Seeking Truth

After hundreds of questions in both directions, and over two hours of searing pain from the silver chains, he stumbled into the cell. The chains tore at skin as the were pulled away. He bit off the screams of pain. No point in giving them too much of a show. He had to bide his time. He asked one of them for a old newspaper that was on the desk, and was rewarded with a flood of information found therein. It seemed he had skipped over so much time...he still did not know what was going on, but knew that only one person could help him find answers. First he had to think of a way to prove himself to her, without the knowledge from the missing time. He had found out that Shadia had become a regular ally, which is why his 'evidence' was pointless. He forced himself to his feet and waited patiently for his chance to speak to her. He could feel his body healing from the silver. The process was slow thanks to the injection Jessica had given him, but the pain slowly lessened and then went away entirely. He wanted answers, but in order to get them, he first had to give the right ones to earn the chance...

I paced my office after the conference call that I barely paid attention to. The board summed it up to grievance of Quinn's death. We'd talked so many times, so many hours about why he wouldn't let me turn him. It was blasphemy to a were, both vampire and were species would not accept them. Hybrids were not very common and highly frowned down upon, I'd taken it and accepted it. Now, he was...no, no. That was not him. I was being fooled.

"Jessica?"

I turned to see Jackson enter with a warmed glass of blood. Was I proud of my actions that I often turned to Jackson for comfort? Maybe. Quinn and I had become accustomed to being away from one another. I was co-CEO of his company AND Queen of Louisiana. Both of us being so busy I wouldn't put it past him if he did the same. He made his way to me with a small smile and went to kiss me as I turned my head.



I looked back at him and shook my head with my eyes closed. "I--I can't. I just can't okay."

"It's not him and you know it."

"What if it is? You don't know Jackson, don't you dare pretend to." I walked past him, annoyed and checked my hair in the mirror. It was 11:48 at night and I was hungry but had more important things to do. As I passed the foyer I saw another wedding photo and took it off the wall looking down at it. I'd screwed up a lot, but what if he was a vampire, our worlds wouldn't be separated by daylight. Setting it back in its place I grabbed two bottles of True Blood the advanced flavor and headed down to the holding area. I was not afraid of this vampire since I was older.

"Open 3."

The third cell door slid open and I stepped in, looking at the man who was the splitting image of Quinn.

"You ready to talk?"

"You ready to talk?"

Quinn lifted his eyes, looking directly into hers.

"I am ready when you are, Koibito..."

He set the newspaper aside and waited for her to begin her questions...

Hearing what Quinn used to always call me I refused to let my face show any type of reaction to it. I handed him one of the blood bottles, keeping one for myself and took a seat in a chair across from him and crossed my leg over the other. Bringing the bottle to my lips as I took a drink and continued to watch him, my eyes never leaving his.

"Why are you taking the form of Johnathon Quinn? What is your purpose?"

"Why are you taking the form of Johnathon Quinn? What is your purpose?"


Quinn took the bottle, opening it and inhaling the scent, taking a small sip and sitting down. He looked her in the eyes and thought before speaking...

"Taking the form of...interesting choice of words...."

He took a breath, though if he understood things properly, he no longer needed to...

"I have been trying to puzzle things together, like why I have no memory of the last 2 decades, but have been unable to...I am Johnathan Quinn. I do not know what, in this time, is public knowledge so I will simply speak freely..."

He set the bottle aside...

"The first memory I have of you is when I saw you in Merlotte's. You had a small stain on your apron and were working as a waitress. We had a connection then, though neither of us really understood it at the time."

He began thinking back, remembering little details of random memories...

"The first time I touched you was after William almost killed Kiara after the Lilith incident. You brought her to my home and I saved her life. The vial you had earlier was Fae blood, one of the components in the mixture I used to save her. During the time the two of you were there, I gave you a massage...that eventually let to you taking your first taste of my blood...with an interesting side effect..."

He looked at her face, so determined not to believe, and looked for any recognition...

"Should I continue?"

I stood quickly and became angry. "How dare you? How--how do you--how are--it's--" I stopped speaking and gripped the bottle tightly in my hands feeling like I had a boulder in my throat. There was no way that this was him, it wasn't possible. How was it possible? I continued to stare at him, searching for the indication I needed that he was who he said he was.

"How dare you? How--how do you--how are--it's--"

Quinn took a sip from the bottle, then set it down again...

