Good evening,
I hope you enjoy the chapter.
Oxford Not Brogues
Chapter Eight
Alucard, Seras, and Sebastian stood in a wide grassy field on the outskirts of Angerlo. In front of them was a two story, dark grey house with white trimming. There was a large garden in the backyard. It was full of rose bushes, flower beds, and even various vegetables along with an apple and pear tree. There were so many different colors popping from the garden. She had some purple cosmos, pansies, and monkshood, pink and blue hydrangeas, and white and yellow daisies. In the vegetable patch, she grew tomatoes, peppers, carrots, and beets. Each vegetable was labeled using a small white sign in black marker. However, the writing didn't appear to be Seras' handwriting. While the writing was neat and legible, it lacked personality, indicating that whoever wrote it either didn't write a lot or is still rather new to it. Sebastian was the only one to notice this, however.
"What do you guys think?" Seras asked nervously while she watched them stare at their new home.
"It's charming," Sebastian responded with a handsome smile.
"It is a nice house, but I do find it a little strange that such a house is in the middle of nowhere. Was it for sale…" Alucard was interrupted before he could finish asking his question.
"The land was for sale." Seras answered. "I then hired a construction team to build the house that I wanted."
"Out of curiosity, why do you have vegetables and fruit growing in your yard?" The demon asked as he proceeded to eye the well tended garden. Most of the vegetables looked ready to be picked. The tomatoes were quite big, a perfect red, and hung from bright green vines. Even the yellow and red peppers would appear enticing to any human present.
"Oh!" The little vampire softly exclaimed while she smiled so warmly at her beloved garden. "I first started with the flowers, but found I had a passion for gardening. So, I moved on to vegetables and fruit. I end up selling anything I do grow. Well…okay, that was actually a lie. I planned on selling anything I grow, but ended up giving it out for free to various shops and schools." She explained. "Gardening is a nice distraction, especially during heat cycles. It really takes my mind off of everything." Their mate then glanced up at the demon with a look of excitement in her eyes. "Do you like my garden, Sebastian?" She asked.
"Yes," Sebastian answered with a nod and a pleasant smile. "It's lovely. I see you've taken great care in your garden."
"Would…you…like to garden with me sometime?" Seras asked him bashully, reminding him of a child asking her crush out on a date. Her innocence charmed him though. He loved her more than anything and hoped that she would always be this cutely bashful.
"I would love to." The demon responded promptly with a respectful bow. The smile on her face widened until she was showing off her fangs. The blush on her cheeks were dark and her eyes were practically sparkling, especially from the way the setting sun illuminated them.
"I think it was about time we had some breakfast." The little vampire spoke. "You're both probably hungry." She then walked through the garden, following a white stoned path, to the backdoor of her house.
"As solicitous as ever," Alucard breathed while a tender look glistened in his eyes.
"That she is," Sebastian agreed. Following their mate to the backdoor, they allowed their eyes to wonder, gathering every little thing that they could see. Upon opening the door, Seras was immediately greeted by her hellhound. A big, white dog pounced up on the little vampire. Standing on her hind legs, she placed her giant paws on Seras' shoulders. The dog's hot breath wafted into the girl's face, making her pull her head back as far as she could.
"Pandora, down." Seras ordered and the hellhound listened. Her thick, fluffy tail swooshed back and forth as she dropped back onto her paws and took several steps back. Black eyes glistened in the evening light as she surveyed her master's surroundings. When seeing the two visitors, the dog's jaw snapped shut and she cocked her head to the side in mild interest. It wasn't until they entered the home did Pandora recognize them. Immediately, the hellhound started whining from pure excitement and her tail went extra crazy. Running right over to Alucard, she got up on her hind legs and greeted the old vampire she hadn't seen in years. Placing her paws on his forearms, her entire body wiggled and she huffed, unable to properly bark because she was so happy. "Pandora, down." The little vampire ordered for a final time as she pointed at the floor.
