CH44

A day in the life of a vampire house:

Kate was making the rounds just to satisfy herself. Jenny and Solomon were in the theater room watching a movie or at least that was what they quickly started doing when she poked her head inside. She softly closed the door and let the two go back to not watching the movie and continued her rounds. She found Paige and Alexis in the library who were actually doing homework. Paige was doing well in her night classes for her medical studies and Alexis was taking two late night classes. In her case they were required history and mathematics classes.

"You two know where Alex and Mel are?" Kate questioned them. "Last I saw them they were in the living room with Michael, Allie, Irina, Anna and Ellie." Paige told her. "They were forced to use the living room since the theater room was in use." Alexis added. Kate smiled. Yeah, the theater room was in use alright, just not for watching movies.

She was happy that Anna and Irina seemed to be adapting so well to being vampires. The continuing border skirmish was leaving people wounded and dying, though in their case it was a destroyed house. They both had lost their entire families when Kate found them. They were wounded and dying when she bit them and got them to drink from her before spending the night with her.

Kate and Sirene had each done this at least a dozen times each, but only Anna and Irina had survived the process. She wondered if Sirene and Irene wanted to go out tonight and look for more possible conversions. It was looking more and more like there would be fighting in the Ukraine for years to come. Nothing major, just little fights. Still it left death, destruction, and destroyed families in its wake.

Kate hadn't made it to Sirene when she walked past one of the kitchens and found Mistress Kay and Lord Hunt in the kitchen where she could hear the whirling of a pair of microwaves in use. They also had Johanna and Martin with them.

"And how are my babies doing?" Kate walked in and scooped Jo out of Mistress Kay's arms, snuggling a baby very happy to be back in her mother's arms. "I don't know how you create the most precious children Katherine, but keep it up and we'll have one full and happy home before we know it." Kay loved all of the children. She had also made sure all of them were healthy and that all of them were hybrids like their parents.

Kay and Hunt were doing their part to wean them off of Kate's breasts. They had reached the age where they weren't just sucking on her nipple anymore, they were using their baby canines to bite her breasts and suck her blood as their meal. They were trying to teach them how to suck from a blood bag. Though Kate still did nurse them from time to time since they still needed the nutrients they got from her.

"I want to thank you two. I'd have permanent scars if I kept letting them bite me." Kate kissed her baby's head and watched her smile back at her. She would suffer through gladly but this helped a lot.

"We're happy to help, aren't we dear?" Kay poked her husband who was holding Martin. "OF COURSE! … Except it makes me feel like a grandfather instead of a father," Hunt moaned. Kay leaned in close and whispered something in his ear that had his eyes open wide as a look of shock came over him. "We'll talk about that later." Hunt smiled at his wife and kissed her.

Kate had no idea what those two were planning. Everyone knew that vampires were infertile, and that included them, so what had Kay said that had him so interested?

"Well, I need to finish my rounds and talk with Sirene before finding my husband." Kate had plans for her husband, so she handed Jo back over to Kay and gave her baby girl a quick kiss and ran her hand over her son's hair before leaving them.

Kate found one of the two washers and dryers running which told her something, so she headed for Sirene and Irene's room. Irene had mastered how to change her from between the two vampire forms and had also gotten pretty good at jumping. That Irene could jump had actually made Kate jealous for a time, and she had been a bitch until Rick had read her the riot act about how she was acting. It took some soul searching before she had worked out why she was being a bitch.

After Sirene had left her broken-hearted, she was just another vampire living alone which was hard on her. She had spent a lot of time on that damn boat sneaking around, sucking on animal blood to keep herself alive. She had eaten some of the food that she was served however she had thrown it up not much later; she blamed it on being sea sick. The crossing had been hell on her. The new world gave her a new chance on life and she didn't see another vampire for several hundred years.

Now all Irene had to do to have the power to jump was be converted to a vampire in a method that Lord Hunt hadn't offered her, not that she was actually given a whole lot of choice in the first place. Still she was happy to be a vampire. It was her life now and she found that she didn't miss being human.

