Tommy woke up to the sound of someone practicing the piano. He reached out and felt for Billy. Had last night been a dream? He reached up and touched the still healing wound. He had been with someone the night before. He had taken someone's blood. But who? It wasn't Billy. He couldn't feel him any more. Then he realized that this was the first time he had taken for granted feeling someone. Being a vampire was getting to be too strange. "I wonder if Alma will be at the Raven tonight?" he heard Skull think. How could he hear what Skull was thinking?Why did he had memories from him. Suddenly he knewwhat happened the night before.They had shared blood. Tommy got out of bed.He quickly dressed and went down stairs. Without stopping playing Skull asked, "How was your sleep?" "Fine," he walked over to Skull. "That's really good." "What is?" "Your playing," There was a long pause. "Were you a concert pianist?" "Yes, once." "Why'd you stop?" "We vampires have to reinvent ourselves every once in awhile, you'll learn that." Skull still didn't look at him. "Someday I might go back to this full time." Tommy knew that he should be angry at Skull, but he couldn't be for some reason. "That bartender called you Admiral. Where you an admiral?" "Yes, once. I stayed with it too long. so I moved on." "When was that?" "I was in the services on and off for three hundred years. I quit after the civil war." It was quite obvious that Skull didn't want to discuss his past. "Well, that explains why you like to wear Civil War clothes." Changing the subject, he asked "Can we talk about last night?" "What's there to talk about?" "We shared blood," "So?" Skull turned some pages on his music. "Didn't it mean anything to you?" "Should it?" Some how, and he didn't know how, he knew that Skull was not telling the truth. "You're a very bad liar," Skull looked up to him. "I know you don't like me. You don't have to pretend," "I feel I understand you better, now that we shared blood." "That's great. Just great," Skull sighed. "If you didn't like me, why did you let me take your blood?" "I never said I didn't like you," Skull looked up to him. "Isn't it strange that you only liked me after we shared blood?" "I feel I know you a lot better now." "Tommy, you don't understand, what I did last night was wrong. Very wrong. It's against the vampire code." "I don't understand." "It is against our code to force a vampire feeling the hunger to take you blood." Skull said softly. "I did that with you." "What if I said I didn't mind?" "Are you sure?" "I'm positive," Tommy picked up the sheet music. "This is nice, did you compose this?" "How did you know?" Skull asked clearly surprised. "It sounds like something you might like," "How would you know what I like?" Skull asked suspicious. "You gave me your blood," Tommy reminded him. "How can I forget?" He sighed. "Can I try to play this?" "Sure," Skull moved over. Tommy put the sheet music on the stand, and began to play. Skull listened for a while. "I didn't know you knew how to play the piano." "I don't," Tommy realized what he was doing, he stared at his hands. "Now you see why it's forbidden," Skull said softly. "How long will this last?" "With some the knowledge fades in a couple of days. Others it stays with you forever. Can you still remember taking Billy's blood?" "Yes...Kimberly's too," "From now on, you'll have to be careful about whose blood you take." Skull warned. Tommy looked into Skull's eyes. "I am glad you gave me your blood, thank you." "Are you sure?" "Positive," Tommy reached out and touched Skull's cheek. Then he kissed him gently on the lips. Vachon walked past them. He looked as if he had just gotten out of the shower. His hair was damp and wet. "You two better get ready." "Why?" Skull asked. "We're going back to the Raven," "We went there, there was nothing there," Tommy reminded him. "Miklos said that Scorpina comes in a lot. Perhaps she'll come in tonight," Vachon shrugged. "There not much else we can do." Tommy stood up. "We can look for her!" "Where? Do you have any idea?" "No, I don't," He admitted. "Then we'll do it my way, if it doesn't work tonight, we'll try your way tomorrow, okay?" "Okay," Tommy sighed. * * * As he sat in a corner booth of the Raven. Tommy couldn't stop thinking of Billy. He had now taken the blood of Vachon and Skull. Somehow that still seemed different to him. Billy was a part of him. Every time he fell asleep, he saw Billy in Scorpina's prison. The feeling of Billy's blood coursing through his veins haunted him. He could see himself through Billy's eyes. He didn't recognize himself. All he had left of Billy were the dreams. Tommy felt frustrated. He