A/N: Disclaimer in Chapter 1.

Sorry for the late update, didn't finish work till 7pm.

I hope no one minds me jumping three years ahead.

Chapter 5: Mum

The atmosphere in the room tense and crackling with electricity.

Everyone froze with Wolfie's new information.

As one they all turned towards Vlad, no one was quite sure how he was going to react. Tense seconds passed and he didn't answer or even give a facial expression indicating how he'd act.

This was what Ingrid had been terrified of. Once she'd settled into a more sisterly relationship with her brother she'd never wanted him to find out about what she'd done.

Erin closed her eyes; she had a feeling that Ingrid had always been behind the Carpathian Feast, that was the way Ingrid had been nearly four years ago. She just didn't want to consider how Vlad would react considering what Ingrid had done to him personally for a bit of fun.

"Wolfie, you need to leave… now." Erin warned him, Wolfie had never seen Vlad like this and she didn't want him to. Wolfie looked at her and then the Count, the Count nodded confirming what Erin had said. Wolfie grabbed his things and bounded from the room as fast as he could. At least they knew one life had been saved.

Vlad only said one word and the answer would determine his next actions. "Ingrid?"

Erin winced, she knew that tone. It was his exceedingly calm tone, the tone that gave no true indication of how he actually felt. The vampires subconsciously shuffled backwards out of Vlad's way just in case his powers were triggered.

"Vlad it's not what you think…"

Vlad hadn't been in the best of moods to start with; this would have tipped him over the edge.

Vlad flung his arm out. Ingrid's chair snapped and she flew backwards and up towards the ceiling. Her head banged back sharply against the panelling causing her to cry out, tears of plain leaking down her face. Her gaze was terror filled as she looked at her brother and his mate. She was thankful that Vlad hadn't gone for the windows this time, although nightfall was rapidly closing in.

"VLAD NO!" Erin shouted, jumping to her feet and grabbing his arm. She tried to pull it down but he wouldn't relax. "Vlad, you said you listened to me. So listen to me when I tell you to let Ingrid down." Erin didn't shout this time; she rubbed little circles into his bicep. Vlad turned to face her, his face softening as he looked at her. Erin nodded encouragingly, forcing herself to smile and hoping it didn't look to feral.

Vlad nodded slowly, listening and dropping Ingrid sharply to the floor. Ingrid cried out as she hit the wooden floor sharply. Vlad's didn't show any signs of remorse for his actions and Ingrid in that moment knew she was very lucky for Vlad to have listened to Erin. Ingrid noticed Erin hadn't moved her hand from his arm at all.

"It was you." He spat out his fists shaking at his sides as anger coursed through him. "You were the one behind the feast. You wanted to get rid of Erin."

"We've all tried it before…" She sent an apologetic look at that unfortunate comment towards Erin. Erin was happy to leave the past in the past when it came to plotting her death but Ingrid had hit too close to home for Vlad and that she couldn't ignore.

Erin only hoped Vlad didn't see through to the truth – unfortunately she wasn't that lucky.

"NO!" Vlad shouted cutting her off, Ingrid flinched at Vlad's tone. The whole room seemed to disappear as she looked at him. "You did it because you knew how I felt about her. You twisted how I felt against me."

Ingrid tried to defend herself. "It was just a crush back then."

"She's my wife now Ingrid, I'd say it was more than a crush." He looked at his sister complete pain in his eyes.

The Count muttered to himself, he didn't mean to say it out loud he was just reminiscing. "If you want to get Vlad, get her." It was in his eyes the way he suddenly saw the truth.

Vlad's eyes flickered with hurt before becoming stern once more. "You picked Erin to get back at me again. I saved your unlife Ingrid!" He spun sharply forcing Erin to break her hold on him; she could tell he was looking for something to destroy in his anger. "You just wanted to hurt me again, you never change do you?"

The Count tried to calm his son, "It was in the past Vladdy." Vlad clearly ignored him; he was fixed on giving Ingrid a good tongue-lashing.

