Nature or Nurture Ch. 51-56

The voice from the statue is very forceful, but not very agile, it has a limited sense of melody, and Jakob's is not only very articulate and very melodic, it even seems to have a second and third voice in it, a beautiful harmony that is starting to gain the upper hand in this battle.

A stirring at his side warns him that Sir Malcolm is about to do something foolish, Sembene does look in trouble now, this process is straining him beyond what he has probably been through ever before, but he is holding firm, and Sir Malcolm cannot help him anyway. So Victor touches the man beside him, to snap him out of his bemusement, and it works. His father-in-law shakes his head as if to clear it, and he settles back into watchfulness.

Then suddenly, the doll can no longer hold the strain and collapses into itself. The voice is silenced, and only Jakob's continues its chant, milder now, slowly fading away. When it stops, Sembene catches Jakob's form in his strong hands, and he carries him straight to Lukas. He may be new in this group, but he already knows the drill perfectly. Victor hopes that none of Jakob's circle are suffering too much from the strain of this banishment.

Lukas doesn't smile as his father-in-law is taken to him out cold. That is probably something that doesn't happen all too often, Jakob is obviously a powerful mage. Still, Lukas touches his cheeks, and as the older man opens his eyes and straightens his body, he does get a little kiss as well as a load of magic power.

Jakob smiles and returns the favour, two chaste kisses on the cheek, but Lukas beams at having revived his father-in-law, and gotten his love in return. They hug once more, and Jakob hugs Sembene as tightly as he did Lukas.

'I could not have done that without you, my friend. You're as solid as a rock. Thank you so much.'

Then he addresses Sir Malcolm, fatigue still colouring his voice.

'Your lady wife should be safe once more, she may have experienced some distress during the banishment, though. Better send someone to check on her. And I'm going to send someone to check on the members of my circle, they may need help, too. I may be leaving rather suddenly if that is the case.'

He blanks out for a shade, then his face clears in relief.

'They're fine, thanks to your wife's herb-skills, I may add.'

That last of course for George, who smiles in acknowledgement.

'A small enough token of our appreciation for what you did today, Jakob, you and your friends. We could not have done this ourselves, lives would have been lost for sure.'

Jakob accepts that compliment as graciously.

'Things have improved immensely since we started to work together more. We all benefit.'

Now Lukas says out loud, 'Shall we leave this horrid place to the watch?'

They all agree, and file out towards the endless hall, glad this place will probably levelled totally, destroying any chance of something like this happening again in this house. Just before they leave the house, Lukas proposes, 'Shall we try to forget what we saw here by going to a dance? Celebrate life?'

Jakob declines, he is probably going to check on all his friends anyway, and Sembene admits he is pretty tired. Mr Telling will go to the hospital to make sure the rescued people are well taken care of, and Sir Malcolm says, 'I'm going to visit my wife immediately. It will take me a day to get there, but that cannot be helped. I need to know she's fine, and I need to find out who the traitor in her household is. Expect me to return in three days, Vanessa.'

Vanessa acknowledges her friend's message, and then expresses her interest in the dance, and she looks at Mr Chandler, who agrees wholeheartedly.

'Great, we'll have our dance anyway.'

Lukas, Melissa and Paul do this regularly, and they really want them to come, and since Catherine is safely in bed at George's manor, they decide to just do it. For this was a real nightmare, and they can use some entertainment right now. George promises to tell Catherine they're safe, if she's still up.

Adison urges him to tell her no matter what, 'If she's already in bed, better check on her, she may be lying awake, brooding, she's not like other children her age.'

'I will, she will be fine, don't worry. Go have some fun.'

'Don't you want to come, George?' Lukas asks.

'I will come some other time, tonight I have a lady guest, and she will be anxious to hear how her parents are doing. And I suppose Tristan will drop by later, to discuss this incident and how we can prevent it from ever happening again.'

Somehow, that doesn't surprise Adison, she suspects those two men protect the interests of talented people in London, and it won't surprise her either if master Man will soon be involved as well. But with both of them in the house, Catherine will be perfectly safe, and Adison has a feeling George is the perfect host. Time to go have some fun.

