Chapter Text
Nico, a skilled time traveler, well paid for his services had a knack for venturing into the past and (although much more rarely) future, exploring the mysteries of time and preventing/changing some events. But there was one constant in all his journeys, a peculiar and enigmatic figure he could never escape – Dr. Will, an immortal vampire with a passion for medicine. Medicine as in human medicine. He spent his time searching new remedies for all sorts of illnesses, always with a slight smile on his lips.
No matter which year or era Nico visited, Dr. Will always seemed to appear just when things got interesting. Nico had crossed paths with the Doctor in Ancient Rome at a slave market, after a noble woman that Nico was paid to find, got sold to a brothel, which caused a lot of tension for a while. In Victorian London after he dismantled a notorious smuggling circle, selling cocaine, laudanum, and opium of horrible quality and even a distant 3000 years away from Nico’s birth year in an eerie post-apocalyptic future. He never ventured into the future again after that. It was weird seeing things that could and could not happen and incredibly depressing when faced with the current future to which humanity was heading.
Today was no different. Nico sat on a low wall opposite the small burning church in Texas 1986. He lazily shook a cigarette from its package, stuck it between his lips and wanted to get his lighter out of the pocket of his aviator jacket but his hand came back empty.
“Need a light?”
Nico’s head swished around, surely pulling a muscle, and stared at Dr. Will standing in a relaxed posture right behind him. Nico tensed up immediately. He did not understand how the vampire always managed to sneak up on him like that.
He has met quite a few of their kind, always lurking in the shadows in underground dwellings that reek of death and decay. Most of them had a crazed look in their eyes and dried blood under their nails and between their teeth. They were panicky, greedy figures believing the world should belong to them while simultaneously scared beyond afterlife that the hunters find and murder them for their misbehaving. Nico killed some of them for well paying clients but prefers to steer clear of the pitiable creatures.
Dr. Will was nothing like them. He stood tall and proud, basking in the sunlight painting his skin a golden brown. He lived between other humans and most definitely did not fear them. No, in fact he appeared to be in love with humanity always trying his best to help them wherever he could.
Needless to say, Nico was irritated by his demeanor. Much more cautious of him than any other of his kind.
“Hello Will. I would say I am surprised to see you here but we both know that´s a lie. But I am quite confused as to why you only just showed up after all the drama already finished.”
“Ah yes, the poor young girl is regrettably already dead.”, Wills eyes strayed from Nico to the smoldering remains of the church. “I did try to warn her not to confess her condition to the priest, but she just wouldn’t listen, too obsessed and in love with him to see any reason. I guess you killed them all for their sins?”
“Poor girl? She was a pregnant vampire, who killed five families with no sign of stopping anytime soon, William. Besides I didn´t even know your kind can get pregnant. I thought the undead reproduce by infecting others?”
Nico gaze wandered from his face to Wills outstretched hand offering him his light. Nico begrudgingly took it, the urge for some smoke tickling in his fingers. Will waited until he got his light back before answering: “Sometimes when a female vampire hasn´t been affected for long they can still carry children like creatures.”
“What do you mean with ‘children-like-creatures’?”
“The pregnancy seems normal from the outside put the creature has almost no resemblance to a human, just a big meaty ball with some limps in various places. No eyes, no mouth, no nose, nothing. They die immediately after their birth.” Wills unblinking eyes were trained on Nico’s lips as he took a drag. Nico sighed puffing out a cloud of smoke. He shook his head and turned back around towards the building. Next to him, Will sat down on the wall beside him with the unnatural elegance only obtainable by an ancient, not quite alive, creature.
“Why do you always show up were I travel to?” Nico asked after a bit of silence.
“Why do you always travel to were I stay?” Will replied, with a slight smirk in the corner of his full pink lips.
Nico shook his head. He was used to the others non-answers but still annoyed. None of the other travelers that Nico knew had similar problems. Most of them have never even met Will. So what did the Doctor want from Nico? Why did he always show up wherever he was?
Nico took one last drag from his cigarette, then smashed on the ground with his black combat boot and stood up.
“I better head back. See you around Dr. William.”
“Until next time my darling traveler.”
Nico rolled his eyes at his personal annoyances nickname, turned around and left back to wherever he came from.