Chapter Fifty-Two
Together We Are
"This is like some sort of children's movie…" Juliet sighed, finally pulling herself from the embrace of her newly rediscovered grandfather. "It's so fucked up, though… but it feels right." She looked around the interior of the trailer, seeing it with new eyes. Familiarity spiked within her like adrenaline, and she nearly teared up once more. "It feels like home."
Mr. Tall looked visibly relieved, something only Juliet would know. And she knew that because of her recovered memories. Seeing his gaunt face, his pale skin, and his lanky form, Juliet couldn't help but remember the kind man who had watched her dance after his late night shows, who had sang to her when she was sick. Looks were unimportant, even creepy unnamed mystical race was unimportant. Finding and remembering her family made her heart swell with such joy, she fell onto the small couch with a full smile.
"You must have many questions." Mr. Tall commented. "I am ready to answer them."
"I'm not ready to ask them." She replied. "I'm stuck in this moment. I'm savoring it." She was gazing at the ceiling tranquilly, her movements languid and content. "I don't think I ever imagined being so happy."
Mr. Tall regarded his granddaughter in the harsh fluorescent light. "You have no questions of your mother or father." He stated, his tone lacking a question.
Juliet was silent.
"I have much I could tell you about them."
"She died minutes after my birth and he abandoned me, then tried to kill me. Not much to know." Juliet's voice was deadpan, though she was fighting tears. "It does me no good to know about them." She continued to stare at the ceiling, though now her body was visibly tense.
"You don't believe that."
Juliet huffed then turned to face him. "I don't but I do." She muttered a few choice words under her breath. "You know, I'm sure you know you can see through time or whatever… I'm not sure on that but we'll get to it later…" Juliet sat up and began shaking her head, her hair tousling about her shoulders. "I always assumed something bad led to me becoming orphaned… I just never thought it was that bad." Her erratic words caused Mr. Tall to lean forward.
"So… am I interested in my parents? Of course. Do I want to know anything about them? Yes!" her face was pained, lines creasing her forehead as she grimaced. "But it's not a good idea. I don't want to become attached to them. It will just hurt too much, and I just don't want to be sad right now." She looked up at him with misty blue eyes.
"I understand." Mr. Tall said, reaching out and placing his hand over hers. "One day you will be ready."
"Is that you seeing my future?" Juliet asked, wiping away the burgeoning tears.
"From my own experience." He replied, eyes twinkling. "In any case, I cannot see into your past or future. That is why I could not find you…" he frowned. "I did try, regardless of my promise."
Juliet didn't hide her surprise. "Really?" she mumbled. "Nothing at all?"
"It is not surprising. I have a hard time seeing my sister as well. I must focus in order to see anything clearly, though it eventually comes through. But that is not important." He shook his head stiffly. "Is there anything less painful you would like to know?"
Juliet considered the question as they both became comfortable again, easing into each other's company. "Well," she began pushing her hair behind her ears. "Here's a question that's been eating at me since I arrived: Why the hell did Mr. Tiny- or my great-grandfather- send me five years back in time?" She crossed her arms in irritation.
"I cannot answer that." Mr. Tall replied. "Though he does not know you are my grandchild. He never knew of my son. He does not even truly know if I am his son or not." His tone said 'shrug', though his body remained eerily still.
"Are you hiding from him?"
"Not in particular. When I left his side all those centuries ago, freshly born, it was to avoid being pulled into his scheming. I speak to him on occasion. He has simply never asked, nor have I offered the information."
Juliet mulled over his answer before clearing her throat. "How did you know he was scheming if you were- ah… freshly born?" she winced at the words.
Mr. Tall smiled. "I know my father. Trust me."
Juliet pinched her brow. "Okay so… let's see… that solves the whole 'Mr. Tiny' problem- he's just a really fucking weird mystical meddler man." She shook her head and smiled sardonically, throwing her hands in the air.
"I will say this- Juliet," Mr. Tall interrupted her. Juliet met his eyes. "If he sought you out, as I am sure he did, it is because you are part of his current scheme."
Juliet rolled her eyes. "Of course, because I can't just lead a boring normal life like I had for the past fifty years or anything…"
"I apologize."
She shrugged with a smile. "Oh well, I'm prepared. At least now I've got friends…"
Mr. Tall straightened. "Yes. I noticed. You arrived with a Vampire. Mika ver Leth."
Juliet could tell by his tone that he wanted to ask her some questions. "Yes I did."
"You sleep in the same quarters."
Juliet began smiling, putting her hand up to her mouth and turning her head to hide it. "Gramps?" she inquired, forcing Mr. Tall to smile at the nickname. "What are you trying to ask?"
