Chapter Five

From Before

"You keep me out here as long as you want, dear." Kathy said as Juliet followed Mika out the kitchen door. "I didn't mean to intrude on you and your…" she cleared her throat and scrutinized Mika's face. To the General's credit, he did not move an inch, nor did his expression become anything less than amused, as the beautiful blonde moved right up to his face and gazed, dazedly, into his eyes.

"Handsome bodyguard…" she finished in a tight whisper.

Juliet blinked and cleared her throat, moving past the two to the center of the room and seating herself stiffly on the couch. "Yes, well, I'll have you no that I have never been called a bad hostess before."

Kathy whirled around and leaned over the back of the couch, exposing her rounded bottom to the Vampire's view, Mika rolled his eyes and maneuvered away from the provocative female to stand in a corner as the girls spoke.

"Jules, you know what?" Kathy began, glancing sideways at Mika as he moved away, approving of his actions to get away from her lithe young body.

Juliet sighed. "The real question is 'Do I care what' isn't it?" she didn't hide the irritability in her voice as she growled at her friend, remembering her earlier intrusion on her and Mika's first…

'No!' she hissed at herself. 'He wouldn't have let me kiss him, nothing was going to happen!'

Kathy ignored Juliet's obvious attempts to ignore her and continued. "Well, I know I'm interrupting your, ahem, training," she said, making her way towards the double doors next to the fireplace. "And I remembered something while you two were hobnobbing in the kitchen." She motioned for Juliet to stand and passed through the large oak doors.

Juliet's eyes gave away her curiosity and she shot a quick glance at Mika out of the corner of her eye before following her friend through the doors.

The room behind the doors wasn't really a room at all. It lead to a set of stairs that went up to a storage room on the third floor, the room at the top was the only entrance to the attic, containing another staircase that led up to it. Juliet knew this, she had spent many years as a young girl exploring the manor that she had inherited, back when cockiness motivated her alongside her curiosity. Still, Juliet feared she had many years still to explore before she knew every nook and cranny of the old place.

The stairs were covered with cobwebs from years of disuse and as the two doors swung together behind her, Juliet found that what little light crept under them was not enough for her to make her way up the spiraling staircase. She scrunched her eyes to use what bit of light she could; Juliet called out meekly for her friend, who had disappeared before her.

"Kathy?" her voice was barely above a whisper, and she began remembering the reason she had once climbed the staircase before her.

Fear forced her up them on a dark night during her youth, when the creeks and squeals of the old house had driven her to thinking it was haunted. She had rushed up the stairs, crying and screaming for help, it was Lord Highland who had found her, scooped her frail form up into his arms and carried her into the drawing room, nestling her on a pile of pillows and blankets in front of the fire and whispering soothing words to her until she was no longer afraid, but instead a feeling of security and love washed over until she fell asleep.

Unfortunately, Lord Highland was dead, and Juliet was still scared of the old house. She had come to resent the manor, as she had been left alone in it since she was in her early teens, her benefactor forced overseas for business purposes. More dark nights without anyone to comfort her had also forced a bit of her resentment on her beloved Lord Highland. Juliet had adapted a fear of abandonment after he had rescued her, and though she didn't exactly recognize this fact, Lord Highland had thought that if he could leave for periods of time and return to her it would show Juliet that she need not fear being alone. Sadly, the Lord did not calculate his own mortality and deteriorating heath into his plan, and suffered a severe stroke that ended his life prematurely.

Juliet closed her eyes and let out a shaky sigh. Lord Highland had been the only father she had ever known, the only person she could call family. Without him she was little more than a scared child in an eerie dark house alone, though she tried her hardest not so show it. Who would save her from her fear this time? Nobody answered her call as she put a trembling hand on the spiraling post. The small bit of determination building within her was squashed when she felt a spider crawl over her hand, and she let out a muffled scream as her other hand flew to her mouth.

Her eyes still closed, Juliet did not see the shadow in the doorway that placed its hand on her shoulder and whispered. "Juliet, are you alright?"

Mika had heard her muffled scream, but more than that had felt her hesitation and fear. Gods, he could smell her fear, and that scared him. Never before had Juliet seemed so afraid of something. Using his senses he had checked the area but had found no intruders; jut Kathy, waiting patiently at the top of the staircase, so he had decided to check on her.

