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walkwithheroesName: Nichole
Story: Surely Someday
Piece Title: For the Restless: Part Two
Colors: Faded Blue: 20. Come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly away; Tardis Blue: 10. We're always in trouble! Isn't this extraordinary: it follows us everywhere!
Supplies and Materials: none
Word Count: 2,406
Rating: PG
Warnings:
Summary: Andrews and Henry set up a 'not-a-date'. Simon asks Warren about werewolves and their relationships with vampires - and it's not all good news.
Andrews was only a little surprised to find Henry Harker in his office when he arrived. She was sitting at his desk, reading what appeared to be one of Simon’s car magazines. Andrews knew she was there to speak with Simon; she’d probably tell Simon that she forgave him and then Simon would ask her out for drinks. It was how these things usually went.
“Simon’s ill and won’t be in today,” Andrews said. He went about his morning business, hanging his coat on the rack and shuffling through some papers on his desk. One of the classrooms in the chemistry building needed cleaning after an experiment went wrong the night before, a boiler in a dorm was broken, the usual. He glanced at Henry, still reading the magazine. “You can leave a note, if you’d like.”
Peering over the magazine, Henry shook her head. “I came to see you, Mr. Andrews.”
“Whatever for?” He tried to keep his voice as steady as possible. Women didn’t speak to him. People didn’t tend to speak to him in general. And now someone was actively seeking him out for a chat? “Are you considering a career in the janitorial services?”
“No,” Henry placed the magazine down and offered Andrews her brightest smile; he didn’t seem to notice. “I want to –“
“Damn.” Andrews cut her off with a scowl. “I forgot something.” He gave her a polite nod as he took his cell phone from his shirt pocket. “Excuse me.” Andrews turned away from Henry and dialed a number.
Leaning over the desk, Henry strained her neck, trying to hear the voice on the other end of the line. Who was Andrews speaking with? Was it female? Young or old? Was it that Simon guy ? Henry was surprised to find she actually cared who Andrews was getting calls from.
“Why didn’t you pick up after three rings?” Andrews was asking. He was trying to sound collected, that much Henry knew. But, there was a waver in his voice that let the younger woman know he had been worried. “What? Ice cream and cake? Simon’s eating that? Maggie. . .no. Just know that if he vomits, you are cleaning it up. Yes. I. . .” He glanced back at Henry for a brief second. “I forgot to give you today’s list. I’ll give it now. Pay close attention. Cup, book, pin, an Apple, paper, pencils, and finally cane. I’ll call you at one o’clock. Bye.”
Henry flopped back against the chair, as Andrews turned to face her. “That was quite a list,” she said with a small smile.
“Yes,” Andrews tucked his phone away and went back to looking at his chores for the day, “lists are often unique. I have quite a bit to do today. And with Simon out, I really will need a lot of time. I’m afraid I don’t have the pleasure of mindless chatter.”
Henry’s face fell slightly. She didn’t even bother to cover up her disappointment. Standing, she nodded curtly. “I’m sorry to be a bother.”
“You’re not.”
“Pardon?” Henry’s resolve to look annoyed faltered.
“You are a bother now, but you won’t be later. I’ll be free around one thirty. Come back then, if you still wish to talk about a career in the janitorial services.” He motioned toward the door. “Close the door on your way out.”
With that, Andrews went back to reviewing his lists of things to do. He didn’t notice that Henry was watching him with an odd expression on her pretty face and he certainly didn’t notice when she finally left, slamming the door as loudly as she could.
*
Delicately, Maggie put her mobile phone down on the small table. She nervously eyed all corners of the kitchen, suddenly feeling that Andrews was somehow watching her. Just a few moments ago, Warren had finished Andrews’ breakfast. The vampire had even helped with cleaning up. He seemed so nice and normal. Maggie strained her neck to try and get a peek of what he and Simon were doing in the parlor. She could just see them sitting on the sofa, talking about something, a band that Maggie didn’t know.
Loudly she cleared her throat. From the parlor, Simon kept talking about a “base line .” Who cared about a “base line”? He was supposed to be asking Warren about werewolves.
