Bond of Brothers

San Sequoia: Harbor Lights Bistro – Twin Troubles and Harbor Secrets

The two identical young men walked into the bustling restaurant by the bay in San Sequoia. The air was filled with the scent of fresh seafood and the distant sound of waves crashing against the shore. The restaurant’s warm lighting and elegant decor created an inviting atmosphere, with large windows offering stunning views of the harbor.

The hostess beamed at them as they approached, her eyes widening at their striking resemblance. Both men had nearly black hair, styled similarly, and their deep blue eyes, which often seemed purple, added to their allure. Their light complexions and even features made them stand out, and they had always enjoyed the attention their identical looks garnered.

“Table for two?” she asked, looking back and forth between them, as if trying to decide whom to flirt with first.

“Yeah. Should have a reservation under Grainger,” Noah replied, his voice smooth and confident.

“Of course,” she smiled, striking his name off the reservation list, then turned to pick up the menus and some silverware wrapped in a napkin. As she did, she stealthily pressed her lips together to wet them and pushed her breasts up, which the twin brothers could see in the mirrored wall. They traded glances and smirks, amused by her obvious attempts to catch their attention.

“Maybe a little side-dish for ya later?” Noah whispered to Nolan, who shoved him playfully, then whispered back, “You go ahead, I imagine with triplets you’re not getting much mommy and daddy time these days.”

As the hostess now turned to lead the way, both men just smiled politely and followed.

“Will this work for you?” she asked, having led them to a clearly excellent table with the best views of the harbor. The water sparkled under the setting sun, and boats gently rocked in the distance.

“Fantastic, thank you,” Nolan said, appreciating the view.

“Oh, my name is Heather. And since you both seem to be tourists, here is my number in case you… you know… get lost or need help. Don’t be shy,” she smiled wider, her eyes lingering on them.

“Thanks, Heather, very thoughtful,” Noah smiled, and finally, she took the hint and left.

After she was gone, Noah leaned forward and stuck the paper into his brother’s pocket. Nolan pulled it back out and tried to put it in his brother’s, which went back and forth for a bit, until Nolan balled up the paper and flicked it into the harbor below.

“Are you nuts!? I am married to a Tartosian girl! Alessa would castrate me if she found some other chick’s number in my clothes!” Nolan hissed.

“Well, our lovely hostess thought we’re tourists, and you are, I live here, so you get first dibs on the number. And why would Alessa be looking through your clothes?” Noah asked, amused.

“I don’t know, I thought that’s just what wives do. I guess to wash them or hang them or something. Just what she has always done. Doesn’t Holly do the same?” Nolan wondered, mildly defensively.

“Uh, no. We both have full-time jobs and three kids. Nobody goes through my shit, unless maybe our housekeeper is sweet on me, but not Holly. We have other things to do. And sometimes even each other, depending on the days we have. I prefer her to save her energy for that, rather than worry about my clothes,” Noah replied with a chuckle.

“Should turn her. More energy. Holly, not the housekeeper. Then again, depending on how badly your home gets trashed with three kids on a daily basis, maybe her too,” Nolan suggested with a grin.

Noah chuckled at his brother’s comment. “Back at you. How about Alessa with fangs? I would love to see her mad at something, cursing in Italian with that lisp brand-new vamps always get until they get used to the fangs. Fangs also would match her beastly personality. MEOW!” Noah made claw motions, while his brother covertly flipped him off, to not upset other restaurant patrons.

“A-hole! My wife is sweet. And very religious. She doesn’t mind me with fangs, but nearly lost her mind when I suggested her to join me on the dark side. From what I remember from the tirade it’s unnatural and if it were God’s will, she would have been born with them, like we were. So, brother, the fangs were bestowed upon us from up high, better treasure them. Anyway, according to my wife, since we were born like this, it’s fine, but turning her would make her and me into devils. How about that? What about Holly, did you talk to her about that yet?” Nolan retorted, his tone light but sincere.

Noah smiled, thinking of his wife. “Yeah, one of the most uncomfortable conversations I have ever had with her. Basically, she was trying to avoid answering anything, but the gist is that she likes fangs on me, I think she even used the word ‘sexy’, but is creeped out by the other things that come with us being what we are and wants no part of it. Too weird, according to her.”

