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. 9: You just can't get agreement
In this present tense

* * *

"First door on the right," Trevor directed as he and Vlad reached the floor the family lived on.

Vlad didn't need to answer, he simply turned towards the door and it opened on its own, allowing him to carry in his cargo without a hitch in his stride.

Trevor followed him in a few feet, then paused to turn and look at the door across the way. He was torn, of course. Sypha was in the other room. But that meant leaving Vlad here unattended, with Adrian dead to the world...

Vlad tucked his son further up against his shoulder while pulling back the corner of the blanket, before carefully laying him down on the mattress. As he began working on getting Adrian's boots off, he casually said, "Go see to your wife. As you can see, I'm capable of putting him to bed."

The hunter growled, not liking the idea of leaving the two men alone, but after shuffling in place in indecision for a few more moments, he muttered something like, "I'll be back, then," and wandered out of the room.

He stopped in front of the closed door, wondering if he should knock first. But if Sypha was asleep - or if Lisa was in the middle of some sort of treatment related thing - he didn't want to disturb her, so maybe it was better to just open it a sliver and check in?

At a glance, it appeared Lisa was cleaning or packing away her medical tools. Some of it was scary looking stuff, things that could be mistaken for a witch's implements, but he knew better than to make assumptions like that. She'd saved Sypha's life, their daughter's life. For that, he was endlessly grateful. Sypha was a still form on the bed, but much to Trevor's relief, there wasn't a bloody mess or anything really that indicated that a doctor had just been at work in the room, so with a reassured sigh, he quietly announced his presence. "Is it all right if I come in?"

"Oh, Trevor! Yes... she's asleep, but she should wake fairly soon, I believe," Lisa told him.

He nodded and approached, coming to stand a bit awkwardly at Sypha's bedside. His eyes searched all over for any sign of distress, but his wife's face was relaxed in slumber, though her skin was paler than usual, almost similar to Adrian's usual shade; her hair conversely was darkened by sweat.

Lisa's eyes dropped to the bundle he cradled, and she smiled softly. "Congratulations on your beautiful daughter."

"Huh? Oh... yeah. And um, thank you. For helping. For saving them both. I don't know what we would've done..." he stammered, wincing at how poorly he was expressing his gratitude. He hadn't meant to make it sound so awkward, but he was still trying to come to terms with the fact that they'd come so close to potentially losing both mother and child, and now they were both here, sleeping peacefully, as if nothing had gone wrong at all.

"No need to thank me, I was more than happy to be of help! I'm just glad Adrian came and got me as quickly as he did, as things really could've gone poorly if a little more time had passed."

Of course Adrian had had full faith in his mother's ability and willingness to help. Trevor hadn't been so trusting - mostly because of Vlad, but he'd be lying if he said he'd believed in Lisa, given the four year absence and the fact that she'd chosen her husband over her son, running away with Vlad to England instead of making things right with Adrian. Trevor had even told himself that he wasn't sure if she'd really make a difference; after all, Adrian had handled all sorts of medical matters already, and delivered the other kids without issue - and Trevor felt badly about that now. A shudder ran through his body; if something had gone wrong, it would've been his fault for hesitating.

He glanced at the doctor standing next to him, feeling compelled to pay back her kindness with a gesture of his own. "Adrian was exhausted. Your husband saw him to bed. He's in the room directly across the hall."

"Oh..." Lisa's forehead creased with worry, yet she hesitated. She looked at Sypha, at the few remaining items she still needed to stow away, then turned her gaze back on Trevor. It seemed like he was planning to stay by his wife's side; he was now gingerly perching himself on the edge of the mattress, obviously afraid of disturbing the resting woman but wanting to be close just the same. Lisa nodded to herself before saying, "Let me know immediately if there's any complications when she awakens."

Trevor grunted; of course he'd keep an eye on her. That went without saying. "Same. If Adrian needs anything..."

"Yes, of course. I know where to find you." Lisa gave him a small smile and a brief pat on the shoulder before exiting the room.

Her immediate impression of the bedroom across the hall was that it looked very lived in, especially given that the rooms had lain unused for years. Coats hung neatly from pegs by the door. There was a knitted throw on the sofa and a half-finished piece of embroidery sitting on the low table in front of it. Several books were stacked on the writing desk and the bedside tables. Even one of her old paintings was displayed on the wall above the desk, along with two smaller charcoal portraits that must've been done by Adrian, given the meticulous detailing and the fact that the subjects were Sypha and Trevor.

