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Armand came back to himself in a rush, first came the bitter taste of Daniel's blood in the back of his throat, then the feel of the blood covering his nails and hands, and at last came sight of his human. Daniel lay where Armand had dropped him after Akasha left, he was still unconscious, body not yet healed from Armand's claws.
Armand scooped him into his arms and hurried into the living room, he gently deposited Daniel onto the sofa where they had made love not an hour earlier. Armand watched and waited over Daniel anxiously, there as nothing he could do but wait for the man to turn.
He called Louis while he waited, the man was aware of Akasha yes, he knew Lestat was being targeted by her yes, but he did not know Akasha had paid Armand and Daniel a visit. Daniel blinked open his eyes and stared up at the ceiling, not moving from his position lying on the couch.
Armand hung up the phone without saying goodbye. He was at Daniel's side in a second, grabbing his arm gently.
"Daniel, how are you feeling?" Armand asked.
Daniel did not reply and blinked dumbly, seemingly unresponsive to the vampire. Armand looked at his now bright lilac eyes, a shade he had never encountered with any other vampire, of course Daniel would be unique. He stroked the new vampires cheek with a forefinger, frowning when he received no reaction.
I'll get you something to eat, we have plenty blood bags." Armand told him.
When he came back to his fledging Armand's brow furrowed when he noticed Daniel had not yet moved. He had to prop the man into a sitting position on the sofa, Armand noticed with some relief that the injuries on Daniel were healing.
"Daniel my love, won't you speak? Akasha has gone, you are safe. I would never had hurt you had she not..."
Daniel interrupted him to yelp, he hunched over himself and moaned in pain. The final stage of the transformation had begun. Armand could do nothing but stroke Daniel's hair and attempt to soothe him.
When the pains past Armand handed him the blood bag, and watched as Daniel wordlessly drank it. But Daniel did not speak or react to Armand in any other way. Eventually Armand carried his fledging to the bedroom and readied them for Daniel's first morning as a vampire. It would pass, he told himself, it was simply shock.
In the days that followed Armand quickly realised that Daniel's catatonic state was not leaving. Armand called Louis and pleaded with him to visit, he needed him to read Daniel's mind. Louis wasn't happy about it, he was trying to find Lestat and protect him against Akasha, not that he was any match for her. Armand emotionally blackmailed him until he reluctantly agreed.
Louis regarded Daniel pityingly, the young vampire had been pulled from his bed that night by Armand who had out of necessity dressed the man, Daniel had then been placed on the sofa for Louis to inspect.
"Well?" Armand asked Louis impatiently, from his spot lurking in the corner of the room.
Louis sighed looking from the now purple vacant eyes to burnished orange ones. "His thoughts are jumbled, he doesn't hold on to one long enough for me to read it. He has gone mad Armand."
Armand lunged across the room faster than even Louis could comprehend, he grabbed the man around the collar of his sweater. "He is not mad," Armand said through his teeth, he knew too well how newly changed vampire who lost their sense were treated by older more vicious vampires.
Louis looked gently at Armand, "Armand, you know he is, fight me all you like but it is true."
Armand let go of Louis slowly, "Keep this between us."
Louis nodded, "I would never endanger Daniel, he does not deserve the treatment that would be enacted upon him by our kind, they hate weakness. Something I learned too late." His thoughts drifted to Claudia.
Armand did not acknowledge his own actions towards such vampires in the past, he couldn't bear to think of Daniel being treated the way Nicholas had been by himself.
Daniel opened his eyes one morning and sensed another vampires presence, not Armand's, someone he did not recognise. He was well used to Louis by now, the vampire would show up every couple of weeks to read Daniel's mind, Daniel knew he was crazy he didn't need Louis to diagnose him but Armand did. Daniel found that he couldn't hold a thought long enough to speak or write or give any message to Armand, he would lose time and get muddled by the simplest of things. Armand had replaced the sofa in the living room and Daniel had been so confused by it he could only stare at the new object for hours, before Armand led him to bed.
After some time past, Daniel could not be sure of how long exactly, he got out of bed, something he felt like Armand did for him now? At least he thought so. Daniel didn't bother to change out of his pyjamas, partly because he couldn't be bothered but mostly because he couldn't remember how to change them. Daniel followed his senses into the kitchen where Armand stood with a tall blonde man, Daniel did not know him, it was not Lestat.
"He seems to have gotten himself out of bed." The man said, he had an accent that instantly grated on Daniel, the man laughed when he heard the thought. "I see why you two get along."
Daniel glared at the vampire, he already did not like him, he went to stand next to Armand, who Daniel thought looked funny almost like he had been crying. Armand wrapped an arm around Daniel's waist, and stroked his hip soothingly.
"Beloved, I have to assist Louis with something, I've asked my old friend to take care of you while I am gone. You will go with him to his home, this is Marius."
Daniel tilted his head at Armand, he wasn't going with this man, he would stay here and wait for Armand to come home, if only he could remember how to speak to tell Armand this.
"The boy thinks this is a good idea, he doesn't want you to worry about him while you are gone, you need to remained focused." Marius spoke up.
Daniel swung his head to look at Marius, he hated him, Marius gave him a pointed look and said, "After all why endanger Armand by letting him worry about you."
Daniel swallowed, he didn't want Armand to be in danger. Within an hour Daniel was on a plane with Marius being taken to the man's home, he remembered who the man was now from what Lestat and Armand had told him. He spent the whole flight staring at the man and resisting the urge to punch him.
"You would not make it out of your seat," Marius said.
In the weeks that past Daniel waited impatiently for Armand to collect him from Marius' home, where he mostly stayed in his room since he was forbidden to do almost anything by the old vampire, for Daniel's own sake he would say. A cup of blood would be delivered to his room every night, he was not trusted to drink from any humans, not that he relished the thought, but he hadn't minded drinking from Armand. When a call finally came from Armand for him it had only ended in an argument, Daniel had regained the ability to speak, although he got confused easily.
He had demanded to know what happened to Akasha, where Armand had been all this time and why the hell he had been placed under the care of Marius. Armand had refused to tell him anything about Akasha other than he shouldn't worry about her anymore as she was dead, he would not disclose where he had been other than it was important and of course he was under Marius' care, the man was one of the oldest vampires around and one of the few who could handle a young mad vampire. Daniel hung the phone up when Armand called him mad. The next time they spoke Armand ended the conversation by hanging up when Daniel called Marius a paedophile. Marius had restricted Daniel's blood after that one for weeks, not that Daniel cared.
The months that followed Armand would call but more often than not the conversations ended in tears or worse shouting, finally Marius snatched the phone from Daniel and told Armand these chats were not helping Daniel's mental state and they should take a break. Then the phone calls stopped, Daniel couldn't even find a phone or computer to contact Armand, not that it would help since he had no chance of remembering a phone number with his current mind.
Daniel made the decision pretty soon after to escape, fuck Armand, fuck Akasha, fuck Marius, he could take care of himself. If Armand would discard him so easily after all the shit they had been through together then why should he hang around.