Title: The Living Years
Author: bnomiko
Rating: R
Pairing(s): Trevor + Sypha + Alucard, Dracula + Lisa
Spoilers: post S4
Disclaimer: "The Living Years" is performed and recorded by Mike + The Mechanics. Castlevania is the creation and property of Konami. Castlevania (animated series) is the creation and property of Netflix. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.
Summary: Vlad Tepes, formerly known as Dracula, utilizes a distance mirror in hopes of reconnecting and reconciling with his estranged son. But while a lot can change in four and a half years, like marital status and children... other things can stagnate, like the physical and emotional scars left behind by grief and a moment's rage. Post S4 animation canon based.
Archived at: http://www.phenixsol.com/Miko/FF/

* * *

The Living Years

Ch. 7: I know that I'm a hostage
To all his hopes and fears

* * *

By the time Trevor ran into the study Adrian was standing in front of the activated mirror, arms crossed, as he faced an empty room somewhere across the known world. Neither Lisa nor Vlad were anywhere in sight, which was immediately worrisome...

"I already explained the situation. My mother is gathering everything and anything she might need, as she hasn't done a delivery in a while," Adrian told his husband with barely a glance in his direction. "She does tend to overpack, so Father is undoubtedly helping by enabling her," he added under his breath, capping it off with a sigh.

"Aren't we already stocked up on medical stuff here?" Trevor asked. His initial thought was that it sounded like Lisa was treating this as a vacation, not an emergency. But maybe he was being unfair, his view of her colored by the fact that he was... less than pleased with some of her past decisions. All he knew was that time was of the essence, and Adrian had already moved a lot of medicine and blankets and books into the spare bedroom in anticipation of the delivery.

"Yes. But as I've told you multiple times before, I'm not a doctor. There might be something I missed. And we were waiting for you anyhow. So let her get her things. There'll be no time to go back if she forgets something crucial."

The hunter ground his teeth in impatience, but did not question it further. Nor did he ask Adrian how he was holding up; stress and exhaustion clung to the taller man like a rancid perfume: it was in the slump of his shoulders, the shaking of his voice, the way his averted eyes were starting to sink into the dark smudges encircling them. So instead, Trevor pivoted to ask, "So you said you needed me to help with something?"

Adrian dipped his chin. "I need you to pull my parents over while I keep the mirror open."

Trevor had never actually seen a transmission mirror in action. "How does that work? It's not like I have to physically pick them up, right?"

"Yes and no. You will be functioning as a bridge, but they merely need a handhold, not a stepping stone," Adrian said, just as his father came back into view.

"We are very nearly ready here," Vlad intoned, his eyes darting between his son and Trevor. He had a pair of bulging satchels slung over a shoulder, carried with ease as if they were stuffed with nothing more than feathers.

Lisa appeared a few moments later, looking a little harried as she mentally counted off what she'd packed, her lips moving in time with the flick of her fingers. She'd already braided back her hair so she could jump right into action once she got there, but a few small curls had already escaped from the plait as she'd darted about the house. Finally settling herself with a nod, she wrapped her arms around her husband's waist, then turned to look expectantly at the two men in the castle, nothing but seriousness and concern in her expression.

Steeling himself, Adrian exhaled, then addressed Trevor once more. "It's no different than walking through a door, except part of you needs to stay on both sides the entire time. Give me your arm," and he held his right hand out, clasping it around Trevor's wrist as the brunet reciprocated the handhold. "Just step one foot through, get a secure hold of my father, and step back towards me. I'll anchor you."

"Sounds easy enough," Trevor mumbled, but there was nothing easy about it. If Vlad really wanted revenge on him, it'd be as simple as gutting him the moment he appeared in the cottage. Or worse, attempting to yank him loose of Adrian's hold... Trevor did not want to think of what would happen if the two of them had a tug-of-war match with his body as the rope, stretched across a gap as wide as the whole of Europe. But that couldn't be any worse than what Sypha had to be experiencing at that very moment; she didn't even have anyone with her right now, to reassure her or hold her hand or let her know that they were doing their best. So with proper motivation in mind, Trevor took a step forward...

