He rounded the corner and drove up to the Raven. There was a sign posted on the front door.
'Closed for renovation. We apologize for the inconvenience. Reopening in one week.'
He smiled to himself. This gave him an idea. He drove away.
"May I ask you a question?" the lady at the counter said as she took his money.
"Sure," he replied.
"What do you want them for?"
The grin that spread across his face made the lady smile. "I have a plan," he said.
"I see. And, is there mischief involved, young man?"
"Oh, yes indeed."
The young man took his cargo out of the shop and headed for his car. Yes, indeed, he thought.
LaCroix couldn't see the point in staying at the club while the renovations proceeded. The noise of the workmen during the day prevented him from sleeping. He decided to take a suite at a downtown hotel, the finest the city had to offer, for the week. The vintage of the stock he brought with him was suitable to the surroundings, only the very best he had. Sipping on a glass of crimson liquid, he thought about the decision he had made to renovate. The club would look very nearly the same as before, but with some new state-of-the-art electronics. The music and lighting systems would be the very best in the city, the bar would be improved to make the bartenders job a little easier and the heating and cooling system was being brought up to code.
It was the old heating system that had precipitated his decision to do the renovations to begin with. The city inspector had informed him that the improvement in the heating system would be necessary to renew his business license. Ah well, as aggravating as the human system of government could be, he now had some time to just relax. He had prerecorded his monologues and had set the equipment in the recording studio to auto. He didn't have to return to the club for the entire week.
A vacation. That was what he was enjoying. A vacation. He took another sip of his drink and savored the taste. This particular vacation was LONG overdue.
The street and alleyway were quiet. This particular spot, right outside the club, was generally buzzing with activity at this timelar reason to open early anyway. It wasn't as if he needed the revenue. Leaning back in the spa, he took another sip of his drink and closed his eyes. Tomorrow night would be soon enough to return to his duties.
"You did what!?"
Nick grinned at her. "I couldn't resist the temptation, Nat. It was just too great."
She smiled and shook her head. "I bet you were incorrigible as a child."
He shrugged. "I don't know. Times were different then. Maybe I'm just having a second childhood."
"Or fourth, or fifth..." she chimed in.
They both laughed.
"WHAT!?!" he roared over the phone.
Urs had to hold the receiver away from her ear to keep her eardrum from bursting. She stood on the walk in front of the club and was calling him using a cellular phone. One look inside the Raven was all she needed to know that she didn't want to go in there. The idea of telling her boss about the club had made her wince. It was even worse than she had thought it would be.
"DON'T GO ANYWHERE!"
"I..."
Trying to stifle any signs of mirth before he arrived was proving to be a losing battle...
"Nononononono." She held her hands up. "I'm NOT going down there with you. I don't need an ancient vampire infuriated at me, thank you very much."
"Come on. It'll be fun. Besides," he grabbed her around the waist from behind and spoke into her ear, "he won't have a klew who did it. If we show up, he'll never suspect. And you're innocent anyway. Why should you be afraid of his wrath?"
She looked over her shoulder and into his cherub-like face. "Guilt by association?" she offered. His smile was infectious and she began to laugh. "All right," she said as she turned around in his embrace, "I'll come."
Nick looked into her face and his smile broadened. "Good." He kissed the tip of her nose. "Let's go," he released her and picked up her coat to help her on with it, "I don't want to miss too much of the fireworks."
"You're terrible," she said as she slipped into the coat he held for her.
"I know. Ain't it great?"
He wrenched open the door of the club and entered with purposeful strides. The heel of his left shoe hit the floor where something thick and wet had been deposited and his foot slid away from him. He landed on his butt with a very unceremonious thump. There were no lights on in the club. He had visual acuity enough to scan the room and noted that the fixtures of the entire club were coated with the same substance he had stepped in and that coated the palm of his left hand where he had planted it on the floor.
There was an unusual sound above him and he instinctively looked up. He winced at the site of something small dropping towards him and felt the impact of the substance on the front of his shirt. He looked at it after opening his eyes...
She decided to wait outside. Urs had no desire to watch the proceedings within. She heard the sound of his landing on the floor and understood what must have happened. Don't laugh within earshot, she chided herself. He's liable to kill you where you stand if you laugh. She clasped a hand over her mouth in an attempt to keep the chortling at bay.
