The Bride In Black

Part 69

I sat in Thomas' study helping unpack things since we moved back into the house. I mostly was just taking things from boxes letting him decide where he wanted them which was taking an awfully long time but I had a comfy chair so I didn't mind. In my unpacking I found a little wooden chest I set it on the table and went about my unpacking but I Found myself unable to stop my curiosity. I took the chest to the desk and unlatched it pushing it open with a small creak it was filled to the brim with papers and pictures. I looked up and Thomas was still figuring out his books so I dug through the chest picking out something at random. I saw a very very old black and white photo that made me giggle.

It was Thomas well dressed stood beside one of those old standing camera's it had clearly been taken with the camera facing the mirror in our bedroom, his sister beside him in her own little dress slightly waving. Clearly this was a very early camera and by their clothes pre first world war definitely. I dug thought finding another photo this one a sepia photo of Thomas his sister, his mother and another man who I recognized as his father from the paints and such I had seen of him, all of them on horses in a strange dry place

"What are you up to?" Thomas smiled taking a seat with me "spying on my personal business"

"Sorry Thomas I-"

"It's alright y/n. Natural for you to be curious" he says kissing my temple taking the photo I first looked at "awww I forgot about this. Yeah me and Ava where messing around with that stupid old camera"

"Ye old mirror selfie"

"Pretty much, bought alot of the stupid stuff back then didn't know what would and wouldn't stand the test of time"

"What about this one?' I asked showing the one I had

"Ohhh that was... uhhh" he says flipping it over where some writing was "AHH yes new Mexico. 1882. Last trip we took as a family" he says "this was just before my mother and father started to argue... In Front of us anyway." He explained "it was a nice trip though."

"Did you play cowboy?"

"I did. Brought a gun back too"

"You did? How?"

"It was a lot easier to transport that kinda stuff around then"

"Fair enough," I said, picking out another picture, "what's this one?"

"Awww my old flying squad" he smiled moving closer so I could see too the sweet discolored photo of a group of young boys In Front of a plane

"Where's you?"

"Uhhh there. That's me" he explained "I had a mustache back then"

"Why?" I giggled looking at him in his uniform

".... I don't really know. Everyone in did"

"You look nice"

"Do I?"

"Ummm refined"

"I'll keep it in mind" he winked "and that's my plane behind us"

"It is?"

"Course, see"

"Ohh yeah" I nodded "Who's that next to you?"

"ohh that's Jack Jack" he smiled "probably one of my oldest friends"

"Is he?"

"Yes. He's a vampire too. A Lot younger than me though even back then"

"You should see him. Invite him to see the house"

"You think so?"

"I do, I'm sure he'd love to see you"

"Yeah, I'll send him a letter" 

"Letters?"

"yeah?"

"Vampires. you guys got to embrace technology" I sighed 

"What about this one?" I smiled getting another one out of the box a very very old postcard-sized painting of him sitting in a chair in an impressive Regency suit. "Oooohhh you look handsome"

"You think so?"

"I do, I want this in a frame in a little office for myself" 

"you really like it that much"

"Ummm handsome boy"

"Aww maybe I should dress up all fancy for my pretty lady more often" he smirked 

"It would be appreciated" I smiled "when was this painted?"

"Uhhh, 1817" he says "It was horrible. when we get married and we get our painting for the hall we take a photo and then they paint the photo because sitting for that. was an utter nightmare" 

"was it?"

"I had to sit for hours. and then go to bed and then another day come back and try and sit in the same position with the same expression it's a nightmare" 

"I can imagine so, you want us to get a painting?"

"Of course, we will for the hall. after we get married" he smiled giving my head a kiss before he took some more books "You have fun digging through my past" he laughs 

I giggled digging through the box seeing various photos, drawings, little paintings and such like, I found a stack of polaroids tied with string. I untied it looking through the various polaroids many of which were blurry and kinda overblown, I saw one of him using the camera in the mirror and it was clearly a sixties or seventies polaroid camera it made me giggle at how sweet it all was, but one in the middle of the snack made me....pause.

He stood fairly well dressed with a leather jacket, he was leant on his motorbike with his arm around a girl. It wasn't ava. or his mother. and given his motorbike, the style of clothes and of course the polaroid photo meant it was impossible for this to be lillibeth. 

Well... then. Who was she?

She couldn't have been family or at least I hoped not given his hand sat on her hip and her head in his neck.

"Ohh..." He gulped as he returned for more books seeing the photo I had in my hand "Uuuhhh..."

"Who is she?" I asked as nicely as I could trying not to sound upset