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"Here There Be Vampires" A Promise City, Arizona Story Hour
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<blockquote data-quote="orchid blossom" data-source="post: 2819612" data-attributes="member: 12815"><p>Ruby heads back over to the bar. "Mr. Greely, sorry about the mess earlier, spilling the drink and all. Sometimes I am such a klutz! Maybe I should stick to my whiskey," she laughs. While she speaks with Greely, she tries to check out his necklace with the key.</p><p></p><p>The necklace is a simple, thick gold chain. From it hangs what appears to be a very simple key. The necklace is much newer than the key, which appears to be ancient.</p><p></p><p>"You think you are the first person to spill a drink in a saloon. You might however, be the first to apologize to me for it though, so thanks. Here, try this whiskey, from my personal collection. Last bottle I have."</p><p></p><p>Greely pours two fairly generous glasses of whiskey, slides one to Ruby and takes one himself. "To Sheriff Wilson, may he rest in peace," he says solemnly as he lifts his glass high.</p><p></p><p>Ruby takes the glass and clinks it with Greely's. "To Sheriff Wilson." She drinks her whiskey down. She watches Greely with interest, not understanding how he was being nice and yet still a monster...</p><p></p><p>"So, is there a Mrs. Greely?"</p><p></p><p>Greely drinks his shot down as well, clanking the glass down hard on the bar. "Oh no, there is no Mrs. Greely. I courted a few women in my day, but the saloon has always been my true love. I have owned a few, in different towns, but I have always found this to be my calling."</p><p></p><p>"At least you know what you want. So many a man marries and doesn't devote himself to his wife like he should. I would imagine it would be hard to find a lady who would like all the night hours you keep with the saloon."</p><p></p><p>"How long you been here?"</p><p></p><p>"Been here for oh, about 12 years now I think. This town suits me quite well, nice and quiet, out of the way, and still a regular crowd that likes to come and drink."</p><p></p><p>"Even after everything bad that has happened here? I am surprised people stay in this town. Why do you think they do Mr. Greely? There are whispers of monsters. Those men from the other day, the ones who..." Ruby touches her face, "You know... they weren't human."</p><p></p><p>"Well, all that trouble is fairly recent. Troubled people tend to drink more, so it wasn't too bad for business at first. At this point I am just trying to weather the storm, hoping things will settle down soon. Will you excuse me please, I have some drinks to pour."</p><p></p><p>"Alright Mr. Greely. Sorry to keep you." Ruby watches him walk away, then pushes the remainder of the whiskey aside. She stands and makes her way over to Jake. She whispers in his ear, "That necklace will be really hard to grab."</p><p></p><p>Jake nods in response. "I do NOT have a good idea on how to get it. Just yanking it off is probably a last resort kind of plan."</p><p></p><p>Ruby giggles, "What if I lean forward really far? Think that would work on a vampire?'</p><p></p><p>Jake leans his elbow on the table and covers his eyes with his hand that cradles his head. "Hermes...."</p><p></p><p>"What?" Ruby smiles. "It works on you. Every time."</p><p></p><p> "Sure, I may use my teeth but I rarely draw blood..." Jake looks around the saloon, "Is there a basement to this place?"</p><p></p><p>Ruby widens her eyes, "Very funny, Mr. Jacobs, very funny." She looks around the saloon for any kind of door down. "I don't know, let's go find out. About the basement that is, not about your ability to draw blood."</p><p></p><p>Not seeing anything obvious in the room full of people Ruby sits on Jake's lap. She puts her lips to his ear. "If there is something hidden in here we won't find it. So we either have to look around outside or do something else." Ruby pulls on one of Jake's shirt buttons, "While I'd love to do something fun I have a feeling you aren't going to go for that. SO we need to find something else to do."</p><p></p><p>"I do not know what to do next. We probably ought to follow Greely in the morning, and if he loses us break in here in daylight. So, maybe we should entertain ourselves until then?"</p><p></p><p>A wide smile comes to Ruby's face, "Oh yes, let's do that instead." She moves from sitting sideways on Jake's lap to straddling him. "Give me a kiss then we go play cards. How does that sound? Or dance... we could do that too. Or...," she puts her hands on Jake's face making him look into her eyes, "We could go rename that bed..."</p><p></p><p>Minerva notices Ruby straddling Jake and walks over with Chester and Nanuet in her wake. "Ahem, are we interupting here?" she chuckles.</p><p></p><p>"And if you are?" Ruby blurts out. After Jake's dirty look she says, "Ok, ok..." Pissed she didn't get her kiss she slides off of Jake's lap and into the next chair. </p><p></p><p>"So what did you find out?" Ruby continues to whisper, "And oh... Mr. Greely is one of <em>them</em>."</p><p></p><p>"Greely is one of them?" Minerva narrows her eyes and glances at Greely "Meirde!" she hisses.</p><p></p><p>"Yes but shush," Ruby puts her fingers to her lips, "We don't want him to know we know. Although he might already. Thom isn't, we checked."</p><p></p><p>Jake nods to them, "Have a seat. Ruby and I were just discussing playing some poker and retiring early. We are out of ideas... at least ones about Greely here. I figure we can try and watch him when the saloon closes before daylight. And if that does not work, we just break in here at daybreak. You all have any news?"</p><p></p><p>Chester lowers his voice, "Romo and Whitaker met some Mexicans with a wagon outside of town. Whitaker gave them a satchel and then rode back to town. The Mexicans rode back where they came from. And Romo drove the wagon to the northwest. Nanuet found guns and ammunition inside. It didn't seem related to what's going on in Thomaswell, so we came back."