Wearing my last victim's astounding dress, I walked silently to the open air area of the Cafe du Monde and took a seat at a side table in the darkest corner. I ran my hands through my hair and untied my braid. Though I'm not usually comfortable with wearing my hair loose, I've done this for Lestat. I know he loves to see it spread around my shoulders. My heart was beating with suppressed excitement, and some measure of fear for my son's reaction for what I was about to reveal to him. But I kept it inside for too long, and now that it was out on paper, he had the right to know.

The waitress came and I ordered what was on the first line in the menu, black coffee. As she was gone I became attentive again to the low beating sound I've been hearing since I walked into the city. A slow beating of two powerful immortal hearts too low for mortal ears to hear. Lestat and Louis are here. I made my presence known and waited. The waitress returned with my coffee, and I wrapped my fingers around it, grateful for its soothing warmth and aroma. How coincidental it is that Lestat's chosen immortal companion is named Louis. Or maybe it's fate? Louis... I traced the name soundlessly with my lips, the face brought up from the depths of my memory entirely different from the one Lestat has in mind when he whispers that name.

Lestat's appearance at the entrance woke me from my reverie. "Gabrielle!" he called out loud and crossed the distance with long strides as I rose to meet him. For a moment there, with his big smile and hands spread, I thought he was coming to envelope me in an embrace. But he stopped short in front of me, and merely took both my hands in his for a squeeze. "Lestat," I smiled, "It's been so long..." How handsome he looked, in his purple suit matching his violet sunglasses, his hair tied back on his neck in a respectable manner.

We sat down. "Indeed it was", Lestat said with a frown. “Gabrielle, you know you are always welcome here in New Orleans. You can visit more frequently, you can stay in one of my houses for as long as you wish.” I took a deep breath. "Lestat," I said, "You know there are reasons for which I abhor the big cities. There are things I probably should have told you a long time ago." I drew out a thick notebook from my bag. "I've written the memories of my mortal days in this notebook. Things that happened before you were born. When you read this, you'll understand better why I am the way I am with you, and about your father..." my voice broke as I watched his frown deepen. "Let me read it." He reached to take the notebook from me, but I stayed my hand on it. "Lestat, please, before you read, there is only one thing I'd like to say to you." I said. "This is not easy for me to say it out loud, but there's one thing I want you to remember. I love you like nothing and no one else in this world. I always have, and I always will. I always tried to do the best I could for you under the circumstances we were in." Lestat's expression softened. "Gabrielle, I promise to remember that as I finish reading." He said, took the notebook from my hands and turned the first page.

[	Tags	|	fun	]
[	mood	|	In love, again	]

Here's a nice meme I copied from gairid. Sure helped improve my mood :)

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 56.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next seven sentences in your journal along with these instructions.
5. Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.

 

No, I didn't understand it at this moment. I saw it! And I began to make a single sound: "Oh!" I said it again "Oh!" and then I said it louder and louder and louder, and I dropped the wine bottle on the floor. I put my hands to my head and I kept saying it, and I could see my mouth opened in that perfect circle that I had described to my mother and I kept saying, "Oh, oh, oh!"
I said it like a great hiccuping that I couldn't stop. And Nicolas took hold of me and started shaking me, saying:
"Lestat, stop!"
I couldn't stop.

The closest book IS my favorite book. TVL is always in the drawer of my computer desk, just in case.

[	Tags	|	music	]
[	mood	|	sad	]
[	music	|	Days of innocence - Rita	]

And when you come to his home
and find him there
Tell that I'm waiting in the nights
and don't tell how much

Tell him I am still here
Hand him love and peace
Ask him to raise another glass for me
and to memory of the days of innocence

Time that is left
and no mercy
I have no regrets
nor hopes for myself
It's all that there is

So what does connect, eventually
two people together?
Shadow of dreams, the weight of the past
a journey of loneliness and fear

I'm tired from covering up anymore
tired of chasing
Between the choices to pay or give up
I will pay till the end

Time that is left
and no mercy
I have no regrets
nor hopes for myself
It's all that there is

He must remember
how I came to him
I was looking for a perfect answer
Sand blinds
our eyes now
A storm heavily breathes

 

Absorbed in thought, Lestat flipped through the last empty pages of the diary when suddenly a folded yellowing paper fell out of it. Lestat picked it up and opened the folds carefully. It was a note paper. In the same familiar handwriting two words were written: For Lestat. It was the last tune Charles wrote before he died. There were five finger chords there that required immense reach. Lestat smiled through his tears, Charles couldn’t play these chords, but he knew I could. I must tune the piano. It was what I was going to do in the first place. It didn’t take him long, and with excitement mingled with sadness he spread the sheet of paper in front of him and started playing. It was pretty fast at the beginning, then slowing down to a very soothing melody. It was the same tune Charles played for Lestat that day, a 145 years before, when he came to his flat all agitated about Louis. It had the same magic still. How do you know, Charles, even in death, exactly what I need to calm down?

Lestat drew his fingernail, and carved on the front board of the piano: In memory of my best friend Charles. He took the piano out of the flat, and handed it for renovation. When the city began to recover he handed it to a music school in New Orleans.

Charles diaries were no longer legible, stained with blood tears all over. But the words stayed forever in Lestat’s heart. He kept the note paper. It was a useful thing to have something he would be able to calm down with whenever he needs. But of course, it was more than that. He kept it in memory of his beloved Charles.

The End.

It was the laudanum, I’m sure of it, thought Lestat. Absinthe is only pure alcohol, it evaporates. But the laudanum settled in my tissues, delaying the healing process and interfering with my ability to control my balance. I had a walking stick back then, any respectable gentleman had one, but I never could have guessed I’d actually need it for the next 70 years… There wasn’t much left in the blood though, after I was so thoroughly drained. This is how Charles didn’t die when I made him. He was a perfectly wonderful vampire. I could have lived with him for a long time… if only things were different. His eyes welled with tears again as he continued reading. “Everything looked so strange and beautiful to me that I had trouble concentrating. But there was no time to marvel at the world when there was so much to do. Lestat took me to the waterfront taverns, where no innocent person is ever found at this hour of night. We were walking together and I tried to catch up with Lestat’s incredible speed, although from time to time he was stumbling and I had to support him. He chose a victim for me. ‘Take this one,’ he pointed at a gambler who just came out of a tavern. I let my thirst guide me. I took him swiftly and dropped his body to the floor. With eyes half mast I saw Lestat leaning against the wall, smiling. ‘Excellent! My turn now. I usually take my time, but considering my condition tonight I’d better do it fast.’ He chose a very muscular man and leaped at him. But when he tried to catch him he lost his balance again and bumped straight into him. The man punched him in the face sending him crashing into the wall, cursing and calling him drunk. I jumped at the man, bending his arms behind his back. He looked much heavier than me but it was as easy as controlling a child. Lestat rose to his feet again, and I gave him the man, holding them both, controlling the man and helping Lestat not to fall. When he was finished he sank down to sit with his back against the wall, and sighed, ‘I need a coffin. One day’s sleep in a good cosy coffin would make me as good as new. We’ll go get them right after I’ll have that one.’ He pointed at a hooker waiting for clients near another wall. He wasn’t even making the attempt. I took her and brought her to him. I’ve had terrible convulsions after that. Lestat said my body was dying, that I should pay no attention to it. Later we went to the coffinmaker’s and got ourselves two coffins. I left Louis’ money there instead. We returned home just in time. The sky was beginning to brighten and the fear drove me straight into the dark coffin to sleep.”