Dracula's Daughter

Chapter 3: Rachel

Connor’s Antique Store
Hudson Street, New York, New York
July 5, 11:15pm local
Street outside shop/in shop
Venka’s POV

As I enter the shop my eyes land on Rachel sitting behind a desk straight across from the door. The sight of her is enough to send me back to World War II and the night Connor showed up at my door with an eight year old girl.

::Sigh:: Those where hellish times, the Germans were killing people left and right it seemed. I had been posing as the wife of a German officer, we were both spies for the American and British forces, he would gain the Intel and I would pass it along to the American or British troops.

It was a cold October night when Connor appeared on my doorstep. He was a pilot for the British and his plane had crashed outside of Berlin, there he had found Rachel hiding from the very group who had shot him down. After saving her, for some reason he brought her to me. You see I was living outside Berlin on an old farm, it made it easier to pass along the information my husband had gained from the farm than from inside Berlin its self, so it wasn’t to hard for him to get her to me I guess.

He asked me that night to watch over Rachel and to take her with me when I left. We both knew that sooner or later my husband would be found out, so I was making plans to leave Germany as soon as I could. It wasn’t that hard to add Rachel to my plans as well. So I told him I would guard her and he left soon after that.

Three months late we left Germany. I hid myself and Rachel in an old cottage I had kept in the mountains around where I grew up in Romania till Connor came to retrieve Rachel. From what I know, having only seen or talked to them for short periods, he raised Rachel in the U.S... Really the last time I saw them for any length was twenty years ago when I asked Connor to hold my sword till I needed it again.

Hence the reason I’m here now, to get said sword to use it to kill my father if it comes to that. ::Snorts:: Lovely daughter aren’t I? Planning the death of my father without a second thought.

I shake my head to clear my thoughts, and greet Rachel, as I do so Connor comes out of the elevator behind Rachel’s desk.

Hmm, he seems surprised to see me. Not to strange really, it has been twenty years after all, he more than likely thought I was dead by now. ::Snickers:: Gave him a bit of a fright, though now that he is over it he looks glad to see me.
I say hello and ask how he has been the last twenty years. I get a fine though I see Rachel rolls her eyes behind him. Hmm, I’ll have to see what that’s about afore I leave.

End Chapter 3.

Chapter 4: Advice Given, Advice Taken

Connor’s Antique Store
Hudson Street, New York, New York
July 5, 11:16pm local
In shop
Venka’s POV

With a nod to Connor, though meant more for Rachel, I ask if he still has my sword and if so if I may have it back? I get this hurt look from him and the look in his eyes is like “why wouldn’t I have your sword?”, but he nods and head back upstairs. Perfect, my chance to talk to Rachel.

As soon as he is out of hearing I turn to Rachel. “Well, what really going on?” is the first thing out of my mouth. It opens a floodgate.

Rachel tells me about a patrolman Garfield who is bound and determined to put Connor in jail for murder of a man named**. That gets an arched eyebrow as I ask why and she sheepishly tells me about Connor taking a head and being caught at the scene though he had hid his sword so they have no hard proof that he did it. I nod and tell her to go on.

She then tells me about some CSI named Brenda that’s snooping about asking about Connor and the sword Ramirez gave him. It doesn’t make me too worried: Connor has gotten himself out of tougher jams in the past. It’s her tone of voice though that pricks my curiosity. She sounded jealous!!

Being me I point out that little fact and she blushes then says that Connor was showing a more then friendly interest in this Brenda woman. Ahh, so that was the problem, Rachel was jealous of Connor really falling for someone other then her. Poor thing has been in love with Connor since she was 16.

With that thought I look at her a bit sadly. Then tell her to let it go. If this Brenda makes Connor happy then she should be happy as well. We both know that since Heather’s death he hasn’t really let anyone get truly close to him. She sighed but agreed with me.

As I smile at the sigh Connor steppes out of the elevator with my sword in hand, he had wrapped it in a piece of black silk. He looked at my sword then at me, a bit worried that I wanted it back.

You see when I gave the sword to him I told him that I was putting my past as a “monster” behind me. I guess he was worried that I might revert back to those ways again.

I sigh and take the sword from him. I unwrap it from the silk, as I looks down at the wavy flame like blade of the flamberge I remember the night I took this sword, and the creature I was.