“Simon?” Maggie cleared her throat again. “I. . .come into the kitchen, please.” She kept her eyes on the doorway. She watched as Simon stood from the sofa, giving her a questioning look as he walked across the hall.
“What’s wrong, Mag?” He gave her a small grin. Noticing a loose hair covering Maggie’s face, he reached over and tucked it behind her ear. “You look like they canceled Cooking with Julia again.”
“Don’t joke.” She grabbed his hands in hers, a desperate gesture that made Simon more than a little uncomfortable. “We’re going to be in big trouble when Douglas gets home.”
“We’ve already got a vampire sitting in the parlor. What could we do that’s worse than that?”
“I,” Maggie swallowed. “I told him you were eating cake.”
Maggie thought it was serious, but Simon couldn’t stop the laughter from escaping his mouth. It was just so ridiculously Maggie.
“Maggie, it’s cake. We’ll say I ate it all.”
“With no evidence that there was cake? He’ll notice, Simon. He’ll be on us like Pooh Bear on honey.” She tightened her grip on his hands. “No, I’ll have to make the cake. And then you’ll have to eat some and, oh. . .I’ll have to offer some to Warren and. . .”
“Maggie.” He smiled at her; that cool and confident smile that always put her at ease. “Let’s do this, I’ll ask Warren my questions while you bake the cake and then we’ll switch.”
Her eyes wide and innocent, Maggie blinked. “But you don’t bake.”
“I’ll eat a piece, then.” Gently he pulled his hands away from hers. “You’re a great girl, Mag. But, you can’t stress this. It’s not good for you. Warren will be gone by two. Promise.” He gave her a wink. “Bake me a cake, Mag. And make it chocolate.”
“Is she all right?” Warren asked.
Simon noted that the vampire sounded more concerned then he should. He didn’t really like the way Warren was around Maggie, like a stalker with a crush, but he couldn’t do anything about it. Not until his questions were answered. Once that was done, he’d kick the vampire out and pretend they had never met.
“She’s fine. She’s making me a cake.” He sighed and ran a hand through his thick hair. “Maggie’s just not very good at lying. Doesn’t matter though,” he gave Warren a pointed look, “because you’ll be gone in a few hours.”
“Yes. Yes, I will.” He smiled and though it was a business-like smile, the kind bank tellers gave, it still sent a shiver down Simon’s spine. “Now, about the questions you wanted to ask me.”
“I want to know if it was vampires that attacked me last night and why.” Simon narrowed his eyes . “Did you tell them to do it? So you could save me and get in here to see Maggie?”
His smile never faltering, Warren shook his head. “I’m not that smart. Or that stupid. Werewolves are rare, Simon. Very rare. When vampires smell one, they tend to get overexcited. Especially when the werewolf in question is in its human state.” He leaned back against the sofa. “You’re easier to kill that way.”
“We aren’t easy to kill when we’re the Wolf?”
“No,” Warren let out a tiny laugh, “you aren’t easy to kill when you’re like that. Listen, I’ll give you a bit of advice: the vampires in this area now know you’re here. They might try and come after you again. But you aren’t totally useless. Your blood is always poison to us vampires. And when you’re, you know,” he waved his hand vaguely, “your bites and scratches will kill us in a matter of hours.”
It took a moment for it all to sink in. He could kill vampires; was that why they jumped him from behind? Get rid of one more threat? Not that he was a threat: Jesus, he didn’t even know vampires were real until last night. And now that he did know, he certainly wasn’t going to go out hunting vampires. That wasn’t really his idea of a night out.
“So, basically I’m the ultimate vampire killing machine.” Simon’s lips curled up into a crooked grin. “I like that. Just one thing – why tell me all this?”
“I don’t like other vampires.” Warren stated simply. “I don’t like the things they do to werewolves. And I think you seem like a good guy. I’d hate for you to end up in a cage.”
“A cage?” Now his interest was piqued. Simon leaned toward Warren. He didn’t need Maggie to hear anything disgusting. Keeping his voice a low whisper, he asked; “Vampires put werewolves in cages?”
