What Doesn't Kill You...

Vampiric Liaisons

"Remi mentioned Elric had a new girlfriend. Do we know who?" Damon asked as he and Violet climbed the stairs to Elric's apartment.

Violet shrugged. "I have no idea. It's not like I keep up-to-date with vampire gossip."

Damon pressed the door bell outside of the unit and waited. His eyes strayed over to Violet's face in the dim light. She hadn't spoken much since he finally told her everything...well nearly everything. He wondered what she was thinking about.

Violet pounded on the door. "Hey! Elric, open the door!"

"Jeez! Do you have to be so aggressive?"

Violet rolled her eyes. "It's obvious he's not home."

Damon sighed. "You don't know that for sure. We shou--"

"Hey, bloodsucker!! Necro is a stupid name for a vampire night club!" Violet shouted and pounded on the door. Damon watched her in open-mouthed shock. They waited in silence for a few seconds. "Nope, not home."

"Wait!" Damon shouted before Violet could kick down Elric's door. "Why do you think I stopped at the super's office?" He held up the ring of keys. An official badge from the Paranormal Crimes Unit and a little vampiric persuasion got them past a nosy land lady and paranoid superintendent.

Violet stepped aside, while Damon started trying keys. "My way is faster."

"Your way is just messier." Damon replied, on his 10th key. He smiled at the quiet snick of the lock disengaging. "See," he twisted the door knob and pushed the door open. "No muss, no fuss."

"Uh...I don't think Elric will care about us breaking his front door." Violet pointed into the darkened apartment.

Damon reached up and flicked on the light switch. Violet was right. Elric's apartment looked like a tornado had come through. Furniture was broken and overturned. There were half a dozen fist sized holes in the sheet rock. The sliding glass doors that opened onto the small balcony were shattered. Something had definitely happened here.

"Look for anything useful." Damon stepped gingerly around the trashed living room. Lifting a couch cushion, he found an empty syringe. He didn't need to guess what had been inside the syringe. Nightshade. It was one of the few substances that affected vampires. In small doses, Nightshade could render a vampire unconscious for a few hours. In large doses, it could kill one.

Did it belong to Elric or someone else?

"Yeah...he's definitely missing." Violet called from the kitchenette.

Damon looked over his shoulder to see her holding up Elric's phone. "Let's see who this mystery girlfriend is." She swiped her finger across the screen. Her mouth thinned to a hard line.

"What is it?"

Violet snorted. "More like who is it." She held up the phone screen for him to see Elric with his arm around a familiar looking blonde.

Shiiiiiiiiit! Damon felt his stomach drop. The weight of realization settled on his shoulders. "This just got more complicated."