A/N: Disclaimer in Chapter 1.

I'm at fifty chapters at the moment for this fic. I'm sorry I never intended it to be so long!

Chapter 35: Deadline

Erin stared at Octa; she didn't trust her at all. So far Octa hadn't really done anything to help them other than help seal Vlad's wound. She had the choice to tell them about Vlad's reflection and she'd chosen not to.

"What do you mean by that?" Vlad asked her, he began to panic. The only thing that came to his mind was that his reflection might break free again and take over. He'd already caused enough destruction last time to last centuries.

"Gene fangs are just as powerful as half fangs but they're no match for full vampires." Vlad already knew his powers would be greatly reduced, without *a* refection in him then his powers were halved as it contained half of his power or rather in his reflections' case each one contained a thousandth of his power.

"Is that all you're worried about…"

"If you become a gene fang nothing will be able to stop Olga, she'll destroy your kind." Octa continued ignoring his interruption. She watched as Vlad bristled as he was interrupted. She knew then that he only allowed people he trusted to interrupt him. "She wanted to make you powerless to stop her and she will have succeeded if you become a gene fang."

"He'll only be one until we find his reflection." Erin chose her words carefully; she kept a watchful gaze on Octa. Her lack of reaction only confirmed what Erin already knew, she really was keeping things to herself. "You knew his reflection still existed didn't you?" Erin continued with a smile on her face.

Octa went to deny it but it would be futile. The Queen wasn't an idiot. Octa was amazed that the rest of the vampire kind had gone for someone as outspoken as Erin for their Queen but looking at the Grand High Vampire she knew he'd never choose differently.

"If he becomes a gene fang he can never merge with his reflection, his reflection will be destroyed completely. There's no use for a reflection that can't enter its host."

Erin froze so did Vlad, they shared a look with each other. If his reflection was destroyed they truly didn't have a hope against Olga – no one would be able to stop her at least not for another sixteen years with their child came into its power inheritance and by then it would be too late for them all. "How do we know we can trust you?" Vlad spoke quietly. "Was this a vision or…?" He trailed off letting her finish his thoughts.

"A vision." She muttered, she hated those things. It was a curse inflicted on her from her master.

"How do you get these 'visions'?" Erin wanted to know now, she didn't like the thought of others having them other than Vlad, it was too risky. If Olga found out she'd use Octa against them – not that there was much trust there anyway.

"It was something that backfired on me." Octa muttered. "My third miscarriage, I carried it longer than the others – four months." Half a vampire pregnancy. "When I miscarried I absorbed the baby's powers into my own. As it died my emotions were increased and my mind opened. It gave me the curse of seeing the future but also the gift of defeating my master."

Erin nodded slowly, Vlad still had a disbelieving look on his face. "You're saying," He brought them back around to the original topic. "That if I fully transform into gene fang I can't face my reflection?"

"You'll be trapped with the powers of a gene fang forever. Olga will be more powerful than you. With that power unchallenged she'll wipe out half your kind. There will be chaos everywhere." Octa looked down, regretting not telling them sooner. They really hadn't done anything to her other than stir up jealousy within her.

"She would have gotten along with Sethius." Erin muttered beside him, drawing a confirmatory nod from Vlad.

"You have until his transformation to find his reflection and put it back inside him."

Erin's eyes softened as hope filled them. "Do you know where Vlad's reflection is?"

Octa shook her head regretfully, "No."

Vlad limped towards Octa, this time he didn't slip on the mud that had hindered him on the climb up the hill. "I want to know why you decided it was best to keep this from us."

"I see you together, you both love the child so much. I loved my children but they were cruelly stolen from me before I'd even had the chance to know them. No half fang has carried a child to term but you will be the first…"

The first meaning that there would be others. The vampire world would love that.

Vlad straightened at that. He knew he now had to give his consent to turn a human into a vampire; the Guild had to do the same now. It was part of the Truce. It had to be fully agreed on by both parties before it was done.

"So you thought it would be okay to double cross us because of something that is a biological reaction?" Erin snarled at her, stepping closer to the former vampire. Vlad held his arm out stopping her from moving too close to Octa.

"I'm sorry. I saw a chance to get an audience with Olga that would mean the end of this life…"

"No life is worth ending!" Vlad yelled at her, "What happened to you was wrong but you would have killed my wife and our baby as well."

Octa looked down, realising that he was speaking the truth. She had only cared for herself. Now her task was done she didn't know what else to expect. She'd heard that the Grand High Vampire was merciful but she'd gone too far.

Vlad stepped back. "Thanks for the information but I *never* want to see you again." He growled. Erin knew he could be terrifying even without fangs but she hadn't realised how much until now. Octa trembled and shook, if Erin didn't know better she'd have said that it was due to the cold.

Erin was surprised at his leniency but then she wasn't at the same time. It confirmed what she knew and that made her sadden.

Octa looked to Erin trying to convey her apologies to her but Erin didn't want to hear it. Her hands came to wrap around her stomach, protecting it from Octa's self-admitted scheme. She was angry but she didn't want to get herself worked up. She already felt defeated.

