Part Nine

Conrad-Chaney squinted at the brightness of the high noon sun and quickly dropped the drapes back into place. Blast! It seemed cold in the room. A chill that seemed to penetrate his body down to the bone. "What I get for romping with a vampress." He presumed. "They draw the heat right out of a man." Pulling his robe a little tighter around his girth, he went over to the closet and began to choose his attire for the day.

Without knocking, Aaron entered holding a stack of faxes. "Our old friend has been busy...." The vampire grinned at Douglas and waved the papers toward the completely askew bed. "... or should I say 'all' my old friends have been busy?"

"You can refer to Travers' morning as 'busy', mine would be best described as 'well engaged'." Douglas said with a self satisfied smirk. He held his hands out for the papers. "So what did that old son of a bitch uncover?"

"Not much." Aaron curled a lip and leafed through the sheets one last time before handing them off to Conrad-Chaney. "It seems he started a vindictive crusade back in 1986 against the Alliance and spent about a year collecting intelligence on them... then he must have gotten bored because the latest information is dated July, 87."

With a snort Douglas sat down at a desk and spread out the papers. "That fuckwit never could finish a job." Aaron settled into a nearby easy chair and propped his feet up while his old friend read the information. For the next half hour the only sound was the shuffle of papers and the human's occasional mumbled commentary punctuated by the occasional grunting "hurrump!"

"Well hell! This will have to do."

"I could make some inquiries." Aaron suggested. "I'm sure someone, somewhere knows more."

"Absolutely not!" Douglas retorted. "We cannot afford to take the chance they will catch wind of this." He motioned for Aaron to pull his chair over. "Even though I am sure they have bred like cockroaches in the past thirteen years, this tells the basic genealogy of the Alliance families Now in 1986 this Franklin Blanchard was the overall Alliance chief, but I'm sure that has changed by now." He pounded a beefy finger on the top page and twisted his face into a disgusted sneer. "Those bloody Blanchards'! Their forte is the training and supplying to the Alliance of those vicious, vampire hunting dogs. Along with the Jeanmards' and the Landrys' they comprise the pool of inbred, swamp dwelling, corrupted French frogs that make up the Southern branch of the Alliance."

"I take it you don't care much for them." Aaron observed with a toothy smile.

"SNORT!"

Aaron threw his head back and laughed. "And the others? Are they as 'endearing' to you as these backwoods Blanchards'?"

"Oh yes! It gets even better. The Western group is a mongrel mix of Mexican bandits, runaway slaves and lawless drifters mostly with the surname López but there are some Smiths' and DeSotos' tossed in for flavor. They are the toolmakers.. if that is what you would want to call them. 'Peasants with a forge' would be the better description. Swords, crossbows, leather nets..."

"Leather nets?" The vampire interrupted. "That sounds like a weekend I had in Amsterdam."

"Oh dear friend, you would not find these nets would very pleasurable. Just large enough to ensnare the largest undead prey, vile things with small metal crosses riveted into the weave." Douglas made a crosshatch with his fingers and held his hands up before his face. With a twisted smile he slowly clasp his hands together as a visual aid to his vampire companion. "First they toss it over their quarry, then they draw it tighter, and tighter until the poor bastard is begging to be staked."

Aaron flinched. "Ingenious."

"Ingenious my arse... it's merely one step up from tying a settler to an anthill! Torture is in their blood, remember the Spanish Inquisition?" Douglas again made a guttural walrus-like noise and pulled out another sheet. "And then there are the Karns' with their kith and kin surnamed McAllen. "Suspicious, clannish, secretive, holier-than-thou, narrow-minded, New England mountain trolls. Worse than the Scots, let me tell you! They are the account keepers, writing their slanted version of events while holed up under a sodding snowdrift waiting for the spring thaw!" He tossed the paper over toward Aaron. "They manage the Alliance's cover operation in the form of a steel tower repair and erecting firm. This is the second-rate, diseased gene pool into which Giles' bastard son is marrying."

Outloud, Aaron began to read the bare bones report. "Charles Karn, born 1928 - still living and his twin brothers Peter and Albert, born 1933, both died in infancy. Charles married Mary Wilson 1949 - both survive. Two sons, two daughters: Theodore (1950 - 1980), Susan (1951) Denise (1953) Raymond (1955) of which only the sons joined the Alliance. Theodore married Susan McAllen (1960), she survives. Twin sons, Kevin and Kenneth. (1961 - 1980)." The vampire arched an eyebrow. "I take it 1980 was a bad year?"

