The Red Guard: Vampire Hunters of Vatican City

Chapter Eighteen - The Cost of Change

"You knew?" the panic quickly turned to accusation.

"Shhh," Quinn hushed her and took her elbow with two fingers, trying to touch her as little as possible. "You need to get to your room and have a shower... in your clothes. You reek." His nose scrunched in disgust.

They got to her room and she opened the door. He rushed her into the bathroom and started the shower for her. He looked her in the eye and said, "We will talk when you get out. Wash really well. Take your clothes off in the shower as you wash. Let them get soapy. Rinse them well. We will deal with drying them after. Take your time and do a good job." 

Chloe looked at him with questioning eyes. 

"You smell like you've been hanging out with vampires. I don't think the pope would like that too much."

Chloe nodded as she moved to the shower without saying another word. She did as he said, taking care to wash every inch of her body. When she got out, she filled the bathtub and let her clothes soak. She dried off with a fresh towel and then wrapped it around her body. Then she went into the main part of her room and walked to the drawer that held her pyjamas. She looked at the clock radio beside her bed and turned it on to muffle their voices.

"Clothes?" Felicity's unexpected voice made Chloe jump. Chloe looked at Quinn who was sitting on her bed with a worried look on his face.

"I called her as soon as you got in the shower. She's filled in up to this point," he said in response to her reaction.

Chloe nodded and smiled at Felicity. "I'm really glad you're here. My clothes are soaking." She pulled some pyjamas out of her drawer and slipped the pants on under her towel. She reached for a shirt.

"Good. So how did the meet happen?" Quinn asked with an edge in his voice. He glanced her way as she pulled the shirt over her head and let the towel drop to the floor. He looked away quickly, although he didn't actually feel uncomfortable.

"He just happened to be where I was. I wasn't expecting it... you really need to work on these preparation skills, Quinn. You seem to miss some pretty pertinent pieces of information... eating... oaths... dead boyfriends that aren't dead..." She turned to face him with a confused look on her face. "Why wouldn't you guys tell me that he was alive, in some way, shape or form?"

"Honest to God, we didn't know he was alive," Quinn protested, "We didn't think he survived the transformation. Until I smelled you, I didn't even think it was possible to trick us that way."

"What gave it away then. What was so special about the way I smelled?"

"I hadn't smelled that scent before. You probably noticed his scent when you met, but then stopped smelling it after a while. It was pretty heavy on you," he had the audacity to wriggle his eyebrows at her. Chloe felt herself blush and she reached out to punch him lightly on the shoulder.

"You're lucky I came back in a good mood," she said with a smirk.

"Anyways, what did he say?" asked Felicity.

"You guys," Chloe whispered. Then she paused. She knew the radio was on, but she turned the TV on too, remembering that there were possibly eyes and ears in her room. Kind of creepy, but one must be prepared. "Do you think if we created an alliance with the vampires, we could make things more... right? Could we even things out between the rich and poor?"

Quinn leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees, a look of deep thought coming across his face. Felicity looked thoughtful as well. "I mean, we'd need to have a pretty solid plan. We have a lot working against us," said Felicity.