Into The Shadows, page 39
Dracula watched as Hera paused and fought to keep her emotions in check.
"I'm sorry, I don't know what my deal is. I've been so emotional these last few weeks. I'm usually much better at holding myself together…" and she flicked a few tears away and took a deep breath. "My father was the one to tell me that Athena was gone. He said she had fallen asleep and was with mommy and the angels. I had never seen my father cry before. But two losses in less than a year – and without any kind of closure – it was too much for him to take and he bawled," and Hera brushed away another tear, taking a deep breath as she struggled to shake off her sadness.
"After that, it was just me and him. He took me everywhere with him, to all of his lectures, his seminars, conferences – all of it, all over the world. We became very close over those years, learning how to move on together. At times, I wish I hadn't been so young, being forced to cope with death at that age, but in some ways I'm glad it was then instead of later, where the loss would have been so much harder to bear."
There was a brief moment of silence as Hera took the opportunity to breathe before managing a weak smile, though it was clear she was still upset as tears continued to well in her eyes.
"And that's my tale of woe," she said sheepishly. "God I don't know why I can't stop weeping these days. I apologize for being such a blubbering mess. I'm sure this is very awkward for you."
In an act of uncharacteristic sympathy, Dracula took Hera's hand and squeezed it.
"You must miss him… your father."
It was the first time someone had acknowledged her misery aloud without being prompted and the words made Hera feel fragile as her lip quivered. She could not bring herself to speak. All she knew was that she had this aching hole in her heart, the hole where her father had been. She wasn't sure when she'd see him again, or if she would, and though she had tried these last few months to be strong, it was so hard.
Hera nodded her head to confirm the Count's suspicion before more tears tumbled down her cheeks and Dracula, unable to bear the sight of this woman hurting, moved a little closer to her on the bed and allowed her to fall into his arms as she wept softly.
Dracula realized in that moment how lonely Hera must have felt, away from home and out of time, unable to enjoy the comfort of the familiar. She had borne this misadventure of hers surprisingly well, considering how sheltered she appeared to be.
The Count said nothing as he quietly soothed her and when she had finished her crying, he said nothing still, only offering her a sincere and sympathetic expression until they were suddenly interrupted by a knock at the door. Dracula released her.
"It's open," Hera called after clearing her throat.
Jane entered into the room, her eyes widening in surprise at the sight of the Count and his female guest sitting together on the bed.
"Oh! Master… I… forgive me. I was not aware that you were in here. If I had known I would not have dreamt of… Am I interrupting anything?"
Dracula stood and shook his head.
"No. I just took the initiative of awakening Miss Garret this evening." The servant nodded and proceeded to place the tray of Hera's "breakfast" over on the table by the fire. "Well, Miss Garret, after you finish your early evening ritual, I'll meet you downstairs in the library."
"What for?"
"We're scheduled for one of our conversations tonight, or have you forgotten?"
"No, I hadn't, I just… I figured what we had just discussed had counted."
"Do you not wish to meet with me then?"
"No, that's not it at all. I - sorry. Yes, I'll be downstairs in an hour. Did you have some topic in mind?"
"I'm familiar with the study of anthropology but this 'forensic anthropology' you had mentioned earlier – I'd like to hear more about what that entails in your time, and if I recall correctly, you were also supposed to tell me more about genetic fingerprinting. If you have no objections, we could start there?"
"Of course I don't mind. I'll be down shortly."
"Very good," he said and Hera smiled, the two nodding at one another in acknowledgement before the Count excused himself from the room, shutting the door behind him.
Hera noticed Jane's small smirk and she sent the servant woman a look.
"Alright, what are you smiling about?" the human asked suspiciously. The vampire merely shrugged as she began to draw a bath while Hera ate her breakfast.
"Nothing, Miss. Nothing at all. I'm just pleased to see that you and the master aren't quarreling. It's a refreshing change."
"It's amazing what talks of death and tragedy can do to people's civility," Hera said with a small laugh. "But don't worry Jane. Knowing the two of us, this cordiality shouldn't last long."
"One can only hope."
When Hera had finished her food, she allowed Jane to help her out of her nightclothes and into the tub. It had taken some getting used to, standing in front of this woman completely naked, but she had grown to trust her, allowing the servant to take the mesh sponge and lather violet scented soap onto her back and arms as she sat there in the warm water, her hair up in a loose bun to keep it from getting wet.
"Aleera showed me the Count's journal the other night," Hera said after growing weary of the silence. Jane's steady rhythmic motion of her washing faltered for half a second when she said that, but the servant recovered quickly from the surprise.
"Did she truly?"
"Yes."
"I assume you read his account, then?"
"I did."
"Does the master know?"
"He does. I couldn't stand the guilt of going behind his back like that, so I told him."
"That was very brave of you. I assume he didn't take it very well."
"Not at first, no," Hera replied, hugging her knees in an effort to keep herself decent. She wasn't that comfortable with her body.
