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elrhiarhodanTitle: The Blood of Helios – Vampire World Chapter VI – In Preparation
Author:
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elrhiarhodan Fandom: White Collar
Rating: R
Characters: Peter Burke, Clinton Jones, Lauren Cruz, Neal Caffrey, June, Reese Hughes
Spoilers: None
Warnings/Triggers: None
Word Count: ~ 2200
Summary: Vampire Peter, Shapeshifter El and Neal, who is something more than he ever expected to be. Chapter VI – A Short Chapter - Cruz gets taught a lesson about arrogance, and there is a little too much levity at the office.
This story is dedicated to
gyzym who has held my hand and encouraged me when all I was hearing was the suck voice. I couldn’t ask for a better friend. Beta’d by the awesome riazendira . All mistakes are mine. Feedback is adored. Prologue | Chapter I | Chapter II | Chapter III | Chapter IV | Chapter V
The Blood of Helios – Chapter VI – In Preparation
After Captain Burke took his wife and left, Neal sat down at the patio table and poured himself a cup of coffee. It was cold and bitter and reminded him too much of his incarceration. He finished the cup in one swallow. Reminders like this were necessary -- a wrong move and he’d be back there forever. The potential for disaster had just increased geometrically, he’d be working more closely with the vampires than Captain Burke originally told him. He hoped he reacted, or more accurately, didn’t react to the ones he’d be meeting tomorrow night the way normally he did with vampires. Intense nausea and vomiting was not a way to establish a good working relationship.
Lights snapped on as the patio door opened. It was Mairead, with a change of clothes. “My Lady asked that you leave your garb outside, I’ll have it cleaned.”
Neal looked down, and he could see that his sweater and pants were coated in Elizabeth’s fur. He striped and redressed quickly, when he looked up, June was at the doorway, a rueful smile on her face. At her beckoning gesture, he went inside.
“I’m so sorry that I had to abandon you this afternoon. It was either leave, or risk suffocating all of us in vines.”
Neal accepted her apology without question, but asked, “Are these situations common when dealing with vampires?”
“Not vampires, just Elizabeth Burke. She finds trouble like pennies in a fountain. And if she can’t find it, it finds her.”
______________________
Peter left El sleeping in their bed, a feral smile gracing her bloodstained lips and went to Whryccrid headquarters. He suspected that she was going to wake up with a hangover - something he had a vestigial memory of from his long-ago humanity. He had been surprised to see her in tiger form; taking the shape of the biggest of the big cats was rare for her. El preferred her leopard and panther forms, though she would transform into nearly any feline, depending on her mood. But shifting shape into one of the truly big cats – tiger or lion – meant adding a lot of mass, and to sustain that form over several hours took a tremendous amount of energy.
Neal -- of course. Combine one trouble-finding/making wife with a creature of … well whatever Neal was … and there was bound to be complications. Maybe bringing Neal into the cadre wasn’t such a good idea after all. But letting him roam free in the City, like he would any ordinary Sunlight Agent, seemed equally reckless.
“Captain Burke?”
“Yes?” It was Cruz, the newest member of his cadre. He had taken her on as a gesture of respect, or at least to honor the request of Master Hughes. Her sire, a Whryccrid master in Miami was looking to curry favor with the ruling New York clan, and offered up what was supposed to be his best and brightest. Cruz was young, not only as a vampire, but as a former human. She had been turned while still in her early 20’s and lacked both maturity and experience. However, she was very eager to please, and had the makings of an excellent lieutenant, in about seventy-five years or so. Despite his misgivings, Peter did as asked, and made her a ranking member of his cadre, which meant that he had to spend more time training her than he would normally need to for a ranking member of his team.
“We have a kendo session scheduled, sir.”
Yes, they did - and Cruz was already dressed in kendogi and hakama. “I’ll meet you in the dojo when I am ready.” Peter was curt with her, perhaps too curt. But Cruz had often displayed a level of arrogance contrary to the tone he preferred from the members of his cadre. If her attitude didn’t improve, he would have to take sterner measures.
Peter worked through some business for a half-hour or so, setting aside matters that he’d have Neal handle. He felt Cruz’s impatience tugging at him, and let her sit for another half hour before he changed and went to the dojo. She rose from the seiza position and gave him a too brief bow, though Peter could see the annoyance that radiated from her body. She still wasn’t wearing any armor, and if she thought she was good enough and strong enough to take a beating, he wasn’t going to deny her the opportunity.
“You’re wearing armor, Captain?” The tone of her voice held a wealth of arrogance, impatience and annoyance, and even a slight touch of contempt. The hour-long wait had seriously undermined the need to please.