Warren nodded. “For the fights and the hunts.” He spoke with ease, like he was telling Simon the weather or what would be on television that night. “They’re old sports. Since there aren’t many werewolves these days, the fights and hunts have calmed down a considerable bit. Vampires really only bother with them when they want to impress one another.”
Simon felt the urge to vomit. He felt like he was being told a deep dark secret and for a moment or two, he could imagine those cages. He wasn’t sure what kind of fighting went on inside the cages, but he did remember one of the vampires calling him a dog. Simon knew what a dog fight was, and though he couldn’t be sure, he thought that what the vampires did to werewolves in there cage fights were the same as what men did to dogs in dog fights.
“Vampires have werewolves fight one another?”
Warren nodded. His smile was gone, but he still spoke very directly. “To the death. Sometimes against each other. Sometimes they would throw a human in there; usually those end with nothing but blood and flesh in the cages. The hunts were different,” he sighed. Simon wasn’t sure if the sigh was because the memory was a fond one or because of something else. Either way, it disturbed him. “The vampires would capture a whole pack and go to a remote village. During the full moon, they’d let the werewolves loose in the town. It was mostly done to weed out other vampires, those who had committed some type of crime against their own kind.”
“Is that why?” Simon swallowed hard, choking back some bile that was threatening to rise up. “Is that why werewolves are rare? Because of the vampires killing them?”
“Yes. Werewolves aren’t born, they’re made. And once upon a time, vampires had two ways to get rid of them. Now?” Warren shrugged. “They hardly even bother to seek werewolves out. But, if they find them . . . well, that’s another story. They usually go after the werewolves they find.” The smile returned to Warren’s face. “But, they might not go after you.”
Eyeing him warily, Simon asked; “Why not?”
Warren’s smile grew wider. “Because I’m here and I’m your friend.”
Simon wasn’t sure how he was supposed to feel about that. All he could manage to do was nod uncomfortably. He reached over and turned the television on. The screen flickered and a daytime talk show appeared. The host was smiling too widely and looked too happy to be there. Simon let the host’s empty words about dieting during the holidays wash over him. He stayed stiff, and staring at the screen, all the while wondering just what he and Maggie had gotten themselves into.
*
Andrews was finding that it was easier to get things done without Simon. It wasn’t as if the younger man got in the way – or did anything – but, without Simon around to worry about Andrews found himself completing his tasks as record speeds. He even had enough time to take a full and early lunch break. It was really quite nice.
Andrews wondered if he could persuade Simon to take the rest of the week off, so he could finish all the lists that filled the office’s tiny whiteboard that sat above his desk. He thought that maybe he should call to check up on Maggie and Simon – Maggie had been weird earlier – but, something told him that it would only be a waste of time. Andrews was sure Simon was up to something, but he was also sure that neither would tell him what was really going on.
“They’re probably watching horror films,” Andrews muttered to himself.
“What’s wrong with horror films?”
Andrews was shaken from his thoughts by Henry’s voice. He glanced up to see her leaning against the doorway, smiling widely.
“I love horror films.”
Andrews shook his head, wondering if Henry would like them as much if she knew that the stuff of horror films and nightmares were real. “I didn’t expect to see you until one thirty.” He glanced at his wrist watch. “It’s only twelve forty.”
“I’m early.” Henry shrugged. “But I wanted to catch you when you least expected it.”
“Why? Are you going to try and sell me something?” He waited for a second, feeling that his little joke had fallen flat. But then, Henry laughed; a true and loud laugh, a beautiful laugh that made the corners of Andrews’ lips tug up into a small grin. “Guess not.”
Henry stepped further into the office, closing the door behind her. “It turns out I have an appointment at one thirty. I was hoping we could meet at three? We could get some coffee.”
Andrews blinked. He was rather unsure of what was happening, but it seemed like Henry was asking him out for a date? Well, maybe. There was just . . . no one ever really spoke to him. And women most certainly didn’t ask him out for a date or for coffee.
“Well, yes. I suppose we can meet at three for coffee.”
Henry gave him a small wink. “See you then.”
And just as quickly as she appeared, Henry was out the door and gone, leaving Andrews to try and figure out what had just happened.