"All drained and turned by a pack in Chicago along with another Alliance member." Douglas said bluntly. "There's a scrawled note on the bottom of the page to that effect." He chuckled then added. "If you ever want to make some serious money Travers also mentions that there is still a price on these vampire's heads."

"I don't think so." Aaron muttered. "I rather find them to buy them a pint."

"If you ever do, ring me up and I'll buy the second round. But keep reading, I do believe we found the bride."

Aaron's eyes seemed to glow with a hellish delight as he hissed. "V-e-e-eery g-o-o-od!' He ran his finger down the page and found the next line. "Raymond married Margaret Carter (1975) she died 1985. One daughter Karen born 1977."

A frightenly evil smile spread across Douglas's face as he began to sing. "Here comes the bride, here comes the bride...."

"All dressed in BLACK!" Aaron gleefully interjected.

Douglas began to laugh. "Well most women do look good in basic black, especially when they're draped over a coffin. It's a poetic scene worthy of a Greek tragedy. Yes, at least we'll prevent one from spawning." His laugher faded out as a thought crossed his mind. "You know Aaron, it just occurred to me. Perhaps we should not target the Alliance elders." He began to shuffle through the papers. "We have the family trees here, why waste out time pruning the old wood when we can snip off the shoots just as easily?"

"Take out the breeders not the graybeards? That might be the way to go." Aaron confirmed.

"Correct." Conrad-Chaney said while taking a pen. He began to run his finger along the lines pausing to underline names. "Sure targets will still be Giles's son, the Slayer's mother and whoever is the Alliance chief. But we certainly have quite the roster of Alliance whelps born in the seventies and eighties. Look at this.... six daughters born to a Landry, I say Aaron you could have a harem."

Aaron waved a finger in the air and popped off with a twisted limerick. "There once was a vampire named Aaron, who had a six sister harem, He screwed them all well, then took them to hell, for which he was then made a baron."

"Baron my arse!" Douglas said with a belly laugh. "That would make you a prince of the pit."

A knock on the door interrupted their wicked merriment.

"Yes! Enter! What?!" Douglas shouted to one of Aaron's minions stood in the doorway.

"We still can't get him to feed, what you want us to do?"

Aaron leaned back in his chair and gave Arthur an annoyed frown. "Did you cut the vessel to put the scent of blood in the air?"

"Yeah."

"I see..." The vampire began to pick at a fingernail. "Did you force his mouth down on the wound?"

Arthur shrugged. "Yeah, but it's like he either can't figure out what to do or just don't want to do it."

Douglas rolled his eyes, Aaron narrowed his as his game face morphed and with an animal growl he left his chair moving toward his hireling like a panther stalking a deer. "Then I would suggest you go back down there and beat the fuck out of him until he gets the concept."

"Sure.. yeah... w-w-will do." Arthur stuttered as he backed out of the room.

"Well this is an interesting turn of events." Douglas deadpanned as Aaron slammed the door behind the fast departing vampire. He let out a low chuckle at Aaron's wrath and rephrased the comment. "Or shall I say this 'turning' is of interest?"

"Funny." Aaron snapped. "When you're finished being a fucking wordsmith do you think you can address this problem? Sodding lot of good he will be to us if he doesn't get his strength up."

"You have his demon." Douglas pointed out.

"But he is still a vampire!" Aaron raged. "Granted, one that won't fucking feed! Won't speak! Won't move without being told! Just sits there in a daze without a wit of killer instinct!" The vampire raised his clenched fists. "Worthless! Absofuckinglutly worthless! What the hell went wrong?!"

Douglas came out of his chair. "I'll admit this is not how it should have worked. He should be a pure combination of your soulless evil; my shameless cunning and his own lewd, mercenary characteristics. All the pernicious traits in our collective natures distilled into a beast."

"Beast?" Aaron sniped. "Have you seen your 'beast'? Sniveling coward is more like it!"

"Then hell if I know!" Douglas plopped his weight back into the chair. "Maybe the whole bloody thing went sour! Not like that's never happened before!"

"Oh not completely 'sour'." Aaron disagreed. "Like you said, I do have his demon. Consequently the small Sacramentals do not bother me. Crosses, holy water, my healing abilities are now almost instantaneous and I can even stand the sun for a few minutes."

