Vivienne

Denise stood a few steps outside of her barn watching Dusty play carelessly in the snow that peacefully blanketed her farm.  Events of the evening played in her mind and Denise felt her heart beating with excitement knowing what was coming to her doorstep. “It won’t be long now, love.” Denise stared out over the expanse of her farm and then to the trees bathed in moonlight. “I can almost feel you.”  

“Excuse me, Loved One?”  Heather had silently walked to stand with Denise. “I saw you come outside, and I wanted to check on you.”

Turning to face the doctor, Denise pointed to Dusty. “He wanted to play for a little while.”  Dusty rolled back to his feet and barked once at Denise. “Yes, boy.  I know you love the snow.”  Denise shook her head and then concentrated on Heather. “You should go back inside; I am about to present everyone with a few tokens of gratitude.”

“Loved One…”  Heather zipped up her blue leather jacket and looked at Denise with regret in her brown eyes. “…I hate to say this.”  She scratched her light brown-gray hair nervously, “..I honestly don’t know how to say this, without it being difficult.”  Heather knelt down and whistled and waited for Dusty to run up so she could pet his head gently. “…I have to leave.”  Heather pulled her officer pin from her pocket and handed it to Denise. “I know I have served the cause for quite a few years, mended and tended to the wounded as we’ve conducted operations all over to stop the vampires.”

Denise watched as the little captain’s pin was placed in her hand. “But?”  Denise offered and closed her hand around the little decoration. “I still need you, Heather.  What is coming to us now is likely the biggest threat of them all.”  Holding out her arms and slowly spinning in a circle to indicate the farm, Denise continued. “The five of you remain.  Through all of it..”  Denise tapped Heather, “…You have kept us safe.”  Pausing and then pointing into the open barn, “Captain Jonah would be long gone without your inventive infusions.”  Denise took Heather’s hand into her own. “We still…”

Heather closed her eyes and shook her head, pulling away from Denise. “…No, Loved One.”  Heather finished petting Dusty and the dog ran off to snap and bark at the snow once more. “I haven’t felt whole since Derek died.”  She poked her finger at Denise’s art smock. “I know we blamed it on Wendy, but the truth is we don’t know what killed him.”  Heather  started walking towards her blue and white motorcycle, with the BMW symbol missing and replaced with a caduceus on the gas tank. “I know you claimed he was drained by a vampire…”  Heather grunted and pushed her heavy bike from the garage and pulled the helmet from the seat. “…Yet, I get the odd feeling that that wasn’t the complete truth.”

Denise took a breath as she noticed that Heather’s motorcycle had all of the doctor’s personal belongings already strapped to the frame. “You pre-planned this little disappearing act?” Dusty sensed the tone shift in Denise’s voice and hurried to his master, nudging her thigh. “Just five more minutes, please.  Let me give you the token I made for you.”  Denise smiled and pointed to the artwork on Heather's bike, “It will match what you have there.”  Dusty barked and shook himself off, throwing water all over Denise. “Dusty…”  Denise laughed and pointed to the barn. “...Go, enough snow for you.  Get warm.”  She looked at Heather, “It is a medical cross made from the left over kyanite.  I thought it might come in handy for you.”

Watching as the playful puppy ran inside and howled, Heather unbuckled the chin strap to her helmet and pointed to the lettering on the side of the gas tank. “I will do no harm.”  Heather then tapped the other side, “I will keep pure both my body and art.”  Heather placed the key in the ignition, “There are many other factors that I could go into, but I think it is enough with the loss of Derek and what we did to Wendy, that I have a few things to think about and rediscover about myself.”  Holding up her right hand and allowing the soft white glow to appear, Heather smiled. “I don’t even match the green you and the others have, Denise.”

“At least let me give you the token, It is the least I can do.”  Denise then pointed at her kitchen. “One last chance?  Some tea perhaps?”

Flicking down the foot petals, Heather climbed on her bike. “No thank you, Denise.”  She pulled on a set of matching leather gloves after she fastened the helm properly. “Give the cross to your next doctor.”  Heather watched as the other four walked up to the barn entrance, their features hidden by the light emanating from inside. “Good luck, Denise.”  Heather waved to the others and sped off down the dirt path.

Watching as the bike sped down the driveway, Denise silently cursed the fact the other four had come to the barn entrance. -Damn it.-  Denise thought and felt Raollet come up behind her. “Captain Mattson, you are one more soldier down.”  Denise handed him the officer pin from Heather, “She resigned and left.”

Raollet caught a glimpse of the bags strapped to the machine as Heather turned onto the main road. “She must have packed while we were out there fighting.”  Taking off his hat and tipping it once to the disappearing Heather, Raollet smiled at Denise. “Don’t think too much about it, she didn’t really fight anyway.”  He put his baseball cap on backwards once more. “What are we going to do about blue-eyes?”

“Right to the point is it?”  Denise lightly laughed and spun her wiry smile. “First, We go back inside.”

Raollet offered his arm for Denise and the two started walking to the barn opening. “You know the rest of us stand with you, Loved One.”  

Making their way back into the barn and to the table that held the few remaining scraps of food, Denise motioned for the others to sit. “I have good news and bad news.”  The Darla waited for the few groans to come from her companions. “Twin bad news.  Heather left.”  She pointed behind her to the open barn doors. “You all witnessed it, you just don’t know why.”

“Coward.”  Kino muttered.

“Weak minded.” Jonah added.

“Nothing to fight for.”  Brian magically covered his hand in rock. “Want me to stop her, Loved One?  Bring her back, explain how we all love her?”

“Easy there chief.”  Raollet laughed and handed Brian a glass of peach tea. “Drink that and let’s hear what The Darla has to say.”