The man who interoperates Nature is always held in great honor ~ Zora Neale Hurston
John looked at the other two men. Abraham and Jack looked at eachother. Abraham crossed his arms his square glasses slipping down his face.
"If this is true my friend." John with held the urge to cringe at being called 'friend'. "Then I fear it is very possible that this monster is coming toLondonsoon." Abraham said gravely eyes watching John.
"Dracula cannot be real. Are you sure?"
"I compared the notes ten times. And I looked up all possible diseases that Lucy could have. None of them fit. It's the only plausible explanation. I'm sorry Jack." Jack sighed and shook his head.
"This is too much. But if the thing is coming how? Travel by ship is outdated."
"But it can still be done." Abraham said. John looked deep into his brown coffee. He had, had enough tea recently and wanted something that would not simply be 'good' for his nerves.
"There are cargo aircraft. Planes that can carry the coffins. But I do not know if he will require them." John said taking a sip.
"Why?"
"He was able to shift effortlessly from one form to another."
"Hm that is puzzling. According my grandfather's notes he should not have been able to do so quickly and without blood. Perhaps because you were in his territory he was more powerful." Abraham mused scowling a bit.
"How do we kill this thing if cutting off it's head does not work?" Jack asked and John felt a chill on the back of his neck and his hand shot to it instantly. It was as if someone was staring at him. Slowly he turned and across the street there was a man with black hair and a pair of sunglasses on his eyes. He was wearing a black dress shirt and a pair of black jeans. In the blink of an eye he was gone.
"Here."
"What John?"
"He's here."
"He's reached England?"
"He's in this city right now." John said and gripped the table.
"I'm sure you're just imagining it John." Jack said softly trying to soothe him. John's grip on the table loosened slightly and he bit his lower lip. Abraham tilted his head.
"Why is it this monster seems so fixated on you Jonathan?" John shrugged.
"I don't know." John muttered and Abraham tilted his head.
"Do you often switch between Jonathan and John?" John blinked and looked back on the conversation.
"No." He said thoughtfully. "I don't. Mina and Lucy have always called me John because Jonathan was too long. I just got used to it."
"Which one do you prefer?"
"Jonathan." His reply was instant and Jack tilted his head. "It just sounds better to me. John sounds forced almost. Like it isn't my name."
"Interesting."
"What is?" Jack asked at the same time as John.
"In one of my grandfather's books I read that Jonathan Harker's soul was stolen from him."
"What do you mean?"
"To put it simply my friend as Jonathan stabbed Dracula and slit his throat the devil pulled one last feat of terrifying strength by ripping Jonathan's soul from his body." Abraham said eyes on John. John frowned and placed his hands to the sides.
"What does this have to do with me? You don't think that this monster could be after my soul do you?"
"It is a distinct possibility. I have another theory though."
"Abraham I'm afraid I don't follow. Why would it even want John's soul in the first place?"
"Jonathan." Abraham corrected softly and John felt his ears burn. He glanced around the plaza not seeing anyone. It unnerved him. He reached up and grasped the cross around his neck.
"Jonathan's soul."
"Yes. Jonathan's soul." Abraham placed a stress on the name and Jack's eyes widened.
"My god. You don't think that."
"That was my other theory."
"What?"
"Well you say that your writing is eerily like your great grandfather's. You say things are familiar but not. Like a far off dream or perhaps a foggy memory."
"You think I'm really my great grandfather and that the Count wants me dead so that I cannot thwart his plans once more." John said and Abraham smiled at him.
"You're very sharp my friend. It is a possibility with your history with the monster. You've survived two encounters with it! And it did not suck your blood or even try to."
"Are you suggesting that he wants my soul?"
"I believe perhaps it already has it."
"John!"
Jonathan opened his eyes. He was in a cold place. He could feel the huge comforters and furs covering him. Thick blankets and large pillows. He pushed them away and sat up. He was in a strange room. Strange but oddly familiar. Ah yes this was the 'tapestry' room. The room where those wicked brides resided. He reached up and felt the cross around his neck. It was still safe and secure. Why was he so worried about it? Because one of the brides had melted the chain from around his neck. He was lucky to still have the cross. Jonathan touched his white hair. It felt soft and smooth. He felt the bed sink next to him and looked over. The Count lay on top of the bed sheets eyes closed his black hair standing out sharply against the red of the bedding. His lips were in a smirk revealing a fang.
"You really do look fetching with white hair. It looks like the moon's light or perhaps starlight." He said not opening his blood red eyes. John said nothing and looked around. The door was on the other side of the room.
"You'll never make it you know." He murmured and John glanced back down at him. The Count's eyes were open now and watching him intently.
"To stay is suicide. To leave is a death wish but there's more hope in running then there is in staying." The Count laughed his pearl white fangs glinting. He rolled over so that he was laying on John's lap his hands next to John's hips preventing him from escaping.
"You never change Jonathan." His smirk widened just an inch. Jonathan stared down into those blood red eyes with his defiant green ones. It was strange how they complimented eachother. White hair against black hair, tan skin against pale, red against green. Monster against mortal.
"Are they really worth it Friend Harker?"
"You are not my friend."
"I am your everything Jonathan. You are mine." He said and leaned closer his face a centimeter from Jonathan's pulse. "And I shall never let you go." His fangs brushed over skin before he let out a growl. Jonathan felt himself being pulled away from the bed and his mind began to forget things again. It felt strange. As if he was becoming another person.
John's eyes opened and he gasped panting. Abraham and Jack were standing over him concerned looks on their faces. Why did they look at him so? What was wrong? Why was he on the ground? All he could remember was a room with a bed covered in red and white.
