Chapter One Hundred Forty-one They had finished unpacking the car and were finally working on putting the groceries away. After being gone for over five months, most of their food in the fridge had been thrown away by the werewolves. They'd seriously needed to restock. The kids were with their aunt and uncle for the time being, Max playing with their cousin Liam. It was amazing how the boys got right back in to their routine as if nothing had happened. To Bryn, it was reassuring. Maybe the rest of them could find that amount of peace, too. Repackaging the meat with their food saver, Bryn watched Anton carefully. "How are you feeling? I can do this myself if you're getting tired." Anton had been putting the vegetables into the crisper. "I'm okay, my dear. I'll rest if I feel too tired." He was just about back to normal, and almost back to his regular feeding schedule of every other night. Most of the physical tiredness was gone. All that was really left was a soul weariness, and one that he was struggling to work though. And although he guessed she was hiding it much better than he, Bryn had to be feeling some of the same emotions. "If you need to take a break as well, my dear, go ahead. I think I can finish this." "I'll finish the meat first." She was feeling tired, but she couldn't really decide what was causing it. Just taking care of the kids made her weary enough. Of course, she wasn't entirely sure she'd been eating and feeding as often as she should have, either. "We probably shouldn't leave the kids with Nate and Lindy for too long. But the quiet is nice for a change." She gave him a small smile. "I feel guilty saying that, after everything we've been through." "Quiet is good, but in some ways it's nice to have the children around too." They were full of life, and a pleasant reminder that he was alive. "But I think that Nate and Lindy will be more than happy to look after them for a while longer. And I feel bad about splitting apart Max and Liam after they missed each other so much." "Yeah, me too." After sealing the last package, Bryn threw away the styrofoam containers and washed her hands. "If you're sure you don't need anymore help, I think I'm gonna lay down on the couch for a little while." "Okay, my dear." He watched Bryn with a worried expression as she left the room. But he focused on getting the lettuce into it's Tupperware holder and into the refrigerator. And then he'd check on what was going on with his wife. Settling on to the couch and draping her arm over her eyes, Bryn released a slightly shuddering breath and kicked her shoes to the floor. She wasn't sure why, but a wave of sadness had washed over her and she was having trouble pushing it away. Yanking the blanket down from the back of the couch, she tugged it over herself and tucked her body in warmth. He finished putting up the groceries and tossed the plastic bags into the recycle bin. After washing and drying his hands, he walked into the living room. It looked like Bryn was asleep, and he didn't want to disturb her. But that didn't stop him from walking over to her and placing a soft kiss on her cheek. Sniffling lightly, she turned over to face him and opened her watery eyes. She reached for him and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. Her tears finally fell as she pressed her cheek to his ear. Anton knelt down and held her tightly. Murmuring soothing nonsense in her ear, he rocked her back and forth. Inwardly, he was relieved that she was finally letting go. She had been so strong for him, and he had felt guilty that he hadn't been there to comfort her. Clutching him tightly, she let out the fear and sorrow that she'd been holding in ever since he was taken from her. And she hated that she was dumping all of this on him, because he had his own emotions to deal with, but she couldn't seem to help herself. "I'm so homesick," she said, her voice thick and wavery. "This place doesn't feel like home anymore. I miss the way it used to be." "I know, my dear." Anton continued rocking her, a tear sliding down his cheek as well. "I want to feel safe here, but I can't help but wonder..." He took a deep breath. "Maybe we should see if Mr. Mulder's willing to talk to us." She couldn't imagine Mr. Mulder would be any better off. It had only been 5 months since he was Transformed, himself. "Maybe," she said, sniffling again. "Would you lay down with me, please?" "Of course," Anton said. He watched her scoot over, and lift the blanket. Kicking off his shoes, he snuggled next to her on the couch, pulling the blanket over their bodies. