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The Impossible	By : sandyl666 Category: S through Z > The Saga of Darren Shan Views: 3621 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: The Saga of Darren Shan belongs to Darren Shan. I am not making any money out of writing this piece of fiction.

Chapter List
- 17
- 18
- 19
Disclaimer: Bwahaahaha! My second last time writing this! Whee-hee! I don't own the Darren Shan Saga/Cirque Du Freak and any of it's characters/plot!

Chapter 18: Bloody Long Conclusive Statements
I fiddled with my collar idly, trying to conceal the turmoil in my head, to prevent it from showing up on my face. This whole matter was bad enough without me having to add to it. I risked a peek at the man beside me. His face was hard, his back straight and fists clenched on his knees. His knuckles were turning bone-white, but he didn't seem to notice it. Confliction radiated off him in waves.
I turned away from him and stared straight at the vampire leaning against the counter. He seemed too burly, too wild to be in our normal-sized kitchen. His dyed green hair just stood out against the dull, grey colour of the wallpaper. It was an odd sight. Then of course there were the purple animal hides he wore as clothing. He seemed too pre-occupied with playing with our one and a half year old toddler than to involve himself in our conversation, but I knew he was listening. Vancha was just sharp that way. Laris chuckled as he tried to catch hold of Vancha's hand, and Vancha kept snatching it away before Laris could grasp it. But Laris kept getting closer and closer. I smiled briefly at the scene, admiring the dexterity and grace at which my young son moved. It was definitely a vampire/vampaneze thing. He had superior reflexes, compared to any toddlers his age.
Continuing with the scan of the room, my eyes fell on the only other figure in the kitchen, sitting silently at the dining table, his fingers weaved together elegantly and placed idly on the table. He stared intently at Steve, and if it weren't for the fact that I was married - sort of - to Steve, I would have suspected that something was there. Or maybe it was just an automatic reaction to the intent gaze anybody held against my beloved.
It had been far too long since I'd felt this kind of hair-raising tension. I desperately wanted to reach over to the knife cupboard and try slicing the air, just out of curiosity. It felt that thick. Quietly, I went over the news and request our friends had brought to us.

Half an hour ago.
"Steve, could you get the door?" I asked, stifling a yawn. I had just woken up, and it was completely dark outside. I was still getting used to being a full vampire. The final stage of the purge had passed recently, and finally, there were no more human cells in my body. I could no longer go out in the sun. And Steve, despite still being half, indulged me by sleeping with me - And by that I mean just sleeping. Most of the time, anyway - during the day. At first, I rejoiced over my conversion. It probably meant that I wouldn't get periods anymore, right?
Wrong. I continued to be fertile. Not that it's a bad thing. I can still have children, which is great, I guess. I already have Laris, though. Why would I need more children?
Either way, it was going to be a long time before I even consider having another child. I continued to take contraceptives (And prayed they worked for full vampires) and every day Steve continued to ravish me. I wondered when he'd start to get tired of constantly making love. If I had to guess, it would be centuries.
"Sure. Hey, have you seen my phone?" He replied, walking towards the front door.
"Nope. Did you lose it again?" I asked with a frown.
"Probably," I could tell he was shrugging despite being out of my line of sight. "I'll just buy a new one, I guess." His voice conveyed the nonchalance with which he treated money.
I sighed at my husband's wasteful manner. I should probably mention that he had what he considered to be a 'successful' online business. Except that it wasn't exactly legal. And his merchandise was weapons. I wasn't happy about the line of business in which he'd dabbled in but he simply told me this was the safest way he had to earn money to sustain our family. He didn't have to go out in the sun - in anticipation of the day he became a full vampaneze - mingle with people and show them his increasingly purple skin and red eyes, or even interact too much with them. After all, most of his customers didn't want to be making friends with someone who owned an illegal business. They just wanted to get in, get their stuff, and get out. Which worked fine for us.
Whoever was at the door continuously rapped it, obviously impatient.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," Steve muttered to himself. I smiled as I was making the bed, having heard the barely audible comment despite the great distance separating us. I continued to smooth out our blanket as I heard our front door creak open.
"Yeah, what do you wa-" I heard Steve say before he cut off, sucking in a surprised breath. I reacted instantly to that single gasp, dropping the blanket and rushing down the hallway to peek at the visitor so that I would have enough time to get to Laris and jump out the window should whoever it was at the door bear us any harm. Once I reached the hallway and managed to catch a glimpse of the people at the door, I gasped just as Steve did. Our visitors looked over Steve's shoulder at me with contrastingly different expressions, in such close proximity to each other that they painted a peculiar picture of juxtaposition. One had the same neutral, polite yet tense expression on his face as he gazed at me, the other's broke into a broad smile as he noticed me.
