A/L- I love this time of year and what with watching Carmilla and Crazyhead just recently I thought why not have a bash at a supernatural CTM fic. Just a bit of fun. Two parts only. With post final part tomorrow. Thanks for reading.
Her cape billowed in the wind behind her, tangling with the long strands of ruby red hair, whipping out lashes as the rest of her remained still. Light seemed to seep around her figure, the outline emblazoned on the stark cold stones she stood against.
Delia had the feeling that she was moving away from her, into the distance, dark eyes watching her go, dark as the night, dark as the coal from the pit.
Delia reached out a pale hand, strained, against something hard, something holding her back.
"Don't let me go!" She cried. "Don't leave me!"
She woke. A fine sheen of sweat covered her entire body and as she panted for breath her skin seemed to cool all of a sudden and she shivered pulling the bedclothes around her. The same dream, perhaps more detail, her hair hadn't been so red before? She hadn't felt the panic, the loss quite so strongly. It was as if every night added a new facet and as it did the dream grew sharper, longer, like something inching it's way toward being fully revealed. If only she could get a full night's sleep perhaps she would reach the end of the dream and it would all make sense. Either that or…
"Delia? Are you up?"
She heard the call from the other side of her door, snapping her back to reality.
"Yes, I'll be out in a second Babs." Delia replied getting quickly out of bed and pulling the rumpled blankets straight behind her, not exactly hospital corners but it would do.
"Breakfast's ready." Her friend announced.
"Oh Barbara, you're a little gem!" Delia said, pulling on her dressing gown as she left her room only to come up against the plastic green face of a witch. Delia started for a moment, not expecting to find her friend hovering outside her door and particularly not wearing a childish face mask. "Goodness Babs! What on earth are you doing with that!"
Barbara poked the tip of her tongue through the small gap on the brightly painted mask, her hands held aloft, fingers curled and wiggling at Delia as she attempted a witchy cackle.
"Aaahhah hahhh hahh heee!"
Barbara finally straightened and pulled the mask from her face. "What? It's a mask, I picked it up for you when I went on my shopping expedition last week. I thought you could use it for the party, with the cubs!" Barbara explained to a speechless Delia.
"Thanks." Delia offered. "I was just going to powder the face up a bit but it was a nice thought, I suppose I could give it a go."
"You have to get into the spirit of these things Delia." Barbara chided. "The cubs are very excited."
"I know. I will. I just didn't sleep very well again, sorry." Delia apologized as she sat at the small dining table with her toast and heaped on some of the bowl of scrambled eggs that Barbara had prepared.
Barbara sat and handed Delia a mug of tea, recieving a very grateful smile in exchange.
"Oooh, the new midwife arrived last night!" Barbara hooted suddenly, wiggling in her seat with uncontainable excitement.
"Last night?" Delia checked. "I thought she was due this morning?"
"Yes, so did everyone else and then she just appeared. Trixie was on her way home from a birth and she almost ran right into her, I think it gave her quite the shock."
"So what's she like?" Delia asked keenly.
"Very efficient and well mannered, she seems to know her stuff, I'm sure you'll like her, but you can see for yourself when you get dressed." Barbara urged. "We have clinic."
Xxx
"Nurse! Can someone help me!" Dr Turner called from behind a curtain.
Delia dipped behind the curtain at exactly the same time as another nurse on the opposite side of the sheeted off area.
Dr Turner looked from one to the other who stared directly at one another.
"Oh, one of you, could you just hand me some
Delia dragged her eyes from the woman before her and hurried to the supply station before returning. The new nurse had disappeared and Delia searched the room for her, she found she wanted to check what she had seen, to rid herself of the strange feeling that she recognised the redhead, indeed that she knew her.
Delia caught sight of her a moment later in conversation with a waiting woman and took the next opportunity to stride over to her and catch her alone.
"Hello!" Delia called as she approached. "I'm afraid we haven't been formally introduced. I'm Delia." She held out a small had, suddenly feeling a shake to her usual confidence as the taller woman turned her eyes on her.
