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LuvTheBump
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The Hunted (Content Rated: 18+)
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This is probably one of the more developed role-plays I've been involved in. JointedSqueek and I have been writing this for over a year, easily.

-X-

Gabriel knelt down and removed his pack, setting it before him. He peered around through the darkened wood, alert to the movement of shadows and the soft sounds surrounding him. A quiet night, he mused, turning his attentions back to the pack and its contents.

Softly he hissed, “Wasted too many canisters.” Gabriel shook his head, thinking back on his most recent job which involved a small horde of zombies threatening one of the larger villages. He’d lured them into the main square and blasted the lot of them to pieces, and much of the square with them, much to the horror and anger of the villagers.

“Lousy ingrates,” he snorted, having then had to run from a mob that moved much faster than zombies and were much better at throwing things. Large, sharp, and nasty things.

Which led him to here, wherever here was. Going into a forest at night and all alone was generally not a good idea, and according to many Hunters, a downright stupid one. “Well too late for that now,” Gabriel muttered, since he was in rather deep now and wouldn’t have been able to find his way back even if he’d wanted to.

He pulled out a map and a small torch, which after another brief look around, carefully lit to a dull glow and began to peer over the map in his hand. Gabriel quickly located the village he’d “saved,” and the long stretch of forest beyond it.

According to the map, there was a road that cut through the wide band of trees, and though it was hard to tell on this crude bit of parchment, that he’d picked up rather cheaply to save a few coins, there might even be a village or two nestled within.

“Great,” Gabriel said with a proud smirk, “now all I have to do is find the road or the village, and restock in the morning.” And with that as his strategy, the young man stowed away his gear once more and proceeded on through the forest.

* * * * *

Victor Mihalache, or Lord Mihalache to those who valued the use of their tongue, sat on his rather large throne in his rather large throne room. A pair of black Borzoi sat on either side of him and he stroked the one on his left with his long fingers. The Vampire lord seemed bored, and there was some truth in that. Mihalache Castle had been feeling empty lately and while he held a sort of affection for his loyal pets, they weren’t enough. The hundreds of servants didn’t even count as far as he was concerned.

Finally, Victor stood and moved his platinum blonde hair behind his right shoulder. “I need to start my legacy,” he said decidedly. Both Borzois wagged their tails as if to approve of this decision. The Vampire lord called upon an errand boy, but one of his groundskeepers showed up instead. He was displeased by this. However, he was willing to hear what the man had to say.

“Lord Mihalache,” he began timidly. “A stranger has been spotted in your forest. He seems to be making his way toward the village.”

Victor pondered this news and decided to use it to his advantage. Maybe this stranger was just what he needed. “I will see to the stranger myself,” he said and walked out, the soles of his boots clicking loudly until they were just an echo and then disappeared all together.

* * * * *

Gabriel crouched down low among the brush, his trained ears having picked up on the sounds of civilization. However, in today's day and age, any Hunter worth their weight knew better than to just saunter on in and expect to be welcomed with open arms.

The people down below might be ghouls in disguise or angry spirits. Though as he took in the quiet village, he was at least content that a lack of movement in the darkness meant that all good little human men and women were likely tucked away safe and sound in bed.

His sights trailed on further and he was startled to only then notice the great palace, standing like some dark nightmare. Gabriel ground his teeth tightly, knowing that places such as that usually only catered to a very select sort.

"Damn it, let it just be some eccentric old fool," he muttered. His empty stomach uttered a loud sound, and Gabriel then decided that he would take his chances. At least long enough to check out the local tavern and grab a meal. Slowly he crept on down the slopping tree line and into the village.

Victor waited at the base of the steep hill. The small village over which he reigned was surrounded by them on all sides, which probably discouraged anyone from leaving, along with the many hardships they would have to face if they did. Thick forests made up the north, east, and south border, and in them were many terrific creatures that would no doubt eat them on sight. To the west was a wasteland that only a fool would try to cross. If one good thing could be said about the Vampire lord, it was that he protected his people from the many monsters of the world.

He frowned at Gabriel once the man slid the rest of the way down the hill. The sight was a bit menacing with the tall creature standing in front of the gate to his village, arms crossed over his chest, pale skin aglow under the moon, and bright piercing blue eyes. “I may be old,” he said, “But I am neither eccentric nor a fool. I might say that you are one, though. What kind of…” Victor sniffed the air briefly. “Human goes wandering through the woods this late at night?”

"Uh, a lost one?" Gabriel replied waspishly, glowering at the tall and stately man barring the way. No, not a man, he told himself, definitely something else. More than likely a Vampire, and of course he hadn't been equipped to take on one of those handsome brutes tonight.

Briefly Gabriel wondered if it might be possible that the Vampire wouldn't guess that he was a Hunter, but he sincerely doubted it. Again grinding his teeth together, it was with slow certainty that Gabriel accepted that his fate lie entirely within this creature's hands right then. Would he be permitted to turn around and take his chances in the woods again, or would the Vampire kill him right then and eliminate a possible threat?

“Obviously.” Victor scanned the stranger from head to toe. It was indeed easy to tell he was a Hunter, what with the strange equipment he carried and the pungent smell of dead monsters all over his person. Victor could smell something else as well; something unseen by the naked eye, and it caused the tiniest of smirks to pull at the corner of his mouth.

“I am Lord Mihalache. You will address me as such when in my presence. You may tell me your name, but I doubt I’ll much care.” The Vampire lord turned and gestured over his shoulder for Gabriel to follow. “My village is small and on the poor side, but tonight you are a guest. You will eat dinner with me. I also insist you stay until morning. At least then it will be safer to travel through my forest.”

"Right, Mihalache," Gabriel grumbled, casting a look of longing back to the dark woods, contemplating taking his chances there rather than in the Vampire's castle.

But would he even get that far if he chose to run now? Gabriel shook his head and let his shoulders sag in defeat, and turned his spiteful glare to the taller creature's back, "Name's Gabriel Silver... leaf. Gabriel Silverleaf." He winced a little and chewed on his lower lip. Having no idea just how old the Vampire was, it may well be best not toss out his real name. "Just make sure that doesn't end up written down on the menu," he said, hoping to cover up his hesitation.

“Lord Mihalache,” he corrected with a soft growl. “The heart picks up speed when one lies, you know. As I said before, though, I don’t much care anyway.” Victor’s upper lip curled in disgust. “I don’t eat humans. I drink from them, and not always to kill. I would have an empty kingdom if I did that.”

The tall blonde creature leads his human guest through the village. It was laid in grey cobblestone with small wooden houses and various shops lined up in surprisingly neat rows. In the center of town was a grand fountain that glowed with water that seemed to be tinted with gold. The castle grew more and more immense the closer they got. It was a regal structure, but in its own cultic way. Many black towers twisted high up into the sky. Jagged ornamentation served as perches for fantastic gargoyles that kept eye over the village below.

The grand front doors were opened for them. Inside was a long hall lined with torches and old paintings. It seemed to go on forever, but Victor just kept walking.

Gabriel rolled his eyes as the Lord corrected him, and sank deeper into his long brown coat as he was called out on his bluff. Quickly he went through all the information he’d gleaned over the years about Vampires, and found that there really wasn’t much for him to go through. Not for the first time in his dangerous career did he regret not having studied harder and perhaps specializing in one particular monster over another.

However, taking a look around the village that he was led through, he had to admit that it looked to be a pretty nice little place. Perhaps not much of a kingdom as his host had described it, but it was in better state and order than many of the places he’d passed through. It might even be better than some cities, but of course he wasn’t about to commend a Vampire on his ability to look after his people… or maybe that should be cattle. Well-tended to livestock meant better flavor, right?

His pale green eyes grew wide as the castle loomed before them, and he wished for a moment that he could stop and stare at a few of those gargoyles, wanting to know if they were the sort that came alive. If such was the case, he may have another problem on his hands. And was he actually going in? Gabriel fought down the little voice screaming at him to turn and give flight, to take his chances on the run, instead of wandering steadily into the belly of the beast.

Over the threshold his feet took him, and he peered at the paintings along the walls, “Relatives?” he asked, assessing some of the portraits they passed, and feeling a need to break the silence. It was a nice place, but too darn quiet.

“Yes,” he answered simply. Victor gestured to the end of the hall they had come from with his right hand. “My great grandfather of twelve generations passed was the first portrait you saw. All the men hang on this side.” He then gestured airily to the left. “These are the women of the family. They have all long since died.” They finally reached the end of the hall where he took pause in front of the last portrait.

At first glance it appeared to be a woman with brilliant, long, black curls. Her blue eyes were lidded with heavy eyelashes, a beauty mark beneath the left. She had a thin, gradually sloping nose and full lips. She sat posed in a velvet chair in front of a garden wearing a midnight blue dress obviously made for ladies of royalty. “This is my late wife. He was different, as you can tell. His beauty was astounding and I was the only one who appreciated it. Sadly he was struck with pneumonia and died forty years ago.”

There was a brief pause and Victor began walking again. “Do you like swine?” he asked, voice flat and casual as if anything he just said hadn’t meant anything.

“Guess that’s too bad,” Gabriel murmured as he took in the family members as best he could during their long trek. It appeared to be quite a rich and extensive family tree, and for them all to be dead, well, that was a little sad. Even if they were blood sucking fiends? Well, everybody deserved a bit of family.

When they paused in front of the last portrait, Gabriel found himself staring at both the beautiful painting and at his host, curious as to why this information was being granted to him. There certainly wasn’t any likeness between himself and this… man? Gabriel blinked owlishly and turned all his attention then to the portrait. He’d never have guessed that the regal beauty sitting there was anything but a lady of high society and breeding.

“H-he really was beautiful,” Gabriel muttered, and felt that it was a shame for someone so unique and lovely could be taken from the world.

When Victor began to walk again, Gabriel had to pull his eyes from the picture and jogged to meet up with the Vampire’s pace again. “Swine? Uh, to eat and if they’re cooked.”

“Good, because that is what we are eating. I’ll tell the chefs to cook yours for you.”

In about thirty minutes time they were both seated in the dining hall. The table was long enough to sit at least fifty people and was made of black stained redwood. Overhead was a large chandelier burning brightly with hundreds of candles. There were marble statues in every corner and they appeared to come from a place far to the east, maybe even the Isles. Various fruits and breads were spread over the table for them to eat until the main course arrived.

Victor poured the dark red wine into Gabriel’s cup until it was practically brimming over. He then leaned back into his own chair and began to pet the heads of his faithful Borzoi.

As Gabriel popped pieces of fruit into his mouth and took deep pulls of the wine, he let his eyes roam over the beautiful and impressive dining hall. Did all Vampires live this good? It was the likes of royalty, and he couldn’t help but find himself actually feeling self conscious in sitting there with his dusty brown coat and tattered clothing that surely reeked of burnt zombies.

He didn’t bother to remove any of his clothing however, as even though that tiny voice of reason and training screamed at him to stop stuffing his face with the enemy’s food, he didn’t think it would be a good idea to not have his weapons, however meager they might be, close at hand.

“This is really some set up you’ve got here, Mihalache,” he stated, finishing off the glass of wine and licking his lips happily. “But, is it just you and your servants and your dogs?” he eyed the handsome, finely structured dog, “They’re not Were, are they?” he asked, looking back up at Mihalache and into those striking blue eyes.

“Lord Mihalache,” he growled again. “And thank you. My ancestors built this castle from the ground up and obtained many of the treasures through trade and great wealth. More wine?” He filled the glass again without waiting for an answer. “Yes, although my servants are not to be in my presence unless I request it of them. No, my pets are no Were. I don’t stand for those filthy mix-bloods in my home, much less my territory.”

Gabriel appeared to ignore the growl and admonishment, instead looking to the wine within his glass, letting it swirl about carefully before he brought it to his lips. A rosy flush was rising in his cheeks, and that little voice of reason was growing quiet now.

“Seems kind of lonely,” he mused, looking up and down the other forty-eight seats. The place looked like it should be bustling with life, with guests and family, a feast laden upon the table each night.

Gabriel lifted a brow at the distaste his host expressed on Weres. He’d successfully hunted a few in the past, though unfortunately had the scars to show that it had been a rough gig. “So you’re pure blood or something? I thought that Vampires, like, took humans and made them into blood suckers. Do you actually have little baby blood suckers instead?”

The Vampire lord rolled his eyes. This one was obviously a light weight. “I find that term offensive, but yes. All Vampires are pure bloods. Once you are bitten and transformed, you are no longer a human. Weres are two halves to a pitiful incomplete whole.” He sipped at his own wine, the dark liquid flowing over his thin lips and spilling down his throat. One of his long fingers dipped into the glass and was brought back out for his dogs to lick at.

“The answer to your second question is also yes. We Vampires are perfectly capable of reproducing, but even if they are born of a human, they too are full blooded Vampires.” Victor raised a curious eyebrow. “I thought a man of your obvious profession would know more than you do?"

Did the Vampire just roll his eyes at him? Gabriel hid a smile by taking another sip of his wine. Unfortunately while he did enjoy his drink, he was never able to indulge in too much of it, and since he usually couldn’t afford it, that didn’t seem to matter much; until now, when his glass kept being refilled by such a tasty and rich caliber of wine.

“Hm, guess you got a point there,” he said, thinking on what it must be like to be a beast one moment, a human the next? They must go insane after a while. Gabriel watched as the pets were given a sampling of the wine and again remarked privately on how decadent this all seemed, for even dogs got good wine here.

Gabriel winced, “Uh, yeah well,” he seemed to sulk then, “I never really expected to go after a Vampire this early on. I know, or at least I think I know, that you guys are like older than you appear, but I’m still a young guy. Not to say that I haven’t had my share of trouble and kills, but I was kinda hoping to wait a few more years before I tried staking myself a Vampire.” It was hard to tell if he was always this bold and careless with his words, or if it was the wine that had loosened his tongue to such recklessness.

“I wasn’t aware you were ‘going after me.’ Although, you are more than welcome to try. Taking on a Vampire is foolish, I must warn you. We are formidable breed. It is quite difficult to injure us, and don’t think that garlic and wooden streaks are going to do the trick. Garlic is one of my favorite spices and giving me chest splinters wouldn’t be in your best interest.”

Normally, Victor would have been incredibly insulted and maybe even a bit enraged by such bold, vagrant boasting about hunting Vampires. However he decided to let it pass seeing as how the young man was drunk. Not to mention Victor needed him.

“Tell me, human, exactly how old do you think I am?”

“Well, maybe not right now, but in a few years I could become some great Vampire Hunter, you never know.” Gabriel smirked, confident in his abilities, although he had to admit that his ego did take a little bashing as he just learned that wooden stakes and garlic didn’t work after all.

What about silver? A good ol’ beheading? Though of course, he’d have to be able to get close enough to take off a Vampire’s head. Try them when they’re sleeping, he concluded and smiled proudly, beginning to wonder if maybe he should get his Vampire slaying career off to a rousing start by taking his host’s head when the sun came up tomorrow. Draining the last of his current glass of wine, he mused that it would be a bit of a shame to remove such a nice head.

“Uh, how old?” he blinked, drifting back from his daydreams, “Oh, I dunno. Could be hundreds of years old for all I know. Then again, maybe you’re just a fledgling Vampire, no older than my human years.” Absently he scratched at the mark upon his chest, carefully concealed under his clothes. How many generations of his family had possessed the same mark, did they match this Vampire’s years? He really hoped not.

"I am 68, but I am no fledgling. By the smell of you I would guess you were near twenty years of age. Such a young thing like you should not be out in the woods at night all alone. Terrible things could befall you. You could be eaten or worse... You could even be strung up like some creature's play-thing."

That was when their food arrived. Gabriel was presented with roasted pork and potatoes, the meat neatly sliced and quite edible looking. Victor, on the other hand, had a whole pig set in front of him. Of course, there was no head on it. He had done the gentlemanly thing and waited until Gabriel's dinner arrived, seeing as how his own was raw and could have been eaten at any time. "There are butter and gravy if you like," he offered while picking up a plump hind leg and biting right into it.

Gabriel squirmed at that, as becoming some night crawler’s toy was really the last thing he wanted. Being eaten he could deal with, it was probably painful and unpleasant, but at least he wouldn’t have to bear the humility of having the family curse activated. Again he scratched the symbol emblazoned on his chest.

“Well, uh, it wasn’t exactly my intention to be out there this late. Just, things got a little rough from my last job and I had to make a break for it,” the young man then realized that maybe he should be thanking the Gods for his stroke of luck. Nothing had caught him in the woods, to eat him or play with him, and he’d found himself in some truly fancy digs, with great wine, and good food. Granted the host he was with wouldn’t have been his first choice, but the blood sucker seemed like an okay guy.

“Uh, thanks,” Gabriel said, reaching for the condiments offered to him, staring at the raw, whole pig in front of Victor. It rather brought home just what the other man truly was beneath those fine clothes and handsome exterior. Cutting up his own pork and shoving a good sized chunk into his mouth, he watched Victor, his own appetite not in the least diminished by the sight, but he was curious.

"It's horribly impolite to stare at others while they eat," the Vampire lord commented while dabbing his mouth with a napkin. The pale plump swine seemed to be sautéing in a red sauce, but anyone with half a brain knew what it really was. The gleam in his pearly fangs was also a strong indicator.

"Do you always scratch yourself when you're nervous? If it's because you have fleas, what from roaming around in the woods, I'll have you thoroughly cleansed so as not to infect my pets. It not, then I implore you to stop. It's... gross. Also, take smaller bites. You look like a barbarian horfing your food down like that. It might taste better if you actually chew."

“I’ve just never seen a Vampire eat. Thought they only took in blood through sucking, and only from humans,” Gabriel replied, feeling chastised and he turned his sights down to his own meal briefly. Snapping that pale gaze up again when the Vampire spoke again.

Gabriel’s cheeks burned with anger and humility, the Vampire’s words made him out to be some half-wit from the hills. “I do not have fleas!” he ground out, though did notably cut his meat into smaller, more appropriately sized portions. “It’s just… a nervous tic,” he grumbled, and for the most part it was. “And if you want to get into what’s gross, you’re eating a blood soaked raw pig!”

"My diet is necessary; scratching your self is not. At least I have manners when I eat."

Victor took a bite from the second hind leg, the first having been devoured to the bone. The expression on his face never seemed to change. The man was very stoic, only raising an eyebrow now and then when the human did something he found interesting. He made it a point to sit up straight with his shoulders back, and while Gabriel seemed insistent on slouching over his food and wearing his coat to the dinner table, the lord was willing to forgive him.

But just this once.

"There are many misconceptions about us. We take blood and meat where we can get it."

“And apparently raw,” Gabriel replied, finding this man’s pompous airs to be rather irritating. Again, the Hunter had to remind himself that this was a Vampire, and likely to rip out his throat if he crossed him. Funny, he seemed to have to keep reminding himself of that.

“Well excuse me for not having a stick up my ass, if that constitutes having manners.” Vampire, remember? Killing you in an instant? Gabriel’s conscience honestly wondered why it even bothered sometimes.

Without any warning, there came a loud slap and blood trickled down Gabriel's cheek from the cuts caused by Victor's sharp nails. He stared at the young man with blazing eyes and curled lips, letting out a warning hiss. Both Borzois were also on their feet and growling. "You'll do well to hold your tongue, you worm!"

Gabriel could drink all the wine in the world, but it would be no excuse for an insult like that. Victor took pride in his nobility and would not be mocked by a dirty little vagrant. "I've been incredibly gracious to you so far. I brought you into my home and allowed you to take part of my food and wine. I could have left you out there to perish at the hands of your own nightmares! I could have accused you of being a trespasser and killed you on sight! I think you should try to be more grateful."

Gabriel felt his ears ring for a moment, the slap leaving him dazed. He brought his hand up slowly to his cheek, the fingers coming away bloodied. His conscious did a little victory dance, and seemed to keep saying, “I told you so.”

“It’s just weird though,” Gabriel replied meekly, sinking down in his coat and staring up at the tall, pale creature with the burning blue eyes. “That you would invite me in and feed me. I’m a Hunter after all, and you’re one of the things I hunt, or could hunt, anyway,” he muttered the last as an aside. “So it’s weird. Are you just playing with your food, or…” he bit at his lips, “do you have some ulterior motive?” And Gabriel had to fight the urge to scratch at the mark again.

"Whatever I may or may not have planned is my business," he said and took his seat once more. The dogs also seemed to settle down almost immediately and sat back. "I do find you interesting, though. If you tried to run now, I would chase you down. I will admit to that." Victor poured another glass of wine for Gabriel. "In the mean time... enjoy yourself."

The young man’s face twisted into a defiant pout, not liking that even though he was the one that this business concerned, or may not have concerned as the Vampire stated, he was being given no information.

“Fine, I’ll play along, for now,” Gabriel shot back boldly, lifting his chin rebelliously, his cheeks still marred from the Vampire’s wrath. He recklessly took the filled glass and drained a good half of it in one go, sighing as he set it back down and fixed a smug, drunken smile upon his host. “So, what else do you have for fun around here, other than this?” he waved his glass around and hinted that it needed a bit more within it.

Victor smiled slightly and gladly filled the glass again. "Fun? Well, I have my pets. I paint, though I'm not very good. I read from my vast collection of books. I would be happy to show you my library if you're interested. I spend time out in my garden. There are both nocturnal and sun sensitive plants. You may remember seeing it in the painting of my late wife?"

It was a cliché plan. Get the man drunk, keep him entertained, make him feel comfortable, and then strike when his guard was down. Even Hunters had their limits. With enough alcohol in his blood and filled with enough good vibes, Gabriel would be easily seduced.

Or at least easily taken advantage of.

"Surely hunting isn't the only thing you do for fun?"

So that garden existed? Gabriel nodded to the question and smiled, his wine flushed cheeks growing a little darker as he had a secret fondness towards plants and flowers. If not for his proud lineage as a Hunter, it may have been in his calling to become a gardener, but that was a foolish dream.

He drank from the topped off glass a little slower this time, though had drained it to the last drop all the same. He knew that he was drunk now, and likely had been since a couple glasses previous, but he was already deep inside the Vampire’s lair and had been told that he wouldn’t be allowed to escape, so why not just do as his host suggested, and enjoy himself? The effects of the wine also helped to take the edge off being so angry at himself for not having put up a fight.

“Well it’s not exactly for fun,” Gabriel replied, his speech slurred but not so much that he’d become unintelligible, “It’s a job. A job that doesn’t leave me a whole lot of time for fun.”

Victor smiled again. Perhaps genuinely. "I admire your love of a good wine. I am pleased by this. You dress less proper than I like to keep my company, but you seem intelligent enough. I would be even more pleased to know if you enjoyed music. I myself am rather fond of the cello."

He then reached for the second bottle of wine. The second bottle he'd always planned on using this night. It was promptly opened and their glasses filled all over again.

“Well I don’t get to drink something like this very often, and as you said,” he grinned and lifted his glass appreciatively, “I should enjoy. As for the clothes,” he shrugged, “I didn’t have a spare set with me, and sorry about the smell. Zombies don’t exactly roll in a field of roses, you know.” He laughed quietly at that, though he really had felt out of place in such a pitiful state of attire, not that he’d ever think for a moment that’d he be dining with a Vampire in a palace.

“Mmm, I tried learning the violin once,” Gabriel replied casually, staring at his glass and knowing that his tongue was being loosened by the contents, “figured it might be a way to make some money on the side if the hunting ever got to be slim pickings. There’s a lot of competition out there after all, but not a lot of the fine arts still going around.”

"So you would say that there's a lack of the fine arts in the world? I would find that noble of you. I would even admire you for it, maybe respect you." Victor motioned for one of his servants, a young woman in a long black dress that came up around her neck and over her wrists. "We want music," he told her. She nodded and left. A few moments later a small ensemble formed in the room.

There were two violinists, three flutists, and seven cellists. The music started and the melody was one that was identified with the family. "My late wife and I used to dance almost every night. Can you dance?"

“Well, people are so scared at what’s out there, that I guess they forget to appreciate the finer things in life,” Gabriel replied, sipping his wine quietly as the servant girl came and went, noting briefly that she’d been rather pretty. He was impressed with the band that was so quickly gathered. Did his host have them on hand all the time? He smiled and closed his eyes as he let the melody flow through him. It had been so long since he’d heard music that did not involve some bawdry ballad sung by drunks in a crowded tavern.

“D-dance?” Gabriel opened his eyes and gulped, “Uh, I’ve got two left feet I’m afraid. And with this much wine in me, I might even have three.” That had caught him off guard; he didn’t think that such a noble, upstanding Vampire as this would want to get close to his ill-mannered, odorous self.

"I wasn't asking you to dance. I was only asking if you could. You're hardly dressed for the occasion anyway. I might consider dancing with you if you could manage to be turned into a gentleman."

Victor fell silent then. When there was music playing he preferred there to be no talking. He went back to eating and soon the pig was gone. All that was left was the carcass swimming in the leftover blood. He lifted the plate and carefully poured the blood into his wine glass. At this point he actually drank the liquid down in one gulp. The Vampire sighed contentedly and licked his lips.

“Oh.” Gabriel blushed and drank some more wine. Of course Victor hadn’t been asking him for a dance, that would be stupid… but then what was with the music and the setting? The young man pouted and kept his wine glass close.

This time he tried hard not to stare, just glanced over at Victor now and again as the Vampire finished his sizeable meal and then proceeded to take in the blood as well. Nice to see that nothing went to waste, he thought to himself, and sank a little lower into his chair. The music, the wine, and the full meal in his belly were making him a little sleepy.

Victor watched Gabriel this time as well. He could smell all the wine flowing through Gabriel's veins. He could hear Gabriel's heart slowing down. Best of all, he was becoming ever more aware of that lovely little place inside Gabriel. That little place that would harbor his precious offspring. All of this was much easier than Victor thought it would be. Once Gabriel was sent upstairs, given some sleep attire and effectively stripped of his weapons, the Vampire lord would make his move.

"You look tired. Shall I have Lucille show you to your room?"

“Lucille?” Gabriel asked, rubbing at an eye as he struggled to stay awake for just a little while longer. “Um, sure.” He yawned widely, “Guess it’s time for good little boys to go to bed.”

"Yes, Lucille." The same woman from before came into the room. She approached her lord in humble silence and waited for his instructions. "Show our guest here to his room. He will be staying for the night. I also want you to give him some proper sleep clothes; the silk ones. See to it that his clothes are washed as well."

The woman nodded and turned to Gabriel. "If you would follow me, please, sir."

“Well, this is goodnight from me to you, Mihalache,” Gabriel said as he rose unsteadily to his feet. Needing to brace himself upon the table to keep the room from spinning out from under him. “Dunno if I’ll see you in the morning before I leave, but it’s been… surreal.”

He nodded, satisfied with himself for that, and went to follow the pretty raven haired girl. Trying his best not to trip over his own feet as he did so.

"Good night." Victor didn't bother to watch them go. He was content to sit and listen to the music.



-- Edited by LuvTheBump on Sunday 11th of September 2011 11:15:20 PM

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RE: The Hunted (18+)
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Lucille led Gabriel out into a different hall, but one no less grand than the first he walked down. The place was illuminated with candles and more paintings from the Romantic period lined the walls. Soon they came upon a stairwell that spilt about twenty steps up. She took to the left. The new hall had open windows that let the moonlight in, making the lush red carpet look violet. "This is your room," she said and gestured to a large wooden door.

“Uh, thanks,” Gabriel replied, taking in the castle hallways with continued awe. It was such a magnificent place, and he wondered what it would be like during the day. When sunlight warmed its corridors and people bustled about, giving it life. He suspected that it was so quiet simply because of the late hour, though was curious about how the schedule worked when catering to a Vampire.

Gabriel opened the doors partly by sagging against them. “Is this really my room?” he said, gaping at all that was around him.

“Yes, sir,” she said plainly. Lucille passed him, letting herself further into the room. With one little match she set the fireplace ablaze. The room now glowed under the influence of the dancing amber flames. Valuable trinkets lined the mantle and something akin to the family crest hung above it. The bed was queen size with silk sheets and down feather blankets, all in varying shades of mauve, and a gossamer canopy draped overhead. A large dresser obviously carved from an oak tree sat against the wall; its surface decorated with silver Borzoi figurines and a music box.

The woman stood silently in the middle of the room and waited for Gabriel to take it all in. “There is a private washroom there to your left,” she said and gestured to a single door in the wall. “I’ve already prepared a warm bath for you. When Lord Mihalache brought you home, we all prepared for your stay. The sleep clothes Lord Mihalache requested for you are also in the washroom. If you would be so kind as to leave your clothes outside the door, I will take them to be washed. Is there anything else you need at the moment?”

“N-need?” Gabriel felt dazed, by the wine and by the immense splendor surrounding him. It was just so much to take in, and he actually pinched himself to make sure he hadn’t fallen asleep at the dining table downstairs. Nope, it was real; every bit of it was so incredibly real. “No… I don’t think anyone would have need of things in this place.”

A little part of him eyed the figurines and the fine pieces of art around the room, and wondered what type of price they would fetch at market. Of course, if he was stupid enough to steal from a Vampire, he might as well just go jump out the window and see if he could fly.

The fire warmed the room nicely, and Gabriel found himself quickly starting to strip out of the heavier pieces covering him. He set his pack near the bed and removed many of his weapons and tools from his coat, setting them out in a manner much like how the figurines were on display, and soon presented an ungainly heap to the woman. “Just give me a moment to give you the rest of the things,” he said, ducking into the bathroom to take off his shirt and the pair of snug boxers he’d worn beneath his pants. He opened the door just a crack and tossed the clothes out, apparently shy… but really, he just didn’t want anyone getting a peek at that mark.

He sighed and for a moment sagged against the door, looking down at his chest and lifting his hand to scratch at the emblem as ornate as any tattoo but which had appeared upon him naturally at puberty. His hand fell away before it could scratch, and he sighed, stumbling a little towards the inviting warmth of the bath waiting him.

Lucille made sure to collect all the weaponry before she left the room. Her nose wrinkled at the pungent smell coming from the clothes in her arms. Back downstairs she presented the things to her master.

Victor looked over the things. He’d pick up one of the weapons, turn it over in his hands, put it back and then do the same thing with another. None of the devices would cause him any real harm, he finally decided, but better safe than sorry. “Put all his weapons in the artillery chamber below ground. Be sure to lock them in a chest as well. I want a thorough search of his clothes before you wash them. He may be hiding things in the seams. Once they are completely clean, return them to him.”

The woman bowed slightly and made to leave. “Oh, Lucille?” She paused turning to face him again. “Make arrangements for his new wardrobe. Be sure they’ll fit him properly. Don’t make them too finely, though, regality shouldn’t be wasted on him. They should be simple, comfortable, and effective.” The woman bowed again and left.

The Vampire lord sat back in his chair. Again that tiny grin was pulling at the corners of his mouth and he swirled the wine in his glass. Soon. Very soon.

Gabriel sank into the bathwater and the mountainous piles of scented foam. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d taken a bath that was still hot and that smelled so good. The young man found himself blushing as he hoped that some of this delightful perfume would rub off on him, if just for a little while. Being foul smelling sort of went with the job as Hunter, as a fragrance could easily get one killed if picked up by the prey.

The tie had been removed from his hair, allowing the ragged locks to fall around his shoulders. Taking in a breath, he submerged himself and rubbed at his messy hair, hoping that this would give it the kind of cleaning it direly required.

As he came up again, he found his thoughts moving to the last painting in the hall, the image of his Vampire host’s wife. All that luxurious black hair and probably not a single split end or hacked lock within it. Gabriel stared at the ceiling for a long moment, “Why didn’t he make her… uh, him into a Vampire?” he asked, slipping into his habit of talking to himself. Being alone for so long had made it commonplace for him. When no answer was forthcoming, Gabriel pulled himself up from the waters, letting it run down his marked body, and catching a sight of himself in the mirror briefly. To think, that even for a moment, he had compared himself to the Vampire’s wife.

Gabriel would dry himself quickly and dress in the clothing provided for him, stepping back out into the warm bedchamber.

* * * * *

Victor also had his late wife on his mind. When the reality of what would happen tonight began to sink in, his thoughts turned to him. Now the Vampire found himself standing in front of the portrait. He actually felt sad, something he had not felt in a long time. Victor had failed to mention that he was the only Vampire in his family. That information was impertinent to the situation. His pale flat hand came up to touch the cheek of the beauty in the painting.

“I miss you,” the man admitted in a moment of weakness. “I wish it could have been you, but you must understand. I cannot let it all end with just me. Eternal life is lonely. He is the only one who can do what I need.” Victor frowned. “If only I wasn’t this… thing.”

The once human could not have saved his wife as Gabriel wondered. It was not until after his wife died that he was bitten by a Sire while mourning on the deceased one’s grave one night. If the beauty had not died, Victor wouldn’t be what he was. But all of that was in the past now. He had to think of the future. With one final glance at the portrait Victor began to walk the path that would lead him to Gabriel.

* * * * *

Gabriel pulled at the silken nightshirt that he’d been given, blushing at the feel of it. The crimson fabric came down to his knees, and was thankfully tailored with a high enough collar to keep the mark hidden, but it felt so strange. It moved against him like water, and slid along his skin in a way that was almost… sensual.

Maybe he really was no better than a half-wit from the hills, he sighed, flopping himself upon the bed and staring up at the canopy. To not even be used to wearing silk. “What am I doing here?” he asked, the bath having cleared his mind a little of the muddle that the wine had caused. “He’ll probably kill me if I go to sleep…” and yet his eyes were already falling shut. The bed was softer than anything he’d ever had before, the room warmed by the fire that crackled away, the sound as good as any lullaby.

He stood outside the room just on the other side of the heavy door. Victor had to play the part of the gracious host only for a few more minutes. The human was fed, drunk, clean, warm, and sleepy and no doubt feeling the most comfortable he had in his life. This would be easy.

There came a gentle knock upon the door, but the Vampire entered without waiting for an answer. He made sure to close the door behind him, it was the practical thing to do, but locking the door wasn’t. All necessary though. “I just wanted to see if everything was to your liking,” he said. Victor approached the bed, practically gliding across the floor as he moved.

As Gabriel’s lashes fluttered open, and he craned his head only so much as to look upon the pale figure that had entered the room, he wondered if he was dreaming. He hated dreaming, but surely that must be it, since he was in such a fine room and dressed in clothing foreign to him. There were none of his personal effects around, so he must be somewhere foreign, and must have been someone else.

“Everything is… perfect,” he murmured. Strange, usually in his dreams the words came naturally, it felt like he actually had to come up with them himself tonight. He remained upon the soft bed; the silken nightshirt had ridden up his legs dangerously high wile still affording him a hint of modesty.

Victor smiled, the expression forced for the sake of his prey. “I’m glad to hear it. I don’t get many visitors, so I do my best to see to it they are taken well care of.” Bright blue eyes caught sight of Gabriel’s legs. Actually, it was hard not to. There was a tingle in his teeth and fire burned in the tips of his fingers.

How delicious.

He unhooked the chain on his cloak and laid the thing on top of the dresser. Victor moved casually toward the bed and took a seat on the edge. He could hear the steady beating of Gabriel’s heart. That was a good sign. The scent of bath perfumes was a welcome change to the stench he carried before. Victor could also smell the cursed womb inside this human. A womb that was waiting for its noble care, and Victor would give it.

“You look dashing with your hair down,” he said to butter Gabriel up.

It happened sometimes to the Silverstrike kin that members of the blood line would see past descendants in their dreams, and be forced to relive the memories of those who had fallen victim to the curse’s power.

Gabriel found himself to be one of those unfortunate folk, and in his sleep took on the guises of his ancestors, becoming a stranger in their skins, watching through their eyes, the final moments of their freedom; before they became the playthings of beasts and monsters.

It was always so much worse when he had to go through the same dream more than once, knowing that he could do nothing to save himself or the ancestor he’d momentarily become.

Funny, this dream felt so different from all those previous. For one, it was new, and in spite of that, there was familiarity somehow. This was strange, since he’d never been in so fine a place as this bedchamber. And the man before him, he knew his name, “Mihalache?” He groaned softly, “I’m dreaming…” he told himself, not wanting to fight through the haze of wine and comfort and sleep to sort everything out.

“A dream?” The Vampire looked amused. “Yes, a dream, dear boy. Only a dream.” Boots now off; Victor crawled onto the bed taking his place over Gabriel. Goodness, how that drunken face was pathetically amusing. He wasted no time in trailing one of his sharp nails down the front of the nightshirt and effectively slicing it open.

Yes, there it was. The infamous mark of the coveted Silverstrike clan.

Gabriel sucked in a shuddering breath as that nail sliced away his clothes, though he only lay there with his hands up near his head, and did not fight. There was no point in fighting, this was a dream after all, and as much as he might hate it, was also a memory from one of his ancestors that could not be changed.

Victor gave Gabriel a once over and was actually pleased. He let out a soft dark laugh. “Only a dream.” He dove in, hands on the human’s hips and fangs in the crook of his neck. The Vampire wanted a taste before setting to work. The taste of liquid crimson fueled his ambition and his determination was ever stronger.

He squirmed however, and felt his face grow hot under the scrutiny of those pale eyes. Was this body desirable? He couldn’t see it for himself, though he noted a flicker of approval in that intense gaze.

