A/N: Disclaimer in Chapter 1.

Yd rox: Your email addresses didn't register the review, but you can Private Message me if you sign in and go to my authors page and select the PM option near my name, or I could PM you if you tell me your author name.

Chapter 11: Intention

Ingrid knew she'd have to beat down the stubborn natures of her brother and his wife, she didn't really care what the Count thought it was their opinions that mattered at the end of the day. She rolled her eyes.

"It might be the only way." Ingrid muttered.

"No Ingrid." Vlad told his sister firmly. "We've got enough problems at the moment. I'm not involving other slayers behind the Guild's back and especially not Thomas and Stephanie Noble."

"They're not slayers anymore."

"Because they tried to marry their daughter off and were partly behind an uprising from the Hartleighs in the Guild." Granted the Nobles weren't directly involved but Vlad knew that if they hadn't tried to marry Erin off to Andrew Hartleigh none of that would have happened.

Vlad turned away from his sister. There was no way he was going to get help from them. "Vlad they know people, they might be able to raise a few followers to help us."

"No Ingrid." He repeated, "I'm not involving them. We worked hard to help Jonno when the Guild was taken I'm not going to cause another uprising there. We've already got one to deal with."

"The Nobles know their way around technology…"

That made Vlad even more convinced, he wasn't going to allow them access into their home. There was no telling what information they could gain to use against them in such a sensitive situation.

"We'll do this on our own Ingrid, we've been on our own before we'll do it again." Erin told her sister in law gently, she was just as concerned as Vlad.

"Vlad we need all the help we can get. Erin's parents shouldn't hold anything against you now. You're mated to their daughter and they can't change that. Steph recognised that Erin was happy with you." She wanted Vlad to see that he shouldn't consider the negative instead he needed to think positively.

It wasn't that Vlad was worried about it, no he was terrified about their reaction when they found out Erin was pregnant. He knew Ryan's. He tried not to dwell on his brother in law's comment towards Erin and any child she carried of Vlad's. The thought made his nose flare angrily.

"Don't push it Ingrid." Vlad cast a look towards his wife, his expression changing to concern as he could sense the fear and panic rising in Erin. Erin looked frantically around the room trying to find something to distract her from the conversation at hand. Vlad placed a hand on Erin's shoulder making her jump. "Hey." He whispered, Erin's eyes were wide in fear. "You okay?" Erin nodded, unsure she felt strange for a moment before she fought to calm herself down. Stress wasn't a good thing for their child. Vlad spun around to face his sister, "Erin's in no condition to see her parents. I'm not letting them in my home again. They were at our mating ceremony I'm not having them here."

Ingrid nodded, something was up, Vlad was being far too protective of Erin. "Fine, you win. No Nobles other than former ones in the manor." She didn't bring up Ryan as she knew it wouldn't be received well.

"Good." Vlad told her firmly. "And don't even think about going behind my back." Ingrid rolled her eyes, it had occurred to her but she was concerned about the way Vlad was treating Erin. If she was still ill she didn't want to make Erin's condition worse. Vlad didn't need that kind of distraction.

YEKNODELTTILYEKNODELTTIL

Wolfie had begun drumming his fingers on the arm of the chair, the sound echoing around the panelling in the room.

"Wolfie the laptop is switched on in the study if you want to play on it." Vlad told his eight-year-old brother. They wouldn't be able to concentrate until Wolfie settled down.

"Really?" He asked excitedly, the only time he got to play on the technology was when he stayed with Vlad and Erin, or when he was at school.

The Count looked outraged, comically looking between Wolfie's hopeful face and Vlad's offering one. "I don't approve of him on those breather devices." The breather devices were cursed in the Count's mind, pure evil which was ironic considering they were vampires.

Wolfie completely ignored his guardian in favour of his brother and his offer. He jumped up from the couch and bolted towards the doors as fast as he could. "Thanks Vlad." His feet clomped down the corridor, squeaking against the varnished floors towards the study.

"Just try not to delete the files this time." Erin called after him.

"I'll try!" The call echoed down the corridors.

"I made sure only I could delete them." Vlad whispered to Erin, he hadn't offered without thinking it through this time. Last time Wolfie had somehow managed to delete all of Vlad's council notes and his plans of action. It had taken Jonno hours to recover a fraction of what Vlad had lost, still it was better than nothing.

They waited for a few minutes before speaking again to make sure Wolfie had vanished completely.

"Where's Bertrand?" The Council finally realised what, or rather who, was missing.

"In the cells." Ingrid and Erin spoke at the same time. Erin had a sympathetic look on her face as she turned to face the older vampire. Erin didn't feel comfortable with Bertrand in the cells but he hadn't tried to escape not that he could with all the defences Vlad had installed in there. She found herself missing Bertrand's presence.

"He finally showed his true colours then… you should stake him while you have the chance Vlad…"

"You touch one hair of his head and I will stake you *Daddy*." Ingrid's voice turned sarcastic, she'd fight to protect Bertrand.

"He's had it coming since he betrayed your brother and kidnapped Erin!" The Count shouted angrily at his daughter, in the background thunder and lightening rumbled. At the moment the need for vengeance for Bertrand daring to attack his children and Vlad's mate reared its ugly head.

Ingrid let out a roar, her fangs on display for the entire world to see.

"Dad, its not Bertrand's fault." Vlad spoke, his eyes fluttering furiously. "Bertrand's been bitten and if you harm him I won't stop Ingrid." Vlad was the only person that stood between Ingrid and the Count. His influence had probably saved his father from being reduced to dust.

"He's been bitten?"

"He won't harm us," Ingrid promised, then sheepishly looking down as she watched Erin bring her hand instinctively to her throat feeling Bertrand's phantom grip. "Not if I'm around."

