Nature or Nurture Ch. 28-30

'Where did he get you, what hurts?' It does seem unfair it's always Vincent who gets hit.

'I'm afraid it's the chest again, and my left leg feels painful.'

Adison checks both and applies a bandage to stop excessive bleeding, then clears up her stuff and helps Vincent into the carriage.

She calls out to the driver.

'Mister, are the horses able to go on to the inn? And can you get them past that?'

She points at the body of the monster lying across part of the road.

'No problem to both questions, Miss. Is the master all right?'

'He is wounded and needs further attention, but it can wait until we reach the inn, with clean water and light and a bed. Will you lead the horses past the carcass?'

'Won't get them past it otherwise, Miss Adison. You step into the carriage with the master and take care of him, I'll get us to the inn.'

He really seems to care what happens to Vincent, and she says, 'Thank you, I will.'

Very soon they are indeed well on their way to their destination, and now both of them realize what has happened.

'Vincent, you killed a huge monster on your own. Even Bruce would have had trouble with that. You are an even better fighter than I realized. Were you scared?'

He laughs, wounds forgotten, giddy with a feeling of triumph.

'Yes I was, for a second, and then I fell into a fighting stance and I became totally quiet and confident.'

'I saw that, you just let him attack you. Your moves were stunning, you seemed to fly.' Adison's voice reflects her admiration.

'I can hardly believe it myself, it felt as if I was in a play, not as if it was really happening, everything seemed to slow down.

When I got hit it didn't even hurt, I just got up and delivered the final blow. I split that thing's skull in two, Adison, with one blow.

I must be very strong indeed, stronger than any of us realized.'

Adison wraps her arms around him and shudders with the memory.

'I was scared, though, that huge thing and you on your own, I'm glad it's over, and I'll be even gladder when I've seen how bad your wounds are and when I've treated them.'

He kisses her eagerly.

'But until then, you can hold me and kiss me, and tell me how brave I was.'

And so she does, and within an hour they reach their destination, the only inn in Gimmerton.

Their arrival causes quite a stir, theirs is the first carriage to arrive at night for at least a month, and the appearance of Vincent covered in blood proves that something dangerous really is out there. They have made a deal with Neil, he will enjoy a few beers in the tap room, telling their tale to everyone that wants to hear about the attack of the gytrash and its demise, whilst Adison and Vincent, or Heathcliff as he is known here, will get cleaned up and his wounds treated.

The inn has a bathhouse, so they make use of that first, cleaning up carefully and soaking some of the tension out of Vincent's muscles.

Then they retreat to their own room where Adison checks him over minutely, treating two or three major slashes and a bite mark.

He is also bruised quite extensively, but that is more his usual state than exceptional.

Adison decides to stitch the three slashes, knowing how careless he is with wounds.

Then some Chinese herbal treatment to speed up healing and prevent infection, and they are ready to dress for supper, which they take in the taproom to give the people the sensation they want.

After such a fight, sleep will be slow to come anyway, and this will make Vincent look good with little Catherine's adoptive family.

After supper they arrange to have a boy sent to Mrs Kent the next morning, hoping she will agree to see them.

Then Vincent sits back with a complimentary drink from the landlord, and he answers a load of questions from the inn staff, about the gytrash and how he killed it all by himself.

They all call him Mr Heathcliff, and treat him with the greatest respect.

Adison overhears some maids wondering how such a friendly looking man could be a dangerous fighter.

She can imagine their doubt, sitting there telling stories Vincent is much more the actor than the born fighter, it reminds her that Vincent has been on the stage every night for months, excepting the last few days.

Maybe he misses his audience and has agreed to tell his story himself to have one.

After his public appearance they retire to their room to get some sleep, but lying in the soft warm bed together they take some time for each other first.

Vincent holds Adison close, strokes her hair and her face, and her female curves, kissing every part of her, whispering, 'I'm so very glad to have you by my side, I want you with me always.'

She relishes the attention, but still teases him a little.

'And here I thought you preferred an audience to my company.'

He looks at her, yellow eyes still hungry, lifts an eyebrow and observes, 'I'd rather have a theatre filled with people watching a role I play than those few admiring my person.

