Blueblood

Story: Blueblood

Chapter 6 Wentworth Reborn

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

Adult Readers, Sexual Situations, Sex

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Wentworth is brought back to life!

Wentworth Reborn

Unlike the movies, the body of a vampire didn't just dissolve, but it did slowly break apart and began blowing away.

I leaned toward Colin. "I am FREEZING!" I said at last. "I'm going to make that coffee and hot chocolate right now." I turned to walk away only to be grabbed by Colin who brought me into a hug.

"It's over," Colin said embracing me closer, but his voice was almost a whisper that was both relieved and astounded. "I've lived in fear so long for those around me, but it's finally over. That nightmare has ended." He let me go a little and then chuckled when he saw my painfully patient face. "Right, you're cold." He pulled me and Gabriella to his sides and we walked back to the elevator. "We'll drink the warmest hot chocolate you can stand."

Colin was almost giddy he was so happy. The pressure was gone now, and Colin came to life. He was whistling and moving about as he got his coffee. The threat he was so worried about for so long was gone. He was free.

Mom got up a few hours later to find Colin in the kitchen making breakfast. Her eyes got wide as she saw the mess in the kitchen.

"Colin." Mom said softly coming to him and taking the spatula from him. "I don't know what you're making, but what you have made, is a mess." She waved him to the table. "I'll make something we all can eat. And don't worry, I'll make plenty." She smiled, but she looked at his eyes. "I take it Brett Marshall is gone?"

Colin nodded. "He is." He said happily.

Mom nodded. "Good. Now sit!" She ordered.

It was later when George came again to the apartment. This time, after ringing the bell he actually said hello first. Colin invited him in where we sat.

"This is an important day, Colin," George smiled. "Brett Marshall is gone, but you know...there is another potential threat." He sighed nodding at Colin's surprised look. "This is an unknown threat. Someone had to make Brett Marshall. Was there anything in the past that told you who that would be?"

Colin shook his head. "Never." Then he thought. "There was a rumor that a slave did, but don't believe it."

George nodded. "We have searched the news feeds and internet a long time. There are disappearances that can't be explained all the time, but some...are questionable. We talked about the possibility of others far older, and I said before, whoever they are, they are well hidden and know how to cover their tracks. The number of vampires could be much higher than we think."

"You don't know where they are," Colin said. "Any guesses?"

George shook his head. "No." He smiled at Colin. "You are becoming known. I think they will contact you."

"Why?"

George waved at him. "You're new! You have a past that no one can verify. They may recognize you as a vampire, but you walk in the day and live among men. You need to be careful. You can do and live whatever for a decade or so. Then you will have to go away a while and come back again. Modern technology is catching a lot of things and we're trying to keep up, but..."

Colin nodded. "I need to be careful."

"Actually," George smiled running a hand through his thick red hair. "I was going to suggest be more of a spectacle. It might bring them out."

"More spectacle? How?" Colin asked.

George chuckled. "Just be you." He grinned as he stated the obvious. "You're good looking and rich. Both of you are beautiful men! Fame will come." He shrugged. "Just don't hide anymore. You and I been gotten used to running from light and attention. Don't do that now. You're getting married. You're building a great house. Don't be secretive. Of course, this will make it more difficult to vanish later..."

I frowned. "You want Colin and me to become targets?"

George nodded. "Yes. That will bring attention and if they are out there, they will see the discrepancies in Colin's background."

This was becoming a lot bigger than I imagined.

"Well, tomorrow is New Year's Eve," George said smiling. "We'll ring in the new year with a party and then we go on." He rose. "It will be a new beginning for all of us, but for you, Colin, in particular."

I shook my head. "Okay. Can I ask a question?"

George looked puzzled. "Sure."

I waved at the surroundings. "What do you call this place? I imaged all sorts of names. Vampire Central, Vampire Headquarters..."

George burst out laughing. "We really don't have a name, but on the W2s for employees, it's Holms Laboratories."

I grunted. "Not very creative."

"Not drawing attention has been our way of life for decades." George chuckled. "Though Vampire Central is a little more attention than we want." He shook his head and patted us both on the shoulder. "See you tomorrow."

That evening I was in the shower when I heard Colin come in the bathroom. I saw him grin at me and he immediately began undressing. Of course, I watched. He was walking porn! I smiled as he opened the glass door of the shower and stepped in with me.

"I thought we could share the shower." Colin smiled kissing me gently. "Save money, water..."

I chuckled as my arms came around him in a familiar way. "That is very sensible." I loved how he and I just fit together now. We knew each other very well and casual intimacy was not put on or tried, it just was. I ran my hands over his now wet body. My arousal grew instantly and looking down, so was his. "We don't even need the serum."

He chuckled as his hands roamed over me. "No, we don't."

The fact that he no longer was hiding, the fact that the creature that had plagued him for a century was gone...he was very passionate. The new freedom he had I really enjoyed. Sex was never boring, and we did more than just have sex. We made love. No position was too embarrassing and nothing sexual was taboo. Be it orally, digitally (using fingers) or penetration, all of it was done, but done in love. The more we did, the closer I felt to Colin. We were solid. I knew he felt the same.

After he and I took our serum, we enjoyed lovemaking again. It was during the afterglow when he smiled at me. "I love you, Devon."