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pulled her close and pressed his lips to her forehead. She hugged him tightly again, this time around the waist, pressing her nose to his chest. "I'm so happy you're here...and we're here...but it feels so different. It feels like we're never going to be whole again. Like she carved out a piece of each of us." Anton nodded. "It's not every day that I come so close to death." He gently began stroking her hair. "But I'm here now, and we're home. And we have to heal and move on. Because I won't give Lilith power over me in my own home any longer." She nodded, but didn't add much emphasis. It would take a long time to heal. And she was so tired of being strong. Fisting her hands in the back of his shirt, she nuzzled his neck and closed her eyes. "I love you so much. I can only imagine how many billion times harder it would be for me to go through this without you." "I don't even want to think about that." Anton continued caressing her head and shoulders. "But we don't have to think about it," he added, resting his forehead against hers. "Because I'm here, Bryn. And I intend to be for a long, long time." She was finally starting to get warm and comfortable. It usually didn't take long for him to center and calm her. Her fear was slowly ebbing away, until she barely noticed it. "I'm going to hold you to that," she said, softly, breathing in the masculine scent of him. "And never let you go." "And I don't ever want you to let me go." He let his nose press against her neck. "And we'll have all eternity to hold each other, my dear. And our children." She wanted so badly to believe that. Turning her head, she pressed her lips to his temple and held them there. Her hands released his shirt to slip underneath, her palms pressed to the incredible heat of his back. Her legs were tangled with his under the blanket, and she rubbed her feet on his calves. Being so close to him, after such a long absence, was a heavenly treat. "I love you, Anton. So very much." "I love you too, my dear." Feeling her touch him was a balm to the mental aches he still carried, both old and fresh memories. A tremor ran through him at the feel of her, so warm and solid, against his body. Inhaling deeply, he relished her scent, reveling in just being here with her. Scooting back against the couch pillows, she pulled him a bit closer to her so he was no longer on the edge. Her eyes were growing heavy with fatigue, but she didn't want to sleep just yet. She never wanted to sleep when he was around. She didn't want to miss a moment with him. Their time together felt too fragile. He held her tight, gently running his hand over her side. Anton pressed his lips to her forehead. "Are you feeling okay, my dear?" he asked, not quite sure what had triggered her sadness. She nodded. "I'm just tired. And stressed out." [And missing you,] she thought to herself. But she wasn't going to put anymore pressure on him. He already had enough to deal with. "I'll make dinner in a little while. I just want to rest while the kids aren't here. It's quiet." "Rest then, my dear. If you want, we can order something in." He kissed her lips lightly. "You've been taking on so much, my dear. You need to rest and recover just as much as I do." She nodded and closed her eyes, then turned over to face the couch cushions. Leaving him to get up and leave, if he wanted to. She tried not to hold her breath while waiting for him to move. Anton frowned at how Bryn was pulling away from him. Gently he pressed his lips to the back of her neck. "Talk to me, Bryn," he whispered. "Tell me what's wrong." She squeezed her eyes shut even harder, her lips quivering. "I'm scared. I'm...a vampire, for God's sake. And I don't feel right. I don't know when to feed, other than when I'm so hungry I can't stand it. And then I stand down here in the dark, because I don't want you to see me when I do. I don't want you to see her when you look at me. I thought everything was going to be perfect and beautiful when I was finally Transformed, and it isn't. Everything is wrong." "Bryn," he whispered softly into her hair. "I haven't had a chance to teach you this yet. I don't expect you to know how to feed, or when to feed." He gently stroked a lock of her brown hair. "And I would never mistake you for her." "How do you know that? You've only seen me once or twice." "Because you are the angel that held me in her arms. The one who was there when I opened my eyes." He pressed another kiss into her hair. "How could I ever mistake you for her?" She turned over to face him again, her glowing blue eyes awash with tears. "I don't want to do this alone...but I'm so afraid of doing something to scare you off. I'm so hungry, Anton...but I don't want you to watch me." He gently reached up to wipe her tears away with the pad of his thumb. "And if I told you that I wanted to watch you? If I told you that I wanted to see you feed? That I wanted you to feed from me, would