"You knew a kiss wouldn't work." He hissed at her. His eyes blackening, turning into the darkest abysses that rival black holes. Ingrid fought to stop herself from shuddering. She'd had her brother's evil against her and his anger but never his pure, raw fury. "You played on how I felt."

"You still kissed her."

"It wasn't supposed to be like that!" He roared at her. Erin flinched at his tone. "Our first kiss was awkward and desperate. It shouldn't have been about that, it should have been natural not something we were forced to do. It wasn't a happy moment as it should have been because I was angry with Erin because you forced me to find out she was a breather. You didn't give her the chance to tell me herself. How long did it take you to come up with that 'solution'?"

"Vlad…"

"No Ingrid, you're going to listen." He marched closer to her, watching as she hugged her knees. Erin had never seen Ingrid this vulnerable. "The whole kiss thing was to make it worse, add more emotion into it. Make it hurt more when I watched Erin burn. It's a good job you only said it covered vampires otherwise I would have left Erin thinking you were telling me the truth. You lost Will accidentally, you knew how it felt but you wanted me to watch Erin burn and know I'd failed her for the rest of my unlife."

"I'm sorry."

Vlad let loose a fireball, scorching the panelling. Everyone looked to Erin desperately, they knew what Vlad could be like, no one could stop him like this. Erin rolled her eyes as the entire panel burst into angry, hot flames she clicked her fingers making it stop before again grabbing his arm, yanking it down and lacing their fingers together. "Sorry isn't enough Ingrid!"

"Calm down Vlad." Erin whispered to him but he ignored her this time. Erin honestly didn't think he'd heard her over the whirring in his mind.

"Did you know about this?" Vlad snarled at Bertrand. His head didn't move towards him but he would know if Bertrand was lying.

"I only knew just before you collected Erin."

Bertrand nearly jumped, only just managing to control the urge, as Vlad snapped his head around to him.

"You still didn't tell me."

"There was nothing that could be done about it."

"This is worse than what you did with the diary." Vlad whispered to her, that memory still stung.

"Vlad I'm sorry," Ingrid whispered, her voice low. She honestly felt terrible about what she'd done. She always knew it would come back to bite her even if she hoped against hope it wouldn't.

"You manipulated me. You wanted to hurt Erin because of how I felt. You didn't care about how I felt, hurting Vlad was always your favourite game wasn't it Ingrid?" Vlad snapped at her. "You twisted what I felt for Erin and used it against me for a bit of fun, eliminating the threat along the way."

"I was jealous…"

"I *never* did anything to you Ingrid. All I ever wanted was for you to be my sister, to actually care about me without wanting to hurt me all the time."

Ingrid looked down; she accepted what Vlad was saying, she'd always been too bitter and it wasn't his fault.

Then Vlad said something that stung Ingrid; she didn't know he had it in him.

Vlad's voice was bitter, "Congratulations Ingrid, you've finally turned into mum."

YEKNODELTTILYEKNODELTTIL

Erin sighed seeing the way Ingrid was trembling. Bertrand didn't comfort her, she assumed that he knew how Vlad would react and wanted her to think about what she'd done. Bertrand was all for tough love when it was necessary.

"What's happened?" Robin asked quietly seeing the dangers Vlad was shooting his sister. If looks could kill… actually Vlad's could.

"Don't ask." Erin whispered, her watchful eyes never leaving her husband's dark face. Vlad's jaw was clenched, his tongue rolling in his jaw.

Vlad answered Robin's question with acid in his voice, each word made Ingrid flinch. "Oh Ingrid's just made mum proud."

"Okay." He nodded before Vlad's words sank in. "What?"

"You need to get out of here." Erin told him firmly. He couldn't be cooped up when he was angry, his power became untameable.

Vlad hissed and spat at her, she didn't take it personally she knew it was just a reflex.

Erin stood in front of him, one arm by her side the other pointing towards the door. Her arm didn't waver as she gestured to the open door. She glanced towards the curtains seeing that it was dark enough for what she wanted. "You. Outside. NOW!" She wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Vlad was surprised at his wife's tone but nodded; Erin was the one in control now.

