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Vanessa and Veronica Ch. 01

By: kalamazoo707



Eighteen year old twins Veronica and Vanessa Sinclaire waited nervously in the living room for their parents to come out. The girls were physically identical except for one thing, Vanessa's eyes were blue like Ethan's and Veronica's were brown like Katrina's. Both girl's were tall at five feet seven inches and had Ethan's athletic build. They both wore their brown hair loose so that the curls framed the round faces that they inherited from Katrina. Neither girl wore makeup deeming it a waste of time, effort and money but even so, there was no shortage of boys who vied for their attentions much to the displeasure of their father.

"What do you think the big secret is?" Vanessa asked as she peered into the kitchen.

"I don't know but did you see how nervous mom got when we asked how they met?" Veronica replied.

"Dad got nervous too." Vanessa replied. "I mean really, what's the big deal?" she asked.

******

Ethan and Katrina stood close together with three month old Victoria between them. Even though he knew that this day was coming, Ethan found himself completely unprepared. For years he had practiced what he would say when the time came and he couldn't remember a single word. Katrina wrapped her free arm around his waist, she wasn't looking forward to this anymore than he was but it had to be done. Katrina knew and understood Ethan's fear, he loved his girls more than he loved his own life and he was about to hurt and disappoint them.

"Sweetheart, you really don't have to listen to this." Ethan said softly as he wrapped both arms around Katrina being careful not to crush the baby.

"I know I don't but we agreed to do this together, they need to see us standing together." She replied.

Ethan nodded, as much as he didn't want Katrina to relive that night, he was grateful that she was going to be with him. He hoped that there would be no nightmares as a result of the telling but they would deal with that when and if it happened.

"Katrina, I love you." Ethan said as he kissed her and then the baby.

"I love you too, now let's get this done." she said kissing him back.

Katrina's physical appearance hadn't changed over the years but emotionally she was very different, while still inherently shy she much more confident in herself and of what she could do. She had gone to school and double majored in social work and psychology and now worked with Miranda and Rachel in working with victims of rape and other kinds of domestic violence with an added focus on children. Ethan was immensely proud of her and made sure that she knew it.

"I am so proud of you." he told her. As he kissed her again. "And grateful that you're going to be with me when we do this."

"Ethan, they're going to be hurt, angry and confused but remember that they love you." Katrina said.

Ethan nodded, took a deep breath and headed toward the living room where the girls were waiting.

*******

Ethan sat on the loveseat while Katrina still holding the baby sat next to him. He waited until she had the baby settled before taking hold of her hand and holding on tight.

The girls looked at each other and then back at their parent's and waited.

"First of all," Ethan said looking at both girls, "Know that we love you and that we're proud of you. There isn't anything that we would change about either of you." Ethan said and then he took a deep breath.

"I first saw your mother as she came out of a coffee shop...."

Four hours later, the story was finished. Both girls had expressions of shock, disbelief and anger on their faces. Neither of them spoke but stood as one and walked out of the living room each going to their own room leaving Ethan and Katrina alone with the baby. Ethan started to go to one of them but Katrina stopped him.

"Wait awhile, they're both too hurt and angry right now." she advised.

Ethan sat back and nodded, what had just happened was almost more painful than him not being there for their births. Consequences he reminded himself and when Victoria was old enough, he would have to do it again and then again when and if the girls had children.

Katrina snuggled close to Ethan but didn't say anything, he wasn't ready to talk. She could feel the guilt radiating from him like it did whenever the topic came up. She didn't do or say anything to sooth his guilt, he didn't want her to; as far as he was concerned, he didn't deserve to be soothed. 

******

Vanessa sat on her bed in shock; her father had raped her mother? And she married him anyway? That her parents loved each other she had no doubt. It was rare to hear a cross word between them and when it happened, they both took responsibility for the disagreement and then it was over. It was rare to see one without the other and if they were apart it wasn't for long. Vanessa didn't understand how her father didn't know who he was raping until it was over or why he didn't recognize Katrina when he first saw her. She heard the explanations and on an emotional level she sort of understood but on an intellectual level, it just didn't make sense.

How had their mother reconciled herself with the fact that the man that she slept with, made love with and had children with raped her? The one thing that it did confirm was that her mother was a strong woman in order to be able to forgive and to keep the babies that resulted from the rape. That prompted another question, had she considered abortion? Was there a time after they were born when they weren't wanted?

What kind of family did her father come from that they would even teach such a thing? The one thing that she couldn't deny was the anguish she saw on her father's face as he told them what he had done. Along with the anguish was guilt, Vanessa could feel it pouring from him even from where she sat. As angry and confused as she was, she admired Ethan. She realized that they could have lied to them and made up some rosy story about how they met, fell in love and lived happily ever after. Vanessa lay back on her bed, Veronica would be over in a few minutes and they would do what they always did when there was a problem, they would compare notes and talk their way through it.

******

Veronica was stunned, she had picked up on something from time to time but she never thought that it would be this. Like her sister, she was confused as to how Ethan didn't know who Katrina was. From everything that she knew about mates, the vampire was supposed to recognize his mate immediately so what happened that her father didn't recognize their mother? But not only him, his brothers too and one of them had actually killed his mate and then himself.

She replayed the explanation in her head, something wasn't making sense. What really amazed her though was the love that her mother showed toward her father, she like Vanessa was amazed at the strength and courage that Katrina had shown during the whole ordeal. That and the fact that she had seen her way clear to forgive, marry him and have another baby.

Even as Ethan was talking, Veronica couldn't visualize the angry man that he had been that night. He had always been loving, patient and kind even though they got into their share of mischief as children and now as teenagers. She wasn't sure of what she was supposed to feel, she was angry that Katrina had been hurt and that her father had been the one to do it but like her twin, she admired the courage that Ethan showed by telling them the truth but at the same time she was angry at him.

Veronica got up from her bed and went to Vanessa's room and found her crying. In addition to the difference in eye color, there were personality differences as well. Vanessa was the more sensitive of the two and more than likely she was crying for both their mother and father and not for herself.

Veronica sat on the bed next to Vanessa and rubbed her back until she stopped crying.

"Can you imagine?" Vanessa asked sniffling.

"No, I can't and I'm still in shock." Veronica said as a tear slipped down her cheek. "Are you mad at him?" she asked.

"Yeah, you?" Vanessa replied.

"Yeah. But you know some things are making sense now." Veronica said. "Remember how we were never allowed to sneak up on mom? And how dad always called out her name if he didn't see her right away?"

"I guess I never really thought about it." Vanessa replied, "But you're right. So what do we do now?" she asked.

Veronica gave her sister a confused look, "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Are we supposed to tell him that we forgive him? Or do we stay mad st him?"

Veronica played with Vanessa's hair like she did whenever they were together and she was thinking. She was still angry and hurt but the one thing that their parents always told them was that you can still love someone even if they did something wrong, one thing had nothing to do with the other but this.... Did it qualify? Apparently it did, their parents were still together.

"I think that we leave them alone and in the morning we let dad know that we still love him." Veronica said. "And I have some more questions."

Vanessa nodded in agreement, "You remember how he used to pray with us every night?"

"Yeah, what about it?" 

"He always used to say something after the prayer; do you remember what it was?" Vanessa asked.

"Sure, he said that he swore that no one would ever hurt us like mom had been hurt." Veronica replied.

"Close but not quite, He swore that no one would ever hurt us the way that HE had hurt mom. Don't you see? He was already confessing to us but we just didn't know what he was talking about."

"I guess but what's your point?" Veronica asked.

"I'm not sure that I have one, it was an observation." Vanessa replied.

The conversation died as each girl tried to imagine what Katrina had gone through.

A few minutes later, Vanessa asked Veronica the one thing that was really bothering her.

"Do you think that mom thought about having an abortion?"

"How could she not?" Veronica asked. "I know that if it had happened to me I sure would have."

******

Ethan got Victoria ready for bed while Katrina went to check on the girls, she didn't think that it was a good idea for him to talk to them just yet and as much as it hurt, he had agreed. Tears burned his eyes as he recalled the look of anger, confusion and pain in the eyes of his girls. He hoped that Katrina was right in as saying that they just needed some time. After Victoria was changed for bed, Ethan sat in the rocker, the same one that he had rocked the twins in and said the same prayer he said with the girls when they were small.

"Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray to god my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the lord my soul to take."

His mother had never prayed with them but he came across the prayer one day while he was reading and he liked it. At the end of the prayer, he held Victoria close to his chest and made the same promise he made to the twins after the prayer.

"I swear on my life that no one will ever hurt you the way that I hurt your mother."

Ethan kissed the baby who was already asleep and tucked her in. He felt rather than heard Katrina come in and then felt her hand on his back. They stood together for long minutes watching Victoria sleep. 

Katrina took his hand and led him from the crib and to their room, he needed to talk. 

"Talk to me." Katrina said as she knelt behind him on the bed and rubbed his shoulders.