I couldn't help it, I shouted his name in excitement without even thinking about it. "Vancha!" I rushed down the hallway and got to the door to greet the man who was my fellow Prince when Steve held out an arm, impeding me from going any further. I frowned at my sort-of husband.
"If you would be so kind, would you mind telling us what business exactly you have doing here?" Steve asked, his voice cold and almost professional in tone. I frowned at his demeanour. I thought he would have been at least excited about meeting his former mentor.
Before Gannen or Vancha could answer Steve's question, I slapped his blocking arm away. He stared at me, offended at my unneeded use of force.
"Don't be silly, Steve. They could have easily snuck up and killed us if they wanted to," I scolded him, then stepped forward with a smile into Vancha's waiting arms. I could sense Steve pouting as I threw my arms around the filthy Prince, wrinkling my nose as it registered his foul smell. After two years of not being around unshowered vampires, my nose was extra sensitive to the smell. And it didn't help that Gannen, despite being another member of the undead, didn't smell as bad.
"How have you been, Princess?" Vancha chuckled as I embraced him whole-heartedly, happiness overwhelming the disgust. For both the room-clearing odour and use of that vile word. I can't believe that after all we've been through togther, he was still calling me that.
"Surprisingly good," I answered.
"That's good," he laughed. Then I felt strong arms wind around my waist and pry me off the burly vampire.
"Okay, we're all good and we missed each other. Now stop touching each other," Steve said sulkily, his arms tense around my waist.
"Steve," I protested. Vancha lifted an eyebrow at his obviously jealous behaviour, and his sharp eyes caught something. He reached out and gripped my left hand, peering intently at my fourth finger.
"Oh-ho, and what is this?" he asked, grinning from ear to ear. I instantly blushed. Since we'd completed our vows informally, no one had ever noticed my ring. And it's not like there was anyone I could show. Which was fine with me, I had Steve. I had caught Evanna eyeing it the few times she came to visit us, but she said nothing and only gave me that almost-cheeky knowing smile.
Gannen, who was looking over Vancha's shoulder mirrored that same knowing look that Evanna had, just without the smile. "You finally gave it to her," he said.
"You say that as if you never thought it was possible," Steve replied, still holding me close to him.
"I didn't," Gannen replied. "May we come in?" he asked, changing the subject quickly.
"No," was Steve's instant answer.
"Yes," was my instant answer. An awkward moment of silence followed our responses, then I elbowed Steve away and gestured for our guests to come in.
Steve voiced out a protesting "Oof," at my attempt to injure him, but made no other move to chase away Gannen and Vancha.
"Guess we know who wears the pants in this household," Vancha muttered to his brother. Gannen just looked at Vancha for a moment before turning away, unamused. Vancha just shrugged good-naturedly.
As we walked to the dining room/kitchen - the dining room was the kitchen - , Laris started grunting with frustration, obviously trying to escape his cot. The infuriated snarls increased in desperation as we just stood there listening to it. I looked to Steve, needing no words to communicate.
"You go. I'll take them to the dining room," Steve said. I nodded gratefully.
"Don't kick them out while my back's turned," I called over my shoulder as I left to Laris's room. All I heard in reply was an offended huff.

When I finally freed Laris and got to the kitchen, I noticed that an awkward atmosphere had settled between the three men. That is, until Laris got there. Vancha was the first to jump up and hold out his arms in the perfect pose for baby-holding. Steve and Gannen remained seated at the dining table, though I saw both vampaneze give Laris a small smile, Steve's a little wider than Gannen.
"Hey there, kid-who-I've-never-met-because-your-parents-took-off-without-saying-goodbye!" Vancha said with a sort of sarcastic enthusiasm as I handed Laris over. I rolled my eyes.
"It was his idea," I gestured to Steve.
"You say that as if I threw you over my shoulder and took you by force,"Steve retorted.
"If not for that piece of paper you left behind, that's exactly what we would have thought," Gannen said, his fingers curled around the handle of the cup elegantly. I observed his actions in admiration. He was like a paradox to me. A sophisticated vampaneze. It was an oxymoron through and through.
Steve turned to Gannen, looking hurt. "You're supposed to be on my side," he protested. Gannen's expression remained neutral, but I suspected that he was amused by Steve's protest.
"I take no sides," Gannen answered simply.
"Awww, I wish you were a girl, then I could marry you to one of our sons," Vancha cooed to Laris. That caught my attention.
"Sons? Evanna gave birth?" I asked in surprise. Evanna's last visit was several months ago, and she had mentioned that her labour period was nearing. But she didn't say when.
