Winter Legacy -26-

Claus found himself back inside the office hidden away beneath the storage shed, he sighed, Tahiya had hacked the computer but couldn't access the information she desired, so Claus had to go right to the source.

When he was done with the computer, Tahiya sent Claus back into the desert to yet another tome to find the second relic. The good thing about this time was that Claus had Jaylee to keep him company.

Claus and Jaylee had set up camp outside of the pyramid the night before. 

"This is what you do every time you come to Egypt? Who are you running around for anyway?"

"Just stop it Jay, I know that you know exactly what I do in Egypt."

"What makes you say that?"

"Let's get dressed and head inside." Claus said and crawled back inside the tent, Jaylee followed.

Claus was not at all happy to see that the Pyramid of Sky was filled with water, there would no doubt be some of those dive pools. 

"You go on, I'll pitch a tent here." Jaylee told him.

"Sure."

Claus had to swim across a small pool of water to get to the first room, the first one took him to a room that was rather beautiful. Claus groaned, he was growing tired of these pyramids and the long walks and the traps and the near death experiences. 

He found the first keystone and inserted it in the lock to remove the chain from the door.

He explored the pyramid for a while and happened upon his first dive pool. "Just when I changed into dry clothes too." He muttered, without hesitation he dove in.

Claus came out in a nicely decorated corridor. He was already tired having only gotten about three hours sleep the night before. At least the Pyramid of Sky wasn't as hot as the first on he encountered, the Pyramid of the Burning Sands. 

Jaylee had caught up on sleep and was meditating, following Claus' journey through his own eyes. She felt his exhaustion and sighed herself, deciding to go to him and force him to get some rest before he passed out. She waited until he got to a big enough room, then packed the tent and ported to the room. 

Claus jumped, surprised to see her there. "How did you get here?"

"I followed the opened doors after I rested." Jaylee lied. She saw in Claus' eyes that he didn't believe her for a second. That was just as well, she pitched the tent and sent him inside, then got back to her meditation.

Once CLaus was sleeping, Jaylee decided to do some exploring of her own. She retrieved Claus' ax and began chipping away at the shattered stones that was piled in a corner. It took a while to clear, even with Jaylee's superhuman strength and stamina. By the time she was finished she was already feeling fatigued. 

When the stones were cleared a door was revealed, Jaylee pushed it open and found herself in a room with another locked door. She had to push some statues around to reveal a corridor which led to another room where she discovered the keystone. "Thank heavens," Jaylee breathed, "I wonder how Claus does this all the time." She ported to the room where she'd left Claus, he was just crawling out of the tent. 

"I'm sure you haven't rested already." She told him and pulled the keystone from her pouch and handed it over.

"I've rested, not well but it's good enough. I'll meet you at the entrance when I find the relic."

Jaylee smiled to herself as she watched him walk away, loving the way his pants fit him.

The final room was not what Claus expected. There was no logical way the trees that reached for the ceiling should be able to grow there. A strange calm passed over him and he opened the chest and retrieved the relic.

"No." Claus told himself as he fought the urge to curl up on one of the stone benches. "That is how people die in these places."

Sorry about this picture, my game refused to load the graphics.

Claus found Tahiya and handed over the relic, in turn she gave him the name of another contact. "I can't," He said. "I'm catching the next flight out. I'll look into this guy when I return in a few weeks."

"Suit yourself Claus Winter." She said.

Returning home and collapsing into bed was better than it ever was before, this time because Claus had Jaylee to curl up with him. They both fell into a peaceful sleep.

The kitchen had become their unofficial training room, as it had the most space. Claus bumped his fist against Jaylee's and entangled his fingers in hers. "We make a pretty good team, we should make this official, if you know what I mean..."

"Claus what are you trying to say to me?"

"Do you wanna be my girlfriend?"

Jaylee's heart hammered heavily inside her chest. "You know that's all I wanted since high school."

Winter Legacy -25-

Claus slept better than he had in a while, there was something comforting about Jaylee's feminine scent and her body being pressed up against his. He would have laid in bed for hours but then Jaylee crawled from beneath the covers, Claus groaned in protest and Jaylee chuckled but didn't get back in bed. 