“Cruz, in the dojo, you will address me properly.” Peter waited.
“Sorry, Sensai. That would have to do, for now. Her attitude after the session would be completely different.
Peter donned his helmet and entered the fighting ring. He gave Cruz the traditional bow, to the precise degree, which Cruz returned, properly this time. They both assumed the starting positions for a kendo bout, the bamboo shinai held at the kamae position. Peter opened the attack. Cruz countered, her movements precise and quick, but she was no match for Peter. He struck her on the target points at her waist and wrists. The hit from the bamboo was not quite hard enough to break bones, and he gave her a few moments to recover. Her vampire constitution would heal the bruises quickly, but the pain from the strikes would linger.
“Cruz, I won’t pull my strikes again. Please put on your helmet.” She declined.
In the next bout, he let her take the aggressor role. She did have skill, but lacked the speed that age and experience gave Peter. She landed a hit against his head and that touch made her overconfident. Peter ended the match with three hard blows, to the top, left and right of her skull, which could have killed her, had she still been human. He stood over her, waiting for her brains to unscramble. She got to her feet and managed to bow without falling over.
“We’re done here.” Peter took off his armor, replaced the equipment and left the dojo. He smiled to himself as he heard a moan and a body hitting the floor.
______________________
Back in his office, Peter continued to sort through files. Frank had been a decent Agent, meticulous in his notes but definitely showing signs of age, and he was getting a bit to bold in his skimming. The creative thinking that made him effective fifty years ago was gone, replaced by limited interest in doing anything beyond the routine. Peter wouldn’t be surprised if Neal uncovered a whole host of problems with Frank’s work over the past ten years. That was the pattern – Frank had discovered that his predecessor had been shorting the Kiss on rents collected from kin, and that Agent, in turn had spent the first five years fixing the problems that his predecessor left behind. There were pros and cons in keeping an Agent for such a lengthy period. Neal, though, there were opportunities there – and plenty of danger …
Peter’s train of thought was interrupted by a knock on the door. It was Jones, his senior lieutenant – and a good friend. Over the centuries, Peter had made many vampires, and quite a few of them had risen through the ranks and led their own cadres across the world. Jones had that potential and more, but was content to stay with Peter.
“That was quite a beating you gave Lauren.”
“Lauren?”
“Cruz.”
“Oh. That’s her first name?”
Jones smiled. “Not to say she didn’t deserve it, but you must have really worked her over.”
“She didn’t want to wear armor. I wasn’t averse to teaching her a lesson.”
“What an idiot.” Jones shook his head. Lauren may have had a world-class ranking in kendo as a sport, but to take on someone who’s seven times older than you, twice your weight, more than a foot taller, and who wields a sword with the intention to kill without wearing any armor is not arrogance, it's just stupidity.
“Exactly. I’m going to have to take her out of the rotation for the month. Would you fill in?” Peter knew Jones wouldn’t mind, and the way the other vampire’s eyes started to glow made him wonder if he shouldn’t be offering Jones more opportunities to take the Gift from him. The moon schedule worked well for the formal exchange between him and the cadre, but there was no reason why he couldn’t share with Jones at other times of the month and strengthen their bond.
“How’s Caffrey doing?” Peter had told Jones about Frank’s retirement and the plan to replace him with Neal once Hughes had approved it. Jones knew a little more than El about what Neal was, but not much.
“He’s coming along well. I’m bringing him here tomorrow. I don’t really trust Frank to give him the right introduction to the work.” Peter grimaced at the thought of the venial agent showing the criminally inclined Caffrey the ropes.
The expression wasn’t lost on Jones. “Frank should have been retired a while ago.”
“He’s been useful. Jimmy’s been keeping an eye on him. Neal’s going to be different sort of challenge. Right now, he’s too frightened to do anything but toe the line, but I don’t think it will be long before he’s going to get bored with collecting tithes and rents and tribute.”
“He’ll be the anti-Frank.” Jones grinned at the thought. He never particularly cared for the Kiss’ current Sunlight Agent.
“I had Neal put away because I wanted to keep him away from the other clans. My sources in Opyra were telling me that the one of the Masters in the D.C. Kiss was looking at Caffrey. I’m hoping that she’s forgotten about him in the last ten years.”
“Do you think that’s likely?”
Peter frowned and shook his head. “I can hope, but I think Opyra know exactly where Neal is at every moment. I – we will have to protect him. Keep him safe within the cadre. Jimmy will watch out for him during the daylight, when he’s not with the Summer Queen.”
“What does Elizabeth think of this?”
Peter laughed. “She went to meet him yesterday.”
“Was there trouble?” Jones respectfully adored Peter’s wife, and appreciated her capacity for attracting and making mischief.
