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Nature or Nurture Ch. 02

By: LopendVuur



Seeing this young girl appear seemingly out of nowhere and fearlessly holding his crazed and bleeding progeny in her arms stirs the other man to life as well. He comes out of his hiding place, watching the scene unfold before him with bewilderment. 

Where did that girl come from? Why isn't she scared out of her mind by his frenzied creation, screaming his birth-pains out covered in blood? And most of all, is his secret out? 

With his limited experience with people he has little idea how to handle the situation, so he just stands there, waiting and watching.

Meanwhile, the bloody creature is silent, though from the look in his eyes Adison can see his physical pain is not lessened. He is just holding it inside, suspicious of her she thinks, and not willing to show his weakness. 

Actually, he is just stunned by everything that has happened. He has just been born in incredible pain and a welter of blood, and the person who has caused him to be has fled from his agony and frenzy in fear and rejection. And this strange person comes out of nowhere in response to his pain and fearlessly holds him close to her, to comfort him in his most vulnerable moment. 

For some time, nothing changes. Adison holds the bleeding man close, giving him what reassurance she can. When she feels him becoming heavier, giving up the cramped pose of suspicion, or extreme pain, she starts to look around for a bed to put him in and see what really ails him, maybe dress those wounds. She sees the scared man observing her, not so much scared anymore as holding back, maybe thinking of a way to take control of the situation and his attic.

'Can you please tell me where this patient's bed is, so we can help him back into it?' Adison asks the man, probably the doctor in charge. 

The man points his head at a bare table, set at working height, more suitable to dissecting a corpse or dressing a steak than nursing a sick man. Besides being uncomfortable, it's covered in blood. 'That is not suitable for an injured man to rest in', she says, 'it needs to be comfortable and clean, lest his wounds go bad.' 

Incredibly, the doctor just nods and walks out, presumably to fetch a softer, cleaner pallet. Adison looks back at her charge, who seems in less pain already through her steady presence. He watches her, not in a frightened way but with hunger in his eyes, as if she has already given him something he craves, but wants, nay, needs, more of the same. No problem for Adison. 

She holds him and even manages to stroke his poor shaven head. The awful wounds and the blood covering it don't matter to her, nor the intense yellow eyes that keep staring at her. She holds him where he is not hurt, and gives what comfort she can to this helpless wild creature.

When the doctor returns, indeed dragging a makeshift pallet behind him, Adison lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding. After all, she is in the man's house without invitation, and somebody did horrible things to a strong man apparently in his prime. It may very well have been the doctor.

Sitting on the pallet with her back to the wall, with the injured man settled comfortably in her lap, she witnesses exhaustion slowly taking hold of him. He is still watching her, but wariness and hunger have left his eyes. Weariness has taken over. 

There is still some pain there, but that is to be expected. It seems that he trusts her enough to mostly let go of his consciousness, and Adison is determined to deserve that trust. Also, she is very curious whether the doctor really is a doctor, and if he will throw her out of the house or let her stay with the victim. 

Patiently, Adison holds the solidly built man and gently caresses his shaven head and damaged body until he finally closes his eyes and falls asleep. His breathing is regular and his body is relaxed, the wounds have finally stopped bleeding. They need cleaning and dressing, but for now she relishes the quiet.

The doctor breaks the silence first.

'Good day, Miss ....' 

'Adison', Adison fills in. 

'Good day to you Miss Adison, my name is Victor. I was very surprised to see you turn up at this particular place and time.' 

Adison does still realize she practically broke in to his home.

'I live next door, and when I heard your patient scream in agony I used the fire-door on impulse. I hope you don't mind.'

'No, I must thank you for saving the situation. You see I'm not used to living patients, I'm a doctor of pathology, I study the deceased to learn how bodies work. Having such a lively specimen around frightened me enough to flee the room. I was sure he'd kill me in his frenzy. 

The consequences might have been disastrous.' 

With this new knowledge Adison looks at the man in her lap with different eyes: the slashes over his body closely resemble the cuts she knows a pathologist would make to examine a corpse. It also explains the sloppy suturing, for a corpse has no blood flow to staunch. But why would the doctor cut open a man still living? 

First she answers the doctor.

'The consequences may still be disastrous, for those wounds were not sutured well or they wouldn't bleed. They'll need extreme care or they'll fester and scar horribly and disfigure him for life.'

Now the doctor seems to be getting really uncomfortable, and the reason for this soon becomes clear.

'I need to go to an appointment right now, can I leave you here with him and explain the situation when I get back? Can I trust you to not betray my secret?' 

Adison considers the situation and replies, 'I will keep your secret, though I don't even know what it is, on one condition: I'm a trained nurse and I want you to let me dress this man's wounds and stay with him until he is out of danger.' 

'That is very agreeable to me' the doctor says, almost relieved, 'I'll even pay you for your services, my expertise is clearly with the dead, not the living. And I'll bring you both some food when I return.' 

With this he grabs a bag from a table and practically runs down a stairs at the back of the attic. Leaving Adison alone with a man she has never met before, who was howling at a storm in a frenzy not half an hour ago. But Adison doesn't feel threatened, she already feels a strong connection to her new patient and she makes herself comfortable holding him as close as she can until the doctor returns.

Her nature cries out against the story the doctor tells her, realizing his total disregard of God and guessing at the arrogance needed to drive a man to cross the boundary of death with science. Still it is hard for her to fault him for his actions, or her patient for being what he is. 

She can imagine the doctor feeling lonely, being young and full of life, and spending all his time with dead people. She can imagine him constructing a companion for life out of the people he knows and loves best, the deceased, and finding a way to bring life to him. 

And she cannot fault the resulting man for crying out in the pain of his birth, and threatening to hurt the man who caused him such pain when he brought him to life and then rejected him out of fear of his strong feelings and passions. With her love of people en nature, everything in her cries out against this travesty of life and friendship, but the same love makes her forgive the perpetrator, and love the victim.

Now settled in the attic of the doctor's house, Adison cares for his progeny. What at first sight she took for slashes are actually much deeper cuts, penetrating far into the tissue, wounds that would take weeks to heal even with expert sutures in healthy flesh that hasn't been dead for weeks. 

And though the doctor's art was brilliant enough to cheat death and bring his subject back to life, it clearly involved a lightning strike, very damaging to the nerves and excruciatingly painful to its victim. 

A challenge for anyone dedicated to healing, and very well suited to Adison. She brings over some of her Chinese herbs to help her fight infections, and sets to work. 

During the task of cleaning and dressing his wounds, the wounded man wakes up from his exhausted sleep and even seems quite lucid. Adison, feeling it is time to think of him by name instead of condition, but supposing he doesn't remember anything before his death, introduces herself.

'How do you do, sir, my name is Adison', she says in a quiet, friendly voice, 'what is your name?' 

As she expects, her patient is confused by her question, not able to recall a name and more childlike in his reactions than anything else. 

'Would you like me to give you a name?' she asks. He continues to stare at her with those weird eyes, silently. Slowly he nods, clearly understanding her. Adison has spent some time contemplating a name for this strong yet feeling man and she makes her suggestion, hoping it will please him. 'What would you think of Vincent? With so much strength in you, you may need a friendly name'.

While he is contemplating the name, Adison starts to clean the cut on his temple that gives her the most worry. The sutures have almost parted here, making the wound gape, and the edges look inflamed already. She hopes her skills will be enough to prevent further infection, but scarring will be inevitable. Her charge undergoes the treatment quietly, though it must hurt quite a bit. His nerves must also still be raw from the lightning strike. 

He looks up at her as if he means to speak, and her heart skips a beat. 

'Vincent', an unexpected voice says. 

He has no more words to speak yet, but he looks content. She does not suppress her sudden impulse to hold him close, and why should she? He has only just been born.

Nature or Nurture Ch. 03



A few weeks later, as she is treating Vincent's wounds, she feels very glad that most of the cuts are healing nicely.

'Are you happy?' her charge asks her with a sonorous male voice, but a child-like inflection. 

In reply, she hugs him lovingly.

'Very happy. Your wounds are almost better.' 

His strong hand moves towards the only wound that is still not healed well, the one on his right temple. Adison takes his hand in both of her own.

'Please try not to touch it, dear. It might get infected again.' 

He complains, 'It itches.'

'I know it itches, it is healing, and that always itches. I'll put some of that lotion on it, to cool it down.' 

She lets go of his hand to fetch the bottle, then rubs it on the healing wound. Vincent clearly enjoys the feeling, laying his head on her lap and closing his eyes like a cat that is stroked the right way for as long as she touches the scar. 

She rubs him a bit longer than is strictly necessary, pleased that she no longer needs to hurt him to keep the wounds clean. He has been through so much, and he has been so laid-back and patient about it, even sweet, that he deserves a soothing touch as well. 

The wound is still a bit swollen, making him feverish and sleepy by spells, and Adison is concerned about possible scarring in such a visible place. When she stops, he looks at her.

'Will you read to me?'

'In a moment, dear, you go find a book,' she replies, clearing up the materials and straightening the bed. She settles on it, and Vincent hands her a volume of poetry, then reclines in her lap again.

'No, you're going to read to me, so you'd better sit up and hold the book.'

He does sit up, but in her arms. He clearly needs a lot of physical contact, just like a child. 

'Into the woods, the lady ran,' he reads, then looks at her. Poetry seems a strange choice of teaching material, but teaching Vincent is not at all like teaching a child. He can concentrate much longer, and seems to already have a developed taste in literature, a decided preference for romantic poetry. And he seems to remember words and expressions, learning to speak really quickly, and learning to read and write easily too. He must have been literate, even well-read in his former life. 

She remembers fondly how she has taught him to walk, which was not very difficult, his body being rather muscled and his balance quite good.

'What are you thinking of?' Vincent asks, 'you're thinking again.' 

He is studying her with his weird yellow eyes, out of place in his innocent beardless face with its pale skin and hair growing in inky black. 

She touches his face and says, 'I was thinking of the first time you walked'. 

He remembers. 'It was easy, walking. Dressing was hard. Eating is good, except drinking milk, I don't like milk.' 

'Luckily you don't have to drink it, my father always made me when I was young,'

Her father would laugh if he knew she was a governess after all, only raising an adult instead of a child. And no parents either, so maybe he'd count her lucky. But she hasn't written him the entire truth, just that she had a challenging case close to her room.

'You're doing it again, thinking,' she hears the clear baritone, 'let's play.' 

She has taught Vincent wrestling, to help activate all his muscles after the weeks of healing and to keep the scars supple so they don't heal too tightly. But they love doing it ,too. She jumps him, pushing him flat on the bed. They struggle and roll, each now on top, now on the bottom. Adison suspects Vincent of cheating, letting her win every other round. 

For he is clearly much stronger than she is, with his adult body, larger weight and longer limbs. But she admires him for already realizing that an even match is more fun than winning all the time. He is such a nice boy, and growing up so fast!

Suddenly, Vincent breaks off the match, and watches the stairs with trepidation. He no longer hides behind her when the doctor comes to check on them and to bring dinner, but he clearly doesn't like the visits. 

'The doctor comes, ' he voices his disquiet. 

'Why do you dislike him so, Vincent? He's never hurt you. I hurt you a lot treating those wounds, and you like me.' 

He jumps her, and corrects her.

'I don't like you, I love you Adison!' 

And again he evades the question. 

'Try to be nice to him, Vincent, he is as concerned about you as I am,' Adison tells him, and it seems he really does try. 

Sometimes the doctor visits when Vincent is asleep, and Adison and him talk about medicine deep into the night.

'You amaze me, Adison, the way you've gotten those awful wounds to heal with virtually no scarring. How do you do it?' 

Adison is flattered.

'It's part cleaning well, and good nursing, but I also have had the advantage of Chinese medical training. It is quite profound.' 

He continues, 'I know your main interest lies with the living, but when Vincent is ready to either stay alone for awhile, or come along, will you come visit my workshop?' 

Now Adison is really flattered. 

'Of course I will, doctor, I'd love to see your work. Your field of science means much to modern medicine, teaching us much we need to know to help people get diagnosed and cured.' 

He notices her use of 'we', meaning she sees herself as a doctor, not a nurse, and he totally agrees. She will be a great doctor someday. He has been hatching a plan, and he decides to ask her straight away what she thinks of it.

'How would you like to start a medical practice with me, treat the living I mean? I diagnose and you treat, put simply.' 

She looks at him, stunned by his trust in her.

'I'd love that!'

From that moment on they make their plans and become fast friends. They get very close, but never intimate. The doctor just isn't the type to love anything but his work, Adison knows. She regrets that only a little, she gets plenty of love from her patient, and she doesn't feel awkward about it, for he is like a child, still developing, and children need a lot of love. 

Slowly, as Vincent improves in abilities, he also improves in looks. Adison catches him looking in a mirror, studying his own face. He touches the scar on his temple, now healed and though clearly visible, not disfiguring. 

'This will never fade completely, will it?' 

Adison shakes her head, not trusting herself to speak.

'Will my hair cover it when it is longer?'

Adison has spent some thought on that.

'I think I can cut it so it will, layer it over your temple, making it look fuller. Do you want me to try?' 

He looks at her eagerly. 

'Yes, please, right now?'

She agrees and gets the scissors.

'Now please sit very still, and do not make me laugh, or you'll regret the results.'

He promises, and since he still loves her to touch him with her soft, clever hands, he doesn't mind sitting still at all, enjoying the process and getting a bit sleepy as a result. 

The new hairstyle is quite a success, covering the scar nicely at first sight. As he checks the result in the mirror, she assures him, 'It will look even better when it grows a bit more. It looks good on you.' 

His gaze moves from his hair to his face.

'Why is my face so pale?'

Adison doesn't know, but she says, ' Some people have dark skin, some light. Yours is very light. And you have not been out in the sun for months.' 

'You have not been either, and you are not so white.'

'Maybe I was browner to begin with,' she retorts.

Then his eyes get a good lookover.

'My eyes really are an unnatural colour.' 

This is a statement, not a question, and Adison cannot deny it, so she speaks the truth.

'Indeed they are. People usually don't have yellow eyes, they have blue, grey or green eyes. Some even have brown eyes. I don't know why yours are yellow, but I think they look good on you.'

And now, looking at her as intently as he studied his own likeness in the mirror, he can see that she speaks the truth.

The development of his body seems to fascinate Vincent, the hair growing back on chest, arms and legs, and his crotch. He has no beard though, making him look younger than the probable age of his body. 

He is developing muscles, working out on the attic floor and from the beams. He loves to recite the poems from the doctor's and Adison's book collections, but he has no interest in medicine. When the doctor and Adison discuss cases and interpret drawings, he picks up a book. 

Adison no longer feels like his mother, but more like a sister. She is very happy to notice that he is more willing to talk to the doctor, fortunately they share a taste in poetry. 

Vincent and Adison explore the doctor's house and library together, they do chores, they cook and clean and still play together.

'Why do you always cry when I read to you or play a sketch?'

She protests, 'I don't always cry, you often make me laugh, too, but when you play a pathetic scene or read a sad poem, you touch me, making me cry. Making me cry in a good way, Vincent. You move me with your interpretation of language.' 

They still sleep together, and when she strokes his hair, or holds or caresses him, he enjoys it, but he wants to return the caresses as well. Vincent has grown up quickly, and he is now nearly the man that his body looks like.

Of course Adison is completely unaware of this. She has from the first felt a special bond to Vincent, from seeing him suffer so much and trying to help him, to practically raising him as if he were the younger brother she never had in her childhood. But, raised very sheltered herself, she knows little of the world and of the things that go on between men and women. 

Adison has naturally seen that Vincent has all the parts a man should have, and she even asks the doctor if he will ever function as a man, purely out of medical interest. The doctor himself doesn't know, and Adison forgets about it. 

With her eighteen years of life among her parents and their elderly scientist friends, and her only experience with a younger man the doctor, who is so single mindedly living in pursuit of knowledge that he is still as pure as she is, how is she to know about men?

Still living together as innocents, without taboos or shame, Adison and Vincent have shared their bed since the first night. For practicality when he was severely wounded, for habit and comfort when he was recovered. 

Now they are reclining on the bed close to each other, reading a book together by the light of a candle, dressed casually for the warm night in the attic. Vincent reads aloud, his accent clear, his voice a nice baritone. 

Adison, listening with appreciation, absently traces the healed scars on his chest with her hand, glad they are fading to white already. She feels satisfaction for a job well done. 

Then suddenly, something is different. Vincent no longer feels bonelessly relaxed, his accent has changed. 

'Do these still hurt?' she asks. She has hurt him a lot, getting those awful wounds to heal up this nicely. He doesn't answer, and slowly she looks up at him, to read his mind from the look in his eyes. 

But the expression there is new, she has never seen him look this intense since that first shocking night together, when they formed the bond that makes them both feel so much as one. She has always known he has very strong feelings, she just hasn't seen them since then. What causes them to surface now?

His reading has stilled, the book forgotten. Adison has stopped exploring the scars, afraid to cause him pain. Finally he finds his voice, thick with feeling,

'Please don't stop...'

It seems he can't say more, arousing Adison's curiosity. She complies, tracing the scar down his chest, along his stomach, all the while keeping her attention on his eyes, the fire in them growing. His nice, comfortable smell intensifies, making her feel warm inside. Very warm inside. 

She realizes that they are no longer like brother and sister. 

Deliberately, she moves her hand even further down, stroking the fine curly hairs, expecting to see his male part tensing as well. She is not mistaken, it is clearly functioning just fine, standing out proudly. Still mostly curious, she reaches out for it, just to feel its soft skin stretched tight.

This is all too much for Vincent. His heated tension just cannot be contained anymore and he quickly moves towards her, practically grabbing her in a passionate embrace. 

His sudden, forceful move does not frighten her, it only flares up the heat inside of her. He is incredibly strong, much stronger than she has ever expected him to be, but his touch is careful and light. She finds herself in his arms, face to face with the man she knows so well by now that she could draw his every feature, every hair from memory. Just before they share a heated kiss she feels drawn to lightly touch the newly healed scar on his right temple. Her touch sends a another shock of passion through him, one she shares when their mouths finally meet. 

The heat of their first kiss leaves them both a bit out of breath and stunned by its intensity. They lie on their backs, trying to take in what just happened. 

But the fire is still there, and soon they are facing again, and touching again. And kissing again, touching at the same time. Their touching intensifies, until Vincent takes a moment to regain his self-control, forcing his passion down, to slow down. 

He wants to make this last, make it count. 

And he is instinctively afraid of scaring Adison with his physical strength and his intense feelings. Adison, sensing his reticence, slows down a little too, though not at all afraid of his passion but relishing it. This gorgeous, almost wild creature is focussing all his strength and all his feeling on her, barely controlling it and overpowering her with it. She wants it all, but she does want it to last, to have that passion as long as possible.

Tempering the heat, they find the tenderness. 

Exploring their intimate places and finding the most sensitive spots, they touch every inch of the other's skin with more than just their hands. They know one another so well, have seen the other undressed so often, have caressed each other frequently, felt each other nightly without passion when they slept together for comfort. Now they get to explore the same places, and some others, with intense heat, with a passion so much stronger because it has lain dormant for so long. They drink in each others smells, and tastes, exploring with their tongues and mouths as much as their hands. 

Then at last, her passion nearly sated, Adison wants to experience the beast in him in its full glory, eager to unchain its hot temper and feel herself totally overcome by its sheer strength. 

So she convinces him to let go of his control by teasing his soft-skinned, but heat-hardened male part with her warm, moist tongue and mouth. She can feel the pressure in him building up to an almost unbearable height. 

Then Vincent has to let go, and their bodies meet in the ultimate embrace, for the first time, a time they will remember forever.



Nature or Nurture Ch. 04



Afterwards, they lie still, spent, holding each other close and wondering. How can such passion have taken so long to come out and finally show itself? Why haven't they felt this way before? They have done virtually everything together since the day they got thrown together, have shared every experience. And now, suddenly, something has changed. 

The next day, they go about their tasks and habits with a delightful new awareness of the other. Of course, most new lovers like to spend as much time together as they can, but they already know each other so much better than most lovers do, that only the thing that is new, the passion, stands out like a beacon. They know the doctor will spot the difference in them immediately, and hope he will not disapprove.

 But when the doctor comes in around midday, he is himself so full of something that he doesn't really see his protegés. He cannot wait to share it with his friends, and hands them a bundle each.

'It's evening wear. It's time you both get out of the house, get to know the world. We're going to a play tonight, in a theatre closeby, where they stage simple tales that start with love and end in buckets of blood. I've taken a private box, you need not face too many people at once.'

 After trying on the new clothes they enjoy a meal together, and then talk away the rest of the afternoon until it is time to go out. Adison is looking forward to going out for the first time in months, but she is also anxious about Vincent. He has never been outside the house, and then go to a public place? Why not a park, or just a quiet block around the house? 

As if the doctor can read her mind he shows her he is not concerned at all.

'I know it is frightening to see him exposed to people for the first time in what seems to be a very public place, but try not to worry too much, Adison.

I think that people in a theatre are less aware of people around them, and too busy with how they look themselves and the entertainment to pay close attention to others. 

Besides, I'm certain Vincent will love the theatre, he has such a way with language and acting, he could be a professional actor himself. And we're always talking medical talk, I thought he'd appreciate the occasion. He certainly seems happy to see you in that evening dress, I know I am.' 

 Of course Adison has noticed Vincent looking at her with even more interest than usual, but what does the doctor mean by his last remark? Feeling a bit self-conscious, she quickly returns the compliment.

'You don't look half bad yourself, Victor, in your lovely suit. Though you are a handsome man in any outfit, this really brings out the best in you. You clearly have great taste in clothing!' 

It is true. Not only has he guessed their sizes just right, Adison's dress makes her look not only beautiful, but she also feels very comfortable in it, not too exposed and not too conspicuous. And Vincent looks just stunning dressed up: his raven hair framing his pale face, his suit cut to accentuate his broad build without taking away size, the blue colour in good taste but bright enough to take away some notice from his intense yellow eyes. Adison can hardly keep her eyes off him, and she really looks forward to going out with two such handsome men.

 The trip to the theatre is uneventful for Adison, but to Vincent it is a road of wonders. The streets are filled with people, animals, children. The sounds and especially the smells assault his senses. The laundry hanging over balconies, people talking, shouting, arguing. He takes it all in, Adison hopes he'll have some space left in his head for the play. 

Adison mainly watches the reactions of passers-by to Vincent, and she is amazed to see that nobody seems to really notice him, he is just one of the many townspeople out on the street. This is a great relief to her, she has no idea what to do if someone would mock him of even threaten him because he looks different. But looking about her, she sees a lot of people who look 'different'. People with scars and rashes, with flamboyant or threadbare clothes, misshapen people, very tall or very short people. She has never seen them until now, which is probably exactly what the doctor meant. Relieved, she starts anticipating the theatre with more enjoyment, and watching Vincent discover the world outside, with the friends he loves and trusts on his side, dressed to within an inch of his life, suddenly becomes one of the nicest things she has ever done.

 To Vincent, the evening is one big wonder. Though the play is clearly not the best ever staged, overstuffed with drama and soaked in blood, the theatre makes a lasting impression on him. The stage with its great lights and the scenes taking place on it, though not on a par with what he has read from the great poets in the doctor's library, still evoke great feelings in him.

This is what he wants, pleasing the admiring crowd, reciting the beautiful lines, expressing the drama.

On the way back he is even more quiet than usual, trying to sort out his feelings. They have been stirred a lot the last few days, and he needs some time to think things over. Adison looks lovelier than ever, in the gorgeous dress the doctor has chosen for her, with little blushes of excitement over the play on her cheeks, and in delighted conversation with the doctor on their way back. 

Vincent has seen many admiring glances thrown her way, a lot of them from the doctor. Should he be jealous of the doctor, or glad Adison has chosen him? He can't decide, and the feeling that he needs to do something with his newly awakened love for the theatre keeps interfering his thoughts.

 Back home they change and sit together for a while, talking about the evening and the play. Adison and Vincent are sitting close together, as ever, but their closeness does not exclude the doctor. As the excitement of the day fades a little, their elation over one another returns, accompanied by anticipation of the coming night. 

The doctor, observant by nature and a trained spectator by profession, notices straight away. 'Something has happened besides going to the theatre, you two look different somehow!', he says. Immediately afterwards exclaiming, 'You're together! You're in love! Just when I was planning to spend more time together, get to know Vincent better.'

The two lovers, afraid of rejection, are silent. The doctor, suspecting that Vincent still doesn't quite trust him despite his efforts to make up for his failure just after Vincent's birth, suddenly starts to feel fear. His, 'You won't leave me, will you? We'll stay friends?' explains his seeming dismay at the new development. He is too focussed on his research to fall in love or get married, but having tasted friendship, he is no longer willing to live without it.

 Adison quickly assures him that they have no intention to leave.

'Dear Victor, where would we go? Without you, I'm only a young nurse, or a minor nobleman's daughter with no polished manners, and no marriage prospects. I want to be a doctor and you are willing to help me become one. I like you, and I like working with you.' 

Vincent bows his head and adds, ' And to the world, I don't even exist!' 

Adison finds he looks pretty normal now, with his hair nicely combed and his manners, well, docile might be the best word to describe them. He still looks different though, even tonight in his fancy clothes. His white, nearly translucent skin and the lack of a stubble make him look soft, even weak. But his yellow eyes betray him, this is no born victim but a wild creature keeping a careful hold on himself. Letting him loose in society without thorough preparation could be very dangerous, especially for him, but also for anyone who'd think him easy prey. The thought of Vincent out on the street alone, with no skills to make a living, and no experience with people besides her and the doctor, upsets Adison immensely. 

She pictures him roaming the back streets of the town, shunned by decent folk, cast out for his strange looks and abused until his control breaks, leading him into violence. Seeing her apparent distress, Vincent touches her face, bringing her out of her thoughts.

'You're doing it again, thinking too much.' 

He has no idea that it is him she is thinking too much about, but the doctor has also pictured Vincent out on the streets, and both he and Adison feel a need to watch over him, as if their wakefulness will keep him safe from the world and his own temperament.

Vincent is unaware of their bleak thoughts, his mind is still occupied by an image of himself, in a beautiful costume and stage make-up, bringing the attentive audience his lines of Shakespeare.

 After all the excitement of the evening, the doctor reluctantly heads for his lonely bed. The other two move as one to a room of their own, the attic left for the mice and the ghosts of the past. The doctor has no experience with what the young lovers will do in their new room, but he has an imagination, and he would give much for a chance to try some of it himself. Of course it never interested him much before Adison came into his life, and he isn't eaten up by jealousy of Vincent even now. But sometimes he feels it would be nice to share his bed with someone warm and caring. 

 Far from suspecting any of these thoughts, Adison is checking out their new room and bed with Vincent. They are still very excited about the evening behind them, it is clear they will not find sleep for quite awhile yet. They sit on the huge fourposter bed, amazed at how their life has changed in a day. 

'The doctor was admiring you an awful lot tonight, Adison,' Vincent says, 'do you suppose he is in love with you too?' 

He doesn't seem upset about this observation, so Adison tries to answer him in the same calm way, even though she hasn't seen any of those looks from the doctor herself, and the idea of the doctor admiring her does upset her. She is afraid of complications and jealousy in Vincent, she knows the doctor's possible interest in her is not serious, he will not claim any woman for himself or he would have married or taken mistresses long before today.

'I didn't see it Vincent, but if he is, would you mind?' 

Surprising even himself, Vincent has to conclude that he doesn't. 

'I suppose he really likes you, having the same interests as him, being able to talk to you as an equal. You also helped him save me, he was so scared that night, it must have ended in tragedy. I could have killed him, or grown to hate him.' 

Stunned, Adison exclaims, 'So you remember the night of your birth?' 

Taking her in his arms, he replies, ' Every single agonizing minute of it.

He rejected me in fear, and you accepted me, having seen what I am capable of.' 

Adison is touched, but still.. 'You were not threatening him Vincent, you were in great pain and need. I have never feared you. I understand his reaction and have forgiven him, but the only one who suffered was you.' 

Vincent's remembering the night of his birth is a shock to her. She'd hoped that horrible night might have been wiped from his memory, the pain of it never to be relived. Feeling comforted by his closeness and lack of tension, she concludes his distrust of the doctor must have come from those memories of rejection, but it seems he has now forgiven the doctor for his arrogance in creating him, then abandoning him in his moment of need.

 'I have grown to like the doctor for his actions since then, and I think I could even love him, but he is not the kind of person to love unconditionally, like you and me. We are one.' 

'We are one,' he confirms, ending all conversation by kissing her with all the passion of the night before. They could spend the whole night talking about his memories of the night of his birth, and he hasn't told her about his newly found ambition to be an actor yet. 

But there has been enough talk tonight, his love will now take a physical form. And when they have explored each other's bodies all over again, finding known and new stimuli, and Vincent's tongue and nimble fingers have taken Adison to new heights of passion, she tempts that place again where the beast waited last night. But this night it is not at home, or fast asleep, or chained with an even stronger chain. 

And they end their loving with the same intense coupling, but more tender this time instead of in a frenzy of uncontrolled passion. After that, sleep comes quickly for both. Adison relives the night of Vincent's birth many times in her dreams, but he sleeps like a baby, and vivid dreams of beautiful plays and fame stay with him, strengthening his resolve to discuss his chances to become an actor with Adison the very next day.



Nature or Nurture Ch. 05



The next morning, Vincent awakens with a painful erection. Strangely, he's never had one before, and he wakes Adison to show it to her.

'And you're not aroused?' she asks.

'Not particularly, no,' he replies. 

'Still, we can't leave it that way,' she says. 'What would you say to doing something about it in the attic where we started this?' 

Actually, he's happy to have left the place of his birth behind him, but he needs to face that as well, someday. Why not let it be today, then move on, tell her about his ambitions? 

Back in the attic, his erection is gone. Vincent feels the need to explain.

'Talking about the night of my birth here has brought it all back to me, vividly. It still hurts to think of it.' 

She doesn't say anything but holds out her hand to him. Together they walk towards the table, once covered in blood. And the electrical apparatus, used by the doctor to attract and direct the lightning strike. It is in good condition still, but fortunately unused. 

'What do you remember exactly?'Adison dares to ask. She's here with him, together they can face anything.

'First thing I remember is the pain, such pain! It made me scream. There was only confusion, I knew nothing. I saw things around me through a haze but I didn't know what anything was. The pain was not letting up, if anything it got worse. I couldn't stop screaming. 

The air smelled bad and tasted worse. Then through the haze I saw a face. I knew that comfort would be with that face, so I tried to walk to it. But I couldn't even walk, and fell several times. Desperation kept me going, I couldn't stop screaming. 

The face didn't help me, it looked at me the wrong way. I knew somehow it shouldn't look that way, and indeed it ran away. With my last strength I got hold of the body the face belonged to, begging it to help me, to stop the pain, to stop the bleeding. But it pushed me away. It didn't want me. It hid behind the door, watching me scream out in rejection as well as terror and pain. 

Then I felt loneliness, such utter loneliness that it drowned out even the pain. The loneliness seemed to go on forever. I tasted blood and despair. I started to hate the face behind the door, for somehow I knew it belonged to my father, that he had done this to me. 

A soft touch on my shoulder, and I turned on it in the hate I felt at that moment, that must have been a sight: an animated corpse shambling, bleeding from hideous wounds, screaming in fear and loneliness. And in its unnatural eyes, the hate rising. But this face just held out its arms to me, accepting me, loving me even in the state I was in. My strength gave out and I collapsed in your arms, letting the pain and the exhaustion take me. When the loneliness left, the pain came back, but I didn't care.You loved me as a newborn should be loved, unconditionally.'

Adison is greatly moved by his memories, so clear and still so intense. How can he stand the sight of the doctor, even like him? He must be very good at forgiving. But she never saw hatred in his eyes that night, just an overwhelming loneliness. Can it be that he remembers this wrong, or did she just not see it?

Having relived his first memories, Vincent is dead tired and a little depressed. He is glad to let Adison lead him to their pallet, still there. She nestles in his arms, glad to just be close to him. After awhile, she touches the scar on his temple, tracing it down his neck, to his chest. He faces her and smiles. The erection is back.

Afterwards, he tells her about his revelation in the theatre. She knows he does not share her interest in medicine but she has never realized that there might be another thing that he could love as much. Silly of her. She's very happy for him, and knowing his talent for reading and interpreting text, combined with his striking figure and expressive ways, she can easily picture him on the stage. But she also feels anxiety. 

If he were to become an actor, she can no longer be with him all the time, he will have to face a very competitive world all on his own. Can he handle it? Can he control himself under the abuse he will undoubtedly get from competing actors? They decide to ask the doctor for advice, he knows the city and its ways, he'll know where a person can go to become an actor.

And indeed he does. Though he at first has the same doubts about letting Vincent strike out on his own, he also recognizes his talent and certainly believes he can do it. Though Vincent prefers the higher stature of Shakespeare and the other great poets, he agrees that starting small and close to home may be a smart move. 

So the doctor makes an appointment with the friendly director of the smaller theatre that started this whole thing. Vincent recites poems, plays a scene the director has given him to memorise and dramatise. The audition is a succes, and as there is a minor role open in the newest play, he can start straight away. 

'Rehearsal starts Monday morning at ten, be on time, know your lines, you're a villain so wear black until you've a costume, and be scary. Oh, and seeing as you've ambitions, try to get some fencing lessons. Gives a certain stance to a guy, looks good on an audition. If you're as good on stage as in my office, you might qualify for a lead role before long. 

And watch your back, we've a greedy bunch out here with more ambition than talent mostly. They may try to test your mettle, be ready for it. Be sure to let me know if anyone gives you trouble.'

Memorising lines is no big deal for Vincent, and the character he plays is no holds barred evil, no shades of grey, just pure black. An easy task to play for someone with his looks. Monday seems ages away. 

Especially with Adison starting out to assist the doctor, and being away from home for half the day. The other half they spend together, the doctor having decided he can give Vincent his first fencing lessons himself. As a noble born, he has spent at least part of his youth learning to ride, hunt, fence and wrestle, and he is no mean teacher, though he lacks the bloodlust to be competitive. 

They find a suitable space in the basement, and there the doctor teaches the rudiments of fencing to Vincent and to Adison as well. For as he says, why should a girl have to rely on men for her defence? Her father being of the same opinion, Adison has learned to ride well and to shoot with both a rifle and a hand held gun. But fencing never had his interest, so this is all new to her.

Though she handles herself well in these lessons, Vincent is a natural and soon outclasses her in more than a man's greater strength. His reflexes are lightning, he can judge an adversary in a moment, he relishes remembering the exercises exactly how they should be performed. 

And then there is his frightening strength. There is no way that that is natural, even for a man of his size and build. 

After one week of fanatic practice, sparring with Adison is no longer useful to him, except for exercising self-control. After two weeks, the doctor has to admit it is too dangerous for him to let Vincent go all-out in practice. He cannot trust his own ability to parry those powerful lunges, and getting himself injured or killed is of no use to anyone. So the doctor concentrates his efforts on Adison, and he hires a skilled swordsmaster to further teach Vincent.

Adison now accompanies the doctor to his work. She helps him dissect his objects carefully, then to describe and draw everything and catalogue the results. With her documenting skills honed by years of practice, guided by the most enlightened minds of her father's time, she helps him progress much faster in his research. They also decide to take on some living clients in their practice, the combination of her nursing skills, her way with people and her Chinese medical background, and his great knowledge of the human body soon making them sought after by the ailing rich.



Nature or Nurture Ch. 06



On the Monday of his first rehearsals, Adison insists on accompanying Vincent to the theatre. She knows he must get used to being among people, but she just needs to be there with him, see how he is treated and how he handles himself. 

She finds herself the only spectator, besides the owner of the theatre who is also the director of the play. On the stage, the actors meet. The lead players are a young couple, pretty and well-dressed, with a self-assurance probably greater than their talent. 

Then there is the main villain, a really sweet older man, clearly the best actor of the lot. Vincent and him take to each other immediately, and a valuable connection towards the 'real' theatre is made: this experienced actor, though fallen on bad times apparently through opium abuse, can teach him enough about the art of acting to get him to the next stage in due time. 

The director envisions the scenes one by one, the players run through them the first few times. From what she can see, Vincent does well. He knows his lines, has rehearsed the drama of his scenes with her carefully in preparation. The other players take to him quit well, except for the male lead, who audibly calls him a freak to the leading lady, clearly his lover. Of course this one will be trouble, Vincent is a direct threat to his position as leading male player.

His girlfriend apparently doesn't share his distaste, she seems quite struck by Vincent even though he's a lot less good-looking than her lover. He has a certain melancholy air well-suited to the theatre. Hopefully she will get her man to guard his tongue, but Vincent doesn't seem to register the nasty comments. 

Anyway, the fencing lessons and the succesfull rehearsal have given him an air of quiet confidence, which will be hard to break by someone of good looks but meagre talents. Adison is glad to be here this first time, not in the least to stake her claim to Vincent towards this admiring pretty colleague. 

After the rehearsal they get a guided tour through the back of the theater, where all the scenery is kept, as well as the ropes and pulleys for the special effects and the great stage lamps. Adison knows that the doctor would be thrilled to see the great lamps, his fascination with electricity by no means damaged by its horrible effect on Vincent's birth. 

Vincent just loves this hidden part of the theatre. The two stage-rats demonstrate some of the tricks, and one can see that it is a very challenging task to run everything smoothly, so the public won't notice. It is hard work for the two strong boys, and Vincent wonders aloud how they manage to communicate with one another in the dark when they have to work quietly. Thrilled with such an interest in their work, they tell him that is is all a matter of closeness and routine. They know eachother so well, and have rehearsed each play for so long, that they think the same and feel the same. 

Adison gets the impression that they live together as well, and do a lot more together besides, adding to their closeness. She decides that Vincent must be safe in such a loving environment, where everything revolves around the thing he loves best after her: theatre.

One afternoon after their own fencing practice, Adison sits down next to the doctor, still sweating from their exertions. They are watching Vincent and the swordsmaster spar, and it is quite a sight to behold. The two men are wearing masks and protective suits, necessary at this stage because their blows are delivered with such speed and force that they would certainly kill or maim when striking true. 

Which they do often, for the swordsmaster still outclasses his student very much and challenges him to the best of his ability, always one step ahead, and ready to deal a strike whenever Vincent doesn't manage to keep up his defence. Though the strikes don't cut the flesh, nasty bruises do form where the sword hits, and Vincent is probably already covered in them again. 

But the armsmaster is not out of danger of getting a few bruises himself. Vincent's sheer strength makes it hard for his teacher to judge each strike, and sometimes one gets through the master's defense, just because the man has not ever met an adversary who looks so normal but is so supernaturally strong. 

This keeps fooling him, making these spars very educational for him as well, until he learns to judge his opponent better. With a last strike on Vincent's padded side the swordmaster calls it a day. He greets his opponent formally and leaves. The three remaining discuss what to do next: visit the bathhouse for a hot bath, or stay in and make do with a tepid shower.

The doctor has used his skill with vats, pipes and steam to make an adequate bathroom, but to get a really nice hot bath the boiler needs to be heated for nearly half a day. This takes too much time and fuel to do on a regular basis, making a visit to a bathhouse much easier. 

But there Adison is separated from her friends, taking away most of the enjoyment. So because today is a sunny day they decide to use the showers, which the doctor pressures with steam and the water of which is heated during the day by sending the water through long coils of black painted piping on the roof of his house, making the water tepid instead of icy cold.

The bathroom is a really cosy place, where they can all shower together, if they forget about modesty and body shame, which they always do. Standing naked under the lukewarm showers, they all feel very content. Vincent has acquired some colourful new bruises, on top of the older ones already fading. 

Feeling a bit sorry for him, the doctor comes closer to take in the damage, and show some sympathy. In doing so he notices the familiar scars from the cuts he put there preparing Vincent for his resurrection. They are hardly visible, and on impulse he touches the one on Vincent's right temple. 

'All actions have reactions, Victor,' a husky male voice says, using the doctor's first name for the first time ever, 'have you any idea what you are about to do?' 

Adison is watching the scene unfold with some trepidation. She knows the doctor has a deep love for Vincent, but he can hardly guess what will happen if he keeps touching the sensitive scar. The doctor has heard the emotion in Vincent's voice, but he has mistaken it for residual anger over his cowardice at Vincent's birth. 

He doesn't want to goad him further, but he feels compelled to complete something, to not run away in fear again. So he traces the scar he caused, down Vincent's temple, across his neck, to his chest, feeling the tension rising in the powerful man, but not wanting to make the mistake of rejecting him once more. 

And suddenly he finds himself face to face with Vincent, held in the strongest grip he has ever known. The grip of the yellow eyes is just as inescapable, and the husky voice breathes, 'I have forgiven you your rejection, Victor, and now I find I love you, not like a son, but like a man.' 

And he kisses the stunned man straight on the mouth, keeping him in his iron embrace until the other gives himself over to the passion and returns it with a will.

Knowing Vincent better than her own self, Adison of course knows what is going to happen as soon as she sees the heat rising in him at the doctor's touch of his scar. Suppressing a flash of envy, Vincent knows the doctor exactly as well as she herself does, she watches the scene unfold with more than a little heat of her own. 

Seeing the man she loves holding a vulnerable and beautiful man in such a death-grip, and witnessing him in his naked glory with all his passion unleashed, she feels nearly more elated than if it were herself that he was holding and kissing so fervently.  

She witnesses Victor giving in to his own slowly stirring feelings, and still marvels at his courage to face and even goad what he supposed was the monster inside Vincent. He thought he'd get punished and was ready to take it, as retribution for his former rejection, but he got love instead, love more passionate than he could ever expect to receive. For the doctor has never dared to allow himself feelings this deep, and shallow feelings elicit shallow returns. It is through his connection with two very passionate, fearless friends that he gets to experience a love that is this profound.

Breaking off the kiss before he smothers Victor, whom he still has helplessly caught in his iron grip, Vincent looks around until he meets Adison's eye. Seeing in her understanding, admiration and a decided heat, without the slightest sign of envy or disappointment, he feels relieved and beckons her within his embrace. 

She has no hesitation, eager as she is for her own share of this newly found love, knowing Victor already has a decided preference for her, ready to give him as much love as he can handle. Together they lead the slightly stunned young man to their fourposter bed, where they give him time to catch his breath and get back in the now. 

Then they show him what feelings his body is capable of, not neglecting eachother in the process. So now the doctor finally knows what they do in that huge bed, when he is waiting to find sleep in his large but lonely bed. 

Who would ever have thought that his pride and sacrilege, combined with cowardice and guilt, would bring him a taste of true love? Still wondering, he falls asleep, and rather than banishing him from their bed or even moving him out of the way, they curl up close, each on one side of him, and include him in their warm nest for one night.



Nature or Nurture Ch. 07



The next day finds the doctor up and about his business long before the others stir. Let them enjoy some private moments together before they regret letting him into their pact for a night. 

He did not imagine his deflowering this way, but then he never imagined it happening at all. Investing in a relationship never seemed worth the effort, and he always, rightfully he now knows, scorned the idea of paid love. 

Getting a taste of such intimacy as he experienced last night amazes him as much as that it was started by a man. A man he wronged so badly that he had expected to be hated by him forever, despite all his efforts to make up for his mistakes. He hopes Vincent's forgiveness and love will outlast the night, for besides their own value, they are the key to Adison's regard, which he also secretly craves. 

Meanwhile, the lovers have awakened, and Adison tells Vincent how incredibly stimulating she found watching him release his passion on a man. 

'You were just so incredibly sexy dominating him so totally. I love the beast in you, though when it is focused on me it is more careful.' 

Vincent stretches his bruised body and replies, 'Because I love you more, I try to keep it under control, but sometimes it does get away from me. It scares me, though it doesn't seem to scare you, the way you tempt it sometimes'. 

Adison admits, 'I just feel you have to let it out regularly, let it spend itself, lest its energy builds up until you can no longer keep it under your control. And I really, really like it and trust it.'

A few weeks pass by with Adison and the doctor continuing to research disease through medical examination, using the knowledge they gain in their growing practice in medicine. 

They have managed to diagnose some cases that have been given up by other practitioners, but diagnosing is not curing. Yet. 

For they are planning to broaden their knowledge of possible cures as well. This is mostly Adison's field of interest, for Victor's main study object is still human anatomy, which he relentlessly pursues in all the hours he isn't treating patients, eating, sleeping, at arms-practise and spending time with his house-mates. He has a private workshop in a mortuary, nice and close to where most bodies end up before burial or cremation.

Looking for more dependable medication, Adison has taken up her instruction in the Chinese medical art again. The only way to get that instruction is to visit the master who is willing to teach, in the community centre in the Chinese quarter of the town.

Vincent usually accompanies Adison on her field trips, though his interest in medicine is still minimal. But soon he is enjoying his time in this exotic looking part of town, and it all starts with a new acquaintance. 

Most people they meet at the community centre are not very interested in anyone outside their own circle, though they do not mind sharing their knowledge with outsiders if they are willing to come and get it. 

Vincent is soon sought out by the one exception, a Chinese young man obsessed by everything English. He even has an English alias, Bruce. Through Bruce, Vincent discovers two Chinese traditions that soon start to intrigue him, meditation and martial arts. Bruce is a master of both, and loves to teach. 

Vincent immediately realizes the personal benefit he can get from practicing meditation, improving his concentration and self-control. And when he sees a group of people practicing some kind of non-armed combat which involves an almost acrobatically agility and again, incredible control of body and mind, it makes a lasting impression on him. He wants to learn this! 

He decides to ask Bruce.

'Would it be possible for me to learn this, good friend?' 

Bruce laughs openly.

'Sure you can, everyone with two arms and two legs can learn, and even some without that many.' Of course, that is not what Vincent really means.

'What I mean is, will I be allowed to learn, will I be able to find a teacher?' 

Bruce acts as if he is thinking really hard, of course he knew what Vincent meant, he was just making fun of him. But in fact, Bruce can't wait to teach him.

'If one of our own is willing to teach, it is allowed. And as it happens, I know a master in both meditation and the martial arts, who is dying to upgrade his English and learn about English literature. He also has a secret passion for the theatre. But it is really hard for him to get lessons in those subjects where he lives.'

Vincent takes the bait.

'Can you introduce me to this master? I have an interest in literature and a budding acting career. I could teach this master both, in exchange for lessons in his specialty.' 

Bruce thoroughly enjoys the conversation, for of course it is already very clear that he ís the martial artist looking for an exchange of lessons. 

'Where would you prefer to have the lessons?' he asks. 

'The martial arts would be best to do here, and acting lessons sometimes require extra's, so having them here with plenty of people willing to help out would be fine. Meditation, in the garden, literature, in our library?' 

Bruce holds out his hand.

'That is very agreeable to me, let's start immediately with some basic moves.' 

And they shake on their deal, then start a practise session which has Vincent lying in the dust within seconds. His respect for Bruce's art is growing with every move he learns, this is a means of self-defence where physical strength is of secondary importance, even a disadvantage if not under control of the user, for then it will certainly be used against him. 

The session leaves them both out of breath and very content. 

'You're really fast and strong,' Bruce says, 'once you've learned to control your strength you will be a real challenge for me. I'm looking forward to it, challenges have been few and far between recently.' 

From that moment on, they practice during the time in which Adison has her medical classes. Bruce has free access to their home and their library, to help him with his study of literature and acting. After their visits to the community centre Adison generally retreats to her study to document her notes and samples and entrust them to their ever-growing library, whilst Vincent heads to the theatre for rehearsals. The doctor is always at his workshop, often staying out late to arrive just in time for arms practise or dinner. 

Adison generally finds the time to supervise the small staff they have hired to perform household tasks, freeing themselves up for their increasingly successful professions, making life a lot easier to all of them.

Arms practise has changed again, the swordsmaster now teaching all three of them but only once a week. The other days they combine shooting practise with either meditation or martial arts. 

Bruce loves to come over to instruct them, then spend the rest of the day in the library. It is a revelation to Adison and Victor that his combat technique allows them to use the weight and strength of a much larger person against them, and they enjoy practising it against Vincent. Of course he excels in this form of combat too, as if his muscles remember a very active lifestyle that he himself doesn't. 

He has quickly learned the unfamiliar moves of the martial arts, learning to control his strength. Seeing him practise with Bruce is like looking at a dance without the music. Bruce compliments all of them.

'Adison and Victor, you have both learned the basics so well, that you can now hold your own against nearly any person who does not know martial arts. Just follow the forms and let their own strength do the job for you, then finish it. 

Vincent, I don't know how you do it, but you may become a challenge for me any day now. I can feel your strength now, because your technique has gotten so much better I can no longer use it against you all the time. Will you three also teach me to shoot like you do? It's the weapon of the future, refusing to learn how to shoot would be suicide.'

In shooting, Adison takes first prize, though she uses a lighter gun than the men. All three find it weird to spend so much time on exercise they are probably never going to use, but they feel driven to it as if an unseen force directs them towards learning as many ways to defend themselves as possible. 

But Bruce seems to find it quite natural to train fighting every day, and it keeps them in shape and makes them feel a lot safer travelling all over town.

Vincent always calls the doctor by his first name now, ever since their passionate night of love-making. They have repeated that exercise too, not very frequently, but whenever the doctor seems ready for it they draw him out.

Then the night of the play's first run arrives. Adison can see no anxiety or stage fright in Vincent, he knows what to do and trusts his fellow actors. His acting has improved immensely, with the rehearsals, the valuable help of his older colleague and tutor, and all the physical exercise and meditation he has been getting. 

He is fast friends with the boys behind the scenes, always staying patient on the rare occasion that something doesn't work as planned, always treating them like equals. Simon, the male lead, still dislikes him intensely, a feeling which is totally mutual. It doesn't help that Simon's girl clearly adores Vincent, for though her own partner is much more handsome and has the better part in the play, he also openly demeans her. 

Vincent treats her with respect, as he does everyone, though he'd rather never have met Simon. They still have to work as a team though, and here, meditation really has done wonders for Vincent. He wouldn't trust Simon for anything in the real world, but in the theatre, their own succes depends on all of the others, so he knows the arrogant lead player will behave.

The première of course is a great triumph. 

The public goes mad over the drama, the love, and the gallons of blood. Adison is so proud to see Vincent play his part as if he has been an actor for years instead of months. He was meant to be an actor, she thinks. Afterwards, he is clearly exuberant, the action, the drama, are everything he expected. The crowd and the fame exceed his wildest imagination. 

Instead of being taunted for his looks, as he more or less expected, people seem to relish his difference. He is celebrated, despite his small part in the play, and from the director's comments he knows he can expect a larger part in a next show. 

Adison and the doctor enjoy his succes almost as much as he can do himself. They are so proud of him, observing the enthusiasm of the crowd as they wait for him to exchange a few words with the important people allowed to meet the actors, then change and take off the make-up. 

In high spirits, they set off for home together. Stepping outside to walk the few blocks, they are busy talking about the play, not paying attention to their surroundings. And when in a deserted street they are surrounded by scruffy looking guys handling bats and staffs, they suddenly realize they're in trouble. 

With nobody around to help them, they will have to save themselves, unarmed. They count six men, not too many to handle if they are as badly trained as they look. 

Quietly Vincent takes charge.

'Victor, Adison, take your defensive stance and watch each other's backs. Only engage if they attack you. Please take care of each other, I'll take care of them.'

And with this, he confronts the main group of ruffians. Two rush him, and even as he ducks under the blow of one, he aims a high kick at the other. The kick connects with a sickening crush, the man drops like a stone. 

Then Adison and the doctor are beset by two guys with short staffs, and she can no longer afford to watch how Vincent is faring.

Though she is quite a bit frightened, her training already takes over, she assumes the defensive pose of the Chinese martial arts, and waits for her opponent. 

On her right side, Victor does the same. 

The attackers don't recognize the stance and rush them. Almost in synch, the doctor and Adison take hold of their opponent's staff, and force the man holding it in a roll using his own momentum, each man landing heavily. They finish with a strong kick, and check if their man is indeed out of order. De doctor delivers another kick to the head to make sure of his man, Adison strikes hers with the staff she is now holding. 

Quickly, she looks around, first to see if there are others rushing her or the doctor, then how Vincent is handling himself.

Of the four men, all armed with clubs or staffs, only two are still standing, two are lying motionless on the ground. Though he clearly has been struck repeatedly himself, bleeding from several wounds and favouring his left arm, Vincent is in total control of the situation. 

As one desperate attacker comes at him with his club raised in a two-handed grip, Vincent simply evades the swing, takes his target by the throat with a single hand, lifting him a good foot off the ground, then crushes his windpipe casually. With the speed and aggression of a leopard, he turns to face the last man standing, who does not hesitate for an instant and tries to run for it. His efforts are in vain, for Vincent is already on him. Adison realizes the beast is loose, her feelings torn between relief at his safety and fear of the guilt that will undoubtedly follow.

Fortunately the doctor is in time to save the last goon. Without regard for his own safety, he intercedes himself between his progeny and the hapless criminal, urging Vincent to leave the man alive for questioning. 

Coming to his senses, Vincent merely disarms the last thug, and follows the doctor to a quiet alley, dragging the man behind him. They question the man about his reasons for attacking them, and seeing his situation is hopeless, the beaten man quickly tells them he was hired by the lead actor of Vincent's company, to beat him up enough to get him out of the play and preferably out of acting altogether. This is all they need to know, and they leave him there and clear the scene quietly before the watch arrives with difficult questions.

When they are safely inside the house, Adison tells Vincent to strip, to see how badly he is hurt. Awkwardly, he tries to obey her, but his arm doesn't want to coöperate. Victor quickly helps him, and beneath his shirt they find a big bruise on his arm and several bleeding cuts on his back and shoulders. 

As Victor rushes off to get his bag of supplies, Adison checks Vincent's head for injuries and tests his responses to find possible trauma.

'I'm fine,' he says, 'just hurting all over.' 

Adison does not rest before she has cleaned and treated all his wounds, a little shocked by the evening but proud of her own fighting prowess. Victor decides to fire up the boiler, Vincent's face is clearly unmarked, and since his wounds are not really serious and he has no head trauma, he will want to play his role tomorrow as if nothing has happened, if the doctor knows him at all. 

But he will be stiff as a board and his arm will give him hell, unless he can soak the pain out tonight with a good hot bath. And having Adison in there with him may make a difference in how he copes with having killed three men, and nearly a fourth.

They all drink a cup of calming tea, sitting silently, trying to get a hold on what happened in that deserted street, after their merry night.

'He must really hate me, to have me attacked just after the opening night. It would have ruined the play for him as well.'

There is nothing the others can say to oppose that statement, and Adison takes his hand to support him.

Victor leaves the lovers together to check on the boiler again. By stoking up the boiler really high, he can have a hot bath ready in a couple of hours. But he will have to check the pressure constantly, to prevent it from reaching dangerous heights.

Tired, and in Vincent's case hurting, they stick together, not feeling like doing anything, not even going to bed. Then Victor surprises the other two with the hot bath, taking them to the big steaming tub and leaving them thick towels en scented soap. Vincent is awed.

'How did you manage that so quickly! Thank you so much, Victor, that is just what I need to give me a chance to play tomorrow, and give that fellow the scare of his life!' 

Adison is no less thankful, although she is a lot less enthusiastic about Vincent playing tomorrow with the danger of foul play still unresolved and the wounds of his fight still fresh. But she does understand his reasons to want to go at any cost. 

Seeing just two towels, she protests.

'Surely you will join us Victor, you've had a rough time as well.' 

Not wanting to intrude on them, he starts to protest, until he sees Vincent shake his head silently.

'I need you to be there, Victor, ' he says, 'without you I would have killed a fourth'. 

Touched, the doctor runs off to fetch another towel, then helps Vincent into the soothing hot water, where Adison is waiting for both of them.

They don't speak of the attack and its implications anymore, leaving the decisions on how to deal with it for tomorrow. They soak in silence, and the hot water smoothes their overstressed muscles, invigoratingVincent. From the looks of him, he is almost free of pain, which would be impossible in a normal human, but which hardly surprises Victor anymore. He wonders if Adison has noticed, suspecting she probably has.

That night in bed, Adison has to deal with Vincent's guilt and self-loathing. He protected his loved ones, with no regard for himself, and now he pays the price for losing control of his violent self, killing in cold blood. 

Adison has found herself capable of violence too, but she is much more inclined to forgive both of them. She knows he will not hear her argumentation right now, though, so she can think of nothing she can do except show him her love and trust. 

She is not sorry they were able to fight off those thugs, they might have been hired to just beat Vincent up, but they would surely have raped her given any chance. They would probably not have hesitated to maim or kill Victor and Vincent either. She also knows Vincent realizes that, but he's not listening to his reason now. 

Killing another human for the first time is really hard, and he needs to accept he has done it. When he does, he'll probably realize himself he had no other option. 

As Adison lies awake, reliving the situation in her mind, she feels a tentative touch. Turning to face Vincent she realizes he is as awake as she is. Touching her face tenderly, his face shows his disturbed feelings. 

Feeling his hands caressing her so lovingly, she inadvertently remembers those same elegant hands casually crushing a man's throat earlier that evening. If even she cannot look at him without being reminded of what he is capable of, how much worse must he feel? 

He practically begs her, 'Will you please touch my scars for me? I need to feel really close to you, but I don't feel like making love at all.' 

Adison is moved to tears by his humility, and is very ready to comply, she also needs to be as close to him as she possibly can, to show him she will always love him, every part of him. 

'I will be happy to, my love, I have the same need as you. But will you promise me one thing? When he wants to come out, will you let him?' 

Vincent clearly doesn't get her.

'Why would you want to seek out that part of me? And you do realize it is me, don't you?' 

Seeing that it distresses him, she reaches out and touches his face, stroking his hair. She wants to kiss him, crawl into him, but she also wants him to understand. 

'I know he is a part of you, that is why I want him to know, no, why I need to próve to him that I love him too. No matter what he does. He is the part of you that I first met, and came to love instantly. I want you to feel that I love the whole of you, and I have a feeling that this wild part of you needs the most comforting right now. He may be suffering the most.'




Nature or Nurture Ch. 07



This is a plea Vincent cannot resist, and he bows his head in assent. 

Adison holds it, caresses it, breathes in the smell of his hair, and when he looks up at her again she kisses him deeply, reaching out for the scar at the same time, and tracing it down with an ever firmer touch. 

He has clearly answered her plea to let go, for his reaction is nearly explosive, not at all like his usual tenderness. In a fraction of a second, she finds herself held under his heated body, overwhelmed by his speed and strength. 

She is reminded of that time with the doctor, how seeing him this way excited her even just watching. Now she has him all to herself, and she meets his greedy mouth in a kiss charged with lightning. 

As she gives herself up to a lust she has never felt before, she can feel him responding to her total acceptance of his physical dominance. He realizes that she not only accepts this untamed, unnatural strength, she glories in it. The frenzied need, the loss of control, they feed her. She has no fear of him. 

The feeling of total acceptance mirrors itself in their physical shapes and they merge totally, becoming more one than they have ever been before. Thoughts and doubts disappear, there is only now. When the climax comes, he no longer feels separated even from his own dark side.

Adison was right, is his first coherent thought. She knows him better than he knows himself. The violence in him, that part he so carefully separated himself from, is not as mindless as he thought. It would hurt someone out to do harm to him or his loved ones, just like Adison and Victor hurt men out to harm them. But it did not hurt Adison when she called it forth and he let go of it completely. On the contrary, she loved it, they never had an experience like this. 

Still feeling the need to be close to her, he moves towards her as much as is physically possible. She looks at him, feeling the same, recognizing the experience he's had. She's a bit smug that she was right, but mostly relieved he has finally accepts his violent side. And she feels very satisfied by the sheer force of his lovemaking. Or does she? 

Feeling her need for his closeness still strongly, she slides on top of him, drawing him out in another lengthy kiss. And they find the way to be even closer together again, loving each other again, only very quietly and tenderly this time.



Nature or Nurture Ch. 08



The next morning, they have some important decisions to make. They do agree that Vincent should go to the theatre as he is supposed to, to play tonight's show. He will take a gun and long knife with him to make sure he can defend himself on the way. But should he confront Simon, the male lead who set the gang on him, with his deed? 

'I don't like the thought of your pretending nothing happened, Vincent, it will only invite other attacks.' Victor has a point, but..

'I want to continue acting, Victor, and without lead actor, there is no play, so I can't very well expose him. I'm not afraid of losing my self-control, but I don't want to stay victim of his tricks either, who knows what lengths that one'll go to remove me from his life more permanently?'

Adison agrees wholeheartedly with that last statement.

'You shouldn't just ignore what happened, my love, I suppose the best thing to do will be to inform the director. He hinted at the possibility of something like this happening, and he told you to come to him if you were set upon.'

'I'm sure that is my best option, he'll want to keep his play running, but he can also help to protect me from further attacks, if only by letting the other actors and staff keep an eye out.'

There are so many ways to have an accident in a theatre, with props and special effects possibly going wrong, that they are all very glad Simon was lazy and let others do the attacking. Staging an accident in the theatre would have had a much greater chance of succeeding.

Accordingly, Vincent goes to the theatre half an hour earlier than his usual time. They all feel some apprehension, though Vincent has proven repeatedly in the past that he can handle himself in a tight spot. 

He goes straight to the director's office and spills the beans. The director is shocked, even offended that one of his players would sabotage their livelihoods in this way. Then he is concerned about Vincent's health, both physically and mentally. He did have to kill to protect himself, and he is clearly stiff and still sore from the attack. Vincent ensures him he can play his role tonight, and has no problem facing Simon on stage. 

Having the director believe him is the most important thing, and a great relief to his feelings. They decide to keep quiet for now, leaving Simon in the dark about how much Vincent knows about his involvement in the attack on him and his friends. The staff and the actor playing the elderly villain will be informed and asked to also keep an eye out for foul play. 

The stage-rats will do more than their regular check-ups of all their equipment behind the scenes, and they will watch Simon from their hidden places backstage when he is in the building and not on the stage. Simon has always treated them with contempt, so they will be eager to catch him in some mischief.

'And when this play is done, he will be out on his ears, and you can take his place as my lead player,' the director promises, 'I wish we could give him up to the guard, but that would be the financial ruin of my theatre, and besides, you did kill those men so they'd undoubtedly be asking you all kinds of difficult questions.' 

Like where I was born, and who my parents are, Vincent thinks, hoping they will count the bodies left in the street as signs of a gang war flaring up.

And that evening the director does his own share of acting, welcoming his cast as usual as they prepare for the show, pretending this is a regular evening. But he keeps a sharp eye on Simon's reaction when that one notices that Vincent is present and no worse for wear. 

The lead actor's stunned reaction as he sees Vincent sitting at his dressing table, innocently putting on his costume and getting his make-up done, apparently unharmed and ignorant, speaks volumes of his guilt. The other staff have been warned and instructed to safeguard Vincent from further attempts, as long as he is in the building. 

Knowing for certain now that his lead player has endangered the financial future of the whole theatre and its staff and cast, the director makes his next move and calls Vincent into his office.

'I've seen enough, my boy,' he starts as soon as Vincent has seated himself. 'How well do you know the lead role?'

Having rehearsed together for months, every player knows at least half the lines of the other players by heart, inevitable for an actor if he wants to know when to deliver his own lines.

'Rather well, actually, sir.'

The director affirms with a nod. 'How long would it take you to know it perfectly? I want him out as soon as possible.'

'I think it will be two weeks work to replace Simon, I have seen his scenes in rehearsal dozens of times, and I already know most of his lines.

But who would replace me, who would play the villain? It is a small role, but it cannot be removed from the play or added to the main villain's role.'

The director has clearly not thought of someone yet, and Vincent sees his chance, and dares to try for it.

'I may know someone with a talent for acting who could take on this part in the same two weeks. I'll coach him towards it. He's a friend of mine, a Chinese man called Bruce.' 

'I have never heard of Chinese acting in an English play. Are you certain he will do?'

'We've been exchanging lessons, martial arts for English language and acting, he's good. But I can understand if you think the risk is too high, he has no experience on stage at all.'

Never having worked with, or even seen a Chinese actor, the director wants to consider it first. But the more he thinks about it, the better he likes it, and he decides to give him a secret try-out in a week's time.

Vincent is amazed. Not only does the director believe his story, he is also determined to get rid of the snake in his group, and even willing to try out a total novice on his recommendation.

To the audience of that evening, something seems off. 

The hero of the tale seems a bit subdued somehow, as if the actor's heart is not totally in his role. And though he kills off the villain's minion in a welter of blood, the new actor that everybody is talking about plays that smallish role with such fervour, and dies by the hero's hands with such pathos, that it almost seems as if the hero is the one who has sold his soul to the devil. 

But of course everyone knows that heroes are good and villains are bad, so soon Simon manages to convince himself that though his plan failed, no-one seems to know what he has done. And he soon gets his act together, playing the handsome hero flamboyantly again, not noticing that his prop sword is checked and re-checked every time he has touched it, and that he is followed around and watched from behind the scenes wherever he goes in the theatre. 

As Simon starts to feel glad his attempt on Vincent failed, realizing it would have cost himself too dearly had he succeeded, the rest of the staff is counting the days until the boss will confront him with his deed and throw him out of their group in disgrace. 

And only the director and Vincent know that will be sooner than anyone suspects, to have him replaced by the object of his hatred.

Seeing Vincent leave to go to the theatre has been very hard for Adison. She knows she can't go with him, but she has no clue how she will get through the day, not knowing how he fares. They visit their patients, then settle in the doctor's workshop in the morgue to study a new object, a body just arrived which apparently has some interesting muscle and bone deviations. 

Soon they are caught up in the dissection of the body, removing tissue layer by layer, carefully drawing and documenting each section before moving to the next layer. Adison has been tempted briefly to check the morgue for the thugs of yesterday evening, mainly to see if there were any survivors. But she feels it might be too big a risk to seem too interested. 

Suddenly there is a disturbance in the hall leading to their room. Victor, his concentration broken by the noise, is trying to work on doggedly, ignoring the ruckus. But Adison, always the curious one, moves towards the hall to investigate. 

A small group of people is coming towards their room, led by a staff-member of the morgue, pushing a body-cart covered with a sheet. Three people are unknown to Adison, a beautiful but slightly sinister looking woman, a gentleman of about sixty, and, she cannot think of another word for the guy's looks, a cowboy.

'This is the man you are looking for,' their colleague says, and heads back. 

The trio enters confidently, clearly irritating Victor even more, so much so that he does not acknowledge their presence and just keeps going. The party has not seen Adison yet, focussing completely on the doctor. She decides to leave things that way, see what happens. It is clear that the three visitors want the doctor to take a look at their body, but it is also clear Victor means to be stubborn about this. 

He greets his visitors with a sneer, not even looking up. His whole demeanour speaks disdain, such a difference from how she knows him. But the visitors will not be ignored. They seek to interest him in their corpse, telling him it is very important that no-one but him studies it. They address him one by one, from politely to very insistently, and still he will not budge.

Adison thinks it's high time to show their visitors that there is someone here who does have some manners. She walks towards them, and excuses him. 

'Doctor Frankenstein is in a crucial stage of the process right now, he will be right with you.' 

She delivers this sentence with some force, reminding him that appearances must be met, to see bills paid.

'Maybe I can help you in the meantime? I'm the doctor's assistant.' 

At her mention of this term, the doctor stops what he is doing, but still he does not look up. 

The gentleman explains they have a strange body that they need to have examined. He lifts up part of the sheet covering it, so that Adison can see it. It is a shocking thing to behold, a mockery of a human body, horribly disfigured, and clearly very evil. 

Victor, having seen the creature as well, can no longer keep up his disinterest. He jumps up and does a rough exploration of the hideous corpse, unable to contain his rising excitement. Adison quickly and quietly picks up the sketchpad and her pencil. She expertly draws a quick liking of the outside of the corpse as Victor studies it minutely, then, keeping up with him, she takes a new sheet, ready to start on the next layer once he uncovers it. 

It is even more disturbing, for it clearly proves this is not a human corpse. Sketching away, noting some of Victors comments in the margins of her sheet of paper as usual, she is visited by a premonition. 

The appearance of this group of people will change life as they know it forever, making the upheaval of Vincent's birth and the attempt on their lives yesterday seem like nothing. In an instant she understands why they have all felt driven to practise weapons-craft for no apparent reason, and why it felt so necessary that Vincent learn to trust his violent feelings, to free his supernatural fighting abilities. 

It was in unconscious preparation for a battle they will become involved in, whether they want to or not. 

The woman gives her a knowing look, as if she has heard Adison's premonitions, or has even sent them to her without speaking. Then they both concentrate on Victor's work again, and Adison finishes the sketch of the inside layer as well. It is very disturbing, like a diabolical book inside a person, and strangely, the gentleman and Victor seem to recognize the script. 

The doctor asks Adison to hand her sketch of the inner layer to the gentleman, not even requesting her to make a quick copy for his own use. Adison knows he feels the portent too, and she wonders if he is afraid at all. 

Strangely, her next thought is of Vincent, how he is faring at the theatre. She wonders what his role in all this will be. For to her, it is absolutely clear that he already has been assigned one, and that it will be profound.

The gentleman tells Victor he will show the drawing of the hieroglyphs, for that is what the reliefs on the monster's skin are, to a specialist in Egyptology, and he will let Victor know their meaning. He also warns them that getting involved in this matter is very serious business, and probably very dangerous to both of them. But Adison and Victor know that there is no escape for them, they will have to see it through. They make their formal introductions, and agree on a time and place where they will meet next, just a few days from now.

Returning home in a strange mood, they have a cold dinner and go to the theatre to see Vincent play. The meeting with the director must have gone well, for he seems triumphant, outshining Simon who is visibly disturbed. The failure of his attempt on Vincent must have shocked him.

After the play they return home without incident, and Vincent tells them his news. He is elated, but soon notices his companions feel totally different. Are they afraid of repercussions, or that the director will not keep his promise? He soon finds out their mood stems from a totally different incident, as they tell him about the disturbing, evil body.

'How do you know it is evil, Adison?' Victor asks in surprise. 'It was a very ugly, disturbing sight, but how can you be so sure?'

'I just knew. That thing practically screamed it at me. Will you make fun of me when I tell you that that thing and Miss Yves caused me to feel a strong premonition?'

There is nothing funny about her demeanour as she says this, and somehow they cannot shrug off her words as female exaggeration of a nasty looking body and a woman with a disturbing aura. Adison is as accurate in her observations as the doctor, and she fears almost nothing.

'What was your premonition?' Vincent asks quietly, his earlier exuberance gone. 

Somehow, her dry tone makes the fact that she has foreseen the future real, and kind of scary, for he can see she foresaw nothing nice.

'I suddenly knew that the appearance of that particular group of people would change our lives and our world forever, and that we have been driven by fate to learn weapons-craft to prepare for that moment. 

We will become involved in a war against evil, and it is very important for Vincent to learn to trust himself completely, to be able to use his full potential as a fighter.' 

Without speaking, Vincent gathers her to him, and takes her in a crushing embrace, not able to envision grave danger and a world at war, but still believing her utterly. 

As soon as he touches her, he is stung by a flash. Is it foresight? Is it a memory from a past beyond the boundary of death? 

He sees himself, dressed in a midnight black cloak, hair streaming behind him, on a big black charger galloping through a village at breakneck speed. The sky behind the village is glowing red. Him, a rider? He has never ridden a horse, let alone such a spirited one. 

Instantly, the image is gone, leaving behind a feeling of determination. He will protect Adison and he will protect Victor, no matter what lies in the future or has been his past.

As they sit down on the four-poster bed, Vincent tells the other two about the flash. 

Adison knows this may have been his first memory from before his death, and she asks the doctor for more information.

'Where did you get the body, Victor, was it from the morgue?' 

In an instant,Victor decides to tell the whole truth, they deserve to know and he realizes half-truths or lies may turn out to be really dangerous in the time to come. They must be able to totally trust one another. 

'When you were brought to me you were not yet physically dead. The watch took your body to my workshop instead of the morgue, because the body was still on the brink of death, having its skull crushed in a bar-fight. There was fluid in the brains, making them swell and cutting off the blood flow enough to put you in a deep coma. 

You probably wouldn't have survived for more than a day or two, the brain slowly dying of oxygen starvation. I'd seen it before in cases with head injuries, and I knew I could repair the damage, but not without killing the patient in the process. 

Since the rest of your body was in excellent shape, strong, well-muscled and clearly very healthy, and the physiognomy of your head promised a good intelligence, I decided I was finally going to perform the resurrection I had been planning for a long time. I had no doubts I was going to succeed in creating life, but of course, had the body been seriously damaged with wounds or sickness the body would have just immediately died again after the resurrection. 

Please believe me, Vincent, I did not expect the pain of the lightning strike to be so severe, nor the shock of coming to life so great. I also never realized my suturing was so abominable, no patient had ever complained.' 

Here, the doctor smiles wanly, he's not one for showing humility.

'I'm still very sorry for what I put you through, Vincent. Though I am also very glad that your heart was great enough to forgive me, to even love me in time, and that you and through you Adison, are now part of my life. 

But I digress. Your clothing was well-made, of good quality materials and not worn. They were mostly black, trousers, cloak, vest, only your shirt was pristine white, or had been before you bled on it. There was no mark of ownership on any of it, and any valuables that might have been a clue to your origin had been stolen, probably by the watch, for they had not bothered with your clothes. No one of your description was reported missing, I checked that before I took the next step, which is something I'm not proud to tell the both of you.' 

He stops for a moment to look at his friends, hoping they will forgive him the deed he will confess. 'I prepared everything I needed, brought your body to the attic where you found us, Adison. The old man a few blocks away had predicted a severe thunderstorm that night, and he is never wrong. Also, my barometer had fallen immensely a day earlier, so I knew something was brewing. 

Readying my apparatus, directing the metal rod through the roof towards the sky, I then waited for the storm to hit. When thunder started to rumble, I smothered the unconscious man with a pillow. As soon as he was dead, I opened the skin on his skull, to remove the piece of bone pressuring his brain. I had to, or he would just have sunk into a coma again. 

I assure you, the operation would have killed the body, so I couldn't have cured him. I say him, not you, for I think you are a different person now, though you may share some general traits and certainly muscle memory, for he was clearly a good fighter. He must have been killed through foul play, by someone sneaking up and delivering the blow to his head from behind, for he had no other wounds and he would have put up a fight. 

I also opened his chest to see whether his heart and lungs and organs were in good condition, again not realizing the impact of that act on the living person I was creating. I have improved in empathy since then, I hope, for I was a hopeless arrogant and never thought beyond my own triumph. 

Well, I did like the idea of getting a friend but never planned for raising him until he could speak or be left alone without fear. 

When my preparations were done the thunderstorm was right above us. The air started to crackle with the electricity, and the lightning struck. 

Minutes later, you came to life, not peacefully and intelligently, as I expected, but in agony and forgetfulness. And if I hadn't insulted God beyond reparation by taking a life in arrogance and then cheating death in even worse disdain of His rules, I would now pray to thank Him that Adison turned up, or I am sure I would have lived to regret the day I created a monster.' 




Nature or Nurture Ch. 08



Adison recovers her voice first.

'And somehow I'm sure that would have decided the outcome of the war I saw in my premonition before it even came to be.'

Vincent greatly objects to Adison attaching such a large importance to his existence, either as frenzied, raving monster, or as knight in shining armour. Not because he doesn't underwrite Victor's belief that he would have turned in a monster without Adison's love and acceptance, he totally believes that, too. But to make such a large difference he'd have to be like a god, and he strongly objects to the hubris of that idea.

So he calls out, 'And now I've heard enough premonition for a day, and lived enough dreams for a week, let's make some fun. If something bad is coming, all the more reason to enjoy life when we can. If you two throw together some food, I'll brave the cellar spiders to hunt out some vintage bottles sent by Adison's dad.'

And they do prepare a good meal, crack open one of the fine bottles of wine, and have an impromptu feast. For good measure, they open and finish another one. 

Victor, relieved to have no more secrets from his friends, and not a little drunk, dares to speak out a wish.

'Would I be hoping in vain if I was starting to imagine you two and me exchanging some intimacies tonight?'

Adison looks at him encouragingly, but Vincent pretends not to have understood this somewhat formal request. He rolls his yellow eyes, scratches his head with a quizzed expression, until his face clears and he finally understands. He then quietly walks up to Victor, throws him over his shoulder in a one-armed fireman's grip, offers Adison his other hand and legs it towards the four-poster in a joyous mood. 

Dumping Victor on the bed, and offering his lady to also take place, they proceed to try out all the different ways in which two male bodies and one female body can fit together, until they are all sated and extremely tired. Then they fall asleep in a tangle, and sleep tightly until dawn is a lovely memory to other people, who were awake to see it.



Nature or Nurture Ch. 09



That week, Victor is very busy examining the alien corpse. He receives an invitation from the gentleman, now known as Sir Malcolm, to meet him for dinner at his gentleman's club, where ladies are not allowed, no matter how brilliant they are.

'I'm sorry Adison, they're probably afraid you'd make them look foolish. Still, it's a job and it pays.' When he returns he has the commission, and an appointment to further examine the body, now stored in the basement of Sir Malcolm's town house. This time Adison does accompany him, sketchpad ready though she knows Victor will question this. And indeed he does.

'Why would you take the trouble of sketching the body, Adison, when you already know they can take photographs?' 

'I'm surprised you ask, Victor, you always sketch every tiny detail of everything you uncover. You've even invested quite a sum in a filing cabinet made to your own exact requirements, so you can always find them again.'

'Yes, but I sketch because I can't afford a camera yet. As soon as we have the funds I was planning to buy one. It would save a lot of trouble, I thought.' 

Adison is not so sure, 'Taking the photograph seems quite a hassle, lugging the machine around, using that stinky powder, hoping the exposure is just right to make the photograph succeed. You cannot put the body back together if the photograph fails. 

