Episode Twenty-One Part Three

Matthew and Jack were sitting together on the plane. They were not too far away from New Orleans now. Matthew saw how agitated Jack was. "You all right?"

"I'm terrified. And I don't know if it's because of seeing Thomas and Phoebe again or put brought before the Congregation,"

"Jack, none of this was your fault," Matthew consoled. "And don't worry I'll protect you from Thomas. He'll have to kill me first to get to you,"

"I nearly killed his girl,"

"That wasn't you. That was the blood rage taking hold of you. He has to understand that. What really worries me is whether he and Marcus will be able to forgive me for lying to them. Whether they'll want to join the scion I intend to form to protect the twins and break free from Baldwin to ensure your safety. I only hope that we're not too late," he prayed. He noticed Jack was hiding something. "What is it?"

"That woman Anna…the one who came to us in 1590…she…" the words were caught in his throat.

"She what?"

"Nothing. It's nothing," he turned away, looking out the window. But Matthew knew he was hiding something. If Jack knew something about Aurora's birth mother, then perhaps it could be a key reason why Benjamin was after her before.

Marcus and Thomas brought the dreaded news to the group. The younger brother made sure to stay close to Aurora at all times, desperate to protect her. The Wilsons were afraid too, and so was Phoebe. Marcus's children could not believe that they were in grave danger from the MacDuff family. Even Wrolf and Dani were frightened. Thomas was so scared as well. He couldn't bear to lose any of his family.

"Why don't we just give them what they want?" one of Ransome's younger sons demanded pointing at Aurora.

"Absolutely not," Marcus defended her.

"We can't give in to their demands," persisted Phoebe. "Besides there's no way they'd actually keep their word,"

"It might keep us alive for longer!" one of Geraldine's daughters stated.

"We do not give up one of our own!" Dani argued.

"She's not one of us! They'll have us all killed like animals!"

Unable to bear it any longer, Aurora marched out of the room, her loved ones watching out for her. Her beloved followed her down the stairs into the cellars. His heart clenched seeing her hang her head, her nose pressed into her knuckles. He sat down opposite her, leaning his head forward, pressing his skin against her forehead. "I'm not gonna let you give yourself up,"

"I can't let them kill all your children. Or Thomas's children. That would be more loss in your lives. And I couldn't bear it,"

"We could protect you. And we can protect ourselves,"

"I can't take that chance," she sat up, tears falling. "And who will protect the Wilsons? If anything happened them…"

Marcus raised his head and cupped her cheek. "You think after everything we've been through together, I'm gonna let you go like this?"

"You can't choose me over your family,"

"You are my family, Rora," his tears started falling again. "And if I let you go…I'll never be able to live another moment. We can face our enemies together. We can fight our way out of this," he paused. Then with feeble lips and a wet face, he confessed: "I love you,". More tears fell from her eyes and they smashed like icicles on the ground. Her hair started glowing like the aurora. Her breaths turned low as he cupped her cheek and pressed his head to hers. Their lips drew close and they kissed with deep passion and devotion to one another.

Matthew and Jack had arrived. As they walked, they heard distant voices. "Stay close to me," the expecting father ordered his adoptive son who nodded. "Fergus could be close by,". They kept on walking.

"How are we going to find them?" whispered Jack.

"We will eventually," he said. "The question is how long it will take. There will probably be knights everywhere who will alert them of our presence. So, we keep very quiet. A location is bound to appear soon,". Suddenly he gently pushed Jack behind a wall and peered out. He saw something. He could smell the aroma of vampires who he hadn't seen for many years.

"What is Matthew?" asked Jack.

"Jack, no matter where I go. Stay hidden but not too far away. Do you understand?"

He nodded.

"What are we supposed to then?" asked Wrolf to his father. He didn't want them to give up Aurora at all like this. She was so kind to them and he wouldn't betray her friends' trust by giving her up. The Wilsons were frightened too. They sat in a corner, rocking Margeret to sleep.

Thomas slumped in his seat and sighed. "I've let you all down,"

"No. You could never let us down," said Dani. "We've been in hiding long enough. We can make a stand and fight,"

"No. This is my fight. I will confront Fergus myself,"

"Then you are foolish to act like that," said a certain voice. The group turned around to see Matthew standing right in front of the doors. He had sneaked inside without them being detected. All of Marcus's children who were in the room glared coldly at him. They hadn't seen him for a few centuries and they detested him bitterly to the core.

"You!" Wrolf sneered. It was the first time he had seen him since he was a human child. He hadn't once met him since becoming a vampire. Matthew recognised him as well. Too well.

"How long have you been standing there?!" Phoebe demanded.

"The whole time," he said. Matthew glared at Thomas with frosty eyes. "You betrayed me?"

"You left me no choice," Thomas wasn't afraid of what punishment his father would give him. The only thing that mattered to him was that his nieces and nephews behind him were safe and would not be harmed. "You were culling innocent vampires. Your own grandchildren!"

Matthew exploded. "Think of our family!". Years of being lied to by his eldest son had made him outraged, frightened of what could have happened if they were found out or worse had killed humans exposing vampires to humans.

