47: To Hell and Back- Pt. 2

Victoria awoke with a dark haze looming over her eyes. Grogginess clouded her mind like thick smoke billowing from a chimney on a cold winter’s morning. She blinked hard and shook her head to try and clear the fog. Standing on unsure footing, she immediately stumbled into a wall, knocking over a tray of fresh baked breads. “What? Where am I?” she wondered, dazed and confused.

The throbbing between her ears intensified with every wobbly step she took towards the door before it burst open, surprising her enough to fall back. “Ay and what ye think ye doin’ in ‘eer? Aht with ye!” A stocky woman yelled in a thick Irish accent as she scooted Victoria out of the large pantry and out into a courtyard.

Looking around she noticed the abundance of ash trees in the amazingly green area. Had she not awakened in confusion she might have actually taken a moment to enjoy her surroundings. Instead, she rushed forward from the backdoor she was shoved through making her way into the open area in front of what appeared to be a rather grand and adorned, “Castle?” she spoke to herself and took a few steps back to look at the entire structure.

A familiar voice pulled her eyes away from the expansive building and she turned in hopes of finding a friend yet the accent was unlike she’d ever heard him speak before, rich and English. “A couple had been courting for nearly twenty years and one day as they sat on a seat in the park she plucked up courage and asked, ‘Don’t ye think it’s time we wed?’ and he answered, ‘Aye lass, but who’d ‘ave us?’” A bout of laughter followed as the men in his company hooted at the joke.

“Derrick?”

The long-haired man turned towards her with a smile and courteously bowed as he addressed her. “Pardon Milady, have we the pleasure?”

Victoria stared at him a moment before shaking her head no. “Sorry, I suppose we haven’t.” It was Derrick but it wasn’t the Derrick she knew. Quickly she turned and started out of the courtyard, looking for anything to explain her sudden case of time travel.

“Excuse me, Miss?” she heard his voice again behind her but refused to turn around. “Milady?” Finding herself trapped at the end of a rose garden Victoria had no choice but to face the man following behind her. He smiled pleasantly and she noticed the absence of fangs and realized she was staring at a human version of the man she knew. “I don’t mean to be of query but are you lost, Love?”

“You have no idea.”

Again he smiled and she couldn’t help but find herself falling into a somewhat comfort level each time he did regardless of him not being the Derrick she was familiar with. “Your accent, you are not from around here are you? He asked taking note of the clothing she wore. “And I dare say your attire is a tad bit queer.” Victoria looked down at her clothing as she searched his gaze and sighed.

“I can save you the trouble, Derrick…”

“And why is it that you have chosen to address me by that name? I am Sir Edmund Preston Constantine, son of Thomas Constantine, 4^th Duke of York and Nicolette Middleton, Countess of Sussex.”

Thinking on her feet, Victoria came up with a story that would hopefully be believable and keep the curious, human Derrick from asking too much of her. “I’m a friend of Rowan’s. I got a bit turned around. I thought he was here but I must have missed him.”

“Ah Rowan, the old scamp, he loves to play his games. I’d gather he’s about somewhere. If you don’t mind the company I could sit with you until he returns.”

“Don’t you have other things to do? Your friends…”

“What? To entertain those Blokes there? My humor’s only good once they’re with drink. I, myself, much better prefer to find myself in the company of a beautiful Lass,” he extended his hand in another bow and waited for Victoria to move forward. She smiled and he collected her hand in his and placed a tender kiss on her knuckles with a wide grin. “Now I’m afraid you find me at a bit of a disadvantage, Love. You know my name and yet…”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Victoria, my name is Victoria.”

“Victoria? Perfect name for a beauty such as yourself. And might I ask your interest in my Mate?”

“Oh, um…Rowan?”

“Aye. He’s not exactly what one would call dutiful.”

“This coming from a certified skirt chaser such as yourself?”