When Claus finally roused himself, he found Jaylee outside trying to crush a piece of space rock with her hand. 

"What are you doing?"

"Sharpening my martial arts skills, it's been a while since I got any practice in." She stopped and stretched. "You should learn martial arts, it may come in handy for you some day."

"I doubt it." 

"I don't."

Claus caught that look in Jaylee's eyes again as she headed into the house.

Again Claus wondered if Andre could be right, nothing else explained Jaylee and her mother. Claus just couldn't wrap his mind around the existence of vampires, if they existed, then what else was walking around in broad daylight?  Werewolves and goblins too?

If Jaylee was a vampire why hadn't she tried to bite him yet? Weren't vampires supposed to be bloodthirsty? And he hadn't seen any fangs.

Jaylee was amused by Claus' thoughts. She had learnt self control in China, while she was in bloodlust and her mother sent her away. Her mind shifted in a naughty direction, she would love to bite Claus, but not for food. 

Jaylee chuckled as she walked away from the window.

Jaylee did eventually convince Claus to learn martial arts. She was tempted to tell him that it could save him if some of MorcuCorp's goons came after him, but she was not yet ready to confirm what Andre had already told him, and she enjoyed playing with his head too much to tell him what she was just yet.

"Claus!" Jaylee called in a hushed voice. 

"Go away."

"Claus!"

"No!"

"Claus, pay attention to me." 

"I'm reading."

"Fine, I'll just meditate here then."

"What? Come on Jaylee, don't light the incense. Don't you dare start humming!"  Claus tried to whine but the grin that spread across his face was unconvincing. Claus flung the book aside, scooped Jaylee up and carried her into the bedroom.

Winter Legacy -24-

The atmosphere in France was like nothing Jaylee had felt before, there was something vibrant and cultured about it. She wanted to jump out of the cab and stroll around, and she would as soon as she had let Andre know she was here.

"Jaylee!" Andre shrieked when he pulled the door open.

"Surprised?" She asked him and entered his small home.

"Jaylee, what are you doing here? Why did you not call first?"

Jaylee was confused by his harsh tone. "I wanted to surprise you."

"You cannot be here, you must leave."

"What? Why?"

"Because my wife is on the way home with our son."

"Your...you're married?" Without waiting for a reply Jaylee turned and left.

"Jaylee wait..."

"No Andre, one would think that someone's being married would be something worth mentioning." Jaylee had never felt so stupid in her life, so embarrassed. She couldn't even imagine how her visit could have gone had Andre's wife been home, and what about his son?

Suddenly Champs Les Sims did not seem so magical. Jaylee wandered around aimlessly, she wanted to cry, and she wanted to go back to Andre's home and punch him, right in the nose, she wanted to...sit down.

Jaylee found herself in the town's square. For a while she stood staring at the fountain, the sound of water breaking water was soothing, but only to a certain extent. Jaylee released a sigh and looked up at the sky, she hadn't even realized that she'd fallen for Andre, when had she moved from just being fascinated by him? 

Once again Jaylee had been rejected, rejection seemed to be her thing.

When she wasn't looking for any male companionship, men decided to hit on her, she was not in the mood and she couldn't help but snap at them.

"No! No, I do not want to have dinner with you, no I do not want your number. Just leave me alone!" She shouted at the men.

Night had fallen and Jaylee was still walking around Champs Les Sims, as if she had no sense of direction. She found herself standing on the path to some business place that she didn't catch the name of. 

She finally found a place to sit down and she stretched her legs out in front of her and twinkled her toes. "Come on Jay, you're being ridiculous, you've dealt with rejection before...too many times if you ask me." Her voice sounded so hollow as it echoed in the empty street. Jaylee whipped out her cell phone and changed her reservations, she was heading home, and she had no intentions of telling Claus about this trip, she was far too embarrassed.  

A week after Jaylee's trip, Claus found Jaylee sitting on the couch, the way her eyes were following him unnerved him. "What?" He finally asked as he fell beside her.