Ethan closed his eyes and for just a moment he didn't want to be comforted. The anger and disappointment in the faces of his daughters was punishment and was not meant to be rewarded with comfort. He almost told her that until he realized that the touching was as much for her as it was for him.

"Are they alright?" he asked.

"Upset and angry but they're alright." Katrina replied.

"They're going to come to you for answers." Ethan said.

Katrina stopped rubbing his shoulders for a minute and then replied, "I know."

Neither of them spoke as they got ready for bed, even after all of this time, Katrina couldn't be in the bed before Ethan, it was a sure way of triggering a flashback. Their routine was that while Katrina brushed her teeth and changed for bed, Ethan would already be in bed. It was a routine that they had followed ever since they mated and married.

Since that time, most of Ethan's male relatives had been treated and the sanctioned rapes in his family had dwindled to almost nothing but they were still happening in other families. Ethan and his brothers Martin and Patrick worked at trying to reach all of the male vampires who raped whether they were family or not and referred them to Eustace Matthews for treatment.

Ethan waited for Katrina to come out of the bathroom so they could get into their sleeping positions. Katrina liked sleeping with her head on his chest and his arm around her later, she would turn on her side with her back to his chest and would wake up that way.

Ethan lay awake long after Katrina was asleep dreading the evening. Unable to rest, he slipped out of bed and went to his office to do some work. Although the laptop was new, the pictures of Katrina and the girls from when they were born continued to be his screen savers, the only additions were the pictures of Victoria and the girls as they grew. The feeling he got when he saw those pictures hadn't changed in seventeen years. There was the sense of awe that he and Katrina had such beautiful and intelligent girls but along with that came the feelings of regret that he hadn't been there for the births and the circumstances surrounding their conception. 

He had been there for Victoria's birth he reminded himself. He had gone through the entire pregnancy with Katrina from the cravings for maraschino cherries to Victoria's arrival into the world. As sweet as that was, he still regretted missing the births of the twins. Ethan changed his mind about working and opened the scrabble game instead, it was still Katrina's favorite game and he still hadn't discovered how she always beat him and not just her but the girls too.

"Papa?" a soft voice behind him called.

*******

Vanessa couldn't sleep either; it was early not quite ten in the morning. She was on her way downstairs when she saw the flickering of Ethan's computer screen. She almost ignored it but decided to go see what he was doing, it was extremely rare for him not to be in bed with Katrina unless the baby was crying or one of them was sick. She stood behind him and watched his shoulders shake. She realized that her father was crying, she felt his pain and remorse and started to cry herself.

"Papa?" she called. She hadn't called him that in years and couldn't remember when they had started calling him "dad". 

Ethan dried his eyes and took a deep breath to steady himself for the accusations that he thought were coming.

Vanessa walked up to him, looked at him through her own tear blurred eyes and hugged him tight.

"We love you, we don't understand but we love you." she said and kissed his cheek.

Ethan hugged Vanessa back and cried. He could tell that she was still confused and angry but she was able to set the anger aside enough to let him know that they didn't hate him. "So much like their mother." he thought to himself as he kissed Vanessa on the cheek.

"Thank you sweetheart." he told her as he dried her eyes with a tissue. "I love you too."

Vanessa went back to her room shortly afterwards leaving Ethan alone with the scrabble game that he hadn't even started to play. Ethan played the game actually managing to win and then played several more; he wouldn't go back to the bedroom until Katrina was up. He was surprised that she hadn't suffered any nightmares from reliving that night but was grateful that she hadn't.

Partway through the fifth game he heard Victoria crying but by the time he got to the nursery, Katrina was already there with her back toward the door.

"Katrina?" he called to let her know that he was there.

"Oh hey," she replied. "Where'd you go? I woke up missing you." she said as she rocked Victoria gently.

"I couldn't rest so I went to the office to do some work and ended up playing scrabble." 

"Did you win?" Katrina asked as she laid a now calm Victoria back in the crib.

"You know it's the oddest thing, I can beat the computer but not you or the girls." Ethan replied.

"That's because you're trying too hard." Katrina replied.

"Maybe." He conceded. "Vanessa came to see me." he said as they left the nursery.

"And?"

"She's angry and hurt but she told me that they still loved me." Ethan replied.

"Did you doubt that?" Katrina asked as they went downstairs, neither of them would rest anymore.

"No but I needed to hear it." Ethan replied.

*******

Victoria was the first of the girls to come down to breakfast. Anger showed in her brown eyes but so did the love that she had for her parents. For several minutes she didn't speak but when she did, she was full of questions and anger that had only increased over the hours.

"How could you have hurt her like that?" she asked.

Ethan hesitated before responding.

"Baby, I know that it's a lame excuse but it's what I was taught and...."

"Bull shit!" Veronica exclaimed.

"Veronica!" Katrina exclaimed.

"No sweetheart, it's alright let her talk." Ethan said.

"How could you not have known her? Why didn't you listen to yourself? Explain that to me!" Veronica said as tears ran down her face.

"That is the million dollar question and one that I still don't have the answer to. As to why I didn't listen to myself, I think it was because I chose not to. If I could go back and undo that night, I would do it. I would have introduced myself to your mother as I should have."

"But you're supposed to know your mate right? You should have known her!" Veronica said.

"Yes, I should have known who and what she was the moment I saw her." Ethan agreed. His heart hurt as he watched Veronica struggle to understand something that he didn't entirely understand himself.

Veronica turned to Katrina.

"Were you going to abort us?"

Ethan left the table, walked over to Katrina and wrapped his arms around her.

"Yes." Katrina replied. She wasn't going to lie or sugar coat the truth.

"Why didn't you?" Veronica asked.

"Because you were my babies no matter how you came to be here but before I reached that point, I had to deal with the pregnancy and how it came to be. Once I decided that I couldn't go through with the abortion, I was going to give you up for adoption but the further along into the pregnancy I got, the harder it was to think about giving you away and no, I don't regret it and no I don't think of that night whenever I look at you. Do I wish that it had been different? Of course I do but I have always loved you."

"I don't understand how you can love someone who hurt you like that." Veronica said still crying. "He hurt you!"

"Yes, he did." Katrina said moving out of Ethan's arms and going to Veronica. "And it took me a long time to get over that hurt but your father hurt too, in a way he was as much of a victim as I was."

"But he knew it was wrong!" Veronica exclaimed. "But he kept doing it instead of getting help! He knew when he was hurting you exactly what he was doing, he even said so himself!"

"You're right." Ethan said quietly. "I did know and I should have listened to my inner voice but I didn't and there's nothing that I can do to change that except to try to make sure that it doesn't happen again."

"How do you propose to do that?" Veronica demanded. "You can't know when someone is going to rape or kill someone."

"No, I can't but your uncles Patrick and Martin are helping me to reach as many male vampires as we can and hopefully they will spread the word that help is available." Ethan replied.

Veronica looked at Katrina.


Vanessa and Veronica Ch. 01



"How can you love him after what he did to you?" 

"Veronica, let's sit down." Katrina said holding out her hand.

Veronica reluctantly took it and allowed herself to be led to the table. When they were sitting, Katrina started to talk.

"Sweetheart, I know this is hard for you and Vanessa to understand and it was hard for me to understand too. It took five years before I was able to forgive and totally accept your father as my mate." Katrina paused. "Maybe I need to tell you what my life was like before the rape but let's wait for Vanessa."

********

Vanessa lay on her bed, her eyes red and swollen from crying. She was so confused and angry but at the same time, she loved Ethan and could never hate him. Like Veronica, something about Ethan not recognizing Katrina on sight didn't sound right. She knew that Ethan hadn't lied when he said that he didn't recognize Katrina, he knew that there was something about her but that was all. But why did the recognition kick in after the rape? Was there really something to the genetic theory after all? She didn't believe for a moment that rape was hereditary, it was a learned behavior but it was odd that none of her uncles recognized their mates until afterwards and one had even killed his mate during the rape. The only exception was Patrick who hadn't found his mate yet so who knew what was going to happen there.

She and Veronica would be starting college in the fall and both had been debating on what their majors would be, she had just decided. Genetics and psychology and if she knew her sister, she would major in the same. Vanessa got up, washed her face and went to the nursery where Victoria was just waking up and about to start howling for attention.

"Alright munchkin." Vanessa said affectionately as she picked her sister up and carried her to the changing table. "Phew!" Vanessa exclaimed as she changed the baby's diaper. "You could clear out a room!" The diaper changed, she carried Victoria downstairs to the kitchen where the atmosphere was tense.

"Ummm good evening?" Vanessa asked.

Ethan, Katrina and Veronica turned to look at her.

"What's happening?" she asked although she was pretty sure that she knew.

"Dad was trying to explain to me how he could hurt mom like that and mom was trying to explain to me how she could possibly love him after he hurt her. We were waiting for you so mom could explain some things." Veronica said tersely.

Vanessa recognized the tone in Veronica's voice and it bode well for no one unless she could calm her down before she said she'd regret later that's if she hadn't already. Vanessa handed Victoria to Ethan and smiled at him, she wanted him to know that even though she was angry, she was still in his corner.

