NothingMay, 1791 Sitting down by the fire, I watched the wood burn slowly. This night had been one tragic following after another. Anything and everything that could go wrong happened and now this little tranquility was the only thing that brought peace into my life. I've lost it all. My family, my friends, my lost companions, and my country, continent, and way of afterlife. I have nothing more to life for. I have nothing. I AM nothing. I began to cry and pour my soul into those tears. It's been so long since I've had a good cry; maybe this will cure me. But how could I fool my self, nothing could help me now. I am lost in this New World. Never since I was made into a vampire did I feel this helpless and alone. Even then I bounced back and was able to recover because my family was alive and well, my friends were never to far off, my companions…well, they kept taunting me, and I was still in the same city that I ran off to with my lost lover. However, now I have nothing, but a ill father that still treats me worse than a slave and we have to live in a city that seems to have worse conditions than my village in France. I hope things will change. They just have to or soon join that wood in the fire. L.L. Louis put down the old diary and stared at all the other contents in the trunk. Everything that his maker ever cared about was stored in there. He felt that he was intruding in Lestat's personal space. Yeah, and how many times did he do that to you. Shuffling through some contents that Louis had no idea what they were he found a small painting of Lestat as a child. Even then, he had wild blue eyes that were always curious, the blond hair that was arranged by the wind and a small mouth that grinned at the world the loss of his two front teeth. Even after two hundred years, he still smiled in that manner, grinning at the world showing his fangs whenever he could. If Louis remembered correctly, Lestat's grin had scared a many people into heart attacks. Smiling, he placed the little portrait back and found a broken violin underneath. This must have been Nicolas' violin that the king smashed. Incredible he thought to himself. Leaving the broken pieces behind, he saw a yellow cloth underneath numerous items. Setting the items aside so that they would not brake, he saw Claudia's dress stained with blood and ashes. Louis could not help but give a soft cry when he saw this. His daughter still meant a great deal to him even after a hundred years. Just as it meant for Lestat. Drying his tears he put down the small worn dress and realized that of all the items in the trunk, none of them had any connection to him. There were things from Gabrielle, Nicolas, Marius, Armand, David, Claudia, and from places that Lestat had traveled to and from, but nothing about him. He probably thinks that you are going to last forever with him. As people say now a days "Whatever!" Taking the rest of the items out of the trunk, Louis stared in surprise as he saw a painting of his whole family lying at the bottom. Taking out the picture carefully, he saw that everyone was there. His father and mother, his younger sister and brother and himself. Yet, there was something wrong with this picture, everyone was grown up. Their father had died when he Louis was but a teenager, yet in this picture he was in the prime of his life. Beside him was his mother who was seated and had a beautiful pose of youthfulness and vigor. His sister stood behind mother and just stared blankly from her own world as she always did in her teenage years. His brother also looked beautiful, poised and ready to debate any religious topic that could be thrown at him. The last person at the end, behind their father, was Louis. He looked happy and at peace that everyone was alive and well in his world. Touching the figures, he saw that the painting was done three years after his making. Turing the painting around there was an inscription on the back: "To Louis…May you never forget them. Love Lestat, 1793" Placing the painting on the floor he just stared at his re-united family. He must have collected our old portraits and made a family picture out of it. Yet why did I never receive this? Looking around he found Lestat's diary and searched for the year 1793. Flipping through the different entries he found the one that he wanted. February, 1793 The painting is complete, but I feel that Louis may never get to see it. I was distraught with how to help him find some peace in his new way of life. He has lost all of his family now and I know that they meant a great deal to him so I commissioned a painting with all the members in it, excluding myself of course. It looked so beautiful when it was completed that I gave the painter twice the amount he had charged me for. Truly, a breathe taking piece. Returning home I thought of the many ways that I could present this to him. Finally deciding to put it in my room, I thought at the time that maybe the painting might lead to another course of action. However, I should have known that Louis was not into anything of that nature. He hates me as much as he hates being a vampire. I mean nothing to him. I rushed to my room and put the painting on the bed. Walking into the living room I found Louis solemn and in his own world as he has been for the past few nights. "Louis I have something to show you." He is startled by request and just looks into my eyes not saying a word. "Well don't you want to see it?" He still does not reply, this is not a good sign. "What can you possibly show me that could have any meaning to me!" I was actually at a loss of words. Trying to keep my calm, I respond that it would be something that he would absolutely love. "Love! How can YOU talk about love, you arrogant monster. I would be surprised if you even knew what such a feeling felt like." He threw those words at me and I replied the only way I that knew how. "Well I at least don't kill those that I love." This was not the best thing to say, for he was one me that instant and punched me repeatedly until I grabbed hold of his hands and threw him back, breaking the some furniture in the process. Getting up and composing my self I turned towards my room and only turn back to see him straightening himself out, "You would not know love is, even if it slapped you across the face." I said as I closed the door. He began throwing things at random usually aimed at my door. I heard some neighbours coming by our door asking if everything was fine. But I do not care about them, Louis can take care of them, I just wanted to rip the painting into shreds. How stupid could I be to think that anything I did could repair the past. We are so different that at times I have no idea what I saw in him in the first place. The only clear thing was that he hated me plain and simple. So why did I time and time again, still try to win him over. The only way that we could ever find peace in this relationship was if either of us lay unconscious. I am nothing. But looking at the picture, I