Path of the Vampire forum

And here he was in my arms again. I was scared I’d crush his tiny frame, a boy of five with his mother’s blue eyes and his father’s smile, my smile. “I’ll never let you go again,” I remembered saying as his arms went around my neck and his cheek that smelt of sunlight pressed against my own, and for the first time in over two years, I was home.
Wolfgang watched the well-rehearsed young boy that sat on the couch in front of the government paid psychiatrist, his little legs hung over the front of the couch, heels kicked back against the red textured material as he stared forward at the old but kind looking man in front of him. Wolf stared through the glass that separated him from his son and the man who he would have to see every two months until he turned ten; just a precaution Wolfgang knew, but it still felt as if they were trying to find an excuse to steal him away again. Mr. Swanson, the old psychiatrist in charge of Noah’s case was trying to get the boy to explain how he felt about his newly adopted parents, one Jeffery Hamilton (known to the majority of his kind as Wolfgang West), and his accomplice (thrall), or legal wife as she was now viewed, Julianna McKenzie; now Hamilton.

“It’s like trying to watch a man steal candy from a baby,” Julianna remarked, as she set her hands on Wolfgang, the right over his stomach, the left at his back.

Wolf smiled and turned his head to kiss Julianna’s cheek, only because he knew they were being watched.

“He’s been in there for almost an hour, what more could they possibly have to talk about?” Julianna sighed, she was growing inpatient, not a common trait for the woman but Wolfgang wasn’t surprised as he noticed she was wearing the most ridiculous pair of heels he had ever laid eyes on.

“They are almost finished,” Wolfgang said softly, he had been listening to the two, the psychiatrist and his son Noah, talk the entire time; sound proof glass was no match for a Vampires keen senses.

“And what is your new room like?” The old guy smiled across at the boy in a black skivvy and blue jeans.

“I have a pet frog,” Noah exclaimed excitedly, his hands balled up in his lap, finger twisting nervously; Mr. Swanson was still a stranger to the boy after all even though they had met like this for about a year and a half now.

“Does he live in your room?”

“Yes,” Noah smiled. He had a white smile just like his father; only his teeth were tiny and ready to come out.

“What’s his name?” Mr. Swanson asked, leaning forward.

“Pog.”

Mr. Swanson paused, he could tell Noah was getting tired and their session had gone for longer than he had planned, but the parents seems so on edge; they never left like other couples to go and get a coffee or make the most of their free time. It was as if Noah was a priceless jewel they had trouble taking their eyes off of and it worried him. “Does Pog like your new mummy and daddy?” He would try a new approach.

“Yes,” Noah said looking down at his hands. “But mummy doesn’t like Pog, she’s scared of him.”

Mr. Swanson laughed. “Would you like to go now Noah?”

The boy looked up quickly and smiled before jumping down from the couch and running to the door, the door Wolfgang had opened even before Mr. Swanson’s approving look. The old man jotted something down on his notepad as Wolfgang picked up the boy and held him close. The family turned to leave before Wolfgang was called back by the psychiatrist. “Ah, Mr. Hamilton if you have a moment please.”

Wolf handed Noah over to Julianna and stepped into the office. He flicked a stress ball off the couch where Noah had been sitting and sat down. Mr. Swanson closed the door before returning to his seat. “How are you,” he smiled as he put his notepad down before he leaned back in his chair, trying to come across as relaxed so perhaps Wolfgang would seem the same.

“I’m fine thank you,” the Vampire smiled politely and crossed his legs at the ankle. “How is Noah doing?” He asked.

“Fine, fine,” the psychiatrist replied. “He seems very settled in, which is surprising given his history.”

“Oh?” Wolf managed.

There was a paused and then Mr. Swanson spoke. “I’ve worked with Noah for the last two years; the boy has been through a lot. I was barely able to get a word out of him before you two came along.

“Oh,” Wolfgang said again, only this time it seemed as if the wind had been let out of his sails.

The old guy picked up Noah’s file and went down the list. “Bed wetting, night terrors, harm to others, animals and self.” He didn’t look up at Wolfgang as he said this. “Unable to settle into a routine, unable to communicate feelings appropriately, pulled out of seven different schools in the last four months. Swearing, threatening to kill peers, teacher and caregivers. Threatened to ‘come back to school when I am older and burn it down’,” Mr. Swanson said changing his voice slightly as he read the quote.

“It sounds like he has been through a lot,” Wolfgang said calmly, trying not to seem shocked by any of it. The boy Mr. Swanson was talking about seemed nothing like the Noah he had come back for.

“Does he ever talk you you about his parents?” Mr. Swanson asked.

“No,” Wolf shook his head slowly.

“Do you know what happened to them?”

“No,” he said again.

“His mother died soon after the birth, we still haven’t found his grandparents, his aunt was found dead last year after neighbours reported crying coming from her apartment and his father is an enemy of the state who the government has reason to believe is dead.”

Wolfgang tried not to seem too proud of the last part ‘enemy of the state’. “Does he know about this?” Wolf asked.

“I’m not sure, my boss considers this kind of thing too sensitive to share with a child so young but I wonder if it would help him to hear some of it.”

“He seems fine at home and next year we plan to put him into school again. Noah seems to be looking forward to it.”

“Yes… He’s become very settled with your two…” Mr. Swanson was still unsure as to why. He stared at Wolfgang and seemed to have a million questions wedged between his brows.

Julianna opened the door and Wolfgang turned as Mr. Swanson looked up at her. “Would the two of you mind booking a time to speak next week? Noah is tired and my feet are killing me.”

Wolfgang stood up as Mr. Swanson went to speak. “Yes of course,” the old man smiled. “I’ll be in touch, but I see no reason why we can’t shift you from a bi-weekly schedule to a visit every two months. I’d like to do one more home visit next week if that is okay with you two.”

“That’s fine,” Wolfgang said as Julianna handed Noah back to him. The boy was fast asleep in the man’s arms, his head bobbed down against Wolf’s shoulder.


Wolfgang picked up the phone and dialled Mortll’s number; it had been a while since the two of them had spoken. He listened to the phone ring, which was a good sign; it meant she didn’t have her phone turned off.

Mortll turned over looking at the obnoxious object that was buzzing away on her night stand, feeling for it she picked it up and mumbled sleepily into it "Hello?"

“Hello,” he smiled the action evident in his voice. “I’m coming home for a short visit in two weeks, I wondered if you would like to catch up.” He meant to ask the woman how everything was going but his excitement about visiting had gotten the better of him.

She recognized the voice immediately and a smile spread on her face as she rolled over onto her stomach propping her head up "Well hello there stranger... it’s good to hear your voice things are good we are managing. Wests have been very quiet. The place isn’t the same without you... So a visit will be very, very good. We’ve all missed you so much."

“I know…” He said softly, he knew how things tended to fall apart without him, that Wests could never be one without their leader. “I miss everyone so much… I miss you. I have a surprise for you, someone I’d like you to meet when I get home.” There was a noise in the background and then Julianna called out to Wolf, though Mortll probably wouldn’t recognise the woman’s voice. “I have to go for now,” he said, “But I’ll be in touch before we get on the plane; should be a Tuesday night.”

She got a puzzled look on her face when he said he wanted her to meet someone. "Let me know when you get in Hun I will give you a ride from the airport." A grin spread across her face as she said it knowing he had vowed to never get in a car with her again.

"That will save me the job of setting up a car," He smiled. "Thanks love. I will be seeing you very soon," Wolfgang said before hanging up the phone. He stood in the small apartment and turned to look at Julianna. "We're going home."

I never had to go back again. I had everything here, everything I could ever hope for; a beautiful wife, my boy... my biological son, a home, millions of dollars to make life comfortable. What was there to go back for... other than her.


The sun was warn on Wolfgang's skin, or what little there was shining through the misty clouds on this beautiful winter's day in New York. The birds were singing in the trees and the air was dead still. Noah was wrapped up from head to toe in a big handmade scarf Julianna had knitted him. His dark blue gloves were tucked into a puffy black jacket and red boots kept the cold of the dew covered grass from his feet.

Julianna was kneeling down at the edge of the garden bed hoeing in the dirt with a small hand shade; she seemed to like tending to the flowers even at this time of year when very little bloomed. The sleeves of her peach coloured blouse were rolled up to sit above the elbow and her jeans disappeared into the knee high leather boots she wore. "I wish you hadn't taught him to do that, I think it's cruel," the woman said as Noah followed her along the edge of the garden path, crushing snails beneath the tread of his bright red boots.

Wolfgang laughed from where he sat on the front steps into their two story house. "He likes helping you," he raised his voice so that Julianna would hear him.

Julianna offered a less than approving smile and finished up with the last of the weeds before getting to her feet.

"Daddy," Noah smiled as he held something small between finger and thumb up to Wolfgang.

"What's that?" Wolf smiled and turned his hand over so that the young boy could drop what he had found into the man's palm.

"It's a baby one, dad."

Wolfgang inspected the small snail as it rolled across his skin in a ball before finally finding the courage to peek out of the protection it's translucent shell offered. Two beady little eyes slowly extended from the slimy flesh to look up at the giant that had taken it captive. Noah's chubby little hand was raised and a pointed finger came down on one of the alien like eyes which quickly shrivelled as soon as he threatened to touch it. "Don't do that Noah!" Julianna scolded.

"Put it out of its misery," she then insisted.

The boy of six looked up at the woman and smiled one of those 'how could I ever say no to you' smiles that had taken her breath away the first, second, and third time she had seen it. "Can I keep it inside with Spud?" He asked, quickly clutching it from his father's ice cold hand.

Spud was a large tarantula they had come across at an exotic pet shop during one of their trips across state.

