(A/N): So I would just like to take his opportunity to remind people that since I started writing this story is 2012- the same year that Breaking Dawn Part 2 came out- the fertility of the vampires in this story is pretty heavily based on the vampires of the Twilight Series. It's kind of (probably more than just kind of) a messed up system, but unfortunately, it's a pretty big part of this story now, so there's not really anything I can do to change that.

Trigger Warnings: Talk of infertility, adoption, and a sort of problematic discussion of the normalization of exclusionary language surrounding human reproduction. Basically, the term 'normal' makes everything that doesn't fit that common category come across as 'abnormal', or 'less than'. I've tried my best- as has Evie- to use inclusive language, but I may have made a mistake here or there. If you have issues with it, please private message me about, so I can try to fix it. Pretty much, Evie starts to say something, realises that that could be extremely hurtful, and stops herself, only to have it addressed and dismissed by someone else. No one's feelings are hurt on that particular subject.

Evie

January 16th, 1966

I let it sit for a second- maybe too long, maybe not long enough. I wasn't sure what was appropriate, but I tried to wait until I felt they had gotten through enough of their heartfelt eye contact to hopefully soften any blow my ignorance might deliver.

"Um... can I ask..." They turned to me, and I felt like maybe Jerremyah was slightly relieved to have been torn away. "What's a 'kit'?" His face slackened in surprise, and he glanced back at Lisbet, before returning his gaze to me.

"A- a kit is- a kit-" He was clearly having trouble getting it out, and Nicholai rolled his eyes.

"A kit is a child- or otherwise dependent individual, but typically, it's a child- that a vampire, or vampires, basically takes in, adopts, or chooses to take care of, in one way or another." And... Lisbet and Jerremyah wanted one? ...why?

"Why not just-" I cut myself off. That was a really insensitive question- I couldn't believe I had almost blurted that out.

"Why not just have a kid the typical way?" Lisbet supplied, and I winced- flushing wildly.

"I- I didn't- I didn't think that through." She shrugged, not looking at all offended.

"I know you don't mean it. It's fine- it's long past the point of being a sensitive subject for me. I suppose this is something we were always going to get around to bringing up, considering that it could be a deciding factor in your decision to become a vampire." My eyebrows furrowed.

"What do you mean?" She hesitated, and glanced at Nuria- the only other female vampire in the room.

"Vampires- female vampires, anyway- can't have kids." Oh. "Because we don't age- we don't change at all, physically- we can't support life. On the upside, we don't have periods, so..." That sounded like a win to me. "We don't eat, we don't sleep- we can do both, but there's no benefit to either, and if we eat too much, we can get sick. If you think about it, it does make sense that we're all barren. What doesn't make sense, however, is the fact that male vampires, aren't just fertile, but very fertile." I glanced at Jerremyah, who didn't wink at me like I expected- I think he was a bit distracted.

"There's a theory that that's part of the origin of the Incubus, actually." Greygorry chimed in, and Lisbet blinked at him.

"And you know that, why?" He shrugged.

"Sidonie's been trying to nail down the theming for her annual birthday bash." Lisbet nodded, as if this made perfect sense. Did Sidonie do this sort of thing often?

"So... male vampires can have kids- in the typical fashion- but female vampires can't?" Lisbet nodded again.

"Yes." I considered this for a second.

"So... what's the outcome? Like, what's the end product?" Nicholai shrugged, sort of tersely.

"Depends what we breed with. Half-vampires are the result from human female with vampire male pairings, but there are other species that have proven to be able to be mixed in successfully, throughout history." Like what? As interesting as the fertility of the male vampire was, it wasn't really relevant-

"And you'd know all about the results of human-vampire pairings, wouldn't you Nicky-Boy?" ...Um, what? Nicholai glared at Jerremyah like he was trying to set him on fire. Instead of snapping back at Jerremyah, he turned his attention to Lisbet.