With a deep sigh, Nolan leaned back in his chair, the view of the harbor behind him. “Great. So, unless they somehow change their minds at some point, one day we’ll be married to old ladies, change their diapers, and then we’ll be alone. Fantastic. Whoever created the first vampire clearly overlooked THAT part. Come to think of it, how were we originally created?”

“That’s a mom and dad question. I don’t want to know,” Noah replied grinning, shaking his head.

“Not US per se, you moron! The first of our kind, ever.” Nolan rolled his eyes.

“That’s a question for our Grand Master Elder then. Clear your schedule, you know Great-Grandpa Cesare likes to talk.”

“Think he knows though?” Nolan asked, his curiosity piqued.

Shrugging, Noah replied, “I think there aren’t many things he doesn’t know. So, if anyone could answer that, it would be him.”

Nolan nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, well, I am not that curious to learn. So, what else is new?”

“Not much. Oh, I ahem… oh nothing,” Noah started, then changed his mind, but his brother looked up from the menu.

“Nope! Spit it out. Don’t give me the ‘nothing’ now. You and I are identical, I can read you like a book, bro. Your ‘nothing’ means there is something sticky. Share!”

Noah nodded, looking down at his hands, then out at the harbor for a moment, before his eyes fixed on his brother. “I ran into Emilee the other day…”

Nolan’s head snapped up from the menu, staring at Noah, eyebrows raised. “Aaaaand?”

“And nothing. We talked.”

“Just talked?”

“Are you kidding!? Yes, just talked!” Noah insisted.

Nolan gave him a certain look, then dedicated his attention back to the menu. “What is THAT look all about? Say it.” Noah pressed.

Nolan nodded, then looked at his brother again. “I know it’s been many years ago now, we all were a lot younger and more immature then, before wives and kids and mortgages, but I remember very well how obsessed you were with her and how you went off the rocker for a long while after she dumped you. Not to mention you nailing her at Connor and my place during that party, resulting in many months of agony for all of us when you got that baby scare, only to fall even deeper into the dark hole when the scare turned out to be false alarm, everyone breathed sighs of relief, except you. After months of praying that you are not the sperm donor, suddenly you wanted to be when it turned out it’s her husband’s kid. You were insane during that time, and if you don’t believe me, ask Connor, he saw it all firsthand. And frankly, I don’t think you are all the way over her still, the way you told me you ran into her. If I ran into my ex, it would be a sidenote of a conversation, ‘ran into that bitch, the end‘ not such a moment of doom and gloom and unicorns shitting rainbows you made it into.”

“I didn’t! I am long over her, and I am a married man! HAPPILY married! I love Holly! And I am a father! Besides, Emilee’s married too, with a son who recently got married! And I hope I am with you if you ever run into Danielle. We’ll see how you react, cos you were just as affected when she dumped you, as I was when it happened to me with Emilee. You didn’t get better till you met Alessa and fell for her!” Noah exclaimed.

Nolan let the menu sink in his hands, and with a certain look and a shrug, he said, “So?”

“So what? Nothing so. We talked. That’s it! Case closed. Are you having food or are we sticking to drinks?” Noah insisted, then changed the topic.

“You’re the host, you tell me what’s good. The one good thing that came from Cesare’s permanent hunger for knowledge about our kind and his eagerness to fit us into the world of the mortals is that at least he found a way that we can eat regular foods and even taste and enjoy them without puking our guts out like it used to be, our parents still remember that well. And quit denying facts, Noah, your doom and gloom undertone clearly screamed you still got the feelz for Emilee.”

“I do NOT! We both went to school with her, so I thought you might want to know she moved back to Copperdale. That’s all.” Noah protested.

“Yeah…” Nolan replied, unconvinced.

San Sequoia: Waterfront – Bond of Brothers

Later, after dinner, the brothers walked along the San Sequoia waterfront, the cool evening breeze carrying the salty scent of the sea. The lights of the city twinkled in the distance, and the quiet murmur of waves created a peaceful backdrop for their conversation.

Nolan, hands in his pockets, broke the comfortable silence. “How are the girls doing with school and friends and all?” he asked with a curious glance at his brother.

“They’re great. Full of energy and mischief,” Noah replied with a smile. He then inquired, “Have you had Leonardo tested to see if he carries the spark?”

Nolan nodded his head, his expression thoughtful. “Yeah, we had to try three times, until it finally came back confirmed. Kept showing inconclusive each time, we thought we may have to wait until he hits puberty, and then either he turns or he won’t, but honestly, I think I knew all along, I did see some signs and our parents and Cesare agreed. So yeah, my son is like us. That’ll be interesting down the line. What about your girls? Any testing, any signs?”

