A/N: Disclaimer in Chapter 1.

Two chapters to go after this.

I've started typing 'Dark Truths' and I can definitely say it'll be a 'T'. The storyline is something that occurred to me from a comment made and something someone has been asking from me from January.

Although I'm just a little afraid that there might be some comeback from the second plotline…

Chapter 68: Oldest

Vlad looked around him at the crowd that had gathered in front of the small staged area. He knew what he was doing. He looked down and met Augustus' eyes before looking at Erin as the glint of her silver circlet caught his eyes.

"What have we been summoned?" One of the vampires beneath his screamed at him. They didn't want to be in the presence of the Grand High Vampire in fear of his enemy.

Vlad fixed him with a piercing gaze. Erin was glad she knew Vlad well enough not to be fazed by how much he changed when he was forced to slip into his Grand High Vampire role.

"We have business to discuss." Vlad answered curtly, the business of finishing this whole mess once and for all. First though he wanted to deal with a more private matter. Erin took her place more comfortably by Vlad, handing him Alex. Vlad's face transformed into one of tenderness as he looked at his children.

Mutterings began amongst them. "Vlad…" Erin pulled him from his thoughts.

"I'm sure half of you have heard that my wife was pregnant," There was no denying that it would have spread. "So I present Alexandru Nicu Aric Dracula and Erika Luiza Anika Dracula. My children."

There was just one words that was repeated. "Twins?"

"My wife carried twins, they were born early due to an accident that's why they're so small. They are your future." He commanded, almost immediately everyone dropped to their knees. He'd forgotten to consider that they'd be classed as royalty now. "They are our children."

He turned as did Erin so they could see the resemblance, it was too remarkable to be chance.

As he anticipated Augustus was by his side in an instant flashing a piece of paper in front of him that Vlad was sorely tempted to burn there and then.

Augustus was only putting on this display to give Vlad one last chance. The young Grand High Vampire knew that he wasn't stupid. "Here's the contract."

"What contract?" Someone asked from the middle of the crowd.

"Binding the heir of the Grand High Vampire in a mating to our fallen former council member Jorgen's clan." Vlad looked towards Jorgen's clan, two children stood at the front – a boy and a girl – just behind them, gripping them almost brutally was their mother. She had a pinched face, an expression of pure evil as she looked at the twins with barely concealed disgust. She only wanted the status they held. Vlad felt sick that his children were nearly forced to marry them. "The purpose of the marriage was that all Grand High Vampires should have an equal for when they assume the throne. Even if they weren't mated at the time of crowning they would still be engaged to mate just like I was." Vlad smiled at him.

"So?"

"We always said 'our children'. Never child, because we didn't think." Vlad told her quietly. "He only mentioned a marriage for the future Grand High Vampire, one mating that's it."

"So?"

"We had twins." He grinned at her. Erin rubbed her temples, growing annoyed with her husband. She sent him a mental wave of her frustration. "Only one can take the throne."

Augustus' eyes narrowed, "The oldest." Vlad nodded.

Vlad looked at him a cold smile across his face. "Their ages don't matter to me or Erin and they won't matter on their birth certificates and clan trees."

Augustus made an executive decision, "We'll go with tradition then, the boy…"

"And deny my daughter the birthright she's entitled to if she's the oldest?" He lost patience the, he had experience when a girl was denied her birthright. "I abolished that 'tradition'," He spat out that word as if it were a bitter pill, "When I made Ingrid number two and Erin Queen. Women have rights; my daughter can succeed me as my heir. If she's the oldest but Alex might be the oldest though." He was deliberately confusing Augustus.

An eerie smile began to tug at Augustus' lips. He'd realised something that the young vampire hadn't. "We'll know as they'll be the most powerful." Augustus smiled at him.

Vlad's first child would be the most powerful of them all so his powers weren't 'gifted' to most of their kind in future generations. Vlad knew something Augustus didn't. "They're both as powerful as each other, they were conceived at the same time. They're twins Augustus. Not identical in looks but identical in power." It was simple biology the cells split giving each child equal power when they were first growing in Erin's womb.

Augustus didn't like being beaten, he tried weakly: "We can test them with the crown."

"The crown will recognise both of them. They hold half of my DNA, the same will apply for any of my children. The other half they take from Erin and you know the crown recognises her because I bit her."

"If you think you can live with the revenge of a family cheated out of what they paid as a price for the marriage, then go ahead."

"If it's the wrong one, we will make your death slow and painful." A cry came from the back of the hall and Augustus gulped.

Augustus gulped, beads of sweat dripped down his face. "Which one?" He demanded looking at Jonno.

"I don't know." He answered quietly, suddenly grateful that Erin hadn't managed to tell him.

Augustus let out a fierce growl, he'd expected the slayer to know. His heartbeat didn't waver showing he was telling the truth. "Erika!" He snapped pointing to the girl.

"What if Alex is the oldest?" Atilla asked quietly. Augustus had arranged the marriages with the families involved stating that their own children would become the Grand High Vampire's equal.

"We'll have both." Jorgen's wife stated loudly and clearly.

Vlad shook his head, "The contract was only for one. You might have a child of each but Augustus promised our first-born. We have two children and I have no intention of telling you which one is the oldest."

Erin looked at Vlad and was ready to pounce on him, in that moment she didn't think she'd ever loved him so much.

Jorgen's wife and Augustus spoke at the same time. "You have no right!"

"I HAVE EVERY RIGHT!" Vlad shouted at him, the entire room ducked in fear of him losing control over his powers. "THESE ARE DRACULAS. THEY WILL NOT BE AUCTIONED OFF TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER YOU MADE THE AGREEMENT NOT ME. YOU SAID MY FIRST BORN. I'M THE FATHER OF TWINS, NOTHING WAS MENTIONED ABOUT TWINS! BOTH HOLD MY POWER INSIDE THEM, NEITHER IS MORE POWERFUL BEING WHICH THE MATING WAS DESIGNED FOR!"

