Chapter 4

The library was busier than Charley had ever seen it. The exhibition was an exercise in raising money for the local libraries and it had turned out a good crowd. The tables had been pushed aside in the main hall to display memorabilia and props from various classic horror movies, showing the evolution of the genre through the decades. One section housed movie scripts and classic and modern literature. Another section focussed solely on vampires.

Pete spotted the display he had been hoping for and ran straight to it; a table dedicated to Peter Vincent and Fright Night. A lot of Peter's own personal props from his films were on show along with a life-size cardboard cut-out of Peter from the TV show.

"I know this guy. I used to stay up late with my Dad watching reruns of Fright Night." said Jerry.

"I knew him. We used to be quite close friends." Charley boasted. Jerry looked impressed. "In fact, we named Pete after him. He was deeply moved when we told him we were to name our son after him."

"Wow Mr Brewster. I didn't know you had Hollywood connections."

"Yeah, Peter Vincent was a pretty awesome guy. He showed me round a few film sets and introduced me to some famous actors back in the day."

"Like who?"

"I wouldn't want to name drop, but I do remember meeting an up-and-comer who starred in a couple of my favourite vampire movies from the eighties. William Ragsdale was his name, he was a great guy."

"Did you ever meet Christopher Lee?" asked Jerry. "He's my ultimate when it comes to horror."

"Unfortunately not, but I've seen all of the old Dracula movies. He is definitely one of the best."

Charley felt weird. He was actually having a civilised conversation with the man who was the physical embodiment of his fears. If he continued he might find himself liking Jerry. That couldn't happen. The suspicions he had about Jerry may just be in his head but he couldn't let his emotions be clouded by Jerry's white teeth, shiny hair and mutual love of horror. He had to remain cautious, if only for Judy's sake.

"Wow, look! That's Peter's cross from Scream For Your Supper, and his stake gun from Blood Feast On Broadway. Oh, there's his pistol from Orgy of the Damned."

"Peter!" exclaimed Alex. "I don't like you using the word orgy. I hope your father hasn't let you watch that film before you're old enough." Alex shot Charley a stern look.

"No, Mom." Pete replied innocently, winking at Charley.

They continued to browse the exhibit when Charley found something from his memories.

He picked up the little gold compact and examined it. He pushed the button at the side which flipped it open revealing the empty contents of the cigarette case with a mirror on one side. Charley had thought it lost after the mirror was cracked at Jerry Dandridge's house. The mirror was indeed cracked with a shard missing. Peter had always carried a mirror around with him in his coat after their altercation with Jerry. It had been their saving grace in uncovering both Jerry and Regine's vampiric identities.

"Please don't touch the exhibits." insisted one of the stewards rather sternly. She was an elderly woman with a grey perm and a stocky physique.

"Sorry." said Charley, replacing the mirror.

He felt a tear forming but he blinked it away. He hadn't seen that mirror in years but seeing it again reminded him whole-heartedly of Peter.

He was suddenly overcome with a sense of loss and grief. He missed his friend and wished he was here to discuss his problems. Peter would've known what to do about Jerry and the disturbing visions in his head.

"Are you alright?" asked Alex, sensing his change in mood.

"Fine. It's just a bit overwhelming seeing all of this stuff again. So much of it belonged to Peter. It reminds me of him."

"You miss him, don't you?"

Charley nodded.

"Do you need to take a moment outside?"

"No, this is Pete's day. Look at him. He's like a kid in a candy store."

Pete was absorbed by the Fright Night display but there were so many other things to see he didn't know where to look next. He ran over to a prosthetic mask of the Wolf Man yelling "Cool!"

As Charley glanced around the hall taking it all in, he lost sight of Judy and Jerry. He'd last spotted them lurking near one of the corner tables displaying props from an old Dracula movie but now they were nowhere to be seen. Charley tried not to panic at first but found himself growing increasingly anxious as his wandering eyes failed to find them.

"Where's Judy? Have you seen her?" he asked Alex.

"No, not for a few minutes."

"Where could she have gone?"