You make me feel real, you know the real me and keep his feet on the ground when he needs it.'

She moves on top of him and kisses him passionately, stroking his beardless face, and his broad chest, glad to finally have some time together.

They cuddle some more, then make love quietly, and fall asleep with their bodies tangled together.

The next morning they sleep late, and go to the tap room for their breakfast.

The boy has been sent with their message, and he doesn't just bring a positive reply, he brings Mrs Kent back with him.

Mrs Nelly Kent, formerly Miss Nelly Dean, is a middle-aged lady of about forty, not too short or too tall, neither fat nor skinny, with clothes chosen for practicality rather than fashion, and hands well-used to hard work.

She looks a bit suspiciously at Adison, but when she sees Vincent her expression changes to a combination of joy and shock.

She clearly recognizes him, but is struck by the changes in him.

Studying his features as freely as someone might who has seen one grow up from a child, she takes both his hands and addresses him.

'Heathcliff my boy, they said you were most likely dead. And you must have come close, look at you. You were as dark as a gypsy, the things you must have seen to lose all your colour like that!'

Adison finds that an interesting explanation for his loss of skin pigment, the maid also thought he must have scared himself white.

Nelly is now crying openly, she must have thought a lot of him as a boy. Vincent of course doesn't remember her at all, but he can recognize her genuine attachment, and he says, 'You are totally right, dear Nelly, I've been though a lot. I've lost a lot of memories after receiving a very severe wound to the head.

Please let me introduce my fiancée Adison, she is a doctor and she has brought me back from the brink of death.'

Adison and Nelly shake hands, and she can feel Nelly sizing her up.

Vincent continues, 'I had been living with her for nearly a year before I started to get some memories back from my past. It is only three days ago that I remembered the night of Catherine's death and little Catherine's birth.'

Part of the suspicion is back in Nelly's demeanour.

'You didn't want the baby when she was born.'

Vincent says, 'I relived that horrible night two nights ago, and I was nearly as mad as Cathy was just before she died. I totally lost it after she left me.

I would have been a terrible father. The loss of memory and the year with Adison have made me a different person. I've mastered my violent temperament and found a career that keeps me occupied and challenged.'

'And a very stable young woman who loves you deeply, apparently,' Nelly adds.

'And someone I love and who loves me, not possessively, but in freedom,' Vincent acknowledges. Nelly nods. 'Well, she is your child, and I see you're much quieter and yes, also happier than you used to be.

I deem you can give her the home she needs. Do you have children already?'

This question is directed at Adison.

'No, we haven't,' she replies, 'but I have always hoped we would have them some day.'

Now, Nelly says in a near whisper, 'There are two things I have to tell you before you finally decide to take her home with you.

The first is, Catherine is a very strong willed child, even at her tender age. She is not even two years old, but she already has tantrums like her mum used to have.

My husband has raised six children, and he has little patience with her sensitive nature, none of his get ever behaved like that and he finds it difficult to cope with her.

I see her parents reflected in her, so I know how to deal with her, but I foresee great difficulties between the two of them, worsening a little each year. I do not want to choose between my husband and this child I have come to love as much as I did you and Catherine, so in a way I'm glad you've come for her.

You can handle her, and seeing what Miss Adison has accomplished with you, I'm certain she can do even better. You were never as composed as you are now, you seem tranquil, even happy. I want that for little Catherine.

Then there is the second thing I need to warn you about. Someone else wants your daughter, very much so.

A few weeks ago an unknown man visited us, asking to take little Catherine with him. He promised to make her an important person, rich, with many servants and pretty things.

We didn't like the man, and our dogs didn't either. Catherine wasn't to be seen for as long as he visited. We told him no of course and that made him angry, though he hid it well.

Since that visit, we all have the feeling our farm is being watched, we see men about that don't live in this neighbourhood.

We dare not go out alone or after dark, we lock up our livestock at night, we have had locks installed on our doors.

Since that visit, we live in fear, and my husband and I have come to the conclusion that as long as little Catherine is with us, we're all in danger.

