Good evening,
I hope you enjoy the chapter.
Oxford Not Brogues
Chapter Nine
"Why did you do that?" Seras asked in a whisper. Alucard and Sebastian turned to look back at their clueless mate. "Why did you lie for me?"
"Why did you lie for us?" The No Life King questioned his queen. The small blonde's brows furrowed together in confusion. Alucard snickered before his eyes drifted down to stare into the blood he had left in his glass. Her blood. It would reveal the truth to him. But in order to get that truth, he would have to drink straight from her veins. "Perhaps we should be mad, or perhaps I'm wrong speaking for the both of us. Judging by that little speech Michaelis gave to Vlad, I'm assuming he feels the same as I do."
"I do," Sebastian agreed with a nod.
"As I figured," Alucard muttered before he took a sip of his mate's refreshing blood. "As I stated before, perhaps we should be mad that you ran, took our children from us, and fled to the Netherlands far away from us without a single explanation. It would be a lie if I said that I wasn't vexed or even disappointed in you, my dear. But angry? No, I don't feel anger." To confirm what he just said, a grin graced his lips. "Why, you may be asking. Because you didn't hide our existence from them. They know who we are and they love us. You could have lied some more. You could have told them that they didn't possess fathers or that you didn't know who their biological fathers were. You could have told them that we were horrific monsters that would hurt them. Even though at the time you were terrified of us, you still kept a perfect image of us for our children. You told our sons that we loved them and were doing everything in our power to protect them from the other monsters in this world. You told them stories about us, making us out to be heroes or knights in shining armor."
Something then sparked in the elder vampire's eyes and that grin on his face widened. "You told them openly that we were your mates and how much you loved us. You did all of that even though you could have saved them and yourself from so much pain by never mentioning us; of denying that they ever had fathers. But you didn't. Why did you lie for us, Seras? If you were so terrified of us, why would you lie and make us out to be the heroes when really we're the villains in your story?"
"You act like what I did was noble. It wasn't." Seras replied. "Alucard, you and Sebastian were never the villains in my stories. And yes, maybe I did run because I was terrified, but I realized how foolish and cowardice that was. I should have trusted you. I should have talked to you guys, but I didn't. I really screwed up and now I'm trying to fix things." The little vampire then sighed and lowered her gaze while she gathered her thoughts. "I wanted Vlad and Malphas to grow up knowing who their fathers were. I wanted them to believe that their fathers loved them more than anything else in this world and were risking their lives to keep us safe. I didn't have the guts to tell them the truth of why you guys were absent in their lives. I couldn't tell them that their mother was a coward who ran out on her mates all because she was afraid that they would gut her the second they realized she was pregnant. So, I lied. I told them that there were horrible, unsightly creatures that plagued this world and that their fathers were protecting them; fighting these ghastly creatures to keep us safe. The first time I ever told them that, there was just such a look of…awe on their faces. It was like they were witnessing their favorite superheroes coming straight out of their comic books. They wanted to hear more. They wanted to know about every single bad guy you two were fighting." A smile then appeared on Seras' face.
"Vlad and Malphas would run up to me each week and ask 'who are our dads fighting this week'. Every week, I would come up with a new story. Giving them a villain so despicable that our kids would try and guess what you two would do to defeat him. They always rooted for you guys. Every single time without fail, and they would cheer like crazy when the bad guy dies. With each story, they fell more and more in love with you both. But that's not where the lies ended. For every birthday and Christmas, I would always put out one mysterious gift and a note from you guys. Out of all their presents, that was always their favorite gift to open." The smile then fell from Seras' face and she lightly shook her head.
"I may have kept them from you guys, but I did my best to never keep you from them. Ever since they were just babies, I always showed them your pictures and told them who you guys were. I would tell them our stories from when we were at Hellsing. Vlad and Malphas love you both so much. You are their heroes. They aspire to be more like you every day. And God," Seras whispered as tears started to creep from the corner of her eyes. "Every day, Vlad and Malphas remind me of you guys. The way they act, talk, dress, and behave. They are like mini versions of you." Alucard and Sebastian couldn't help but smile. It was funny, she saw only them in Vlad and Malphas, but all they could see was so much of her in them.