</p><p></p><p>Jake says, "Any other ideas? If not then we watch the saloon an hour before closing. If we do not see him leave or where he goes, we break in at dawn. We take turns keeping an eye on things over the night, so everyone can get some rest."</p><p></p><p>"Once again Ja... er Mr. Jacobs your plan sounds like the best one. I can take an extra shift or two, since I don't need to sleep." Nanuet says out of nowhere.</p><p></p><p>"By the way," Ruby starts, specifically looking at Minerva, "I'm real sorry about yesterday. You know trying to kill you all."</p><p></p><p>Katherine knew she couldn't keep this up much longer without raising Jacky's expectations about just how well they were going to get to know each other. He could probably hold his liquor, and she didn't have the time to get him good and drunk. "You know," she said finally, "My curiosity has always got me in more trouble than is good for me. I don't suppose I could peek at your first edition? I don't know the first thing about cards, so I can't steal it's secrets."</p><p></p><p>"Well,” Jacky says, “I put it away in a very safe place. Not that easy to retrieve at the moment. I don't think you would find it all that exciting anyways, it is just a collector's item. What about some darts or some cards. I really am too excited to sit still. I'd say dancing but that didn't work out that well last time."</p><p></p><p>"Maybe, but I don't know how to play darts or cards. </p><p></p><p>And you're wrong about being interested. I'm always interested in everything, it's my curse!" she laughed and noticed the others had returned and were at the table with Jake and Ruby. "I should get to bed early tonight, but a dance or two before I go wouldn't go amiss."</p><p></p><p>"OK then, I'll get old Greely there to fire up the phonograph again and we can get to dancing a bit. I actually wanted to turn in early myself so I could skin out early in the morning, first light."</p><p></p><p>Jacky went to work convincing Greely to take out the phonograph and getting Thom to help him move the tables. The prostitutes were eager to see the dancing start as well so they assisted in clearing the space.</p><p></p><p>Maddie waited while the dance floor was set up, then spent a bit of time dancing with the exuberant Jacky. She continued to flirt and smile for the next half-hour. "I'm afraid I'm not quite as recovered as I thought I was," she said breathing heavily. "I think I'd best get back to the hotel now."</p><p></p><p>"Oh of course. If you would like I could walk you back and then say goodbye, as I am afraid we won't see each other again."</p><p></p><p>Maddie nodded and learned tiredly on his arm as they walked back. "I'm glad I met you. You've been the only bit of fun in my time here. I hope your early escape works out as you want."</p><p></p><p>"Well it won't be the first time. Thanks for being so kind to me. I hope you find out what is going on with your family. Who knows, maybe we'll run into each other again some day."</p><p></p><p>"Maybe. If you're ever in Virginia. Good night, Jacky," she said and went up to Maddie's room.</p><p></p><p>"OK, then." Jake turns to Ruby, "How about a little poker and then we head back for a naming ceremony?"</p><p></p><p>Ruby looks a little disappointed. "Ok." Then she smiles, "Well, I like the second part."</p><p></p><p>Jake shrugs and stands, "Are you going to play? Just a few hands and then back to the new place?" He offers her his hand, "I suppose you would rather dance." He has a smug smile on his face.</p><p></p><p>Bobby Whittaker shows up as Jake and Ruby are discussing playing cards. He no longer wears the bandage on his arm but the scar of what looks like a burn remains. He heads to the back of the saloon immediately and sits down to play cards.</p><p></p><p>Ruby immediately perks up. "One dance. Then a few hands of cards. THEN back to the new place. Come on, let's go." Ruby takes Jake's hand and drags him to the dance floor. "Of course, you realize I am mad at you, you denied me my requested kiss," she teases with her nose in the air.</p><p></p><p>Ruby notices Thom staring at her and she and Jake dance. He sits down in a chair near the dance floor and stares blankly at her with a smile on his face.</p><p></p><p>As they dance Jake says, "Angry at me again, hmmm, just another chance to make up."</p><p></p><p>"Not THAT mad darling. You know I don't like to be denied what I want." Ruby lets Jake swirl her around. "Especially a kiss. Now if you want one you're going to have to ask nice. Hey did you notice Thom? Maybe I should ask him to dance before we play cards."</p><p></p><p>"I have to ask my wife for a kiss?" he says in a moderately loud voice. "Ah, well, such is my life. Would you make my evening and grant me a kiss my love?"</p><p></p><p>Ruby shivers when Jake calls her his wife. She is about to comment but instead stops dancing, puts her hand behind his head and gently but insistently pulls him in for a long slow kiss.</p><p></p><p>Kate pocketed the magical clip and left Maddie behind in the hotel. As she reappeared in the saloon as herself Jake and Ruby were dancing.</p><p></p><p>Minerva eyes Jake and Ruby on the dance floor. She turns to Nanuet. "That looks like fun. Come and dance with me mi amor." she says as she tugs him toward the middle of the room.</p><p></p><p>Nanuet obliges with a smile. He eagerly joins Minerva on the makeshift dance floor and holds her closely knowing that they are near the end of their trial and with any luck would be returning home soon.</p><p></p><p>The couples finish their dancing, with Thom standing in for Jake on one. Jake and Ruby give up dancing to play cards for a little while, while Nanuet and Minerva continue to enjoy the music.</p><p></p><p>Soon they are retiring to the house for the evening. First they stop at the hotel to get everyone else's belongings before retiring for the evening. Nanuet volunteers to keep watch on the saloon until the sun is about to come up at which time he thinks at least one other person should come to keep an eye on things and observe what happens.</p><p></p><p>"Are we agreed on that plan?" he asks before heading back to the saloon.</p><p></p><p>"I will stay with you for a while." Minerva tells Nanuet.</p><p></p><p>"I am in," Jake says. "I will get up for that."