Part Five

by Doreen Grégoire

She dreamed of Stan that night for the first time in years.

She was in her final year of residency, and had dragged herself home one evening after being on call for thirty-six straight hours. She had barely managed to kick off her shoes and clothes before she fell into an exhausted sleep.

A rough voice filtered through her sleep and she awoke blearily to find Stan standing over her. He yanked her out of bed and slapped her when her still-exhausted brain refused to function. She recoiled in fear, which only fueled his rage further, and she backed away from him, but tripped on the discarded blankets trailing off the edge of the bed, and fell backwards to the floor. Stan followed her and kicked her in the stomach, after which she curled into a fetal position, trying to get her breath back.

He raised his foot again, but was suddenly hurled backwards against a wall. She looked up to see Barnabas, his own face a mask of dangerous rage, his eyes an angry red, take a handful of Stan's shirt in his fist and bodily lift the stout man from the floor. He snarled in Stan's face, his long fangs showing threateningly, and shook him as a wolf shakes a rabbit, then dropped the now-unconscious man to the floor.

He stood still for a moment, looking down at Stan's form, then turned to her. All traces of rage were gone, replaced by gentle compassion. He picked her up and carried her from the apartment.

The scene changed and they were on a cliff, watching the phosphorescent waves crash against the shore. His arms were about her, and he gazed down at her, his warm eyes bright with an emotion that, even in her dream, she was unwilling as yet to name. He drew his fingers down her cheek in a soft caress. "No one shall harm you again," he said as he drew her close to him.

* * * * *

She awoke from her dream and stared thoughtfully at the ceiling a long time before at last falling asleep again.

* * * * *

The night of what Julia had, in a moment of rare irreverence, dubbed "the great angelica hunt" finally arrived. They drove to a thickly wooded area not far from the hospital, left the car beside the road and, armed with a shovel, a bucket, and some black plastic trash bags, made their way into the forest. The night was clear but very dark, with the only lights being the stars, which were not visible in the trees.

Barnabas, with his vampiric senses, had no trouble finding his way in the pitch-blackness, but Julia seemed to find every root and tree to stumble into. Finally, after assisting her to her feet after she had tripped for the fifth time, he put his hands on her shoulders and gazed down at her.

"Julia, if you keep on like this you are going to get hurt. I have certain -- advantages -- that you do not. Please, allow me to search, then I'll come back for you."

Without waiting for her reply, which would have been an argument anyway, he shimmered before her eyes, seeming to shrink in upon himself from all directions at once, until at last a small brown bat hung in the air where he had been. He fluttered to her shoulder and brushed her cheek once with a wing like silken velvet then, like an arrow, flew off into the black woods. She muttered something that sounded suspiciously like a curse, and sank down onto a fallen log to wait.

Barnabas was gone for what seemed like hours. She had leaned back against a tree and was dozing lightly, when she felt a light touch on her shoulder. She shrieked and jumped up from her seat, only to find him in his usual form, chuckling at her fright.

Half in anger, she whacked him on the arm. "Don't do that! You scared me half to death!"

"I apologize for startling you," he said contritely. He drew her to him in a brief hug to emphasize his point, then released her and stood behind her. "There is a low, marshy area over that way about two hundred yards." He took her hand and pointed with it. "I think I found what we're looking for, but you need to see it to make sure. But I warn you, there are many obstacles that you won't be able to see. There's also a small creek we'll have to cross." Was it her imagination, or did he shudder at the mention of the creek? "If you stay close behind me, I'll try to pick the easiest way for you."

The way he chose wasn't much better than what she had gone through before he'd left her. She clung to his cape and struggled gamely through the dense undergrowth and over fallen logs, glad of his help when he offered it. When they came to the creek, actually a yard-wide stream flowing merrily down the slight hill, Barnabas hesitated.

"You'll have to jump this on your own," he told her tightly. "I'll meet you on the other side."

Puzzled, she jumped and was absurdly pleased when only her left foot landed in the water, and not both. She stumbled up onto the bank and looked around for him -- he was right where she had left him. She was suddenly reminded of an obscure piece of folkloric trivia.

"Running water -- you can't cross running water."

"That fairy tale is only partially true. I can cross it, but it takes a great deal of effort, and leaves me feeling ill for a short time afterwards."

"But how did you cross it before?"

"I flew upstream until I reached the point where the stream sprang from its underground source, then simply flew across because the stream was underground at that point." She could almost see his dark shape shrug. "That's one of the things that took me so long."