"She'll be fine. She's probably gone off exploring with Jerry."

"That's what I'm afraid of." he mumbled.

He continued to pace the hall searching for any sign of them. Then he heard Judy gasp and giggle.

They were hidden behind one of the tall exhibition stands and Charley swore he saw a flash of fang.

He picked up one of Peter Vincent's stakes at the Fright Night table and approached them cautiously.

Alex spotted his focussed stare and then noticed the stake in his hand.

Charley quietly approached Jerry from behind, stalking him with silent footsteps to maintain the element of surprise.

Jerry had his arms around Judy. He pulled her head to one side and opened his mouth wide. There they were. The sharp white fangs. He hadn't imagined it.

Charley held the stake firmly, hidden behind his back, primed and ready to strike. He raised the varnished wooden weapon above his head.

"Charley!" exclaimed Alex, keeping her volume minimal so as not to draw the attention of the crowd.

Judy and Jerry turned around.

"Dad, what are you doing?" concerned that he still had a stake hovering above her boyfriend's head.

"He's a vampire!" exclaimed Charley, wide eyed and stunned.

"Don't be silly, Jerry's just pretending. They're fake teeth from the gift shop."

Jerry removed the fangs and took a large step away from Judy.

"I know." said Charley agitatedly. "I was just playing along." He lowered the stake and laughed nervously, trying to convince them he was just fooling around.

"So, you were at the gift shop all this time." Judy nodded, her arms folded, unimpressed. "Who knew a library had a gift shop."

"It's for the exhibition. It's near the entrance. We passed it on the way in." explained Judy.

"Great gag. They almost look real." Charley eyed Jerry prudently, looking for any evidence of real fangs.

The elderly female steward approached Charley and practically snatched the stake from his hand.

"I will not ask you again to NOT touch the exhibits."

"Sorry. It won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't or I will have to ask you to leave."

Charley walked away sheepishly to where Pete was looking at a Frankenstein exhibit.

"What's going on?" Pete asked.

"Nothing, just a mishap with some fake vampire teeth from the gift shop."

"Cool, can I get a pair?"

"No."

They spent the next half an hour looking around the rest of the exhibit, all the while Charley barely took his eyes off Jerry. His accusation may have been a misunderstanding but he had been convinced too many times in the past that he'd misunderstood there was a vampire in the neighbourhood. He wasn't going to be so easily swayed any more until he found the proof he needed, one way or the other.

"Who wants ice cream?" asked Alex.

"Me!" yelled Pete and Chloe together, Pete raising his hand high in the air to prove he wanted it more than his sister.

Chloe rolled her eyes at her embarrassing brother.

"Oh Mom, taking your kids for ice cream is a little babyish don't you think?" said Judy, feeling embarrassed in front of Jerry.

"You're all still my babies."

"Mom!"

"Come on, we'll stop off at the parlour in town before we head home."

"I love ice cream Mrs Brewster." said Jerry.

"You see, it'll be fun. Charley, are you coming?" she called to her husband who was taking one last look at the life-size cut-out of Peter Vincent.

"Coming."

He hoped his hallucinations would kick in so the poster would come to life and he could see Peter wink at him or tell him everything was going to be ok, but it was just static cardboard.

Charley was in the kitchen staring out the window into the back yard. The serene picture before him was a welcome escape from the horrifying visions of his daily life but did very little to calm his agitated mind. The blossom on the trees held the promise of new beginnings but as the petals blew away in the breeze it only reminded him of the fragility of life and how everything could change in a moment. He hated how even something as innocent as the beauty of nature at springtime could be distorted and corrupted by his current state of mind.

Jerry entered the kitchen and startled Charley out of his daydream.

"Sorry Mr Brewster. I didn't mean to scare you." Charley could have sworn he saw the flicker of a smirk when he said 'scare.' He was teasing him and he didn't like the boy's games. He felt humiliated after the misunderstanding at the library and Jerry's mockery just made him feel smaller, but at least he hadn't hallucinated this time. The fangs had really been there even though they weren't real fangs.