Noah nodded, looking reflective. “There weren’t any definite signs yet, but like you, I am of course hypersensitive, and I just felt Aurora was different from her sisters. It was the little things for me, stuff Holly missed because she just wouldn’t know. For example, we gave them all unpeeled peaches that one time. Amber and Autumn just bit pieces off, but Aurora was eating it… weirdly. As if she was biting and sucking the juice out first. Holly just thought she was being a kid. I knew she was being a little vamp. She also loves her steak almost raw, bloody; that one gets Holly too, we have to correct her order in restaurants to medium rare, for health reasons. She’s the only one who orders steak at all, her sisters are typical kids, dino-shaped chicken nuggets and mac and cheese and such. But testing went the same as with your kid. Inconclusive several times until this last time. We just got the confirmation earlier this week, the day before you, Alessa and Leo arrived here. I got 2 mortal kids and 1 vamp, Aurora, obviously. Holly isn’t sure what to think, and it worries me. I think I would have preferred all of them to be the same, either all vamps or all mortal. This whole sibling rivalry thing is now gonna be out of whack of sorts, more so the older they get,” Noah admitted, his voice tinged with concern.

“Yeah, tell me about it. Alessa is already worrying about it. She loves Leonardo just as he is, but there’s always that ‘uncharted territory thing’ lingering, especially for her. She and I didn’t meet until I was already as I am now, so she doesn’t know how seemingly normal children one day hit puberty and turn into little vulnerable vampires, who then have to learn so much stuff on top of all the school stuff all kids have to learn. I think while she accepts me the way I am, she secretly wishes our son were mortal,” Nolan said, his tone thoughtful. “Was easier for our parents; they were both vamps when we were conceived, which took the guesswork out. That Math is easy, vamp plus vamp equals vamp. Vamp plus mortal equals years of uncertainty. Turns out it’s not as fun as it sounds. But can’t change it now. All we can do is love them the way they are and deal with anything that comes our way.”

Noah nodded, patting his brother on the back. “Yeah, it might have some rough spots, but we’ll all be all right. And if anyone can handle it, it’s Alessa. She’s one tough chick and got that fierce protective streak. I pity the hapless idiot who may ever say something off about your son being a vamp in front of her and deal with the consequences,” he said, reassuringly.

Nolan chuckled. “You’re not wrong. By the way, to add some next level anxiety, Alessa and I just started trying for another baby. She really wants a daughter too, so there is that worry that it will end up the right gender, but I am of course over here more worried about what that next kid would add to this mix. You know, fang-wise.”

“Wow! Another baby, huh,” Noah said, genuinely excited. “How’s that going?”

Nolan laughed. “It’s… going. We literally just pulled out all the stops on preventing pregnancies, and you know it’s always a waiting game after that. Then there is trying to find time to get one in between work, Leonardo’s many activities, hopefully during the right time for …. Alessa’s inner workings and cycle and what not and everything else. I hate scheduled nookie. Just makes me feel … like … I don’t know …. like a … like a tool.”

“You ARE a tool, you life-sized dildo!” Noah laughed, letting his brother shove him, both laughing. “Joking aside, it’s great news, Nolan. I can’t wait to meet my new niece or nephew. Fingers crossed Alessa gets the girl she wants, hopefully at least twin girls, so I am not the only one having to deal with hormonal teen daughters one day,” Noah joked, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up,” Nolan replied with a grin. “How about you? Ever thought of adding to the brood? Maybe hope for a boy this time?”

Noah laughed, shaking his head. “Holly and I have our hands full with the three we have. Can you imagine us with three teenage girls one day, and then trying to put them all through college, pay for three weddings and all that? I think it’s safe to say that the Grainger baby factory is closed for business until the next generation is ready to reopen it in hopefully many many MANY years down the line. When the girls are in their 40s or something,” he said, both brothers laughing heartily.

They walked in companionable silence for a moment, taking in the peaceful scenery. The sounds of the city faded into the background as they focused on each other.

“Yeah, at least the kids have each other. I swear your sibling might be annoying AF sometimes, but they usually are your first and most loyal friends. Like you and I, cos as annoying as you sometimes were, I love you man. Remember when we used to mess with people who couldn’t tell us apart?” Nolan said, a nostalgic smile playing on his lips.

