Bloody Valentine

Mina Harker felt her way into her kitchen, slowly and carefully. She had just had a get-together with Galvin, Luke and Ruby, and she had a suspision that Ruby had spilled peanuts all over the floor, accidently on purpose. It was just like Ruby to spill nuts all over a blind woman's floor. Mina heard the clink of a glass against teeth, and knew that Rupert Galvin was still there, sitting at her counter, drinking. Of course.

"Good evening, starshine," she greeted attempting to be cheerful. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Mm,you throw quite a party, Mina," the American mumbled, gulping down the remainder of his drink.

"Why, thank you," she said, leaning against what was, from her knowledge, another part of the marble counter. To keep up the conversation she added, "I've let Luke and Ruby out. They're going home in the Mercedes."

"Great," Galvin grumbled. Mina heard a bottle-cap unscrew.

"Are you having another?" she asked incredulously. It wasn't hard to believe, especially given the..circumstances. But she still let herself sound puzzled. She had never known anyone, to drink whiskey quite like Rupert Galvin. No-one.

"Do you have a problen with that?" Galvin asked, still pouring.

"No, not really," she replied, shrugging her shoulders, "It's just it's my apartment, that's all..."

"Do you know what day it is, Mina," Galvin asked softly. His voice was low and tinged with melancholy. He took what sounded like another sip of his drink.

Mine nodded. How could she forget?

"Yes," she replied, just as softly.

"What day is it?" There was another sip and then a pause. Mina inhaled. Was he trying to make this as hard for her as it was for him? Was he really that cruel?

"Saturday. The 7th of Febuary." After another pause she added, very softly.

"Her anniversary."

"Mmm." There was the sound of teeth against glass again as Galvin downed the rest of his drink.

"It's been...20 years, Mina." he said, knocking more alcohol down his throat. "20 years since I lost her. So...I think I may be entitled to remember her, in peace, every once and a while."

Mina was silent for a moment, then nodded once.

"Of course," she said. She turned to feel her way out of the room, then added, "By drowning yourself in whiskey, is that right?"

She left the room without waiting for an answer, and headed toward the stairs. She was angry with him, and sorry for him. She understood how he felt, but she wished that he handled it better than this. After all, she had also lost a loved one. Many, loved ones...

He might have looked after her as she left, or might not and continued with his drink, but she was already heading off to bed. He could let himself out.

Rupert Galvin watched as she left the room, wondering if he should say something or call her back. But he just sat there, and poured himself another drink, as always. Dammit, Rupert, he thought bitterly, why are you such a worthless coward...

Galvin sat there alone for a long time, then let himself out, leaving the drink on the counter.

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A week later Galvin was alone in the Stacks, some classical music playing and a Scotch in his hand. More specifically, he was listening to some of Mina's old compositions and standing beside the coffee machine. She really was a beautiful piano player. He prefered country-western, but he respected Mina's music, and admittedly, enjoyed it. It soothed him, though each song seemed to have a mournful edge to it. He heard the Stack's vault door creak open, and turned around.

Speak of the devil, he thought with a slight grin, as Mina Harker made her way down the steps . He put his drink to his lips again, ice cubes clinking against the glass.

"You drink like a fish, you know that?" she said, coming over to the round table. Galvin appraised her with sober eyes. She was dressed elegantly, as usual, in a turquoise fitted bloused with short sleeves, and black trousers and boots. She wore her favourite black velvet gloves, the ones that hide the injection scars on her arms...She was radiant, in her own dark and mysterious way. Sometimes she was like a book character, so beautiful that she didn't seem real. But she was real enough to annoy the hell out of him at times.

"Why do you always have to assume it's alcohol," he asked grumpily, trying to drink quietly. Mina smiled to herself, a dimple appearing underneath one of her beauty marks.

"Because it usually is," she replied

"Ah." He wasn't going to let himself get beat that easily."Well, this is my first if you must know."

"Hmm, I'll believe that when I see it," Mina replied flippently. Galvin grunted. She always laid on the blind jokes thick when she was in an awkward mood with him. But she always carried on in her poised, cool fashion.

"You're such a cynic, Mina, you know that?" Galvin said, failing to keep back a smile.

"And you're not?" Mina let out a small laugh. A moment of sience drifted down upon them, and Mina leaned against one of the smaller bookshelves. Then she said suddenly,

"Thank you for coming to my show last night, by the way."

Galvin frowned, putting down his drink. "How did you know I was there?"

Mina smiled, her eyes cast down to the floor. "You come every fortnight,don't you? I count down the days."

"Ah," Galvin said, and Mina laughed. "Well, um, your welcome."

"I was also guessing Rupert." He looked at her and chuckled at that. Another moment of silence fell on them.

"What are you doing here tonight, Miss Harker?" Galvin asked off-hand.

