Recognisable - not mine.
Kind of sidetracked with Adam's Story, but I was dying to update this so on we go!
-YD-
Eight and a half months pregnant, Robin felt like he was wider than he was tall. Ingrid had grown faster but only gone to seven and a half months, and according to the measurements they scanned weekly now, the baby inside him was bigger than Alex was at birth. Vlad was as perfect to both he and Bertrand as he had been to Ingrid when she was pregnant, and Robin felt guilty for ever doubting that would be the case. The exuberant father-to-be in question was currently tickling their first child, Alex, with the help of Wolfie who was licking Alex's face. Bertrand, also quite huge himself, was sat next to Robin complaining his back hurt. Ingrid handed them both blood, sitting opposite and smiling at Vlad rolling around on the floor with the kids. "Sometimes it's really obvious he's the youngest of all of us." "And yet, I'm the most powerful!" Vlad grinned up at them, clearly feigning surrender when Alex leapt up, laying on the floor to let his son kiss his face. "Fine, Alex is the most powerful!"
Alex looked triumphant as he finally let his sire up, clambering to squeeze between Robin and Bertrand. "New babies soon?" "Yes son, a few weeks at the most now. They are just focusing on getting nice and fat!" "Robin!" Three voices scolded, but Robin simply smiled cheekily and rubbed his bump. "What? The books say the last month is just weight gain and the last few bits of brain development. Alex was earlier and smaller than these two and he was chubby, he just grew out of it quickly and now he's a miniature of his gorgeous parents." Ingrid smirked at him over her glass, Vlad beaming down at their son. "I look like dad?" Bertrand managed to lean over the side of the sofa they were sat on, coming up with the digital photo album that was completely seperate from the camera that came out in their bedroom... frequently.
"Look here, this is you son. You look a lot like your dad did when he was younger." "But not the same?" Alex was looking at the pictures in confusion, searching for differences. "Not exactly, you got your ears from your grandfather, and you have the eyes and smile of your mama. See?" Alex's tiny hands traced over the pictures, searching for recognition of himself in his parents faces. "What about new babies? Who they look like?" Alex, while intelligent, was not quite up to hearing exactly how reproduction worked. "We won't know until they come out, we didn't know you'd look so much like Vlad until you were a few months old and you grow quick." "Cus I'm from the Chosen One and mama?" Robin smiled down at their inquisitive child, perfect copies of Ingrid's silvery blue eyes full of curiousity. "Yep, so you'll be able to take care of your brothers and sisters, but you have to be gentle with them because they won't grow as fast as you remember?" "I remember papa!" The baby in his stomach kicked then, a nice strong hit to his bladder. Alex looked at the movement with wide eyes, reaching out a little hand to feel.
"Baby girl moving." They each looked at Alex in surprise, having agreed as a group not to find out the gender until the birth - they wanted healthy, not boys or girls. "Why do you say that son?" "Papa and daddy both got baby girls. They feel different to me and Wolfie, and we boys!" Looking between his mates, Robin was slightly speechless. "Well, I guess that answers that question." Each of them looked to Ingrid, the only female currently in their nest. "What? I already gave the Chosen One his male heir, any future baby bats can be whatever gender they like. Unless any of you aren't happy to be having daughters?" Robin and Bertrand both were just amazed to be having children, and Vlad was still beaming. "I wouldn't have cared if Alex was a girl, and I don't care now. I told you, I'll love every child we ever have. If I had to, I'd take my spot as Grand High Vampire and re-write the entire system to make it easier for girls to be head of the family." That won him a kiss Robin could feel the heat in from Ingrid, and Alex giggled next to him as he often did when he saw his parents kissing.