Douglas grumped a syllable and began to twist one of the ends of his mustache. "Bully for you."

The vampire's features began to return to human. "Don't be jealous Douglas old friend, for I believe that I feel the demon within you also." He gave his companion a nod and motioned for him to remain seated before going over to the phone. Douglas frowned as the vampire dialed a two digit code for another part of the guest house and simply stated. "Bring it."

"Now what is this all about?"

Aaron seated himself across from Conrad-Chaney. "Listen." He whispered. "Listen to your breathing and your heartbeat. It's faster than usual. And for the past two days your appetite for food and sex has been increasing." The vampire paused to chuckle. "As if that was 'humanly' possible for you... But anyway, the crux of the situation is: if only we melded sans any crossover to or from him, something went wrong."

"The casting was performed correctly. The fact we melded proves that. And I will also admit that despite the fact that my metabolism is racing, I am cold, chilled to the bone... and as much as I would like to blame it on spending the night making the beast with two backs with your chauffeur, I do know better." Douglas rolled his shoulders. "And I feel positively 'wired'. I cannot wait for the strike, for first blood."

"Funny you should say that." Aaron interrupted with a smile as a second rap on the door was heard. He called out for the servant to enter and the chauffeur came in carrying a covered tray. She sat it down in front of Douglas and removed to lid to revel a wine glass brimming with fresh human blood. "Bon Appetite." She whispered.

Douglas sharply inhaled bringing the smell crashing into brain setting of a chain reaction or hunger, want and anticipation. "I now see what drives your kind." This said Conrad-Chaney picked up the glass and drained it. The warmth rushed through him like a drug and he felt an almost orgasmic convulsion that started from the depths of his debauched being and raced outward to set his skin on fire. With a howl he came back to his senses to find himself on his knees and the wine glass shattering in his grip. He cursed flung the shards to the floor and held his hand up to examine the latticework of small cuts.

Even though they were partners, Aaron vamped out as he offered the bleeding human his handkerchief. Douglas snatched the cloth from Aaron's hand and wrapped it around his own. "I rather you changed your attitude."

"So sorry, old chap... nothing personal." Aaron said with a lick of the tongue across his fangs. "I take it that it was 'good' for you?"

"At least I'm warm now." Douglas muttered as he pulled himself up from the floor. "So now it is truly settled, I am as tinged with 'vampire' as you are gifted with 'human'."

"I'll accept that, but that brings us back to the larger question of what happened to McKinley? The melding spell bound him to us until his body goes to ashes and dust."

"Of which he is neither... yet. And even though he is being obstinate, we must keep him around for the time being" Douglas settled back into his chair and cast a second hungry look around the room until he caught the eye of the vampress. He motioned for her to go over to the bed. "I'll give this all some thought... later on. Right now I want to 'relax' a little bit."

"Fine..." Aaron muttered under his breath as he stood up. The vampire clenched his teeth and hissed at the situation. "I'm going to ring up Jessica at the main house, ask her to come out here and give her opinion."

"Oh hell Aaron!" Douglas grumbled as he pried himself out of the chair. "Fine.. fine.... perhaps a new perspective is in order. But let's not make this the mountain we 'die' on... if you would pardon the expression." He chuckled at his own wit for a second and gave Aaron a slap on the back. "For with or without the services of the late Sean McKinley we are going to gut the Alliance for the benefit of your people and mine."

"What about your other project?" Aaron asked as Douglas led him to the door.

"As soon as my half-witted nephew reports in we will decide. By now the Sunnydale filth should have found that poor dead bugger's pitiful confession and plea for help."

"Providing they have the intelligence to check the hard drive." Aaron shot back. "There's just too many loose ends."

"It will come together, never fear!" Douglas glanced back and forth between Aaron and the vampress laying on the bed. "Just listen... it makes not a bit of difference whether or not Giles is locked up or at the sodding wedding. Same with the Slayer's mother. One way or the other they will both be out of the equation. Then the Slayer falls under the tutelage of my trainspotting idiot nephew... which I might add also helps your people."

Aaron stopped in the doorway. "And you get a gold star beside your name, those old wankers back at the Council return to their mumbling and everything is happily back to status quo. Yes I know, but I can't help but get the feeling that this Giles will be the fly in the ointment."

"Flies are created to be squashed!" Douglas growled. "Now go, call Jessica in for a consultation and the two of you deal with the McKinley problem. I assure you, the rest is under control."