Episode 16 Part 2

Thomas sat at the table with Nate and wine. "My whole life I've been taught to hide who I am. Not let the human suspect. And now I wanna convince a human of who I am. She doesn't believe me," He was beginning to lose help.

"The only thing you can do is give her time," Nate sympathised.

"But I've all the time in the world. I don't wanna wait," Thomas had never been this more determined in years to feel true love again.

"I feel for you buddy. But humans only see what they wanna see. But sometimes they get too curious, they wanna see the bigger picture. It's personal growth,"

The conversation was interrupted by the sudden presence of Marcus down the stairs.

"What is it, Marcus?" Thomas asked.

"It's Sophie," he said worriedly. Nate shot up in shock. "She's in labour,"

The daemon became frantic as ever. "But that's impossible. She's not due for weeks. Is she…"

"Aurora's delivered her to the hospital,"

"I'll get the knights up and running," Thomas pulled out a phone and turned his back to make a call.

"I have to be there," panicked Nate.

"I'll get you there. Come on. Let's go," Marcus grabbed the keys and pulled the door open. He and Nate fled the room just as Agatha came stampeding down.

"Nate!" she cried out. By the time she stumbled out of the house, the car had shot off. She knew what that meant. She dashed back inside to Thomas who had just finished. "Thomas…"

"It's all right Agatha. I've called the knights and they're surrounding the hospital as we speak. I'll get you there too," Thomas led her to his car outside. "Call Miriam and Jason," he dialled their number and handed Agatha the phone and she pressed it to her ear when he drove off in their car.

Aurora helped Sophie pull her coat off and into the hospital room. She sat down on the bed breathing heavily.

"Where's Nate?'

"Don't worry. He'll be on his way by now. Marcus will get him here quickly,"

"I hope he gets here," taking another deep breath, Sophie managed to hold herself together. "I'm really scared now Aurora,"

"I am too Soph. But it's going to be all right," Sophie tried to speak but felt another painful kick from her womb. "Just hold on. Just keep breathing," Aurora gently but quickly helped her lie down probably on the bed. The doctors and midwives prepared and quietly ushered her to leave the room. She stepped outside and closed the door.

She turned her head down the hallway and she saw a panting Nate running up to her. "Nate…"

"Where's Sophie?"

"She's inside," she pushed the door open.

"Thank you," Quickly Nate made his way inside to stand beside his beloved wife who was now giving birth to their child.

"Well done Aurora," Marcus walked up to her and kissed her tightly.

"Are the knights…"

"Ten stationed around the hospital," he assured. "No one will learn of this,"

She sighed in relief. The couple sat down in some seats and waited silently. Aurora felt nervous every minute. Marcus clutched her hand tightly to comfort her. They stared into each other's eyes, love and joy shining between them. They wondered if they would have a future just like Sophie and Nate were about to.

The sound of a baby crying echoed in their eardrums. They turned their heads towards the door. Aurora felt a tear leave her eye. Holding hands, she and her partner stepped forward and then slowly pushed the doors open. They saw Nate standing beside Sophie who held a beautiful girl who looked like Nate. Her eyes were shut and she looked bright and healthy.

Aurora wiped her nose and her eyes and Marcus held her close smiling happily for the new parents. Another pair of people entered the room. Agatha tearfully gasped in joy seeing her newborn granddaughter and Thomas who had never been happier for a pair of parents than anyone.

The doctors gave the newborn girl some check-ups and she was all well. Sophie, still exhausted from the hard pushes sat in her bed whilst Nate held their baby in his arms. Miriam and Jason arrived and smiled seeing such beauty.

"Everything all right?" asked Miriam.

"Sophie did an amazing job," said Nate proudly.

"She is so beautiful," cooed the tearful Aurora.

"You both are so lucky. A child is the greatest gift anyone could have," said Thomas admirably.

Nate touched his daughter's soft lips. "I'm a dad. I'm dad,"

Agatha laughed in delight as she hugged his side; they all laughed.

"What are you gonna name her?" Jason asked.

"Margaret," said Nate.

Marcus dropped his lips. Miriam frowned. "Seriously?"

"You'll like it," said Sophie.

"I love it," Aurora praised. "Hello, Margaret,"

Miriam leaned forward a bit and her eyebrows creased. Agatha stared at her worriedly. "Is she all right?"

Jason, noticing what his mother was doing, leaned his ears closer to the infant. "Her blood is singing. It confirms she's a witch,"

The moment of joy turned to a moment of anxiety; it was just what they had feared. Aurora came over and held Sophie's hand tenderly. "The Congregation can't be allowed to find her. They will know nothing of this,"

"Once the doctor's given you the clear, you should move to Sept Tour for a while," Thomas suggested. "You can figure out what to do once the dust has settled,"

Baby Margaret cooed a little. "If she'll be safer there, then yes," Nate agreed.

