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It took Dracula longer than he thought to clean up his past mistakes. There were two former brides to deal with. Luckily, they were both still in their boxes, not that you could call the emaciated corpses that could barely lift their heads, lucky in any way. Staking them was straight forward at least, and Dracula had been relieved Agatha wasn't with him; he couldn't feign emotions, couldn't pretend to care about these poor wretches in the way she would wish him to. They had been experiments nothing more, and a good scientist did not get attached to their test subjects.

Of course, he hadn't been able to just leave them there, the last thing he wanted was for Agatha to come stumbling across them. So, their corpses and the almost completely decayed one of his third bride, that he had staked over a century before, had to be moved down into the catacombs and sealed in a box. Dracula even took pity on the poor wandering souls who were still staggering about down there and staked them too; putting everyone neatly back in their boxes and resealing the lids. Lastly, he went back upstairs to the nursery, removing the child corpse and returning once more to the catacombs.

Dracula couldn't pretend the little vampire didn't fascinate him. Through his own experience he was well aware that if he didn't feed regularly and well then, he would age, and his strength would fade; only to be reinvigorated by a fresh, plentiful supply of youthful blood. Yet he had never seen evidence that this aging would happen for a child vampire, the last time he had seen this little one it had been a crawling toddler after Jonny's blood. Now it appeared to be at least five or six years old. It truly was intriguing, but Dracula knew that any further research would need to be theoretical only; Agatha was not going to let him go about stealing babies to experiment on.

Dusty and more than a little annoyed at having to climb quite so many stairs, Dracula finally made his way back to his bedroom, remembering to snatch them both some breakfast on the way. It was now approaching mid-morning, and the gentle hammering and cursing of his workmen could be heard on the morning breeze.

Entering the bedroom Dracula was surprised to find it empty, surprised and annoyed, considering he had specifically told Agatha to remain here whilst he dealt with everything.

"Dratted woman, where are you?" Dracula all but cursed, barely resisting the urge to smash the decanter against the wall.

"Where you left me." A quiet but equally annoyed voice replied from the bathroom, and a surprised Dracula swooped in to find Agatha exactly where he left her, still soaking in the tub, only now she was shivering in the frigid water.

"What on earth are you still doing in there…you'll catch your death." Dracula insisted reaching out for the nearest fluffy towel and offering it for Agatha to step into.

"Do I have your permission to move Elder?" Agatha's question was all but forced through clenched teeth.

"My permission, Agatha do not be factious."

"I am not being anything, I cannot move until you permit me to, or didn't you realise that when you literally commanded me to stay put exactly where I was?" This time there was no hiding her contempt, even if the fact that Dracula looked genuinely confused. "You are unbelievable, you behave like an arse even when you don't realise you are doing it!"

"Agatha yell at me all you like but please get out of the tub." Dracula insisted offering her the towel once more, not surprised when it was snatched from his grasp and wrapped tightly around Agatha's shivering frame. "Now come and sit by the fire."

"Is that a command or a suggestion?" Agatha countered, ignoring the impatient glare Dracula shot her. Perhaps that was a little petty, but she had been the one left to freeze, naked in a bath of cooling water, so Agatha figured she was owed a little petty behaviour.

"Do whatever the hell you like." Dracula replied, pouring her a glass of blood and thrusting that into her hand. "I didn't mean for you to be stuck in there, I didn't know you would take me literally…"

"You commanded me as my Elder, what choice were you leaving me?"

"I didn't know."

"That's no excuse!"

"No, perhaps not, but it is an explanation."

Huffing Agatha took a long sip from her glass, sitting as close to the fire as she could without setting herself alight. Even looking at him right now made her mad. None of this would have happened it wasn't for Dracula's irresponsible behaviour, they were only here in the first place because he socialised with a psycho like Gilles de Rais. There wouldn't have been a child to stake, if Dracula had kept his house in order. A child she had staked, even in undeath it was the first life she had ended, and it had changed her. Agatha had lost something today, some remaining piece of innocence, something she had clung to with pride, that although she may be a vampire, she was not a killer.

"Darling…" Dracula began, moving to squat beside her, brushing the wet hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear, so that he could better see the haunted expressions that contorted Agatha's face. "I'm sorry that this happened, I really am. I should never have you brought you here until I had cleaned the place up…It was a foolish oversight, one I will forever regret. But I did none of it deliberately Agatha, my only crime was my negligence, and I know that is enough of a reason for you to be mad at me…"

"You told me to stay behind." Agatha cut in, turning her head to meet his gaze, her eyes narrowing as Dracula still seemed oblivious to the real crime he had committed. "You treated me like I was a silly girl, who needed to be left behind."

"I thought it for the best, you were comatose when I found you with that body, how would throwing you back into a similar situation be of any benefit?" Dracula was genuinely perplexed, of all the things for Agatha to mad about. "Do not blame me for protecting you from yourself."

"I do not need you to protect me!"

"Really?" Dracula scoffed, now convinced that Agatha was still impaired in some way. "When I found you Agatha you were practically insensate, what would have happened to you if anyone else had found you like that? And you honestly expect me to believe you do not need my protection?"

