A/N: Disclaimer in Chapter 1.

I spent the last two days reaching a compromise with my blocker (new account yet again), actually I was the one who gave an ultimatum this time.

Either we continue this for a few more weeks, them blocking me after nearly every post until I finish or I upload every chapter in one go, which I'm still writing, either way the story will be finished.

They weren't amused but have 'graciously' decided to let me complete the story, seeing as they haven't really got any other option. So I should be posting regularly from now on. Thanks to them this should have been finished at the start of this month not the end of it.

Chapter 61: Options

Ingrid glanced around the room, looking for Vlad. He hadn't come to her side, neither had Erin she knew they'd never ignore a situation like this unless something was wrong.

Robin was by Erin's side before she was, helping Vlad as he repositioned himself to support more of Erin's weight.

"It'll be fine." Robin told her quietly before grimacing as she appeared to clutch the back of his collar as hard as she could and squeezing it, taking some skin with her as she did so. Robin didn't cry out, obviously considering not scaring Erin.

Ingrid was completely confused until she saw the wet patch coating Erin's jeans.

Erin was in labour.

The explosion. Or rather the shock of the explosion. She knew she had a bad feeling about that device, she doubted Erin's parents had planned for it to blow up. Ingrid cursed herself; if only she'd been a second or two sooner then Erin wouldn't be in labour.

She dove to Vlad's side and helped hold Erin up, gladly taking over from Robin. She saw the way Erin had hunched over, Vlad's signet ring was exposed and could get caught on anything. She knew Erin would be devastated if she lost it, so she tucked it under Erin's shirt to keep it safe. Erin gave her a grateful look.

Her sister in law looked at Vlad, tears making their way down her cheeks. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." He told her firmly, it wasn't. The thought hadn't even crossed his mind that she might blame herself. "No one knew that was going to explode."

"I was too close…" She shouldn't have been so near the device, especially after what it did last time. Although the fact slayer equipment didn't like their electrics should have been a big enough clue for her.

"It wasn't your fault." He repeated. "We need to stop the labour. Its too soon." Erin nodded. She knew what a likely outcome was for premature babies and these would be very premature. If she was mortal it would be the equivalent of being six months pregnant.

He looked up, not realising that the whole room had been plunged into silence and was staring at them.

"Well?" He snapped at them, they weren't an exhibition or a show. "Are you going to help?"

Those words forced the room to burst into activity forcing them to crowd around Erin. Something that wasn't an improvement on the situation.

"Alcohol!" Catherine suggested, "Alcohol slows the contractions down in pregnant women by…"

"Being absorbed into the bloodstream and pumped around their bodies." Mina continued. "It won't work on vampires."

Catherine shrugged, "Drugs?"

"Same." Mina answered. She couldn't think of anything. The slayers had never witnessed a vampire child being born before, it was the one area they weren't experienced in.

Erin leaned on Vlad, he was supporting almost her entire weight. His arm was firmly wrapped around her waist as hers were clutching his shirt tightly. Vlad was slightly hunched thanks to the grip around his neck. Her other hand had left Ingrid and was now rubbing her stomach.

"Pains coming quickly."

"That's the contractions." Steph told her with a small smile. Erin flashed her a vicious look, she didn't want to think of them as contractions because it would make the reality that her children were being born early more inevitable.

"I can manage." Erin told her, it wasn't as bad as it would get just yet. The labour hadn't fully kicked in yet.

"How long does it usually take?" Mina asked Ingrid quietly. They had a shorter pregnancy cycle so perhaps they had a shorter labour as well.

"I don't know." Ingrid was two when Vlad was born and Wolfie was half werewolf. Ingrid spoke her fears, "We haven't got Renfield here and you haven't got any facilities for any form of injury."

Vlad shook his head, his voice lowering. "If you mean a medical wing – no." Although the manor had been used during the last two world wars as convalescing hospital with the previous owners consent.

