Hi all!
First up, thanks for the encouragement from the last chapter! I apologise for not getting this update done on Sunday, I'm away for work at the moment so it may happen again. I appreciate you sticking with me despite the suspense!
Thanks as always to the ever awesome JaneyGWF for betaing!
Enjoy and please let me know any thoughts!
Jane was thoroughly terrified at the thought of what she was about to attempt, but she was also fervently determined not to fail. Maura had given everything she had in order to save Jane, and Jane would do no less in return.
She was still filled with doubt about her abilities, even though she had seen the results. She found it impossible to believe that she might be the only one to have the power to do this, out of every vampire ever created. She could think of hundreds of people who were smarter, stronger, braver, and more important than she was.
But apparently, for some unknown and statistically unlikely reason, she was exactly what Maura needed right now. She wouldn't stop until she had her best friend back, explaining in far too many long words how any of this was possible.
Jane had decided to trust Betty, even though she knew almost nothing about her. She worked for some mysterious organisation, and she somehow knew everything about her and Maura. She knew how Jane's powers worked better than she did. She understood that Maura had saved her from succumbing to vampire instincts at the cost of her own sanity. And she had known all of this far enough in advance to bring a box of blood and vampire cactuses to practice on.
All of that had been shoved aside in Jane's mind, as none of it mattered until Maura was better. With that not-so-comforting thought, Jane pushed all her doubts to the farthest corner of her mind and threw all her concentration into the procedure.
She started out slowly, gently, carefully. Her energy drifted into Maura's head, finding its way through the deadened sections and meeting the black tendrils with a fizzle. Jane immediately felt the difference between this dead spot and the ones in the cactuses. They had been like a kitchen sink, casually swallowing any energy that came close enough like water down a pipe. The one in Maura's head felt like a ravenous black hole, actively pulling Jane's energy through their link and devouring it instantly.
Jane gritted her teeth and pushed harder, directing a more forceful surge of energy through her hands. The darkness responded, absorbing all of it, but she didn't relent, turning up the pressure until she finally felt a sort of equilibrium establish itself. Carefully checking for any surges and finding nothing alarming, Jane pushed just a little harder, hoping that she could overpower the dead zone and start to make some progress.
It worked. She could feel the blackness starting to retreat before her assault. She carefully monitored the flow, ensuring that she kept on top of any fluctuations. The dark tendrils reaching into Maura's brain retracted slowly, leaving dull lifeless pathways behind them. Whenever one reached the central mass of the damage, Jane was forced to quickly adjust the amount of force she was using, repeatedly checking for any bright spots. She was terrified of causing a chain reaction inside Maura's brain, so her vigilance and attention to detail had to be perfect.
After what felt like hours, the black mass had retreated to a tiny spot. Jane slowed the flow of energy to the minimum level, cautious of any overcharging. At the lesser rate it took a long time to fully extinguish the blackness, but finally the last of it vanished.
Jane let out a breath she'd been holding as she was filled with relief. She'd done it.
She pulled her hands away from Maura's head carefully, still watching for anything she'd missed. The damage seemed to be repaired, as there were no remaining black dead areas. Maura's energy hadn't returned to normal, but it wasn't actively disappearing either. Her body seemed to be almost fully recovered, but the energy wasn't making its way to her brain. Jane watched for several minutes, hoping that Maura's body would take over, but she soon worked out that nothing was changing.
Jane frowned and looked to Betty for answers. "What do I do now? The damage seems to be gone, but she's not waking up."
Betty bit her lip and looked at Maura worriedly. "I'm not sure. I thought this would be enough, it seemed to work with the plants. Maybe you need to jump start her brain? Give it a boost?"
Jane huffed in frustration. "I split open those cactuses every time I overfilled them! I can't risk splitting open her head!"
Betty nodded, her face crumpled in thought. "Maybe she needs more blood."
Betty quickly rummaged through the box and grabbed the last blood bag, handing it to Jane. Without hesitation, Jane opened it and poured a mouthful past Maura's lips.
Despite waiting several minutes, there was no reaction. Maura didn't even stir, despite having a mouthful of human blood.
Jane looked at Betty in despair, her nerves past the point of coping. "Help me! Do something!"
Betty seemed heartbroken, the pity obvious in her eyes as she looked between the two of them. "I don't know what to do, except to try to recharge her brain. Gently as you can. I've never been in this situation before, I don't know what else to try! I'm sorry!"
Jane nodded sadly, stroking Maura's hair affectionately before moving her hands back into position.
