Michael and Gabriel had talked at length, and in that time, Michael had come to reveal that he had not escaped the curse at all. In fact, he'd foolishly allowed it to be activated.

It seemed that some time ago, Michael had undertaken a job to see what might have been happening to sap a contingent of soldiers of their energy at night. Much to his surprise, he'd found that it had been an Incubus coming to lay with the men. Since none of the soldiers wished to lose face and admit that an Incubus had been toying with them, they'd kept tight lipped over the matter, spinning Michael's work out needlessly.

Now, the job should have just ended with a simple slaying, but turns out that the Incubus wasn't such a bad guy. A little strange, since most, if not all, of his kind are known for their preference for women. So, Michael ended up finding a rather unusual traveling companion.

Well, as the story went on, the two started to develop more than just friendly feelings towards one another, though Michael kept trying to put things off since well... curse and all. But they ended up in a bad situation and his friend the Incubus needed the energy. To save his life, Michael lay with him... but then fled when he realized what he'd done and what was happening inside of him.

He made a deal with a witch doctor to stop the child's growth, though that time was now at an end. The spell was wearing off. Now he had to either let the child, apparently a daughter, or so the witch doctor had told him, live or get rid of it.

"Which... I don't think I can do anymore..."

The lad ran off as he was instructed by Victor to the office of the elderly nurse. He relayed the news to Mary, which she understood perfectly well. Seems she would have another case on her hands. Of course, she was hardly opposed to the idea. Not to mention she would be able to study up on a new kind of baby and pregnancy, since Michael was clearly not with Vampire offspring. So the old woman began setting up her office and gathering her things for the examination she hoped would be soon to come.

The brothers entered her office before much longer, though it looked as though Michael was less than happy about the prospect. "I feel like a fool, I don't want to even think about this."

Gabriel shook his head and took his brother by the arm, leading him further in. "Whether you think about it or not, she's growing inside of you." He turned away to fix his sights upon Mary and beamed. "Know anything about Incubi and Succubi?"

"I know that they're horny little buggers," she said with a laugh. "They're normally cold creatures, temperature I mean. They aren't always in a human form either. Sometimes they are more vaporous like a spirit." Mary gave the boys a charming smile. "Are we expecting one, then? I can start on the research immediately. Of course, you'll need to be examined first, Michael sweetie. We can do it here or in a bedroom if you'd be more comfortable."

"They can get pretty heated up when they want to," Michael muttered under his breath, then lifted his head and shrugged at her. "Here's as good a place as any." He would removed his coat and hand it over to Gabriel before undoing his shirt. "Would you stop grinning like that?" he hissed at his brother, "Gods above, I don't even know if I'm keeping her."

"I think you do," Gabriel chimed softly, but tried not to grin so widely.

Mary couldn't help blushing just slightly when she saw Michael's rather well-toned and very fit physique. "My goodness, young man, you're going to put this old woman in a tizzy." She flicked her wrist teasingly. "Why if I was just 40 years younger!" The old woman crowed at her own joke and waved for him to sit on the blanketed table. "We're just going to do some standard stuff today. Heart, lungs, temperature, and the sort. Do you know what your standard waist size is?"

Gabriel felt a touch of jealousy as he looked over his brother's naked torso. Even when he hadn't been pregnant, he'd been more willowy and slender than his brother had ever seemed to be, and in a brief moment of spite, he rather hoped that Michael got a huge belly on that toned physique.

Michael didn't respond to Mary's compliment, though rolled his shoulders as if relieving some tension from them. "Sounds good." Though he shrugged at the question on waist size. Like Gabriel, he didn't take such things into consideration. Faint upon his stomach was a mark. It was unlike the budding rose upon his chest, a perfect match to Gabriel's own, and looked tribal in design.

"Your brother didn't know his size either. Oh well, easy enough to find out." Mary whipped out her trusty measuring tape and laced it around the man's waist. "27 even," she said. "You've got some good muscles there. Of course, you'll have to kiss those goodbye now," she laughed. Mary then held his wrist and looked down at her little pocket watch. "Pulse is good." Next was the leather-bound cone and earpiece which she set to his chest. "Take a deep breath for me, hun."

Michael did all that she asked without complaint, though rolled his one eye at the notion that he would be loosing his six pack soon. He wondered, when the witch doctor's spell faded completely, would his child grow slowly or quickly, to make up for the lost time? Looking over at Gabriel and knowing that in just a week the other man had ballooned out, was not exactly comforting. How had his brother not lost his mind in that time?

