Work Text:
Nighttime visitations:
It was in the middle of the night. Just arriving home from work, Mike felt that he was being watched. He stopped in front of the front door and took a resigned breath.
“What do you want, Vampire?”
The figure came out of the shadows but, after he was standing in front of the taller man, seemed to suddenly reconsider.
“Nothing. This was a mistake and I never should have come here!“
He started to turn around, but Mike stopped him by placing a hand on Henry’s arm.
The vampire looked from the hand to the man’s face. It was almost like déjà-vu, but instead of gripping the detective’s throat he simply looked at him.
Mike was surprised to see the pain in those steel-grey eyes and recognized the same loneliness he had felt since breaking contact with Vicki.
“Why don’t you come in?”
Henry hesitated, but then quickly followed when Mike left the door open.
Mike’s home was surprisingly stylish, but still cozy. It radiated a warmth that drew Henry in.
The detective had shed his coat and sat down on a comfortable-looking couch, watching the younger-looking man inspect his home. Why had he come here tonight? Mike waited patiently for what would happen and motioned for the vampire to sit down when he finally got the other man’s attention.
“I would offer you something to drink, but since I am all out of A negative, I will spare us such pleasantries and come right to the point. To what do I owe the questionable honor of your visit?”
Henry surprisingly did not, as expected, take the bait, but simply shook his head and smiled. It was nice to know that some things never changed.
“Blunt as always, detective. It is nice to know that you stay true to your nature, come what may.” Seeing a tick start in the corner of one of Mike’s eyes, he continued:
“I am not here to irritate you, as much as I admit to loving it – “
He gave Mike an honest smile that somehow coaxed an answering lift of the corners of the detective’s mouth.
“I – “
He stopped, not quite sure how to continue.
“I wanted to know how she is doing?”
He looked searching into big, blue orbs that suddenly seemed filled with a sadness he easily could relate to.
Mike did not have to ask who she was. It could only be Vicki.
Vicki…
He missed her so much, but he had done the right thing. He had told her he could not wait for her forever and after hearing her say those words to Henry, he had finally seen the hopelessness of the situation. She did not love him like he loved her anymore, or not enough, and it was time to accept reality and try to move on. Mike knew he would always love her, but if he didn’t cut the strings now, he never would. Instead he would watch over her from the sidelines, because even if he stayed out of her life, he would always be there to keep her safe – always…
“Mike?” ancient eyes looked at him, concerned.
“Oh, yeah,“ he swallowed, “she… she is fine, considering. There has been no further incident with … you know. Nowadays she works mostly standard cases as far as I was able to find out, but – I…”
Henry nodded in understanding.
“You are not in contact anymore. Believe me, I understand! And contrary to whatever you might think, I do hold you in high regard for still being so loyal to her. She is lucky to have such a friend!”
The vampire rose slowly from the couch and went to the door. Then he stopped and turned once more to say:
“Take care!”
But before he could vanish, the detective called after him:
“Hey, Fitzroy! You, ahem, … if you want to know what is going on, well… feel free to come by.”
Mike knew he would regret these words the moment they left his mouth. And not disappointing him, the vampire again stood in front of him with mischievous, glittering eyes and whispered softly:
“Why, Michael, if I had known you would miss me, I would never have left!”
And with this sentence and a last wink, the undead bastard son of Henry VIII was gone.
“God, I hate him!”
But even as he spoke those words, Mike knew them to be false and he instead smiled. Somehow, suddenly the world seemed lighter than only an hour ago and for the first time in months, Mike went to bed with the feeling that all would be well.