Betty made Jane jump when she yelled for her to wait, shrinking to the ground apologetically when Jane glared. "I'm sorry, but I just had a thought. If this has any chance of working, you'll probably want to start from the brainstem and work your way out. Restore basic motor functions, then senses, then higher functions like memory and speech. Otherwise you might completely confuse her. Understand?"
Jane nodded and took another deep breath, moving her hands to Maura's head once more.
She started with the barest trickle of energy. She felt it tingling along her fingers, and dialled it back as far as possible. The sight of split open cactuses was too fresh in her mind, and she knew the same could happen to Maura if she wasn't careful.
She sent the first tentative sparks into Maura's spine, at the point where her brain connected to the rest of her body. That seemed to be the point of resistance, the point where her natural healing was being stopped.
It took what felt like an eternity, but finally Jane saw a beautiful sight. One by one, excruciatingly slowly, Maura's cells started lighting up, as if someone had found the light switch.
Jane squashed any excitement, maintaining her complete concentration and keeping the rate steady. She must have sat there for hours, feeding those little spots of hope gently, progressing up her spine and into her brain, before there was any noticeable change.
When the change came, however, it was impossible to mistake. Maura suddenly opened her eyes and lurched out of Jane's grip, swallowing the blood in her mouth and lunging for the bag sitting next to Betty. Jane barely managed to stop an uncontrolled burst of energy from escaping her hands, her surprise almost costing all of them dearly. Betty was shocked as well, being foolish enough in her surprise to reach out for Maura while she was feeding. Unsurprisingly, she received a powerful punch in the face in response. Jane watched as Betty landed on her back with a huff, before warily rolling onto her knees, wisely waiting until Maura had finished the bag before moving towards her again.
Maura snarled angrily as soon as Betty tried to approach, making Jane's heart sink. Maura seemed to have regressed to her feral state once again, showing no signs of recognition when she spat and hissed at both of them. With a pang of despair, Jane briefly considered the possibility that she had really lost Maura, even after all this.
Betty seemed to have had enough of playing nice, and she waved a hand at Maura, freezing her in place. The irate woman brushed off her suit, tutting when she found a tear in the sleeve and looking at Jane in exasperation. "Well, I never! Such rudeness when we're simply trying to help!"
Jane huffed out a discouraged breath before answering, not bothering to move off the ground. "She can't help it. She's not really like this. She's the nicest, kindest and most polite person you'll ever meet."
Jane stood up and kicked weakly at the ground in frustration. "I hate seeing her like this. It's so wrong. And so unfair. She's been through enough."
Betty sighed and gave Jane a sympathetic look. "Come on, you're making progress. Keep it up."
Jane closed her eyes and looked at Maura, trying to really see the changes with a more objective mindset. Maura definitely did look better, at least in the areas Jane had reached, which was all of her brainstem and some of her brains central mass. Betty was right, and there was simply more work to be done.
With a sigh, Jane nodded at Betty and opened her eyes. She suddenly realised that night had passed while she'd been working on Maura and it was now the next day, with the sun starting to illuminate their strange little gathering. She shook off her melancholy mood and tried to regain her determination. "Alright, I'll keep trying."
Maura was still being restrained remotely by Betty, crouched and frozen mid-snarl. Jane walked behind her, careful to avoid breaking the line of sight between Betty and Maura. She reached out for Maura's head, closing her eyes as she made contact.
Unfortunately, the moment she connected with Maura, Jane felt Betty's power wash over her and her body freeze. She tried to fight against the force holding her in place, or at least to use her power despite being restrained, but it was useless. Her mind was being held inside her own body, and she was powerless.
It took longer than it probably should have for Betty to realise what had happened. After several very long minutes, she let out an embarrassed squeak and released both of them. Maura immediately turned and leaped towards Betty with a growl, but Betty was fortunately faster, paralysing Maura again as soon as Jane was clear. Maura tipped over and landed face down on the ground, her limbs tangled awkwardly where they fell.
Jane instinctively moved to make Maura more comfortable, but a quick cough from Betty reminded her that she couldn't touch her. Jane grimaced at the position Maura was in, but tried to remember that she didn't need to breathe, so it would do no harm to anything but her dignity.
Betty stood over Maura with her hands on her hips, looking completely put out. Jane almost found it funny, seeing someone so prim and proper react so poorly to being 'mistreated', but the seriousness of the situation prevented her from finding any humour.
Instead, she squared her shoulders and stepped between the two, crouching defensively in front of Betty. "Let her go. We obviously can't do this using your power, so we'll have to do it the hard way. I'll wrestle her down and try to calm her a bit, then you'll have to hold her down. Once she's secured, I'll do my thing again. Clear?"
