Disclaimer: Twilight is the property of Stephenie Meyer
This chapter is dedicated to Noble, Fadewind, M-Bianca94, Alphabloodwolf, Saimreen, Hm813, Cara Gracious, Jaboo101, Asherah Isa, TheStarCalledVega and BellaNessieCullen
Here we are, ch1, yay! Finally finished it
Liza
That voice, one we hadn't thought we would hear out here, that voice which had once had a slight tightness to it, now clear as a bell with no wobble despite the cold that made us dhampir shiver, never mind a human's voice. It had come as a shock to me; I could not fathom how shocking the thought was to Mal, although the fact that I was now deluged in snow he had otherwise been shielding us from was a significant clue.
I was under the snow for a second at most before Mal used his telekinesis to blast it away from us. The bubble appeared once more and this time Alec was on the outside, along with the tall man in the dark coat, his mousy hair blowing in the blizzard, the snow settling on him since he no longer had the body heat to melt it. Despite the fact that he was as pale as the snow he looked much healthier, still thin, but not gaunt. The most noticeable thing were his eyes, no longer blue, now a startling gold. Mal was gripping my hand tightly as he stared at the vampire who was his brother and I could feel the ground rumble beneath my feet. I could not recall the last time Mal had been this angry.
"How could you?" Mal demanded.
"You were upset that your brother was dying, I thought about how I would feel if I knew it was Jane and there was nothing I could do about it. I decided to help you. I knew you were too honourable to offer it yourself. And being a third party I could play up a disinterest on my part, keeping Ardal here would not benefit me in anyway as much as his departure would not cause me distress. I was therefore the most rational choice to put the offer before Ardal."
"You promised me you would not do this." I hissed.
"I promised I would not offer him this opportunity, and that promise I kept for I had already offered him." Alec said smoothly.
"And you claim us your best friends?" I snapped. "That was underhand."
"Please don't be mad at Alec." Ardal said softly, as if he were afraid of his voice at the moment. "Like I said, I could have said no. And I was going to, but then I thought of how unfair my life had been, giving me things then taking them from me. This disease, I welcomed it at first, that's the reason I didn't want treatment. I was going to die by His hand and even though some could still call me young at forty-four, I was ready to go join me Alva. I had no one on Earth to live for, until you showed up on me island. The little brother I never knew I had but had always wanted. Not only a brother, but also a sister-in-law and their three children. It hurt to think I would never get to see those angels grow up. It seemed so unfair for that to happen. So when Alec gave me the option I grabbed hold of it with two hands."
"You didn't force him?" Mal demanded of Alec.
"He didn't force me." Ardal stated. "He made his offer then gave me a few weeks to think it over. In those few weeks I decided yes, and I accepted."
"So why didn't you tell me?" Mal said, speaking again to Alec. "All those months of seeing us every day and you didn't give even one little hint?"
"I asked him not to say anything." Ardal stated.
"Why?"
"Because I knew that this might not work or I could become a monster. If I did and had to be put down, it was better that you think the cancer took me." Ardal explained.
Mal put his head into his hand, but we didn't get further, there was the sound of an engine.
"Mother is back with the children." I stated as I felt her return.
"The kids are here." Ardal said with a smile.
"Yes." I replied.
"And you're not seeing them." Mal said firmly. "I…I don't want them to know about this. Not yet. Not till I've had time to get my head around this. I need to know how we can go on now…"
"Mal." I warned, he did not wish to say anything he would later regret.
"I understand." Ardal said with a nod.
"We will be at the Stables when you're ready to talk." Alec stated.
"Does Bob and Lilly know about this?" Mal demanded.
"They have no idea who Ardal is." Alec stated.
"What of Kitty and Leda?" I asked.
"I had hoped to hide Ardal's identity from Kitty, but Leda had recognised him and I was unable to stop her from revealing who he was to Kitty. She is not pleased with me at the moment. I will be staying the night in the barn with Ardal."
"Good." Mal said.
I gave him a look, before turning to look at Alec and Ardal.
"I think it best you go, the children have returned and we must return to the house. We shall call you in the morning to arrange a time to speak further, but for now you should go." I stated.
Alec nodded and he looked up at Ardal.
"Come. Mal needs time to get used to this arrangement you have had several months to adjust to." Alec said, placing his hand on Ardal's arm.
Ardal had been watching Mal, but now he looked down at Alec and nodded. They disappeared into the darkness, leaving Mal and I in our protective bubble.
"We should return to the house, we can speak of this once the children are in bed." I stated.
Mal nodded and he pushed his shield out for a moment to remove the snow that had gathered on top before he dropped it once more. We ran back to the house, and I was glad to be in the warmth once more. Thankfully we had arrived in the recreation room before the children had come through the house. We were sat on the sofa with the TV switched on by the time they reached us.
Mal managed to wear a brave face as we listened to the children talk of their time seeing the lights and how scarily fun it was to drive through the blizzard. It was only by reminding them that it was Christmas Eve that they put their excitement aside, agreed to their bath and retired to bed. Of course it was Christmas Eve and therefore we could not retire immediately, we would have to sit up a while until we were certain they were in fact sleeping.
Billie sat up with us for an hour, but then she retired to her room, she had to say goodnight to her friends. Mother was looking up at the ceiling for five minuets after Billie had left before she lowered her head and gave Mal and I a level look.
"Ok, I might as well tell you right now, I know Ardal turned up here tonight and he's a vampire. I try not to read your minds, but it's kinda hard not to when it's the only thing you're both thinking of right now. Besides, I read his and Alec's mind earlier. Well I had to, I could sense two minds on the edge of our garden, I had to be certain they weren't hostile." Mother stated. "Mal, do you wanna talk?"