The young man uttered a soft cry as teeth sank into his tender flesh. A Vampire? That was also very new; he’d never had a dream with a Vampire in it. As his blood was pulled from him, he whimpered and shifted under the other, finding the sensation oddly pleasurable.

The cursed blood sang to Victor, seeking to entice him further. Mate and the children will be strong and plentiful, it whispered.

Victor was both intrigued and satisfied with the whispers playing at his mind. How grand, he thought, to have such a human who would restore the Mihalache family to its former glory. His family would be large and their name would be known throughout the world again. Just as it should be.

He pulled out, quickly licking at the few drops remaining on his teeth. “How fortunate,” he began in a deep rolling voice. “That I would find you on this night; this very same night I decided to begin my legacy.” Victor’s long fingers ghosted over Gabriel’s lower belly.

Yes, right there, and virgin too. Wonderful.

Gabriel shuddered and blushed anew, the touch upon his belly feeling amazingly wonderful and almost frighteningly real. More real than the other dreams he was finding, but the haze over his mind did not relent, soothing his worries.

“Le… gacy…” he found himself murmuring, uncertain that he liked the sounds of that. He didn’t have much time to dwell upon it, finding his body taken hold of and pulled along the bed, closer to the man who would have him.

Without much effort his pants were removed. It was plain to see he was already excited. Victor was more than ready to use Gabriel, and he made it clear by grabbing beneath the small of his back and pulling up. “You should feel honored.” Gabriel’s legs were spread and hooked over Victor’s arms. He didn’t bother asking the human if he was ready before forcing his way inside.

In the “waking” world, Gabriel had had no time for lovers, and therefore kept himself chaste and focused on the hunt. The results of his dreams were often enough to keep his desires sated anyhow. The invasion that he now felt made his eyes grow wide and his body arch like a bow, as a loud shriek of surprise erupted from his throat.

There had been worse things to be taken by in the world, but this felt so sharply real that Gabriel began to whimper and cry out of his own accord, no longer certain this was as it seemed. “H-hurts,” he gasped, “it’s too big… t-take it out…”

Victor complied. He slid out carefully, but only to force his way in again, harder and rougher this time. A toothy grin broke across the Vampire’s face and he hissed delightedly. That sound, that shriek, it was like music to his ears. He wanted to hear it again. He wanted this worm to writhe and beg and find hopelessness in the fact it would not stop. Again Victor pulled out and thrust back in. The entrance was tight and made him shiver, but he would fix that.

Gabriel again arched and called out in that shrill manner. Tears gathered in his eyes, this was too real! “Stop! Please stop!” he begged, clutching at the sheets and pillows over his head in a vain attempt to keep himself from being rocked by the power of the Vampire’s thrusts.

It had to be a dream, it had to be! His mind cried, seeking escape from the inevitable and trying to cling onto the comfort of excuses and denial. “Y-you’re… going to break me…” he whined, then tossed his head back for another scream.

In spite of it, and most humiliatingly, Gabriel was growing aroused. Out of the pain, those deep thrusts were hitting something inside him that felt intensely good, and it made warmth rush through him and pool into his cock, making it twitch and grow.

Much like Gabriel’s exposed legs not moments before, the growing erection was hard not to notice. Victor didn’t care, however. He wasn’t here to either satisfy this human or cater to his needs. Gabriel could pleasure him self after Victor was done with him.

There was no escaping the rhythm he’d begun. And oh! those pitiful little whines. “You won’t break. This is only a dream, remember?” he said in a mocking tone. The Vampire lurched forward, both to press deeper and to latch himself onto Gabriel’s left breast. He growled as the blood seeped up through the skin and he drank heavily of it.

"A-a dream?" Gabriel sobbed, still trying to cling to that, but knowing that this was anything but and he'd just lain there while the Vampire came to him and spread his legs.

He let out a scream of rage and agony, at himself and at what was being done to him. As Victor came to bite him, he thrashed about, trying to dislodge the Vampire. His own blood continued to sing, to urge the Vampire on.

Gabriel made an attempt to hit the Vampire and kick at him, suddenly becoming a wild animal, as it dawned on Gabriel that he absolutely must not allow this creature to come inside him.

This time the Vampire lord tore his teeth out leaving a nice rip in the young man’s chest. “Ah-ah-aah…” he warned. With strength far exceeding the human’s, Victor easily pinned Gabriel’s arms down. His kicking was in vain seeing as how his legs were pretty much perched in the air. “I can’t promise you won’t be hurt if you thrash about like that. Besides,” Victor continued to push his way in, hips rocking back and forth with mounting power. “I’m almost done.”

That’s when he laughed.

Though Gabriel glared up at the man, his eyes stung with tears that coursed down his cheeks. He was sure that the Vampire had torn him, in more ways than by those sharp teeth. The laughter sent chills down his spine and he whimpered, not wanting to scream again since that would give the Vampire satisfaction. He felt the symbol upon his chest warm, as it seemed to sense what was coming and was making his body truly ready for it. "I'll... k-kill... you," he managed to utter, though his voice cracked and the words ended on a pained note.

“I’m afraid you’ll be far too incapacitated for that.” Victor’s eyes trailed down to Gabriel’s stomach. His eyes sparked with excitement and hissed delightedly once more. This was all too perfect. What a marvelous tool the powers at be sent to him. So much had been taken from Victor, he felt it was about time he get what he wanted for once.

“I suppose I should welcome you to your new home. After all, there’s no way I can let you leave now.” The Vampire actually started to sound winded which was probably a sign he was nearing his end.

Gabriel groaned and shut his eyes, what a humiliating dream this would make for another Silverstrike someday. That he'd gotten himself drunk and fallen asleep in the enemy's lair, then submitted so easily. He deserved death, but what he would get would be so much worse. Let his idiocy be a lesson to those after him.

His eyes came open again, and looked up at the Vampire. So he would carry a Vampire's offspring, would he? Despicable as it might be, he may have gotten off light. A low moan formed from his throat, and he squirmed beneath the creature, and rocked a little, hoping to end this soon.

The Vampire lord was pleased by this. Finally the human was making things a bit easier. Ice blue eyes stared at the rose emblem. It was indeed a symbol of great desire. A rose coming into bloom, just like fertility. Gabriel was a young blossom himself. His petals would open many more times in his life, and Victor would be there for each.

He threw his head back and released an animalistic growl. Victor’s seed spilled out into Gabriel and quickly found its place inside him. He pulled out slowly, but more for his own sake than the human’s. The Vampire was satisfied. “You did well,” he said and released the other male. Before actually getting up, Victor flashed a vicious glare at Gabriel and laid a hand over his belly. “If you try anything, I will see to it that you suffer far greater than you did this night.”

Gabriel choked down a cry, though a sob escaped him in place of it. It was mortifying how he could actually feel it. A blossoming warmth pouring into him, through him, and settling somewhere that had always been safe and secret.

A fresh wave of tears fell from his eyes, and he looked purposely away from the Vampire, though shivered as the tone used for that threat struck him cold. With a quiet murmur, he nodded. He wouldn't try to gouge out the budding young from his belly, even if he'd long to do it with so little a thing as a spoon. "Now... just get out," he whispered, his voice coarse from his screams.

He was more than happy to oblige to that. He was bored with the human now and even disgusted at how wretched he was. Victor dressed himself, unlocked the door and then walked out.

Lucille was there, but he didn’t seem to notice her. She entered the room without pausing or so much as a word. Carefully she removed the ripped nightshirt from under the man. One corner of the sheets was turned down and she started to move him so that he could lie beneath their warmth. Gabriel was easy to move since he’d succumbed to lying there like a rag doll. Once she had him situated beneath the blankets she made sure his head was on the pillow and then she was done.

“You get used to it,” the young woman said quietly and then took her leave.

"I... don't want to get used to it." Gabriel murmured, and let darkness and exhaustion overtake him. He was, at the very least, spared from having any real dreams that night.

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Nay... We are but men! ROCK!
LuvTheBump
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It was fairly late into the afternoon before anyone came knocking on Gabriel’s door. After getting no response, the girl let her self in. Even though she wore the same black uniform dress as Lucille, and all the other female servants, this woman was clearly different. Her light brown hair was pulled back into a neat bun and her green eyes glistened. She seemed far more chipper, too. “Mister Gabriel,” she began softly to rouse him from his slumber. “Mister Gabriel it’s time to wake up.”

Gabriel groaned and huddled deeper into the blankets surrounding him, pulling them tight against his naked body. He felt lethargic and sore in places he hadn't even considered until last night. Every little shift and move seemed to send pain lancing through him and focused directly upon that spot, driving home exactly what had happened to him.

Slowly he opened his eyes and bit at his lips, he did not respond to the woman, but slowly lowered his hand beneath the covers and ran it over his bare belly. Feeling repulsed by what he did, but needing to know; how soon would the changes take effect? He knew so little about Vampires already, that he was truly blind to their gestation cycles. Did he have weeks? Months? When would he show, when would the birth be? Tears came to his eyes as so many questions came to him and he pressed his face against the pillow to quiet his sobs.

“I hope you’re hungry. The chefs have made up a large breakfast for you; plenty of eggs, bread, fruit, meats, butter and real cow’s milk. You’ll only find that here in the castle. The townsfolk have to drink goat’s milk.” She threw back the curtain to let the sun come shining in. “My master won’t be joining you. He keeps himself closed in the library during the day. So, how are you feeli-” The girl stopped short when she looked at Gabriel only to find him crying into the pillows. She frowned gently. Everyone in the castle knew by now why Gabriel was here and what he was being used for. She sat down on the bed, pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve and carefully wiped his eyes.

“It’s all right,” she soothed.

Gabriel flinched away from the woman's kindness and retreated back along the bed, out of her reach. He sniffled and wiped at his eyes himself with the back of his hand. They were red and dark bags hung under them, clear signs of an unfit sleep after Victor had left him. His sudden move drew up the pain between his legs again, but he ignored it to keep glaring at this stranger.

He ground his teeth, wanting to shout at her that this could not possibly be all right. He had been brutally raped and was now carrying his assailant's offspring. Monstrous offspring that he had no idea just what to expect with them growing inside him. He wanted to scream and thrash about, but he remained quiet and curled within the bed like a wounded animal.

Then his stomach uttered a loud betrayal. He whimpered and held a hand to it, wishing it quiet. He was seized with hunger, but didn't want to feed those inside him.

"I... I want to take a bath," he murmured, lowering his gaze. "Th-then I'll go eat."

The girl tried not to look hurt. “My name is Rebecca,” she said trying to dispel the feeling of being strangers. She already knew his name, he should know hers.

“Listen,” she began slowly. “Neither me nor anybody else in this castle is going to act like we understand what’s happened to you. What the master did was terrible, nearly incomprehensible, but it happened. We’ve all suffered to one degree or another.” The girl pulled the collar of her dress back to show the plethora of bite marks scarring her neck. Some were as fresh as a few days ago. “When I say it’s all right, what I mean is that it’s all right to feel hurt and scared. I cry a lot too, many of us do… But, please know that we’re all going to do what we can to make sure you’re kept safe and comfortable. We’re going to take care of you.”

With that she got up from the bed and went into the washroom to heat the coals under the tub basin and put in fresh water. There was a chest in the washroom used to keep towels, one of which she retrieved and brought out to Gabriel. “If you’d like, I can bring a plate of food up to you instead of making you go downstairs.”

Gabriel did not meet her gaze, but listened quietly. She sounded like a good person, and her voice and words offered some comfort to him at least. His eyes lifted only briefly to take in the score of punctures, and he brought up a hand to his own neck, shuddering as he felt the bite that had been taken the night before. Back when the "dream" had almost been pleasurable.

His hand fell away in disgust, and he turned his attentions to getting out of bed. Carefully he pulled back the covers, hissing at the chill that came to his body without the warmth of the down filled comforters and attempted to stand.

Gabriel fell against one of the bed's tall posts, his legs turning to jelly beneath him. Hissing at his weakness, he forced them work and took the towel from the girl when she returned, wrapping it tight around himself. Blushing in hopes that she didn't see the mess of spent cum and blood along his thighs.

"I'd... I'd like that, if you could bring the food up here," he murmured, hoping that his legs would be stronger after his bath, but not wanting to attempt stairs just yet. "Um, Rebecca," he called softly, "does... doesn't he sleep during the day?"

She had been holding the towel up to block her view of his body, and when the towel was taken, she turned her eyes down. Rebecca nodded at his request for breakfast in bed. She was more than happy to oblige. When he called to her again she turned to face him. It was becoming obvious that all the servants were trained to fully acknowledge whoever was speaking to them.

“Lord Mihalache doesn’t require sleep,” she answered. “He will if he feels like it. However, the sun is painful for him so he stays closed up in the library during the day. Come dusk he will emerge. Most likely for dinner.”

Gabriel gulped a little, so much for that plan of taking the Vampire's head while he slept during the day. What an idiot he'd been, was still being. He chewed upon his lips, his dark brows drawing downward, "Will... I be expected to join him for dinner?" Would it be similar to last night, or would Victor fall into his usual routines, whatever they might be, and partake from one of the servants like they were pieces of meat.

Rebecca smiled sympathetically. "If he requests your presence, yes. Lucille will be close by. She and I have been assigned to you. I am your day dependent. She is your night dependent. Anything you want or need, just let us know." She went to the door and started to close it behind her. "The nurse will be coming to see you after you eat. Her name is Mary." The name spoken, she shut the door.

A nurse? Well wasn't that just great, Gabriel sighed as he took himself to the bathroom as best he could and dropped the towel.

"Looks like everything's going to be taken care of for me," he said while sinking into the tub, feeling the hot water take away his physical aches. A frown knitted in his brow and he set a hand to his stomach under the water, "No... Not for me, for you," his tone dripped with venom, though his hand continued to move along himself. It didn't feel any different than yesterday, but then again, he wasn't exactly in the habit of checking himself over in such a critical manner.

Dipping his head down under the water, he wondered if he should attempt to drown himself right then. He waited until his lungs burned before coming up and gasping for air, choking a moment. "I'm such a coward," he told himself, sitting in the hot basin for a while longer, contemplating the different ways to die and finding that he'd never have the guts to see the attempt through. And if he failed or was discovered in the attempt... what Victor might do, made him shudder with fear.

After a long while, when his fingers were well shriveled up, Gabriel lifted himself up out of the tub once more. He felt a little stronger now, but his stomach kept making the most embarrassing noises, crying out for food. "Geez, eat a little fancy for once and you can't seem to get away," he said, after he'd wrapped the towel around himself and walked back out into the bedroom, trying to convince himself that it was his own hunger that was being such a nuisance and not the life within him.

Rebecca had come up at some point during his bath to set out his foods and clothes. Whoever said “nothing is ever given to you on a silver platter” obviously never lived in the Mihalache castle, because that’s exactly what his breakfast was served on and kept warm under a domed lid. A brown tunic and pants woven from dyed cotton were laid out on the bed for him. When looked at, the articles of clothing didn’t seem to be made to allow any growing room, which was probably taken as a good sign. Of course, what he didn’t know was that a new, slightly larger, outfit was already being made for him to be worn tomorrow.

Gabriel got himself changed, smiling at how nicely they fit. Perhaps the Vampire's offspring would develop slowly, like a human baby, and he need not worry for months yet. He sighed as he ran his hand over his flat front, relieved by the conclusion he'd come to.

Sitting down to his breakfast, eyes growing wide as the chef really had provided a little bit of everything, Gabriel dug in vigorously. He found a small clock in the room and snorted lightly, "Already this late," he muttered around a mouthful of egg and bacon, "not exactly breakfast." Though of course, he wasn't about to complain. The meal was taking the edge off his hunger considerably, and his stomach had ceased its lamentation.

The young man then began to look around the rest of the room, now able to appreciate it with a clear head. "So this is my prison?" he asked aloud in that way of his, licking his lips as he drank of the freshly squeezed juice provided.

* * * * *

“I can trust you?”

“Of course, Lord Mihalache.”

“You have the proper knowledge?”

“Learned from my mother, grandmother, and even a bit from my great grandmother.”

“You have the proper experience?”

“Since I was sixteen, Lord Mihalache.”

It was the same series of questions again. How many times was he going to ask her? She knew better than to scold or tease him though. But good heavens. She’d been procured from his Sire. What more proof did he need of her skills?

“He’s in good hands, Lord Mihalache. I know everything there is to know about carrying Vampires. I’ll keep a close eye on him.”

All was silent for a moment.

“Good.”

* * * * *

Gabriel toured about the lavish room, taking a closer look at the various trinkets and figurines. At times he picked them up for closer inspection, only to then set them back down again. He'd discovered that all of his tools and even his former clothing had been taken away, no doubt stored in a place he'd spend months seeking, or possibly even destroyed.

Rubbing the back of his neck, he stood at one of the bedroom windows and peered down at the town below, then let his gaze move up and across the stretch of dark forest that seemed to go on for infinity. If he had stayed in that forest last night, and taken his chances, would it have meant his death after all, or would something else have found him and made him its personal breeder?

Gabriel grimaced. "What a horrible title," he said, folding his arms over his chest, "I'll have to come up with something better." He moved away from the window and rubbed at his chin. "As far as... carriers go, I haven't exactly landed in the most terrible place. I've got good, cooked food, a soft bed, servants, and I even get to have baths. Still, I am being used and I'm... well, in that way... with the enemy's... spawn."

Gabriel paced the room then, a part of him was actually trying to convince him that as far as having the curse activated, this was a good place to do it. While another was still screaming that he was carrying a monster and reminding him about the pain still in his body.

The nurse known as Mary hummed cheerfully as she walked briskly through the many corridors and vast hallways of the castle. There was even a bit of a spring in her step. New babies always made her excited, regardless of what kind of babies they were. It just filled her with joy to be working with infants, even pre-natal.

She arrived at Gabriel’s door, bag in hand, and knocked upon its thick surface. “Hello? May I come in? I’m the nurse who has been assigned to take care of you.”

Gabriel paused in his step, startled out of his thoughts for the moment. He approached the door and opened it slightly, looking to this new woman with a glare. "So you're Mary?" he asked, opening the door a little wider so that she could come in. He noted how strange it was that a Vampire needed him to bear him offspring when he had so many women around. Or maybe Vampires could only conceive with other Vampires?

“Yes, dear, thank you.”

Mary stepped inside and gave the room a once over. It was easy to tell she was an older woman, at least in her mid-fifties, maybe even early sixties. She looked good though. Her eyes were a very simple blue, but full of much wisdom. Her once strawberry blonde hair was grey now, almost silver in the right light, and she wore it in short curls. A quaint pair of glasses sat perched on her nose. The dress she wore was dusty blue with sleeves just past her elbows and a modest sloping neck.

She smiled causing little wrinkles to form around her eyes. “I understand your name is Gabriel? How are you feeling this morning?”

Gabriel folded his arms and continued to glare at her, "Physically, I'm feeling sore, tired, and moderately hungry. Mentally, I feel like a wreck."

Why did people have to ask that the day after he'd been brutalized? Was he supposed to be showing some sort of signs of pregnancy already? Gabriel tightened his arms about himself, sincerely hoping that wouldn't be the case.

“You’ll think me horrible for saying so, but how you’re feeling is just what I wanted to hear. It’s only if you weren’t feeling that way that I would be worried. Victor may have brought me on to only look after his young, but in my book, you are equal priority.”

"Have you got... experience with this sort of thing?" he asked, wondering on what merit the woman had been selected to be his nurse. Was she a midwife? Though how many male pregnancies had she seen? Last he'd checked, it was a very rare occurrence.

Mary waved her hand. “Oh lots of experience. You think I got to be this old without seeing the birth of a few babies? Well, I didn’t. I’ve aided in Vampire births since I was a young girl. Only real thing I’m good at. I could give you an exact number, but I won’t bore you with the details. You are my first boy, though.”

She was a spitfire, this one.

“Any nausea? Cramps? Headaches?”

Gabriel was taken aback by this woman, and it took him a minute to catch up with what she was saying. She actually knew about this sort of thing? Then, maybe she could help answer a few of his questions. Without quite realizing it, the young man had brought a hand up to his stomach and settled it there.

"Um, a small headache, but I think that's because I had too much to drink last night." His cheeks burned, remembering that if he hadn't drunk so much, he might have been able to avoid all this.

"You said you'd seen Vampire births before. Then, you know what's going to happen to me?"

“Well, I hope you enjoyed it because you won’t be doing it again. Not until those little buns come out of the oven.” She laughed a little. Her grandmother had taught her the expression and she always found it amusing. She had also learned “Bats out of the cave,” but the Vampires had always found it offensive.

Which it was.

“I can certainly take a well-educated, high percentage guess. Your gender has thrown a new ingredient into the pot which means I don’t know exactly what’s cooking. I’ll be happy to answer your questions though.”

Gabriel blushed at the expression, "D-don't say that!" he cried, "It's not like I wanted this!" He was starting to hate just how easily everyone was going along with things, like it was nothing out of the ordinary for a Vampire to come rape a stranger and impregnate him.

Gabriel went and took a seat upon the bed, grinding his teeth together and rather wishing he could just drown his sorrows and pain in another couple bottles of that good wine. But as the woman said, for the good of what was inside him, that was out of the question, though it did lead him to his first pressing question, "Okay, I guess the first thing I want to know... do Vampires give birth in litters?"

“I know, dear.” Mary’s voice softened and she spoke like a grandmother. “Not all of my patients did either. Forgive me. I suppose I’ve seen it enough times that I’ve become accustomed... perhaps numb... to it. You’ll find that when living under the rule of a Vampire that being miserable will eat you alive. You have to find humor, joy, amusement… even just the tiniest bit… to make it through the day.”

The first question was easy enough to answer. “Five to eight,” she said and waited for the new wave of distraught that would probably wash over him.

Gabriel nodded slowly, perhaps he could find some amusement in at least being here... but then of course, she'd answered his questions and he stood up from the bed, those pale eyes round, "Wh-what?! Th-that's not possible!" Now there was that wave of nausea she'd asked about earlier, and he swayed on his feet. "B-but they're... they look like humans," he whimpered, his hand coming over his stomach again. He'd been expecting twins, triplets at the most, like what any human mother might have if high birth was in her favor. "I-I can't carry that many, I-I won't... I won't be able to move..." Was this bedroom truly to become his prison then? He sat back down upon the bed.

“They breed in favor of the race surviving,” she explained.

Gabriel doubted himself and Mary wouldn’t stand for that. “Nonsense,” she said firmly. Mary held his jaw, gentle but with authority, and looked straight into his eyes. “It is possible and you’ll do just fine. Five is not an incapacitating number. Your body will adapt. You will gain the strength you need. Vampire’s breed in favor of the race surviving, and that includes necessary mutations in the host’s body. It won’t be anything physically noticeable, but your bone mass will become denser, your muscles will be stronger, lung capacity will increase. Five is a perfectly capable number.”

Gabriel complied to accept her hold, too bewildered to reject it or turn away. "Is... is it just five?" could she tell just by looking at him, this early on? The curse had a nasty way of trying to make the Silverstrike's suffer by giving them more offspring if capable of doing so. While he hoped that he would be spared since this was a first time, and how he did long for it to be the only and last time, five was more than enough in his opinion. Eight might be unendurable, despite what this woman said.

Mary pulled back. “That’s only a guess on my part.” In addition to being friendly with a sharp tongue, the woman was also honest. She didn’t jerk around with her patients. Not in situations like this. “Five is the majority rule. In my experience seven or more only occurs in one out of every thirty pregnancies; on a whole, not per person. I’ll know for sure in a few days.”

One out of thirty... somehow Gabriel felt that he wouldn't take a bet if someone asked him to put his money on anything except seven. He rubbed at his stomach and frowned, peeking at the woman warily, she would know in a few of days? So soon? A great multitude of questions continued to race through his head.

"I... don't think I want to know any more," he mumbled, "I'm afraid of what you'll tell me next."

The woman nodded. “Fair enough. I’ve done what you asked. Now it’s time for you to do the same. Take off your shirt, please.”

Gabriel jumped, and for a moment considered being stubborn and not complying. Though if he crossed this woman, would she go back to Victor and tell him of his behavior? He was certain that she would go to tell the Vampire the results of whatever examinations she would give him over the next while as she tended to him.

She opened the bag that had been dropped on the end of the bed and pulled out a measuring tape made of thin leather with numbers painted on it. “I understand you’re normally a size 24, correct?”

"Uh, I guess?" he shrugged, eyeing the tape in bewilderment. She was a nurse right, not a tailor. He never really bothered with measurements, just got what fit when it came to clothing.

"Why did you decide to help Vampires?" he asked, removing the shirt and tossing it to the side. That should be a safe question that would keep his sanity in tact while it continued to mull over the amount of young that could be growing inside him.

“It would be your waist size, dear. I’m keeping track of your growth.” Along with the measuring tape she retrieved a small paper and a crude pencil. She scribbled down the estimated original size. With a quick flick of her wrist, the tape unfurled.

“Why did I decide to help Vampires? Well, I didn’t. I was born into the service.” Mary gestured for him to move his arms out to the side and out of the way so she could get the tape around him. “You see, Victor has a Sire, obviously, and both my mother and grandmother worked for him. My mother was born under his service and then I was. My grandmother was born under his Sire’s service and the pattern goes on.” She took note of the number, withdrew, and then scribbled it under the original 24. “Once you begin work for a Vampire, you don’t quit. You’re serviced for life. As much as I love being a nurse and caring for infants, I wouldn’t want the responsibility falling on my children’s shoulders, so I never had any.”

Mary then gave a gentle nudge to his shoulder. “Now lay down.”

Gabriel blushed, but let her do as he needed. Those numbers were going to get frightening someday, wouldn't they? Though he was unsure if it was a bad thing or not, being able to actually track what would happen to him. This was much more... civilized than what his ancestors had gone through, being kept in swamps and forests and caves for their... seeders.

"Victor?" Gabriel blinked and found himself echoing the name casually; he hadn't known the Vampire's given name before. Everyone addressed him as Lord after all. Wasn't a bad name, and certainly easier to pronounce. "Is Victor's Sire as much of a cold jerk as he is?" he asked bitterly.

He did as told, his body still tense, though he was becoming more at ease with the woman, rather liking her brusque nature.

“For the most part,” she admitted. “Although, he is quite affectionate with his family. Like humans, Vampires seek out their own kind. They want to fit in and belong to those who are like themselves. Believe it or not, they can be sad and lonely just like us.”

Gabriel found himself remembering yesterday, when for a brief time he'd remarked that everyone needed a little bit of family, and felt sorry that the Vampire didn't have any living relatives. To think that he'd ever for a moment had pity for such a beast! He ground his teeth... wait, Victor's Sire was alive? Then what about all those portraits downstairs...

Mary wiggled her fingers at him playfully before setting them against his skin. Her hands were old and slightly wrinkled, but they were also warm and exceptionally skilled. She pushed gently against his lower belly. “Does that hurt?”

"N-no, doesn't hurt... just feels weird," the man replied, then went back to staring at the ceiling. "Why... why did Victor want me to do this? I mean, Vampire's can create other Vampires by making them from humans. And, you said that some of your other patient's weren't willing, so I guess that means that Vampires can be with women and have their Vampire babies with them, right? So... so why did I get mixed into this? I was just passing through."

Mary sighed. She drew her hands back and then gently brushed some hairs that had fallen over his face. The woman was starting to feel sad about the whole thing. Gabriel was still just a boy in her eyes; a baby having a baby.

“That question is a bit more difficult to answer, dear. Yes, a Vampire can bite a human and make a Fledgling out of them, but it’s not the same as having a family. You have to remember that they were humans once and they still retain those primal needs. They want husbands, wives and children just as much as we do. Turning a stranger doesn’t fill that empty feeling.”

She let out another sigh. The second part of the question was more difficult to answer because it was still completely unfair to Gabriel. “Victor… Victor is attracted to his own. He doesn’t find women appealing, at all really. I’m sure he would have picked a woman to mate with, had he been given the time, but that isn’t how the story goes. You happened to show up on the night he decided to start a family and by some means or another he discovered what you could do. You… you satisfy all his needs, dear. I know it’s awful, but that is my answer.”

"He's a..." Gabriel gulped, he hadn't really thought about that part. He sighed deeply and lifted his hands to place them over his face, rubbing them back into his loose and shaggy dark hair. "If this is Fate's joke, I don't get it," he groaned, keeping his palms over his eyes. It was so incredibly unfair, how did this sort of timing happen? Had Victor been praying to the Gods?

"He got what he wanted, now what about me?" The young man let his hands fall to the sides and he stared up at the canopy above. He kept seeing in his mind an image of himself being served up on a silver platter for the Vampire. ‘Here you go, the carrier that you asked for, all wrapped up and ready to go.’

"Mary," he murmured softly, "what are they like? The kids, I mean. Do they... do they look like monsters when they come out?" He wondered why he even bothered asking, but the words dripped from his lips before he could stop them.

“No, of course not, dear.” She stood there with her hands folded in front of her. “They look like normal human babies. They come out pink, soft, a little squishy and crying.” She said the latter with a quaint smile. “They have two little feet that like to kick, two bright eyes that like to look at you in wonder, and two tiny hands that like to hold your finger. They get cold, hungry and scared, but they also smile and laugh.” Her old eyes fell on his stomach. Mary didn’t want him to dread the experience. She hoped he would realize that he had an opportunity most, if any, men didn’t get.

“They come out innocent and beautiful.”

Gabriel rolled onto his side and curled his body up a little. He was silent for a long while, "I guess," he murmured softly, "that isn't so bad." Again he thought back on the dreams and the stories that he'd had for so much of his life. Terrible visions of carrying, nurturing, and birthing the stuff of nightmares. And he was going to get... pink, soft, squishy things that cried. Gabriel really wished he hadn't felt that flush of warmth surge through him just then. "I still think five to eight is too much," he muttered, unable to let that tiny flicker of happiness grow.

"But... why did he have to be so rough? If he'd been nice about, I probably wouldn't be any the wiser when I woke up, just thought it was a dream brought on by too much wine. Instead he had to be... be a total beast!"

“You’d have found out eventually,” she pointed out. Mary had no real answer to that question. Vampires had been known to be gentle lovers, but the key word there was love. “I suppose…” She thought a bit longer on the answer. “He knew what he wanted and did what he had to get it. Which, in this unfortunate case, was to force himself upon you. Gabriel, you don’t have to forgive him, but trust me when I tell you not to fight him.”

Seeing him curled up like that let her know they were done for the day. That was fine. There wasn’t much to be done at this point anyway. The nurse packed her things back up quietly. She debated on whether or not telling him to expect a somewhat larger girth tomorrow, but in the end decided he had enough of his plate already.

Speaking of which…

“Make sure to be eating, even when you get the slightest bit hungry. You can’t afford to be underweight.”

Gabriel said nothing as she took her leave. He felt so conflicted on so many levels; a part of him was actually accepting this situation, admitting that he'd gotten off surprisingly well given the nature of the curse and the suffering it had caused his family. While of course, another part was telling him to fight with tooth and nail, figure out some way around it all and get away.

"Yeah right," he said, sitting up and retrieving his shirt, "and what happens when I start to swell out with half a dozen... kids, inside me?" It was safe to call them that, kids, children. If they were as wonderful as Mary described them to be anyway, and he yearned to trust her.

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He got up and rubbed at his stomach, "Right... hungry again. Gotta feed." He looked to the clock; maybe they'd started making supper by now. Gabriel went to the door, taking in a deep breath and steeling himself as he opened it. Like hell he was going to spend the whole duration just in his room anyway.

Rebecca was just down the hall, a few feet really, talking to a male servant. It was plausible to guess they were siblings given how much they looked alike. She noticed him emerge from his room and hurried over to meet him. “Mister Gabriel, I’m glad to see you out and about. Lord Mihalache wanted me to remind you that you are free to partake in the castle. During the day many of us get together in the east parlor and play games if you’d be interested in joining us.” The girl was always smiling and one had to wonder if it was forced. “The day servants will be retiring in a few hours and then the night servants will take over. Is there anything I can do for you?”

"Uh, that might be nice, sometime," Gabriel replied, frowning a little as he took in that bubbly, sweet smile. It was a little unnerving, and he wondered if it was possible to be that happy while working for a Vampire. Though he didn't know much about the treatment of the staff here, other than that Victor seemed to drink from them and leave marks. "I don't need anything really. Just... could you point me to where the kitchens are?" He wasn't used to servants asking him his needs, as he was never in a position where they'd be likely to care.

“Sure, just follow me.” She took off then. They weren’t even to the stairs yet when she realized her quick strides would have to be slowed to a steady pace so Gabriel could keep up. Apparently he was still in some discomfort. So Rebecca did just that and walked with a casual gait through the many halls. Green eyes would flash over her shoulder now and then to make sure the young man hadn’t fallen behind or gotten lost somewhere. Finally they came to the kitchen which was open to everyone and brimming over with food of nearly every kind.

“Eat as much as you like.”

"Wh-whoa," Gabriel's own green eyes grew round as he took in the spread. "Is it always like this?" he asked, wondering if the servants just came in as they wished and ate what they wanted. Were there always left-overs then? It would be a shame to throw out so much. Gabriel shook his head, was this really stuff he should be concerned about. "Ah, thanks Rebecca." He would find himself a plate and start to set items upon it, though tried to make the selection sparing. "Just how much should I eat?" he asked himself quietly, blushing as he wondered just how many bellies he was going to have to fill. Six... seven... eight... nine?

“Pretty much,” she chirped. “There are easily one hundred servants in the castle. We all just come in here and eat when we’re hungry. Lord Mihalache does too. You’re just as welcome to it.” She heard the faint question and her smile widened. “Dinner is in two hours, so eat however much will hold you over till then.”

"Ah, thank you." Well this was good to know, Gabriel thought with a soft smile. If he ever got hungry, then he could easily find himself something right here, all laid out and ready for the taking. "Guess I'll be able to sate any cravings I have... I did not just say that." He groaned, but went over to find a chair, sitting down gingerly with his plate of various fruits, meats, and pasta. A little bit of everything, which was just perfect. "When I'm done here, I guess I can take a look around until dinner's ready."

“Sure, feel free to go where ever. Locked doors are to be left alone, though, so don’t ask for keys or anything. The Underground is also off limits. Trust me; you don’t want to go down there anyway. I know you don’t want to be chaperoned, but it would be best to let me show you around this time.” The girl giggled. “It’s really easy to get lost in this place if you don’t know your way around.”

Gabriel finished off his plate and licked his lips. He would have really rather go around on his own, or perhaps with someone else even, the girl and her unwavering cheer was starting to make his skin crawl. "Um, I should be okay to get around on my own. I am... or I guess I used to be, a Hunter after all." He sighed, already mourning the loss of his previous life. "We're pretty good at tracking and such."

Rebecca frowned a little bit. She seemed very unsure about letting him go off on his own. If he were to try running or get into something he wasn’t supposed to, it would be on her head. She nibbled on her bottom lip. “Just… make sure you only go where you’re allowed, and please be back in the dining hall in exactly two hours. If you promise me that, then I’ll let you go on your own.”

"I-I promise," Gabriel replied, wishing his voice hadn't wavered like it did. "Don't worry. I'm not going to run away." At least not tonight... a little voice inside him said, and he would pick himself up from the table. "You go have a good night, your shift's about over, isn't it?" Then he would have to deal with Lucille, wouldn't he?

“Yes, thank you, Mister Gabriel. Good night.” She gave a quick bow and then walked out.

Gabriel was left alone to his own devices now.

"Good night," Gabriel murmured in reply, rubbing the back of his neck. So, left to what he wanted to do now.

The young man took himself back out of the kitchen, though not before snatching a few grapes to munch on along the way. The castle had seemed huge from outside, and he wondered if that would be the case on the inside and more particularly, to the places that he would be allowed to go. "Secrets will keep themselves here, is that it?" he muttered as he popped the last grape into his mouth.

The Vampire had mentioned a garden last night, and Gabriel found himself suddenly longing to go see it, despite the growing hour.

* * * * *

“So what do you have to report?”

“He’s doing well so far.”

“His behavior?”

“Clearly traumatized, but he doesn’t pose a threat.”

“Could he?”

“Anything is possible. I think a lot of it depends on how you treat him.”

“He knows his purpose.”

“He doesn’t want to be a tool, Lord Mihalache. He wants to be a person.”

* * * * *

By the time Gabriel had found the garden, over an hour had passed, but once he'd stepped into it, he found that it had been well worth search. The place was like a jewel, a well hidden treasure and he found himself falling in love with it immediately, and he was only in the attached greenhouse.

The young man's face lit up as he moved slowly about, taking in the different variety of plants. Some he knew the names of, so many others he didn't. And through the glass roof he could see the sky as it was painted by the dying sun, and wondered if he might even be able to see the stars from here.

The growing darkness however, alerted him to the time, and with a soft hiss, he spun around and began to run. Having taken only a few steps before he regretted that move. Cheeks burning, he slowed to at least a brisk pace, and headed for the dining hall.

Victor was already seated at the table by the time Gabriel showed up. At first he didn’t even acknowledge the young man, but instead drank his wine and pet the heads of his dogs.

After many moments of what was no doubt awkward silence, he spoke. “So what do you think of my home?” Ice blue eyes caught green, holding them for an answer.