There was a momentary disorientation; Trevor opened his eyes without remembering having shut them to find himself mere inches away from Vlad's imposing form, the vampire staring down at him, deep red eyes like twin spots of dried blood on a face as pale as ash. Why was Vlad so ridiculously tall? Would he even fit through the mirror?

Shaking his head as if to clear his stupor, Trevor tried to recall the instructions he'd been given. "Uh... yeah, okay, then." He reached out towards Vlad, almost surprised to find his arm completely steady, like it hadn't yet fully registered that he was going to do this.

A clawed hand copied the gesture, and Trevor flinched without thinking as the cold digits closed around his forearm, similar to how Adrian was holding on for dear life on the other side of the world, except with none of the familiarity or comfort. But the hunter forced his fingers to lock around the offered limb as well, then announced, "Hang on tight; we're going," as he took a big step back.

Another moment of discombobulation, and then Trevor found himself nearly smashed up against his husband's side, Adrian's arm tight around his shoulders as he pulled him a few more steps back, as the mirror shuddered and broke apart into its component pieces before drifting back towards the ground. Confused, Trevor turned and saw there were in fact two more people in the castle with them; he'd let go of Vlad's arm at some point, but apparently had hung on long enough to safely get them there.

"Unfortunately we don't have time for pleasantries. Mother, please come with me," Adrian said, holding out his hand for her bags. "Father..."

"Your father will stay right here. I'll babysit," Trevor volunteered, stepping between parent and child to grab the satchels out of Vlad's loosened grip, handing them off to Adrian before turning and shooing him away. Adrian made a confused sound at his back, but his protest quickly died before it began; Trevor grinned wolfishly in satisfaction as two sets of footsteps hurried out of the room behind him.

The vampire's eyebrow arched upward. "What buffoonery is this?"

"You said you'd go where your wife goes. Well, you're both in the same building. That should be good enough. So sit the fuck down," Trevor snapped.

Vlad's lip began curling at the sheer audacity of the hunter. Refusing to be cowed, Trevor growled under his breath in response, even though he could already feel sweat starting to bead up on his forehead and on the back of his neck. Someone had to cave, and it wasn't going to be him. He was willing to barricade the doorway with his own corpse if he had to.

With a sour expression, Vlad finally huffed in distaste and looked about for suitable seating. His favorite chair with its tufted velvet upholstery still sat in the center of the room, so that was the obvious choice; he simply had to pull it back into its previous spot, away from the midday sunlight that filtered in through the pair of narrow windows in the corner. Even though the light was diffused and reflected for safety, it was in a vampire's nature to not want to sit in it.

As soon as he was seated, his elbow automatically went to the armrest, his chin propping itself up on a loose fist. Comfortably positioned, Vlad began studying the human standing across from him. "You're either recklessly brave, a fool, or a bit of both."

"Oh, definitely both," Trevor agreed. Though now that Vlad was sitting, the hunter felt awkward just standing there, so he grabbed the settee and pushed and pulled it until it was mostly facing the former vampire lord, with a respectable amount of space between them, then plopped himself onto it.

An uncomfortable silence descended on the room. Trevor hadn't been aware that his breathing was so damn loud, but since the other party in the room apparently only exhaled when he wanted to speak, well, the only thing his ears could pick up on were his own heavy breaths and the creaking of his leather boots as he helplessly wiggled his foot in anxiety. What now?

There was nothing Trevor could do about Sypha but wait, and hope. Hell, if he thought God would hear his prayers, he'd be willing to do that too.

"Did it not occur to you that I could have offered aid in this situation as well?" Vlad suddenly asked, still looking mildly curious, though he no longer seemed to be focused on Trevor.

"Why? Your wife is the doctor."

