Say Live, Let Die

Chapter 29: "but that has been done before"

Maria yawned, the morning paper crinkling in her hands as she turned the page. It was just after nine; she'd slept in, a luxury she hadn't been allowed in some time. Essentially she was her own boss now, running the video store; so a late morning here or there wouldn't make the boss angry.

Scanning the paper, Maria marveled at how quickly the last few days had flown by. Saturday night David had been brought back, Michael and Star killed. Now it was Wednesday. The grandfather and Edgar Frog, the last two witnesses, the last humans to know about the vampires living in Santa Carla, were dead.

That was a lot of work accomplished in just three nights.

Her eye caught a small blurb about the house fire, a minor update to the previously published article. It mentioned that the owner of the property had died in the hospital, succumbed to the injuries he'd sustained in the traffic accident.

"Case closed," Maria muttered, turning the page again. The next page was the local grocery store's weekly ad. Spreading the paper down on the table, she began to scribble a shopping list.

"Mornin'," Jake called as he and Sophia entered the kitchen, both yawning.

"Good morning."

"Coffee?"

"Sorry, I finished what was left over from yesterday." Maria answered, looking sheepish.

"That's okay, I'll make another pot." Sophia offered, taking the metal canister from the cupboard as well as grabbing the glass pot to fill in the sink.

"I would use bottled water." Maria cautioned. "The stuff from the tap made this batch taste funny."

Sophia nodded, getting a bottle of water from the fridge. "Got it."

"Bacon and eggs sound okay?" Jake pulled the frying pan out.

"Sure, why not." Sophia filled the coffee maker, putting the filter in the basket and scooping the grounds in.

"It's weird without the vamps around, isn't it." Maria asked randomly.

Jake waved his hand in a so-so motion, setting the pan on the stove and turning on the burner. "I guess I just took them to be part and parcel of living in the house now that Max's gone."

"I wasn't sure how long they'd stay, especially now that David's back." Maria sighed. "Beth wasn't thrilled about moving to the cave but he's the leader now. What he says goes."

Sophia frowned. "He's been deciding a lot for someone who's only been back from the dead since Saturday."

"We had to wait and do what we could, while Marko got back on his feet and the Emersons were lulled into a false sense of security." Maria reminded her. "We always knew revenge would the first priority for David, Sophie."

"I guess it's a plus he didn't kick us out of the house or move us all into the cave." Jake noted.

"David knows humans, even ghouls, aren't suited to living in a cave." Maria replied. The smell of fresh coffee filled the air as the hot water steeped through the grounds and dripped into the pot. "Besides, this house is worth more to us to keep then sell right now."

"You think David will mellow out some, now that the loose ends are tied up?" Sophia opened a cupboard and took down three coffee mugs.

"With Beth here, most certainly." Maria nodded. "If she wasn't, I'd be worried. But without her, David wouldn't be here. None of us know how to do what she did. We didn't even know how to bring Marko back, not properly."

"She's made herself very valuable." Jake sighed.

Maria frowned at the young man. "She had to. Max didn't like her, not when he realized she was a strong young woman and not so easily molded as others. It got worse for her when Max realized she and David were close, worked together so well. David has always been ambitious, for better or worse. He wasn't afraid, didn't fear the transition. I think that helped it be successful."