12.Say You, Say Me.

I was in Chicago. It was a nice summer evening. I was leaning against a big oak tree in my backyard, wondering if I should get out of my Mimosa and go for a little walk in the woods. Bran had left the day before to return to Montana, and Adam was having another business crisis. Samuel had returned for my blood tests and was trying to figure out if I would get my heat on at some point. 

It had been a while since the party where we kissed, and Damon, well, he was mostly gone. I slept through the night on velvet capsules. Although Damon may have been home a few times during the night, he was either with Adam talking about work or talking to himself on the phone, and a couple of times, I overheard him talking to women, so I didn't expect Mr. Wild Seducer to be all over me right away.

 Instead, he was now a manic hanger-on, and I didn't really understand that.

He hung on, blowing in my ears. and asked me, " Do you feel it, baby? How hard and hot is my problem?"

Yes, I felt it, and he didn't even want to kiss me when he just wanted me to stop doing whatever it was I was doing. Several times, he didn't feed me or even ensure I was eating right. I tested him once when I made myself a pasta casserole, put it on the table, and went to eat. I finished my plate when Samuel came in, picked it up, gave me meat instead, and shook his head while Damon blabbered on his phone. 

So our life in the pack went on and on. Nothing could be even. My shooting lessons continued, and I got to practice every day when Adam made me practice.

He said, "Only by practice will you be good, excellent, here, and this is one thing you must do."

Adam gave me more guns to shoot with and then also rifles and scopes, so I had to shoot to keep my distance, so my days were pretty damn full, and I wasn't always available either. I started to find my favorite gun. Beretta and Walther PPK. It didn't mean I couldn't shoot other firearms, but these two worked best for me. Yes, I ate and tried to eat well most of the time. But every now and then, I slipped up. 

I had overheard Bran and Samuel discussing my heat, and Bran left precisely because there was no sign that it was even close. The whole idea felt strange and distant. Damon, well, he was always going somewhere. I don't know where, but I heard he would be gone again for a couple of days.

There was a vampire crisis, and I heard Damon answer the phone, asking someone, " Oh, another one. How many this time?"

Whatever it had meant, I'd only seen something resembling pain flash across Damon's face before a stone-cold determination had replaced it. And he'd gone straight away. He'd left his phone again and now his empty wallet with my picture in it on the table.

So I stayed with Adam and Samuel again. Samuel was always quite busy with my test results and often chatted downstairs in the medbay via video calls, so I was pretty much on my own when Adam was in his study, and he was distant.

Samuel and Adam had been my carers, nurses, even. Although both were excellent and handsome and Adam even perfect, I hadn't even thought of either of them that way, except for a couple of kisses at the party. But after that, Adam had been cool and distant. I knew Damon was angry about the kissing.

But we hadn't talked about it, and Damon hadn't kissed me since then, so I didn't know if he was even my boyfriend anymore, and I didn't care. Somehow, the longing I'd felt was gone now that he'd been distant or had manic hang-ups, and maybe he'd just realized that his feelings for me weren't as deep or genuine as he'd thought. If one kiss or two made it all happen.

But the truth was, I was the one who started it. I stopped thinking of anyone that way, not Adam, Samuel, or even Bran. But Salvatore. The Heat and Salvatore, something in that thought, scared me so much because I knew it would change my world completely. Although Samuel said my low weight at the moment, a whopping 41 kilos, kept the heat at bay. Only when I was in shape would the heat come into play?

Who it would be with was still an open question, although earlier, Damon had spoken to me in a low, seductive voice and let his fingers caress me in a very arousing way. Usually, I would run away from these situations and keep my legs tightly together. And we had kissed, and I had relieved him once in the shower.

But not now, for a couple of months. Technically, it was still spring, but the air was very warm, and now, in the evening, it was cooler, so that's why I was out. I decided to go for a walk. I had been practicing shooting again all day and thought I would go to the spa after my time walking. 

I started walking along the edge of the woods when suddenly, some force pushed me against a tree trunk. I couldn't move. Out of the shadows stepped a teenage boy; well, this creature, whatever it was, looked like a teenage boy but was not human.

He came closer and said, " Oh, you are special; I know what you are and what you were created for, but I think you should be free, a free being to experience the world without the influence of men; only then can you find your true potential. But I can't be with you yet; watch how wonderful a being you become. I can allow this to give you the freedom you deserve. You just have to forget, forget everything, forget every man."

The boy's voice was hypnotic, and I knew he was a vampire and a wizard because he clearly had some magical powers. 

The boy moved his hand slightly, and another man stepped out of the shadows. He was wearing a suit, and he walked towards me.

The man said, " Wulfe, enough, now hold her still, and I hope this works; that way, we can get the target omega to ourselves when she has forgotten everything and is ready to receive the new."

The man then took a syringe with a needle from his breast pocket and pushed the plunger until a drop of liquid came out.

He looked at me like a piece of meat and said, " You will be more useful to your government than you think. This life is over now. Soon, you will forget everything about who you are, and you will be just a blank slate on which we will then put your assignment."