She found Vlad sitting in a chair that seemed comically small for his frame, his chin resting atop folded hands as his gaze lingered on the sleeping body in bed.

"What happened?" Lisa mouthed, though she could guess. Stress, exhaustion... Adrian had been overwhelmed even before they'd arrived.

Vlad's eyebrows knit. "He came to the study with the infant, then began crying before falling into a deep sleep on the sofa. He looked so uncomfortable, I couldn't leave him like that," he explained in a low murmur.

Lisa slid by Vlad. Adrian's hair was still tied back, so his head was crooked to one side. She reached over and gently worked her fingers underneath until she could untie and tug the ribbon loose, then wound it up and placed it by the bed. "He struggled throughout the delivery. Still, he was an incredible help. Did you know he could enthrall someone to minimize pain, or that he could control blood flow, even after detaching from a bite? He made all the major incisions as well, so there was minimal bleeding." Even at a bare whisper, her excitement colored her voice.

Vlad sat up slightly, impressed, but then Adrian began stirring, a faint frown creasing his lips, and both parents froze. The half-vampire rolled onto his side with a soft grunt, inhaling deeply before settling back down, his face smushed into the pillow. Vlad had inadvertently placed him where Trevor normally slept; the familiar scents suffusing the bedding wrapped him up in a sense of comfort and safety and that, along with his deep exhaustion, kept him asleep.

Fearing that she'd accidentally awakened him, Lisa had held her breath, but when Adrian continued snoozing she found herself relaxing slightly. The sheets had slipped off his shoulder a bit so she reached down to gently tug them back into position (it was a mother's instinct even though she knew he really didn't get cold), though her movements faltered as she found her fingers hovering just above the edge of his scar. They curled back, uncertain, then she forced herself to pull away completely rather than act on the urge to stroke his hair, his cheek, or any of the other half dozen things that could wake him up.

She settled for carefully sitting down on the very edge of the large bed, then studied her husband. "Adrian nearly ran off with the baby while he was still in a stained smock, so I told him to get changed. I think he only understood part of that, because he took off his shirt on the spot, and left..." Her lips tightened momentarily, then she released a shaky sigh. "I don't know what I was expecting. Of course I knew that you had injured him severely. But I did not think... well, I don't know what I was thinking. I thought... it couldn't possibly be that bad. But that scar runs from his clavicle to his upper abdomen; it must be at least as long as my forearm, and as wide as my wrist in some areas!"

Vlad could neither confirm nor deny that, as he'd avoided looking at it the entire time. And now that he thought back on it, he couldn't remember what Adrian's expression had looked like the moment he'd struck, either. Everything remained a haze of red, of flames and hatred and blood needing to be shed. Had he even looked at Adrian's face? Or had he been too angry - or too hurt, ashamed, confused, conflicted - to meet his son's eyes? He recalled that Adrian's body had tensed in helpless anticipation before the blow struck, that his hand had gone to his sword, torn between defending himself or letting the inevitable happen, but in the end he hadn't drawn it.

Nor could Vlad remember what Adrian had looked like as he left him on the floor and exited the room without a single backward glance. He'd heard his son's desperate, wet gasps as he struggled for breath, the sound of clawed nails and boots scrabbling for purchase on a floor slick with blood. Adrian might've even tried to call out to him, but any words on his tongue had been swallowed up by pain and a lack of air, as bone, muscle and organs had all been torn asunder.

The vampire's heart sank. He wanted to believe that he'd chosen to spare his son, but... he wasn't sure what he'd intended when he'd launched himself at the blond. Only that there was someone standing in his way, someone daring to oppose him, someone too human to understand the depth of his loss, his guilt, his anger... Yet Adrian was half-human, and that half had come from Lisa. Whether it was some tiny flicker of logic or a forgotten remnant of love that had caused him to pull his otherwise fatal strike just a little bit, he was grateful for it. Even a moment like this, even with the heavy weight of Lisa's accusations and scrutiny, was a gift he did not deserve - because Adrian had survived.