""Ronnie, come with me for a minute." Vanessa said calling her sister by the childhood nickname that she only used when she really needed to talk to her.

"No, I want to hear...."

"Now Ronnie." Vanessa said using a tone rarely heard.

Reluctantly, Veronica followed Vanessa into the living room.

"Ok, you're mad, I get that and so am I but you need to calm down before you say something that you won't be able to take back." Vanessa said.

"You're defending him?" Veronica asked.

"No, but I'm willing to listen to what he has to say and here's something else, if mom can forgive and love him then so can I and I suggest that you think about that."

"But Nessa, he hurt her. We're only here because he raped her and she got pregnant!"

"That's true but Ronnie, they were mates, it would have happened anyway." Vanessa said. "But we're also here because mom decided to have us instead of having an abortion and giving us away. Do you realize how hard that must have been?"

Veronica was silent, Vanessa could see her calming down and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes I understand that but mom thinks that he's a victim too and I don't buy it, not entirely anyway." 

"Fair enough but before we make up our minds, why don't we hear what he has to say?" Vanessa suggested.

*******

Ethan and Katrina sat at the table holding hands. Both of them were wondering how two girls who had come from the same egg could be so different in personality but so alike in other ways. Vanessa had always been able to calm Veronica down no matter how angry she was, several times saving her from being expelled from school. Veronica had inherited Ethan's sometimes volatile temper which was rarely seen and then only because Katrina or the girls were threatened in some way but it didn't take much to provoke Veronica and anyone who even looked at Vanessa wrong was in trouble. Vanessa on the other hand was like Katrina, the temper was there but rarely seen and only after being provoked to the point of no return.

The girls came back to the kitchen several minutes later with Veronica being much calmer and sheepish. 

"I'm sorry that I cursed at you." she said quietly. "And dad? I love you but I just don't understand."

"I know baby." Ethan said. "There's a lot about what happened during that time that I don't understand myself. Maybe I never will but understand this, I love your mother and all of you, and I would gladly give my life to keep you safe."

"I know papa." Veronica said reaching for Ethan's hand.

The rest of the morning was spent with Katrina telling the girls about her life before the rape.

"I just didn't think too much of myself, I wanted to be what I wasn't." she said. "But I found some things out about myself including the fact that I had been selling myself short for a very long time. I also want to say this, I wish to god that that night never happened, I wish that your father would have just walked up to me and introduced himself and that your conception would have been the result of consent and love but it wasn't and no amount of wishing is going to make it so. It's something that happened and yes I still have my moments and I always will but I don't regret for one minute that you're here."

"Papa? Why didn't you get help sooner?" Veronica asked.

Ethan hesitated before answering.

"Pride and cowardice mostly. I thought that I could control it and for the most part I did and I didn't want to admit to anyone what I was. It took me hurting the one person that I was sworn to protect to wake me up." Ethan replied.

"Why did your family teach that rape was alright?" Veronica asked.

"It had been going on for centuries long before I or my brothers came into being." Ethan replied. "No one even knows who started it but the fact of the matter is that once I realized that it was wrong, I should have done something but I didn't. That's a decision that I will always regret along with so many other things that happened because of it. One of my biggest regrets was that I wasn't there when you were born, that I didn't get to welcome you into the world."

It was almost midnight before the discussion ended. The girls hugged and kissed their parents and Victoria before going to Vanessa's room.

"What do you think?" Vanessa asked when they were behind closed doors.

"I think that I'm glad that you talked to me before hand, I would have said something really awful to him." Veronica replied.

"Do you believe him?" Vanessa asked.

"Yeah, I do and before you ask, yes I'm going to forgive him but you already knew that didn't you?"

Vanessa grinned at her, "of course I did, we're twins!" she replied and then she turned serious. "I've been thinking about a major for college and I want to know what you're thinking."

"Well, I've always been curious about us, I mean we're physically identical except for the eyes and our personalities and now this whole thing of dad and his brothers not recognizing their mates have got me thinking..... What about genetics and psychology or something like that?"

Ten Years later

Drs. Vanessa and Veronica Sinclaire smiled and posed as they held the letters saying that they passed their boards in front of them. They were now both PhD's in genetics and psychology with doctorates in psychiatry. Everyone was amazed that they had accomplished so much given their young ages. Ethan, Katrina and ten year old Victoria were ecstatic that the girls passed although no one was surprised.

"We're so proud of you!" Katrina said as she hugged both girls after the pictures had been taken. 

"Thanks mom!" the girls said as one.

"Sweetheart, I want a picture of you with all of our girls." Ethan said.

"Dad, you already have a hundred already!" Vanessa said laughing but moving into position.

"Yes well you can never have too many." Ethan replied.

"Well hurry up, I still have to mix the punch for the party." Katrina said as she stood between Veronica and Vanessa.

"Victoria stand in front of mom." Ethan directed and waited as Victoria who was built more like her mother than the other two girls moved into position, she also had one blue eye and one brown one which fascinated the twins to no end. The real question was why, she wasn't born that way, the color change came on Victoria's fifth birthday, she went to bed a four year old with brown eyes and woke up a five year old with one blue and one brown eye. Victoria didn't mind being the topic of discussion, she adored her sisters and as far as she was concerned, they could do no wrong.

The first guest to arrive was their uncle Patrick who still hadn't found his mate. It was a source of frustration for him but he tried not to let it dominate his thoughts. In some ways he was glad that he hadn't found her yet, he wasn't looking forward to telling her about his past.

"Uncle Patrick!" Victoria squealed as soon as she saw him.

Patrick smiled at her as she ran toward him for their usual hello. Victoria would run to him and jump up into his arms having faith that he would catch her. This had been their greeting ever since Victoria was walking and it showed no signs of stopping. 

Patrick caught Victoria and pretended to almost drop her which elicited a startled scream and then laughter.

"Hi pumpkin." Patrick said as he kissed Victoria's cheek.

Of all of his nieces and nephews, Victoria was the one that he was closest to. Maybe it was because he held her soon after she was born whereas the twins had been older and Martin's boys were teenagers or close to it but whatever the reason, Victoria made him feel calm.

Martin, Rachel and their boys arrived next except that they couldn't be called boys anymore Patrick realized as they walked in. There was no doubt that they were Sinclaires- they were as tall as their father and had the good looks of the Sinclaire men. Both boys were college graduates with various business degrees and were running their father's company so that he could dedicate his time to working with him and Ethan on trying to educate vampire males who for whatever reason raped.

"Hi Uncle Patrick." Vanessa said as she pulled him down for a kiss on the cheek.

"Hi yourself Dr. Sinclaire." Patrick replied returning the kiss.

"Only because you got me through physics." Vanessa replied as she linked her arm through his.

"You were doing fine." Patrick assured her.

"Ummm no I wasn't but anyway, thank you for helping us." Vanessa said.

"You're welcome, where's the other Dr. Sinclaire?" Patrick asked looking around the room.

"She's talking to grandma about something." Vanessa replied.

The party lasted until early morning. Victoria although exhausted insisted on helping with the clean up, she wanted to spend as much time as she could with her sisters, they were moving out in a week.

"I don't want you to move." Victoria cried when they told her.

"Awww munchkin, we won't be far and you can even come to stay with us sometime." Veronica said hugging her.

"Really? I can come visit you?"

"Yes really, now help me pack." Veronica replied.

That had been two weeks ago. The twins found a four bedroom house near the ocean about an hour from their parent's home. Both Ethan and Katrina were proud but weren't quite ready for the girls to move out even though they knew that it was coming.

Ethan insisted on checking the security of the house himself and made improvements even though the system was more than adequate. Both girls were full vampire and could handle themselves but Katrina admonished them to stick together.

"Don't go anywhere alone and ....."

"Mom, dad just gave us the same spiel, we get it." Vanessa said kissing her cheek. "And we promise to call at least once a day alright?"

"Alright." Katrina sighed but she was worried.

********

"I love this house!" Veronica exclaimed as she unpacked her bedroom.

"Me too, I'm glad that you spotted it." Vanessa said as she plopped down on Veronica's bed.

"Are you unpacked already?" Veronica asked.

"Yep and if you ask nicely I'll help you." 

Veronica stuck her tongue out at her sister and then put her hands together dropping to her knees at the same time.

"Oh good and kind Vanessa, will you please help your poor twin unpack so that she can find her underwear in the morning? Pretty please?"

"Is that all you got?" Vanessa asked laughing.

"That's all you're going to get." Veronica retorted laughing with her.

Two hours later, Veronica's room was unpacked and for the moment neat. By the end of the week it would look as if a cyclone had gone through it.

"Maybe we should take a before picture." Vanessa teased.

The neatness was another difference between the girls, Vanessa hated a mess. Everything had its place and because when she packed she labeled everything, it took her half the time to get her bedroom ready. Veronica could have cared less what her room looked like but she was neat where it mattered-in the lab where she and Vanessa had already started working on the mystery of why their father and his brothers didn't recognize their mates. It was a study that Ethan fully supported and provided the money that was needed to carry the study out.

