Date: Wed, 12 Nov 1997 10:26:14 -0500
Subject: Vampyres: Fluff: Janine's Journey pt 15/24
Note to all those who have written saying, essentially, "What the &%$#
happened to Adrian?": all will be revealed in the final chapters of La
Fiesta Brava, which will hopefully arrive on your nearest terminal
before too much longer.
_____________
Janine's Journey
copyright 1997 by A. Fraser & L.M. Wallace
____________
*Part 15*
Janine slept the oblivious sleep of the undead. Pandora paced the hotel
room, afraid to leave in case Jake called. She winced whenever she
thought of the excruciating pain that Adrian must be experiencing,
and pondered again the absurdity of their conversation the night before.
Well, he was an actor. And a good one, Pandora acknowledged,
thinking how well he seemed to have fooled the Brotherhood. How
much of what they knew, or thought they knew, about him was
real and how much an act?
The phone rang and she jumped. "Niamh?" said the voice on the
other end.
"Jake, good, I've been waiting for your call," she answered.
"He says he won't let you heal him." She heard him gulp, heard how
young and scared he sounded. He really wasn't that much older than
Janine. "He's going to die, Niamh."
"I could feel the poison," she nodded. "Silver?" she guessed.
"Yeah. A bullet wound. He got the bullet out, but not all the
fragments and one of them has been slowly poisoning him."
"I can help," she said although she wasn't certain she could. If the
silver had gone too deep, poisoned too much of the vampire's essence....
She silently thanked her goddess that silver did not affect her.
"He said no."
"I think it's past the point where he gets a vote, Jake," said Pandora
firmly. "Or why else did you call me?"
She heard his sigh of relief. "Can you come to his place tonight?
Around eight or so?" He gave her directions. "I hope you like white,"
he added.
"Why?" she asked, unable to resist.
"Cause that's what the place is decorated in."
*********
Pandora hastily scribbled a note for the still sleeping Janine before leaving
the hotel room. She experienced a flash of guilt for lying, but quickly
dismissed it, focusing on her more immediate concern. She could not bear
the thought of anyone in such pain, so needlessly close to death. No matter
that it was an arrogant vampire who could, on a whim, easily cause
considerable trouble not only for Janine, but for the entire Brotherhood,
and Pandora had no doubts that the cautious respect he had afforded her
would not extend to Nicholas.
She sighed as she descended in the elevator, impatiently tapping her foot as
if that could make it go any quicker. How could she explain this to the
Brotherhood? Never had she seemed so at odds with their philosophy, not
even with the Gray Adept. But she had no choice; to ignore his need was
antithetical to her nature. To allow him to die when she could potentially
save him would be like murder. Michael would understand, she knew, and
took comfort in that. Nicholas, too. But Gideon...she shuddered as she
imagined the look in his eyes. The elevator dinged, thankfully disturbing
her reverie and she rushed out the doors.
Once in the lobby she asked the doorman to hail her a cab, taking the
easiest and most direct route to Adrian's house. The cab went
up University Avenue, past tall corporate towers, grey edifices blocking
out the sky. It was a soulless expanse of the city, although they had
tried to break the monotony with pocket-sized green spaces in the meridian,
some of them with fountains and statues. Further north they passed along the
wide sweep of Queen's Park and the Gothic-looking Ontario Parliament
buildings, then the outskirts of the university itself. They took a slight
detour around Hoskins and up St. George, as the driver explained he could
not turn left onto Bloor from University.
Pandora was treated to a view of the Robarts Library before the cab
turned along the somewhat less forbidding expanse of Bloor Street with
its shops and restaurants catering to the student population; and they were
suddenly in the Annex.
As they passed up along Davenport, the driver slowed, checking the houses
for the address Pandora had given him. He stopped by one of a row of
nearly identical houses, many of them duplexes although this one was
detached. It was narrow, unassuming... the sort of house where anyone
might live. It needed paint, some flowers in the beds to either side of
the steps, its bushes needed a trim... this casual neglect was, Pandora,
realized, the perfect camouflage. She paid the driver and emerged from
the taxi, steeling herself for the battle to come as she made her way to
the vampire's lair.
"Who the hell can that be?" she heard Adrian's voice plainly after she
knocked on the door. She took a deep breath and tried to slow the rapid
beating of her heart as she waited for it to be opened. To her relief Jake
answered, but his face was anxious.
"The 'master' is awake," she observed wryly, hefting her bag more securely
on her shoulder and grasping the straps tightly as she entered.
"This might not have been such a good idea," Jake whispered to her,
although he was clearly relieved to see her. "I could be putting you in
danger."
Pandora waved her hand, dismissing this notion. "If he chooses to die,
then let him do so with dignity. If it is an honest choice which can only
be achieved in battle with me, then so be it." She walked past him, squaring
her shoulders.
Jake hurried to catch up but she reached the living room before him.
"Well now, look who's here," Adrian said scornfully when he saw her,
rising stiffly from the sofa. "You didn't tell me you had a date, Jake," he
said, his eyes boldly assessing her.
Jake blushed and opened his mouth to protest, but Pandora interrupted
him.
"I came to see you," Pandora announced, stepping further into the room.
Jake was right, the decor was predominantly white. She found it stark and
cold, and resisted the urge to shiver. It was so like Adrian, or at least
the image of himself he presented to the world. She wondered what Janine
would think of it and then realized that she hoped Janine would never,
ever see it.
"Really?" Adrian asked, lifting his eyebrows in mock surprise. "Ah, but
then, he is just a boy. And why have hamburger when you can have
steak?" he leered, taunting her.
Pandora just smiled calmly, returning his gaze evenly. "I don't eat meat,"
she said.
"No?" he responded, left eyebrow lifted suggestively. "Never have the
desire to sink your teeth into warm succulent flesh," he continued, his voice
dropping to a low, husky tone, "and taste the juices that flow over the
tongue--"
"Would you cut the crap, Adrian?" Pandora interrupted him, struggling
with difficulty to hide the fact that he was actually coming close to
getting under her skin. "I'm frankly tired of your games and have no
desire," she placed particular emphasis on that word, "to play. You
know damned well why I'm here and you know that I have come of
my own accord."
"But _he_ invited you!" Adrian's seductive mask dropped to be replaced
by a hard anger. "_He_ let another vampire into my home without my
consent. _You_,' he thundered, shifting his gaze to Jake, "have destroyed
the sanctity of my haven."
Jake cringed despite himself, his face flickering with conflicting
emotions.
"Jake told me where to find you because he is concerned about you and does
not wish for you to die," Pandora said. "I invited myself. Leave him
out of this," she spoke quietly but with an authoritative tone which
commanded the vampire's attention, if not his respect. "You know damned
well that I'm no threat to you--that I would not be even if you were well.
But you are _not_ well and this stupid charade will cost you your life.
So why don't you just drop this childish, macho-vampire bullshit and let
someone help you!" Pandora continued to stare at him, her eyes flashing
fire to equal his own.
Adrian simply stared at her. Then, unexpectedly, he laughed.
"Oh, you're good," he said, shaking his head. "You are very good. But it
does not change the fact that you are in my house uninvited. Now, are you
going to leave peacefully or do I have to throw you out?" his eyes glinted
with cold mirth but it could not quite hide the winces of pain that
marred his handsome face.
Pandora stood her ground, knowing full well that he still had the physical
strength to do as he threatened, but believing that he was bluffing, that he
was testing her. Ever so briefly she had seen what she interpreted as hope
in his eyes and she drew strength from that. She took a step towards him,
then another, her gaze never leaving his.
"Adrian," she spoke in the barest of whispers like the voice of a lover in
the darkness. She laid a hand on his forearm, boldly, holding firm even
when he flinched slightly.
His eyelids flickered and he sighed, ever so softly, and Pandora knew that
he was experiencing the same sweet relief from his pain that she had
offered the night before. But with a cruelty born of necessity, she
withdrew her touch after only a few brief moments and he gasped, the
pain returning with full force. He glared at her, lips pulled back into a
sneer, but not before she saw the torment in his eyes and the hurt,
questioning look that beseeched her.
"Why do you want to do this?" Adrian hissed, gripping Pandora's wrist
with steely strength, hiding his inner conflict behind aggression.
Pandora resisted the instinct to flinch and kept her arm relaxed,
returning his piercing stare with her own measured gaze. Momentarily
his grip softened, but he did not release her.
"I am a healer," she responded evenly. "This _is_ what I _do_."
"You serve the Brotherhood," he stated accusingly.
"I am a _member_ of the Brotherhood, Mr. Talbot," she corrected
him, her eye colour deepening to a smouldering ocean-grey, the only
outward sign that he had angered her. "I _serve_ no one, save my
Goddess. The Brotherhood of Darkness is an order, not a court."
