Blueblood

Story: Blueblood

Chapter 34 Theories

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

Adult Readers, Sexual Situations, Sex

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Theories

They left me alone a minute while as I grieved for Gizmo. It was just a few minutes before I felt Colin reach down and pull me up. No words were spoken, he just hugged me.

"I'm sorry, baby," Colin said softly. "We have to go."

I nodded wiping my face. "Okay."

"We're not exactly here with permission." Colin smiled.

"And we would be where?"

"This is an abandoned World War II lab/bunker. It was a hidden lab during those years by the Nazis to do...all kinds of experiments." Colin smiled. "It's on the Eastern portion of Germany near Poland." He touched his ear as I knew someone was speaking and I knew it was probably Stan. "Okay, we're on our way." He looked at me. "We didn't file a flight plan or anything. We need to go."

I looked over at Fredrick who was breathing heavily but still breathing. "What do we do with him?" I had never seen the venom work on another human being as it was changing him from a human to a vampire. Even if Gizmo only got a little venom in Fredrick, it was working.

"The military is on the way now," Colin said. "They're how far?" He asked Stan. "Fifteen to twenty minutes away." He looked with me as Fredrick was feeling the changes in his system.

I knelt down near him as his eyes met mine. "I don't know if you know about the Golden Rule. You know, do unto others as you would have done for yourself...or something along those lines. I don't know what to do with you, but leave you and let the government of this country deal with you, but you're getting part of what you wanted. You are a vampire now, but..." I smiled and waved back at the dead wild vampires, "just like they were." I tilted my head. "This isn't what you saw in your head about living and making money for countless years." I reached up and held my hand out to Colin. "You have a handgun?"

Colin looked surprised but handed me the gun.

I took out the clip of bullets and removed all of the bullets but one. I inserted the clip again. "Now, I'm giving you the choice. There's one bullet left. Use it on yourself, but insert the barrel like so." I showed him how to tilt it. "It will be a quick death...or life as a wild, unthinking vampire driven by your need for blood. I'm sure the government here would love to find out more about you if you become one. Do it fast while you've got your mind, which I can see won't be long now." I rose and took Colin's hand. I looked back at Gizmo. "I'll always remember you, Gizmo...as a friend."

Colin took my hand and was dragging me with him. This bunker was bigger than I realized. When Colin pushed me to a stairwell, we both heard the single shot and knew what direction it came from. I didn't want to see if Fredrick was successful or not. I climbed the stairs to know it was night now and that winter had arrived in Germany. It was breezy and cold. It was January. That's when Wayne came and gave me a coat he threw around me and waved toward some helicopters that were waiting. These were the bigger ones used to move troops. Colin led me toward one and we boarded quickly.

"Okay, Stan...do your thing," Colin said as the helicopter began to rise.

"What's he doing?" I asked smiling at Colin. "What's his thing?"

"He's sort of...making us hard to trace." Colin said loud over the engines. "This isn't a stealth vehicle." He smiled. "But he has a way of messing up their systems using Buddy, making is difficult for them to see us."

I nodded. "Good for Stan." I saw Wayne, Willie, Alex, Edwin, Matt, Amasis and Amir in this helicopter. "Thanks for coming to get me. I knew it was a matter of time, but I knew you were coming."

Wayne chuckled. "We couldn't leave you to those animals."

"And Amasis was the one that worked out this extraction to get to you," Colin said smiling. "This extraction was all him."

Amasis nodded. "Well, military tactics may change a little, but basically it's all the same and has been for thousands of years."

"Thank god for that Personal Data Unit." Colin nodded. "We had you from the first day, but you were moving. We had become airborne that evening." Colin smiled. "We had your body temperature and heart rate. You weren't panicked at all!"

I nodded again. "I knew you were coming."

"They all came to Thornwood," Edwin said. "Of course, they had to stay. It was all we could do to keep Colin from going alone. He was so determined to get to you, but we had to get things ready to do it."