They were only at the information gathering stage, going through the files of all of the rapists who had raped their mates. Each vampire signed a waiver giving the girls access to their records with the understanding that they would be kept informed of any developments.

Vanessa found a building not far from their house and bought it after showing it to Veronica; it was two stories and had plenty of space. They had part of the bottom floor converted into a two bedroom apartment in case they couldn't make it home, the rest of the building was made into a lab, a work area, a library and each girl had their own office complete with top of the line computer programs and anything else that they thought that they might need.

Victoria had already talked with Patrick about helping them figure out the puzzle and he had readily accepted so there was an office and a place for him to sleep as well. Both girls were excited about the possibility of finding out why some males recognized their mates while others didn't as well as solving the mystery of their personality differences and Victoria's eyes. The latter studies were low on the totem pole and would be worked on when they needed a break from their primary study. . *******

Ethan and Katrina looked at each other; the house seemed empty with the girls gone. Katrina was thinking that maybe they needed a smaller house but this house was filled with so many happy memories.

"What are you thinking about sweetheart?" Ethan asked.

"I was thinking that maybe we needed a smaller house but so many happy things have happened here. We got married here, Victoria was born here and the girls grew up here, I don't think that I'm ready to leave yet."

Ethan put his arms around her, "Then we don't go. I love this house mainly because you and the girls were and are here and I'm in no hurry to leave."

Katrina relaxed against him; they would stay until they both felt it was time to move.

*********

"Luc! Depechez-vous! - hurry up! Nous serons en retard-we are going to be late!" Rik called out impatiently.

"Yes, Yes" Luc replied calmly. "We must practice our English so please use it from now on and we have plenty of time before we have to be at the airport."

Rik rolled his eyes, he understood that they needed to use English but they hadn't even left home yet and if Luc continued to act as if they had all night, they wouldn't be leaving until the next evening.

"Fine, I'll speak English but get your ass in gear, the plane leaves in an hour!" Rik called back.

Luc chuckled, he was ready to go but he liked pulling his brother Rik's chain. Rik, he thought was too serious and needed to learn how to relax. Granted pretending that he wasn't ready to go wasn't the way to go about promoting relaxation but it was very amusing to watch as Rik fidgeted and watched the clock.

Luc was the older of the two by nine months, at first glance most people thought that they were twins because they were almost the same height with Rik being a half inch taller placing him at six-five but Luc was the more muscular of the two although not by much. Both men had dark hair that fell just to their collars and dark brown eyes. Of the two of them Luc was the flirt while Rik tended to sit back and watch. The brothers were both accomplished physicians holding degrees in Sociology, biology and mathematics. 

They were headed to the United States for a year's vacation and were more than ready for the break. Luc planned to spend the year partying up and down the California coast while Rik planned to spend his time quietly by reading and listening to music.

Finally Luc came out of his room carrying his luggage.

"See plenty of time." he said in his accented English.

"Just barely." Rik muttered as he stood up and grabbed his luggage. They really didn't need much they could buy whatever they needed but it would have looked suspicious if they had walked through the airport and gotten on their jet without any luggage.

Thirty minutes later, they were boarded and seated. Each brother held a goblet of warmed blood in their hand and had their eyes closed.

"I am looking forward to this." Luc said as the jet began its taxi down the runway.

"Yes and I know why, you want to see how many American women you can charm with your accent." Rik said dryly.

"True and a good fuck wouldn't hurt you either, you are much too tense." Luc replied.

Rik ignored the comment and let his mind drift to wherever it wanted to go. Luc could do whatever he wanted, all he wanted to do was relax and hopefully find the woman that he was meant to spend his life with. Rik allowed the drone of the jet's engines lull him to rest, he didn't feel the half empty goblet being removed from his hand nor did he hear the sounds of Luc's cock being sucked. While he rested, he was searching for someone. "Where are you?" he asked silently.



Vanessa and Veronica Ch. 02



After hanging up with Patrick the girls talked.

"That was close." Veronica said.

"Very, I'm glad dad and Uncle Martin got there and that Eustace is going to be there too." Vanessa replied.

"What do you think it was about this particular woman that set him off?" Veronica asked, "I mean he hasn't had a problem for the past twenty-five years."

"True but my question is why didn't finding his mate help? And why was he able to know her without raping her?" Vanessa asked.

"We need to talk to him ASAP but not tonight, he's still pretty shaken up and he needs to talk to Eustace. Tomorrow will be soon enough."

Veronica wrote some notes on her laptop as Vanessa wrote in hers, they wouldn't talk about what they wrote until later when they both had a chance to process the information that Patrick gave them. They each had their own theory as to what was happening with not just the males in their family but in the vampire male who resorted to rape or violence. Each kept her theory to herself not wanting to influence the thoughts of the other and wouldn't share until Patrick had a chance to enter his own theory into his laptop that he hadn't picked up yet. Once he did, they would meet, compare notes and go from there.

The girls worked in silence for a few minutes until Vanessa spoke.

"I wonder what she's like."

"Who?" Veronica asked distractedly.

"Uncle Patrick's mate, I wonder what she's like?"

"I'm sure that we'll meet her when it's time... hey are you done with your notes already?"

"No not yet, I was just thinking how hard this must be for him." Vanessa replied.

"Well thinking about it isn't going to help him." Veronica said as she continued to work.

Vanessa looked over at Veronica, of the two of them Veronica was the more straight forward and not always sympathetic or empathetic whereas Vanessa was sometimes too much so but they balanced each other and worked extremely well together but Vanessa felt led to issue a warning to Veronica.

"Ronnie when we talk with Uncle Patrick, be careful ok? He's really upset."

Veronica didn't argue. She knew how she could be and Vanessa was right, she had to watch her tongue. It couldn't have been easy for Patrick to tell them what happened.

"Got it." she replied as she kept typing.

Vanessa went back to entering her notes and finished when Veronica did. It was early yet and they could still get quite a bit of work done.

"Why don't we make sure the PET scan machine is alright before we use it?" Veronica said as she stood up and stretched.

Both of them had taken an extensive training class on operating the machine, they hired the consultant for a month to show them how the machine worked and how to trouble shoot any problems that came up. By the end of the month the consultant was so enamored with both of them that his memory of them had to be erased. After that they looked for a vampire that would come and take care of any issues that they couldn't take care of themselves.

They checked the machine over twice, the first time Veronica looked over the mechanisms while Vanessa called them out, the second time they switched places.

"It looks good." Vanessa said.

"We'll ask Uncle Patrick if we can do a PET scan on him when we talk to him." Veronica said, "and yes I know, be careful of how I ask."

Vanessa smiled, but her mind was somewhere else.

"Nessa what's up? You've got that wistful look on your face again."

"Don't you ever wonder about what would happen if we found our mates or they found us?"

'Not really, I mean I hope we find each other but it's not something that I consciously think about but obviously you do." Veronica said.

"Guilty." Vanessa said, "But it's not like I think about it all of the time but I want what mom and dad have. I want babies... don't you?"

Veronica hesitated.

"I guess I do but I've decided that it'll happen when and if it's supposed to and thinking about it isn't going to make it happen any faster."

"You're right." Vanessa conceded, "We still have time to make it home unless you want to stay here for some reason."

"No, let's go, you wouldn't be interested in helping me clear off my bed would you?" Veronica asked.

Vanessa laughed, "I was wondering when you were going to ask."

An hour later, Veronica's bed was cleared off and there was actually a place to sit after Vanessa helped her hang up her clothes.

"You know if you hung things up or put them in the hamper when you were finished with them...."

"Ok mom." Veronica grumbled. Vanessa sounded more like Katrina than she realized.

"Oops, I sounded like mom and dad didn't I?" Vanessa asked giggling.

"It's ok, and besides you're right. I think that I have to have some place that I don't have to worry about being organized in and its here."

"Understandable." Vanessa replied, "I'm headed off to bed, see you later."

Vanessa went to her immaculately clean room, undressed and got ready for bed.  As she brushed her teeth she formulated the questions that she wanted to ask Patrick. It occurred to her that Eustace would ask the same questions and that afterwards they should compare notes to see if Patrick's answers were any different or if his impressions of the event had changed. She was even thinking that they should ask Eustace to join them in their research; he could concentrate on the psychological aspect of their research freeing her and Veronica to concentrate on the rest of it. When she saw Veronica later in the evening, she would bring it up.

Veronica tossed and turned, she hadn't been entirely honest with Vanessa, she thought about finding her mate more than she had let on. She didn't even tell her about the voice that asked "where are you?" that she heard in her head a few days ago and several times since. At the time she had discounted it as a dream but she really wasn't sure that it was since she heard it several times. She didn't know why she was so reluctant to tell Vanessa about it since they told each other everything.

She forced herself to think about something else, Patrick. She loved him, felt for him and hoped that they could help him and others with their research but it was going to take time to unravel the mysteries of the vampire brain. It was then that she realized that they should do a PET scan of a human brain. Basically the human brain and the vampire brain were similar in structure except that the vampire used much more of his brain than the human did. Her question was did they react in the same way when under stress.