"What did the notes say?" Sebastian asked softly. The Draculina lifted her head to look at the demon. "The ones you gave them on their birthdays and Christmases, the ones that were supposed to be from us?" She then gave him a small smile.
"Come on," Seras whispered as she gestured her head off to the side. "I'll show you."
"You've kept them?" Alucard asked as he got up from the stool.
"Of course," Their mate answered with a nod. "Vlad and Malphas persisted in keeping every little note. However, they started fighting over who had what or how many, so I had to put them all away."
"Neither of us actually wrote those notes though. You did. Why keep them?" Sebastian questioned with an arched brow.
"Because they meant everything to our sons. Why would I throw the notes away even if they are fake?" Seras asked with a shrug as she walked around the island. Since his bride hadn't yet replenished herself, the demon grabbed the two blood bags from the countertop. He then got up to follow her, but the three adults were interrupted. The two boys came running back down the stairs with Pandora at their feet. As if the hellhound was yelling at them for running, she barked like mad. However, as always, they ignored the dog. Bouncing off the last step, Vlad came to a halt in front of his parents. His twin brother, showing less grace, ran right into him. The two boys stumbled, and Malphas earned a dirty look from his brother. But regaining their balance, they looked up at their mum. Vlad was now fully dressed, wearing black shorts and a white button up shirt.
"Can we play outside?" Malphas asked as he pointed at the front door to their parents' right.
"I thought you were going to read to Pandora." The mother responded while she cocked her head to the side in a curious manner. The boy then held up the ball he had stuffed under his arm.
"I changed my mind. I want to play outside with Vlad." The little demon stated. "Can we?"
"That all depends," Seras responded while she knelt down to come to their level.
"On what?" Vlad sighed in annoyance and folded his arms over his chest.
"Don't get so impatient." His mother lightly lectured him as she gave him a warning look.
"Sorry," He grumbled and glared at the floor. The mother merely shook her head at her sometimes frustrating son.
"Vlad, did you make your bed?" Seras asked.
"I did!" Malphas exclaimed as he raised his hand up high and waved it about to get her attention.
"I know that you did." His mother laughed. "I was asking your brother." Her eyes then flickered back at her grumpy looking son. "Vlad, did you?"
"Yes," The little vampire huffed with a roll of his eyes.
"Try and be a little more respectful." Seras again lectured him. Vlad's blue eyes met with his mother's then.
"Sorry," He apologized once more. Afterwards, he gave a pleasant nod of his head. "Yes, I made my bed."
"Did either of you take care of Bell?" The mother asked. Such impatience and annoyance filled Vlad's eyes while he looked at his mother with such anguish.
"She's not even my cat!" The little vampire exclaimed angrily. "Why do I have to take care of her? She's Malphy's!"
"Vlad," Seras sighed. "We've been over this time and time again. Bell is the family's cat, meaning she belongs to you as well. Don't you love Bell? Don't you want to take care of her so she has a good life?"
"I guess," Vlad grumbled as he turned that annoyed gaze to the floor.
"I already fed her today, Mum." Malphas chimed in with such a bright smile.
"You're such a brown nose." The little vampire muttered under his breath.
"Mum!" The little demon whined as he pointed an accusing finger at his brother. "He just called me a brown nose!"
"Congratulations! You just upgraded yourself to tattletale!" Vlad responded in a sarcastic voice. The little vampire's eyes were sharp as he glowered at his brother, but that grin on his face was spine tingling, reminding her so much of Alucard's grin.
"At least I'm the good child, you bloodsucking dork!" Malphas retorted before nudging his brother hard in the ribs with his elbow. Instead of getting mad, Vlad snickered while amusement seeped into his eyes. He playfully nudged his brother back, getting the demon to laugh with him.
"You're the dork." The little vampire chuckled with a shake of his head.
"Why do you two always fight?" Seras sighed heavily as she rubbed a hand over her face. Her two sons then looked at her as if she just said the strangest thing ever.
"We don't always fight." Vlad corrected her.
"Yeah! Vlad and I don't always fight, Mum." Malphas echoed his brother.
"Well, at least you two agree on something for once." Their mother murmured with a soft smile.
