Sevrin flew back to the capsule building. He longed for a place to rest, especially after such an exquisite meal. Seeing Videl and Pan together made him ache for his son. He missed him so. He stopped midflight and hung in the night air. He thought about his boy.

Oh Adi…I'm so sorry…I shouldn't have left you there…I should have brought you with me…we'd be here now…taking over this place together, as father and son…I hope you're doing alright there…I know you'll finish off this mysterious MP for me. I know your thirst for vengeance is as hard to quench as my own…

Adrian

Son of Sevrin

Adrian awoke from his day sleep. He rose to see the night as crystal clear as it ever was. He rolled out of bed and stretched. He peered through the darkness of his room and saw his reflection in the mirror. He smiled. Ah, even in total darkness my eyes don't fail me. Father was right. We only get better as we age. Adrian walked to the far side of the wall, flicking the light switch with his index finger.

The light bounced off the priceless gold goblets and statues that adorned the shelves lining his room. He looked to his bed, which still had his indentation in it. He raised one of his finely formed eyebrows and walked over to it. He smoothed it out and looked back to the mirror.

His mass of curly, almost platinum blonde hair fell to the middle of his neck. He gave it a quick throw back and smiled. He was the spitting image of his father. His pore less complexion, chiseled jaw line, and impressive physique had him mistaken with his father on several occasions. The only difference of course, was his blue eyes. He had his mother, Jillie's eyes. He quickly thought back to his childhood. He was so grateful that Sevrin and Jillie adopted him. They saved him from that horrible orphanage he tried so desperately to escape. He shook the thought away and looked back to the mirror. Mmm, always perfect. Being immortal does have its perks. He looked to the night sky and smiled. It has its faults too…Dad swears that since I've had so much of his and mom's blood that I can walk in daylight but I don't trust it. I'm nowhere near the age of ascension. I'm only forty…well, in mortal years. I'm forever twenty five…but I can't cheat the system. Dad was always an optimist. Adrian looked to the tall, oak cabinet that stood between the door and the antique lamp that provided his light. He smiled as he saw the picture of him, his mother Jillie, and Sevrin. They were a beautiful family, he longed to have it back again. But he knew that he would have to wait for such a glorious day. The seriousness of his day came to him as a masculine voice came from the door.

"Adrian, its Orion."

Adrian nodded and straightened himself. "Come in, my lord."

A tall man of considerable build and long brown hair walked in. He stroked his gote and looked Adrian over. "Are you ready?"

Adrian nodded. "I am. I'm not sure what good it's going to do me, but I'm ready."

Orion frowned. "Your father would have wanted you to take over the club, and the 13. It's your birthright."

Adrian nodded. "Uncle…I mean, my lord…"

Orion smiled and put his hands on Adrian's well- built shoulders. "Go on, we're in private. You can still call me Uncle."

Adrian nodded. "Uncle Orion…I don't know if his contacts will accept me…"

Orion waved it off. "Of course they will! I'll see to that!"

Adrian narrowed his eyes at him. "No, Uncle. That's not what I want. I want them to see me and accept me as a leader in fact, not just because my father started it."

Orion nodded and sighed. "I miss him too," he said, "Where do you think he's gone?"

Adrian cast a glance outside and shrugged. "I'm not sure…but I can assure you he had a damn good reason for leaving. I wouldn't be surprised if he comes back, stronger than ever, with even more things to show us."

Orion nodded and ran his fingers through his long brown hair. He looked Adrain over. "It's been a year…where do you think he is?"

Adrian shrugged. "I don't know…but I know this…he's still out there. I can feel him."

Orion sighed. "Unlike Lewis…he's still in seclusion…have you spoken to him?"

Adrian shook his head. "He's convinced Dad's gone…but he's not. I can feel him. Our bond hasn't been broken. I haven't felt the pain of losing my maker, because Dad is still alive!" Orion nodded and moved towards the door.

"The others are here to address you. You can make your claim for your father's position in the Club and the 13."

Adrian nodded. "I'm ready. The sooner we talk the sooner we can things sorted. We still need to find this MP. I have a hunch on who it is."

Orion nodded. "Good. Now remember, you're addressing not only your friends, but the Kings of new provinces. Remember that. We're setting an example for the others."

Adrian nodded. "I know. Let's go." Orion nodded and opened up the door. An attractive blonde in a dark red dress waited for them. Her navy blue eyes looked the mover.

"King Orion, Adrian, are we ready? The others are getting impatient."

