Reunion

Participating in Jolene’s (Chico’s Mom) prompts where the only real rule is that you can’t kill off the main character. Oh, and use the four prompts provided:

1. not so Good Samaritan
2. vampire
3. reunited
4. pills

Here is my humble offering below.

Vladimir opened the heavy wooden door on the third knock, as though he’d been expecting this all along. Which, of course, he had been — for eleven years.

“Aldric.” With warmth, arms outstretched. That slight lisp that came with elongated canines. “Come in, come in. You’ll catch your death.”

The sharpened stake went in before the threshold, a clean practiced thrust, oak through waistcoat through breastbone. Vladimir looked down at it with mild interest.

“Oh,” he said. “Well then.”

“Eleven years,” said Aldric. “It’s been eleven long years.”

“Has it been? Really? Seems like yesterday.”

“For the undead, it might seem so.”

“Sit, sit. I’ll put the kettle on.” Vladimir turned for the kitchen, stake swaying. “How’s Margaret? The little ones — Tom must be, what, at university now?”

“Reading law. Jessie’s the one taking after her father and getting into the business of hunting.”

“Law. Marvelous. And Jessie… She always had a knack for such things.” A wince. He pressed a grey hand to the wood. “Forgive me. Dreadful heartburn, all of a sudden.”

Aldric hesitated. Then, from his coat, a small roll of chalky tablets. “Here. For the burning.”

Vladimir took two, gracious. His mouth spread to a big, toothy grin. “You always were a good boy. So considerate.” He chewed, considering. “Berry?”

“Assorted.”

“Lovely, lovely.” He set the kettle down, sat, folded his hands around the protruding stake as one might a cane. “Now. You must tell me how you’ve been. Everything.”