Fanfiction errors. For when writers block doesn't slow you down enough.
-YD-
Ingrid was with Adam, keeping him away from the screaming and the slayers. From the birth of his new sibling, that he would think was his cousin.
Vlad was hard put to be anywhere near Adze, but his child was about to be born and even she was too busy delivering to try and attack Vlad or even intimidate him in some way. The slayers were periodically jumping as the usual lightning storm raged outside, thunder cracking in time with her screams. They looked away as much as they could, attempting to reserve some semblance of dignity.
Roqueloire stood in the corner, quiet and pensive as though his acutely sensitive hearing wasn't being battered by the screeching. Watching Mina alongside a VHC vampiress as they aided delivery, Vlad paced and waited and angsted. The hardest part of his life had definitely been marrying Adze as Ingrid walked out of his unlife. But Adze assaulting him, being caught as leader of the Anti-Peace vamps and having her trapped in the bowels of the castle had been an achingly close second.
And now it was almost over.
Adze swore in about a dozen languages, eyes burning as the power prepared to leave her body now the baby was ready to be born. With a last few screams and pushes, a sharp cry wrent the air and there was a squalling baby being wrapped in a black swaddlecloth. They cleaned them up quickly, handed the wailing baby over to the waiting father.
"It's a girl."
Vlad knew they expected his disappointment, that the baby being a daughter rather than a son was bad news but he couldn't care less. The mixed parentage showed in her russet coloured skin, in the jet black hair sprinkled across a soft scalp. He'd feared for months that what Adze did to conceive this baby would make him unable to love the child, but as wide brown eyes fixed on his own, Vlad felt all those concerns fade away.
"Uh, guys... give us a minute?"
The slayers weren't happy.
"You knew the agreement."
"Adze is cuffed. She isn't going anywhere."
Sure enough, argentalium shackles bound one of Adze's wrists to the side of her bedframe. Jonno looked between the new parents, then turned to the others.
"One minute. You really think Vlad's going to let go of his baby to free her, so she can encounter us right on the other side of the door?"
Grumbling, all but Roqueloire left the room. He looked away pointedly. Vlad sat down, watching that wary expression on Adze's face deepen as the door closed.
"Decided to do the deed yourself?"
Vlad shook his head, brushing the cloth away from their baby's face so the rounded cheeks were visible.
"Adze... you could have gone about this in so many different ways. You could have made so many better choices. I'll never forgive everything you did, but I don't need to. I just thought you might want to see your daughter this once."
Clearly, she hadn't been expecting that. Vlad sat back slightly, held the girl at an angle that allowed Adze to look upon the tiny face. For just a second, there was something that almost looked like emotion rather than disdain, but Adze refused to let it blossom into actual feelings and her face darkened again.
"I never wanted the brat. Get out."
Vlad didn't want to watch anyway. He certainly didn't want that to be their daughters first memory. He stood, left Roque in his stead and left Adze behind, baby in his arms. The Slayers stepped aside, let him through.
"All yours."
He took a few deep breaths, waited for the inevitable noise of stake meeting heart. It took only a moment.
Adze didn't make a sound.
The Slayers came out, Mina the one holding the stake. Vlad raised a questioning eyebrow.
"I owed her for trying to eat Jonno."
"Yeah... sorry about that. I'm gonna go get her dressed, she can't wear a swaddle forever. You guys are welcome to stay another night if you're not ready to go."
"I'm out of here. No offense Grand High whatever, but I'm done living with bats."
Hex and Simpson practically ran to presumably pack, but Jonno and Mina lingered, followed Vlad through the castle to the nursery set up next to his room. He might actually have to start spending time in it now.
"Wow. Gothic."
"Black and red is very gender neutral."
Vlad laid his daughter down, flailing internally but figuring practice would make perfect as he wrangled her in to a nappy, a little black-and-bats babygro.
"Hey, have you named her yet?"
He nodded, lifting her back into his arms as soon as she was dressed
"Daciana. It's Romanian. Means 'full of strength'."
"Cool."
Jonno smiled, Mina joining in.
"It's lovely Vlad."
There was an air of awkwardness to their interactions - they had just killed Vlad's wife, Daciana's mother.
"So tell me... is my daughter going to grow up with the peace intact?"
"The Guild can't really argue with your willingness to cooperate."
"I'm happy to report back that you are as committed as ever."
"Thank you Mina. Truly."
Daciana looked up toward Vlad with intelligent eyes for a newborn, seeming to quietly observe the cold man holding her warm, 'living' body. Her heartbeat was steady, strong.