Derrick stopped in his tracks and gazed at Victoria with a curious expression on his face before laughing it off and settling on top of the fountain in the center of the rose garden. “I suppose it was Rowan who informed you I was a bit friendly with the maidens? He’s always been the sporting type. He fancies himself a ‘Ladies Man’ of sorts; thinks we’re in competition. Little does he know,” Derrick whispered and leaned forward, “I’ve my eye on a young maiden who lives not far from here. But let us keep that between us, yes?” he winked.

Victoria nodded and looked away from him, sadness suddenly weighing heavy on her heart. She was aware of the conclusion to that story. But Derrick’s face was so full of happiness and hope; the pain of what was to come was too much to stomach at the moment. And admittedly she couldn’t help but feel a tinge of jealousy towards the woman currently in his heart. “What day is it?” she asked, hoping to estimate a timeline of events.

“The 7^th of August, why do you inquire?”

“Just curious,” she tried smiling but it was a vain attempt. “Your birthday is tomorrow.”

“Indeed! Rowan has told you many secrets. Perhaps he’s found someone to finally settle down with after all.”

“No, I don’t think so,” Victoria replied and looked up at him.

“Well in that case,” he started and removed an object from his pocket. Dangling it in front of her, he opened her palm and slipped the item into her hand.

“No, I couldn’t.”

“Please, I insist. Keep it close and perhaps it shall bring you good luck in matters of the heart as it has me.” Victoria looked down at the small encrusted jewel. It was that of a lion surrounded by what she’s come to know as his family’s crest.

Smiling up at him, she thanked him kindly and tucked the necklace into her pocket. A nearby clock tower sounded. “Ah, the hour is late. You’d better get yourself inside. There’s talk of a dark, dangerous element lurking the town after hours. Many believe it to be the devil incarnate. I’d hate to see harm come to you.” 

Victoria got to her feet and started after Derrick but a sudden spell of dizziness struck her and she clutched at her head as she began to fall. “Milady!” She fell to the ground and Derrick hurried over towards her, shaking her furiously to bring her to a state of cognizance. “Victoria? Victoria? Victoria?”

“DERRICK!” Victoria shouted, swiftly sitting up on the bed and immediately he rushed to her side.

“I’m here, I’m right here.” She stared at him in disbelief for a moment before moving into his arms. Derrick held her as her breathing became scattered and worrisome. “You’re awake,” he smiled and gently caressed her arm as she leaned back against the headboard.

“Yeah, I’m awake.” Victoria looked down at his hand before opening her palm and threading her fingers between his. The act made the smile on Derrick’s face bigger and he brought her hand to his lips for a kiss.

“Loretta went to get more herbs for you; the fever was getting worse. You’ve been out of it for a while now.” His words brought her gaze back to his and she began studying him.

His eyes, the shape of his nose, the curl of his lips and the way his hair was cut and framed his face. And his hair, short and choppy as she remembered brought a smile to her lips. Out of reflex Victoria slowly raised her hand to run her fingers through his dark locks. The pads of her fingertips grazed across his cheek before her entire hand moved along his jaw pulling him closer towards her. Instantly she pressed her lips to his, the cool feel of his skin felt natural and smooth as the hairs of his beard tickled her chin.

Hungrily Derrick kissed her back, drawing her deeper into his chest as he felt her heartbeat slow to a steady pace. His hand skirted up her thigh, resting just below her shapely ass and Victoria moaned against his lips and deepened the kiss. Derrick’s tongue swept into her mouth, rapturously moving against hers. She moaned again and tightened her arm around his neck. When she broke the kiss she looked away from his penetrating stare and sighed. “Wow! What was that for?”

“I just…I really missed you!” she smiled timidly and dabbed her finger against the moisture on his bottom lip. “God it was all horrible! You have no idea how much I needed you and you weren’t there.”

“No. I was here. But I never left your side. How do you feel?”

“Fine I guess.” she shrugged and lightly pecked his lips again.

“Baby, are you sure you’re ok?” he asked again as she swung her legs over the side of the bed to stand.