Finally she did a quick round of his eyes, nose, and ears. Just as a general exam. Michael had left on the eye patch however and refused to remove it so that Mary could see the damage beneath. Though from his brief answer, there was no problem with it and it was a clean wound. "Well, everything looks good. You're in excellent shape and wonderful help. Both of you really know how to take care of yourselves. I'm impressed. Of course, I'm sure that just comes with being a Hunter." Mary picked up his shirt and offered it back to him. "I'll begin reading up tonight on the subject. Unless a noticeable change occurs, I won't necessarily need to see you tomorrow. Same time next week will be good. Let me know if you ever get dizzy or nauseous, all right?"

Shrugging on his shirt, he nodded. "Next week then." Gabriel offered him his coat again and he shrugged it on. "I guess one good thing about this is that I only have the one. I don't think I could take having seven at once, like you."

Gabriel laughed softly and patted his belly. "It's pretty daunting, but you get used to it. I'm... wondering what my next batch will be like," he said with a faint blush and could not meet Michael's gaze right then, sure that his brother would be angry with him.

Well, that pale green eye had grown wide. "Gabe, are you serious? You actually want to do this again?" They would bid Mary a quick farewell and take their conversation out into the hall. Mary just chuckled at the brothers and waved them off. She scribbled down a few notes for herself and then left through another door going toward the library. No doubt she would be up all day reading through books.

Meanwhile, Victor had followed his men to the Underground where he was now watching them dismember Lucille and throw her parts into the furnace. It was a dirty job that no one liked to do, but to bury her would only attract unwelcome creatures.

"Well, maybe..." Gabriel replied as he waddled alongside Michael, "I mean, I'll probably feel differently once I go into labour, but for right now... I like this feeling. Full of life, and I like making Victor happy." He bit at his lips and peered at Michael carefully. "You... don't approve, do you?"

Michael sighed and rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to consider this new resolve of his brother’s and also of what he'd done to that servant girl only a short time ago. "I don't know if I approve or not... they are Vampires, but... well, if they have you and Victor raising them, they stand a pretty good chance to turn into good people. Besides, should I really be saying anything at this point? I'm carrying a little Succubus? God... I really don't want to think about what I'm going to have to do when she's a teenager."

Victor's head perked up. He could smell the Silverstrike brothers wandering around in the halls upstairs. Apparently they were already done being seen by Mary. He commended his servants for their work, sympathizing with their disdain, and began his way back up to the ground level. In truth, Victor wasn't very fond of being apart from Gabriel for too long. Especially with the boy's date so close.

"Are you going to contact the father?" Gabriel asked softly after they shared in a moment of laughter, trying to imagine Michael as the overbearing and protective father of a nubile little sex demon.

"I... I probably should, and... I miss him," he put in with a note of sadness. "The way I left him, it was a really lousy thing to do. I just... panicked. Though Incubi aren't so bad it seems. They don't kill their victims, they just... wear them out." He laughed when Gabriel's cheeks flared up brightly, knowing the implications of just what that meant.

"Death only comes when the Incubus does not know when to stop." Victor's deep rolling voice could be heard coming from around the corner. He emerged looking a bit solemn. "Just like us. Our victims do not have to perish. A kill only happens when the Vampire has no self-control." He stood before Michael now, looking down at him slightly. "If I am to trust you to raise your offspring not to be a rampant sex monger, then trust me to raise my offspring not to be greedy blood suckers."

Michael looked to Victor and nodded. "I do."

Gabriel's face lit up at the sight of Victor and he moved over to be close to the Vampire, slipping his arms around one of Victor's own. "So I guess you overhead. Michael's expecting a little girl. It'll be wonderful for the children to have a cousin."

He stroked Gabriel's hair tenderly. "Hm, yes, I suppose it will. And I suppose congratulations are in order. Know that you will be well taken care of here. I know that you are a proud and somewhat stubborn man. I am the exact same way. While your needs do not need to be spoken to me directly, do not hesitate to ask other for help or comfort."

"Thank you," Michael replied simply, though was unsure if he would stay around that long. Just as Gabriel had suspected, he was eager to get back out onto the road, but wanted to stay until his nephews and nieces were brought into the world. He would wait to see what Mary's research brought about.

"Michael," Gabriel's voice broke Michael out of his thoughts and he looked to the pair. "Is there a way to send word to your... um, Incubus friend?"

"His name is Taith na Gratos, and... I'll send word when I'm ready."

"He will more than likely find you," Victor said. "Obviously he is in your thoughts many a time, if not all the time. He can find you that way. They hear you calling them. Wanting them. You also carry his child now. No doubt he will want to be near you. As promiscuous as they are, Incubi and Succubi can be quite sentimental."

Michael avoided Victor's gaze. "I know that, but... he won't come, not until I'm ready." Like Victor said, chances were Taith already knew where he was, but he wouldn't make a move until Michael was ready for him. That's how it had been between them, that's why... close as they were, they'd never over stepped that boundary. Not until they'd absolutely had to. Though what could Taith be thinking right now? Knowing that Michael had run, and that even though he'd had a spell put on himself, he was carrying their child?

