A/N: Onto the next chapter! I had to adjust some things for the previous chapter, a small block if you will but now I'm back on track and ready to write! WHEEE! My plan is to complete this in about…4 chapters, so by about chapter 20 I hope to be done. Of course, all best laid plans never turn out how you hope…normally.

I hope to explain about that connection thing too, but I'll wait for the next A/N if you still don't get it in a chapter or two.

Paranormal Investigations

Chapter 16

Craig was bored. All he had been doing since he arrived in this stone prison was hang in chains from a wall. He was hungry too…but he knew he could last a while longer without blood. She had extracted some of his blood before she had left and it hurt a little bit, not from pain, but from helplessness. He didn't like being so helpless…this had never been like anything before. Sure, Kate and he had been captured before…but that was willingly. Even then, they had their strength, their powers…each other. If he was truly in pain Kate would feel it. Their bond, the one they had forged hundreds of years ago would allow that, something Craig didn't want.

He knew Isis would probably be coming in soon, asking questions about what he knew. He may be an elder vampire, but he in truth knew very little. He knew more about supernatural things in general than he did about vampires. For one thing, supernatural beings couldn't make other supernatural beings have more than their first and original power. That was how he had been able to share with Kate a bond…because the sharing of blood would not change her, nor would it change him. Kate had such a bond with Sarah, it wasn't the sharing of blood, because that was the only way vampires were able to do it, but the sharing…at least this was his idea, of memories. Bonds were forged in various ways, he never thought to ask Kate how a necromancer would forge one, and she had never initiated one on her own so he didn't know. Those bonds were rare and few between supernatural beings like him, few decided to make such a commitment. For some it was easier not to be connected to anyone or anything, for others if they did such a thing it could drive them insane to be with someone forever. That wasn't how Craig felt about Kate. Sure, she was insane, but in all fairness, so was he.

However, there was little he could do to prevent that connection from hurting her now. If he was strong enough to escape, he would have already done it. So he was back to the basics, he was bored, he knew nothing and he was the subject of a medical experiment and didn't know when she would eventually find him useless or how she would kill him once she was done with him. There were not as many ways to kill a vampire as people thought. Old superstitions, but those were something every vampire knew…or if they didn't, they would learn in time.

Crucifixes didn't affect Craig, in fact, he had a cross earring he wore on occasion that was made of silver and quite smooth to the touch. He hated garlic, but that would never kill him, he just couldn't stand how it smelled or made his breath smell. As for mirrors, he could see himself, but he was ghostly like, wisps of something that was him, his reflection. It was hard to fix his hair sometimes with only being able to look at gas. Other superstitions were of course, false, but one thing never failed…the sun. Craig never did understand the fact why the sun kept eluding him, but he never dared to test it otherwise. Stuff Isis, his captor, probably already knew. It didn't scare him in the way he thought it would…but if she didn't know all the false ways to affect a vampire, at least he'd get a laugh watching her try…but that was about it.

"This is so boring." Craig said to the open cell, although he doubted he wanted anything else. Anything else would probably include pain, suffering, or talking to Isis. He didn't want any of those choices and yet…he knew he had no choice…or not much of one anyways. He started to hum show tunes…he couldn't think of anything better to do.

"Ah, Mr. Craig." The cheerful voice that now greeted him made him groan, he already hated it and the way it masked something awful. "The blood test results from your small sample were very interesting."

"Oh really," Craig said, allowing all the bitterness and sarcasm drip through those few words.

She smiled her false, forced smile. "Yes, indeed they were…very interesting. Mostly the same as other vampires I've tested but a few differences were apparent." Craig was surprised…he had tested his blood once before and it seemed like all other blood he had seen in his long lifetime. What kind of technology did she have? Was it alien or something? If it was, that was more laughable than anything he knew about.

"If they were that interesting," he began weakly, "Go study those results and leave me alone."

"I don't think so," Isis said, the lines of her mouth tugging up a grin, "How long has it been since you have had human blood?"

Craig could have sworn he had heard wrong. "What did you say?"

"How long has it been since you had human blood?" she repeated patiently.

"Come again?" Craig didn't want to believe that her little test had told her what he thought he just heard.

"How long has it been since you last had human blood?" she asked, trying her best to retain a sense of patience. "I don't believe a vampire such as you would not be able to hear something so simple."

"How the heck does your test tell you things like 'this vampire hasn't had human blood in a long time'?" Craig asked irritably, "It's frankly none of your business."

"It is my business I'm afraid," she responded. "And my test was simply to conclude what kinds of blood where in your system. I wouldn't ask about the specifics of how it is done, merely that it never is wrong. No human blood is in your system at this time, so I ask again, how long has it been?"
"You want an honest answer? I don't know," Craig said with a sigh. "And I won't be able to tell you, I don't remember."

"Mr. Craig, don't you need blood to survive?" she asked with interest.

"Of course we need blood you idiot!" Craig exclaimed, not even considering for a moment how childish the insult of 'idiot' was. "A vampire is a vampire, we need blood, that's a simple and set in stone fact. We don't necessarily need human blood however, sorry to disappoint you. While I'm off on this rant, I would appreciate it if you would not call me Mr. Craig. That makes me sound old, which I'm not." He was panting a little afterwards, rushing all of what he said out in about one breath.

