Chapter 27 Part III

The Line Between Life and Death

That night, Caleb made his entrance to a very happy welcome from Riane. She ran and jumped into his arms.

"Caleb, Caleb, Caleb! Where's Jack?"

"He's at home in England."

She smothered his face with kisses as Caleb smiled and hugged the little munchkin. "Riane, I missed you so much…I brought you something!"

"Doll?" She asked as her eyes grew big and her mouth opened wide. "Caleb! Dolly, dolly?"

"Let me get Gordon to bring your gift up." Caleb handed Riane to her father and then called through the intercom to the lair for Gordon to bring up the gift.

"While you're at it, have Gordon bring up my son!" Greg yelled across the room.

Caleb rolled his eyes. "Do we have to argue in front of Riane? She's a child and it's always disturbing when a child sees two people they love fight."

House clenched his fist and mouthed at Caleb, "Fuck you." But he put his hand on Riane's back and guided her out of the room. "Pumpkin, go find Myra and tell her I said you could have some Jello."

"Daddy! Doll, Caleb give me doll." She protested.

House sighed and narrowed his eyes at Caleb, "Fine, baby, you can wait for your gift and then I have to talk to Caleb."

There was dead silence for a few minutes and then Gordon appeared through the doorway, holding an exquisitely wrapped package in silver foil with purple and pink silk ribbons that curled and whirled around the box. Riane squealed causing House to put his hands to his ears.

"Dolly!" She ran to Gordon who was already kneeling down to give the box to her.

Caleb laughed and sat in a chair to watch her open the package. The two little hands reached up and grabbed the box which was almost as tall as her. She took it and tried to take it over to Caleb, but kept dropping it. Looking up at Caleb, her brow furrowed and her lips pursed into a pout.

"What Riane? Aren't you going to open it?" Caleb asked.

"You help me." She cried out.

"Oh, treacle, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that you wanted me to help you." Caleb went over and sat on the floor, pulling Riane into his lap along with the box.

He was so gentle with her that House couldn't help but like the guy. There was something graceful, loving, and judicious about him. Caleb was hard to rattle and not only was he wise like an old soul, he was an old soul. Maybe Jack was better off with him? House tried hard to be patient with Riane, but it didn't come easy, not like it did to Caleb. House wrestled all the time with being a parent. He longed for time by himself to indulge in the joys of good whiskey, porno and piano playing. He sometimes longed to go back to the days when he had no ties and could indulge his more iniquitous side.

More squeals. "Daddy! Dolly! Look at my dolly!"

Riane came running over with the pretty brunette doll with blue eyes. House smiled and nodded at her as she labored to bring the doll to him in the chair. He climbed down to the floor, wrapped an arm around the middle of Riane and together they looked at the doll. At first it didn't register with House, but then he looked closely. The doll was the spitting image of Riane.

"This doll looks like—"

"I gave a doll-maker a photo of Riane and she made the doll in her likeness. It's quite popular right now. I thought when she's older it will be fun for her to have a doll that looks like she did."

"It's creepy." House croaked.

"Pretty dolly, Daddy!" Riane grinned up at House.

House smiled back and nodded, "She's very pretty. What are you going to name her?"

"Chakra!"

"Honey, Chakra is your cat." House said as if his two year old could think logically about names.

"Chakra is pretty. Dolly is pretty."

Caleb was still sitting on the floor in his tailored black slacks and long-sleeved black and white striped shirt, black Cole Hahn shoes. He chuckled, "It's a lovely name, Acushla."

Myra came into the room for instructions.

House handed Riane over. "Can you bathe her and feed her?"

"I think we can do that." Myra said cheerfully as she took the doll and Riane's hand.

When they left, House turned to Caleb. "That doll isn't some voodoo vampire thing, is it?"