Since neither of them is dressed to go out, they decide to change, then meet up at Paul's house and go to the dance together. But when they arrive, Vanessa and Ethan of course have no bicycle to go to the dance hall, and Sir Malcolm has taken the carriage to visit his wife. Vincent offers to take Adison on his own bicycle, and with a little trouble Adison can use the extra saddle. It is not very comfortable, but it is not far.

Lukas offers to run, to him their cycling pace apparently is no more than a fast walk, so when they leave for the hall, Vanessa and Ethan are using a bicycle for their first time ever. It is not very difficult, despite Adison's bicycle being a bit too small for Vanessa, and they appreciate the challenge and enjoy the ride very much.

They padlock all their vehicles together, then go in, already in an excellent mood. Ethan admits he has never danced, and had Vanessa explain the steps to him just after changing, and the speed of the dancing clearly intimidates him.

'No matter,' Paul says, 'it's very fast, but not difficult, and if you find yourself struggling, dance with Melissa the first few rounds, she does this often and can lead you through the steps until you know them.

That reminds me, if you dance with someone and they offer you to skip a round together, they actually want to take you to a private room and, well, you know, do other things. Make love, frankly. Just so you know.'

This is getting more and more exciting, skipping rounds, imagine. Adison can't wait to start, and neither can her friends.

Chapter 54

They don't even wait until the current dance has come to a halt, Vincent leads Adison to the floor immediately, the same lightning speed as that night in the basement, and it is indeed very exhilarating, skipping and hopping, turning and twisting to the music, the steps simple at first, but as they get used to the speed they add variations they see the couples around them dance.

It is like heaven, dancing with Vincent in his best clothes, he is such a striking figure, Adison has always thought him staggeringly beautiful, his strength, his speed, his scent, and suddenly she understands why people would want to skip a round, this is actually very enticing!

After two rounds, they decide to take a short break to catch their breath, and from their table they can see their friends on the dance-floor. Mina and Victor are enjoying themselves hugely, Victor leading but undoubtedly enjoying Mina's speed as much as Adison appreciates Vincent's. Lukas, dancing with a lady they don't know, a tiny blonde, they seem to be flying indeed, he is very good at this.

Paul is dancing with Vanessa, that is a surprise! They make a very beautiful couple, but they are not a natural match, that much is obvious. They're both too reticent to really become one. The reason why they are dancing together soon becomes clear, Melissa is dancing with Ethan, he must be struggling with the speed, the steps are so easy no-one could have trouble with them. Melissa is leading, and they are certainly having fun, he is not doing at all badly, they've probably been busy the last two dances, and he is already close to being able to lead.

The floor is busy with all kinds of people, and they are all joking and laughing, this is quite a neat place to go to have fun.

'Let's go again,' Vincent urges, he's having a good time, too, and she takes the offered hand and follows him to the floor. They dance another two rounds, then crash into their chairs with their heads spinning.

Mina and Victor join them, and they can see Vanessa dancing with Ethan now, and Paul with Melissa. That is a much better combination, those two couples are clearly meant for each other. Lukas joins them, and gazes at his friends with intense love.

'Aren't they the most beautiful people in the world?'

Then with a grin, 'And they're all mine. Though I can't dance with Paul on these occasions. Too bad, dancing with a guy is great fun, they're really fast. Of course they do try to lead all the time.

One of you ladies up for a dance with the true master?'

He says it with real humour, but it must be true, for just outside their little circle several ladies are trying to be unobtrusive, waiting for him to get back on the floor, undoubtedly hoping he'll choose one of them. Adison accepts.

'I'm game, but first I want to know why those ladies are hovering over you at a respectable distance.'

With a laugh, Lukas replies, 'They're the regulars, they come here without a partner, and dance with the regulars among the men, and sometimes with partnered men who like to dance with someone else. Suppose we dance together, then one of them will snap up your guy in a second, for they've already seen he is very fast, and can vary steps. They'll try to get him to skip a round, too. Want to see? Let's go.'

