Fortitude

Author: yeknodelttil

Show: Young Dracula

Rating: K+

Genre: Romance

Pairing: Vlad/Erin

Disclaimer: I don't own Young Dracula. This is purely for the enjoyment of its fans, created by a fan

Spoilers: Series 3 of Young Dracula.

Summary: SEQUEL TO PREDETERMINED. They managed to rewrite Erin's destiny but not everything is going smoothly for Vlad and Erin. They both have to learn how to forgive and have the fortitude to continue to face the challenges thrown their way. Vlad/Erin.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who read the prequel 'Predetermined', as you can guess this one picks up directly after the events of the final chapter. (Sorry I couldn't resist).

I solemnly swear to try and post at about 10pm everyday. I've extended it about half an hour because my posts for the last fic were usually about that time.

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Chapter 1: Stake

Erin's first and only thought had been to get Vlad out of the way as fast as possible. He wouldn't notice it in time. She knew she'd have to use some force to push him out of the way.

She managed to summon up the strength to push him aside, he slammed into Robin and safely out of harms way.

Then she felt it, something sliding into the flesh of her stomach. It didn't hurt though – but that would soon change.

Erin lowered her hand to her stomach lifting it slowly seeing the blood that coated it. She looked down seeing the unmistakable hawthorn of a stake protruding from her stomach.

Erin stumbled back into Vlad, feeling her legs begin to buckle. She grabbed at his leather, her hands sliding straight off it.

She heard him gasp and she knew he'd seen it.

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Everything seemed to go in slow motion. Erin's blood pooled from the wound. The stake was firmly buried in her stomach.

The stake was a long one, even though it had been snapped in the fight with Andrew. It was buried up to the handle in her. The stake itself was three inches thick at its widest point (the base), it had snapped off leaving a jagged edge one and a half inches thick.

At first she didn't seem to be aware of it in her but then she felt it. Her nerves screaming out that it was there.

Vlad's face was a mixture of shock and horror. His mind went blank before panicking. He held her tightly as her knees gave out. The delicious scent of her blood filled his nostrils as it caked his leather and leaked from her wound.

The other vampires in the room didn't react in their usual manner towards being near blood. Each one had concern for her in their eyes, drinking the easy pickings of her blood was pushed from their minds. It wasn't right, definitely not when she'd saved Vlad.

Vlad slowly lowered Erin to the floor. Kneeling behind her, he pulled her against his chest, propping her up slightly. Erin grasped his forearms, trying to hold onto something. The pain flowing through her never seeming to ebb. She gripped his arms tightly as she tried to find a way to release her pain – she knew it wouldn't hurt him physically.

He pressed his hand to the wound trying to stem the flow of blood, Erin cried out as he inadvertently hurt her more.

Her breaths came in short gasps and her face had already lost its colour.

"RENFIELD!" She heard the Count roar somewhere behind her.

She looked up seeing the horrified faces of her parents and the Draculas. She could see her parents were itching to come closer but even like this she didn't want them near her. Even Andrew looked horrified at what he'd done, the accidental staking of a human was rare and a very serious offence.

Robin seemed to be lurking in the shadows, scared stiff of getting close to her. That might have been the best option for him at the moment.

"Vlad?" She asked him terrified, looking up at him. He gave her a smile.

"You'll be okay." He promised, his voice cracking as he let out a small prayer to whoever was listening that she'd be okay.

"I don't think it's a little cut." She gasped at him, it was much more serious than that. Stakes were just as deadly to humans as vampires as she was now helping to prove.

Vlad's eyes involuntarily travelled down her body to the stake before they flew back to her eyes. "We'll get it out and you'll be fine." Erin squeezed her eyes shut tighter, the pain was unbearable. Tears leaked out of the corner of her eyes. "Why did you do it?" He whispered to her.

Erin gave him her patent 'isn't it obvious' glare; even dying she could still do that. "I didn't want to lose you."

"I can't lose you Erin." Vlad whispered to her, pressing his face to her hair. His treacherous tears leaking into and soaking her hair. "I'm supposed to protect you."

"It works both ways Vlad, you saved me in the sunlight, I saved you."

Erin clutched at her stomach instinctively, trying to remove the discomfort there. If she moved it she'd bleed to death faster.

"Vlad don't let her touch it." Bertrand told him firmly, he couldn't risk Erin pulling it out yet.

Vlad grabbed her hands and held them in his. Her blood making his fingers slick and sticky. Erin looked up at him her eyes glazing slightly.

"I'm scared." She whispered.

"I'm here." He answered, "I'm not going anywhere." He promised. Erin nodded sluggishly her eyes beginning to close slowly. He nudged her automatically. "Don't you dare close your eyes." If she closed them he knew she'd never open them again.

Erin was suddenly feeling exhausted, "Tired."