And then there is the developing, you need a dark room, with chemicals, and again you run the risk you ruin the film and lose the images.'

Victor is impressed.

'You seem to have thought this through quite well, I only saw a beautiful picture with natural structures and a lot of detail.' 

But Adison is not yet finished, 'And nobody knows how long the photographs will last either, they may fade in a year. I've seen drawings from centuries ago that are still vividly detailed...' 

That's it, Victor concedes.

'All right Adison, I'll save our money for now and continue to draw. I need to practise anyway, to keep up with you.' 

Adison enjoys his compliment, still unsure about her own skills, but then she makes her most important point.

'And that is not all, the most important reason for me to keep drawing is observation.' 

A questioning look from Victor makes her laugh.

'Let me explain: to take a good photograph, you need to check the lighting, and frame the subject well. To make a good drawing, you have to really see what you are documenting, you need intense concentration and a keen eye for detail. I'm convinced that through drawing, we discover facts we would otherwise have missed.' 

Letting that sink in, she adds her last motive to sketch today.

'And anyway, I want a copy of the creature to show to my Chinese teachers. They may know something more. Let the threesome concentrate on their photographs, I'm going to make drawings and try to take them home with me.' 

 When they arrive, they are admitted to the house by a broad shouldered, very black skinned man with curious tattoos in his face, in a butler's uniform. Adison greets him politely, then she and the doctor are taken to the saloon, where Sir Malcolm and Miss Yves are waiting. 

From there, they set out for the basement, where the thick skin, an exoskeleton like that of an insect, has been removed from the body. The doctor is stunned.

'How did you manage to do that, in such a short time and so neatly?' 

Miss Yves answers, proud of her own cunning idea, 'We used carrion beetles to eat it.'

Though impressed she has thought of such an unorthodox method, they do wonder if it wasn't a bit risky: suppose the beetles had eaten the hieroglyphed layer as well? Their study object would have been ruined. 

Victor discusses the markings and their implications with their employers, and Adison concentrates on sketching as exactly as she can. Then he draws blood in a syringe, and still she sketches. He looks at the blood through a microscope, deducing it is clearly human, or has been once. It looks like blood of a person suffering from a contagious disease. 

He invites Adison to check it out as well, which she does. But neither of them know much of blood, so Victor advises Sir Malcolm to consult a haematologist, which Sir Malcolm delegates right back to Victor, because he will understand the results best. 

As the gentleman is willing to pay for both the consult and Victor's efforts, they agree that Sir Malcolm will find a specialist and arrange for a consultation. They return home, weirded out by the body, but no less by the restless, dark aura of Miss Yves, and the incredible hardness of Sir Malcolm. 

'These are not people to trifle with, Victor, ' Adison says, 'I still feel quite anxious in their presence.'

And this from Adison!

 Pushed by portents and premonitions, Vincent decides to limit the time until his rise to lead player to one week. He contacts Bruce, and they spend not only the usual time together in the Chinese quarter, but nearly every waking hour, rehearsing lines, staging the drama. Of course, Vincent has to play his part in the evenings, and he arranges for Bruce to come along and watch the play every night from a different angle, from a balcony, from the main hall, from behind the scenes. The stage-rats like him very much, he is interested in everything and always ready to whisper a funny observation at an appropriate time. He is introduced to the director in secret, and only Simon and his girl do not get to meet him. 

 Because they spend so much time together, Bruce inevitably notices that the atmosphere in the doctor's house is more subdued than usual. When at the end of their week of rehearsals the tension is still palpable, he does not hesitate to just ask what the trouble is. Vincent decides he trusts him enough to tell him about the horrific body, of the premonitions of Adison of a war coming and of his own strange flash, which is not easy since he doesn't feel ready yet to explain to Bruce that his memories of his life do not extend further than nearly one year. 

Bruce is not surprised. He tells Vincent that his community has been watchful for years now, expecting this war against evil. He also seems to know Adison will have a role in it, as well as Vincent. 

'Why do you think we have let you into our community so easily, and shared so much knowledge with you? We have been aware of Adison since she was born, and we have befriended her family to be able to keep an eye on her. Did you know she has a priestly name in our language, which translates best as 'well of feelings'? 

If she were one of us, she'd be a high-ranking priestess already. As it is, we watch and wait until she is ready. We did not get sight of you until about a year ago, but it was clear straight away that we would do best to ally with the three of you, hand you the knowledge you need, and stand behind you, for the danger concerns us too, and only together will we be able to save everyone. 

Our powers are strong and unknown to the enemy. From what you tell me I know that the time of your testing is near, and so we will start teaching Adison less medicine, and a lot more secret knowledge. How it surrounds us even though most of us don't see it, how it is involved in our lives where we least expect it. Our enemy is very fond of using blood and sex to gain power. We must all be very careful whom we sleep with, and with any blood we spill, especially our own.'

 Thinking of his birth, Vincent says, 'A year ago, I lost a lot of blood, is that why you suddenly noticed me?' 

'Not entirely, no. The blood was only part of it, there was some ritual involved as well, as if you only then became to us who you were meant to be.'

'And is the enemy aware of me as well through this?' is Vincent's next question.

' We think the enemy has been aware of you long before that, but he has had to change his plans for you after the sacrifice you made that night. You might say the doctor and you escaped him narrowly.' 

This is all a bit much to take in, so Vincent decides he has had enough. He'll have to consider things first, hopefully he will have time to get used to this new state of affairs before things get serious. Meanwhile, they have a role to learn, and they continue their rehearsal doggedly, until they can both dream every line and every action. They are as ready as they can be, the only thing left to do, is prove it in the spotlight, tomorrow night!

 This time, Adison and Victor accompany Bruce and Vincent to the theatre. There will be a row when the director confronts Simon with his deed and has him removed from the theatre, and they prefer to be present, to enable the two men to concentrate on their new role instead of their safety. As it happens, Simon takes his dismissal quietly, packing his things and leaving without a scene. But everyone knows this is not the end of it, he will try to get his own from anyone involved, Vincent mainly, but the director as well, and Bruce and even Maud, Simon's lover. 

For she will have to be convinced to continue her role, only with a different hero. Everyone thinks she will have no problem doing it, for she has not been treated well in her time with Simon, but it will make her a target for his revenge, and she'll have to find a new place to live, for it is not safe for her to return to their shared apartment alone.

 Because Maud has only just heard that her lover has been sacked from the play due to his efforts to get a fellow actor beaten up, possibly killed, and that she will play with his intended victim from now on, they take the time to rehearse the whole play once before the show tonight. 

It will also give Bruce the chance to get familiar with the stage, for he has never performed for an audience before. 

Vincent does not know what to expect from Maud.

'Do you mind having me as your partner so suddenly?'

She has always had quite a liking for him, and what Simon has done is unforgivable to her, too, so she can honestly answer, 'No, I don't mind one bit, I'd rather have you than someone I don't know, at least we've been rehearsing together and playing together already.'

'Not as intimately as we will now,' he says, 'I can imagine you might find me unnerving to look at from up close, you know, the scars on my face, my unnatural eyes.'

But here he underestimates Maud. She may not be as sophisticated and well-schooled as Adison, she is not easily scared either, and most of all, she is a professional actress. Her answer is exactly what he might have expected to hear.

'Don't worry about your looks, they don't matter to me. I will play my role tonight, and I will play it well. I always do, it is my job, and I love it. Actually, I'm looking forward to playing with you, you have always been nice to me and I think you are a very talented actor.'

 As they go through the play scene by scene, she finds she is rather looking forward to her more intimate scenes with Vincent, he is such a kind and even-tempered man. When the opportunity to exchange a few words presents itself, she confides to Vincent, 'Your scarring doesn't bother me at all, my own brother has had a burn accident that left him badly scarred, I don't even see those scars anymore. I kind of like your looks, you always look slightly tragic and I think that fits incredibly well with the character and costume of the hero.'

She looks straight at him, wanting to touch his face, but holding herself back. 

'Your eyes indeed have an unusual colour, seen this close. But they don't look unnatural to me, their expression is friendly. You are always friendly, not gloating or triumphant even now. I appreciate that.'

 When he finally takes her in his arms in the first love-scene she feels his strength, and her body reacts to his unfamiliar smell and his hold on her with a stirring of lust. She quickly checks it, steeling herself for now, thinking she may have a chance later. They will be playing this scene for weeks on end, there is plenty of time for her to see if she has a chance against his beautiful but unremarkable girlfriend. 

Remembering this when the time comes for the climax of the love-scene, she kisses him as an actor, not like a lover as she always did Simon. The audience won't notice the difference, but it wouldn't do to put him off her by being too forward too soon. 

Vincent is very much relieved. He has of course noticed her attraction to him, but he wants to be a professional, so while he would not have liked her to kiss him for real, he would not have reacted if she had done it. Bruce's warning about the enemy using sex as a tool to raise power has struck a chord with him though, and he is convinced that even a kiss is not harmless. 

 That night, the play runs perfectly, and Bruce does very well. Vincent kills him with a relish, and the fake-blood runs freely. They end on a high note, and the whole cast feels like one big family.

They take their places before the stage for their usual meet and greet with important people from the audience. 

Vincent of course gets most of the attention, his interpretation of the hero being more melancholy, less self-assured than Simon's, making the ladies feel just a little warm inside. The people he gets to meet afterwards are regular visitors, and they have enjoyed the change in actors very much. They seem to see it as a publicity stunt, to convince people to visit the play for a second, or a third time. The inclusion of a Chinese man in the cast they see in the same light, it refreshes the play and makes people want to go and see it again.

 Adison and Victor also approach him in the line, the first time they have done this. Usually they wait until they walk home together to talk to him, and he soon finds out why they want to speak to him now. 

First, Adison gives him a passionate hug, her dress emphasising her beauty, and her overt affection contrary to her nature. He realizes instantly that that is meant for Maud, to let her know he's still taken. Trust Adison to be subtle where possible, and blunt when it is needed. 

But then Victor walks up to him with a very beautiful woman who nonetheless looks, well, wrong somehow. He knows who she is even before Victor mentions her name.

'Miss Yves, let me introduce me to the star of this show, our friend Vincent. Vincent, Miss Vanessa Yves is one of the party that has given us a challenging new subject to study.' 

Miss Yves is apparently a modern woman, for she does not curtsy or hold out her hand to have it kissed. Instead she offers to shake hands like a man, which Vincent readily does. But as soon as their hands touch, he receives a shock like the one he got a few nights ago, and as then, a scene unfolds before his mind's eye. 

He is lying in a hummocked field of low purple-flowered shrubs, under a wild, cloudy sky that threatens rain. The landscape is very open, without trees, houses or roads, surrounded by craggy hills that are also covered in that purple shrub. Heath, comes to mind unbidden. And he is not lying there on his stark black cloak alone, but he is being loved passionately by a beautiful, wild looking but clearly well-to-do girl, who is blond, but certainly not Adison!

 'Mr Smith, are you all right?'

Miss Yves sounds concerned.

Smith is the surname that he has taken, well, to have one. Actors need to have last names after all. He's planning to take a 'real' surname somewhere in the future, when he has earned one, so to speak. But for now, Smith will have to do. 

'I'm fine, thank you,' he assures her, hoping she will not touch him again in her concern, and thinking again of Bruce's remarks about sex and power. Is she trying to put a spell on him, consciously or unconsciously? He resolves to ask Bruce about it, but for now he needs to appear unshaken, so he plays the rising star with her.

'So Miss Yves, do you prefer these gruesome tales to Shakespeare, or do you appreciate them both?' They discuss the play, his sudden rise to the lead role, as well as Shakespeare, the great poets and more safe subjects, until it is time to change and go home. 

 The doctor and Adison meanwhile talk to Bruce and the rest of the cast. 

Bruce tries to convince Maud to come with him.

'I can take you to your apartment to fetch your things, and then you can stay with my folks for a few weeks, until you find your own place. They won't mind.' 

Maud knows she doesn't want to stay with her own family, possibly endangering them with Simon out there looking for revenge, but protests, 'That would put your family in danger, I couldn't possibly do that to people I don't even know!'

Bruce reasons with her calmly and with great conviction.

'Everyone in my family is well-schooled in self-defence, and our community is so close-knit that everyone knows what everyone does. The Chinese quarters will be the last place that Simon would look for you, and if he does come there, his looks will make him stand out like a beacon and I'll know of his presence in a few minutes from his arrival. 

Plus, I can take you to and from the theatre everyday, since I'm going anyway.'

Now Vincent speaks up. 

'Bruce is an expert in martial arts, Maud will be safer with him than with anyone else. But I wouldn't visit her place alone, Bruce, take the boys with you if they are willing and the Boss lets them.' 

Maud finally agrees, and so it is arranged that the technicians will help get her stuff, and she will move to the Chinese quarter for a few weeks.

 As they walk home, of course they are reminded of the attack, but with the new developments they find it hard to be afraid of another attempt on their lives. If they are not ready to meet anything a poor, cowardly actor with no job or connections can throw at them, their plans to get involved in the case of the gruesome body are sheer foolishness. 

So they stay alert but they do not let their memories spoil the triumph. Like a teenage girl with her first crush, Adison walks hand in hand with Vincent, looking at him admiringly. 

'So what did you think of Miss Yves?' she asks, 'isn't she gorgeous?' 

Vincent has to admit she is, but she gives him the creeps more than anything. He replies, as smitten with Adison as she is with him.

'Indeed she is, but not as beautiful as you by far. And not nearly as talented.' 

The doctor makes a gagging sound and moans, 'You two, get a room! Next you'll be writing bad poetry about your love everlasting!' 

They kiss teasingly and Vincent tells them about the time he spent with her.

'She does know a lot about theatre and art, and she seems genuinely a nice person, interested in other people. But she gives me the creeps big time, in fact, she gave me one of those flashes, back- or forward, when she touched me. 

This time, I was lying in a large field of purple coloured bushes which I knew were called heath. The hills around me were clad with it as well. I saw no roads or buildings, or trees. The sky was clouded as if a storm was coming. And I was making love to a wild and beautiful girl of good breeding, who did not look at all like you! 

Do you think that it was a scene from my past? Or was she just trying to put a spell on me? Bruce told me the enemy uses a blood and sex to raise power.'

 'Bruce?' Adison and Victor say almost in unison. 

'What does he know about magic?'

'Apparently, quite a lot, though he doesn't use the term magic. I'll tell you all over a glass of wine. You'll need it. By the way Victor, I liked how expressive you became with a little wine in you,' Vincent continues their earlier bantering. 'I didn't remember you being so forward, or experienced. I assure you, you found places that turned me on long after I thought I was totally spent.'

Adison joins in.

'Yes Victor, how did you do that? You seemed to have an uncanny knowledge of parts of a woman that one cannot see from the outside!'




Nature or Nurture Ch. 09



Looking at them both shyly and appraisingly, to see exactly how much fun they are making of him, he replies in the same tone.

'Science my dears, science. I know the secret of everlasting lust in men, having plenty of time in my lonely bed to experiment, and of course I am not limited to looking for lustful places only on the outside of a woman. I found, documented and filed them all.'

'You wouldn't!'

Now it is Adison's and Vincent's turn to exclaim in unison.

'Of course I would,' Victor retorts, 'you know I have done worse things in the name of science. They're just parts, like all the others.' 

 'Well, if the results feel so incredibly good, maybe we should accept the superiority of science over lust,' Adison admits. 

Vincent adds, 'You can test your experiments on me any time'. 

Looking Vincent straight in the eye, Victor confesses something.

'I rather liked it when you first kissed me, when you held me in that inescapable grip. I was completely helpless, it made me feel so safe, and at the same time it turned me on like nothing before or since. I'd like you to let go again someday, to hold me like that again.' 

Looking at Adison in wonder, and seeing her flush in fond remembrance of their own rough coupling, Vincent cannot deny it any longer. Exasperatedly he cries out, 'All right, all right, you two lustful fiends, I'll let that nasty bugger out to dominate the both of you. Just please not at the same time!'

They laugh, both having to admit that watching him have violent sex with the other is possibly even more stimulating than being held in that iron embrace themselves. 

'Well, you both know what to do to set me off. You decide who gets to go first, and who gets to watch and be pleased in a more 'scientific' way afterwards. Can I please get some food and some noble vintage in me first, to build up some strength?'

Of course they agree, but the anticipation is enough to make them both flush like teenagers throughout dinner. Or maybe it is the wine after all. In any case, Bruce's tales of sex raising power, and wild ladies from the past, will have to wait.



Nature or Nurture Ch. 10



But deep in the night, they find out why Sir Malcolm pays so well. They are all fast asleep when a strong knocking on their door drags them out of their sleep. Vincent is not so rueful about being wakened, he has slept fitfully, dreaming of riding through the heath on a coal black horse. 

The spindly low shrubs covering the hills around him are no longer in bloom, leaving a colourless, desolate landscape behind. This time, there is a house, but it doesn't do much to enliven the treeless, drab coloured hill it stands on.

It is a huge, castle-like building of weathered sandstone, built to withstand a ruthless climate and in its prime probably neighbours who were just as ruthless. Now, the shutters are in disrepair, the gate askew. A small kitchen plot is set upon by nasty strangling weeds that cover the rest of the garden. One window is open, the drapes fluttering in the chill breeze.

A steady rain pours down on him, he can feel it even in his dream. A shape appears, framed by the window. It is the girl of his tryst in the heath, hair down, a flimsy nightgown too cold for the season barely covering her. She is crying madly. 

He feels as if he is just a spectator, not only in his dream, but in the real memory as well. Then he awakens, remembering everything vividly.

When Victor opens the door, Sir Malcolm's manservant is standing there, in a rush to get him over, telling him his skills as a doctor are needed this time. The doctor decides they will all go, he asks Adison to bring her general cures and some Chinese remedies. 

Vincent is already dressed and has chosen a gun and a short blade for their defence. He introduces himself to the manservant, Sembene, figuring the dangerous looking man is more than just a pawn in this game his master is playing. The man has a solid handshake, and rather expecting, even fearing, another flash from someone of this company, this guy is quite the opposite: his touch feels grounded, annulling magic so to speak. 

Quite a relief, and a good man to have at your back, Vincent is sure. When everyone is ready, they enter the carriage waiting out front, and drive off.

They arrive in the same basement but in another room than where the corpse was, just in time to see Sir Malcolm ready to take a horse whip to a teenage boy, shouting at him in a frenzy.

'Where is your master!'

The old man seems quite mad, hollering again and again, the whip moving down.

They see the cowboy step in to stop the blow before it lands. The boy has clearly been severely beaten already, but shows no sign of weakening or breaking under the abuse. He looks rather wild in both his physical appearance and the expression in his eyes. One might say he is totally mad, or even possessed. 

Examining him as well as a raving madman can be physically examined, Victor tells Sir Malcolm, 'If his madness is caused by the same affliction of the blood that the dead body had, he might improve if he receives a blood transfusion. And if that works, it may be useful for other victims, like your daughter.'

The cowboy rightfully objects to using a child as guinea pig, but even Adison can see that the situation is not normal. Though it is hard on the child, the harm done to him before they caught him is probably irreversible, so anything they can do for him would be a mercy.

Meanwhile, Vincent remembers his conversation with Bruce, and what Bruce has told him about Chinese powers. He draws Adison apart and quickly summarises their conversation a few days ago. She guesses that a Chinese herbal remedy may offer the boy some relief, giving the doctor and herself some time to think of something else, maybe consult her Chinese teachers. 

She still has the sketch of the body to show them, and as they apparently know something profound is happening here they might have some answers or at least more information. She quickly inventories what she has with her, finding one concoction that may be useful. 

Calling over Victor, she wants to discuss using it, 'I have a remedy to strengthen Chi in those who are sickened with parasites and infections. Maybe it will also weaken a possessing entity for a while, to buy us time to find a better cure.'

Victor agrees this may be their best shot, and proposes it to Sir Malcolm. 

Surprised at the girl putting herself forward, the gentleman realizes she is not the doctor's assistant but his colleague, with expertise in her own field of knowledge. He is still a bit doubtful, being a member of a male dominated society can after all deform one's judgement quite profoundly, and having been used to strong and well educated women but not to truly expert ones, he needs a bit more convincing.

'Adison treats all our living patients, Sir Malcolm, her talent for healing is almost renowned,' says the doctor, with an involuntary look towards Vincent. 

Vanessa Yves, who is very observant by nature, immediately notices, and she wonders. She knows the doctor has a secret, has done something that would outrage the world if it ever got wind of what he did, has this soft looking, pale skinned actor man with the disconcerting eyes something to do with the doctor's little secret? Did Miss Adison heal him with her talents? He doesn't look sick, but of course that would only prove her powers. She means to find out.

Sir Malcolm decides to try the concoction, and to let them know the results. Victor promises to follow up on his idea of blood-transfusion, having an appointment with an expert, a doctor Van Helsing, the next day. But how to give the rabid boy the cure? His madness makes him incredibly strong, and his possession makes him even more dangerous. 

'We'll have to force feed it to him, taking care he doesn't strike out, or gets hurt badly himself,' says the cowboy, clearly a real American by his accent. 

Vanessa is very surprised to hear the actor add, 'And don't let him get even a taste of your blood, I have been warned that blood holds incredible power to the kind of people that do something like this to other human beings. Spilling your blood here might lead to much greater harm than the boy could ever do to you in person.'

She can feel her jaw drop. It sounds like good advice with blood seemingly the centre of this affliction, but how can he be so certain of this, he's an actor!

Hearing Vincent speak, Adison apparently has thought of a solution.

'That's it Vincent, if anyone can hold him it must be you. And if you hold him, I can force the potion down, I've done that before even with patients unwilling to swallow.' 

Now Vanessa starts to seriously doubt Adison's sanity, just when she was ready to set aside her prejudice against the girl's meek appearance. How can she believe that soft skinned, soft-spoken man can ever hope to hold a possessed wild creature, when two hardened men can't do it? 

But with an, 'Alright I'll do it, but Victor, please keep his teeth out of my neck!', he moves towards the boy with incredible speed, and has him in an iron grip with both arms pinned to his scrawny body in an instant. Victor has nothing to do, for the pale man's hold on the boy is so absolute that he can't possibly move a muscle. 

Adison moves in fearlessly, a lot quicker also than she looks. She touches the boy's face lovingly for a moment, and in an instant she has the bottle drained between his cramped jaws like magic. 

'An old nurses' trick', she grins at their stunned looks. She clearly has no fear at all that the possessed boy will escape her friend's grip.

Correction, Vanessa thinks, lover's grip, recognizing the flushed look Adison gives him as she is finished and he prepares to let the boy go without giving him the chance to bite or claw, or even strike back. She's been in that grip before, and she loved every second of it, Vanessa realizes with a short stab of jealousy and a slightly heated feeling of her own. 

She doesn't often err in judging people, but clearly she let herself be taken in by Vincent's stage persona and his conversation in the theatre. Of course, he ís an actor, she reminds herself, and having no beard whatsoever would make even a man with more masculine features look soft. But now she knows why they have insisted on taking him along: supernaturally quick and strong, and if he knows how to use that sword as well he's a powerful cure for robbers and footpads. 

And for what they themselves are after, she realizes, heaven knows they can use another good fighter when it comes to cleaning out another of those infestations of monsters. 

Meanwhile, the potion seems to have had some effect. The boy is more quiet, the madness calmed a little. They prepare to leave the boy for the rest of the night, Vanessa deliberately accompanying their guests to the carriage that will take them home. All shake hands, and though Vincent feverishly thinks of an excuse not to touch Miss Yves, he cannot think of one. 

And she seems determined to come really close to him, studying his eyes, for the first time noticing the large scar on his right temple. Taking his right hand with one of her own, and moving towards the scar with her other hand, she says, 'I only see this now, this has healed very beautifully. It must have been a terrible wound. Your work, Miss Adison?'

And though Vincent cannot help making a run for the carriage, it is already too late, she has touched him there, of all places. He just manages to get inside before he is hit by the strongest flash so far. Fortunately, no one can see him where he has collapsed.

Adison covers for him expertly.

'I'm so sorry for his reaction, Miss Yves, that is still a very sensitive subject to him, one he does not like to talk about. And I did indeed help him recover from a great hurt. If you'll excuse me, I'd better see how he is faring.' 

And she is inside, leaving Victor to make the final adieus. Which he does befitting his leadership of his little party, though looking slightly guilty to Vanessa's discerning eye. As he enters the carriage too, and it sets off immediately, she returns to the house, thinking she has uncovered part of the doctor's secret: that terrible wound, that the slip of a girl so expertly healed, and that the victim doesn't want to talk about, was caused by the doctor somehow!

In the speeding carriage, Vincent is still unconscious. 

Victor and Adison have managed to lift him off the floor and he is now lying in her arms on one of the benches, twitching a little in the throes of a vision.

'Should we pull him out?' Adison asks.

She knows she can do it with the stuff in her doctor's case. 

Victor is in doubt.

'He doesn't seem to be suffering, just dreaming very vividly. Maybe he can learn a bit more of his past this way, or our future. Can you get him out just before we get home, so the driver won't notice?'

She nods, resting her head on her lover's. She's tired, it has been a long and eventful day. But she is glad to have been of use and that everything went relatively well. The visions concern her, but they are not fits, and it is actually quite normal for someone with head trauma to get memory flashes years later. She feels Victor seeking her hand to hold it. It is a sweet gesture, he has come such a long way from the bitter and distrusting man he used to be. There is real love between them. She hopes he will be ready for a love of his own someday, but until then, she will be there for him. 

They were planning to wake Vincent a block from their home, but as it turns out he comes from the vision by himself, a bit groggy, but coherent. He whispers hoarsely, with distinct humour, 'At least I didn't ravish her. Bet she would have liked what she'd gotten.' 

Adison agrees with him that Miss Yves probably likes it rough, and the woman was quite rude to touch him so intimately without his consent. She smiles at him fondly.

'Are you feeling well enough to walk in by yourself? We feel that would be better. And did you have a vision, or just backlash from controlling your reaction?' she asks. 

Victor urges her to leave him be until they are safe inside the house, preferably on the big four-poster with a light snack and a glass of wine. But as it happens, they all just manage to find their way to their beds before the long day catches up with them and they fall asleep like babies.

They take the morning off to catch up on some sleep, knowing a summons from Sir Malcolm may arrive at any time, and probably in the small hours of the night. They need their strength for what may come. 

Sitting on the very comfortable bed having breakfast, Vincent tells them about his dream, of the lady from his past crying in the window with him standing in the rain looking on. And of the vision caused by Miss Yves' touch, which was a lot more intense and a lot more disturbing. 

'I was in a bedroom in what looked like a city apartment, clearly not the rural house of the dream, having really rough sex with her. You both like me to dominate on occasions, but this was another matter: we were hurting each other on purpose, with bonds, whips, mutual beatings and quite a lot of blood flowing through scratching, biting and even using sharp tools. 

She gave as good as she got. 

I felt lust, and a kind of possessive, overpowering love. It was in some way more a sickness, an addiction, rather than love. Of course, I now know how true, disinterested love feels, or I might have been fooled to think that that was real, for it was so powerful. 

I cannot imagine my current self under any circumstance committing such heinous acts in the name of love, so I must accept that these may indeed be memories from my former life, with a lover I had then. Whether that is true or not, I have to consider the fact that I may have been a person without conscience or remorse, able to inflict grave hurt even on someone I truly, passionately loved, and enjoy it, as well as the wounds she gave me in return. 

I must have been a sick person, and she seems to have been more than a little mad. I don't wonder nobody came forward to claim him when he lay dying.'

Then he seems struck by a realization, and he almost pleads his friend and his lover, 'In the meantime, as long as I have these visions, I'll need a lot of confirmation of trust from you to remind me I'm a better person now, that I am loved in a healthy way, that I am no longer that charming monster of my dreams. 

There must have been so much anger and violence in me, that it is an even bigger miracle than I thought that I didn't kill either of you straight away, in the pain of my re-birth. You chose quite the character to raise, Victor!' 

Vincent is clearly mentally exhausted after relating all this, and Adison holds him close, letting him rest his head on her shoulder. Still she cannot help remarking, 'Does it strike you two as odd, that Miss Yves' touch gives such a violent reminder of your past, whereas your dream was kind of mellow, almost melancholy?' 

Victor observes, 'She does seem to bring out the worst in a person. She's always asking personal questions, and I've found her studying me several times now, as if she wants to gain leverage over me. She finds it hard to trust people, I think. She crossed a boundary last night though, touching you so intimately, and I'll certainly give a hint to Sir Malcolm that she'd better not touch you again.'

'I'd appreciate that, Victor, I still feel not entirely welcome in that company, but I need to be there when things get dangerous. Having her touch me like that will not help my fitting in. I don't think I'd ravish her anytime, but I don't want to drop on the floor with violent flashbacks every time we meet either.

't Would make a bad impression I'm afraid. 

Sometimes I think she may be drawing me out on purpose, and I don't want to become a slave, to her or someone worse, by the power of sex, or who knows, even blood.' 

Adison can think of several other things she thinks would likely happen if that crazy woman touched her man again, but she doesn't want to ruin her reputation as a civilised woman. And she knows she can handle Miss Yves, either mentally or physically. So she merely exclaims, 'The power of sex, you mentioned that earlier, I thought we were dealing with an affliction of the blood here, some kind of disease? 

And you were going to tell us about Bruce. I heard some, but I'd like to know all!' 

And they spend another hour talking about premonitions and Chinese powers. Adison is resolved to visit her Chinese teachers that day to show them the drawings of the sinister body, and ask about the possessed boy. She wants Vincent along to relate his visions, see if they can tell him if they're imaginations or real memories. 

Vincent wants to meet up with Bruce and accompany him and Maud to the theatre, preferring to move in groups for safety. Which means that Adison will have to come too, she cannot go home by herself. Victor, who is meeting the doctor of haematology today, will carry his gun and a blade concealed in a walking cane.



Nature or Nurture Ch. 11



They leave the house together, Adison and Vincent heading towards the Chinese quarter, the doctor down town to a certain Doctor Van Helsing, the man who has made the study of blood and its unique properties his life's goal. 

The day is nice and sunny, and the two lovers thoroughly enjoy the walk through town. Entering the Chinese quarters, the scenery changes. The buildings are more or less the same high rises with apartments as most of the city, but a lot of the homes have brightly coloured banners, and the shop-signs are of course in Chinese characters. There is more green in the streets, potted shrubs and even trees, there are more children about. The reason for this is also clear, the social structure here is much stronger. 

Adison is greeted immediately by her title as doctor, and Vincent is hailed by name, by most passers-by and all of the children. It gives a feeling of belonging. They head for the community centre, a lower building set in a garden. The grounds must have once cost a fortune, and the building itself another one, built as it is in traditional style and of materials imported from China. Adison likes the strong community spirit, Vincent can imagine Bruce feeling very controlled and limited by it. Tradition rules everything in this part of town, and for a restless young man it can be very restricting.

They enter the building and head to master Man's room. Knocking, they are invited in, and find the room already full with a kind of council, consisting of three men and three women, of different ages. Bruce is there too, master Man heads it. 

'We were expecting you two, welcome!', he says to the stunned couple, 'we had hoped to finally meet the doctor as well, but I suppose he had other pressing business?' 

Adison stutters, 'How did you know we'd come? Do you also know our goal?' 

The council nods in unison, and apparently master Man is their spokesperson.

'You want to know more about the evil that is trying to manifest in our city and that is threatening us all. Please be seated, both of you, and tell us what you know.'

Adison starts to speak.

'A week ago three people brought the body of a gruesome creature to the doctor's workshop. It was man-shaped, it had a light grey hard exoskeleton, like an insect, no body hair and a mouth full of sharp teeth. Cutting into the exoskeleton, the doctor found the body a darker grey, with hieroglyphs in relief. 

Its blood was that of a normal human, but with elements of an infectious disease. The sight of the body and of the lady of the company of three, Miss Vanessa Yves, gave me a premonition: that the appearance of that particular group of people would change all our lives, explaining why the three of us felt compelled to learn weapons-craft and why Vincent needed to get to know and accept the violent side of him. We were going to need both in a battle against evil.' 

She hands master Man the sketches.

'And your story?' he asks Vincent. 

Thinking back to what might be relevant to the council, he starts.

'Do you know how I was born a year ago?' 

'We have an idea, but we'd like to hear it from you. We have a suspicion you may be quite important in all this, so we'd like to hear first-hand.' 

So he tells them.

'The doctor took a body dying of head trauma and resurrected it using lightning. It went totally wrong, I was born totally confused and in excruciating pain. This brought me to near-madness and violence. The doctor fled in fear and might have abandoned me, if I hadn't killed him in my state of rage and despair.

Adison intervened and comforted me, healed my wounds and relieved my loneliness. She taught me to walk, speak, read, write and think, and she showed me how to love and how to forgive. Finally she helped me face my violent streak and learn to love it as well.' 

This is what we thought had happened.' Master Man is obviously not surprised by Vincent's story. 'Now hear our share. We knew the doctor had a task to fulfil, so we had him watched. We set up Adison to live next door, so she could assist in his task, and found a practice with him to bring Chinese medicine to English patients. 

When we finally could see you in our readings, we were glad we had decided to intervene, for you had been set up for great evil even before your death. We don't know exactly what the enemy was planning of course, but we suppose you were to be resurrected, then scare your maker into flight, leaving you to grow up in utter loneliness, virtually indestructible and howling mad with hatred for your maker and all humankind. 

You were to be the ultimate bringer of evil, though we don't exactly know in what way. We know this is not all, but we don't know the rest of his plan, we hoped you would find out.'

Vincent cannot seem to take all this in at once, but Adison makes a brave effort.

'You set me up to live there and save Vincent from becoming a demon? You mean to say that he was killed on purpose, so the doctor could raise him again?'

Now Vincent has found his voice back.

'I'm indestructible?'

'Virtually, yes', Bruce calls out happily, 'so we can go all out in practice from now on!' 

Master Man adds, 'We believe the flashes are memories from your former life, they may be really important clues to what the enemy is planning, so try to remember them with as much detail as you can. You may even try to influence them a little.' 

So, the visions he has been having are indeed flashbacks from his former life. 

'Are they indeed more violent when Miss Yves touches me?' 

The men and women discuss this for awhile, and a woman answers Vincent's question.

'This may very well be. If so, you need to avoid touching her, for temptation may enter you again via her. If it does happen, seek contact with Adison or another benevolent well, to draw it out. 

Our powers tell us there is one close to Miss Yves, a very strong one though it is dormant. If you ever meet him, Adison, you could set it free, gaining a powerful ally against the enemy. 

Flashbacks you experience in sleep or spontaneously are not harmful, they will return your memories to you, but you will not be their slave. You are your own person now.'

'Now, have we had the answers we were looking for? Please keep each other informed, and be careful. And Bruce, do your best the coming week, for we will be visiting your show when you least expect it!' 

Thinking of a delegation from the Chinese quarter visiting the gruesome tales, Adison, Bruce and Vincent cannot help thinking: then the director will be thrilled his trick works! 

'One last thing, Adison, may we keep this drawing for research?' 

And with that, the meeting is done. Vincent and Bruce work themselves in a sweat on the sunny patio of the building, Adison is off for her first study of Chinese powers, hoping for a cure for possession.

After practise, Vincent and Bruce decide to meditate for half an hour, to prepare for the theatre. Vincent especially needs some quiet to digest his new knowledge. 

Of course he knew from the start of his life that he was not normal, even when he did not yet have words to express it. 

But he always assumed he had been a normal man in his life before his resurrection. He can hardly believe that he was primed to be a bringer of evil in that former life, he's only one person after all. What can one man do? 

And wouldn't he have evil thoughts once in awhile? And if Adison was planted there to save him, does she really love him, or is it just a compulsion that she is under, like the woman of his dreams was primed to lead him into destruction? 

Of course it is impossible to meditate with a head so full of revelations. Maybe a trained individual can do it, but Vincent has been doing it for less than a month. So when his features slacken and his tenseness lessens, Bruce immediately realizes he is having another flashback. He decides to watch his friend closely as it progresses, hoping it will tell them anything about the process Vincent is going through, ready to intervene if something seems off.

This time, he is in a city, and not riding a black horse, but inside a luxurious carriage. The inside at least is not black, but deep red velvet. He wonders if this means it is not his own, but rented. Detached from what is happening, he looks around to see if he can find any clue as to who he is. First the carriage, does it have any insignia? Apparently not. A watch, watches are often engraved. And indeed he has a heavy golden one, on a chain, and it is engraved: 'yours forever, Cathy'. And a date, five years ago. 

When the heath was blooming and all was still well? Or already in the city, to make up for a lover's row? He checks his body for wounds, there are some, but not fresh, they're scars. 

Hunting boots, black trousers of course, both of the finest quality, shirt, white, also fine quality. Kerchief, dark red, the colour of blood. No marks of ownership anywhere. 

His dagger, nice quality, expensive, a maker's mark. Stenman in London, five years ago. That may be traceable. He looks out of the window, hoping for a clue. He recognizes nothing, he tries to think frantically of another way to identify himself. 

The carriage stops, in front of a seedy looking bar. The driver opens the door.

'This is it, sir, the address you gave me. The Dark Fox, East London. It looks like a seedy place.' The driver is clearly sorry to have spoken that thought out loud.

Though he personally agrees, he feels a twitch of annoyance from his host, his former self. He is in control though, so he does not deliver the expected blow. It is a sad sight, to see people cringing from him, though he knows it is not him they fear, not really. For though he wears the same body, he refuses to accept that this was his life. 

Lost in thought, he enters the crowded taproom of, indeed, a seedy establishment. There is no recognition visible in any of the patrons, so he is not a regular here. Well, that is to be expected, it is clear that he is rich. 

Then, a beautiful young woman comes towards him as if she is the one he is supposed to meet here. His body seems to know her, but he cannot place the feeling. Is he cheating on his wild girl, who he now knows is called Cathy, with this woman? She comes towards him to shake hands, and indeed she does. 

'There you are, finally,' she says, proving they do know each other, though they don't seem to be lovers, for she is not looking at him, but behind him. He hopes she will call him by his name, whilst he tries to remember hers. Concentrating on her name, he fails to react to the intense warning of danger his own body's honed reflexes gives him. 

When he finally realizes he's in danger, it is too late. He does remember the name of the woman who has set him up in this bar: Mina. Through the haze of pain that follows the blow on the back of his head, he realizes that he is not just living through his own death, he has caused it. Then everything turns black.

From what he has heard, Bruce knows this is the longest flash Vincent has experienced so far, excepting maybe the dreams he has had. Vincent's vital signs are fine, so he does not wake him. As his friend starts to show some agitation, Bruce starts to doubt if he should pull him out. 

He rushes to master Man's window, taps on it. Then he returns to his friend, whose vitals have not changed. As the master and Adison approach at a run, he meets them halfway and reports on what has happened. The master convinces Adison that it is not harmful to experience a flashback this long, as long as the body stays warm and breathes well. 

They wait for what seems an age, when suddenly, with a cry of pain, Vincent keels over. Adison is with him in less than a second, checking his vital signs then holding him possessively.

'He lives, but he will not wake up,' she says in agitation. 

Master Man stays calm, and tells Bruce to fetch his herb-case speedily. Bruce is off and back before Adison even notices he is gone.

Handing her a jar with a cork stopper, master Man says, 'Adison, let him smell this, it will certainly bring him out. But he may react violently, so I suggest you move to a safe distance.' 

Adison does not comply. 

'I will not leave him, he needs me close, all he ever needed was to have someone close to him.' 

Master Man gently corrects her. 

'Not just anyone, Adison, he needed you. You saved him from a fate worse than death. I wonder what he has just relived. Just let him smell it dearest, that stuff would wake up a dead volcano.' Unplugging the jar, Adison does as he tells her, and indeed, as soon as he has smelled the vile stuff, Vincent jerks up, sees Adison close, then collapses again, in her arms.

'How long before the show?' he asks. 

Adison doesn't know whether to laugh or cry, so she does neither. 

'Plenty of time still, you're the lead, you can be fashionably late', and when he looks at her searchingly, to see if she is really making fun of him, she just loses it. She takes his face in both hands, and looks him straight in the eye, the intense yellow eyes she wants to drown herself in. 

'Do you have any idea how much I love you, you...' her words fade, but her eyes tell him everything he needs to know. 

She loves him as much as he loves her, of her own free, indomitable will. They take comfort in each other until they become aware again of Bruce and master Man standing there, dying of curiosity at what Vincent has learned of his past.

But the actor in him cannot take the time to do his tale justice, that would ruin both the play and the story he has to tell. 

'I'll have to save it until after the show. Now I need to concentrate on my role. Why don't you all come see the play tonight, do the director a huge favour, and after it is done I'll tell you all about my flashback. I'm not likely to forget my own death!'

Now he has them, and they know it. Bruce, Adison and Vincent hurry off to pick up Maud at Bruce's family's apartment, then they are off to the theatre together. Vincent does not talk or even think about his shocking discovery, his head would start spinning, causing him to forget his lines. Instead he thinks solely of his character, of his heroic deeds, of his flowing lines, meant to declaim rather than bring naturally.



Nature or Nurture Ch. 12



And that night he plays a memorable show, his concentration so acute, his character so life-like that the audience sits in trance. He can see individual faces among them, Adison and Victor of course, filled with love and pride for him. 

The American guy from the dangerous threesome, with an enraptured girl at his side. 

Miss Yves in her usual spot on the balcony. 

And an entire row of Chinese friends from the community centre, among which master Man and the rest of the council. Vincent enjoys himself hugely, playing the viewers' emotions as it pleases him. He feels incredibly powerful, and very humble at the same time. All these people are allowing him into their feelings, into their hearts, to make them laugh, cry, remember their dreams and their youths. 

When the curtain closes and opens again, and they make their bows, he feels so incredibly at home in this place. This theatre, where the characters die like flies, only to come back to life again the next day. What better place for one who has sacrificed his own life, to come back to be a better person and to set things right. He wants to share this incredible rush with Adison, regretting that before they can be together, they will have to meet their friends first, to exchange information and make new plans.

And before that, there is the usual meet and greet with the audience, the hanging away of costumes and the removing of make-up. 

This night, he first introduces his Chinese friends to the director, who immediately visualizes a whole new potential audience, visiting plays in Chinese style, with an all-Chinese cast and exotic costumes. 

Vincent, knowing he will have plenty of time to talk his friends later, is introduced to a well-dressed, handsome young man whom he has seen before on one of the balconies. His name is Dorian Grey, and he says, 'I've seen you play before, Vincent, may I call you by your first name? But you absolutely outdid yourself tonight, what a performance!' 

Vincent cannot help being flattered, this is clearly a developed man with a taste for the arts, so his compliments are valuable. 

'Thank you, Mr Grey', he replies. 

'Please, call me Dorian', the young man says, 'I don't have a talent like yours, I'm just an ordinary guy looking for a good time. Say Vincent, are you busy tonight? I thought you might want to join me and some friends in a little party.' 

With the utmost politeness, Vincent has to confess himself engaged elsewhere.

'I'm sorry, Dorian, I have a prior engagement tonight with my business associates, but I'd love to join you some other time.'

Politeness forces him to say this, but in fact Vincent doesn't feel like getting closer to this man at all. Shaking his hand has given him a very uncomfortable feeling inside, fortunately the flashes seem to be exhausted tonight, but he fears to be touched by him again. 

It feels tempting, as if the man draws people to him with a sexual energy, probably without even noticing it himself. Vincent feels pulled towards him against his will, acutely conscious of the tempting force of Dorian Grey and still barely able to resist it. 

Dorian smiles. 'I'm very sorry to hear you are engaged already, but I'm looking forward to that time in the future when we will get to know each other better.' 

On impulse, Vincent smiles at him sweetly and says, 'There is someone I'd like you to meet, my sweetest friend Adison.' 

And he beckons her over from where she is, talking and laughing with Maud. She sees the urgency in his eyes and comes over straight away. 

He quickly takes her hand, feeling the sexual pull of Dorian drain out of him, followed by a little squeeze from her.

'This is Adison, my room-mate and lover. She is a partner in Doctor Frankenstein's practice.' 

Adison of course is not visibly affected by Dorian's temptation, but Vincent is very curious if she has felt it too. He'll ask her later. For now, Adison holds her hand out to Dorian, and he kisses it elegantly. 

He is clearly pleased by this old-fashioned gesture, enabling him to reply much more gallantly than with a handshake.

'And when Vincent is finally able to visit, please come too, Miss Adison, I've heard a lot about your new practice. I've been told you have snatched Mrs Gould back from the brink of death, and that she is fit as a fiddle again. Bring the doctor too, I've heard he is a handsome man and very well-read. Please?' 

Adison feels quite safe promising they'll come, there is no way she'd let Vincent or Victor into this man's claws without her, but it will be interesting and good promotion for their practice, and she is sure she can keep the boys from falling into Dorian's clutches. 

They part with the utmost politeness and friendliness, and they watch Dorian Grey looking for and finding Miss Yves, and see them talking together for some time. Noticing that the public has more or less left, Vincent wraps his arms around Adison, and they stand together for some moments, not speaking, just feeling. Then he whispers in her ear, 'Did you feel that Dorian Grey's pull as well?' 

'I did feel it, but wasn't affected. Were you?' 

'I was, I saw myself going with him, doing everything he asked, I couldn't believe it. So I touched you and all was fine. Do you really think we should visit him?' 

Adison is thoughtful.

'We cannot refuse, and anyhow, it'll be good for our practice, and I am sure I can protect both of you from him or his other guests.'

They decide to go to the doctor's house for Vincent's account of his flashback, master Man coming with them to meet the doctor and to hear the news.

For Victor also has some new insights to share, having been to doctor Van Helsing for a consultation over the creature's blood, and to Sir Malcolm to check on the possessed boy and to discuss the results of the blood work.

Vincent starts relating his flashback.

'I was in a coach, and I had control of the body this time. So I checked everything to see if I could find out my name. I had a gold watch with an inscription by a Cathy, and a dagger signed by a London maker. There was nothing more, no labels or heraldic signs. We arrived at a seedy bar, I went in, met a blonde woman called Mina that I knew well but wasn´t intimate with. I hoped she would use my name, but my body warned me of danger instead.

I reacted too slowly and got hit from behind. I knew this was the blow that killed me, and I knew that had I not been in that body, the old me would have survived the attempt, for he was aware of it and would have been able to fight it off. The more I think about it, the dizzier I get, so I prefer not to try to understand how this could happen and what the implications are. Was this on purpose, or accidental, did the enemy orchestrate this?'

First to react is Victor, crying out, 'But, the girl that Sir Malcolm is looking for, his daughter who is under the influence of the enemy, she is a blonde woman called Mina. If this was her, your old self was almost certainly killed by the enemy! She was clearly distracting the old you from looking behind him. 

But you say it would not have been enough if you hadn't kept the body from reacting. Did they underestimate your old self, or did they know you would be there controlling him?' 

Master Man observes, 'We have heard of instances like this before, like time doubling up on itself. We'll have think it through, that may take a few days. Will you be all right, Vincent?'

Vincent nods. 

Then the Master addresses the doctor. 

'Good to finally meet you, doctor Frankenstein. We have talked about the creature this afternoon and we'd like you to fill in some of our blanks. Did you find out what those hieroglyphs on the body mean? And is it true that Miss Yves is possessed sometimes? And is there someone in that household that might be a dormant well of power, a powerful, stable person, probably in a low position, where his or her power would be stagnant?

Here, Vincent intercedes.

'I know who that last person is, it's Sir Malcolm's manservant. When I shook hands with him he felt firmly grounded.'

And Victor adds, 'I do know what the hieroglyphs mean, they are a kind of prophecy, that if the male snake god, who is immortal because he devours souls to renew his body time and time again, comes together with an Egyptian Goddess, the world will come under their domination.

And Miss Yves does indeed observe things from the unseen, and sometimes she fights possession, and she tends to know all kinds of bad deeds people have committed. They still have the possessed boy there too.'

'Hearing this', the old man says, 'I can see one thing we can do in the very least, to make life difficult for our enemy. If you accompany Victor next time he visits, Adison, you can wake the powers of the manservant, it is but the one formula you have to speak whilst touching him.'

Adison agrees, and observes, 'Both the boy and Miss Yves will come into contact with him, then the magic is drained, and the possession loses much of its power. 

Miss Yves will most likely win the battle with his help, the boy is probably lost. But he may yet escape his cruel master in death.'

'And', Victor adds,' through my contact with doctor Van Helsing I have learned that what ails the creature, and all his servants, is vampirism. They suck blood to stay 'alive', though they are technically already dead because the vampire that sired them also killed them. They cannot stand the light of day, and can be killed by decapitation and a stake through the heart. 

Silver incapacitates them, and supposedly a well-aimed bullet can also end them. They are strong and fast. 

The dangerous three are planning to clear out another nest tomorrow night, and though Sir Malcolm does not want me along, I plan to convince him to take all of us, so we can surround it and make sure nothing escapes. Could you send a delegation as well, master Man?'

'I can ask which foolhardy boys want to risk their lives to do some good, yes. I'm sure I'll find volunteers. I'll let you know, also, any conclusions we have come to with the new information. 

I'm going home now, take some rest, it has been a hard day again for you. Goodnight!' 

And with this, he leaves, giving Adison, Victor and Vincent some time to spend together. They move to the four-poster with some snacks and a calming tea. 

Victor looks exhausted, and they ask him what the problem is.

'Well, Sir Malcolm's daughter is probably turned, so she can be found, but she cannot be saved. Vampirism is incurable. I had a hard time trying to convince him, but I didn't succeed. 

And the possessed boy is still quiet, but nothing I can do will save him, dying would be a mercy compared to what he is going through. 

Then Miss Yves flirted with me incessantly, as if I am too naive to understand her game. I asked her to be not quite as tactile towards you, Vincent, if you should meet again, and she laughed at me. Gave me one of those knowing looks, asked me if I was jealous. She didn't say of whom, which disappointed me a bit. I'm starting to seriously dislike her.' 

Vincent is affected by Victor's comments.

' Imagine you asking her of whom you were supposed to be jealous, her or me. You can be very funny when you feel like it.'

Seeing how shaken and tired Victor really is, Adison holds out her arms in an inviting fashion.

'Want to make someone jealous?'

Victor gladly accepts the invitation and moves towards her, resting his head on her lap and letting himself be spoiled a bit. He immediately relaxes a little and says, 'Doctor Van Helsing says I need to look up from my work and get me a girl of my own. Do you think I should?' 

'Of course you should, if you feel able to give her the attention she'll need. Girls do cost a lot of time, you know. And money. And you'll need to find one that can stand us, for you cannot get rid of us anymore.' 

Vincent is also very tired, the day is catching up with him and he just wants a little love, too. So he moves as well, settling himself behind Adison, and letting go of the things he has learned that day. And when the doctor moves to his own bed, they crawl into theirs as well. 

But not to sleep, not yet. They lie awake together, trying not to think of anything, and failing miserably. So Adison decides to choose the cheeriest subject to think and talk about. 

'You were so good today, I just couldn't believe it. I cried right through the whole show, I was just so happy to see you triumph.' 

He moves right on top of her, supporting his weight with his arms, but totally covering her with his body. It feels so comforting to have him this close, enveloped in his scent, feeling his skin and muscles touching her everywhere. 

'I felt invincible, on top of the world. It was as if everything revolved around me for the duration of the play.' 

She teasingly strokes his face, his hair, of course moving towards the scar on his temple.

'Was it as good a feeling as making love?' 

His body tenses and his temperature rises the instant she touches it, but he can still answer feelingly.

'Nothing feels as good as making love to you, except the memory of that one moment that you accepted me.' 

Her fingers trace downward, her voice no longer teasing.

'That moment was the best moment of my life too.' 

Vincent loses his fervour for one moment.

'Would you believe that I doubted you for one moment today? That I thought your love might be a compulsion put on you?'

She shakes her head.

'No, I wouldn't. Do you still doubt me?'

He moves towards her to kiss her.

'When you held my head and looked into my eyes just after I came out of the flashback, I knew. I knew that you love me as much as I love you, of your own free will.' 

They kiss longingly and Adison feels her heat rising again. She continues her stroking of her lover's scars, finally getting the explosive reaction she wants. No more talk of feelings, and no tender loving for now. There is a part of him that needs some release too, and she is only too happy to initiate it. 

Feeling his glorious strength envelop her, she gives herself up to her passion completely, and together they sate their lusts, forgetting everything but each other. Then they fall asleep, still totally entwined, and sleep dreamlessly until the new day.



Nature or Nurture Ch. 13



Knowing they will have a hard and dangerous night, they sleep late and have a leisurely breakfast. Victor is planning to see the boy again, and they decide to all go, to convince Sir Malcolm to let them in on the raid tonight. 

As it turns out, he is quite ready to. Last night, when Miss Yves was at the theatre, his house was invaded by another of those creatures, undoubtedly called by the possessed boy, probably the whole reason they had been able to get their hands on him. Its target was clearly Miss Yves, for it was hiding in her room. 

Once discovered by Sir Malcolm, it fled, and the boy died attacking Sir Malcolm. He is convinced there is a nest on a ship in the harbour, and he wants to raid it to have a shot at rescuing his daughter.

Miss Yves does not try to touch Vincent anymore, which is a relief to him. That doesn't mean she leaves him alone, though. She seems quite fascinated by him, drawing him out to talk about the theatre, and his past. 

'Mr Smith', she says, 'Dorian and I agreed yesterday that we'd never seen better acting than yours that evening.'

'Please call me Vincent, I'm not used to being Mr Smith. And thank you so much for such a compliment. I suppose you have both seen a lot of plays, so I'm really flattered by your praise.' 

She visibly checks a movement of her hand towards him.

'Have you known since childhood that you wanted to be an actor? Did you have lessons from a private master, or at public school?' 

Amused at her cunning inquiries about his youth, probably fishing for his birth and status, he answers truthfully.

'Actually, I had no interest in the theatre or acting until about a year ago, when my whole life took a different turn.' 

Disappointed to get no further information, she asks, 'Is that when you met Miss Adison? Is she so very fond of the theatre? Where did she go anyway?' 

She looks around the room.

Knowing that Adison went in search of the manservant, Vincent keeps the conversation going by giving some information.

'It did happen after I met her, when I became a totally different person. But it was not through her love of the theatre, she is much like the doctor in that she loves nothing as much as medicine. She's probably with him as we speak, studying that boy's remains.' 

He enjoys talking about his past in riddles, and has piqued Miss Yves' interest in their love-life.

'Aren't you afraid they'll fall in love over some corpse or other?' she asks daringly.

Vincent is surprised that she knows Adison and him are a couple. Of course, she may have seen them together in the theatre, but he still asks with some surprise, 'So you know that she and I are lovers?' 

Triumphantly she reveals, 'I knew when I saw you both in the basement, first time you were here with the doctor. When you held that boy in that incredible grip of yours, I noticed her reaction. She certainly enjoyed the memory of being held that way herself.' 

Vincent is impressed and also slightly embarrassed, but he does not hesitate to credit Miss Yves.

'You are indeed a keen observer, Miss Yves' 

'Please call me Vanessa', she says, ' I admit to feeling a little bit envious of Miss Adison at that moment, and also yesterday evening at the theatre when you proved yourself a great talent. She gets to be held by you, and I am forbidden to even touch you.' 

Vincent decides to let her flirtations pass, but to do let her know the truth, at least part of it. They are in this together after all.

'It is nothing personal, Vanessa, it's just that your touch caused me to have strong flashbacks twice now, and our mission with you would become a lot more dangerous with me incapacitated. I can't risk Adison or the doctor.' 

Cunningly she brings the conversation back to that point.

'Ah, the doctor. Aren't you even a tiny bit jealous then, them always being together, cutting up bodies, sitting in the audience watching you play? After he did that to you?' 

This last she says looking pointedly at the large white scar on his right temple. Though she fortunately does not touch it, he still gets a physical shock from what she says. How can she know the doctor did that to him? 

Seeing his reaction, fearing she has gone too far, she has to check herself from touching him, again, and quickly says, 'He didn't tell me anything, I guessed from his reaction.' 

Having recollected himself, but agreeing with the doctor that this woman is way too clever for her own good, he decides to once again be honest.

'You are indeed right, the doctor caused these wounds, but I would be dead without his interference. And without Adison's healing skills, I would have been maimed for life, forever dreaming of being an actor but never able to realize that dream. I trust them both with my life, and with my love.'

Now it is Vanessa's turn to be stunned, she'd have sworn the doctor was still untouched, but this man clearly has loved him, physically. Her view on this threesome needs an update, they are held together by a much stronger bond than just a working relationship. So much different from her own group of three, brought together by their fear of loving as much as anything.

They decide to clear out the nest as a group that night, including whichever Chinese daredevil wants to join them. Victor, still affected by the fate of the poor possessed boy, is glad to be included. He does not look forward to violence and danger, but this needs to be stopped, and he is confident that he can hold his own in a fight. 

Adison has had a good talk with Sembene, about his past, his reasons for being here in apparent servitude to Sir Malcolm. She has released his talent for drawing in and grounding magic, with his express permission. 

He never knew it was there, but knows it will give them a decided advantage in the coming battle. He agrees with doctor Van Helsing, that Sir Malcolm's daughter is probably lost to vampirism, and knowing what this may lead to, he has added his voice to the doctor's, preparing the determined father that rescue may not be an option anymore.

Back home, they check their weapons. Guns are loaded, swords and knives sharpened. Bruce drops by, to let them know he will meet them after the show with five young fighters from his community. They will bring wooden stakes. 

When Bruce has left, carrying some poetry books, they decide to try and take some rest. It will be a long night. Vincent tells Adison about Miss Yves' deductions, amazed at her intelligence, but not at her tact.

'She made me feel very uncomfortable, I'm temped to avoid her from now on. I can't imagine her having any friends.' 

Adison replies, a bit sadly, 'I do think she is very lonely, I feel kind of sorry for her. Stuck in a house with that cruel old man. I bet there is a really sad story there, a secret she hides by uncovering everybody else's.' 

Then she turns towards the man she loves, straddling him and kissing him fervently. 

'I'm so happy we have each other', she says. 

In answer, he looks straight at her, letting his eyes speak for him. His arms enfold her, and they lie together, trying to find some sleep. Soon, Adison feels Vincent relax in sleep, and she watches him for awhile, keeping still so as not to wake him. It is so comforting to lie next to someone she loves so much, to see him completely at rest, to feel his warmth, and smell his skin. She is not nervous about tonight, she knows that with Bruce and five of his mates they will be reasonably safe. Also, she has a feeling that she may be immune to vampirism.

After some time, Vincent no longer feels totally relaxed, his body tenses and he gets restless. His eyelids flutter, and he mumbles. He is clearly dreaming, and knowing the direction his dreams tend to take this last week, Adison decides to keep an eye on him.

She really wants to take his hand, or stroke his hair, but she is afraid this will wake him, or make his dream, well, an ordinary dream. And he does seem to want to know more about his former life.

In way, she wants to know too. 

She doesn't really care who he was, what he has done in his former life. But she knows he is the man that she wants to spend the rest of her life with, and having been raised traditionally, and living in a very traditional society, she would prefer to share their lives legitimately. Married, so to speak. Which is hard if one of the partners has no name. But if they never find out, she will cope, she knows she cannot live without Vincent.

The latter, meanwhile, is indeed living through a recollection, and not a particularly pleasant one, though quite interesting. In his dream, he is hiding in the kitchen of the old house in the heath, whilst Cathy, the love of his life, is talking to her former nurse and the housekeeper Nelly. He hears Cathy tell she has received an offer of marriage from a certain Linton, whom she scorns but who is well-born, fashionable and rich. 

Heathcliff, whilst being more herself than she is, made of the same fire as she is, is too far beneath her to marry, they would have nothing to live on together. 

His former self is crushed, and wants to leave, but his new self wants to hear the rest of the story and stays right where he is, forcing the other to hear what his lover has to add to her hurtful observations about him.

Then Cathy tells the housekeeper she realizes Heathcliff and herself are one and the same, but to have an income and get away from her mad brother, who hates Heathcliff, she needs to marry a man with an independent income. 

Heathcliff, so that is the name of his former self, and he apparently lived in servitude to Cathy's brother at a certain time of his life, preventing her from marrying him. 

His young former self is dressed in rags, not the expensive clothes he has seen himself wearing at the time of his death. So one would think that this explanation by Cathy must have changed something in his life, making him flee from a life as a servant, into independence.

After such an intense experience one is almost certain to wake up for awhile, to get a grip of one's own life again. Vincent is no exception, and when he wakes up, realizing he is himself, not Heathcliff, he finds Adison waiting for him, watching his vital signs and hoping he'll remember what he has dreamed of. 

Relieved beyond measure, he can focus on remembering his past life, and from her loving embrace he tells her what he has learned of his past. 

'So you were called Heathcliff, and you were a servant too lowly for Cathy to marry,' she recapitulates. 

'That does not agree with your rich clothes, and your status when riding in a coach.' 

He is just too relieved to recognize the woman he loves to make any sense immediately, so she just holds him and waits for him to collect his wits. Then he observes, 'I think I may have changed my former self's life again: he wanted to run away to avoid hearing Cathy speak ill of him, but I stayed, and he heard her say they were meant for each other, that she just wanted him away from her cruel brother.' 

Because that is just to weird to think much about, they decide to try to get some more sleep before it is time to go to the theatre. 



Nature or Nurture Ch. 14



After the play they introduce themselves to Bruce's friends, collect their weapons and go to the appointed meeting place. As a group, they move stealthily towards the large ship. They decide that Sir Malcolm, Sembene, Miss Yves and the American are to find and destroy the creatures, assisted by Bruce and his five friends. 

Six martial arts specialists armed with wooden stakes are quite a force, and they hope to get all of the creatures this time. To cover all exits, Vincent, Victor and Adison have decided they will take the back exit as their entrance. Both groups will have a priest, and both will have quite some fighting power. 

 Vanessa is glad she has decided to join the expedition, when Dorian called today to ask her to spend the evening with him she was tempted, but she can call on him tomorrow. With a force this size they can clear out the nest with no chance of escape, and if they do get Mina she needs to be there, to reason with her. 

Also, she is still fascinated by the doctor and his two friends. Seeing them operate in a fight will be interesting, neither of them looks to be useful in a fight, but she suspects they might be well-trained, especially the pale actor whose strength and quickness surprised them all in the matter of that unfortunate boy. 

And then there are the Chinese men, boys really. They are small and wiry, and dressed in loose black trousers and tunics. Their spokesman introduces himself as Bruce, an engaging fellow who also has a role in the play. They are supposed to be excellent fighters, and she is looking forward to observing their style. 

She is not afraid, she never is. Her only fears are stagnation and boredom. She expects no danger to herself in such a well-armed group.

 The inside of the ship smells horribly of death and decay. Bruce and his team spread out around Sir Malcolm's group, scanning the area for danger. The space is low, as is usual on a ship. 

All too soon, they are rushed by the screeching white women of their former encounter, and she can see the boys in action. They whirl and turn, striking with their hands and kicking as well, even as high as their opponents' heads. They are clearly not used to foes that keep coming despite being struck repeatedly, that stand up again and again after being floored. 

But they soon adapt, freeing their stakes to put an end to their enemies. There are quite a few opponents now, some men also, who are clearly possessed. 

Ethan and Sir Malcolm shoot several, and Sembene also accounts for quite a few. The ranks are thinning quickly, mostly through the efforts of the six black-clad fighting machines, of which Bruce clearly is the star. He is faster than lightning, not staying in one place long enough to even take one hit. 

His tumbles and jumps are incredible, he seems to be flying sometimes, always landing on some foe, ready to kill. Soon, there are no creatures standing. Something changes in the atmosphere, it thickens somehow, a feeling of dread is trying to get hold of her. Maybe some spell?

 Then suddenly it clears away, and Mina is standing before them. 

The fighters regroup behind her own companions, the fighting over for now they'll watch their backs. 

Mina reaches out her hand to Vanessa, her expression mild and thankful.

'Dear Vanessa, papa, thank you for coming to save me!' 

Vanessa, desperately eager to believe that this is the moment that her wrong will finally be righted, walks towards her, arm outstretched in welcome. But when their hands touch, Mina's expression changes from mild to gleeful. 

She pulls Vanessa towards her roughly and takes her in a strangle- hold around her throat.

'Welcome dear Vanessa, my master will be so pleased to finally meet his wife!'

Her eyes are totally black, and she exudes evil. Time slows for Vanessa, and still she isn't afraid, half-strangled and threatened to be given to some evil mastermind.

From where she is held, she can see the reactions of her companions. Bruce and his mates still alert to danger from behind, but also ready to rush Mina on a word. 

Ethan indecisive for the moment, probably wanting to shoot Mina but afraid to hit herself. 

Sembene is seeing something more than just the two of them, he looks above them. Sir Malcolm looks anguished, and says, 'Dear Mina, we have come to save you, please let Vanessa go.' 

 She laughs scathingly, and replies, 'Perhaps I don't want to be saved, father, perhaps I'm happy as I am now.' 

The look on Sir Malcolm's face changes towards determination. He aims the gun and shoots his own daughter in the shoulder, any shot closer to a vital part as likely to kill Vanessa as Mina. Or maybe he doesn't want to kill his daughter at all.

Despite feeling light headed from lack of air, Vanessa is ready to make a run for it, towards safety. As soon as she feels the bullet-stricken arm waver, she tears loose, and runs towards Ethan, collapsing in his arms.

 With six black-clad warriors running towards her, Mina is hit by another bullet from her father's gun, this time much closer to a vital part of her body. She collapses wordlessly, but before anyone can reach her, one of the evil creatures drops down from over their heads, picks up her still shape, and disappears in a wink. 

Bruce and his guys find no trace of blood, no sign where they went. He asks Sir Malcolm, 'Sir, do you want to take the lady home? We can comb out the ship to see if we can find them.' 

'They're probably miles away by now, you won't find them. But suit yourselves. Thank you for your help tonight, may we impose on you again if we have to go out another time?' 

'You certainly may, Sir,' is the answer, 'good night to all of you, and good luck for the lady!' 

And with this, they part company. 

Bruce and his friends comb out the whole hold of the ship, and finally they find a hidden door that the creature may have disappeared through. They open it, and indeed they find a blood trail, proving that this is the right way to go.

 After the main group has disappeared into the hold of the ship, Adison, Vincent and the doctor enter via a hatch in the poop deck. 

Descending an narrow stairs, they soon find themselves in a twisting corridor. Walking along, keeping a close watch out for danger from front and back, they move along at a good pace. 

'Do we know where we are going?' Victor asks. 

Adison answers, 'We keep going to the front of the ship, as we come closer to the creatures I'll probably be able to feel their evil.' 

She has her gun out, ready to fire. The others have their weapons readied as well, Victor his gun, Vincent a wooden stake. Silently they follow the corridor over half the length of the ship. Then it opens into a hall, with several doors. Now they have to choose a door. 

'Adison, can you pick one?' Vincent asks. 

He follows her as she checks out three doors. One, she dismisses outright. 

'This one leads down to the engine rooms. They are not in that direction.' 

She does not feel a lot of difference between the other two.

'Let's try the middle one.' 

As they open the door, sounds of a fight reach them, and they hurry along the corridor towards the noise. At the end of the corridor, they find two doors to left and right, but the fight is clearly straight ahead. So they retrace their steps, ready to take the third door. They open it, and find a larger space, in the right direction. Crossing this room, they hear the sounds of the fight have stopped. 

Adison now quietly points them in the right direction, she can clearly feel the evil close-by. They ready themselves for a fight, as they reach another door. But before they can open it, it crashes inward, opened from the other side. 

 One of the creatures emerges, carrying a body over its shoulder. As it sees them, it drops the body and hurls itself at Vincent with a howl of rage. He is shocked by the evil emanating from the thing, but his reflexes have already taken over. 

He catches it with a roll, and launches a kick straight after. They hear it connect, but the creature is not beaten that easily. It goes for Vincent's throat, as if it wants to rip him apart, and its claws do manage to get a hold of him. But two can play at that game, and with one hand, Vincent grabs the creature's armoured throat, with the other, he manages to free his own neck before its claws can do serious damage. 

He has only one hand to protect himself from the creature, and one of the thing's claws indeed manages to inflict a serious ripping wound to his chest. But even through the insect-like body armour, Vincent's iron grip is taking its toll on his attacker. The creature cannot breathe freely and loses strength quickly, its one free claw striking again and again, but with less damaging force. 

Letting go of the other claw to force an end to a situation in which he is getting ripped by one of the creature's claws repeatedly, Vincent releases its second claw, grabs the thing's gruesome head, and snaps its neck. 

As life seems to leave it, he doesn't take any chances, picks up his stake where it has fallen and rams it into the heart with all his force. The stake pierces the body armour easily, and the creature shudders, then dies. 

 Meanwhile, Adison has checked out the body it has dropped, whilst Victor stands guard. It is a woman's body, and it still has a little life left in it. 

As she turns it to face up, Victor says urgently, 'That may very well be Sir Malcolm's daughter, better watch out Adison, she may still be dangerous!'

Noting this, she is extra careful, but she still feels sorry for the stricken woman. She has been shot twice, once in the shoulder, and once close to the heart, probably in the lungs, for her breathing is very shallow. The woman opens her eyes, and they are black. She does not look particularly evil otherwise, but Adison can feel it in her. 

She takes hold of the woman's face with both hands, cupping it tenderly. Too weak to resist, the woman doesn't even seem to mind Adison's touch. Looking in her black eyes, Adison speaks a few unintelligible words and kisses her on her forehead. Closing her eyes as Adison kisses her, when the wounded woman opens them soon after, they are no longer black, but blue. 

Victor gasps in wonder, still keeping an eye on both how Vincent is faring, and on Adison's safety. 'Did you cure her?' he asks. 

'I don't think vampirism can be cured, it is an irreversible process in the body, but I think I have taken the enemy's control off her.'

 Having defeated his attacker, Vincent now joins them, and as he sees the woman's face, he exclaims, 'That is the woman I met in the bar, in my former life!'

She briefly opens her eyes at the sound of his voice, and whispers, 'Heathcliff! How..' Then she passes out, the front of her dress drenched in blood.

 Looking at Vincent in a reaction to hearing his real name, Adison sees the horrible wounds on his chest. Now they have two people in need of medical attention, and while they have two doctors, something is coming their way. 

So with Adison checking out Vincent's wounds, Victor awaits whatever it is, gun ready. Fortunately it is Bruce, with his mates. He quickly tells them Sir Malcolm is already on his way home. 

Now he and his friends can guard, whilst Victor checks out Mina's wounds to see if they are fatal. When he touches her, removing part of her dress to see and feel the wounds, she regains consciousness for a short moment, looking straight at him and begging him, 'Please help me.' 

He tries to comfort her. 'Don't worry, my lady, we will take care of you.'

And with a last, 'Please don't tell my father that I'm with you,' she passes out again.

 Adison has managed to stop Vincent's wounds from bleeding, now she wants to go home quickly to clean them and have closer look at them. She fears infection from the creature's claws, a small anxious part of her suggests they may even be poisonous. But there is nothing further she can do here, so they send the fastest two boys to fetch a cart, and proceed to lift Mina carefully out of the holds of the ship. 

Vincent follows on his own two feet, but it is clear he is really hurting now, and Adison supports him wherever she can.

With the help of a hand-drawn cart from the Chinese quarter they manage to move the still-unconscious woman to their home. Victor asks Bruce to stay a little longer, for he may need to operate on her to remove the bullets, and to do that he will need to get her on his table in the attic. The rest of the boys return to their own homes, having promised to keep Mina a secret from everyone but their own Council.



Nature or Nurture Ch. 15



Without taking time to rest or eat and drink something, they set to work. 

Adison starts on Vincent, cleaning the wounds carefully and suturing where needed. They are nasty gashes, but the biggest danger lies in infection, poisoning fortunately seems no longer likely since Vincent is not doing worse than before. In half an hour, she is done and with the wounds clean and no longer bleeding, Vincent feels well enough to make them all some nightly snack. 

Operating will not be a success if they faint of hunger during the procedure. 

Rushing upstairs to the attic, Adison finds Victor busy removing the bullet from Mina's shoulder wound. He has found Bruce an able assistant, but now Adison is here he prefers her expert help. Bruce goes downstairs to help Vincent, if they want him to play tomorrow, he'll need plenty of rest to fight off infection.

The shoulder wound is not a very difficult task for Victor, with his experience in pathology. There are only two problems, live patients tend to bleed a lot, which he is not used to, and they can get infected. 

Fortunately, that is Adison's area of expertise, and as they will soon find out, vampire bodies do not react like human ones. As soon as the bullet is removed, Adison readies a thread to close the wound, but a weird thing is happening: looking at it, she can see the edges of the wound closing, angry red tissue knitting together, then fading to pink, then to white. 

Mina is healing herself at an incredible rate! 

But the chest wound, the dangerous wound, is not closing. 

'Do you think the bullet is silver, preventing her from healing herself?' 

Adison muses, 'It may very well be, that shoulder wound closed as soon as you got it out. But the other bullet will be a lot more difficult, it may have struck a lung.' 

Victor wipes his hands and forehead clean with a rag. There is only one thing to do, go in and try.

He examines the wound first, to see if he can find out how deep the bullet is lodged. If she heals this wound as quickly after the bullet is extracted, he can just cut his way in and the damage will repair itself quickly.

'Do you think her lungs were hit?'

Adison listens to Mina's breathing with her stethoscope, it's shallow but not ragged, so she dares hope they were not hit. 

Knowing they cannot wait too long, they decide Victor will remove the bullet as quickly as he can, and let her vampire body heal itself. And he does, Adison keeping the blood away so he can see what he is doing. Soon he can fish it out, and they wait for the miraculous recovery. 

But nothing happens. 

And Mina starts to look really bad, it seems as if they may be losing her after all. 

'The silver is out, what can be the trouble?' Adison wonders. 

Suddenly Victor has a revelation, 'What if she has no resources left to heal herself with? She must have had internal damage as well, and it took us quite a long time to get her here. She needs sustenance.'

And before Adison can stop him, he has picked up a clean knife and made a cut across his wrist, opening her mouth and holding the bleeding arm over it. 

As soon as his blood touches her tongue, her body springs into action. With both hands she grabs the arm, leading it to her mouth, sucking the blood straight from the wound. 

After his first shock at her unexpected action, Victor experiences a really strong lust surging through him, her sucking feels so good! Adison guesses what is happening, and keeping an eye on Victor's colour and on Mina's vital signs, she decides to stop her after a few minutes. 

Victor comes to himself quickly.

'Whew, that was quite an experience! I thought vampires were evil, unconscionable killers, but this felt very much like a survival mechanism meant to keep donors alive and happy, blissfully happy.' 

A small sound brings their attention back to Mina.

'Thank you, sir!'

They both see that the wound on her chest is well on its way to closing, and she is awake and quite aware. There is no sign of the evil minion in her anymore, she looks like a bewildered young woman. And Victor looks nearly as bewildered, a bit faint, actually. 

Mina invites him to her.

'Maybe you want to sit down next to me for a moment, sir? I'm afraid I took quite a lot of your blood being on the brink of true-death. When I am conscious I know when to stop. I think. I can't remember much, actually. What happened?' 

Victor does exactly what she offers, he sits down on the edge of the table right next to her. She takes his hand, and he lets her. He feels better immediately, the faintness lessening. He is also famished, and asks Mina, 'Are you up to walking stairs? I want to show you your room, you may want to lie down in a real bed for a good sleep.' 

She looks even better now, only a few minutes later, and replies, 'I can walk a bit, yes. Is the window covered? Daylight would kill me, you know.' 

'We'll settle that straight away, please don't worry. But we do need to get some food and some rest. Is it all right if we tell you what happened tomorrow? We don't know how much you do remember, but we'll try to fill in the blanks as well as we can.' 

She looks up at him thankfully, squeezing his hand lightly.

'It will be fine. Thank you so much for saving my life, doctor.'

His heart racing, Victor says, 'Please call me Victor, Mina.'

'Thank you Victor.'

And to Adison, 'And thank you for saving me, too, Miss, and not just physically. I don't know how you did it, but I know it was you who freed me.' 

Adison offers her hand in greeting, and says, 'I'm Adison, Mina, and I'm pleased to meet you.'

They move downstairs, where Victor shows Mina to a room. Adison brings her a clean nightgown, which she is glad to wear instead of the blood-soaked dress they had to cut her out of. Then she climbs into the bed, and is soon fast asleep. Her breathing slows dramatically, making her look dead. 

Victor cannot believe what just happened, he sits down on the bed next to her and tries to get his mind around it. Someone possessed by evil, and Adison took that away, just like that? He feels some distrust of this woman, who has led her father and friend a merry chase, and has undoubtedly killed a lot of innocent people. But she looks so vulnerable. 

He very gently touches her face, and it feels cold to the touch. She does not react to his touch, this is clearly not sleep as humans know it, but a much deeper comatose rest.

He closes the curtains, getting nails and a hammer to nail them shut to make sure she won't burn in her bed when the sun comes up. He looks at her in wonder one more time, closing the door behind him. Then it's off to the kitchen for a hearty meal, he has a feeling he will be donating more blood in the future.

Vincent, Bruce and Adison are already seated in the homely kitchen. It is quite spacious and old-fashioned, with a big table in one corner to gather around on nights like these. There is plenty of food, and Victor does Bruce's cooking justice, eating like a harbour labourer. 

Vincent remarks, 'Dear Victor, what have you done to work up such an appetite?' 

Clearly, he has not been informed yet of Victor's latest medical discovery: vampires heal quicker when fed straight from the artery. 

Adison laughs, 'I haven't told them yet, been too busy stuffing myself until now.' 

Well, Victor is not going to stop eating yet, so Adison'll have to tell them or they will have to wait. Adison explains.

'Mina heals really quickly, being a vampire. She couldn't heal until Victor got the bullets out, they're probably silver, which is poison to her kind. The arm wound closed immediately after it was out. I wanted to suture it but it was not necessary. 

