Blueblood 3: The Others - 4. Returning Home

The days were drawing to a close on our time with the Thornwood vampires. They were sending a vehicle for the woman in London to work with Jeremy. We were having a great time with the other people. People were now coming from other parts of England. Not all the vampires were just in the areas surrounding Thornwood. The new employees of Thornwood were serving us great meals. They had jobs now. This new chef was amazing. He hadn’t cooked in quite a while. He drank blood for so long and what he could cook, he couldn’t eat and now he could. His improved senses included the sense of smell and taste. He got even better!

Friday came and we were getting ready for our dinner…I thought. We walked in the Dining Room and nothing was set up. No plates put at the table, glass or silverware. Nothing.

Colin frowned at the lack of any prepping done. “Where is everyone?” He looked at his watch. “It’s dinner time.”

We looked at the others in our team that were coming down for the meal.

“There’s an event, or so I was told,” Wayne said looking also. “Maybe they’re in the ballroom or gallery with that.”

“Someone call in sick?” I grinned knowing that wouldn’t happen. “We better go ask,” I suggested.

We walked through the house toward the gallery and found no one. There were no voices heard, but we went to the ballroom. It was after sunset, so it was surprising it was dark. There was a limited amount of light, but we could see the tables were set here, but no one around. Colin frowned and reached over to the wall and pressed the switch for lights. The room lit up and suddenly we could see everyone that lined the room! I mean every vampire we knew of and some we hadn’t met and family of the vampires was here. Hundreds of people! There was a banner hung that read. “Thank You.” At that moment, all of them began clapping and smiling at us. Edwin walked over to us.

“My dearest, dearest friends,” Edwin said, but he was very serious. “For what you have done…George, Colin…all of you…” he looked at the others around the room. “Everyone here wanted to tell you how grateful we are to you.” He looked at the others in our team with us. “Every one of you has done so much for us here. We had a miserable existence until you came. We were lost, but you showed us the way. We have a life because of you.” He smiled. “This isn’t a good-bye party. You’ll be back, but we thought…” he smiled as the others were nodding at what he said, “we needed to tell you how much you’ve done for us means to us. For that alone…words aren’t enough.” He looked back at the tables. “We thought this might say a little about how much that’s meant to us.” He smiled. “And to say…thank you.” He bowed slightly.

Colin reached and touched my hand, which I took his hand and once again, we were linked. I reached out for Alex’s hand, who took Gabriella’s who took George’s and that continued until we all were standing together.

The ballroom was filled with lights now, multicolored strobes and filled with music ready for dancing.

Edwin grinned and shouted. “Let’s party!” He said raising a fist to the others there who all cheered and it was pandemonium from that moment on.

Mark came up beside Colin. “Yeah! This is more like it! This is great!!” He said loud because otherwise he wouldn’t be heard. He pulled Stan to him and swung the both of them on the large dance floor.

Then someone rushed up and body slammed Wayne. The blur of dark hair turned out to be Kelly. Then we looked up and saw Katie, Sean, Scott, and Karen were there.

Colin smiled but looked uncertain as to what to do. “This is great!” He said equally loud to be heard. “There’s one problem.”

I looked at Colin. “What?”

“I’m hungry!” Colin said annoyed.

I laughed at him kissing him quickly and pulled him to the dance floor. “I’m sure they will serve food. One dance and we’ll see what they’ve got.”

We did dance and then another one. Finally, we got to eat. Colin was eating with his usual gusto. It seemed everyone was there; Sarah and her grandchildren, Matt and Edwin, of course; even Emily Proctor. Jeremy was not, but Emily didn’t think he could handle the crowd here even if they were vampires or the noise. Lilly was there, telling us she was staying in England a while longer. Going back to school was still her goal, but right now, she liked what she was doing now. She might even stay! Soon, Kelly and Scott came to our table.

“Remember, Devon, Colin,” Kelly said. “You promised to take us to Disneyworld and Universal Studios.”

Scott nodded. “I wouldn’t mind a baseball game or something like that; say the New York Mets?”

Colin chuckled. “I think we can do that. We also live in New York.”

Scott smiled. “Brilliant!”

Even Director Mattingly and Dr. Hathaway were there. Director Mattingly was doing the look thing, trying to figure out if he could see whether anyone was, or wasn’t a vampire and frustrated that he couldn’t tell.