Caleb laughed. "No, it's an age old tradition of the upper class to have dolls made to look like their daughters. Nowadays, it's just easier for a doll maker to make it the spitting image of the little girl. But, Riane will soon grow and the doll won't look like her quite as much."

"I want my son." House said with conviction.

Caleb rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I know you do Greg. I promise to bring him over soon for a visit."

"No, I want him to live here, in Princeton with me and his sister. You and Sean had no right doing what you did."

"Sean was in no position to take care of him when he was born. He blamed Jack for what happened to Kiara. I took him, I'm raising him and I love him. He's safe and he's a happy Vampire." Caleb leaned forward and took a deep breath. "Greg, Jack is no Riane. His vampire characteristics are much stronger than his sister's. In a way, he's easier for me to raise than Riane because our circadian clocks are closer together. His mortal nanny tells me that he cries when he is in direct sunlight and he sleeps constantly during the day. He reminds me of Kiara when she was a baby. He can take the sunlight, but isn't quite comfortable in it, just like she was. I remember her nanny always complaining that she slept until three in the afternoon no matter how hard she tried to entertain her."

House watched Caleb stand, walk across the room and take a seat on the brocade couch.

"Caleb, I want to raise my son. I know it's not going to be easy; if there's one thing I've learned, being a parent is a crap job, especially when you're a selfish SOB like me. But, I'm not going to be the father that I had. I'm going to be in my kids' lives even if I don't always do a great job."

"But you constantly talk about raising Riane in a mortal home. That won't work for Jack. He's going to need support from us. We're going to have to teach him how to be a vampire. If you aren't willing to acknowledge that, then I refuse to bring him home."

House pushed back his chair as he jumped up, his face clenched in anger. "Who the hell do you think you are? You can't just hijack my kid."

Caleb looked up at him and in a voice that was eerily calm nodded, "Yes, I can and we both know I can. Hopefully, Kiara will recover and this will all be moot. But, I know that Sean and Riane will be a big part of Jack's life which means I won't be able to keep him away from you. I have two options. I can kill you or I can let you raise Jack as long as you agree to certain conditions. You must promise that he will spend part of the summer with me in England and some of the holidays."

House froze, studying Caleb to see if this was a bluff, but he could tell from Caleb's calmness that it wasn't. Caleb was willing to kill for Jack. House was no fool. If Jack was going to need to learn how to be a vampire, he should be taught by the most respected ones in the vampire kingdom, Caleb and Sean. House nodded, "I'll let Jack see you. I'll arrange some time for him in England and as far as holidays, his sister and I will want him to spend them with us here in Princeton, but you can join us."

"And when I'm in Princeton I can have him over here to stay with me?"

"Yes, he can stay with you and Sean when you are in town provided that he gets to school."

"Greg, he's not going to school. He won't be able to stay awake and the sun will be a problem for him. He'll need a vampire tutor which I'm sure Sean will arrange for him."

House was about to protest, but it would have been futile. If Caleb was telling him the truth, and he had ever reason to believe he was, then his son would need a tutor, like Kiara.

"May I see Kiara? I understand there's been some more improvement from when we last spoke." Caleb asked.

"Go see for yourself." House looked around. "Where's Sean?"

"He'll be up; he was getting his hair cut."

They climbed the stairs to the second floor, Caleb leading the way. He walked into the sick room and said hello to the nurse. "Can we be alone, please?"

The nurse took her book and left the room. Caleb went over to the bed and sat on the edge, pulling down the covers to examine her limbs. The legs were only slightly bent and the arms were relaxed by her side. Her lips were no longer the light bluish-purple that they had been.

"This is wonderful. You've done a great job, Greg. Is that the only progress?"

"Riane said that her mother said something to her. I think it was a moan, but at least it was something."

Caleb stroked the top of her head then leaned in to kiss her forehead. "Acushla, Darling, táim anseo. Féach tú amhlaidh go hálainn. Tar ar ais chugainn. Is tú mo ghrá."

"You speak Gaelic?"

