Collinsport. Rhyaad deAnnar, having returned from his sojourn in The Dreamlands, as discovered that in his absence his chide, Darien Blackwater, has become a suspect in a murder investigation. And that Blackwater has broken Samantha Brooks jaw. As yet unaware of what happened to his companions during the mysterious flash of light that transported him back into time, he has decided to try and make peace with Samantha Brook and find some answers in regard to what has happened to the other members of Collins Investigations.
Clouds move past the moon exposing it in the night sky.
Its light spilling through the storefront windows illuminates the office in twin rectangles upon the scuffed hardwood floor.
All is in silence.
A key.
The sound of a key opening the lock on the front door is heard,
The door opens.
A boot enters through the threshold.
Presently the stairs creak
Samantha Brook lays curled up in her bed, sniffling and crying softly.
Across the room her dresser has been moved and is now pushed up against the door to serve as a lock.
A soft knock comes on Sam’s door to her storeroom/apartment.
Three knocks.
Samantha turns over and pulls covers over her head.
“Sam? Samantha? It’s me, Rhyaad. May I please come in?” His voice outside the door asks.
Mmmmm MMRMM, she mutters from beneath the covers.
Rhyaad hears the sound of what must be a pillow hitting the door.
“Sam . . . I came to apologize . . . and talk . . . please?”
Samantha Brook sighs.
She sits up and looks at the door.
She gets up reluctantly and walks over to the dresser.
Rhyaad hears the sound of something heavy being moved.
The door opens and she looks at him with a glare, then turns and walks back over to her bed and falls upon it.
“There’s a lot that’s happened right now that I don’t understand. He says, looking now at the dresser, which he sees she had placed before the door. I’d like to talk to you, if a may.”
Samantha Brook sighs as best she can with her jaw shut, thinking to herself This is all his d**mned fault bringing that . . . that d**mned vampire thing into Collinsport!
Rhyaad steps in the room slowly.
He respectfully bows, and makes his way slowly to the bedside, laying a red rose on the covers. “Please accept my humble apologies for starting the train of events that led to your injury. I was a fool to send Darien, and what he did to you was inexcusable. I hope you will forgive me.”
Samantha Brook looks at the rose and pushes it aside.
“I made a bad decision, and though nobody can truly be responsible for the actions of another, I’m sorry for what has happened to you.”
Samantha Brook glares at him: Why do men always miss the point?
“Darien is a young childe, still full of himself and thinking himself above mortals. I hope someday you could forgive him also. I love Darien, but he is too rebellious. To eager to show off what he is and can do. Yet if some supernatural being had threatened you, you could have counted on him to protect you. I know that sounds hard to believe, but it’s true.”
Samantha Brook turns and glares. Un-f**king-believable!. She swings suddenly out from the covers and pulls out an plastic, aqua lighter and looking at him sets a patch of her pants on fire. Eyes determined she looks at him meaningfully.
“I assure you I will make him endure the proper reparations for the trouble he has caused . . .. He says and then stops watching as she alights her pants with the light: “SAM! What are you doing?” He quickly, removes his robe and uses it to beat out the flames.
Samantha lights another spot on her pants and points emphatically at his lips, then to her heart and then back to the pants intending for him to understand the old adage: liar, liar pants on fire.
“I understand Darien was cruel, but what could happen that would make you want to kill yourself?”
He quickly puts out the flame out again. “If you don’t stop that I’m going to call the paramedics and have them haul you away. You don’t want that, I know.”
He fishes a notepad and ballpoint pen from what is left of his robe. “Here . . . I brought these for you”, he says as he lays them also on the bed.
Samantha glowers at him, snatches up the pen and paper and writes with thick hard strokes: [IM NOT A LIAR.]
“Of course you’re not, Samantha.” He said softly.
She writes and turns the pad to face him, [YOU said I was! ]
“I never did. I just said that you might see things differently. I spoke to Darien, and I see that this is indeed the case. Not that there’s any excuse for what he did to you – there is not – but you need to remember who you’re dealing with.”
[HE KICKED MIYUKI!] She writes angrily.
“Miyuki pissed on him, on purpose. Rhyaad says, Most vampires his age would have eaten Miyuki. And most would not have been so calm in their reaction to being attacked by you. If it was most vampires, you and your pet would be dead now.