"I thought your love for him would be enough to keep him safe from any who would do him harm. That was the one assurance I clung onto even as they lit the pyre under my feet, that the Church wouldn't get their hands on him too," Lisa continued, her eyes still firmly on her husband's face. His gaze had slid from Adrian's sleeping countenance to his arm, down the length of the bed, back up and around, and basically everywhere except for his chest, though much of it was obscured from the way he lay. Vlad was no coward - far from it - but this seemed to be one thing he simply couldn't face. Her lips tightened into a thin line. "Never would I have imagined the greatest danger he could face would be you."

Vlad could only shake his head. "Nor could I. I cannot begin to excuse what I did. My grief, my rage, fueled the darkness that makes me a beast, a monster... and burst loose. Because without you, I no longer cared..."

"Without me, you were still a father. Our son needed you. Instead, you forced him to make an impossible choice. You... Damage to that extent could only have been done by your claws. With your own hands, you tore into your own flesh and blood," she murmured bitterly before she was able to force herself to stop. They weren't going to have this argument again, not by their sleeping child's bedside. Just because the injury proved far worse than what she'd imagined, that didn't change the discussions they'd already had, the many weeks or even months of strained silence, of Vlad's introspection and contriteness. Lisa had always known that it was impossible to expect Vlad to fully see things the way a human would, or to act and react accordingly (yes he had been human once upon a time, but that was hundreds of years ago; his mortal self was no more). She'd only expected him to do his best to tamp down his darkest instincts, to open his eyes to possibility, to give humanity a chance. She'd tried to keep that in mind any time he said or did something she couldn't understand, but it was still so hard in this case, because their one and only child had become entangled in it. It was only the fact that Vlad had paid for his sin with his life that allowed her tolerate his presence during the long stretch of time that passed while she struggled to come to terms with his actions. In the end, it was less about forgiving him and more about accepting that he was flawed - he'd made a terrible mistake, and was going to have to struggle to come back from it - and perhaps that was the most human thing about him.

"Yes," Vlad finally acknowledged, his voice soft and sad. "I do not deny it. Nor do I know how to fix it, now that our relationship is in such shambles. I had hoped... because he was willing to invite me here, that we could speak, at least. But Belmont said Adrian only included me because he did not believe I would allow you to come alone."

"Adrian should have said so - I would have come by myself if he had asked," Lisa said decisively. Then her head tilted slightly in thought. "Did Trevor ask you to leave?"

"I offered to. And he admitted that he wished I would. But he also asked that I not abandon Adrian again in his moment of need, and so I did not." Vlad sighed heavily. "But our son would not speak to me when he came to my study. He would not even look at me," Vlad murmured.

"... You won't look at him either. You still can't bring yourself to look at it, can you?" she asked with a hint of disappointment.

Vlad's eyes widened. She was right. How could he expect Adrian to talk to him, to connect with him, when he hadn't been willing to face him properly?

With effort, the vampire finally forced his gaze to land on his son's bare shoulder, then inched down to where the collarbone connected. A narrow, reddened line marred the skin over the delicate bone, then rapidly widened into a thickened fissure that cleaved across the top of the pectoral muscle before disappearing somewhere under Adrian's arm, as he slept with his hand loosely curled against his chin. Lisa had mentioned the scar was as long as her forearm; it was hard to imagine, but he had no doubt that her assessment was accurate.

He had done that. He had caused all that damage. He'd known, he'd caught glimpses and pieces of it, but staring at it directly was an entirely different matter. The way Adrian's body had tensed for the strike, indecision freezing his sword hand in place, the sound of his fading gasps, his weak clawing at the floor as Vlad had walked away, all clicked into place. He could now recall the flash of terror and heartbreak in his son's gaze the split second before deadly claws made contact, the feel of flesh and bone shredding and shattering, and his nostrils flared. He remembered the rich scent of blood flooding the air, and there'd been so much of it...

How much pain Adrian had suffered, right after having lost his mother in such a violent manner? How scared he had been, after having lost his father to madness as well? My boy... "... This must be my greatest failing. How could I have done this to our son?"

Swallowing down his self-disgust, he hesitantly reached out to shift Adrian's arm in order to examine more of the damage, but then something else caught his eye. Frowning, Vlad extended a claw to trace just above a faint scar across Adrian's wrist. It was as thin as the edge of a sword but with a bit of an undulation to it; the mark was too perfectly even throughout to have been the result of an accidental cut. "This wasn't... hmm..."

Lisa leaned in to take a closer look. "What is that?"