"Mika, oh, goodness Mika… I was so…" Juliet couldn't get the words out. She did not want to tell Mika she had been scared, instead she just thanked him for coming to aid her. Mika only 'Hn'ed' and nodded before guiding her carefully up the stairs to where Kathy waited for them.

"Finally!" She said, striding over to them and handing Juliet a lit candle. Once in hand, Juliet relaxed immensely once she saw the amount of candles Kathy had set up around the room. She glanced in the direction the blonde had come from and noticed a small, square suitcase with a large padlock hung broken on it.

"Look, look here Juliet, this is REALLY important!" Kathy sounded excited, like she had some secret to share with Juliet. Mika too, eyed the box suspiciously.

"What is it?" Juliet whispered, walking towards the suitcase and laying a hand on it tentatively.

Open it

A pulse of energy shot through Juliet. Warm and inviting, but foreign and startling her into pulling her hand back. Mika frowned at the action, but Juliet only seemed startled, not afraid, and he held off telling her to leave the item be.

Juliet gazed at the box, entranced with the feeling it had shot through her. It was like a feeling of nostalgia, as if she had seen the object before, or that she had some sort of connection to it. She placed her hand on the suitcase again, and again the feeling swept through her. Whatever was in the box was calling her. Something in her was reaching for that feeling, for that invitation to some far away place that she could almost remember.

Remember

Was it familiar to her?

Juliet Andères… you know who I am…

The memory was so close, but something within Juliet refused to touch it. She reached and reached but pulled back at the last second, it was as if her subconscious remembered something she wasn't allowed to. 'One last reach' she thought, opening herself to find it, to find whatever it was inside the suitcase, it was so close she could feel the memories, but once again, she pulled back.

"Do you remember?" Kathy asked, breaking Juliet out of her thoughts.

"Almost…" Juliet whispered. Mika frowned deeper.

"Just open it." Kathy said. "Perhaps that will help!"

Juliet reached down and pulled the lid up off the suitcase, anticipation coursing through her veins. There was a crushed velvet blanket lying atop the items in question, and Juliet quickly moved it aside, only to gasp in surprise at what was under it.

Two large daggers lay in thick leather scabbard. Each dagger had an onyx handle with a large red ruby button near the base, and a large, long, blade that made them seem like small swords. On the pommel nut at the end of one of the daggers was a strip of leather with a long, sharp tooth attached to the end. Juliet held one of them tentatively in her hand before removing the scabbard and gasping.

Mika could smell the blood before he heard Juliet's intake of breath. He didn't think much of it, but at Juliet's words he became slightly worried.

"This… this is mine?"

The General snapped his head in Juliet's direction and frowned. The girl seemed completely enamored with the object, for what reason, Mika couldn't tell. However, upon a curious inspection of the dagger in her hand, Mika felt the need to reassure her.

"That blood is over ten years old."

Juliet smiled, a small, childish smile. "Not that, Mika," she said, turning her eyes to him. Mika was taken back by the look of pure joy in them. "These, these are mine!" she gestured to the daggers and a single drop of liquid fell from her eye onto the blood crusted blade of the dagger in her hand.

Kathy, who had been observing the two of them from a few feet behind, cleared her throat to get her friend's attention. "Would you like me to tell you the story behind these?"

Juliet nodded, and Mika could see more tears building in her eyes. His own eagle-like eyes softened at her tears as Kathy began her tale.

"Lord Highland was going into town for groceries, this was a little over ten years ago," Kathy began, not bothering with any pleasantries, and instead jumping right into it. "He said that he didn't get halfway to town before he heard the sound of a child screaming." Her face darkened as she looked at Juliet, who was gazing glass-eyed at her weapons.

"It was a little girl. She was in a field to the west, screaming hysterically and surrounded by corpses. Highland said she had those in her hands; she was swinging them around almost wildly at the bodies around her, but when he approached her…" She looked at Mika now. "she used them like a trained warrior."

Juliet shot a glance at Kathy. "Impossible …"

Kathy shrugged. "Yeah, well, she could. He said she were still with your senses, unlike when he brought her back and she were babbling uncontrollably, unable to remember anything. He managed to coax her into trusting him and got her name. You know, Juliet, the one you've been using all these years?" Kathy smirked at her. "And apparently she told him to hide these and not return them until she wanted to fight again."