Charley said nothing and walked to the cupboard to retrieve a mug.

"I just wanted to grab some snacks for me and Judy." he explained to fill the silence.

Charley nodded and grunted, keeping his eyes down avoiding eye contact.

"I hope I haven't offended you in any way Mr Brewster."

"No." he replied bluntly, taking a spoon from the drawer and switching on the coffee machine.

"I'm sorry about what happened at the library. It was an immature prank."

"I'm the one that took it too far." admitted Charley, hoping Jerry would believe that he was playing along with the joke.

"We'll put it behind us then." Jerry offered his hand for Charley to shake.

Charley returned his attention to his coffee and grunted in acknowledgement.

Jerry opened the refrigerator to get some cans of soda. He grabbed a large bag of chips from the counter and a couple of apples from the fruit basket.

"Do vampires eat chips and apples?" Jerry chuckled.

Charley had his back to Jerry as he was stirring his cup of coffee. He hunched his shoulders at the crunching sound of Jerry biting into his apple. Charley swung his head around and watched Jerry's back exit through the door. Charley shuddered at the memory of Jerry Dandridge and this minor similarity only cemented his paranoid suspicions that there was some connection between the dead vampire and Jeremy. Charley had to believe there were sinister intentions in Jeremy. A family connection maybe, like with Regine. If the boy wasn't a reincarnation of Jerry or had some sort of ties with him then Charley would have to admit that he may be losing his mind.

"Yes, they do." mumbled Charley.

Alex found Charley slumped at the dining table, his hands wrapped around, his now cold, cup of coffee, staring into the black pool.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, taking a seat opposite him.

"Fine." he sighed.

"Fine is a very inconclusive word. You're not fine, are you?"

"Not really."

"This sleep deprivation is really starting to affect you. I'm worried." she said, stroking his hand.

"I need something to knock me out."

"You need some sort of therapy to help reduce your nightmares."

"If you have any suggestions I'm all ears."

"I have an idea that might work but I think one of my colleagues should perform it."

"Can't you do it? I'd rather not see another therapist. Please."

"I really think…"

"Please." Charley interrupted.

"Well, perhaps I can try."

Alex had been meaning to ask Charley about what happened with Jerry at the library. She hoped to approach the matter delicately.

"I hope you weren't planning on actually using that stake earlier."

Charley looked up from his drink.

"Of course not...why would you think otherwise? You don't think I thought he was an ACTUAL vampire?" He stumbled over his words and laughed nervously.

All she had to do was look at him with that stare as if she was peering over her reading glasses.

"Ok, I may have freaked out a little when I saw the fangs but I wasn't going to hurt him. After everything I've been seeing lately you can forgive me for being a little wary. You know vampires exist so it's not irrational for me to keep my guard up."

"I know, but these paranoid fears that Jerry has some connection to this Jerry Dandridge isn't healthy."

"You have to admit there are similarities though."

"Like what?"

"He dresses a lot like him and he has similar facial features and expressions."

"How can you be so sure after over thirty years? You can't remember every detail of his face after all this time. What if you're projecting what you think you remember about the vampire onto Jerry?"

"You don't forget the face that terrorised you."

"What other connections are there?"

"He eats apples. He's always eating apples. Jerry Dandridge used to eat them all the time."

"A lot of people eat apples dear."

"Not like that. There's something about the way he does it. He's taunting me."

"Just because a vampire had a fondness for apples doesn't mean that every person who eats them is a vampire."

"Not everyone, just him."

"I think you're reading too much into this."

"But it's the things he says as well and the way he says them. It's like there's a familial connection to Jerry Dandridge?"

"Do you want to know what I think, in my professional opinion?"

"Of course, I want your help with this."

"I think you're just projecting. You want to believe so badly that Jerry has some ulterior motive that whatever Jerry does or says you associate with this dead vampire. But he is dead Charley. He can't hurt you."

"But..."

"Please Charley, no 'buts'. You wanted my opinion now you have it. If you ask me I think there is some anxious tension mixed up in all of this as well to do with Judy. Empty Nest Syndrome they call it."