To help calm the dog some, Alucard patted her head before she obeyed and dropped to the floor. This time, she lowered onto her stomach and laid her head down between her paws, showing absolute submission. "Good girl," Seras muttered as she walked further into the room they entered. "Come in and take a seat if you want." Sebastian closed the door behind him while he looked around. The backdoor led right into the kitchen. It was pretty modern and mostly made up of black and white. In the center was a long island made up of black wood with a white marble counter. Four tall black stools were placed on one side, facing a bay window that let in plenty of sunlight. Extending from the island on the right side was a counter. On the far right side of the kitchen was a sink, plenty of counter space, an oven, a dishwasher, and a fridge. While it was a nice kitchen, it was extremely bare. Vampires didn't have much use for kitchens, so most of the appliances were still brand new and probably have never been touched.
As their eyes looked around at their new home, Alucard and Sebastian took a seat at the island. The elder vampire sat on the far left while Sebastian sat at the other end, leaving two stools left open between him and Alucard. They watched Seras silently as she moved about the kitchen, knowing exactly where to go and what to do. She first grabbed two cold blood bags from the freezer before grabbing a paring knife from the butcher block. Afterwards, she headed back to the island to stand across from Alucard and Sebastian. She placed the items to the side so she could grab two tall glasses from a shelf under the island. Placing them on top of the counter, she reached for the paring knife and, without hesitance, slit open her left wrist. Having dealt with more than enough pain in her lifespan, Seras didn't so much as wince when doing it. Some blood splattered on the counter and her clothing, but most of the hot blood poured out into one of the glasses. Such a charming smile was on the girl's face while she watched the blood rise in the glass. It was clear she was used to doing this, especially when she casually grabbed a nearby towel and started wiping up the blood that had missed the glass.
"You don't need to do that, Seras." Sebastian assured her. "We would be fine with a blood bag."
"It's okay," Seras responded as she finished filling one of the glasses. She quickly moved her wrist to hover over the empty glass to fill it.
"But I don't want you draining yourself for our sake." The demon added. Nonchalantly, she raised one of the blood bags, implying that she was ready to rejuvenate herself when it comes time.
"It's really alright. I don't mind. And I know you both prefer hot blood over cold blood too." The Draculina replied. Too? Both males thought simultaneously.
"Oh? Has your preference changed?" Alucard asked. "Do you prefer hot blood over cold blood now?" The corner of her lips pulled to form a smirk and he could have sworn he heard her snicker under her breath. Besides that subtle change in her demeanor, Seras didn't give him an answer. What was so amusing to her? Once the second glass was filled almost to the brim, their mate wrapped the towel tightly around her wrist to stop the blood flow. Afterwards, she pushed the two full glasses across the island.
"Vlad! Malphas! Breakfast!" Seras raised her voice.
"No need to shout. We're right here." Sebastian snickered as he took one of the two glasses.
"And when did you start calling us by our true names?" Alucard asked while delight and arousal glimmered in his dark, red eyes. He grinned widely at his mate. "Say it again." He purred. That smirk on her face widened before she sexily leaned over the counter to bring her face close to his.
"Alucard, drink your blood." She teased him. With a playful little wink, his bride stood up right.
"Why do you like to torment us?" The No Life King chuckled as he grabbed the second glass. The males then watched as Seras grabbed another two tall glasses from underneath the island. They watched on in mild interest and bafflement as she unwrapped the bloody towel from her wrist, used the paring knife to cut deeper into her wound, and started filling another glass.
"What are you doing?" Sebastian asked.
"Drinking your own blood isn't going to help replenish you, Seras. I thought you knew that." Alucard lightly lectured her. He opened his mouth to say more, but didn't get the chance. Just behind them, the monsters heard someone yawn. Having expected that they were completely alone with their mate, the males' backs straightened before they hastily turned to find something shocking. Behind them in the foyer, standing on the bottom step of the staircase was a tiny boy no older than six. He wore disheveled black and grey plaid pajamas while carrying a dark brown teddy bear that was as large as his torso. The child had a head full of hair that was as black as coal. It was so very messy, looking as if a bird had been nesting it, probably from having tossed and turned while he was sleeping. It was at least shoulder length and curved mostly to the right side of his face. He had such a pale complexion, looking soft and white as snow, just like Seras'. While holding his teddy bear in his arms, the child rubbed at his eyes, trying to wipe the sleep from them. It was clear that the child was not a 'morning' person and dreaded having to get up.
"Good evening," Seras purred with a bright smile.