"And I'm the one who passed on my medical knowledge to her. Who do you think delivered Adrian?"

Trevor's foot stilled. He... didn't know that. And in his zeal to keep Vlad as far away from Sypha as possible, he'd forgotten that that was how Vlad and Lisa had met in the first place - she'd gone and knocked on his door and asked him to teach her to be a doctor. "Are you saying this is beyond Lisa's ability to handle?" he asked, suddenly worried that he'd done the wrong thing.

"Without seeing the problem firsthand, I cannot say for certain," Vlad replied. He could hear the human's pulse picking up, could see his pupils dilating, swallowing up the blue of his irises. It really would be simple to disable him and then go offer up his aid to someone more inclined to listen, like his son, but then again, something like that would likely upset Adrian, so Vlad swallowed a sigh and stayed seated, keeping his claws curled against this palm. For now, it was best to just be civil; if push came to shove, he could reconsider his options at that time. "However, assuming Adrian is correct in his assessment, Lisa should be capable of dealing with it without my help."

Trevor's fingers tightened into a fist. "You're an absolute asshole. You could've said that from the start!"

"I did in fact state that I could offer my aid."

... Okay, so maybe Vlad had said that. Trevor grunted, refusing to admit to anything. His brain continued to furiously crank away, trying to figure out if the vampire was being truthful about the rest, and if so, what should he do? Should they hurry after the other pair? But, wait... "Your hearing has to be as good as Adrian's, if not better, right?"

"Correct."

That made sense. Adrian and Lisa would know they could call out to Vlad for help if there was no other option. Though that also meant Trevor would have no way to confirm if they actually needed it, or if it was a ploy...

"I could also activate the mirror if you wish to watch their progress," Vlad added, as if plucking Trevor's doubts right out of his head.

The hunter scowled. He was at a huge disadvantage and he knew it, no reason to give Vlad confirmation of that too. "No need. I know Adrian will make sure Sypha's taken care of, no matter what." He began wiggling his foot again, trying to think if there was anything else he could do other than sit there, useless. He had no medical knowledge, no magical abilities, he couldn't even read... All he knew was fighting, and he stood no chance against Vlad as things stood.

With a heavy sigh, Trevor scrubbed a hand over his face and asked, "So what are they talking about now? What's wrong? And keep it simple, I don't know shit about medicine and stuff." He honestly wasn't sure if he wanted to know since there wasn't anything he could do about it, but maybe there was a sort of solidarity from being in the loop, at least.

"My wife and son have already moved beyond my hearing range. But I can share the information I picked up before that happened."

Trevor automatically began nodding, but then he had another thought, and pounced on it. "Wait, just how far can you hear?"

"From this location, perhaps a third of the way across the castle, presuming normal speaking volume and doors being left open." Vlad tilted his head slightly. "However that is in part due to the fact that I designed this room in such a way as to pick up and amplify sound from several of the various common areas."

If Vlad couldn't hear them, that also meant Adrian couldn't either. This... could actually be a good opportunity, thought Trevor, his lips twisting into a slight snarl. His fingers drummed along the armrest under his forearm as he weighed the wisdom of his next action. He'd had a lot he wanted to say to both Vlad and Lisa, but he had held his tongue, not wanting to upset Adrian. But with Adrian a distance away and otherwise occupied, there was nothing to stop him now...

* * *

It had been years since she'd last called this place "home," but it took no time at all for Lisa to remember just how much she hated the sheer number of stairs in the castle. It was no hardship for anyone who could fly or levitate; unfortunately for her, as an otherwise ordinary human, she was capable of neither.

Adrian had offered to pick her up and simply jump down, but she'd always found the sudden acceleration and deceleration to be jarring to her sense of balance - nauseating even - and she could not afford to feel either of those things right now. So she declined and instead asked for more details about Sypha's condition as they hurried to her birthing room. She needed time to formulate a plan of action anyhow.

