look after William, from a distance of course. William grew up strong and healthy, as Doc and Lydia watched over him from a distance. Doc would often step in when he thought William was in a dangerous situation, or help him to avoid any risky behaviors.
Lydia fit into the coven well, accepting the code of conduct the followers had. The only thing was she had to keep a low profile since she remained in the city where she had lived her human life. This was rare for vampires to do. Lydia refused to leave her human son, even if it was only from afar that she could watch him grow up. Doc understood this.
The followers at that time received their life-sustaining blood from willing donors. In the community, some humans knew of the coven. In return for protection from the dark coven’s murderous ways, they donated their blood to Doc. The medical procedures were in early stages at the time of William’s birth, but blood donations were possible even then.
Doc had his many connections amongst other covens like his own, and his medical connections to help sustain his coven in receiving blood from blood banks. The practice of receiving blood from a living donor was rare now, but it did still occur. It was very dangerous to the human so the coven discouraged it.
Doc was an elder vampire even in 1894; he was about 180 years old at that time. He had mentored many new vampires, and was proud of his coven. Doc however had one very failed and disappointing “child”, if you will. His name was Vincent. He had been unruly from even his first days as a new vampire. The rules were clear, but he pushed the boundaries. He had a side to him that refused to adhere to the code.
Doc worked with him, never giving up hope that he would come around and fall into line. Vincent did not. He grew more hate-filled and evil. He ran away from the coven many times, only leaving a trail of death for Doc to follow. It was as if he wanted to destroy the peaceful existence Doc had built over many centuries.
Doc was beside himself with grief that he had created such a monster. One so evil and so unlike the others in the coven that it was shocking. Vincent continued to leave and return to the coven on and off. Doc had to make a choice about him. He would have to banish him forever or risk exposing the coven’s true identity to the outside world.
Vincent’s killing sprees were increasing, and he was beginning to kill closer to New Orleans and the home of the coven. The authorities would soon begin to investigate the numerous murders and it would not take them long to follow his trail to Doc. This behavior was too risky, and it had to end right away.
The decision Doc had to make would determine the fate of his existence and that of his coven. The newspapers were beginning to report the deaths of numerous people and they were all in the local area. Damon was getting sloppy and he didn’t care if he exposed the them. Doc had decided to disown Vincent and banish him from the coven forever, never to have contact again.
The other choice, which I had always wondered about, was soon explained to me. I had always wondered why Doc ever moved here. Doc explained the area where they lived was too corrupt now, so he decided to move the coven eastward to Cambridge, Massachusetts. The distance was great from New Orleans, and he hoped the horror stories of a murderous vampire on the loose would not follow them.
He also explained how William came to be in the area. I wondered why he had just moved back to the coven and Cambridge this past fall. Doc as a measure of protection against Vincent often sent Lydia and William to London for long periods to keep Vincent guessing where they were. They went on these trips two or three times a year or as often as needed. Doc was quick to explain why Lydia and William had to be kept away from Vincent.
It seems that Vincent, before he was banished, had fallen in love with Lydia. She of course would have nothing to do with him ever. Doc had made it clear to him that Lydia would choose her own life partner and he was not it. He never got over being