But when he had taken out the one in her chest, she didn't heal at all, and she started to fade a lot. So he guessed she must be running out of energy, dealing with the wounds and of course the poison in her body. He slashed his wrist and let the blood drip in her mouth. 

At the first taste of it, she came out of her near coma, got hold of his arm and drank it straight from the vein, until I broke it off when I thought he'd given as much as he could miss. She woke up after that, made a nice apology too, for being greedy.'  

Vincent asks, 'Why didn't you stop her yourself, Victor?' 

Now that was weird, he recalls, and he tells his friends, 'When she sucked at my vein, I got overpowered by a strong feeling of lust, and I didn't want it to end.'

Bruce prefers to go home for some sleep, he assures them that a vampire in the comatose state Mina is in, will not wake up in daytime, so they can safely leave her alone. 

'But won't she attract another one of those creatures?' the doctor asks. 

Adison isn't sure, 'But I don't think she will, I got his mark off her really well I think.' 

Bruce agrees with her, then sets off for home. 

When Victor admits he does not want to stay awake the rest of the night, but doesn't want to leave their guest all alone in a strange house either, they suggest he gets one of the pallets from the attic and into her room, and he decides he will do just that. And though he soon falls into a deep sleep himself, he still feels better knowing she is not alone.

Adison checks the gashes on Vincent's chest once more, seeing they are a bit swollen, but not alarmingly so. She is very relieved that it is all over, though taking Sir Malcolm's daughter with them and keeping her at their own house seems a bit dangerous to her, even if she can feel no evil left in her. 

Still, she is too tired to really worry about it, and tomorrow will be very interesting. Maybe they will hear a bit more about the enemy they are up against, and about Vincent's past as Heathcliff. It is clear that Mina knew him under that name. Maybe she can shed a bit of light on his life's history until he was killed in a brawl. 

But for now, they crawl into their comfortable warm bed together to enjoy some intimacies after a stressful and exhausting day. Taking care not to touch the claw-marks on his chest and the smaller puncture wounds in his neck, she caresses every inch of him, glad they spent so much time learning how to fight. 

'Did you lose control fighting today? Against such a vicious creature you'd almost have to.' 

'Now you mention it, no, I didn't', he says, 'I knew exactly what I was doing the whole time. I think we're one again, my violent part and me.' 

'Good for you', she breathes, not stopping for one moment with her caresses. Despite a really tough day, he has some energy left in him to produce a surge of passion. He holds her tightly, and a lot less considerate of his own injuries he returns all the caresses to her. 

Afraid that if his wild self doesn't surface in such an attack, it may be gone for good, she is tempted to draw it out, but with his injuries and after the events of the day, she cannot exhaust him even more. So they keep it small and tender, and make love carefully. Then they give themselves up to sleep.



Nature or Nurture Ch. 16



The next day, and probably none too early after their nightly excursion, Victor wakes up confusedly. He has had really vivid dreams, but he can only remember some colourful impressions of places he has never actually seen himself.

A bustling city, sprawling with dark skinned people in colourful flowing robes, and market stalls overloaded with exotic fruits. A temple, overgrown with a lush green forest, with noisy, long limbed creatures with flowing tails jumping through them. Weird. 

As he slowly comes out of the fantastic world of his dream, he remembers where he really is, and what has happened last night. His senses register that the room is still totally dark, even though it must be full day outside. 

And his wakening senses also register that he is not alone in his improvised bed. 

He can feel something pressing against his back, and he feels an arm around his shoulder. Very carefully, he turns around, seeing if what he thinks has happened is indeed true. Snuggled up really close to him, he finds Mina, fast asleep in the comatose state of her kind when the sun is in the sky. 

How did she wake up to sneak in beside him? She should have been comatose from the moment she went to sleep last night! 

Suddenly he realizes there is an even more profound question: Why would she wánt to sneak in bed with him? He feels....elated. There is no other way to describe his feeling at realizing she must have woken somewhere before dawn set in, and then chose to seek comfort with him. With him, Victor Frankenstein, who until a year ago had only had close contact with dead people. With a knife.

Then he remembers that technically, the woman lying next to him is dead. The irony makes him laugh, but Mina doesn't react. Clearly she's comatose now, even if she apparently wasn't yesterday. She doesn't feel as cold to the touch either, she is probably warm from his own body heat. Maybe that is what she sought in his bed, just a little bodily warmth to heat up her cold blood. 

But something in him knows that isn't true, he knows she came to him as a human, as a person she trusts and maybe..loves. 

He stays with her a while longer, enjoying the feeling of having someone sharing his bed. She really is incredibly beautiful. Taller, and fuller of body than Adison, and somehow even more woman because of that. 

She looks totally at peace now, not in pain, not plagued by insecurity or remorse. To a vampire, sleep apparently is the total rest that humans can only wish for. This reminds him of his lively and totally unfamiliar dream last night. That must have come from Mina, he knows she has been to India, and that far country must look a lot like the place of his dream. 

But if that is true, if a vampire dreams too, they cannot experience total peace in their sleep. And if the body is powerless, and the mind just as restless inside, without the ability to wake up out of a nightmare, the enforced sleep of a vampire may become torture, especially if the vampire has escaped being controlled by evil like Mina. 

If she remembers anything from her past, she may suffer a lot of guilt, more than she can handle by herself. Well, he has done some despicable things too, not even controlled by an evil master, so he hopes she will choose to confide in him if she needs to share it.

When he enters the kitchen, Vincent and Adison are still there, having breakfast. The sun is already high, the day half gone. Small wonder after such an excursion. 

They greet him as one, Adison stands up and gives him a good warm hug. How does she always know what he needs? Vincent looks fine, Victor asks, 'Do you feel as good as you look this morning? Wounds not bothering you?' 

'I feel fine, it hurts of course, but no swelling, no fever. A few painkillers and I'm ready for the stage tonight. And how is your patient?' 

He must have reacted, for Adison asks concernedly, 'Something happened, nothing bad, I hope?' Victor sits down and accepts the cup of tea that Vincent hands him. How to tell this? Sipping from the cup, he starts,

'She looks fine, comatose, but her colour and temperature are fine, as far as I can tell. She breathes, very slowly and very shallowly, but I think that's normal as well.' 

He tries to formulate what happened, just the facts.

'Remember Bruce saying she wouldn't wake till sundown today? I dreamt of exotic places and strange people, and woke disoriented. When I came back to the now, I found myself in Mina's embrace. She was fast asleep right behind me. Her body was warm through my warmth. My movement didn't wake her. She must have woken up before sundown and decided to join me in my bed. Why do you think she did that?' he asks, almost plaintively.

This of course is for Adison to answer, though Vincent experiences a shiver of recollection, involuntarily reminded of the utter loneliness he once felt himself. Adison remembers that moment as well, he can see it in the way she looks at him. Then she looks at Victor.

'Dear friend, she probably woke up in the night, sad and very lonely, and she felt the need to be close to someone, someone who had been nice to her, even sweet. You saved her, then fed her and you accepted her hand and held it. She was probably very glad you were there for her, even though you were fast asleep.' 

Victor is silent for a few moments, then confesses, 'I'm afraid I'm already more than halfway in love with her. Do you think I'm setting myself up to be hurt? Did she only come to me because there was no-one else, because I was the warmest thing near? Miss Yves told me she is married.' 

'Of course you can get hurt, my dear, love always gives the other the power to hurt you. But yesterday she seemed very encouraging towards you. You are a very sweet and handsome man, you know. As for her marriage: can you seriously imagine her going back to her husband as a vampire?' Now Vincent looks quite concerned.

'But please Adison and Victor, do remember what Bruce said about blood giving someone power! Though on second thought, she's had her share of your blood already, so that is kind of too late.' They are all a bit sorry that it is only late summer, for they will have to wait that much longer until she wakes up. 

'That reminds me,' Vincent says, 'you will want to stay here with her, Victor, but wouldn't it be safer if Adison is here as well when she wakes up? The enemy may want her back.' 

Adison looks at Victor.

'What do you want, do you want me around?' 

Not wanting to separate the two lovers, but not quite ready to face a beautiful young woman on his own either, he says, 'Actually, I would feel safer with you around. Not because I think she is still under the influence of the enemy, but because I'm afraid to mess up. I'm not entirely accountable with her around, I'm afraid.' 

But Adison worries about Vincent.

'Will you be all right on your own? You're still wounded pretty badly.' 

'I know, therefore I'll send a boy to Bruce and ask him to pick me up and bring me home. I'll have the best fighter in the city as my personal guard.' 

And with that, Adison is completely satisfied.

A day passes fast when you get up really late. And before they know it, Bruce is there with Maud, to take Vincent to the theatre. Adison has fed Vincent some painkillers, and given him some to take with him for the rest of the night. She has padded the wounds extra firmly, to be sure he will not bleed for real on stage. 

While the guys talk about the events of last night, she draws Maud aside and tells her Vincent is wounded, knowing he'd never tell her he is in pain by himself, but certain Maud will take care not put pressure on his chest the coming nights. Maud promises to keep an eye on him for Adison.

As they set off, dusk is beginning to fall. Adison urges Victor to stay at Mina's side.

'It is important that she is not alone when she wakes up. You go sit with her. Don't feed her without me, though. She has probably never spared her prey, so until she knows when to stop I want to be there. I love you too, you know.' 

This encourages Victor to actually dare sit with Mina, and he picks up some notes that need sorting and a book, and enters her room. It is pitch dark, so he lights a lamp. Then he sits down on the bed and watches Mina sleep. She hasn't moved a muscle since he left, and she is showing no signs of waking up yet. He wonders what she will feel like when she wakes up, will she be glad to be free, or will she feel guilty for the things she has done?

Or maybe she will be like Vincent, totally forgetful. Though he doubts that, Adison would never do that to anyone, her cure cannot have been like a lightning strike combined with the chemical mixture he infused the body with to resurrect it. Not only did it cause Vincent the excruciating pain, but he thinks it also bleached his skin to white and his eyes from brown to yellow. He has burned his notes on that process, not wanting anyone able to repeat it.

Musing about his own misdeed, he has forgotten all about his notes and book. He has felt guilty a lot, realizing he tried to outdo God without having any insight in the consequences. Imagining what might have happened if Adison had not been there is very painful, and he has used it often to punish himself for his hubris. 

But at the same time it has brought him so much: friends, love, a new career as a practising doctor, weapons skills. It is a strange paradox, but he has learned to live with it, trying to make amends, try being a better person. He hopes that in time, he can help Mina to face her misdeeds, too. Suddenly he becomes aware of a small sound. Concentrating on it, he guesses it must be someone weeping softly, afraid to be heard. Mina. She must be awake, and not well.

Shyly he moves towards her, seeing her still lying on his pallet, but curled up like a child, head covered with the blanket. He doesn't know what to do, this has never been his strength. Thinking of Adison, he starts with just carefully touching the girl, to let her know he is here for her. 

The sound stops, and very slowly she looks up. Seeing him, she shows him her anguished face, and he no longer needs to think of what to do. He hold out his arms to her, and she unhesitatingly moves into his embrace. 

With her face on his chest, still crying quietly, she holds on to him so firmly it nearly hurts. He strokes her beautiful blond hair, and waits for her to say anything, do anything. And for a while nothing else happens, they sit there, holding on to each other.

Then Victor breaks the silence.

'Are you in pain?' 

'Not in physical pain, no. Your operation worked perfectly, though I still don't understand why you saved my worthless shadow of a life. I was one of the enemy, why didn't you leave me there to die?' Victor cannot take blame or credit for that.

'That was Adison's decision actually. She got the enemy's hooks out of you, then took you along with us. I suppose she judged you could be saved in both ways.'

She looks up at him again, crying.

'I've done such terrible things, you cannot imagine. You'd hate me if you knew, I hate myself for it.' Victor brings his head really close to hers, touching her face with his. 

'You were under an evil spell, you must not hate yourself for everything you did. Take responsibility for the decisions you made when you were still your own person. And try to become a better person than you were, make reparations and in time, you may forgive yourself.' 

His plea to take responsibility has touched her, and she observes, 'It sounds as if you have been through that process yourself, as if you have once made bad decisions and did evil things because of that.'

'I did, and I did them in full possession of my senses and of my own free will. I have tried to make reparations to the person I hurt deeply, and he has forgiven me, he even loves me now. I hope I have become a better person since then as well.' 

Mina has stopped crying, but she has not tried to put more distance between the two of them. If anything, she feels more comfortable in his embrace, interested in his history of making amends rather than bent on feeling sorry for herself. 

'Will you stay with me? May I stay with you? I feel so lonely,' she pleads. 

Victor smiles at her and finds the courage to kiss her hair. It smells just like a normal woman. He answers, 'I was just going to ask you the exact same thing.' 

After half an hour, they hear a knock on the door, and at their invitation Adison comes in. Victor realizes that though she is not even twenty, she is the pillar under their little group. She can fade into any background completely, but she can just as easily take charge and delegate under any circumstance. 

No-one even suggested leaving Mina behind to die when Adison decided to take her along. And though she was in a really bad state when it happened, Mina clearly knows, that though Victor removed the bullets and thought to feed her, it was Adison who saved her from possession and certain damnation. 

Her face lights up as she sees Adison, and she is very happy to get a familiar hug from her. Apparently Adison is perfectly ready to include Mina in their circle. She sits on the bed and asks, 'How are you doing today, feeling better?' 

'I'm perfectly fit and in no pain, and very glad to be free, but I'm starting to realize what has happened to me, what I have done to others, and what I have lost. Victor has already talked to me about it, he understands very clearly. But it will take some time to adjust to my new situation, and to accept responsibility for my actions.' 

Mina's regained consciousness of deeds and her life distresses her very much, this is easy to see. Victor longs to comfort her again, but he doesn't want to push himself on her. He catches Adison's eye, and she sends him an encouraging look, nudging him towards Mina. 

That gives him enough courage to take Mina in his arms again, and she relaxes into them, resting her head on his chest. She is crying again, very quietly, and Victor bends over her, sheltering her from the world. He feels her pain, and resolves to help her find her way through it, until she can accept the direction her life has taken.

Adison feels kind of superfluous, so she sneaks out and closes the door behind her. There will be plenty of time to share information with Mina, and hear her memories. Vincent needs to be there anyway, for it is clear they knew each other in his former life. 

Adison finds that thought a bit unnerving, what if he finds out that he is married, and he starts to remember a wife and children? Where would that leave her? She is so attached to Vincent now, could she live without him, have him revert to his former name and life?

Still, she knows they need to see this through, they all have a past looming over them, and she will have to find a way to live with that. She busies herself with the books she has borrowed from her magic teachers, and lets herself be immersed in the knowledge that may save more lives and souls in the days to come. When Vincent comes back, she will be ready to face his past with him.



Nature or Nurture Ch. 17



It feels weird, walking to the theatre without Adison. 

Bruce and Maud are chatting merrily, Bruce nevertheless very attentive to what happens around them, though no-one would notice. Besides Vincent, that is. Bruce's vigilance gives him only a slight sense of security, he feels vulnerable, being wounded and not at his fittest.

Or maybe he just misses Adison's stable presence. Or maybe he's afraid she has misjudged Mina, who may also have spelled Victor with her vampiric charms, putting both people he loves at risk. Or maybe he is afraid what Mina will reveal, what evil he has done, what ties he had when he left that life. He will probably hear more than he wants to. 

Vincent has never felt reluctant to play his role before, but he does not have his heart in it tonight. As nothing escapes Bruce's notice tonight, they have no sooner arrived at the theatre, and seen Maud off to the dressing rooms, before Bruce pushes Vincent into one of the thousand nooks and crannies of the ancient building.

'No-one can hear us here, so tell me what is riding you.'

Vincent knows he cannot shine on stage feeling like this, so he obeys readily.

'I miss Adison, I feel unprotected without her. I feel vulnerable because I'm not fit, my wounds hurt and I can't fight to defend myself. I'm afraid Mina will come forward with all kinds of sordid details of my former life, with grotesque misdeeds, or maybe an abused wife and children somewhere in or out of the city. And I'm afraid she fooled us all and is still evil, has tricked Victor and Adison, and is now doing unspeakable things to them. That's all.' 

Bruce does not fall for the attempt at a joke, he knows these fears are serious and even well-founded. Vincent is a very protective man, and trusting the self reliance of his loved ones is hard for him. And his totally opposite fears are even more realistic, he is helpless to magical attack without Adison around. 

Thinking about his answer for a moment he tells Vincent, 'I understand your uneasiness. Fact is, without Adison you have no protection against evil powers. But it is not easy to influence someone, they have to be open to it, and I think you are so devoted to your lady you will be safe from temptation.

I can protect you from physical threats, and don't underestimate yourself, you may feel lousy, but you can still beat anyone in this city but me, unarmed if need be. 

Adison cannot be tricked by something evil, but she could be fooled in a smaller way, which would possibly hurt Victor, but not tonight. Also, Adison and Victor are not helpless, they can defend themselves very well, even against a vampire or one of those creatures I think. 

Though I think you will find Mina everything she seems to be: a young woman, tricked by an evil master into doing horrid things against her will. If she reveals misdeeds out of your former life, you can process them right along with her, for she'll have plenty of her own to get to terms with. Also, you'll be home before you know it. Do you need any painkillers, or a massage or warming up to smooth your muscles?' 

Vincent feels relieved already, Bruce is such a steady chap despite his youth.

'No, I just needed a big reality-check. You are right, Adison and Victor can take care of themselves. I just miss having them around.' 

An hour later, both are ready for the stage. Maud is looking lovely, already waiting behind the scenes. She steps up to him and hugs him really carefully. 

'I'm sure Adison and the doctor will be fine. It is always hard to be parted from a loved one, but she will be waiting for you when you get back. I promised her I'd take care of you, and I will. Are you in a lot of pain? She told me you've been wounded.'

Surprised that Adison would confide in Maud, he tells her, 'It does hurt, but nothing I can't handle. I'm surprised she told you.' 

Maud laughs. 'We girls have to stick together. You need looking out for, and I'll be closest to you.' Standing on her toes, she kisses him on the mouth, but with no intention to take it any further. He accepts the kiss for what it is, a sign of intimate friendship common in a close-knit group like a theatre crew, and gives her a bear hug in return, careful of his chest, but feeling a lot better for the warmth of her friendship. 

Then they get ready for the show, and if he plays with a little less fire than usual, no-one in the audience and on stage even notices. After the show, they make as quick an exit as they can get away with, and he walks home so fast, that Bruce and Maud have to pick up their pace to keep up with him.

When she hears Vincent return, Adison is every bit as eager to see him as he is to be reunited with her. He takes her in as strong a grip as he can stand, painful to him but very satisfying to both. She kisses him eagerly, and he really has to control himself not to run straight to the four-poster with her, to rip off their clothes and make love madly. He knows she can see his intent in his yellow eyes, and feel it somewhere else entirely. 

But he also knows they have a house guest, now undoubtedly awake, so he stuffs his lust where it will keep, and just breathes in her ear with a husky voice, 'I've missed you so much!'

She merely looks at him in a certain way, and he knows she has missed him just as much, worrying about him even more than he did about her.

'What is the matter love?' he asks quietly. 

Adison admits, 'I left Victor and Mina by themselves, they needed that. But then I imagined how Mina would tell us you had a wife and four children in the city, and then you'd remember and leave me for them.' 

Vincent snorts derisively.

'Not very likely, if we believe what our friends told us. Why would a demonic fiend have a wife and kids?'

'I kept reminding myself of that, but I just wanted you to come back and say it,' she says. 'And now I want to take off your shirt, so I can check on those wounds. Come sit here, close to the fire.' 

And sitting astride his knees, she carefully unfastens all the buttons of his shirt, then helps him out of it, baring his bandaged chest. The wrappings are still clean on the outside, which she is relieved to see. 

'Maud was very careful with me, and she took great care of me as well,' he says teasingly. Adison does not rise to the bait.

'She's a good girl, follows instructions to the letter.' 

When she removes the padding there is some bleeding from the smaller wounds, the ones she didn't stitch up. She cleans them very carefully, still sitting on his lap, alternating the cleaning with caressing and kissing the undamaged skin. 

The patient clearly experiences a rising passion rather than pain. 

'You are a very bad girl, you make me want to get hurt more often, or heal more slowly.' 

He can't help distracting her from her work by kissing her intensely. When they run slightly out of breath, she continues her ministrations, nearly finishing before they kiss again. Then she has to get up to fetch clean bandages, and she wraps him up tightly again. 

Back on goes the shirt, and she refastens all the small buttons neatly. Then she sits back on his lap and kisses him again. But they cannot keep stalling, Vincent needs to meet Mina and face his past. So they make a nice supper and knock on her door, knowing that Victor at least must be starving.

Her dress ruined, Mina has nothing to wear except the loose nightgown Adison gave her last night. But on Mina it is decidedly on the short side, and Adison's dresses are really too small for her. Victor promises to do some shopping for her tomorrow, he has a fine eye for fashion and will be able to find her some better fitting stuff. 

So for now she makes do with a shirt and a pair of loose trousers from Vincent's closet, his size matching hers better than the doctor's. Taking a shower is a real eye-opener for Mina, she has never had any of the modern conveniences. Clean and dressed in clean clothing she joins them at the table, though of course food is of no use for her. 

She does accept a glass of wine, she is able to digest it, though it will not set her drunk. Even if she tries to do it unobtrusively, it is clear she cannot stop watching Vincent. Finally, she cannot stand not knowing anymore.

'How come you look so much like Heathcliff, when I left him for dead a little more than a year ago? One just doesn't recover from a crushed skull.' 

Vincent offers to shake hands, and when she accepts he says, 'I go by the name of Vincent now, and I have only started to remember smatterings of my former life as Heathcliff. And I think it is Victor's tale to tell how that came about. I thought you would have heard it by now, you've already spent quite some time together.' 

At his knowing look, Victor colours and excuses himself.

'We've actually spent most of the time you were at the theatre sleeping, Mina is not totally recovered yet and needs more sleep than usual. Needless to say I could use it too. I don't know how you manage, playing a show day in day out after working through the night, being wounded quite severely on top of it.' 

Realizing this is true, Adison feels a stab of guilt, not having thought of it herself. But Vincent makes little of it.

'Apparently you made me really strong and tireless, I really don't feel worse for wear.' 

Mina puts in her two cents here.

'You never slept much when I knew you either. But I'm nearly dying of curiosity now.' 

Adison and Victor are both pleased to see her piqued with interest, instead of sad and guilty.

Victor knows it is his turn to explain first, and he doesn't spare himself in his tale. 

'The man you knew as Heathcliff was brought into my pathology workshop dying of head trauma. I had been planning to create a superhuman by treating a corpse with a special chemical mixture, then starting the heart again with electricity. 

This body was in excellent shape and looked very strong, and the damage that was killing it could easily be remedied once he was dead. There was a severe thunderstorm predicted the day after, so I kept him alive until it arrived, then killed him, fixed the skull, set him up in my machine. 

Lightning struck, he came to life, but he was covered in blood through my sloppy suturing and in excruciating pain because of the lightning and probably the chemicals as well. His screams of pain and the blood made him look horrible, and when he saw me and came towards me he seemed mindless and very aggressive, and I fled, leaving him behind to suffer the pain in loneliness.His cries were heart-rending, but I heard them as threatening. 

Adison came up from next door in reaction to his screams and saw straight away what I had missed: my progeny was not mindless and violent, but in agony, his mind wiped by my procedure, a true newborn with no sense of self. She cured his wounds and filled his loneliness. She gave him love and instruction. She and I set up a practice together, and Vincent grew up within a few months. 

I felt a lot of guilt towards Vincent, for in the beginning he was really afraid of me. When he was grown up, we became friends, and then he and Adison discovered that they loved each other. Though I was afraid they'd leave me, they stayed, Adison and I continuing our practice and Vincent starting a career as actor. 

Through my work as medical examiner your father found me, getting us all involved in your situation.'

Mina now feels justified to take a good long look at Heathcliff, or Vincent, as he is now called. She catches his eye, and speaks directly to him.

'You are nearly the same man to look at, you have the same strong body with its erect carriage and proud bearing, the same longish black hair, the same facial features. But there the resemblance ends. Heathcliff had very dark, nearly black eyes and a swarthy skin. Your skin is so white as to be nearly translucent. 

And your eyes are very different, the yellow colour gives you the same intense stare as Heathcliff had, but I also see life and friendliness in them. You have a sense of humour, he didn't.' 

She stops talking, looks at Victor, and asks him, 'Did your chemicals do that, bleach his skin and eyes? It must have been strong stuff, small wonder he had no memories.' 

Then, at Vincent again. 

'Your face also looks softer, that may be the colour or because you seem to lack a beard. But I don't think that's it. I've already seen you laugh, you enjoy life, you have things you like to do. And you have love. 

Heathcliff loved someone too, obsessively, but their relationship was twisted. They hurt each other, wanted to control, possess the other. You seem to love more freely, more givingly. Adison is the total opposite of Catherine, your great love in your former life. Catherine was demanding, unreasonable, unstable. 

When his Cathy died, Heathcliff became even more morose, vengeful and downright cruel. You might have become like him, had you been left to pain and loneliness. The doctor is right to reproach himself for the sin of raising you from the dead and abandoning you. You would have become a worse monster than Heathcliff was, and a lot less easy to kill. 

I see you walking around and you have been performing in a play with wounds that would have sent another man to bed for a week. Does anyone of you realize what that means?'

Looking at the three for an answer to her question, she sees Victor looking very depressed, clearly this conversation has raked up his guilt. Adison has a calming hand on his shoulder, reminding him he has long since made up for it. 

With everyone else looking at the doctor, Vincent follows their attention and notices Victor's demeanour. He reaches over the table, takes the doctor's delicate face in both hands, stares at him. 'Dear Victor, you know that we're way past that. I've long since forgiven you, Adison has not ever held it against you. You made a mistake, the worst didn't happen. It all turned out right, and you are a totally different man now. I love you, you know that.' 

Looking at Mina, he says, 'He did give me this life, as you said, a happier life, with real love and with things in it that I love to do.' 

Now Adison speaks up.

'That is exactly what Mina means, guys! Heathcliff was a monster, Vincent could have been a monster, but he isn't. He's a loving man, who enjoys life. Her former master's plan is nearly in ruins. And now we've freed her as well. 

Oh my, that means we're in terrible danger, doesn't it?' 

Mina takes her hands and says frankly, 'Yes it does, Adison, we are all in danger, and since you've foiled him most, you're in the most danger. But you've already saved our souls and he hasn't been able to get at you. So you see, we're not totally helpless. 

I don't want my father to know I'm here, because he trusts Vanessa, and she is the weakest link we have. She cannot know I still live, free of the thing that ruled me all this time. The enemy'd find out sooner or later.'

'What can we do?' Vincent asks. 

'First, I will tell you all about your past, and how you got to be the Heathcliff I knew. Then we need to get Vanessa cleared of the enemy's taint. She is the last active part of his current world domination plan.

Then we enjoy life, learn to live with our pasts, prepare for the future, until he has cooked up some other plan we need to foil. But first, you all need to eat and a good night's sleep. I'll take first watch tonight.'

After supper, they spend another hour together. Mina tells them how she met Heathcliff after he'd eloped with his girl, escaping her cruel brother and a loveless marriage. He had convinced her he'd take care of both of them, that he would make their fortune in the city. 

'And he did, she never lacked anything material, but somehow they were never truly happy together. Do you think people can love each other too much? 

Serving my master didn't help of course. He didn't control Heathcliff as totally as he did me, but he knew exactly what his weaknesses were and used them. 

He employed Heathcliff as intermediary when he did business with people, and Heathcliff had a certain charm that made him very good at his work. Soon, he was able to afford a nice house, with staff, and beautiful things for his girl. They got married, at her insistence. 

But my master slowly but surely put Heathcliff on a path to self-destruction, dragging her down with him. Heathcliff gambled a lot, and won a lot of extra money with it. Also, my master got him to dispose of people now and then. And he taught him the rudiments of sex-magic, enabling him to use his twisted relationship with his dissatisfied and passionate wife to get magical power to become even more charming.

I think my master was grooming him to become his vessel, taking away his conscience bit by bit, crossing the line of humanity a bit further with every murder he committed, every beating he gave to or took from his wife.' 

Vincent swallows hard.

'I saw one of those lovemaking sessions in a flashback. It made me sick to the stomach, but I felt the passion, and to someone who had never felt real love, it might have seemed like an all-consuming love.' 

Mina nods.

'I think he'd never had any love as a child, so he wouldn't be able see that the feeling they shared was something else. And she was as mad as he was, I think, but again, she truly loved him in her way. He was well on the way of becoming the vessel for my master, a vessel my master needed to marry the goddess that had succeeded in tempting Vanessa in her youth. 

She had not and still has not been won completely, her love of me and her sense of self still hold her back, I think, but not enough. She should have been a man, travelling and exerting herself would have filled that eternal emptiness inside her, but being expected to behave as a noble lady drove her to do desperate things out of boredom.

Then Cathy died. My master wanted to be rid of her, I don't know if he helped her along, but she had been weak in the mind always, and Heathcliff being away a lot and not telling her what he was about didn't help. Also, his character change reflected on her, their love changed as he did, and became ever more sickening. 

They were chained together for life, and when she died, he just went mad. He became a wild beast more than a human being, his veneer of civilisation dropped off him and his real nature showed. There was no way my master was going to trust his future to a vessel as cracked as Heathcliff. He decided to try to make him useful after all, by having him killed, putting him in the way of the doctor, and hoping to get hold of him with his mind wiped and with superhuman strength. How he knew what the doctor was planning I don't know, but it was easy to predict that a resurrected Heathcliff would scare poor Victor witless, for at that moment the man was a fright to behold. 

I was part of the set-up to kill him, I had never liked him, and I couldn't resist my master's will, but nonetheless I felt bad to betray him. Though something in me tried to convince me it would be a relief for him to die. 

When I actually met him in that bar, he was different, almost like his own self again, but it was too late: he sensed he was in danger but reacted distractedly, and got hit by one of my master's henchmen. They delivered him to you, Victor, and hoped you'd take the bait. The rest, you know. Adison saved all of us, for you would not have survived the rise of your progeny to godhood.'

This is a lot to take in. They sit in total silence for a while. Strangely, Mina is already part of their circle, totally included. At last, Adison breaks the silence.

'So that great battle I was afraid of is not coming?'

Mina replies, 'There will always be a new battle, but I think this time it was not fought with arms, but with dedication, and you were the main soldier. There may still be one ahead, but I think that once Vanessa has thrown off her possession, and has found something in her life to keep her busy and away from temptation, all will be well for some time. 




Nature or Nurture Ch. 17



Dad should take her to Africa. If I ever get the chance, I'll advise him to do so.' 

Adison looks very relieved.

'I think I'd like to go to bed now, Vincent. I have been afraid to lose you two since I had that premonition, and now I feel light as a feather. Thank you Mina. Will you two share a room again tonight?' 

Her inquiry is frank and open, and Mina answers it gladly, addressing Victor.

'Will you stay with me tonight? It would make me very happy.' 

He has been beating himself up how to ask just that the whole night, and now it turns out he only has to say, 'Yes, please!'

They walk away from the table, hand in hand, still very conscious of each other and themselves.



Nature or Nurture Ch. 18



Thinking of the interesting time they have ahead of them, Adison sighs audibly.

'What is that great sigh for?' Vincent asks her, smilingly. 

'We were never so shy with each other, it's just so sweet,' she replies, dreamingly. 

Suddenly, she feels two strong arms seize her, and the next moment she is crushed to a rather broad chest. Looking up, she sees two sulphurous eyes gazing at her, and a deep, husky voice says, 'Sweet! I'll give you sweet, woman!' 

He lifts her off her feet easily and carries her to the four-poster, throwing himself on the bed with her pinned under him. Still holding her gaze locked in his stare, he kisses her passionately. And whilst not exactly ripping off their clothes, they do hurry to get rid of the layers between them. Adison soon finds out that her fear of Vincent having lost his violent self is completely unfounded. The glorious beast is still there, and his lovemaking is as wild as ever. 

And then the husky voice, so much Vincent and still so different from the actor's clear baritone, speaks.

'So tell me, Miss Adison, now I have a name, will you marry me? Will you be Mrs Vincent Heathcliff? 

Even if mothers scare their children with my name, and horses kick their stalls in fear when I pass by, will you love me?' 

Taken totally by surprise, and delighted with Vincent's releasing his dark side, she soon manages to whisper, 'Yes, my love, I will. I will love you forever and I will certainly marry you!' 

And then the moment for wild loving has passed, and they return to tenderness. 

Knowing he is one and the same person, the difference is still so profound that she can't help asking, 'That really was you, wasn't it?' 

For answer, he takes her in his arms so tenderly that her full heart nearly bursts. His slightly tragic actor's face gazes at her in an expression of total surrender. 

'Since you fell in love with him at first sight, and we're both taking his name in a way, I thought it'd be only fair he'd ask you himself.' 

Laughing, she jumps on him in retaliation for teasing her in a moment like that, only remembering his wounds when he stifles a cry of pain. 

With an, 'I deserved that, don't worry, it wasn't bad,' he strokes her cheek, and continues, 'of course that was me, love, I couldn't bear even the thought of you marrying someone else. And now I may need a new bandage.' 

And indeed, their wild love-play and her impudent move have caused him to start bleeding again. 'Stay here', she says, and she fetches her bag. And again she makes dressing his wounds such a sensuous deed, that when she is done, they have to repeat their whole lovemaking, only a lot quieter, or they'd never get any sleep tonight. 

Lying side by side, they think and talk of the day a bit more, then go to sleep.

In Mina's room a few doors further down the hall, Victor decides not to offer to remove the pallet. She has been free of a demonic master only one night, and while he can imagine she doesn't want to be alone, that doesn't automatically mean she wants him to share her bed. 

He doesn't even want to think what has been done to her, a young beautiful woman in total submission to an adept in magic connected to blood and sex.

Anything she wants to share, he will listen to, but even if he dared, it wouldn't be fair to ask for more. 

Meanwhile, Mina realizes she has a serious crush on this man. He is beautiful, competent and at the same time so incredibly vulnerable and shy, he's irresistible.

But also very difficult to approach, he has such protections built around his heart. If he has ever only trusted his two best friends with his love, how can she ever hope to win it, with the taint of evil still around her, and with her past of betrayal and servitude to a master of blood-magic and, God help her, sex-magic. Why would any man want to associate with a woman like her, a vampire at that? If he hadn't been so shyly encouraging so far, and if Adison hadn't practically thrown him at her, she'd give up without even trying. 

As it is, she tells herself to be patient. They will be living together for quite some time, and his friends have accepted her above her expectations. Just wait and take small steps. As he sits down next to her, comfortably close but clearly everything but relaxed, she wants to forget common sense, grab him and kiss him on his well-shaped mouth, sitting astride his boyish figure. 

Instead, she reaches for his hand, and holds it until he does relax. Apparently that is enough for him, so it will have to do for her too, for now. Or, she can just ask him.

'Do you want to share a bed tonight, Victor?' she dares to ask. He tenses up instantly, but manages an answer.

'Very much so.' 

Encouraged, she goes a step further.

'And would you like to kiss me?' 

Too big a step, now he's struck dumb. Or is he? He nods, and forces the words out.

'Of course I would. But with everything you've been through, why would you want to...' 

His voice fades, but she can suddenly read his mind.

'Why would you want to be intimate with a man after having undoubtedly suffered abuse.' 

Now she's getting somewhere.

'I wasn't abused in that way, Victor. I was bait for Vanessa, and not expendable. I did horrible things, but I did them because vampires see people as food and entertainment, not as individuals. Now I'm free, and I think as a human again. And I believe in love at first sight again. I find you beautiful, and I admire your mind and your clever hands. 

And your shyness attracts me like a beacon on a moonless night. Would you please hold me?' 

It is easier when she asks him things, things he would never dare to say or do if left to himself. Holding her is one of them, and once he has his arms around her tightly, her head resting on his shoulder, he finds it gets easier to dare things. 

Like letting his own face touch hers, and saying, 'I believe in love at first sight too. I do since I first saw you yesterday. But I would never have dared to do anything about it.' 

She does not say anything, but she lies down on the bed, taking him with her. And then she kisses him, as intensely as Vincent kissed him that first time, but gentler, so much gentler. He doesn't experience intense lust, or a burning desire to have passionate sex. He just feels an all-overpowering sense of belonging, a sense of rightness. 

Mina knows that this is as far as they are going tonight, holding each other, kissing and feeling complete. With this sensitive man, she will have to take it slowly. But he has already admitted he loves her, and that is so much more than she expected just a few minutes ago.

 'Do you need blood tonight?' he asks tentatively.

'I could do with some, but I can stick it out until tomorrow easily,' she says. 

'Please take what you need, I felt fine today,' he offers, 'will you bite me this time, in my neck?' Mina objects.

'I thought you wanted someone present the first few times, to make sure I know when to stop.' Reminded of that, Victor thinks about it.

'I trust you, you'd never harm me. Do you trust yourself?'

She considers.

'I am conscious now, and I'd rather kill myself than hurt you. And if I don't project lust on you, you will be totally aware so you can stop me yourself. I have spared my victims at times, but I've never fed off someone I loved before.' 

Victor really wants to share this with her, and he is not afraid she'll drain him. She was nearly dead the last time, and in a coma. 

'I want you to bite me in my neck, so we will be really close. Will you do it?' 

The idea of feeding off him excites her quite a lot, and he smells too good to be true. Still, she needs to be honest with him.

'Feeding on your blood will be incredibly stimulating to me, you know. We've been taking it slowly so far, I don't want you to feel forced into any intimacies that you are not ready for. You can give me your wrist tomorrow, at the supper-table, and I will be totally fine. We have plenty of time.'

But he has felt her little shiver of anticipation, and it excites him immensely. He isn't afraid of getting fired up a little. He makes his decision, and offers her his throat. 

'Please do it, I want it. I want you to get really horny, and I want to feel that way too. Don't project lust on me, I want to feel only the real thing.' 

So she smells his neck, taking in his scent, feeling his delightful warmth. She smells and feels no fear in him, just eager anticipation, like her own. His skin is so appealing, she licks it to get a taste, sending a shiver through him. Extending her canines, razor sharp, and an inch in length, she shows them to him, ready to call it quits if he so much as blinks in fear.

But he doesn't, he even wants her to kiss him like that. Careful not to cut himself he explores her mouth with his tongue, expertly avoiding the razor tips of her canines. When they break off the kiss, he exposes his throat to her again, and she strikes. He feels a short, sharp jab, and then her blissful sucking. 

This time, he feels lust rising, but it doesn't distract him from what is happening. He relishes the intense feelings he experiences, feeding the woman he loves, and feeling her passion rising. She takes it really slowly, not forcibly sucking out his blood as she did last night, feeding to save her life. But rather letting the blood flow from him to her, using just enough suction to stay connected, preventing spillage and giving him that exquisite feeling in all the nerves of his body. 

Feeding slowly, she can make their bond last, but after four or five mouthfuls she breaks it. A few more drops well out of the small holes in his neck, and she carefully licks the punctures until they stop bleeding. With iron self-control she looks at him, to see how he feels. Those last few licks just did for him, he is overcome with love and lust, and he is ready to let it out.

So, Mina gets what she wanted from the first: she can sit astride this beautiful man, and kiss him to her heart's content. Then she can touch him everywhere, his blood still tingling in her mouth, and coursing through her body, spreading its warmth. 

He is caressing her too, with decided heat, but still tenderly. She wants to feel him inside her, and she knows he is as ready as she is, she feels his erection touching her. But despite his need, he first shows her he is not as green as his shyness suggests. His expertise brings her one climax after another, tempting her to try some similar tricks on him in return. 

They make a glorious finish, then collapse exhaustedly. Mina says hoarsely, 'That was very unexpected. I've never been fed or loved like that before. You look so...innocent.' 

Gloating a bit, and intensely happy, he replies, 'I ám innocent, and very shy. That was just so..incredibly good. Feeding you, I mean. I couldn't control myself. But you could, I feel fine, not dizzy at all.'

Yawning hugely, he adds, 'But now I really want to sleep, will you be able to sleep already?'

'I'll stay with you until you are sleeping deeply. Then I'll pay a visit to your library and amuse myself for a few hours. Tomorrow, you'll find me at your side again. 

You know you have fabulous blood, very hot, and very tasty.'

'Will you be able to live entirely off me? Can one person make enough blood, and won't the taste get boring?' 

She laughs and strokes his hair and cheek.

'Your blood will be plenty for me, you'll get used to eating more and producing new blood. And it'll never bore me, blood changes taste with everything you do, the food you eat, drinks, even alcohol affects me if you've digested it first, your state of mind, happiness, sadness, everything makes it taste differently. Go to sleep now my love, I will watch over you as you watch over me in the daytime.'

And, resting his head against her soft body, he does just that. Mina watches him sleep for some time, stroking his hair and his face, more innocent looking than ever in sleep. When he gets restless, twitching, mumbling, she holds him until his sleep deepens. Then she covers him with the blanket like the sweet child he resembles just now, dresses, and finds her way to the library. 

She will need a candle to read by, but she can find her way around in the dark easily, a necessary adaptation of her kind to a life in the shadows.

Having found quite a lot of interesting books, some poetry, some novels, but also scientific publications and Victor and Adison's own essays, she realizes she need not be bored at night for some months yet. Plenty of time to get Vanessa sorted out. 

After that, she can join Victor on his night calls, she'll no longer need to hide here. She starts on an essay, wanting to get to know her lover better. Soon, it catches her interest, and the candle-marks fly by. 

Then she is torn from her concentrated reading by the sound of knocking at their front door. 

That is strange, Mina knows they have a medical practice, but no-one warned her of nightly callers. She decides to investigate, not wanting to wake anyone up until it has been proven necessary.

Once she's at the door, she can hear sounds outside of a carriage waiting, she must have missed it coming immersed in her reading. 

Good job watching, Mina, she berates herself silently. 

She peeks through the spyhole in the door to see who disturbs their rest at this time of the night. And to her shock, she quite clearly sees Sembene standing there, her father's friend who masquerades as his servant. She needs to make a split second decision, will she reveal herself to him, or will she wake Victor or one of the others?



Nature or Nurture Ch. 19



Knowing Sembene as very stable and dedicated to her father's well-being, and more importantly, aware of the world of magic and its influence on people, she decides to risk the former. Something bad must have happened at her father's, probably involving Vanessa, this may be their chance. 

She opens the door, and sees Sembene recognize her, then pull a knife in less than a second. He's going to kill her, she realizes.

'No, Sembene, I'm no longer controlled by the enemy, see for yourself! I know you can see evil!' Stopped in his tracks, her father's friend takes a good long look at her and puts away the knife.

'So you are, I can see no more evil in you. What is this miracle, what happened?' he says in a voice thick with emotion. Instead of killing her, he embraces her like her father would his daughter. She leads him to the kitchen, sits him down at the table, and explains what happened in a few short sentences.

'Father shot me twice, the last shot nearly killed me. The creature of my master took me away from them, but it ran into doctor Frankenstein's clean-up party. It went for Vincent, whom my master had ordered killed a year ago, when he was still a completely different person. 

But Vincent killed it instead, with a stake. I lay dying, not able to do anything. Miss Adison touched my face and said some sort of formula over me, and I came back to myself just before I passed out, near true-death. I asked her not to let my father know, because of Vanessa.'

Here she can see a strong reaction from Sembene. So his visit has to do with her. All the better. 

'Just one moment more, Sembene, then I'll wake up the doctor to accompany you. They took me with them, never afraid I'd turn on them. Of course, I wasn't in any state to harm anyone. 

Victor, the doctor, operated on me, got the bullets out so I could heal myself. The lethal wound wouldn't close, the bullets had poisoned me and taken too much out of me. He cut his wrist en fed me his own blood. 

It revived me, we slept the rest of the night and the whole day, then we talked. Now I watch over them at night.' 

Sembene touches her in sympathy.

'So you're not entirely cured then?' he asks. 

She replies, 'No one can cure vampirism, Sembene. But I have my own free will back, and I've found love here. Will you please not tell father about me until Vanessa is free of her possession? The enemy might try to get at me, at us, through her. 

Adison can free her too, I'm sure of that.' 

Looking at her knowingly he says, 'I believe you, she gave me my power to see evil. If she could free you, I'm certain she can help Miss Yves. Miss Vanessa is indeed suffering from a possession, though she is still fighting it, we cannot help her. Your father sent for the doctor. We shall bring him Miss Adison instead, so she can cure Miss Vanessa. I will assist her.' 

Quietly, she enters her room and gently wakes Victor.

'Wake up my love, your help is needed,' she tells him. 

As he sits up, she kisses him and tells him to get dressed.

'I'm waking up Adison and Vincent as well, Vanessa is having an episode and we need Adison to banish whatever is possessing her for good.' 

She leaves him to dress, and goes towards Adison and Vincent's room. She knocks on the door solidly, thinking it will take something loud to wake the two up. But Adison is already at the door, opening it up.

'Is it Miss Yves this time?' 

Mina nods.

'I think this may be your chance, Adison, but she can be violent so we have to be careful.' 

'We'll be with you in a minute,' Adison says, 'we're already getting dressed.'

Within ten minutes they are all dressed and ready to go. They take a little time to form a strategy, this will be a dangerous undertaking for all of them. 

'Most probably, things will be up to me,' Adison says, 'though your help would be invaluable, Sembene, you know her so much better than I do.'

'I'll be glad to help you, Miss Adison,' he says.

'Just Adison, please Sembene, we're partners in this. But who will come besides me?'

Sembene says, 'Well, the doctor should come, he's your spokesperson.'

They acknowledge that. 

'And I'm not letting my love anywhere near danger without me to protect her,' Vincent says. 

Adison takes a good, hard look at him. He is still not at his best, and waking up in the middle of the night hasn't helped. But she knows he is right, she will be helpless against a physical threat for a few moments, and even in this state, he is a fighting force on his own. 

There is something to keep in mind though: 'The enemy really hates you, Vincent, that creature went straight for you. You may be in more danger from Miss Yves than I will be.' 

Victor intercedes, 'There is only one of her, and at least four of us, so I think Vincent will be safe enough. Mina, do you want to come?' 

She is clearly in doubt.

'I was planning to stay clear of her, but it would spread the enemy's focus to have me present. He may hate me even more than he hates Vincent or Adison. I can defend myself against Vanessa, and he cannot get dominion over me again. Not with your love and blood running through me, Victor.' Sembene observes, 'But your presence will greatly disturb your father, he may even try to kill you again. You can come, but you have to let me prepare him before you enter the house. Do you agree to that?' 

They are all glad he has thought of that, and they set off together, armed discreetly, to end this battle in the endless war against evil.

At Sir Malcolm's house, they wait in the carriage for ten minutes, whilst Sembene prepares his friend for the appearance of his daughter, turned vampire but freed from the enemy's touch. 

'I hope we're not playing right into the enemy's hands, showing up as a group,' Vincent observes, 'but there is no way I could let you face this on your own, my dear.' 

Adison stays calm, nothing new there, of course, and states, 'If we have, he'll find he's bit off more than he can chew. We're not exactly helpless, and without vessels the enemy is limited in his actions. He can seduce and subvert, but he cannot attack us directly.' 

She has changed since that night on the ship, and the long talk with Mina. She seems aware of her change of status from junior doctor to priestess, though her manners are still as mild as ever and she can still fade into the background easily. 

Soon, Sembene returns to the carriage, with Sir Malcolm. He is greatly affected, tears streak his severe features, his expression one of great guilt, overlain with joy. Mina, seeing what her return has done with her father, jumps out of the carriage into his arms. They hug for what seems to be a long time.

Then he faces her.

'Had I known you could be saved, I would have shot myself first!' 

She wipes away a tear from his strong face with a sleeve of her borrowed shirt, and says feelingly, 'How could you have known, father? When I didn't even know myself, until I found myself dying, but free of will? We will talk later, first we have to try to save dear Vanessa.' 

Her father addresses Adison directly.

'Miss Adison, thank you so much for saving my daughter from a fate worse than death. Can you help Miss Yves as well?' 

Adison replies, 'With Sembene's help it should be possible. But she will slide back immediately if her spirit is not recognized for what it is.' 

Sir Malcom clearly does not understand, and Adison explains.

'Miss Yves has a very restless spirit, much like you. She needs to be active, travel a lot, see new things, do physically challenging things. Keeping her inactive as your class does its ladies has driven her to extreme boredom and depression, opening her to temptation. 

You have to take her along with your next expedition, not as a burdensome lady, but as an active member of your team, able to cook, prepare a camp, communicate with the natives and if necessary fight, eager to explore and document discoveries. 

In short, as one of the men. If you don't, you'll lose her again and again, until she is damned forever.'

Sir Malcolm clearly needs some time to digest that information, and he tells her he will consider it, and they follow him inside. They decide to all go into her room together, and see if she lets Adison and Sembene touch her. 

Miss Yves is a mess. Her hair is unkempt, she has dark circles below her eyes, and her nightgown reveals she's as skinny as a teenage girl in a growth spurt. She raves in a dark voice, and she cannot seem to sit still for just one second. Adison feels almost ashamed to witness her like this, such a beautiful proud woman brought so low. 

She approaches her, Sembene at her side, Vincent right behind her. Miss Yves coos at her with a different voice, a girl's voice, calling obscenities, until she beholds Vincent. She seems struck by the sight of him, as if she only now sees the truth about him. And of course, this may very well be so. The childish voice addresses him, 'Look there, it's Heathcliff, my husband to be. But what have they done to him, his teeth pulled, his fire quenched? He looks like a big baby, but he's been a bad baby. Killing, and beating, and torturing, he loved that. Now he's caught by a witch, caught in her net. Poor baby, never grow up to be the boss, always underfoot now.' 

Vincent shows no reaction to her talk, he's the actor being mocked in a play, it's not real to him.

Miss Yves moves on, finds Mina. Now she switches to the dark voice.

'And my bad, bad sister. How lovely she is, but she's done horrible things you know. She ate mothers, with the babies still in them. She's seen a lot of men, a lot of them. Of course they're all dead now, eaten screaming for their mothers.' 

Then turning to Victor. ' She'll eat you too. Lovely, sweet, innocent, smells good.'

Adison feels this has gone on long enough. She bars her way, calls out, 'Miss Yves, I know you're in there, please talk to me.' 

Vanessa hardly sees her.

'Girls, girls, girls, not interesting. Go fornicate your baby, go away.' 

Now Sembene touches Vanessa, and in her, a struggle becomes clear. This is the moment that Adison takes her face in both hands, and speaks the formula. 

But Miss Yves may be emaciated, she is not without strength. Screaming, she hits first Adison, then Sembene. The latter is not affected, but Adison reels under the impact. As Vincent steadies Adison, Sembene touches Miss Yves again. She screams again, in agony. 

Adison does not let up. As soon as she is on her feet again, she is back, catching Miss Yves' face again. And again, Miss Yves uses violence to escape from Adison's touch. Adison cannot defend herself when she is exercising her priestly skills, so she gets the full load once again. 

This time, she falls down. 

Vincent has had enough.

'Can I hold her for you?' he asks. 

Stunned for a moment, she needs to get her breath back before she can answer.

'I don't know, but I cannot hold her myself, so we'll have to try.' 

Within a second, Vincent has Miss Yves in his grip, arms pinned to her sides. 

She coos at him, 'Oh dear, finally I've got myself where I wanted to be, in your arms. So nice and strong, yes, squeeze me, do. Oh, do me, do me, you know you want to. I'm so much more interesting than the little mouse over there.' 

Suddenly she tries violence on him too, her possessed strength nearly enough to free herself. Vincent gets a nasty hit on his injured chest, leaving him gasping for breath. 

Shutting the pain out, it is after all only on the outside, nothing life-threatening, he manages to hold on. 

Adison suddenly understands.

'Sembene', she calls, 'talk to her, you know her.' 

And he touches her once again, whispering to her, stroking her as if she is his little daughter. Slowly she quiets down, and Adison can again take hold of her face. 

'Mummy!' says the girl's voice lovingly. 

Adison manages to speak the formula, and kisses Vanessa on her forehead. Then she lets go. Vincent feels Miss Yves slackening, and carries her now limp form to the bed, gently laying her on it. 

Sembene sits down on the bed, and strokes her hair tenderly. 

Adison is not feeling very well, she's taken a few hard hits straight to her face, and her head hurts a lot. It doesn't seem to get better, she's getting dizzy and nauseous as well. 

Moving towards Vincent for some support, she can see leaning on him would be unwise, he has been hit pretty hard himself, his chest is bleeding again through his shirt and he looks like he's in pain.



Nature or Nurture Ch. 20



Victor notices his friends are not looking well, and he decides they will have to go home immediately. 

'Can you make it to the carriage, Adison and Vincent?' he asks. 

Vincent answers, 'I feel like I have been trampled by a bull, but I'm in no danger. Please check out Adison, Victor, she looks positively grey.' 

Victor lends Adison his arm, she seems ready to faint and takes it gratefully.

'What is wrong with you, love?' Vincent asks her worriedly. 

Adison looks bad, with a black eye and a bruise on her cheek, getting darker by the minute. 

'I'm having trouble focussing, and I feel nauseous. Head hurts.' 

'You're concussed Adison, you need rest, but no deep sleep,' Victor concludes, and looking at Vincent, 'You cannot watch her, you need sleep more than anything. Neither of you is in any shape to do anything for Miss Yves anymore, I'm bringing you home. 

If this hasn't worked, there will have to be another time.' 

So they leave Miss Yves in the care of Sembene and Sir Malcolm, and get a ride home in the coach. Victor and Mina help their friends into their bed, where Victor cleans Vincent's wounds carefully, checking if the stitches have held. They have, but the wounds too small to stitch have opened up again, and the whole left side of his body is bruised. 

Victor bandages Vincent back up, and puts him to bed to sleep the rest of the night. Mina helps Adison out of her clothes, and when Victor is done with Vincent they examine her to rule out internal damage and they check the seriousness of her head trauma. 

To be on the safe side, Mina decides to stay with her and watch her through the night. 

'Victor, will you stay here with Vincent? I have to take Adison to my room, I cannot risk daylight here.' 

And with that, she lifts the smaller girl easily and takes her to her own bed.

Once there, she installs her in her bed, then fetches a book and a candle. When she returns, Adison is still awake, so Mina sits beside her and strokes her hair softly. 

'Can't sleep? Do you miss your man next to you? You can lie close to me, I'm not all muscle, but a woman's softness can be comforting too.' 

This makes Adison smile.

'Actually, I have a raging headache, can I have a painkiller? Or would that be dangerous?' 

Mina returns the smile.

'I'd say that as long as it doesn't make you sleep unnaturally deeply, you can take one. But you're the doctor here. Do you want me to ask Victor? He's probably still awake.' 

Adison whispers, 'Yes, please. I don't quite trust my own judgement.' 

Mina quietly leaves the bed and walks the few doors to Adison's bedroom. There she moves to the side where Victor is trying to fall asleep after his exciting night. She nuzzles him and asks in a low voice, 'Adison wants to know if she can take a painkiller. And if so, where do I find it?' 

He sits up and says, 'I'll show you, I cannot sleep anyway.' 

She takes some time to kiss him, then they go into the study to fetch the painkiller. Victor shows her the different kinds, giving her one that only relieves pain, not one that induces sleep. As Mina fetches a glass of water and takes the painkiller to Adison, Victor checks on Vincent's temperature and breathing, then crawls into bed again. Still astounded with what happened in the evening with Mina, he falls asleep.

Adison is still awake when Mina comes back, and she is glad to take the painkiller. Mina settles back on the bed next to her, as Adison asks her, 'Do you love him?' 

Mildly, Mina replies.

'Shouldn't you go to sleep?You have concussion'. 

'I can't sleep yet, head still hurts too much.'

Without hesitation Mina states, 'Yes Adison, I'm very much in love with your friend Victor. I think I have a bad case of love at first sight. 

As a young girl I hoped to fall desperately in love with the man of my dreams, but I never met him. I was engaged to marry a handsome man once, and I finally married another, but I did not fall in love with either of them until I had known them for some time. 

And when I got turned I didn't care anymore, the world was my plaything and men were just food or amusement. The last thing I would have expected was to become more or less human again and then fall head over heels in love with the first man I met. My girlhood dream finally came true.' Adison reflects, 'I must have been a very strange girl, for I never dreamed of men at all. All I wanted was to learn as much as I could and then become a doctor.' 

Here, Mina observes, 'And still you found true love...' 

Adison seems surprised by this remark.

'I suppose we did. I never saw it that way. We were not looking for that kind of love, it just happened. You might say true love found us.' 

On impulse she adds, 'Vincent proposed to me last night. He asked me to become Mrs Vincent Heathcliff. I think he really meant it. About the name I mean, I'm sure he wants me to marry him.' 'And what did you say?' Mina asks, 'to either question?'

Adison laughs.

'I said yes to both. I love him no matter who he was, or what name he carries. I think it is right to honour his former self, even though apparently he was quite misguided in that life. Some of that was not his own fault. 

We both realize Vincent might have turned out a lot worse, he has the same passionate, almost wild nature.' 

'That is hard to believe seeing him now. But he looks happy, complete. Not as if you'd pulled his teeth or quenched his fire. I hope Victor and I will have the chance to be as happy as you are. No chance of children for us though.' 

Adison confesses, 'I don't think we can have any, either. I suppose after his resurrection, Vincent may very well be sterile. I didn't risk it yet though, with things as they were I preferred to use certain herbs.' 

Mina gives her a hug.

'Thanks for the girl talk, I've missed that. If your head feels better, you should get some sleep. I'll watch over you, you'll be fine. I'll check on your intended too.' 

And the last thought Adison has, before she falls into a dreamless sleep: so that was girl talk.

The next morning, maybe even early afternoon, Victor wakes face to face with Vincent. After the first astonishment, he remembers the night before, and takes a good look at him from his doctor's point of view. 

His friend looks peaceful, no signs of a restless night, and his colour is normal for him. No visual signs of fever or pain. He doesn't want to touch the other man to feel his temperature, that might wake him up from his sleep, the thing he needs most of all. So he slowly and carefully moves away from Vincent, ready to get dressed and check on Mina and Adison. 

But his slight movement triggers a reaction. 

A strong arm reaches out to him, and pulls him close. Since Vincent is probably still half asleep, and used to sleeping with someone, Victor guesses he is looking for some physical contact with his girl. This is quite embarrassing, he cannot struggle, but he can hardly let Vincent believe he is Adison. Who knows what might happen! 

Meanwhile, Vincent has snuggled up really close to him, taking in his scent, nuzzling his skin. And still, Victor doesn't know what to do. He doesn't want to wake him up, but there is no way he is getting out of this grip without using force, or being released. 

Vincent clearly doesn't appreciate his restlessness, he murmurs sleepily, 'What's the matter Victor, can't a guy have a little cuddle with you anymore now you've a girl of your own?' 

Stunned, Victor indeed lies still, Vincent knew it was him all the time! 

'That's better,' the voice says, arm still holding him firmly to his chest, mouth and nose still exploring his throat and neck. 'Hmm, you smell very nice, very masculine, I'd like a bite of you myself.' 

Victor knows he can't escape that arm, and trying would hurt Vincent's chest again, so he gives up and decides to enjoy the attentions instead. Turning around, he faces his friend and sometimes lover again. 

'I did offer her my bared throat last night, and she accepted. It was the best dinner I even attended, even if I was the main course.' 

Vincent takes the offered bait, he definitely is still sleepy.

'Only the main course, not the only one? Did you get something to eat then?' 

'Oh yes, I got something for starters and a lovely dessert too, ' he says knowingly. 

Finally Vincent's awake.

'You naughty doctor, you! She's hardly escaped the clutches of an evil mastermind, and she falls into the hands of a mad scientist!' 

Victor sighs. 'I'm afraid I've fallen as hard as she has, dear friend.' 

In answer, Vincent gives him a hearty kiss and releases him. 

'I'd better let you go check on her then, and on my poor girl too. I congratulate you, you've an excellent taste in women. And I bet you taste excellently yourself.' 

Victor laughs.

'She did mention that, yes.' 

'Go check on our ladies, I'll follow shortly.' 

And Victor leaves, but not without instructing, 'You stay here, I'll be back with doctor's stuff. I'm taking care of those wounds today, Adison is on forced leave.'

And seeing the sense in that, Vincent turns around and tries to get some more sleep.

In Mina's room, Adison still sleeps in Mina's bed. Victor checks her vitals, and she seems fine, though she looks as if she has been in a bar brawl, black and blue all-over. 

Mina is in her comatose state on the pallet. Watching her for a while, Victor gets that sense of belonging again. He knows it will not wake her, so he allows himself to stroke her hair, and caress her face. It will be a long wait until sundown, but at least everything is out in the open, he will not have to hide his feelings any longer. 

The thought of his love being returned still amazes his. Such a beautiful woman, in love with him. Quietly he leaves the room for now, gets his bag, clean bandages and a basin of hot water, and heads to Vincent and Adison's room. When he comes in, he finds Vincent asleep once again. 

He doesn't feel like sleeping anymore, so he piles coal into the boiler to get a hot bath ready for his friends, and steps out to do some shopping. Rich food for himself, he feels hungry all the time and his usual food just doesn't seem to satisfy him. And some things for Mina, everything a girl needs plus a really nice dressy evening-gown. She'll probably want to go out now her cover is blown anyway, and he wants to show her he has a good eye for fashion. He decides to go for deep blue for now, she'll have to get measured for a really beautiful dress, but that will take some arranging. This will have to do for now.

When he returns he puts Mina's things in her room, for her to find when she wakes up. Adison is no longer in Mina's bed. 

Leaving the food in the kitchen, he checks on the boiler and feeds it some more coal. Then he puts a kettle on the kitchen fire and returns to Vincent's room, where he finds Adison in her usual spot. She's awake, but enjoying being lazy.

'How do you feel?' he asks her. 

She replies in a whisper.

'Not quite well, but much better than yesterday. That was quite a thrashing I got. How's Vincent, has he been awake at all?' 

Victor smiles at her and says, 'I'd say he was awake! He pulled me in towards him, and I felt embarrassed because I thought he thought I was you. Turns out he knew it was me all the time, he was having me on. We cuddled some, then had some real man's talk.' 

This makes Adison smile even more. If Vincent can make jokes that must be a good sign. 

'I had my first ever girl's talk yesterday with Mina. You think that is a coincidence?' 

Victor snorts.

'Since I've met you guys, I don't believe in coincidences anymore. Though if you look at it objectively, most of the weird goings on have been more or less my doing. Anyway, I kind of liked it, man's talk.' 

'I liked the girl's variety too,' says Adison,' they'll be making real humans out of us yet, and that with them being the 'unnaturals'. Do you want children?' 

Victor thinks about that question for a few moments.

'I never did, but just as I can imagine having them, I'll have to accept I never will.' 

Adison nods.

'Same here, somehow I don't think we'll be able to have any, but it was never an issue before.' 

They are silent for a while, then Vincent stirs and Victor leaves to get some hot water for cleaning the wounds. He orders Adison to stay in bed and take it slow the entire day, so she moves over until she's in Vincent's arms. 

That wakes him a little, and he really enjoys having her near. Suddenly he wakes a lot more. 'Dearest, are you okay?' he asks. 

She looks at him and tells him honestly, 'I've been better, but I could have been worse.' 

Her face is black and blue, and the sight of it touches him deeply. She got this from wanting to help someone at all cost, how far will she go? She really needs him to protect her, from herself first of all!

'Can you lie on top of me?' he asks. 

Her answer is very clear.

'I can and I want to, but I won't. Doctor's orders. You'll never heal unless you take care of yourself a little better.'

'Then at least lie as close to me as you are allowed to by the doctor. Cuddle me a bit, please? I had to restrain Victor this morning to get a little love out of him. You'll give yours freely, won't you?' She teases him, straddling him and unbuttoning the old shirt he wears to keep the bandages in place. 'I will, but first, the doctor will take care of your wounds. I am not allowed to do any work today due to my injuries.' 

And right at that moment Victor comes in with a new basin of hot water. With a look, he sends Adison back into bed. Then he removes the bandages and sets to work under her watchful eye.

Adison is impressed by Victor's work. He has learned cleaning wounds thoroughly but carefully so well, that Vincent doesn't show discomfort even once.

'It is very clear you don't object to getting damaged physically,' observes Victor, 'you've added a nice set of bruises to the claw wounds. How do you feel?' 

'Honestly?' Vincent says, 'I still feel like a bull trampled me, only now I'm fully awake so it hurts a lot more. As long as I lie still there is no problem, and the wounds are much better, even the small ones. But I'm stiffer than a board. That scrawny woman has some strength in her.' 

Victor looks at Vincent seriously and asks, 'Will you be able to play tonight?' 

'If I weren't so stiff, no problem, but as it is I'd move like one of the corpses you like to spend your days with.' 

Victor finishes with the bandages, and states to the two lovers, 'You can kiss to heart's content, but no hanky panky! I'm firing up the boiler for a good hot bath. It'll do both of you good. Food will be on the table in half an hour.' 

And with that, he leaves the room.



Nature or Nurture Ch. 21



Before they sit down to a good meal, Vincent walks around a little and does some stretches. Adison takes a comfortable chair and is bored. She cannot read, and moving around hurts her head, so she watches Victor bustle in the kitchen, and Vincent doing his stretching exercises.

'After breakfast and the bath, you're back to bed,' Victor tells her, and she knows he is right. Better take few days rest and get bored, than neglect the concussion and suffer dizziness and headaches for months.

'And I've sent a boy to Bruce already, to come and get you for the play, Vincent. I'm afraid you're on your own, I have patients tonight. If we neglect them any longer, they'll move to another practice. They can make do without Adison for a week or so,' Victor says. 

'Thanks Victor, I will be perfectly fine with Bruce and my friends in the theatre. I hope Mina will not mind staying with Adison.' 

'She won't,' a voice sounds from the entrance. Mina is standing in the doorway, looking stunning in the new blue dress. Victor is speechless and frozen to the ground. He looks so much like a love-struck boy, the change with the bossy doctor a few moments ago so profound, that she feels the compliment to her beauty more than words could ever express, even if they were written by the greatest poet. 

He is irresistible, and Mina wants to greet her lover after a night of separation, but she can't go into the kitchen: the sun's still up and the kitchen is too light. They stand there, staring at each other with longing, until Adison realizes it isn't dark yet, and asks Vincent, 'Would you close the curtains, love? Mina seems to have awoken a bit early.' 

He quickly does, and the new lovers approach each other as if drawn by a magnet. Finally, Victor seems to have found his voice back.

'I knew you were beautiful, and I knew you'd look great in that dress, but this...'

The rest of what he is planning to say is cut off by a passionate kiss. For a moment, the rest of the world disappears. 

Vincent and Adison concentrate on the food to give the young lovers a bit of privacy, but the smell of food distracts Victor immensely, and Mina soon breaks off the kiss.

'Your body craves the food, my love. Better listen to it, I'll watch, I like seeing people eat, I used to love solid food.' 

Victor is already eating away, choosing the rich stuff they never used to have at their table. Between bites he asks, 'Do you want to feed when I'm done?' 

'I can wait until you return tonight, you'll need your energy for your patients and it is easier to replenish blood when you're resting. I still feel your blood in me very clearly, I'm constantly aware of you. Tonight will be soon enough.' 

Victor is fine with that, it'd be indecent anyway to do it in the kitchen, even once Adison and Vincent have retired to their bath.

When dark finally arrives, they have all had a nice hot bath, and Vincent is feeling invigorated once again. The hot water has brought great relief to his physical inconvenience, he feels quite ready for the theatre. But it has made Adison very sleepy once again, so she retires to her bed immediately after. Sleep will be her best cure. 

As Vincent dresses to go out, not forgetting some weaponry, Victor also dresses as befits a successful doctor and checks his supplies. He doesn't forget his gun and his hidden blade either. He will do his rounds when his patients most likely have finished dinner. 

But soon after dark, and before dinner, there is a knock at the door. Thinking Bruce is come early to return or pick up some books, Vincent opens the door without checking who is behind it first. He is startled and a bit alarmed to see Miss Yves standing there, carefully groomed and dressed. 

Needless to say the difference in her looks as compared to yesterday is acute. Seeing Sembene behind her, he realizes their intervention yesterday must have been successful. 

Vincent is still silently berating himself for his carelessness, when she takes his hand.

'Dear Mr Smith, I cannot thank Miss Adison and yourself enough for what you have done for me and for Mina. I want to thank you personally and see Mina if at all possible. I hope this isn't an inconvenient time?' 

Looking at her hand on his, she quickly withdraws it, looking guilty. Vincent feels no different for her touch, maybe it was the entity possessing her that caused the flashes of memory. He observes, 'Don't worry Miss Yves, apparently your touch no longer has power over me, it's safe to touch me again. Follow me, and see if Mina is willing to meet you.' 

He lets the two wait in the hall, and enters the kitchen, where she and Victor are sterilising medical equipment. Vincent announces Miss Yves.

'Mina, Miss Yves is here to see you, will you receive her?'

Apparently it is well that he has left them in the hall for a while, for Mina's reaction is unexpected. With her concern over her friend yesterday, one would say Mina would be happy to see her now, but instead she starts to cry silently, gladly holding on to Victor when he offers support. 

'I'll show them to the front room, so you can compose yourself and then decide if you want to see her.' And Vincent leaves the kitchen, taking their visitors to the front room, and inviting them to wait there for a few minutes. 

Miss Yves shows some distress.

'Doesn't she want to see me? I was so nasty to her yesterday, but that wasn't me, I hope she understands that.' 

There does not seem to be much left of the saucy Miss Yves, her acute observations, her comments bordering the uncivil, they seem to have been lost in last night's episode. Were they 'the devil in her'? 

Vincent tries to put her at ease, 'This need not be personal Miss Yves. Mina has been through a lot the last few days, she nearly died of a bullet wound her own father gave her. And though being freed from an evil master may seem a happy occasion, she has only now started to realize what she has done, and what she has lost. She will never be human again like you and even me.' 

Miss Yves perks up a little at this hint of his past, finally showing some sign of her usual zest. 

'Has she told you how I drove her to the dark side, how my actions caused this tragedy?'

'No, she did not. We have been busy with practical matters mostly, how to free you of the enemy's dominion mainly. Her help was invaluable.' 

This last remark has apparently taken her thoughts back to yesterday, for suddenly she seems to realize Adison is nowhere in sight. She exclaims, 'And where is Miss Adison? I was so hoping to tell her in person that after yesterday I am totally free of what was riding me, and I wanted to thank her for freeing me and apologize for any hurts I caused her. I hurt her badly, didn't I?'

Somehow, Vincent still doesn't like Miss Yves very much, and he does love Adison to distraction, so he says bluntly, 'Yes, Adison is hurt quite badly. She is concussed and her face is black and blue. She was only up to eating something, then went straight back to bed. She'll be fine, but it will take a few weeks for her to totally recover.' 

Any further reproaches Miss Yves might make herself are cut short by Mina's entrance in the room. She goes straight to Miss Yves, and hugs her closely. 

'I'm so glad to be back, and to have you back, Vanessa,' she says, 'how are you?' 

'I'm totally fine, except I feel so guilty about what I put you through,' Miss Yves says. 

Mina, now totally composed, replies, 'You cost me a good many things, Vanessa, but it was not all your fault that the enemy wanted you so badly that I became valuable as bait. 

And his way to control is seduction, I let myself be seduced as well as you did. I paid a steep price, and many innocents suffered because of me, but for me at least there is some compensation.' 

She doesn't mention what the compensation is, but right at that moment the doctor enters the room, and the look of infatuation the two exchange wordlessly speaks volumes. 

Victor kisses her and says, 'I'm off on my rounds, I'll be an hour or two. See you tonight!' 

Then he leaves again, carrying his doctor's bag and a walking cane. Weird, for such a young man.

Vincent, after a questioning look at Mina and an affirmative look for an answer, leaves the little group to renew their friendship, and heads to his bedroom to check on his beloved. She is sleeping quietly, her chest rising and falling all the movement he can see in her. 

His feelings surge as he recalls their year together, from the wordless love he felt for her when he was totally dependent on her just after his birth, via their easy comradeship when he was sort of in his teens, to the moment he became a man and fell helplessly in love with her. 

He has always trusted her totally, never doubting any of her decisions or actions. It is totally clear that no matter how high the price to herself, she did save Miss Yves from damnation as much as she saved himself, Victor and Mina and who knows how many others yet to come. He may be leading a strange life, again, but this utterly normal looking girl will make it worth his while. 

Risking waking her up, his need to kiss her just once more before he leaves her for a few hours is too strong to resist. He takes one of her hands, and kisses her tenderly on her forehead, resting his cheek to hers for a short while. She wakes up for a moment, smiles at him, then goes back to sleep without saying anything.

Vincent quietly leaves the room, and readies himself to go to work once more, Bruce and Maud will be here any moment now. He steps into the front room for a moment to take his leave, and when he hears the familiar knock he meets with his colleagues and they are off to the theatre.

In the front room, Vanessa has told Mina how their falling out affected her, driving her into near insanity. It confirms Mina's opinion, that Vanessa is just not put on this world to do nothing. It led her into mischief with Mina's intended, and caused her to totally let go of her life afterwards. She clearly needs something to occupy her mind and body. 

They talk for an hour, after which Mina tells Vanessa again that she is forgiven, that she acknowledges her own share of blame in what happened. The painful part of their reunion over, Vanessa is very curious about, well, everything. 

'Are you really in love with that arrogant young doctor?' she asks Mina. 

'Arrogant?' Mina cannot believe the term, 'arrogant?' 

'Yes, arrogant. He clearly thinks he's the best scientist ever.' 

Mina laughs.

'Oh, but he probably is. He's conquered death, you know.' 

Vanessa is not impressed.

'Yes, I've heard about Mrs Gould. But that is what doctors do, and anyway, her family says that was mostly Miss Adison's work anyway.' 

Mina decides not to explain, instead telling her friend, 'Victor is the shyest man I've ever met, I had the hardest time getting him to even look at me directly. But once he got over that, best lover ever! Even thinking of him tugs my heart. I miss him. That reminds me, please wait for a moment while I check on Adison.'

Mina heads down the hall and quietly enters her bedroom. Adison is restless, and Mina sits down next to her and gently strokes her hair. Her poor face looks battered and very painful. Adison has given so much, and now she is suffering for it. 

Well, Mina is going to do everything in her power to help her recover. She feels uncomfortable leaving her unattended, so she returns to the front room and tells her friends she needs to sit with her patient. They'll see each other regularly now that the first awkwardness is over. Vanessa and Sembene take their leave, and soon Mina is sitting on Adison's bed with a candle and a good book. It will not be long before Victor and Vincent return, and when Vincent watches over his own girl again, the night will get interesting for Mina.



Nature or Nurture Ch. 22



Meanwhile, Victor has completed his rounds, their patients worried about Adison's absence but happy with the visit anyway. He feels satisfied, and decides to step by the theatre to see if he can pick up his friends there to return home together. 

Thinking of the coming night, he is slightly distracted from his surroundings, a common occurrence in people madly in love. But dangerous too, for as he steps into the alley where the stage door of the theatre is, he finds himself beset by a large group of ruffians, apparently led by Simon, the former lead actor of the company.

Curiously detached from the danger of the situation, he realizes that the dangerous situations he has found himself in lately have apparently gotten him used to letting his training take over in moments like these. His body takes a defensive stance, and his eyes note that none of his adversaries seem to have a gun. No blades either, a poor lot apparently. 

Still there are ten of them, so even with clubs they'll get him in the end. In the meantime, his body has taken hold of the gun, and points it at Simon, clearly the instigator. 

'Gentlemen, I have no quarrel with any of you, and I am pointing a loaded gun at your leader. I'm an expert marksman, so please be smart and disperse,' he says, convinced they will not risk being the one who gets shot.

But he is wrong. Simon is eaten up by hatred of anyone connected to Vincent, and he clearly does not realize or doesn't care about the danger the gun represents. 

He sneers, 'Guys, did any of you understand a word he just said?' 

The men grumble a negative.

'I didn't either, so I guess we can't do it then.' 

And with that, he rushes Victor with five other guys.

Feeling some fear now, and seeing no other way, Victor fires the gun at the approaching group. Simon falls, and before they are on him he has time to fire again. Another man falls. 

This slows the men down enough for him to shake his blade loose, still keeping the gun aimed at the group. Why don't they give up? Why do they take the risk to be the next to get shot? Don't they have any experience with guns?

Another shot hits another man, his aim true a third time in a row. But now they are getting too close, he needs to keep them at arm's length. 

Therefore he switches weapons, using his blade to wound several of his assailants. But as he reels under the force of the first blow, to his shoulder, he knows he cannot take many more of those, he will soon be overwhelmed. 

Thinking of Mina with regrets, he fights for what he is worth. Someone may yet come through the stage door and save his hide. 

Firing another shot at random in the large mass of men, he can keep one side protected with his blade, injuring several men. But on his undefended side he gets hit several times and he loses his gun, his left arm now useless and his head spinning with a hit to his temple.

He lays about him with his blade to that side, getting the satisfaction of feeling the blade strike flesh. It cannot last, though, there are too many of them, and with the danger of the gun removed they are eager to get a few hits on him.

Weakening, his thoughts are on Mina again, hearing her clearly in his mind.

'Hold on my dear, only five left!' 

That is a weird thing to dream at the moment of your death. 

'Fly, or be killed', he hears her voice, even louder. He realizes he is not dreaming it, she really is there, in front of him, warning the assailants off. It works, for they are no longer beating on him, but it doesn't work, for they are not planning to obey a girl. 

'Get lost girl, or we'll give you a good time after we're through with him,' a rough voice says. What happens next, is one of the most beautiful and at the same time most gruesome things he has ever beheld. 