"Well that would certainly explain the mood he was in last night."
"What happened last night?"
"He spent most of his time in the East tower with Aleera. The mistress has refused to see anyone today."
"Did he hurt her?"
"I'm certain he didn't, but considering Aleera's behavior, I'm convinced she had to deal with the consequences of her actions… although I shouldn't be telling you this."
"I won't breathe a word of it to anyone," Hera assured her. "I noticed you mentioned in the Count's journal once or twice. I had no idea you've been working for him for so long."
"I have been in the master's employ since his first marriage. After his pact with the devil, he gave those who had been in his employ the longest an opportunity to join him. I was one of the first he turned."
"You must be very loyal to him."
"I am, miss. He is a good master and a fair employer. I have no complaints."
"A model servant, then?" Hera teased and Jane chuckled.
"Most of the time, yes. We none of us are perfect – except maybe yourself, of course."
Hera laughed.
"Oh, of course!" she exclaimed with playful sarcasm. "But truly Jane, all teasing aside, I am quite far from perfect, I assure you."
"I usually don't contradict the words of the master's guests, but your personal imperfections aside, my dear, I fear you may be selling yourself a little short, as you call it."
"Am I, though?" Hera asked, clearly unconvinced.
Jane removed Hera's hair from the loose bun it had been in and began to wash the tresses.
"You are beautiful, intelligent, exceptionally talented," Jane started to explain, but Hera interrupted her.
"All fine qualities, sure, but nobody wants me. I'm not good enough for anyone."
Jane paused in her washing of the young woman's hair and sent the human a bewildered look.
"Nobody wants you?" she repeated.
"I'm a quarter of a century old, Jane. Despite the handful of relationships I've been in, none of them have ever lasted. No one has fought to be with me. I pour my whole heart into people and they all end up running away or disappointing me in some unforgivable way. My whole life, I felt like I didn't belong in the time I was in and now that I'm here, I still feel out of place, like maybe I don't belong anywhere."
"Might I speak plainly, miss?"
"Of course. I wish you'd do so more often."
"Miss Garret, perhaps this isn't an issue of belong somewhere as it is belonging with someone?"
"You mean I'd feel better if I found someone I was compatible with?" Hera clarified. "I shouldn't need a man to feel better about myself, Jane. I don't need a man."
"Forgive me, I should have chosen my words better. I suppose what I mean to say is that it is easier to face the difficulties of life when you have someone to stand beside you."
"What, like a friend?"
"Friends are wonderful, yes – but I was thinking more of a soul mate."
"I don't believe in soul mates."
"That's a pity," Jane said as she reached for a bathrobe, silently encouraging the mortal to stand so she could step out of the tub and dry off.
"Why is that a pity? The entire notion is ludicrous. Although I admittedly love the idea of love, the rational side of my brain understands that all it really is is a ménage of hormones and pheromones secreted in order to secure a mate for reproduction so the species can survive. The idea of soul mates is fantasy and the concept of monogamy was born out of religion."
"That sounds like a very clinical mode of defense designed to protect your heart from getting broken, if you'll forgive me, miss," Jane pointed out candidly. "Miss Garret, take this however you will and realize that it's simply my opinion and nothing more, but did it ever occur to you that maybe the reason for your inherent loneliness isn't so much the fault of others as it is you keeping them at a safe distance? And maybe when you finally do start opening yourself up, the other has grown weary of waiting? I understand the appeal – the idea of a man who will wait for years until you are ready, but I've yet to meet any person who'd do such a thing, unless it's in retrospect."
Jane, realizing she had perhaps been too presumptuous, began to backtrack a bit.
"Forgive me, miss. I suppose to a degree I can understand your hesitation. Having one's heart broken is a terrible thing and I can sympathize with your desire to protect yourself. I understand I've overstepped my boundaries, speaking so frankly to you, but if I might offer a piece of advice that you may discard or accept as you see fit – love is a terrifying thing. It is beautiful, but it is also frightening, putting your trust in the arm of an imperfect man. But I've known him for centuries, my dear, and though he may be used to having his own way, at his core, he is a good man."
"Who is?"
"The master, of course."
Hera's eyes widened.
"Wait… you think I'm in love with Dracula?"
"Well aren't you?"
"Heaven's no!" Hera exclaimed, before tacking on, "Well, that is… I haven't even considered..."
"Then forget I said anything, miss. I apologize. It was not my place to presume," and Jane quickly began to make her exit, grabbing the empty breakfast tray as she headed toward the door.
"Jane, what made you think that I was in love with the Count?"
The servant paused at the door for just a moment, evidently at war with herself, trying to decide if she should speak her mind or if she should stay silent. She had already said so much. Jane's eyes found Hera's and she said with an almost sad smile,
"The two of you are just so alike. Of all the things I've seen in my time, Miss Garret, the two of you together makes the most sense to me."
