Nature or Nurture Ch. 45-46

Melissa is still thinking, tired and all.

'Silver has arcane properties, like gold, maybe it damages your connections to the ley-line, making you weak. Don't know about the sunlight, though, that may be an old wives' tale, but testing it is a bit dangerous. I wish I still drank coffee, I could use a little boost right now, this is interesting.'

'Why don't you, then?' Mina asks.

'I'm pregnant, and I can't stand the taste anymore.'

Well, that is a bit of information and no mistake, Melissa pregnant. She doesn't seem very happy about it, though.

'You don't like children?' Mina just asks, rather bluntly, but Melissa is not one for subtleties herself.

'I do, I'm just afraid I'll be forced to become a housewife with a baby around,' the tall, beautiful girl admits, not without a little shame.

That's just ludicrous.

'With your mind, nothing can stop you, not even a baby. Besides, you live with Lukas, don't you?'

'Yes, the three of us live together.'

'I've seen him with Catherine just now, you have nothing to worry about, he'll be the best father a child could ever have.'

That is a weird thought, for with two men, who is the father? They'll never know, unless the baby has a distinct trait of one of them. But they actually look quite a bit alike, no help there.

Melissa nods, she has accepted the fact of her going to be a mother, but she is not at all happy about it, that much is clear. And still she apologizes, 'I'm sorry to seem dissatisfied, most women want children, I'm almost ashamed I don't, really. I hope it's not painful to you, you can never have a child of course, and you're so young, you likely didn't have any before.'

'You're right,' Mina admits, 'I will never have children, but Catherine and I are good friends, and maybe Adison will have one or more of her own when things quiet down a little. Though I don't know when that will be, it seems as if they are more likely to flare up soon. Someone's after Catherine, witches, apparently. They were shockingly incompetent, but who knows when they'll have some luck and get a hit on us.'

'Witches, are you sure? Harming a child?'

'I encouraged them to talk to us, I've a way with evil wenches, I used to be one, and they said they were witches, in the service of one Mrs Evelyn Poole. That'll cost them their lives, telling me that.

I feel kind of sorry for them, they were bad, but not bad enough to be killed just like that, they might be salvageable, like me.'

'May I discuss that with my father? He will be very interested to hear about the presence of evil witches in our beautiful town. I'll keep you out of it.'

'Any help we can get is appreciated,' Mina says, 'are you feeling better now? You don't look much better. I'll make you some tea, the others must be done by now, and if you know about witches maybe you can help us find a way to protect Catherine from them. Everyone will want to hear.'

Mina has to support Melissa to the kitchen, she is still very tired, and when she gets up it looks as if she hurts somewhere.

'Are you in pain?' Mina asks, truly worried now, 'I'm sorry to cause you such trouble.'

'It's not your fault,' Melissa replies, 'sometimes this happens, I get caught up in something and I want to know, and I never know the price until afterwards.

It's a headache, and general tiredness, we call it reaction-sickness, it comes from using too much magic power, more than one's body generates. I can use the ley-lines to get more power, but I was so concentrated I forgot. Lukas will deal with it, though he will scold me, getting myself a reaction-sickness while being with child.'

Apparently that is some bone of contention between those two, she wants to go on as usual, and he wants her to take it easy because she is pregnant. Kind of sweet, but also rather hopeless, after half an hour's talk, Mina knows already that no-one rules Melissa except Melissa herself, how can anyone hope to stop this strong mind?

Not her problem, though.

As they reach the kitchen it is immediately clear that Lukas is incredibly sweet and concerned about her, he takes one look at Melissa and jumps up, takes her in his arms, and guides her to the softest seat available.

She evidently feels a bit embarrassed to be publicly cosseted, but to Mina it is clear Lukas means well, he obviously loves this woman very much. Catherine doesn't seem to mind her favourite behaving smitten towards another, but of course she is just two, and she realizes she is.

Mina puts the kettle on for a cup of tea, as Lukas kisses his beautiful woman on the lips, doing something through that kiss, because her face clears and her posture becomes more upright immediately.

'That better?' he asks gently.

