Thought I'd try my hand at the Crusader's Didgeridoo contest.  See if I
can't get past this huge ol' writer's block that's almost managed to
squish me.  I did a bit of research on the things and places in this fic,
but I've never been to Australia so if I put places near each other that
aren't, or list things as fun that are lame, please forgive me.
Pure fluff, I'll work on an angst fic for Mary Rose soon <g>
Usual disclaimers apply: I don't own Forever Knight, Toronto or
Australia.
Permission to archive to Mel, Anita and any DP


Dream Vacation (1/3)
By: Cousin Mary


            Sun!  Gloriously warm inviting sunshine!  Summer sunshine! 
In February!  Tracy stepped off the plane and almost dropped to her knees
in praise of the all powerful sun god!   Sure Toronto winters were never
the most forgiving, but this year's had been particularly bad.  And after
8 severe snow storms in 6 weeks, Tracy knew that she'd be booking her
vacation time somewhere warm, sunny, and far far away from Canada.

            And boy howdy did it look like she'd picked a winner!  Sydney
Australia, surrounded by sandy beaches, mountains and not to mention
oodles of blazing bright sunshine, she'd found her cure for those winter
blues!  With a happy sigh, Tracy made her way through customs and out
into the wonderful 90 degree Sydney sun.  She hailed a cab and headed off
for her hotel, which was just off Manly Beach, north of the Harbor.  She
couldn't help from staring at the Opera House as the cab coasted along
the way, seeing it in person was just sort of impressive.

            Tracy was pretty proud of herself for making it all the way
to her room before squealing like a little girl.  It was just so
exciting!  Being here, all the way on the other side of the world, alone.
  In the land of didgeridoos, the Crocodile Hunter and everything else
that just made the land down under so amazing!  She smiled to herself as
she walked across her room and opened the drapes to reveal a breathtaking
view of the Sydney Harbor.

            She laid down on the huge king sized bed and watched the
boats go by.  She hadn't been able to sleep on the plane and the time
change was starting to catch up to her, but even as she yawned, she
smiled.  She'd always wanted to see Australia and here she was. 
Thousands of miles away from her father, the precinct, and especially,
vampires.


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

            
            When Tracy woke her room was dark.  She cursed softly to
herself as she sat up groggily, hoping it wasn't too late because she was
starving.  She glanced at the clock on the nightstand, midnight.  Well
hell, Sydney was a huge city, surely she could find some place still
open, right?

            Pulling back on her shoes and grabbing her purse, she made
sure she had her key card before slipping out of her room… and almost
broke her neck as she fell over something into the hall.

            "Ack!"  Tracy yelped as she tumbled over what turned out to
be a man and his bag, though what he'd been doing sitting in the hall,
leaning against her door no less, she couldn't begin to guess.  But as it
was, he seemed to come to just in time to catch her before she landed
face first on the carpet.

            "Easy there Baby Jane.  Gots to look before ya leaps."

His Cockney accent was instantly recognizable and Tracy found herself
closing her eyes and groaning without even looking up.  

"Bird?  You 'urt?"  Screed, and it was the carouche Tracy knew beyond a
shadow of a doubt, sounded concerned as he gently lowered her to the
ground.  

He rolled her onto her back and made as if to look for injuries, but as
soon as Tracy felt his hands on her leg she sat up so fast she felt the
blood rush from her head.  She'd never been so close to passing out since
Vachon had gone looking for his hand!   "Screed!"  She said dazedly,
"What are you doing in Australia?!"

            Screed's green eyes widened, as if he were surprised by the
question.  Then he simply smiled at her and helped her to her feet. 
"Can't a droog go ta see the sights?  I 'appen to like Oz-land spankyou
very much."

            Tracy just stared at him for a full minute, her eyes
narrowing.  "Just happen to be seeing the sights in the hall outside my
room the night I got here?"

            Screed sighed and looked away, "We needs ta talk Sweetness."

