Chapter 37

Elaina marched single-mindedly up the stairs, a very reluctant Rob following right behind. She crossed the hall to Stefan's door and raised her hand to knock. Before she could, the door slid open to show a very serious Stefan waiting behind it. He looked at the threshold and then back at her, his eyes asking the question.

She stood fuming at the threshold, unable to cross without an invitation. She frowned at Rob, and he looked back in alarm, wondering what else he had done.

"I thought he was your friend," she stated coldly.

"Well, yeah, I suppose he is." The super let slip a passing smile. "But I've never been in his apartment before. Hell, this is more of it than I've ever seen."

Elaina returned to glaring at Stefan.

"If you give me your word to spare me and mine harm this day, I will let you in," Stefan said. Rob thought it sounded like a ritual. Elaina's response convinced him it was.

"On this day, I promise to offer you and yours no harm."

Stefan nodded, then he turned to Rob. He'd seen the key around her neck for what it was, but he wanted to be sure.

"Rob, you are welcome in my home."

Elaina stumbled as the pressure of the threshold suddenly vanished. Without realizing it, she had been leaning against it, trying to pass anyway.

"You know," she said to Stefan, "That technically voids the oath I took."

"We both know better than that, Elaina Aserova..." She jumped at hearing her full name roll from his lips. "It's the spirit of the oath that matters, not the words. A vampire as old as you knows this."

He offered them seats in his room and asked if they would like refreshments. Elaina stumped with ill grace to a chair and planted herself defiantly in it. Rob swore he could feel the walls of his doghouse getting smaller by the second. When neither took him up on his offer, Stefan shrugged and left the room, returning moments later with a huge, very old tome in his hands. He set it on a low table and opened it to a page marked with a faded blue ribbon. He turned it around and pointed to a portrait on the page.

Despite herself, Elaina leaned forward to look at the portrait and was shocked to see her own visage looking back. She was so shocked she even forgot to cover her mouth when it fell open. Stefan nodded when he saw her fangs.

"My family knew you. One of the maids was a passingly fair artist, and she sketched your likeness on the evening you visited the manor. Someone else later used that sketch to do this portrait. Another of the maids overheard the discussion you'd had with the master. It was all written down here." He thumped the tome with his knuckles.

"We fled thinking you were a destroyer, come to take our master from us and kill us all. It wasn't until we reached America many years later that the full story came out." He hung his head in shame. "You did no wrong. Our master failed to show you even the most common courtesy and he died for his arrogance. By the time we understood, it was too late. We would have stayed and served you had we known."

Elaina looked at Rob with deep emotion in her eyes. He also saw forgiveness and knew this would all turn out for the better.

"I stayed for a time," she said quietly. "I tried running the estate, but there were no workers, no farmers, and I couldn't do it by myself. I abandoned the estate shortly after and never went back. I never knew what happened to it. I'm sorry, Stefan. I didn't know."

"Do not apologize, Lady," Stefan said. "It was not your fault. I ask only for your forgiveness for our abandoning you."

She smiled sadly and said, "I forgive you, Stefan Dobrescu. I forgive you and yours for that which was never your fault." Stefan sighed and bobbed his head.

"Thank you, Lady." He closed the journal and reverently stroked the spine. "I'm the last of the Dobrescues. I am now the keeper of the journal. Before I pass, I will destroy this, and it will be as if we had never lived."

"Stefan, a favor?" Elaina asked.

"Name it, Lady," he replied.

"When you think it's time, don't destroy the journal ... give it to me. I'll keep it safe for you and your family."

"It would be my honor. Thank you again, Lady."

Now that the seriousness of the situation was abated, she asked him questions about his family's service to vampires. He told them as much as he could, all of which he'd learned from the journal, but critical information about vampires and the benefits to servants was missing. It was either never noted or purposely kept a secret. Elaina sighed with frustration at humans' need to keep secrets. When she asked him specifically about humans displaying vampire powers, he glanced at Rob then shook his head in denial.

"Stefan," Elaina said as they stood to go, "Thank you for everything, especially your discretion." Stefan blushed at her words.

