Animus Eternus Ch. 02

As Dolores cradled Fenella, she could feel the tears sliding down her cheeks, cold in the wind that blew in through the open balcony doors.

Despite the horrific state of her body, it was clear Fenella hadn't aged a day in the centuries that had passed. She was still just as perfect, if not for the bruises and blood that plastered her frame.

Pulling the blanket off of the nearby seat, Dolores wrapped it around the shivering and held her tighter, trying to warm up her former lover.

The main thought in her mind was why she had returned now, after all this time, to Dolores, especially with how suddenly and callously she had left.

"Dolores..." Fenella eventually managed despite not opening her eyes.

"I'm here, honey." Dolores said softly, her hand slowly stroking her hair reassuringly.

"Help me..."

"How, baby? What do you need?"

"I need..." Fenella started, then passed out. Frowning, Dolores took a risk. Lifting Fenella into her arms - she was as light as a sack of flour - she carried her former paramour into the bathroom and sat her in the shower.

Turning it on, she unhooked the shower head and carefully washed the blood off, trying to be as thorough as possible.

Unfortunately, the blood was under her clothing, and after a brief hesitation, she began to slowly and delicately remove them.

Once Fenella was naked, Dolores set about wiping all the blood from Fenella's soft, tan skin, making sure to be gentle but thorough, which meant cleaning her most intimate parts.

Fenella squirmed during the moments that Dolores touched her, but her eyes were still closed. Once she was certain all the blood was gone, Dolores turned off the shower, pulled a towel off of the warmer and wrapped it around Fenella to carry her back into the bedroom.

Laying her on the bed, Dolores pulled the covers tight over Fenella. Giving her a soft kiss to the temple, Dolores took a moment to simply gaze at her.

No matter the circumstances, Fenella had come back, and Dolores felt her heart skip as she looked at her former - only - true love.

Retrieving a chair from the kitchen, she put it in the corner, sat down and began to keep a vigil. Hours passed, and Dolores eventually fell asleep.

Jolting awake, she quickly looked over at Fenella, who was still softly snoring. Dolores deliberated, then quickly left the room to get her own shower.

When she returned, wrapped in a robe, she found Fenella gone. For a brief second she thought Fenella had left, but then she saw a figure on the bedroom balcony.

Stepping out, she found Fenella gazing out at the city, wrapped in the sheet. She stepped up behind her and held her, with Fenella leaning back into the embrace.

"Did you wash me?"

"Yes. You were covered in blood, and I didn't like seeing you so broken. I hate these bruises, and I wish I could heal them." She told Fenella, slowly running her hand over Fenella's bare skin, skimming lightly over the bruises.

"You sound upset..."

"I hate seeing people like this. Whoever - whatever - did this to you, deserves to die a painful death. And I assume you aren't going to tell me why you are like this?"

"You will panic, and you will hate me."

"I already hate you, Fenella."

Fenella turned in her grip, looking Dolores in the eyes. There was pained sorrow in the beautiful brown.

"You hate me?"

"Shouldn't I? You left me, Fenella. You left me all alone in Versailles."

"I know. But I had to."

"Had to? That's completely insane. You didn't have to leave."

"I did. But you will never believe me. I should never have come here. It was wrong of me to have thought you would help."

Dolores let go of her and headed back into the apartment, leaving Fenella out on the balcony.

Soon enough, though, she had caught Dolores up. She grabbed Dolores by the arm and tried to pull her around. Dolores yanked her hand free, pointing at her with fury coursing through her veins.

"Don't touch me! You don't have that right anymore!"

"But - "

"You lost any right to my body the moment you walked out of Versailles and left me alone for centuries! There are no words for how numb, how heartbroken you left me feeling! And after all this time you see fit to waltz back into my life and ask for my help?! Well fuck you, Fenella! You know what, you can get out. Just leave."

"Dolores..."

"Leave!" Dolores screamed, picking up a small vase nearby and hurling it at Fenella's head. Fenella ducked it and took several steps back.

"Fine, I'll go. But I need something to wear."

"There are clothes in my drawers. Just take what you need then get out. I don't want to see you again."

"You won't even let me explain?"

"Fine. Explain." Dolores crossed her arms, glaring at Fenella.

Fenella sat down on the bed, her fingers entwined in her lap which she stared at as she began to speak.

"I didn't want to leave. I had no choice, Dolores. I was falling in love with you. I never would have walked away - "

"Ran away." Dolores interrupted.