"The first born refers to the oldest." Augustus challenged him, he had nothing left to lose. "The oldest will succeed you."

"The oldest is in front of you Augustus." Vlad told him gesturing to both of his children. Augustus let out a huff of frustration.

"Do you really know which is the oldest?" Jonno asked Erin quietly. Vlad and Erin were holding fantastic poker faces at the moment, he couldn't tell if they were bluffing or not. Jonno knew from stories that Vlad had the best blank face, he could fool almost anyone.

"Yeah." She smiled at him. It was something they'd been told by Mina.

Augustus heard the exchange, he knew what he had to do. He knew a way to find out the truth. He pushed his way into Erin's mind. He hit the barriers and tried to charge through them.

Erin gasped at the sudden mental intrusion. She took a step backwards, before throwing up more mental barriers as Bertrand and Vlad had taught her to do.

Vlad noticed what Erin was going through, the way her eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared slightly. Augustus knew he wouldn't be able to intrude on Vlad's mind, but he didn't realise ho strong Erin was. Erin was the only one who could enter his mind, he recognised her. He threw out his arm and Augustus was thrown backwards.

Erin relaxed as Augustus was physically and mentally wrenched from her mind. Her mate immediately brought and arm around her in comfort, pulling her tightly against him.

"You okay?" He asked her. Erin nodded, she wasn't sure what to say at first. "That was a stupid thing to try Augustus." His fangs were glistening in the light now. "Attacking Erin in any way is treason you know that."

"I didn't attack her!"

"You forced yourself into her mind." Vlad snapped at him, "You attacked her mentally. I share everything with Erin, did you really think that I'd leave her unprotected?"

Augustus looked down, he hadn't thought about it that way.

"My children aren't being mated and I'll never tell you which is the oldest until after they've found mates for themselves like I did." Vlad told him slowly. Augustus looked at Jorgen's clan and Vlad knew for a fact that he wouldn't have to deal with Augustus but he might have to deal with Jorgen's for vampicide. Augustus could of course try to appeal for protection but Vlad wasn't going to give it after everything that he'd done.

Erin touched Vlad's arm, he was still tense that could only mean one thing. "That wasn't all of your plan was it?" Erin asked him quietly. Vlad knew he couldn't hide anything from her for long, even if she didn't know the details she knew there was something he was hiding from her.

He cupped her jaw, he wasn't afraid of showing affection in public. "Trust me."

"You know I do."

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. His eyes snapped open as he sensed something. "They're here."

"Who's here?" Erin asked him as he fixed his eyes on the doors. Erin knew he was tense from the way he straightened, his hands by his sides.

She soon had her answer as the doors opened wide.

YEKNODELTTILYEKNODELTTIL

Vlad watched as his 'guests' approached him. Erin gave Vlad the fiercest glare she could muster. She should have been told, she would have made sure that the twins were out of here at least. She felt like hitting him.

A walk way appeared in the centre of the room as the vampires moved to allow Vlad's 'guests' access to him. Six people walked down that centre aisle looking at Vlad, their heads held high almost regally.

One of them caught Erin's attention immediately, her lighter hair colour and her grin. Not to mention the way she seemed to bounce up the aisle.

Vlad glanced towards Bertrand, this would be the test that told him if the bonds that bound him to his mistress were finally broken.

"I see the twins have been born, at least Augustus was right about something." Olga deliberately dropped Augustus in it. Vlad was right, she wanted rid of him.

Erin passed the children to Bertrand and Ingrid, who immediately moved to stand in a defensive position. Erin stepped forwards, her cape fluttering behind her in her wake, "What are you doing here?"

"I thought you told your wife everything Vlad." She chuckled, she looked at Erin with smugness plastered all over her face. She gestured lazily towards Vlad. "Your mate invited me here."

Vlad winced preparing for what was coming, usually his name dragged out very slowly and unshortened. "Vladimir?" Erin definitely didn't disappoint him.

"Trust me." He whispered into her mind. Erin knew he wouldn't answer verbally. "I'm putting an end to all of this now." Erin held his gaze before giving him a stiff nod. He reached out and squeezed her hand lightly.

"I have an offer." Vlad told her firmly. An offer that would save many lives.

"What could you offer me?" Olga laughed.

"Something you can't refuse, something I know you won't."

That caught Olga's attention, there was only one thing that she wanted and she had a feeling that Vlad was going to give her the one thing she wanted more than anything else. "I'm listening."

"You want this." He twisted the crown she could never wear in her fingers, she craved the symbol of it instead. "You wanted to level the playing field so here's my offer. No powers, no vampiric skills, no one else. Just you and me. The winner become Grand High Vampire without opposition, every clan will be loyal to the victor."

"Vlad!" Erin shouted angrily at him, if Vlad was offering this he couldn't use any of the techniques that Bertrand had trained him in. Techniques he'd been using for the last four years.

Vlad ignored his wife and continued, "We've got witnesses so everyone can see what truly happened. A fair fight, something you've always wanted."

Olga tipped her head, her cousin was stronger than her with or without his powers. "I prefer a weapon."

"A breather one then." A vampire one could be rigged, a breather one couldn't. Vlad wasn't going to let it show on his face that he wasn't entirely confident. He'd been training for years using vampire techniques only.

"And the finishing point?" She asked him, a smile creeping across her face.

Vlad looked at her, this was the juiciest part for her. "Death."

TBC

A/N: What do you think?

Thanks for reading.