            Tracy groaned, "No, no talk.  Vacation!"  She led him back
into her room, still complaining under her breath as she sat in one of
the chairs near the picture window.  The panic she'd felt at first seeing
Screed so far from Toronto was subsiding, being replaced with a cold
dread that was spreading across her shoulders and creeping up her neck. 
This couldn't possibly be a coincidence, he was here for her and that
couldn't be good.

            Screed sat opposite her and waited for her to settle down. 
She didn't look at him and she obviously didn't want to hear what ever it
was he had to say.  He frowned, it's not like he –wanted- to ruin her
trip.  He knew she worked hard, 14 hour workdays, 6 days a week, hell,
that's nothing he'd want a part of!  He watched her closely as she
fidgeted in her chair.  At last she seemed to resign herself to the
inevitable and peeked up at him through blonde bangs.

            "So?"  Tracy asked finally, "Do I have to go back to
Toronto?"

            "Nah Sweetness, ya jus' 'ave ta deal wit' me a bit, thas
all."  At Tracy's confused expression he rushed to explain, "See's
Vachonetti, Urs and mes, we used ta run together inna crew, ya knew tha'
roight?"

            Tracy nodded slowly, no clue where he was going.

            "An' ya know there was a fourth un with us before?  Tha
Frenchie Bourbon?"  Screed sank back into his chair, his eyes darkening a
bit, "Well, tha Frog's tha reason I'm 'ere. "

            Tracy held her questions and waited for him to continue, but
her mind was already jumping ahead.   Yes, she'd heard of Bourbon before.
Him and the rest of the 'Crew' had had some sort of falling out a few
years before Vachon, Screed and Urs had come to Toronto.  She'd never
gotten any details, but from what she'd gathered from Urs was that Vachon
and Bourbon had a huge fight about something and were no longer on
speaking terms.  She'd honestly assumed the fight either had something to
do with either Urs herself or possibly the Inca, which was always a sore
subject with Vachon, so she'd never pressed for more information.  But
that certainly didn't begin to explain why Screed would follow her to
Australia!

            "Looks like tha Frog's been nosin' around Vachonetti's
business," Screed began, his eyes drifting out to the view of the harbor.
"Some might say some o' 'is business is you Sweetness, so whiles ol'
Javy is out lookin' fer Bourbon, I'm supposed ta look after you.  Make
certain 'e don't come lookin' ta start a fight that ways."

            Tracy bit her lip to stop from cursing again, not that Screed
would care if she did.  Dammit, she didn't want to give up her dream
vacation because of some stupid blood sucker!  She glanced back at the
carouche, but he was still watching something out the darkened window. 
She sighed, they'd become almost friends of late, Screed, Urs and her. 
Hell, Screed had made the joke many times, much to Vachon's annoyance,
that Tracy was the newest member of the Crew.  She wasn't even surprised
to see him here rather than Vachon himself, things had cooled a while ago
between her and the Spanish vampire as she went from 'mortal who knows'
to merely one of the gang.  But that still didn't explain everything, 
"You really think he'd come all the way out here just for me?  I mean,
I've never even met him!"  

Screed slowly turned his eyes to her, he looked so apologetic and Tracy
instantly felt guilty for snapping at him.  After all, it wasn't his
fault.  She nearly growled, but instead stood up and began pacing the
room.  She didn't like this one bit.

"This sucks."  Tracy continued pacing, she could feel Screed's eyes on
her, but he'd seen her do the same thing when she got stuck on a case a
dozen times before so she didn't think twice about showing her
frustration.

The carouche shrugged, "It ain't that bad is it?  Jus' a friend-like ta
go around wit' after dark.  You'll still get yer 'oliday Baby Jane."

"Hurmph," Tracy grunted as she threw herself back into her chair.  "So I
suppose daylight activities are out of the question?"  She asked with a
sigh.

Screed reached across the space between them and squeezed her knee, 
"Now, no need ta be getting' all gloomy gus like!  Ya can still see all
the sights, do tha touristy thingees an' such."

"Tanning on the beach doesn't really work at night," She said wryly, but
she smiled weakly at him all the same.  "How'd you get so lucky as to get
babysitting duty anyway?"