I ran my hand over his chest. "I know."

"How are you going to feel if we're out?" Colin asked.

I grinned. "Colin, we've never been in the closet about the fact we're lovers and getting married."

Colin's eyes rolled and then he nodded. "I mean, we will be out to the world if we do what George suggested. How will your mother feel?"

I shrugged remembering my telling her. "She's was a little skittish when I first told her I was gay, but she's fine with it." I laughed. "Now, when she thought I was a vampire...that was a little more difficult. Gay and a vampire is too much for her to take."

Colin nodded with a sigh. "I'm glad you're not. We have decades to live together, but we might be more visible."

"As long as we're together. No problem."

He grinned at me. "Just try to escape. I'm not letting you go." Colin growled.

"I'm not going anywhere. I love you, Colin."

Colin kissed me. "I know."

The party at Holms Laboratories was pretty nice. It was not a blowout, but everyone that worked here or was affiliated here showed up. There was a band that played, and this was Manhattan! The streets below were crowded to watch that shiny ball descend to begin the new year. The building wasn't close enough to see it, but we watched it on a big screen. We were high enough that it wasn't noisy up where we were. Everyone was dressed formally, Colin and I wore tuxedos, Mom and Gabriella wore evening gowns, Gabriella's blue again. Glasses of champagne was passed out and we all waited. Then it was a minute until midnight, then thirty seconds and we all counted down. "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one...Happy New Year!!"

Colin touched his glass to mine. "Happy New Year, Baby. It's going to be a whole new life for us."

I nodded. "Happy New Year. I can't wait." We entwined our arms and drank as tradition and kissed the new year to begin our new life.

When we went back to Charleston, we decided it was time to break Gabriella into what a real airport was like. We flew commercially. When we flew before, it was always a private hanger and boarding, now she was stunned by JFK. Her experience with the TSA was almost too much.

"They have things that see through our clothes!?" She asked as we cleared security.

"Pretty much." Mom chuckled. "Not like they can see us naked, but what people often hide under their clothes can be dangerous."

Colin and I were not hiding anything now, he and I proceeded hand in hand now. Colin nodded. "It's a dangerous world now. There are dangers they look for from crazies. Not all threats are bloodsuckers." His eyebrows danced.

Once back at the house on Tradd Street, we began our lives again. Though I was not technically an employee now, I still oversaw the rebuilding of Wentworth Manor and that was proceeding nicely, if not slowly. The remaining structure had been torn down and now the foundation was being laid and re-enforced. Mom returned to the real estate she liked to do but was enjoying some notoriety because she was going to be Colin's mother-in-law. Colin and I were just...us. There were inquiries about him from local historical societies wanting to know more about his past and connection with Charleston. There were requests for interviews by local news shows, the most prominent one was Good Morning, Charleston. It was a popular show highlighting people in Charleston and life in general here. This was our first step in becoming...more noticed. Colin agreed to the interview and even consented to have it at the house on Tradd Street. The house on Tradd Street was a historical landmark and people often wanted to see inside.

The interviewer was a lovely lady that was trying to make a name for herself as a reporter. Susan Hendricks. A woman in her early thirties, attractive and blonde. She came to the house and set things up for the interview. We had microphones attached and a makeup person put that powdery stuff on to reduce shine on camera. After showing some of the house on Tradd Street, she began.

"And now, I'm with Colin Wentworth. A man, who has strong Southern roots here in Charleston, who came from New York to rebuild his historic home at..." she looked at Colin. "...you refer to it as Wentworth Manor."

Colin nodded. "I do. It was a plantation back in the early and mid-19th century. My ancestor, also Colin Wentworth, left the Lowcountry before the beginning of the Civil War."

"There are limited records about Wentworth Plantation. There isn't a lot about it. What sort of plantation was it?" Susan said as an inquiry.

"They grew everything from rice to indigo. Those were the two major crops." Colin answered.

"So, what happened? Why did he leave?" Susan asked.

"This one, I'll answer," I said. "The Colin then was a forward thinker," I said. "He didn't agree with slave ownership. He paid people that worked the plantation as employees. In return, they worked not only for Colin Wentworth but to better their own lives. Colin was forced out by people that didn't agree with him."

"This is Devon McGee." Susan smiled at me. "You and Colin are...?" She left the question open for Colin or me to say it.

Colin chuckled as he took my hand leaning his head toward me, didn't kiss me, but bumped his head against mine. "Devon and I are getting married. He's the love of my life!" I wondered if his look of love came through on camera as it did for me.

I chuckled. "And he's mine."

Susan had known, but she didn't want to be the one to announce it. She smiled bigger. "And you're getting married when?"

"As soon as the reconstruction is done at Wentworth Manor," Colin said happily. "When Colin Wentworth left the South, it was given to his daughter and her husband, but during the Civil War, it fell apart. Now, it's coming back. And it will be grander than it ever was!"

"That sounds wonderful! I'd love to film it. I know everyone out there would love to see it."

Colin chuckled. "When it's done, I promise you'll be invited to see it."

"So, the budget is pretty substantial." Susan qualified.

"Unlimited," Colin said. "It will again be a jewel in the South."

