Men talk of killing time, while time quietly kills them. Dion Boucicault
The cool morning mist made John's stiff body shiver with chill. He yawned. Jack looked at him.
"You didn't get any sleep either?"
"Couldn't. Nightmares." John muttered. "This place seems to inspire them."
"Yeah." There was a cry of horror. The raced upstairs and gaped seeing Mina standing next to Lucy who looked like she'd been ravished.
"I don't understand. How could this have happened? I was right here in the room the whole time."
"Jack those notes of your great grandfathers?"
"Yeah here." He handed them over to John. The latter ran a hand through his lightly waved chocolate locks sighing softly.
"We'll have to leave sooner then we thought Lucy's worse and worse. She won't be able to fly at this rate." He said softly and Jack nodded grimly.
"Yeah. Hey John, the other night you know when there was that prowler. You said later we could check it out."
"I did? Oh I suppose I did, didn't I? You want to go now? It's midmorning and the day will only get hotter this way." He said and Jack nodded.
"I don't like the idea of someone leaving things. Didn't you give that cross to Mina?" He noticed the chain around John's neck.
"She gave it back to me a few days ago. She said it just got in her way the chain was too long or something like that. It does not get into my way. I do not understand it." He said and Jack shrugged lightly.
"Who knows, perhaps she wanted something less masculine."
"It is not feminine nor is it masculine. It is a simple cross nothing more nothing less." John sighed and placed the notes down next to his great grandfather's journal.
"Ya'll ready to go?" Quincy asked with his Texan drawl. John grinned a bit. He liked to listen to Quincy talk for long periods of time. Though the American spent a good deal of his time in England when he spoke for a spell his accent bled through and it was pleasant to hear. A steady change of pace that was a welcoming refresh of air.
"Yes. Arthur is staying with the girls." Jack said and John nodded lightly.
"Alrighty then let's move out!" Quincy grinned.
They looked around the house for a quarter mile and still they found nothing. John reached the clearing where he'd been in his dream. Quincy looked around and Jack was studying the ground.
"I've got paw prints over here. Looks like they head off this direction." He observed softly. John felt his stomach drop. He looked at the familiar direction. Illuminated in sunlight instead of moonlight. He shivered slightly and looked at the sun. It was mid afternoon now. He supposed that it would be about a half an hour's walk back to the inn. They could make it back in time. He nodded.
"I think that's the way the person went. Let's go see if we can find anything. Maybe they had their pet dog with them?"
"These look like wolf prints to me but I suppose out here dogs could be the size of wolves." Quincy said and nodded.
Twilight was setting in and John managed to get them back to the house just in time. He felt the night sinking into his skin.
"We have to leave tomorrow. Lucy feels well enough to travel. We'll go then."
"She can sleep in my room tonight so that it's easier on her." Jack said and John nodded lightly. Once the sleeping rearrangements had been made the girls said goodnight. John walked outside and placed a line of salt around the outside of the window that looked into the room. He then cut open his index finger wincing. He felt like something was coming closer. He worked fast; drawing a cross in his blood on the salt before he swept inside. Before he could get through the threshold however something froze him in place.
"You've sullied it." The Count's voice scoffed and John placed his hand on the doorframe not looking at the man, monster.
"You'll not touch Lucy. Never again."
"Never? Forever is a long time Jonathan are you sure you can keep me from them?"
"I'll die trying." It was apparently the wrong thing to say to the Count. His hands, warmer then he faintly remembered, wrapped around his neck lightly. His head was tipped back baring his neck.
"You'll not die at all my Harker." He growled and John felt as if something was there chaining him to this man, this monster.
"I don't belong to you Count. I own myself."
"Silly human. Foolish human." He murmured softly and smiled at him like he was a small child who was being cute. The Count towered over him and John felt slightly afraid, cool terror making its way through his rage but his determination stayed strong.
"How do I know you?" John muttered trying to remember where they had met, why they had met, how they had me, but he came up empty. The Count smiled darkly in a smug and teasing way.
"Still so curious my dear Friend Harker… Still so curious… You know you look rather fetching with snow white hair."
"John?" Mina's voice called out and the Count glanced into the house. John's grip on the doorframe tightened his legs locked into place. The Count looked back down at him and then placed a kiss to his pulse brushing his fangs against John's skin making the younger man shiver. Then he was gone as if he's never been there in the first place.
"John I thought I heard something." Mina muttered softly and touched his arm. John looked at her taking a few deep breaths before smiling at her tiredly.
"Just talking to myself." She nodded and then touched his neck.
"You've scratched yourself John. You should get that looked at. You don't want to end up like Lucy." She murmured before going back to bed. He touched his neck and felt the scratches too shallow to bleed but deep enough to be a bloody red colour and be felt.
"No… I don't want to end up like Lucy… But I fear that my fate will be much worse then that even if I was to give in." John said glancing out the door seeing the Wolf sitting in the backyard watching him red eyes unflinching. He turned away and closed the door and walked over to the girls' room. He placed his cross on the door knob whispering a prayer over it in Latin begging for their safety. He then moved to the table and turned on the dim light placing his glasses on his nose. He then started to read the great grandfather Seward's notes and compared them to his great grandfather's journal. From what he found Lucy Westenra the first had suffered similar problems and they were only resolved with blood transfusions and when Dr. Abraham Van Helsing placed garlic around her room. John bit his lower lip. Too much. Too much was happening that was too like over one hundred years ago. He stood seeing it was dawn and showered changing. They packed and headed to the airport with their teacher and the few other students there had come as well but were in a different part of the inn. They left the carriage house in pristine condition before they boarded the long flight. John slipped into restless sleep as they continued out on their trip.
