Bridgeport

Apparently it was the right house. Despite everything, Maria was still a truth-seeker, she was a snooper, and she felt that she was more than capable of tracking down someone using the name of a long-dead rock star in a seemingly sleepy city like Bridgeport.

It hadn't been too difficult. The stories about the trailer in the woods had been old information, but she quickly picked up the lead again.

She wrapped on the door and waited for a few moments. There was a scuffling at the door for a few moments and a small voice complaining that its "hands don't work well." Eventually the door peeked open to reveal a girl of about ten or eleven. Standing behind her was a rotund with greying hair and a cautious smile.

"Hello there, can I help you?" he asked, putting a loving and protective arm around the girl's shoulder.

"Perhaps, I'm looking for Rikky Neptune?"

Maria could sense an impending awkward silence and took steps to avert it, quickly adding, "I mean, I'm actually looking for my friend Brahm. He told my relatives that he's staying with Rikky, and I'd like to visit him."

"Oh, I see! Brahm is in the trailer around the back, let me show you. He's probably awake by now."

The man, who cheerily introduced himself as Rikky's husband, Bob, took Maria around the back of the house where there was a gleaming metallic trailer. It occurred to Maria that he was being very trusting - she might be a vampire hunter for all he knew, but he was naively leading her straight to her quarry. He left her to knock on the door of the trailer and call out, "Brahm? It's Maria."

The trailer was quiet. A bright pair of eyes opened, a wide maw of teeth gleamed, and a great hairy wolf yawned and stretched and stood up tall as a man.

"Hallo my dear! So sorry I'm not dressed, wasn't expecting company. So nice to see you again." He smiled and buttoned his pajamas up a bit more.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Maria said, averting her eyes while Brahm got arranged, "I'm afraid I wasn't sure when you wake up. I can come back later if that is more convenient, I just wanted to..."

She hazarded a glance back up at him. He seemed to be as buttoned up as he would ever be.

"... I wanted to talk to you about some things. About Johann."

"Of course my dear! Come in come in, come sit." He waved her over.

"If you're comfortable with a half dressed vampire I am all ears." He stretched.

"Forgive me, I've been sleeping in. A rare treat for me, Rikky and Bob are very accommodating."

"Bob does seem very nice. Although if you have any enemies you should probably tell him not to lead everyone who asks straight to you."

She sat down on a sofa built into the side of the trailer an examined the gaudy interior, a mish-mash of bright colours and different textures that reminded her of Rosa's caravan. She suddenly wished she'd got to see more of the interior of the house: if this was anything to go by, it was probably a treat. Rosa would love it.

"Are you able to stay here as long as you need? If you need help finding somewhere else, I'm sure we could find a hotel or something."

"I admit I am a little afraid of putting them out. I am too embarrassed to ask if I could stay with any of the family however. I am afraid of offending them." He scratched his hair and fussed with his moustache.

"I'm barely tolerated, I feel. It wouldn't be good to start asking for lodging or food now. Unless you think I've won them over. But, this is about Johann, yes?"

His red eyes twinkled in the dim trailer light. "And about you?"

"About Johann", Maria confirmed, deciding to brush over Brahm's last remark, although the blushing in her cheeks suggested that she had heard it and was aware of his implication.

"I'm so new to the concept of supernatural beings, of ghouls and vampires and so on. I understand that if a vampire has a child they aren't entirely normal. Perhaps not just physically but mentally, too. Of course Johann is another generation removed from all that, but he certainly believes he is cursed with similar propensities. I wanted to hear what you thought."

"I'd like to believe that Johanns proclivities are due to trauma. I choose to believe this because the notion that he is forever ruined hurts my heart."

He spoke openly and honestly. "He's my first dhamphyr too, you know. They occur, yes, like... like a yellow cardinal. Rare. Most will never see one." He shrugged.

"His mother though. She was normal enough to marry. And she would have been half my stock. I like to think I'm good stock, yes?" He posed. "What do you think?"

"Thankfully, I think you are. An outrageous flirt, but you're certainly not a monster, which is what I feared when this whole thing started."