"I own the place, don't I?" she replied, sidling over to the table. "I have a right to be here. The real question is, why is a handsome fello like yourself drinking whiskey in an old library on Valentine's Day?"

Now that stumped him. Yes, it was Valentine's Day. Well, Valentine's Day eve. He just shrugged.

"It's Scotch, actually," he replied, and Mina laughed. "And anyway, you've only seen me a couple of times Mina. Who says I'm handsome?"

"I do," she said with her own shrug "If I decide you are." To her, he was. Yes, she had seen him a few times; but those few times really only made it useful when she had a vision about him. Really she could only vaguely remember him; honey-coloured hair which had receeded over the years, a strong bear-like figure that she knew of from the times in which he acted as her guide-dog. His face had character, and his eyes were a deep piercing blue. But his voice, was easily his best feature. Deep and resonant, and American, that was his only draw-back. But what a voice...

A soft familiar waltz came on suddenly, and Galvin suddenly asked her. "Miss Harker would you like to dance?"

"What?" she asked, stunned. She heard him come over to her.

"Would, you like to dance?" he repeated, his voice suave and charming, "You know the song well."

'A River Flows Through You'.Yes, she knew it. It was the last song she had played on the night she met him. She smiled. It was sweet how he remembered these things.

"Yes, Mr Galvin, it would be a pleasure. But you lead." He chuckled and took her right hand in his left. Mina found her way up his shoulder and placed her left hand there, and he placed his other hand on her waist. Then they were revolving slowly in time to the music. It was nice, she thought, this feeling. She hadn't danced alone with a man like this, or felt so suddenly giddy, since...well, since Jonathan...

Suddenly the feeling wasn't so nice. She had to distract herself. She giggled.

"This is ridiculous," she said.

"Oh, I don't know," Galvin said smoothly, spinning her "I think it's nice."

"I must say, you dance rather well, Mr Galvin," Mina commented jokingly.

"Why thank you, Miss Harker. That means alot coming from a lady of culture."

"The ladies must by beating you off with sticks," Mina joked, but almost instantly realised it was a joke too far. Galvin stiffened and his dancing slowed.

"Who says I want them to," he murmered, his voice husky. Mina stood there for a moment in regret. She knew bringing up Valentine's day was a bad idea.

She took a breath. "I'm sorry, Rupert," she said quietly.

Galvin's voice was distant. He looked away from her. "You know, after all these years, not a day goes by that I don't think about her." Then he added softly. "Not one."

Maggie Galvin. Of course. The dead woman that Mina envied above any other, because she was the one who enraptured Rupert's thoughts. But even so, Mina knew how he felt. There were times, late at night or when she was cleansing her blood, that she missed Jonathan so much that in hurt. More than the tubes injected into he viens, more than anything. She knew that Galvin must go through this sort of pain.

She let her voice become more cheerful. "Still though. It could be worse, Rupert. You could be me."

Galvin let out a small laugh. "You Mina? What could be so bad about being you?"

"Well, let's see," she began slowly. "I am a vampire, and I am also blind...which means that without any interference I could live for the next thousand years or so in complete darkness. All I have is my music, because my husband died almost a century ago, and I turned my son into a blood-thirsty vampire so he had to be killed in front of me." Galvin winced at that, but Mina continued. "Now, I have no family, I have no people, and I have no love."

"You have us," Galvin suggested. Mina let out a surprizing laugh.

"Oh yes. You mean Luke, who is half the time either training or fighting Half-Lives with you, Ruby who, in all truthfulness, hates my guts, and..."

Galvin waited for her. She didn't continue.

"And me," he blurted out, cursing himself. He took a breath and said. "You have...me."

Mina smiled sadly as he looked down at her. "Sometimes," she said softly "Sometimes you're here and Luke's here with Ruby and we're laughing and it's...wonderful. It's like we're a family. And then othertimes...you're 20 years away."

Galvin became angry at that. "Well can you blaim me, Mina?" He let go of her, and ceased dancing. It was appropriate, as the song had changed. This waltz was a reqiem of Mozart, her new that much. Dark and mornful...it fit perfectly.

"Maggie was the most important person in my life, Mina. When I lost her, I lost a friend, a wife, a lover..."

"Your everything, I get it," Mina interrupted, bitterly, leaning against the table for support.

"No you don't Mina," Galvin said, walking away. "You never will."

"Well what do you want me to do? Get another husband, arrange for him to be killed and..."

"Why are you argueing with me?!"

"Me?! You started..."

"All I'm doing is mourning my dead wife, Mina."

"Yes, I know that Rupert. You been mourning her for the last 20 years and that's just great but I wish you could just get..."

She stopped herself, but it was too late. Galvin turned around fiercely.

"What was that?" he asked dangerously.