“I’ve never felt better, you took great care of me,” she replied and turned to look at him. “And by the way, the accent and long hair was damn sexy.”

Derrick smiled and tilted his head curiously, “What? Do you remember what happened to you?”

“You mean the attack at the Jack house? Yeah I remember. I don’t know how or why but I dreamt of you.”

“Well…I’m sure I can explain that,” Derrick smirked arrogantly and wiggled his brows.

“It wasn’t that kind of dream. Besides, you were all mooning over Cecily.”

“Ok, now I’m confused.”

“I met you, Derrick, before you were turned.”

“Ah I see. Well you must have seen a picture or something of me from a long time ago and it was stuck in your subconscious.”

“No, it was real. You were there, I was there and we had a conversation; it was nice,” she replied and chewed on her finger a moment as an idea formed in her mind. Something about the way she seemingly had control over her atmosphere might be what she needed; the missing link.

“It was a dream, Victoria. Trust me if you’d known me then, you wouldn’t have liked me very much.”

“Well I don’t know, you seemed pretty cordial. Besides what makes you think I like you now?” she teased and he pulled her back towards him, locking his hands around her waist as he held her against him.

“That right there,” he responded and watched the pulse throb in her vein. “The way your heart rate elevates every time I touch you. The way your bosom pushes against me as your breathing draws shallower,” he started and leaned closer as if to kiss her. “The way your eyelids lower, closing with desire whenever I whisper in your ear. And the smell of your body as it drips with wanton need when my lips caress against yours. You like me, or you’re a damned good actress,” he smirked and delicately kissed her lips. “Anything else?”

“Who’s Edmund?”

“What?” Derrick asked bewildered at the sound of the name. “Where did you hear that name? Victoria, I never told you that name.”

“It was in my dream.” Victoria swallowed hard, blowing out a sigh as she backed away from him. She reached into her pocket and Derrick looked down at her closed fist as she slowly opened it. “Edmund Preston Constantine, son of Thomas Constantine, 4^th Duke of York and Nicolette Middleton, Countess of Sussex gave me this,” she replied, opening her hand completely to reveal the crest necklace.

“I lost this a long time ago on my first trip to America,” Derrick’s eyes opened in shock and he looked up at her and back to the jewelry in her hand. “Victoria…”

“I told you it wasn’t a typical dream. Fortunately I woke up before uh…it-it was August 7^th,” she whispered and he collected the necklace from her and fell to the bed.

“I don’t understand. Why would you dream about…how could you dream about that? And then to pull something out of your dreams…”

“I don’t know but I don’t think that’s the issue right now,” she responded, kneeling beside him. “Being in that dream gave me an idea, well a spin on one Nana had. What if I could actually control my dreams? I could get behind whatever is happening to me when I sleep and stop it.”

“We tried that and it damn near killed you, Victoria. No, absolutely not. We’re not doing that again.”

“I don’t have to actually sleep though. Unlike the spell before that put me in an induced coma, I could instead try teleportation using the trance that Nana did. No sleeping, completely aware of my surroundings.”

“I don’t know. It sounds the same to me.”

“But the difference is you can come with! I just need something from one of Nana’s books.” She replied and hurried to her magic room. Throwing the door opened, Victoria went to work quickly thumbing through her grandmother’s spell book until she came across the spell she was looking for. “A-ha, here we go, ‘Magivestigum’, teleports a person to a specific location.”

“Wait you said ‘specific location’. How would that work when you have no idea where we’d go in your dream?”

“I know where I’m sending us, to the place I dreamt about most; the Altar of Souls.” She continued reading, writing down the ingredients as Derrick watched, his concern growing more and more. “And as added protection, a cloaking spell; let’s see how whoever this is enjoys being fucked with for once.”

“And this,” Derrick replied handing Victoria a small, glass object hooked to a chain.

“What’s this?” she asked turning the vial a few times in her hand examining its dark red contents under the light.

“It’s a drop of my blood,” Derrick replied and stepped closer towards her. “If anything were to happen to you…”

“No,” Victoria interrupted and shoved her open palm towards him in an effort to return the gift. “I don’t need this.”

