Hidden Realms

Meeting the Prince
by Soledad

A "Pathways in the Dark" stand-alone story.
A Charmed/Kindred: The Embraced crossover

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the story idea. No copyright infringement attempted and no money made.

Rating: Teens for this particular chapter.

Author's note: This story was usually planned to be a chapter of "Charmed into Darkness" - a rather long and complicated crossover AU over which I've been procrastinating since 2007. I kid you not! However, in the meantime the whole concept has been changed fundamentally, so that this part, in its current form, wouldn't fit the rest. Since I quite like it, though, I decided to post it as an independent little ficlet. Enjoy!

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As usual, Daedalus was the first to discover the stranger. Cash might have been responsible for security matters, being the Prince’s chief bodyguard, but he was still too young and literal-minded to recognize any threats more subtle than a band of enraged Brujah with phosphorous guns. And while he was faithful like a dog, unfortunately, he wasn’t the brightest candle in the church, either.
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Charmed into Darkness
by Soledad

Disclaimer: see Introduction.
Rating: T for this part. Canon-typical violence.

Author’s note: Some lines of dialogue have been taken from the 3rd Season “Charmed” episode “The Demon who Came in from the Cold”, for obvious reasons. This is a very AU version of that episode, after all.

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Chapter 3 – The Enemy of My Enemy

Frank Kohanek wasn’t happy to learn that he and Sonny were supposed to secure the location of the final merger talks between Luxirom and MetaSatellite.

“We’re supposed to be homicide cops,” he groused. “Why can’t Kwan send somebody from White Collar Crimes?”

“The merger talks have come to a particularly sensitive point,” Sonny replied. “There’s a very good chance that things would escalate into violence. The CEO of Luxirom is missing, and we suspect that he’s been replaced by a doppelganger to make the merger happen.”

“We?” Frank echoed in suspicion.

Sonny nodded. “Julian will have to make an appearance to prevent the merger from happening.”
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This chapter is now complete. Enjoy!

Charmed into Darkness
by Soledad

Disclaimer: see Introduction.

Rating: T for this part. Canon-typical violence.

Author’s note: Some lines of dialogue have been taken from the 3rd Season “Charmed” episode “The Demon who Came in from the Cold”, for obvious reasons. This is a very AU version of that episode, after all.

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Chapter 2 – Enemies at the (Hell)gate

San Francisco, Luna mansion – roughly at the same time

More than six hundred kilometres northward, Julian Luna, the Prince of San Francisco, was indeed facing a serious problem. One that had bee brought before the Conclave by Daedalus, the Nosferatu Primogen – unsurprisingly, as only he Nosferatu would pay attention to such seemingly insignificant occurrences as the violent death of homeless street preachers known as “the prophets”. Because only the Nosferatu – or rather their Primogen – actually knew who these ‘prophets’ really were.
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Charmed into Darkness
by Soledad

A "Pathways in the Dark" story.
A Charmed/BtVS/AtS/Kindred: The Embraced/PtL crossover

Rating: Mature, for this part.

Note: Lady Heather is borrowed from CSI and features in my other story, “The Toreador Chronicles”. Nahir and Four-eyes are canon characters from White Wolfe, where they aren’t given much character background. So I borrowed them and turned them into my own characters. Broadhurst University is my own invention.

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Chapter 01 – Apocalypse Rising

Nahir, one of the most ancient creatures of the night – if indeed not the most ancient creature still walking the Earth – never intended to leave England. Nor did he keep in touch with his fellow vampires; not beyond what would be absolutely necessary. Being a Lasombra Antitribu, even though he lived under the disguise of a Tremere Anarch, was a dangerous way of unlife; the fewer knew about his mere existence, the safer it was for him. Not even the Prince of London knew about his true identity.
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Kindred Spirits
by Soledad

Rating: Teens and above, for some canon-compliant violence.

Author’s notes: Originally, I planned to go the whole nine miles and have Coreen introduced to the rest of the San Francisco Legacy team. But then I realized that it would open up a whole new story, which I am not ready to start right now, and decided to finish the epilogue with her arrival in the Legacy House.

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Epilogue

Coreen didn’t want to admit, but she was more than a little overwhelmed when she arrived at San Francisco International Airport. And not because she hadn’t seen a really big airport before. After all, Toronto Pearson International Airport – or YYZ, as it was affectionately called – was the largest and busiest airport in Canada, handling roughly fifty million passengers a year. But San Francisco International Airport served as a hub for several big airlines, was a major gateway to Europe, the Middle East and Asia… and the largest airport of the San Francisco Bay Area.

It was also said to be the second-busiest in California, right after LA International Airport, which Coreen could easily believe as she looked around at the International terminal. People of all shapes, colours and fashion senses were hurrying along corridors or standing in the queue at customs and immigration – it looked like an anthill, really. Her outfit, which usually earned curious (or disapproving) looks in the public, wasn’t even noticed in the crowd.