It was 1502; I was roaming Germany when I came across a Swedish mercenary. I snort at the memory. Before he knew what had happened I had slit his throat and was drinking his blood. You see after leaving Connor at Nakano’s I traveled back to Romania then onto Germany, along the way I reverted to my baser instincts, letting my beast for lack of a better term, control me, losing touch with my humanity, something I wouldn’t regain till 76 years later.

After killing the mercenary I looked through his camp and his corpse finding the sword I now hold. I took a liking to the flame like blade and kept it. To me it is a symbol of the creature I once was. Now I need it to kill my father.

Seeing the look in Connor’s eyes I tell him the reason I need this sword back. It doesn’t sit well with him. I sigh and tell him that I have to stop my father. Turing a slayer is just as bad as dealing with demons and father should know that. He Wrote The Damn Laws!!

Connor looks at me then tells me “Yes, protect the Slayer, but that doesn’t mean you must kill Dracula. Venka please be careful, I really don’t think Isabella would want you reverting back to that creature you once were. And I’m afraid killing your father just might do that. So please be careful.” At that I sigh, but I happen to agree with him. So I tell him I’ll be careful and if it comes down to killing my father I’ll let D do it. He won’t have any problems killing him I’m sure of that.

At that I leave with a nod to the two. I still need to catch my flight out to L.A.

End Chapter 4.

Chapter 5: Dampir

Some Street, New York, New York
July 5, 12:16am local
Walking toward airport
Venka’s POV

Since I have about two hours till my flight leaves and it’s only an hour walk from Connor’s to the airport I decide to walk so I can think. I place my sword in the sheath that runs the length of the back of my ankle long black leather jacket and head toward the airport. I’d end up later wishing I had taken a cab since I’d end up staying a day longer then planed.

Its night in the Big Apple and most sane people wouldn’t walk these streets alone at night, but I have little to fear from the dark. I’m ten minutes from the airport and I hear the sounds of a fight coming from the alley ahead. Being me I decide to take a look at what’s going on.

What I see is a tallish black man in his mid twenties fighting one of the younger vampires of my breed. By younger I mean one of the second generation, they fear the sun, silver and garlic, were the first gen. do not. They’re pitiful creatures really most are led by their baser instincts letting them rule instead of using their brains.

Seeing the child gain the upper hand I decide to help out the hunter, I have little doubt that is what he is, I pull my sword from its sheath and when the child’s back is to me I simply remove his head. I’ve shocked the hunter, I take this time to look the man over, tall, muscled, and dressed all in black, he is quite the sight. But what catches my eye is his small fangs. Hmm he doesn’t feel like any breed of vampire I know yet his feel is like that of my brother, then it hits me. I’ve heard rumors of a second generation half breed in New York, he was said to be after a second gen. vampire called Frost. Hmm guess I found him, ::sigh:: just my luck. What was his name ahh, yes, now I remember Blade, interesting name.

By now I’m getting glared at by this young Dampir. So being the smart mouth I am I ask what he was staring at. That gets me a worse glare but no answer. At that I hear a car pull up behind me, causing me to shift till I can see both the car and the dampir. An older mortal male gets out of the car carrying a shot gun which is aimed at me, oh joy.

I sigh; this is not my night is it? Keeping my eyes on both the hunter and mortal I return my sword to its sheath, as I do so I see the half breed retrieve his own sword, a katana of all things, he slides his in to a sheath at his back as well.

My first surprise comes when the mortal asks who I am, I snort mentally, who not what. But I answer, “Venka Draculovna and you would be?”, I believe I just surprised him, guess he has heard of me. He aims the gun away from me as he answers “I’m Whistler and that”, nods to the dampir, “is Blade Miss.”

I nod and comment, “I already figured out who the dampir was, Sir.”, my accent thickens on the term. I get a growl from Blade at that, though the man glares at him saying to him, “Cool it she didn’t insult you, dampir is just a word for a half vampire.”

I turn to look fully at the mortal, getting an good look at him I see a older man of about my height (5’9), graying beard and should long hair, favoring his right leg, I then ask him starting to get bored why the two were out here anyway. Whistler looks at me saying, “I’ve heard about you miss, maybe you could give us a hand with a problem?”, Blade doesn’t look to happy with that saying he doesn’t need any help dealing with Frost. I just ignore the child and ask Whistler what they needed help with.