Unable to rest, she got onto her laptop and pulled up the PET scans of known violent offenders. The problem was that there were no before pictures but compared to a normal human brain there were some differences especially in the centers of the brain that controlled impulses and emotions. In the violent offenders these areas were sometimes much smaller in comparison to the normal ones.

"What does this mean for a vampire brain?" she mumbled as she made notes on her laptop.

*******

Rik and Luc had finally gotten settled in their home away from home. It was a large house with two wings that was located on a private beach. The nearest neighbor was three miles away giving them almost complete privacy. Each wing of the house was equipped with a small kitchen that was fully stocked, its own bathroom with a Jacuzzi, living room and two bedrooms. The wings were joined together by a common living room and a large fully stocked kitchen. Off to the side of the house was a Jacuzzi room that also held a small swimming pool. The previous owners of the house had been vampires so no major changes were required.

The house also came complete with an intercom and sound system as well as each wing having its own stereo system all in all the brothers were pleased. They spent the first week exploring their surroundings but avoided going anywhere near the house down the beach but by the end of the week, Luc was dying to go out.

"Rik let's go! I've had enough of this rest and relaxation shit!"

"Then go." Rik replied not looking up from his book.

"I want you to come with me; maybe we'll find a couple of willing human women." Luc said as he took the book out of Rik's hands.

"Laisse-moi tranquille! - Leave me alone!" Rik protested.

"English if you please." Luc said, "And I will leave you alone only if we go out for dinner."

Rik rolled his eyes, what Luc promised was true, he wouldn't be left alone until he went to dinner with him.

"Fine, let's go." Rik said standing up.

"Excellent!" Luc exclaimed, "Where shall we go?"

An hour later they were sitting at a table at a restaurant/ nightclub waiting for their drinks. Rik ignored the attention they attracted when they walked in while Luc soaked it up like a sponge stopping at tables to kiss the hands of any woman who happened to be sitting there. If they were particularly beautiful, he would add a comment, "Splendide- lovely" as he kissed the woman's hand.

Rik found himself wishing that he had stayed home, he knew what was going to happen next, Luc would find two women; one for each of them and ask them if they wanted to take a walk. Before the walk was over, Luc's cock would be buried deep inside of one woman while Rik would try to find a way to extricate him from the other one. 

He enjoyed sex but on his terms it was something he and Luc had talked about several times and Luc just didn't get it. Rik no longer got angry with him and stopped trying to explain to him that his world didn't revolve around the next fuck, in Luc's mind he was caring for his brother.

"Luc, please do not bring me a female." Rik said telepathically.

"How long has it been?" Luc replied, "If my memory serves me, it has been more than two weeks."

Rik didn't reply, it had been at least that long and maybe Luc was right, he needed to relax and sex always relaxed him.

Luc took Rik's silence as consent and began to scan the room for likely candidates.

His eyes landed on a pretty blonde sitting in a corner by herself and then disregarded her, instinct told him that she could be trouble but it was more than that, he didn't know what and he didn't want to know. He had learned long ago to trust his instincts as they were rarely wrong.

*********

It was late by the time Veronica logged off from her laptop. She stood, stretched and walked over to the window. She took a deep breath inhaling the ocean air; she loved the smell and the sound of the ocean. She stood there for several minutes and thought about Patrick, he would be coming for the PET scan but she really wasn't expecting to find anything but they had to start somewhere.

She wondered if her mate showed up if she would know him and him her, or even if he was vampire and....

"Alright, give, what's on your mind?" Vanessa asked.

"Nothing, I just can't seem to settle down." 

"Ronnie, I know better so just tell me, you're going to anyway."

Veronica hesitated, "I think I'm going crazy."

"Ok.... And how is that different from any other day?"

"Nessa! I'm serious!"

Vanessa stopped smiling, "Ok, I'm sorry, what's wrong?"

"I'm hearing a voice."

"Just one?"

"Just one and .... Nessa it keeps asking where I am." Veronica whispered.

"Is it telling you to do things?"

"No, but .... It sounds so... sad and ... never mind."

"No not never mind, does it say anything else?"

"No, it just says where are you?" 

It scared Vanessa that Veronica was so rattled; of the two of them she was the rock.

"What does it sound like? I mean is it threatening?" Vanessa asked.

"No, like I said, it sounds sad and lonely."

"Have you answered it?"

"Are you nuts? No! I don't know who or what it is."

"Sorry, I was just asking." Vanessa said.

"No, I'm sorry, it was a reasonable question; you don't think that I should answer it do you?" 

"No, not until we know more." Vanessa replied, "Can I ask a question?"

"Shoot."

"Why are you thinking about the mate thing so much?"

"I don't know, maybe it's because of Uncle Patrick or maybe I'm ready to find him." Veronica replied.

"Nessa?"

"Hmmm?"

"You really don't think about finding your mate?"

"I do sometimes and like you I want what mom and dad have and I want babies but...."

"But what?" Veronica asked.

"What if I don't have a mate? What if I won't have a family?"

"Of course you will!" Veronica said hugging Vanessa.

"I don't know." Vanessa said softly.

*******

Luc finally settled on two women who he thought were absolutely stunning.

"I'll give you first pick, which one?" he asked telepathically.

Rik looked at the women and while he agreed that they were beautiful, he thought them too thin. When he mentioned this to Luc, Luc sighed.

"Rik just pick one, you're going to fuck her not take her home to mama."

"I don't think that I want either of them." 

"Is that so?" Luc asked, "That must be why your cock is leaking, I can smell it."

Luc was right, he needed release and his hand wasn't going to be adequate, it had been far too long for that.

"The one on the left." Rik said.

A few minutes later the women were sitting at their table completely charmed by the dark good looks of the brothers and the French accents.

"So my lovelies, would you care to take a walk along the beach with us?" Luc asked.

The women giggled and slid off of the bar stools indicating that they were willing. Luc took the blonde leaving Rik with the brunette that he had chosen. It wasn't long before Luc had already taken his partner in the opposite direction leaving Rik alone with ....

"I do not know your name." he said.

"Nina"

"It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Yeah you too, you really are shy aren't you?" she asked.

"Excuse me?" Rik asked.

"Your brother, he said that you were on the shy side." Nina said as she rubbed the front of his shorts.

"Are you a ...."

"No, I'm not a prostitute but I am horny."

That did it, "Please excuse me." Rik said and walked away leaving Nina standing with her mouth open.

Rik found Luc down the beach with his cock in his partner's mouth.

'Let's go." Rik said.

"Not yet.... She ... oh ... she is not finished!" 

Rik turned around and walked away until he was out of sight and vanished home. He just couldn't bring himself to use women indiscriminately as Luc could and did. He wasn't celibate by any means but when he found his mate he wanted to be able to tell her that he exercised restraint and hadn't fucked his way through the centuries while he looked for her. 

"Where are you?" Rik asked the air, "I need you."

*******

Veronica had just closed her eyes when she heard the voice asking where she was and then she heard the "I need you."

She sat up in the bed and ran her hands through her hair; she almost responded and caught herself at the last minute. She waited several minutes and then lay back down, this time she slept until morning.

******

"Rik!" Luc bellowed as he stomped through the house.

Rik heard him calling but didn't respond. It would serve him right to hunt the whole house looking for him.

"There you are! Did you hear me calling for you?"

"How could I not? I am sure that whoever lives down the beach heard you as well." Rik replied calmly.

"Why did you leave? Was she not to your satisfaction?"

"No, I do not care for women who think so little of themselves that they suck the cock of a stranger." Rik replied.

"This is about your mate." Luc said understanding.

"Luc, I do not begrudge your fucking all of the women that you want but that is not me, I want to find my mate and have as many children as the fates will allow us. When I find her, I want to be able to tell her that while I wasn't celibate that I didn't fuck everything with a mouth, two legs and breasts."

"Do you really think that she will care?" Luc asked.

"Maybe not but I do." Rik replied, "Luc for me it is about more than restraint, it is about respect for her but I ask you this, when you find your mate, what will you tell her when if she asks you how many women you've been with?"

"Respect?" Luc laughed, "if you respected her as you say then you wouldn't fuck anyone, you would wait for her.'

"You make a valid point." Rik conceded.

"Rik...."

"No, you are right, from this time until I find her, I will be with no one else."

"You are not serious!" Luc exclaimed.

"What if it is centuries until you find her?" Luc asked.

"Then I shall get to know my hand quite well." Rik replied with a smile, "and I would suggest that you start exercising some restraint, your mate may not be as understanding as you think."

*******

Vanessa met Veronica at the lab where she was already checking the PET scan machine the supplies for the blood draw out.

"Remember..."

"I got it already!" Veronica snapped and was immediately contrite, "I'm sorry, I didn't rest well."

Vanessa was about to say something when Eustace and Patrick walked in.

"This is some place!" Eustace said looking around.