"Patricia Mount. Patsy." The woman smiled, her arms folded across her chest.
Delia completely forgot she was holding out a hand and let it hang limply at her side as she finally came face to face and up close to the beautiful newcomer. Stunning was definitely the most appropriate word for her and Delia was certainly stunned.
"I..I'm sorry….have we?...Do I? I could swear I've met you before.." Delia stammered.
"I get that a lot." Patsy assured with amusement in her eyes. "I must have one of those faces." She shrugged.
Delia nodded agreement that she did not feel. One of those faces? Nothing could be further from the truth. There was nothing commonplace about this woman's face. Delia could hardly bear to tear her eyes away from Patsy's. What the hell had come over her?
"Nurse Busby!"
Delia ignored the call for a second, shaking off the sound as she fought to keep connected to this stranger, she suddenly placed a hand to Patsy's elbow and asked urgently.
"Do you have any plans for tonight?"
Patsy glanced at where Delia's hand lay and Delia thought perhaps she should release the woman but she somehow couldn't do it. Not yet.
"There's a party, the cubs are holding a Halloween disco, it will only be small but perhaps you'd like to come along, Trixie and Babs are coming and… I'll be there...perhaps we could go somewhere... after… for a drink?" Delia held her breath.
"Why not." Patsy shrugged nonchalant.
"It's at the village hall, six o'clock." Delia informed as she backed away from Patsy and toward an increasingly furious Nurse Crane.
She felt Patsy's eyes on her as she finally turned to face the wrath of Nurse Crane and though she nodded in convincing contrition she did not hear a word of the reprimand she was given.
Xxx
"I can't believe you." Barbara announced. "One minute you have no interest at all in Halloween and now you're behaving like it's the highlight of the social calendar." She called to Delia who was precariously balanced hanging the banner that the cubs had worked on last week.
"At least it's all indoors, unlike Bonfire night, I ruined a perfectly good set of heels at last year's event." Trixie remarked as she finished her cigarette.
"Yes well standing in the middle of a muddy field in November will do that for you Trixie, perhaps you will wear more appropriate footwear this year." Barbara shot over her shoulder as she stepped back and took in the sight of the banner.
"I don't own any wellingtons if that's what you're getting at." Trixie shot back.
"It's a little… gory isn't it?" Barbara asked as she actually looked at the content of the banner which included several dismembered bodies and rather a lot of red paint splashed around as blood.
"It's Halloween Babs!" Delia reminded, scurrying over to dump some apples in the large pot that Mrs B had lent them for the night.
"Hmmm, I suspect the cubs have been influenced by the Hammer Horror double bill that's been playing all week." Trixie teased.
A gaggle of very small girls appeared hovering in the doorway, each wearing a black dustbin bag turned upside down with holes cut for head and limbs. Cardboard cones fashioned for hats had been covered in soot or boot polish.
"Arrghhh!" Shrieked Trixie clutching her chest.
"What a Fright!" Barbara yelped.
The small Witch coven gained a little confidence from the reaction and skipped inside with their collection of broomsticks, though one seemed to be holding a dirty mop.
Delia looked desperately at the clock, then back to the door, twisting her black gloved hands together nervously. Why was she getting herself into such a state over this evening? why did she feel such a desire to impress a woman she had just met? Perhaps now wasn't the time for such questions.
Fred had been tinkering beneath some kind of speaker system for the last half an hour and suddenly the blasted machine burst into life loudly, causing all the women to jump at the sound and a chorus of little witch screams. The volume was adjusted and in waltzed a group of cubs wearing old sheets and one covered entirely in bandages which looked to be the work of Sister Mary Cynthia who followed them in sheepishly as they made frightful noises.
Cynthia immediately spotted Delia and hurried over to her side. "Are you quite alright Delia?"
