Blueblood

Story: Blueblood

Chapter 18 Thornwood

Author: Eric McQueen (mcqueen.richarderic@gmail.com)

Adult Readers, Sexual Situations, Sex

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Thornwood

We began planning our trip "across the pond." The time of year could be a little chilly, so I packed accordingly. I heard it could be damp. The seasons were changing, so I wanted to be prepared.

The other employees at VUN that were there were beginning to see more activity. It would get a lot more chaotic soon. I looked up to see Amanda with her boyfriend was walking through the office area with her, but he was looking around. His look was more cautious than he should have been. The truth was he seemed a bit scared. Doug looked up and saw us and his eyes widened.

I chuckled. "I guess she told Doug what she is."

Colin looked up and smiled. "And told him what we were apparently."

I shrugged. "We've been ousted by her."

Colin nodded. "We have been, and not just about being gay."

I grinned. "Right now, he's probably worried about us wanting to suck his blood or his dick."

That made Colin laugh heartily. "We could do both!"

We were suddenly grabbed from behind by the arm by Mark. "This way guys." He said happily as we were heading toward the lab.

"And why?" I asked.

"You'll see," Mark said as he continued to bring us to the lab.

When we got to the lab, George smiled brightly at us. "Hi, guys." He motioned us to a chair he had prepared. "If you'll have a seat..." he looked between us, "...one of you at a time?"

Colin shrugged. "I'll go first if you want?"

I nodded. "First for what?" I asked George.

He waved to his tray of surgical tools, sterilizing applicators, sterile gloves, and something else that was tiny, almost like a capsule. "I'm installing a P.D.T.U."

Colin's eyebrows rose. "A what?"

I chuckled. "A Personal Data Tracking Unit. They were working on those in the military. You haven't read about them in books or watched very many of those movies."

Colin frowned. "I've been busy!"

George nodded. "Stan tells me he can track you anywhere." Colin was about to say something, but George stopped him. "It just makes sense, Colin."

"This isn't extending trust," Colin said.

"We are by going there," I said. "We hope they will receive us well and not try to just take the serum..."

"...but if they try to take it or hold us..." George continued. "Or take us anywhere to do anything...less than good, we can be tracked and found!"

"We can extend trust, but we'll be upfront with them. We'll tell them we can be tracked. We won't appear to be naive." I added with a nod.

Colin nodded. "Okay, so where are you..." He waved over his body.

George smiled. "I'm going to insert deep. Not too deep, but..." He pointed to his own chest under his left armpit. "...nowhere it would bother anything, but just doing under the skin of the arm isn't enough. It will be about an inch or two in the muscle..." He looked up at me. "...and I'd like you to put mine in when it's my turn."

I was a bit startled at that. "Me? Why?"

George turned a little red. "I have assistants that can do it, but I've seen your work and..." he picked up what looked like a big syringe. "This can hurt if not careful." Then he grinned. "I trust you. I know you will do your best not to hurt me."

I smiled at George and walked over to him. "I appreciate that, George." I hugged him quickly. "I love you, too." I waved at what he had out. "In that case, let me see you do it. That way I'll do what's needed to do my best and not hurt you."

I did watch as he numbed the area on Colin and inserted the capsule into him. It was near the rib cage, and you had to insert it between the wide space between ribs and not so deep that you pierced the lung. I watched as he did the same thing to Willie.

"So, this little thing will tell you where we are?" Willie asked looking at the place where George had inserted it.

"Yep." George nodded as he looked at me. "Originally, I had designed it as a medical tool. It can register heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar levels and a lot more. It can even do drug levels and chemistry." He walked over to another computer and typed quickly. "Even monitor cancer progression or regression and other problems." He pointed to the screen. "This is Colin." I smiled as it did tell what his blood pressure was and heart rate. "Wow, this is great!" I frowned. "His blood pressure is low."

George nodded. "That's normal for a former vampire on the serum." George pointed to his respiration. "Most of his readings..." he looked at me, "...and yours will be lower than the norm. You'll note the temperature is also a few degrees lower." He shook his head. "We need more medical staff to know this is what they'll see and not panic when they see it. His body temperature hovers around 94 degrees."

I nodded. "Still, this is an amazing device."

George grinned. "And non-biodegradable. I'll be marketing it..." he looked over at Colin, "...which you told me you will do."

Colin nodded. "I am."

"It could be a vital link for people with chronic conditions of all kinds," George explained. "And it can be seen on the opposite side of the world, which is why Stan knew it would be important as a location device."

Colin nodded. "At least now, we have a blood pressure to monitor."

I removed my shirt. "Okay. I'm next." He numbed the area on me, and it didn't really hurt when he inserted it. It was more like pressure as he pushed it in. Ruben came into the lab. "There you are, Willie." He smiled as he walked over. He handed Willie a little book I recognized as a passport. He handed Willie the passport. "I used your last name but did the slight alteration as you asked. You're now William Kalin."

Willie took the passport and chuckled. "Well, now you can just look me up on that magic box to find out where I am." He pointed to the computer.

Colin walked over. "I never knew you even had a last name, Willie."

Willie shrugged. "It was so long ago. I had to try to remember what it was." He chuckled. "It originally was Kalinowski."

I smiled at Willie. "You're Polish?"

Willie nodded. "I was a century ago."

"You still are." Colin walked over and stuck his hand out. "It's nice to meet you, William Kalinowski."

Willie chuckled. "I'm still Willie for you guys." He shook Colin's hand.

I turned to George. "Do I need to wait for the anesthesia to wear off for you to feel safe to insert yours?"

George shook his head. "You're right-handed and it shouldn't interfere with your dexterity." He began to remove his shirt.