"What about my mums family?" Wolfie piped up, having been lay out in front of the fire for a while now. "How'd you mean Wolfie?" "Well mum is the only Westenra heir, but dating a werewolf makes her ineligible and I'm a Dracula now, plus I'm a half-ling." Vlad bit his lip, thinking. "Technically Ingrid's the next Westenra heir, Magda is actually her mother. Though that's a moot point until Atilla and Krone bite the dust, and I'm certain they are only alive through sheer spite and judgement now. And I'm a half-ling too Wolfie, we don't mind here." Wolfie clambered up into Vlad's lap, yipping happily between the Dracula siblings when Ingrid scratched behind his ear. "What's a half-ling?" Alex was watching the exchange closely, kicking his legs against the sofa until Bertrand remonstrated him gently as he answered.
"Wolfie is half vampire, half werewolf. Vlad is half vampire, half human. Half-ling just means they are from two races." "If dad is half human, what am I? And weren't you and papa both human before?" Robin couldn't help but feel proud as Alex questioned them, even with his sped-up development, he was able to process things way above him. "Yes, me and Robin are half fangs - we were turned into vampires. Ingrid is pure, full vampire and Vlad may be half human, but he's the Chosen One. It's hard for us to say what you are in terms of race Alex, as you are truly unique. There's never been another like you." Alex had clearly had enough of the heavy chat soon after, complaining he was hungry and needed taking to the bathroom. Robin was dying to stretch his legs, taking Alex's little hand while Vlad and Ingrid went about making the younglings food. Part of him was surprised when Ingrid took to cooking with Vlad so easily, given how she'd spent years fighting every 'female' stereotype. Then again, Vlad was the most powerful vampire in existence and he didn't consider cooking or cleaning beneath him, which probably helped.
Alex had taken to toilet training so naturally they felt a bit silly waiting so long, though he still slept in night pants just in case. He needed lifting to wash his hands in the sink, the only bathroom they'd adjusted for him was next to his and Wolfie's bedroom. Robin put him down, watching him walk back up the hallway to the throne room and smiling fondly. Raising an eyebrow in confusion, he thought he heard a sound. Fairly certain the entire nest was in the throne room still, Robin curled a protective hand over his stomach and walked along the hallway, away from his mates. Part of him knew it was the sillier thing to do, but Vlad could track him feeling sad across the world, he'd know if something went wrong instantly. Looking out into the clear corridor, Robin felt silly for thinking anyone would get into the school without permission. Turning back to head back to his mates, Robin felt something wrap around his middle and a hand pressed over his face. A hint of the smell of garlic and silver was the last he remembered before blacking out.
Vlad felt the shift in the bond almost instantly, Robin's presence almost muted. Looking up at his other mates, they clearly felt something change too. "Wolfie, take Alex and lock yourselves in the nursery. Do not open the door for anyone but us." "Dad? What's wrong?" Vlad knelt down, looking his son in the eyes. "Alex, I promise I'll explain everything but right now, I need you and Wolfie to be tough for me and go keep yourselves safe." The little boys face shifted, jaw tightening in a perfect replica of the way Ingrid's would faced with this situation. "Ok dad. Let's go Wolfie." Wolfie hummed sadly, gripping Alex's hand and letting the adults lead them to the nursery. Bertrand, easily the most forward-thinking planner, retrieved the kids food and drink things and deposited them in the room. "Alex, you might have to suffer the indignities of wearing a nappy if you need to 'go' before we get back. Now lock the door and remember, do not open it for anyone but us." Alex looked up at all of them, tears brimming in his eyes. "Is papa going to be ok?" Vlad felt the pang in his chest from Alex as if it were his own. "I'm going to find papa and bring him home Alex, I swear." Wolfie pulled Alex in, and the door clicked closed satisfyingly.
