Disclaimer: A great part of this first chapter is a transcription from the dialogue at 3x09. I do not own the characters of the story, although I wish I did. Sadly, they all belong to John Logan. Don't get me wrong, I love the first two seasons of Penny Dreadful. I just wish he had ended it the same way he marvelously crafted seasons 1 & 2.
Thank you Leah, Mai and Carolin for proofreading this chapter for me. I definitely couldn't have done this without you!
Chapter 1: Stay
"Funny you are the broken one but I'm the only one who needed saving. 'Cause when you never see the light it's hard to know which one of us is caving" Stay - Rihanna ft. Mikky Ekko
Still panting from sneaking away, in a rush from the battle downstairs, Ethan opens the door to a confined room. There's a small hallway and a circular room at the end, both of them filled with candles. In the center of that room, is the person everyone is fighting for.
Ethan walks down very slowly to her and when she's almost close enough to reach, she turns around.
"It hurts me more than I thought it would... seeing you."
Hurt. That's the word she used. HURT. That's what he has done to her, the woman he loves. He's suddenly overwhelmed by a rush of guilt, but the urgency to get her somewhere safe wins over it.
"You need to come with me... now." Ethan says rather urgently.
"And go where? They will hunt me to the end of days." Vanessa replies.
The resignation in her voice is almost too much for him to bear.
"I can protect you." He assures her.
"No, you can't. No one can."
"Then we'll fight him."
"It's not him, it's me. Look at me. This is what I am. And this is what I've done. Brought this terrible darkness to the world." Even through her pained words, she looks like a dark goddess. She'll always be beautiful in Ethan's eyes.
"Vanessa. Please." How can he not beg her?
"Vanessa. And where is she? When did we lose her, Ethan? She was standing in a quiet room, gazing up at a cross. She reached out, took it from the wall... and put it in the fire. And then she was lost. And so alone."
"You are not alone. You never were. I have stood at the very edge. I have looked into the abyss. If I'd taken one more step, I would have fallen. But no matter how far I ran away from God, he was still waiting ahead."
Vanessa is momentarily taken aback by this statement. Here they were. It seemed like the world had turned upside down. Since when was he the believer, trying to convince HER to have faith? What had happened to him all these months they spent apart?
"Not for me."
"For us all."
Again. His certainty. Is she missing something?
"My battle must end. You know that. Or there will never be peace on Earth. Let it end."
"Don't ask it."
"I don't have to. You know you have a destiny. It's why we first met. It's why you're here now. You must help me defeat the forces of darkness and deny them their prize for all time."
"No!"
NOT AGAIN. His rage is almost blinding. Why are they are in this situation AGAIN?
"Please... Ethan." She starts whimpering "Let it end."
Suddenly he's back in her room at Grandage Place, pointing a gun at her heart, her lip smeared with blood and her begging, tearful eyes looking at him. He needs to figure something out NOW.
"With a kiss." Vanessa says, interrupting his thoughts.
Her request is so simple yet so deep, his eyes water. He won't ever deny her a kiss. Ever again.
"With a kiss. With love."
"With Love." She agrees.
When their mouths meet, Vanessa almost wavers in her decision. They are so made for one another, like two halves of a whole: their difference in height; his roughness, her softness; two beautiful opposites coming together. But she knows if she keeps on going, more people are going to get hurt and this is the only way.
For Ethan, this was it. He finally found what to say and how to tell her to not give up on them. Not just yet. And not like this.
He breaks the kiss and says vehemently:
"Vanessa, you need to listen to me. Please hear me out. I know that I hurt you in more ways that I could have ever imagined when I left, but that was never my intention and now it's not the time for me to ask your forgiveness. I know I said I would always protect you and be by your side, and what hurts me the most is that I lost not only your affection but your trust. However, on my way back to London, I learned something that Sir Malcom and everyone in our family should have told us before we went to the Witches' mansion. Before Sembene..." His voice breaks. "…Sembene died, he told me I had been chosen by God. I didn't understand what he meant at the time, but on our voyage back to London, I had a conversation with Sir Malcom and I told him everything. When he heard what Sembene told me, something clicked inside him and he started updating me on everything they found out about the monk locked up in the cellar. Remember the translation we were all working on a few months ago?" Vanessa nods, still teary eyed but not crying. "That whole premonition said God had cast out Lucifer and his brother out of heaven. The only way for either the Devil or his brother to regain their place of origin is to find the mother of darkness."
Vanessa interrupts him, exasperated. "I know all this! Why do you think I'm asking you to do this? If I die, we will take away their prize, we will save humanity and we will stop my torment."
Ethan, equally upset, replies: "For Fucks' sake, let me finish! The monk also discovered that God sent someone to help whoever took the place of the mother of evil. A hound or, in other words, the wolf of God. He's supposed to be capable of at least keeping them at bay, if not destroying them." He pauses, trying to let her catch up with this. He starts begging: "Vanessa...please. I remember a time when you didn't want your life to be determined by a prophecy or destiny. Even if the whole thing is bullshit, including you being the mother of evil, at least let me try. I think we can win this. I believe that I carry this curse, for a reason. Please. Don't let this all be in vain, all these people that I killed when I transformed and I didn't know what was going on."
Vanessa sees the pain and feels it in his voice. All the guilt he's constantly carrying around, this weight on his shoulders. But now he has a newfound sense of purpose...what the hell happened to this man in the months they spent apart?
"You defeated the devil before...why not his brother? I know it sounds ironic coming from me, but I have faith we can do this" That's all he's got. He starts praying internally that this will convince her.
Vanessa's will is shaken; she can't seem to ignore this newfound information. She's still determined to stop this once and for all, but now she's figured out a new plan.
"Okay Ethan, what you are saying makes sense. When I saw you back at the witches' house, you somehow weren't able to attack me even though just minutes ago you had killed Sembene." Ethan breaks her gaze when hearing this. "Still this needs to end now; I can't stand this much longer. So I need you to promise me something. We shall go fight Dracula side by side, like you proposed." Ethan's hopeful eyes look back at her. "BUT…" She pauses. "If we can't defeat him and it seems the world is definitely ending, you need to promise me that you will do what I originally asked you. If you are not alive, I will do it myself. But I'm not going down without a fight."
Ethan can't believe his ears. He wants to drop to his knees and hug her and thank her but a sudden scream from downstairs bursts the little bubble they were submerged into. They both start planning what to do before the full moon rises again.
A/N: First of all, I started this story in order to heal. My heart was broken (to say the least) with the way the show ended; all the characters deserved better, ESPECIALLY Vanessa. I was unsure of posting it because I don't have any special writing skills, but the ending was so unfair to me that I decided to overcome this fear and give the characters "the justice they deserved". I hope this multi-chapter story can help others heal too. Second, English is not my first language, so I'm sorry in advance if you find any mistakes. Third, this is supposed to be a multi-chapter story surrounding Ethan and Vanessa, I don't feel confident enough to include the other characters. I will try to post the updates as soon as I find the time to keep writing. Last but not least, reviews and shares are most welcome; I'd love to know what you thought, including constructive criticism.