Mina spoke, having an inkling of where Ingrid was headed. "That leaves the Slayers Guild. We have the technology to deal with premature children, we have the medical equipment and a lab to deal with any problems that might occur during the birth."

"They can't be born yet." Vlad told them fiercely, "They might not survive." Three months premature meant even further reduced chances.

"Unless Erin can hold them in then I don't think you've got a choice." Ingrid told him firmly. Erin sent her a glare from her hunched over position.

"I'm going to be blunt Vlad because sometimes you really need it." Ingrid snapped at him, doing a good impression of Erin in that moment. Erin was the only person who could get away with talking to him bluntly without fear of consequences or her words being ignored. "You have a choice Vlad, leave them and they all die or let Erin give birth."

Erin was the one who spoke, "We might loose both of the children either way."

"But at least one person will live." Vlad nodded slowly, Ingrid was right. They had a better chance at a medical facility and the Guild knew more about them than anyone else. While the Guild knew nothing about pregnant vampires they might be able to piece together other information to help them.

"Its our only choice." Vlad spoke and Erin nodded. "The quicker I get her there the better."

Ingrid smiled in relief, "I'll meet you there, Robin and Catherine can bring her parents down in the car." Ingrid told him softly.

"Where are you going?"

Ingrid looked at him, her answer controlled. "There's something I have to get."

YEKNODELTTILYEKNODELTTIL

All was quiet in the school, it was strangely empty without his daughter and Bertrand there to sit around drinking his prized vintages. Although Count Dracula wasn't going to let it get to him. As far as he was concerned he didn't want any of them near him, they hadn't obeyed tradition or their culture.

The soft glow of the fire illuminated the room giving him light to read his paper in peace. Wolfie was somewhere else, still sulking at having to leave Vlad and Erin over a month before. The Count flipped his paper angrily.

The sound of flapping filled the air around him, the Count's head shot up as the sound reached his ears before he decided to pretend he didn't care for whoever it was. It was probably Vlad with some plea or another to bring the family back together but he wasn't going to cave first.

"Look what the bat dragged in." He tried to mutter as nonchalantly as possible.

"Actually Vlad didn't bring me this time." He turned his head at the voice of a woman only to come face to face with his daughter. She stood there with her arms crossed, looking stubborn.

"What do you want?"

Ingrid was going to get straight to the point. The longer she delayed the longer Erin was at risk. "Erin's gone into labour."

"I hope they're boys." The Count snapped at Ingrid, pretending not to be interested.

"She's three months early." Ingrid continued ignoring the jibe. She didn't have time to engage in petty arguments not when her nieces, nephews or both were at risk.

"Vampires are resilient." Very rarely did children not survive in their world.

"If they are born a month early they usually survive but she's *three* months early and she's a half fang."

The Count shook his head trying to convince himself as much as Ingrid with his next words. "She's as strong as any vampire woman."

"I need your help, your son needs your help. If your grandchildren are to live we need Renfield." Ingrid spat at them. She paused, "Thinking about it we don't really need your help." She smugly smiled at him.

The Count threw down his paper, flames licked at the edges as it landed near the grate. "How do you work that out?"

Ingrid gave him her sweetest smile that she could muster. "Well you're the head of this clan but Vlad's the head of every clan, that means Renfield reports to him." Her smile slowly vanished. "It isn't a request it's a demand."

"Suppose he doesn't want to go?"

Ingrid shook her head, "You can't stop him helping your son."

"He refuses to accept he's my son." Although Vlad had never actually said that. Ingrid knew Vlad was angry at being rejected it wasn't a case of denying he was the Count's son.

"He's angry at being rejected for something that wasn't his fault!" Ingrid snapped angrily.

"You did it to him once, made me reject him."

"I apologised, something you haven't done." Ingrid pointed out as a matter of fact. She'd admitted she'd done it and to Vlad he knew it was an apology even if she'd never said it. "Vlad and Erin need Renfield. Are you really willing to let their children die because your pride got in the way?"

TBC

A/N: Thanks for reading.