"May we go outside now?" The little vampire asked.
"Sure," Seras responded before she leaned in to kiss her sons' on the top of their heads. "Just stay out of the garden. I don't want you ruining the vegetable patch like you did last time, Vlad. And take Pandora with you."
"We have to take her everywhere we go." Vlad grumbled with another roll of his eyes. "She's your hellhound. Shouldn't she be protecting you?"
"She's protecting what I love. Now go outside before I change my mind." Seras threatened. Panic seeped into the boys' eyes.
"Go!" Malphas yelled and then the two boys quickly scattered for the front door. Pandora barked at the boys and chased after them outside.
"Stay by the house!" The Draculina called out to her sons as she rose to her unimpressive height. Of course, her sons forgot to close the front door behind them, having been scared that she would change her mind. She didn't bother closing it either though. She felt better having it open so she could hear them at all times. Chuckling filled the foyer. Glancing over her shoulder, she witnessed the demon's shoulders bouncing up and down as he hid a smirk behind a hand. "What?" She asked as she smiled at him.
"Vlad and Malphas," He responded through chuckles. "They amuse me is all."
"Yeah," Seras murmured as she glanced out the front door to see where her children were. Vlad and Malphas already seemed to be having a good time as they kicked a ball back and forth to each other. "They can be handful sometimes, but I wouldn't give them up for anything in this world."
"Here," Sebastian whispered as he held something out to her. Shifting her head, she found him trying to hand her a blood bag. There was a tender smile on his face and a glimmer in his eyes that fully comforted Seras. "Drink this. You need to replenish yourself." Snickering, the girl took the blood bag from her overprotective mate.
"Thanks," She replied, but didn't bother with the bag afterwards. "You wanted to see the notes, right? They're in my bedroom." Grabbing the banister, Seras climbed the stairs. Sebastian didn't hesitate following after her. Alucard, on the other hand, paused to look outside at his two sons. The boys, at the moment, appeared content. There were such large smiles on their faces while they laughed. They played their little game of football and teased Pandora by running and kicking the ball away from her. The dog would only bark and chase after them while wagging her tail. Before Alucard really knew it, he was leaning against the door jamb with his arms crossed over his chest and intently watching them play. He had no desire to move. No desire to take his eyes off of them for even a second. Those smiles on their faces were infectious and their laughs were melodious.
What would he do if anything ever happened to those two boys? He understood then why Seras' fear ran so deep. She couldn't risk this. She couldn't trust anyone with her children, not even her own two mates. After all the things she witnessed them do, the stories she heard, she couldn't risk losing her babies to anyone. Could he really be mad or disappointed in her for wanting to keep their children safe, even if it was from them? The elder vampire sighed deeply through his nose. It hurt that she lacked faith in them. It hurt knowing that she took their children and ran. But how could he be disappointed by how great of a mother she turned out to be? The lengths she would go to protect their children? She would cut out anyone, even the people she loved, if that meant protecting her babies.
Realization then stirred in Alucard's eyes when an old memory came back. I abandoned my mates to protect them. Those were the words Seras used. The words that haunted the No Life King for the past seven years. He had always figured that she meant she was protecting him and Michaelis, but now it suddenly all made sense. Protect Vlad and Malphas. In that small moment, Alucard wondered how he had missed that. Was the answer always right there under his nose? Should he have known that she was pregnant from the start? Finally pulling his gaze away from his sons, Alucard leaned his head back to peek up the stairs. Seras and Sebastian were gone, having disappeared into one of the rooms upstairs. He needed to know more. He wanted to see how it all happened. From the moment she learned that she was pregnant to when she decided to flee.
"Where's Lilith?" Alucard heard Sebastian ask somewhere upstairs. Turning, the elder vampire left his children to play outside as he wandered towards the stairs.
"I'm not sure." Seras responded. "Probably somewhere with Bell. Maybe they're in Malphy's room?" The stairs creaked lightly under Alucard's heavy boots. His cool hand brushed along the banister as he climbed the stairs to the top. Just across from the staircase appeared to be Seras' bedroom. The bedroom light was on and he could hear movement while shadows danced on the wall.
