Wings of Blood and Cruelty
A Hemlock Grove fanfic by Glamoured By-Eric
Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.-Friedrich Nietzsche
Chapter 2 - Regrets
As Peter and Lynda Rumancek were on their way back to Hemlock Grove, the cleanup crew from the Godfrey Institute had cleared away the blood and Olivia's body from the attic and were driving away from the estate in their van, leaving the overwhelming smell of bleach behind them. Roman watched them go and then headed down the stairs to his en suite and took a quick shower. He dressed in one of the new suits that his mother insisted he have for the current school year and descended the stairs at a quick pace.
In the kitchen, his uncle, Norman Godrey, was sitting at the table staring off into space with a blank expression on his face, a wooden puppet without a puppeteer. "Good morning, Norman," greeted Roman.
There was no response, so Roman snapped his fingers in front of Norman's face a couple of times.
Norman Godfrey looked up at Roman and said, "Roman."
"Good of you to join us this morning," Roman said slowly and deliberately with more than a hint of condescension as he walked to the refrigerator and grabbed the container of cooked bacon, a bottle of apple juice, a jar of mayo, a tomato and romaine lettuce. He set them down on the table nearly dropping the lettuce, walked into the pantry and grabbed a package of croissants. "BLT croissant?" he asked.
As Roman retrieved plates, glasses and utensils, Norman said, "Sure. Whatever you are having."
"BLT croissant it is then," he replied as he dumped a sizable amount of the bacon onto a plate, covered it with a paper towel, and placed it in the microwave to warm it up. Sealing the container and returning it to the fridge, he walked to the table, shrugging off his suit coat and hung it across the back of the kitchen chair. When the microwave dinged, he removed the plate and set it on the table.
Roman sat down, as Norman poured some apple juice for them both, and began assembling their breakfast sandwiches. His thoughts went to Shelley as he arranged the bacon, folding it to fit. His sister would have loved eating all the bacon he had cooked. As it was, he was trying to eat as much as he could before it went bad. Not that he cared that much, since he had enough money to buy out the bacon industry, but it had sentimental value.
"Where's your mother?" asked Norman, as Roman slid a loaded croissant over to him. "She didn't sleep on her side of the bed."
Roman steeled himself as he looked into Roman's eyes and said, "My mother no longer resides here. I sent her packing after a stunt she pulled last night."
"Why didn't she wake me before she left to tell me she was going? That's not like her."
"It was sudden, and you will not wish to question me further about this right now."
"Well, thanks for letting me know. I will speak to you later," said Norman, picking up the croissant and taking a bite.
Surprisingly Roman's nose did not bleed as it had so many times before. A perk of the new Roman, he guessed to himself.
They ate the rest of their meal in silence until the front door bell rang. Roman rose and said, "I'll get it. Finish your breakfast."
He opened the heavy door and found a lovely blue-eyed blonde standing there.
"Roman Godfrey?" she asked. "Mr. Mason contacted me. I'm Amanda Eaton. I'm here about the job?"
For a moment Roman could only stare down at her from his considerable height and then he invited, smiling, "Come on in."
Amanda Eaton hesitated, knowing that she was getting a major eye-fuck from Roman, braced herself with a deep breath, and stepped over the threshold. She really needed this job.
Roman led her to the parlor and indicated that she should sit down.
Amanda sat gingerly on the edge of the blue tufted sofa and smiled nervously. Roman sat down on a matching chair across from her and said, "So, my lawyer tells me that you would be perfect for the job. What experience have you had?"
"Well, I've been babysitting since I was about fourteen years old. I was caring for my own child until recently."
"What happened to the baby?" he asked.
A stricken look passed over her face as she replied, "SIDS."
Roman knew what that was. It was always a worry for new parents. "I'm sorry to hear that. Did Mason tell you that I needed a wet nurse? I'd prefer someone who is still lactating to take care of my daughter."
Amanda blushed rosily at his frankness and answered, "That won't be a problem. I was given to understand that the child was your cousin. Is that not the case?"
"She's my daughter and my cousin. I'll be her legal guardian. She's only a couple of days old, and I'm at a loss on caring for her. I was hoping you could help with that."
"Of course. It was also my understanding that I would be living here full time."
"Yes, she'll need round the clock care. Would that work for you?"
She fidgeted with the hem of her dove grey skirt and admitted, "I've been staying with my sister and her husband, but I am just a fifth wheel around there. It is time I moved on from there and with my life. Could I... meet your daughter?"
Roman had a good feeling about her whether it was his cock responding to her beauty and killer body that told him so or just his intuition. He just knew he wanted her there.
"Daughter? What daughter?" said Norman, entering the room.
Roman's eyes bugged out, and he rose quickly to face his uncle. As he caught his eyes, he commanded, "Your grandaughter, Norman. Little Michelle. Amanda and I were just going to meet her. Would you like to come along and see her too?"
"Yes, I'd like to see her too," Norman repeated.
"Good. We're all settled then. Shall we?" He gestured with his arms toward the staircase.
Upstairs they found Michelle lying in the middle of Roman's bed with a pillow to either side of her wailing at the top of her little lungs.
Amanda immediately went to her, picked her up and held her. "She's extremely hungry. Do you mind if I...?"