"But we couldn't let him do it alone," Matt added. "We got everyone together and here we are." He smiled brightly with his arms spread in a ta-da moment.

Colin nodded. "Say what you will about MI5, they came through." He held up his gun and patted his vest.

"And these helicopters?" I asked.

"I had to buy the guns and grenades, but yes." Colin nodded. "They are on loan." He jutted his head toward the pilot. "He's British. All of the pilots are. Mr. Mattingly really came through." He chuckled. "As long as Stan shares his program to mess up the radar and what makes us...nearly invisible."

The rhythm of the rotors and the fact that I really hadn't slept that much, I soon drifted off to sleep. I felt Colin's arm come around me as he pulled me closer. He was warm and I realized I had been cold pretty much from the time I arrived here. I was awakened by Colin with a kiss to my neck.

"We're almost there," Colin said softly.

"Where?" I asked groggily.

"Thornwood," Edwin said smiling. "Clean sheets, a nice room..." he sniffed. "...and please shower before you get in bed? I'll have to fumigate if you don't. I probably will have to burn the sheets if you don't."

My eyes widened and I raised an arm sniffing. "I guess I haven't had one in a few days." One scent I got and I thought of Gizmo. It was on me.

A few hours later, I was clean and had a decent meal and was gone again. I wasn't sure where I was when I woke up. I remembered the cage and the bunker, but I was warm and comfortable. There was someone with me, but it was a warmth I knew well. I rolled back a little against Colin. "How long have I been asleep?"

Colin nodded slightly. "About twelve hours." He smiled. "You needed it."

I sat up a little. "I guess I did." I stretched. "Have you been here the whole time?"

Colin nodded. "I'm not leaving you again." He said a little bitter. "Not even to go get the bath running."

I saw he was blaming himself. "It wasn't your fault what happened, Colin."

Colin gave a shrug and nod. "Perhaps, but I might have stopped them."

"Them?" I asked. "I only saw that one."

"There were four," Colin said angrily. "Two in the closet and the two waiting in our bathroom. The man that fired that dart gun at me missed. I took care of those two, by the time I went out to find you...you were gone." He grimaced. "You were airborne in a matter of hours."

I sat up more and brought him close to me. "You can't blame yourself. Rafa Morsi and Fredrick Hoffman are dead now. They can't touch us now."

Colin nodded. "They can't, but there will be others."

I nodded. "There will be." I agreed. "We'll deal with it." I grinned. "I just realized something."

Colin looked puzzled. "What?"

"I married Bruce Wayne!"

Colin's head drew back a little. "What!?"

I grinned kissing him. "I married...the real...Batman!"

"You're joking."

I shook my head as my lips moved across his face. "No, really. Bruce Wayne was a billionaire, you're a billionaire. He used his money to help fight crime...and you do..." I shrugged. "...on another kind of crime. He was walking around as a bat. You're kind of a bat."

"A what!? I am not!"

I shrugged. "Vampire, bat...vampire bat."

He chuckled. "So, does this make you Robin? The boy wonder?"

I shook my head. "Nope. Everyone wondered about whether or not Batman was sleeping with Robin, as in sex. No one has to wonder about if we're having sex because we are. I love you, Colin."

"I love you too, Devon." Colin grinned. "And you are a man wonder, no boy."

It was in the dining room of this great house that the subject came up. I knew it would.

"That...thing the other night," Wayne said not looking at me. I could tell he was upset. "He was one of those things that bit me."

I nodded. "Yes. He was."

"You made friends with him," Wayne said a little angry. The others at the table were looking at me.

"Yes. I did." I held out my hand. "And before you badger me with questions, here it is. He was an Old One. He was exactly like you described, Wayne. He was missing things in his anatomy. He didn't have testicles and I also noticed he didn't have an anus."

Wayne shook his head. "The one that bit me was coming at me with fangs, I didn't see his ass." He was getting louder.

"I was forced by the man, Fredrick Hoffman to try to befriend the Old One," I said firmly. "The thing was; he didn't see me as a target." I looked at Wayne. "You didn't see the one that bit you again?"