I had never seen George without his shirt on and I had to raise an eyebrow at what I saw. "It's interesting to me that there are no fat vampires." George really was a red-haired man. He had a man's body hair on his chest and under his arms. What was surprising was the definition in his chest muscles. He was a doctor! A doctor that kept in shape.

George chuckled. "Well, even a vampire knows who to target about a human. A man or woman that's overweight isn't that healthy." He gave a shrugging nod. "His blood will have flavor. A vampire is like..." he thought, "...looking at produce...like thumping a melon to see if it's ripe. He will feed on someone not as healthy, but only in a pinch." He grinned at me. "Am I giving Colin a run for his money?"

I smiled as I ran my finger over George's rib cage. "You could, but..." I grinned at Colin. "I prefer dark haired men. I am attracted to just Colin now."

Colin smiled and kissed me but grinned at George. "So, you're red all over?"

George grinned and unfastened his belt. "Okay, see for yourselves." He lowered his pants, and he was red in his pubes. He pulled his pants back up. "Satisfied?" He laughed. "I don't want to haunt your fantasies."

Colin gave him a manly hug. "I think we're safe." He kissed George on the temple. "You're a brother to me."

I grinned. "I'm getting there on an emotional level, but I think I'll be alright." I patted George on the chest. "I will say, lucky Burke."

We continued to pack and got things ready to leave. As I was doing it, I heard someone knock on my closet door. Looking up, I saw my mother.

"Hi, Mom." I smiled at her. "Are you about packed?"

Mom nodded as she came in, but I noticed she was not smiling as much as she usually did.

"Mom?" I stopped what I was doing. "Is something wrong?"

Mom sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest and came in more. "Wrong? I'm not sure how to answer that." She said softly.

I walked over to her. "Something's on your mind." I touched her arm. "And you came to me to share it, so...what is it?"

"It's William." She confessed.

I nodded. "I see." This was going to happen, and I knew it. "You're having issues with the fact that he's a vampire."

She nodded. "It really didn't bother me in the beginning." She explained. "We've gotten closer and..." she hesitated. "...I can no longer ignore the idea that he won't age. I will." She looked at me. "For you and Colin, that wasn't a real issue. Men aren't really concerned with age. Right now...William and I are the same age." She chuckled. "William might have been a year younger when he was turned."

"Okay." I stopped her. "Men are concerned with age." I corrected. "By appearance, Colin is a Daddy." I grinned. "You know what I mean, right?"

Mom chuckled. "Yes, I know what you mean."

"Technically, he is very much a Daddy as he's actually 170 years older than me," I said. "Willie is a hundred years older than you are."

Mom nodded. "But when I'm eighty and he's still...looking like he does now..."

I brought her over to Colin's and my bed and sat her down. "Let's just cut to the issue," I said. "I gave in. I took the venom and became a vampire. Are you thinking of doing that?"

She didn't exactly answer.

"That's what I thought." I nodded knowing she was.

"It would solve a lot of problems." Mom said quickly. "Willie wouldn't have to worry about losing me. I would stop aging and..."

I nodded. "And risk becoming a bloodsucker if you don't get the serum," I added. I looked at her. "The problem that's new is Willie can't bite you now." I waved at the surrounding building. "No one here can."

She nodded. "I know, but..." she got up and looked frustrated. "But if one of you stops taking the serum...you become a vampire again and can bite me."

I nodded at that. "Has Willie offered to do that?"

She shook her head but smiled. "No." She thought fondly. "William has been nothing short of a gentleman. To offer that...would be...unsettling for him." She chuckled. "The first time he kissed me..." she looked up at my surprised face, "...and yes, he has kissed me." She thought about it a second or two. "He's very good at it."

I rolled my eyes. "Mom, I really didn't need to know that."

Mom chuckled again. "Well, you know now anyway. It must be the era he was raised in. He has always treated me like a lady." She grinned.

"But you wouldn't mind more?" I smiled, shrugged, and nodded. "I am now a vampire. I have a husband that is also a vampire. I have a stepdaughter that is a vampire who's marrying a vampire." I waved my hands at my mother. "Now my mother is contemplating becoming a vampire who might join her life with a vampire that will be my stepfather...maybe." I scratched my head as I thought. Colin was taking over a lot of my life and I began pacing as he did in a circle. I looked at her. "Do you love him?"

Mom smiled and nodded slightly. "I'm beginning to."

I threw my hands out. "I knew I loved Colin in a day."

Mom chuckled. "I know. I just need to be sure William feels the same before I really commit."

"I think you're safe to realize he does." I gave a shrug.

She nodded. "But he needs to say it to me."

I grinned. "Have you said it to him?"

She grinned. "And I need to tell him."

"Mom, becoming a vampire is your decision," I said seriously. "Once done, you can't change your mind. Colin bit me because he loved me. If Willie is willing to do it..."

Mom nodded. "We need to be sure."

I nodded. "And it will be after England. We need you fully human then."

Mom smiled. "For now..." she grinned, "...we'll need two rooms."

"Mom!" I groaned. "That's just...TMI!!"

"Too much information, huh?" Mom grinned. "Think I didn't know that one? I've texted before."

I nodded. "Whatever you decide...I'm with you. So are Colin and the rest. Think carefully...which I know you will. Just be sure."

Mom nodded as she left Colin's and my room.

I shook my head. "And I wondered why Bella Swan was surrounded by vampires and werewolves in that series of movies," I muttered. "All I need is some werewolves." I sighed. "Move over Bella."

Colin came into our room as my mother was leaving and a little startled when she stopped him and kissed him on the cheek and then kept going. "What was that about?"

I chuckled. "She loves you," I said simply.

