Past Meets Present

 As soon as Mary's face showed up on the phone screen, Stephen took it into his library and slammed the door shut.

 "Hey, you," he said smiling. "Long time no see."

 Mary's face was still for a moment, her eyebrows raised in surprise and confusion.

"Stephen? Is that really you?" she asked. He nodded.

"It's really me. I'm here. How are you?" 

 "I'm doing alright," Mary answered, still not sure the conversation was actually happening. 

 "How are you...did Lee actually find you?" 

 "You knew he was coming here?" 

  Mary nodded.

  "I told him it probably wasn't a good idea. That it was likely you wouldn't want to get back in touch with me. But he insisted." 

  Stephen's face went blank.

 "You thought I wouldn't want to know that you were alive?" 

 "I honestly wasn't sure," Mary admitted, shrugging her shoulders. "The way I left was...well we weren't exactly on good terms." 

  "I know," Stephen sighed. "That was my fault." 

  Mary shook her head.

  "There was blame on both sides. The real question is what have you been doing since I left? Anything new going on?"

  "Now there's an interesting question," Stephen laughed. "Where do I begin?"

   Darby, Lee and George stood in the hallway while Stephen continued his face time on the other side of the library door.

  "I can't believe Mary is still alive," Darby said, putting her back against the wall and sliding down to sit on the floor. 

  "Why would she keep it a secret from Stephen for so long?" 

   Lee looked down at her and laughed.

  "Is that a joke? You were there the night we left. He was furious. Promised to kill both of us if he ever saw us again."

  "That's just how Stephen gets when he's in a rage."

  "Yeah ok," George scoffed, leaning against the wall and scratching at a worn out spot of paint. 

  "Stephen has definitely never held a grudge. He certainly doesn't have his brother locked up in a room in a basement over a feud that occurred twenty years ago."

    Before Darby could respond, Bailey came storming down the hallway looking like she was ready to end someone. Lee turned his head in her direction and took a step back at seeing the anger in her eyes. 

  "Which one of you was going to tell me that Stephen's more powerful vampire brother is living in our basement feeding off of my boyfr-" she stopped for a second and then corrected herself. 

  "My friend, Thomas." 

    Lee smirked. 

   "Don't let Stephen hear you say his brother is the more powerful one or none of us will be alive to see the morning sun."

   Bailey turned to him, her eyes narrowing.

  "Was that a bad vampire joke?" she hissed. Lee folded his arms and shrugged.

  "Maybe." 

  "Bailey, let's talk somewhere else," Darby said, taking Bailey's arm and gently pulling her down the hall.

  "Stephen is on a face time call with Mary in the library."

  "Mary?" Bailey exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock. "Dead Mary? What is going on in this house?" 

  Darby sighed as they walked down the hall, Lee and George following behind them.

  "I'm so glad I came back," Lee said quietly so only George could hear. "This drama is like being in high-school again." 

   "You still remember high-school?" George asked.

   "Yeah. It's only been a hundred years." 

    Darby led the group into a sitting room and motioned for Bailey to sit on the couch. Lee plopped down in an ornate brown leather chair and George lingered at the fireplace running a finger over the mantel.

  "It was about twenty years ago now. Stephen and his brother Arthur came to town together, both hungry for blood and power. They agreed to split the neighborhood in half as it were to stay out of each other's way when they went out to hunt. But that didn't last long. Both of them wanted a bigger piece. And Stephen was convinced that Arthur also wanted Mary. He lured Arthur to the house under the pretense of making peace and then when he arrived, Stephen and Lee overpowered him and forced him into a room in the basement." 

 Bailey turned to look at Lee who waved from his chair with an unapologetic smirk. 

 "Mary was already halfway out the door but Stephen's behavior that night was the straw that broke the camel's back. She left and Lee followed her promising her a better life with him." 

 "And I more than delivered on that promise," Lee chimed in. Darby rolled her eyes and George snickered from the mantel.

 "Anyway," Darby continued, glaring at Lee, "I'm sorry we didn't tell you before but there wasn't really a reason to and none of us new he was feeding off your boyfr- your friend."

  Bailey sighed and leaned forward resting her elbows on her knees.

"So we just leave him down there forever?" 

  Darby shrugged.

"It's not really our place to decide when he is released." 

"Whose decision is it then?" Bailey asked.

 "It's mine," said Stephen's voice from the doorway. Everyone in the room instantly tensed. Lee tried to shrink into the chair he sat in and George suddenly became really interested in something in the corner.

 Stephen walked slowly over to the couch and set the phone down on the coffee table in front of it.

"Why are we talking about Arthur?"

"Why? Because he is imprisoned in your basement and feeding off of Thomas. How am I the only one concerned about this?" Bailey asked, looking around the room at everyone else. They all refused to make eye contact with her. 

