Date: Sun, 6 Mar 2005 09:25:47 -0800 (PST) From: Author James Subject: Return of a Real Dark Knight 47 Disclaimer: This story is fiction. There are two celebrities who will appear from time-to-time. The other characters are fictitious. Any similarities to persons living or dead are completely coincidental. In this story, I have continued the adventures of Batman, my Batman, which his story first began in "Tales of a Real Dark Knight" in the Boy Band section of this archive. It spanned 250 chapters. You will find many universes merging, as the above copyrights reveal. I hope you all enjoy this. Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel and all related characters created by Joss Whedon. Copyright 20th Century Fox. Batman, and all related characters created by Bob Kane. Copyright DC Comics and Warner Bros. X-MEN, and all related characters created by Stan Lee. Copyright Marvel Comics and 20th Century Fox. The Vampire Chronicles and all related characters created by Anne Rice. Copyright Anne O'Brien Rice. I don't know for sure if I will use all the above elements, but just in case, I have myself covered. I appreciate any feedback that you may want to give. I do hope that you enjoy it!!! Any emails you send, please tell me what chapter and story you are commenting on. Thanks. authorjames2002@yahoo.com I also have several online messenger services. If you want to chat with me in real time, email me and tell me the services you use and I will tell you my screen name. Chapter 47 Dad Joseph, Preston, and Sarah walked down a darkened hallway keeping their senses peeled for any signs of danger...and their father. The hallway was dark and grimy as if it had not been used in years. The fact that one of the only two tenants was an undead being helped explain the lack of life, no pun intended. "How long have you lived here?" Sarah quietly asked. "For a few months. Dad wanted to come here so that I could take revenge on mom's killer. What he neglected to tell me was that he was mom's killer. Now the kidnapper who took you two from me is downstairs suffering for it." "Don't you have any regrets for what happened to dad?" "He got turned into a vampire. I wish that hadn't happened." "He what?!" Sarah exclaimed. "Got turned into a vam..." Joseph realized who Preston referred to. "Oh, him. He took you both from me. I don't regret where he is now. I believe justice should be served, though. He should serve some time for breaking up this family." "He didn't break up this family," Sarah stated. He saved us from..." "From what?" Joseph became angered. "Living with me?" "From being raised by a demon. I'm sure he didn't intentionally leave you behind. If he had known that you were one of mom's children, he would have taken you in, as well." "I'm sure pop and dad would be willing to take you in," Preston reassured. "I mean, where will you go after this is over?" "I don't know," Joseph whispered. "I never got beyond finding my mother's killer and exacting vengeance on him." "You're with us," Sarah said. "That's all that matters now. We can be complete like we once were." "We'll see." Joseph stopped them at the end of the hallway. "Put on your game faces. It's show time." The door to the room in which my cell was placed creaked open. I could barely see as my eyes had swollen shut from the beating Catman gave me after Joseph left me. The vampire was doing this to humiliate me. For whatever twisted reason, he felt the need to dominate me. This "need" was purged by the rape and beatings. Something moved inside the room and approached me. I tensed up waiting for another physical attack. You would think I would have used my powers to get out but they weren't working at all. No matter how hard I tried, nothing would happen. "Eric," a familiar voice whispered. Then I felt a warm hand on my face. "Oh, God, Eric, look at you." "Lance?" I muttered. His lips gently met mine. I knew I could relax. I was safe. "Lance," I muttered again with an added sob. "We're here to get you out." "Who else is here?" "The kids. They are going to face Catman." "But..." "Don't worry about them. The team is here. They aren't alone." The door creaked open again. "Lance, run. It's him. He's here." "Someone is here, but it isn't him," a voice from long ago said. A match was lit and used to light several candles. The flames illuminated the person's face enough to know who it was. "Christine," Lance whispered. "What?" I gasped. "She's a vampire, though. Catman turned her into a vampire." "You've done a wonderful job with my children," Christine said as she stepped inside. "They are strong and sure of their self. They have a good foundation. My husband and I can take over now." "They aren't yours," Lance said. "You're dead." "Undead, actually. You would not believe how liberated I