His gorgeous and sweet girl, still in her lovely blue gown, seems to fly towards him, and every man in her way explodes in a shower of blood. She is so fast that his eyes cannot keep track of her, and every time she slows, someone dies, messily. The men closest to him try to flee, but there is no escaping their fate. 

In a few seconds, Mina has him in her arms, cradling him to her chest, gown spattered with blood but without a rent or a tear. He lets go of his weapon, giving himself up to her protection and losing consciousness.

A burning sensation in his mouth wakes him up sputtering. 

A vile tasting, immensely strong liquor is setting his mouth and throat on fire. 

'You see, I did get him to wake up', an older voice says. 

Victor recognizes it as the director of the theatre. 

'That vile stuff would raise up the dead,' another voice retorts, 'it's not meant for living beings.' 

It's Vincent, thank God! 

Awakening further, indeed with help of the abject fluid in his mouth, he realizes he is not on the floor, but in someone's arms, being kissed and held tightly. He seems to be covered with something warm, it feels like wool. A female voice really close to his ears whispers, 'Are you all right, love? I thought I'd lost you.' 

His mind needs a moment longer to process the voice. Mina! She rescued him, by flying through his assailants. What did she do, and how did she know he was in danger? 

It doesn't matter to him, he's safe with her. Moving his head hurts a lot, but he does his best to look at her and whispers, 'You saved me.' 

She holds him even tighter, his face resting comfortably against her chest, and he gives himself up to her safe haven once again. He'd swear he hears her say, 'Gimme some of that stuff, it can't be worse than the filthy bouquet of petty criminal's blood I have in my mouth.' 

That is not the kind of language Mina uses! Still, he hears her gurgle, and spit something out, it must be her. That's curious, but feeling warm and protected, he's going to sleep a little.

'Victor, don't go to sleep my love,' Mina urges him. 'Wake up, you have to tell me what to do, you're the doctor.' 

He doesn't want to wake up, he's so nice and warm between the thick wool, a coat probably, and her cushy body. He's never felt so safe in his life.

Another face comes into view, he didn't think Vincent could be any whiter but he is, and his eyes are very yellow and very gripping.

'Victor, wake up, we're afraid you won't wake up if you fall asleep now.' 

That is nonsense, he isn't that badly hurt. Is he?

He checks his body by analysing how each part feels. His legs are fine, his stomach hurts, his back and shoulders hurt. No breaks as far as he can tell. His arms hurt a lot, they must be covered in bruises and cuts. 

His head, yes, that feels really bad.

'It's the head, ' he whispers, 'head is worst. Back, front, sides, all hurts. Can we go home?' 

'Yes my love, we can,' Mina tells him.

Her face is covered in blood below her well-shaped nose. Her eyes are as loving as ever. He wants her to kiss him, but moving towards her is too much for him. She sees his attempt, and warns him, 'I'd love to kiss you too, but I've at least five different types of blood in my face, and I used that vile stuff to get the taste out of my mouth. It might make you sick.' 

He wants to chance it, it will wake him up properly, he agrees now that he should not give in to his sleepiness until Adison has seen him. She understands at a glance, and gives him a long, ardent kiss. She does indeed taste of the vile liquor, but he tastes no blood on her tongue. Afterwards, he feels better.

'Can I have some more of that vile stuff? It helps,' he says. 

Someone holds a narrow vial of liquid before him, and Mina helps him to drink some of it. It is still gross, but it wakes him up further.

Now he manages to look around him a little, though it is extremely painful, and he sees the director and Bruce loading the bodies, a lot of bodies, on a hand drawn cart with the help of the stage-rats. They pull a canvas over it, and a Chinese man wheels it away. He'll probably find some of them on his cutting table in a few days. Somehow, that thought pleases him. 

Then Mina lifts him and carries him all the way home. She is very strong, and lightning fast. That is quite interesting. Soon they are at their door, and Adison opens it. He cannot help observing, 'Adison, you should be in bed!' 

She smiles at him indulgently, but her face looks worried, and she retorts mildly, 'As soon as I have examined you, I will join you in bed, dear Victor.' 

Mina takes him to the four-poster, and he hears himself protesting faintly, 'But I want to be with you, Mina!' 

She lays him down gently, and calms him.

'I will be with you love, but I want Adison close too. With her injuries we cannot expect her to come and check on you in my room, so you'll have to be in her room. Don't worry, we'll cover the window.' 

Taking his hand, and caressing it absently, she addresses Adison.

'Can you examine him now, and tell me how to deal with the wounds?' 

Vincent's voice breaks in here.

'I've seen her do it so often, I can show you on his wounds, then you can practise on mine. It's not difficult, just tedious work. Victor, are you hungry?' 

Despite the pain, he is, and he says so. This seems to cheer everyone up quite a bit.

Adison has Mina undress him, then looks him over carefully. He has some pretty bad cuts, some of which need stitches, but the most dangerous damage is to his head, like her own. He has similar bruising in his face, and he can feel he has also been hit on the back of the head. 

Like in Adison's case, the bruises start to darken, and his headache worsens. He is not nauseous, but he does feel fuzzy in his head and he was out for a few minutes. After the examination, Adison lies back on the bed, leaving getting boiled water from the kitchen and medical supplies from their study to Vincent and Mina. 

The suturing will be tiring, but she cannot leave that to either of the others, so she takes a little rest before she has to focus again. She does hold Victor's hand, squeezing him now and then to keep him from falling asleep. Mina is back soon with a rich soup for both of them. Vincent follows later with hot water, cleaning supplies and his own supper. 

He shows Mina how to carefully clean out each wound, noting which ones he guesses will need stitching. There are three rather large ones, which he leaves open, the rest he bandages quite adequately. Adison has finished her soup, and with a needle Vincent has threaded she neatly closes up the deeper cuts. 

'You cleaned them well, and those three are the ones I had chosen to suture. Good judgement.' 

After that, she lies back on the bed and promptly falls asleep. Mina bandages the sutured wounds under Vincent's direction, and then Victor is offered the same painkiller Adison got the day before. He is soon asleep as well, Mina will wake him once in a while to keep him from sleeping too deeply. 

Then, Vincent lays down on the bed to let Mina take care of the claw-marks. Under his direction she quickly learns, and soon he is ready for his supper as well, feeling much better than yesterday and this morning.

'So, just us two left. What happened?' he asks. 

'I had taken leave of my visitors to sit with Adison, and I was reading away nicely at precisely this spot. Adison was sleeping quietly, and since she had slept a lot already I expected her to wake soon for some dinner. 

Then I felt Victor become alert, as if facing danger. I woke up Adison, warning her I might be off for a while to check on him. 

When I felt his alertness change to fear I did run off. Somehow I knew just where he was, and that he was in grave danger. Vampires can move like lightning and I was with him in seconds, warned the filth assailing him to leave him alone, and when they didn't, I made my way to him straight through them.

Quite literally through them. My self control was gone, and I ripped out their throats and shattered their bodies. I'm very strong as well as quick. 

When I came back to myself, I was holding him in my arms, unconscious, and I was afraid he'd die on me. So I knocked on the stage door, and you know the rest. 

I'm still afraid he'll die on me, you humans are so frail.' Looking at Vincent, she corrects.

'Well not you, but the rest.' 

Still looking at him she asks, 'Will you hold me for a while? I'm still shaking.' 

He takes her in his arms, and she says with feeling, 'I have just found him, I don't want to lose him.' 'He's tougher than he looks, Mina, and Adison is the best doctor in town. How many did he get before you arrived? From the wounds on the bodies I'd say at least four or five. Amazing for just one guy, isn't it?' 

Mina confesses, 'I don't really know. I was so mad I didn't see much. I hate it that I lost control, murdered those men in a rage. I thought I was a better person now, but apparently I'm still a mindless killer.'

Still holding Mina, Vincent says, 'You know who I was, you can imagine I have a dark side too. Some months ago we were attacked and I lost control and killed as ruthlessly as you just did. But Adison showed me that that side was just as much part of me as my normal self, and when I learned to accept it instead of separating myself from it, I got control over it. It became part of me. 

With Victor at your side you will be able to do the same. You are not a monster, you gave them a chance to get away, you protected your love who was helpless at that time. You'll manage, don't worry.' 

Mina has heard from Adison of Vincent's violent side.

'Thank you so much for supporting me, it is good to hear from someone with the same problem that it can be fixed. Will you please tell me more of how you did that when everything is normal again? Now I think you need to sleep too, I'll keep watch on Victor. Where do you keep the hammer and the nails? I want to nail the curtains shut before dawn tomorrow.' 

Vincent shows her, then he crawls into the bed besides the sleeping form of Adison. There is enough space in the bed for Mina to sit down and read a little, and even to sleep when dawn comes. With both the doctors handicapped, it is very handy to have such a large bed in the house.

'What will you do for food?' Vincent remarks from where he is lying, 'Victor may not be able to donate for a few days.' 

'That may become a problem, but not before tomorrow evening. You sleep, and we'll think of something when I wake up.' 

With all three of her friends asleep, Mina has plenty of time to think about what she did, and what Vincent told her. She finds it hard to imagine the mild mannered Vincent losing control and killing in cold blood, but when she thinks of Heathcliff, she can picture it easily enough. 

Thinking of the way she lived as a vampire in the service of evil, she knows violence is as much a part of herself as it was of him. And if he was able to take control of it, she will be too. 

Not willing to spend more time berating herself in the deep of the night, she decides to do something useful instead. First, she lies down next to Victor, following his breathing, feeling his temperature. It is virtually impossible for her to feel it accurately, for with her lower body-temperature every human feels hot to her touch. 

But she has her sense of smell to help her judge if he is starting to get feverish: he smells the same as usual, with a slight overtone of disinfectant, the bitter smell of the painkiller and even a trace of the vile liquor. She can smell no signs of infection in the wounds and no excessive sweating. Time to find something to do.

So she silently heads to the library and gets some writing materials. Then she starts to write down the story of her life as a vampire. It will help her get a grip on the things she has done, help her cope and try to make reparations. And it will be a very exciting story to read. 

When the birds outside start making noises, she nestles herself against her love, who is smiling in his sleep. Seeing him totally at peace after nearly losing him last night, she realizes she is setting herself up for certain heartbreak, falling in love with a mortal. But what can she do, except enjoy every minute they have together?



Nature or Nurture Ch. 23



The next morning, Vincent awakes with a new memory of his past life. In his dream, it was a moonless night on the moors. The wind was howling around the rough stone house, and he was in the stables, cold in his ragged servant's clothing. Loneliness and humiliation were making him feel colder still, but a tiny spark of anger always kept him from giving up. 

He was waiting for something, no, for someone. Cathy. This was the night of their elopement, and they were going to steal Catherine's brother Hindley's big black horse. The horse was ready, Heathcliff didn't own anything, so no need to pack. 

But where was Cathy? Did she change her mind, to marry into wealth and comfort after all? Linton loved her no doubt, as a puppy loved his owner, basking in the lovely fuzzy warmth of affection, never realizing all the love was coming from himself. Heathcliff was certain that all Cathy felt for Linton was a deep disdain for his servile love of her. 

She did agree to elope after all, into an unknown future with not a dime between them. He convinced her he would be able to take care of her in the city, building a future in which they could always be together in freedom and love. And that future was to start now, with both of them flying from Wuthering Heights in the middle of the night, on the fastest horse in its stable.

Suddenly the stable door opened, and there she was, hunched in the doorway, her slight frame covered with a large thick coat, her face covered with a woollen shawl. She had two big bundles with her, one of which she dropped right in front of him. Then she threw herself at him and kissed him deeply. 

'What took you so long?' he asked impatiently.

She nudged at the bundle at his feet.

'I got you some decent clothes from my brother, they'll be too large but they'll be warm. Open it.' 

He quickly opened the bundle, uncovering woollen underwear and trousers without holes. Socks and boots, and even a clean shirt. Best of all, a black woollen coat, as long and as thick as Cathy's. 'You took an enormous risk,' he said, 'but thank you, I'll finally be warm in this, but decent clothes will also help getting a job. Let's make haste.' 

And they did, while he dressed in the nearly new clothing, Cathy fastened the other bundle on the horse. They led it out of the stable and out of the yard, unlocking the gate with the key Cathy had also stolen. Then Heathcliff helped Cathy on the large horse, and got up behind her. Without looking back they reached the road, making great haste to disappear in the crowds of the city before her brother could mount any search for her.

Despite the powerful memory, which confirms exactly what Mina told them, Vincent feels much better than he has for days. Though his mind was busy, his body had a night of unbroken sleep, which was probably all it needed to heal itself. 

He looks at Adison, fast asleep and looking a bit better already. She is still bruised, but not as vividly as yesterday. He cannot help touching her tenderly, dreaming of a life with another woman and feeling such passionate love towards her is quite disconcerting, and he feels a need to get in touch with reality. 

Adison wakes enough to snuggle up to him, and he enjoys their closeness for some time. Then he turns around to see how Victor is doing, noting that his face looks as bad as Adison's did yesterday. His sleep is restless, he seems in pain. Small wonder, after such a beating. 

He feels slightly guilty for being the one Simon was really after, but in fact, neither of them took the foppish lead player seriously after having fought against vampires and demon-like creatures. But though Victor's opponents were bad fighters, there were so many of them they could easily have killed him. Vincent is glad Adison took Mina with them that night on the ship, or their friend might now be dead. He decides to get Victor a painkiller and see if he wants to eat something, so he dresses and heads to the kitchen to put on the kettle for their morning tea.

Fetching the right painkiller from the study, he takes it to Victor with some water. Waking him carefully, he offers his sleepy friend the medicine. Victor is glad to take it, his sleep was troubled by a raging headache, and he has pain in numerous other places. He seems a bit disoriented as well.

'I was attacked, wasn't I? I thought I was going to die, then Mina showed up and saved me. You were there too.' 

Vincent wants to stroke his poor face, but there is hardly any spot that is not blue, so he holds his hand instead. 

'I came when Mina warned us you were not doing so well. Remember when the director gave you that dog-piss booze of his?'

Victor smiles at Vincent's language.

'It did taste awful, but there is something in that stuff. It woke me up.' 

'That stuff will wake up a corpse,' Vincent says, 'maybe even better than you did.' 

Then he inquires, 'Do you feel like some breakfast in bed? It is better if you eat something.'

'I have to eat well to feed Mina. But I can't, can I? I feel weak, I must have lost a lot of blood. What can I do, she'll starve!' 

Victor is getting very upset, and Vincent tries to calm him down a little.

'Don't worry so much, we will not let her starve. She can have some of mine, I'm back to my usual strong self. From a bowl if you are worried I'll ravish her.'

Vincent cannot help laughing as Victor's face shows a tinge of jealousy at his offer.

'You don't want her to have to eat rats, do you?' 

Victor looks a bit ashamed of his reaction, and returns to Vincent's question.

'I do feel hungry, and I want you to check on the wounds. Adison does it at least twice a day, and it works. I want to be back at work as soon as possible.' 

It turns out to be a lazy day after all. Adison wakes up too to have a bite to eat and check Vincent's chest, declaring the wounds healed. He'll have some more scars to show for it though. She decides to supervise Vincent's work on Victor as well, and then the patients are both off to sleep again. There is not even time to tell her about the dream, but that'll keep until she's better. 

Vincent checks out all the curtains in the whole house to see if they keep out the sunlight. Suppose Mina wakes up early again, it will be nice for her to be able to move around the house safely. 

After that, he picks up a book, and reads until late afternoon, when he feeds his human patients again. Soon after that, Mina awakens, again at least an hour before sundown. Because the whole house is already dark with curtains, she can go wherever it pleases her. She is happy to hear that Victor, though in pain, has eaten and that his wounds are healing well. 

Something does seem to bother her, and when Vincent asks she admits, 'You were right you know, I do need to eat today or I'll start to weaken.' 

Vincent laughs, describes Victor's worries, and repeats his offer to Mina, 'I can spare you some of my blood, I feel fine today, though I promised Victor I'd give it to you in a bowl to prevent all chances of my ravaging you.' 

Though Mina is touched by Vincent's consideration, Victor will have to accept a bit more intimacy between them.

'Somehow using a bowl doesn't work, it needs to be straight from the vein. 

But if I bite your wrist here at the kitchen table, it'll do little to excite either of us. The thought of you ravaging anyone tickles me, though I suppose Victor knows best.' 

'Oh, Victor has personal experience with the time that I used to be quite an excitable fellow, but I'm wiser now,' Vincent says,' let's get on with it, so I can tell you about the dream I had tonight. I think it is another memory of my former life, for it describes a scene you told us about.' 

That sounds really interesting to Mina, so she quickly sits down on the opposite side of the kitchen table, and Vincent matter-of-factly hands over his arm. She shows him the canines, not getting a reaction of fear out of him either.

He trusts her, of course, after saving his friend's life he'd give her more than just a few mouthfuls of blood. 

This time she doesn't strike, but just bites as if she was still eating solid stuff. But when the first taste of his blood hits her mouth, she nearly staggers: that is potent stuff! 

Vincent of course feels the fangs enter his flesh, and then he feels the suction. Even at the kitchen table, that is one powerful stimulant! He sees and feels Mina reel with her first taste of his blood, suddenly worried that something is wrong with it. What if it is poisoned? He had forgotten about the chemicals Victor used to resurrect him. 

But she doesn't look or feel bad, if anything, she is suddenly sucking with a lot more force and she looks, well, elated. Seeing him watching her, she lets her feeling leak to him, projecting just a little bit. Suddenly there is a really strong taste in his mouth, metallic but with something extra, an almost burning sensation. And he feels pure strength flowing through her, making her feel incredibly good, almost invincible. 

Mina is not feeling lust at all, this is totally different and very heady. Vincent's blood is not as sweet as other humans', it is more like a potent brew: bitter and fiery, but once you get used to the taste and the burn, it gives you a feeling of strength. 

It is even more difficult than usual to break off, she has only just grown used to the taste, and now she wants more of the heady stuff, but she forces herself to release her bite, then licks the puncture marks like she did with Victor. Only this time it is not to heighten lust, or even to prevent her donor from bleeding. No, she wants even those tiny drops, it would be such a terrible waste to let them fall, or be absorbed by a sleeve or a cloth. 

Suddenly noticing Vincent looking at her amusedly, she lets go of his arm, still very much aware of the burning taste on her tongue and the liquid fire in her system. For a moment they sit in silence, she's still trying to get a hold on what she just drank, he's waiting for her to say something.

The first thing she is able to say is, 'Wow.' 

Then after another silence, 'That was incredible. Your blood is so strong it burns! I no longer wonder how you can abuse your body so and never get infected. Nothing could survive in that hot flow. I feel on top of the world! That was great, thank you so much. Are you all right? Not dizzy or anything? It was hard to let go, I hope I didn't take too much.' 

'I'm just glad my blood didn't harm you, for a moment there I thought I'd poisoned you. It's really interesting that my blood is different. I know of course that I'm stronger and more durable than other humans, and now we know it's in my blood.'

'But keep that a secret', she tells him seriously, 'or vampires will hunt you down, abduct you, then slowly drain you to death for the kick. We must share this only with Victor and Adison.' 

After this, Vincent tells her about the scene from his past he relived in his dream.

'It was the moment we were eloping from Wuthering Heights, the house that belonged to Catherine's brother, where Heathcliff was a servant at that time. He seemed to think that the man she was supposed to marry really loved her, like a puppy he thought, but that Catherine scorned him. Though maybe that was his opinion. 

She did seem eager to leave together and not at all afraid, stealing away in a moonless night. It was very strange to feel intense love for another woman. It was so real somehow. I really had to come back into the now, hold Adison for half an hour to convince myself I was really me.' 

During his account, Mina has been looking at him intently, but apparently she has been listening to what he's said, for she observes, 'You know I think I met him shortly after they arrived, for he did wear quality clothes like you describe, that were slightly large on him. 

Small wonder, for he was emaciated at that time. I wouldn't wonder if it was hatred that kept him so lean. In any case, when he started to make some money he filled out a lot and the clothes fit him a lot better. You are skinnier than he was, I suppose you do get a lot of physical exercise.'

And she looks at him again, quite intently. This time, he looks back questioningly. She looks away as if ashamed of her thoughts, then laughs at herself and explains.

'I'm still very aware of your blood running through me. I couldn't help thinking of all the blood we have let go to waste. Since I've lived here, I've seen you bleed a pint at least, and Adison washed it all away.' 

Vincent finds this very funny.

'It's just blood, there's always more. Anyway, you just told me blood is of no use to you if it's not straight from the vein.' 

Mina smiles. 'I guess it would have made a strange impression if I had sat on your chest, licking your life's blood straight from the wounds. Too bad...' 

The next few days they take everything very slowly. The doctors both sleep a lot, and in the few hours they are awake, they decide to sacrifice the front room to have an in-house practice built. Why travel from patient to patient with only a few tools of trade and at risk of their person, when they can let the patient do the travelling and have all their medicine and utensils handy? It will take less time, so they can help more patients and reduce the price, making their services affordable to nearly everyone. 

Of course they can still visit some patients, the ones who are too ill to move, or the very rich customers, for a different fee of course.

Mina finds she can skip a day's feeding on Vincent's blood, she can feel it in her veins long after normal human blood would have faded, so she forces herself to do so. The temptation to feed on him every day is huge, he expects her to need blood on a daily basis so he wouldn't even know. But her lust for the potent stuff worries her, it feels too much like an addiction, and she decides to remind her body that she is now in charge, that she is no longer subject to its whims. 

Vincent does offer, of course, and seeing the hesitation as she refuses, she doesn't want him to think she feels unduly attracted to him, so she says, 'Your blood will last me a day longer than normal blood, but the taste of it and the feeling it gives me are so heady I'm sorely tempted to take you up on your offer and get a few mouthfuls more. But I'll wait until tomorrow before I feed again, because I don't want to be hooked on your blood by the time Victor is well enough to feed me again.'

'We'll save it for emergencies then', Vincent remarks laughingly. 

'And maybe for special occasions and holidays?' Mina says with an infantile voice.

'Only if you have been a good girl,' is his reply.



Nature or Nurture Ch. 24



It takes a long time for Victor to get his strength back. Adison is already going on house-calls again after one week, keeping their clientele happy, but he is still suffering from headaches and dizzy spells. 

'I got hit twice by an undernourished woman with bare hands, Victor. You were beaten up by at least four men with clubs. There is a difference. It will all be fine, you'll see. It just takes time.'

He complains, 'But I'm bored, you won't let me read, or go to my workshop, or visit patients. Or feed Mina, or, well, you know..' 

Adison may be a pillar of equanimity, but she's still only a twenty year old girl, and this is too much even for her. She exclaims indignantly.

'Victor, listen to yourself! I'm not your mother, or your doctor for that matter. I have not forbidden you to do any of those things, you don't do them because they hurt, or because you are an adult doctor who knows what is good for a patient with severe concussion, even if that patient is himself.' 

At this outburst, Victor has the good grace to feel ashamed of his petulance. Of course everyone knows doctors are the worst patients, but that is no excuse to treat his friend this way. He looks very contrite, and Adison relents a bit.

'Let's not argue, Victor, but think of a way to resolve this. Reading would not be a good idea, that could cause lasting damage. Dissecting and drawing what you observe would be even worse, if you were able to concentrate. 

But you can come with me on a few house-calls, or we could see some patients here, as a sort of trial for our idea. As for the other thing, your dizziness is not due to lack of blood or undernourishment, so why don't you try giving Mina a few mouthfuls this evening, see how it turns out. And if you listen to your body, you will know how far you can take the inevitable result. Just take it slow with the science, if you take my meaning. Let her do the hard work for a few weeks and just enjoy.'

Victor is now really sorry for his earlier reproofs, Adison is always so good to him, and all he can give her in return are childish accusations. Adison gives him a nice warm hug.

'You can't help feeling like that, love. Impatience and irritability are symptoms of concussion too. I'm not angry or hurt, I'm probably still irritable too. Even the way you feel now is not really you.' Victor realizes that is all true. He is emotional and irritable, and Adison has never reacted that way before either. 

Relieved, he says, 'Where did you get so much wisdom at your age?' And, 'It can't be long now before Mina wakes up. Will you help me convince her to try?' 

'Of course. And what would you say to taking Mina to the theatre this week? It's not as if that is really hard work.' 

Victor's face lights up.

'You're right, and I'm sure she'd love to. But what if someone recognizes her?' 

Adison is not taken aback.

'We ladies have our ways of looking totally different from how people know us. Don't you worry.'

When Mina wakes up, she finds Victor dozing next to her. They now share his room, and she never sleeps to sundown anymore, apparently she can waken after the sun is past its highest point, though of course she cannot go out in daylight. 

She takes some convincing to try feeding on Victor that night, 'But you are still dizzy all the time, you need your blood for yourself. And I can see you aren't thinking of the kitchen table, you're planning to make love too.' 

Victor takes both her hands and pleads with her.

'The dizziness is because my head got smashed in, not because of blood loss anymore. And Adison suggested I let you do the hard work during the follow-up, just laying back and enjoying it so to speak.'

'So Adison approves?' Mina says. 

'She suggested we start with a little bit, and see how it goes,' Victor replies, hearing in her voice that he's won.

'Well, she's the doctor, so all right. I don't really need to feed until tomorrow, so tonight is the perfect time to try.' 

And saying this, Mina feels a thrill of anticipation at finally tasting Victor's sweet blood again. She starts to picture how she can sate both their passions without overstraining his recovering body. His white soft skin, still bruised and cut, but so tempting, his boyish figure, that she has held so often the last few days, but not in passion since that first glorious time. She wants him, and not tonight, but now. 

He is still clearly not as sharp as he usually is, for though he is sitting right next to her, he only notices her rising passion when she very carefully takes his bruised face in both her hands and kisses him on the mouth slowly and very, very deeply. Nearly out of breath, he feels his body awaken and respond to her passion. 

The lust drowns out every lingering feeling of pain or tiredness. He feels invigorated, and kisses her again passionately. Every one of his nerves tingles, he feels a real lust gripping him, telling him to grab this woman.

And so it happens, he grabs his woman, and his woman grabs him, and because she is a lot stronger than him, she can just pick him up and lay him down carefully on their bed. 

'Now you lay back and enjoy, and let me do the work', she says smilingly, and he takes her advice. With incredible discipline, she controls her lust and starts small, exploring every inch of him with her mouth and and sensitive fingers, avoiding all the places that still hurt, and emphasising those that feel best. 

Then when he is gasping with feelings brought so high they can no longer be undergone passively, she straddles him, guides him inside her and with his first thrust, bites his tender white throat and latches on. 

His feelings explode, and for a moment the whole world comes to a standstill. He can feel her worry over this, but just at that moment, the world moves on and he is happily thrusting again, feeling her ride his movement, making them one creature in a flowing motion. When he tires because of his injuries, she continues the ecstatic movement on her own, her teeth still in his neck and her mouth still sucking just enough to make him feel all his nerve-endings. This cannot last much longer, he can feel his climax approaching rapidly, and with renewed vigour he starts moving along with her again in perfect harmony. 

This entices a groan of pleasure from her, clearly they are doing right by her as well. For a moment, he changes from a thinking man into a lustful creature, pumping furiously in pursuit of his high, and then he comes to himself again, sated, feeling his lover ardently licking the puncture marks her teeth have left there. She kisses him, her mouth tasting of his own blood, and he answers her kiss greedily. Then she lies next to him, arms and legs entangled in his, and she looks at him. 

'How's the head', she asks. 

'Empty', he replies.

'Good', is her return. And with that they lie back again and savour the moment.

In the meantime, Adison is in the study, working on the administration of their patients. It is a boring chore, but someone has to do it. At least they don't have to do the laundry, the shopping and most of the cooking themselves anymore since their practice has become successful and Vincent has a lead part. 

The practice is still growing, Victor will soon have to decide whether he wants to keep doing his research, or take on more living patients. Or they could hire someone to keep the patient files. But in a way they don't need to take on more patients, they make a good living even now and they do want to keep some spare time to spend together. 

Hearing the front door open, she decides to call it a day, that's Vincent coming back from arms practice with Bruce, and her talk with Victor has made her feel her own need for some intimacy. 

As she puts away the patient files, her lover enters the study, eyes lighting up as he sees her.

'I knew I'd find you here!'

She is so happy to see him, she practically runs at him, and he catches her and clamps her firmly to his chest. They kiss as if they haven't seen each other for months instead of hours, and suddenly they realize they haven't made love since they both got trashed by Miss Yves. 

Seeing in her eyes what she has in mind, Vincent remarks, 'I've been working out, I smell like a pig.' Adison doesn't think so at all, she loves it when he is sweaty, his nice comfortable smell takes on a new, very stimulating, aspect. 

'Good,' she says, 'I want you to smell like an animal, because I want you to make love to me like an animal. I feel in heat, like an animal. We've been too careful for too long.' 

And with that, she goes straight for the scar on his temple, a strong reminder of the time when his violent side would sometimes take charge. Touching it used to be a fool-proof way to get him fired up with lust and totally out of control in a second.

As she traces the scar, the effect is astounding, but not what she expected. Instead of being thrown over his shoulder and taken to and dumped on their bed for some rough lovemaking, as is her intention, he sinks to the ground and lands on his knees, like a bull struck down. 

Adison is in shock, she has brought her proud, immensely strong other half down as if she's struck him between the eyes. 

She automatically looks in those yellow eyes, she has always been able to read them, see what is going on inside him. And so it is this time. For in his eyes, she doesn't see the beaten expression that goes with the posture, she sees the intensity she saw there the first time she touched those scars, she can see it growing. 

He pulls his loose shirt over his head, baring his scarred torso. Then he looks straight at her with those sulphurous orbs, and his husky voice says, 'Touch it again, touch all of them.' 

And she does, right there and then. Kneeling in front of him she touches the scar on his right temple, tracing it with her fingers as she used to do. He lowers himself even further, until he is lying on the rug, with her straddling him, still tracing and caressing the white lines that she helped shape out of the wounds of his birth. Under her touch, he is shuddering with emotion and rising passion.

Reaching the end of the scar on his stomach, she doesn't move down to caress the curly hair, as she did the first time. Instead, she traces the new scars, ragged lines from the claws of the horrid creature that attacked him. They are not really white scars yet, but rather wounds just healed, pinkish in colour. 

She can feel his tension grow, the emotion overruled by the heat and the passion. As she reaches the last of the new scars, she bends over him to kiss him, touching the scar on his temple again at the same time. 

And now she gets the reaction she expected the first time, she is clutched in an iron embrace, as their mouths meet in an electrically charged kiss. Still kissing, he takes her to their bedroom where, indeed, he does drop her on the bed with him on top of her. His smell and weight drive her crazy with lust, she so loves to see this glorious beast, feel his pride, his strength, even his dominant nature. 

He's out of his trousers easily enough, but her even her simple house dress is a bit more challenging. He manages to make getting it off her a sensuous experience, unbuttoning the front with one hand, the other exploring the layers of fabric of her skirts until he finds some part of her that is aching for his touch. Buttons undone, he literally finds his way beneath the skirts, following his exploring hand, moving the whole dress up and over her head, stopping at several places underway for a quick taste, or some lusty fondling. 

When the dress is no longer on her body, he pretends to have gotten stuck in it, fighting to get out. This is not what she has in mind, but she can't help enjoying the show very much, he can be so incredibly funny. Besides, she knows a trick or two to get this fellow's attention back to lovemaking. 

With his legs sticking out of her dress, she feels both of them up from the ankles. Very stimulating, she notices, also for the person doing the feeling. Following the legs upward, she will automatically find the object of her search. Somehow, her wayward lover has quieted down a lot with her hands fondling his inner thighs. He's lying still now, making it easier for her to find what she is looking for under the fabric, moving her head under the skirts too, and taking it in her mouth. 

She supposes that her chances with the beast are over this time, she cannot imagine him winning from the actor in a silly mood. But actually she's enjoying herself quite well as it is. Of course she succeeds in her objective, she can clearly feel him tensing up, ecstatic with her attentions. He even emerges from the dress, pushing it to the side where it will be safe. She is now putting some serious effort in her ministrations, and to good effect. 

He knows what she wants from him, and now he's ready to deliver. In one fluid move he lifts her, rolls her on the bed with him on top, and connects his body with hers. She is hit with a surge of intense heat, feeling exhilarated. He's really let go now, and she gives herself up to his ferocious lovemaking. 

Afterward they decide to try the showers, but since the last few days have been chilly, the water is rather cold. They use it anyway, but quickly. 

'Maybe Victor can invent a smaller boiler, just for a shower or two,' Vincent says, shivering. 

'That'll give him something to do until he feels better,' he adds. 

Adison looks at him slyly.

'I think he took a big step towards recovery today, he proposed Mina to try feeding her again, and I think she accepted.' 

Now, Vincent's mood becomes thoughtful, and he immediately explains why.

'That's a good thing, for master Man summoned me today from arms practise. He told me that there are portents concerning my past, and he would like to induce my memories with a certain potion. I can't take that as long as Mina is dependent on my blood.'

'Portents?' Adison asks, 'I thought we were done with the enemy for now?' 

'That's what they thought, too, but someone has foreseen that the enemy is looking for something or someone, and apparently it is connected with me. They want me to delve in my past to find out. I don't mind, I'm not afraid of my past anymore, it actually feels good to have memories past one year, even if they can be uncomfortable. I suppose I could run into someone from the past any day now. It would be safer to know whether they are friend or foe.'

'You will take me with you when you do that, won't you?' 

He takes her in him arms, kissing her.

'I will take you with me wherever I go, I want you with me always. Will you come see me play tonight?' 

'I will, gladly.' And with that, they dress and go in search of some dinner.



Nature or Nurture Ch. 25-27



Chapter 25

In the kitchen they meet up with Mina and Victor, both looking well-satisfied. That makes four of us, Adison thinks. Victor clearly feels a lot better, and she realizes that he just needed to get started again. Keeping too quiet wasn't good for him, nor for herself for that matter. 

But not to worry, this time it will not take a week before they make love again, she is sure of that. They have dinner together, and then Vincent and Adison leave for the theatre. It is so good to see Vincent on the stage again, she really enjoys the show. She is amazed that none of the actors ever seem to get bored with playing the same role, every night their performance is as if it is the first time. Every time she sees her lover on stage she falls in love with him all over again, he looks so good in his costume, and his voice and diction are just perfect.

It doesn't even bother her that he plays several love-scenes with another woman, she just gets caught up in the story and enjoys the happy end. She does wonder if Vincent still dreams of getting ahead, of progressing to a larger theatre with serious plays instead of these penny dreadfuls.

When the play is done, she stays in her seat to see what kind of folk gather for the meet and greet with the cast. She sees hardly anyone she recognizes, Vincent is talking to a distinguished looking gentleman in his fifties. A very handsome man still, with noble bearing. They are talking animatedly, both seem to be enjoying themselves. 

The man doesn't seem to be the type to visit this establishment, but of course higher forms of entertainment will get boring too, so maybe this is just some variety for this gentleman. They manage to fill half an hour with their conversation, and no-one interrupts them, not even the director, who joins them for a moment to listen to their conversation, but starts mingling again soon afterwards. 

When Vincent and the gentleman finally shake hands and the guest leaves, all the other players are already backstage, putting away their costumes and removing their make-up. Vincent gestures her to join him, then steps behind the scenes as well. She walks through the rows of chairs sideways, then follows the path in the middle towards the stage. There is a little stairs to the side of the stage, which she climbs, and then she also disappears behind the scenes, into the dressing room. 

It is a large room, which Vincent shares with several other actors, and as she enters they are all bombarding him with inquiries. But he waits for her to be seated before he speaks.

'That man is the stage manager of St James' Theatre, he wants me to audition for a role in the next play they're staging. It's by a modern playwright, Oscar Wilde, and it's supposed to be a really diverting piece, something with a guy called Earnest.' 

Now everyone is talking at the same time, congratulating him, asking him if he's planning to do the audition. Adison is very proud of him, she doesn't say anything yet, though, they'll have plenty of time to talk it over. All Vincent says in reply to all the queries is, 'I'll seriously consider auditioning, yes, and the director knows who the man was and what he was planning to do. Common courtesy among theatre managers, you know.' 

He's finished dressing and offers Adison his hand. She takes it with a thrill of pride, it is so nice to see him so rooted here, among these colourful folks. She loves sitting here with them, quite a difference from her own job. 

'See you all tomorrow!' Vincent calls out to his colleagues, and then he leads Adison out through the stage door. Adison waves at the other players in passing, certain she will come again tomorrow.

As soon as they are outside, Adison embraces him and they kiss passionately. Then they walk home, keeping an eye on their surroundings, but talking as well. Vincent tells Adison all about his chat with the stage manager.

'This is it, love, my big opportunity. He told me he was really impressed by what I did with a role as flat as the lower countries. He was touched by my interpretation, which he thought a miracle for the play is not meant to be felt. I will go of course, though if I get the part I'll miss all of this immensely, I know everyone, trust everyone here. These people made me into who I am as an actor.' 'I understand completely. These are your friends, if you leave here you'll miss them. But serious theatre is what you wanted from the first. Did he give you a date, and a scene to prepare?'

'No he didn't, not yet. He told me he'd send someone with an extract and to prepare that. I'm looking forward to reading the text.'

'You'll do fine, I'm sure. I'm so proud of you,' Adison tells him, eyes shining in admiration. They hold hands the whole way back, and come in all excited. They repeat their lovemaking, they clearly have something to make up for. Adison touches the scars on his torso on purpose, his reaction that afternoon scared her, she's afraid it was caused by her neglect of that part of him. 

Being hurt focussed her attention on herself and Victor too much, she feels she has neglected Vincent the last week. She avoids touching the scar on his temple tonight, afraid to overdo it, but she is planning to spend a lot more time on him, all of him. What could have caused him to react so strongly, so humbly, she doesn't like to see him begging for anything. It reminds her of their beginning too much, when he was so dependent on her that it still hurts to think of it. Maybe this is the time to just ask him?

'Vincent', she says into the dark. 

'What is it, love?' his baritone voice answers. 

'What happened this afternoon, when I touched the scar?'

He crawls closer to her, holding her tightly.

'I've been thinking about that myself, love. When you touched the scar it reminded me so strongly of a very intense period in my life, it just suddenly overwhelmed me. My life is so normal now, I felt so useful the last week, running the household, providing blood for Mina, with my past filled in, the case solved, the theatre each night. But your touching me there brought it all right back, my birth and my growing up, trusting in you, dependent upon you, all those memories and feelings in one touch. It brought me to my knees, literally. 

Did it scare you, dear?' 

Now Adison is overwhelmed by memories and emotions as well. Suddenly she understands how it must feel to him: he remembers every second of his year long life as if it happened yesterday, and nothing more. Since Mina told him of Heathcliff he felt like a normal man, with a past and a family to care for, but when Adison touched the scar she reminded him forcibly of his strange beginning. 'You scared me nearly to death. I thought you had broken.' 

The remembrance still upsets her, he hears it in her voice and strokes her hair and face.

'I love you so much, I never meant to scare you. Witnessing you get hit and hurt was unbearable to me, that may have shocked me, too, and touching the scar brought it out. 

Maybe you can touch it regularly, I'll get used to it again, associate it with our new life together, where I am not as dependent. 

'Dearest, you are no more dependent on me than I am on you. That's just part of being together. You haven't been dependent since you got the part in the play. You have supported Victor and me since then, we have relied on your strength, why do you think we like to be dominated by you? We feel safe with you.' 

Realizing the truth in this, he says, 'You're right. I never realized, but I do now. I need to think about it a bit more, but not now. Now, I want you to touch the scar you've avoided tonight, see if my dark side is willing to make you feel really, really safe.' 

Which she does, and which he is. 

It is a good thing the four-poster is a very sturdy bed, for the gorgeous beast is no longer burdened by any negative emotions and overwhelms Adison once again with his superhuman strength and his incredible stamina. Exhausted, they drop off, still holding the other tightly.Chapter 26

Somewhere during that night, Vincent relives part of his past again, and even as he undergoes the shocking memory, he realizes this is what master Man needs to know about. 

He is in the modern apartment, their haunt in the city, and it is a nice place, large for the city and well-decorated. Catherine clearly has excellent taste in furniture and decor, and as clearly plenty of money to spend on it. 

She is not enjoying it now, though, for she is not looking well. Her face is grey and drawn, and she seems in great pain and distress. Oh my god, Vincent thinks, what if this is the moment of her death? He feels the helplessness of his predecessor, and his intense anguish over her situation. She is not calm, she's raving madly, it sounds as if she has delusions, and if she's had them before. Heathcliff seems used to coping with them, he reasons with her, tries to calm her down. He tries to hold her, but she keeps him at a distance, quite violently. 

His feelings are heartbreaking, he is so desperate, he is afraid she'll kill herself, sinking into madness ever deeper and deeper. Now she cringes in pain, not mental pain but severe, acute physical pain. His former self is nearly as far gone in his misery, but this new symptom shakes him out of it. This is new to him as well. 

She folds in pain again, it is clear her stomach is giving her intense pain. Checking her out with Heathcliff's eyes, Vincent gets the biggest shock of all: her belly is extended, showing all the signs of a pregnancy in its final stage. Of course Heathcliff must have known that, but together with his own horror and denial he feels Heathcliff's: Cathy cannot survive a delivery in this state.

Living with two doctors, Vincent cannot understand how she has gotten in this hopeless state, emaciated and apparently even dehydrated, but remembering Mina's comments, his former self is probably not entirely sane anymore himself. He knows a terrible scene is going to be played out here, and no-one in his right mind would want to witness this, but he also realizes he will have to see it through.

If there is a child of his body on this earth, he needs to know if and where it lives. So he tries to influence Heathcliff to send for a midwive and a doctor, to relieve his wife's pain and help her to deliver the baby. 

A grueling battle follows, for the life of the child, since the mother has no chance at all. There is no sanity left in Heathcliff, the thought of losing the love of his life has caused him to cross the border of reason. Vincent's influence is the only thing keeping his former self from succumbing to raving madness. 

Having lived through despair and rage, and utter loneliness already, he can still hardly bear the feelings that are assailing his senses through Heathcliff. Vincent hovers on the brink of madness himself, kept sane only by the memory of another reality, where he has a home and lover of his own. 

He sticks through hours and hours of seeing Cathy suffering pain and madness, until she sinks into unconsciousness through loss of blood and loss of self. 

Finally, through expert intervention of the midwive, the child is born, alive, crying lustily. Miraculously she seems to be totally healthy, though small. Whilst the doctor takes care of Catherine's still form, the midwive expertly wraps the baby in a blanket.

'You have a daughter, sir,' she says carefully. 

She doesn't know Heathcliff, having only just met him, so she does what she always does, show the newborn infant to its father. In her practice, she must often see mothers not surviving childbirth, and probably the bereaved fathers cling to the newborns as the only thing they have left of their beloved. This man must look more than half mad in her eyes, she does seem to keep a safe distance.

Heathcliff doesn't want to see the child, but Vincent does, so he forces Heathcliff to take a peek anyway, trying to lock the baby's looks in his memory. She is a pretty girl, with huge dark eyes, a tiny face and a big mop of raven hair. 

She looks decidedly exotic, like her father. The only thing she has from her mother is the fine bone structure. 

His former self cannot handle looking at the child any longer, and when the midwive asks if she should find a wet nurse, with a broken voice he mumbles, 'Get that child out of my sight. My life has no more use without my love.' 

And with that he moves to the side of the bed where Catherine is still lying motionless, takes her white hand and sinks to his knees, head bowed in submission.

Cathy is yet living, for his touch revives her a little. She looks straight at him and whispers, 'Send our daughter to Nelly Dean, sweetheart. She'll take care of her. But who will take care of you?'

And with this, her pale face falls back on the pillow and she loses consciousness again. 

The doctor feels her pulse and says in a solemn voice, 'It can't be long now sir. I'm sorry for your loss.' 

Vincent feels his former self totally lose it. He's afraid Heathcliff will hurt the doctor or the child, but there is nothing he can do about it. In his mad grief Heathcliff has taken total control of the body once more, and now it is moving fast. Vincent only finds out what he is planning to do when the first blinding flash of pain hits his nerves, the shock driving him back into his own body. 

His head hurts where it hit the stone wall of the apartment, probably hard enough to draw blood. No, it wasn't his head, it was Heathcliff's. The headache doesn't disappear with this realization. He just saw Catherine die in childbirth, and he has a natural daughter somewhere in the country, being raised by Nelly Dean, who will take good care of her.

The staggering impact of this knowledge keeps him immobile for what seems to be a long time. Then he sits up in bed. He has a child out there! They need to find it, find it immediately. If the enemy finds out he will have incredible leverage against them with a living child of his blood. 

His abrupt movement wakes Adison out of her sleep, and as she sees him sitting in bed she asks, totally awake like a true doctor, 'What's happening?' 

First he practically grabs her, clinging to the reality of her warm, sleepy body against him, holding her so tightly she makes a squeeking sound. That brings him back to his senses, and he loosens his grip a little.

'I'm sorry love. I needed to feel the reality of this world, of you. I had the most intense flashback yet, worse than dying myself, witnessing Catherine die in childbirth. In childbirth Adison!

There is a daughter of my body on this world as we sit here and speak.' 

Adison is completely stunned by this news, but her body automatically answers his need by returning his embrace, holding on to him as tightly as he holds on to her. Then she finds her voice.

'A daughter, but where is she? Does the enemy have her?' 

'I think not, if he was true to her last wish the child lives with a certain Nelly Dean, someone they knew in their youths. Cathy told him to send the baby to this Nelly, and there were a doctor and a midwive present to witness her dying wish. I need to speak to Mina. Now, before she falls asleep.' He is already moving.

'Vincent wait!' Adison says in her doctor's voice. He automatically obeys. 

'Calm down first. You've seen a terrible thing, sit here and quiet down a little, then put on some clothing. I'll go and see if Mina is still up. You cannot do anything until daybreak anyway.' 

And she leaves him for a few moments.

If she is still awake, she expects to find Mina reading in their bedroom. And indeed, when she knocks on the door really softly, Mina opens it, book still in hand, surprise on her face. 

'Vincent has had a really intense flashback, reliving Cathy's dying moments. He wants to speak to you about it, but he is very upset because of what he saw and what he learned. Can you come talk to him in say, ten minutes?' 

Even more suprised now, and quite curious, Mina immediately affirms.

'I'll be there. You go back quickly and settle him down, that must have been a terrible thing to witness.' 

Adison does indeed hurry back, finding Vincent dressed and back on the bed. He is not moving, but she can see his mind is still running around in circles. She sits down behind him, taking him in her arms, stroking his face, his hair. He leans into her caresses, slowly relaxing into her arms.

'That's better', she says, 'we need you calm and able to think if we're going to search for your daughter. Mina will be here within ten minutes, take that time to collect your memories, you can tell both of us what happened at the same time.' 

She is not avoiding the scar on his temple in her caresses, and touching it under these circumstances seems to relax him further rather than tense him up.

Even though the situation is quite acute, Adison still savors this moment of total silence together, the man she admires and loves in her arms, giving himself up totally to her calming ministrations. All too soon, Mina knocks on their door and lets herself in. She sits down on the bed on Vincent's other side, the two of them surrounding him with quiet energy. 

Having lived with him and cared for Victor and Adison with him, Mina is struck by the difference between this man and the man she knew with the same body. The quiet tenderness they all share, Victor included, is the total opposite of what she remembers of his predecessor. And having lived off his blood for more than a week, she also knows that his tenderness has a core of the hardest steel.

He is indeed a modern creation, Victor's triumph over life itself, but only through love has he become a real human. 

Still aware of the bond of blood between them, she feels free to sit really close to him and take one of his hands in both of hers. Adison gives her an encouraging look, so Mina says, 'Now tell us what happened, and what you want us to do.'

'I was in their city apartment, and she was raving. He was at his wits' end with her. She looked awful, emaciated, dehydrated. Then she doubled up with pain, and I saw through his eyes that she was pregnant. You can imagine the shock that gave me. Him and me simultaneously realized she wouldn't make it through a delivery in the state she was in. He went to pieces, but I had to save the child, so I forced him to send for a doctor and a midwive. 

It took hours and hours of her suffering in pain and growing madness. Then she lost consciousness. The midwive managed to get her daughter out the natural way, and the baby seemed fine. He wouldn't acknowledge the baby, but I forced him to take a good look at her, so I could form an image of what she'd look like now. She was beautiful, his black hair and black eyes, her fine boning. Cathy faded away, but implored him to send the baby to Nelly. She uttered her concern about him, and sank into unconsciousness again, fading quickly. 

The loneliness and the madness in the mind I was a part of were devastating, only the remembrance of my life here with you kept me sane, he nearly took me with him in his despair over her death. I was afraid he'd kill the child, or the doctor in his desperate rage, but I think he bashed his head to the wall instead. 

I lost contact with him and woke up here, with a headache and this memory.'

Chapter 27

Mina is as shocked as they were to hear that Cathy had a child before she died, that is clearly visible. But Adison realizes that doesn't mean the enemy is unaware of it. 

Because of her connection to Miss Yves, Mina was treated better than other captives, but she wasn't told everything. 

Still speechless, Mina tries to get a hold on the knowledge that there is a child of Vincent's blood. Her brain is already working at full speed: did she ever hear of a Nelly Dean, one they both knew as children? 




Nature or Nurture Ch. 25-27



And did her former master know Cathy was pregnant and delivered a baby before she died?

'My first impulse is to find out where Wuthering Heights is, then go there and see if Nelly Dean still lives in that neighbourhood.

But I can't leave the city for more than one day because of my duties in the theatre. And though I know Heathcliff was a great rider, I wouldn't dare climb on a horse just like that,' Vincent says, 'so what are the alternatives?' 

Adison answers.

'Finding the doctor or the midwive would be the first choice. You know what they look like, and a midwive that professional will have a reputation all over the city and will be easy to find. She will remember the case and where the baby went. We can inquire tomorrow.' 

Mina adds, 'I don't know an address, but I remember where Heathcliff used to live. You could visit the apartment and ask about the former inhabitants. 

Actually, it may still be yours. You know, there are a few hours left until daylight, shall I show it to you right now? Then you will not have to wait until nightfall to go there.'

To Vincent, that is the best option. It means he can be active right now, he won't be able to sleep anyway, and they can start the real search tomorrow morning instead of in the evening. 

Adison decides to stay with Victor.

'What if he wakes up and finds all of us gone? That would be frightening. And you'll make better time without me, you're both fast.' 

Minutes later, Adison is back in bed, and Mina and Vincent are off into the night. Mina is in the lead, setting a stiff pace. Vincent is doing his best to keep up and remember the way they are going. He wishes Adison was with them, to make a sketch of the route. 

Still, he can memorize the address once they are in the right street. Within a quarter of an hour they arrive at an apartment block that does look familiar to him. 

Maybe he saw it in one of those dreams? 

Mina walks to a door, pointing at a window, 'This is the right house, I think they owned the first and second floor. I've never been inside though, he used to make us wait outside for him. He kept us away from Cathy.' 

Vincent makes a mental note of the name of the street so he can find the house again. It looks occupied, though there are no lights burning at this time of the night. 

'Thank you Mina. I'll let you know what we learn as soon as you're awake tomorrow.'

Then he adds, 'And please be honest with me: if we find the girl, will it hurt Adison to have her live with us? 

The thought of me possibly having a wife and children upset her greatly when we had first found you.' 

Mina laughs, and soothingly says, 'Don't worry Vincent, I'm sure she was afraid to lose you to another woman. I'm very certain she will love a daughter of your blood as much as you will, and I'm sure she will the best mom a child could ever have.' 

Of course, Vincent knows this, but still it feels better to have a woman confirm it. 

'Nice house, you think I may still own it?' he changes the subject. 

'Well, it was yours, it wasn't rented. So I do wonder who inhabits it now. You may want to bring some arms when you visit, or maybe even the watch.' 

They return quickly via the exact same route, and crawl into bed with their respective partners.

Strangely enough Vincent does find sleep, and the next morning they are up early. They tell Victor everything at the breakfast table, and decide to visit the house first, their patients later. 

Discretely armed they walk to the place, looking around to get an impression of the neighbourhood, then they use the ornate doorknocker. 

A well-dressed man in his forties opens the door, takes a good look at Vincent and turns white as a sheet. 

He holds the door open, stuttering, 'Mr Heathcliff, we didn't expect you to... you look different.' 

The poor man looks positively scared. 

'I've been through a lot. If you have a place where we can talk, all of you still here, I'd be much obliged.' 

His calm politeness reassures the manservant a bit, but not very much. Adison is on her guard, his staff may have taken over the house, unwilling to give up their freedom and comfort to their unsympathetic master. 

But apparently there are only the manservant and one maid left of the staff. As they sit down in the parlour, the maid brings tea, then on Vincent's invitation she joins them. 

'We haven't heard from you in nearly a year, and you left in a confused state. We feared something bad had happened, but your lawyer had your funds in trust and told us to keep up the house with minimal staff for at least two years. 

Since you have no known kin and we knew you were in a bad way with Mrs Catherine's kin, no-one ordered a search for you. You do look different sir, one would hardly recognize you.' 

Vincent, still trying to put the two at ease, tells them part of the truth.

'Something bad indeed happened to me. I was seriously hurt, and lost part of my memory. I've been regaining it in small parts. 

I am really glad you've taken such good care of the house, and would ask you to continue to do so for a little longer.' 

Encouraged by his mild manner and forthrightness, the manservant speaks up.

'You look to be in good health, sir. Especially considering how you left, sir, you were in great mental distress, and you seem to be more stable now.' 

'I've been through a lot, and have learned from my experiences. But now I'd like to get to the purpose of my visit. 

I've only very recently remembered the night of Mrs Heathcliff's death, and with my improved circumstances I now feel able to take on the care of my daughter. I'd like to know where she lives.'

Here, the maid puts in her two cents.

'Why Mr Heathcliff, the little lass will be right glad to hear of thee I'm sure. And Mrs Kent, Miss Dean as was, will be glad to hear of thy return to good health.' 

Vincent cannot believe his luck.

'So you know where she is?'

The manservant answers.

'We certainly do. After the Missus passed away, you were locked up in your room for a week at least. You never ate, I'd swear you never slept. 

Your face was a right mess with beating yourself, I suppose you couldn't think of living without her, you were so close. The housekeeper hired a wet nurse and Laura here took care of the baby. 

Then you came out of the room, totally normal, wrote to Miss Dean as was then. 

She came within a week, tried to convince you to keep the little girl as company. But you said you couldn't live without the Missus and that it would be unfair to the child. 

So Miss Dean took the little baby to her own village. She's been writing to Laura here ever since, to let her know how little Catherine's doing.'

Here, Vincent interjects, 'So she's called Catherine?' 

'Yes, Miss Dean gave her that name, said she looked just like her mum, excepting her colouring of course. 

After the baby had gone, you just let yourself go to bits, raving and beating your head against the wall. Then you got quiet again but very cold.

That went on for nearly a year, then you went out one day, and we never saw you again until now. We knew something bad had happened, you must have had a dreadful accident.'

Surprised, Vincent asks, 'How that so?' 

The girl affirms the manservant's deduction.

'It's the scar, sir, that must have been a really bad wound. And you weren't afraid of nothing, but you must have been very scared, how else could you lose all you colour?

I'm certain Mrs Kent will be thrilled to hear from you, she's married now and her new husband brought plenty of kids with him. He's a widower.' 

As they now have enough information to mount a successful search, there is only one thing left to try and obtain.

'I remember being driven in a coach, I suppose that has been sold?'

This time, the man answers.

'You never owned a carriage sir, you usually rode on horseback. 

You were such a good rider, no-one else could handle your big black, when you disappeared he got too restless to keep here in the city, as we couldn't find anyone to exercise him. 

So the lawyer sold him. You should pay him a visit too, I'll write down the addresses for you, Miss Dean's and his. 

And the livery stable where you used to rent a carriage if you needed one. Or I can arrange you one?' 

'How far is it to Mrs Kent's place?' 

The man looks at the maid, who replies, 'A three day ride, sir. Nelly came in a cart, though, in a carriage may be quicker.' 

Vincent looks at Adison, and she observes, 'You need to arrange this with the director first, you can't just stay away. We'll call as soon as we know.' 

The man looks at her questioningly, and Vincent introduces her proudly.

'This is my fiancée Miss Adison Egerton. She is a partner in Dr Frankenstein's practice.' 

Adison shakes hands with both of them, finally getting the man's name.

'Pleased to meet you Miss Egerton, my name is Martin, I'm Mr Heathcliff's butler. 

I've heard of Doctor Frankenstein's practice, they say he can raise people from death. Actually, they say his partner... wait, that must be you then?' 

Taking another hard look at his master, scarred and very pale but healthy looking and seemingly mentally stable and even happy, he can believe her reputation. 

After that introduction, Laura is quite in awe of Miss Egerton, this girl isn't as vibrant a beauty as Mrs Catherine was, but apparently she's a doctor with an already legendary reputation, and the maid feels quite embarrassed to shake hands with her as an equal. 

But Adison has never had staff like this, their retainers used to be more like friends, so she treats the maid as any other person and introduces herself as usual.

'Hello Laura, I'm Adison, and I'm pleased to meet you.'

Soon after this, they take leave, promising they will be back soon to talk business. 

Pleased that everything went smoothly here, hoping Mrs Kent will be as willing to give up the girl to her father as Laura seems to think, they talk about what needs to be done further. 

First, Vincent will go to the theatre and talk to the director, for he really needs some time off to settle this matter. They need to have a good talk about his possible new career as well, and it might as well be today. 

And Adison needs to see her patients, and tell them about their trial with their home-practice. That way, Victor can attend to her patients whilst she is off to Wuthering Heights. 

So they both go their own ways, and that afternoon at tea-time, they sit around their kitchen table with Victor and Mina and discuss everything that has happened. 

Those two have the same glow as yesterday around this time, so Adison guesses Mina has already been fed to both their satisfaction. She addresses Victor, 'Are you feeling even better? You look positively healthy!' 

He smiles amiably. 

'I feel much better. I'm starting to think bleeding patients may be a good way to treat patients after all. It gives a feeling of accomplishment and it stimulates appetite.' 

Vincent observes, 'I can imagine the latter pretty easily, but I'm afraid that for the feeling of accomplishment, you really need to donate the blood to someone rather than let it drain into the kitchen sink.' 

Mina says, 'Imagine a vampire making a living by curing people through bleeding. Ugh, I can imagine the taste. Sick people's blood. No, I prefer a healthy young specimen, like our doctor here. But Vincent, what did you two learn? Victor and I are both dying of curiosity.'

'Well it seems I'm a gentleman with a nice house and staff, and an as yet unknown fortune. 

The steward and the maid who have kept up the house since my disappearance recognized me instantly. They know my daughter, and she indeed lives with Nelly Dean, now Mrs Kent. We have the address, and, Adison, I have called on Martin to ask him to arrange a carriage for tomorrow. Apparently the director has been expecting my promotion for some time now, and I have a week off in which the company will bring another set they have played before. 

Bruce has the part Simon used to play. 

I did wonder why he didn't call as often to loan books. After the week we'll continue the current play whilst the others rehearse a new piece.' 

Vincent is a bit suspicious at how easy this all seems to be going, but what can they do?



Nature or Nurture Ch. 28-30



Chapter 28

The next morning they leave, having packed for a week's journey. Grown wise from past experience, they have packed plenty of weaponry, their guns and several cartridges of bullets, a hidden knife for Adison and a sabre that Vincent carries openly. 

Of course a well-outfitted doctor's bag. The carriage-driver knows where he is supposed to go, so they sit back and try to enjoy the ride. 

As soon as the carriage is in motion, they are in each others arms, trying to find some release for the tension they've been under. It is not easy to make love in a speeding carriage, but it can be done. It works too, for afterwards they are a lot calmer than they were, and they start to realize what they are doing.

'If this works, we'll have responsibility for a child,' Adison says, 'she's probably not yet two years old. Do you think we'll be able to raise a child?' 

Vincent looks at her with admiration and replies, 'I'm sure you are, I remember how you raised me as if it was yesterday.' 

She's not having that.

'That wasn't like raising a child at all, you only needed to be reminded of things, and you had the temperament of an adult. With her mom and dad, this will be a feisty lady, she'll take some raising. Children take years to grow up, not a few months.' 

Vincent is unshakable.

'Still I'm sure you can handle it, and with your help, I will manage too.' 

After a short pause he adds, 'My love, I think I know how you stand in this, which is why I have not asked before, but if you object in any way to taking in a child that is not related to you at all, and whose parents you have in some way never even known, I will understand. We can just meet little Catherine and leave her with her caretaker.' 

'That thought has never even crossed my mind, Vincent.' She sounds affected, and explains why. 'You know, Vincent, lately I have been thinking it would be nice to have children. This may be our only chance to have one that is related to one of us. 

I'm thrilled! And besides, it would be way too dangerous to leave her there unguarded.' 

This time it is Vincent's turn to have a new thought.

'You think I may be unable to have children?' 

Adison nods. 'Of course I'm not sure, but somehow fertility in men seems to be connected with having a beard. I'm sorry.'

'Don't be,' he says, 'I'm very happy as we are. Let's see if we can find little Catherine first.'

After two days of hard travel, sleeping in inns twice and changing horses regularly, they reach the inn where they will exchange horses for the last time, then press on deep into the evening until they arrive at the village where Mrs Kent lives. 

They go inside to have a good, hot meal after their tiring day of travel, and are soon seated snugly at a table for two, with the best fare the inn has to offer on the table between them. 

The inn is very quiet, at a time of the day when one would suspect it to be filled with hungry villagers and travellers like themselves. 

When the waitress brings their drinks, Vincent asks if it is normal to see so few visitors on an evening like this. The reaction of the girl to the question is strange, for her face takes on an expression of extreme fear, and she says, 'Oh no, good sir, not at all. Our inn used to be filled up with people at this time of the evening, all eating and drinking and making merry. But nowadays no-one dares go out after dark, all the good people stay inside and keep their doors and windows locked tight.'

That is weird, and Adison wants to know more.

'But why don't they dare to go out? Are there robbers about?' 

'No my lady, there be no robbers, there be a gytrash on the moors, a murderous ghost in the shape of a beautiful black horse with flowing mane and tail. 

It has already done for four men, wanting to catch it and ending up in the moors, drowned you see. It tempts them then kills them. No bodies were found, but they never came home to their wives and children.' 

She puts their drinks down, then goes back to the kitchen.

That doesn't sound too good, even though neither of them believes in ghosts. Still, they're not going to ruin a good meal over a horror story, after all, they've seen their share of monsters and fought them as well. 

And the food is good, stew with freshly baked bread, slices of roast pork, baked potatoes. They eat well, then sit back and enjoy a cup of coffee, it will be a long evening, driving through the dark. Tired, they don't talk much, the heat of the fireplace makes them sleepy, and they sit nodding. 

Then a man approaches them, well-dressed but with a rather humble attitude.

Adison guesses it's the innkeeper, and she soon finds out she is right.

'Sir, my lady, I have heard from your driver that you are planning to travel on to Gimmerton tonight. May I advise against it very strenuously and offer you the facilities of my inn, it is really unsafe to travel in the dark in these parts. 

A so-called gytrash has been sighted and it has taken the lives of four men so far.' 

He wrings his hands in worry, apparently seriously upset by the idea of people going out after dark. Adison looks at Vincent, who tells the innkeeper, 'We are planning to continue our journey with fresh horses, we mean to reach our destination tonight, it is only three more hours of travel on an excellent road. 

Whatever could a horse do to us, as long as we don't follow it into the moors?' 

Adison agrees totally with him, but she hopes the driver will see it their way. If he refuses to drive, they will be forced to stay the night.

As it happens, the driver agrees with them totally, he is very much a city man and not inclined to believe farmers' folk tales, as he puts it. 

He clearly is a man of the world, as he shows them a large gun on his belt as well as a sword like Vincent's. 

'I can protect myself, sir, have been in several gang-wars in my wilder days. Needs to be a big bad horse to scare me,' he brags, 'if there is trouble I can't handle I'll knock on the carriage window, and you can do your part. 

I've heard of your reputation as a fighter, master Heathcliff, I'm guessing together we can handle pretty much anything this here country can throw at us.' 

Thinking of the vampire creatures, Adison is not so sure of his fighting prowess when under attack by the supernatural, but she finds his superior city attitude very entertaining, and she does trust Vincent's ability to handle almost anything. 

And maybe she also suffers from city superiority, for she finds it hard to imagine something out there in the country that can harm them. Unless, but that seems quite far-fetched, it is the enemy plotting to take the child, waylaying them in the country, where they don't have allies. 

She asks their host, the innkeeper, how long these attacks have been going on, and he answers, 'A few weeks now, madam, and if they keep up much longer my business will start to suffer seriously.' She thanks him for his answer and his good care, and observes to Vincent, 'That is too early to be set up to stop us, but it could have been set up to get at your daughter.'

'We could do worse than be on our guard. I will not sleep and I suggest you do the same and keep your weapons ready for use and within reach. 

I am considering riding on the box with the driver, to allow me to keep an eye out for danger. Would you mind that?' 

Though she doesn't like being alone in the carriage, Adison doesn't feel like being surprised by enemies either, and in a closed carriage they'll be sitting ducks. 

'I don't like it, but I realize it is the wisest thing to do if we're not to be ambushed or surprised by attackers.' 

And so it happens that when they set off again, with fresh horses, Vincent rides along on the box, fully armed and alert, and Adison sits inside the carriage, also fully armed and keeping her senses open for the feeling of evil.

After two hours of driving, they are making good time and no suspicious horses have shown themselves. 

Vincent has no trouble staying awake, and neither has the driver, who he now knows is called Neil. 

Neil has apparently driven him often when he was still Heathcliff, and it is clear from their conversation that Heathcliff had a formidable reputation for being a ferocious fighter, but also for having a vicious temper. Having a serious conversation on the box seat would have been out of the question with him. 

Vincent learns that Neil also thinks that he has to have experienced something unspeakably fearsome to have turned white, and to have suffered such a wound as to leave a big scar in his face. Apparently the story of Adison's healing power has already spread, for she is credited with both his survival and his change of character. 

That won't do her practice any harm, he guesses. Neil himself comes from the poorer quarters, and has worked himself up from stable boy to driver by his extraordinary talent with horses of any stamp. 

He knew Heathcliff's horse not only by reputation, but also from experience. 

'I could have handled him, but I couldn't afford to keep such an animal,' he says, 'and anyway, what would I do with a gentleman's horse?' 

He has a nice home and a family, and is satisfied with life as it is. This trip is a nice change from hasty trips in the city, and long waits in the cold, keeping the horses quiet and warm whilst the rich enjoy themselves in the theatre or their club. 

And it pays well, of course.

Now, they don't talk much anymore but rather watch the road and the darkness around it. 

Neil also watches the horses closely, with their keener senses they will warn them of danger before a man can sense it. 

Sitting next to a man whom many would think of as one of the most feared men in the city is decidedly weird, especially talking with him as if he is truly human, about common things like family and dreams for the future. 

Neil used to be really careful around him, and wisely so, for he could turn violent in an instant. He was not surprised when Mr Heathcliff disappeared and word on the street was that he had been killed in a bar brawl. 

Not sorry either, to be honest. 

But now that has changed, whatever Mr Heathcliff has been through seems to have thoroughly changed him, and though Neil will not take any liberties towards him, so far the change has been real. 

Lost in his thoughts, Neil is still very attentive to his surroundings, and when he notices an extra alertness in the horses he quickly tells Mr Heathcliff, who has his gun out before Neil can finish his warning. 

Mr Heathcliff used to be quick, but not thát quick. 

He is barely able to finish that thought, for in front of the carriage, standing by the side of the road, is a beautiful coal black horse. It is not threatening, but grazing. In the dark.

He says in a low voice, 'Horses don't graze in the dark, or beside the road.' 

Their own horses don't seem nervous or disturbed by this horse now they've spotted it. Not wanting to have a potential threat behind them, they decide to stop and investigate. 

Mr Heathcliff knocks on the carriage window to warn his fiancée, Miss Adison, who looks like a little grey mouse, but who apparently saved Mr Heathcliff's life and single handedly tamed her wild lover to the well-mannered, mild spoken man sitting next to Neil.

With the carriage come to a halt, Neil immediately sees to the horses, they are his first responsibility and Mr Heathcliff can clearly take care of himself and his fiancée very well. 

From his position at their heads, he can see Mr Heathcliff climbing down from the box and opening the door for Miss Adison. 

She doesn't look scared or helpless at all, not burdened by any ladies' stuff like a bag or a kerchief, but rather carrying a medium sized gun as if she knows how to handle it. 

He can see a large knife on her belt, and she walks alert and balanced like a street-fighter.

Mr Heathcliff now looks more like he used to, a predator on the loose.

He does not look at Miss Adison, rather trusting she is at his side, as if they have been into danger before. Having been a gang-member, Neil knows how people move in a group, and these two have fought together before. 

Strangely enough, Miss Adison is the first to approach the horse, and it nears her fearlessly, as if it is just a horse that has escaped and wants to be found by humans. Neil studies its stance and its demeanour, and though it looks like a normal horse, it behaves more like a predator, too fearless and too forward, almost eager. 

Miss Adison has stopped, and is discussing something with Mr Heathcliff now. 

Neil decides to warn him, in a quiet voice that carries far enough in the night.

'Be careful Mr Heathcliff, that looks like your former horse, but it moves like a hunting dog.' 

Mr Heathcliff nods, and both point a gun at it. The horse-like creature seems to know its chance to fool these victims has passed, for it now shows its true nature, and Neil's special report with horses is soon tested to the limit as the large black horse broadens and changes into a huge black slavering dog with red eyes and teeth gleaming white in the light of the carriage-lanterns.

The horses snort and tremble in fear, and try to flee. But they are already a little tired, and he is at their heads, so he manages to get them calmed down, convincing them they don't want to look at the horrifying beast but at a few treats he carries in his pockets.

Now, he can look at the terrifying scene again, and the enormous black beast now resembles nothing so much as a creature he once saw at the zoo, a hyena, only much bigger and intensely black.

It has sprouted a second head, which proves to Neil that this is not a natural creature from the moors, but a supernatural threat. 

He is frozen with indecision, there is no way Mr Heathcliff can beat this creature on his own, but if he releases the horses they'll break and run, almost certainly ruining the carriage and costing them their own lives. 

He knows shots will be fired, so he attends to the horses again, and none too soon, for both his passengers now empty their guns' cartridges into the beast with a thundering noise. 

Noise over, he can see that the beast has taken damage, but it has not been beaten by any means. Now Miss Adison falls back on a shout by Mr Heathcliff, and he takes on an offensive stance, one that Neil doesn't recognize. 

Miss Adison now joins Neil at the horses' heads, and warns him to keep his gun ready to shoot if Vincent, the name by which Mr Heathcliff goes now, should fall.

But for now, there is no need for his gun. The small, dark figure whirls a shining sword, clearly an expert swordsman. 

He doesn't attack yet, which is not as Neil remembers Mr Heathcliff, always a hothead ready to launch himself into a fight. 

This figure takes his time, waiting for his opponent to strike first. And as the huge creature goes for his throat, the man flashes under it with incredible speed, raking its tender belly with the sword. 

The first blood spouts, and the man emerges behind the monster and starts hacking at its hind legs with a vengeance. 

The creature howls in pain and anger, and turns in an instant. It is not bested by far, but it leaves a trail of blood, and one of its hind legs is not moving as fast as the rest of it. 

Mad with anger it again attacks Mr Heathcliff, is this cool headed figure really him? 

And the human figure launches itself over the heads this time, flying or so it seems, slashing at the neck of the head to the left in whirlwind moves. 

Both feet back on the ground, he closes in, knowing the creature will turn on him again any moment, and slashes once more at the already damaged leg. 

The man is so incredibly fast that it just seems humanly impossible. 

But hacking through a leg the size of a plough horse's takes time, and the creature has spun again and delivers a slashing bite of its own with its undamaged right head. 

The small figure is flung a distance, fortunately away from the horses, and lands with a crash. 

Neil is crushed, he seemed to be doing so well, why didn't he take more time? 

The creature was bleeding profusely, it couldn't have lasted much longer. 

He reaches for his gun, ready to defend his life and the horses' against the monster. 

Beside him, Miss Adison is readying her knife, looking crushed by the damage done to her lover. But that one is already back on his two legs, bleeding now, but not looking any weaker for it, nor any slower. 

He faces the monster attacking him again, and this time he jumps up to the height of the creature's one undamaged face, then slashes down two-handedly in a terrifying show of strength. 

The blow, delivered with incredible force, causes the monster's right head to split in a shower of blood. 

Can this be a normal man, delivering blows like that? Neil shakes his head to clear his mind, he cannot believe what he just witnessed. 

There is still some life in the huge creature, but its movements no longer seem coordinated, they look more like spasms. 

The only slightly wounded left head still feebly threatens its small human attacker, and Mr Heathcliff braves the thrashing pillars of its legs and the badly coordinated left head to deliver a final killing blow to the monster. 

Its thrashing stops, the head drops, leaving a huge carcass lying beside the road. The man still stands, tired to death and bleeding, but victorious. 

How one man managed to beat such a creature is a total mystery to Neil, even though he saw it happen right before his own eyes. 

Miss Adison now asks him for his gun, and realizing she wants to go to her lover he hands it over. Rather she than him, he'll guard the horses a little longer.

Holding the gun ready, Miss Adison nears Mr Heathcliff, who is now clearly on the point of collapse. 

Neil is impressed by her guts as well, that is a fearsome creature, even apparently dead. 

She is just in time to catch her lover as he falls, and remembering she is a doctor, he is not surprised that she manages to keep him upright, and guides him to the carriage. 

She asks Neil if he can leave the horses for a bit now, and he judges he can, helping her set Mr Heathcliff down on a grassy knoll next to the carriage, well within its lights.

She tells him, 'He is not badly wounded, I'll take care of him in a minute. 

But first I want to see if that creature is really dead, and what it was. 

So she leaves him with Mr Heathcliff and coolly walks to the dead monster, checking its vital signs, gun at the ready in her one hand, knife in the other. She spends another minute observing it in total silence, almost like a trance. 

Then she quickly runs back, returns his gun, puts her knife away and climbs into the coach to grab a big bag. 

Now Miss Adison returns to her wounded man, and finally shows the concern Neil would expect her to. She strokes his black hair, his white cheek, until he looks up at her. 

Embarrassed to witness such intimacy, Neil busies himself with the horses, certain she'll call him if she needs help.

Chapter 29

Adison tries to get into contact with Vincent, to see how badly he is hurt, but she finds it hard to wake him up. 

She decides to give him a bit of a new component of her doctor's bag, some of the director's vile liquor. Feeding him a sip from a stoppered vial he sputters and wakes up immediately. 

'That really is gross. I got him, didn't I?' 

Adison looks at him proudly.

'You sure did, you were magnificent, 't was as if you were flying. Shame Bruce couldn't see it. 

Why weren't you awake just now?' 

Vincent looks truly surprised.

'I don't know, it got a hit on me only once, and that didn't stun me. You think it spelled me?' 

Well, at least he seems wide-awake now.




Nature or Nurture Ch. 28-30



'Where did he get you, what hurts?' It does seem unfair it's always Vincent who gets hit.

'I'm afraid it's the chest again, and my left leg feels painful.' 

Adison checks both and applies a bandage to stop excessive bleeding, then clears up her stuff and helps Vincent into the carriage. 

She calls out to the driver.

'Mister, are the horses able to go on to the inn? And can you get them past that?' 

She points at the body of the monster lying across part of the road. 

'No problem to both questions, Miss. Is the master all right?' 

'He is wounded and needs further attention, but it can wait until we reach the inn, with clean water and light and a bed. Will you lead the horses past the carcass?' 

'Won't get them past it otherwise, Miss Adison. You step into the carriage with the master and take care of him, I'll get us to the inn.' 

He really seems to care what happens to Vincent, and she says, 'Thank you, I will.'

Very soon they are indeed well on their way to their destination, and now both of them realize what has happened.

'Vincent, you killed a huge monster on your own. Even Bruce would have had trouble with that. You are an even better fighter than I realized. Were you scared?' 

He laughs, wounds forgotten, giddy with a feeling of triumph.

'Yes I was, for a second, and then I fell into a fighting stance and I became totally quiet and confident.' 

'I saw that, you just let him attack you. Your moves were stunning, you seemed to fly.' Adison's voice reflects her admiration.

'I can hardly believe it myself, it felt as if I was in a play, not as if it was really happening, everything seemed to slow down. 

When I got hit it didn't even hurt, I just got up and delivered the final blow. I split that thing's skull in two, Adison, with one blow. 

I must be very strong indeed, stronger than any of us realized.' 

Adison wraps her arms around him and shudders with the memory.

'I was scared, though, that huge thing and you on your own, I'm glad it's over, and I'll be even gladder when I've seen how bad your wounds are and when I've treated them.' 

He kisses her eagerly.

'But until then, you can hold me and kiss me, and tell me how brave I was.' 

And so she does, and within an hour they reach their destination, the only inn in Gimmerton.

Their arrival causes quite a stir, theirs is the first carriage to arrive at night for at least a month, and the appearance of Vincent covered in blood proves that something dangerous really is out there. They have made a deal with Neil, he will enjoy a few beers in the tap room, telling their tale to everyone that wants to hear about the attack of the gytrash and its demise, whilst Adison and Vincent, or Heathcliff as he is known here, will get cleaned up and his wounds treated. 

The inn has a bathhouse, so they make use of that first, cleaning up carefully and soaking some of the tension out of Vincent's muscles. 

Then they retreat to their own room where Adison checks him over minutely, treating two or three major slashes and a bite mark. 

He is also bruised quite extensively, but that is more his usual state than exceptional.

Adison decides to stitch the three slashes, knowing how careless he is with wounds. 