Story: Surely Someday
Piece Title: For the Restless: Part Two
Colors: Faded Blue: 20. Come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly away; Tardis Blue: 10. We're always in trouble! Isn't this extraordinary: it follows us everywhere!
Supplies and Materials: none
Word Count: 2,406
Rating: PG
Warnings:
Summary: Andrews and Henry set up a 'not-a-date'. Simon asks Warren about werewolves and their relationships with vampires - and it's not all good news.
Andrews was only a little surprised to find Henry Harker in his office when he arrived. She was sitting at his desk, reading what appeared to be one of Simon’s car magazines. Andrews knew she was there to speak with Simon; she’d probably tell Simon that she forgave him and then Simon would ask her out for drinks. It was how these things usually went.
“Simon’s ill and won’t be in today,” Andrews said. He went about his morning business, hanging his coat on the rack and shuffling through some papers on his desk. One of the classrooms in the chemistry building needed cleaning after an experiment went wrong the night before, a boiler in a dorm was broken, the usual. He glanced at Henry, still reading the magazine. “You can leave a note, if you’d like.”
Peering over the magazine, Henry shook her head. “I came to see you, Mr. Andrews.”
“Whatever for?” He tried to keep his voice as steady as possible. Women didn’t speak to him. People didn’t tend to speak to him in general. And now someone was actively seeking him out for a chat? “Are you considering a career in the janitorial services?”
“No,” Henry placed the magazine down and offered Andrews her brightest smile; he didn’t seem to notice. “I want to –“
“Damn.” Andrews cut her off with a scowl. “I forgot something.” He gave her a polite nod as he took his cell phone from his shirt pocket. “Excuse me.” Andrews turned away from Henry and dialed a number.
Leaning over the desk, Henry strained her neck, trying to hear the voice on the other end of the line. Who was Andrews speaking with? Was it female? Young or old? Was it that Simon guy ? Henry was surprised to find she actually cared who Andrews was getting calls from.
“Why didn’t you pick up after three rings?” Andrews was asking. He was trying to sound collected, that much Henry knew. But, there was a waver in his voice that let the younger woman know he had been worried. “What? Ice cream and cake? Simon’s eating that? Maggie. . .no. Just know that if he vomits, you are cleaning it up. Yes. I. . .” He glanced back at Henry for a brief second. “I forgot to give you today’s list. I’ll give it now. Pay close attention. Cup, book, pin, an Apple, paper, pencils, and finally cane. I’ll call you at one o’clock. Bye.”
Henry flopped back against the chair, as Andrews turned to face her. “That was quite a list,” she said with a small smile.
“Yes,” Andrews tucked his phone away and went back to looking at his chores for the day, “lists are often unique. I have quite a bit to do today. And with Simon out, I really will need a lot of time. I’m afraid I don’t have the pleasure of mindless chatter.”
Henry’s face fell slightly. She didn’t even bother to cover up her disappointment. Standing, she nodded curtly. “I’m sorry to be a bother.”
“You’re not.”
“Pardon?” Henry’s resolve to look annoyed faltered.
“You are a bother now, but you won’t be later. I’ll be free around one thirty. Come back then, if you still wish to talk about a career in the janitorial services.” He motioned toward the door. “Close the door on your way out.”
With that, Andrews went back to reviewing his lists of things to do. He didn’t notice that Henry was watching him with an odd expression on her pretty face and he certainly didn’t notice when she finally left, slamming the door as loudly as she could.
*
Delicately, Maggie put her mobile phone down on the small table. She nervously eyed all corners of the kitchen, suddenly feeling that Andrews was somehow watching her. Just a few moments ago, Warren had finished Andrews’ breakfast. The vampire had even helped with cleaning up. He seemed so nice and normal. Maggie strained her neck to try and get a peek of what he and Simon were doing in the parlor. She could just see them sitting on the sofa, talking about something, a band that Maggie didn’t know.
Loudly she cleared her throat. From the parlor, Simon kept talking about a “base line .” Who cared about a “base line”? He was supposed to be asking Warren about werewolves.