"What do you mean?"

"Judy's growing up, she's 'flown the nest' as it were and now she's bringing home boys. I think there's some anxiety about our baby girl growing up and becoming a woman. It's a big step in anyone's life and it can have a significant impact on the parent as well as the child, and your recent lack of sleep is heightening your emotions and escalating the problem. If you deal with those issues of insecurity then I believe your hostility towards Jerry will subside."

"I love it when you talk doctor."

"I'm serious Charley."

"I know and what you're saying makes sense."

"Approaching your sleep problem from a different angle might be the solution."

"Will you sit down with me to work through it?"

"Of course, but I really think you would benefit from speaking to someone else. If I can't help then will you promise to see Dr Cole? He works in my practice. I shouldn't really be treating my own husband in the first place. At least it's an issue you can discuss with a psychiatrist without having to mention vampires."

"Ok, I promise, but only if your way doesn't work."

Alex invited Charley to his study once the rest of the house had gone to bed. This was his private place where he could escape, so she thought it would be a better environment to discuss his problems. He might feel safer and more relaxed. He had failed to relax in the bedroom the last time she attempted this so the change of scenery might help.

Charley sat comfortably in his own chair and Alex pulled up a spare stool.

"Shall we begin?" she asked.

Charley nodded.

"Tell me about your relationship with Judy. What feelings are evoked when you think of her?"

"Our relationship is good. We've always had a mutual love and respect for each other. She's been more of a daddy's girl than Chloe so Judy tends to come to me with her problems. I've taken pride in the fact that I can comfort her and she feels like she can talk to me."

"Did she talk to you about Jeremy?"

"Not really. I knew she had a boyfriend but the details were somewhat lacking."

"How does that make you feel?"

"A little annoyed I guess. She always felt like she could confide in me but she didn't talk to me about him."

"Do you feel like that part of your relationship has changed?"

"Well, yeah. If she has a boyfriend then she won't need a dad as much. I guess I'm worried that we'll drift apart."

"That's a natural feeling when a child grows up. It's true that she may not rely on you for as much but she will still love you as she always has and there will still be times where she will need her dad."

"Like what?"

"Fixing up her first home, being a reliable grandfather, walking her down the aisle at her wedding."

"Not to him." Charley interrupted.

"This isn't about Jeremy."

"If it's not about Jeremy then what's the point of this? It's my hostility towards him that's the problem, not Judy."

"But if we work through your feelings of anxiety about Judy growing up and your fears of losing her then it might make you feel better towards Jeremy and you can build on that relationship as well."

"I don't want any kind of relationship with him! I just want to stop having visions of him as a vampire and threatening the life of our baby girl!"

"Charley, please calm down and monitor your tone. I'm only trying to help in the only way I know how. You may find it long-winded but please try and go through this journey with me."

Charley huffed and tried to re-evaluate.

"Fine." he sat back and crossed his legs in a calm and comfortable position, his hands resting on the arms of the chair.

"As I was trying to say, your relationship may change, which is an inevitable part of life, but the foundations of it will still be based on the unconditional love you both share. It's ok to feel nervous about those changes but you don't need to fear them."

"So, I need to embrace the fact that Judy isn't a child anymore and let her live her life in the big bad world."

"Exactly. It may be difficult but it's something we can work through together. You still have two other children who rely on you, and the more our children drift away from us it opens up the opportunity for our relationship to grow. We may find that we have more time for each other as the kids become more independent and that could be an exciting change for the both of us." She peered over her glasses in her sexy school mistress way.

Charley raised his eyebrows.

"We would have the time to explore our relationship in exciting ways. Spice things up a bit." She placed the end of her pen in the corner of her mouth suggestively.

"Why Dr Brewster, are you trying to seduce me?"

"So what if I am?" She twirled the pen in her mouth, her eyes narrowed invitingly.

"That's highly unethical. I am your patient and I will not be objectified in this way."

Alex tossed her pen and paper to the floor and stood up.