Juliet frowned. "How would a young girl know how to wield these weapons with such skill?"

Kathy laughed, Mika frowned. "You tell us, Jules! That girl was you!" Juliet shook her head.

"No, it couldn't, I mean…" She looked to Mika for help. "I can hardly chop an onion without crying! And you're saying I was surrounded by bodies?"

Kathy stopped laughing. "Hey now, that doesn't mean you killed them, you understand? I know you Jules, and you're not that type of person. Plus, it's like you said, a little girl? No way!" She smiled as Juliet seemed to agree with her.

"Why return these now?" Mika cut in, uncomfortable with Juliet being exposed to the possibly painful memories the daggers could produce.

"Well, you should know!" Kathy frowned. "She's been learning self defense from you, so obviously she wants to fight again. I though I should hold up Highlands end."

Mika and Juliet shared a confused look for a moment before realization sunk in. "Me and my big imagination!" Juliet chided herself under her breath. Mika simply shook his head and made his way back to the stairs.

"Eh?" Kathy asked as his figure began to descend. "Where're you off to?"

Mika paused briefly. "I merely assumed that I should procure us some food, the night is wearing on and soup is not going to satisfy us all is it?" He cast a questioning look to Juliet who immediately understood what he meant.

"Of course!" She agreed, standing abruptly. Stooping over, she set her dagger back in and closed the suitcase, taking the entire thing with her. "Kathy get the candles, don't burn my house down!" she called, following after Mika back into the drawing room.

Kathy sighed and smiled, shaking her head the entire time. "Well that's a first." She mumbled to herself, making her way to blow out the candles before following the couple down the winding staircase.

"Disturbing news indeed!" The Vampire Prince grumbled to himself, charging through the halls and to his chambers to find some important documents, one of the few things Vampires had decided to use paper for was to save all the knowledge they could on the Lord of the Vampaneze, and Mika was privileged and paranoid enough to have studied the documents intently during his years as a Prince.

The little person, Harkat Mulds, had been enough of a shock to the mass of Vampires in the Hall of Princes, but his message had been even more shocking, and had sent the entire hall into an uproar. Numerous Vampire Generals, mainly younger ones, wanted to have him tortured to make sure he was not lying, but Mika was most perceptive in seeing lies, and he knew the… thing… did not lie. That was what made it all the more disturbing.

And as such, the Prince was not in a mood for reminiscing, nor for shameless thoughts of a person long since dead.

Upon entering his chambers, the flustered Prince did not even notice the Vampiress vixen that alluringly eyed him from the corner of the room. Making his way over to his desk, shaped out of the rock wall, Mika found the papers, exactly as he left them. On his way out, however, her voice caught his attention.

"Sire…" she crooned. Mika whirled on her, furious at the interruption and not in any mood to play games.

"What, woman?" he growled. "Can you not see that I am busy?" she shrunk away from his intimidating glower and slunk up next to him.

"I know, you are stressed, I understand Sire." She said meekly. "I, I just thought I should apologize for my actions the other night. I merely thought of your interests and that perhaps you would like to take me as your mate…"

Mika's glare changed from one of fury to one of mockery. "You?" he spat. Her eyes widened in surprise. "How could I take such a spineless, weak looking female such as you to my bed? I am certainly shocked you have lasted this long as a Vampire. You've made your way through our world using your feminine wiles to tempt good Vampire men into bed with you, no doubt. Women like you disgust me." He was yelling now, his uncontrollable hatred for this woman confusing them both, and she was crying now.

"B-but I-I… I always see you watching me…"

"My mistake to look at a woman who believes a glance is an invitation."

"But the other night-" He silenced her by raising his hand menacingly.

Mika's expression was one he rarely used, one of complete malice and disgust. He sardonically remembered Juliet calling him 'No Nonsense' and a mocking smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Get out of my sight," Was all he said, before turning on his heel and leaving the woman crying on the floor of his chambers.

Storming through the hall, Mika received a few frightened glances from a few Vampires he happened past. It was all that woman's fault. No, not the Vampiress weeping pathetically on his floor, Juliet. For the first time in his life, Mika regretted the near-immortality granted to his kind, but more so hated himself for being weak, and longing for a time from long before this.