Pandora saw him wince before he abruptly dropped her arm and turned
away. She did not know what she had said to cause him pain, but when
he turned back his eyes, too, were smouldering, although haunted with
the same shadow she had noticed the night before.
"But surely this is a bargain, is it not? A life for a life? You save
mine and I promise to leave the child alone?"
Pandora felt her fury rise and had to struggle to keep her voice from
following suit. "I do not bargain with lives, _Mr._ Talbot," she
said, her words icy despite the heat of her emotion, and purposefully
disregarding his assumed title of 'Professor.' "Nor do I accept
payment for my skills. You will owe me nothing, nor will I expect
anything from you in return--not now, not ever. I hold no one in
my debt. Do not confuse _that_ with genuine gratitude," she finished,
barely disguising her contempt for the idea.
Adrian was stunned into silence, regarding this remarkable woman
carefully. He had no doubt that she spoke the truth--there was simply
no pretension about her. That such a person, nay, a _vampire_, could
actually exist is what he doubted. But she was no true vampire, nor
was she truly human. He did not know what she was. But what he
did know is that she could help him, that he did not have to die.
"Very well," he finally said, his voice soft and low. Bone-weariness
asserted itself once the flare of anger had passed and he stumbled to the
sofa, sinking to the cushions heavily. He stared down at his clasped hands
as he spoke. "I have nothing to lose, healer, but, strangely, I do not
wish to die. I would be grateful for your help." He lifted his head to
look at her, all masks stripped at last, revealing naked pain, grief and
fear.
_________________
Comments and Tylenol can be sent to:
fraser@library.utoronto.ca
wallacel@is.dal.ca
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 1997 21:47:38 -0500
Subject: Vampyres: Fluff: Janine's Journey, pt 16/24
Janine's Journey
copyright 1997 by A. Fraser and L.M. Wallace
____________
*Part 16*
Pandora took a deep breath, releasing the remainder of her anger
harmlessly into the air with her exhalation. Her heart ached in empathy
with the raw emotion he displayed but she distanced herself from it,
focusing on the immediate task at hand.
"Drop your pants, Mr. Talbot," she said matter-of-factly, moving to stand
directly in front of him.
Adrian gave a crooked grin, a hint of his customary arrogance and sardonic
wit temporarily touching his eyes. "Well, if you had put it to me like
that in the first place, we could have saved some time. I would never
deny such a request from a beautiful woman," he said, but the hands that
trembled as they fumbled with his button and zipper belied his true state
of mind. "And I prefer you to call me Adrian," he added quietly.
He was relieved to see Pandora smile, but when she helped him to take the
pants off past his knees, being especially careful of the injured one, she
was the study of seriousness. She tentatively held her hand over the area
of the wound and he winced although she did not actually touch him.
"Lean back, Adrian," she instructed him. "Get as comfortable as you
can." She placed his leg on the hassock for support.
"Jake, a glass, please," she said.
Jake started as if even he had forgotten he were there, but her tone
entertained no possibility of hesitation so he did not waste time in
getting one for her.
"Thank you," she murmured without looking at him, observing the
niceties of social interaction without even thinking about it, it seemed.
"Drink this," she said to Adrian, handing him the glass, now a
quarter-filled with a dark, brown liquid.
He sniffed it cautiously.
"Do not worry. I am not trying to poison you. Quite the opposite,"
she assured him, cocking her head at his hesitation.
Adrian smiled wryly, then closed his eyes and took a sip, grimacing at the
bitter, herbal aftertaste. "What is this?" he choked.
"It's to help with the pain," Pandora explained.
"What...the taste is to take my mind off it, is it?"
Pandora smiled but said nothing. Adrian continued to drink, despite his
dislike of it, until it was gone.
"This is going to sting, initially, but that will quickly fade. It will
numb the tissue--like a topical anaesthetic," she informed him, working
as she talked so that by the time he anticipated the "sting" it had
already passed.
He was both amused and somewhat mortified when he found his body
responding to the touch of her hands as she applied the salve, gently
stroking his thigh and knee. He was acutely aware of the sensuous
fullness of her breasts pressing against the outside of his leg as she
knelt before him and he caught himself in the act of reaching out to touch
her hair, not even aware that he had been about to do so. Pandora worked
on, seemingly oblivious to the erotic responses she was inspiring. He
supposed she had seen this many times and was therefore used to it, and he
found himself wondering if she could arouse even a dying man. He almost
laughed aloud at the irony of that thought, for surely that was what he
was. But in the same instant he also understood why it was that so many
men fell in love with their nurses.
Adrian continued to watch as Pandora prepared the wound, becoming oddly
distanced from the scene, as if it were someone else's leg he saw, his
sexual arousal abruptly fading. He could no longer even feel the touch of
her hands, and the warm tingling sensation like that which he had
experienced the previous night when she had touched his knee had given way
to an icy numbness which began to fade even as he became aware of it. He
found himself wondering what had been in that witch's potion she had given
him--he felt a strange euphoria and a floating sensation, feeling he was
becoming more and more detached from his own body. It was vaguely like
the effect of absinthe, he decided, and then immediately forgot that he
had even thought that. Finally he closed his eyes and let himself drift
away into a blissfully peaceful oblivion.
Physical awareness did not return to him until he tasted the sweetest
elixir in the world, his mouth suddenly filled with warmth, light and pure
and laced with honey...this was truly the nectar of the gods, he thought,
drawing hungrily at the fount of this exquisite ambrosia. He sobbed with
the joy and relief of a man dying of thirst who has found a pool in the
desert filled with crisp, clean water--he dove in it, bathed in it,
drowned in it as sweet oblivion claimed him once again.
Jake started from his chair when he saw Pandora finally move from her
trance-like state, watching her as she gently shifted Adrian's head and
shoulders from her lap to the sofa, settling them onto a soft cushion. He
didn't realize how tense he had been until he moved and a muscle spasmed
painfully in his neck.
"How is he? Will he be okay?" he asked her, the words spilling out in a
rush as he stood, rubbing his neck, averting his eyes from the cut on her
wrist, which was healing even as he spoke.
Pandora regarded him vaguely as if through a dense fog. "Hmm?" she
murmured and shook her head as if trying to clear the mists away.
"Jake?" she asked huskily, her eyes slowly focusing on him. She cleared
her throat. "Jake," she said again more clearly. "It went well, I think.
I won't know for sure until tomorrow. But now I have to go," she said
this hurriedly, glancing around with a slightly frantic air before quickly
gathering her healer's things and stuffing them in her bag. "Janine will
be wondering about me," she continued to talk as she worked, "and if she
gets worried she'll likely call Nicholas..."
"And that wouldn't be a Good Thing," Jake observed, watching her
curiously.
"No, it would not," she assented, still focused on getting her things
together and leaving.
"But what about Adrian?" Jake protested, taking a step towards her and
reaching out to touch her forearm as she started past him.
He was stunned when she gasped and drew her arm away as if his touch had
burned, taking a step backwards. Confused, he studied her carefully,
wondering if she were okay. She seemed agitated, the skin of her throat
and cheeks was slightly flushed, her eyes shining and the pupils dilated.
He sucked in his breath as their eyes met and she held his gaze. Funny
that he had never before noticed how like Adrian's her eyes were, in
colour, and...Jake released his breath all at once, taking an automatic
step backwards before freezing in her stare like a jacked deer, his heart
thudding heavily in his chest.
She took a small, tentative step towards him and his breathing quickened.
He was suddenly aware that she smelled incredible; he hadn't noticed her
wearing any perfume before. His eyes drifted over her body, tracing the
voluptuous curves that not even an over-sized t-shirt or loose jeans could
hide. He swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry. She had the kind of body
that would look good in a burlap sack, he thought, and then he imagined
her wearing nothing at all.
Jake groaned as she took another tentative step towards him, her arm
reaching up, velvety-soft fingertips brushing his jawline ever so
lightly. He was suddenly acutely aware of why the hunger was often called
"bloodlust," but at that moment he was not sure whose hunger he was
responding to--hers or his own. His knees weakened and he stumbled
backwards into the coffee table, knocking the glass from which Adrian had
earlier drunk to the floor. It landed on the thick carpet with a dull
thud.
Pandora shook herself as if surprised to find herself in her own skin,
then grabbed her bag and hurried for the door.
"Niamh..." Jake squeaked as she shrugged into her jean-jacket. She
hesitated, keeping her back to him.
He swallowed hard, fighting back a sudden mild wave of nausea. "What
about Adrian?" he asked plaintively.
Jake saw her shoulders rise and fall with a deep breath. She turned
around but kept her eyes carefully lowered, her gaze focusing on the
prone vampire on the sofa. "He will likely sleep for a few more hours.
He will awaken groggy; help him to bed then. I will return tomorrow
and check the wound. If it has healed, he will be fine..." she trailed off.