feel. I am stronger than I ever was. I have power. I don't want for anything. If I'm hungry, I..." "Kill whoever happens to be nearby," I answered. "Christine, this isn't you. You never would have harmed anyone in your life. It's the demon talking." "Remember, Eric," Lance said. "Her soul is gone. It's only a demon now." "I'm in no condition to fight her," I said. "It's up to you." Lance stood up to face the vampire, formerly the mother of his and Eric's children. "Father," Joseph called as he entered the large chamber. "Here, my son." The three children moved into the light. "I see you've brought your brother and sister." "They wanted to meet you," he replied. "Ah, yes. I've been speaking with Sarah in her dreams. You are a fascinating girl." Catman stood from the chair in which he sat and approached his three children. "But Preston was difficult to communicate with. Something about his mind prevents my telepathy." Sniffing his son, he said, "I smell fear. Why are you afraid?" "I know what you are," Preston answered. "Of course you are, my son. Sarah was exposed to vampires since learning of her Slayer heritage. Joseph has been exposed to creatures of the night ever since his mother was murdered before his eyes. But you haven't had any exposure to us. You have nothing to fear, though. I would never harm you. I am your father." Preston reached inside his inner pocket. "No, you're not. I have two fathers: Eric McCoy and Lance Bass. You're nothing to me." Pulling his hand out, Preston hurled a bottle of holy water on the vampire's face. It crackled and burned as smoke rose up from it. "Ah!" Catman replied. He made a lunge toward Preston, but Sarah grabbed him by the collar and spun him around tossing him into a pillar. His back slammed against the concrete. Sarah brought her fist to his face, but he ducked and rolled away from her attack. "What is this trickery?" Lance ducked as Christine grabbed at his throat. He brought his fist up full force and connected with her chin knocking her head backward and causing her to stumble. "Be careful," I called out. "They are much stronger than people." "I was trained by the best." Lance looked back and smiled. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he pulled out a stake. Then he jumped at her trying to stake her. Christine was ready, though. She grabbed his wrist and spun him around, back against the wall. Then she pressed up against him and ground her body against his. "Do you like how this feels?" she asked. "Do you?" "Get off me!" "I think you do." One of her hands held his wrist against the wall so that the stake was immobilized. Her other hand, however, caressed his chest and ripped his shirt open exposing his chest. "I always had a crush on you," she whispered as her tongue caressed his flesh. "I couldn't believe you sucked cock. It broke my heart." Her hand moved down to the front of his jeans and she caressed his dick through the material. "Yeah, you're enjoying this." "Just because my body has a reaction doesn't mean my heart is in it. Sex doesn't equal love. Believe me, I know." "It doesn't matter. Stimulation is stimulation." Christine used her free hand to unzip Lance's pants. She reached inside and pulled out his semi-hard cock. Licking her lips, she wrapped them around his flesh. Lance moved his free hand up to the pinned hand and grabbed the wooden stake from it. Then, as quickly as he could, he jabbed it into her back. Christine screamed out and threw herself backwards away from him, her hands desperately reaching for the piece of wood. "Son of a bitch!" she screamed. "That hurts." "I guess I missed the heart," Lance muttered as he put his dick back inside his pants. "I can always try again." Christine screamed and leapt at him. He reached over and grabbed an unlit torch which he then held over the flame of a nearby candle. The end of the torch ignited. He swung it around and hit Christine in the face. The impact, along with the help from the flames, sent her stumbling into the wall. "You bastard!" the vampire screamed. "I'm going to kill you!" "I've heard that threat before," Lance stated. Christine reached behind her attempting to pull the stake out but still could not reach it. "You used to be someone special," Lance said as he stepped toward her. "You had three beautiful children who depended on you, who adored you. And you cared for them like no other person. But you died. You died a long time ago. And as you died, one of your friends made a promise to you, a promise that he would take care of your children. They would want for nothing, isn't that right, Eric?" "Yeah," I said nodding. "I saw what happened. A friend of ours enabled me to witness your last breath in this world, in that body. And what I saw isn't what I see before me now. Yes, you are strong. Yes, you