All Grown Up is now more chapters than either Adam's Story or Vl-Adam-Ir, and nowhere near done. Still, more reading for my lovely fans!
-AGU-
"No! Don't make me!" Trying to convince a near-hysterical James into a bath - the boy was filthy - was proving to be tough. "James, I'm not going to hurt you but we have to get you cleaned up." James just stood in the corner shaking, looking genuinely scared of Adam. "What if my daughter helps? She's a girl, so she's safe? And she can tell you I gave her baths all the time when she was little." James bit his lip, then nodded hesitantly. Calling Erika, he explained quickly and she was more than happy to help - she had been raised safe and happy and was distraught by the state of this boy too.
"Not too hot?" "It's ok." He had to hide a scowl when they got the boys clothes off, there were faded bruises and scars on most of his body where clothes would hide, and Assan had been the one to help dress him yesterday. "Tip your head back so you don't get soap in your eyes ok?" Even now, Adam remembered Erika's high pitched cries the one time he had made the mistake of letting shampoo bubbles anywhere near her eyes, but she had had much more hair than this boy. "Better now you're all cleaned up, right?" "I guess. Where's Assan?" "He's just having a bath himself, because you're going to stay with the nice lady and her family remember? So we can go and get the other kids like you away from the bad people."
Erika had to help Adam put healing cream and antiseptic on James' injuries, but he did look happier when he saw in the mirror the marks were mostly gone. "We'll find a way to get rid of those marks on your neck, but you'll have to let the humans help you put cover up over it ok? They aren't vampires, they won't bite you." Less trembly now he was dressed again, Adam perched the boy on the sofa with a children's alphabet book - It was mostly pictures, so even James could look through it. Erika, Emil and Adrian sat near the fire doing homework just to keep him company while he waited for Assan, so Adam rejoined the adults at the table waiting for the slayers.
"Assan recognised the two from Sweden, but James didn't. Which makes me wonder just how deep this web goes." Adam hadn't gotten around to telling Roque about the slayers specifically, so it would probably be a good idea to tell him now. He didn't. "Well, Lucas and Noah aren't nearly as spooked as James, so I'm hoping... bats, how sick is that, I'm hoping they were just food, not beaten and garlic knows what else like James clearly was." Scratching off 'Leevi' and 'Svarbald' from the clan list - the scribes were going to have an absolute field day when Adam and Roque were done - he noted the boys names on the back list. "Tonight is the Finnish boy and Norwegian girl. Leo and Sofia. Then it gets trickier, because they are scattered further out and Council is only a couple of nights away."
Roque just kind of nodded absently, looking through the list. "A dozen of them are in Romania alone, I would suggest taking them all in one night so as to avoid them warning any others, but it would require more than the two of us." "I agree, but I'm no longer sure who to trust, and I don't want anybody in danger. I can snap my fingers and half a dozen vampires stop where they stand, I can dust without a weapon. But that is unique to me, so it has to be me." "I will acquire my daughter and her partner, we cannot break into a dozen castles and watch the humans rescued. Is that acceptable? She, like you, prefers the free spirit, soya blood and protecting people lifestyle." "Uh, sure, I guess so."
His phone buzzed, Jonno saying they were here now. "Bertrand, could you get them for me?" Assan finally reappeared, relaxing little James somewhat. "You were gone ages!" "It takes a lot longer to bath yourself than have someone do it for you little guy." Adam had forgotten to warn Roque these slayers were safe, suddenly hauled behind the man in a defensive stance. "Whoa Roque, it's fine. They are here to help!" His security guard looked at Adam incredulously, eyeing the slayers suspiciously. "Mina Van Helsing is a psychotherapist, someone these kids can talk to who won't think they are making up vampires and all that." "You haven't told the vampires yet?" Rolling his eyes at Jonno, he indicated the boys on the sofa. "When would I have had time? Been kind of busy, and I said at the next council meeting. Which hasn't happened yet."
Pushing that thought aside, he indicated the bedroom further back. "I just want you to talk to these two, then you guys can be on your way." Mina nodded, taking their names and knocking on the door. "Roque, would you go and contact your daughter? Ask her to be ready at somewhere other than the VHC in Romania the night after tomorrow. We have to tackle Romania before Council or someone will be on to us. I'll be safe, I promise." As if to drive the point home, Bertrand stood behind Adam and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and the older vampire finally relented and went to find a quiet spot for telepathy.