"Evening," The child murmured, though the word came out such a jumbled mess from his exhaustion. He sounded more like a drunk than anything. Taking his last step off the stairs, the child shuffled his way over to the island. Too tired to even open his eyes, the boy didn't take notice of the men already sitting there. By the time the child reached the island, Seras was already pushing a fresh glass of blood towards him. "Thanks," He muttered before he climbed up onto the stool right beside Alucard. Sitting on his heels to make up for the height difference, the child was able to reach the glass of blood. He used both of his tiny hands to pull the tall glass closer towards him. He then carefully lifted it from the counter and sipped on it. Alucard and Sebastian were only capable of sitting there and gawking at the child. Do their eyes deceive them? Or did that child look remarkably like Alucard? As if they were unable to believe what they were seeing, Alucard and Sebastian instantly glanced back at their mate. The small blonde stood there with such a nervous smile on her face, waiting for their input on the matter. Still not being able to process it, the males looked back at the child who was still very unaware of their existence.
"Mum!" Another child's voice came from somewhere in the house. Simultaneously, Alucard and Sebastian jolted when hearing a second child. Once more, they turned to find a young boy running down the stairs. A soft growl emitted from the child at the counter. Looking back, they witnessed him lightly slam down his glass while he gritted his sharp incisors.
"Don't be so loud." He grumbled at his 'annoying' brother. The second child ignored him, however, and proceeded his way through the foyer, right past them, and ran into the kitchen. This boy was quite different from the other. Unlike his brother, the boy was fully dressed, had a pleasant smile on his face, and showed such energy. The slender child was wearing a light grey shirt, a black cardigan, black jeans, and black fingerless gloves. His nails were naturally black and his eyes were such a deep red, almost the same color as garnet. His hair was black as his brother's, but was far neater than his as well. Placing his hands behind his back, the child stared up at his mother lovingly.
"Mum, Vlad didn't make his bed yet." He tattled on his brother.
"Malphy!" Vlad shouted before he slammed his fist down on the counter. He even went as far as baring his fangs at his brother. "How many times do I have to tell you to stay out of my room!" Little Vlad then looked up at his mother. "Mum! Tell Malphas to stay out of my room! He's not supposed to be in there!" Malphas then turned to look at his twin.
"I wasn't in your room!" The little demon swore. "I was outside your room and noticed that you didn't make your bed!"
"I don't care where you are standing! Stay out of my room!" Vlad yelled. However, Malphas was already completely over the fight. Unlike his brother, he noticed the two men sitting at the island. His curious red eyes flickered between the two men while Vlad spoke to his mother. "Mum, why should I make my bed when I don't even need it?" Naturally, out of shyness, Malphas hid behind his mother while he proceeded to peek at the males.
"What do you mean?" Seras asked with furrowed brows. "You sleep in your bed every single morning."
"Yeah, but I want a coffin." The boy whined. "When can I get a coffin, Mum?"
"I don't feel comfortable buying a child sized coffin, hon." His mother admitted with a light shrug. "Can't you wait another few years?"
"It doesn't have to be child sized. Why can't it just be a normal coffin?" Vlad asked with a look of desperation in his eyes.
"That won't be too big for you?" Seras asked.
"No." The little vampire answered with a shake of his head. "I'll grow into it! Can I please get a coffin? Pretty please?!" Sighing, the mother gave her son a soft smile and a nod of her head.
"Alright, I guess you're old enough to have your own coffin." She replied. "We'll go shopping for one soon." Elation filled the child's eyes. Out of his excitement, he threw his fists up in the air.
"Yes!" Vlad exclaimed. Seras' eyes flickered back to consider the expressions on her mates' faces. Alucard and Sebastian, sitting there ever so quietly, kept looking between both boys. There was no other emotion on their faces but shock. It was hard to see if they were pleased or angry. She was starting to feel very anxious not knowing what they were thinking or how they would act. But she kept calm and stayed patient. Turning slightly, she peeked at her son that hid behind her.
"Malphas," Seras whispered as she turned slightly to comb her fingers through her son's hair. Automatically, both demons looked at her when she spoke that name. "Why are you hiding?" The little demon glanced back at the older demon.