Then some Chinese herbal treatment to speed up healing and prevent infection, and they are ready to dress for supper, which they take in the taproom to give the people the sensation they want. 

After such a fight, sleep will be slow to come anyway, and this will make Vincent look good with little Catherine's adoptive family.

After supper they arrange to have a boy sent to Mrs Kent the next morning, hoping she will agree to see them. 

Then Vincent sits back with a complimentary drink from the landlord, and he answers a load of questions from the inn staff, about the gytrash and how he killed it all by himself. 

They all call him Mr Heathcliff, and treat him with the greatest respect. 

Adison overhears some maids wondering how such a friendly looking man could be a dangerous fighter. 

She can imagine their doubt, sitting there telling stories Vincent is much more the actor than the born fighter, it reminds her that Vincent has been on the stage every night for months, excepting the last few days. 

Maybe he misses his audience and has agreed to tell his story himself to have one.

After his public appearance they retire to their room to get some sleep, but lying in the soft warm bed together they take some time for each other first. 

Vincent holds Adison close, strokes her hair and her face, and her female curves, kissing every part of her, whispering, 'I'm so very glad to have you by my side, I want you with me always.' 

She relishes the attention, but still teases him a little.

'And here I thought you preferred an audience to my company.' 

He looks at her, yellow eyes still hungry, lifts an eyebrow and observes, 'I'd rather have a theatre filled with people watching a role I play than those few admiring my person. 

You make me feel real, you know the real me and keep his feet on the ground when he needs it.' 

She moves on top of him and kisses him passionately, stroking his beardless face, and his broad chest, glad to finally have some time together. 

They cuddle some more, then make love quietly, and fall asleep with their bodies tangled together.

The next morning they sleep late, and go to the tap room for their breakfast. 

The boy has been sent with their message, and he doesn't just bring a positive reply, he brings Mrs Kent back with him. 

Mrs Nelly Kent, formerly Miss Nelly Dean, is a middle-aged lady of about forty, not too short or too tall, neither fat nor skinny, with clothes chosen for practicality rather than fashion, and hands well-used to hard work. 

She looks a bit suspiciously at Adison, but when she sees Vincent her expression changes to a combination of joy and shock. 

She clearly recognizes him, but is struck by the changes in him. 

Studying his features as freely as someone might who has seen one grow up from a child, she takes both his hands and addresses him.

'Heathcliff my boy, they said you were most likely dead. And you must have come close, look at you. You were as dark as a gypsy, the things you must have seen to lose all your colour like that!' 

Adison finds that an interesting explanation for his loss of skin pigment, the maid also thought he must have scared himself white. 

Nelly is now crying openly, she must have thought a lot of him as a boy. Vincent of course doesn't remember her at all, but he can recognize her genuine attachment, and he says, 'You are totally right, dear Nelly, I've been though a lot. I've lost a lot of memories after receiving a very severe wound to the head. 

Please let me introduce my fiancée Adison, she is a doctor and she has brought me back from the brink of death.' 

Adison and Nelly shake hands, and she can feel Nelly sizing her up. 

Vincent continues, 'I had been living with her for nearly a year before I started to get some memories back from my past. It is only three days ago that I remembered the night of Catherine's death and little Catherine's birth.' 

Part of the suspicion is back in Nelly's demeanour.

'You didn't want the baby when she was born.' 

Vincent says, 'I relived that horrible night two nights ago, and I was nearly as mad as Cathy was just before she died. I totally lost it after she left me. 

I would have been a terrible father. The loss of memory and the year with Adison have made me a different person. I've mastered my violent temperament and found a career that keeps me occupied and challenged.'

'And a very stable young woman who loves you deeply, apparently,' Nelly adds. 

'And someone I love and who loves me, not possessively, but in freedom,' Vincent acknowledges. Nelly nods. 'Well, she is your child, and I see you're much quieter and yes, also happier than you used to be. 

I deem you can give her the home she needs. Do you have children already?' 

This question is directed at Adison. 

'No, we haven't,' she replies, 'but I have always hoped we would have them some day.' 

Now, Nelly says in a near whisper, 'There are two things I have to tell you before you finally decide to take her home with you. 

The first is, Catherine is a very strong willed child, even at her tender age. She is not even two years old, but she already has tantrums like her mum used to have. 

My husband has raised six children, and he has little patience with her sensitive nature, none of his get ever behaved like that and he finds it difficult to cope with her. 

I see her parents reflected in her, so I know how to deal with her, but I foresee great difficulties between the two of them, worsening a little each year. I do not want to choose between my husband and this child I have come to love as much as I did you and Catherine, so in a way I'm glad you've come for her. 

You can handle her, and seeing what Miss Adison has accomplished with you, I'm certain she can do even better. You were never as composed as you are now, you seem tranquil, even happy. I want that for little Catherine.

Then there is the second thing I need to warn you about. Someone else wants your daughter, very much so. 

A few weeks ago an unknown man visited us, asking to take little Catherine with him. He promised to make her an important person, rich, with many servants and pretty things. 

We didn't like the man, and our dogs didn't either. Catherine wasn't to be seen for as long as he visited. We told him no of course and that made him angry, though he hid it well.

Since that visit, we all have the feeling our farm is being watched, we see men about that don't live in this neighbourhood.

We dare not go out alone or after dark, we lock up our livestock at night, we have had locks installed on our doors. 

Since that visit, we live in fear, and my husband and I have come to the conclusion that as long as little Catherine is with us, we're all in danger. 

If you take her with you, you will be in danger too. '

Vincent and Adison now look at each other seriously, and Adison nods encouragement at Vincent. He lays an arm on Nelly's shoulder and says: 'You have confirmed our suspicion, Nelly, that something is after Catherine. 

We can defend her and ourselves against it, which is why we started planning this journey the night I remembered her being born. Have you heard about the gytrash?' 

Nelly seems relieved to hear they believe her suspicions.

'I've heard you slew a gytrash all by yourself on your way out here. You mean to say that is true?' 

Vincent looks at her seriously, and with great confidence says, 'It is true Nelly, I have fought that thing and killed it. We think it may have been sent by the same person who wants Catherine, to terrorise the countryside so everyone stays inside, to wear down your resistance so you let her go.' 

Now, Nelly starts to look afraid.

'I think you'd better come back with me and take her with you straight away. 

We're being watched, and your enemy will know the gytrash is dead. My family may be in danger.' 

This is not exaggerated, and Vincent and Adison spring into action, arming themselves, loading their guns, Adison slinging a small version of her doctor's bag on her back. 

They leave the room to look for Neil, their driver, and find him in the tap room. 

Vincent asks him, 'Can I convince you to join us in a rescue mission, Neil? My daughter and this lady's family may be in danger.' 

'Sure thing, sir, please wait until I've fetched my weapons.' 

And he's off, and back again in a minute. 

Together they follow Nelly to her farm, setting a stiff pace, scanning the fields carefully for ambushes. Soon they near the farm, and they can hear the disturbing sounds of fighting. 

Nelly still leads them, and observes, 'We can still run towards the farm, it's behind that little brush, we have cover until we're in view of what is happening.' 

So they run for it, weapons ready, all sides of their little group covered. 

When they come into view of the farm, they can see a man and three large boys, armed with pitchforks and a scythe, fighting off eight burly men armed with clubs and staffs. 

Nelly calls out, 'Peter, it's me, these people are friends!' 

At her yell, the burly men turn, and four split off the group to attack them. 

Despite seeing the guns pointed at them, and two men carrying sabres as if they know how to use them, they continue their attack, though they don't stand a chance against a person carrying a gun. This worries Adison, and she yells, 'Don't shoot or kill them, they are most likely possessed. 

Try to stun them.' 

Vincent understands immediately, tucks his gun in his belt, and closes with two of the men, taking one down with a well-aimed strike to the neck, the second one with a high kick. 

Adison rushes towards the stricken men, making sure they're out. 

Faster than lightning, Vincent takes out a third, while Neil hits the fourth over the head with the butt-end of his gun. 

They are not good fighters. 

Now moving on to the four still attacking the farmer and his sons, they try to prevent hurt to both sets of men, Vincent again striking one and kicking another, both dropping like stones. 

The farmer, encouraged by the arrival of help, has his man down, and just as Neil arrives to aid the youngest son, the boy manages to floor his burly opponent. 

The downed men seem dazed, not realizing what is happening, until Adison motions Vincent to hold the one who had been attacking the youngest son. She takes his head in both her hands, whispers her unintelligible sentence, and kisses his forehead. 

The man looks up at her and says, 'Who are you, lady, and what am I doing here?' 

He looks around in fear and wonder. 'And what happened to my brother, why is he on the ground?'

Chapter 30

The farmer and Nelly look at him and at Adison in awe and a bit of fear, until Vincent tells them, 'Adison is a doctor, but she can also break spells. 

These men were farmers, like you, until someone spelled them to watch you and attack you. She will free the rest, so please don't hurt them. 

Neil, will you go with Mrs Kent to check on her daughters and on my little girl?' 

Nelly and Neil are off inside the house, the farmer and his sons stand around, watching Adison give each man the same treatment. 

After four, she slows down a little. 

After six, she starts to look really tired. 

Vincent objects to her continuing.

'Adison, you look really tired, maybe you should rest a little before you do the last two.' 

'I'll need a full day to recover, dearest, I'd rather do these two as well then have it over with.' 

Vincent doesn't like it, but this is her part in what is happening, and it needs to be done, so he stands beside her, supporting her.

The last two are still unconscious, so she sits down next to one and treats him, slow to get up afterwards.

'Only one more,' she says shakily, as Vincent nearly carries her to the last man. 

The largest son lifts that one up, making it easier to take hold of him.

'Thank you,' Adison says, then she treats the last man and leans on Vincent's arm, drained. 

Eight men are standing dazedly in front of the Kent farm, with no idea how they ended up there, farmer Kent and his three sons keeping a suspicious eye on them. 

Adison is still leaning heavily on Vincent's arm as Nelly and Neil come out of the farmhouse with three large girls and one small one behind them. 

But Nelly is clearly used to running a large household, for she soon has everyone running. 'Heathcliff, you sit down on the porch with your fiancée, whatever happened to you Adison, did you faint? 

Catherine, this is your father, Heathcliff, and his fiancée, Miss Adison, say hello to them. 

Neil, are you sure everything is safe now? 

Carl and John, you run to the bailiff's to help get these men to their homes, Peter, this is Heathcliff, whom I have often told you about, he's Catherine's dad. 

Sebastian, come here.' 

With this, she hugs her youngest stepson, who is clearly starting to realize what has happened. He has downed a man in a fight, a real fight, and he is not ashamed to find solace with his stepmum. 'We all need some tea, girls, please put the kettle on, and we'll follow you inside.'

Cramped together on the little porch seat, Vincent and Adison see a raven haired toddler approach them fearlessly, not at all struck by Vincent's different looks as most adults usually are at first. Vincent is amazed by her resemblance of course to the baby she was in his dream two nights ago, but also to her mother, whose features he has come to know well over the last few weeks. 

His shock of recognition is clearly visible, and Nelly, who is watching their first meeting anxiously, obviously values him for it. 

Adison is by no means recovered from the intense strain of releasing so many men from an evil spell, and her tiredness makes her a little giddy. She cannot help being bespelled by the little girl's beautiful features, and her beautiful black wavy hair. 

Leaning forward to touch it, the little girl doesn't shy from her, but rather invites her to pick her up and cuddle her. 

Adison barely manages, and soon they look like an ideal family on the porch seat, a blond woman with a raven haired child in her arms, sitting against a raven haired man looking at the two in adoration.

Comparing this picture to the Heathcliff and Catherine she knew, Nelly feels less afraid already for the child's future. 

The ferocious whirlwind she just saw put six men out of action without even raising a sweat, is a reminder of the iron core inside the man she once loved like a son, but the calm presence now doting on the picture his fiancée and daughter make together promises even more. 

Safety and love, that is what Nelly feels a child needs to grow up happily, and little Catherine now has every chance to find it with her father. 

Turning away from the happy scene, Nelly leaves the three by themselves. 

Peter Kent, still confused at what has just happened, and how this will affect his family, awaits the bailiff with his youngest son and the eight confused men, and Nelly and her daughters set a good table for the last lunch with their adoptive daughter. 

Neil declines an invitation to stay for lunch, he heads for the inn to keep an eye on the carriage and the horses, planning to exercise them to prepare for the return journey.

Meanwhile, Adison is fighting sleep, taking the spells off those men has taken a lot out of her and she could really use a nap about now. 

At her side, Vincent notices her fighting sleep, and he asks, 'Are you tired? Why don't you lie down on my lap for a moment and grab some sleep, I want to stay here and keep an eye out anyway, until those men have been moved at least. 

Little Catherine seems to have had the same idea.' 

Lifting her head carefully, Adison looks at the pretty girl in her lap, and she has indeed closed her eyes, lying in one of those boneless postures that only toddlers can sleep in. 

Her heart melts, seeing the girl so trusting with her and with Vincent, whom most people look at at least twice, with his yellow eyes and pale face. 

She slowly moves a tiny bit and lies down in Vincent's lap, feeling very comfortable and very safe, and closes her eyes. Soon, she is fast asleep, trusting her love to wake her if something important happens. 

Meanwhile, seeing the love of his life sleeping in his lap, with the baby version of the love of his dreams in her arms, moves Vincent more than anything has ever before. 

He has known strong love in this life already, and he remembers a really potent love from his former life, but the love one feels for a helpless child is totally different.




Nature or Nurture Ch. 28-30



It makes him feel strong, whereas his other loves have often made him feel weak. There is little he will not do to protect these two, and he fears he may have to fight again before he'll have them home safely. 

He'd give his right arm to have Bruce here with a bunch of his young hotheads, and Victor and Mina.

But he knows he is a small army by himself, and Adison and Neil aren't helpless in a fight either, so they'll have to take the chance and go back towards the city tomorrow.

But as it happens they don't have to travel the whole distance alone, for soon the bailiff arrives, and after interviewing the eight men he finds out they were all taken from farms within a few hours drive from his village. 

Four are from the village where they changed horses, and as they are planning to return via the same inn, they can take the men along for extra protection. 

This is a great relief for Vincent, for he was not looking forward to saddling Adison with an active toddler when still tired from working magic, but he was not going to sit in the carriage either, with the possibility of an ambush very real. 

They work out the details, planning to start the return journey the same afternoon to be unpredictable, spending the night at the inn in the village where the farmers live. 

Adison will not like it, but she will spend most of the day sleeping anyway, so she may as well do that in a moving coach, as long as someone is awake to entertain their daughter. 

The bailiff takes the four men from other villages with him, and right then lunch is ready. 

Vincent quietly wakes Adison and little Catherine, and both sit up, rubbing their eyes. They go in behind Peter Kent, his sons and the four remaining farmers. 

Mrs Kent is clearly used to large groups of people eating with them, for the table is enormous, and the amount of food even more so. 

Nelly laughs at their amazed looks. 'You should see the table in harvest season, when hired hands help us get the crops in. And when our children will start marrying, a few will certainly move in with us. That's the custom here.' 

The food is excellent, Vincent and Adison are sitting on either side of their new daughter, helping her with whatever she cannot manage herself. 

Somewhere during lunch, Vincent tells Adison what the bailiff has suggested, and though it will be a tight fit, she sees the sense in leaving quickly and in company.

'I will be sleeping most of the way, I couldn't travel alone with Catherine until I'd had a full night's sleep, and by then who knows what forces might be arrayed against us.' 

So after lunch, Vincent leaves for the inn to ask Neil to ready the coach for a short drive in an hour, with four extra passengers. 

Adison helps Nelly pack for little Catherine, and when Vincent has returned, Nelly tells the toddler that she will leave Nelly and her family to live with her father and with Adison. They are not sure she has understood yet, but she is not upset, and doesn't mind giving Adison and Vincent a little hand each. 

Vincent says, 'We want to leave with all ceremony, if the farm is still watched they'll know Catherine is no longer here. 

Still, you may want to stay on your guard for a few more days.' 

Nelly accompanies them to the inn, where they pack their stuff and stow it on the roof of the carriage, excepting their weapons and the doctor's bag, plus some toys for the little girl.

They settle their account with the inn and two of the farmers go into the carriage, two settle on the box with Neil. 

Vincent kisses Nelly goodbye, promising to write as soon as they have arrived safely. Adison kisses Nelly too, and then the time has come for the latter to say goodbye to little Catherine, the girl she has raised practically from birth. 

It is a very difficult moment for Nelly, fortunately the girl is still too young to see her foster-mother's grief at the separation. 

At the same time, Nelly is happy too, happy that the boy she loved is still alive and well enough to take care of his own child, and apparently well-able to protect her from whoever or whatever tried to take her. 

She gives the toddler a last kiss, and then Vincent hands Adison into the coach, hands her the girl, and steps in himself. 

Last of all, Neil checks the horses a last time, and sets off towards the moors.

Soon getting sleepy again, Adison settles against Vincent for another big nap. 

This time, Catherine does not join her, but with three men adoring her she need not be bored. The two farmers both have children, so they know exactly how to entertain a toddler, and when they find out Vincent has only just met his own daughter, they are full of advice, some of which Vincent decides to remember well. 

When the farmers wonder why Adison is so sleepy in the middle of the day, Vincent explains how working magic costs an enormous amount of energy. 

This has opened the awkward subject of what has happened to discussion. One of the men observes, 'I remember trying to catch a beautiful black horse, but after touching it there is a big blank until I woke with a headache.' 

The other says, 'I remember the horse and trying to halter it, and I remember you flying at me.' Thinking of the best way to put it, Vincent explains.

'The horse was a gytrash, an evil spirit in the shape of a horse, that lured you to touch it, spelling you into the power of its master. 

We call him the enemy, for lack of a better name. 

When under his spell, you watched the Kent farm, keeping an eye on little Catherine here, and when I killed the gytrash and Nelly met with us, you were set on her farm, I guess to abduct her to your master. 

We intercepted you, Adison concluded you must be possessed because you were not afraid of guns and sabres, running right into them. 

So she yelled not to kill you or harm you, we stunned you, she used her powers to break the spell. Times eight, which is why she is so tired now.' 

'So we have you both to thank for our lives, not just for a lift home,' one man, Josh, says. 'I don't think you would have survived the spell,' Vincent deduces, 'you'd probably have been used to fight until it killed you.'

'It was a beautiful horse, though,' observes Brian, the other man.

'Beautiful, but deadly,' Vincent remembers, 'when we wouldn't touch it because Adison felt its evil, it changed into a big black dog the size of a horse, with two heads, and it attacked us. 

We emptied two full cartridges in it, but it kept on coming. 

Adison stayed back with Neil, who managed to keep the horses from bolting, and I took it on.' 

'On your own?' Brian asks incredulously.

'I'm a lot stronger than I look, and I'm a master at swordplay and in Chinese martial arts,' Vincent states bluntly, 'it got only one hit on me.' 

At this, Josh interjects, touching a tender spot on his head.

'I can still feel how strong you are, but I'm glad I'll see my family again.' 

Suddenly, the carriage slows and Neil knocks on the front window, calling loudly, 'I'll have to dismount to lead the horses past the cadaver of the gytrash, anyone want to see it?' 

Now the carriage stops, and Adison promptly wakes up. 

'It's the body of the gytrash, Neil has to dismount to pass it,' Vincent says comfortingly, 'who wants to see it?' 

Both men want to, and Vincent and Adison really want to as well, this time by daylight. 

So they all step outside, Vincent carrying his little daughter on the arm, in case the huge body frightens her. He feels a thrill to have this little person trust him so much.

They all gawk at the huge corpse, even more hideous and more enormous in daylight. Brian and Josh, and their two friends inspect it from very close-by. 

Neil is trying to keep the horses from bolting, they are rolling their eyes and snorting in fear.

'They still don't like it, even though it's dead. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I would not believe you killed that monster all by yourself. It's huge! 

Hey there, one of you familiar with horses?' 

One of the farmers comes towards them.

'I breed them, so I guess I am.' 

'Can you take the far horse, Liam, it's very nervous and if it breaks, this one will follow.' 

Together they lead the horses past the corpse expertly, and they stop twenty yards from the dead monster. 

Vincent and Adison walk past the monstrous cadaver, seeing the ruined right head, and the wounds on its belly and backside. Catherine looks rather interested than afraid, and says two of the first words they've heard her speak. 'Big dog.' 

Vincent looks at her, melting. 'It sure was.' 

Josh, Brian and their mate now follow them back to the carriage, talking to one another in excited tones, Josh commenting toVincent, 'That beast took some killing, I still find it hard to believe you managed that by yourself. We three couldn't have done it together.' 

A bit embarrassed with all the attention, Vincent cannot help but agree with them.

Neil just told me, that if he hadn't seen it himself, he wouldn't have believed it either. I must admit it looks a lot larger in daylight.'

'But fortunately, just as dead,' is Adison's comment. 

They all nod, remembering what the effect of its touch had been. 

'That reminds me, Miss, Mr Heathcliff here told me you saved our lives, clearly at great cost to yourself,' Brian says quite formally, 'we all want to thank you. We're glad to be able to go home.' Now it's Adison's turn to be a bit embarrassed.

'I'm glad I could help, and I hope you will all have a lot more years with your families. 

They will be happy to see you.' 

After that, they all go back to their places on and in the coach, and drive for two more hours until they reach the village where they will spend the night. 

Adison sleeps away one more hour, again joined by Catherine, warmed by Vincent's coat and loving looks. 

Then they spend another hour playing together, even talking a little in a toddler's special language. When they arrive there are still a few hours of daylight left, and the village buzzes like a hornets' nest with the news of the four men turning up alive and well.

The rescuers are treated to a fabulous dinner at the inn, with the demise of the gytrash the lean times are over for the innkeeper. 

And that night, his place is filled to the brim with curious villagers, eating out and drinking to a good end. 

Neil tells another captivated audience how Vincent and Adison confronted the gytrash head on, how it changed into a huge black hyena with two heads, and how Vincent faced it first, then rolled under it, scoring its belly, then flew over it, thrashing its legs, got dumped once, then split its head in one epic swing. 

His storytelling has the cadence and flow of the real master, but it has grown relatively little in the telling. Adison suspects that embellishing it would make it unbelievable altogether, it already is incredible. 

Still, four men have witnessed the corpse, and counted the number of heads, and the wounds on it support the tale as Neil tells it. 

Vincent is sitting in the audience with Adison and Catherine, all three enjoying a rare treat of ice-cream, brought out especially for the hero, his fiancée and his lovely daughter. 

After the tale of the gytrash, it is the turn of the four lost men to tell their tale, and they do so in a much more down-to-earth manner.

Still, their story makes a great impression on the villagers, they know these guys personally, had mourned their deaths, comforted their widows and crying children. 

Now, they see Adison too, having heard the story of how she freed them from an evil spell. 

The feasting, long overdue, lasts a long time yet, but after saying goodbyes to Brian, Josh, Liam and Cole, who are going home for some private time with their wives and children and a good night's sleep, Adison and Vincent retire too. 

Catherine needs her sleep, after all. Adison tucks Catherine in in a small bed that comes out from under their own big bed, then she fetches hot water from the kitchen and carefully cleans the wounds Vincent got in the fight. 

She is not surprised to see them healing well, knowing now that his blood actively resists infection. 

Seeing her wash away some blood, Vincent remembers a funny incident with Mina, and he tells his beloved about it.

'When you were in bed with the concussion, I was feeding Mina for the first time, and she was stunned by the taste and the effect of my blood. 

Afterwards I told her of a dream I had about eloping from Wuthering Heights, but she kept staring at me. 

I looked back questioningly, and she told me, quite embarrassed, how she suddenly remembered all of my blood she had seen you wash away. She thought it was a waste.' 

Laughing, Adison observes, 'Well, you've been good today, you've wasted very little blood. Will you let her taste it again in the future? If Victor doesn't mind?' 

'You wouldn't mind? We've arranged that it's for emergencies and special occasions, kitchen table only of course. Jokingly, but I'd do it any day.' 

Adison replies, deadly serious.

'I wouldn't mind letting her take it in bed either, if you both wanted to. We've shared love with Victor, haven't we? I think I'd like to watch, though, that would be a sight, you and her.' 

Thinking he knew his lover well, this answer stuns Vincent, how large a heart can a person have? The image of himself in bed with Mina is spectacular, but it doesn't really turn him on. 

He is too much in love with his own precious woman, and falling really hard for his tiny daughter. He has no other comment than an intense, passionate kiss. 

She returns it, but not without a significant look towards little Catherine. 

But Vincent knows they'll find a solution for that too, toddlers sleep very tightly after all, and they can make love very quietly. And when after a nice long cuddle they hear a regular breathing sound coming from the little bed next to their own, that is exactly what they do, saving the wild love play for later.



Nature or Nurture Ch. 31-33



When Adison wakes refreshed the next morning, she is witness to a very special moment. 

The love of her life is already awake, his black hair a stark contrast to his white face and chest. He is sprawled against the head of the bed, covered with the blanket below the chest, enchanted by his little girl, who is sitting between Adison and himself, alternately studying his chest and looking at him to deliver her comments. 

Her tiny hands touch him fearlessly, pointing at his chest hair and trying to pick some up.

'What's this?' She looks at him. 

He replies. 'Hair.'

She repeats, 'Hair,' then touches her own black locks. 'Hair.' 

Pointing at his head, 'Hair.'

'Yes, that is my hair too. Black, like yours,' the doting father says.

'Black', she repeats, and, 'hair.' 

Then she moves on to one of the fresh wounds, it has three stitches in it and looks well on its way to healing. 

She asks, 'Hurt?' 

Vincent is clearly amazed that she knows the word and the concept. 'Yes, hurt.' 

She leans over and kisses the wound, then looks at him again. 'Better?'

'Much better', he says, 'thank you.' 

That must be the sweetest thing Adison has ever seen, the little girl and her big man, having a conversation. 

Vincent now unexpectedly says, 'She's yours already Adison, a doctor, not an actress.' 

He does not look away from his daughter though, his attention stays on the little girl, who has kissed the other wounds better as well and now moves on to the scars. 

There are quite a lot of them, but she chooses a large pink claw-mark from the creature. 'Hurt?' 

This is a tough one, for it doesn't actually hurt anymore. How will Vincent answer? 

He shakes his head. 'Better. Scar.' 

The little face is relieved. 'Better.' 

Then she touches another scar, a smaller claw-mark and asks, 'Scar?' 

Vincent affirms. 'Scar.'

She touches the older scar on his chest, the one from his birth, faded to white already. 'Scar?' 

Again, Vincent affirms. 'Yes, also a scar, an old one.' 

There are so many, she strokes his chest to touch all of them, and Vincent says. 'All scars.' 

Slowly she looks up, and reaches for his temple, touching the scar there with her tiny hand, and his cheek. 

Adison holds her breath, but Vincent merely says, 'So many scars,' and kisses the little girl on her chubby cheeks, then moves over, supporting his daughter with one strong arm, and kisses Adison as well, saying, 'Good morning love.' 

She answers his kiss and his greeting. 'Good morning love, good morning Catherine.' 

The girl now moves her game to Adison. 

Touching Adison's hair, she asks Vincent, 'Hair?' 

He touches it too, and replies, 'Yes, hair. But not black, like ours, blonde hair.' 

Then he asks Adison, 'Feel better? Did you sleep well?' 

'Yes on both counts. Did you awake early?'

He tickles his daughter, making her giggle. Then he moves his hand under the blanket, challenging her to catch it, which she manages but only after a chase. 

He talks whilst playing.

'I slept lightly, didn't trust the place altogether, and you know I don't need that much sleep. 

Then at first light I felt something small climb on top of me and I woke up. It was Catherine looking for some comfort. She was not crying yet, but she clearly missed her sisters and her mum, so I let her sleep with us, and when she woke up we played some, you saw that. 

And now we're ready for breakfast, aren't we, Catherine?' 

At the mention of her name, the girl looks up and says 'Breakfast' hopefully.

They both laugh, and get up, dressing for another long day of travel, again openly wearing their weapons, and packing their stuff in travel bags. 

Vincent helps Catherine dress, letting her do as much on her own as she can, which clearly pleases the girl. 

Adison offers to help with her hair, which she gladly accepts, offering to help Adison in return. Adison replies, 'Yes, please, but can we do that in the carriage? 

Gives us something to do.' 

And it seems Catherine understands, for the says, 'Later?' 

After breakfast they leave, having two more days of travel before them. Changing horses twice a day they make good time, and Neil seems as indefatigable as Vincent. 

Of course Catherine is often bored, but in a way travelling and having nothing to do but spend time together is also the best way to get to know one another without being distracted by daily business. Vincent misses the intimacy Adison and himself shared on the trip over, but he knew before they undertook the trip that a lot would change with a child in their lives. 

And then he only thought of practical things, he had no idea of the impact the little girl would have on his feelings. 

It is as if a whole new set of sentiments has awakened inside him, it feels as if he is in love, not in a sexual way but in a totally new way, a way he's never felt before. 

Being one of the few people ever to remember growing up, it mostly resembles the way he felt about Adison when she was helping him to explore the world, when he still depended on her, only this time his role is reversed, and the object of his love now totally relies on him. 

That doesn't frighten him at all, he now realizes Adison was right, that he has felt responsible for her and for Victor, ever since he got his own life in the theatre. 

And of course he can share the responsibility for Catherine with Adison, she's a born mother, just as he expected. And there and then he decides, that if she wants a child of her own and he is indeed not able to sire one, they will find another way.

When they reach the outskirts of the city, they are all tired and quite fed up with travelling. Only Neil seems to enjoy himself still, he really is a born coachman. 

He also has a past in a certain shady profession, for at the last stop he asks them whether they want to go to Mr Heathcliff's house or to Dr Frankenstein's house, and when they tell him Dr Frankenstein's place, he says, 'Good, your enemies won't expect that, it will be safer for all of you. I know this city inside out, do you want me to take the direct route or go via a slight detour that is unpredictable?' 

This worries Vincent, he realizes he must have made some enemies in his former life, but to have it thrown in his face like this is a shock. 

'Do you think someone is after me then?' he asks.

'That is a strange question for someone with an 'enemy' that throws gytrash around, if you don't mind my speaking frankly, sir,' is Neil's answer.

'Do you fear an ambush? You're the sitting duck on the box,' he returns the question to Neil. 

'I'll feel safest taking my own route, a sniper is hired easily enough. You trust me, I'll get you home to the doctor safely.' 

So now they are following slightly narrower roads, on a slightly longer route, and Vincent contemplates inviting Neil over for an evening of enlightenment into his former life. 

Suppose he runs into an old enemy and doesn't even recognize him? 

He needs to learn, and he needs to learn fast, before the next attempt on his life succeeds as well as the one he remembers from a dream.

Before long they stop in front of the house they have come to love, in the middle class neighbourhood they know so well by now, and they don't even have to knock before the door opens for them. 

Victor runs out towards them, enveloping Adison in a bear hug, and after her Vincent. 

Vincent has Catherine on his arm, so she is inadvertently included in the hug, and when Victor sees her, Vincent fondly says, 'Victor, meet my daughter Catherine, and Catherine, this is my best friend Victor. He's a doctor, like Adison.'

Catherine's eyes are huge. 'Can he do magic too?' 

Vincent cannot help but laugh at Victor's stunned expression, and he gives his toddler an adoring hug. 'Some people think so.' 

Now it's Victor's turn to laugh. 'Vincent, you're in love.' 

Neil has unloaded their luggage, and Adison is busy bringing it into the hall, longing for a cup of tea in their cosy kitchen. Letting Catherine carry her own little bag, they all pitch in and soon everything is inside. 

Adison gives Neil a hug, thanking him for his excellent care, then takes Catherine into the house. Wanting to speak to Neil for a moment, Vincent follows him back to the carriage, where he hands him a sizeable tip as a thank you for his help with everything, and he asks him about the possibility of some instructions on his former life and possible enemies. 

Neil sees the sense in that, and they make an appointment to meet a few day's hence in Heathcliff's house. Then they shake hands cordially and each returns to his own family.

As the door closes behind them, Mina steps from the shadows, greeting her friends with a hug too, then shaking hands with the tiny girl with the raven hair. 

'Hello Catherine, I'm Mina, I live with Victor.' 

It is clear that poor Catherine is very tired, and Adison is doubtful that she will be able to wait for dinner, but as they enter the kitchen a surprise is waiting for them: the table is set, and dinner is ready.

'How did you two know we were coming?' Adison's face shows her surprise. 

Victor brags, 'We have magic too, you know. Actually, Mina knew the minute you crossed the city limits.' 

Mina explains. 'I did tell you I seem to know somehow where someone is that I have shared blood with and that I care for?' 

Adison nods, seeing where this is going.

'Well, apparently I care for Vincent enough that I felt him leave the city, and return too. Plenty of time to put something together.' 

Though Adison doesn't know exactly what to think of that, she is way too tired and too relieved to be home safely to think about it much, so she decides to enjoy being back, and listens to the conversation of the others.

Catherine is almost asleep against her, barely eating, and after dinner she takes her to the big four-poster and stays with her until she sleeps, which is not long. They'll see about a little bed for her tomorrow.

With little Catherine asleep, Adison returns and they settle down around the kitchen table for some catching up. 

Victor shows Vincent a package that has just arrived that day from St James' Theatre, and unwrapping it, Vincent finds an extract from the new play, and an invitation to prepare the piece for auditioning in three days time. 

That is do-able, and he puts it away carefully to start preparing tomorrow. 

Then Victor and Mina want to know everything about their trip, and now it is Vincent's turn to tell about their run-in with the gytrash in full detail, whilst Adison fills in some details when asked. She is so tired, but she wants to be with her friends as well, so she moves to Vincent's lap and snuggles against him, resting her head on his chest, feeling his voice as well as hearing it, his arms around her, his face in her hair. 

Suddenly she feels herself being lifted, she must have fallen asleep, and now she is on her way to their bedroom in the arms of her beloved. He lays her on the bed carefully, as if she is still asleep, and kisses her tenderly and lovingly, then unbuttoning her dress to help her out of it. She wakes a little more to make it easier, then watches him undress, looking forward to the feel and the smell of him next to her. 

And as he joins her beneath the blankets, wrapping her in his arms, they look at the sleeping form of the little girl on one side of the bed, and she hears Vincent's deep voice, obviously smitten.

'Our world will be turned upside down by her, but I hope we'll always remember each other.' 

Author's note:

This story ended approximately where the first Penny Dreadful series ended. And now it continues, again more or less where that story picks up. But I didn't enjoy series two as much, it was a bit easy, without the shades of grey of series one, with witches living either in cobwebby cottages on a moor or skull-ridden draughty castles, killing babies.

Explaining everything doesn't make the whole more interesting to me either.

So, I've adapted everything a tiny bit, following the action where it is relevant to the characters in my story, but since they react quite differently sometimes, the story-lines will move apart more and more.

I hope you will enjoy reading it nonetheless, please let me know what you think.

Chapter 32

Having returned home safely with Vincent's daughter Catherine, the real challenge begins. It is not easy to fit a little child in one's life from one day to the next, especially in lives so filled up with activities as Adison's and Vincent's are.

But with Victor and Adison working days, Vincent working evenings and Mina on a reverse biological clock there is always someone at home to play with their little house-mate, or to comfort her if she wakes up in the middle of the night, and they quickly find a new routine.

During their first days home, Vincent really needs to work on his audition, so for two days he has breakfast with his daughter and then retreats to the library to read and practise the whole morning. 

The afternoons will be Catherine's, and he needs to be back in the theatre each night, but that is easily fixed: Catherine will want to see her father play too, so they'll just take her along for now.

The role he is auditioning for is not a lead, but it is nonetheless an important step in the direction of serious theatre, so he means to get it, and perform well in it. He is glad to get this chance, usually actors do not step up from his current role to St James', rather the opposite.

After a morning's shopping, Victor and Adison have found Catherine a little bed and some dresses suitable for city living, as well as some stuff to liven up the room she will be able to call her own, like books and toys.

On the second afternoon after their return, as Adison and Victor visit patients, Vincent is playing with his daughter, trying out the new toys, wooden building blocks and farm-animals. 

When she starts to get tired they read the new children's' books and even some of his own collection of poetry, if your dad is an actor even serious poetry can be very diverting.

Since Mina generally wakes up around this time, and she is rather fond of their new house-mate, Vincent hopes she will search them out. Catherine must be almost ready for her nap by now, and Vincent expects her to be very willing to sit with Mina for a while, giving Vincent an hour to spend on arms-practise before he needs to go to work.

As the lovely blonde woman appears in the kitchen, she greets both of them gladly, Mina is very fond of children, but sadly she will never have any of her own. 

Her chance at a normal life was taken from her by a powerful, supposedly evil entity they have come to call the enemy. To entice her best friend Vanessa to his side, he first seduced Mina to become a vampire, an inherently evil creature that lives off the blood of, well, anyone it can get its hands on. When that didn't work the enemy tried to get at Vanessa by force, and Mina was the one to try and get hold of her.

When Mina was shot almost to death by her own father in the battle for Vanessa, Adison was able to free her from the evil that possesses a vampire, but not from the curse of her changed body. Her life saved by their friend Victor, Mina has also found love in his arms, but she will never lead a normal life, sunlight will kill her instantly, and the only sustenance that has any value for her is human blood.

Still, Vincent guesses Mina is relatively happy living with them, she reads a lot when they all sleep, and she assists her beloved on nightly house calls, using her enhanced physical powers to guard him from any possible danger. She does her share of the chores, and keeps the patient files.

And even though Catherine has been living with the four of them for less than two days, Mina and the little girl are well on their way to becoming fast friends.

Even as Vincent is lost in thoughts for a few moments, Mina has already lifted the little girl high above her head, then taken her on her arm.

Vincent does not hesitate to ask for help.

'Mina, I'd really like to put in some sword-practise in the basement, would you mind keeping an eye on Catherine for an hour or so? She's getting sleepy, she'll be glad to stay with you and chat a little.'

'Sure, but if you don't mind, I'd like to watch you, I've never seen you with a sword. Let's see if she'll stay with me.'

As they walk towards the basement, she pretends Catherine is flying, no-one but himself or Mina could keep that up for so long, for Catherine is already two years old and not easy to carry for a long time. 

Once in the basement, Mina settles on a bench, hoping to convince Catherine to stay with her. 'Catherine, daddy wants us to just stay put for a while, do you mind sitting on my lap?'

The girl readily settles in her arms, not minding sitting still at all. Mina has heard the girl is supposed to have a temper, but she hasn't seen anything of it yet.

'All right, we're safe,' Mina says. 

Vincent addresses Catherine directly.

'I'm going to move very fast love, please stay with Mina for if you come too close it will be dangerous.' 

The little girl just nods, and Vincent starts to warm up without his sword, performing slow, flowing movements of great strength and beauty.

After ten minutes he stops, and tells them about what he is doing.

'That is called Tai Chi, a technique I often use to warm up. If you like I can teach both of you a few moves, it's very relaxing.' 

Mina likes the idea, but, 'Better put in your practise whilst Catherine is enjoying watching, once she gets restless you can teach us.'

'You are so right, I'll speed up a little first, then.' And Vincent takes his saber from the rack where it is stored, and launches into one of his sword forms. 

Having known Heathcliff quite intimately, and having seen him fight repeatedly, his reputation as ferocious fighter well-deserved, Mina still feels her jaw drop. 

The man she knew as Heathcliff during her life as vampire in the service of the enemy, was a formidable opponent who inspired fear even in his allies, but mostly because of his fearlessness and his aggression, though he had technique and a strong body.

Vincent is more or less Heathcliff's reincarnation because he is Heathcliff's body, brought back to life by Victor after Heathcliff's death, without any memory of his former life as charming but insanely dangerous villain.

And Vincent really knows how to handle a sword, his control over the weapon is total, vanquishing one imaginary opponent after another, sides and back covered, the speed incredible. 

His stocky figure becomes an epitome of elegance, his movements more a dance than a fight, he seems to have combined martial arts and traditional fencing to a style uniquely his own.

Of course Mina knows Vincent is a good fighter, she has heard of gytrash and they are not usually killed by one man, and though she was near death when he battled the evil creature that held her, she knows Vincent killed it bare-handed, and she also knows first-hand how powerful they are: she has some of the same strength.

But knowing is different from seeing it, this is not just the result of super-human strength and speed, and a durability that has not even been tested to its limits yet, this is skill, acquired by lessons from excellent masters, and hours and hours of determined practise.

And undoubtedly an innate talent for strategy, for his moves are unlike any she has ever seen, not even when she witnessed Bruce and his friends decimating her minions in the raid that freed her. They didn't use weapons at first, just the stakes when it became clear they would have to kill or be killed.

Suddenly Mina realizes that constant training in combination with meditation has given Vincent his ultimate control over his violent nature. Of course love and trust have had to do with it as well, but invoking the violence again and again within the boundary of arms-practise has habituated his control.




Nature or Nurture Ch. 31-33



Thinking of her own speed and strength, and loss of control when Victor was threatened, she feels a need to do this for herself. 

She has plenty of time, she spends whole nights reading and writing, and musing over her past, which she could spend practising, provided she knows what to do, and this little group not only includes Vincent as possible instructor, she knows Bruce is reputedly the best fighter in the city, the one who has initiated Vincent in the martial arts.

Catherine is mesmerized by the sight of her father moving faster than lightning, blade flashing. Mina realizes the girl thrives on being stimulated all the time, she may very well have been overly temperamental because living on a farm where everyone is working hard on their daily tasks was just boring to this lively girl.

Well, though Mina cannot look into the future, she is certain Catherine's life will have little chance of ever getting boring, in fact it is a miracle her first two years were so tranquil. 

If the girl hadn't already been in danger from the moment of her birth, Mina would regret her being in the midst of it now, but on the other hand, their little group is well suited to keep her safe from harm.

Maybe Vincent can use his former connections as Heathcliff to help him gather intelligence on the enemy, find out what he is planning next, for it is clear that Catherine is part of his next world-domination scheme.

They really need to discuss that option, playing in St James' Theatre will make Vincent better known, and though he doesn't resemble Heathcliff very much superficially, once the connection gets out he will be very easily recognized with his stark white face and contrasting raven black hair, let alone those disconcerting yellow eyes. It will be very easy to target him, knowing exactly where he is heading each day.

Breathing heavily now, and sweating, Vincent carefully puts away his saber, and he invites Catherine and Mina to join the cooling down exercises, more Tai Chi figures. He demonstrates, and they follow his example.

The little girl is so adorable, making the moves with the chubby bonelessness of a child, managing to copy them admirably. Of course Mina has the advantages of a vampire body, and she mimics the forms easily.

When Vincent closes in on her to let her feel the correct position of her left arm, she smells him, and her body reacts with a flash of heat. Ever since she has tasted his blood, that heady source of his strength and indestructibility, the taste of it, the feeling of invincibility it gave her, she has had this feeling whenever he is very close to her.

She knows that is only natural, vampires are very passionate by their very nature, except that they usually eat and kill their lovers, and she never controlled her urges when she was a vampire, her body certainly remembers her indulging its every whim. 

But she is not subject to the demands of her own body anymore, she needs to control those urges, she is very much in love with Victor. The doctor is a very reticent man, though, his lust always awakes when she bites him, or when she comes on to him, but he never jumps her or offers to make love spontaneously. Vincent is passionate, under his calm demeanour his temperament burns as forcefully as his blood burned in her mouth.

Mina quells her thoughts and feelings ruthlessly, listening to his instruction, feeling the rightness of the correct posture immediately. The exercise actually helps get her urges under control, and she decides she will take this challenge, and ask Vincent for instruction.

They finish the cooling down together, Catherine staying focussed for the full duration of the exercise, an incredible feat to a child her age. She must be a natural.

Gathering some courage, training with Vincent will tempt her body and thus test her mind to the maximum, Mina asks, 'Vincent, will you teach me sword-work? Seeing you gives me a feeling that this is the way to control the violence and the urges inside me, and I have plenty of time to practise at night.'

A bit surprised, especially at her use of the term 'urges', since he has never seen her anything but controlled and sisterly, even when she drank his blood from his wrist, Vincent affirms.

'Sure, if you can wait a just a few days to start, I'll be very busy until after the audition. Although, why don't we ask Bruce to start you up, he's a really good instructor, besides being the best fighter in town.'

'Are you sure?' Mina asks.

'Yes, I'm sure, Bruce loves teaching, he is very patient and likes to demonstrate on exactly the right level of expertise.' 

But that was not what Mina meant.

'I take your word for it that Bruce is a good instructor, I meant, are you sure Bruce can still best you? I've seen him fight during your raid, I'd say you're the better fighter now.'

This actually puts a spark in Vincent's eyes, and he considers her statement.

'I haven't sparred with Bruce for a few weeks, maybe we should face off again. I guess I may be better with a weapon, but I think he will still beat me unarmed. 

He will love teaching you, you're fast and strong, a real challenge. As will I, I've see what you can do without training, who knows, you may yet best the both of us.'

After a short pause he continues.

'Let me wash and change, and then there is something I want to ask you before the others come home, with regards to Neil and my past.' 

Vincent kisses his daughter, then asks her, 'Did you like Tai Chi?'

She replies with an eager voice, 'I like dancing.'

'Good,' he observes, 'you're never too young to learn to dance. Will you take your nap now? I have to dress nicely, I'm going to work in an hour or so, and if you want you can put on a nice dress tonight and come and watch me, but since that is very late, you need to sleep a little first. Is that all right?'

Catherine nods fervently, she already adores her father, and Mina is not surprised, since he talks to her as if she is an adult, and no matter how small she is, the girl appreciates that. She is not your normal two year old, that much is clear.

Little Catherine holds out her arms to her father, and he carries her upstairs, Mina following. In the hall, Catherine says, 'You shower, daddy. Mina will take me to bed, won't you, Mina?'

Suppressing a smile at the girl's audacity, Mina looks at her friend, and he winks and puts the girl down. Catherine takes Mina's hand and marches off to her little bed, which still resides next to her parents' large four-poster, somehow it feels wrong to let her sleep unattended.

Vincent walks to the bathroom for a cold shower.

Letting the girl do as much herself as she wants to, Mina proposes she chooses which dress she wants to wear that evening. They pick one together, a lovely red satin affair, well-suited to the theatre, and lay it over a chair carefully.

Then the girl crawls in the bed and kisses Mina.

'You don't have to stay until I sleep. Better go talk to daddy. He'll be quick, the shower is cold.'

Mina is stunned hearing this from a toddler, but she manages to hide her surprise.

'Not as quick as that, though you're right, the shower will be horribly cold. But he has all those buttons on his fancy shirt, remember? We have time for one story. Shall I tell you my favourite from when I was a girl? My brother Peter told it to me.'

And Mina tells an exciting story of a boy who goes to Africa and has all kinds of adventures, with lions and elephants and a magical river.

When it's finished, Catherine says, 'Thank you Mina, I loved it. I'll sleep now, leave the door open?'

Mina does so, and then enters the kitchen, where Vincent is already waiting, dressed as befits the lead actor of a company, a striking figure, a posture he belies as he says, 'Damn, that shower was cold! I've heard that there are people living on the North Pole whose hell is not a burning place, but icy cold. Well, that's our shower. I suppose Catherine was raised with utter cleanliness, I would have skipped it if it weren't for her orders.'

And it's not just the words, it's mostly his face as he says it, Mina can't help smiling. Charitably, she observes, 'Well, the shower ís very cold indeed, but I agree with Catherine that you needed it after such a workout. Can't have your heroine swoon before the conclusion.'

Mina can kick herself saying such a flirtatious thing, why not jump him straight away, or maybe even better, right in front of Adison, with Victor watching.

Fortunately, Vincent seems distracted, and he merely nods, and launches straight into the subject he wants to discuss with her.

'I've asked Neil, our driver on the trip, to tell me about Heathcliff, and how things are in his former circle at this moment. Neil apparently knew him quite well, since he often drove him around town, and he seemed just paranoid enough to keep me alive once word gets out Heathcliff is still alive, but turned white as a sheet from some frightful scare.'

Mina nods, this is exactly what she thought, and Neil might be a good contact. She doesn't remember his name, but frankly, neither Heathcliff nor Mina the vampire would have bothered to learn the name of a mere driver.

'And you want me to come?' she asks Vincent, 'to fill in as many of the missing pieces as I can?'

Vincent confirms.

'Yes, please, if you will? He agreed to meet me in my own house tomorrow night, after the show.'

Of course Mina will be glad to accompany him, Vincent is her friend, and the way she has been welcomed in their midst is just staggering. There is not much she wouldn't do for any of them, they saved her life and gave her something to keep living for.

Figuratively speaking, of course, for actually Mina is dead.

'I'll be happy to come with you, Vincent,' Mina says, 'maybe I'll even recognize this Neil from the past, I never asked anyone for their name in that life.'

'That is a relief to me, I remember so little, it's more that a bit disquieting to think I might meet one of my former self's enemies and not recognize him. I suppose a bullet can stop me.'

Mina nods understandingly, she knows too well how true that statement is.

Whilst Vincent checks the stew that has been simmering on the stove all day, Mina tells him all she remembers about her connection to Heathcliff's circle, and pretty soon Adison and Victor come in, giving Vincent some time with his love before he leaves for work.

Then Catherine wakes up, and they all eat, except Mina of course. Catherine notices.

'Not hungry?'

With a smile, Mina answers, 'I need special food, I cannot eat bread and stew.' 

Thoughtfully, Catherine inquires further.

'Eat pie? And sausage?'

'Can't have those either,' Mina answers, 'but I remember how they taste, they were good. But I can drink tea.'

Fortunately, Catherine's soon moves her attention to Adison, telling her about Tai Chi and the dress, and Mina's story, for Mina has no idea what to tell the girl should she ask what Mina does eat. Not the truth, that much is clear.

Vincent says with determination, 'I'm going to visit that lawyer as soon as the auditions are done, and if I have as much as a hundred pounds in savings, I'll buy us a small boiler for the showers, it's getting cold!'

'Yes, I'm sorry Vincent,' Victor says, 'I know I promised to make one but just haven't had the time yet. Besides, I've seen one in a patient's house that puts mine to shame, elegant, decorated, and the patient said it used much less coal than he expected. It came with the house, I've got the address of the firm that built his house. Maybe we can hire them to build the practice as well.'

They agree that Victor will find out how much a new boiler will set them back, and then Vincent tells the others that he will be talking to Neil about his past that evening after the theatre, and that Mina will accompany him. 

'I'm afraid visiting my old neighbourhood will have stirred people's memories, seeing me at Heathcliff's house will ring a bell. I think we'll have to sell the place, to give the neighbourhood the feeling that Heathcliff is indeed gone,' Vincent says, 'but I still need to know who may be have a grudge to settle with the old me.'

Adison doesn't like them going into that neighbourhood again at all, but it needs to be done, and with Mina along Vincent will be safe.

Someone knocks on the door, and Vincent rises, hugs and kisses Catherine, and Adison of course, ready to go.

'That's Bruce and Maud, I'm off. See you all tonight?'

They clean up the kitchen, and Adison helps Catherine dress and puts on an evening dress herself. Mina apparently has a new gown, too, and she is just stunning in it. After some deliberation she has decided to darken her blonde hair a little, which Victor has dutifully done by applying a darker shade dye to several strands, making a huge difference in her appearance. She has also put up her hair for the night, in a very fashionable style.

They make a stunning couple, Victor no longer shy towards his lovely woman, and dressed in a gorgeous suit, a compliment to his excellent taste in clothing. Mina looks sophisticated, a woman of the world, very beautiful, totally different from the rather naive girl she used to be before she was taken.

Chapter 33

It is a wonderful evening for Catherine, she loves everything, the hustle and bustle of London, the beautifully dressed ladies and gentlemen, the grand theatre, and of course, the play itself, with her father the hero in a tale of blood and woe.

Adison watches Catherine as the little girl watches the play, and it seems as if she already understands some of the action. She must be a very precocious child, and living in the city seems to agree with her, for so far they have not seen a thing of the temper Nelly said she had.

The pretty little girl catches a lot of attention, ladies often talk to her and admire her dress and her pretty black locks framing her finely featured face, and she enjoys the attention, but as her father would, as an actress pleasing the crowd.

Adison is not afraid all the attention will spoil her, Catherine is polite to her admirers, and she smiles at them, but she doesn't speak much, and if she does, it is with one or two words like a true toddler, almost as if she is hiding her true self behind a pretty, well dressed doll of a girl.

After the play they join the people allowed to meet the actors, and as Vincent lifts and hugs Catherine and asks her how she liked the play, he introduces her to Maud and the other actors, including Bruce, who hasn't been over yet.

They know Victor of course, but Mina gets her introduction to the crew, too, and she meets her friend Vanessa amongst the spectators. Mina has the feeling that Vanessa, who is usually very perceptive, has not recognized her yet, and Vanessa proves that by taking her hand and saying, 'I can't believe it, Mina, you are absolutely transformed! If it hadn't been for your holding hands with the handsome young doctor here, I would not have looked at you twice, well, except to admire your beauty. Not as someone I have known most of my life.

You haven't met my escort yet, have you?

Oh, you probably have seen him, come to think of it, but there wasn't much time for introductions that night.'

Vanessa introduces Mina to the American guy who was also at the raid where Mina got shot and saved, and he doesn't give any sign of recognition either. They shake hands like men, and Vanessa introduces her as Hermina, her full name, a very smart and alert move on Vanessa's side. It appears Mina can walk the streets unrecognized, so why give her away by using her name?

The American is obviously very charmed by her friend, but it is not clear at all to Mina whether that feeling is at all mutual. Vanessa has always been kind of an enigma, and Mina still doesn't know whether that is by design or by personality, or both.

After the usual pleasantries, Vanessa's American admirer, Mr Chandler, moves to Vincent and observes, 'I've seen you in this play in a different role, Mr Smith, but you deserve the lead, you're an actor born. Frankly, I'd say you should be in serious acting, you're the real thing.'

Mina doesn't hear what Vincent answers, for Vanessa is talking to her.

'I couldn't get your father to come. Will you step by one of these days? He would really like to see you again. You can walk the streets unafraid to be recognized.'

'Except that I cannot go out by day, dear Vanessa,' Mina replies, and her friend shows surprise and guilt at this realization. It was after all to get at Vanessa that Mina was lured by the enemy into becoming a vampire.

'But I will come by in the evening, not this week, but maybe next. Is that all right?' Mina asks her friend, 'I'll bring Victor. 

Never mind, Vanessa, I'm happy now, even if I cannot ever see the sun again. 

Vincent is going to teach me how to fence, I have a lot of time to practise and I am stronger and faster than you can imagine. If you ever have need of protection, please let me know, I will be there for you.'

'Thank you, Mina,' Vanessa says, 'I'm glad you're happy, I feel guilty about what happened. Who's the adorable child on your friend's arm?'

'That is his daughter, Catherine. He had a child in foster-care from his former marriage, and when he got engaged to Adison they decided they might as well raise her by themselves. 

She is one of the reasons I'm happy, Vanessa, you know I always loved children. I babysit nights, and when Vincent is rehearsing for his audition and our doctors are out on their rounds.'

'That is one pretty girl,' Vanessa observes, 'her face is much more elegant than her father's, but the hair is the same intense black. She's much darker though, almost exotic. She could easily be Miss Adison's daughter, same slight build and unshakable demeanour.'

Vanessa was still an acute observer, how could she know Catherine's character by just looking at her? Mina decides to ask.

Smiling, Vanessa replies, 'I was watching the crowd before the show started, and saw pretty lady after pretty lady coo at her and touch her hair and cheeks. And she never flinched or lost her temper. She looked much like her dad, actually, like a professional actor.

I vaguely remember saying terribly indecent things to him that one evening, and he never flinched, everything slid right off him. Same with Miss Adison, she beat the demon inside me, even after taking several hits. 

That little girl looks as if she is holding back immensely, pretending to be a toddler, but looking at the world like an adult.'

Vanessa might very well be right, and Mina determines she will see if Catherine is indeed just playing at being a toddler, no need to hide her true nature from the four of them.

'Did you say your friend Mr Smith is auditioning?' Vanessa changes the subject.

Mina feels quite proud of him, even though they are just friends, and she does not hesitate to let that pride show.

'He has been invited by the stage director of St James to audition for a role in a modern play in two days. If he gets it, it'll be an amazing accomplishment, no-one ever moves up from a role like this.'

'He'll get it,' her friend observes, 'he is very good, and wasted on this place. I hope you'll invite me to the opening night.

And all of you keep an eye on that little girl, something about her makes me restless, as if there is more to her than meets the eye. Miss Adison has that, too, though differently.

Our enemy may be looking for a new vessel, and my gut tells me that girl would be just perfect, can't tell you why, don't mean to scare you, just be alert.'

'We will watch her, thank you for your concern, Vanessa. Now it seems I can roam the streets without danger of exposure, do you want to go out together? It will have to be after dark, but I can protect you.'




Nature or Nurture Ch. 31-33



Vanessa smiles with pleasure.

'I would love to, let's make an appointment next week when you visit your father. You will, won't you?'

'I will, I promise,' Mina replies, and they part ways, Vanessa joining Mr Chandler's conversation with Vincent, Catherine listening in, and Mina on her way back to Victor, who is talking to a beautiful young man in very expensive clothing.

Adison is with them, and strangely enough she is touching Victor, discreetly, behind his back, not possessively, or flirting, more like she is grounding him.

As Mina joins them, and the young man kisses her hand and introduces himself as Dorian Grey, Mina quickly introduces herself as Hermina, emulating Vanessa's use of her full name. 

For this man feels very dangerous, his presence sucks in everyone around him, he must be very hard to say 'no' to. Mina herself is not susceptible to his enchantment, being a vampire she can do the same thing to ordinary people, consciously.

But this man seems to have no idea what is happening to the people around him, he probably thinks they just like him. And they do, but not voluntarily, they are compelled to by some spell, a nasty piece of work, put on him by a nasty person or entity.

It also explains Adison touching Victor, she is probably immune by virtue of her being a priestess, and keeping Victor firmly connected to this reality by her touch. Actually, Adison is watching Mina, too, for signs of enchantment, and Mina catches her eye and shows in her posture and facial expression that she is aware of the young man's presence but not affected by it.

It is clear that Mr Grey likes his partners young, beautiful, and abundant, for he clearly expects all of them to fall for his charms immediately.

He seems very much taken by Victor, praising his reputation as a doctor, and his taste in clothing. Victor accepts the compliments graciously, and returns them with honesty, for Mr Grey is very handsome and well-dressed. Still, Victor stands as close to Mina as decency allows. 

Since Vincent now approaches them, Catherine still on his arm, Adison throws Mina an inquiring look. Mina calmly takes Victor's hand, freeing Adison to protect her own man from Mr Grey's pull. Seeing Vincent handing Catherine to Adison before he comes closer, Mina realizes Vincent already knows, and also knows how to protect himself and his daughter, to be able to talk to and not insult a paying visitor by refusing to approach him.

'Vincent!' Vincent is greeted with a cordial handshake, a gesture that convinces Mina this man is not a hunter, out to use and destroy people and their marriages, but totally ignorant of his enchanted charisma, a victim someone else's nasty mind.

'What do I hear, are you going to leave us and play the St James?' 

Instead of sad, the man looks delighted. 

'I'll be at the opening, I will love to see you in a serious work.' 

Vincent smiles, not a fake, but genuine, he likes this man, even though he is aware of his enchantment.

'Good evening Mr Grey, thank you for the compliment, but it is by no means certain I will get the role, it is only an audition, and it is no lead role by far, just a support, a minor one, actually.'

He is quite charming, this Mr Grey, even without magical assistance. He has a distinct boyish attractiveness.

'Please, Vincent, I thought we had agreed to not be so formal anymore, will you please call me Dorian? I'm sure you'll get the part, and however small your role, I'm sure you'll play it well. When you still were the villain here I always hoped you'd be redeemed and get the girl. But you never did, and evening after evening I cried my eyes out. I always waited with suspense for the moment you'd appear. 

Of course for you a lead is much more rewarding, but I liked you better as the tragic villain.'

That is a very nice thing to say, and Vincent accepts the compliment with grace. He does add, 'The play at St James' is a comedy, though it is very serious acting.'

Mr Grey does not hesitate to show his admiration.

'I'll be your first visitor, except maybe for Miss Yves, she loves your acting as much as I do.

You are too good for this place, and I will enjoy your playing even more the coming weeks because I know you will move up eventually.

Let us hope they will not get your predecessor back for your role, maybe they'll they promote the current villain, the Chinese guy, he's good. Moves like a leopard, like you. I'd like to have him on a party as well, though I've heard they generally do not attend parties.'

'Bruce will,' Vincent observed, 'he loves parties. He is very good company, very well-read and an excellent dancer.'

'I will be sure to invite him then,' Dorian answers, and after a few more politenesses, the meet and greet is concluded, and Vincent changes and they all go home together.

When they return, Vincent takes Catherine to bed, which only takes a few moments, since she is very tired. Then Adison wants to really hold him for a few moments, the idea of Vincent going in search of his past as Heathcliff frightens her, he has no idea who is friend and who is foe, and his enemies probably know by now that he doesn't. She would prefer it if he were to stay away from that neighbourhood.

But she also knows he can take care of himself, and that it is important to him to know about his past, so she pleads him to be careful, and to take his gun as well as his saber. Victor is wrapped in Mina's embrace, and it is clear he doesn't like what they are planning to do either.

Then Vincent fetches his weapons, and Mina changes her dress to a less restricting one, and they both step out. Victor and Adison both decide to go to bed, it will be a busy day tomorrow.

As Mina and Vincent walk towards Heathcliff's house, the streets are already deserted, it is a week day and in this neighbourhood most people work long hours. They don't feel threatened, this is where they live, and they are both strong and fast.

Within twenty minutes, they arrive at the house and knock, Martin opening the door.

'Master Heathcliff, good to see you, there is a man waiting for you in the sitting-room. He said he was expected, his name is Neil. I decided it must be your wish to let him in.'

'Thank you, Martin, ' Vincent replies, 'it was what I hoped you'd do. This is Miss Hermina, a friend of mine. Will you bring us something to drink, tea, I guess? At this time of night?'

Smiling, Martin observes, 'You used to serve something stronger after eleven, sir, but tea is much better. I'll take care of it.'

Neil is waiting in the sitting-room, and he clearly recognizes Mina, his face shows alarm and he doesn't hesitate to speak up. 

'Master Heathcliff, good to see you, I beg your pardon but you know that lady is a vampire and very dangerous, don't you?'

Neil certainly is one brave guy, and very dedicated to whom he has decided to give his trust, for Mina could rip his throat out in a second, and he must have at least some fear of the terrible Mr Heathcliff showing his true colours again.

As Mina sits down on a sofa, looking like any ordinary young woman, which is to say harmless, Vincent addresses the driver calmly.

'I do know, Neil, thank you for the warning, and your apparent trust in me. I used to work with Miss Mina, didn't I?'

'You did, Master, but I have reason to believe she betrayed you, plotted to have you killed,' Neil adds.

That is interesting, but first he needs to calm Neil down a little, so he tells him, 'Neil, this may be hard for you to believe, but although nothing can cure vampirism, Miss Mina is no longer in the service of evil. She still needs blood to survive, but she no longer takes it at the cost of human lives, she has a human partner now who shares his blood with her willingly.

Remember those farmers we overpowered on our trip?'

Neil nods, he sure remembers that trip.

'Miss Adison took the possession from them, remember that, too?' 

Another nod.

'Miss Adison got hold of Mina and cured her of her possession with evil. Mina is now her old self, only with a changed body and a lot of nasty memories. She agreed to accompany me and rake them up as far as they concern Heathcliff, to help me be safer and lead as normal a life as I can with Miss Adison and little Catherine.'

Neil still eyes Mina suspiciously.

'You sure, master Heathcliff?'

Vincent smiles benignly, somehow able to accept Neil's humble attitude a lot better than he ever expected, and answering it in the expected manner.

'Very sure, Neil, we live in the same house, I trust Mina with my life, and even with my daughter.'

It is not in the character of a hired coachman to stay distrustful when his master has told him something is safe, and Neil accepts Vincent's assurances.

Slowly, he walks towards Mina and bows, then says, 'Sorry Miss, I didn't mean to be disrespectful. It's just that I've seen things and heard things.'

Mina smiles at him to show she does not resent his caution, and offers to shake his hand, which he of course accepts. Her cold hand apparently disconcerts him, but he tries to control his reaction, and she says mildly, 'No offence taken, Neil, you are clearly very dedicated to Vincent, as Mr Heathcliff is called now, and since I consider him a very dear friend I can only appreciate that. 

Most of the things you heard about me were probably true, I was a monster and I remember every single horrible thing I did. Sometimes I envy Vincent not remembering his misdeeds, but that is also very dangerous, considering the enemies he had, so maybe we can enlighten him together and give him a fighting chance to separate friend from foe.'

Somehow, her mild way of speaking and her evident remorse convince Neil she is no longer evil, and since Vincent is motioning him to sit down, he does.

Martin brings tea, and soon they all have a steaming cup in front of them.

Vincent starts.

'What I need from you and Miss Mina, Neil, is to piece together my life before my accident. I was hit in the head, and my skull cracked. Doctor Frankenstein and Miss Adison saved my life, but I remember very little before that.'

They decide to start from that moment, and reconstruct his life backward as far as they can.

'The man who drove the hired carriage the night you were supposedly killed, says you went into a seedy bar, and were carried out by the watch, near death from a broken skull.

He said he saw Miss Mina leave the bar, with several of that same crew, your crew, master. There was four of them besides the Miss, a pair of twins, Dick and Peter Howe, really large bald guys, typical crooks. 

And a foppish young fellow, don't know his name, well-dressed, who reputedly took your place when you were gone. And Irish Tom, a redhead, small, ugly as sin.

Mina nods, to think that her actions had been so openly discussed, she had never realized that it was so easy to tie her to Heathcliff's murder.

'Rueger Marsh, that was the foppish guy's name. The Master soon regretted getting rid of you, even dangerously unstable you were a lot better than Rueger was. No need to worry about him, he got himself killed soon after. Pulled rank before he had lived up to his new status.

The Howe twins won't stir without orders, if they try for you you're in all the way, that'll be the Master going after you again. Irish Tom, he's nasty, no match for you but he's got a whole bunch of countrymen with him.'

Neil looks at her incredulously: she just admits to trying to have master Heathcliff killed?

Seeing his look, Vincent can't suppress a smile.

'I know what she did, Neil, I had a flashback of that night, I felt it happen all over again.

So, Irish Tom and the Howe twins. What happened before, in the year after Catherine died and before the attack?'

'After your wife died, master, you apparently kept to yourself for two weeks, then you went right back to work. No-one ever hinted at a baby, so I guess the child is more or less safe from gangs and guys like Tom.

But you had changed, even I noticed the times I drove you, you had gotten downright dangerous, a wrong turn or a look could set you off into violence.

Before you had always stayed just within the law, but after, you got sloppy and left evidence. I am surprised the watch took you to Dr Frankenstein, I'd have expected them to leave you somewhere to die after stealing your possessions and kicking you some more.

I suppose with your being dressed well and mild-mannered they will leave you alone, or I'd say some of them might go for you. Don't know their names, though, nor descriptions, the watch is rather anonymous.'

And Mina added, 'It's true, you lost all semblance of humanity and got provoked into violence for no clear reason at all. I don't think you targeted women, you steered clear of them, and none would have dared approach you.

But all the other members of the gang hated you for disdaining their lives. I'll describe them one by one, so you can recognize them if you ever meet them.'

And Mina proceeds to do just so, after which Neil tells them five of those described are dead by now. He does however add two, after which Mina remembers one more. Fifteen remain, of whom three can be counted as really dangerous.

They also discuss what to do with the house, and Neil advices Vincent to get rid of it as if the owner has died, finding a new place for Martin and Laura, the staff that have maintained it so far.

'This neighbourhood is too dangerous for you ever to come here again, I should have come to the doctor's house, but I was afraid to alert anyone to its existence.'

They talk for another hour, about the things Heathcliff did in general, extorting shop-owners, arranging hits on targets his master pointed out to him, but also resolving differences between gangs and sweet-talking people important to his master.

Most of the things are not nice to hear, and Mina knows a lot that Neil only suspected, but Vincent needs to know, and now he feels he has a much better grip on his past. Since Cathy's death he had been on a path straight to hell, getting ever more wilful to his master and unpredictable to his followers.

The difference with his current life is extreme, and Vincent would prefer to just keep it all in the dark, but like Mina, he needs to face his past. He has heard some of the cruel misdeeds she has committed, but he resolves to ask her to tell him more, to unload her own conscience.

Maybe he should get drunk and feed her some of his blood, to set her drunk as well. The remembrance of her teeth in his wrist and her feelings leaking to him suddenly hits him with force, it was such an experience, even though she never seemed to have felt the sensuality, stunned as she was with the force of his blood.

But that is getting very close to adultery, even though he is not officially married to Adison yet. And it is about time he gets on with that, too, he will ask her what kind of ceremony she expects tomorrow. That will keep his thoughts off Mina, for though Adison has told him she wouldn't mind him sleeping with their friend, he realizes all too well that Victor most certainly would.

A voice pulls him out of his musings, and as he looks up Mina smiles at him with a certain expression, very worrying, since it seems to reflect his own feelings.

'We'd better go home, Vincent, you have an audition the day after tomorrow, you need your beauty-sleep. Can't have your past spoil your future.

Neil, if you hear anything that Vincent needs to know, will you send someone to warn him? We have reason to believe that our former master will not leave things as they are, and the longer we have to prepare when he moves, the better our chances.

And take care of yourself as well.'

Of course, Neil promises.

'I will leave half an hour after the two of you, I have ways of staying out of the light.'

Vincent spends ten minutes more to ask Martin what will happen to him and Laura if the place is sold, and it is clear they were both expecting him not to return. He asks them what they would like to do, and Laura wants to go back to her parents and study to be a nurse, whereas Martin is dreaming of buying a share in his father's tailor's business.

'Don't worry, the proceeds of the house will be enough to help you accomplish that goal. Better look for a place to stay, Martin, and I will have the lawyer arrange for both of you to be settled well, as a thank you for your help and your care.'

Martin is relieved, and he thanks his master for his concern.

Then they leave.

From the very start it feels as if they are no longer alone, it feels as if someone is watching them. Worrying for Neil's safety, neither Vincent nor Mina can imagine something threatening their own lives, they are a virtual army with their enhanced reflexes and incredible strength.

Until they hear a crack, and Vincent is slammed against a wall by the impact of a bullet in his shoulder.

The pain is incredible, but it has not hit a vital part of his body, and he instantly recovers and has a weapon out, though it is pretty useless against an unseen enemy. With her supernatural senses, Mina has detected where their attacker is hiding, and she is off in a blur. A scream follows, and she is back.

In pain, but not seriously wounded, Vincent prepares to move on, on the alert by now, when another crack sounds from the opposite side, and something strikes him in his other shoulder. Again, it hurts like hell, but it does not impair him. Someone is playing with him, several someones actually, for Mina just got one.

And they are playing with just him, supposing they have put him out of action with a bullet in each of his arms, for as Mina blurs towards that side, the next crack sounds and hits Mina, not in the shoulder, but straight in the chest, not to debilitate, but to kill.

Seeing her drop, Vincent cannot check if she's even still alive, he needs to find whoever are doing this, and put them out of action, then get her straight to Victor.

Suppressing anxiety for his dear friend, who may be dying as he stands there, waiting for the next shot to sound, Vincent sees four dark shapes separate from the shadows. His arms hurt, but he can move them, and a rage is rising within him, not blind violence, but a kind of determination to survive despite the odds.

Gun in the left hand, saber in the right, he walks towards the little group, deadly calm by now, just like that time when he faced the gytrash. With no time to waste, himself bleeding out, Mina severely wounded, he disregards the danger of more gunshots, he supposes these shapes want a piece of him, to be taken with brute force, very personally.

They will get it, in small, bite-sized portions.

His gun takes out the guy on the left, as he closes in faster than they can imagine, his saber flashing in the light of a street lamp. Again, these guys have only clubs, will these city-folk never learn? A double strike takes out two, but the third panics and shoots again, and this time he is hit badly, he can feel his body reel with the impact, and pain tears through his chest.

Is that what his fighting skills will bring him, to be shot to death in an alley far from Adison? The guy in front of him, scared as hell, is no longer thinking of beating him, but just bent on getting rid of him. He raises the gun, and time slows for Vincent.

Can he move anything to defend himself? His breathing is not as it should be, everything burns, the saber has fallen from his hand on impact.

Facing his enemy, but not recognizing him at all, he knows there is nothing he can do to save his own life or Mina's.

Then the guy before him looks even more scared and explodes in a shower of blood. Vincent feels himself lifted and everything around him blurs for a few moments. He does not lose consciousness, but everything feels very weird, as if it is not real, except for the pain, which is still incredible, and the blood that seems to be everywhere.




Nature or Nurture Ch. 31-33



The movement stops, and he is put on the ground gently, almost tenderly. Mina, covered in blood, is not looking well. She had been hit in the chest, beneath a shower of blood-spatters covering her dress there is a blood-stain that is larger than a spatter and still spreading.

She drops down next to him and clings to him. 

'Can't carry you anymore,' she wheezes, and she seems to be fading. 

Despite his anxiety for Mina, and an incredible pain all through his body, Vincent feels the physical shock is wearing off a little, he feels a little stronger rather than weaker, as if his body is adapting to its mangled state.

'Can you walk, Mina?' he asks his friend, but she is no longer conscious, she must be hit in a vital place, and saving him and carrying him has done her in, he is very heavy.

Trying not to panic, he attempts to think through a haze of pain, how did Victor save Mina from a shot-wound last time? Blood, didn't she say his blood gave her power? Maybe she'll be able to get home if he gives her some of his blood.

He smears some of his blood on his wrist, to make it smell nice, and offers it to his stricken friend, right under her nose. Faster than lightning he feels the slight sting of her teeth, and an intense feeling of bliss causes him to forget the pain as he surrenders to the most sensual experience he has ever had.

Within a second, the pain is back.

Mina is still holding his arm and sucking his blood, but the overwhelming sense of lust is down to a stirring. She is leaking her feelings on purpose, the burn of his blood brought her out of her stupor, and she will soon be strong enough to make for home. 

Other feelings hitch a ride on her conscious ones, lust for him, for his passion, a strong desire to meet the beast in him, to bite him in the neck and feed on his stinging blood as it should be done, during the act of love, rutting like the animals they both are.

Nearly overwhelmed once again, Vincent cannot move a limb, though he knows they need to reach home quickly or collapse and bleed out in his case, or get caught by the sun in Mina's. Her feelings are cut off instantly, apparently the exchange of feelings was mutual, and his alarming thoughts have brought her to her senses.

She looks better already, but also rather embarrassed.

'Sorry for spilling my innermost feelings, Vincent. Can you try to forget about it? I'm not going to violate you or anything.'

Her demeanour rather stricken, she practically exudes shame, and the bliss of her bite still lingers in him and fights with the pain for dominance. Bending over him to help him up, her face comes right close to his, and his passion reaches out and he kisses her straight on the mouth.

She tastes of blood, of course, probably mostly his own for it does indeed sting, and she answers his kiss with fervour. Passion wars with pain inside him, and pain wins. He needs to let go to gasp for breath, and Mina quickly, painfully lifts him to his legs, where he manages to keep standing.

Like the lame and the blind, supporting each other, covered in blood mostly their own, they manage to get home unseen by footpads and the watch, and Mina even has the energy to handle the keys and let them in.

Mina is the strongest, she leaves Vincent in the kitchen and fetches Victor, who fetches Adison, and within minutes they are all in the kitchen, fire stirred back up, kettle on, medicine ready.

And Victor's surgical knife.

Adison cuts off Vincent's smart shirt, and Mina's dress, fortunately not the beautiful new one, and together they assess the damage.

'Vincent first,' Mina gasps, 'I'm not too bad, the bullet hit a vital spot but it's lead, not silver. I'm not in any danger anymore, you can take it out later.'

Clearing the kitchen table, adding another lamp, Victor sterilizes his knife with boiling water, as Adison prepares the chloroform to put Vincent out. She also prepares her Chinese herbs to prevent infection, and then she kisses her beloved and resolutely sedates him.

As soon as Vincent is out, Victor starts with the chest wound, which is deep but has not punctured a lung. Taking the bullet out makes a mess, and Adison carefully cleans everything with her herbal mixture, then sews the wound shut.

The other two wounds are less serious, but they need to be treated with the same respect to prevent infection, and another half hour sees Vincent in bed, cleaned up, wounds bound up, water and some painkillers in his stomach, sleeping quietly.

Then it's Mina's turn. It is hard to find the place where the bullet entered, it is already closing, but Victor wants it out. Mina refuses sedation, and she doesn't seem to feel the pain much as he cuts where there are still some signs of a wound. He finds the bullet just below the surface, it seems to be working its way up and out, a wonderous process.

'It's Vincent's blood, Victor, I was in a bad way, comatose actually, but he fed me some of his blood and I felt better instantly. It was incredible, still is, I feel like I'm flying. No need for sedation, I'm totally high as it is.

Of course the wound has closed again already, and Mina seems as good as new, though more than a little giddy. She kisses Victor intimately, and wants him to make love to her, but Victor feels he cannot leave Adison alone with her hurt husband.

'He was pretty heated after feeding me, he may want some of that, too,' Mina laughs, she must have had a lot of Vincent's blood to be so out of it, she seemed so normal when she first arrived, having to save both their lives by getting herself and Vincent home, but now the force of Vincent's strange and potent blood seems to have hit her full force.

Victor clearly doesn't like Mina talking like that, he is jealous of his beautiful woman. Adison fears he is in for heartbreak if he tries to keep her to himself, for Mina's body is still a vampire, and vampires are very passionate by nature, and Victor just isn't. Mina will do her very best to stick to Victor, but she may not succeed, or become very unhappy.