Scribbling his and Erika's mobile numbers on some paper, Adam went to address the boys. "I realise you've probably never used a phone, but if you need me, I'm sure you can use Jonno's phone to call me ok? And if he can't get hold of me, this is Erika's number. Because she never puts the damn thing down." He could practically hear her pulling faces behind him, and James actually giggled. "What about our friends, the others?" "We're going to get them, don't worry. Might have to kidnap a coach driver or something, but we will get you all together again so you can see everyone is safe, alright?" "Mmm. Okay." Even after only a day and a half, James was clearly a sweet kid under the fear and Adam had high hopes for him coming out of his shell. He just hoped the others would have the same chance.
"You have new clothes and stuff waiting, but we got you boys gifts anyway." Jonno and Jake held out wrapped bundles to the boys, who looked at them in confusion. "You have to open the paper. It won't hurt you." Assan went first, and after that Jake followed. "What is it?" They held up the lengths of fabric in confusion. "Scarves. So you can cover up your necks and nobody will think it's odd, people wear scarves in England all year round." "Cool!" Adam caught sight of Mina discreetly asking him to step aside, so Adam left the humans with Bertrand and his own offspring, joining Mina in the hallway. "Well?" "Neither of them can read, write or speak brilliant English, but they're young, and I don't think anything but biting and ignorance has been done to them." Almost sighing in relief, he nodded in understanding. "Thanks Mina. And thanks for listening first, not staking first and asking questions later."
"Wouldn't be very peaceful of me would it?" Conceding her point, he shook her hand and led her back out to the others. "We've got like, twenty slayers ready for these kids, and at least one of every two is a counsellor or therapist type thing. And yes, we're screening all of them, we wouldn't risk these kids." "Thanks. Roque and I are going out for two tonight, three tomorrow and then the night after is the biggest mission. I will call you guys when we get back from the Romanian haul, or before if I'm worried about the others?" "Sounds good. Ready boys?" Assan held on to James' little hand, and Adam found himself thinking he would miss them already, but this was good for them. "Remember, we're here if you need us. Oh, wait. You might need these." Having his own supply of Romanian documents to hand was useful, if boring at times.
"Birth certifcates, I had to guess your ages and it says you were abandoned, wards of the state, but I'll make ones that say you're their sons if you guys want ok?" "Thanks Adam. Come on, we better go so he can go start rescuing your friends." And with that, they were gone. Adam listened out for the car starting up and leaving, sitting down for a long drink of soya and feeling it wind through his system. "You are sleeping the day before the Romanian trip, if I have to sedate you myself." "Yes sir mr tutor sir." Sticking his tongue out petulantly at Bertrand, he heard tentative footsteps and turned to see Lucas and Noah, who he guessed to be maybe ten and twelve respectively, physically at least.
"Hey guys, what's up?" "We heard you were going to get Leo and Sofia, are they coming here too?" Nodding, Adam vacated the sofa so they could sit down. "Yeah, consider this a halfway stop before we find actual homes where you guys aren't getting bitten." A significant look passed between the two blond boys, and Adam was expecting their English to be worse but it seemed plenty passable. "Sofia's 'dad' is a bad man. Very bad." Old beyond their years by far, it was clear they knew exactly what sort of bad Sofia had gone through and Adam was now concerned. "All the vampires keeping you kids are bad people, but ok, I'll be sure to be extra mean to him." "You should take one of us with you. Or a girl, Sofia might be scared of you."
Adam was just contemplating whether or not tandem transforming with three children was a silly idea when Ingrid volunteered. "I'll go. So long as you two aren't going to try and escape when it's just Bertrand watching you and those three." "And go where? Back to a castle full of dust? We've both been captive for nearly forty years." "We don't even know how the world looks. We'll stay. Nobody bites us here." Taking the opportunity, Adam tilted his head to Ingrid. "Come on, I'll explain how this goes. You guys stay and eat something, tell Roque I won't be long." He caught the shadow of a knowing smirk on Bertrands face as he and Ingrid left for Adam's room, the door barely closed behind them before they were kissing desperately.
