Nightwatch Ch. 02: Suburban Bliss

"Why couldn't I just be an astronaut or Bigfoot? This is ridiculous." I griped.

"It's important to him, Mor." Suzie answered calmly as she swathed my cheek with a makeup brush, practically on top of me as she finished fixing my costume makeup.

"Exactly! Why is it important to him? He shouldn't glamorize being undead." I countered.

"He's not. He just wants to be like us."

"And you don't find that worrying?"

"No, all little kids copy. They grow out of it soon enough and rebel by being as different from their parents as possible during puberty."

"I know rebellion. In my previous life, I was a Scyth who went to war in the bloom of my youth," I said heatedly as she nodded her head placatingly, then applied black eyeliner close to my eyeball while I ranted. "My father wanted to escape with our family. But I knew the reach our empire would have. I alone took up the blade to glorify our great people."

"I was the one brave enough to lead a raiding party into the deepest recesses of Cimmerian territory," she continued disparagingly, as she rattled off my speech from memory, "yada, yada, yada... You were a badass. Well, guess what? You have a son now. You're in the 21st century, and he's not going off to war. We just have to make sure he doesn't become an addict and doesn't knock anyone up. Darling, the biggest issue he'll have, hopefully, is if he'll go to Duke, Brown, or backpack through Europe for a year."

"Duke, of course. Or Ivy League." I said succinctly while she powdered my face. "No child of mine is going to Brown, and teenagers don't have the prefrontal capacity to gallivant through Europe, or anywhere really, without getting into trouble. We will travel together for the sake of cultural awareness."

She chuckled. "Mor, stop being a hardass and make tonight the best Halloween that baby has ever had." She sounded serious then. She pointed at the door to emphasize her point.

"Fine."

"Great! You're done!"

I looked in the mirror. I could at least be happy Suzie made my costume with actual silk. If I was to wear that ridiculous fake vampire get-up, at least make it luxuriously comfortable.

I smoothed my maroon velvet vest down with its brass buttons, then fiddled unnecessarily with my red cravat. I raised an eyebrow at my smooth, contoured face. Suzie had highlighted my cheekbones, and I looked hot. The black high collar even accentuated my face.

"Good, huh?" She prompted.

"It'll do. I haven't worn a cloak for a while." I swished it around me, admiring the gloss.

She giggled. I glared at her, then clicked my fangs out.

"You dare laugh?" I curled my hand in front of me in a villainous flourish. "I am Death, girl. I can consume your soul without batting a freshly manicured eye."

She held her hand to her mouth in mock fear.

I sped to her, then dipped her, stretching her neck out; my breath wafted over her skin as I held her.

"Oh! Please, don't!" Her cry was a clichéd vaudevillian scream.

"Accept your fate and say your prayers. Moriah will feast."

"Your name is Moriah?" She teased in a conversational tone as my fangs pressed into her skin lightly. "That's not very vampy."

I straightened us to glare at her.

"Not all of us can be named Nosferatu. 'Moriah' does sound dumb, doesn't it? I told you I wanted a better name."

"Mor. Focus."

"Right. Trick or treating. Odd custom, but if it gets you sugar, I suppose it's good work ethic." I paced our bedroom as I spoke.

She quieted, then slipped into 'Mo is annoying' mode as she put the finishing touches on her own outfit.

She would zone me out whenever I would start a monologue about the great quandaries of life. I told her I needed to exercise my mind, and she always said I only wanted to exercise my mouth. Then we would immediately have sex.

"Gone are our bachelor days, alas!" I said as I lamented the dip in our sex life as of late.

I continued mumbling about what an inconvenience it was to have children since we couldn't have afternoon delights anymore or marathon sessions of lazy lovemaking. I saw her make a face here and there, but she was determined to ignore me.

I watched from the edge of the bed as she put on her skirt, then her ruffled shirt that matched my vest. She stretched the corset over herself, suddenly running into logistic issues.

She frowned at me while I smirked back.

"Need help?" I asked smugly.

"Yes. Why do they make the ties on the back?" She grouched.

"A lesbian ploy to give them an excuse to touch maidens."

She gave me her back, so I could start hooking the strings.

"Neatly, Mor."

"I remember how to tie a corset!" I snapped. It wasn't that long ago that I would do it for her. "Of course, maybe you only remember the times I've torn them off of you."

I placed a warm kiss at the bend of her neck.

She hummed as she seemingly replayed a few of our hotter moments in her mind's eye.

