Blood Ties

Teaser: In Henry Fizroy's penthouse apartment Vicki is slowly coming back to her senses while Henry rummages through her wallet, finding out that she is a P.I. She tries to stand but her head is still spinning and Henry has to help her back to the couch. He assures her that he did not mean to harm her and just got a bit carried away while defending himself. He hands her the extra pair of glasses that he found in her bag, since the ones that she was wearing were left at the crime scene, and explains to her that he was not the one that attacked the dead woman. Vicki is uncertain of what she saw, which brings back the topic of her eyesight. She explains that she has Retinitis Pigmentosa, a genetic eye condition that usually begins with Night Blindness (difficulty or impossibility to see in relatively low light), followed by Tunnel Vision (loss of peripheral vision with retention of central vision, resulting in a constricted circular tunnel-like field of vision) and sometimes complete Blindness. Henry explains then that what she saw killing the woman and fighting him was a Demon, to which Vicki reacts with understandable scepticism. The irony, she confesses, is that she herself was in the park hunting a vampire, which prompts Henry to confess in turn that He is a vampire. Vicki asks him warily why he did not attack her, to which Henry replies asking her if he was supposed to. He then proceeds to introduce himself and dispel some vampire myths like garlic and crosses, even showing her the rosary beads he is wearing as a bracelet. He also explains that he was hunting the demon because the killings were attracting too much attention to his kind. One does not survive over 500 years without knowing how to keep a low profile. Finally, to dispel Vicki's disbelief, he stabs himself in the hand and changes to the black-eye-and-fangs look while the wound heals almost instantly.



Title Sequence



At the crime scene in the park, detective Graham informs Cellucci that there is more blood left in the body that usual, indicating that the murderer was interrupted. The first uniform at the scene saw a man in black carrying a woman and detective Graham hands Cellucci a pair of glasses that Cellucci recognises as Vicki's. He tries to contact her unsuccessfully. Meanwhile at Henry's apartment, Henry explains to Vicki why he decided to bring her with him: Since his persuasion powers do not work on her and he did not want to kill her, he opted for trusting her. If it does not work, he can still kill her later. Vicki tells him that he just got a lucky shot when he knock her off but has to swallow her own words when an incredibly fast Henry closes on her and takes her by the neck, telling her that "everybody is easy to kill". He then offers to team up to catch the killer, since he needs someone who can move during the day and catch whoever is summoning the demon. They agree to meet the next night and Vicki leaves sure of one thing only: that nobody would believe her if she talks.



Vicki arrives at her office to find Cellucci waiting for her. He is relieved to see her and cautions her again against taking personal risks with this investigation. On the street, a more and more unstable Norman, the demon summoner, sits on his new fancy red Porsche scaring some passing-by young women. Cellucci has a meeting with his superior, Superintendent Crawley, who is angry with him because the press is putting pressure on the police and the Major's office to solve the murders. She also criticizes him for Vicki's involvement, to which he reacts passionately defending Vicki's record on the force. Crawley has another opinion, calling Vicki "a loose cannon" and hinting that Cellucci's career might get damaged by his association with her.



As the night falls, Vicki returns to Henry's apartment where he was working on his job as graphic novel writer/designer, an activity that combines Henry's passion for both art and literature. Vicki notices the portrait of English king Henry VIII on the wall and our Henry tells her that it was his father. That makes him Henry Fitzroy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset, who died in 1536 from consumption at the age of 17. He also tells her that he had previous experience with demon summoners in London, back in the 1890's. A group called The Hellfire Club, composed mainly of the rich and bored, dabbled in black magic and invited him to a meeting. It was a trap to sacrifice Henry to the Demon Astaroth and facilitate the demon's passage to our world. Henry fought back and interrupted the ceremony, killing the leader of the Club. Astaroth then asked Henry to sacrifice someone else to finish the ritual, with promises of power and riches, but Henry rejected the demon's offer and took the Grimoire with him to prevent further misuse. He recognised the smell of corruption from one of the crime scenes as the same one as in London. He also explains that once the demon touches anyone who is summoning him, their minds get so twisted that they believe any lie the demon tells them and think that they are in control of the situation, while they are just being used. The killer is a minor demon, whose aim is to open a portal for Astaroth. The ritual involves 5 killings on different locations to complete the pentagram and an additional one at the centre to finish the summoning and unleash pure evil on Earth. Henry also points out some historical examples of other demons escaping, all of them involving wars and massacres. Vicki's immediate task would be to track any recent robberies of luxury items that might be the minor demon's payment to the summoner for the sacrifices. Before leaving, she and Henry share a moment where they display their mutual attraction for each other.



The next day Coreen visits Vicki and she is not pleased when Vicki tells her that the killer is not a vampire without explaining exactly how she knows that. Back at the university bar where she works, Norman overhears some customers teasing Coreen about her belief in vampires. He takes several pictures of her. Vicki is at the police station checking recent robbery cases when Cellucci walks in. She lies to him, telling him that she is on another case and that she does not believe in the Vampire Killer theory any more. He leaves, relieved. Later that night, Norman summons the minor demon again and demands to know if the other more powerful demon will serve him as promised and give him Coreen. The minor demon reassures him and then leaves to continue with the ritual killings. Henry and Vicki examine the robbery cases that look suspicious and narrow the area to the University annex, but it is still not enough. Henry is forced to use a minor black magic spell, something that he abhors, to help then with the search. Using a bit of bat wing that he took from the last victim's hand and a mirror (Henry does reflect on mirrors) they see an image of an area in Queen's Park.