YEKNODELTTILYEKNODELTTIL

Vlad had his hands in his pockets as he walked a few paces ahead of Erin. Erin was happy to let him distance himself. She knew he needed to calm, he couldn't be approached like this. He wouldn't forgive himself if she got too close and he lashed, injuring her. He'd lashed out with his fangs three years ago, only just able to stop himself.

The red scarf around his neck looked strange, they didn't want any breathers associating the bite with vampires. Erin subconsciously tugged on hers, she hadn't worn one in three years and it was starting to get on her nerves now.

Erin saw a bench and walked across to it, sitting down in front of the large clothes shop. Her hands were braced on either side of her as she rocked forwards and backwards. She watched as Vlad continued without her for another hundred yards before turning and searching for her as he realised she wasn't there.

Vlad slowly made his way back towards her, sitting next to her unceremoniously on the bench. Erin didn't mould into him as he put his hands in his lap. This wasn't the time to be affectionate and brush it under the rug. They needed to deal with this head on.

"What Ingrid did was wrong Vlad." She agreed, she knew that Vlad didn't deserve to be manipulated.

"Every time mum came back she manipulated Dad and us. I used to fall for it as well, she'd always come back every few months, making promises or bringing presents. She was kind to me," Erin looked at him, she couldn't see that actually being true but there was nothing about Vlad that told her otherwise. "I just wanted to have a mum." He didn't look up as he spoke, his voice cracking. "I wanted her for Ingrid as well, Dad only ever cared about me openly I just wanted someone to stop her picking on me." Ever since he could remember Ingrid had resented him for ever being born. "When I was six I realised what she was up to and what she'd done. I knew she'd left us but I didn't know why until then. She found out I knew and she doubled her efforts, going for me emotionally every single time. It always hurt more and more."

"No one should do that to anyone."

"She always knew what to do to make me fall for it and then she'd make me feel like an idiot and small when she left." In that moment Erin could compare him to a small child trying to protect himself again. His voice was so quiet and broken she nearly cried at it.

"Your mum knew how to treat you to get you to feel that way Vlad, you can't stop yourself from feeling that way. Last time she came she played on how you felt, you were vulnerable she knew which buttons to press. Its nothing to be ashamed off."

"Sorry." He whispered looking at her, running a hand through his hair. "You deserve better than a stupid wreck for a husband."

Erin drew her fist back and hit him hard in the shoulder. Despite Bertrand and Vlad's teaching her she still couldn't throw a proper punch but it still had the desired effect. Vlad winced before meeting her eyes with his, his arm coming up automatically to rub at his shoulder. Erin's were angry for his comment. She felt guilty about hitting him for a few moments before deciding he deserved it.

"Vladimir Dracula you are not a wreck and you are not stupid." Erin told him vehemently.

Vlad shook his head and went to stand up. He knew what he was, he didn't need Erin to sugar coat it for him.

Erin saw what he was doing and acted immediately. She slid her legs over his and shuffled until she was sitting on him fully. "I've never wanted anyone else." Vlad tried to push her off but she gripped the back of the bench so he couldn't, she knew he couldn't use force on her. "You are not stupid, you are the brightest vampire I know. No one else can deal with the problems that you have to deal with every day. You've kept your kind together, despite what everyone's said and if you're a wreck, there really isn't any hope for me." Her tone was light as she finished.

"I never thought she'd be like mum…"

Erin placed a feather light kiss to the shoulder she'd punched, now she was feeling guilty about hitting him. "Your sister has always acted without thinking first. Ingrid was jealous but she's become more like the sister you wanted since then. I'm not angry at her for trying to kill me, like she said you've all tried." Vlad looked down at her stomach as she said those words. "I'm angry at what she did to you, but you'll have to accept it and try to understand it, even if you can't forgive her."

Vlad shook his head. "I don't know about that…"

"Give yourself time."

"This can't be fixed Erin, what she did…"

Erin placed a finger to his lips cutting him off. "Just try Vlad."

Vlad nodded, for Erin he'd try.

Still, he wasn't promising anything.

TBC

A/N: Thanks for reading.