Victor just hummed. "Yes, well... Are either of you hungry? Hot coco and cakes can be served to us in the lounge if you like. I know dinner was a few hours ago, but..." He touched Gabriel's belly. "Most of us are eating for more than one."

Gabriel blushed at Victor's touch, but suppressed the dreamy sigh that had wanted to come forth after. "I might as well enjoy it while I can. It's not much longer after all."

Michael shook his head, "I think I'll just grab something from the kitchens. There's... some things I want to think about right now. If you'll excuse me." He nodded to both and would take his leave.

LuvTheBump wrote:

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theKicking wrote:

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Tease...

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 Me? A tease? Heavens noooo...

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 heavens yes. we want more!

Finally the Winter Solstice had come. The children were restless and kept Gabriel equally as such. They also seemed to inspire him to eat nearly twice as much as before. Of course, it was all in preparation for their arrival.

It was late in the afternoon when the sun was still up, but the sky was beginning to darken. A figure was lurking around the side of the castle, cloaked from head to toe in a thick dark cloth. The figure slipped in through a door that had long been forgotten about and would have been used to escape should there be a fire or uprising or other disaster. It crept down the halls, moving silently and undetected. Soon the figure came upon the place it was looking for. It stood at the open doors to the kitchen where a very round figure was happily eating a large bowl of fruit and a loaf of bread.

Gabriel knew that he should have stayed in bed, but another craving had come upon him and the restlessness within him would not allow him to simply make the request to have the food brought to him. "Geez, I thought you kids would have been done with the binge eating at this point," he said, slurping juice from a particularly plump strawberry, "Or is this your last hoorah before you're stuck drinking milk and having mush?"

"You talk to them. How cute," a voice crooned from beneath the cloak. "I must say, maybe my mistresses should talk to their care more. Seems like it would be good for them. Maybe boost their morale."

Gabriel jumped up, knocking his chair back as he did so and whirled about to face the stranger, his eyes wide. He had to steady himself by grabbing the table, his large belly almost swinging him about a second time for a full 360. "Wh-who are you, and what are you doing here?" He looked over that dark figure, wondering if it could be a thief, though those words certainly did not allude to such. The man was dressed only in a pair of pants and a shirt that had been left open, revealing his ripe, pinkish belly as it protruded from him and was occasionally punctuated by some strong movement from the children within.

"Oh my, little Gabriel, look at how much you've grown." The figure threw back the hood of the cloak. Chestnut brown hair and equally brown eyes belonged to none other than Hugoi himself. "Don't tell me you don't remember me," he said in a sad sing-song tone. "We had such a nice time at the party. I thought you would be happy to see me, kissing my hand, and all that."

"Hu-Hugoi," Gabriel stepped back, his eyes growing wide as he took in that familiar face. It had been quite sometime since they had met, that night of the party, and when he'd barged in to rescue Victor from the lord's atrocities. "Please... go away." Of all nights to show up, why must it be this one? Gabriel looked over towards the door, he should get back to his room, and to Victor.

Hugoi laughed. "You couldn't run fast enough." He walked into the kitchen wearing a dangerously debonair smile on his face. "How are you feeling, little Gabriel? Tonight's the night. I just had to come by and see the birth of my young Victor's children." Cold, callused hands came to touch the bare belly. "Oh my. They are ready, aren't they?"

"Don't you hurt them!" Gabriel cried, shifting away from Hugoi and holding his hands protectively over his belly. What if this stress made him go into labour right here and now? The Hunter could feel his heart pounding, terrified that Hugoi, in his cruelty, might harm or even kill the children he and Victor had created. "Please, just go away. Your ladies must be ready tonight also. You should be with them, to welcome your new children."

"I wouldn't dream of hurting them. And my mistresses have given birth enough times that we've all grown quite bored of it. They don't need me around. Midwives are all the company my girls need. But you..." Hugoi licked his lips. "You would certainly be an interesting sight to behold. Watching you give birth would no doubt give me the entertainment I've been looking for." He pulled a small pocket watch from between the folds of his cloak. "And you've got a little over an hour until the sun sets."

Gabriel continued to eye Hugoi warily, rather wishing that Victor hadn't taken away all of his hunting supplies. So Hugoi just wanted to watch? The boy licked his lips nervously, and began to take another step back. "I... I should get back to bed then... I... I don't want to give birth here on the kitchen floor."

Hugoi smiled charmingly. "Here, let me help you." The Vampire moved up along side Gabriel, taking the boy's wrist in one hand while wrapping his other arm around the boy's plump waistline. "I'm sure the stairs have become such a chore." As Hugoi led Gabriel along, he took many turns which led them further away from the steps. Rather, they were heading into darker parts of the old castle where the air was stale and deadly silent.