Mal opened his mouth but no words came out. Instead he broke down crying.
I placed my arm about him and tapped his back.
"Hey, hey what's all this about?" Mother asked as she crouched in front of Mal and attempted to pull his hands away from his face.
"I…I…I've been waiting, hurting all…all these months…and he's been…he's been a vampire all this…this time. I've been expecting…any moment that I'd get the message he was…was gone. Oh god!" He exclaimed the latter looking up at the ceiling.
"But he's not gonna die." Mother said, wiping the tears from Mal's cheeks as if he were a child again. "You got him forever now."
Mal looked Mother in the eye with a tight frown.
"That's no guarantee." He said harshly.
I winced and hugged him tighter.
"You are right Malachite." Father said in clam tones as he came to stand beside Mother and he placed his hand on Mal's shoulder. "That is not a guarantee that he will live forever, but neither is it a guarantee that he will die."
"Yeah." Mother added. "Three hours ago you knew for certain that your brother was going to die, and soon, but now he's got a second chance. You've got a second chance with him. Don't you want the opportunity to actually get to know him without a time limit? At least no more than you have with anyone in our family."
"But why didn't he say anything?" Mal asked, his sobbing had eased, but his upset was still clear in his voice.
"He did not wish to give you false hope had it gone wrong." I whispered. "Think on how much worse it would have been if you had been given this seed of hope that you would have him forever, only for him to become a monster and have to be put down."
Mal nodded.
"You do not have to make your decision this very moment." Father stated. "Sleep will do you the world of good. You should both retire and think on this tomorrow morning."
"But what about the kids?" Mal asked, "It's Christmas Eve."
"We can sort that out." Mother said. "They're sleeping anyway so we can do it now."
"Then we'll do it together." I stated.
A quarter of an hour later the presents were beneath the tree, and the stockings on the children's beds. After saying goodnight to Mother and Father, Mal and I retired to bed.
He was very quiet and after trying to start a conversation I realised he did not wish to speak tonight. It was better to allow him to sleep and we would talk in the morning. Mal held me close to him as we drifted to sleep.
At least I drifted to sleep, I don't think Mal had slept, but had been thinking for a whole two hours before he disturbed me when getting out of bed. I turned to look up at him and he gave a guilty start.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
"I can't help it, I have to go talk to him." He replied.
"I understand." I said with a smile as I began to sit up.
"But I want to do it alone." He said quickly, wincing slightly as if expecting a rebuke.
"You only have to say." I assured him. "Have you ever stopped me from conversing with Tony alone?"
"No."
"Then why would I stop you?" I asked.
Mal gave a small smile.
"Thanks." He said and kissed me.
I smiled and turned back on my side, pretending to drift back to sleep until I was certain he was out of the house. Then my eyes snapped open and I bit my lip as I told myself to stay in bed and not go to Mother to listen in. This was Mal's business and I would hate for him to spy on my conversations with Tony. Whatever he wished for me to know he would inform me of later.
That did not stop me from worrying about him however.
Even if Ardal had been changed immediately on his arrival in America; that had been March. It had been less than a year since he had been changed, would he be unstable still?
What if Mal upset him?
Mal had his force field, he would be safe, I assured myself. Besides, Alec could use his gift against Ardal too. I had no need to worry, but I would not sleep until Mal was back with me.
Mal
I pulled on my coat before heading out into the snowy night. I shivered slightly, it was a big difference from my nice warm spot in bed with Liza in my arms, but I hadn't been able to sleep. I'd been horrible to Ardal, what if I made him feel like becoming a vampire was a mistake? What if he thought I didn't want him to stick around and he'd be gone by morning? It was ridiculously easy for a vampire to disappear with the right contacts.
I was moving now with the help of my telekinesis and memory toward the Stables, the snow was coming down too thick to rely on my eyes. I was glad when I saw the glow of lights through the snow and I came out by the Stables. I edged around the pond and made my way to the barn. The door was wide open, but I guess the cold wouldn't bother Ardal and Alec so much.
I stuck my head in through the door to find the two vampires sat at a folding card table using it to actually play cards.
"Can anyone join?" I asked.
They looked up at me in surprise.
"Come on, I weren't walking that quietly, and I know it's snowing, but it doesn't muffle noise that much." I said.
"Mal." Ardal said with an unsure smile as he rose to his feet.
"I want to apologise for how I acted earlier." I said as I stepped into the barn and pulled down my hood. "I was just…I lost my head for a minuet there."
"It's perfectly understandable Mal. I should probably have called ahead first." Ardal replied.
"That would have been worse." I realised. "It was better that I saw it with my eyes."
"I must go check on Leda." Alec lied and left.
I sat down in his chair and looked at the hand of cards he'd just put down.
"I think he was about to beat you." I said.
"Nah. He was about to fold. He's being overly nice to me. Letting me win, I know he's doing it though." Ardal said with a shrug.
"How?" I asked, wondering if he was telepathic.
"I've been around for over forty years, I think I can tell when someone's having me on." Ardal said with a smile.
"So." I said, gathering all the cards together and shuffling them absentmindedly. "You're a vampires now."
"That I am." Ardal replied.
"How's it feel?" I asked as I began to take a card from the top of the pack and letting them float one by one up into the air. I'd found over the years that it helped if I found some way to concentrate my telekinesis if I was going to get upset.
"It's…different." He said.
"I guess it would be." I conceded.
"It's weird not feeling things like I used to. How can I be so sensitive to my environment, but can stand extremes of temperatures? It's a bloody blizzard outside and it don't even feel cold. Can you feel the cold?"
"Tonight I can, but I'd survive if I went out there naked, I'd just feel uncomfortable." I explained.