Since Air Canada operated from airports with US border preclearance, Coreen didn’t have to wait at customs and immigrations. She could exit the airport from the departure level, which was a blessing. Or would have been, had she known where to go from there.

She was trying to calculate how much it would cost her if she had to take a cab to her destination (the airport being well outside San Francisco proper), when a young man with boyish good looks, haunted eyes and a military bearing walked up to her and extended his hand.

“Miss Fennel, I presume? Miss Coreen Fennel?”
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Kindred Spirits
by Soledad

Rating: Teens and above, for some canon-compliant violence.

Author’s notes: Lady Heather and her assistant feature in my story “The Toreador Chronicles”. Lady Heather has been borrowed from the original CSI, and the Goth girl is, of course, Abby Sciuto from NCIS. :)

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Part Nine

To say that Vicki was shocked by Coreen’s decision to move to San Francisco in a relatively short time would have been an understatement. Although she would never admit, not even to herself, Coreen had become for her like the little sister she had never had. Losing the Goth girl as a co-worker and a friend proved unexpectedly hard.

Especially for someone with abandonment issues.
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Kindred Spirits
by Soledad

Rating: Teens and above, for some canon-compliant violence.

Author’s notes: I’ve taken considerable creative freedom concerning Clan Lasombra compared with White Wolfe canon. May all game-players forgive me and take the big, honking AU label under consideration.

Canonically the New York Legacy House was undermined by vampires (no distinction in P:tL canon) and destroyed. Dr. Sagara being a former member of it is my doing.

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Part Eight

Nahir came to with a blinding headache, a sore jaw – and a ravenous hunger. Fortunately, Piper had counted on that and prepared several bottles of bloodwine for him – with a rather small percentage of actual wine. After having emptied the first bottle his headache receded and he felt more like himself again.

“What happened?” he asked. “I remember encountering Astaroth, but after that everything is a bit of a blur.”

“You released the Living Darkness on the demon but lost control,” Piper summarized for him. “Prue knocked you out cold and stuffed the Darkness back into you. Don’t ask me how she did it because I have no idea. But she did break your jawbone in the process.”

Nahir probed his jaw. It still hurt a little but otherwise felt mostly all right.

“I’ve healed you while you were out,” Piper added.
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This chapter is now finished!

Kindred Spirits
by Soledad

Rating: Teens and above, for some canon-compliant violence.

Author’s notes: I’ve taken considerable creative freedom concerning Clan Lasombra compared with White Wolfe canon. For example, canonically the Lasombra wouldn’t show up in security cameras or photos. I’ve ejected this game canon fact for the sake of my plot. I’m also quite sure that the living darkness of canon works differently than how it’s described here. May all game-players forgive me and take the big, honking AU label under consideration.

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Part Seven

Henry and Doctor Sagara indeed arrived together, having run into each other right in front of the building. Henry fetched Vicki and Coreen, and they all sat down to finalize their plans concerning Astaroth.

“I’ve checked on the empty church Mendoza used,” Vicki told them. “It’s been sealed by the police, but I can pick the lock any time I want.”

“Celluci would be happy to know that,” Henry commented.

Vicki gave him an evil glare. “Leave Mike out of this, Henry!”
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For visuals: The Old Smithy in Vienna

Kindred Spirits
by Soledad

Rating: Teens and above, for some canon-compliant violence.

Author’s notes: I’ve taken some creative freedom considering the lifestyle of Coptic nuns. After all, the one appearing in “Poltergeist: the Legacy” was supposed to be an Anchorite, too, which didn’t hinder her in going to San Francisco just like that. Mother Verena’s attire is closer to that of Sister Jehann in “P:tL” than to that of actual Coptic nuns.

The Holy Theotokos Convent is a really existing monastery; it has been founded in 2001, so in theory it would be there when this story takes place. I imagined that an Anchorite would prefer to stay with an Orthodox convent.

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Part Six

With deliberate slowness, to give Vicki the chance to notice him, Henry entered her living room. He shouldn’t have been surprised that she could feel his presence. Sharing blood did enable people to do that, even if only one of them was a vampire.
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Kindred Spirits
by Soledad

Rating: Teens and above, for some canon-compliant violence.

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Part Five

When Henry came to, right at sunset, he knew at once that something was very, very wrong. Even from the distance of the apartment next door, he could hear the agitated heartbeats of Vicki and Coreen (the latter even more concerning, due to the girl’s heart problem she was born with); and he could feel the anger of an old, powerful vampire radiating though the walls between them.

He never got dressed as quickly before, ignoring the small, vague pain on the left side of his chest. He couldn’t imagine where it came from, but right now he had more important things to deal with.

What have those two women done?
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