Damien sat on the four poster bed, fidgeting and feeling small. “I really appreciate you letting me... I just think that... Is it dumb to say I think you’re the only one who gets it?” He admired Josanna’s eyes.
She gave a half-hearted smile. “Bunnie says she understands too.”
“Oh yeah? What’s Bunnie know about it?”
“She said she got used to the darkness too, and that it’s okay. You can embrace the darkness while still praying to see the dawn.”
Damien smiled. “That Bunnie is one clever lady.”
“She’s not a lady,” Josanna said. “She’s dead.”
Damien blinked. “Right. So, what was your life like before this?”
“It was pretty. There was sun. And a wheat field, a forest with a stream. My sister and I would have tea parties with butterflies in the meadows. There was a train, a grandfather clock- Mother died, and the clock stopped working, so I boarded the train with Alec, and then the sun went away.”
“Would you like to see the sun again?” Damien asked.
Josanna looked over at the empty chair in the corner. She turned back with a pensive look on her face. “Bunnie would like to.”
Damien leaned forward with excitement. “What if I could make that happen? For you and Bunnie? I could make it so the sun doesn’t burn you. Or just... a fake sun. So any vampire could go out during the day. What do you think?”
Josanna smiled, and there was a knock at the door. “Come in, Alec!” she called.
Alec opened the door.
She turned on the bed to face him. “Damien is going to bring back the sun.”
“Is he now? I thought I heard your voice,” he said to Damien.
“I uh,” Damien cleared his throat, “...Thanatos tried to lock me in a basement so...”
Alec tilted his head.
“He thinks I’m- It’s a long story.”
“Then stay here,” Alec offered. “Damien, I have the means to look after you. You’ll want for nothing, if you’ll let me. You belong with us, not with them.”
“That’s very gracious, your Highness. But-” Damien thought about this. He could run off to any world he wanted if he could just figure out how. He could make his own world in that event, the same way his father has millions of mini-verses. Damien could do that if, and that’s a big if, he could manage his mind to do so. He couldn’t stay with Loki and Eros. They would tell Thanatos. He couldn’t stay with Hypnos, because he would tell Loki and Eros, who would tell Thanatos. All roads lead to Death. “And what about my father?” Damien asked. “He knows where to come looking for me now.”
“Let me worry about him,” Alec said. “Let me worry about all of it. Let me look after you.”
Damien looked away. “Your Highness, with all due respect-”
Alec drew Damien’s chin back to face him with two delicate white fingers. “Let me,” Alec commanded.
Damien felt a familiar pull inside of him.
He nodded and cast his eyes down in shame.
“Josanna, are you taking good care of our guest?” Alec asked her, but his eyes still gazed upon Damien’s, and his fingers were just now leaving his chin.
She nodded in response.
“Good. Get some rest. And welcome home.” He slipped from the room.
Damien’s eyes fell back on the ground as he tried to work out the lump in his throat.
“He didn’t mean to,” Josanna said. “He doesn’t know you don’t like to be touched or commanded.”
“Somehow... I think he does,” said Damien
“I didn’t tell him.”
“I don’t think anyone had to tell him.”
***
Loki and Death walked down the long gravel drive towards the mansion in Darkside.
“I’m not going to just knock on the door and demand to see my son,” Thanatos growled.
“No, we are going to ask to see your son,” Loki corrected.
“No. What I meant was, I’m not going to knock.”
“You can’t just barge in there.”
“Why not?” Thanatos asked flatly.
“Well, for starters, it’s not your house.” Loki gave him a frustrated laugh.
“I’m not concerned about Alec,” Thanatos said.
“Right. Forget Alec. But, Damien. You can’t just barge in there and drag Damien out by the short and curlies.” They had passed the inoperative stone fountain in the center of the drive and ascended the steps to the door. “That won’t work out well for you. Trust me. I’ve had children. You need to be tactful.”
Thanatos raised his fist to pound at the door, but the vampires inside heard their approach.
Alec himself swung open the door with a small grin on his face. He took up space in the doorway to block it.
Death wanted nothing more than to wipe that smirk off Alec’s face, but remained composed to say, “Alec, I have reason to believe that Damien is here.”
“He is,” Alec confirmed.
“Great.” Death was almost relieved.
But, Alec didn’t budge, didn’t make a move to go get Damien.
“May I speak with him?” Death hissed. He gave up what little composure he had. “I can’t believe I’m even having to ask. No. I’m done asking. Go and fetch him. Now. I’m taking him home.”
"Thisis his home now.” Alec said.
"Excuse me?”
“Thanatos-” Loki cautioned, raising his hand to Death’s arm, but Death swatted him away.
Thanatos bared his teeth. ”Mr. VanGarrett-”
Alec smiled. “I truly am enjoying this. You and your gatekeepers for so long have kept me and mine out, and now... here I am... and there you are. How tables turn.”
“Mr. VanGarrett, this is a private matter between myself and Damien-”
“Is that so? It was you, wasn’t it, who told me ′nothing is private? Everything. Everything is business. How you handle your house is how you handle your business.′ So, when I slam the door to my house in your face, just know... it’s nothing personal.” There was a wicked glint in the Vampire Prince’s eye. “It’s business.”
The door slammed in Death’s face. The god of Death was snarling.
And the god of Chaos was trying very, very hard not to laugh. Loki blurted. “I hate to say it, but that was brilliant!”
“I’m going to kill him.”
“You can’t kill him,” Loki said. “Damien will never forgive you.” Loki put his hand on Death’s shoulder.
“Damien doesn’t have to forgive me as long as he’s safe.” Thanatos turned away down the drive.
“But you can’t keep him safe!” Loki called as Death strode away.
Death stopped but did not turn around.
“I know you said you’d kill me if I ever said that,” Loki put his hands in his pockets and walked towards him, “but, it’s the truth right now. Look what he did to your basement. The only way you’d be able to contain him is to do to him what the Fates did. Let him go. There are other roads.”
Death’s shoulders dropped. “I failed him... again.”
“No. You didn’t. Just... Let’s go. Come on.”
Death and Loki walked down the remaining length of the gravel drive to the gate before disappearing.
Damien and Josanna sat underneath the open French windows overlooking the gravel drive. Damien was quiet as he processed everything he just heard. He stared off into memories long forgotten.
Josanna’s hand penetrated his vision. She was offering it to him. He met her eyes and took her hand. She stood and tugged him until he followed her to the bed. She sat him down, pulled up a chair, and dimmed the light. She sat down in the chair. “I can stay here with you,” she said, “until you fall asleep. I’ll make sure the monsters stay under the bed.”
“Nah. That’s okay. You go. Tell Alec I’ll celebrate his triumph with him later?”
She nodded and slipped her hand from his as she stood.
“Hey, I meant what I said about the sun. I can do that, if you-”
She cut him off, “I know you meant it. Sleep well.”
She slipped from the room and left the door open a crack.
