Mid-August's hot summer heat bled through the blinds unwanted. There was a low buzz of the fridge and other appliances filling the quiet room. Then, almost as soon as the silence came, it left with a hard knock at Henry's door.

"Go away!" He shouted.

He sat on top of a box filled with his collectibles from the last fifty years underneath him; his head in his hands and his fingers roughly tearing his skin. There was another knock.

"I said: GO AWAY!" Another hard hammering ensued. Flustered in anger, Henry got to his feet and swung the door open. "Don't you know I ought to be left alone in this state!" Veronica wide-eyed stammered—or at least, she tried. Nothing came out of her parted lips. "What is it then?" He spat.

"I was coming to see Edward." She whispered. Veronica flinched awaiting Henry's reply.

All of his energy was seemingly zapped from him. "No, of course, he's not here. Why did you need to see Edward anyway?" Henry left the door open, slowly, he leaned into the kitchen and poured himself a tall glass of blood.

"I thought you were fasting."

"Yeah, well." He laughed to himself with disparity. Taking a long drink, he gasped and poured himself some more, "When the vampire you created wants nothing to do with you anymore, you feel as though the world is crumbling beneath you."

"You don't know do you?" Veronica filled into the kitchen.

"No, what?" Curious, Henry turned and gave his full attention. Hesitantly, Veronica paused. "Well, come on." Henry teased. "What don't I know?" There was a long and tense pause. Veronica's eyes began to water. "Veronica, what is it? You know it'll do no use if you don't tell me."

"I—I thought I knew you so well, sir." She inhaled a lazy breath. "I—I don't know what to think."

"What? What is it? Tell me!" Henry dipped his head to meet her eyes. Grabbing her shoulders, he caressed her tears gently. "Hey, listen, whatever it is, it's no big deal, I can take it. Don't leave me in suspense!"

"Edward's filing for a termination of his vampirism!" She blurted.

Henry froze and backed away; his face stunned. "W-what? What do you mean?"

"And he has compelling evidence to convict you for unwanted transformation! Don't you know it's against vampire conduct these days?"

"I—you mean to say Edward is getting a court order to reverse his transformation? Why?"

"After he heard about what you did to Lucy, he's asking the vampire court to turn him back." Henry exited the kitchen in a rush to the small living space—to the window. Veronica followed with tears running down her eyes. "You know what they'll do to you, Henry, if they find you guilty, which they will!"

"I don't believe it," He blew her words away with the flick of his wrist.

"Believe it! You've got ten days to respond to the court order, find a lawyer, someone to testify. Edward has an amazing legal team; don't you know that? I mean don't you know how powerful this man is? And you've gone and lied to him about his late wife!"

"Why?" Henry let a singular tear dribble down his cheek.

Staring at the New York City skyline, he imagined what it used to look like fifty years ago when his life wasn't as lively as it had been. It was too fast-paced, and he couldn't keep up with the cocaine addicts and other drug abusers anymore. He just simply couldn't handle it anymore.

A sudden fatigue from age washed over him. "Why did it have to happen like this? I thought I could escape my past as easily as I have been. Why has it caught up with me now that I truly care about it?" There was a soft acceptance and respect Henry had for life living in New York—especially after watching the rest of life turn into something sensuously dangerous. These people didn't care for life like they used to. These people didn't see the world as they had.

"Because now that you truly care is when all the things you've done in life are having an effect that's upsetting you."

Henry looked down at his feet, letting her words soak into his empty chest cavity. "You'll help me and testify on my behalf, won't you?" His voice was quiet, but not too quiet so Veronica didn't hear him. When Henry didn't hear her, he turned, "Won't you?"

Biting her lip, Veronica stiff with fear and sadness, shook her head.

After their fight, Edward had walled himself in his office, calling every known angel, devil, vampire, and even human that could testify to Henry's abuse. It was after he got information from another vampire who worked in the court system outside of this case that he heard Veronica's voice at the door.

"Am I glad to see you, Veronica." He exhaled a sigh of relief.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. I've known Henry longer than anyone has, longer than he's known you, so it's going to be hard for me to testify against him." Veronica pushed past Edward into his dark office.

"Now, surely you're still feeling anxiety because of his abuse from the Dickinson episode." Edward laughed nervously.

Veronica took a sharp breath of air through her flared nostrils, tilting her head up and against the memory that still shook her to this day. "I'm over it, or at least I thought, but now all these accusations of what Henry did to you. . .I don't know how to feel anymore." She patted tears that welled in her eyes. "It's like a stain, or a wound of sorts that's scarred over. It no longer leaves prints on what it touches and no longer hurts, but there a faint sight of it that I can still see, and there's still a panging remembrance on how it hurt so. It can never go away as a scar can't, but it fades. It certainly fades away until you forget that it's even there." She sat down on the couch in front of his desk. "Of course, until someone like you has to point it out to me again." Veronica smiled weakly.

"But you'll still testify, right?" Edward sat beside her, brushing his imposing nose against her hair.

She turned abruptly to face him. "I told you I would already, and I will." Veronica got up hastily, brushing away her hair. "It's not easy, don't you know? Having to favor in the death of a close friend, a family member almost." She faced the door, acting to leave, but arched her back to itch at her sprouting wings. "Who did you love anyways?"

"I'm sorry?"

Veronica looked over her shoulder. "You know what I mean because I mean to tell you that you should let Henry know now that there isn't supposed to be any lies between you two."

"Everyone, if that's possible."

"But you still love Henry?"

Edward paused, taking in a long and steady breath. "I." He exhaled, looking down meaningfully. "I don't know anymore." Veronica nodded once and left immediately after that.

Chapter 23

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