Was a little off track because I spent two days writing a Vlad/Malik two shot and then had Vl-Adam-Ir and Chosen Two to update, but here we are again! Everything is coming up vampire!
On we go!
-YD-
Walking into the throne room after ensuring the blood mirror was stable and secure, Ingrid found Vlad alone. "Where is everyone?" She could sense her bond mates herself, but that would only answer half her question. "Robin is packing up everything safely in his lab, anything that might fall or break. Bertrand is in the blood cellar doing the same. Piers is making sure anything technological is secured, Talitha is with Sally, George and the kids. I am waiting for this magic lady, or uncle Ivan and Olga. Whoever turns up first." Ingrid looked at the fireplace, the two UV frames replaced by Will's urn alongside their father's. The dust from the UV frames were now in pots themselves for Vlad to hand over to "the magic lady". "I've got a box for the dust urns too, I would never risk them breaking." Vlad stood to hold her, arms around her waist and his mouth meeting hers. "Its all becoming so real, so final. Almost ten years in the UK, feels strange to be about to go back to Transylvania." "Yeah, but beats commuting to Transylvania all the time."
He closed the distance between them again, kissing her softly and smiling. "Home is where you guys are. A different night sky is nothing compared to my whole world under one roof." "Even Sally and George are coming around, it's only been a week or so." Vlad nuzzled into her neck, kissing the scar there. "Well, I expect that's because our kids are all adorable and a blind man couldn't miss the bonds between us all. I think it's easier if they just pretend we aren't brother and sister, and I am happy to let them think that way. Its definitely better they don't hear you call me little brother anyway." Ingrid smirked as Vlad ran fingers up her sides, teasing gently. "True." Wriggling free of Vlad's hold before she let him distract her too much, Ingrid stepped back. "I'm going to go check in on the others, remember to put the fire out before you leave the room." Vlad nodded, leaning in to kiss her again but letting her go after.
Flitting down to the cellar, she checked in on Bertrand. "How's Vlad? Other than waxing poetic about home is where the heart is?" "A little bored waiting, but otherwise good. And correct, he was indeed poetic. You done?" "Just about, why do you ask?" Trying to choose her words carefully, Ingrid looked up at her eldest lover. "I kind of need to talk to you and Robin." That got his attention, and Bertrand turned anxious eyes to her. "Is everything alright?" "Absolutely. Come on." Bertrand secured the last crate and shelf, taking Ingrid's offered hand and she led him along to the lab where she could feel Robin. "What's up guys? Why does Bertrand look like someone just asked him to dress as a teenage emo boy?" Exchanging a confused look with Bertrand, they both shook their heads. "I wanted to talk to you two." "Not Vlad? What's going on?" Robin jumped to confusion instantly, and Ingrid needed to calm them before Vlad picked up on any anxiety.
"I wanted to talk to you two first. Because I want to have another child, with Vlad. And not because I don't want kids with either of you." Both Robin and Bertrand had realisation dawn over their faces. "Ingrid, we have both always said if you only want children with Vlad, we won't be upset. We still get to be parents, part of their lives. DNA isn't important." Unable to suppress a smile, Ingrid sat between the two of them. "I had a secondary motive, otherwise I would have simply swapped what potions I took and told you all later. I want a daughter. I see Vlad with Ella and Maddie, and I know he wasn't lying when he said he wouldn't have cared at all if Alex had been a girl. But I want a girl who's got the power, to be equal and honestly, because I don't know I can ever totally get past my insecurities about Dracula girls if I don't." Both men took a hand in theirs, holding her between them. "We understand. And like we said, its your body and your choice. As for wanting a girl, I think Robin knows something that can help raise the odds."
Ingrid wasn't sure why she was surprised, but the two vampires responded exactly as she had hoped for. "Are you going to tell Vlad? Or is this like a special surprise we get to be in on?" "Given how antsy he is the closer Alex gets to five, I say surprise him." That was a good point, so Ingrid nodded in agreement. "Do you need time to 'raise the odds', or can we make it part of the celebrations in Transylvania once we get settled?" Robin jumped up, flicking through one of his books that made sense only to him. "The longer it brews, the more effective it is but I could give you a 80% chance on girl in a day, climbing up to 90% in two days." Thinking of Alex upstairs, Ingrid could take those odds. "80% is good enough, I can always try again. Immortal creatures and all that." Robin was already bouncing in excitement and checking he had all the right ingredients. "Transylvania is a much better place to be an alchemist, I won't have to commute across water to get new ingredients. Luckily, Bertrand made a good haul last time so I can start as soon as we land really. I'm excited already!"