"Come on, stay awake, stake awake for me." He chanted over and over again. Erin's eyes kept fluttering closed and snapping open. "Where's Renfield?" He snapped at his father.

That was a question no one could answer at the moment.

If Renfield didn't get here then they'd lose her, that's if he could actually do anything for her.

There was one thing that might save her though. The Count was the only one willing to broach the topic. "Vlad you need to change her." The Count told his son gently. This had never been done before; no one had ever been saved from such an injury by being transformed. If this worked Erin would be the first.

There was a law that stopped him, "I can't legally…"

Bertrand was the one who corrected him, "You can because there's no other choice. She's yours by claim."

There was another thing to consider, "The Truce…"

Jonno answered, he had the answer to that, "You're not biting her because you want to, you're biting her because it's the only choice you have to save her. The Truce still stands." Jonno knew Vlad wasn't violating the terms of the Truce, besides no vampire would usually bite someone to save them.

Vlad shook his head. "I can't." He couldn't do it; he'd get it wrong. He wouldn't know when to stop.

Erin seemed to sense what he was thinking. Erin nodded slowly, "You can." She let out a gasp. "I need to become one anyway." It was inevitable; it was part of eventually mating with him.

It wasn't supposed to be like this, Erin was supposed to have the chance to chance her mind. This wasn't supposed to happen for at least another two months and if he had his way – three years.

"Not. Like. This." He sounded out through clenched teeth; this wasn't how he ever wanted her to become one of them. This couldn't be taken lightly even if she was at death's door. "Renfield can…"

There must be another way.

Erin lifted a trembling hand to his face, cupping it softly. "You know he can't. Its okay Vlad." She stoked his cheek.

"It might not save you." He whispered, there was no guarantee she'd transform straight away.

"It's the only thing you can do." It was worth the risk.

Bertrand spoke quietly. "Vlad's she's loosing too much blood. Even Renfield won't be able to…"

Vlad shook his head; he looked towards the refrigerated cupboard in the corner of the room. "We've got blood bags we can give her some more."

"We haven't got enough of her blood type. Slayers blood needs to be transfused with slayers' blood, her body will reject it."

Their blood was a fraction different to normal breather's blood. Usually they would be treated by their own kind but Erin didn't have that luxury.

Everyone's gaze fixed on Vlad and he knew he'd have to do it. The worst part was part of him wanted it.

Vlad closed his eyes before nodding. "I'll do it."

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Vlad positioned himself more carefully, he looked at Erin she really was terrified. Erin wasn't terrified of being bitten she was terrified of what was happening now.

Vlad's gaze wandered back down to the stake before looking back up at her.

"It needs to be out." Vlad told them firmly, if he was going to do this then the stake couldn't remain in there.

"Wait until you've bitten her." The Count told his son firmly.

Vlad shook his head, he couldn't let it remain inside her body. "If she transforms straight away she'll turn to dust."

The Count needed him to think in terms of her being a breather, "If you take it out she'll bleed to death faster." The stake was helping stem the blood flow at the moment, once it was removed then there was nothing that would stop it being forced forward and out of her wound.

"The stake might break even further, we need to make sure its out."

"Take it out." Erin's weak voice told them, she understood the situation. Even the smallest residue of stake inside her would reduce her to dust if the transformation happened quickly as they hoped it would.

Bertrand moved closer, he'd been in battle; he'd done this before. He'd saved many a vampire child in the wars, when they had received similar injuries.

He placed his hand on top of Vlad's. The young vampire's hand was shaking too much to do this. "I'll do it."

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Vlad nodded and carefully let go of the stake taking care not to jostle it. Bertrand's more steady hand took over.

"Lie her down." Vlad nodded and slowly laid her flat on the floor, he yanked his leather jacket off, her blood was dripping off it. He couldn't stand the noise of the droplets hitting the floorboards. The moment he lost his jacket he felt her blood seeing though his shirt.

"Vlad you'll need to hold her still." Bertrand warned him as he grasped the stake firmly in his hand.

Vlad nodded, he could hold her, he'd just have to be careful he didn't use too much pressure and accidentally break her collarbones.

Erin grasped his fingers firmly and Vlad squeezed back just as firmly. He leaned down and kissed her lips tenderly, savouring the contact in case it was his last.

Bertrand looked at Erin, his eyes were deadly serious, "This will hurt." She nodded and bit her lip. "She'll need something to bite."

He'd seen men on the battlefields treated like this by the medics attending them, no anaesthetic for her. This would be agonising for her.

Vlad looked around trying to find something for her to bite, he couldn't find anything. He needed something her teeth wouldn't break. An idea came to him and he let go of her for the briefest of seconds to rip the belt off his trousers, it was only decoration on this pair.

He twisted the leather before placing it into her mouth.

"I smell bl…" Ingrid trailed off as she saw the source of the blood looking at her bloodstained brother. Blood was all across his face and she could see the darker marks on his shirt and the residue on the floor. If she hadn't known him better she would've thought he'd bitten someone. The smell of the blood had woken her from her unconscious state.