"So you tried repositioning the baby, correct?" Lisa asked as she followed Adrian down yet another flight of stairs.

"I tried manipulating it both externally and internally. At one point I thought I had it close enough that it would be okay. But it just slipped back into its previous position as Sypha began pushing and I was afraid if I let it continue, the child simply wouldn't make it. The umbilical may be prolapsing as well," and he couldn't quite hold back the quavering of his voice, "but I can't be certain... it may have been part of the other arm. I tried to push everything back into the womb the best I could, but I was scared to apply too much pressure. And Sypha can't hold back forever."

Lisa frowned. It was already problematic enough that the baby was presenting shoulder first. If it was both arms, or the umbilical was slipping past and getting pinched, then it would be impossible to successfully deliver it through the birth canal. "We will need to surgically deliver the baby."

Adrian's breath hitched. He'd read about it in her books, but he couldn't fathom how that would be safe. Yes, he'd promised Sypha to do everything he could to save the baby, but the thought of possibly sacrificing her to do so... "Mother, forgive me, but... I wish to save them both. Is it not possible?"

"Of course it is. You'll see. I promise you, I will do everything I can to ensure both mother and child survive, and thrive," Lisa swore. Seeing the worry on her son's face when he glanced back at her, she added, "If it helps put you at ease, we're both here, aren't we?"

"What do you mean?"

She smiled a bit apologetically. "That's how you were born as well. Your father cut you out of my belly. You'd grown too much, too soon, to be birthed any other way. Hence why you have no siblings."

The half-vampire almost stopped running. He'd never heard about that; he'd only known that his mother had had a difficult pregnancy and that's why he was an only child. But it had the desired effect of assuring him that this wasn't an impossible ask... he wasn't going to be asked to choose one life over another.

They reached the bottom of the stairs and started across the wide span to reach the next spire. Lisa looked over and up at the next spiral of steps in dismay; she wasn't as young as she used to be, and the castle felt so much bigger than she remembered. Pausing a beat to take in a much needed gulp of air, she said, "I fear I'm holding you back. Adrian, drop the bags and get going. Have some hot water ready, and explain to Sypha what we're doing so I can start immediately."

"Guest wing, first door on the left," Adrian said, spinning to hand off the satchels, then pivoting and quite literally vanishing into a swarm of softly chittering bats on his next step. Lisa watched as they fluttered up the stairwell and vanished from sight, then hiked the bags onto her shoulders and followed as swiftly as she could.

By the time she made it to the spare room, Adrian had refilled the basin with hot water and had begun scrubbing Sypha down with alcohol in preparation for surgery, though because he wasn't sure where any incisions would be made, he decided to wipe down the entirety of her bump. Lisa quickly instructed him to focus on sanitizing from navel on down, and he moved to comply.

"Nice to meet you, Sypha. I wish it were under better circumstances," Lisa said in introduction even as she fished her medical gown out of her bags.

"Likewise," Sypha managed to grit out between short, puffed breaths.

Lisa gave her a small, sympathetic smile. The poor woman... she was clearly in a lot of pain. The sheet covering Sypha's upper body was wrinkled from her pulling on it with clenched fists. Her red curls were so damp with sweat that they'd flattened into waves and stuck to her forehead. Tears squeezed out each time she fought back against her body's urge to push. Adrian was working as quickly and efficiently as he could, all while murmuring encouragement to her, reminding her that he was there by her side, assuring her that she was in the best of hands, telling her that he loved her.

"Sypha, did Adrian explain what we're going to be doing?" the doctor asked as she tugged off her wedding band, placing it with Adrian's in a small dish near the wash bin, before rolling up her sleeves to scrub her hands and forearms with soap.

"He said... you'll have to cut the baby out."

"Yes, that's right. It's... I've done it before, so rest assured of that. But... I'm sorry, it will hurt; I cannot risk giving you anything that would render you insensible as that could affect the baby as well. I can only offer a herbal tincture that will help dull the pain, and the promise that I will work as quickly as I can. So please bear with us."

