FLASHBACK

Sypha gasped in horror and let out an agonizing cry as the castle tower that had contained Alucard's room exploded in a searing white light and began to crumble toward the ground. She covered her eyes and turned away.

She did not consciously know Alucard was there next to her. She had expected to crumple to the floor in agony. Instead, her grief-stricken body was encircled in his arms and her hot streaming tears were soaked up by his shirt. Her legs gave way beneath her, but the strong arms of her dearest friend held her upright.

He was gone! He had given his life to save her and everyone else. But how was she to go on without him?

"Trevor! Trevor!" she sobbed, fisting her hands in Alucard's shirt.

...oOo...

Alucard scooped Sypha up in his arms as she clung to him. Her tears had stopped, and her breathing had slowed. She did still let out the occasional sniffle or hiccup, but he was fairly certain she had finally cried herself to sleep. He carried her to one of the guest bed chambers in the castle.

Greta had sought him out earlier after she and the villagers had witnessed, from the ground, what had happened. When she found him with the distraught Sypha in his arms she was relieved that he was alive but concerned for his grieving friend. Alucard gave her an imploring look and she nodded understandingly and withdrew. She knew what needed to be done.

Greta had a room prepared for Sypha complete with a blazing fire and clean clothes. She also went and found the laudanum among the castle's medical stores to have on hand in case Alucard deemed it necessary for Sypha's comfort.

Alucard laid her down in the bed and Greta tucked the counterpane around her.

Sypha whimpered and her hand slid along the sheets as if reaching for someone. In a mournful pleading voice, his name escaped her lips, "Trevor!" Tears slid down her cheeks, but she did not wake.

Alucard summoned a few bats from the depths of the castle and gave them orders to watch over Sypha and send for him immediately if she wakes. They took up station among the ceiling joists, hanging upside down and folding their wings upon their breasts.

When Alucard was satisfied all was in order for his mourning friend he turned to Greta. He shared a sad smile with her and placing a hand on the small of her back he escorted her from the room. After quietly shutting the door, he expressed his heartfelt thanks to Greta. It was then that his own grief settled upon him. He hung his head, his shoulders sagged, and his body began to sway.

Greta wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek to his chest. She knew she would not be able to hold him up, but she could anchor him and hopefully that would be enough.

Alucard wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. Drawing from her love and strength he managed to stay upright and prevent too many tears from escaping his eyes. He would miss that son of a bitch Belmont. Their friendly rivalry, verbal sparring and bandying of barbs masked a deeper friendship. He and Trevor and Sypha shared a bond that no other could replace. He was certain the loss he felt was like that of losing a beloved brother. And it broke his heart to see Sypha in such agony of spirit.

He became conscious of Greta rubbing circles on his back and whispering words of comfort. Not since his mother had he felt such genuine affection. His heart swelled and he clutched her tighter.

"Thank you, Greta," he whispered in her ear, placing a kiss there. "I need to get to work. I must be ready to support her. Let us go and see if there are any remains in the rubble."

"Some of the men are already working on it," she replied. She took his hand in hers and they laced their fingers together as they descended the stairs.

When they exited the castle Alucard could see that the villagers were already hard at work. They were burning the carcasses of the dead night creatures and hauling away the rubble from the battle and the destroyed castle tower. He and Greta headed in that direction.

Greta spoke with some of the men. She turned back to Alucard and told him that they had found no remains as yet.

"Saint Germain was there as well," he informed her.

She closed her eyes and said a quick prayer for his soul and another for Trevor's. Turning back to her people she told them they were looking for the remains of two men, not just one.

At that moment then one of the workers shouted, "Mistress, I think I found something."

Greta and Alucard rushed over. The man held up Trevor's combat cross, or at least what was left of it. The circular hilt and two broken blades were all that remained. It was still covered in blood. Alucard took the weapon and smelled the blades.

"This is human blood," he proclaimed. "And it's not Trevor's." Saint Germain? Alucard wondered to himself.

"Thank you," Greta told the man, "Good work. Keep digging."

Alucard set the combat cross aside and joined the search.

After hours of digging and removing rubble, no remains had been found. Still, Alucard and the men kept at it. Greta and the women of the village would bring food and water for the laborers. Greta was still concerned for Alucard but he continued to reassure her that he was fine and that he had to do this for Sypha as well as himself.

Every so often a bat would appear, flapping around Alucard, reporting to him on Sypha's status. She had not yet awoken but was sleeping restlessly.

While sifting through a particularly dense pile of rubble, Alucard caught sight of something glinting in the sunlight. As he doubled his efforts, he found it was a chain. Alucard instantly knew what it must be.

He stood there staring at it for a moment. "Vampire Killer," he said aloud to himself. What had once offended him as a tool used to murder his kin had now become the precious relic of a deceased friend.

Greta had noticed his previous change in attitude and the renewed effort with which he worked and had approached him. She reached him in time to hear his words.

"What did you say?" she asked curiously, bringing him out of his thoughts.

Alucard blinked and shook his head. "Trevor's morning star whip," he replied looking at her and indicating the chain in the pile, "Also called 'Vampire Killer'," he smirked sardonically.

"Help me dig?" he requested.

She smiled her reply and moved to join him.

As they dug through the rubble they uncovered more and more of the chain until at last they found the handle end. From there they concentrated their efforts on the other end.

"Damn you Belmont," Alucard cursed, wiping the sweat from his brow, "Why did you have to have such a long ass weapon."