She was quiet for a moment, mulling over Brahm's words. If Johann's mother was utterly deranged, he probably would have mentioned it, a further mystery solved by discovering more about his ancestry. Then there were his brothers, who died having apparently lived normal, happy and long lives.

"So, you think he might improve, then? With time, and care, and... help? You see I'm scared that..."

It was time for her to be honest too, but she wasn't ready.

"I'm scared that he can't have healthy relationships. That anyone entangled in his life would be fighting the curse, or whatever we want to call it, all the time."

"And maybe they would be. Trauma is as bad a curse as bloodline you know. I fought my own trauma for nearly a hundred years!" He made a wide sweeping hand gesture to illustrate it.

"Johann has had approximately forty. He doesn't have another sixty years in him though. Not by a long shot. Even if we caught his mortal enemy I don't think it would cure him. And I've thought about it." He sighed.

"All people have baggage. It's really up to you how much of it you think you can carry."

It was a long time since Maria had felt young and inexperienced, getting advice from someone older and wiser. Suddenly the fact that she was an eminent magician and writer, that she'd already had a long and happy marriage, that she'd accumulated decades of experiences didn't matter. She felt young, but not in an entirely positive way.

"Trauma, I think I can deal with. Ancient vampire curses I wasn't sure about, but baggage? I think I can handle some baggage. It's just come as a shock."

She was running her mouth now, voicing thoughts without thinking who was listening.

"I hadn't even considered another romantic relationship, not after all this time, and he's a priest. But I've found myself thinking about it, thinking about him. He can be so gentle, so kind. I enjoy spending time with him. When he laughs, he gets these little creases next to his eyes and..."

She looked over to Brahm, suddenly remembering his existence. The existence of the rest of the world.

"... he's gone through so much lately. I can't spring this on him. It's ridiculous."

"Well. If he's anything like me, he won't be unhappy to have this sprung upon him." He chuckled.

"Humans do not generally achieve great ages. He has now, to try again at love. And if I may say so, he couldn't have found a better woman." He reached over in a somewhat overly familiar fashion and took her by the hand.

"It is high time he goes through something positive, ja? He is so uptight he could never make a first move. You however, you are bold! You have taken to the stage! Captivate your audience madame Gedaminski. If you wish to."

A strange bubbling excitement overrode any misgivings Maria might have otherwise had about Brahm's theatrical hand holding. If it was true that Johann wasn't unhinged beyond repair, then that made Brahm a co-conspirator in something that thrilled and terrified her in equal measure.

The stage analogy was a good one: she certainly felt like she had those pre-show butterflies. The excitement tinged with an element of danger.

"I will. And if he isn't ready, then at least I can say I tried."

"Sometimes that's all we can do. The best we can do. It's why I'm here after all." He got up and began searching for a better set of clothes.

"Let me know if I can help. Otherwise, just let me know what you are up to. I do love to see a young romance blossom!"

"It's nice to meet someone who thinks I'm young", she chuckled, getting up too. Brahm's day was just beginning but she knew she should be turning in soon, although she was fairly sure she wouldn't sleep now with so much to think about.

"Speaking of young romance, there was one more thing I wanted to ask you about. It's Rosa. I know that you two have been seeing each other, and I don't know how serious it is. From your end, at least. Rosa hasn't had a serious relationship in her whole life. She comes across someone unusual and she plunges in for a while, and then she drifts away. She doesn't mean to hurt people, but I'm sure she does sometimes."

"Don't you worry about me and Rosa. I know how it works. I haven't exactly had a long term relationship myself you know. I almost can't." He shrugged.

"As long as I don't end up making any more dhamphyr children I am content to let my relationships be what they are. If she tires of me all the better for her." He pulled on a jacket and buttoned it neatly.

"I hope at least I don't bore her."

"Oh, I don't think there's much danger of you boring her. Or her having children, come to think of it," Rosa said, slipping out of the trailer and giving Brahm a wry smile.

"Perhaps you've both found a perfect match, for now. I wonder if I can be so lucky."