A/N: Disclaimer in Chapter 1.

I've had more requests to do a sequel, so I will write one to complete this series.

Some people have sent me PMs asking if I'll increase the rating of the sequel and certain aspects of its content to T/M. I'm sorry but the answer is no.

The sequel will be a K+ again; I don't feel comfortable writing T/M fics.

Chapter 21: Declaration

"Vlad?" The whisper was quiet. No movement came from him. "Vlad?" A little louder this time. "VLAD!"

Vlad shot up, his head coming into contact with the (luckily) cushioned coffin lid with a crack. She felt a little guilty at that, especially as she saw him wince as he rubbed the spot he'd hit.

Vlad turned his body to face Erin, he was careful to avoid knocking her stomach. Over the last couple of days her stomach had taken on a more noticeable rounding. Unfortunately he could see them having to have a bigger coffin soon. If he had his way he'd have an actual bed but it would be safer for them to have a coffin considering the current threat they were under from the rebels.

"Did I wake you?" She asked softly, he knew she'd woken him on purpose clearly pretending she hadn't.

"No." He mumbled playing along this once. "What do you want?" A nagging part of him began to warn him she might do this regularly.

Erin avoided his gaze slightly, focussing over his shoulder. "Have we got any chocolate?"

His eyes narrowed, he was dreading this answer. "Why?"

"I just fancy some chocolate." Erin told him casually, "Dipped in soy blood." Vlad's stomach gave a lurch at the thought, "And rhubarb yoghurt." It didn't more than a lurch that time; he nearly gagged at the combination.

"At the same time?" He had to ask, she really couldn't be serious.

"Yeah." Had he listened at all to what she'd said?

"I'll get it." He offered before she could even ask, as he knew she was going to.

The coffin opened and Vlad sat up, he sped across the room. He extended his hand to the candles lighting them as he dressed quickly. He knew it was still early so he'd have to be as quiet as possible.

Erin snuggled herself back down into the coffin, clutching the blue fleece throw she'd taken to having inside the coffin for whenever she was ordered to rest.

Vlad cast one more glance towards her before speeding out to begin his search for her 'requested' food items.

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It had taken him three hours to find some chocolate in the school – it was rarer than gold dust in the school. That meant her night snack, became a late nine o'clock breakfast.

Erin had quickly joined him in the throne room before any one else could emerge (just in case they stole her food he guessed). Erin was getting very protect of her food. Renfield had told him it was natural in pregnant vampires but he still thought twice about eating in front of her.

He presented it to Erin. She grinned accepting the galaxy bar off him. She poured yoghurt into her bowl before stirring in the soy blood until it was more red than white or pink. Vlad glared at the disgusting concoction, it was only bound to get worse. Adding insult to injury she offered him some to eat. He shook his head turning very pale.

Erin broke off a piece of the chocolate before clutching the corner of it in her fingers. One good thing about their physiology was that their fingers never became warm enough to actually melt chocolate. She submerged it completely in the 'mixture' before placing it against her lips and eating it. Her face had an expression that clearly said 'heaven' contrasting completely against Vlad's feelings.

Vlad reluctantly reached across and poured himself a bowl of cornflakes they'd bought for the slayers. He heard the door creak open and turned to look to see who his visitors were.

Jonno and Robin yawned widely before offering them smiles before freezing and trying to work out what Erin was eating. Jonno and Robin peered at the bowl of something that Erin appeared to be enjoying, watching the way Vlad toyed with his food. Whatever it was it had put Vlad off his food – this was the person who'd grown up with Renfield's cooking – so it must be disgusting.

"If you don't mind we'll eat somewhere else." Jonno grabbed a box of the cereal and made a dash for it.

Jonno managed to escape but Robin was yanked back by his jacket and forced to sit down at the table next to Erin. If Vlad had to suffer this then Robin was going to as well. Robin looked like he was about to be sick.

"That looks nice." Robin commented holding back a retch. Erin nodded and grinned. "What is it?"

"You don't want to know." Vlad told him quickly.