Sypha looked scared, but managed a small nod.

Lisa returned the nod, then added in a lowered voice, "I also must let you know that after a procedure like this, I would advise against having any more children due to an increased likelihood of serious issues arising with any subsequent pregnancy."

The Speaker did not hesitate to respond, saying, "As long as you can save this child... that is all that matters to me."

Adrian barely heard the latter portion of Lisa's explanation, too horrified by the earlier statement about cutting Sypha open while she was awake and aware. He didn't realize that something so extreme would be required. If she was lucky she'd pass out at some point, but what if she didn't? His eyebrows drew taut as he remembered Trevor screaming into a gag as Adrian had tried to reset his broken arm and dislocated shoulder, because they couldn't figure out what a safe dosage of anesthetic was. Though in the long run it turned out he'd had a better solution all along...

"What if I bite you, Sypha? Like I did with Trevor," he quickly suggested.

"Is... would that be safe?" Sypha asked. She'd never entertained it before, but this was an emergency.

"I think so?" Adrian glanced at his mother who stared back, perplexed and concerned, then continued to explain to Sypha, "You wouldn't be completely unconscious, but very nearly so. I could also control your blood flow that way, to reduce how much you'd bleed out. Not too much, because of the baby..."

"Wait, Adrian... what are you talking about?" Lisa asked.

"When I cared for Trevor's injuries before, I... enthralled him to minimize his suffering during the duration of treatment. I should be able to do the same here with minimal risk, as long as I don't slow down Sypha's heart rate or restrict circulation too much or for too long..."

Lisa considered it. Vlad had done something somewhat similar during Adrian's delivery, but he'd done it with power of suggestion alone. Though Vlad's technique had been more about refocusing her thoughts and attention as he'd worked, as opposed to minimizing the sensation of pain. She wasn't sure how different Adrian's ability was, nor why biting was necessary. She would've liked to have more time to think it over, to weigh pros and cons, but every second counted... "Are you certain you can maintain control of all of that, to that degree?"

Adrian took in a breath, then nodded. It was putting a lot of pressure on his shoulders, but he'd take it - it was certainly better than expecting Sypha to carry the entire burden herself when she'd already been doing the heavy lifting for the last several months. "I can make adjustments as needed by monitoring both Sypha and the baby, just as I've been doing this whole while. Only caveat is, I don't react well to being touched or bothered while I'm attached, so please wait until I give the go ahead before you approach or do anything."

"All right, I understand," Lisa agreed. She took a look at what equipment was already laid out, and went to get more from her own kit.

"Sypha, it's your call. If you're not comfortable with it..." the half-vampire began. Just as with Trevor, he needed to make sure she consented to it, as it was a manipulation of mind and body.

"I trust you. I always have," Sypha told him, even as another ripple of pain rolled through her.

"Thank you," he whispered back, a ruby glow already overtaking the gold in his eyes. He placed a brief kiss on her forehead, then began running his fingers over the side of her neck, before tilting his head and moving much further down. It made more sense to bite her on the thigh; it would make it easier to sense how the infant was responding to his vampiric influence. And a scar on her leg would be easy to hide, since Sypha wasn't like Trevor, cheerfully parading around with Adrian's marks on his throat for all to see.

He placed one hand on the underside of her belly, making sure he could feel the fetus' pulse thrumming through the layers of strained tissue. His other hand slid over the inside of the redhead's thigh; he pressed his thumb into the yielding flesh, quickly tracing out where the biggest blood vessels were, then chose a good spot and bit, seeing no reason to delay any further. Sypha didn't react - two small punctures were nothing compared to the agony she'd been in, and even those tiny pinches of pain faded quickly as Adrian's influence began overtaking her. Her racing heart began to calm down, her shallow breaths slowed and deepened, her muscles lost their cable-like tension and relaxed.