"You knew, I've been waiting for you to confess."

"What?"

"Why didn't you tell me Andre was married before I traveled half-way across the world to look like a jackass?"

"What makes you think that I knew? I would never..."

"I checked the search history in my computer."

Claus blinked stupidly, he was certain that he'd erased his history. "You should have Googled him."

"What lesson did you think that you were going to teach me?" She turned so she could glower at him. "I'm a grown woman, I don't need to be taught any lessons. I'm not the ditsy teenage girl that you left behind. I've traveled the world, I've matured, I'm a woman Claus Winter."

Claus caught Jaylee's lips with his own and she immediately lost her train of thought. "I know you are, Jaylee Darling." He said in a low sensual voice that she'd never heard before. Claus had certainly inherited his father's charm.

"Don't stop." She murmured back.

Winter Legacy -23-

"I've been in China."

"What?" Claus looked up at Jaylee confused.

"China, it's where I schooled."

"I really didn't want to leave, but Mother insisted that I did. She said it was for my own good that I learn...self control and mental discipline. The school was called Harmony School for the Gifted, it closed recently, after the final old monk died.

"I would sit for hours, listening to the steady sound of the stream and enjoying the cool, crisp air, but my mind would be on home. I always wondered what my sister was doing, what you were doing. Never what my parents were doing through, I already knew. They were busy working twenty hours without having to feel guilty because I was home alone."

"From the monks I learnt martial arts, for self defense rather than violence. I learnt meditation, to ease my troubled mind. Shang Simla was beautiful, I met many friends there and I'll never trade my experiences for anything but China never felt like home."

Claus shifted on the couch, enjoying the familiar surroundings of the house that had been his home since he'd graduated. He tried to put himself in Jaylee's shoes. Claus had never felt neglected, unneeded, in fact, his family gave him so much attention that it annoyed him. He had taken his family's love and attention for granted and now he'd felt guilty. 

"Well, we can start over, we can make our own home." Claus told her and slapped his hand in the book Jaylee was reading so that he could get her attention. 

Jaylee smiled, "This already feels like home Claus."

Erika stopped by the next day to check out the changes to the house. "There's nothing different." She whined. "Except for that closet in the hall that you expect my little sister to sleep in."

"You do realize I'm your brother don't you? You never take my side."

"That's because you've got Jack's big mouth when you're ready, Jaylee needs me to take care of her."

"Jaylee is a grown woman Erika."

"Really? Then why do you treat her like the girl you left behind?"

"Because...I do not." Claus glowered at his sister and stepped into the dining room so that he didn't have to see her smirk.

Claus picked up the book he'd left on the table and flipped through the pages but he wasn't reading, he was too distracted by the girls' conversation.

"I'd love to meet is Andre guy." Erika was saying.

"He surprised me in Sunset Valley, I'd like to return the favor by dropping in on him in France."

"I'm gonna have pretty French nieces!" Erika said dreamily. 

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Jaylee told her sister.

Claus grunted, he could have told Jaylee what he'd found out about her precious Andre or he could let her find out the hard way.

Jaylee left the following week and Claus found himself sitting alone in the living room. The house seemed so empty that he could hardly believe that just a few weeks ago he had lived alone. With the quiet came a boredom that Claus had never before experienced, he was so bored that he couldn't even think of anything to do. If things went his way, Jaylee would be home sooner than she expected, that thought made a grim smile spread across Claus' face, maybe he was wrong for not telling her, but there was no way Jaylee would have listened to him.

Winter Legacy -22-

It was decided that Jaylee would live with Claus, he'd arranged to have his house altered a bit so that she could have her own room.  One of Jack's former colleagues would be doing the alterations for a little of nothing, in the mean time, he allowed Claus and Jaylee to stay in his rental houses. 

"Hey Snow." It was late and Claus had just arrived home and showered, but he had to let his family know that he was back, especially Snowie. 

"You're back? What did you bring for me?"

"You're too old for presents Snowie." Claus scolded. 

"A person can never be too old for presents. Oh well, next time then. I'll let Mom and Daddy know you're home. How's Jay?"

"She's good."

