I’ll be right with you, Lestat thought back. He gently extricated himself from Jamie’s grasp. He smiled as he saw her snuggle into the pillow and go still. Satisfied that she was in a deep sleep, he quickly shrugged on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.  He padded barefoot into the parlor where he saw Armand and David seated on the sofa. As looked around for Daniel and Louis, Armand said simply, "Louis took Daniel away as soon as I told him that David was on his way here." 

     "Excellent move," Lestat said to Armand, then looked at David expectantly. "Well, David, what did you find out?" he asked his tall, dark-haired fledgling. 

     David looked from Lestat to the room from which he had just emerged. "Where is she?" he asked, his voice resonant. 

     "She’s sleeping," said Lestat. He noticed Armand looking speculatively at him, and he quickly closed his mind from any unwanted probing. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Armand give him a slight smile at this action. Lestat gave Armand a little wink and was gratified to hear soft laughter before turning his full attention to David. "So," he asked, "what did you find out?" 

     David said, "Very little so far, but what we did find was quite interesting. As you know, I sent for Jake." 

     Lestat nodded and said, "I remember you saying something to that effect, yes." 

     David continued, "Well, I informed Jake of the existence of Jamie’s Aunt Carla. I pinpointed her last known location from what Jamie could tell me. I believe that she was in the area of southern Texas, probably San Antonio. I gave him this information, plus all of the data I could gather pertaining to her habits, friends, and other facts of that nature. 

     Lestat was impressed despite himself. "That is much work for such a short amount of time. But something tells me that you aren’t finished. What else is there, mon ami?" 

     David gave a little grin. "Yes, there is something else, old friend. Jake has already determined where the woman is. Jamie’s Aunt Carla lives in Dallas, a short thirty minutes from Jamie herself." 

     Lestat was astounded. "Mon Dieu," he murmured. "And Jake is going there now?" he asked. 

     David nodded and said, "As soon as I call him with the nod of affirmation from you." 

     Lestat waved off David’s statement. "Yes, yes, of course. He must go as soon as possible and determine her state of mind, because I will be going to see her myself once I get the word from him. Now go and call him." 

     David went immediately to the phone while Lestat just stood there in shock. Jamie’s aunt was so close to her and she didn’t know it. Of that he was certain because he would have picked it up in her mind during their link. And then, and only then, did he realize that Armand was no longer in the room. 

     Lestat came to his senses with this realization. He knew where Armand was without even having to search. He merely walked back to the room from which he had emerged, and, sure enough, Armand was standing just inside the door watching Jamie sleep. 

     Armand knew immediately that Lestat was behind him, but he didn’t move a muscle. I just had to look at her, Armand thought at him. 
I understand completely, Lestat responded mentally. Come my friend, let us leave before she wakes up. But it was too late as Jamie was awake and smiling at them both. 

     Before pushing Armand out of the room, Lestat said hurriedly, "Hurry up and get dressed, ma chere. David is back with some very interesting news." 

     I was intrigued by Lestat’s words, so I quickly jumped out of bed. Actually, to be more precise, I staggered out of the bed with the languor of a woman who has been well loved. Shivering with the combined memories and the chilled air against my skin, I dashed to the bathroom and got a hot shower started. I stepped into the shower and let the water beat down on me. While it did so, I mulled over the past couple of days. I was still in mild shock at the thought of being some sort of hybrid creature, but I was highly fascinated at the same time. Then I thought of my children and I sobered up quickly. Suddenly I knew what I had to do, and it would require the help of Lestat and Armand. 

     I quickly exited the shower, dried off, and put on some clothes. Drying my hair with a towel, I brushed my teeth and applied a little makeup. Checking my appearance and shuddering at the sight, I left the room and joined the others. 

     Armand, Lestat, and David were talking quietly amongst each other. They all three looked up as I walked in. Lestat smiled at me and said, "Come in, cheríe, and have a seat. David has some very interesting news for you." 

     I sat down and looked at David expectantly. "Well?" I asked, "what have you found?" 

     David looked at the others and then focused his attention on me. "Well, my dear," he said, "my associates and I have located your Aunt Carla." 
I sat back in my chair, stunned. "Y-y-you did what?" I stammered. 

     "Your Aunt Carla has been located," David said, slightly amused. He continued, "In fact, she lives quite near to you." 

     Now my head was spinning. "She is actually alive? As in living, breathing alive?" 

     David said, "Yes she is, my dear. In fact, we were discussing how soon to pay her a visit." 

     I said promptly, "When you do decide on a contact with her, I will be there, and I do not want any arguments out of any of you either." I looked at them closely and saw no disagreement. 

     Instead, I noticed that they were in agreement. David nodded and said, "Old man, that is not a bad idea. I’ll begin making arrangements now." 
Lestat nodded in agreement. "You go do that," he said. 

     As David left, I spoke up to Lestat and Armand. "I need you two gentlemen to do me a giant favor." 

     They both looked intrigued, and they tried to probe my thoughts. I noticed two pairs of eyebrows knit in frustration, as, obviously, they couldn’t get a glimmer of a thought from me. Lestat spoke up finally. "Well, cheríe," he said, "what do you need us to do?" 

     I took a deep breath and took the plunge. I said, in a strong, determined voice, "You two are the strongest telepaths I’ve come across so far. So I need you to do something that neither Daniel nor Louis can do." 

     "What’s that?" they both asked. 

     I breathed deeply before speaking again, "I would like you to erase all memories of these past weeks from the twins’ memories."