"And your connection with the family here in Charleston is what?" Susan asked. "We're probably related, but we were separate from that family," Colin replied. "If we go back further, you'll probably find we share grandparents. Those records are a little fuzzy from time past, but I'm sure they can be located somewhere."

Now, we were out and then came the interview requests from many other news shows including Out and Advocate. Architectural Digest wanted to see this new jewel being built. We hired more crew to come out and get the job done faster. A paved road was being laid. The grounds being cleared and redone. The walls were going up. This wasn't going to be a plantation house, but a mansion.

Mom and Gabriella were planning our wedding but trying to keep Colin and me involved. A wall was going up to surround the house and grounds to secure it more, fiber optic cables put in and a solar garden put up in one to the old fields that got a lot of sunlight. The solar garden had the collectors that power from the sun would give and provide power. Electricity was connected and would be there for cloudy days and when the demand for power was more than the garden could provide. With the added workers the construction was going quickly and true to his word, the house was grand! Before long it stood proud and stately on the island. It had the look of a historic plantation house with the columns in front, the steps rising to the entrance on a porch that spread across the front. The entrance foyer was two to three stories high and round! The foyer was surrounded by windows that let the light shine on the ornate floor. The marble that had been salvaged was the floor there and high above was the crystal chandelier that hung before two grand staircases that rose from either side up to a landing to the second floor. Shotgun houses were common in the past, and a person could fire a gun at the entrance and not hit a thing as the hallway on the bottom floor went clear to the back door. The house was wide and stretched out a good way on either side. Now there were nine bedrooms and ten baths. Oh, and a powder room! Really? But in the past, a lady needed privacy to add...whatever to their faces and there was a room near the entrance for them to do that, use a toilet and wash their hands. The entrance hall was again wide and there was a T connection to a wider hallway that stretched the length of the house. There was a library/music room on the right side of the entrance hall and a massive dining room on the left side. There was a media room that had been the master's office in the original. Beyond that, down the center hallway was a solarium and then a ballroom which as big enough for a party of hundreds! Beyond the dining room on the left was the dinette and kitchen which had everything a person wanted to cook on or with. A walk-in refrigerator and freezer. There was a house office for whomever we hired to manage the house as in housekeeping and land maintenance. There were eight bedrooms upstairs with their own bathrooms and all spacious, but the ninth was Colin's and mine. It was huge! It was over the ballroom. What in the days past had been the master suites, his and her bedrooms which were separate. Separate!? We had one huge room with a fireplace and sitting area that was bigger than most living rooms or den. We even had our own little kitchen up there. Assuming you wanted something to eat...and with Colin that was going to happen...he didn't have to trudge through the huge house take the back stairs to the kitchen all the way on the other side of the house to get something to eat. The house had the wrap around stone terrace on the bottom floor that went all the way around the house that looked out over the grounds. From the back door, steps went down left and right to the ground and two stone paths stretched back beside a water garden that began at the back door to a junior Olympic sized pool that had Greco-Roman columns at the end. A walled garden off the left side of the house had plants from roses and other flowering plants known in the South. Gardenias, camellias, and all sort of flowers. This was all done by the end of Summer. It wasn't just a house. This was a palace!

Colin and I showed this to Gabriella when it was nearly finished, and furniture would be brought out of storage. There would be additions furniture wise I knew. Even what he had in that basement couldn't cover this monstrosity! Oh! And the hunting den! Where the basement was there was a hunting den. You came in from the outside through a door on ground level. The ground was stone covered and you could clean your "kills" without messing the floor up and there was the other bathroom. You showered and cleaned up before you came upstairs. I never killed anything, not even a bug unless I had to, mosquitoes were fair game, but I'd catch and release other bugs. Oh, roaches didn't fend well with me, either. The hunting den would be a great game room!

"Oh, my God!!" Gabriella said as her voice echoed in the emptiness. She stood at the intersection of the lower floors hallways looking the width and length of the halls. The floors were all twelve feet high if not higher in some rooms. "This is beautiful!" Colin smiled as he watched his daughter do a twirl in the middle. "It is grand, far more grand than it ever was!"

Colin nodded. "I told you it would be." He pulled me to him. "So, what do you think about our new home?" He asked kissing me.

"That I was poor," I said. "I don't think there's been a building of a house like this since Cornelius Vanderbilt with that house in North Carolina!"

"Biltmore!?" Colin said but smiled. "This isn't nearly that big."

"Okay, it's not as big as Biltmore, but it's big," I said loud hearing my voice echo. "We will definitely be noticed now."

Colin frowned. "You know I was doing this before we tried to be noticed. I am proud of my family and what we did."

I nodded with a smile. "I know, baby. This is just new for me."

Colin nodded with a chuckle. "It's new to me, too. We'll have to hire people to clean, cook and do yard work."

"And security," I added.

He grinned and took his daughter's hand. "I have something to show you." He led her up the stairs. He threw open a door to a bedroom. "I think you'll like this."

Gabriella looked in the spacious room and covered her mouth with her hands as she gasped in awe. "Oh, Daddy!" She said in a whisper as she walked in the room. There was a carpet laid out from wall to wall, but what was most important, it was all blue! Trimmed with white molding, the white fireplace mantle, but the room was blue. Light blue walls, the carpeting slightly darker blue and even the ceiling high above was blue with white molding around a small chandelier. Large windows would allow morning sun to shine in as it did now causing the crystals to sparkle. Even the bathroom was done in blue tile. "It's beautiful!"

