A/N: As promised there is a special surprise in this chapter leading you all towards another installment to this series I have created. So read and enjoy!
Chapter Six
Three Months Later
I groaned and let my head fall to the table with a thump. Dana rubbed by back soothingly as she continued to chat with my mother. They were discussing "very important" wedding details and my head was beginning to throb. I glanced up at my mother and then to Dana. Dana met my gaze and smiled breaking off her conversation with my mother.
"What do you think?" she asked me still smiling.
"About what?" I replied with a sigh.
"Waiting a year so the triplets can play a part in the wedding," she told me with a chuckle.
"I suppose that would be fine," I said sitting up in my chair.
"I think it is the best option," Mother said smiling. "Unless of course you two want the date to be sooner. I mean it would be cute if the girls could be the flower girls and little Lucian as the ring bearer would be so adorable."
"My son should never be described as adorable," I said my eye twitching slightly.
"But he is and so are you," Dana retorted ruffling my hair.
I pouted and shook off her hand. Mother was laughing under her breath and I glared weakly at her. She turned her blue eyes back to Dana, her expression changing back to a look of seriousness.
"Alright then," she said glancing down at a large calendar before her, "when should the date be? The twins were born on May 29th so do we want that to be the date or a bit after?"
"September 23rd," I said before either of them spoke.
"Why then?" Dana asked her brow knitting together in confusion.
"That was the first day I saw you," I replied smiling softly at her. "That was the first day I realized I loved you, the day you first came into my life."
Dana looked at me, her eyes filling with tears. I gently wiped them away and she smiled at me. I kissed her on the cheek and looked over at my mother. She was trying to hold back tears as well as she wrote down the date with a shaky hand. I offered her a small smile and she returned it with a small smile of her own.
"Now that that's taken care of do we have a color scheme in mind?" she asked wiping at her eyes.
"Well I thought we could combine our favorite colors," Dana answered in a shaky voice. "Mine is blue and I wonder what yours is love?"
"I don't really have one," I said laying my head back on the table. "If I had to pick I would say silver or blue is a nice color."
"Honestly Darrin," my mother scolded shaking her head back and forth, "this could go a lot more simply if you would only cooperate."
"Fine," I grumbled, "silver is fine with me. Blue and silver, those colors go good together right?"
"Yes they do," Dana said kissing at my temple with a smile. "Now, was that so hard?"
I was about to say something when Chris and Abel came into the library, carrying three crying babies in their arms. They both looked at us all apologetically as they stepped closer.
"They woke up," Abel said with a tired smile. "I think they're hungry."
"My poor little babies," Dana cooed as she rose from her seat, "now why are you giving your uncle and Grandpa such a hard time, huh?"
She took Victoria from Abel and I walked towards Chris to take Autumn and Lucian. He gave me a grateful smile and I looked down at my son and daughter. At three months old it was amazing at the changes that had been made. All three were growing in length and already losing some of their baby fat. Autumn and Victoria both already had their mother's delicate features and Lucian had the same strong jaw that I possessed. Lucian was already proving that he was going to be bigger and taller than his sisters, which I was very thankful for. It would not go well if he grew up with his mother's features and stature.
Dana came over to stand beside me and looked down at her other two children. She smiled up at me and kissed me on the cheek. I smiled back and looked over at Victoria. She stared up at me curiously and reached up, wrapping her small hand in my long hair. I tried not to wince as she tugged on the raven locks rather hard. She let out a bubbling laugh as she tugged again and again. Seeing their sister in such amusement made autumn and Lucian also reach up and grab handfuls of my hair. I looked at Dana with pleading eyes as all three children tugged and pulled at my hair.
"Alright that's enough," she scolded teasingly as she unraveled my hair from their tiny fingers.
"No!" Lucian shouted as Dana tried to pull his hand free.
Dana's eyes went wide as she stared at our son. She looked up at me and quirked a brow.
"He just spoke," she said bewildered.
"Yes he did," I responded. "It's not that surprising. Vampires grow a little faster both physically and mentally. They should start walking here soon."
"How fast do they grow?" Dana asked her face beginning to pale.
"Relax love," I said reassuringly. "I was born in the year 1482. By the time my first birthday rolled around I looked like I was five and thought like I was fifteen."
"Well when will they stop aging?" she asked looking down at our children with worry. "I mean you don't look over twenty but you've been alive for centuries."
"I stopped around the age of ten," I told her. "There is no need to worry darling. This is perfectly natural."
"So I don't get to keep my sweet little babies all sweet and little?" she asked pouting her lower lip out slightly.
"Not for long," I said with a chuckle.
"Papa!" Lucian whined suddenly reaching for my hair again. "Want! Want!"
"Oh no you don't," I said flipping my hair over my shoulder. "That hurts Papa."
"Want!" Lucian said his face scrunching up and turning red.
"Oh no," I moaned.
"WWWWAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Lucian wailed his small hands curling into fists.
Autumn and Victoria looked at their brother before they started to cry as well. I sighed defeated and swung my hair back into my eyes, the long strands gently brushing against Lucian's face. He stopped crying instantly and laughed as my hair tickled his face. His sisters also started to laugh and clapped their hands at their brother's joy. I looked over at Dana with a tired, pleading smile.
"Help?" I asked weakly as the triplets once again clutched at my hair.