"Yes, thanks Cynthia, I feel a little strange tonight, like I may be coming down with something." Delia had felt peculiar all day starting with her recurring dream and culminating now with her stomach twisted and her temperature high.
Cynthia looked concerned. "Oh no. Well never fear, if you feel any worse I'm sure we can muddle through here without you. Sister Monica Joan is on her way and is very excited about the children's games she has planned and Nurse Crane is going to assist her. I don't mind seeing to drinks and then clearing up afterwards."
"Oh thank you. I might take you up on that later." Delia agreed gratefully.
Just then another song began. The Clovers, Love Potion No 9. Delia noticed that Tom had arrived and seemed to be dancing with both Trixie and Barbara at once. That was a disaster waiting to happen. Then on checking the door again she saw the figure she'd been waiting for.
Patsy stood in the doorway, one hand on her hip, leaning slightly against the frame and surveying the room lazily. The vision took Delia's breath away and that was before their eyes met.
"You're here. I thought you'd changed your mind." Delia greeted.
"I didn't have a costume, the nuns managed to cobble this together for me. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be but they were so sweet I couldn't let them down."
Patsy wore an old cape and a black mask over her eyes, long black leather boots which came up to her knee must belong to her, she would have noticed them in Sister Winifred's. Patsy looked like a sorceress crossed with Zorro and Delia thought that perhaps she should have a weapon, a sword for instance.
Delia passed Patsy a plastic cup filled with some kind of fruit punch then discreetly removed her hip flask and topped up the cup with something stronger.
"Cheers" Patsy giggled and they tipped their small plastic cups together.
"Thank you for inviting me, I haven't been to a party in a while." Patsy confessed.
"You're very welcome. It's not a real party, just… a fundraiser, the cubs… I said I'd help…"Delia was flustered again.
"Would you like to get some fresh air?" Patsy asked.
"You haven't spoken to anyone else yet! Don't you want to...mingle?" Delia checked hoping for the shake of the head that she received.
"I'm not much of a mingler." Patsy admitted.
Delia did a quick scan of the room and satisfied that all was well, boldly took Patsy's hand and led her out of the hall and down the steps into the cold night air feeling the rush as it hit her lungs and she laughed, feeling lightheaded and giddy.
Patsy laughed behind her the feeling obviously infectious. "Where are we going?"
"Anywhere." Delia called, still holding tightly to Patsy's hand.
She led Patsy away from the party and along a quiet street finally having to let go of Patsy's hand as they slowed to a stroll and moved side by side.
"I do feel like we've met before. More than just met actually, I feel like I know you." Delia confessed.
"You have got it bad." Patsy muttered just loud enough for Delia to hear.
"What do you mean?" She asked quickly.
"Sorry,I just mean that… there have been other girls…" Patsy took the jealous look from Delia to be something else and changed tack. "Other women who felt that way, perhaps they just hadn't met anyone like me before and …"
"Anyone like you?" Delia questioned.
"You know...a redhead." Patsy winked.
Delia looked puzzled. "I've met lot's of people!" She informed indignantly.
"Where are you from? South Wales?" Patsy asked now.
Delia nodded confirmation quietly, feeling a little self conscious about her humble beginnings.
"So perhaps I'm a little different to the girls from home." Patsy suggested.
"I don't understand. Are you trying to warn me?"
"Would that work?" Patsy tried.
"I doubt it." Delia replied honestly. "But...I do trust you."
Patsy stopped walking and shook her head slightly. "Did you ever wonder why?"
"I know we've just met… I shouldn't be saying these things... Does it bother you? I never did know when to keep quiet." Delia went on.
"It doesn't bother me." Patsy assured honestly.
"Alright, then tell me something…"
"Like what?" Patsy eyed her suspiciously.
" get to know you. To have a reason to trust you. Share something with me. Like...a secret or just things that people share...friends." Delia insisted.
"Alright, I will tell you somethin about me Delia Busby, whom I met only today… I'm a very private person,I don't share my secrets. I'm self sufficient and I intend to stay that way." Patsy said briskly but with a note of teasing.