“Simon?” Maggie cleared her throat again. “I. . .come into the kitchen, please.” She kept her eyes on the doorway. She watched as Simon stood from the sofa, giving her a questioning look as he walked across the hall.
“What’s wrong, Mag?” He gave her a small grin. Noticing a loose hair covering Maggie’s face, he reached over and tucked it behind her ear. “You look like they canceled Cooking with Julia again.”
“Don’t joke.” She grabbed his hands in hers, a desperate gesture that made Simon more than a little uncomfortable. “We’re going to be in big trouble when Douglas gets home.”
“We’ve already got a vampire sitting in the parlor. What could we do that’s worse than that?”
“I,” Maggie swallowed. “I told him you were eating cake.”
Maggie thought it was serious, but Simon couldn’t stop the laughter from escaping his mouth. It was just so ridiculously Maggie.
“Maggie, it’s cake. We’ll say I ate it all.”
“With no evidence that there was cake? He’ll notice, Simon. He’ll be on us like Pooh Bear on honey.” She tightened her grip on his hands. “No, I’ll have to make the cake. And then you’ll have to eat some and, oh. . .I’ll have to offer some to Warren and. . .”
“Maggie.” He smiled at her; that cool and confident smile that always put her at ease. “Let’s do this, I’ll ask Warren my questions while you bake the cake and then we’ll switch.”
Her eyes wide and innocent, Maggie blinked. “But you don’t bake.”
“I’ll eat a piece, then.” Gently he pulled his hands away from hers. “You’re a great girl, Mag. But, you can’t stress this. It’s not good for you. Warren will be gone by two. Promise.” He gave her a wink. “Bake me a cake, Mag. And make it chocolate.”
“Is she all right?” Warren asked.
Simon noted that the vampire sounded more concerned then he should. He didn’t really like the way Warren was around Maggie, like a stalker with a crush, but he couldn’t do anything about it. Not until his questions were answered. Once that was done, he’d kick the vampire out and pretend they had never met.
“She’s fine. She’s making me a cake.” He sighed and ran a hand through his thick hair. “Maggie’s just not very good at lying. Doesn’t matter though,” he gave Warren a pointed look, “because you’ll be gone in a few hours.”
“Yes. Yes, I will.” He smiled and though it was a business-like smile, the kind bank tellers gave, it still sent a shiver down Simon’s spine. “Now, about the questions you wanted to ask me.”
“I want to know if it was vampires that attacked me last night and why.” Simon narrowed his eyes . “Did you tell them to do it? So you could save me and get in here to see Maggie?”
His smile never faltering, Warren shook his head. “I’m not that smart. Or that stupid. Werewolves are rare, Simon. Very rare. When vampires smell one, they tend to get overexcited. Especially when the werewolf in question is in its human state.” He leaned back against the sofa. “You’re easier to kill that way.”
“We aren’t easy to kill when we’re the Wolf?”
“No,” Warren let out a tiny laugh, “you aren’t easy to kill when you’re like that. Listen, I’ll give you a bit of advice: the vampires in this area now know you’re here. They might try and come after you again. But you aren’t totally useless. Your blood is always poison to us vampires. And when you’re, you know,” he waved his hand vaguely, “your bites and scratches will kill us in a matter of hours.”
It took a moment for it all to sink in. He could kill vampires; was that why they jumped him from behind? Get rid of one more threat? Not that he was a threat: Jesus, he didn’t even know vampires were real until last night. And now that he did know, he certainly wasn’t going to go out hunting vampires. That wasn’t really his idea of a night out.
“So, basically I’m the ultimate vampire killing machine.” Simon’s lips curled up into a crooked grin. “I like that. Just one thing – why tell me all this?”
“I don’t like other vampires.” Warren stated simply. “I don’t like the things they do to werewolves. And I think you seem like a good guy. I’d hate for you to end up in a cage.”
“A cage?” Now his interest was piqued. Simon leaned toward Warren. He didn’t need Maggie to hear anything disgusting. Keeping his voice a low whisper, he asked; “Vampires put werewolves in cages?”