"Yes, a few weeks ago. She is still recovering from the whole ordeal, or she would have come to visit you," Vancha explained.
I nodded, understanding. Steve and I were still avoiding the vampire and vampaneze clan. Evanna understood that, and had mentioned that with the date of her children's birth nearing, more and more members of both clans had been to visit her. A visit from Vancha and Gannen was nowhere near as bad as having to face the rest of our clan mates. "So. Boys, huh?" I asked.
"Yes, both of them. The Lady was surprised herself. She was expecting females - or at least one female - as they would be best to breed with the male majority of the clan," Vancha said, bouncing Laris on his hip. "But she figures that there has to be a reason for it, so she didn't really say anything more about it,"
"I see," I said, frowning. There were very few female vampires in the clan, and I suspected even less in the vampaneze clan. And could female vampires and vampaneze even get pregnant with the right seed? I could, but that was because I was one of Mr Tiny's 'children'. But I supposed that Evanna was right and there may be a reason for it - either that or Mr Tiny got wind of it and made sure they were males. Either way, I supposed it didn't matter. "So why aren't you with her considering she just gave birth to your children?"
"We were, but she kicked us out. She said it was so she could send us here to give you the news," Vancha said, looking at his brother. "But I think it's because someone decided to play the mother hen and pissed the Lady off,"
"You can't blame me for worrying about the mother of our children," Gannen frowned.
"Yeah, but I can blame you for treating her like a frail child. Evanna's not like that and we know it," Vancha snapped back and both brothers glared at each other. I could tell that this was not the first argument between them. I wondered if the reason Evanna kicked them out wasn't because of Gannen's fussing but due to their brotherly squabbling.
Steve cleared his throat. "Anyway, thanks for delivering the news. Now, I'm sure you must be busy-" Steve started to get up from his chair, with the intention of escorting them out the door, I'm sure.
"Sit down, Steve," Gannen interrupted, fixing his gaze on the ex-Lord of the Vampaneze. Steve visibly deflated and sat back down, sighing. Gannen waited until Steve was properly seated, then cleared his throat just as Steve had. "We are here for more than one reason. We need to... request something of you,"
Steve's eyebrows went all the way up to his hairline. "Request something?" he repeated.
"Yes," Gannen answered. Vancha and I remained quiet as we listened to the strangely serious conversation. Even Laris was oddly silent. He seemed to be able to sense the suddenly tense atmosphere.
"As you have probably heard from Evanna, I have taken the position of temporary steward of the clan, but many vampaneze remained scattered." Gannen started.
Steve had actually explained to me that vampaneze don't have a 'home' like the vampires do, simply because if they were concentrated in one area, the death rates of humans around that area would go up. And people would start to get suspicious. The vampaneze lived on the ignorance and disbelief of humans. They didn't feed as often as vampires did, but they still drained at least one human once a month, at the minimum. It was why they would not be able to live very long on Vampire Mountain either. The distance from actual human beings was too much, and though they weren't bound by vampire laws, if we were at peace with them, they would be obliged to follow them. And the vampaneze respected tradition even more than vampires did. They wouldn't have flitted up the mountain, even if it killed them. And no way could they flit up with a kidnapped human for every vampaneze that lived there. It wasn't so bad in small numbers, but in larger numbers...
"Yeah. And?" Steve replied, sounding bored.
"Some vampaneze are rebelling against our orders, as are the vampets. They continue to fight the war, despite knowing about the established peace treaty," Gannen went on.
"So punish them. Tell them off. Put them to death. Whatever. You're the boss now, Gannen," Steve shrugged, and Gannen's face darkened at the apparent lack of concern his Lord was feeling. But I could tell from the tension in Steve's shoulders that the news bothered him more than he let on.
"Leadership, on a normal basis, has to be earned. And sometimes it can take years. But the vampaneze have evolved with the knowledge that the Lord of the Vampaneze will lead over us. Your role is important, Steve. It isn't easy for just anyone to replace it, and certainly not in mere months," Gannen said quietly.
There was silence for a while.
"Are you asking me to go back as the Lord of the Vampaneze, Gannen?" Steve asked finally, breaking the tense silence.
"Yes," Gannen answered. "They have said that they will listen to no one else. Half of them can't read, Steve, much less trust some symbols on a piece of paper. They need proof,"
The room fell silent once again. I ached to walk over to my husband and place my hands on his shoulders, to show him I would support him no matter what, but this was something he had to decide on his own. Any interference from me could influence his decision. And I didn't want that. But I couldn't help but wonder what would happen to Laris and I if Steve decided to return as the Vampaneze Lord. Would I continued living here while he was with the vampaneze? Or would I go with him? Or maybe I'd go live with Evanna, or return to Vampire Mountain? I didn't know. All I knew? I didn't want to be separated from Steve. But I would have - if that was what he wanted.