“Yeah, I agree. Those were good times. Carefree times. We had every kid on every playground convinced we were just one kid who had special powers. Little did they know it wasn’t too far from the truth,” Noah said, grinning broadly.

“Life’s changed a lot since then, hasn’t it?” Nolan mused, his tone reflective.

“Sure has. But some things never change. Like us looking out for each other,” Noah said, his tone serious.

“Damn right,” Nolan agreed, clapping his brother on the shoulder.

They continued their walk, the bond between them as strong as ever, even with all the changes life had brought their way.

San Sequoia: Grainger Home – Family Chaos and News

The moment Noah unlocked the front door to his home, where Nolan, his wife Alessa, and their son Leonardo were staying for a week, they were greeted by a cacophony of lively sounds. Children’s voices mingled with the hum of the TV, the random plinking of little fingers on piano keys, and women’s voices calling different children to order, all underlined by the clatter of toys.

Turning to his brother, eyebrows raised, Noah tossed his keys into a little bowl by the door. “You sure you want another one of those?” he joked, a teasing grin on his face.

Just then, they spotted their father, Heath, trying to sneak out the patio door, his awkwardness evident as he now looked back into the direction from which he had come as if to make sure nobody noticed.

“Hold it right there, Mister!” Noah shouted in a deep, playful voice, causing Heath to freeze. He turned slowly, relief flooding his features when he saw his two sons laughing.

“Jeez, Noah, you nearly gave me a heart attack. Well, if my heart were actually beating you would have anyway … well, you know what I mean, kid,” vampire Heath muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. Despite his years on this earth, he still carried that shyness and social awkwardness that had characterized him since childhood, adding to the irony that he was married to a former fashion model, Caitlin.

“Sorry, Dad, couldn’t resist,” Noah said, striding over to give his father a quick hug. “What are you doing sneaking out?”

Heath chuckled nervously. “Just needed a breather. It’s… a bit busy and loud in here.”

Nolan joined them, clapping his father on the back. “Can’t blame you, Dad. It’s like a zoo in there.”

Heath’s lips curled into a shy smile. “You boys are back early. Your wives said usually when you go out on your brotherly benders you won’t be back till late, which is why your mother and I decided to stay and help out. Well, Caitie decided that…”

“Figured we’d join the chaos,” Noah said, grinning. “Besides, it’s not every day we get the whole family together.”

Inside, the living room was a whirl of activity. Autumn, Aurora, and Amber were engaged in various games with Leonardo, their giggles filling the air, occasionally interrupted by bickering. Holly and Alessa were attempting to maintain some semblance of order, but it was clear the kids were winning, which Caitlin watched with amusement, her perfect features glowing in the soft light of the room.

“How was your night out?” Holly called over the din, her eyes lighting up when she saw her husband and brother-in-law.

“Good. We had a great time catching up,” Nolan replied, his gaze drifting to Alessa, who smiled warmly.

“Did you get some alone time, Heath?” Holly asked, concern softening her tone.

“Not yet,” Heath stammered, still not quite used to being the center of attention. “I was just about to head out for a bit.”

“Take your time, Dad. We got this,” Noah assured him.

Heath nodded gratefully, slipping out the door with a relieved sigh. The twins watched him go, both knowing how much their father valued his quiet moments.

As the door clicked shut, Nolan turned to Noah. “Dad’s still the same, huh? He’ll never change. He used to do that when we were little too.”

“I think he used to do that in his mother’s womb,” Noah said with a fond smile. “He’s a weirdo, but a great dad and he’s always been there for us. Even if he still sneaks off for some peace and quiet. Mom still takes it in stride. Looks like some things never change,” he nodded in the direction of Caitlin, who still had the looks of a twenty-something year old model. She raised her wineglass at her sons from behind the couch, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

Both went over, bending down to kiss her, then joined her, flanking her on each side, looking more like siblings due to the clear family resemblance between mother and sons. The lack of aging was usually one of the hardest things for non-vampiric friends or partners of vampires to get used to.

“How are my sweet boys doing?” she cooed, hugging both, pressing them against herself, before rubbing Noah’s cheek and stroking a strand of hair out of Nolan’s face, just as mothers do.

“Nolan is making you a new grandkid!” Noah blurted out, getting shoves by his brother from behind their mother, who turned to him, kissing his cheek.