"Is he your lover?"
Mr. Tall's bluntness caused Juliet to cackle with laughter, smiling so large that her cheeks began to hurt. "N-not currently." She managed to respond.
"But he was." Mr. Tall pressed her.
Juliet covered her full face now, hiding the blush. Now she understood being embarrassed by a parent's questions. Her chest ached, grateful that she'd reached the understanding at all. "Uh it's complicated." She said. "But I can give you the rundown, if you really want."
His eyes locked onto hers gave her the answer.
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After the painfully awkward explanation of Juliet and Mika's past, Mr. Tall had more questions. "What are your intentions with him, currently?"
Juliet shrugged. "He wants to make things up to me." She clenched her jaw, grinding her teeth in irritation. "Weird how you didn't ask about my traumatizing near-death experience. You know. Burning building."
"You survived." He replied.
"Barely." She snapped.
"Not barely. You are half vampire, half-"
"Something else." She interjected in annoyance.
"Exactly. Your constitution is not that of a human. Fire would wound you, but not kill. Your skin more than likely regenerated within weeks. For a human it would have taken years. I am more focused on your mental state. These whispers you mentioned guiding you to find Mika bother me."
Juliet froze, mouth open and ready to protest. She had been cut off as Mr. Tall had continued to talk, and now she was concerned. "They do? I uh… just attributed them to uh… my strange life habits. I kind of secluded myself from the world for a while, refusing to interact with people other than for sex, and I hadn't even done that in years before I went after Mika in a murderous and vengeful rage…"
"So you have been sexually active since your murderous rage?"
Color drained from Juliet's face. "Not- ah- what? You… uh…" she coughed shamefully. "I didn't say that."
Mr. Tall was smiling broadly at her display. "It has been so long since I have embarrassed my granddaughter. I missed it." He commented mildly, to Juliet's chagrin. "Are you allowing Mika to 'make things up' to you?"
Juliet sighed, exasperated. "Back to the point…" she muttered. "I don't honestly know. He promised to help me… well find you. And we've succeeded so…"
"All is forgiven." Mr. Tall stated with finality.
Juliet let out a long and drawn out 'uh'.
"It is not?" he corrected.
"I… yes?"
Mr. Tall looked at Juliet pointedly. "Please be honest Juliet."
She took a deep breath. "He really hurt me when he left all those years ago. I did my best to forget about him but all it did in the end is make me a strange and sad recluse afraid of building committed relationships with other people and I still blame him for that. I spent so long just sitting and waiting for answers to come to me and before I knew it I was in my seventies with the same face and so much money I don't know what to do with it because I invested, just so you know I think it's important that you know I've been okay so you don't worry about me in that manner since I can tell even though you haven't known me for the past six decades you still care about me like I never left and that's really heartfelt, I mean it. But you know I have all this money and I don't really know what to do with it it's just been sitting in banks and investments and stuff and this is the first time I've used my unlimited card since I got it and it was kind of exhilarating to be able to do all this stuff with Mika since Vampire's are so stuffy and old fashioned I don't think he'd been near a car or a bus since they were first invented. But you know travelling with him for the short time I have was really fun- well in a strange way. It was just so easy for us to fall into a pace together. I don't know if it's like… old memories or what but I've never had such an easy time working with someone. You know I'm still kinda fuzzy on my time as a Hunter but I remember that they were all no fun to work with. Not that I was fun to work with I'm almost certain I was an unfeeling machine with no bigger thoughts than 'Where is Mika?'. And you know when I found Mika I had no idea what was going to happen but I never expected this. I think I just wanted-"
"Juliet." Mr. Tall's voice boomed against the halls of the trailer. Juliet had barely stopped to breathe, chuckled at a few of her own comments. "Focus. What are you feeling?"
"So many things!" Juliet cried, exasperated. "I'm happy and sad and uncomfortable talking about a man I used to sleep with, with my newly re-discovered grandfather in his trailer at the camp for his freak show. It's complicated."
"It truly is." He sighed as well. "If you feel this way perhaps we can-"
"No, no it's okay. I'm working through it. Give me a minute." Juliet snapped.
"Currently?" he remarked, surprised.
"Yeah, I just never really… said any of that out loud to anyone before now so…" she nodded serenely. "I'm really annoyed at how much better I feel."
Silence hung in the air as Juliet collected her thoughts, eyes pinched and teeth grinding. "I think I am ready to forgive him. But I am not ready to tell him he is forgiven." She supplied, the words painful and unfamiliar to her.
"Understandable." Her grandfather nodded. "May I ask why you won't tell him?"