Colin nodded with a smile. "I had it done with you in mind. It's yours if you want it."

She looked as if she would cry as she lunged herself at her father hugging him. "I do! I do!"

Colin laughed hugging her back. "Nothing's too good for my Princess Gabby." He said softly to her. He looked at her as tears came down her face. "I am so sorry what happened to us. The Hell you and I lived for so long. If this can just begin to make up for some of it, it's worth it."

"Oh, Daddy," Gabriella said as she cried. "It wasn't you. This is wonderful." She was his baby girl!

My mind was doing what I didn't want to, but I was calculating. This house had to cost millions! A hundred million if not more! I had been here during much of the construction, and I saw a lot of it going up, but now I realized, he wanted to share it with me!?

"We'll have to get this place decorated," I said coming toward them. "We can have a Christmas party here. To make up for last year. Can we do that? It's not finished." I chuckled and shrugged. "We hired more workers to get it up as fast it has been. It looks finished to me. Even if it needs some work still, we can have the party here." I smiled at Colin. "You're sure you want to marry me? I will be living here."

Colin looked confused. "Of course, I want to marry you." He let go of Gabriella and walked over to me. "Why would I change my mind? This is our home. Why wouldn't you live here?"

I threw my hands up in frustration. "Because things like this don't just happen. Not to me!" I explained. "I meet a man, very, very attractive, I find out he's a vampire...or was...and then I find out he's gay and fall in love. And!" I said with emphasis. "I find out he's not only rich but super rich! And now he's built this huge castle and wants me to live in it with him!?" I shook my head. "It's got to be a dream!!"

Colin chuckled. "Okay, now hear it from my side. I meet this man, who is very, very attractive and very, very smart. He finds out I am a vampire and two hundred years old, and he doesn't care!" He was smiling as he went on. "He finds out I have a daughter who is also a vampire, puts himself in harm's way refusing to leave me even when his own life was threatened and nearly taken and turned into a vampire himself! Why? Because you love me!? I'll give you anything and everything! Yes, I want you to live here, with me!" He said grinning even more. "I love you, Devon McGee! I adore you!" Gabriella was smiling as her father was saying this.

I smiled back. "You're my best friend and I want to marry you. I don't care about the money."

Colin nodded. "I know!!" He said it like that was incredible enough. "You don't! You love me!"

I let myself be brought into his hug as he kissed me.

"You're my best friend, too, Devon." He said softly as his face pressed against mine. "I will love you forever."

"I love you," I said back.

Mom had a similar reaction when we showed her. She walked in the round foyer and looked up and over the entrance. Her mouth dropped open, but nothing came out. She walked through and finally in the library/music room she gathered enough to say. "Oh my!"

I chuckled. "That about sums it up." I nodded. "Think you can live here?"

Her eyes widened looking at Colin. "Me? Live here!?" She pointed at the floor.

Colin nodded. "Absolutely. You're family and there are only two rooms spoken for, there are five more to choose from." He literally bounced on his heels as he said that.

"Colin, how rich are you?" Mom asked.

I leaned into Mom. "He's very rich."

Colin shook his head. "No." He gathered me in his arms. "We're very rich." He said proudly kissing me. Mom was never bothered, and now, didn't even blink.

"This wasn't here a year ago!" Mom said as if the house appeared by magic.

"I know." I nodded. "That's why we hired all those people!" I smiled. "We have a wedding to plan. We can plan a date now!"

Hiring people was the next thing. Housekeepers, ground maintenance people and security. Gabriella and Mom worked to get things in the house from storage and decorated. The house was taking shape! Wiring was the thing that was the last to be done. It was a smart house, as in it had a brain! I'm not lying! A computer in the house ran lights, sound, watered the lawn and put-up pictures! I mean he had these screens put up, but they looked like fancy picture frames surrounding the screens and he could change a theme. Van Gogh, Monet? The artists? If he wanted that theme, we hit a button of the remote and all the paintings became Monet's painting and they looked like paintings. Or a mixture of artists' work. Not all of them, but enough to make an impression. And the remotes. There was one in every room the size of those handheld tablets that people used now. You could choose any movie or music from a library of CDs and DVDs or access the internet and it would play. You could have it play music in the whole house or just one or two rooms. I had a plan, but how do I get him to pose without knowing he was posing for the picture? I intended to have a picture of him in the dining room above the mantle. As big as he is tall and I was told it would look like a painting. I was doing the same for Gabriella, but her portrait would be above the mantle of the library/music room, also looking like a painting. They were the Wentworths. This was my home, yes, but they were the real Wentworths. I would agree to add mine if asked to, but they came first. As I said, I had calculated this house in the millions, but it was more than that I just knew. It ain't a house in the suburbs! We would be noticed! I was a little worried about who would be noticing.

Things were now really starting to get a little chaotic. The manor house was spectacular, but it was the wiring that was the hard part. All these computers and screens required special wiring and a crew of men worked feverishly to get it done. We chose the second weekend in June the following year to marry, and Gabriella and Mom were told it was to be over the top. Hell, it had to be, this house was over the top!