you?" He had asked her to feed from him before, but they had been in bed and she thought his passion had a lot to do with that. That if he'd been in his right mind, he never would have asked. It was crazy that he'd want to be bitten after what Lilith had done. "Why?" It was hard to put into words, but Anton attempted the best he could. "Because it's one more bond between us, one more link forged by our love. It reminds me that *I* Transformed you, and not..." he paused, frowning. "Seth never had a chance to give you the letter, did he?" She frowned and shook her head. "What letter?" "No, he didn't then." Anton pressed his lips to her forehead before continuing. "I wrote a letter for Seth to give you afterwards," he said simply. "It told you how much I loved you, how much I loved our children, and how I wanted you to ask Nate or Lindy to Transform you. To keep Lilith from claiming that a human was unfit to raise a vampire's child. But you managed to see me before he could give it to you." She closed her eyes again, another set of tears falling. "I don't know if I could have done that. But I wouldn't have let anything happen to them. If it meant I had to be Transformed by someone else, I would have. But I would have hated every minute of it. I would have hated every second I lived without you." "But you don't have to now. You didn't have to go to someone else and ask them to take your blood for theirs. Yes, it wasn't under the circumstances we wanted it to be, but *I* was the one who Transformed you." He wiped her tears away gently. "And I don't want you to think that I will ever be afraid of you. Because eternity is too short to waste time on that type of fear." She bit her lip for a moment before moving closer and tightly wrapping her arms around him. She pressed her face to his neck, her breath hot as it bounced off his skin. Clinging to him, her fingernails lightly digging in to his back, she tried to push away her fear. She ignored the image in her head of him pulling away in horror. Instead, she let her fangs descend , her eyelashes fluttering, and forced herself to bite in to his flesh. Anton let out a soft moan of pleasure. His arms wrapped tighter around her and his legs tangled with hers. He drew himself closer as his eyes shut in bliss and pride. This was his beautiful vampire mate that *he* had Transformed. They were going to be together forever now. Melting against him, she drank slowly and evenly, savoring the moment. She relaxed more as the seconds passed, the realization dawning that nothing had changed. Despite her fear that Lilith had completely ruined them, the bitch didn't have nearly as much power as she thought she did. They were going to be okay. And the thought made her tears completely disappear. Anton cradled her head close to his neck. Letting out a soft moan, he wrapped his legs around hers, a blissful expression crossing his face. She could drain him dry for all he cared. Because every drink she pulled from him was pleasure. "Mmm." Scratching lightly at his back, Bryn reluctantly retracted her fangs but remained to suck at his skin. She squeezed him close, then lifted her face to kiss his cheek, panting softly. "Thank you, sugar. I love you so much." "I love you too, my dear," Anton said, smoothing her hair back from her face. "I don't ever want you to feel that you have to hide your feeding from me again." He lifted his head to kiss her lips lightly. "Shall we show each other how much we love each other?" She sucked in a slightly shuddering breath and nodded. "I'm sorry I was freaking out. I've just been shaky ever since..." She didn't want to say the word, as if it would make it more real. "And I didn't...I wasn't thinking." "It's okay, my dear," Anton said. "I would be more worried if you hadn't freaked out at some point." His hand gently stroked over her back, trying to comfort her more. "But no hiding from each other from now on." She nodded, pushing up to meet his lips. Bryn moaned softly against his mouth, having missed his kisses more than she could possibly say. He would have to get used to her being a bit more clingy than usual, now that she knew she wasn't going to scare him off. Now he wouldn't be able to shake loose of her. His arms wrapped tightly around her as Anton shifted so he was laying flat on his back. He pulled Bryn onto his stomach, making sure her legs were straddling him. It was a vulnerable position for him, one that he chose deliberately to prove his trust in her. Lightly he sucked on her lower lip, stroking her back and letting his hand glide down to cup her ass. Whimpering softly, Bryn rolled her hips against his as she pushed her fingers in to his hair. His trusting position didn't escape her, and she did her best to show him how grateful she was. Reaching