Lisa took a half step forward before recalling Adrian's warning; since he didn't react to it, she remained where she was instead of backing away. Amazing, she thought, looking at Sypha's now slack, calm expression. She'd never seen Adrian do anything like this before and thus she was unsure how long it would last, but if she worked quickly, hopefully they could get the child out and get Sypha stitched back up before the thrall wore off.

Time ticked by and Adrian didn't seem inclined to move. Lisa clutched at her tools, waiting and wondering. Was he just drinking at this point? Sypha couldn't afford to be losing blood right now. Should she step in to stop it, despite her son's warning? Just as she was starting to worry that something had gone awry, the half-vampire shifted, disengaging a moment later with a slow drag of air as he lifted his head. Lisa quickly inspected the bite location, surprised to see very little blood on Sypha's skin or on Adrian's mouth.

"I think... that should do it," Adrian said slowly, as if coming out of a stupor himself. He took a wobbly step back, his hand going to his forehead. That had been a much bigger drain than he'd expected... Getting Trevor relaxed and pliant when sex was on the table and the hunter was oh-so-happily willing was one thing. Pulling Sypha under while they were both highly stressed out and full of adrenaline - and while monitoring a second, much tinier, much more fragile life and making quick adjustments to compensate for its vital signs - was something completely different. And now that they were all tied together, it felt like he was being pulled in three directions at once, and the strain was already starting to make his vision blur. It didn't help that he'd struggled to sleep the last few days, either.

"Adrian..." the doctor began, concerned about the obvious signs of fatigue, then she shook her head. Her patient came first. "How long will she remain in this state?" she asked as she gently bumped him aside to begin laying out her tools.

"Twenty, maybe thirty... I can push it to thirty, I think."

That wasn't very long, especially if she was working alone. Her lips tightening, Lisa had to ask, "And if it takes longer, can you do it again, or is that too much?"

"I should be able to..." He sighed. There was no disguising the fact that this was taking a toll on him. Still he had a job to do, and that was to see Sypha and the infant through, no matter what. It wasn't as if his life was hanging in the balance here. "I can also guide you to minimize bleeding."

Lisa's eyebrows went up; she had already lifted her scalpel. "Really?" She looked down at where she was about to cut. "Maybe you should do it, and I'll give you instruction instead? Or... do you need to focus to keep her enthralled?"

"I do, but..." Adrian looked down at his trembling hands, wondering if he could steady them enough to do it. Wondering if his vision would hold. He clenched his fingers tightly, then relaxed them; it seemed to help a little. His eyes swept over Sypha's skin one more time, taking in the stretch marks currently pulled taut on her belly. As long as his mother could talk him through it, it'd be faster and more precise if he did this part at least. Taking a deep breath, he nodded, decided. He was going to have to scar that familiar flesh to save two lives. Sypha would call it another badge of honor, he supposed.

"All right, tell me what to do," he said decisively, holding out his hand for the instrument.

Lisa met his gaze, then flipped the scalpel in her hand and gave it to him. She immediately pointed at a spot just below the navel, then traced downward. "You'll start here, and open to here, approximately. Starting with just the skin, unless you think you can navigate around blood vessels at the same time?"

Adrian grunted, did one last check to ensure both mother and fetus were stable, then narrowed his focus, his grip tightening on the scalpel as he prepared to proceed as instructed.

* * *

Author's Notes:

- Reminder that the whole Targoviste storyline never happened in this ficverse, so Trevor had not yet seen a transmission mirror transmissioning until he stepped into it here : ) I also wanted to make it a little more interesting than simply walking from one spot to another (a little more like how the Infinite Corridor seemed to work) which was why Trevor found it disorienting.

- Sorry about the terrible cliffhanger with Trevor and Vlad... but I didn't want to try to get through that in one go, and more importantly, I didn't want to leave a pregnant woman hanging!

- Thanks to Nenya85 for beta work. Reviews are appreciated!

April 9, 2024