What We Do In The Shadows: "Jen..."

Summary: There are unexpected consequences when Laszlo seeks a new human familiar…

Part XXXVI…

The old residence…

7am…

Susan, readying for morning shower, pauses to call in…

"Hey, Ginny? Yeah, I'm at the Master's. Guillermo's out for a bit, he went out early, errands I think. Everything's good here, though a friend of his family stopped by just before dawn. A Dr. Acura, said he was an old family friend who needed to see him. I'm afraid it may about his aunt, poor guy. Guess he's from Mexico, he did have an accent. Yeah…He seemed ok, looked like a doctor…Very good-looking doctor, in his fifties or early sixties. If your professor doesn't work out, you may want to have Gui intro you. If the Gui endorses him, he's gotta be a great guy, right?" Smile.

"Yeah, I should make my 9am, no problem. I'll drop by after, is there anything new for me? Ok, that's fine, I've got a lot to do here…Jen and I are starting to box up a few things this afternoon if we can and see about the new beds for the coffins. Erika's due to bring that client Ms. Reynolds round today and I guess Phyl will be by too if she can. Nah, we can handle it. Is everything else going good for the new residence? Great. No, they're all resting. It's just me right now...And of course, the guys here." Wan smile to camera…

"With my life, you know that, Ginny. Anyway, Gui should be back before I go and Jen will be here soon too, to drop off some packing supplies. We're fine. Ok, see ya. What? Oh…Nah…" shrug. "He's shy and I didn't want to press too hard. A real gentleman…Yeah. Though, I hope sooner or later…" winsome smile.

"Well, no offense to Phyl but she's gonna have to work for this one cause I don't intend to share unless Gui wants to…And I don't see him as that sort. No, I'd never let him or them be bothered by it, Ginny." smile. "But you know I never give up easy, so… We'll settle it like ladies, or if we do fight it out, some place far away and alone. Well, I'll see ya. Give my best to everyone…" she hangs up.

"Ginny's a little worried the competition here might get disruptive over Gui." Shrug to camera. "Well, I'd never let it bother the Master or the others or Gui but I don't give up easy as I said. If Gui wants Phyl over me, that's one thing and I'll deal…Or I could accept sharing…But otherwise…I can duke it out with the best of them, in the shadows." Firm stare, smile.

….

Zeller Properties…10 am…

A frowning Jackie eyeing the camera…

"What? You people back again? Look, take that camera and…"

Ginny emerging from her office at a concerned Martha's urgent summons…

"Hey, guys…It's fine. Jackie? Could we go into the office?"

"I want these guys out, Ginny. What the hell are they doing filming here all the time?" suspicious eyeing of her partner who gave innocently nonchalant shrug.

"Mr. Cravensworth just wants this documented as part…"

"F- Mr. Cravensworth…!"

Oh, you are so lucky Mistress Nadja is the one who took me…Bitch…Ginny smiles warmly at her.

"Not till we settle a couple of deals worth over ten million, Jacks." Ginny, benignly. "It's little enough to humor him. No one's doing anything that they shouldn't." careful stare…Hiss. "Be reasonable…How can it hurt to have a film crew here showing we're totally aboveboard. Come back in the office with me."

"Jesus…" Jackie fumes. "Fine…You people keep out of my way!" she grouses, following Ginny.

"What the hell are you so happy about?" she eyes a beaming Martha at her desk… "Get back to work."

"Hey, she is working. Cool it, Jacks." Ginny frowns, opening her inner office door. "Come on back. Sorry, Martha…And hold my calls till I buzz you, unless the Cravensworths or Mr. Relentless call, ok?"

"Sure, Gin…" Martha, whistling contentedly.

"Life is but a dream…Life is but a crazy dream, oh, yeah…" she sings, a bit ecstatically, under her breath. Pressing button to take call. "Hello, Zeller Properties? Oh, hi…Sorry, Ginny's in a meeting, can I take a message?"