“Of course there was. Do you need to ask? She accidentally drugged herself on catnip, shifted into a tiger and pounced on Neal. You should have seen Caffrey’s face when I found them.”
Jones smiled, and gave a snort of suppressed laughter. Peter’s lips twitched and suddenly both vampires were howling uncontrollably. When Hughes, disturbed by the unaccustomed noise, poked his head into Peter’s office, he was bemused at the sight of his most senior captain and lieutenant gasping for breath, dignity abandoned.
“Gentlemen – is everything all right?”
Peter recovered first and nodded yes. Hughes waited for an explanation, and all he said was “Elizabeth.” Unfortunately, that set Jones off again, and the ancient vampire just sighed and went back to his office.
______________________
Lights snapped on as the patio door opened. It was Mairead, with a change of clothes. “My Lady asked that you leave your garb outside, I’ll have it cleaned.”
Neal looked down, and he could see that his sweater and pants were coated in Elizabeth’s fur. He striped and redressed quickly, when he looked up, June was at the doorway, a rueful smile on her face. At her beckoning gesture, he went inside.
“I’m so sorry that I had to abandon you this afternoon. It was either leave, or risk suffocating all of us in vines.”
Neal accepted her apology without question, but asked, “Are these situations common when dealing with vampires?”
“Not vampires, just Elizabeth Burke. She finds trouble like pennies in a fountain. And if she can’t find it, it finds her.”
Peter left El sleeping in their bed, a feral smile gracing her bloodstained lips and went to Whryccrid headquarters. He suspected that she was going to wake up with a hangover - something he had a vestigial memory of from his long-ago humanity. He had been surprised to see her in tiger form; taking the shape of the biggest of the big cats was rare for her. El preferred her leopard and panther forms, though she would transform into nearly any feline, depending on her mood. But shifting shape into one of the truly big cats – tiger or lion – meant adding a lot of mass, and to sustain that form over several hours took a tremendous amount of energy.
Neal -- of course. Combine one trouble-finding/making wife with a creature of … well whatever Neal was … and there was bound to be complications. Maybe bringing Neal into the cadre wasn’t such a good idea after all. But letting him roam free in the City, like he would any ordinary Sunlight Agent, seemed equally reckless.
“Captain Burke?”
“Yes?” It was Cruz, the newest member of his cadre. He had taken her on as a gesture of respect, or at least to honor the request of Master Hughes. Her sire, a Whryccrid master in Miami was looking to curry favor with the ruling New York clan, and offered up what was supposed to be his best and brightest. Cruz was young, not only as a vampire, but as a former human. She had been turned while still in her early 20’s and lacked both maturity and experience. However, she was very eager to please, and had the makings of an excellent lieutenant, in about seventy-five years or so. Despite his misgivings, Peter did as asked, and made her a ranking member of his cadre, which meant that he had to spend more time training her than he would normally need to for a ranking member of his team.
“We have a kendo session scheduled, sir.”
Yes, they did - and Cruz was already dressed in kendogi and hakama. “I’ll meet you in the dojo when I am ready.” Peter was curt with her, perhaps too curt. But Cruz had often displayed a level of arrogance contrary to the tone he preferred from the members of his cadre. If her attitude didn’t improve, he would have to take sterner measures.
Peter worked through some business for a half-hour or so, setting aside matters that he’d have Neal handle. He felt Cruz’s impatience tugging at him, and let her sit for another half hour before he changed and went to the dojo. She rose from the seiza position and gave him a too brief bow, though Peter could see the annoyance that radiated from her body. She still wasn’t wearing any armor, and if she thought she was good enough and strong enough to take a beating, he wasn’t going to deny her the opportunity.
“You’re wearing armor, Captain?” The tone of her voice held a wealth of arrogance, impatience and annoyance, and even a slight touch of contempt. The hour-long wait had seriously undermined the need to please.
“Cruz, in the dojo, you will address me properly.” Peter waited.
“Sorry, Sensai. That would have to do, for now. Her attitude after the session would be completely different.
Peter donned his helmet and entered the fighting ring. He gave Cruz the traditional bow, to the precise degree, which Cruz returned, properly this time. They both assumed the starting positions for a kendo bout, the bamboo shinai held at the kamae position. Peter opened the attack. Cruz countered, her movements precise and quick, but she was no match for Peter. He struck her on the target points at her waist and wrists. The hit from the bamboo was not quite hard enough to break bones, and he gave her a few moments to recover. Her vampire constitution would heal the bruises quickly, but the pain from the strikes would linger.
“Cruz, I won’t pull my strikes again. Please put on your helmet.” She declined.