Gabriel found himself swallowing back an unwanted lump within his throat, frozen by that stare boring into him. "From what I've seen it's all right," he said, keeping his voice as firm and as steady as he could. "I... I did like the garden," he murmured begrudgingly.

“So you saw it then? I was hoping to show you my self, but no matter.” He set a wine glass in front of Gabriel, only it held water instead of the dark red liquid. “We’re having chicken for dinner tonight. I had them roast yours with pepper and butter. I hope you’ll enjoy it. We should be served shortly.”

Victor was quiet again for a few more minutes. He just sat with no real expression, almost as if his mind were empty.

“Do you like your room? There are many others to choose from if you grow tired of it.”

Gabriel wasn't sure he could have appreciated the garden as much had Victor been looming next to him at the time. With his gaze released from the Vampire's own, the man found he could not look at the other for more than a few seconds. It just felt too surreal, to be sitting here with a man who only hours before, had mercilessly impregnated him and received joy from his torment. At least, Gabriel thought it might have been joy, that impassive, cold face did not look capable of expressing such emotion, if any.

"The room is fine," Gabriel replied, keeping his focus upon the silverware, "it's more than what I'm used to, and so is having servants around me. Um, the nurse was nice though. Did... did you call her in just for me?" He chanced a longer glance up at Victor then.

“I did, yes. She has aided in the birth of many of my Sire’s children. Mary is the most skilled and I have full faith in her. You should trust her as well.” They didn’t have to wait nearly as long for their food tonight. It was promptly served on the hour. Once again the Vampire had his meal served raw and based in its own juices. To be so crudely put.

Gabriel was careful to cut his own food up into small pieces, remembering how he'd been reprimanded yesterday for his eating habits. He did not stare this time as Victor ate, though peeked up from his own now and again, wondering if he would come to crave meat and blood for the sake of what was inside him. Another question to be asked of Mary tomorrow.

"So, I'm allowed to go anywhere in the castle, except what's been locked," he added the last part quickly to show that he didn't need reminding, "but what about the town outside? Am I able to go there?"

Victor seemed to contemplate this for a while. It was obvious he didn’t trust Gabriel to not run away. While Victor could easily chase him down should he try, he’d rather not have to deal with the defiance at all. Finally he gave a short nod. “Yes, you may go out into the town as long as you have an escort with you. You may not, under any circumstances, leave the gates. Is that understood?”

"I understand," Gabriel murmured, though was not exactly keen upon having an escort. To which he then wondered, "Will you be appointing someone for that task as well?"

A maid to see to him during the day, one in the evening, a nurse. Gabriel wondered what else would be next, and did not much like the idea of having a bevy of folk cater to him when he'd been so used to providing for and tending to himself for so long. It also felt very restricting, as if the more people seeing to his needs made for more shackles to bind him.

“Good.”

He used his fangs to tear a piece from the drumstick in his hands. “Of course I will. Why wouldn’t I? I have people who patrol the town and its borders on a regular basis. You will be accompanied by one of them. If it makes you feel better, I will have them walk some distance apart from you.”

Gabriel sighed and lightly pushed around a bean upon his plate, letting it flop back and forth and soak within the herb and butter seasoned juices of the recently departed roast chicken. "I guess that would be fine." Though it may have been a little better than having someone breathe down his neck as he went about his business, Gabriel reluctantly admitted that it was still another link in the all too short leash that Victor was going to be keeping him on.

The young man glanced up at the Vampire, gazing morosely upon him. Not that Victor could be blamed for wanting so many eyes and ears on him, Gabriel mused, since he was carrying the creature's children and as of yet, had shown no signs of not flying off the handle and doing something drastic to counter that fact.

Gabriel speared the bean with his fork mercilessly and crunched down upon the doomed vegetable in a civil manner.

Victor could feel those green eyes on him. He watched Gabriel pierce the bean and surmised that the bean was probably him in some metaphorical form. He started to consider what Mary had said to him. Maybe acknowledging Gabriel’s feelings would help lift the animosity between them. Sure, the Vampire might not really care, but he didn’t want the young man getting so upset that he go tumbling over the edge.

“Perhaps I was a bit… hasty,” he said. “I was sure that if I asked you, you would say no. I only did what I felt I had to.”

Gabriel's eyes narrowed and remained fixed upon the Vampire. So they were actually going to talk about that? He felt certain that they weren't doing it for Victor's sake, but perhaps for his own. "Hasty? Try downright beastly," he growled, and was disappointed that there was nothing left on his plate to stab and bite down on.

"I was drunk and stupid enough that you could have gone right ahead and done whatever, knocked me up just like you wanted, and all I'd have done was go straight on dreaming until morning." Maybe that's what upset him so much, was that it could have been a great experience. Sure he would have regretted it when the truth came out, but it could have softened the blow a bit. "Instead, you tore me apart and ripped into me like an animal. No, worse than an animal, because at least they have the decency to make their intentions known before they go thrusting up inside the other! You're no better than the monsters everyone thinks you are! You just dress a little better and have a nicer cave!"

If Gabriel weren’t carrying his offspring, Victor would have him by the throat.

“What did you expect to happen? I couldn’t just slip in, plant my seed in you, and then slip out. You were a virgin. Do you know how incredibly constricting that makes you? Even if I had taken my time, you still would have been torn, in pain. At least I was quick about it. You should be grateful for that much.”

The Borzoi started to whimper at their master’s irritated voice. They didn’t like him to be upset. Victor pets their heads gently. “You shouldn’t be so angry. You don’t seem to realize what an honor this is.”

"But you enjoyed hurting me!" Gabriel screamed, suddenly on his feet and slamming his hands upon the table. He hadn't meant to get this upset, and knew that talking so brazenly about the matter would have gotten him killed or worse, had he not been in a "delicate" state.

Yet he only grew more riled as Victor had the audacity to claim that he should be a little calmer about all this. The fact that he hadn't tried hurting himself or the children after learning of the situation should have given him some credit that maybe he was going to be all right in the long run, but to have him be thankful about the brutality and having this forced upon him only hours after? It was a little more than he could bear, and with a scream he flung his arms out and swept aside the dishes laid out before him, sending them smashing towards the floor. He would turn to storm out then, not caring if he still hurt, just wanting to get away from that cold-hearted fiend.

At least three servants came running into the room to clean up the mess Gabriel made. Victor stood up and left as well, heading in the opposite direction of the boy. He didn’t have time for this kind of nonsense.

Lucille saw Gabriel exit the dining hall and followed after him. She didn’t seem nearly as eager as her daytime counterpart. The girl was quiet, somber, usually frowning and pale. She didn’t say anything, but just followed.

Curses flew from Gabriel's lips, and he kicked at the walls of the corridor. He pounded his fists upon the stonework, hitting and punching until his knuckles had split and bled. When he finally reached his room he was spent and fell upon the bed, ignoring his bleeding hands and screaming into his pillow until his throat was once again raw and sore. When the screams died away into dry sobs, he turned his face away. "If it had been anyone but him..." he said, not really talking to Lucille, but once again to himself. “I almost wish I'd ended up with some nightmarish thing with a hundred eyes and a thousand squirming appendages. At least then I wouldn't feel this miserable inside."

Lucille didn’t speak or so much as sigh when she drew a handkerchief from her sleeve, lifted Gabriel’s hand, and started to wipe the blood away. She was clearly a woman of few words, proving herself the complete opposite of Rebecca. How ironic that they were as different as night and day. This woman seemed to have given in to her fate, accepted her life of servitude, but was not at all happy about it. She wasn’t going to tell Gabriel that everything would be all right. Even she didn’t believe that.

Gabriel was almost startled when Lucille came over to him, having honestly forgotten that she was still there. He kept quiet and let her work, but did not look to her or the task at hand. "I'm just going to go to sleep," he told her, thankful that she didn't try to comfort him. He didn't think he could handle that without screaming at her too, and she didn't deserve that. "Thanks," he murmured his gratitude at least.

“Of course.” It wasn’t a complete sentence, but it was all she uttered. With the small task finished, she got up, drew the curtains closed and then left. The door gave a soft click signifying it was closed. Lucille walked on with eyes fixed straight ahead. Only the sound of her shoes could be heard down the dark hall she now traveled. Soon her figure disappeared into a black corridor where the torches were failed to be lit.

Gabriel rolled onto his back and found himself again staring up at that canopy. How often would he be doing that over the next little while? He contemplated heading out, not to escape of course, but perhaps to wander around the castle further? Though there might be a chance of seeing Victor if that was the case, and Gabriel felt sick at the notion of facing the pale Vampire again so soon.

Thus, with a sigh, he decided to change into the provided nightshirt and slip under the covers. The softness of the bed helped to lull him and he found himself stealing a hand under them to brush along his stomach. Tomorrow he would try asking Mary some more questions.

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Rebecca was the one to wake him again. It seemed there would be a routine each morning. She would come in, chattering as usual, open the curtains and then draw his bath. She presented Gabriel with a new pair of pants that would suit him better today and even noticed the small bump beneath his night shirt. Again she offered brining breakfast to him and then went on her merry way.

Groggy and groaning at being awoken, Gabriel had proceeded to the bathroom without a fuss. Though once he'd removed the nightshirt and caught his reflection in the mirror, his jaw dropped. There was a bump. An undeniable bump!

Shaking, his hand came down, hovering over the shape until abruptly making contact. Gabriel's face instantly went red and he choked on a little cry. His fingers moved along himself, tracing out the smooth contour. It was just big enough for him to cup his hand over, which he found himself doing and then rushing to the door, peering outside for Rebecca.

"C-call Mary!" he cried, "Get her in here right away!"

If Rebecca could be credited for anything, it was that she could run as fast as she talked. She was out the door in the blink of an eye and calling out for assistance. The older nurse was a bit slower given her age, but she arrived as quickly as she could. Her old blue eyes caught him peering out from the bathroom with a horrified look on his face.

“Gabriel, dear, what on earth is wrong?”

"I've..." he came out blushing brightly, a towel wrapped around his waist and one hand upon his stomach, trying to hide it. “I'm already growing?" it came out more of a question than a statement, still not quite believing that he could fall asleep and in only a few hours, have gained enough of a belly to recognize on sight. Weren't these things supposed to be gradual? Like having to eventually concede that he no longer fit the same size pants after days or weeks of denial?

“Well, yes, dear,” Mary answered with a shrug like it was the simplest thing. She was so used to the process that she failed to remember Gabriel wasn’t. “You have about a week to come to full term, but you won’t give birth for a long while yet. Victor will have to feed them and make them ready to survive the outside world. This is why I told you to be eating.”

"A week?!" his voice came out in a shrill squeak, and he looked down at himself and the little belly he cupped. So this was only a small growth spurt? "S-so tomorrow... I'll be even bigger?" he tried to imagine it, but found himself unable to do so completely. He was going to be carrying five to eight children, and they were all going to grow to full term in a single week?

"Full term... in a week... but I won't give birth in a week?" Gabriel peeked at Mary in confusion, though a part of him was happy. That meant that if Victor wanted more children, he couldn't accost him again so soon, though would a Vampire want more? He was getting a pretty nice sized batch as it was, even if Gabriel should be on the smaller side of the numbers. "I... I don't understand how you mean, get them ready. Why should he have to do anything?" Because frankly, Gabriel found himself not wanting Victor to be any more a part of this than he'd already been. Victor's job was done, now it was on his shoulders... right?

“About six to seven days. I promise it won’t hurt. Your body will accept the growth as natural.” Mary could see how panicked he was just by looking at him. Her female patients hadn’t been nearly as strung out. “You see…” She gestured with her hands as she tried to think. “They need time to become Vampires. Right now they might as well be human, but they aren’t. It’s complicated. The infants have to actually grow before the changes can take place. Victor helps by…” Mary paused. His body language told her that he’d heard enough, even if he wanted to know more. “That’s enough for today, dear. Take your bath and I’ll do your check-up.”

By what?! A part of him screamed, yet he was already turning away from her and heading back into the bathroom. The door shut and he sagged against it slowly. So by the end of the week, he would be huge and round? Why were his cheeks burning so much at the thought?!

"The heat of the bath, that's what it is!" he told himself, discarding the towel and climbing into the large basin. Would it be large enough to contain him after the changes were complete? He looked around, estimating his eventual size in comparison to the tub, and then brought his hands down to his stomach and ran his fingers along the shape, finding it felt quite nice.

"So you're going to be with me for a few months, eh?" he said, speaking softly so that no one would hear him through the door. "Um, don't get too big, all right? Then... then I won't be able to take you places." Gabriel blushed deeper, he felt like such an idiot, and yet it felt good to be able to talk to himself... and well, it wasn't exactly himself that he was really talking to any more, was it?

Mary went to fetch her bag and then came back to the bedroom to wait for him. She occupied her time by pulling out papers and reading over them. Specifically they were notes and records from all the other pregnancies she had overseen. She wanted to compare them to Gabriel’s progress. So far everything matched and she was feeling positive that everything would go the same way. The old woman did worry, however, about Victor and Gabriel’s relationship. Mary certainly didn’t expect them to be lovers or even friends, but she hoped the tension would fade because any stress on Gabriel’s part could pose a threat to both him and those he carried within.

Gabriel exited the bathroom wearing just a pair of pants from the outfit provided him that day. From the looks of it, it was larger than yesterday's, and in a way that irked him. Did everyone else know about Vampire pregnancies except him? And what sort of clothes were they going to prepare for him once he'd stopped growing? He hoped they didn't make him look like he was wearing a tent, and he chided himself over his own vanity.

With a sigh, he went to sit upon the edge of the bed and looked over to Mary. "All right then, one week, lots of babies... I'm getting my head around that."

She was about to make a joke about his belly soon being too big to get anything around it, but then she remembered that he still didn’t find the situation all that great, so she refrained. Instead she measured around his waist again and scribbled the new number. It had started off with the estimated 24, then a 27 from yesterday, and was now a 35. She nodded approvingly.

“Again, any nausea, cramps, headaches, fatigue?”

"Eleven inches?" Gabriel noted, watching as she jotted down the number, and found himself wondering if that was good or bad? He shook his head of the thought.

"Um, no, none of that stuff," the young man replied, blinking in surprise. Those would be normal symptoms, wouldn't they? "Actually, I feel pretty good. I don't even feel the pains from yesterday. It's like I'm refreshed."

“Just chance symptoms, really. Some get them, some don’t. The reason you feel better is because your body is starting to get those little mutations I told you about. Apart from your muscles and bones, you immune system will strengthen so you’re less vulnerable to disease. All of this only lasts as long as the pregnancy though.” She wrote some more things down. “If you ever have numbness, bleeding, or poor vision, let me know immediately. Now lie down for me.”

Mutations, hm? Gabriel thought to himself as he lay down. It wasn't uncommon for that to happen with the cursed anyway, depending on what they found themselves with.

So he wouldn't get sick, and healing already seemed to be going faster. Mary had said that his body would adapt and get stronger too so that he could handle the large number he'd be carrying. He squirmed a little, it didn't sound like such a bad deal really.

"Who else am I going to turn to if any of that happens?" Gabriel asked, as she was the only expert on the subject here.

“Victor, I suppose, but I’m the only one here who can give you the proper herbs and medicines to remedy any complications you might have. I’m living here in the castle now so it’s not like you won’t be able to reach me.”

Mary showed him her fingers again. It was a little tactic she did to let her patients know she wasn’t going to try anything. She touched his stomach, pressing gently against the soft curve just below his navel. Then she pushed on either side and just above his navel. “Does any of that hurt?”

Gabriel snorted; going to Victor would probably be the absolute last resort. Could he possibly avoid the Vampire for the next however many months? It was clear that Victor didn't think enough of him to want his company, and since the children may not make very good conversationalists for a while... unless they were telepathic, was that a possibility? Gabriel put his thoughts back to the matter at hand, instead of the wild speculations.

"No, doesn't hurt. But," he blushed and looked down at her, "it does feel like you're pressing on something... that doesn't belong to me."

“Well it does, dear.” She smiled and gave his tummy a playful poke. “And it’s right there. I am glad to see you feeling better about all of this. I know it’s hard and the last thing you ever wanted to happen, but don’t hate them, all right? None of this is their fault. Believe it or not, they’ll have affection for you when they’re born.”

"Will... will they recognize me as... the one who carried them?" Gabriel asked, sounding curious and in awe. He'd squeaked at the poking and his hands came to his belly, wondering if that was okay, to be jabbed like that. His cheeks grew dark as he realized that maybe, just a little, he was already becoming attached. Was that the curse talking? Or something much deeper... he couldn't be sure.

"Certainly they will. Gabriel, they aren't little monsters. They can actually grow up quite well-adjusted and happy. Your children will need you to love them, hold them, feed them, protect them... They will need you to be a mother. Trust me. Vampires aren't born ready to take on the world. They're just as dependant as you or I was when we were born."

"Sorry," Gabriel murmured, "I really don't know anything about them, and... I'm so used to this curse giving up nothing but horrible... things." He looked to her then, his pale eyes stern, "I really want to trust you and what you say about them being innocent and... and needing me." He began to squirm and looked away, "But you do work for Vampires, and so far my experience with them has been pretty lousy, so... what if you're just telling me these things so that I don't try anything stupid and hurt his spawn?"

Mary frowned. “Don’t you call them that,” she scolded. “I’m not making any of this up. I may work for Vampires, but my heart and devotion belong to these infants. If I knew they were going to be disgusting, vicious little cretins when they crawled out of you, I would have beaten them to death still inside you with my own two hands. They’re just Vampires, not devils.”

Gabriel was surprised by the passionate note with which she spoke, and brought his hands to his stomach as he sat up. So he would really have to stop thinking of them as being nasty little parasites, and start thinking of them as... innocent children. Gabriel sighed, and knew that she was right. None of this was their fault; they just got caught up in something they had no control over. Of course, their father on the other hand...

"Mary, will Victor... even allow me to raise them?"

She put a hand on his shoulder. “You might not be his mate, but Victor knows how important a role you play in their lives. He knows that his children will need you.”

He’ll also want you to have more, she thought, but dare not say.

“Raising the children will be under his dictation, but you will be allowed to participate.”

"Vampires have mates?" Gabriel asked, as that was yet another bit of information for him amongst the mystery. He looked up at her, again finding that in spite of reservations, he still liked her. She was like a grandmother he never had, and he hoped that she would be around to guide him through all the rest of this strange ordeal.

"I... I want to have a say in how their raised," he pouted, "I mean, they are my children too... sorta. The curse does eliminate human taint, but if Vampires are like human babies at this part... maybe they'll be partly mine?" He blushed, as he wouldn't mind if a couple of them could look like him at least. Dark hair and pale green eyes, they'd be cute.

“Remember what I said about Vampires having those same relational needs as humans? That includes mates. Victor is very capable of love. He’s just experienced pain too many times to let himself feel it again. I’m sure you know about his wife. I didn’t want to call you the same thing and make you feel embarrassed. My point is, the Victor who married the man in the portrait is the same Victor who is fathering these children, he’s just… a little scarred.”

Mary nodded sympathetically to Gabriel’s wish. “That’s something you’d have to discuss with Victor. As much as you’d like to, you can’t avoid him forever, dear.”

"That... seems so hard to believe," the young man replied, thinking of the pale master of this castle, who had laughed while he screamed in pain and then sat at the dinner table and gave off an impression of cold, unfeeling stone.

Gabriel's brow was knitted as he looked back up to the woman, "Are you sure I can't? I don't think he'd mind."

“Do what’s best for them.” Mary leaned over slightly and put her hand over the little curve of his stomach. She couldn’t help feeling overjoyed that she yet again got to work with such tiny, fragile creatures.

Gabriel pouted, blushing when he felt her weathered hand upon his bare stomach. It was warm and comforting, and the touch felt good upon his smooth bump. "I'll... have to think about that."

Right now, he felt that the best thing would be to just stay away from Victor, and not go through the stress that seemed to go with being around the Vampire. Though would that be fair to the children? When they were born Victor could see them, but that still didn't seem right. Why did this have to be complicated? Couldn't he just hate Victor forever and occasionally bad mouth him to the kids?

"Please do." She withdrew her hand and straightened up. "Everything seems fine. I want you to go eat now, all right? You need a lot of energy to do the kind of growing you'll go through. Not to mention those little ones need to be fed as well."

Gabriel blushed and rubbed the back of his neck, "Y-yeah, I guess it's off to the kitchen to make a glutton out of myself. I have a lot of mouths to feed, after all." But it didn't seem as bad as it sounded, and there was maybe even a touch of happiness in that green gaze.

Yeah, this won't be so bad. I can handle being pampered and spoiled and being a parent down the line. I mean, it can't be any worse than hunting werewolves or crawling through crypts for zombies, right?

Mary smiled. “That’s a good boy.” She packed up her things and left.

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Gabriel wasn’t alone for two minutes before the bubbly Rebecca came in. “I heard somebody say food!” She went with him down to the kitchen. Even while she partook in some of the food, she didn’t stop talking. “So, what do you want to do today? We can play cards. I can set up the studio for you to paint in. You can see the gallery. Lord Mihalache displays all his paintings, at least the ones he likes. The orchestra can play for you. We can go outside if you like. There’s fishing, horse riding, gardening. Anything you want to do, you name it.”

Gabriel rolled his eyes, wondering how it was possible that the girl didn't choke. He ate his own share in silence, and in spite of the hunger that had been gnawing with greater urgency since he awoke, he kept to his manners as he repeatedly loaded up his plate.

When he'd finally had his share, he leaned back in his chair with a sigh and rubbed at his belly, blushing as he realized the shirt he wore now felt less loose upon him and perhaps even a little snug. "Guess we all needed that," he murmured to himself, and to his stomach as a small smile drifted along his lips.

He contemplated forgoing all the suggestions that Rebecca had given him and just heading back to his bedchamber for a nap. Perhaps he would find himself grown even more when he awoke from it, and Gabriel was startled to find that he was excited over the prospect. Cheeks flushed, he shook his head, trying to dissuade those thoughts and emotions. "Well, I think that maybe taking a look at those paintings would be good for a start." He had to find some redeemable quality in Victor, and the sooner the better.

“He’s very humble about his work. A lot of people have complimented him, but he still insists he is mediocre.” Rebecca gestured for him to follow. Numerous more hallways eventually landed them at their destination. There were a lot of paintings. Many of them were landscapes; nightscapes to be specific. There were also portraits of servants, some were deceased and others were still around. Victor indeed had skill, but it was at an unrefined level. His was a talent that was never nurtured in an art school. It was only a hobby though.

"These are good," Gabriel remarked, and though he could perhaps spot a few critics here and there, he was quite impressed. He moved from one picture to the next, taking in the details and the techniques used. He'd never really been one for art, finding that he was better left to appreciate the works of others than to engage in the craft himself. "Does he have a studio here where he works?" he asked, looking up from one of the landscapes.

She nodded. “He does. It’s actually right down the hall. Lord Mihalache says you are free to use it. The only rule is that any paintings covered by a sheet are not to be looked at.”

"Maybe I should start taking some of these rules down," Gabriel replied, rolling his eyes. It was like walking on eggshells in this place. The young man took a little longer in browsing the pieces, though was finding it hard to believe that someone as cold as Victor could produce such nice work. Then again, maybe that was just because he'd been expecting something darker, more edgy, and macabre.

"Well, I guess we should move on. This castle seems huge to me, so please, show me more."

“Sure. The castle is divided into four wings; north, south, east, and west. There are five floors as well, six including the underground. The upper floor is mostly empty chambers. They were used as holding cells a few hundred years ago. Most of them hold valuables passed down through the family.”

They were out in the hall again and she gestured here and there. “This is the west wing, or the art wing. Here you can find the gallery, three music rooms, two game parlors, and an artifact room. The east wing is the combat wing. There you’ll find training rooms and many show rooms that case weapons based on time period. The north wing is where the library is. It is actually the largest room in the castle spanning three floors.”

Gabriel was amazed; the castle sounded like it could have been some illustrious school or even the site of an entire town. It catered to a little bit of everything it seemed, and the young man was curious as to where he should place most of his attention. "Guess I won't get bored any time soon," he told himself, contemplating musical pursuits or continuing on his training. What would it be like, trying to wield a weapon when you were off balanced by your own swollen body? Then of course, the library would offer him the sort of studying he'd only too recently realized he was sorely lacking.

"Uh, and the south wing?"

“That would be the recreational wing. It’s where you found the greenhouse, and outside is the garden. You’ll also find the stables there. Lord Mihalache owns thirty purebred horses that are trained specifically for riding. There is a place to have tea and play croquet. So…” Rebecca turned to face him. “What would you like to see?”

Gabriel couldn't remember the last time he'd ridden a horse, let alone owned one. They often got pulled down by the prey and turned into meals. He put a hand to his stomach, though riding did sound like a refreshing activity, he wasn’t sure he should be doing so until he received Mary's authority on the matter.

"Um, do you have to come with me everywhere?" he blurted out, looking to the bubbly young woman. He knew that the words may come off as a bit harsh, but was he to have a constant escort even within the palace walls?

Rebecca’s cheerful demeanor fell at that. “I was ordered by Lord Mihalache to stay by your side and cater to your needs. I know you don’t like me being here. You make it very clear by the way you act around me, but orders are orders. If you want to be left alone, you have to ask my master about that. Until you do, I am staying with you.”

Gabriel sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, so that's how it would be. He didn't want to get the girl into trouble if he brought the issue up with Victor, but at the same time he couldn't stand to keep this ball and chain trailing along after him and hampering him.

"Well, why don't we go see those horses at least and get some fresh air? I've been kept indoors since I came here, so enough of that." He made a flourished gesture and offered a small smile at least, "Lead the way my dear."

Where her smile would have normally returned, she continued to frown. Rebecca didn’t say much else on their way to the south wing of the castle. It was her hope that by keeping a cheerful attitude it would make both of their situations not so bad, but obviously Gabriel didn’t appreciate her either way. Soon they could smell fresh air which meant they were getting closer to an outer door. It was in fact two iron double doors that she forced open with a bit of effort. There was a bright flash as the sun came pouring in.

Outside they walked across the grass toward the stables.

When the smile did not come back, Gabriel found himself relieved, though also a touch concerned. He waved the matter off however and continued on in silence. He raised a hand to shield his eyes and squinted at the sudden income of bright light, realizing then just how dark parts of the castle could be. But as the crisp air reached him, he took in a deep breath and smiled, filling his lungs with the outdoors.

"So Vampires don't go up in smoke when the sunlight touches them, is that right?" he asked as they walked, tipping his face towards the light but also holding a hand carefully to his stomach.

“That’s right. If Lord Mihalache comes into contact with sunlight, he just becomes severely burned.” They came to the stables. Many of the horses were out and running through a gated field. There were also a number of stable servants busy cleaning stalls, brushing the horses and preparing feed.

Great, another question for Mary. What if it was unsafe for him to bring the children outside, even while they were inside of him at the time? To be safe, Gabriel wondered if maybe he should start adjusting his own schedule for later in the evenings. It would lessen the work for Rebecca at least, so she wouldn't have to try so hard and be cheerful with him.

"I've never seen horses this nice," he complimented, watching as some servants groomed one of the fine animals. "They look to be fine animals."

“Lord Mihalache has some of the most sought after horses in the land. They are the fastest and most enduring you will ever find. They will follow their rider anywhere, even head on into danger.”

One of the horses, a black and white mare specifically, came to the door of her stall as Gabriel walked by. She whinnied at him and softly nuzzled her snout to his belly when he came near. Her own colt was asleep in the corner of the stall.

Gabriel blushed brightly but did not shrink back from her friendly nuzzling, and scratched at her long brow. He peered into the stall and felt a flush of warmth move through him at the sight of the tiny colt. "Such a beauty. Do you think mine will be as lovely?" he asked her softly, finding the moment to be rather surreal, yet so very wonderful and peaceful. "What's this pretty lady's name?" he asked Rebecca, flashing her a bright smile.

The girl returned the smile. She seemed to be feeling a little better. “Her name is Semine, and her colt is Arthur. She was bred with Azazel.” She pointed to a stallion that was running out in the field. He was black all over and easily twice the size of the other horses. “Only Lord Mihalache can ride Azazel.”

"Now that is one impressive beast," Gabriel noted, and then looked over to Semine, "Your boy is probably going to get just as big. You must be so proud." He gave the mare a few more affectionate scratches and pats upon the head before moving on to take a look at some of the other beasts and wanting to watch those that were carrying on outside. "On the subject of animals, what's the story with the dogs? Those, um... ah yes, Borzoi. They seem to be the only things that he pays any attention to really."

“My master has always had an affection for dogs, even before he was a Vampire. I believe he just finds them to be beautiful and interesting creatures. It is also my understanding that the Borzoi has been the family dog for generations.”

Perhaps it was something he clung onto as part of his past, Gabriel thought to himself, going up to the fence that enclosed the horses to their select space. "All those portraits from the front hall, those were of his human family, aren't they?"

“Yes.” Rebecca came to stand beside him and watched the horses. “Lord Mihalache was the first Vampire in his family. His wife was the last to die. He was turned shortly after, having been bitten while mourning at Allen’s grave. My master won’t admit it, but he gets very lonely. That’s why there are so many servants. He doesn’t care about us as individuals, but he likes the company.”

Allen, Gabriel turned the name over in his head, matching it to the beautiful portrait at the end of the hall. Somehow it was not the kind of name he would have thought for that unique figure. Having considered a name more in tune with expressing loveliness, like that of a flower.

"Sounds like a rather horrible time to be made into a Vampire," Gabriel thought with a little pout, "do you know if it was forced upon him or if he went into it willingly?"

Rebecca shook her head. “He was attacked. My father told me the story. Lord Mihalache was bringing flowers out to Allen’s grave. He was there for hours, even after it got dark outside. He would cry on many occasions. That’s when a Vampire came into the cemetery. My master begged for mercy. He pleaded to be left alone to mourn and suffer, but his Sire said he did not know true suffering. That’s when he bit Lord Mihalache and drained away his humanity.”

And you would think that a man who had had such a situation thrust upon him would understand and not make the same brutal decisions. Gabriel shook his head, or maybe that was the thing about having your humanity taken away, you rationalized things differently and forgot what it was like to be under such conditions, like they'd happened to another person.

"Was he a different type of person as a man, before becoming a Vampire? Was he always this cold?"

“I can’t say for sure, but according to my father, he was actually very nice. It seemed Allen was all he needed to be happy, but when he died, my master became very depressed. He wouldn’t talk to people, he wouldn’t eat, he didn’t paint, and he would keep himself locked away for days at a time. Being turned into a Vampire pushed him over the edge, I think. Nothing in his life mattered anymore so he just stopped caring. Sometimes I think he remembers what it was like to love.” She turned and looked at Gabriel then. “That’s why he did this to you. He wants kids so he can love them and be loved in returns. That’s my theory anyway.”

Gabriel held her gaze for a moment, and then turned back to the open field, "That's a nice theory though," he admitted, and felt oddly wounded. He pushed passed the strange emotion and placed a hand to his stomach, lifting his chin up proudly, "Well if he thinks that dropping a few kids into someone is going to make them automatically like him when they come out, then he's got another thing coming to him. I swear, from now on, he'd better make an effort. They're growing inside of me, and mine as far as I'm concerned, and if he wants anything to do with them, he'll have to have something to do with me first." His cheeks were flushed from the passion his own words invoked within him, and he was surprised to have found that he'd said them in the first place. But, they stuck. "I'm not becoming all matronly, am I?" he asked Rebecca, his eyes wide as he looked to her and rubbed the back of his neck.

She giggled a little. “By the sounds of that speech, I would have to say yes.”

Gabriel hissed a curse and pouted, looking down to his stomach as it just poked out the front of his shirt and gave it a little rub, "Well geez. I wake up with a sure fire sign of life in my belly, and the next thing you know, I'm starting to think about how cute they'll look in matching outfits and booties." He let out a deep sigh and shook his head, "This has to be some sort of magical bull shit." Though if it was, he noted privately, it was some rather nice magical BS.

“Magic can’t make you care about something, not the way you obviously care about those babies.” That’s when another servant came running over to them from the castle. He approached Rebecca and whispered something to her. She looked at Gabriel and seemed reluctant to relay the message, but knew she didn’t have a choice. “My master wishes to see you.”

Gabriel found his cheeks growing warmer still. Did he really care about them? It had only been two days. Yet his hand lingered over his stomach, protective and comforting. "See me?" the young man's brows drew in, and he nodded to her. The reason for the summons didn't matter, and they would go without further hesitation.

Rebecca walked with a quickened pace. Her master was not to be kept waiting. They came to the library where Victor liked to keep himself. She knocked on the door and then opened it for Gabriel. The girl did not follow him in.

Inside the vast room were walls upon walls of books. Stairs and ladders gave access to the upper levels where banisters made room for walking. If one looked up far enough, they would see the heavenly mural painted on the ceiling. Victor was seated in a large chair in front of a lit fireplace reading a book.

This was his first time in the library, though he had anticipated seeing it at some point. His eyes were round as he took in the beauty of the place and the weight of wisdom within it. His fingers came out to brush along the spines of old and cared for tomes, and a smile came to his lips. Surely he could find any piece of knowledge he needed in here, and rather wished that this sort of education had been available to him in his formative years. A blush touched his cheeks as he thought of how fortunate his children would be, and how he might start getting them used to learning sooner than later.

His expression turned cool as he approached Victor and the warmth of the fire. He stood and looked over the pale Vampire, "You called for me," he drawled, making his presence known, though it was likely the Vampire had recognized him the moment he'd entered and just didn't care enough to stop what he was doing.

Victor closed the book and set it aside. “I spoke with Mary a short while ago.” He met Gabriel’s eyes. “She said you’ve started to show. I want to see.”

Gabriel met that icy cool gaze steadily, his own pale eyes staring straight back and without wavering. He suddenly stepped forward and took hold of one of Victor's hands and placed it upon his stomach. "Eleven inches," he said softly, "at least first thing in the morning." His sizeable meal after the examination had helped to increase that, and he couldn't be certain that they hadn't been still growing throughout the rest of the day.

Was that… surprise on the Vampire’s face? Surely not. There was also no way a gleam of joy could be shining in those icy eyes of his. He moved his hand over the obviously curved surface. Victor started to lift the hem of Gabriel’s shirt, but then he stopped. Their eyes met again. “May I?” he ventured carefully.

Gabriel had started to tense as he felt his shirt being lifted, and was caught off guard when the Vampire actually asked. Eyeing the pale man warily, he took hold of the shirt's hem himself and began to lift it. If he refused, would Victor get angry and use those claws upon him? His cheeks grew warm as he revealed the domed shape of his belly, and he stared into the fire.

His fingers were actually trembling a little when they made contact with the warm, still living flesh. Victor rubbed the small round belly. His flat hand moved in slow circles and with great intention, almost as if he were trying to make contact with the tiny lives inside. He glanced up at Gabriel and saw how embarrassed he was. Perhaps there was something he could say?

“I’m… proud of you…” the Vampire said. His hand still resting on the young man’s front.

Gabriel bit at his lips to keep himself from making a sound. These hands felt so different from Mary's, the way they moved and their texture. He concentrated upon the flickering flames, though Victor's voice reached him loud and clear. He turned back, uncertainty lingering in his pale gaze. "I... didn't do much," he murmured in response, keeping his shirt lifted while that hand remained upon him. "But... I will be taking care of them," he said, and though his tone was soft, it was sincere.

“I am very glad to hear it.” Victor drew his hand back. He was done for now. “I trust Rebecca has been showing you around and seeing to your needs? She’s one of my more lively servants and I thought you might like her more than drab, quiet ones. I thought you’d like having a conversationalist around.”

So that was it? Gabriel pulled his shirt back down and smoothed out the wrinkles from it, following the shape of his stomach under the fabric. Somehow, he'd thought... he gave himself a quick little shake, not entirely sure what he'd thought. "She has been. Her... cheerfulness, does take some getting used to though. Although," he looked to Victor, "must I be watched constantly? There's no place I could go, even if I did run, and it seems that I've already become so attached to those growing inside me that I wouldn't dream of hurting them, so do you really have to have me treated like.. like a dog that might be rabid?"

"That wasn't my intention," Victor protested. "My servants aren't here to watch you; they're here to serve you. It's there job. If you hadn't noticed I always have two or three around who will do things for me on hand. Rebecca is there to help you get around the castle, bring you food if you don't feel like getting it your self, answer your questions, keep you company, do activities with you. Would you rather have a male companion?"

Gabriel suddenly felt embarrassed, was that how servants operated? It felt so confining though. "I... no, she should be fine," he replied, unsure if he'd honestly feel any more comfortable about this with a man. Maybe if he wasn't in the kind of state that he was in, but as such, it might be too awkward. "I'm not used to this type of life you've trapped me in."

"I'm doing my best to give you as much leisure as possible. You can go outside, you can eat what you want, you can go into town, and I’ve practically given you my home. What else is it going to take to make you feel welcome?"

"I... I guess I can't answer that," Gabriel replied, his shoulders sagging. "It's happening so fast, you can't expect me to be used to it within a day or two. I'm having to accept that I'm pregnant with a large amount of children that will quite grow in a matter of days, and being treated like treasured pearl on a velvet pillow, when just last week I was crawling in the muck, trying to sneak up on a Banshee and keep the growling of my stomach from giving my location away."