decided to put the painting away in a place that HE would never find it. Then to hell with Louis and all his stupid feelings. I'm tired and alone and even the fire can not give me comfort anymore. L.L. Louis put the diary down once more and looked at the painting. He did this out of love and it only caused more pain in the end. Louis began to put all the items back in the trunk holding his tears so that Lestat may never find out that he had rummaged through his personal belongings. With that done he lay on the floor and cried his heart out. He cried for his lost family, for Lestat and Claudia, and for even himself. With his tears shed he went down the stairs to wash his face and change clothes. It was his turn to watch over Lestat at St. Elizabeth's during the day and night. Everyone had agreed to spend single nights and days watching over Lestat, making sure that the rogues never got to close to him. Not that they could any way! Noticing that he only had an hour before dawn Louis ran down the streets until he stood in front of the abandoned orphanage. Calming his breath and spirit, he greeted David that had kept the watch until then. "Is everything okay Louis?" David asked with some concern. "Yes I just realized that it was almost dawn and had to run down here." "Yes well then. It has been fairly quiet during the night. Most of the rogues have left the city…" When David saw that Louis was not paying any attention to what he was saying he decided to leave without saying goodbye to his older dark brother. Louis looked around to make sure that every one was gone. Walking slowly towards Lestat he knelt down beside his maker and began to part away his hair. "You mean everything to me Lestat. You always have." Leaning down he kissed Lestat forehead, his eyes, nose, and finally his mouth. He then lay down beside the comatose body of his maker and prepared to fall asleep. Louis knew that he was probably the only one who could do this without being rammed at the wall. Moreover, it comforted him that even in this state Lestat still loved him that much after all they had been through. As Louis was about to close his eyes, he whispered into Lestat's ear, "From nothing came you." And as the death sleep approached Louis felt something move and wrap around his body moving him closer to Lestat's body. "I love you" were the last words he said before the sun rose in the horizon. THE END EPILOGUE David arrived shortly after the sun had descended and was astonished to find Louis lying beside Lestat. No one had been able to get this close to his maker, not even himself. How did he do that? Walking slowly to where the two lay, David reached out to try and awaken Louis only to step back when he saw Lestat's arm wrapped around his oldest fledgling's body. How could he do this? When he noticed that Louis was beginning to awake he stepped back into the shadows wishing to see what else Louis had been doing during his stays at the orphanage. Louis awoke to feel an arm around his body, opening his eyes he looked at Lestat and smiled. "My angel, my love. I'm sorry for all that I did or did not do in the past. I hope you can hear me Lestat. I forgive you for making Claudia into a vampire, and I have come to terms with the fact that I am a vampire. And I have never hated you. Been angered by you, yes, but never truly hated you. I love you too much for that." "Then why did you act the way you did?" Was that Lestat's voice he just heard in his head. It could not be! Lestat was his maker, their one single bond was the fact that they could not hear each other's thoughts. "It was the only way I knew how to act." Louis replied out loud, unsure of where this voice had come from. Did Lestat just communicate with Louis telepathically? That could not be, it was absolutely impossible for the maker to ever hear the thoughts of his fledglings. Then how come Louis answered an unasked question? Moving from the shadows David walked towards the two making sure that Louis knew he had seen it all. "Why didn't you make your presence known when I awoke." "I wanted to see what you would do. How long have you been doing this?" David had to know how long Louis has been fooling the coven. "Since the beginning." "You greedy bastard. Why didn't you tell the rest of us about this revelation? Afraid that we would take away your precious time with him." David picked up Louis and poised as if ready to throw the older vampire half way across the room. However, David read from Louis thoughts what he had actually been doing the previous night and if he could get Lestat to hate Louis in one way or another he would. "Louis, Louis, Louis…Do you know that Lestat will kill you for going through his things. His privacy is something that he treasures far more than anything else." Dropping Louis on the floor David placed his left foot on top of Louis chest. "He would probably kill you first if you dare to injure me." "So confident are we, now?" Pressing his foot down to crush Louis chest in, David felt the side of his body connecting with the wall in an instant. Slowly coming to, he looked back at the Chapel floor and found Louis laying with his arms stretched out in the sign of the cross. Slowly getting up he approached the two bodies hesitantly fearing that either might try to hurt him again. Instead he found Louis with his eyes open, crying, and unable to move. "David I can hear his thoughts and he is punishing me. He is giving me everything about himself and I don't want to see it. Make him stop, please…David…make…him…stop." Quieting down, David picked Louis up and lay him down on one of the pews. Louis automatically curled up into the fetal position and cried softly about all that he had seen from Lestat's mind. "What did you see?" "Everything David. Absolutely everything, David." Louis paused and looked at his younger brother. "He's too strong for his own good." Bowing his head, Louis began crying once more on David's shoulder. "I'm sorry Louis. I'm really, really am sorry. Please go home. You need some rest from this exertion. I don't mind doing a double night." "No David, he has finally opened up to me in the way that I have always wanted him to and I am not, nor will I ever leave his side. Could you please leave the two of us alone for a while?" "As you wish Louis, as you wish." Louis watched David walk out of the Chapel as he himself approached the body of Lestat. Finally Lestat had given him his soul. It was torturous and painful but he felt more in love with the man than ever before. Louis knew that Lestat was on the road to recovery as they say, and soon enough he would be back to normal. Kneeling down he kissed Lestat's lips and even parted them open to kiss his makers tongue. "Soon Louis, soon. I still need more rest but I will awake soon." Lestat said in his mind. "And I will be here waiting for you." Laying back down Louis, telepathically asked David to make sure no one entered the Chapel that evening and fell asleep in Lestat's arms once more. THE END