Juliet looked pained and embarrassed as she admit, "I enjoy having him at my beck and call. He's like… walking on eggshells around me. I love it. I can freak him out so easily."
Mr. Tall chuckled heartily. "I believe that shows how much he cares." Juliet pouted. "I suggest that you give the man a chance. Rekindling an old relationship can be rather fulfilling, don't you think?" He looked pointedly at Juliet and she sighed apathetically. "I will not ask you anymore about him. Or your feelings about him if you wish."
"THANK YOU." She laughed, smile spreading.
"But I must ask you to remember what I said at the beginning of our discussion tonight-"
"Which discussion? The topic has changed multiple times…" she interjected, running her fingers through her messy hair.
"You must not tell Mika about our relationship. About… your heritage." His voice was grave and his eyes were cold. "The Vampires will not understand why I have distanced myself from the world- their world specifically. I did not wish to be exploited by their need to reproduce."
Juliet's smile disappeared. "You think they'll try to exploit me?" she whispered.
"I do not know what to think, specifically. But that is a possibility of what may happen." He shook his head emphatically. "I am more concerned of word of your genealogy reaching Mr. Tiny. That could be devastating."
"In ways we can never imagine, I presume?"
His nod was dark and disturbed her. "I will protect you if ever that should happen."
"I'm just going to avoid that topic for my own mental safety…" Juliet sighed, hand to her forehead, unwilling to focus on the subject. "Actually, speaking of Mika and Mr. Tiny… how do we get back to our current time? If that is what I should call it…?" every word dripped with question.
"Since you are less than ten years behind I would suggest waiting it out." He replied while shrugging.
"You expect us to sit around for five years?" She asked sardonically. "I mean... I'm assuming I will live a long life-"
"Virtually immortal. However, this is the safest way. I could attempt to open a doorway as Desmond had but it could prove disastrous. Other forms of magic would be… impractical to say the least."
Juliet breezed by learning she was 'virtually immortal' and opted to ask more questions. "Can I tell Mika that?"
"Of course. He must also wait out the five years. It would be strange not to tell him." He tilted his head inquisitively. Juliet moved to speak but he continued. "However you must warn him not to travel anywhere he may encounter himself."
"Will he explode like in a sci-fi film?" she gasped.
"Nothing so dramatic. However it may drive him insane, changing the timeline he originated from and preventing his current existence."
Juliet's jaw was slack. "You're joking."
"I am not."
"Okay. Tell Mika he has to stay away from himself. Great. Same for me?" she asked, and her grandfather nodded. "Easy enough for me, I was in the mountain the entire time. Mika though… no idea. He was on his tour of the war."
"Ah yes. The war. How goes that?"
"I wouldn't know. I'm not a Vampire- well. I guess I am, but they don't and won't ever know that so…." She shrugged.
"You have been with the Vampires in their secluded and secret mountain yet-"
"I kept up with their stupid meetings, but they were actually really boring. They just talk about troop movements and stuff. Darren is the one who would fill me in. Mostly nonsense about Vampaneze pride and Vampire pride and blah blah blah." She rolled her eyes for emphasis.
"I retract my question about the Vampire war." Mr. Tall replied with a smile. Juliet mouthed 'thank you' to him. "It grows late…Do you have anything you wish to talk about further?"
Juliet's jaw clenched. There was one thing left. "You say the Vampires may want to exploit me… does that mean that I can-uh… bear Vampire children?"
"Yes."
Simple answer, big implications. "Wow… some potent blood…. Half Vampire and all." She cleared her throat.
"As I stated earlier, no matter it' quantity our blood is the strongest." He nodded. "Was that not clear?"
"Ah… I think I was pregnant once back when I was… with Mika." She said. "Sorry. I know this probably isn't something you should be hearing."
"Please continue." He nodded to her.
"It… didn't… I mean. I had a miscarriage, I think. That's what doctors told me when it happened. It was a few months after the fire…" she shook her head and took a stabilizing breath. "Is that… normal?"
"Your body may be resilient, like a Vampire, your lifespan even more so. However, you are subject to all the same stresses as a human. I believe extreme stress can cause a miscarriage. I would not think there is anything wrong with your body, specifically." He reached his hand out and placed it on her shoulder. "Does that calm you?"
"You could tell I was concerned about this, huh?"
"You have not changed much since you were a child. You always stammer when you are afraid." His kind eyes caused a warm smile to spread across her face.
"Well, maybe that's true…" she chuckled. "But I have changed, a lot. I just… let my guard down around people I care about."
"Thank you." He stated. Juliet knew the emphasis on his word had deeper meaning than the words themselves. She just smiled.
