More then Just a Bride

Chapter 13

Emily Came down into the garden shortly after sun up. She was an early riser and enjoyed taking morning runs, and it was on her way to do this that she saw me in the rose garden staring at the horizon trying desperately to formulate some sort of a plan.

"aunt clara?" she approached and took a seat next to me, "i thought you were still in bed?" when i didn't say anything she asked "is everything okay?"

I turned to my niece and a pang of guilt and despair came over me, I didn't want to leave her, but my very presence endangers her as long as he has returned "do you like paris?" i asked finally.

She looked a little confused at the random question "yes, paris is nice"

"good!" i stood abruptly "go pack a bag, i'm treating you to a long stay in paris"

"what's all this about?" she asked not moving from the bench "why are you trying to get me away from here?" i sighed and sat back down, emily had always seen right through me.

"he's back" the words escaped my lips in a quiet and cautious tone "he's back and i don't know what he would do if he found about you- how much you know- i wish i had never told you about him em, i wish you were safe in ignoren-"

she cut my ranting short "i'm not scared of him aunt clara, i'm scared of what he can do to you, i will go to paris and he will never even know i exist, but i cant live the rest of my life away from you; your my only family"

Her proclamation brought tears to my eyes and even more worry into my heart, i didn't want to leave her forever either. but that might be the safest option. "i'll take you to london myself in an hour" i explained "you'll get the train to paris and live there for a while; i'll contact you when its safe" i wish i could have given her some words of comfort, i wish i could tell her i'd call her in a week or a month, but i didn't know that i could, i only knew i couldn't contact her until it was safe. i only hoped that in paris she would start a life for herself, have a family, a proper one who didn't have a centuries old vampire prince over her head for eternity.

As promised a few hours later we were at st Pancras international and i was watching her boarding a train, the journey down had been a quiet one; neither of us knew what to say. When she was safely on her way i prepared to make the journey down to whitby to face my maker.

Van helsing had kept me updated during the morning, they had captured him and had the means of holding him quite effectively. I didn't think they knew who they were dealing with, sure they probably could hold his strength and speed, these are things that can be observed and measured; but his mind. that would be their undoing.

I arrived in whitby that afternoon, i had not seen the harker foundation in a few decades and it was much changed; it had improved- clearly better funded. Van helsing met me at the dor; she had changed to i noticed as i approached the doctor. she looked pale and tiered "thank you for coming" she said holding a hand out for me to shake, i didn't return the gesture but proceeded to enter the building infront of her.

as i entered the busy office and reception area fell silent, they clearly recognised a vampire, i looked around and observed what from the outside seemed to be a normal place where normal scientific research was conducted, but below the surface i knew it was anything but.

"it seems you've made some rich freinds" i commented as van helsing walked me through the facility, the deeper and deeper into its hold we went the more i noticed high tech machinery and equipment

"i don't like to ask about it" she stated bluntly, "would you like to know what has happened, how he has returned?"

"no" i answered "i managed to work that out on my way down here" i explained "well as much as i needed to know anyway" She stopped walking and looked at me quizzically "He was lost as sea, your divers managed to locate him and then proceeded to come stupidly close to his fangs and accidentally gave him blood, thus waking his dormant body and allowing him to return and become a pain in my ass again"

"that's about it" she looked surprised. "how did you know?"

"i tasted blood and salt in my sleep last night, the salt was the sea, the blood was a woman's someone scientifically minded"  i explained, she started making notes immediately

"so the connection still exists between you two then?"

"i don't know but it looks likely yes, don't worry, i'm not about to break him out any time soon" i assured her "before you called i didn't know what the dream meant" she finished jotting down the information i had just revealed and we continued our course through the maze of a medical facility. "has anyone had much contact with him since he arrived here?" i enquired.

"just me" she stated, i looked at her reprehensibly, i thought she was supposed to be the only smart one in this place "i was in no danger" she explained "but it appears according to dracula that i bare some resemblance to my ancestor; the nun he took such a keen interest in according to minas notes"

"he finds you fascinating I'm sure" i rolled my eyes, he always did love a smart one. "have you told him anything about me? about my family?"

"no, i gave you my word a long time ago that we would never interfer with Emily's life, i have kept that promise; but he has asked about you. seemed shocked that you weren't close by to be honest"

I sensed we were getting closer as we turned into a new corridor. I could feel his presence getting closer and closer, i had not prepared myself for this meeting. i was so busy making sure emily was safe that i had not even thought for a moment that i was about to come face to face with the monster that destroyed my life all of those years ago.

"Miss Clara" another woman joined us in the hall as we stopped outside of a secure door " before we can allow you in to see him we must safety brief you"

"this is-" i cut van helsing of abruptly. One deep in hale told me everything i needed to know about this woman, her blood was familiar,

"i know who this is, here is a safety briefing for you" i looked the other doctor in the eyes, "next time you find a dormant vampire at the bottom of the ocean, don't shove your fingers in his mouth"

"i-i-i- " she stammered clearly taken a back by my out burst. "the situation was unfortunate" she looked down at her bandaged hand "but i believe the research we will do will do some good in the word"

"please" i scoff "with the body funding this project is so shady i'd be shocked if they weren't selling vampire warfare within a decade!" van helsing looked to the floor ashamed, the other doctor just looked offended "lets just cut the crap, what do you want me to do?"

they both looked at each other uncertainly "we want to explore the relationship between two vampires, the connection you have" van helsing explained "we want to understand it from a neurological stand"

"if the connection still exists" i state

"it sounds like it does, the dream you described corresponded to what happened to him" she pointed out.

I sighed and looked up at the clinically white ceiling, "if this connection still exists" i start "and you work out how it works, you have to promise me that you will find a way to break it; after that i am done. i'm leaving that monster and this place behind and not looking back."

"that sounds like a fair deal" van helsing states and offers me her hand again before her colleague can object, i shake it his time "now are you ready to meet your maker" she smirked at the turn of phrase, i rolled my eyes and nodded.