Chapter 4
Sesi: so this is the last chapter I'm going to polish for now. I'll do more in a month but right now I need to go on a job hunt.
Alfred leaped out of bed grabbed the intruder around the waist as he tried to jump from the porch.
"What are you? Crazy?! We are on the second floor!" Alfred shouted. Alfred pulled the man the floor. He looked at the man sitting on the floor and saw it was the man from his dreams. In fact Alfred was dreaming of him just as he woke up. His bright green eyes, off set by bushy eyebrows, his messy short blonde hair. Absolutely perfect and sexy.
"Hey let go of me you bloody git" Alfred heard him say. He was still holding onto him. He let go of his hand.
"What are you doing in my room?" Alfred asked. The man flinched.
"I am Arthur, Arthur Kirkland" the obviously British man said.
"Yeah so? I'm Alfred by the way. Alfred Jones" Alfred introduced himself as it is a common courtesy. "That still does not explain why you broke into my house"
"Well... Um... I, er-" Arthur truly did not know what to tell al. That's for sure.
"Please tell me. I won't laugh. Hero's never laugh at somebody for something like this!" He exclaimed excited.
"I am King Arthur and I rule over a special race of people and I have reason believe you are my soul mate" Arthur mumbled.
Alfred's face froze in shock. Surely this man isn't yanking his chain... "A special race of people?" He squeaked out.
"Yes. Could you invite me in please? Vampires cannot enter another's dwelling with out their permission" Arthur crossly told him.
Alfred leans toward the man and lifted up his lip. He saw elongated canines sitting there in this mans mouth. He is most definitely a vampire. That's for sure. Alfred flicked on the bright porch light and gazed at Arthur's face. His pupils all but disappeared and he cringed. Alfred flicked it off and held his hand out to the man.
"Well sir it is a pleasure to meet you. You are more than welcome in my home I guess. You said something about soul mates?" Alfred said. Arthur was shaking his head obviously trying to rid himself of the clouds the covered his eyes.
"Er, yes. You have been set to be my mate since you were born. I was wondering if I could have something that would slake my thirst" he said staring at Alfred's neck. Alfred got up.
"Dude. You can't have my blood. Can you make do with tea or coke or something?" He asked. Arthur's bushy eyebrows joined together to make a large caterpillar.
"I s'pose I can drink some tea" he replied. Alfred nodded and grabbed his hand. They went downstairs. Arthur wrinkled his nose.
"Is something wrong Arty?" Alfred asked noticing this.
"It smells like death down here. It smells like what's the word for it... Consumption is the name for it I think" he replied sniffing the air thoroughly.
"Ahh um... That would be my mom. She has cancer. It's why I'm home. I just got here a couple days ago from year and a half in England. " he said pulling him into the kitchen.
"Why were you in England?" Arthur asked rummaging around his vest pocket for a packet of earl grey tea. He pulled out the tea packet after a moment.
Alfred set a pot of water on the stove and walked over to the table to sit down. Arthur followed suit and sat across from the human. "I had a friend who works at a company that sells toys. He got me a job over there. I worked in the marketing department coming up with ways to sell the toys." Alfred told him.
"Oh so like commercials for kallie?" Arthur asked referring to a popular doll with a lot of ads he had seen around London in storefronts in a attempt to sell the popular doll.
"Yeah I came up with those ads" Alfred said happily. He never really took credit for them he just liked making the ads. And he didn't care for the larger paychecks so he sent his money home to Mattie to help pay for his expensive college.
"They are really good. The water is boiling by the way" Arthur pointed out. Alfred got up and grabbed a teapot along with two teacups and the sugar jar. He carried them to the table and poured the pots water in the teapot.
Arthur dropped two tea bags in the pot and let it steep.
"Do you always carry around tea bags?" Alfred asked. Arthur laughed.
"Yes. I love drinking earl grey tea. It's my second favorite drink" he smiled. Alfred loved the way he laughed.
"What's your first?" Al asked automatically. Arthur lifted a bushy eyebrow "oh wait nemind I know" he mumbled blushing at his stupidity but the man seemed so human save for his abnormally bright green eyes and pale skin as if he had never seen the sun before in his life.
"I'm surprised you had to ask" Arthur laughed pouring them some tea.
"I'm surprised I asked..." Alfred moaned in embarrassment. "But you know what?" He asked.
"What would that be love?" Arthur replied sipping the tea to test it and then adding a sugar cube in it.
"I'm even more surprised I can sit here and have a straight conversation with a vampire" Alfred replied. He liked when Arthur's English showed more.
"Hmmm well I've not had a straight conversation with anybody lately. Not since I awoke 19 years ago" Arthur said.
"19 years ago hunh? How long did you sleep for?" Alfred asked.
"Oh about 90 years. I went to sleep about 1890 so yeah about 90 to 100 years ago." Arthur quietly said. "Oh wait I woke up for one of the world wars"
"Really? How old are you?" Alfred asked in awe.
"I've lost track. A few millennia" Arthur said smugly. "I'm at least as old as man."
"Oh wow. How have you managed to live for so long?" Alfred asked reverently.
"I'm a - " Arthur broke off what he was saying in a yawn "king" he said finished with the yawn. They looked outside to see the sun beginning to rise.
"We have an attic that's pretty dark if you wanna sleep in it." Alfred offered.
"No that's fine. I don't want to burden you" Arthur protested. He finished drinking the tea with Alfred as they sat in silence that overflowed with an uncertain connection that together everything would be alright.