She was all set to knock on Sirene and Irene's door when "OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!" came screaming out through the door. She realized she was still holding her hand up as she started blushing while smiling. She lowered her hand and let them have their privacy and the moment. "It can wait," she told herself and went downstairs where she found everyone but her husband in the living room watching TV.

"Can we help you with something Mistress?" Allie had spotted her entering one of the three seating areas that made up their giant living room.

"HI MOM!" Ellie was up and hugging Kate almost instantly. "Are you behaving yourself baby?" She was sure she was, but she wanted Ellie to know it was important to her. "I'm not a baby Mom. I'm 8 years old." Ellie took exception to being called a baby. Jo and Martin were babies and maybe Alex and Mel, but not her.

"You'll always be my baby girl," Kate countered as she lifted her up easily and sat down with her. "You guys have a minute?" She had a question and wanted to make sure they had thought it through. "And where are Alex and Mel?" She expected to see them.

Michael picked up the remote and paused their movie. "We always have a minute Mistress, and Rick took Alex and Mel with him to go shopping for steaks." The sun had been down for less than an hour. "I just wanted to make sure that all of you had thought this through and want to do this," she said.

The other house had been completed about a little over 2 years ago. All of the bedrooms, living room, kitchens, and all of the other rooms had been completed and furnished. As a family they had already painted the entire exterior four times as well as repairing a small amount of storm damage that had occurred. They had even finished landscaping the area and Kate had to admit that the house looked gorgeous. She had loved all of the wood work on the outside when she had seen it, now that it was painted in 5 different colors, it was stunning.

Rookwood Blue Green (clapboards), Renwick Heather (shingles), Rookwood Sash Green (window surrounds and fascias), Rookwood Shutter Green (window sashes and porch spindles), and Plum Dandy (porch posts). – (Sherwin Williams paint colors. Look them up if you're curious to see.)

"We've all talked about it Mistress. Jenny said yes to his proposal. I said yes to Michael's proposal and Anna and Irina here have decided to come with us. We have that huge house which is actually bigger than this one if you count the basement and it's just sitting there, unlived in," Allie explained yet again.

"The only time any of us are over there is when we want to use the basement. Michael and Solomon will be in charge of the house and as you two (meaning Kate and Sirene) find more people to convert to vampirism, they can either join us or stay here," Allie said.

"You mean you and Jenny will be in charge," Kate teased getting Anna and Liana to giggle. "And you two, how are you two adjusting?" she inquired since Anna had only been with them for just over a year while Liana had followed 3 months later, making her a just barely a year old vampire.

Anna looked at Liana. The two of them had done a lot of talking, especially since they were sharing a room even though they weren't lovers, at least not yet. Though they had dipped their toes into the water by doing some kissing and touching, but nothing more.

"It has been a challenge. I won't lie, we miss our families but you and everyone else has treated us like we are family…" Anna was interrupted by Allie before Kate could do so. "Because you are family. Everyone in this house is family. Michael and I would have died hundreds of years ago if not for Mistress Kate converting us. She is Mistress, not because she demands it, but because she has earned the title. I, for one, am happy to call her Mistress. We may be living in another house soon, but she and Sirene and even Kay are our Mistresses and are in charge. And it's not like we will never see them again," Allie pointed out.

"Being a vampire has taken some getting used to, make no mistake. Never seeing the sun again, never tasting food again. My parents, I think, wanted me to get married and have children but now that will never happen. But the alternative is being dead," Liana told Kate. Kate smiled. Just like all of the others, it took time to understand that they were now a vampire instead of being dead. "If it helps, you can babysit my children any time. Even this one." Kate squeezed Ellie and kissed her head.

"Can I stay with them sometimes Mom?" Ellie didn't really like the idea of her family moving out, plus Allie was teaching her. Kate was more than happy to let Ellie spend time over there, but she was getting a different vibe, but she was interrupted when Mistress Kay and Lord Hunt entered the room with Jo and Martin.

"Is something wrong Ell?" Kate got back to the vibe she was getting off of her daughter. "No," she answered shyly and saw the look on her mother's face. "Allie is teaching me to defend myself."

"It's true Mistress. I thought you knew and had approved. It's just some judo moves, there's no hitting involved," Allie told her.