</p><p></p><p>"I'll be ready whenever you need me, just come get me." She quickly filled the others in on what she had found out from Jacky O'Neill. "It probably doesn't have to do with any of our business, but I thought I'd let you know." Kate said quietly as those who were leaving left the saloon for the rented house.</p><p></p><p>The night grows very late and the saloon crowd begins to thin. Minerva is having trouble staying awake. "I am sorry to leave you mi amore but I cannot keep you company much longer." She yawns and kisses him deeply. "It will be lonely without you." With Chester in tow she finds her way to the hotel to get her things and then makes her way to the house.</p><p></p><p>Jake wakes before dawn and wakes Ruby. "I am going to meet with Nanuet. You want to come and watch for Greely?"</p><p></p><p>Ruby slowly opens her eyes, squinting when the light hits. Finally she rolls over and stretches. "I want to ask you a question first."</p><p></p><p>"Go ahead."</p><p></p><p>"Well..." Ruby sits up in the bed, holding the sheet around her, "Did you get what you needed? From me?"</p><p></p><p>Jake looks at her uncomprehendingly. "I beg your pardon, it is early and I am not following you."</p><p></p><p>Ruby smiles softly but doesn't make eye contact with Jake. She actually has a shy look on her face, a look Jake is unfamiliar with on Ruby. "Yesterday you said you needed strength from me. And fire. Did you get it?"</p><p></p><p>"Ah!" Jake replies and a smile grows on his face. "The strength, yes. The fire, well I just did not make myself clear. The fire is for you." He gently taps her nose. "I need the fire back in my Ruby West, the fire for life, for you and me to make it out of here in one piece." Jake has his familiar confident smile. "Our friends too," he adds with a smirk. "I can see it burning again. Instead of being afraid and running away I can see you turning all that fear into something else, what ever you like to call it, maybe it is anger at them who would mess with what is precious to us. To me it looks like fire, because it is more complicated than anger." Jake shrugs. "Anyway, you just need to use it. I know you will."</p><p></p><p>"Me?" Ruby look surprised but then smiles softly. "Well I guess I get the fire from you. One of the many things you give me." Her smile fades slightly. "I just wasn't sure I gave you what you needed to go on. I was hoping...you've already done so much..." </p><p>"I am rejuvenated," Jake says without a hint of sarcasm. "No more delays not, let us get this thing done."</p><p></p><p>Ruby nods and reaches a hand out for Jake who pulls her out of bed. She kisses him softly before preparing herself for the day.</p><p></p><p>They stop quickly in the kitchen to make themselves coffee to take with them to the Saloon.</p><p></p><p>When they show up Nanuet greets them tiredly. "The Saloon is closed but neither Greely or Thom ever left."</p><p></p><p>"All right, we will keep watching."</p><p></p><p>Nanuet bids them good watching and he heads back to the house.</p><p></p><p>Minerva awakens at dawn thankful that they have survived another night in this evil place. She rolls over and finds that Nanuet is lying beside her and has once again been guarding her sleep. She smiles up happily and rolling onto him lies on his chest and snuggles back down under the covers. "It is too early to meet the others. Let us give thanks to Venus for our love." She purrs.</p><p></p><p>Nanuet answers Minerva with a soft kiss. "And how could anyone resist that? he says brushing the hair from her face. He then runs his hands up and down the length of her body, enjoying the soft warm sensation of her skin.</p><p></p><p>Minerva responds in turn by deepening the kiss and the two celebrate love and life forgetting, for a while, the dire circumstances which has brought them to this gods forsaken town.</p><p></p><p>As she often did in an unfamiliar bed, Kate woke early. The hotel was right next to the saloon. The house seemed to be deserted, so she got dressed and went back to the hotel. She went through the hassle of checking out twice, but waited to see if she was early enough to catch O'Neill leaving.</p><p></p><p>Kate checks his room by knocking, but no answer, she also checks at the front desk but is told that he left in the middle of the night last night.</p><p></p><p>"He seemed to be quiet anxious to get on the road. He has been a great customer so I was sad to see him go, but he did leave quite late last night," Victor Bishop says politely.</p><p></p><p>Kate nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Bishop. Might Mr. Edwards be about? I know he keeps different hours but I thought he might not have gone to sleep yet."</p><p></p><p>"Yes, he keeps some odd hours, but I was told that before he arrived. The last time I saw him he was in the dining area reading a book and having some coffee, but that was quite some time ago. Perhaps he is still there."</p><p></p><p>"I will look. Would you tell him Katherine was looking for him if you see him, please? Thank you."</p><p></p><p>Kate stepped back into the dining room and looked to see if Nolan Edwards was there. Even if he wasn't she still needed some breakfast.</p><p></p><p>Ruby turns to Jake, "What are we watching for? The Saloon is closed. Let's break in and find out what's up in there."</p><p></p><p>Ruby heads over to the door and making sure no one is watching she pulls out her picks and starts on the door.</p><p></p><p>The lock proves to be a difficult one and takes Ruby a few tries. At this hour of the morning there appears to be no one to protest her activity so she is able to work on it without interruption until she gets the lock open. The saloon is empty but has not been cleaned up yet, it almost looks as though it was abandoned in a rush. Tables and chairs are out of place, a few empty glasses litter the tables, a pile of dirty rags is piled on the bar.</p><p></p><p>Ruby slips her thieves tools back into her bodice while taking a long look around the room. "Is it me or does something just seem off here?" Ruby asks Jake quietly.