"And if not?" Jake asked softly.
She lifted her eyes and looked at him briefly before returning her
glance to Adrian, but not before he saw the compassion there.
"I cannot answer that tonight," she said evasively. "I'll see you
tomorrow. I've left some tea in the kitchen that should help you sleep
should you find the need. Good night," she said, her manner
uncustomarily brusque as she hurried out the door.
Jake stared dumbfoundedly at the impassive slab of wood, shivering as the
last traces of fear-tinged desire faded from his body, leaving him wondering
if he had dreamed the whole thing. It was so easy to forget that she was
a vampire. She just didn't act like one at all, or look like one, really,
at least most of the time. It must have been from giving Adrian her
blood, he thought, looking down at the still oblivious man and wondered if
she would be okay. But thoughts of Pandora receded as he watched Adrian
and found his heart aching with an emotion he was too afraid to name.
__________
Comments and names for the emotion can be sent to:
fraser@library.utoronto.ca
wallacel@is.dal.ca
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 10:56:25 -0500
Subject: Vampyres: Fluff: Janine's Journey, pt 17/97
Janine's Journey
copyright 1997 by A. Fraser and L.M. Wallace
_____________________
*Part 17*
Janine looked up from her book as Pandora entered the hotel room,
watching her friend as she dropped her bag, shrugged off her jacket and
sank into a chair. She looked flushed as if she had been running.
"That must be some music store," Janine commented, "to keep you out so
long."
Pandora suddenly remembered what she had said in her note to Janine to
explain her absence. It wasn't quite a lie...she had every intention of
going to this particular music store to find something for Nicholas. She
just hadn't quite made it there yet. She had suggested that she might
visit some botanical gardens, as well, something she knew Janine was not
particularly interested in (not to mention that they couldn't really do it
after dark, either), as well as Lee Valley, a woodworker's store
which sold high quality garden tools and other nifty things for
gardeners.
"I ran into Jake," Pandora responded quickly. "We went out for...a bite.
I didn't realize it was so late," Another not-quite lie. And it suddenly
dawned on her that she had absolutely no clue as to what time it actually
was. She did not wear a watch, and it was so hard to see the moon for the
tall buildings and lights. She had been rather distracted anyway. "And
I didn't think you'd mind having an evening to yourself."
"Didn't that hurt?"
"Huh?" Pandora asked sharply.
"Running into Jake. He's built pretty solid," Janine quipped, a
mischievous smile on her face.
"When did you get to be such a smartass, young lady?" Pandora asked
sternly, but her eyes twinkled.
"Since I started hanging out with you," the vampire retorted, grinning.
"Very funny," Pandora sighed, leaning back in the chair and closing her
eyes. She could use a cold shower, a hot bath and a stiff...drink. Not
necessarily in that order--well, except maybe for the shower.
"Nicholas called," Janine said, nonchalantly.
Pandora sat upright, her heart jumping. "Is everything okay?" she
asked.
"Just fine. I think he was horny."
"Janine!" Pandora admonished her, but she couldn't help but laugh.
Goddess, but she missed him. "What did you tell him?" she asked,
standing up and stretching to hide her nervousness at what Janine might
have said to him about her being gone alone, or about meeting Adrian
the night before.
"Just that you'd gone out and hadn't come back yet. He called just after
I got up."
"And he wasn't concerned about that?"
"Nah--why should he be? He was really glad to hear that I'd found an
apartment, though," she grinned at Pandora. "I mean really, *really*
glad. I think he was ready to drive for the airport right then," her
grin faded as if she were considering something.
"I'll give him a call," Pandora said, already with her hand on the
phone. With her back turned she had not noticed Janine's change of
expression. "Maybe I can catch him before he leaves for work...what
time is it anyway?" she asked as she dialled.
"Hmm? Oh, just after eleven," Janine informed her.
"Hi, love, it's me," Pandora said into the phone. She had reached their
answering machine. "I'm sorry I missed you. Call me when you get in,
'kay? And don't worry about waking me. In fact," she added in a low
tone, "why don't you call me after you go to bed? I miss you...," With
that, she hung up.
Pandora grimaced as she pulled the pony-tail elastic from her hair and ran
her hands through the thick mass. "I need a shower. This city makes me
feel so grubby," she announced, wrinkling her nose.
"Yeah, sure," Janine mumbled, returning her attention to the book she had
been reading.
Pandora hesitated on her way to the bathroom. "What did you do this
evening?" she asked.
Janine shrugged. "Not much. I would have liked to have gone out, but I
didn't feel like going alone, and I didn't have anyone to call," she
said, ending in a small voice.
Pandora bit her lip, not missing the accusation in Janine's voice. They
had spent nearly every one of Janine's waking hours together and having a
lot of fun in the process. But Janine was going to have to get used to
being alone. It was going to be a harder adjustment for her than she
thought Janine realized, although living in the Valley Mansion had done
nothing to appease her loneliness, that was for sure.
"You'll make some friends here," Pandora reassured her, retracing her
steps across the room and sitting beside Janine on the sofa.
"It won't be easy though, will it?" Janine asked rhetorically. "How do I
know who to trust? How well can I hide my vampire nature? Can I find a
'Jake' too?" she paused, considering Jake himself. "He's very nice,"
she mused. "So that's a start, I guess..."
"Yeah, hon," Pandora said, squeezing Janine's shoulders. "Maybe he can
introduce you to some people." She did not voice her concern about a
friendship with Jake. He was marked by Adrian and could be considered
part of his "territory." And she suspected that Adrian's feelings for the
young man went deeper than friendship. As long as Janine kept a
respectful distance then it shouldn't be a problem...she hoped.
_____________
Comments and measurements for a respectful distance can be sent to:
fraser@library.utoronto.ca
wallacel@is.dal.ca
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 11:23:08 -0500
Subject: Vampyres: re: Janine's Journey, pt 17
No, no, folks, please don't panic at the subject line, Pandora and I
didn't suddenly decide to recreate the Endless Saga. There are still
only 24 parts to Janine's Journey. *sheepish grin* For some reason, I
typed in the year... Laybro, what's the going penance again?
===================================================================
BARON GIDEON REDOAK, fraser@library.utoronto.ca
Your friendly neighbourhood Lord of the Manor since 1641
Oakwoods home page: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Lofts/3743/
Centre Stage: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Studios/2183/
My Other Home Page: http://members.tripod.com/~Anne_F/index.html
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 21:02:44 -0500
Subject: Vampyres: Fluff: Janine's Journey, pt Eighteen of Twenty-four
Taking no chances. *grin* We don't want coal in our stockings, do we?
______
Janine's Journey
copyright 1997 by A. Fraser and L.M. Wallace
________
*Part 18*
The next day Pandora went out early in the afternoon, leaving Janine a
note that she would likely not be back until after dark but she would not
be as late as the previous night. With that she headed out into the city
to redeem herself.
She was disappointed to discover that Lee Valley was much further out than
she had thought, beyond the subway lines, but she comforted herself with
the finds she had made at the music store. Not only had she scored (she
chuckled to herself at the pun) the arrangements Nicholas had asked her to
look for, but she had also discovered a beautifully reconditioned mandolin
with the most exquisite marquetry that she knew Nicholas would love. And
since she loved him, she bought it for him.
Following this, and still having quite a few hours to wile away before
sunset, she had wandered along the streets window-shopping, and found an
antique shop that she and Janine had somehow missed. In it had been a
very lovely dining room set that she thought Janine would like, so she
placed a deposit on it. She thought even Joshua would approve of the
purchase: an extendable mahogany table in a graceful Hepplewhite style,
with four matching harp-backed chairs that had burgundy damask seat
cushions. If Janine did like it, she would pay the remainder as a
housewarming gift from she and Nicholas. If she didn't like it, Pandora
could get her money back with no harm done.
Filled with the warmth and joy that buying gifts for loved ones can
inspire, Pandora made her way to the Annex, admiring the shifting colours
of the sky as the sun descended in the west. Her high spirits dimmed,
however, as she neared Adrian's house and she thought of Jake, nervously
waiting for her verdict. She sighed as she climbed the stairs, the
parcels she carried suddenly seeming heavy. If the wound had not healed,
there was nothing she could do for him. She hoped that she had not been
too late.
* * *
"Hi," Jake said, smiling as he answered the door. He shifted a bit
uneasily, however, and blushed slightly when their eyes met as visceral
memory of the night before washed through him.
"Is he awake yet?" she asked quietly, knowing it would be dangerous for
her to go in before he had awakened. The instincts for survival were
strongest upon waking, and they were mindless.
"I thought I heard him move," Jake said, yawning. His face was creased
with lines that matched the cushions on Adrian's sofa and his hair was
tousled.
"Would you come outside and wait with me?" Pandora asked, looking
him meaningfully in the eyes.