Caleb nodded. "When she was a little girl it was the only language she knew until her English vampire nanny arrived when she was three. It was the Victorian period and men didn't interfere with the upbringing of infants. So she was more or less raised by several Irish mortal and vampire nannies who spoke mainly Gaelic."

"What did you just say to her?"

Caleb chuckled and turned to House. I said, "Loved one, I am here. You look so beautiful. Come back to us. I love you."

"I love you? I'm standing right here."

"Well, the last time Kiara was conscious, you were getting married and we were back together."

"You were living with Fangs?"

"When I was here I was staying in the same room with her."

"Rubbing uglies?"

Caleb frowned and changed the subject. "So the blood, if we had given her the blood all along, she would probably have come out of it?"

House nodded, "She would have probably come out of it months ago. Now, I'm not sure about her ability to revive her brain cells. Her o-stats haven't been the best, but we'll see. If she becomes conscious we may get our answer. So, back to my question. Were you banging Kiara?"

"Yes." Caleb answered then pulled the covers up, tucked Kiara in and walked out ignoring House.

"So, when she comes out of this, are you going to make a play for her?"

"Greg, I think you have this backwards. Kiara and I are a couple. The question is whether you're going to make a play for her?"

House thought about it. "Yeah, I am. She's the mother of my children and I just gave up a perfectly sane and, I may add, very hot woman to babysit her drooling marshmallow of a head. I love her."

"Well, I suspect you have a good chance. She only slept with me because I was a safe port in the storm—someone who would heal her wounded ego when you left her. She knows I love her and always will."

"Yeah, well I love her more. I need her more." House said with such childish one-up-manship that Caleb just shook his head and chuckled.

"The difference, Greg, is that I'll be here even if she wakes up a vegetable. Can you say the same thing?"

House looked at Kiara and realized that there was a 50/50 chance that Caleb was right. Could he handle two kids and a vegetable? These last few months, with just one kid and a comatose vegetable had been hard. What about a walking breathing cabbage and a new vampire son? Was he capable of dealing with all that emotion, the desperation of taking care of someone who would never have sex with you again, the child who was as foreign to you as you were to him? House didn't answer Caleb because he wasn't sure.

They both went downstairs and, although awkward, they spent time talking about Greg's diagnosis and treatment of Kiara. The fact that he still didn't know why the vampire blood worked was a topic of conversation for hours. Caleb shared with Greg the genetic research that the International Order of Vampires had authorized over the years. Certain unidentifiable proteins existed in vampire blood that caused the healing along with a specific enzyme that could only be identified in vampire blood. Attempts to recreate these proteins and enzymes had been impossible.

"I'm not a researcher, but I bet Pfizer would love to get its hands on your blood."

Nodding, Caleb shrugged, "We have some of the best scientists from over the last century who have worked on it. We vampires contribute a lot to science; we just have to do it silently or like Kiara, at night."

"I'm off to bed. Oh, and just so you know, I've been sleeping with your girlfriend at night, making sure she doesn't curl up."

Caleb looked into his drink and raised an eyebrow to suggest that he knew he was being yanked. "I could relieve you of that duty tonight, Greg. I was hoping to have some time with Kiara, perhaps read her some of her favorite poetry."

House crossed his arms over his chest, hurt that he didn't know what Kiara's favorite poetry was. "Sorry, but Kiara and I need our sleep."

"Then I suggest that you sleep in another bedroom because tonight, I plan to spend it with Kiara. I wanted to tell her about Jack."

House narrowed his eyes. "I don't really want you to have alone time with her."

Caleb stood and put his drink on the table. "This isn't up for discussion or debate. I appreciate what you have done for Kiara, but I only have a few days here and I would like to spend some of my nights with her."

House realized that Caleb could easily attack him, remove enough blood and leave enough tranquilizer behind that House would be unable to move. So it was futile to make a move. "Fine, I'll let you have tonight with her."