“Oh baby, I know! Congratulations!”

“Well, nothing to congratulate for yet, Mom, we’re still in the production stage…” Nolan tried to downplay, but Caitlin’s perfect facial features distorted into a grimace of awkwardness.

“Oh, right. Umm, baby, I think you need to have a quick chat with your wife. There have been some new developments you might have missed while you were out with Noah. I didn’t realize you didn’t know yet…”

Nolan’s eyes grew wide, his face snapping towards Alessa. He immediately rushed over to talk to her, when she took him by the hand and led him out of the room.

“Mom, seriously!? How do you know before the daddy-to-be did?!” Noah mumbled with amazement.

“Well, your daddy and I arrived just after Holly had Alessa take some of those drugstore tests. So we watched the kids while they headed over to see your cousin Connor, the doctor. We called him when the all three drugstore tests came back positive, he said he was still at the hospital and could squeeze Alessa in for a quick blood test. Confirmed it. You’ll be an uncle again.”

“Damn, that was fast. Nolan literally just told me they started trying again. Sounds like he shoots sharp. Dang bro.”

San Sequoia: Grainger Home – Family Revelations and Dire News

The next day became a sort of small circle family party. They had invited Connor, the twins’ cousin by Caitlin’s older brother Chase, and his wife Keira and son Chris over, as well as his parents Chase and Hailey, and a few friends of the couple who also all lived in San Sequoia, to celebrate the not-so-secret “secret” together. The house was filled with laughter and joy, the perfect backdrop for family bonding and celebration.

As the afternoon sun cast a warm glow over the backyard, turning the balmy temperatures chilly, the party moved into the party room inside, large picnic tables were set up, two of them laden with food and drinks. The kids ran around, playing tag and chasing bubbles, their giggles blending with the adults’ laughter, upbeat music played and some were dancing.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me I knocked you up already. I think you were just using me for sex on command,” Nolan grumbled good-naturedly, sipping his drink.

Alessa patted his arm, her laughter warm. “Oh, you poor man. I SWEAR I didn’t know! I really honestly didn’t know, there weren’t any signs yet, you can thank Holly for us finding out. She just felt something was wrong with me, especially when she opened a pint of that ice cream from that vendor downtown, the one the four of us found back after Noah and Holly had just moved here, long before kids and all, that lemon ice cream with lavender which I would normally kill for, and I got viciously ill from it. Holly insisted I take a test. Well, surprise! To all of us. Connor put me at around 6 weeks, meaning you might have sealed the deal the first time we did it without protection. Nice work, mio amore. I asked and you delivered.”

“I aim to please, wifey dearest,” quipped Nolan, kissing her.

Chase, always the prankster, leaned over, a mischievous grin on his face. “I’ll remind you of this moment once that baby is born and you both curse the moment you decided you wanted another one. And not to scare you, but that’s how it went for me. I was happy with the one boy we had, until my wifey got the baby fever, wanted a little girl, finally I agreed, her entire pregnancy Hailey and I looked at ultrasounds of ONE baby girl, then in the delivery room she pops out twins! Word of the wise: make sure to double up supplies, juuuust in case. We didn’t and it was a mad dash.”

Nolan rolled his eyes, chuckling. “Please, no. One is gonna be more than plenty.”

Connor, ever the competitive cousin, grinned widely. “So, what’s the end game here? Brotherly competition, trying to beat Noah’s best or going for the top layer, trying to beat Grandpa Blaine’s record?”

“Seven kids? No way, never! Dude, we just want one little girl, Con,” Nolan laughed.

“Yeah, right. Isn’t that what your brother said, just before they had TRIPLETS? I was the one to confirm that pregnancy too and remember their faces when I told them the number. Swear I thought I’d be admitting two to the closed psyche ward,” Connor teased, laughing heartily.

“Shut up, cuz! You are scaring me! You tell me, doc, how soon can you tell for sure how many and which gender?” Nolan asked, his eyes wide with mock horror.

Connor laughed hard, patting Nolan on the shoulder. “Around thirty-some weeks from now,” he then laughed even harder at Nolan’s face. “You don’t remember from your last pregnancy? It’s hard to ever be truly sure of anything unless the baby’s been born. You heard my dad, he isn’t playing. We all really only expected Iris, but got a Bri free with purchase too. The doctors who delivered my sisters are still stumped to this day about it. We can start making educated guesses through various tests though. Call me tomorrow and I’ll try to get you scheduled while you’re still in town.”