Wayne shook his head. "I saw another, but he was too far in the distance."

"But this other one knew you weren't a target." I nodded. "I know what Gizmo was. I know he killed a lot of people. He made a lot of those wild vampires. I know." I said to make sure they all knew that I was aware of what Gizmo was. "But the hours I spent with him...he became...human!"

"But he wasn't human!" Wayne nearly shouted.

"No, he wasn't." I nodded. "But he had a human mother, he was in many ways just a lost soul. Don't believe me, but I don't think he was evil. He was what he was born to be. He killed and changed more people than I can conceive of. I know that. He was the product of a man's desire to conquer. I know that, too." I sighed. "But once he realized I was no threat to him and I wasn't on the menu...the situation changed. He changed. He didn't even know what laughter was. He was fascinated by Colin and me kissing. I began to see him...he had an almost as childlike innocence...or a very intelligent...I hate to use the word pet. He was no one's pet, but I became fond of him. He was actually funny and..." I gave a grudging nod. "...kind of sweet."

"He and all those others made us what we are!" Wayne argued angrily. "He is evil!"

I nodded again. "I know he made us. But he was the enemy because he was created to be that enemy, he was not evil. I cringe when I think he lived for so long never knowing what a touch means, or...I hugged him! He didn't know what it was, but he liked it. He smiled at me. He even offered me blood thinking I might need it, too." I was getting louder, I knew that, but I wanted them to understand. "Whatever he was...there was a part of him that was just plain...human!" I rose from the table. "I can't hate him. I won't hate him. I loved Gizmo. He gave his life to save me. He protected me. For that reason, I will always remember Gizmo as a friend. A poor, misunderstood friend that I hope for at least a few days, knew what it was like to be liked by someone...and loved. I did." I looked at Wayne. "What happened to you is so horrible. I know that. Gizmo did it to many people, I'm sure. If my liking and loving one of those things that attacked you damage our friendship, I'm sorry, but I can't help how I feel about Gizmo. I loved him. I saw him as more than just a monster killer. He is my friend and will always be." I said and walked from the dining room. I heard voices from the dining room and I heard someone coming after me. Expecting to see Colin, I realized it was Wayne.

"Devon, wait." Wayne pleaded. "Don't run off. Please."

I stopped with a sigh and looked at him. "What's to discuss?"

Wayne stopped a few feet away. "Okay, I'm trying to see this from your point of view. See it from mine."

I nodded. "I think I do, but I can't know what you went through. I can't understand, but I will try."

Wayne nodded with a smile. "And I will try to see it from your point of view." He shook his head but smiled. "You have this amazing capacity to love those of us that are considered unlovable." He came closer. "You did it with me."

I nodded with a smile. "You had that childlike innocence when you were that....thing. I saw that right away. That's what made me love you."

Wayne smiled and looked away feeling a little awkward. "So, it wasn't my devastatingly good looks?"

I chuckled. "When I first met you, you weren't that pretty, but you grew on me."

Wayne smiled and he hugged me. "Never doubt I love you, Devon. I owe you my life." He said looking at me. "I'll never forget how you accepted me from the beginning. I just saw..." he said and I saw the anger coming back in him, "...that thing and I saw...the one that bit me."

I nodded. "I know it was awful, but Gizmo had that side I saw you haven't." I shrugged. "I can't forget that."

Wayne nodded. "I wished I'd seen it." Then he grinned. "Gizmo? You named him Gizmo?"

I laughed. "It was a movie moment!" I threw my hands up. "This was after you'd been turned. It was a great movie and he reminded me...sort of...of Gizmo." I looked at Wayne's blank expression. "Gremlins? A movie?" I threw my arm over his shoulder. "You've got to see it!"

Wayne chuckled as we walked back to the dining room.

But the subject wasn't done.

"What do we do if we catch one of those...Gizmo-like things?" Edwin asked. "If they're cooperative, as you said he saw you as a friend...he liked you, what do we do with him? Can they go on the serum?"

