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

Canceled Meeting

I walked into the kitchen. Rachel, Helen, Jessica, and Morgan all sat at the table doing morning things. Drinking coffee. Reading news. Denise is gone: Probably at the office or off doing some Crew Lead thing. She need not tell me what she is up to. Crew is hers and Anne's.

Morgan is writing things on her e-paper pad. Morgan and her tech-notes. She told me even back as a Cop she always went electronic so that she could have access to it from wherever she was. Morgan did electronic communications before it was cool.

"Morning, Councilman." Jessica said. I ignored that hostile greeting. I looked in the fridge to see if there is anything fast to make. I am meeting Vera at the office for a follow-on about the Siren's. I heard her and Angel drive out earlier, so I know they are there already.

Vera might call this a report. In that case, I need to fuel up now. Vera is serious as hell about how she reports.

When I did not respond to Jessica, Helen spoke up. "Bug up your butt, Councilman? Jessica said good morning."

I ignored that too. It is not as if I have said two words to Helen since she screwed me.

Fine. Forget it. This place is hell. No food here. I can get breakfast tacos up the road at a little building a family put there just for Tacos and Tamales. I filled a to-go cup from the coffeepot and left through the kitchen door. I was halfway to my car when I heard Morgan come outside.

"You did not kiss me goodbye, Councilman!" she called. I kept walking.

"Adrian!!" Morgan shouted.

I turned. "Yes, my love?"

"You did not kiss me goodbye." Morgan said. Not happy. Not in any way demanding or shrew-like, but not happy.

I went back, took her in my arms. Morgan called me by my name, so I tried to make that kiss feel more like making love standing up.

"Ok. Whew." Morgan said. "That felt like you have not had sex in a year."

"Sorry I do not have time to take the only woman in this entire goddamn house that knows my actual name to bed, but I have a Siren meeting."

"You hate being called 'Councilman' that much?" Morgan asked, curiously, instantly snapping to it.

"I completely do. Fucking insult, that is. I do not have to put up with it. Not in my own house. Bye, love!"

I hopped into the 124 that Morgan and the two that forgot my name bought me. I idled away, top-down, a wave at Morgan who was standing back there where we kissed and looking thoughtful. Not an unfamiliar look for her. Morgan does thoughtful better than anyone.

After I bought my tacos, I sat in the car carefully eating them and thinking. This particular Taco stand only has one picnic table, and six big guys that work for the power company filled it to overflowing, thus I am eating in my car. I normally avoid getting crumbs in my beautiful car, but necessity is a mother.

Morgan figured it out right away. Helen, seeing no response to Jessica, dug in deeper. Jessica never seemed to get it and ignored it. Now Morgan will tell the two of them that I was never going to respond to being called that atrocious name by them. Am I being childish? I know this is supposed to be a big deal. A big honor.

It's not. It is just pissing me off. Helen never mentioned it. Never asked me if I wanted it. They painted me into a damn corner in their meeting. Childish or not, take that title and stuff it. I know Morgan will never use it again, no matter how childish she thought I am acting. She knows me.

I thought the other two did.

Helen probably will never get it. Oh well: She has Rachel and Holly. Not as if I am required.

OK. I am not being fair to Jessica. Jessica cares about me too. Once Morgan tells her what is up, she'll go 'Ah-ha' or something and never use that all-the-gods forsaken title for me again either.

Jessica knows me. Once Morgan lays it out, she will understand. She may not agree, but she will understand.

I know I can do some good with this position. Denise and Anne accepted their dual Lead role and dug in with gusto. My office is a little crowded but that's OK. I hear them talking and how they have owned this, and for that, I will let them have my desk and sit in the corner if need be. They work well together. Always have.

During dry spells they were lovers. Now and then. Before Nico. They are 'Vampire Het', which is to say, they live in a nearly all-female world and have adapted to that over the centuries.

Crew makes that even worse. Running the missions together. Being away from home and familiar hunting areas. Places where they know the safe places to pull a human over from time to time, as required by Vampire biology.

Another thing to fix. How do we keep people on Crew able to meet their own Vampire-induced needs? Not like I can truck in humans onto missions for a regular chomp-and-screw. Hmmm.

Fuck: I need one of those e-paper pads like Morgan's so I can be taking notes.

I wonder how it feels to Anne and Denise to know that the guy you work for is a tiny fraction of your age. Shit. I am a baby, relatively speaking.

I called Vera.

"Hey!" She said.

"I need to cancel today." I apologized. "Sorry, Vera. I just have to have some time to think about all this new shit."

"Got it. OK. Go think." Vera replied with understanding. "That is what you do at times like this. Known that about you for years. Why you and Morgan work. Only recently came to appreciate it."

I really had not wanted to go to the office. Angel is there today, and she would read me like a book, and I want to sit and think.

Kind of funny. I got up Denise's funnel about her deciding whether or not to join our family. Even Anne did. Now I need to go sit on my pity potty and think.

That means the Hollow. Taco's gone, I put the wrappers in the little stand's trash can, and drove off.

I pulled up to Hippie Hollow, wishing I had gone and gotten the Nightwing instead and floated her over here. I much prefer to access the beach from the water. To sit up on the shore and look out at the Nightwing and everything that boat means to me.

I probably should not love a thing as much as I do the Nightwing. She is such a symbol of my new life. Especially here, at the Hollow.

I realized another thing as I walked downslope. I came here, not the Cove. The Cove is part of the Executive Retreat, and that is associated with Helen. Here, at the Hollow, my memories are of Jessica.

I found my spot. The place where I met Jessica, years ago. I laid out a towel that I always keep in the car, and I sat. Time to feel small and try and get some perspective on the Helen shit show.