Just as I was thinking that, Steve turned to look at us, as if reading my mind. His gaze fell on Laris first, who turned to meet his father's gaze despite having fun playing with Vancha. A brief smile spread over Steve's face, then he moved on, looking me in the eye. I didn't have to say anything. I smiled slightly at him, silently telling him that I would be there for him no matter what. He smiled back, then turned around to face Gannen again.
"Alright, but on one condition," Steve said finally. A flash of relief passed through Gannen's face, but left quickly as he sobered, remembering just how his Lord was. Steve watched Gannen's reaction, the same grin on his face. "You need to make me into a full vampaneze,"
Gannen's eyebrows went up to the ceiling. "What?" he asked almost incredulously.
"Well, you see, the thing is, my wife has gone through the purge and she seems to have gained the ability to flit. And I don't like that," Steve explained childishly.
"Superiority complex," I muttered under my breath.
"Be quiet, you," he muttered back without looking in my direction. Which was just as well because I suspected that if he did, I would have burst out laughing. In fact, I was having trouble stifling my giggles at Vancha's amused look. Never in a million years would he have expected such light banter between us, considering all that's happened.
"Is that all the terms you'd place before us, Lord?" Gannen said, slipping back into Protector-Of-The-Vampaneze-Lord mode.
"We need a base. One that's not so noticeable. Some place where both vampires and vampaneze can reside. As can my family," Steve gestured in our general direction. "And I also need you to make sure no harm will ever come to them. No matter the circumstance,"
"Alright," Gannen agreed easily. He was able to empathise now, with sons of his own. And he seemed quite desperate to get Steve back as his Lord. I guess the vampaneze must have been having more problems than I thought.
"I mean it, Gannen. I don't care if there are any vampire-hating vampaneze out there, or some trigger-happy vampets. If anyone dares to do so much as scratch my wife and kid, I'll sentence them to death. In fact, make that an official rule."
"You want me to make that a rule? Isn't that going a bit overboard?"
"No. Just tell them 'Thou shalt never harm the family of the Vampaneze Lord or thou shalt suffer horrible consequences' or something. Because they will if anything like that happens," I nearly smiled at that comment, wondering how a person could change so much in a mere year and a half.
Gannen remained silent, staring at Steve disbelievingly, waiting for Steve to jump up from his chair and go "Hah! Just kidding!" But Steve remained unmoving. Finally, Gannen sighed.
"Fine. I shall... see to that matter,"
"Well then," Steve said. "It's settled."
"Yes," Gannen agreed. "Would you like me to blood you now?"
Steve shrugged. "Sure,"
"You might want to take Laris out of the room," Vancha said to me. I nodded, taking my son from him as we left the room. I heard the sound of nails unhesitantly opening up skin as I left, and walked quickly down the hallway. I got to the bedroom and shut the door, just as Steve let out a foul curse. I had no idea what being blooded to become a full vampaneze entailed, but whatever it was, it didn't seem pleasant. Idly, I wondered if Steve would change any more physically. His skin had already gained the characteristic purple tinge of the vampaneze and the deep crimson eyes.
Laris reached out and palmed my face, as if worried about me. I smiled at him reassuringly, stroking his cheeks in return. He gave me a dazzling, boyish grin that reminded me of his father.
"It looks like we'll be moving again, kiddo," I told him. He just kept grinning at me, as if happy at the notion of a new home. I smiled back faintly, a sudden bout of concern weakening my smile as I thought of what the future held for us. My mind flashed back to Evanna's words, how she had warned us that a normal life was out of reach for us. Sighing and holding Laris securely with one arm, I went to the wardrobe and opened it, taking out a large suitcase we had purchased a while ago and placing some stuff in it. I packed slowly, slow even by human standards, taking my time as I threw things in one-handed, talking to Laris as I did.
I had finished placing most of our clothes in the suitcase when Steve opened the door and entered the room.
I stared at him as he entered, noting the lack of change in his physical appearance and the smell of dried sweat and vampaneze blood mixed in with his natural scent.
"Oh good. You're packing," he said, his voice coarse and tired with what I guessed to be exertion.
"Yeah. Are you okay?" I asked, trying to keep Laris from falling out of my arms as he reached for Steve. Steve took him carefully, cuddling the toddler.
