Cheers to Forever, Love.

Lance

Chapter Seven.

Freya arrived at a small bar called the Blackheart Lounge.
But when she saw who was stood at the bar, wiping down the surfaces, she fell into a state of temporary shock.
"Lance?" Her eyes turned to saucers.
Lance was the first Vampire Freya had ever sired. His dark skin hugged his toned body, several muscles flexing as he turned to look in her direction.
He smirked, placing the cloth down on the bar. "Well, look what the cat dragged in. It's been a while since I've seen that face!" His expression turned to a bright grin. "Well don't just stand there, Freya, come and sit a spell!"
Freya jogged over and took a seat on the bar stool right in front of him."
"Holy crap, I can't believe you're here. Where have you been hiding for the last nine centuries?" She released a chuckle of disbelief.
"Oh, you know me..." He shrugged, turning round to grab some top shelf Whiskey. "Just a rolling stone. Travelled round the world twice, seen everything once. But I decided a few decades ago to settle in here – be off the grid for a bit. I got my hands on this bar and that's been that for a while. So long as I compel all the regulars once every decade or so, my cover's totally good."
He poured two drinks, handing one to the Heretic.
"Crap, that's crazy." She shook her head. "How have you been though? Got anyone special?"
Lance chuckled, throwing his cloth into the sink. "I've been here... Maybe two hundred years? I've had several 'someone specials', if you catch my drift." He winked, nudging her jokingly from across the bar.
"Sounds like you." Freya laughed, taking a large gulp of her Whiskey. "How're you getting your 'sustenance'?"
"Let's just say I have... Connections." He winked, pulling out a bunch of business cards. Upon further inspection, Freya saw that they were for the nurses from several blood banks and hospitals in the area – some slightly further away. "They give me what I want and in return, their drinks are permanently on the house. It's amazing the things these rubes will do for free booze." He chuckled, regathering the cards to put them back in his wallet.
"Clever. Humans can be petty." She giggled, quickly finishing her drink.
"I definitely know that, first hand." Lance gave her a wink. "How long has it been since you freed me from the ranks of the petty?"
Freya hummed in thought.
"Nine centuries, almost to the year. Poor little stable boy. You just weren't aware of how much potential you had. Although, my dear sire had a few things to say about me turning you. He thought it was reckless because we didn't know each other or you weren't dying or whatever. But he's quite happy sitting on the throne of New Orleans these days, last I checked."
Lance grabbed the Whiskey bottled and refilled the glasses.
"Well, regardless of how he felt your actions were, I will always be indebted to you for loosening the grips of that tyrannical madman and his wench of a wife." He shrugged, taking a sip of his Whiskey. "Wait, New Orleans, you say? Is that where you're headed or do you plan on staying put for a bit?"
"Just bought a place round the block. I'm living with my 'kind of' adopted daughter, Emma. She's eighteen now, not that I can believe it." Freya shook her head, chuckling.
"Kind of? Is this another one of your infamous rescue missions?" He smiled slyly.
"I'd say she rescued me more than the other way round. I fostered her a few years ago, but then... Some stuff happened and we lost contact, but we're back now and better than ever." Freya smiled, downing her drink in one.
"Damn girl, that's great! I'm happy for ya. And I'm glad that you're gunna be a part of this town. Good music, a good friend and of course," He looked over to a couple sat at a table in the corner of the bar. "Some good cuisine." He smirked as he poured more Whiskey.
"Ooooh, I haven't had dinner out in a few years. And it is getting late. What do you say I help you close up and then we can go back to my place? You can meet Emma if she's still up and we can have a few more drinks. Both my alcohol fridge and my 'wine' fridge are fully stocked." Freya shared his expression, nonchalantly drumming her fingers on the bar.
Lance took a moment to think about it. "Well, of course, darlin'! It's always a delight getting together with an old friend. Count me in." He then turned to face the rest of the patrons. "Alright now, last call! Hurry up 'cause I got places to be!"
The pair waited as a couple of people scurried up to the bar like rats racing for scraps. Lance then wondered off and tended to their orders.

