A/N: The balance of action, mystery, and character in this story is something that I'm trying to find the perfect mix of. I feel as though I hit the nail on the head with this chapter! Updates should be faster now that 'Spellmaster's Mother' is finished. Now, enjoy and don't forget to read the A/N at the bottom!

Benny's Son

By Takarifan101

Chapter Three: To the Rescue

Dead…. The single word transformed the relaxing and welcoming atmosphere of the hotel room into something cold and oppressive. A heavy silence fell over both Benny and Erica as each struggled to come to terms with the tale they had just heard. Eric looked up at his father, sniffled, and then burst into tears as he recalled the funeral from so long ago. Erica reached out to comfort him only to stop when the teenager flinched away from her. Unconsciously Benny put his arm around the boy and snapped back to reality when Erica walked across the room with a distraught look on her face.

Eric continued to cry against his shoulder, and little by little the sobs turned into measured breathes as he drifted off into a restless sleep. Benny lay him down on the bed, and pulled the covers over him. He turned and saw Erica had situated herself at the small table with her arms crossed and eyes downcast. He took a seat across from her and waited. After a few moments of silence she finally looked up, and when she did it was with a look of defeat.

"When we were together, I used to imagine our future and what we would do when we brought Eric back…. I figured we'd be past all the drama, especially the way everything went down in high school. But…" A tear fell against the wooden table and Benny realized she was crying. "No wonder he hates me, I left him behind, I left our son behind!"

"He... he doesn't hate you," said Benny as he thought about his own relationship with his parents. His mother had died when he was young, and his dad unable to deal with the grief had taken to traveling for work. Luckily his Grandma had been there for him, something that Eric it seemed, had been denied. In those days from long ago he had hated his mom for dying, hated his dad for running away, and most all hated himself for being too inadequate a son to keep his family together. He reached out for Erica's hand and stopped. She didn't need to hear about that right now, not while she was struggling to deal with Eric's disdain for her. She took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Benny felt his heart race as the memories of their break up flashed through his mind. Why did Weir boys always hurt the ones they cared about most? Fighting against his desire to hold her, and to kiss her, he sat back in his chair and whispered: "He just doesn't know how to trust you. You and I both know you would never leave him, but he doesn't know that yet. And he's gonna need time before he understands."

"Is this going to be our future?" asked Erica, as she locked eyes with him. Worry spread across her face and she suddenly squeezed his hand tight. "You're going to die. Oh my god, Benny you're going to die."

"This isn't our future." He needed to be rational, now more than ever. He gently freed himself for her grasp. "I told you last night time travel doesn't exist."

"Would you stop saying that!" Hissed Erica as she slammed her fists down on the table causing both Benny to flinch and Eric stir. When her son let out a moan she collapsed back into her chair and continued her voice barely above a whisper. "Eric is here, and that means there has to be some kind of truth to what he's saying."

"I don't know where Eric came from but he's not from the future. Think about it like this: I couldn't bring him back, and if I couldn't bring him back then whatever was supposed to happen won't. That line of events, his line of events, can't happen now. This is why time travel is impossible, it just too dangerous."

Erica said nothing and together with Benny they looked over at the sleeping teenager. Outside the the sun slowly began to set, bathing the world in a golden orange hue. On instinct Benny checked his phone for a message and frowned when he saw nothing from either Sarah or Ethan. Another day without word from his friends...

"It's getting late," whispered Benny as he turned away from the wondrous sight of twilight and slowly got up. "I don't know about you but I'm tired of hotel food." Erica grunted in response. "I saw a little bakery down the street, how about I go pick something up?"

"Fine," said Erica emotionlessly as she continued to stare at their son. With a dismissive shrug Benny headed for the door, and stopped when he heard her mumble: "Be careful."

Without responding he grabbed his jacket and left the hotel room. As he walked down the stairs he thought about everything Eric had told them. He was going to die… but was he really? Eric couldn't be from the future, of that much he was certain, but then that begged the question: where did he come from? He exited the confines of the hotel and took in a deep breath as the crisp evening air surrounded him. He thought about shopping earlier, and the boy's guarded attitude. He wanted to believe Eric was his son, all the signs were there, but could he? Was it it even a possibility he wasn't? But the smile, the necklace and the birthmark…. He let out a frustrated growl, there were too many questions and far from enough answers.