I couldn't answer, as the magic kept me still and silent, no matter how much I fought. Constantine and Dresden had been over for coffee once. They talked about me being too resistant to magic, but that didn't mean a spell strong enough couldn't hold me still for a while. No hours, but hours weren't what I needed when I was helpless; how the fuck they had gotten to our super-safe yard in Chicago I didn't know. But apparently, nothing is entirely safe.

He then plunged the syringe directly into my heart and pressed the plunger to the bottom. Reality blurred; I didn't know who I was or where I was. The drug took effect quickly after this guy stuck it in my heart. The boy came closer and whispered.

"Run and forget; with every step you take, you forget who and what you are. When you have run so long that you forget everything, then you can stop. Run and forget. Be free, be who you are meant to be, and maybe I can help you when all this has been erased from your mind. Run, forget, be free."

I turned around and started walking, then jogging, and finally running. 

I could not disobey, and even though the drug made my movements clumsy and slow, I started moving anyway, just hearing in my head, "Forget, forget, just let it all go, no heartache, no loneliness, no hesitation, just freedom, forget...."

I started to forget; I just let it all go; it began to fade out of my head; the feelings, the memories, the pain, everything started to fade away; the fog took over, but it didn't matter.

Adam watched from the window as Mimi wandered out. He knew that work sometimes took all his attention, but the hairs on the back of Adam's neck stood up for some reason. He quietly opened the large glass doors and walked to the edge of the woods.

He saw movement and cursed. How the fuck did someone get into this yard, he checked the security system on his phone, and it didn't alert. He remembered how Constantine had told him that magic could be used against technology and they should put magical shields around houses, but Adam hadn't thought it was that special, and now this.

He saw and heard everything.

 He immediately informed Samuel. " Samuel, Mimi has been attacked—some kind of medicine and spell to make Mimi forget. I'm going after the lady. Find some way to knock her out quickly."

Samuel replied. "Yeah, I'll grab the new velvet concentrate. Salvatore's been doing it quite a bit."

Adam went after Mimi when he knew it was a priority. He quickly reached Mimi and jumped her. He easily got Mimi down and got a good grip on her so she wouldn't move again.

Samuel took a syringe of velvet concentrate. Damon had been with him a couple of weeks ago to go over Mimi's results, and he had done the velvet concentrate. He had learned to use his teeth better. 

Samuel knew that Damon's gigs were something that almost ate him alive, but Damon did what he had to do. Samuel knew it wasn't his place to defend Damon's behavior to Mimi, and he would understand Damon better because he was a very old creature, and sometimes age just takes its toll.

You can't just be and behave; somewhere deep down, some evil or dark feeling can erupt and mess things up for a long time. Samuel had experience of this too. He wasn't always just a doctor and a healer. No, he could be very violent and cold to women when he got frustrated, and he had even raped, and not just once. But he did repent and tried to control himself, be good, and keep himself busy. So he really knew what Damon might be going through.

He took a syringe of concentrate; it was dark purple and thick, so he needed a thick needle for it. There was no way to help it, and if he had to get Mimi unconscious quickly, this was the safest way. He knew this would be the most effective way to keep Mimi asleep.

Mimi was supposed to resist the magic, but not wholly, but the creature had been a strong wizard vampire. Samuel quickly ran to Adam, who held the struggling Mimi tightly in his grasp. He plunged the syringe straight into Mimi's heart. He pressed the plunger and felt the thick substance go into Mimi's heart, and soon, Mimi went limp in Adam's grip.

I ran as fast as I could; I was dizzy, and my legs wouldn't obey, but the mist fell on my mind with every step and kept me going. Suddenly, something big and strong grabbed me, knocked me to the ground, and was on top of me. I tried to struggle, but it was no use. I was picked up, I couldn't get free. I couldn't keep running. Then another figure came and came at me and stabbed me in the heart. It hurt, but my consciousness began to blur as this one pressed the substance into my heart, and then I fell asleep.

Adam carried Mimi to the medbay, and they tied her to the bed. A velvet concentrate would put her to sleep, but there was no certainty about the duration as Mimi had never had this before.

 At the medbay, Samuel took several blood tests and found a foreign compound in Mimi's blood. It was vervain-based, so vampires would be of no use here.

Samuel called Damon, but he just said, "I can't get in right now, and I can't help because the vervain is getting into me, so it's just going to have to leave on its own. If I was there, I could sniff her blood and see if I could get a fix, but there's no way I can. And it pisses me off. I know I've been a total dick to Mimi, and my reaction to the two kisses was way over the top, but let's see if I can get this sorted out at some point, and I can help."

Samuel said, "Yeah, it's nothing. Just have to wait and see. She's keeping warm, so I'm not putting her in the incubator yet. Dresden is coming tomorrow to see if the spell is on and if he can help and put a magic shield around the house at the same time."

Damon replied, "Good, I have to go now; let me know if there are any complications."

Samuel said, "Yeah, and Damon, hang in there; whatever you do, there's nothing easy about it." 