"So what do I do now?" she asked. "Go gallivanting around the world? I did that once or twice already. Funny we never ran into each other… I suppose I could always go back to Vampire Mountain… I have friends there. Or maybe just go home…"
"You are more than welcome to stay here for your five years." Mr. Tall offered. "However you must return to Vampire Mountain."
Juliet frowned. "Why?"
Mr. Tall's eyes sparkled with humor. "Trust me."
Juliet hefted herself from the couch with considerable effort. She felt all at once aged and rejuvenated. Mr. Tall stood, heading towards the door. Before she left, standing behind him at the door and waiting for Mr. Tall to unlatch and open it, Juliet embraced her grandfather. "Thank you for… everything." She mumbled into his chest. "I hope you understand… I'm don't normally act like an overreactive emotional teenager…."
"I believe you." He smiled. "We can speak more whenever you wish. Seek me out. I will no longer avoid you." His nimble hands rubbed her back affectionately.
"You better not." She huffed, releasing him. "I didn't want to scare you but, I could have tracked you down whenever I wanted." Her voice was haughty, full of need to be respected by her parent.
"You do not scare me." He stated simply, opening the door and ushering her out. "Sleep well."
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Mika had been waiting for Juliet in their trailer for hours. He had seen her in the balcony with Mr. Tall during the night's performance, happy to know that she had finally attracted the Cirque leader's attention. Now he was worried.
Staying in the trailer he shared with her had done nothing but increase his fretting. She was thoughtful of him. He had awoken on their first night with the Cirque to find the sparse trailer they had been loaned (which had been but an empty, vacant area) had transformed into a makeshift home. Juliet had taken her touch to the area. There was a coffin in which Mika slept and a small daybed that Juliet used. She had put all of her clothing in the drawers of the daybed, whereas she had drawn a thick clothesline in the back of the trailer for Mika to hang his. In the front of the trailer was a small round metal table bolted to the ground and three matching chairs, one of which Mika was sitting in. A full-sized fridge had been moved in and was stocked with foods. A plastic storage bin was packed with dry goods. Juliet had been ready to stay for a long time- or so he assumed.
As it turned out all of the food and furniture had been supplied by Mr. Tall.
The same Mr. Tall that Juliet had believed to be avoiding her. That she had last been seen with.
Irrational thoughts began running through his head as to why the Cirque's leader would want for them to stay with the Cirque for an extended period of time. Mika had been offered his spot in the show rather quickly and easily. He hadn't though much of it, willing to assist anyone who had the ability to help Juliet.
When she walked inside, bright eyed and healthy, Mika relaxed, not wanting her to know how worried he'd been. She nodded toward him before turning to the makeshift-kitchen.
"Did you speak to Mr. Tall?" he asked as Juliet pulled a bottle of water from the fridge. She nodded, uncapping and taking a swig from the bottle. "Did you get answers?"
Though she tried her best to hide it, Mika could tell Juliet had stiffened. "Yes. I did."
A heavy silence hung in the air.
"Is there something wrong?" Mika asked, moving to stand.
Juliet waved him off. "I don't want to talk about it." She said, throwing herself on the bed and flailing her arms about in exhaustion.
"Do you wish to leave the Cirque? We can head back to the Mountain-"
"No we can't." she sighed. "We're five years in the past and we have to stay five years in the past avoiding where we were during the five years we are now re-living."
Mika froze. "What do you mean?"
Juliet groaned. "Exactly what I said." She sat up abruptly. "I was at the mountain for the last five years so I can't be there. You weren't but everyone knows you left to track the Vampaneze lord so-"
"We can't return at all?" He asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "How do you know this?"
"Mika, calm down. Mr. Tall told me. We can't go back until the time we left. So five years…"
Mika took a deep breath. "I won't pretend to understand time travel." He stated.
"Good because I can't really explain it any better." She sighed. "Mr. Tall said we can stay here as long as we need to, though."
"Need is equivalent to five years." He muttered.
"That's right. But… I guess as long as we don't go to anywhere you may run into your past self-"
"It's alright. Don't attempt to explain any more. You will only confuse me. I will take you on your word. Wherever you say we need to be we shall be."
Juliet stood and began to undress, readying for bed. Mika tried not to watch her, careful to avoid her gaze as he knew she was waiting to catch him ogling her. "Are you sure you won't tell me what you learned?" he questioned. "I understand you may want privacy-"
"It's hard to explain. I can't talk about it now." She mumbled, clearly irritated. Mika nodded sincerely. Juliet sighed and lay back in her bed. "Goodnight Mika." She said, turning to face away from him. "Your performance tonight was great, by the way."
Mika gave a small smile. He had forgotten she had watched him onstage. "Sleep well, Juliet."