"Yup. It wasn't that bad," was what he said, but I suspected he was trying to play down his experience so I wouldn't worry. It didn't work. I just kept scanning him for any visible signs of injury or stress. He seemed to notice my paranoid behaviour and held out one arm, gesturing for me to come to him, the other remained curved around our son. I stepped forward and before I knew it I had crossed the room, resting my head on my husband's chest, listening intently to the constant thumps of his heart. I breathed in a sigh of relief as I felt his healthy heart beat away, and his warm arms curl around my waist. Laris, as sensitive as ever, seemed to notice my relief and twined his tiny hands in my hair comfortingly.
"By the way..." Steve said after a few minutes, his chest reverberating with his voice. "Do you remember the place I took you to when I kidnapped you?"
"What, that dingy hotel?" I asked, my voice slightly muffled as I spoke to his torso.
"Yeah. Gannen and I decided to use that as our temporary base." Steve said.
I lifted my head from his chest, frowning. I just stared at the Vampaneze Lord. He seemed concerned as he looked at me.
"You don't... mind, do you?" he asked doubtfully, seeming to dread my answer.
"Well... No, I guess not..." I answered equally as hesitantly. I didn't mind now, but if I were to ever see that coffin and room again, I might not be okay.
"We'll live in a different section," Steve said quickly, reading my mind. Well, perhaps not so much reading my mind but thinking the same thing as I did at the exact same time. "We don't ever have to set foot in that part of the building ever again,"
"I'm fine with it, Steve, really. I'll stick with you no matter what. " I smiled at him, standing on the tip of my toes and leaning up to give him a chaste peck on the lips. Unfortunately, his basest of instincts were instantly activated and he tightened his grip on my waist, pulling me closer and melding me to him. I moaned as he started to ravage my lips. Then something tugged my hair painfully. I gasped and broke our kiss, as did Steve. Turning our heads, we caught sight of our son pouting and tugging clumps of both our hair.
"What?" Steve asked, his lower lip jutting out, pouting just like his son.
"You lovebirds done yet?" Vancha's voice came from outside our room. "We need to leave before the sun comes up."
"Coming," I called back.
"Are you?" Steve asked, one eyebrow lifted suggestively as he moved his palm in circles over my fleshy behind.
I rolled my eyes and shoved him away, knowing it wouldn't do him any damage and continued to throw things into the suitcase before sitting on it, forcing it closed with my weight and with much difficulty, zipping it closed.
"You do know we can just buy more stuff when we get there, right?" he asked, the end of his mouth twitching amusedly.
"Yes, but this is Laris's stuff," I answered. Steve stared at me blankly.
"Okay. So?" Steve asked.
"I want to remember this house and the times we had in it," I explained. "And the fun we had bringing Laris up together," At my words, Steve looked up at the ceiling, as if realising for the first time what we were giving up. His eyes softened.
"Yeah, you're right," he answered. "But you know what?" he turned to face me, a bright grin on his face. "We have plenty of time to make more memories,"
I smiled back slightly. He held out his arm and I placed my hand in the crook of his arm as we left the room.

I was being stared at. A lot. By dozens of red eyes. When we first got here, there were virtually no vampaneze. But as the days went by, their numbers increased. A lot. And as I was the only vampire there, with my part vampaneze, part vampire son, we attracted a lot of stares. Which was normal, I supposed.
A mere week had passed since we arrived in this old hotel, but I had been visited by a variety of guests, including Debbie and Andy - who had surprisingly found a soul mate in each other. I was ecstatic for them, as they were for us - kinda. Debbie loved my ring - but not so much my husband. Neither did Andy. But the few glimpses they got of our interactions - Steve and I - had convinced them that our union was for the best. And of course, there was Laris. He immediately convinced my brother and his new girlfriend (also my girlfriend) that there was no way an evil person could help create something so... beautiful.
Then there was Evanna and her twins. They were crazy. One was so much like Vancha, climbing up the table, then falling off - on his head - then getting up and climbing back up the table again, only to slip off the edge. I was concerned about this - the pudgy baby seemed quite fragile, but Evanna merely waved away my concerns, stating that he was more indestructible than he seemed. And he liked the free-fall, apparently. The other just sat quietly, scanning the hall and everyone in it silently, as if plotting something or wary of an attack. However, you would think that with such a great contrast between them, there would be no way they would get along. But they did. In fact, they finished each other's sentences. Constantly. It was scary and amazing at the same time. Physically, the twins were only slightly smaller than Laris, despite being a little less than a year and a half younger than him. Evanna said that they should become adults in a year, growing as fast as their mother did.
I held Laris in my lap in that mess hall, the collective dining area, feeding him tiny spoonfuls of oatmeal. Or, well, supervising him as he spilt spoons of oatmeal on his clothes. The intense stares of the multitudes of people unnerved me, but so far none of them had been nasty. Some were a little unfriendlier than most, but otherwise I left them alone and they left me alone.
