Something Inside

All previous disclaimers apply.

“Ryan! What a pleasant surprise!” Tristan smiled jovially as his former lover broke through the heavy door of the warehouse he had rented specifically for the purpose of turning Ryan’s human whore into one of their kind. Ryan was snarling at him, his beautiful face contorted in his rage, but Troy, Gabriella and Sharpay held him back from attacking at he wanted to. Tristan’s smile transformed slightly into a smirk. There were benefits to being on the Council. Troy knew that if Ryan attacked him now his life would be forfeit. Troy wasn’t an idiot after all.

“It’s been too long, Ryan,” Tristan made a show of going over to a work table where he had set an ornate goblet he had filled with Chad’s blood, “Please, do come in. Would you like a drink? I must say, this particular vintage is some of the best I’ve ever tasted.”

“Where is he?” Ryan screamed, almost breaking free of the grips of the three older, stronger vampires who held him. Tristan’s eyes flashed in appreciation. The vampire he had chosen to remain at his side for the rest of time was truly remarkable. It might take Ryan another two hundred years to forgive him for what he had done, but eventually he would come back to him. Of this, Tristan had no doubt what so ever.

“Now, Ryan,” Tristan clucked his tongue and took another sip of the blood that really was some of the most flavorful he had ever tasted, “We haven’t even seen each other in two hundred years. Is that any way to greet an old friend? Especially one who has offered you refreshment. I must say, your manners have become lacking.”

“Where the hell is he, you bastard?” Ryan pulled harder on those holding him back. Tristan just smiled again. All four of them were snarling at him now, but the other three were keeping their heads about it.

“We can smell his blood, Tristan!” Troy called out, “We’ve been able to smell it for miles. Just tell us where he is!”

“Back room,” Tristan shrugged, “But, don’t blame me if you don’t like what you find.” He threw his head back and laughed as they let Ryan go and he was in the back room before any of them could see. Ryan’s roar of disbelief and rage sent a shiver of lust through him that was not dampened even when Gabriella pushed him out of the way to get to the back room.

“What has he done?” Sharpay cried out when she caught her first glimpse of Chad, lying still not yet one of them, yet no longer alive and human in his own cooling blood. Ryan had pulled his still form into his arms and was begging Chad to come back to him, pleading with higher powers he no longer believed in to spare the human man he had come to love more than his own existence.

“No, no, no,” Ryan moaned, stroking Chad’s hair, rocking his unbroken body. Though his clothes were a mess of blood and tears, Sharpay could see no wounds on Chad’s body.

“Madre del dios,” Gabriella whispered when she realized exactly what had happened to Chad. For the first time in four hundred years she felt as if she would be sick. She knew it was a reaction purely of the mind, but turned away from the sight I front of her.

“Dear God,” Troy knelt next to Ryan and put a hand to Chad’s neck, feeling for a pulse, “He wouldn’t. It’s forbidden. It’s too cruel.”

“What has he done?” Ryan asked quietly. For a moment Troy was frightened of him as he’d never been frightened of anyone before.

“He has killed him, Ryan, drained him of blood, and given him some of his own. But, it’s not enough. It’s not enough to complete the transformation. His body lives like a vampire, but he…”

“Can I release him? Can I bring him peace?” Ryan’s voice was so low Troy almost didn’t hear it and he took a deep breath before answering.

“No… No one will be able to take what little life remains in him, but neither will the sun kill him yet. He either stays like this, between worlds, or someone must give him enough blood to complete the transformation.”
The sound Ryan made then, a howl torn from his very soul, made them all shudder. Troy didn’t even have a moment to think before Ryan had laid Chad gently on the floor and was back in the main room. Tristan’s laughter followed Ryan’s departure and they ran back into the room to see Ryan pinning Tristan by the neck against the far wall. Ryan was snarling. Tristan was laughing.

“You can’t kill me, Ryan,” Tristan laughed, “And even if you had the strength you wouldn’t anyway.”

“Try me!” Ryan screamed in his face, “You have taken everything from me!”