She was mostly silent as I cinched her in, sometimes making her hiss with the roughness. When I was done, I tied a perfectly symmetrical bow at the bottom.

She twisted around to sit on my thigh, leaning in quickly to claim my lips. Her dress crinkled over my lap.

"Finger me real quick?" She pleaded.

"I thought we were late." I looked in her glittering eyes, one chocolate eye then the other.

"I just said that to get you to move faster. Please? Two minutes."

I ran my hand up her skirt over a soft thigh, then into her panties. If she was willing to come that quick, she probably needed it. I eased my middle and ring finger between her lips, then into her wet warmth. She shifted to accommodate me then dropped onto my hand, digging my fingers in farther. I grabbed a firm hold of her, then vibrated my digits against her g-spot, also firmly running a thumb into her clit, over and over. She curled her body into me, clutching me fiercely. I watched the clock as I rolled my body, driving back into her. She wasn't coming. I stretched my neck to push it against her mouth.

"Ohh!" She moaned. Her hips moved quickly into me.

"Bite me already. We have to go!"

Her sharp fangs dug into my vein while she sucked my dense blood in her mouth. My hand was practically a blur on her center. She bucked violently as she chased her high.

She moaned wantonly as she drank. It never failed to push her over the edge. I put my hand over her mouth just in time to stop her bloodcurdling screech as she came.

"Oops! Sorry! Keep forgetting I have to be quiet," she sighed out as I took my hand off her mouth.

"Damn children." I spoke fondly, belying my words.

She spasmed in her enjoyment while running a finger across the perfect texture of the skin at my neck as it had healed already.

"Hmm... I love drinking you. You taste lovely." She licked my skin one last time to clean my neck up.

I kissed her, holding the sides of her head tightly in my hands, to taste the remnants for myself. Not bad, but I liked hers better.

"Okay. Now we really have to go." She gave me one last peck before getting off me. "Oh! But I had an excellent idea for your costume."

She hurried off to the walk-in closet, then came back with a stark white cravat.

I frowned at her. "But I like this one!" I whined as I caressed the delicately embroidered paisley lines in the striking red silk.

"Watch this." She bit her wrist in a blur and splashed blood droplets on the white cloth.

I hissed and stood in front of her as I saw some drops that had recklessly fallen to the floor.

"How dare you!" I went to get a floor wipe to clean up the red drops before they seeped into the floor. "This is a cork mix imported from Spain. You know there shouldn't be blood on it."

I wiped everything quickly before it stained.

"I'm sorry, love."

I could hear her bemused smile without looking at it. I couldn't stay mad at her -- it was against my deepest nature.

I faced her again, then she untied my cravat to replace it with the new white one.

"There!"

I went to inspect her handiwork. The white cloth was contrasting with my vest and dark cloak. It sported some drops of burgundy red off in a corner with her blood splatter.

Not only did I look every bit the dangerous vampire I was, but I could smell her. The musk of her on my neck rose to meet my nostrils like blood in the water around a great white shark. I smelled the entire bouquet of her essence, picking up her strength and death, also her womanhood and brightness. I stretched my neck as my jaw clenched.

I turned to look at her as my fangs clicked out.

"Mor, your eyes are red. Control yourself."

My chest went up and down in desperate hunting mode. I let the bloodlust slip off me. The film of red dissipated.

"You expect me to walk around all night on Halloween, alongside the whole town with your blood on my neck? A bit of eu de Suzie?" My mouth pulled up in a sneer.

"You're a two-thousand-year-old vampire, Mor. Keep in in your pants," she replied with a grin.

I growled dangerously.

"Rawr." She booped my nose with a delicate finger.

"I never get the respect I deserve." I muttered as I followed after her, holding the door open for her.

"I'll go down on you when we get back."

"Hm. Okay!" I smiled dopily, all a-flutter now.

We went downstairs to find Luca buzzing with excitement.

"Luca, you look great!" I cried.

"Do I look like a real vampire?"

I looked at the make up Suzie helped him put on. He had a high collar like mine and a maroon velvet vest exactly like mine.

"Yes. Something's missing though." I looked at him trying to pinpoint what it was. "Stay right there! I know what it needs."

I ran as humanlike as I could upstairs, then at my normal speed when he couldn't see me anymore.

I came back with an old vampire medallion -- a red ribbon ending in a heavy gold circle.