"Why do you need to know how to fight Ell?" She was just a kid and Kate wanted her to be a kid for a while longer. Soon puberty would hit and her aging would slow way down and practically stop when she was a 19 year old vampire, or so they thought. This was all only because Ellie and Kate's other children were all hybrids. Mistress Kay wasn't entirely sure just what was going to happen. There had never been hybrids before.

A vampire child would remain a child forever and never grow older, though it was theorized by Mistress Kay that vampires actually aged a single year for every century or so. Except for vampires like Kay, Hunt, and Irene, who literally didn't age at all.

"Peti is a bully mom and he stinks," Ellie informed all of them for the first time. "A school bully? You should have told me sweetie. I, or we, can't help you if you don't tell us. Has he hurt you?" She actually started looking her daughter over for bruises, though her vampire and even Lycan healing would have fixed all that by now since yesterday and today weren't school days.

Ellie shook her head. "He's just mean and he stinks." She told the truth. He hadn't as yet gotten around to hitting her, just some of the other kids, mostly boys. "Who does he bully sweetie?" Kate asked her. "Some of the boys. Robi is nice but he's shy," Ellie told her. Kate however heard something else. "So you like this Robi?" Did her little girl have a crush on a boy? "You're not mad?" Ellie was afraid her mother wouldn't approve. "Mad that you have a secret boyfriend? Of course not sweetie." Kate kissed her head. "You can even invite him over and we'll all be on our best human behavior just for you. Is he nice to you?" She decided to do some digging and find out more about this boy. Ellie simply nodded. "Robi what, Ell?" She wanted a last name. "Siposs."

"Well, the next time you see him, ask if he wants to come over for dinner and stay to play. I'm sure Paige remembers how to cook. Maybe we can take him out on the back of one our motorcycles with you," Kate offered, which got Ellie to smile. "Really!?" She didn't believe her mother was going to let a human boy in their house. "Yes really, we can all be human for one night." She kissed her head.

"Ell, sweetie, what do you mean that this Peti stinks?" Kay inquired, since she wasn't sure Ellie meant he stank as in being mean. She just shrugged her shoulders. "He stinks," was all she told her. "You mean stinks as in he smells?" Kay tried to narrow it down, and watched Ellie nod. "Smells like what sweetie?" she asked only to see Elllie shrug her shoulders again.

Kate didn't understand the questioning but she trusted Mistress Kay. "Here take Jo, I'll be right back." Kay handed over Johanna to Kate and jumped. "You know what she's talking about?" Kate looked at Hunt, meaning Kay. "I have a good idea, but let's wait," Hunt suggested and was rewarded with his wife returning in a moment carrying a jar about the size of a small baby food jar.

"Okay sweetie, does he smell like this?" Kay opened the jar momentarily and placed it under Ellie's nose before quickly closing it. "Does he smell like that?" Kay asked again. She nodded. "Stinky," she confirmed. It wasn't a smell she much liked. "Can you go get your sister and Paige for us sweetie? It's very important," Kay told her.

"It's ok Ell. Alexis and Paige were in the library working on their homework last time I saw them," Kate said. She watched Ellie run off to get her big sister who she loved so much.

"I'll be back," Kay told them just as Kate opened her mouth to ask what was going on. Hunt simply did his best to try and not get fried from the look that Kate was giving him and prayed that having Martin in his arms would protect him.

It only took a moment before Kay was back. "One more minute," Kay said before Kate had a chance to say anything. That was followed by Sirene and Irene jumping in to join them. "Now we just need…" Kay stopped when Alexis and Paige came jogging into the room without Ellie."We left Ellie to read one of her books. What's going on?" The way Ellie was talking told Alexis something was up.

"Ellie has a bully at her school," Kate told Alexis. "I'll break both his legs before I suck him dry." Alexis hissed out with pure venom. No one messed with her sister. Kate blinked back tears, grateful that her daughters loved each other so much. "Is dad still out shopping for steaks?" Alexis asked.

"Castle said that this time he was going to get them at the open market before they closed. Something about the taste of fresh being different," Kate remarked, since it meant a motorcycle ride to another section of the city if he went by bike. With the twins, he may have gone by taxi or had taken one of their two cars.

"There's more, however." Kay got them back on track. "Ellie said that he was stinky."