"I see." Ardal observed.
"So… Did Alec…?" I began to ask.
"No. It was his sister Jane. I thought it was best that it wasn't him." He replied. "He really was doing it out of the goodness of his heart you know?"
"I know." I said with a nod. "Alec is still a little hazy on the whole how friends should act thing. He likes to think he's pragmatic too, so I can see how he'd see how he was doing me a favour."
"You don't mind?" Ardal asked.
"Mind what?" I asked, confused.
"That I became a vampire?"
"I'm a little ashamed that I didn't offer it to you when I wanted to." I admitted.
"Nah Mal. If you'd done it I would have said no." Ardal said with a nod.
"Why?" I asked.
"Call me contrary if you like, but I would have felt as if you were doing it for you and not for me." Ardal explained.
"Yeah." I replied. "That's why I didn't offer, I felt I would be doing it for me, no matter how I tried to dress it up."
"It's a good job then Alec stepped in."
I nodded.
"That's pretty." Ardal said.
"What is?" I asked.
He pointed up and I looked up to what he was pointing at. It was the cards that now looked like they were making the shape of a rose.
"I wasn't really concentrating." I said. "Just making them float."
"So that really is your power." He said in wonder.
"Yeah." I confirmed.
"When you showed me before I thought maybe perhaps you were having me on." He said with a chuckle.
"How?" I asked with a frown as I began to float the cards back down into my hand.
"With strings maybe." Ardal hazarded.
"When would I have had time to set that up?" I asked.
"I really don't know, but it was a good an explanation as any." Ardal said with a shrug.
"Other than that I was telekinetic?" I asked.
"You gotta admit it's kind of hard to believe?"
"Actually no. I've always been able to move things with my mind. It's completely believable to me. Completely normal. From the day I, well from when I was about a two weeks old and I levitated Dad's keys from off top of the table."
"You can remember when you were two weeks old?" Ardal asked in amazement.
"I have vague memories of being in the womb." I stated. "We dhampir are perceptive from a very young age."
"That's weird."
"Yeah." I said with a shrug. "So you coming to see the kids tomorrow?"
"You'll let me?"
"No point keeping you away from them is there? They'd like to see their Uncle Ardal on Christmas Day. If you come over when Bob and Lilly does then I should have prepped them. But now I should get back to Liza, put her mind to rest and we might get two hours sleep before the kids are in jumping on us." I said as I got to my feet.
"Then I'll see tomorrow." Ardal said as he got to his feet too.
"Yeah bro, it'll be fun." I said and reached over the card table to hug him.
He seemed shocked by this at first, but then he returned the hug and it was weird to feel strength in his arms, more so than the cold. I tapped his back and pulled away.
"Night."
"Night."
I smiled and turned away, pulling up my hood as I stepped out into the snow. It was starting to ease a little, but it still made navigating by sight a little difficult. But I had my sonar to help me get back to Tregarran.
Liza
I lay in bed awake, worrying for Mal the entire half hour he was gone. That half hour felt like an eternity and I cannot begin to describe the relief I felt when he returned. I was aware of his presence in the house as he entered through the kitchen door. A moment later he was entering our room and climbing back into bed with me.
I turned to him, giving him a kiss, his fringe damp from melting snow felt cold against my forehead. I cared not as I pulled him closer. I nuzzled my face into his neck and breathed in his sent, delicious with that hint of snow and wind.
"How did it go?" I asked.
"Good." Mal replied. "I'm glad I talked to him. I asked him to come over tomorrow."
"The children will be happy to see him." I observed.
"And how about you?" Mal asked.
"You know my views on change, I need time to adjust to the fact that he is a vampire, but I will not shun him if that is what you fear." I stated.
"No. I know you wouldn't do that." Mal said as he wrapped his arms tighter about me. "So how do we explain this to the kids?"
"I have no idea whether it would be better to prepare them or merely see if they notice. It will raise questions about Addie's mortality with the twins once more, but Seren has managed to coach Zoë into asking such things in private. If we say nothing perhaps Addie will not notice and if he does then we will explain. I am certain the girls will notice, but if Addie doesn't it can wait until he's older."
"I guess." Mal said, running his hand through my hair.
"By the way, I'm proud of you." I said, before kissing him.
"What for?"
"For not letting this fester. For hearing your brother out before irreparable damage occurred. For being so grown up." I said, before kissing him again.
Mal chuckled, the sound vibrating through my own chest.
"Well I am over forty, it's about time I started acting grown up." He joked.
I laughed too, before snuggling up against him.
"My grown up Malachite." I said, reaching up to stroke his face. "Remind me to reward you when we find some time alone."
"Not now?" He asked.
"Being grown up means you are willing to wait for your rewards. Besides the children will awaken soon, we should at least have an hours sleep." I replied.
"You're right." Mal said with a contended sigh. "Let's just sleep."
And I drifted to sleep in my Malachite's arms.
As predicted the children woke us up two hours later, Zoë deciding the best way to do this was by jumping on our bed with her stocking in her hands, shouting at the top of her lungs what day it was. Mal and I sat up and Zoë grinned as she crossed her legs in mid air to land sitting on the bed as Seren and Aiden climbed up beside her.
"Can we get up now?" She asked.
I checked the clock, it was but four in the morning.
"I think perhaps we had better stay here for an hour or two and go down once Grandma Essie and Grandpa Tobias are up." I stated.
"But we want to see if Santa Claus has been." Zoë protested.
"Well you got your stockings." Mal said. "Isn't that enough proof?"
"I guess." Zoë conceded moodily.
"You can look in your stockings for the time being." I stated. "Or we can all attempt to find another two hours of sleep so we are not tired through Christmas Day."