Personally, Adison doesn't really mind the idea of Vincent making love to Mina some time, though Vincent told her he was not interested when they talked about it on their way to fetch Catherine. Still, something may have changed. The thought of Vincent and Mina together actually turns Adison on quite a bit, they are both so strong and fast and passionate.

The fire that would give, she'd like to see that!

'Go with her, Victor, and give her what she wants,' Adison says, 'and try not to mind her ramblings, she saved both their lives and now she is high. You know vampires usually don't stick to one partner, she's trying her very best, she loves you. Once she starts meditating and training, she will learn to control her body.'

'You don't mind her eyeing Vincent then?' Victor asks her, unbelieving.

'Actually, I don't,' Adison replies, 'remember we used to make love to you, too? I miss that sometimes.'

The memory of their nights together gives Victor a moment's relief from his jealousy, it was incredibly good to have a very passionate lover, and whilst he has Mina, she has to make do with himself, and he knows he is rather reserved.

'All right,' he says, 'if you can accept the idea, I will try to get used to it as well. Maybe it was all drug-induced.'

'Good for you, Victor, I love you.' Adison kisses him lovingly. 'She's really happy with you, you know. Take her to bed, I will be fine. If I need you I'll knock and wait until you answer.'

And with that, Victor lets himself be led to their bedroom, actually looking forward to making love to Mina in her state of intense passion.



Nature or Nurture Ch. 34-36



Chapter 34

Adison goes back to bed as well, slightly sad to find her beloved injured once more. All Vincent wants is to lead a normal life, but time and time again he ends up on the wrong side of a knife, a claw or this time, a gun.

She is not worried for his life this time, all the former occasions have shown he is not likely to infect, and he heals very fast. He'll probably make it to his audition the day after tomorrow, and most likely even to the show tomorrow. But why does he have to suffer so much?

All is well, Vincent is sleeping quietly, no fever, no sign of pain, he snores a little bit, and Adison really has to control herself not to kiss him tenderly, she loves him so much. But that might wake him up to feel the pain again, so she just watches him for a while in the soft light of the moon.

Catherine is sleeping, too, she enjoyed the bustle of the theatre so much, that poor child was just bored on Nelly Dean's farm. She was born for city life, and excitement, exactly what she'll get here. Maybe she will want to come on a few house calls, minor cases in very wealthy homes, it'll give her something to do when her dad has to rehearse his new role in a theatre much farther away from home, he'll spend a lot of time travelling.

For Adison doesn't doubt he will get the role at St James', he is so good, he can play anything. She undresses and crawls into bed herself, snuggling against her beloved with relish. He turns in his sleep and takes her in his arms, and she quickly falls asleep as well.

Did Vincent ever think himself violent and passionate? Well, he knows better now, for he is feeling a rage he has never experienced before, overruling his very being, making clear thought virtually impossible.

A breathing exercise calms him down, and he takes a good look around him. It is dark, the dark of a moonless night in the enclosure of the city, and it is raining, not hard, but a cold and miserable drizzle.

He is not alone, there is a crew of five men with him, and he is clearly the one in charge. His men have sooty faces, the rain causing white tracks to form over their cheeks, and they look positively frightened, not of what they have done or are going to do, but of him!

So this is not real, this is one of those flashes, and he is Heathcliff in a towering rage, over...yes, over what? Vincent cannot find a reason for his all-consuming anger. Suppose Heathcliff just felt this rage all the time, ever since Cathy died?

One of the men, a small, emaciated redhead answering Neil's description of Irish Tom, is clearly a tiny bit braver than the others, for he faces him and asks as unobtrusively as possible, 'All right Heathcliff, we're here, what do you want us to do next?' 

Vincent feels the rage flare up, apparently this innocuous question from one of his men is enough to push Heathcliff over the edge, but Vincent knows he is in control in these dreams and he quells any thought of harming the little fellow.

But he has no clue what they are doing here, and if he rummages in Heathcliff's mind that may give the brute a hold on Vincent's own mind. Better ask Tom.

'You've heard why we're here, how do you propose we proceed?'

The men are clearly stunned that Heathcliff asks anyone for his opinion, but Tom does not hesitate.

'You said the Master ordered the old textile mill burned down. The building is made of wood and filled with cloth and cotton fuzz, and there is no-one out there this time of night. Seems easy enough to me, we go in, spread the oil around a little, light a few fires and out again.'

Why would the enemy be burning a textile mill? Vincent will ask his friends tomorrow, but first he will ask Tom, though circumspectly.

'Is there a watch?' 

One of the men shakes his head, Tom's daring question has not been punished so they dare react now.

'No Heathcliff, there isn't. It's the oldest factory in London, I don't know why the master wants it destroyed, for it is useless, there are no modern machines there, children do all the work, they say it's a living hell.'

'It must be politics, for if it burns down, the owner will be accused of burning it down himself, to cash insurance money,' one man says. 

'Maybe he hired the Master to burn it down,' that is another. 

'Maybe the Master wants to offer for the ground, it's worth more than the property with the city growing.' 

His men are certainly not stupid, this is all reasonable.

'And you're sure no-one's there?' he asks.

They all agree.

Vincent of course doesn't feel much like burning down anything, but he knows Heathcliff will have to obey his master. He can change the past a little, but not too much. So he'll burn the building down, deliver a few children from a living hell, and make sure no other buildings will go up, and all his men will get out safely.

'All right, here is what we'll do.'

And he explains the way they will start the fire deep inside the building, where it will damage the building and the goods most, then work outwards, giving themselves time to escape, and the fire-brigade time to save the houses on the other side of the road. The rain will help, too.

They break into the building quickly, and find it deserted. It looks like hell, and it feels like it, as if the voices of hundreds of children cry out their suffering and misery in this dank hole.

It is not clear what task the children have here, they don't have time to think of that anyhow, there are huge bales, and piles of fluff, and even some heaps of cloth. The guys with the oil douse all the bales and heaps thoroughly.

In a dark room that Vincent doesn't want to think of what it is used for, one of the men strikes fire, and they light four torches. Four men walk from the centre of the building to the exit, lighting all the piles in their way, and when the piles are starting to roar and the flames are licking the wooden beams, they make their escape quickly and quietly towards the river-bank, where they wash their hands and their faces on Vincent's order.

Vincent realizes that if he disperses the crew now, they will go straight back and watch the fire, and for some reason he doesn't want them to do that. Feeling his pockets, he finds quite a bit of change, and he says merrily, 'Let's celebrate a job well-done, who will lead us to a pub not too far, and not too close?'

One of the guys seems vaguely familiar with his face cleaned, is he one of the guys Vincent killed with his blade yesterday? Or was he in the crew that eventually murdered Heathcliff? Whichever he is, maybe even both, he leads them to a bar, where Vincent gives a few rounds of beers, after which he orders all of them, in a very pleasant mood from the drinking, to go straight home and not go back to the fire.

A strange feeling comes over him, very distracting from what he is doing, unpleasant, too. It takes him a while to realize the feeling is pain, and it's not this body suffering, but his own, almost two years in the future.

He loses contact with the past, and wakes up tossing and turning.

At first light Adison wakes up because Vincent is starting to get restless. She fetches a glass of water and some painkillers, he is probably in pain, and when he opens his eyes she can see that is true, they are wild and glazed.

Stroking his hair, and kissing his face gently, she calms him down and when he wakes, she gives him the painkiller. His temperature is still fine, no infections, but he is in a lot of pain, and is struggling to keep from making a sound.

'Don't fight the pain, love,' Adison says, 'let it out, or it will get worse and keep the painkiller from doing its work.'

'Catherine,' he gasps, 'she'll be scared.'

'I'll explain to her then, she'll understand, now let it out,' is Adison's command, and he gives in and clings to her, moaning, this hurts a lot. She continues to stroke him, holding him tightly, and in her arms his body relaxes, as it has done many times before, a little bit, just enough for the painkillers to start working, and soon his grip on Adison loosens and his eyes clear.

'My body is primed from my very birth to let you relieve its pain, beloved.' Vincent's beautiful baritone voice is back to normal.

'It just cannot keep suffering with you holding it.'

Adison's feelings rush her, she loves this man so much, nothing about him even suggests that he is not yet two years old, nothing in their relationship reminds her that she raised him from the time of his difficult birth. She trusts him with everything, he is so strong and stable. Adison is certainly not weak or dependent, but whenever Vincent is around, everything just seems to be all right.

His yellow eyes look at her with intense love, and he smiles a little at her infatuated musings, they must be visible in her features. Then he says, 'Adison, I've had one of those flashes again, there are things we need to find out.'

She looks at him with a certain shock, so far his flashbacks have always meant upheaval. But now they find out what it is like to have a child, for they cannot discuss the subject, yet.

Vincent's stressed sounds have indeed woken Catherine, and far from being frightened, she steps straight from her little bed onto the big bed, sits on his other side and strokes his hair, too. Looking up at Adison she asks with concern, 'What happened? Is daddy hurt again?'

Again. 

'He is, love. When you were asleep yesterday evening, daddy had to talk to Neil and when he came back, someone shot him. It hurts a lot, but he is not in danger.

Will you stay with him while I make a cup of tea and something to eat? Does it scare you to see him like this?'

Catherine kisses her father and strokes his face with her small hand.

'No, I'm not scared, I feel sorry. He has so many hurts already. I'll be nice to him, you make breakfast. Leave the door open? I'll call if something happens.'

It seems Vincent was right that first day, Catherine is like Adison, bent on taking care of people, not the kind to make a show. Adison leaves the two together without any hesitation, the girl is up to it, and Adison can prepare breakfast but also the Chinese mixture. Back to curing Vincent of nasty, painful wounds, flashbacks during the night, nothing has changed, really.

She also plans to stoke up the boiler, getting shot supposedly makes one very stiff, and Vincent will want to play tonight if it is at all possible. A nice hot bath will loosen his muscles and clear his head, his wounds will probably have closed overnight.

When Adison has left, Vincent watches his caring daughter with love in his eyes. They have known one another for no more than a week, and yet he has such strong feelings for her, and it seems those feelings are mutual.

'Can I snuggle against you, or does that hurt?' the little girl asks.

'Just be careful,' is the reply, 'I love to cuddle with you.'

Very slowly the little girl wraps her arms around him, and lays her head on his shoulder. She is so small and so very careful that it doesn't even hurt.

'Daddy, I want to talk to you about something,' Catherine says, in a different tone than usual. This sounds almost adult, though her voice is still cute and high, the clumsy articulation of a toddler's mouth and tongue has vanished.

Vincent shows his surprise at her remark, but he asks, 'What is it, love, you can tell me anything, you know that, don't you?'

'I do, which is why I have a confession to make to you. Even though we met just a week ago, I feel a connection to you, to your friends as well, I know I'm going to be very happy here, which is why I want you to know the full truth.'

That is a mouthful for a toddler, but Vincent merely waits for the rest.

'I don't know how and why, but I suppose I'm not a normal child. For nearly a year now I have been able to talk like an adult, I know the words, I understand what everyone says, and I guess that is unusual, for Nelly and especially her family didn't understand. So I acted like a toddler, but sometimes I felt so lonely and misunderstood that I became really angry. Only I had to throw a tantrum to let it out, or I'd give myself away.

But you treat me like an adult, and you're my dad, so I guess you will understand. Can we please talk sometimes, about the things I hear and think, as one person to another? About the people we meet at the play, and the things I see in the streets?'

Vincent tries to close his arms around his little daughter, not so little as it now appears, and though it does hurt, he manages.

'We can, love, you can tell me anything, ask me anything. I don't want you to be lonely and certainly not angry at people not listening. You know you can tell the others, too, and play toddler outside the house.'

'I'd rather is was just you for now,' the little girl replies, 'I'm so glad I decided to tell you. Oh, you hurt again, I can see it in your eyes, I'm so sorry for you, where are the wounds? I can't see them for all the bandages.'

'I got shot in both arms first, my attackers probably thought that would render me helpless. I guess they wanted to beat me to death nice and slowly, for all four came at me with clubs. I shot one and got two with my blade. 

The fourth got scared and shot me point blank, stunning me for some time. Mina saved me.'

'Your arm? So I've been lying on a shot-wound all this time? Why didn't you say so? That must've hurt. Did you lose the saber? Won't that bring the watch?'

Vincent thinks for a moment then answers.

'You're so light, it didn't hurt, and I like to have you close. I love you a lot, Catherine, and I'm glad you trust me enough to show me your real self. You are right about the saber, we were both rather bad, Mina and I, we forgot to take it. But it is not marked, there is no way to tie it to me. 

The gun is, but I put that in my pocket after using it. Do you mind my telling you what happened? Does it scare you?'

'I was scared living at Nelly's, I understood someone wanted me, but I couldn't warn anyone, and I couldn't defend myself. There was nothing I could do but hide and hope for the best. I was so relieved you came for me, I watched you fight and knew I'd be safe with you.

Maybe we should tell Adison, I love her, daddy, I hope you will get a brother or sister together.'

Catherine is so happy to have spilled her secret, to finally have someone to talk to, that she wants to discuss everything she has heard at once, but she can also see that her father is still in some pain, and rather tired.

'I'm sorry dad, I suppose I have been silent for so long everything wanted to come out all at once. I'll just hold you and stroke you to forget the pain a little. So many scars!'

That last remark gets Vincent's attention.

'So that cute conversation our first morning was all acting?'

Assuming a guilty look, his pretty daughter admits, 'It was. I wanted to ask how you got them, and why you shuddered as I touched them, but I couldn't. 

So I tried to get a few cuddles instead. Sorry.'

'Well, I'm only sorry that you didn't feel free to tell me this before, that you were plagued by fears and questions you couldn't share, but not that you are a born actress. 

Come here, give me a hug.' 

And Vincent holds his arms open to his very special daughter, and she lays her head on his chest, carefully avoiding the spot where he pointed out the shot-wound, and he holds her in his strong arms until Adison comes back.

She finds her beloved sleeping, and his daughter in his arms, awake but enjoying the closeness to her father intensely.

'He fell asleep again,' Catherine says, 'we talked a bit but he was very tired. Can I call you mum, Adison?'

Adison is flattered and pleased of course.

'I'd love that, Catherine. You know he always heals quickly, no need to be afraid for him.'

'Thanks for telling me, I did worry a bit. I'm glad to live with you, you are all so nice. I never thought dad would be so sweet. I'm sorry he has pain, though.'

Their talking wakes Vincent, and he releases Catherine from his arms, then lets Adison remove the bandages and take care of the wounds. 

'If you can stand the sight of these wounds, you may come on my rounds with me next week, Catherine,' Adison says, and Catherine proves she can by watching her newly found mother work.

Vincent can see a new collection of questions gather in her mind.

'Why not just ask them, Catherine love, what harm would it do if Adison knows?'

The little girl nods and says, 'I suppose you're right, it feels like lying, I don't want to lie to my new mum.'

At Vincent's questioning look she states, 'I asked her whether I might call her mum, and she said she'd love that.'

And at Adison, 'Why do you use that smelly stuff to clean it, and why do you clean so thoroughly that it hurts dad, and where did you learn how to sew up people, and doesn't that hurt a lot? And those wounds don't look that bad, when I fell off the fence and scraped myself it looked worse. 

And dad, where did you get that scar?' 

The last she says touching the scar on his temple, and Vincent doesn't even try to suppress the shudder it causes him, he will tell her, but first they have to enlighten Adison, who seems a bit dazed by a little girl asking so many relevant questions in such rapid order and with such adult articulation.

'Catherine just told me she has been able to speak like an adult and understand adult speech since she was a year old, Adison. She was so full of unasked questions and so lonely she decided to come clear with me, and I just asked her to do the same with you. You can answer some questions much better than I can.'

Adison nods and observes, 'I cannot say I'm surprised, there was always something about you. You must be the best actress ever, though, and where did you find a real toddler to imitate?'

'Nelly often had neighbours visiting, some had little children as well. I studied them carefully, and tried their mannerisms on my own family. I was often lonely, though, and once I realized someone was after me I got scared as well.

I feel so much safer now.'

'I can imagine, though all is not safe, as you can see by the state your father is in. But we have a lot of friends, and we're not exactly helpless ourselves.' 

Adison seems to take Catherine's revelation as much in stride as her father does.

'As to your questions: The smelly stuff is a mixture of Chinese herbs that prevents infection, which makes wounds go bad. That can kill a person. The cleaning is also to prevent infection, and it needs to be done well, even though that hurts.

I learned to sew up wounds in nurse's school, and I got to practise a lot on your father, for he keeps getting hurt. Suturing, that's what sewing up wounds is called, does hurt a lot, and since we had to take out the bullet first, which Victor did with a surgical knife, cleaned very well to prevent infection again, I put dad out with certain stuff. If you smell the stuff, you faint.

Cutting in flesh hurts even more, and if a person is asleep they lie still, which makes it easier to cut precisely. Victor cut in, removed the bullet, I mopped up the blood and cleaned the wound, then sutured it. 

Then dad woke up again, and we gave him painkillers and put him to bed.

And you see, he is much better now, your dad heals very quickly, he always has. That is why your scrape looked worse, you didn't heal as fast. This wound looked really bad yesterday.

Dad'll tell you himself where he got the scar, that story is too personal for me to tell.'

By now, the wounds are clean, and Adison puts a clean bandage on them. Vincent sits up and holds out his hands again, inviting Catherine in his lap.

'It is a weird story, love, but it explains why people tried to kill me, so I'll tell you.

I once was a very bad man named Heathcliff, who was married to Catherine, or Cathy, your real mother. She died right after your birth, and Heathcliff loved her so much he went mad. 




Nature or Nurture Ch. 34-36



The people he worked for tried to have him killed, and Victor saved his life, but he had lost all his memories, leaving him helpless like a baby.

Adison found me and cared for me. She called me Vincent, and raised me, like Nelly raised you, only I grew up a lot quicker.

When I was grown up, we fell in love and stayed here. The scars in my face and on my chest are from that time. If someone touches them, it reminds me I'm only one year old, with no memories of my life before that, and that thought makes me shudder.

A few months ago, I started to dream of my life before now, which is how I knew I had been quite a bad man, and how I knew I had a daughter. The day after I had that dream we went to find you.

We got involved in a thing with Mina and Miss Vanessa, you met her yesterday, and there I got those claw-marks, except these ones, the gytrash did that. Remember that huge dog-like creature?'

Nodding fervently, Catherine looks really happy, sitting with her tough dad, who can beat up all kinds of monsters and survive being shot.

'Mina was bad, too, wasn't she?'

'She was, but Adison saved her, as she saved me.'

'I like Mina, and she likes me,' Catherine is certain of that, 'I'm glad she lives here. And I'm glad for me she's awake at night, but sorry for her, it seems lonely.'

'Let's eat and have some tea,' Adison says, 'there will plenty of time to talk when Victor and I are doing our rounds, for until Mina wakes up this afternoon, you will be daddy-sitting. I was worried about leaving him alone with a toddler, but now I'm not anymore. You can take care of yourself and of him.'

And so it happens, Adison and Victor do their rounds, and Vincent lies in bed in an effort to heal fast enough to play his role that night. Catherine fetches his script from the library and they practise his part together, Catherine checking the script and judging his play.

Adison has had Victor fire up the boiler slowly, so it will not need to be checked regularly, though it will take all day to heat up properly. 

Father and daughter talk for hours, until Vincent tires and needs a little nap, then Catherine holds him and strokes him until he sleeps, and fetches water to take his painkiller with when he wakes.

Chapter 35

When Mina wakes she comes to the bedroom straight away, and she finds Catherine on the bed next to Vincent, who is having a little nap just then.

The little girl whispers, 'He is still in a lot of pain, that makes him tired. Mum asks can you check on the boiler. And will you make me lunch? I'm hungry but dad isn't supposed to leave the bed and I can't reach the cupboards. Mum forgot I'm still very small.'

Mina looks astounded, and Catherine makes a decision.

'Come sit with me for a while, I'll tell you my secret.'

And when Mina is sitting there, in the same bed as the guy who knows since yesterday night that Mina wants to feed off him whilst having rough sex, Catherine distracts her from that shameful realization by telling her, 'I've been able to talk and I understand everything adults say since I was a year old. I've been playing the toddler for a year, and decided today I was not going to any longer. Not to dad at least, and he wanted me to tell mum, and I decided to tell you. 

I had hoped to keep it from Victor a little longer, I feel I don't know him as well as I do you, but if that feels like lying to you, I'll understand.'

And again Catherine hears, 'I can't say I'm totally surprised, Catherine, you've been doing things and saying things that weren't altogether like a toddler. We'll have such fun together.

How is he?'

This nudging towards Vincent.

'As well as can be expected,' the girl answers proudly, 'he heals really fast. I saw the wounds and they were nearly closed. He told me how he got the scars and why he shudders when someone touches them. I really wondered, you know.'

'Wanna come with me to check the boiler and make lunch, or do you want to stay with your dad?'

That is a difficult choice for Catherine, she has been stuck here all day, and watching a person sleep gets quite boring after half an hour, but what if he wakes in pain?

'Why don't you come with me for now, then check on him, and if he still sleeps we make lunch together?'

That is perfect, and Catherine hops off the bed and joins Mina.

Checking the boiler is great fun, and since Vincent is still asleep when they are done, Catherine helps to make a lunch, which they take to the bedroom.

'You wake him up, Catherine,' Mina says, 'he needs to eat well, he lost a lot of blood yesterday and it needs to be replenished. You know I don't eat normal food, don't you?'

Catherine affirms that, Mina told her just yesterday.

'If you understand everything you see, you may as well know now, you'll find out anyway: I can only eat human blood, and usually Victor feeds me, but yesterday I got shot too, pretty badly, and Vincent gave me his blood to save both our lives. His blood is strong, and it made me strong, I'm totally fine today.

But his wounds heal slower than mine, he was shot more often, and it took a lot of his blood to heal the damage I had, so he really needs to eat well. Which is why I made lunch of fatty, rich things, to give him strength.'

Again, the sound of voices wakes Vincent, and he looks at Mina meaningfully.

'Thank you for saving me, Mina. I thought I was done for, looking into that gun barrel.'

With a soft voice she observes, 'My pleasure, Vincent. I still feel your blood running through me, it's so stimulating. You're in pain, I can see it.'

'I brought you water, dad, and here is your medicine. Can you help him sit up, Mina?'

The smell of him brings back the kiss, and Mina quickly but carefully lifts Vincent to an upright position, then leaves his side and pours the tea. Vincent takes the medicine and the water from Catherine with a big 'thank you'. He is hungry and almost devours the rich food before him, still looking at Mina every so often.

'Please don't be a stranger, Mina,' he says with feeling, 'you know what feeding does to people. I was already weak with fright and blood-loss, it hit me hard.'

'It's not that, Vincent,' she replies, 'that was as much me as you. It's just, I leaked some feelings I would have preferred to keep to myself, they have the potential to cause a world of trouble. I don't want to get tempted.'

'As soon as I am back to normal, we'll train them out of both of us, all right?' 

Vincent's optimism and comradeship are infectious, and soon Mina is sitting next to him again, telling him who their attackers were.

'They were on the list, among the three most dangerous. They were almost certainly operating on their own, the master had little to do with them. Pardon me if I sound ruthless, but that's three fewer potential hazards.

I couldn't take your saber, hope it won't lead the watch to us.'

'It's unmarked, it's a loss but there is no way to tie it to me. I had one of those flashbacks again, I'll tell you about it tonight.

This is good food, I needed that. I feel much stronger, how much did you get?'

'A lot, Vincent, I was nearly done for. If I were human I would have been killed instantly, and still I managed to mangle that one guy and take you away from there. You are incredibly heavy. 

Without your blood I would have died, and a normal person could not have missed that much blood, especially not with the amount you had already lost through the wounds.

You're as durable as you're strong.'

'I want to try to get up now, I need to know whether I'll be able to play, if I'm not I'll have to send a boy to let them know. They have a piece for emergencies. Will you help me once more?'

Mina cannot resist Vincent, so she helps him to stand, he needs to go to the privy anyway, and the bath will be ready soon.

It hurts a lot to get up, but he doesn't feel dizzy or about to fall over, and the stiffness can be soaked out in a hot bath.

Vincent walks a little round through the bedroom, and still he doesn't fall. He tries to move his arms, and it hurts like hell, but they do what he asks them to do.

'Do you want a hot bath now, or later?' Mina asks.

'Now, please, how did you get one ready so quickly?'

'Victor did, he started it and Catherine gave me instructions to check on it. She told me about herself, and I told her about myself, about my eating habits. Both of us already had our suspicions.' Mina has a very cute smile, and Vincent reminds himself of his resolution to ask Adison to set a date and style for their marriage.

Then he walks to the privy and lets the water run into the bath, and all goes well. Back in the bedroom he asks Catherine to join him in the bath.

'We always bathe and shower together, but I know Nelly raised you much stricter than that. I don't want to shock you.'

'Can Mina come, too? The tub is large enough, isn't it? It'll be great fun.' 

Catherine may talk like an adult, some things are still a total mystery to her, and rightfully so.

'It is large enough, and she is welcome to join us, but Catherine, some ladies don't like to share a bath with a man they are not intimate with. Nelly would never have done that, would she?'

'Nelly wouldn't have shared a bath with her own husband, dad, she is very strict.' 

Catherine's chubby face is very serious as she says this.

'I'd like to come with you,' Mina says, 'but not when it is still so hot, somehow I can't cope with so much heat, it makes me faint.'

Within ten minutes, they are splashing away in the hot water, Catherine enjoying herself hugely, not shocked at all by seeing her father without clothes. In some things she is actually like a two year old, and taking things in stride appears to be one of them.

After a quarter of an hour Mina does indeed join them, by then Vincent's muscles have loosened up immensely, and he is in a lot less pain. Playing with Catherine has made him exuberant, and Mina is immediately splashed and dunked. Of course she returns the favour.

They have a lovely time, any uneasiness between the two adults is countered by the little girl between them, and they stay in the water until it gets chilly, then dry off and put on a bath-robe. Mina goes to her own bedroom to dress, and Vincent takes Catherine to theirs. 

When Catherine is back in her dress, Mina arrives, bringing clean bandages, and she dresses the three bullet-wounds professionally. She has learned a lot assisting Victor on his night-calls.

Vincent decides to sleep a little more, and soon drops off, after which Catherine helps Mina to clear up the mess they have made having lunch, and wash up.

Then they sit on the bed and talk about Catherine's youth, how much she remembers of her first two years, and Mina tells Catherine about her brother Peter, and her friendship with Miss Vanessa, who was at the theatre last night. 

After the girl-chat they start on dinner, and Catherine learns to chop vegetables, though that is very difficult with her chubby two year old hands.

And then someone knocks on the door, and Mina peeps through the hole in the door to see who it is. It turns out to be Bruce, he says he has come to give Mina her first lessons in martial arts and fencing. Vincent has forgotten to mention that with the events of yesterday.

Still, Mina is fed up with roaming the house for hours at night, and practising will keep her occupied and hopefully show her body who's boss.

After putting dinner on the back of the stove to simmer, they retreat to the cellar, to keep up the act Mina asks Catherine patiently to sit on a bench and keep safe, but Catherine asks politely, 'I'm tired, can you take me to bed for my nap?'

And she is tired, her tiny body needs the rest, and for once her head does, too. She has talked so much, learned so much, she needs to sleep to give it a space in her developing mind.

She does not lie down in her own bed, though, but snuggles up against the sleeping form of her father, who mumbles and lifts her on his chest easily. Somehow he does not confuse her with Adison, who is usually in bed with him.

'You smell differently,' he mumbles, 'nice, but differently.' 

And he sleeps on, Catherine safely in his arms.

Catherine is asleep in an instant, and neither of them wakes until Adison is home and ready to prepare Vincent for an evening in the theatre.

He gets the extra padding, an extra painkiller and two to go, and Adison insists on him taking his gun. 

'Tell Maud to take care of your chest, and she will,' Adison admonishes her beloved, and he promises to do so.

One of his fancy shirts completes the whole, and he looks only a little worse for wear.

Then they all have dinner, Bruce joining them, Mina no longer fidgeting because Catherine might ask difficult questions about her not eating any normal food, but Catherine still acting the toddler before Victor and Bruce. Still, it has been a good day for her, and tonight she will see her dad play again, and if she sees something interesting, she can discuss it with her mum or with Mina.

The evening is much the same as the night before, except that Catherine can see her dad moving a little stiffly, and after the show he is clearly in pain. He does not have to participate in the meet and greet, and they go to the dressing-room to help him change and remove the make-up, feed him some more painkillers and apply a few loving kisses to help him cope.

Once back at home, mum undresses dad and removes the bandages, tsk'ing at the wounds that have bled through them. She cleans them and carefully puts new bandages on, whilst Catherine undresses herself.

'May Catherine sleep with me until you go to bed?' dad asks, and mum agrees, telling Catherine, 'I'll carry you to your own bed when I turn in.' 

Adison is a really good mum, and Catherine hugs her and watches dad hug her carefully but intensely. She'd better be asleep by the time mum comes to bed, dad may be up to some loving tonight. He winks at her, does he know what she is thinking?

'I'm glad you are my mum now, Adison.'

Adison proves she is the perfect mum by kissing her again.

'Thank you sweetheart, I'm also very glad to have you as my daughter.'

In her dad's arms it is very easy to fall asleep after such a busy day, and she doesn't even notice when she is lifted into her own bed and Vincent and Adison try a bit of loving despite Vincent's tender spots.

When they are lying in the bed, sated and tired, still very much in love, Vincent asks, 'Will you set a date for us to get married? We've been engaged long enough, it is time to tie the knot. And how do you want to do it, just a ceremony, or a party?'

'How about two months from now, you'll be settled in your new role, and we'll have time to get a licence. And I want to throw a tiny party, just us five and a few friends from the theatre.

Will you tell me about the flashback now?'

And Vincent does, he describes everything that he experienced, but of course to Adison the event means nothing, she was not yet living in the city when it happened. Vincent himself doesn't remember a thing, and there was no time today to ask Mina or Victor. It will have to be tomorrow, possibly at dinner, when they are all together.

Then Adison wants to know, 'How were things with Mina?'

'She was very much ashamed of feeling attracted to me, but it is the feeding, it is just so hot, it turned me on too, I couldn't help it either. I kissed her last night in the heat of the moment, until the pain forced me to release her.'

Adison nods, she understands completely, is actually a bit curious how it feels to be bitten by a vampire, if it's so exciting.

Vincent continues.

'We'll work on it, once she starts training she'll get more control over her body. But not me, I've already trained all the control into my body that I possibly can, and I'm sure I'll want to make love to her any time I feel her suck my veins. It's just too enticing. I'm not sorry, we agreed to do that emergencies only, and this was one.

And why does everyone just assume I'm going to get that role? It's an audition, there may be a dozen competitors for it, all with a degree in acting!'

Adison is not put out by Vincent's admission that he wants to make love to Mina every time he feeds her. Some things are just stronger than a person's will, and vampires are supernatural beings.

'I liked making love to Victor, I still would love to do it every so often. If the situation arises again where you need to feed Mina, don't put her life or your own in danger to prevent mutual attraction, just feed her and either resist the attraction or give in to it. I will not hold it against either of you, not even once we're married.

And of course you'll get that part, you're the best.'

The next day passes in much the same manner, only Vincent is a lot better, so he practises his part in the library with Catherine, and Adison and Victor can go to the workshop in the morning, dissecting corpses to learn ever more about the human body.

They return for lunch, and leave for their rounds afterwards.

When Mina wakes up, they practise martial arts, and Catherine is allowed to join them, which is neat. After that, she naps, and Vincent joins her to give himself a little rest.

They cook, and then the others come back, and before Vincent leaves for the theatre with Bruce and Maud, they talk about the raid that Vincent experienced in his dream.

'I remember that fire,' Victor says, 'the mill was reduced to ashes, and they say two guys were caught in the blaze whilst they were lighting it, dying in agony. Two others were taken by the watch as they fled the scene, faces covered in soot and hands smelling of oil and burning. If Heathcliff didn't lead that raid well, it is no wonder that those guys hate his guts.'

'The way he felt, he couldn't have led anything well,' Vincent says, 'he was in such a rage. It was as if I had influence over him, but that factory burned down one and a half years ago, nothing can be changed about that.'

Victor asks Mina, 'Do you know what they've built in that spot?'

She shakes her head.

'Maybe someone at the theatre knows, you could ask tonight, Vincent. It cannot be worse than that mill, it was a horror.'

After dinner, Maud and Bruce fetch Vincent, and an hour or two later, Mina drops Adison and Catherine off at the theatre, and then she returns home to spend the evening with Victor.

She can see he is trying to put a brave face on things, but he is not his usual self, he is struggling with doubt and jealousy, and it is not making him angry, but rather shy and sad.

He has so little experience with people, he can express himself forcefully on the subject of science, or religion, but he cannot come out and tell Mina what is bothering him.

So she'll have to angle for it, despite her body's demands for passion and rough sex, Mina herself loves Victor more than anything, and to see him hurt is to hurt herself.

They see so little of each other, with their reversed schedules, and rarely by themselves. Which is why she is looking forward to being with him, and him alone, for a few hours. Yesterday's loving was fabulous, Victor loves it when she pounces him and totally overpowers him, and he really comes to life during their love-play.

It's just that he finds it hard to initiate it himself, but Mina reminds herself he was still practically a virgin when they met, he had made love to Adison and Vincent only, and only because they initiated it each time. Adison told Mina he only ever hinted once or twice he'd like to join them, but he never started or asked.

Opening the door quietly, she enters the house, looking for her shy lover. He doesn't expect her back, he has pleaded not feeling well to stay at home, but Mina could easily see he was just depressed. She could not let Adison and Catherine walk the streets unguarded, though, so she pretended to go with them.




Nature or Nurture Ch. 34-36



Now she will find out what is bothering him, if she can find him, that is. She hopes he has not gone to his workshop, that is not safe, and not a good place to be in the evening when you're a bit depressed.

First the house, what would Victor do to spend a night on his own? The library, or the accounts. Reading or keeping books is always good for distraction. But what if he doesn't want to be distracted, what if he wants to feel everything? He'll be in the bedroom, crying his eyes out, that is what Mina herself would do.

She walks towards the bedroom, and indeed finds Victor lying on the bed, but not crying. He is silent, and stares blankly in front of him, not seeing anything, not understanding what went wrong, and with no clue how to set it right.

Mina's heart skips a beat, and she feels her throat burn, he is so beautiful, and so vulnerable, her very own superbly sensitive and smart human. She fell in love with him instantly, the moment she saw him, and seeing him so intensely sad, even desperate, just wrings her heart.

Totally locked inside himself, Victor hasn't seen or heard her yet, and she suppresses an urge to fall at his feet and beg him to forgive her for her befuddled speech yesterday. But she also knows she was totally out of it, giddy with Vincent's blood and also with the exhilaration of having saved their lives once again.

Besides, it looks like she is the strong mind in their partnership, and she wants Victor to rely on her, until he gets used to being with people more, until he learns to speak his mind to those he loves. She cannot make herself smaller in his eyes, so she moves towards him, sits on the bed, then gathers him to her easily.

He nestles in her arms, still silent, still unresponsive. He seems unable to talk, he can feel, but he cannot find words to talk about his feelings.

Mina does not ask questions, or make apologies, she stays silent, too, she just holds her beloved tightly, letting him feel her love for him.

'Why am I so very sad when I know you love me?' he finally asks.

'I feel so helpless, you love me, I love you more than anything, but what if you don't anymore? What if you want someone else more? I can't even say it, I can't even plead you to stay with me, my mind shapes the words but they will not come out.'

Still he doesn't cry his eyes out, he merely overflows, and so does Mina.

'Everyone who loves takes that risk, Victor,' she replies, 'there is always a chance that love doesn't last. We can only accept that chance, and enjoy our time together.'

'You could have died yesterday, Vincent could have died, and I worry that his blood makes you want him. Why don't I feel fear of losing you to death, but jealousy to lose you to another? And why can't I just ask outright what you want from him? And from me?'

Mina strokes his hair, and kisses his sad face.

'You are so beautiful, Victor, do you have any idea how incredibly attractive you are?' 

A small smile proves he does.

'We were both very close to death, Victor, and that brings people together, but I will not deny that Vincent's strength and violent nature are very attractive to me. But I don't want his love, I want his passion, his lust. As you wanted it, before you found the same in me.

I love you, Victor, and it hurts to see you so desperate. If it makes you feel better, I will promise you not to touch him with desire, and only to drink his blood in an emergency, like yesterday. He can control himself, and I can control myself. Will you please forgive me for letting my body rule me?'

But such humility is not Mina, Victor wants her strong and passionate, maybe Adison is right, maybe she cannot be happy with just one lover, and a very reserved one. Caging her will only make her seek her freedom, will cause a rift between them.

'I cannot accept such a promise from you, beloved,' he says.

'You have only been free for a very short time, you have no idea of your own needs. You don't want me to be desperate, but who knows what controlling your passion will do to you? I love you and I must set you free.'

Holding her tightly, he adds, 'If you have a need for a very passionate lover once in awhile, I'd rather it be someone I love and trust. I loved being dominated by him, I miss him sometimes. If you will not let yourself be ruled by your body, I will control my mind and not let myself be ruled by jealousy.

And I will do my very best to talk about my feelings, I really want to learn that. There is nothing to forgive, please don't be humble to me, I love your strength, and your self-assurance.'

Feeling her breath in his neck makes his hairs stand on end, and his passion jumps to life instantly. She notices and nuzzles his throat, such an exciting feeling when one can expect sharp teeth to puncture the skin any moment, followed by the intense bliss of her sucking.

She teases him, licks his neck, inhales his scent with relish, even nibbles his skin with her normal teeth. Almost mad with lust now, Victor offers his white throat, hoping she'll strike, but she doesn't, she kisses him deeply, then strokes his hair, one of her hand enters his shirt to stroke his chest, the other supporting him as he lies in her arm.

Victor shudders, the most beautiful woman in the world says she loves him, is prepared to battle her natural urges for him, he must be the most fortunate man in existence.

And then she does strike, quick as lightning, in that extra sensitive spot in his neck just behind his jaw, and the short sting of her teeth breaking his skin transforms to utter bliss as she gently sucks on his throbbing vein.

All sadness and every doubt melt away, all his nerves tingle, his hands grope for her breasts, and under her dress. How they manage to get rid of their clothes is a mystery, but they do, in record time, and within moments Mina is riding Victor in mutual bliss, licking the last drops of blood from his skin, feeling the sweetness of his blood mingle with the lingering tingle of Vincent's in her veins.

The sweeter, gentler stuff is not overcome, but merely enhanced by the little sting still present, and Mina dares to relish the feeling, hoping everything will sort itself out. And if not, she can always control herself, for no passion or violence can be more important than what she feels for this shy, sweet man.

They make love with passion, once he's felt the sting of her teeth and her pull on his vein Victor can work up quite some fervour, and of course he knows everything there is to know about a woman's anatomy.

Half an hour later they are exhausted, and very pleased to lie on the bed together, kissing a little, and stroking a few soft bits and parts of the other. And after that they dress and take a romantic stroll through the nearest park, just another couple in love, hand in hand under a bright moon.

Sitting on a bench near the river, Victor offers, 'Suppose I work mornings, then we can spend the afternoons together. I can let the workshop go, we can live quite nicely off the practice.'

'Or you could keep the workshop, and we could go there together in the evenings. There is no reason why you should stick to normal working hours, is there? I'd like to help you with your work, once we have a practice built Adison can take half the patients and you the other half, no need to go together all the time, at home you'll be safe.'

As the moon reaches its full strength, it is so light it seems like daytime, and they watch the river pass by sluggishly, light glittering on the little waves.

Chapter 36

When Vincent reaches the St James theatre the next day for his audition, it seems the others were more right than he thought. He has pictured himself walking into the building, and standing in line for the audition with at least twenty other hopefuls, beautiful men with thick resumes, being called into a little room with a line of severe looking men behind a table, writing down things and shaking their heads.

In fact, the stage director is waiting for him by the entrance, and after shaking Vincent's hand cordially he leads him inside the main theatre hall, filled with seat upon empty seat, rows of them, all beautifully decorated and in prime condition.

There are five seats in the middle that are not empty, two have young women sitting in them, one a young man, and two middle aged men. One of the middle aged men is tall and very broad of build, with slightly eccentric attire and longish hair, a little like Mr Grey, only a lot less elegant.

The other middle aged man is very well-dressed also, but in a more ordinary style. He looks like a business-man, though he is very handsome.

Vincent guesses the young man is an actor, as are the ladies. There is no row of hopeful other candidates, but Vincent cannot imagine there are none.

The stage director, whose name is Mr Oliver Broadmere, introduces him to the other people present, the businessman is Mr George Alexander, the director of the theatre and player of a lead part, the peculiar middle aged man the playwright, Mr Oscar Wilde, the young man and the two ladies indeed players in the piece.

Excepting Mr Alexander and Mr Wilde, they all seem familiar to Vincent, can it be they have visited his show to see him play? It would not be polite to ask, and anyway, this is an audition and he needs to concentrate, so concentrate he does.

Mr Broadmere invites him to play the extract he has prepared, and to his surprise one of the ladies joins him on stage, apparently she will be playing the lady's part, which makes it quite a bit easier for him. If she's any good of course, but this is a serious theatre, there is no reason to doubt that.

The lady is very friendly and seems to have no trouble at all with his disconcerting appearance, she takes her place in a little set-up on stage, and asks him sotto voce whether he is ready.

He is, he can dream this part, and having a fellow player makes it so much easier.

Mr Broadmere calls out from the empty hall, and Vincent launches into his first dialogue. It all seems to work out just fine, he is not too nervous, the lady acts exactly as he might wish, and he feels in his own element.

There is quite a lot of dialogue and action, leading up to a rather pathetic scene of misunderstanding and unrequited love, and Vincent relishes standing here, in this great hall, though nearly empty, but with people who matter sitting in it, and he gives his all.

When the scene is finished, the lady opposite him offers him a bow, and in turn he bows to her, then to the audience.

They do not applaud, but he guesses that is normal. The lady whispers, 'You did well! Look at Mr Wilde, he likes it.'

And indeed, Mr Wilde seems to be pleased, and Mr Broadmere actually looks a bit proud. He must have stuck out his neck pretty far to let an actor from a penny dreadful theatre audition for a role in St James'.

The handsome middle-aged gentleman beckons and the lady on stage with Vincent takes his arm and leads him down the little stairs back into the hall.

Mr Alexander says formally, 'Mr Vincent, we've seen all the other applicants this morning, Mr Broadmere insisted on including you in the audition. I had my doubts, seeing where you come from, but my fellow actors visited your show on his recommendation and seconded Oliver, and I'm glad they did, for otherwise we would have missed out on the perfect Reverend.

Thank you for your audition, and I'd like to step by my office together immediately to make the business arrangements and hand you a full script. We will start the rehearsals in November, so you'll have a month to learn it by heart.

Oliver tells me there will be no trouble with your current employer?'

'No, Mr Alexander,' Vincent replies, 'he has always encouraged me to look ahead and he has another play ready to roll as soon as need strikes.'

'We will be playing together intimately, so you'd better start calling me George, we're all on familiar terms here, except Oscar, who wants everyone to call him Mr Wilde. So how may we call you, Mr Vincent?'

Feeling a bit apprehensive at his lack of a last name, Vincent replies, 'Vincent is actually my first name.'

Oliver now speaks up.

'He used Smith as last name, and since that doesn't fit this theatre very well, I used his first name as his last name. Sounds well, doesn't it?'

'It does,' George answers, 'I suppose Smith is a stage name, what's you real last name?'

Totally stunned by this sudden question, Vincent blurts out his last name as he sees it.

'Heathcliff, George.'

'That is an interesting name, but not one for the bill-boards, nor the papers,' George states, 'I agree with Oliver, we'll put Vincent in as last name, and an 'H' as your initials, and we'll just call you Vincent, as you are used to. Agreed?'

'Very much so, George,' Vincent replies.

'You're a very polite fellow, Vincent,' George observes, 'we'll cure you of that, yet.

Welcome to our company.'

The paperwork is nothing special, just a general agreement about payment and working hours, duties and rights. Vincent has signed a similar agreement with the director of his current theatre, and he does not hesitate to sign this one without consulting his friends.

He will not make much more playing this role, though the theatre is much larger, his part in the play is only a minor one, but definitely one he can use to present himself to the world of serious acting. And with the rehearsals taking up the mornings of three months, he can even continue his current role for a few more months, if the director wants to keep him that long.

Since he has come this far, and he is in an excellent humour because his audition was a success, he decides to visit the lawyer straight away, Adison and Victor have taken Catherine on their rounds, so there is no need to rush home, and it needs to be done.

When he returns home he is in an even better mood. The lawyer had no problem recognizing Vincent, and it seems he is the proud owner of a small fortune. 

And that is without the proceeds of the house, which will be sold as soon as an eligible buyer turns up. The current staff, Martin the butler and Laura the maid, have sufficient funds to their name to ensure their future.

And Vincent has access to his fortune again, part of which will very soon find its way into a new boiler and a practice in the front-room. He considers buying a carriage, but that is just way too much hassle, if it rains or if he runs late to walk to St James, he'll just hire a cab, it will cost less, and it will be a lot less trouble.

The celebratory steaks he brings with him are received well, even by Victor, who seems a bit looser towards him. Fortunately, for Vincent loves his friend so much it hurts to see him jealous, and for no reason at all, Vincent has made love to Victor multiple times, and he never fell in love with him either.

Despite having predicted he'd get the part, Adison and the rest are truly proud that his audition was a success, though before he is allowed to bask in his glory he is taken to the bed to have his wounds cleaned and bandaged afresh.

During the process, Catherine is asking a million questions about the audition, and telling a million things about her day doing the rounds with Adison and Victor. She's not totally lost to the theatre yet, but his daughter is clearly very much impressed by the work her new mother is doing.

And nothing seems to shock her, though they have tried to spare her some of the worst cases, for instance the lady that the American lives with, she is in the last stages of consumption, when he fetched Victor one fateful night because she was really bad, Adison came along, and her Chinese medication and soothing touch did give her some relief, but consumption cannot be cured, and slowly but surely she is deteriorating.

There is no way Adison would expose a two year old to such a sight, as well as the danger of infection, for it is clear that the horrid sickness strikes the weak, and though Catherine is a very healthy child, she is still very young, and her mother was always sickly according to Mina, so they will not take any risk with her.

During dinner, Vincent gets to brag a little about his audition and also about his fortune. Victor agrees to speed up the plans for a practice and a new boiler, having both ready before winter sets in. With plenty of money they can just have everything done, no need to find the cheapest offer, or do part of the work themselves.

And Vincent having left for the theatre, Catherine drops her bombshell on Victor, it is much easier to just be herself all the time, and Victor has been so nice to her all day, it feels like playing a nasty prank on him, keeping him in the dark.

She moves towards him, and asks to be put on his lap, which surprises him, for she has never done that before. A toddler would not choose to sit with someone who doesn't know how to handle children, but Catherine has no such qualms, she wants to get to know him, and she wants him to like her.

He dutifully lifts her and put her on his knees, more than a little uncomfortable of course.

'Can I have a cuddle and a few kisses, too? Children need that, you know.'

Still very uncomfortable, he hesitantly hugs her, a bit too stiffly, but he'll learn, and Catherine gives him a well-meant hug back. He is a very good-looking man, and shy rather than unfriendly. He smells nice, too. Her step-father and the visiting farmers never smelled nice, but of course they didn't take a cold shower when she told them to. They didn't even have a shower.

And of course neither a doctor nor an actor can go about smelly, they need to look their best and smell nice, it's part of their job.

'Victor, I have a confession to make, that I have made to mum and dad and Mina yesterday. Ever since my first year or so, I can understand everything adults say, and I can talk the same way. The toddler you have seen so far and will continue to see in public places or in company, is an act.'

His reaction is not what she expects, he hugs her, with a little more heart put into it this time, and comments, 'I wondered when you'd tell me, I felt a bit left out.'

'You knew?' Catherine is stunned, a bombshell turned right back on her.

'I'm a trained observer, remember, and very smart. I heard a difference in your voice, and in the sentences you made, you were just so excited your acting did suffer a little. I'm glad you decided to tell me, I felt rather lonely being the only one who wasn't told. I know I'm not the most outgoing person, but I feel things all the same.'

And here, Catherine shows her true insight, for she replies dryly, 'Let me get dad back, you are the one who should be on the stage, you're the best actor ever. Aren't you ashamed of yourself to make a little girl feel terribly guilty like that?'

Her beautiful little face droops, lip quivering, eyes nearly brimming.

Taking her in a tight hold, a sincere, loving embrace this time, he kisses her chubby cheeks and strokes her soft black hair.

'I meant it, Catherine, I did feel left out, and lonely, I knew you weren't a toddler, but a full member of this household, and I wanted your love and attention but didn't know how to get it. I'm not that good with people I don't know well.

I hope we can be friends.'

Catherine relents and kisses him lovingly, no hardship since he's so good-looking.

'You're cute,' she says, 'I'm just a toddler, no need to be shy to me. I'm going to sit with you all the time.

Can I come to the workshop with you?'

'Yes you can,' he says to her infinite surprise. 'You're already a perfect actress, so to balance that we need to teach you some doctoring skills, and what better place to start than at the basis?

Shall we go to the theatre and watch Vincent bask in the admiration of his peers?'




Nature or Nurture Ch. 34-36



And that is exactly what they do, Catherine sitting on Victor's lap all night, whispering cheeky comments in his ears whenever she thinks of them, and getting a lot of hugs and cheeky comments in return. They giggle like teenagers and get some angry looks from other spectators, and they don't care one bit.

Having taken the trouble to get to know Victor, Catherine likes him better and better, and she can see what Mina loves about him.

Vincent is strong enough for the meet and greet, and his loyal fans have even turned up to hear the result of his audition. Sitting on his arm, Catherine looks straight at Miss Yves, and gets a meaningful look in return.

After congratulating her father with his success, and amazed to hear that he has met both a famous actor and a well-known playwright, Miss Yves compliments Catherine on her dress, then observes, 'You look different, Catherine, maybe you should practise your toddler again. Better get your dad to help, or you'll give yourself away. Practise instant switches until they become second nature, the world is a dangerous place for the likes of us.'

There is something about her that makes Catherine take her seriously, and she looks up at her dad, who nods, and affirms.

'Miss Yves is very observant, it is likely nobody else has noticed, yet, but she is right, you are not used to switching between persona and it is wise to practise that.

Thank you very much, Miss Yves, for the sound advice, we will certainly heed it.'

Shaking her head, the young lady says, 'I thought you were going to call me Vanessa, why stick to the formality? You're about to become famous, Vincent, better get used to being familiar with a lot of people.'

She is teasing him of course, but she is very charming so he smiles his most amiable smile and asks her in a low voice, 'Have you had any mysterious occurrences lately, Vanessa?'

She shakes her head with something like relief,

'I haven't, Vincent, your lady's actions have helped a great deal, I have good hopes that whatever was after me has given up. But Sembene tell me something is stirring again, so I'll be careful.'

'Again I thank you for the advice, for Catherine here seems to have been his target last time, and if there is reason to be vigilant, we will be so.'

'If something happens, I'll make sure to let you know, I feel safe with your group on my side, and I really want to help protect Catherine.'

She seems to be on her own this time, there is no sign of the American, nor of any other escort.

Or is she with Mr Grey? He certainly seems to hover around her a little, he joins their little group, and strangely enough Vincent doesn't feel his pull at all. Maybe he has grown used to it? But Catherine releases her little hand from his neck, and he feels the full force of it again, such a beautiful guy, this Dorian.

In a mesmerizing voice he calls out jovially, 'Vincent! I just knew you had that part the moment I saw you on stage! Such confidence, such flair. Did you meet Mr Wilde? Is he as irresistibly handsome as they say?'

Finally, Catherine notices her father's bemused expression and holds out her hands to Mr Grey. Though not used to interacting with children, he picks up this beautiful toddler easily enough, she'll look great on his arm with her raven hair and her doll-like perfect features.

And the moment Dorian accepts her presence, his pull is gone.

Vincent shakes his head, the memory of his bemusement fading rapidly, and he sees Vanessa make a very similar gesture. Apparently, she is not immune to his active charisma either, and very surprised to have it lifted instantly, she probably never realized she was bewitched by him. It looks as if she does some thinking now, if Dorian is indeed her escort, he may find himself driving home alone tonight.

'Personally, I thought Mr Alexander handsomer and more outgoing than Mr Wilde, but of course Mr Wilde did not pay much attention to me, I'm only a minor player and so far from handsome myself,' Vincent replies to Dorian's question.

As nice and outgoing as ever, Dorian states, 'So you got the part, I'm looking forward to seeing you play. But whatever gave you the idea you're not a handsome guy? That you look different from other men? That life has marked you? It's life that makes men handsome, Vincent, and I'm sure you have no lack of admiration from the ladies. 

Though I thought you even better looking when you still played the villain, but I guess I feel drawn to bad boys. What say you, Vanessa?'

Vanessa has realized by now that some enchantment has been lifted off her, apparently by Catherine's presence in Dorian's arms. What if the girl wants to go back to her dad?

'I certainly agree with you that life makes a man beautiful, Dorian, and I have always thought Vincent a very appealing man, but I do have to confess I have a liking for villains, too. To my great detriment, I'm afraid.'

And with that, she looks at Dorian, a bit suspicious now, but Catherine holds out her hands to her, as if to protect her. Vincent is not alarmed, he knows Adison will not let him fall under the spell of Dorian Grey, and it is so interesting to see how Vanessa becomes aware of Dorian's influence on the people around him.

As Catherine sits on Vanessa's arm, Dorian moves off, and the lady says to Vincent, 'I thought it was safe to go out with him with the demon banished from me, but now it appears as if he has his own demon. Did you feel that? How come you protect me from it, Catherine?'

'I think it is because of the innocence of a child,' Vincent says quickly, before Catherine answers by herself. Acting like a toddler in public means all the time. 'I suppose the demon did protect you from his pull, we've all felt it, though Adison and Mina only notice its presence, not its effect.

How will you get home without flinging yourself at his feet?'

'I have my ways,' Vanessa replies mysteriously, 'I've some knowledge of those arts myself, and I think I know a way to protect my virtue. Can I retreat to your dressing-room for a moment? And maybe borrow a small knife or a safety pin? Can't have myself ravaged by Mr Grey after all.'

And Vincent leads Miss Yves to the dressing-room, now deserted, and hands her a large pin.

Without qualms about their presence or hurting herself, she rolls up her black sleeve, then pricks her other finger with the pin, and shapes a form in blood on her forearm, where it will be hidden by her sleeve.

At first it is just a blob of blood, a bit gruesome looking, though Catherine shows nothing but interest, but soon it becomes a stylized scorpion. Sucking her finger until the pin-prick closes, Vanessa stays silent, and so do Vincent and Catherine.

When the tiny wound is closed and the image has dried, Vanessa rolls her sleeve back down, and looks at Catherine.

'Will you join me Catherine, as I look for Dorian? And touch me if my little scorpion doesn't work?'

Catherine nods.

'No problem, but first I'd like to know about the textile mill that burned down one and a half years ago, remember that?'

A bit surprised, Vanessa thinks for a moment.

'I do, yes, it was a huge fire, though I didn't see it myself. Apparently it nearly jumped to the rest of the neighbourhood, but got stuck on the river. They never found out who set the fire, though it was clear it had been set.

There is a new factory built in exactly the same spot, a light, clean building with modern machines doing most of the work. Some say it cost a lot of jobs, but I say, better let those machines do the suffering, it was said that the children working in the old mill never lived longer than a year or two after being taken there.

Why do you want to know? You were just a baby then, and never at risk to land in a factory with such a father.'

'Why would he want that mill burned down, if good came of it?' 

Vincent is puzzled, but also a bit put out that Catherine would give herself away, even if it's just Miss Yves, who more or less guessed already.

'Well, some good certainly came of it, for the council ordered several more of those derelict factories torn down for fear of fire getting loose in the city. They were all replaced by modern buildings. Do you know who ordered it burned? He might be a villain, but he was also a hero.'

They go back to the meet and greet, where Catherine helps Vanessa test her creepy drawing, and it appears to work, for Catherine soon returns alone, and Vincent can see Miss Yves arm in arm with Dorian Grey.

'It worked,' his daughter says, 'better start training being a toddler again tomorrow, though, or all London will know about me. She's very sharp!'



Nature or Nurture Ch. 37-39



Chapter 37

They have another busy week, with a contractor measuring and drawing the front-room, transforming their plans for a practice into something that can be made real. Through the same contractor they order a new boiler, which will be made and installed by a specialist craftsman within a few weeks, hopefully just before winter truly sets in.

Vincent starts to learn the script by heart, and oversees Catherine's efforts to change from herself to a toddler in the blink of an eye. He teaches martial arts and fencing to Mina, who gains skills quickly, spending hours on practise at night.

One day he visits the council house with Adison and Catherine, to get a licence to get married, and they find out that Adison needs her father's consent to get married since she is not yet twenty-one years old.

That is quite a setback for Vincent, part of him wants to meet his beloved's father, who is a very friendly, educated man by all her reports, and ask him for his daughter's hand in person. 

But part of Vincent fears that meeting, though he knows Adison loves him, is committed to him for life as much as he is to her, her father may see things very differently. Envisioning himself as a concerned parent might see him, Adison's father will meet a pale, scarred stranger with jet black hair and sulphurous eyes, apparently half again her age, who moves like a panther. 

What father would want his beautiful young daughter to marry a dangerous looking nobody ten years her senior? A man without name, who is to all intents and purposes just one year old?

A sweet voice breaks his surly musings.

'If we hire Neil's carriage, we can be back within twenty-four hours, Vincent, it's not that far to my father's estate. Though he'll be sadly disappointed to have us visit only to get his permission to wed.'

Adison loves him so much, Vincent knows she cannot imagine her father opposing a marriage between them, the idea of her father refusing his consent doesn't occur to her. She thinks Vincent's disappointment is due to the delay this will undoubtedly cause their marriage plans, she has no idea he is afraid to be rejected as suitor of a young lady of relatively high birth.

'What if I'm not good enough for him?' he asks, his usual composure gone, doubt in every feature.

'You're not going to marry my father, are you?' she asks passionately, 'how can you even consider yourself not good enough for me?'

Adison, passionate? That's a first, she looks inches taller suddenly.

'If you look at it objectively, Adison, I'm nobody. I don't remember anything that you didn't teach me, I look like a freak, I move like a predator, and this body is half again your age. Why would your father want me to marry you?'

And now he has made her cry. Damn. Adison never cries.

'Is that how you see yourself, Vincent? A freak?' 

When Adison can speak again she is almost angry.

'How can you even think such a thing? To me you are the most beautiful man that ever lived, and the wisest, I don't know how you became who you are in just one year, is seems impossible, but I don't care. With you, I feel safe, and loved, and so do all your friends. Ask any of them, ask Catherine, she's known you for less than two weeks.'

Catherine looks at him significantly, and he takes Adison in his arms, his beloved, crying stormily against his chest, leaving him speechless and totally stunned.

He can see himself in the mirror every day, can't he? Why does stating the obvious make his beloved so upset?

With a very serious face Catherine observes, 'She's right, you know, I felt safe with you from the very first. To me you are beautiful, but even if you weren't, I'd love you and trust you.'

'But everybody has doubts, don't they? That is not such a bad thing, is it, love?' 

Adison is much quieter now, and she takes him by his smooth jaws and looks him in the eye, a look filled with intense love.

She replies, reasonable once more.

'It isn't, beloved, you have a right to doubts, too. I guess I'm just too touchy to yours, you were so sensitive about your looks when you were young, I hoped the success and the appreciation you met with had given you self-confidence. I didn't know you still had those doubts, and you put them to me so bluntly all of a sudden.'

'Well, asking your father for the hand of his lovely young daughter is rather profound, especially since we've never met.'

Adison has to acknowledge that, but that is not what being a parent is about.

'My father just wants me to be happy, and as soon as he sees us together he will recognize our love. He has never been ambitious towards me, or he would have sent me to school instead of letting me stay home and attend his meetings. He spoiled me for marriage with a man of our class long ago.

Please forgive me for acting out, you're right, it is normal to doubt oneself, and you are entitled to your own share of uncertainty. It was selfish of me to want you in control all the time, sometimes you may rely on me to talk some heart into you.'

She kisses her lover, only a tiny bit unchastely, they're in public after all.

'I love it, that you look like a predator, I mean, it always makes me think of, well, you know what. We've children present after all.'

'If Adison's father seems adverse to the idea, I'll sit on his lap and call him grandfather, and he'll melt and consent,' Catherine puts in her two cents, and as both Adison and Vincent look at her in alarm for talking like that in public, she adds cheekily, 'there is no-one here to hear me, when you kissed they all moved on quickly.'

The mood improves after that, and they decide to sleep on it a few nights. Adison can invite her father over for a few days' amusement in town, they can drive over as quickly as possible, or they can stay for a week or so, but that means Vincent will need to arrange some time off, which will probably not be easy.

Of course there is the possibility of waiting until the end of October, just before the rehearsals at the St James start, but somehow Vincent feels the need to face Adison's father quickly, have it over with so to speak.

Besides learning swords-craft and martial arts from Bruce and Vincent, and practising everything she learns until she nearly drops from exhaustion, at night, when everyone sleeps, Mina re-establishes contact with her father and Vanessa.

The first time she takes Victor along, to smooth things over, and she gets the impression her father likes Victor a lot. They both have incredibly sharp minds, and discuss scientific subjects heatedly, Victor giving as good as he gets.

He even manages to talk to Vanessa easily, and from Vanessa's reaction Mina can deduce that he didn't use to. Apparently he has gained some confidence towards women, something Mina may take the credit for.

Mina has a hard time forming an opinion on what her father thinks of her involvement with Victor. They have decided before the visit that they will refrain from any intimacy that is not polite in public, but that they will not try to keep their relationship a secret from her father, he knows Mina can never go back to her husband, and if he disapproves of her living with a man unmarried, that cannot be helped, after all, getting married is not an option.

The only way her father acknowledges her situation is by asking, 'I've taken the liberty to report your decease to the proper authorities, Mina, I hope you don't disapprove?'

Feeling only slightly saddened, she replies, 'No father, I don't see any other solution, poor Albert needs to move on with his life, find another woman he can love and have children with. It's just so hard on mother, losing another child when I'm still around.

But I agree with you she cannot know.'

Before her father can comfort her, she feels Victor's arms around her in true compassion, he obviously has better feelings, he just finds it very hard to show them. Because the thought of her mother, convinced both her children are dead before their twenty-fifth birthday, truly upsets her, and she really needs Victor's support, she does not see how her father reacts to this obvious display of affection between Victor and herself.

'Your mother was devastated, and frankly, very angry at me. Somehow she blames me for your misfortune as well as Peter's.' 

Her father really suffers for this realization. 

'She told me to stay out of her life from now on, she wants to stay married, for propriety, but to live in separation for the rest of our lives. 

I cannot blame her, she never had anything in her life but the two of you, I was never there for her, we were always strangers to one another. Not having a body to bury makes it even harder for her to accept.'

Mina swallows her tears, picturing her mother all alone with servants in that huge manor, nothing to live for, but way too young to die. It's just tragic, but being very sensitive to the supernatural, her mother would never accept a daughter who was a creature of the night.

'I'm glad you managed to change your appearance so drastically,' her father remarks, 'no-one will ever suspect you are my lost daughter. I always have the curious feeling someone is watching this house, and to them it must seem as if the young doctor here has finally met someone and takes her along on his visits.'

That is the first allusion that the enemy may be stirring again, and not something to take lightly. Vanessa used to be the female vessel the enemy desired, and Vincent's body the male. He is now totally out of reach, not only connected to a priest by love, but raised by her in total open-heartedness, his rage and violence still part of his character, but totally controlled by his own disciplined mind.

Of his blood, there is Catherine, according to Vanessa a potential vessel, and having met her true self, a smart and world-wise adult in the body of a chubby toddler, Mina is not surprised. But she is raised in the same spirit that killed the beast in Vincent, so if the enemy wants her, he'll have to be quick.

And he cannot take her, he has to seduce her, as he seduced Mina herself, presenting her with her fondest wish, and promising to make it come true. For Mina it was love at first sight, and she fell for it to her eternal doom. What could it possibly be for Catherine?

And who will become the male vessel? Does it have to be Vanessa's offspring? In that case the enemy will have to take his time, Vanessa is not ready to settle and have children at all. Or is a close bond to her sufficient? Like Mina's own father?

Or would someone totally different do, someone with the same bent towards the occult, someone bored with his current life, and the mark of evil already upon him. Someone like Dorian Grey?

Mina's musings do not go unnoticed, but they all probably think she's still contemplating her mother's plight, when in fact it is very hard for Mina to keep thinking of her. She feels sorry for her mother, of course, but her mother has never even tried to take her own life in hand.

She had plenty of funds, and all the help she could need, she could have found something to do for herself in the time her husband was away. But she never did, she just waited for Sir Malcolm to return home, then clung to him and reproached him for his absences.

Maybe it is something inherent to vampires, a kind of lack of empathy for mere mortals, for weak mortals.

For Mina does care what happens to Victor, and he has been quite dependent towards her so far. But of course he is admirable in many respects, his dedication to science, his skill as a surgeon, even the way he can put his thoughts into words. And the taste of him, his skills in bed.

She squeezes his hand behind her back, he is still holding it to offer her his support, and she tries to convey her sudden desire for him through that chaste contact, and seems to succeed, for he swallows hard and looks at her with fire in his eyes. That white throat, so lovely and warm, so tender.

She can imagine her fangs sliding right into his vein, the sweetness of his blood, the heat of it, feeling his presence in the tiniest blood vessel in her entire body, no creature can be closer to her partner than a vampire. Though of course she is the only vampire to feel this closeness to someone she truly loves, most vampires only feel their veins tingle with the blood of someone they have killed hours before, without love, with some lust at most.

Maybe she is not such an unfortunate person after all, she may be bound to the night, she is also the only person experiencing a love this total.

The arrival of tea pulls Mina out of her distraction, and apparently Victor as well, he seems to have gotten some idea of her thoughts, for as he sits beside her he whispers, 'I felt that, you were thinking of my blood reaching even the tiniest part of you. It makes me wish for a specimen, I would so love to know how that works.'

That is the Victor she fell in love with, the obsessed scientist who doesn't care what other people think of his motives and deeds, who just cares about knowledge, of crossing that boundary between faith and certainty.

And instead of getting reprimanded for being heartless, as Victor more or less expects, actually regretting his blunt remark more than a little bit, he finds himself on the receiving end of a passionate, and very unchaste kiss.

With the reminiscences Mina just leaked to him, of biting him, tasting his sweet blood, feeling it fill her entire body, still fresh in his mind, he answers it way too passionately for decency, and when he finally manages to come back to reality, he finds Vanessa watching him encouragingly, she knows how much he longed for intimacy but never managed to find it.

Sir Malcolm doesn't look disapproving, merely slightly embarrassed by his daughter behaving indecently, and Sembene, serving the tea things, throws him a big, empathic smile, which speaks volumes about his opinions on Victorian morals.

Stunned with the realization that Mina actually likes him being, what was he just now, outspoken, rude, callous? Forthright? Determined?

'I'd call it impassioned, beloved,' Mina says. Does she really hear his thoughts?

'I don't hear your thoughts, but I can read your expressions and then I know what you're thinking. You were expecting me to be down on you for being callous. But frankly, I'd want to be there if you ever get hold of a vampire corpse.'

But they can talk of that on their own, this is the time to discuss the stirrings of the enemy, and his potential allies.

There is one thing mina really wants to know.

'What's up with this Dorian Grey, Vanessa? Is he in league with the enemy?' 

Surprised by her question, Vanessa admits, 'I was going to ask you, I just found out that he carries an enchantment. I never felt it before, though I often had supernatural experiences after an encounter with him.

I think the thing that possessed me kept his pull at bay. Have you felt it?'

'I have felt it, but it has no power over me. Do you think he might be the next vessel for the enemy?'

Vanessa is surprised again.

'I thought I was supposed to be the vessel?'

'The female one, yes, but there was to be a male vessel, too. When brought together they'd bring the end of the world as we knew it. Adison foiled both plans.' 

Mina thought she might mention this since it was all in the past, and who knows what information might ensue.

'She cured another case of possession then? I hope it didn't cost her and her talented man as much as my case did.'

'On the contrary, it delivered him to her. Do you remember making indecent proposals to him during your deliverance?' 

Exorcism was the wrong term, that was a Christian ritual, and Adison's methods were decidedly heathen.

'I try very hard to forget them, that whole night, they saved my soul and I repaid them with a beating and filthy language.'

Understanding starts to dawn on Vanessa, she is after all very sharp.

'You mean to say that he was the other vessel? That we were supposed to...? How can that be, he is the epitome of control, he didn't lift as much as an eyebrow at the worst I could throw at him.'

'He's an actor, Vanessa, he played you like he does his audience, 'Mina states, 'but the battle for his soul was fought long ago, and it was won with love only. Victor took him in with severe head-trauma, and though he managed to cure the poor wretch delivered at his workshop, the guy's memory was lost.

Adison nursed him back to health, and since he didn't remember a thing her morals became his. Her love formed him.

Then when they saved me, I recognized him as the most ruthless human ally my former master had ever had, a man totally without empathy and driven by the demons in his head. I led the attack that caused him the loss of his memory, the master wanted him to lose his memory, to make him more suitable to use as his vessel, for he had some memories of the past that made him unstable and very, very violent. 

The man you just called an epitome of control was once an instrument of evil and a danger even to his own men.'

'He burned down the old textile mill,' Vanessa now states, 'he wondered what had been the use of that for the enemy, since in my opinion it brought nothing but good.

You know, I think we need to find the enemy's motives, why did he order that done, what gain was there for someone truly evil?

I'm going to find out, I'll look into that case, see if money could have been a motive, and find other unsolved cases. How long ago was it?'

Mina, pleased to have Vanessa's sharp mind involved in uncovering the enemy's plots and motives, states, 'Between Catherine's birth and the attack, so between two years ago and one year ago. Look for events that caused maximum upheaval, a public scare, bloody mayhem, and find what they resulted in.

After his disappearance I was involved in a good number of those plots, but I never considered the lasting consequences.'

Now Mina's father brings out a package, and hands it to her with a rueful look.

'Vanessa tells me you are taking up fencing, and offered to escort her. You may find a use for that, it's a family heirloom, but since I will have no descendants and my possessions will revert to a nephew or cousin some day, one of my children may as well benefit from it.'

As Mina unwraps the long shape, a beautiful saber is revealed, made of folded steel, a priceless heirloom of Sir Malcolm's house. She realizes only now that her father has not just lost two children, but his chance at posterity. 

But in her heart she has always blamed him for her brother's demise in the African wilds, it is hard for her to feel sorry for her father over this. He should have taken better care of Peter, and then maybe, her brother would still have been alive and able to sire heirs.

For her soft-hearted brother would never have wielded this blade, he was never the manly, strong heir their father envisioned, Mina has always suspected taking him to Africa was a feeble attempt of her father to 'make a man' out of him. 

Foolish. He should have taken Vanessa to Africa, she was much better suited to the hardships of the tropics, as Mina herself turned out to be.

Peter could have been so much more, and one of his sons might have been made of the steel his father found lacking in his offspring.

But nothing can change what has already happened, and Mina takes the blade in the grip Vincent has taught her and tries it for balance. Of course she is not an expert by any means, but this seems to be more than a posh dress-blade, it feels as if it was made to be used.

'It is old, and my forefathers have always used it, it's a superior blade, not just for show. I've been quite the swordsman myself, actually, once you've gained some expertise I'll be happy to cross blades with you.





Nature or Nurture Ch. 37-39



I've my own, especially made to my exact height and weight, longer and heavier than this one.

I'm guessing you will progress rapidly with the company you keep.'

Her father seems reasonably resigned, Mina supposes he has faced his own responsibility, probably since her own disappearance some three years ago.

She used to yearn for his approval, never to get it, he was never home, and whenever he was he was friendly, but children didn't interest him much, especially girls. Vanessa has always had more connection to him than either of his own children.

But to Mina that is no longer painful, she has found her place with her new friends and her brilliant and sensitive lover, she will accept this blade and make good use of it.

Checking it for markings, she realizes it is not the kind of blade one risk having to leave lying about on a crime-scene, it can easily be traced to her family. Something to consider as she progresses in her fencing, maybe she should buy an unmarked blade to take on raids.

Mina thanks her father for the gift, and they spend the rest of the afternoon in harmless conversation, Victor discussing evolution with what to all intents and purposes is now his father, and Mina talking to Vanessa about fashion, culture, friendship and love.

'I envy you your circle of friends, Mina,' Vanessa observes, 'I know the price was unimaginably steep, but it must be so incredibly gratifying to have people around you that you can really trust with everything.'

'It is,' she replies, 'and you can have your place in our little circle, too.'

'I cannot overcome my shame of what I did to your friends when they were trying to help me. You don't know half of it, I used to flirt with your man shamelessly, your father's orders, but still, it was me who did it.

And Vincent, I kept touching him though it was clear he went out of his way to avoid just that, and I baited him with clever observations until he fled my presence and avoided me altogether. With the shameful conclusion you witnessed. No, I cannot face your friends, let alone expect them to extend their friendship to me.'

'They know you were not yourself then, Vanessa,' Mina observes, 'they will not hold it against you. I will try to include you sometimes, please don't say no before you have tried just once.

What about the American fellow? He seems to like you a lot.'

'Mr Chandler is a good man to have at your back in a fight,' Vanessa replies, 'but he is involved with someone, and he does not show his true self to any of us.'

'I know about his affair,' Mina remarks, 'it will soon come to a tragic end I'm afraid, Victor says it cannot be long now. He feels awful not to be able to do anything. Will you comfort your friend when the time is there?'

'I honestly don't know if he is a friend, or just someone who works for your father. I know his lady is very bad, dying, and I try to support him whenever I can. Which is not very often, he is a very private man.

But Mina, I want you to know I'm very happy to have you back, though of course I feel guilty for what you went through on my account.

And I'm so thankful to your friends that they delivered me from the evil that possessed me, for I'm very certain that that was true evil, not something dubitable like the enemy.

Can we please stay in touch? I'd like to do some girly things, even if it will have to be after dark.'

Mina promises, and when they take their leave she knows she will keep in touch, despite what has happened, Vanessa is a deserving person, and very, very bright. They will need her capacities in the time to come, but most of all, she is just good fun to be with.

Chapter 38

Life moves on, as winter approaches and the days shorten and the weather deteriorates.

Adison and Victor are very happy to see their practice take shape, the front-room is stripped, and one wall is replaced with a gorgeous, and very expensive, cabinet with little drawers for all their instruments and medicine. Every drawer is labelled in Adison's best handwriting, and moving their stuff in is a pleasure and not a chore.

There is a desk in the room, with a chair of course, and a bed set to a convenient height to examine patients. A screen to change behind completes the whole.

As they settle their account with the contractor, partly from the practice's savings, partly from Vincent's fortune, the contractor tells them the boiler is also finished. Setting a date to have it installed, they agree to arrange further details with the craftsman who has made the whole set-up, and who will install it in person. Things are moving!

Vincent knows his part by heart after two weeks, but he keeps practising until he can dream every line, and those of the other players. He drills Catherine until she can switch from herself to toddler instantly, testing the result on Vanessa when Catherine accompanies Mina to meet her on a coffee date.

Mina feels a bit apprehensive being out in public, but she manages well, and having an adorable little girl along does help to draw the attention away from her. Though she can drink a cup of tea, Mina cannot eat pie, which usually doesn't bother her anymore, but seeing everyone eating away at the most delicious and beautiful concoctions brings home to her for a few moments what she has lost.

Still, Vanessa doesn't eat pie either, she never cared for sweets in the evening, and Catherine has ordered a small cupcake only, though it is beautifully decorated with frosting and tiny flowers made of sugar. 

Catherine plays the toddler to perfection, not a single whole sentence escapes her lips all through the visit, not even when a middle aged lady trips quite close to her and spills a cup of hot coffee on her beautiful dress.

Though it undoubtedly hurts, Catherine does not start to cry, she merely sits there wide-eyed as Mina tries to soak up the coffee with a napkin, whilst Vanessa keeps the lady from touching Catherine too closely as the woman expresses her regret at being so clumsy.

In fact, Catherine is watching the lady. She is very elegant, with black hair and beautiful clothes, but somehow she doesn't seem clumsy at all, it is almost as if she spilled that coffee on Catherine on purpose. That is kind of mean, for it hurts quite a bit, and also very calculating, what would be the point in spilling coffee on a child if it was not a specific child?

With her dress as dry as it can be, Vanessa still on alert, and Mina holding her protectively, Catherine hears the lady repeat her excuses over and over again. She offers Catherine a cup of tea and a slice of pie to make up, but Vanessa declines in a pleasant but very determined voice.

Now the lady tries to convince Catherine personally to accept an offer of peace, very rude towards Vanessa, and certain to make a normal child act up, it almost seems as if this lady is trying to cause Catherine to make a stand against her companions.

And she seems to want Catherine to take food from her hands, something the girl will certainly not do, but since a normal child would be happy to, Catherine needs to act in the right way.

She thinks rapidly how to resolve this without giving herself away, and how to even make the most of this encounter, for if this woman is sent by the enemy they need to learn as much about her as they can.

She can cry to go home, not an unlikely reaction in a case like this. Or she can ask to go to the ladies' room, also not unreasonable for a toddler with a wet dress. But then the woman will leave.

She decides to let her eyes fill silently instead, a performance of epic proportions but helped by an increasing hurt to her upper legs, as if she is stunned by what has happened.