"Nothing," Mina muttered quickly. Galvin stormed over to her.

"No, really Mina, what were you going to say?"

"Nothing Rupert, just forget it," He was right up in her face now. She could feel it. She was more afraid now of what he might do than she was of anything. She was more frightened now than she ever was of Dracula, than she ever was of any Half-Life...

"Were you going to tell me to get over it, was that it?" Galvin growled, and she flinched. "To get over the death of my wife. You were, weren't you? My wife, Mina..."

"All I was going to say was that yes, you do have a right to mourn her but I just wish that you'd get on with your life a bit more and start concentrating on the living!"

This all came out in a rush, and Mina was left breathing deeply. Galvin was breathing heavily also, the remainder of his rage, and stared at her. She was looking away from him, her dark, sightless eyes fixed on the floor. He was angry, but he didn't want to harm her. He turned away swiftly, then muttered.

"I'm glad you don't count yourself in that category."

"What?" Mina snapped her head towards him and Galvin looked back at her.

"What did you say?" She looked fierce now, still breathing heavily, but he saw the glimmer of tears in her eyes. Now he knew that he had gone to far.

"Mina, I..I didn't mean..." he began but she shook her head.

"Oh no, you meant that," she hissed. "You meant to hurt me. Well congrats! You succeeded."

"Mina, please..."

"Do you think I can help this, Rupert?"she cried, glaring at the floor. "I was bitten by Dracula! My husband died almost a hundred years ago! I spend every night lying on my couch, in a similiar condition to a herion addict! If I had the choice, do you think that I would choose to be Undead?"

She pushed away from the table, and made her way towards the steps out of the Stacks, then muttered.

"Stab a blind woman in the dark, why don't you..."

"Mina," Galvin growled, striding towards her. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her towards him. Mina struggled, but he grabbed her by two arms so that she was facing him. After a moment she gave up, and rested her hands against his chest. She felt the texture of the velvet on his waistcoat beneath her gloved palms.

"Let go of me, Rupert," she began, but he silenced her.

"No, Mina, listen to me," Then he said the hardest phrase of his capability.

"I'm..sorry." She almost smiled, but instead just stood there, and waited.

"Maybe... maybe I do think about Maggie too much..."

"No, Rupert," she began, "She's your wife. I over-reacted, I'm sorry." But he interrupted her again.

"No, Mina, let me finish." he took a breath. "It's just...I miss her. So much at times. But because of that, she makes me forget...to guide Luke in the right direction, to keep Ruby from getting herself killed...to appreciate you...she makes me forget sometimes, Mina. Too often, she...blinds me."

Mina could feel the warmth of his breath on her face. She wanted to stay here with him. She liked this, more than she had liked being with a person in a long time. Oh, he was the exact opposite to Jonathan. Where Jonathan was intelligent and quiet and sweet, Rupert Galvin was crass and arrogant and occasionally vulgar. But also selfless and brave and clever...that was why she wanted to be with him. So badly.

But she couldn't be selfish. She let out a laugh, which confused Galvin.

"You know," she said with a sad smile. "Another thing, about my life that you shouldn't be jealous of, is that...if I did want to spend my life with a man, he would have to be either a monster, or a human. And...if he was a human, we might get to spend 30, 40 happy years together, then he would grow old, and whither and," She gulped, "and die. Then,I would get to spend another century on my own."

"Mina," Galvin began, but she held up a hand to stop him. She had her eyes cast to the ground, as she slowly pulled the glove off her right hand. Then she raised it to touch his face. As her soft, cool hand touched the skin of his rough, bristly cheek, he closed his eyes.

"Mina," he almost whispered in his soft American accent, but she shushed to stop him. Then he opened his eyes to see her down black ones, glistening with tears. She tilted her head up to his, and for a moment her found he was holding his breath. Then Mina Harker let her lips drift to his ear, and she whispered.

"Goodnight, Rupert."

Without warning, she gently planted a kiss on his cheek, then let go of the other, and turned to leave the Stacks. His arms had broken away with ease, and her glove was still in her left hand.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Rupert," Mina called as she went up the steps. "See you tomorrow."

She reached the top of the steps, turned the corner, then Mina Harker was gone. Rupert Galvin felt the cheek where her hand had been, closed his eyes and imagined that it was still there, beneath his.

"Goodnight, Mina," he whispered as the waltz finally finished.

DISCLAIMER: All characters in this fanfiction belong to the writers of the Demons TV series on UTV. I wrote this short fanfiction before Episode 4, and now that Episode 6 is over, a few changes have been made, but only a few. I have read Dracula, and I respect Mina Harker's romantic past, but I can't ignore the chemistry and the tender relationship that these two characters have. So hate me if ya want, Mina Harker fans, but I'm going on what I see. GALVIN IS LOVE!

Love K, x