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Title: The Blood of Helios – Vampire World Chapter XI
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
elrhiarhodan
Fandom: White Collar
Rating: R
Characters: Neal Caffrey, Sunlight Agent, Captain Peter Burke, Lt. Lauren Cruz, Master Reese Hughes
Spoilers: None
Warnings/Triggers: None
Word Count: ~
Summary: Vampire Peter, Shapeshifter El and Neal, who is something more than he ever expected to be. Chapter XI – A history of tragedy and the revelation of the Helios
All mistakes are mine. Feedback is adored.
Prologue | Chapter I | Chapter II | Chapter III | Chapter IV | Chapter V | Chapter VI | Chapter VII | Chapter IX | Chapter X
____________________
The Blood of Helios – Vampire World Chapter XI –
____________________
Unlike other nights in Reese’s arms, the Master did night feed from Peter and completed the circuit, taking back some of Peter’s own strength and power. Now, the flow of energy went unchecked and Peter struggled to absorb and contain it. He hadn’t felt such an on-rush of his Master’s power since he had been made, five centuries ago.
Relax. Just let it come, don’t fight it Reese whispered in his head.
His heart beat fast and hard, filling with an unnamable brightness. Peter didn’t know how much more he could take, but this power was beautiful, seductive and different from anything he had tasted before.
This is the power of the Helios, this can be yours. Are you willing to forego it?
Peter’s world shattered.
____________________
Peter was confused when he opened his eyes, the coffered ceiling was an unfamiliar sight, as was the hard floor underneath his back. He had a vague memory of Hughes’ moon garden and The Gift … and the strange bright power that flooded into him.
The Master stood over him, wearing his customary and slightly dispeptic expression. Seeing it from the ground up was disconcerting. Hughes held out a hand to Peter and helped him to his feet and into a chair, and then sat down himself. They stared at each other for a few moments, both vampires slightly ill at ease.
Hughes broke the silence first. “Do I owe you an apology?”
Peter looked at his hands. They seemed unchanged but yet everything felt different. This new power within him – he wanted to find someplace dark and quiet and explore it, taste the edges of it. “I don’t know. I don’t know what you did to me.”
Hughes nodded slowly. “I gave you almost the last of it. My last reserves from Theron.” He closed his eyes in remembered pain.
“Theron?”
“My hunter, my Helios.” He scrubbed at his face, and pinched the bridge of his nose. “How do you think I’ve known about your Mr. Caffrey?” The sadness was palpable.
Peter was agast. He hadn’t any idea that his master was once bonded with a Helios. Nearly fifty years ago, he came to Hughes, troubled by dreams of a uniquely beautiful man, simmering with power, dreams – not nightmares – of walking in the sunlight. Reese had looked at him with pride and with pity, and explained that he was moving fast towards a destiny that would bring him more power than he ever could have imagined. He was to be given a Helios – or at least the chance to join with one. Never once in that conversation did Hughes mention that he had had his own, or that they were no longer bonded.
“What happened? Where is he now?” Peter was afraid he knew the answer.
“Theron was murdered in the last war.” Hughes continued to speak, quietly as if he were talking to himself. “No. That’s not quite right. Theron’s murder started the last war.” Hughes propelled himself out of his chair and paced around the room, touching and toying with the objets that decorated the bookshelves.
“I’ve told you something of what the bond with a Helios will bring you. The power is immense – almost immeasurable.”
“I remember.” Peter hadn’t forgotten a word of that conversation, and how it disturbed him. “You never said you experienced it first hand.” There was a hint of recrimination in his voice.
Hughes let Peter’s censure slide over him. “No, I didn’t, and I don’t regret not telling you. I live with his loss with every moment - with every slow beat of my heart. It’s been five hundred eighty seven years, four months, six days, two hours and twenty three minutes since the Ocar masters cut out his heart.” At Peter’s expression, Hughes’ lips tightened. “The unconscious understanding of time is just one of the Helios’ gifts. You’ll find it useful.” He fell silent, losing himself in memory.
