A/N: Disclaimer in Chapter 1.
Normal length chapter.
Chapter 11: TeamworkVlad was going to suggest something that he really didn't like but there was no other option. He was sure the slayers would feel exactly the same way.
He rolled his tongue slightly before tilting his head to look at Jonno, "Neither of us are going to get anywhere standing here, look come back to the school…"
"I'm not going anywhere near that school." Jonno told him, "Not with vampires ready to bite our necks."
"No one is biting anyone." Vlad assured him,
"How can we trust you?"
"I keep my promises." Vlad stared him down, "Look whoever took your mum took Erin and then set us both up. I can find Erin on my own or we can work together to finish this but if you're too scared…"
His taunt had the desired effect. "I'm not scared."
"Then work with me." Vlad growled, "If we know what the other's up to we can't be set up again." Jonno considered Vlad's words, his plan did have merit. If they were together they could keep an eye on what the other side was doing. His eyes met the terrified ones of his team around them, no one seemed to have a better idea.
"Fine, but if I see anyone after our necks I'll stake first."
Vlad rolled his eyes. "Just wear garlic like you used to and you won't have to worry about Ingrid…or Dad." He added as an afterthought. Ingrid was more of a loose cannon than his father.
Jonno nodded to his team members agreeing with Vlad's idea. There was a mass shuffling as the slayers rooted through their bags trying to locate the garlic. In the time it took them to actually find it Vlad knew he could have slain them twice over.
Each slayer withdrew an airtight container containing the garlic, Vlad knew now why he couldn't smell the garlic.
"Jonno!" One called, Jonno turned towards the caller lifting his hands up as a garlic chain was thrown at him, it passed dangerously close to Vlad causing him to jerk back slightly. Luckily no one had noticed. Jonno caught it with his left hand and in a flash Jonno had slotted it around his neck.
Vlad stepped back looking as if he was about to gag. Just one garlic bulb would have done the trick – ten was overkill. "Perfect."
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Vlad clicked his fingers and the door opened, immediately the throne room became animated.
"You're back…" The Count looked beyond Vlad, "Without Erin." His arms folded, unsure what to make of his son's blank expression.
"Did you drain the slayers' blood?" Ingrid licked her lips at the thought. She loved slayers' blood.
"No, I've brought back something else." Vlad told them before each vampire in the room wrinkled their noses. Ingrid coughed instinctively, the Count covered his mouth and Bertrand struggled to remain composed however there was still a slight look of disgust on his face.
Jonno walked into the room, flanked by two of his team of slayers. The others were staying behind in the woods just in case the Draculas tried anything. Vlad could see the way Jonno fidgeted slightly in front of the vampires.
The tension in the room built with each passing second. Vlad waited for his family to speak to let them get it off their chests.
"What…" The Count paused, his eyes glowing dangerously red, "Is he doing here?"
"He's going to help us find Erin."
"I thought you said the slayers took her." The accusation was directed at both Vlad and Bertrand.
Vlad didn't respond to the comment they way his father expected, he answered it with the facts. "They didn't,"
Bertrand raised an eyebrow at Vlad, "The slayers clothes..."
"You always said they looked different." Vlad confirmed. They both scrutinised the clothes the slayers were wearing. They were combat clothes, nothing fancy. The clothes the others were wearing were more fancy, more stylish.
"Then why is he here?" Back to the topic at hand from Ingrid.
"Whoever took Erin has got Mina as well. The slayers thought that we took her. We were both set up." Vlad winced as he was sure about what was to follow.
The Count jumped to his feet, he slowly stalked across the floor towards Vlad and Jonno, Jonno moved back slightly feeling intimidated by the Prince of Darkness. Vlad didn't move. "Someone set *us* up?" His voice was quiet as he spoke but the power in it as enough to know the Count didn't take the accusation lightly.
"Yeah."
"I will…"
"Drain them dry…we've heard it before." Ingrid completed, earning herself irritated looks from everyone in the room.
The Count made a point of not looking at the slayers, Jonno seemed to grow more agitated at the Count's manners. "The Council would be more helpful…"
"I am not letting the Council know that she's missing."