"No," Julianna said without thinking, Wolfgang could tell as she glanced at him as if seeking advice or approval.

Noah looked at Wolfgang and turned his lower lip down in a pathetic pout. "Please, Dad!"

"My boy, who will feed him?" The tall Vampire asked, his right hand quickly raised so that he could smooth the pad of his thumb over his son's cheek and jaw.

"I will!" The boy insisted. "He can eat my vegetables."

The couple laughed. "We are going to Canada tonight, Noah."

As Julianna tried to explain how unreasonable it was to leave a snail in a glass case with a Tarantula while they spent a couple of weeks in Canada sorting business and catching up with old friends, Wolfgang realised that arguing with a six year old was pointless when it would just be easier to plonk the thing down in Spud's cage and hope the boy would forget about it between now and when they would be home in time for Christmas.

Wolfgang got to his feet and snatched the boy up in his arms quickly, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Let's go introduce him to Spud," the tall male smiled, the gesture hastily mirrored by the boy who had his mother's eyes and his father's smile.

- - -

Wolfgang came down stairs with the last of the suitcases which he set alongside the others. "You know we are only going for a couple of weeks right?" He smiled looking at Julianna who had well and truly overpacked.

"Everything but the kitchen sink," she winked before moving into his arms.

Wolfgang laced his fingers together at the small of her back and tugged her close. Julianna brought her hands up to rest the on his chest, her fingertips dotted along his collarbone. "Where is Noah?"

"Asleep," Wolf smiled mischievously.

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?" Wolf asked.

"Make a girl weak in the knees simply by smiling."

"Family secret," the man teased, splaying his fingers against her sides.

"So that's where Noah learned it."

Wolfgang grinned and was caught off guard as Julianna tiptoed in order to press her lips to his own. Her kisses were sweet and warm, not like an embrace from those of his own kind. No, this woman's heart was still beating. Wolfgang returned the kiss and even went as far as to pull the woman in once again as she tried to escape his embrace to whisper something. Julianna spoke against his lips instead. "I love you."

He pressed a cool kiss to her temple before going to his knees. The woman's blouse was inched out of the black pair of jeans she wore and lifted to reveal her stomach where Wolfgang kissed her again. "I love you too," he mouthed against her skin and looked up at her through a fringe of chocolate brown lashes.

Julianna pushed her fingers through the man's dirty-blonde hair and cooed. "I thought I felt something today... like popcorn," she tried to explain.

An awesome smile spread the man's lips which felt like they had stretched from ear to ear in a matter of seconds. "Keep growing my boy," he said against the soft, warm flesh of her belly.

"Why are you so sure it's a boy?" Julianna queried.

"Because you haven't had any morning sickness," Wolf explained. "West girls give their mothers hell right from conception," he teased, getting to his feet.

"I'll be out numbered three to one," the woman complained. "That doesn't seem fair at all."

"What a lucky girl."

"Don't get smart with me Mr. West."

"I wouldn't dream of it."


The taxi driver introduced himself as Adam, even though the card in the front read 'Leslie McNeil. It was about a half hours drive to the airport and the clock was already reading thirteen dollars eighty before they had even pulled out of the driveway. Noah was sitting in the front seat on a booster chatting to Adam about his pet collection and the lifespan of dragonflies, which his class had been studying in school.

"Are you sure you'll be alright to fly?" Wolf asked quietly, looking to Julianna.

The woman didn't say anything but kept glancing down at her watch, conscious about the flight times and the fact that they had left the house twenty minutes later than they had originally planned to let Noah get a little more sleep. "What if we hit traffic?" She said, obviously a bit flustered.

"Julia," Wolf said, "look at me."

Julianna stopped going through her mental list of baggage, passports, keys and timetables to stare at her husband quickly. "Yes?"

"What did the doctor say about you flying?"

"Oh," she said softly. "He told me everything was fine now that I'm at the fourteen week mark. So far its been a very healthy pregnancy," she smiled reassuringly, removing all doubt and fear from the mans mind.

"Good," he replied, raising her hand to kiss the across knuckles.

"Uh oh," Adam said, suddenly bringing the two of them back to reality. "Looks like we might be here a while."

Wolfgang noticed his wife's face sink and looked out through the windscreen to see a good mile of so of traffic ahead of them, and that was only the cars they could see between here and the rise up ahead in the distance. "Damn it," Julianna cursed. "I knew this was going to happen!"

"Hey... Hey!" Wolfgang said over the woman, setting his hand to her face gently so that he could turn her head and make eye contact with her.

"Don't worry about the traffic, if we miss the flight we'll just have to book a hotel and catch one tomorrow morning."

The woman frowned. "But I made arrangements for you to meet with the shareholders first thing, they can't just take time off to appease us; these meetings have to be booked weeks in advance."

"Don't worry about it," he assured her. "The traffic on this route moves faster than you think; we might make it."

Wolfgang put this arm around Julianna and ran his fingers through her hair slowly. "It will all work out, and if we miss the meeting there is always next time."

The windows started to fog up as the heavens opened up and rain added misery to delay. Adam turned the radio on after Wolfgang ordered that he stop honking at the vehicles up ahead and the four of them sat in the freezing cab with an air-con system that hadn't worked since two thousand and four. "Daddy?"

"Yes son," Wolf quickly answered, putting his free hand on the boy's head.

"Can we go and see mummy."

An electric silence filled the cab suddenly as they all went quiet and Adam turned down the radio. "Mummy is in Ontario, son... We are going to Harper Rock."

"Is Harper Rock a long way from Mummy?"

"It's a long drive," Wolf explained.

"I like driving."

"I know, Son."

Julianna closed her hand over Wolfgang's and curled against his side to press a light kiss to his earlobe before whispering in his ear. "Go and visit the grave, Darling... It will be good for him to lay some flowers and spend some one on one time with you."

"What about you?" Wolfgang asked.

"I have plenty to keep me busy in Harper Rock. The fashion line and the budgets that need adjusting."

"Are you trying to work yourself into an early grave?" Wolf smiled.

"No," his wife hissed playfully. "Please take him, he needs moments where he can reflect and be with you."

Wolfgang nodded. "We'll go and see mummy," he raised his voice slightly for Noah to hear and smiled as he saw the boy do so in the wing-mirror of the taxi car.


Julianna and Noah had fallen asleep during the flight whereas Wolf had struggled to rest. They were going back to the lions den; a city where the dead ruled and the living were on the menu. He wouldn't get a wink of sleep from now until Christmas, not until they were safe on the ground in New York again. He had everything he had ever hoped for; he had his son back and with luck, a second developing in the womb of his very human, very living, legal wife... Not that their was anything legal about his fake identity, one that meant nothing in Harper Rock.

The captain's voice came over the loudspeaker, informing passengers that it was time to re-fasten their seat-belts as the plane would soon be landing in the international airport of Harper Rock city, the same airport Wolfgang had recently purchased and was making a small fortune on. It must have been due to all the strange occurrences people and reporters were flocking to the area to investigate, while those who knew of the very real dangers were escaping the city or even country completely.

"Here we go," Wolfgang said as Julianna stirred and gripped his hand; he had already refastened her seatbelt, paranoid about such things. "Home sweet home."

Noah had fallen asleep in the taxi on the way to the hotel; he was slumped over across Julianna's lap, the woman's fingers going through his short curls soothingly. The cab smelt of old cigarettes with a faint smell of toxic cleaners that had been used to try and mask other smells. Wolfgang watched the two, he admired the way Julia had accepted the boy as if he were her own and he couldn't help but wonder if they had made the right choice adding the complications of another child to the mix. He felt selfish in a sense, he had only just managed to get Noah back and within a few months the boy would have to deal with welcoming a new brother or sister to the world, though Wolf was sure it was the former. Noah wouldn't be an only child anymore, and he would have to share his father’s attention and that of his stepmother.

"Come back to me," Julianna smiled, her left hand raised so that her fingers could caress Wolf's jaw.

The male had been far away, thinking of his troubles which paled in comparison to that of the worlds. He now paid his full attention to his new wife and returned the smile she had offered with one of his own. "I'm right here," he assured her as the taxi pulled in to stop in front of the hotel lobby.

They wouldn’t be staying at Hotel West, too many people would expect that, they would go looking for him if he stayed there and he would never get a moments peace. No, if he was to meet up with anyone, it would be on his terms this time. The hotel they were staying at was situated east of Hotel West, but far enough away that no one would pick up on his trail if he took the right steps to conceal his tracks. Julianna looked confused. "Why aren't we going to the Tower?"

"I thought you would feel more comfortable here with your own space."

"I would feel more comfortable in your home," the woman insisted as Noah stirred.

Wolfgang undid his seat belt before unbuckling Noah and scooped the boy up in his arms. He turned carefully and stepped out of the cab without saying another word to his wife. The man was complicated to say the least, not rude, though his demeanour could easily have him mistaken as someone who cared very little of others opinions; but the fact was, he knew they would all be a lot safer here.

Julianna sat in the back of the taxi for a moment, probably hoping Wolfgang would change his mind and give into her like he tended to when he knew her opinions were a lot stronger than his own, but he felt his new family was safer here away from the nest of Vampires occupying West Towers and many of the surrounding buildings. She paid the taxi driver for the fare and stepped out of the cab to follow her new family into the hotel lobby.

A man from the hotel hurried out to collect their baggage from the boot of the car and carried it into the lobby which was large, pale and decked out with a lot of fake gold and crystal which Wolfgang had refused to allow during the design staged of his building. When Julianna stepped into the lobby she saw Wolfgang standing at the front desk talking with the clerk. She went over to stand by his side and smiled politely at the woman behind the counter who wore a name tag that looked new and read ‘Kelly’. "The penthouse is four thousand a night or we can downgrade you to one of our luxury suites on one of the lower floors."