 "You don't seem to get it, little vampire," Stephen said in almost a growl. "I'm in charge here. In charge of the house and the basement and whoever lives in the house and the basement." 

  "Is that what you told Mary?" Bailey snapped back. "Is that why she left?"

  The room went instantly silent. Darby and Lee turned to stare at Bailey, their mouths hanging open. George tried to step even further into the dark corner. 

  "I see you've finally grown a backbone," Stephen said, taking a step toward Bailey and towering over where she sat on the couch.

  "I'm not afraid of you," Bailey hissed, looking up at him with fire in her eyes.

  "I'm done letting everyone push me around. I'm not going to tell you what to do with your brother but I want him to stop feeding on Thomas. In fact I'm letting Thomas go." 

  "Are you insane?" Darby cut in, rising to her feet.

  "He's seen us. He knows what we are. He can't leave this house alive." 

  "Well he isn't leaving it dead," Bailey spat back, standing up and staring Darby down. 

  "Girl fight, girl fight," Lee chanted from his chair grinning. 

   "Shut up," Darby snarled. "Bailey you have to know he can't just go back to his regular life now. Not after what he's seen and what's been done to him." 

   "You mean what you did to him," Bailey corrected. 

   "Fine. What I did to him. But that doesn't change that it happened. He can't leave."

    Bailey sighed and sank back down onto the couch.

   "I get it. But I want Arthur to stop feeding on him."

    Stephen waved a dismissive hand like he couldn't be bothered. 

   "Whatever. Take him out of the basement and leave Arthur to die. I have bigger things on my mind right now." 

    "Do these things go by the name Mary?" Lee asked. Stephen frowned at him.

    "I don't want to hear her name in your mouth anymore. She told me what you did."

    "What I did?" Lee asked, standing up and putting a hand over his chest. "You mean how I took care of her? Gave her a life where she could do what she wanted without feeling bad about it?" 

     Stephen's eyes darkened and his fangs began to come out. He rushed toward Lee but before he could get there, George was between them. 

    "You said once you talked to Mary, your fight with Lee was done," he reminded him. "Step down." 

    Stephen stared at George for a few seconds not blinking. 

    "You're right," he said finally, taking a step back. "I don't have time for fighting anyway. Mary is on her way." 

    "She's coming back? Here?" Darby asked, surprised. Lee smirked.

    "You're welcome," he said to Stephen. Darby smacked him in the stomach.

    "Not everything is about you, ya know." She turned to Stephen.

    "When is she getting here?" 

    "Tomorrow morning," Stephen answered. Bailey looked at him and cocked her head to the side.

    "Morning? She can go out in the light?" 

    "Long story. Not the time," Darby said, cutting her off. Bailey folded her arms and frowned.

    "What is she coming back for now? Nostalgia? The doll collection she left behind?" 

    "No, we're going to pick back up where we left off," Stephen told her. "And with no more interruptions," he said, staring daggers at Lee.

     Lee put his hands up in a gesture of innocence. 

    "I don't want her anymore. I have other things in mind," he said, casting a quick glance over at Bailey. She caught his look and blushed deeply. 

    "What is this talk of Mary coming back?" said a deep voice. Everyone in the room went absolutely still. Slowly they all turned to the doorway to see a vampire standing there, blood dripping down his face and off the edge of his chin. Bailey stood up and looked over at him.

    "Whose blood is that?" she squeaked, terrified of the answer. The vampire turned his head and looked her up and down.

   "Some little waif from the basement. Scrawny little thing. Have you all not been feeding him?" Bailey gasped and hurried from the room. The vampire moved to let her go by and then looked back at everyone else. 

   "Stephen. It's been a minute," he said, his boots making a heavy thud on the wooden floor as he stepped forward.

   "It's not been long enough, Arthur," Stephen hissed back. "How did you get out?" 

   "That careless little one who just ran out left the door open." Stephen gritted his teeth.

   "Damn it, Bailey," he muttered. 

   Arthur walked over to Lee who sat in his chair still trying to hide the terror he felt.

   "Good to see you again, Lee. I believe last time we were together, you had a wooden stake to my chest." 

    Lee grinned up at him awkwardly.

   "What a crazy time that was. I'm going to go check on Bailey and her waif," he said, disappearing in a flash. Arthur turned to Darby.

   "And you, sweet girl. I actually have missed you," Arthur said smiling. Darby looked up at his soft green eyes and shoulder length wavy brown hair and couldn't help smiling back. Arthur looked next at George and his brow furrowed. 

   "I don't think I recognize you."

    Before George could respond, Stephen interrupted.

   "Ok, you're out of the basement, Arthur. What do you want?" 

   "What do I want, brother?" the vampire repeated with a smile. "The same thing you want: Mary. And I intend to have her."