Sophie nodded and looked desperately into Aurora's eyes. "Will you be her godmother?"

Aurora's lips parted. "Really?"

Sophie tearfully nodded. "We wanted to ask you before but we'd save it till now,"

Aurora breathed in surprise. "Of course, I will," she turned her head to a delighted Nate. "Of course. I would love that very much," More tears fell down her face and she hugged her dear friend.

"And will you be her godfather Tom?" Nate requested Thomas.

Thomas cocked his head at him, eyes wide. He was breathless. "I don't know what to say,"

"You've given us so much Tom. And this is how we want to repay you,"

Thomas was speechless. He had never asked the godfather of anyone's child. But to this family, he was their friend, their protector. The thought of becoming a godfather made him realise how hard he had worked to protect these parents and now their newborn child. "It will be my pleasure," It was at that moment, he realised he had become a part of their family like Aurora and Marcus.

The vampires and Aurora left the hospital room, allowing the daemons to have some time to themselves. As they departed the hospital, Marcus walked up to one of the knights posing as a surgeon. "Do not let anyone suspicious enter this building,"

The knight nodded.

They walked to the cars. Miriam could see that Thomas remained a little speechless. "You deserve this Tom. You've shown more generosity to them than anyone they've known,"

"I'm proud of you," praised Jason admirably.

"Ysabeau won't mind daemons in the chateau right?" asked Aurora.

"If anything, it will make Sept Tour feel more alive than it has felt in years," Marcus smiled. "I bet Phillipe would have loved them. And I know he would have loved you Aurora,"

Aurora smiled at him.

"Would you stop making goo-goo eyes at each other when we're here please?" Miriam whined gently.

"You're just jealous," teased Jason, earning a rough nudge in the side from his mother.

"Did you go to Phoebe?" Aurora asked Tom.

He nodded. "Yeah. I gave her the Knights' pendant, hoping she'd find questions that only I can answer,"

"She will come to you," said Aurora with confidence. "Everything will work out,"

Marcus noticed something was off about Thomas. "You know you don't have to tell her about our family secret?"

"I need to Marcus. If there's anything I've learnt about relationships, it's that you have to be honest and true. When she comes to me for answers, I need to tell her about myself and how that would put her in danger from the Congregation. But I fear that she might walk away,"

"If she walks away from you then that's not real love," Aurora stated. "But I know from my premonitions that no matter what you tell her, you both will be so happy together. It warms our hearts to see you so full of joy again, Tom. Don't ever let it slip away from you,"

She and Marcus entered his car and waved goodbye as they drove back to his house. Thomas drove Miriam and Jason to their homes in Oxford before departing back to his silent house.

Marcus and Aurora went out to have dinner again. Then for a lovely evening out in the park. But in the shadows, Domenico observed them from a distant but well-suited spot. He observed the chain necklace around Aurora's neck, the blue crystal pendant that glimmered like her magic. He hadn't seen that charm in a very long time.

The couple sat on a bench under some beautiful tree lights.

"What are you thinking about?" Marcus asked.

Aurora sighed. "I'm thinking about what life would have been like. If my parents hadn't adopted me and I was raised by my real mother. Or my real father," he looked at her with grave uncertainty. "Do you think maybe I would have been a completely different person? Would we have ever met?"

Marcus bit his lower lip. "I don't know. We can't change what's past. We can only accept it. It may sound selfish but…I'm glad about how your life turned out. I'm so happy we met,"

"Me too," Aurora smiled a little. But her smile dropped and she stared out at the stars. "Do you think maybe she's alive out there?" A part of her was desperate. All her life and up until this very moment she had been plagued with questions. But another part of her felt so neglectful. She didn't want to neglect everything Rebecca and Stephen had done for her, how they gave her a home, a loving family, and her sister.

"Maybe we could organise the knights to go to Maddison and see if they've found any rumours of where she might have gone,"

"No. They need to focus on protecting our friends," Aurora's love for her new goddaughter burned more than her desperation to find her birth mother.

"There are many knights still out there. It's worth taking. I'll at least send a few out there,"

"If you're sure. I don't want to put my own wants before anyone else's,"

"You're not," Marcus placed his hand and hers and their fingers interlinked. "And it wouldn't be neglecting your parent's memory. They would want you to find out what happened to her,"

"I miss them so much," Aurora felt her soulmate's arms hold her gently as she cried softly.

The still undetected Domenico turned his back. He pulled out a phone and walked away. Then after a quick call, he scrolled through the pictures and came to the portrait of a young woman with dark eyes and blonde hair like Aurora's.