The power was on and now it was well lit and shone like...I don't know. It gleamed! Furniture was being brought from storage and from the house on Tradd Street. Mom and Gabriella had some help from some professional designers to help bring it all together. There were other constructions going on that was not the house. He was having what looked like a carriage house, but it was really a garage below above were two apartments. Those were for the house manager and spouse and the other for the chauffeur/mechanic. One had two bedrooms and the other a single bedroom, but they were nice. Off the house property and outside the wall Colin was having...well, they sort of looked like a dormitory or barracks. Not the military style where it's one room and rows of bunk beds, but a room that was an efficiency apartment with a sink, refrigerator and microwave and a bathroom the occupant shared with another efficiency on the other side. These rooms were stacked and in a row like a motel. For security! Another building was being built that would house the security office with computers and monitors to watch the grounds. And a gate. One of those slow opening wrought iron ones that allowed cars in and out, but practically impregnable.

Now it was really hitting me. We were going to have staff! Quite a few staff. The scale of this was a bit much for me. Hell! The house was done in half the projected time. Colin hired enough men to do that. We also hired some good foremen to oversee it was done in a timely manner. I understood Colin really wanted to bring Wentworth Manor to completion and he pushed a little. He paid them to do that, and I looked at the house and it was well done. Fine tuning was being done inside.

It was October again and I was going to be thirty. We had missed each other's birthday the year before and I did have something planned for Colin. I had been diagnosed venom free after months of being on the serum and George had not wanted to take any chance. I had all my blood purged and replaced a few times. I was serum-free now. Colin had not sensed anyone around, but that didn't mean they weren't watching us. It was something I never forgot.

We stayed one evening when the workers left for the day and Colin, and I were going to spend our first night in the house.

"George has men coming next week for security." He told me as we strolled through the center of the house on the first floor.

I shook my head. "I knew we'd need security, but are they...like you?"

Colin shook his head. "They are one hundred percent human, but they're former military and they all know what I am. They either know someone that is like me or that they may have lost someone to other vampires and want to fight. They are employed by Holms Laboratories." He cocked his head as he looked at me. "This has been a lot for you, hasn't it?"

I shrugged with a frown. "It has been...intense," I admitted. "I've never forgotten that there is someone or something else out there. Not knowing who or what that is...how can we defend ourselves against an unknown?"

Colin nodded as he took my hand as we approached the grand stairs up. "If they're human, the men will be able to defeat them hopefully. There are motion detectors and scanning available to see if it is human or animal. If they are vampires..." he smiled. "We have something for that." He pointed to the lights. "Remember the sun gun? George told you about it with Brett?" I nodded.

"They can be accessed on all the remotes and one press of a button, those lights and even lights outside will turn the house and grounds into the land of the midnight sun. Daylight at night. They'll burn."

I ventured a possibility. "What if they don't? Suppose they, like you, have found a way to roam around in the daytime?"

Colin nodded. "And suppose they aren't all bad?"

I was surprised at that. "You think they might be friendly?"

Colin gave a shrugging nod and we sat on the stairs that rose from the first floor up. "Think about it. If these other vampires exist, would they all be bad? They could be, but like anyone, they will be good and bad. If they made Brett what he became, then why was Brett not included in their group? What was it about Brett they didn't want?"

I chuckled. "Because he was crazy?"

Colin chuckled with me. "He was bat shit crazy. They should have sensed that and not wanted him in their numbers." He smiled at me. "If the grounds are breached, this house becomes a safe house. The windows can't be broken, the air can be cut off and recirculated independently. No gas or bomb can break the glass or into the house. If necessary each room can become a safe room. Anyone getting through all the precautions will be recorded and security here and at Holms Laboratories will be notified. Everything possible is being done." He wrapped his arm around me. "We'll be fine. No one will hurt you, me, Gabriella, or your mother. I promise." Then he brightened. "Now, if you'll come with me?" He offered his hand to me. "I have something for you."

"Haven't you done enough?" I grinned taking his hand and rising beside him.

He shook his head. "No." He said simply with a smile. We walked outside and the path to the carriage house. When we got to the door he opened it and gave a sweeping motion to a vehicle. "Happy Birthday."

I wasn't ready for this! Before us, sat...well...it was an Aston Martin Vanquish. Silvery grey and a convertible! A Vanquish S! It was so...shiny! I staggered a little. "Colin!" Then I walked toward the car. I was almost afraid to touch it. "Why? We have cars. You've given me a lot! Hell! The house alone is an incredible gift."

Colin was getting pleasure from my reaction as he smiled even bigger. "Yes, the house is a gift to all of us. This is my gift...to you. Only to you."

I shook my head. "Okay, I'm asking. I didn't want to, but...how can we afford all this? The Manor had to have cost several hundred million, now this! Where is the money coming from?"

Colin chuckled as he walked over. "We have several billion. In several bank accounts both domestic and foreign. Swiss Banks Accounts are a few. Holms Laboratories is very lucrative. We have patents on many things and a lot of the medical. George was working even before he started taking the serum. I was working for years before the serum. I made a lot of money for several decades before I got free from the vampire's venom." He chuckled as he wrapped his arms around me. "There was a lot of money made from discoveries that George made dealing with blood disorders from cancer to other problems. I made those discoveries lucrative, even if this nation were to collapse financially, we would be fine."

