Big Bullet

The next day after the embarrassing bridal shopping and getting checked out by all the other girls and having a few weird questions about his sexuality, he didn't want to admit that he had dodged a big bullet. Now that there wasn't anything for him to do, he was going to have to take a big shot…and he knew that his dad wouldn't be happy.

'How do I word it?' Nicky thought to himself. 'Oh, hey, dad, guess what? I had an epiphany that I don't want to be a vampire anymore. Oh and here's the funny thing, I'm in love with a girl that would love to keep her mortality. Did I mention that we're going to have a baby together? Yeah…he's going to be so proud of me.' He sighed.

"Nicky? I thought I saw you a couple times yesterday, but you never stayed in one area for long…" a sweet voice said, a bit concerned. Nao smiled at the vampire, "You missed some cool action the past couple days, or did the others already tell you?" she asked.

"Uh…no…no one told me anything yet." Nicky said with a smile, "I've pretty much been in hiding." He rubbed the back of his neck. "A little cowardly, but…heh…what can I do? I sort of would like to keep my life."

"You really actually can't be killed like a normal vampire," Nao told him, "And no, not wanting to tell Ian isn't cowardly. He can be a little ruthless...From what I gathered from Lese, he's mellowed out throughout the years. He might hit you one or twice but the rest will be screaming fury. Not that bad unless he has that unique power over words."

"Oh, trust me, Nao; you don't want to be in my situation at all." Nicky said. "Imagine you falling in love with a mortal. That's fine and dandy as long as you change her in the end. Okay, what if she doesn't want to? You dump her." He shrugged. "Now picture this conversation, its the same thing only she's carrying your child. Big time explosion…I don't think the house will be left standing unless mom sides with me. Which I don't think she would… She really does want I to be a vampire...or maybe she doesn't and I don't know. Either way, the impressions I get don't change."

He sighed, "I just don't know how I'm going to give out three bad news all at once." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"You are really over-estimating this whole situation," Nao shook her head, laughing, "I know a bit more than you seem to, and I just had about half a pint, maybe less, that's it!" she grinned and shook her head.

"Ok, how about this, so you're not so frightened when you go in there...one event that happened while you were gone was the fact Sam and Electric had a scuffle..." she told him the whole story save for after Michelangelo ran off to find Raphael.

He whistled at the end, "Damn. That is one hell of an event. I should have been there...at least to make sure it didn't get so out of hand like it had been." He shook his head. "Alright, that does make me feel a little better." He sighed and stood up, "So, off to the lion's den to poke a sleeping one and see if it reacts. What fun…" He winked at Nao. "Oh...is Mikey and Raph alright? Those fire burns can get worse than better."

"I healed him up, but it took more out of me than I thought," Nao told him, trying to hint at what she said before, but smiled, "You're the lion's son; there won't be too much damage." She opened the door and shoved him in, "Trust me." She closed the door behind him.

Nicky looked at the room. His father was standing, comfortably while his mother was sitting on top of the coffin. It was obvious they had been talking. "Uh…hi…" He said.

"Nicolas…sweetheart," Lese said, blinking at him. "We were just talking about you."

"Oh…yeah…I sort of figured." Nicky said, rubbing the back of his neck again, 'I'm the lion's son, huh, Nao?' "Well...I kind of need to talk to you anyway…so I guess……" He shrugged, "I walked in on a good time. Um...how do I begin this...You know that I'm dating Ally right?"

"Allison, Nicolas. Call her by her name." Lese abolished.

"Of course, we know," Ian said with a slight nervous smile. "Why?"

"Well...She doesn't want to be one of us, and she's with my child, and....I don't want to be a vampire…even though I'm really stuck like this for eternity."

Silence. Perfect and total silence. Nicky started to feel fidgety and nervous. Ian hadn't said a word and Lese was watching the both of them, as if she was wondering about whose side she was going to take. As fast as a second, Ian got to him and smacked him over the head, hard, "A child? I raised a better son than that. I know that there are times when an eternity is a long time to deal with, but a child and a mortal?"

"Ian. Please." Lese murmured.

Ian didn't listen. "You are to change her, regardless. That child will have to grow up before you change him either."

"That's the point, dad, I don't want any of us to go through this." Nicky said his voice in a snap. "I hate it, it's not that it's tiring, it's the fact that everyone that I know in this warehouse and the other warehouses in the gang territory die. I'm going to see that, and I'll see it over and over again. I don't want Ally to have that."

Ian looked stunned for a while before saying harshly, "You cannot change who you are, Nicolas."

"No, your right…I can't change that I'm a vampire. I can't change that I'm in love with Ally and that I don't want her to become like me. She doesn't want it either, so it's an agreement there. As for the child? I don't want her or him to have this curse, but I know that if I'm asked, I'll tell him about my experience and see if she or he still wants it."

Ian growled and smacked him over the head again. This time Lese stood up and stood in between the two men. "Stop this." She said watching her husband. "My love, I was once human and you changed me to be like this. I don't mind living for eternity, I asked you for it. Allison asked Nicolas to keep her limit of being human. I find courage in her, to be able to see death and not want to evade it like we have."

Ian faltered looking at Lese and asked in a soft voice, "You are not on my side?"

"Not for this, Ian." She gently took his hand. "Nicky was once part vampire and part human as well. A hundred years would have been long enough for anyone that had a child, but we...we were selfish. If Allison and Nicolas do not want to have their child become pure vampire, and the child does not wish it either, then that is the course the child and Allison takes."

Ian stared at his wife and looked away, "And what about Nicolas, Lese?" "If he wishes to live his life the way he wishes, then who are we to deny him that? I gave birth to a son, Ian. Not to a slave to our bidding. Not to a soulless demon that has no path. He has a path, and he has stared down on it for such a long time. Let him go...he is an adult now…has been for centuries."

Lese gently moved away from Nicky who was watching his mother with wide eyes. He would have thought for sure that his mom would be on his dad side. Ian looked at him and silence once more turned long. A hand raised and another whack to the head made it clear to Nicky that he wasn't accepted into the family any more. Or at least not in his father's eyes…What surprised him was when Ian spoke, "Why didn't you tell us so much sooner, Nicolas? Hybrids grow up so fast, and unpredictable...you could have come to me, to your mother...to the both of us."

"I was sort of afraid." Nicky admitted. "That once I said everything there wouldn't be me anymore."

"Oh, Nicky," Ian said with a slight smile. "I won't lie that I was upset, but your mother is right. Has been for a long time…You're an adult now. You should make your own decisions, and seek to make your own family."

"Thanks dad." Nicky said with a pleased smile, "Mom."

"You are welcome, Nicolas. Now, you should make sure that you stay near Allison's side. Call if she has the child……there should not be any harm in bringing her to a hospital if it comes to that." Lese smiled. Ian gently opened the door and Nicky happily ran out of the room.