"Jackie seems the agitated type." Colin Robinson, at his temp spot in cubicle with Gwen notes to the said Gwen, now once again a bit more sedate and placid than her usual self.

"Yeah, she's always been that way. But never so high-handed with Ginny till she became a full partner." Gwen, yawning a bit.

"Sorry. I think I didn't sleep too well last night. Haven't for a few days, really."

"That happens…Do you know how many Americans don't get a proper measure of sleep throughout their lives and the cumulative effect on the GDP?"

"No…" shake of head. "But how about some coffee first…?"

"Sure…I'll get it. I wanted to talk to Angie for a minute." Colin, rising.

"Thanks…" wan smile.

"No offense to Gwen…" Colin notes, camera following him as he walks to coffee machine. "But she's a bit tapped out after a week next to me and Angie is rather peppy still. Though you may have noticed between the enthrallings and…Me." Smile. "There's been a certain decline in the energy level around here overall. On the other hand, as the enthrallees like Ginny have regained their strength and refocused, I would say overall efficiency has also increased. The place may be a bit more subdued but it's a lot more focused…Not to say Virginia and co weren't good businesswomen BE…Before Enthrallment." Thin smile. "It's just there's a lot less tension among our strongest go-getters now. They're all pushing for the same goal, do it for their owners." Thanks…He notes to Billie at the machine who offers him a cup as she takes her own, heading for her desk.

"No, neither Hitler nor Mussolini were vampires, though they should have been, given the way they got people to march to destruction, right?" smile. "But, heck, vampires would never have been stupid enough to invade Russia or Greece." He regards camera.

"Remember, I didn't say anything about Stalin or Franco, the ones who hung on…" smile.

"Hey, Angie…" he pauses by cubicle, smiling at Angie, a small brown-eyed young woman in dark suit with somewhat harassed air, since his arrival only partially due to her semi-pariah status in the office. She eyeing him…Questioning look as he nods. "Got a minute?"

Billie from her cubicle giving them a hard stare…Angie frowning back, waving Colin into her cubicle…

Cut to Colin outside, a short time later…Angie leaving him to head for her car for a client appointment…Perhaps just a bit less spring in her step.

"Still a bit of tension here, lucky me…Angie having pissed off half the office six months ago by forcing Ginny to rehire her after she'd fired her for hitting their client, that fellow Meister, one afternoon in the lot here when he put the moves on her." Colin grins. "The other half, equally po'd, taking her side, in secret, natch. You know, when I heard about this through Gwen I offered to and reviewed the state code on sexual harassment in the workplace for her, and of course, my own pleasure, and I think, even if Ginny did get her to sign a waiver in order to have her job back, she has a good civil case against Meister here. Especially since with Nadja pressing her a little, Ginny would now happily testify for her and forget/destroy said waiver, even if Meister countersues her office." Shrugs.

"Yeah, sometimes even a son of a bitch like me can do a little good. Though the thought of watching the guy squeal like a pig in court while his wife screams at him while feeding off him is a definite inducement." Thin smile.

"Colin? Can I speak with you a minute?" Ginny had come to the office front door.

Just the slightest note of respectful deference in her tone…Cautiously so, Billie and other unthralled staff having noticed Ginny behaving with unusual deference to the undoubtedly able but, hey, temp in the past couple of weeks. But Ginny has been seeming a lot less stressed recently…And quite a bit more forbearing, even easy-going.

Clearly the big Fieldersen deal going so well was a load off…

"Anytime, Virginia…" Colin, smiling. "What can I do for you?" he came to her.

"Mr. Devious called a few minutes ago." She explains, looking round carefully. "He wants to pursue the Mistress' residence. He wanted to set up a house tour."

"Really? Well, vampires do heal fast…Though I'd've thought he'd be tied up with rebuilding his club. What did you say?"