"This medallion is a family heirloom. You may use it to represent our house tonight."

"Whoa." His eyes widened as I placed it over him.

He admired the symbol of the sun bisected by a dagger.

"It's the same as yours!" He pointed at my gaudy gold neckwear, the centerpiece was carved with the same symbol.

"Yep! Same house insignia." I high-fived him. "Ready?"

"Yeah!"

"Let's go!"

He clutched at his precious orange candy satchel as we headed off towards the town on foot. The quaint little town was filled with twinkling lights and was buzzing with neighborhood camaraderie. We got to the town square, then caught sight of the Townsends. They had a boy around Luca's age: I wondered if they'd met already.

"Hi Josh. Sandy." I nodded at them.

"Hi Moriah. Hi Suzie." They greeted back. "Is this Luca?"

"Luca." I prompted.

"Hi! Nice to meet you!" His dimples popped out.

"Hi darling! This is Chris, our son." Sandy spoke cheerfully. She gestured to the ghost face next to her.

The boys looked at each other.

"Your candy bag is huge!" Chris gushed.

"I like your pumpkin pail!" Luca said back.

"Thanks! Sometimes we get whole chocolate bars! Mom and dad want to wait until the raffle, though." He rolled his eyes, then bounced impatiently.

I smiled at his words.

"This is our first year trick or treating. Any advice?" I neared Josh while Suzie spoke to Sandy. Luca and Chris started talking about candy.

"Yeah. Hey, we really admire you both for taking in Luca, by the way. Is it true he ran away from a traveling carnival?"

"He showed up at our home one day. That's what he says, but the authorities haven't been able to track them down."

"So, do you think he's lying?"

"No, I don't think he's capable of that." I frowned. "He's just a scared boy who doesn't seem to have received much support in his life. We're happy to do what we can."

"You're good people. Well! Halloween is a town-wide event. There'll be activities here at the square all evening, a raffle, even a movie in the park."

"Oh! Which movie?"

"Harry Potter. It's Chris' favorite, so we'll probably end up there at 8 p.m."

"Very cool." I gushed. I'd read the series, but hadn't seen the videos yet.

"The streets are all great for trick or treating, but we usually travel in a bit of a group and circle back here -- should be in a half an hour or so."

"Awesome, thank you!"

"You know, we've never really seen you two around much since we've moved here a few years ago. Is it safe to say Luca is forcing you out of your comfort zone? Believe me, I'd rather be having a beer and watching college football tonight, but duty calls." He smiled at me with sparkly blue eyes, and I could feel the sincerity wafting from his soul, like a warm, sweet breath.

I smiled back at him.

"Yes. Definitely out of our comfort zone. Suzie has her own company that's based out of our home, and I work remotely for a manufacturer in New York. We're always so busy and sometimes forget when the town get-togethers are. Sorry about that."

"No worries! Sounds like you have your hands full. And now you have a little one at home."

"Yes. A surprise indeed."

"Sorry if this is too personal, but do you think you'll adopt?"

"Probably... I kind of wanted to foster him for a bit to give him a chance to -- well, I don't really know. He's too young to decide for himself, but, also, it sounds like he's been taking care of himself for a while now. So, I'd feel guilty if I ever underestimated him. I don't know if that makes sense."

"Sure. It's cool that you're keeping an open mind about his future." He hedged. "But the fact that you're worrying so much IF you're making the right decision. That... kind of means you're good parents already."

I looked in the man's eyes. I hadn't realized a human man, merely forty years old could be so empathetic and wise.

I've been alive for eons more than him, but the way he spoke once again renewed my confidence in humanity and very nearly put me to shame.

"Thanks, Josh."

We walked back to our families.

Suzie and I both bought a raffle ticket. The woman manning the station had her eyes wide open as she recognized us as the creepy couple who lived in a castle on the hill.

Well, if I'd known we would end up fostering Luca, I'd obviously have chosen a more conservative home. As it was though, our century there would have been over in almost three decades. A blink of an eye, really. Then we would have moved quietly to another part of the world.

The backstory I'd told Josh about our jobs was a load of bullshit we'd fabricated when we'd sat down to prepare for the financial responsibility part of adopting Luca. In reality, I'd just been filthy rich for over a thousand years and had caches of money across at least seven countries we could draw from. Suzie had compounded my fortune when we'd met with her genius.

Lying was easier though.

I approached Suzie to take her hand.