Peter didn’t know what to say. He was angry with Reese for keeping this secret, and for forcing the taste of power onto him. Yet his Master’s grief, his anguish cut through him. But the questions kept piling up.
“What did you mean just now, that you gave me the last of Theron’s reserves?”
“The power in blood of the Helios never fades, it can be horded like a dragon’s gold. But once it is gone...”
Peter reached out to Reese, as if to give it back.
“No, don’t worry about me – I am not diminished. After so long, there wasn’t much left in me – a mere penny, well spent.”
Peter’s eyes widened in wonder. If Reese characterized that terrific rush of power as the smallest of small change, then he was right to be cautious.”
“You are a far wiser vampire that I am – I was, Peter. You know you should fear power. I rushed headlong into it, I didn’t consider the consequences beyond having Theron by my side forever. To be able to walk in sunlight – I was in love and could be with him at all times. I never thought I could so easily become drunk on that power and forget to protect him.”
Peter had a million questions – how he “found” his Helios, how he abuse the power, how Theron ended up in the hands of the rival Kiss, but none of them seemed appropriate to ask. So he kept it simple and direct. “Did you ever think about refusing?”
Hughes paused his pacing and stared out onto the balcony. Peter joined him and they watched the clouds chase the moon. “Everything I read – all the arcana – extolled the power of the Helios. To be given such a gift and refuse it? That seemed the height of insult – the Goddess offered me a child of the sun and I tell her ‘No’ ? Now I know better. She was testing me – just as she’ll test you – do you have the strength - not just to handle the power, but to protect your own.” Hughes turned back to Peter. “And I failed. I took the power and never thought about the price I’d have to pay.”
“And yet, you want me accept this power?” Peter was appalled.
“I look at you and see the vampire I should have been. Strong and cautious and honorable above all else. I have watched with such pride as you’ve grown into a leader of unparalleled wisdom. I’ve never engendered that kind of loyalty. Fear, yes – not love, not true loyaty.”
Peter opened his mouth to defend his master, but Hughes held him off.
“Between us, yes – but there is no one else I trust. I know that it’s not my power that has brought this Kiss to the heights it’s reached. That’s your doing, my friend. You have the wisdom to take on the Helios and use that power properly You will keep him safe and we will all prosper.”
“It’s not a foregone conclusion that I will take the power Neal has within him.”
Reese didn’t say anything, his lips curled in a mockery of a smile. “From the moment I first drank from you – when you were brought to me in iron shackles, I knew what you were destined for. I could taste the future simmering in your veins. This is why I objected to your marriage. I didn’t want you to be foresworn – but I shouldn’t have doubted you. Elizabeth has only made you stronger, wiser.”
Peter was stunned that Reese saw this fate for him nearly half a millennia ago. He had been a very reluctant officer in Cromwell’s New Model Army, charged with trying to keep Charles Stuart from returning to England. His troops were ambushed in the middle of the night by “demons.” The monsters that came out of the dark - vampires as he soon learned - swarmed over his small, poorly outfitted unit and took everyone prisoner. When Peter had pleaded for his mens’ lives, they took him in chains to their leader, a man who seemed unnaturally old and unnaturally powerful. He gave Peter a choice - his blood for the lives of his men. Peter was afraid, but he didn’t hesitate to bargain. These creatures needed to give his men, little more than forcibly conscripted farm boys, safe passage home. The “old” man kept his word and Peter became enthralled. That first night had been terrifying – the teeth and the blood and the sexual feelings. Yet over the nights and weeks and months that followed, terror became rapture. Despite his fearsome aspect, Peter Burke found that Reese Hughes was a man – a vampire - worth following. When he offered Peter the choice of become a vampire, Peter accepted without any hesitation.
Peter straightened his collar, touching the oak leaf insignia of his captaincy. “I don’t know what to say to that. Have you been keeping any other secrets that I should now know?”
At first, Hughes didn’t answer, then eyes went silver with the power of prophecy. “You will take his gift – not because you seek it, but because it becomes your life.”