are liberated from this world because you are no longer of this world. You are a demon inhabiting the body of a young woman who died long ago. You are in the body of the person your `husband' murdered." With each word, each sentence, Lance stepped closer and closer to the vampire. His eyes, so entrancing, engaged her eyes. "But that isn't him, either. His body is animated by a demon. His soul is gone, just as yours is. All that inhabits you is a demon wearing the face of their mother. If the children were to see you, their lives would be destroyed. Our job as parents is to ensure their happiness and safety. They come first. They are our priority. And because of that, I cannot allow you to exist." "Brave words coming from a mere human. Do you really think you can kill me?" "I already have." Christine wondered what was going on. The she felt the heat and the flames lapping at the hem of her skirt. Looking down, she discovered her dress on fire. "No!" she exclaimed as she ran for the door. Lance reached out and grabbed the stake from her back as she went past. She got to the door and dropped, rolling to put the flames out. Once out, she stood. "Christine," Lance said. "You dropped something." The vampire turned around and Lance hurled the stake. It landed squarely in her chest and penetrated her heart. She let out a scream, a bone-chilling, blood-curdling scream that was more demon than human, which faded as her body turned to dust. Lance knelt in front of me and searched the chains to figure out how to open them. "You can't use your powers?" he asked. "I haven't been able to use them much at all," I answered. His face took on the visage of being puzzled as he examined the chains further. "I'll figure something out." "No trickery," Sarah replied as she swung her leg at the face of Catman. He caught it and twisted it, causing her to tumble to the side. Preston came up and swung his foot at Catman connecting with the vampire's face. "This is for mom." He attempted to kick Catman in the face again, but Catman caught his foot and stood up lifting the youth off the ground. He flipped Preston in the air and Preston landed on his feet. "This is for truth," Sarah replied as she kicked Catman in the face causing him to stumble backwards into the pillar Preston first hit. Preston tossed the rope to Sarah and the two ran at Catman pinning him to the pillar. They ran around him tying him to the concrete post. Joseph approached Catman and looked at him. "We know you killed mom," the eldest child stated. "You lied to me, made me hunt the wrong man." "But you know what you saw." "I know what I thought I saw. You purposely deceived me. I've hated this man for more than he should be hated. I hunted him because I thought he killed mom. He was the wrong murderer. No, dad, this isn't trickery, not like you. This is for justice." Joseph brought up the stake and shoved it into his father's chest. The three watched as the man who fathered them. No, not the man who fathered them, the possessed body of the man who fathered them disintegrated before their eyes. The rope now no longer held the creature but fell to the floor. Sarah looked over at her older brother, the one who had been raised by the creature whom he just slain, and she rested her hand on his shoulder. She could tell he was trying to hold back the tears. "I know your world has been turned upside down yet again, Joseph. But let us, your younger brother and sister, take care of you now. Let us help stabilize your life again." He looked over at her and smiled. "I love you, sis. I've never stopped loving either of you." He put his hands on their shoulders. "Let's go help your dad." The three siblings turned and left the room. "I can't get these damn chains off!" Lance exclaimed as he pulled on the links near the loop on the wall. The door flew open and the kids entered. "Daddy!" Sarah said. "Dad!" Preston exclaimed. Joseph stood back and watched as his brother and sister ran to this man whom he had hated most of his life. `They really do love and care about him.' "Look what happened to you," Preston stated as he knelt down and looked at my face. "He beat you!" "You don't have to worry about him any more," Sarah comforted. Then she looked over at Lance. "What are you doing?" "I can't find a way to get these chains off him." Sarah grabbed the bands around my wrist and pulled the chain links off the bands freeing me. "That works," Lance said. He grabbed my arm and placed it over his neck. "On the count of three." Preston grabbed my other arm and placed it around his neck, too. "One...two...three." The two blondes lifted me up and balanced me. The five of use made our way out of the dungeon. To Be Continued... What do you think of this chapter? Thoughts, comments, reactions, and questions are all welcome.