"Sure," he nodded, pulling the door behind him, but leaving it ajar. He
took a deep breath of the twilight air as he stepped outside. "Do you
play?" he asked, noticing the instrument case she carried and the bag from
the music store.
"Hm? Oh, no. It's for Nicholas," she said, smiling broadly with a
resurgence of excitement at her surprise gift. "He's a musician by
profession," she added.
Jake regarded her thoughtfully, noting the obvious depth of love that shone
in her eyes. He couldn't help but smile in return, caught up in the warmth
of her expression. He hoped that some day someone would look like that
when they thought of him.
Someone _female_, he even more privately amended.
"Jake, I..." she began, picking at some peeling paint on the banister upon
which she leaned.
He looked at her expectantly, but his heart thudded in his chest as he
anticipated what it was she wanted to talk about.
"About last night," she continued, and Jake wondered at the complexity of
that simple phrase. "I apologize for...I hope I did not frighten you,"
she said, lifting her gaze to his.
Jake shook his head, his mouth suddenly dry as he stared into her teal-blue
eyes.
"I...I wouldn't have harmed you," she quickly added. "It's just...,"
she sighed, clearly having difficulty explaining this. "I no longer
require blood to survive," she began, "although I am still a vampire. I
think I told you some of this before?" she paused, tilting her head
sideways in question.
Jake nodded. She had told him a few things about herself on the Titanic
to put him at ease as she worked on his arm, including the fact that she
was a "half-vampire"; at least he thought that's what she had called
herself.
She took a deep breath and continued. "My blood is a powerful healing
agent for vampires, but one of the side effects for me in performing such
a healing is the rise of the hunger...the bloodlust," she added softly.
"I should have asked you to leave, last night, before I started. I'm
sorry, I wasn't thinking. If Adrian hadn't been so damned stubborn..."
she trailed off.
"It's okay," Jake said huskily, then cleared his throat. He looked down
at his feet. "It wouldn't have been so bad, y'know," he took a deep
breath and looked shyly at her. "I mean, if I could have helped..."
Pandora's eyes widened and then she laughed, a soft, gentle laugh that was
not mocking in the least. "Oh, Jake. No, it wouldn't have been so bad at
all, I don't think," she smiled warmly. "If I truly needed it for
survival. But I don't, you see. And it wouldn't feel fair...well, I'm very
much in love with my husband," she finished.
"I know. It's very plain when you speak of him," Jake returned her smile
although he felt a vague sense of disappointment. "Will you need to do it
again tonight?" he asked, his mind returning to Adrian. "I mean, let
Adrian take your blood," he blushed.
"No," Pandora said immediately. "Jake, if it didn't help last night then
there's nothing more I can do." She was forthright and he appreciated her
honesty, although he gasped as if she had kicked him in the stomach. "I'm
most sorry that I had to rush away without being able to explain things to
you better. Again, I should have beforehand."
"It's okay, Niamh. I understand." He turned his head towards the door
and cocked his head slightly, listening to the muffled noises inside. "I
think he's up," he said, turning back to her, his face suddenly ashen
with anxiety.
"Then let's go make a housecall, hmm?" she responded, passing through
the door as Jake held it open for her.
* * *
Adrian was seated on the sofa when they entered, still in his dressing
gown. He turned his head at the sound of their footsteps and nodded in
acknowledgement of the healer's presence. There was no hostility, no
bluster this time. He had expected her.
"How do you feel?" Pandora asked, studying him carefully as she knelt on
the floor beside his wounded leg.
"Rested," he said, his face expressionless but his voice betraying some
surprise.
"Any pain?"
Adrian swallowed audibly. "Not yet," he admitted cautiously, as if afraid
to tempt the Fates.
"That's good," Pandora nodded, peeling away the last of the tape that held
the bandage over his wound. She bent her head over his leg so that Adrian
could not see through the curtain of her hair.
He gasped slightly as he felt the warmth of her fingers on his thigh and he
braced himself for the arousal that was sure to come. But she had ceased
touching him already and was sitting on her heels regarding him
thoughtfully.
"Well?" he asked finally, unable to bear the suspense and equally unable to
look down at his own flesh.
"Niamh?" Jake asked, craning his neck to see Adrian's leg.
Pandora grinned broadly, standing up and smoothing the legs of her jeans.
"Look for yourselves," she said, stepping back.
Adrian finally looked, as did Jake, coming to sit beside the vampire on the
sofa. The skin was slightly puckered, an ironically silvery-white scar having
replaced the raw, red skin which Adrian had become accustomed to seeing.
The vampire looked up at Pandora, uninhibited wonder in his eyes.
"I will leave a salve that will help fade the scar," she told him. "It will
never disappear completely, though."
"No," Adrian smiled wryly, dropping his eyes so that she could not see the
emotion shining there. "It will never be gone completely." Now he had a
matched set, his chest and his leg. Both from... the same source.
"So it worked?" Jake asked, his warm, brown eyes regarding her with
excitement and awe.
"Yes, it worked," she grinned back at him. "Do you feel any traces of the
poison, Adrian?" she asked just to make sure.
"None," he said in a dry whisper. "Not a one," he smiled finally, warmly,
at the healer. "I owe--" he broke off when he saw her upraised eyebrows,
her arms folded across her chest. He shook his head, still smiling. "I am
deeply grateful to you, Pandora. Thank you." He reached out to her with
his hand and she grasped it firmly in her own. He had once more
dropped all the masks, showing her something few had seen--the real
Adrian.
"You are welcome," she said, accepting his hand and smiling back just as
warmly before she released her grip. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have
other plans for this evening." She picked up her bag and rummaged through
it, finally locating the small jar of healing salve she had prepared that
morning and handing it to him before turning to leave.
"Wait," Adrian called after her, his customary authoritative tone creeping
back into his voice.
She paused, turning slightly towards him, eyeing him speculatively.
"You truly want nothing in return for this...miracle you have performed?"
he said with some astonishment.
"Twas no miracle," she shook her head. "And yes, I want nothing."
"Not even for the child? I could guarantee her safety you know; you need
but ask."
"Mr.--Adrian," Pandora turned fully around to face him. "A mother's first
priority is to her child, a healer's to her patient. The rewards are love and
life. These are not things that can be asked for."
"But what if those two priorities conflict?" he asked her with measured
seriousness. He was not acting now.
"I cannot answer that question," she smiled, meeting his gaze. "For I have
never found myself in that position." She turned to Jake. "Take care of
yourself, Jake. I hope I see you again sometime. Good luck with school."
"Yeah, me too. Hey, let me walk you to the door," Jake bounded up from
the sofa and Adrian stood as well.
"Good night, Adrian," she nodded at the vampire. "Best stay out of the
way of silver bullets in future, eh?" she smiled mischievously.
Adrian laughed despite himself. "Should you ever find yourself in
Toronto again, perhaps we could take in a play," he suggested, bowing
graciously, a gesture at odds with the sly smile on his face.
Pandora chuckled. "I would enjoy that," she said, and meant it. She
turned again and retraced her steps to the hallway, stopping to put on
her jean-jacket and gather up her things.
"Oh, and one more thing," Adrian's voice reached her at the door, but she
did not turn, only hesitated.
"I'll be watching the girl," he said, his tone expressionless.
"I know," Pandora said, keeping her back turned so he could not see her
smile.
"Thank you so, so much, Niamh," Jake breathed when they reached the
outside porch. He blinked rapidly, trying to hold back tears.
"You're welcome, of course," Pandora smiled and, dropping her bags,
reached her arms around his neck and hugged him warmly. After a
moment his arms crept around her and returned the embrace, holding
onto her tightly.
"Be well," she finally said, pulling away and planting a light kiss on his
cheek, tasting the salty wetness there.
"You too," he responded, releasing her somewhat reluctantly. "Hey, are
you going to be in Toronto much longer?"
"I'll be staying a few more days to help Janine settle into her new flat, and
then I'll be going home." As she said the word home, her eyes shone with
the same light he had seen when she spoke of her husband.
"Well, maybe we'll run into each other before you leave," he said
hopefully.
Pandora laughed, thinking of Janine's wisecrack. "Maybe so. Goodbye,
Jake."
"Bye, Niamh," he said, watching as she made her way down the street
until she disappeared into the darkness.
__________
Comments?
fraser@library.utoronto.ca
wallacel@is.dal.ca
Date: Fri, 14 Nov 1997 10:08:06 -0500
Subject: Vampyres: Fluff: Janine's Journey, pt 19/24
Janine's Journey
copyright 1997 by A. Fraser and L.M. Wallace
_____________
*Part 19*
Janine stood on the threshold of her new flat, looking at all the
furniture in place, the new telephone, the humming refrigerator, the
sparkling clean windows...
"It's mine," she whispered.
