Still Cold

Majaa sits in the meeting room with a black bird sitting delicately on her finger. She fed the bird thin strips of meat that dripped coagulated blood off her fingers. The bird caws quietly and gobbles up the flesh. "Sweet birdie."

The bird preens and ruffles its feathers, it's black eyes focused on its owner. Majaa chuckles and uses her long nail to gently scratch the bird's neck. The door behind her slams open and Majaa watches as the bird flies off with a tsk of annoyance. "What is it?"

Eszter and Chiyo walk in, Chiyo's hand in Eszter's ebony one. The two were in their respective outfits, Chiyo's consisting of a deep blue kimono with white embroidered stars and Eszter's outfit being a plush coat with a form fitting dress that shows off her shape. Chiyo pulls out a chair and points at Eszter to sit while she glides to the chair on the opposite side. The fireplace crackles with freshly turned wood, giving the meeting room a warm glow. "It has come to my attention that Dracula has begun experimenting again," Chiyo starts, her dark oval eyes looking between the two. "This time with the hopes of creating progeny."

Eszter's pointed nails scratch the table while Majaa hisses. Chiyo nods and claps her hands, prompting a small undead child to appear. "Please bring me some tea. My special blend." The child nods and scampers off.

Eszter unhooks her nails from the table, leaving sizable scratches in the wood. "He's always doing this! That's what went wrong with the lawyer," She leans back in her chair, her face in a pout. "His experiments always turn out badly to the benefit of no one."

Majaa says nothing but silently agrees. Dracula was a scientist at heart, a demon that held more stock in logic and intellect than anything else. Without a doubt, if any of them could not contribute anything of intellectual value, he would replace them without hesitation. Emotions like Love had no sway over him. 

"I know my dear. Please believe me, the amount of work that went into creating you two was horrendous. I never wish for you all to go through such a process again." The child returns and sets a gold tray on the table with a black and gold painted ceramic tea set.

Chiyo nods at him, patting his head like a pet before dismissing him. "I believe it would be in our best interests to find a way to cull these urges in him." She carefully steeps her tea, the aroma of citrus and rose filling the room.

"How?" Majaa asks after accepting a cup of the tea. "He's not going to listen. Hell, he refuses to listen to you on most days." 

Chiyo sips her tea and pauses, a clear sign that she was thinking. Eszter gently blows on her tea before taking a small sip. "Maybe we can find some children to work with? I know the town down south had a huge influx of live births recently."

Chiyo shakes her head and sets down her cup. "He wants it to be from him, his own seed. Besides, could you imagine Dracula caring for a babe that wasn’t his?" With that, everyone at the table shudders before delving deep into thought.

There had to be a way, or else everyone at the table risked becoming cannon fodder. 

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Look here! This is my old supernatural journal. It still has some of my old theories!

(Theories?)

Yup! Liiiike, this one. 'Vampires who were turned while still alive have the potential to- hm.' Give me a moment. Shit. The ink is smudged.

(Wait a second. Aren't all vampires turned while still alive? Isn't that how it's done?)

You would think so, right? But you can create a vampire from one of the undead ghouls! Those vampires tend to be like the ones in the movie The Dead Undead, ghastly and very beast like. 

(And the ones turned from alive individuals?)

Well, how do you think you get the Draculas? Or the Edward Cullens or even the ones in Buffy? They were the ones turned while still alive, resulting in a more coherent vampire. Ah ha! There we go! 'Vampires who were turned while still alive have the potential to carry offspring, regardless of gender. Though their bodies will require more blood and flesh to support the fetus, it can be done, though with known risk to the mother.' 

(Huh, maybe Twilight was on to something.)

Ana! Don't ever acknowledge that horrible film in my presence! That movie is vampire slander!

(But...you..just-)

Ever!

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Mina hears a ringing in her ears as Lucy continues to curse Sister Agatha with German profanity that would have made Lucy's mother cut out her tongue. The constant beat of her heart grew louder, her breaths coming out in little pants. 

Jonathan was carrying Dracula's offspring. 

Jonathan was pregnant.

Jonathan had beenraped.

Mina covers her mouth and tries not to scream. Her beloved fiance had been taken advantage of and…

It was all her fault.

If only she had not told him to take the job, for her and her damn silly whims! Mina recalled how she begged Jonathan to go to Transylvania so that he could pay for her extravagant wedding dress. The job was going to provide enough coin so that she could purchase her dress and still have enough so that they could honeymoon to the new world. 

