Title: Broken

Author: Hannurdock / Gina

Fandom: Vampire Chronicles

Rating: R

Warnings: Character severely hurt. Spoilers, up to Tale of the Body Thief before Lestat burns Louis little house and before the experiment with the body thief. Slash fic - Louis / Lestat.

Comments: Love 'em!

Disclaimer: Lestat and Louis belong to Anne Rice. Anne Rice alone makes money from them, I do this for pleasure only.

Comments: Of course :)

Archive: Yes thanks!!

By Hannurdock/Gina
****

Louis held the phone in his left hand as he re-arranged Lestat's gift of flowers on the window sill with his right. He smiled to himself as he saw the single rose in the centre. It was unlike Lestat to be romantic in any sense of the word, but Louis knew his maker was extremely worried about him. Apart from being the most vulnerable vampire on the face of this planet, apart from never taking the offered blood from Lestat, apart from being emotionally insecure and unable to live with guilt - Lestat feared he would soon end his existance.

"So you like them?" Lestat asked for the third time that evening.

"I love them, Lestat" Louis answered for the third time that evening.

"I have another present for you" Lestat whispered tenderly.

"Another one? Aren't you getting carried away" Louis said, the smile still playing on his lips.

"Not with you beloved. Besides, you live in that dump you call a house and wear rags thinking they are the latest in fashion. You need as many gifts as you can get" Lestat said, slight mockery.

"Lestat! I love this little house. I adore it. Its my home" Louis countered. The familiar arguament rearing its ugly head once more.

"What's that?" Lestat asked before Louis even heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

Louis turned and came face to face with a rogue vampire, his face and hair were dirty and his fangs yellowish in colour. His eyes were the colour of the darkest blood, his lips deep pink. He was a horrifying sight, but Louis was calm and collected.

"Can I help you?" Louis asked, putting the phone down on his small, dusty table without switching it off so Lestat could hear every word.

"Louis! What's going on?" Lestat asked, his voice clearly worried.

"Yes" The rogue vampire turned around so Louis could see only his back. He whipped around quickly, and back handed the weaker vampire full in the face. Louis reeled backwards, arms flailing and felt the glass of the window smash around him. He was falling. He saw the rogue vampire's face sneering at him in glee. He saw the vase of flowers that Lestat had given him fall alongside him briefly before everything turned pitch black.

****

Lestat heard the glass smashing, heard Louis give a startled cry and hurried out of his own house. He took flight instantly knowing it would only take him minutes to reach Louis little house and came down in the back garden. He walked over to the door, and unlocked it with his mind. The house was dirty, covered with cobwebs, very run down. Lestat sighed. He would have to do something about this.

He walked up the stairs, clutching the banister lightly. He heard the soft laugh of a vampire he didn't know and wandered into the front room.

"Louis?" Lestat called. The rogue vampire turned and faced Lestat. His viciousness turning to fear upon sight of the stronger vampire. Nothing was worse than destroying the fledgling of one of the strongest vampires on the planet.

"He went out" The rogue vampire offered timidly, edging his way to the door.

Lestat walked forwards to the window and looked out at the spiked railings. His fledgling had been impaled on them. The colour red clouded his vision, and he turned. The rogue vampire could almost feel the anger and heat eminating from the angry elder. He moved quickly towards the door, but Lestat closed it with his mind. He walked forwards slowly and rogue vampire backed against the wall.

"No" The rogue vampire said weakly, attempting to shield his face with his arms. The fire descended upon him like a heat wave, his head exploded and he slumped to the ground. His eyes were lifeless now, and his body was turning to ashes.

Leaving the vampire corpse, Lestat ventured out of the little house into the front garden quickly. He walked over to Louis, impaled so viciously on the rusty railings. His eyes had opened now. He was conscious and in a lot of pain. Lestat crouched next to his fledgling, letting his hand brush the clammy cheek.

"Louis, I have to get you off this railing. Do you hear me?" Lestat asked softly.

Louis nodded before his head flopped uselessly onto the ground, grimacing in agony from the terrible pain.

Lestat brushed Louis forehead gently and then placed his arms under the injured vampire. He started to lift gently, but changed his mind when he saw the unendurable agony on his fledgling's face. He lifted the younger vampire quickly now, so the pain wouldn't last as long - and Louis gasped as he felt himself freed from the terrible pain.

Lestat lay Louis gently on the ground, and watched him move his head frantically from side to side, as if in a fever. Lifting Louis gently and covering him with his coat, Lestat once again took flight to his own lavish abode.

Louis was whimpering softly, his eyes closed tight in terror as Lestat entered his own house, and walked upstairs to the bathroom, carrying the younger vampire as if he were the most precious jewel.