"I was thinking of my brother's children! How is it fair that you gave me a chance to control my blood rage and you cull them? Like Phillipe, you gave in to fear and killed your own family like animals! I'm sorry about a lot of things. But not this. At least my conscience is clear,"

"You were different,"

"How was I any different?!" Thomas demanded. "How is everyone behind me different?!"

"You've been a reckless man! Disobeying me! Siring children of your own! Revealing your true identity to humans! Protecting carriers and infected vampires…I'm trying to…" he pulled himself together. "I'm trying to keep you from putting our family in danger,"

"You did that yourself the moment you sired Benjamin and allowed him to run free," Thomas spat back in distain.

"I had no choice. He betrayed our family!"

"What did you expect? You just turn him into a vampire and then think he might not want justice for what you did to him?!"

Matthew exploded. "Don't you dare blame me for his actions!"

"Don't you dare speak like that to him," Phoebe stepped forward, her face red with unhappiness and seeing Thomas being treated this way. "You think you're protecting your family…but all you're doing is tearing it apart with your lies, your actions and especially your inability to accept your errors,".

Matthew was unresponsive to her words. Before another rowel between them could start, Marcus and Aurora came bursting onto the scene, having heard everything from downstairs. "What are you doing here?" Aurora asked.

Calming himself down, his face twisted towards her, colours of worry painting his cheeks. "Your life is in danger Aurora. I've come to bring you back to Diana,"

"We already know that," stated Marcus bitterly, still unable to forgive him for lying to him. "Fergus came by earlier and he threatened to expose all of us to the Congregation if we didn't hand her over. Thanks to you, Benjamin wants to get his hands on her,"

"It's not Benjamin they want to give her to. Whatever it is that they told you, Fergus's reward will still be Thomas getting put to death,". They were shocked.

"Then who is it that wants me?" Aurora demanded. He wouldn't speak. "I have a right to know,"

Before Matthew could even answer, the doors burst open and two vampires were having in Jack shaking like mad, veins black.

"Caught this one sneaking around the nearby streets!" shouted one.

The moment Thomas laid his eyes on Jack, he was flabbergasted and shocked. "You!". Jack's eyes laid on his face and he became pale with fear. He recognised him. He recognised Phoebe as well as stood back in horror. She clutched onto Thomas's hand and he held her close. She recognised him from the streets. He was the one who nearly attacked her, who killed her guard. "You're him!" he turned to Marcus and Aurora. "He's the blood-raged killer!"

Phoebe was pale with colour. Aurora gently took her away from Thomas and held her back. Sophie and Nathanial clutched their infant and joined them, frightened of the killer, frightened for their baby.

"Let him go!" ordered Matthew.

"Don't you know who he is?!" questioned Aurora.

"He's with me!"

"Why did you bring him here?" Marcus demanded.

"I brought him here because he belongs to me and Diana,"

"Don't you realise what he has done?" Ransome demanded. "He's framed Thomas for all the killings! He should be brought to death!"

"Over my dead body!" his grandfather threatened.

Ransome drew at him. "I want you to suffer the same way I did when you killed Jaqueline and everyone else!"

"Ransome…this is not necessary," Thomas tried to speak up.

"Why shouldn't we?" he demanded. "We kept hidden on your insistance Tom. And Argus's. But now…it's time Matthew suffered the way we did,".

"It wouldn't be right to do it," answered Aurora. "And it won't make you feel any better,"

"She's right. It won't change what happened," Nathanial reasoned.

"Don't talk to me about pain!" he shouted back. Suddenly the entire room became a battleground of shouts and retorts. Jack tried to wrangle free but his captors kept a hold on him. Matthew tried to fight but Marcus's children, desperate for revenge, battled him back. Marcus and Thomas tried to stop but with little success. Aurora pulled Phoebe, her close friends and her goddaughter back from the conflict. Wrolf and Dani urged the Wilsons to get themselves and Margeret into another room which they didn't hesitate to do. Then with a stamp of her right foot, she turned the entire floor into ice. Everyone slipped off their feet. Every vampire except Matthew and his vampire sons stared at her in awe, amazed by her strength of power. Jack glimpsed at her. And saw she truly had a resemblance to the woman who had visited his long-aged Elizabethan home.

"That is enough!" she shouted. "We're supposed to be on the same side! Not fighting each other!"

Jack scrambled to a corner. The other vampires tried to stand up but the ice was still too slippy. Wrolf glimpsed at Jack and in an instant, he realised something was familiar about this vampire.

"Get him before he gets away!" shouted one of his cousins.

Quickly he stepped in. "Wait!". Dani stared at her wondering why he was acting like this. He approached Jack closely, as the boy shuddered.

"Get away from him!" ordered Matthew.

"Shut up!" Thomas ordered his father. He glimpsed at his son approaching the man who tried to kill his second beloved.

Jack saw the kindness in Wrolf's eyes as they narrowed. Then he watched intently as they widened.

"Jackie?" Wrolf breathed, recognising him from centuries ago.