'Totally fine again, Lukas, thank you. Now please stop overreacting, it was just a slight misjudgement on my side, I'm with child, not sick or feeble. I'm sure it will happen again, and then you can kiss me again and make it better.'

She really doesn't like being pampered.

Lukas visibly checks himself from being defensive and asks instead, 'What did you learn, anything you might share?'

Danger averted, her expression changes from stubborn to excited, but she checks herself as well and says, 'That is Mina's choice, since it concerns her most of all.'

That is very nice of her, but Mina has no secrets from her friends, and she tells them everything Melissa has found out about her, and also Melissa's offer to let her father know about the evil witches.

'Of what interest are witches to your father, Melissa?' Vincent asks, 'is he with the watch?'

The young woman is visibly in doubt whether to answer this question frankly.

'My father is part of a circle himself, and they will not tolerate evil practitioners in their territory. There are witch-hunters about, and they will use the slightest excuse to persecute every magic-user in town. Evil witches who proclaim to be in the service of Satan are not a slight excuse. They prey on the innocent and the weak, and they flaunt their magic skills and smear the reputation of witches with blood and cruelty.

If word gets out, they will be hunted by everyone who has anything to do with magic, but I guess my father will want to handle this quietly, or they'll just go underground and step up their efforts to get to your girl.'

Vincent nods, not entirely sure whether to be glad with the apparent existence of natural enemies to their enemies, but suspecting they'll need allies soon.

'Can we meet your father?'

'He is very protective of his people and very secretive, I can imagine him preferring to work in the shadows, but I will ask him.'

And as Mina pours the boiling water in their teapot and adds the tea, spreading the fragrance throughout the kitchen, Melissa adds, 'And I'll ask Frances, a friend of ours, to make some of her special herb mixture for you. It works really well against reaction-sickness. Knowing Paul's teaching methods, and guessing at Adison's determination, she will be having reaction-headaches herself. Frances' mixture works almost as well as Lukas here, and it's a lot less intimate.'

A secretive smile from Catherine again, he did tell her about himself, and it appears the quiet young man is a lot more interesting than he seems at first sight.

The entrance of Adison herself and Paul affirms Melissa's statement, Adison has exactly the same drawn look Melissa had, and since there is no special herb tea yet, Lukas uses his more intimate method of relieving her from it. He does not kiss Adison, but he does invite her into his arms, an invitation she dazedly accepts, and then he touches her face with his nimble looking hands and blanks out for a moment.

Adison's face clears, her posture wasn't that different to begin with, and she looks up at Lukas thankfully, not trying to free herself from his embrace at all, obviously tempted to kiss him, but checking that, not an urge, more a logical consequence of his action.

'I like being kissed,' he says, 'I need a lot of love to thrive, you have felt that correctly.'

And then she does kiss him, chastely on his cheeks, and hugs him besides.

'Thank you, that did hurt quite badly. How did you know I had a headache? And what did you do besides taking that away? I felt something else happen.'

They both sit down at the table, and Lukas laughs.

'The headache and the fatigue are reaction-sickness, a sign you have used too much power. I took away the headache and filled up your reserve of magic power. It is a bit intimate, but I've learned to keep that to a minimum.

And I knew you'd have a headache before you even came in. Paul's a good guy, and a good teacher, but he always seems to drive his pupils a tiny bit too far, causing them to suffer reaction-headaches until he learns their limits. Or they adapt to his standards.'

His friend looks positively shame-faced, and admits, 'I do have trouble finding the right moment to stop. You were doing so well, Adison, I'm sorry I pushed you too far.'

'It's not your fault, Paul, I actually knew I was crossing some border, but I want to know everything you teach so desperately, I couldn't stop. I just had to feel the consequences once, next time I'll tell you when I'm at my limit.'

Adison is clearly very determined, almost fanatical. She really wants to learn.

They drink tea together, and talk about everything they have learned, and what they will practise for next week. A date is set in two days for the installation of the hot water pipes to the kitchen and the practice, and Paul promises to bring Vincent's new sword with him that day.