"W-wait," Gabriel said, looking over his shoulder as they turned down yet another hall, "You're going the wrong way. This part of the castle isn't used much, let's turn back."

"Oh no, little Gabriel, we are going the right way," he purred. Hugoi continued forward, not once pausing or even slowing in his gait. Eventually they came to an old wooden door that was locked with cast-iron bars. With one swift kick, Hugoi had the whole thing in splinters and shards. "Come, it's this way," he said and began down the dark, gently downward sloping corridor.

Gabriel felt tears sting his eyes. He knew he shouldn't go with Hugoi, but what choice did he have? The Vampire was so much stronger than himself and could easily, and perhaps gleefully, kill the children inside him in rebuttal. "Please, take me back. I want to be with Victor. I don't have much time."

Hugoi just gave another one of his sickeningly handsome smiles. "But I'm such better company than my young Victor. Why, he's hardly a man. He doesn't know how to fully appreciate you. Not the way a Vampire should." Soon they were down in the Underground beneath the castle. They came to a room that looked as though it had been used to hold prisoners during times of war. Shackles hung from the walls both high and low, barred cages hung from the ceiling, buckets of water and old stained rags collected in the corners, and worn shot mattresses spread over the floor. "Here, why don't you lie down?" Hugoi cupped the boy's heavy, low hanging underbelly. "You look tired."

"He's the one who loves me and these children! I have to be with him for this!" Gabriel shouted, tears slipping down his cheeks as he stepped away from Hugoi, and took a good look around the chamber. "I can't... not here. You can't have me give birth here!" Though he was unsure if he could make it back up all those stairs and already there was discomfort in his swollen form.

"Come, little Gabriel. Lie down." Of course Hugoi didn't give him an option anymore. In one swift motion he had hauled the boy up off his feet and laid him on the mattress. Gabriel's wrists were then locked into a pair of shackles just over his head. "There. Comfortable?"

"No!" Gabriel screamed, horrified that in this cold, dank dungeon he would give birth to his children. He wanted Victor and Mary to be with him, to make sure that each child was brought into a warm and safe environment. "Oh Gods, no... please, don't do this. I can't do this here." Yet already he could feel it, that discomfort was becoming a dull ache inside him.

Hugoi just grinned, showing his fangs. "Don't you just look lovely, little Gabriel. I must say, I'm already excited." He ran his tongue over the pearly points. "In fact... I think I might be just a bit too aroused. Only one thing to do now." Rough hands moved over the very round surface of Gabriel's belly. He could feel the muscles quiver and the flesh ripple as the birthing drew nearer. With a faint hiss, his fangs sank into the supple pink skin, drinking long.

Gabriel screamed then and did his best to thrash against Hugoi, wanting to dislodge the Vampire. A great pain rocked through him and he groaned aloud before screaming again, hoping that even so far down, someone would hear him... and soon.

Victor opened door after door, slamming each one again when he found the room to be empty. Both borzois ran alongside him, barking excitedly. The canines knew their master was upset and it made them anxious. The sun had set. Where was Gabriel?! He was worried for more reasons than one. First being that he could not find his very pregnant mate. Second was that he could not detect his mate's scent. Third was that someone had reported seeing a figure lurking around outside the castle. "Silverstrike!" he bellowed. "Silverstrike! Come now!"

Michael appeared before long, wearing a loose shirt under his usual long coat. "Victor, what are you doing? Shouldn't you be with Gabe?" Although even as the question left his lips, he dreaded the answer and knew that something was amiss.

"Your brother has gone missing," Victor said in a tone mixed with fear and anger. "The sun has gone down. The eve has begun. He's already labor, but I cannot find him! There is no trace of him! Not even a scent." He approached Michael, looking desperate despite his pride. "Mary is ready and waiting. We have to find him. Please, track your brother. Please find him, Michael! Please!"

Michael nodded curtly. "I'll find him," he swore, though knew that if Gabriel's scent had vanished, then that was no doubt because someone wanted him hidden. Course, he couldn't tell that to Victor. The Vampire had enough to worry about. The first places to check would be those not frequented by the staff. If the new found rumour about some dark figure skulking about was true, and it was connected to this event, how would someone of the like get in? Michael narrowed his one eye, in his time here, before accepting his brother's choice in lover and lifestyle, he'd done plenty of recon throughout the castle and discovered a few passages from years gone by, left practically to ruin. He'd hoped to someday use them to get Gabriel out.

Now, wandering in those dark corridors, he wondered if someone had a similar plan. He stooped down in the dim, his fingers tracing along marks left in the dust. Someone heavy had tread here, led along by another...