Not only did that not happen, but her beloved had nearly never made it back home. Mina chokes and rubs her face against Lucy's sturdy button up, her friend the only thing preventing her from drowning in a sea of crashing emotions. What type of woman was she, if she would send her man to die just for a petty reason like a dress? Lucy wipes the tears off her face, jolting Mina back to reality. 

"Mina? Are you okay?" Mina's bottom lip wobbles and she shakes her head.

Lucy's eyes settle into her usual forest green and softens at Mina's tears. "Sweet Mina. Do not cry." Lucy kisses her forehead.

Sister Agatha smiles with too much teeth, her thin lips turning into a sneer. "How touching. Might I remind you why I called you in Doktor? It certainly wasn't to coddle Mina."

Lucy looks in Mina's eyes before glancing up at Van Helsing. "Pardon me then Sister. My memory must be fading, care to remind me?"

"Your task was to provide care to Jonathan Harker and rectify him of his illness." Agatha says illness with heavy emphasis, implying she meant his undead nature.

"Forgive me Van Helsing, but I had no notion that my services would extend to pregnancy care. I can only do so much," Lucy raises an eyebrow. "I am not a god."

Sister Agatha laughs, a shrill noise that grates on Lucy's ears. "No, of course not. You are just a vampire who doesn't follow the convention rules set for them." 

Lucy looks at her with wide eyes. "What do you-?"

"Please Doktor, from you being able to stand in direct sunlight to touching crosses, I would have never believed you to be a vampire if not for your teeth and alluring nature. So tell me, are you a special case or is there something Dracula doesn't know?"

Lucy takes a deep breath through her nose and runs a hand through her hair, ruining her carefully curled bang. A raised scar that was hidden on the left side of her face is revealed for a split second before Lucy arranges the hair back. "It isn't about me now Sister. My time as his bride is done. Dracula believes Jonathan to be dead, but if he finds out that Jonathan is carrying… Then there won't be any place we can run."

Mina peers up at Lucy. "Why’s that?"

"Vampires are fiercely protective of those they call mates. We are inherently lonely creatures, being a sin against nature. So when we choose mates we must pick carefully. There is a great risk in giving the mate immortality, so it is a gift that isn't to be taken lightly. Now combine that with offspring produced from the two. A rarity that is revered in the vampiric society." 

Lucy glares at the Van Helsing. "That man in there is carrying Dracula's offspring. You don't think that he will come looking for him? You would be better off giving the boy to Dracula and spare everyone the trouble."

"No! We can't!" Mina cries out. "We owe Jonathan that much at least. We can't just abandon him to-to that demon!"

Lucy shushes Mina. "Peace Mina. My main concern is you. You know that I would never put you in a situation that would threaten your life. If you stay, it is a high possibility that Dracula will end your life." 

Mina breaks away from her friend with a frown. "It doesn't only matter about me Lucy! There are living people here who deserve the chance to live and thrive, like Jonathan who deserves a chance to live his life," Mina closes her eyes. "You can't keep protecting only me Lucille! You're a doctor, fucking act like one! Save some goddamn lives!" 

Lucy's eyes widen and she takes a step back from Mina. The blonde's face was set with determination, her blue eyes firm like a stone wall.  If Lucy's heart could still beat, it would be pounding in her chest. Seeing Mina like this truly awoke her instincts to claim the fair skinned woman as hers. That unflappable power, that unwavering strength, it made Lucy's damned soul croon for more. 

While Lucy's internal monologue wrote sonnets for the mortal woman, on the outside it appeared as though Lucy was impassive to her friend's outburst. Mina's face flushes a sweet pink as her senses finally come back to her. "Lucy, I'm so-" The original bride of Dracula holds up a hand.

Lucille Westenra, once known as The German Exarch of Death and the Original Bride of Dracula, bows before Mina with a lowered head. Mina yeeps and tries to stop Lucy from kneeling on the soot covered floors by grabbing her arm. Lucy clasps Mina's smaller hands in hers. "Forgive me Wilhelmina. It seems that even I can still display many faults." Lucy raises and looks at Sister Agatha. 

Lucy rises back to her feet and releases her grip on Mina. Mina's breath catches as she gazes upon Lucy. Under the dim light of the church's candles, it wasn't hard to see how so many people fell for Lucy's charms. The woman was truly unearthly with her beauty. Lucy meets her eyes for a split second. Mina feels her lips curl into a tiny smile. That was her Lucy. 

