The wonderful shows Moonlight and Veronica Mars are owned by companies and people other than me. They are just places I go to play.

This is a Moonlight / Veronica Mars crossover. Please read them in order. It will make much more sense. It starts with Who Are You?

A/N: Ok folks this is the next installment. It takes place not long after where BabyFamily left off. I almost pulled the epilogue for Family and just continued but it's turned out this is going to need it's own installment so I pulled the two scenes from Family's epilogue and incorporated them so those bits might sound familiar when we get to them.

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When Scott returns to Jenny's he can hardly wait to make the call to his contact. He knows he has to play it very cool no matter how excited he is about his information or someone will suspect he's up to something. He's been selling information to whoever is interested for the last couple of years but this new guy has become his regular customer. He has always known that selling information on vamps is dangerous business but he's confident that if he's careful they will never find out. A few days after his return he slips away to a local pay phone to make his call. Instead of leaving the information on the recorder as he has in the past, he leaves a different kind of message. He tells the disembodied voice that he has very good information and wants to meet face to face. He continues telling whoever listens that he's sure someone will want to question him about the particulars. He tells them that he's sure the information is worth a bonus because it has something to do with Josef Kostan. Scott doesn't know how long he will have to wait for the text telling him when the meeting will be set up but from past experience he knows it won't be right away. In the past this man has been very cautious.

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Derrick approaches the door and punches in his security code. He's dressed in his usual black jeans and black T-shirt, an assortment of weapons strapped to his muscular body. Over that is aan old well worn leather motorcycle jacket and a baseball cap pulled down to hide his eyes. There is a grim smile pulled tight over his handsome face. He is not a man who puts up with much bullshit in his life. People usually do as he says on the first go round. The only exception is the man in the next room, his brother Conrad.

Derrick hears the soft click as his code is recognized and watches as the door clicks open. He enters the small anteroom and looks through the large window at his twin. Conrad as usual is deep into his test tubes and slides. Derrick shakes his head in wonderment that two men can be born minutes apart and still be so different. Hell they don't even look alike. Derrick takes after their long dead father, dark hair and dark eyes, olive complexion. Where Derrick is dark Conrad is light like their mother was. All those Nordic genes showing blond hair, blue eyes and skin so fair he's almost transparent as a vampire. Conrad is dressed in slacks; a silk shirt and lab coat. He is the other side of the coin. Conrad has half a dozen college degrees but couldn't keep himself alive in a fight against a fledgling. Keeping Conrad alive is Derrick's job and has been since they were children. Conrad loves his lab like Derrick loves fast cars, old whiskey and beautiful blonds. The only other thing that can pry Conrad free of the lab is money. Conrad learned long ago if he wants the lab he has to keep the money flowing. Luckily Conrad is as good with money as he is with the lab.

Four months ago after Josef Kostan brought his son, a human; to the attention of the community Derrick got a frenzied call from Conrad wanting him to come to LA right away. Worried that his brother sounded overly excited he hopped the first plane to California. Derrick could tell from Conrad's message that he has some wild assed idea that is so risky that Conrad is sure that Derrick is the only one who can pull it off. Now after four months of research and investigation he is sure even he can't pull this off and keep them both alive.

Derrick likes to think that for a vampire he is honorable. He is a freelance fixer who works all over the world doing dangerous things for a price but strictly in the vampire world. Mostly he cleans up other people's messes and makes a good bit of money doing it. He walks his own moral line but it seems in retrospect the only time he comes close to crossing it is when he ends up doing something for Conrad.

Derrick shrugs at his musings. He opens the last door between them and enters to face his brother. He clears his throat and pulls his hat off when Conrad fails to notice he is even in the room. Conrad looks up in annoyance at the intrusion. When he sees its Derrick, he smiles and continues with his work.

Derrick grins, "Have you found the fountain of youth yet?"

Conrad smiles back "Maybe, do you have what I asked for?"

Derrick shakes his head. "Con…this is not something that is advisable."

Conrad grins at his brother. "You and I have been joking about this since before Serena turned us, two hundred years ago but the truth of it is, I'm close and if you could procure the items I requested I might make the breakthrough I've been looking for all these years. Nature and technology are finally catching up with me. They are finally ready to aid me with what I need to make this a reality."

Derrick snorts. "Yes, and you don't ask for much do you? Just a pint or two of Josef Kostan's son's blood and oh, while I'm at it could I get a pint or two of Kostan's woman's blood as well." Derrick makes a rude noise and affects his brother's voice. "Oh and Derrick be sure and not harm a hair on the boysboy's head since he's still human."

Conrad smiles at him. "I have faith in you brother. You will find a way. You always do. If the young human is what I think he is, his blood is worth far too much to have any harm come to him." Conrad straightens up and faces his brother and claps him on the back. "You'll think of something."

