Sanctuary Brandy and Tears Part 2
Helen took a deep breath and looked into her daughters eyes. "You know I was part of something we called The Five. You know we did experiments. You know we pushed the boundaries of science. What you don't know is that the most dangerous experiment we ever did. We performed on ourselves." Helen confessed.
Ashley looked confused and concerned so Helen hurried to continue.
"The short version of events is I procured a vile of untainted ancient vampire blood. The source blood." Helen sighed taking another deep breath. "Which we 'The Five' then used to create a serum we then injected into ourselves." Helen continued in a rush. Scared to see condemnation in her daughters eyes.
"You injected yourselves?" Ashley asked shocked.
Whilst looking into her mothers eyes though some of the pieces of the puzzle finally fell into place. "Your longevity, Griffin being able to turn invisible, Watson's genius, Count Dracula….?" Helen had to grin at Ashley's description of Nikola Tesla. The grin quickly faded though as Ashley dragged her gaze from her mother and turned to the man she didn't know was her father? "And your gift?" Ashley asked. No longer needing confirmation this was somehow the man her mother fell in love with over a century ago.
"Teleportation" whispered John. Who had finally worked out who was Ashley's father.
"Teleportation….Cool!" said Ashley dragging her gaze away from John who was watching her intently. Both Helen and John couldn't help but grin at Ashley view of John's gift.
"Well it certainly helped with meeting in secret in time when holding hands in public was frowned upon" Helen said with mischief in her voice. Catching John's eyes each smiled remembering.
Helen closed her eyes breaking the spell he always had over her. Just looking into his eyes made the rest of the world fade away. She took a deep breath and continued. "Life was all perfectly idyllic until John became ill." The mask she wore for over a century fully in place once more. " John's body began to reject the source blood. He was dying Ashley." Helen closed her eyes and shuddered with the agony of the memory. She opened them again to look at her daughter. "The only way we could save John was to inject him with a serum James and I derived from the healing powers of my own blood." Helen closed her eyes. She didn't want to re live the memories of what followed but both John and Ashley deserved to know the truth.
"It worked though?" Ashley interrupted her thoughts. "I mean John's still here right?" she asked glancing over at him.
" Yes it worked" choked out Helen. "but it drove him mad!" Helen continued in a agonised whisper.
Ashley tightened her grip around her mothers shoulder's sending John a suspicious look. "Mom I ….."
"Please Ashley. I know its confusing but please bear with me." Helen pleaded with her daughter looking deep into her eyes. Ashley nodded confused but like her father remained silent as she waited for her mother to continue.
"After we cured John he changed." Helen proceeded determined to get through this as quickly as possible. "He became distant. He started to keep things from me." Helen felt John grip her hand tighter. Knowing he to was reliving the unravelling of his mind. She returned his squeeze without taking her eyes from Ashley's. "Before he was ill we never spent a moment apart day or night. Two halves of the same whole." Helen wistfully recounted admitting the depth of their relationship. "After he recovered though he started to drift away from me emotionally and physically." Helen's gaze turned sombre. "Eventually their were some nights where he never turned up at all." Helen couldn't keep the agony of hurt and disillusionment she'd felt back then out of her voice. "I tried to reach him but it seemed every time I'd took an emotional step closer John took one back." Helen took a deep breath. "We drifted on like that for months / years. John withdrawing more into himself and me throwing myself more and more into my work to try to cope with the distance that had grown between us. Even when we were together their was an awkwardness between us brought by the stranger that now stared out of his eyes. Eventually John started to spend more nights away then with me. Then one night John appeared in my room just as I was retiring to bed. I was surprised as it had been weeks since to see me." Helen was lost again in the memories of the past….
….. "John?" Helen asked a thousand questions with his name. Unsure of the stranger he had become.
"Helen" he breathed her name like it was a prayer. He walked towards her and pulled her into his arms. And she looked into eyes she could see the stranger was gone and it was her John once again who held her tenderly in his arms.
"John" she cried out quietly as she raised up on tip toe to kiss him her arms wrapping about him holding him close. Trying to convey with her kiss just how much she had missed him. Helen nibbled at John's lower lip and understanding John parted his lips so she could slip her tongue into his mouth. As their tongues reacquainted themselves with each other Helen clung tighter to John the weeks of pent up sexual frustration and loneliness at his absence making her desperate to make love to him once more. Helen tried to deepen the kiss her need for him out of control but John wanted to take things slowly and revel in this reunion. John eased slightly back out of her embrace gentling their kiss. He lifted his mouth from hers drawing in a deep breath and looking deep into her eyes. "Your sure my love?" He asked his desire for her naked in his eyes.