Colin looked back at my mother and then looked at me. "Well, something's up."

I nodded patting the bed beside me. "Sit first."

He came over and sat by me. "Okay," but waiting for me to tell him a little worried now. "Things are moving forward with her and Willie." I began explaining. "The age thing has become a concern." I took Colin's hand. "She is thinking of asking Willie to bite her. As a vampire."

Colin's eyes grew. "No! It's too soon. She shouldn't do that!" He was about to get up and go after her, but I stopped him.

"Yes, she should," I corrected. "Like me, it was inevitable. The same for her and Willie." I shook my head. "We even joked about it."

"That was a joke, but she'll become a real vampire?" Colin asked urgently.

"A vampire like you, Gabriella and all of you." I smiled. "But she will be more like me in that she would be turned by someone that loves her." I shrugged. "She's pretty sure she loves him...now we wait for Willie to complete this by telling her he loves her." I pulled him closer to me. "I gave myself to you to reduce a burden for you. Fighting the hunger, you felt around me would have been torture. Getting you to bite me was a way to curb that and take that threat off the table." I kissed him gently. "I love you, Colin, but I trust you. I always have." I ran my fingers over his face. "You didn't want to turn me, but I knew it was going to happen and so did you." I looked him in those emerald eyes. "Didn't you?"

Colin gave a weary nod. "I suppose."

I chuckled. "Yeah, but I had planned to do it a few years from now for the same reasons Mom is thinking of doing it now. It's the old human perspective about age."

"Age?" Colin asked.

"Mom is worried that in a few years, she'll look too old for Willie."

"And for you?" Colin asked. "I don't care about that."

"Come on, Colin," I said pleading for him to understand. "If I had been bitten at fourteen I would always look fourteen. It would have been an issue and you know it. It is an issue for Mom." I said. "And the age thing bothers me still. I still have trouble with you having a daughter that looks too old to be your daughter." I wavered. "Or you're being too young!"

Colin shook his head. "I can't help that."

I nodded. "I know. Just let Mom and Willie sort it out. She hasn't decided yet."

Colin thought a minute. "Is there a problem with me?"

I grinned. "Not a chance." I kissed him deeper. "You're hot and I like older men."

Colin chuckled. "No wonder you love he me. I'm way older."

I smiled. "I prefer to think of you as..." I thought a second, "...more seasoned."

"Seasoned!?" Colin asked.

"To absolute perfection," I said pushing him down on the bed as I kissed him and then sat up straddling him but running my had over his shirt covered chest. "Wait, you came in here for a reason. You're pretty well packed, so is there something else?"

Colin blinked and tried to remember. "Oh...yes, there is." He grinned. "I sort of got distracted." He chuckled running his hands over me. "I've sent them a message telling them we're checking into a hotel in London and when." He sat up, propping himself on his elbows. "There is a good concentration of vampires in London and the surrounding areas we think because of the emails, but Stan pointed out that there are many northwest of London."

I nodded. "Does he have any theories?"

Colin nodded. "Of course, he does." He said with a shrug. "Primarily between Yorkshire Dales National Park and North York Moors National Park. He said that Yorkshire was mined a lot up there. A lot of mines and some that are no longer mined, but the perfect place for vampires."

"It would be perfect." I nodded rising but pointing at him causing him to stop. "Don't move!" I grinned as his eyebrow rose. I closed our door and locked it. "Now..."

"Is that any way to talk to your elders?" Colin grinned.

"I'm not into spanking, but I'm sure there's a way to deal with it...Daddy."

"Daddy!?" Colin repeated loud.

I nodded as I pushed him back down. "That's what you are. A daddy. I love daddies. I love this daddy." I said crawling over on top of him as I kissed him deeply. "And now, I'm going to make love to you," I said as he grinned even more. "I adore you, Colin."

He nodded. "I got that opinion." He kissed back. "I adore you, too."

My hands ran up his shirt onto his chest hairs. "I know."

After vigorous lovemaking from each of us, I felt extremely good as he was resting his head on my chest as I played with his hair.

"I booked a great room for us in London," Colin said turning to look at me with a smile. "We'll at least be in London at the Four Seasons." He sighed. "I know you said we could do both this trip and our honeymoon, but I'd feel better if we went on a honeymoon and that was all we did."

I smiled. "Colin, I feel like we have been on a honeymoon for years." I grinned. "Practically from the time we met."

"Well, I plan to take you around London," Colin said. "Is there anything you'd like to see?"

I nodded. "Sure, there's Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and Harrods'."

Colin looked surprised. "Harrods'?"

I grinned. "They are more than just a store, you know?" I grinned. "I've heard it was the place to see, so I would like to see it."

Colin chuckled. "Sure, why not?"

"I also want to know what the hell is Toad in the Hole." I grinned. "I know what Bangers and Mash is, I've just not had it from a true Britain. And how can I pass on Fish and Chips?" I kissed him. "At least I can't gain weight, so why not?"

Colin smiled. "Care to try Faggots?" He chuckled.

I looked at him thinking he was kidding, but his face told me he was sincerely asking the question. "Okay, I know when someone asks for a fag, they're asking for a cigarette. What the hell is a Faggot, if not referring to you and me?"

Colin chuckled. "You'll have to wait and see."

I grinned. "Just to be clear. A vampire that feeds on a couple of gay guys over there, he's not eating Faggots you're talking about, right?"

Colin laughed and shook his head. "No, that's something else."

"I can look it up," I said.

"And spoil the fun? No way." Colin said firmly. "Don't you dare." He chuckled as he was holding me down now.

"I've got another one for you." I smiled. "When we go and we...consume this...Faggot or Faggots...will we be faggots eating Faggots?"