Go to Chapter XII - What Will Be The Price Of Truth
Author:
elrhiarhodanFandom: White Collar
Rating: R
Characters: Neal Caffrey, Sunlight Agent, Captain Peter Burke, Lt. Lauren Cruz, Master Reese Hughes
Spoilers: None
Warnings/Triggers: None
Word Count: ~
Summary: Vampire Peter, Shapeshifter El and Neal, who is something more than he ever expected to be. Chapter XI – A history of tragedy and the revelation of the Helios
All mistakes are mine. Feedback is adored.
Prologue | Chapter I | Chapter II | Chapter III | Chapter IV | Chapter V | Chapter VI | Chapter VII | Chapter IX | Chapter X
Unlike other nights in Reese’s arms, the Master did night feed from Peter and completed the circuit, taking back some of Peter’s own strength and power. Now, the flow of energy went unchecked and Peter struggled to absorb and contain it. He hadn’t felt such an on-rush of his Master’s power since he had been made, five centuries ago.
Relax. Just let it come, don’t fight it Reese whispered in his head.
His heart beat fast and hard, filling with an unnamable brightness. Peter didn’t know how much more he could take, but this power was beautiful, seductive and different from anything he had tasted before.
This is the power of the Helios, this can be yours. Are you willing to forego it?
Peter’s world shattered.
Peter was confused when he opened his eyes, the coffered ceiling was an unfamiliar sight, as was the hard floor underneath his back. He had a vague memory of Hughes’ moon garden and The Gift … and the strange bright power that flooded into him.
The Master stood over him, wearing his customary and slightly dispeptic expression. Seeing it from the ground up was disconcerting. Hughes held out a hand to Peter and helped him to his feet and into a chair, and then sat down himself. They stared at each other for a few moments, both vampires slightly ill at ease.
Hughes broke the silence first. “Do I owe you an apology?”
Peter looked at his hands. They seemed unchanged but yet everything felt different. This new power within him – he wanted to find someplace dark and quiet and explore it, taste the edges of it. “I don’t know. I don’t know what you did to me.”
Hughes nodded slowly. “I gave you almost the last of it. My last reserves from Theron.” He closed his eyes in remembered pain.
“Theron?”
“My hunter, my Helios.” He scrubbed at his face, and pinched the bridge of his nose. “How do you think I’ve known about your Mr. Caffrey?” The sadness was palpable.
Peter was agast. He hadn’t any idea that his master was once bonded with a Helios. Nearly fifty years ago, he came to Hughes, troubled by dreams of a uniquely beautiful man, simmering with power, dreams – not nightmares – of walking in the sunlight. Reese had looked at him with pride and with pity, and explained that he was moving fast towards a destiny that would bring him more power than he ever could have imagined. He was to be given a Helios – or at least the chance to join with one. Never once in that conversation did Hughes mention that he had had his own, or that they were no longer bonded.
“What happened? Where is he now?” Peter was afraid he knew the answer.
“Theron was murdered in the last war.” Hughes continued to speak, quietly as if he were talking to himself. “No. That’s not quite right. Theron’s murder started the last war.” Hughes propelled himself out of his chair and paced around the room, touching and toying with the objets that decorated the bookshelves.
“I’ve told you something of what the bond with a Helios will bring you. The power is immense – almost immeasurable.”
“I remember.” Peter hadn’t forgotten a word of that conversation, and how it disturbed him. “You never said you experienced it first hand.” There was a hint of recrimination in his voice.
Hughes let Peter’s censure slide over him. “No, I didn’t, and I don’t regret not telling you. I live with his loss with every moment - with every slow beat of my heart. It’s been five hundred eighty seven years, four months, six days, two hours and twenty three minutes since the Ocar masters cut out his heart.” At Peter’s expression, Hughes’ lips tightened. “The unconscious understanding of time is just one of the Helios’ gifts. You’ll find it useful.” He fell silent, losing himself in memory.
