Chapter 4: Alas, I Must Leave

Larten woke up, the now 8 year old boy sleeping on his chest like he had been every day for the past 3 years. He smiled, looking down at him. Evra had grown. Not by much, but he was bigger, his hair was long now. Down to the middle of his back. His teeth had grown back and were longer than ever. But one thing that didn't change was how much of a sweet heart he was. Sure he'd calmed down quite a bit, but he was still attached to Larten's hip, everywhere he went, Evra had to go.

Looking down he saw that Evra was still sleeping, drooling a bit on his bare chest. He didn't wear a shirt to bed anymore when he slept with Evra. After having to clean his shirt every day to remove the drool stains he learned better. Smiling he reached down, brushing the hair out of the boys face. He felt very much like a father, and often wondered how in the world did his own parents not want to take care of the little snake boy. He was kind of scary at first, yes, but only if you had a fear of snakes.

"Evra," He whispered, his voice sounding louder in the coffin. The boy didn't respond. "Evra," He tried again. Stirring the boy pulled his knee up, digging it into his groin. Larten inhaled sharply as pain shot through him. Grabbing his knee he gently pulled it out of his crotch and placed it on the other side of his body. Evra always slept on top of him, his legs dangling down on either side of the vampire as if he were riding a horse, his face buried in the vampires chest or neck, so not only was it a reoccurrence to be drooled on, but Larten was starting to get used to being kneed in the junk every morning as well. "Evra, time to get up." The vampire said for the final time. This time, the boys eyes opened and fluttered, but remained half closed.

"I don't want to." He moaned, burying his face in Larten's neck. He was warm. The generated body heat between the both of them, being caught in the solid wood coffin kept him nice and toasty all night. Something he enjoyed very much.

"You have to." Larten smiled, rubbing the boys shoulder. He felt the small body on top of him shutter under his gentle touch and smiled wider. He knew how sensitive the snake boys scales were in the morning.

"But I don't want to." He looked up again, smiling a bit. Larten smiled and shook his head, pushing the lid to his coffin up.

"But you have to." Sitting up Larten carefully crawled out of the casket and put the boy on the floor. He held him stable for a couple seconds while he teetered then smiled. Grabbing a pair of shorts he helped the 8 year old snake boy slip into them, letting him use his shoulder for balance. His hair slipped up and over his shoulder as he looked down at his feet, lifting one, then the other. "You know, it is a good thing that I cannot have children anyway." He replied, smiling.

"Why can't you have babies?" Evra asked, looking up at the orange haired vampire. He was absolutely adorable with his huge golden snake eyes and his small, pouty lips.

"Vampires cannot allow it. We do not know why, possibly because our bodies age too slow, or perhaps it has something to do with our atoms." He explained. "Anyway, even if we could I could not now." He smiled pulling the boys underwear up first, then the pants.

"Why couldn't you?" Evra asked, adjusting his pants once he was finished so that they sat right.

"Your knee finds a way to my crotch every morning. You should find a better way to sleep." He smirked.

"But it's comfy to sleep like that."

"There is no one around to kiss it and make it feel better when it gets a boo boo, remember that." He laughed lightly, running his hand through his hair father like. Evra stared at the wall of the van for a second, then leaned over and pressed his lips to the zipper on the vampires' pants, planting a kiss right along the shaft. Lartens' breath hitched his eyes wide as he stared down. The snake boy smiled up at him.

"There, it feels all better now. Let's go play!" Turning he dashed out the van door, starting his usual routine to annoy everyone in the camp. But Larten didn't follow. He just stood there, shocked. Groaning he looked down, rubbing his forehead and muttered to himself.

"That…made it worse." He stepped forward, heading for the door. "I am so going to hell for that." Climbing out he looked around, his eyes skimming around the camp for the boy.

"You seem tense, Larten." A familiar voice made him jump. He whirled around to see Mr. Tall standing not too far away from him. "And jumpy? What has you so worked up?" His friend looked at him, a warm smile on his face.

"I…I think I should be leaving soon." Larten groaned, keeping his eyes adverted.

"More Vampaneze trouble?" Mr. Tall questioned.

"No, more like Pedophilia troubles." He wheezed. Mr. Tall actually looked shocked at that. Larten didn't know why, the man should have easily been able to see it coming.

"Pedophile? Who?" Mr. Tall questioned, his eyes still wide.

"Who do you think?" Larten practically snapped. "My relationship with little Von has become…well…questionable. I mean, I look to him as a little brother, or even as a son, but…there's…things that make that relationship complicated." He spotted the snake boy by the fire, sitting on Hans lap eating. "Like zipper kissing for instance." He muttered.

"Zipper kissing?" Mr. Tall looked all levels of confused. Larten sighed, shaking his head.

"I told him that he keeps kneeing me in the junk. And I was joking around and told him he should find a better position to sleep because there is no one to kiss it and make it feel better. So he kissed my junk and ran off to play. Hence zipper kissing." He felt disgusted describing it. Explaining himself. Because in his mind, it seemed like he told the boy to do it.

"And…did you enjoy it?" Mr. Tall looked at him, his face blank. Larten groaned and rested his face in the palm of his hands, crouching.

"Sadly enough, yes." Mr. Tall grunted and leaned against the side of the van.