for the hem of her t-shirt, she started to pull it up and over her head. Anton let out a soft moan. His hips lifted automatically, pushing against her. His hands went to hers, helping her remove the t-shirt. Then they slowly traced down the straps of her bra to cup her breasts. And he let out a contented sigh as he lightly squeezed. She licked her lips. "This doesn't make you nervous? Having me on top?" Anton shook his head. "No," he whispered. "Not at all." She gave him a soft smile, before lifting his hand to kiss his palm. "So why am I so scared for you?" She let out a soft sound of amusement. "I think I've turned in to a great big chicken. Maybe you'll have to teach me to be bold again." Anton brushed his thumb against her cheek. "You're being protective of me, my dear. And maybe there's a little of Katerina being protective of her Antonsha as well?" She nodded, her eyes growing misty again. "This was the second time I couldn't protect you." Anton sat up so he could cradle her against his shoulder. "You did everything you could to protect me, and our children. You were able get them to safety. There wasn't anything that could have been done for me." Bryn hugged him tightly, aware now that this was what she'd been so hurt by. "I know. It just hurts. The last thing I wanted was for something like this to happen again. And to feel so powerless." "I know, my dear." He pressed his lips to her forehead, and then tilted her head back so they could look into each other's eyes. "But it is all over now, and we are stronger for it." She hoped he was right. Holding his gaze for a long while, she finally leaned closer and pressed her lips to his. Her fingers threaded together with his and she squeezed his hands, before gliding up the length of his arms to hug his neck. "Make love to me, Anton." Anton shifted his arms to wrap around her back tightly. Wriggling carefully, he reversed their positions so now she was underneath him on the couch. His hands slid along the straps of her bra. He cupped her full breasts and gently squeeze. Sighing, she pressed herself more fully in to his palms. She couldn't help smiling as she watched him. It was odd to realize that he was more confident than she was. Squaring her shoulders, she forced herself to push away the helpless feelings and take hold of her own future. She would only be a prisoner of Lilith's if she allowed herself to be. Grabbing the back of shirt, she started pulling it up towards his shoulders, eager to feel his naked skin on hers. She wanted him, now and always. Anton pulled away from her touch long enough to let her pull his shirt over his head. Then Anton slipped his hands around Bryn's back to unhook her bra. He pulled the lace away and bent down to kiss her nipples. Now that his shirt was gone, she moved on to unfastening his pants. Her arms pressed her breasts together, lifting them towards his mouth. The Transformation, being so soon after she gave birth to Kat, left her breasts fuller than usual, her nipples a more dusky color. She wasn't as skinny as she would have liked to be, but there was nothing that could be done about that now. This was her body for eternity...so it was a good thing he wasn't disappointed. Anton gave no sign of noticing the changes to her body. Or more accurately, there was no difference in the amount of attention he lavished on her breasts and stomach. As he suckled each nipple in turn, his hands slowly traced over her abdominal muscles as they headed towards her jeans. He wriggled his hips to help her ease his pants over them, and then started working hers off as well. She lifted up as he pulled her jeans and panties down, kicking free of them almost gleefully. It felt good to be loose of the constrictive denim. As soon as they were both nude, she wrapped her legs around him and lazily reached down to stroke his cock. The soft moan he gave made her quiver. He was quivering at her lightest touch. Now free of their clothing, Anton rubbed against her body, relishing the silkiness of her skin. And the softness of her hair as he cupped his hand between her legs. Two long fingers probed her lips, gliding in the moisture before sinking deep inside her. "Uhhhh!" Bryn lifted her legs and spread them wider, her thighs shaking as she squeezed her muscles around his fingers. She bit her lip, her head rolling on the couch pillow. His thumb made slow circles around her clit, and she matched the movements with her own thumb around the head of his cock. Groaning, Anton pulled away from her hand. And he smiled when she echoed that noise when he withdrew his fingers. Holding her legs apart, he repositioned himself and slowly pushed his cock inside of her. To him, it still felt like coming home. Moaning with a bit of a whine, Bryn pushed up on her