The tears she didn't know she was holding onto spilled unheeded down her cheeks. He'd asked her that the very first time he's made love to her - her John was finally home. Her answer was to reach up and draw his head down for a searing kiss. She nibbled at his lips until he opened his mouth allowing their tongues to explore each other again.
Without breaking the kiss John lifted Helen carrying her to and gently laying her down on the bed. He dragged his mouth from hers to draw in a deep breath and look into her eyes as his hands slowly worked their way down her covered body desperate to get touch her skin. She was wearing white lace demure nightdress he had never seen in her before. He guessed she was wearing it as she not been expecting him. It made her look prim and proper and he never wanted her more.
He slowly trailed his fingers down over her breasts which were straining against her gown. He bent his head to take the one breast in his mouth through the material whilst he kneaded the other with his hand. Helen began to tremble beneath him. He released her breasts to look back into her eyes as his wondering hands continued down her body. As his fingers trailed over her pelvis to her thighs her hips thrust up towards him. Desperate for him to touch her there. But his fingers continued their journey down past to the hem of her gown just below her knees. "John" she cried out as his fingers brushed against the inside of her knee. Her hands gripping the bed sheets beneath her bunching them in her fists trying to hold on to her sanity, desperate to have him inside her again. His own desire stained against his trousers as he found she wore nothing but skin under the nightgown. "Please…" she gasped out as fingers slowly began to travel back up pushing the nightgown up out of his way as he seductively stroked her with his fingers slowly working his way back up her legs. He followed his fingers with his lips and he nipped and suckled at her skin. She bucked beneath him. He stopped just short of the heart of her were he could see she was hot and ready for him. "John!" she cried out as he slowly slide his fingers into her. He slowly pushed his fingers in and out of her bringing her to the edge but not quite sending her over into oblivion. "John please" Helen begged beyond thought. John replaced his fingers with his mouth and suckled her. Helen let go of the sheets to grasp his head as John continued to drink her, licking his tongue in and out of her. She suddenly came shouting his name and clutching his head to her.
Before she could catch her breath Helen could feel the desire building again as John continued to suckle her.
This time Helen wanted more, she wanted to touch, wanted John inside her once again. She pulled his head up to hers where she kissed him deeply tasting herself on his lips. She continued to kiss him as her hands moved to his clothes tearing at his cravat, pulling his shirt from his trousers. John was desperate to be inside Helen too and managed to drag his mouth from hers long enough to stand and shed his top clothes. Helen sat up and undid his belt and trousers letting them fall to the floor and freeing his desire. Helen leaned forward and took John into her mouth suckling him as he had her. John flinched.
"Helen" he groaned out. Pleading with her to stop, to never stop. As Helen continued to suck and nibble John could feel himself about lose control.
"No Helen" he managed to choke out pulling her head away from him and looking into her eyes. "Together love" he groaned out. He released her head and reached down to the edge of her nightgown. Helen understanding shifted her weight and lifted her arms allowing John to lift the nightgown off her and throw it away. Their eyes both travelled the other's bodies before coming to lock together once more.
"John"
"Helen"
They breathed each others name whist reaching out to each other. Their lips met and they fell together naked at last back onto the bed. Lips and hands touching everywhere they could reach. Helen took one of John nipples into her mouth sucking and nipping at it. John fingers found Helen's centre and he again found her wet and ready for him.
"John…." she husked.
John moved over Helen and she spread her legs wide. She could feel the tip of him at the core of her and she grasped his hips and thrust up to take him deep inside her. They both groaned at the movement. Helen was wet and tight and the feel of her was like a warm glove around him. It was driving him insane. He was starting to lose his control but he was determined to make sure Helen came with him so he started to move slowly in and out of her.
Helen cried out at the feel of him inside her. She wrapped her legs around his waist taking him deeper into her. Making them both cry out.
"Helen I can't…"
"More John please" Helen begged and John gave into what they both needed. He suddenly started to move faster and thrust harder into Helen and she meet him thrust for thrust. John pulled back almost completely out of her and then pushed back in again faster and harder. Again and again. Their lips were fused in dance that mirrored their hips. They were as close as two people could be and still they tried to get closer. Each desperately hanging on to the other - matching each other stoke for stoke in a rhythm that was uniquely theirs. Neither could breath as they suddenly came together. Her release unfolded around him as he poured himself into her.
John rolled to his side taking Helen with him so she lay on top of him. Their bodies still joined. "I love you Helen." He whispered stoking the hair from her face and looking deep into her eyes. "For all eternity"
"I love you too John" Helen replied. Happy tears slowly rolling down her cheeks.
