As usual, thank you so much for all of the support! It truly means the world! As promised, here's a new chapter! -Jen
Chapter Six
It's an interesting topic of discussion on what someone's final thoughts are. Do they see their very life flash before their eyes? Memories of the past. What should have and could've been. Or is it instead something simple? Trying to remember if they left the garage light on. Who'll take care of the children. And yet, of all the things to pop into Agatha Van Helsing's mind-not Zoe, not work-no, it was about a bloody pair of socks she'd never received after ordering them nearly a month ago. Stupid company. Absolutely idiotic. In the end, it was a mere pair of stockings. Oh what a brilliant, brilliant mind.
"GET OUT!"
Agatha's eyes opened to see Dracula hovering over her, his sharp teeth bared like that of a deranged animal. He stared down at her hard, his gaze burning with hunger and unquenchable thirst. Yet he made no move to attack her. Instead, he held his ground, chest rising and falling as if his broken, lifeless lungs still needed air.
"What-" She stumbled over her words, tasting the salty smear of blood on her tongue.
"I said GET OUT," he growled. "NOW!"
She didn't need to be told again. Agatha raced to her feet and hurried towards the door. Dracula didn't follow, but she could hear his ragged breathing in the distance. When she finally made her way back to her car, the former nun slid to the ground completely winded. Placing a hand over her heart, she tried to regain control of her pulse. What the hell had that been about? The Count could've easily had killed her and yet spared her life instead? The former nun swallowed hard and closed her eyes. Christ.
Wiping at her mouth with her sleeve, she forced herself up. As she shakily pulled her car keys out, her eyes glanced up towards the vampire's window. If she hadn't been so out of it, Agatha could've sworn she saw the outline of the man watching her from above. But just in the split second that she saw him, he disappeared. A trick of the imagination. Had to be it. Inhaling sharply through her nose, the former nun drove away from the flat and to the short distance where her own home was located.
"Agatha, I wasn't expecting to see you so soon."
Mrs. Avery looked up from the couch as The Price is Right played in the background on the television. The other woman forced a smile onto her face as she placed her purse onto the table. Of course she knew nothing of what happened. Or who Count Dracula even was.
"My meeting ended sooner than I expected." She said walking over. "Thank you for watching Zoe again. Was she good for you?"
"Slept like a little angel," the older woman smiled. "Like I said, she's never a problem, dear. Always a joy to watch." Clearly Zoe's little mischievous moments went unseen around Mrs. Avery. "As I always say, please don't hesitate to call me. I enjoy the company ever since my own grew up and flew the coop."
"Well, I owe you greatly," Agatha smiled in response. "Perhaps we can do dinner sometime. My treat. It'd be nice to catch up, after all."
"What a splendid idea!" Mrs. Avery chripped. "Oh, I'd sure look forward to that. Next time I see you, we'll schedule something, yes?" Agatha made a move to help her stand up but the elderly woman waved her away. "I'm fine, dear, still got some strength in my old bones. Calcium," she grinned. "Makes you strong. Lets you live forever." If only she knew what could really assure that. "Take care, Agatha."
"Have a good night, Mrs. Avery." Agatha replied, making sure to lock the deadbolt the moment the woman left.
Agatha tried to ignore the throbbing pain in her tongue as she walked towards her bedroom feeling both physically and mentally exhausted. Stripping down, she tossed her clothes aside and sauntered over to the bathroom. A shower would do her some good. Maybe take her mind off things. As the nearly scalding spray rained down upon her, she arched her back and tilted her chin so the water ran down her face. The former nun closed her eyes and allowed the steam's welcoming embrace to take her.
"Would you willingly dance with the Devil, Agatha Van Helsing?"
Her eyes shot open as that single phrase replayed in her mind. Fumbling with the shower knob, she quickly turned it off and stumbled out. Thank God she had the intelligence to leave a bath mat on the ground, otherwise she might've slipped. After roughly drying herself, she took the damp towel and wiped it across the mirror's condensation. Her eyes met those of her reflection's. Tired. Stressed. Drained. Getting to sleep wouldn't be an easy task tonight. That she was sure of. But Bloxham's reaction to what happened...That's where the true uncertainty was.
"Pull yourself together, Agatha." She muttered at herself. "You're a Van Helsing, not an idiot."
But even then, her so called "pep-talk'' didn't offer much of a boost. Sighing, she let the towel fall to the floor. She'd clean everything up later. Dragging herself over to her bed, she flopped down onto the mattress and shared up at the ceiling. It was going to be a long night.