The children whispered amongst themselves for a moment then decided that perhaps sleeping a little longer wouldn't hurt. So I moved over as the three of them snuggled down between Mal and I and we all went back to sleep until seven when it was Mother who woke us all up, impatient for the children to open their gifts. I was rather saddened that Tony was not here, but I suppose that now he had three children of his own, it made more sense for Mother to have time with my children and then his. Perhaps we could take the children out later to allow Tony some time with Mother before we sat as one big family for dinner.
Mother, when we retire to the recreation room for our traditional breakfast I must speak with Mal. I informed her and she undoubtably caught my plan from my mind.
I'll keep them distracted for a while. She promised.
Would you be so kind as to inform Mal of my plan? I asked.
Already done. Mother said with a smile before commenting on the recorder Zoë had just unwrapped and was very enthusiastically attempting to master, having no prior experience whatsoever.
"Thank you Billie, what a thoughtful gift." I said trying not to wince on the missed notes and the high squeals.
"Well, got to get them into music early." Billie said with a grin as Seren unwrapped a xylophone and attempted an out of tune Jingle Bells.
Addie had a magic microphone which recorded ones voice then played it back with effects and such. At a very high volume. It wasn't long before the girls had convinced him to allow them to have a turn too. It was a cacophony and I made a note that I would have to teach them the basics of music when we returned home. Why had I not though to do so before? Perhaps this was Billie's subtle way of allowing me to know my mistake in this regard. I would have preferred had she just told me.
Finally we managed to convince the children to go to the recreation room and Mother managed to allow Mal and I the chance to talk by conspiring with the children to remove us from the room. We had to go and allow them the chance to create a special performance for us for after breakfast, Father offering his more technical guidance along with Mother's natural flare.
After sharing a look with Mal when it was clear Billie wished to join us, well she had to know at some point and perhaps it was best she knew in advance, I decided to invite her along.
"Auntie Billie should join us so you can surprise her too." I stated and the children agreed.
Billie followed Mal and I through to the informal sitting room where we would be sufficiently out of the twins' hearing whilst they were being distracted by musical instruments.
"So what's going on?" Billie asked as we sat down. "Cause there's something pretty big since Mom was clearly buying you two a little space, but I got the feeling it wasn't smoochie special time."
"Billie!" I said shocked.
"Come on Sis, I'm an adult now." She said with a shrug.
"You are nine years of age!" I countered.
"In human years maybe." Billie said with a snort. "But who's counting in those?"
"Mother and Father. Which would be the reason you are not in college." I chastised.
"That's cause I didn't want to go." Billie said, narrowing her eyes. "Devon needs me more than ever. He's just started Junior High and I decided to be his mentor. He's still not so talkative as he could be and I can't abandon him like that. He needs me."
"That is very responsible of you, but still, you are my baby sister and I will not have you making allusions to my sex life. It is, uncomfortable. I discuss no such thing with Tony and you know how our minds can be practically as one."
"Ok. Got it." Billie said. "So what is going on?"
I looked to Mal and he nodded, he would answer.
"Don't tell the kids yet, this will be better as a show before tell." He stated.
"Ok." Billie said with a slight frown.
"I mean it." Mal said. "They'll find out by the end of the day, but until then we're trusting you with this."
"I promise I won't say anything." She said solemnly.
"Ok. Well you know I got a brother."
"Ardal right? He's a priest, and Mom told me he was dying of cancer." Billie said sadly.
"Not any more." Mal said lowly.
"Oh god, I'm so sorry." Billie said, zooming over to hug Mal tightly. "No wonder you don't want them to know yet."
"He's not dead." Mal said and Billie stepped back.
"What do you mean? He got cured?" She asked with a frown.
"In a sense." I stated, looking into my sister's almost black eyes as the wheels appeared to turn in her head.
"Wait a minuet…" She gasped. "You mean he's a…"
"A vampire? Yeah." Mal confirmed.
"Oh god! How?"
"I don't know the full details yet but Alec offered Ardal a cure and Ardal took it. Jane was the one who turned him and he's spent the last few months getting used to being a vampire." Mal explained.
"I take it you guys only just found out." Billie said.
"Ardal decided to surprise us yesterday when you were all out light spotting." I explained.
"Oh god, that had to be bad." Billie said with a shake of her head.
"I guess it could have been worse." Mal said. "It could have been news that he'd died. That's what I'm going with now anyway. I've got over the initial shock and had a little talk with him. I can understand why he didn't let me know sooner. It would have been worse to think he was getting better only for him to go off the deep end and have to be killed. I just wish I could have prepared, it was a shock last night."
"And now you're just gonna dump it on the kids?" Billie asked.
"How can we really prepare them for this?" I asked. "The girls will most likely realise the situation, but Addie will not."
"You're hoping he wont." Billie stated.
I had no answer to that.
"Look Liza, I know he's only human, at least you think he's only human, but I reckon he's like Mom and Uncle Hunter. Not an issue right now." Billie said, holding up her hand as I went to protest. "Yeah he's human and just a kid, but he's smarter than you think and you really got to stop treating him like an idiot. He knows that he's not like us. Don't you think he can notice that his sisters are bigger than him? What about when Astrid and Lydia get here? He's gonna see that they look nearly as old as him now. I also think he's observant enough to realise that his Uncle Ardal looks more like his Grandpa Tobias and Carlisle and Esme and all the rest, than the sick man he saw the last time. You shouldn't underestimate him."
"If he realises there is something different about Ardal then we will explain to him, but there is no use upsetting him otherwise." I stated.
"Stop wrapping him in cotton wool!" Billie yelled. "He's a frigging little genius if you just let him be. How can he not be? He's a kid of this family after all. But you're stifling him by hiding stuff from him."