Pandora hugged her. "Yes, it's all yours."
"I couldn't have done it without you." Janine returned the hug. "And
thank you so much for the dining room suite!" She had heartily approved
of Pandora's find, and it now stood in the niche set aside for it in the
living room.
Boxes full of Janine's clothes and personal items had arrived from Maine
and passed through customs; these now awaited her attention in the
bedroom. She knew this, but still paused at the doorway.
"Is anything wrong, Janine?" Pandora asked.
"It's just..." the girl looked terrified. "Well, it's the first
time..."
"I know. And it will be hard for you. But you can call me anytime. And
you will get used to living alone. You may not believe that now, but you
will."
"I guess."
"It has its advantages you know." Pandora's eyes took on a mischievous
glint. "Sleeping in if you want to. Not having to clean up after someone
else. You can always watch what *you* want to on tv or listen to what
music *you* want to. You can have it absolutely quiet if you want. And
best of all, you can bring someone home and not have to worry about making
it to the bedroom, or making too much noise..."
Janine smiled at this.
"Let's go in, this is supposed to be the fun part," Pandora urged her.
"You're right." Janine brightened. "And look, no Alex!"
Pandora laughed, though she privately wondered how well the brooding
vampire was taking this separation from his cousin. Nicholas had not
reported that Alex had done himself in, so perhaps Janine's cousin was
handling it better than he'd been expected to.
Janine stepped into her apartment. "Wow," she said, taking it in one
more time. "Mine." She did a little skip-step. "Mine, mine, mine!"
"This calls for a toast!" Pandora produced a bottle that would have
been instantly familiar to any member of the Brotherhood. Janine
grinned.
"At least it's not tea," she said, ducking out of Pandora's reach.
The healer rolled her eyes. "There is nothing wrong with my tea!" she
exclaimed.
"I know, it's just such fun teasing you about it," Janine explained,
eyes avidly watching Pandora pour the fine scotch into glasses.
No sooner had they raised the glasses to their lips then the phone
rang, startling them both.
"Hello?" Janine picked it up. At the sound of the voice on the phone
she rolled her eyes with exaggeration and held the receiver out. "It's
for you."
Pandora's eyes lit up and she took it eagerly, settling into the
comfortable chair Janine had placed beside the phone table. "Hello,
my love," she said softly.
Janine sighed and, picking up her glass, made her way to the bedroom where
she surveyed the multitude of boxes to be unpacked.
"Well, who else would it have been?" She heard Pandora say, her ensuing
laughter ringing out clearly in the living room. The healer's voice
dropped to a hushed whisper and Janine closed the door to the bedroom. It
was hard not to eavesdrop with the sensitive hearing of a vampire, and she
really didn't want to listen to them make love over the phone.
She sighed again, a blend of excitement and anxiety making her restless,
and opened the nearest box.
Janine had gotten through three boxes, mostly of clothing, when Pandora
knocked quietly on the door.
"Enter!" she called.
"Freely and of my own will?" Pandora finished for her as she came in the
room, grinning.
"Blood of corpse. Velcome to my home," Janine responded in a truly
bad fake accent.
"You're making progress," Pandora observed. "Can I help?"
"Sure. There's still some clothes in that box over there, I think.
How's Nicholas?"
"He's great," Pandora smiled widely as she opened the box Janine
had indicated.
"Anxious to have you home, I bet," Janine said softly. "When do
you plan to leave?"
Pandora looked up sharply at the tone of Janine's voice, her heart aching
in response. "I can get a flight on Saturday morning that will have
me in Bangor by mid-afternoon," the healer said quietly.
"I see," Janine nodded, but turned her head quickly away, busying herself
with the contents of yet another box. Only two more days.
"Nicholas threatened to come up here and bodily remove me if I didn't
come home soon," Pandora chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.
"Although..." she trailed off, considering.
"Yeah, could be fun," Janine said flatly.
"Hey," Pandora said, crossing the room to put her arm around Janine's
shoulders. Janine hastily wiped away a stray tear from her cheek
and tried valiantly to smile.
"C'mere," Pandora urged her to sit on the edge of the bed with her. "I
meant it about being able to call me anytime. And I meant it about being
a 'surrogate' sire. That wasn't just a line for Adrian. I'll always be
there for you, in one way or another. You know you're also welcome to
visit Meadowsweet Ridge anytime, and I'll come visit you, too."
Janine nodded, but stared at her hands in her lap. "Yeah, I know. *Mom*."
"Not exactly..." Pandora murmured. "Actually, you remind me a lot of my
younger sister, Paisley. Well, she wasn't that much younger, only by about
four or five years. I think that, yes, she would have been about your
age...."
Janine looked over at Pandora, studying her face. "Yeah? What was she
like?"
Pandora closed her eyes, a smile playing about her lips. "She was very
bright, with this quick wit and intellect. Very sharp," Pandora nodded
to herself. "She was so...vivacious, Just loved life and living; always
doing something; always on the way somewhere, never content to just sit
still. People who didn't know her well often thought she was dimwitted
because of that, but that was the furthest thing from the truth. And she
was very pretty." Pandora opened her eyes to find Janine still watching
her with interest. "We were quite different from each other, come to
think of it," she chuckled softly. "I was always the serious one. The
quiet one."
"Do you miss her?" Janine asked.
Pandora looked down at the floor quickly, but not before Janine detected
the glistening of tears in her eyes. "Sure I miss her. And my mother,
and the other women, and Jordan, of course," her voice broke and she took
a deep breath before lifting her head. "But that was a very long time
ago--another lifetime, another life. I have a new family now. Friends
who feel like family."
"So, you're saying you think of me like a sister?" Janine asked, her eyes
shining.
"Yeah, that's what I'm saying," Pandora said, reaching up a hand to
stroke Janine's cheek fondly. "I'm not old enough to be your mother!" she
chided teasingly.
"I'm going to miss you, Pandora," Janine flung herself into Pandora's
arms, holding her tightly as her shoulders shook with gentle sobs.
"I'm going to miss you, too, Janine," the healer said softly, letting
tears roll down her cheeks unchecked. "But you're going to be fine," she
crooned, rocking Janine slightly in her arms. "Just fine..."
___________
Comments and snowplows, boots, suits, shoes and mobiles can be sent to
fraser@library.utoronto.ca (home of the November snowstorm)
wallacel@is.dal.ca (where it's going to hit later today)
Date: Fri, 14 Nov 1997 16:19:35 -0500
Subject: Vampyres: Fluff: Janine's Journey, pt 20/24
Janine's Journey
copyright 1997 by A. Fraser and L.M. Wallace
_____________
* * *
*Part 20*
The remaining two nights before Saturday passed in a blur. They hung
curtains, sorted out Janine's clothes, explored the neighbourhood to
find out what all the little shops held on their shelves, and generally
got Janine settled into her new home if not yet her new life. There
were still many things she needed to do to get her decorating business
off the ground, but that would come on its own time.
Very early Saturday morning, before sunrise, Janine hugged Pandora
goodbye. There were tears on both their cheeks. It had been a very
eventful time for them both, and the two of them had grown closer than
they had ever been in Fletcherville.
Her face still wet, but her eyes shining with hope and new-found
independence, Janine kissed Pandora on the cheek and went to bed.
Pandora, too, retired to catch a few hour's sleep before she had to make
her way out to Pearson for the first leg of the journey home.
When Janine woke up at sunset, she called out "Pandora?" before
remembering, and had a fresh cry. Then she shook herself, got up and
took a shower, and tried hard not to think that she was completely on
her own. Her old friends from her former life in this city were
unapproachable. It would be embarrassing and dangerous to run into
them. Making new friends was very hard, but she could give it a try.
Her eyes strayed to the telephone, but it would be ridiculous to call
Pandora already. Janine had to prove, if only to herself, that she was
going to cope with this new life. Should she call Alex? She bit her
lip. They had spoken to each other only very briefly since parting,
their conversations like those of strangers. Only time could heal that
breach, and there hadn't been enough of it yet. Well, then, she was on
her own and had to learn to deal with it.
She went out, stopping to pet Gabriel who was on the outside steps to
the house, wondering if Mrs. Garvey would mind if there was another cat
in the place. Gabriel might mind, after all, it was his house, too.
Janine smiled at the thought and gave the cat another tickle behind the
ears. She would not get a cat, not just yet. That was too much of an
admittance that she couldn't manage to live alone.
The street sign for Gothic Avenue made her smile again. Come to think
of it, she had seen several goths in the neighbourhood. They were easy
to spot with their leather and lace, velvet and chain mail, their
artificially pale faces and died hair. Trying to look like vampires.
The vampire in her ordinary jeans and fleece jacket laughed at the
thought.