</p><p></p><p>"Alright Deputy, let's get started with our now legal activities. Did you bring your shiny little star?" Ruby smirks then quietly snickers.</p><p></p><p>The two of them take their time searching the Saloon thoroughly together. They search the stock room, then behind the bar, the area in front of the stairs, the dancing area and where Ruby landed after she got thrown and the back area where the card games are played.</p><p></p><p>Ruby and Jake search leaving no stone unturned. Eventually they make their way to the area behind the bar. On the floor is an old piece of carpet that has been rolled aside to reveal a trap door in the floor. The door is locked on the underside. There are no other clues found during the searching.</p><p></p><p>"Well, think this is Greely's lair? Go wake the others and I will watch the door. Once we have everyone together we can put an end to this once and for all." Jake taps his star, "With Chet and myself I do not think there is any need to wake the sheriff, but Edwards might be a good idea."</p><p></p><p>"I don't know," Ruby says hesitantly, keeping her eyes on the trap door, "It could just be a basement...you really think this is it?"</p><p></p><p>"It's locked from the other side...." Jake pushes his hat back on his head. "Mighty hard to get down there to fetch a few 'taters."</p><p></p><p>"Right," Ruby shivers. Keeping a wary eye on the door she begins, "But I don't want to leave you alone while I..." her voice trails off. "Ok, you'd probably be better off without me anyway." She takes a few steps towards the door then looks back over her shoulder, the worry obvious in her eyes and on her face. In that moment Jake realizes just how pale and thin Ruby has gotten. Dark circles surround her normally twinkling eyes, her face is drawn, even the rosy color from her lips and cheeks is diminished. Her dress hangs off her in spots it would normally be tight. She looks much more like a scared little girl then the confident woman he knows.</p><p></p><p>"You aren't going to try to go down there without the rest of us, are you?" she asks softly.</p><p></p><p>"No." Jake says with a serious tone. "No, I will not. I need all of you. ALL of you," he repeats with emphasis. "Oh, bring the shotgun back with you and some lanterns." He then smiles and says, "Do not worry, I will shoot anything that tries to come out that door and then run into the sunlight."</p><p></p><p>Ruby gulps and nods, then turns and walks out without another word.</p><p></p><p>She heads back to their new house. She quietly climbs up the stairs and knocks lightly on the only closed door. "Ahem, Minerva, Nanuet? We found something. We need you now."</p><p></p><p>Minerva and Nanuet climb out of the bed and quickly toss on their clothes. "Uno momento por favor, Ruby. I will be right there." She looks back over her shoulder to be sure that Nanuet is clothed and then opens the door while buttoning her shirt. "Come in, come in," she says pulling Ruby into the room and glancing out into the hall before shutting the door. "Are you alright? You sound upset, mi amiga."</p><p></p><p>Ruby sighs, "I will be better when this is all over. Which Jake thinks is going to happen soon." Her eyes wander around the room and she tries to ignore Nanuet pulling his hair back into it's normal braid.</p><p></p><p>"Uh, we found something. A door. A hidden door actually. Jake thinks it is Greely's lair. He wanted he to get everyone and bring you all back to the Saloon."</p><p></p><p>"Is he there alone?" Minerva asks with evident panic. "We had better hurry. You wake the others I will grab my gun we will meet you downstairs in 1/2 a minute," she says pushing Ruby out the door. Minerva turns to Nanuet. "Let us pray that we can end this today." She slips on her holy amulet and pulls on her boots, while Nanuet gathers up his weapons and hands her her shot gun and pistol. She grabs several vials of holy water, hooks her whip onto her belt and slips her dagger into her boot. "Wait a second, she says as Nanuet nears the door. "She turns to her icons of Minerva and Jupiter and says a quick prayer for guidance and wisdom. "O.K. let's go." They rush out the door to meet Ruby and the others downstairs.</p><p></p><p>"Yes, he is there alone. He sent me back but he promised not to do anything without us." Next thing Ruby knows she is being pushed out the door. She checks in the next room, where she finds Kate bag but not Kate. She sighs, not knowing where to check.</p><p></p><p>Finally she sticks her head in the last door, finding Chester snoring away. She knocks on the doorframe. Chester startles out of his sleep. "Time to go," Ruby says, and explains what they found. "Ok Ruby, I'll be ready in a minute," he says sleepily.</p><p></p><p>After that Ruby goes back to their room and gets the shotgun. She heads downstairs to the cellar and gathers some lanterns and some rope.</p><p></p><p>She waits by the front door for everyone to come downstairs. "I don't want to leave Jake alone but we have to find Kate. Anyone have an idea where we should look first?"</p><p></p><p>"Perhaps she is at the hotel." Minerva suggests. "Do you think that we should find Senor Edwards also?"</p><p></p><p>"Yes," Ruby says distractedly, "The hotel. And Edwards, Jake mentioned him too. Let's go." They start for the door when Ruby stops. "You go ahead, I'll be right there. I forgot something," she says while running up the stairs.</p><p></p><p>She rummages quickly through her bag, throwing things left and right. Finally she finds what she was looking for. She breathes a sigh of relief and tucks the item into her bodice. She hurries down the stairs and catches up with the others.</p><p></p><p>Soon they find themselves back at the hotel. "I'll check the restaurant and then if she isn't there we'll check her old room. Oh," Ruby whispers, "Keep on the lookout for Maddie too. And maybe you should ask about Edwards?"</p><p></p><p>Ruby heads into the dining room and searches around for Kate. She finds her finishing up breakfast. She walks over to her and looks at her seriously. "It's time to go Kate. We found something."