I reached over and wiped up some oatmeal on my son's nose, the product of a misaim with the spoon held clumsily in his left hand.
Feeling a stiff crick in my neck, I lifted my head, stretching the muscles. Heads all over the hall turned away, averting my gaze.
"Wow, this isn't awkward at all," I muttered to myself.
"I'm sorry?" a vampaneze passing by asked, a confused expression on his face.
"Nothing," I said quickly. "Just talking to myself," I tried to smile at him in a friendly manner. He nodded back in respect - even thought it was obvious he thought I was crazy, but I was still married to the Vampaneze Lord and he wouldn't dare insult me in any way - then gave a small smile to Laris before leaving. If there was something I've noticed about vampires and vampaneze - the majority of them loved children. Maybe it was because they didn't and never could have any of their own, but they always seemed to look at mine fondly.
Laris giggled, attracting my attention and I turned to look at him. There was oatmeal everywhere - but the bowl was empty. I laughed at my oatmeal-covered child, trying fruitlessly to clean off the oatmeal. Finally, I gave up. The only handkerchief I had was far too dirty to clean him off. I ended up merely smearing oatmeal all over him.
"I'll help you clear this up, Lady," the vampaneze from earlier who thought I was crazy graciously offered. I looked at him with a surprised smile.
"Thank you. That's very kind," I frowned as I registered the title he'd used to call me. " But why am the 'Lady'? Isn't that Evanna?"
"Yes, she is. But considering that you're married to our Lord..." he said. I couldn't help noticing that the end of his mouth twitched at the word 'married', as if it was some kind of private joke among the vampaneze. Did the vampaneze not get married? Maybe they got mated like vampires do... I wondered about that. Steve never told me much about vampaneze customs. I suspected he himself knew little about it. But that was just an assumption.
The vampaneze started to clean up our messy table as I stood up and in the midst of bending down to lift Laris in my arms to carry him back to our room, I was overcome with a sudden wooziness. I collapsed back onto the chair, gasping as multi-coloured stars blocked out my vision like the night sky was being shone into my eyes.
"Lady?" The vampaneze frowned in panic at my strange behaviour.
For a second, I felt butterflies in my stomach. But not the nervous kind. The carnivorous, aggressive kind. They rolled around and punched my stomach walls with their powdery wings.
So I did the only thing I could to eradicate the nausea. I regurgitated my breakfast, most of it landing at someone's feet nearby, narrowly missing him.
I could hear people shouting my name, asking me if I was alright. But I ignored them, focusing on trying to fight off another bout of vomiting.
A small voice, by no means weak or soft, roused me from my daze.
"Mummy! Mummy!" Laris wailed, trying to crawl to me as a few vampaneze held onto him, ensuring that he doesn't fall off the table. I stared at my son in shock. Unable to get to me, he looked over his shoulder and shouted. "Daddy! Daddy!" instead. My eyes were glued to my son. I was stunned by his first two words. 'Mummy' had been his first, I thought happily, triumphantly - but 'Daddy' had been close behind.
"I'm okay," I mumbled in what I hoped was a coherent voice.
"We need to get you to the Doctor, Lady." a voice urged me, and a hand tugged at my arm gently, guiding me to my feet.
"My son," I said, hating the empty feel of nothing in my arms. The vampaneze hesitated before handing me my oatmeal-covered son. Laris let out a sigh of relief that sounded strangely similar to 'mummy' as he settled in my arms. For the first time since I had fallen onto the chair, I'd noticed that all the vampaneze who I thought cold and unfriendly had rushed to my aid and were crowded around me, concerned looks on their faces. It reminded me of the time Laris kicked me while he was in my womb and all the vampires had crowded around me, wanting to feel him. With the comforting feel of Laris in my arms, and the initial excitement at his first words causing endorphins to run through my veins, I had completely forgotten my dramatic act of puking and any other urges to be sick. I quickly sobered as the vampaneze guided us to the 'Doctor'.
Steve had mentioned him to me once, saying that the Doctor was someone who he had met during his quests of vampire hunting, and wished too to become a vampire. He had felt horrible after becoming a vampaneze and being forced to kill his victims. So, to atone for his sins, he merely fed on criminals - rapists, murderers, robbers - and treated the vampanezes' wounds. Steve had said that the Doctor was crucial in the War of the Scars, most vampaneze were traditionalists. They believed that saliva cured all. But that wasn't always true. Many vampaneze, despite being as strong as they were, died of infections, or unknown diseases. The Doctor's presence ensured that their numbers didn't taper off as much due to such things. I had asked Steve if the Doctor actually had a name, or if he just went by Doctor. Steve had shrugged and told me he had no idea. Everyone just called him Doctor.