The lady does not seem to be put out too much by having caused an angelic toddler to cry silently but heart-rendingly, which only confirms that this was not an accident. She does increase her attempts to make up for the accident somehow, but quietly, not attracting attention in the room.

Mina now speaks to the lady.

'Never mind, my lady, my little girl is merely startled, and it was an accident after all. Things like that happen, and we can easily forgive you. You didn't trip on purpose after all.'

Catherine now avoids the lady's gaze, in fact looking around if she has any accomplices. Only two people in the room pay any attention to what is happening, two beautiful young ladies with loose hair, who have the same kind of vibe that the older lady radiates, a certain coldness, an uncaring attention for what is happening.

Trying to fix all their faces firmly in her mind, as well as the feeling they give her, she says her first words.

'Go home now?'

Mina answers, 'Of course my dear, you must feel uncomfortable in a wet dress. 

My lady, I'm certain my little girl has already forgiven you your accident, and now, as you hear, she means to go home straight away. Will you please excuse us?'

Without a single reason to remain, the lady cannot but move on, and Catherine notices she does not acknowledge the young women, nor does she claim a table of her own. She walks straight to the exit. After a few moments, the young women follow, not having had any coffee or pie.

When they have all left, Catherine says, 'I'm fine, thanks to your vigilance Vanessa. That was no accident. Do you think it was suspect that I didn't cry out loud or start to nag you to accept pie from her?'

'No, you did really well, nothing to give you away, you were too stunned to cry or say anything. So you noticed it, too?

I have actually met her before. I'll tell you both all about it, but not here. I suppose she'll follow you anyway, so we can just as well go straight home, they undoubtedly know where we live.'

Mina observes, 'Either she doesn't know what I am, or she thinks she's more powerful. I'm looking forward to our next meeting, preferably somewhere quiet. 

Your place or our place?'

'My place, if you can stick it out in that dress for an hour or so, Catherine. Somehow the idea of her following you to your own house feels wrong. Though they are probably aware of where you live already,' Vanessa offers.

'I'd rather go home, I'm very uncomfortable in this stained and wet dress and I think I have a burn. I'd like mum to look at it, or Victor.' 

And Catherine doesn't like Sir Malcolm, she'd rather not meet him, old tyrant.

'I have her smell,' Mina says, 'let her stake out our house, I'll find her.' 

Catherine is actually pleased to hear the anger in Mina's voice, her legs are starting to hurt, and she would like for Mina to hurt those women back.

'She'll probably send her cronies, the young ladies who were at that table over there,' Catherine says, 'I couldn't tell you there were three, so I'll describe them to you, they were pretty but just as cold as her, and they didn't drink any coffee or eat pie either.'

It is almost a relief, to find their enemy's new minions so little subtle and so fallible. Though being incredibly paranoid did help finding them out. And the beauty of the whole thing is, that Catherine's acting will have made their failure look like bad luck, not as if they have been seen through.

They take a cab home, feeling eyes on their backs all the time nonetheless, but they'll have to get used to that feeling, Sir Malcolm spoke of having that feeling all the time, which does suggest he may be a target this time.

Vanessa seems a bit uncomfortable entering their territory, and Mina addresses her on it.

'You're welcome here, Vanessa, never doubt that.'

As they come in, they hear sounds from the front-room, now the practice, and Adison comes out to meet them. Catherine suddenly turns into a two year old, and runs at her, crying.

'What happened, lovely, you're upset!' 

Adison gathers her in her arms, kneeling on the floor.

The little girl just sobs, bereft of words, and Mina says, 'We've met the new servant of the enemy, and Catherine beat her at her own game, but of course she's just two. I tend to forget that, sorry Catherine.

She may have a burn under her dress, better have a look at that, and then we'll tell you what happened.'

And they all move towards the kitchen, where Adison greets Vanessa cordially then invites her to sit down, and Victor kisses his beloved and makes tea and coffee. Mina leaves her friend for a few moments to fetch a clean dress from Catherine's room.

Taking her coat and the wet dress off the little girl, Adison makes a sympathetic sound.

'That must have hurt a great deal, Catherine, what happened?'

The girl is still crying a little, it is as if she feels the hurt only now, for when it happened she didn't scream or even cry. Since Catherine is rather upset now, and doesn't say a thing, Vanessa gathers courage.

'A lady seemed to trip right beside her and spilled a cup of hot coffee in her lap. The woman wanted to comfort her and offered her pie and tea to make up, but something didn't feel right, to neither of us.

Catherine didn't show any emotions and didn't say anything, until she overflowed silently after a few minutes and shyly asked to be taken home.

In the meantime, she had spied out that the lady who spilled didn't have a table or pie, and there were two cronies in the place who didn't either, and watched the whole thing. That it?' she asks Catherine.

'They left just after her, and felt the same, cold like a snake,' Catherine adds.

'Well, this certainly looks like a nasty burn, and it will hurt a little more when I clean it. But after that I'll put some cooling ointment on it and the pain will go away. Do you want to squeeze something while I work on it?'

Catherine points at Vanessa and asks her, 'Can I sit on your lap as mum treats the burn? I'll be as brave as dad, he never cries out when he hurts. But he's older than me. In a way.'

Feeling more than a little flattered to be chosen to comfort Catherine, Vanessa moves over, and as Mina comes in with the clean dress and Adison's doctor's bag, Adison has just finished cleaning the burn on her right leg.

Holding tightly to Vanessa's elegant hand, the little girl doesn't cry out, but her face shows the treatment does hurt. 

Thanking Mina for bringing the bag, Adison takes a bottle out of it, and applies a lotion to the wound, which clearly takes away a lot of the hurt, for Catherine's adorable face relaxes.

'Thank you, Vanessa, that helped. I hope I didn't squeeze too hard.'

'You are such a brave girl,' the elegant woman replies, 'you may squeeze me as hard as you can. And smart, you kept that woman from realizing we were on to her, bravo!'

As Adison clears away the mess, and they all get a cup of coffee or tea, whichever they want, Vanessa tells them, 'I recognize that woman from a seance I once visited, she was the medium. I held hands with Dorian, and had a very shameful fit of possession, in which I publicly disgraced and hurt Sir Malcolm. Now I wonder who triggered that fit, Dorian or her.

I had some teaching in witchcraft, and my sigil worked against his enchantment quite well, suggesting to me that his enchantment is from the same discipline. 

Also, she triggered some inner alarm inside me, warning me of witchcraft, she probably meant to poison or spell a drink or a slice of pie. She wanted to seduce you to ignore my advice to not take a gift from her, and she wanted you to openly defy me, probably by inducing a tantrum. 

By starting to cry as if in shock, you gave her a good reason why you did neither, she will not be on to you yet. 

She thinks you are an ordinary toddler. I commend you, Catherine, but I also beseech you, please be very careful, accept nothing from anyone you don't know really well, stay away from her, all of you, and from her cronies.

They can put spells on you with help of your blood, spittle, hair, nail-clippings, or by touching you. Don't let them touch you or get at any personal items, not even a used handkerchief.'

After that warning she sends a boy for a cab and goes home.

'We're going to the theatre tonight,' Mina states, 'all of us. She may be there, or one of her servants, and only Catherine can recognize them. Vincent may be in danger, he doesn't know yet.

Unless you're too tired or hurt, that is, Catherine.'

The girl shakes her head.

'I'll go to bed right now, and I'll manage tonight. Dad is in danger, he needs us there, and I want all of you to know them.'

They arrive in good time so Catherine can see the crowd move in, and she does indeed spy out the two young women. She points them out to the others, and she insists on seeing her father straight away to warn him.

Adison has never disturbed Vincent before a show, but she knows he can play this piece in his sleep by now, and she does see Catherine's reasoning, so she agrees to take the girl to see her father immediately.

The stage hand guarding the dressing rooms knows her, of course, and since this is the very first time she has ever asked a favour in almost a year, he lets them in. Vincent is not put out by their appearance, but rather alarmed, for he knows they will not disturb him without reason. 

Catherine tells him herself, Bruce is into her little secret as well, and he needs to know, too. 

Proud of his daughter, but nonetheless concerned with the situation, Vincent promises not to touch any food or drink that may have been tampered with, and not to let any young women of her description touch him, and they kiss him and leave him to his job. 

With just two weeks to go, he gives his all, Adison and himself have decided his newly found fortune and her earnings from the practice will keep them very well until his new role starts paying again, so he has quit this theatre just before the rehearsals start at St James. After leaving this role and before starting with St James, he will take a week off work in which they plan to visit Adison's father.

Adison has indeed written her father to invite him to visit them in London, also stating part of their reason to want to see him: to ask his permission to get wed. But he has declined, telling her his health doesn't allow him to travel to town, but that he wants to see her again very much, and her husband and adopted daughter as well.

And within the letter is a separate letter, an official document signed by himself and two witnesses, giving his daughter permission to marry Mr Vincent Heathcliff.

The day after receiving that letter they have gone back to the council house and purchased a marriage licence, the quick, expensive way. And Adison has written a letter to her father, thanking him for his trust, and promising him a week long visit in three weeks.

So now they have their wedding planned, in two days, a small affair, just the three of them at the church, and a tiny party at the theatre, a special present from the director, who is sorry to see Vincent leave, but also very proud to have him head-hunted from his very theatre to make the large step up to St James'.

After the show Vincent easily avoids the ladies that Adison points out to him. They seem harmless enough, but he will not discount Vanessa's advice, nor his daughter's instincts. She may be very young, but there is a reason the enemy wants her, and it is not going to happen.

If only there was a way to protect his loved ones more easily. How will they know who's out to get them and who isn't? It just doesn't seem logical that there is no way to pick out these individuals, and that there should be no way to undo their workings. Like Dorian Grey, how come they all know something's up with him, and he doesn't?

Back at home, Catherine shows him the burn mark and for the first time in weeks, he feels a rage come over him. How can someone inflict a burn on a toddler to further her own ends? He will control his rage, but only to be perfectly cool when he finally meets this person, for he will not murder her, but wring the truth out of her, slowly.




Nature or Nurture Ch. 37-39



It is as if Catherine can see his intent in his eyes, for she sits on his lap and strokes his face gently, as if to calm him down. And it does calm him down even further, she is such a sweet child, and so brave.

Then she say, 'I suppose if she does this to a child, she cannot have a conscience. Mina told me she didn't have one either, until Adison gave her hers back. Maybe Adison can give this lady her conscience back, that would be the worst punishment that could be inflicted on her, for she will have done much worse things than this.

But you may also just take her out, dad, she has no humanity at all.'

When all is said and done, Catherine is definitely Heathcliff and Cathy's child, with a fiery temper totally opposite from Adison's forgiving nature. But from his own experience he knows that with Adison there to help raise her, that temper will always be under his daughter's own control, just like his own.

Chapter 39

The next day, the boiler arrives. It's about one o'clock, Mina is already awake, when someone knocks on the door. Victor has a patient in the new practice, most regulars did not like to hear that they would be expected to come to the doctor from now on, instead of the doctor coming to them, but since they do want the services of Dr Frankenstein's practice, they have little choice but to adapt.

Surprisingly few patients have given their notice and moved to another practice, and of course they have gained a number of local patients, for they have been able to reduce their prices because they can see more patients in one day. They may save as much as an hour per patient by not paying house calls.

With Victor busy for another ten minutes, he has asked Adison to open the door and let the work-crew in, and to her surprise she finds three rather young people standing behind it.

The oldest of them looks like a noble, with very delicate features framed with curly hair, but dressed for manual labour as one would expect. The younger man is very slim and rakish looking, also with curls, and dressed similarly, for hard work.

They shake hands and as Adison only uses her first name, they do likewise. The taller guy is called Paul, the thinner one Lukas, and though neither of them is broadly built, they lift the new boiler easily enough and bring it inside. 

A striking young woman follows them in, she is tall for a woman, with a wealth of curves neatly covered in a business-like suit, her skin is nearly as pale as Vincent's, but she has the copper coloured hair that generally goes with the fair complexion. She introduces herself as Melissa, and she carries a load of copper piping and a bag that probably contains their tools.

The three follow her to the bathroom, where they look surprised by the row of showers, but not by the huge bath. Adison realizes she doesn't really know what Victor means to do with the boiler, she thought they'd add one for the showers, but Paul, who seems to be in charge of the team, wants to remove the large boiler and hook up the new one to bath and showers both.

Unsure, she fetches Victor, he's the one who ordered the stuff made, his patient will have left by now. And indeed he has, and Victor promises to deal with the specifics, Catherine in tow to take a peek at their visitors.

Adison retreats to the kitchen, there is only so much space in the bathroom, and today is her turn to cook.

As they enter the bathroom, Victor introduces himself and Catherine, toddler style, naming her Adison's daughter. She watches the newcomers with interest, the taller man seems to be the boss, he looks a lot like Victor, very handsome, only he is dressed differently, for physical work, not patients, Catherine realizes. Still it looks good, especially those vests where they can store a few tools they'll need all the time.

The woman is almost as light as her dad, but she has freckles and copper red hair. Very pretty. She's taller than Mina and even curvier, but her clothes aren't as nice, she'd look much better in a dress. But that may be on purpose, for it would be strange to fit piping in a dress.

The other guy, now, he is special. Where the lady yesterday seemed cold and like a reptile, this man, a big boy almost, feels warm and very nice. He looks ordinary to her normal eyes, but something in him pulls at her other vision, and that something is different. She finds herself pulled towards him, but not like the handsome Dorian Grey in the theatre, this one is not enchanted, just nice. He has seen her, and he smiles, he likes children, and he offers her a handshake..

'Hello, I'm Lukas.'

Not happy at all to have to be a toddler when she has so many questions to ask him, she blurts out, 'I'm Catherine, are you a man?' 

Big blunder, how can she expect a man to own it if he's not entirely human? How would Mina like it if someone were to ask her whether she's alive?

But he doesn't seem to mind, he sends her a broad smile, the cutest smile ever, and says conspiratorily. 'No, not really, but please don't tell anyone, I look human enough, don't I?'

And he does, from his curly hair to his tiny elegant shoes. His clothes are nearly the same as the other man's, but his trousers are looser and his shirt has more colour. The other guy wears heavy boots, very sensible when one works with heavy metal objects. Suppose something heavy or sharp was to fall on those elegant little shoes, that would hurt his foot a lot.

Of course she promises him not to tell anyone he's not human, and his niceness encourages her to ask him what he is. Too bad she's limited to toddler speech, it's cute, but not suitable to ask questions.

He tells her he has work to do now, but he promises to tell her if there is time. That is a nice guy, she wants to be friends with him.

The other man tells Victor they can leave this boiler working all day, and use it to get hot water in the kitchen as well, and heat the entire house. Catherine can see Victor finds that hard to believe, but he promises to talk it over with the others.

Watching them work, Catherine immediately knows they are not going to be able to lift that old boiler, it is massive, and heavy. But dad can lift it, or Mina, though they probably shouldn't see that.

Victor is berating himself that he forgot to have it removed before, he should have let Vincent do it earlier. And that is very true, for it will look weird to let him do it where they can see it, and even weirder if he lets Mina do it.

But for now, he talks with the taller man about the bronze, apparently that is the stuff the old boiler is made of, and Victor thinks the man might want to have that ugly monster. Catherine wonders what for, when he makes such beautiful boilers himself, until she realizes that he can melt it down and make beautiful boilers out of it, of course.

Bored with talk of bronze, she moves to the beautiful lady and takes her hand. Ladies like that generally, and it is something a girl her age would do.

She has a gorgeous necklace, are they horses? She cannot see, the lady is so tall, and she asks politely if she may check them out. Not used to little children, the pretty lady doesn't understand three word speech, so Catherine points at the necklace.

The lady kneels for her, that is very nice, and Catherine can see they are indeed horses, linked head to tail, running round after round around her white throat.

Catherine wants to ask a thousand questions, did one of those guys make that, and how come they look alive, and why do they have the same colour as her hair, and is that stuff bronze, too.

Apparently her wistful look makes it appear as if she wants to touch them, for the lady says, 'You can touch them if you like, thank you for asking.'

Catherine traces the movement, so amazing, maybe she can get Adison to ask some of those questions later. She tries to get the lady to talk about them by saying a few more words, but it doesn't work, her toddler act is too good, she gets only toddler information back. Still, the lady is very pretty, and very nice to her, and she does take the time to let a little girl study her necklace.

Then Victor asks her, 'Catherine, would you be so kind as to find Mina and ask her to come here? We need her to lift that beast.'

They'll find that very weird, a toddler running errands. And a woman lifting a whole boiler, why doesn't he have dad lift it? It's way too early for dad to leave, but she cannot tell Victor that, she's a toddler. 

So she goes to the kitchen, where she supposes Mina will be this time of the day, indeed finding her there, and asks her to come with her to help lift some stuff. Dad is not yet there, but Mina can easily lift that thing by herself, though it will make them think.

It is kind of funny to see those men ready to help lift the heavy boiler, and wonder undoubtedly why Victor is not moving in to assist the lady he has introduced as his partner, and Catherine anticipates their looks when Mina lifts it easily all by herself. But Mina is very polite and lets them do a bit of the work, and soon they have the ugly thing in the hall, and the men are fitting up the new, beautiful boiler.

They know where every pipe has to go, and they know exactly which of them is doing what, but watching people work gets boring after some time, so they leave and let the guys do their job.

Catherine goes to the kitchen and tells mum all about the necklace and her conversation with the pretty lady, and begs her to ask all those questions about her necklace if she gets the chance.

'I'll see what she'll tell me, I'm going to get her in here to make some coffe and talk a little, watching guys work must be boring.

'I'm going to watch Mina and Victor spar, it's frustrating to pretend to be a toddler when people are nice, and you want to ask them thousands of questions. The smaller guy, I like him, I wish I could talk to him as me.' 

And Catherine is off to the basement.

Adison makes her way to the bathroom, and immediately sees a huge difference. The ugly beast of Victor's phase as inventor of steam- related appliances is gone, and the only slightly smaller, but much more elegant boiler has taken its place. Adison watches them work for a while, those guys clearly know exactly what they are doing, they must be very close to work in such harmony.

Their woman, for to Adison it is obvious that she is as intimate with both of them as they are to each other, seems rather bored with having nothing to do, so Adison asks them whether they prefer coffee or tea, though she suspects they all want coffee.

Surprisingly, the woman, Melissa, owns up that she prefers tea, and the way she says it suggests to Adison that she usually drinks coffee, and that she does not exactly agree with the reason she now drinks tea. Her stance and something about her hair and skin confirm Adison's suspicion, and she checks out her hands for a ring.

She has a gorgeous one, made of three strands of gold twined together, and a look at the guys confirms that they have the same ring. As she thought. And they either make a lot of money selling boilers, or they make the jewellery themselves, which is not unthinkable seeing the craftsmanship they've put in a simple convenience.

The ring on Melissa's finger is indeed a bit tight, a clear sign she is probably expecting, and the way she obviously rues not being able to stand the taste of coffee, she is not too happy to be in that state. Adison shows her sympathy by observing, 'I prefer tea as well, though I suppose you usually drink coffee.'

This suprises the girl, she cannot be much older than Adison herself, and she looks at Adison in a strange, rather blank way for a very short time, as if she knows Adison has seen she's pregnant and has her own way of finding out people's secrets.

'Will you come with me to the kitchen to help me carry?' Adison asks her, 'Catherine says you were very nice to her, let her touch your necklace with moving horses. Can't think what she meant by that, but of course she is only two, she can't say things exactly as she thinks of them, yet.' 

That of course is a little white lie, for Catherine can say anything she likes, but the poor girl wants to know more, and Adison wants to help her.

Now Melissa shows her the necklace from up close, and Adison is again impressed by the girl's cleverness, she has described the exact feeling the object gives even in toddler speech.

And she has the perfect opportunity to ask the questions that Catherine wants answered so badly. First she tells Melissa, 'I stand corrected, she told me exactly what she saw, those horses really do move.'

And then she proceeds to express her admiration, and asks whether Paul made them, and Melissa tells her he did, though apparently he loves making boilers and inventions even better. And he loves to make steel swords, but cannot find a market for them.

Well, that shouldn't be a problem, Vincent still has a saber to replace, and Bruce and his students have taken up fencing with enthusiasm, and there are their old swordsmaster and all those actors who fence to improve their posture.

'Steel swords, that sounds like a totally different cup of tea from boilers.'

Melissa explains how he got the idea to make swords, apparently these were developed by a man who practises both smithing and swordwork.

That may be very interesting for Vincent, who often complains that obviously most smiths have no clue that a sword needs balance as well as a keen edge, for only one in a hundred sabers will suit his style of fighting.

Adison tells Melissa about her husband being an actor, but doing a lot of fencing in his spare time. Actually, she brags a tiny bit about his qualities as a fighter, and his unique style that needs a particular kind of weapon. She offers to suggest to her husband that he might try one, and if it pleases him, he can recommend it to all his friends. That might help Melissa's husband to find a market for his swords.

'How do you know we're married?' Melissa asks. 

'It shows,' Adison says, 'I see things like that. The way you move as a group, communicate without words. And anyway, you wear the same rings, all three of you.'

And Adison is careful not to seem to offer an opinion on three people living together, she would have happily included Victor in their relationship permanently, if their friend hadn't found a love of his own. She sometimes misses the intimacy they used to share, but she accepts that his needs are totally fulfilled by Mina, and just enjoys the time they spend together at work.

When they arrive in the kitchen, Vincent is there, dressed his best, a sight that always fills Adison with pride and joy. He looks so smart in his finery, and he carries himself so well. Adison knows he probably still doubts his own looks, but as he said, that is kind of normal.

Melissa takes a good look at him but rather as if he answers her expectations of an actor, than that she finds his looks disconcerting. 

Vincent clearly likes what he sees, Melissa is very beautiful in an unusual way, she is nearly as pale as Vincent is, and that is something he doesn't see very often.

He doesn't comment on it though, he merely gets up to shake her hand and introduce himself, and he starts a friendly and interested conversation. 

As Adison busies herself making coffee and tea, she can hear him tell Melissa he is dressed for work, starting late and sleeping late, as most people in the business of entertaining others do. He asks their guest whether she has an interesting job, and Melissa tells him she is an engineer, which is actually very interesting indeed.

She adds, 'I work for the council inspecting building sites, and I check my husband's inventions against the laws of physics.'

Vincent is as impressed as Adison herself, and he observes, that that sounds like very important work.

Then the girl shows she is not only beautiful and intelligent, but funny as well, for she says cheekily, 'I see it as my sworn duty to protect the world from my husbands inventions, yes,' and both Vincent and Adison laugh heartily, though Melissa clearly thinks that was too much joking at her husband's expense and corrects herself.

'But his boilers are very safe, and very fuel efficient.' 

And Adison finds this the perfect moment to add, 'And is it true they can heat the whole house, and send hot water to the kitchen?'

'It is, we have it ourselves and it is very convenient,' Melissa replies, 'especially in winter, with Lukas used to heat. He's from Greece originally.'

'I'd like to see that,' Adison observes, coffee nearly finished, 'your boiler, I mean, not Greece, that's a bit far away for me. It would be very helpful to have hot water in the kitchen. Maybe Vincent can try out one of those steel swords and we can have a look at your boiler? To see if we want the extension?'

They strike a deal, Vincent and herself will visit their place to try out the swords and see the boiler system, and Adison will give Melissa a tour of the practice, she wants to see a real practice because the smaller of her men has an interest in starting one himself, to provide the poor with medical service. How a metal-smith heals people is a bit of a mystery, but showing her the practice will be fun, Adison is very proud of the design.

Vincent is planning to drop by the bathroom for a few minutes before he leaves, so Adison hands Melissa two cups and picks up two herself, and they bring the coffe and tea to the two men working. Work is progressing well, and the men feel free to take a short break and have some coffee.

'We've got the piping all ready, to the showers as well, now we're going to hook up the boiler to your water-supply and to the pipes. It'll be ready to fire up in an hour or so,' Paul says. 

That seems very quick to Adison, but she supposes he knows.

As they stop working for a while to drink their coffee, the smaller guy, who is apprently from Greece and heals poor people, suddenly addresses Adison, the first thing he has said to her excepting a polite greeting.

'Adison, do you realize your daughter has a rather impressive mage talent that anyone with the same talent can see, even though it is still dormant?'

Whát did he say? Mage talent? Dormant?

Adison realizes she must look like an ass, but it has been clear all along that there must be something in Catherine that the enemy wants.

Surprise makes her say the first thing that comes into her mind, which is, 'She's not actually my own daughter, she's Vincent's, with his late wife. I never met her. But I don't understand, what's a mage talent?'

Melissa explains very simply.

'You told me you often see things, like us being together. That is a form of talent, too. It means you can do things that cannot be explained with physics.'

Though still a bit shocked, Adison can appreciate the love between these people as Paul teases his lady.

'Trust an engineer to explain magic, in just one sentence.'

Thinking quicker than lightning, Adison realizes, 'I have freed someone from possession.'

Paul looks very serious all of a sudden, and very much impressed.

'That is a very powerful form of magic, especially if you can do it without knowing about the existence of magic, intuitively if you please.'

Then Vincent comes in and seeing her shock, he jokes about it, but still he wants to know what is going on. Lukas repeats what he told her, and Vincent shows even clearer than herself that though he doesn't understand the term magic, there is something to his daughter that needs explaining. 

He is almost desperate to know more, though of course he needs to leave almost immediately.

Adison promises him to learn as much as she can from their guests, and then Vincent asks them whether he has magic himself. 

They all gaze at him with that blank look, a few seconds only, then they all look confused and almost shocked, and Paul, who seems to be the leader in matters of magic as well as boilers, answers.




Nature or Nurture Ch. 37-39



'I see an impressive talent in you, but it is not active, you could not use it. It rather seems as if it is tied to your essence, to your body, as if it is powering you. Are you by any chance very strong, even more so than you look?'

That is just uncanny, no matter how weird magic sounds, no-one could make that up, that must be the stark truth. Vincent's power is related to a mage talent?

'I'd say your daughter has that talent from you, but how yours got connected to your physical body is a mystery to me,' Paul says, 'maybe we can find out some time, but now we all have work to do.'

Well, Adison can think of a way that something weird and unimaginable happened in Vincent's body. How about a stash of chemicals and a lightning-strike? 

Maybe someone will be able to shed a light on what happened to Vincent, why he lost his colour, and why his blood stings and makes Mina feel like flying. And other things. The thought makes her smile, but Vincent is deadly serious.

'We have your address, we need to know. Catherine has already been in danger, and apparently there is something going on in our world that we don't have a clue about. We cannot afford that. We will contact you.'

And with that, he leaves, and Lukas and Paul go back to work.

Adison takes Melissa back to the kitchen, where Victor and Mina are taking a break from their exercise. Melissa does not mind explaining everything to them as well, and she tells Adison that she clearly has magical abilities, but that they are different from the ones she knows. But apparently, Melissa is a novice in the arts and she doesn't pretend to know everything about magic.

Mina wants to know what Melissa saw in her, it must have been shocking, for she can clearly see Melissa trying to hide a certain disturbance from her face. 

'You saw something in me too, didn't you?' she asks the stunning young woman, not even afraid of what she'll hear.

Melissa nods, and replies, 'You have the same organs as normal people, but they seem to be wired differently. I'm amazed your are even alive, yet here you are, stronger than anyone I've ever seen. I'm stunned.'

Of course Mina knows what she is, and if this woman can find out just by looking at her what Victor wanted to accomplish by dissecting a deceased vampire, Mina is going to listen to her, she's mighty curious how her body functions as it does.

But Melissa is not planning to find out more, she seems more distraught by what she has seen than Mina is to be the person put together like that.

Studying her in her turn, Mina suspects this young woman is easily the most beautiful person she has ever seen, her skin is like cream, her hair like burnished copper, and her features are just perfect. Too bad she is hiding herself in that impersonal suit, she'd really shine in a dress. But maybe she does it on purpose, she's not here to attract attention, but rather to assist the men she's with.

Just then, Melissa asks them if she may see their practice. It seems one of the men now working on their new boiler, the smaller, thinner one, spends his spare time healing the poor, out in the streets apprently, but since he is from Greece, they expect him to suffer from the winter cold too much, and they would like him to have a practice that looks just like a real doctor's practice.

Looks just like one? What use would a practice be to a doctor if it only looks like one?

Victor asks her about it, and Melissa explains.

'Lukas heals with magic, but magic-use is forbidden, so he needs to fool his patients into believing he uses medicine.'

Victor has been listening with interest at what Melissa tells them. Of course the very idea of magic existing is ludicrous, he is a man of science, not of belief. But somehow this Melissa strikes him as a very rational being, she is an engineer after all, and her approach to magic seems almost scientific. And Victor cannot deny that she and her partners have quite specifically picked out all the peculiarities of their own company, they have predicted Vincent's strength, Mina's not being alive. And hasn't he seen Adison take a possession off someone twice?

If she did that with magic, an innate personal talent one can develop by training, that lies a lot lighter with Victor's rational mind than their current belief, that she is somehow the intermediary to a higher being. 

Belief. Getting rid of that would be worth something to Victor.

And healing with magic? Lots of people say they can, quacks mostly, but if one can take a possession off someone with magic, and see inside Mina, why not heal?

With a sarcastic look he says, 'So many quacks trying to make people think they can heal by magic, and your friend can really do it and wants to hide it. It is the world upside down. But be my guest, I'll give you a tour myself.'

'Where is the little girl?' Melissa asks.

Adison explains that Catherine is having a nap, to be able to visit the theatre in the evening to watch her dad play. Their guest seems to worry even more over her safety than they do themselves, apparently she shows a clear mage-gift that will attract people wanting to abuse it.

The thing she tells about those mages using seduction does strike an uncomfortable note, Mina has told Victor about the incident in the coffee-shop, and whilst he doubts a girl will let herself be seduced by someone who burns her really badly, he also credits Mina's opinion that this person was just incompetent, with no empathy to appear benevolent enough to tempt a toddler.

She'll probably go for an adult next.

It would be so useful to be able to see her coming from a distance.

Now Adison asks whether she can do just that, recognize someone who has the talent, and damned if the redheaded beauty doesn't magic a ball of fire on her hand.

As he feels his own jaw drop, he can hear Adison say, 'I did see you light up, yes.' 

'That is sight. Try look around you with those eyes, and you will probably see green lines running to 

green balls. We call them ley-lines and nodes, they contain raw magic power. Don't touch them without someone present who knows magic, they can be dangerous.' 

That sounds like balderdash, but Mina doesn't seem to think so, so Victor tries to keep an open mind. He did see Melissa conjure up a ball of fire after all.

As the redhead gets that blank look that he just saw on Adison's face, he realizes that that is what someone looks like who is looking for magical things in a person.

Her face returns to normal after just a second, and Melissa comments, 'I'm amazed you have been able to develop so much power without guidance.'

Adison corrects that wrong impression.

'Oh, but I had guidance, I studied under a Chinese master, but apparently they work intuitively, whereas your tradition works scientifically. Still I want to learn, we're not in China, and if mages exists, we need to be able to spot them in time. We've been fighting blind for more than a year.'

This is decidedly weird, Adison able to work magic, not a priest, apparently, but a mage. She seems to have talked enough about magic, it is difficult to grasp for Victor, who has none, so it must be harder on Adison, who will need to learn how to use hers.

'Melissa, why don't I show you the practice, we've only just had it built, we used to make house calls only, but it was a little dangerous at times.'

Melissa is happy to follow, and as she leaves the room, Victor is struck with the thought that this is a woman he would really like to dress, that suit is not very flattering to her figure, there must be a truly stunning woman underneath that stiff and efficient apparel. The wealth of copper waves, that unblemished pale skin. The curves of her. Truly gorgeous. And she must have a mind as well, to be an engineer and a mage both.

As his eyes follow her with appreciation, he finds Mina looking at his admiration for another woman with unfeigned approval.

'She is stunning, isn't she? I'm glad we have the same taste in women.' 

Then she smiles at him, and gives him a truly passionate kiss, which he answers with a relish. Nearly time for her dinner, a moment Mina always knows how to make extra special. Her organs may be wired in a strange way, her mind certainly isn't.



Nature or Nurture Ch. 40-42



Chapter 40

Adison is very proud to show their practice to Melissa. It is actually a rather simple room, but it works exactly as they had imagined, and Melissa is impressed by its functionality. As Adison looks at it now, she realizes hot water would be a great thing to have here, too, but she has no doubt that subject will be discussed a lot the coming days.

After taking in the entire room, Melissa says, 'Thank you for showing me, it looks very professional, it must make things a lot easier for you.'

'It does, we used to spend hours walking around in the city, and especially in the dark that wasn't always safe. Which is why we learned how to defend ourselves.'

Melissa nods, and suggests they check on the boiler, it may be finished, and when they enter the bathroom, Adison sees Paul light up as he does something inside the boiler, and she asks, 'Is he doing it? Are you using magic right now?' 

That last sentence straight at Paul himself, who looks caught and confesses, 'I am, it is so much faster than using tinder and matches. So you've discovered sight, that is good. I guess Melissa has told you not to touch the ley-lines, the green lines? They're dangerous, you need guidance to do that. Will you get the rest? I'm going to explain how to work this baby.'

So now she knows she really can see when someone uses magic, even if they don't announce their intent. It seems something that just needs wakening, not conscious effort.

She calls for Victor and Mina, and they gather around the boiler as Paul explains how to stoke it, how it can be filled with water and how to check the pressure. 

'It will take an hour to heat up, but it can stay lighted day and night, even in summer, on the same amount of coal you'd use to stoke that beast once a week.' 

Adison can hardly believe that, that means they can have a hot shower whenever they want. Vincent will be so pleased.

They move to the kitchen, where Victor pays Paul and the men battle it out over the old boiler. Paul says the price Victor asks for it is too low, and Victor doesn't seem to care, he just wants to be rid of the beast.

In the end they agree that Victor will have it delivered on Paul's cost, and if they want the extension, Paul will do the kitchen for free, and they will pay for the practice. With a last advice to contact him if anything doesn't function as it should, Paul and his friends leave, and Adison and Victor walk them to the door.

Outside, they both witness another one of Paul's creations, as all three of them unlock a two-wheeled contraption made of iron, ornamented with bronze. They climb on a narrow saddle on top, grab the handle bars and put one foot on a protrusion that seems made for that purpose. The bag with tools hangs from Paul's handle bar.

With a last wave, they put their other foot on a mirror image of the protrusion on the other side, and they move their legs around quickly, setting the thing in motion, staying upright on just two wheels.

Adison is stunned, this is the best invention ever, they go very fast, but that thing doesn't poop, or eat, or shy, or die. 

It just does its work, making the three of them totally independent of horses or cabs, and going much faster than their own two legs can carry them. Though they do need a good road, but the roads in the city are improving all the time, and even her father has good roads on his estate these days.

As they disappear from sight, Adison looks at Victor and sees undisguised jealousy in his face. 

He looks at Adison and says, 'That guy has the job I still dream of having. The job I would have had if I hadn't become obsessed by life and death. I bet he made those bicycles himself. This is the first time I'm really jealous of someone, Adison. Well, except maybe Vincent when the two of you first fell in love.' 

That is so sweet. 

And Adison has no problem at all imagining Victor jealous of Paul's career, the apparatus with which he brought Vincent back to life looked just like that, and he did make a functioning boiler before he found out that someone else was much better at it.

'Thanks, Victor. You know I've always had special feelings for you, too. And I understand your envy of Paul, too. I'm not jealous of his job, I've never wanted to be anything but a doctor, but I am very, very jealous of those, bicycles you call them? I want one, Victor.'

'I want one, too, it'll be horribly expensive, but I don't care.' 

Victor still looks a bit envious, until his expression changes and becomes rather soft again.

'Will you be all right, Adison? That was quite a lot of information to process. Imagine you being a mage!'

Sometimes Victor surprises her, he seems a bit removed from the true world, but now and then he shows that he does feel like the rest of them do.

'In a way it is a relief to know those powers come from inside me,' she replies, 'I feel more comfortable in a world where things follow the laws of physics, even if I have to extend them to include magic energy. 

You know I can see them now, the lines they mentioned. I won't touch them, but if they are filled with power, imagine what I can do once I've learned to control them. I could have blasted that gytrash out of this world.'

That sure makes an impression on Victor, Adison sounding almost aggressive, but Adison is not done talking.

'But some things are just too profound to believe they come from just me. Like freeing Mina and Miss Yves from possession. Do you really think I did that, nothing more than just me? I used those Chinese words, were they a spell? Or an incantation?'

Victor puts an arm around her.

'We will find out, don't worry. If they cannot help you discover your power, they will most likely know someone who can. They seemed pretty nice to me, and if you two bring them that huge chunk of bronze, those guys will be very pleased. Imagine that smaller guy just telling you about Catherine having talent for magic. It could have gotten him put away for being mad, he must be very brave, or very foolhardy.'

'I think he is very empathic, remember, he is supposed to be a healer. With magic. I didn't know that was possible.'

Suddenly, Victor looks at her in amazement and blurts out, 'What if you have done that before, too, instinctively? Remember Mr Chandler's girl, with the consumption? That night he called us over, she was dying, she was. I've seen it before, there was no life left in her. And you did something with her and she improved a lot.

And Mrs Gould, the case that gave our practice the reputation for bringing back the dead? What if you cured them both with magic?'

'Brona isn't cured, she's still dying, but maybe consumption is too deadly to cure. She has lived a lot longer already than that night suggested she would. And Melissa said I had a lot of personal power, maybe that is something that needs building up, like muscle, or skill.

I do need to know more, and next time we have a bad case, I'll be curious to see whether that special way of seeing things works to help find a cure. Melissa could look right into Vincent, and Mina, without knowing anything about them.

Let's try to get it activated in Catherine as well, she'll be able to recognize someone out to do her harm or seduce her. Though if they try to seduce her by hurting her again, they might as well give her a scorpion as a pet.'

In all the consternation they have not had time to have dinner yet, so Adison wakes Catherine and they have dinner without Vincent for once. It feels strange, Adison always misses her large man when he is not around, but she will see him soon enough, and he is among friends as much as she herself is.

He will miss his colleagues when he moves on, she can only hope that he will be welcomed in his new group as much as he was here. He must be an upstart to them, rising above himself. But despite his doubts about his appearance a few days ago, Vincent can take care of himself, and he does have something about him that makes people like him instantly.

Also, his love of poetry and anything written will make him fit right in with the crowd at St James, people there will be more elite, and probably very well-read, but Vincent's proud stance combined with him being soft-spoken makes him seem anything but lower-class.

Catherine wants to know everything Adison found out from their guests, she wasn't there when they discussed magic and Adison sees no reason not to tell her about it. It is as it was with all of them, she is stunned to hear that magic truly exists, but she immediately sees the truth in it, and she observes, 'So that is why someone wants me, I'm a nice little power plant to them.'

She's clearly thinking of everything that life has thrown at her so far.

'But if I have so much talent for magic, why isn't dad a mage? And he never told me anything about Cathy being a mage. Where did I get it then?'

They tell her about Paul's observations, that Vincent has a large mage-talent, but that it is bound to his physical form.

'So he can see mages, too,' she concludes, and, 'I must be able to see them as well, I want to learn how as quickly as possible, I don't feel afraid now, but I'll feel much safer if I can see an enemy coming. And what about that cute guy, I really liked him, I want to know what he is. He promised to tell me, but of course I was asleep. Oh, and I promised not to tell anyone about him, so please forget I said that.'

Somehow, things don't work that way, telling people to forget something generally makes them want to know more, and so it is in this case.

'Oh well, they know about me, and dad, and Mina being special, so you can know that the smaller guy, Lukas, is not human. But don't tell him you know, if you ever meet him again. I really want to see him again, he's so sweet.'

Can a two year old girl have a crush already? Adison doesn't know, but it certainly seems that way. 'What did you like so much about him, then?'

'He was nice to me, and he talked to me like an adult, and he just looked cute, with those big brown eyes.'

Adison remarks, 'I didn't notice him much, he didn't say anything, well, besides warning us that you needed protection. So you'd like to see him again?'

'Yes, I would. Though it wouldn't be much fun if I had to be a toddler all the time.'

'If he is really not human and he tells you whatever he is instead, you can talk to him as much as you please, my dear Catherine,' Victor states.

The girl smiles from ear to ear and climbs on his lap, then hugs him warmly. She doesn't say anything, which can be counted a miracle, but of course Victor is puzzled by her sudden affection.

'You want to talk to him that much?'

He gets another hug, and she deigns to explain, 'No, you called me dear. I like that.'

'I love you, too.' 

Victor takes the little girl in his arms and hugs her tightly, if she wants to be hugged a lot, he doesn't mind. She's cute, and as smart as most adults he knows. Not at all how he thought a child would be.

By now it is time to go to the theatre, and Mina is taking them over again, returning to Victor straight away. Adison wonders if it is weird of them, to go to the show every evening, but Catherine still enjoys it, and she feels glad herself to be close to Vincent, even if she has to share him with an entire audience.

And it's only for another two weeks, after that Vincent will play a lot further from home, making it much harder to visit, so she plans to make the most of the time they still have like this.

But tonight she is planning to see whether she can use her newly found talent for seeing magic to spy out people with the same talent. Maybe Dorian Grey will be there, and she can see what is going on with him. And if she does see someone light up, she can point it out to Catherine, hopefully awakening her ability to see those things as well.

Seeing Catherine enjoy the show again, Adison is glad they came. Tomorrow will be a special day, and they will celebrate their marriage here, a place they have come to love. Scanning the crowd, she does not spot the cronies at first, but during the break she hears Catherine gasp and then she sees them, too.

They both seem to contain a light, and it is a disconcerting thought to Adison that both herself and Catherine, and Vincent as well, glow up like that for anyone with the ability to see. But this proves that everything they have been through somehow has to do with magic, and she asks Catherine quietly, 'When you look at those ladies, do you see something special about them?'

'They look just like last time,' Catherine answers, 'mean and cold.'

'I wish I could do some magic to show you the light inside them,' Adison says, 'it would be so much easier if you could see that for yourself.'

'You mean you never saw that before?' 

The little girl seems put out. 

'I thought everybody saw that. Yours is very bright, and dad's, too. Is that how you can see if someone has magic? I thought it was like hair colour, just something someone has. Why didn't those people today have them, then? They must have magic or they wouldn't tell you about it.'

'I saw such a light in them, when they used magic. Not in the one you like, the others. And not when they were not doing it, like those ladies, or you. And dad and me apparently. I'm not yet used to it, I have to make a slight effort to see it. But you say you see it all the time?'

Catherine nods.

'Yes, always have. And those green lines and large blobs on the ends, are those magic, too?'

'They are, and Melissa says not to touch them without a mage present. They're dangerous.

When you look at dad, or Mina, do you see something different in them?'

'Mina doesn't have the light, nor does Victor. Dad does, very bright. But he cannot do magic, so are you sure it is magic that gives the light? Bruce has a small one, too.'

'So you don't see anything special in dad or Mina?'

Catherine shrugs, a very weird thing to do for such a tiny girl.

'No, nothing special.'

That must be because her magic is not active, yet.

Soon, the play starts again, and when it is finished, Adison can see the two ladies move in on Vincent. She decides not to worry too much, they will try to reach him until they have succeeded, and he knows they're bad news, so better let the act begin.

Mr Grey is not there, and neither is Vanessa. Adison sees Vincent talking to two middle aged men that he seems to know, and his demeanour shows he is immensely pleased to see them. One is tall, heavily built and dressed like a dandy. The other is of average height and build, but very handsome, and dressed expensively but not gaudily. That description reminds her of something she has heard.

From Vincent of course! It must be the playwright and the director of the St James! Small wonder Vincent seems impressed.

It's just incredible to see such important, educated people here, and they both seem to have enjoyed the show. Adison decides to close in to hear what they have to say.

On her way, she can see the two ladies talking to Bruce, who has not been warned against them, yet. Better do that soon, though he will be difficult to enchant, since his family will certainly notice and take steps.

Vincent has spotted her, and he introduces her, and Catherine, to the two gentlemen, with pride in his voice. They are both very gallant, and Catherine is at her most ravishing, doll-like and pretty rather than cute and toddlerish, as if she instinctively understands that these men have no experience with children and no appreciation for cuteness.

And Adison notices her daughter is keeping a sharp eye on the ladies, she does not let important visitors keep her from guarding her back.

The men are very free with compliments for Vincent, the playwright praising his proud and dignified bearing, is he by any chance a swordsman?

Vincent is pleased to be found out, and he admits to being an avid practitioner of the sport. The self-confident dandy is very pleased to hear that and tells them that a certain gentleman of his acquaintance is considered a very good fighter, and is always on the lookout for new opponents, and he hopes they may find the opportunity to cross blades when Vincent starts the rehearsals.

Of course, Vincent is always happy to hone his skills, and to test them against someone who undoubtedly has had the best masters will be a great pleasure, so he says, 'I'll be honoured to test my skills against a proficient gentleman.'

Adison of course thinks of their guest this afternoon, and his search for a market for his products. If Vincent likes his blades and takes one to spar with a gentleman, doors may open.

The other man confesses to be very impressed by Vincent's melancholy hero. He had not expected to find such depth in a penny dreadful character like the one he portrays, and he clearly looks forward to playing with him.

'It is so hard to find good actors for the minor roles, when they can have such an impact on a play. Your part is very important to the whole piece, and I'm looking forward very much to directing you, Vincent.'

With superb graciousness he also compliments Adison.

'Miss Adison, I hear you will be a Missus tomorrow? My congratulations on marrying a great talent. But I'm surprised and pleased to hear you have an important career of your own, we entertainers always have the greatest respect for those who sacrifice themselves for the good of others, and Dr Frankenstein's practice has a most exalted reputation.'

That guy is certainly fond of words! Adison accepts his compliments with a bow, and a gentle 'Thank you, I'm very glad to hear we are well known.'

Both gentlemen can appreciate that little play with words, they do not seem to look at women as a different and slightly dumb species like so many other gentlemen, and they even notice Catherine by speaking to her like a human being. Of course they have no clue that a normal toddler would not understand a word of what they are saying, they have no experience at all with children.

'Do you enjoy seeing your father play?' the handsome man asks, and Catherine answers with iron self-discipline, 'Yes, daddy's great!'

'My play has rather difficult humour, I hope you will understand it,' says the playwright.

'I like watching daddy,' is Catherine's reply. 

'So you'll come to see it?' he asks, and Catherine replies, 'Yes, I want to.'

'Maybe he'll bring you to the rehearsals sometimes,' Mr Alexander offers, 'that will be great fun to watch.'

'May I?' she asks innocently, 'I like you.' 

And her sweetest smile wraps them around her little finger quite neatly.

The two gentlemen take their leave, and now the two ladies approach the little group. Vincent has that blank look for a fraction of a second, and Adison knows he has seen it, too.

They do nothing extraordinary, they praise Vincent's acting and pretend to be avid fans. He accepts their praise graciously, and converses with them politely. 

Catherine watches them unobtrusively, easier for a child to do since people expect children to look at their surroundings a lot.

Vincent seems totally relaxed, Catherine on his arm, Adison by his side, and soon the ladies move on. They're a bit more subtle than their older partner.

After the meeting Adison and Catherine accompany him to the dressing room, where Catherine warns Bruce about the two ladies he spoke to, and the two men remove their make-up and change clothes, and they walk home as a little group, Bruce and Maud walking along with them as well.

For some time now, it has seemed as if Maud and Bruce are becoming an item. 

They are together very often, since the time Maud moved in with Bruce's parents after she had to leave the apartment she shared with Simon, when the man who was then lead player of the company was thrown out for trying to have Vincent beaten up to get him out of the show. Bruce always accompanied her to the theatre, even when there was no longer a danger in her going alone because Simon had died in an attempt on Victor's life.




Nature or Nurture Ch. 40-42



But now she has moved into an apartment of her own, though still in the Chinese quarter, and still they are usually together. Sometimes it is almost as if they want to take the other's hand, and they walk together a lot, and move like one person, but they are not very obvious about it, and Adison wonders whether they are still a bit shy towards each other, or whether they don't want to embarrass the others with their intimacy.

For it seems clear to her that something is going on between them.

But tonight, Maud seems less than happy, and Bruce is affected, too. Adison can practically feel the hurt radiating from the two of them, and she feels it is her duty to help their good friends.

When they reach their door, she asks both of them, 'You want to come in, tell me about it?'

Maud overflows silently, and Bruce nods, a total change from his usual cheeriness. When they are in the kitchen, Catherine gives all of them a kiss, then walks to her father to have him take her to bed, which he does without a word passing between them.

Mina and Victor seem to be out, they have indeed taken to working evenings in the workshop, with Victor manning the practice in the afternoon and Adison in the morning, Victor can sleep late and he does, matching his schedule to Mina's to be together more often.

Adison makes a cup of tea for everyone, including Vincent, and then she sits with her friends and says, 'Tell me about it.'

By now, Maud is very upset, and Bruce holds her in his arms, see, there is something going on, and he tells Adison, 'We are in love, have been for some months now, and we want to marry, but my parents do not want to consent, though they like Maud, but she is not Chinese.

And her parents do not want to consent either, though they have never spent much time with her, she was raised by her grandmother because they were always at work in a factory. Her grandmother approves, she wants Maud to marry whom she loves, but her parents don't want her to marry a Chinese man.

I'm twenty-one, but Maud is still twenty, and though she will be twenty-one in just three months, it still feels wrong to marry without our parents' consent. You know how important my family is to me, I do not want to fail them, but I love Maud and I want to marry her.'

Of course that was to be expected, marriages between separate groups were rare, but his parents should understand that a man like Bruce is not going to be traditional about love. And it sounded as if Maud had her most important family member on her side.

'Have you talked to master Man about this?' Adison asks.

Bruce bows his head and admits, 'I have not. I'm afraid he will see things my parents' way, and throw me out of our quarter. Frankly, I don't know if I can live anywhere else, I like acting, I like poetry and talking English, but when all's said and done, I'm still Chinese.

But Maud only looks English, in her heart she is as Chinese as I am. She loves the community, she is learning the language, she is adapting. She cannot live as an outcast either.'

'I feel for both of you, I have seen you bloom since your move, Maud. You are clearly very happy there. And I've suspected there was something between you for some time now. Somehow I think master Man will be understanding, though I don't know him better than you of course, Bruce.

But I truly believe he may be willing to help you.

If he backs you up, will you be all right?'

'Yes, if he can talk my parents into accepting Maud, I'm certain the community will follow, and that is good enough for you, isn't it?'

She looks at him, the infatuation now clearly visible.

'My parents were never there for me, and my grandma agrees. If your parents are willing to accept me as their daughter instead of their adopted daughter, I will be perfectly happy.

It is very hurtful to me that they treated me like their own daughter, but when Bruce asked permission to marry me they didn't want me anymore. I love them.

If they cannot be convinced we will be separated forever, I will have to stay single and he will have to marry whomever his parents choose for him. We will all be unhappy.'

By now, Vincent has come back to the kitchen, and he has heard at least half of the conversation. He clearly feels for his friends, and he supports Adison that master Man is their best choice for an ally. Somehow, the old master seems a lot more flexible than the people who look up to him.

Though they cannot do more for their friends than listen to their story and show their sympathy, it is nonetheless a relief for the young couple to share their pain. 

With a good ending not at all certain, Adison still wants them to know she at least approves of their attachment, and she tries to express that as tactfully as she can, which both appreciate despite the circumstances. They are a very cute couple, and Adison thinks they have every chance to be happy together, despite their totally different backgrounds.

Somewhat heartened, the two leave for their homes together, and Vincent and Adison stay behind, just the two of them, and they look at each other and decide not to talk about the events of the day straight away.

First, they are going to try the new boiler!

They grab a couple of towels from the bedroom, and kiss passionately, then lose their clothes. Leaving the door open in case Catherine wakes up, they walk down the hall, still kissing and fondling each other, towards the bathroom.

Once there, the new boiler is indeed lit, and they open the taps to the bath, letting steaming hot water run in, and the one for the cold water as well, filling the tub quickly with nice warm water, ready to use. When the hot water runs out, they close the taps and let new water into the boiler as Paul has shown them.

Then they enter the water and enjoy themselves kissing and stroking, until they quiet down a little and start some serious intimacies. But somehow it doesn't feel right to leave Catherine all alone in the bedroom, she is fast asleep and they haven't a clue what those ladies can do with their magic. Somehow, the moment is spoiled, and they dry off and drain the bath, then go straight to their bedroom.

Everything is dark and quiet, and Catherine is fast asleep in her own little bed, close to their huge four-poster.

But the heat they worked up in the bath is not completely gone, and they continue their ministrations on the bed, under the blankets since it is getting quite cold in the house, it's October after all.

Vincent is feeling the heat in him rise, they make love very regularly, but tonight he feels a certain tension in himself that usually means the beast is on the prowl. He knows Adison loves him that way, and he has long since accepted that side of him.

To prepare his beloved for what may be coming, he lets his control go just a tiny bit, and he can feel the difference clearly. His posture changes, and his sense of smell intensifies, he wants to taste Adison everywhere, and he licks her and even takes a nibble here and there.

She knows by now, and it turns her on immensely to feel his power grow slowly but surely. She is almost ready to help him to let it out, but first he wants to make sure her heat is up enough to enjoy the rough loving of the creature.

A few minutes of expert attention bring her to an ever higher level of passion, and her first releases, and when she is at the peak of her fervour, she kisses him greedily and strokes the scar on his temple with a fearless hand, ready to receive the wild creature she has loved since she first saw him, the night he was born.

And then he is there with her, yellow eyes shooting fire, his breath hot and all his veins pulsating, his scent intense and heady, and Adison wonders whether he is really the same person as the gentle, soft-spoken man she loves so much.

It feels as if she has not met this man for some time, as if he is someone else, someone she loves as much, but very differently. This creature she doesn't talk to, she strokes him with heat, and she grabs his neck and hair, and yes, she gives herself up to him as if he has a right to rule her, which he does by his very nature.

And then he connects their bodies, very firmly, and heat fills her, but she can still see his eyes look at her with intense love, and those eyes give him away, he is the same man, those are the same eyes, but in a way this is the essence of him, and then her thoughts are silenced by a feeling of total bliss, and their sounds of ecstasy mingle to become one, until they both arch and cry out, then collapse.

Still they do not speak, for the creature is still here with her, a rare occurrence and one she is not going to spoil with talk. He lies beside her, still breathing a little fast, eyes watching her, as they did that first time, when neither of them had yet felt passion, but both felt intense love.

She strokes him, as she did then, and he shivers under her gentle touch, his dominance gone. How can Vincent ever have feared this side of him? It is so endearing, so pure. 

Eyes still on her, he nestles in her embrace, fighting sleep now, and this image brings back their first moments so forcefully, that she nearly cries with joy. She rests her head against his, and when she thinks he is already fast asleep, when she is close to sleep herself, she hears the husky voice say, 'I love you.'

And then her eyes do fill with tears, but tears of gratitude, that she has been so fortunate to have this man delivered right into her arms, for her to love and to live with. He is asleep by now, and she holds his warm, solid body against her own, and slowly falls asleep herself.

Chapter 41

The next morning, she is met by Vincent's clear baritone wishing her a good wedding day, but in his eyes she can see he remembers every second of their loving. With a cry of feeling she falls on his broad, scarred chest, careful of the fresh scar that may still be painful.

He holds her as she held him yesterday, and they lie together until a small voice wishes them a good morning.

Vincent invites Catherine in their bed, and she climbs in and sits on his other side. 

'You do heal fast,' she remarks, touching the fresh scar lightly.

'And how's the burn?' her father asks, 'You are not going to follow my bad example, are you? Getting hurt all the time, collecting scars?'

'Spare me,' Adison says dryly, 'one hopeless case who insists on catching weapons with his chest is bad enough. A forewarned toddler is hopefully a forearmed one.'

'It's fine,' Catherine replies, 'and I'm not going to get hurt again, now I know what the light inside people means, I will see them coming, and I'm going to hide. That is easy for me you know, since I am so very tiny.'

But today, they do not think of threats and hurts for long, today Vincent and Adison are getting married. Catherine is in a flutter, she will be going with them to church in her prettiest dress. Adison is a bit sad that Victor and Mina will not be with them, it is just impossible to get married at a time that Mina can be outside.

And anyway, Mina would feel quite uncomfortable in church, which the others completely understand. In fact, Adison would have preferred not to get wed in a church either, but it is impossible to get married without doing so, so there is not much help for it.

But Victor and Mina will of course join the party tonight, and anyway, marriage is not that important to Adison, nor to Vincent. They were destined to be together, married or otherwise.

The nearest church is actually quite a picturesque one, rather small and traditionally built, with a tall stone wall around it, overgrown with ivy on the outside, but meticulously kept on the inside.

The tiny garden surrounding the building is very old-fashioned, with pampered rose-bushes, and a rambling little path with stone seats. Of course it looks a bit dreary now, with all the plants bared of leaves, but Adison can see it is a tiny bit of heaven in summer, and it is certainly a haven of peace in the busy town.

The building itself is made of rough natural stone, with tall burned-glass windows, colouring the white-washed walls inside the church red, blue and green.

Before a rough stone altar, with Catherine looking on reverently, Adison and Vincent are married by the parish priest, a friendly older man in an impressive robe of office. When the ceremony is complete, they kiss, and then Catherine congratulates them, forgetting her status as toddler for a few moments.

They are outside again within half an hour, and celebrate together in a coffee house, and this time Catherine enjoys an enormous slice of pie, since Vincent and Adison do likewise, though Adison and herself drink tea with their pie, not coffee.

They finally talk about the revelations of the day before, how it seems as if everything they have experienced with the so called enemy is connected to the existence of magic. Vincent cannot remember having seen Cathy use magic, ever, but of course he doesn't remember much, just a few flashes.

He vaguely remembers using magic himself as Heathcliff, but connected to inflicting pain, and in a very small way, not as if he had a stash of power that he could consciously use. He'll have to ask Paul, or someone else acquainted with magic, it may be important.

Catherine wants to know what Vincent remembers of Cathy, and the funny thing is, that she talks about her natural mother by her first name, she does not call her mother, it seems that is now Adison's right. Of course Adison can't help being pleased by that, everybody knows the stories of horrid step-mums, and step-children who idealize their deceased mother, but Catherine is so willing to accept Adison in her life.

Vincent really wants to know more about magic, and is eager to take the old boiler to the craftsmaster to be able to ask some questions. Adison is stuck on the idea of having hot water in their practice, so she really wants to come, and she mentions the swords, thinking of the playwright yesterday and his fencing friend.

'They'll be glad to have it delivered,' she surmises, 'they'd have to hire at least two extra men to lift that beast.'

'Victor suggested I might ask Bruce who has a cart for hire in his community,' Vincent offers, 'I think that is a capital idea. Why don't we visit straight away, I'm sure master Man will want to meet Catherine while we're there.'

And since Catherine is very curious to meet a real Chinese master, the one who has taught Adison magic instinctively, they finish their feast and walk towards the Chinese quarter.

Catherine's two year old body cannot walk that far, and when she gets tired Vincent carries her, the three of them a happy family, despite a drizzling October rain.

Bruce is at home, with Maud actually, they are reading together, something Bruce really enjoys and Maud has learned to appreciate. Originally a working-class girl, she is developing fast, and Adison has seen her acting skills improve along with her expanding interests, though she could not yet hold her own amongst the crowd that Vincent will soon move to.

Bruce immediately agrees with the scheme, in fact he offers to hire his father's cart and little mule for a minor fee. Vincent is glad to include him in the trip, for if he is to test a weapon, it is best to have a worthy opponent. Adison can fence a little, but not enough to really put pressure on Vincent, or on a weapon.

'And I'm in the market for a superior sword,' Bruce says, 'the weapon I practise with is not good enough if I want to try to approach your skills, Vincent.'

In the meantime, Maud enjoys playing with Catherine, she is clearly very fond of children, and though she is not in on the secret, Catherine does not mind playing the toddler with this sweet young woman.

Maud seems much happier to Adison, and Bruce is his usual self, positive and good humoured.

Without having to ask, Bruce tells her they have visited master Man this very morning, and were received well: master Man has promised to talk to Bruce's parents and try to convince them to allow their son to marry an English girl. Maud fits into their community perfectly, and Bruce has always been different, they can hardly expect him to change all of a sudden.

Whilst their community thrives by following traditions, there is an outside world and it's changing rapidly every day in these times of progress. Bruce's interest in this strange and, to most members of the community, frightening world, and his connection to an English woman, will help the community to stay abreast of all the developments, Maud and himself can be the link between the old and the new.

Hearing this makes Adison very happy, she knew master Man would be reasonable, it wouldn't do to force Bruce to marry against his feelings, he is very useful to their community as he is.

They arrange to deliver the boiler late the next morning, and head towards the community centre, where master Man, of course, is not surprised by their sudden appearance. He is very glad to see especially Adison, since Catherine arrived they have been busy and they have neglected to visit, but master Man does not reproach her at all.

After greeting Adison, and Vincent, the old Chinese master greets Catherine as if she is an adult. 'My dear child, I am happy to finally meet you. I've suspected your existence for a long time, and I'm glad everything turned out well.'

Of course Catherine doesn't need to concentrate to see magic in him, and his is the brightest inner light she has seen so far. This man is a proficient magic-user, no matter what he calls it himself. 

'You have a strong gift, my child,' the old master tells her, 'although it has not awakened yet. But that may happen sooner than it usually does, it will be a good thing if you find guidance.'

Adison tells him what they have learned about magic, and the poor old man seems totally distraught. 

To have the powers he thought were gifts of his gods explained by an innate talent that can be controlled and developed, is quite a shock. But he is not a master for nothing, he recovers quickly and promises to discuss everything they have told him with the other elders. He pleads them to include Bruce in any instruction they receive, as his intermediary, and this is of course no problem for them, Bruce is already part of their inner circle.

They find that master Man actually applauds Bruce's intent to marry an English girl, apparently the elders greatly appreciate his involvement in the world outside, realizing its importance to their staying informed about it and connected to it.

Adison suspects that the elders have total control over their community, and however much she herself would dislike that, in this case it will suit Bruce very well, for his parents will certainly relent and accept Maud into the family willingly if the elders say that is the best thing to do.

They talk for another half hour, and then return home, where Mina and Victor congratulate them and give them a beautiful new suit and a lovely dress to wear to the party that night. Adison wouldn't know what to buy for herself, but with Victor and Mina choosing, she is certain she will look like a princess.

The party that evening is the best ever, with all their friends, in the theatre they love, they will be sure to return here often, to watch the new show and to see all their friends.

Of course they don't feel any different for being married, but all in all Adison is pleased to have Vincent officially hers, and she looks forward to introducing him to her father, two weeks from now.

The next day Bruce drives up with a sturdy cart pulled by a little mule. Maud is with him, to stay with Catherine. They have decided to let her in on Catherine's secret, too, for if she is marrying Bruce she will become part of their circle and they cannot keep her in the dark. So that is what Catherine will be doing this morning, though she is a bit disappointed to miss out on a chance to meet that nice guy once more. 




Nature or Nurture Ch. 40-42



She has contemplated throwing a tantrum when she found out she could not come on the trip to take away the old boiler and they weren't even going to tell her why not, but somehow that seemed a little childish. 

But watching Maud's face as Catherine recites some Shakespeare will be fun, too, and maybe they can play with the farm animals as well, Maud will not use that against her, she's too sweet for that. She's certain Victor will tease her heartlessly if he finds out she still likes to play with toys.

And she's also certain that nice guy, Lukas, would never make fun of her. Let's hope they want the rest of the boiler system installed, then maybe she'll see him again.

It is quite a trek to the craftmaster's house, straight through the city, into another middle class neighbourhood, and a very pretty one. 

A lot of people would call this neighbourhood run down, but to Vincent and Adison the houses are large and beautiful, though some definitely can use some upkeep, and the streets are lined with beautiful old trees, something their own neighbourhood lacks.

Paul's house certainly doesn't lack care, it is in perfect condition, and the beautiful dragon-shaped door knocker gives them a good idea of what they will find inside.

But of course the truth far exceeds their expectations. 

As they knock on the door, it is opened by the smaller guy, Lukas, and Vincent points at the boiler on the cart outside.

'We thought we might bring the boiler as well, I suppose you'll need help to lift that brute inside.' 

As soon as Lukas and the taller guy, Paul, have decided where to put the beast, they help him lift the monster inside. 

Of course they notice straight away their help is not needed, Vincent can lift it on his own without problem, since he has slung carrying straps around it, but it looks better if they carry it together, no-one will ever forget the sight of one man lifting such a massive metal object on his own.

As they take the monster inside, Bruce stays back with the cart, wondering whether it is safe for the little mule to tie it to the fence for an hour or so.

But before he has it unhitched, one of the guys returns and offers to put the mule in the backyard to graze in safety for some time. That is a magnificent idea, and Bruce is glad this man recognizes a Chinese cart-driver as human, all too often people just ignore him.

In an excellent mood suddenly, he grins and offers the guy his hand.

'Hi, I'm Bruce. I'm glad you can put up the mule, for I'm not going to let Vincent try out a whole new kind of sword all by himself, but I cannot let the mule wander either, my dad would kill me. Or try to.'

Of course a stranger will not understand the humour in that last statement, but this fellow, Lukas is his name, will soon find out that Bruce takes some killing.

He follows Lukas inside to the basement, where there are so many wonders to see that he is really surprised that Vincent can ignore everything around him to concentrate on something the other guy is showing him.

Adison is certainly looking her fill, and Bruce follows her example. They are in a large space, the entire basement of the house, with walls of red brick, and columns of the same materials supporting the house that stands on top.

There is a large work-bench over one whole side of the space, and the others are largely occupied by wooden cabinets, like the one in the practice, only well worn and obviously used to store parts instead of pills. Tools are hung on hooks on the wall behind the work-bench, and a furnace takes up a lot of space against the outside wall.

Though it is rather cold outside, the inside of this space is comfortably warm, and the basement smells of smoke and a penetrating odour which is probably heated metal.

But though this is clearly a workshop, it also looks like something out of a fantasy, for there are copper and bronze creations everywhere. Boilers, engines, fountains, ornaments, anything made of metal, it is here, in various stages of development. Cogs and wheels too, though neatly stacked, not cluttered.

When Vincent calls his name, Bruce finds it hard to pull his attention away from the workshop, but he realizes Vincent wants him to look at the swords, and in his voice Bruce can hear excitement, so he walks over.

Minding his manners, Bruce first shakes hands with the other guy, Paul, and the gorgeous lady, Melissa. Then Vincent hands him one of the blades, with a distinct glint in his eye.

Bruce's first impression is that it is beautiful, very much so. It has the shape of a saber, but with a little more breadth, a sturdy weapon, but still incredibly elegant, slim and beautifully decorated with, of course, dragons.

It is clearly steel, very bright, and without the folding that the best steel swords have. The edge is very keen indeed, and the quality of the steel seems very regular throughout the blade, as with one that has been worked for a very long time to get rid of the impurities, though the folds that result from that process are absent.

Now Bruce lifts it, and he knows that his eyes show the same glint as Vincent's. The balance of this blade is unique, slightly different from any blade he has ever handled, and his trained body immediately tells him this is superior.

Taking a little space and careful of people and works of art, he moves it around, and that is the moment that Vincent observes to their host, 'I've felt free to invite a friend, for if we're to try these weapons it is best to have a real opponent. Do you have a space that is a bit higher, maybe?' 

Everyone looks up, Bruce as well, it is not that low a ceiling, but there are creations everywhere in this space. Vincent must be planning to go all-out on him, and that realization gives him a buzz of excitement, that is some time ago, with blades. Bruce knows he cannot beat Vincent anymore, not unarmed, and certainly not with a blade. 

But he also trusts his own skill to keep himself safe, though he is much less strong, and less skilled with a blade, Bruce is still at least as fast as his sparring partner, so he will give him some opposition. With these perfectly balanced swords, it will be a fight worth looking at.

Paul offers, 'We can use our living-room, it is very high. We'll move some furniture.' 

He is looking forward very much to watching a nice fight, that much is clear, his eyes sparkle and he even smiles.

As they walk up a flight of stairs, Adison observes, 'The boiler is working perfectly, Paul, and Lukas of course. And I am under orders of Victor to ask what one of those vehicles you used will cost him, bicycles he says they are called. You'll want one too, Vincent, it's a long way to St James', and it would pay itself back within six months. Wait until you see it.'

Bruce wonders what a bicycle is, they must be good business, for it clearly pleases their host that Adison and Victor want one really badly.

'You'll get the chance to try one later, most people do like it.'

By now they've reached his apartment, and all three of their hosts look expectant, so Bruce really wonders what it will be like, it cannot be that impressive in a house like this.

But as Paul opens the door and they file in onto a landing of cast iron instead of into a narrow hall as he expects, he realizes this living-room is two stories high. Not the perfect place to spar, that would be an old factory, not a living-room with wood panelling and valuable furniture, but better than Vincent's basement.

As he looks around, Bruce is stunned to find the place magnificent, everything is made to perfection, highly ornamented but in excellent taste, and of the best quality materials. But he has little patience for beauties, he wants to try this sword that lies in his hand as if it's grown there, he pleads all his gods to not have it fall apart after a few blows.

Their hosts are pushing the furniture to the lower ceilinged sides of the room, and Bruce reluctantly puts the sword down on a Persian rug, and joins Vincent in a warming up. No sense in straining a muscle for being too hasty to prepare well. 

After five minutes they feel they are warm enough, and the furniture is safe. They look around to form an image of how far they can extend their weapons, and Bruce how far he can jump without risking damage to the interior, he even eyes the Gothic chandelier, it wouldn't be polite to use it, but Bruce has to admit he is tempted.

Vincent takes the greeting stance, and Bruce mirrors it, also a mixture between English fencing and martial arts, of their own devising.

Without warning, Vincent lunges with his weapon, a lightning strike, but of course Bruce is way ahead of him, he used to be the best fighter in town after all. Avoiding a first strike to his weapon, he jumps backward, and he can see his spectators relish his unexpected move.

No more gawking at anything, Vincent is the target now, and if the swords fail, they will. Bruce strikes even faster, meeting a solid block, steel striking steel with a beautiful ringing sound.

Concentrated on his opponent, everything but Vincent disappears from his notice, he will need all his skills to prevent from being hit, and maybe, just maybe, to get a hit in himself.

The following exchange of blows is so incredibly fast that the fighters seem to blur, the swords striking one another time and time again, each strike narrowly missing the one it is aiming for.

Bruce suspects Vincent is pulling blows a little, he is at full speed and full skill, but he is so immensely strong that the hit Bruce just took on his sword would have left his sword-arm paralysed if it had been all-out.

He does not feel insulted by this, without protective clothing Vincent would be certain to hurt Bruce if he used all his force, no-one can fight the supernatural. But there is one thing in which he can still best Vincent every time, and that is acrobatics.

The next swing his way, Bruce evades with a backflip, reaching incredible heights, and Vincent closes with him with a similar jump. Swords clash, and Bruce reaches the stairs easily, with Vincent following, but lower.

A series of jumps leaves his taller and much heavier opponent fighting for breath, and after another half hour of intense fighting and jumping they greet and immediately check the swords for damage, Paul and Lukas closing in curiously.

There is none at all, not even a scratch, the blades are still keen enough to split a hair.

'That was great fun, Bruce,' Vincent observes, 'we should spar more often.'

That's easy for Vincent to say, he's not risking his very life crossing blades with a demon.

'I'm sure you think so, friend,' Bruce replies, 'but to me this is getting hard work. You're better than me, if this was for real I'd be a dead man. You're holding back.'

Vincent acknowledges it with a slight bow, as Bruce continues, 'I wonder if I can still beat you unarmed, I hope so, but I have little chance. I fear. Though every master wants one pupil to eclipse him, and you're mine.'

'Thank you, Bruce, praise from one's master is praise indeed,' Vincent says with the modesty of a student talking to his master.

Then he observes, 'This sword, it is unmatched. How was yours?'

Bruce wants to cry out that it is the best sword he's ever held and that he wants it at any cost, but if he admits that, it may drive up the price and he'll not be able to afford it. He doesn't make that much at the theatre, and some of that goes to his parents.

So he says, 'Outstanding, I've never held a better either, the balance is somehow different, and it is lighter than usual. You told me it is steel, craftsmaster, but it isn't folded, how did you make it so uniform of quality then?' 

Paul answers proudly, 'I've found a way to make steel in small quantities, and it has more regularity inside than the usual steel that blades are made of. It will keep the edge longer and it won't break.'

He is right to be proud of that, and Bruce can see that Vincent is impressed, but his friend observes, 'I can easily believe this steel is of a high quality, but the main question is, how did you know how to balance a sword so well? It's balanced just a tiny bit differently, I've never held a blade that suits my particular style of fencing so well.' 

Paul shares his trade-secret freely.

'I designed it together with a swordsman, also a smith, who uses a style much like yours.'

'Well, one thing is certain, and that is that I want this sword, and I want one for Victor as well.' 

'Well, you're not going to buy this one,' Bruce says, 'for this one is mine. I'm not letting go of it.'

Vincent thinks for a moment.

'All right then, what if I buy this one, and order one extra, slightly longer and slightly heavier, I'd like that even better, I think. How long would that take to make?'

After a slight pause, Paul replies, 'I guess I can have it ready in a week, unless you want specific ornamentation.'

Vincent shakes his head, and states, 'I would prefer to have it as unmarked as possible. I've had to leave a blade on the scene of a fight once, and I wouldn't want to lead anyone to your business with difficult questions.'

Paul doesn't even twitch, Bruce supposes he has had some dealings with trouble as well, and confirms, 'One week it is, then.'

'Done, I'll have this one and another one made to size. I'll pay what you ask, this sword is worth it.'

Vincent can afford any sword he likes, he has a better salary than Bruce, being the lead player, and Adison also has a fine career. But Bruce needs to consider his finances.

So he interjects, 'But I want to know how much it will set me back, I am not the lead player of the company, I've only a tiny salary.'

Paul's smile heartens him, apparently the craftsmaster knows he's going to like the price, and the amount he mentions is indeed almost ridiculously low for a steel sword of such beauty. Bruce cannot keep his relief from showing on his face, but now Vincent protests.

'That is way too cheap for such quality! I know Bruce has a family to keep, but I'm not going to let you murder your own business. You need to ask at least double that, that is the normal price for a sword of such pure steel.'

But Paul explains.

'We will make money on the swords, Vincent, don't worry. Besides, you have already brought me some good business, buying a boiler.

The doctor has given me a lot of good bronze at a very friendly price, and you have saved me the hire of a few strong men to take it inside.

Plus, I'm going to let you try a bicycle later, and you will want one, and those are a lot of work and they will cost you very, very dearly. So please take the swords for the price I ask. Throw in a set of free tickets to your show to relieve your conscience.'

Well, now Vincent doesn't seem to feel like a thief anymore, and he asks how many tickets the craftsmaster wants. They agree on a date for the tickets, and Paul promises faithfully to raise the price for his next swords to at least the usual.

But Bruce will have his sword for a price he can afford, because his friends have bought a boiler. And will they truly buy an expensive bicycle, whatever it is? He is starting to get curious about it, there are such unusual things in this beautiful house. 

Business concluded, they get a tour of the boiler system, starting in a tiny cellar with a large boiler that can be stoked. Adison sees the resemblance to their own new boiler, but theirs is heating their bathroom quite a lot and this room is downright cold, how can that be? She asks, and Paul admits to keeping the room cold with magic.

'But isn't that dangerous, keeping the heat trapped in the boiler, couldn't it get too hot and explode?'

Now he looks as if he is impressed with that insight, and he explains how the boiler has a vent that will prevent overpressure, getting rid of dangerous heat outside, in summer, or into the workshop in winter.

That sounds logical, in winter the heat is welcome in the workshop, where they spend a lot of their time.

They proceeded to the kitchen, admiring the beautifully ornamented boiler with the tap for hot water, then to the bathroom. Adison is very much impressed by its opulence, it has a larger bath even than their own, made of bronze and again, beautifully ornamented.

The walls are covered in mosaic, entire landscapes from what seems to be ancient Greece, complete with a naked and rather excited satyr, endowed with a sizeable man-part. Rather indecent, but very beautiful.

Adison doesn't mind the satyr, but Bruce seems a bit shocked, of course he is from an even more restrictive culture, and he may still be very inexperienced in these matters.

The bedroom is one floor up, beautiful but a lot more subtle than the rest of the house, muted whites with texture rather than ornamentation. It is heated by the pipe running through it, and that gives a very comfortable, odourless heat. Paul explains that in summer, he puts a spell on the piping to keep the heat in the pipes, saving fuel and keeping the room cooler.

Another stairs up is a shower, and the pipes are spelled to keep this floor cool, since it is not used at this moment. Though the initial cost of this heating system is substantial, it saves a lot on fuel but also on time, for one only needs to stoke the one boiler, and one furnace for cooking. Of course Adison thinks that if she ever learns to master magic, she will put spells on their own pipes as well, saving even more fuel.

Having seen everything there is to see inside, they go out into the street, and Melissa and Lukas demonstrate the bicycles. Bruce has never seen one, but he immediately sees the use of the contraption.

They all try one, and of course Vincent and Bruce manage right away, they are both athletes after all. Adison is having trouble, not because she is clumsy, but she is just a bit too small to use one of these bicycles easily. She does manage, though, with some help, and she really wants one. 

'It has given me total freedom,' Melissa says, 'I ride it all over town to inspection sites, even totally by myself.'

'Aren't you afraid to be waylaid?' Vincent asks, observing her very feminine figure on the bicycle, 'there are a lot of neighbourhoods where a lady on her own would be harassed even on foot.'

'I may not be a sword-fighter like you two, but I can defend myself quite readily,' Melissa simply answers.

'Let me guess,' Vincent says mildly, 'you use magic. Am I right?'

She nods.

'I can stun even you in an instant, and without sight you wouldn't see it coming.'

'But Adison would?' 