Growling Agatha could feel her hackles rising, part of her wanting nothing more than to scratch his smug face off. "I managed just fine for 123 years without you, and I somehow stumbled through the last 2 years whilst you were off 'seeing the world'."

"Please like you weren't wrapped up in cotton wool most of that time. I have seen how cosseted they keep my youngest kin, they barely get to set foot outside without an armed guard. I had no one there protecting me, I learnt from a young age it was kill or be killed. I never had the luxury of choosing whether or not I wanted to be a killer, and you blame me because I decided to become a good one. That I choose to protect my life and the lives of those I care about, before I give a damn about others. Some of us do not have the luxury of a bleeding-heart Agatha. You want me to treat you as my equal, well when you can kill without falling to pieces, when you can step up and protect this clan…"

Dracula never got to finish, Agatha lost what little control she was clinging to, leaping forward and pressing him into the floor, her hands wrapped around his neck, her fangs extended. For a moment Dracula could only lay there in stunned surprise, his first reaction was to laugh.

"Agatha you can't strangle me…I don't need to breath." He managed to choke out as he stared up at his mate who had him gloriously pinned. Wet, naked and furious, Agatha had never looked more glorious, her eyes bloodshot and her fangs on full display.

It took little effort, to flip them, or at least try to; Dracula managed to throw Agatha off of him, but not to subdue her under him. The slippery little minx sliding away and centring herself into a low crouch.

"Well come on then love, show me what you've got." Dracula couldn't help but taunt her, moving himself into a combat form.

He was surprised how quick she was, when the first blow came, Dracula didn't have time to dodge it completely, her kick catching the edge of his calf, just missing her intended target of his knee. Agatha herself managed to easily dodge his punch, not that Dracula had intended to connect, merely to distract her, yet she managed to avoid his follow up lunge as well. He didn't manage to avoid her next attack, in fact he had never intended to, it was easier to let the blow land, and grab Agatha's leg before it could retract. Now off balance it was easy to reel her in, every swearing, kicking and flailing inch of her.

Grinning Dracula dragged her and pinned her down below him on the bed.

"Don't you fucking dare!" Agatha hissed as he pressed her wrists down to the mattress and crawled on top of her.

"Hmmm fucking what a wonderful idea." Dracula teased, dragging his tongue along the long slope of her graceful neck, before pressing his fangs against her tender flesh, just a nick, causing a droplet of her blood to well up.

Savouring her taste, Dracula swirled his tongue around the small wound.

"Get off me." Agatha growled, trying to force away the part of her that responded to the sensation of Dracula sucking on her neck.

"Hmmm how about I get you off instead?" Dracula teased, his mouth trailing down to her breast, nipping at the skin all the way.

"Fuck off." Agatha hissed, squirming away from his mouth, unable to contain her moan when he latched on to her nipple and sucked.

Whining as Dracula teased her sensitive flesh, Agatha mewed, her fury quickly flipping to lust, the desire to smack that smug look off of Dracula's face, switching to the desire to force his smug face between her thighs instead. Bucking beneath him, Agatha growled as Dracula continued to tease and torment her.

"Stop being an arse."

"Stop being a bitch." Dracula countered with toothy grin.

"Just get on with it." Agatha hissed, spreading her thighs wider and giving a pointed nod downward, glaring until Dracula sighed and headed south at her instruction.

Agatha arched the moment Dracula's mouth closed on her clit, he wasn't being gentle with her, which was fine, she didn't want gentle right now. Her blood was burning, her limbs twitching with the lingering adrenaline, and Agatha had to fight against the desire to take charge. When she felt his tongue on her, Agatha all but purred in relief, only for it to be short lived…Dracula's head suddenly popped back up, his dark haired mussed and a puzzled look creasing his handsome face.

"What?" Agatha frowned, confused as to why he had suddenly stopped, irritated even.

"You're bleeding."

It was if a bucket of freezing cold water had been thrown over her…

Agatha scrambled up on to the bed, putting as much distance between them as she could, putting her own hand down to slip between her folds and drag her fingers through the slick that had gathered. It was pink.

"No…no…no." Agatha shook her head, pulling at the bed covers and pulling them over her.

"Agatha what…" Dracula paused watching as his lover underwent another flip change, from withdrawn to violent to lustful and back to withdrawn. "What is going on?"

Huddled in her cocoon of blankets, Agatha considered keeping that answer to herself, but Dracula seemed so genuinely concerned that she couldn't keep this from him.

"I'm fertile…I'm spotting…I just don't understand, I wasn't due for six months and I've only ever had one cycle a year before."

Of all the answers he had been expecting, that was not one Dracula had considered. He moved carefully, worried that any sudden movement might have her startled her, relieved when Agatha didn't push away his touch and allowed him to hold her. For a moment he almost regretted saying anything, if he had just kept his mouth shut, then he could…they could have and…

No Dracula pushed that thought away. Even if it had been a complete accident, Agatha had been very clear with him her reasons for not wanting a family. As much as Dracula would delight in their having a child, it would only be worth it, if Agatha felt the same way.

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