"I told him I'd have to call back…I wasn't sure what to do? Fortunately I was meeting with Jackie, to keep her from prying too much till she's settled. He wants me to call back asap." she shrugs, nervously. "He's our enemy…I mean the Mistress' and Masters', meaning ours to the death, right? Should I lure him in and open the windows? Master Laszlo was suggesting that earlier on. Sorry to involve you, I hope this talk doesn't offend you, as one of his kind." She notes, a bit sheepishly. "But I didn't want to disturb our Lady and Lords when they hadn't planned to come out today…Unless you think I should? See, I've never had to possibly try to kill a vampire before. Not sure what we should do here…"

"Sweetheart. It's fine. Believe me, Simon is not 'my kind'." Smile. "Not that vampires then to have much attachment to those outside their immediate clan. You probably should go ahead and set up an appointment for a tour so he doesn't get suspicious…"

"But if he knows you and our overlords live there now…And he's angry at them?" Ginny, anxiously. "I can't endanger my Mistress."

"From Simon?" Colin chuckles. "He probably does, if only from the blabbermouths on the Vampiric Council. And no doubt he wants revenge for his club and to get that hat of Laszlo's…"

"We'll kill him first." Ginny, grimly. "If we all have to die trying…"

"Then you won't kill him if you'll all die trying." Colin notes, smiling. "Come on, worry a bit for my sake but lets not overdo it, right?" eyes her. She nods, still anxious… "Lets just set up a time, in the evening in the next few days but not too late. Then get hold of Laszlo or Nadja or one of the girls over there and see they know what's up. Let them handle things. They'll let you know what else to do, if anything."

"Right." She nods. Then, nervously… "The Mistress said he's very devious. And he did seem it when I met him before. Of course I thought he was just a shrewd business guy passing himself as a kinda freaky playboy."

"And he didn't bite you himself then?"

"Well, I was with some folks, the owners of the property he was looking at…Though come to think of it, I never heard from them again after we closed."

"Clever. But Nadja says he has some self-restraint in dealing with humans as he does. They're probably ok, he wouldn't've killed them…But I'd bet they gave him a great deal."

"It was a steal…" she agrees. "But I thought at the time I'd…" slight shrug. "Guess not…" winsomely sheepish look.

"No, you probably did convince them to the sale. He just made sure of it." Smile.

"Jesus…" she blinks. "You know I only took 4% on that, come to think of it. Did he?"

"I'd say for sure, yeah." Beam.

"Christ…Everyone kept asking me about that, but I was sure it was good business, though now I don't know why I thought so." She shakes head.

"You're lucky you got 4% and didn't wind up in his storage room, or dancing in a cage in his club." Smile. "He probably thought it would raise too many questions, you might be useful to him again, and he does like independent women, he's always had something of a thing for Nadja."

Grim look from Ginny, tensing… "Master Laszlo and I will tear him limb from…!"

"Sweetheart…" Colin patting arm…She, draining of emotion, calmed.

"Thanks…Anyway, just do what I told you. We'll take care of him. Heck, maybe we'll go ahead and sell him the house. His money's as good as anyone's."

"And then send in the rats…" Ginny, nodding eagerly now, smiling contentedly at the notion.

"That was your idea, wasn't it? Not bad…" Colin nods, smiling.

"Say what about…Angie? I suppose she's still steamed…" sigh.

"I'm pushing her to go after that client, Meister. She wants to keep her job, so you shouldn't have too much trouble from her. Just let her know you'll support her in anything she does on this."

"I was pretty unsupportive…Won't she suspect something?" careful stare, brushing back some hair.

"Tell her you don't really care about Meister now you've got the big one. And you already got his signature on the bottom line, right? He won't want to forego the deal…Especially if he needs to pay a lawsuit." Smile. "Just tell her, you were concerned about your other business problems then but now you see you should have been there for her and you will be."

Hmmn…Uncertain sigh… "Doesn't really sound like me. I've never been really big on harassment or women's rights or any of that if it gets in the way of my business."

"You had an epiphany. The Me Too movement got to you." He offers. "You thought of your daughters and how you want them treated and the light broke in. Have Nadja reinforce that till you really believe it if you like."

