�She� was Theresa DeMedici, a beautiful, wealthy, Italian heiress. Theresa was well known in the world art community as an art collector, critic and historian. None of that mattered the night the beautiful guitar notes drew her into Desmond�s life, only her beauty and the mortal that entranced her as well. In the weeks that followed they would become lovers and she would sponsor his career�s growth. However Theresa�s fascination with him took a turn to the darkness. She decided that Desmond�s musical genius should be preserved for all ages. One night during their love making, she embraced him.
Theresa had thought that Desmond would awaken to the joy of his newfound abilities. Instead he was horrified at what she had turned him into. She managed to keep him from revealing himself, by faking Desmond�s death. Unfortunately, the damage was done. Desmond lost his creative spark and fell into a deep depression. Even worse the loss of her first born was more than Nicolette Chambers could take. Over the next few years she wasted away slowly, having lost the two people she�d loved the most
Desmond and Theresa then left the US for Europe, spending most of the decade there. They spent time in England and France, eventually settling for some time in Florence, Italy. Theresa�s ancestral home. The time was somewhat calming for Desmond who became at least temporarily more sedate under the watchful eye of Alphonse DeMedici, the great-grandsire of Theresa and the patriarch of the entire DeMedici family. Theresa kept Desmond close to her and tried to reignite his passion for music, without success. By the time they were forced to leave Italy for the States once again due to changes in the political climate and the increasing military hostilities, Desmond�s rage was returning as his hopelessness grew. Most of the 30�s were a lost, destructive period for Desmond. He became increasingly reckless at this time, even openly violating the masquerade. Theresa would have been forced to destroy the childer she had now fallen deeply in love with if not for fate and a Brujah named Echico Nishimura.
Echico or Essie, as her friends call her, was in the company of a mortal who she was bound to obey by her sire�s command. The man, part of the ambassador to the states� staff, was a cold violent bastard who abused her routinely. Echico�s honor kept her from lashing out at her aggressor or he would have died years before. She and Desmond met at a ball held by President Roosevelt in early 1941.
The two hit it off immediately. Over the next weeks they spent more and more time together. Echico had not wanted her transformation either and being Japanese in America (near WW2), understood his anger. Each night they parted only for Desmond �s vampire ears to have to listen as Essie�s master beat her. By the time they became lovers Desmond could stand it no longer. On the night of Dec. 7, while the members of the ambassador�s staff fled Washington Desmond had it out with Essie�s master. He returned the mortal everything he�d given Echico with interest. The police found his bloodless corpse in an alleyway several weeks later.
With her master dead Essie was free to do as she pleased, so she remained in the US with Desmond. The young brujah�s energy and attitude seemed to direct and Desmond�s self-destructive streak and let him channel it elsewhere. With her at his side Desmond learned to enjoy his new state of being and again plunged into music. He spent the next two decades playing with other Jazz greats such as Thelonius Monk, Lionel Hampton, Duke Ellington, Charles Bird, Miles Davis, Dave Breubek, Benny Goodman and many others. In doing so he helped shape jazz�s development as a art form. Desmond�s crowning moment was a standing ovation at the Apollo in NY after a sellout headlining performance.
Realizing the time had come, Theresa let Desmond go even though it broke her heart doing so. Free to do as he pleased Desmond, along with Essie and fellow childe of Theresa, Justine Blackmore moved to Detroit circa 1963.
Desmond got a job with Motown and ghost penned several songs with Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye. He would eventually take a blind child named Steveland Morris under his wing. This young man showed more promise than any other did that he had ever encountered. Desmond taught him the piano and got Motown�s founder Berry Gordy to listen to Stevie�s sound. Gordy agreed to produce the youth if he changed his name to the more marketable �Stevie Wonder�.
At this time Detroit was under Sabbat control with the exception on Rouge Park and China Town. The Cammarilla decided to take back the city. Striking in 1968, the �riots� were the cover for one of the bloodiest confrontations between the two factions in this century. When it was over 250 kindred on both sides had been destroyed and numerous others seriously injured. Worse yet the mortal authorities nearly found out the truth.
During this period, Des made a fateful pilgrimage. He returned to New Orleans only to hear that his so far life long friend was dying in New York. Des immediately rushed north to be at the side of Louis Armstrong. He remained there with Louis till the aged musician died. He offered Louis immortality, but the jazz great refused, saying he had lived all that he needed to and just asked Des never to forget their friendship and their days as kids back in the "Big Easy". Desmond took the death hard, having lost a lifetime friend and one whom had come to share his secret. As a final act of love and respect Des played Armstrong�s horn at Louis� funeral, leading the march down Bourbon Street at the nighttime funeral. Upon returning home, Des set the horn under glass with many of the momentos he�s gained over the years. Its sits as Desmond�s most prized possession second only to a locket holding a picture of his family.