Leaning up to kiss Bertrand, Ingrid moved over to kiss Robin too. "I love you. Both of you. And thank you... For understanding. For understanding me." "Its what we are here for. And as much as I would enjoy indulging the happy mood further, Ivan is here. Which means someone needs to take over for Assan because he will be distracted the second he sees Olga." She and Robin chuckled at Bertrands knowing smile, and she left them to check everything was secure in favour of checking in on the children. Alex leapt up to hug her, luckily holding Ella tightly as he did so until Ingrid relieved him of the girl so he could clutch at her side and declare "mama!" happily. Looking at him made her wonder about what mix of genetics a daughter from she and Vlad could be. It would also answer their question of whether boys Vlad sired has teeth, or that it had to be Ingrid and Vlad involved to make it so. "Ivan and Olga are here, so everyone be good!" "Papa, we are always good." It wasn't until Ingrid noted the surprise on their faces upon seeing Sally and George, that nobody had yet clued them in on Vlad being half human.
"Ok. I know you're a breather loving worm, but are you adopting humans now?" Assan looked up at Vlad in concern - he hadn't gotten around to explaining about Assan being dimidius and so Olga showing distaste for humans worried the boy. "No. Sally, George, this is my uncle Ivan and his daughter Olga. Olga, Ivan, meet Sally and Georgina Giles. My mother and half sister." "You're dimidius?" Well, Ivan knew what he was saying, without disbelief and words of insanity first. "Technically, I was. My human side disappeared on my eighteenth birthday, and my powers came in." "How does this even happen?" Vlad knew it was coming, and couldn't help laughing when Ingrid answered Olgas question with "when a mummy and daddy love each other, they make a special wish for a baby. Or in this case, dad got drunk at Whitby goth festival and adopted the illicit love child that resulted."
"Knowing my brother as well as I did, I find myself remarkably unsurprised. I am impressed this was kept hidden so long, how did you find out?" "I caught a cold, and it almost killed me. Then I fell into sunlight and it didn't hurt much. Eventually, dad admitted the truth. So I went and looked for Sally, and found George. Then Ingrid tried to eat them." Stopping to take a swallow from his soya goblet, Vlad waited to see if either Dracula was going to ask questions. When none were forthcoming, he continued. "That scared mum away, and then... Things happened. Piers here got hold of them and invited them here for my birthday, and I asked Bertrand to mind wipe them so they forgot about me. And I contented myself to think they were safe for over three years. Then we agreed to this move, and I realised I couldn't just leave them. Especially without our kids getting to meet them." It felt strange, condensing the last three and a half years of his life into a fairly short speech. "So I went to find them, and it turned out I wasn't the only one. Slayers guild found them, and that's a story for another day. Long story short, they are family and they are coming with us."
Olga was still looking at him in confusion, and Vlad could feel Assan's anxiety. "Isn't being a dimidius like, totally the worst vampire law breaking ever? I mean, ew. Breathers. And Ingrid, I'm surprised you of all people could marry a halfling." Shaking his head at Ingrid, knowing how she would answer, Vlad turned back to Olga. "Currently, yes, but given my status and an in depth knowledge of just how it all works, I fully intend on changing that law. As for being a halfling, Robin and Bertrand are both half fangs, I think Ingrid likes being the only pure vampire here." Looking to Assan now, Vlad got a nod. "And my final point I suppose, we have two half vampire children. One half werewolf, and the other half human." They all watched in suspense as Ivan and Olga put the words together, already knowing Wolfie was half wolf meant they quickly surmised the other adopted son must be the other dimidius. "Assan's a dimidius?" "Yes. Though, as his father is dust, his brother mind wiped and Adze and her mother also dust, we have no clue who his mother is. Not that it matters, he's still ours where it counts." Assan suddenly appeared, hugging Vlad tightly. "Thanks dad."
"Hold on, if Olga is your cousin and Assan adopted as your son, doesn't that make them kind of related?" Having not explicitly told George there was anything going on between the two, Vlad was impressed. He did share a look with Ingrid that had them both fighting smirks before looking pointedly at George. "Oh right, never mind." Multiple heads turned to the window then, sensing a new presence. "Showtime, she's here." Carefully dislodging Assan. Vlad leapt up to the throne room and back, shoving the two dust urns into his pockets. "Everyone know what to say and where to be?" "We should be, you've made us recite it verbatim for the last two nights." Scowling at Bertrand, Vlad tossed Robin his long unused mobile phone. "Just in case." Sally and George were "their domestics" - helping an unwed teen mother and offering them jobs taking care of the growing nest - it had been a funny plan to come up with to explain human presence. Robin, Bertrand, Piers and Talitha were going on ahead to Transylvania to ensure the "move" went to the right place, Alex and Wolfie going along for the ride.