“Maybe we should take this to the warehouse?” he asks, “Its better then talking out on the streets.” I agree and get in the back of the car as Whistler and Blade take the front. Needless to say the ride over was quite.

New York, New York
Warehouse
July 5, 12:26am local
Venka’s POV

Whistler drives straight in to the warehouse when we get there ten minutes later, as we get out Blade gales at me then disappears deeper in to the warehouse. I get told by Whistler to ignore him, I planned too anyway. He has me sit and proceeds to tell me his and Blade’s stories. By the time he is done I’m a bit pissed at this Frost fellow and his cronies, the way that treat humans as if they were cattle.

I ask Whistler if they really need any help taking this vampire and his followers out. I get a yes; I tell him he has the help. Frost better beware, I’m not someone you want to piss off. Whistler tells me they know where Frost stays but they need help to take out all the other vampires that live there with him. I just snort and tell him, “Just show me the building and let me worry about the vampires, none will get out, though I’ll leave frost for last. I think he needs a more hands on death don’t you think so?”, I get a cold smile as and answer.

I then ask if they wanna do this now or wait. He says we should wait till sun up, then we’ll know all the vampires are in. “Fine I’ll wait.” I tell him, so we settle down to await the sun.

End Chapter 5.
The full fight scene is pending. I’m not the best at those so it’ll have to wait for me to work it out.

Chapter 6: Brooding Blues

Plane
July 7, 6am local
Landing in Seattle, WA.
Venka’s POV

As the plane lands I think back on the past day. Helping the Daywalker has messed up my plans, hence the stop in Seattle, WA. I had to book a new flight and this one stops here of all places. ::Sighs:: Oh well maybe I’ll stop by my friend Joe’s bar.

But back to yesterday. After hearing Blade’s tale I got a wee bit pissed and helped him and his friend to take out a second generation vampire called Frost and his cronies. I believe I shocked Blade with the bloody way I took out Frost. I simply flamed the building he was in but ported him out into a covered garage near by. I then chopped him to itty bitty pieces; even if second gen. vampires didn’t turn to ash once the head is fully removed you still wouldn’t be able to identify the body even with dental records when I was done. Like I said I got pissed, me losing my temper isn’t a very good thing, people tend to die very bloody deaths when I’m mad. Blade and Whistler found that out last night.

Oh well, that’s over and the plane is taxiing to a stop. You know maybe I will go see Joe. Might be nice to just sit back relax and have an ale or two and chat with a friend. I still have five days till I need to be in Sunnydale, may as well see Joe since I’m here.

Joe’s Blues Bar
July 7, 1998, 7pm local
Seattle, WA.
Venka’s POV

I’ve spent the last few hours in a hotel catching up on my sleep and the last hour getting my black racing motorcycle out of storage. I plan to drive to Joe’s spend some time with him then head toward L.A. I hope driving myself will give me a bit of time to think things through.

I park and enter the bar, its 7pm now so the bar has been open about an hour, you can tell, there are a few people but the place isn’t packed yet. Joe is on stage playing one of his favorite blues songs so I head toward the bar after making sure he knows I’m here. As I head toward the bar I see D sitting there with a man who looks a bit familiar, by the look on his face he is brooding yet again. ::Sighs:: Man maybe he won’t see me. He is just a bore in brood mode.

I grab an open stool; ending up sitting by another friend of mine, wonder what name he is using now? Last time I saw him was New Orleans in 1890, he was a Doctor and going by the name Benjamin Adams. The dark broody looking guy with D feels a lot like a younger Immortal, younger than Benny, he hates it when I call him that, maybe a little younger than Connor is, hmm, wonder who he is? Joe finishes the song and gets off the stage and heads over to the bar. Once behind the bar he heads over to where me and Benny are sitting. I smile and tell him hi as he sits my usual shot of vodka down and hands Benny a beer. I take a sip and nod to Ben and ask in Romanian what name he is going by, I nearly start laughing when he says it Adam Pierson, at one point when I knew him it was Pierson Adams, gotta love the fact that he just flipped one of his names around.

