Chapter One: Goodbyes, Ends and New Beginnings.
A/N: This chapter isn't going in chronological order.
Three… Almost four years had passed since Lincoln had become a Vampire. But Lincoln's body had continued to grow and he looked like he had aged almost twice that much. Six years instead of three years. Not that much, objectively speaking. But he was getting his mileage out of that continued aging spell.
Lucy, who had graduated now with her Bachelor's Degree from Northwestern University, was helping Lincoln pack their stuff. They'd told their family that they were moving to Massachusetts. Lynn, who was always up for showing off her physical abilities had come to help pack most days. She'd finished with the 2028 Summer Olympics and she'd, in her words, 'smoked the competition'. In fact, she'd set new new world records in the triathlon, track and other similar events. She showed that once again, she had improved from the last time she'd been in the Olympics in 2024.
"Hey, Stinko! Where do you want this!" Lynn demanded, showing him a pile of vintage comics from the 1950s. They were all sealed in bags and boards and nobody was allowed to take them out for any reason. Lincoln had read them online and kept the physical copies for their value rather than to read.
"I'll take care of those. Put them down on the table. Carefully." Lincoln said. Lynn scoffed.
"Nerd." She said, but she respected his wishes and put them down on the table.
Lincoln noticed that over the years, Lynn had become less abrasive. She was still the straightforward, sometimes rude dynamo that she'd always been. But her rougher edges had softened more than slightly.
"Can I at least take the couch out?" Lynn asked. She'd been given the bionic organs, nanomachine organ and UDOM, the Ultra-Dense Organic Matter that Lisa bonded to Lincoln's, and later, Luna's, Sam's and now Lynn's bones almost immediately after the Olympics had completed in 2028. Lynn was slightly heavier as a result of the modifications, and so had to work to build back to full speed again.
But she was happy for the challenge and managed to get back to her previous speed in just under half a year, proving just what a strong athlete she was. Lincoln sometimes wondered, though rarely very seriously if there was some time manipulation responsible for Lynn's prodigious athletic abilities. For instance, did Lisa go back in time to before Lynn was born and use her science to manipulate Lynn when she was an embryo to make her such an incredible athlete. It seemed like some kind of weird science-fiction shit for a low-brow comic.
But then again, so did his being a Vampire seem like some cheesy horror story. And he had considered the time travel thing as a plot point in a comic that he was planning. He hadn't even started the comic yet, so there was still time. But it seemed a potentially good plotline if done properly. It had been done so many times that it would have to be brought in creatively to not simply make eyes roll. But Lincoln was sure that he could do it.
"Where do you want this?" Lynn asked, showing him a comfy chair.
"Oh, put it in the truck." Lincoln said. Lynn nodded, carrying it out to the truck. Lynn sighed. She hated that Lincoln had suddenly become so much more powerful physically than her. She was still the more athletic and talented of the two of them. But everything from his physical strength to his agility, reflexes and speed were superior to her own. And in three years, he'd trained extensively in all of them. So even when just considering talent, he was no slouch. That made her feel a bit insecure. Even though she was an Olympic athlete and he was a comic book artist, he was better than her.
He didn't go outside today because the sun was beating down on them. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the sun was shining brightly because there wasn't any humidity either. He'd gotten a bunch of the siblings as well as some of their partners and kids to help how they could. Lincoln was directing from inside and helping to carry things and pack things. Overall, it was going much faster than expected. After all, they had all eleven siblings, Bobby's family, Sam's family, Benny's and Maggie's families. Benny wasn't dating Luan anymore, but they had stayed pretty good friends.
It was a whole big line around the house. It was quite busy around the house, especially since the new owners of the house would be moving in in just under a week. Lincoln and Lucy had to move out. Stella and Jordan were there. It was currently Summer Vacation from college and they had plenty of time. They were getting things loaded into the moving trucks and cars. Lincoln wished that Rita and Lynn would have been there. But they were starting to slow down. They hadn't had any more children after Lily. And at their age, they shouldn't be having kids. But they weren't really up for helping Lincoln move.
Rita and Lynn both had some back issues and Lynn's knees were getting weak. They both had some minor arthritis and Rita was starting to develop Osteoporosis, for which she was taking Vitamin D and calcium pills. Lincoln wouldn't have wanted them to be overexerting themselves. They hadn't exactly become close again after they found out that Lincoln and Lucy were engaged in a romantic and sexual relationship. But they had bridged the gap between them to some degree and he often came over to their house, so long as he and Lucy didn't show displays of romantic or sexual affection within the house.
