Vampire Charming (39 page)

“I
told
you what I’d do to you, if you touched Jane.”  Slade snarled.

“She’s
mine!”  Fang bellowed back, still trying to kill them both by knocking Slade
off the pegasus.  “If I can’t have her, no one will!  I don’t care what the
magical book says.  I’ll be back again and again and
again
.  Let me go
or I’ll make Jane suffer for the next millennium!”

Slade
hefted the blade in his free hand.  “Luckily, letting you go
is
in the
script, you bastard.”

He
let Fang go… from about ten thousand feet and with the Silver Sword plunged
into his heart.

Her
Eternal-One seriously didn’t play around when it came to finales.  The Werewolf
wouldn’t be returning for
From Here to Infinia II
.  Not even a movie
could explain away his body’s sickening crash into pavement.  It was like watching
a watermelon dropped from a skyscraper.

Jane
barely noticed the carnage.  All her focus was on Allandrina, who’d grabbed the
script and was mumbling some wordy incantation over the pages.  “What good do
you think that will do you, now?”  She demanded.  “You’re bleeding out,
Allandrina.  If we don’t get you to a doctor, you’ll be dead before you…”

“It’s
too late for me.”  Allandrina coughed, staggering to her feet.  “The blue
diamond magicks will see to that.  But, I’ll make sure the Vampire pays before
I go.”  She threw the screenplay down and held out a hand.  Magicks arced and
From
Here to Infinia
was consumed in a brilliant green fire that quickly morphed
into a black hole.

At
least, it
looked
like a black hole.  Or what they looked like on TV,
anyway.  A swirling whirlpool of darkness and fog.  It had to be a portal and,
at the very center, there was an opening to another world. 
Jane’s
world.  Looking through the vortex, she could see Chicago.  The buildings, and
the traffic, and the noise.  The safety of familiar things.  Popcorn, iPhones,
Downton
Abbey
.  It was all within her grasp.

“Dude,
that is so cool.”  Roland breathed.

“Go,
Jane Squire!”  Allandrina shouted.  Creating the portal was draining the last
of her powers.  Her whole form was withering into dust, the unstable magicks
eating away at her.  “I can’t hold it much longer.  Go back to your land.  You
know it’s what you really wish.”

“Jane!” 
The pegasus swooped down, Slade still astride its back.  The gargoyles were preventing
him from landing on the roof and he desperately battled through them.  “Do not
leave me!”

“Leave
him!”  Allandrina screeched.  “Then, the Vampire will have paid the ultimate
price for all that he’s done.”  She was fading faster now.  “He ruined
everything
for me when he came here.  I’ll return the favor by taking his Eternal-One from
his arms
forever
.”

“Stop!” 
Slade slashed at the last of the gargoyles.  “Jane,
please
.  If you want
to go back, I will go with you.  I will do
anything
.  Just don’t pass
through that portal alone.  Please wait for me.”

“I
can’t hold it open much longer!”  Allandrina insisted.  “Decide right now or
you’ll be stuck here forever, Jane Squire!  What is your path?”

Jane
slowly shook her head.  Slade was on one side of her and Earth was on the
other.  Everything she’d ever known versus that lunatic Vampire.  This really
was her only chance.  All or nothing.  It was the kind of risk that had always
terrified her.  …Until now.  Jane looked between the options and smiled at how simple
the choice was.

Only
one direction led home.

She
raced for Slade.

“
Noooo!
” 
Allandrina collapsed, her strength giving out as she was defeated.  Her beautiful
body vanished into nothing, her magicks stopped forever.  The last gargoyles
disintegrated and the portal winked out of existence.  Before it evaporated, the
vortex expanded, sucking who-knew-what out of Infinia and into Chicago.  Then,
it contracted in a ball of smoke, like it had never been there, at all.

Jane
didn’t care.  “Slade.”  She reached the side of the pegasus, as he touched down
on the rooftop.  “Are you okay?  I knew that fall wouldn’t slow you down for
long, but it was such a long drop.  Are you hurt?”