She nods. Guess so…

"We will have to deal with Jackie Williams soon though. She's asking too many questions and she's too keen on pushing her way into the Fieldersen deal. She has something on me, you know." Sigh. "I'm so sorry…I've put you all in jeopardy." Shaking head.

"The thing with your ex-? Eh." Colin shrugs. "You were a fool to let him talk you into getting involved but the feds found nothing. I assume Jackie has signatures of yours…?"

"Yeah…" Woebegone look, nod. "She used them to force me to sell her the partnership. Of course the money came from what Roy stashed. Though that should be clean."

"Then, ok, she'll hand them over soon. She's held off because she's implicated and when she's taken, that'll be that. I'll double check that everything's clean when she does."

"I guess. Thanks, Colin." Smile. "Sooner the better though. Maybe we could bring her over to the residence today? I'll ask when I call about the Devious guy."

"That should take care of it." Nod.

"I wonder if Gui keeps chloroform or something around the place, I mean in case she won't go voluntarily?" she eyes him.

"Best to keep it simple, Ginny." Colin pats her arm. "Just keep talking about the money involved…She'll want to see the deal's going through and find out the details. For humans, money's always a great motivator. Can't you how many we've lured into the place thinking they'd rob us or get rich quick some way."

Laszlo, in his crypt, in armchair, watching television set...Copy of "Dracula" on table beside chair…

"Hello, bit early in the day for me but I couldn't sleep much…Thought I'd make my bit of research contribution by watching the old Dracula films featuring our possible 'guest' on the new estate, Dr. Abraham Van Helsing. And there he is…"

On screen, 1931 "Dracula" film…Van Helsing confronting Bela Lugosi's Dracula…Fighting off the vampire's "dark power" of attraction…

"Bit homoerotic there, I must say, especially for 1931. But it is true they say Van H was a fellow of extremely strong will…No doubt a huge ego there."

Sigh…

"Don't get me wrong, intellectually I understand the appeal…The fellow is fighting a powerful creature to save his fellow humans, and there's the more or less unselfish fight to save the little female wife of the rather romantic Mr. Harker. But that's movies…And that dratted book, you know? Grandson Vladimir never did our people a worse turn when he babbled all that nonsense to that Irish writer. I mean giving away so much about us and our vulnerabilities, and casting us in such a bad light. I mean, yes, from a certain perspective we're evil and all that, but I say again, think of the chicken or cow in the slaughterhouse and how they must feel. I can assure you, Nadja and I never torment our prey, hell, you've seen we can be quite considerate. But people die, so often for ridiculous, brutal reasons, just as we did, and once you're more or less Immortal, your perspective shifts a bit."

Smile… "Of course, as you saw, Nandor is not a fan of the famed Vlad. Seems they ran into each other several times during the 15th century…Nandor long a vampire but still a commander of sorts of Turkish forces under several rather insane Sultans. I understand the 'great Impaler' felt Nandor had betrayed the old Byzantine state and played a role in its final demise by accepting the Turkish overlordship and let him know it. Impaled the lot of one of his armies, actually, after some minor victory…Human and vampire alike…A bit cruel to the average GI Joe of the day, eh? Though of course it was hardly a day of the Geneva Convention even minus vampire commanders. But, lets be reasonable, Vlad with all his new found powers and his 'army of the Undead' couldn't change the fact that the Roman Empire had had its day. Nandor was hardly the only Christian general to join the Sultan's forces and probably did save many lives in his day by doing it. You have to face realities. We're Immortal, we prey on humans and the occasional animal…We don't go round wiping out cities full of people, like some humans I could mention. We try to be, generally, polite and as kind as we can be…I have great respect for human achievements, myself, as you know, in the productive sectors. Circle of life and all that, right? Still I can see where some of you would root for a fellow like Van Helsing. The odds do tend to be against him in the short term and his record was impressive, all things considered…" shakes head.