"I happen to think your future husband makes a rather fetching paperweight, don't you?" Ingrid rolled her eyes, but did look over at where Adam had Shango and Adze Ramanga crystals in UV boxes (to stop the Count opening them and unleashing the two, only Adrian or Emil could even touch them) with a smirk. "Idiot." They didn't really have the time Adam was itching to devote to her, but he would take what they could get as she kissed him roughly and pressed harder against him. Fighting to stop panting breathlessly with desire, he cupped her cheek and laced their free hands together. "Stay safe tonight, these are evil bastards we're dealing with and I can't lose you." "Stop being soft, I'm the only vampire on the planet who can match you."
Biting back a remark about how he was anything but soft this close to Ingrid, Adam held her tight to him. "I'm always going to worry about you, deal with it. I love you." Pulling away before he could cave to the urge to throw caution to the wind, Adam pulled open the door and almost jumped in shock when he saw Roque standing there. He looked between Adam and Ingrid for a spine-chilling moment, then shook his head slightly and the usual 'business' mask returned. "Are we ready to leave? Night has fallen." "Uh, yeah. Just one minute, I have to say goodnight to my kids."
It was hard not to call Adrian son, after finally connecting with him since the whole threats on their life thing had happened. "Be good for Bertrand, and be nice to Lucas and Noah. Dad, if I have to tell you one more time to stay away from them I will turn you into an hourglass filler." "First you disrespect me, and now you fill my home with all these wastrel children?" "I told you, if you hadn't invited Shango here to annoy me in the first place, I wouldn't know about them. So it's your own fault. This won't go on forever, but I will put a permanent solution in place if you don't leave them alone!"
The Count hissed and flitted off, making the two human boys jump. "Don't mind him, all mouth no fang. Nobody is going to let him bite you guys. Right, off we go." Bertrand had the UV cage to hand, and Adam's permission to cage his father if he tried to get to the kids again. Barely stopping himself taking Ingrid's hand with Roque there, Adam followed them out to the courtyard and shifted. Sofia was closer, so they landed there first. So far, Roque stating he was the Grand High Vampire had gotten them invited in to every castle, and this was no exception. Sofia was barely up to Adam's waist, a bruise shadowed around her eye and obviously fresh marks on her neck as she stumbled leading them inside. "Only two vampires here, but stay alert."
"We're taking you somewhere safe, Lucas and Noah are there waiting ok?" There was a flash of recognition in the girls muddy brown eyes, but she didn't really say anything, just backed away from Adam. "How about standing with Ingrid? She's a girl, like you ok?" He credited Ingrid, she didn't look the slightest bit uncomfortable as the grubby, vaguely drifting girl touched her leg and looked around in obvious fear. Adam almost decided to simply set the vampires on fire and watch them burn, but time was of the essence so he settled for dusting them with a high jolt of pain, enjoying their screams maybe more than he should. The vampire he recognised from Noah's description was a scrawny, poorly groomed mess of fangs and attitude, not even bothering to deny why Adam was there.
"Take her back to Garside? I think she could do with a friendly face." Ingrid looked as though she would protest, but one look at the injured girl seemed to soften her enough to agree, and Adam watched them disappear into the night sky before he turned to Roque. "It's... It's not what it looks like." "If I can be brutally honest sir, I would really rather not know." "You won't... You won't tell anyone then?" "I don't see how it's anybody else's business." Internally sagging with relief, he owed Roque a promotion, or a raise or something. "If we get through this alive, I'm making you my deputy Roque, you've gone above and beyond in so many ways. To Finland?" "Indeed." Glad the vampire didn't make a big deal out of, well, anything ever, Adam followed him over the border, landing near Russia and looking up at an enormous castle.
"Threat level?" "Eight vampires. All adults, thankfully. I don't know what we'll do if there's untransformed ones when I tear their parents apart." "There are procedures in place for that, we shall cross that bridge when we come to it." Stopping for an energizing swallow of soya, Adam nodded at Roque to knock the door. Leo looked a little healthier than Sofia, but not by much. "Father, it's the Grand High Vampire!" Feeling guilty, Adam hurried to hypnotize the boy into leaving and standing with Roque. "Get back to Garside, I'll deal with this." "I'm not sure..." "I gave you an order Roqueloire!" "As you wish sir." He was definitely in trouble when he got back to Garside, Ingrid and Bertrand would be irate that he had separated from Roque.