Soon, Lynn brought out the last of the furniture and the Casagrandes and Sid's family brought out the last of the boxes and loaded them into the car. Ronnie Anne looked good. She'd never been happier. She and Sid were still engaged, not married. They were going to wait until they graduated with their respective Ph.D.s before they got married. Rosa wanted to throw a huge wedding with cake and dancing and a big party afterwards. Ronnie Anne would have been happy with just a civil commitment. She wasn't really that religious. Maria told Ronnie Anne to do whatever made her feel comfortable.
"Alright, Lame-O. We'll miss you. Moving halfway across the country. Trying to run from us?" Ronnie Anne asked, punching Lincoln playfully in the arm. Lincoln laughed.
"Ow." He chuckled. It didn't really hurt that much, but it was just part of the exchange.
"No, of course I'm not running. I'm just… We're starting a new chapter of our lives. We'll be much closer to Stella's college and Jordan's college, and we'll be living near Salem, which Lucy wants." Lincoln said.
"And you'll be living in Boston, one of the most historical places in America." Sid said.
"You be sure to invite us to your wedding, Nie Nie." Lincoln teased. Ronnie Anne laughed, punching him in the stomach this time. Lincoln grunted, but wasn't winded. He worked out a lot, so a punch to the stomach wasn't so bad anymore.
"We'll let you know when our wedding will be. Just send everyone a text with your new address." Ronnie Anne said. Lincoln nodded, hugging Ronnie and Sid.
"I'm gonna miss you two. You two have been great friends. And all of you, I'll miss you as well. We have a few stops to make before we actually hit the open road." Lincoln said. Soon, a bunch of cars pulled up.
"Lincoln! Wait! Don't leave!" Clyde shouted, leaping out of the car and running over to him. Clyde had really built up some muscle over the years. He was hardly ripped, but there was a Planet Fitness close to the Culinary Institute and he got a membership and made sure to go as often as he could.
"Clyde, I told you. This is just part of life. I'll miss you too, buddy. You're still one of my best friends. All you guys are. But this is just a new part of my life." Lincoln said.
"No, I mean don't leave without saying goodbye to us." Clyde said.
"I'm sorry we're so late. We were gonna be here to help you pack your stuff. I see that your sisters and some of your other friends were here to help with that." Chloe said.
"We got a bit waylaid with Clyde's anxiety." Rusty said. Clyde blushed slightly.
"Sorry." He said sheepishly.
"Don't apologize. I'm glad to see all of you here. You've all been some of the best friends that a guy could ask for. I'm really going to miss you. And I'll come back to visit sometimes. It's not like I'm dropping off the face of the earth." Lincoln said. Clyde nodded, hugging Lincoln tightly. Lincoln hugged Clyde back, making sure not to hug too tight. He didn't want to hurt him.
The rest of the group crowded in for the hug. Soon, Jordan's and Stella's friends and Lucy's friends came. Lucy had had a coven meeting just a few days ago to announce that she'd be leaving and naming Haiku the new leader of the coven.
-0-
Lincoln sighed, pulling up to his parents' house. He was going to say goodbye to them as well. He wasn't as close to his parents anymore. Not since they found out about his and Lucy's relationship. They'd said goodbye to Jordan's and Stella's parents earlier that day and the previous night. They went up and went into the house, finding Lynn laid out on the bed.
"Dad! Are you alright?" Lincoln asked. He had an ice pack under his back.
"Oh, yeah. I'm okay. I just twisted my back earlier today, trying to change the lightbulb." Lynn said with a chuckle.
"Dad… You know that you can't do that. You have to be careful. Remember what the doctor said?" Lucy asked gently. Lynn smiled. He may not have approved of Lincoln's and Lucy's relationship. But they were still good kids and they still cared about their parents.
"I'm going to be doing a procedure on him that will heal his back fully… Probably." Lisa said.
"Really? What's the procedure?" Lincoln asked cautiously.
"I'm going to take out his spine surgically and replace it with a bionic one." Lisa grinned wildly. Lynn shrieked in horror.
"You said you were just gonna give me nanomachines!" He protested.
"I'm joking, Father. I am giving you nanomachines. I'd be happy to give both you and mother an entire transplant of your organs.
"It would extend your life expectancy by 15-20 years, enhance your healing and make your currently arthritic and osteoporotic bones stronger." Lisa said calmly.
"Well… Maybe we'd take the… The bone stuff. But we don't need to live longer. All our dreams have already come true, sweetie." Lynn said kindly.
