DISCLAIMER: CSI and its characters are the property of Jerry Bruckheimer and CBS. No infringement intended.
CHALLENGE: Written for the 48 Hour Halloween Challenge.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Eternity Begins
By Kristina K
The woman – Sofia later remembered her name was Robyn – walked up to her and then circled her once, her eyes scanning the detective's posture, slowly taking in every bit of Sofia's appearance, from the tan clothes she wore, the protective vest strapped across her torso identifying her as a member of the LVPD in bright white letters on her back, to the composed look the detective had on her face and iciness in her eyes at the sight of the room she was somehow kept captive in. The woman circled her once again, this time carefully noting the curve of Sofia's neck that stood exposed with her hair tied in the back of her head, her lips, the clench of her jaw when the woman came so close Sofia could feel her breath on her face. They stood inches apart, one behind the other, breathing in the same rhythm. Sofia tried her best not to allow her heart to quicken its pace in nervous anticipation when the woman leaned in closer and took a deep inhale of Sofia's scent.
The detective had her gun drawn. It was clutched unused in the fist of her right hand so tightly Sofia could slowly feel her whole arm becoming numb. It was just two of them in that room and Sofia felt completely overpowered by the mere presence of the other woman and no evident way out.
"Are you scared," the woman spoke out in a smoky voice, her breath brushing against the back of Sofia's neck.
"No," Sofia said and she wasn't lying. She wasn't scared, just nervous at the thought of her own impotence and the situation she found herself in.
"Good," came the voice. "It feels so much better when you're relaxed."
The room swam in orange light. It felt warm and reassuring. Sofia tried, but couldn't seem to find the door that would lead out of it. There was a big four poster bed right across from her, two plush chairs, a wardrobe closet, a mirror, a wide window on her left side that gave the impression of them being on the highest peak of the world with the moon so big and the clouds so close and the stars so bright like Sofia had never seen them before. The floor was covered with a thick Persian carpet. A Doberman dog lay at the foot of the bed, like an unassuming guard, but still an imminent menace. There were books - leather bound - and paintings of old masters hanging on the walls. But no doors. Sofia couldn't remember how she ended up in that place.
"Please," the woman touched her right hand and Sofia flinched when she realized her fingers were being pried open and her firearm taken from her. "This won't be necessary." The gun got tossed to the side, making muffled noise when it landed on the carpet.
She could hear the sound of Velcro being ripped open and soon her vest was undone and taken off of her shoulders. Sofia thought the loss of armor around her chest would make her feel cold, but the same warm sensation remained even when the vest was gone. The woman then stepped in front of her and for the first time Sofia noticed how the woman's eyes were the same shade of steel blue like hers were. Her hair was falling around her face in plush waves of jet black, accentuating her fair complexion.
"You're probably wondering why you're here," the woman smiled warmly, reaching over to straighten out Sofia's collar that was made askew when the vest came off. Sofia didn't have to respond; it was obvious she was clueless as to what her role in the evening's events was, now that she was separated from her team of police officers and brought... wherever here was. "The simple answer would be: I chose you," she continued. "The long version is too dreary for such a wonderful evening like this one is."
"Ma'am-" A simple wave of hand interrupted the first words Sofia uttered.
"Please, call me Robyn," she smiled again. "I hope you don't mind me calling you Sofia."
Sofia decided to disregard the woman's words; "I hope you understand that it won't be long until my colleagues notice me missing. They'll come looking for me. Sooner than you know, this place will be crawling with cops and, trust me, you do not want to be charged with holding a police officer hostage."
The woman laughed with a sincere, ringing laugh. "Hostage?" she said with sparkling eyes. "Oh, goodness, no!" Sofia recoiled and then frowned at the woman's reaction. "My darling Sofia," her words were spoken with so much affection, "you are my guest."
Slowly, Sofia started to feel the loss of that confidence she had at the beginning and the sense of fear gradually started to fill in. Something was so terribly wrong and Sofia couldn't pinpoint it.
"I imagined this, so many times," the woman spoke softly, tracing the material of Sofia's shirt with her fingers over the rolled up cuffs, across one shoulder to the collar then under it, making contact with warm skin but moving away quickly, gently to the other side and then trailing off with a dreamy sigh. "And now that you're here, you're taking my breath away."
They made eye contact again and Sofia slightly frowned when she noticed how the color of the woman's eyes changed and they were now almost purple, the most amazing shade, almost unnaturally so, and then the woman smiled and Sofia gasped in recognition.
"Don't be afraid," the woman said softly. She took a gentle hold of Sofia's arm and turned her slightly so she would face the big window overlooking the city of Las Vegas from what seemed to be thousands of miles up in the atmosphere. Millions of lights twinkled below them against the severe darkness of the night. The woman positioned herself behind Sofia, smoothing her hands over the plain of the detective's back and then settling them on her shoulders. Almost against her will, Sofia took pleasure in the calming sensation of the touch, and her eyes became heavy lidded. "Just let go," the woman said, bringing Sofia's back against her chest and then, just as gently as she had done everything else before that, she tilted the detective's head, exposing the smooth and soft skin at the crook of her neck.
The last thing Sofia remembered before the exhilarating feeling of her body being on fire and the pain that lead to it, was the flash against the windowpane of the perfectly straight and pearly white teeth with two distinctly protruding fangs before they got buried into her skin.