"I only know of one true proof I can offer...if you will allow it..."

He stood, moving slowly so he would not alarm her. He was still a newborn vampire and she had decades on hi, so she would be stronger. He stepped close, caressing her cheek with a gentle finger before taking her face in his hands. He pressed his lips to hers, drawing her into a deep soul searing kiss. This was one thing she had to remember. Quinn always loved what these kisses did to her. He put all the love and passion they had shared into that kiss, letting his mind open to her. He hoped that the bond would still work now. She had to fell his love for her...

"Don't you--" Before I could finish his fingertip brushed my cheek and sent a slight spark across my skin at his touch that was the same temperature as my own. My eyes met his and I wanted to move away from this stranger but he touched me like no stranger. Before I knew it his lips were to mine and the grip on the bottle tightened with my eyes wide open, then it was like connecting puzzle pieces. A feeling that had not been felt in seven years. Relaxing so much into the kiss I felt the bottle slip from my hands and fall to the cement floor, shattering and spilling blood over my black heels.

I didn't care, it was an absent sound. His kiss was his kiss. I melted into him the way I had every time he kissed me that way. When he pulled back to look at me I touched my lips, shocked. "You...he..hasn't kissed me that way in seven years. Is...is it really you?"

"You...he..hasn't kissed me that way in seven years. Is...is it really you?"

Quinn smiled...

"Yes, Princess. It is really me. I cannot explain what has happened. As near as I can tell, my awareness has jumped over twenty years or more and come to this reality. As for what has happened to me, I do not understand it either...I have suspicions on how it could happen, but have no way to confirm it."

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, breathing in her scent like it was the first time...

"You are as beautiful as ever, Jessica. I am sorry for the confusion. If it helps, I am just as confused as you are on how this has occurred..."

He picked up the bottle, sipping it and offering the bottle to Jessica...

In his arms I felt like it was just as it were four days ago. Like, nothing had changed except everything had changed. I closed my eyes tightly and wrapped my arms around him. Praying I wasn't dreaming or falling for something I'd come to regret later. "I can't believe...it's you...it's really you."

Laying my head on his chest where his heart used to beat I sighed and pulled back. "But I don't understand, I didn't turn you. How did this happen?" He offered me a drink and I turned my head away slightly. "You said you jumped twenty years, what are you talking about?" I looked back up at him confused.

"But I don't understand, I didn't turn you. How did this happen?"


"I do not pretend to have answers, but I have a hunch. We had a habit of drinking from each other quite a bit. I do not know how long that went on, but my guess would be that some sort of critical mass was achieved so that when I died, my body had enough vampiric essence ingrained in it to force the change."

"You said you jumped twenty years, what are you talking about?"

"Jessica, the last memory I have is of less than 2 weeks after Kiara saved Bill from Christian. Then I woke up underground. You know the rest of what I know. The only reason I am wrapping my head around things is..." ~he motioned toward the newspaper~ "..that I have been playing catch-up."

My hand touched his cheek lovingly and I realized that all my dreams I'd ever had for us were coming true. He was immortal, just as I. There would be a future for us, a possibility to be together forever. "I can't believe this is happening. You must be starving." I turned to the pad on the wall and typed in a combination. The cell door opened and I turned around to look at him. "Come with me."

I led him up the stairs and to our room then paged someone from the intercom. "I need three of my best donors to my quarters now." Jackson entered the room with files in his hand and looked between Quinn and I.

"Don't ask, it's him. It's really him. I need you to cancel the rest of my calls tonight."

"But Jess--Miss Hamby..."

"DO IT!"

I turned back to him and softly smiled. "This is too good to be true."

"I can't believe this is happening. You must be starving. Come with me."
"I need three of my best donors to my quarters now."

"I can't do that, Jessica. I do not have the control right now. I could kill them.."

"Don't ask, it's him. It's really him. I need you to cancel the rest of my calls tonight."
"But Jess--Miss Hamby..."

"Now if you want to bring HIM in, I'll make an exception..."

"This is too good to be true."

He wrapped his arms close, holding her and smiling...

"It will take some getting used to..."

I ignored his comment about killing them, truth be told if he did it wouldn't matter but I'd help him learn his control just as he did me so many years ago.

"Now if you want to bring HIM in, I'll make an exception..."