"Stinky? What kind of stinky?" Alexis didn't understand. "This kind of stinky," Kay said and opened the jar again, first under Alexis's nose and then under Kate's nose. Kay saw that they recognized the smell by the looks on their faces. "OH SHIT!" Kate and Alexis said at the same time.

Irene, Anna, Paige and Irina had a look of bewilderment on their faces. Sirene, Hunt, and, to a lesser extent, Michael and Allie didn't. "It is, isn't it?" Sirene asked. Kate nodded. "LYCANS," she sighed wearily. Kate knew their absence was too good to last for long. "This jar contains the smell of a Lycan in wolf form to be specific," Kay explained. "Lycans!" Paige hated the word. She died because of Lycans. Still they were trying to kill the one person she loved on this planet most and was only too happy to defend her.

"They better not have vampire killer rounds Mom," Alexis snarled. "What do we do about it? We can't let Ell get bullied in her own school." She wasn't going to just sit back and let her sister get bullied by a damn Lycan. "Let Sirene, Irene, Jackson, and me handle it for now. Let us find out where this Peti lives and how big his family is, then we can plan," Kay suggested.

Kate nodded, glad to have the help. "What about school tomorrow. I don't want her hurt, but I don't want her to back down either. Ell is a vampire, I don't want her scared of him." She was worried. "I'm not scared of him Mom." All heads turned to see Ellie standing at the entrance, close enough to have heard everything.

Alexis walked over to her, lifted her up, and held her easily. "I'm not scared of him Lexi," Ellie stated her case yet again and wrapped her arms around her big sister. "I know you're not Ell, you're a vampire and my sister." Alexis squeezed her tightly.

"Only Kate and Rick can go out in the sunshine." Paige left out Alex, Mel, Jo and Martin since they were too little to fight.

Kate turned her head. "Allie?" Kate hoped she knew what she was asking of her. "I'll accelerate Ellie's training." Allie got up with Michael, the other combat trainer, right behind her. Alexis put Ellie down as they both approached. "Come on munchkin, we're going to show you how to kick a Lycan's ass." Allie took her hand and the three of them headed to the exercise room.

"Where are Solomon and Jenny?" Sirene asked. "Theater room, though they aren't paying any attention to the movie," Kate warned, not that it stopped Sirene from jumping there.

"Castle, Irina, Anna, and I will handle the kids if you and Irene want to find these Lycans tonight. Castle and I will have child duty during the day tomorrow anyway," Kate said. "Then we'll start looking for the Lycan camp tomorrow night," Hunt stated.

It wasn't long before Solomon and Jenny came downstairs with Sirene right behind them. "What do you want of us Mistress?" Solomon inquired.

"We've gotten lax over the last few months, if not years. From now on everyone walks every armed to the teeth with Lycan killer rounds. That includes you two." Kate looked at Irina and Anna. "I'm not losing another house to Lycans," she stated determinedly. They already had single weapon gun safes all over the house installed. Thirty six of them to be precise, with another 36 in the other house. Plus they had 2 large gun safes in each house. In this house they had one on the ground floor and another one on the third. Each contained thousands of Lycan killing rounds, fully automatic assault rifles along with a few shot guns, and a couple of hand guns just like the ones all over the house.

All 72 weapons in the many gun safes were two toned Walther P99s with Walther laser modules. Everyone else's personal weapons were Beretta MOD 92FS .9 Parabellums, converted to full auto with SGS compensator.

"Let's go you two, more target practice," Solomon pointed at Anna and Irina. "And you're with me Irene. You need more combat practice in your non-human form. Your wings can be a big asset in a fight." Hunt jumped with Irene to the other house where Solomon with Jenny, Anna, and Irina were going by motorcycle.

It suddenly left the others a little lonelier. "Alexis, Paige, I want you two to check every door, every shutter, and the escape tunnel that we spent years digging secretly before sunrise. I want to know if anything needs repaired or replaced. And make sure everyone has their flak vests standing prominently in every room waiting to be put on. Not buried inside a closet…including mine." Kate made a face because she knew hers and Castle's were buried in their closet instead of on the stands that every room had just for that purpose.