"I think you'll be fine," Dana said chuckling as she looked at our children.
"Hungry Mama," Victoria piped suddenly looking up at Dana.
Dana looked at her in surprise but quickly masked it with a bright smile. She kissed our daughter on the cheek before striding out of the library, snapping her fingers at me to follow.
"Hungry! Hungry!" the other two chirped pulling at my hair.
"Why did there have to be three?" I sighed following after my beautiful future wife.
X X X
Four Months Later
I trudged into the house, shaking the snow from my hair and clothes as I glared weakly down at my son. He looked up at me with big green eyes, trying not to laugh.
"Care to explain to me what was wrong with all of those trees we looked at?" I asked him ruffling his hair gently.
"They weren't big enough," he said pushing at my hand.
I let out a sigh and smirked down at him. The triplets were seven months old but looked like they were three. Dana still looked at them with a pale, worried face but I assured her they were perfectly fine. Lucian was already a head taller than his sisters and looked much older than them. His hair was longer than theirs as well, falling past his shoulders. Dana wanted to cut his hair but I quickly shot that down. She retaliated by insisting that we celebrate the triplets first Christmas the best way we can. This meant that we had to decorate and everything, which included me going into the forest and cutting down a tree. Lucian wanted to go and help pick one out but shot down every single one I asked him about.
Dana came down the stairs and quirked a brow at us. Lucian ran to his mother and wrapped his arms around her legs. She smiled down at him and smoothed down his long black hair. She looked up at me and then behind me.
"Where's the tree?" she asked trying to pry Lucian from her.
"Your son decided that none of the trees we looked at were big enough," I replied leaning the axe I had brought with me against the wall.
"They were puny looking Mama," he said pouting up at her.
"Now Lucian," she said trying to hide a smile, "you have to settle on one. We can't have it be too tall or we can't get it through the door and where will Santa Clause leave your presents?"
"Santa isn't leaving us presents?" a small voice asked.
I looked up at the top of the stairs to see Vitoria standing there, Autumn peering around her sister. Both girls held a shocked, hurt expression and seemed on the verge of tears. Lucian looked at his sisters with a panicked look before running over to me and trying to shove me out of the door.
"Quick we have to go back out," he insisted still trying to push me towards the door. "We have to find a tree before Santa gets here."
"He won't come till Christmas Eve," I said with a chuckled as I gently pushed Lucian back. "Besides, it's getting late and the sun has already gone down."
"But you can use your fire fingers to light our way," Lucian argued pouting up at me. "Please Papa, can we go back out? I promise that the first tree I see will be the one we bring home."
I looked over at Dana with a sheepish look. She sighed and nodded, pulling the girls to her side trying to console them before the water works began. I looked down at Lucian, his big green eyes pleading with me. I nodded once and his face broke out into a bright smile as he hugged me tightly. I hugged him back with one are and reaching for the axe with my other. He shrugged his coat back on and pulled his gloves out from the pocket. Once I deemed him properly dressed, I opened the door and we trudged out into the snow.
True to his word, the first tree Lucian spotted in the dim light was the one he told me to cut down. I looked at it sizing it up. It was a good ten feet, possibly taller. It was a bit fuller at the bottom and narrowed up towards the top perfectly. It truly was the perfect tree.
"You're sure this is the one?" I asked shouldering the axe as I looked down at my son.
"I would bet my life on it," he said with a curt nod.
That was all I needed. I told Lucian to stand back a good ways behind me in case the tree fell on him. I made sure he was a good ways away before I lowered the axe and swung with all my might. The blade of the axe cut through the think trunk in one swing causing the snow to fall from the branches as the tree tilted back. We watched with smug satisfaction as the tree hit the snow ground with a soft thud. Juggling the axe in one hand carefully, I grasped the trunk of the tree and began to drag it back home. We were almost through the dense forest when Lucian suddenly stopped.
"Lucian?" I called stopping a few feet behind him.
He said nothing as he stared curiously to his right, his head tilting to the side. I followed his line of sight till I saw the outline of a person standing a mile away from us. Narrowing my eyes I let go of the tree and walked in front of my son, blocking off his view of the stranger. In the dim light provided by the moon I could barely make out the features of the person. From what I could see, they were rather tall and lanky, maybe a bit shorter than me. I could make out short shaggy spikes blowing in the gentle winter wind. I took a sniff at the air and let out a feral hiss, my fangs unsheathing themselves. A sickly sweet minty aroma filled the air, the scent of an Amethyst. Lucian let out a small whimper as he clutched at my pant leg. My eyes darted down at him, locking on his face. His eyes were wide, fear shining in the green irises.
"Can you hear him?" I hissed quietly knowing he possessed the same mind reading abilities of his mother.
"He wants me," he whispered fear lacing his words. "He keeps thinking he needs to bring me to her."
My eyes widened a fraction as I looked back at the Amethyst vampire. I snapped my fingers sharply and a small fireball appeared on the tips of my fingers. I quickly flicked it in the direction of the vamp. As it whizzed by them I could clearly make out their features in the bright firelight. Dark tan skin and almond shaped purple eyes. It was Tristan Ingle.
A/N: Duh duh duh! What a twist! Don't worry. Tristan didn't get him. Next chapter is the triplets first Christmas so we get to have fun with that. Please remember to review!