XXVII
A Change of Pace
A couple of weeks later found Hera making her way down the hall towards the Count's office, the soundtrack to Jim Henson's Labyrinth blaring in her ears as she hummed absently to herself. The music and the fantasy of the film's story normally provided her with adequate enough distraction, but even with her quiet singing, she couldn't get Jane's comment from a few weeks ago out of her mind.
She didn't know why, but the comparison between herself and the Count coupled with the housekeeper's observations disconcerted her somewhat. Whether because of the presumptive nature of the accusation or the not-entirely-subtle hinting that accompanied it, the comment had rubbed Hera in an odd way. But there was one thing she was definitely sure of – Jane saw, or rather fancied that she saw, something more existing between her master and his mortal guest.
Hera couldn't understand why it bothered her, why it made the butterflies in her stomach hyper every time she approached the vampire's office, especially on nights like tonight when she was due to spend the entire evening with him. It had never really concerned her so much in the past, but she was particularly nervous now, and she didn't know why. Perhaps it was because the two of them had been getting along so well these last few weeks and she wasn't sure she wanted the genuine friendship they had built between them to end.
Dracula was making a noticeable effort to be more respectful of her personal space and privacy, and the conversations and debates they had shared had been some of Hera's favorite. But why these meetings always started with an attack of anxiety she couldn't really grasp. She did her best to push it aside as she knocked on the door, waiting for the Count's invitation to enter. When she was permitted to open the door, she found him seated at his desk.
He looked up at her and smiled as she removed one of the ear buds from her ear.
"Please have a seat, Miss Garret, I'll be with you in a moment," he said, returning to the papers in front of him. "I just need to finish this up."
Hera nodded and shut the door behind her, taking a seat on the sofa in front of the fire as she rummaged through her iPod. It amazed her that this thing continued to work, how the battery insisted on sitting perfectly at the same percentage it had been at before she went back in time. She refused to question it, however, for fear that if she did, her music would be lost to her forever.
While scrolling through the small selection of movies she had on her iPod she glanced up at the Count to see if he was anywhere near finished. Not giving her any indication that he was, she decided skip through certain scenes of the 1986 film Labyrinth as she waited, since she had been listening to the music only moments ago.
As she watched the film on the tiny little screen in her hand, she never did notice the Count when he completed what he had been working on, how he moved silently toward her and leaned over the back of the sofa, observing from over her shoulder, thumbing just vaguely through her thoughts so he could listen in.
"So this is what science is capable of in the future?" he asked, startling Hera when he spoke, as she had no idea that he had been so near. She paused the movie and pulled the ear buds out of her ears, turning her head to face him.
"In a way, yes. It's actually far more advanced than this," she explained.
"Remind me what you call this piece of devilry?" he asked, taking the iPod from Hera's hand so he could properly examine the device, his curiosity evident.
"It's called an iPod. It can store and play a variety of things – music, movies, podcasts, audiobooks…."
"Ah yes, that's right. Peculiar name," he commented, handing it back to her.
"I'm surprised it's still working," she added absently, turning it off and placing it into her pocket. "So, what are we going to talk about tonight?"
"What were you… observing?" he asked, clearly more interested in her contraption.
"Labyrinth. It's a movie. You wouldn't understand. Anyways, what-" But he interrupted her again.
"What's it about?"
"What, the story?" she clarified. He nodded. "It's about a teenage girl whose baby brother gets kidnapped by the Goblin King, Jareth. She has to complete his magical labyrinth in thirteen hours or Jareth will turn her brother into a goblin. It's a very campy and mad flick, but it has a huge cult following. I'm particularly fond of the music and cheesy affects… and David Bowie, of course."
"Ah," was all he said, trying to wrap his mind around a cult worshiping that bewildering man with huge hair and an affinity for obscenely tight trousers.
"Actually, the more I think of it, the more I start seeing similarities between you and Jareth."
Dracula cocked a brow.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Well, there are character and personality traits that the two of your share… and, of course, the fact that both of you take pleasure in messing with young, innocent girls and their minds," Hera teased.
"I like to mess with young, innocent girls and their minds?" he repeated with a laugh in his voice. "Miss Garret, last time I checked, you weren't very innocent," and he moved around the sofa to sit in the chair across from her.
"A minor technicality," she continued.
"Not very minor depending on the culture," he said.
"Regardless, you still delight in toying with people. I've said it before and I'll say it again – you have it in you to be dominant to the point of being off-putting. There are times when I'm still amazed that people willingly put up with you… like Jane for instance."
"Miss Garret, you've wounded me," he stated with noted mirth.
"That reminds me of a line of song from the movie…"
"Don't tell me truth hurts little girl… 'cause it hurts like hell," Dracula quoted.
She sent him a look.
"Would it kill you to stay out of my head? You were doing so well these last weeks," she said, her light-hearted disappointment only amusing the vampire.