I shrugged. "We'd have to examine them." I thought. "The way I see it...they are the vampires. We're their offspring."

"What do you mean?" Willie asked.

"I mean, aside from the fact we all consumed blood to live and made others like us. They began life different. The lack of testicles and having no anus. I don't know that they can be given the serum. If they took the serum, they'd have to change to eating food." I shrugged and laughed. "You need an ass to eat."

"You think they are the ones...they are the real vampires?" Colin asked.

"Their whole system seems to allow them to consume blood. I don't know if they can go to food." I frowned. "I hate that we lost Gizmo. We could have run tests and seen what he's missing."

"We know what was missing." Matt grimaced and I saw him fidget imagining himself without his scrotum.

I shook my head at his reaction. "No one took his balls, Matt. I don't think he ever had them."

"But, if we corner another one?" Wayne began. "What do you think we should do?"

Colin thought. "We know there are at least two in England. The one that bit Wayne and the other he saw at a distance. There have to be others."

I nodded. "I'm sure of it."

Alex frowned. "We can't second guess ourselves."

Colin nodded. "If they're a threat, take care of it." He said simply.

"These vampires are sneaky and they don't come out often. They scurry away like roaches." Amasis said. "Their numbers are fewer, but they are still out there."

"Okay, another TV moment." I grinned as everyone groaned, Matt even banged his head lightly on the table as he groaned. "The truth is out there!" I was hugged by Colin. "I know you all love me. That night proved it. I love you all."

Alex nodded and Wayne looked at me. "We love you, too. We're not just friends. We're family."

George flew in the next day with my mother. She saw me and covered my face with kisses, which I let her do. She was my mother. She loved me.

I laughed after a few kisses and hugged her. "I'm okay, Mom."

She shook her head. "I can see that, but I was so frightened."

I shook my head. "I wasn't." I smiled. "Well, I was a little. Who knew what they would do, but they wanted me alive to find out more. I knew they wouldn't kill me." I turned toward Colin. "I knew he was coming. I knew they all were coming."

She nodded running a hand over my cheek. "I just had to see for myself."

I shrugged. "It's a hard life now." I looked her in the eyes. "You knew that."

"I did." She smiled. "But you're my baby. A mother worries."

I smiled and nodded. "I know."

Then George came to me and hugged me. "It's good to see you." He smiled and looked at my arm and turned it to see my disc. "We need to replace that. You only have a few days left."

I nodded with a smile. "Sure."

The disc was put in and things were going to be okay for a month. Colin was there as always, but a little...overcompensating for what happened. I knew what he was doing and just ignored his...well, it wasn't hovering exactly, but close. He was always there. It is a good thing we were married and I liked him.

Edwin came into the library where Colin and I sat. "There's a call for you in my office."

Going in Edwin's office, Colin sat down at the computer and hit the keys to call up the connection. He saw Stan's happy face with Mark standing behind him.

"You just couldn't stay home, could you?" Mark grinned.

I nodded. "Well, I'd never been to Germany." I shrugged.

Stan looked back at Mark and shook his head. "Let me talk?"

Mark waved at the camera. "You have the connection." He said not bothered a bit.

Stan nodded. "Thank you." He said and turned in the screen. "I'm calling to tell you we have a partial translation....and I found out some interesting things."

My eyebrows went up. "Oh?"

"And get this," Stan said. "This guy wasn't just one guy! He was a group of guys that span a few generations."

I nodded. "That makes sense. I knew one guy couldn't think of this."

"And!" Stan raised his signature finger for emphasis as he always did. "Get this: it wasn't just the young women that were involved." He shook his head. "No, it would be a whole village!"

"How?" Colin asked.

"They would find this village that was poor and didn't have a lot of food necessarily, but had enough childbearing young women," Stan said. "And!" Stan said excitedly again. "It had to be both the men and women on this...elixir...that was what Buddy and the Delkenzie program decided to call it." He said. "They would send in supplies to these villages and put the elixir in the water supply. The Others were made by two parents on this elixir!"