Robin nodded at the serious tone his friend had, reaching across to grab the cornflakes.

Vlad grimaced as his eyes were drawn back to Erin's meal, hating the way she added even more soy blood to the mixture. He and Robin shared a matching wince. He sipped at his goblet before grimacing it was a rhubarb yoghurt pot he held in his hand.

"Erin," He began as politely as he could, "Where's the soy blood?"

Erin handed him a bottle from behind her, "Here." Vlad didn't bother to waste time with it in his goblet he just drank it from the bottle.

He'd just finished off the bottle when Renfield poked his head around the door. "Master Vlad, Mistress Erin's parents are here to see you."

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Erin pulled at her jumper trying to make it stretch so no one could see her rounded stomach. Of all the times it had to actually become noticeable. She yanked it off and grabbed one of her plaid shirts; unfortunately it was a form fitting one and clearly pulled across her abdomen.

She pulled at it hot, angry tears in her eyes. Eventually she gave up and pulled at the shirt, buttons tearing and breaking in half, hitting the wall. Erin struggled to shrug out of the shirt; it rolling up until it wedged itself on her arms. All she wanted to do as protect the baby – ignorance was best where her parents were concerned.

Vlad slowly stepped behind her, his hands on her arms to stop her struggling. When he was certain she was calm her carefully helped out of the shirt. "Chloe's probably already told them." He whispered into her ear. Erin nodded, looking at him. He reached up and brushed her hair back out of her eyes.

"I just want them to leave us alone."

"I know." Vlad leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips, he tipped his head forwards until he rested his cool forehead against hers. Erin stepped away from him. She pulled on a black vest top, covering herself. "I think you're going to need to go shopping."

Erin let out a groan; she wasn't the clothes shopping kind of person. She wondered if she could bribe Ingrid to do it for her. Then again with the state of their relationship with the rebels she wondered if she could actually go out shopping safely.

Vlad tossed her one of his shirts to wear on top of the vest. Erin slipped it on, not hesitating once. The red material swamped her but she felt as if the baby was more protected just by the additional cloth.

"I'm ready." She muttered reluctantly, Vlad let out a soft laugh. Erin wrapped her arms around his neck bringing his head down slightly so she could kiss him. She just wanted to enjoy a few more minutes with him before dealing with her parents. Vlad responded kissing her back just as firmly, clearly he wanted the same thing.

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Ingrid, Jonno and Robin followed them closely down the stairs, barely a step behind them. Vlad and Erin were in perfect sync, side by side as they walked down into the foyer. Renfield and some of the slayers were holding them under the porch/archway at the entrance to the school. There was no way the Nobles were being allowed to set foot in the school.

They ignored the looks they received from the pupils inside the school as they strode defiantly towards the school entrance.

Dianne and Steve Noble had come alone. Vlad had taken his time to memorise the smell of the rebels, most of them used a stasis spray but they did smell different to the slayers and breathers. Vlad wasn't sure why they smelled different but they did. He wondered if it was corruption he could smell.

Vlad had been expecting them over the last couple of days since meeting Chloe once again, so had Jonno and the Slayers. There was no point in Jonno leaving just yet; the Nobles didn't like to wait before acting.

Dianne looked the vampires up and down; she didn't expect the Slayers Guild to still be there. She would have thought staying with vampires when it wasn't necessary would be unbearable for them. Clearly they were only obeying their 'masters'.

Erin was glowing next to Vlad. His arm was wrapped around her waist protectively. Any woman who'd gone through pregnancy knew the signs. The baggy shirt was a give away that she was trying to hide something, she could see the vest top underneath. Erin clearly hadn't slipped it on to cover her modesty.

Her face clouded with fury as she spat, "You *are* pregnant." Dianne had been hoping Chloe had gotten it completely wrong, regardless of there being witnesses at the scene.

Erin's voice was cold as she spoke. These people weren't her parents. She'd never really known them; they'd chosen to distance themselves from her not the other way round. "I would've thought Chloe told you that."