"Yeah. All our children have achieved greatness and more importantly are happy. I've published multiple books and Lynn has a number of successful restaurants.
"We have a great home with great kids. Lori is a professional golfer and has five great kids. Leni is a successful fashion designer and has two great kids, Luna is a rock star and has three kids. Luan has a child and runs her own entertainment business. Lynn is an Olympic athlete. How many parents can say they have a child who's won the Olympics? Lincoln is a successful comic book author and has three partners. Lucy is a writer and a poet, Lola is an actress and a model, Lana runs an extremely successful repair business. Lisa, you're the most famous scientist in history." Lisa bowed gratefully.
"And Lily is an artist. You're all happy, you're all successful and more than that, you're all happy." Rita repeated that they were happy.
"We don't need to live any longer than we're already going to." Rita said. Lisa nodded.
"Well, I'll inject the nanomachines laced with regenerative serum. That should take care of Dad's back. In the short term anyway. He'd need a daily injection of nanomachines over maybe a week to fix it permanently… Which I could do if you want." Lisa said.
"Really? You can fix my back?" Lynn asked.
"Yes. Well, you'd do well to work on losing some weight. Nothing personal, Father, but I estimate that you could stand to lose approximately 20-30 pounds in order to be healthier." Lisa said.
"It would take strain off of your back as well as off of your knees." Lisa said. Lynn nodded.
"I'll start exercising more."
"I'll start working on an exercise regimen for both of you that will account for your age and the fact that your bodies are not in perfect condition." Lisa said.
"Isn't yours and Darcy's anniversary coming up?" Rita asked. Lisa nodded.
"Yes. August 10th." Lisa said.
"Well, that's more important than setting up exercise for us. You and Darcy make sure to have a good time on your wedding. What are you even doing here?" Rita asked kindly.
"While I appreciate the gesture, Darcy wouldn't want me to forget about my family." Lisa said.
"I can do both." Lisa said calmly, injecting Lynn with the nanomachines before handing Lincoln a bottle of pills.
"I forgot to come over to your house before. I appreciate you coming over here. I'll be sending you a monthly supply of these through the mail. They're more efficient versions of the Blood Replacement Pills. Under ideal circumstances, you should be able to last a week on a single pill.
"That said, thanks to your bionic organs, it's entirely possible that once you stop aging physically at approximately 30 years of age, they may be even more efficient and allow you to go for longer. However, keep an eye on your condition. If you start feeling hungry or if your eyes start to tint, then take one." Lisa said. Lincoln nodded, putting the pills in his pocket.
"Also, I made all of you new phones. They are much more efficient than your last ones. They have a teleportation app in them.
"They allow my own teleportation machine to sense them, allowing me to immediately appear by anyone's side who has the app." Lisa said.
"That said, I'll text you first, to make sure that you're not… Otherwise engaged. I'm aware that you have a very healthy… Personal life with your partners." Lisa said.
"I'll keep an eye on the phone. Is it loaded with all the apps I had?" Lincoln asked.
"Yes. Once you turn it on, it will be completely ready for your use." Lisa said.
Lynn was starting to feel a bit better.
"Mmm… I'm gonna miss you, Son. I'll miss you, Lucy. I know we weren't exactly close after… You know… But we still will always love you. You'll always be two of the most important people in our lives." Lynn said, hugging them tightly, tears stinging his eyes.
"You have to promise that you'll come to visit us on holidays at least." Lynn said.
"Of course, Dad, Mom. We wouldn't miss holidays.
"I can't eat human food. But I'll still be there." Lincoln said. He missed being able to eat human foods. Their father's food was the best.
"Actually, I'd like to test that. It's possible that your Vampiric physiology prevents you from eating human food and no amount of bionic organs will change that. But it's also possible that the bionic stomach and digestive system that enhances your efficiency when metabolizing blood will also allow you to, forgive me, stomach human food." Lisa said.
She ran to the refrigerator and got out a small serving of Lynnsagna, heating it up and bringing it to Lincoln.
"Eat." She commanded. Lincoln cut a piece off of it and blew on it, taking a bite. It was as delicious as Lynn's food had ever been. He hesitated for a long, long moment, scared that he would start vomiting. He hadn't had a bite of human food since he threw up the food that one time shortly after he had become a Vampire. But this time, he didn't seem to be throwing up.
The problem was that Lincoln's body didn't produce waste. His Vampiric body metabolized 100% of the blood, so he didn't ever need to go to the bathroom. So a number of his organs were strictly vestigial. So if he ate human food, would it cause problems later on? Would his efficiency just mean that it took longer for him to throw up his food? He would have to watch out for that.