If you take her with you, you will be in danger too. '

Vincent and Adison now look at each other seriously, and Adison nods encouragement at Vincent. He lays an arm on Nelly's shoulder and says: 'You have confirmed our suspicion, Nelly, that something is after Catherine.

We can defend her and ourselves against it, which is why we started planning this journey the night I remembered her being born. Have you heard about the gytrash?'

Nelly seems relieved to hear they believe her suspicions.

'I've heard you slew a gytrash all by yourself on your way out here. You mean to say that is true?'

Vincent looks at her seriously, and with great confidence says, 'It is true Nelly, I have fought that thing and killed it. We think it may have been sent by the same person who wants Catherine, to terrorise the countryside so everyone stays inside, to wear down your resistance so you let her go.'

Now, Nelly starts to look afraid.

'I think you'd better come back with me and take her with you straight away.

We're being watched, and your enemy will know the gytrash is dead. My family may be in danger.'

This is not exaggerated, and Vincent and Adison spring into action, arming themselves, loading their guns, Adison slinging a small version of her doctor's bag on her back.

They leave the room to look for Neil, their driver, and find him in the tap room.

Vincent asks him, 'Can I convince you to join us in a rescue mission, Neil? My daughter and this lady's family may be in danger.'

'Sure thing, sir, please wait until I've fetched my weapons.'

And he's off, and back again in a minute.

Together they follow Nelly to her farm, setting a stiff pace, scanning the fields carefully for ambushes. Soon they near the farm, and they can hear the disturbing sounds of fighting.

Nelly still leads them, and observes, 'We can still run towards the farm, it's behind that little brush, we have cover until we're in view of what is happening.'

So they run for it, weapons ready, all sides of their little group covered.

When they come into view of the farm, they can see a man and three large boys, armed with pitchforks and a scythe, fighting off eight burly men armed with clubs and staffs.

Nelly calls out, 'Peter, it's me, these people are friends!'

At her yell, the burly men turn, and four split off the group to attack them.

Despite seeing the guns pointed at them, and two men carrying sabres as if they know how to use them, they continue their attack, though they don't stand a chance against a person carrying a gun. This worries Adison, and she yells, 'Don't shoot or kill them, they are most likely possessed.

Try to stun them.'

Vincent understands immediately, tucks his gun in his belt, and closes with two of the men, taking one down with a well-aimed strike to the neck, the second one with a high kick.

Adison rushes towards the stricken men, making sure they're out.

Faster than lightning, Vincent takes out a third, while Neil hits the fourth over the head with the butt-end of his gun.

They are not good fighters.

Now moving on to the four still attacking the farmer and his sons, they try to prevent hurt to both sets of men, Vincent again striking one and kicking another, both dropping like stones.

The farmer, encouraged by the arrival of help, has his man down, and just as Neil arrives to aid the youngest son, the boy manages to floor his burly opponent.

The downed men seem dazed, not realizing what is happening, until Adison motions Vincent to hold the one who had been attacking the youngest son. She takes his head in both her hands, whispers her unintelligible sentence, and kisses his forehead.

The man looks up at her and says, 'Who are you, lady, and what am I doing here?'

He looks around in fear and wonder. 'And what happened to my brother, why is he on the ground?'

Chapter 30

The farmer and Nelly look at him and at Adison in awe and a bit of fear, until Vincent tells them, 'Adison is a doctor, but she can also break spells.

These men were farmers, like you, until someone spelled them to watch you and attack you. She will free the rest, so please don't hurt them.

Neil, will you go with Mrs Kent to check on her daughters and on my little girl?'

Nelly and Neil are off inside the house, the farmer and his sons stand around, watching Adison give each man the same treatment.

After four, she slows down a little.

After six, she starts to look really tired.

Vincent objects to her continuing.

'Adison, you look really tired, maybe you should rest a little before you do the last two.'

'I'll need a full day to recover, dearest, I'd rather do these two as well then have it over with.'

Vincent doesn't like it, but this is her part in what is happening, and it needs to be done, so he stands beside her, supporting her.