I nodded. "So, both parents had this...stuff in them when they made these Old Ones."

Stan nodded. "That's right." Then he looked carefully. "Now, this is from several scrolls I scanned. Buddy had to piece together all of them to come up with this...whole thing. The original scrolls are still to be translated, using the parts from the other scrolls...it's coming. There were about five villages involved throughout Egypt and through the Middle East. There were over a thousand births that were a result. There were many pregnancies that didn't make it, but the ones that did..." he looked at another screen to read something there, "...were the cursed of the gods; suckling on their mothers' blood and had white skin and born with six teeth." He looked back at us. "That's what one scroll said." He smiled. "That was from a village apparently found now in Israel."

I frowned. "I wondered how they nursed."

"Yes, but a mother nurses a baby with her breasts, imagine her being bitten. Did she turn into a vampire?" Colin asked.

"There were no indications, maybe the venom wasn't released then," Stan said. "Perhaps when these Old Ones had to mature?" He looked again. "They also grew fast. In two years the children would all disappear. They looked, according to record, about five or six years old."

I shook my head. "But a woman giving blood every day would die."

Colin gave a shrug and some consent. "Most mothers would give whatever her baby needed and maybe they didn't need that much early. They left because the need to feed grew."

"How could they come up with this!?" I asked anyone and no one. "They were the perfect killers!"

"It is possible that it was an accident," Stan suggested.

I nodded at that thought. "Maybe."

"Too bad Gizmo didn't survive," Colin said glumly.

"What about the bodies we left in Germany?" I asked and then remembered. "Oh, right. They decay fast. Would there have been anything left of Gizmo or those other four?"

Colin shrugged. "I don't think so. They would have dissolved in a day. I don't know about the Hoffman guy." He thought again. "Even if the military for Germany got there in time to see the bodies, there would be nothing to take back and study."

I nodded and then shook my head. "This is too perfect! There would be no evidence of bodies. The sun makes them burn and time makes them dissolve if there's no sun. The only thing would be a de ad human drained of blood. Who could have worked up an elixir that is capable of this? There to be trial and error to find one that worked and evidence of others that weren't totally vampires. "

Stan nodded. "I believe there are." He said. "This goes farther back than the ten thousand years. We're talking several thousand more back. This group of men were...whatever they were back then...chemists, making poisons and cures for things like something to turn lead into gold...alchemists!" He said in triumph. He grinned. "They couldn't turn lead into gold, but they turned men into vampires. They like to perfect things, in this case. People." He said sadly.

"I hardly call it perfect, but it only worked when both parents were on this elixir?"

Stan nodded. "According to what I read? Yes." He shrugged. "They knew to make a child; a man has something to give as well as the woman. They made sure both of them had this elixir."

"Why are these other scrolls easier to translate?" Colin asked. "I thought there should have no writing back then."

Stan nodded. "These were testimonials that were passed down. It was written later to keep history. They weren't that hard."

"Okay." I nodded and sighed leaning back in the chair. "This mystery just keeps unraveling."

Stan shrugged. "There were mentions of a magician and gods and other demons..."

Colin shook his head. "I don't believe in those." He dismissed quickly.

I shrugged. "People don't believe in us either, Colin."

"You think someone conjured us?" Colin asked.

"I'm saying...no one believes until they are shown that which was unbelievable." I clarified. "I've never seen a ghost. I don't know any witches that have any powers." I chuckled. "I don't even have proof of God, but I hope He's there." I looked at Colin. "I'm suggesting we keep an open mind."

Colin shrugged grumbled. "I guess."

I shook my head and frowned. "Way to go. Keep that mind open, Colin." I said sarcastically.

Colin shook his head and shrugged. "I'm sorry, but most times when things go bump in the night there is an explanation. It's only when people can't figure it out they claim it's magic."

Stan nodded. "So, what's next?"