I nodded. "Okay, so all this isn't going to collapse tomorrow." I smiled. "The stories about vampire fortunes isn't fiction."

"Not this vampire." Colin smiled kissing me. "I promise. Anything you need or want is not too much. The fact is you love ME. Not all this, but you love me. In the past, there were those that tried to befriend me and even said they loved me. Like that man in the sixties. The one I told you about who fell in love with the tortured vampire. It was because I was a vampire that drew his attention. Not you. You love me despite me being a vampire. I know you'd love me if I were dirt poor, but I'm not. If I want to spoil you, let me."

I nodded kissing him. "I do love you, Colin. More than I thought possible for anyone to love anyone. This is a whole new life for me. I worry about you and me."

Colin nodded embracing me. "I know. We're doing all we can to deal with these problems." He chuckled. "And I think we need to invite Susan Hendricks to see this."

I smiled. "I thought of that. You know what I'd like?"

"What?"

"How about a showing right before Christmas. We'll have the house decorated by then and ready to show. This year, we'll invite all those who came to last year's party and new friends for a real pre-Civil War Christmas party."

He nodded with a smile. "We will be attracting their attention."

"Now," I said taking his hand and led him back to the house. "I'll drive the car back to Tradd Street, but since you did this. I'll give you your present early."

"But I don't need anything."

I shook my head. "That's not true. I think I have it." I took him into the dining room. I picked up that room's handheld tablet remote and did the search for what I'd had done. No one would have accidentally found it and I had it password protected if they did. Hitting the pad, selecting the correct icon, I motioned to the large picture over the mantle. The large painting, which was nice, shimmered and there stood a life-sized image of Colin, but it was dated, as in he was wearing period clothes of a man in the mid-19th century. A gentleman standing proud with the background of him in front of a fireplace that was in this house. As promised, it looked like an oil painting. He was handsome and looked just as he does, dark hair and it was in the fashion of the period, a little longer in length than now, but not long at all. He had a pose where he stood holding a pocket watch and looked at the painter with a friendly, patient look. He looked just as fit and trim as he was now.

Colin's mouth dropped open when he saw it. "How...when..." he sputtered. "You did this!?"

I nodded. "You are the Manor's master. You are a Wentworth. This is our house, yes, but this was your house long before I was even born! I wanted something that said that. I know how old you are. I know who you are, and I know what you are, and I don't care. You're an amazing man, be you forty or two hundred. This is you. We'll see this and know; this house was and will be...yours." I pressed some more buttons. "Now the image is locked in. We can change it to something else if needed, but your image is defaulted. That picture will remain in memory and be shown...here."

I watched as tears were forming in his eyes as he walked slowly closer to the picture, having to look up. It was tilted as many pictures were to make it easier to be seen from the floor. "But...it looks..." he waved at the picture. "I had a suit just like that!"

I chuckled nodding. "The internet does more than look for porn." I watched as he was gazing again at the picture. "Now, I can say to you...really...Welcome home, Colin Wentworth."

Now his tears were falling freely, unchecked as he continued to gaze. It was a few minutes before he turned to me grabbing me in a hug. "Thank you, Devon. If I didn't love you enough before, I do now even more." He said kissing me deeper.

I pushed him back a little, but not breaking contact. "I'm not done." I chuckled.

"There's more!?"

I nodded as I led him across the hall to the library/music room. I pointed again the large portrait over the mantel. Doing the same, a life-sized image of Gabriella appeared. Hers was elegant, also the period where the dress was fuller and flowed in the fashion of that period, a daring off the shoulder dress with a plunging neckline and it was blue! Under the dress, she wore a light blue blouse that came up to her pretty neck and a single cameo at the top button below the neck. Her hair done up in the period and held with blue ribbons. Even today, she was breathtaking. "Another true Wentworth. The real lady of this house." I grinned as he now was not holding anything back.

"This...is...so unbelievably wonderful!"

I nodded. "That was my aim! You are Colin Wentworth."

In his eyes, I saw a look I knew well. "Let's go." He said grabbing my hand and he led me to the stairs. "I want you so badly right now."

Upstairs in our bedroom, he stripped himself and me and he made love to me so slowly and gently, but full of love and passion, telling me over and over that he loved me. I didn't doubt it one bit.

It was afterward, I grinned in the afterglow, feeling Colin's hand run over me lovingly as he gazed at me. A lot of furniture was still in their protective covers and hadn't been placed yet, but the bed had been made and I ran my hand over the mattress and sheet. "This is a very comfortable bed."

Colin chuckled. "That's why we bought it."

I nodded. "Knowing and experiencing are two different things. I knew it was comfortable, now I KNOW it's comfortable."

"We have got a few more rooms to christen." Colin chuckled.

I looked up in the corners of the room where I knew there were cameras. "We need to remember to turn those off when we do."

Colin laughed. "Even if we don't, what will they see? Two humans loving each other?"

"I'd rather they didn't. Okay?"

Colin laughed kissing me again.

The week was over, and men arrived that were to be our security. There were dozens of men and women. They were all in great shape and obviously military at one time. They had duties assigned among which were patrolling the area as well as at the gate.