They flitted out of range of the children's exceptional hearing, though the effort clearly cost Bertrand, his energy sapped by the late stage of pregnancy. "Right, what the hell is going on?" Ingrid demanded, and Vlad tried to straighten his thoughts out. "I can't feel Robin, I mean, I can feel he's alive but I can't feel him properly. It's like someone turned off his side of it, but Robin would never do that." Sniffing the air, Vlad searched for Robin's scent. It was difficult to pick out the freshest line, they were all heavy in the air after living here so long. "Is it just me, or can anyone else smell argentalium?" Ingrid nodded at him, covering her mouth and pushing Bertrand back - they didn't need his powers drained any more. "Someone's kidnapped Robin? Who? Who can even get in Garside?" "Let's be fair, there's far too many vampires who were invited in between the ferals and my almost-wedding to Adze, Ingrid's netball team, your band of scoundrels..." "Ok Vlad, we get it. We had poor taste in friends." Shaking his head, Vlad tried to backtrack. "I wasn't accusing you two, honestly. I just realised there is far too high an amount of people who could get in." Tracing his fingers through the air, he moved around the garlic-scented space. "Here, Robin was standing here." There was a hint of panic in the scent. "Someone grabbed him from behind."
Following the trail of Robin's scent laden with panic, Vlad found himself by the doors. "I'm going to see what I can find in the courtyard. I dread to even think it, but Ingrid I need you to go bag up blood and those potions Robin made for the birth. I don't want to be unprepared." Ingrid nodded, flitting off for a moment. "Bertrand, I don't think you're up to a rescue mission but you and the baby could die if we leave and you go into labour, you can't physically give birth!" "Tandem transformation, take me in your form." Bertrand looked exhausted already, and Vlad hated to even consider taking him from their home. "Fine, wait here for Ingrid." Stepping out into the courtyard, the scents were clearer as they didn't venture out much. "It's fading but I can feel it." "Can you feel who took him?" Focusing harder, he wasn't sure. "It's sort of familiar, but I can't put my finger on it." Vlad didn't want to guess why the anxiety bubbling inside him was growing, if Robin was waking up somewhere unfamiliar and terrified and alone. "Ingrid, I'm not stupid enough to ask you to stay behind, though I unlive in hope." "You're right, you would be stupid to assume such things."
Looking up at the building, Vlad was torn. "Wolfie and Alex will be fine, the whole point of locking them in the nursery is that it's impossible to break in to, lead-lined locked door and garlic sprayed windows. It's more secure than our room, and we won't be gone long." Ingrid kissed him, pushing the nerve he needed to get going through him. Clinging to her a little longer, Bertrand coughed next to them. "I'm not usually one to stop your fun, but I'm about to pop and Robin is missing. Let's go!" Nodding and shaking his head to clear it, Vlad pulled Bertrand to his body. "Hold on tight, I've never done this before. Ingrid, stay close yeah?" Receiving a nod, Vlad pushed out his bat form, holding tight to Bertrand's energy. "This is strange." His wings were flapping, looking around he could see Ingrid next to him. He could hear Bertrand, literally in one body now. Tasting the air, Vlad raced along where he could find Robin's scent mixed with the almost-familiar other. "I've never travelled this fast, is this what it's like to be you?" "Kind of, there's a constant energy inside me. And you see the world a little differently when you know most expect you to lead it." They were leaving Great Britain, the scent of the ocean trying to overlay Robin's. He could still feel Ingrid nearby, so he wasn't concerned about her falling behind, not that he ever truly had.
"Be careful Vlad, we're entering the place vampires kill for territory." "Which clans are nearby?" "Impendalu's are West. An old Chinese clan are East, they had a falling out with the head vamps there and moved to Europe. Oh! Ramanga. This was their old land. And he'd be able to get into Garside." Vlad felt the realisation as though it were in his own mind, linked to Bertrand as he was. "If it was Ramanga, I'd have recognised the scent. Adze is dead, so is her mother. Does he have any other children?" Bertrand's mental directory of bloodlines flashed before his eyes then. "Two sons, one too young to even transform, Assan. An older son Shango, and there were rumours of him having illegitimate children, positions on the High Council lead to much debauchery." "So, North? Ramanga is our best bet and I'm going to lose the trail soon." "Please tell me we can stake the lot of them?" Ingrid decided to add her two fangs to the conversation then. "If that's what it takes to save Robin, I'll dust every vampire in our way." "Oh I'm so proud of you little brother." Growling mentally, Vlad fought the effects of her words. "Not now Ingrid! We can celebrate when our clan is safe." "Spoilsport. Come on, we need to land before the sun starts rising." Dropping to the ground as carefully as possible, Vlad made sure to catch Bertrand who almost keeled over. "Ingrid, blood?" Bertrand drank down almost a whole bottle, still looking tired when he handed the rest to Ingrid.