"My friend brought over the new glass," Stefan said to Rob. "Let me know when it's a good time and you can 'help' me install it."

Rob laughed at him and said he would do that as soon as he knew his schedule.

"Hey, Stefan, I meant to ask. What is it your friend does that he makes glass like that?"

Stefan gave him an urchin's grin. "He makes windows for mobsters. The glass you're getting has the added benefit of being bulletproof." He laughed at Rob's expression, then went to answer his ringing phone.

"Bulletproof," Rob muttered. He looked at Elaina's bemused face. "I guess we won't have to fear passing meteor showers then." She was still giggling when they got back to their laundry.

The rest of their day passed domestically, with Rob doing some much needed housecleaning ... and Elaina following along behind him doing it right.

On Sunday, Rob had the bright idea of inviting Dawn over for dinner. Elaina had her doubts, but went along with it anyway, curious as to how Dawn would react. Rob called her shortly after lunch.

Hello, Rob.

"Hi, Dawn. How's it going?"

Pretty good, actually. I just got done cleaning house. The weekends are the only real time I get to do that.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Hey, I was wondering. Would you like to come to dinner at my place tonight. Elaina will be here and we can all visit together." Dawn's hesitation made him think he might have got it wrong.

Um, actually, yeah, I think I'd like that. Rob was astounded. He hadn't actually believed she'd go for it, but then he thought, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

"Well, great! Good. I'm looking forward to it. Uh, I'll have a car come around at six. Will that be okay?"

Rob, you don't have to do that...

"It'll make me feel better. It's really doesn't cost much more than a cab would, and it's more reliable. Let me do this for you."

Well, okay, I guess. You're spoiling me, you know.

"Good, then I'm getting it right." Elaina motioned for the phone. "Um, look, Elaina wants to talk to you. I'll see you later, right?"

With bells on. He heard her giggle before he handed over the phone. Since he could only hear one side of the conversation, it came across disjointed.

"Hi, Dawn," Elaina said very pleasantly, almost seductively.

...

"No, it's no imposition at all. I was cooking anyway, and it would be nice to have you here."

...

"Just bring yourself. Oh, do you have any food allergies I need to watch out for?"

...

"Good. I know just what to make. All right, Dawn, you take care and we'll see you when you get here." She paused a moment, "Bye-bye" then she closed the phone.

"Well now, mister smarty-pants, let's see how this goes," she said smirking at him.

Rob popped his eyes as he began to wonder what he'd gotten himself into.

As he puttered around in the living room, Elaina slipped off to the kitchen. She returned with a small list in her hand.

"You need to go to the market and pick up some ingredients for this dinner I'm making," she said, handing him the list. "Hurry up now. I need to get started and some of that stuff I'll need at the beginning."

Like a good little boy, he hustled off to get his assigned chore accomplished. Upon further reflection, he realized that he was being unfair to Elaina: he was the one that had committed them to dinner, and she was the one who would actually have to prepare it. Having adjusted his attitude, he grabbed his bomber jacket and raced off to hail a cab.

It was a quarter past six and Rob was expecting Dawn to arrive any moment now. He'd put the shield away so that Dawn wouldn't see it and ask awkward questions. He knew he had been more than lucky she hadn't noticed it Friday night, but then again they both had other things on their minds.

He jumped when he heard a knock at the door. Elaina called out that she would get it and cut him off at the pass. In retrospect, he realized that she was just as excited and nervous as he was about this dinner, and she had nearly as much at stake as he did.

Out in the hall, Dawn was waiting for someone to answer the door. Doug, being the nosy little shit he was, stuck his head out to see who was knocking. He recognized Dawn at the same moment she turned her head to the sound of his opening door. He was opening his mouth at the same moment that Elaina opened her door. Seeing Dawn, she called out her name and stepped out to hug her and kiss her cheek. Doug's eyes opened wide and he ducked back in, slamming his door behind him. It's anybody's guess which surprised him more: seeing Dawn there or seeing Elaina greet her.