forearms to kiss him hungrily. He felt so incredibly good inside her that she couldn't hold still and immediately began thrusting her hips towards his. Her ankles bounced on his ass, keeping him tight between her legs. Anton let go of her legs to grab her shoulders. His hips matched her rhythm, hard and fast. Curled over her, he could smell the scent of their bodies mingling, heady as an expensive perfume. And with a loud moan, his mouth found hers. She grunted softly with every impact of his hips, straining to push him even deeper inside her. She was getting so wet and swollen with arousal, she could hardly stand it. Scratching her hands down his back, she squeezed his ass tightly. Her kisses turned to nips, growing sharper with every passing minute. His kisses turned to love bites that were timed with his thrusts. Anton let out a yelp as his fang caught on his lip. And when he looked at her, his eyes were glowing from the taste of his blood. Running his fingers through her hair, Anton caught her lower lip between his fangs and sucked hard. Bryn jerked against him, the taste of blood filling her mouth, and immediately attacking him with fangs and claws. Her fingernails dug in to his ass as her hips surged up hard against his. She gasped as she started to cum, her body shuddering hard and squeezing him unmercifully. He let out a loud shout at the sudden spasms massaging his cock. Bloodlust and sexlust peaked and overflowed, blending into one lightning-bolt of a sensation. His orgasm was wrenched out of him, leaving him limp and quivering against her body. Still shivering, Bryn gathered him close and hugged him tightly. Her kisses returned to soft sucks of his lips and tongue. As their breathing began to slow, she nuzzled him and gave him a smile. "Thank you, sugar. That was just what I needed." Anton placed a tender kiss on her cheek. "Same here, my dear." Arms wrapped around her shoulders, he held her closely. "Are you feeling better now?" She nodded. "I'm not afraid to show myself to you anymore. The rest might take a little bit of time to get over, but at least I know what was making me so upset. And I know there was realistically nothing I could do to change it." She pressed her forehead to his. "And I have you here to heal with." Anton gently stroked her hair as he spoke. "And I'm going to teach you, my dear. I will show you how to feed properly. I know you may not want to hear this now, but you will need to learn how to hunt. And maybe teaching you will help me heal too." "I hope so." She combed her fingers through the hair at the base of his head. "One of these days, we're going to be better than ever. And all of this will be just a distant memory." Anton softly kissed her . "May it be, my dear." Things were finally settling down and returning to some semblance of normal. Although Lindy wasn't certain she knew exactly what normal was any longer. She watched Liam and Max sitting on the floor, pushing a ball back and forth between them. Kat was resting on her hip, reaching for the loose braid she weaved her hair into, just to keep it out of her reach. "No," she said, trying to tuck it over her other shoulder. "Little help, Nate." Not bothered enough to break his television-induced stupor, Nate kept clicking through the channels. "Help with what? You're just sitting there." Lindy let out a yelp when Kat finally got her hands on her braid. She tilted her head to the side, trying to ease the pressure with very little luck. "Nate, unless you think bald is an attractive look on me, I need you to take Kat." Sighing, Nate sat up and reached for the little girl, pulling her close as he gently disentangled her grip. "What are you doin' there, lil' pumpkin? Are you tryin' to tell us you're hungry? I think you are. I think you a--ow!" He let out a loud yelp as she bit right in to his thumb and start drinking voraciously. Lindy bit back a laugh at Nate's expression. "I'll bet Max is hungry too." Kneeling down, she offered Max her wrist and smiled as the child bit in. Looking up at Nate, she let out a soft sigh. "I wonder how Anton and Bryn are doing." "Good question. I suppose it's probably a good sign that they haven't picked the kids up yet. They're taking some time to themselves." "Yeah," Lindy said. Liam whimpered, and scooted over next to her, jealous of the attention that Max was getting. She wrapped her arm around their son. "And how about us? Do we need some time to ourselves?" He lifted his gaze to look at her. "What do you mean? Your parents take Liam all the time." "Well, yeah," she said. Lindy took a deep breath. "But we really haven't talked about what happened in Australia since we got back." She lightly stroked the top of Liam's head. "I just wanted to know if we needed to." He looked down at the baby as