"They're…here." Malphas whispered, as if his mother was unaware of this fact. "Is this…real, Mum?" Seras gave him a warm smile and a tender laugh.
"They are. Wouldn't you like to say hello?" She asked. To encourage him, the mother stepped off to the side and gave her son a small push forward. But the little demon was far too nervous. Keeping his hands behind his back, the boy glued his eyes to the floor while he gnawed on his bottom lip. Alucard and Sebastian could see a faint blush on the child's once pale cheeks. For the first time in the young boys' presence, the two older monsters smiled. They could see it. The child may look like Sebastian, but he acted far more like Seras than any of them.
"Hello?" Vlad repeated while he blinked stupidly at his mother and brother. "What are you two talking about?"
"You're blind, Vlad!" Malphas giggled. The little demon then pointed towards the two men with such a wide smile on his face. "Our fathers are here!"
"You're balmy, Malphy." Vlad scoffed while he gave his brother a withering glare for joking about such a thing.
"Maybe if you didn't have all that hair in your face you could see properly." Seras laughed. The little vampire stared at his mother and brother for several seconds. There was uncertainty in his eyes, unable to tell if they were telling him the truth or not. He found it hard to believe that either of his fathers were here. Why would they be? They never came to visit before. Vlad threw his head back and combed his fingers through his hair several times to get every last strand out of his face. He then glanced out of the corner of his eye to find Alucard sitting right there next to him. Had he been there the whole time?! Startled to find the freakishly tall man sitting there so close, Vlad gave a sharp gasp with a jump and nearly fell right off of his stool. However, Alucard swiftly wrapped an arm around the boy's back, catching him before he could fall off all the way.
"Blimey!" Vlad exclaimed as his heart began to race. Such large blue eyes stared back at Alucard as his son breathed heavily from the small scare. Those eyes. So familiar; he hadn't seen them in years. It was like running into an old friend. Yes, the boy most definitely had Seras' blue eyes. "Have you been there the entire time?" The elder vampire gave a simple nod. The little vampire then glanced to his right to find Sebastian sitting there as well. "Mum, maybe you should put a bell on these two." The child muttered as he grabbed his chest. He could feel his heart beating so hard out of control, as if at any minute he would go into cardiac arrest.
"I've considered it." Seras snickered in her hand. She carefully watched the father and son, waiting to see what would be said between the two. Vlad once more looked back at Alucard.
"You're here." The boy whispered. His blue eyes flickered up and down his father, unable to believe the man was sitting right there next to him so casually after all these years. He then reached out a hand to poke Alucard's chest to see if he was really there or not. "I can't believe it." Disappointment then seeped into the boy's eyes as he looked back at his father's face. "What took you so long?" He asked as tears started to form. Those words stung Alucard and Sebastian. If they had known that their children existed, they would have been there from day one. But they had no knowledge that Seras even ended up pregnant. She never told them! And she ran? Is this what she was afraid of the entire time? Of them hurting their children? Had she truly been afraid that they would have slaughtered her if they found out she was pregnant? Alucard and Sebastian instantly looked back at their mate with such a wounded look in their eyes. Seras, however, fully aware of the mistakes she made, was frowning and showed nothing but regret.
"Mum said that you guys were fighting and killing bad guys to protect us!" Malphas happily announced. Lies. She told their children lies. The males glanced back at their other son who stood in the kitchen alongside his mother. There was nothing but pride and excitement shining in the little demon's eyes, truly fascinated by this little story their mother had told them. "You're like heroes!" Something sparked in Alucard and Sebastian's eyes. Heroes? Their sons viewed them as heroes? Not once in their long lives had they ever been viewed as the hero of the story. They were always the monsters, the villains, the creatures that deserved to die. But…to their sons they were…heroes? "Mum said that you both missed us terribly and wanted to come home, but you had to defeat all the bad guys first! Are all the bad guys dead, Daddy? Can you come home now?" The boy asked Sebastian. It took several seconds, but once the older demon processed it all, he smiled at his son.
"Yes," Sebastian purred. "We're officially home." Having hoped for that answer, Malphas jumped up and down while thrusting out his fists.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" The little demon chanted as he bounced all over the kitchen. Afterwards, he ran straight over to Sebastian.