</p><p></p><p>"I'm ready," she said and dropped a bit on money on the table to cover her meal. She got up and followed Ruby out of the dining room. "I have everything I'll need with me already. What did you find?"</p><p></p><p>"We found a," she glances around and whispers, "Secret door. Jake thinks it's Greely's spot. He also mentioned Nolan. Have you seen him? I think he usually sleeps in the daytime."</p><p></p><p>"I didn't see him this morning, and I was hoping to. Mr. Bishop said he was here earlier. He's probably sleeping. I'll just leave a message about where we've gone."</p><p></p><p>Kate stopped at the desk and wrote out a short note, then handed it to Mr. Bishop with instructions it be gotten to Mr. Edwards as soon as possible.</p><p></p><p>"All right Constance. Let's go," she said and they left the hotel to head over to Greely's saloon.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="orchid blossom, post: 2819612, member: 12815"] Ruby heads back over to the bar. "Mr. Greely, sorry about the mess earlier, spilling the drink and all. Sometimes I am such a klutz! Maybe I should stick to my whiskey," she laughs. While she speaks with Greely, she tries to check out his necklace with the key. The necklace is a simple, thick gold chain. From it hangs what appears to be a very simple key. The necklace is much newer than the key, which appears to be ancient. "You think you are the first person to spill a drink in a saloon. You might however, be the first to apologize to me for it though, so thanks. Here, try this whiskey, from my personal collection. Last bottle I have." Greely pours two fairly generous glasses of whiskey, slides one to Ruby and takes one himself. "To Sheriff Wilson, may he rest in peace," he says solemnly as he lifts his glass high. Ruby takes the glass and clinks it with Greely's. "To Sheriff Wilson." She drinks her whiskey down. She watches Greely with interest, not understanding how he was being nice and yet still a monster... "So, is there a Mrs. Greely?" Greely drinks his shot down as well, clanking the glass down hard on the bar. "Oh no, there is no Mrs. Greely. I courted a few women in my day, but the saloon has always been my true love. I have owned a few, in different towns, but I have always found this to be my calling." "At least you know what you want. So many a man marries and doesn't devote himself to his wife like he should. I would imagine it would be hard to find a lady who would like all the night hours you keep with the saloon." "How long you been here?" "Been here for oh, about 12 years now I think. This town suits me quite well, nice and quiet, out of the way, and still a regular crowd that likes to come and drink." "Even after everything bad that has happened here? I am surprised people stay in this town. Why do you think they do Mr. Greely? There are whispers of monsters. Those men from the other day, the ones who..." Ruby touches her face, "You know... they weren't human." "Well, all that trouble is fairly recent. Troubled people tend to drink more, so it wasn't too bad for business at first. At this point I am just trying to weather the storm, hoping things will settle down soon. Will you excuse me please, I have some drinks to pour." "Alright Mr. Greely. Sorry to keep you." Ruby watches him walk away, then pushes the remainder of the whiskey aside. She stands and makes her way over to Jake. She whispers in his ear, "That necklace will be really hard to grab." Jake nods in response. "I do NOT have a good idea on how to get it. Just yanking it off is probably a last resort kind of plan." Ruby giggles, "What if I lean forward really far? Think that would work on a vampire?' Jake leans his elbow on the table and covers his eyes with his hand that cradles his head. "Hermes...." "What?" Ruby smiles. "It works on you. Every time." "Sure, I may use my teeth but I rarely draw blood..." Jake looks around the saloon, "Is there a basement to this place?" Ruby widens her eyes, "Very funny, Mr. Jacobs, very funny." She looks around the saloon for any kind of door down. "I don't know, let's go find out. About the basement that is, not about your ability to draw blood." Not seeing anything obvious in the room full of people Ruby sits on Jake's lap. She puts her lips to his ear. "If there is something hidden in here we won't find it. So we either have to look around outside or do something else." Ruby pulls on one of Jake's shirt buttons, "While I'd love to do something fun I have a feeling you aren't going to go for that. SO we need to find something else to do." "I do not know what to do next. We probably ought to follow Greely in the morning, and if he loses us break in here in daylight. So, maybe we should entertain ourselves until then?" A wide smile comes to Ruby's face, "Oh yes, let's do that instead." She moves from sitting sideways on Jake's lap to straddling him. "Give me a kiss then we go play cards. How does that sound? Or dance... we could do that too. Or...," she puts her hands on Jake's face making him look into her eyes, "We could go rename that bed..." Minerva notices Ruby straddling Jake and walks over with Chester and Nanuet in her wake. "Ahem, are we interupting here?" she chuckles. "And if you are?" Ruby blurts out. After Jake's dirty look she says, "Ok, ok..." Pissed she didn't get her kiss she slides off of Jake's lap and into the next chair. "So what did you find out?" Ruby continues to whisper, "And oh... Mr. Greely is one of [i]them[/i]." "Greely is one of them?" Minerva narrows her eyes and glances at Greely "Meirde!" she hisses. "Yes but shush," Ruby puts her fingers to her lips, "We don't want him to know we know. Although he might already. Thom isn't, we checked." Jake nods to them, "Have a seat. Ruby and I were just discussing playing some poker and retiring early. We are out of ideas... at least ones about Greely here. I figure we can try and watch him when the saloon closes before daylight. And if that does not work, we just break in here at daybreak. You all have any news?" Chester lowers his voice, "Romo and Whitaker met some Mexicans with a wagon outside of town. Whitaker gave them a satchel and then rode back to town. The Mexicans rode back where they came from. And Romo drove the wagon to the