"Jonathan, are you alright?" Jack asked and John nodded before shaking his head.
"No. I'm not Jonathan I'm John. I'm John!" Abraham looked at him and then helped him to his feet.
"This confirms my suspicions. Come we must leave at once. This monster is here and we cannot afford to be over heard." He said pushing them away from the café and to the street.
"Where are we going?"
"Purfleet is out of the question. We shall return at once to the home of Mina and Jonathan. Then once all have gathered we will go to my family's estate. Sold to us by Jonathan. Ironic." Abraham muttered with a grin.
Jack looked at John concerned. His hair was now streaked with white. Not silver or any other colour it was white. And the hair was not coarse or fine like a baby's. It felt just like his normal hair. Smooth and soft as if it was silk. Well that was how it felt when it was brushed. However at the moment it looked like he had just come in from a wind storm. Mina looked concerned as well. She watched his movements with a frown marring her beautiful face.
"So you're saying that John's the same Jonathan Harker he's only been forced to forget everything?"Quincyasked.
"Precisely. It must have happened when his soul was removed. It must have changed something forcing the need to protect himself from the truth. His mind must have erased everything, thinking it could start over with a blank slate." Abraham said calmly tapping his cheek as John stilled.
"But if that is true why am I now getting memories back. Also how did I grow up again?" John asked turning to face Abraham.
"By now you must believe that there are such things as magic if there are such things as vampires."
"Are you suggesting that someone cast a spell on me?"
"Yes." Jack sighed and moved his short black hair from his face.
"What does this have to do with Lucy?" Arthur asked looking worriedly at his love. She was sleeping soundly in his arms.
"Dracula has been feeding off her. We have to keep a tight watch and make sure he doesn't get to her." John said staring Arthur dead in the eye. His piercing green eyes seemed to have an unnatural glow in them and the serious expression on his face said infinitely more. John was not going to lose someone he loved to that monster again.
"Agreed we shall take up a night watch." Jack said standing and looking at his friends. He didn't want to lose any of them.
"Arthur and I will take the first watch. Then Mina you and Jonathan will be next. Last will be Jack and Abraham." They all nodded and grinned atQuincy. He grinned and winked at them.
"We're thankful to have such a wonderful man as you." Mina said softly smiling at him. He shrugged but basked in the compliment a while longer. John looked out the window and Arthur chuckled weakly.
"You're our early danger warning John. Tell us if he'd getting close yeah?"
"Do you want an honest answer?" John asked worry tingeing his eyes.
"John?" Mina touched his shoulder and he jumped looking down at her fear in his eyes before he blinked a few times and blushed.
"Sorry I'm on edge. This is… Familiar." He said and appeared to be groping for the right word to use. She nodded and looked sad.
"Say since you're really your great grandfather doesn't that mean you and Mina can get together since you're not cousins?"Quincyasked. Mina flushed darkly and John's pink cheeks darkened slightly. Just for a moment John's hair turned solid white and they gaped.
"What?" He asked and some of the dark brown returned to sheepishly.
"Just wondering." He muttered softly. John laughed a bit and shook his head smiling atQuincy.
"You're a real treatQuincy." He muttered chuckling…
John stood looking out the dark sky. He felt tired but could not seem to find it in him to sleep. He was on edge. His mind returning constantly toTransylvaniaand the things that happened before. His journal was next to him. The Journal of Jonathan Harker. John felt he should be shocked that he is really Jonathan Harker, the man who he thought was his great-grandfather, but he was truly not. Many strange things happened in his life. Glaringly obvious facts now that he thought on them. He reached up and touched his neck feeling the scrape marks. The marks were confined to his wrists and neck. He shuddered remembering how he got those marks finally. He looked up at the almost full moon. He felt like he needed to get outside and breathe. Somehow he was trapped inside the house.
'Come to me Jonathan. I can make you feel better.' His eyes widened and he jumped away from the window grasping his cross.
"No." He muttered and closed his eyes tightly.
Jonathan felt the cotton sheets around him. He opened his eyes. He was trapped in the room again. He was thankfully alone for the moment. It did not last long.
"Such a contradiction you are my Friend Harker." Jonathan was trapped looking into blood red eyes. He couldn't move. The Count placed one hand on the other side of Jonathan's head. "So brave and fearless when others are in danger of death but when you are in danger yourself you cower away."
"Get away from me." Jonathan muttered softly trying to sink into the sheets around him. Before he could move at all the Count was straddling his waist a predatory smirk curled on his lips.
"You are my life Jonathan. Your heart beats for me." He said his hand over the flesh of Jonathan's chest were his heart was. When had his shirt been opened? He felt the weight of his cross on his neck. The Count's smirk turned vicious and he leaned down. "Do you think that petty religion can truly harm me?" He asked before Jonathan felt fangs cut into his skin.
"Ah!" He tensed and tried to get away from them. The teeth held firm. Jonathan felt them release him finally and a warm tongue licked over the wounds before digging into the holes. The Count hummed smirking into Jonathan's neck.
"It had been so very long since I tasted your blood." He muttered and Jonathan panted trying to make the shocks of pain and twisted pleasure stop coursing through his body. "Me Harker. Where will you go? Where can you go? You've no soul. You belong to me." He said into Jonathan's ear and Jonathan felt darkness pulling at his vision.
"I will see you soon Jonathan."
John jerked awake and looked around wildly. He shivered. He reached up and touched his neck feeling nothing. He raced to his mirror and looked at his reflection. There was nothing to show he had been bitten. He panted and sunk to the ground. He looked at the wall across him. What was he to do? How could he kill this monster? How could he protect his loved ones from him when John couldn't sort out who he was? He knew he would have to figure it out fast.