"Lestat ...." Louis said in a small voice, clutching the stronger vampire's arm tightly.

"Yes, beloved?" Lestat asked, looking at Louis with tears in his eyes.

"I feel like I am dying" Louis said softly.

"You are not dying" Lestat said, a warm smile lighting up his face "I won't let you go".

The bathroom was elegant and luxurious with a bath in the far corner twice the size of ordinary bathtubs. Lestat placed Louis on the bathroom floor, unwrapped the coat he had put around the fragile body and watched Louis writhe in agony. Sighing, Lestat started to run a bath. His hands measured the temperature of the water to ensure it would not be too hot or too cold. Either way would be unbearable for Louis.

As the water filled the bathtub, Lestat peeled the damp clothing off his fledgling. He pressed lightly on the wound in Louis chest and watched Louis gasp in pain.

"Louis, I'm going to bathe you" Lestat said, his voice low and tender.

Louis couldn't find the words to protest, even if he had wanted to. He felt Lestat raise his body and then felt the soothing water around his limbs, caressing him. He sighed, relieved that the water didn't irritate his wound and then looked at Lestat with tearful eyes.

"The vampire .......?"

" ..... is dead".

"Are you sure?"

"I am positive".

Louis sank into the water and let Lestat's hands move about his body, washing him like a porcelain doll, careful not to inflict any more pain on his beloved. The steam from the water was making him drowsy and he barely noticed Lestat's tearful expression as blackness once again descended upon him.

****

Lestat moved his hands gently around the body of Louis and he placed his left hand under Louis head to keep him from sinking under the water. With his right hand he washed the dark hair, noticing that Louis had fallen asleep under the gentle caresses. With a sigh, he lifted his fledgling from the water and covered him with a warm towel. He examined the wound again. It was healing well, within a couple of hours this incident would not even leave a mark on the exquisite body. Lestat could only pray that it didn't leave a mark in Louis mind.

****

Louis awoke and sat up instantly. He was in Lestat's own bed, the silk sheets were soothing to feel. He was naked, and Louis immediately felt for the wound in his stomach. It was gone. However, his head still felt light and he lay back down onto the pillow, loving the feel of silk surround him.

The bedroom door opened, and Lestat walked in with a victim. He knelt at Louis bedside, again placing his left hand under the head and lifted Louis gently.

"I have brought a victim for you" Lestat whispered, bringing the victim forward and forcing him onto the bed roughly. Louis watched helplessly as Lestat bit into the victim's neck, and joined the two of them. Louis drank deeply, feeling the blood strengthen him and gasped when Lestat drew the victim away and took the body out of the room leaving Louis in the darkness.

Louis glanced around himself. His vision was becoming clearer. He sat up again, and this time his head did not feel as light. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and got up a little shakily. He walked over to the mirror and looked at his reflection. He heard the door to the room open and Lestat walked up behind him, wrapping his arms around Louis, securing him.

"What do you see, Louis?" Lestat asked.

"I see us both" Louis answered.

"No, what do you see when you look at yourself" Lestat asked again, patiently.

"I see ..... something I dislike" Louis answered, tears in his eyes. "I see something weak, something vulnerable, something completely dependant on his maker".

Lestat turned Louis so they were facing each other. "Would you like me to give you my blood, Louis? It will help you to overcome your weakness".

Louis shook his head. "When the time comes, Lestat, I will make a choice. Either your blood or true death. But I cannot decide now".

Lestat closed his eyes "I love you, Louis".

Louis smiled "I love you, Lestat".

Lestat grinned suddenly, and took his fledgling's hand lightly "Why don't you get dressed and we'll go out for a walk". He walked swiftly over to the wardrobe, and pulled out some of his own luxurious clothes for Louis to wear.

Louis sighed and obeyed. Lestat laughed and danced around the room like a madman possessed by the devil himself, catching Louis half dressed and wildly spinning him around as if he were a rag doll.

"Lestat! Control yourself!" Louis said, knowing that would only make the vampire grin and dance more.

Lestat smiled tenderly and pointed to the clothes "Get dressed beloved. Tonight you and I are going to paint the town red".

Louis couldn't help but smile at the enthusiasm Lestat was showing. "I will need to get back to my coffin before the night ends".

"Practicalities!" Lestat moaned. "You can stay here with me".

Louis groaned, knowing Lestat would not let him out of his sight for the next couple of days, and resigned himself to the fact he was going to have to endure Lestat's eager playfulness. Grinning to himself he decided that might even be a little fun.

It was decidedly more interesting than Louis only other option of staying in his gloomy little house by himself. He smiled at Lestat, now fully dressed. "Lets go, sweet maker".

THE END