"But why here, well at our new place, and why now? Very odd…I mean it's not like we've never had familiars, including enthralled ones, before… Could it be he actually traveled to America, even before us, perhaps pursuing some other powerful vampire and his spirit got stuck on the place? I've never heard so but…?" shrug.

"I wish my old friend Edgar were still with us, he'd lived here since the 1650s and probably could've offered invaluable advice regards the supernatural history of Staten Island. Still, the miracles of your webbly thing and the public library's fine loaning system should prove invaluable. Yes, that's the thing…We need all we can learn about this dear isle and the battles that took place here between the Living and the Dead." Arched eyebrow, wagging forefinger, suspenseful tone. "And of course more on the so-called 'good' doctor…" he raises book.

"It's a shame there were no vampiral account of the battle between the Impaler and Dr. Van Helsing, all we know by passed rumor and this little tome…" indicates book in hand… "Is Van Helsing apparently won, possibly with the help of the young female Vlad had his eye on at the time, and her husband. Though, if you ask me, frankly, I think Vladimir romanticized all that to sell the story. Sounds a bit too pat for me. My guess is Van Helsing got the government involved and it was all a matter of economics. Vlad was killing one peasant too many in the new Romania after independence from the Ottomans and they wanted him out. But Vladimir needed money and a best seller, so he and that Stoker turned the whole thing into a romance novel." Pauses, reflecting... "Not a bad idea, really…And given we hope to profit from your labors…" smile. "In fair partnership with you lot of course…Say I wonder if you shouldn't try to play up Nadja and me as a romantically cursed couple. You know, our tragic fate winding up in love but Undead and all that. Bet that would sell this film of ours like hotcakes. Perhaps even a TV series or a line of books… 'Laszlo and Nadja, Vampire Lovers' something like that, I'm sure we could do better. Say, what about a series about heroic vampires saving the world? A loving couple who occasionally must kill to survive but also perform sterling service to Humanity and the world, now that's romance and adventure, eh? Eh?" shrewd look.

Hand on chin…"Still, I have always heard Vlad was pursuing his dead wife, some silliness about believing she'd reincarnated, apparently multiple times. Yes, that's it…" nod, chuckling… "Why, now I recall, there even used to be a joke going around about how he kept insisting every decade or so, some girl must be his Elisabete…He spies some show girl who vaguely resembles… 'Oh, that's my Elisabete, reborn'…some milkmaid… 'Yes, you are my Elisabete'. Throw his admittedly great powers of hypnosis and thrall in and any poor drudge of a girl he meets is equally convinced she's his Countess. And why not, eh? You're some dirty kitchen wench and Count Dracula tells you you're his reborn wife and he wants to sweep you away to his castle in Transylvania, what do you say? Thrall or no. Till of course you see what a mess of a place it is…How poor Romania is…And he begins to notice you don't really seem to remember anything about your life as a Countess or a Dracule. What was that TV show about the vampire seeking his dead wife?" pondering… "Ah, of course… 'Dark Shadows', yes. Nadja used to love that thing. Barnabas the dark romantic hero and all that. Was rather nice to see one of us a hero in fiction, actually." Sighs.

"About time, really. If you people knew the number of times vampires have stepped up and saved the day, by night. Well, all I'll say is…You wouldn't begrudge us a few hapless victims, especially boring or evil ones. Yes, that was Vlad to T, hopeless romantic. But he carried it to silliness, really, poor fellow. I'd bet there was no real fight at all, he practically let Van Helsing stake him, hoping it would finally get him back with his girl. I could see that." Faint smile. "I might do it myself if…" shrug.

"But there's also that bit about my showing in that mirror of yours…Say, George? Sorry to break the fourth wall again and all, but did you perchance…? No? Well, keep at it, if you would…There must be an scientific explanation. Well, let me get back to Van Helsing vs Dracula on film here…Christopher Lee up next. Rather glad Nadja is sleeping yet, she rather fancies Mr. L…Always gets my dander up. Fine portrayal though…Dark power at its best, and he kept it up, even in his old age…He really should have been one of us." Smile.