Tomorrow night they will all meet again, when their new friends will visit the show with a whole bunch of their friends, one of the last shows Vincent will play in his beloved theatre, the place where he found his calling and a lot of companionship.

Catherine is very happy to be certain to meet Lukas again, she uses her innocent appearance to get close to him one more time today, by climbing in his lap as they all sit together and talk. He doesn't object, he even kisses her black tresses, and her forehead, and holds her as he knows she wants to be held.

Sitting against him comfortably, enveloped by his delicious musky scent, her two year old body asserts itself and Catherine falls asleep, looking like an angel with her delicate features and her enraptured expression.

When she is obviously fast asleep, Vincent sits next to Lukas and asks, 'Did she tell you?'

'That she is no ordinary toddler?'

Vincent nods, though that is not all he means.

'She did, but she waited for me to tell her about my true nature first, as Victor had stipulated. She also told me she has a crush on me, and that she had warned you about that before we even met today.'

Lukas' face shows clearly how he respects the bond between father and daughter.

'Do you mind, having an infatuated toddler following you around?'

Vincent hopes he doesn't.

'I don't, I love children, I can't wait to have our own baby. Catherine's very easy to talk to, and more feeling and sensible than a lot of adults. By my nature, I need a lot of love, and I accept it where it is offered, and in whatever shape it is offered.

Catherine's sweet, innocent child's love is very precious, and I promise you faithfully I will be very respectful of her and it. I hope you don't mind my kissing her just now? I told her you might object.'

He is more than cute, and very proper, and when Vincent replies, 'Catherine may be my daughter, and she may defer to me most of the time, but she knows exactly what she wants and what is good for her, and I know she wants you to kiss her as you did just now,' Lukas smiles that incredibly broad smile at him, and Vincent truly has to suppress a sudden urge to grab him and kiss him ardently himself.

It is very clear the lad knows, is used to having people react to him like that, and loves it. And his reaction is almost encouraging, he'd obviously love to have Vincent do that to him.

'We hardly know each other now, but we'll probably get a lot closer, and then it will be a lot less awkward to exchange the occasional token of affection, all very proper of course, we're Victorians after all.'

Vincent really doesn't know whether Lukas is referring to Lukas kissing Catherine, or to himself grabbing Lukas and kissing him, and somehow he feels as if he is having his leg pulled just a tiny bit, by someone who is standing outside Victorian culture and looking in. He actually likes this guy, likes him a lot, of course how could it be different when Catherine has been partial to him from the start.

But Lukas is obviously involved with Melissa, and they have a baby on the way, and Catherine is still a child emotionally and she can be stubborn, so he says, 'Please do not hesitate to correct her if she gets too forward for your comfort, she doesn't act like her two years, so you may address her personally if she starts bothering you. Or you may tell me of course, and I'll talk to her.'

'I appreciate your concern, Vincent, but I am very certain Catherine and I will be very good friends who will never be bothersome to each other. Besides, you'll always be there when we meet.'

That is true, and when Vincent wants to ask whether to take her off his lap and to her bed, Lukas asks, even before Vincent has spoken his thoughts, 'May she sleep with me until we leave? It will still be so long before we have our own baby.'

Chapter 46

And Catherine insists on sitting with Lukas the next evening when he visits Vincent's show with his friends, a whole bunch of them of all ages, but Catherine doesn't raise a hair and plays the toddler to perfection all night.

After the show they shake hands with everyone and introduce themselves, and they find out that Paul is in fact the youngest son of the Kenwick family, one of the most noble families in England, and his friends are a whole family of similar stature, with a large estate just outside town.

A tall, heavily built man also included in the party is actually a council member in town. Melissa has not exaggerated when she mentioned they have powerful friends, a comforting thought, though Adison supposes they will be able to handle the current threat to Catherine by themselves quite readily.

Paul has told her that she has so much power already and picks up magic so quickly that she will soon be able to use defensive and offensive magic. Her actual talent is more in the line of healing and matters of the soul, but with enough practise she can learn quickly to protect herself against magic, and against more mundane dangers, as Melissa does.