“Last time was different. Alessa didn’t want to know gender or number. At least not until we were already well into the pregnancy and then Holly got pregnant with the trips. Alessa immediately made that appointment to make sure it was just one. As much as I like to outdo Noah in everything else, not with the number of babies. Less really is more here for once,” Nolan shuddered.

Caitlin, watching her sons and their cousin with a serene smile, chimed in, “You boys and your competitions. At least now it’s about babies and not who can jump off the highest branches or worse yet, that girl dating competition you had when you were 15 or so. I really didn’t appreciate that one.” she said, when her older and secretly favorite brother Chase joined in.

“Why, because my handsome ladykilling football-playing son won by a mile? We had to beat the teen girls away from him, he got swarmed by little ladies with their hearts on fire for our Con-Bear daily,” Chase joined in, ruffling through tall, athletic Connor’s blonde hair, who quickly dodged his dad.

Heath, who had found a quiet corner with a book, looked up and added with a smile, “I remember that too, caused so much jealousy from Keira, so much drama. My favorite was Caitie and I watching our boys with that who can sneak out of the house without getting caught competition … clearly failed since we always knew when they were leaving. I remember all our boys’ teenage nonsense too! Can’t wait for the grandkids to pay it all back.”

The twins burst into laughter. “Yeah, thanks Dad. You’d think we’d be experts at sneaking out, considering our dad is the Master Yoda of it. You gotta be the world’s most antisocial person ever,” Noah teased.

The laughter was infectious, spreading through the group. Even Heath couldn’t help but smile.

Suddenly, the party came to a pause when the air shimmered and a black cloud appeared, causing some of the guests to let out startled screeches. The leader of all vampires, Cesare Vannucci, materialized before them. His presence was imposing, yet regal, a living relic of a bygone era.

Chris, Connor’s 8-year-old son, was the only one who spoke, while the others all stood and stared, shocked and speechless.

“HEYYY! Wait a second! Shame on you, Great-great grandpa! That is NOT allowed! Rule 15, section 3 in the…” he told the ancient vampire, shaking his finger at him.

“Chris! Not now! Come over here!” Keira hissed at her son.

“No! We all get taught not to do this, that it is uber-bad to just port into someone else’s home and gets punished severely! We are supposed to port to outside, then ring doorbells and never ever port into a home, unless it is our own. So, he can’t do it either! He doesn’t live here, does he?!” he complained, pointing at Cesare Vannucci.

Cesare’s grim expression softened as he bent down to his great-great-grandson, tapping the tip of the boy’s nose with a kind yet firm gesture. “Very good command of the rules, young man. Kudos. But in the next section of the rulebook, exceptions are handled. Do you also remember what it says about those? That is equally important, you know, little warrior.”

The little boy’s face turned into various grimaces as he tried to recall, then lit up as he recited, almost verbatim, the laws about emergencies and family homes. Including the one that for very urgent emergencies the rules could be adjusted in certain cases, especially for family members, which Cesare was blood related to homeowner Noah Grainger.

“Indeed, and very impressive, Christian,” Cesare praised, rising up. His grandfatherly smile quickly turned serious. “Everyone, I need the vampires at this party to come with me to the castle for an urgent briefing. Apologies to our family members without fangs, and of course for breaking up this feast, but this requires immediate attention.”

Chris turned to his younger second cousins, Leonardo (Nolan and Alessa’s son) and Aurora (Noah and Holly’s daughter). “Come on, guys, you heard the man. Great-great-grandpa, we’re ready and reporting for duty, Sir! Guys, we have to salute, so… salute already!”

“I don’t know how to salute! Is that like a curtsy? I think I know how to do those,” countered Aurora, attempting to curtsy until Chris nudged her.

“No, dummy, of course not! It’s what soldiers do; they don’t curtsy. They salute! Like so,” Chris demonstrated, while turning back to Cesare. “So, who will port us to the mission checkpoint? Our parents or you? We are ready for action, Sir!”

With barely suppressed patience, Cesare bent down to Chris and the other two. “Oh, dear me, you really are your father’s son, Christian. Connor was just like this at your age, cost me much MUCH patience. Anyway, I truly commend you three for your enthusiasm, but this is not a video game nor child’s play. I am sorry, but it is for the adult vampires only. Maybe sometime in the not too near future there will be … ahem … missions suited for the three of you.”