"I think I know my own son!" I snapped.
"I'm not saying you don't know him, I just feel that maybe, you're blinding yourself in your denial that he's growing up. You don't want him to age because you're determined to be pessimistic, and I respect that, it's your coping mechanism, but you're letting it blind you because you think he's human and he's only got a hundred years max on this world, at least in truly living. But you're doing it wrong Sis, seriously. You gotta lighten up, and even expecting the worst, let him live and revel in every moment you have with him, because if you carry on being this overly cautious you're gonna miss out on a lot. And if he does happen to live and die as a human it'll be something you'll regret."
"What do you know you are still a child yourself!" I growled.
"Hey Bills, you might want to give us a moment." Mal said in strained tones.
"Yeah. I know. Don't want Liza deciding to run away again. Oh wait she did. To Wales." Billie hissed in return.
I gasped in appal, how could she say such a thing? But Mal held me in place as Billie left the room.
"Can you believe her?" I demanded.
"Liza bach, don't go getting all et up, Billie is still a kid." He said soothingly.
"Well she demands to be treated as an adult." I said, folding my arms.
"And you're acting like an adult now?" Mal asked, giving me a level look.
"I beg your pardon?" I demanded, aghast.
"Come on Eliza, I thought you were past all this now. I know everything is emotional right now, but can I be selfish for once? Wasn't this supposed to be about me and my brother?"
Mal was right, and I took a breath.
"The reason I asked you here was because I think perhaps we should meet with Ardal sooner. We can go when Tony arrives to give his children some time with Mother and Father." I explained.
"Hmmmm… Maybe it would be better to give them time to calm down if it upsets them." Mal conceded.
"Yes. Plus more time to calm down before bed when they are excited." I said with a bright smile.
"Ok, we'll go meet him. But where to?"
"Would Bob and Lilly object to us meeting him in the barn?" I asked.
"You know them better than me." Mal pointed out.
"Very well, I will ring Lilly, perhaps we will surprise Ardal?" I suggested.
Mal considered for a moment, and then gave a small smile.
"Why not?" He said, and then frowned. "Maybe we should let him know so he can prepare himself to meet Addie."
"That is a good point. Very well, I will phone Lilly and then ask to speak to Ardal."
I phoned Lilly and she was more than happy to accommodate us in the barn, although she admitted her previous scepticism that Ardal was indeed Mal's brother until I confirmed it.
With everything in place we went back to the recreation room for breakfast. We then herded the children upstairs so they could dress. Naturally Zoë found cause to argue, she wished to see the new baby since we hadn't had chance to meet Lydia yet.
"We must give your cousins time with Grandma Essie and Grandpa Tobias too." I stated. "Besides there will be plenty of time to see Lydia."
"But…"
"Well if Zoë wants to stay here, leave her." Mal said. "But then she'll miss out on seeing Ardal."
"Uncle Ardal is here?" Seren asked excitedly.
"Yes." I confirmed.
"What? Why didn't you say so?" Zoë demanded. "Yeah I'll come with you."
With the promise of seeing their uncle the children were more than happy to leave Tregarran, especially since it meant a treck through fresh snow. I was merely thankful that it was no longer snowing; in fact the sun had put in an appearance and was beginning to melt the snow. Perhaps it would rain later and wash it away completely.
We strolled over at a human pace so Addie could walk too. The girls didn't complain too much as they had the opportunity to put footsteps into fresh snow. They were quite excitable by the time we neared The Stables and I thought it best to rein them in a little since Ardal was still technically a newborn. As certain as I was that Mal would not take the children near him if he was a danger, it was still better to limit anything that may act as a trigger.
Thankfully Zoë decided to be on her best behaviour and so it was easier for Seren to behave, I rarely had trouble with Aiden. So with the children on their best behaviour we stepped into the back yard of the stable with its duck pond and handful of out buildings, including the barn. Ardal came out to meet us and the girls recognised his change immediately, suddenly leaping up into Mal's arms since I was holding Aiden's hand.
"What's wrong?" Mal asked the girls as they buried their faces into his shoulder.
"He's a vampire." Zoë whispered while Seren whimpered.
"What?" Aiden gasped. "Like Grandpa Tobias?"
"Yes." I confirmed since there was no point in lying now.
"He's still your Uncle Ardal." Mal stated as he carried the girls closer.
"Why would he be someone else?" Aiden asked before pulling away from me and running up to Ardal. "Are you better now?" He asked.
"Much better Addie, thank you for asking." Ardal said with a smile as he bent down to pick him up. "And how are you?"
"I'm great. I been to school and met lots of other kids." Addie replied.
"That must be fun."
"It is." Addie said. "And it's Christmas today, did Santa bring you anything?"
"He brought my family to me and I'm very pleased to see you." Ardal replied.
"Santa didn't bring us." Zoë said.
"We walked here ourselves." Seren added.
"So you did." Ardal said with a smile. "So what we all doing standing around here? Let's go in the barn, sit down in the warm."
"Sounds good to me." Mal said.
We followed Ardal into the barn where a group of chairs had been set up around a table. Ardal sat down without the slight strain, followed by the sigh of relief that had punctuated this act prior. He really was so much better than he had been.
"Are you not going to sit down?" Ardal asked, indicating the other chairs.
Aiden sat down immediately, smiling up at his uncle. He had sat as close to Ardal as possible so I moved quickly to sit beside Aiden, ready to defend him should it be required. I know Ardal noticed my move of protection, but I didn't care if I offended him, Aiden's safety was my main concern.
