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New Orleans, Fall 1920
“An emerald, mon cher, for our beautiful Claudia. What do you think?”
Louis raised an eyebrow at the extravagance. “Don’t you think it’s a little much for a birthday present?”
But Lestat was unwavering. “Nothing is too much for our princesse.”
“Lestat, that’s ridiculous. You can’t give her that.”
“This is ridiculous? When you are the one who insisted she have a cake that she cannot eat?!”
“That’s different! Everyone has a cake on their birthday, candles to blow out. So what if we don’t eat it?”
Lestat chuckled.
“So sentimental, my darling Louis,” he moved in, trying to steal a kiss.
Louis dodged him, trying to make his point.
“I’m just sayin’, you are spoilin’ her, and it’s hardly appropriate for her age. When would she even use it?”
“Louis,” Lestat tsked, “don’t you know the very best gifts are not useful, but an extravagance! And you are far more guilty of spoiling her, when there is no room left in her closet for all the clothes that you buy her, mon cher."
Lestat held up the necklace, a beautiful emerald pendant on a fine gold chain, something out of a fairytale.
“And this is the perfect gift for a young lady, which is what she is.”
Louis reluctantly nodded, smiling in agreement, but his eyes were a little sad.
Lestat placed the necklace back into a beautifully ornate glass jewelry box, then turned to pull Louis into a comforting embrace.
He whispered softly, “Louis, I know you wish she would remain as she is, but she is no longer a child, and we can no longer treat her as such.”
Louis nodded, leaning into him, his arms wrapping loosely around Lestat’s waist. “I know. It’s just that I love how she is. I wish she would stay our lil’ miss forever, that we could always be this happy.”
Louis pulled back, his beautiful green eyes troubled as he searched Lestat’s face.
“Shouldn’t that be one of the benefits of bein’ what we are? That things don’t have to change?”
Lestat kissed Louis lightly on the lips, caressing the side of his face tenderly.
“All things change, Louis, even those such as we. But if it is any comfort, we can choose to change together, be happy together,” he said, trying to reassure him as he traced his thumb lovingly over Louis’ lower lip.
Lestat wasn’t sure if he believed what he was saying, but he knew he hoped with all his might it was true, if only for Louis' sake.
“And Claudia is a fearsome vampire. She will only become more lethal, more clever with time. We have taught her well.”
“You have taught her well. She’s a better hunter than I am already. That’s all you.”
Lestat’s chest puffed up with smug pride.
“It is true, I am an excellent teacher.”
Louis laughed and tried to pull himself out of his arms. Lestat was having none of it and pulled him in closer.
“Okay, okay, don’t let your head get too big,” he said, but he was smiling.
“And as for her being too young for such a gift… tell me, mon ange, what were you up to at her age?” Lestat asked playfully.
Louis faltered, then pressed his face into Lestat’s neck, giving him a little kiss. “Oh God, I don’t want to think about it.”
Lestat smiled boastfully. “Likewise, I was already very much considered a man at seventeen.”
Louis groaned.
“Yeah, let’s not get into how old you really are again, talkin’ about the good ol’ days when you hunted dinosaurs,” he teased, then pushed himself out of Lestat’s grasp.
“How dare you…!!!”
Quick on his feet, Louis dodged as Lestat, outraged, tried to grab him.
"Louis…” Lestat growled with a gleam in his eye, “you are very brave to taunt a hunter of dinosaurs, when you are such delicious prey.”
Louis saw the hungry look in Lestat’s eyes and grinned, putting his hands up as he slowly backed away from him.
“Lestat! Claudia is comin’ back any minute now and we have to finish plannin’…!”
Lestat flashed his fangs wolfishly and lunged at him. Louis dodged him again, still laughing, and ran toward the parlor, Lestat close behind, almost catching him before he managed to get the settee between them.
“Lestat, I’m serious, knock it off!!!”
In response, Lestat gave Louis a look like he was going to eat him alive.
Louis darted toward the stairs, Lestat close behind on his heels.
When Louis reached the bedroom, he realized, a moment too late, he had nowhere else to run, and that this was exactly where Lestat wanted him.
Lestat tackled him to the ground and rolled them over until he held Louis wiggling below him.
“I have you!” he crowed triumphantly. “Not bad for an old dinosaur hunter!!”
“Lestat! We still need to plan-”
Lestat began unfastening Louis’ pants.
“You will claim that you are too tired to hunt. Then I will take Claudia out to bring back the food. You will decorate, bring out her presents, make sure the cake gets here on time while we are gone. When we arrive, I will bring her into the parlor for her surprise party. We will wear silly hats and sing.”
Louis sighed as he gave in, then shivered as Lestat moved down his body, nuzzling and nipping at him while tugging his pants off.
“We don’t have a lot of time,” Louis warned.
“Is that a challenge, mon cœur?”
⸻
When Claudia came home later that night, she took in how mussed both of her daddies looked, smiling slyly at each other. They were both acting suspiciously, it was so obvious they were up to something. They thought they were being so sneaky.
Too bad they were terrible at keeping secrets.
I don’t know who they think they’re foolin’, she thought affectionately, as if I don’t know what they were up to.
Claudia had found all the pretty decorations hidden in a closet the night before. Still, she would pretend to be surprised for their sakes.
She smiled as she got ready to go to coffin.
She couldn’t wait for her birthday party.
⸻
The next night, everything went as planned.
