A Little Less Sixteen Candles... Continued

The Upper Hand

Joe pulled the door open and gazed down at the man supporting himself on one knee, bruised bloodied and exhausted.

"Dirty! What happened to you?" Joe asked, tricked by Beckett's mind control, he was unaware that he was actually speaking to the Dandies' leader.
"I was attacked, got away. Don't know how, but I got away."
"Attacked? By vampires?" Joe asked cautiously.
"No, I don't know who they were," Beckett sagged, grimacing in imaginary pain. "Please, Joe..."
"Sure... sorry..." Joe replied hurriedly as he bent down to help him up.

With his hands on his arms, Joe looked into the man's eyes and somehow he knew that something felt wrong.

"Uhn... no, wait..."
"Sorry, Joseph," Beckett curled his fingers around Joe's arm, gripping him unnaturally tightly. "You lose."

Struggling against Beckett's grip, Joe gasped as the control of his perception was lifted and finally he saw who held him. Beckett curled his mouth into a cruel sneer as he rose, towering over Joe, not for a moment releasing his firm hold on him. Suddenly shoving him backwards, Beckett delighted in the expression on Joe's face that, for a fleeting moment, he believed he had a chance of escape. Instead Joe found himself propelled into Brendon's equally vice-like hold.

"I should have known you'd pull something like this!" Joe struggled ineffectually in Brendon's grip. "You're a coward!"
"Somehow," Beckett grinned menacingly as he stroked the fur stole draped over his left shoulder, "I don't expect you to have a high opinion of me. Neither do I care."
"Joe!"

Joe stopped struggling and turned his head at the sound of Andrea's terrified voice. His eyes widened as he realised she was about to cross the threshold – the only thing keeping her safe.

"No!" he yelled, pleading with his eyes. "Stay inside, you're safe there, they can't touch you!"
"But... no!"
"You can't help me, there's nothing you can do." Joe insisted. "Stay where you are!"

The pair stared at each other; pained expressions told of their fear that they would never see each other again.

"Oh, this is just too sweet!" Beckett mocked. "Brendon, kill him."
"My pleasure!" Brendon grinned as he pulled Joe's head to one side.
"No!" Andrea stepped forward automatically.

Releasing his grip on Joe's head, Brendon laughed loudly as Andrea's terrified expression turned to one of bewilderment as, in a blur of movement, Beckett now held her in his grip.

"Let her go, Beckett!" Joe cried. "You don't want her, she's just another human to you."
"That's where you're wrong, Joseph," Beckett's lips curled into a smile as he turned Andrea to face him, holding both of her arms and relishing the expression of fear and uncertainty in her eyes. "Like you, I can see how special she is. How delicate, fragile, beautiful. She will be mine, forever."
"No!" Joe screamed and tried his best to pull free as Beckett bent down to press his fangs to her neck.
"Beckett!"

Glancing up, Beckett smiled at the sight of Andy and Simon, both now standing in the doorway. Andy looked exhausted, and still very ill – all his energy being taken merely to remain standing. In his hand, Andy was holding another of Patrick's gadgets – a stake gun. Roughly the length of a sawn off shotgun, but with wider barrels, the gun came equipped with a loading mechanism attached to a clip holding up to ten miniature stakes.

"Let them go, Beckett," Andy demanded.
"Or?" Beckett asked softly.
"I'll kill you both."
"No," Beckett shook his head. "You see, my dear, Andrew, I have the upper hand. I always have the upper hand."

Andy's eyes widened as he felt something sharp pressed to his neck.

"This scalpel is very sharp, Andy," Simon hissed into his ear. "If I were you, I wouldn't move."
"Simon? But you're not a vampire, you were awake during the day." Andy's blood ran cold at the shock of his friend working voluntarily for Beckett.
"That's right, I'm not, but Master Beckett has taken very good care of me."
"You think he'll do anything but kill you now?" Andy spat, bitter at the betrayal.