Getting access to enough magic power is usually the problem with novices, but Adison has already developed her power substantially with the work she did under master Man's supervision. Paul really wants her to explore her talents on matters like possession, for apparently that is quite rare, and he suggests contacting Melissa's father as well as accompanying Lukas on his healing expeditions, once she is ready to specialize in that direction.

But for now, Adison insists that being able to defend her family and friends against magic is more important, and she has described what Vincent, Mina and Catherine have experienced. Paul shows concern about the presence of evil magic-users in town, and asks permission to discuss this with Melissa, with the intent to let her father know about it.

He will be a valuable ally, and maybe he can teach her specific defence against dark witches, his own discipline probably having suffered for ages under their depravations.

Of course when she later compares stories with Mina, they conclude Melissa's dad must be the person to turn to for help, if they need help.

And Adison practises what Paul has taught her, including Catherine in parts of it, the girl wants to very much, and she cannot but benefit from training her sight, and knowing some of the theory.

They have a very entertaining evening in the theatre, and the whole party promises to come to Vincent's new play as well, and in turn invites them to come to a polka-dance in their part of town.

Apparently, one can dance there at incredible speed, giving a very heady experience. Catherine is too young, of course, to come along, but she has befriended the only child in the company, a boyish girl of eleven called Bertha, and is invited to stay the evening with her on the manor when Vincent and Adison go dancing.

Bertha's parents are the couple with the large estate, and their manor-house is impenetrable by magic, for they are strong mages themselves and have their entire estate warded so well that a mouse couldn't come in undetected. All their staff is very loyal, and they know about magic, Catherine will certainly be safe with them.

Though Vincent has never danced, Adison suspects his body will remember as soon as she shows him how, frankly she cannot wait to try, it will be so good and intimate to dance with her athletic husband. Even if it turns out he really can't dance, it will be great fun and really easy to teach him, his physical exercise is much like dancing.

As soon as they are home they take Catherine to bed, a very happy little girl since she has sat on Lukas' lap during the show and has played with Bertha Nomes afterwards. The older girl is great fun, and she has promised Catherine to drive her around the estate in her carriage pulled by little ponies, and show her a dog with two heads and a very silly name if she decides to stay a night.

When Catherine sleeps, Adison shows Vincent the correct way to hold her when dancing, and she demonstrates the steps, Vincent following her for a few beats.

But then he takes over the lead in one fluid move, and dances away with her, on the tones of imaginary music. Adison feels as if she is flying, and Victor and Mina look on with a very soft feeling, tempted to try a few steps themselves, and they find each other as compatible as dancing partners as in everything else.

Suddenly, Vincent speeds up a lot, he doesn't seem to need any music, he's flying about with Adison following his lead, they're twirling and hopping through the vaults of their basement. Though Adison enjoys the speed at which they are dancing, Vincent doesn't seem altogether awake, and when he slows down and comes to a standstill, he does seem a bit dazed, and he rests his head on her shoulder.

'I was at one of those dances with Cathy,' he says, still a bit distraught from the experience, another flashback so soon, and whilst he is wide awake.

'I heard the musicians playing. For real. It was in a large public room, filled with people, and we were dancing until our heads spun. I held her in my arms and smelled her hair, it is always so real. I felt such love and yearning for her.'

He seems overwhelmed by the experience, even if it didn't last more than a few minutes.

'Will you hold me tightly, Adison?'

He is clearly in need of a reminder who he really is.

Adison clutches him to her breast, and strokes his face, especially the scar on his temple, it always brings back their time together and he needs that now.

Leaning into her strokes, eyes closed, they stand together very intimately, and Victor and Mina leave them by themselves, this is between the two of them. For Victor, it is very reassuring to see the love between his two friends confirmed in all its closeness, however close Vincent has grown to Mina, he is still totally devoted to Adison, and whatever goes on between his friend and his beloved is undoubtedly connected to the sharing of Vincent's blood.

After standing together like that until Vincent is totally back to himself, he picks Adison up easily, and brings her to their four-poster bed. They undress each other, then cuddle and kiss, of course working up an ardour that can only be laid to rest with some serious lovemaking.