In the next bout, he let her take the aggressor role. She did have skill, but lacked the speed that age and experience gave Peter. She landed a hit against his head and that touch made her overconfident. Peter ended the match with three hard blows, to the top, left and right of her skull, which could have killed her, had she still been human. He stood over her, waiting for her brains to unscramble. She got to her feet and managed to bow without falling over.
“We’re done here.” Peter took off his armor, replaced the equipment and left the dojo. He smiled to himself as he heard a moan and a body hitting the floor.
Back in his office, Peter continued to sort through files. Frank had been a decent Agent, meticulous in his notes but definitely showing signs of age, and he was getting a bit to bold in his skimming. The creative thinking that made him effective fifty years ago was gone, replaced by limited interest in doing anything beyond the routine. Peter wouldn’t be surprised if Neal uncovered a whole host of problems with Frank’s work over the past ten years. That was the pattern – Frank had discovered that his predecessor had been shorting the Kiss on rents collected from kin, and that Agent, in turn had spent the first five years fixing the problems that his predecessor left behind. There were pros and cons in keeping an Agent for such a lengthy period. Neal, though, there were opportunities there – and plenty of danger …
Peter’s train of thought was interrupted by a knock on the door. It was Jones, his senior lieutenant – and a good friend. Over the centuries, Peter had made many vampires, and quite a few of them had risen through the ranks and led their own cadres across the world. Jones had that potential and more, but was content to stay with Peter.
“That was quite a beating you gave Lauren.”
“Lauren?”
“Cruz.”
“Oh. That’s her first name?”
Jones smiled. “Not to say she didn’t deserve it, but you must have really worked her over.”
“She didn’t want to wear armor. I wasn’t averse to teaching her a lesson.”
“What an idiot.” Jones shook his head. Lauren may have had a world-class ranking in kendo as a sport, but to take on someone who’s seven times older than you, twice your weight, more than a foot taller, and who wields a sword with the intention to kill without wearing any armor is not arrogance, it's just stupidity.
“Exactly. I’m going to have to take her out of the rotation for the month. Would you fill in?” Peter knew Jones wouldn’t mind, and the way the other vampire’s eyes started to glow made him wonder if he shouldn’t be offering Jones more opportunities to take the Gift from him. The moon schedule worked well for the formal exchange between him and the cadre, but there was no reason why he couldn’t share with Jones at other times of the month and strengthen their bond.
“How’s Caffrey doing?” Peter had told Jones about Frank’s retirement and the plan to replace him with Neal once Hughes had approved it. Jones knew a little more than El about what Neal was, but not much.
“He’s coming along well. I’m bringing him here tomorrow. I don’t really trust Frank to give him the right introduction to the work.” Peter grimaced at the thought of the venial agent showing the criminally inclined Caffrey the ropes.
The expression wasn’t lost on Jones. “Frank should have been retired a while ago.”
“He’s been useful. Jimmy’s been keeping an eye on him. Neal’s going to be different sort of challenge. Right now, he’s too frightened to do anything but toe the line, but I don’t think it will be long before he’s going to get bored with collecting tithes and rents and tribute.”
“He’ll be the anti-Frank.” Jones grinned at the thought. He never particularly cared for the Kiss’ current Sunlight Agent.
“I had Neal put away because I wanted to keep him away from the other clans. My sources in Opyra were telling me that the one of the Masters in the D.C. Kiss was looking at Caffrey. I’m hoping that she’s forgotten about him in the last ten years.”
“Do you think that’s likely?”
Peter frowned and shook his head. “I can hope, but I think Opyra know exactly where Neal is at every moment. I – we will have to protect him. Keep him safe within the cadre. Jimmy will watch out for him during the daylight, when he’s not with the Summer Queen.”
“What does Elizabeth think of this?”
Peter laughed. “She went to meet him yesterday.”
“Was there trouble?” Jones respectfully adored Peter’s wife, and appreciated her capacity for attracting and making mischief.
“Of course there was. Do you need to ask? She accidentally drugged herself on catnip, shifted into a tiger and pounced on Neal. You should have seen Caffrey’s face when I found them.”
Jones smiled, and gave a snort of suppressed laughter. Peter’s lips twitched and suddenly both vampires were howling uncontrollably. When Hughes, disturbed by the unaccustomed noise, poked his head into Peter’s office, he was bemused at the sight of his most senior captain and lieutenant gasping for breath, dignity abandoned.
“Gentlemen – is everything all right?”
Peter recovered first and nodded yes. Hughes waited for an explanation, and all he said was “Elizabeth.” Unfortunately, that set Jones off again, and the ancient vampire just sighed and went back to his office.