"I'm not sure." And Vlad carefully lifted the edge of the blanket in search of the other arm, to reveal that it too had a mirroring scar, wrapped around the circumference of the wrist. "It looks like it was caused by some sort of restraint, perhaps?" he mused, worried, before his expression suddenly darkened. He recalled the first time they'd activated their small transmission mirror in search of their son and the shocking scene that they'd accidentally stumbled into. How Trevor had had Adrian tied up and at his mercy. "The Belmont..."

"You think Trevor did this? Why?"

"A hunter from a legendary lineage, with access to specialized tools and weapons specifically designed to harm creatures of the night? Who else could have?"

"A man who loves our son enough to marry him, despite it going against everything he must've ever been taught. Who trusts our son enough to leave his precious children in his care. Again, why would he?"

"He told me that when they first met, they fought. Specifically, he mistook Adrian for me, so he attacked him. Even after that, he said he didn't like him. So he certainly would have had plenty of reason to utilize enchanted restraints on him."

Lisa's glare was stony. Even Vlad felt himself shying away from her ire. While she questioned certain aspects of Trevor's behavior, she had never gotten the impression that he would do anything to harm Adrian. In fact... "Vlad Dracula Tepes, don't think you can deflect away from what you've done!"

"My love, I am doing nothing of the sort," the former vampire lord demurred. "Merely pointing out that perhaps Adrian's choice in part..."

"Oh please. How long have we been married? I am keenly aware of your worst habits. You simply don't like him. I understand you have a longstanding animosity towards the Belmont clan, but as far as Trevor himself, I like him well enough. I could do without the coarse language and manners of course, but he's good to Adrian. He makes him happy, and that's all I could wish for. Besides, Sypha is part of this relationship too, and I've gotten no indication from her that she would stand for the sort of behavior you're hinting at."

Vlad frowned but offered no further argument, before he suddenly glanced at the door. Lisa followed his gaze, wondering what he'd heard, but then even she caught a slight shuffling sound from the hallway and Trevor appeared in the doorway a moment later.

Lisa risked raising her voice a little. "Is everything all right?" she asked, straightening up, ready to run over if Sypha was in distress.

Trevor's sharp eyes went to Adrian first, but then the intensity faded, as if the mere sight of his slumbering husband was enough to quell any irritation or doubt. His eyes flickered over to meet the doctor's gaze. "She's awake and nursing. A bit sore, but that's all." He squirmed a bit in place, then said, "I'm really amazed she's doing so well, considering... well, you know..." He winced involuntarily; while he hadn't seen the incision site yet, Sypha had mentioned being cut open, and her belly was all wrapped up.

"I'm glad," Lisa said with a relieved smile. "How bad is the pain? Do you think she needs something to help with it?"

Trevor mindlessly nodded, his gaze straying to Adrian once again. "I guess. Adrian had already made up some herbal mixtures, but I'm not sure what's what. I just wanted to make sure everything's okay in here..." he said, as if that wasn't abundantly clear.

Lisa's lips quirked upward again in response, but then she thought about what they'd discussed just a minute earlier and decided to ask the hunter about it, since he was already standing there. "Trevor, Adrian has some marks on his wrists. Do you know anything about that?"

The brunet seemed startled for a moment, but almost immediately he... bristled, for lack of a better term. "Yeah. And it's not really my place to talk about it, but..." he trailed off, clearly thinking things over, before speaking back up. "Look, I'll tell you, but only because I don't want you asking Adrian about it. It's very upsetting for him, you understand?"

"All right, I won't mention it to him," Lisa agreed, both curious and concerned.

Vlad must've nodded his agreement as well, because Trevor sighed heavily, ran his fingers through his messy hair, and haltingly said in a low voice, "While Sypha and I were gone, Adrian befriended a pair of 'hunters' who repaid him for his help and kindness by stealing consecrated restraints from my family's collection in an attempt to murder him. They wanted the castle it seems, and Adrian was lonely and too trusting." He shook his head angrily as he quickly discarded any notion of revealing that Adrian had later staked the bodies outside, then fallen into a depression so deep that he'd tried to get Trevor to kill him once they'd returned. "It was a matter of self defense, mind you. He said he's never hurt humans before that, and I believe him."

Lisa's eyes went wide with shock. Vlad on the other hand, only made a faint, disagreeable huff as he sat back in his chair. Humans called vampires monsters, yet they could be such despicable, traitorous creatures themselves. Trevor had mentioned earlier that Adrian had suffered after he and Sypha had left, that he'd been hurt and scarred. He'd meant it literally, then.