"Do you need help?" The demon asked. Approaching the room, Alucard found the two standing in front of her closet. On a high shelf were two lavender boxes stacked on top of one another. Seras was on her tiptoes, doing her best to try and grab the box that was on the top.
"No," She murmured. Her fingers brushed over the box, but it was evident that she wouldn't be able to reach it without some assistance.
"Here," Sebastian chuckled as he easily leaned over her to grab the highest box.
"I almost had it." Seras told him with a faint blush on her cheeks.
"I saw, darling." The demon snickered as he carried the hat box over to the bed. "We would have been here all night." He couldn't help but tease her some. In such a childish manner, Seras stuck her tongue out at him. Shaking his head at her, Sebastian opened the box to find a small pile of notes. Allowing him a moment to look through the box, the small blonde headed over to the bed to sit down. Her eyes peeked into the box to see what was left over, but didn't bother pulling anything else out. She would let Sebastian go at his own pace and read through everything, if he wanted to. Glancing back up at the demon, she watched silently for a moment as he sped read a few of the notes she had written.
"I wanted to mimic your's and Alucard's handwriting; I wanted the notes to be as realistic as possible, so I took up calligraphy." The little vampire admitted softly as she watched him read through the notes.
"It's not bad," Sebastian whispered. He could tell how hard she worked with every note. He wondered how often she scraped what she had started only to begin again because it wasn't perfect enough for her. She most certainly got Alucard's handwriting down, but he couldn't say the same for his own. He couldn't blame her though; he did have a rather unique style that not many could copy. Lowering the notes, the demon noticed that there was more in the box. "What's this?" Sebastian asked as he removed a thick pile of envelopes. Before Seras could answer, he read what was written on the envelopes. Immediately, his eyes widened before his head snapped to the side to give his mate a look of astonishment. "Our sons tried writing us letters?" Looking guilty, the small blonde looked elsewhere while frowning.
"They started when they were around…four." Seras whispered. "And since then, they've been writing you guys letters once or twice a month." A gentle smile then appeared on her lips. "As soon as they learned how to write, they immediately attempted at writing letters to the both of you. Because they were so excited, the first couple of letters turned out to be mostly scribbles. But as they practiced more, the more they improved."
"I'm guessing that they don't know that you haven't sent these letters." Sebastian muttered as he glanced back down at the large pile. He shuffled through them carefully, reading who each letter was for and from. This letter was from Vlad to Sebastian. This one was from Malphas to Alucard. This one was from Vlad to both of his fathers. Letter after letter, seeing their writing and spelling improve within the last two years.
"No, they don't." Seras responded with a shake of her head. "But, on your behalf, I responded to each and every letter."
"Thank you," The demon whispered, though he didn't truly sound or look grateful. There was only a glimmer of disappointment in his eyes while he stared at those letters. His little mate's eyes flickered between him and the pile of envelopes he held.
"I am sorry, Sebastian." The Draculina spoke as the guilt ate at her. However, the demon didn't respond. He didn't even look in her direction.
"I want to see how it all happened." Alucard demanded softly. Seras shifted her head to look at the elder vampire that stood in the doorway of her bedroom.
"What?" She whispered. The somewhat intimidating man entered the room. His dark red eyes were locked onto hers as he steadily approached her.
"I want to see why you ran. I want to know what aided you in your decision to take our children away from us." The No Life King elaborated. Automatically, Sebastian placed the envelopes back in the hatbox before looking back at his mate.
"I would like answers as well." The demon interjected. There was a flicker of anger in their eyes. Were they finally expressing how they truly felt about her betrayal? Seras had to wonder. She may be a little dense, according to some people, but she wasn't a complete fool. She knew that an apology wouldn't make up for all the years they missed with their children. Alucard and Sebastian had every right to be angry with her. She could only hope that they can work through this. Their mate gave a small nod of her head.
"You both deserve an answer." She agreed softly. "But…when you do review my memories, I don't want you guys focusing just on the bad." The men gave her a peculiar look. "I want you to also focus on the good." Seras then gave them a gentle smile. "Dig through my memories. See the birth of our children, their first steps, their first words, whatever you want to see. I want you both to see our children grow and how they came to be who they are today. Alright?" Some tenderness broke through that look of displeasure that glinted in their eyes. Before they could even return their mate's smile, they were being interrupted. Malphas ran up to her bedroom door.
