North American Vampire Council & Past Calling (Hypernaturals 12 & 13)

The Calm

I love listening to the water splashing up against the pontoons on the Nightwing. So peaceful and brings back memories of my first time on this boat.

What is different is who I am on the boat with. Helen lay wrapped in my arms, sleeping peacefully. The sounds of the water and the waves and even far off boats running around late at night calming. Not unlike rain.

We anchored in the Cove. Our Cove. The one we built as part of the Executive retreat. The one where, on this same boat, Angel and Vera got married.

Peaceful, happy memories and the sounds of the lake. Helen looking so young and innocent in her post-coital slumber.

I should be equally at peace, but I am not, because ... Something.

I don't know what is bugging me. Helen wanted a weekend together, and it has been a while since it was only the two of us, so I was more than happy to load up Nightwing and come out here to have peace and quiet and slow, gentle, unhurried-by-life loving sex.

Rachel said of our plans: "Sure: Go. Have fun."

Rachel would. Rachel may not be married to us, but she supports her lover getting special alone time with each of her spouses.

There is something off about it, but I can not figure out what. Round and round I went on it. Zero traction. Hyper senses were of no help here. Helen always scents like she is sneaking around on something. She is on Council. That is what Council does. Hell: not all that long ago I was in on an Operation, so I know they happen. Even though the results were excellent, Denise and others were not totally happy I had forced my way onto the Siren Lab raid.

If I can't figure it out, I may have to ask Morgan and Angel to help me figure this out. What is the use of being in a PI agency if I can't get them to help me solve a mystery?

Morgan, Jessica, and Nakoma have a mother/mother/daughter project going this weekend in the garage. The engine is out of Morgan's original Miata MX-5 for some reason. Her hot-rodded stealth MX-5 is Morgan's main wheels these days, so nothing really odd there. She has always meant to do that. A mild rework. Mostly stock. It's her baby. She would never do to it what she did to the identical one she souped-up and did all the invisible modifications on. One is her baby. The other her practical approach to living in a world with high horsepower cars and trucks. The next time we are chased through town by a monster truck, they are going to see her sleeper car's taillights fading into the distance.

I realized thinking about Morgan, Jessica, and Nakoma working on their project that part of what is bothering me is the way that Nakoma looked Helen over as she told them of our plans. Something about Helen was causing Nakoma to be interested, more than usual. My daughter the Astral. She saw... Well... Something. Nothing she felt important enough to be worried about.

Vera and Angel are doing Vera and Angel things. Vera working the bar, Angel up there with her as it is the weekend. Angel captivating the bar, as Astrals do. I am not worried about Angel's safety, as the Sirens there worship Angel even as they do not know why. Hell, I don't know why Astrals do that to Sirens. No one does. Not even Ninovan's.Astrals started from people that were shamans. Empathetic people that other people respected and wanted to be with and take their advice. Somehow this has morphed into Sirens being fascinated by the presence of an Astral.

Evolution is weird.

Denise was not happy at the idea that I would be out of her sight. My self assigned Crew guardian never is. I do enjoy pissing off Denise calling her 'Guardian' though. That is what the Crew is called in the PacRim geo. They are very conservative there. Denise does not like me to call her, inferentially, conservative. Bad word.