"The penthouse is fine, how long can we book that for?" Wolf asked.

"It is free until next weekend where it has been booked out overnight for a twenty-first party," Jelly informed him, her painted red lips turned up in a hopeful smile, like a car salesmen who was just about to earn his big fat cut for the week.

Julianna's pencil lined eyes went wide as she did the maths in her head, four thousand a night for the next week?

"Would you do me a favour?" Wolf asked the woman, flashing her one of his 'you know you can't say no to me' smiles, and of course, it worked just as it did every time.

"I'll do my best," the clerk offered.

"I'm going to need the penthouse for the next three weeks. If you could phone the people who have booked it out and tell them I will pay for them to have their party in any other hotel, anywhere in the world if they will give up their booking, do you think you could arrange that?"

The woman's eyes went wide, almost doubling in size just as Julianna's had done moments ago and were again now. "Anywhere in the world?" Three weeks! Kelly was just about having kittens behind the desk. “Of course I’ll do my best for you.”

"Yes, I'll pay for the flights, accommodation and transfers."

"It's a party of eight," Kelly informed the man in front of her as if she’d best not overlook that and mistakenly undo all her hard work.

"That's fine," Wolfgang said with a nod.

"Alright sir, I will get onto that first thing in the morning," the woman said as she scribbled down a reminder on the notepad in front of her, not that it was something she would forget for a long time as Wolfgang seemed to have just made her Christmas three times over. She handed over the key card then and some of the paperwork for Wolfgang to fill out at a more reasonable hour. "Jason will take your bags up to the room in a moment, the elevator is just down the hall to your right, and this key card will allow you to go past the twentieth floor."

"Thank you," the two of them, Julianna and Wolfgang, said before heading down to short hall to the elevator.
Julianna raced to the toilet once they were inside the penthouse and Wolfgang put Noah down on the super king sized bed. They were in Harper Rock now and it would be difficult if not impossible for the man to step away from his son's side. Death followed him wherever he went, licking at his heels, never quite able to offer the final clutch of its claws.

The padding of bare feet could be heard coming down the marble floors of the hall and Julianna stepped into the bedroom in nothing but a small white robe. He much darker flesh made the robe almost glow in the dim light and her black hair fell in loose curls to the small of her back. "Not wasting any time then?" Wolfgang chuckled.

"No," Julia smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck so that the man's head was buried between her breasts. "I'm drawing a bath, will you join me?"

Wolfgang closed his eyes and breathed in the woman’s delicious scent of lavender and listened to the water that raced from the tap down the hall. He could already feel the warm water on his icy skin and thought the idea of a bath sounded wonderful after the journey they had just undertaken. Wolfgang put his arms around the woman and kissed the bare skin in the V in her robe. "I don't want to leave Noah alone," he admitted, pulling away slowly to look at the boy.

"He's safe up here, you heard the woman on the front desk, no one can get up to this floor without a key card."

Just then came a knock at the door which made the two of them jump. Wolfgang stood up and called out, "Who is it?"

"Jason." Came a swift reply, "I have your bags here."

It was the man who had met Julianna outside, the one who had collected their bags from the trunk to bring up to the room. Wolfgang had completely forgotten about them. Julianna noticed Wolf visibly relax and she ran her hand up and down his left arm which felt tight. "I won't be long," she smiled up at him and kissed his jaw before padding down the hall again.

Wolfgang went to the front door and helped Jason unload the bags before waving him out. "Is there anything else I can do for you?" Jason asked, the smile on his face seeming to say he was more than happy to do so.

"No," Wolfgang said swiftly before piping up again, "Oh wait... There is one thing."

"Yes sir?"

"Make sure no one comes up here including cleaning staff. I will inform the front desk if we need the place cleaned up. If anyone comes to the desk asking for us, give them this number and tell them to call me instead."

Jason nodded and took the man's business card. "I will see to it that the three of you aren't disturbed," he smiled warmly before pulling the door closed behind him to disappear back to the ground floor.

Wolfgang returned to the bedroom quickly to check on Noah. A sigh of relief escaped his lips to find that the boy was still there and fast asleep. He slowly edged the covers from under the boy and sat on the edge of the bed, working the boy’s shoes off, leaving the warm socks on to keep his toes nice and toasty. He pulled the blacks up over Noah then and just watched him breathe, like a new mum making sure her new-born baby, that hardly seemed real, was still alive and well.
Julianna sat in the large spa-style bathtub with her long dark hair tied up in a messy bun. She looked down into the murky water past her swollen breasts to her growing stomach where her hands sat nestled against the slight bump. The woman had fantasised about having her own child ever since she was a small girl still playing with plastic dolls. She couldn't have imagined that her life would have turned out like this though, married to a handsome man who seemed to have lived out his dreams and now did all he could to make sure hers came true. A small part of her felt as if she hadn't done enough to deserve all she had now.

She looked at the simple gold wedding band on her finger set against the most outstanding engagement ring she had ever set eyes on; the diamond was truly something to marvel at, almost as big as the fingernail on her pinkie finger only round and nestled between two evenly enviable stones. She wouldn't even wager a guess at how valuable it was or how much it had cost the man; all she knew was it felt heavy but at the same time suitable on her finger.

Yes, everything between them seemed as perfect as the diamonds she wore, but something felt wrong... Perhaps it was the nagging feeling at the back of her mind that kept telling her something was amiss when it came to the protective nature so easily recognisable between father and son. Wolf rarely left the boy’s side and when he did it was never for long. More recently he had even insisted that the two of them share the bed with Noah, which for any newlywed couple should seem strange, but even more so now that everyone had stopped asking questions. The man that had taken over Noah's case now only wished to see them every three months and had even stopped calling every other week to make sure they were well reminded. Nothing was looming over them anymore, so why was Wolfgang still so... Paranoid and on edge all of the time, especially now that they were in Harper Rock?

Just then he came into the room in nothing but a towel and all her thoughts and concerns fell away as if they had never been. "You decided to join me after all?" Julianna smiled.

The tall male knelt down at the edge of the bath and Julianna moved closer to press her cheek into the hand he had raised to greet her affectionately with. She kissed over his palm, accustomed to the deathly chill of his flesh, a coldness she had put down to poor circulation. He mashed his lips against her own, eyes closed as souls entwined and reality was shattered by the divinity of their union.

As Wolfgang removed his towel and sat down in the tub Julianna wasted no time in moving to straddle him, stealing away and losing herself in these few precious moments they could spend together; alone. His arms went around her and the warm water crashed against her back like a wave upon the shore. It seemed unnatural that someone so dead could make another feel so alive.
Wolfgang could feel how conscious Julianna was of Noah even as she slept, a mother experiencing a heightened awareness of self and the world around her, afraid to crush the small life beside her in the bed as she slept. Of course, it kept the two of them from lying side by side, but it also meant that his coldness would not chill her to the bone on this cold winters night.

Wolfgang couldn't remember the last time he had slept, not that he needed to, but it seemed to help. He knew as long as they were inside Harper Rock sleep would not come easy, and in fact, he would do all he could to fight it off. He smiled; comforted by the slow, rhythmic beating of Noah and Julianna's hearts and the tiny almost inaudible pumping of the small being that grew inside his wife's womb. This, a sound that had once caused a burning hunger in his throat, now relaxed him and silently whispered all was okay. He hadn't imagined that the IVF treatment could have ever been as successful as quickly as theirs was and he felt truly blessed in the knowledge that Julianna would have everything she wanted in the child. The wait and anticipation to meet the him or her came with added hesitation of being responsible to another life, as if two wasn't enough already.

Before dawn there would be a lot to think about, his family both in this room and outside of it, the family that wasn't related by blood but a connection nature need never accept nor understand. He also had to consider whether Harper Rock was the place to raise a family, it seemed enough people were doing it, but those people didn't quite understand the dangers like he did and more than likely they weren't as dangerous as he himself could be. Julianna wanted to live here, to raise a family here and if the man thought about it he knew he could long for the same kind of thing, though it seemed wrong on more levels than one. If anything happened to either of them he would be responsible, and maybe if she knew, she would feel differently too. Moments of deep reflection always came back to the single question he was too afraid to answer... Should he tell her?
Noah put his hand on Julianna's shoulder and shook her lightly. "Breakfast time," he smiled, a row of small white teeth on display to the woman's sleepy olive eyes.

"Mmm," the woman grinned, turning onto her back in the covers as she pulled Noah into her arms. "What has daddy cooked for us today?"

"French toast!" Noah exclaimed excitedly.

"With bacon?" Julia asked.

"Of course!" Came a deep voice from down the hall. Both Noah and Julianna looked to the door before smiling at one another and the boy wriggled out of the woman's grasp to run down into the kitchen.

"No running inside," Wolfgang called to his son and Noah quickly took to tiptoeing.

By the time Julianna was dressed the boys were already tucking into their breakfast. She walked into the room in a pair of white jeans and a fluffy caramel coloured jacket that was lined with fur. On her feet she wore a pair of boot-style slippers with a couple of woollen pom-poms hanging from pleated strings on either side. Wolfgang seemed to loathe them which excited the woman in a strange kind of way. "If you slip over in those remind me to say I told you so," Wolf objected and Noah smiled.

He watched his son mash the cooked banana with a fork before shovelling some of the lumpy soup into his mouth. "I cut up some berries for you," Wolf said to Julia who had found her bowl of cereal and assortment of fruit on the bench.

She poured some low fat milk into the mixed and took a blueberry between finger and thumb before popping it into her mouth. "Thank you," she offered, "Though I do envy the two of you eating all of that bacon."