"Got it Mom." Alexis headed off. "Yes, Mistress," with Paige right behind her. "And pick up your weapons first," Kate yelled at their retreating forms.

Sirene plopped down next to Kate while Kay sat down on the other side with Martin, having taken him from her husband before he jumped out with Irene. "Something happens to Ell over our dead bodies, Kitty." Sirene took one of Kate's hands.

"We're not losing a third house Katherine. We are not going to sit back and try and make nice. We find them, we attack them, and put an end to it," Kay stated firmly.

"MAMA!" Kate suddenly heard Mel yell her name with Alex right behind her. Each one of them had a bag that was probably holding a steak. "Not so fast you two. Put the steaks in the kitchen first, then you can attack your mother," Rick called, as both of them made a sudden turn and ran for the closest kitchen.

They waited for the inevitable to happen and were soon rewarded with the sound of little feet running down the stairs and into the room. Alex was first and ended up in Sirene's lap and reached to take Jo out of Kate's hands so he could hold his younger sister. While Mel went to Kay who ended up in her lap holding Martin. That left Kate empty handed; she felt her eyes starting to water. Her children were holding each other. Her family was happy and loving.

She wondered if she would be this happy if she was still with Sirene who was sitting next to her holding two of her children. But that was a different Katherine Beckett. This was a Katherine Castle, and speaking of Castle? Her question was answered when hands that she loved started working on her tight shoulder muscles. "What have you been doing Mistress? Your muscles are like steel." Rick kept working on them and she was loving it.

"We have a problem babe. Ellie has a bully at school that happens to be a Lycan." Kate broke it to him. She instantly felt his hands freeze on her shoulders. "Not again," he stated flatly as his hands started to grip Kate's shoulders instead until he moved them away completely.

"Since I don't see anyone still around except Sirene and Mistress Kay, I'll assume everyone knows?" he questioned. "Come on around babe." Kate shifted over, patted the sectional next to her, and waited for him to sit next to her. "Ell is with Allie and Michael. It seems Allie has been training her in Judo moves lately," she began. "Yeah I know. She asked if she could. I didn't think you would mind," he informed her. That certainly explained why Allie thought she knew, her husband had taken care of it for her.

"Liana and Anna are with Solomon and Jenny at weapons' training. Irene is with Lord Hunt for combat training using her wings. Mistress Kay, Lord Hunt, Sirene, and Irene are going to hunt for these Lycans starting tomorrow night. And from now on everyone needs to carry their weapons and extra clips with them all the times. Oh, and Ell has a boyfriend that she was told to invite over for dinner sometime," she told him.

Rick shook his head at all of it. "Ell has a boyfriend? When did this happen? What's his name and he better get his ass over here if he's going to be with my daughter." He didn't care about the Lycans anymore. He wanted to get his hands on this boyfriend and inform him what would happen to him if he hurt his little girl.

"I'm going to go get my weapon." Sirene decided a strategic retreat was in order and sat the two kids off to one side and jumped away. "Me too," Kay added and left her two behind also.

"Ell has a boyfriend?" Alex and Mel question at the same time. "Ell only likes him, he isn't her boyfriend yet," Kate corrected all of them.

"Ellie has a boyfriend, Ellie has a boyfriend, Ellie has a boyfriend," Alex started singing. "Alex that's not nice," Mel chastised her brother. "Ellie has a…" Alex didn't make it any further when Kate yelled his full name. "ALEXANDER LEVI CASTLE! That is enough! And I don't want to hear you singing that to Ellie either. This ends right now." Kate put her foot down.

"Yes, Mom," A deflated Alex relented. "That goes for you too, Castle. Ellie just likes him now. Besides he's being bullied by the Lycan and Ellie has been defending him," Kate said to all of them. That put a smile on Rick's face. "That's my girl." He was instantly very proud of her.

"MOM?" Mel was making a face while holding Martin. "I'll take him." Kate reached for the stinky diaper baby while Rick took the not yet stinky diaper Johanna, though she was sure to follow shortly.

"Do not leave the house you two. Play indoors tonight or on the roof but stay here," Kate said and jumped for their bedroom to change the diaper. Rick took the elevator up to their floor.