"Every day that you continue to abase yourself by staying with him, I question your sanity." Lisbet merely rolled her eyes at him, but also pressed down on Jerremyah's shoulders, as he tried to jump up- clearly incensed. As soon he registered her restraining hold on him, he glanced at her, and his face instantly softened, before he returned his gaze to Nicholai- and his face predictably hardened again.

"You can insult me all you want- god knows I deserve it- but you never, ever, insult her." Oh, how sweet that sounded... Nicholai huffed at him, crossing his arms over his chest.

"When I insult you, you insult me back, and it's an endless cycle- that you always start. If I even vaguely insult her, you get all protective, and you're less of a giant wanker. Only a smidgen less, but still." Jerremyah looked angry, but I got the distinct feeling that it was because he was still upset about Lisbet's involvement, and not being referred to as, 'a giant wanker'. He opened his mouth, and I cut him off before he could say anything that would rile up any more animosity between them.

"So... why did you say that my decision might be affected?" Jerremyah blinked, and Lisbet turned to me with a slight wince.

"Because I know that... a lot of women-" She glanced at Jerremyah, and amended herself. "A lot of people, want kids- specifically, they want kids in the typical fashion. I... I mean, I made my peace with all of that when I became a novitiate nun, so... it didn't play a part for me. It was only..." She hesitated, and once again, glanced at her mate. "It was only after Jerremyah asked if I wanted a kit, that I realised that I did." So, Jerremyah was the catalyst, here? Thinking back to his reaction earlier, that made sense.

"And I'm clearly not the maternal type." Nuria added, and I thought maybe that wasn't entirely correct. She seemed a guiding, caring figure- for Jerremyah specifically- and while that wasn't necessarily 'maternal', I didn't think it was that far off, in the grand scheme of things.

"And... you think... I am?" I guessed, and Jerremyah shrugged.

"Kind of, yeah." I made a face, and he burst out laughing- at least he was distracted from glaring at Nicholai.

"I take it that you disagree?" Lisbet asked, and I winced.

"Not that I'm... that I could be considered to be maternal, and it's not as if I hate kids- well..." I hesitated a bit. "Babies freak me out a little." Jerremyah looked like he was struggling not to laugh again. "But I just... don't really have any desire to have my own, if that makes sense." Nicholai nodded.

"Yeah, it's never held much of an allure for me, either." But didn't he have- wasn't that what Jerremyah had been getting at? That Nicholai had fathered children with a human woman, somewhere along the line? I glanced around, as if for confirmation, and noticed that Khal looked endlessly amused- I guess that told me all I needed to know.

"So, it doesn't affect my decision. But, I want to ask- if you both want a kit so badly, why haven't you acquired- is 'acquired' the right term?- one before now?" Lisbet and Jerremyah shared a look, and when Lisbet turned towards me, Jerremyah grimaced- as if he had waited to be out of her line of sight, before he expressed whatever emotion had driven that change.

"It's not... not that simple. I... I've always felt that the practice could be a bit troublesome, and Jerremyah agreed with me." Did he? "We decided that looking for someone that needs help, because we wanted something in return- even if it was just their presence in our lives- was a little... hm, problematic?" I mean, yeah, that made sense, but... I don't think that helped either of them feel better about it. "So, we resolved not to look. If something fell into our laps- well..." She shrugged, but I think she was trying to make the movement lighter than it actually was.

"And now Khal says that something's going to do just that." Jerremyah winced.

"If that's what the prediction was about." He pointed out, and Lisbet frowned- I know he didn't say it to be cruel to her, but because he had trouble believing it, himself.

"Well, is there anything else that you've both been looking for, for a long time?" They glanced at each other, and took a second to consider this, before Jerremyah shrugged, and Lisbet shook her head.

"No." Lisbet said.

"I don't think so." Jerremyah sort of amended for her, and she echoed his shrug.

"We're pretty sure no." ...hm. I didn't know what else to say on the subject, so I changed it.