"This leads to the Underground," said Victor who stood behind Michael. "A prison ward is down that way. I sealed it off decades ago." Suddenly, he heard a scream that belonged to none other than his beloved. "Gabriel!" he bellowed and ran down the corridor. The sight that met him filled the Vampire with rage.

Hugoi had stripped Gabriel bare and was ready to take him right there on the floor. Victor roared and tackled Hugoi to the far side of the room, engaging in a violent fight. "How dare you lay a single finger upon mine!" he snarled.

Gabriel was crying. He felt the pain of the contractions having started, and what's more, Hugoi wasn't even going to wait before taking him. He'd been frightened that somehow the children would be injured if the Vampire were to take him in such a state, but having so much blood taken from him had left him weak and barely able to struggle.

Michael was over to his brother's side in a flash, working carefully to free Gabriel's wrists from the cuffs that had worn the man's tender flesh raw. "Gabe... Gabe, are you all right? Has it started?"

Gabriel wrapped his arms around Michael once he was free and wept against the other's shirt. "Not here, I didn't want to give birth down here!"

Hearing Gabriel cry fueled Victor’s rage. He clawed at his Sire's face and throat, ripping the flesh open. "You have caused me and my beloveds enough grief in this life! I will not stand for it anymore!" Victor grabbed an old rusty rod and pierced it through Hugoi's gut. He grabbed two more which were thrust down through the older Vampire's hands. As much as Victor wanted to kill his Sire, he knew he couldn't while there were so many other who needed him. Despicable as the idea was, Hugoi's children would indeed need him. However, the Sire wasn't going anywhere right now.

Victor was at once on his feet and scooped Gabriel up in his arms. "Sshhh... You are safe now, precious. I have you." He took off at once, running up the corridor, through the castle, and up to his room.

Gabriel whimpered, but found himself calmed by being in Victor's embrace. He pressed his face close against the Vampire's chest and dried his tears upon the other's shirt. "Victor, it's started... m-my water broke and... and the contractions... they hurt."

"I understand," he said softly. "Mary and I will take good care of you."

The old woman gasped when Victor burst into the bedroom. "What happened to him!"

"My Sire got to him, but there's no time for that." Victor laid Gabriel upon the soft warm bed. "The birthing has begun. He already has contractions going."

Mary nodded. "All right. Luckily the window hasn't closed yet." She drew out a syringe filled with the nectar from one of the flowers Gabriel had been shown so long ago. She injected the substance at the base of his spine and almost instantly the pain would subside. "He has a while before he needs to start pushing. I'll take care of those wrists for now."

Victor had departed so quickly, that Michael didn't have a hope of catching up. Course, there was little he could do now anyway. Looking across the room, Michael's pale eye fixed upon Hugoi, and he began to approach.

Hugoi watched with flashing brown eyes as Michael drew closer. "You stay away," he hissed. "Lay a hand on me and you'll live to regret it!"

"That might the case," Michael replied, with a rather casual tone, looking over how the Vampire was crucified upon the floor and had a rather wretched wound in his midsection. Cruelly, he began to twist the rod stuffed into Hugoi's gut, his one pale eye fixed upon how the gore squelched around the rusty piece. "But right now, I'm going to make you regret having made my baby brother cry."

Hugoi growled and hissed in pain as the rod when wrenched in him. Oh how he wished he could claw that other eye from the human's face. "I regret nothing! I won't give in to your pathetic threats. You're nothing but a disgustingly weak human. Nothing you can do will hurt me."

"That's a pretty bold statement. Why don't we test that out." Michael went and found a handy set of cuffs that had been set apart by a long bar between them. He returned with such a device and fastened it to Hugoi's ankles, spreading his legs apart thanks to its design. Then, the Hunter secured it to the floor by a piece of chain and an eye hook embedded in the floor. "It seems you're pretty proud of this here," he murmured, rubbing at Hugoi's crotch with his hand as he crouched between the Vampire's legs.

Hugoi just chuckled darkly, almost purring again. "And you seem rather fond of it at the moment. Care for a ride?"

Michael continued to stroke at it silently, and then began to undoing the Vampire's fastenings and freeing it. He drew in close, his warm breath blowing over the length. "I'll bet you've caused quite a bit of trouble with this, haven't you?"

Hugoi moaned, pleased. "I suppose it all depends on what you mean by trouble. In my opinion, I've done nothing but good things. Good, thrilling, pleasing things."

"And you were going to do those things to my brother, tonight of all nights?" Michael squeezed Hugoi's balls roughly.

The Vampire hissed. "Not so hard! And yes, I was. It feels amazing, to fuck someone while they're in labor. You should try it some time," Hugoi said flashing his fangs.