The twins sat close to me on the other side, which left Mal to sit next to Ardal on his left. I placed my arm about Aiden, pulling him closer to me, I was very nervous. I realised I should have possibly come to see Ardal myself before bringing the children to see him, but it was too late for that now. I was being rude and I had no cause to treat Ardal in such a bad way.
I forced myself to relax, releasing my protective hold of Aiden. Mal would not allow anything bad to happen to him I was certain.
"You're looking well Ardal." I managed to say. "I trust everything went well?"
"To be sure." He replied, giving me a careful look and I knew he could hear the fear in the rhythm of my heart.
"Please forgive me, this was unexpected and I don't handle change when I have no time to prepare for it." I said, searching for a valid excuse.
"I believe you said as much before." Ardal said with a small smile.
"So why are you a vampire now?" Zoë asked.
"Zoë, that is rude!" I snapped.
"No, she's just curious." Ardal said with a shrug. "You see Zoë, I was very ill and Alec told of a way to get better. I chose to take it so I could know me family more. Well, as long as you still all want me of course."
The twins put their heads together for a moment before they beamed at their uncle.
"We have no objections." They said in unison.
"Then it's settled." Mal stated. "We're all happy that you're better."
"Yes." I agreed. "It is a blessing."
Ardal nodded.
"It's amazing how much me life has changed in a year. I'm better now and I have a family. It makes me very happy."
"So what you got planned?" Mal asked.
"I'm not sure. I got to spend a few more months at HQ with me mentor and then… I have no idea to be honest. I'll have to think of it when the time comes. I mean do I go into the business world, as was my original plan, can I carry on as priest? No, that… I need to think on it."
"There is a time of adjustment." I replied. "But others have found places within the world. One of my grandfathers is a doctor, a very good doctor, and has managed to remain so for many a decade now. My Uncle Masen is a genius in the field of computers, he can do just about anything, although his living is made through catering to our kind, for obvious reasons."
"What reasons would they be?"
"Creating a false paper trail, making all your documents legal wherever someone might happen to look." Mal explained. "You might not need it yet, but in a few decades when you can't really use your original date of birth it'll come in handy."
"I didn't think about that, but I suppose if you want to move between countries you'll need a passport." Ardal replied.
"Especially if you come to see us." Aiden said with a smile.
"Yes." Ardal agreed.
"When you are able to travel you are more than welcome." I stated for Mal's sake.
"Thank you Liza." Ardal replied.
I managed a smile, happy that I was starting to calm somewhat now I'd had chance to do so. Aiden was perfectly safe, Mal and I would protect him, and the girls could do so at a pinch, besides Ardal seemed calm enough. He wouldn't deliberately hurt Aiden.
Finally I felt as comfortable with Ardal as with any of my vampire family. It was becoming more apparent that his transition into the vampire world had gone rather smoothly. Everything would be fine and by the time we were heading back to Tregarran to meet up with Tony I had given Ardal a formal invitation to join us this evening as opposed to merely turn up and hope for the best.
When we returned to Tregarran, Tony, Grace and the children had opened their gifts and so it was time to meet Lydia. She seemed somewhat more demanding than her sisters, but I thought this only expected since she had two sisters to compete with from the beginning.
The day went by well; we sat down to dinner at five and the children gathered to watch a movie afterwards. They were all very sleepy by eight, my children due to the fact that they were up so early, Tony's because they had travelled so far. They all retired to the nursery where Grace read to them while Mal and I briefed Mother, Father, Tony and Billie on the fact that Ardal would pay a visit and what to expect with him.
It was half eight when the doorbell chimed. I rushed to answer it to find Ardal along with Alec and Kitty.
"Do come in." I said.
"I hope you don't mind me being here, but I had to make sure everything was ok." Kitty said.
"You are welcome of course, and worry not, as devious as this whole thing has been we must cling to the old adage that the end justifies the means." I stated. "Now come, everyone is waiting in the informal sitting room for us."
"Everyone?" Ardal asked cautiously.
"Well, you are my brother-in-law, it is time you met my side of the family don't you think?" I said brightly before turning on my heel and walking to the informal sitting room regardless of whether they followed me.
Mal was waiting by the door and he looked slightly nervous, I could hardly blame him, his two families were about to meet for the first time. What if they did not like each other? I took Mal's hand and gave him a reassuring smile before he greeted his brother and we stepped into the room.
"Is he here?" Billie asked excitedly.
"If you are determined to act a child you can go to bed like the others." I stated, then realised my tone was down to our argument earlier. "Sorry sister, but we must be…"
"Ok. I know. I just want to meet Mal's brother; it's just so awesome he's got a brother. Come on in, don't be shy. We don't bite." Billie said, sweeping past me to take Ardal's hand. "Not any more than you do anyway. I'm Billie Black, Liza little sister and I guess I'll introduce you to everyone since Liza's neglecting you." She continued as she pulled him into the room.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Billie, I'm Ardal McGuire." Ardal replied.
"I know." Billie said.
"It's good to finally meet you." Mother said as she rose to her feet and hugged Ardal. "And don't worry about this one, she's been binging on sugar all day." She added as she pulled away and drew Billie into a one-arm hug.
"Mom!" Billie complained. "I'm not on a sugar high, I'm just happy to meet Mal's brother. If he's anything like Brendan he's bound to be a laugh riot."
"Ok." Mother said as she pulled Billie away.
"Welcome to Tregarran, Father McGuire, I am Tobias, Liza's father." Father said, offering his hand.
"Please, call me Ardal." Ardal said as he took Father's hand. "And I can see the resemblance."
"Liza is the very image of my mother Vela." Father explained. "And may I introduce you to my son Tony and his wife Grace."
"How you doing?" Tony asked as he stood up and held out his hand.