"Can you guide him while we speed travel? I'd do it but my senses are a little sharper than yours and you're stronger for short distances than me." Ingrid nodded, tossing the now empty bottle aside and letting Bertrand wrap an arm around her shoulders. "Which way Chosen One?" Closing his eyes, he could sense Robin just a little now. "Not far, they can't mute the bond completely at such close range. Or Robin's coming round. Either way, I can feel him a little now. We need to hurry." Ingrid's eyes flashed in recognition, and they both looked at Bertrand. "Exactly, we don't have long before two new Draculas make an entrance." Letting the links in his heart guide him, they raced along through thick trees, fighting the impending sunrise. Bertrand was whimpering in pain now, and Vlad knew they had an hour, two at best before they had to stop or risk both his husbands and their babies. "I need to stop, figure out which way we're going." Bertrand looked thankful for the break, leaning heavily against Ingrid and clutching his stomach. "Like hell did we spend over eight months staying on the same track for some kidnapper to stop me and Robin having our children together." Checking the bond, Vlad felt surer. "Stay wary, we don't know who we might encounter. This way." The sun was beginning to peek over the horizon when they came across the castle. "Ramanga Castle. It's officially unoccupied, so we should be able to get in."
"We don't have a great deal of choice, we'll be deep fried if we don't get cover soon." Staying ahead, keeping his sense of Ingrid and Bertrand behind him high, Vlad stepped forwards. "Doors open. Stakes out guys." Pushing the door, it creaked open and they stepped into the hallway. Glad for all the practice Bertrand had put them through, Vlad could feel the beginnings of pain in his own stomach, still mixed with panic as he held a fireball in his palm to light the enforced darkness. It wasn't ideal, holding stakes in their free hands and Bertrand literally about to pop. He couldn't quite sense anyone other than his mates, but there was still something around Robin that made it like a bad phone connection, flickering signals. "Downstairs, don't rush." Ingrid actually whimpered when the next wave of pain took them, and Vlad had to grit his teeth to fight his own sound of distress. "Not long now guys, I can't turn it down until we find Robin." "I know, but wow I forgot what that felt like." Ingrid's voice in the darkness strengthened him, pushed him to move with a little less mind-numbing fear.
The staircase came into view then, and they crept down the stairs soundlessly. Robin's presence was clear on the air now, but the pain and panic in his body told him they were cutting it fine. Stopping at the bottom curve of what he assumed was the dungeon, Vlad mimed to the other two to hang back for a moment. "There's argentalium down here somewhere, that's what's been muting Robin. I can just about handle it, you can't." Ingrid scowled but agreed, possibly because Bertrand was starting to shake against her now. Swallowing his fear Vlad made his way around. "Not one more step Chosen One." There were two people in the room other than Robin, a young boy shaking slightly but holding a stake pointed at Robin. The older one was smirking, sat behind a shield protecting him from the argentalium. "Let me guess, Assan and Shango Ramanga?" "You've done your homework." "The Ramanga Castle was a bit of a giveaway."