"You can have some of my bacon," Noah said, holding up his fork with a strip of chewed bacon.

"That's okay, sweet-heart," Julianna giggled. "I do love my cereal."

Wolfgang shared a look with the woman who rolled her eyes playfully before sitting down at the table with them both. "What's the plan for today?" She chirped before putting her hand to her head and wincing softly.

Wolfgang hadn’t seemed to have noticed the wince and pulled a piece of paper from the pocket of his suit pants. "I made a list," he smiled, knowing Julianna was the one who usually organised all of his business and today decided that he would save her the trouble.

"Isn't that my job?"

"Used to be," Wolf laughed.

Julianna unfolded the small list and gazed down over the items slowly. Wolfgang had meetings penned in from nine till half two when he planned to meet up with them both for a late lunch. Noah and herself on the other hand had very little plans, though she wanted to make best of the season and time of year. "I was thinking of doing a bit of Christmas shopping," Julianna admitted. "Noah and I could go to the mall and line up to see Santa."

Noah's face lit up at the old fat man’s name being mentioned. "Can Daddy come?" He asked, blue eyes wide, a mop of blonde curls scratched away from his eyes quickly.

"Yes he will come see Santa with us after his meetings, dear." Julianna reassured him, but the boy unsure, turned to his father to know that this indeed would be so. He was assured by a gentle nod of the tall man's head.

"Of course I will," Wolfgang smiled and kissed the boy up top his head. "You take care of Julia for me won't you?"

"Yes," Noah smiled.

Wolfgang put his bowl down in the sink and went to his wife, his hands set on her arms; he lent down and whispered in her ear. "Fred and Wesley will be accompanying you both today."

Julianna nodded. She knew Fred, he had worked for Wolf for a very long time, but his partner Wesley was a name she hadn't heard before. Both were very talented bodyguards, one had once work to protect the president of the United States and the other had been a part of a military group in charge of top officials, not that Julianna really knew what that meant. It sounded important enough and she would feel comfortable shopping with the two of them looming about. "When will they be arriving?" Julianna asked.

"They are already here," Wolf smiled and buzzed the two of them in.

Fred was a tall man with a huge chest and arms that looked strong enough to strangle a full grown male rhino. He had dark brown hair which looked almost black, the same colour as his thick, yet well-trimmed bread. He was wearing a black suit with a blue tie, the exact same as Wesley who had bright blonde hair that didn't look natural and squinty blue eyes. Both men were Russian but to hear them speak one might struggle to tell, fluent in English and French, they had no trouble blending. There was a black tattooed snake head poking out the top of Fred's collar which led one to start guessing as to how many other tattoos lay hidden beneath his clothes. Wesley didn't have any visible markings other than an old scar across his left brow, but he wore lots of gold from his watch and rings to the chain around his neck.

Julianna smiled politely at the men as they came through the door. Fred went straight to Wolf and the two started going over the plan for the day while Wesley stood at the door. "What happens if..." Julia heard Fred say though she found it hard to tell what he was saying from where she stood. Sometimes when it came to these kinds of arrangements she thought it was better not to know.

"Come on Noah, let’s get you dressed. Oh, and Wesley?” She smiled as the blonde man looked up and across the room to stare at her. “Please remove any gold you’re wearing. This city is known for its gangsta problems and I would hate for you to attract any unwanted attention while in my presence.”

“Yes ma’am,” the man replied as the two of them, Julianna and Noah, disappeared into another room while Wolfgang briefed Fred. "Never out of your sight," Wolf told them both. "If the security at the mall feel uncomfortable with you entering the building with firearms show them these."

He presented the men with security identification cards from a firm one of his associates ran, that associate being Lyonel West who had started up his own private security service. "If anything odd happens," he stressed the word odd knowing all too well that Fred knew exactly what he was referring to, "Call this number and I will be there within minutes, even if I don’t pick up, just let it ring and I’ll know."

Fred nodded slowly. "Don't worry, Boss, nothing will happen on my watch."

Wolf smiled, he had trusted Fred with his life on more than once occasion and now he was entrusting him with the lives of his Wife and Son; he felt assured that they were in safe and competent hands. "I know," Wolf finally said.

Noah appeared dressed in a pair of skinny jeans, high sneakers and a designer jacket that looked a size too big for him. "I thought we were wrapping that up for Christmas?" He said to Julianna when she came into the room.

He he scooped Noah up in his arms and tickled the boy’s sides so that he wriggled like a stuck pig.

"It's cold out," Julianna fussed. "I don't want him catching a cold."

Wolfgang kissed Noah and then handed him over to Julianna. "Have fun you two," he smiled, pressing a tender kiss to Julia's cheek, one she returned to his lips.

"We will."

With that they all left, leaving Wolfgang to lock up.
"Gentlemen," Wolf smiled, shaking the hand of one of his biggest clients, a Victor Canning originally from New York, now ready to settle down in Honeymead after being introduced to the area by one Cedric Voss, Wolfgang West's alter ego. They were meeting in one of the conference rooms found within West Towers near the top floor. The views from this height over the city were stunning and it was easy to see why they all loved it here.

"It's good to see you again," Victor smiled warmly, his old hand shaking that of the younger males. "Last time we met you were telling me about your plans to expand international flights to the area by lowering incoming flights."

He seemed to say this loud enough for the other six men in the room to hear, only two of them known to Wolf himself. Victor and Lenneth, brothers, enterprisers, and specialists in undertaking projects that made them very wealthy. "A pleasure to see you again, Cedric, can Kathleen get you anything to drink?" Lenneth asked.

"No thank you, I'm fine," Wolfgang waved a hand dismissively, "shall we get straight down to business?"

"Always so professional," Victor grinned.

They sat down at the table with Wolfgang sitting at the head, he may have been the youngest of the group but he was also the wealthiest, having made his money in taking the actual risks rather than stashing old money in shares. They all came from families that had made their money from a time when blacks were slaves and if someone got in your way you could eliminate them, no questions asked, as long as you paid for silence, it would seem as if some people never existed. Old money, Wolfgang really didn't understand what all the hype was about, but he milked the lot of them better than a farmhand could milk a cow.

"You're right, Victor, I do plan to promote the area by making inbound flights more affordable," Wolfgang began, "But it’s not as easy as it sounds, we might need to hold majority shares in another airline to pull it off."

"So let me get this straight, young man," Lenneth interrupted, his silver hair combed over a thinning patch on top of his head. "By lowering the cost of incoming flights, you believe it will make more money how exactly?"

"Don't tell me Cedric is the only one of us keeping an eye on the news this last couple of years... Haven't you seen the headlines? People are flocking from the area." Victor tried to tell his younger brother, his wrinkled old mouth stretched in a sly smile.

"Of course I have but I'm trying to protect our investments, how is lowing the cost of ticket prices going to make us any money, let alone leave any aside for things like maintenance and taxes, employ wages and promotions?" Lenneth inquired.

"Simple," Wolf smirked. "Raise outgoings and keep return flights at the original price."

"Most people that hop from place to place will sit until the price comes down before moving on, only the middle class think ahead generally." Victor added.

"And what's to stop competition from moving in on our patch?"

"Me," Wolfgang deadpanned.

"Have you ever seen anyone move in on this guy’s turf?" Victor jested, watching his brother, a humorous smile spreading his lips. "I love this guy!"

Obviously Lenneth was the more serious of the two and he hadn't worked with Wolfgang before, still not sold on the area. Wolf looked down the table and tried to guess who the other five men were. Most of the time it was fairly easy, the skinny guy tapping away at his calculator was probably the accountant, then there were the two lawyers, pompous looking, over fed guys with no hair and too much money. That must have meant the last two, rather plain looking gentlemen were either friends of the family or investors.

"How much do you need?" Victor asked, getting straight to the point.

"I own forty per cent of the rival airline, you own twenty per cent," Wolfgang suggested.

"Twenty seven per cent," the accountant corrected him.

Wolfgang managed a polite smile. "Twenty seven per cent, sell me twelve and I'll make sure this goes well or I give the shares back for free."

Everyone at the table stopped what they were doing and looked at Wolfgang like he had just told them the world was going to end tomorrow. A part from a few smaller groups who held shares, Wolfgang and Canning Industries held the majority. "And you'll put that in writing?" Lenneth asked.

"Of course he will little brother," Victor scolded before leaning closer to his sibling. "What did I tell you this guy is golden!"

"We will send you the finer details by weeks end," Lenneth said after talking under his breath in response to something Victor had said.

"Excellent," Wolfgang smiled, thinking that had gone far better than he had originally expected it to. He had already made arrangements with two other shareholders to buy them out of their seven per cent share; of course it had cost him the earth but if things didn’t prove to go well, even if he had to hand back Canning’s share he would still hold enough to own the company. Of course, none of the people in this room knew that, not yet, not until it would be too late.

"Tell me," Lenneth piped up. "How did a man so young come into a fortune vast enough to buy twelve per cent of the world's biggest airline?"

"Technically it will be fifty two per cent, Lenny," Victor corrected him.

"Fifty three point nine," his lawyer interrupted.

"My point exactly," Lenneth said shaking his head.

Wolfgang leaned back in the leather chair and stitched his fingers together in his lap. "I came up with an idea that made me a lot of money while I was working as an accountant for a man with more money than sense. I sold the idea which gave me enough to invest in a small chain of hotels, which, as you probably know, is a lot larger now."

Lenneth smiled though a little bitterly, he had never been a man of ideas, had never needed to be, all this money had come from generations of lazy, rich, over pretentious fools just like himself. "A million dollar idea, something every man dreams of."