Peter didn’t know what to say. He was angry with Reese for keeping this secret, and for forcing the taste of power onto him. Yet his Master’s grief, his anguish cut through him. But the questions kept piling up.
“What did you mean just now, that you gave me the last of Theron’s reserves?”
“The power in blood of the Helios never fades, it can be horded like a dragon’s gold. But once it is gone...”
Peter reached out to Reese, as if to give it back.
“No, don’t worry about me – I am not diminished. After so long, there wasn’t much left in me – a mere penny, well spent.”
Peter’s eyes widened in wonder. If Reese characterized that terrific rush of power as the smallest of small change, then he was right to be cautious.”
“You are a far wiser vampire that I am – I was, Peter. You know you should fear power. I rushed headlong into it, I didn’t consider the consequences beyond having Theron by my side forever. To be able to walk in sunlight – I was in love and could be with him at all times. I never thought I could so easily become drunk on that power and forget to protect him.”
Peter had a million questions – how he “found” his Helios, how he abuse the power, how Theron ended up in the hands of the rival Kiss, but none of them seemed appropriate to ask. So he kept it simple and direct. “Did you ever think about refusing?”
Hughes paused his pacing and stared out onto the balcony. Peter joined him and they watched the clouds chase the moon. “Everything I read – all the arcana – extolled the power of the Helios. To be given such a gift and refuse it? That seemed the height of insult – the Goddess offered me a child of the sun and I tell her ‘No’ ? Now I know better. She was testing me – just as she’ll test you – do you have the strength - not just to handle the power, but to protect your own.” Hughes turned back to Peter. “And I failed. I took the power and never thought about the price I’d have to pay.”
“And yet, you want me accept this power?” Peter was appalled.
“I look at you and see the vampire I should have been. Strong and cautious and honorable above all else. I have watched with such pride as you’ve grown into a leader of unparalleled wisdom. I’ve never engendered that kind of loyalty. Fear, yes – not love, not true loyaty.”
Peter opened his mouth to defend his master, but Hughes held him off.
“Between us, yes – but there is no one else I trust. I know that it’s not my power that has brought this Kiss to the heights it’s reached. That’s your doing, my friend. You have the wisdom to take on the Helios and use that power properly You will keep him safe and we will all prosper.”
“It’s not a foregone conclusion that I will take the power Neal has within him.”
Reese didn’t say anything, his lips curled in a mockery of a smile. “From the moment I first drank from you – when you were brought to me in iron shackles, I knew what you were destined for. I could taste the future simmering in your veins. This is why I objected to your marriage. I didn’t want you to be foresworn – but I shouldn’t have doubted you. Elizabeth has only made you stronger, wiser.”
Peter was stunned that Reese saw this fate for him nearly half a millennia ago. He had been a very reluctant officer in Cromwell’s New Model Army, charged with trying to keep Charles Stuart from returning to England. His troops were ambushed in the middle of the night by “demons.” The monsters that came out of the dark - vampires as he soon learned - swarmed over his small, poorly outfitted unit and took everyone prisoner. When Peter had pleaded for his mens’ lives, they took him in chains to their leader, a man who seemed unnaturally old and unnaturally powerful. He gave Peter a choice - his blood for the lives of his men. Peter was afraid, but he didn’t hesitate to bargain. These creatures needed to give his men, little more than forcibly conscripted farm boys, safe passage home. The “old” man kept his word and Peter became enthralled. That first night had been terrifying – the teeth and the blood and the sexual feelings. Yet over the nights and weeks and months that followed, terror became rapture. Despite his fearsome aspect, Peter Burke found that Reese Hughes was a man – a vampire - worth following. When he offered Peter the choice of become a vampire, Peter accepted without any hesitation.
Peter straightened his collar, touching the oak leaf insignia of his captaincy. “I don’t know what to say to that. Have you been keeping any other secrets that I should now know?”
At first, Hughes didn’t answer, then eyes went silver with the power of prophecy. “You will take his gift – not because you seek it, but because it becomes your life.”
Go to Chapter XII - What Will Be The Price Of Truth