Roman said, "No, please do."
Amanda quickly sat down on the bed, leaning up against the headboard, and unbuttoned her light grey blouse, pulling down her bra to expose her breast. Fascinated at the sight, Roman noted there was moisture starting to leak from her nipple. She moved the baby to a better position and maneuvered her nipple into the baby's mouth. The baby struggled between gasps of crying but quickly latched on and grew quiet as she suckled. When she was full, she fell asleep, and Amanda readjusted herself.
Norman was standing there with tears in his eyes at the sight of his baby's baby. Noticing the look on his face, Amanda offered, "Would you like to hold her?"
Norman nodded and took the offered bundle into his arms and cradled her. He gasped as he saw the baby's face. "She looks just like Letha when she was a baby. How could I ever say that I didn't care about what happened to her after Letha died? She's... she's beautiful."
Roman felt pride well up within himself even though he regretted and loathed the deceptive way the child had been conceived. He was glad that Michelle was here now to carry on her mother's memory. He pulled his emotions and feelings back inward and looked at Amanda.
"How soon can you move in?"
Surprise and pleasure warred across her face, and she answered, "I could start today. I can pack a few things and bring the remainder during the rest of the week. I have some baby things and diapers that I could bring over. She really needs a diaper change now."
"Whatever you need. Make a list. Money is no object. As for the things you need to bring, I'll send a moving van over. They'll take care of everything," assured Roman.
"Thank you, Roman. I'd really appreciate that. The baby things are in storage, and I really don't need them anymore. You are welcome to them."
"Sounds great. I'll compensate you for their worth. Anything else you feel you need for her care, just put it on the list."
"Who's been caring for Michelle up until now?" asked Amanda.
Roman thought quickly. "Her mother passed recently so she is no longer in the picture. We really don't like to talk about it."
"I am so sorry for your loss," said Amanda sincerely as she watched Norman who had placed the baby back between the two pillows and was just watching her breathe as she slept.
"I appreciate the sentiment. Now let's go look at rooms for you and the baby."
Acting Sheriff Robert 'Chin' Chinowski walked up the sidewalk to Tom Sworn's home, climbed the stairs and knocked on the door. "Tom, it's me, Chin. Can you hear me? Just want to talk man. We're worried about you. Tom?"
He backed down the stairs and went to the right, checking windows as he went. When he got to the garage, he opened the overhead door. Inside, he went through the kitchen door and into the house. In the kitchen, he noted all the take out bags and dirty dishes, and the smell was overwhelming.
"Tom? Answer me. You here?" he said cautiously as he continued into the living room toward the back of the house. His nose picked up the soldering smell which seemed to be coming from the basement door. When he put a hand on the door, he heard the distinctive click of a gun being cocked.
"I can't let you do that, Chin. Put your hands on your head and turn around slowly," ordered Tom, holding a snub nose .38.
"Hey Tom. Put the gun down, man. Just came to check on you. You weren't answering your door. We've been worried. Not answering your phone or your door, we just wanted to make sure you were okay," he said as he turned around slowly.
"You know, don't you?" said Tom, taking his former deputy's sidearm. "You're here to stop me. Well, it is too late. My path is set."
"What are you talking about, Tom? Too late for what? What are you going to do?" Chin turned his head toward Tom noting his sweaty, disheveled appearance and bags under his eyes. He was rocking back and forth slightly and looked like hell.
"Right, like you don't know. Go ahead, open the door," said Tom, wiping the sweat from his face with his left hand.
Chin complied and started down the lighted stairwell at a slow pace with Tom closely behind. The soldering smell was stronger now as he reached the bottom of the stairs. He was dismayed to see the pile of C4 and wiring on Tom's worktable and looked at Tom in surprise.
"What the hell are you doing, Tom?"
"The White Tower that created that abomination has to go. Can't let that fuckin' shit continue. Too many lives lost."
"Just how many lives to you think will be lost when you set off your bombs, Tom? You aren't thinkin' straight man. You can't do this. Shelley's dead. She can't hurt anyone else."
"Don't bullshit me, dammit! Pryce will just make another. The cycle has to stop. I'm just the man to do it."
"Let me get you some help, Tom. You are becoming what you hated. Don't do this."
"Shut up, Chin! Just shut up." Tom grabbed Chin's handcuffs and twisted Chin's left hand behind him and snapped one cuff around his wrist. Chin elbowed Tom in the face before he could get the other one cuffed, and they struggled violently for a couple of minutes, ending with Chin catching his breath on the floor while Tom ran up the stairs and out the front door. Chin got up and gave chase, grabbing his firearm from the table where Tom had placed it when he disarmed him.
"Dammit!" he swore as Tom took off in his patrol car. Into his radio, he said, "Dispatch. Put an APB out on Tom Sworn. He's lost it. He stole my cruiser, and he's got a basement full of C4. He's planning on blowing up the White Tower. Get everyone on it."
"It's all my fault. I should've checked on him sooner, and I sure as hell shouldn't have left my keys in the ignition," said Chin aloud to himself after signing off.
AN:
If this fanfic was an episode of Hemlock Grove, this would be the music playing though the credits. UNKLE - When Things Explode.