Derrick shakes his head. "You are not listening to me. It can't be done. My men and I haveI have spent hundreds of man-hours researching and going over every scrap of information I can come across on Kostan, St. John and their families. I'm good but those two have prepared for every contingency. If we proceed with thisthis, we will both end up dead. Why do you care anyway? We already get to live forever, well as long as Kostan doesn't find out what you want from his family, so why take the chances for what we already have?"

Conrad looks embarrassed for a moment. "Vanity I suppose. To be known as the scientist who unlocked the key to human immortality would be exhilarating to say the least. I would be spoken of in reverence for all time."

Derrick looks disgusted. "You want me to risk both our lives and the lives of the men that work for me, that trust me for your vanity? You want exhilarating go get laid. It would cause less trouble in the long run and probably do you more good." Derrick grumbles

Conrad snorts at his brother. "Sex isn't the answer to everything." Conrad smirks at him. "Oh and the money would be pretty good also. Can you imagine the monetary gains if we could offer eternity to humans without the whole dying first? Hell the human military would pay millions to be able to have our healing ability. We could bid it out and make money hand over fist."

Derrick shakes his head. "I'm telling you, you're going to have to find another way to get your answers. Have you read the files I've compiled?"

Conrad shrugs. "No. I didn't read the files. It doesn't matter there is no other way. I need you to get me that blood."

Derrick walks over to Conrad's desk and slams his hand down on the files he left one of the files down on the desk. "Damn it. This is serious. We are not talking about some itinerant vamp that is going to roll over and do what we want. There is no leverage here, none. No way to gently pry what you want out of this bunch, not money, not power, not sex, nothing. If you insist on this it's going to be hard and it's going to get people killed, maybe even you and me. Let me just tell you what I've found since you won't take the time to read the damn files. You know about Kostan and St. John I hope from their reputations, if nothing else, yes?"

Conrad nods in impatiently. "Yes, yes, of course."

"Well, they work like a very coordinated team, they have to in order to have some freedom and still protect their families. St. John, and his woman and her daughter live in a building that he's made sure is so tight we would have to blow it up to get inside. Kostan's kid and his girlfriend live in the same building. So he's got them all bundled up nice and tight up on the penthouse floor of that building. I had one of my guys check out the building and interestingly enough two months ago the elevator was converted and you have to have a key to get to the penthouse floor where they all live. They are so closed mouthed about those kids I can't even find pictures of them. The son, from all reports, looks remarkably like Kostan but the girl is a blank. Someone's been pulling any trace of them off the net or anywhere else for several months, if not the last few years."

Derrick takes a deep breath of frustration and continues. "If that's not enough do I have to remind you who the kid's grandsire is or should I say grandmother since he's not one of us yet? Vanessa is on the high council, which gives her a measure of immunity to do pretty much any damn thing she wants. We won't even talk about the fact that she's been known to kill with extreme prejudice anyone who looks crosswise at any of her clan. I've done more than a few jobs for the council and I've met the lady. She and Frank are formidable apart but together….they are not vamps you want to screw with. She's made it plain by her actions that she considers the boy family."

Derrick slams another folder down on the desk. "Next we have two unidentified vamps who seem to be very close to all concerned. None of my people can get a handle on either of them. They just appeared shortly after Kostan brought the boy forward. We can't even get beyond first names. Gabriel and Finn is all we have on them. It leads me to believe they are very old and very powerful. I don't know if Vanessa has them in the area for added protection or what but I would rather not find out. That tells you just how damn hard it would be to get to the kid. As for Sarah Whitley I just don't see that happening either. Kostan's paranoia is well known. Apparently he's her sire and her lover, which adds a whole new dimension of paranoia and care as far as Kostan is concerned. We can tell by watching her that she doesn't know it but whenever she leaves home without him, Kostan has her followed by bodyguards. As for grabbing her when she's at home and Kostan is at work, you can forget about breaching his compound without attracting a lot of very unwanted attention."

Conrad shakes his head. "There has to be a way."

"I've got my people working all the sources they have for any new information but I just don't see what could change and make this any easier. Things in that camp have been unusually quiet for the last couple of months. Not sure what is going on. Those two have always played it pretty close to the vest but since Kostan brought the boy to the attention of the community it's even worse. Kostan keeps going to work but everyone else is laying very low. Ms. Turner stopped working when she had the baby so that's not unusual but St. John has stopped working and the kids haven't been seen in quite some time. The last thing I want to do is go in blind and find myself faced with St. John or Kostan with no idea of who and what they have backing them up. Conrad, how do you know Kostan isn't using the kid's blood for this same process? He has some very smart people working for him. Maybe they all ready have the secret and are sitting on it for now."