She snuggled into John not wanting this moment to end . Not sure what had changed to bring him back to her but thankful they were together at last…
…."Mom" Helen suddenly blushed as she looked into her daughters eyes realising she hadn't said anything in a while. "You said John came back to you?" Ashley asked.
Helen realised she had slipped into her memories. The edited version she gave Ashley bringing it all back. She let go off John's hand to turn and face her daughter and take both of Ashley's hands in hers. "Yes you must understand it was John. I was with John that night Ashley." Helen pleaded with her daughter as she heard John draw in a sharp breath. He was far from stupid the man she loved - she knew he had worked it out.
"Mom I…."
"I never really saw him again after that Ashley." Helen interrupted. Not yet wanting to explain why it was so important Ashley knew who made love to her that night. "Well I never saw just John anyway." Looking into her daughters eyes she could see was confused and frustrated. Helen dragged in another deep breath. "You see Ashley John is…. John was…." Helen stumbled how could she tell her that man who was her father was also Jack the Ripper.
"I'm Jack the Ripper" whispered John not hiding the self disgust. Looking to see the expected horror appear on what he was sure was his daughters face. Ignoring Helen's groan of pain John watched the emotions chase across Ashley's face.
Ashley looked at the man who sat opposite her and could see by the self loathing evident on his face that he was not joking. She heard her mother draw in a deep breath waiting for her response. Jack the Ripper - the man her mother loved. Driven mad by the blood her Mom herself had injected him with. Jack the ripper the most notorious murderer in history. "Bloody hell!" Ashley gasped looking between her mom and the murderer.
Helen burst out in hysterical laughter! She knew it was stress of the situation but couldn't't help it. Ashley just found out she was sitting opposite Jack the Ripper and her reaction was a cool 'bloody hell!'
Ashley frowned at her mother as you continued to laugh hysterically and was amazed when John joined her with bitter laughter.
"What's funny exactly?" Ashley asked getting a little annoyed knowing they were for some reason laughing at her.
"You really are amazing you know darling." Helen said soberly drawing her daughter to her for a hug. Holding her tight. " I wish I'd taken the news as well." Helen regretfully said her eyes meeting John's.
"Yes well I'm guessing that as I'm neither in love with nor going to marry him the news he's Jack the Ripper does not have effect on me it would have had on you." Ashley said hugging her mother back. Trying to relieve some of the hurt she knew her mother had kept to herself all these years. Her annoyance evaporating hearing her mothers pain.
At her words both John and Helen inhaled sharply and Helen choked back a sob.
"Mom its ok I'm here" Ashley reassured her hugging her mother tighter. Helen clung to her daughter desperately trying to regain control over herself. Fighting back the horror of almost losing Ashley too. She almost wasn't here. Hearing Helen's sob John had moved closer and took Helens hand in his own again resting their joint hands against their daughters back. Their eyes met and as ever a thousand words were spoken silently between them. Helen gave both Ashley and John an extra squeeze and released them both.
"I'm ok." she said convincing no one.
"Yeah sure you are Mom." Ashley sassed.
Ashley's tone helped Helen to pull herself together. "I'm fine" Helen said with much more her old confidence. "Its just that it took me a long time for me to face the truth back then and here you are calmly just accepting of it" Helen said bemused.
"Again with not being his fiancée and him being a stranger." Both Helen and John flinched at this. "That helps." Ashley desperately trying to comfort her Mom. " And ok it's a little strange but Mom our whole world is strange. In fact I think having a brandy with Jack the ripper is not even the weirdest thing I've done this week." Ashley said supportively sensing that it was really important to her mother that she not freak out at this news.
"Aren't you afraid?" breathed John. Ashley looked at him and could see for whatever reason he was the one who appeared to be afraid. Afraid of her answer perhaps? She could see her Mom watching her intently. She drew in a deep breath before she replied.
"Well if I'm honest no." she replied more confidently than she felt. She could see the fear in his eyes turn to confusion and then for some reason anger.
"Why aren't you afraid?" he asked not quite keeping the anger out of his voice.
Ashley didn't know why he would be angry that she wasn't afraid of him unless it was some ego trip and her annoyance returned. "Well" Ashley began exasperated. Trying to hold on to her temper. "One, you don't seem to be all the Ripper'y at the moment. Two, Mom would never have let you into our home if she thought for one minute you would hurt us. And three, I'm carrying a gun which I'm pretty damn quick with." Ashley finished not quite able to hide her annoyance.
John and Helen looked at their daughter and then each other. Then they both burst out in genuine laughter.
"Well I guess that told me then!" John said sobering a little when he realised although she had taken the news he was a murderer well enough for now how would she react when Helen finally told her the truth.
Helen seemed to have the same thought because she suddenly took Ashley's hand again as she continued with their tale.