While surveying Queen's Park, Vicki quizzes Henry about how he became a vampire. He explains that he fell in love with a woman, Christina, at father's court. After one year of relationship, she told him what she was and he begged her to turn him. She warned him that they would only have about one year together, while she taught him the vampire's life, before the territorial instinct of vampires would kick in and she would chase him away, but he did not believe it until it happened. Suddenly, they hear a cry and run towards it to find two young roller-skaters being attacked by the minor demon. One is already dead, which means that the sacrifice has been performed, and the demon is about to kill the second just for kicks when Vicki and Henry arrive. Henry and the demon engage in a hand-fight of supernatural proportions while Vicki rescues the young man and the tries to help Henry. They barely manage to connect a couple of hits before the demon injures Henry and then mutates into his usual bat cloud to escape. Vicki volunteers her blood to help Henry with the healing and he bits her on the wrist and drinks, stopping before causing her harm. Dawn approaches and Vicki helps Henry to his apartment, the bloodied estate of their clothes causing even more suspicion on the doorman. She helps Henry to his bed and watches while he moans in pain and, as the sun rises, sinks into the dead-like sleep of vampires.



Next morning the rescued young man is talking to detectives Graham and Cellucci recounting the battle of the night before and describing the two men and the woman that took part, the last one fitting Vicki's. The News report the new murder of the "Vampire Killer" and the possibility that he was injured during the last attack. The doorman in Henry's apartment carves a stake out of a piece of wood and goes to Henry's door with the stake and a crocket bat. Vicki is still watching Henry while he sleeps, relieved to see that he is finally healing, when the doorman knocks. She undresses partially before opening the door and pretends that she and Henry have just been interrupted during a bit of kinky lovemaking. Feeling foolish, the doorman leaves and Vicki dresses up again while and admiring and just awoken Henry watches.



Henry and Vicki meet with an old friend of Henry, Dr. Sagara, a Professor at the University and expert on the occult. They ask her to check if any of her students have taken a special interest in demonology lately. She promises to fax them a list of potential candidates within the hour. Cellucci calls Vicki and questions her about the crime at Queen's Park, but she feigns ignorance. When he puts pressure on her, she proposes to give him Dr. Sagara's list, hinting that the assassin might be among them. She also tells him to check if any of them has a new, shinny red Porsche. Henry asks her about her relationship with Cellucci and she answers that there are still some unresolved issues between them.



Next morning, Normal accosts Coreen at the University Campus and tells her that he believes her vampire theory and convinces her to come with him to his apartment where he has proof of who killed her boyfriend. Before getting into the red Porsche, Coreen calls Vicki and leaves her a message with Norman's name. Once inside the car, Norman drugs Coreen with chloroform. He brings her to his apartment and ties her up to a chair. Once she wakes up, he explain to her that he is going to summon a Demon Lord for her that night, with another sacrifice like her boyfriend's, and that then they will be together for ever. He cuts his hand and drips blood into a cup to initiate the ritual. Vicki checks her messages and listens to Coreen's. She searches for the name Norman in Dr. Sagara's list and finds it, together with the address. She passes the information on to Henry's answering machine, asking him to join her as soon as he wakes up. As she enters the apartment, he sees Coreen tied up and tries to release her, only to be knocked down by Norman.



Henry receives the message and goes to Norman's apartment with the Grimoire. Inside, Norman is finishing two pentagram-like marks on Vicki's wrists with ink, as preparation for her to become the final sacrifice. He uses his blood to summon the minor demon and asks him for the last part of the ritual words. Vicki tries to tell him that the demons are lying to him, but he does not listen. As he speaks the final ritual words, the marks in Vicki's wrists light up like if they were on fire and the minor demon vanishes, being replaced by Astaroth. Astaroth urges Norman to sacrifice Vicki now, but Henry arrives, vampire-looking, with the second Grimoire and begins a counter-spell. Astaroth uses his powers to try to stop him, but fails. He exhorts Norman again to kill Vicki, but she struggles and erases part of the pentagram on the floor with her boots while Henry finishes the counter-spell. Astaroth then pulls Norman towards his chest and makes him vanish, and then warns Henry that he will be back. Cellucci arrives at that moment and points his gun towards Astaroth, but it vanishes. Henry, now normal-looking again, helps Vicki out of her restrains while Cellucci, still in shock, frees Coreen. Vicki rubs her marks, but they will not come off. Henry and Vicki gather then the implements used for the ritual and Henry, with a final look of defiance towards Cellucci, leaves with them.



The next day in Vicki's office, Coreen thanks Vicki for solving the murder and proving to her that there really are vampires, as she (but not Cellucci) saw Henry when he changed to his vampire look. Vicki warns her not to say anything, who would believe her anyway, and Coreen proposes to work for Vicki as an assistant. That night, Henry waits for Vicki and thanks her for her help. He tells her that the fact that she gave her blood to save him has created a bond between them. He also cautions her about the tattoos on her wrists. He does not know what they mean, but fears that it will not be good and wants to keep an eye on her to protect her. Cellucci arrives at that point and Henry disappears. Cellucci and Vicki decide to go hand-in-hand for a walk while Henry watches them from the shadows.