Who: Van Helsing and Ruby What: Waking up naked in bed next to each other, oh noes! When: Sunday morning Where: Rebecca's apartment Warnings: Um, none, really. There would be, except Van Helsing can't immediately figure out how to kill Ruby without killing Rebecca. Particularly in these circumstances. >.> Status: Complete
Abraham Van Helsing had been with Deacon for a majority of the young man’s life. But in all that time, there had been very few moments where he had taken over completely. This was out of respect and courtesy because the good doctor understood that despite the fact that they were sharing a body, this was Deacon’s life to live, not his.
So he had interfered as little as possible, only giving the occasional nudge or making the occasional remark to push Deacon in the right direction. Even once he had begun dating Rebecca, who housed a demon in her head, of all damned creatures, which were even worse than vampires, Van Helsing had steadfastly kept to this pattern.
Unfortunately, fate seemed to think that it was time for a change in that department. What other explanation could there be for Sunday morning to roll around, and for Van Helsing to wake up to find himself alone in Deacon’s body. This was startling enough, but to find himself in bed with Rebecca, their naked bodies pressed together beneath the sheets only made things more alarming.
“Gott in Himmel!” He couldn’t help but exclaim under his breath, pulling backwards so quickly that he tumbled right off the bed, landing on the floor with a muffled ‘oof.’
Ruby, on the other hand, had been pushing, and probing for the past two years and change since she had been trapped inside the red-haired slut with no way to smoke out if things went south. Letting Rebecca think she had the demon caged, and then yanking her chain but good.
So it was with unholy delight that she finally woke to find that the bitch’s mind, will, and emotions had finally succumbed to the pressure and retreated. How much more so would she be amused to find that it wasn’t Mr. Nice Guy who awoke beside her, but a real, live hunter, even more notorious than the house of Winchester?
She rolled over as Van Helsing flailed his way to the floor, letting the sheet slip dangerously from her shoulders as she peered at him from above, and flashing him her baby blacks. “Guess again, mein herr.”
At the sight of those black eyes, Van Helsing stiffened, reaching behind him over to wear Deacon had thrown his clothes the night before. So the demon, too, seemed to have gained control. Undoubtedly, his mind went on to reason as he pulled on the shirt, feeling uncomfortably vulnerable exposed in that way, she was responsible for these changes. To banish someone from existence within the confines of their own body, that was the work of a demon if he had ever seen it.
“What is it you have done with them, you hell beast?” He demanded brusquely, getting to his feet and glowering at her, unintimidated. “The girl and the boy? Where are they?”
She let the eyes click back to blue, tucking the sheet back up under her arms and pouting her full lips. Yes, she rather liked this body, even if it was a little cumbersome for street fighting. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t done anything.”
He gave a short, almost barking laugh in response to that, his hand clenching together, twitching a little for want of a vial of holy water to throw in her face. “Oh, yes, the demon, it is innocent,” he retorted gruffly, his eyes narrowing. “If so the world is flat indeed!”
“Believe what you want,” she snapped back, “But I don’t have the kind of mojo it would take to dispossess someone of their soul. At least--” She knew he would argue the point no matter what. She might as well lay the card out on the table. “Not anyone but Rebecca.”
She rolled out of bed on the opposite side from him, thanking god--or whatever--that he didn’t have any holy water, or salt, or--Lucifer forbid--the Knife. Verbal assaults, she could handle, but she didn’t exactly feel like giving an encore performance of her death scene.
Not that she believed he would use the knife anyway. Not if he ever hoped to bring the flight attendant back into her body. “Maybe you should start barking a little higher up the family tree. Or should I say, digging a little deeper down?”
The Knife actually did cross his mind, but that was back at his-at Deacon’s apartment. Not to mention, well, he wasn’t a stupid man, and fully realized that if he did anything to harm the body, there was a good chance that Rebecca wouldn’t ever be able to come back. Murdering the innocent in an attempt to destroy the evil-that just wasn’t something he could bring himself to do.
As Ruby’s words sunk in, Van Helsing’s brow furrowed a little and his jaw set. The question was whether or not he wanted to believe her. He certainly knew that there were stronger forces out there-he wasn’t blind, he fully knew that other demons were out there, even Lucifer himself-and therefore it wasn’t exactly fair to blame it all on this one. Not that any demon knew the meaning of fairness.
“We will have to see if they have been affected, the others,” he finally declared gruffly, pulling on his pants and still regarding her warily. “Then we can maybe decide who in your family is to blame.”
If it had been any other time, she might have been smugly proud of herself for having gained the upper hand over the famous hunter, but she knew that his concession was only for Rebecca’s sake. She knew that he could, and probably still would lock her up in a devil trap at any moment.
But he wasn’t attacking her at the moment, so she reached for her own clothes, likewise keeping a wary eye on him as she pulled on the t-shirt and sweats Rebecca had dropped on her side of the bed.
“I have no wish to harm the girl,” Van Helsing continued after a long pause, shooting Ruby a look that clearly implied this was the only reason she was still standing right now. “So I suggest that we call a truce for now.” Rebecca may not have exactly been an angel in her own right, certainly no Madam Mina, but she didn’t deserve to die. If Rebecca had still been present, however, and the demon had just taken over in the ordinary sense, he certainly would’ve tried to exorcise Ruby right then and there.
Then again, even that would be risky, he had realized long ago, as reincarnation was a far cry from regular possession. That was the only reason that he hadn’t interfered before-and he trusted that the demon realized this.
“Fine,” she said, stepping around to the end of the bed. “I don’t know about you, but I’m gonna need some coffee. And some breakfast. And then I’m gonna get online and see how many disenfranchised reincarnates we have whining for their mommies.”
He frowned at her choice of frowning, not finding the humor in the situation that she obviously did. “I think I’ll be leaving,” he said, going to fetch Deacon’s jacket from where he had tossed it over a chair. “Go back and then, certainly, likewise get online.” The contraption that was the internet was still fascinating to him. “There have to be answers somewhere, Gott willing.”
“Suits me,” she said, shrugging her shoulders and heading toward the kitchen. “Oh, and you should know, I’ve already had a couple exorcisms performed on me, or in my presence. It doesn’t work.”
“That may be so,” he said, shrugging into his jacket, stepping into his shoes, and following her out of the bedroom. But instead of going into the kitchen, he headed toward the front door. “But, bear this in mind, if I find evidence that any responsibility of this falls onto your shoulders, you will be destroyed.” With that, he threw open the door and all but stormed out.
“I love you, too,” she called after his retreating back. “Just as much as you love me!” And she telekinetically kicked the door shut behind him.