Being night creatures because of what we are and just…because. We partied all night! And let’s be honest, everyone knows about the reputation about stuffy Brits. True or not, I can tell you, these Brits weren’t stuffy that night! It was also good we were all on serum because it was well past sunrise when most of us left the party.

Colin and I walked through the corridor back to our room. Colin was leaning on me as we walked. “That was a nice party.”

I grinned. “And they meant it. It makes it harder to leave.”

“Yes, but tomorrow our stuff will be taken to the airport…”

I laughed. “You mean later today.”

Colin chuckled he said bumping his forehead against mine. “Yes…today. Tomorrow we head home.”

We were awakened at three in the afternoon. Going to the door in just his pajama bottoms, Colin waved the men in and told them everything was in the closet. Our luggage was taken and would be packed on the plane that evening.

Sunday came at last and we stood at the door of this grand manor. There was only Edwin and Matt to see us off. We’d seen everyone else at the party.

“Well, good hunting. I know you’ll find them.” Edwin said sticking his hand out to Colin. “We’ll be talking by computer often, but it won’t be the same.”

Colin bypassed his handshake and grabbed him in a hug. “Thank you for your hospitality.” Colin smiled. “And your friendship.”

“You guys have to come back,” Matt said to me.

It was the usual thing. Hugs, tears and then we boarded the many SUVs and rode to the airport.

The flight back to Charleston was uneventful. Landing in Charleston…the day was lasting a few more hours because we flew west, but it was getting dark when we landed, so it was really late for us.

It was dark when we got home and Wentworth Manor was a sight for sore eyes. I could see that Colin missed it while we were gone. There wasn’t a lot of conversation as everyone went to the rooms and went to bed.

Colin flopped across the bed. “I am exhausted.”

I came over and stretched out beside him. “I hope you know this is necessary; traveling as we do.”

He turned over slightly bringing me closer. “I know it, but I almost feel like I did when I first came back to Charleston. It’s a part of me.” He said kissing me, “just like you are a part of me.”

“And it always will be that way. I’ll always be a part of you.”

He looked at our room. “Our room here is bigger.”

I chuckled at him.

Nothing happened that night, we didn’t even undress for several hours as we both drifted off to sleep.

Jetlag. It is a monster. No, we hadn’t crossed the dateline and it was only a few hours difference, but I felt it. Colin felt it. It was almost dinner time when we came down to get something to eat. Our house person had prepared and made a lot of Colin’s favorites. Wayne came in and I had not seen him…this disheveled.

“I’m not going to make it.” He grunted sitting in a chair at the table.

I grinned at him. “We’ll miss you when you go.”

Colin nodded. “It’s not really the time change…it’s the travel.”

“It only lasts a day or so,” I said. “The best thing is just to stay awake to reset your biological clock.”

Bertie came in. “And is there something I can get you?” She asked Wayne.

“Coffee,” Wayne said. “Please.”

Bertie chuckled. “Mr. Colin loves it, too. I’ve got some really strong coffee."

Colin grinned. “Do you have my Death Wish Coffee?”

Bertie looked startled. “If I didn’t, you’d probably fire me! Of course, I do.”

“Death Wish?” Wayne’s eyes widened.

I nodded. “Very, very strong coffee.” I chuckled. “It would wake a man near death.”

Wayne grinned. “Can I have some?”

Colin nodded. “It’s not for the faint of heart.”

I chuckled. “Me, too, but…”

Bertie nodded she waved me off. “I know, I know…cold. You’ve only been gone a few months. I remember.” She looked at Wayne. “Hot or cold?”

“Hot.” Wayne smiled. “Please.”

Colin watched Bertie go back in the kitchen and grinned. “She’s really very nice.” He assured.

When we got our coffees, Wayne tasted his and his eyes flew open. “Okay!” He grinned. “Now, I know why it’s called Death Wish.” He chuckled reaching for the cream and sugar to take some of the bite off.

Stan really didn’t need coffee. He was up with his second favorite thing. Buddy. This time, he had a smaller computer before him I had never seen. It was no laptop, but it wasn’t like Buddy in New York or our part of Buddy at Thornwood. One screen. Colin and I came into the room we used for the computers. We looked at what he was working with, as he seemed to be working with some portable devices.

“Is this what you wanted to show us?” Colin asked.