Erin knew they'd expected her to deny it even though it was obvious; they just wanted her to start an argument.

Steve gave her a patronising look, Erin should know better than to question their motives. "First rule of slaying check on your information."

Erin sneered at them, she'd learned the Slayers' Book of Rules of by heart, it was the only book she was allowed to read for four months when she was 14. "I thought that was the third." She moved back behind Vlad slightly, He'd begin to worry if she became more exposed to them. "Don't you trust Chloe enough to believe her?"

A thumping down the stairs withdrew their attention from each other, Jonno and the slayers kept their eyes fixed on the rebels while the vampires turned in the direction of the sound.

"Wolfie!" Ingrid scolded as Wolfie dashed around the corner towards them. Ingrid pulled Wolfie to her holding him tightly to her; she wasn't going to risk her brother's safety because he grew restless. Vlad gave Wolfie a disapproving look; he wasn't amused at his brother's appearance. He'd speak to him later. Wolfie didn't look ashamed until he caught Erin's eye, her arms were folded across her chest, he let out a small whine before looking down at the floor pitifully – he knew he was in trouble then.

Vlad drew them all back to the conversation at hand.

"Why can't Chloe remember the truth?" If he wanted an answer he'd have to ask the source of the problem. It was the question that had been burning in his mind over the last few days.

Steve's face took on a smug grin, he enjoyed outfoxing vampires, although this Chosen One was brighter than almost any vampire he'd ever come across. He hung back in his answering, trying to irk the vampires but they were wise to his tactic and waited patiently for an answer.

"Mind wipes, so easy to manipulate and twist." Vlad bristled slightly but only Ingrid noticed; Vlad was always worried at the way memories could be created to replace those that had been lost. "All we had to do was twist the truth in a such a way the mind wipe would be ineffective and constantly feed her this misinformation." Steve told him. "After a while her brain became so confused by all the information it was given it couldn't tell which information it should and shouldn't wipe so it stopped trying."

Robin moved forward, his fists clenched, as the information sunk in. "You brainwashed her!"

"More like moulded her into what we needed." Dianne smirked watching the way their jaws set. Vlad and Erin didn't give her the luxury of seeing their fangs to show how much she'd riled them up. "Someone to get at you."

Ingrid was the next to answer, carefully sizing up Dianne. "You convinced her the only reason she could remember was because Vlad loved her." She was tempted to bite her ands she was sure the Slayers wouldn't even try to stop her but she was more concerned about keeping a hold of Wolfie at the moment.

"Easy to do. We thought she might be able to charm him, get close enough to drive you away and eventually stake him. He refused to accept her reason for remembering. He knew he loved you and not her. She became woman scorned and that made her more dangerous."

Erin scoffed, folding her arms over her chest. "You know most parents would be thankful their son-in-law is faithful."

Dianne hated the way her daughter was influenced by them; Erin wouldn't leave the vampire that was clear enough now. She suppressed a shudder at the undeniable fact that she would have a vampire as a grandchild.

She needed to do something to prevent any more parents and women suffering the same fate.

The vampires and slayers weren't willing to make the first move so she was.

Dianne withdrew her stake in front of the many witnesses in the entrance, she drew it back. Not aiming at them but at Wolfie. He was the one without any powers and the least expected target. It wouldn't turn him to ash as he wasn't a true vampire yet but it would cause just as much damage.

Erin waved her finger and it spun 180 degrees before shooting through the air and lodging deeply in the wooden panelling of the school gates across the courtyard behind Dianne. A crack coursing down the centre of the stake, from the tip to the handle, at the force it buried itself in the wood.

Both Nobles stared at the stake in the panelling. They didn't expect Erin to turn her powers on them. They'd attacked and there was now only one option, they couldn't back down now.

Steve only declared one word. They were all expecting it. "War."

Vlad tilted his head, Jonno nodded at him, the sides had been picked and lines had been drawn. "Looking forward to it."

TBC

A/N: What do you think?

Thanks for reading