"You are a treasure." Too bad the words weren't warm or loving at all. "It is for that very reason you are a treasure. You came in my time of need. You are exactly what I needed. How can I not be a little grateful and treat you like the precious thing you are?" Victor sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I am just trying to make this easy for you. That's all."

Gabriel shook his head, pretty words, but they were so cold. "I'm your gift from the Gods... but you don't even like me, do you?" He put his hands to his belly and looked down upon it, he was perhaps grateful for this opportunity as well, though he would have liked it presented to him better. "There's more to this than making things easy on me physically."

Victor shook his head. "You can't ask that of me. You aren't Allen. You haven't earned my heart, dead as it may be."

"I'm not asking for your heart," Gabriel replied, surprised that Victor was even suggesting it, and folded his arms over his chest, "What I am asking for is that you... don't treat me like I'm some tool or just another servant. You are not my Lord. I never swore loyalty or service to you. What I am, is the... mother to your children." He wasn't sure if mother was the right term, given that he was a man, but for now it would do.

Victor then nodded slightly. He knew Gabriel had a point. "You are right." His hand slipped up under the tunic without permission this time, and he again rubbed the rounded flesh. "You do carry my children, and that makes you more important than any servant. Perhaps I can be more... civil towards you."

Gabriel couldn't stop the yelp that escaped his lips, he hadn't been expecting Victor to touch him again so soon, but he did not protest or fight, just stood there with his cheeks burning. "It would be nice if you could at least make the effort, is all I'm asking for."

"Than that is what I shall do." Even though he was talking to Gabriel, he wouldn't take his eyes off the young man's stomach. "I'm afraid I won't be joining you for dinner tonight. There is some business I have to take care of. I do expect to see you here tomorrow though so that I can see your progress."

"Yes, yes, I had a feeling that that will be part of the routine," Gabriel replied, rolling his eyes and looking about the library absently, anywhere except the pale Vampire. "I hear that you hide out here often during the day, would it be all right if I came here sometimes? I won't bother you, but I wouldn't mind taking advantage of all this."

"Feel free to do as you wish." Victor drew back again. This time he actually sat back in the chair and picked his book up again. "You may stay, if you like. My books are in order by genre and alphabet. If you need something up high, please let me know and I will get it for you. It's not that I don't trust you on a ladder. I would just rather not take chances. You understand, right?"

"I understand, delicate condition and all," he replied, feeling a little relieved when Victor withdrew, though he did not look back at the Vampire just yet. "I suppose I should get used to it also, since by the end of the week I'm not going to be able to move as well as I'm used to." He began to move away, and approached the nearest shelves, though continued to speak, "Mary says that my body will change to accommodate the children, and I rather hope that means I'll be strong enough to get around without feeling too weighted down. Since it may be months before their born, I don't want to spend that time bedridden."

"All the women my Sire has had children with were able to get around just fine. Some of them even had more than you, of course, they were turned into Vampires first. My Sire is the type to like a harem. He has many wives and many, many children. It is my plan to keep only you by side to bear my legacy. You have plenty of years left in you. I'm sure you will do a wonderful job of bearing all my children."

"Oh? So I'm doing this more than once, am I?" That came as news to him, though not entirely unexpected. "Is it a Vampire thing to like having such big families?" Gabriel casually pulled down a book, and looked through the contents as he spoke, then replaced it and went on looking through the selection before him.

Victor looked up from his reading. "Of course you are. You'll do it as often as you can. Humans outnumber us still by the tens of thousands. We don't want to be the minority. We want our children the fair chance of inheriting the earth, so we must have as many as possible."

Gabriel supposed that made sense, and was probably how humans felt long ago when they bred indiscriminately and abundantly. "While I don't mind the reasoning, do you really think that I'll be letting you do something like that to me again?" his tone rang bitterly, even if it would be months before that happened, he would not allow himself to be treated so roughly and cruelly.

"I promise to be better next time," he said simply and returned to his book.

"Better he says," Gabriel scoffed, patting his stomach lightly. He was getting hungry again and figured that it would perhaps be best to go take care of that now. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then," he told the Vampire, nodding his head lightly in farewell.

"I shall see you then," Victor replied while still not looking up from his book. His sharp ears listened as the door opened, clicked shut, and feet faded down the hall. The Vampire couldn't help the smile that was creeping across his lips hidden behind his hand.

"Marvelous..."

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As Gabriel stirred to wake the next morning, awoken by an intruding slant of light peeking in through the curtains, he immediately became aware of a tightness around him, and finding that he could not shift back into a comfortable position without addressing the issue, the young man pushed back the covers in hopes of seeing to the nature of the disturbance.

The haze of sleep was quickly dispelled by the sight that greeted him as he looked down. The nightshirt that he'd donned before bed had been pulled taut against the shape of his belly, now increased in size from only hours before.

"Oh... w-wow," Gabriel gulped, putting a hand to it and blushing brightly as he confirmed that the shape was real and that it belonged entirely to him.

Swinging his legs out over the side of the bed, he slowly pulled himself up; though found that he didn't feel as encumbered as he thought he might have in this sort of situation. He could feel the weight of something inside him, but it did not burden him. "Must be my body getting used to it before me," he murmured to himself.

Looking around, he was somewhat surprised to find that this morning he'd roused himself from sleep without the help of his daytime servant girl. "Guess I'm already getting into the routine of things. Well, I guess a bath… and we'll see how this really looks," his cheeks grew warm again as he set a hand to his belly and wandered to the bathroom. He found his heart fluttering with anticipation for what Mary's measurements would say today.

Rebecca came into the room and was surprised to see Gabriel already out of bed. She laid his new clothes out, opened the curtains, and then went to the washroom door. "Mister Gabriel?" She knocked on the wood and put her ear to it. "Did you manage to heat the bath on your own? Sometimes the embers are hard to handle."

Rebecca came into the room and was surprised to see Gabriel already out of bed. She laid his new clothes out, opened the curtains, and then went to the washroom door. "Mister Gabriel?" She knocked on the wood and put her ear to it. "Did you manage to heat the bath on your own? Sometimes the embers are hard to handle."

Gabriel looked up from his work in stoking the embers, "Don't worry," he called back to her, "I've had to heat my own baths before." Granted they'd never been so spacious as this one, but the process was the same anywhere and even though his belly was bigger now, he'd be damned if he'd give up all his independence at the drop of a hat.

Still, since Rebecca was there to work, he might as well have her do something while he soaked himself. "Could you get me some waffles and fruit for breakfast? And a pair of scissors?" Standing up straight, he twisted a piece of hair around his fingers; it would be a good time for a cut today.

"Of course, Mister Gabriel. I'll be sure to tell Mary that you're awake now, too." Her exit was confirmed by the sound of the bedroom door clicking shut. The girl seemed a bit chipper this morning, but she made sure to keep it toned down for Gabriel.

Gabriel would allow himself to soak into the waters, which although warmed, were not so scented this morning, seeing as how he'd prepared it himself. Briefly he mourned the absence of the mountains of foam and bubbles around him, though took pleasure in the fact that without them, he could look down and see his grown stomach.

When his fingers had pruned, and the embers had died down, the young man pulled himself up and proceeded to dry himself off, blushing each time he caught a look at his body in the mirror. So strange the he would be content to loose the flat, hard stomach of before and have it replaced with a burgeoning belly.

Wrapping the towel about his waist and just beneath his stomach, he returned to the bedroom.

"Good morning dear," Mary greeted. She was already waiting for him, sitting on the bed, and his breakfast was also waiting on the dresser. The old woman smiled warmly at Gabriel. "Oh my, just look at you. How are you feeling? I trust the nausea has been kept at bay."

Gabriel smiled and seemed to glow with shy pride at her observation, setting a hand to his stomach gently while the other kept a careful hand upon the towel around him. "I feel great, honestly. Hungry of course," his smile grew and he eyed the meal awaiting him, "but otherwise, just… great."

"I'm very glad to hear it. Just give me about ten minutes and you can have at those waffles, hm?" Mary stood up and fetched the things from her bag. She held up the measuring tape. "You know the drill now. Take a seat for me. So, would you like to take a guess?"

"A-a guess?" Gabriel asked, his gaze shifting from the tape in Mary's hands to her face. He smiled a little self consciously, but sat down and had yet to remove his hand from his stomach or to stop lightly rubbing the same spot. "Um… I guess I got another ten inches or so?"

"Ten inches? Well let's see." She gently swatted his hand away and wrapped the tape around him. "49 inches," she announced. "Compared to yesterday's 35 that makes fourteen inches. You were very close." Mary withdrew the tape and fished an old-fashioned, one-eared stethoscope from her bag. She put the piece in her ear and pressed the leather stretched cone to his chest.

Gabriel felt a flush of delighted warmth move through him. He was bigger than he'd expected, which hopefully meant that the children were growing strong and healthy within him.

He watched Mary curiously, but though he was again teeming with questions, he remained silent for her examination.

"Heart sounds good, not working too hard. Take a deep breath for me dear?"

Gabriel sucked in a deep breath, and would let it out when given permission. He was unable to help himself as a few of those bottled up questions began to pour out with it, "Can you tell yet how many I'm carrying? Will I feel them move soon? I hear that's a pretty big step, when you feel movements. I'm a little nervous about that, I mean with so many, is it going to feel like they're trying to kick and punch their way out of me?"

Mary laughed. She did her best to listen to the young man's lungs through his series of questions. "I'll mostly likely be able to tell either tonight or tomorrow morning at the latest. You probably won't feel movement until the day after tomorrow. Kicks aren't normally felt until the sixth or seventh month anyway. No, don't worry about that sort of thing. The kicks will feel normal and not like an escape method." She pulled back and gestured for him to lie down. "Last thing."

"I'm really going to have to wait that long?" Gabriel replied, and could not hide the disappointment in his tone. While he was nervous, it did mean feeling a bit more motherly. His brow furrowed. "So what sorts of movements will I feel then?" It was all so new to him after all, and he had to remind himself that it wasn't human children he was carrying. They were the product of a Vampire's seed.

He lay down, and as he stared up to the canopy, briefly considered putting something there to make the view a little less boring.

"The long wait will be worth it, Gabriel, dear. You'll also have plenty of time to enjoy it." Mary did her routine check of his belly, pressing gently against the skin with her well trained fingers. "Be sure to tell me if anything hurts. What sort of movements? Little kicks here and there, sometimes against your stomach, sometimes against your rib cage. They might press into things like your liver or bladder, but a gentle nudge with your hand should get them to change position. You might even feel elbows, feet and hands at times. You'll also be able to feel them roll over, especially at night."

"Wow, sounds like they'll be busy turning somersaults inside me," Gabriel remarked, and found himself noting how different her hands were to Victor's, and blushed a little. He squirmed and switched his focus to some other subject. "Um, I was kinda wondering about that. I mean, the day and night sort of things. Is it okay for me to be outside in the sun? I know they're inside me, but will they be affected by the sun's light? And should I maybe get into the habit of being up at night more often? Not that it'd be too hard an adjustment, a lot of the things I hunt... er, used to hunt, came out at night also."

"Yes, dear, the babies are quite safe inside you. I wouldn't recommend exposing yourself to direct sunlight. As long as you're clothed everything will be fine." She cupped her hand under his belly and gave it a tender rub, going into grandmother mode. "Switching to more of an evening and night schedule might be good though, so that you and Victor could get more acquainted."

"Ah, right." Again he squirmed, though wasn't sure why he did so at the mention of Victor's name. "Guess that wouldn't be too bad. Um, is there anything that I shouldn't do? I went to see the horses yesterday, and was told that I could go riding, but I wanted to run it by you before I attempted something like that."

"I suppose you could if you take it slow, and I strongly suggest riding side saddle."

Gabriel uttered a soft puff of laughter, and put a hand back to his stomach. "Guess I'll have to, won't I? So no galloping, right? That should be all right." He sat back up, careful to keep the towel around him as he did so.

"Is it weird that I'm accepting this so easily?" he asked, rubbing his stomach and looking down at it. "I sometimes wonder if it's really me that's taking this all in, or if it might be the curse that's making me think this way." His hand moved up to the rose upon his chest, but just settled there briefly.

Mary started jotting down notes. "Well, I wouldn't say it was unusual. Hormones can make one feel very maternal without it being a false notion. I don't know much about your curse so I can't really judge based on that." She then put her things away to leave. "I suppose we'll find out after they're born."

Gabriel nodded, though her words gave him something to think about. Would he be feeling this content and caring all through the pregnancy, but then "wake-up," as if from a dream, and find himself hating what had happened and for bringing such children into the world? Gabriel wrapped his arms about himself, and hoped desperately that that wouldn't be the case. He was just going with the flow, and since he couldn't change his situation, shouldn't he at least enjoy it?

"Oh, Mary, is Victor around? He said that he had things to do last night, and... I was just wondering if he was back." He tried to shrug the matter off as if it were nothing, though he was curious as to just what sort of business a Vampire had to attend to.

The old woman nodded. "I'm sure he's down in the library. You get dressed and eat up, and then you can go see him. When Victor has business to attend to, it means he has to go feed. I think it's only fair that you know that."

"Oh," was all Gabriel could manage, and his mind was suddenly filled with thoughts and questions on just who Victor could have fed from last night. Was it one of the servants, or did he go out into the town to have his pick from the locals? His stomach began to grumble at him, and he realized that he should probably eat that breakfast now. "Thanks again, Mary," he said, smiling at the grandmotherly old woman.

"No need to thank me, dear. It's my pleasure." That's when she gave him one last smile before walking out.

Gabriel watched her go, and then proceeded to go collect his breakfast, making short work of it before he put on today's latest bit of clothing. He blushed happily and beamed as he ran his hands along his stomach, it jutted out with little chance of being missed and somehow he found himself rather proud of that. "Geez, I'm becoming some silly woman whose been knocked up with some Lord's heir." He tipped his head to the side and considered his own words then, and found that there was actually some credit to that. It was several heirs that he'd been knocked up with, but he was most definitely still a man, physically at least. He shook his head, the slightly damp hair brushing along his shoulders and cheeks, which reminded him on if Rebecca had brought those scissors he'd requested.

The scissors had in fact been brought up. The axeled silver blades were set on the dresser next to one of the Borzoi figures. She had even provided a small hand mirror so he could see the back of his head. There was also a comb.

Gabriel had to take this as a sign of trust, being allowed to receive such a sharp and potentially dangerous tool. He had no intentions of using it as a weapon, and was pleased that they hadn't seemed to think he would either.

With help from the mirror and comb, Gabriel proceeded to cut his hair into a shorter fashion. When he was done, what he had wasn't exactly the most stylish, but it did end up giving him a more masculine appearance. He wasn't Allen, and even if he was pregnant, he didn't want to be considered as a woman.

Rebecca knocked and poked her head in through the door. "Mister Gabriel, if you are ready, my mater wishes to see you." She caught sight of his greatly increased girth and covered her mouth as a soft giggle escaped her.

"Really, so early?" Gabriel blinked, but as before, he had no reason to refuse the summons. Probably the Vampire just wanted to check out his growth again, and Gabriel grew warm and hoped the Vampire would be happy with it.

He brushed off a few remaining strands of hair from his shoulders, then blinked and looked to the girl as he noted her laughter, "What is it?"

She shook her head. "You just look so... different, is all. I've only seen one or two pregnant people in my life, but none of them were men. I also think you look kind of cute." Rebecca opened the door and waved at Gabriel to follow her. "What does it feel like?" she inquired innocently as they made their way down the stairs.

Gabriel rubbed the back of his neck bashfully, his fingers briefly toying with the shortened hair against it, "I don't think there are many pregnant men in this world to begin with, so I guess I'm kinda special that way." He could only blush at the comment of being cute, unsure if he was flattered or embarrassed. Not many men wanted to be cute, did they? And he wasn't sure if he was among the few. "Feel like? Well... it's really weird to wake up and find that you've grown so much, that's for sure, but at the same time... it feels pretty good. Knowing that the children are getting big, that they're alive and thriving." He shook his head. "And I feel so strange just saying that, but I mean it all the same."

Rebecca smiled and nodded. "Well, it all sounds lovely. I hope to have children one day. I rather like that boy, the one I was talking to the other day, and I sometimes think about marrying him."

"Well then, I wish you luck in that. You'd have such lovely children, I think," Gabriel replied, imagining that they would have her brilliant smile and cheerful nature as well. He also tried to imagine how things could have been if he'd been able to have a happily ever after ending, where he could have been married before this happened to him. Of course, that would have likely been to a woman and she would have been carrying his children.

They soon arrived at the library. She knocked on the door to let Victor know they were there and then let Gabriel inside. "Call if you need me," the girl said before closing it again.

"I will. Thanks again for all your work and help," he told her just before the door closed. Again he took his time in approaching Victor, one hand to his stomach and his cheeks warmed with pride.

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Victor of course heard them before they even came to the door, but he decided to be gracious and act normal, not bombarding the young man when he came in. "Good morning, Gabriel," he greeted. The Vampire turned from his place near one of the shelves. His eyes gleamed briefly at the sight of his host and he couldn't help walking swiftly to meet him. "Show me," Victor insisted firmly, yet with surprising warmth in his voice.

Gabriel peered up at Victor for a moment, catching that little flicker and the note of warmth. With a soft sigh, he proceeded to lift up his top again and held the edge of it against his chest. Strange, he'd been hoping that Victor would be happy with the growth, but now that he'd seen that Victor was, he felt strangely saddened. He shook his head and smiled to the Vampire, "Pretty amazing, isn't it?"

"Simply marvelous." Victor laid a hand on each side of the growing belly, rubbing just slightly. "I wouldn't have imagined they would be doing so well. You were an excellent choice. They're obviously thriving in you. Tell me, did you eat yet today? You are taking care of them aren't you?"

Again, Victor's hands seemed so different than Mary's, and Gabriel did his best to hold still as the other rubbed. Looking up at the Vampire, he pouted, not liking the implications of those questions. "I told you yesterday that I would, and I mean to stick by that completely. I want these children to be healthy, just as much as you do."

Victor just nodded. "Yes, of course, I just want to be careful. I don't think you realize how important this is to me." The Vampire lord got down on one knee and pressed his ear against Gabriel's front. His incredibly acute hearing was able to pick up the sound of little heartbeats. He tried to count them, but couldn't distinguish one from the other. "Marvelous..." he said again in a whisper.

"Well, you've certainly given me some sort of inclination," Gabriel replied, jumping a little as Victor got down and came so close. He looked to the top of that pale head, and after a moment's hesitation, reached down to brush his fingers tentatively through the flaxen locks.

The Vampire hissed and pulled back. "What do you think you are doing? You are not to touch me, not without my permission. You are a host. That's it. You have your place and you'd do well to stay in it."

Gabriel's own pale eyes narrowed and he pulled down his shirt hurriedly to cover himself up. Here he'd been thinking that maybe they'd had a moment, and it stung that clearly Victor didn't believe so.

"Then don't you touch me either!" he shouted back, "If all I am is a host, then you're going to have to wait a few months to truly enjoy your legacy, and for the children to be free of this vessel." The young man threw his arms up in exasperation, "For pity's sake, all I was trying to do was make a connection with you. If you can't even make the effort for that, then we still have some serious issues to work out here, Victor."

"You cannot give me orders like that. I'll touch you when it fancies me. You cannot keep my children from me. I will see to it that you're bedridden if I have to." Victor stood up to reestablish the height and power difference. "We don't need a connection. There are no issues. You need to wake up and see the reality of your situation. You are here to bear my children, all my children, not to have some kind of relationship."

"You pompous ass!" Gabriel shot back, glaring up at Victor and not in the least bit shaken by the pale, looming figure. It seemed that whatever fear Victor might have had to hold sway over the young man was not present that evening. "If you think that I'm going to let my children come into this world and be raised by some unfeeling certain, you've got another thing coming to you. How can I possibly trust you to be any better with them, than you are with me!?"

"They are my children," Victor snarled, now showing his fangs. "They came from my seed and will be born as my kind. That makes them mine, not yours. Whether you trust me or not is not the issue. I will care for them because they will be mine. They will be the only family I have! You are a stranger. They will be blood. My love for them will be unconditional."

"They don't have to be!" Gabriel shouted, continuing to defy Victor. Let the Vampire snarl and rage at him, if he did anything, he might endanger the children within him. Though he had to admit, that thanks to this damnable curse, the children would be Victor's alone. Again he hoped that perhaps one or two of them might have some of his traits, even if just in looks alone, though now he rather hoped it out of spite. He found a sudden slice of dread in his heart, what if the children thought as little of him as what Victor did? That he was nothing but a tool to be used for creating more siblings. His hands came down to his stomach, he wanted his children to love him, and to want to be nurtured by him. Those pale eyes flashed with anger of their own. "They might hate you for this."

"How dare you... Such an absurd idea is an insult to me! My children will love and respect me. You can't poison their minds as much as you no doubt wish you could." Victor reached out and pushed Gabriel's hands out of the way, replacing them with his own and holding firmly. His icy eyes glared viciously down into green. "I suggest you learn your place and that you learn it quickly. Insubordination like this will not be tolerated again."

Gabriel spat in Victor's face as a rebuttal. How dare this monster sow doubts within him about his children? Vampire or no, they were going to be with him for the next few months. So they would surely know him when they came into this world, and thank him for caring and tending to them all that time with their love and affection.

"You impudent worm!" Victor made an animalistic noise as he pushed Gabriel into one of the large padded chairs. He wiped the saliva from under his eye and flung it into the fire. "Move from that spot and you will know my bite unlike that you have felt before. You have lost all privileges for today. I will keep you here with me, take you to dinner and then escort you to bed. Is that clear?"

Gabriel settled himself into the chair, and held his hands over his stomach gently. While he did not doubt that Victor could put those teeth to use upon him and make him suffer, he didn't find the punishment all that unendurable. "Not as though I had anything planned." He then looked about casually, and turned back to Victor with a lofty tip of his chin. "Get me a book then. Something on botany, preferably."

"Fine." Victor climbed one of the ladders up to the second level and started looking over the shelves. He returned a few minutes later with three different books. "Here," he snapped and dropped the books in Gabriel's lap. The Vampire then took his own seat and picked up a rather thick novel, turning about a quarter of the way into it.

"Thank you," Gabriel replied, with a tight yet pleasant smile. He eyes lighting up as he saw the titles of the books. At least he got to do something he enjoyed, granted perhaps it would have been nicer to take these books out into the garden with him and try to find some of the species as depicted within their pages, but that would be saved for another day.

As he let his fingers trace along the petals and shapes of the different illustrations within the first book, he let his anger cool and allowed his mind to wander now and again from the beloved subject of plants and flowers, to what had just transpired.

It was clear that Victor wanted nothing more to do with him than to have him carry and birth a great many Vampire children. And really, Gabriel should be fine with that, shouldn't he? So why was he pushing for something more? It wasn't like he wanted the Vampire to fall in love him, that was ridiculous and completely out of the question. Though was it so outrageous to want a relationship, at least a friendship from the other? No matter how they'd come about, Gabriel was carrying Victor's children, and for someone who spoke so highly of family, he really didn't seem to factor in the matriarch in the equation. Was that what he wanted, to be recognized, respected, and cared for as the giver of life here, the one to tend to and nurture the children?

Gabriel rolled his eyes and told his brain to shut up and look at plants for now. Pretty, pretty plants, some of which might have some interesting surprises and purpose.

Victor couldn't understand why Gabriel wouldn't wrap his head around so simple a concept. Victor didn't want lovers or friends. He just. Wanted. Children. Gabriel would do well to just accept his fate and numb himself to it if necessary. He glanced over at the human, eyes falling upon the swollen girth gradually filling his lap. The children were what mattered here, not anybody's feelings.

Yes, of course Gabriel was the one carrying the Vampire's offspring, but if it hadn't been him it would have been someone else. He wasn't special by any means. What was so difficult about that? Victor was letting him roam about and do as he wished. Didn't he realize that was Victor's way of rewarding him for his task?

Gabriel smiled as he poured over the pages further, and settled one hand to his stomach, rubbing it gently. His thoughts had turned to more pleasant things, and his cheeks glowed with colour as he wondered if the children would like plants as much as he did. Of course, they would sadly miss out on some of the daytime blooms, but there was a generous variety that came out to bask in the moonlight that they could explore together. Hm, it was going to be an awful lot of busy little bodies to keep track of when they went outside, he mused, still wavering between dismay and joy for having so many at once.

"Which would you prefer, boys or girls?" Gabriel asked suddenly, sitting back into the chair while he looked into the fire at that moment and continued to rub his stomach lightly.

"I suppose I would want more sons than daughters," he admitted. "My Sire had three boys to each girl. I thought that sounded like a good ratio. Why?"

Gabriel just shrugged, there was no reason to it really, just curiosity. "I'd like more sons as well, though a couple daughters would be good too, I think." He looked down to the book again, his hand never departing of his belly and its gentle shifting contact. "It was just a question, is all. Though I suppose we'll have to wait and see what we get when they're born."

"Yes, I suppose so." Victor turned his attention back to his reading and tried not to focus on Gabriel's stomach.

However, Gabriel did peer at Victor through the corner of an eye. The man really was a little on the boring side, which got him to thinking about the future. "Do you think they'll be more inclined to academics, athletics, or artistry? Personally, I think it's best to school them in all three, and let them decide later on where they'd want to apply themselves most."

"Athletics aren't really necessary. We don't need exercise to stay healthy. Academics are a given. I'll be bringing in tutors once it's time for them to begin lessons. Artistry will be completely up to them. If they show an interest in painting or music then I will be willing to indulge their fancies."

"I realize it's not to stay healthy, but active would be good," briefly Gabriel considered having them trained in the arts of combat and survival, much like what he'd been brought up with, but would that not mean that he would be conditioning the enemy to be a stronger and more adept opponent for those that he had only a few days ago considered kin and comrades. "And if we don't teach them that there is art to be enjoyed, then how will they know of such things?"

"I never said they wouldn't know art. I have a deep love for art; my children will have full exposure to it. I will read them poetry and show them my paintings. They'll have the opportunity to be as active as they can under a nocturnal lifestyle; horses, fencing, toys, anything they could want."

"You're going to spoil them too much," Gabriel huffed, getting the feeling that Victor would be so enamored with just having children that he would bow to their every whim and desire. Proud father though he might be, children needed limits and discipline in order to grow up well adjusted.

"What's wrong with spoiling my children? Shouldn't they deserve the world if they want it?" Victor stood up and came to kneel beside Gabriel's chair. He reached over and laid his hand on the man's belly. "They'll be born into royalty. Just because things are handed to them doesn't mean they won't be taught the true value of things."

Although the spat from earlier was still fresh in his mind, Gabriel did not protest or move away from Victor as the Vampire placed a hand to his stomach. "Perhaps, but they should know that some things, like the world, must be earned, if they truly desire it." Gabriel brought a hand down and placed it over top of Victor's own, and looked into those icy blue eyes with his own pale green once. "And it's a lesson I think you should learn as well."

Victor nodded slowly. "You may be right..." He looked at the hand over his own and then back up at Gabriel. "What would I have to do to earn that which I desire?"

"Well, this is a good start," Gabriel replied, looking briefly to the hand under his own. He'd rather been expecting for Victor to flinch and rile at him again, for having dared to infringe upon the Vampire's personal space. "And how about taking me for a walk in the garden? There are some flowers I've just learned about, and I'd like to see if you have them available. Unless you've got business tonight, in which case, we can wait for another time."

"In a few hours. I'm afraid it's still too early for me to be out." Victor removed his hand and sat on the arm of the chair. "Why don't you show me the flowers you found interest in? I can tell you if we have them in the garden or not, and I will also know where to take you. Also, no, I have no business tonight."

Gabriel cast a soft smile up at Victor, then turned back to the book in his lap and leafed back a few pages. "Ah, this one is supposed to give off a luminescence similar to that of the moon," he said, pointing to one such illustration and description. He held the book so that Victor could see, and his eyes danced. They were rare, but he was still hopeful of being able to see such a pretty blossom at least once in his life.

"Yes, of course we have those. After I became a Vampire I saw to it that I had things that would bring me enjoyment during the night hours. There's actually quite a few of them. They smell like... serenity. It's really the only word I can think of. I'm sure you'll love them."

Gabriel rolled his eyes, bemused that Victor seemed to think he would automatically know of these things. "That's the trouble with just the pictures, I won't know the smells or the textures until I am able to have them before me myself. I'm glad that there are nighttime flowers; I'd like to have the children see them as well. Perhaps at least one will share my love of gardening." He sighed wistfully, and turned the page to another that had caught his interest.

"I too hold a passion for gardening. Surely a few of the children, if not all of them, will enjoy it as well." Victor pointed out a few other flowers that could be found in the garden. "You know, if you're interested, I could give you your own small plot. There's a space in the greenhouse. It's about three feet long and five feet across. You could plant some handsome flowers there if you like. If you tend to it just right, you could have a full bed by the time the children are born."

Gabriel rather enjoyed this, having the Vampire take an interest in something that he too found enjoyment in, and he beamed happily as he listened and let his eyes rove over the pictures, trying to imagine what they were like in real life thanks to what Victor told him.

"I would like that very much," he said, putting a hand to his stomach and looking up at Victor with a smile, "I can tell them that it was planted with them in mind, having the little flowers grow as they did inside me... of course, most flowers don't go from seed to bloom in a matter of days."

Victor nodded. "They may grow in a few days, but you have a while until you give birth. All of my Sire's children were born on one of the two solstices, depending on when they were conceived. Mine will be born on the night of the winter solstice. You have a while yet to go, but I will make sure you are comfortable until then." He fixed some hair behind his ear and motioned to another flower they would be seeing. "Tonight I will show you the garden. How would you feel about a horse ride tomorrow night?"

That was interesting, and would at least give him a date to look towards, even if it was still months away. Had he been in this situation just a few weeks earlier, would he have had the children in only a short time, or would they have passed by the first solstice in favor of the next, needing the extra duration?

"I would like that, very much," Gabriel replied, bemused that Victor would actually plan something in advance with him. There were still many hours between now and tomorrow night, what if he did something to set the Vampire off again? Best not to think on that, Gabriel told himself, and smiled as things, at least for this moment, seemed to be going rather well. "I saw the dark stallion, Azazel, the other day. He's an impressive beast. Ah, and Semine and her little Arthur. You've got some impressive steeds, I'm sure most people haven't even seen such stock, much less ridden one of their like."

"Thank you. He is a pure bred from Arabia. He was delivered straight on a boat seven years ago. He was still just a colt then." There was a swelling of pride in his chest at the compliment about his horses. Victor was rather fond of them, but still came second to his garden. The Vampire smiled quaintly. "Semine is an excellent breeder. She has given birth to three other colts in the past five years. Many have come seeking to by from collection, but I wouldn't trade my horses for anything. I could let you pick one to be your own private ride, if you're interested."

So, the Vampire could express emotion, Gabriel thought to himself with a little smile as he watched those pale features light up, even just a little, when it came to the subjects close to his heart. Gabriel set a hand to his swollen belly, and was sure that such an expression would be turned upon it frequently in due time.

"I think I might like to select from one of Semine's children, if they're available. It would be... such a joy to have one of hers, if you'll let me," though his tone was faintly simpering, it was clearly in jest, and his pale green eyes danced with genuine gratitude at least.

The former human nodded. "Yes, you can choose from one of them. We'll go and see them tomorrow night. I'll make sure they're all properly groomed for you. Obviously, Arthur is not ready to be ridden yet, but the others are good runners and have quiet temperaments like Semine. You will be safe riding one of them." He wasn't fond of Gabriel's playful begging. Victor actually never liked groveling, but he would take it over being rude and demanding.

Blue eyes glanced over at a tall ticking clock across the room. "It looks to be late enough now. We could go see the garden and even have dinner out there. Would you like that?"

"Sounds like a wonderful way to begin the evening," Gabriel replied, and felt that perhaps tonight would be the best used in preparing himself for a new sleep schedule, one that would better suit meetings with Victor. "Are the horses used to going out for rides at night?"

He then glanced over at the clock as well, his brows lifting in surprise at the hour. Well, time really did fly when you were having fun, he told himself. "I think a moonlit dinner would be lovely."

"Wonderful. I'll send a message to the chefs to bring our meal out there." Victor stood and extended one of his long, slim, pale hands to Gabriel to help him up. "Yes, a few of them are. There are some that are raised for daytime riding, as entertainment for my servants. Then there are others that are raised for nocturnal riding. Azazel is one of them. If he was out running during the day it is probably because he was restless. My horse has a lot of energy to spare."

Gabriel accepted the hand graciously and lifted himself up out of the plush chair. His free hand coming to the small of his back. Not that it had hurt, but he found that sitting down for too long made him forget just how large he'd gotten over the past couple days. Time enough to get used to it later, of course. Months and months of being big and ungraceful.

"Well hopefully tomorrow we can have him put some of that to good use then," the young man said with a smile as he balanced himself out. "Should I ask where we'll be going tomorrow, or wait for it to be a surprise?"

Once Gabriel was on his feet Victor offered his arm for walking. He was still a gentleman, after all. "I thought we would just ride around the estate. Of course, if you're looking for a more grand adventure, I could take you along the borders. I sometimes take it upon myself to patrol the borders of my… small… kingdom. As the lord of this land it is my duty to keep it safe." Victor then placed a hand over Gabriel's swollen front. "I have a duty to protect them as well. And you."

Gabriel gasped and blushed as he found that hand upon his stomach again, and his hold upon Victor's arm tightened a little as he kept close and in contact. "Would you trust me enough to take me out that far?" he asked, looking up to the taller male. While he really had no inclination to flee, rough as enduring Victor's mood swings and high and mighty attitude was, he'd have no place to turn to if he managed to escape. Who would take in a man pregnant with a litter of Vampires?

"It really isn't a matter of trust. I know you wouldn't make it very far in your condition. I could very easily chase you down. Hunger would no doubt bring you back. Also, I doubt you are foolish enough to run into monster infested territory without any weapons. You'd be a sitting duck, as the saying goes."

"All very valid points," Gabriel sighed, and gave his belly a little tender rub. They were safest here, regardless of how things went, and he couldn't put them in danger. Guess I really am getting all maternal, he thought to himself, my life comes second to all of theirs.

Victor spoke quietly to a servant who was standing out in the hall. No doubt about their dinner plans. He also requested some apples for Gabriel knowing he might be hungry soon. "I noticed you cut your hair," he said after some moments of silent walking.

"Ah, yeah," Gabriel blinked, surprised that Victor would bring it up himself, and he reached up to tug at some of the shortened strands "I... well, I dunno, just felt that it was needed. I'm... not a woman," he said softly, "and I can never pass as one, not like your Allen could, I'm sure."

"No, I suppose you couldn't. I would never think to compare you to him. My Allen was very special and very rare. Men like him are often cast out or killed for being so different. I find it all very appalling," he growled softly. "Allen did not feel like a man. He often told me that he felt he should have been born a woman, and I was more than happy to grant his wish. I wouldn't stand for people hating him or judging him or being disgusted. I loved him."

"There is no comparison," Gabriel pointed out, "I am me, and he was Allen." It was a shame that in these times, when people lived in fear of the darkness and that which could do them harm from the shadows, that humans would still find such petty reasons to turn on one another. What did it matter if a person wanted to dress a certain way or love one of their own gender? They still shared the same laughter and the same tears as anyone else. Gabriel shook his head, and even if the words came from a Vampire, he was pleased that they echoed some of his own opinions.

"Would you..." he bit his lips, knowing that what he was about to ask might put him on the hot seat again, "could we name one of the children after him?"

Victor stopped in his tracks. His face fell into a blank emotionless wash. Name one of the children after Allen? He hadn't considered that. What came as an even bigger shock was that this young man, who had never even met Allen, would propose something like that. The Vampire thought he might cry if he knew how to anymore. He looked at Gabriel and nodded. "I would be honored, and so would the memory of my late wife, if we named one of the children after him. That is a very generous offer. I thank you for it."

When Victor had stopped and his face had gone blank again, Gabriel feared that perhaps he had caused trouble again. But the words that came from Victor's lips filled him with relief and a small sense of delight.

Gabriel's own lips turned up into a soft smile and he nodded, "Well, I think they should all know about your wife and the kind of person he was. I'm sure you could tell them wonderful stories of your time together, and that they would come to love him just as much as you did." After all, the young man then thought to himself, in a perfect world, it would have been Allen who carried and bore Victor's legacy, not some scruffy young fool of a Hunter.

"That is a wonderful thought, yes."



-- Edited by LuvTheBump on Wednesday 18th of January 2012 12:29:21 PM

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Victor took up walking again and they soon found themselves in the greenhouse. It was certainly different looking from the first time Gabriel had seen it during the day. There were just as many flowers in bloom, if not more. They went in and Victor led him off to the left near the windows. It was here that the glowing moon flowers were found growing abundantly from their vines. "I believe these are the ones you showed greatest interest in."

Gabriel's eyes lit up and he slipped from Victor's side to approach the flowers, cupping an abundant series of blossoms in his hands and drawing his face close to inhale their scent. He sighed, as it was just how Victor had described it; a perfume that could only be called, serenity.