"You said you and Sypha were gone... Where did..." Lisa began.

The hunter groaned, not wanting to tread over the subject again; he'd only told Vlad because he'd wanted to come clean about his own fuck ups. Vlad caught on to Trevor's unhappy hesitation and in a moment of commiseration took the initiative to tell his wife, "I will explain it to you later."

"Oh. All right, then." She studied Trevor as a tiny sigh of relief slipped out with his next breath, then said, "Shall I come take a look at the medicines you have available?"

"Yeah, that'd help." Trevor fixed Vlad with a look as Lisa got up to join him, but it was clear the vampire intended to stay by Adrian's bedside. He had even reached out to carefully rest his hand over the loosely balled up one on the mattress, thumb beginning to stroke over Adrian's knuckles. They had such similar long, elegant fingers; Vlad's talon-like claws were the most striking (and deadly) difference.

Trevor still felt uncomfortable with leaving his sleeping husband alone with Vlad even if he wasn't an active threat, knowing Adrian would probably be startled once he awoke, but Adrian would be far more disappointed if Trevor left Sypha and their new daughter alone just to pointlessly glare at Vlad. So he didn't bother with the usual posturing or idle threats before backing up and leading the way out the door.

Now alone with his sleeping son and a multitude of disquieting thoughts, Vlad decided to return to his earlier task: attempting to carefully shift Adrian's arm out of the way so he could finish inspecting the extent of the scarring on the half-vampire's torso. Once Adrian awoke, Vlad wanted to be able to properly meet and hold his gaze. If he couldn't even do that much, what hope was there for forgiveness or reconciliation?

* * *

When Lisa walked into the room across the hall, she saw that Sypha was propped up on what appeared to be the top portion of an upholstered armchair, which allowed her to nurse with minimal effort. The redhead managed a small smile as she cradled her suckling newborn.

"I'm pleased to see the baby's nursing," Lisa commented, as Trevor slid past her and sat down on the side of the bed. "How do you feel, Sypha?"

"Sore. Throbbing. Not nearly as bad as I would've thought, though. It's amazing, isn't it, what Adrian was able to do." Sypha quirked a grin at Trevor; he'd been more shocked than her at what her medical procedure had entailed. It was a good thing Adrian or Lisa had cleaned her up and bandaged her neatly, so there was no obvious evidence of it. And speaking of their missing partner... "Is Adrian okay...?" she asked, her grin slipping.

"Still asleep," Trevor answered in Lisa's stead. "He was completely wiped out, so he'll probably be out for a while." He gestured at a collection of bottles on a nearby table. "So is any of this stuff useful, Lisa?"

Everything was neatly labeled. Though Lisa supposed if Trevor had no medical knowledge, none of it meant a thing to him. She nodded to herself. "Assuming Adrian made these using my notes, most of these will come in handy." She began pointing at the labels, intending to explain which would help dull pain, reduce swelling, and so on, but Trevor interrupted her before she could get going.

"Just so you know, I can't read shit, so... uh, I guess you'll have to explain to Sypha what's what, because half of the bottles look the same to me," Trevor said, ignoring Sypha's exasperated sigh.

"Oh! I'm rather surprised Adrian didn't try to teach you," Lisa couldn't help blurting out.

Sypha barked out a laugh, then groaned, wincing... that didn't feel so great. "Ugh... we did try to teach him. Trevor's true talent is he's amazingly stubborn," she got out, as Lisa pulled a stopper on one of the bottles and poured a measured amount into half a glass of water.

"If this isn't not enough, we'll graduate to something stronger, but it's not a bad idea to take a mild painkiller. It'll help with swelling as well," the doctor explained.

The Speaker did as instructed, then began fussing a little with the wrappings around her daughter, as the newborn had detached from the nipple and was rapidly nodding off in her mother's arms despite the chatter around her. Trevor quickly reached over to help her lay the baby down on the bed as Sypha readjusted the lacing on the oversized nightshirt she wore.

"If you're tired, we can leave you to get some rest," he added, placing a kiss on his wife's forehead.

"Maybe it's a side effect of what Adrian did, but I'm not that tired, surprisingly. And I think I'll be getting plenty of rest whether I want it or not," Sypha managed to joke. As long as she didn't do anything that strained her abdominal muscles, like laughing or sneezing, the discomfort was tolerable.