Betty's expression suggested Jane had just asked her to suck a lemon, but she eventually sighed and nodded. Jane nodded back, signalling her readiness.
The moment Betty released her grip, Maura was spinning around and attacking again. This time, Jane was ready for her. She used the same grip as the first time they'd fought, using all of her newborn strength to force Maura's hands behind her back and her face into the dirt. The hold worked again, and Maura started to thrash in Jane's grip relentlessly.
As before, Jane held on, whispering reassurances into Maura's ear as she restrained her. Betty waited until Maura started to calm before stepping in, carefully moving her hands next to Jane's and taking her position. It took a few tries, but the pair eventually switched positions, with Maura still restrained.
When Maura stopped struggling and started staring daggers at Betty, Jane took the opportunity to move into place and started her task again, resuming exactly where she'd left off. Fortunately it looked as though Maura's premature awakening hadn't done any damage, as the cells Jane had managed to activate were still lit up.
Maura tried to shake Betty off four times in the next few hours, each instance requiring Jane to cease her efforts and help restrain her stubborn patient. However, each time she returned to her task, it was with more hope, as Jane could see how much healthier Maura looked with each passing hour. The last time Maura had tried to escape, it had taken a concerted effort from both of them to wrestle her to the ground, because her tactics were getting smarter.
By the time Jane had completed all the inner areas of Maura's brain, with the exception of her thalamus vampirus after Betty's suggestion to leave it until last, Maura had finally stopped struggling and glaring. She seemed content to sit within Betty's iron grip and watch Jane curiously, her red eyes flicking over Jane's face and hands with interest. Jane paused briefly before she moved on to the outer lobes of Maura's brain, almost unable to contain her joy when she saw a faint spark of intelligence in Maura's eyes.
At Jane's request, Betty loosened her grip and rolled Maura onto her back, so she could look up rather than having her face pressed into the dirt. Maura didn't fight at all, simply glancing between her two companions curiously. Betty repositioned herself so she could still hold Maura if necessary, but not as harshly as before.
When Jane started on the cerebellum, the outer lobes of the brain, Maura started getting restless again. She flexed against Betty's restraining grip, a worried frown enveloping her features. As Jane continued, Maura let out a pained groan, the first sound she'd uttered in days that wasn't a growl or a snarl.
Jane paused for a moment, checking her work for any mistakes, but she couldn't see any bright spots that might have indicated an overcharge. When Maura didn't make any further protests, Jane kept going carefully.
A few minutes later, Maura started murmuring quietly. Jane immediately stopped and bent down next to Maura's face, trying to understand. Unfortunately Maura had fallen silent as soon as Jane moved.
Jane glanced at Betty with a questioning look, which was met with a shrug. "Jane, I have no idea how this is supposed to work. This might be a good sign, maybe you're reactivating her speech centre. But I'd suggest you stop stopping, I doubt it's helping. Whatever happens, unless she's screaming in pain, just keep going."
Jane sighed and nodded, returning to her task for what she hoped was the last time. Betty stepped away unobtrusively, as it seemed that Maura had finished struggling.
As soon as Jane connected with Maura again, a stream of gibberish started spewing from Maura's mouth, but Jane didn't let it distract her this time. Maura's voice still sounded raspy from the scarring on her throat, but it didn't seem to be getting worse.
Gradually the mush of consonants and vowels became actual words. "Boat. Axolotl. Longitudinal. Multidimensional. Arrow. Game. Goat. Sydney. Shoes. Gun. Verisimilitude. Hand. Hat…"
Jane heard Betty snort a few times at the random assortment of word salad, but Jane didn't allow herself to notice the absurdity of Maura's ramblings. She just hoped it meant Maura was relearning all of those words, not that they were getting scrambled together and losing their meanings.
Rather abruptly, Jane realised the words were starting to make sense, or at least as much sense as anything technical out of Maura's mouth ever made sense. "The veins convey the blood from the capillaries of the different parts of the body to the heart. They consist of two distinct sets of vessels, the pulmonary and systemic. The pulmonary veins, unlike other veins, contain arterial blood, which they return from the lungs to the left atrium of the heart. The systemic veins return the venous blood from the body generally to the right atrium of the heart. The portal vein, an appendage to the systemic venous system, is confined to the abdominal cavity…"
Jane smiled despite herself, basking in the sound of Maura spewing random facts. It sounded like she was reciting a medical text or something, which hopefully meant Jane was reactivating those memories. She felt greatly reassured that words were coming out of Maura's mouth in something resembling a sentence, and resolved to keep going no matter what else followed.