"One more thing. You don't have to finish that if you're concerned." Lisa said. She handed him a few bottles of sunblock pills.
"You make sure to be safe. This is a new city, and you don't know the Vampiric politics of it." Lisa said. She'd studied what she could of Vampiric politics in Boston and Salem, but what little she found, she had trouble accessing more than just the basics since she didn't have the passwords necessary to get past the basics, which outed her as an outsider. It appeared as though passwords were found out in person. And Lincoln, and through him Lisa, had found out that while there were no official political groups in most cities for Vampires, Vampires definitely had politics and social maneuvering that went on.
Some did anyway. The powerful ones, like Nicodemus could afford to steer clear of the various Vampires who were trying to maneuver. No Vampire wanted them badly enough to risk getting on their bad side, and they were therefore left to do things at their own pace. Nearra mentioned once that Vampires didn't have political groups. This was not strictly true. They mostly existed in covens, and covens sometimes fought or maneuvered for territory, and some covens manipulated humans in order to cover up their activities. That was an example of what Adriella did.
Lincoln nodded, kissing Lisa on the forehead. Lisa blushed slightly. She normally didn't like being touched. But Lincoln was one of the few people who could touch her without making her feel uncomfortable.
"I'll miss you too, Elder Brother, Elder Sister. When you, Jordan and Stella plan to have children, make sure to contact me. I'd like to be involved. For Lucy too. You may be a Vampire, but the rules of breeding between siblings remains, I'm sure. If you wish to have a child with Lucy, tell me." Lisa said.
"You'll be the first to know." Lincoln said gently, hugging Lynn, Rita and Lisa one last time before heading to the car again with Lucy.
-0-
*The Previous Night*
Lincoln sighed as he went up to Nicodemus' door, knocking on it.
"Ah, Lincoln. You know you don't have to knock. Come in." Madeline said, standing back for him to come in. Lincoln thanked her. He didn't have long here tonight.
"Nearra!" Lincoln exclaimed. Nearra smiled at Lincoln.
"It's been a long time, young man. You shouldn't have stayed away so long. Still, I'm not surprised you did. And you're clearly not here to see me.
"Still, I have missed you. You were a breath of fresh air if you will. Things get rather stale as a Vampire after a while. There become fewer and fewer options to break up the monotony of nightly life." Nearra said. Lincoln nodded cautiously.
"You needn't worry. I'm here to visit Nicodemus. We are siblings of a sort. Nicodemus mentioned that a Vampire was executed recently. It doesn't happen often. But when it does happen, it's always for a very good reason." Nearra said with a nearly gleeful smirk.
"No. I apologize for the late notice. But I'm moving. Tomorrow morning, my partners and I are moving to the East Coast." Lincoln said. He'd mentioned moving to a different city to Nicodemus before. But he'd never mentioned specifically where.
"Oh. I see. Well, as much as I like to pretend that I'm immune to the desires of humans, I'll miss you as well. It's been a pleasure having someone as intelligent and eager to learn to tutor." Nicodemus said to Lincoln. Nearra seemed disappointed that Lincoln was moving as well.
"the East Coast? That covers at least 1,500 miles. Where on the East Coast?" Nearra asked. Lincoln thought for a moment. He didn't trust Nearra. That was why he left her tutelage.
"I can't tell you." Lincoln said.
"Aww… You don't trust me? You really did teach him well, Nicky Boy." Nearra teased.
"Don't call me that. I was the finest interrogator amongst any order of Inquisitors that he had been familiar with. He was nearly immune to being successfully lied to.
"Little Nicky is sensitive?" Nearra teased. While she was 50 years older than him, she still teased him like an older sister. She'd never grown out of that.
"Madeline, please entertain Nearra in the other room for a little while." Nicodemus said. Madeline bowed deferentially and took Nearra into the other room. Lincoln wrote down that he was moving to Boston. Nicodemus nodded.
"A very historical city." Nicodemus said. As far as he knew, the majority of the women charged with witchcraft were not actually witches. Just unfortunate women who had the bad luck to draw the ire of someone within the town.
"If you wish to give me your address, we can correspond. Or if you prefer, your email. We can correspond by email if you're uncomfortable giving me your physical address." Nicodemus said.
Lincoln wrote down his email, handing it to Nicodemus, who put it in his pocket. There were few ways to communicate electronically that were completely hacker-proof. But Lincoln was willing to correspond with Nicodemus.