Mom and Gabriella came to the house, and we began to officially move in. The furniture was still being placed and arranged, but that was more fine-tuning. Various decorative plants were added and now there was staff arriving that would keep house and even to cook! A house manager was hired, and it was her job to keep up with what was done and needed to be done and seeing that it was done. All were bonded and we were assured of loyalty. Each signed nondisclosure contracts, though, with the house and ground staff, they were local and didn't need to know what we were cautious of. Or who or what Colin and Gabriella really were. What was interesting was all the attention what people saw was getting us. Two men, wealthy and...they said it, not me...good looking, were marrying and built this house to live in as a married gay couple. We were open and not hiding anything. Most were puzzled as we, according to them, had no tells! Other than people would see we were in love and kiss and all but making love to each other. We were just two men who fell in love.

And there was other attention we hadn't counted on but should have. The IRS. They just knew Colin had done something illegal and was holding back...something. Repeatedly they demanded an audit. Which Colin didn't refuse. What the IRS didn't count on, as we had legal representation. A lawyer who was a literal bloodsucker. He's been turned back in the sixties and practiced law for decades! Questions about Colin's holdings he cut off telling him any foreign holdings were none of their business legally. This went on a few weeks, but they got nothing. Colin's records were open, and he disclosed all that was there for Holms Laboratories, George, and Colin. The IRS couldn't win. There were inquiries by government agencies like the FBI, NSA, and others. They repeatedly hit virtual brick walls. Holms Laboratories had a very, very good computer and was said to be able to hack into any computer and change records. Those records were authentic when looked at.

We had gained national attention and they wanted more interviews, which we told Susan Hendricks, this was her opportunity to gain her standing as a reporter. She was thrilled! She would have the first interview and view of us, and Wentworth Manor and she was the one allowed to film and show it!

Wentworth Manor was our home, but it was a fortress! Interviews with some of the local neighbors, they told that since we moved in, there was a lot of traffic in and out, but were surprised at the construction of this...mansion! And there were some that thought they would just drive out to see what was going on, but disappointed when armed guards told them to leave, and if they refused, were escorted off the island. Another booth was added to the foot of the bridge, not allowing traffic even on the island. The TV crew was allowed, with an escort. It was Thanksgiving again and Mom, Gabriella, Colin, and I had said good-bye to the house on Tradd Street, we had our first Thanksgiving at Wentworth Manor.

In the family dinette, we shared a nice meal. Of course, Colin ate a lot! But I was good (I am hesitant to admit it, fearing reprisals) I was not a fan of turkey. Now ham!! Then we were talking! We had both. The ham was wonderful, honey glazed and browned crisp on the outside, but tender and juicy inside! Yum!!

Mom at the end of the meal was crying.

"Mom?" I asked taking her hand. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "Not one thing." She smiled, but her tears were still coming. "In our family in the past, we told what we were grateful for at Thanksgiving." She looked at Colin. "When I showed you this..." she waved at the house and area, "...this was only the summer before last and it was nothing but ruins. You have not only brought it back, but it is wonderful. What I'm grateful for...is your love of Devon. If I EVER doubted, which I never really did, I can't now. You have welcomed and accepted him, expecting nothing. He loves you and I love you because of that love for him. I was frightened when I found out about what you were in the past. I feared Devon would be one, too. You did everything you could to be sure he didn't become a vampire. I hope that George can cure you, but if not. I know you'll love and protect him as long as he's alive."

Colin smiled to Gabriella. "I most certainly will."

"And he will protect you." Mom said as she looked at Gabriella. "When I first met you, Gabriella, I was afraid that you were more than just his cousin. I viewed you at first as a threat, but I've gotten to know you and see you as his daughter. I feel as if you are my daughter, too. I hope you don't mind."

Gabriella smiled shaking her head. "Of course, I don't. I've not had a mother for a century. A mother's love is very comforting and warm."

"You're both wonderful people." Mom said. "I value your friendship and that you see me like family. Thank you."

Colin smiled as he squeezed my hand. "I'd say you're welcome but loving Devon and including you is just going to happen, but you're welcome." He put down his napkin. "I'm going to show you, Gabriella, what your other father has done for us." He rose motioning for her to follow. She got up, along with mother and walked into the main dining room. He picked up the remote and hit the button. The image of Colin appeared.

Gabriella looked stunned. "Daddy! It's you!" She marveled pointing at the image. "I remember a suit like that...before!"

Colin nodded. "Yes! I do, too." He motioned for her to follow and took her to the library/music room and hit another button. The image of Gabriella appeared.

Gabriella's mouth fell as Colin's had. "I never...how?"

I shrugged. "Computers these days can do almost anything. I hope you like it."

Gabriella came over grabbing me in a hug. "I do! Oh, my God! This is wonderful."

I chuckled. "Even your father doesn't know about this." I took the remote and hit another button. The dress she wore changed to a modern gown of deep blue. Sleek and stunning with a diamond necklace and earrings, she stood proud and regal. "In case you think I forgot; you are now a modern Wentworth. You are an original Wentworth and created here." I waved back at the other picture, hit another button and Colin's suit became a modern tuxedo. "So are you, Colin."

"They look like paintings!" Colin said in awe.

"They're supposed to." I replied. "That's the beauty of modern science."

Colin came up behind me and whispered so only I heard. "You know what I want to do to you, right?"

