WAR: LC and LN arrive (1/1)
  by Arletta Asbury and Cousin Shelley 


Lacroix woke up and opened his eyes.  He looked about the room with
some surprise.  It had been a *long* time since he woke up with
a hangover in some strange location.  Not that he had a hangover
this time but he *was* in a strange bed with no idea of how he
had gotten there.

'There was that time in Pompeii.' he began to recall and then
refocused on the present.  He remembered falling asleep in his own
bed at CERK headquarters.  'How had be managed to get from there
to here he wondered?'

He arose noticing as he did so, that he was already dressed.
Still puzzled, he began examining this place.  'Humpf' he thought,
it was a bit messy and cluttered.  The window blinds were drawn,
unnecessarily, the full moon hung in the sky outside.

As he scanned the living room, he spotted phone books.  They were
for Washington, DC.  Another, lesser person might have gasped,
*he* merely blinked in surprise.  Toronto and Washington were
quite some distance apart.

Continuing his examination he made his way to the kitchen.
His hunger was only a slight nagging at this point and
still quite manageable but he opened the refrigerator door
anyway.  There was a tall dark bottle sitting on the top
shelf.  He grasped it only to discover that it contained one
of the most vile substances in existence.  Ribeana.
He quickly shoved it back on the shelf and slammed the
refrigerator door.  This was clearly no place to remain!

He left by the front door and found himself in the hallway
of an apartment building.  He moved quickly to the exit and
stood on a short side-walk which lead to a parking lot.

As he paused, a car pulled into the lot from the street beyond.
Lacroix silently moved behind one of the parked cars in order
to observe the new arrival.  His attention was drawn to the
bumper sticker on that car.  It said:
                LACROIX FOR PRESIDENT
             when you're tired of choosing
                the lessor of two evils
Clearly the new arrival was a supporter of his - however
misguided.  He followed the car's occupant back into the
building he had just left.

Arletta unlocked the door to her apartment and entered it.
She dropped her purse and the grocery bag she had been carrying
at the first opportunity.  She was just about to switch on the
TV when she realized that someone else was present in the room.
Arletta turned and nearly fainted at the sight of Lacroix standing
there before her.

"How did you do it?" he asked in an angry tone of voice.

"Uggggghhh," incoherent sounds were her only reply.

"Why did you bring me here?" Lacroix said his anger rising.

"Whaaaaat?" Arletta stammered.  

"You will tell me, now!" he commanded.

"Ahh, What are you doing here?" she finally managed.

Lacroix blinked, taken aback by her question.  His anger
cooled a bit as he said, "I asked first."

"Huh?  Ugggghhhhh" she mumbled, started to get incoherent again.

"Aren't you responsible for my being here?" he asked.

"Me? ... How? .. What? ..  Why?" she finally answered.

Lacroix sighed.  This was getting nowhere.  This *individual*
clearly had no idea what was going on either.

Arletta sank down suddenly into a chair but never took her eyes
off Lacroix.

"I awoke here.  I gather that you're not responsible?" he said.

Arletta shook her head no.

"I saw the bumper sticker on your car.  I would like to assure
you that I have *no* political ambitions," he continued in a
calmer tone of voice.

Arletta swallowed hard.  Finally she managed to say, "OK."

"I don't understand how you are involved in all this, but *you*
are coming with me," he ordered.

"With you?" Arletta queried. 

She managed to grab her purse as he scooped her out of
the chair.  He carried her to the balcony door, opened it,
stepped thru, and leapt into the air.

Arletta closed her eyes against the dizzying sight below her.
She didn't open them again until he deposited her gently on
the sidewalk outside CERK headquarters.  She was a little
unsteady on her feet but managed to follow him inside the
building.

                        *    *    *

Shelley waved good-bye to her Grandmother and took the elevator
down to the lobby.  Walking thru it she stepped out of the apartment
building into the cool, Toronto night.

'That had been a nice visit,' she thought, 'Too bad John couldn't take
a few days off work and come with me this time.'  She found her minivan
parked nearby and slipped inside.  She was just about to close the
door, ' when she heard a strange noise coming from the rear of the
van.  "Eeeeekkkk," she said and turned quickly.