John looked at the night lights of London and smiled. He was so close to home now. It was all over. Nothing would be out of the ordinary. He could forget all about the Count and the Wolf and everything would be safe and fine again. He'd close his eyes and then it would all be an unpleasant dream. Never really having happened. Right?
"Right." He murmured sullenly and Mina looked at him worried. She was concerned. He seemed to be drifting away from her. She had been so sure that he would ask her to go out with him. They had gone out a few times alone in Romania but never at night when it would have been more like a date in the nice town. She was disappointed but perhaps it was because he was falling ill himself.
"John?" She called softly and frowned when he was too lost in his thoughts to answer her so she tried another approach. "Jonathan." Stating his full name always got his attention. He looked at her instantly his deep ethereal green eyes soft and kind. It was as if he could tell who you were just by saying his full name he never had to face you to know who you were.
"Yes Mina?" He asked smiling sheepishly knowing he had not been listening to her.
"Are you alright John? You seem a little out of it. Perhaps you are catching what Lucy has" She was cut off when he straightened and shook his head.
"No. I have not contracted what dear Lucy has Mina. I wish to god I had and she hadn't but it will be okay now. She'll be fine now." He said sounding just a touch desperate to reassure her.
"Yes I know. We have fine doctors here. And she is in the care of three men who love her dearly." Mina said reassuring him that she understood her best friend would be fine. His smile loosened and he kissed her forehead lightly.
"You don't deserve someone like me Mina I'd just hold you down. You are a wonderful friend, my very best, but I don't think we could be in a relationship. Not to mention you're like my cousin."
"I am not. I'm adopted." She laughed and he smiled at her laughing with her. She smiled but her heart hurt. John had known and he could treat her like an intimate friend however their relationship was too precious to him and she could see that now.
"You've nothing to feel bad about. It is not that selfish to wish for such things with people you hold so dear." He said softly touching her shoulder.
"You're too kind John I don't know how you do it. You're the perfect human." John frowned and shook his head.
"I am not. I have my flaws. I'm a fully flawed human being just like everyone else." He argued and she rolled her eyes smile tugging on her lips.
"Of course, of course, how could I even accuse you of being perfect? You're far too jumpy to be normal." She teased and he blushed at her.
"Mina!" She took off running and he chased her laughing. They picked up their bags then headed to their shared apartment. He shared an apartment with Lucy and Mina. More like they forced him to join.
"We needed your help with the rent."
"Yeah, yeah." He muttered waving her off. Lucy was on his back and Mina had her and Lucy's bags. Quincy had a hold of John's bags grinning.
"You live together eh? Must be nice."
"I sleep on the couch. They use me for a whipping boy." John deadpanned. Arthur and Quincy laughed, Jack chuckled, Mina looked appalled and started to scold them stating that there were three bedrooms. One and a half bathrooms but three bed rooms.
"It was a joke Mina." John said and she opened the door.
"A poor one I think." She stated and they all walked into the apartment. They looked around and the living room was relatively small as was the kitchen however the rooms were medium sized. Arthur placed Lucy in her bed and kissed her goodbye. He and Quincy then bid farewell.
"I must be leaving as well."
"Be careful Jack." Mina said and John handed him back his great grandfather's notes. They shared a look.
"There is a nice Café down in the West End. It's called the Intersection."
"I'll meet you there Friday give our bodies time to readjust?"
"Nine in the morning sound good to you?"
"Perfect actually."
"See you then." They said and Mina looked at John tilting her head.
"Is something going on?"
"No we just wanted to compare notes and such."
"You think what happened to Lucy's great-great aunt is happening to her don't you?" She asked him worry and slight concern entered his eyes. John looked away towards the dark night outside.
"I think that she had many of the same symptoms of what happened to Lucy's name sake." He answered softly. Mina bit her lower lip.
"John." She stared but he shook his head and touched her shoulder.
"We're just being cautious okay. Jack was thinking of writing to an old friend of his anyway. His family stayed in London. He's a bit older then us but he and Jack are very good friends."
"Who?"
"Abraham Van Helsing." Mina blinked before nodding. She remembered being told that a member of the Van Helsing clan was a person to trust.
"If anything is wrong he will be able to help us Mina." He said before sending her to bed. John could help but feel the dread sinking into his stomach. Somehow he knew. The Count was coming. But why? Why was he coming? For Mina? Or… For him? His throat tightened and he felt sick to his stomach with that thought.
The sun poured into his bedroom from the open blinds and curtains. He pushed himself up and yawned. John looked at his reflection and saw his hair was snow white. He waited a moment and then it changed back to dark chocolate. He tried to remember when it didn't do that. He shook his head and climbed from his bed stretching. He walked to his closet and pulled on a white button down shirt before pulling out a pair of dark jeans. He grabbed a pair of boxers before he walked into the bathroom. He knew he would be up long before either of the girls. Honestly they were not morning people. At all. He chuckled and washed his hair seeing the few strands that he shed during his shower were white as powdered sugar bound tightly around his fingers. He watched them fall.
'You know you look rather fetching with snow white hair.' The Count's words rung in his head and he shivered. Somehow that monster was able to see through whatever it was that only wore off when he was sleeping. He sighed and closed his eyes. He would think on it later.
When John arrived he saw that Jack was waiting for him with another man.
"Hello Mr. Harker I'm Abraham Van Helsing. Jack wrote me a letter recently and I asked if I might join you."
"I thought he might be able to help a bit more."
"I'm glad you came. There are somethings I think we should discuss. I was going to tell Jack then but it'll be easier and I won't have to go over it a thousand times over if you're here too." John grinned warily.