"So, what I'm hearing is that Count Dracula attacked you last night."
Bloxham spoke as if she were explaining a point, not a question. Agatha sat at the opposite end on the scientist's desk nursing her cup of coffee. The dark circles under her eyes probably didn't help the situation. Commander Irving stood in the corner quietly, watching as the woman flipped through the vampire's case file.
"I said he refrained from it." The former nun muttered quietly. "He could've easily done so but he didn't."
"Why?" The other woman's tone was edging on sharp. Inquisitive. And it made Agatha feel all that more uncomfortable. "You were bleeding, yes? What reason did he have for not killing and feeding off of you?"
"I don't know." Agatha sighed, running a hand through her hair. It was tangled, she hadn't done the best job of brushing it today. Not when her mind had been elsewhere. "If I knew, I'd tell you."
The Harker Foundation director seemed to consider this, her lips pursed in thought. Glancing once behind her at Irving, she let out a long sigh. Closing the folder on her desk, she folded her hands over it. Agatha watched her closely, trying to read the woman's face.
"Well, we have no justifiable cause to bring him in. And from what you told me, it sounds like your intended meeting didn't go as planned." Bloxham began to reach towards a phone that sat on the edge of her desk. "I'll be sure to have a word with Frank Renfield about it. Things will need to be rescheduled and due to the event, I'm more than certain he'll agree to setting something up."
"What if I refuse to go back?" Agatha inquired, straightening up in her chair. "I may be a Van Helsing, but that doesn't mean I'm used as some chess piece in your game, Dr. Bloxham." A wrong statement to support her point. "What then?"
"We both know you need this job, Agatha." Bloxham responded, her hand hesitating over the phone. "You have a child to take care of. You're welcome to quit. I'm not holding you hostage. But you hold valuable information and…" she paused. "You'd be doing us both a good service by staying. Making both our lives easier." It wasn't an act of kindness. No. A threat. "Do the bare minimum of what is required and all things will go well."
If the convent allowed her to bring Zoe in, Agatha would've taken a one way ticket back to Holland with her niece in tow. She was fascinated by Count Dracula, sure. But being coerced into being his "handler" had never been an expectation she'd seen coming. Bloxham had a lot of dirt on her. And clearly, had no qualms of letting it out there. Or doing something much, much worse. As much as she hated to, she had to comply. Oh how the bitterness in her heart towards the other woman grew.
"Fine," she agreed coldly. "I'll do as you ask. But once I get everything you want. I want out. Completely. And I want to be compensated and guaranteed that my niece will be safe and we'll be taken care of." Her fingers dug into her palms. "I will completely and utterly immerse myself into Count Dracula's life if that means I can be done with you."
Bloxham merely smiled and grabbed the phone. "I think that can be arranged," her tone was pleasant. "You're dismissed, Agatha. I'll let you know shortly what the plan is. Thank you for being so on board with this."
"The pleasure is all mine." But Bloxham seemed to ignore the malice in Agatha's voice that dripped like venom. "I'll be looking forward to it."
Agatha hadn't realized she'd fallen asleep on the couch until a bowl of cereal was poked under her nose. Wearily, she opened her eyes to see Zoe standing there with the dish held between her hands. Exhaling through her nose, she gave a tired smile and sat up.
"Is that for me?"
Zoe nodded and pushed the bowl into her aunt's chest. "I spilled a little bit of milk while making it," she added sheepishly. "But I cleaned it up! Promise!" The front of the girl's shirt was damp so Agatha had a gut feeling a little bit was more along the lines of a lot. "You've been sleeping for forever."
"Thanks, muffin." Agatha said, taking in a spoonful. "Sorry, I'm just tired. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night and work was long today." Her eyes flickered over to the digital clock on the coffee table. Late evening. Damn, she had been asleep for awhile. "Zoe, it's so late. Why didn't you wake me up?"
"I dunno." The little girl shrugged, plopping beside her aunt. "I was going to when Mr. Dracula called-"
Agatha stopped her right there. "What do you mean Dracula called?" If she wasn't alert before, she surely was wide awake now. "Zoe, what did Count Dracula say to you?!"
"Not much," Zoe admitted. "He asked to talk to you but I told him you were sleeping. He said that was fine and not to wake you up. Just to tell you he was thinking about you and would be in touch shortly." She seemed to stumble on the words a little, trying to remember exactly what the vampire had said. "Should I have asked him to come over for cereal?"