"I guess we just progress to the next capital," I said and looked at Colin. "I knew we needed to go to Egypt, but I feel nothing about any of the capitols now."

Colin thought as well and after a few seconds shook his head. "You were right about Egypt. I don't think any one place needs us more than any."

"We do have a wedding in five months." I smiled. "Has Gabriella mentioned any more about that?"

Colin smiled and shook his head. "No, she and our mother are planning the whole thing." He shrugged. "The only thing we're doing is picking up the tab and showing up."

We later consulted with George about the new findings.

"That was an Old One," I said after explaining Gizmo to him.

George thought about what I said. You could see the man's eyes as he thought. "Well, I'm no anthropologist, I don't claim to understand evolutionary changes, but I think Stan may be right. It may not be because anyone designed this...elixir. It could be random chance. Or it can be a mutation."

"The vampires?" Colin asked. "One I could accept, but we're talking about hundreds...maybe thousands of vampires."

George grinned. "Not the vampires...the substance used to make the vampire." He smiled. "Be it plant based or animal based, it could have been a random mutation of either the plant or animal that created this elixir." He sat back deep in thought again. "People are always looking for things to use to ease pain and improve a person. Think about it. How many plants were used before we found that a particular plant that helped? Easing pregnancy is an important reason. It could have been a beneficial plant they thought would do that. Finding out it caused these effects was a chance taken and proven to have another effect." He leaned forward. "We are the result of these Old Ones. The people they infected were changed into wild vampires with the bite and venom. The vampires themselves developed without genitalia and without the bowels needed to process solid food. Speculating on whether it designed to do that is futile. It happened. We are from a long line of vampires. Each person turned is a new generation. Colin is a vampire made by Brett Marshall, who was made be one of Marissa's nephews. Marissa herself made her nephew a vampire. You, Devon, are a great-great grandson of Marissa, using the venom as a means to produce. Colin was your maker, having re-made Brett's venom as his own."

I nodded. "So, Wayne was the second generation of a vampire."

George nodded. "A vampire usually kills his prey. Only occasionally does that prey survive. Let's say, one a month or even longer, one survives. That progresses down through thousands of years. Then venom is now clogged with human DNA; losing its potency. Wayne was a man. Having all parts of a man from birth, when he was bitten, he didn't lose his genitalia or bowels. So, changing him back even partially was difficult, but not impossible. I don't think an Old One can be changed to a man as he never was a man in the first place." He looked at both of us. "Are you following this line of reasoning?"

I nodded, but Colin was frowning. "So, eventually the venom won't work at all?"

George laughed lightly. "Probably, but we're talking hundreds, if not thousands of years. A vampire's life span is virtually unlimited...." He frowned, "...I think."

"You think?" Colin asked.

George shrugged. "I'm guessing...without hard evidence, we may age, but it's so slow that it just seems like we're immortal. Things in life threaten us and we die before we find out."

"Amasis might have aged since he was turned?" I asked.

George shrugged again. "Without a cell count from the beginning, I wouldn't know. He was breathing when a vampire. His body temperature was so low it was like refrigeration and the death of cells is was vertically undetectable." He looked at me. "If you meet another Old One, I hope you can befriend that one, too. I'd love to study him."

"So, all of the Old Ones are male?" I asked.

"We'll see." George said. "The three that were sighted or met were male we think because of seeing their dicks, but can't reproduce in a natural way. I need study time with one."

I nodded rolling my eyes. "We'll put it on the list."

"An Old One would be over here, though, not in the United States," Colin said.

George smiled. "Are you sure? With migration and all that...there might be one there in the United States."

Colin shrugged. "I know we have a better chance over here." He said reasoning.

I smiled and changed the subject. "How's your vampire detector going?"

George smiled. "It's getting better. Stan was writing a program that he can put into Buddy. He says, the program itself doesn't need to be in the device to make it a detector, but the device can use Buddy to sift through the air to find the scent and Buddy can work from where he is and determine if they are a vampire or not. We just need a vampire that's not on the serum to find out. New York is beginning to thin out with vampires."