After about an hour of digging and yards and yards of chain, not to mention the recovery of some of Alucard's childhood toys and other effects, they finally found the morning star end of the whip, it was pretty well battered and beaten, as if it had fought the good fight – just like the man who had wielded it.

Alucard coiled it up and laid it next to the combat cross. Greta fetched him a tankard of ale and the two of them sat down to rest.

"Still no bodies," sighed Alucard, taking a swig.

"Isn't that odd? I mean, it's impossible that we shouldn't find anything, right?" inquired Greta.

"Well, when you are fighting the elemental entity known as 'Death' I suppose nothing is impossible," he replied.

"What about Saint Germain?" she asked.

"My guess is that they were all completely incinerated in the blast," Alucard lamented hanging his head.

"I'm sorry," Greta said wrapping her arm around him. "This will make it harder on Sypha."

"Yes," replied he, "Shall we go and check on her?"

Alucard stood and offered Greta his hand. She took it to rise and kept it. Alucard picked up the weapons and returned to the castle. On the way to Sypha's room he stopped in his study and placed the weapons in a drawer of his desk and locked it. He would decide what to do with them later.

….oOo….

PRESENT DAY

Trevor sat behind Sypha on the bed supporting her back and allowing her to grip his hands like a vice as she bore down for the next contraction. She had been in labor for over five hours and was finally pushing. He whispered loving words of encouragement in her ear while Greta wiped the sweat from both of their foreheads.

All her speaker memorization and magic training had not prepared Sypha for childbirth. This was painful, exhausting, and it downright sucked. But her Trevor was here, and they had a bright future ahead of them with their son, who, if she could just get through a few more contractions, Alucard assured her, would arrive shortly. With that positive thought in mind and Trevor's sweet words in her ear she bore down and pushed again.

"I can see the head," announced Alucard looking up at her, "I want you to breathe through the next contraction and push again on the one after that."

Sypha nodded. It would all be over soon, she kept telling herself and her bouncing baby Belmont boy would be in her arms.

Trevor continued to reassure her and placed kisses along her sweaty skin, his scruff tickling her along the way and providing a needed distraction. He was wonderful. She couldn't imagine doing this without him as had almost happened.

She had a fleeting memory of moment she first realized she was pregnant, and she still believed Trevor was dead.

…..

It was a week after the battle, and she was still deeply grieving. Near constant tears, continual sleep, and lack of appetite were expected. The dizzy spells were easily explained by the lack of food, but the nausea made no sense whatsoever.

Alucard was concerned for her health, so he poured over his mother's books until the most obvious answer struck him.

"Sypha," he came to her one day and asked, "how long has it been since your last menses?"

Sypha's jaw dropped. "Two months," she said, incredulous. "Oh, my goodness! I'm pregnant!"

She began to laugh and cry at the same time. Overjoyed to be having Trevor's child but immensely sad that he would not be there to share a lifetime of experiences with her and their child, she threw herself down on the bed and sobbed, rubbing her belly where their child now grew.

And then it dawned on her. Trevor's last words, "Just remember, Trefor is a terrible name." Somehow, he must have known. It was comforting to realize that Trevor knew they would have a child.

…..

She made it through the next contraction without pushing. With the following one she was back to pushing again and the head came out.

"Just perfect, Sypha," Alucard told her, "One more push should do it."

"Are you ready, love?" Trevor asked.

Sypha nodded.

"Are you ready to meet our son?"

She turned and gave him a big smile despite the pain. He lowered his head and kissed her. She pulled away as soon as the next contraction hit.

Gritting her teeth she grunted through her last push, her face turning bright red with the exertion, and their child was born.

"It's a boy!" Alucard proclaimed definitively.

"We know," Sypha and Trevor answered adamantly in unison. It had become a long-standing debate (all in good fun, of course) between the couple and the dhampir as to how Trevor could possibly know the baby would be a boy. Sypha had total faith in Trevor, but Alucard just had to badger him.

"I told you it would be," Trevor haughtily retorted, leaning back with a satisfied smirk on his face and lacing his fingers behind his head.

"Do you really think I had any faith in your Belmont voodoo intuition?" Alucard teased him as he wrapped the screaming newborn in a blanket and handed him to Sypha.

"Oooooh," Sypha crooned, "Trevor he's beautiful!" She smiled down at her baby as she held him close. He calmed at the sound of his Mama's voice and snuggled against her warmth.

"Hey little fella," said Trevor looking over Sypha's shoulder and nudging the baby's hand with his finger. The tiny fist opened and grasped his father's proffered digit.

Greta, examining the babe's features from her vantage at the bedside, proclaimed, "He looks like you, Trevor." Then she inquired, "Have you chosen a name yet?"

"Yes," the new parents replied. Sypha looked lovingly at Trevor.

"Go ahead and tell them," he encouraged her.

Looking at her child with adoration and stroking his velvety soft cheek she announced, "Simon Adrian Belmont."

Alucard was surprised. They had given the child's middle name after him. "I-I don't know what to say," he stammered.

"Ha!" exclaimed Trevor triumphantly, "We struck the mouthy dhampir speechless."

Alucard scowled at him. Looking to Sypha he said, "I am truly honored."

"Don't thank me," said Sypha, indicating with a toss of her head, "He insisted on choosing the name." Then, placing a hand to her mouth feigning to block the words from her husband, she said in a loud whisper, "Afraid I would still want to name him Trefor."

The four friends laughed heartily.

Trevor wrapped his arms around his wife and son. Placing a kiss behind her ear he whispered, "I love you, Sypha."

Pressing her cheek to his and hugging their child closer, she replied, "I know."