"No, you most certainly shouldn't!" Agatha accidentally snapped, causing Zoe to wince in surprise. "...I'm sorry, Zoe. I'm just tense. Just...thank you for letting me know." And not inviting the bastard over. "I'll give him a call back when I can."
"When's he coming over again?" Her niece asked, cocking her head slightly to the side. "We never did get to watch a movie. He's funny. I like him. Aunt Aggie…" Zoe began to kick her legs back and forth. "Do you think I'd make a good vampire?"
The nightmare. Triggered. Agatha stared at her niece with her mouth slightly agape. She hadn't meant anything by it. It was an innocent question, after all. But still, the mere idea of it sent tornado sirens screaming in the former nun's mind.
"I don't want to talk about that." And she ended the discussion before Zoe could protest. "C'mon, I think you've had enough television today. I want to look over your homework and give you something proper to eat before you go to bed."
Turning off the television, she made her way to the kitchen and put the bowl in the sink. It was still full of soggy cereal, but that could be dealt with later. As Agatha went to pull a can of soup from the cupboard, she heard her phone go off. Christ, how she hoped it was Jack. Or even a spam call. Telemarketer perhaps? She waited, letting it go to voicemail. Attempting to turn out the sound of Zoe rifling through her backpack in the background, she reluctantly picked up her cell and unlocked the screen. Bloxham. Gritting her teeth, Agatha listened to the message.
"Agatha, after much deliberation, we've managed to schedule a session with you and Count Dracula in an hour. I apologize if this is an inconvenience, but his lawyer said this was the soonest we could get you in to see him. I hope all goes well this time around. Looking forward to hearing from you."
It took every ounce of Agatha's energy and patience not to beam her phone into the wall. One night. Not one night could she have to herself since Dracula came into the picture. Looking over at Zoe, who was still preoccupied by her messy backpack, the former nun knew she hadn't much of a choice. Sucking in a deep breath, she dialed the number of one of the only people she could currently stand.
"Agatha?"
"Jack," the woman responded with a sigh of relief. "I have a huge favor to ask of you. Are you busy tonight?"
"If by busy you mean binge watching unsolved mystery shows and eating crisps…" When he didn't hear her chuckle at his joke, the doctor sobered up. "No, I'm not. Is everything okay?"
"Would you mind watching Zoe for me?" Agatha inquired, pacing around the room. "I just received the loveliest voicemail from Bloxham. I'm off to visit you-know-who tonight." And her eyes flickered over to her niece as she spoke. "I don't want to bother her normal sitter again. She's done enough already. Would you mind? I know it's asking a lot."
"It's not asking a lot at all." Jack assured her. "I love Zoe. We get along quite nicely."
"Thank you, Jack. You don't even know how much I appreciate this. I owe you." Agatha smiled, running a hand through her hair. "I'll have her already fed and ready for bed. You won't have to do much. If she gives you any trouble, just remind her that we're supposed to go to the zoo this weekend. She'll behave after that."
"I'll be right over," he promised. "Don't worry about a thing."
A phrase, Agatha was beginning to realize, was easier said than done.
It was hard to find the willpower to leave her car after yesterday's troubling incident. Agatha stared up towards Dracula's flat from the safety of her car. In her back pocket was a cheap, plastic cross she had purchased last minute at a nearby gas station. Despite having it, she didn't feel any less comfortable. Mustering up the courage to finally do so, the former nun got out and began to make her way towards the vampire's home.
She wasn't quite sure what to expect when she reached the top. The meeting had been set up by Bloxham and Renfield so it wasn't quietly Dracula's own doing. But as she reached forward to knock, the door swung open. There, with a smile spread wide across his face, was the Count himself.
"Ah, Agatha." He grinned, dark eyes fixed on hers. "You're just in time for dinner!"
When he took a step back, Agatha's gaze immediately met the perplexed look of a strange man. Bile began to rise in her throat as visions of horror began to bombard her brain.
What the Hell had she just walked in on?!
Oh Agatha, what have you gotten yourself into now? Now, to clear anything up. Agatha is fascinated by Dracula BUT she doesn't like to be told what to do. She doesn't like the power Bloxham holds over her. So she isn't happy in her current situation. She isn't in control and she despises that. Anyway, feedback is greatly loved and appreciated! I sincerely love hearing your thoughts! Until next time! -Jen