"Twas either me or Ursa-lala, and I figgered you wouldn't want to go
shoppin' fer tha 'ole two weeks," He winked at her, "Besides, I 'appen ta
like the land o' Oz."

"Been here before?"  Tracy perked up a bit, maybe this wouldn't be so bad
after all.  She just had to look on the bright side, sure she wouldn't be
biking out into the desert, but she burned too easy anyway.  So there
were complications, dammit, she was still going to enjoy her trip!

"Nah fer a 'undred years, place 'as changed a might," He stood then,
"Where was you going anyways Baby Jane?"

"Going?"  Tracy blinked, "Oh!  I was going to go try to find a place to
eat.  I'm starving."

"I suppose we can find sumpthin," He offered her his arm, "Milady."

"Kind sir," She smiled, okay, maybe not the start of a dream vacation,
but not a nightmare either.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
comments and koalas to anteros@juno.com
 

Usual disclaimers

Dream Vacation (2/3)
By: Cousin Mary


            They ended up at a place called the Rose, Shamrock and
Thistle Hotel.  It was friendly, lively pub that still had live blues
music playing when they made there way in at one in the morning.  Tracy
ordered fish and chips and a coffee, while Screed ordered a Fosters and
no food.  She eyed him when his beer arrived, but he paid her no mind.

            Tracy sat back, the pub had a nice feel about it and she
could feel herself relaxing.  In the background she could hear people
chatting and she drank in the accents that always struck her a sounding
happy and carefree.  She smiled at Screed and he smiled back as an old
blues man took the stage to start his last set.

            "So, you said the last time you were here was a hundred years
ago?"  Tracy sat forward.

            Screed smiled at her enthusiasm.   Never mind that she'd know
Vachonetti, himself and Urs for almost two years, she still got a kick
out of the fact that they were walking history books.  "Maybe I wuz off a
mite.  Prolly been abouts 130 or so, just after thare gold rushin'. "

            Her grin grew, "Tell me about it?"

            He shook his head and smiled back, beginning to whisper her
tales of adventure.  Sometimes his stories took on a fanciful air and
while Tracy occasionally looked a bit skeptical, she never challenged him
on any of his more 'creative' memories.  He was beginning to suspect she
listened to his stories for entertainment value only, which was probably
for the best.

            They were so engrossed in their shared whisperings that they
didn't notice the pub had closed until the overhead lights came on.  They
blinked up in surprise and were ushered out onto the street with all the
other late night drinkers.  Neither felt like going back to the hotel, so
they followed a few college kids over to a place called the Blackmarket
Nightclub, it was an after hours club that only opened at 4 and kept the
music going as long as there were people standing.

            After ordering a few more drinks, on Vachon's tab Screed was
happy to explain, Tracy somehow convinced Screed to go out on the floor
with her.  She'd never seen him at the Raven before, so she had no idea
if he could dance or not, but she didn't feel like going out all by
herself, so she dragged him along.

            It was fun.  The night's DJ was spinning terrible pop
remixes, but bad music was just an excuse for even worse dance moves and
the crowd was definitely obliging.  Tracy couldn't remember when she'd
had a better night out.


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


            Tracy woke the next day around 3.  She sat up, rubbing her
eyes as she yawned before remembering where she was and who she was with.
She peeked off the edge of the bed to see Screed curled up with a
blanket and a few pillows on the floor beside her.  Last night she'd
thought about offering to share the bed, but that would have been just a
little too weird.  Besides, why he didn't just get his own room was
beyond her.  Vachon was apparently paying Screed's way, though where the
Spaniard was getting the money she probably didn't want to know.

            Screed seemed to think the danger posed by Bourbon was
serious enough to come all this way and sleep in her room, and well, he
obviously knew better than she did and she really wasn't ready to become
a chewed part of some ongoing vampire feud anyway.  Sighing, Tracy crept
her way across the floor and to the bathroom.  There she quietly shut the
door and turned on the shower.

            As she stepped under the hot spray she wondered at what she
was going to do all day.  Surely it would be all right if she went out
for a little bit?  Just to the beach, or a little shopping?  Spending
another 4 or 5 hours cooped up in the room being quiet while the vampire
slept just didn't sound like much fun.