"Oh? What about the baby, or in this case, babies?" He ignored Hugoi's protest and squeezed again. From what he'd heard, this Vampire didn't exactly practice mercy himself, so why should he get squeamish over receiving the same?

"I'm done and out long before they drop into the canal," he insisted. Hugoi hissed again, but this time in pain. "I said not so hard!" He jerked his hips in an attempt to dislodge the Hunter.

"Hm, maybe I'll let Victor know about that for next time," Michael mused aloud, letting go of Hugoi's sac so he could trace a finger up along the Vampire's shaft. "How amusing that for such a sadist, you can't seem to take the pain in turn." He quickly withdrew a thin piece of wire, meant for dealing with certain creatures of the night, and wound it round both balls and cock.

Hugoi watched with wide, terrified brown eyes. "W-Wait... What are you doing? Stop! Stop! Don't!" Michael pulled the wire taut, the Vampire's sex quickly discolouring. That one eye looked upon his work listlessly, and his expression was eerily calm. The wire shone in the dim light, possessing a silver composition. Hugoi howled in pain. He tried desperately to yank his hands free, but he was having little luck. "Stop! Damn you! Damn you to Hell, Hunter! Aaaargh!"

Michael said nothing, and took his time pulling the wires tighter and tighter, letting them slice into tender flesh. When the process was done, he lit a small fire and cast the pieces into it, watching as they burned up. Hugoi was left on the floor, writhing and howling in both pain and unbridled rage. If he ever got out of this, he would tear the pissant of a human limb from limb. Michael put out the fire and looked to Hugoi, the man now ruined. "Come after me if you want, but if you ever hurt my brother again or lay a finger on his family, I'll see to it that that was just the tip of the ice berg."

star478 wrote:

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Love what you had Michael do to Gabriel. That should teach him not to mess with another's mate.

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 I think you have the characters confused. Michael is Gabriel's brother. Michael punished Hugoi.

Gabriel sighed as the pain subsided and he was settled upon the familiar bed he'd been hoping for. "I'm sorry I... went to the kitchen," he murmured, unable to face Victor.

"No, don't apologize." Victor gently turned Gabriel's face so their eyes could meet. "I am not angry with you. Far from it. Neither of us could have known something like that would happen. I only wish I had gone with you. Then I could have protected you." He rubbed the boy's belly sweetly, feeling all the movement from within. "But we're together now, and our children are about to be born. Let us focus on that, hm?"

Gabriel nodded and settled deeper into the pillows, groaning softly. "My stomach feels so weird right now. I just hope... he didn't hurt them when he drank from me. I feel a bit weak, too."

Blue eyes widened. "He drank from you? Melissa!" he suddenly shouted. "Come at once!"

A woman came rushing into the room then. She looked upon Gabriel with worried, violet colored eyes. "Yes, my lord, what is it?"

"Melissa, come near. Gabriel needs us." The servant simply nodded, knowing what her master meant. She had no problems. Not if it was for Gabriel and his precious care. She undid the collar of her dress to present her fresh clean neck. Victor bit down and drank heavily from her, but only enough to make the woman tired rather than flat out dead. He then leaned down and sank his teeth into Gabriel's expecting swell, transferring blood into the boy.

Gabriel winced a little, but the injection was still keeping him pleasantly numb and he felt better knowing the children were getting what had been taken from them. He smiled over at the woman. "Thank you."

Melissa returned the smile. "It was my pleasure, Master Silverstrike."

By now Mary had finished bandaging Gabriel's wrists. She returned to the foot of the bed to inspect the young man's progress. "Just about five more minutes," she said. "Then we'll start pushing."
 
Gabriel bit at his lips and squirmed, growing nervous. He reached out for Victor's hand and clutched it securely. "I-I'm ready," he said, though wished he sounded a bit more confident.

"You are ready," Victor said reassuringly. He began rubbing Gabriel's belly again in hopes that it would ease his nerves and help his lover to feel good during this process. Gabriel took in deep, steadying breaths and gave Victor's hand a tighter squeeze as he bore down upon his first push. "Good, Gabriel. Don't rush. Nice and slow," Victor spoke softly, kissing the boy's temple.

Gabriel clenched his teeth and tried hard to keep his breathing even. This was turning out to be a lot harder than he thought, and even though he was numbed from the pain, he could still feel the discomfort of something stretching him. "Great job, dear," Mary chimed. "I can already see the head. Give me another push, okay? Hold it for ten and then release." Gabriel bore down again, eager to see his first born. Was it a boy or a girl? Dark or fair? His heart pounded with excitement, and he fell back gasping as he heard the first cry. "Congratulations!" The nurse exclaimed. "You have a little girl!" Mary cut the baby free, cleaned her up, and then wrapped her in a blanket for Gabriel to hold. "You've got about two minutes before the next one drops."