Robin's eyes were closed, his pale skin covered in sweat and dirt and Vlad could see the faster movement beneath his stomach. "Your little half fang pet is most fascinating. Carrying a baby, full term by the look of panic on your face?" "What do you want? What's all this for?" Vlad needed to get to Robin, but a sudden move could get his lover staked right now. "My sister was staked because of you, and my father was defanged and walked into the sunlight because of your father!" "Seriously? Adze was planning to kill me after she took my first bite, and my father is dust himself!" "Shame, I was looking forward to that pleasure." The next wave of pain was even more intense and Vlad barely stayed on his feet. "You're going to kill Robin and his daughter if you don't let me help him!" Shango was looking at him strangely, clearly unsure why Vlad looked in pain. "We're bloodbound, I can feel his pain! If I have to, I will tear you both to pieces to save him! I'm giving you the chance to live." The younger Ramanga was clearly wavering now, his hand shaking harder. "Shango, this isn't right brother." "Assan isn't it?" The young boy nodded. "Drop the stake Assan, and I won't hurt your brother." "Don't you dare brother!" Shango tried, but Assan dropped the stake and stepped away. Clicking his fingers, the stake burned away quickly.
"How are you even doing that, the room is full of argentalium?" Remembering why he was here, pulling on his strength fully Vlad turned blazing eyes on Shango. "Chosen One, remember? Now let my mate go or I will ash you where you stand." Shango stepped back, hiding deeper in the corner of his shield. "Assan, go to your brother, it's alright." The little boy ran over, hiding in the grip of his brother. "Ingrid! Quick!" His sister appeared, supporting a sweaty shaking Bertrand and laying him down. "Are you sure we can't just ash them anyway?" "Not the time Ingrid, they'll die if we don't hurry. Help me get Robin down." They both pulled at the cuffs holding Robin up, the fang-cuffs burning into their skin but finally coming loose as Robin fell into Vlad's body. "Get some blood in him, we're going to have to do this here." "In an argentalium room, are you mad?" "If we move Shango will try and stake us from behind, this is the only place we can do this and see him!" Ingrid hissed up at the Ramanga brothers in warning before lifting Robin's head to pour blood into his mouth. "Bertrand, don't pass out on us now. I don't know which of these potions is which!" "Do Robin first, he's weakening quickly. Black is pain, the red is for after to heal him." Tipping the black vial down Robin's unresisting throat, Vlad dug through the bag Ingrid brought.
"Aren't you glad Bertrand knows battlefield tactics?" Sparing a second to look at his other lovers while he tried to find the right spot to essentially cut the baby out of Robin, Vlad had to ask. "What do you mean?" "Packed the bag... weeks ago. Never be... too careful." "Hurry Vlad, I'm not sure Bertrand has much longer in him!" A small sound of footsteps echoed, and Vlad looked up to see Assan. "Can I help? I never meant to put babies at risk." Sharing a look with Ingrid, Vlad nodded. "Get rid of the argentalium nearest to us, it won't hurt you to touch it." Assan did so, picking up nuggets of silvery garlic metal and tossing them nearer Shango. "Assan, what are you doing?" "You said we were going to get Vlad. I never agreed to hurting innocent children!" Feeling some of the muting lift, Vlad pushed energy to Robin and breathed in relief when Robin's eyes fluttered open. "Not that I'm not thrilled to see you Vlad, but what the hell are you waiting for?" Remembering he needed to hurry, Vlad whispered apologies as he cut across the swell of Robin's abdomen. He felt the slice too, but no pain potion to lower his meant Vlad almost cried out as he pressed on. The sac the baby was developing in burst almost instantly, and Vlad was holding his newborn daughter seconds later. The girl was clearly part Bertrand, olive skin tone and tiny curls on her head as she screamed at the indignity. "Ingrid, a little help?" Ingrid helped cut the cord and wrap the baby, smiling softly at the wailing newborn while Vlad hurried to close Robin up.
"Cutting it close aren't you Vlad?" "You weren't meant to pop for another two weeks, and you know we weren't planning on a kidnapping venture." "Yeah, wonder if we'll ever have a quiet, planned birth." Bertrand was barely conscious now, swallowing the pain potion as Vlad lay him down and sliced his stomach. The pain was probably more intense for him than anyone else now, his bonds tightest with each of them and Robin and Bertrand dosed up on pain relief. It didn't seem to matter as he lifted his newest child free, confirming it was another daughter as she screamed for being pulled into the world. Ingrid took the newborn to cut the cord and wrap her up, and the exhausted but blinding smile on Bertrand's face as Vlad put him back together made his whole body buzz with happiness. "What are you going to do to us now?" Tearing his eyes away from the sights of his new daughters, Vlad found Assan looking terrified. "It's up to you. We can stake your brother and adopt you, mindwipe you both and let you go or I can zone you both and leave you as crystals for eternity." Shango was clearly unamused with such an idea, but trapped by the argentalium he couldn't move without risking being staked for getting too close.