"I trust your judgment Larten. If you feel you must go, then go. But if you feel you can keep your hormones back then please stay."

"You make it sound like I am a teenager in a tavern."

"I know Vampires, and their hormones are no different than a humans." He looks at him. "But if you do stay, don't hurt him." He replied.

"I will not make any advances on him," He snorted. "Not until he is of pubescent age." He explained. Stopping he groaned and shook his head. "No, I must go." Standing he shot Mr. Tall a look, sadness in his eyes.

"It'll make him sad you know." He replied, following the orange haired vampire towards the middle of camp.

"It will make him even more so when he wakes up and I am molesting him." Larten grunted, frowning. "I have only ever had sex with another man once. And I was under heavy influence of alcohol, trapped in a room."

"Trapped?" Mr. Tall snickered, laughing a bit. "The almighty Larten Crepsley trapped? Was it a door with a cross on it?"

"No, we could not find the doorknob." He grunted. Mr. Tall laughed, no doubtably imagining what it looked like.

"What I would have given to be watching you at that time." He replied, a snicker on his face.

"Definitely would not have been such a sporting event after a while."

"So, who was the bottom boy?" He snickered.

"Who do you think?" he flashed Mr. Tall a look, one that he said he wasn't too happy about it.

"Did you like it?" Mr. Tall pried, teasing.

"Get off of my back, like I said, I was under the influence of alcohol." Larten stopped, thinking back on that event. All he knew was inebriation, pain, then intense pleasure. "I do not want to think about this right now. Things like that should be forgotten, not remembered and shared." He finalized. Laughing, Mr. Tall shook his head, walking away.

"Have fun with your struggle to convince yourself you're straight." Larten stopped and growled under his breath. Walking over, he headed over and sat next to the fire.

"Hey Mr. Crepsley." Hans smiled, bouncing the child on his leg a bit. The boy was babied, of course, a child his age wasn't admitted to the Cirque often, and everyone kind of took him under their wing. But it was Larten that Evra took a shining to automatically. Standing, the walked over and sat in Larten's lap, smiling at him. Larten couldn't help but smile at him, holding him tightly, fatherly.

"How are you Hans?"

"I'm good, just feeding the kid. His teeth are coming in nice and strong." He smiled, winking at the boy. Evra smiled back and cuddled into Larten. He usually did. He kept right to the vampire at all times usually.

"Are they?" Larten smiled, looking down at the snake boy. The child smiled, flashing off his white teeth. "Good, good." He smiled. He didn't know when to tell the boy, that was the issue. But the sooner he left the camp, the sooner he'd be able to protect the boy from himself. Sighing, he let his smile fade, looking across the camp. No one else around the fire noticed as they laughed, teasing each other, but the boy noticed. He noticed right away.

"What's wrong?" He squeaked. Larten looked down into his large, golden, concerned eyes, his heart wrenching in his chest. Standing, he carried the boy away from the fire and off a little bit into the woods.

"Evra," He put the boy on the ground. Resting his hands on his shoulders he crouched so that he was looking into his eyes. "I must go." He replied. "I have over welcomed my stay, it is time for me to move on."

"What? Why!" Evra cried out, grabbing the vampires cloak sleeves. "Why? Did I do something?" He panicked. Larten shook his head, pulling the boy into a hug.

"No, it is nothing you did. Nothing at all, it is time for me to move on, simply. It is a vampire thing. We cannot stay in one area for a long time. We must travel. We must move on and live our lives. I am sorry." He whispered, kissing the boys head.

"No!" Evra shrieked, clinging to him, crying. "Don't go! I…I'll come with you!" He tried, sniffling. Larten was taken aback by this, but he didn't look at the boy. He knew that if he did it would just make it that much harder to leave.

"You cannot. You are not a vampire, you would never be able to survive with me, and I would not be able to devote all of my attention to you like I do now."

"Then make me a vampire!" Evra clung. Larten pulled away shocked, holding the boy by the shoulders. Sadness replaced the shock in his eyes as he sighed, shaking his head.

"As much as I would love to do that, I cannot do that either. Because of your snake blood, you would be poisonous to me. Blooding you would kill me." He stood, his head hanging. Evra stared at him morosely, still crying. He shook his head and reached out for him to grab the orange haired vampire again.

"Don't go, I-" A hand grabbed the boys wrist, long thing arms encasing the boy. Evra gasped as he was wrapped up in dark cloth encased arms, being pinned still.

"Go Larten, if you delay anymore, you'll never be able to leave, and it'll only make it harder for you to turn your back on him." Larten looked at the man shocked.

"H-Hibernius…"

"Go Larten. I'll keep him safe. Let me deal with him from now on. It was wrong of me to let you get attached to the boy in the first place when I knew that something like this would happen. Go." Swallowing, the vampire gave his friend and the screaming boy a final glance and nodded, bowing his head again. He knew it wasn't going to be the last time he'd see them, but it was like leaving for prison, being forced to leave your child. That was just that much more time he wasn't allowed to be with the snake boy. And it killed him.

"Thank you, old friend." Turning, he made his way back to the camp. Grabbing his bag he flitted from the camp, heading where, he didn't know. Possibly he'd go to Vampire Mountain and get hammered and discuss what he'd been doing over the past years with his friends. Gavner and the such. Anything to keep his mind off the screaming, heart broken snake scaled child.