Melissa nods, and adds. 'You have talent, though your body is taking all the power, but you may have sight as well. We can help you test it, we'll show you some magic once we're back inside, not out in the open. There is much to tell you, if you want to be safe from magic-users, maybe too much, seeing how busy you are already.' 

Of course that is true, Adison has her days well-filled, and so have the others, but this is very important, so they will have to make time for it, it is not for fun, this is a matter of life and death.

When the bicycles are put back into the shed, they go back into the workshop, where Melissa demonstrates the fireball once more.

Vincent can see her use the magic, and so can Bruce. On Lukas' advice they look at each other, and they can see their talent, just as any enemy mage can see it.

After that, they drink coffee, with chocolates, a treat they have never thought of buying for themselves, but that will certainly change. Adison takes tea, of course, but she enjoys the chocolates nonetheless.

They talk magic for almost an hour, and arrange to exchange lessons, magic for fencing. Paul measures Vincent for his sword, a very exciting idea to her brand new husband, to have a really superior weapon.




Nature or Nurture Ch. 40-42



With their first appointment squeezed into their schedules, they harness the mule, and leave with their beautiful new swords, back through the whole city, to return the mule to Bruce's father. Catherine will be thrilled to see Lukas again, though what she sees in him is a complete mystery to Adison, he has hardly spoken a word to anyone today. Still, Catherine's a two year old, they probably like different things from adults.

Chapter 42

When they finally get home, Catherine is already napping, and Maud is totally in love with her little friend. 

'We've read poetry together, can you imagine that? I didn't read a letter besides scripts until I met Bruce, and I now I read poetry with a two year old.' 

Bruce will stay for dinner, too, and they talk about what they have seen with Victor and Mina, Vincent handing Victor his gift, the fabulous new sword. Victor is pleased with his beautiful new weapon, now he can match Mina's beautiful blade with one of his own. But there is one thing he wants more than anything else: a bicycle.

He does not blanch when he hears the price of a bicycle, for he expected something of the sort, he still wants one, and the others cannot but support that thought. An hour later they have dinner, with Catherine back among them, and the three actors leave for the theatre straight after.

Adison tells Catherine she will see Lukas again, and her eyes light up. Adison suspects he likes children, which is for the best for he will have a faithful attendant when he comes, that much is very clear.

Then exactly at that moment when Mina offers to accompany them to the theatre again, to return to Victor straight after, there is a lot of knocking on their door. Victor and Mina answer the door together, and see Mr Chandler standing behind it, out of breath and nearly in a panic, a tragic deja vu of half a year earlier.

'Please come see Brona, Victor, Miss Adison, she's really bad. I'm afraid she won't last the night, she's suffering so much.' 

He nearly collapses, and Mina supports him, he never even notices how strong she is, and how cold her skin feels.

Adison comes running with her bag, but she's very worried about Vincent.

'I need to go with you, but Vincent will worry if we don't show up. What can we do?'

Mina tries to calm her.

'Don't worry, you can choose: I can escort you to Mr Chandler's place, then go to the theatre to tell Vincent you will not be visiting, or I can escort you then take Catherine there.'

'Brona's bedside is no place for a toddler, my lady,' Mr Chandler protests, 'it's a cruel sight even to me, and I've seen my share of blood and suffering.'

Though Adison doesn't actually think so, the girl is very tough after all, they are pretending she is a toddler, and toddlers indeed don't belong at the sickbed of someone dying of consumption.

'Will you go to the theatre with Mina, Catherine?' Adison asks.

'Yes, mum, I will,' the little girl answers, 'and can't Mr Chandler protect the two of you as well as Mina can?'

That is certainly true, Mr Chandler knows what they are up against, and he shows them that he is armed, so they split up in two little groups, and leave in opposite directions.

Adison seems to have acquired a magic skill already, for she immediately notices something different in Mr Chandler. There seems to be a whiff of not being entirely human about him, he does not glow inside, this is different, a kind of tugging at her vision. Is this what Catherine noticed in Lukas? Adison saw nothing strange about him today, but maybe she wasn't looking at him much, being distracted by a lot of other things.

They walk fast and reach the dock-side pub where Mr Chandler lives reasonably quickly.

As they enter the room it becomes clear that Brona is really very bad. She is totally emaciated and very weak, something consumption does to its sufferers. If everything were just as it has always been, Adison would now accept that Brona's life is at its end. 

She is even worse than last time they were with her, but maybe there is still something she can do. Victor knows that Adison's magic is Brona's last chance to cling to life a little longer. He would not care to live that way himself, he would have let go of life much earlier, why suffer more only to avoid death? But of course that is a decision everybody has to make on his own, and Victor can't possibly imagine what it is like to be dying.

Since yesterday, Victor has been doubting his role in Vincent's resurrection. Until then, he always believed he had managed to conquer death, although the price had been incredibly high. But how could his process have tied a magic talent to Vincent's physical abilities? That is just not possible without interference of magic, of a spell, so to speak.

Victor is starting to think he has been used even more that he already knew, and that is not a pleasant thought. Something powerful, probably evil, has used him to resurrect a superbly strong body for it to use.

But, though one might think enhanced physical strength is an enormous advantage over a normal body, it is not a real advantage over being in possession of magic power in itself, Melissa has apparently told Vincent that she could incinerate anyone who threatened her whenever she liked, even Vincent himself.

Therefore one must conclude that if the enemy wanted to use Vincent's body, he would have had more use out of it with its magic abilities intact. And Vincent cannot remember using magic power to practise magic, but he can remember using blood magic. Apparently, that is a vile method of getting power that is only used by those who do not have any of their own.

The conclusion should therefore be that the person who wanted Vincent's body used a spell to help re-animate the corpse with Victor's process, but then made a mistake, indeed waking Vincent's magic talent but accidentally tying it to his physical body.

By now, Adison is done examining Brona, and she warns Mr Chandler.

'I'm sorry Ethan, there is not much I can do. I can try what I did last time, that did give her some more months of life, but were they worth it to her?'

Mr Chandler is sitting with his face in his hands, and he looks up and replies, 'Yes, they were worth it, we had some good times, we talked a lot, she found a little more peace with what her life had been. She was no longer afraid of what would come.

But to be honest, if you were to give her a few more months, I don't know if that would be the case again. She did suffer those last months, she was weak, couldn't eat much, and she coughed a lot, and that was very painful sometimes.

I couldn't face the thought of just letting her die with me sitting by the bed and doing nothing, but I think her body is used up, totally worn out. What do you think?'

Adison replies gravely, 'I think I will try to relieve her suffering, block any pain and lower her consciousness so she will not be heaving for every breath. Suppress her urge to cough, for coughing is torture. But you need to know that in doing what I propose, I put stress on her body that may cause her to die hours or even days earlier than she would otherwise. I don't want you to reproach me the loss of that time later. We can leave her like this, I don't think she is aware of much pain or shortness of breath.

What do you choose?'

'Please take away as much of her suffering as you can, you have given her months of acceptable life, and now she's at her end.'

Adison nods and prepares a mild sedative. Then she looks at Ethan until she feels his strangeness tug at her vision, and directs that same vision on Brona. She can see things moving under her skin, and strange colours, reds, and greens, and shapes. That is no help to Adison, she doesn't get any of it, what does it mean?

She decides to do this the way she did before, like a prayer for help. Instead of finding the cause of Brona's sickness, Adison tries to stroke the urge to cough away, she widens the passages of her lungs so her patient gets a little bit more air.

Her strange vision shows a little redder, and the flow speeds up a little, and suddenly Adison feels very tired, and she sags. Victor rushes to her side and supports her, and for some strange reason his scent reminds her of a long time ago, when they used to be intimate regularly. As she probes those memories, Brona wakes up a little, and asks for Ethan. He rushes to her side and lies next to her on the bed, really close to her to hear what she says.

She murmurs for some time, and he affirms, and again, then kisses her on her emaciated cheek and forehead. She manages to wrap her thin arms around him, and lies against him with what seems to be relish, and peace. Then her eyes close, and her breathing becomes a lot shallower.

Concerned for Adison, Victor checks on her colour and breathing, which is fine, she just seems very tired, but satisfied to sit with him at the side of the bed.

After five minutes, Adison nudges him to check Brona, and Victor leaves her side to do so.

The young woman's pulse is absent, and her breathing has stopped. It seems life has finally left her, and Victor says to Mr Chandler, 'I'm sorry Ethan, she has passed away.'

Mr Chandler does not cry and does not pull out his hair or tear his face, he merely observes, 'She went peacefully and in my arms, and what more can we mortals hope for than to not die alone and unloved?

Thank you, doctor, Miss Adison.

What is the custom now? Can I keep her tonight, and where will her body go? Are there conventions I need to observe?'

Victor replies, 'If you keep her here tonight, I will inform the proper authorities tomorrow, and then she will be taken to the morgue, and from there for burial, most likely outside town, inside town is very costly.

Will you be all right?'

'I will see you home safely, it is clear your lady did not like leaving you unescorted even tonight, and I will not be careless with your well-being.

And then I will spend one last night with Brona, attend to her burial, and move on with my life. I knew she was doomed from the start of our connection, I have had months to prepare for this moment. Do not fear for me. How much do I owe you for your visit?'

'Not a thing, Ethan,' Adison says, 'save your funds for a decent burial. She has had a hard life, and I choose to think that the fact that she has at least had some love at the end of it, makes up a little for her suffering.'

'Thank you,' he replies, 'I will see to a decent burial, we have enough cash for that.

Let us go then, whatever you did at the end, it gave her the strength to say goodbye, which will be a great comfort to me in the times ahead, but it seems that strength came from you, you need to rest.'

And Mr Chandler does indeed escort them home, where Victor helps Adison undress and takes her to bed, then sits on the bed with her.

'I have good memories of my time with both of you in this bed, Adison,' he says softly.

She smiles with true love and observes, 'I do, too, Victor. I miss our closeness sometimes, even though I'm very happy with Vincent.'

'I was such a bitter, lonely man, and you taught me what friendship is, and what love is. I cannot believe that is not even two years ago.'

'It is hard to believe, for me as well.' 

Adison has taken his hand, and it still feels the same as it did then.

'Does Vincent still have that wild, dominant side? Or did Catherine chase that off?'

Adison laughs at his suggestion.

'No, he's still there, and he's still very strong. I hadn't seen him for a while, but two nights ago he was here, dominant and all, but he stayed with me until he fell asleep for the first time, and for a while he was mild and very vulnerable, like the night he was born. He told me he loved me. I cried. He was so incredibly sweet.'

'I miss him, too. Maybe I was jealous of Mina wanting to meet that side of him because I wanted it myself, not because I wanted to claim her.'

'You know he still loves you, don't you? You can have his wild side any time you want, you know how to get it out. There is even hot water in the showers now.' 

Adison is very serious and she wants him to realize that.

'And I see you really wouldn't mind my doing just that, you're a way better person than I am, Adison.'

'That has nothing to do with being good or bad, Victor,' Adison says, 'I love you and I want you to be happy. If Mina hadn't come into your life, maybe we'd still be sleeping together.'

That is certainly true, thinking of how shy he was before Mina pulled him out of his shell, Victor is trying to see things a little more Adison's way. He isn't there, yet, somehow he still thinks in terms of monogamy and mating for life, he who has always prided himself on being above conventions. But in love he is very insecure, maybe that causes him to fall back on old-fashioned truisms.

One thing is certain, though, towards Adison he need never be shy or insecure, with her he can just be himself. He looks at her with loving eyes, and realizes she is not well, whatever she did with Brona took a lot out of her.

'Are you all right, love?' he asks.

'I don't feel so good, Victor,' she replies, 'I have a raging headache and I'm incredibly tired, but I can't sleep because of the pain.'

'Let me get you a painkiller,' he says concernedly, 'and then I'll spoil you a little until you can sleep.'

And he fetches a painkiller and a glass of water, helps her take the one with the other, then sits next to her, takes her in his arms and strokes her hair and her face until she finds her sleep.

And even then he doesn't get up to do something else, but he stays with her and lets all the things that have happened and the things they have discussed pass his mind once again.

Mina and Catherine have a really good time together, there is a real connection between the two of them. They watch people and make funny comments until the show begins, and then Catherine is totally taken in by the sight of her father on the stage. Let her enjoy it, Mina thinks, his next role will be a step up for Vincent, but Mina has read the script, and the play will be a lot less interesting for a little girl, and her dad's part in it much more modest.

She herself is looking forward very much to seeing Vincent in serious theatre, she expects him to do really well, even in a small part. From an upper-class family herself, she knows what they like, and Vincent is it, well-read, intelligent, soft-spoken and different. Especially different, they are always bored and anything different will help make their lives more interesting.

After the show, Catherine warns her that the cronies are there, the two girls who accompanied the woman who threw hot coffee on Catherine, most probably the new servants of the enemy. Now Mina sees them, too, they are heading for the meet and greet.

Vincent knows them, of course, and Bruce as well, no gain there, and they converse in much the same manner, admiring the men, trying to come on to them, but it seems they are not making much headway, their attempts at flirtation are not answered, and they have to leave to make way for the next admirers.

As the three of them walk home, Catherine says quietly, 'We're being followed, probably those cronies.'

Vincent gestures to walk on, but he does pick up Catherine to make sure she is safe. She pulls a face at him, and they both laugh, being used to danger sure makes a child take it in stride. But Mina doesn't expect these ladies to be packing, so there isn't that much to fear anyway.

The atmosphere around them tenses, as if someone is trying to scare them, but failing miserably, even Catherine is merely on her guard.

Finally they show themselves, but not as pretty ladies with indecently loose hair, but bald headed and totally unclad skinny shapes with grotesque scars all over their bodies, overtly referring to witch-craft, pentagrams and Celtic signs.

They look poised to attack, they must know Mina and Vincent are no mean opponents, why attack them openly? Looking at Vincent, Mina can see he is eager to take them on but unwilling let go of Catherine, and very much in control of himself.

The following moments must have been very funny to behold, for the naked cronies dance about them, as if they are trying to charm their victims into something. But what? Mina doesn't feel fear, or allure, she just sees a strange and frankly a bit ludicrous spectacle.

Noticing that their actions have no effect whatsoever, the two now start weaving their hands and muttering to themselves, and the time has come to act. Before Mina has a chance to do something, Vincent has one of them by the throat, Catherine still in his arms.

Mina does the same to the other one, effectively shutting down any chance of further muttering, for both ladies are having trouble breathing. 

At first they struggle, but soon they find out that doesn't work at all, and they take hold of the arm restraining their breath feebly, losing strength fast. They are much easier to inflict harm on looking like this, Mina would have serious trouble killing a human in cold blood, but these naked monsters have almost no humanity at all.

'Do you have a proposal what to do with these?' Vincent asks coolly, 'it feels a bit like an anticlimax, they're really very incompetent, it's almost pathetic. If we kill them, the enemy will only send stronger, more competent ones. I suggest we let their master deal with them, I don't want to give Catherine a bad example.'

'Maybe you can threaten them a little?' Catherine offers, 'to leave us alone?'

'They cannot, love,' her father says, 'they are in the service of something, and it will kill them if they don't bother us. Wait a minute, I suddenly see a use for these pitiable ladies after all. Let's take them somewhere quiet, Mina. Unless you want us to take them to Adison, have her try to take the possession off them?'

Somehow, that scares the girls immensely, and they cannot hide their fear from their scarred faces, making them less cold to look at.

Mina follows Vincent into a nearby alley, removed from the light, a place where most decent people would rather not go, especially not in the evening. A perfect place to get some sense out of these wretches. Vincent puts Catherine on the ground, with the order to stay really close, in case they have friends, which, sadly for them, does not seem the case.

Then he looks at Mina, who tells her monster, now rapidly turning into a scared girl, 'We will ask you some questions, and if you answer them truthfully, we will let you go without hurting you. We suggest you keep quiet to your superiors about whatever you spill to us, for his sort usually doesn't take kindly to failure.

Here's my first question: what are you? Are you mages?'

Loosening her grip a tiny bit, the creature first takes a deep breath, then hisses at her and spits.

Mina roughs her up a little, just a few slaps to show her she is really helpless. 

'You have no visible damage yet, so still a chance to escape with your lives,' she offers, 'if I have to force you to speak, you will show the results clearly in your face, and I guess you will not survive admitting to failure. Now, quickly, speak, or suffer, you know what I am!'

And Mina's voice is no longer friendly, but actually quite scary, and it sounds a bit different with her inches long fangs hindering her tongue just a tiny bit.

The girl still doubts, indeed looking more like a strange, frightened girl now than a fearsome creature, and Mina strikes, not in the throat, but in an unmarked part of her chest, very close to her tiny, scarred breasts. The girl smothers a cry of fear, the watch won't help a naked thing with blasphemous tattoos, and her face wavers between bliss and fear. Mina is messing with her mind, the person who sent these girls out has made a big mistake, they are not up to any resistance, they're just girls.




Nature or Nurture Ch. 40-42



Voice honeyed now, Mina has removed her fangs from the girl, and the trickle of blood running from one corner of her mouth belies her friendly expression.

'Sweet girl, we will not tell on you, just tell us a bit more about yourselves, and you can go lick your wound, it is still easy to hide.'

That is true, the puncture marks are small with just a trickle of blood finding its way down sluggishly. It's almost nothing.

The girl's face is a study in emotions. Part of her is in a rage, for having had the tables turned on her, part of her is fear, a large part, for even if she escapes this demon, there will still be the mistress to face. And part of her is lust, for she is not that far advanced in her arts that she can resist the temptation of a vampire's blissful bite.

Whoever sent her, likes her minions young and tractable, but now they've bit off more than they can chew. Mina knows the girl is close to breaking, and she kisses her on the mouth, fangs still out, letting the girl taste her own blood. Mina is not going to swallow it, she can feed on sweeter, untainted blood any time she likes. No, the girl can have her own blood back.

The taste of her own blood combined with the flash of heat the kiss gives her, breaks the girl. She begs, 'We're witches, we practise the dark arts, we obey our mistress Mrs Evelyn Poole, and her daughter Hecate.

They want the little girl, but they cannot take her, she has to come of her own free will. The mistress sent us to scare her, maim you, kill you, then offer the girl sanctuary.'

That is all a crony like her can be supposed to know, Mina is done.

She lifts the girl higher, and moves her face right close to her own, retracts her teeth to make a clear statement, then says, 'Did you truly not know what I am? I used to be his servant, too, but now I am free. I am stronger than your mistress. 

Next time we meet, you will die, and not in bliss but in agony. Do not tell your mistress, her punishment for your betrayal is death. Consider fleeing.'

Then she moves to the girl in Vincent's iron grip, and she bares her fangs again, and marks her, too, this one's face as fearful and as blissful as the other girl's. 

'Do not think you are safe because I broke your sister and not you. That was not your merit, it was her bad luck. 

You have failed, too, and will die for her betrayal if you tell your mistress. Better flee together. You are dead, too, if we find you spying or harassing any of our own. Fear us!'

And with that, she spits out any blood of theirs that still remains in her mouth, and both Vincent and herself throw the girls to the ground, who lie still for a heartbeat, coughing, then scramble to their feet and flee running.

Mina picks up Catherine and excuses herself to the little girl.

'I'm sorry you had to see my dark side, love, manipulation is the worst talent of a vampire, and I used to be one of the best. They may be back in force, my threats were noisy but empty.'

Catherine observes, 'You did it to protect me, Mina, and I am very glad you love me enough to do so at such a cost. Thank you very much, I can never repay you for your kindness.'

Then in a dry voice, 'Wow, you're good, they were at your feet. I admire you.'

Vincent now says quietly, 'Thank you so much, Mina, I could never have gotten so much information out of them. And you had mercy on them, which I probably wouldn't have had, though they will most likely die for their failure anyway. They seemed so young.' 

'I know, that's what makes it so hard, I was in that same spot, you see, scared and filled with regrets, but with no way out.' 

It is very clear that Mina still suffers from what she has done all those years, and this only adds to her list, even though she did it to protect Catherine. As they walk home, Catherine still in Mina's arms, her little arms wrapped around the blonde woman's neck to comfort her, Vincent puts an arm around Mina to cheer her up a little, let her know he accepts whatever she has done in her past.

And it does help to have their support, she knows she isn't exactly accountable for all the horrid things she did, but she remembers them as if she chose to do them.

Still, they know now what the enemy wants, and how he hopes to get it, and maybe those foolish girls will decide to flee. Killing them would have made their silence a certainty, but the wish to keep their abilities a secret until the next confrontation is not worth two relatively innocent lives to Mina, and she has not heard Vincent complain about letting them go. His arm feels nice around her, she actually feels relieved now that he knows her warm feelings for him, it hasn't changed anything between them, he still touches her in training, or like this, so it hasn't done any harm.

'Do you think mum saved that lady again?' Catherine asks.

Vincent shakes his head.

'It was a miracle she lived last time, Catherine, I'm afraid the lady will not have made it. But we can be sure mum did everything in her power to help her, for she always does. Maybe she is still awake when we come home, then we can ask her.'

But when they get home, Adison is sleeping very deeply, and interestingly enough, Victor is on the bed with her, still dressed but also fast asleep. And they are in each others arms.

'We had some really good times together, the three of us,' Vincent says softly, 'but of course Adison and I were always so close Victor did need someone of his own. And he couldn't have done better than you.'

Catherine is yawning, so Vincent helps her undress and she settles in her own little bed and, after a few night-kisses, falls asleep almost immediately.

'Do you want me to take Victor to our own bed?' Mina asks.

'I don't know,' Vincent observes, 'they look so cute together. I know Adison has missed her intimacy with Victor a lot. And with the practice they hardly see each other anymore. I'd say let them sleep together for a while, you're not going to sleep for a long time yet, are you?'

'I'm not, not for three hours at the very least.'

'Do you want to get drunk together, tell me about your years in the service of evil?'

'I'll have to take your blood, won't that be very tempting?' 

Mina is in doubt, but also quite hopeful to talk about the things she hasn't dared tell Victor.

'It will be, yes, and not just for you,' he admits, 'but I think you need to talk about your fears and regrets with someone, and it feels as if this is the time.'

'Let's do it then,' she says.



Nature or Nurture Ch. 43-44



Chapter 43

They sit at the kitchen table, not with a bottle of wine, that won't set Vincent drunk, his body burns the stuff off almost instantly. He is expertly downing a bottle of scotch instead, a present from an admirer.

'You have done that before, Vincent,' Mina observes as she sees him go through half a bottle in less than ten minutes. Starting to feel the first haze of drunkenness, Vincent realizes that she is right. In the life he remembers, he has never been drunk, and he certainly hasn't tried getting in that state as quickly as possible.

This is something this body has done before with such regularity that is has become ingrained, a habit that has survived the trauma of his resurrection. He now recognizes the symptoms of getting drunk, also not a new experience to this body.

'Prepare to meet Heathcliff tonight, Mina, my past seems to get closer to me as I start feeling the alcohol.'

'That can only be a good thing, Vincent, Heathcliff and me were colleagues, until I killed him that is, but I never felt the slightest attraction to him.' 

For some ten minutes more, they don't speak, as Vincent lets the contents of the whole bottle disappear. When he is done, Mina asks, 'And, does it suffice? I believe you have one more in the house?'

Vincent tries to think, but there is a distinct haze settling over his feelings and his thoughts, especially his thoughts seem to strand every time he wants to finish one. It is a familiar feeling to him, but somehow slightly different. Probably because he is not drinking to forget his own misery, but rather to bring someone else's to the front.

Watching Vincent's yellow eyes trying to focus on her, Mina gets a feeling the moment is here, and indeed Vincent says, 'It's enough, actually a bit too far already, I cannot think properly, I'm in the state I used to drink myself in to forget my troubles, not to help someone else bring hers out and listen to them.

But I suppose that is the best stage for you to feed, I suspect this body burns it away quite quickly, I'll be in the perfect mood soon.'

He hands his arm to Mina, feeling nice and fuzzy about everything, looking forward to sharing intimate thoughts with a good friend rather than to the exciting process of her feeding. But Mina is not yet drunk, and she finds the prospect of biting Vincent and tasting his blood once more very exciting.

'You can bite my neck if you want to,' he offers, seeing her excitement through his haze, 'I'm so drunk, I can't imagine it would turn me on too much. I'm bent on sharing this pleasant fuzziness with you, not on ravaging you.'

It is just too tempting, they're still at the kitchen table, and Vincent is lame with booze, he is not going to turn into the creature and make love to her roughly.

She walks around the table and sits on his lap, astride, and still he does not give a single hint of finding that exciting. His yellow eyes watch her, but there is no heat in them, just sincere concern, whatever lust he feels for her, it is now drowned in a whole bottle of scotch.

Allowing herself to feel some heat, she unbuttons the top of his smart shirt, until his throat is bared, and his collarbones, for she is not going to bite him where it shows. She wants to hold him and smell him as she feeds, but she doesn't want to all the world to see the proof.

Smelling his white skin, tasting it with decided heat now, she still doesn't feel the slightest reaction from him, he is insensibly drunk, and eager to share that state with her. She doesn't strike, but rather slides her canines into the base of his neck slowly, lovingly, anticipating the first taste of that heady blood.

He barely reacts to the slight sting of her teeth, but as she fills her mouth with his blood, her sucking causes him some passion after all, for he clutches her against him and groans in bliss. Even in a drunken haze he seems to feel that, that was not what they had in mind.

But his blood totally overcomes her, so hot, so strong, and now it is absolutely laden with spirits, her heat doesn't stand a chance, she just wants to go on drinking it forever. 

Vincent cannot protect himself from being sucked dry anymore, he is dead drunk and in absolute bliss, he'll let himself be drained and enjoy it.

And Mina is getting drunk as well, a feeling she hasn't known for years, on top of the enticing taste of Vincent's mind-turning blood, she's losing it, she cannot stop. Not at first that is, and for who knows how long she clings to her friend's chest and sucks his blood from two tiny holes in his solid neck.

Fortunately the habit of taking a limited amount of blood is already strong with her, and the alcohol cannot cause her to sink into a stupor when the blood itself is so stimulating. She has a flash of insight and quickly releases her dear friend, carefully licking the bite marks until they stop bleeding, not wanting to ruin his shirt by letting it get stained with blood.

Then reality hits her through her spirits-induced daze, and her head clears instantly, Vincent may be dead or dying, she may have taken more blood than he can spare. His arms still clutch her, and she wants to rest her head against his chest, but not yet, first she needs to check whether she hasn't inadvertently drained him beyond his capacity, he may be dying.

Looking up, she sees his white face, that's his usual colour, not lack of blood, but his eyes are closed and he seems unconscious at least. His pulse, she needs to check his pulse, and two fingers in his neck confirm he is at least still alive. Thank goodness!

As she sits up, still straddling him, she can feel him start to move beneath her, he's waking up a little, obviously excited, though she most certainly isn't anymore, she doesn't even feel the effect of the spirits anymore, why wasn't she more careful with Vincent's life? Feeding on a drunk person is dangerous!

Two strong arms pull her in once more, but she's back to reality, and she takes his smooth jaws in a firm grip.

'Are you all right, Vincent?'

His eyes, a fiery yellow, there is passion in them but it's still Vincent, not the beast as far as she can tell, and they still have trouble focussing as he replies giddily, 'Never better, I feel very, very good. A bit heated, though, can I have a kiss?'

She is so glad he is all right, though not very bright, but that is to be expected when he's dead drunk, that she gives him what he asks for, and still holding his jaws she kisses him deeply, until he lets go and asks demurely, 'Can you pull back the fangs? They're quite sharp.'

Right. Apparently the spirits still have a chance, if she forgot to pull back the canines, that has never happened before. 

They finish that kiss, there is heat in it, but Mina doesn't have the urge to ravage him, she's way too drunk for that anyway, and they soon break it off and just sit together.

'I'm still incredibly drunk, Mina, everything is spinning, I'm afraid I'll fall off this chair. Can we sit somewhere more comfortable? Did it work for you?'

Feeling a bit guilty over his dizziness, afraid it is her fault, Mina manages to get Vincent to her own bed, where she sits next to him and answers his question.

'I don't know yet, Vincent, I couldn't stop sucking, the alcohol took my will, and yours, you may just be weak with blood-loss. Will you please talk to me, see if you are all right?'

'I'm just drunk, Mina, and a bit too heated. I'm quiet because I'm working very hard to keep the beast down, he's rather insistent. Maybe the bed wasn't the best place to move to, believe me I'm not feeling weak at all, don't touch the scar on my face or you'll be facing him. I have no doubt you can handle him, but I'll be suffering the pain tomorrow, and Victor's challenge, and he's already got his new sword.

And I would hate to have you look at me as an attacker.'

That last sounds really sweet, no sign of the beast there. It is difficult not to touch him, part of her wants to so badly, but she is actually quite sure their time will come, and it is not now, not befuddled with alcohol, his blood already coursing through her veins.

So she addresses the beast directly, though his connection to the real world, Vincent's eyes.

'Be patient, wild one,' she tells those yellow orbs, 'our time will come, but there will be no spirits between us, and both our partners will know about it and approve. I want you as much as you might want me.'

And to Vincent himself.

'And don't think I'm coming at him through you, if it turns out to be you that time in the future, I will be just as pleased.'

'We're one and the same, Mina,' Vincent observes, 'he lives what I live, and vice versa. How are you feeling now?'

'Exactly in the right mood, actually,' she replies, 'giddy, drunk, and very ready to spill my guts to anyone willing to hear me out.'

'Same here,' he replies, 'I'm no longer hazy or befuddled, just very right with the world and ready to hear everything you want to share.' 

By now, they can hold each other without danger, and Vincent asks, 'Did you just say you were scared and filled with regrets when you were in his service?'

'Whenever I was not hunting, all the time,' she replies, 'weren't you?'

Vincent shakes his head.

'As far as I remember, no, I wasn't scared, I was incredibly angry, suffused with rage. Or with lust, that one time I dreamt of having perverse sex with Cathy. I even felt a very strong possessive yearning for her that I was convinced was love. I hadn't a clue what love was, then.'

'I'm just starting to get to know it, my parent's didn't love one another, not that I ever saw, and my father certainly didn't love Peter and me. My mother may have loved us, but not as I have come to know love here, Victor's, yours and Adison's, and Catherine's.'

'But you loved your brother, didn't you? And he loved you? Catherine mentioned he told you stories.'

'Yes, I always knew that kind of love, you're right, but once I became a vampire it lost all its meaning. When I was hunting, I felt hunger and lust and satisfaction. When I was in the presence of the master I felt fear, and when I was alone I sometimes felt regret for what I did, but had I refused I would have been severely punished, despite being non-expendable. The master had ways of punishing that hurt a lot but didn't show at all.'

That memory is painful, and the booze enables Mina to finally talk about the pain and the humiliation she suffered despite being a cruel, pitiless predator, and once she cries, it becomes easier to tell Vincent more and more of her inner pain.

How she found out that her brother had died in Africa, her own hurt put aside to comfort her mother, but also how she remembered into the smallest detail the people she had devoured, pregnant women, vulnerable young men, children of all ages, begging her for mercy, or accepting their fate in stunned silence.

'At such a time I didn't feel a thing, I played with them like a cat plays with its food, I was a beast, without conscience, and a predator, for I killed more than I needed to survive, I liked killing for its own sake, for the chase, the excitement.

But now I remember their faces, their desperation, the lives I stole from them, there were so many, Vincent, so many.'

It is so good to finally let it out, and to someone who has felt the rage and the madness himself, who knows he has done despicable things, and has had to accept that knowledge.

To Vincent it also feels very good to be drunk with Mina, she is clearly very comfortable with him after having shared so many of her darkest memories and thoughts. He kisses her again and asks, 'How does it feel to have my blood in your veins, combined with a load of spirits?'

Mina smiles.

'To spill my heart's contents, perfect.'

Then she elaborates.

'To have a huge trip, less perfect, the spirits counteract the effect of your blood, dampening the high, and your blood counteracts the spirits. Frankly I think it's a waste of your blood, the high is so much better pure, and it is incredibly dangerous to feed this way, for the spirits took my self-control and I nearly forgot to stop. You could have died.'

This thought upsets her, another effect of the booze of course, usually Mina is very stable. But comfort is near in Vincent's arms.

'So next time you want to get drunk we get Victor to drink a bottle of wine? Saves on the booze, and he's great fun when he's drunk, he gets very affectionate.'

'He does?' Mina is pleased to hear this, and Vincent adds, 'Just set an alarm on, how much is safe for Victor, five minutes?'

'He'll survive five minutes, easily. I may do that some day. Or I may ask you to keep an eye on the clock for us.'

'Which of course I would be happy to do for you.'

The effect of the booze now starts to wear a little thin in Vincent, which is not a problem for they did what he thought Mina needed, give her a chance to unload some of her past. But it makes holding her this intimately a bit too enticing, and he tries to put a little more distance between the two of them.

At the same time, the spirits also fade from Mina's system, but the effect on her is totally opposite, for now she experiences the usual high that Vincent's blood gives her, a high that may last for hours. And she finds out how much of his blood she has had, for this is the strongest rush she has had so far, and it is making her very heated and eager to make love.

When Vincent tries to remove himself from behind her, her body protests hugely, she wants him closer, not further away, she wants him to dominate her, to unleash his inner beast on her, right now. 

Realizing what is happening, Vincent feels trapped, had he known how fast the spirits would leave his blood, or how much of his blood she'd had, he would have preferred to stay in the kitchen.

He really wants things to happen between them, but his best friend doesn't, so it is not going to, but he doesn't want to be coarse or mean to a woman he really likes either.

And that proves to be his undoing, for this is one strong lady, and she is on top of him in a second, and still he doesn't resist, how can he, that would be humiliating to her. Maybe he can still get away with a few kisses, he has no problem with that.

Mina is now totally out of her mind on his blood, he should be feeling weak having given her so much of it, but he isn't, his can feel his own excitement rising, this is very heady, such strength, such fervour. Still not resisting, but thinking feverishly of a way to refrain from hurting his friend by sleeping with his girl, Vincent's mind is not doing its job. He can only think of using force, and that is not acceptable, besides, his own feelings do not cooperate, he's just a man, and he has allowed himself all kinds of freedom with Mina these last few hours.

She kisses him now, and he kisses back, that is not the way to stop this, her hands in his hair, she is not going to...

She is.

The last thing Vincent has any influence over himself, is his hand trying to stop Mina from touching the scar on his right temple, but she is much quicker, and she lovingly traces it from front to back, and around, and around.

The creature takes over, and all Vincent can do is watch and hope this doesn't end in a drama. Whenever he tries to control this side of him as he has done all night, if it does escape, there is no stopping it. Victor is going to be devastated, and Vincent will not be able to enjoy this moment because of that, he has wanted this since the night Mina saved him after being shot, but not like this.

Strangely, Mina is not happy with the situation either, it's like assaulting a beloved friend, and not being able to stop it. She can feel him respond, but his heart is not in it, and her control is totally undermined by a huge overdose of Vincent's blood.

She doesn't want this, she wants him to want it, too, and making love with his blood already inside her is like a day after the fair, she wants to ride him as she bites him, and only then release the creature.

But her own creature is on the loose now, she is only now learning how strong Vincent's blood really is when she is not recovering from a serious wound, all the energy going towards her passion, setting her on fire, she'll be wiser from now on.

Meanwhile, she has Vincent under her, returning her kiss though obviously not happy about it. Mina knows exactly how to release the creature, and as she runs her hands through his hair he realizes she knows. The thing in control of her, her lust?, ignores his dismay, this is so unfair, he'll hate her for it.

At least her hand is tender, not just efficient. Her fingers trace the large scar lovingly, following the curves from front to back. What is going to happen now?

As Vincent's body is taken over by his violent side, Mina notices he no longer checks his strength, she is lifted bodily, and deposited on the bed, not roughly, but with great determination. Having gotten what it wanted, the thing riding her is quiet, but taking back control is no use, she's in stronger hands now.

The creature sits on top of her, as she was on top of his mild side moments ago. He is very heavy, and she cannot move a muscle, quite a pleasant experience actually, for she does not fear him, she wants him, it's just that Vincent objects to this.

He even looks different, his presence is overpowering, and not as Heathcliff's was, Heathcliff was all rage and he inspired fear, this man is in charge, and totally self-confident, Mina can understand why Adison loves him so.

Now she is being kissed passionately, he seems a lot more tender than Vincent has described him, this is no beast, and no monster. But he is immensely strong, and very overwhelming, and she gives herself up to the demands of her body, if she is going to get it rough, she will enjoy it, for it will not happen again, her chances at ever doing this with Vincent's support will be gone.

After the kiss she expects him to rip off their clothes, but nothing of the sort happens. The intense yellow gaze fixates her, an elegant hand holds her her cheek and the huskiest voice ever says, 'That is as far as we'll go, you just told me we'd wait until we had consent of both our partners as well as a lack of spirits between us. I'll be waiting for you, my life belongs to Adison, but I'm looking forward to a bit of fireworks. Mind you give a little more spice than this!'

And Vincent is back.

'What just happened?' he seems totally confused.

Mina is already pleading forgiveness.

'I'm so sorry, Vincent, I don't know what came over me. I watched it happen, but something just took over. I'm so glad your violent side was totally self-controlled. He told me this was not what we had agreed upon. Did you hear that? Will you ever find it in you to forgive me?'

'I remember now, things got out of hand. How much of my blood did you get to lose control so badly? I don't feel any different. Of course I'll forgive you, Mina, look what you've given me: apparently my violent side has more self-control than I have. That knowledge is the best gift anyone has ever given me.'

'He said his life belongs to Adison,' Mina is truly affected, she can still hear that husky voice say those moving words.

Vincent nods, and says, voice audibly affected now.

'It does. Ever since she accepted me when I was all alone and in such agony, my life and my heart have been hers.'

He softens that statement by adding, 'It helps that we found out later we truly like one another.'

'Oh Vincent, I'm so very sorry for what I did! I hope I can still face you tomorrow, I'm so ashamed. To lose control like that.'

'Don't beat yourself up over it, Mina. You're only just getting to know yourself, and you're doing really well. Look at me, I've apparently wronged myself for nearly two years, thinking I was still capable of violence, and now I find out I was wrong all this time. Adison did tell me he was sweet, she has loved him from the start.




Nature or Nurture Ch. 43-44



Let's just sit here a little longer, and prove to each other we can control ourselves as well, then start over tomorrow.'

And that is what they do, sit together for half an hour, coming to terms with what happened between them, and then Mina lovingly lifts Victor to their own bed and joins him, and Vincent nestles himself against Adison, still a bit dazed that his violent self was so true to his own wishes and principles. Why does it still feel as if that part of him takes over sometimes? If they have so much in common they are one and the same, aren't they?

The last thing he realizes before he falls asleep, is how he expected to experience more of Heathcliff's memories under the influence of the booze, but that didn't happen at all.

It doesn't seem as if the booze has lost its potency, he still feels dazed and the world seems to be spinning just a little bit. He must be crazy to take such a risk, sitting by himself in a stall in this filthy, cramped pub, slowly losing awareness of everything around him.

There must be at least four hits out on him, and still he feels free to drink himself into insensibility in public. Well, who cares anyway, least of all himself, Cathy's dead, the devil knows he never cared about anyone else, nor did anyone else ever care for him.

The absence of rage confuses Vincent at first, this is not a dream spawned by his weird drunken night with Mina, this is a flashback, he's Heathcliff, drinking himself into a stupor to stop feeling, anything, actually. Possibly permanently if his enemies fall on him in this state.

This is not the first time he feels sorry for his predecessor, with such a life, who can fault him being angry all the time? It brings home to him how fortunate he has been that Adison found him, what would his life have been without her?

Still drinking steadily, level in the bottle on the table in front of him lowering, he loses ever more consciousness, uncaring and nearly in the depths of despair.

Chapter 44

A touch on his shoulder gives a flash of alarm, but the haze soon takes over again, to die here would be a blessing, anything else is not interesting.

The owner of the hand is now sitting next to him, still touching his shoulder, trying to catch his attention. Looking up, the haze clears enough for him to recognize Mina, pretty girl, looks a little like Catherine but less beautiful of course, besides, she's a vampire, a bloodsucker, let her drain him now, it'd serve her well, getting blinding drunk.

Taking hold of his rough stubbled jaws, she's strong!, she looks into his eyes, and the haze clears a little more, annoyance trying to take hold of him at being disturbed, but failing miserably, too much booze, he really doesn't care anymore. 

'Go 'way,' he mumbles at her.

She does not, and she keeps her hold on his face, lips moving, shaping words.

'What are you doing, Heathcliff, are you mad, sitting here, drunk out of your wits? I saw at least three people who want you dead in this pub alone.'

'D'n care, let them, be a blessing.' 

Another glass of unidentifiable booze burns his throat on its way down.

'Want to talk about it?' 

Did Mina ask that? Her lips are still moving, her eyes show concern. She's a vampire for gods sake, vampires don't care about anything, certainly not a tough old guy like himself. They like their meat young and tender, and scared, Heathcliff suspects, fear adds a certain flavour probably.

'Ab't what?'

'Whatever has taken your rage and set you drinking like this, Heathcliff.' 

She has let go of his jaw, too bad really, it wasn't at all bad having a woman touch him, even is she is a bloody vampire.

'What d'ye care, Mina? I'm old and tough, eat a nice baby and leave me alone.'

She will not give up, she takes his bottle and his arm, she really is strong, and she manhandles him out of there. 

'I know a place where you can finish this in relative safety.'

He doesn't resist, he doesn't care at all, and in a daze he stumbles where she leads him, through alleys and across a weed-choked field, into a sort of building.

The fresh air has revived him a little, and he looks around, he hasn't clue where he is, it's a derelict building, must have been a nice house once, boarded window holes now, broken door. Up a stairs, a little room with a bed, windows carefully boarded, this must be where she hides by day.

A tiny part of his mind observes that living in a dump like this is pitiful and very risky for a creature that will burn if sunlight touches her.

She sits him down on the bed, and returns his bottle. He offers it straight back.

'You want some?' 

'Thanks for the offer, but it won't help me forget. If it's not human blood it has no use for me.'

A question wells up in him.

'If you bite a drunk, will that work?'

'Frankly, I have no idea. I envy you the chance to forget.'

'Try. Bite me.' 

This stage of intoxication always makes him reckless, if she hadn't brought him here he'd be looking for a fight right now, or already lie bleeding in a gutter most likely. What would it be like to be bitten by a vampire? Would she drain him to death?

She's tempted, he can see that even through a haze of intoxication. She must have seen a few shocking things, she seems rather young, small wonder she wants a chance to get blinding drunk, even if it means biting an older guy.

'It's not as you might think. Not painful. It will make you feel...' 

She's looking for a word to describe what it feels like to have a vampire suck your blood, maybe 'dead' will do?

'Blissful,' she says.

Yeah right. Time for another tug on the bottle. He drinks half of what is left in the bottle in one go.

'Better do it then. I can use some bliss right now.'

She knows he is being sarcastic, but she really wants the release of alcohol, and she'll have it, bliss and all. He drains the bottle, lets it fall to the floor-boards, then lies back on the bed, exposing his throat fearlessly.

Oh my, does she look eager now, and guilty. She feels she is using him.

'Don't hesitate, little girl,' he taunts her, 'maybe 't will put some heart in you.'

Slowly, she straddles him, hesitantly, as if she finds him slightly repulsive, a lot of women fear him, his inner rage, his swarthy gypsy look, but when all's said and done, most find him appealing somehow. This girl, this vampire, is apparently the exception. He doesn't care, either she bites him or not.

She bends over him now, unbuttoning his collar a little, getting it out of the way, she's afraid to spoil it? It is expensive, but of what use will a collar be to a dead man? She's going to kill him, isn't she?

Now he feels her upper body rest on his, her breasts touching his chest, her lower body straddling him exactly where he feels it most. Quite enticing actually, even in his drunken haze, what a way to go.

She certainly takes her time with a willing victim, nuzzling his neck, licking it, finding the right spot to strike? Now she gets up, distracted for a moment, she picks up a cloth and sits back on his, well, something he hasn't used in a long time, which now gets all kinds of weird ideas, none of them involving dying of blood loss.

Losing himself in an intoxicated haze as those last two tugs of the bottle really hit him, his long neglected male part forgotten, he seems to see her tie her right arm to the bed-post with the cloth.

What in the world could be the use of that?

She's back in his neck now, he'd swear she is smelling him, that cannot be too pleasant, since Cathy passed away he has been letting himself go, not altogether, but he's not the perfectly groomed fellow he used to be.

Someone's getting ideas again, it is incredibly hot to be straddled by a beautiful young woman, despite knowing she'll start killing you any moment now, or maybe because of it.

A sharp sting in his neck proclaims his approaching demise, and he tries to regret the loss of his life, failing of course, when she actually starts sucking his blood.

The bliss is too large for his befuddled mind to contain, he is totally overwhelmed for a few seconds, until he feels his long suppressed urges stirring to life with a vengeance. He is not able to do anything, the ecstasy of her sucking takes his will away, he lets her take his life's blood in the throes of bliss. 

She will kill him, but he will die in ecstasy, a feeling he had not expected to ever experience again. The world starts to spin again, she's still sucking his vein, so good, she must never stop, he wants to leave this life in everlasting exhilaration.

But then she's licking his neck, no, don't stop, not yet, it was so good, please let her bite him again, make him feel passion again. Before he can voice his protest, she has released her hand from the bond and both her hands are in his hair and she is kissing him, the taste of his own blood in his mouth, his erection now throbbing in his pants, fire in his entire body.

She's already undoing his buttons, shirt and trousers both, and he does the same to her dress.

Within minutes he has her dress and corset removed, and she has him out of his trousers and shirt. The lust that her sucking caused him is still burning hotly, breaking through his drunken haze, and he fondles her breasts, and wants her to kiss him once more.

Which she does, at the same time that she guides his erection inside her and starts to ride him.

His feelings explode.

It has been so long, he hasn't felt lust or made love since Catherine died, pretty close to a year ago. Rage and steady drinking have destroyed his urges, but this young vampire has brought them back as strong as they've ever been.

They make love roughly but honestly, no causing of hurts or demeaning actions, just plain mutual lust. She is immensely strong and lets him feel it, but she allows him his moment on top, rutting and panting, until they are both released from the lust her feeding built up.

Then they lie in the other's arms for a while, and feel their intoxication return, Mina truly far gone into forgetfulness as well, apparently feeding on a drunk does work. When the intoxicated haze starts to wane a little for both of them and they enter that pleasant stage where they can talk once more but don't feel their hurts, yet, they do just that, talk about their lives and what makes them miserable. They even manage to spill a few tears, and feel a little better afterwards.

Then Mina warns him that dawn is near, and that she will fall into a coma until sunset, and he kisses her meaningfully, somehow knowing this was just for this one, fabulous time.

Vincent knows this was probably just before Mina got the order to lead Heathcliff to his doom, and the tragedy of it all makes him feel for her once more. Of course this is no longer her life, nor his, but whereas he didn't remember a thing of this encounter, she knew all the time, yesterday evening must have been very painful to her in itself, a reminder of how she gave a doomed man one night of forgetfulness and passion.

They will repeat that night, Vincent is determined they will, without the bitter aftertaste this time, and without the bond that saved Heathcliff's life by pulling Mina out of her feeding frenzy. Heathcliff might be the first person whose life she ever spared.

Vincent will give her all the passion and yes, even the violence, she wants. But first he will be by her side when she wakes up today, and tell her about his flashback, to talk about the connection they had just once in their former lives.

Still a bit overcome by this flashback of an intense moment of passion between Mina and his predecessor, he gathers Adison's warm sleeping body and clutches it against his own, again needful of her touch to remind himself he is Vincent, happily married and a successful actor, and not Heathcliff, loveless and friendless, though they are inextricably linked by the second love in his life, Heathcliff's daughter Catherine.

Of course his need wakes Adison, she has felt that touch before, and always when her beloved has had a powerful flashback, and she opens her eyes, still a bit sleepy, and strokes him until he relaxes against her. Then she waits until he is ready to speak. 

He tells her everything that has happened last night, more than a little bit embarrassed, but he wants her to know about his other side, that he took control of a situation that left Vincent speechless and unable to act.

Adison is very understanding, she really doesn't reproach Vincent nor Mina anything, she applauds him offering her the opportunity to unload herself, and sees the rest as side-effects. Then Vincent tells her about the flashback, and that truly shocks her, to hear that Mina has been so intimate with Heathcliff, and has never mentioned it to her friends. Was she afraid to be judged? Or was it too painful to mention? Vincent is certain to find out, when confronted with his remembrance she will probably tell him why she didn't tell him before, not even when they were both totally inebriated.

Of course their talking wakes Catherine, and she comes over to their bed and asks immediately how Adison's emergency ended.

'I couldn't save her,' Adison tells her, 'she was totally wasted, there was nothing left of her body to hold her life.

I tried magic, and I saw something, but I just didn't get it, it was things flowing around, and colours. Maybe Lukas can tell me more, he is supposed to be a healer. So I decided to do it as I did it the time before, just offering a plea to fortune, and she woke up enough to say goodbye to Ethan, and then she died, peacefully. Victor promised to handle the follow-up, send someone from the morgue.

It was heart-rending, consumption is such a heartbreaking disease, young people wasting away, with nothing that can be done, so tragic.'

'I'm sorry you couldn't save her, mum,' Catherine truly comforts Adison, holding her, and giving her sweet little kisses. 

'Afterwards, I was incredibly tired, and I got a raging headache. Victor had to help me get undressed and he brought me painkillers and stayed with me for some time, I don't know how long, I fell asleep.'

'Do you think the healing caused you to feel tired?' Vincent asks.

Adison replies, 'Ethan certainly thought so. Maybe it is the price one pays for using magic.'

'Victor was still with you when we got home, asleep with you in his arms. You looked cute together, Mina took him with her when she went to sleep. It reminded me of the old days, when we shared this bed with him. I told Mina that wine makes him really affectionate, maybe she can try that some day.'

'Did you tell mum about the little witches?' Catherine asks Vincent.

That cannot be true. The enemy tried to take his daughter and he totally forgot. The people he sent may have been totally incompetent the last two times, but that doesn't mean there isn't any danger. If Adison had been there instead of Mina, Vincent would have had to kill at least one of those girls, and in the time that took him, Adison could have been overcome and Catherine taken.

'You forgot?' Catherine asks in an absolutely unbelieving voice. 'Something profound must have happened in the meantime, and I slept right through it.'

Despite his great shame, Vincent feels laughter pushing his self-control, and he cannot help grinning at his daughter.

'I'll have you know I slept right through it as well,' he replies, 'it was a flashback of my life as Heathcliff, and you are right, it was profound.

But not as profound as two little witches attacking you, Mina and me each taking one by the throat, Mina messing with their minds, and them spilling their guts about who sent them with name and surname. I'm sorry Catherine.'

Vincent is proud of himself, making an excuse, summarizing what happened to Adison, and distracting Catherine from his flashback in one go. He really means his apology, but he doesn't fault himself for getting distracted by what happened afterwards.

And Catherine immediately understands that whatever her dad experienced, he doesn't want to talk about it with his daughter, and she has to respect that. So she climb in his lap and wraps her little arms around him.

'No problem, dad, Adison knows now, and we can discuss what to do about it later. Now you can hug me.'

After breakfast, Victor leaves, to report Brona's death to the authorities and have her body taken to the morgue. Adison opens the practice for a busy day of seeing patients, and Catherine helps her dad practise his lines.

When Victor returns, they all have lunch together, and he tells them how Ethan felt rather lost now in London, his reason for staying gone. Victor plans to visit Miss Yves in the afternoon, to tell her that her friend may need her, though he doubts Ethan will want to receive anyone in that dingy room. Catherine plans to read in the library, and Vincent heads for Victor and Mina's bedroom, to wait for Mina to wake up. He is nervous, after what happened yesterday this may be unwelcome to her, but he needs to know why she never told him.

She is still deep in a coma, and when he strokes her face it is cold and unresponsive. He wonders at Victor finding sleep against such a cold body, but of course he always turns in first, all alone, warming her in the middle of the night.

And in the mornings, when he wants to lie against her, she will have taken on his temperature, though she will never warm his friend as Adison warms Vincent. Still, within his own household Victor finds plenty of warmth, and Mina certainly makes up for the coldness of her body by the heat of her passion and of her love.

The body beside him is stirring now, she looks just like a normal person awakening, except that she still has some habits ingrained in people living in constant danger, for she suddenly sits up, wide awake and alert, ready for action. Vincent now knows where she got that habit, he has seen where she used to live, a shocking difference to where he used to live.

She may be surprised to find him here, waiting for her, but she is not displeased, for a smile lights her face and she holds out her hand. He takes it, still a bit shaken by the very real experience of his flashback, and it is clear she can see it from his expression. Damn his actor's face, he can control it up to the tiniest muscle, but forget that and it bares his very soul to the world. Or at least to anyone intimate with him.

'Something made a devastating impression on you, and it is connected to me. I hope it's not last night, I thought we were going to do that all over again?'

If he remembers, he can control his voice as perfectly.

'And we will, love, it's not that. I had a flashback last night, and it was rather profound.

I was in a pub, a year after Cathy's death, drinking myself into a stupor all alone, and just before I keeled over, probably never to wake up again for having been murdered by an enemy or a hitman, you took me to your hideout.

We did the same as last night, you fed on me to get drunk, but we didn't control ourselves, we made love ferociously. Then we talked, and we parted.'

Mina bows her head in acknowledgement of what he says, she remembers, it happened, it was indeed not a dream but a flashback, but she does not speak.

'Why didn't you ever tell me we had been intimate, Mina? It explains so much, the attraction we felt, it's a remnant from our past.'

Now he does get a reaction.

'It isn't, Vincent, truly not. You really weren't attractive to me then, your rage, your dominance, they repulsed me, even then I already preferred shy men, controlled, educated. Heathcliff was neither, well, he may have been educated but I never noticed. 

That night was pure circumstance, the master ordered me to keep him safe, so I just took him to the safest place I knew. Foolish, to give away my safe-house to a guy like him.




Nature or Nurture Ch. 43-44



I had never seen him that way, vulnerable, human, Vincent, he had never been a human to me. And when he offered to get me drunk, help me forget, I was tempted, though I'd never fed on someone and not killed him.

Against all odds, we had a wonderful night. Not even a week later the master ordered me to set him up to be killed. I was devastated, I had seen his humanity, he had become a person to me, and now I had to kill him. I couldn't refuse, I was programmed to obey, but it broke my heart. Not because I loved him, but because I now knew that the raging beast was as sad and lonely as I was.

My attraction to you cannot be compared to the pity I felt for him that night, I love and admire you, you saved me from the Master, you are well-read, a superb actor, a devoted lover, a man with higher feelings. I never went for the swarthy look either.'

That sounds true to Vincent, she did not feel attracted to Heathcliff, it was the booze and the feeding that led to loving.

'And your attraction to me is certainly not that old, I'd swear you first felt it when I saved your life and you saved mine, a natural situation to create a bond, especially with blood being exchanged. I still feel yours throughout my body, I can't help feeling love for you when you are everywhere in me.

It's something I need to contemplate, for how can I be sure I love Victor? It may be his blood inside me that makes me feel love for him. Am I capable of love at all?'

That is an easy one, and Vincent replies with conviction.

'Yes, you are.'

'How can you be sure, Vincent, what if it's all connected to blood and food?'

He smiles ingratiatingly and assures her, 'It's not, Mina, you love Catherine, don't you? And Adison?'

'I do, I certainly do, both of them. And I loved Victor even when he couldn't feed me, when you were singing in my veins day and night.' 

Mina looks relieved, but Vincent is not going to let her off the hook, making up weird proverbs.

'If you heard me singing even one song, let alone a day and a night, you would not love me now. You'd still be running.'

That breaks the tension, for Mina is truly afraid of not being able to love unconditionally.

'Mina, I can accept the thought that blood and food make you feel lust for someone, and I agree that it is probably where your wish to make love to me sprung from. But that is just natural, it's what you are, you feed off lust, your feeding causes lust.

And maybe that is something you and Victor can explore together, separate love from feeding, using a glass of wine to loosen Victor up instead of a juicy bite. Or don't, accept that your feeding is the sexiest thing that can happen to a man, that is who you are, and it makes a person feel passion who might not otherwise. Heaven knows we had the most difficult time to lure Victor into our bed once a fortnight or even once a month.'

Of course Mina is not insensitive to Vincent's compliments, Victor makes love to her daily, with ardour.

'The point is, Mina, that is just sex. It's love that is important, and you have proven that you can love without food being involved.

Though I'd like you to consider taking a few drops of Catherine's, not to make you love her, for you already do, but to enable you to find her wherever she is.'

'I think it is a great idea, if she agrees. You ask her. Just a tiny bit, though, I don't want her singing through my veins, that would be weird.'

Apparently it really feels like that, oh well, everyone is allowed some peculiarities in their use of the English language. But the most important question still lies between them.

'Why didn't you tell me, Mina?'

Of course she knows what he means, instantly.

'I guess I tried to forget, it felt so much like betrayal, get him to trust me then have him murdered. When we first met, as we are now I mean, I didn't think immediately: I slept with that body. You are not the same man, you are someone I liked a lot better from the first. It was a painful memory and I wanted to let it go. Heathcliff's blood was just blood, by the way.'

The memory is still painful to her, and Mina no longer needs booze to let that grief out. Vincent's heart goes out to her, she has so many of those memories, it is a miracle she can live a reasonably normal life.

Then a thought strikes him, he has seen Mina before in a flashback, the very moment Heathcliff was killed, actually. Why didn't he remember their night together at that instant? Had it been just a moment of weakness for Heathcliff? Or had he been so boozed up he didn't even remember? Why remember it in a flashback then?

All these thoughts send his head spinning, but he is not going to let himself be driven mad by flashbacks and memories. Life is now, not in the past, this doesn't change anything for either him or Mina.

'Want to have a go at me with a blade?' he asks Mina.

Her face lights up, sparring with Vincent is great fun, he is such a great teacher, always keeping her on her toes. As Mina dresses for practise, Vincent fetches his daughter from the library, she will want to watch, and they meet in the basement, where Mina and Vincent can work off their memories, and Mina gives Catherine a lesson in self defence with a knife or anything else that can be used to save yourself.

Her life on the edge of society has taught her how to stand up for herself, and she adapts her own style to Catherine's tiny body, she'll have to rely on stealth and subtlety rather than brute force and throat-ripping canines.

Vincent is not planning to discuss his idea to further protect Catherine by letting her donate some blood to Mina with anyone else but Catherine herself, and Mina of course, if Catherine decides to do it they will not keep it a secret, but this is between Mina and Catherine.

When they are all tired from their workout, Vincent poses his plan to Catherine, who replies, 'I should have thought of that myself!'

'You're two years old, Catherine, why should you? I'm your father, I'm supposed to protect you,' Vincent says, a bit thrown back by Catherine's high standard for herself.

'True, and the very best,' the little girl replies, embracing him and kissing him, 'I feel very safe with you. But a gun can take you out, so I'd still like to give Mina some of my blood, for emergencies. Will you do it now?'

'If you can stand the sight of this,' Mina says, showing her razor sharp fangs to the little girl, who is not scared at all.

'You look really scary like that, Mina, but I already saw them, remember? Dripping with the little witch's blood. 

Will you bite me or just punch my skin? I'm a bit afraid to fall in love with you, I'm just two, you see, and I already have a crush on a man. Sort of.'

Smiling indulgently, Mina replies, 'I'll just let it well up and lick it up, no sucking. That should make it perfectly safe for both of us.'

'All right, I'm ready if you are.' 

Catherine hands over her arm. Mina doesn't hesitate and slowly, carefully sinks her canines into the soft flesh, watching Catherine to see if it is too much for her. But it isn't, the girl is watching with interest, as blood starts to spill from the two punctures and Mina licks it up. There is no heat, just a distinct feeling of love between the two of them.

Very soon, the blood stops flowing, and Mina licks the marks clean.

'You have very nice blood, very sweet. I can feel you now, I hope it will last past a few days, but somehow I think so. Are you feeling all right?'

The girl nods.

'Thank you Mina, you're very good to me,' and they hug warmly, now connected by more than just friendship.

Then Vincent observes severely, 'As your father I feel I have a right to know who the man is, sort of, that you have a crush on, Catherine. I need to test him to see if he is good enough for you.'

Her reply is deadly serious.

'I'm only two, dad. He's good enough to play with and talk with, that's all I want to do with him. If I tell you who he is, will you be nice to him?'

Tempted to tease his tiny daughter a little further, Vincent relents.

'All right, tell me who he is, and I'll be very nice to him.'

'It's the guy from the boiler, the small one, Lukas.'

'You're in luck then, he's coming over tomorrow with his friends, we've agreed to exchange lessons, fencing for them, and magic for us. But you have good taste, I like him. He is a bit old for you, though.'

Catherine still doesn't seem to realize she's being made fun of, she must really like this guy to be so serious.

'He cannot be much more than twenty years old, dad. Any younger and he wouldn't have anything sensible to say, now would he?'

'You are supposed to be a toddler, Catherine, who would ever say something sensible to you?'

With hope, she states, 'He did, he talked to me like an adult, like you did before you knew. That is why I like him so much.'

'Well, I guess you can talk a little more than a toddler would, you don't have to spill your little secret, just say enough to keep things interesting.'

'Victor said that if he tells me what he really is, I can tell him my secret.'

Vincent nods.

'If he tells you, you can tell him. I don't think there is any danger in them knowing, but better hold back a little until you are certain he deserves your trust.'

That is agreeable to Catherine, and she is clearly excited that she will meet Lukas again. 

Vincent finds that partly disturbing, she's only two after all, and partly very touching. Let's just hope the guy is worthy of her expectations, but somehow he has gotten a good impression of the lad, he is quiet, but whenever he says something, it makes sense, and he seems really sweet-natured.



Nature or Nurture Ch. 45-46



Chapter 45

And when the time is finally there that Catherine will meet him again, just after lunch the next day, she is actually in a flutter. A two year old cannot be in love, can she?

When there is a knock on the door, Catherine accompanies her dad to open it. He's really there, and to Vincent he doesn't look all that special. 

He's not very tall, and very slim, skinny actually, with a longish face, stubbled cheeks, and admittedly very beautiful long lashed brown eyes and a very cute little mouth with a deeply dented upper lip.

Vincent shakes hands with all three of their visitors, and he sees with satisfaction that his daughter receives a sincere greeting as well, especially from her favourite.

As Paul and Melissa follow him to the kitchen, where the others are already waiting, Lukas accompanies Catherine, and he actually seems pleased with his little escort.

She is rather quieter than usual, she must be a bit awe-struck, or maybe it is his holding her little hand and smiling at her broadly. That smile is enough to silence anyone, it's so cute even Vincent wants to hug him in response.

Whilst Victor comes to the point straight away and places an order for two bicycles with Paul, followed by Adison, who pleads them to consider making a smaller sized bicycle for her, Vincent looks at his daughter sitting in a corner of the kitchen with Lukas, deep in conversation.

Forcing himself to concentrate on the main group, he decides to trust his daughter and this strange young man, he'll hear what they have discussed later.

As she sees Lukas in the doorway, Catherine seriously wonders why her heart is beating so fast, she is a toddler, not a moony eyed teenager. Guys are just adults, people who all seem to think you are feeble-minded for being a lot younger than they are.

That's not fair, her parents and housemates are not like that at all, even if her foster-parents and their friends and neighbours were.

Lukas comes straight at her and takes her little hand, and she finds herself unable to think of anything to say. But of course she is a toddler, and she need not say anything. Her new friend excuses himself for not keeping his promise of telling her about his true nature.

'When the work was done, your mother told me you were napping.'

The way he says it, napping is not even childish, just a sensible thing to do. 

'You did say work went first, so you didn't break a promise or anything.' 

That causes him to smile again, a dazzling, broad smile, emphasizing the delicious dent in his upper lip, making his brown eyes sparkle. Instead of taking her breath away, it breaks the spell that is keeping Catherine locked in stunned silence, and she hears herself say cheekily, 'When you smile like that, I want to kiss you.'

He is not shocked at all, he merely smiles again.

'I have that effect on people. I get kissed a lot, and since I need a lot of love to thrive I'm very glad it works that way.'

'I warned my father I have a crush on you, so I'll not kiss you right now, he's watching, but may I kiss you later?'

'Sure,' he replies, 'but how did you know you had a crush on me? You had seen me only once, and we hardly spoke.'

He seems totally fine with her confession, as if he has that happen to him all the time.

'Do toddlers often tell you they have a crush on you, that you don't seem surprised at all?'

The smile again.

'No, but you are as much an ordinary toddler as I am a human. You look like one, but you're not really. Will you tell me about it?'

'I'm dying to, but you first. Victor said if you tell me what you are, I can tell you my secret. Anyway, I knew I had a crush on you as soon as I saw you.'

He nods understandingly, and he invites her over to a corner of the kitchen, where they both take a chair, very cosy. Then he bends his head towards her until Catherine is facing a mop of tight brown curls with his cute face just below it.

Is this an invitation to touch his hair? Gathering courage, Catherine reaches for him with a chubby little hand, and strokes his curls. They feel rough and ticklish, but that is not the point he is making, there is clearly something hard underneath them, two something's.

He encourages her with a, 'Go ahead, check them out.'

Catherine parts the curls, and finds two stumps covered in silver, with very naughty pictures stamped in it somehow. Raised on a farm, she knows immediately what these stumps are and she whispers, 'You used to have horns! You cut them off and capped the ends in silver. Didn't that hurt?'

'You have no idea how much, but strangely enough it stopped as soon as they were gone. I have a tail as well, Catherine, and hoofs.'

'That's why you didn't wear big boots working on the boiler, your feet are too hard to get hurt.' 

He looks at her in a certain way, she is right, and he is impressed. But he keeps his promise and tells his own secret first. 

'I'm a satyr, a mythical creature from ancient Greece, I'm not from this world. My real name is Lykos Hermeides, and I can heal people with magic.

If people knew what I really am, they'd call me the devil, and probably burn me at the stake. I trust you to keep my secret.' 

He does not look cute now, but deadly serious, and Catherine promises him faithfully to keep his confidence.

Then she tells him her secret.

'I look like a two year old girl, but I can understand everything adults say, and I can talk and think like one, too. I don't know why, or how. I pretend to be a toddler to the world, but since I really want to talk to you I want you to know.

'You're a good actress, Catherine, and I'm glad you like me, for I like you, too. Do you want to kiss me now?' 

He smiles his irresistible smile, and she falls on his neck and kisses him on both cheeks, then gives him a big hug. He smells very good, she has no name for it, but it reminds her of the expensive perfumes some of the ladies in the theatre wear.

'You smell nice,' she says.

'Thank you,' he replies, 'all satyrs smell like that, as all horses smell a lot alike.'

She wrinkles her nose and observes, 'You smell much nicer than a horse!'

He hugs her back, saying softly, 'I won't kiss you back, for I'm afraid your dad wouldn't approve. We hardly know each other after all. But that may change, for we will be trading lessons with your parents, so we'll see a lot of each other. So, what did you want to talk about?'

'Can I see your hoofs? Your tail is probably a bit personal, but hoofs are just like shoes, aren't they?'

Lukas looks his approval again.

'You are so right that my tail is very personal, most adults don't even get that, they think it's like a horse's tail, just hanging there, swishing flies. Here, let me release my shoe.'

And he does something to his small, elegant shoe, and it comes off, revealing a neat, small hoof, split in the middle naturally like a goat's, and a hoof-sized hole in the shoe.

'You walk on your hoof, not on the shoe, that's neat! How did you do that?' 

He becomes almost shy, a very cute sight, and says, 'Paul made that for me. He can make almost anything he sets his mind to.'

'Why does that make you sound so different?' 

Oops, big blunder, too personal. 

But Lukas doesn't seem to notice, he's still shy and dreamy.

'I'm very much in love with him, and when I think of the things he does especially for me, I get like this. Do you mind my loving a man?'

'Naw, dad says he loved Victor before Mina came into their lives. But he loves Adison more.'

'Paul loves Melissa more than he loves me.' 

He really doesn't seem to notice that he is talking to a chubby toddler.

'Do you mind? Doesn't that hurt a lot?'

'I'm a satyr, remember? I'm not a Victorian, I love a lot of people. If Paul loved me most I'd hurt him all the time. I love Melissa as much as I love him, there is enough love for all of us.'

'Paul made the caps on your horns, too, didn't he? They're very naughty, you know that?'

Lukas laughs merrily, 'Yes, I've seen them, before he glued them on, they're actually a bit too naughty for someone your age, I'm sorry. For what I said about love, too, it's very easy to talk with you, you don't 'feel' like a child at all.'

'I am, though. Sometimes, I really like to play with my wooden farm animals.'

Another one of those broad smiles, and a confession.

'Good for you! I like to play, too. And I'm way older than I look. But I don't care, I just play whenever I feel like it.'

At that moment, the others get up to move to the basement for some exercise, and Catherine takes Lukas' hand to follow.

In the next hour they learn a lot about their fencing students. Paul is very strong and fit, and he has some knowledge of fencing, he knows how to hold a sword and is pretty fast on his feet.

The lady of the company, Melissa, is tall and quite heavy, she really wants to learn, but she knows her physical limits and wants to fence to stay fit.

And Catherine's favourite Lukas, to whom she has connected instantly, is a lot stronger than he looks, being a smith and used to physical labour, and incredibly fast. He says he is a long-distance runner, and not used to moving in close quarters, but it is clear he will get used to that very quickly, and then he will be an agile fighter. He can already jump higher than is natural for someone untrained in martial arts, and as he demonstrates his abilities, Catherine sits on a bench, watching him, clearly into his secret, knowing the reason why he has such incredible power in his legs.

Bruce can't wait to have the teaching of him, starting unarmed, so Vincent leaves Paul to cross swords with Adison, who is a pretty good fencer by now, and spends some time on teaching Melissa the basics, with Mina, also a novice, attending.

Of course they change partners after some time, and Adison teaches Lukas the basics of fencing as Bruce starts Melissa on unarmed combat. Vincent shows Paul some new moves to practise at home, and Mina sits in again to have something to practise at night. She gets enough private lessons to advance her skills very quickly, she will not be a novice for long.

But the magic lesson that follows is the real eye-opener.

Since Adison is the one with the real talent, Paul follows her to the library, where he runs her through the exercises much quicker than he'd do normally, she has so much experience already, and she says she is in a rush to learn, for their enemy, whoever that is, is after Catherine again.

She learns very quickly, building a shield is a matter of minutes, she has the power, and as soon as she understands the idea she emulates him perfectly.

As they work together, Lukas sits in the kitchen with the others and tells them about the theory behind magic and how to ward themselves against it. Bruce and Catherine are soaking up the information.

Melissa sits and watches for a while, the physical exercise was hard on her, she is reasonably fit, but this was hard work. Mina approaches her and asks, 'Can you tell me more? About how my body works?' 

Melissa eyes her, wondering no doubt whether she really wants to know, then affirms.

'Let's sit somewhere quiet.'

'Our bedroom, but it's pretty dark, I cannot stand sunlight. I'll take an extra candle.'

'No matter,' is the answer, 'somehow sight produces its own light, it works even in pitch-dark.'

She does not offer an opinion on Mina's remark about sunlight. 

Once there, they sit on the bed together, and Melissa gets that blank look again, much longer this time, a few minutes at least. After that, she is clearly a bit upset by what she has seen. Mina cannot but explain, but first she wants to hear what Melissa has seen without preconceptions, so she offers, 'If you tell me what you see first, I'll explain right after.'

That is good enough for Melissa and she makes a full report.

'You have all the organs that a normal human has, I'm not a doctor but I've done my share of healing, I know which ones should be where and what colour they should have in sight. Of course you live with two doctors, I'm certain they can explain to you precisely what their names are and what they are for. 

Your stomach is almost normal, but it's nearly empty, and it's the wrong colour. It should be hard at work at this time, digesting lunch. Then after the stomach there are organs used to process food, you have them, but they are not connected to your stomach, as if you don't use them anymore.

Your bowels are no longer connected, and your bloodstream doesn't go around, it somehow ends in your extremities. And Mina, your heart is not in use, you have no pulse, technically you're dead.'

That must have been hard to witness, and Mina excuses herself for putting Melissa through such an experience.

'I'm sorry you had to see that, I didn't realize it would be shocking, but of course you know exactly what it should be like.'

Melissa nods, then swallows hard and finishes her report.

'Your brains seem to function just fine, which proves that we are who we think, no-one as much as you. Now please tell me how it can be that you are sitting here, talking to me, whilst my sight tells me you are deceased.'

'I am indeed not alive anymore, I used to be a young woman just like you, until I was taken and turned by a vampire. Adison freed me of the evil possession all vampires live under, giving me back my free will. I was their enemy, and they saved me and allowed me to stay.'

Melissa doesn't blink at this revelation at all.

'Lukas already told me you were technically dead, he saw straight away, he suggested you must be living of human blood. That's also true, isn't it? It explains why you have no digestive system, you just use the blood you drink to fuel your body. There must be magic involved.'

So that's why Mina feels so connected to the people whose blood she is using, her body doesn't make the blood her own by digesting it, it just uses it as it is, giving her the feeling that their personalities are singing through her veins all the time.

No wonder feeding is such a thrill. Ever since she has been freed of evil, she feels such love, and such elation after feeding, for hours afterwards.

'I do indeed use human blood to sustain me, Victor feeds me of his own blood. Do you think that makes me love him, whether I want to or not?' 

Frankly, Mina would rather not hear the answer, she's so afraid she's incapable of true loving after all.

Melissa is thinking, Mina knows she must have a very logical mind, since she's an engineer. After a few minutes, Melissa speaks, but not with a lot of certainty. 

'I'll have to think it through, love is not a scientific entity, it's a feeling and therefore not measurable. I prefer things that can be measured exactly. But if I look at it logically, what you say cannot be going on. Blood cannot transport love, just as love is actually not seated within your heart. So as a scientist I'd say no, his blood cannot cause your love for him. 

Maybe other stuff in your body makes you love him, things too small for me to see with ordinary sight, all people have those, Lukas can tell you more about them, but it's really complicated.

And he's not scientific at all, he doesn't have the things he's seen classified properly, he has a huge mind and a perfect memory, no need for him to store memories and knowledge logically. He probably cannot explain in terms anyone would understand, he does most healing intuitively, not scientifically. And finding the cause of love wouldn't interest him at all, he'd say it just is and to enjoy it. Preferably right now, and with him.'

Well, if love just is, and should be enjoyed, that is very sound advice. And Mina has great respect for science, so she will believe Melissa in this.

'Thank you,' she says, 'your reasoning sounds solid, love is not transported by blood, so the love I feel must be my own and I'll enjoy it. Vincent told me with great conviction that I could love, but he's an actor, what does he know about love?'

That causes Melissa to laugh, and she observes, 'Yes, never believe an actor in matters of love, their heads are stuffed full with all kinds of romantic notions from books and scripts. But, I find it very intriguing that you are not actually alive and still you are walking, talking, loving, you really are doing all those things, how can that be? There must be magic involved, but I cannot see any magic at work in you. 

I'd like to check closer, I can zoom in on things, often I find more information that way, but the cost of doing that is just incredible, and I'm already tired. So if you want to know more I'll have to find out some other time, with Paul present to anchor me, keep me in this world as it were. 

Anchoring is very important while using magic, Adison needs to know that, too, some things are too dangerous to do without an anchor, healing people's minds for instance. If she ever wants to take away someone's bad memories, memories that haunt them day in, day out, she needs to have someone keeping her to this world. Better she doesn't do that at all until she's seen it done a few times, with Lukas preferably, he's the best.

But I'm digressing again, what I want to know is why you cannot stand the light.'

Filing away for later contemplation the knowledge that memories can be taken away, Mina replies, 'Vampires just cannot stand sunlight. It kills them, like silver. I have no scientific proof or reason, I've felt the silver, but I've always avoided sunlight because I was warned to by my maker, the vampire who killed me and made me a vampire as well.'

'With no blood flow, your skin probably cannot repair the damage the sun does, but would that kill you? You're immensely strong.' 

Melissa is thinking about things Mina has always taken for granted. Amazing how some people's minds work, it must be minds like hers, and probably Paul's, that fuel the way society is changing.

'And I heal very fast, without medicine or stitching.'

'That must be magic, nothing else can heal instantly, or make a person move fast without a proper digestion. But what fuels the magic? Magic is not for free, it has a cost, it needs power to sustain it, and your abilities use a lot of power. And why can't I see it at work? And what will happen if you are exposed to sunlight?'

Now her face is blank again, looking at Mina. Slowly, it changes to stunned amazement, but also to great fatigue.

'Are you all right?' Mina asks, worriedly, for Melissa seems to crumple where she sits.

'Yes,' her voice sounds tired, but rather excited, 'I found it, the fuel for your abilities, but the cost is high. I shouldn't have done that without anchor, though. 

Let me explain: I tried to find magic in you, thinking of silver and the sun, and I found a connection indeed. Have you heard about the ley-lines, the little rivers of magic energy that flow all over the land?'

Mina nods, eager to hear more.

'Your body is tied into that flow of power directly, with thousands of little connections I couldn't see at first because they are so small. Your body uses blood, and magic power to function. But, because your are tied to the ley-lines, you probably cannot travel quickly, it would break those connections and you wouldn't be able to form new ones quickly, or maybe not at all, and you'd weaken and die. Have you ever travelled?'

'Not since I was turned, that happened here in London, and I have been here ever since.'

'Well, better be careful if you do travel, if you start feeling weak, stick around for some time until you feel better, then move on. If you don't improve, turn back quickly.'

Mina has never realized she is bound to London, for now she doesn't have any wish to travel, but if she ever does she will try to find out how this works, maybe there are books on vampirism, maybe Victor can visit that scary old man again, Dr Van Helsing. He is an expert on vampires, he may know.