A/N: Disclaimer in Chapter 1.
This will probably be as long as my last fic, I want to take it up to the end of the series (in my own way).
Chapter 10: CarVlad looked nervously at the door as the sounds of thumping and jostling became stronger.
He quickly wiped at her hand, removing all traces of the blood from it before disintegrating just in time as the door flew open.
The Count immediately sniffed the room. Looking everywhere for something, his eyes deliberately ignoring Erin completely.
He seemed confused as he asked, "I thought I smelled breather blood."
Vlad shook his head. "You know I don't drink blood."
"That will have to change if you're to be Grand High Vampire." He really wouldn't stop at anything would he to try to get him to drink blood would he?
Vlad hissed, his fangs lowering fiercely. His father jumped back not expecting that reaction from his son.
"There isn't any blood in here." Vlad boomed out, enjoying the way it echoed off the walls and made dust fall down from the rafters.
The Count nodded fiercely, an angry glint appearing in his eye. However no matter how angry he felt he didn't voice his feelings.
"Go." Vlad spoke quietly but firmly. "She doesn't need you to make her worse."
Thunder crackled in the background and it wasn't coming from Vlad.
Vlad didn't want to take her with him but he didn't have a choice. If she coughed up more blood while he was away he wouldn't be able to save her, they'd know where it had come from.
Also that book had seemed to take a liking to her, if she stayed there was no telling what that book could do to her.
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The Count watched from the throne room window as his son helped Erin cross the courtyard. The sound of their clumsy steps amplified by the four walls the echoes seemed to bounce off.
"He's got Erin." Ingrid muttered quietly, she couldn't understand her brother but he wasn't running away. Not this time. This was something else. Vlad knew something that he didn't want anyone else to know.
"Where's he taking the half fang?" The Count asked, looking at his daughter and Bertrand. He tried, he really did, not to pull a face at the expression Vlad wore of pure affection for her but it backfired. He shuddered and turned around distastefully. "I want you to follow him." He told Bertrand. "See what he's up to."
Bertrand's eyes widened at the 'assignment' he'd been given. "I'm not his babysitter,"
"But I'm your Regent so you'll obey me."
"Do you want me to stop him curing her?" Ingrid gave Bertrand a startled look at his question.
The Count thought about it for a moment. If they stopped Erin being cured then there would be no hope for Wolfie either, their cures depended on each other. "No," He looked back at the young couple; he didn't trust his son at the moment. "I want to know what he's hiding."
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Vlad held Erin to him as they slowly made their way into the courtyard; Erin had refused point blank to be carried.
He placed her against the wall, kissing her gently. He looked down at Erin's phone, he hoped Robin had got his text and he hadn't sent it back to Erin's phone for a third time.
He only hoped that Robin would arrive soon, he knew he was taking a risk asking him to cross the threshold of the school but he had an idea and unfortunately that idea involved coming inside the school gates.
He waited patiently, encouraging Erin to rest most of her weight against him. He didn't want her using too much energy. He didn't know how much the book had given her and he didn't want to waste it. He really didn't like the idea of her coming with him.
Erin rested her head against his shoulder. Trying to concentrate her mind on anything that would take her thoughts away from her stomach churning.
Vlad heard heavy footfalls and looked away from Erin towards the entrance to the school. A figure in black slowly paced forward and Vlad gave a relieved sigh as he realised it was Robin.
Robin gave him a quick wave before running across to them.
"She looks awful." Robin muttered as soon as he looked across to Erin.
"Thanks Robin." Erin shivered, curling into Vlad regardless of how cold she felt.
"You said you had a plan to get a cure?" Robin asked suddenly, knowing that he'd better stop before he dug his way to Australia.
"We need to find my brother." Erin told him.
Robin's face scrunched up in confusion. "Why?" There was only one reason that he could think of, that Erin wanted to say goodbye.
"Because he was infected as a breather but his vampire side is winning. He's battling it. It's the only thing that might hold a cure."
"So you know where he is?" Robin asked, finally understanding.
"Not exactly…" They spoke at the same time, giving him a sheepish look each.
"He won't be far." Vlad told him, "He won't be in Stokely. He only went there to contact Erin."
"Ryan hid in a few disused houses." Erin told Robin quietly, "He described them to me but didn't tell me where."
Vlad continued, "We own the woods here, there are a few abandoned houses in here. If not we concentrate on going closer to Stokely where we last saw him." The estate they'd bought was large and cheap which made Vlad think his father had done some hypnotising to get it that cheap.
Robin glanced at them with a funny look. "That's really annoying."
The spoke together, "What is?"
"How you know what each other's going to say." It was slightly too romantic for him.
"We've been around each other too much." Erin shrugged slightly. Vlad snorted
"Can you drive?" Vlad asked Robin.
"Yes…no." Robin answered quietly. He could but he couldn't at the same time. "I've got a provisional…why?"
Vlad looked over to the garage and clicked his fingers. The large black wooden double doors squeaked open slowly. Giving Robin a glimpse of what was inside.
