Father's Night
by Lisa McDavid
Place: CERK

Time: must be before The World's Greatest Book Signing, since
it explains how Janette got out of the padded cell.

Nice LaCroix used with permission

************************************************************************
At first sight, the average person might have mistaken the black blur
which was flashing up and down the CERK padded cell for a panther.
The average person would have been wrong, but then the Cousins, like the
children of Lake Wobegon, are all above average. None of them had come
within hypnotizable range except for Cousin McLisa. She, being responsible
for Janette LaCroix by virtue of having found her, had to feed her.

Industrial strength goggles and the kind of ear muffs that are designed
for people who work on the tarmac at airport gates should take care of
the mesmerism, but how was she to get even a bag of blood, let alone
a bottle, into Janette's cell without being physically overpowered?

The window was covered with a mesh grating made of a titanium alloy
normally used for the construction of space shuttles. So was the guard's
porthole in the door.

McLisa had begged, pleaded, and threatened to unsub numerous Cousins.
None could be intimidated into helping her feed Janette LaCroix. As
one of them said, "So unsub me. I can't read a list after I'm dead,
anyhow."

She had tried her cat, Tizzie, only to be told, "No way, I've only got
*9* lives, you know."

All the time, Janette LaCroix's growls from the padded cell grew more
menacing.

Finally McLisa dropped onto a sofa in the deserted rec room and burst
into tears.

"Cousin McLisa? What's wrong, my dear?" Nice LaCroix sat down beside
her and put an arm around her.

"Janette," wailed McLisa. "I have to feed her."

Nice LaCroix produced a handkerchief and dried her cheeks. "There, there,
it'll be all right. We have plenty of blood, all four groups in positive
and negative." He smiled, well, _nicely._ "Janette's never been a fussy
eater."

"It's not that," said McLisa, somewhat more calmly and wishing that the
LaCroix from her universe had been more like this. "It's getting the
stuff in there without Janette's getting out. She's not the Janette
you probably know. She's the master in her universe and she won't
moderate her behavior at all in this one."

Nice LaCroix gave McLisa a half-hug. "I'm sure I can reason with her."

"I don't know," McLisa replied. "She says in her universe you're the
one who wants to be mortal and I'm trying to help you and Nick's only
a homicide detective because it's such good stalking cover. He ate
Nat for dinner the first time he met her."

The alternative but nice vampire rose to his feet and drew McLisa with
him. "I can but try. Besides, I'm sure I'm stronger than she is."

McLisa decided he had been warned, and headed for the blood storage
area with her new friend in tow.

**********************************************************************

"Please don't worry, McLisa," said Nice LaCroix, who was carrying
a selection of the finest vintages. "Janette's always a little
emotional when she's hungry."

McLisa tried to breathe and walk steadily. "I hope you're all right --
at least she can't kill you. There isn't any wooden furniture for
her to break."

"Of course she won't kill me! McLisa, dear, you've got to stop watching
these violent television programs."

By this time they had reached the padded cell. The afore-mentioned
average person would have changed opinions at this point, from panther
to a pride of saber-toothed tigers. Nice LaCroix motioned McLisa to
stand back.

"Now, now, Janette," he said soothingly. "It's all right. I've brought
you dinner."

Janette's vamped out face appeared at the porthole. "Not if you mean
McLisa!" she snarled.

Nice LaCroix looked at the cousin. "See, I told you she wasn't a
bad person. She's just hungry."

He had the door open before McLisa could explain. "Of course not
McLisa! You know perfectly well we don't drink from unwilling donors.
Here, your favorite, AB-."

Janette gulped the bottle down faster than mortal vision could follow.
"More." She noticed LaCroix's expression. "Oh, all right, you poor
wimp, please?"

"That's only one of the magic words," he rejoined. McLisa wondered
if he had talked to Divia that saccharinely and if so, was that why
she'd gone bad so early.

"Thank you for the first bottle," said Janette. "Or would you prefer
a handwritten note on blue or black ink on a white informal?"

For one crazy moment, McLisa wondered if Miss Manners could have
donated some of that blood.

LaCroix smiled appreciatively. "Verbal responses are fine. Here you
go!" He handed over the rest of the bottles.

Again Janette whipped down the contents too quickly for McLisa to
see. "Thank you so very much, Lucien, and you, too, McLisa."

"You're welcome," said McLisa, starting to slam the door.

"Must you go?" asked Janette. "I'm so lonely, Lucien. Please stay
and talk to me."

"Why, of course, dear Janette. Loneliness is a terrible thing." He
cast a look of reproach at McLisa and, before the horrified cousin
could intervene, he had produced a key and unlocked the cell.

"Shall we reminisce," he was beginning, with a hand on Janette's
arm, when she gave a leonine growl. There was something that felt
to McLisa more like an implosion that anything else, a brief moment
of star-seeing and pain as her head connected with something hard
before she fell onto the padded floor. Simultaneously she heard
LaCroix protesting, even as the door banged shut and another exploded
open.

Janette LaCroix was at large, and free to remake the present universe
to match her own.

********************************************************************

Cousin Lisa McDavid "That will be trouble."
mcdavid-lisa@sc.edu or d020214@vm.sc.edu
Listowner Fkfic-l, Fkv4s-l; Assistant listowner Forkni-l
Chief Watcher for Cats, McGregor