"Wrolfie?" breathed Jack back.

"Wrolfie?" breathed Dani. "You know him?"

They exchanged joyful smiles. "It's you! You…you've grown,". Wrolf could not believe he was seeing a long-lost childhood friend he hadn't seen for centuries. "I…I mean I have too,". Matthew realised Wrolfie was indeed the young boy Argus had with him at Sept tour during the time he and Diana had spent time there with Phillipe and married one another.

"You know this?!" Geraldine questioned.

"He's my friend," Wrolf explained. "I haven't seen him for centuries," he looked again at Jackie. "What happened? How did you…"

"Enough of the catch-up already," rolled the eyes of Ransome. "He's not one of us. He should be culled so Matthew finally knows how we felt for years. He framed your father. You should want him dead,"

"Look at him!" Wrolf argued, defending Jack much to his father and grandfather's surprise. "Can't you see he needs help? We can't kill him. It isn't right,"

"Wrolf is right. We can't do this to him," Dani said. He saw the hatred in her father's eyes. "Father, I'm sorry for what he nearly did but you know it's not right to have him killed. We couldn't control ourselves and yet you helped us. We can help Jack,"

"Can we please just focus on the bigger picture?" Marcus demanded.

"Not with him here," Thomas demanded, pointing at Jack. Jack could see the bitterness in his eyes. He hated how he had unintentionally framed him for the murders and nearly killed Phoebe, who eyed him with both fear and revulsion. She clearly hadn't forgotten how he had killed her security guard and all those people in Oxford; she wanted him gone as well. "I want him out of here! Now! You two, take the Wilsons back to the house and him to a different one,"

"Absolutely not," Matthew refused.

"You're not in charge in here. We are," Marcus stepped up. He glanced again at Dani. "Take Aurora with you as well,"

"No. I want to know who's actually threatening you all," Aurora did not want to be kept in the dark.

"He's right. You should come with us for a while," Sophie insisted. "You need a place to cool down for a while,"

"You're staying here to talk," Thomas demanded Matthew. "You will not dare refuse an order for the Knights of Lazarus,".

Matthew refused to leave Jack. "I'm not gonna kill if that's what you think," Wrolf said distastefully to him. "Not like you'd do to the rest of us,"

"I'll be fine," Jack insisted. He trusted Wrolf who gently guided him out through the front doors. Dani escorted the Wilsons and a reluctant Aurora, who turned the frozen floor back into the carpet, out through the doors. The vampire children on insistence from their sire left as well, leaving the father and two disappointed sons alone.

The two childhood friends went to a nearby private warehouse that belonged to Wrolf, Dani and Marcus's children. They went inside slowly and Wrolf locked the door behind him, inviting Jack to sit down. He offered a drink.

"Thank you," he said to him.

Wrolf sat opposite him. "I never imagined I'd see you again. It's been so many centuries. I couldn't just let my father or either of my cousins kill you like that,"

"I didn't think I'd see you again either. I thought after Bohemia that was it. You were gonna get sent back to live in the human world. How did you come to be here?"

"Argus and Thomas loved me too much to give me up. As Argus couldn't sire, Thomas did instead. I inherited blood rage just like you. Listen, Jack, I killed as well. But it wasn't me. It was this genetic curse that did it. My father taught me to control it. And I know you can learn to control it as well,"

"Was that your sister who also spoke up for me?"

"Yep. Her name's Dani," he paused for a second. "I know you might not wanna believe this Jack…but the Matthew you know now is not the actual Matthew from 1590,"

"I know. He and my mother Diana travelled from this time to the past. My caretaker told me so himself. After he sired me and turned me into a vampire,"

"Then you must know that Matthew in the past would have called me if he knew I existed. That's what he did to many of Marcus's children as well,"

Jack was hurt hearing him speak like that. He began to reflect again on how Matthew had told Thomas that whilst he culled the other vampire children, he said he was different. And that was because he was his son. "I can understand now why that Ransome guy wanted me dead. Why you all hate him,"

"Matthew killed his mate Jacqueline in cold blood. And he wanted my father to finish the job for the rest of them. But you had nothing to do with that," Wrolf hated how much his words were hurting Jack. "We've had to hide for centuries because of him and Phillipe. So, you have to understand why we don't like him being here,". He remained quiet as ever whilst the blood-raged killer absorbed everything he said. He began questioning himself about what kind of person Matthew really was and whether he was any different from the Matthew who had taken care of him in London in 1950.

Fergus sat in his hotel room when the phone rang. He held it to his ear.

Have you found my prize? Demanded Benjamin.

Yes. She'll be with you shortly. I want to answer this question. Why are we keeping that winged freak alive? He hasn't done anything to bring down the de Clairmonts as you intended.

Patience. They will be dead shortly.

Patience. We did everything you wanted us to do. Dissected. Weaponised. Injected Tortured. He's a worthless experiment.

He has bigger purposes. Now…get me that girl. He hung up.

That's another chapter done. What did you all think? Please let me know what you all thought. Thank you all very much for your support. See you all soon. And please send reviews and ideas of what you'd like to happen next.