            She frowned, if Bourbon –was- here, he could conceivably get
to her if she went out.  Sure vampires didn't like the sun much, but she
knew from Vachon and Screed that there were plenty of ways to get around
a town during the day without setting foot in the sun, and Sydney was
most likely no exception.  But then again, the hotel was right across
from the beach, surely if she stayed in the blazing Australian sun she'd
be safe, right?

            Making up her mind, she climbed out of the shower and pulled
on her favorite pink bikini.  She threw on a pair of shorts, a tank top
and her sandals before grabbing her beach bag.  As an after thought, she
scribbled out a short note to Screed promising she'd be careful, then
slipped out of the hotel with a happy sigh.  

Slipping on her sunglasses as she stepped out onto the street proved a
good idea as the summer sun blazed overhead.  She made her way across the
street and on to the sandy beach.  There were people everywhere, hordes
of teenagers ran like packs down the back, while families and sunbathers
sprawled closer to the water.  Tracy stopped at one of the vendors and
bought a blue raspberry shaved ice before throwing down her towel and
claiming her spot to sun.

And to think, Tracy grinned, it was probably only 20 degrees back in
Toronto!  She slipped off her shorts and tank, before grabbing the 45 spf
sunblock from her bag and slathering it on.  Pale Canadians and tropical
sunshine didn't mix well.  Her eyes wandered over the crowds, content to
people watch as a regular tourist instead of a cop looking for signs of
trouble.  There were toddlers being held up by parents in the shallow
rolling waves, surfers were further out, enjoying themselves in the sun. 
Her attention turned back to the beach as someone turned on a boom box
and reggae began playing just barely in ear shot.  Tracy nibbled at her
frozen treat as she soaked it all in, this is what she'd been hoping for
when she'd booked her trip.  Lazy contentment, and the only snow to be
seen was on her snow cone!

Tracy was just about to lay back and doze when something caught her
attention from the corner of her eye.  A red van had pulled up in the
street directly parallel to the beach.  She wasn't certain why she'd
noticed it, except that it was in a no parking zone.  She frowned, it was
probably all that talk of Bourbon making her paranoid.  But none the
less, she found herself watching the van through her sunglasses, the red
van with the windows that were so tinted they were almost black.  She
finished up her snow-cone, but no one came out of or went to the van.  It
just sat there, parked by the beach for a full twenty minutes before
finally driving off.  

"I'm being paranoid," She told herself as she gathered up her things once
the van was gone.  "What are the odds they were looking for me?  Most
likely they were just checking a map or something."  But despite her own
assurances, within minutes she was on her way back to the hotel.  

As she slipped back in, Screed was still on the floor snoring softly.  
But as she crept past him on her way to the bathroom, he rolled over and
opened his eyes.  He looked confused a moment, then smiled.  Tracy
blushed when she realized she hadn't put back on her clothes, but was
just standing there in her pink bikini with its little white polka dot
design.  "Uh, hi Screed."

"Sweetness," He said by way of greeting as he sat up, his eyes never
leaving her.  Suddenly though, with a twitch of his nose he smelled the
sunblock and realized she must have gone out.  Tracy almost winced at the
lecture that she expected to follow, but he just sighed and stood to
stretch the kinks from his back.

Tracy was surprised, but also relieved.  She was so used to getting
treated like a misbehaved child from her father and partner, sometimes
even Vachon, that it was refreshing not to be called on things like this.
She had been careful and all.  She watched him pick up her note and scan
it before tossing it in the trash.  He smiled and then disappeared into
the bathroom with his bag.

"Huh," Tracy sat on the bed with a shrug.  No lecture.  For the first
time she was actually glad Screed was here.  It was actually… nice. 
"Huh."


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

            
            Tracy was still on the bed, watching TV in her bikini when
Screed finally came out of the bathroom.  She'd switched to lying on her
stomach with a leg bent at the knee, with one foot doing small, mindless
circles in the air as she fidgeted with the sound and such on the
controller.  She'd been trapped in her bikini for almost an hour so she'd
given up feeling self-conscious about it a while ago.  She –had-
discovered something to feel embarrassed about though, being caught
watching Aussie soaps.  Geez, and she though the American ones were
outlandish!  She flipped the channels to some music show and turned her
attention to where she'd heard Screed come in.