"Mum!" The little demon whined. "Vlad broke your flower pot on purpose and got himself hurt!"
"It wasn't on purpose!" They heard the little vampire scream from somewhere downstairs. "You nark!"
"It was definitely on purpose." Malphy whispered to his parents.
"No, it wasn't!" Vlad growled from downstairs.
"How can he hear me?" The little demon murmured, looking simultaneously amazed and confused.
"Where is your brother?" Seras sighed as she got up off the bed. Malphy shifted to point behind him.
"Sitting in the front door looking pathetic." The little demon responded.
"I am not pathetic!" Vlad yelled, but he was ignored. Malphas then shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't get it, Mum. Why is he making such a big deal out of it? He can heal." Her son asked.
"I don't know, hun." The Draculina muttered as she walked past him. "Why don't you stay with your fathers while I deal with your brother." But the boy didn't listen. He quickly followed after his mother, practically on her heels with every little step she took. The mother, completely used to this behavior, merely ignored him as she descended the stairs. She found her other son sitting in the front door leaning back against the door jamb. Vlad's knees were bleeding, which she could only figure was because chunks of clay pot were sticking out of him. His palms were also all scratched up and some skin had been torn off the bottom of his chin.
"How did this happen?!" Seras asked while she gestured at him. Since she knew that her sons could heal quite easily, she normally wasn't ever concerned when they got hurt. Her boys in particular were always playing rough and managing to get themselves hurt. Usually, her sons get right back up after getting injured and continue playing, even if they were still bleeding because pain didn't bother them. Hell! Just last week, Vlad broke his arm and proceeded to play as if the arm wasn't bent the opposite way. So, why was Vlad on the floor now pretending to be injured? Upon seeing his mother, tears welled up in the little vampire's eyes and his breathing accelerated.
"I was playing and Malphas kicked the ball towards me. But it was going too fast. And I missed kicking it, so it shot past me and hit your flower pot. And I ran to get the ball, but slipped and fell into the pieces." The boy started to explain through soft sobs.
"That's not what happened!" Malphas immediately intervened. Their mother kneeled in front of Vlad to check his wounds. "That's not what happened at all, Mum!" The little demon then started tapping on his mother's shoulder to get her attention. "That's not what happened! He's lying!" The mother, however, ignored him. She knew fully well that Vlad was lying. Whenever he lied, he would keep full eye contact with her without blinking and his voice would go an octave lower than usual. She just didn't understand why he was lying in this particular case. "I kicked the ball towards him and he caught it, Mum! It was a definite foul since you're not supposed to use your hands in football! You know that! And he should know that because we play this game all the time! But he caught it anyway! I saw him eyeing your flower pot! And before I knew it, he was kicking the ball right at it! And he didn't slip and fall into the shards, Mum! He purposely ran right for it and dive bombed onto the shards! He's a liar! Why are you lying, Vlad?!"
"Malphas!" Seras raised her voice, her tone hinting at her annoyance. She turned her head to give the little demon a stern look, but after seeing the stunned expression on his face she composed herself. "Thank you for telling me, but let me handle this. Alright?" She told him in a calm voice. Malphy nodded his head lightly.
"Alright," He whispered, though he still looked troubled from his mother raising her voice at him. Sighing, the mother looked back at her other son. His blood was on her fingers and palms, getting into almost every little crease and line; it really pronounced her fingerprints.
"Vlad, why aren't you healing yourself?" Seras asked, using a strict tone.
"I…I don't know." Vlad answered hesitantly before he hastily tore his gaze away from hers. "Maybe there's something wrong with my body."
"Vlad, you just got a glass of fresh blood in your system. There should be nothing wrong with your abilities. Why aren't you healing yourself?" The mother asked once more.
"Mum, I'm hurt and I'm bleeding. Will you please fix it?" The little vampire asked as he glanced back up at her to give her puppy dog eyes.
