A/N: Takes place before Chapter 1, Getting Together
Dr. Linden paused while writing up notes from her last patient of the night. The woman had said something that brought back Sandrina's own childhood and she let herself get lost in memories of 200 years ago.
Her childhood had been a happy one living with her parents in Switzerland. Until she was six there was Nurse, who had also been her mother's childhood nursemaid, to take care of her. After that a governess until she was 17. Then a year of lessons in deportment and dancing before her debut. Besides reading and writing and languages she had learned arts suitable for a young lady of quality. She hadn't been very good at needlework or painting or music but she excelled at archery. Her father, having no sons, encouraged her and was pleased to take her hunting with him. It had been a quiet life with few children living close by but Sandrina hadn't minded the isolation.
The Napoleonic Wars shadowed her early life. Sandrina remembered armies on the march. She had gone to the gates of their estate to watch the military pass by: Mounted cavalry, horses pulling cannon, soldiers on foot, carts with supplies. But she had missed the start. By the time she arrived the general at the head of the column was in the distance. She had wondered what manner of man could lead others in battle.
The general was Count Franz von Clausen, a vampire who would one day be Josef Kostan. Franz had inherited his title and fortune from his 'cousin' Willem a few years ago. It had seemed like a good idea at the time because Willem had been absent for a decade and he couldn't return using that identity. But the title and fortune had made Franz an attractive prospect to the new king. If the king could arrange a good marriage for a neighboring monarch's relative, the king would gain a political ally. It was a marriage of convenience only to the king and his ally. It was damned inconvenient for Franz and the bride wasn't happy either. Thank god for war. Franz had led his men in a minor skirmish that was easily won. One more successful battle and then he could 'die' and disappear in the next one.
Bonaparte was defeated at Waterloo in 1815 and two years later Sandrina was introduced to society. She had already decided that marriage wasn't for her but she enjoyed making friends with the other young ladies and gentlemen.
Sandrina had always been a little frail. A series of illnesses left her weak and coughing and she was diagnosed with consumption. It was a death sentence, although with care she might live for years yet. Summers were spent in the mountains and that helped a little but she slowly deteriorated. Five years later she was sent to a sanatorium. Sandrina and her parents never spoke of the fact that she would probably not return.
Henri Duvall, a French nobleman, arrived in the area a few months later. He was young and handsome and rich and he became interested in Sandrina. Sandrina, curious about pleasures of the body she had yet to experience, knew this was her last chance. They became lovers. As Sandrina grew worse there came a time when Henri left for a few weeks. When he returned he told her about his true nature. It seemed unbelievable at first and yet it explained certain oddities she had noticed but dismissed. When he proposed turning her, she thought carefully before agreeing. She didn't think she would have considered it in the course of a normal life but she had missed so much and there was so little time left. She wanted more. She wouldn't have deprived her parents of their only child if they weren't already going to lose her. And she would not have become a vampire if Henri had not assured her it wasn't necessary to kill to survive.
And so the deed was done and she was buried. The director of the sanatorium wrote condolences to her parents. Henri dug her up that night and replaced her body with that of another young woman recently deceased. They left Switzerland and travelled while Henri taught her to live as a vampire.
In 2009 Josef Kostan would buy a chalet for his girlfriend. It was a strange coincidence that the chalet was built on the spot where she was buried almost 200 years before. When Sandrina told him, Josef wanted to sell it and buy another but Sandrina's sense of humor was a little macabre. She insisted this was the only chalet for her.
"It's not a chalet, it's a crypt," Josef protested. "Your grave is in the cellar!"
"Don't be so squeamish," Sandy replied. "'The grave's a fine and private place but none I think do there embrace.' Let's go downstairs and prove Andrew Marvell wrong."
"He wrote that in 'To His Coy Mistress' and it doesn't apply to us. It's about not having enough time and we have plenty."
"You've already had sex in the burial chamber of a pyramid. How is this different?"
"I didn't know the mummy."
Sandrina sighed. "As a psychiatrist I should have learned by now that there are always 'Mummy' issues."
There were five wonderful years with Henri and then the sense of utter loss when he was killed. Sandrina had never been certain exactly what happened. She didn't like to think that his family might have sacrificed him and she had no proof but it was true that Henri didn't always get along with them. Sandrina had never met any of his family although she had seen his brother Lance from a distance twice when he visited Henri. His sister Coraline arrived soon after Henri's death. She seemed sincerely grief-stricken and Sandrina accepted her sympathy as genuine.