            "Hey, what are we doing tonight?"  Tracy asked, then she
noticed how he was dressed.  "Hey, you look nice!"  

            "Welly, figgered we might try sumpthin' more fancy than a pub
tonight eh?  'Ence tha togs."  Screed looked away from the smiling bikini
clad girl with a small cough, "As fer wot ta do, I'm up fer anythin'
Sweetness.  It's yer 'oliday after all."

            Tracy climbed off the bed and circled around him.  He was
wearing light-weight gray pants and a loose sage green silk shirt.  He
looked somehow both comfortable and strangely elegant at the same time. 
She'd seen him dressed in a suit once, it'd been Urs's birthday and the
four of them; Urs, Vachon, Screed and herself had all gone to Urs's
favorite opera, Tosca, to mark the occasion.  And while everyone had
dressed up, Screed had looked miserable in his obviously borrowed suit. 
But tonight, well, tonight he looked great!  , "I'd better go put on
something purty so I look like someone you'd be seen with huh?"  She
circled back around and smiled, "I just hope I brought something fancy
enough!"

             And with that, Tracy grabbed her own bag and headed to the
bathroom.  And it was Screed's turn to sit on the bed, which he did. 
Sinking into the mattress with a huge sigh.


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
comments and koalas to anteros@juno.com
 
Usual disclaimers

Dream Vacation (3/3)
By: Cousin Mary


            When they arrived at the restaurant Screed had chosen, Tracy
sent up a silent prayer of thanks that she'd indeed decided to wear the
best dress she'd brought.  Even as it was, her all purpose little black
dress almost wasn't fine enough for Forty-One, one of the most exclusive
restaurants in Sydney.   Right away she knew Screed must have called
ahead and made reservations, because they were shown to luxurious private
dinning room that had a spectacular view over Sydney Harbor.  It was the
classic postcard view of the Opera House and she couldn't help but gasp
when she saw it.

            The menu was all French-based foods with Asian influence, it
was a match for the impressive setting.  As they were left with a bottle
of wine, Tracy found herself turning wide eyes to her companion, "Screed?
Why?  I mean, this place-"

            "Don't ya like it?"  Screed sat forward a bit, setting his
wineglass down.  

            "It's amazing," Tracy said, still in awe of the place. 
However, you just didn't take a friend to a place like this, and she
wasn't sure what to say if Screed thought this was a date.  But as she
looked across the table she realized she couldn't go on, she was just
going to hurt or insult him if she did.  "Thank you." 

            Screed looked away, but was clearly pleased.  "Thares a bloke
back 'ome, comes out ta Oz a lot, says this 'ere is his favorite. 
Thought ya might get a kick out o' it.  Urs likes ta dress up an' such
too every now an' again."

            Tracy took a sip of her wine to hide her frown, then almost
choked when she realized she was actually disappointed that he brought
her here with no ulterior motives.  He'd brought her here for the simple
fact that he'd thought she'd enjoy it.  It was terribly sweet and more
than she could have hoped… so why did it feel like someone had just
canceled her birthday?  She forced a smile though, she was being silly. 
It was just the romantic setting that's all, Screed was a friend, nothing
more.

            It turned out that Forty-One had one of the more extensive
wine cellars of the vampire variety in the southern hemisphere, and Tracy
was shocked when the waiter didn't even blink an eye at Screed's order of
Cabernet Sauvignon with 'accents.'  Tracy herself ordered the fillet of
wild barramundi with roasted shallots and shiitake mushrooms, it was one
of the chef's specialties she was told.

            The conversation, if possible, was almost better than the
food.  Screed was charming and his accent seemed to soften as he relaxed
throughout the meal.  By the time dessert was brought, a dark Valrhona
chocolate truffle cake with armagnac macerated chestnuts that Tracy
almost gave up her citizenship for, the two friends were lounging
comfortably together as they thoroughly surrendered to Forty-One's
decadence.  