Eventually, as Jane progressed through various sections of her brain, Maura stopped reciting medical facts in English and moved on to Serbian, followed by French, followed by something Jane assumed to be an African language she'd never heard before. Jane had no idea if the words coming out of her friend's mouth were sentences, word salad, or poetry, but she still didn't sound like she was in pain. She had reactivated more than half of Maura's cerebellum, and could see the end of the ordeal slowly approaching. As much as she wanted to get this over with, Jane was determined to keep up the gentle and safe pace she'd established.
Eventually, Maura switched back to English, and Jane realised she must have reached Maura's personal memory centres when she heard the next words. "I don't want to leave. I know I'll miss them terribly, and I won't fit in. But I don't think I have any alternative. I can't let her find out. She can't know."
Jane frowned, not knowing what Maura was talking about, but whatever it was sounded bad. Maura sounded strained as she spoke, as if the subject of her rambling words still pained her greatly.
Unfortunately, she did understand the next panicked scramble of words, which were accompanied by frantic screams. "No! He's coming! I know what he's going to do, he told me, he said he'd…but Jane can't help me, she shouldn't have to. She's already beaten this monster, it should be someone else's turn! He should be dead! She should have killed him! Why am I so useless, I can't even move! No, no, he's cutting me, it hurts! Jane! It hurts!"
Jane couldn't help gasping at the raw fear in Maura's voice, but she continued on regardless. Maura's next words were resigned and sad. "I knew this day would come. I've always had this secret compulsion lurking in my DNA, and it's finally emerged. I might not remember doing it, but I killed someone. I'll go to jail, and nobody will be able to help me, because it's where I need to be. Monsters can't be outside, with the normal people. We belong in the dark."
There was only a quarter of Maura's cerebellum to go when the next desolate and grief-stricken words sounded. "Maybe I should just end it all. Right now, while there's nobody here. It would be easier. But no, I can't. Jane should have that right. If anyone deserves to kill me, to have that closure, it's her. She's been so good to me and gotten so little in return, the least she should have is the opportunity to choose my fate. Her mother's murderer. Yes, she should have the chance to decide. I'll gladly do it. I owe her everything. I'm so sorry, Angela."
Jane gritted her teeth and pushed on, finishing the last few cells carefully despite everything in her being wanting to finish faster, so she could stop hearing Maura's darkest moments spill out of her mouth with such unguarded honesty. Jane had known that Maura struggled with dark thoughts, especially after Hoyt, Dennis and everything that had happened after Maura's part in her mother's death, but she had tried not to think about it. Thinking about it hurt too much.
Maura tensed and screamed in anguish. "No! Not more human blood! I don't want to remember how good it tastes, how overwhelmingly powerful it feels! What if I can't resist it again? What if I kill someone else? I'll never forgive myself. Jane won't forgive me, no, she'll realise she shouldn't have forgiven me for her mother's death. She'll leave, and I'll be alone. I should be alone. I've always been alone, it's what I deserve. I don't know why it still scares me, I should be used to it, but somehow it still does. I can't stand it anymore, I just can't. Please, Jane, don't leave me."
With a final determined push, Jane finished her work on the thalamus vampirus and released her hold on Maura. She let out a gasping breath, stunned by how much desperate emotion had been contained in Maura's last words. She also realised that, despite being a newborn vampire with immense power and stamina, she was completely mentally exhausted. She hadn't counted the number of hours since she'd started working on Maura, but it had been a draining and prolonged strain on her entire being.
Despite desperately wanting to lay down and drift into a coma of her own, Jane carefully inspected every square millimetre of Maura's body with her second sight. She found herself sighing in relief when it all looked bright and cohesive, like Betty. Nothing remained of the crippling darkness and inactive cells that had plagued Maura's form since before Jane had awoken to her new life.
With trepidation, Jane opened her eyes and found Maura looking up at her, skin shimmering in the afternoon sun. Her blood red eyes were fixed on Jane's face, and she looked confused.
Jane cautiously smiled at her friend, letting hope bleed into her heart for the first time in many hours. "Maura?"
For a few moments, Maura stared back blankly, with no recognition or understanding. But then, Jane saw a beautiful sight. The confusion cleared and a familiar smile spread across Maura's face as she sat up off the ground. "Jane?"
Jane melted inside with relief as she gently touched Maura's smile, revelling in the sight of her best friend looking back at her. "There you are! God Maura, don't ever do that to me again!"
Jane let out a victorious yell and pulled Maura into a desperate hug, one which was enthusiastically returned. She didn't know which of them squealed with joy, nor did she particularly care. She was too darn happy.
Maura was okay. Whatever else was going on, whatever the consequences of their situation, it didn't matter, because Maura was okay.