The next morning, Thomas decided to go and check on his friends. He just left his door and walked down the stairs when he saw Phoebe waiting on the sidewalks. She was holding a cup of coffee and she was staring at him with a requesting expression. "I'm ready for answers,"

Thomas led her inside and they sat on a seat in front of his window. "I'll tell you everything, Phoebe. All of it truthful,"

Phoebe pulled out her phone and showed two photos. A picture of the two portraits of Diana and Matthew. And an ancient sketch of Matthew. Thomas recognised it from an internet page about the knights of Lazarus. "That sketch looks like the man in this portrait,"

"That's my father Matthew de Clairmont. He's the one who sired me. The one who turned me into a vampire,"

"That's why you wanted the miniatures so badly," she realised. "And who's the woman?"

"Diana Bishop. She's a witch,"

"Is she your mother?"

"No. But she's my father's mate,"

"But those miniatures and this…this artwork, they were painted hundreds of years apart," Phoebe stared at him in shock. "So those photos from the other night? They were all of you?"

Thomas nodded. "And my family. Including Matthew,"

Phoebe was astonished. "When were you born?"

Thomas bit his lip in excitement. This was the first time explaining his history to a human. "1057?" Phoebe gasped in shock. "But my father sired me in 1077,"

"How did it happen?"

"My family were killed in 1069. Matthew found me and he adopted me. Then when I turned 24, he offered me a chance to live forever and…I took it. So, he wouldn't have to bear the pain of losing a son again,"

"Do you like it…being uh?" Phoebe was unsure how to finish her question.

"I do," Thomas said a little awkwardly. "But there are drawbacks to living forever. It can get lonely sometimes for certain,"

"What happened to your human family?"

Thomas didn't want to talk about it. But he did. "They were killed by witches," Phoebe looked at him with sorrow. "But I have a vampire family. I love them all just as much,"

"Do you have human friends?" Tom nodded. "Do any of them know what you are?" Phoebe was not prepared for the answer.

"Only you. You're the first human in centuries to know about this hidden world," Thomas glanced into her eyes with affection. "Give me your hand," he sat up, gently held her hand and placed it against his chest, pressing her palms over it.

Phoebe stared closely, no pumping. "It's not beating," Thomas gave her an encouraging small smile. A beat thumped. She gasped, feeling her own heartbeat accelerate.

"It beats slower. But it loves longer," Thomas's words meant what he had been wanting to say for her weeks. He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss on her lips which she accepted. As they kissed, they held each other's cheeks.

They decided to go for a walk in the nearby parks and Thomas promised her he would tell her everything about vampires. "We eat raw meat. And some nuts and berries. But we don't really crave food. It's hard to hide your appetite sometimes,"

"But you crave blood. Do you crave my blood?" Phoebe was still a little nervous.

"You're not in any danger from me," Thomas swore.

"But do you bite people? Is that how you feed?"

"Generally, we try not to feed on humans. And we only bite them if we want to sire them,"

"Sire, as in make them your children?" she asked.

Thomas nodded. "When you're sired by a vampire it makes their child and they become your parent. We do it only on humans but not daemons and witches,"

"Do you glug that blood down that you had in your fridge?"

"Yep,"

"Straight from the bag?"

"No in a mug. I'm not a heathen," Thomas's retort made Phoebe giggle.

"Do you have any children?" she asked.

Thomas slowed down and she noticed. "I'd rather talk about this another time. Why don't we get a drink?" Respecting his wishes, Phoebe walked him to the pub opposite the auction house and they ordered wine again. They sat in an isolated corner where their conversation wouldn't be eavesdropped on by humans who chatted and drank.

"So there are vampires, witches and daemons in this world, does that mean I've met creatures before?"

Thomas nodded. "Studied with. Worked with. Maybe even loved," his statements made her giggle. "But our numbers are dwindling. We're slowly dying out,"

"That's awful. Why is it happening?"

"We don't know. All we know is that some vampires are unable to sire, witches are losing their powers and daemons are becoming more mentally ill,"

"Blimey," Phoebe breathed.

"There was a time many thousands of years ago when 50% of the population was human and the other half was creatures and we all intermingled with each other. But over time, the human side grew afraid and they began persecuting us. That's why we've been in hiding,"

"That's so unjust," Phoebe said. "They just see something that's different from them as evil and just think it's right to hate it,"

"Technologically we're advancing but socially we're going backwards. It's all because of hatred and prejudice and barriers between people. Human prejudice is worse than ever,"

"What's the oldest vampire you've ever met?" asked the curious Phoebe.

"My grandfather Philippe. Nobody knows how long he's lived for many say millennia,"

Phoebe chuckled. "Sounds like he saw the whole of modern human history. Where is he now?"