she sleepily released his thumb and closed her eyes. "I don't know," he said, shrugging. "What do you want to say about it? We were damned lucky. It could have ended a lot worse. And there would have been nothing any of us could do about it." "Yeah. We almost lost one of our best friends, Liam's uncle, and your brother." Lindy shrugged as well, shifting to the balls of her feet to relieve the pressure on her knees as Max drank. "I just thought you might have needed to vent." "I'm not exactly in the mood to vent when I'm holding his kids. I'm just grateful they're here. And I guess I'm probably a little bit in shock. I didn't expect it to turn out this way." "Me neither." Lindy gently rocked Liam and Max. "And I'm still having a hard time believing that Natasha wasn't involved." Standing up, Nate walked over to set Katerina in her travel crib to sleep. As he turned to look at Lindy, he said, "Yeah. And to tell you the truth, that worries me a bit. She's still hanging around Marrok. There's no telling what she's really up to." Lindy frowned at Marrok's name and glanced slightly over her shoulder. It looked like she was afraid that merely mentioning the werewolf's name would summon him. "What can we do about that though? Try to turn her in? With Lilith being out of power, who knows if the Council is going to obey her earlier decrees." "I don't know, Lind. I think we better pray they find someone else to take control before anything happens." Sitting down once more, he let out a deep sigh. "This whole thing is a mess. We really don't need to be dodging anymore snowballs right now." Lindy sighed. "Amen, Nate I just hope nobody chucks any in our direction." She felt Max slump against her, and Liam felt distinctly heavy against her side. "I think these two are ready for their naps, Nate." "Just let sleep where they are. Anton and Bryn should be here soon, anyway." He patted the spot next to him. "Come sit by me." Carefully easing the boys to the floor, Lindy worked herself free. "And how did Kat do? Did she try to drain you completely?" she asked as she crawled over to sit by her husband. "No, actually she didn't take much at all. Maybe I don't taste as good as her dad." He made a face. "Wait, that sounds bad." "Pervert." Lindy leaned against him and let out a deep sigh. "I just hope it starts feeling like normal soon. I don't know how much more of this I can take." Nate squeezed his arm around her. "Yeah, I know. But I have a feeling it's going to be weird for a while. Bryn was just Transformed, so she'll have to deal with that. Anton will have to deal with any residual trauma from the execution. Mulder is still trying to come to terms with his vampirism. And now Seth is here, too. I think we may need to build a fourth house up here just to keep everyone." Lindy let out a soft laugh. "That doesn't actually sound like too bad of an idea," she said, resting her head on his shoulder. "And then we have to figure out how to deal with Marrok. He's going to want to resume visits with Liam." Nate let out a groan. "We missed this week's scheduled visit. We were flying at the time. I wonder if he showed up and gave Mulder a hard time. We should ask him." "Yeah. I wish that he was as afraid of Mulder as some vampires are." She let out a deep sigh. The subject was starting to depress Lindy, so she tried to change the subject. "How long do you think before Seth drives my parents crazy?" "You mean he hasn't already? I'd be very surprised if he hadn't. The man is a walking annoyance. You'd find his picture next to uptight in the dictionary." "But you've got to admit, he came through for us. I would have pegged him as loyal to Lilith to the end." She let out another deep sigh. "We're going to have to go back to testify, aren't we? It's not truly over yet, isn't it?" He shook his head. "It's not over till the scary lady burns. And unfortunately, she won't even do that until she's been drained and beheaded. I don't envy the guy who gets that job." He let out a sigh. "Yeah, I'm sure we will have to testify. To tell you the truth, I'm a little surprised that they haven't tried to charge me with harboring a fugitive. Even if Anton was innocent, I was still breaking an imperial rule." "I think there would be a big backlash if they do. Because Anton is innocent and Lilith is in custody, they can't really punish you." She snuggled a little closer to her husband. "But if the scary lady does burn, who is going to take her place? I feel sorry for whoever gets *that* job." "Yeah. Hopefully we'll get lucky and it will be someone who's sympathetic to all of our problems. Maybe if we have a little influence, we could even get something done about Natasha. Finally." "Yeah," Lindy said. She let her eyes drift shut and for a second she saw Anton and