"Ran away, if I had I choice?"

"I don't know. Maybe you were getting cold feet, or maybe you thought running away made you a better person."

"I had a perfectly valid reason for leaving when I did."

"Then tell me! Prove to me that you didn't break my heart for the sake of it!"

"Okay! I will. Just... give me today. I can and will show you why I ran. Just let me stay here, then I will show you tonight why I left Versailles. But once I do, I will leave."

"It can't be that bad." Dolores snapped.

"It can, and it is. All I ask is you let me stay, and I will show you. But I am giving you a fair warning that you will not want me here."

"Okay. You have today." Dolores said, but pointed at Fenella. "But it had better be a good reason."

"Dolores..." Fenella sighed, standing and stepping closer. The bed sheet fell from her like water, leaving her naked. "I didn't want to leave you. I loved you. I still do."

"You can't say that to me. You can't say that and think it makes everything okay."

"I know. And I'm not trying to. I just want to stay with you until I can show you why I had to leave. Then you can throw me out. Please."

"Okay." Dolores said after a long pause, her mind conflicted.

There was a brief, tense silence, which became unbearable and Dolores felt the need to break it.

"I have errands to run today. There are clothes in the closet. You can stay here if you want, as it shouldn't take too long."

"Can I come with you?"

"What?"

"I've never actually taken a look around London. Can I come with you?"

"Sure... just let me get dressed."

Fenella left the room. Dolores watched her go, then swiftly dressed. Leaving the room, Fenella passed her, then came back out a few minutes later dressed in a pale green dress.

For a moment, Dolores was reminded of the night they had met, which she was sure was on purpose.

Heading out of the hotel, the town car assigned to her pulled up, but Dolores gave a wave and it sidled off again.

She headed down the street, Fenella by her side. As they walked, Fenella was like a small child, oohing and aahing at all of the sights and smells.

It made Dolores smile, but she kept her face neutral. She was still angry at Fenella, but it was impossible to stay stoic while she was acting in such a carefree manner.

As they walked down the Mall, Fenella was captivated by the changing of the Guard, so Dolores let her run on ahead.

While Fenella was out of earshot, Dolores took her mobile out and made reservations, faltering for a moment when the man on the other end asked how many it was for.

She hesitated, then replied that there were two to be seated. The man hung up, and Dolores sighed.

Joining Fenella, they watched the men finish their drill, then Dolores led her off through the nearby park.

Her errands took them ten minutes, and soon they were left simply walking through the London streets.

As they wandered down Whitechapel, Dolores felt something warm touch her hand and jumped.

"I'm sorry." Fenella quickly said, moving her hand away.

"Were you trying to hold my hand?"

"I don't like large crowds. I just wanted a little comfort."

"Why didn't you ask?" Dolores asked.

Fenella looked embarrassed, which made Dolores take pity on her. With a deep breath, Dolores took hold of Fenella's hand which caused Fenella to frown.

"What - "

"Hush. Don't read into it."

Even though Fenella didn't question any further, Dolores could feel the sudden spring in her step.

They stopped for lunch at a small café, where Fenella surprised her by asking what she had been up to over the intervening years.

Dolores hesitated, then began to speak between bites. She didn't mean to say so much, but it all came tumbling out in rapid fashion.

Fenella listened silently with rapt attention the entire time. As the sorrow in Dolores's voice increased, Fenella looked more and more heartbroken.

"I'm so sorry." She said when Dolores fell silent. "I didn't know you went through that, and it is all my fault."

"Yeah. It is."

"You know I would spend the rest of our lives trying to make it right. You know that."

"Do I?"

"Yes. If you look deep down into your heart, you know it."

"And you want me to give you a chance, is that it?"

"Yes. No. I... I don't know."

"Don't you think you should figure out what you want?"

"I know what I want."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I want you." Fenella replied, and the sheer brazen and confident way she said it was sent a shiver down her spine.

"Oh..." she muttered. "I think we need to talk about this back at the hotel."

"Okay." Fenella nodded.

They walked quicker back to the hotel, bot stopping until they were in the suite, where Dolores sat Fenella down.

"I want you to tell me what you were up to that was more important than me."

Fenella's face dropped, then she began to speak. Dolores listened intently as Fenella spoke for the next several hours.

As she glanced up at the clock, she was shocked to see that their dinner reservation was only half an hour away.

"I'm sorry Fenella. Can we carry this on at our dinner?"

"Dinner?"