"Multimillion dollar idea," Wolfgang smirked. He liked to rub it in sometimes.

"Mind sharing with the group?" Victor asked.

"Of course not," Wolfgang offered. "You all know how home loans work?"

The men sat around the table nodded. "Of course," Lenneth said smugly as if he was privy to some insider knowledge no one else in the room knew about.

"Well I simply came up with an idea to reverse them."

That removed the smudge look from Lenneth's face were confusing took pride of place, residing there until Wolfgang chose to explain himself further. "When you get old and want to take care of yourself, live the rest if your life out peacefully or just don't have any family to leave everything to, why not sell your house back to the bank? Of course you won't get back what you paid for it, but you will get enough to keep you comfortable in small monthly payments and have a house to live in until your final journey begins..."

"Genius," Victor laughed. "How old were you?"

Wolfgang shrugged, deciding to leave the explanation where it stood. "Early twenties."
The shopping mall was busy, everyone rushing to pick up the last few things they needed before Christmas. Anyone would have thought the world was about to end as people pushed, shoved and over indulged to strange extremes. Julianna and Noah weren't hard to find, nestled in the back of a small knick-knack store of which Wesley stood guard while Fred stayed close to the pair Wolf was paying him well to protect.

Wolf tightened his tie and walked into the store, Noah noticed him before Julianna did and ran across the span of the room to the entrance to be hoisted up into the air quickly only to fall into the loving embrace of his father's arms. "Daddy!" Noah chimed, putting his skinny little arms around the Vampire's neck. "I got you a present," the boy smiled, his tiny square teeth, each with a small gap between them, bright under the stores artificial light.

"Can I see?" Wolfgang asked, flashing his son a matching smile, only his teeth were a hell of a lot nicer than that of his sons, who would surely grow into a set of his own given time.

"Noooo," the boy laughed, stretching the word gleefully.

"I got you a present too," Wolf responded, "And guess what?"

"What?"

"You have to wait until Christmas to open it."

Noah chuckled, tucking his head against his father's neck. Julianna finished purchasing a few decorations and then join the pair. She looked hot, even though it was close to freezing outside, her cheeks flushed and her eyes narrowed tiredly. "You okay?" Wolf asked and Noah spun his head around to look at her.

"Fine," she said quickly, "Just feeling a little light headed all of the sudden."

Wolfgang quickly put Noah down and took the shopping bags and parcels from Julianna and dished them out to an already overloaded Fred and Wesley. He wrapped his arm around Julianna and told Fred to call the driver to ask for him to meet them round front with the car. He took Noah's hand in his and made the slow walk to the shopping mall entrance with the pair. "I'm fine," Julianna insisted, "Please don't fuss."

Wolfgang said nothing and when they got outside the car was there. He strapped Noah into the booster seat and made sure his belt was done up securely before helping Julianna into the car. He sat beside her and signalled for the driver to take them back to the hotel. Fred and Wesley were left to pack the shopping into their car and play catch up.

Once they were inside the penthouse Wolfgang shut the door and lifted Julianna up into his arms and carried her to the bedroom. Noah followed them looking a little confused; he had been promised a ride on one of the coin activated rides and a trip to see Santa in the mall. He didn't understand why they had come home so soon. Julianna rest her head on a fluffy white pillow and closed her eyes as Wolfgang took her shoes off, setting them at the foot of the bed. "Noah why don't you go and watch the fish," Wolfgang was referring to the massive fish tank that lined the length of the hall, boasting some of the most exotic fish in the country.

"But I was going to ride the red car," he frowned and stomped his foot defiantly, folding his arms across his narrow chest and casting his gaze at the floor as if he could burn a hole through the marble with just a look.

"Darling, Julianna doesn't feel well, we'll go back to the store another time."

The boy’s face seemed to soften then and his body visibly relaxed. He walked over to the Vampire crouched at the end of the bed and put his hand on the man's arm before whispering, "Should we make her some soup?"

Wolfgang smiled warmly and kissed his son on the cheek. "That's a good idea; want to go and get your hands washed and we'll make some soup."

"Ok!" The boy said excitedly and ran down the hall.

"No running inside," Julianna called and Wolfgang smiled.

"He will learn."

"Not soon enough," Julianna teased before opening her arms to her husband.

Wolfgang wiggled his feet out of his shoes and undid his tie before joining her on the bed. He put his arm over the woman and she smiled, closing her arms around him. "What would I do without you?"

"A lot better?" Wolf smirked and was quickly batted by his bemused wife.

"Why would you say such a thing?"

"I'm only teasing," he told her before undoing the woman's jacket to put his hand on her stomach. "Do you feel okay?"

"Yes, just a bit queasy, I was rushing around like a mad woman and probably just needed to slow down."

Wolfgang smiled, somewhat reassured by her words. He heard a clattering of pans coming from the kitchen and got up. "I better go help Noah before he destroys the place."

Julianna giggled and was left to rest.

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

Early February

[Wolfgang ] Wolfgang lay on the hotel bed. It was the middle of the day; the sun was shining through the net curtains, dappled light shot across the exposed parts of his flesh, that which wasn’t covered by the towel. He was indulging in some alone time, which was rare especially without work to keep him busy; Julianna and Noah were in the lounge watching something on the television, the volume turned up a bit too loud for him to hear what they were talking about. The door was shut and the phone was within arm’s reach; he picked it up and slowly dialed the woman’s number, not knowing what kind of reception he would get.

When someone answered, he thought maybe it was better if he went first and his voice came out a smooth, low monotone, “Hello?”

[Leiren] Leiren hadn't moved in days, maybes weeks. Possibly even months. The people who came into the Necro had to think she was a robot or insane through glimpses into the office which she never left. The room stank of cigarette smoke from the burning of cigarettes that she didn't smoke and the top of the line computer looked like it hadn't been cleaned in about as long as she hadn't moved. When he phone rang she answered with her powers, her fingers and mind on the keys in front of her, and then she heard his voice and she just... stopped. She stopped, the computer stopped, and about dropped the call with her mind and the world seemed to halt on its axis.

After a long moment of silence she noticed the computer and yelled '****' into the phone as the high level government security files locked her out - again. "What do you want, Wolfgang," she said with a slight annoyance to her tone.

[Wolfgang ] The silence was expected by a small part of him, the part of him that knew his voice would not be welcomed, not after all this time. Her words though, almost scolding; like holding one’s hand over a pot of boiling water, anticipating the burn to come. He had to ask himself, how long could they hold on, teetering like they had been? “I need to see you, can we meet today?” The words came out without too much thought, though deep down, they had been all he had thought about for months.

This conversation could have taken one of two paths and it seemed Leiren had already steered him down a dark road. “Soon, if possible…”

[Leiren] Leiren looked around at herself, the office, her clothes; she'd really been here for that long? Vathia had always been her weakness, she supposed, and the internet was safer then that these days. Crow was gone, after all. "Perhaps after I've had a shower. I'll meet you at the Necropolis if you like." She spoke very business-like, her heart cold as ice and hard as stone. "I've some things for you somewhere in here anyway. Unless the staff served the chems again." She didn't even wait for a response from him, she just hung up the phone and teleported to her home to clean herself up if she had to have a meeting with Mr. West.

[Wolfgang ] Good, she would meet with him; they wouldn’t have to drag this out. He wasn’t surprised when she hung up on him, but he held the phone to his ear a moment longer than he probably should have before placing it down. The tall male rolled out of bed and dressed, a casual suit; but that was a lie, nothing looked casual on Mr. W. A. West anymore. ******* Vampire curse. He was all but human now, he could eat tasteless food, he had no Vampire aura and rarely ever let his fangs protrude when he angered; hell, he even had a healthy complexion. The slacks fit his legs as if they had been tailored for him specifically and the shirt was clingy, highlighting the god-like body beneath.

Wolfgang didn’t bother with the jacket, he was trying to casual after all and once the belt was done up be left the hotel room to kiss Julianna and Noah on the cheek, the mortal wife and legitimate son he smelt of, their scent clinging to him wherever he went. “I’ll be home soon,” he told Julianna, touching his fingers to her face gently and staring into her eyes as a slowly, barely there smile stretched his lips.

Once the man was in the lobby he teleported to the basement of Amara’s club, knowing better than to walk through the front door. He sat down where the two of them had sat together many times before and rested his arm against the top of the couch, waiting.

[Leiren] Leiren showered taking her time, practically dousing herself in body wash and shampoo, scrubbing every inch of her body. She could still smell the cigarettes but it wasn't nearly as bad. The scent always reminding her of Tristan. When she finally crawled out and got dressed she picked a simple white dress with a splash of red around her waist. Simple, elegant, and very much a sign of a not so happy Leiren. She glanced at the clock and wondered if he was already at the Necro. She hoped he'd have to wait forever. Perhaps she could just leave now and let him not know where she was for months. Perhaps it would change how he did things. But she doubted it. Instead she put on her makeup with grimace and slipped into her shoes before she tomed into the Necropolis.

Without a pause she went down the stairs to 'Devotions' and walked her way to the back, knowing exactly where he'd be. Because that was Wolf. A constant inconstant.

[Wolfgang ] He didn’t see her coming down into the club, not at first; it was the smell that caught his attention, made his cerulean gaze cut through the dimly lit room to find her, white, red sash. Wolfgang got to his feet, one of the laces coming undone without his notice on his simple black leather shoes. He waited until she moved to join him, and sat down when she finally did, not expecting a hug or any kind of affection really; diamonds and pearls for Christmas wouldn’t make us for neglect and that’s what he had done, neglected her.