"Oy vey," Malphas murmured under his breath and he rolled his eyes at his dramatic brother. Seras couldn't understand what Vlad was doing. Clearly he was seeking attention from her, but why? He's never done this before. He's never purposely hurt himself just to get her attention. Why now? What should she do? Ignore this subtle tantrum for attention and lecture him? Or give him the bit of attention he wanted and try to talk with him?
"Fine," Seras whispered when making up her mind.
"Are you sure that is the best way to handle this?" Sebastian intervened. The Draculina glanced over her shoulder to find Alucard and Sebastian standing close to the staircase behind Malphas. They looked displeased that she was actually giving Vlad exactly what he wanted.
"I'm not sure," Their mate admitted with a shake of her head. "But let me clean him up and talk with him, and then we'll get back to what we were discussing." The mother then climbed to her feet and held her hand out to her son. "Come on, Vlad."
"I can't get up, Mum." The little vampire whined. "My knees hurt."
"Vlad," Seras clicked her tongue in frustration. "You and your brother both don't experience pain like others. You both handle it extremely well, almost like you were born without pain receptors. You proved that you are desensitized to pain when you broke your arm last week and didn't so much as bat an eye. You continued to laugh and play. And what about all the other times you fell and scraped your knees? It never bothered you before. You would heal yourself in the matter of seconds and continue playing. But for some reason, you're refusing to heal yourself and claiming that it hurts." Vlad glared at the floor while he kept his lips in a thin line. She could see that tears were welling up in his eyes, but this time they didn't appear to be crocodile tears like earlier. "Now, standup and take my hand so I can clean you up in the bathroom." Clenching his fists, the boy did shand up, but he refused to take her hand.
"Forget it!" Vlad exclaimed angrily. He threw Alucard and Sebastian a withering glare before he ran back outside. Taken back by that look he gave, the males frowned at their son. What did they do wrong to deserve that look?
"Vlad!" Seras called out for him when witnessing the fresh tears running down his face. "Where are you going?" A look of guilt appeared in the mother's eyes. Had she been too harsh on him? Should she have just taken him into the house and cleaned up his wounds without saying anything? Give him the attention he wanted? "What is going through his head?" Seras whispered. Why was he acting like a spoiled three year old? Why was he suddenly aching for more attention from her? Has she not given him enough? Whenever he got scared, she never denied him a hug or to sleep beside her in her bed. She always listened to him when he talked and played with him and his brother every chance she got. They would watch movies together and she would read to them in the early morning to help them fall asleep. It seemed like she was spending most of her time with her two boys. But, somehow, Vlad was feeling neglected. How? Why? What did she do wrong as a mother? The Draculina turned to look at her mates.
"I'm sorry, could you both watch Malphas while I go talk to Vlad?" Seras asked of them with a look of desperation glimmering in her forlorn eyes. Sebastian didn't hesitate nodding his head in agreement.
"Of course," The demon whispered.
"Thanks!" The mother of their children responded before she ran off to look for her son. Malphy leaned his head far back to stare at his two tall fathers upside down. Alucard and Sebastian both peered down at the tiny demon who stared at them in amazement. A giant smile then crossed over the child's face and he beamed up at them.
"Do you guys want to see my bone collection?!" He asked his fathers excitedly.
"I apologize, but did you just say bone collection?" Sebastian questioned with his brows furrowed together.
"Don't worry! They're animal bones!" The child laughed. Mum wouldn't let me collect human ones. They overheard their son's thoughts. Malphy then happily ran up the stairs to head to his room. "Come on!" He encouraged his fathers to come see his collection he's been working on for the past two years.
Following the sound of crying, Seras found her 'oldest' son hugging his legs under an old oak tree. Laying beside him was Pandora who did her best to try and cheer the child up. She lovingly licked at his tearstained face, but nothing she did soothed the boy.
"Vlad," Seras whispered as she slowly approached her son.
"Leave me alone," Vlad grumbled as he hugged his legs tighter to his body. He buried his face away in the crease of his legs, refusing to look at his mother.
"Vlad, talk to me." The mother begged before she sat down in the grass in front of him.
"No!" The child defied her. His body started to shake, but she couldn't tell if it was out of anger or sadness. "You won't listen!"
"Yes, I will, sweetie." Seras promised him.