"Hmmm, well that's a shame. Won't you tell me anything? Where are you from? You sound very English, southern, but posh with it, you're not a cockney." Delia speculated aloud.
"I've travelled a lot. I can tell you that much." Patsy allowed.
"Hah! That's something. Which place that you've traveled to did you like the most?" Delia posed.
"Paris." Patsy didn't even have to think about it.
"Paris! France!" Delia marvelled, she didn't even own a passport, the thought of visiting so many countries that you call to mind a favourite was amazing to her.
"Oui, Paris est très belle comme vous êtes!" Patsy complemented, banking on the fact that Delia did not speak French.
"What was the worst place?" Delia continued oblivious.
Patsy stopped, her face fell and a pained frown appeared in such contrast to the easy joy that had so recently been written on those features.
"This isn't a game Delia." She said, her jaw tight.
"I'm sorry." Delia offered quickly. "I didn't mean to upset you."
Patsy closed her eyes for a moment as she calmed, when she opened them again she saw Delia shiver.
"You're cold." Patsy stated slipping the black jacket from her own shoulders and moving to wrap it around Delia.
"No! I mean, won't you? You'll freeze!" Delia protested.
Patsy shook her head. "It's fine. I don't feel the cold."
Delia put her hands to the jacket and pulled it snugly around herself, it lacked the warmth that she expected to find, Patsy's heat, but she was grateful for it anyway as she began to shiver and Patsy rubbed both her hands up and down Delia's arms trying to produce some warmth.
"I should take you home." Patsy informed with what Delia hoped was a note of regret.
" yet!" Delia begged.
Patsy narrowed her eyes at Delia but must have decided to take pity on her.
"Okay, then let's find somewhere for a coffee, you need to get inside." Patsy compromised.
Delia followed Patsy obediently along the next street towards the glow of light that spilled out onto the pavement from a small night cafe. Delia was thankful for the warmth and equally thankful that the cafe was almost empty and she would still be able to speak privately with the intriguing woman before her. She somehow felt that if tonight ended here she wouldn't get the same chance again, that the magic of first meeting would be gone and Patsy would put the same distance between them that Delia suspected she usually kept between herself and others.
Patsy ordered their drinks and brought them to the corner table that Delia had secured.
"Won't your friends wonder where you are?" Patsy asked again as she took her seat.
Delia shook her head, wrapping her numb fingers around the steaming mug. "I told Cynthia I wasn't feeling myself and might go home."
"Hmmm, it's as if you planned to abscond with me." teased Patsy.
Delia merely smiled and batted her eyelashes innocently.
"Anyway you were just about to tell me what brought you to Poplar?" Delia smoothly changed the subject.
"Really? I don't recall…" Patsy couldn't suppress her chuckle at Delia's frustrated expression and yet again she found herself humouring the Welsh woman. "I came to work. I've been back in London for months now and I thought it was time to work again, so here I am." Patsy shrugged.
"And you'll stay?" Delia questioned.
"For a while." Patsy agreed lighting the cigarette she held between her lips.
Delia didn't know whether to be pleased or disappointed, how long exactly was a while? Why was this woman so infuriatingly vague? Delia's attention was drawn briefly to three young men who had just entered and took up seats at a table in the centre of the cafe. One of the lads caught her looking and ducked his head in her direction with a cocky grin. Delia scowled and quickly turned to check whether Patsy had been witness to the interaction and was pleased to find she hadn't.
Patsy had long stripped herself of the eye mask and her outfit could easily pass for normal if not a little adventuress. Delia however suddenly saw her own heavy dark dress and imagined how her makeup must look in the bright light of the cafe.
Patsy briefly placed her hand to Delia's laying upon the table as if reading her mind. "You look enchanting." She assured. "It's fun to get the chance to dress up again."