"Where are you taking my son?" Facing the clan head (judging by the size of the coat of arms on his cloak), Adam was half a foot shorter but his power made up for his stature in presence. "Invite me in and I'll explain." The vampire wavered, but probably expected the outnumbered Adam was likely to surrender. "Please, come in Your Grandness." The disbelief was obvious to begin with - Adam wasn't wearing his robes, or crown and didn't have his security escort the GHV was famed for going few places without. Appearing much calmer than he felt, Adam clicked the door locked behind him as he went in - he didn't want anyone escaping.
"So, what do we owe this unexpected... honour to? And where is my son?" "Lucas Leevi. Assan Ramanga. James Villers. Ringing any bells?" With each name rolling off his tongue, the Finnish vampires looked more and more concerned. "N-n-no?" "You're a terrible liar. And nobody is getting out of here alive." One vampire tried to bolt, so Adam waved his hand and pinned all eight to the walls, pacing around and aiming to look bored. If he dwelled too much on what these vampires did, he might vomit. Focusing, all eight were similar in energy - All one clan them. "Just how long did you think your sick little secrets would go unnoticed?" Wanting the clan head twisting in fear as he got closer, Adam dusted them one by one. He could do it all at once, but a deep and primal vampire instinct wanted to draw it out, enjoy it.
Down to the last vampire, he let him fall heavily to the ground, then simulated dragging him upright by his throat. "No more." Leaving the last dust pile there, he searched for the boys room to see if there was anything he might want to have kept. 'Room' was a bit of an overstatement, Adam was forcibly reminded of Harry Potter when he found the cupboard with blankets and a solitary candle that smelled strongly of human. There was a very dog-eared teddy bear which he picked up, tucking it down in his jacket and, satisfied he had emptied another clan of disgusting psychopaths, shifted back to fly home.
"You idiot, what were you thinking?" "I was thinking I wanted the kids safely out of there. As you can see, I'm fine. My clothes reek of vampire dust though, I'm going to go change. Oh, Leo?" The little dark haired boy looked up from his barely touched bowl of soup. "I think this is yours." "Thank you sir." Swallowing the nausea when the boy almost automatically tipped his head, a clearly trained behaviour, Adam shook his head and headed to his room for clothes not covered in vampiric remains. Ingrid and Bertrand followed him automatically, but Erika and Emil were already awake so Roque wasn't alone watching the now four rescued humans. Shrugging off his shirt, Adam flicked the door closed behind them.
"I hope you weren't too hard on Roqueloire, I told him to come back before I was done." "No, I saved it for telling you you're a monumental zombie brained zombie." "Look, just because I don't use my powers much doesn't mean I don't feel how expansive they are. It's always there, simmering under my skin and I could have burnt that castle to the ground, vampires still inside and not broken a sweat. I wanted that boy out of there, victims or not they shouldn't see what may be the closest they had to family being killed in front of them." Not really shy in front of these two, Adam kicked off his jeans and hunted out clean clothes. "Besides, Roque... He knows." Eyes on Ingrid, it was apparent what Adam meant. "He what?" "He said he really didn't want to know, but that it wasn't anyone else's business and he won't tell anyone. I trust Roque, he's a father and a protector."
"So he's you in a couple of centuries?" "Possibly. Would be weird to be my own bodyguard though." Fishing his phone out of his jacket, he dumped the dusty clothes in the wash pile and let his two lovers hug him. "I'm fine, really. I have too much to live for to not come back." "You're still an idiot." "You're still in trouble." Rolling his eyes as they let him go, Adam winked and grinned. "Now I remember why I thought dating two people was a bad idea. Getting ganged up on. Bertrand, get some sleep? I'm sending Ingrid to too, but I think I'm going to need all the female help I can get with Sofia." His tutor grumbled, kissing Adam's hair but acquiescing. "I know, I know. I will sleep before Romania, I promise."
Stopping off for coffee (under Ingrid's glare), Adam entered the throne room and tried to stay soft and unthreatening. "I'm gonna have to call Jonno, no way are we equipped to deal with Sofia alone." Firing off a text for Jonno to call him when he was awake, Adam felt his chest constrict at the quiet, scarred and scared girl. "We need to get you two cleaned up, but you can have the choice of who helps patch you kids up. Me, Ingrid, Erika or Emil." Leo pointed at Adam, still clutching his teddy bear. He would put the boys physical age nearing puberty, but mental age was confusing - they had been kept young and not had the most encouraging environment for mental stability and growth.