"Which brings me to another thing," I said. "We need more people. If we're going to fan out a search...the United States is huge! We need personnel!"

Colin nodded. "Has Marissa's family in Georgia and Texas been found?"

George nodded. "A few; we sort of forced them into hiding."

Colin shook his head. "We are financially sound for now, but this could get expensive, but we need people."

"People that can be trusted," I added.

George nodded. "Maybe Director Chance can recommend others to help."

"But they can't be FBI," Colin said. "We used them to get backing from a branch of the government and to cover our butts from people seeing we have an odd long background."

"The more people involved..." George said. "...the more chance of hiring the wrong person."

I nodded. "We'll just have to be careful with who we hire."

We flew back to Charleston and I realized. I was home. I know, it doesn't make sense to some, but...this was Colin's home that he invited me to live with him in. Now, coming in the door I had this feeling that I was truly...HOME. Robert, our houseman greeted us with familiarity. Bertie our cook knew us and what we liked and seemed to like doing the cooking for us, especially Colin who was a bottomless pit.

Colin grinned at me seeing my smile as I literally plopped down on our comfortable sofa in the library; my hand rubbing the sofa that was an old friend now. "We need to spend more time here."

"We do spend time here." I smiled. "It's just now...I feel I'm back home."

Colin came and sat by me. "I'm going to build some guest houses on the property."

I looked up and nodded. "There's enough land." I smiled. "Inside the stone fence and outside, but we don't often need the room."

"But when we do, we'll have the extra space." Colin said. "With our VUN growing, there will be times we have a lot more people staying here."

I nodded. "It makes sense," I said pulling him into a kiss which grew more intense by the second and Colin wasn't minding it a bit as he was kissing just as hard with as much feeling. I pushed him back a little. "We'd better go upstairs."

Colin nodded as he pulled on the crotch of his pants that was now tenting in the front. "We'd better."

I looked down. "You should wear briefs and then you wouldn't have as much trouble."

"That might not help, you make it so hard, I could rip the fabric." He chuckled and shook his head. "I agree with Amasis. They can pinch."

Mom helped Gabriella and Alex find a house that wasn't too far from Wentworth Manor. Mom and Willie had renovations and a remodel going at the house I grew up in. The wedding was being managed by the two women of Wentworth with a lady that seemed to know weddings and making the day special. Colin was fine with all of it until we came in going to the library where we saw Gabriella was standing on a stool as she was being fitted in the dress she was having made for her. He looked up and saw his daughter. This was her second marriage and she didn't think anyone would buy that she was a virgin, so white was out. Personally, I think it was her love of blue that decided the color of this dress. It was light blue and featured darker blue flowers on it. I don't know cotton from silk except they look different. Fabrics were like colors to me, I know they're different, but women seemed to know the difference and made up names to confuse the people with the Y chromosomes. Men. This dress was not lace, but the light blue on light blue had this lacy look the showed on the dress. The darker blue flowers were on the belt/sash thing and on her upper shoulder. It was floor length and she was getting it fitted. Her hair was down in those dark waves she had that was a signature for her. She turned in a panic and then smiled when she saw her father.

"For a minute, I was scared it might be Alex," Gabriella said smiling.

Colin looked stunned at her and was trying to say something, but nothing came out.

Gabriella held out some of the dress. "Do you like it?"

Colin nodded and had to swallow. "You're...just...beautiful, Gabby."

I smiled at him and put my arm around him. "You done good, Daddy," I said quietly to him. "You've got a lovely daughter who is a beautiful person. That's what you did."

Mom came over. "She'll make a beautiful bride." She kissed Colin on the cheek. "She's who you'll be walking down the aisle."

Colin just nodded again, speechless.