“Only because you took everything from me first!” Tristan screamed and they all watched in horror as his laughter became his own snarl and he pushed Ryan off of him. Ryan flew across the warehouse and landed hard against a wooden door. Tristan was there in the blink of an eye and had rammed a splintered piece through Ryan’s shoulder into the door. Sharpay screamed, but Gabriella held her back.

“They’re here,” Troy murmured, “I’ll direct them to us. Keep it going. Keep her out of it until I direct them to us.”

“Go!” Gabriella whispered tensely, barely keeping her hold on Sharpay, struggling her arms to get to her paralyzed brother.

“Let me go!” She howled, “Let me go! Wood, Gabi! He’ll kill him!”

“He won’t!” Gabriella whispered tensely, “He’s too deranged. He thinks he loves Ryan. Even if he tried to kill him he would make it last. We cannot attack him, Sharpay! He’s much too strong and our lives would be forfeit! We’re not on the Council and neither of us have laid claim to Chad! Just wait! My love, a few moments more. This will be settled by the Council.”

“They are here?” Sharpay turned shocked eyes to Gabriella.

“Troy sent word to all of them three days ago on Chad’s request.”

“Chad’s request?” Sharpay felt as if she couldn’t breathe, “He knew this would happen?”

“He couldn’t tell us exactly when it would happen. Only that it was soon. And he didn’t know what would happen to him,” Gabriella said, “More is the pity. But, he knew that Ryan would need them to rule in his favor to survive. I’m sorry we didn’t tell you. He asked us not to. But, they are here now and it will all be taken care of. So, please, keep your head. Just a moment more.”

Sharpay nodded and though her chest was tight and her muscles tensed to run to help her brother she kept her place at Gabriella’s side. She made a low moan from the back of her throat that echoed Ryan’s scream as Tristan pushed the wooden stake further into his shoulder. Wood was the only thing that could cause a vampire pain; so much pain that it paralyzed from the moment it entered the body. The fact was never spoken aloud and many new vampires never learned it until it happened to them. Sharpay hadn’t felt pain in over two hundred years, but she felt it now as she watched it contort Ryan’s face and heard it in his voice.

“You took everything from me when you took yourself away!” Tristan growled in Ryan’s face, “I loved you, Ryan. I loved you so much. I was ready to spend the rest of eternity with you.”

“How could you love me?” Ryan growled right back, “You couldn’t even respect me! And how do you think I could love you now? You’ve killed so many innocent humans…”

“Don’t forget Caleb,” Tristan smiled pleasantly, his eyes lighting, “Killed him, too. He was just as innocent as all of the humans. Said he insulted me without cause. It pays to be on the Council. To be ancient as I am.”
Ryan tried to jerk forward to attack Tristan and howled in a pain before snarling again, “There’s no way the Council will back you now!”

“Please, Ryan,” Tristan rolled his eyes, “I know you’re upset now, sweeting, but soon enough you’ll see that we belong together. No matter how long it takes, I can wait. I’m patient. You’ll see. Soon enough we’ll be laughing over this whole experience after we’ve made wild passionate love for hours. Maybe someday we’ll even turn him completely, yeah? After he sees how in love we are he’ll leave us alone. Or join us. Can’t you see how magnificent it would be with the three of us together?”

“Never!” Ryan felt a tear roll down his cheek but didn’t stop to marvel at it, his first in two hundred years. “I’ll never be by your side. I’ll have Chad buried and walk out into the sun before I let you touch me. The Council…”

“Will do nothing!” Tristan stood and laughed, “They’ve done nothing significant in nearly three hundred years. They’re a bunch of dried up, scared little ancients huddling in their ancient homes, never coming out except to meet each other once every fifty years so that they can discuss how useless they are. They’ll vote however I tell them to vote.”

“Oh, will we, Tristan?” The deep, smooth as black velvet voice that interrupted what Sharpay was sure was going to be another well planned and insane rant by Tristan had her looking up in shock. She hadn’t seen the whole of the Council in the same room in her lifetime. Seeing them now was something that no human would ever see and most vampires would only dream of seeing.