"He died. In the 1940s,"

Phoebe's curious smile dropped. "That's so sad. I'm sorry,"

"It broke my grandmother's heart a lot. But she's seen the whole of modern history too," he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the box of photos that she saw the other day. He pulled out a picture of himself, Marcus and Ysabeau in front of a cool car. "That's my grandfather. And that's my brother Marcus. He was sired by Matthew too,"

"Must be so nice to have such a large family that lives forever. So Ysabeau was with.."

"Phillipe,"

"For thousands of years. I can't imagine what it must be like to lose someone you love so much. What about you? You're hundreds of years old. You must have lost loads of human friends,"

Thomas nodded. "Sometimes I regret becoming a vampire. I've had to feel so much loss and pain,"

"Was Argus a vampire?" Phoebe asked her next question. She immediately regretted it. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…"

"He was," Thomas nodded. "One of the most amazing vampires I ever met,"

"How did you two meet?"

"I was hunting down witches to take revenge for my human family. During my hunts, I encountered him imprisoned to be used for terrible dark magic. I rescued him, even though he was a member of the MacDuff family who's hated mine for years,"

Phoebe went into a deep state of thought. She remembered the tall guy who had told her to stay away from Thomas. Was he one of them? "That Scottish guy…in Oxford. Was he a vampire too?"

"That was Fergus. My brother-in-law" lamented Thomas. "He's always hated me. And he blames me for Argus's death,"

"What happened to him?" Phoebe asked.

"He was killed by the same race who took my parents,"

"And you're okay with your father mating with a witch?"

"I wasn't at first," Thomas confessed. "When I first met Diana Bishop, I wanted her gone. But over time, I began to see how prejudiced I was. I rescued her from a terrible witch and I supported her and my father,"

"Wait, if she was born around this time…how is her portrait and your father's…"

"They time-walked from this time,"

"Why?"

"To hide from the Congregation,"

"Who are they?" Phoebe wondered.

Thomas flicked his head and he saw some suspicious faces. "Not here,"

Phoebe nodded. They paid the bill and immediately left the pub for Thomas's house. He made them some hot chocolate whilst she continued looking over his photos. She had never seen so much family delight from a long-lived family. She gazed at one of him and Argus together and touched their faces.

Thomas sat down after giving her a mug. "The Congregation are a council of nine creatures, three vampires, three witches and three daemons. My grandfather founded it to keep the peace between the species and to uphold the Covenant,"

"What's the Covenant?"

"A law that forbids relationships between different species,"

Phoebe stared at him blankly. "Does that include humans too?" she didn't need an answer or a nod. "Does that mean I'm…."

"I'm not gonna let anything happen to you," the way Thomas swore as he gazed into her eyes made her see that he truly was in love with her. "If anything, the Covenant has already outlived its usefulness. My father and Diana broke it and they time walked so they wouldn't be found and punished for breaking a law that has done more harm than good today,"

Phoebe didn't know whether to feel more surprised or shocked by everything she was learning about the politics of a world hidden in plain sight. "Do you know what happened to Joe?"

Thomas nodded. "He was killed by a vampire infected with blood rage. And he stole the portraits,"

"What's blood rage?"

"It's a vampire disease that infects them to kill without a thought and in a savage way. The night we had dinner, a vampire from the Congregation warned me to make sure you didn't ask any questions about the missing guard. I only held the truth back to protect you,"

Phoebe could see everything clearly now.

"There's something else I need to tell you,"

She leaned in to listen.

"My family from my grandmother's side is infected with blood rage. Including me,"

Phoebe's eyes widened.

"She passed it on father. Then he on to me and Marcus. Whilst Marcus only became a carrier, I became infected too," Thomas pursed his lips and hung his head slightly to hide his eyes. "My father taught me to control it. But the fact that a blood-raged vampire killed me puts my family in danger. If you wish to pursue a relationship, that would be you in danger too. And I couldn't bear to lose another love. This is why I'm giving you this choice,"

Phoebe found herself stuck in a position. If she chose to move forward there was no going back. She felt the urge to pick up her bag and walk away but hearing Thomas's sad story made her realise that walking away from him would hurt him so much. And he needed love in his life again. "I'm not walking away from you Tom,"

Thomas looked at her seriously. "If we do this, there's no turning back. You have to understand that,"

"I do understand," she loved. "I was already drawn into this world, the moment we met. And I don't want to turn away. Otherwise, everything that happened between us, was for nothing. I want to be with you, Tom,"

Tom smiled.

"So, what do you say?"

"You're perfect enough for me," he smiled and then leaned forward and kissed her again.

Thomas and Phoebe are together for real! Yippee! And Thomas and Phoebe have been asked to be godparents. But it seems Domenico has become too curious about Aurora. I think you can all guess why. I hope you all enjoyed this. See you all soon