After shutting the place down for the night, the pair made their way back to Freya's apartment, where she noticed a light was still on.
"Oh cool, looks like Emma's still awake." She smiled.
In the apartment, Emma just happened to be walking past the front door when the Freya entered.
"Hey Freya. Who's this?" She gave a half-hearted smile.
"This is Lance. He's an old friend from back in the day. Would you be a love and give him permission to enter?" The Heretic asked, hugging her tightly.
"Hey Lance. You can come in." She nodded.
Lance gave a friendly smile as he stepped over the threshold.
"You put her name on the deeds. Good call." He smirked before turning to the Human girl. "I appreciate your kindness, Emma. Wow, swanky place you got yourself, Freya! How'd you manage this? I guess your sire is making sure you're taken care of." He laughed. "Oh, where are my manners? Allow me to properly introduce myself to you, Emma. My name is Lancelot DuMont, but you can call me Lance. I've known Freya, here, for quite some time. You could say she made me who I am."
The three shared a laugh.
"It's good to meet you, Lance. And don't worry, I may be Human, but Freya trusts me enough to know all of her secrets. She filled me in on the whole sire thing. She never told me your guys' origin story, though. I can get you both something to eat and then you could tell me all about it?" The blonde raised an eyebrow, her smile still bright.
Lance nodded, following Freya to the couch as Emma went to the blood fridge.
She poured the freshest batches into glasses and took them to the living area, handing them to her company.
"Thank you kindly, my dear." Lance nodded to her, taking the glass from her and taking a sip as Emma sat down next to Freya. "Now, my story starts centuries ago, even before I met Freya. I was a nomad, a trouble maker, a lost soul. I ended up in a small town in Southern Europe – Italy to be precise, though I can no longer remember the name of the town. Nonetheless, I was arrested for a crime I didn't commit and was sentenced to death. However, my life was spared by the local bigwig, who exchanged my death sentence for my services for the rest of my days. At first, all was well. But the rich bastard changed and began treating me like property – beating me daily, usually for no reason, barely feeding me, humiliating me at every opportunity. I wanted to be free and fate answered my calls for help." He looked over to Freya and patted her leg. "This little belle came into my life not long after that. She gave me my freedom – she gave me the chance to not only get revenge on my tormentor, but also give me power over myself once again. After our fateful evening, we spent some time together and she taught me the skills I needed to survive like how to hunt, how to use my enhanced speed and strength, how to compel Humans etcetera before parting ways. We would cross paths every now and then on our separate travels, but until today, we haven't gotten a real chance to connect again. Oh, Emma, the things I've seen and the times I've had, you wouldn't believe. But that's for another time, my dear." He smiled warmly at the pair of them, taking another sip of the blood.
"That's amazing. I wish I could've seen what it's like to live like you both did. It's one thing to learn about this stuff in history class, but a whole other world from a first person perspective." Emma's eyes glistened with fascination.
"Oh, I've taught you plenty that the history books would never know." Freya laughed, quickly finishing her glass. "Now, I think it's time you went to bed. It's stupidly late."
"I was only staying up until you got home anyway." Emma smiled, turning to Lance as she got up. "It was awesome meeting you, Lance. I hope to hear some more of your stories soon; I need some dirt on Freya. She's too damn perfect."
Lance stood up, shaking Emma's hand. "Oh, dear Emma. The pleasure is all mine. One of these days I'll give you the skinny on Freya. Until then, sleep well." He gave a small bow and placed a gentle kiss on her hand – a true, chivalrous gentleman.
As Emma went to her room, Freya led Lance out.
"Well, it was absolutely incredible to see you again, Freya and even more so to meet your 'kind of' daughter." He chuckled, bringing the Heretic in for a hug.