"They're fantastic," he murmured quietly, as if raising his voice would dispel the beauty before him. He ran his fingers along the soft petals, and marveled at how his own digits seemed like obtrusive shadows over their glowing nature.

Victor watched silently. He appreciated the young man's admiration for flowers and such. Having enough in common would make getting used to each other easier, as Mary had suggested. The Vampire moved to stand next to Gabriel. "I can have some put in your room, if you like. They can last about a week in a well-tended-to vase."

"I'm never sure if I should cut the flowers from their stems and roots," Gabriel admitted, looking up to Victor, "I mean, here they thrive so well and so beautifully. But if I take them, then I have to watch them slowly wither and fade. It just... well, it's rather sad, isn't it?"

"I don't consider it sad for flowers to die. Plants don't have souls or emotions. I can find some quaint joy in tending to my garden, but no love. The flowers don't love me back so I don't put any effort into loving them. I suppose that's why their withering doesn't bother me. I expect them to die."

"Seems like a rather dreary outlook," Gabriel replied, though plucked one of the flowers from its place amongst so many others upon the vine, smiling as it continued to glow. He breathed of its scent once more, and kept it close. "I guess mine is a little too romantic though. Flowers will wither and fade on their own anyhow, so it would be best to enjoy them to the fullest before that happens."

"There, you see? I'll have some sent up to your room. They'll have opened to full bloom again by tomorrow evening. I also assure you they will continue to grow even off the vine." Victor touched Gabriel's shoulder to usher him along. He showed the other man a bed of large faced flowers with violet petals and black stems. They smelled like roses and honey. "These can be used to cure disease and even speed the healing of wounds. It takes a good three months for them to grow to full size, though."

Gabriel smiled, anticipating the chance to give his room a touch of something more personal to him. While it was splendid quarters to have to himself, they did give off a feeling of having been decorated and lived in by someone else. Since he would be staying for quite some time, he may as well start making the room reflect that.

"Are they not full sized right now?" Gabriel asked, eyes round. They were so unique and dark. One might loose track of them had they been wandering about in the dark for them.

"These ones here are, yes. When one can fit his face to the blossom, then it is fully grown. These ones..." Victor pushed the large flowers aside to reveal smaller ones growing up from the soil. They were closed buds, a lighter shade of purple and only the size of his fist. "Have a little over two months before they are in full bloom. When they reach their peak, they will open their faces and drop seeds back into the dirt for the new generation to begin growing."

"They're not invasive are they, or do the full blooms just not last long?" Gabriel asked casually, holding a hand to his stomach as he bent down for a closer look at the smaller buds. "Do they have any helpful properties?" He was aware that some plants, unless in their later stages of life, could actually become a poison if used.

"The full blooms can last for about two weeks. My alchemist gathers them up before that time to use them in medicines and salves and the like. If used properly then they can induce sleep or an intense sense of euphoria, numb pain, quicken the healing process and even slow poisons long enough to create proper antidotes. They are quite remarkable. My great-grandfather was lucky to get his hands on them. Normally, these flowers can only be found on the islands of the far south."

"Islands of the south?" No wonder he'd never heard of them, Gabriel had no idea that they were so exotic. He also had no idea that Victor had his own alchemist in reserve. "And they've grown so well here, that's remarkable."

"I've managed to grow many rare and foreign flowers here with the proper care. Most of the plants here in the green house are non-native. That is why I keep them in this controlled environment. Even during the winter the air in here is kept like a humid summer afternoon. Some of my people have even managed a kind of internal irrigation system that mimics rain from the ceiling. I don't really understand how it all works, but I still find it interesting."

Gabriel looked up at the ceiling then, and spotted the little spouts and the network of pipes that no doubt supplied the water. "That's fantastic," he commented, and then beamed at Victor, "this is definitely becoming one of my favorite spots. Please, show me more?"

"Very well." Victor reached down to help Gabrielle back onto his feet. "You might like these." They wandered more toward the center of the greenhouse. Entangled around a free standing trellis was another vine flower. The blossoms perked straight upward, standing about three inches tall and were a warm shade of yellow-orange. He picked one from the vine and turned to face Gabriel. "Stick out your tongue."

Gabriel blinked a moment and appeared wary for a moment. Yet meeting with Victor's cool gaze, he lifted his face up proudly and did as asked, glad that it had sounded less like a demand or order than previous instances. He stood there with curious expectation, putting his trust in Victor and hoping that the Vampire appreciated that.

He plucked the base from the flower and let the sweet thick nectar drip onto Gabriel's tongue. When the blossom was completely drained he threw it back into the dirt where it would be reabsorbed. "It's called a Honey Lilly. How do you like it?"

Gabriel retracted his tongue and let the syrupy texture coat it, uttering a soft, almost purring like sound as he clearly savoured the taste. "That's wonderful," he replied, licking his lips, "It's like a candied treat or spot of dessert."

"Honey Lilies bloom by the hundreds in the spring time. My chefs come our here to harvest the nectar and turn them into jams and other things of that nature. Many times they use the nectar to make cakes or as filling for pastries." Victor picked another blossom for himself. His long slim tongue slid out, hanging in the air as the sweet yellow syrup dripped over its surface. It looked as though he spread the stuff over the roof of his mouth before swallowing. "They are quite the treat."

Gabriel watched Victor with interest, noting the elongated tongue and its tapered shape, as well as the fact that the Vampire partook of such a confection. "So I missed out on the harvest, but I hope that they have some in stock, I think I might want to have some of those jams with my breakfast in the morning." He beamed and rubbed at his stomach with a little pride over that, certain that the children would enjoy the flavour too... if they could, was that how cravings worked? No matter, at least he would enjoy it.

"There are plenty of jars left. You may help yourself to as much as you like." Victor looked around his lush personal corner of paradise. "So, what else would you like to see? Does anything catch your eye?"

Gabriel took his time to gaze about the garden at his leisure then and spotted a small bed of flowers growing against the windowpane. Wandering over for a closer look, he smiled as he came upon what appeared to be a bush, dangling with icicles. Bowing down, he found that each "icicle" was in fact made up of a multitude of tiny pale blue and white flowers. Taking in a breath, he blew out against the trailing blooms, and heard a sweet, almost musical chime as the flowers made contact with one another. "Winter song," he sighed softly, in awe of the mystical little plant.

"Yes, we used to grow some outside, but the wind made a dreadful racket of them. In here they are lovely to look at and the sound is controllable. You know, they have different pitches during different times of the year."

"Really?" Gabriel let his fingers run along the trailing bunches again, like one would stroke their fingers over piano keys, and in a similar reaction, the flowers uttered soft musical notes against one another. "Seems that you might have a lot to teach me about plants," he said, casting a bright smile at Victor. "As much as I love them, my studies were always put to different uses." Like how to kill the things that go bump in the night and what to watch out for. He was certain that had he been allowed to study gardening and botany like he wished, he would have adopted much better study habits and retained far more information.

Victor nodded. "I will teach you as much as you are willing to learn. I've had a good forty years to study botany, so I know a bit. We can come out here as often as you like. You may even help with pruning detail when the time comes. Each of these flowers requires a different trimming process. It is a meticulous task, but well worth it, as you can see."

"Well, most things worth appreciating are also worth working for," Gabriel said, putting a hand to his protruding stomach, "And I would really like to learn all that I can." He rubbed at his belly and looked up to Victor shyly. "Um, I think that there was a promise of dinner out here earlier? I do want to look around more, but it feels like we're getting a bit... peckish."

"Of course." Victor looked toward the door that led back into the castle where a man had been standing and waiting. "Joseph, tell the chefs to bring dinner out. We are ready to eat now."

The servant nodded and hurried off.

The Vampire offered his arm to Gabriel again and walked him to an iron-cast table and chairs where they would be dining. He pulled out one of the chairs for the young man and gestured for him to sit.

Gabriel giggled and felt heat rise in his cheeks as he nodded graciously and took his seat. It was quite nice when his host could play the gentleman in such a manner. Sitting down, he sighed and began to rub at his stomach again. He thought that his feet would be sorer from dealing with the extra weight today, but he felt surprisingly good and content. "I know it's early, but I wonder if we should start thinking up names for them?"

Victor looked puzzled by the suggestion as he took his own seat. "We don't even know the sexes of the children yet. What point would there be in choosing names at this point? Waiting until after they are born won't harm anything."

"Well, I guess not," Gabriel said, pouting a little, "Just, I don't know if I should call them baby A through baby... G, it'll probably be."

Victor was quiet for a little while. Normally, Gabriel's little sad face wouldn't bother him, but Mary's warnings rang in his head. It was best for the children if the two of them got along. Victor wanted what was best for the children. "If we name them now," he began, "We can't get attached to those names. You must always be aware that some of them will have to change."

Gabriel nodded, "I realize that." He thought for a moment, still rubbing his stomach and looking to it fondly, wondering if the children could hear them yet. A smile came to his lips and he giggled quietly, "Maybe we should pick names from A to G, two for each letter, one boy name and one girl name."

"Isn't that a bit excessive?"

Gabriel frowned. "It'll give me something to do. I was just wondering if you wanted to help out or at lest give your say in before they're born and you start dismissing my suggestions when I'm too tired and sore to argue."

"Present the names to me and I will either reject or approve. That's fair."

Gabriel nodded and supposed that would be how it should be. Well, at least they already knew that one of the children would be called Allen, unless they all turned out to be girls... which was a somewhat frightening thought for when they all got older.

Soon the food was brought out. Each man had their own silver platter to dine off of. Tonight they were eating some kind of bovine. Gabriel was given nearly twice than what he'd been served in the past. It had been under Mary's suggestion that he be fed larger portions to accommodate those growing in him. Victor drank his usual wine while Gabriel was again given water.

"If there's anything you want that isn't on your plate, let Joseph know and he will get it for you."

"Oh, I think that this will be more than enough," Gabriel replied, eyeing the large portion and blushing as he admitted to himself that despite the size, he would have every morsel consumed in no time. "You kiddies are making me into a pig," he pouted at his stomach, giving it a little poke in the side.

"Gluttony is easily forgiven when there is good reason for it," Victor said as he cut into his steak. "I would expect no other eating habits from you. Of course, once the children are born you'll be sure to return to a healthy eating and exercised lifestyle. I won't have you being a slob just because you were pregnant for a few months. You will need to be in top physical condition for when you bear more of my offspring."

Gabriel rolled his eyes; there it was again, that notion that he would be doing this again, and perhaps many more times. "I'll have you know," he began, his tone careful and stern, "that I plan to keep in shape throughout the pregnancy. True enough I'll be eating, but that's not going to take up all my time, so I'm going to take a look through your combat wing and see if I can get myself into some sort of regiment. It won't be the same as what I'm used to, since my body is changing so much, but it'll be a good challenge to overcome."

"That's good. So many people tend to let themselves go after having children when there really is no reason for it." He took a sip of his wine. "The combat wing is open to you, of course. I would be willing to spar with you on occasion if you like. Just do remember to be careful and not push yourself too hard. It would be unfortunate for anything to happen."

"Yes, yes, I'm as delicate as glass," Gabriel replied impatiently, dabbing at his lips with his napkin and looking over at Victor. It might be good to spar with the Vampire, as certainly the creature would be able to keep him alert and on his toes. "Give me some time to work around the big belly, and I'll let you know when we can have a round."

Victor glanced back at him. "You are not the delicate one, but my children are. I won't have you doing anything that would jeopardize their lives. That's why you will be riding with me tomorrow instead of on your own. Naturally you can pick out your own horse, as I promised, but you may only ride it when you are not pregnant. Is that understood?"

Gabriel sighed and continued eating, remaining silent for a time. There was just so much concern for the children that he'd already promised to keep safe and healthy while they were inside of him, and seemingly so little regard for himself. Oh sure, Victor was giving him plenty of freedom to keep from getting bored, but at the same time, he could only do things that fell into the scope of being safe for the children. It wasn't like he was going to go rock climbing in his condition, he knew what would be good and what wasn't, and would ask Mary if there was anything he was unsure about, so really, he wished that Victor would just ease up a little.

Victor could read Gabriel like an open book. Aside from the sharpened instincts from being a Vampire, the man had always had good intuition about people. "When you've proven that you can take care of them properly, I might be more inclined to ease off of you. Right now you are a stranger in my home whom I am not obligated to trust." Blue eyes gazed off into the garden, not really looking at anything in particular. "Perhaps in a few weeks I can learn to have faith in you."

Gabriel was startled by Victor's insight, and pouted a little, wondering if the creature had some sort of mind reading abilities, or if he was really that easy to gauge. Either way, he didn't much like it, feeling that it was some kind of new violation. "I guess that's true enough," he murmured, and had to remind himself that despite how much his belly had grown, it really had been only a scant few days since his arrival. They really were just strangers, who out of necessity, had found themselves brought together in such a situation.

"How about we get to know one another a little more, then?" though Gabriel wondered if Victor would even consider such a thing, given that his interests seemed to lie primarily with the children and not with the mother carrying them.



-- Edited by LuvTheBump on Wednesday 18th of January 2012 12:29:54 PM

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The Vampire lord nodded. "I don't see any problem with that. Mary did suggest we become more acquainted. What exactly did you have in mind, then?"

Gabriel smiled. Leave it to Mary to smooth things over between them. He considered Victor's question a moment, quite pleased that the Vampire hadn't shot him down immediately or gone into some other cold tirade about how all that he wanted was the children and their well-being and... Well, blah blah blah.

"How about we each ask one another a question? A trade off of information, that can't be too hard, right?"

"I suppose not, no. Shall we start off simple? Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

Gabriel smiled, that was indeed a simple one, and although he considered a moment in lying to Victor, this was meant to be a trust exercise. "I have one older brother. Though I haven't seen him in years." And he had to wonder right then if his brother hadn't met some similar fate and had the curse activated. If that was the case, he sincerely hoped that his brother was in a good situation, or had managed to escape in some manner, even if it met death.

"My turn... have you always lived in this castle?"

Victor took another long sip of his wine. "Yes, this is the Mihalache Castle. My family has lived here for nearly eighteen generations. I was born in my mother's chambers which are now closed for sentimental reasons. The castle was built first and the town formed around it."

He worked on his steak a bit while thinking of his next question. "Are your parents still alive?"

"My father disappeared when I was young, and I received word a couple years back that my mother was killed by a group of ghouls while on a hunt," the sadness in Gabriel's eyes came and went, it was what he'd expected, as most Hunters did not live into old age and the loss of loved ones and family came with the job.

He took a drink from his water as he contemplated the next question, "Do you see your... uh, what's the word, Sire, often?"

"I did for the first year as a fledgling. I needed to learn how to survive as a Vampire. However, I do not see him any more. We have no real relationship." Of course that was a lie since Victor didn’t view the exercise quite as Gabriel did.

The next question came easily.

"Why did you submit to being a hunter rather than pursue your own dreams?"

Gabriel wondered if it was like being a parent, but put aside that question for later. The answer to Victor's own came easily, "It was the family business," he stated, pushing around the last bite of meat upon his plate and allowing it to absorb the juices before allowing his fork to spear it. "It's what both my parents did, it’s what their parents did, and so on and so forth. It wasn't like I had a choice, especially after I was told about the good ol' family curse and how I would need to defend myself." He brought the morsel to his mouth, and then paused with a bitter laugh, "So much for that though, right?" He bit down and chewed thoroughly, swallowing before posing his next question. "Have you ever turned someone?"

"No, I have not. I've never left this castle and I did not want to give any of my servants that kind of power. A fledgling can kill its Sire and I would rather not risk something like that. Couldn't you have learned to defend yourself from monsters without having to go chase them your self?"

Gabriel shrugged at first, "Probably, and it would have been a lot safer, I'm sure. You know, the whole, not putting yourself out there so that the bad guys can find you. But mom and dad both had this notion in their heads that the best way to keep out of trouble was by eliminating it themselves. And it's not so bad, keeping others safe and all." He sat back within his chair and rubbed at his belly fondly, feeling happily sated right then, and his cheeks warmed a little in embarrassment, though he did not stop. "Is it true that you... really don't like women, in that way?"

"Yes, that is true."

Victor watched Gabriel give his stomach that fond affection. Such was the tiniest reassurance that his offspring were in good hands. Any normal person might have smiled at the sight, but he dabbed his lips with his napkin.

"I didn't have a preference either way until I was about seventeen. My parents had me court with many girls, but I was never attracted to them physically or emotionally. The story is most cliché, but I found myself smitten with a stable boy and it was with him that I shared my first kiss."

Gabriel blushed a little at that and squirmed in the seat, finding that a part of him was trying to picture a younger Victor, kissing a stable boy in secret. "Um, then how did you come across Allen?" He hoped it was okay for him to ask another question, and one that could be considered quite intimate, but now his curiosity was peaked. If Victor did not fancy women, had he met Allen while the man was dressed as such and thought his views changed, or had Allen dressed as a man when they'd first met?

The man didn't mind the boy going out of turn. He'd run low on questions anyway.

"There was one of very few occasions in which I left this castle. My parents and I went to attend a formal dinner at the home of another esteemed family. It was a ball of sorts and at that age I found it all very boring. I began to wander their castle hoping to find a parlor or library, which I did after some time. He was there by the window, reading a book on philosophy. I at first mistook him for a woman, but when he spoke I knew he was not of the fairer sex."

Victor leaned back in his chair and swirled the wine in his glass.

"Apparently his parents were embarrassed by him and would not let him come down for parties or any other type of social gatherings. I was quite taken with his knowledge and innocent wit. The fact that Allen kept himself as a woman did not deter my feelings for him. I fell in love with Allen for who he was as a person. Besides, when the dresses came off he was all male. I took him off his family's hands and we lived together happily."

Gabriel felt his cheeks grow a little warmer, and did his very best not to imagine just how or why Victor would discover just how masculine Allen was in the end. They had been married though, so of course they had... Gabriel shook his head. "And... your own family, they approved of this union?"

"By the time we were married, my father had died of heart complications and my mother of grief. Mother liked Allen, though. I'm sure she would have approved."

Gabriel smiled, but the expression was short lived and he looked away from Victor after a moment, "Were... you hoping for children with him?"

Victor shook his head. "No, we weren't going to expect the impossible. He did give me permission to bear children with one of our servant girls, in order to keep the family going, but after he died I saw no reason for it. I did not want a family without Allen and was ready to end the Mihalache name."

"Until recently," Gabriel noted, and couldn't help but pat his stomach meaningfully. "When on the very night you decide that you want a family, a fool like me is delivered." He sighed deeply and shook his head, again wondering what sort of Gods could have planned this out. It just seemed too perfect, well except for the fact that he wasn't what Victor had wanted as a companion, but Gabriel concluded that Victor hadn't been looking for company beyond his own offspring anyhow. So the Gods hadn't been too picky in that respect either.

"Yes, well, I'm immortal now and that is a terribly long time to live alone."

"Well, it seems like you'll have a nice little bunch to keep you on your toes for a while then," Gabriel flushed with pride, though a part of him cried out in horror at the feeling, and rubbed his belly anew. "At least until they decide to strike out on their own." That worried him a little, knowing that he was going to bear new Vampires, who could possibly cause much suffering to the humans of the world. Could he raise the children right, so that they could respect human life? Or would they take after their father, and see humans as being little more than servants and livestock?

Victor looked at him curiously. "Wouldn't they just live here with us? This is the family castle, after all. Where would they have to go? I mean, there can't be anything for them that isn't already available to them here."

"But sometimes children, when they grow old enough, like to see what the world has to offer them. They may always take heart in the fact that there will be a place for them to return to, but you can't honestly think that they'll all want to stay here for the rest of their immortal lives." Gabriel rubbed his stomach as he spoke and was honestly surprised that Victor would think that all the children would be content to remain within the castle. Certainly some of them would be, but he also felt that maybe one or two, possibly more even, would want to set off on their own. Maybe start their own little lordships and have a family of their own.

Victor appeared genuinely saddened by this thought. He was not at all fond of the idea of his children leaving him. The man felt so abandoned so many times before. These children were supposed to be the cure to his loneliness. Then, surprisedly, he looked at Gabriel again.

"Would you leave?"

That question, and the look upon Victor's face, surprised Gabriel. His pale green eyes lowered, a thick veil of lashes shadowing them. "I... I think it's too soon to ask that." While he would surely not leave while he was carrying these children, knowing that their best chance for a safe and healthy development was right here, he could not honestly say that given an opportunity after they were born, that he would not seize it, hoping to reclaim his freedom and possibly escape another attack. He would like to think that he would want to stay for the sake of the children, but that may depend on how life went with Victor.

"But I can give you anything you want!" he insisted. "You could live like a king! You'd have nice clothes, good food, good help, a roof over your head, warmth in the winter, and any kind of entertainment you could seek. Why would you want to leave this place? You could be happy here."

Gabriel's brow creased. It was strange to see that cold facade broken, even just a little. Both his hands rested upon his stomach now, finding that the contact was comforting, and he looked to Victor sympathetically. "I'm sure that here, I could live a life of luxury like I'd never before imagined or dreamed, but..." again his gaze fell, "it seems so lonely."

"I'm here. There are always the servants. You would have the children too." Victor sighed dejectedly. "It would just seem foolish to go crawling around in the muck and poking your nose into the caves of monsters when you could stay here and live well. You and I could still go hunting out in the forest if you liked, but you would come home at the end of the day. Wouldn't you like that?"

"I... I guess I would..." now Gabriel was just confused, was Victor honestly trying to convince him to stay... out of his own want and desire to? Not as a prisoner, but because he wanted to be here? Gabriel found his head swimming right then, and he slowly rose to stand. "Would you... give me some time to think?"

Victor nodded. "Take as much time as you need. You won't be going anywhere soon." The Vampire stood as well out of respect for his guest, as he was raised to do. "If you seek my company later I will be in the studio painting."

"I... I may come visit you then," Gabriel replied, but found that all he wanted to do was go lie down, and hope that a good night's sleep would clear up the sudden tumult of thoughts he was having.

Victor watched Gabriel leave. As the young man walked away, Victor couldn't help but feel Gabriel was walking out of his life. How terrible one was at making a companion after so many years of solitude. The Vampire lord had only wanted to use Gabriel for his own means, but now he was having the slightest inclination for more.

Perhaps it was Mary's constant persistence. Perhaps it was the maternal warmth he felt from Gabriel. Perhaps it was the dream of a real family again. He could not tell.

Feeling rejected and again abandoned, Victor let the blanket of cold indifference engulf his body. His heart, or what was left of it, turned to stone once again. His eyes froze back over, having melted a bit in his yearning for Gabriel's company. Despite the ice in his chest, there was fire in his head. A raging fire of jealousy and contempt. Gabriel would love those children, but never Victor, even if he tried to win the Hunter's heart.

With a loud violent howl he threw the table and all its contents against the outer wall of his castle. From sheer force alone it broke into many pieces, the china shattering along with it, food scattered across the floor. Victor cried out again and stormed off to some unknown part of the castle.

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Gabriel had had little success in getting to sleep. His mind kept on trying to run through the events of the day, on how quickly things changed between himself and Victor and back again. They had argued, they had made up, they had shared, they had... bonded? What had that been, that desperation and loneliness? Gabriel tossed about, and for a moment resented his large belly for getting in the way. It wasn't until hours later that exhaustion and the need for his body to replenish itself finally took him.

Waking up even later than the day before, he groaned softly as he opened his eyes. "What part of it was a dream, and what wasn't?" he asked himself, but found that he could not come up with the answer, and he shifted himself up into a better position and took a look down at himself.

"Geez." Gabriel found himself quite awake then, and a prideful joy to banish away his woeful confusion flowed through him. He put a hand to his taut stomach, and began to rub it lightly, blushing at how good it felt and at how big he'd become. "You kids certainly know how to cheer me up in the morning, don't you? Heh, never thought I'd be so happy to be so... well, so pregnant."

There was a note on the bedside table informing Gabriel of the bath that had already been heated for him. He'd slept through breakfast, so lunch was welcome to him whenever he was ready. A new pair of clothes were laid out; a nice cotton blue tunic and pale pants. The note also asked that he wait for Mary before going downstairs as she would be checking on him periodically to see when he'd woken up.

"I guess I'm getting into a later schedule after all," he told himself and set aside the letter after reading it. Already he could feel the first little hunger pangs, and again ran a hand along his belly. "Just bear with me a little bit, okay?" he told the children, smiling as he realized that he finally had someone to talk to; a whole troupe of someone's actually.

With a small grunt, he managed to swing his legs out over the side of the bed, and get himself onto his feet. Holding onto one of the bed posts for support, he found it took him a little longer today to adjust, and placed a hand to the small of his back, jutting out his bare belly before him. Again that sense of pride spread through him and he shook his head as he took his first few steps. "Oh Gods, I've developed a waddle." His cheeks burned brighter, and sure enough, he found himself waddling off to the bathroom to soak himself, emerging a short while later with the towel wrapped low around his hips and to see if Mary had arrived.

Mary was indeed in the room, and with her was Victor. The curtains had been drawn to keep the sun out of the room. He still stood off in the corner, though. Upon seeing Gabriel he gave a short nod. Mary was quite cheerful as usual. "Well, good afternoon, dear!" she greeted and gave his tummy a kind pat. "How are we feeling today? Hungry, I assume. Maybe even a little heavy?"

Gabriel was shocked to see Victor there and began to blush for all new reasons. He kept the hand gripping the towel tight, wondering if he should try putting on his pants. He was startled when Mary touched him, and realized that he had been staring at Victor so intently that he'd almost missed what she was saying.

"Wh-what? O-oh, oh yes," he laughed, though the sound came out nervous, "they're already giving me cravings for blueberry pancakes, bacon, eggs, and I think there's a want for a chocolate covered banana too."

"My goodness. They certainly have rich appetites, don't they?" the older woman said with another light laugh.

He took a seat upon the edge of the bed as usual, and let his gaze drift briefly over to Victor, was the Vampire happy with how much he'd grown? It was what he came up here for, wasn't it? "Um, yeah, they do feel a bit heavier than before. I actually had a bit of trouble getting out of the bed. That's not going to happen all the time, is it?"

Mary shook her head. "No, you won't have to worry about that too often. You seem to have had a rather large growth spurt. That's probably why. We find out today how many little babies you're going to have. That's why Victor is here." She gestured to him in the corner. "He's curious to know."

"Ah, of course," Gabriel replied, lowering his gaze. Now Victor would know how many little bundles of joy he had to look forward to. Though the young man had to admit, he was feeling quite eager as well. He still felt it was likely to be seven, and wondered if anyone was placing bets on the outcome. He'd heard of some folk doing so with the expecting date.

As per usual she first pulled out the measuring tape and wrapped it around his ever expanding waist. Her old eyes went a bit wide in both surprise and amusement. "My goodness, Gabriel, 66 inches. That's 17 more than yesterday. You're growing into a big boy." Mary giggled. "Pardon me. Sometimes I just can't help myself."

"Really? W-wow, I... I'm huge!" he cried, looking down to his round belly and patting it gently. He laughed with Mary and blushed with pride and happiness. "I think I can take it as a compliment though. Big babies are a good thing; means they're growing nice and healthy. Though it's hard to believe," he sat back a little, his stomach jutting outward, and he found that he had to now sit with it rested between his thighs a little, like it was some precious egg, "that I'm still going to be growing beyond this."

Victor also seemed a bit surprised by this and the tiniest of smiles graced his lips. Although, in the shadows, he was sure no one could see it.

"Well, let me think. You only have about two or three more days until you've come full term. Today and tomorrow is when the babies do the most growing. By the end I'm guessing you'll be somewhere around 90 inches. It's a good healthy size." Mary asked him about any nausea, headaches, cramps or poor vision as these were all still relevant. She warned him about exertion and to watch for bleeding. She checked his heart and breathing which were quite normal. Mary finally had him on his back and felt around for signs of pain. "All right," the nurse said at last, "ready to count?"

The note on bleeding made Gabriel nervous, and he swore that if there was so much as a drop, he would call for her immediately. As he lay down upon the bed, as per the usual process for the examination, his mind turned over the size that she'd told him. 90 inches, it just didn't seem possible, and yet he'd already reached 66. He glanced down at himself, at the sheer size of his stomach and at how the skin was stretched so tightly and yet appeared so smooth and uniform. There seemed to be a slight shine to the taut flesh, but otherwise it looked so strangely natural, like his body had always been so big.

Gabriel's hands knotted in the towel around him and in the sheets beneath him, "Y-yes!" he managed to hiss, "please, I want to know."

Mary smiled. "Of course, dear." Very carefully her old skilled hands searched over the surface of Gabriel's belly. Her own grandmother had taught her to always look for the heads, since there was twice the number of anything else and could be easily confused. She pressed a little here and pushed a little there. Victor moved silently to her side, almost gliding across the floor, and one of his hands joined hers. The elderly women made no pause, nor did she glance away from her work. She just accepted the gesture of an excited father, suppressed as the emotion might be in him.

After a short time Mary finally found the tiny shapes she was looking for. Her fingers pressed his left side. "So that's one... two..." More towards his underbelly. "Three... four..." Up at the peak near his naval. "Five..." Then on his right side and up toward the top right corner. "Six and... Seven."

Mary smiled drawing her hands back. Victor's lingered as he felt about for the little bodies inside that fleshy dome. He found them, one by one, following the path of Mary's hands. The Vampire didn't say much, but his eyes gave off the briefest spark.

"S-seven?" Gabriel smiled, he'd been right, and it felt so wonderful to find that the number he felt in his heart was the right one. Lying back and remaining quiet, he blushed as Victor's hand continued to move upon him. Again he found himself comparing how different the woman's hands were to the Vampire's, and the different feeling they instilled within him. He did his best not to squirm, and shyly peered up at Victor. "S-so, what do you think? Sounds like it'll be quite the job keeping them all in line."

"I am very proud," he said simply. Ice blue eyes did not waver from curves his hands gently explored. He marveled in its warmth, remembering a time when he too had heat pulsing beneath his skin. There was the lightest sprinkling of pink, too.

Life. Everything equaled life.

Without much notice as to what it might be doing to Gabriel, Victor's slim flat hands continued to move across his large, and obviously fertile, belly. He rubbed the sides in small circles, cradled the bottom curve in his palm, and even stroked the peak letting his palm pass over the bellybutton that was now an outie thanks to the pressure on his pelvis.

"Very proud..."

Gabriel bit at his lips, muffling a faint sound. His heart began to race, and he could feel warmth moving throughout his body. Those were not the touches of a healer or of an examination, those were touches that felt far too good. Gabriel began to pant a little and his hands clenched tighter. "P-please... th-that... Victor... that feels too good." He lowered his gaze shamefully and was unsure if this could be part of the curse or his own body just being under the assault of hormones and a heightened sensitivity due to the changes upon it.

Victor immediately stopped and his hands retreated. He stood there stoically, eyes staring down at the rug on the floor. Eventually Mary cut in. "All right, you got to feel them. Now get going so he can get dressed. The poor boy doesn't need an audience for that." The Vampire just gave a short nod before walking out of the room and closing the door behind him. The old woman turned back to the young man. She didn't say anything, but rather gave him a teasing grin.

Gabriel blushed at her and quickly looked away, not quite certain what had been about to happen... if anything, though he was glad that Mary had cut in when she did. If Victor had continued to run his hands along him that way, he was more than certain that other parts of his body would start to react.

Slowly he got up and patted his belly gingerly. "Sorry kiddies, I didn't mean to come off as a pervert there, just... well, it really did feel good." Shaking his head, Gabriel would seek to get dressed then, pouting when he found that thanks to his extra growth, the tunic today was stretched particularly tight across his new form.

Mary waved her hand. "Oh, they don't care. Sometimes they even like it." She giggled a little at how tightly the shirt fit over his figure. "It seems I underestimated your growth. We can have the tailor take it out if you want. You'll be growing throughout the day anyway, so we should get some leeway in there."

Gabriel blushed at that, his pale eyes wide as he looked down at his belly, as if able to see the approval the children would give him. "I'm sure Victor thinks it's terrible," he murmured under his breath, and blushed as a tiny voice inside his head tried to tell him that it was because it was Victor's hands that were touching him that he'd felt so wonderful.

"Um, yeah, I think that would be good, taking it out a bit. I feel like if I go to eat, I'm going to be bursting my buttons."

That earned him a hearty laugh from the nurse. "Let's go get you fixed, then."

"I guess this'll be a good chance for me to meet these makers and let them know I like their work," Gabriel replied, as he would leave with the nurse, blushing as he did his best to accommodate his new waddle into his motions, not wanting to look too clumsy and awkward. Once out of the room, he looked around briefly for Victor.

The lord of the castle was nowhere to be found. He'd obviously retreated to some part of the castle where he would most likely not be found until he was ready. Mary led Gabriel through the nearly infinite number of halls toward the back of the castle where the labor rooms were. She opened the door to a room spilling over with different kinds of thread, yarn and fabrics. There were a few sewing machines on tables and some people busying themselves about the room.

"This castle really does have everything, doesn't it?" Gabriel remarked, mostly to himself though. He put a hand to his stomach as he began to browse through the many bolts of fabric; the colours, the textures, the patterns. "You'll never be able to complain about not having anything to wear, I dare say, because they'll have everything you need to make you the perfect outfit right here."

He moved closer to the workers, and stood there, feeling rather shy for the first time in his life. "Um, hello. I'm... I'm Gabriel, and well... I'd like to thank you for supplying me with the clothes during this time."

One of the tailors paused in his gait and turned his attention to Gabriel. He had strawberry blonde hair which he kept back in a braid with deep blue, almost violet eyes. He also appeared to be about Gabriel's age, but one couldn’t be sure. "Well aren't you just the cutest thing?" he quipped playfully. "We've all had a fun time sewing stuff up for you. The Master didn't want us wasting good fabric on you, but nuts to him, right? If you're gonna be pregnant you might as well be beautiful too."

Gabriel appeared crestfallen at this news. So it would have been all right if he just wore a burlap sack then? He suppressed the urge to sigh, so long as the children were kept safe and warm, what did it matter for what he was dressed in then.

"Yes, nuts to that," Gabriel replied, lifting his head and smiling at the man. "I love the work you've done, and actually, I was hoping you could give me a whole wardrobe of clothes for after I finish growing. It's going to be a long couple of months, so it'd be nice to have a decent selection to get me through it. Um, but I'm afraid that today it looks like I grew a bit too much, could I get this adjusted?"

"You sure can, cutie. I'll just get you measured up and then bring it out for you. Won't take too terribly long." In one swift motion the tunic was pulled off and a measuring tape was pulled from seemingly nowhere as it wrapped his immensely swollen girth. "66 look at you! Tell you what, hun..." He stood and draped the tunic over his arm. "You go look at all the fabrics we have and pick out some things you like. That way we can make you a fabulous little maternity wardrobe, 'kay?"

Gabriel blushed at the man's friendliness, but it made him feel good. He'd uttered a rather embarrassing yelp when the tunic was pulled off, leaving him there in only the pants. "A-all right, um, I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."

"Jonas. My name is Jonas."

"Thank you, Jonas," Gabriel replied with a bright smile, and went over to look through the bolts of cloth, feeling a little silly for doing so without a top on. He found himself drawn to the various shades of green, both dark and light.

"You really do well with earth tones. Do you like silk or cotton?" a girl asked him. "Cotton is good for in the spring and summer, but we tend to use softened wool for the autumn and winter. Silk is usually reserved for formal wear and sleep wear. We can make you a few night shirts as well. Sleeping in your skin once the snow comes is very cold. You'd be uncomfortable."

Gabriel turned and smiled shyly at yet another pretty stranger, and blushed faintly. Now realizing that he was feeling embarrassed because people could see that he was a very pregnant man, it felt strange, even for him. "Before coming here, I barely even knew what silk felt like. I'm still getting used to all this luxury. I could certainly use the sleep wear for later on, but I guess we don't have to worry about that for another few months. But, um, do you think I would need something formal?"

The girl shrugged. "It all depends on what kind of activities the Master has planned for you. Sometimes he throws parties and formal wear is required of all guests."

"Parties?" Now that came as a shock, as he couldn't imagine just who, or what, Victor would invite to such an event. Gabriel suddenly had a sinking feeling that if Victor did put one on, he would be expected to parade about, being shown off as Victor's lovely prized breeding stock. "If I do have to do formal wear, make sure it's modest, please."

She nodded. "Of course we would. Clothes are a passion for us. That's why we work as tailors. Our duty lies in the best interest of the wearer. We would do our best to make sure you were handsome, comfortable, and above all presentable."

"I guess that's why I've been so impressed with the work so far," Gabriel said, "you seem to really care about what's being put together. I can hardly wait to see what else you'll throw together. Just... hope that I'm not too difficult to make clothes for." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I think it'll soon be more like draping a sheet over a wagon than actually dressing someone."

"Like I said before: Our duty lies in your best interest. Just because you've got a bit of a stomach on you doesn't mean you can't look good. Once you've stopped growing we want you to come back and see us. We'll take plenty of measurements and makes clothes that fit your figure properly. I promise."

A bit of a stomach? Gabriel found that amusing, but was pleased that so far, he hadn't been looked upon in disgust. "I would like that very much. I was just telling Jonas how I was hoping for several different outfits to help get me through this time. I've never really had more than my old jacket and a few spare shirts and pants, all of which were, I guess, in pretty dismal condition. Now I'm getting clothes made especially for me." He shook his head. "Sorry, I'm rambling."