Vlad wasn't sure what to expect when he went ahead to meet the warlock lady (Ivan said witch was an offensive term), but it wasn't this. Human by scent, but something powerful in the air around her. Long blonde hair tied to the side in a thick plait, high cheekbones and a faint flush to her cheeks. He could sense a heartbeat, so she wasn't a vampire but the bright green eyes were much older than her youthful face. "Hello. I'm Jaz, I believe you're expecting me?" "Ivan called you here?" "That's right, said you needed help shifting a building. I presume it's this one, perfectly doable. And you are?" Apologising and holding out his hand, Vlad introduced himself. "Vladimir Dracula, but you can call me Vlad." Her hand was warm around his, and he felt her pulse rise when she realised who he was. "The Chosen One! Big fan." "Thanks. Can I ask, how do you know so much? You clearly aren't a vampire." "One immortal should expect the company of others, I am over six hundred years old. You pick up a few things. First things first, my payment?" Happy to be rid of them, Vlad handed over the urns. "Half or full fang?" "One of each. Black is full, green is half." Swallowing nerves in case Ivan wasn't kidding when he said she wanted to bed him, Vlad waited for her to inspect and agree. "Thank you. Well, lets get started. I presume you have people prepared to be where the building is going?"
He nodded, calling Robin and Bertrand telepathically and suddenly the courtyard was up four vampires and three children. "This is them." "You look like you know your way around a crystal, here." Lucky Piers was holding Rose really, as Talitha suddenly had a handful of crystals. "This one needs to be in the centre of the land we are aiming for. These are marked, to indicate which corner they should be facing. And then obviously, get out of the way." "Is that it?" "There, yes. Here is a little more difficult. Off you go then." Surprised at her brisk manner but not wanting to alienate the intensely useful warlock, Vlad simply hugged his children and kissed his husbands before waving them off. "Call when you land." "We will dad!" The seven became four bats, zooming off to Transylvania. "What do we need to do here? Clear the area? Evacuate the building?" "Evacuate, yes." Nodding, Vlad quickly dropped into the throne room to safely box up the dust urns, then to the room everyone else was waiting in. "I have no idea what's happening next, but she asked us to clear the building." Assan was quick to grab Ella and leave, apparently the awkward silence between he and Olga had not been solved while he was gone. Ingrid already had Adam in his bassinet to sleep, so Vlad picked up Maddie and indicated to the humans to follow.
"Ivan!" "Jaz! Good to see you." His uncle hugged the strange woman, who then looked surprised by the numbers. "Big family." "Yeah, well we like it that way. These are our staff, the Giles'." His human family nodded in greeting, looking more than a little out of sorts amongst it all. "Now what?" "Now you stand here and watch me perform something awesome." "Is this safe? For the kids to be around I mean?" "Oh yes, completely. I just didn't want any accidents, and moving occupied buildings is a hazard." They watched in wonder as Jaz ordered Ivan (fast and not holding a child) to drop crystals, a cat skull, a bouquet of dead flowers and finally a large, old looking coin in various spots around Garside. "Now for the actual spell." Making a note to get a translation from Bertrand and his excellent Latin later, Vlad clutched Assan's hand to reassure him until he felt the mobile phone buzz. "Hello?" "We are all good to go here, waiting on on you guys!" "They are set, ready when you are." Jaz turned away, chanting at a large hunk of crystal in her hand. Waiting for something to happen, Vlad looked down at the floor.
When she stopped chanting, Vlad looked around and hadn't felt a thing, neither had anyone else. So when a blur of children attacked his waist and turned out to be Alex and Wolfie, Vlad looked up at the newly changed night sky. "That's impressive, I didn't feel a thing." "I told you, something awesome." Robin and Bertrand relieved Vlad and Assan of the kids they were holding, as though it had been weeks rather than a couple of hours since they saw them last. "Hey guys? Did we just leave a huge gap where the school used to be?" "Naturally. The school was closed, empty and in dads fake name. What we left was a huge mystery to excite England now I'm not there to do it." Ingrid somehow managed to sound bored and uninterested whilst smiling softly at a still sleeping Adam, a unique skill there. "I put a scheduled for demolition sign up, but I still think an overnight disappearance is hilarious." Robin grinned at his daughter as he spoke, clearly at ease in the new life in spite of what he had left behind.
They each checked in the rooms of breakable stuff, and found everything but an empty flower pot had survived the trip. Joining his mates to put the babies back down to sleep, Vlad smiled widely. "Good job we remembered to go get Sally and George's stuff, what are they doing about their house there?" "Uncle Ivan has a friend who can sell it, then they can always buy their own place or something if they want to. I can't believe this has all gone off so easily, though in retrospect its the next part that comes as difficult." Taking his place as Grand High Vampire, overturning centuries of laws and traditions (he had Ingrid to follow there, the first female VHC member), turning his mother and sister, balancing family life and protecting them. But then, looking down at the sleeping faces, Vlad couldn't help but think they were all worth it.