I chuckled. "You'll just have to wait," I said back to which I got a grunt of frustration. "You'll be okay until later."

We began to decorate for Christmas. Nothing was left untouched. There was the green garland of holly and red ribbons. Lights hung and in various places, hurricane glass covers where the fat red candles were placed with red holly berries and green around the glass. Trees in every room were live and would be alive after the Holiday. Dug up roots and all, placed in containers which were covered with decorative covers to hide the containers. Even the ballroom, which was going to be used for the first time was decorated fully with trees all lit and festive. It wasn't too much; it was elegant and beautiful.

When Susan Hendricks came to do the personal interview with both of us, she did what Gabriella and mother did when first entering the house. Stood at the center and did that little, slow spin as she looked at all of what was there.

"This is...impossible!" She said in a whisper. "This wasn't here!"

Colin chuckled. "It was, but in ruins. I just...brought it back." He stated simply and shrugged.

"With the help of about a thousand men and women," I added.

Colin chuckled again. "Yes, don't forget them."

"This..." she waved at the house. "...is beautiful!" Then she turned to her cameraman who was also staring at the house and seemed to forget why he was here. "Well, shoot this! I'll take out what's not needed in editing!"

Hiring more to serve and help with the party, all the guests from the other Christmas party came and others who were carefully screened before allowing them on the grounds. Colin and I had even gotten tuxedos specifically for this occasion. The tuxedos were black, but the vests shown underneath showed the season, mine was Christmas red and Colin's was Christmas green and completed with tiny poinsettias of red on our lapels. Again, Gabriella had a gown of Christmas green, and Mom's was Christmas red with red poinsettia broaches of real gems of ruby and emeralds.

Even George came! Only I was not prepared for who his date was. He came in the room, holding the hand of a very handsome blond man! I did my best not to look shocked. Like Colin and me, there were no tells! Was he gay? Or had he just lived so long it no longer mattered what the gender was?

He grinned at me pulling his date over. "Meet David Davenport. He's my date."

He was a good-looking man! For a blond. Remember? They didn't usually attract me. David smiled at me as he shook my hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Devon. I've heard quite a lot about the man that survived."

"You're a vampire?" I asked stunned.

He shook his head. "I was saved by George here from becoming one before he got the chance to make me one." He smiled putting an arm around George. "At first I was grateful, it took a while to convince him I was in love."

Colin winked at me as he shook David's hand, too. "Well, vampires are stubborn."

In the ballroom, we had a very large screen set up so everyone could see Ms. Hendricks' broadcast. At the appointed time, lights dimmed, and everyone turned as Susan Hendricks voice came over a black screen.

"Welcome to one of the greatest moments in Charleston history. A former plantation house that is now, in my opinion, the greatest rebuilding of a structure ever done. This is not the historic home, but elements of the former home have been added to this modern house. This, possibly the grandest structure in the South and even the nation. Welcome to Christmas at the Wentworth Manor Estates!" Now the black was replaced with a shot of the front gate with the giant W in the iron as it slid open lazily. The camera showed the avenue of oaks as it came to the front and all the brick outside, modern brick made to look old, spoke of the great effort to keep it looking like the old structure. In front, surrounding a fountain that sprayed water in the air was a paved drive. The camera showed the entrance and chandelier and all the poinsettias that adorned the front, the lights, and garland. "In a few short months, little more than a year, ruins have been restored for this amazing structure." Now elegant Christmas music played softly and delicately as the camera showed other parts of the house and what was inside from Gabriella's blue room to Mom's preference of roses in her pink room with the white trim and pink carpet and roses throughout the room in vases and on the walls on the wallpaper. Mine and Colin's room with our large four poster bed and living area with plush suede sofa and coffee table in front of the fireplace that was lit and burned merrily, the large oak desk with the computer on it, but it was clearly a man's room with the large heavy furniture that had been in the basement below and new. All the older furniture had been fixed and refinished and gleamed. It took a few minutes to show it all. "And now, the owners of this grand estate. Colin Wentworth and his fiancé, Devon McGee." The camera showed us together dressed, but not in our tuxedos as it was done earlier. "This is incredible!"

Colin grinned nodding. "I agree."

"And so fast!" Susan said in amazement. "You must have really been motivated to get it done so quickly."

Colin shrugged. "Well, Devon agreed to marry me here, so I got it done so we can do that."

I poked him in the side making him yelp. "You did not! You were doing it anyway."

"Yes, but I wanted it done faster so we could marry faster!" Colin put his arm around me kissing me without a worry it would offend.

Susan went over this history and family of the past, which Colin answered with knowledge. He had been there, so he knew, but the viewers didn't know that. "But you'll be married here."

Colin nodded. "It was a tradition in the past. Every Wentworth was married here. The original Colin Wentworth's parents and grandparents, his daughter, were all married here and now we will follow that tradition." He looked at the camera. "I am different, I admit. So, is Devon." But I read in what he was saying. The difference wasn't that we were gay. He said it to those that may or may not know he was a vampire and that I had not been turned after a bite. "All questions will be answered. All we want..." he said pulling me closer. "...is to live our lives and be happy."

Susan did her little turn on camera. "In all this!? Who won't be?"

Now we waited to see if I was the only one that got Colin's message.