"Darling!" Suzie spoke excitedly. "Sandy was saying that she makes a wonderful pecan pie and wouldn't we like to come to dinner one day?"

"Fabulous!" I exclaimed. "I adore pecan pie!"

"But you don't ea--" Luca started before I took him by his shoulders to face me, cutting him off.

"Lu," I spoke through a slightly forced smile. "I know I told you that cherry pie was good, but have you ever had pecan pie?" My eyes bored into his.

"No."

"Then you don't know what you're missing!" I said quickly as I rotated him to face the Townsends again.

"Oh! You've never had pecan pie?" Sandy cried. "We have to have you over for dinner then! Don't we, Joshy?"

"Yes, of course. We insist."

"Thank you kindly." I accepted the invitation smoothly while my mouth dried at the thought of eating human food. Yuck. "Please let us know when you can, and we'll be sure to bring something, too."

We all smiled as the emcee dismissed everyone for the trick or treating part of the evening.

Luca hung back to speak to me as the Townsends started towards the nearby streets.

"Mor! But you can't cook! Or eat!" He said in panic.

"Hush you. We wouldn't die if we ate food, it just doesn't taste like anything. But we said no vampire talk, right?"

"Yeah." He said sadly.

"That means we are humans who happen to be dressed in vampire costumes for Halloween. We eat food and are normal humans. Got it, bud?"

"Yes. Sorry." He hung his head.

I gripped his shoulder tightly. "It's all right, darling, just think 'human,' okay? Normal human family who have the best costumes in town." I repeated yet again to drive the point home.

He looked at me, grinning widely, and I winked at him.

"Go get some candy, Lu, and have fun. Stay close though, please."

"Okay, Mor!" He ran towards Chris, but turned around before he got too far. "Oh, and I'll help you cook if you want. We should make mashed potatoes and gravy! Humans like that." He shouted indiscreetly.

I chuckled. "Sounds like a plan! Thank you, bud."

He smiled widely. "You're welcome!" He rushed off to join Chris.

A cold hand slipped into my own. I looked at Suzie's warm smile and smiled back. She'd listened in to our conversation, like always.

"Happy Halloween!" I spoke sardonically. "Looks like we'll be seeing a lot more of our town from now on."

"Probably. I hope we win the TV. I didn't even realize we didn't have one! Luca should be able to watch cartoons now and then. We can watch nature documentaries, too. And become one of those superhero families that dress up to go to new movie releases."

I chuckled. "I'm sure we'll win the TV, darling."

I felt like I was being attacked on all sides to rush this very important decision. Suzie, Josh, Luca, Mrs. Dillinger, and the recesses of my own mind were all imploring me to accept the inevitability of Luca being -- yikes -- a Branson. It was one thing to protect him from imminent danger, but quite another to commit to raising him his whole life. What if there were more children involved? Fuck! We'd never had to deal with grandchildren. I pushed the thought aside since we had more pressing matters to deal with for now.

Suzie squeezed my arm closer into her side as I quietly started to relate my conversation with Josh to her so we'd be on the same page for that night.

We met a few other parents with children of varying ages. Some went to Luca's school, some didn't. Their names were indelibly etched into our minds though, and would come in handy if we saw them again at future functions.

Luca introduced his little friend Ray to Chris, then the three of them started to collect candy together, knocking on increasingly elaborately decorated homes.

"Hi! I'm Moriah, this is my wife Suzie Branson. Nice to meet you." I shook Ray's father's hand.

"Bill Reyes. Nice to meet you. This is Patty, my wife." He turned, then looked around for her. "PATTY!" He shouted, making a woman look away from her conversation with her friend to look instead in our direction. She approached us.

"Pat, this is Moriah, and you already know Suzie, right? Luca's parents?"

"Hi! Nice to meet you, Moriah!" She shook my hand. "Does that mean you've adopted him already?"

Shit. This really is a small town. I cringed.

"Still in the works." I said succinctly. I could feel a coldness rolling off her. To be perfectly honest, I'd really only felt that aura around sociopaths. I wouldn't dogmatically say Patty was one, or that she was in any way dangerous if she was... but compared to Bill's aura, she was a little intense... "in the meantime we'd like to thank you for having Luca over after class."

Luca had obviously been deprived of a traditional education so far. We'd already taken advantage of extra services from the school and the school district, lined up a private tutor for him of the highest caliber, but felt like these little study sessions with Ray after school were a nice change of pace so he could interact with humans and feel a little more normal.