Although Claudia often hunted alone, she loved hunting with Uncle Les. He was a lethal killer, and it was exhilarating to watch him, he had panache.
And when Claudia came into the parlor, she acted as surprised as she could. She was thrilled, of course, at how pretty everything looked, her cake, and the presents. But what she loved most was how happy Daddy Lou and Uncle Les were to have surprised her.
The necklace they gave her was so beautiful, she had never seen anything like it. She put it on, delighting in how it sparkled as she twirled around them.
She caught her Uncle Les’s eyes and flashed him a thankful look, she knew he was the one who would have picked a gift meant for a young lady, not a child. He was always pushing her to learn, to be stronger, more clever, just like him.
She hugged her Daddy Lou, who looked like he wanted to cry.
He’s so silly, what is there to cry about? Still, she hugged him a little harder.
When she blew out her candles, Claudia wished for them to always be as they were that night, happy and full of love, in their beautiful home.
And she wished that someday, she might meet someone who looked at her the way her daddies looked at each other.
Later that night, she watched her fathers dancing together in the courtyard. Overjoyed, she ran to join them, laughing as they both tried to twirl her at once.
.
New Orleans, Summer 1949
“I’ll be seeing you
in all the old familiar places…”
Billie Holiday’s voice drifted softly through the study as Lestat rifled through old documents. That’s when he found it, the photograph taken just after Claudia’s seventeenth birthday.
”That this heart of mine embraces”
He’d had a few more taken of them over the years, but this one… he cherished. Louis still dressed in the style Lestat had so loved on him, and Claudia wearing the red cloak he had given her. Even though the photo was black and white, he could still remember the richness of its color.
“In that small cafe…
The park across the way…”
Lestat stood behind Louis, one hand on his shoulder. Claudia was seated to his left, looking directly into the camera. A beautiful picture of a beautiful family.
He looked at Claudia and wondered again why it was still so hard to think about her, to understand how he felt about her.
He had not wanted to turn her. He could only see that she would be doomed, just as Nicki had been. But in trying to keep Louis close, he’d agreed… and tried to keep her at arm’s length. Tried not to love her, to shield himself from the inevitable pain he knew would come from losing her. He wasn’t sure how well he had done in that regard. His feelings for her, unlike the ones he had for Louis, were complicated.
If he had not been a loving father, he had at least been devoted to teaching her the best he could, how to survive, how to thrive as a vampire. Lestat ran his thumb over her face in the photograph.
“I’ll find you in the morning sun…
At first, he had found himself surprised with how well she took to his teachings. She was a natural hunter and was able to go out on her own in no time at all. He found that he had enjoyed her company so much that he ended up teaching her chess, how to read music and play the piano, how to drive, a great many other things. He took great pride in her, more than he had ever expected to.
And when the night is new…”
Things between them changed, as he had eventually become jealous of Louis’ and Claudia’s relationship, how they had seemed to become a little team within their family, one that eventually turned on him. He remembered the long silences when he knew they were speaking to each other, how he began to fear being abandoned again.
He sighed. On the other hand, what else could have happened, given he’d been trying to keep his distance from her, trying to shut her out? Of course they had turned to each other. He couldn’t blame it all on their ability to communicate telepathically with the Mind Gift, something he, as their maker, could not do.
When she came back after years of no contact, she’d tried to make amends and apologize. He’d been furious, believing that if she had only been considerate enough to let Louis know she was alive and well, things would have been easier, on Louis, and on both of them. As he saw it, she had abandoned Louis, she had abandoned them. He would not accept her apology.
And then, when it became clear that her true intent was to take Louis away from him, she’d been right. She had called him out for how badly he’d treated Louis, and he had struck out in fear as he always did, just as she said. What happened next was unforgivable, something he could never take back.
“I’ll be looking at the moon
But I’ll be seeing you”
He should have let Louis go. At the time, it had felt impossible, to see past the fear, the pain of losing him. But he had lost Louis anyway. Only now, years later, could he see it: holding on had only made their inevitable parting worse. He'd made them believe the only way to escape him was to kill him.
Truth be told, he felt better knowing Claudia was with Louis. She was clever, perceptive, and had good instincts. Together, they would be surely be safe out in the world.
He was mostly sure Louis would come back one day. Claudia, well, he doubted she would ever want to see him again. But if Louis came back, she might eventually as well, if only to visit Louis.
He did not think Louis and Claudia would want to be permanent companions. Although it had taken time, Lestat had come to see the benefit of separating from his mother, Gabrielle. Being on his own had brought him to Louis, to his own little family. And Claudia, even if she no longer considered herself his daughter, was still family. Even if she had no desire to see him, she and Louis would always be a part of each other's lives. The alternative would be unthinkable, especially for Louis. Lestat had come to understand and accept that as well.
He put the precious photograph back in its place, out of sight. He didn't leave it out because it wouldn't do to look at it, to relive the sense of loss every time he saw it.
“I’ll be looking at the moon
But I’ll be seeing you”
The last note of the song lingered in the air before fading, leaving only the soft scratch of the old phonograph needle. The room was silent once more, as Lestat kept thinking of Claudia.
What would be say to her? He had no idea.
Beautifully done. The student surpassed the master.
Have you learned how to drive properly yet?
Do you still play the piano?
I was wrong and I am sorry.
Would you like to play a game of chess? I’ve learned some new moves.
Really, he was completely at a loss. Well, whenever it did happen it would not be for a long time, her hatred of him ran pretty deep. At least he had plenty of time to figure it out.