Claus peeked through his the sliding glass doors, "I can actually see her sitting in her living room. A friend of hers is coming to visit tomorrow so I probably won't see much of her."

"A friend she met while she was at school?"

"I don't know Snowie, why don't you call Jaylee and talk to her?"

"Because I'm talking to you."

"Cheeky." Claus yawned and stretched as best he could with the phone to his ear. "I'm turning in now, I'm exhausted."

"Goodnight Claus."

"Goodnight Snowie."

"My lovely Jaylee, it is good to see you." Andre greeted Jaylee.

Jaylee took a moment to admire Andre, he was a handsome man. His big eyes, round face and pouty lips gave him a bit of a feminine appearance but his strong chest and tall stature were all man. 

"You picked the perfect time to pass through Andre, I'm sure Claus wouldn't have liked you staying in his house."

"You are a grown woman, yet you sound as if you require Claus' permission to have company."

"I'm a grown woman yes, but as I am intruding in Claus' house I will require his permission. Now though, I do not require no permission at all."

Claus was not at all happy to see Andre, there was something about the man that unnerved him. If ever Claus encountered a shady character, Andre was it. 

"Jaylee these houses have only one bedroom, just where is Andre going to sleep? You're not going to share a bed are you? And this couch isn't the most comfortable." 

Andre gave Claus a hard look. "I am sorry, I did not know that you were her father."

"I've been her friend for years, I guess that makes me more of a big brother." Claus narrowed his eyes. "You're an explorer? I've never heard of you."

"That's because my journey is my own, I do not seek fame."

"What the hell are you searching for anyway?"

"I seek the fountain of youth."

"You don't say? Well..."

"Boys, the commercial's over, hush." Jaylee scolded.

Jaylee and Andre went for a walk, Claus plopped himself down in front of Jaylee's computer to do some research on Andre Lefebvre. Claus frowned at what he found, but it was nothing out of the ordinary, he just wasn't expecting it. Claus closed the window and cleared his search history, then went over to his own house.

He was comforted by the thought that Andre would be gone tomorrow and hopefully that would be the last of the sickening man for a while.

"What are you doing in my house?" Claus asked without looking back, he hadn't heard Andre enter his house but he felt the man's presence. 

"I came to see if you were still awake."

"Why?"

Andre sat down beside Claus. "Do not play naive with me Claus. You travel with Jaylee, surely you must know what she is, you must know that she has the ability to make you like her, to gift you with eternal life and eternal youth. I wonder though, what it is that you are waiting for?"

"What the hell are you going on about?"

"You really do not know?" Andre smirked. "Are you blind? You must see her flawless skin, how deathly pale it is. Have you not felt her cool touch, seen her eyes glow?"

Claus' mind was racing but he refused to let on to Andre that he'd gotten inside his head. "It's a genetic condition, like albinism. Her mother, and a few others in town are afflicted. I have yet to see them turn anybody."  

"I assume that Jaylee's parents are about the same age as your own, I will bet that one or both of her parents  look no more than thirty. Tell me Claus, how is that possible?"

Claus blinked, unable to find a comeback, Andre continued talking. "Jaylee is a vampire, and I will be damned if I do not receive her gift of immortality."

"You're full of bullshit." Claus said finally. "I've already explained to you, it is a genetic condition, one of the benefits of this condition is that the skin does not wither as a regular person's would. Vampires, that's crazy-talk."

"Or is it? Think about what I've said Claus. Imagine, what would you do with eternity?"

Claus leaned forward, stroking his chin as he thought. "I don't need an eternity Andre. The beauty of living is having an unknown amount of time to do all the things you wish to. If one had forever, then one would never appreciate the little things in life, or one's accomplishments. I don't need an eternity."

"Suit yourself Claus Winter." Andre got up and left, Claus' mind whirled with millions of thoughts, most of them questions.  Ordering his thoughts, Claus decided to ask Jaylee once again where she'd disappear to. He knew that there was more to the story, something had created a rift between the girl and her parents, she didn't visit them once since she'd returned to Sunset Valley, she didn't even so much as give them a telephone call.