"We did our best to protect Mum while you were gone!" Malphas announced, causing Seras to laugh.
"Protect her?" Sebastian questioned with furrowed brows. He hardly thought Seras needed protection. She could handle herself. Though, he supposed the boys were just trying to prove themselves and doing what they thought their fathers would want.
"I told them a lot of stories about when we were serving the Hellsing Organization." Seras explained to her mates, earning their attention. There was a grin on her face as she tried to keep from laughing. "They got the idea that I tend to get myself into trouble a lot and you two would need to bail me out every time. So, our sons vowed to take your roles and protect me while you two fought bad guys."
"I see," Sebastian muttered as he looked back at his rambunctious son. He then smiled down at him. "You both did very well. Thank you for that." He then patted the stool beside him. "Don't let your mother's blood go to waste. Why don't you sit down and drink it before it gets cold." Excitedly, the boy climbed up onto the stool to sit beside his father.
"Is it true that you're a demon, like me?!" Malphas asked with a starry eyed look. While he waited anxiously for an answer, he picked up his glass and started to drink from it. Sebastian chuckled at the silly question.
"Yes," He answered with a nod before he showed his son the demonic seal on the back of his left hand.
"Wicked!" The little demon exclaimed with blood on his lips. Despite him still smiling, a sad look suddenly appeared in Malphas' eyes. "I'm really glad there's another demon around now. I love Mum and Vlad, but…they're vampires, and…I feel…different from them sometimes. Like how Vlad wants to sleep in a coffin. Or how they always crave blood. I mean…blood is good and…it helps with my hunger, but…I want something more. Mum says it's souls that I crave, but I don't know. I don't really feel comfortable hurting someone for their soul. Is it like that for you?" No. Sebastian immediately thought, though he refrained from saying this answer out loud. Unlike his son, he had no problem killing anyone for their soul. But he could understand the cons of living with vampires. For one thing, vampires need sleep while demons don't. Personally, Sebastian preferred to sleep when his mate did because he found it comforting. But what of his son? Did Malphas stay up all morning while his mother and brother slept? It sounded rather lonely for a child.
"You're mother and brother are a little different from us, but it's not bad." Sebastian attempted to assure him.
"It's not bad!" Malphas agreed with a shake of his head. "I mean, we're not terribly different. But…I just can't help but feel that I am too different, you know? It's weird being the only demon in a family of vampires." The boy then smiled up at his father. "I don't feel so weird now that you're here. I'm really happy that you're a demon like me." Vlad, unable to look at either of his fathers, stared glumly at the counter. He held onto his teddy bear, a Christmas gift that was supposedly from his fathers or so his mother told him. He was happy that his fathers were home after hearing so much about them. But he couldn't help but feel…sad. Why? He glanced up at his mum to see her smiling so brightly. Both his mother and brother were so happy to have Alucard and Sebastian home. Why wasn't he happy? He's been looking forward to this day for so long. But…all he could feel was disappointment and a deep sadness, like something was over; something had ended. What was over? Vlad was startled when his mother placed her hand on top of his. Gasping, he emerged from his thoughts to focus his gaze on her. While the smile was still on her face, there was a clear look of concern in her eyes.
"Vlad, are you alright?" She asked while she used her thumb to stroke over the back of his hand. "You look a little sad, hon. Aren't you happy that your fathers are home?" He found that he didn't have the guts to look her in the eye for a second longer. Dropping his gaze, he instead focused on his pajama bottoms.
"Ye-yeah," He murmured. Things were going to change now, weren't they? How much different will home be now that Alucard and Sebastian were here? Will Mum still have time for them? Will they still have fun? Will she still read to them at night before the sun starts to rise? Will they still have their crazy Saturday nights where they try to stay up for as long as possible, stay in their pajamas, play board games, and watch movies? Will Mum still take them to the bookshop? Would she still hold him when he was scared? The boy's eyes widened then. Scared? What will his fathers think? Would they be disappointed? Was he a child they never wanted? Is that why they were gone for so long? Were they disappointed in him? His fathers didn't appear to be afraid of anything. Would they be upset with him when they find out he may act tough, but he actually gets scared pretty easily? So many thoughts ran through his head, each one making tears well up more and more in his eyes. He didn't want anything to change. He wanted it all to stay the same. He loved his fathers. He wanted them home. But he didn't want Mum to change because Alucard and Sebastian were here. He wanted everything to stay the same. Before he could cry, Vlad quickly grabbed his glass of blood and started to chug it. He closed his eyes tightly, fighting back the tears, and tried drowning the pain in his chest.