"I will take on Jonathan Harker as my patient. I swear on my damned soul and my credibility as a supernatural doctor that Jonathan Harker will survive this and become a mortal man once more." Lucy slices open her palm and holds it out to the sister.

The blood, now a deep red that bleeds sluggishly, travels down Lucy's melanated palm. "A blood pact? You just keep ruining any basic knowledge I have on you all." Sister Agatha raises a thin eyebrow and retrieves a small dagger from her robes. 

Lucy nudges her hand towards Agatha without a word. Agatha tilts her head with a predatory look in her eyes. "I want to know how you exist, Lucille Westenra. If you can tell me this, I will aid you in your endeavor. With this, I swear to fulfil my promise if you can say the same for yours." Without flinching she cuts her hand deeply and passes the dagger to Mina. 

Mina glances at Lucy who gives her a reassuring nod. "I want to make sure that even if I am not in Jonathan's life, he will have an opportunity to be happy. He deserves it." Gathering her spirit Mina slices the soft flesh of her left hand and holds it skyward. 

"With this blood pact, I bind thee." Lucy begins.

"With this blood pact, I bind thee." The two sisters repeat.

"Let neither Heaven nor Hell distract thee from this pact. Till the universe damns thy soul, I will fulfill thy pact." The sisters mutter the words, an uncomfortable tugging beginning in their chests. 

Lucy joins all of their palms together, letting the blood of the alive sisters and the undead mix. “This may be uncomfortable.” Lucy murmurs.

The trio gasps as their blood seeps into the other's wounds. Memories flood through them, leading them all to collectively flinch. Before them, the blood combines into three gleaming ruby-red gemstones. Each gemstone was proof of the blood pact and a sign that things would never be the same. Lucy is the first to break from her blood trance, her eyes an erie glowing yellow. Her breath comes out in heavy pants and her palm begins to knit the skin back together. She grabs the floating gemstones and presses them into the hands of the sisters. The two snap back to reality as the gemstones touch their palms. They all lock eyes and feel the connection running through their chests. Lucy gazes upon her partners with gleaming eyes.

"Now, we are blooded."

✪✬✮✬✪

A blood pact. 

(Yup.)

A blood pact.

(Uh-huh.)

Ana.

(Yes?)

Blood pacts last past the point of death if they aren't fulfilled. They can CAUSE death if they aren't fulfilled.

(Good thing Lucy wasn't of the mortal realm then.)

Ana!

(What? They chose to save Jonathan, they knew the consequences. Everyone there knew the seriousness of a blood pact. Hell, you and I knew that a blood pact was more binding than a  fucking pinky promise!)

You can't just tell them how to make a blood pact! That's ancient magics!

(Little Flower, they deserve to know the whole truth.)

Daciana…

(Look at it this way, they now know how serious a blood pact is even in this day and age.)

That's fucked and you know it Daciana! We agreed on how much we should tell them! 

(Little Flower, don't leave. Florence! Come back.)

Slam!

( Ah, she's gone. Maybe it is best we stop for today. Florence seems like she's having a moment.)

…

(Yea, she'll be okay. This is just a turning point in the story. A story such as this should never be told in halves.)

✪✬✮✬✪

Dracula watches as the sun finally sets behind the mountains, it's rays turning the sky into a beautiful ombre. The town's folk begin their trek back to their homes, the smell of home cooked food wafting in the wind. Dracula exhales and takes a long drag of his pipe. "Why the long face?" 

Dracula taps his pipe and blows out a cloud of smoke. "What do you want Eszter?"

The youngest bride strolls towards her husband with a gleam in her eyes. "I can't worry about you? I am your wife after all." She puckers her lips. “At least one of them.”

Eszter shakes her head and continues forward. She reaches the vampire king and rubs a hand over Dracula's tense shoulders. The vampire leans into her hands with a quiet hum. "If this is about Harker-" Eszter hushes him.

"The sister brides and I have created a solution to your problem." Eszter kisses Dracula's neck. "About wanting progeny, you know."

The head vampire turns around to look at the undead woman. Eszter only grabs his pipe and takes a long drag from it, her smile smug. "Truly?"

She nods and plants a kiss on his shoulder. "Chiyo came up with the idea. Majaa was the one who created the serum."

Dracula allows her to slowly unbutton his shirt. "And your role in this?"

Eszter tosses the gaudy shirt away and gently moans as Dracula runs his tongue over her exposed neck, right over her neck scars. She leans into her husband, her arousal present in her eyes. 

"Shall I show you?"