She walked up Roncesvalles and wandered into one of the stores that was
still open, a shop called Renaissant that had obviously seen a potential
in catering to the subculture in the neighbourhood and so offered a
collection of decorating accessories that could easily grace any given
dungeon. Janine found the people behind the counter friendly and easy
to talk to, and she mentioned that she was a decorator and looking for
her first customer. They were enthusiastic about the idea, since
decorators are good for referrals, and she talked with them about
various ideas until the shop closed. She'd had no time yet to get
business cards made--they gave her some ideas about that, too--so she
left her name and number on a piece of paper for them and went back to
her new flat happy with the thought that she had at least made initial
contact.
___________
Comments and business cards can be sent to:
fraser@library.utoronto.ca
wallacel@is.dal.ca
Date: Sat, 15 Nov 1997 12:14:56 -0500
Subject: Vampyres: Fluff: Janine's Journey, pt 21/24
(Anyone ever introduce a year-old cat to several centimetres of cold,
wet snow? I highly recommend it for sheer amusement value. Well, the
Alter Ego was amused, but I don't think Mina was. *grin*)
________
Janine's Journey
copyright 1997 by A. Fraser and L.M. Wallace
_______
* Part 21*
Pandora spotted Nicholas almost instantly, standing with his hands shoved
in the pockets of his jeans, watching the small stream of passengers who
had just disembarked from the flight from Boston. He saw her at almost
the same time and his mouth widened into a grin, violet eyes shining with
delight. Pandora dropped her bag and let herself be swept up into his
embrace, hugging him back tightly.
"Gods, I missed you," he breathed in her ear.
She nodded. Their mouths met. And time stood still, the bustle and noise
of the airport receding far into the background as they expressed their
joy at being reunited. Folks who passed by smiled, some regarded them
with envy, others clucked their tongues at such an overt display of
affection in a public place.
"Hey, there's, like, a motel just down the road," one young man informed
them helpfully, to which they both laughed and ended their embrace.
"C'mon, let's get your luggage and get you home," Nicholas said
huskily.
"Yes, please," Pandora said softly, her eyes conveying the depth
of her emotions.
* * *
The phone was ringing when they entered the house.
"Probably Alex," Nicholas growled. "He's been driving me
crazy since I told him you were coming home today. Let the
machine get it."
Pandora didn't argue as they resumed the welcome they had
begun at the airport, never quite making it to the bedroom.
The machine clicked on. "Hey, it's us. Leave a message,"
came Nicholas's voice, short and to the point.
"It's Alex. Is she home yet? Pandora? Call me when you
get in."
And later...
"Okay, I know she's home. Pandora, would you call me
please? I'm going to come over there if you don't, and I don't
care what you're doing..."
* * *
Despite Alex's threats, Pandora never made it to the phone that
night, as she and Nicholas spent every waking moment "catching
up." He was delighted with the gift of the mandolin, of course,
and in his ever imaginative way managed to return the pleasure
three-fold.
But the next afternoon, after listening to the numerous messages
which Alex had left, Pandora knew that she could not put off
making a "report" of her trip. She was confident that she could
put Alex very much at ease and was, indeed, concerned about
how well he was actually taking the separation; but there was
another matter that she needed to attend to, one that niggled
at her conscience even though she personally had no qualms
about it.
"I need to go talk to Tadg," she said to Nicholas, "and to Alex, of
course, to let him know that Janine's fine."
"I understand Alex," Nicholas replied, "but why Tadg? I'm sure he'd be
happy to hear that Janine's fine, but why him in particular?"
"I need to talk to him as a healer," came the answer. "And then as the
head of the Brotherhood."
Nicholas searched her face. "Did something happen in Toronto?
Talbot...?" But he could see that she was fine.
"I have to talk to the Archdruid first, Nevyan."
Put like that, Nicholas couldn't argue. Pandora went up to Fairlawn
and snagged Michael for a walk in the back garden, bursting with
July fullness. Ruddigore, the Fairlawn's useless doormat of a
dog, followed them in the faint hope one of them had a treat.
"Well, then?" Michael asked when the silence stretched beyond being
comfortable.
"Very well," Pandora replied.
He raised an eyebrow at her, but didn't pretend to misunderstand her.
"I'm glad," he said. "Janine deserves it. But there's something else,"
Michael probed gently. "I gather that you did meet the most feared Prince
of the City." There was a hint of sarcasm, very gentle, in the use
of that title.
"Oh, yes," Pandora said. "We met."
"And...?"
"Tadg, you are a healer. I know you don't practice as much as you used
to, but it is still your training. If you met a man who was wounded
unto death, a poisoned wound that was killing him by inches and yet one
you had a chance of healing before it stole his life... say this man had
a reputation for being... well, bad. He is feared and reviled, and
there are people, good people, who would willingly kill him for his
crimes. You would disregard everything and heal him, would you not?"
"Yes." There was no hesitation at all in his answer. "No one is beyond
hope, Niamh. Not even Adrian Talbot." He smiled at her, his green eyes
crinkling at the corners. "A bad wound?"
"Silver bullet, and he is of a bloodline that silver is poison to. He
was in such pain, Tadg, I couldn't let him go on like that."
"Of course you couldn't. Were you successful?" His interest was all
academic, one healer to another.
"Yes." She told him what she had done, and he nodded.
"He's most fortunate. I hope he appreciates that."
"He had a hard time believing that I wanted nothing in return."
Another nod. "That seems to be his mind-set from what I know of him,
Niamh, that you use people for what you can get from them. He wouldn't
believe that someone would help him and want nothing in return. Sad,
really." He stared off into the woods. "Someone, somewhere, has much
to answer for, for the way that boy turned out."
"Do you know him, Tadg? Other than by reputation?"
"Oh, we have crossed paths once or twice; but never long enough to
really claim any great acquaintance. Sooner or later all us immortals
rub elbows, you know." He chuckled, but his eyes reflected long
centuries. "Well, my dear, how are you going to break this news to the
rest of the Brotherhood?"
Pandora grimaced. "I was hoping you might have an idea about that."
"It would be best to be forthright, I think. It's not likely to be
received well, but you know you have my full support."
Pandora sighed. "I know. And yes, I know you support me," she smiled
fondly at him.
"Have you told Nevyan yet?"
"Not yet," she responded. "I wanted to talk with you first and, well, it
wasn't exactly the first thing on my mind when I saw him," she admitted,
to which Michael laughed. "He'll understand, though. At least,
I'm quite sure he will," she looked to Michael for reassurance, however.
"Yes, he'll understand. And will definitely support you as well," Michael
nodded. "As will most of the others, given time. But..."
"Gideon," Pandora finished for him, shoving her hands in the pockets
of her shorts and eyeing the thick grass beneath her feet.
"Yes." Michael said briefly, sighing. "But Gideon is a reasonable man and
will come around eventually. It may be hard for him to accept at first, but
he will know that you did the only thing you could."
"Mmm," Pandora assented, but she still looked troubled. "Best get it over
with then."
"I'll make the arrangements," Michael said, and they both fell silent
again, making their way companionably back to Fairlawn, Ruddigore
trundling along beside them.
________
Comments and ways to break it to 'em gently can be sent to:
fraser@library.utoronto.ca
wallacel@is.dal.ca
Date: Sat, 15 Nov 1997 22:05:30 -0500
Subject: Vampyres: Fluff: Janine's Journey, pt 22/24
Hey, it's lonely out here... anyone around?
_______
Janine's Journey
copyright 1997 by A. Fraser and L.M. Wallace
_______
* Part 22*
Pandora first filled the Brotherhood in on her trip to Toronto, and the
steps Janine had taken towards independence. She reported on the surprise
meeting with Adrian Talbot and his friend, Jake, and reassured
them--especially Alex--that Janine would be safe, that Talbot had agreed
to leave her alone. She did not mention that she had assumed the role of
"surrogate sire" to deflect his wrath from the Brotherhood should he ever
have reason to find fault with Janine (she would cross that bridge if the
need arose in future, which she doubted). Then she told them about the
healing.
To neither her nor Michael's surprise, this news was not received well at
all. Nevertheless, Pandora cringed back against her seat at the outcry,
grateful for Nicholas's reassuring arm around her shoulders.
Michael forcefully called the meeting back to order, the authoritative
tone accomplishing what he wanted without having to raise the volume.
When the Archdruid spoke, people listened.
"I believe that Pandora has more that she would like to add," he said
sternly and nodded towards the healer to speak.
She took a deep breath and leaned forward, holding her back and shoulders
straight, regarding each member in turn with a measured gaze, resisting
the urge to flinch when she met Gideon's cold stare.
"I will be succinct," she said in a quiet but strong voice which commanded
their attention. "For me to have let Talbot die when I knew that I could
possibly heal him would have been murder. It's as simple as that." She
looked around the table again, meeting each pair of eyes, letting them
know that she had nothing to hide.