He asks me if I’m still using my real name and I nod, he never did like the fact I never changed my name in all these years, but when you don’t stay anywhere for very long it doesn’t really matter, especially since I’ve been in the still techno backwards Romania for the last ten or so years, if someone did look me up they wouldn’t find much. So I just roll my eyes at the look he gives me at that and down the shot. Joe refills it and leaves the bottle. Being bored and seeing that my brother final sees that I’m here I turn to “Adam” and ask who the brooder with D is, in those words, that makes Adam laugh, but he does tell me it is Connor’s younger “cousin” Duncan McLeod, ahh I have heard of the young broody one, from his cousin no less. From what I remember Connor decided to go home for a bit and ran in to another “Highlander” from his clan that had become an Immortal, I believe he told me he ended up teaching the fellow.

I know over the years when we would talk he made a few comments on some of the trouble his younger cousin had gotten in to though I never really cared about the man, didn’t know him why would I care? Ah damn, here comes D still in brood mode. I turn to Adam and ask, ”Please just kill me now, D is heading over and the man is still in brood mode. God he is such a bore when he broods.”, that’s gets a laugh out of him and I get told that no one could be worse in the brooding area than Duncan, I snort and tell him “Adam spend an hour with D brooding over being a Dampir, having to kill his own kind because they keep breaking their own laws and father “making” him kill people, take my word this Duncan can’t be worse then a brooding vampire.”

I get told that no way in hell would he spend an hour with a broody D, he has to deal with McLeod enough thank you. I just sigh and ask how long he has known the younger Highlander, I get told three years now, that makes me laugh as I tell him, “You’re lucky, I’ve had to put up with D’s brooding for 533 years, you have only put up with McLeod for three years, so which is worse ADAM? 553 YEARS or three?”. You have to love the look on his face as he says that the 533 is worse and that he feels sorry for me.

At that D and McLeod are at our sides. D introduces me to McLeod, and I quote, “Mac, this is my little sister Venka, Venka, Duncan McLeod of the Clan McLeod.” I just nod to him and say I know his cousin Connor, I get a look from him on that one, as he says that Connor never told him about me, I reply to him that that is because I asked Connor to keep his mouth shut about me, I don’t think he or D took that very well cause they head back to their seats. That is fine with me, I hate when my brother broods and Adam is much more fun to bug anyway.

I pour another shot and just sip on this one watching Adam work his way through his second beer. I wrinkle my nose at the beer; Adam and I could never agree on the stuff, I remember getting in a fight over it once, American beer anyway. German isn‘t to bad though I‘m not a big fan of any beer, give me a good Vodka any day, but Adam just loves beer. Just to bug him I ask him how he can drink that stuff, it tastes like the water used to rinse the barrels out with. I get told “The only reason he is drinking the cheep stuff is ‘cause he has a HUGE tab here already“, this is from Joe who hands Adam another beer, “And I won’t let him have the good stuff till he pays the tab. “ I snicker at that, sounds just like Joe AND Adam, guy had a $500 tab at a bar in ‘Orleans in 1890, the jerk stuck me with paying it, I still owe him for that, I nod at Joe understanding what he means.

You’re probably wondering how I know Joe, it’s simple really, you see Joe was in Vietnam, its where he lost both his legs. One of his team members stepped on a land mined, the shrapnel caused a lot of damage to his legs and the medicinal techniques weren’t good enough in those days to save his legs, heck they aren’t good enough now a days really. I was one of the nurses at the hospital they sent him to too recover before being shipped home; I was one of the first people he told about the guy who had saved his life, that believed him anyway. You see the guy who saved him had supposedly died like two days before Joe was hurt and that’s what everybody keep telling him, but he swore that’s who it was, knowing both Connor and a few other Immortals I knew that is was possible that this guy was one and did save Joe. So I told him what I knew about Immortals, shocked him to say the least. Two days before he was shipped home I saw one of the doctors who I know was a Watcher talking with him; Dr. Jackson offered him a job with the watchers. I know this because before Joe left he told me about the group and asked me if I thought he should join, we became pretty good friends during the time he was there, I told him to go for it, kinda wish now that I hadn’t. Ohh well can’t change the past.

You see the Society of Watchers watches and chronicles the lives of Immortals their rules state that they are to never interfere, but I know for a fact that Joe has a few times, it has nearly gotten him killed once or twice and once was because of the damn group he works for.

I down my shot pour myself another and start to relax. I just hope nothing happens tonight. I really just need a quiet night.

End Chapter 6. Hope you guys like.