northwest. Nanuet found guns and ammunition inside. It didn't seem related to what's going on in Thomaswell, so we came back." Jake says, "Any other ideas? If not then we watch the saloon an hour before closing. If we do not see him leave or where he goes, we break in at dawn. We take turns keeping an eye on things over the night, so everyone can get some rest." "Once again Ja... er Mr. Jacobs your plan sounds like the best one. I can take an extra shift or two, since I don't need to sleep." Nanuet says out of nowhere. "By the way," Ruby starts, specifically looking at Minerva, "I'm real sorry about yesterday. You know trying to kill you all." Katherine knew she couldn't keep this up much longer without raising Jacky's expectations about just how well they were going to get to know each other. He could probably hold his liquor, and she didn't have the time to get him good and drunk. "You know," she said finally, "My curiosity has always got me in more trouble than is good for me. I don't suppose I could peek at your first edition? I don't know the first thing about cards, so I can't steal it's secrets." "Well,” Jacky says, “I put it away in a very safe place. Not that easy to retrieve at the moment. I don't think you would find it all that exciting anyways, it is just a collector's item. What about some darts or some cards. I really am too excited to sit still. I'd say dancing but that didn't work out that well last time." "Maybe, but I don't know how to play darts or cards. And you're wrong about being interested. I'm always interested in everything, it's my curse!" she laughed and noticed the others had returned and were at the table with Jake and Ruby. "I should get to bed early tonight, but a dance or two before I go wouldn't go amiss." "OK then, I'll get old Greely there to fire up the phonograph again and we can get to dancing a bit. I actually wanted to turn in early myself so I could skin out early in the morning, first light." Jacky went to work convincing Greely to take out the phonograph and getting Thom to help him move the tables. The prostitutes were eager to see the dancing start as well so they assisted in clearing the space. Maddie waited while the dance floor was set up, then spent a bit of time dancing with the exuberant Jacky. She continued to flirt and smile for the next half-hour. "I'm afraid I'm not quite as recovered as I thought I was," she said breathing heavily. "I think I'd best get back to the hotel now." "Oh of course. If you would like I could walk you back and then say goodbye, as I am afraid we won't see each other again." Maddie nodded and learned tiredly on his arm as they walked back. "I'm glad I met you. You've been the only bit of fun in my time here. I hope your early escape works out as you want." "Well it won't be the first time. Thanks for being so kind to me. I hope you find out what is going on with your family. Who knows, maybe we'll run into each other again some day." "Maybe. If you're ever in Virginia. Good night, Jacky," she said and went up to Maddie's room. "OK, then." Jake turns to Ruby, "How about a little poker and then we head back for a naming ceremony?" Ruby looks a little disappointed. "Ok." Then she smiles, "Well, I like the second part." Jake shrugs and stands, "Are you going to play? Just a few hands and then back to the new place?" He offers her his hand, "I suppose you would rather dance." He has a smug smile on his face. Bobby Whittaker shows up as Jake and Ruby are discussing playing cards. He no longer wears the bandage on his arm but the scar of what looks like a burn remains. He heads to the back of the saloon immediately and sits down to play cards. Ruby immediately perks up. "One dance. Then a few hands of cards. THEN back to the new place. Come on, let's go." Ruby takes Jake's hand and drags him to the dance floor. "Of course, you realize I am mad at you, you denied me my requested kiss," she teases with her nose in the air. Ruby notices Thom staring at her and she and Jake dance. He sits down in a chair near the dance floor and stares blankly at her with a smile on his face. As they dance Jake says, "Angry at me again, hmmm, just another chance to make up." "Not THAT mad darling. You know I don't like to be denied what I want." Ruby lets Jake swirl her around. "Especially a kiss. Now if you want one you're going to have to ask nice. Hey did you notice Thom? Maybe I should ask him to dance before we play cards." "I have to ask my wife for a kiss?" he says in a moderately loud voice. "Ah, well, such is my life. Would you make my evening and grant me a kiss my love?" Ruby shivers when Jake calls her his wife. She is about to comment but instead stops dancing, puts her hand behind his head and gently but insistently pulls him in for a long slow kiss. Kate pocketed the magical clip and left Maddie behind in the hotel. As she reappeared in the saloon as herself Jake and Ruby were dancing. Minerva eyes Jake and Ruby on the dance floor. She turns to Nanuet. "That looks like fun. Come and dance with me mi amor." she says as she tugs him toward the middle of the room. Nanuet obliges with a smile. He eagerly joins Minerva on the makeshift dance floor and holds her closely knowing that they are near the end of their trial and with any luck would be returning home soon. The couples finish their dancing, with Thom standing in for Jake on one. Jake and Ruby give up dancing to play cards for a little while, while Nanuet and Minerva continue to enjoy the music. Soon they are retiring to the house for the evening. First they stop at the hotel to get everyone else's belongings before retiring for the evening. Nanuet volunteers to keep watch on the saloon until the sun is about to come up at which time he thinks at least one other person should come to keep an eye on things and observe what happens. "Are we agreed on that plan?" he asks before heading back to the saloon. "I will stay with you for a while." Minerva tells Nanuet. "I am in," Jake says. "I will get up for that." "I'll be ready whenever you need me, just come get me." She quickly filled the others in on what she had found out from Jacky O'Neill. "It probably doesn't