"And he has agreed to leave Janine alone," Alex added.
Pandora shook her head. It would be so easy to let them think that she
had made a bargain with Adrian, but she could not. And those who knew her
well would not truly believe it anyway. "He agreed to that before he was
even aware that I could help him; before I even knew that he was dying.
Of course, *he* knew that he was dying then, so perhaps he felt it did not
matter, anyway."
The room was silent, as they each pondered this new piece of information.
"But, for whatever his reasons, I believe--no, I *know*--that he will be
fair with her," Pandora added. "She is safe."
Alex nodded, satisfied with this answer and Pandora took it as support,
even if it was not for the reason for which she would have hoped.
Ray cleared his throat, and all eyes turned to him. "Janine aside...
Pandora is right. If she had done nothing it would have been murder. And
I know, as do all of you, that she is not capable of that. But this isn't
a question of right or wrong--it's about being true to oneself. What's
done is done--she was there and she acted in the only way she could have."
Pandora silently communicated her gratitude with her eyes, and Ray smiled
briefly, sitting back in his chair. Maggie had nodded vigorously during
his short speech and also smiled at Pandora, offering her quiet support.
But the healer's relief was short-lived as the dapper Baron spoke his
piece.
"Then she should not have gone. I did not approve of the trip and thus I
cannot support her actions," Gideon said firmly. Evan nodded, giving
his employer *his* back-up.
Nicholas sat forward, anger reddening his cheeks. "You say that you
cannot condone her healer's instincts--then what of Joshua, Gideon? Is it
not because of her that he remains well?"
Gideon reeled back in his seat as if struck. Pandora looked at her husband
with dismay. "Nevyan," she said sadly, shaking her head. "Don't..."
But the bard pressed on, fixing the Baron with his violet stare. "Would
you have her cut off an arm, Gideon? A leg? For that is what you ask her
to do by telling her whom she can and cannot heal. Joshua is special to
her, yes; but fundamentally her ability comes from a deep love and respect
for all life. And that is something which cannot discriminate. She
cannot choose who she will share her gift with, any more than you can
choose whether or not you will be a vampire tonight. It is an essential
part of her, and she lives her life accordingly.
"If you, or anyone here," he added, taking in the whole table with the
sweep of his eyes, " has a quarrel with this, then it must not be with
her, but with the Brotherhood as a whole. The majority voted to let her
accompany Janine to Toronto and *we* are responsible for the consequences,
not her alone." Nicholas sat back and put his arm around Pandora once
more.
"Nicholas is right, Gideon," Michael said softly, although he wished
the bard had chosen his opening words more carefully. Yet as he
glanced at his friend, seeing the familiar defiant look on his face, he
knew that he had spoken out of a fierce devotion to and love not only for
his wife, but for the Brotherhood, and he found he could not fault him.
"The Brotherhood is a democracy," Gideon said stiffly. "I bow to the
wishes of the majority. I didn't think that meant I had to agree with
them." He looked at Pandora and his gaze softened. "Of course I
cannot fault you for your healer's instincts. You know I am deeply in
your debt. Without you..." he couldn't go on, and put his head in his
hands. A minute later, his more usual iron control reasserted itself.
"I apologize for my outburst," he said. "Pandora only did what she
thought was right."
"I can't argue with that," Evan said, looking none too happy about it.
"I'm sorry, too."
"Apologies accepted," Pandora reassured them, but cast a sorrowful
look at Nicholas.
Michael made another mental note to himself. Whatever had Talbot done
to the Baron to provoke such animosity, other than offer a few random
insults? But since there was no further outright opposition to
Pandora's exploits in Toronto, he decided it might be best to let the
matter rest. For now.
"The really important thing is that Janine is happy, settling in, and
finding her way," he said, bringing the focus back to Janine. "And that
we have Talbot's word that he'll leave her alone. So let's all be
grateful for that, and wish Janine the best of all possible luck.
Meeting adjourned."
A collective sigh of relief could be heard around the room as everyone
rose, making fairly hasty exits to escape the still lingering tension.
Each one could not help but glance towards the bard and healer,
however, who were still seated at the table, exchanging what looked
like heated words in hushed voices. Finally they rose as well, bidding
good night to Michael, and left, holding hands. Once outside, Nicholas
handed Pandora his car keys and made his way over, instead, to Gideon's
limousine.
"Gideon!" he called, hurrying to catch the Baron before he climbed into
the back seat.
"Yes?" Gideon asked, hesitating with his hand on the door, his face
expressionless.
Nicholas shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, clearly
uncomfortable. His cheeks were still flushed with residual anger, but his
violet eyes had softened, the emotion reflected in them less certain.
"Look, Gideon. You're right, you know. You don't have to agree with any
of the Brotherhood's decisions. But we do all have to accept the
consequences of those decisions, whether we agree with them or not," the
bard said.
Gideon nodded, his eyes narrowing.
"But that's not what I came over to say," Nicholas continued, sighing
lightly. "I'm sorry about the reference to Joshua. That was truly
unfair. It's just...when it comes to her..." the bard looked over his
shoulder towards his car where Pandora was waiting for him and took a deep
breath. "She was hurting, so I lashed out and made certain my words
stung. But my tongue is sharp and I should not use it so on a friend."
"I understand, Nicholas and I accept your apology, " Gideon said amicably
although he suddenly appeared extraordinarily tired. "Good night," he
added before getting in the car and shutting the door.
"Good night, Gideon," Nicholas answered, stepping back as Evan pulled
away. He trudged over to his own car and climbed in the driver's seat.
Pandora watched him expectantly.
"It is done," Nicholas sighed, placing a hand on her thigh and squeezing
gently. "And I feel better, yes," he added, smiling sheepishly at her.
"Thank you, love," she said softly, leaning over to kiss him.
Michael retreated from the window, smiling as he turned out the lights and
closed the door to the meeting room behind him.
________
Hmm, sounds like there's another story or two here, doesn't it?
*chuckle*
Comments on _this_ story can be sent to:
fraser@library.utoronto.ca AND wallacel@is.dal.ca
Date: Sun, 16 Nov 1997 10:24:11 -0500
Subject: Vampyres: Janine's Journey, pt 23/24
Coming to you from Toronto, where the wind chill is a brisk -14 Celsius
and today is the Santa Claus Parade. Just think, all those frozen
bloofer niblets... *grin*
___________
Janine's Journey
copyright 1997 by A. Fraser and L.M. Wallace
___________
* * *
*Part 23*
With each passing night, being on her own got just a little bit easier.
Janine was already learning some faces on her street and in the general
neighbourhood; learning, too, that this was a very Polish area with
delicatessens and bakeries where one almost never heard English. She
thought this mildly funny, since she was--very distantly--Romanian.
At least they were all European, sort of.
She even called Alex to tell him that, and was pleasantly surprised to
hear him laugh.
"So you are fitting in?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied, with a little thrill. "How are you doing?"
There was silence, and her heart sank. Then he said, "I'm managing,
Janine."
She closed her eyes to picture him in his den at Valley Mansion, sitting
there in his Armani short-sleeved shirt, one of those damned black
cigarettes in his hand. She could almost smell the smoke from
it. Quite suddenly, she missed him.
"You should come up and see my new place," she said. "I think you'd
like it."
"It sounds quite lovely," he replied, "but I think neither of us is
ready for a visit yet. Am I wrong?"
"No. No, you're not wrong, Alex. But I do miss you."
"Give it time, Jenny-wren, give it time. I miss you, too, but it's
better this way."
"Yeah. Pandora get home okay?"
"She did. Says she had a really good time, but that you ran into
Talbot."
Janine's heart lurched all over again, remembering that unexpected
encounter and how Adrian hadn't looked well. "We did," she answered,
"but he's promised to leave me alone. We don't have to worry about
him."
"Good. Well, take care, cousin. Let me know how you're doing, often."
"I will. Good night, Alex."
After hanging up, Janine sat and puzzled over the conversation for a bit.
Alex hadn't sounded like himself. He must have been in one of his rare
good moods, and her call had buoyed him up even further. He had
sounded...well, not chipper, that was beyond Alex's emotional range,
but almost cheerful.
That was definitely something to think about. He was happy for her,
that she was making her own way and fitting in, rather than brooding
over his own problems and loneliness. That made her feel good, and less
worried about him.
To celebrate this, she took herself downtown to a movie she'd been wanting
to see. In the crowds, one tall, broad back stood out. Janine tried to
duck, but those brown eyes had already spotted her.
"Hey," Jake said, smiling, "I see you, Janine. Why are trying to
hide?"
She flushed. "Um, I dunno."
"It's okay, I'm alone tonight," Jake grinned.
"Don't you have a girlfriend?" she blurted out, then promptly wanted to
die.
But Jake took it in good spirits. "Kinda between at the moment," he
said easily. "Where's Niamh?" he asked, looking around with
hopeful expectation.