The girl shook her head. "No, no, it's all right. Jonas goes on like a parrot all day. I don't mind hearing a new voice. At least what you have to say is a bit more worth while, and not what color the dirt is under your nails today." She rolled her brown eyes.

Gabriel laughed, "Well, I would certainly like to see more of the work you do. It's rather like art, isn't it? Putting something together with so many different colours. Do you do a lot of work here though?" He wondered just how often the designers and seamsters were put to use, as they seemed like Victor's own personal division. Did Victor value a good set of clothes?

"Oh, we're down here most days. We get weekends off. Lord Mihalache is actually in trade and business with some royals in the East Isles to whom we supply clothing. They have limited materials there so they can't really make good clothing. We sit down here and make clothes to be sold, and in return we get food and a roof over our heads."

"Hm, I guess that's a decent trade off," Gabriel murmured, but it did sound interesting and he was glad that their skills weren't going to waste by just sitting down here and waiting for a chance to be called upon. "And at least it means that if I should wander back down here, that I'll be able to catch you in action. I'll do my best not to bother you, of course."

"Oh no, you wouldn't be a bother at all." The girl glanced down at Gabriel's stomach and looked at it carefully for a few long seconds. "Do you know how many, yet?" she asked softly.

Gabriel blushed and beamed, feeling his heart flutter as he got a chance to let others know the precious number. "Yes, just found out this morning actually. Seven," he giggled in a giddy manner. "So many, I know. But I've actually got seven of them."

"Wow," she breathed. "That sure is a lot. I can't imagine what it must be like. I don't think I could carry Vampire babies around in me. I'd be afraid they would drink my blood from the inside or something, y'know?"

Gabriel jumped at that. "I... I never thought of that. I don't think they would do such a thing though," he said, putting his hands to his stomach. Everything felt warm and safe, nothing harmful or twisted. He shook his head, not about to let such doubts fester in his heart. "It's a strange experience, and one that I never thought I would get used to in just a few days, but... it feels kinda nice. Twisted, I know." Gabriel raised a hand to the exposed curse mark upon his chest, rubbing at it lightly, and once again wondering if it was to blame for his happiness and contentment.

The girl looked shy for her next question. "Would you mind if I...?" Her hand lifted slightly to indicate her desire to feel his stomach.

Gabriel blinked, and it admittedly took him a moment to realize what she was asking. Again his heart fluttered, and he was both surprised and joyful. Gulping a little, he nodded. "I-it's all right, if you want to."

Her hands came to rest on either side of his belly. The fingertips were calloused from needles and other sewing tools. Standing there and holding the orb of skin, she could feel its heaviness and was amazed he was even standing. There were a few identifiable shapes against her palm which she didn't have to guess at.

After a minute her hands drew back. "My congratulations," she said.

Gabriel remained still as she touched, though his cheeks continued to feel warm even after she took away her hands. He laughed nervously at her words, rubbing the back of his neck and letting his fingers toy with the shortened strands of hair against it. "Th-thank you," he murmured shyly.

A little voice inside him again piped up, remarking how again the touch of another's hands did not inspire the same sort of heart racing confusion that Victor's did. He shook his head of that quickly enough, and laid one of his own hands upon the fertile expanse. "I still can't get over this feeling of being like some ripe, fertile woman..." his brow furrowed, "though I'm not. So uh, no dresses, if you can."

She laughed, voice like a little bell. "I wouldn't dream of it."

"All right, cutie," Jonas beckoned from behind. "Tell me how this fits now."

Gabriel jumped a little as Jonas returned, and scolded himself for not having picked up on the man's approach earlier. Maybe he was getting slower and his senses dulled thanks to the pregnancy. Still, Gabriel smiled as he took the tunic back and slipped it on, blushing as he had to work the buttons closed in front of the other two. With the peak of his stomach getting farther out each day, he was finding that dressing himself was getting to be a bit of a puzzle-solving experiment. At last he finished, and smoothed out the garment over himself with a pleased sigh. "That's perfect," he stated, hands resting upon the sides of his great belly, "feels like there will be some extra room for the rest of the day too."

And his stomach chose that moment to utter a rather large and mortifying gurgle, reminding Gabriel that he had yet to eat. "Oh Gods," the young man lamented.

They both laughed.

"Somebody sounds hungry. Can you find your way to the kitchen all right?" Jonas asked. "We're sort of hidden away back here and getting back to the front of the castle can be tricky."

"I'm pretty sure I can manage it," Gabriel replied, still feeling embarrassed, "I used to have pretty good tracking skills and all." He began to carry himself away from the bolts of cloth, trying his best to keep the front of his belly from knocking into anything. He paused once he's cleared the obstacles and was out in the open, giving himself a little pat on the belly for his success. "Um, I like the idea of earth tones, and I'm a big fan of the greens," he said shyly, "and I'll try not to get too huge tomorrow, but I'll be sure to come up with some excuse to come visit you down here anyway."

"We look forward to seeing you," Jonas said and gave the other young man a friendly wave.

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Back in the kitchen there was a small fold out table set up with the things Gabriel had talked about earlier. Apparently, Mary had come and told the chefs about his cravings. They were more than happy to whip up a big batch of pancakes for him, even in the late afternoon. There were even the chocolate covered bananas he'd mentioned.

Gabriel took the time in getting from one part of the castle to the next, to get used to walking with the new weight and the new waddle he'd acquired just that morning. By the time he arrived, he barely felt the difference, and he'd worked his gait out to something a little more graceful.

"Oh, you guys are the best!" he cheered as he saw the spread before him. His stomach gave another cry, but this time he could forgive it, and sat down to eat. Doing his best not to rush and make a pig of himself, though everything tasted so incredible now that his hunger was being sated.

The babes squirmed slightly as their mother began to eat their favorite foods. The movements probably weren't that strong yet individually, but as a group they probably made a bit of a stir. Pancakes and bacon were given the most enthusiasm. No doubt they were fond of the sweet and then the meat. As satisfied as they were now, there was no question they would be just as hungry again in a few hours.

Gabriel had to pause as he felt the movements, his eyes wide. He thought that he had a bit more time before that happened, but apparently that growth spurt of theirs had been what they needed. "Oh wow... you... there really are a lot of you," he smiled fondly and leaned back in his chair rubbing at his stomach, "So I guess it's sweets and meat then to keep you all happy. I can deal with that... unless you're asking for chocolate covered pork chops."

The gentle squirming continued at the sound of his voice. It seemed they knew him at this point and were very responsive. Of course the tiny babes weren't strong enough to kick yet, but wiggling around was good enough for them. They rather enjoyed the attention Gabriel gave them and were willing to work for it.

Gabriel blushed brightly and continued to rub his belly, "That means a lot to me, kiddies," he told them softly, and felt as though he truly had a connection with those tiny lives he was nurturing. It certainly made him feel like more than just a mere host. Hefting himself up, he kept one hand to his stomach and smiled, "Well now, how about a little walk around the castle. We'll work up an appetite all over again, and you can let me know what you feel like having."

They gave a gentle jostle of approval.

Yes, take us for a walk. That sounds like fun.

Eating, too? We're up for that.

Thanks, mom!

Gabriel stumbled a moment, his eyes wide and he looked around the empty kitchen. For a moment there, he'd felt... something. It wasn't the movement of the children, but he knew that somehow it had been them.

Come on, mom. Let's go, let's go!

He gazed down at his large belly, feeling the exited little squirming beneath the skin. It wasn't voices he could hear, not exactly anyway, as there were no distinct words, and yet he understood. "Are you... talking to me?" he asked them softly.

Of course we are. Why wouldn't we?

You are our mom.

We aren't going to just ignore you.

They all wiggled impatiently.

You said we were going for a walk! Pleeassse?

"A-all right all ready, settle down a little," Gabriel replied in something of a daze as he righted himself and began to walk, both hands to his stomach. He smiled as he sensed a number of cheers, and blushed at their enthusiasm. But was this normal? Mary hadn't said a thing about the children "communicating" with him, and was certain that she would have wanted him to know about that little tidbit before it snuck up on him like this.

Walking, walking. It's so much fun to be walking!

With mom!

Yes, they were indeed lively little ones. They did manage to settle down once the walk started. It seemed the steady rhythm of Gabriel's steps sort of rocked them into a more peaceful stupor. Each infant would sort of stir one at a time, but not enough to really be felt. They were content in their little warm room, mother's hand upon them, taking full advantage of their secure, nurtured, dependant lifestyle.

It was truly the strangest thing, and yet one of the most wonderful that he'd ever experienced. He had a connection to the children within him, and for a moment had a desire to go and rub that in Victor's face. Gabriel reined the violent emotion in though and continued to rub his belly gently as he made his way through the many corridors of the castle. How much the little ones understood, he wondered, and how much did he share with them. With a sigh, he decided to go seek out Mary and hope to gain a few new answers. He smiled as he sensed one little "voice" continuing to, in what he could interpret, sing.

Mary heard the door to her office creak open. She glanced over her shoulder and spotted a very round figure peaking in. "Hello, Gabriel dear. What can I do for you?"

Gabriel smiled shyly and bobbed his head in greeting, "Um, Mary, there's been... well, something's happened." He came in and quietly shut the door behind him, and suppressed a laugh as he felt a tiny bit of squirming and understood that the children liked this woman. It put him at ease as he approached her, "Mary... I can... uh... hear them."

"Something happened?" At first she looked alarmed. "What? What happened?"

She had him sit in a chair as he explained. That was when she looked utterly stunned.

"You... You can hear them already? Are you sure?"

"Already?" Gabriel blinked, "You mean, this is supposed to happen?" He looked back down to his stomach, as was becoming usual, his hands rubbed along it slowly, "After I was finished eating, I said that I would go for a walk, and then there was this movement and well, they don't use words, but it's like... I can feel them and understand them as if they were, they were really happy. They're quiet right now; I think the walk put them to sleep a bit," he smiled, "even the little song bird."

"Well, yes, the infants communicate with their mothers on most occasions, but it doesn't normally happen until much later in the pregnancy. Usually not for another three or four months. This is quite amazing!" Mary rushed to her desk and started writing notes down. "For you to already have such a strong connection to your children, the possibilities almost seem endless. I wonder if perhaps this curse of yours in enhancing your capabilities. Yes..." She nodded to herself. "Yes, that seems possible. Oh how exciting. Not to mention you've made contact before Victor. Brilliant, my dear, simply brilliant."

One of Gabriel's hands came up to his chest, touching upon the curse mark beneath the clothing. For once, he was a little grateful for its power, but his hand fell away before he could get too comforted by it.

"Before Victor? So, he'll be able to listen to them also?" Gabriel pouted at that, having hoped that this would be something he could hold over the Vampire, given their argument the day before.

"Well, of course, Gabriel." She turned to face him. "The children are capable of communicating with both their parents. It's only natural for them to do so."

"I... I guess so," Gabriel replied with a bit of a pout, "maybe I'm just being childish, but I was sort of hoping that they could be just mine." He smiled fondly as he looked down to himself, "Victor only cares about them, and I don't like giving him more reasons to treat me as though I were just... a container for them." Although, last night... Gabriel shook his head, still unable to sort out just what that had been or what it might have meant.

"I understand, dear, but Victor is their father." Mary put her pencil down and stood beside the young man. "Gabriel, Victor doesn't care just about these babies. You are not just a container in his eyes. He's been trying very hard to warm up to you. When you've been alone as long as he has, you lose some of those skills it takes to make a friend. Yes, he may be rusty, but you just need to be patient." She put her hand on his shoulder. "You know he's still looking forward to the horse ride tonight. It's all he talked about on the way up to your room this afternoon."

"Really?" Gabriel was surprised at that, and for a moment hoped that he could still go. They probably hadn't anticipated him growing so much, and there was no doubt that he would be riding side saddle, as there really was no other way for it.

The young man looked into that wise face and offered a soft smile, "I'll keep trying, I promise. And, I'll try not to say anything bad to them about him, since he is their father, and I know that he's going to love them all so very much."

"He might even grow to love you," she offered gently.

"L-love me?" Gabriel blushed and felt the children suddenly squirm within in, and swore they were giggling at him. "Th-that might be too much to ask. F-friendship would be fine," but his cheeks remained hot, and he scolded himself for being so foolish.

"Too much to ask for?" She tilted her head curiously. "Is that to imply you would fancy a relationship with Victor?"

"Wh-what?" Gabriel realized his slip of the tongue too late and blushed brightly, but his lips formed a pout, "It's weird isn't it? That... that I might... I dunno... want something with him. I mean, considering what he did to me and all, not that it's turned out to be a bad thing, but still! I must be crazy!"

Mary shook her head, silver curls bouncing a bit. "I don't think it's weird. Nor do I think you are crazy. I believe it's only natural you would be drawn to the father of your children. When you get right down to it, he is a rather charming man, and he certainly can provide for you. No one here would expect you to replace Allen. Your job is not to fix his heart. If you happen to fall in love, it would just make a nice ending to the story."

"Yeah, he's a real great catch," Gabriel muttered, and dimly realized that he was sulking at that point, but didn't much care. So he was a little broken, most women seemed to enjoy that in a man, it was like getting a house that you needed to put a little love and care into. Gabriel shook his head, "Augh! This is not some fairytale though!" He let his shoulder slump after the brief outburst, as it seemed to take a little out of him, "Things are going to get weird between us, I think."

"They might for some time, yes. But the best things in life are worth working for, aren't they?"

Gabriel rolled his eyes, but gave a begrudgingly nod. "I suppose you're right. Still, wonder if this'll really be a story for the kiddies. How did mommy and daddy meet? "Oh well mommy got drunk and daddy raped him, somehow they ended up falling in love after that."

Mary chuckled. "I'm sure you can sugar coat it a little better than that. Mommy was a brave hunter who was invited into daddy's castle. Daddy was eager to have kids, but mommy wasn't really ready. They ended up making a nice little bundle of babies in the end. Mommy got used to the idea very quickly, grew to love them and fell in love with daddy soon after."

"I think I'll let you tell it then," Gabriel said with a smile, wondering what it would be like to have those seven expectant faces all gazing up at him for the answer. "Mary, how much do they take in right now?" He finally got around to the question he'd been meaning to ask since learning of this communication. "Like, do they see through me or something, do they feel what I feel?"

"No, they cannot see outside your body. They can hear your voice right now, but come tomorrow they'll be able to hear things outside the womb. It's the same with human babies. Yours can also tell when you feel good or bad. They can sort of detect when you get hungry, tired, or scared, happy or angry. Usually they'll respond through movement. They might shiver when scared, wiggle when happy, and unmoving when sad."

"Guess I'll be keeping myself happy for eight now," Gabriel mused, and his thoughts turned towards music briefly. If the children would be able to hear outside the womb, then it would be good to give them some nice things to listen to. "Maybe I should head to the library for a bit, and see what they might like when it comes to reading material." He also had a hunch that Victor might be in there again.

Mary nodded. "That sounds like a lovely idea. I'm so glad to see you so involved with them already."

Gabriel laughed softly, "Well, some of this was stuff that I was planning to do anyway for them. Just, now at least I'll be able to get some response on what they like or not. So that they can tell me to keep going or to quit it."

The nurse helped him to his feet. "Well if you can get that specific with them, then more power to you, dear."

"Well, it may be open to interpretation too," Gabriel mused, and was glad of the help that time. "Thank you again, Mary. I really don't know what I'd do without you here."

"Oh, you'd survive," she said with a smile.

Gabriel nodded, and would leave the woman's company at that point, taking himself again through the almost labyrinthine world of the castle. When he finally reached the library, he hesitated a moment outside the doors, one hand upon his stomach while the other lingered upon a door handle. He took in a deep breath, and entered, peering around for Victor.

The Vampire was seated in one of the padded chairs next to the lit fire. While it wasn't that cool outside yet, his body didn't make its own heat so he sometimes sat by a fire. It was like reminiscing about the days when he was alive.

He'd sensed Gabriel's presence from down the hall. Blue eyes glanced up when he entered to room. "Good evening," he greeted.

"Evening," Gabriel replied as he came in further, though for a moment wondered where all the time had gone. He wandered over to the fire, and gazed into it, his hands upon his stomach as he felt the heat brush along the front of it, "So, been a pretty amazing day. You're to be a father of seven."

"Yes, it's quite remarkable. Seven is more than I was expecting. My guess was only around five, given this was your first pregnancy." He looked back down at his book. "You might even have eight next time. I wonder if you will have eight every pregnancy from now on. I'm impressed with your fertility."

Gabriel blushed and went to take a seat in the other chair by the fire, sighing a little, "Maybe... if there is another pregnancy," he muttered to himself, wishing he didn't have to dwell upon that. "But that's how this curse likes to work. Gives us Silverstrikes a nice high rate of fertility, when being bred by uh, monsters. Doesn't seem to work the same way with other humans though." He smoothed a hand over his stomach, hoping the little ones didn't think he meant that they were monsters.

Victor glanced back up. "Don't you like being pregnant? Every time I look at you, you seem to be smiling and touching your stomach. And I do wish you wouldn't refer to me as a monster. I was a human at one point and I like to think that's worth something."

Gabriel blushed, and knew he couldn't deny that he was actually enjoying this sort of state of being, "I guess I do like it, but I don't know if I want to be pregnant for the rest of my life. I'm sure there are inconveniences somewhere along the line." He then shook his head and looked to Victor, "I didn't mean it like that, but if you weren't what you are now, then the curse wouldn't have activated and you wouldn't be expecting your seven bundles of joy."

"That's true, but you don't have to call us monsters. Couldn't you call us beings? The Macabre? Something that doesn't automatically make us all sound like unintelligent, brutish, drooling beasts?"

"Fine, fine, I'll look it up, just drop it though," Gabriel huffed, and then settled back into the chair some more, relaxed by the fire and feeling contented in spite of how Victor seemed to be getting under his skin again. Had he really told Mary that he might want a deeper relationship with this man? He let out a deep sigh then, "They've begun to communicate with me," he said, seeing no reason, other than spite, to keep the information a secret.

Victor looked a tad surprised. "But Mary told me that wouldn't happen until much later. Are you sure? I didn't hear anything from them earlier. When exactly did it start?"

"She told me the same, but I swear, after lunch today, I could sense them," Gabriel beamed, and even now could feel them squirming about, and sensed that they were reacting to their father. There was one little voice who did not sound very happy. "They were happy to take a walk with me, and get some food later, which I guess I still have yet to do."

Victor got up from his seat, setting the book aside, and kneeling down in front of Gabriel. Eagerly the tunic was lifted and his long hands began to explore again. He seemed intent on making some sort of content as well. Those hands moved all over the curved surface but came up empty. The man frowned slightly. "Are they saying anything about me? Do they know I'm here? Do they even know me?"

Gabriel murmured softly as the tunic was lifted, not exactly liking this once again presumptive method of handling him. "They're squirming about, so I think they know you're here. Mary said that tomorrow they should be able to hear more than just me."

Go away! You upset mama! You're bad!

Gabriel frowned, "There's one... that's not happy... with you."

Victor looked sad and pulled away. He sat on his knees looking down at the floor. "Oh, I see... Well I do suppose they would be more on your side than mine. They are growing in you after all. I'm only a stranger."

"You are their father, Victor," Gabriel replied, his brow remaining furrowed as he saw that sadness upon the Vampire's face. The children meant so much to him, and Gabriel found himself a little jealous, "They know that, just... one of them seems to have rebelled early. Very early." He rubbed his stomach, hoping to sooth that angry little voice. He was flattered, but didn't want to see Victor upset any further.

The Vampire stood. "I'm going to see that Azazel is prepared for us. I will return for you when it's time to set out." Without waiting for any sort of reply from the young man, Victor got to his feet and made his way swiftly to the door.

Gabriel sighed and fell back into the seat as Victor left him, and pouted at his belly, "Well now you've done it."

I'm sorry, mama.

"He's just so happy that you're all here finally, and he wants you to love him, just as much as he loves all of you," he stared into the fire while rubbing his belly.

I... I'll try harder, mama.

Gabriel smiled.

Victor returned within thirty minutes time. He approached Gabriel and offered his arm. "Are you ready?"

Gabriel heaved himself up out of the chair, finding that although he could get around all right, chairs were still proving a bit of a challenge. He smiled at Victor and took the man's arm, "I think we all are."

Victor nodded and they went on their way. He made sure to walk slowly. They were in no hurry and there was no reason to push Gabriel.

"My horse is strong, but he is well-behaved. He will go slow for us and won't buck. It is best to let him smell you first so that he may become acquainted with you. He does pick and choose who he likes, but as long as you are with me, he should accept you. I decided we would just go on patrol. That we you get your moonlit horse ride and you can see my little kingdom in its entirety."

"It's all I could hope for," Gabriel smiled, and kept close to Victor's side. "A moonlit ride with your father, isn't that wonderful?" He giggled as they squirmed, even the angry little one, albeit a little reluctantly. "They're excited for it too. Though I'm sure that when the time comes, they'll be happier to learn with their own steeds."

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Soon they found themselves out in the stable yard. Azazel was inside the fence getting warmed up. The black steed let out a powerful snort when he saw is rider approaching. Victor took Gabriel inside the pen and summoned his horse to him. Azazel sniffed at the pregnant one. His muzzle brushed black hair, nudged a slim neck, and observed the large belly. With his inspection complete, the animal gave a whinny of approval.

Gabriel giggled as the horse came over, that warm breath and muzzle tickling him as it made the inspection. Though he remained carefully still, not wanting to upset or startle the magnificent beast. "I take that as a yes?" he asked and reached out in hopes of touching that silky looking coat.

"That would be a yes." When Gabriel reached out, Azazel snorted and took a step back. "I'm afraid he isn't one to be petted. He's all business, really." Victor tapped the steed on its shoulder and the horse kneeled down on one knee so that Gabriel could get on easier. "Remember to hook your knee around the lariat of the saddle."

He laughed. "Somehow that really doesn't surprise me." Gabriel would do as Victor said by climbing on and settling himself comfortably and securely. Azazel stood, the weight of the young man not even fazing him, and Victor climbed on as well. One hand took the reigns while the other came to wrap protectively around Gabriel's belly. He waved to two other riders; an archer and a gunman. With the click of his tongue the steed started off, walking slowly at his leisure. Gabriel eyed the two accompanying them and leaned against Victor tentatively for support. "Is it really going to be that dangerous?" he asked softly, and he couldn't help but wonder if the two were human and just more servants under the Vampire's rule.

Victor shrugged. "They're more of a safety precaution. It's very rare for anything to attack us, but as a Hunter I'm sure you realize that one should always be careful. Expect the unexpected, as one would say."

Gabriel nodded at that and put a hand to his stomach protectively. Victor had warned him that there were things living in the forest here that he'd somehow managed to escape notice from that first night he arrived. "Well, let's hope that the precaution goes unneeded. I just want to enjoy a nice, quiet ride with you and our little ones."

First they made their way through the small town. Some people would greet Victor with words while other would just nod their heads in acknowledgment. Many of the shops were closing and people were heading to their homes for dinner and then bed. They went through the gate where Victor and Gabriel first met and took a right to patrol the wasteland side first. Gabriel nodded shyly in return to those folk whose gazes he chanced to meet, again he felt wary of how others would look at him; the Vampire's overly pregnant young man, and he tightened his grip upon Victor's clothes as he held on. Passing through the gates, he sighed as a wave of nostalgia came over him. Who would have thought that first meeting would turn out to be so fateful?

The Vampire gestured to the tall hills and the desolate mountains just beyond them. "That is the wasteland. Nothing grows out there. There are a few miles of mountains and then just barren deserts. Certain creatures live out there, but it is clear that they feed on each other. Sometimes you can hear them howling in the summer. It's a dreadful sound, yet passionate."

Gabriel nodded, knowing that given the duration of his pregnancy, he would be around for when that time would come. "I wonder if they'll hear it," he mused lightly, meaning the children, and hoped that they wouldn't be frightened if they did. "Do you have many Hunters come through your town then?" It occurred to him that given Victor's town seemed to be the only mark of civilization before getting to the desolate lands, that they might have some Hunters on their way out stop over before carrying on.

"Not really, no." He shook his head. "My town is a bit like the edge of the world, you see. There is nothing beyond us. It would take weeks to cross the wastelands. Very few even attempt the forest that leads here. My scavengers and I find more bodies than actual people." Victor held Gabriel's belly a little tighter and gave it a brief rub. "I am not the most vicious being here. There are many beasts here that even I would not attempt to face."

The young man pressed a little closer to Victor then, suddenly quite glad that of all the things he could have stumbled across that night, it was a Vampire that had taken him in. Still, it was a bit of a shame that no Hunters came this way, though there was really no point in doing so, he supposed, and sighed. It would have been nice to at least speak with another in the trade he was now no longer a part of. "Do you have problems with them coming too close to the town?"

"Them who? The Hunters or the beasts?"

"Ah, the beasts I mean," Gabriel replied, "no real need for a Hunter to come out this way, is there? Especially not if there's not much to be hunted, I guess."

"They do prove to be pests sometimes. The ones that do cross the borders I can handle easily enough. Most of the time they're just Werewolves that have rampaged through the forest upon smelling my citizens. I fight them, though. No one has ever died since I became a Vampire."

Gabriel peered up at Victor, those pale green eyes of his wide. "You fight them yourself?" That was rather amazing, as he would have thought for sure that Victor would have a legion of soldiers and folk take care of such business in his stead.

Victor returned the glance, his eyebrow raised. "Well of course I do. It isn't all that difficult. Why should I sacrifice humans when I as an immortal I can do the job myself? I don't much like fighting. I'd rather not see my men die like that, especially at the hand of some disgusting half-blood."

Gabriel lowered his gaze. "I just thought that... you'd be the sort who couldn't be bothered with doing something like that. That it would be... beneath you."

"Protecting my people and my home is not beneath me."

"No... No, I guess it's not," Gabriel murmured and grew quiet as he carefully laid his head upon Victor's chest.

"Is something wrong?"

"I’m just thinking about the children," Gabriel replied with a sigh. Would you hold them responsible for protecting the kingdom like you do? Would you train them to fight?”

He looked up ahead at the path they were taking. "Of course I would. They should know how to defend both themselves and the things they care about. If they love something then they must protect it."

"Would you let me teach them a few skills as well?" Gabriel asked and wondered if he might not be betraying his former comrades, but well, like Victor said, they should be able to defend themselves and protect that which they loved.

"I don't see why not." He rubbed the other's stomach fondly. They came around to the south side of his land which started to turn into forests. The mountains were sloping back into hills which were spotted with trees. "This here is only a buffer between us and the wasteland. If you survive this small patch of woods then you are again met with the desert."

Gabriel blushed and bit his lip faintly, rather enjoying how Victor's hand felt against his taut stomach, and he leaned a little firmer against the other, sighing softly. He looked to where Victor spoke of and nodded. "There's really no reason for me to come out this way I think, and the children will be warned of it also. I don't want them going off and exploring on their own before they're ready."

"Not especially. There really isn't much out here anyway. Until the children are old enough, they won't really be allowed to leave the town. I wouldn't be comfortable with them so much as leaving the yards until they were at least teenagers. There would be plenty for them to do anyway. My sons will come on patrol with me once they are of age, but I think my daughters would do best inside the town."

Gabriel frowned, not really liking how Victor kept referring to the children as being solely his. It could have been just a slip of the tongue, but the young man suspected it wasn't as simple as that. "That seems pretty strict, doesn't it? I think that all the children, sons and daughters, should be willing to pull their own weight around."

"Well they would each have their own duties to fulfill."

Gabriel lifted a brow and folded his arms above his belly. "And just what duties would those be?" And he'd be damned (if he wasn't already) if Victor insisted that they be nothing more than weak, dainty ladies who were to be sheltered and protected and perhaps eventually married off to the highest bidder.

Victor thought on this for a minute. "Naturally they will have a duty to the family business. All the children will learn trade so they can make a living. I want the boys to learn to do what I'm doing now; patrol and fight off danger if necessary. The girls will have skills in domestics and recreation. My town is a bit run down, if you hadn't noticed, and I hope they can help the people rebuild."

Gabriel made a small sound of begrudging content, though placed a hand to his belly and rubbed it lightly, wondering how many sons and daughters they would actually have in the end. He was still of a mind where they should allow their children, both male and female, to decide for themselves just what sort of path they should wish to take.

They eventually came upon the east side of the land where the forest was thickest. The group made sure to keep a safe distance between themselves and the trees, but close enough to see or hear anything that might cause trouble. Azazel began to snort at one point and his hooves trotted nervously. Victor tightened his hold on Gabriel, palm spreading over his belly, while his icy eyes stared into the darkness of the woods. He could sense something was there and motioned for his men to move in closer.

"What is it? A Werewolf?" Gabriel asked in a low voice, the sudden skittishness of the horse and the way Victor tensed certainly not lost on him as to what those signs could mean. He peered into the darkness as well, though could see nothing amiss.

"Shh, be quiet," Victor hissed. "Don't grab its atte-" The warning came far too late. With a vicious howl the beast leapt out from the forest. Its lamp black fur did well to hide it in the dark woods. The beast tackled Gabriel right out from Victor's arms and pinned him to the ground. The young man had been recognized as an easy target; big, slow, and obviously the better meal with those inside him. The Werewolf loomed over him, yellow eyes piercing, teeth bared in a growl with discolored saliva dripping.

Gabriel felt the wind knocked from him as he fell off the horse and to the ground with the large beast over top of him. Coughing for a good moment, he soon glared up at the beast, and sorely wished that he had one of his weapons upon him. However, as it was, he was just a fat, round piece of meat to this animal... yet he still took a swing at it, not about to be taken down without a fight this time.

There came an equally ferocious snarl as Victor lunged himself at the beast. He wrestled with it in the damp grass. Teeth snarled and claws flashed from both sides. The Vampire managed to pin the Werewolf down. He was partially winded, but his strength never faltered. Victor used his feet to anchor its front legs as the hind legs were too short to do any damage. One hand held the beast's jaw open while the other started ripping out teeth. Ice blue eyes burned with bloodlust. All the while the animalistic growls, snarls, and occasional roar rumbled out from his chest.

Gabriel hurried clumsily into a sitting position and scrambled out of the way when the Werewolf was pulled off him. He stared with wide eyes at how the two creatures battled, unsure of just which one was the more beastly right then. He panted heavily and rubbed at his stomach, trying to calm the children and assure them, even though he wasn't feeling all that calm and assured right then.

BAM!

A gun was fired. The Werewolf yelped when the silver bullet pierced its flesh. With one last howl it died, slowly reverting back into its human form. It turned out to be a man most likely in his late forties. His appearance was scrappy. The forest had probably been his home for years and all his sense of self had been lost there.

Victor stood up and began wiping the blood off his face and hands. There was a rather nasty bite in his shoulder and plenty of claw marks on his torso. His eyes met with Gabriel's form huddled on the ground. "Are you hurt?"

Gabriel kept his eyes upon Victor and shook his head. "N-no, j-just shook up. I think we all are." He looked down to his belly, comforted by the squirming within and the little voices that seemed to be asking if he was all right. He smiled; there was a mixture of fear and excitement, as though some of the little ones had gained a bit of a thrill from the event. "But you're hurt, we should get back to the castle," he said, brow furrowed as he heaved himself up to his feet.

"I'm all right," Victor insisted. "My wounds heal themselves easily enough. By the time we got back to the castle they would be closed without so much as a scar. No, we must finish the patrol. I cannot leave my people unguarded." He brought the horse over for Gabriel to climb on again. "I will walk at your side so as not to stain your clothes. The color is rather dashing on you and I would hate to ruin it."

"Ah." Gabriel blinked at this consideration and compliment, but mounted up all the same. "By tomorrow, I won't be able to wear it again," he replied and gazed worriedly at Victor. Would he really be all right?

As they went, the gashes began to seal themselves from the inside. This caused a bit more bleeding, but nothing too serious. Patrol ended without any further problems. The town was fast asleep by the time they returned. They had been gone for many hours, after all.

Back in the castle Victor called for his servants. By now he was looking worn out with paler than normal skin and dark shadows under his eyes. "Lucille! Matthew! I need you!" Both persons appeared quickly. "Lucille, take him to see Mary. We were attacked and I want to be sure he and the children aren't hurt. Matthew, I require your services."

"Yes, my lord."

Lucille led Gabriel away while Matthew undid the collar of his shirt. Victor stood in front of the male servant and braced his shoulder. He waited until Gabriel was out of sight before plunging his teeth into the servant's neck.

Though Gabriel hadn't been around to see it, he had a pretty good feeling on just what Matthew had been summoned for. He blushed a little, wondering if jealousy was an appropriate reaction. He sighed and pulled out a blade of grass from his hair. "Well, at least it was exciting," he said, not really addressing the quiet maid.

Lucille said nothing in response. She took him to the office of the nurse and let him inside. "I will wait for you," she said simply and closed the door after him.

Mary looked up from a rather thick book she was reading when she heard someone enter. She had a good idea who it was, too. "Why, Gabriel, what brings you here? I believe this makes twice today."

"Yeah, been quite a day," Gabriel replied, sighing deeply as he went to go take a chair. "We got attacked by a Werewolf during our little ride," he stated, leaning back and rubbing his belly in that manner that was almost constant now. "I got knocked off the horse and pinned by the thing before Victor took care of it, so we just want to make sure everything's all right. I think we are, I was a bit winded, but the Were didn't land on me too badly, and there was plenty of squirming afterward."

"Oh dear... You really shouldn't be handled that roughly. I think I'm going to restrict you from going on patrol with Victor in the future. You can ride for a few more weeks, but staying in a safe environment like the stable yard is best." Mary came and crouched down in front of him. "Hold your shirt back for me, dear."

Gabriel pouted at that, but figured it was probably best, especially with the children still at the developing phase. Still, he cursed that now deceased Werewolf and his poor timing. Now he would be cooped up even more. He lifted up his shirt and smiled at his own rotund form, at least now though, the children could keep him company.

The nurse didn't see any signs of bruising, which was good. Her skilled hands touched tenderly on the stretched flesh. Mary could feel plenty of movement and sought each child out one by one. Checking them individually was the best course of action right now. "Does any of this hurt?"

"Hm, not really. A little tender around here," Gabriel gestured to a region upon his left side, "but didn't really hurt, just kind of uncomfortable. Uh, but everyone's all right, aren't they? They didn't get hurt?"

"Not that I can tell. They are all moving quite well and that's the best we can ask for." She touched the side he'd indicated to and noticed a warm spot. "Watch for bruising here. If the mark is small and light, don't worry. Anything bigger than your fist and ranging from purple to green should be addressed immediately."

Gabriel nodded and bit at his lips, hoping that it would be nothing of concern. "Thanks Mary, yet again." He smiled.

The old woman stood, her knees popping in the process. "You know it's my pleasure. Why don't you run along now? I'm sure dinner is waiting for the both of you now that you've returned from the ride."

"Mm, something to eat sounds just right about now." Gabriel rose up, but as he made his way to the door, he paused and looked back to Mary. "Uh, Mary... is it... impossible right now for Victor to uh... feed from me?"

She gave him an odd look. "Well, no. He can feed from you whenever he likes. Why do you ask?"

"Uh, well... no reason really," Gabriel replied, looking away from her at that point, and then shook his head, "no, it's silly. Um, I'd better go before someone gets sent after me."

"It's because he respects you," she said quickly before he could leave.

"Respects me?" Gabriel blinked, and then frowned at that. "I... don't think I understand." But he shook his head and would depart quickly then to join up with Lucile. He really shouldn't have asked anyway, it was stupid to actually want to be bitten by a Vampire... after all, it was only a meal for them, not the kind of romance that some humans put to it.

The somber servant led him to the dining hall. She was well aware that he knew the way by now, but she had a job to do. Victor was already waiting for him. Tonight was rack of lamb. Gabriel's was roasted with two bowls of grapes, strawberries and apple slices. They also gave him a rather large chalice of cow’s milk to drink instead of just water.

"I trust the news was good?" the Vampire inquired.

"There's a possible minor bruise to my side, but otherwise we're all healthy and accounted for," Gabriel replied and uttered a soft sound as he felt the flurry of motion in his belly. "All right, all right, we're going to eat, just give me a minute to sit down. Well," he smiled as he looked back up at Victor as he settled himself, "seems their appetites haven't been diminished from the experience."

"That good to hear," he said with a nod. "Feel free to dig in. You and the children need your strength. Seconds are ready for you should you want any. A cake has been made with the nectar you were so fond of. We're having that for dessert."

"Really? Ooh, that'll be wonderful." Gabriel beamed, as he picked up fork and knife and dug in with earnest.

Dinner was eaten in silence tonight. Victor's mood was a little off since the attack and Gabriel pretty much always had his mouth full. Victor would watch him with appreciation for the gusto of his appetite. He was only sorry he'd put the boy in such danger before. Even worse, he couldn't find the words to apologize. He did that so rarely these days. He noticed the tunic had become tighter since this afternoon and the sight filled him with pride. Victor had the urge to touch those warm peach colored curves again. He would exercise his patience, though.