Adrian nodded. "I'm ready. Let's go." They went down the spiraling staircase to the main foyer. A ten foot table with a rich gold table cloth covered the table. Adrian could see his friends among the important people. He saw Argo, formerly his father's protégé. Argo was part of the 13, the infamous group of Assassins that helped kill the Slayers and helped restore balance to the mortal world. His long brown hair was tied back and he wore a smart burgundy suit and pants. He smiled at Adrian, his brown eyes looking confident.

Adrian gave him an acknowledging nod. He looked to another. He too had long brown hair, but he had it free falling. He wore a tuxedo with a smart tie. Adrian gave him a nod. That's Jones alright, always one for flash. He's such a great friend, and ferocious fighter. He brought certain intensity to the 13. Adrian turned around and looked to the blonde. He smiled. Ah, and Claire, the first of us to be trained by my father. She's the most lethal member of the 13. Adrian looked to the others. They all wore matching Navy blue suits and fancy dress shoes. They all wore a scowl. Adrian straightened and walked towards them.

He bowed. "Good evening, esteemed colleagues. It's so good to see you all. I'm honored that you've all agreed to see me tonight."

One of them, a man with short black hair and a well-groomed beard, looked him over. "Cut the crap, Adrian. Why are we here?"

Adrian nodded. "As you know, my father Sevrin was the one who formed The 13, the assassin group that took out the slayers some twenty five years ago. He's been missing for over a year now…but I know that with the rise of the new Slayer Order he would recall The 13 and take out the new Slayers. As his son, I know how he thinks. I'm certain he'd want us to pull together. We could even double the size of our group. Imagine it, a 13 in each of our kingdoms. We would have a permanent presence among mortals, and we could keep the balance."

The bearded man shook his head. "Adrian…your enthusiasm is admirable. I've seen your father in action, he was impressive. But he's not here. We don't know if he's alive or not. Let's face it, he lost it when your mother died."

Adrian narrowed his eyes at him. "He did what anyone of you would do."

The bearded man smiled. "I would have sought vengeance too, but I wouldn't have wiped out six blood lines. His…brand of justice shed the light on us even more than before."

Another nodded. He had long, curly red hair that tumbled over his shoulders. He nodded. "I concur, Adrian. Our relations with mortals are tenacious at best. The slayers are amassing support once again. These are no ordinary soldiers. They're able to keep up with some of our best men. I've lost dozens of my best soldiers. They had families, Adrian, families that want justice."

Adrian nodded and looked to King Orion. Orion smiled. "Fellow Kings, I understand your misgivings. I, along with Sevrin, formed The 13. I know the training techniques that Sevrin employed. We can band together and train. We can amass an army of our own."

The bearded man pointed at him. "We're not prepared for another war and you know it!"

Orion bared his fangs at him. "I know that! I'm not proposing a war! I'm proposing that we take out our enemies before they get even more support! Last time I checked you hid behind us while we did the dirty work!"

The other two bared their fangs at him. Adrian jumped between them.

"Gentleman, please." He took a deep breath. "I'm proposing that we join forces. Our provinces are big. We have Morrigan's main province. You two have Bariah and Whitehall. We make up most of Morrigan. If we join forces we can make a plan that will suit all our needs." They looked at him. Adrian smiled. "Please. All I want is for us to succeed. We don't want, or need your land. We want your support; once this is done you can run your kingdoms as you see fit."

The bearded man nodded. "Your father had a way with words too, Adrian. I think we can come to an arrangement. But we need to think. I've lost most of my soldiers."

The red head nodded. "As have I, but I'm willing to talk more about a plan. We need to outline a plan, make provisions. We need to be prepared. Training alone isn't enough. We need to infiltrate them."

Orion nodded. "At last we see eye to eye on something. Together, my kings, we can not only train our men and women, but we can send our best in to infiltrate their ranks and get valuable intel. We need to put the mistakes of the past behind us and start looking to the successes of the future."

They nodded and looked to the table. Adrian clapped his hands. "Bring some wine for our guests."

A crew of waiters came out. Each brought a glass for the table. Orion, the three kings, and Adrian sat on the left side of the table, and Claire, Argo, and Jones sat on the other. The glasses were set down and they all reached for one. Argo cleared his throat. "I propose a toast," he started, "To the Four Kingdoms of Morrigan! May we join forces and take out our enemies. And to my father, whom I know is out there still."

They all raised their glasses. "To our kingdoms. And to your father." They all took a sip and smiled. Adrian smiled the widest. Progress…at least we're all at the table…Dad, I hope you get here soon…