Colin's head went back slightly, one eyebrow rose as he looked at me curiously. "Should I be worried about this? Sometimes, I can't figure out how your mind works." He shook his head. "That would be a whole other thing...faggots eating Faggots."

I kissed him quickly. "You love my unconventional thinking. You love me."

"Yeah," Colin smiled. "I do." He wrapped his arms around me, and we loved again!

The next few days were busy getting things together and Chuck was going with us, as well. We had a meeting with the task force before we took off for London.

Stan was busy getting us ready to be able to contact him when needed. We were given laptops as well as those tablets that had Internet on them and power converters.

"Mark and I will be going over those family members we have in custody," Stan said. "I'll be searching records and Mark will be interviewing them."

Mark nodded. "We brought in quite a few members we have contained. We need to find out if they knew what was going on and how much they helped. Some of the younger members should be assigned to foster parents."

I frowned. "I hate breaking up families, but this has been going on for generations. We need to find out how much has been passed on, by whom and how much they participated in keeping Marissa and Adrian going. I know they gave blood, but how much did they do to support them otherwise?"

Ruben nodded. "We'll need some...unusual foster families." He sighed. "I know Holms' Laboratories is pretty well off but keeping them and feeding them is going cost money."

George shook his head. "You're right, but we have money coming in from many sources."

"George's treatments for many blood disorders and medications for various conditions and illnesses are bringing a lot of money in," Colin said proudly. "We will be fine."

Ruben nodded. "But if this goes global like we're seeing, the other..." he grinned at me, "...Vampire Capitals should be asked to help."

Colin smiled. "Okay, we leave in the morning. Is there anything else?"

Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads.

"We've got a plan." Colin smiled. "Let's get some rest before we leave." He stood up and then held his stomach. "And now, dinner."

Gabriella smiled. "You and eating, Daddy." She shook her head.

I stood next to him. "He's consistent." He said touching my forehead against his.

We got up pretty early the next morning as it would be later in the day when we arrived in London. We were flown by helicopter to the airport and took off shortly thereafter. I had flown overseas but on military transports. This time we were on the Holms Laboratories private jet again. This was much more pleasant. We landed in that Gatwick Airport just south of London. As when we flew into New York the first few times, I had no idea where the hell we were. One thing I was very sure about, we weren't in the Southern States of the US! For one thing, to me, we were traveling on the wrong side of the street! We got picked up in some very nice SUVs and taken into the city, but even they were being driven from the wrong side. All this was my impression of what I was seeing. Many of the streets were...more rounded than I was used to. There were a lot of multi-family housing all over. The other thing was this...was a city. We crossed the Thames and arrived at the hotel.

"Well?" Colin asked as we pulled to a stop.

I shook my head. "It's certainly not a Holiday Inn."

Colin smiled. "Those are here, too. Should I move us?"

I squeezed his hand. "We're here now...I'll deal with it." I grinned getting out.

The hotel was big on marble. The floor the front desk was a dark marble. We got our rooms and agreed to meet later for dinner, which looking at the clock wasn't that long off. What was early afternoon at home was early evening here. Going to the room...the bellman opened the door and I grinned as I entered. It was white. It wasn't just a room, but a suite. There was a living area and separate bedroom. I walked through to a balcony I stepped out on and before me...was London. I heard Colin speaking with the bellman as the bellman unloaded our suitcases from that cart. Colin tipped him and then came out and joined me.

"Would you prefer a room at the Holiday Inn instead?" Colin asked as his arms went around me from behind and kissed me on the neck as I looked at lights were coming on throughout the city.

I turned to Colin. "I kid you a lot," I admitted as I hugged him. "But this is very nice. Of course, I love it here."

Colin nodded as he kissed me. "I know you like to kid me." He grinned. "And I don't mind. I prefer it." He frowned. "But I wanted to bring you here for another reason. Not hunting for vampires."

"We will be back." I looked over the city again. "But I would like to do one other thing."

"What?"

I pointed to the skyline. "See that Ferris wheel? I want to go on it."

Colin looked and smiled. "Why?"

"To be able to say I did it," I said logically. "One more thing to mark off the list."

Colin looked at me puzzled. "You have a list?"

"Of course, I do."

Colin nodded. "Of course, you do." He grinned kissing me. "I'll look into it."

"Colin," I began seriously. "I know we want to bring others like us into a modern world. From what I read, most of them are just desperate to end a miserable existence." I said softly. "Most just want a way back into life again. I never knew that dark part of being a vampire. Except for the one night, my life really hasn't changed. I can't relate to them as you can."

Colin smiled. "I'm glad you haven't been through that." He said pressing his lips to my forehead. "I'm glad I didn't force that on you."

I held him tightly. "You didn't force anything on me, but I know...just like there is a Marissa and Adrian...there are those of us out there that aren't very good...some might be just...evil."

Colin nodded. "It's very possible."

"I don't want anyone hurt...not you, my mother, Willie or anyone."

"I don't either." He sighed and then brightened. "I've got something in mind for us tomorrow." He said to change the mood.

"What?"

He kissed me quickly. "You'll see."

I shoved him back a little. "You love doing that to me, don't you?" I grinned. "Dangle a carrot in front of me and won't tell me what you're planning."

Colin chuckled. "Yeah, I love to do that."

I nodded. "It better be good." I groused. "Come on, we need to unpack and meet the others." I led him back in our suite. "We can shower and change to meet them."

He was bending over as he was picking up a suitcase. It was an open opportunity. I reached over and pinched him on the ass causing him to yelp and stand up suddenly. He grinned as he rubbed his butt.

I grinned. "You love to dangle carrots in front of me, I love your ass." I shrugged. "It's a fair exchange." I ran my hand over his ass as I kissed him. "I'll rub it later."