"Why not?" The Count couldn't understand his son's reluctance to inform the Council.
"You know what they'll say." He told him firmly, "Fromik and Bryce would have a field day. They might even be the ones who took her!" He protested, the Council weren't as incorruptible as they seemed.
"Your wife was taken during the day Vladimir." The Count reminded him, Vlad didn't reply it wasn't worth getting worked up over.
Vlad turned to Jonno who'd been watching the family's exchange in silence. It was clear who was the boss in the family even if it was reluctantly in charge. Ingrid was the same as ever, even if she had been quiet he could tell she was plotting to stir up trouble, regardless of which side she was on. Although looking at her it seemed for once it wasn't Vlad she as plotting against. Bertrand he wasn't sure of, he seemed to be an ally but there was something about him that Jonno didn't trust. Vlad seemed to value him as an ally but he wasn't sure how far the trust went.
Vlad folded his arms over his chest, eager to change the conversation into a more useful direction, "Right what do the slayers know?"
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Jonno was amazed at how 'common' Vlad actually was compared to the rest of his family (his father seemed to enjoy being higher up the social ladder as it were). Vlad had thrown his jacket over the back of the chair, not caring for it at all. Vlad spun his old crest around on the table, balancing it on the clasp on the back. With a twirl of his finger it began to spin the other way.
"What do you think about the training room?" Vlad asked him once they'd settled back down.
"You're right, it's garlic but there's something to it."
"I just don't understand how they knew that we'd be distracted when they struck." Vlad told him, he'd gone over it again and again, there was something wrong with that.
"We had CCTV of Ingrid in the building." Jonno told him, "We didn't know it was being looped back through from when they rescued you. By the time we found out mum was gone, that was in the room."
Vlad winced at the memory, it still angered him but he had to put it behind him if he wanted peace to work. Jonno's eyes drew to the mark that hadn't properly healed on Vlad's arm, Vlad caught him looking at it and reached for his jacket slipping it on to hide it. He didn't want them to take pride in what they'd done to him. It was funny, Erin hated that scar on him as much as he hated the one on her neck. It wasn't her fault he'd gotten it but she always felt responsible for it, for not getting to him sooner.
"What's that?" Ingrid asked, the irritating clunking of it spinning finally getting on her nerves. Vlad's attention snapped to her. "Your coat of arms." She cracked, "Don't let Dad see it like that, he'll kill you."
"I lost it in Stokely." Vlad muttered, clicking his fingers so it finally stopped. "Always hated it. Never wore it." Jonno picked up on his words, seeing Vlad's distain at the crest.
"You hated it?"
"Yeah." Vlad picked it up, "Too dark and noticeable, didn't want to be more of a freak back then. I buried it in my wardrobe at the castle, always thought I'd never see it again." The crest he'd given Erin he liked, elegant and bright. It wasn't that noticeable but it was unique and smoothly finished. The crest had been given to her out of love not pride in his family's past and name. That's why he considered it special. It was the only crest he didn't mind seeing, the one on his cloak he could ignore because he couldn't see it when he wore it.
"You've always been a freak Vlad." Ingrid replied, before Vlad could retort she continued, "Suppose that's why Erin loves you so much." Vlad looked up at her expecting to see a taunt but saw understanding in her eyes and immediately knew she was thinking about Will.
"Master Vlad, Miss Winchester's here to see you." Vlad let out a groan.
The reply was instantaneous. "Get rid of her."
"How?" Renfield looked completely confused.
At the moment Vlad didn't care if it involved pushing her into a slime pit until they got Erin back. "Say we've got flu or something."
"Miss Winchester?" Vlad shook his head at Jonno's question, he really didn't want to explain the involvement Social Services at the moment.
"You're not afraid of her?" The Count scoffed, Vlad rolled his eyes.
"I am not afraid of anyone." His words unsettled the slayers around him. They knew that to be the truth, he could easily stare them all down and not show an ounce of fear. The only thing they could tell he was afraid of, or rather for, was his wife.
"Just do it!"