The last two are still unconscious, so she sits down next to one and treats him, slow to get up afterwards.

'Only one more,' she says shakily, as Vincent nearly carries her to the last man.

The largest son lifts that one up, making it easier to take hold of him.

'Thank you,' Adison says, then she treats the last man and leans on Vincent's arm, drained.

Eight men are standing dazedly in front of the Kent farm, with no idea how they ended up there, farmer Kent and his three sons keeping a suspicious eye on them.

Adison is still leaning heavily on Vincent's arm as Nelly and Neil come out of the farmhouse with three large girls and one small one behind them.

But Nelly is clearly used to running a large household, for she soon has everyone running. 'Heathcliff, you sit down on the porch with your fiancée, whatever happened to you Adison, did you faint?

Catherine, this is your father, Heathcliff, and his fiancée, Miss Adison, say hello to them.

Neil, are you sure everything is safe now?

Carl and John, you run to the bailiff's to help get these men to their homes, Peter, this is Heathcliff, whom I have often told you about, he's Catherine's dad.

Sebastian, come here.'

With this, she hugs her youngest stepson, who is clearly starting to realize what has happened. He has downed a man in a fight, a real fight, and he is not ashamed to find solace with his stepmum. 'We all need some tea, girls, please put the kettle on, and we'll follow you inside.'

Cramped together on the little porch seat, Vincent and Adison see a raven haired toddler approach them fearlessly, not at all struck by Vincent's different looks as most adults usually are at first. Vincent is amazed by her resemblance of course to the baby she was in his dream two nights ago, but also to her mother, whose features he has come to know well over the last few weeks.

His shock of recognition is clearly visible, and Nelly, who is watching their first meeting anxiously, obviously values him for it.

Adison is by no means recovered from the intense strain of releasing so many men from an evil spell, and her tiredness makes her a little giddy. She cannot help being bespelled by the little girl's beautiful features, and her beautiful black wavy hair.

Leaning forward to touch it, the little girl doesn't shy from her, but rather invites her to pick her up and cuddle her.

Adison barely manages, and soon they look like an ideal family on the porch seat, a blond woman with a raven haired child in her arms, sitting against a raven haired man looking at the two in adoration.

Comparing this picture to the Heathcliff and Catherine she knew, Nelly feels less afraid already for the child's future.

The ferocious whirlwind she just saw put six men out of action without even raising a sweat, is a reminder of the iron core inside the man she once loved like a son, but the calm presence now doting on the picture his fiancée and daughter make together promises even more.

Safety and love, that is what Nelly feels a child needs to grow up happily, and little Catherine now has every chance to find it with her father.

Turning away from the happy scene, Nelly leaves the three by themselves.

Peter Kent, still confused at what has just happened, and how this will affect his family, awaits the bailiff with his youngest son and the eight confused men, and Nelly and her daughters set a good table for the last lunch with their adoptive daughter.

Neil declines an invitation to stay for lunch, he heads for the inn to keep an eye on the carriage and the horses, planning to exercise them to prepare for the return journey.

Meanwhile, Adison is fighting sleep, taking the spells off those men has taken a lot out of her and she could really use a nap about now.

At her side, Vincent notices her fighting sleep, and he asks, 'Are you tired? Why don't you lie down on my lap for a moment and grab some sleep, I want to stay here and keep an eye out anyway, until those men have been moved at least.

Little Catherine seems to have had the same idea.'

Lifting her head carefully, Adison looks at the pretty girl in her lap, and she has indeed closed her eyes, lying in one of those boneless postures that only toddlers can sleep in.

Her heart melts, seeing the girl so trusting with her and with Vincent, whom most people look at at least twice, with his yellow eyes and pale face.

She slowly moves a tiny bit and lies down in Vincent's lap, feeling very comfortable and very safe, and closes her eyes. Soon, she is fast asleep, trusting her love to wake her if something important happens.

Meanwhile, seeing the love of his life sleeping in his lap, with the baby version of the love of his dreams in her arms, moves Vincent more than anything has ever before.

He has known strong love in this life already, and he remembers a really potent love from his former life, but the love one feels for a helpless child is totally different.