And he takes her hand and leads her to the dance floor and indeed, the second they leave the circle, Vincent is invited to dance by a gorgeous woman with raven black hair, like his own. Adison has no time to be jealous, or see how they dance, for Lukas is spinning her even before they hit the floor. The next two rounds are incredible, so fast, but led so gently and still firmly, she feels like she's flying. Lukas is the true master of this dance, he is so incredibly good, Adison can understand why ladies hover in his vicinity. When they take a short break she thanks him for the experience, and he smiles at her like that again. She cannot help it, she just has to kiss him, and he knows it and answers it with relish.

'It's kind of stimulating, isn't it? The first time I went to a dance, I did skip rounds, but it didn't feel right. I only share love with people I really like, now. Well, mostly.

I'm going to see whether Melissa is in for a little dance by now, she's very good, too, we do this often. Bye now!'

And he's off, back to the floor, and indeed, Melissa is already waiting for him, and they fly off on the music. Vincent is with a blonde girl now, oh, it's Mina actually, and they're making a grand show of it. He is very fast indeed, and very good, they are a great match in all respects, she is so athletic. But where's Victor then?

This is fun, but rather chaotic as well, she finally spots him with the black-haired regular. Then Adison finds herself addressed by Paul, who offers her a dance, and of course she accepts the offer, he's a very good friend by now, and she bets they make a better match than him and Vanessa.

And they do, he is a superb dancer, and he is someone she'd like to talk with while they're dancing, but that is impossible, this is going way too fast.

After one dance, Vincent claims her again, and Paul has a go with Mina. This is great fun, she's starting to feel really giddy by now, but after months of suspense that is actually quite a good feeling.

'Let's just watch for a while,' she proposes, 'I'm getting really dizzy.'

Vincent agrees, 'Me too, this is hard work.'

But he says it with a big smile from ear to ear.

Victor is dancing with Vanessa, they certainly have good chemistry, that used to be otherwise, but the last weeks have brought the four of them closer to her. And Ethan, who had never danced before this evening, is dancing with one of the regulars! That must have something to do with his ravishing looks, but, he is actually dancing quite well by now.

Enjoying watching the dance a lot, Adison wants to stay at the side a little longer, and Vincent dances a round with Melissa, with Victor, Mina, and herself watching.

'She is beautiful,' Mina sighs, 'look at the colour of her hair.'

Victor adds, 'And look at her figure in a dress, I didn't even realize she had any. Dresses I mean, there is no way to avoid knowing she has a figure. She knows how beautiful she truly is, or she wouldn't have a dress like that, it really brings out every curve of her body.'

Both Mina and Adison look at Victor in surprise at his musings over another woman, and he looks at them and says indignantly, 'Can't a guy look at a woman as he would look at a beautiful work of art? I could watch her all day, but that doesn't mean I desire her.'

'And even if you did, Victor,' Mina says, 'you're not my property. You'd have to stand in line, though, I can see at least three men who are at this moment wondering why she is dancing with a guy they don't know who is not themselves.'

They all scan the crowd, and indeed, a lot of jealous looks are thrown Vincent's way.

'It seems as if everyone knows who belongs to whom here, and how good a dancer they are, and how big the chances are they'll skip a round.'

Victor cannot keep a bit of judgement out of his voice, and from behind them Lukas' voice answers. 'And that is exactly why I love this place. I can study human behaviour all night long.'

'I haven't seen you skip one single dance to study anything so far, Lukas,' Mina observes, 'so why start now? Better teach me how to fly.'

And they are off to the dance-floor.

'Let's watch them half a dance, then join them, Adison,' Victor offers.

'Deal,' Adison says, 'I would hate to miss out on seeing that.'

And they both watch what must make all the regulars green-eyed with envy, for Mina is the only woman who can truly do justice to Lukas' real level of skill. This is just incredible to watch, and judging from the reactions of the other dancers not something they have ever seen either. Half a dance is just not enough, they keep watching the two fly and skip and turn until even watching them is enough to make a person dizzy. Then they watch the other people watching the couple fly, until that dance is finished, and they move to the dance-floor to have a go themselves.