Lying on the rear seat, half covered by a blanket, was a man sleeping."
"Mmmmm,' he mumbled, half awakened by her screech. 

Shelley looked closer and realized that 'man' wasn't exactly an
accurate description.  It was Nick.  Nick was *asleep* on the
rear seat of her van!

She grabbed her cane and got back out of the van.  She paused a
moment considering what to do.  Finally she walked around and
opened the door closest to where Nick lay sleeping.

"Nick," she said.

He stirred before mumbling, "Mmmmmm, I'll have a double"

Shelley blinked, then tried again, "NICK."

He opened his eyes and tried to focus them.  The effort was too
much so he closed them again.

"NICK," Shelley yelled.  She realized that shaking a sleeping vampire
is *NOT* a good idea but wasn't sure what else to do.  Finally she tried
nudging him very gently with her cane from an arms length away.

He opened his eyes and glared at her for a moment.  He had been 
having the nicest dream about a looong bartop with an endless 
row of filled glasses.

"Whashs the matter?" he slurred.  "I'll have another Bloody Mary.  
Put it on my tab!"

Shelley hesitated.

"I'll have another Bloody Mary, NOW!" he said and sat up.  His 
eyes changed color from baby blue to a ferocious yellow.  Shelley 
decided that maybe giving him what he wanted might be the answer 
to her problem.  While she was more than a little afraid right now, 
she also didn't want to call attention to Nick in his current state.  
After briefly thinking about it, she got back into her van and drove 
to the first liquor store that she could find.

"Wait here," she said.

"Sokay," he mumbled.

Shelley went into the store and was about to finish her purchases
when she heard a loud crash.  Turning, she saw Nick sprawled
over the remains of a display.  The store manager was shouting
and heading towards Nick while the clerk was reaching for the
phone.

She made a fateful decision. She could have left him, she *should*
have left him, instead she grabbed Nick by the elbow and tried to
pull him to his feet.  Fortunately for both of them, he didn't resist
her efforts and they managed to scramble outside to her waiting
van, before the manager could catch them.

Shelley drove around aimlessly for a while until she saw a billboard
advertising CERK radio.  'Lacroix can deal with his son,' she thought
and headed for the station.

                        *    *    *

Lacroix had no sooner entered the lobby of CERK, followed by
Arletta, when he was stopped by a blonde who was using a cane.
She had a firm grip on the arm of Nick who seemed a
little unsteady on his feet.

"There you are!" Shelley said almost frantically.

"I beg your pardon?" Lacroix said more startled than angry.

"Nick is DRUNK!  I found him passed out in my car and ...."
suddenly Shelley seemed to realize just *who* she was addressing,
and she stopped in mid-sentence.

Arletta was shaky from the flight and started to move in the
direction of a cluster of chairs grouped in the CERK lobby.

Lacroix grabbed Arletta's arm and commanded her, "Go and request
accommodations for yourself from my assistant.  She's standing
over there."

Arletta, still in a daze, followed his instructions and moved off
towards the woman he had indicated.

Lacroix returned his attention to the blonde.  "Just who *are*
you?"

Before Shelley could answer, Nick interrupted with, "Wsss the
matter?  Where's my Bloody Mary?  Hiya," he said to Lacroix.

Lacroix had not seen Nick like this, at anytime, during the
past 8 centuries.  He was not quite sure what to make of it.
Lacroix hesitated briefly before saying, "Hello Nicholas."

"She's supp .... supposed to bring <hiccup> me a ... drink."

"I think, perhaps we should talk later.  It's late why don't
you stay the night," he said, addressing Shelley.  "My assistant
will find you a room here.  As my guest, of course."

At Shelley's doubtful look, he continued, "Perhaps you'd
like to share a room with her?" he said, indicating Arletta.

Shelley reluctantly nodded, saying, "I have to call my husband
John."

"Of course, you may use our telephone.  My assistant will
help you."  Shelley moved off in the direction of Arletta
who was now talking to a young woman.

"Nicholas, perhaps you would come with me."

"Sokay, if you have a ... little .... drinkie <hiccup> ... in
mind," Nick replied.

Lacroix started to say something more, then changed his mind.
He grasped Nick's arm firmly and led him in the direction of
his own quarters.