"I'm good." Ardal said, looking up at my brother's face. "And aren't you a tall one? Six foot eleven?"
"Yeah." Tony said, frowning slightly as he blushed.
"And you're really Liza's twin?"
"Many people find it hard to believe." I said, rushing to Tony's side. "But you only have to look at Mother and Father to see how it is possible."
"I see that." Ardal said. "And I think you said about it before. Sorry some things in the time leading up to me change are a bit hazy, but yeah I remember you said about your ma and da and how they looked and who you resemble."
I nodded.
"Oh and you are neglecting Grace." I said, pulling her forward. "I believe you are familiar with her work?"
"Work?" Ardal asked.
"Come Ardal, you told me you like certain books one would think a priest should not read." I said with a smile.
"You know what books." Mal added with a grin.
"Still not with you." Ardal said with a frown.
"Grace's is going by Black these days, but her maiden name is Pearson." Mal explained.
"Grace Pearson?" Ardal asked, regarding Grace carefully. "Ah, you look different without glasses."
"And in colour." Grace said with a smile, since all her author photos had been in classy monochrome.
"That and all." Ardal said as he looked between Grace and Tony and then he gasped. "So that's what Rea meant when she said I hadn't met Liza's family yet. So Lady Anna and Brody really was based on you and your high school sweetheart?"
"Of course." Grace said as she embraced Tony and they kissed.
"Guess I was wrong." Ardal said with a shrug. "Just glad I didn't make a bet with her."
"Is Rea your mentor?" I asked, remembering what he had said earlier about returning to HQ.
"Nah. She was just looking after me before the change. Me mentor is actually…" He trailed off. "Should I say?" He directed to Alec.
"It is entirely up to you, but I'm more than certain Essie already knows, possibly Tony too provided Grace isn't with child once more." Alec replied.
"Not yet." Grace said cheerfully and I realised they were preparing to try for a boy once more.
"It is better you tell all and find complete the task she assigned you." Alec stated.
"Ok." Ardal said.
"Perhaps we should all sit first." Father suggested. "It makes things seem less hostile."
After everyone agreed we all sat and then looked at Ardal expectantly.
"Well me mentor is called Holly and I asked her along to keep an eye on me but she said she shouldn't crash your Christmas two years in a row. That it was pushing her luck since she did you some great wrong. She said I should ask you all what that wrong is." He stated.
"Why?" Billie asked.
"She didn't want to bias me with only her side I guess." Ardal said with a shrug.
"I'll take this one." Mother stated. "The only one who still has a big problem with Holly-Ivy is Nessie, and well Mom's still kinda pissed over things that went down over forty years ago, but it did happen to her baby."
"So what happened?" Ardal asked.
"Holly used to be married to my Uncle Masen, and I always thought of her as my badass aunt." Mother began. "But when I was sixteen I went hunting with her and Masen only for my telepathy to kick in. This was before I phased for the first time so my telepathy only worked after I just fed. Anyway, I fed and I could read her mind, how she was cheating on the veggie diet and considering what little old alloy me tasted like. So I ran, she chased, and that's how Masen found out she'd been lying to him about her diet and they broke up. After that I don't know what she done really before she saw Masen with Layla and got so upset she run back to her old family…the Volturi. That's how Aro found out about me and sent his guard to take me. Mom blames Holly, and Holly blames herself, but I forgave her long ago. So don't hold any of this against her. She was confused yes, but she didn't mean to give me away to Aro, and that's what you got to remember. Also there's this. If I wasn't in Volterra at the time then someone else would have been in charge of Mal, Someone who would have brainwashed him to the masters' wishes. He would be in servitude to Aro right now, rather than a happily married man and father of three who just got to know his long lost brother for the first time."
"Thank you for giving me a positive, but are you really ok with the fact she had you imprisoned?" Ardal asked carefully.
"She didn't do it on purpose, she was just hurting." Mother stated. "Besides, I get on with Jane and Alec and they've done a hell of a lot worse, it would be pretty hypocritical not to forgive Holly too."
"I suppose when you put it like that." Ardal conceded. "I just wish Holly had told me."
"You may have taken against her had she told you without knowing Essie's forgiveness." Father stated. "And it is often difficult to speak of ones past sins for the guilt felt about them."
"You've done much that makes you guilty?" Ardal asked in shock.
"I had a good two thousand years where I knew not of the alternative diet, and there was a good deal of that time where I fully embraced my vampire nature. We were the gods on earth, the humans ours for sacrifice. I prefer not to speak of those times, as I said, our past sins are hard to admit."
"I see. Well I'm Catholic so we're all about penance and atoning for your sins, so as long as you do that I'm sure He will forgive you." Ardal stated.
"I'm sure He will." Father said with an amused smile and I shot him a warning glance to not belittle Ardal's faith. "How is Holly? Is she well?" Father asked.
"I thought vampires didn't get ill." Ardal said with a frown.
"Well not ill, but we can become out of sorts." Father explained. "Is she in good spirit?"
"As far as I know." Ardal replied. "I mean I haven't known her that long and she could be hiding her real feelings from me. How would I know?"
"That is a good point." Father conceded. "Perhaps you and Holly would like to visit with Essie and I when you have need of a change of scenery?"
"Well I'd have to check with Holly, but a change is as good as a rest as they say."
"Yeah." Mother agreed. "Now we got that out of the way why don't you tell us all about you. I wish I'd picked up on you from Zoë's mind, but then I never did read her mind, only Jeremy's. I was looking for something, anything to protect them from their sentence…" Mother trailed off sadly for a moment, and then shook her head.