As we walked through the hotel, I kept thinking of ways to tell my fellow vampaneze - whose actions had surprised me pleasantly - that I was fine now and didn't need to see the Doctor. But before I could think of a valid excuse, we had arrived at the Doctor's. Most vampaneze had gone off, convinced that I was fine. The only vampaneze with me was the one who offered to clean our table.
He opened the door of the make-shift clinic and helped me in. A young-ish man who seemed to be in his early thirties sat at a desk, peering closely at a thick book. He had strawberry blonde hair and his red eyes were droopy, an unusual combination that made him seem gentle, a pacifist. Fitting, considering that he was a doctor. He looked up as we entered the room, lifting an orangey eyebrow at me.
"Ah, Lady," he said in surprise, rising from his desk to lightly grasp the elbow which the other vampaneze had been holding, guiding me here with it and yet keeping the contact minimal and to the most decent of places.
"Um. Hi," I said awkwardly, my dirty son clinging to me, both arms wrapped around my neck. The Doctor guided me to a bed and motioned for me to sit. I sat, placing Laris beside me and warning him not to fall off the bed. The vampaneze who had accompanied me explained to the Doctor everything that had happened. The Doctor listened quietly, nodding, then got up to diagnose me.
"I'm fine, really," I said, holding out my hands in a protective gesture.
"Nonsense," The Doctor huffed and proceeded to perform a series of tests on me. I felt like a guinea pig. The other vampaneze sat in a corner of the room, watching us. I felt a little unnerved by it.
At the end of the tests, the Doctor sat opposite from me with a sigh. "Well, I can't seem to find anything devastatingly wrong with you. You're extremely healthy - as is your baby,"
"Of course Laris is fine," I huffed defensively, wrapping my arms around Laris. And how would he have known if Laris was okay or not? He didn't perform any tests on him!
The Doctor frowned. "I wasn't talking about your son. I was talking about the baby in your womb." My jaw dropped. The baby in my what? I was barely registering my surroundings as the Doctor went on, rattling off other stuff about the child in my womb. "As far as I can tell, you seem to be in the very early stages of pregnancy - three weeks, perhaps - so I guess technically it's a foetus. But I've always preferred refering to them as babies."
"I'm- what?" I spat out in shock.
The Doctor blinked. "Three weeks pregnant?" he said unsurely.
"I- Oh..." I said, trying to wrap my head around it. "Huh. Well, that's... Huh."
There was pure silence in the room as I continued to think about what this meant and how it happened. At least, I think it was silent. I was so distracted that I probably wouldn't have noticed if a band had marched in and boomed out Mozart.
However, I did notice when someone burst through the door, panting with exertion, his eyes wide with worry.
"Darren!" was the first thing Steve said as he entered the room. He stomped over to me and cupped my face, peering at it carefully. Then his gaze moved down to the rest of my body, scanning me thoroughly.
"You alright?" he asked, his voice conveying all the worry and concern he seemed to be feeling for my welfare. I placed my hands on his and squeezed it, trying to provide my husband with some comfort and reassurance.
"I'm fine. I just..." I just what? I just puked? I just fell back onto my chair? I just found out I'm pregnant? My mind ran through the different responses, mentally listing them out and crossing out the inappropriate ones. I was left with none after I had ruled out the bad ones.
"You just? Something's wrong?" he frowned. I looked to the Doctor for help and he quickly intervened.
"She's fine!" The Doctor hurriedly assured Steve. "I checked her out and everything. She's perfectly healthy," He paused. "Also, she's-" He abruptly cut off as I shook my head at him slightly. I wanted to be the one to tell Steve. Steve caught my movement out of the corner of his eyes and his frown deepened as he looked at me. Once again, the Doctor cleared his throat awkwardly. "I think she wants to tell you herself. Come on, Alastair," He gestured to the door. The vampaneze in the corner got up and walked to the door.
"Um, Alastair?" I called out unsurely, the unfamiliar tongue rolling off my tongue distorted. Alastair looked back curiously at me. "Thank you," I told him. "Thank you too, Doctor,"
Both nodded at me, and left the room with smiles. When the door had closed, I risked a peek at Steve to see him glaring at the door.
"You know, sometimes I hate the fact that the majority of vampaneze are males," Steve told me with a sigh. "And I thought Gannen said Alastair was safe,"
I frowned. "...safe?"
"Yeah. Apparently the guy has a male lover, so he wouldn't hit on you. He was perfect for guarding you,"
"I don't need anyone to guard me!" I protested, offended at the insinuation.