            After leaving the restaurant, they strolled hand in hand
through the Royal Botanical Gardens.  Though the gardens closed to the
public at dusk, Screed was able to 'persuade' the night-watchman to give
them a bit longer.

            "So why'd ya pick Oz-land fer yer 'oliday anyway Baby Jane?" 
Screed asked, still warm and slightly unfocused after all the wine.  He
slid his arm around her waist.

            "I got a deal on the air fare for one," Tracy didn't mind the
arm, in fact she leaned against him contentedly, "But I've always wanted
to see Australia.  It's so warm and open, seems a world away from Toronto
ya know?  Plus," She gave a small laugh, "When I was 15 Crocodile Dundee
came out and I was in love with the whole country after that."

            "Crocodile Dundee, eh?"  Screed grinned, "Always like that
movie.  Funny lookin' bloke with an accent gets the gorgeous,
sophisticated blonde.  What's nah ta like?"

            "Nothing," Tracy giggled, turning towards him with smile,
"You've been wonderful, you know that?  I'm glad you came on vacation
with me."

            "So am I," He answered back, dipping his head to bring his
lips to hers.  

            It was a gentle kiss, warm and comfortable in a way that was
unusual for a first kiss.  As her head tipped back, Screed's arms came
around her and they both let out soft sounds as they moved closer
together.


            "Now isn't this a pretty picture.  The rat-catcher finds
love!"  

A voice came from the shadows, and in an instant Tracy found herself
being shoved behind Screed.  "Bourbon," Screed nodded at one dark blob,
she figured he must be able to see but it had grown much to dark for her
mortal eyes.  "What brings yer frog self 'ere?"

"Ah, must we play games my old friend?"  The man finally drew close
enough for Tracy to see.  He was stylishly, if a bit effeminately dressed
in tight black pants and flowing black silk shirt.  His hair was dark
blonde and hung in curls to his shoulders.  His brow line was high and
his nose small, he looked young, but Tracy remembered Screed mentioning
once he'd been a Musketeer.

"You were tha one 'oo always liked games mate," Screed's voice sounded
calm, but his hand on her wrist, keeping her behind him was like steel. 
This was not likely to be a friendly reunion.  "Yer nah 'ere lookin' fer
trouble?"

"I had come here looking for something, I admit that," Bourbon just
laughed, a self satisfied kind of chuckle as he walked in slow, wide
circles around the pair.  "But this, this is much more intriguing."

"There's nuthin' ya needs with tha girl," The former sailor twisted,
keeping the other vampire in sight, "But if ya wants we can meet fer a
drink.  Chat over ol' times if that's wot yer after."

"There was a time when we'd reminisce and share the company of a beauty
like the girl," The Frenchman smiled an awful smile, taking a step
closer.

Tracy's eyes widened, this was not looking good, "I thought you were
looking for Vachon?!"  She blurted out suddenly.  "Why are you here?"

"So she speaks," Bourbon came closer, and ignoring Screed's audible
growl, took Tracy's hand and brought it to his lips, "It's a pleasure
Miss Vetter."

Now, Tracy had known that he must know who she was, after all, how could
he find her if he didn't?  But hearing him say her name was unsettling to
say the least. "Uh-" She started, but then let loose a started yelp when
she felt his teeth on her skin, "Acck!"

Screed physically flung her away from the Frenchman even as the smell of
her blood rushed into the night air.  He let lose a sound that was more
animal than anything and lunged at Bourbon.

Tracy climbed to her feet and for a moment hovered, uncertain what to do.
Screed and Bourbon were hurling each other around, hitting, biting and
snarling, fangs fully extended and eyes red with fury.  After a second,
Tracy realized she was being ridiculous, there wasn't anything she, a
mortal, would be able to do about a fight between centaury old vampires! 
She took off at a dead run towards the cultural center in the middle of
the gardens.

She had to pick the lock to get in, luckily a misspent youth running with
Bruce had honed her skills, she was in in less than a minute.  Once
inside she looked at her hand, he'd bitten a good chunk off the top of
her hand, near the side up by the wrist.  It was bleeding heavily but
didn't look too serious.  