Stan beamed. “Yes!” He waved at the CPU. “This is Buddy.” He grinned. “Just like your portion of Buddy here at the house and the one in England…this is just an extension of Buddy of New York!”

It was a smaller, but still needed the room.

“It has all the ability of Buddy because it is Buddy!” Stan told us. “We program something to this, it’s programmed on Buddy and can be accessed here on your portion of Buddy or England. Anywhere we have the extensions of Buddy.” He smiled as he held a small device. It was bigger that one of those cell phones and fatter, but could be held in the hand. “This is the translator.” He picked up another small device. One of those things you sometimes see people wear to answer their phones without taking the phone out of their pocket. Bluetooth. “There’s a microphone here.” He pointed to an end. “The earpiece fits in the ear.” He put the earbud in his own ear. “Now, any language spoke is picked up and translated to English which you hear.” He pointed to the handheld device. “This can clip on whatever you have on,” he touched a dial, “you have to choose the language. Speak in English.” He said into his earbud and we heard. Parler en anglais. “That’s French. It can be programmed for Arabic.” He said into the earpiece and it came out! In Arabic. He turned to us. “Now, Mitch is coming on Thursday and installing his program. It has a more…a complete program for languages. Including hieroglyphics! I asked!”

“How is that possible? No one speaks hieroglyphics.” I said.

Stan nodded. “No, but it is a language. Mitch was using the databases from several places…universities and even the Museum of Egyptology in London and Cairo. Using the database, it can decipher the languages and hieroglyphics. Hieroglyphics is written over sometimes massive walls.” He spread his arms wide. He picked up another device. “This is a scanner.” It was bigger than a fountain pen, but could be easily held. “Hold the scanner up and move slowly over a section of that wall.” He did it in the computer room. There was a light on the end. He then sat down and typed quickly. An image of the room appeared unmoving. “This isn’t a projector showing you what’s there. It’s a scan showing what you saw there.” He grinned. “You get the difference?”

I nodded. “Sure.” I sat by this computer. “If the wall is in bad shape and has deteriorated? Crumbling?”

Stan nodded. “That’s a problem, but even if that’s true…the computer will be able to extrapolate the probable missing parts based on what it knows of the language. You can read billboards or plaques…pages from a book or even scrolls…anything. You can focus it to what you want to be scanned through this eyepiece. It’s like a camera.” He brightened. “It is a camera, but it’s scanned to the database of Buddy and Buddy goes to work…” he opened the handheld device. “There’s a screen here where you can read it.” He was enjoying this.

“You’re not getting an erection from this, are you?” Colin chuckled.

Stan grinned and said softly. “Maybe.” He shook his head. “This is exciting!”

I chuckled. “Yes, it is.”

“We won’t tell Mark.” Colin smiled.

“Please don’t.” Stan said happily.

I patted Stan on the shoulder. “I think he knows, but we won’t say a word.”

“What about the trouble you had going through records?” Colin asked.

Stan held that finger up again. “Well, that’s not because of the language problem, because that isn’t a problem even now.” He went to the other computer. “There is always human error involved. Corruption and wars…faction trouble…people that don’t want us to know what’s going on.” He grimaced. “Computer records there are not as thorough as in some other countries. Not that those in Egypt are lazy, but it’s just now starting to catch up.” He grinned. “But the work you guys did in England has hit the Internet. The people you helped in England don’t have the secure networks we do.” He smiled. “Other countries are reading what has been posted and now there are more requests for serum. People that have had good results…which is everyone that’s gotten the serum…has posted these results and they want in.”

“Including those in Egypt?” I asked.

Stan nodded. “They read about it. They want it, too.”

Colin frowned. “There’s a First Vampire in Egypt?”

“Amasis,” Stan said nodding. He looked at us. “Amasis is the name of a Pharaoh back in five hundred or more B.C. Twenty-sixth dynasty, I read.” He shrugged. “He could just be using the name…or it could be him.”

“A vampire over two thousand years old!?” Colin asked in shock.

Stan shrugged. “You’re two hundred years old? He just hadn’t died.”

“Or he’s using that name,” I suggested a more probable explanation.

Stan shrugged. “He’s wanting to meet you.”

Colin’s eyes widened. “He is?”

Stan nodded. “He’s is.”

Colin looked at me. “I don’t know whether to be relieved or more worried.”