Bryn sharing a throne. Left eyebrow quirking upwards, Lindy opened her eyes, not certain if she had just had a vision, or it was just a random thought. "What's with the funny face?" Nate asked, staring at her peculiarly. Lindy shook her head, chuckling. "Nothing," she said with a dismissive smile. "Just had a weird thought. For a moment, I thought I saw Anton and Bryn on a throne." Nate made a face of his own. "God, he would hold that over me for centuries." "Could have been worse," Lindy said, playfully running her finger down the bridge of his nose. "You could have been on that throne." Nate leaned over and abruptly kissed her, long and hard. His fingers threaded through her hair, his thumb stroking her cheekbone. Lindy wrapped her arms around his neck, not making any effort to pull away. If anything, she pushed closer as she returned his kiss. But after a moment, she pulled back to make one simple request. "Tell me every thing's going to be okay, Nate." He smiled widely. "I knew that would shut you up about the throne talk." He laughed when she slapped his chest. "Every thing's gonna be just fine, baby. I know it is." Seth had made himself comfortable in the werewolves home, taking over their couch and playing with Amanda's videogames. Soon he would be sharing the guesthouse with Mulder, once the family bought a new bed to go in the spare room. He knew he should have felt guilty about taking advantage of their hospitality, and a big part of him did. But he also knew he had nowhere else to go. Their was a big chance that those who were loyal to Lilith were looking for him, and he really didn't want to be found. Not quite certain what to expect, Anton had kissed Bryn good bye and walked on his own to the werewolves' home. It would have been easy to have Bryn come with him for moral support, but he had to start standing on his own two feet again. Alex had let him in with a quiet greeting. When Anton had said he wanted to speak with Seth, the werewolf excused himself upstairs discretely. Walking to the living room, he knocked on the wall. "Got a moment Seth?" Seth started, looking from his umpteenth hour of vegging out on the couch and watching television. Clicking the button on the remote, he turned off the tv and sat up. "Yeah," he said, sitting up in his mass of blankets and brushing back his messy hair. "What can I do for you?" There was an expression of surprise on Anton's face for a second. He never recalled ever seeing the (ex) Secretary to the Empire so... rumpled. "I... ah... came to talk to you, Seth," he said. "But if now is a bad time, I can come back later." "No, I wasn't doing anything." He lowered his voice, almost conspiratorially. "They won't let me do anything around here. I was getting them coffee, organizing things...everything I'm used to doing. But I got the distinct feeling I was annoying the hell out of them. So I've been here ever since." Anton chuckled. "At least Jess didn't bite your head off. And she literally could," he said as he sat down in the recliner. "I get the feeling that they're not used to having someone to help them out." Seth swallowed heavily after the comment about biting his head off. He'd have to keep that in mind. "You're looking...better. Do you feel recovered?" "Physically? Never better. Emotionally," Anton took a deep breath. "I'm getting there. In fact, that's partially why I'm here. I wanted to thank you for everything you've done." Seth immediately grew uncomfortable. He wasn't accustomed to praise. It was rare that Lilith ever said anything about him doing a good job. He was expected to perform at his peak. The only time she said something was when she thought he was slacking. "I--I didn't do much. You should really be thanking your friends. They did all of the hard work. I just unlocked a door." "Which was to Lilith's private chambers," Anton added. "Jess has told me some of how she came in contact with you. To be honest, she had fully expected you to report their activities to Lilith. You did the right thing and put yourself in a very difficult situation. And you've given up a lot. I know that this," he looked around the room, "is quite a lifestyle change for you." Seth blinked. "I guess so." He looked at Anton squarely. "I'm just a bit uncomfortable taking credit for this. I only did what my gut told me to do. It was the right thing to do...and the only thing I could do." "And that is more than some people I know would have done when facing Lilith. Without your help, the execution wouldn't have been interrupted and I would be..." Anton couldn't bring himself to say dead. "And for that I owe you a debt of gratitude." Seth blushed. "Thank you is good enough. Well, that, and allowing me a place to stay. I needed a place to hide out for a while. I'm not even sure