What seemed to be two hundred years later, she awoke. The light was too bright and sounds too invasive in their loudness. The very sound of her heart beating drove her insane; it thumped like a giant drum being pounded against on one of those medieval slave ships. Her muscles tightened in one violent spasm and Sofia screamed out with all force of her voice, tearing her vocal chords like the pain was tearing through her.
The air was being stolen from her lungs, and then granted again. She gulped on it like a starving animal tears into the warm flesh of its prey. Her chest heaved, her teeth gritted, her fingers ripped onto the sheets under her.
A soothing hand touched her cold and sweaty forehead; Sofia could feel the warmness against her clammy skin, but the touch did close to nothing to help her condition. Like trapped in a block of ice, she shivered and felt herself slowly drifting away.
And then another wave of pain came along, tearing her asunder with its force, pulling on every nerve ending, exploding in every cell of her body.
"Help me!" She wailed in desperation, blindly clawing for the person next to her to alleviate her suffering.
"Shhh." Robyn appeased with her voice, "It'll only take another minute and it'll be all over."
Another scream tore out from Sofia's lungs and she arched off the bed in one more muscle-tightening seizure before her voice broke and she fell limply against the mattress, completely spent, exhausted to the point where she barely had strength to continue breathing.
She inhaled the air in quick short gasps. The warmth finally started to reach and engulf her, lulling her into tranquility. It took her a few more moments to register her surroundings, but when she did, Sofia realized that it was the same room from before with its warm orange light, the big window, plush chairs, rare books, masterpieces on the walls and the big four poster bed on which she now rested.
"What happened?" Sofia blinked and then tilted her eyes in search of the woman who sat on the bed beside her, slowly stroking her hand.
"Don't talk," Robyn said, reaching over to place her hand on Sofia's chest, right over the place where her heart started to slow its pace to a steady rhythm. "Rest for a while. Turning is an exhausting experience."
Relaxing into the mattress, Sofia managed to take in the first lungful of air and when she did it felt completely different from before. It made her slightly lightheaded, as if she was weightless. She blinked and her eyes registered colors she had never seen before. And then the scent... the woman next to her – Robyn – Sofia noticed the scent of her; different, richer than before. Exciting. Sofia swallowed; her throat was dry and her lips chafed.
"Here," Robyn offered before Sofia uttered a word. She moved closer to Sofia, gently stroked her face and then leaned over her until their lips met.
Sofia gasped into Robyn's mouth and then closed her lips over hers, humming at the metallic taste of what only could be blood on the other woman's lips. It seemed to lift her, give her strength, because she finally managed to move, reaching over with her hand to pull Robyn in a deeper kiss. In a moment something primal awoke in her and the kiss grew deeper until it became almost violent, making Robyn tear herself from Sofia's grasp with a smile.
"Quite eager, my dear Sofia." Robyn pulled away and Sofia noticed a beading spot of blood forming on Robyn's lip where she bit her. "There's no need to rush." The bead of blood disappeared with a slow swipe of Robyn's tongue. "Come," she pulled on Sofia's hand. "We need to find you something new to wear."
Sofia sat up on the bed and only then realized her shirt was tore open and drenched in sweat. Robyn helped her off the bed and then across the room where the bathroom's door awaited open, swimming in the light of dozens of lit candles. Door, Sofia thought. That door wasn't there before. She turned to look at Robyn, meeting her smile, and in the process, she noticed another, brass studded oak door on their right.
"Wash your face," Robyn directed her, handing her a fresh towel. "I'll be right back with clean clothes."
Her face was pale and her eyes bloodshot and weary. Her hair was loose and stringy from sweat and when Sofia pulled it back from her face she noticed a dark circle just under the side of her collar. With her fingers, she moved the collar aside taking a better look. Two punctures, about an inch apart, marred her porcelain skin and Sofia winced. They didn't hurt, or bleed, but they stood out so horrible against the paleness of her skin.
"Don't worry," Robyn's voice startled her. "It'll heal in a few hours." Sofia looked at her in confusion to which Robyn gave her another warm smile. "Regeneration," she explained, "one of the perks of our race." Sofia now chuckled at her, but Robyn persisted. "You're a vampire now."
Letting out a laugh, Sofia dropped her head and then lifted it again to meet her own eyes in the mirror. She watched herself for a moment and then averted her eyes back at Robyn. "I can see my reflection," she challenged impishly.
Robyn's eyes narrowed and deepened in shade, "And I wear a cross around my neck," she pulled her collar a bit lower to reveal a small silver cross pendant hanging around her neck. "It's not the urban legends and myths that make you a vampire," she spoke, stepping closer and gently touching Sofia's collar bone and then stroking with her fingers against the protruding line of it. "It's the hunger you feel in the pit of your stomach and the ravaging desire of needing to have someone to feed on, just like I chose you to satisfy my need."
That glowing shade of purple lit up Robyn's eyes again and Sofia noticed the tips of razor sharp canines peeking from behind her smiling lips. Instinctively, Sofia ran her own tongue against the underside of her incisors, feeling two sharp edges rising above the line of her teeth. "What have you done to me?" She gasped at the revelation.
Robyn closed in on Sofia, wrapping one arm around her shoulders. She lowered her head and nuzzled Sofia's neck and then met her eyes in the mirror's reflection. "Welcome to the new world Sofia," Robyn said. "This is where eternity begins."
The End