Victor smiled in awe and fascination at his brand new daughter. While her eyes were yet to open and be seen, she did have wavy little wisps of blonde hair. "She beautiful," he whispered.

Gabriel panted softly, though had to remind himself that this was only a momentary respite. He still had six more to go. "A daughter..." He felt tears of joy come to his eyes and down his cheeks, and he laughed. "A beautiful, strong lady, I'm sure."
 
"I'm sure," Victor replied, nodding.

Mary took the baby girl and put her in a white bassinette that had been set up in the room, and there were six others waiting to be filled. "All right dear," she said back down between Gabriel's legs. "Time for another one. Same pattern; push, hold for ten, and relax, okay?" Gabriel nodded and, smiling up at Victor, began the process again. Pushing through the dull ache, reminding himself that it was all so that he could see his next child.

Victor smiled back and kissed his mate again on the temple. He waited patiently for the birth of each child, though he did struggle to contain his excitement. It wasn't the Vampire's style to expresses such an emotion so blatantly. Just as the second baby was crowning, he smelled a familiar scent come near the bedroom door. "Enter, Silverstrike," he beckoned. "You already have a niece with us."

Michael had changed clothes and left his coat safely tucked away. He was wearing loose shirts now to hide how the spell had broken and his own child had begun to grow inside him and push out his flat stomach. Moving over to the bassinette, he smiled. "She has your pale hair." He drew a little closer to Victor. "How's he doing, no lasting damage?"

He shook his head. "No, he's doing quite well. Mary gave him something for the pain so he hasn't been struggling too much. No screams yet, at least. The only blood has been what comes naturally with the birth." Victor leaned his head down to whisper to Gabriel. "You're doing such a wonderful job, my precious."

There came a new voice from below and Mary soon presented them with a boy. He had dark hair, but his already open eyes revealed pale green orbs. "Hey Gabe, this one looks just like you," Michael commented as he watched his first nephew be bound up in a soft blanket and handed over to his father. He couldn't resist putting a hand to his own stomach, wondering if his daughter would be dark haired. Well, she was a Succubus, so she could look like whatever she wanted, but was that right away or as she got older? Even Taith had a set form.

"Our first son..." Gabriel looked up at Victor, his sweaty brow furrowed. "Victor... do you want... do you want him to be our little Allen?"

Victor looked at the boy surprisedly. He couldn't believe Gabriel would offer that name for their very first son. Wiping little tears from his eyes, the man nodded. "Yes, Gabriel, my precious. I would love, be honored, if we could name him Allen. Thank you so much." He finished by planting a soft kiss on the boy's flushed lips.

Gabriel sighed and returned the kiss weakly. "Our little Allen. What stories your father will have to tell you." He closed his eyes, wanting to sleep now, but could already feel the next child shifting into position. He groaned as he felt his canal being widened again, and began the process of pushing, helping his next born enter the world.

Victor passed the baby over to Michael, silently asking the man to put the baby in the second bassinette. His long flat hand came to cup the drooping underbelly, rubbing firmly. He could feel them all collecting there, waiting for their turn to enter the world as well. Victor whispered reassuring words to his mate. The third baby was another boy with wheat colored hair and dark blue eyes. Fourth was yet another boy with dark curls, but closed eyes. The fifth was another boy, pale hair and pale eyes like his Sire. With two babies left, Victor could tell that Gabriel was near exhausted, but he couldn't stop yet. "Just two more, Gabriel. I know you can do it."

Gabriel was panting and quite flushed, he was so proud of already bearing four sons, and couldn't help but wonder if the last two would be daughters or if their eldest girl was going to have her hands full needing to look after a pack of younger brothers. "I... I want to rest..." he whimpered, but knew that wasn't possible, and could already feel the last two sorting themselves out for who would be born first. "Ah... it's coming... uhn, just a little bit more..."

Victor helped by pushing gently on Gabriel's belly. There was so much room in there now that it was easy for the last two to get lost behind.

"I've got the shoulder," Mary said. Crying filled the room once more. Cut and cleaned, the baby was presented. "Another girl."

Her hair had already grown in a bit thick with blonde curls. Her eyes fluttered open the second she was placed in Gabriel's arms, showing off her perfect pale green eyes. She didn't cry for long, but rather cooed softly and reached up with one arm. "Aren't you a beauty?" he cooed to the child, holding her in one arm while placing a trembling finger in her tiny hand. "I think you're my little song bird, aren't you?" He then bit down on a groan, "Ooh... the last one... it's coming...." The infant squeezed his finger when she heard the groan and whimpered softly.

"I don't have the head yet," Mary said. "You need to give me a big push, dear. Deep breath and... Push!"

Gabriel looked down at his perfect little daughter and kissed her wet brow lightly. "I'm sorry love. Just... your little brother... or sister... wants out too... V-Victor, can you take her?"