Robin gawked at Vlad who smiled at him as he gathered Erin into his arms to help her across to the garage. He went to follow them but something was thrown through the air towards him. He caught it instinctively, sharp edges digging into his fingers. The keys jangling as he threw them up slightly to grasp them more firmly.
Suddenly he wished he'd changed his answer.
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Robin looked in the rear view mirror, checking on Erin again. It was disconcerting not to see Vlad's reflection in the mirrors.
They'd been on the road for about two hours so far. Vlad's nose was constantly twitching trying to get a sniff of Ryan's scent. He wouldn't have gone far, not in his condition if he wanted Erin to find a cure for vampirism.
"Vlad…" He began slowly seeing Erin's eyes droop suddenly.
Vlad pushed Erin back against the car seat; quickly pulling out syringe number two.
He roughly yanked up her right sleeve, injecting number two quickly.
Robin winced, his stomach doing flops as he watched the needle disappear into her arm.
He looked away feeling himself getting dizzy, he could stand blood but he couldn't stand injections. He closed his eyes hearing a click before looking back to see the dying embers of Vlad's fire in the palm of his hand. It amazed him how Vlad didn't feel it burning him.
Vlad glanced at his watch; he was trying to hold out the injections as long as possible, he didn't want to waste them. He noted the time 00:10 and added six hours on for her next dose.
Vlad brushed Erin's forehead; her temperature was already cooling down. He pressed a hand to her chest, feeling the still erratic (but more steady than before) beating of her heart.
Four doses left.
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The back of her hand was becoming more and more itchy. She couldn't hold back any more she curled her fingers and furiously scratched at her left hand.
Robin immediately held out a plaster, he'd taken to carrying them ever since he'd found out Vlad was a full vampire.
"You need to cover that." Robin told her, gesturing to Vlad over his shoulder, who was getting more water for Erin to drink out of the boot of the car, leaning through the back instead of having to get out and get it. They couldn't afford to stop and get out – besides Erin's car's technical problems.
"It doesn't tempt Vlad." She told him with a small smile. Vlad twisted until he sat in his correct seat again, kissing Erin's temple lazily. He handed her the bottle of Highland Spring, Erin quickly took off the cap and drank greedily from the bottle. It was one side effect they'd noticed of the jabs – thirst. "Besides he knows its poison at the moment." Her last statement was quiet.
"So if he bites you…"
"It'll kill him straight away." Erin confirmed.
A loud BANG echoed through the night, bats and birds flew from their trees at the sudden noise.
Robin swerved suddenly on the road, as something affected his steering.
"ROBIN!" Erin and Vlad yelped from the back of the car. Erin's water narrowly missing Vlad's shirt as he dodged suddenly out of the way.
Robin slammed the brakes on nearly sending Vlad and Erin to the floor. Erin could now add whiplash to her pains and aches.
Robin spun around to face them, throwing the door open and sticking his leg out of the car. "We've got a puncture."
Vlad groaned throwing his head back against the seat.
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Robin felt like kicking the car but he wasn't sure how Erin would respond to him kicking it with all his might.
Robin stared at Erin's car that was turning out to be pure trouble. "When you said BMW I didn't think you mean this!" He stared at the C reg, battered blue car. He expected something more flash.
"What are you doing?" Vlad asked him softly, making his friend jump. Under normal circumstances Vlad would have chuckled at Robin's reaction but Erin and Wolfie's lives rested on them succeeding.
"What does it look like? I'm trying to change the wheel."
Vlad had only asked because Robin had been staring at it for the last ten minutes.
Vlad rolled his eyes and bent down slightly, placing his fingers on the dark wheel nuts. With the slightest pressure he undid them.
"Show off." He muttered as he pulled the wheel from the axel.
Erin began to laugh at Robin's comment, which was before her laughter turned into a coughing fit. Vlad glanced down at his watch, it had barely been a couple of hours since she'd had the last dose – she couldn't have anymore yet.
Vlad traced the 'puncture'. It looked more like it had been slashed than an actual puncture. It had been sliced, it wasn't a hole it was a jagged cut.
Vlad straightened suddenly as a sound entered his ears; he angled his head so his ear was turned to the noise.
Vlad's hearing picked up something the sound of a car moving steadily towards them.
Robin looked behind his friend trying to see what was there. His human eyes couldn't penetrate the thick darkness.
"What's wrong?" Erin asked him quietly.
"Something's coming." Vlad whispered his eyes never moving.
Robin looked down at the wheel; there was no way they could get it back on in time. The spare hadn't even been pulled from the boot yet. It wouldn't stop him from trying though.
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In the distance the high headlights drew closer to them. Vlad could make out a Volvo insignia on the grill of the car. It was a high car so a four by four perhaps? He wasn't really into cars as he could never really own one, and didn't see the point considering he could move faster than anything on Earth.
It wasn't the car of the slayers; they used big, old Transit vans with a large Slayer's Guild insignias on the bumper.
There was something about the presence inside the car that Vlad couldn't put his finger on. A feeling inside him that triggered warning bells but he didn't know why.
The car slowed as it neared them before grinding to a halt…
Just meters away from them.
TBC
A/N: What to you think?
Thanks for reading.