Born Out of Love

Note: Italic represents either Lestat's thoughts or his stuff from a book. Italic underlined are Louis' thoughts. Dont worry its not that confusing. Oh and many thanks to KC's "Another Night in Paradise" which kinda inspired this little story.

"I'm the Vampire Lestat. Remember me?"

Louis smiled as he began reading Lestat's third autobiography, "The Queen of the Damned." Though this was the fourth time he had read the book, the sheer cockyness and elegance of it still tantalized him.

How can he sound so much like a spoiled brat and still write such a story? Louis smiled. It seemed that even after knowing his loved one for 200 years, Lestat would never stop amazing him.

"I'm a little sadder for all of it, and a littler meaner and a little more conscientious as well."

He sighed, wondering when Lestat would return home. He had left early in the evening to hunt, remarking that he had heard the Paris commedae was in town, and wanted to see if he could dig up any "French cuisine", a private joke he and Louis had shared for decades.

Louis smiled softly and closed the book, opting to return it to its shelf and pick something more poetic, perhaps the large leatherbound book of prose that Lestat had bought him for his birthday. By Shakespear, of course. He remembered how Lestat had carefully slipped the book onto one of the shelves while Louis was out on the hunt, and had remarked slyly when Louis came home that maybe they would enjoy reading a book together, something by Shakespear perhaps.

Yes, Lestat, you never manage to stop amazing me... Louis opened the book and had not read more than two lines when he heard the front door open. Closing the book, he stood and went to the front room. He was immediately shocked by the sight before him.

Lestat stood in the open doorway, hair tangled and matted, skin so pale it was almost transparant, his face blank and eyes glazed, and soaking wet, the water almost streaming from his saturated clothes onto the soft white carpeting that had been another one of Lestat's surprise presents.

"Louis..." Lestat's voice was soft and raw, barely above a whisper. His eyebrow's knotting, Louis stepped forward and caught Lestat before he could fall, and lowered him gently onto the couch (a french style loveseat that Louis had bought for Lestat's 234th birthday) and sat down beside him.

Not again... Louis thought to himself. This was not the first time Lestat had come staggering home in a daze after inadvertadly drinking from a human on narcotics.

"Are you allright?" Louis asked his lover softly. Lestat's eyes wandered the room aimlessly, staring first at Louis' small mohogany desk, then at the shelves of books behind them, and finally at the fireplace, which they remained on.

"Did you know the fireplace is on fire?" Lestat asked softly, his voice full of some drug induced awe.

His eyes drifted down to his hands, and he was turning them over and back again as if they had grown tiny wings and were about to fly away from him.

"Why dont you go get some sleep, beloved. You must be tired." Louis said softly, then gently smoothed an errant strand of hair away from Lestat's face.

"I loved her." Lestat said suddenly, startling Louis so badly that he almost jumped at it. He looked carefully at his love, who was currently staring at the fireplace as if the God and the Devil were dancing in it wearing hoola hoops.

"Who?" Louis asked with a quiet determination. Was he talking about Akasha? Though Louis had tried many times to coax Lestat into talking about that dreadful time, he had not had much luck in getting him to open up about the whole situation. Were the drugs making him finally speak of it?

"Claudia." Lestat answered dreamily, still staring at the fireplace. Louis sat very still for a moment, trying to ignore the painful memories washing through him and concentrate on his love.

"Wow... I didnt know that the fireplace could move." Lestat said, standing up wobbily from the couch and stumbling over to Louis' desk. Louis stood up and walked over to him, putting an arm behind his back to steady him, still speachless.

"Alot of books. How come you dont let me read them?" Lestat's eyes were poring over the many titles of the books, and glanced back at Louis for a moment before going back to the books, his eyes still glazed.

"Lestat, dont you think you should get some rest?" Louis asked softly. He didnt want to hear anymore, yet something deep inside him pleaded for Lestat to say more, to tell him more about Claudia and how he had felt those many years ago.

"Mind if I read something? Oh wow didnt know you liked Dean Koontz..." Louis had his hands firmly planted on Lestat's shoulder before he could take down the book and turned him around.

The expression on his lovers face would have made him laugh at loud if his heart had not felt like it was being constricted at the moment. His mouth was slightly agape, and his eyebrows were raised above those drug glazed eyes, unseeing and wandering still.

"What?" He asked in that dreamy tone.

"About Claudia..." Louis said, averting his eyes and looking at the floor, at Lestat's soaked suede boots. Louis would hear some hell tomorrow when Lestat found that his boots had been ruined.

"Did you know that the fireplace is dancing?" Lestat asked, his eyes once again fixed on the fireplace across the room from them.

"Lestat.." Louis was becoming frantic now. He had to know. He had to know what Lestat wanted to say, he had to hear all of it, or he was going to burst into tiny peices of preternatural flesh.

Finally Lestat focused his eyes on him, though they were still glazed and seemed to be looking off in the distance. Finally, in a soft and somehow saddened voice, Lestat asked:

"Do you really love me? After all that I've done to you?"

"With all my heart." Louis said in the silence that followed.

"From the moment I saw you I fell in love with you, not just for your beuaty but for your kindness, a wonder I had not seen or felt in years. Being around you made me feel human again. I loved you for your philosophies, for your kindness, for your clinging human spirit. But then Claudia came and I felt I had lost you, and so I turned bitter. I was fighting a losing battle against her. She had already won your heart and I had no place in it anymore."

Louis stood stock still, his heart pounding wildly in his heart, and it seemed to be almost leaping in joy even as the words sunk deep into his soul.

"But I couldnt hate her for it. She was so like me, and she made you happy. I loved her becuase she was our daughter, and she was the only person who ever made you happy after I gave you the dark gift. Even then, floating in the swamps after she cut open my throat I could think of nothing but my love for you."

In the silence thereafter, Louis could hear his heart slowly calming down and could feel the amorous feelings of deep love for this angelic god of his welling to the surface.

"I love you too Lestat." He whispered softly. Lestat went over to the fireplace and stared at it for a moment, then turned back to Louis.

"Louie?" He asked quietly. Louis turned around and smiled at his beloved.

"Yes?" He asked softly.

"Why is the fireplace looking at me like that?" Lestat asked in all seriousness. Louis couldnt help but laugh, and Lestat looked at him oddly. He yawned suddenly and stretched his arms even as he moved away from the fireplace and towards the couch. Louis joined him and they both stretched out on the couch together on the fluffy velvet pillows.

"Sleepy.." Lestat whispered, and when Louis hugged his arms around his beloved he could hear the soft snoring. His love was already asleep, and Louis soon fell asleep next to his beloved, a small smile on his face.

"I could think of nothing but my love for you..."