Arthur slumped in his seat appearing to be asleep. Alfred looked to see the sun crest over the horizon
Alfred picked up the man astounded with the fact he seemed so light. He carried him up to his bedroom and laid him on bed sleeping like sleeping beauty.
Alfred left the house to drive to a dinner halfway between his house and town. He walked in greeted by the delicious smell of cooking meat and pancakes. Sura worked the register today.
"Welcome to Sherries how may I help you?" She said bored and looking down at a pad of paper.
"Is that any way to say hi to an old friend?" Alfred asked walking up to the register. Sura looked up.
"OMIGODOMIGODOMIGOD! Alfie!" She shouted jumping over the counter. Alfred felt his middle being attacked by the young Alaskan. "you have to tell me allllll about London. Come over and sit down I'll get your favorite" she said quickly pulling him over to the seat next to the register. Her northern accent obvious amongst the southern drawl of the few other stragglers in the diner. Alfred had once thought he had a crush on her, well when she first arrived he thought he did. Really with her long light blonde hair, bright expressive blue eyes, and her pink plush lips. All of the guys around wanted her. But no. She didn't want them and se made that quite clear when she smashed Alfred's fingers in a car window when he tried flirting with her.
He found her to be a good friend to have. And now that he found Arthur she held no flame to him. He appeared to be answering her questions on automatic.
"So Alfie are you home because of Amy?" She asked leaning forward. A plate of burgers appeared there in front of Al. He bit into it and shivered in ecstasy.
"Hey Al haven't seen you around in a long time" Sura's uncle Sherry beamed from behind the counter. Yeah Sherry is a guy who would've thought?
"Hey what's up burger dude!" Alfred exclaimed. "Yeah I was in Britain for like a year. Too bad you aren't there. Your burgers are as divine as ever" Alfred sighed happily. Sherry laughed.
"You are welcome here anytime my boy!" He laughed. Alfred nodded and tucked into the burger. When he finished he let out a large belch.
"Sherry I love your burgers soooo much" Alfred happily said.
"So how is Amaranth?" Sherry asked his smile disappeared from his face. The mood turned serious.
"She isn't well. Chemo will start soon for her" Alfred sighed running a hand through his hair. The cowlick stuck straight up as usual.
"I'm sorry to hear that. Would you like me to pack some food for her?" Sura asked him.
"Yes please. I need to head home soon I just have to head into town real fast to go pick up some things" Alfred said.
Sherry grunted and started packing a couple to go boxes. "I'm putting it on your tab" he said. Alfred nodded grabbing the boxes balancing them on one hand. Sura grabbed the top ones from there and started carrying them off to the car.
"Thank you sura" Alfred said closing the door and starting the roar of his truck.
"Of course alfie don't be a stranger. Sherry is always happy to see you around here. If the farmers don't want a city boy working on the farm you can always get a job here" sura said over the roar.
"Maybe. I'll think about it. Thank you again Sura" Alfred said patting the side of the truck before he backed out of the diner parking lot.
He drove into town to buy some toiletries, some headaches meds and some earl grey tea.
"Hey Alfie" the lady behind the register greeted. She ran the store on the weekends and is a total cougar, then again she's in her fifties so they humor her.
"Hey Xiao Mei. How are you?" Alfred asked putting the stuff on the counter.
"Oh dear" she purred antiseductively" are you turning British on us big boy?" She asked seeing the tea.
"No. I just like having it every once in a while. I need to head home now by Xiao Mei!" Alfred called over his shoulder.
When Alfred got home he started reheating some of the food and cleaning the house, dusting it, vacuuming it. He wanted to make sure it's clean. He peeked in his bedroom to see the vampire had not moved at all since this morning. He shut the curtains even tighter. Worrying about the myths of how vampires turned to dust when they are caught in the sun.
The house was soon clean but he avoided cleaning Matthew, or his mothers bedrooms. Matthew kept his room clean usually, and his mother was particular about her organized mess. So he went down stairs and helped his mother from the couch in the living room to the barhroom down the hall.
He helped her to the kitchen when she finished with her shower and sat her in a stool like yesterday and fixed some of the food from earlier for her.
"how are you feeling today mom?" Alfred asked sliding into the seat next to her.
"I suppose I feel as good as I'm gonna get sweety. I have a chemo appointment tomorrow." She paused. "Matthew offered to take me"
"Oh really? You sure this dosnt conflict with Mattie's classes?" Alfred inquired.
"No he has the day off class tomorrow. You just have some fun tomorrow sweety" she told him taking a last bite of her food before pushing it away. She barely tucked into it.
"Mom you have to eat more than that." He admonished. " you need to keep up your strength to fight the beast inside" he referred to the cancer as the 'beast inside'
"Alfred I'm not hungry right now. Leave it alone" she told him softly pushing the plate away. Alfred sighed and put it back in the fridge.
"I'm heading out to the fields. I'll be back soon" Alfred said shutting the old rickety door behind him a little too hard.
Alfred went over to the forest that lined the edge of his families land. For generations his family lived here. He walked into the woods and sat on the bank of a river that ran back there. He pulled his shoes and socks off while pulling his pants legs up to dip his feet into the cool brook. Leaves had started falling from the sky when he looked around. Fall is starting here. Even through the cold nights the day could grow warm. As it started to do since it's about one in the afternoon.
Alfred lay down his feet still in the water with fish nibbling at his toes and fell asleep.