"N-no!" screamed Eric loudly as he thrashed about wildly in the bed. Erica looked up from the article about missing kids she reading and ran over to the boy as he shot up and looked around the room with terror in his eyes. "NO!"

"It's ok," whispered Erica as she sat next to him and pulled him into a hug. "It's ok, it's ok." He turned and twisted in her arms. "Everything's ok now Eric." When he heard his name he began to calm down. Once she was sure the fit of terror was over she scooted backwards and took in his pale complexion. "What happened?"

"Nightmare," whispered the boy sheepishly as he leaned against her and looked down. "A really bad one."

"It's over now, you're awake." She rubbed his back. "It can't hurt you anymore."

"But it can… the nightmares are always there, always the same," mumbled Eric as he looked up at her. When they locked eyes he pulled away and said: "Never mind."

"Eric," whispered Erica as she felt his sadness resound throughout her. It was clear he didn't trust her, and what made it worse was the fact that she could understand why. A mother who turned her back on a child, was in her eyes unfit to call herself a mother. She wanted her son to know that she would always be there, that nothing would ever get between her family. But like Benny had said, it would take time for him to see that. She summoned all her feelings forward and put them into words.

"I want you to know that no matter what happens I'm not going to leave you. Your mom, this other Erica, isn't me and it never will be." She felt tears well up in her eyes as she thought about the problems she and Benny had gone through during her senior year. "I went through so much pain when I lost you the first time. When your father found out we could bring you back we talked for days about when we would. We both knew you mattered to us, and we refused to even think about it unless we knew we could take care of and raise you properly. I could never give you up, not after everything that happened."

"But you did," managed Eric weakly as he finally looked up to meet her eyes. "You didn't even tell Dad or me why, you just… left. Even Uncle Ethan and Aunt Sarah didn't know why. You just disappeared, and when Dad went to ask your family…. They didn't even talk to him."

Erica pulled him into her arms and held him tight. She whispered: "That will never happen to you again. Both your dad and I will always be there for you."

"You promise?" asked the boy in a childlike voice. "You'll never leave?"

"I promise. You're my son, and you're the only one I'm ever gonna set, so you better believe I'm going to be a part of your life. I know you may not trust me now but I'm going to prove it, just you wait and see."

"Thanks… Mom," said Eric shyly as he returned the hug. "It's weird I never had a mom and dad, I mean I did but I never knew them um... you. I had Aunt Sarah and Uncle Ethan but they're not the same… I know they care about me but… it's-"

"It's not the same, ask your Dad, his mom died when he was young and his dad is always traveling for business. I've only ever met him once."

"Really?"

"Yeah if anyone would understand you it's definitely him. But enough of this dwelling in the past, and focusing on the sad. I want to know more about you. You said your starting high school, and what about girls? Have you had your first kiss yet? Never mind, you don't need to tell me. I forgot to ask about your powers, your around the right age for them to start manifesting, has anything happened yet?"

"I'm... I'm not a Spellmaster," said Eric with a frown as he got up and stretched. "Uncle Ethan told me that it was still early for my powers to be appear…. But after Dad died Aunt Sarah found some old artifacts that were supposed to glow if you could use magic. When I touched it… it didn't."

"You could still get them. Benny didn't get his until he was fifteen and he wasn't really good with them until he was sixteen and even then it was still pretty scary."

"Trust me I heard the stories," they exchanged a knowing look and burst out into laughter. Eric walked the length of the room before suddenly turning to her. "I just… I want to be like Dad. He was always the coolest growing up, and he would use his magic to do some of the most amazing things." His face lit up as he continued to talk. "He could make bubbles freeze over but still have them float, and on rainy days he would turn the marshmallows in my hot chocolate into little ducks that would swim around, and one time he even gave me these really cool-" He motioned to his back and stopped before shaking his head. "He was just the coolest, and the entire time I was growing up I would think all the neat things I would do, and how I wanted to be just like him…. I imagined myself as the best dad... But I can't now because I'm not a Spellmaster."

