The Red Guard: Vampire Hunters of Vatican City

Chapter Sixteen - Making Up

Chloe ate her lunch in her room from her fully stocked fridge. She watched TV for a good portion of the afternoon. Nobody bothered her for a few hours after she had wished her parents well. Chloe was glad to have some time to herself because she wanted to think about how she was going to fulfill the promise she had made to her parents. She wanted to make them proud in her response to what was going on in Vatican City. She wanted to set things right, but it was far more complex than she could manage on her own.

She knew that she had allies within the ranks of the Red Guard, but she needed to figure out if there were more than just Quinn and Felicity. This would take some finesse because if she revealed her feelings to the wrong person, her plans could be dashed... and so could her life.

She also knew that there must be some vampires who agreed with her, given what Penny had revealed before she met with her unfortunate fate. She lamented the loss of this potential ally. If nothing else, the Pope was effective in getting rid of his opposition.

And then she thought about the love her life and the meeting they were supposed to have tonight. They had a lot to discuss. She needed to find out where he was at physically and emotionally before she could continue with any of her plans.

She and Felicity planned to go shopping after dinner, so she had some more time to kill. There were still a few hours until dinner was served. She decided to head to the gym to work on some skills, just to make the time pass by more quickly. She enjoyed a few tumbles with various Red Guard members and even became quite friendly with one of the guys named Philipe. He seemed like a pretty decent guy and she put him on her list of 'possibles' for a future ally.

By dinner time she was famished and enjoyed some laughs with Quinn and Felicity before the two women headed out for some relaxed shopping. "This is my favourite store to buy makeup," Felicity said as they entered a specialty shop.

"It looks like things would be pretty expensive here," said Chloe as she suddenly realized that she wouldn't be able to use any of her plastic. She wasn't sure how many euros she had left.

"Oh sweetheart, you're using Vatican coin now," said Felicity deliciously. She smiled as she brought out a black Visa Card. Chloe's eyes got wide with wonder.

"Do I get one of those?" she asked.

Felicity shook the card between two fingers in a light and airy way that made Chloe's eyes glow with new humour. "This, my dear good friend, belongs to you. I made the arrangements yesterday."

Chloe took the card gently out of Felicity's hands. Funny that she hadn't thought of her funds until now. "Do I have my own account?"

"It's a Vatican account that all of us can use. Like a business card. You can just take cash advances if you need cash for something."

Chloe smiled at her friend, "Thank you," she said with some feeling. This was going to help her out a great deal as she made her plans. "I think I'll get some cash tonight... you know, for incidentals as I need them." Felicity smiled as they started to look at makeup.

"What are you looking for?" asked Felicity.

"You know, the basics. Nothing too crazy. I just want to look human," said Chloe lightly. Felicity took Chloe for a tour around the store, and by the time they were done, Chloe had much more than the basics. She had enough makeup to start her own beauty salon. They spent over a thousand dollars on various creams, tonics, removers, and a multitude of shades.

"Why go basic when you have Vatican money?" teased Felicity. "I'll get this stuff on my account. You get the cash advance on yours. You might as well make it for around the same amount. If I can spend a thousand bucks here, so can you," she said with a glint in her eye. Chloe nodded and went ahead with the advance. The clerk didn't bat an eyelash at the amount.

As they headed out into the fresh night air, Chloe took a deep cleansing breath. She became more introspective as they walked in the general direction towards home. She looked over at Felicity for a moment. "Thank you for everything you did for me today," she said.

"You're welcome."

"I think I need to walk alone for awhile. I need to think about everything. I need to sit by the water, wander the streets alone and just take it all in."

Felicity smiled in understanding, "Okay. I totally get it. Do you want me to take your makeup home for you?"

"That would be wonderful," smiled Chloe. And with that, Felicity left her friend to figure out the order of her life. And Chloe walked around the block to change direction. She set off to find the Colosseum. She sat and looked at it's magnificence for a little while as she watched the people go by. She wanted to make sure nobody was watching or following her. Perhaps they were, from a distance. She figured she wouldn't know until it was too late for her to turn back.

She walked on to her old hotel and she felt a strange sense of nostalgia. It had only been a few days but it felt like a lifetime ago. She walked quickly by the front desk - so quickly she felt confident that the camera would not pick her up as anything more than a glitch. Certainly the desk clerk didn't even look up from her book. She rounded the corner to the stairs and walked down them quickly. The breakfast nook was around another bend, empty now in the evening just as she'd hoped. But is was empty. As in, Derek wasn't there. She felt her shoulders sag with disappointment.

She heard a soft chuckle from behind her and quickly turned around, ready to fight whomever might be there. She saw Derek's handsome face and relaxed her stance as she stared at him with surprise.

"I followed you to make sure nobody was following you," he said with a grin. He took her into his arms and hugged her tightly to him. It felt so good that Chloe let herself melt into his body. Flashbacks of their past flew through her mind and she relished the memories for what they were. Today, though, her life and his were not connected in the same way. "You smell really weird," he said with some confusion. "Not human, not vampire...what have they done to you?" he asked with some wonder. She noticed an oddly luring smell about Derek that he'd never had before, but she didn't comment on it.

"I'm a nun," she said with some gusto. She tittered when his eyes widened.

"They don't know who they're dealing with," he laughed. "Do they know you're a confirmed atheist?"

Chloe shook her head with a grin, "Not really, no. They never really asked. It didn't seem to matter, actually. I don't think I'm the only atheist nun, or priest for that matter," she said as she thought about Quinn. "Can you tell me what happened to you? Where did you go that night?"

Chloe saw his eyes stare off into the distance as he remembered the evening they'd been separated. "The crowd," he started, "We couldn't find each other after that crowd." 

She nodded, encouraging him to continue. 

"I was looking for you, Chloe. I know sometimes you think I don't search you out, but this was different. I felt almost desperate to find you. I knew you weren't that familiar with the city streets and you didn't have your wallet." 

She smiled at his concern, and his accuracy.

"I was getting more frantic as I saw the sun going down, so worried about you lost in the dark. I started to head back here," he gestured to the hotel, "to see if by some miracle you'd made it back." Derek's eyes glazed over as he continued. "And then this hand grabbed me from nowhere. It was the scariest thing, the strength of the grip, right around my neck. He took me into a narrow alley way and sat me on the ground. He started to talk to me, telling me he how he longed for conversation. I was so terrified, I just sat there, unable to move. I think he was irritated at my lack of chattiness. He sighed a lot," he smiled at the ridiculousness of it, "So, I think finally, he bit me, and I was lost in the most odd sensation of pain and arousal. And then it all stopped."

He looked at Chloe then, "I woke up in a coffin, Chloe. It was pitch black, but I could feel the satin all around me. I started to scream into the blackness."