Vlad's fists were balled up by his side, he was angry that she'd try to stop him from having his full powers back. Octa had no right to keep that information from him and it wasn't like she was even on Olga's side. He had a feeling it wouldn't be the last time he'd see her but that wasn't the most important thing to deal with now.

All he knew now was that he had to get his reflection back before it was too late.

YEKNODELTTILYEKNODELTTIL

Erin Dracula turned away sharply as Octa made her way away from them. She didn't want Vlad to see her like this at least not before she could say it was something like the baby making her act like this.

Erin swiped the tears away from her eyes, hopefully before Vlad saw them but she wasn't fast enough. She jumped as she felt arms wrap around her waist, hugging her tightly from behind. "Erin?" She leaned back against him relishing the warmth that he emitted from his temporarily mortal body.

"I'm fine." She tried to sound normal but it came out strangled.

"You are not 'fine'." He turned her gently in his arms so she would face him.

"When will we actually be a family Vlad?" Erin asked him quietly, Vlad looked down he didn't have an answer to that. "A family that doesn't have to deal with the possibility of being slain by power crazy vampires? For once I just want to be able to be a normal vampire couple." She winced as she said that, a normal vampire couple was nothing like the pair of them. "I want to enjoy being pregnant and not worrying about the next problem that comes our way."

Vlad felt exactly the same way. "I know."

Erin didn't want to stop, they needed to talk about this. "Our son or daughter will grow up without half of their father if we don't get you back to normal."

Vlad pulled away from her, sharply. Any sharper and he'd have knocked her over. "I don't know what you mean." He looked up to the castle and began to move towards it. His feet slipping and sliding once more on the ground as he struggled to ascend the hill.

"Don't even pretend that the other side of you doesn't think or have feelings Vlad or the fact you're no longer fighting each other for control." Vlad stiffened. They'd found something they had in common that's why they'd stopped fighting – Erin. "I saw you trying to keep him inside of you, three years ago you would have been forcing him out. I know you both too well for you to hide behind whatever walls you've built." Vlad didn't stop, he continued pretending her words didn't affect him once more, " And I love you both too much to let this drop as well."

Vlad's eyes widened slightly, "You love him?" He knew she'd admitted it before but there was still doubt in his mind over whether she was just trying to humour him.

Erin nodded slowly, "He's you Vlad, just a little creepier. I can see the difference already Vlad. Without him inside you you're lost, you're less confident and a lot less confrontational. You're the same but different." She couldn't explain it. This was her Vlad but at the same time he wasn't. Vlad nodded, she was right he did feel as if a large chunk of him was missing and he wanted it back. He just didn't know how to. "You're still my Vlad, the one who kissed me when you thought it would save me and daydreamed about me but with him you became more confident, more accepting of the vampire you were and for that I can't lose him. You're both Vladimir Dracula to me; together you're the Chosen One." Her voice softened as she spoke. She loved everything about him, she didn't love one side of him more than the other either – she loved both parts equally.

He blushed at her mention of daydreams and Erin treasured that, she'd never seen him blush before – then again she couldn't.

"How do you know about that?" He asked her softly, he'd never told her that.

"Vlad I may not have been a vampire at the time but it didn't mean I couldn't receive your thoughts." His eyes widened, as it dawned on him.

His mouth was suddenly dry, it felt like cotton was in his mouth. "When?"

Erin was going to enjoy saying this, just to watch him squirm. "Our first night together." He opened and closed his mouth, unsure what to say exactly. His emotions had been heightened that night. It might be the reason for the dream to surface but he couldn't remember thinking about it.

"During…" He couldn't finish, Erin shook her head. It hadn't been during it had been after. Vlad had been concerned with hurting her that first time, he hadn't had chance to let his mind wander – not that he ever did anyway.

"I didn't sleep." He told her smugly.

"It didn't mean you didn't think about it when I was asleep." His face suddenly fell. His mind had wandered as she'd slept.

"How did you know it was from before my merging?" He wanted to know what she meant when she knew the difference between the two of them.

"Something about my body smoking when hit by sunlight. You'd never dream of me as a half fang when you'd found out what I really was." She was right, he'd never intentionally dream of her as being a half fang.

Erin started to chuckle, followed by Vlad. The tension in the air had been easing as they'd spoken with each other but now it had all but disappeared. Vlad pulled her close, resting his chin on the top of her head, rubbing her back up and down soothingly.

"We're arguing a lot lately." Erin mumbled into his chest, the words being muffled.

She felt him shrug, "Hormones." Erin nodded, the worst part was they hadn't even begun yet. "But you can only use that defence while you're pregnant." Vlad whispered making her laugh.

"We've got a deadline." Erin muttered. "Again." Their entire unlives so far had been about deadlines. From the moment they'd met they'd had deadlines looming over them. Erin wondered if it was better that they just accept it and move on rather than trying to fight it anymore. Vlad nodded, he was growing tired of deadlines as well. "How long will you fight it?"

"Two months tops." His blood type had given them a small window of opportunity. "You'd better contact Dad and Ingrid, let them know what's happening."

Erin nodded but she didn't know if she would be able to do it.

She'd try though, for both their sakes.

TBC

A/N: Thanks for reading.