"Have you done this before?" Leo didn't really hesitate to strip out of his clothes for a bath, but eyed Adam closely as he asked. "Erika is my daughter, I bathed her from when she was a baby. I'm just gonna put this guy here, I don't think teddy bears like baths." Leo giggled, and once he was in Adam only had to help wash his hair. "Who's clothes are these?" "I think the t-shirt was Emil's, and the trousers were Adrian's. They've both grown out of them, so this outfit is all yours now." Most of this ones injuries were old, like he had been hurt to be taught lessons and behaviours, which were now ingrained into him and so he didn't get beaten as much. Adam smoothed healing cream on them anyway, and dabbed his neck with antiseptic. "I know it stings, I'm sorry." "Doesn't hurt as much as getting bit."
Given that Adam actually enjoyed it, but then his was consensual, he didn't answer. "All done, pop your t-shirt on and you can join the others." Handing back the teddy, Leo had perked up now he was clean and in clothes that didn't look like they hadn't been changed in a month. It wasn't lost on Adam that he had missed out on all of this with Adrian and Emil - seeing these kids in clothes he hadn't watched his sons grow out of, messy or picky eating, deep conversations about their favourite colour - he had missed all of that with them. Wiping away treacherous tears, he followed Leo back to the throne room where he instantly reattached to conversation with Lucas and Noah. "Paternal instinct still going strong I see. These children respond to you." "Even when your kids aren't babies anymore, you're always a father right?" Roque nodded, taking Adam's gentle order to go and get rested up for the next night.
Jonno called him just shy of the time Emil was being coerced into school by his siblings, and Adam again had to say very little except he really needed serious help with one of them. "Alright, but only because these two want to see their friends and that you're really helping them." None of the four they had could read or write, so Adam felt like back when Erika was a toddler as he sat down on the floor with an alphabet book and started teaching them the letters. "What's that thing you were talking in to?" "A phone. It's how people talk to each other when they aren't in the same place. I used it to talk to my friends, the ones taking care of Assan and James." "Are they coming too?" "Yep. And so is the nice woman who you guys can talk to, ok?" Nudging them back to paying attention to the book, he felt the same surges of pride as they mastered A, then B and C.
Sofia was still quiet, but Ingrid said she hadn't freaked out in the bath and seemed happy when Ingrid cleaned up her bruises and scars. Ingrid rolled her eyes when Adam asked her to get the Van Helsings, but she went all the same. "Sofia! Leo!" Adam shifted out of the way so the returning two could join the circle, he smiled as the children responded to each other. "Why do you always point out girls are safer? I never had you pegged as anti feminist." "I'm not. I saw it on some TV show Jessie used to watch. This girl freaked out when a male doctor tried to treat her, so the psychiatrist offered to get her a girl doctor and she calmed down. If these kids have been hurt by men, then they are bound to be wary." Ingrid accepted this, and glared some more before agreeing to go and sleep for a while.
"I feel like we shouldn't have bothered leaving, except James and Assan are already loving getting to help decorate their own room." "I wasn't accounting for Sofia, this girl is petrified of any male over the age of twelve. I need serious help on this one, she's going to need a lot of support, stability and patience to have any hope of coming out of this the other side." Mina used the same approach, getting them all to sit drawing pictures and talking about fairly innocuous subjects, but occasionally drawing out deeper details.
"Why do all these kids know each other?" "Because vampires are surprisingly social creatures, particularly when it comes to bragging and drinking. These clans don't want to risk their dirty little secrets getting out, so they hang out with other clans who have these kids and let the kids hang out together, or rather probably just leave them all in the same place out of the way unless they want a drink. Ugh" Adam shuddered in revulsion "I am literally sickened by my own kind, these are good kids, they deserve better than this." Jonno patted his shoulder supportively. "You're doing your best to give them that, we can't fault you there. Where is everyone else?" "The kids are at school, the vampires are sleeping. Out of everyone, I can go without sleep best." Exhaustion was starting to edge in, but Adam had another nights work to do first. He might grab a nap that afternoon, but he would rather everyone else rest - he could sleep tomorrow. These kids were important right now.
-AGU-
If you're lost, confused or don't really know what's going on in this anymore, I do promise it's all going somewhere.