They'd all forgotten about Ingrid, she'd been knocked out by Erin's mother. She looked down at Vlad seeing the tears in his eyes.

Erin's face was still contorted in pain.

Ingrid stared at the wound, it was strange she was used to seeing blood and she was used to biting breathers' necks but seeing a wound like that made her feel sick.

She's seen vampires being slain with stakes but they usually crumbled into dust nothing left as much devastation as this.

Erin suddenly began to spasm on the floor, she was shivering, her eye lids half closed. Vlad tried to hold her still but her legs were causing the trouble.

"She's going into shock." Bertrand told him, "We need to do this now."

"What can I do?" Ingrid asked.

Bertrand looked up at her, he spoke the softest he'd ever spoken, "Hold her legs."

Ingrid grabbed her legs firmly and held Erin still, she had the same problem as Vlad she couldn't risk breaking Erin's legs.

Erin eventually stopped moving and her eyes opened fully, Vlad had hoped she'd passed out this would be easier on him.

He nodded to Vlad letting him know he was ready. The future Grand High Vampire nodded preparing himself for this.

Slowly Bertrand began to withdraw the stake.

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Erin screamed. The sensation was unbearable. The vampires in the room winced as her screams resounded in their heads.

The slayers automatically clutched their ears.

Vlad pressed harder as Erin tried to arch away and roll away from him.

Streams of wetness flew down Erin's cheeks,

Bertrand looked at the stake, he looked to Vlad. The stake had snapped again, there was a jagged break. Shards were still in her abdomen. Vlad nearly retched at the sight of her muscle exposed. Ingrid turned away.

"How many pieces?" The Count asked him.

"I don't know." Bertrand honestly didn't know. "I'll be as quick as I can." He promised Vlad and Erin.

"No." Erin whimpered around the belt, "Please no." Vlad could see the tears she'd put into the belt from the force she'd clamped around it in her agony.

They couldn't press anything against the wound in case the shards were pushed deeper in causing even more damage. Vlad needed to convince her quickly.

Vlad's mouth opened and closed, he didn't want this to continue either but he didn't have a choice. "He has to." Vlad told her, his voice cracking, he hated doing this to her. "I can't do anything until every last splinter is out of her." He didn't want her to be in pain. "When they're out I can bite you." He promised her.

Erin nodded slowly, tensing up in preparation for what was about to follow.

Bertrand looked at them both before plunging his hand into her stomach, the wound so deep his long fingers completely disappeared.

Erin screamed and withered as it felt like a poker was being thrust into her stomach. The pain burned through her as Bertrand tried to locate the small shards of the hawthorn stake that had broken off.

A loud crack echoed around the room and Vlad turned to one side and was physically sick as Erin screamed – but it wasn't at what Bertrand was doing. He couldn't believe what he'd just done. He'd broken her left collarbone trying to hold her in place.

Ingrid watched as her brother wiped his mouth on the shoulder of his shirt, unwilling to move his hands from Erin. "You didn't do it on purpose." Ingrid told him, fighting the gagging sensation forcing its way up her throat. She'd had to use increased pressure on Erin, legs bones were much stronger than collarbones.

Vlad nodded slowly, it didn't mean it wouldn't haunt him though.

Bertrand threw a shard across the room, before rooting around once more in her muscle trying to find other pieces, he needed to do this before she bled to death.

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Bertrand let out a triumphant cry as he grasped the last shard and yanked it out from where it was buried.

Erin had passed out completely now, the combined pain of her collarbone and the stake too much for her to bear. They were glad she couldn't' feel this now.

Bertrand stepped back, for the first time he was actually shaking at what he'd just done. Ingrid let go of Erin and grabbed his hands. Usually Bertrand would drink any blood but Erin's was a different story.

Ingrid wiped the blood from them, before washing them in one of the bottles of water Erin stored in the cupboard next to her brother's soy blood. She could feel his fingers trembling but she didn't comment on it. What he'd just done had taken more courage than any of them had.

Mina let go of Andrew, leaving Jonno holding him and helped hold the discarded leather jacket to Erin's wound, trying to stem the blood flow. She pressed both hands to the jacket, getting blood all over her as she did so.

Vlad moved around Erin, he knew what he had to do now. The Count moved closer to Vlad, grasping his shoulder tightly. "You need to be quick." The Count told his son and Vlad nodded.

Vlad leaned over Erin, his fangs lowering. They hadn't tingled once at the sight of her blood and he'd had to force them this time. Vlad wished that he didn't have an audience for this, this was a very intimate thing to do. His family would.

Vlad felt garlic being pressed into his neck. The slayers hadn't done that good a job at disarming them.

"You're not biting my daughter."

TBC

A/N: Thanks for reading.