"Sypha's amazingly stubborn too," Trevor said with a fond smile.

"At least I can read - and in multiple languages."

The hunter rolled his eyes. "I can read and write all our names. What more do you want from me, woman?" he shot back.

"You'll need to learn a new one: Mary Lisa Belmont," Sypha said sweetly, before looking over at Lisa. "I assume you're okay with that? Lisa was Adrian's suggestion of course - and it seems more than appropriate, given that Mary was born because of your aid."

The doctor beamed, holding a hand to her chest. "I'd be honored." Her smile turned slightly wistful. "It's too bad you and Adrian didn't have children as well."

"Yes! I bet he'd make the most lovely babies..." Sypha mused a bit dreamily. If Adrian's beautiful appearance, intelligence and gentle mannerisms had gotten passed on, it would've been amazing. "But he was adamant about it... and now it's not an option."

"Why not?" Trevor asked. He'd always been very open to the idea of Sypha and Adrian having a couple of kids... nothing wrong with a big, blended family.

Lisa gave a slightly sad shake of the head. "It's not advisable for Sypha to bear more children, given that we don't really know why things went wrong with this delivery. There's still so much that medical science cannot yet explain. Just the fact that we had to perform surgery, the womb itself has been compromised."

"I'm sorry, Trevor. I know we were hoping for a large family," Sypha began saying.

Trevor immediately interrupted, needing to put a stop to that line of thought. "Don't. If that is what it takes to ensure you'll be by my side for many more years, I have absolutely no issue with it. Besides, we have three kids already; my family line won't end with me. So what could I possibly complain about?"

"I would have liked a few more..." the redhead sighed. "And I'd hoped that maybe with enough time, we could've talked Adrian into 'contributing.'"

"I would've helped you," said Trevor. Then after a beat, he smirked and added, "Really, it's too bad Adrian's not a woman, I'd have knocked him up so damn hard..."

"For fuck's sake... Trevor!" Sypha scolded, immediately regretting it as pain ripped down her belly.

The brunet was instantly apologetic, rubbing her leg, then taking her hand and squeezing it, before bowing his head and promising to shut the hell up. Normally his stupid jokes weren't an issue; he hadn't thought about how something as simple as Sypha snapping at him would strain her body.

Lisa looked between the two of them, then said in the same wistful tone as before, "It's... probably for the best that it didn't happen. There's a reason Adrian doesn't have siblings, and why half-vampires are so rare in general; it's simply too hard on a human body. He grew far too quickly and Vlad and I hadn't anticipated that." One corner of her mouth turned upward. "We have matching scars, Sypha."

"Oh!" Sypha found that reassuring, even if it was after the fact. Both Lisa and Adrian seemed completely unaffected by the circumstances of his birth, so that bade well for her and Mary. "He'd told us that he'd aged quickly, but I didn't realize that that happened in utero as well."

Lisa nodded, then grew slightly more somber. Addressing them both, she said, "So don't feel badly if at some point you wondered if you would've had to sacrifice Sypha to save the baby, or vice versa. It's only natural to consider all possibilities, all outcomes. Vlad and I went through the same thing; thankfully, his medical knowledge was so vast that we had a better option. It doesn't mean you love one any less than the other."

"Well..." Trevor began, thinking of Vlad and the gulf between father and son. Would Vlad have sworn to destroy humanity and torn into Lisa if Adrian had been the one put to the flames? He doubted it. But he shut up as soon as Sypha glared at him, having learned his lesson from before. Maybe Lisa's words of wisdom were only meant for humans, or half-humans, as Adrian had been wracked with guilt over making that very decision.

Instead, he admitted, "If it had been left up to me alone, I don't know what I would've done. Until Mary was born, she didn't feel real to me, if that makes sense...?" His eyes dropped to his daughter. Now that she was here, now that she had a name, now that he'd held her and chuckled at her little wisps of red hair, he felt no differently about her than his other kids - he'd do anything to protect her.

"She was plenty real to me because she was squirming around and kicking my insides for months, much more than the other two. She only stopped doing that so vigorously in the last few weeks," Sypha grumbled. "And I suppose it was different for Adrian too: with all of the kids, he said he liked listening for their heartbeats. He found it comforting to know they were doing well in there." She picked a bit at the sheet covering her belly. "You don't think Adrian will need an extended sleep, do you?"