Just as she was sure she would lose the battle, a very familiar car rounded the corner and sped up the block to park in front of the club. Nicholas exited the driver's side and, coming around to the curb, opened the passenger door for Dr. Lambert.
"Hi Urs," he greeted as he grabbed Nat's elbow and helped her out of the caddy. "Where is everyone? Isn't tonight the new opening of the morning. With the club closed for renovations that was not true tonight. He scanned the area, just to make sure, before entering.
The darkness inside was absolute. He set the box he carried on the floor and opened the lid. The club would only be closed for one more day. He had waited until the workman had nearly completed their work. Grinning, he stirred the contents of the box with his hand and felt the rush of air as the cargo left the box to explore this new world.
Nodding to himself, he took up the box and left the club. Now all he had to do was wait.
The work had been finished a day earlier than he had expected. LaCroix smiled to himself. He had informed the supervisor of the work crew on the first day of labor that he would not take kindly to delays or overtime. Persuasion has its advantages. Still, he didn't want to end his vacation early. He was enjoying the luxury of his downtime. He had decided to leave the club closed for the night and reopen as previously planned. There was no particu?"
She took a deep breath and tried to control her mirth. The arrival of visitors was making it a little easier. "LaCroix's inside. I wouldn't go in there if I were you."
The look of amusement on her face vanished as they all heard the shout of rage issuing forth from within the club.
Nick looked at Nat, who tried valiantly to look as if she had no idea what was going on, and then back at Urs. "What's going on in there?" he asked, hoping the grin on his face wasn't too large.
"I think," she looked at the door of the club, "that you had better see for yourself. But," she looked back at the pair, "Dr. Lambert should stay out here. Oh, and Nick? Be careful where you step." She grinned.
His growl had caused the occupants of the club to enter a panicked frenzy. He stood just as he heard the door to the club behind him open and the lights were turned on. Turning he spotted Nicholas standing just inside the front entry. He was laughing uncontrollably.
"THIS IS NOT A LAUGHING MATTER!!" he shouted, sorely tempted to tear his son's throat out.
He wiped at the tears in his eyes and tried to bring his laughter down to a dull roar. "I guess this means that the opening is postponed for a while?" He broke down into another fit of laughter.
LaCroix just stared at his son and fumed. The sound of frenzy above him had quieted. He knew that if he shouted again he would only cause another such frenzy. Clenching his teeth, he responded with enough venom to wilt the bravest heart. "I WILL find out who did this, Nicholas."
Taking a deep breath to calm down, Nick looked at his creator. "You sound pretty tough for a man with pigeon droppings on his shirt."
LaCroix took a tentative step towards Nicholas and paused. His eyes narrowed. "YOU wouldn't have any idea how such a thing could happen to me, would you?"
Nick looked his master right in the face and prayed that his laughter would effectively cover his lie. He tried to talk between bouts of laughter. "Whoever it is
There was a flap of wings and the definite sound of cooing from directly above LaCroix's head. Nick looked up and noted that his master was in eminent danger of another defacing of his clothing and decided he should make his exit. He stepped back against the door of the club and it swung open as he stepped out of the club and into the company of the women outside.
The door had barely closed when they all heard the growl emitted by the only sentient occupant of the club. Both women looked up at him expectantly and with smiles on their faces.
"I don't think the club will be opening as scheduled," he informed them.
'GOT YOU!' They all heard the triumphant exclamation from within and burst out laughing anew.
"How long do you think it will be?" Nat asked him.
"Twelve pigeons can do a lot of damage," he began. "I wouldn't be a bit surprised if it took a few days to get the place ready for opening. After that, I have no idea how long it will take him to calm down." He laughed again.
"I'd like to see what's going on in there," Nat said, looking over his shoulder.
He took her by the shoulder and turned her back towards the caddy. "Oh no you don't. It's not a pretty site," he laughed.
He opened the passenger door for her and turned back to Urs. "I wouldn't hang out here, if I were you," he said smiling.
Urs grinned back. "Are you sure he can handle things by himself?"
He chuckled. "I have no idea. I do know one thing. I wouldn't want to be a pigeon for the next century or so."
They all broke down into fits of laughter as they heard the unmistakable voice of the Nightcrawler howl, "COME HERE, YOU!"
End