She met Coraline by chance a few years later. Coraline was between men and Sandrina had not taken a lover since Henri died. It seemed appropriate that her second lover should be Henri's sister. Neither of them was interested in a long-term relationship with another woman but they enjoyed a brief liaison. Sandrina was troubled as she got to know Coraline better. She would not want to be a man that Coraline became obsessed with. Coraline had been too beautiful, too wealthy and too indulged for too long. She would possess whatever she desired to the point of destruction.
Sandrina was an observer of life rather than a participant. This seemed to her the proper role for a vampire. If you had the advantage of eternity, why not watch and learn and find out what you could become?
So Sandrina travelled. Much of Henri's wealth was tied to his family but he had left his personal assets to Sandrina. She was well-provided for but sometimes she worked by choice and whim: As a nurse in China or a housekeeper in British colonial India. At the turn of the 20th century she met Sigmund Freud and became fascinated with psychoanalysis. After the Great War she taught languages in Paris where she was betrayed by a freshie who used her blood to sire himself. That incident upset her deeply. She would have been even more annoyed if it had caused her to miss a lecture she had planned to attend given by a visiting professor. But the lecture was cancelled and she went hunting that evening instead.
Professor Edward Tremont's guest lectures in post-war Europe were well-received. He was scheduled to speak in Paris but a week before came word from Lance Duvall that his presence in France was not welcome at this time. Edward would be met at the border between Germany and France and taken to the ferry to England. The vampire who would be Josef Kostan was met by Lance himself, driving a 1922 Hispano-Suiza. They bonded for a moment over the car. Josef was willing to admire it and Lance was glad to show it off.
"You big softie," Josef said. "You won't let me pass through France unescorted but at least you're making the trip worthwhile."
"We might have been friends," Lance replied, "Except for your unfortunate sense of humor."
"I've often thought the same about your lack of one. Still, I appreciate your restraint when dealing with me."
"I don't like it but the family believes we have a duty to our grandsire."
"No one regrets the relationship more than I."
Even though they didn't like each other, it was a pleasant enough trip driving through the night. Lance saw Josef onto the ferry for Dover. His last lecture was in London and after that he was ready for a career change. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do next but maybe it was time to go to America again.
Meanwhile in Los Angeles, California, a mid-wife urged a woman in labor to keep pushing. Fifteen minutes later the baby was cleaned up and the mid-wife let Mr. St. John into the room to see his wife and son.
Sandrina came to America just after the United States entered World War II. Her second night in New York she went to the Statue of Liberty. Sandrina remembered when France gave it to the United States in 1886 but she had never seen it. It was so popular now that it opened early each day and stayed open until late. The city was crowded with men in uniform. Patriotism was soaring and visiting the Statue seemed to embody that. Or maybe there was another reason, at least at night. Sandrina was alone in the crown with a young couple obviously there for something besides the view that human eyes couldn't really appreciate in the dark. Sandrina was amused rather than shocked. She left quietly.
Mick St. John and a sweet girl named Ruthie were in a secluded corner and didn't notice the presence of another late visitor. Mick and his best friend were shipping out the next day. Mick had left Ray trying to call his wife one last time. The trip to the Statue of Liberty was Ruthie's idea and Mick had no objection especially when he discovered the real plan. It would remain one of his fondest memories and 65 years later he would repeat it with Beth Turner.
In 1963 Sandrina was an antique dealer in New York when she met Denny Crane. A brash young attorney from Boston, he was Irish and charming and Sandrina was ready to be charmed. The phrase 'Larger than life' might have been coined for Denny Crane. They were together only a few months but she never forgot him. She taught literature in London after leaving New York. A few months later she called Denny. He was happy to hear from 'Julie'. He missed her but he had a new drinking buddy and life was good. When the call ended Sandrina knew she wouldn't call again. Best to let the connection drop now. She had known Denny wouldn't lack for female companionship but she was glad he had found a friend as well. Belatedly she realized she hadn't asked the friend's name.
In New York, Denny was glad to hear from Julie Sanders once more. Talking to her made him think of Charlie Fitzgerald. The men had met only a few weeks before but they were two of a kind. Except now that he was remembering little things about Julie, he wondered if Charlie and Julie were two of a kind. By god, I think I've met another vampire, Denny thought, but it didn't matter to him. Both men would go on to friendships with others, Josef with Mick St. John and Denny with Alan Shore, but that year in New York was theirs. Even the onset of Alzheimer's 45 years later wouldn't rob Denny of his memories of closing down the town with Charlie.
Ready to be a psychiatrist again, Sandrina attended medical school at Johns Hopkins in the early 1980s. She practiced for a decade on the east coast and then moved to California. It was safer that way and shrinks were always in demand in L.A.
As if to prove the point, her office phone rang. When the call ended Sandrina made a calendar entry for a new patient the following day: 9 pm with Charles Fitzgerald.