Colin kissed me. "I'll hold you to that."

We did shower together, where I did rub his ass and soaped him down which he didn't mind. He and I changed and met the others in the bar called the Amaranto. I loved the dim lighting and there was literally a wall of wines. I grinned as Willie came over with a drink for my mother which he handed to her and sat on the chair over her. He looked up and saw me looking at them and I swear he blushed a little. I just grinned at him and nodded to him, raising my Amoretto.

"Tomorrow night will be when we're supposed to be here," Colin said. "That's what I sent by email to them here," Colin explained. "But they're probably aware that we're here now."

Chuck nodded. "We'll be ready." He assured.

"I don't want trouble," Colin said. "But like Devon and I were discussing earlier...Marissa came from here. There are those of our kind that is evil." He looked at Willie. "I know you'll protect Devon's and my mother."

Willie nodded. "With my very life." He said firmly.

"Shelly, Chuck..." he looked at our two FBI personnel. "I know you can take care of yourselves but be cautious. From the emails I've gotten, it seems to be welcome and friendly. I also know many want to be rid of the venom. I hope it will go well but be prepared that it could go the other way."

Shelly nodded. "We'll be ready."

"Tonight, and tomorrow...take it easy. Be prepared for a long night tomorrow night." Colin took my hand and brought it to his lips. "Devon and I will be out seeing London tomorrow, then coming back to rest before anything happens." He looked back at them. "Enjoy being here for now. We'll meet again tomorrow after Tea."

Shelly shook her head. "Tea." She said quietly. "All this fuss over tea?"

I grinned. "But it's not just tea. There's the Afternoon Tea and High Tea. There are differences."

Shelly frowned. "Why?"

"Most people here don't eat dinner until after eight. Tea about four is a...tie over meal between lunch and dinner." I explained.

"What's the difference?" Shelly asked.

"Afternoon Tea can be taken on the sofa or in chairs in a more relaxed setting. High Tea would be served at the table and will have a more...meal type of menu."

Colin looked at me curiously. "You found this out how?" He said suspiciously.

"I looked it up." I saw his face frown. "And no, I didn't look up that one item you told me I couldn't," I said waving a finger at him. "Don't look at me like that. I swore I wouldn't."

Colin grinned. "He was wondering about Faggots." He told the others.

"I beg your pardon?" My mother asked almost scolding.

I chuckled. "Don't worry, he's not being insensitive. Apparently, it's not that kind of Faggots he was talking about. It's on the menu here. I'll be finding out what it is."

Mom smiled. "Oh."

I smiled. "It doesn't have to be a bad word. I can call him a faggot and it's done in love. He's said it to me."

"Enough with the tolerance lessons, let's eat!" Colin said standing.

"I need to warn the chef," I muttered to everyone and no one.

It was the next morning...well for me it was. It was nearly eleven thirty in the morning when I felt someone kissing his way across the side of my face.

I grinned. "I like how you're waking me up, but why are you waking me up?" I said muffled under the covers.

Colin got closer and whispered in my ear. "Don't you want to know where I was leading you with that carrot yesterday?"

I opened an eye and looked at him. "Now?"

He nodded. "Now."

I pushed the covers back and sat up noticing he was only in a robe. "Am I following the carrot somewhere dressy or casual?"

Colin thought a second. "Well, it's casual, but I wouldn't wear jeans and a t-shirt." He shrugged. "But we're yanks. However, they might only excuse so much from brash Americans."

I pulled his robe open a little revealing more of his hairy chest. "I think you look fine now." I ran some fingers in his chest hair.

He chuckled. "Sometimes I think you only married me for my chest hair."

I shook my head. "That's not the only reason..." I said kissing him. "I'm attracted to all of you, though your chest is a very good reason." I kissed him again quickly. "I love you, Colin." He was beginning to respond when I suddenly said. "Okay, I'll shower and dress."

He let out a frustrated grunt. "Wear comfortable shoes," Colin called as I was going in the bathroom. "We're walking."

Walking? It must be close, but since I had no idea where we were except in London I didn't waste time thinking about it. I came out and Colin was dressed in some nice black slacks and a casual dress shirt. So, I did the same, only my slacks were gray. He had an umbrella in his hand. He waved out the window. "It's nice now, but with the season going from Summer to Autumn, we should be prepared."

I walked over after I was dressed. "Okay, husband. Dangle the carrot, I'll follow." I brought him into a hug. "As long as you're the carrot. I'll follow you anywhere."

He grinned taking my hand. I was pleased he wasn't bothered with anyone knowing we were a couple. Here in England, they were ahead of the United States by allowing gay marriage. Maybe they wouldn't care here as much. We didn't go out much in Manhattan, though Colin said it was fine. It mattered in Charleston. There I was always conscious of what others could see. He grinned at me and threw his arm over my shoulder and let his hand dangle, so I naturally put my right hand in his right back pocket. Then we made a turn and there it was.

"Know where we are?" Colin asked grinning.

I smiled bigger as I waved to the distinctive brown building I'd seen on the Internet. "Of course, I do! Harrods'!"

Going into Harrods' I was just astounded by the sheer size of it. Doormen! There were always doormen. In New York, there was always those men employed to welcome and open doors for guests. It was very exciting walking in the store like that. I don't think there were many people in the world who hadn't heard of Harrods'. There was that big Egyptian thing mummies were placed when the ancient pharaohs were placed. We walked among the many people as I looked at all that most were not offered. Most didn't care one way or the other. Going to the Food Hall was fascinating. I had never seen so many...everything! Cheese, breads of all kinds, pastries, chocolates, cakes, and pies...exclusive and gourmet offerings. Rare produce and everything for gifts and other things. It was all in Pounds Sterling and I knew it was stronger the dollar, but I had no idea, but it could be pricey! I noticed Colin kept looking at his watch.