have to do with any of our business, but I thought I'd let you know." Kate said quietly as those who were leaving left the saloon for the rented house. The night grows very late and the saloon crowd begins to thin. Minerva is having trouble staying awake. "I am sorry to leave you mi amore but I cannot keep you company much longer." She yawns and kisses him deeply. "It will be lonely without you." With Chester in tow she finds her way to the hotel to get her things and then makes her way to the house. Jake wakes before dawn and wakes Ruby. "I am going to meet with Nanuet. You want to come and watch for Greely?" Ruby slowly opens her eyes, squinting when the light hits. Finally she rolls over and stretches. "I want to ask you a question first." "Go ahead." "Well..." Ruby sits up in the bed, holding the sheet around her, "Did you get what you needed? From me?" Jake looks at her uncomprehendingly. "I beg your pardon, it is early and I am not following you." Ruby smiles softly but doesn't make eye contact with Jake. She actually has a shy look on her face, a look Jake is unfamiliar with on Ruby. "Yesterday you said you needed strength from me. And fire. Did you get it?" "Ah!" Jake replies and a smile grows on his face. "The strength, yes. The fire, well I just did not make myself clear. The fire is for you." He gently taps her nose. "I need the fire back in my Ruby West, the fire for life, for you and me to make it out of here in one piece." Jake has his familiar confident smile. "Our friends too," he adds with a smirk. "I can see it burning again. Instead of being afraid and running away I can see you turning all that fear into something else, what ever you like to call it, maybe it is anger at them who would mess with what is precious to us. To me it looks like fire, because it is more complicated than anger." Jake shrugs. "Anyway, you just need to use it. I know you will." "Me?" Ruby look surprised but then smiles softly. "Well I guess I get the fire from you. One of the many things you give me." Her smile fades slightly. "I just wasn't sure I gave you what you needed to go on. I was hoping...you've already done so much..." "I am rejuvenated," Jake says without a hint of sarcasm. "No more delays not, let us get this thing done." Ruby nods and reaches a hand out for Jake who pulls her out of bed. She kisses him softly before preparing herself for the day. They stop quickly in the kitchen to make themselves coffee to take with them to the Saloon. When they show up Nanuet greets them tiredly. "The Saloon is closed but neither Greely or Thom ever left." "All right, we will keep watching." Nanuet bids them good watching and he heads back to the house. Minerva awakens at dawn thankful that they have survived another night in this evil place. She rolls over and finds that Nanuet is lying beside her and has once again been guarding her sleep. She smiles up happily and rolling onto him lies on his chest and snuggles back down under the covers. "It is too early to meet the others. Let us give thanks to Venus for our love." She purrs. Nanuet answers Minerva with a soft kiss. "And how could anyone resist that? he says brushing the hair from her face. He then runs his hands up and down the length of her body, enjoying the soft warm sensation of her skin. Minerva responds in turn by deepening the kiss and the two celebrate love and life forgetting, for a while, the dire circumstances which has brought them to this gods forsaken town. As she often did in an unfamiliar bed, Kate woke early. The hotel was right next to the saloon. The house seemed to be deserted, so she got dressed and went back to the hotel. She went through the hassle of checking out twice, but waited to see if she was early enough to catch O'Neill leaving. Kate checks his room by knocking, but no answer, she also checks at the front desk but is told that he left in the middle of the night last night. "He seemed to be quiet anxious to get on the road. He has been a great customer so I was sad to see him go, but he did leave quite late last night," Victor Bishop says politely. Kate nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Bishop. Might Mr. Edwards be about? I know he keeps different hours but I thought he might not have gone to sleep yet." "Yes, he keeps some odd hours, but I was told that before he arrived. The last time I saw him he was in the dining area reading a book and having some coffee, but that was quite some time ago. Perhaps he is still there." "I will look. Would you tell him Katherine was looking for him if you see him, please? Thank you." Kate stepped back into the dining room and looked to see if Nolan Edwards was there. Even if he wasn't she still needed some breakfast. Ruby turns to Jake, "What are we watching for? The Saloon is closed. Let's break in and find out what's up in there." Ruby heads over to the door and making sure no one is watching she pulls out her picks and starts on the door. The lock proves to be a difficult one and takes Ruby a few tries. At this hour of the morning there appears to be no one to protest her activity so she is able to work on it without interruption until she gets the lock open. The saloon is empty but has not been cleaned up yet, it almost looks as though it was abandoned in a rush. Tables and chairs are out of place, a few empty glasses litter the tables, a pile of dirty rags is piled on the bar. Ruby slips her thieves tools back into her bodice while taking a long look around the room. "Is it me or does something just seem off here?" Ruby asks Jake quietly. "Alright Deputy, let's get started with our now legal activities. Did you bring your shiny little star?" Ruby smirks then quietly snickers. The two of them take their time searching the Saloon thoroughly together. They search the stock room, then behind the bar, the area in front of the stairs, the dancing area and where Ruby landed after she got thrown and the back area where the card games are played. Ruby and Jake search leaving no stone unturned. Eventually they make their way to the area behind the bar. On the floor is an old piece of carpet that has been rolled aside to reveal a trap door in the