They sat in silence for the time, the tension between them obvious; thick and suffocating until he spoke. At least, that’s what he thought he would do until he realized he couldn’t, his mind instantly hissing at him, ‘don’t say sorry, she hates it when you say sorry, she told you it made you look weak,’ the voice reminded him. Without that would he would have to reassess, without that word he had nothing. Wolfgang swallowed the action visible on his features and down his thick neck as if he’d attempted to swallow a writing pen sideways.

He took of his ring; a white circle left in its wake, scarring his finger where it had sat from the day it had gone on. Wolfgang took Leiren’s hand and opened it gently to place the ring in her palm; his hand closed over hers for but a moment before it was returned to his side; all this without words.

[Leiren] She wasn't going to be the one to talk. Nope. She wouldn't. But when he took her hand and placed that ring into her palm it was like fire flew from her head as if Hades himself took over, her eyes a boiling pool of blue lava exploding from a volcano. She glanced down at it and then she threw it at him as hard as she could whip it, wanting to hit him square between the eyes but she didn't really aim. "**** you Wolfgang West. **** you and your ********. **** you and your leaving for MONTHS and not saying a word. Oh, and most of all, **** you for making me believe you were any different than any other **** head male in this city. You deserve your ******* sire and all the damage you cause to yourself."

In her rant she had stood, her arms on the table, her tiny frame feeling as if it was thousands of feet high though it wasn't as intimidating as she thought. "I would do anything for you and I'm nothing to you. So **** you, Wolf. You can grab the **** I saved FOR YOU by the door." And then, in an instance, she vanished and all that sat on the table was the tiniest little red and black butterfly.

[Wolfgang ] The ring hit him square in the chest, cracked the button two down from the top before falling into his lap and off onto the floor where it rolled away under the table and spun like a coin, protesting it’s loss with a low ringing noise until it stopped and lay dead against the cold floor, just like their relationship. Leiren knew how much the mention of his sire would sting, but her leaving, surprisingly, hurt more. He sat back on the red sofa and put his head in his hands before rolling it back so that his finger made a triangle over his nose and jaw, eyes pointed skyward; he had noticed the tiny butterfly. ‘I so sorry,’ the words were screamed in the death of his mind, ‘there is just no way you could still want us, not after this’.

Wolfgang tipped his head forward and his fingers went through his hair which soft and without product. There were so many things he wanted to say, he wanted to yell at himself and cause damage, the same damage Leiren had intended with her throw that hadn’t quite succeeded, even if it did feel like he’d been shot in the chest; he had just ripped hers wide open. “I love you so much, Leiren… But he comes first,” Wolfgang shock his head, the words whispered quietly to himself, unaware that they were also shared with the butterfly on the table in front of him. “Noah will always come first.”

[Leiren] The butterfly that was Leiren, all upset and shaken, moved herself towards the edge of the table and hopped off, fluttering her timid wings until she caught the air and flew away. Whatever nonsense Wolf was babbling about she didn't care. He clearly didn't give a rat’s *** about her. "Selfish prick," she said into his mind before mind blocking him. She wasn't risking him saying a damn word to her in return.

Wolfgang pulled a stall up to the edge of the bench and encouraged Noah to stand up-top it. He put his arms around the boy holding a peeler in his right hand and a carrot in the left. The young boy put his hand over the carrot and held it at the edge of the sink. Wolfgang gave careful instruction as to how he wanted Noah to hold the carrot so that he wouldn't end up hurting his little fingers with the peeler. "Push it away," he smiled, "that's right."

As he abandoned the boy for a moment to go and find some celery, a knife and the chopping board, Noah stood quite contently peeling the carrot over the sink, scooping out one side a bit more than he did from the other side of the carrot. Wolfgang couldn't help but smile, setting up station alongside his son; he couldn't help but feel this was one of those moments he wouldn't forget in a hurry. "Looking good," he encouraged, holding up a floppy piece of celery to wave it back and forth playfully, before chopping the top off to it as if he were decapitating a Gangster with his sword.

Wolfgang's actions were rewarded with a gleeful giggle from the boy who then turned the carrot to work on the other side, needing to set the peeler down so that he could use both hands to do this. When the peeler fell in the sink, Wolf picked it up, gave it a quick rinse and then set it back in Noah's right hand. "Careful, don't let that little guy slip away."

Noah chuckled, "It's slippery," he insisted.

"You go it," Wolf assured him. "Just slow down a bit or there won't be any carrot left."

Wolfgang abandoned his station to fetch a pot to start boiling some water in it. He set it on one of the back elements of the stove, ever mindful that little hands were prone to reaching up to places they weren't supposed to go. He turned the handle away from the edge and set the heat to high.

"Can we put some pumpkin in Julianna's soup?" Noah asked.

"That sounds like a great idea, if we aren't careful we might make this soup to be too delicious and have to eat it all ourselves."

Noah grinned.

"Don't worry I won't tell Julianna we ate it all," Wolf smiled.

"Nooooo, Daddy," Noah burst into an infectious fit of laughter. "This soup is for Julianna!"

"Right, right you are!"

Once the water was boiling Wolfgang added the celery he had cut up finely and added two diced onions. "Should we add some chicken stock, Chef?"

"What is chicken stock?" Noah asked.

"It will make the soup taste like chicken."

Noah spun his upper body away from the sink to look over his shoulder at the Vampire. "I like chicken," was all he said in response.

"Me too," Wolf smiled and added some of the finely ground powder into the mix.

"Does Julianna like chicken?" Noah pondered aloud, his back to Wolfgang.

"Like it? That Little Miss Piggy would tear my arms off to get a bite of chicken!"

Noah's laughter filled the room once more and if Julianna had been awake she would probably be wondering what the two of them were getting up to. No one in the world every laughed so much while preparing a soup she would probably tell them.

"Those carrots done yet, Boss?"

"You're the boss!" Noah smiled, recalling the game they would play back home.

"That's right, I'm the boss!" Wolfgang retorted quickly. "And don't you forget it," they said together before raising a finger skyward to shake.

Noah got down off the stall and prodded Wolfgang in his side with the half peeled carrot. "Here you go," the boy grinned, offering it up to him before he raced around the counter and plopped down on the couch, flicking to the cartoon channel.

Wolfgang set the carrot down on the chopping board and looked at the sink full of orange peelings and washed carrots. "Hey, what do you think you're doing? Who is going to help me peel all of these?"

Noah turned on the couch and peeked back at his father with the same little cheeky grin Wolf had used as a child. "You do it!" The boy called before turning his attention back to the television.

"Oh I see how it is," the Vampire smirked, "Make a big mess and get Daddy to clean it up."

He finished peeling the first carrot properly before working on the rest. Once they were all chopped up he added them to the mix slowly bubbling away in the pot. Ten minutes later he was done cutting up the pumpkin and threw that in too. The tall male stood in the kitchen for a time then, trying to consider anything that he may have forgotten. "Carrots, celery, pumpkin, onion," he recited the words quietly before opening the fridge. "Nope, seems about right."

A pinch of pepper later and the man was ready to join his son on the couch. "Smells appetising," Wolf said and noticed a familiar little yellow sponge on the television screen.

"What does app... Appa"

"Appetising," Wolf encourage.

"What does it mean?"

"It means that the food smells very delicious."

"Appetising," Noah said. "It smells very appetising."

Wolfgang put his arm around the boy and looked at his watch; it would be bath time soon, followed by bed. They had all had a very long day and Wolfgang decided the best thing to do would be to stick to the routines they had set in place so that Noah didn't end up grumpy, or tired which tended to make another wise peaceful day somewhat unpleasant. "Bath time after this."

"No!" The boy protested. "I want to watch the next show.

"Noah," the stern 'I know best' voice of his father scolded.

"Okay," Noah sank a little, offering up the remote to Wolfgang. "Will you read me a story tonight?"

The task of bedtime story was usually left to Julianna, but Wolf decided he could manage it this once. "What have you been reading?"

"James and the Giant Peace!" Noah beamed. "The centipede has lots of shoes."

"Alright, off with you then!"
Wolfgang turned the electric blanket on and settled down on the bed beside Noah with James and the Giant Peace in hand. The boy snuggled into his father's side, each of them wrapped in a big, fluffy white robe. As Wolfgang began reading quietly he noticed Julianna stir and lowered his voice a little. Noah's hair smelt of apples, he had pinched a bit of Julianna's shampoo, the kind that smelt so strong she was sure to notice should she get a whiff of the boy’s hair.

Wolfgang wasn't three pages in before Noah had drifted off to sleep, the shift in the boys breathing pattern alerting Wolf to notice he was now reading to himself. He closed the book and set it down on the night stand before flinching at the sound of Julianna's voice, not realising she had been awake. "Aw, that is my favourite part," she teased.

The male smiled and edged his arm out from under Noah carefully, the blanket beneath them a lot warmer now than it had been. "Would you like something to eat? We made soup; it just needs to go through the blender."

"I like it better chunky," Julianna smiled.

"Chunky it is," Wolf said and got up off the bed carefully as not to wake his son.

He disappeared down the hallway into the kitchen and spooned some of the soup into a bowl before leaving it to cool on the bench. Julianna joined him soon after, plodding down the hall barefoot and out of the clothes she had been wearing all day. She pulled a robe up over her black satin nightie and sat down on one of the bar stalls in front of her soup.

Wolfgang moved to stand behind the woman to massage her shoulders. "Feeling better?" He asked.

"A lot, thank you."

"Do you think everything's okay with baby?"

The woman nodded her reply soft. "I don't think there is any reason to worry, darling."

"It's my job to worry," Wolfgang smiled and leaned forward to kiss the top of the woman's head.

"You know I keep nothing from you..."

"I know," he whispered, his hands giving a reassuring squeeze.