“Listen to me, Victoria. If anything were to happen to you I want you to use it. It’ll heal you or in dire cases…”

“It’ll make me like you?” Derrick nodded as Victoria finished his sentence and she sighed. “Take it back Derrick, I don’t want this. I don’t want to be like you. When my time is up, it’s up.”

“You say that now, Victoria, but think about it. Most people if they had the choice, they would choose to save their own lives.”

“Most people don’t get a second chance or eternal life either, Derrick.”

“Yeah, and they don’t have someone with the ability to give them that chance who cares deeply for them either,” he reasoned and took her hands in his pulling her gently against his chest. “Victoria, I can’t live with the thought of never seeing you again, I don’t want to. I have lived four centuries and through some of the worst times in history and speaking honestly the only thing that scares me is the idea of losing you. Please. Keep the vial.”

“Derrick, I appreciate the gesture, really I do. But I can’t…I don’t want to live forever and be forced to watch the people around me I know and love constantly die. I don’t know how you lived through that but I don’t want to have to find out. I know you said you’d never describe me as weak but when it comes to my family and friends I am. I’m too weak to survive everyone’s death. Never able to get close to someone, knowing they won’t live as long as me. It’s a very scary and lonely concept.”

“And what about me? Do you know how many times in my existence I’ve felt this way about anyone? Twice. The first time killed me but the second, you, brought me back to life. Victoria, I’m not asking for anything you haven’t already given me. I’m just hoping you’ll consider it, please.” He closed her hand up over the vial and delicately kissed her fingers as he gazed into her eyes. “Keep it close in case you change your mind.”

“Derrick…”

“This isn’t about ego, this isn’t me beating my fists against my chest. This is me doing what I know to save your life if it comes down to that. We came close once already and that was my fault. I don’t want to go through that again.”

Nodding her head, Victoria placed the vial in her pocket and returned to the shelf of ingredients and her attention back to gathering the right herbs. “What do you need?” Derrick asked taking a stand beside her and she sat the list down for him to see. Together they gathered up the necessary herbs. 

“Ok. I’m gonna start with the cloaking spell, just to be safe. Three Buzzberry fruits, two sprigs of Wonderpetal, one Mandrake root and a sprinkle of Mystic Dust,” she replied and placed the items into the cauldron. The water started to bubble and she closed her eyes to begin the spell.

“Wait a second, what’s this about a Moonstone?”

“The Moonstone I keep on me. It’s how we get back from where we’re going.” She patted her pocket to let him know it was on her and he nodded as she began again:

“We cannot be seen
We cannot be felt
We cannot be heard
We cannot be smelt
By any that seek
Whose intentions are ill
Cloaked as we are
In the force of my will.
We are protected from spelling
Ill-wishes and harm
No evil comes closer
than the reach of my arm.”

“Now for the teleportation spell. One dragon scale, two essences of light, one pinch of mystic dust and one moonbeam. Ready?” she asked, watching as Derrick closed his eyes. She tossed the ingredients into the cauldron before reading the incantation:  

“A place in time; dreaming anew,
a moment since passed we wish to view
connect with all that’s unlike it seems
we wish to view what’s in my dreams.”

Derrick slowly opened his eyes and looked around. “Well that was a…” Before he could finish his sentence the two were transported to a dark realm. Large creatures flew closeby and overhead as the smell of burning ash and sulfur filtered through the air. “Where the hell are we?”

“I think you got it right,” Victoria remarked, taking a step forward. Crumbles of lava rocks fell from beneath her foot and over the side of the cliff they stood upon and Derrick moved quickly towards her, pulling her back from the edge. “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

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*Author's note: Hell dimension image courtesy of Digital Art, Moon courtesy of Huglebunnys.

Also, special thank you to NataliS for creating the necklace for Derrick to give to Victoria (I finally got around to using it). I really appreciate you taking the time for my request!*

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