“Jane.” 
He sounded like he couldn’t believe she was really there.  He held out a hand,
seizing her palm and pulling her onto the saddle in front of him.

She
settled on his lap, trying to arrange her legs around the horse’s stupid wings
and searching Slade for injuries.  “Are you alright?”  She persisted, worried
about his odd expression.

“Yes.” 
Slade’s gaze soaked in her face for a long moment.  Then, his forehead dropped
to hers, his eyes closing on a long sigh.  “In a thousand years, I have never
been so ‘alright.’”  He touched her hair, like he was still afraid she’d
disappear.  “You stayed.”

“I’ve
acquired a real taste for squirrel burgers.”  She teased.  “Don’t be an idiot. 
Of course I stayed.  I could
never
leave you.  You’re the only place I
want to be.”  She hugged him close, relieved that he was unharmed.  “Besides, you
told me that Infinia is my destiny, remember?  And Slade, King of the Vampires,
is always right.”

His
massive arms came around her, squeezing her tight.  “I was right about
you
.” 
He whispered.  “You are a hero, Jane.  You just saved my life.  If you left me,
I would cease to exist.”

“I’m
not likely to wander far.  It turns out I’m a sucker for a prince on a white
horse.”

He
chuckled at that, pressing his lips to her temple.  “I’m a king,” he corrected,
“and you --Jane Squire-- are my queen.  My partner.  My soul.  You always have
been.”

She
smiled at that and leaned up to kiss him.

“And
that’s a white
pegasus
, not a horse.”  Roland put in, interrupting Slade
and Jane’s beautiful moment.  “White Pegasus.  Hang on!  Hold everything!”  He
lurched to his feet with an excited grin.  “Wouldn’t that be an
awesome
name for a band?”

EXT. CHICAGO- NIGHT

AMALIE THE WITCH is pleased with the
results of her latest matchmaking efforts.  SLADE and JANE are finally together,
Infinia is saved, and it’s a happy ending for everyone.  All in all, it’s been another
successful story.  She’s getting really good at this writing stuff!  Time for a
pat on the back and some hot cocoa.

She’s just about to head off to bed with
her favorite mug full of chocolate and marshmallows, when something outside draws
her attention.  Frowning, AMALIE heads onto the balcony and looks out over the skyline. 
It is a clear night, except for an unexpected swirl of dark clouds in the sky. 
They seem to be moving like a cyclone.  Only it’s not a cyclone.  It’s a…

AMALIE

(Horrified)

Portal

…portal.  ALLANDRINA’S vortex connects
Infinia to Earth for a few precious seconds.  Just long enough for the whirlpool
of power to drag in some supernatural…

AMALIE

(More
horrified)

Hitchhikers.

…hitchhikers and deposit them in this
new land.  Who knows who they are or how they will adapt to modern day
Chicago?  Will any Vespas be safe?  Only one thing is clear:  AMALIE has a
big
problem on her hands.

AMALIE

(Squeezing
her eyes shut in frustration)

Shit.

End of the credits teaser- “From Here to Infinia”

“There
must
be other Witches in Infinia.”  Slade leaned against the headboard
and watched Jane brush her hair.  “I will find them and they will be able to
send us back to Chicago.  Or maybe I can contact Amalie and she can help us
return.  No matter what I must do, I promise you, I will fix this, my One.”

The
two of them had appropriated one the Obsidian Fortresses many bedrooms.  Jane
had nixed the idea of claiming Fang’s creepy chamber, even though it was the
largest.  She planned to forget that the Werewolf ever existed and that meant
not
sleeping on his pillow.  Instead, Jane and Slade settled on a room in one of
the castle’s turrets, with rounded walls and Once-Upon-A-Time décor.  Jane
thought it was perfect.

Except
for the lack of a connected bath.

First
thing tomorrow, they were starting a task force on “running water.”  Showers needed
to get invented, pronto. 
Someone
in Infinia had to be able to figure
out how to get them to work.  If they weren’t all too hung over, anyway.