"It's ok," said Erica with a smile as she thought about her own insecurities growing up. "You don't have to be a Spellmaster to be a good dad. And the fact your thinking about that so young is a sure sign you'll be fine. But don't you dare think for a moment we'll be ok with you getting a girl pregnant before your married or done with school, and by school I mean college."

"Yes Mom…." He had turned a bright red color. After a second he added: "Are you sure Dad won't mind?"

"About you not having powers?"

"Yeah, what if doesn't like me because of that? Or if that's one of the reasons you left? Or maybe it makes him leave and you stay and then everything changes because-"

"He'll be fine," said Erica as she watched him pace back and forth. "The fact that you're here and healthy is all that really matters to Benny and I."

"I always blamed myself for everything that happened. I mean I know I didn't make you leave or make Dad die but I always blamed myself for everything. That maybe if I had been a better son-"

"Don't you ever think that," said Erica sternly as she placed her hands on his shoulders. "Whatever happened wasn't your fault, and I don't want you thinking it was, ok?"

"Yeah…. Thanks for listening Mom, it means a lot to me. I didn't know how to tell Uncle Ethan or Aunt Sarah how I felt…. All these feelings have been there for as long as I can remember and it just... it's nice to be able to finally tell someone."

Erica got up and placed a kiss on the top of his head. "That's what mom's are for." His stomach growled and he gave her a lopsided grin. "Don't worry," managed Erica through her laughter. "Benny will be back with food in a few minutes."

Benny looked up at the night sky and frowned. He hadn't meant to go so far looking for food, but when his mind wandered so did he. He balanced the bag of pastries in his arms and watched as the streetlights came on one by one. The old man's warning reverberated through his mind and an odd sense of worry overcame him. He quickened his pace before letting out a laugh; he was Benny Weir, a Spellmaster, why should he be afraid of some vandals? He wasn't an ordinary person and whoever dared to attack him would certainly be in for a surprise.

His thoughts wandered again and eventually went back to Eric. His son claimed he had no recollection of the events leading to his sudden appearance but that didn't mean that the memories weren't there. Benny was willing to bet anything they were locked deep within the boy's mind, and if so then who better to find them than Ethan? With his friend's telepathy it would easy to figure what was really happening, and not only that but E was great when it came to solving strange puzzles such as these.

"Maybe he's from another dimension," mumbled Benny with a laugh as he felt his stomach growl. He looked at the bag and turned his head, it wouldn't be a good idea to eat the food before he got it back to the room, especially if Erica was hungry. He noticed the lack of people around him and felt the strange worry return. For the most part he was alone, outside, at night, in the middle of London, during summer…. Something definitely wasn't right. He quickened his pace, and noticed that several of the stores had closed early. He watched as a boy ran past him towards the apartments further down the street.

"Hey kid," called Benny as he walked towards trying to keep the food balanced. "What's going on, where is everyone?"

"It's not safe to be out at night," answered the boy as he looked around. "Haven't you head?"

"Heard what?"

"The knocking." When it became clear he had no idea what that meant, the boy continued. "'Late last night and the night before, they came knocking at the door.'"

In the far alley Benny caught sight of a shadow as it moved about. All at once the card in his back pocket began to heat up and as it did the boy eye's widened in fear. He ran as fast as he could leaving the Spellmaster alone with the approaching shadow.

"Whoever's out there," said Benny aloud as he held the bag tight and thought of his attack spells. "You don't want to fight with me. I can guarantee you'll get hurt."

No responses but more movement. In the darkened street next to him another figure emerged, and as it did several more stepped forth from the alleyways. Whoever they were they had him surrounded. Little by little they closed the distance and and Benny began to recite the first spell that came to mind.

The closest one spread out its arms and he let the bag fall from his hands. Whatever it was, it definitely wasn't human.

"It's so beautiful outside," whispered Erica as she peered at the lights of vast city in front of her. It was something to see it in the daylight, but at night? She let out a sigh as she thought about the warm summer nights she and Benny had spent together, and the kisses they had shared. But now, now it was just a memory that was better left forgotten.

"Is this really where Aunt Sarah and Uncle Ethan live?" asked Eric as he joined her on the balcony. "They always told me they had lived in Whitechapel for all their lives."