Helen was a stunning, blonde vampire and the oldest of all of those in existence to
their knowledge. She had been a vampire long before she was married to a Greek king and stolen away by a Trojan prince, starting the grandest war of the ancient world. Her then lover, Paris, now stood by Martha’s side. Helen and Paris hadn’t even lasted twenty years together as a couple after the ancient war had ended. They had come to realize that their passion was not love, but they had remained the closest of friends. It was hard not to remain friends, Sharpay considered, when there was only one other being who would live as long as yourself that you knew of at the time. Helen had led Paris to Martha after deciding that she didn’t want the girl for herself and in turn Paris and Martha had led Helen to Nakoma, the woman she would eventually spend eternity with.

They were the four Sharpay had seen before, but the other four she had only heard stories of from Troy. Hirotaro, Aziza, Dimah, and Sadik had reputations for never leaving their homes unless it was Council business. In a corner of her mind she knew that this situation had become Council business, but it was still a shock to her system to see all of them in the same room. Troy and Tristan made them number ten. Briefly, the Council had considered expanding their number to eleven to include both Troy and Gabriella, but as Gabriella had turned down a place on the Council before it was given to Troy and showed no interest in ever being included the idea had died quickly. That had been before Sharpay’s time. The Council, save for Tristan, now stood in a row, some with arms crossed, all with hard eyes, as they looked at him.

“Release him,” Helen commanded, “We’ll all settle this.”

Tristan half snarled and half laughed before pulling the stake out of Ryan’s shoulder. Gabriella and Sharpay were at his sides in an instant, helping him up and holding him back when he went to lunge for Tristan again.

“No!” Gabriella pulled hard on the shoulder the stake had been in moments before, making Ryan turn and hiss at her, “They’re here now. Let them rule on it. He’s the one at fault. Let it be done the right way.”

“The right way!” Ryan snarled, “The right way would be letting me kill him with my bare hands!”

“And if we find that Tristan is at fault and has wronged you, young one,” Sadik said kindly, “It will be so.”

“Now, who will make a case first?” Martha asked pleasantly.

“I will!” Tristan growled, “I was hunting, feeding, and this one,” He jerked his head at Ryan, “Attacked me without provocation. He has been obsessed with me since he was turned. I will admit that we spent a number of years together, but he has followed me no matter where I went since I left him. He’s always been insane and the years have only increased it. He only takes human lovers and some day he’s going to let slip what we are and forget to kill them. He’s a danger to all of us and our lifestyle.”

“Serious allegations all. Can we prove Ryan and Tristan were on the same continents at the same time the past two hundred years?” Paris raised an eyebrow and wrapped his arm around Martha’s waist, “Hirotaro?”

Hirotaro closed his eyes briefly, “They were. More often than not in the same city.”

“What have you to say, Ryan?” Paris asked.

Keep your head and explain rationally, Ryan, Troy sent the thought to Ryan as hard as he could, Emotions will not help your case now.

Ryan took a deep breath to help himself calm down, “Members of the Council,” Ryan began respectfully and he could see the members reacting to it. They stood up taller, paid more attention to him, “I thank you for being here to hear this case. It is true that often in the past two hundred year Tristan and I have been on the same continent, in the same city, at the same time. If it would please the Council, I have just recently discovered that my sister and her mates, Troy and Gabriella, have been tracking Tristan with Martha and Paris’ help because they feared for my safety. Since I broke my relationship off with Tristan he has followed me and killed every single lover I have taken. It adds up to three hundred and fifty six humans and one vampire, Caleb Powell.”

“It’s true,” Martha said, “We have been tracing Tristan or a good many years out of fear for Ryan’s safety.”

“It is not against our laws to follow a fellow vampire. Just as it is not against our laws to kill humans, nor to kill a fellow vampire’s former lovers, especially if they are human. Can’t see how you’d want a human lover to begin with,” Dimah shuddered at the thought.

“No, it’s not,” Troy agreed. His anger was rising at Tristan’s allegations toward Ryan. He wanted to tear him apart for trying to turn everything back on the perhaps one innocent party. Two, his mind corrected. Poor Chad was in the next room neither alive or dead due to this deranged vampire who had outlived his time, but he had to do this the right way or risk not only Ryan’s life, but his own and the life of his girls. That was something he would never do. So, he smoothed a hand over his hair and kept his voice steady as he helped with the questioning, “But, Caleb Powell? What reason did you have to kill Caleb Powell, one of our own kind?”