I turned to see where he was looking and then looked down dismissing that comment. Could he know, did he know? I forced a smile and looked up at him

"I'll be here every step of the way. You have to trust in me and let me teach you." The donors arrived promptly and stood in a row wearing robes. I took his hand in mine and Jackson re-entered the room, watching on. He was upset none the less but I really didn't care. He gave me company in my loneliness but as far as love went, I still loved the man I married. I just wasn't sure if he loved me back.

"You can control yourself, I know you can." Jackson scoffed and I cut him some eyes. Sure they didn't get along in the past year but that wasn't something to think about now.

"You can control yourself, I know you can."

Quinn watched the man from the car walk in with the donors, his eyes going flat...something was wrong with how he moved. He was hiding something. Quinn moved with vampiric speed grabbing him, pinning him high on the wall with a hand against his chest. He growled at the little man...

"What are you hiding from her? You betray yourself!"

Jackson's eyes bulged out as the wind was knocked out of him. Finding himself in the air, pinned to the wall by his planned victim....he did the only thing he could think of...
"Yes...Yes! I was involved. I told them where to find him alone! I arranged it!"

Quinn growled deeper as the traitor revealed himself...He glanced to Jessica, then pulled the little man down, ripping the bandage from his throat and clamping his mouth over the wound, piercing through flesh and drinking deep...He had no plans to stop until the little man was dead...

I was looking through the iphone 16 in my hand and checked on statuses of things for the company. The delivery had been confirmed down on highway ten, the commotion made me look up quickly to see Quinn press Jackson against the wall and demand he tell what he was hiding. My eyes widened and I knew this would not go over well at all. It should be me to tell him. "Quinn, I--let me Exp--"

Before I could finish Jackson was screaming about being involved and arranging it all. I dropped my phone and it fell to the floor with a thud, my hands covering my mouth. Eyes narrowed at the conclusions I was making. Jackson set up Quinn's death, it wasn't coincidental. Finally it all made sense.

~Four days ago~

Jackson came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, kissing the side of my neck. I smiled and closed my eyes. "Where is he tonight?" I turned in his arms and wrapped my arms around his neck. "He'll be back Monday, he's procuring a site for a Demon wedding in Dallas."

"Is he alone."

"Yeah, well except for his assistant Grace. I'm sure they are having fun right now."

"Good, that means I have you all to myself." I giggled as he lifted me onto my own desk and took me right there.

~Present day~

"You used me! You--" Before I could get angry and kill him Quinn had already began to drain him. I went to stop him but hesitated. "You made your bed..." Turning away as he pulled all the blood from Jackson's body, I felt a lone tear slid down my cheek.

"You used me! You--You made your bed..."

Quinn felt Jackson's heart weaken and slowly stop. He sucked the last drops from the body, then ripped off the head and threw it across the room, letting the corpse fall as he dropped to his knees. The feeling of the blood coursing through his body was overwhelming...He shuddered with pleasure...

I heard the sound of a head being torn from a body, it was an all too familiar sound as I remembered beheading many with my bare hands. The thud of his body falling to the ground made me wipe the tear away and casually stride to my desk. Pressing the call button on the intercom again I gave my orders. "I need the cleaners. Also, send me the files of assistants I'll need a new one. Per clearance protocol, activate level 5."

I looked at the window behind my desk, a view of a big city around noon. It felt and looked real, but it was just another one of my multi-view windows. After gathering my thoughts I turned to him and watched him relish in the blood he just drank, knowing he was probably sated fully. Looking to the donors I nodded, "You may leave." Their gazes were all blank, not even a flinch was made at what happened before their eyes. Once they left the room my eyes went back to Quinn as I hopped up on the corner of my desk, sitting regally with a straight back and crossed legs.

"I assume you're full. We're going to have to talk soon, but not tonight. I have things to take care of and the sun will be up in hours. Recovering from the shot of silver will take time, for that I'm sorry." I realized I was speaking in my business tone and looked down. My blank face grew a small smile then I looked up, "It will be nice to not wake to an empty bed."

"I assume you're full. We're going to have to talk soon, but not tonight. I have things to take care of and the sun will be up in hours. Recovering from the shot of silver will take time, for that I'm sorry."


Quinn shook his head to clear his mind of the euphoria, standing and walking to her...

"You did what you felt you needed to. I do not know this world...you have evolved within it."

"It will be nice to not wake to an empty bed."

"...and if I understand what has happened, you will never have to again..."