With a loud sigh, Gabriel leaned back in his chair, finally done eating. He had gone for seconds after all, and felt positively stuffed at that point. He uttered a soft hiccough and blushed shyly, though felt that his voracity was well founded given the events of the day. Sitting there, he could feel his belly stretching the fabric of the tunic, and was proud of the testament to how much his children had grown. The buttons at the farthest point of his belly strained to keep Gabriel contained, and the protrusive bellybutton had managed to find a gap through which to peek out from.

Victor couldn't contain a small smirk curling on his lips. The sight was quite cute, even he had to admit. He finished his own meal and the dishes were cleared from the table. He leaned back in his own chair and addressed Gabriel.

"You seem rather content at the moment. We can enjoy dessert later."

"Mn, I think that would be best," Gabriel replied, still sitting down, a drowsy little half smile upon his lips, "because if I eat another bite, I think I'm going to burst... or at least send a few buttons across the room."

Victor nodded. "Well, we wouldn't want to ruin that handsome shirt, would we?" Victor stood up and walked to Gabriel's side. "Here, let's get you more comfortable, hm?" With that, he wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulders and the other under his leg. He didn't even so much as grunt when he lifted the pregnant one.

"Ah!" Gabriel gasped as he was lifted, but flushed happily as he wasn't sure he would have been able to get out of the chair on his own otherwise. Shyly, he shifted in the hold and laid his head against Victor's chest. "Guess this here is a show of Vampire strength. Funny, I know that I should be heavy, but a lot of the time, I feel like it's no different than carrying around a backpack. Just, in the front, of course."

"The mutations work in your favor," he said. Victor took Gabriel out to the grand hall where all the portraits were. A very wide and high staircase led directly to the second floor. Victor climbed the steps with ease. He took the halls that would eventually lead to his own bed chamber.

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LuvTheBump
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"That they do, and I'm glad of that. I was a little worried," Gabriel replied and folded his hands upon his belly, the children felt stuffed and lazy too, and he beamed happily at that. Though he peered around as it soon dawned upon him that this was not the way to his chambers, that he was going somewhere new. He kept quiet however, not wanting Victor to suddenly get it in his head to just leave him in the hallway and storm off.

Victor shouldered two doors open to reveal a very lavish bed chamber. Everything was red and gold. The furniture was upholstered in velvet and made from polished brass. Four windows, each ten feet tall, revealed a view of the courtyard out back. The full moon could be seen setting between the branches of the pine trees. He moved to the bed which was laid with layers of silk and cotton sheets. The comforter was thick with goose down feathers. Victor sat against the pillows and shifted Gabriel in his lap a bit, holding the boy almost like an infant. "How's that?" he asked.

"It... it's very comfortable," Gabriel replied, in awe of the opulent space and how beautiful it was. He looked up at Victor, his cheeks colouring a little, "Is... is this your room?" he asked quietly, almost timidly. Not wanting the Vampire to laugh at him, and claim that these rooms were not fit for his lofty standing. Okay, so he doubted that Victor would laugh, but at least belittle him some for thinking that these rooms were fit for a king and being proven wrong.

"Yes, it is. The size proves lonely at times." Victor slowly unbuttoned the tunic. His eyes followed his own hand. The fabric was slipped from Gabriel's arms and tossed to the end of the bed. Victor stared for some time in silence. It was very hard to tell what he was thinking. The free hand came up again and cupped the heavy supple curve of Gabriel's belly.

"Yeah, I guess it is a little big," Gabriel replied, looking about and allowing himself to be distracted while Victor removed the tunic. Once it was removed, he shyly looked back, wishing he had some insight on what was going on behind those cool blue eyes. He was already blushing quite brightly and trying very hard not to squirm atop the other's lap, yet he felt so open and exposed and had to resist the desire to try and cover himself. Victor wanted to see how well his children were growing, and he was entitled to that, but Gabriel sucked in a breath as the Vampire began to touch him and bit at his lips against protesting.

"I'm sorry," he began slowly. It seemed like Victor was apologizing to the children, but then his eyes met Gabriel's face. "I should not have put you in danger like that. You could have gotten seriously injured. I could have gotten you killed."

Gabriel blinked, he'd been surprised when Victor bothered to meet his gaze. "It wasn't your fault, and... we got through it. Everyone got away in one piece, thanks to you." He smiled at Victor, and with much hesitation, reached up to place his hand upon the other's cheek, his heart racing as he waited in those precious seconds to see if the Vampire would spurn him again. "Tonight you were my knight in shining armor... but with more snarling."

The warmth on his face was something of a shock, but he quickly came to appreciate it. It had been a long time, too long, since another warm body touched him in any way. Victor let a small sigh escape him. His hand began to move in wide slow circles. "It was strange... When that beast had you pinned, I only wanted to save you. I was actually afraid for you and enraged at the beast. I thought... How dare he?"

Gabriel let his hand linger there, seeing as how it wasn't being snapped at and the Vampire wasn't recoiling from it. The other's skin was like cool marble, so smooth and perfect. He brushed his thumb from side to side gently, caressing the unmarred surface. He suppressed a tiny sound as Victor's hand began to move upon him, and again stopped himself from squirming. "Well... he could have hurt the children. They're what you've wanted for so long, and you've finally got them within your grasp," Gabriel said, taking Victor's meaning of "you" to really mean the children inside of him.

"We... We could always have more." This took some effort to say, but only because Victor was unused to expressing his feelings. "If I was to lose you... I would be alone again. Any woman could give me children, but only you can keep me company." The rubbing became tenderer at this point. "I meant what I said when I did not want you to leave. Clearly I've been a brute, but I've been trying my best not to drive you away. I have become accustomed to you. I rather like you."

"You... you like me?" Gabriel was most surprised at this admission, though he was glad when Victor had admitted to being less than cordial towards him. His hand slipped from Victor's cheek, but came down to rest upon the Vampire's shoulder, those astonished green eyes still looking into Victor's face. Trying to find out if this was a trick or not, but still the Vampire was unreadable and Gabriel sighed and smiled. "You know it's weird, but even if you uh... do fly off the handle sometimes, I've come to rather like you too." He looked away from Victor shyly, and uttered a soft, nervous laugh, "Maybe the Gods did have it right when they put us together."

The man nodded. "Yes, I suppose they did."

Victor continued to cradle Gabriel and rub his stomach. His fingers traced light shapes now and then; squares, triangles, circles, stars and the like. Even his thumb brushed over the protruding bellybutton. He'd play like this for a little while and then go back to rubbing the very round flesh.

"Mn," Gabriel choked down a yelp when Victor reached his now outie bellybutton, finding that it was strangely sensitive. He pressed his cheek against Victor's shoulder, trying to quiet down the sound of his panting. His heart was racing and he felt warm all over. "V-Victor... wh-when you touch me... it feels really good... m-maybe you should stop."

"If it feels so good, then why would you want me to stop?" Victor inquired. "Only pain should be rejected. Pleasure should be embraced. Don't you agree?"

"Th-that makes sense, I guess," Gabriel replied, though his cheeks still remained bright and he had begun to squirm upon Victor. "Just... well... I think it's... having... an effect on me..." he lowered his gaze shamefully.

"Don't be embarrassed. It's perfectly natural. I can help you with that," he offered simply. "I promise to be gentle this time. I will be nice."

"A-are you sure you want to?" Gabriel asked, again surprised that Victor would even offer, he really was being nice tonight. "I... I don't want you doing something that you... won't enjoy too." He blushed shyly at that.

"I assure you I don't mind." Victor rubbed the belly for a while longer. He started to use more pressure to encourage the blush on the boy's face. He liked that color. "Just let me know when you're ready."

Gabriel's panting began to grow louder, interrupted now and again by a soft cry as Victor's hand increased its administrations. Was it really supposed to feel this good? He was huge and pregnant, and yet well... it felt incredible! "I... I think I'm ready," he gasped, though he was unsure. All he knew was that his pants were feeling rather uncomfortably snug and this time it wasn't because of his belly.

Victor's hand moved from the boy's belly down to his pants where he unfastens the button and strings there. He felt the belly drop a bit now that it was given more room and he just smiled fondly. His hand slipped in slowly. Fingertips brushed over the sensitive throbbing skin.

"Ah... ah..." Gabriel panted and shivered as he felt those cool fingers move along him. It felt wonderful to get some friction down there at last, and he looked to Victor's face, trying once more to read it. Was the Vampire doing this like it was just some sort of task to be completed, or was he, maybe just a little... doing it because he wanted to?

That pair of ice blue eyes had closed now. Victor's hand moved slowly but with purpose. Slowly he wrapped his fingers around the heated length and began to stroke. His mouth fell open and a deep hiss leaked out. It almost seemed like he was enjoying himself as well. Victor could feel every nerve and every blood vessel pumping feverishly under the influence of his hand.

"V-Victor..." Gabriel groaned softly, leaning against the Vampire and just gazing up into that beautifully pale face. "Is there... is there anything... I can do for you?"

"You are already doing what I need of you," he said. Victor gave him a quick squeeze to ignite any dull lingering. Soon enough he felt the length harden and stiffen in his hand. The Vampire was actually a bit impressed. He'd ignored the erection last time they were... intimate, in such an understatement of words. Now he could experience the man Gabriel really was.

"Ah!" Gabriel tossed his head back at that squeezing, and performed what seemed to be an arch, his belly lifting a little. "It just... it seems unfair..." he cried, whimpering softly as he began to rock into the hold that Victor's fingers granted him. This really was different, in so many ways, from the last time they'd been in bed together, and Gabriel was rather glad of that.

More hisses dripped from his fangs. "Your sweet music is reward enough for me." Victor's fist began to pump. He changed speeds and pressure. What he wanted right now was to get Gabriel worked up and to hear more of those beautiful sounds he made. He wanted to see that round yet lithe body squirm with delight and desperate satisfaction.

And Victor would get everything he wanted. Gabriel wasn't used to having such attention upon him, and it was a delight for him to know that it didn't have to be like his first time. Each little pant that fell off his moist lips then was accompanied by a tiny, hitched cry. When Victor squeezed, he would whimper and moan, and lift his large form upon Victor's lap, eager for more. "Victor..." he mewled, gripping at the Vampire's shoulder while his other hand helped support him upon the bed, "Ah... I... I'm getting close..."

"Don't hold back," the man insisted. He pumped hard and steady from the base of the shaft all the way to the tip. Victor leaned forward and breathed hotly over Gabriel's ear. "It's all right. Don't be shy. Don't be afraid. It's all right."

With a few final loud breaths, Gabriel soon tossed his head back and cried out. A long, incoherent note of pleasure as his body arched and shuddered, releasing itself in that wash of pleasure. "Oh Victor..." he sighed, trembling as he came down from that high and sank against the Vampire.

Victor could not contain the laugh that rolled out of him. The sound being rich and thick. He retrieved his hand from the other's groin and slowly licked it clean. Gabriel's belly heaved in time with his panting, brushing against Victor. He shifted the boy so they were lying side by side in the bed. He slid the soiled pants from those toned, slim legs and tossed them to the floor. Victor then removed his cloak to lie over Gabriel's waist line.

Gabriel smiled, and blushed as Victor laughed, finding that the sound was quite wonderful. Not like the last time he'd heard it, which had also been after they'd... well, done something similar at least. He lay there comfortably, and watched Victor with a shy smile upon his lips and a deep flush still in his cheeks, "I... I'm not sure what to say right now..."

"You are not obligated to say anything." Victor got up from the bed and moved to the first window so he could close the thick black curtains. The sun was beginning to rise. Already the golden light of the dawn was pouring into the room. With all four windows covered, the Vampire returned to his spot next to the human. His pale chest was already pink, the first signs of a burn, but he didn't seem to care. Instead his hand just reached out to find perch on Gabriel's belly. He just seemed to be drawn to it.

In turn, Gabriel reached carefully for Victor's chest, though his fingers simply hovered over the burn. His brow furrowed in worry. "Doesn't it hurt?" he asked with concern, and was amazed at how much time had gone by, he didn't really feel all that sleepy, and wondered if that was all right.

Victor just nodded. "It does."

"I'm sorry," Gabriel withdrew his hand and kept it close to him, lowering his gaze. He looked up at Victor shyly after a moment of prolonged silence. "Will you be all right?"

"Yes, it will heal by night fall." Victor's hand began to rub lightly against Gabriel's swollen side.

"Mn," Gabriel sighed happily at that continued rubbing and let his eyes fall shut. Even though he hadn't felt sleepy, it seemed that it was indeed time for his body to rest, and he had fallen asleep instantly.

Naturally Victor didn't require sleep so he spent his day watching Gabriel through his slumber. That long slim hand never left the round surface which only managed to expand as the hours went on. Victor could notice a significant change from time to time and marveled at the sensation of skin stretching beneath his palm. Gabriel would only have one more day after this and the children would be fully grown. Then it would be time for Victor to begin feeding them.

Gabriel murmured softly as he awoke, feeling that hand upon his taut belly. He opened his eyes and smiled at the sight of Victor across from him, his cheeks colouring. "Did you stay here the entire time?" he asked softly, shifting a little and already knowing that he was bigger than before. One more day of growth, and then he'd be set for the next few months, and could start wearing something at night again... or not, it was kinda nice letting his big form be free and natural.

Victor nodded. "I have no business to conduct during day hours, so my time was free to be spent here." He rubbed the now even larger belly. "You look marvelous. The children are doing quite well."

"I'm sure I look huge," Gabriel replied, but didn't feel so bad about it since Victor seemed to enjoy it so. "They're starting to wake up too I think," he laughed softly as he heard a few good mornings chime through him and that squirming sensation which was likely to become all too familiar over the next few months. His cheeks suddenly got very dark as he remembered the night before and what Victor and he had done. Had the children learned of that?

"Oh, are they?" Victor could already feel the movements under his palm. In fact, he'd felt them moving around all day. They certainly liked to roll. He moved down a bit a placed his ear against the pink flesh. From inside he could hear seven distinct heart beats.

"Can... can you hear their voices yet?" Gabriel asked tentatively, reaching down to place his hand in those pale blonde locks and let the strands tangle about his fingers lightly. The young man hoped that Victor wouldn't be upset if he couldn't, and knew that a time would come when he did.

"No, I cannot, but I have you to interpret."

Gabriel smiled at that, and brushed his fingers along Victor's cheek, "Right now they're all saying good morning, and seem to be very excited that you're here with them today."

"I am pleased to hear that." Victor sat up then and ran a hand through his hair. "I think it stands that a bath is in order. I'll go get the coals warmed up with some fresh water. Think about what you would like for breakfast. I'll have it brought up. You're new clothes are bound to be ready as well."

Gabriel gave a simple nod, and sighed as he would lie back upon the bed and snuggle his face against the plush pillows at the head of the large, soft space. He would be contented to wait there, and rubbed a hand along his belly, as always amazed at just how much he had grown during one sleep. It was hard not to want to fall into the trap of being some huge, sedate creature right then, though he had told Victor that he wanted to continue on with an active lifestyle, regardless of his cumbersome size. He smiled as he listened in on what sorts of cravings the children were suggesting to him, and carefully pulled himself up into a seated position, his belly hanging round and ripe over his lap. He blushed as he found that upon such a large, opulent bed, he felt a little like a pearl nestled upon a cushion for display.

Victor dipped his hand into the large ivory tub. The water's temperature was perfect. He then poured in one of his private scented oils. He came out of the washroom and stood by the side of the bed looking down at the round one. "Did you decide what you wanted to eat? The bath is ready for you. Do you need help getting up?"

Gabriel looked up from his dreamy assessment of his belly and smiled at Victor. There appeared to be a healthy, pink glow along the bridge of his nose and within his cheeks, which granted him an almost angelic facade. "I definitely hear a lot of demands for meat this morning. Bacon and sausage and ham, mn, with a big side of hashbrowns and toast. A stack of pancakes, dripping with syrup," he appeared thoughtful for a moment, sorting out what the little ones were telling him, and then uttered a soft laugh, "Oh, and a bowl of raspberries." He focused back upon Victor and stretched out a hand to the Vampire, his expression silently seeking that help that had been offered to him.

"I will need helping carrying all of that up here, but it can be done." Victor fastened the chain of his cloak around Gabriel's waist before he reached out to take both the hands stretched out to him. Still with ease he hoisted the boy to his feet. "I'll be bringing Mary back up with me. The medical exam is still quite necessary, especially after the attack last night."

The young man appeared a tad sheepish, knowing that it was a large amount of food, but knowing that he could be forgiven since he was eating for eight and the children were surely getting ready for their final growth spurt. Tomorrow, he would finally know just how big he was destined to be for the next several months, and seek to keep it that way, not wanting to have a bundle of pudgy, fat piggies, but rather seven of the sweetest, healthiest babes one ever did come across. "I understand," Gabriel replied as he found his footing and gave Victor's hand a small, timid squeeze for comfort. "I feel wonderful," he offered, and cast the man that brilliant smile once more, "I just hope you're as excited as I am about finding out how big they've gotten."

Victor nodded. "I would be, naturally." He gave the belly one last firm rub. "Just come out when you're done. Feel free to take your time." Victor left then to make all the appropriate arrangements for Gabriel that day. First he would pick up the new clothing, then fetch Mary, and lastly he would have the food made and brought up to the room.

"I look like a small island, don't I?" Gabriel said aloud as he soaked himself in the tub, scooping up water onto his large belly and pouting a little when a chill came upon the wet skin. He'd become much too large to submerge his entire self within the depths of a normal tub, and the grand dome shape before him obscured all hopes of seeing his toes and privates. Though it had only been a few days since his stomach had eclipsed those extremities, he still missed the familiar sight of them, and blushed as he recalled how Victor had... helped him last night, reminding him that he was still a man.

"All right, everybody out of the pool," he told himself, banishing perverted thoughts, and pulled himself up out of the tub and waddled over to collect his towel, put it to good use and wrap it about his waist, and then walk on out to greet Victor and Mary with still yet another smile.

"Oh my, dear, you are positively glowing," Mary said while returning the smile.

Victor sat some distance away in one of the velvet cushion chairs. His face was once again solemn and a bit like stone. Had he reverted back to his normal self, or was he just giving the nurse room to work?

Gabriel smiled coyly at the nurse's compliment, but felt joy spread through him warmly. He peered at Victor briefly, his brow furrowing as he saw that cold expression back in place. Yet he would not let himself dwell and allow despair to weedle into his heart, turning his attentions back to Mary and her work.

Mary gestured for Gabriel to sit. She already had the measuring tape out. It seemed she too was eager to discover his new size. She had to work a bit to get the tape around his stomach, but she managed. Old eyes observed the number meeting just under his navel. "83 inches," she finally announced. "Another seventeen. Good job, dear. Absolutely wonderful."

"N-no way," he gasped, his eyes round. How could he have grown so much again? "This is... I don't have much to get to tomorrow, now do I? What was the usual size you told me, like 90 inches or so?"

The nurse nodded. "That's right. You might gain another ten inches at the most tomorrow. Can you turn for me a little so I can check your side? Is it still tender at all? You haven't felt any other abnormalities form? Everyone is still accounted for, right?"

"Oh yes, everyone's coming in loud and clear," Gabriel replied as he moved for Mary and gestured to the area that had been tender the day before, but now felt like any other place upon his body, healthy and primed. "They're eager to get to that meal of theirs though," he said with a laugh.

Mary felt around carefully with her hands and nodded. "All right, that's good. You'll be able to eat just as soon as I'm done." She felt around the rest of his stomach for pained spots or other bruising that might have occurred. She tested his pulse and breathing and blood pressure. Everything checked out and she gave him a passing grade. "I realize you're feeling well, probably above average, but I want you to take it easy just for today. You don't have to stay in bed, but avoid running or riding and using the stairs too much. Okay?"

Gabriel nodded and moved to start putting on his clothing. "Maybe I could talk Victor into keeping me busy up here for the night." He looked to the Vampire and uttered a soft laugh. "Just kidding, but I promise not to push much tonight."

Victor shook his head. "I am afraid I will be gone for the first part of tonight. Lucille will be sent up to keep you company. I know she is the quieter type that you like. She is rather good at cards." The Vampire stood up and walked to the end of the bed. "It is ten-o'-clock now. I will be taking my leave around midnight and should return around two, maybe three."

Gabriel couldn't help but pout at that, as although he knew that Victor wasn't going to engage him in the manner he'd alluded to, he was still clearly disappointed that the Vampire was going to leave him so soon. Reluctantly he sighed and finished dressing, wandering over to the many platters and plates awaiting him. "Well, I hope you have a good time, with whatever you're doing."

"My obligations are hardly ever fun. I am going into the woods to looking for more Werewolves. They normally travel in packs and where that one came from, there is bound to be more. I am not bringing you along for obvious reasons. Although I would ask if you had any weapons on you from the first night that might help me in hunting them?"

"Ah," Gabriel felt a little chagrined for his words earlier, though how was he to know, and Victor was right. It was doubtful that it had been a lone Werewolf out on the prowl that night, and was likely to have simply been a scout. For a moment, Gabriel looked to Victor and mourned the loss of his life in pursuit of the hunt. He looked away and began to cut up his food. "If you still have my coat, there were some silver spikes in one of the lower pockets. Drive them through the heart, and you won't have a problem. There's some wolfsbane somewhere in there too, but since I don't think you have to worry about Turning once bitten, you probably won't be needing that."

"No, I don't think so either, but thank you." Victor came up behind Gabriel and began to massage his shoulders. "I will be taking my men with me as well. The gunman uses silver bullets. The archer does well to slow them down."

Gabriel found himself melting a little at the firm way those hands worked upon the knots under his skin. The young man turned his pale green gaze up to meet Victor's icy blue ones, his concern lay bare to the Vampire. "You'll be careful, won't you? I... I want you to come back safe and all."

His own face was unresponsive to the concern he saw, but he nodded regardless. "Yes, I will be careful." Victor wasn't going to make any promises. He wasn't that kind of fool, and he knew Gabriel understood the realities of this task. Even a Vampire couldn't stand up easily to a large pack of Weres. If there were only three or four he would manage, but any more than that...

Gabriel quietly set down his utensils and reached up to Victor's face, placing his warm hands upon either side of it. He knew that this was going to be bold, and even a little awkward given their current position, but either way he sought to draw the Vampire down and brush his lips softly along the other's own. Anything could happen on a hunt, and if Victor met a poor end, he at least wanted a small token from the other.

Victor could not return the brief kiss. He did not feel the same way. He couldn't. He was not ready. Allen was still weighing too heavily on his heart. He let Gabriel do as he wish though. Ice blue eyes watched those lips come up to meet his own and stared at the boy's closed lids.

Gabriel pulled back and smiled softly, though the sadness shimmered in his eyes. "That's okay," he whispered, perhaps more to himself than to Victor, though it was hard to tell. He would turn back to his meal, not wanting to keep his squirming little ones waiting any longer and glad of the distraction. "If things go well, bring back a souvenier to show the children," he said, not looking to Victor.

"Their pelts will be my reward," the man said.

Victor made no more gestures and uttered no more words before turning and walking out of the room. He needed to retrieve the weapons from the Underground and gather his men. There was plenty of work to be done with the horses and other things before they went out. Hunting was involved work. Victor stopped in front of the portrait of his late wife. He stared at it for some time and then gave it a kiss. "I'll be back soon."

Gabriel busied himself with eating and tried not to think about the gnawing despair in his heart. He knew that if anything was to happen between them, anything beyond friendship and... duty, that he would have to be patient and try not to get his hopes and aspirations too high. Already Victor had given him more than enough, and he shouldn't be selfish. His gaze went towards the window and the dark, star spotted sky beyond. "Just be safe, please."

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There came a knock at the door some odd thirty minutes later. Lucille did not wait before entering. Technically it wasn't his room so she didn't need his permission to enter. She was in fact that bold. Her stoic eyes met his and she lifted a pack of cards indicating she had some to play. Without waiting for approval or rejection, the young woman moved to the bed and sat cross-legged upon it.

Gabriel blinked at how abruptly the girl just came in and settled herself in. With a bit of effort, he departed of the empty dishes that he'd left in his wake, and waddled on over to the bed. The russet coloured tunic that he'd been given today was already feeling a little snug on the sides, but he tried not to fiddle with it any, for fear that he might rip something in front of the quiet girl. He pulled himself up onto the bed and settled down across from her. "Seems I haven't seen you in a bit... though you're so quiet, I'm sorry if I somehow passed over you."

"I'm normally not around if I am not needed," she said and started to deal the cards. "We're playing Old Maid first. My sister and I used to play it together."

Gabriel nodded, accepting the cards passed to him. "Does your sister work here in the castle also?" he asked, making an attempt at small conversation.

"My sister is dead," she replied flatly.

"Oh, I'm, sorry to hear that," Gabriel replied, looking to the cards in his hands. He was finding that his belly was getting in the way and carefully laid himself out across from the girl, finding that this was also much more comfortable for him, letting his belly rest more upon the bed than on him.

Lucille observed his rather large form. It could be its own person. Or seven, as she had heard around the castle. She found it all very disgusting and on multiple levels. Lucille hated having to be in Gabriel's presence. She had asked her master to be relieved of this duty, but he very firmly denied her request. Her skin crawled at the sight of his bulging stomach, pulsing with the life of those who were damned for eternity.

She drew one of his cards and set down her pair of black threes.

Gabriel didn't notice her gaze, or perhaps just didn't care, since his unnatural form was bound to attract a few stares anyhow. He sat there in silence with the girl, looking over his cards before selecting one from her set, and placing down a pair of red sevens, which he smiled softly at.

Lucille focused all her attention on her cards. Gabriel's belly was so big it was difficult to ignore no matter how hard she tried. Her lips began to twitch into a sneer, but she was a lady and she held her composure. She reached toward his cards again but came up with no matches. Each turn she took, if she made matches, were of black cards. One might even think she was trying for them.

Gabriel wasn't much interested in the game, and thought nothing of the ongoing coincidence Lucille seemed to be having in coming up with only black cards, while he was being left with the majority of red pairs because of it. It was too quiet, but Gabriel didn't think that this particular servant would be too happy to be drawn into conversation. He mused privately on how he missed Rebecca then, but as he was steadily falling into a more nighttime regime, he had been seeing her less and less. The man made a note to ask that Lucille see about getting him a book to tide him over for the rest of the night, once their game was complete.

Lucille set down her last pair and was left with one card. The black Queen of Spades. She laid the card down in front of her. "The Old Maid. I win," she said in contradiction to the rules of the game. The girl hardly looked or acted victorious. However, Lucille did seem proud of all her black cards and the crowned black Queen.

Gabriel blinked, wondering if it had been so long since he'd played the game that he'd forgotten how it worked. He frowned a little, but said nothing, only shifted lumberously and gathered up his cards again. "Um, you know you don't have to be here for the whole night. I'd be quiet happy with just a book or two to keep me occupied." He looked to the young woman. "Would you be able to get me a couple of fairytales from the library?" A flushed smile crossed his face. "I'd like to be able to read to the little ones." He rubbed his large belly in emphasis.

"Don't do that," she snapped, brow furrowing in disgust.

"Don't do what?" Gabriel asked, confused. His hand had fallen still, yet remained securely upon his belly.

"Don't touch yourself like that. It's gross." Lucille gathered up the cards and shuffled them for another round.

"What do you mean, it's gross? A lot of mothers feel that need for a connection, and it feels nice," Gabriel replied, and shifted again, growing uncomfortable. "Why should it bother you anyway?"

"Don't connect with them. Have you gone delusional? You're pregnant with his monster offspring. Don't you even realize what you're doing?" She started to deal the cards. "You lie there like some lazy overstuffed pig, too content to realize how grotesque he is. You shouldn't nurture those things in you. You should be doing everything you can to be rid of them."

Gabriel frowned and sat up, ignoring the cards before him. "Look, I thought the same thing when this first started, but it's different now. They're just children, and innocent ones, even if they are going to be... Vampires. I know that Victor's got his problems, but I'm going to raise these little ones up properly, so that they'll turn out good and respectable, in spite of what they are."

Lucille spit on the bed in front of him. "They're hardly innocent. They aren't children. They are horrible little cretins. They should burn in the flames where they belong. All you do is sit there swollen and blind. You cannot raise them to be good or respectable. It is not in their nature to be as such."

Gabriel jumped, startled by this display of disgust and outright hatred. He couldn't help but sit up and place both hands to his stomach protectively. "You don't know that. With the right upbringing, they may be able to control their baser instincts and urges. I have to try at least!"

"They will always be blood-sucking devils!" she suddenly screamed at him. "They will never love you! They can't! They will only know how to kill and eat! They will come crawling out of you like insects! All you are doing is spreading the plague!"

"Stop it!" Gabriel screamed back, "Stop it and get out!" Tears had come to his eyes at the awful things she was saying. It brought back all the doubt that he'd had before, and twisted at his heart painfully. Their voices were so beautiful and innocent, how could they be what she claimed?

Lucille pushed him as she got up from the bed. The doors were flung open and she glared at the young man over her shoulder. "I couldn't save my sister, but I'll be damned if I try to help you. You deserve what's coming." With that she stormed out slamming the doors hard enough to make the room shake.

Gabriel pulled himself up to the head of the bed and began to cry into the pillows there. His hands remained around his stomach, and he could hear the little cries of upset and concern, but knew not how to soothe them right then.

Victor returned within a few hours as he said he would. The Vampire walked into the room looking dirty and sporting some claw marks that were in the process of healing. He saw Gabriel curled up on the bed looking miserable. "What happened?" he asked as he stood over the bed.

"Sh-she said such awful things," Gabriel sniffled, having gotten over the worst of it, though he'd spent the past few hours just lying there in misery. "She said that they were going to be monsters, no matter what I did. But that can't be true; they're so innocent and sweet."

"Of course they won't be monsters." Anger flashed across Victor's face at these words. "Who said that to you? Lucille?"

Gabriel hesitated a moment before nodding, while he did not wish her harm, her words had hurt him greatly. Though now he couldn't help but wonder just how much truth there might be in them. What had happened to her sister? Was it true that the children couldn't be saved?

Victor sighed. "She's been such a trouble maker for years. I thought giving her this responsibility would set her straight." He sat in the bed next to Gabriel. "Lucille is an angry person. You should not let her words bother you."

"Wh-why is she so angry?" Gabriel asked, wiping at his eyes and pulling himself up so that he could shyly shift closer to Victor and lie against the Vampire, wanting some comfort, even if Victor might not know how to give it.

He put his arm over Gabriel's shoulder. "That is none of your concern."

"B-but there has to be a reason for it," Gabriel whimpered, and curled up against Victor. Enjoying the solid feeling of the other.

"Of course there is a reason. There is a reason for everything, but not all reasons need to be known by all people."

Gabriel frowned, but would let the matter go then. There was no use picking at the subject like a loose scab if he wasn't going to get very far. "How did your hunting go?" he asked, changing the subject, but continuing to lie against Victor, not wanting to give up that comfort just yet.

"We took down the entire pack. There were three in the south and then another four to the north. Apparently they had split up to try and surround the village. Many of them were females and easily killed. I am having their pelts made into something for you."

"Th-thank you," Gabriel replied, though was unsure if that should be a good thing. Werewolves, in spite of the beasts they had become, had once been human. They'd just been cursed unfortunately. "Well, I am glad that you took care of everything, and that you're in one piece." He smiled up at the Vampire shyly.

Victor's hand came to rest upon Gabriel's clothed stomach. "Did she upset them at all?"

"I think they were most upset because I was," Gabriel replied, smiling at that hand upon his stomach. It felt good, since Lucille had so caustically said it was disgusting earlier. "It feels like they've settled in for the night, tired out by the ordeal."

"I will talk to her," he said and began moving his hand over the incredibly round surface. "She was out of line. Lucille should know when to hold her tongue. Her ill behavior has embarrassed me."

Gabriel's eyes fell shut and he laid his head against Victor, enjoying the motions of that hand upon him. Like he'd said to Lucille, it felt good, and it offered contact. "Embarrassed you?"

"The behavior of my servants reflects my authority and my ability to be in control. If my servants lash out like that, then it makes me look incapable."

"She was just expressing herself... granted, it did upset me and all, but you shouldn't be a tyrant."

"I am not a tyrant," Victor growled. "I expect my servants to behave and know their place. They have no business expressing their feelings in front of us. They are here to work and that is it."

Gabriel sighed. Yeah, that didn't sound tyrannical at all. Still, he lay there contently. "A bit of kindness goes a long way, you know."

Victor moved away, his arms and hands leaving Gabriel's body. "I don't need to be kind to anyone. I get what I want with power. It's much simpler."

Gabriel rolled over onto his side, his back to Victor. "You know, it's that sort of attitude that would make people think that Vampires might be a bit too much to bear. I don't know if you were like this when you were human, but things are different now."

Victor did not at all appreciate the tone Gabriel was taking with him. He picked the young man up and walked out of the room. They would quickly find themselves back in Gabriel's chambers where Victor dropped him onto the bed a bit unceremoniously. "You can sleep alone today," he said firmly and then left.

"You really are a touchy jerk, aren't you?!" Gabriel yelled at the door and then tossed a pillow at it before flopping down upon the bed and staring up at the familiar canopy. "What is this, two steps forward, an entire run back?"

Mamma, why is dad mad all of the sudden?

Tell them to stop squishing my arm!

Moooom, I'm hungry.

Me too!

Yeah, I'm really hungry!

We're hungry, mom!

 

"Ah!" Gabriel gasped as he found himself suddenly bombarded by such requests, and sat up with a laugh and rubbed at his belly lovingly. "Your dad gets angry over silly things, not really sure why half the time. I'm sure he'll be good to you, but hopefully you can make him be a better person towards others." The young man pulled himself out of bed, and began to waddle over to the door and out of the room, realizing that in his misery, he'd missed out on another fine meal for his little ones. No wonder they were so hungry right now. "Now what would my little loves like? Hopefully someone's still awake to tend to us."

I want strawberries.

I want grapes!

Can I have pork?

I don't like pork! Chicken!

What about milk? That's really good.

I wanna cupcake.

I want noodles.

 

Gabriel blushed happily as he listened to all the demands, and how different they were. Just as all seven children were likely to be different in their own special ways. He found that he was able to quite easily navigate through the castle, remembering the specific routes and also feeling that his eyes were growing used to the dim lighting at night. He wandered into the kitchen and smiled in relief as someone came out to greet him. He began to give the long list of items to the chef, and paused a moment to catch any more requests before sending the man to his task and going to take a seat, cooing as he rubbed his large belly. "Now just be patient my little ones, and you'll each get everything you want."

But we're hungry nooooow.

Mamma said we have to wait.

Uuhhhn....

Cut it out.

I'm getting my cupcake, right?

You're already bigger than us!

How long do we have to wait?

Someone is poking me!

 

Gabriel cooed and rubbed his hands along his stomach. "Now, now, I know it might be a little cramped in there, but be good." He was relieved when a servant brought out the first of his requests, and began to pop grapes and strawberries into his mouth with relish, using one hand to pick up the morsel, while the other continued to rest or rub at his belly. "Mm, how's that for starters?"

Good good!

Really good!

Yeah good

 

Gabriel laughed happily, but then his expression grew somber and wistful, "You... you're not monsters, are you?" he asked quietly.

No...

Why would you ask us that?

We're babies. That's what we've heard.

Aren't monsters scary?

Do you think we're scary, mama?

Daddy is scary sometimes.

Maybe daddy is a monster.

But that means we're monsters too.

I don't wanna be a monster!

 

"Shh, shh," Gabriel again began to rub his belly, and felt horrible that he'd upset his darlings so. "I'm sorry, that was a stupid question. Just, tonight there was that lady who upset me, because... that's what she said you are. Your mother should know better, but sometimes what people say can really affect you." He smiled as he looked to his large belly, trying to imagine those tiny squirming forms. "You're all my cute, sweet little babies, and I want you all to grow into proper adults that I will be so very proud of."

We're gonna do our best, mama.

Yeah, we want you to be proud of us.

We want you to like us.

And love us.

Yeah, love us.

Do you love us, mom?

 

"Of course I love you," Gabriel replied, and smiled a little sheepishly as the servant brought out more food and gave him an odd glance for having overheard him talking to himself. "Your mother loves you all very dearly, and wants only the best for you, so that you'll come into the world happy and healthy." He began to cut up the meats that were given him, and delighted in the herbs and seasonings that had been used. Again, such changes in his life, when he was so used to having meat that was plain, sometimes overcooked or not cooked enough, sometimes even questionable in its source. He swallowed. "And... do you love your mother?"

Oh yes!

We love you very much.

Very very much!

We do! We do!

I love mama the most.

Nuh-uh! I love mama more.

That's dumb. We all love mama the same.

 

Gabriel laughed, but felt warm all over. Perhaps it really was the greatest thing a mother could hear, and here he was receiving such sweet attentions before the children were even born. "You're all so wonderful. Hm, and do you love your father?"

 

Dad is okay.

I like dad. Dad is very brave.

But father can be mean.

Daddy saved mama that one time.

I think dad is kinda selfish, but dad really likes us.

That is true.

It's not that we don't love dad, but dad doesn't pay attention to us like you do.

Yeah, father doesn't talk to us much.

Daddy likes to touch us.

No, dad likes to touch mom.

Shhhh!