floor. The door is locked on the underside. There are no other clues found during the searching. "Well, think this is Greely's lair? Go wake the others and I will watch the door. Once we have everyone together we can put an end to this once and for all." Jake taps his star, "With Chet and myself I do not think there is any need to wake the sheriff, but Edwards might be a good idea." "I don't know," Ruby says hesitantly, keeping her eyes on the trap door, "It could just be a basement...you really think this is it?" "It's locked from the other side...." Jake pushes his hat back on his head. "Mighty hard to get down there to fetch a few 'taters." "Right," Ruby shivers. Keeping a wary eye on the door she begins, "But I don't want to leave you alone while I..." her voice trails off. "Ok, you'd probably be better off without me anyway." She takes a few steps towards the door then looks back over her shoulder, the worry obvious in her eyes and on her face. In that moment Jake realizes just how pale and thin Ruby has gotten. Dark circles surround her normally twinkling eyes, her face is drawn, even the rosy color from her lips and cheeks is diminished. Her dress hangs off her in spots it would normally be tight. She looks much more like a scared little girl then the confident woman he knows. "You aren't going to try to go down there without the rest of us, are you?" she asks softly. "No." Jake says with a serious tone. "No, I will not. I need all of you. ALL of you," he repeats with emphasis. "Oh, bring the shotgun back with you and some lanterns." He then smiles and says, "Do not worry, I will shoot anything that tries to come out that door and then run into the sunlight." Ruby gulps and nods, then turns and walks out without another word. She heads back to their new house. She quietly climbs up the stairs and knocks lightly on the only closed door. "Ahem, Minerva, Nanuet? We found something. We need you now." Minerva and Nanuet climb out of the bed and quickly toss on their clothes. "Uno momento por favor, Ruby. I will be right there." She looks back over her shoulder to be sure that Nanuet is clothed and then opens the door while buttoning her shirt. "Come in, come in," she says pulling Ruby into the room and glancing out into the hall before shutting the door. "Are you alright? You sound upset, mi amiga." Ruby sighs, "I will be better when this is all over. Which Jake thinks is going to happen soon." Her eyes wander around the room and she tries to ignore Nanuet pulling his hair back into it's normal braid. "Uh, we found something. A door. A hidden door actually. Jake thinks it is Greely's lair. He wanted he to get everyone and bring you all back to the Saloon." "Is he there alone?" Minerva asks with evident panic. "We had better hurry. You wake the others I will grab my gun we will meet you downstairs in 1/2 a minute," she says pushing Ruby out the door. Minerva turns to Nanuet. "Let us pray that we can end this today." She slips on her holy amulet and pulls on her boots, while Nanuet gathers up his weapons and hands her her shot gun and pistol. She grabs several vials of holy water, hooks her whip onto her belt and slips her dagger into her boot. "Wait a second, she says as Nanuet nears the door. "She turns to her icons of Minerva and Jupiter and says a quick prayer for guidance and wisdom. "O.K. let's go." They rush out the door to meet Ruby and the others downstairs. "Yes, he is there alone. He sent me back but he promised not to do anything without us." Next thing Ruby knows she is being pushed out the door. She checks in the next room, where she finds Kate bag but not Kate. She sighs, not knowing where to check. Finally she sticks her head in the last door, finding Chester snoring away. She knocks on the doorframe. Chester startles out of his sleep. "Time to go," Ruby says, and explains what they found. "Ok Ruby, I'll be ready in a minute," he says sleepily. After that Ruby goes back to their room and gets the shotgun. She heads downstairs to the cellar and gathers some lanterns and some rope. She waits by the front door for everyone to come downstairs. "I don't want to leave Jake alone but we have to find Kate. Anyone have an idea where we should look first?" "Perhaps she is at the hotel." Minerva suggests. "Do you think that we should find Senor Edwards also?" "Yes," Ruby says distractedly, "The hotel. And Edwards, Jake mentioned him too. Let's go." They start for the door when Ruby stops. "You go ahead, I'll be right there. I forgot something," she says while running up the stairs. She rummages quickly through her bag, throwing things left and right. Finally she finds what she was looking for. She breathes a sigh of relief and tucks the item into her bodice. She hurries down the stairs and catches up with the others. Soon they find themselves back at the hotel. "I'll check the restaurant and then if she isn't there we'll check her old room. Oh," Ruby whispers, "Keep on the lookout for Maddie too. And maybe you should ask about Edwards?" Ruby heads into the dining room and searches around for Kate. She finds her finishing up breakfast. She walks over to her and looks at her seriously. "It's time to go Kate. We found something." "I'm ready," she said and dropped a bit on money on the table to cover her meal. She got up and followed Ruby out of the dining room. "I have everything I'll need with me already. What did you find?" "We found a," she glances around and whispers, "Secret door. Jake thinks it's Greely's spot. He also mentioned Nolan. Have you seen him? I think he usually sleeps in the daytime." "I didn't see him this morning, and I was hoping to. Mr. Bishop said he was here earlier. He's probably sleeping. I'll just leave a message about where we've gone." Kate stopped at the desk and wrote out a short note, then handed it to Mr. Bishop with instructions it be gotten to Mr. Edwards as soon as possible. "All right Constance. Let's go," she said and they left the hotel to head over to Greely's saloon. [/QUOTE]
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"Here There Be Vampires" A Promise City, Arizona Story Hour
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