"Oh. Hi Ingrid."
Vlad turned around, tearing his eyes from Daciana's face to look at Ingrid.
"Adam wants to meet the spawn."
"Charming as ever. Meet your niece."
Ingrid looked down, a small smile tipping up the side of her mouth where slayers could not see, but she schooled her face to one of indifference a few seconds later.
"Delightful" the Van Helsings saw her eye roll as she headed back away "please appease my son before he drives me mad."
Vlad's dead heart seized in his chest, remembering Ingrid's potentially telling Adam that he was Vlad's son too once Adze was gone. He might soon know this little infant was his baby sister.
"Sure. I ought to start trying to make up bottles soon, babies like feeding last I checked."
Not particularly wanting to let her go, Vlad placed his little girl in the black bassinet waiting, for ease of transport as he moved around the castle.
"Sir, what would you like done with your wife's ashes?"
Roqueloire landed silently between Van Helsings, dust urn between his hands. Vlad's immediate response was to hurl it into a garlic pit or bonfire.
"Put them to one side. I'll give them to Ramanga some time so she can sit next to her mothers dust or something."
"Very well sir."
Roqueloire zipped off, left Vlad to carry his daughter - bats, his daughter along. He couldn't believe she was finally there, that he would get a second chance at fatherhood from infancy. Not that she displaced Adam in any way; Vlad still fiercely adored his son.
"Remember Adam, you have to be quiet with babies."
"I know!"
Vlad heard Wolfie and Adam in the kitchen they headed toward, curious heads popping out around the doorway at the sound of footsteps. He lifted the bassinet to the table, watched as Adam immediately clambered up to kneel on his chair so he could peek into it and look at Daciana.
"Hi! I'm Adam."
He didn't look too perturbed to get no real reply from her, somehow still looking riveted as Vlad started mixing baby formula up. Wolfie joined in the peering, getting a look at the newest Dracula.
"We should get to bed, then leave during daylight hours. I miss the sun."
"Good idea mum. Congratulations Vlad."
"Thanks. If I know anything about babies, I'll probably hear you leave "
Mina laughed, nodding in agreement as she and Jonno headed off for bed. It would be weird to be down four heartbeats come tomorrow. Although they were up one, which pumped blood through the tiny veins of his baby girl.
"Adam, go get ready for tutoring."
He pouted, but complied. Wolfie ambled off to do Lucifer only knew what, and Bertrand took the unsubtle hint to go get ready to teach Adam. That left Vlad, Ingrid and Daciana alone in the kitchen. Finished making up the bottle, Vlad lifted Daciana back up, resting her awkwardly against his arm. Ingrid tsked, nudged his arm to support her better.
"I know you already knew, but you can tell she's yours. She has your funny ears."
"Thanks" Vlad held the bottle to Daciana's little mouth, felt a surge of primal happiness as she latched on "I worried I wouldn't see past... but I love her. She's perfect."
"Told you so."
He could see Adze in her features, certainly. The darker skin, the plump lower lip, her big brown eyes. But she also had Vlad's nose, and as Ingrid so kindly pointed out, his strange ears.
"You want to hold her?"
"Not until you wind her. I don't miss baby sick."
Ingrid even kindly explained how to do it properly, and Vlad was rewarded by a dribble of regurgitated milk but at least he'd done it right. Ingrid took her from him so he could clean up, motherhood clear in her confident posture as she cradled her brothers daughter with practiced hands.
"You and me are going to coexist much better if you don't scream in my vicinity. Deal?"
"Are you expecting her to answer you at all of an hour old?"
"I'm just pre warning the newest resident."
Vlad took her back, still utterly boggled by how much he loved this little girl. He was going to have to answer for where her mother had gone one day, but he accepted that. There was silence save for little baby breaths, until Ingrid spoke again.
"It's strange."
"What is?"
"Not worrying about her anymore."
He nodded in agreement, stroking a soft little face and watching Daciana reach for his hand clumsily.
"Yeah. My homes safe again. Just in time too, eh little one?"
"You think Adze would have hurt her?"
Vlad hummed in thought, smitten even with the way his daughter yawned.
"Physically? No. But emotionally? Definitely."
Ingrid predictably kept her distance until Jonno and Mina left, but that didn't terribly surprise Vlad. He asked that they not publicly announce Vlad's newborn child just yet - he wasn't ready for the onslaught of congratulations and, when Adze's death was discovered, the sea of offers for stepmothers.