"We like it, Uncle Patrick your office and bedroom are through those doors if you want to take a peek." Vanessa said, "We need a few more minutes."

Veronica looked over at Patrick, somehow she thought that he might understand why she was thinking so much about a mate since he had been single for so long but there was no time now, he was meeting his mate for dinner, she would have to call him later.

Veronica brought up the idea of a pet scan while he was angry and was shot down. She let the idea go but wished that he had just a few minutes to talk with her. She was so happy for him and loved seeing him happy and at peace for the first time since he almost raped that woman.

She and Vanessa wanted to meet her but hadn't asked yet.

"Let him have some time with her." Vanessa suggested.

Once Eustace and Patrick were gone, each girl made their notes.

"Let's compare notes by the end of the week." Veronica suggested.

"We won't have Uncle Patrick's input but alright." Vanessa agreed.

They left the lab relatively early for them and decided to sit on the beach, "You know we need to get Victoria up here, we promised her it would be soon." Veronica said.

"I know. I miss the little brat too." Vanessa agreed, "By the way, someone moved into that house down the beach a week or so ago."

"And you know this how?"

"I ran into the groundskeeper at the grocery store the other night." Vanessa replied.

"Well don't stop there! Who is it?" Veronica asked.

"Don't know, he said that he signed some kind of privacy agreement."

"Male or female?" Veronica asked.

"That comes under the privacy agreement I think." Vanessa replied.

Veronica looked over at Vanessa who looked back at her.

"No."

"Come on let's go look."

"No!" Vanessa replied.

"Chicken!" Veronica said making clucking sounds and flapping her arms like wings.

"And just how would it look if the daughters of Ethan and Katrina Sinclaire got caught trespassing and got their asses tossed in jail?" Vanessa asked.

"Wait! That house was owned by vampires! Do you suppose that vampires moved in?" Veronica asked.

"All the more reason to stay away, if they are vampire they may not be of the friendly variety." Vanessa replied.

"Fine, then I'll go by myself!" Veronica said standing up and heading down the beach. She grinned when she heard Vanessa running after her.

*******

Rik sat by the Jacuzzi reading while Luc played the baby grand piano in the living room. Ever since the night that they had gone to the bar, Luc stuck close to home, whether he had a change of heart regarding his sexual activities Rik didn't know and didn't ask but he could tell that Luc was getting bored.

"Why don't we go out tomorrow night?" Rik asked.

"What would you like to do?" Luc asked.

"How about a movie? We could movie hop like we did when we were younger." Rik replied.




Vanessa and Veronica Ch. 02



"Good Idea! There are several movies that I would like to see!"

"Luc, listen, you can do whatever you want,"

"Who says that I haven't been?" Luc replied with a grin.

"You bring them here?" Rik asked alarmed.

"I erased their memories and I don't bring them in the house." 

"But we agreed, no women here! They could be hunters...."

"Rik......"

Both brothers stopped and looked toward the window.

"Someone is coming." Luc said telepathically.

As one the brothers vanished out to the front of the house and looked down the beach.

"Is it one of your women?" Rik asked telepathically.

"Not unless I had two of them." Luc replied.

"Twins."

"They are not human." Rik said.

"We should...."

"Let them be." Rik said and vanished.

Luc followed Rik's lead and met him in the kitchen.

"Why did we let them go?" 

"We don't know who they are and I for one don't want to take a chance that they belong to someone." Rik replied.

"I see your point but what if they come back?"

"Then we confront them and inform them that this is private property." Rik replied.

"Or we could introduce ourselves and invite them in for a drink." Luc said hopefully.

"We'll see." Rik replied.

*******

Vanessa caught up with Veronica and passed her now totally into the game, she stopped when she realized that Veronica wasn't following her. She doubled back to find Veronica staring in the direction of the house.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I... nothing, let's go back."

"Go back? You were the one who insisted that we check things out." Vanessa replied.

"I know but.... I want to go back."

Vanessa shrugged and headed back to their home; during the walk back she kept stealing glances at Veronica. 

"Ronnie, why are you so nervous?"

"I don't know, I felt something but not a bad something."

"And you didn't want to find out what it was?" Vanessa asked surprised.

"Not this time, Nessa, I heard the voice again."

"Did it say the same thing?"

"Yes but this time it said something else too; it said that it needed me."

"But still no commands?"

"No, do you think that I should talk to Eustace?"

Vanessa thought a minute, "If you're this concerned then maybe you should."

*******

Rik kept looking down the beach, he knew exactly who had been here, his mate and she was vampire. The other woman with her was a twin and he suspected that she was Luc's mate, why he didn't sense it he didn't know but he wasn't going to say anything just yet. He had finally found her and that was enough for now, he could now do what Luc said that he needed to do and that was relax. He had the feeling that it wouldn't be too long before he met her face to face.

As he turned away from the window, he sent out one last thought for the evening.

"Finally I have found you."

*******

Victoria stopped dead in her tracks and turned around almost expecting someone other than Vanessa to be behind her.

"What?" Vanessa asked when she caught up to her.

"Nothing, let's go home."

"Ronnie what's the matter?"

Veronica didn't reply bit took off at a full run leaving a very confused Vanessa behind.



Vanessa and Veronica Ch. 03



Vanessa watched as Veronica ran back toward home and worried about her. This wasn't like her at all, she was the one who always followed through on the pranks and had to convince her to go through with them. Vanessa looked back toward the house and knew that they were being watched. There was no sense of danger or that the watchers-there was two of them were angry, they were curious about her and Veronica. Without wasting another second, Vanessa took off after Veronica arriving at the house just a minute or two after she did.

She sat on the beach next to her and put an arm around Veronica.

"Ronnie, you need to tell me what's going on with you right now."

"I.... I don't know." Veronica said. 

"Was it the house?"

"Nessa, if I tell you something, will you promise not to think I'm crazy?"

"I promise, now talk to me."

"I think I know who the voice belongs to."

********

Rik kicked himself for adding the part about needing her and then the "I found you." she had no way of knowing who or what he was. For all she knew he could be dangerous! He felt her confusion and the spike in her heart rate and pulled back. He looked over at Luc who had a very pensive look on his face and knew what he was thinking.

"They belong to us." he said softly.

"Yes." Rik replied.

"Fuck!" Luc cursed.

"What is the problem?" Rik asked confused by Luc's reaction.

"I was ill prepared for this; I should have listened to you."

"That is water under the bridge." Rik said, "Perhaps now you can keep your dick in your pants."

"What are we going to do?" Luc asked.

"We?" Rik asked, "I do not know your plans but I plan to meet my mate before this week is over. You can do whatever you wish although if I were you I would work on telling her why you've been with so many women."

Rik looked down the beach and wanted to go to his mate right then but he waited, he wanted to enjoy the feeling of finding her. The thought that soon he would no longer be alone buoyed his spirits as nothing else could. Soon..... He thought to Veronica. He turned to see that Luc had already gone to his room, he felt sorry for him but he did try to warn him but to no avail. 

"You worry too much!" Luc said, "We probably won't find our mates for centuries."

"We have no way of knowing that." he would tell him, "You must exercise more restraint!"

Luc would laugh at him and call him a prude but he wasn't laughing now.

********

Veronica's head jerked up, he was here somewhere.... The house, he was in that house. She didn't understand her fear, wasn't this what she wanted? She looked over at Vanessa who hadn't seen her jerk.

"Soon......"

"Nessa, I .... Hear him."

"Hear who?"

"My.... My mate, I hear him."

"Ronnie......"

"He's in the house and Nessa? Your's is there too."

"Mine? How do you know?"

"I don't know but I do, can't you feel him?"

Vanessa didn't know how to respond, she knew that there were two vampires in the house and knew that they weren't dangerous but their mates?

"Ronnie....."

"Don't you feel him?" Veronica asked again interrupting Vanessa.

"I felt that there were two of them but that one of them was my mate? No, I didn't get that." 

"I don't understand how I know but you don't." Veronica said softly looking down the beach.

"Maybe because you're mistaken." Vanessa replied rubbing Veronica's back.

"I'm not wrong! He's there with the one who is my mate; maybe he's blocking you or something."

Vanessa kept rubbing Veronica's back until she calmed.

"Let's go inside." Vanessa said standing and then holding her hand out to Veronica.

Veronica hesitated, took Vanessa's hand and allowed herself to be led indoors. Before going inside she took another look down the beach.

********

Luc's stomach roiled, while he was fairly certain that both he and Rik had mates he hadn't expected to find them anytime soon.

"What the fuck?" he asked himself, both he and Rik were over four hundred years old, "What was I thinking?" he asked aloud. "With your little head." he answered himself. As soon as he realized who the two women were he blocked himself off, he wasn't as anxious to meet his mate as Rik was to meet his. He was reminded of the line that Ricky Ricardo said to Lucy when she fucked up, "Lucy you got some splaining to do." 

"Yes Luc you got some splaining to do." he said softly.

Of the two of them he had always been the more adventurous and didn't think too much about the future whereas Rik was always thinking ahead and about the possible consequences of everything that he did. He always told Rik that he needed to relax and have fun and now he was only beginning to understand Rik a little more and wished that he were more like him.