what the other vampires are saying about me. I could call someone and find out...but I really don't want to give my position away." "Well, if you're really curious, I'm certain I can find out. It seems that a good half of the Empire is busy apologizing for what almost happened. I'm certain that if there is a threat to your safety, we'll find out about it soon, and take steps to protect you." "Thank you. I appreciate that." Seth rubbed his hands together. "So what are you going do now? Go back to work?" "Yeah," Anton said. "Back to work, watch Max and Kat grow up, try to explain to Bryn's parents why we were out of touch while Kat was being born and why Bryn's now a vampire." He let out a sigh. "And, of course, testify at the next trial." "I tend to forget she was Transformed. How is she handling it? I haven't been around too many of the newly transformed. I always wondered what it was like...and whether I'd want to do it, myself." "She's handling it well as can be expected," Anton said. "Although we have had a small situation about her feeding in front of me." He shrugged his shoulders. "I haven't exactly been able to teach her properly yet." "Situation...as in fight?" Seth shook his head. "Never mind, you don't have to answer that. I'm being nosy." "It's okay, Seth. Situation as in shame. She was afraid of reminding me of what I had been through." Anton took another deep breath. "I have a feeling we're going to be dealing with the repercussions for a long, long time." Seth dipped his head. "I'm sorry to hear that. Lilith really did a number on your family. On a lot of people." He scratched the back of his neck. "I don't even know what I'm going to do now. That job was the only thing I knew how to do." Anton felt a stab of sympathy for the young man. He had a life to return to. Seth however, did not. The human had lost everything familiar helping the vampire. "You're more than welcome to stay here while you figure that out, Seth." "Thank you." Seth was quiet for a while, not really certain what to say. "So...when do you think you'll be going back to work?" "In a couple of days, most likely. I'll need to catch up at what's been happening. As well as face a backlog of paperwork." Lindy would have handled most of it, but there would still be things waiting that needed his approval. And he would have to review everything she had done. "I don't suppose you might be interested in trying to help me tame that particular beast?" Seth perked up, his mind already working on the best way to organize and delegate tasks. "Really?" Anton nodded. "But you have to remember," he said, holding up a finger for emphasis. "We will be working around humans, not vampires. And I have a much more relaxed management style than Lilith obviously." "I...yeah. Wow. I can't wait to get started. Anytime you're ready, I'll be there." Seth rubbed his hands together. "I'll make that place run more smoothly than it ever has." That was exactly what Anton was afraid of. But the offer had been made, and he wasn't about to rescind it. And it would be good for Seth to have something else to focus on rather than moping around the werewolf's home. "In that case, we'll talk duties and salary tomorrow night," Anton said as he got out of the chair. "And I'm afraid that I need to get back to Bryn and the children, now." "Good night," Seth said, watching him go. And for the first time all week, he got up off the couch, stretched, and decided to take a shower. Things were definitely looking up. [I wonder if I could convince Anton's employees to wear name tags...] Instead of taking the tunnel home after speaking to Seth, Anton opted to walk down the road to return to the house. In addition to enjoying the night, he needed time to himself to think and absorb everything that had happened. Not walking particularly fast, he took his time, looking up at the sky. Away from the city with the unrelenting glare of lights, the Milky Way was dotted with stars normally not visible. It looked like a child had spilled a handfull of sugar on a piece of black velvet. And while he was looking up at the sky, he realized how lucky he was to be here. How close he came to no longer existing. How he nearly it came to pass that he would never have the chance to kiss Bryn, or hug Max, or hold Katerina. Never argue with Nathaniel or tease Lindy. A single tear slid down his cheek as he looked up into the sky. Gratitude was flooding through him for the simple fact that he was still alive. And two words were all he said, not absolutely certain who he was addressing, but knowing they were the only words that fit his emotions. "Thank you." Then Anton resumed his walk to his house, where his family were waiting. End Chapter One Hundred Forty-one <- Previous Chapter | Home | Next Chapter ->