"Vlad, slow down. You're going to choke." Seras lectured him. As she predicted, the blood went down the wrong way causing her son to choke. He slammed the glass down on the counter as he went through a coughing fit. "What has gotten into you?" The mother wondered while she stared at him with her brows furrowed together.
"You should probably drink something, Seras." Sebastian advised. "You're looking a little pale, and you just drained four glasses of blood from your veins." While he sipped on his mate's blood, Alucard stared at his sons from the corner of his eye. He hadn't spoken a word to either of them since they made their presence known. He found himself a little tongue tied at the moment. He had always wondered how he would be like as a father, figuring he would do a better job than his own father. But, at the moment, all he could think about was his own father. All the abuse he endured over the years because of his selfish father. All the things that man sneered at him, making the hate grow more for him every day. Alucard had no desire to be anything like his father. And yet, he couldn't find the courage to speak a single word to either of his two sons. What kind of father did that make him? Was he so afraid that he could mess them both up with a single word? Perhaps this is why Seras excluded them. She was afraid that they would mess up raising their children. So far, she has done a decent job raising them on her own. Could he unintentionally erase all the work she did if he spoke to them? He was aware that he would have to say something to them eventually, but at the moment, he was still processing their existence and wondering how Seras could have kept their sons from them.
"Is it true that you were Mum's master?!" One of his sons asked. Focusing his gaze on Malphas, Alucard witnessed the boy staring directly at him. The child was full of such energy and looked unbelievably excited, as if he would explode at any minute from containing all of his excitement.
"Did you think I was lying to you?" Seras laughed, receiving a bright smile from her child.
"No," The boy drawled, sounding as if he may be questioning what Seras had told them. "I was just asking." Instead of immediately answering the child's question, the No Life King's eyes flickered around to meet everyone's gaze. Unlike the children, Seras and Sebastian were quite aware that Alucard hadn't spoken a word this entire time. It was more than unusual for him; they had never heard him so quiet before. It was almost like he was afraid to speak. Why was that? Was he regretting ever walking into this house?
"Alucard?" Seras whispered while pain glistened in her eyes. He could see how desperate she was for him to communicate with their children; to reveal to her how he truly felt about them. How did he feel, though? Besides the disappointment he felt in his Draculina, he felt…mesmerized, perhaps was the word. The children's existence truly astounded and baffled him, making him repeatedly do the math to add up their ages. But no matter how many times he confirmed that their age lined up with the last time they were with Seras, and no matter how much the two looked like him, Michaelis, and Seras, he still couldn't believe that the twins were their sons. He wasn't refusing to be their father; he fully acknowledged that he was. But their existence purely shocked him.
But how will he feel when the shock wears off? Will he be overprotective? A frantic parent? He hasn't been there a single day in their lives, and now knowing they existed, he was subconsciously aware that he was afraid that something will take them away from him. Will he be able to say 'I love you' to them? He hardly knew either of them, but simultaneously, just being here and seeing them, it felt like he already knew them. Such complex feelings. It felt like his head was swirling. He was unsure of how to take it all in. What step should he take? What words should he speak? Should he even speak? But not speaking to his sons could damage the relationship. However, speaking to them and saying something he shouldn't could also damage the relationship. Was he overthinking this? How? Usually Seras was the one who overthinks everything and he was the one to calm her down.
"Dad?" Malphas whispered when he didn't get an answer to his question. Hearing that one little word caused all of that chaos in Alucard's head to come to an abrupt stop. Dad? It felt so unusual to be referred to as such. At the most he expected something a little more formal, like father, but his son chose the word 'dad'. And he had no objection. Dad. He was their dad. Finally, Alucard looked back at the little demon to find him frowning. To help ease his son, the elder vampire gave him a genuine smile.
"Yes, I was your mother's master." He answered, earning a warm smile in return.