Even now that he had just found his mate Rik was more relaxed, he would always be quiet and reserved but once he met his mate another part of him would come forward. The part of him that hated violence would no longer hesitate to use it to defend and protect his mate and any that belonged to her.  He would do the same that went without saying but the joy of finding her was marred by the fact that he had to tell her that he fucked anyone who would let him because he thought that she would understand.

Luc found himself feeling a little bit envious at Rik's happiness and then felt guilty. He was the one that chose to disregard Rik's warnings and he was one who would have to lie in the bed that he made. Luc swore under his breath and went to his room.

*******

Rik took a hot shower before lying down to rest. As he closed his eyes he wondered what his mate looked like, it didn't really matter to him she would be beautiful no matter what. He wondered what her name was, what she did for a living, what she liked to eat assuming that she could eat, what her hobbies were..... He wanted to know everything about her.

He remembered that the grounds keeper would be coming during the day, he might know. Rik got up, wrote a note asking the man to come into the main kitchen when he got there. He vanished outside and put the note where he was sure the man would see it and went inside to wait for the man to come. If the man knew who the women were there wouldn't be a problem with him divulging the information unless he worked for them too.

He lay back on the bed and carefully reached out to his mate. He could feel her nervousness and sought to sooth her.

"Rest easy, I will not harm you."

********

Veronica lay on her bed, eyes wide open and her heart pounding. Vanessa had gone downstairs to make her a cup of chamomile tea to help settle her nerve. She hated the taste of the stuff but Vanessa like their mother swore by the stuff. Once again she questioned why she was so nervous and wondered if the fact that Vanessa couldn't feel her mate had something to do with it but she was nervous before that.

"Why am I so nervous?" she asked herself again, "I wanted to be found and now that I am....." 

Then she heard him, "rest easy, I will not harm you."

By the time Vanessa returned with the tea, Veronica had turned on her side and was sound asleep.

*******

Vanessa took the tea to her room and drank it. The fact that Veronica was so nervous made her nervous, of the two of them Veronica was the kick ass one who flinched at nothing. Veronica was also sure that Vanessa's mate was there as well but if that were true, why didn't she feel him? The thought that they might not recognize each other unless something horrible happened crossed Vanessa's mind but she reminded herself that Patrick found his mate before he raped but then he still almost raped. She was now as nervous as Veronica was and did something that she hadn't done since they were children; she went into Veronica's room and crawled into bed with her.

*******

The groundskeeper saw the note and wondered what the problem was, he hadn't old anyone about the brothers as they had requested .... That wasn't exactly true, he told one of the Sinclaire girls, the one with the blue eyes that someone had moved into the house but that was all that he said. He hadn't even told his wife of thirty years anything about the brothers.

Even as he went into the house he was trying to figure out what if anything he had done wrong. He was fully prepared to beg for his job, this one job allowed him to cut back on some of the others and to buy his wife a necklace with her birthstone in it for her birthday. He ran down a mental checklist of all that he could have done wrong and came up empty handed.

Rik was sitting at the table waiting for the groundskeeper to come in. A pot of coffee was brewing, the aroma filling the kitchen. Two coffee mugs along with small plates were sitting on the counter next to the coffeemaker in anticipation of the groundskeeper's arrival. 

Rik's intent was to make the man feel comfortable and to allay any fears that he was in trouble. When he heard the tap on the door signaling the man's arrival he called out.

"Come!" 

When the man came in, Rik offered him a seat.

"Please, sit down." he said, "May I offer you coffee?"

"That would be..... Yes please."

"Your name is Arnold, is that correct?" Rik asked the man attempting to put him at ease.

"Yessir."

"Arnold, you may call me Rik, what would you like in your coffee?"

"Nothing sir, I mean Rik." Arnold replied nervously.

As Rik poured the coffee Arnold wondered what was happening, in all of his years he never had an employer that insisted that he address then by their first name.

"We have muffins, would you care for one with your coffee?" Rik asked.

"N....no sir.... Rik." Arnold stammered.

Rik poured the coffee and sat a mug down in front of Arnold before sitting down.

"How long have you been in this area?" Rik asked as he took a sip of his coffee.

"A long time." Arnold replied not touching his coffee, "Forty years or so."

"So you are familiar with the people who live in the area."

"Yessir, I tend to many of the yards."

"You do good work; I can see why people ask for you." Rik said meaning the compliment.

"Thank you." Arnold now was relaxing now that he was sure that his job was safe.

"Do you work for the people who live about three miles down the beach?" Rik asked.

"No sir."

"Please, you must call me Rik; do you know who lives there?"

"Yessir, Rik."

"Would you mind sharing the information?"

"I.... I don't know...." Arnold said hesitating.

"I mean them no harm." Rik assured him. "My brother and I were thinking of going there to introduce ourselves."

"I guess there's no harm in telling you." Arnold said not feeling the small mental push that came from Rik.

"Thank you on behalf of both my brother and myself."

"Veronica and Vanessa Sinclaire live there." Arnold said, "They haven't been there very long though they moved in a couple of months ago."

Rik's mouth went dry.

"Sinclaire? As in Ethan Sinclaire's daughters?" he asked.

"That would be them, they're identical twins except that Veronica has brown eyes and Vanessa's eyes are blue."

Rik wasn't listening, he had never met any of the Sinclaires but their story was known throughout the vampire world and his mate was a daughter to.....he could only hope that he measured up in Ethan and Katrina's eyes. To be accepted into a family such as theirs would be one of the highest honors that he could think of. To become a part of a family who had such a horrible and troubled past and then to be courageous enough to overcome and publicly share their story and to reach out to others to help them was....

"Sir?" Arnold called.

"Oui? Yes?"

"Are you alright?"

"Yes! Yes thank you for the information! It is going to be a lovely day, why do you not take your wife out for the day?" Rik asked feeling more generous than usual.

"But...."

"Where would you like to take her?" Rik asked.

"She's been wanting to go on that dinner cruise but...."

"Then you shall take her with our complements! Go home make love to your wife and then take her on this cruise, it shall be arranged, what is the name of the cruise?" Rik asked picking up his phone.

A very stunned Arnold gave Rik the information and watched as Rik called the reservation line and made the reservations to include champagne and a suite to the hotel that was a part of the cruise.

"I don't know what to say." Arnold said still stunned.

"No thanks are needed! You have just helped me- go home and enjoy your time with your mate and don't forget to make love to her." Rik replied.

Rik watched as an excited and surprised Arnold practically ran to his truck and headed home to surprise his wife with the good news.

His mate was a Sinclaire but which twin he wondered, the blue eyed one or the brown eyes one? Too excited to rest, he went to his room turned on his laptop and did a search on Ethan and Katrina Sinclaire on the site that was for vampires only. He had never actually read their story but had heard enough to know that the family had suffered greatly because of the legacy of rape losing a husband, a child, a mate and a grandfather because of it. He settled on his bed and began to read, it took him four hours to read everything about Ethan and Katrina and he watched most of the videos. He could tell that Katrina was uncomfortable being in the spotlight but he also sensed her quiet strength. 

"You would have to be strong in order to do what you have done and are doing." he murmured at the laptop. Rik thought that Katrina was beautiful and had the suspicion that the daughters would be as well. 

He looked at Ethan next; he thought him exceptionally attractive and had no problems with admitting that, he was secure enough in his own masculinity to acknowledge when another male was attractive. He replayed one of the videos where Ethan was speaking and realized that while Ethan was relatively soft spoken and seemed laid back, part of it was an illusion. Ethan Sinclaire was one of the most dangerous vampires he had ever seen and he could and would kill anyone or anything that threatened his daughters or anyone that he cared for.

Rik blew out a breath; this vacation had just become very interesting. He looked up the girls next and wasn't surprised to see that they were both beautiful. They were both taller than their mother by several inches and had the athletic build of their father.

"Which one of you is mine?" He asked as he read about them. "Beauty and brains." he murmured as he looked at the pictures again and read the bio. Suddenly he knew which one belonged to him.

"You." he said looking at Veronica's image, "You are mine." he said still looking at the picture.

He logged off and went it find Luc to tell him that he knew who their mates were. He found Luc sitting in the Jacuzzi in his part of the house.

"I know who they are." Rik said excitedly.

"Who and how do you know?" 

"Rik told Luc about Arnold.

"And by the way I gave him the day off and we are giving him and his wife a night out."

"Very nice but now tell me who out mates are." Luc said impatiently.

"Veronica and Vanessa Sinclaire."

"Sinclaire?" Luc said frowning, "You mean as in Ethan Sinclaire?"

"Yes!" Rik exclaimed, "Veronica is my mate and Vanessa is yours."

"Ethan Sinclaire? Rik do you have any idea of who he is?"

"Of course I do! I've been reading about the family. Luc our mates are so beautiful! They are built like real women and not sticks with legs! Veronica has brown eyes and Vanessa has blue! Get out of the tub and I will pull up their pictures and they're both doctors with PhDs in genetics and...."