 

"Seems like we've got quite a few opinions on that issue," Gabriel replied, taking a moment to sneak a few more bites of the delicious meal, mixing up a few of the items so that nobody felt left out for not getting what they wanted. Though he did think that Victor liked touching the children more than touching him, he was just in the way... not that the Vampire hadn't helped him the other night, but again he couldn't be sure if that was out of his own desire or simply because it was what Gabriel himself needed at the time. "I'll see about having him talk to you more. Right now he can't seem to hear you the same way I can, and I know that makes him sad."

Dad never seems to have much to talk about.

Then why are you complaining?

I'm just saying.

I bet dad could tell us plenty of stories.

 

"Would you like it if your father told you stories?" Gabriel asked, feeling that that might be a good way to get on Victor's good side. If he knew that his children wanted to listen to him, then that could brighten up his day... er, night. Did metaphors work the same way in that respect? Gabriel nodded graciously to the servant who came to take away his dishes and smiled, and clasped his hands in joy as not one, but seven cupcakes were then brought out to him.

The septuplets could sense the joy flowing through him.

What's going on, mom?

 

"We have cupcakes, one for each you," Gabriel replied happily, "seems you have people around the castle rooting for us as well."

Yay!

They all chimed together.

"How about we take these back on upstairs to enjoy, and then it’s off to bed for us all?"

Okay.

I'm getting kind of sleepy anyway.

Me too.

Yeah.

 

Gabriel giggled and took his plate of cupcakes back through the halls and to his room, having eaten two along the way. He finished off the rest before undressing out of his now tight tunic and setting it aside. He smiled as he knew that tomorrow would be the final day of growth and from then on, he would be able to have a proper wardrobe that he wasn't going to worry too much on bursting out of. "All right my little loves, I'll talk with you in the morning."

Good night, mama!

Don't shout.

Night, mom.

Sweet dreams.

We love you.

Night. Sleep well.

Good night, mom.

 

"Love you all, good night and sweet dreams," Gabriel murmured as he snuggled himself down and fell asleep.



-- Edited by LuvTheBump on Tuesday 8th of March 2011 09:52:58 PM

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aww.gif this is adorable! more plz!!!

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I love this story, it keeps me soo hooked, can't wait for more!!!!!

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He would arise just as the sun was setting, feeling a little glad to be back in what he was considering his room, though he did find that having Victor be the first thing he awoke to rather pleasant as well.

 

Mom...

Mama... wake up.

We're hungry, mama.

Our tummies hurt.

Mama...

Their little voices had already begun, although sad, desperate and a little pained. The infants had a strong hunger that made them ache all over and in turn would cause Gabriel some discomfort.

Mama, please...

We're so hungry, mama.

Mama...

 

Gabriel frowned, this was certainly different and not at all pleasant like the past few mornings. As those voices grew more distressed, so too did he and he hurried out of bed as best he could. "Don't worry little ones. I'll get you something to eat." But what did they want? This didn't feel like their normal cravings, when they so loudly and happily let him know what they were hoping for. "I'll get Mary," he told himself, putting on a pair of pants at least, before going to the door and hoping that there would be a servant nearby he could have get the woman.

 

The boy was lucky enough to run in face to face with the elderly nurse who was accompanied by Lucille. "Oh! Well good evening, dear. I was just coming in to wake you. Today is the big day an-" She stopped short when she noticed Gabriel's distressed expression. "Gabriel, what's wrong?"

 

"Th-they're hungry, but... I'm not sure for what," Gabriel whimpered in reply, feeling his own stomach ache in accordance to the upset of the children within him. "It feels awful. Please Mary, I don't know what's wrong." And admitting that something could be wrong filled him with a great sense of dread and horror. Was he at risk of loosing the children?

 

"Oh dear, are they hungry already? I thought they would give us a few hours. Oh well. You can't control babies, can you?" Mary turned to the girl. "Lucille, go get Victor for me, please."

At first she didn't move. All she did was stand there and stare.

"Lucille," the nurse said firmly. "Now."

Then she was off.

"All right. Let's get you back in bed, honey. Come on," Mary said.

 

"Ah, I'm surprised Lucille was even here tonight," Gabriel muttered, mostly to himself, and wondered if she had been disgusted with him and how he hadn't been wearing a shirt at the time, his large, ripe form in full view. He returned to the bed, wincing a little at the discomfort, and looked to Mary with continued worry. "Please tell me that they're going to be all right."

 

"Oh yes, they will be fine," she reassured him. "It's just time for them to become full vampires. You see... Before today they were only half vampire, sort of like fledglings. They can survive on normal sustenance for a time, but eventually they need to feed on blood. That is why we need Victor," she explained.

 

"You mean... they'll need me to... drink blood?" Gabriel's eyes grew wide, and for a moment he was unsure if he could go through with such a task.

 

"No, dear, not you."

 

"Mary." Victor's voice came from the doorway. "I have been told you need me."

"Yes, Victor. Please come over here and sit by Gabriel. Lucille, we need you too. Gabriel, you need to lie down."

Victor did as he was told, now realizing what this was all about. Lucille very reluctantly unhooked the collar on her dress. Gabriel frowned, quite confused now, but he would lie down all the same. Conflicted with an urge to look away from the other two, and the desire to see everything that would happen.

 

Victor sank his teeth into Lucille's neck. She didn't make a sound. He drank long and heavily from her. When he was done, Victor turned to Gabriel. "This might hurt a little." Both his hands were placed on either side of the boy's belly, and his fangs sank into the lower curve at the base of the womb. The blood he had taken from Lucille was being given to the young living in Gabriel.

 

Gabriel squirmed and whimpered, the sensation was rather uncomfortable, if only because it was so strange. He bit down upon his lips and tried very hard not to squirm, his hands knotting into the sheets as he accepted the blood being given almost directly to the children. He sought to listen to their little voices, wanting to see if they were glad of this, if this soothed them, and made their torment go away.

 

What is that?

It's good.

Yeah, really good.

Is that dad?

I want more.

Yeah, yeah, more!

The last of Lucille's blood was given then. "So...?" Victor asked as he pulled back wiping his lips.

 

Gabriel sighed, glad that it was over, but also glad to have heard those voices again and how happy they were. He propped himself up with one hand, and let the other rub at the top part of his large belly. "They're okay now. Apparently they really liked that."

 

"We are not finished yet," Victor said. Suddenly he sank his fangs into his own arm with a quiet hiss. He sat there drinking his own blood, but not as much as he took from Lucille. Victor did his best to bite in the same place so he wouldn't have to break fresh skin. Now he began to transplant his own blood.

 

"Ah! Wh-why do you have to do that?" Gabriel whimpered and looked to Mary for the answer. He found himself rather worried that this would somehow change the children, perhaps... infect them with Victor's disinterest and anger. He didn't want to think like that, but it scared him to receive the vampire's blood.

 

"This will have to be done once a week until they are born," Mary said. "It is all part of the process," she explained. "They need blood to survive, as all Vampires do, but they also need their father's blood to become full Vampires themselves. Victor's blood allows the transformations to happen. If they are not stabilized by the time of their birth, they will die."

 

Gabriel frowned, well he certainly didn't want them to die, but for a moment he had entertained the notion of just letting them be halflings and that maybe there would be a chance for them to make the choice to become full vampires later.

The man sighed softly and looked down to his belly. "So what do you think, my little ones? You're going to become real vampires now."

 

There was no response as they had suddenly fallen asleep. The babes were full and were already changing. Victor pulled back one last time. His hand came to rest over the bite and he rubbed just slightly.

 

Gabriel whimpered and did not want to admit that he was afraid right then. He rolled over onto his side and began to curl up, not wanting Victor to touch him any further.

 

Victor withdrew his hand out of curiosity rather than concern. "Why are you acting like this? I didn't hurt you on purpose."

 

"I know you didn't," Gabriel replied softly. "I'm just... I'm just scared."

 

"Why? You have nothing to be frightened of here. No one is going to cause you harm."

 

"It's not that," Gabriel replied, shutting his eyes tightly. "I just... I don't want them to change. I liked how they were."

 

"They'll be the same as they always were," Mary insisted.

 

"A-are you sure?" Gabriel asked, peeking over at Mary, and not looking at Victor. "Will I still be required to feed them? Listening to their cravings was... well, it was so wonderful."

 

The old woman laughed. "Well of course! They'll still want their pancakes and bacon and cupcakes. Their diet just includes a little extra now."

 

"I guess that's all right," Gabriel consented and sat up, but still did not look to Victor or Lucille. He cast Mary a soft smile though. "Well, I guess it's time for those final measurements, right?"

 

Victor looked at Lucille giving her a silent order to leave, which she gratefully did.

Mary nodded and pulled out her measuring tape. "Final number is.... 93! I couldn't have asked for a healthier number."

 

Gabriel beamed happily. "That's great! I even managed to go over the standard by a little, but not too much thankfully." He sighed in relief, and then began to rub his bare belly. "Still can't believe that only a week ago... well, so much has changed in just a few days, hasn't it?"

 

Mary nodded. "So much indeed. You, the babies... Victor. A lot has changed."

 

Gabriel nodded and sighed. "I think I just want to take it easy today, and get used to this new... vampire thing some, would that be all right?" He looked to Victor then, though only for a moment before drawing his gaze away.

 

"Of course dear." Mary began to pack up her things. Victor just stood up and left without a word. If Gabriel didn't want him around then he wasn't going to complain. "Let us know if you need anything," the nurse said before closing the door.

 

Gabriel only nodded and settled himself back down upon his side, staring at the wall opposite to him and waiting for the children to wake up so that he could ask them about what they'd felt about the ordeal they'd just gone through. The doubt and fear lingered in his heart, and he bit upon his lips, hoping that they could just be as they were and be as loving and sweet as before.

 

It was a few hours before the voices started to pipe up.

Mama?

Are you awake, mom?

Mom.

Mamma... Hey, mamma.

Can you hear us?

 

"Ah, I can hear you little ones, sorry, was distracted," he'd been dozing by the time they spoke up again, and he smiled at their bright little voices and sighed. "Did you have a good sleep?"

 

Uh-huh.

We did.

I slept really hard.

I didn't even dream.

We feel really good, though.

Yeah, really good!

That stuff daddy gave us tasted good.

What was it?

Yeah, mom, what was it?

Do we get to have it again?

We liked it.

 

Gabriel smiled softly and sighed, so they were already turning into little bloodsuckers. "The nurse, Mary, said that you would be able to have it once a week. And as to what it was... it was blood my little ones."

 

I like blood.

Me too!

Do we still get to have other things?

Yeah, do we still get cookies?

Can I still have pineapple?

I don't want to give up steak.

What about carrots?

And rice!

 

That the children desired normal food and in such a variety made Gabriel smile anew and run his hands along his large stomach in that loving fashion once more. "You can have all those things and more, my sweet ones, just remember though that blood is a special thing. When you come into this world, you will find that unlike all those other foods, blood will have to be earned. It comes from people like your mommy and those that help mommy, and you should respect those people."

 

Do we have to get it from you?

Does it hurt when we drink people's blood?

I don't think I wanna hurt people.

Can't we get it from some place else?

I really liked it, though.

Maybe we'll only have it every once in a while.

Do we need blood, mama?

 

Gabriel smiled as he listened to their questions, and lay there just enjoying the unique sensation of "hearing" his children and feeling all seven of them squirm about within his grand belly. He no longer felt quite human, though he certainly didn't consider himself to be any sort of vampire either, he just felt strange and yet content. "I suppose you could get it from me, though it might be too much for me to feed all seven of you. It hurts a little at first, when the fangs puncture skin, but then... well, I think for some it feels quite good. You have to be careful, if you take too much blood from a person, you will hurt them very much. So never be greedy. As for how often you'll need it, and on if you need human blood specifically, I'm afraid that would be best answered by your father."

 

Where is daddy?

Is he there with you?

Are you mad at him?

How come you and dad fight so much?

Don't you love each other?

Yeah? Don't you and daddy love each other?

You both love us, right?

 

Gabriel's smile fell and he sighed wistfully. He'd been hoping to avoid questions like these for a few more weeks, or better yet, a few more years. Well, seemed he had the inquisitive phase right here and now, so there was no use ignoring them, especially since it wasn't like he could just tell them to go off and play.

"Mommy needed some time alone. I'm not mad at him... not right now anyway, I just..." he bit his lips, he didn't want to tell his children that he'd been afraid that after receiving Victor's blood that they would somehow take on their father's personality traits rather than just his physical ones. "I don't know what it is between us. Daddy needs Mommy so that he can have children, which would be you, and... I guess sometimes he likes Mommy for more than just that reason, but your Daddy is a very hard person to read. He lost someone very dear to him, and that hurt him very much. So much... that..." he shook his head, and just sighed rubbing his stomach some more, the action as comforting as ever. "But Daddy loves you guys absolutely and unconditionally. Mommy loves you too, and wants to keep you safe and happy."

 

They were all quiet for a time, seeming to think all of this over.

Can't you help daddy feel better?

If you can't... read... him, then why not just ask how he feels?

Father can't possibly be that much of a brute.

If you both love us that much, then I think you should love each other.

We're your common ground.

Yeah! Common ground!

They all moved around excitedly. This subject was a fond one for them.

I bet if you and dad spent more time together being with us, you would end up wanting to be together with each other!

That's a great idea!

We like having daddy around. We like having both of you around at the same time, together.

Yeah! Together!

Won't you try?

Please just try.

For us?

 

Gabriel sighed deeply and shook his head, though a smile had made its place upon his lips and he slowly began to lift himself up out of the bed, once again needing to take a moment to acclimate himself to his new weight and size. When steadily upon his feet, he set his hands to the small of his back and let his belly jut out before him. He would have thought that he'd be barely able to move with so much in front of him and would have his body protesting the very notion of moving with it, but once again it seemed his body had rose to the challenge and made the necessary adjustments to keep him mobile and comfortable.

"All right then, for you I will put forth my very best effort. I can't promise that we'll fall in love and have a happily ever after, but we can at least be close, right?" he moved around the room to get himself dressed and groomed.

 

Right!

Yeah!

As long you guys don't fight.

You should be friends.

Close friends...

Shh!

Mooooom! They shushed me!

Tattle tale...

Oh, like mamma couldn't hear you anyway?

 

"Now, now, you're all in too close quarters to be fighting like that," Gabriel said, checking himself in the mirror and blushing as he took himself in. The clothes were as stylish and handsome as ever, it just seemed odd to see them stretched out across that large, round shape, and know that that was a part of him. "Hm, how about, you little ones don't fight, and I won't fight with your daddy, okay?"

 

Okay!

Deal.

We can do that.

No more fighting.

Yeah! No more fighting.

 

"That's my little loves," Gabriel beamed, "now let's go see what your father is up to." He peeked out into the hallway before moving through it, finding that the action was rather cumbersome when your stomach stuck out so far in front of you and seemed to go first wherever you went.

 

Victor crossed paths with Gabriel on his way from the studio. There was paint on his face he wasn't aware of. He'd heard the heavy labored footsteps, ears keen on everything in the house, but he didn't much pay attention to their location. He looked a little surprised to see the young man, though his face quickly fell back into indifference. "I gather you're feeling better, then?"

 

"Ah, yes, very much," Gabriel replied, realizing that he had been acting rather poorly in front of Victor earlier, though in his defense, Victor acted just as coldly or worse in front of him more often than not. Why, he'd even taken Gabriel back to his bedroom... Gabriel put a lid on such thoughts and remembered the children, and smiled up at the Vampire. "The children wanted you to be around, so I came out looking for you." His smile grew a little as he noted the paint upon the other's face. "You were in your studio?"

 

He raised an eyebrow. "Yes...?"

 

Gabriel blinked a little at that indifferent, short answer. He's have thought that Victor would have been happy that the children wanted to be around him, but again that was one of those things that made the vampire so unreadable. "Well, you've got a little bit of paint…" He gestured on his own face the approximate areas of where the marks lay.

 

"Oh! I wondered how you even guessed where I had been." Victor licked his thumb and rubbed his cheek to get rid of the paint marks. "So, the children said they wanted to be with me? They told you that?"

 

Gabriel smiled anew, and then nodded at Victor's question, putting his hands to the small of his back and thus pushing his stomach out to the vampire a little. "They said that they liked it when we are together and began to squirm up a storm. They sounded so cute about it, that I couldn't possibly deny them, now could I?"

 

"No, I suppose not." Victor took a step forward and put his hands on either side of Gabriel's stomach. "So this is it. They've come full term. I couldn't be more pleased, really. Their size and health makes me proud. They will no doubt be strong."

 

"You know, you should let them know that," Gabriel replied softly, smiling as Victor touched him and got some of that contact with the children. "They want to hear you talk to them some more also."

 

Victor tilted his head just slightly. "What am I supposed to say to them?"

 

"Well I don't know," Gabriel replied with a little shrug, since he was so used to just talking to them about random anything right now. "What would you say to them when they're out running about? You've got an audience that's all ears, provided they're not asleep that is."

 

"I... I don't know. I never thought about it. I always thought I would answer their questions and instruct them. I can't really teach them to do anything at the moment, can I?"

We want father to tell us a story.

Yes! A story!

An adventure!

With romance!

And danger!

Yeah!

 

"Well, perhaps not the sort of hands on type of teaching, but believe me, they still have plenty of questions to be answered. Ooh!" Gabriel cried out softly as the children began to squirm, and his hands came out to his stomach as well, more than enough room upon it for him to set his hands down upon and not be close to Victor's own. He laughed softly and looked up at Victor. "They want you to tell them a story. One with adventure, romance, and danger."

 

Victor nodded. "Yes, I think I can manage that. Why don't we go sit in the parlor? You'll be much more comfortable there."



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Nay... We are but men! ROCK!
ElviraTepes
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omg how adorable and sweet and perfect!!!!!

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--Blade on the floor, Blood on her wrist, She'll never know, How much she'll be missed--

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loverofmpreg
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YAY !!!!! I HAVE BEEN WAITING ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!!

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Aromanight
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I LOVE IT!!!!!! Soooooo Cute!!!!! More, more!!!!

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PoppedBB
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Please continue soon! I'm loving this story so much :o)

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closetmpregfan
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Aww. How adorable. I will be awaiting your next chapter installment. :D

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Is it wrong that you are carrying a new life instead of me?
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"Yes, standing out here while you weave your tale won't do me any good," Gabriel said with a smile, and would waddle along after Victor towards the parlor.

 

There was a chaise lounge set in the parlor. The peach colored piece of furniture was long and wide, but not quite like a couch. Victor sat in it first and gestured for Gabriel to join him partially on his lap. Gabriel blushed, but would take the seat and settle himself against Victor with a soft sigh. He beamed as he felt those happy little squirmings from within, and ran a hand along his belly slowly. Seemed they really did like it when he and Victor were close.

 

Victor put one arm around Gabriel while the other came to sneak under the boy's shirt and rub the bare skin. "This is a story about a brave nobleman and a beautiful woman," he began. "The man and the woman were very much in love. You see, the man rescued the woman from a prison where no one was allowed to see her. One day, they got married and lived happily together. The man and the woman didn't need much except for each other."

 

Gabriel blushed a little as Victor went under his clothes to touch his stomach, but said nothing and did not squirm too much. He listened to the story and then blinked, "Is... is that it?"

 

Victor frowned. "No... Now be quiet and listen." He settled back to get comfortable. "One day the man and woman decided to go for a horse ride. It was a sunny day and very warm. An excellent day for horse riding. The woman wore her favorite green riding dress, which she looked very pretty in. At first they just rode their horses around the courtyard, but the woman was feeling adventurous and she wanted to ride outside the castle limits. The man protested at first, but he could not resist her smile. So they went to the fields near the woods."

 

Gabriel bit his lip and blushed in chagrin. The children were listening eagerly, and he felt bad for being impatient and interrupting.

 

"They had a fun time in the fields. They let the horses run as fast as they wanted. The woman laughed and her hair flew beautifully behind her. Her horse ran up ahead and she slowed it so the man could catch up. Before he could get there, though, and terrible beast jumped out of the woods. The monster attacked the horse and the woman fell to the ground. She made a loud cry when her arm broke. The man was very afraid but he rode his horse to face against the monster."

 

Gabriel now listened intently, and rubbed a hand along his belly, wondering if the children were frightened of the outcome or were as enthralled as he.

 

"The woman's horse got up and ran away, almost trampling her in the process. It was difficult for her to get out of the way with a broken arm. She screamed for the man as the monster stalked closer to her. He rode his horse at full speed and used it to ram into the beast. He would sacrifice his steed for her. The man could always get another horse, but not another wife."

Victor's hand slowed down in its movements. His face became very thoughtful, remembering.

"The man was thrown from his horse, but he escaped any harm by rolling across the grass. He crawled to the woman while the monster was distracted by the horse, feasting upon it. The man picked the woman up and began to run while carrying her."

 

Gabriel caught that look in Victor's face and how his hand had slowed, and had to wonder just how much of this was a story and how much of it was actually a memory.

 

"The castle never seemed to get any closer, no matter how far he ran. The man was very tired, but he didn't stop. He had to save his wife. A loud snarl was heard behind them. The man looked over his shoulder just as the beast came leaping towards them. The woman screamed again as she went falling from the man's arms. She landed a few feet away only to see the monster pin her husband to the ground. There was blood all over the monster's mouth. The man tried to fight back, but he wasn't nearly strong enough. The beast swung its large hand and tore the man's flesh. Its claws ripped so deeply you could see the man's ribs. His blood made the beast hungry. It growled at him and he was sure he was about to die."

 

Gabriel looked to Victor expectantly and privately remarked on what a good storyteller the vampire was. It seemed that even the children were in suspense.

 

"The man could feel the beast's hot foul breath on his face. He could hear the woman crying for him. His hands began feeling about on he ground and he found something large and hard. The man grabbed the rock and bashed it into the beast's head. It howled in pain and stumbled back. The man did not stop, however. He got up on his knees and continued to bash the large rock against the skull of the monster. He beat and beat and beat and beat until blood spattered across his face."

Victor's hand had stopped by now.

"The beast fell limp and the man knew it was dead."

 

Gabriel bit his lips, that had sounded rather graphic and intense. He waited patiently some more, would the story continue, or had it ended just like that?

 

"The man was in shock for a while. It was not until the woman's hand fell upon his shoulder that his mind rejoined with the present. She looked upon him with a thankful, loving, and worried gaze. The man had forgotten about his injuries and failed to notice how much they were bleeding. His thoughts were only on the woman. He asked it she was all right and the woman just laughed. Even in the face of fear her laughter was like a song.

"The man collapsed soon after. Luckily it did not take long for his guards to come find them. Both the man and woman were healed. They realized after such an experience how precious they were to each other. It almost felt like they had fallen in love again."

 

Gabriel rubbed a hand over his stomach. This was a very strange story, and again he had to question if this was in fact a memory from Victor's past, what with that far off look in the vampire's eyes.

 

Victor sat there silently for nearly five minutes before looking at Gabriel. "Oh... The end."

 

"Ah, well..." Gabriel was surprised that that really had been the end and for a moment blinked back up at Victor. Then smiled and turned away, looking to his stomach. "That was quite the story, wasn't it, little ones?"

 

I liked the fight!

Yeah! The fight!

No, it was too scary...

That monster sounded really awesome.

I liked the lady. She sounded pretty.

Yeah! Really pretty!

Did they live happily ever after?

 

"Well, seems you get favourable reviews," Gabriel related to Victor with a smile, and there was a tenderness in his gaze as he went on, "They want to know if the man and his wife lived happily ever after."

 

Victor shook his head. "No, the woman fell ill a few years later and she died. The man was left all alone forever."

 

"So it was real," Gabriel murmured to himself and sighed softly as his hand continued to move along his stomach. Should Victor have said it so bluntly? It sounded as though he'd just told the children a cold, harsh truth; that not everything turns out to be happily ever after.

 

Victor's flat palm rubbed circles over the grand curves of Gabriel's belly. "But..."

 

"But?" Gabriel settled a little closer to Victor, enjoying the motions of the other's hand upon him, especially given that it was under his shirt and against the warm, taut skin.

 

"But then, many, many years later, the man met someone. The man was not the noble gentleman he used to be. He was very cold and rude and selfish now. The man was not kind at all in the way he treated this new person, and only pretended to be nice to get something out of the stranger."

 

Gabriel was surprised at this admission, even if it was told as a story. And unfortunately the doubt in his heart had to wonder if the vampire was being sincere or not.

 

"The man abused and took advantage of the stranger and then kept the stranger as his prisoner. The stranger was very sad and very afraid, but the man did not care. The man was very cruel. Days went by... and soon the man started to think he did not need to be so cruel to the stranger. Instead of keeping the person as his prisoner, he offered to keep the person as a guest. Because the man realized... all he wanted was for someone to care about him like the woman did such a long time ago."

 

The former Hunter lowered his gaze then. "He does care..." he said softly.

 

"The man is afraid now, too, even though he won't admit it. When the man is afraid, he becomes angry, which only drives the person away. The man doesn't know what to do to make the person his friend, but is too proud to ask. So he sits alone and wishes he could change who he was."

 

"The man is changing... slowly, and the person knows it's not easy, but he'll have faith and stay," Gabriel replied, blushing a little, a little afraid himself. Maybe he shouldn't be answering.

 

"Would the person stay even if there wasn't," Victor applied a bit more pressure with his hand, "Something keeping him here?"

 

Gabriel turned his head to look up at Victor, his brow furrowed with sadness. "They'll never know, will they?"

 

"Not if you don't want them to," Victor replied.

 

Gabriel shook his head and sighed, and gently nuzzled his cheek against Victor's chest. "I can never answer that, because that wasn't what happened. But now... now I do want to stay, and I want to be close to you, even if you don't want that."

 

"Our children will hear which ever story we think is best for them." Victor pulled Gabriel closer. His hand moved over the crest of the boy's stomach to cradle the heavy lower curve. "I do want that. I have been alone for far too long. To have you at my side would be a great joy."

 

"I think that will require some thought," Gabriel replied, and shivered a little as the vampire's hand moved on him and he was brought closer, "though it's hard to do, when they can hear so much. Maybe... when we have some privacy, we can talk about it, and by then... old wounds may have healed."

 

"I think that is a good idea." Victor leaned down to plant a soft kiss on Gabriel's neck for no other reason than he felt like wanting to.

 

Gabriel blushed and sighed softly, and happily, at the gentle kiss, "Mn..."

 

"You are my precious pearl," he whispered in Gabriel's ear. Victor kissed him again on the neck, his lips finding favor over an artery there.

 

Gabriel uttered a puff of laughter at that, as he often felt like a pearl these days. His pulse quickened as he felt Victor's lips move along his neck, and he squirmed a little against the vampire.

 

Victor liked to hear that heart beat. Its speedy beating was like a song of joy meant to lift the spirits. He brought his hand back up to rub in large circles over the front of Gabriel's belly. His blonde head bent down pressing an ear to the boy's chest. "Like sweet music," the Vampire mused.

 

Gabriel bit at his lips lightly and whimpered softly. "Y-you're the one... making this music," he said a little shakily.

 

"So if I want to hear more..." Victor's sharp nails skirted over the strained flesh; not to mark, but to please. He began to nip gently at Gabriel's jaw with his fangs only to soothe afterward with his tongue.

 

A shuddering gasp parted Gabriel's lips and he shifted firmly against Victor. The fact that those nails and fangs could so such damage, and yet did not, only added to the sensations and brought in a sense of thrill. The young man began to pant softly, and his pale eyes were growing dark.

 

"Does this please you?" Victor asked with a deep growl. His hand moved all around, nails tracing lines across Gabriel's swollen side and the dragging under that lower curve to come up and scratch gently at the front of his belly.

 

Gabriel continued to pant and tiny little gasps and whimpers spilled from his moist lips. "Y-yes," he said, blushing with shame. He felt so sensitive, especially on his tightly stretched skin. Though, he couldn't deny that there was something about being able to lean upon Victor's solid frame that had been affecting him for a little while now.

 

Victor kissed Gabriel's cheek. "Good." He curled one of his fingers and rubbed just up under the edge of the protrusive bellybutton. Its sensitivity had not been forgotten. The hand that had been bracing the boy's back slipped under the tunic now and his palm moved over Gabriel's chest.

 

He tossed his head back, unable to help himself as a cry erupted from his throat. Who would have thought that the bellybutton he could scarcely see now, would inspire such warmth and pleasure through him? "A-ah, V-Victor... n-not there..." he managed to pant, feeling his chest tingle with warmth, more so than the rest of him.

 

"Hm?" The man couldn't help the tiny grin pulling at his lips. Very teasingly he put one finger over the bellybutton and gave it a small push.

 

Another cry came, and Gabriel arched and writhed against Victor. It was absurd that something so small could send such shocks through his entire system, as if it were electrified. "N-no... it feels... it feels too good..."

 

"My dear boy, that's the point," the vampire purred while rubbing his nose against the other's cheek. Victor planted a kiss on Gabriel's temple and removed his hand. He waited until the pregnant one had calmed down a bit. Then, deviously, he pushed that adorable bellybutton in even further.

 

Gabriel's breath came loud and hurried, and for a moment he thought that Victor was granting him a bit of mercy. However, it only turned out to be a brief respite, and he again arched and called out in a loud, shrill voice, as he was teased. "Victor!"

 

Victor laughed for the second time since they had met. "Oh my... How delightful..." Without much warning he stood up lifting the very round one with him. Swiftly he exited the parlor and took the many halls toward the stairs. They followed the same path which took them to the Vampire's bed chambers.

He laid Gabriel down on the bed, comfortably against the pillows, and then got his shirt off. That mound of warm, pink living flesh was gorgeous. Victor then settled himself over the boy's legs and began running his hands all over Gabriel's belly.

 

Gabriel shuddered and gasped as he was laid down and his shirt opened to expose him. During the entire trip to the bedchamber, he'd been shivering with anticipation and need, almost resenting that Victor could so casually stop his actions and delay them in such a way. Groaning quietly, he lifted his belly and rocked himself against Victor's hands, enjoying that contact more than ever.

 

The Vampire just smiled at the sight. Such a full supple thing laid out before him that was eager for all the touch and attention he could give. Victor pushed up on his knees so he could reach over the peak to the ledge. His hands would part and stroke down either side to meet at the bottom and work their way over the top again. Every few rounds he would change pressure or even use his nails again.

 

Gabriel was quite flushed now, and his whole body shivered now and again with the different touches. He found that he quite liked it when his sides were gently caressed or scratched, and of course he especially liked it when his jutting navel was toyed with, moaning in protest whenever Victor's hands seemed to teasingly skirt around it without giving it attention.

"This... this shouldn't feel so good..." he whimpered bashfully.

 

"And why is that?" Victor inquired while skirting his nails up and down those tender sides. "Obviously with your flesh being strained to its limits, your nerve endings are bound to be exposed at a greater rate of intensity. No doubt they are most receptive right at the surface. It only seems natural you would feel this way."

 

"But... but..." Gabriel moaned softly, it was hard to think straight when you felt like a giant ball of those heightened nerves and pleasure, "it just seems strange... to feel so good, when I've got all those little lives inside me... I'm sure that... most women... don't feel this good when they're just carrying one child."

 

"But you aren't carrying one child," he reminded the boy. "You are carrying seven. The body is what it is and that includes being pleasure receptive, regardless of its condition." Victor braced his hands on either side of Gabriel's stomach. He peered at the other with his ice blue eyes while licking his lips. There was little hesitation before he leaned forward and ran his long tongue around the circumference of the protruding bellybutton. Then his lips were on it and sucking wetly.

 

"I... I guess..." Maybe it was just because he'd become such a freak, and that he should just accept things and enjoy them, which frankly, he already was, he was just second guessing at this point.

Gabriel squealed at the new attack to his belly and blushed vibrantly. "Oh... oh Victor!" he called out, and was blown away by just how fantastic having his bellybutton sucked on felt. "Yes... oh... oh!" It was bizarre, and he just didn't care right then, letting the sensation wash through him.

 

Victor opened his mouth a bit to let his tongue rub over the surface of his poked out navel.

How completely amusing this boy was.

He pushed it in with his tongue only to let it pop out again and suckle once more. All the while Victor's hot breath was making Gabriel's flesh moist and slick.

 

Gabriel squirmed and whimpered, his pants felt rather uncomfortable, and had been feeling that way for some time now. Dimly through his lust addled mind, he had that same curiosity as before... was Victor enjoying this? To tease him this much, Gabriel honestly hoped the vampire was...

"Victor..." he mewled.

 

He had taken notice of the building growth in the young man's pants, but Victor decided to leave it be until Gabriel needed him to do otherwise. So now he pulled back still rubbing at that warm taut surface. "Are you ready then?"

 

"R-ready?" he asked, not quite able to catch up right now.

 

Victor silently undid Gabriel's pants and touched the throbbing member. "Are you ready?"

 

Gabriel shivered at the touch and moaned, "Y-yes... please... W-wait!" He suddenly squirmed and sat up a little. "Wh-what about you? Don't... don't you feel anything?"

 

Victor sat and thought, turning his head slightly. "A little bit, I suppose. Yes. Why do you ask?"

 

"Well, I..." Gabriel blushed a little, "I'd like to think it feels better... knowing that you're enjoying yourself when... you tease me and make me feel so good."

 

"That?" His blonde eyebrows went up. "Oh, well yes. I rather enjoy myself a great deal. Just because I don't react physically doesn't mean I don't like what's happening."

 

"Oh." Gabriel blushed a little, wondering if that was a vampire thing. Victor had reacted well enough their first night, so why couldn't he... maybe it wasn't important, but it was a little weird.

 

"Maybe if you cried," he suggested. "My mind has become rather sadistic over the years. Sometimes Vampires can go insane from being alone for too long." Victor looked at Gabriel. "I could hurt you, but I doubt that is in anyone's best interest."

 

"Maybe... we could change that?" Gabriel replied, as he really didn't want to cry... or be hurt, especially when the pain might reflect back to the children and cause them distress. "Even if it takes a while... I'm willing to give it a try, if you are..." He lowered his pale eyes shyly.

 

Victor took hold of Gabriel's length and began stroking firmly. "We'll see when the time comes."

 

"When... mn, the time comes?" Gabriel whimpered and wondered if that might be when Victor wanted to knock him up again. If it was going to be painful like last time, he'd make the vampire sorry... and shook himself mentally, reminding himself that nice as it was, this was going to be a one time deal, he was not getting knocked up again.

 

Victor nodded. "When you want to teach me how to be aroused by something other than pain. Right now I'm afraid that's all that works for me."

 

"Well, they say the sooner the better, don't they?" Gabriel replied, groaning a little as he was stroked. Not being able to see just what was going on down there made things more interesting.

 

"I suppose." He gave another long stroke from base to tip and ended with a firm squeeze. "However, you seem a bit incapacitated at the moment."


"Well... I guess that's true..." Gabriel replied with a bit of a pout and a low groan, trying to lift his hips up into those strokes. "V-Victor... do you... do you find me... desirable... like this?" He blushed, but well... why wouldn't he feel self conscious about his body image right now, he was huge and round, that wasn't sexy... was it?

 

The Vampire nodded. "As long as you are willing to make all that music, I would find you desirable no matter what."

 

"I... I find it's hard to control..." Gabriel replied with a little blush across his cheeks. "I... the walls are sturdy in this place, aren't they?" he asked, but then remembered he'd also been making quite a bit of noise down in the parlour as well.

 

"What my servants hear is none of their business," Victor said firmly. He reached up to run a hand on Gabriel's belly again, trying to earn those beautiful noises rather than words.

 

Gabriel whimpered, but decided that now was no longer a good time to be talking anyway. Starting to pant in earnest again, he squirmed and rubbed himself against whatever touches he could get.

 

He toyed with the boy's bellybutton again. Victor found it so amusing. He'd rub around the edge while giving long strokes to Gabriel's member. He was sure there were so many sensations going on that the Hunter didn't know what to do with himself.

 

Victor was right on that, it was hard to tell just what felt better right then. His member being stroked or his navel being teased, and it was so maddening that Gabriel found all he could do was call out his pleasure, occasionally throwing in Victor's name as well.

 

Victor grinned at the sight, showing off his fangs. Soon his own eyes fell shut and he let pleasured hisses drip from his thin lips. He used his thumb to rub roughly under the edge of Gabriel's navel, giving it a push now and then. And still his other hand stroked and pumped the slick length of the pregnant man.

 

"Victor... I'm... I'm getting close..." he warned, unable to withstand much more of all this pleasure. Gabriel could feel that rush coming, having waited long enough apparently. "I-I don't know what feels better..." he whined, his body moving eagerly, though it was hard to tell if he wanted more from his shaft or more from his protruding navel.

 

"Then you get to have both," he replied not stopping in his ministrations.

 

"It's too much... ah! Victor, I'm cumming! I'm... ah!!" Gabriel screamed as he went over the edge and arched despite his heavy form.

 

Victor let him peak without interference. He felt the warm sticky substance release all over his hand, but he didn't mind. Such was to be expected. As Gabriel came back down from the sexual high, Victor withdrew his hand and began licking it clean. "Feel better?"

 

"Y-yes..." Gabriel replied with a small sigh, now content and sated.



-- Edited by LuvTheBump on Sunday 3rd of April 2011 02:15:28 PM

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ElviraTepes
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how cute!

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