Adam however, was as taken as could be with Daciana. Granted, he shortened her name to 'Chia' after about an hour of trying to repeat it, only to stutter over the 'achi' sound. At least she didn't understand the complaint her father had picked a difficult name.
Wolfie was quite fond too, his thick muscles dwarfing the baby when he took a turn holding his niece. She wasn't quite sure what to make of him, staring up at the hybrid that made everyone except Bertrand look rather tiny by comparison.
"Oh, you need changing. That's Vlad's job, not mine."
Adam giggled as Vlad was handed back his daughter, who certainly did need changing. Then dhe wanted to be fed, cuddled to sleep and threatened to cry if Vlad put her down.
"Definitely a Dracula."
Ingrid commented, sipping at a goblet of blood while Wolfie helped Adam cook since Vlad was otherwise engaged.
"Oh, absolutely."
Adam went quiet for a minute, more pensive than an eight year old would usually look.
"Vlad?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you still going to have time for me now you're her dad?"
It took everything he had not to tell Adam there and then. Everyone else had that look that said they all knew, and Vlad ached for his son.
"Of course I will. I'll always have time for you Adam. Promise."
The boys face cleared to a smile, and he turned back to making himself food (supervised) with a spring in his sock-clad step. Vlad took Daciana to change - the kitchen was hardly the place - and hoped he was doing it right as she laid patiently awaited cleaner attire.
"We'll tackle bath time tomorrow, I think. One night at a time, yeah?"
How had Ingrid done this alone? Vlad was terrified as much as he was excited for the journey of parenthood stretching out before him. Double parenthood - Adam was his child too. Had many years of growing ahead of him, so Vlad could see him turning into a person before his very eyes.
Vlad put her back in her bassinet at dawn, deliberating before placing it in his bedroom rather than the nursery - she had a crib in his room too, in case, as he expected, he couldn't bear to be a whole room away. He changed for sleep, then went right back to watching Daciana in her slumber.
"She'll be awake in an hour or so. They eat and sleep a lot early on."
Ingrid appeared in his room, sliding around the door like a shadow and he realised she no longer had to fear Adze going near their son. Adam was safe to sleep alone. Not that he expected her to stay, but now she felt safe to wander.
"Did Adam?"
"Like clockwork, every two hours to eat."
"What was he like as a baby?"
He ran the risk of pushing Ingrid too far, but she seemed to be in an accommodating mood and leant herself against his desk, elegant and graceful even in a relaxed pose.
"Like he is now. Chatty. Smiley. More interested in books than bats. Honestly... he was a lot like you as a kid. Only much less annoying."
"Were you scared?"
Ingrid raised one eyebrow, then turned away as she weighed up expressing feelings against assuring the newly single dad.
"Terrified. But... he turned out perfectly. Perfectly himself. I can't do better than that."
Vlad turned his eyes back to his daughter. Adam had turned out to be a lot like Vlad... Daciana could turn out like Adze. Although he suspected Adze's ire, like Ingrid's, could be rooted back to a misogynistic father, and Adze was much older, with brothers. Maybe if he loved and cherished his daughter as he planned to, she'd not want to slaughter him in his sleep.
"I only hope I can do so well by her."
"Just accept that she now rules your life. After that, you figure it out. Now get some sleep... while you can."
Ingrid kissed him before she left, leaving Vlad slightly dazed.
"Wait!"
He said that a little loud, and peered to check he hadn't woken Daciana.
"What?"
"Are you still thinking of telling Adam? Only... what he said earlier broke my heart. I never want him to worry that way."
She sighed, turning toward the cot.
"I don't know. I don't want him feeling that way either, but... he's not just going to take the news. He'll have questions I can't answer."
"I know. But honestly... I think he'll understand. He gets to be a big brother... and he told me he wishes I was his father."
Ingrid leant against the doorway, head falling back and her hair slid across her shoulders.
"Damnit. Fine. When everyone else is gone."
"Come on. Everyone else knows."
Her mercury eyes flashed, irritation sparking at his misunderstanding.
"The slayers, you idiot."
"Oh. Oh. Tomorrow?"
Her jaw tensed. Her head nodded.
"Tonight."
Vlad let it go. Ingrid was giving more than he had any right to ask. He watched her go, then did as she advised and tried to sleep while he could.
He was a father of two now.
-YD-
Daciana - Da-Chi-Ana. You may recognise Ana from a previous Vlad/Ingrid fic.
I expected this chapter to be longer... sorry about that.