"It seems a little odd for a master to fall in love with his fledgling." The little demon giggled. "How did that happen?" Even Alucard didn't have an answer for that. How did he end up falling in love with Seras? When did it happen? Did those feelings start to stir while they were still servants for the Hellsing Organization? Or did it take place after? Alucard curiously glanced over at his mate. When did Seras start to develop feelings for them? Despite him being disappointed in her, the No Life King couldn't help but grin at his queen.
"As you said, your mother has a knack of getting herself into trouble. The stupidest thing she probably has ever done was managing to make two old monsters fall in love with her. How? I'm not entirely sure. Perhaps she's an enchantress or a siren." Alucard snickered, causing his little mate to blush while she smiled bashfully at him.
"No, she's your mate." Malphas corrected him through laughs.
"Do you…still love Mum or…did you…divorce her?" Vlad unexpectedly asked them this. All three adults looked at the child in astonishment. However, he didn't meet their gaze. He proceeded to stare hard at the counter with a clear frown on his pale face. "Is that why you guys never visit? Because you don't love Mum anymore? Or…" The boy trailed off for a minute. Swallowing the lump that grew in his throat, the boy tried speaking again. "Or is it because you don't love us?" Malphas blinked stupidly at his brother, unsure of how to dissect what he just said. He didn't really understand what his brother was talking about or why he would think such a thing.
"Divorce?" The little demon repeated before he glanced up at his mother. "What's that?"
"Where did you even learn that word, Vlad?" Seras asked out of curiosity. Feeling as if he was being ignored, Vlad clicked his tongue and turned his head away from her to glare at the floor.
"Never mind," He grumbled under his breath.
"No, your fathers and I aren't divorced." The mother told her son carefully, though they were never in any position to get a divorce. They still had yet to mate.
"And we are still very much in love with her." Sebastian added. Hearing this did bring Seras some form of comfort. It relieved her knowing that her mates didn't completely hate her after everything she had done. Did this mean that they were still willing to mate with her? They were going to stay and raise the children together?
"Divorce is something only humans do when they get into a relationship with the wrong person. When vampires mate, they mate for life. Divorce is not an option." Alucard further explained.
"We haven't actually mated with your mother yet." The demon admitted with a shrug. "But we know that she is our mate, so we don't intend on parting from her ever again."
"How do people mate?" Malphas asked, managing to make all three adults freeze up.
"Well," Sebastian murmured as he tried to find an appropriate way of explaining it to their six year old sons. But being completely stumped as to what to say next, he hesitated answering.
"It's kind of like," Seras attempted to explain. "How humans marry." A large grin crept onto the No Life King's face.
"Yes, it pertains to the fun part after the wedding." Alucard snickered.
"The fun part?" Vlad repeated while giving him a confused expression.
"What's the fun part after a wedding?" Malphas asked. Seras immediately gave Alucard a warning look before she quickly tried mending what he did.
"Dancing!" Their bride exclaimed hastily with a forced smile. Both of her sons looked up at her in surprise.
"Oh?" The little demon murmured.
"That's stupid." Vlad scoffed.
"It's tradition to dance after a wedding as a celebration." Seras added. She was practically sweating bullets much to Alucard and Sebastian's amusement. The demon hid a smile behind his hand and lightly chuckled.
"In particular, people like to do the devil's tango." Alucard couldn't help but agitate Seras more. Feeling utterly defeated, their mate dropped her head with a groan of exhaustion.
"Alucard," She muttered while shaking her head in disappointment. But, thankfully, the children didn't entirely understand what Alucard was getting at. Malphas smiled so brightly as he gave a charming giggle.
"It sounds like fun!" He chirped.
"It is." Sebastian snickered to help elevate Seras' blood pressure. On cue, his mate gave him a dark look from the corner of her eye.
You two are the worst! She growled in their heads, though they could have sworn they detected a hint of amusement in the tone of her voice. The mother then stood up right before looking back at her children.
"Why don't you two go back upstairs, alright? Your fathers and I need to talk for a bit." Seras used a soft, but authoritative tone. Her children gave her peculiar looks. Malphas seemed far more disappointed than Vlad that they had to part from their fathers so soon.