Caleb, being the gentleman he is, nodded, "Thank you Greg, it means a lot to me to have time with her. I appreciate your kindness."

House made his way reluctantly to Kiara's bedroom and undressed. Looking around at all of her possessions, he wondered what else he didn't know about Kiara. Caleb had one hundred and sixty-nine years of knowing Kiara, had been there from the beginning.

Sneaking down the hall in the middle of the night, House found Caleb in a chair leaning in towards Kiara, holding her hand to his lips and just staring ahead. If House hadn't been so jealous, he would have been heartbroken for the vampire. Caleb looked as if he was in hell. House went back to Kiara's room. Around four in the morning, he heard footsteps and realized that Caleb had gone down to have his version of breakfast, before retiring for the day.

Walking down the hall in his boxers and t-shirt, House climbed in bed with Kiara and held her, finally falling asleep for an hour. He woke up and discovered that Kiara had moved slightly on her own. Her quiet face was turned towards his on the pillow. He noticed how peaceful and calm she looked today.

"You know Fangs, you need to wake up soon. It's a shame to let all these good morning woodies go to waste."

Her eyes flew open.

House jumped back letting out a scream like a little girl, "Jesus Christ! You scared me." He took a deeper look into her eyes, they weren't following him, but the eyes were responding to light by dilating. "Fangs? Can you hear me? If you can hear me blink twice."

Kiara continued to stare forward. The doorway darkened as a breathless Caleb zipped inside.

"What's wrong? I heard the scream. Her eyes! Is she responding to you?" His excitement was palpable.

"Fangs, Kiara, if you hear me, blink twice." House repeated.

She closed her eyes but did not blink.

House looked up at him and shook his head. "She's not able to focus on my voice, but she opened her eyes and she moved earlier."

"Moved?"

"She turned towards me on the pillow."

"That's good, right?"

House shrugged. "Hell, your guess is as good as mine."

Caleb sat down in the chair. "God, I've been praying to the Gods for this."

"The Gods?"

"Sorry, it's a slip of the tongue. I'm still an old Roman Soldier at heart."

House almost told him how cool that was, but didn't want to give Caleb any Kudos after their earlier conversation. "You should try to get her to blink." House said.

"Darling, Acushla, blink twice for us. Blink twice, Kiara."

There was nothing and then her eyes flew open again.

Caleb quickly leaned closer. "Kiara, blink for us."

They waited a few minutes, but there was nothing. She eventually closed her eyes again. There was no movement for half an hour.

Caleb stood up, realizing that he needed to get ready for bed. "What do you think?"

"It could be involuntary, but who knows? It may be the beginning of her awakening. I can't say. I do know one thing." House looked into Caleb's eyes.

"What?"

"You need to bring her baby back. She may not react to you or me, but a baby's cry has a certain effect on a new mother."

Caleb shook his head and laughed. "That's a great excuse for me to bring Jack home, but I think there's some truth to what you're saying. I'll go home tomorrow and fetch Jack. I'll be back by the end of the week with him. But, you will abide by our agreement? Right?"

House looked at Caleb and it hit him. Caleb wasn't doing any of this for his own gratification. Everything he had done, including taking Jack to England, had been out of love for Kiara, a love that had lived in his heart for decades, probably a century. Caleb may be his rival, but he wasn't his enemy. If Jack spent time learning how to be a vampire from Caleb, then it was the best of both worlds. Out of all the vampires he had met in the last year, Caleb and Sean were truly kings among men. They had more wisdom and patience, Caleb more so, than anyone he had ever met, including the long suffering Wilson.

"Sure, I'll let Jack spend time with you. Of course, Kiara will have a say, but I'll honor our agreement."

Caleb gave House a phone number and asked that he contact Melody Brach to arrange for his departure home. House nodded and watched as Caleb walked towards the cellar just as the dawn began to break over the lawn of the manor.

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