"So... Nicholai's the youngest-" He jolted at the mention of his name, clearly caught off guard. "Then Lisbet, then Grey- I'm surprised. That's not what I would have expected. I especially wouldn't have thought that you- Jerremyah- are as old as you are." Once they had adapted to my new topic of conversation, Jerremyah shrugged and gave me a lopsided grin- which showed off only one of his dimples.

"Y'know, I get that a lot. I think I just have a young spirit." Nicholai rolled his eyes at this.

"Or it's because you're so immature." Jerremyah's face tightened ever so slightly- like maybe he was clenching his jaw- but all in all, I think he handled it pretty well, given his past reactions. Maybe he was keeping himself in check, because he didn't want to risk Nicholai insulting Lisbet again.

"If it makes you feel better, I am the next youngest- not that that's exactly a close competition." So, Nuria- and Khal- were a lot older, then? "My name is Jerremyah Ezekiel Yates, I'm four hundred and fifty-three, and I was born in 1512." ...Holy. Shit. He was like... what? One hundred and... nineteen? One hundred and nineteen years older than Lisbet? And like... eighty-one years older than Grey? That- I wouldn't have expected that.

"Wow, you're... old." He snorted. "Not just like regular old, but like... specialty old. Like... require a permit to buy, old." He huffed out a laugh.

"By vampire standards, I'm only medium old. I mean, for a male vampire. I'm pretty old." ...was there a difference?

"What do you mean? Is there that much of a disparity between the two?" He shrugged.

"Well, sort of yes, and sort of no. There's no like... biological reason for female versus male vampires to have different lifespans, but... well, there have been more male vampires turned than female vampires, but there are less male vampires in existence." What? How did that make sense?

"How does that work?" He shrugged.

"War." He said simply, and I blinked.

"What?" What could that possibly mean? Why did he say it so bluntly- like it was obvious?

"A lot of male vampires were turned, because they were already dying on the battlefield. Unfortunately, a lot of male vampires- usually the same ones- were killed in subsequent wars- both human and vampiric. So, yeah. More were made- less exist." Huh. The more you know, I guess. "Speaking of which- isn't that part of how you were turned, Nicholai?" Oh? Nicholai scowled.

"Not exactly. I wasn't Battle Born-" What a cool term for it. "-but my brother- my sire- was." He was sired by his brother? Wait, but... he had been turned against his will, hadn't he? ...God. "He was offered the choice I wasn't- and I'm sure he regrets making that choice, now." There was silence for a few seconds, before Nuria spoke up.

"I'm Nuria Zariah Matan, I'm one thousand, four hundred and twenty-seven, and I was born in 538 A.D."

Holy. Hell.

(A/N): Nicholai: *questions Lisbet's sanity for being with Jerremyah*

Lisbet: *holding Jerremyah back*

Jerremyah: 'I can accept you insulting ME, but I draw the line at you insulting my WIFE.'

Evie: *swoons*

also

*People talking about deep, sensitive subjects*

Greygorry: *pops up with a fun fact* 'Male vampires being super fertile is said to be part of the origin of the Incubus.'

Everyone else: 'Interesting... anyway.'

also

Jerremyah: 'I'm 453.'

Evie: 'Wow, you're old as hell.'

Nuria: 'I'm 1,427.'

Evie: '...and still fine as hell!'

As of right now (8:30pm, 20/5/23) I just finished writing my third chapter of the day, chapter 396. I wrote just shy of 24 pages, and I'm now up to chapter 397- which, if my calculations are correct, should be the chapter uploaded on the day of the eleventh anniversary... so it is going to be a very special chapter. I wonder how much trouble I'm going to have writing it.

A small edit, on 26/5/23 - as I explain in the end author's note of chapter 393, the Arabic naming conventions make it that a child is given a first name, then it's followed by their father's name, and then their father's father's name. Meaning, Nuria's father's name is Zariah, and his father's name is Matan.