"Are they in trouble, Mum?" Malphas asked softly, hoping his parents weren't about to get into a fight. He knew his mother was normally pretty laid back. Even when he or Vlad did something wrong, she very rarely ever raised her voice. But he got a nagging feeling that something was wrong and that's why they wanted privacy to speak.
"No," The Draculina laughed while shaking her head.
"Are…you in trouble?" Vlad asked then with furrowed brows. The mother's face paled, but she did her best to keep that forced smile on her face.
"Your fathers and I aren't fighting." She refrained from answering his question. "We just want to talk." Her eyes then focused on the little vampire. "Vlad, you need to go make your bed and get dressed."
"Alright," The little vampire huffed as he instantly obeyed and jumped off of his stool. Instead of heading upstairs, however, he wandered into the living room to look for something.
"And what about me?" Malphas asked with a small smile. "What should I do?"
"Why don't you go play with Pandora in your room? Read to her if you like." Seras instructed him.
"I'll read her my new book!" The little demon exclaimed before he excitedly lunged out of his chair. He ran over to the big, white dog that still rested by the backdoor. "Come on, Pandora! I'm going to read to you!" Happily, the hellhound bounced to her feet while her tail wagged extra hard. Without hesitance, she chased after the young boy up the stairs and to his room. Vlad exited the living room carrying his teddy bear in one hand and in the other a Batman comic book.
"Vlad," Alucard spoke before the boy could head up the stairs. The little vampire paused on the bottom step and peeked at his father from over the banister. "To answer your question from before, the reason why Michaelis and I never visited isn't because we didn't love you." The No Life King told him carefully. Unbeknownst to him, Seras' face paled drastically. It looked like she was going to be sick at any minute. Everything was so messed up. Alucard opened his mouth to proceed, but never got the chance to finish what he was saying.
"It was because of me." Seras blurted without even thinking. Suddenly, her chest and shoulders became heavy when fully realizing the position she put herself in. She had been lying to her children this entire time. What kind of mother was she? And what kind of mate was she keeping her children from their fathers? While they have only known Vlad and Malphas for barely an hour, Alucard and Sebastian were so far doing very well with the children. Why had she been so scared to let Alucard and Sebastian into her children's lives? Why had she run away like a coward? Why had she been lying to her children nonstop since day one? "They weren't here because of me, Vlad." Alucard and Sebastian automatically glanced at Seras, looking purely shocked that she was outright admitting to it all. They couldn't understand what she was doing though. Why was she trying to tarnish her relationship with her son?
"What?" Vlad whispered, looking a little confused about what was being said.
"What your mother means," Sebastian quickly intervened. "Is that she was afraid that she was in danger." Seras' head snapped up to look at him in bewilderment. Why was he trying to save her? Why was he protecting her lies? The demon glanced back at the small boy on the stair and smiled warmly. "When she was pregnant with you and your brother, your mother got into a lot of trouble with some really nasty vampires, demons, and werewolves. To protect her, Alucard and I instructed her to run to the Netherlands to hide while we fought all those vile villains. Now that they have all been defeated, we can come home to be with you." Seras' mouth fell open when he lied so naturally, as if what he said was the absolute truth. Why did he lie for her? It shocked her further when Vlad smiled at this response.
"Oh," The boy exclaimed softly with a look of understanding. "That sounds like Mum."
"Your mother blames herself, but I don't, and I don't think you should either. What she did was to protect you from monsters." Sebastian proceeded, making Seras' heart ache in her chest.
"I'm not mad at Mum. She can be silly and clumsy, but I love her. I am sorry though that you couldn't come home because Mum got into trouble with some bad guys." The little vampire replied. The thought must have been really amusing to him because the child ended up laughing at his 'foolish' and 'careless' mother for getting into trouble and her mates having to bail her out. "Are all the bad guys really dead? You got every single last one of them that were coming after Mum?"
"Yes," Alucard swore to his son while giving him a nod. The smile on the child's face widened.
"Nobody will be coming after you, your brother, or your mother. You're all safe." Sebastian added softly.
"Thank you for protecting us." Vlad purred. The little vampire then climbed the stairs to go to his room and leave his parents alone to discuss certain matters.
End of Chapter Eight
I hope you guys enjoyed.
Oxford Not Brogues