Damon just grunted and hung up the phone. He sighed and felt so fucking inadequate, but he had a job to do, and he hardened himself. He heard the cries of hundreds of babies and went to work. Slowly, the babies' voices fell silent as the vampire continued his relentless work.

Samuel said: "We'll just have to wait for the substance to leave her system; until then, I recommend keeping her pretty much asleep. Damon can't help now, and he said we'll just have to wait and see."

Adam nodded and replied, " Well, there's probably something to be learned from this, at least."

 When I woke up at some point, I was tied to the bed. I didn't know where I was. Who I was. I had to run and forget. I tried to get loose, and it alarmed the men who kept coming to check on me, and then my heart kept hurting and I fell asleep.

When Samuel pushed another dose of velvet concentrate directly into Mimi's heart, he sighed because it felt brutal but it was the quickest to put it because she was still tearing the cannulas out, and now she just had to be knocked out quickly, so a shot to the heart was the way to do it.

Samuel said, "Oh, I hate it when everything happens to Mimi. How we can't keep her safe?" 

Adam nodded. He hated it when something happened to Mimi—every time the cleaners poisoned her or someone in his own yard actually attacked her. 

Based on Samuel's tests, it would take a week for the substance to leave Mimi's system. Adam sat next to Mimi and stroked her hand. Mimi was fast becoming an excellent shot, and Adam was proud of her.

Mimi was no longer as helpless as she had been in the beginning, and her shooting skills would give Mimi a way to act. Adam knew that there were many bad medical facilities. 

Bran had begun to investigate and had come up with a list of evil scientists who tortured, even killed. Supposedly in the name of science, but often, it was pure sadism, and the victims were often supernatural.

Samuel asked when Adam muttered about cleaners.

"What's your problem with cleaners? Didn't we have cleaners in the beginning? Where did they disappear to?"

He mused that the cleaners came twice a week, and he had been disturbed when they came to the medbay if he was doing chores there. But in the meantime, they had stopped, and what on earth had happened? 

Adam said. " In the early days, when Mimi was sleeping most of the time downstairs. The cleaner came and put a mask on Mimi's face and opened a container of pure silver powder. The cleaner was on one of the pharmaceutical company's lists, the one that killed Mimi many times over. Not everyone there died, and this one had been on the free when Mimi ran away.

I don't know how she tracked Mimi down to Chicago, but she somehow got on the cleaning company's list and into this house. She was going to rob Mimi and shoot me with silver bullets, not to death, but to hurt me badly. Mimi was under anesthesia, so she couldn't be careful and woke up with silver poisoning. There wasn't too much of it, and I got it all out with just a normal binder, but that's why I kept Mimi asleep while you wondered. I didn't bother to disturb you. I killed that cleaner when I caught her in the act."

Adam explained.

Samuel watched for a moment and said: "I get it now, Adam, your headlights are on. There's no need to get excited over a memory, but all that's happened to Mimi and now this."

Adam took a deep breath and calmed down. No one would benefit from getting excited, least of all Mimi. It took them a week. Damon didn't get here until after six days and went straight to the medbay to sit next to Mimi, not saying a word about what he'd done or had to do, and he knew it wouldn't be the last time he'd have to do it. 

I woke up tied up. "I'm in the medical bay downstairs," I stated, trying to remember what had happened, but my memory was fuzzy at best. I remembered being outside and then a boy or a wizard. A strange guy, as if he had almost been a fan of mine, in some way admired me and wanted me to be somewhere other than Adam and Samuel. 

I started to untie myself, at least I tried, and Samuel came into the room.

I said, "What's going on? Why am I downstairs and tied up?"

Samuel asked me back: "Do you want to run and forget? Are you already yourself, or is the stuff still working?"

I didn't understand, and I frowned. "I'm fine. I'm not going to run, but I'd like to get loose and maybe take a shower or something.

Samuel said: "I think you're all right now."

A voice next to me said, " Baby, I'm sorry I wasn't there to help, and it took me a week, but I've just got things to do for the greater good, and now you've had another week of sleep."

I looked at Damon and said, "Hey, you, I haven't really seen you in a long time, and hey, I've got time." 

Samuel untied me and explained what had happened. " That young boy was a vampire wizard named Wulfe. Nicholas and Elias weren't sure whose side Wulfe was on, but at least for now, he seemed to be working for a pharmaceutical company. He's one to watch out for."

I said, "Yeah, I remember the man calling him wulfe. Samuel, he called me a target omega and talked about how I was going to be useful to the government."

Samuel furrowed his eyebrows and said, "Yeah, I'll tell Bran and let him look into that government thing. It's gonna take some finesse and keep Bran busy for a while. "

Damon was on the other side of the bed, looking at me with genuine concern, not as he had looked at me, as a doctor, but Damon was looking at me as if he already had genuine feelings for me. It was scary and wonderful at the same time. Let's just say that after this episode, I was under very close scrutiny again for a while. I didn't go anywhere alone. Not even outside. I had three protectors, and they were all very careful.