“He insulted me,” Tristan shrugged, “He did not give me the proper respect due as an ancient and a member of the Council. It was not a crime for me to take his life.”

“Tristan’s right,” Helen shrugged, but Ryan could see the regret in her eyes. She didn’t like Tristan anymore than he did, “Unless there is anything else, the Council can do nothing and I cannot see why we were called here in the first place.”

“There is something else, my love,” Nakoma put a hand on Helen’s arm before Ryan could object, “Isn’t there, Ryan? Something you were hoping not to have to bring into this. Someone. We can all smell the blood. What is going on?”

“Yes, what is going on?” Dimah sneered. He did not like coming away from his home and was bored with the proceedings, “I must say I agree with Helen when she says that it seems we were called here without cause. If you have wasted our time, Troy…”

“I haven’t. I swear to it. Please, just listen. We should have brought this to your attention first, but we were trying to protect him.”

“Protect whom?” Nakoma asked. She was resisting the urge to go put an arm around Ryan’s shoulders with all her might. She could read on his face just how bad this was going to be.

Ryan forced himself to speak around the emotions in his throat, “I have recently been seeing a human, Chadwick Danforth. I know many of you do not understand my proclivity for humans, but I have fallen in love with him. Deeply in love. I was going to spend all of his life with him, then end my existence when he was gone. Now we’ll never have that opportunity.”

“Why is that?” Aziza spoke for the first time, a look of cautious curiosity on her dark face.

“Please, come look.”

“No!” Tristan lunged for the door that separated the one crime he had committed by vampire standards from the rest of the Council. He had been so sure that he could convince them to leave without them seeing what he had done, Ryan could tell. He almost felt sorry for Tristan. How could he have possibly thought that they wouldn’t smell the blood? Any vampire within a five mile radius would be able to smell it. He had truly gone insane and for a moment Ryan wondered how long it had been so. Should he have seen something when he was with Tristan? Should he have done something while they were together? Could he have done anything? He almost reached out to stop Sadik from roaring and using the very stake that had kept Ryan pinned moments before to pin Tristan to the door. Tristan looked so shocked. Nothing had hurt him in over four hundred years. The pain from the wood now stabbed through his chest made him scream. Pity rose in Ryan’s heart until they walked through the door to the small back room and he saw Chad again.

Chad was just as still, just as grey, just as stuck between worlds. It took Ryan a moment to realize that the low, keening sound he heard was coming from himself even as fell to his knees and took Chad in his arms once again to rock him, wishing with all his heart that there were someway to change everything that had happened in the past three hours. The idea caught him. Had it only been three hours since Troy, Gabriella, and Sharpay had told him that Tristan was in the same city, that Tristan had killed every lover he had ever taken, that Tristan was after Chad? His reality had changed so much in just three hours. He felt another tear slip down his cheek and watched as it landed on Chad’s beautiful, cool skin.

“I’m so sorry, my love,” he kissed Chad’s still lips, “So sorry.”

“How… How could he?” Helen gasped at the sight in front of her, “The ten of us created these rules four hundred years ago when our numbers began to grow for a reason! No children! They’re too young! No old ones! Their bodies are too frail! No half transformations! It’s too cruel even for us who feed on humans! Three laws! Not hard to follow! Tristan, why the Hell have you done this?”

“Do we even know he did it?” Hirotaro asked. He held up his hands when the others glared at him, “We have to make sure.”

“Aziza, you see into the heart of things,” Troy looked at her expectantly. Ryan forced himself not to pull Chad away as the tall, graceful vampire knelt next to them and set a hand over where Chad’s heart should have been beating. She closed her eyes lightly and he could see her eyes darting back and forth underneath her lids as she tried to get a reading on what had happened to Chad in the last hours. When her eyes snapped open she lunged for the open door and had to be held back by Hiortaro. He pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder in an attempt to calm her and she turned shocked eyes on him. He just shrugged and pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her waist, no longer holding her back but keeping her to him.