Erica frowned, another inconsistency in Eric's story and their current lives. If Ethan and Sarah had never lived in London then what did that mean? There was a cool breeze and Eric shivered before heading back into the room. Erica leaned on the rail and watched as the cars drove down below, what she wouldn't give to live in a city like this. She smiled and thought, with the just the slightest hint of jealousy, of how Ethan and Sarah had one of the most romantic cities as their playground. With dreamy eyes she stared at the London Eye and felt the anticipation of riding with her family in the following days.

Another breeze tickled her body and she felt her vampire sense suddenly flare up. She peered over the edge of the balcony; cars, less people outside than normal, but nothing really out of the ordinary. So why was her sense suddenly picking something up?

"Mom," whispered Eric as he poked his head out from inside the hotel room. "Why don't you come in?"

"Why?" asked Erica as she continued to look for the source of her discomfort. "Is something wrong?"

"I just have this-"

Before he could finish Erica let out a scream and stumbled backwards as a large bird like creature landed on the rail. It looked at her with its large white eyes and began to tilt its head from side to side. Erica blindly backed away as the creature continued to examine her. She heard Eric squeak behind her as he caught sight of the human sized owl. Without looking she made a motion for him to be quiet. Slowly as possible she backed into the room, and slid the glass door shut.

"What is that?" asked Eric as he approached the window to get a better view of the monster. "I've never seen anything like that before."

"I-I don't know," answered Erica as the beast stared at them. Its head continued to tilt back and forth like it was trying to understand. The beak opened and a small black tongue appeared. The motion and creatures actions began to unnerve her. Eric placed a hand against the glass and she reached out for him: "Get away from there."

"M-mom," stuttered Eric as he continued to gaze outside. Two more monsters landed on the railing and another on the balcony. "There's more of them…" Several began to crawl up from the edges. "A lot more of them."

Erica wrapped her arms around Eric as dozens upon dozens of the creatures began to appear. They were in the air, on the rial, on the balcony. She heard several crashes, and tightened her grip on her son when the power went out. Outside the large glowing eyes could be seen floating and rocking about in the otherwise dark night.

"What do we do? Why are they here?" asked Eric hypnotized by the sight before them. When his mom didn't answer he cast his gaze downwards. His dark hair fell over his eyes and he mumbled: "They're here to hurt us aren't they?"

"I don't know," whispered Erica honestly as looked down at her son. She noted his sudden change in demeanor: was he worried or scared or something else? "But I'll keep you safe."

"No one," said Eric as the tattoos on his back began to burn. He looked up with a fire in his eyes. "No one is going to hurt my family."

The balcony window exploded inwards and Erica reacting on instinct threw her son to the side before catching the monsters beak with her hands. She turned towards him and screamed: "Run!"

She watched from the corner of her eye as the boy scrambled to his feet and ran. Using all her strength she kicked the monster backwards. Two more lunged. Erica caught one and watched as the other opened its beak wide. The blonde vampire turned away awaiting the attack. When she heard it wail in pain she looked back in enough time to catch the beast as it stumbled backwards in agony.

"Sorry Mom," said Eric as he held the reminder of the broken coffee pot in hand. The markings on his back felt heavy, and unlike anything he had experienced before. "I know you told me to run but I'm not gonna leave you with these things."

"You're so much like your father," hissed Erica as she twisted her arms and shoved the creature backwards out of the window. Another charged at her and stumbled sideways, as Eric slammed the beside lamp against its head. Before she could comment the boy shoved it into the eye of the nearest monster, and smiled as it backed away with screech of pain.

"What?" Asked Eric with a sly grin. "Did you really think Aunt Sarah and Uncle Ethan didn't teach me how to fight?"

Several more of the monsters entered the room and the two of them backed away in fear. They were outnumbered. Behind them the door burst open, and expecting more of the owls Erica bared her fangs. Instead a silhouetted figured entered and yelled:

"Get down!" She grabbed Eric and pulled him to the ground. A flash of red light filled the room causing the monsters to retreat out of the broken window. Erica looked up to face her savior and felt a strange lightness overcome her. The long auburn hair, the glowing golden eyes, and the glistening white fangs. It wasn't possible.