A
party was raging in Infinia, the likes of which the land had never seen.  With
Fang gone, the whole kingdom was celebrating as if it was the end of
Return
of the Jedi
.  The rebels filled the courtyard and spilled out into the
streets.  Tegan was giving out free ale from the Drunken Dragon.  Roland’s band
(newly christened “White Pegasus”) was squealing music at octaves only
monstrous bats could hear, triggering another dance number.  Symon had
programmed his wooden robots to walk in a conga line, which added a whole new
layer of lunacy to the scene.  Even the Goblins seemed pleased, if their God
awful karaoke was any indication.

Everyone
was in a festive mood, except Infinia’s new king.

“Slade,
would you please stop worrying.  I don’t
want
to go back to Chicago.  I
told you that.”  She frowned at him at him in the vanity mirror.  “
This
is where you belong.”

“No. 
You
are where I belong, Jane.  I wish to be where you are.”

“Well,
I’m
here
, dummy.  Besides, you hate Chicago.”

“And
you hate Infinia.”

“No,
I don’t.”

“You
say you do.  Constantly.  And I want you to be happy.”

“I
am
happy.  Honestly, being in this ridiculous place is the happiest I’ve
ever been.  I
like
to complain about all the stupid things that happen
here.  It’s half the fun.”  She shrugged.  “Besides, I’m pretty sure most of
the egregious movie bullshit will clear up now that the screenplay is gone.  The
film is over, so things will probably be just
sort of
crazy, instead of
completely
crazy.”

“And
if they’re still completely crazy?”

“Then,
I’m staying anyway.  I’m a professional actress, so I’m trained for this sort
of situation.  
From Here to Infinia
wound up being way better than
Dracula,
Ph.D
.”  She arched a brow at him.  “And there are worse happily-ever-afters
than being queen of an enchanted realm, with my very own handsome prince.  I’ll
suffer through the rest.”  She paused.  “People aren’t going to keep calling me
‘milady’ all the time, are they?”

“No. 
They’d call you ‘your highness.’”  He ignored the face she made at that
irritating news.  “And that is not the point.  Infinia is far too dangerous for
you.”

“Really? 
Because, I think I’m kicking its ass.  Did you see me take down that scrawny Fairy?”

“I
did
and it was impressive.”  He paused to appreciate the memory.  “
Very
impressive.  But you would still be far safer in Chicago.”

“You
clearly don’t read the front page of the
Tribune
.  Bad things happen
everywhere.”

“Very
few Werewolves and Shadowmen and Mages happen anywhere but
here
.”

“I
wouldn’t be too sure of that.  I think a lot of supernatural stuff got sucked
through that portal at the end and crash-landed in the Windy City.”

Slade
reluctantly nodded.  “I sensed the same thing.  But, Amalie is a Witch and she
has Damien as a brother.  She knows how to deal with disasters. 
You
are
the one I am presently worried about.”

“I’m
a Vampire, sweetie.  I could
always
take care of myself, but now I’m
--like-- superpowered and immortal.  I have it all under control.  Trust me.”

“I
do trust you.”  He said instantly.  “I know you can do anything, Jane.  But,
you are still so
small.
”

“It’s
adorable you think that.”  Jane scoffed.

He
kept talking.  “If anything happened to you, I could not recover.  I would not
even want to.  I will
gladly
live in your world if it means keeping you
safe and happy…”

Enough
was enough.  “Look,” Jane spun around, cutting off his concerns.  “I’ve spent
my whole life looking for a home, Slade.  I’m not about to walk away now that
I’ve found you.  I’m staying right here and surviving for every single
installment of this film franchise.  You’re
never
getting rid of me.”

He
was quiet for a long moment.  “Promise?”  He finally whispered.

“
Yes
. 
We’re partners in this weirdness. 
Forever
.  That means mutual ‘I dos,’
and big white dress, and a cute little house in the country.”  She looked
around.  “Or I guess we’re stuck renovating this ugly castle, actually.  But, I
don’t even care, just so we’re
both
living here.”  She glowered at him. 
“Translation: We’re living in Infinia and getting married.  Deal with it.”