Litter box duty may have been avoided, but Jack could have done without waking up to the full weight of Candace's cat sitting on his bladder.

The black demon known as Adhafera complained loudly as Jack rolled out of the bed. He tossed the blanket over her, and she vigorously attacked the walls of her new tomb.

As he made his way to the bathroom, he caught a whiff of bacon and felt the full force of his conflicting emotions. Was he going to end up being one of those people who were reminded of their ex over the stupidest things? He had enough issues already; he didn't need Kieran's lack of presence in his life hitting him over the head every time he walked down the cereal aisle.

He stood in front of the bathroom door and glared down the hallway towards the kitchen. Maybe mooching off someone else's bacon would help fade the memory of Kieran cooking breakfast for him.

It would cost him the luxury of going back to bed, but he'd be up, fed, and able to grab a free ride to his neighborhood. He'd have more than enough time to do a hardcore dive into Kieran's past.

He wasn't looking forward to digging through a ton of census records, trying to find out if Kieran kept playing his own grandson every few decades. Maybe vampires coordinated with each other.

Whatever the case, he deserved a caffeinated treat.

---

It wasn't until Jack stepped into the internet café that he recalled the first time he met Kieran. He stood in the entry and stared at the table nestled in the corner.

The first time he met Kieran. The first time he tried to flee. The first time Kieran tried to enthrall Jack.

He should turn around and leave. There was another coffee shop two blocks over; it wouldn't be too far out of his way. If only no one had looked up when he entered, then he could have escaped unnoticed. He hunched his shoulders and got in line.

He needed to make a list of places he should avoid. It wouldn't be long, just annoying. No more Rick's Electronics. No more internet café after his morning fix. At least Kieran hadn't joined him inside the library.

Jack yawned into his sleeve as he stepped up to the counter.

"Wow! You're here early," Missy greeted.

He kept his sleeve over his mouth as he met Missy's eyes. "I could say the same for you," he shot back. His chest tightened in the brief moment before Missy's smile brightened.

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"John's out sick," she replied. "With a post-concert hangover, but management doesn't need to know that."

Was he supposed to know who John was? Or even care?

"That sucks. For you. Him. Both. I'm just grabbing a drink on the way to the library," he said. He was aiming for casual, but Missy's smile led him to believe he failed.

"We've got a cookies 'n' cream mocha on special."

"Uh… Maybe just a regular white mocha?"

Missy leaned over the counter and lowered her voice. "That's what it is. With cookie crumbles on top. Boss bought a box and dropped it. Wrote it off as a store purchase."

"Oh. Okay. That works." Jack wondered what sort of write off existed for a blood soaked rug. Blood from a guy he killed.

He was a murderer. Someone was going to find out. He should have told Sam the moment he remembered instead of going to Kieran.

"You doin' okay?" Missy asked, disturbing Jack's spiral. "You seem off."

Jack stared at the counter between them as he fumbled for his wallet. Of course Missy would notice something was up with him. He couldn't tell her the truth, but he couldn't bring himself to lie, either.

"I met a guy, and I'm at a fork in the road," he said. He pulled out his debit card, but couldn't remember if he'd transferred funds recently. He frowned as he tucked the card back and settled on paying in cash.

"Bad habits? Secret lover?"

"Not exactly. Weird stuff. Not bad, just more of a … okay then. Y'know? My whole world view is different, and I just feel like I need to know more," Jack said. Did blood sucking count as a bad habit?

"Well, if he has any siblings that you know of, you can try them," Missy said as she finished ringing up Jack's order. "Janet's brother gave me a less than stellar review on her when I met him. But that gave me prior warning that she never learned how to clean. And drinks milk straight from the carton," she says, finishing with a tight smile.

"A sibling." Jack sighed as he stepped aside for the next customer. "That's not gonna… Wait. That might work. Thanks!"

"Glad to help!"

---

Large gates blocked the driveway leading up to a pristinely kept French country-style house.

Jack hoped the offer to call extended to visiting. Calling first would have been a good idea, but had he ever been inclined to act on those? If he had thought about it, he would still be huddled in a corner, too freaked out to even pick up his phone. He pressed the call button next to the gate and waited.

He looked back at the street. It wasn't too late to change his mind. But if someone was watching from their window, then it could look like he was casing the place. Had someone already called the cops on him? Did he look suspicious enough for that?

The speaker crackled to life, and Jack flinched away.

"The little flame. Have you come to ask for a stake?" Benoit asked in amusement.

Jack glanced up at the camera staring down at him and shifted. "Er, no. Thank you. I wanted to ask some questions." And she had just answered one.

"Do come in."

"Said the spider to the fly," he said under his breath as the gates buzzed loudly and slowly opened.

image [https://i.imgur.com/eZY0YUq.png]