Interview with the vampire: The after story

Chapter 3: Goodnight my Sweet Prince

Louis

"'Claudia, Claudia' I held her close to me and felt her weight on my knee. She drew up close to my chest.

"'I only hope that when you have need of me, you can find me . . .' she whispered. 'That I can get back to you . . . I've hurt you so often, I've caused you so much pain.' Her words trailed off. She was resting still against me. I felt her weight, thinking, In a little while, I won't have her anymore. I want now simply to hold her. There has always been such a pleasure in that simple thing. Her weight against me, this hand resting against my neck."(Rice. 292-293) Little young Claudia morphed into the woman I had just met. "Are you going to let them take me, Louis?" She whimpered and clutched harder against my body. "I have to send you away for awhile my dear, so you are safe." The door of our home busted with Armand's followers overflowing into the room, pulling Claudia away from me. She looked so scared, struggling against their hold. "Let her go! You have taken one dear to me already do not take her as well. The ring leader showed his face, smirking slowly at his puppets. "Restrain the girl." His accented voice had made my insides flip, showing my mind of the awful thing he let these brainless imbeciles do to my Claudia. "Choose, my friend, her freedom for yours or we kill her." A grimy hand wrapped around her neck, frightening her even more. "Louis, please don't let them take me away from you." Tears streamed down her face. Guilt was an emotion I felt often but seeing her there I could not help but fell sorry for her.

One step toward Claudia. That was all it took. "Kill her." Armand commanded. Claudia screamed, as they stripped her away from her dignity. This could not happen again. Ripping through them, I could hear Claudia's heart beating right out of her chest. "No, no, NO!" My body had jumped up and smashed into the top of my coffin. It was all dream. Thank God, if he was ever so generous to the damned. Checking the time, I had seen it was time again to see my precious Claudia. As selfish as it was I needed to see her, to make sure my dream wasn't real.

Claudia

"Louis? Some guy just dropped off a note for you at my house." I sat on my couch gingerly. Louis followed me in, perplexed about this mysterious note. "What does the note say, Claudia?" I didn't read it before hand. Giving Louis the mysterious note, I felt knots in my stomach. This isn't good. I could feel it. Louis froze, reminding me of a statue. "Is everything alright?" I asked for the benefit of the doubt. I could be overreacting but I don't think by his reaction that this was pleasant nor a joke. "Who dropped this off?" "I don't really know. I had fallen asleep and when he had dropped this off I was half conscience. All I remember is blonde hair and really pale skin. What does this mean? What does the note say?" "Claudia, did Nina know any one by the name Lastat?" I made a face while shaking my head no. That was such and odd name and knowing Nina she would've told me of a new, male friend.

