Chapter 7: Inpulsa

FIVE MINUTES LATER:

There was an amazing amount of food awaiting him when Barry returned, his hands clean and the mirror pointedly ignored. It was easier to ignore his situation this way, chopping and peeling and cleaning vegetables at Mick's direction. The large man was surprisingly adamant about the exact amount of spices and whatnot to add, as he measured everything out into a bowl to mix together. The truly impressive thing (or possibly terrifying) was the sheer volume of meat that was currently waiting in the fridge for seasoning and cooking. Mick had let out a hearty deep laugh at the face Barry had made when he found it, and had promptly pulled out an industrial sized slow cooker he was going to use. Len had already been chased out of the kitchen under threat of telling Barry why he was no longer allowed, and Lisa had gone to buy Barry clothes. "How many people are coming?" Barry asked while he cut up some carrots. Mick mentally ran over the guest list. "Well, we've got the four of us, the Mardon brothers, Axel, Shawna the witch and Caitlin. So, nine, minimum." Mick finally said. Barry gave a doubtful look at the slow cooker. "Trust me, with three werewolves, we'll have just enough if we make enough bread." Mick grinned. "I feel like you're messing with me. Do you always have to make this much?" he asked uncertainly, leaning against the counter and shaking out his chopping arm. He was starving from the exterion. "Nah. Normally, it's just me and Lisa. Sometimes Len, if we can drag him away from whatever he's doing!" Mick said loudly so Len could hear. "Sometimes Len likes to have meetings with his core group. The ones who've been there the longest, friends of him, Lisa or me, or just strays.." Mick finished. "Axel hates it when you call him a stray." Len called from the living room, where he was currently lounging with a book. "Oh. I thought werewolves and vampires were enemies." Barry said, watching as Mick began cutting the meat into good sized chunks, dusting it with seasoning. Mick snorted when he heard that. "Enemies is a bit strong nowadays. The modern world has made it easier to coexist. And the Mardon brothers are tied to Len by a life debt, so even if they were enemies it wouldn't matter. It takes a lot to lose their loyalty once you've earned it." Mick explained. "Also, witch?" Barry questioned. "Shawna's the real deal, old school spellcaster. Great vanishing spells. Caitlin, however is another story." Mick explained, an undercurrent of fondness detectable in his tone. "Again, I kinda feel like you're messing with me. But, then again I am a vampire." Barry replied. He paused, his eyes going distant. The cutting knife fell from his hand and stuck into the floor, blade-down just inches next to his foot. "Barry?" Mick asked, looking up once he didn't see Barry continue. "Oh, god. I'm a vampire." Barry repeated. Mick knew that look. Reality was finally punching the kid in the gut. Barry's legs buckled underneath him, Mick catching him before his head hit the wood. "Len! Something's wrong with Barry!" Mick cried, Len jumping up and racing over to assist. Len placed a cold hand against Barry's forehead, feeling it radiating heat. "He's going into shock. Help me get him to the couch and I'll handle it from there." Len said, Mick taking Barry's legs while Len took Barry's shoulders. They hauled him to the soft cushions, Len propping up the newborn's head while Mick stretched out his thin legs along the length of the couch. "Alright, go do whatever you were doing, I can handle it from here. Thank you, Mick." Len said, Mick smiling softly before turning and walking back to the kitchen. He pulled the knife out of the floor, wiping it off and finishing cutting the meat. Len gently lie a hand on Barry's forehead and chest, gathering his power in his palms. He sent small waves of cold chills through the newborn's body, effectively cooling him off enough to calm down. When Barry sat up again, he looked around before bringing Len into a tight hug. "Sorry. So sorry." he sobbed, Len stroking his brown hair. "It's alright. It happens to the best of us." Len cooed, wiping the younger's tears away. As Len held Barry, he felt a small rumble towards his stomach. 'Already? The blood I gave him should have lasted a little longer than that. If he's burning through blood this fast, something might be wrong. I'll have Shawna check him later.' he thought. "I'll be right back, wait here." he said, standing up and leaving the room. Barry waited for Len to return, sitting patiently on the sofa when he saw a mug held in front of his face. He turned and looked at Mick, who nodded. Barry took the mug and smelt it, thinking it to be a fancy tea or something. He looked up curiously. He hadn't heard the teapot or even the microwave going. Mick must've heated the water himself. "Thank you." he said, taking a sip. Nearly choking, he gulped quickly to avoid spitting out the fluid. "How much of this is alcohol?" he asked. "Lightweight." Mick said instead, a smirk on his lips. Barry managed a weak smile and kept drinking, though it did nothing to curb his craving, it helped him think of something else for a little while. The burn of the alcohol was enough to take the edge off his panic. Len returned, in his hand a bag that smelled something of apples. "I need to talk to you about something." Len said, looking into Barry's eyes. Barry nodded, setting the mug down. "You're going to start regaining your full strength very quickly, and you need to learn to control it before something happens." he stated. "How?" Barry asked, looking down at his hands. He was willing to try anything if it would distract him from his breakdown. His emotions were still hiding just below the surface. "Well, first we need to work on your strength." Len said, reaching into the bag and pulling out an apple. "Try holding this without bruising the skin." he said, handing it to the newborn. Barry hesitated before looking over the apple. Any thoughts of this being a stupid test few out the window when his fingers punctured the skin and he was left with a handful of pulp. Len handed him a towel before the remains got on the sofa. "You were trying too hard. So far, you haven't managed to break anything because you're not at full strength and Mick has heavy duty knives. You'll need to control your strength in order to conceal it until you need it, but you need to know how strong you can be. Now, try again." Len said, handing him another apple while suppressing the urge to laugh at Barry's shocked face.