Nine Shillings

A Fluster For The Ages

London - 1842

'Does it count as aiding and abetting if you could easily stop me and make no effort to?' I called into the darkness outside the warehouse.

Josef stepped out of the shadows of one of the other warehouses. He could hold so still for so long he didn't need any magic to hide himself from me in the dark; but the cut wood and beeswax scent of him was so familiar I could find him anywhere. Even in the fetid stink of the London docks.

'I'd happily aid and abet you,' he said when he was closer. 'I'll watch your back.' He lowered his voice, 'And your front.'

I chuckled and shook my head. I could never stay angry at him for long, not really. He could be over-protective, secretive, and arrogant, things we had in common. But, he was funny, gentle, and kind. And, I thought, loved fiercely. I appreciated it was difficult for him; he'd been a vampire for two thousand years, he'd lost more people than I'd ever met.

And the guilt. I couldn't forget his guilt.

I did understand. Maybe it would be easier if I didn't.

I sighed and tucked my hand into the crook of his arm as if I was in my fine lady disguise, not my Reaper ensemble fresh from acts of murder.

He put his hand over mine as we walked. 'If you ever needed any help with your... missions, you need only ask.' He slid me a look as if measuring my response. 'I don't mean to be condescending.'

I sighed again. 'I know.'

He inhaled deeply. 'I wanted to apologise for... my behaviour.'

I looked at him.

A man passed us on the main street and Josef touched the brim of his hat in greeting. The man watched us for longer than necessary then seemed to decide we weren't the oddest thing he'd seen in London that evening.

'I'm sorry, if I...' He swatted a stray weed that had managed to sneak its way through the cobbled road with his cane. 'I'm trying my best.'

'I know.' I squeezed his arm. 'It's a complex situation.'

He nodded and we walked on in silence for a while as his cane tap-tapped beside us.

'I love you both, you know that,' he whispered suddenly.

'I know.' I squeezed his arm again and massaged it. I had a feeling there was something else he wanted to say, something he wanted to ask but he was struggling to form the question.

'This place is so limited,' he murmured. 'There's what's acceptable, what isn't, and if you stray into what isn't...' He scowled at the cobbles as we walked.

'Yes, well, I've never been one for that malark. Unacceptable all the way through.' I bumped against his side.

'I wouldn't have said that.' He cleared his throat. 'I mean, I know you're not bothered what people think but you're very acceptable. No, I mean... I...' He huffed.

'I understood what you meant.' I tried to suppress a smile so it didn't look like I was laughing at him being flustered but the results were mixed. 'I think it's sweet you can still get flustered at your age.'

'I don't usually,' he muttered.

'Ah, so I'm special.'

He looked at me. Properly. A kind of look you probably got from very few people in your life; a look that said, 'I see you, I know you, all of you, and I love you'.

I held that deep, dark gaze of his a moment longer than necessary then looked away.

We arrived at the front door of home far sooner than seemed possible and I remembered another night on those steps when I'd kissed his forehead and told him it would never "just be sex". This time I didn't leave him at the bottom of the steps because it was his home now too. If I was honest, I might've said it always was, he'd just slept somewhere else. Most of the time.

The house was quiet. Or as quiet as it could be when you could hear everyone's sleeping breaths and steady heartbeats and the crackling fire in the library.

Bran was sitting in his favourite chair with a glass of whiskey in one hand as he stared at the flames, brooding.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his head. 'Got the morbs, chuckaboo?'

'Hmm?' He massaged my arm. 'No more than usual. Just worrying about you.'

'I had my eye on Lot,' Josef said and opened the drinks cabinet.

'I noticed,' Bran muttered.

I suppressed a sigh. 'Josef was offering to aid me in my criminal activities, if you'd like to join us. Team effort?'

'No,' he whispered. 'You can manage without me.'

'It would be more fun,' I said.

Bran tilted his head to consider me.

'Is crime supposed to be fun?' Josef asked, pouring three glasses of whiskey.

'Everything is more fun together.' I helped myself to a seat on Bran's lap and he smiled.

Josef offered me a drink, his expression unreadable. 'Careful, we might hold you to that.'

Bran seemed tense.

'Mummy!'

I jumped at the snap of the silent tension.

'Mummy!' Mary shouted again at the top of the stairs. 'Got kill a monster.'

'Coming.' I handed the glass back to Josef. 'We'll come back to this.'

He smiled. 'I'm sure we will.'

'Mummy!'

But small children waited for no-one.