"Go to bed and I'll see you in the morning?"

Wolfgang let his hands fall away from the woman's shoulders and made towards the bedroom. "Wait," Julianna called, causing him to spin and look back at her.

She stepped away from the stall and hurried into his arms, tiptoeing in order to see that he didn't leave without a goodnight kiss. "I love you," she said, her hand warm against his cool chest where the robe had come undone.

"I love you too," he told her before pecking the woman's lips once more and disappearing to join Noah on the bed.
That night was another restless eight hours for Wolfgang, of course he was going to worry about Julianna; she was to be the mother of his child, a child they were bringing into a very dangerous world. He knew it was wrong, but it was something Julianna wanted and what was so wrong about granting her this; if things got too bad, he had already decided that he would send them away, far away so that they weren’t attached to the deathly sorrow that followed him everywhere.

When the new day dawned Wolfgang realised he had drifted off for a time, the sound of Julia’s bare feet padding down the hallway making his eyes shoot open and pull the small boy next to him against his side instinctively. Noah looked a little shocked, stirred from what must have been a very restful sleep. “Julia!” Wolfgang called and Noah looked to the woman’s side of the bed to see that she was gone.

“I’m fine,” came her reply from the end of the hall, “Just getting a head start on breakfast.”

Wolfgang let himself fall back against the bed, able to relax knowing she was safe. Noah sat beside him with his arms around his knees and blinked sleepily back at his father, a slow smile turning his tiny pink lips up. “Can we have bacon again?” Noah asked.

Wolfgang smiled that same slow, mischievous smile his son had learned to mirror. “Not today, it’s a treat to have every once in a while.”

Noah curled up in the blanket and put his head on the pillow. “How long is a while?”

“Longer than a moment and shorter than eons,” Wolf smiled, knowing he was only confusing the boy further.

“What are eons?”

“An indefinite period of time.”

“What’s indefinite?”

Wolf laughed. “Vague.”

Noah was growing impatient by this stage. “Vague?”

“Unclear.”

“Daaaaaaaaad!”

Wolfgang leaned forward and kissed the boy’s cheek. “A while means I’m not going to tell you how long, but you won’t have to wait forever until you get bacon again.”

“Tomorrow?” Noah asked.

Wolf cast his gaze skyward before looking at the boy again. “Yes, tomorrow.”

“Yay!”

The two of them lay there in silence for a while before they heard the breakfast bell. “Porridge is ready,” Julianna called from the end of the hall.

Noah and Wolfgang looked at each other and screwed up their faces. It was very hard to go from eating delicious bacon to struggling to down horrible, lumpy prison food. Wolfgang pulled the sheets over the top of them and put his finger to his lips. “Shh, maybe she won’t see us if we stay very quiet.”

Noah giggled and snuggled close, holding his hands over his mouth; it wasn’t easy for an excited child to stay quiet for too long and lots of whispering ensued. After a good five minutes Julianna came down the hall to investigate where the two of them had gotten to. She smiled at the bulge in the covers and shook her head. “I can’t find those boys anywhere, I guess I’ll have to eat their breakfast for them,” she played along rather theatrically.

Noah couldn’t contain himself by this point and threw the covers back, arms stretched out and fingers hooked like ginormous claws. “Roar!” He growled, springing up from the bed to bounce over to the edge and climb out, his skinny arm going around the woman’s legs as he beamed up at her.

“Oh there you are!” Julianna smiled and messed up the light mop of hair on top of his head. “Come on you, breakfast time.”

The day didn’t pass quickly, cooped up inside, the weather out too cold and windy to tramp through and after the scare yesterday Wolfgang wasn’t going to risk more strain to Julianna. After dinner there all sat in the lounge, the television was on and Noah was glued; fixated on the fast talking, French speaking, yellow sponge whose best friend was a pink, dopey starfish. Wolfgang was reading the paper and checking the stock market for any increases or liquidations. Julianna sat with her arm around Noah, her well-manicured fingers going through his hair soothingly to tuck it behind his ear.

Wolfgang looked up over the top of the newspaper as some strange sea creature muttered something in the form of high-pitched squeaking; masking what was probably intended to sound rather vulgar. “Are you sure this is suitable?” He asked, pointing his question at Julianna quietly.

She turned around and smiled back at the man. “It’s harmless.”

Wolfgang folded the newspaper and slapped it down on the kitchen counter before standing. He fixed the silver tie wrapped about the collar of his navy blue shirt and tucked the back of the shirt into the grey Armani slacks he wore before joining the two of them on the couch. Julianna closed her hand over his and gave his palm a gentle squeeze. “I’m going to get changed and go to bed.”

Wolfgang smiled and raised her hand to his lips before releasing it. “We aren’t far behind you.

Julianna got up and un-wrapped the fluffy white towel from on top of her head. She squeezed the dark strands dry before ditching the towel on the way past the bathroom and disappeared down the hall into the bedroom. Once there she changed into the same black nightie she had worn the night before and covered up in the flesh, clean robe left folded at the end of the bed for her.

As she started taking her jewellery off, something strange came over the woman and her hands fell at her sides, her tipped forward and she wavered on the spot at the edge of the bed as if she’d lost control of her own body. Suddenly she raised her head and walked towards the door that led out into the hall as if fixated on something.

Noah too was suddenly overcome, his head tipping forward and body seeming to sag before it sprung to lift and led him from the couch and around the coffee table to start towards the hall. Wolfgang had his eyes on the screen when he noticed the boy get up and wander around the table. He narrowed his eyes and turned his head to see Noah heading towards the hall. “Son?”

When Noah didn’t reply the man’s brow furrowed. “Noah!”

Still no reply, not even a flinch. Wolfgang got up quickly and went to his son, grabbing him by the shoulder. Noah continued on forwards as if he hadn’t noticed. Wolfgang took the boy’s wrist so quickly the action made Noah spin back towards him so that their eyes met, but when Wolfgang looked upon Noah’s he seemed confused and noticed the dazed look, one that said no body was home.

His heart sank, there must have been a Vampire in the area luring Humans and Noah, being so young, was likely more susceptible to the strange magic. Wolfgang threw his arms around the boy and picked him up quickly to stop him from leaving, stepping back into the couch as he did this and knocking it forward to hit the glass coffee table which vibrated, turning a half empty coffee cup out; the sound of the fallen mug disgusting the creak of the opened door Julianna was escaping through.

I took Julianna three minutes to get to Elizabeth, three minutes for Noah to snap out of his daze, and the three seconds that ensued for Wolfgang to notice the slit change in air temperate that the open door had caused. He didn’t let go of Noah as he raced down the hall towards the bedroom but stopped when he saw the front door open. “Oh God,” he mouthed as his knees suddenly went weak, forcing him to grab the door handle for balance.

He pushed away from the door and went into the bedroom quickly to check, hopeful that Julianna was still there. “Julia!” He cried and tossed the blankets back to find them empty, her clothes left in a messy pile on the floor; the gold of her wedding band nestled on top of them. Hawk like eyes spotted the band and he picked it up quickly, setting it down on the counter.

Indecision punched him hard in the stomach; should he risk taking Noah out there? He couldn’t very well leave him unattended and Julianna’s captor would be long gone before Fred had time to come around and babysit. He hit one of the speed dial buttons on his phone after clutching it out of his back pocket and waited for one of the only people he could rely on to pick up. “Lyonel, thank God, I need you.”

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

[Lyonel] The evening was ending for all intents and appearances in the office in Veil Tower. Closing up the last of what he was working on took less than five minutes which turned out to be well timed. The woman who would be walking through the door would be expecting him to be ready. He would be. A few things he was known for and is ready to escort her to a nice evening out, drinks and dinner for appearances sake but it was all about them when the music started. Fred and Ginger couldn't do it better if they were to try. The killer stood up from the leather desk chair and plucked his jacket off the coat rack as he passed by. Lights went out as he left the room in a long focused stride to the front of the office. His shoulders rolled and the business jacket slid over and came to rest clean and neat across his broad shoulders.

The door opened and just when he sensed his wife coming into the lobby his cell shook in the pocket. He locked up and retrieved the phone. His thumb didn’t pause as he hit the call instantly. The Old man never called at this hour unless it was family and it was an emergency. He started walking in a faster pace to where Eva would be. "What's up?"

[Wolfgang] Wolfgang was frantic and just like any tuned in child, Noah seemed to realise something was amiss and it had upset him. Wolf held the phone between his shoulder and jaw as he passed Noah from his right hip to the left and took the phone in his right hand to hold up to his ear, the ear he had always heard better in as a Human. He boy’s crying could be heard in the background as Wolfgang tried to speak. “Julianna’s been taken, I need to you to get here and watch my son. I don’t have any time to explain.”

[Eva] Eva entered the Veil tower lobby long legs striding toward her husband a huge smile on her face as she approached just to notice the frown appearing on his face as he talked on his phone. “Lyonel is everything okay?” she asked and touched his arm.

[Lyonel] The call ended with the illuminated screen being killed and going black. He looked at it for a split second and then felt his gut twist. "****!" The cell went roughly into his suit pocket. "No, babe, it’s not. It was the Old Man. Noah. He needs us. Juliana has been taken. We need to get going."

[Eva] Eva looked confused but tossed the keys to her sleek little sports car to her husband “You know where we are going you drive. Who is Noah?” She asked as they moved out of the building and got into the car.

[Wolfgang] His heart was in his mouth; how could he let this happen? Harper Rock was a sink-hole people travelled to and never came back from. He had known this, so why? Why did he let Julianna talk him into coming back? Now she was in trouble. Noah’s crying was upsetting the man, he wanted to put him down to get away from the noise but he couldn’t risk losing him to the quick-sand he felt he was walking on.