"I just wanted you to look at my boo-boos, give me a bandaid, and kiss my hurting knees." Vlad admitted through sobs. "Why can't you be a normal mum?" Hearing that stung Seras. She knew perfectly well that their family was different from mortal families. But was she not a normal mum in her children's eyes?
"But, Vlad, you're…a vampire." The mother reminded him hesitantly. Would this only make things worse? "Unlike other children, you can heal without leaving so much as a scar behind. And…you don't feel…"
"I don't feel pain!" Vlad interrupted before he lifted his head to reveal his tearstained face. He looked up to glare at his mother. "I get it! I'm different! But just because I don't feel pain doesn't mean that I don't want you kissing my knee when I hurt myself!"
"I guess I can understand that." Seras muttered as she thought about all the times her mother and father kissed her bandaged knees to bring her comfort. It always did make her feel better; it was like the pain would vanish completely. It was purely silly for a child to believe that parents' could heal all wounds, but was it silly to think that a parent naturally brings a child comfort? That's all her son wanted. Comfort from a parent. Perhaps she was lacking empathy in that department. Just because her sons could heal themselves didn't mean that they didn't want her to worry a little and kiss their injuries. "I'm sorry, Vlad." The mother stared at her child as he proceeded to glare at her through his giant tears. "Is that why you hurt yourself and why you refused to heal? You wanted me to be like other mums and take care of you?" Feeling a little bashful now, the boy's gaze drifted down and he gave a small nod of his head. "I love you more than anything, hon. If you want me to clean up your wounds and kiss your boo-boos, then I will. But I don't want you purposely hurting yourself just to get my attention." Vlad said nothing in return. He only sat there and gingerly gnawed on his bottom lip. "Vlad, promise me that you won't do something like this again." The little vampire glanced up at her. She could tell that something more was bothering him. There was such sadness in his perfect blue eyes.
"What?" Seras whispered as she inched closer towards her son. Instinctively, she reached out to take his hand. "What's wrong, Vlad?" A look of bewilderment shot across his features.
"How did you…" The boy started, but trailed off.
"How did I know that something else was wrong?" The mother asked. Vlad stared at her for a moment and then nodded his head. The Draculina gave him a small smile. "I'm your mother. I can always tell when something is wrong." Using her other hand, she combed her fingers through his messy hair. "You can always talk to me, Vlad." The sad look only deepened in the boy's eyes before he looked away from her.
"I know," He whispered, though he didn't sound too convinced.
"You can tell me what's wrong." Seras proceeded.
"Nothing," The boy sighed heavily, looking a little exhausted from their talk. He then glanced back up at his mother. "I'm sorry I broke your flower pot, Mum." He changed the subject entirely. Seras frowned when Seras refused to tell her what was truly bothering him. She couldn't force him to talk, but she did hope that he would eventually come around and talk to her at great length about his problems.
"It's alright. I'll give you a chore or two more to do so you can pay it off." The mother told him, earning a deep groan from the boy.
"I hate chores." He muttered under his breath. "How does Malphas do it? He loves chores. I don't get it." Vlad's blue eyes flickered up to meet his mother's gaze once more. "Are you sure we're related to him?" Seras laughed sweetly at her son before kissing him on the forehead.
"You two may be different, but he is most definitely your brother, Vlad." His mother whispered. A smile then appeared on the boy's face and he chuckled.
"He is a pain in the butt, but…" Vlad trailed off for a moment as the smile grew on his face. "I really do like having him as a brother." The smile was quick to vanish from his face. "Don't tell him I told you that though. He'll get cocky if he ever finds out and will rub it in my face that I actually like him."
"You both do tend to get on each other's nerves, but I hope that you two will always be inseparable." Seras spoke softly with a warm glimmer in her eyes.
"What about us?" The child asked hesitantly.
"Us?" The Draculina repeated with a look of confusion.
"You and me." Vlad elaborated. "Will we always be inseparable?" There was such a look of worry in the child's eyes.
"There will be a time when you'll want to leave the nest and find your own home. There will be times where we will fight and you will want space from me. But, I can assure you, son, that I will always be there when you need me. From now until eternity, I am your mother and I love you with all of my heart. Wherever you may be or whenever it may be, even if there is a great distance between us, I will be there when you need me." Seras promised him. The boy then spread his arms wide as he fought back tears.