"I hope this doesn't sound forward of me. But I consider you a friend." Lincoln said, reaching out to shake Nicodemus' hand. Nicodemus smiled.
"I consider you a friend as well. It's rare to find friends in our world.
"I hope that if you ever come back this way again, you'll visit me." Nicodemus said, going to his study and digging out a beautiful, ancient leatherbound book.
"This is the Bible. I realize you're not terribly religious. But this was written in my own hand in the year 1310. It includes multiple books that are now considered apocryphal. Consider it my gift to you." Nicodemus said. His smile seemed disconcerting. Nicodemus hardly ever smiled. He had a satisfied smile when things went as he predicted they would. But rarely a completely unguarded smile.
"Wow. Nicodemus. This is… I can't accept something this valuable. This must be priceless, to you especially." Lincoln said. Nicodemus shook his head.
"Please, I want you to have it." Nicodemus said, pushing it into Lincoln's hands.
"I don't know what to say. This is an incredible gift." Lincoln said, actually hugging Nicodemus. The former Inquisitor chuckled, hugging Lincoln back. They'd always remained very distant emotionally. But Nicodemus could tell that Lincoln had started to grow attached to him as a friend.
And the man didn't blame Lincoln. He'd been a major part of Lincoln's growth as a Vampire. Lincoln sighed. He couldn't afford to stay much longer. He had to see Adriella. He went to the other room and said goodbye to Nearra, heading out and going across the city to Adriella's home, which he visited only occasionally. He rang the bell.
"Ah! Lincoln… Please, come in. The mistress was hoping she would see you tonight." The Culled servant said politely. They'd all been told to treat Lincoln as if he was one of her personal Childer.
He went into the sitting room with the Culled, sitting down with Adriella.
"Lincoln, it's been longer than I would have liked. I was starting to think you'd forgotten about me." Adriella said calmly. Lincoln shook his head.
"I'll be moving in the morning. I apologize for not bringing it up sooner.
"I've been quite busy lately, getting everything packed up and prepared to move. But in the morning, I'll be moving across the country." Lincoln said.
"Across the country? So you'll be quite far away." Adriella said. Lincoln nodded.
"As far as the coast?" She asked. Lincoln nodded.
"Very good. I take it you're doing this for the benefit of your lovers?" Adriella asked.
"Yes. For more than one of them. Two of them attend college nearby and one wants to be near a historical city that is important to her." Lincoln said. Adriella nodded, thinking for a moment.
"Am I safe in assuming that you're moving to the Northeast then?" She asked, assessing that the most historical cities were in the Northeast and East, since that was where the colonies were. Lincoln nodded cautiously. He knew Adriella liked games. Lincoln had given her a small amount of information, and she'd already narrowed it down to a relatively small area.
"Was the area central to the Civil War?"
"Probably." Lincoln said.
"Probably, but that's not why she wants to be there. The American Revolution?" She asked. Lincoln sighed. She was good. He'd known that she'd want to play this game. It wasn't that he was concerned about her knowing. She'd always seemed fairly happy staying right in Detroit, though heavens knew why she would like staying there.
"Good, good. But that's not why she wants to be there either, is it?" Adriella asked. She could tell by the look in his eyes.
"Let's see… Philadelphia?" She asked.
"No." Lincoln said. It was debatable whether Philadelphia was in the Northeast or the Mid-Atlantic. But regardless, that wasn't where he was going.
"Important to the American Revolution. Boston." She said. Lincoln nodded.
"Yes. I'm moving to Boston. But my partner, Lucy wants to be there so she can be near to Salem." Lincoln said. Adriella actually laughed at this.
"Oh, she's one of those people. Let me guess. She does rituals at the full moon and wears all black and… I'm sorry… I'm sorry. I've met real witches, people who've dedicated their lives to magic and the study of natural energies. And the dilettantes that have arisen in the past 20 or so years are tempered to arouse amusement rather than respect from those of us who've seen the real thing." Adriella said.
"Well, I've told you I'm moving, I've told you where I'm going. And so, I'll be going." Lincoln said bluntly.
"What? Leaving so soon?"
"I won't sit here and let you insult my girlfriend. She's the great-granddaughter of another genuine witch. Harriet Loud, and the distant descendant of Lucille Loud." Lincoln said.
"I'm sorry. My intention wasn't to offend you." Adriella said.
"I have to go. I need to get some packing still done." Lincoln said, leaving and heading to his car, hurrying back to Royal Woods.