Chapter Text
It was a dreary night in November when Tommy was awoken from his sleep. The wind screeched outside and stray branches from the old oak tree crashed against his window. He could hear pacing footsteps from somewhere in the manor. He grabbed his stuffed cow Henry for security as he slipped out of bed. He shoved his feet into soft, fluffy slippers to avoid the icy floor. Tommy wandered to the window and peered through the gap in the curtains. It was dark outside. Not even the stars could break through the inky expanse of the sky, clouds dimming the faint light of the moon. He was met with an involuntary shudder, whether it was from the cold or the feeling of something wrong , he didn’t know. Tommy padded towards the door, his steps slow to avoid tripping. It creaked open and he stepped outside. The hallway seemed… darker … as he stumbled out into it. He knew deep down that something was wrong, the darkness wasn’t simply in the absence of the light. He was never usually awake at this time, he didn’t know what time he meant exactly but it looked late. Usually maids would be scurrying around the halls and oil lamps would be brightly glowing. The manor had never seemed so empty. The footsteps seemed to be coming from his mother’s office. He crept down the hall. The walls stretched taller than usual, all the portraits seemed to turn their eyes to follow him. In the shadows he could see figures, they were tall with flowing cloaks and Tommy knew that if they opened their mouths he would see sharp fangs. He held Henry tighter to his chest as if the toy could protect him from the monsters in the shadows. Tommy had to stand on his tiptoes to pull the door handle of the office down. The door opened.
“Momma?”
The office was dark but he could see the figure of his mother in the shadows. There was a single candle lit on the desk. Clementine was packing a bag. The dark circles under her eyes were only accentuated by the dim lighting. She looked… determined? He couldn’t quite tell but it was the expression he had always seen before she left for a hunt. In her arms she held some stakes that she slipped into the bag. Technically, he was too young to know anything about being a hunter but growing up in a hunter family meant that his earliest lessons were in the history of the hunters or the art of carving stakes. Clementine created new stakes before every hunt, she told him that they dulled if reused or the handles would splinter. She also informed him of the intention behind it. To put in the effort of creating a stake was a conscious choice to fight against vampires and protect people. She hadn’t made new stakes this time. She must be in a hurry. Tommy knew something was wrong. Something had felt off for a while now.
“Toms?” Clementine paused and turned to him. “Hey bud, you should be asleep.” She dropped the stakes into her bag and zipped it tight. She scooped Tommy up into her arms, resting the kid on her hip. Her parents had tried to argue that seven was far too old to continue picking him up all the time, but Tommy enjoyed it so she continued to do it. He rested his head against her shoulder and she kissed his hair.
“Where are you going?” He asked with all the decorum of a young child. He was too young to notice the anxious tells in Clementine’s posture, the way she held him like he held his toy for comfort. There was a small tremble in her hand and voice.
“I have to go to work, Toms.”
“But it’s really late.” He stated in a matter of fact tone. “How will you get anywhere when it’s so dark?” One of his slippers fell off his foot.
“I don’t know.” Her tone had a slight snap to it and even the usually chatty Tommy knew to quiet.
She had just arrived back recently from work so he didn’t understand why she had to go again. It wasn’t fair. He knew what she had to do was important but seven year olds are allowed to be selfish about their parents. They should be allowed to whine about them leaving for work and simply visiting home rather than living at it.
“Let’s get you back to bed.”
Okay then…
She adjusted her hold on him. She adjusted her bag onto the shoulder that Tommy wasn’t leaning against. She left the office and brought him back to his room. The shadows did not retreat at the sight of her. They simply persisted, stronger than ever. His room was cold when they entered. There had been a little warmth in the office from the candle and now he was no longer used to the temperature. He kicked off his other slipper and she put him down. He crawled into bed, pulling the blankets up as far as he could. All Clementine could see when he was done was blond curls and bright blue eyes.
She stroked his hair and a strained smile crossed her face. “Alright sweetheart, I have to go.” Clementine leant down to kiss him on the forehead. “I love you Toms.”
“Love you too, momma.”
She lingered at the door for a moment, hesitant to leave. She had to go. She had to go for him. Clementine couldn’t pretend that she wasn’t scared. Whether or not she was going to return was uncertain. It was only a tipoff on a vampire coven but she had a bad feeling about it. Deep down she feared for her future. But she had to try.
For Tommy.