[Shes a ferret! ] She writes and then crosses her arms.
“Yes, I know that. Still, you must see Darien’s over-reactions were provoked. Only the degree of them was undeserved.”
Samantha just rolls her eyes and sighs in a “whatever” you are never going to see this any other way.
“Again, I am most sorry this happened. He tells her sincerely, If you wish, I will have Darien call you. But I will not order him to apologize. Forced apologies are false insults. But, it’s up to you.”
Samantha sighs again looking away from him, her jaw flexing slightly, No. She is able to get out between clenched teeth.
“Then please accept my apologies, and something to brighten your room.”
Samantha looks at the rose as he picks it up and offers it to her again.
She nods.
“Thank you.” He pulls up a crate and sits on it. “Now, there is so much to discuss. Sorry you have to write it. But you know the last I saw of you, Nikki, Esther, was in that flash of light wherein we were somehow sent to other dimensions. I didn’t see you in either of mine. What happened?”
Samantha reaches over and pulls out a flashlight out from under her pillow and shines it in his eyes.
He closes his eyes and puts a hand up, “Please . . . just write. So you were in the bright light. So was I. But I didn’t see any of you.”
[flash light bright falling] Samantha Brook scribbles.
“Yes, yes, all that. Before the horrible darkness. He nods, But that’s another story.”
[landed cow field]
[moo, smelly Betsy, clouds]
“I want to know what happened to Nikki. Esther. You. He looks at the notes, A cow field? Well that’s not so frightening.”
Samantha scribbles faster than a demon.
“And briefly . . . Between trips . . . I saw Esther crying. He says watching her write, What happened to her?”
[cow pie, cake, birthday, midget Esther]
[swing, swing, swing]
“Now I hear that Nikki is gone, St. Clair has been shot. And there’s an agent of the Diogenes Club that I must contact. These are confusing and difficult times, Samantha. Times for us to pull together and to not be uncooperative with each other.”
[Big Esther looking at midget Esther]
“Um . . . two Esthers?”
[Miss holding big Esther]
“Miss . . . who? He asks, Nikki?”
[vampire gypsies, talking with papa Esther and mama Esther]
[taunting]
[tearing ]
[blood]
[blood ]
[BLOOD]
“Oh . . . gods! You mean you saw the night the vampires killed Esther’s parents?”
Samantha flashes the light in his eyes again.
“Please don’t do that. A simple yes or no will do.”
[incest woman, books, painting]
[crying confusion]
[chaos ]
Suddenly her eyes now seem to gaze over as if she is seeing something not in the room, but something far off into the distance and yet she keeps writing.
[glorious, twin suns sink behind a lake, unbound chaos]
“Incest woman . . . the only way I can put incest woman together with books and paintings is in the case of Samantha Collins.
Samantha starts humming the tune from night before the bookcase had activated.
He looks at her quizzically he has no idea what any of this latest bit of writing means?
“It wasn’t their fault, you know. They didn’t know.”
“The damn bookcase, yes, Sam Collins was there. Did she travel in time with you?”
[no ]
Samantha snaps out of her daze and looks around, confused.
Rhyaad reaches out and takes her hand in his cool, hard one. “I went on a journey to the night my whole world was destroyed. It must have been every bit as terrible as Esther’s turmoil, if not worse. Then I saw Collinsport again, briefly. And then I was yanked off to some other dimension, the Dreamlands, where I stayed in a monastery until I could get my head right again.” He tells happy to be able to tell someone, “And I can see your head isn’t right either. What has this trip done? You won’t go to doctors. How about a religious retreat? I could introduce you to some monks in Tibet that may help you.”
Samantha, her moment of bonding with him having suddenly come is not gone at the idea of yet more mental help, glowers at him and pulls the covers over head, clearly signaling that shes done for tonight.
“I’m only trying to be helpful, Sam. They helped me. And believe me, I’ve been pretty screwed up at times.”
A finger slips out from under the cover and points to the door.
“I could also make you a blood potion to speed the healing of your jaw. Would you let me do that for you? I could leave it in the ‘fridge.”
No, she mumbles softly.
“As you wish.” he got up. “Remember, Sam, despite our differences, I do care about you. If there’s anything at all you need, don’t hesitate to ask. Good night now. Darkness Bless.”
He left the rose on her bed and went quietly out.
Cue Music End of Episode