She considered for a few minutes. "Okay, let me get this straight. You can't cross voluntarily, right?" He indicated she was correct. "Can you reach across and grasp my hand?"

She leaned out as far as she could with her hand outstretched. He leaned across from the other direction, flinching as the cold air from the stream came in contact with his skin, but he managed to take her hand. Without warning, Julia leaned back suddenly and yanked as hard as she could. He was unbalanced and stumbled forward into the stream. She continued to pull until he had managed to stumble onto the bank on her side.

He looked down at his sopping shoes and trousers. "You did that on purpose," he accused.

It didn't take a vampire's night vision to see her wide grin. "Well, it worked, didn't it? Besides, now I don't feel so bent on revenge for when you startled me." She sobered and peered at him in the gloom. "How do you feel? You did cross water, after all."

"A little light-headed, and that will soon pass." He took a step and stumbled.

"A little light-headed? I've never seen you miss a step." She ducked under his arm so she could assist him to a large, flat rock, then sat beside him. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, all traces of levity gone. "The first oath I ever took as a physician was 'First, do no harm'."

He put his arm back around her shoulders and squeezed lightly. "Julia, you have done me no harm. I will be fine once my head clears." He used his other hand to gently touch her chin and turn her face so he could see her. "You are a true friend," he said softly, his voice warm with feeling. "Thank-you for all you are doing for me."

His hand on her face was cool, and he brushed his thumb lightly across her jawbone. She wanted to look away from the intense emotion she sensed in his gaze, but another part of her was drawn to him. She leaned closer and their lips met in a kiss that started out gentle, exploratory. His arms tightened around her and she felt him become gradually more insistent, his kisses moving from her lips to her jaw and then to her throat. She relaxed into him with a small moan, but was jarred back to awareness when he suddenly pulled away. She opened her eyes, startled, then gasped. His eyes were glowing a dull red, easily visible in the darkness.

He stood and backed away from her. "No, Julia. Not you," he said thickly. "I can't do this to you." He turned from her and stared off into the black forest, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

After a few minutes, during which Julia remained where she was in shocked silence, he turned back to her, his eyes now back to normal.

"It's getting late," he said abruptly. "We'd better go."

She caught at his arm and turned him back to face her. "Wait," she demanded. "You can't go yet. What just happened here?"

He pulled his arm out of her grasp and strode away from her, but she hurried after him and ran around to face him.

"Tell me," she insisted.

He sighed. "You have become a dear friend to me," he said quietly, "and I -- care for you very much. When we kissed --" He paused and bowed his head, then went on even quieter than before. "When I kissed you, I -- wanted you. I can't feel desire the way a living man feels it; I can only desire as a vampire does. I care for you far too deeply to ever endanger you that way." He looked back up at her, and even in the darkness, she could see the bleak expression on his face.

"Thank-you for telling me, Barnabas," she said softly. "I'm sorry you were put in that position."

They continued on in near-silence, both too wrapped up in their own thoughts to initiate a change in conversation topic. The only time the silence was broken was when Barnabas warned her of an obstruction she had to watch out for, and he touched her only to help her. When the way was relatively clear, he moved a few paces ahead of her.

They finally reached the marshy area Barnabas had seen, and he led her over to a hummock on which a large number of plants grew. There were many in bloom, the tall stalks covered in delicate, fragrant white flowers. Julia moved closer and examined them as closely as she could in the dark without actually touching them.

She determined that the leaves and flowers matched the picture in her book, and also what she remembered of her dream. Since even picking a stalk would involve damaging the flowers, and cutting would also endanger them, they decided the safest course, and the surest way to ensure the flowers' maximum freshness when they returned to the lab, would be to dig several specimens up, carefully bundle them in light-proof black plastic, and transport them in a bucket back to the lab.

Wrapping the plants without actually touching the flowers or their stalks proved to be a tricky business, but they eventually managed to collect three healthy specimens, all with several flowering stalks each.

The trip back to the car was accomplished with only minor mishaps. To cross the stream, Julia took the bucket and shovel across, while Barnabas flew to where he had crossed previously. She only had to wait a relatively short time this time because he flew directly, not having a need to circle and search for what they already had.

He drove her back to the hospital and carried the bucket into the darkened lab. She insisted on grinding the flowers in the dark, fearful that even a little light would somehow lessen their potency. However, dawn was approaching and he had to leave her before she finished her task. He touched her cheek briefly and bade her good-night, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

* * * * *

TO BE CONTINUED.

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