The Count began, standing up and placing his palms on Vlad's shoulders, "I'm sure if we explain…"
Vlad turned to him, "How do you think she'll react to Erin being missing?" He knew they'd see it as Erin trying to escape a forced marriage, if it went further things could really turn sour for them.
"Angry peasant mob." Ingrid chipped in with a wide smirk, singing the words slightly.
The Count's jaw opened and closed as he tried to scold his daughter. Her smirk was too much for him to answer seriously and ended up changing his mind, "I'll get rid of her." He shoved Renfield to one side, sending him flying into the sofa knocking it over and rolling off the back onto the floor. The Count quietly closed the door behind him.
"No biting!" Vlad yelled after him. A slight chill swept through the room making the slayers shudder.
"Your Dad hasn't changed much." Jonno commented. Vlad gave him a half smile, not saying another word.
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Jonno looked up wiping his eyes, trying to ignore the sleep in them. Vlad continued to go through the maps of the area, desperate to find a clue. He pushed his sleepiness back, he needed to keep working.
"Maybe we have to wait for them to contact us." Jonno didn't want to say it but that was their only hope. They really had no starting point.
"I'm not going to just sit and wait!" He roared, fangs extending as he hit the table smashing it in half with a bang. Splinters through across the room, hitting the walls before dropping harmlessly to the floor. He realised his mistake as the slayers jumped back. He apologised hastily, "Sorry. I…"
Vlad shook his head slightly, he needed to keep control. Erin wouldn't want him to ruin the chances of a treaty. He closed his eyes, forcing his vampiric nature further into the box he kept it in adding another lock.
He looked around at the startled slayers before leaving the room as fast as he could. Cursing his stupidity.
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Vlad threw the small, purple ball at the cans Bertrand had set up for Erin to hit in the training room. It hit the target perfectly. Wolfie raced across the room, set up the cans again and brought the ball back to him. Vlad took it from him and threw it again. This was more fun than using his powers, it made him take his mind off Erin, even if it were for a short while. His powers were natural now, he could perform multiple tasks and still use his powers at the same time.
He needed time away from the slayers to calm down before he completely destroyed their chance at peace. Erin had been gone over 24 hours and already his vampire nature was fighting to come out, the worst part was he was tempted to just release it.
"Erin promised to teach me how to read." Wolfie told him, Vlad's aim wavered and he missed the cans completely. He didn't know that. "When are you finding her?"
"I'm trying." Vlad told him. He promised himself he'd find her once again. He was used to sharing a room with her now and he didn't want to go back to being on his own, he didn't think he could.
"I miss her." Wolfie sat at his feet, leaning against his brother's legs. "Becky's saying she ran off." Vlad dropped the ball looking down at Wolfie, his brother looked up at him with tears in his eyes. If Becky had said that it was probably around the entire school now. It wouldn't be long before it reached Miss McCauley, something he really didn't want to happen. Vlad crouched down taking care not to knee his brother in the back. Wolfie spun around to look at him, a few tears making their way down his face.
"She told you that?"
"Renfield sent me for worms and I heard her talking to the others. Is it true?" Wolfie was too young to understand the meaning of rumours, Vlad cursed to himself. It was bad enough Wolfie knew she'd been kidnapped but to hear something else… Wolfie knew his mother had run off and left him with his brother and sister, looking at him now he knew Wolfie was terrified Erin would abandoned him as well.
"Erin would never leave without telling me first." He whispered to his brother. "Erin would never leave. She know how much I…we love her." He wrapped an arm around his brother, Wolfie curled into his side. "I'll find her."
"Promise?"
"Yeah. Why is Erin going to teach you to read?" It had bothered him, Erin hadn't said a word about it yet. Then again Social Services had thrown everything out the window.
"To stop me drawing on her book pages." Vlad chuckled at the comment, only Erin could solve a problem like that.
Wolfie smiled softly, before sniffing the air. His nose wrinkled. "Why does it smell like back in here?" Vlad turned to look at him, wondering what he meant. Sometimes Wolfie's comments really made no sense. Vlad thought over Wolfie's words again, a smile crossed his face as his meaning sank in.
"I know who's got her."
TBC
A/N: Please let me know what you think so far.
Thanks for reading.