"Interesting," she said with a tone of indifference, writing something down on her clipboard, "Very well then…Craig…if you don't drink human blood what do you drink? I'm certain the other animals on this planet aren't as appealing."

"I find them very appealing at times, many times in fact, when mixed with alcohol or coffee," he said dryly. Although he hadn't meant it to be funny, apparently Isis found it that way and had begun to laugh in a way that annoyed Craig to the point of he was ready to commit suicide just to drown her out.

"Was that meant to be vampire humor?" she asked as she composed herself. "Or is it you think I should already know these things, being a scientist after all and studying other vampires? I do apologize, how foolish it was of me to assume there weren't other forms of life carrying blood on this planet." Craig didn't see the humor in it.

"Well," Craig began, "what can I do to get you out of here faster so I can be left to my solitude once again?"

She laughed again, a shrill piercing laugh that made Craig wish he could cover his ears. "You're very humorous and sarcastic for a vampire. Be honest with this answer, are you hungry?"

"Not at all," Craig lied and Isis could tell because at the mention of hunger he had unconsciously licked his lips.

"Tell the truth Craig, I won't ask again," Isis said. For a moment Craig's mind reeled with reasons why he was actually talking to her rather than refusing and just letting her kill him because of how…uncooperative he was being. First reason that rushed to his mind was that rescue would come in a short amount of time, but that wasn't likely to happen any time soon. He went to a second reason, saying to himself the longer he kept her talking the more he'd stall her from cutting him up…but that made him more nervous than before. Maybe it was he just feared truly dying and so he wanted to remain alive as long as he could, even though it would cost him so much pain and suffering in the process.

"A little," he said after a long pause, deciding that he would just have to wait all this out and hope for the best. The best being he'd be rescued, the second best being that he would have a quick and painless death. Of course, these were most likely both very far off.

"Since I need you alive, I have some blood for you," she said, "Although it is cold it will suit your needs of that I don't doubt."

Craig winced. "The catch?"

"You let me see your fangs."

"No." The answer fell out of his mouth before he could think. The only one he'd ever allowed to touch his fangs or be touched by his fangs (and live of course) was Kate.

"I'll get to see them anyway when you're on the operating table," she said, the corners of her mouth twitching. "If you're going to be stubborn about it I have to force feed you blood after I'm done operating on you."

Craig watched her, and she observed him, waiting to see how the words would sink in, waiting to see how they would change Craig's demeanor towards her request. It wouldn't change, not even after Craig let the words sink in. "You will not see them willingly." He saw the humor and irony of his refusal, she would get to see them whether he refused or not, so why make things easy for her? There were only two people in the world he'd allow that right…Kate was already one of them and Mark…when his darling Mark finally came to him he too would get to see Craig's fangs…and maybe feel them. It was that and the fact he didn't need blood, not yet anyways. The hunger wasn't entirely there, calling to him with a need so great it couldn't be ignored. He'd hold out for as long as he could…although he suspected he'd be on the operating table within moments now.

"You really are a stubborn one," she said laughing and exited the room for a minute. Craig sighed with relief, only to realize that it was too soon to feel relief with anything just yet. She came back in only moments later with a stretcher and syringes on top of it as well. He bit his lip unintentionally and stopped himself from crying out. He was afraid…he was truly afraid. He watched her test out a syringe and fought as she made her way to inject it into him. "Struggling won't do you much good." It was true, the metal pierced his skin and a dose of whatever was in there entered his bloodstream. Unconsciousness filtered into his mind and his body began to drift off, all muscles relaxing, all thoughts turning to sleep. He felt her inject something else into him and then he was gone.

…

"Do you have an address?" Kate asked the moment Sarah and Mark arrived back in the bookstore. Both didn't bother taking off their coats, they simply went over to Lucas and handed him a piece of paper.

"Get us directions," Sarah said with anger more than apparent in her voice. Lucas took the address and typed it into the computer, pulling up a map and hitting the print button.

"I'll get the twins," Mark said and went to the elevator, pressing the button and going in the moment the doors opened.

"So you have it," Kate said, peering over Sarah's shoulder.

"We're going after her now," Sarah said, "I broke into her mind and got what I wanted to find."
"Did you see anything else?" Kate asked.

"I didn't look for anything else," Sarah said simply, "I don't think I would have liked what I saw if I had."

"I agree with that," Kate said. Sarah picked up the map from the printer and looked over it. "It's a long ways out."

"Then we better get going right away," Kate said and went to the old staircase, not bothering to wait for the elevator.

Sarah looked at her. "What are you doing?"

"I'm getting changed," Kate said. "I'm killing that little bitch in style."

"You can think of that at a time like this?" Lucas asked.

"She will fear me before she dies," Kate said as she glared back at them. "I promise you that."

"I see," Sarah said, understanding in her eyes as Kate fled down the stairs. Lucas looked at Sarah with a puzzled expression. "Why is she changing?"

"She has this one outfit she likes to wear when she's going to kill someone she hates," Sarah said. "She told me this only once."

"And how often have you seen this outfit?" Lucas asked.

"Twice." That was the only reply needed for Lucas to get the point. He thought she had a creepy style when she wasn't mad…and now he was about to glimpse her when she really meant herself to be frightening. He swore never to get her mad himself, no matter what the cost.

TBC

A/N: Any good?