Most of them stay dead...

Part 8

She had to do this, she had to regain focus and distance. All she had to show for her life was her career and reputation, it was too late to try and change things now. She only had a few months left and Zoe Van Helsing would not allow her family legacy to falter with her...the weak link in the chain. Her father had been so proud, when she had succeeded him to run the foundation, that was the family Zoe had to focus on, not this echo of a dead woman who wore her face.

"Zoe..."

"Dr Helsing."

Agatha couldn't reconcile this iceberg of a woman, with the one, who only a few hours earlier laughed at her blushes. Stepping forward, it was a natural impulse to try and reach out to her; Agatha had always been a tactile person. She didn't even consider the consequences, as her hand crossed the divide from shadow into light, her focus was on Zoe, on reaching Zoe.

"No!"

Yelping in surprise Agatha found herself dragged back into the shadow. Dracula's arms were like locked iron around her waist, pulling her back until she was pressed tightly to him, her back to his chest, as he walked them back.

"Crazy...stupid...woman..." Dracula hissed through his fangs, his more monstrous aspect prevalent, drawn out by his fight or flight reaction. "Never do that again!"

Zoe by contrast didn't even blink. It was if Agatha damaging herself didn't even matter, and that hurt far deeper than anything else, Agatha couldn't even feel any pain from her hand. Instead Zoe indicated for her two colleagues, to remove the remains of the table and chair from their cage. She would have taken the ipad back too, only that was very much in the vampire side of the cage, and Zoe doubted that even with cancerous blood, that she would be safe in the shadows any longer...not if the way Dracula was growling at her was any indication. No he looked like he wanted to snap her neck right about now.

"Zoe please..." Agatha called out again, trying one last time to reach her niece.

"Dr Helsing." Zoe reminded her subjects, before turning to leave.

Dr Bloxham had been right, Zoe had been damn lucky the board hadn't found out, how close she had come to being compromised. Even now as she walked away, her clinical mask firmly in place, inside she could feel what remained of her heart break a little. It had been wonderful whilst it lasted, the connection she had thought she felt with Agatha, a feeling Zoe hadn't felt since her father passed away. Being known and understood and accepted...kindred spirits...but that sort of connection only existed in children's novels.

Biting her lip Agatha tasted her own blood. She was not a woman prone to emotional outbursts. Always the one in control, her joy and pain tightly controlled, and yet she still felt them. It was ridiculous that now she was dead she was losing control over her feelings.

"She's not worth it."

Dracula's voice was soft in her ear and Agatha turned her face away, rejecting his comfort. She was used to looking after herself, never letting anyone in that close. Just the solid weight of him at her back, was making it harder to retain her composure; finally having the option of a shoulder to cry on, it seemed made crying more likely.

"Let me go."

"I am not going to let you do anything stupid." Dracula insisted, his gaze drawn to the rest of their cell which was still cast in sunlight.

"Please...Please let me go." Agatha pleaded, hearing Dracula sigh against her neck. In all their time together, Agatha had demanded, commanded and heckled him, she had never asked him for anything, and Dracula found he didn't have it in him to refuse her.

"If you set so much as foot towards..."

"I won't. I promise."

"Well your word is more than good enough, for me at least." Dracula added bitterly, as he released her reluctantly.