"Yes, of course." Victor took the tiny girl, but still held Gabriel's hand as well.

Mary nodded. "We've got crowning. Just three more big pushes, and you'll be all done. Ready? Go. Push... push... push... push..."

Gabriel cried out, though it wasn't the first time he had done so this night, it was louder than before. The last one, it needed to join with their siblings in the outside world. The dark haired new mother felt his vision fading, he was just so tired now, but he needed to see this to the end. Was it another son, or a daughter? Fair or dark?

"A boy!" Mary called out. The brand new, final babe was placed in Gabriel's arms, braced against his chest. He was an even mix of his parents with caramel brown hair and blue-green hazel eyes. The baby cried only a little upon entrance. Once in his mother's arms, and sensing how tired his mother was, the baby took to gentle cooing and soft gurgles.

Victor braced Gabriel against himself, kissing his warm damp brow. "You did it. They're all here. I am so proud of you, Gabriel, and I love you."

Gabriel’s face bore a large smile and sparkling tears upon it. He'd done it. He'd given birth to seven beautiful children. The man kissed his youngest son on the brow and held him close, but could feel his arms shaking. "I can hardly believe it... after all this time... they're finally with us, and they're so precious. Each of them."

"They are everything I wanted," Victor said proudly. He kissed Gabriel and pet his effort soaked hair. "You deserve a good long rest. Sleep. I will stay with you, and the children will be here when you wake up. We'll feed them and name them."

"That... sounds good," Gabriel sighed, unable to stay awake much longer. He waited until Victor had taken their youngest from his arms, and was already asleep by the time Victor laid the babe in his bassinette.

Victor pulled a blanket up over Gabriel before resuming his seat next to the boy. He smiled slightly and kissed the damp brow again. Blue eyes watched Mary tend to all the babies, checking on finer details. Ten fingers, ten toes, hearing, sight, and the works. Then they looked over to Michael. "So... I trust everything went as smoothly as you could have hoped for your brother."

Michael looked down at the seven slumbering little children. They were so tiny, smaller than he had expected, though they each looked no different than normal human babes. "They're... remarkable." He looked over to Victor. "You've got yourself the start of a fine family here."

The man nodded. "Well, that's something we still have to talk about."

"You'll have more," Michael replied, lightly poking at one of the children's round cheeks. "Gabe, he loves you so much, that he'll do it happily."

"Yes, I realize that, but I don't think I could make him do that. What if it turns out to be too much next time?" Victor reached over to touch the mark on Gabriel's chest. "The curse of the Silverstrike clan is not a kind one. He could end up with more than he can handle."

Michael stared at that mark and the near reverent touch upon it. "The curse... doesn't like to kill us," he told the Vampire, "though it does try to make us suffer. It's true that next time, he might very well have more children, maybe a couple more, maybe significantly more, but he would be able to bear it, and he would accept it, so long as it made you happy."

The Vampire looked to the Hunter. "Your curse seems to have shown you grace. Only one child. That's quite easy, wouldn't you agree?"

"Perhaps it is," Michael replied, setting his hands over his stomach. "Though who knows what could happen next time? I don't think very many gay Incubi come along very often, so perhaps that confused the curse for the time being."

"Would you want a next?" Victor asked, a calculating look on his face. "You don't seem the type. If I might say so. After all, this was an accident and you even tried to hide it."

"Honestly, no, I don't want there to be a next time," Michael stated curtly. "Though have you ever tried fighting off an Incubus in love? I'm surprised we lasted as long as we did."

"Hm, no, I can't say that I have." Victor shrugged. "Well, I'm afraid I have no advice to offer. I suppose you could talk to him, but when sex is necessary for his life, there isn't much you can do about it. Of course..." He paused for a moment. "You could always have it taken out after your first is born."

"Taken out?"

Victor nodded. "Mary has done it a number of times. I'm sure she would do it for you."

Michael sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, looking down at his sleeping sibling and then also the sleeping and squirming babes. "If it was as simple as being cut open and gutted, don't you think we would have tried that? The curse probably makes it grow back, or it might even kill us out of spite for trying to get around it." He shook his head. "I'd rather take my chances with fighting off Taith."

Victor nodded. "Just thought I would make the offer." He looked around the room. Mary had finished examining the children and left. Indeed they were either sleeping or squirming gently and making small noises. He looked to Gabriel next. The boy was sleeping soundly, no doubt exhausted, but for good reason. He deserved at good rest. "If you don't mind, Silverstrike, I'd like some peace for us now."

"And I thank you for that," Michael murmured softly, knowing that the Vampire was just trying. He took a final look over to Gabriel, the young man would likely be out for a while. "He did a good job," he murmured, and then took his leave silently.