"Sure you don't," he said sarcastically. "I just feel better if there was someone watching you and Laris, alright?" I sighed, deciding to pursue the issue later. Seriously, I can't believe the care with which all these males treated me. I was no china doll, believe me. But that didn't matter right now. Steve watched me expectantly. I patted the spot beside me, my fingers thumping against the clean linen, signalling him to sit. He complied easily.
"So...?" he prompted me.
"Well, I vomited," I said, unsure as to how I should deliver the news.
"Yeah, I already know that," he said impatiently.
"You see, there was a reason for that,"
"Yeah, no kidding," Steve snorted sarcastically.
"The thing is..." I wasn't just beating around the bush, I had set fire to it and was cackling while I danced around it. So I decided to take the band-aid approach to this, and just rip it off. "Stevei'mpregnant," the words rushed out of me in one barely lucid word. I hoped with all my heart that Steve couldn't understand it. But from his dazedly shocked expression, I saw that he did hear what I said. Damn his good hearing.
Silence permeated the already thick air around us. Laris, sensing his discomfort, climbed into Steve's lap, getting slimy oatmeal all over Steve's all-black outfit. Steve distractedly petted his head, a repeated, automatic response to our son's way of expressing his support - or doing something cute..
"Huh," Steve said finally. "This time I definitely know it's mine," he joked, and I breathed out the choking air I had been holding in. My muscles weakened and I nearly fell off the bed in my relaxed state.
"Daddy," Laris said suddenly. Steve jolted as if he'd been struck by lightning, then inclined his head to stare at our first-born.
"What did you say?" he asked, stunned.
"Daddy!" Laris repeated, grinning.
Steve turned to me. "Did you hear that? He called me daddy!" he exclaimed.
"I know. He said mummy first though," I bragged. Steve's excited face abruptly changed.
"No," he denied, his crestfallen expression for once not inciting feelings of pity from me. I just grinned victoriously at him.
"Mummy," Laris said, as if in agreement. Steve glared at the wall, sucking his upper row of teeth sulkily.
"He was calling to me when I had vomited, but when he saw I was in trouble he tried to call you. He seemed to know what to call us. He just didn't try to until today," I said, trying to make Steve feel better. He continued to sulk for a minute more.
"The next one's first words are going to be daddy. I swear it," he declared to me.
"Fine, fine," I said with a dramatised exasperated sigh.
He stared at me, then a grin broke out over his face. "Another one's coming, huh?"
The corners of my mouth lifted. "Yeah," I replied, placing my head on his shoulder.
This time it was a comfortable silence as I just leaned against him. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and cradled Laris with his other.
"Okay, I've decided," Steve said, breaking the silence. "We're going to buy lots of milk," I lifted my head from his shoulder and looked at him like he was crazy. Which he is. Sort of.
"Why?"
"For the baby!"
"...For the baby?"
"Yeah," He paused, re-registering his words. "You know something? You've made me really lame,"
"Oh, I don't think you needed any help with that," I protested, teasing.
I tensed, waiting for him to attack me - verbally or physically. But he didn't. He simply sat there, unmoving. The moment I relaxed a little, he pounced. With one hand, he tightly gripped my wrist and with the other he launched his attack, strumming his fingers back and forth across the protruding bones of my ribs. I screamed and tried to escape, laughing hysterically as he continued to trigger signals of utmost ticklishness in my most sensitive areas, causing me to squirm and scream. Laris giggled, watching me, kept securely in his father's lap where he was safe and comfortable.
He didn't stop until I was begging. Well, trying to beg. The tears running down my cheek and involuntary laughter impaired my abilities to speak.
We lay on our backs, staring at the surprisingly clean ceiling of the clinic. Laris was squished between us, letting out little contented snores. I sighed, feeling the same sense of content he was. I was with Steve. Everybody was safe. There was peace between the clans. The people I loved could visit me here. My son was safe and healthy, as was my second child. And best of all? My ex-best friend and arch enemy was my husband, and we were going to stay together forever. How lucky could a person get?
"Think the rest of our lives are going to be like this?" he asked me, his voice sounding as gratified as I was feeling.
"Yes," I answered. "Yes, I think it will," Sure, it wasn't anything resembling normality, but you know what? I liked it that way. Because I never thought a future like this was possible for me. But it is. No matter what anyone says, the path you think will lead you to your goal isn't never-ending. I got there, didn't I?
I looked to my right at my husband. Noticing my gaze, he turned his head to face me, smiling. The lack of words in our communication expressed our feelings and desires more clearly and powerfully than any alphabets strung together ever could have.
I love you, Steve
I love you too, Darren.

A/N: To be truthful, I have no idea how the Doctor knew she was pregnant. I just guessed he would somehow know, considering that he was a doctor, and a vampaneze.
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The Impossible