“What?! That’s not fair! We can do… things… you know, vampire-like things … You said it yourself; I know the rulebook backwards and forwards! We just can’t port. Or use vampire speed. Or drink blood. Yet,” Leonardo protested, his voice tinged with frustration.

“I like blood! I think I do anyway, mommy and daddy freak out when I wanna try it …” Aurora said.

Holly came running, grabbing her daughter and Leonardo’s hands, nudging Chris along with her hips and belly, pulling them all with her, smiling apologetically at Cesare. “Sorry about that. Kids, right, what can you do …” she laughed nervously, then left. She knew he was ancient and powerful and he freaked her out, even though he has never been anything but polite to her.

Keira grabbed Chris, who tried to fight his mother until his grandmother Hailey gave him a stern look, which made him pout and stomp off, complaining vicariously.

“Please, all members of the coven with me to the castle. It’s urgent. Especially you, Connor. We need your medical expertise,” Cesare commanded, his voice resonating with authority.

“Oh shit! What happened, Grandfather?” Connor’s father Chase asked, concerned.

“I will brief everyone at once at the castle. It’s rather concerning. Oh, and all those with fangs, start thinking about good excuses why you are gonna be gone, for I will wipe all non-vampire memories the moment we leave. None of your human guests will remember anything after my arrival,, so they might all be a little confused why all of you are suddenly gone. Come up with something decent for your return,” Cesare replied, his tone grave.

“I’ll get Colton, his sister Annaleigh is a doctor too,” Chase offered.

“Your best friend and his sister are already at the castle, Chase. Just the lot of you was still missing, since none of you could be bothered to respond to calls or text messages. Clearly because you couldn’t hear them. This music here is deafening,” Cesare noted, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Within seconds, he was gone. Shortly after, only the mortals and the children were left behind.

Forgotten Hollow: Castello Vannucci- Dire Decrees

Once at the castle, when all members of the coven had been accounted for, Cesare’s voice echoed through the ancient stone halls. “There has been an incident. Please observe,” he gestured at a wall, where now some members of the coven used modern technology to project an image of a handwritten letter to the wall which read:

To my dear husband, dearest Caelan,
after many decades of trying to love you the way you want me to and hoping you would one day love me the way I need you to, I realized you can’t and never will, haunted by the ghosts of the past. It turned your heart black and your soul cold.
I know you care for me, cherish me, but I need, nay, deserve more. I deserve emotions, a man who can love me, like you are unable to.
Please seek not for me, please set me free, as I have set you free.
Be free. Rhiannon

With a gasp, all eyes went back to Cesare.

“It would appear that Caelan has indeed read the letter, for he is gone. Left without a trace, and without letting anyone know he was leaving, which is unusual, considering I sometimes have last minute tasks for him requiring immediate attention, meaning I need to know his comings and goings. So, I feel it’s safe to assume he is on a bender. My other enforcers have been feverishly trying to locate him, or Rhiannon for that matter, both to no avail, which clearly isn’t a good sign. Clearly, she went into hiding, probably for good reason, as we all know Caelan has a very short fuse and doesn’t deal well with adversity or rejection. My daughter-in-law is missing, and my son has lost his way. It is anyone’s guess is he has already located her and is with her, or if they are each hiding from each other and us. What we have found are trails of bloodshed, committed cruelly and recklessly, clearly bearing my son’s handwriting. Luckily no dead mortals yet, but I wouldn’t put it past him at this point, which I won’t have to explain to all of you would set back my progress with the mortal governments about peaceful coexistence of their kind and ours, not to mention it will make the other occult very uneasy, potentially negating all peace edicts with them as well. At this point it is only worst case scenario, all may still be resolved peacefully, but Caelan’s mother and I fear he has gone rogue and is out of his mind. We all know Caelan is very dangerous, so all please be alert and vigilant, but I need all of you to help us look for him, in groups of two or more. Should any of you find him, do not approach him, under no circumstances confront him, leave if he should appear agitated, and call me immediately with his location details. I might well be the only one who can still control him, overpower him. And now, please, the medics among us—Connor, Annaleigh, and others—you know who you are, please see me for directions to the scenes of issues, the carnage left by my boy, to help save those who can still be saved,” Cesare decreed, his voice unwavering and filled with authority, as it echoed through the ancient halls.