She grabbed a tee-shirt with the Botanical Garden's logo emblazoned on
the front and wrapped it as tightly as she could around the wound.  Next
she started to search for a weapon.  Not that she didn't think Screed
could take the younger vampire, but if the French-vamp ran and happened
to choose this direction, she wanted to be ready.

She looked around at the displays, there were drums and boomerangs,
diagrams of Aboriginal settlements.  Finally she spotted something that
might work.  She grabbed the long, thick stick, but it was much lighter
than she needed for bludgeoning the undead, "Don't be stupid Tracy," She
said out loud, "No, you can't do that with a didgeridoo!"

But just as she was about to put it back, Bourbon came crashing through
the plate glass window overlooking the gardens.  Tracy screamed, and
without even consciously thinking about it, broke the instrument over her
knee and plunged the splintered wood into the roaring vampire's chest. 
He gave her such a look of shock, but then his eyes seemed to glaze of
immediately.  He was done by the time Screed followed him inside.

Screed paused just inside the broken window, taken aback by the sight
before him.  Then he carefully stepped over the body and came to Tracy's
side.  He gently pried the remaining piece of didgeridoo from her hand
and led back outside into the cool summer night air.  "Are ya all right
Tracy?"  He asked quietly.

"He's dead," Tracy turned huge eyes to Screed, "He's already dead."

"Tha wood, musta been 'oly er sumpthin."

"Are you angry?"  Tracy asked suddenly, "I mean, he was your friend
once."

"Nah really mine," Screed shrugged, then pulled a still shocked Tracy
into his arms, "But 'ow 'bout we not tell Vachonetti about none o' this,
okee dokee luv?"

"Fine by me," Tracy nodded, finally managing to blink.  She noticed from
the corner of her eye that the body was already disintegrating into dust.
Handy that.  She gave a huge sigh, "Can never say this vacation wasn't
memorable."

"Can never say this 'oliday wasn't a dream," Screed smiled down at her
before claiming her lips once again.


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Epilogue:


Back in Toronto Screed was putting a few things in a bag when from behind
he heard approaching footsteps.

"You old sea dog you!"  Vachon leapt on Screed's back with a hearty
laugh, "I can't believe you're moving in with a woman.  A cop no less!"  

Screed shook the Spaniard off with a few hard jumps, "Figgered its about
time ta settle down.  Been sewin' me wild oats fer 450 years mate, jus'
might be about time ta try sumpthin' new."

Vachon shook his head, a huge grin still in place, "Never thought I'd see
the day."

Screed looked away, "Ya ever find out wots tha wot wit' ol' Frenchie?"

"Nah, what ever it was," Vachon shrugged, "He must have got it out of his
system."

"Good ta 'ear," Screed mumbled, before swinging his packed bag over his
shoulder.  Just then both vampires heard the unmistakable sound of women
laughing as Urs and Tracy came around the corner.  They waited in silence
for a moment, then, with a hoot Screed tackled his love and kissed her
soundly.

Urs shoved her way past the oblivious couple and made her way to her
master's side, "Do you regret sending him after her?"  She asked quietly.

"How could I regret something that makes them so happy?"  He gave her a
small smile.

"Even though Bourbon…" She trailed off.

"I'm just glad I didn't have to do it," Vachon looked pensive for a short
moment then seemed to shake it off.  Then he took a long look at the
couple before calling out, "Okay you two, get a room!"

Screed and Tracy broke their kiss and looked back at the others.

"Soon as you help us move this stuff there," Tracy grinned cheekily,
grabbing a bag and heading out with Urs to the car.

Vachon shook his head as Screed came up beside him again, "Told ya
hombre, she's one a tha crew now."  The carouche grinned.

"May God help us all, " Vachon smiled back.


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
If you're curious, here's the restaurant
http://www.bestrestaurants.com.au/booking/select_rest.asp?id=101 , I'm
pretty sure they don't in fact keep a wine cellar for vampires, but then
again, I've never asked  ;-)

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