Everyone went silent, the Count knew that what Bertrand was going through must be eating him alive. The usually strong mentor wasn't a slave to anyone, he prided himself on being independent. Bertrand was capable of providing for his daughter and he had his approval but if Olga had bitten him he couldn't allow Ingrid to marry him for the sake of her safety. While he might not show it he did care for his daughter and he had her safety at the forefront of her mind.

"You said you brought your dad back because you needed me." Robin knew that he was going to be used for something; he couldn't help but feel slightly resentful of that fact, although Vlad hadn't asked for something in the last three years since undoing the mind wipe. At the moment he wondered what they wanted him to do. "What do you want me to do?" Robin asked quietly.

Erin's answer was simple, will full agreement from Ingrid and Vlad. "Deal with your sister."

YEKNODELTTILYEKNODELTTIL

Chloe gulped as she looked around the large room. The centre room was mostly bare there except for the modern wooden dining chair and table, around the edges other furniture had been pushed against the walls. Along the one side was a large screen, an interactive whiteboard of sorts.

Vlad, Erin, Ingrid and the Count watched from around the edges of the room. Chloe's eyes narrowed at the way Vlad was rubbing Erin's shoulder soothingly, she really didn't look well – although there was something different though about it this time. She seemed to be glowing.

Vlad stared at Chloe; this was the room where he held his meetings. It was his most secure room; Jonno had made sure of that. The cameras in the room recorded the meetings, although he rarely did that he only recorded the meetings he was sure he'd have comeback from. He didn't have to worry about the screen or the recorders anymore.

Robin rounded on his sister the moment he saw her, his Welsh accent thickening. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

Chloe looked at her brother as if he bored her, looking over to Vlad with a faint smile playing across her lips. "Made Vlad regret picking Erin."

Vlad scoffed and turned away, pointedly looking at the wall. He closed his eyes

"You nearly killed Jonno and Mina. They don't even know if Jonno will survive!" Chloe looked at him, she didn't feel much pity for the slayers who'd tried to kill Vlad years ago. Robin slammed the device down on the table in front of her. Chloe wasn't going to initially admit to harming them until she saw the device. It was supposed to have been destroyed but clearly it hadn't. They knew everything so there was no point in hiding it now. "This isn't just about you Chloe or the crush you have on Vlad…"

"Its not a crush!" Chloe shouted angrily, treating Robin's words as an insult. "It was never a crush." She tried to stand up and make her way across to Vlad but Robin grabbed her shoulders and shoved her back down onto the chair. Chloe looked up at him with wide eyes, Robin never used force on her.

"Chloe, Vlad is mated to Erin. They chose each other. It can't be undone."

A soft mutter originating from Ingrid met the vampires' ears. Vlad shook his head from side to side while Erin's eyes narrowed at her comments. "If you'd been here yesterday you wouldn't have thought that." Erin shared a look with Vlad who looked at her apologetically while the Count watched the younger Draculas with suspicion.

Malice fixed in her gaze as she stared at Vlad's back, if he sensed it he didn't let on about it. "He didn't give me a chance."

Robin shook his head frantically, he wished Chloe would see sense. "Vlad knew you years before Erin, I'd say he gave you a chance. He had plenty of time to feel that way about you but he doesn't." Robin didn't give Chloe the sympathetic look this time, she didn't deserve sympathy. "You really don't know what you've done do you Chloe?"

Chloe began, she hadn't expected them to be as injured as they were, "Jonno and Mina…"

Robin cut her off seeing an excuse was about to follow, she needed to be brought back to reality if only for a minute. "Vlad relied on their friendship he needs it now more than ever."

Chloe scoffed, looking away from her brother. "The Truce is strong enough at the moment. They haven't attacked." She'd wanted to show the mistake he'd made forming a truce with the slayers. Erin had been a slayer she was convinced they'd turn on him at any moment. Chloe wanted to show him that he could trust her that she'd never betray him like she knew Erin had.

"Vlad's in a vampire war. Without Jonno and Mina his chances halved, you've probably just killed him." Robin's pointed at her as he spoke.

She paled, she didn't know that. It was the last thing she wanted. "What?" Robin was lying to her – he had to be.

"Vlad needs their support, no one else can make the decision. Until they wake up Vlad's on his own."

Chloe's mouth suddenly went dry, "I didn't know."

"You didn't need to," Robin yelled at her making Chloe wince. Tears trickled down her cheeks, she never intended for this to happen, that she'd be part of the reason for Vlad's downfall all she wanted was to get some revenge against the Van Helsings who'd sided against her union with Vlad, choosing Erin over her.

Chloe tried to speak but she couldn't bring herself to. The vampires had their eyebrows raised all looking at her expectantly. This had never been her intention.

Ingrid grabbed Chloe's shoulder, holding her unforgivably and strong enough to form a bruise but she didn't care. This was nothing compared to what she'd done to Mina and Jonno. "What do you want me to do with Chloe?"

Vlad shrugged, he didn't know how to handle breathers. He didn't know enough about their law but then again she hadn't exactly committed a crime against Breathers she'd committed one against the slayers. "I think the slayers will want to talk to her."

"So what do you want me to do with her till then?" Chloe stumbled as Ingrid jerked her around sharply.

Vlad ran a hand through his hair. "Put her in one of the rooms, we'll hand her over to Catherine after the coronation." Vlad lowered his hand from his raven locks, realising that he was only succeeding in tangling his hair more.

Ingrid nodded, assuming the role Bertrand usually took and forced Chloe from the room.

Robin could see something was bothering his friend. "What's wrong?"

Vlad shook his head, snapping himself out of his thoughts. "I just hope it's the only thing she's done."

TBC

A/N: Thanks for reading.