"Can I have a hug?" He asked in a whisper.
"Of course you can," The mother replied while she reached out to wrap her arms around her child. She pulled the little vampire into her lap to settle. The boy naturally raveled his arms around her neck before burying his face in her chest. The two then just sat there under the tree. She rubbed over his back and waited patiently for him to recompose himself.
Up in Malphas' room, Alucard and Sebastian were being shown a collection of bones from the youngest twin. The room was extremely tidy. Despite the bed having been made perfectly, without a single crease in it, it was being occupied by a very large white tiger and a very small grey cat that were both fast asleep. To the right of the doorway was a large bookcase that was stocked full of horror books, all ranging from short stories to graphic novels to stories that were rather long for a six year old. Was his mother truly alright with him reading so many horror stories? Then again, the first time they saw Seras in over seven years, she was holding a book full of short horror stories they could only assume was for Malphas. She must be alright with it then. Sebastian pondered to himself as he stared at all those books. His desk was fairly organized besides an out of place shoe box that was nearly full of bones. The fathers stood over their six year old son as he pulled bone after bone out and told them exactly what it was and what animal it was from.
"This is an ilium from a bat." Malphas stated before he handed the small, fragile piece off to one of his fathers. "This is an owl's sternum. This is a fox's humerus. And this is a snake's fang. And this is a wolf pup's skull." The boy went on and on proudly.
"You're very knowledgeable for a six year old. How do you know the names for all these bones?" Sebastian asked as his son handed him another bone to admire. Excited from the question his father asked, the boy practically slammed down his box, causing the bones to rattle inside. The two men jolted when Malphas rambunctiously ran over to his bookshelf to grab a very large book. He held it up over his head to show his fathers with such a large smile on his face.
"Mum got me this book for Christmas! It shows me all kinds of different animals and their anatomy! I got bones down! But now I'm starting to learn about muscles and tendons!" Malphas told his fathers. He then shifted the giant book in his arms so he could crack it open. "I really love this book. Mum promised to buy me another for my birthday." All over again, a look of excitement sprouted from the child's eyes and he looked back at his fathers. "Our birthday is only six months away! I can't wait to be seven!" The little demon announced as he bounced up and down.
"Where did you get all of these bones?" Alucard asked out of curiosity while he examined the great number of bones his son collected in the last two years.
"Outside," The boy stated with a shrug, as if this answered his father's question. Eventually, he explained himself a little more. "There's a small wooded area not too far from home. Sometimes Mum will take Vlad and me out there. I came across these deceased animals."
"You're not telling us the full truth, Malphas." Sebastian lectured his son with a wag of his finger. The little demon's eyes widened in bewilderment.
"You can tell when I'm lying?" Malphas whispered with furrowed brows. It was rare when he did it, but even his mum didn't know when he was lying, and she was normally great at telling when Vlad was lying! His fathers merely grinned at him and chuckled in amusement. "Alright," The boy sighed and lowered his gaze. "I did kill one animal because I really, really wanted to add one of his bones to my collection. But…" The child trailed off to frown. "I felt awful afterwards, and…I couldn't tell Mum what I did because I knew she would have been upset. I swear though, I only did it once! All the other bones I've collected are bones I found or were given by Mum and Vlad."
"We believe you." Sebastian promised. The little demon then glanced up at his fathers with a look of panic in his eyes.
"Please don't tell Mum what I did! I don't want her to be disappointed! It also took a while to get her to agree to letting me keep my collection. I'm afraid if she finds out what I did, she will make me get rid of my entire collection." Malphas begged them.
"We won't tell her." Alucard vowed with a snicker. The little demon sighed in relief and let his shoulders sag.
"Thank you," He whispered with a soft smile. "Do you want to see more bones?" Before either of his fathers could answer, the boy ran back over to his desk. Setting his giant book down, the boy grabbed his box and started pulling out more bones to hand to them. "This is a mandible from a prairie dog." Alucard and Sebastian smiled warmly at their son as he shared his collection with them.
End of Chapter Nine
I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Oxford Not Brogues