wanted to go out and find Billy. Vachon had ordered him to hang, so thats what he was doing. Hanging around the Raven. He could try to escape, but he had a feeling that Vachon would find him. This place oozed sexuality. The Raven's floor was filled mostly with vampires, but some humans . They where mostly grouped in pairs, talking to each other. Every once in a while, a pair would slip into one of the back rooms. Tommy looked out to the dance floor. He could see Skull nuzzling Alma, his arm around her waist."I thought you told me she was dangerous," "She is," Vachon was sitting beside him, sipping blood. "Don't worry, Skull can handle her," "Are you sure?" "I'm positive," Vachon said as they watched skull go into the back room with the woman. "Your jealous aren't you?" "Why should I be jealous?" Tommy asked. "Skull spent the night last night with you," "How did you know about that?:" "We've shared blood," "Your going to throw it up in my face all the time aren't you?" "I was simply stating a fact," Vachon sighed. "Vampires usually aren't very monogamous, you'll get used to it," "I don't want to get used to it," He said softly. "Will I begin to have dreams from you?" "What do you mean? What dreams?" "I get dreams from Billy," "Tell me about them," when Vachon saw his hesitation, he said. "Please," "Since Billy got kidnapped by Scorpina, I've been dreaming of him, as if I can see through his eyes." "How many times did you take Billy's blood?" "Two, why?" "He loves you doesn't he?" "Why does that matter?" "I think your bloodbonded to him, what you see as dreams is really what happened to him!" "Thats crazy, I dreamt that he saw Scorpina torturing me, then he gave into her!" Tommy felt something, almost like he could feel Billy drawing closer. He looked up. A petite Asian woman came into the Raven, she was dressed in a indigo dress, her long dark hair was split over one shoulder. Billy walked beside her, his arm around her waist. He was dressed in a tux. He whispered into Scorpina's ear and she laughed. Tommy was horrified, the dream had been true! Billy had given into her. He reached out and touched Vachon. "What?" Vachon asked. "Scorpina's here, with Billy." "Were?" "She just came in, with Billy!" Vachon looked at the door. "I thought you said she was a monster!" "She can change into a monster, but she's usually human," Billy followed Scorpina to a table. Scorpina got an empty glass from a waiter, and gave it to Billy. Using his teeth, he opened his wrist, and drained it into a glass. He then gave it to Scorpina who started to sip it. "No!" Tommy gasped, he tried to get up, but Vachon held him down. "You can't help him now," Then Jacqueline came in to the Raven with Tracy on her arm. Vachon got sight of Tracy, he stood up. Tommy grabbed his arm, but Vachon pulled away, and walked up to her. "Tracy!" She looked him over without recognition. "Do I know you?" "It's Javier!" "Come on darling!" Jacqueline lead Tracy away. Tommy got up and walked over to him. Vachon was angry, Tommy didn't have to be psychic to know that. "What the hell is going on?" Vachon demanded. Scorpina must have Tracy and Billy under her power!" Tommy told him. "How can that happen, why didn't they resist?" Vachon gasped. "Your dream, it told you that Billy had joined her side!" "It was only a dream!" "What else did you dream?" Vachon demanded. "It doesn't matter!" Tommy took a deep breath. "If they used Rita's H.Q. then they had access to her brain washing machine," "There is no such thing as a brain washing machine!" "I know it sounds crazy, but Rita has a machine that can control a person. I know, she used it on me," Tommy's voice dropped. "I did things I wouldn't have done if I had a choice. I was evil." "You were Rita's evil green ranger," Vachon said, guiding him back to the one of the back rooms. Tommy looked around the room. It was filled with couches and chairs. "Yes, I was, but I didn't get the choice." Vachon walked over to a curtained door. He stood in front of it. "Get out here Skull!" "I'm busy!" Skull said. "Scorpina's here," Skull appeared from his hiding place. His shirt was opened, there was thin trickle of blood running from his neck, down his chest. He was buckling his pants. "Lets go get her!" "Its not that simple," Vachon said. "She's got Tracy in her power." "Shit," Skull swore quietly. "What should we do Vachon?" "You're the admiral," Vachon reminded him. "This isn't a sea battle!" Skull almost shouted. "Your the one that's an expert in gorilla tactics Javier!" "We have got to try and capture her," Tommy said. Vachon looked down for a moment, thinking, then he looked back up to them. "I think I have an idea!"