"Are we going to be late for something?" I asked.

Colin smiled. "You never know."

After a few minutes, I knew I was being steered to head somewhere for something, so I let myself be steered. Harrods' was beautiful, one portion seemed to be open several floors with a lighted dome-like covering that gave you this natural light feeling. We arrived at the Georgian Restaurant. Colin greeted the hostess and gave our names. She smiled and waved to a table and removed the "reserved" sign from the table.

"This requires reservations?" I asked in amazement.

Colin shook his head. "No, but I wanted to be sure we had a table in case there was a rush." He looked around at the many diners. "I never go anywhere unprepared."

I looked at the restaurant and noticed people were helping themselves to what was available. Almost like a buffet, but they weren't serving chicken fingers and French fries. No fried chicken or things like that. This was salmon, lamb, and other gourmet offerings. They had those that were serving themselves as well as those that ordered for a menu. I knew what Colin was going to do. He disliked buffets because of the sneeze guards and many hands that touched everything. I smiled at him, but even he noticed I was looking at him differently. "This is why I married you, Colin."

Colin smiled, but his eyes softened. "Because I was going to take you to Harrods'?"

I reached over and took his hand. "No, because you've included me in your life," I explained. "You do everything you can to make me feel appreciated. You are a gorgeous and beautiful man on the inside as well as outside, but you make me feel wanted."

Colin smiled squeezing my hand back. "I waited a long time to find you; someone to love me that likes being with me. How could I do anything else?"

It was a great lunch! And he did end up eating from what was out to serve yourself as he ate so much it was needed to fill him up.

We went back to the hotel after a few hours after eating and we did do some shopping in the men's department. We got back and Colin insisted we rest. I called Chuck and told him to watch us on the computer knowing something might happen this evening and we might not be able to contact him if it did. Chuck agreed the PDTUs were working fine, and Shelly and he would be ready. Colin was anticipating a long night. We were from another time zone where it was later in the day that we were used to. I didn't think the length of the night would be important, but I did what he thought needed and did nap. A full stomach was partially the reason. We opted to have Afternoon Tea in our suite.

The knock on the door was for that reason, I thought.

Opening the door, a man in his late thirties with dark hair had a cart he wheeled it in our suite. On the tray, under a silver cover were the scones and other goodies as well as a china tea service. Colin signed the room service ticket and handed it back to the man.

"Are you enjoying being in London?" The man asked with a clear accent, but not one I'd heard that much.

Colin nodded, but he looked up as he must have sensed something. "I would like to have enjoyed it more, but this isn't a pleasure trip."

The man nodded. "Business then?"

I sensed the man was just a man, but Colin's look was a little more cautious. "Not exactly..." he looked at the man more, "...we're supposed to meet someone."

The man nodded. "And he wants to meet you, Mr. Wentworth." He said pointedly. "We have been watching you since you arrived." This man was also being cautious. "I am here to help you do that." He smiled at me. "Both of you can do that." He put his hand out. "Call me Nigel."

Colin shook his hand. "Very well, Nigel. I'm Colin and this is Devon, my husband."

Nigel smiled, not bothered with our marriage at all. "We found that out." He waved to the door. "If you come with me, I'll take you to him." He stopped. "Oh, and please...no cell phones or any other devices?"

Colin pointed to where we had them plugged in to be powered up. "They're right over there." He raised his hands. "Search us to be sure, if you need to."

Nigel shook his head. "My...employer prefers to trust. If you say you don't. I believe you." He cocked his head. "My employer may want to when you get there, but..."

"Do we need jackets?" I asked.

Nigel nodded. "You might."

He led us through the hotel but took us out a rear entrance and to an off-street parking area. He waved toward a large black car. I couldn't help but chuckle. It was a Rolls Royce, but an antique. It was shiny and well maintained, but still a Rolls.

"Nice car," I commented. "What year is this?"

"1964," Nigel answered as he opened the door for us. "My employer knew it would be a few hours to get there and he wanted you comfortable."

Colin smiled as he got in. "We'll have to thank him when we see him."

I got in beside Colin. "It is comfortable."

We headed out of London and hit the highway and traveled...north? I've said many times, I didn't know this part of the world and had no idea where we were heading, but I settled back next to Colin. Whether Colin did it because of love or reassurance, he took my hand. We did that so often but now was to show me we were doing this together. I could only imagine what the others of our team were doing. Chuck was probably telling Shelly we were on the move. Willie, Gabriella, and Alex were getting ready to follow, which we planned for. Whether it was intended or not, it seemed Nigel was going in circles as I watched the sun move around the car. After the sun had set it was just dark as there was an overcast sky, and I couldn't tell by the sky what direction we were going. We rode for about three hours before getting to a more rural portion of the road. There were farms and those stone fences that lined the road to keep livestock in the pastures.

"All we need now is that somewhat creepy music playing in the background," I muttered to Colin. "I swear I've seen this movie."

Colin chuckled as he gave my hand a light squeeze. "We'll be okay."

There was a gate of stone we passed through as we rode more up what I thought was more of a private driveway. It was a few minutes before we pulled in front of a very large house. I grinned. "I thought Wentworth Manor was big."

Colin frowned. "It is!"

"I think this is bigger." I pointed at the shadowed house. It was spread out. The center section was two stories with connections on either side that were one story that had wings that were again two stories. The house was a light brown like that of dark beach sand. There were lights on in the interior. Nigel opened the door again and waved us to the entrance of the grand house. "And we need the music again; in a minor key, of course."

