Till the End of Time: Chapter Four
Chapter Four
“Wow,” Vicki breathed once she took a gander at the hotel Henry had booked for them.
“You like?”
“I didn’t know such a small little town like Sunnydale could have such gorgeous digs!”
Henry laughed, “Well it took some research, but I found something nice for us. It’s Sunnydale’s best kept secret.”
“I’ll say. You’d never know just looking at how normal the place looks that such a beautiful building exists.”
The hotel itself, The Sunrise Inn, was not on a main road, but set back in a little side road just past the town center. It wasn’t all that tall, just four floors, but it was long and vast. The decoration was ornate, Victorian, and it had a luxurious and yet homey feel to it. It was a mile from the beach, and had a pool in back to boot.
“There is a gym inside along with a hot tub and sauna,” Henry informed her.
“Henry, how much is all this?”
“I told you I’d take care of the reservations.”
“Let me help pay for it.”
“No. I’m treating you.”
Vicki looked at him incredulously, “Why?”
He smiled warmly, “You deserve it. And, I want to.”
She was tempted to argue, but she was also tired and wanted to check out that hot tub before she checked in for the night. She’d concede for now, but later she’d rip into him about spending too much money and “treating her”.
“Stop thinking, Victoria.”
“We both know that’s not going to happen,” she muttered.
“Maybe I’ll to find ways to stop you from doing it then,” he said, smiling mischievously.
Rolling her eyes, Vicki started to the front of the hotel. “Let’s check in Fitzroy. There’s a hot tub with my name on it in there.”
********
“Henry,” Vicki said, walking through the door that adjoined their suites, “How are you going to ensure that you’re not going to be disturbed during the day?”
Henry smiled, “I’ll have the blinds drawn of course and lock my door. I’ll even put the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on my door.”
“Okay, just making sure.”
“Worried about me?” he asked huskily, studying her closely.
Taking a full step back from him she shrugged, “Well, ya know, I don’t want to come in and see a pile of dust on the bed instead of, well, you.”
“Ah, Vicki, you warm my heart,” he teased.
She cracked a grin and shook her head. “What are you going to do now? Settle in?”
“I believe a hot tub was mentioned.”
Vicki blinked at him. “You’re going to join me in the hot tub?”
He shrugged, “Yeah, why not?”
“I just-I don’t--” Taking a deep breath she looked away for a minute to regroup and then looked back to him. “You know I think I’m actually going to turn in.”
“Vicki…”
“Nah, really, I’m just,” she made a show of yawning; “I’m really tired. Night Henry!”
His vampiric speed was no match for Vicki’s haste to get out of his room. Yes, she and Henry were friends, yes, he was a good partner, and yes, she had already seen him bare-chested, but soaking in a hot tub with him didn’t seem right. Or, it was the fact that it sounded hot - no pun intended-and right that was making her nix the idea.
“Cold shower, that’s what I need,” she muttered to herself.
********
Henry sighed as he stared at the shut door Vicki had just practically slammed on him. This was going to be more difficult than he wagered. Mike wasn’t there to divert her attention from him, but Vicki’s walls firmly in place were doing the job just fine.
Sitting down on his Queen sized bed and surveying the suite, the exact replica of Vicki’s, with only the color scheme’s different - hers greens and blues, his reds and creams, Henry wondered what she at least thought of her room. He’d taken great care to choose one she’d like, wanting to make it bright and cheery for her. She was surrounded by darkness enough - and he included himself in that. He wasn’t kidding when he said he wanted to treat her. Not only treat her, but pamper as well. Henry knew if he’d told her that, she would have run for the hills and insisted they go somewhere else. Vicki Nelson was not the type to be pampered.
Perhaps it was a bit underhanded and sneaky to go about it this way, to seduce her like this, to in a sense “buy her”, but he’d also never had to work so hard to get a female to reciprocate his feelings. Henry wasn’t used to this kind of challenge when it came to women. In Toronto, he had a bevy of beautiful women that he could have with a snap of his fingers or even a flash of his fangs. Vicki though, she was different. She made him work hard, she kept him on his toes and she never let his head get to big. He’d told her once that he had a fair opinion of himself, and that was true, but he had to admit: Vicki made him question himself - and not in a bad way either. It was good for him, he’d realized begrudgingly, to do a little self-analysis. You reach a certain age, his case over four centuries, and you think you’re invincible, that you’re all done growing and evolving. Not the case.
And right now Henry was learning patience. One would think being 450 years old would have taught him that already, all he had was time, there was no reason to rush - but no, he was often a go-getter, and was used to getting what he wanted. His powers of persuasion though, did not work on Vicki.
Sighing heavily, Henry flopped back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Maybe it was time to change tactics. . .
********
Waking up the next morning, rather more like afternoon after a quick clock check, Vicki rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. The hotel was incredible, the bed was amazingly comfortable and her room was so fantastic she didn’t want to leave. Ever. Henry had gone all out and though she had some suspicions about his ‘treating’ her, she opted to not analyze it too much. Not yet. But that was what she kept telling herself when it came to Mike, when it came to Henry, when it came to her feelings on them - she’d think about it later. Besides, it wasn’t important. Not right now. Things were good, why rock the boat?
Stretching, Vicki reached over to the nightstand and turned on her phone - which immediately let her know she had some messages waiting for her. One from Coreen, her bumbling “assistant” and a million from Mike. Okay, three from Mike. Still, the point remained - it was a bit much.
Not even bothering to listen to his messages, she called him.
“Bout time,” he said in the phone.
Vicki rolled her eyes. “I was sleeping.”
“Up late with Fitzroy?”
“Well, I am normally up late with him anyway on cases--”
“Is that what you were doing last night?”
“No. We arrived, we went through customs, we found our hotel and we went to bed - separately.”
“Vicki, what are you doing? I mean all the way in California?”
“Told you. Solving a case.”
“And you have to take your pet vampire with you?”
“He’s not my pet anything - Christ, Mike. I remember a time when I could talk to you about everyday stuff, when we could talk like friends. These days all you want to talk about is Henry. Maybe what this is really about is that you want him and I’m in the way!”
“Someone’s got to watch your back and I don’t really see how Fitzroy is going to be the one to watch your back.”
“Really? So, what - you’re going to fight demons and zombies and ghosts with me? You have an extensive knowledge of them? You know where to find the resources to fight them?”
“No, but--”
“There are no buts here. Mike, look…you’re my…something. My friend if you want to put a name to it. I care about you, you care about me, but this whole ‘I want to be your knight in shining armor’ kick has got to stop. Just let me be who I am. Let me do what I need to do.”
Silence, then, “Is that what he does for you? Does he let you be you?”
“Yes, he does. He and I lock horns just as much as you and I, but he doesn’t coddle me. He protects me without smothering me.”
“Is that what I do? Smother you?”
He wasn’t going to like the answer to this. Closing her eyes, Vicki took a deep breath. “Yes.”
The next thing Vicki heard was the click of the cell alerting her that Mike had disconnected the call.
“Well, isn’t that nice?” she muttered. Trying her best to put it out of her mind that he’d just essentially hung up on her, Vicki got up and sauntered to the sliding glass doors across the room and stepped out, breathing in the fresh air. Not wanting to dwell on Mike, Vicki started to plan for the day on how she and Henry were going to find the Slayer that night.