"All you would have got is that she had a baby who died anyway." Ardal stated. "I'm not too sure on that side of things but I think it's pretty clear me grandfather was a despicable man who would rather put his grandson into care than face some imagined shame. There was no call for what he did to me, as a priest I would have condemned such an action. It is not the best display of Christian charity and a sin in itself since he put his pride before his family. Course I doubt he would have seen it that way. At least I wasn't raised by him; I don't know what person I may have been then. It's best not to dwell on what wasn't and I'll just tell you a little about meself."
Ardal shared his story with us and then he was brought up to date on the many stories that were woven into our family history. It was a good introduction to the custom of sharing tales amongst us vampires, at least those of a more amiable disposition.
It was late by the time our conversations had drawn to an end. I must admit that I felt a lot better about Ardal, he had not changed much in personality, still the same man, but healthy instead of dying. However he wished to speak to me before he left with Alec and Kitty.
"Do you think I could borrow me sister-in-law for a moment?" He asked Mal who agreed.
I felt slightly apprehensive as I led him to my old dance room where we had the pretence of privacy, but really it was only through politeness that nothing was overheard in a houseful of vampires and dhampir.
"What is it you wished to talk to me about?" I asked.
"I just want to get this out of the way so we can work toward fixing it." He stated.
"Fixing what?" I asked, still unsure as to what he was alluding.
"You have a problem with me being a vampire don't you?" He stated.
"Not at all." I assured him.
"Well you were off with me earlier." He said.
"In the barn you mean?"
"Yes."
"I was telling the truth that I am uneasy with change and need some time to adjust."
"That's a truth, but not all of it." Ardal said with a small smile.
"Yes." I confirmed and decided to tell him my whole reasoning. "I was anxious for Addie, he is human after all. I realised too late that I should have come to meet you properly beforehand, to settle in my mind that you are not a threat. I know you are not, even at the time I knew you were not a threat to my children, you would never hurt them. Intentionally. However I am a mother, with mother instincts and they were twanging with tension as my senses recorded you as a fairly new vampire. That there was a potential for something to go wrong."
"I see." Ardal said carefully.
"It wasn't personal I assure you. Mostly it was my fault for not fully preparing myself for the situation. I should have realised it wouldn't be such a simple thing to become accustomed to you when I was certain my child might be in trouble. Even as I knew in my mind you were no threat."
"So you got nothing against me being a vampire?"
"Not at all." I assured him. "In fact I am happy you are a vampire for Mal has his brother for eternity. Is that not a blessed thing? It is something to rejoice."
"But you're not rejoicing." Ardal observed.
"In time I will rejoice, but I will admit a little anger with you, and with Alec for keeping it a secret. I understand why you wished for Mal to remain in the dark, but last night before you turned he had all but given hope. He was ready to accept the news of your end, ready to grieve the hurt and loss he has been feeling these past nine months since you moved away. I understand now why you could not see him, but even talking to him on the phone would have been something. It is an easy enough task to make oneself sound ill if we put effort into it."
"You're right, I should have called." Ardal said, looking sad. "I just didn't want to give him hope when it would lead to nothing."
"And in doing so he lost all hope." I whispered. "Of course you were not to know that. I think you revealed yourself at the right time. We were on the verge of asking Masen to trace the hospital within which you were residing and then surprising you with a visit. Mother and Father would have watched the children while we took a quick trip to Florida."
"That would have been a surprise."
"For us." I said pointedly. "However, you are returned to us and in better condition. My anger will come to nothing more than a light simmer that will soon cool. Alec on the other hand is in serious trouble."
"Please don't be mad at him. I could have said no and I made him promise me not to tell you anything until I was ready." Ardal pleaded.
"Granted, but Alec also made a promise to me. One he did not keep." I stated.
"What promise?" He asked.
"I made him promise not to offer you the chance of becoming a vampire." I replied.
"Why?" Ardal asked, looking slightly hurt.
"Because I did not think you wanted it. That it would offend your beliefs. That if you truly wished to be part of our world you would have asked Mal and I. It was wrong to put ideas into your head that you did not come to naturally. I'll admit I was wrong in that regard, however if you had come to us then perhaps you would now be dhampir as opposed to vampire. That is not important, Alec broke his promise, or he betrayed me with his words. Yes he made the promise after he had already suggested a cure, but he gave no indication that he had already offered it to you. He betrayed me as he made his promise and I hate such deceitful word play. It reminds me to much of the Volturi he once was, and our friendship is such now, that it hurts to be reminded of the things that he once did to Mal and myself."
"What did he do?" Ardal asked.
"It is the past as I said, and I hate to be reminded of it. He has come a long way since then, a very long way. I don't like any hint that he may regress. There are too many people who rely on his being good for him to revert back to his old persona. However I feel perhaps it is better left unsaid. Kitty is already punishing him for his part in this, I should not shun him too."
Ardal nodded.
"Have we cleared the air sufficiently?" I asked.
"I think so."
"Then we should return to the others. It is getting late, Mal and I should retire to bed, but we can speak some more tomorrow. Mal, the children and I are here until the second of January."
"Then there's plenty of time for us to have a catch up." Ardal agreed.
"Then there is nothing else to say other than welcome to vampire life Ardal, may you forever be happy." I said and gave him a brief hug before leading him back to the entrance hall where Alec and Kitty were waiting for him along with Mal.
We said our goodbyes and they left. After saying goodnight to my side of the family, Mal and I retired to bed. He was a lot happier this evening and that in turn made me smile. Yes, however the situation had come about Mal now had his brother forever, how could that be a bad thing? I snuggled in closer to Mal, kissing him lightly on the lips, these small kisses turning into bigger, deeper kisses that hinted to only one outcome.
What a magical Christmas night it was.
Thank you for reading
Please review
Gemma x