Colin nodded. "I agree." He said looking at the house as we entered. Entering the house, I found it was elegant and I was right, it was big! There was a large fireplace on the far wall in white, but I looked at it and saw it was marble. Above the mantle were decorative carvings also done in marble. Every door was also rimmed in this carved marble and the ceiling was high, I guessed twenty feet up and also highly decorated. There were many busts and pieces of art in little recesses along the walls. The floor was also marble.

"Well, someone had money," I said quietly to Colin.

"That would be a fair judgment," Colin said softly back.

"If you would come with me to the Main Library," Nigel said as he led us through the house.

"We have a library." Colin defended weakly to me.

I patted him on the arm. "Yes, we do. It's okay, baby."

Colin and I followed him to a room that was also large, but the bordering walls were covered with shelves of books. There was also a fireplace before where a sofa and chairs where residents and guests could take a book and read. From one of these chairs, a man rose wearing a...smoking jacket? One of those patterned jackets men wore to relax in. He was tall with hair that had gone a little gray. He looked in to be in his mid-forties.

"I trust you had a pleasant journey." The man said coming to us as he held his hand out. "I'm Edward Addams. Welcome to my home."

Colin shook his hand first. "If you say you're the owner, I have to accept it, but you aren't the one I need to see." He looked at a door on the other side of the room.

The man who said he was Edward Addams looked surprised. "I'm not?"

Colin frowned. "You're not a vampire," Colin said firmly. "If you do own the house, fine, but you must house a vampire, but you're not him...or her. I know he's over there." Colin pointed to the other door.

"How do you know?" The man asked.

"Because he is a vampire, just like I am." A voice said as the door Colin had pointed out opened and another man came in the room. He also wore the smoking jacket but looked ten years younger with dark hair and blue eyes and he was not a bad looking man, but he wasn't like most nobles I imagined. He was built! Nothing soft about this man. I could see it through his clothes. "He can sense it." He walked closer to us. "As I can sense he is." He put his hand out. "I am Edwin Dunning. This is my home." He smiled as Colin shook his hand. "I hope you understand the need for caution." His accent was a little like Nigel's and Edward's. It was British but different.

Colin nodded. "I know trust is a hard thing for us. I hope you realize we were tracked." I squeezed Colin's hand. He turned to me. "I said we would be upfront about that. I am."

Edwin looked at Nigel. "Were you followed?"

"No, Sir Dunning. I made sure there were no devices on their persons." He looked angrily at Colin. "You said you had no phones or devices on you."

Colin nodded. "And we didn't. The tracking was done by something we have internally." He looked at our host. "We would not willingly come here, brought by an unknown, to an unknown location any more than you would." Colin crossed his arms over his chest. "We aren't stupid." He smiled a little. "I don't think you are either. There are those people that work with me not far away and they can track us wherever we go."

Nigel raised his arms helplessly. "I didn't know."

I looked at Nigel. "You weren't supposed to know." I looked back at Edwin. "If we wanted to, we could launch an attack, but that's not what we wanted."

Colin put his hand on my shoulder and brought me closer to him. "This is Devon Wentworth, my husband."

Edwin nodded, again not bothered with the idea. "We know." He looked at us. "What do you want here?"

Colin rolled his eyes. "Just what I said in the message; I want to bring us together, not tear us apart. Our numbers are greater than I even dreamed of, let alone imagined. We are still a great minority." He began moving as he did when thinking. "Our kind has lived in the shadows so long, we forgot how to live." He looked at Edwin. "I am a vampire. Devon is a vampire. I brought others that are also vampires."

Edwin's eyes narrowed. "But you move around in the daytime." He marveled. "I had you followed when you first got here. You were seen eating in daylight. How is that possible?"

Colin smiled. "What we have is a condition. We have a venom in us that makes us what we are." He shook his head. "We're not cursed or evil, we're just men that suffer from an illness." He waved out of the house. "Out there is a vampire...who is a doctor named George Holms. He came up with a way that we can move in the day and eat. I don't need blood to live. He's still working on a way to reverse it and make us human again: a cure, but until he does, he has a way that we can live in the outside world."

"A condition?" Edwin repeated doubtfully.

"You can't deny we're vampires," I said to him. "You know we are."

Edwin nodded. "You are."

Colin walked closer. "You're going to have to trust us. We don't want anything but to bring us together. I want to make it possible for those...like me who may have been turned against their will to have a life! I have a life." He grinned at me. "Whether you understand that I married Devon or not, I married him. We are sharing a life with a home and family." He looked again at Edwin. "I'm offering you the same thing. A chance for a life."

"After all this time, affection is not unknown between men. That does not matter." Edwin waved the statement away as he thought a moment more. "I have to be sure." He pleaded for us to understand. "There are others here...all over this area...who are vampires. They rely on me to keep things in order and..." he chuckled. "...if there is a form of government." He shrugged. "I'm it."

"You're First Vampire?" Colin asked.

Edwin's eyes widened, but then he smiled and nodded. "First Vampire..." he chuckled. "That's not a term I've heard in over a hundred years." He waved to the chairs. "Have a seat and we'll talk." Then he remembered his manners. "Can I get you something to drink? Tea?"

Colin shook his head. "Our Afternoon Tea was interrupted." He chuckled.

"And you don't know Southern Iced Tea." I ventured.

Edwin shook his head. "We have other drinks." He smiled. "We do have guests that drink other things besides blood."

"We'll have water?" Colin asked. "With ice."

"With a slice of lime or lemon for me." I said. "Or just a little lemon juice?" Nigel just gave a sort of nod.

Edwin smiled and waved at Nigel who went off to get the water.