We did adjust to the time zone and things weren’t as stressed trying to wake up. There was a little shakeup that Thursday. The gate called. Yes, we had one of those gates with a security officer manning the gate.

I activated the response on our tablet. “Yes?”

“Sorry, Mr. Wentworth.” The man said. “A Mr. McKenzie is here?”

I frowned. “We know that, does he look untrustworthy or something?”

“No, it’s just…” he started to say. “I’ll send him up. You can see for yourself. He’s cleared.”

It was a few minutes more and I heard the doorbell. I had called Colin on the tablet and he was coming down from our room upstairs. One of the housemen we hired to help keep the place neat answered the door and I heard a gasp from Robert, the houseman. I came around from the library as Colin was coming down the stairs. Colin looked at our guest and froze. He looked at me and then back to our guest. He slowly began to descend the stairs.

Our guest was standing at the open door looking confused at Robert, our houseman’s expression of shock. Robert was also looking at the guest and back at me. Robert had graduated from college wanting to work in hotels. He was blonde and had blue eyes which were now wide open. He pointed at the man and then to me with his mouth open unresponsive.

“What’s the matter? Has everyone forgotten their manners?” I asked walking over to our new guest, who was not bad looking. He was in his late forties…maybe early fifties. Dark hair that had grey at the temples and salting his dark hair. He took care of himself and was trim. I extended my hand to him. “Welcome to Wentworth Manor. I’m Devon Wentworth.” I greeted.

The man smiled and nodded. “Mitch McKenzie.” He said taking my hand and shaking it.

Robert swallowed and was still looking at Mitch McKenzie and me. “He’s you!” He said to me about our guest.

I frowned. “No, I’m me, this is Mitch McKenzie. A whole other person.”

Colin, at last, got to the bottom of the stairs from his slow walk and he came over. “I agree with Robert. It is you.”

Now Mitch was staring, not at me, but Colin.

I smiled at Mitch. “Sorry, there must be something in the air.”

Mitch shook his head. “I don’t know, but…” he pointed at Colin. “That’s my Tony!” He said in shock.

Was everyone crazy? “This is my husband, Colin Wentworth.”

Mitch looked closer at Colin. “He’s the spitting image of Tony.” He swore. “Only Tony was darker, but the same build, the same face!” He looked at me. “Tony was my husband.”

I looked at Colin. “Okay.” This was awkward. “But he’s Colin.”

Mitch blinked and then smiled as he shook his head. “Of course, he is.” He stuck his hand out to Colin. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Wentworth.”

Colin shook Mitch’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mitch. Can we call you Mitch?”

Mitch nodded. “Absolutely. Can I call you Devon and Colin? If I say Mr. Wentworth…that’s both of you.” He chuckled.

I looked at Mitch closer. “Sorry, but I don’t see it.”

Mitch looked at me and smiled. “Neither do I.” He looked at Colin. “I see Tony in him, but not you and me.”

I smiled. “That proves one thing.”

Mitch nodded. “We all have good taste in husbands. I got Tony, you got Colin, they got us!” He chuckled.

I waved back toward the library. “We can sit in the library or go into the computer room. Do you have time for coffee?”

Mitch smiled with another chuckle. “Coffee. That was my husband’s passion.” He looked at Colin. “Is it yours?”

I put my arm around Colin’s waist. “Oh, yes. He loves it. Craves it. Has to have it.”

Mitch laughed out loud. “So did Tony! I like coffee. I don’t love it, but it has to be cold.”

I grinned. “Me, too!!” I waved back at the kitchen. “I’ll get you some of Colin’s Death Wish.”

“Death Wish!?” Mitch repeated surprised. “Never heard of it. Does it live up to its name?”

I nodded. “It sure does.”

Mitch chuckled. “Then I’ll pass. I wanta sleep tonight.”

“But it’s morning yet!” Colin said not understanding.

“If it’s as strong as you say it is, I will still be feeling it tonight,” Mitch said as we walked in the library.

“How about a nice Latte?” I asked. “My favorite is Vanilla Latte.”

Mitch grinned. “Mine, too.” He shrugged. “Maybe I am you.”

I grinned. “Maybe I’m you.”

Colin growled. “Maybe I’m going crazy.”

Mitch looked at me. “Did he just growl?”

I nodded. “He does that.”

“So, did Tony! We are men of good taste.”

I did the song from the Twilight Zone. Yes, we would get along fine.