"I see you undressing me with your eyes." said Charley.

"How does that make you feel?" she uncrossed his legs with her knee and sat on his lap.

"Vulnerable, sexually harassed…horny." He removed Alex's glasses and kissed her, gently massaging her tongue with his.

"I have to admire your technique Doctor. I must admit you've made me forget all of my troubles and I can only think of one thing."

"And what might that be?"

"You can get inside my head. I'm sure you already know."

"I have an inkling." Charley kissed her again, wildly. "But I want you to tell me. Say it out loud." she demanded.

"I want to have my way with you, right here, right now."

"Tell me what you really want to do with me. Use your dirty words."

"I wanna fuck you till you scream!"

"It's been a long time since we made love on this desk; before all of the kids, when we were more spontaneous."

"We haven't lost that spontaneity; we just put it to one side for a while. I really feel like being spontaneous right about now."

Charley swiped his books and pens onto the floor and pushed his laptop to the far corner of the desk. He picked Alex up and sat her on the edge of the desk. He kissed her open mouth and caressed her lower back and buttocks with his wandering hands. They made their way around her hips and down her legs. He slid them up her skirt until he felt the laced edges of her underwear. He pulled them down and over her knees, letting gravity take them to her ankles, all the while kissing her with a fire so hot they both felt like teenagers again.

He unzipped his pants, took hold of his throbbing erection and placed it inside of her. They thrusted against one another, their rhythm perfectly in time to the other's movements.

Alex wrapped her arms around Charley's neck and pulled at his hair. They kissed again until Alex relinquished an involuntary moan. They were swept away in the moment. Alex couldn't contain her ecstasy. She moaned again, her vocalised pleasure enticing Charley to push harder.

Charley breathed heavily in her ear and her groans grew louder. It felt as though they were the only two people in the house, the only two people in the world; she didn't care if anyone heard her. The sheer pleasure coursing through their bodies transported them to a place of paradise.

The climax was coming. Charley thrust with added speed and vigour.

"Uh, Alex, I love you."

The only response Alex could offer was an orgasmic scream of pleasure.

Their overwhelmed sensations finally exploded and they rested in each other's arms before parting. They readjusted themselves and kissed.

"Do you think anyone heard us?" Alex giggled.

"If they did I think we've just scarred our kids for life." they chuckled mischievously like children. "I most certainly approve of your methods Dr Brewster."

"It feels like too long since we did anything like that."

"I've missed you." they exchanged a smile and kissed again. "I feel more like myself. Tonight's going to be different."

"Sex isn't going to suddenly rid you of your nightmares."

"I'm willing to test that theory, no matter how many times we have to experiment." he said playfully.

"But if you had a session with Dr Cole..." Alex buttoned up her blouse.

"Is he as tender a lover as you are?"

"I'm trying to be serious here Charley. It would make me feel better if you spoke with him. I believe he can help you."

"Not this again." Charley rolled his eyes.

"Yes, this again. It doesn't matter what you say, I've arranged for you to see him tomorrow."

"Tomorrow is Sunday."

"That doesn't matter. I've already called him. He's happy to do this for us."

"You planned this all along, didn't you? Seduce me and then I'll do anything."

"I didn't plan on fucking you, but I do think you'll benefit from speaking to someone else, someone who isn't me."

"Why is this Cole guy dragging his arse out of bed on a Sunday to do you a favour?"

"Because we're work colleagues and we respect each other."

"Respect. Are you sure that's all it is?"

"For God's sake Charley, are you suddenly going to start acting all jealous now? Our relationship is purely professional. He hasn't once tried to get into my pants if that's what you're worried about. Besides, he's gay so there's more chance of him fancying you than me. Perhaps I should be concerned."

"I didn't mean...it's just...I'm sorry...I'm just a little paranoid lately."

"The understatement of the decade."

"I didn't mean to accuse you of anything untoward."

"But somehow you did." she sighed and took his hand comfortingly. "Dr Cole is the best in my practice. Just give him a chance." Alex kissed her husband on the forehead.