The overall feeling was changing, I felt. I sat with Colin on the sofa.

Edwin sat in a chair near the fireplace which was burning brightly. "That position of First Vampire was used by the older ones." He explained. "You used a name in your message...Marissa?" He smiled. "My..." he thought, "...predecessor knew her. I knew of her recently as we began to communicate by computer. Before, we used the phone and before that...mail." He sat back relaxing. "She was a little...unstable."

"A little?" Colin chuckled. "She is responsible for me being a vampire, Devon, my daughter..."

Edwin frowned. "She said she had never fed on anyone other than family."

Colin nodded. "Who was not always as careful as she was." He sighed. "Over a hundred years ago, she had who she claimed was a nephew, who bit people for money." He explained about Brett Marshall and how he had bitten himself and Gabriella. "And there are the rogue vampires in the United States that are wild with no humanity left. They are just vampires feeding on whoever is available."

Edwin nodded. "We have that problem here, too."

"Marissa was supplied by others that offered their own blood to her." He looked at Edwin. "Are you?"

Edwin looked a little guilty. "I did..." he confessed. "I will confess...I was a little wild in the beginning. I thought...well...I was evil." He shrugged looking very guilty now. "I did kill in the beginning."

Colin frowned disappointingly. "I see."

Edwin shook his head and quickly defended. "I killed criminals and some less than savory characters. Never anyone without cause...I thought." He admitted. "I would end the night of hunting looking for a target to go after the next night."

"Never an innocent girl or child?" I asked.

Edwin's eyes grew at the idea. "What? Heavens no! I would never..."

I chuckled liking him more. "Okay, okay...I'm just asking."

Edwin nodded. "I did target the occasional wife beater or child abuser. I killed the child molesters..."

I grinned. "Sort of a Vampire Vigilante?"

Edwin cocked his head a little at that and smiled as he considered it. "I suppose."

"And the others around here?" Colin asked.

Edwin smiled sadly. "Understand, we've come a long way in the past century. Many here were illiterate and miners. Some were farmers. Simple people...but hard working." he looked at us. "Which I was."

"You?" Colin smiled.

"I was a miner." He said quietly as if telling that would change our opinion. "I was adopted by Sir Basil Dunning. He even gave me his name. That was two hundred years ago."

Now I understood why he looked like he did.

Colin nodded. "Okay. Was Basil Dunning a vampire?"

Edwin nodded. "He died about seventy-five years ago when he had a run-in with one of those wild vampires. Sir Dunning caught this vampire about to feed on a young woman and he stopped him, but the vampire got lucky and killed him." He smiled. "In return, I killed the other vampire." He shrugged. "But understand...a lot of vampires around here don't want to hunt innocent people. As you know, there are some that do. The ones I have contact with are the ones that don't hunt people." He waved at the surrounding countryside. "We have livestock here; we don't need to hunt now."

"This is Sir Dunning's house?" Colin asked.

Edwin nodded. "But he left it to me." He said urgently.

"We're not concerned with that," I said smiling. "Is there a problem with you having it?"

Edwin looked uncertain again. "I'm a miner. I wasn't born to this life." He started to get up. "I can show you the letter where Basil..."

Colin waved him down again. "Relax, sit...there is a problem with him giving this to you. What is it?"

Edwin looked surprised. "Can't you tell from my accent?"

I chuckled. "Your accent is a little different than I heard in London, but you all sound funny to me."

Colin rolled his eyes again. "And we don't sound funny to him?" He asked me.

"Like rednecks?" I asked simply as I shrugged.

Edwin smiled. "My accent is a little different...like many around here in this part of England. I can do the other that Sir Dunning had, but I often forget." He shrugged. "I'm not nobly born."

"Neither are we." Colin smiled. "Your birth has little to do with the man you are."

"I was granted the knighthood by Sir Dunning himself, not a king or queen," Edwin said to clarify. "It's not official."

"Who cares?" I moaned. "You seem educated and seem like a decent guy."

"Sir Dunning said things like that to me." Edwin nodded. "He was the one that educated me and taught me what to do."

"He did a good job." Colin smiled. "You were born when?"

Edwin thought. "About 1770 or so...I was young, so I don't remember." He chuckled. "Neither does anyone else, for that matter." He looked at us. "So, can I get this...whatever you do about your condition; to treat my condition?"

Colin grinned. "That's why we're here. We would like to give all of them the treatment. It takes away the blood lust and fangs. You'll still be a vampire, but unable to make more vampires or have fangs."

"Maybe a big appetite," I commented with a smile which Colin ignored. "The problem with that is it has to administered daily for a while and then it will stay, but only with ongoing treatment." I waved as Edwin had to the outside. "There is a doctor that can explain it more. He's probably out there as well. Can I call him?"

Edwin nodded. "It will be a regular phone."

"We know the number," Colin said.

Edwin got up and motioned for us to follow and led us to a traditional hand cradled phone.

Colin dialed the number he knew by heart and grinned when it was answered by Chuck.

"Hello?" Chuck answered as the Caller ID was unknown to him.

"Hi, Chuck." Colin greeted. "It's me."

"Oh, thank god!" Chuck said so loud I didn't need to be near the phone. "Are you two okay?"

"Devon and I are fine," Colin said laughing. "We've got a new friend."

"We do?" Chuck asked.

Colin looked at Edwin. "Do I tell them to drive up?"

Edwin nodded.

"Come on to the house. We'll tell you all about it." Colin said. "Is George with you?"

"Yes, he's with us," Chuck said, but quickly added. "...and tell Devon it wasn't my idea, but your mother is with us, too. She wouldn't let Willie come without her."

Colin chuckled again. "I'll tell him. Come on up."