Colin did have some construction done. Now there were four houses inside the walls of Wentworth. There was the main house, a single bedroom pool house slash guest house by the pool. And two other houses built on the property, but not too close to the main house. Those houses had two bedrooms each with their own baths for each bedroom. Five more bedrooms if the room was needed; or if the guest needed space away from us to feel comfortable. All was done in the months before the wedding almost as fast as Wentworth Manor had gone up. Director Chance and his wife were coming, as well as Alex's great, great...whatever...niece Grace Chance who was a Congresswoman and her husband.

As always, the small wedding never happened with us. It was now a big wedding. We hired extra personnel to serve and secure and car after car arrived for the big day. Colin was...well...he was happy, but if I didn't know better, I'd say he was nervous because I heard another grunt as he was getting dressed. Even our tuxedos were blue by Gabriella's choice; dark blue, but blue.

"I can't tie this!" Colin said holding out his light blue bow tie. "Could we get those...already tied ones that just clip on?"

I chuckled as I walked over. "Because Gabriella chose and wanted these ties," I said simply. I pulled him to the bed and had him sit so I could tie his tie as I sat behind him. "I can only do this like I'm tying my own, this way I can," I said and tied his tie. I smiled as I looked at what I'd done. Looking in his eyes I saw...something. "It will be fine, Colin. She's happy." I looked closer in his eyes. "Or is this something else?"

Colin nodded. "It's something else." He said pulling me beside him again gently. "I was thinking about Gabriella's mother."

I nodded. "Debra. You never really talk about her."

Colin shook his head. "I know." He admitted as he looked at me. "Taking the whole...vampire thing out of it; there is the fact that Debra married a gay man."

I nodded. "But you told her about Josiah and everything. You were honest with her. And you were never unfaithful to Debra."

Colin nodded. "Yes, to all that. Our marriage was arranged." He grinned. "The whole blueblood thing, marrying a cousin three times removed just kept the blueblood line going for the Wentworths." He shrugged. "I did what I was supposed to do." He looked up. "I just have regrets."

I nodded. "I'm sure."

"She was to marry me." He said simply. "We got along as friends, but...I never loved and desired her like she should have been." He smiled at me. "I love you so much, Devon. We married and I have not been this happy before. I just wished...she could have known that kind of love. I know she loved me as a friend, but..." He shrugged.

I smiled. "I am happy with you, too. Is the regret that she didn't know that kind of love, or that you have that now?"

Colin nodded and then shrugged. "Both, I guess. Why was I blessed to be able to?"

I turned him to look at me. "I've said this before to Amasis in Tel Aviv. He was feeling like he didn't belong now in this world. What happened before in history we can't change. Gabriella should have been an elderly woman when Alex was born; but here they are getting married. You and I shouldn't have met at all, but we're married today. I'm sorry you were bitten by Brett, but I can't help but be glad he did. You and I wouldn't be together or even know about each other if he didn't. You married Debra. You were honest with her and told her things most husbands would never tell their wives and kept it a secret. You had a marriage that further helped shape you into the man I love; you created Gabriella because of marriage. Debra could have walked out, but didn't. She is just as responsible as you are to get married, too. She could have said no, but didn't. Things happen. We regret. That's part of life. Don't take the whole responsibility. You did not do all this on your own. You're a special person, Colin. I love you. I like you and I want to spend eternity with you. Be regretful for Debra, but don't blame yourself for what happened, but be glad it did. You do take responsibility a lot."

Colin nodded with a chuckle. "I do, don't I?"

"Who knows what waits for us," I said. "Someone or something is in charge of all this. You lived to meet me. We married. Gabriella lived to meet Alex and is marrying him. You don't know what's happening with Debra. I'm sure that whomever or whatever in charge is taking good care of her. What happened shouldn't have, but I don't regret it. I got you."

Colin gave a shrugging nod. "Sure."

"Now, you have a daughter to walk down an aisle," I said standing and holding out my hand. "I can at least walk you down the stairs. She is the bride, but I'll just be looking at you. To me, you are the most beautiful there."

Colin stood and brought me into an embrace and kissed me. "I love you, Devon."

My fingers went into his hair. "I know," I said kissing him again. "My wonderful husband."