Dancing with Victor is fine, except Adison would rather dance with him slowly, intimately, somehow he is not her choice to dance fast with. She met him at the same time she met Vincent, and both men have been an irrevocable part of her life since then. She always gets reflections like these when she is doing something intimate with him, and they are very disconcerting when moving at this speed! Better dance with him at Mr Grey's ball, and have time to process those inescapable musings, and enjoy the feel of him, and his scent, as familiar to her as Vincent's, though admittedly, less exciting.

Still, they manage quite well, and dance the two rounds after which Adison generally wants a little break to find her centre of gravity once more. See, now she wants to ask Victor why he thinks spinning makes a person dizzy, but she cannot, they're just moving too fast. Better take a break to ask him.

Somehow the table where Adison and Victor sit talking starts to fill up slowly with ever more friends. First Melissa joins them, she's pregnant of course, and it's starting to show, it's a miracle she can keep up this speed for such a long time. They include her in their discussion, and she has some interesting insights from the many cases she has treated with Lukas. Knowing physics also helps a great deal, and their conversation gets even more interesting.

Then Mina sits down, and Ethan joins them. Vincent is now dancing with Vanessa, and he does make a good match with Vanessa, somehow she seems to trust him more than she trusts other people, she has been very accepting of him from the start. They share a taste in literature, but the chances that they are talking of anything right now are small. The chance that they are talking of literature is non-existing.

Adison is surprised that neither Paul, nor Lukas are with Melissa, and she spots them both dancing with regulars. Lukas is still totally committed, but Paul seems to be waiting for a break to join them, and when the music stops for a moment, he does. But now Adison feels she'd like to fly with Lukas once more, and she decides to just do it.

Somehow, he knows, for he is waiting for her, the girl not even insulted anymore, she knows he changes partners all the time. Adison takes his offered hand, and they're off again, flying, turning, ever faster, until her head spins and she feels really good. One round is not enough, they go through a second dance, and by the end of that Adison has difficulty separating top from bottom, and Lukas needs to support her to their table.

He does so without comment, and when she gets there, Vincent is waiting for her, arms open. She sits on his lap and clings to him for a moment, smelling him, eager to kiss. Somehow, that is not as offensive here as it is elsewhere, so they indulge themselves for a moment. When she looks up again, feeling a lot steadier, Lukas is already gone back to the dance-floor, with the last of their party who is still active, Vanessa.

Lukas doesn't know Vanessa at all, but of course he dances with women he doesn't know all the time. She is elegant, and quite fast, and she seems to enjoy dancing with Lukas as much as everyone else does. He is generally rather quiet, but when he is dancing he takes the lead like no-one else, and of course Vanessa likes excitement, and dancing with Lukas is as exciting as dancing gets.

They dance two dances as well, and after that, most of them have had enough exercise and excitement for one night. Still, Adison wants to close this night with one last dance with Vincent, and despite regretting it is going to be another very fast dance, she relishes his hold on her, and the skill with which he turns her and leads them through the steps. He shows no sign of remembering the last time he did this, still Heathcliff, still married to Cathy, this is Vincent, her beloved, totally committed to Adison alone.

This time, they quit after just one round, no use in getting all worked up and dizzy again.

Slowly, loathe to end a night of companionship with people their own age, they walk towards the bicycles and unlock them. Vanessa and Ethan propose to take a cab straight home, and they all say good night very familiarly.

Then they cycle back together to their friends' home, and kiss them good night. The twenty minute ride to cycle home is great fun, it's such a prize to finally have their bicycles, and they make excellent time. Coming home, Adison and Vincent both feel a little lost without Catherine, but they have to trust that she is safe, and they will see her back tomorrow, though Vincent may have left by the time she gets back.

And indeed he has, for Catherine does not come home until noon the next day. Adison has not allowed herself to worry, if she is playing with another girl she will probably forget the time, they had such plans together. And Adison has no time to feel lonely, she has a busy morning with a number of patients. Victor joins her halfway through the morning, they often see patients together again, and they find it very satisfying to do so.

Between callers Victor tells Adison about Lukas inspiring him to pick up his experiments with electricity, he has several ideas for the attic in his mind, taking shape slowly. And he is right, the attic is still exactly as it was when Victor resurrected Vincent, frankly they have kind of forgotten about the space, Vincent has always kept a kind of aversion against it, and of course Adison never had any reason to go there without him.