"She went back home. Why do you call her Niamh?"
This made him blink. "It's her name, isn't it?"
"Well, really only Nicholas calls her that."
Jake shrugged. "She told me it was her real name, so that's what I call
her. She doesn't seem to mind. How are you liking it in Toronto?"
"I'm getting along. Found a great place to live, and I'm working on
making some business contacts so I can get set up."
"Doing...?" Jake prompted.
"Decorating."
"Only at night, though," he teased.
"Yeah, well, people like a decorator that'll come when they're home."
The young man nodded, seeing a certain amount of sense in this. "What
movie are you here to see?" he asked.
"I came to see _Air Force One_."
"Me, too, so come on and sit with me." He noticed her look. "Come on,
sharing a movie isn't a commitment or anything, we're just sitting
beside each other, not dating. I won't tell Adrian if you won't."
Janine agreed and they went in together. "Is he ... jealous?" she dared
to ask.
Jake grunted. "It's hard to explain," he said. "Don't let's talk about
him."
Diplomacy won out over curiosity. Janine stifled her questions and went
and sat beside Jake in the movie. He behaved himself; too well, she
thought ruefully. He didn't once try to touch her or make a move on
her, and when the movie was over he didn't suggest going anywhere else.
"Thanks for joining me," he did say, with a smile. "I seem to attract
vampires, so I'll probably see you around."
"I don't mind," Janine assured him. "Try not to bring the lord and
master, though."
It was the wrong thing to say, Jake's friendly smile closed up
immediately. "He's not my lord and master," he said tightly. "I'm not
Renfield."
"I'm sorry. I don't think you are a Renfield type." She cursed herself
and started to walk away.
"Oh, damn," said Jake under his breath. "Look," he caught up to her,
"we shouldn't quarrel, not about *him*. Take care of yourself, and
we'll meet again. Good night."
"Night," she called back, happier.
____________
Comments and movie tickets can be sent to:
fraser@library.utoronto.ca
wallacel@is.dal.ca
Date: Sun, 16 Nov 1997 19:17:42 -0500
Subject: Vampyres: Fluff: Janine's Journey, pt 24/24
Well, this wraps it up folks....
or does it?
++++++++++++
Janine's Journey
copyright 1997 by A. Fraser and L.M. Wallace
____________
* Part 24 *
"Hi, Alex," Pandora greeted the handsome Count warmly, stepping outside.
"Nicholas is asleep on the couch," she said, closing the door quietly
behind her, "so I thought we could go for a walk along the beach," she
explained at his questioning look. "That is, if you don't mind."
"Of course not," he smiled in return, extending his arm to her which she
took graciously, allowing him to tuck her hand into the crook. "Is he
okay?"
"He's fine," Pandora said. "Just been working extra hard these days, with
the school construction and the club."
"And welcoming his wife home," Alex suggested, grey eyes twinkling.
"That, too," she agreed, blushing ever so slightly.
They strolled in silence but for the faint susurrus of leaves in the ever-
present breeze from the ocean and the crunching of stone beneath their shoes.
A half moon cast its light over the water, coating it in a thin sheen of silver.
"How are you doing, Alex?" Pandora finally asked.
He looked at her guardedly, but when their eyes met he dropped all
pretense, knowing it would be fruitless to try to hide his true feelings
from her.
He sighed before answering, his gaze flickering towards the darkened
horizon. "I miss her, Pandora. The mansion seems so...vast and empty
without her."
Pandora squeezed his arm gently. "But peaceful, I bet."
He raised an eyebrow at this and chuckled softly. "Yes, I will grant that
it is most definitely peaceful. Maybe a little too," he added under his
breath.
"This was a natural step for her to take, Alex. And while I cannot tell
you that it had nothing to do with you, I can say that is was for reasons
which you are not considering," the healer said.
Alex glanced at her, brow furrowing in slight puzzlement.
"She's a young adult, Alex," Pandora explained patiently. "It is time
for her to be on her own."
He nodded, understanding. They continued to walk along the shore, treading
carefully over glistening stones. "You have never approved of our
relationship, have you, Pandora?" Alex asked after some moments had
passed.
Pandora said nothing, but he could read her answer in her eyes when she
glanced up at him.
"But you are right," Alex sighed. "It has not been healthy, even
though...even when there has been genuine feeling underlying it."
Pandora nodded, regarding him solemnly. "I would not presume to judge
you, Alexander," she said quietly. "I have known loneliness. Unbearable
loneliness. But you deserve more, as well."
The vampire's dark eyes flickered with suprise and he paused in his steps.
"As long as Janine was here, you were not exactly free to live as you
might, either," Pandora continued. She turned to him, laying her free
hand on his other arm, searching his eyes. He tried to look away but
found he could not, his gaze drawn magnetically back to hers, all the pain
he felt clearly reflected in the smoky depths of her eyes.
"Learn from the past but do not look to it for answers," she said softly.
"It is time for you to follow a new path as well, Alexander."
Alex was too stunned to speak. Everyone's focus, including his own, had
been on Janine. He knew that they thought it was the best thing she could
have done for herself, leaving Valley Mansion. Leaving him. Pandora was
the first to suggest that it was the best thing she could have done for
him, as well, instead of just telling him to live with it, get used to it.
He looked at the healer with deep, genuine gratitude in his eyes, and held
her tightly when she moved into his embrace, burying his face in her hair
until he could compose himself again.
"Nicholas is a very lucky man," he said in a husky voice when he finally
released her. "I hope he realizes just how lucky."
Pandora just smiled, her eyes shining with the silver light of the moon.
"I'd have married you myself, given the chance," he said, his expression
serious, but his grey eyes twinkled with a playful, seductive glint.
Pandora laughed. "It would never have worked, Alex," she teased him.
"We'd have been at each other's throats before long."
"Promises, promises," he responded, trying to look miffed, but the
corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled.
"Niamh?" Nicholas's voice rang out clearly from the meadow, accompanied
by the snapping of twigs and brush.
Pandora looked expectantly to the meadow path, while Alex looked hastily
away, passing a hand quickly over his cheeks to remove any residual
wetness there. When the bard finally appeared he was fully composed,
regarding Nicholas with his typical brooding Byronic expression.
"Alex," Nicholas blinked sleepily. "I'm sorry to interrupt--I didn't
realize you were here."
"Pandora was just filling me in on her trip," Alex answered. "Reassuring
me that Janine is quite fine." He smiled fondly at the healer.
"Sure," Nicholas nodded, looking at him somewhat curiously. "Uh, Niamh,
Mary called. It's nothing serious--seems the twins have come down with
the chicken pox and she was wondering if you might have some suggestions
for the itching."
"I'll call her right back," Pandora responded. "Alex...?" she laid a hand
on his arm, which he covered briefly with his own.
"Go on ahead. I think I'll enjoy some more of this wonderful sea air. I
can show myself out," he grinned.
She cocked her head, regarding him intensely for a moment. Nicholas
turned away and started to head up the beach. "Take care, Alex," she
whispered, stretching up to kiss him on the cheek. "I'm here for you,
too," she added. "Any time."
He nodded, brushing her cheek with his fingers briefly before she left
him, quickly catching up with her husband, who put his arm around her
shoulders as they made their way back home.
Alex continued down the beach alone, hands in his pockets, only a few
late wheeling gulls to keep him company.
"It is time for you to follow a new path as well, Alexander." Pandora's
words rang in his ears like the sea, as he bent to pick up a pebble to
skim on a small tidal pool nestled in grouping of small boulders.
"But which way do I go?" he asked out loud, staring at the ripples his
pebble left behind. "I've chosen the wrong path all my life, how do I
know which one is the right one?" He slumped down on a large rock
worn smooth by the action of waves, sand, wind and many generations
of buttocks plunked down for quiet contemplation of the ocean.
The water lapped at the shore, giving him no answer. But as he sat, his
gaze naturally turned to the sheer cliffs that began not far from
Meadowsweet Ridge, and his sharp vampiric eyesight had no trouble
delineating Valley Mansion's Gothic shape.
"Maybe," Alex said, "maybe Janine's not the only one who needs to escape
from a Gothic Romance. Mewed up in that house, it's no wonder I'm more
like Rochester than anything else. I think it's time to world travel
again, my boy." His eyes followed the path of the cliff, resting
briefly on Oakwoods. "I don't think I can get Gideon to come with me to
Italy _this_ time," he chuckled. "He's found what he wants. Lucky
him."
He stood up and brushed off his pants. "Well, if he can do it, then I
can, too. If I only knew what I was looking for."
He left the rock to its silent watching and headed home. But he was
smiling.
_________________ THE END _______________________________________
Comments and kudos may be sent to:
fraser@library.utoronto.ca
wallacel@is.dal.ca