Jaz disappeared off with a quick promise not to reveal the family, as long as they offered her the same courtesy. "She moved our home and took Malik and Erin's ashes, I feel like we should send her a gift basket." "Not unless you plan on skinning cats and sending her the pieces. Why do you think I know how many ways there are to do it?" "Gross, uncle Ivan." Sally and George were sleeping, still struggling to adjust to nocturnal sleep and so they took baby watch while the vampires got settled. Piers and Talitha promised to come visit soon, but wanted their own space back for a while. Perfectly understandable, so Vlad thanked them both profusely for their help and waved them off. The boys sat in the corner playing board games quietly, but Vlad could see Assan looking up occasionally. "Boys, go get cleaned up for dinner." They trotted off, leaving six adult vampires in the room. "Olga, if Assan being dimidius is too big a deal then I can't argue with that. But you like him for who he is, not what he is. And by eighteen, he will be full vampire anyway. Either way, don't leave him hanging, he won't get mad if you're honest." Olga didn't answer with more than a nod, hiding her face back in a big glass of blood.
"Help me understand something Vlad. When I first met you back in Stokely, you couldn't stomach the idea of becoming a vampire, and kept stopping Robin getting turned by your dad. Then you let your sister turn him anyway, and finding out you could become human, you didn't." Supposing Ivan has a valid reason to ask, Vlad answered. "Turning Robin saved his life, the mind wipe was too strong and almost killed him slowly. And it stopped being a choice between human and vampire when I fell in love, when Ingrid got pregnant. Then it was a choice between what I thought I wanted, and what I knew I wanted. I haven't regretted the choice once, my family is everything." His mates each spiked with happiness, glowing in his chest. The boys came back for their food then, though Olga grabbed Assan and dragged him off. He came back smiling, so Vlad guessed they had worked it out, for now at least as they sat together and ate. Robin disappeared off to his lab to get set back up, joking he may have to make contraceptives for Olga at this rate in Vlad's mind and making him fight laughter.
"So, how long before you go invade the VHC and become our great leader?" Flicking a napkin at Olga for her sarcasm, Vlad shrugged. "Not long, but we have stuff to do here to get settled down and that's more important immediately. Inside a month I guess. But I won't let it keep me from these guys, it would be stupid to do all this for my family only to ignore them doing it." The boys were dragged off by Bertrand to study, Assan's blood test was a week away now and he had been slacking. Ingrid went off to unpack the blood cellar, claiming she wasn't about to unpack every time and was thirsty in the future. Ivan and Olga followed her, but Vlad would bet blood Olga loitered around until Assan was done studying. Carefully shaking his mum and George awake, he sent them to a proper bed as he was watching the kids now. They went off sleepily, and Vlad listened out for them making it safely back to their room before he resumed staring at his children. Stroking Adam's cheek softly, his chest swelled with love at the tiny creature formed from all four of them. "Its like love itself came to life in you." Adam shifted in his sleep but didn't wake, and then Ella was awake for a feed and Maddie close behind.
Getting them both settled again, he watched to make sure they drifted off back to sleep. Turning back to look at his youngest son, Vlad blinked in surprise. "Adam?" The still basically a newborn baby was no longer there, replaced instead by a child of about 4 or 5. It was still blatantly obvious he was Adam, Robin's eyes and Ingrid's jawline, Bertrands curls and Vlad's nose and smile all blending together. "Adam? Is that what you call me?" Sending a "come quickly" to his mates, Vlad looked down at the crib full of child. "Well, what should we call you?" "Why is Adam a child, I'm fairly certain he was a baby an hour ago." The grown- Adam stood, still wearing the same all-in-one he had gone to sleep in that seemed to have grown with him. "The translation isn't perfect outside my own head" Vlad was still surprised his newborn son was speaking, barely taking the words in "but I think the closest translation to my name is Lazarus. No. The Lazarus Spring. That is me."
-YD-
And so, this chapter of my little nest closes. There will be a sequel, though it might take me a little while to put up, I'm still finalising the plan for it all (because I have a big notebook of fanfiction to help me keep track of all my active stuff, and so I don't forget awesome ideas or important facts in my stories). But I will not be giving up on these guys, this story arc is like my crazy fanfiction baby, I feel personally attached to it. If you have read all of Building Something New and this, vintage blood, bat biscuits and my undying gratitude to you!
Jaz was inspired by a friend who swears she's a witch, though I doubt she will ever see this, and the spellwork mostly for my own amusement as someone who watched too much Supernatural in one go.