Warren nodded. “For the fights and the hunts.” He spoke with ease, like he was telling Simon the weather or what would be on television that night. “They’re old sports. Since there aren’t many werewolves these days, the fights and hunts have calmed down a considerable bit. Vampires really only bother with them when they want to impress one another.”
Simon felt the urge to vomit. He felt like he was being told a deep dark secret and for a moment or two, he could imagine those cages. He wasn’t sure what kind of fighting went on inside the cages, but he did remember one of the vampires calling him a dog. Simon knew what a dog fight was, and though he couldn’t be sure, he thought that what the vampires did to werewolves in there cage fights were the same as what men did to dogs in dog fights.
“Vampires have werewolves fight one another?”
Warren nodded. His smile was gone, but he still spoke very directly. “To the death. Sometimes against each other. Sometimes they would throw a human in there; usually those end with nothing but blood and flesh in the cages. The hunts were different,” he sighed. Simon wasn’t sure if the sigh was because the memory was a fond one or because of something else. Either way, it disturbed him. “The vampires would capture a whole pack and go to a remote village. During the full moon, they’d let the werewolves loose in the town. It was mostly done to weed out other vampires, those who had committed some type of crime against their own kind.”
“Is that why?” Simon swallowed hard, choking back some bile that was threatening to rise up. “Is that why werewolves are rare? Because of the vampires killing them?”
“Yes. Werewolves aren’t born, they’re made. And once upon a time, vampires had two ways to get rid of them. Now?” Warren shrugged. “They hardly even bother to seek werewolves out. But, if they find them . . . well, that’s another story. They usually go after the werewolves they find.” The smile returned to Warren’s face. “But, they might not go after you.”
Eyeing him warily, Simon asked; “Why not?”
Warren’s smile grew wider. “Because I’m here and I’m your friend.”
Simon wasn’t sure how he was supposed to feel about that. All he could manage to do was nod uncomfortably. He reached over and turned the television on. The screen flickered and a daytime talk show appeared. The host was smiling too widely and looked too happy to be there. Simon let the host’s empty words about dieting during the holidays wash over him. He stayed stiff, and staring at the screen, all the while wondering just what he and Maggie had gotten themselves into.
*
Andrews was finding that it was easier to get things done without Simon. It wasn’t as if the younger man got in the way – or did anything – but, without Simon around to worry about Andrews found himself completing his tasks as record speeds. He even had enough time to take a full and early lunch break. It was really quite nice.
Andrews wondered if he could persuade Simon to take the rest of the week off, so he could finish all the lists that filled the office’s tiny whiteboard that sat above his desk. He thought that maybe he should call to check up on Maggie and Simon – Maggie had been weird earlier – but, something told him that it would only be a waste of time. Andrews was sure Simon was up to something, but he was also sure that neither would tell him what was really going on.
“They’re probably watching horror films,” Andrews muttered to himself.
“What’s wrong with horror films?”
Andrews was shaken from his thoughts by Henry’s voice. He glanced up to see her leaning against the doorway, smiling widely.
“I love horror films.”
Andrews shook his head, wondering if Henry would like them as much if she knew that the stuff of horror films and nightmares were real. “I didn’t expect to see you until one thirty.” He glanced at his wrist watch. “It’s only twelve forty.”
“I’m early.” Henry shrugged. “But I wanted to catch you when you least expected it.”
“Why? Are you going to try and sell me something?” He waited for a second, feeling that his little joke had fallen flat. But then, Henry laughed; a true and loud laugh, a beautiful laugh that made the corners of Andrews’ lips tug up into a small grin. “Guess not.”
Henry stepped further into the office, closing the door behind her. “It turns out I have an appointment at one thirty. I was hoping we could meet at three? We could get some coffee.”
Andrews blinked. He was rather unsure of what was happening, but it seemed like Henry was asking him out for a date? Well, maybe. There was just . . . no one ever really spoke to him. And women most certainly didn’t ask him out for a date or for coffee.
“Well, yes. I suppose we can meet at three for coffee.”
Henry gave him a small wink. “See you then.”
And just as quickly as she appeared, Henry was out the door and gone, leaving Andrews to try and figure out what had just happened.