"Yes. I made reservations for us at a nice restaurant in town. We shall need to dress more formally."

"Can I borrow a dress?" Fenella asked, looking a little sheepish.

"Unless you want to go to dinner naked?"

"Hey, I don't mind. I could always find some strawberries and cream and be your dinner." Fenella shot back.

Dolores was struck momentarily by that very image, her panties soaking. Then she shook her head.

"Tempting, but no. Any dress will do."

Fenella stood and headed through to the bedroom. Dolores waited for her to come back, and when she did, her jaw dropped.

Fenella looked the exact same as she had all those years ago, right down to the braid. She gave Dolores a slight smile as she whirled in a slow circle.

"How do I look?"

"You look amazing. I need to change. I shouldn't be long." Dolores replied. She made to enter the bedroom, and had to brush past Fenella to do so.

As she did, their eyes met. Dolores felt a frisson of want and the sudden urge to kiss the woman before her struck. She saw the pupils of Fenella's eyes widen as she bit her lip.

Fighting back the urge, Dolores slipped past her into the bedroom and closed the door, letting out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

An idea crossed her mind and she smiled to herself as she opened the wardrobe, one dress in particular suddenly appealing.

When she stepped back out into the main room, Fenella gasped. Dolores smiled, flushing a little at the look of desire in her eyes.

"Wow..." she muttered.

"Shall we?" Dolores asked, opening the door. They rode to the restaurant in the town car, and once their meals were ready, they ate slowly, speaking effusively.

Dolores noticed Fenella avoided the main topic they both knew needed to get addressed, but was keen to keep the mood jovial.

"I like that dress." Fenella smiled.

"I thought you might."

"You did it on purpose."

"And you didn't? You knew that dress looks like the one you wore the first night we met, so I chose to do likewise."

And it was true.

Fenella was dressed in a grass green dress that showed a lot of skin but was simultaneously modest. Dolores had chosen to match the idea with a black and white pinstripe dress, close to the one she had worn that night in Versailles.

Fenella smiled bashfully and returned to her dinner. Dolores smiled back and finished eating.

They returned to the hotel, and Dolores excused herself to take a shower. After a few minutes, the shower door opened and a very naked Fenella stepped in.

"What are you doing?" Dolores asked.

"You washed me. It's only fair I return the favor." Fenella shrugged.

Dolores was going to argue, but the sight of the water trickling down Fenella's smooth skin blanked her mind.

Fenella took the shower gel and poured it into her hands, lathered them under the water and began to wash Dolores's tense shoulders.

Dolores lathered her own hands with the shampoo then began to massage Fenella's scalp, washing her friend's hair. After a few minutes, their eyes met again and they both stopped.

Dolores knew exactly what she wanted to do, but hesitated. Which was when she was pushed up against the shower wall and Fenella did it for her.

Their lips collided in a hungry and needy kiss, Fenella pressing up against her as her hands roamed Dolores's body, squeezing her ass.

Dolores didn't hesitate, kissing Fenella with equal passion, her tongue seeking and gaining purchase into Fenella's mouth as she relished kissing the love of her life again.

She knew it was moronic to be doing so, but she didn't care. Having Fenella in her arms again was exhilarating.

Fenella leaned back, breathing heavily as they looked each other in the eyes.

"We can't do this." Fenella said, which utterly confused Dolores.

"What? But you kissed me!"

"I know. I wanted to, but now I see that we can't do this. I'm sorry."

"Fenella, I don't understand."

"You need to see the truth. You need to know why this is wrong. I love you, I do, but I won't live a lie this time."

Fenella released her and walked off into the hall without dressing. Dolores stayed put, bewildered, until Fenella called out for her.

Quickly pulling a robe on, she hurried into the living room and found Fenella stood by the open balcony doors.

"Fenella, what is this? I don't understand why you are acting like this."

"You will. You wanted to see why I ran away all those years ago. And now I want you to see the reason. But I know you will want me to leave and never come back when I do."

Dolores couldn't speak.

But then something happened and she didn't need to, as everything became very clear.

The clouds in the night sky shifted, and the silvery light of the moon flooded the apartment.

Fenella stepped into it.

And changed.

Her body shook, then started to alter as her lower jaw elongated, as did her legs and arms. Fur sprouted from her skin, her eyes turned a gleaming, feral yellow and vicious fangs erupted in her mouth replacing her teeth.

All Dolores could do was watch as Fenella gave a bone chilling and haunting howl, then leaped out of the window, now a werewolf loose in London.