I wanted to ask if things were alright again, but Louis seemed to be worlds away staring at the note. I thought of a different question. "Louis, did he kill Nina?" The knot in my stomach told me my answer as soon as he looked up at me, with those dreadful blue eyes. "I'm sorry, love. I did not know being close to you would bring death." I didn't know how to reply to him. I wanted to be close with him, but I could not take more death. Nina was my best friend and family. It feels surreal that she's gone. "What do we do now?" "We can do nothing, I have to leave. Goodnight miss Claudia." "What? Goodnight? It's only 7 o'clock. Louis what is going on?" I couldn't stand not knowing what was happening especially if it had to do with Nina and her possible killer. I grabbed his cold hand and turned him towards me again. "Please tell me what's happening. If it has anything at all to do with Nina then I deserve to know. " My voice was soft, hoping he would just spit it out, he's already told me his biggest secret, so what's another one? "Lastat was my maker. He has always wanted me at me side, so he would not be alone, and he had made another so I would stay with him. My little Claudia. As fearless as she was she could not handle not growing up." Sadness had washed over his features even though Louis smiled."What happened to her?" Slowly he brought his gaze to mine as his face twisted in pain and started from the moment he drank from the little sick girl in New Orleans. "And I remind you of her?" I added after he was finished with his tale. halfway through he sat on my couch and I brought him closer to me hopefully bashing away the horrid images from his mind. While I played with his hair he answered. "In a way yes. It's what drew me to you in the first place, but I do know that you both are as different as you are the same." "And now what are we going to do about Lastat?" "We cannot do anything about him, love. The last time I tried to be away from him I lost the one I loved the most." "Then you're going to let him trap you in an eternal friendship? Louis that seems beyond miserable." He quickly sat up and turned towards me with a smile and hope in his eyes. "What if we run?" I immediately frowned. No way. This man, this vampire, had nothing that bound him to the city other than his own history and me, but I couldn't just pack up and leave. Besides this wasn't like it was back in the 1800s where you could just leave in the middle of the night without a trace. "As cool as that sounds, I'm going to decline your offer. You said that you had killed all of Armand's followers right, besides the boy?" He nodded hesitantly; "Yes?" He had no idea where I was going with this. "Then there would be no one left to punish you Louis, then you would be free if you killed him." His jaw dropped for a second before dread filled his stature. "No, Claudia. I learned from my mistake the first time." His voice was hard, no room for arguing. He was frustrated that there was no options for him to live happily. When Louis put his head in his hands and groaned I rubbed his back. "What if you told him you didn't want to be friends. That seems easy enough, and he could have some new person to impose his will on." I was definitely saying all of the wrong things. "I would not damn another creature, even if that means loosing you." The second part of his sentence was quieter than the beginning. What was he going to do? Let his second Claudia leave him after he would be happy for a few decades? Letting out an exasperated sigh, he leaned back on the couch and wrapped his arms around me. "I have to go in a few hours to see what Lestat wants exactly. What shall we do?" It was Sunday night and mostly everything was closing. My body still felt hazy from my nap. "Do you like movies?" He chuckled and nodded. "They are very fascinating to me, but can I pick?" Now I let out a laugh and agreed, getting up to make popcorn. My body screamed at me for walking the short distance to the kitchen. It was stiff from laying on the couch. Turning on the lights in the kitchen I screamed at the black, furry thing running across my counter.

"You're frightened of a mere spider?" Louis looked delighted as he had that eight legged demon in his hands. "Louis, please for the love of god, kill it." He smirked and started coming towards me again with that thing resting in his hand. "If I had thought killing this creature would have given me the grace of God I would have done this a long time ago." Tears were welling up in my eyes. I was super arachnophobic and this didn't exactly help my anxiety. "Louis please." my voice cracked finally getting through to him that I was absolutely terrified of this little bug. Once he threw it out I made him wash his hands before he could touch me again. "Sorry my love." He murmured, helping me down from the chair I was standing on. "I picked out Transformers is that a good selection?" I couldn't help but laugh. "Yes." With both of us grinning he lead me back to my couch and I had a movie night with my vampire.

Louis

Claudia was asleep at my side, snoring lightly. She was already precious to me and I would not give this up. I had been thinking of her ways to free me of Lestat. He would want me forever, even in death he wanted me. I knew he took Malloy but I do not believe he changed him. Lestat as twisted as he was probably promised "giving him the chance he never had" but never intended to give the man immortality. I did not want to see another good innocent soul turn out like me. Draining the life from ones body and feel good about it. My stomach twists at the thought. I could not do that even to the girl at my side. Something would separate us. It had to. My wife and child were taken away from me as was my beloved. What will God do to the damned this time? Glancing out the window I knew that it was time for me to leave. I picked Claudia up and put her in her bed, covering her. She gained consciousness once more "Louis, are you leaving?" She questioned, pulling on my pant leg. "Yes, my dear. I have to leave now, but I will be back tomorrow night." "Promise?" I could see the pout on her lips. Smiling I pushed her wild curls out of her face. "Of course I do." I placed a kiss on her forehead, telling her goodbye. "Goodnight Claudia." "Night, Louis." She rolled on her left side and within a moment Claudia was asleep again.

When I stepped outside I followed my path easily back to my room. What did Lestat want with me? The note said that he would meet me in my room, and if I did not show he would kill another one of Claudia's friends or her. Meeting with him was a risk all in itself. Opening the door I tried to prepare myself, meeting my maker once again.