almost did, did you SEE her? She looks totally different tonight.”

“I thought I saw you talking to her. She looked so-”

“Normal?” She finished with a little smile.

“I was thinking more along the lines of sophisticated.” He smiled slightly.

“Well whatever you call it, I almost didn't recognize her and I helped her pick out the dress.”

“Was that her brother with her?” He sat back and surveyed the room.

“No, but I think he's part of the reason for the change. Apparently she met him at her father's Christmas party. He has a lot of clients and staff at his house, so it isn't really a fun party with friends. Anyway, the guy she was with was at that party. Her father just hired him a few months ago. She made a good impression at the party and wanted to keep it going. She's even stopped calling her parents by their first names.” She noticed that he was looking over her shoulder. “Sorry, I guess that was a boring story.”

“No. It just seems like we're the object of some interest.” He looked at her again.

“Let me guess, three women around my age. One is wearing something with a plunging neckline to show off her graduation implants. Another is wearing some shade of red. The third is wearing some kind of suit or jacket dress.” Kathryn was smiling slightly. Lucien look curious.

“I know there isn't a mirror behind me.” He looked genuinely curious.

“They're girls I went to high school with. Miss Silicone is Candace, the Red Girl is Heather, and the Tailored Suit is Isobel. They fulfilled their life's ambition and are now all very properly ensconced in society. All with nothing better to do than gossip, and frankly you seem to have captured the attention of quite a few people.” Kathryn smiled coyly. She had known that he was going to draw attention, she wasn't prepared for just how much attention and how much of it was going to be from people from people she had never seen before. She was certain she saw the dark-haired woman with several of the women who were were staring, but it had to be coincidence.

“They must have very dull lives.” He stood and offered his hand, Kathryn took it and walked with him to the dance floor.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

LaCroix read 'The Prince' for the first time in the mid 1500's and he found a great deal of wisdom in those few words. Even though it came relatively late in his existence he kept a copy close at hand, as if it were an old friend that would provide either comfort or good advice when needed. At this moment though, watching a smiling Kathryn dance with the judge, he knew that being only feared by her would make the rest of his existence unbearable. His musing was cut short when his eye was caught by a small group of his own kind. One of the men joined him along the wall.

“I believe we've met.” He had the barest trace of a German accent and his dark blond hair was held in a black silk ribbon at the nape of his neck. LaCroix vaguely recognized him, but couldn't specifically place him. He had met too many over the centuries.

“We have, though you will forgive me for not recalling your name.” It was a standard response within the community. Frequently one had to change names as well as cities and asking for an introduction limited awkward moments.

“Barron Schultz, it's been a number of years and our meeting was casual.” He took a glass of champagne from one of the circulating servers.

“Your title?” LaCroix was slightly surprised, though his face didn't betray it. There were a number of vampires that had titles, but they were rarely used anymore. People tended to remember a Lord or a Marquis and that made anonymity difficult.

“No, though I think my parents would have liked that. It's Barron with two r's.” He said smoothly. It might have been true, it might not have been. It made little difference to LaCroix.

“Lucien LaCroix.” He feigned a sip from his own glass.

“A pleasure to meet you again.” He bowed his head slightly. To the casual observer, it would have looked like a gesture of agreement. LaCroix took it for what it was, a gesture of respect for an ancient. “And that is your lady, in the green dress?”

“You were here when we entered.” He said warily.

“I was. My friends and I are in agreement, even if she were not yours, it would be a shame to see one so beautiful fall into Elsbeth's filthy hands.” He laughed softly. Carrying on a conversation in a crowded room and showing all the wrong emotions was a skill that took time to develop. Barron had obviously practiced.

“An interesting sentiment, but what has that to do with me?” LaCroix chuckled softly, his eyes on Kathryn.

“It's merely a request, that you not paint us all with the same brush.” He feigned a sip and smiled warmly.

“And?” He returned that smile. “If you know me by reputation you know that my strokes are always very precise. There is something else you want and I don't see the ability to be circumspect as an asset.” LaCroix watched Kathryn's father cut in. Her smile changed from warm and easy to forced, but she did maintain her smile.

“Very well. As limited as Elsbeth's abilities to lead are, she still provided some direction for the community. Without her-”

“Without her? Aren't you making a rather large assumption?”

“Not really. You regard the lady as yours, and the lengths you will go to to protect your own are well known.” Barron glanced at the small group he had come with.

“Your children?” LaCroix asked. He could tell the group with him were young, one had barely counted her first year of immortality and even though Barron had seen to it that the girl was properly dressed she was obviously out of her element.

“Yes. Not all of them as polished as I would wish.” He shot a look at the girl and she straightened her posture. She caught her lower lip between her teeth and looked away.

“Polish takes time, and a great deal of effort on your part. Where did you find her?” Kathryn was still dancing with her father. From the way she moved it seemed that he had moved on to more pleasant topics of conversation.

“One of the others found her dancing naked in a club.” He said in a matter-of-fact tone. “He became enamored, as those who have yet to count a century will. I had intended to insist the association end, but there was something unusually predatory about her.” LaCroix watched as the girl sauntered over to a man who appeared to be on his own. He was old enough to be her father, that didn't seem to give her a moment's pause.

“Not to mention the raw boldness that kind seems steeped in.” LaCroix said as he observed the girl stroking her new companion's ego in a hypersensual way. “So you simply told the other that you would bring her into the fold?”

“Certainly not.” Barron laughed, it sounded almost genuine. “That would have given him illusions of his own power.”

“Very wise. Her kind requires discipline from one who doesn't flinch at the idea.” LaCroix feigned a sip and recalled how many times Jeanette had cursed him for his unyielding nature. He considered the results worth it though. “It seems you've made a start in the right direction.”

“Thank you.” The slight incline of his head again.

“The final decision is not mine to make in regard to the city.” He said, glad that others had left them relatively alone for a time.

“You have influence.” Barron said.

“I do.” LaCroix agreed. Lately though, it was more than simple influence. The world had long been divided by vampires, it eased tensions among what are essentially territorial creatures and for centuries it worked well enough. With fewer ancients though, and far more places for his kind to hide, things had become more and more divided and difficult to manage. He didn't mind having his own sphere of influence, but he disliked that things weren't functioning as they should. The music changed to a waltz. “We will discuss this later. The layer between Elsbeth's whores and Kathryn, that was your doing?” LaCroix was fairly certain that it was.

“Convincing some of them to protect a mortal wasn't easy.” He said casually.

“Tell me how I can contact you.” Barron offered a card and LaCroix slipped it into his pocket. He nodded and went back down to rescue Kathryn from her father.