"Can... can you mindwipe my brother and take me away? I don't want to be like him, but I don't want him dead." Ingrid was instantly against the idea, but Vlad felt guilty - the boys family had been torn apart because Vlad existed. "Ok Assan, but you better not hurt my clan." Holding out his hand to the small boy, Vlad felt a hand return the grip. "Go pack a bag, we're leaving soon." Assan dashed off and Vlad fought the urge to drink in the sight of his daughters, stepping closer to Shango. "Even your own brother doesn't want to be like you. I hope you remember this lesson - don't mess with Draculas. If your family had remembered that before, I wouldn't have to do this." Shango tried to look away, to fight the memory wipe but he couldn't match Vlad defending his nest, forcing his eyes to meet Vlad's and wiping any memory of Draculas at all from him. "We'll leave him here, he'll wake up fine but it'll give us time to get away. There's still two hours to sundown, let's get you two upstairs and resting before we head out." Tired but otherwise unharmed as they didn't have to actually give birth like Ingrid had, Robin and Bertrand managed to slowly climb the stairs, Vlad and Ingrid carrying the newborns. "She's going to look a lot like Bertrand, she's already got the curls!" Vlad was cooing over the baby Robin had carried, Ingrid had the one pulled from Bertrand. "She already looks like you, I think she's paler than you already!"
"Robin, you need your strength to get back. You can go back to soya later, don't worry." Robin had been looking guiltily at the bottled blood in front of him, and Vlad wasn't going to let his mate feel bad. "Have these two got names? We did promise it was your turn for these two." Indicating Robin and Bertrand's daughter, Robin nodded. "Gabriella Ingrid Dracula" Ingrid actually teared up a little, though Vlad suspected she'd never admit it, and Bertrand and Vlad's daughter was declared "Maddie Robyn Dracula". "French first names?" Robin nodded. "Well, Bertrand is French. And I wanted something more traditional for Gabriella, so I gave her her mothers name as a middle name. If either of us had had a son, they'd have been Adam Vladimir Dracula." Feeling the emotions clog in his throat, Vlad let the tears fall. They all knew Adam is what he'd have been called if Sally hadn't given him up, and it was touching to hear such an obvious acceptance of his human half from his mates.
Assan appeared then, hovering anxiously. "How are we getting back?" "Assan, you're coming with me. Ingrid, you take Gabriella and Bertrand can take Maddie. Robin, I'm not trying to doubt you but you were trapped in with argentalium a lot longer." Robin nodded, relieving Vlad of the baby 'while he still could' and smiling. "Do either of them have teeth?" There was a flurry of poking at baby mouths, both declaring "no". Looking back at Robin, Vlad couldn't help himself giggling. "I guess we know why you got softer chests, looks like little Ella was hungry?" The baby was indeed attached to Robin's chest, and there was a mix of confusion and wonder on Robin's face. "Bertrand?" Ingrid held out baby Maddie, and the girl almost instantly latched on to Bertrand's chest. "That is quite strange. It's also rather wonderful." Checking Bertrand's watch and peering outside, Vlad looked to Assan. "Last chance to turn back, I can mindwipe you and leave you here if you want." Assan shook his head. "My father always said I wasn't going to be what he wanted me to be. I don't want to end up bloodthirsty for revenge like Shango, you never tried to hurt anyone Vlad." Sharing a look with Bertrand, Vlad wondered just how different Assan was.
-YD-
I actually have a bit of an ache in my wrist from writing this out, sort of fell into the whole birth thing and names. Oh well, have fun!