Conrad shakes his head. "There is no way Kostan is letting anyone use that kids blood for anything. I went to the party he gave to introduce the kid to the community, you didn't."

Derrick rolls his eyes. "You only went because you wanted to see if the rumors were true about the boy. You probably looked him over like a bug under one of your microscopes."

Conrad looks indignant. "I did no such thing. I can be very charming if I need to be." He looks at Derrick thoughtfully. "Kostan has a reputation as one of the most ruthless vamps around but he looks at that kid like pappa use to look at us. He's not letting anyone experiment with the kid's blood. I want to be the first. I have to get my hands on at least a pint."

Derrick sighs. "And then what? If you're right and the kid's blood is all you think it is, then what? Are you going to be able to duplicate it or are you going to want me to grab him next so you can lock him in a room and tap him for a pint whenever the need arises?"

Conrad scowls at Derrick. "I'm hoping I can duplicate it. If I can't then we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

Derrick shakes his head. "If any of us are still alive. Did you ever think that there must be other kids out there like this one? Why does it have to be Kostan's kid? What's the deal with the Whitley woman, she's already a vamp."

Conrad waves the suggestion away dismissively. "Of course he's not the only one, but he's the only one I know of. If you can find me another human who has a vampire for a parent, then I'll be more than happy to substitute them for Kostan's son. As for his woman, well, I believe she's the 'after' of that same condition. When Kostan left the party that night in such a rush he took Grant Stillman, and of course St. John with him. I know Grant, also by reputation and he's very good, almost as smart as I am." Derrick snorts as Conrad continues. "I got very curious and started tracing them as best I could. When they came back a couple weeks later Kostan had the woman with him. I did some further investigating." He sees Derrick raise his eyebrows in surprise and Conrad points to the computer. "The miracle of computers. I traced their whereabouts in New York and then traced the medical equipment that had been delivered to that addressed over the years. If Grant did what I believe then the woman is a walking miracle."

Derrick nods. "I'll work on that angle also then. If I could find almost anyone else on the planet that fits your requirements it would be far easier than messing with Kostan over his son."

Conrad falls silent.

Derrick looks at him suspiciously. "What else?"

Conrad shrugs thinking it over. He knows how Derrick will react but it's got to be discussed. "What about the Turner woman's daughter? You think the child is really St. John's kid?"

Derrick stands up and starts to pace. This is a line he is not going to cross for anyone, not even Conrad. "Word from the community is that he's quietly denying parentage but then, that would be the smart bet anyway considering the monsters in the world." Like us

Conrad feels his brother's discomfort and smiles to himself. For all Derrick's badass way'sway's, he's squeamish about the little ones. Conrad knows that's where his line is and not to push his brother beyond it. "It doesn't matter. She's too little to do me any good. Until she's at least seventeen or eighteen she's no use to me. She couldn't give enough blood to do any good. Not only that but children have different blood chemistry than adults do. If something happens and we lose the chance with Kostan's kidkid, then we can try for her later. You know, those humans are their weakness. Maybe you could snatch one of them and just exchange them for a pint or two? You could grab St. John's woman. It wouldn't have to be the child."

Derrick is starting to lose his patients. "Listen whether the child is really St. John's or not, every indication I have is that he would fight us to the death for the child or her mother. A man defending his family is far more dangerous than one fighting for the coin in his pockets."

Conrad stares off in to the distance mussing the options. "We could always take the little girl now, test her blood and if she turns out to be St. John's kid we could keep her until she's old enough to be of use."

Derrick throws his hands in the air. "Damn it Conrad. I am not kidnapping that child or her mother. Need I remind you what happened when Coraline Duvall snatched the Turner woman when she was a child? St. John torched Coraline. How she got clear of that I'll never know but he won't make the same mistake twice. He'll make sure of his kill this time."

Conrad shrugs it off. "Well at the very least we need to keep track of her just in case but I really don't want to wait another sixteen years only to find out she's not St. John's kid. I need the boy's blood and I need it now. As I said at least we are sure of his parentage. Derrick, if you don't have the expertise or the stomach for this I'll find someone who does."

Sometimes Derrick wonders just how far his brother would go in the 'interest of science.' "Conrad, you don't do shit without talking to me first or I'll feed your ass to the vultures." Derrick growls at him. "Listen I've got a meeting later with one of my men. He's got a meeting with a freshie who says he has some good information on Kostan. Hopefully it's about this situation. I'll keep looking for a way in but I can tell you right now, it doesn't look good and anyone who is even half way competent will tell you the same. If you go in with someone who isn't competent, they and you are going to end up dead."

Conrad nods. "Well, just keep at it and let me know what's going on. I have to have that blood."

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Done

Comments always wanted and appreciated…..