Wolfgang had hung up the phone and forwarded an address with the warning ‘please no powers in front of the boy’. He threw the phone at the bed then and bounced Noah gently, trying to calm him. “I’d okay, uncle Lyonel is coming round and he’s going to look after you until I come back.”

“Where’s Julianna?” The boy managed to stop his crying long enough to ask before starting up again.

“She’s okay, she just went out but I have to go and get her so that she doesn’t catch a cold,” he lied, forgetting how intelligent his son was.

“You said someone took her!” Noah screamed hysterically and Wolfgang suddenly recalled why he had left the boy with his sister whenever things got this bad.

‘Hurry up Lyonel,’ he thought, closing his eyes tight, a pained look working across his features. “I will bring her back,” he promised. “Please, Noah, stop crying.”

The boy was insistent and the crying didn’t let up. Again came the temptation to put him down; Wolfgang’s patience tested but far outweighed by his longing to take care of the family he had fought so hard to reunite. “Shh, everything’s okay.” Even as he said the words he wished they could be true, but the two of them were clearly unsettled, rattled by the disappearance of Julianna.

[Lyonel] Lyonel snatched the keys in the air and was leading her to the car faster than they really should be walking out in the public parking area as others were walking by trying to get to their cars. "Noah is Wolf's son. He brought him back with him. He is..." Lyonel paused what he was saying and unlocked the door and opened it for her. "Warm blooded." Lyonel heard the kid in the background and it seemed serious. Wolf never was one to sound so urgent so whatever was going on they should already be there. "Get in and hang on." He left the door open and made fast work of taking the driver’s seat. One thing to be thankful for. His wife picked only the fastest machine to be beneath her.

With no time wasted he was flying up to the one place he knew Wolf would be keeping something so precious as his son. He slammed the car into park and umped out opening the door for a likely bewildered wife. "I will explain on the way up."

[Eva] Lyonel might as well have hit her in the face Eva’s mind reeled. Wolf has a live son? She thought. How could a man as hard as that care for a child her mind went back to how she was turned. Yes she had gotten used to the man and his ways and now knew his soft side but she knew better than others how ferocious he could be.

Lyonel slammed the car into reverse and took off with a screeching of tires. They would be lucky not to get a ticket. Eva didn’t bother buckling in what was a crash going to do kill her? She got out of the car following her husband up the hotel steps. “What has the Old man gotten into Lyonel use your mind to tell me save time in front of these humans.

[Lyonel] He did just that as he hooked his hand in hers and took the long legged beauty in a quick walk towards the door where hopefully they would find their sire and the child that they would have no issue doing the unthinkable to protect. Nothing would ever be spared when it came to family breathing or not. The boy, Juliana and Wolf were their family and their responsibility.

[Wolfgang] Every second passed was exaggerated tenfold in the man’s mind, for all he knew Julianna was still in the building, probably bitten, dazed and confused and wandering aimlessly. It was a horrible, horrible thought for the man to digest, but not as troubling as the likely truth; that she had been lured away from the building and taken outside where the cold weather and old snow would make her more difficult to track.

What if she had been killed? A lot of Vampires in this city weren’t as kind as he had been over the years when it came to feeding; that was back when he needed to, before the Blood Buffing Relic that meant he would never have to close his lips over another Humans throat ever again. Dead on the side of the road, that was the image his brain projected to him; that was the worst possible outcome.

It was hard to think with Noah crying; Wolf needed to focus on preparing his mind for what he was good at, or had been long before he’d found reason to give it up. Tracking anything in this city wasn’t easy, especially if you didn’t have the powers to do it, but not all had been lost during his time away; Wolfgang would never forget what came naturally.

As he sensed the tow of them at the door Wolfgang turned quickly and let them in, passing his pride and joy into the arms of another man. Eva it seemed had tagged along; something Wolfgang would be thankful for later when he could better process it all. Right now the world was rushing by at a million miles a minute and if he didn’t get going straight away he was in danger of losing his Wife’s scent for good.

“No powers,” he muttered lowly to Lyonel, his fingers closed over the man’s right bicep signalling his frustration at leaving something so precious to him with another person. “He likes cartoons, he’s allergic to bees, and the bear on the bed is his favourite.”

Wolfgang felt his arms shaking and realised he was still holding onto Lyonel; the tremors had passed through his fingers before he pulled them away from the man, “Please don’t leave this room and whatever you do keep an eye on him.”

The tall Vampire kissed his son on the cheek and disappeared into the elevator, leaving the married couple with one living, breathing, and very much awake, little boy.

[Eva] Eva stood there taking in all of it just dumbfounded. She had never seen the old man so shaken but he was gone before she could say much of anything. She looked at Lyonel. “I have to use the bathroom I’ll be right back she smiled at the boy in his arms. “Noah everything will be all right Julianna will be back very soon.”

Eva went into the bath and stopped standing there like a statue she searched the city with her mind looking for any trace of Julianna a faint glimmer of the woman’s aura came to her she could feel her.

Concentrating again she touched her sires mind sending him the location to start his search. “Wolf her auras faint but I can sense she is in Honeymead good luck and bring her back safe. “She whispered in his mind before she left the bathroom and saw her husband looking like he didn’t quite know what to do holding the screaming child.

“Hello Noah I'm Eva I'm kind of your Aunty I guess everything is going to be okay your dad just went to get Juliana she is okay and just needs a way home. Would you like to come and sit with us on the couch we can play some games and talk until they get back?”

[Lyonel] Lyonel felt the man's fear as soon as the door opened. He couldn't say he ever had the look Wolf did in his own eyes but as the warmth of the child made contact with his opening arms he looked at Eva and knew he would be the same way. Whatever was going on he would be just as intense and ready to tear apart the world to find the one woman that hell didn’t stand a chance of keeping from him. His long arms slid gently but locked firm on what would be just as safe with them as he was with his father. "Hey buddy. Everything is going to be just fine." His eyes darted to Wolf's and no smile found his face. His jaw was tight and hopefully the man knew if it came down to it he would be ready to act. "Go find her. We got things here."

Did Lyonel have experience with kids? Hell no. He had no clue what to do with them other than what he did as a kid. He did know their existence depended on them both doing everything right by Noah. His mind suddenly thought of Chip back in the office in a jar. Now that he would have gotten into at Noah's age but that was a thought he quickly shoved from his mind. He liked walking on both his feet. He would make sure to do what it took to keep it that way.

[Wolfgang] Noah stopped crying, not simply because his father had left the room, but because he had been passed into the arms of a complete stranger. The crying started again then, crying that could only be described as screaming; he had been abandoned before, was it all happening again? Lyonel had just adopted a very scared little boy for the night, one who had been passed from family to family until his long dead dad had resurfaced and claimed him back under another name and pretenses they no longer had to keep up.

His small hands went against the Vampire’s chest in an attempt to force himself from the man’s arms. It was then he noticed the biting cold of the beings skin that bit through the layers of his clothing, no matter how many he wore, just like it did his father’s. The woman had spoken before disappearing into the bathroom, Noah’s head spinning with his body as he tried to watch her go; like a nervous patient strapped to the dentist chair, looking to see what horrible tool would be revealed next.

When she reappeared she tried to calm him with the offer of the couch and talking, but the state he was in would allow him to accept none of that. “I want my dad,” he said, repeating the words in French moments later.

[Eva] Eva smiled. “Yes, yes I know you do but he has to go for a bit to pick up Juliana. I’m quite sure he wants to be here with you too. He will be back very soon and I know he would be quite worried about you if he knew you were crying like this it will make you sick if you don’t stop. Do you want him to worry about you getting sick?” She looked at her husband and motioned for them all to go to the sitting area she had an idea this was going to be a long night.

[Lyonel] Lyonel had went from feeling like he had things all figured out and ready to take charge. It was hardly that simple when the man in the making light in his arms took to pushing at his chest like he had the power to take on the world. His heart may have been cold and still but it ached like it rarely did. The boy was hurting and he was scared as hell. It only made him more determined to do anything he could without drawing upon his powers to soothe the child and win his trust. His wife's voice eased his concern. Females were awesome at this and he wasn't going to argue. As the screaming erupted then words spilled out he raised a brow and looked at Eva as if she would readily offer some sort of translation. "That a good thing?" He shifted the kid as he made his way following the woman. Noah would be there in his or her arms until the father and their sire returned.

[Wolfgang] His crying seemed to settle every time one of them spoke; just enough for him to hear what they were saying, though when Eva spoke most of what he made out was ‘getting sick’ and it upset him more. At least if he didn’t stop soon he would probably tier himself out and fall asleep, but it didn’t look like the two of them were going to be that lucky. When Lyonel made towards the sitting room Noah kept up with his assault and tired once again to slip from the man’s grasp.

[Lyonel] Lyonel had the child against him thinking it was a good thing he never had any. Noah was definitely their sire's son. He was giving an impressive effort in freeing himself from the hold that when set was not going to break. It was a silent promise and it was one of those things that Lyonel took as serious as his own skin. "Hey..." He breathed out without really benefiting from the exhale. "Your father needs you to do as Eva said and calm down. We are going to hang out with you until he and Juliana get back. Will be more fun than a circus. I promise. I am a clown. You calm down and I will show you. Comes naturally to me." Lyonel laughed softly hoping the child would understand he meant him no harm.

[Eva] Eva smiled at her husband ” He really is a clown you know your dad is going to be back I’ve known him for a bit now … he always comes back don’t ask me why but he just does and he takes care of everyone. So have you eaten yet I bet you are hungry,” She smiled at the boy and touched the child’s hair as he struggled in her husband’s arms.