"Hey," said Sarah as she lowered the strange device in her hands. She smiled. "Long time no see."

Benny watched as the monster extended it wings revealing its large unblinking eyes, and sharp black beak. He summoned a fireball and using all the strength he could muster threw it. The monster caught it in its mouth and swallowed it whole. He tried ice, lightning, and wind only to have each spell eaten by the mysterious beast.

"Magic won't work," thought Benny as he continued to back away. He caught more movement and looked up, the creatures were flying around the air and crawling across the faces of the buildings. He backed into a doorway and felt his heart sink as the owl like monsters began to close in.

The closest one opened its beak and let out a piercing screech. All around the others answered with the same call. Benny covered his ears, and watched as the glass on the nearest street lights suddenly exploded. Then all at once it stopped. The owls were all focused on him, an endless sea of large glowing orbs. The sound of a revving engine broke the illusion, and Benny watched in disbelief as a motorcycle cut through the group of monsters.

"Close your eyes!" Screamed the rider as he held up a strange flashlight like object. Benny turned away and felt a flash of warmth against his skin. The monsters howled in pain, when he opened them they were fleeing in all directions. The rider turned to face him and asked: "Where's Erica?"

"A-At the hotel," managed Benny trying to understand what was happening in front of him. "She's with Eric!"

"You brought a baby into a battlefield? Damn," the man raised a hand to his helmet, and then added: "Did you hear that?"

Benny wasn't sure whom the stranger was talking to, and before he could respond a static voice suddenly answered. "Don't worry I've got them, we'll meet up at the apartment. Be careful Ethan."

That caught his attention. His mouth fell open as the realization dawned on him. "E?"

The man pulled off his helmet and Benny felt the world spin around him. It was Ethan, but more than that it was his brother. He pulled him into a hug and when they separated he took in his friend for the first time. Longer hair with a few strands covering one of his eyes, a mischievous smile, and of course the black leather jacket and motorcycle were definitely new. Despite the differences he was definitely the same man he had dropped off at the airport little over a year ago.

"It's good to see you again B," said Ethan with a huge grin. "But we don't have time to talk right now. The Red-Light will only keep the Ahools away for a few minutes. I'll explain more on the way."

"On the way where?"

"To our apartment," he tossed Benny an earpiece. "This will help you communicate with Sarah and I, now get on."

Benny too dazed to argue nodded, put in his earpiece and threw his leg across the bike. The moment he did the engine revved to life. Ethan donned the black helmet and said: "Hold on tight."

Benny wrapped his arms around the young man and the next thing he knew they were racing through the alleys and back streets of London. He felt a strange sense of exhilaration and fear as the bike moved skillfully around obstacles.

"When the hell did you start riding a motorcycle!" demanded Benny as he tightened his grip on Ethan. An instant later the alleyways were gone and they speeding among the city's nighttime traffic. "And what were these things?"

"It's been a crazy year," yelled Ethan with a laugh as he cut in front of a car. "They're called Ahools, we found information about them in the Creature Compendium written by one of your ancestors."

"One of my ancestors?"

"Yeah someone by the name E. Icarus Weir." Before Benny could ask anymore questions a loud screech filled the air. All around glass exploded and Ethan let out a curse as he swerved to avoid being hit. He pulled the bike up on a sidewalk and removed his helmet for a better view of the sky above. "Oh my god."

"What do we do?" asked Benny unable to tear his eyes away from the sight. He thought about Erica and Eric and clenched his fists. "How do we fight them?"

"We don't," said Ethan as put the helmet back on and started the motorcycle up. "For now we run."

They zoomed through the traffic, and Benny turned to cast one final look over his shoulder. In the skies far above London thousands of Ahools flew about before descending upon the duo.

A/N: How's that for a cliffhanger? Anwways I'm glad I had a chance to get some serious character development in here for Eric (I hope this help explains his actions from the previous chapters), and the more than welcome return of Ethan and Sarah! There were more hints about the over arcing plot of the story (hint there's four major ones)! Next chapter will shed light on the mystery of the Ahools! Don't forget to leave a review! (and feel free to speculate on what might happen next). For now take care!