Trevor shrugged. The other man wasn't injured, so probably not, but even now he didn't understand exactly how enthrallment affected Adrian. Sometimes it didn't seem to have any effect on him, other times it took a heavy toll, leaving him exhausted and dazed.

He looked to Lisa, but she shrugged as well. "I didn't know he had an ability like that. It's not the same as Vlad's, but it was still very impressive, that's for certain. So I don't know..."

"Great. Well Sypha, looks like we'll have to live with my cooking for dinner," Trevor announced, grimacing. God, he really was spoiled to Adrian's cooking, wasn't he? "So burnt pig or burnt chicken, what do ya feel like?"

The thought of choking down overcooked chunks of meat made the redhead queasy. "Ughhh... maybe I'll pass entirely."

"If it would help, I could make dinner, assuming you have some ingredients to work with?" Lisa volunteered.

Trevor blinked, not expecting that. Actually, he hadn't considered that Lisa would be staying for any length of time... he'd originally thought the baby would be born and then she and Vlad would be gone, but given the difficult delivery and with Adrian out of commission, maybe it would be better if she stayed around a little longer. "We have... stuff. I don't know what all there is in the pantry and ice chest. All I know is Adrian goes in there and a delicious meal hits the table a couple of hours later."

Lisa smiled. "I'm glad the time I spent teaching him to cook didn't go to waste."

"Definitely, we're all getting fat off his cooking," Trevor assured her, patting his stomach in mimicry of the aftermath of a satisfying meal. So what if he had a bit more padding than he used to? Desperate and malnourished wasn't a good look on anyone.

"I'm not fat, I'm... well I was, pregnant," Sypha sniffed. "You're the one asking for bigger portions all the time."

The brunet snickered, not denying it, then turned thoughtful once again. "So I guess I should ask, then. How long are you planning to stay, Lisa? Originally I thought you'd head home after the delivery, but..." He waved his hand at the assorted concoctions, with labels he couldn't read.

"Oh... I hadn't thought about it, actually. I packed extra clothes, in case the delivery ran long, but we haven't talked about it, have we?" she replied. She considered it, then looked expectantly at Trevor and said, "While I don't anticipate any complications, it would be best if I could take immediate action if needed. So if it isn't an inconvenience to have us stay for a few days..."

It's being left up to me, is it? Truthfully he'd feel better about it if he talked it over with Adrian first, but if it was solely his decision... "Yeah, that makes sense. I think... I'm okay with that. Sypha?"

The Speaker nodded. Her priority was Mary's well being, so with Adrian possibly done for the day, having another experienced doctor around was a reassurance... though not a replacement. "But only if Adrian is okay with it," she added.

"I'll talk to him once he's up," Trevor decided. "If he's uncomfortable with it, then that's that. I'm not going to force him into something he doesn't want or isn't ready for. All right?"

"I understand," Lisa agreed. "I'll need to talk to... Um, Vlad is also allowed to stay, isn't he?" She had to make sure it was clear that she was speaking for the both of them.

"You said 'us' so yeah, I kinda figured it'd be that way," Trevor mumbled. He wasn't thrilled about it but sometimes you had to take the good with the bad, and currently the benefit of having Lisa stay outweighed any possible issues caused by Vlad's presence. Of course, depending on Adrian's reaction, that could change in an instant, and Trevor was prepared for that possibility.

"Thank you. I'll let Vlad know, then I'll head to the kitchen to see what I have to work with. I assume you've been using the smaller one downstairs from here?"

"Yup."

Lisa nodded. "I'll check back in a little bit then. But if you need anything in the meantime, come get me immediately," she reminded him, reiterating what she'd said earlier. Even with her mind angling towards meal prep, she couldn't stop the doctor in her from slipping out.

Trevor couldn't resist parroting her words from earlier. "I know where to find you."

* * *

Author's Notes:

- I love the idea of Alucard with Italian granny goals: stuff as much food into everyone as much as possible. What, only three meatballs? Only one slice of pie? You're too skinny; eat up! And while I generally prefer my men rail thin, Trevor's the type that looks better with more weight IMO, and all we see him eat on the show is like an apple and a strip of dried goat (and gallons of beer). So I can't blame him for appreciating a good homecooked meal!

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

June 18, 2024