Delia smiled. "I know it's for children really but I quite like having an excuse to join in. My Mam used to make us the best costumes in the village." Delia reminisced. "One year she used an old fur coat my aunt had passed on to her to make me a werewolf costume! I loved it! I wore it for a week before they finally got me out of it!"
Patsy chuckled at the memory Delia shared.
Delia looked around the stark interior, to the counter and over through the window to the darkness outside.
"Japan." Patsy stated after a moment more. "The worst place. I was in a camp as a child, during the war. Internment my family. I lost them there. My sister, my mother." Patsy did not let her eyes meet the soft brown ones opposite.
"Patsy I'm so sorry…" Delia began.
"That was only the beginning of the horror. Things happened there. Things that changed me forever. I'm not real anymore Delia. I'm a broken being. Nothing can change that." Patsy spoke so matter of factly, so resigned and another silence fell between the women. Delia moved to touch Patsy's finger with her own again but Patsy flicked her head to the group of men in the cafe and withdrew her hand.
"How's that for sharing?" Patsy asked at last. "Perhaps a tad dramatic, but it's true." She stubbed out her cigarette in the little tin ashtray and stood abruptly. "Come on, I'll take you home."
Delia had no choice but to quickly drain her mug as she stood and followed Patsy, the scrape of the chair legs on the floor sounded deafening in the quiet of the place.
Delia led them the long way home which meant they passed close by the dock yards which were completely empty at this hour and felt to Delia as much like a ghost town as any, so busy by day and virtually empty at this time, still signs of daily life scattered everywhere.
Delia didn't hear the approach but she felt Patsy stiffen to a kind of hyper alertness by her side, moving closer and taking Delia's arm to hurry them along. Delia instinctively turned and saw the figures of two people walking behind them.
Patsy brushed Delia's hand with her fingers as she whispered urgently. "Don't be afraid."
One of the men now skipped in front of them, walking backwards so he could face them, his hands in his pockets. "Evening ladies."
Delia wondered if he was one of the men from the cafe. She would have spoken, perhaps asked him except she was still processing Patsy's warning and she could feel some unease from the taller woman.
"What are the two of you doing out here so late?" He continued smiling wolfishly.
"Going home." Patsy informed, striding quickly but calmly with Delia just about keeping up.
"You ought not be hanging around out here in the dark, you don't know who or what could be lurking in the shadows." The young man jeered.
Delia didn't like him or the fact that he was intruding upon her time with Patsy, but she wasn't afraid. She didn't feel threatened at all, not until the moment that the other man who lingered behind them lunged quickly forward and wrapped both his arms around Delia's arms in a type of hold, pulling her back against him.
Delia wobbled off balance and felt hot breath on her neck, she thought she heard a snarl and her own yelp. The next moments were a blur; Delia felt a sudden tightness and then she was released. She turned to see her attacker on his knees his hands flailing in the air and Patsy towering over him, her hand wrapped around his throat as she reached for her boot and pulled out a long thin wooden stick which had been sharpened to a point. A stake.
Delia watched, her hands at her face, knowing what would happen next and wanting to look away but not wanting to enough, as she saw Patsy swing the weapon thump against the man's chest. It pierced through him and a noise like a cry, not from his mouth but from his very core seemed to sound around the dockyard as he crumbled, first like a balloon, the air escaping him and then like ashes, his skin curling then flaking away to nothing.
Patsy flicked a glance to the man who spoke to them originally who stood motionless his hands held up in surrender and taking a small backward step.
"I didn't realise she was taken. My apologies." He began. "I haven't seen you around here before, I know all our kind around here."
Delia tried to make sense of the words and Patsy finally turned to look at her.
Delia gasped. Patsy's face was contorted, her forehead sunken, her cheeks protruding and her eyes looked almost red. For a moment Delia thought perhaps she had been hit with something and then she saw them, the tips of two long fangs poking proudly below Patsy's top lip on either side of her mouth.
As the women stood locked in one another's gaze the young man took his chance to make his escape and quickly hopped over a railing as he left them.
Xxx