“What did you see?” Paris asked.

“Tristan did it on purpose,” Aziza growled, “He whispered to Chadwick that he would turn him, despite the fact that Chadwick said he would rather die, then he didn’t complete it. Chadwick’s mind still lives. It screams. He’s in such pain. Tristan has done this before. Many times. He knows exactly what it does.”

“Can Chad hear me?” Ryan asked desperately.

“Doubtful,” Aziza answered regretfully, “He’s in too much pain.”

“Chad,” Ryan bent his head over Chad’s form and looked up just as quickly again, his eyes blazing. He laid Chad down gently and then stood like lightning, “Rule now!”

Dimah was about to call him on his disrespect, but Helen put a hand up, “A vote has been called for. The vote will be cast. Guilty. Nakoma?”

“Guilty.”

“Paris?”

“Guilty.”

“Martha?”

“Guilty.”

“Troy?”

“Guilty.”

“Dimah?”

“Not guilty. The victim is only one human. Worthless.” Ryan growled but kept his mouth shut and didn’t move.

“Hirotaro?”

“Guilty.”

“Aziza?”

“Guilty.

“Sadik?”

“I choose to exercise the right to abstain from the vote.”

“Understood.”

Helen ushered them out of the room so that they stood in front of Tristan, trying to remove the stake that Sadik had pinned him with. Aziza couldn’t hold back any longer and screamed in rage, lunging for him and pushing the stake further into his body. Tristan screamed and his body convulsed.

“Enough!” Helen’s voice stopped Aziza in her tracks, “The right does not belong to you, Aziza.”

“I yield,” Aziza snarled, “Happily.”

Ryan stepped up to Tristan, “Why? Why did you do this to him?”

“To him?” Tristan gasped around his pain, tried to chuckle, “I was under the impression that I was doing it to hurt you. The way you hurt me.”

“You’re insane,” Ryan growled, “I never hurt anything but your pride.”

“Perhaps it was enough. Now, you’ll be alone for the rest of eternity. I know you, Ryan. Or maybe you’ll finally have the spine to walk out into the sun. I should have just let you that first day I saw you. Pale, spineless excuse for a vampire”

Ryan screamed. He’d heard enough. He pulled the stake out of Tristan’s chest and slammed it back in again, through his heart this time, quick as lightning. Tristan make a choking noise and then went still, though his eyes darted around at them wildly. With a motion from Ryan Aziza and Hirotaro had removed Tristan and the rest of them stood frozen as they heard the two placing him none too gently on the roof. The sun would do the rest. Ryan felt hollow, empty. He wanted to feel vindicated, but there was just no way. He wished that there were some way that he could have killed Tristan himself, but knew it was just not to be. He felt no guilt, just an emptiness he’d never be able to express. He had failed Chad, failed him in the worst way he possibly could. He moved slowly, as if in a dream, and knelt at Chad’s side once more. How could it be that he was still so beautiful? How could Ryan keep his promise never to turn him now when he would be in so much pain for the rest of eternity if he didn’t?

“It isn’t your choice to make anymore, Ryan,” Sharpay whispered, kneeling next to him and taking him in her arms, “They’ve taken a vote. They’re going to turn him now no matter what you say. Please, please, don’t try to fight them.”

“How did Troy vote, Shar?”

“He abstained from voting at all.”

“He’s a good man.”

“I’m glad you finally figured it out.”

“Shar!” Ryan held onto her as tight as he could, “He’s never going to forgive me.”

“Shh,” she murmured as Sadik cut into his own wrist and held it to Chad’s cold lips, “It’s going to be alright. He will forgive you. He loves you and he’ll see that you still love him more than anything.” When he tried to turn to look at Chad completing the transformation she wouldn’t let him. She just held him and rocked a little until it was all over with. Then, she let him go so that he could look at Chad as the new vampire took two deep breaths, opened his eyes for the first time, and sat up, looking at the world around him, at his own hands. He turned to look at Ryan and uttered four words that broke Ryan’s heart.

“What have you done?”

A/N: Please review if you have time. Sorry that this chapter was so long in coming.