Luc didn't move from the tub, he had no doubt that Rik would have no problem being accepted into the family but he was another story, he would have to prove himself worthy of being a mate to Vanessa Sinclaire. Like Rik he was aware of the Sinclaire family's background and knew without doing an internet search the kind of man and father Ethan Sinclaire was-fiercely protective and merciless to anyone who harmed any of those close to him. He still hadn't opened himself to his mate Vanessa and didn't know when he would finding out that her father was Ethan Sinclaire wasn't helping. 

He knew that Rik was chomping at the bit and would go to Veronica sooner rather than later.

"I want to go see her; will you come with me to meet our mates?" Rik asked.

Luc had never seen Rik so animated and didn't have the heart to tell him no.

"When?" he asked.

"This evening.... Luc, you haven't opened yourself to her have you?"

"No and I am wondering if I should wait."

"Why?' Rik asked and then understood. "Luc what is done is done, there is nothing that you can do but to be honest with her and move forward. Her father will see that you are a good man and will care for Vanessa even at the cost of your life."

"You are right, you are always right." Luc murmured as for the first time he opened himself to Vanessa.

"I am here."

********

Vanessa was in the shower when she heard the voice, it startled her so badly that she almost slipped but unlike Veronica, Vanessa answered the voice.

"Who are you?"

"I am called Luc, I am your mate."

The soap slipped from Vanessa's hands and landed on the shower floor with a clunk. She didn't know what she was supposed to say or do so she said and did nothing until she heard Veronica calling her name.

Vanessa got out of the shower, put on her robe and went into her bedroom to find Vanessa sitting on her bed.

Veronica saw the shocked look on Vanessa's face, "You heard him didn't you?" she asked.

Vanessa shook her head, walked over to the bed and sat down. Veronica moved to behind her, reached for a brush and began to brush Vanessa's wet hair.

"What did he say?" she asked after a few minutes.

"He said I am here and I asked who he was." Vanessa whispered.

"Did he tell you?"

"He said that his name was Luc."

"Nessa, our mates are brothers."

"How do you know?"

"I don't know but they are." Veronica replied.

"Have you spoken to yours?" Vanessa asked.

"No, I guess I should since you've spoken to yours."

Veronica braided Vanessa's hair before it dried and then "spoke" to her mate.

"Who are you?"

Veronica noticed that her nervousness was gone; it diminished when her mate told her to rest easy, and it completely disappeared when Vanessa told her that she had spoken to her mate.

*******

Rik jerked when he heard Veronica's voice. He liked the strength that he heard in it and replied.

"I am your mate, my name is Rik. Luc is my brother and the mate to your twin Vanessa."

"How do you know our names?" Veronica demanded, back to her old self.

"I had a little help and then there is the internet, will you and your twin meet Luc and I for dinner?"

Veronica didn't respond for several minutes, she was in a debate with Vanessa.

*******

"Tonight? Ronnie I don't know about this." Vanessa said.

"Nessa they're our mates for crying out loud!"

"Yeah but shouldn't we tell mom and dad before we meet them?"

"Vanessa," Veronica said firmly, "We will tell them but I want to meet him first now come on and say yes."

After several more minutes of heated conversation, Vanessa agreed.

********

Rik had an idea of what was happening and waited, the sisters were debating about meeting them. While he was waiting he logged on to his laptop to look for a nice place to take their mates. He knew that Luc was nervous and understandably so but he would stand for him, he better than anyone knew that Luc was a good man/vampire who would die defending his mate and would never mistreat her in anyway.

Several minutes passed before Veronica finally responded.

"We'll meet you when and where?"

"We will pick you up....."

"No you won't, we'll meet you there." Veronica interrupted.

"But...."

"No buts." Veronica said, "Where and when?" she asked again.




Vanessa and Veronica Ch. 03



Rik got it and didn't press.

"Will seven o'clock at the .... Ruth Chris steakhouse be alright?" Rik asked.

"That's a little too formal, how about the restaurant and nightclub that's just down the way from here?" Veronica asked.

Without thinking about it, Rik agreed.

"We will see you soon." he said happily.

********

Luc leaned against the kitchen door listening to Rik make plans for meeting their mates. 

"What time are we picking them up?" he asked.

"They are meeting us there." Rik replied.

"And where is there?" Luc asked.

"At the restaurant/ nightclub down the beach."

"Alright." Luc replied. 

********

"Nessa! Calm down!" Veronica said as she fixed Vanessa's hair, "It's not like we're going to mate with them tonight."

"I know but what if....."

"Nessa, they're our mates, even if we showed up wearing rags they'll be happy to see us."

"But what if we do mate tonight?" Vanessa asked.

"Then we mate and go home and introduce them to everyone, Nessa what's really bothering you?" Veronica asked as she finished the French braid and moved to the front of Vanessa so that she could braid her hair.

"Nothing.... It's just that it's been awhile since I've been with anyone and I'm just nervous is all."

"It's been awhile for me too but I think that you're worrying about nothing. We'll know when it's time to mate and we won't be nervous, and besides, think of tonight as a meet and greet and you'll be fine."

*******

Rik changed clothes several times before deciding on khaki's and a white polo shirt, Luc also decided on khaki's but his polo shirt was blue. Rik's excitement was beginning to rub off on Luc; for once he was the one rushing Rik instead of the other way around.

"Hurry up! I want to get a good table!" he called over the intercom.

Rik and Luc got to the restaurant a full half hour before Veronica and Vanessa to get a good table preferably with a view of the ocean. It was early enough that they were able to get a decent table away from the door and that had a decent view of the ocean. Even though they passed several beautiful women, Luc ignored all of them without speaking to them; he barely even looked at them. They no longer appealed to him; his mind was only on one woman- his mate.

The brothers nursed a drink each lost in their own thoughts but both of them looking at the door at the exact same moment when Vanessa and Veronica walked in. They both stood at the same time and watched as Veronica and Vanessa approached the table.

"Exquisite." Luc murmured in awe when he caught sight of Vanessa. He could already imagine himself touching her milk chocolate colored skin and tasting her, he could hardly wait to make love with and to her.

"Indeed." Rik agreed as he watched Veronica lead Vanessa by the hand to their table. His thoughts weren't all that different than Luc's and like Luc he was anxious to get Veronica into bed but reminded himself that Ethan Sinclaire was their father and that they had to proceed carefully.

The two couples stood looking at each other until Veronica broke the silence.

"Hi, I'm Veronica Sinclaire and this is my twin Vanessa.

Rik took Veronica's hand in his and kissed palm and then the back of it.

"I am Rik Gabriel and this is my brother Luc."

Luc was holding Vanessa's hand after having already kissed it as Rik had Veronica's.

"We are so happy to have found you." Rik said speaking for both himself and Luc. "Please sit down and let us get acquainted with one another."

They held their conversation until they had placed their drink and appetizer orders. Vanessa stole looks at Luc while Veronica didn't bother to hide the fact that she was looking at Rik and liked what she saw. She liked his dark brown eyes and his quiet spirit, her own more rambunctious spirit seemed to calm in his presence and but damn she thought, "he is smokin hot!"

Vanessa had thoughts of her own, Luc seemed to be the more outgoing of the two and she wasn't near as outgoing as Veronica was- she had the feeling that Luc was going to be showing her some interesting times. She was probably the first of the four of them to realize that their mates were their polar opposites; Rik realized it shortly after she did. It only made sense because she and Rik were the observers of the four of them.

They chatted through drinks and the appetizers before ordering dinner. The salads had just been brought to the table when they heard a high pitched voice calling across the room.

"Rik! Luc! Yoo-hoo!"

Luc looked at where the voice came from and silently swore as Nina made her way to their table closely followed by her friend Frannie. Luc kicked Rik under the table and looked toward the two women who were halfway toward their table.

Rik looked in the direction that Luc was indicating and swore under his breath.

Veronica and Vanessa saw the two women and looked at Rik and Luc.

"Who are they?" Vanessa asked, her tone cool.

Luc realized that while Vanessa was quiet, she had a temper that he would do well not to stir up.

"Well?" Veronica asked, "you heard her, who are they?"

There was no time to answer, Nina and Frannie were already at the table and all four women were glaring at each other.



Vanessa and Veronica Ch. 04



"Well?" Vanessa said, "aren't you going to introduce us to your..... Friends?" Her eyes never left the faces of the two women standing by their table. 

Rik and Luc looked at each other and then at the two women.

"Yeah Luc, who are these two?" Frannie asked.

"Damn Luc and his cock!" Rik thought.

"We're waiting." Veronica said impatiently.

"Vanessa and Veronica meet Nina and her friend Frannie." Rik said, "We met them here several days ago and they joined us for drinks."

"That isn't all we joined them for although Rik was on the shy side and left me high and dry." Nina remarked.

For once it was Veronica having to control Vanessa who was about to stand up and confront the scantily clad woman. 

Vanessa looked at Luc, her eyes filled with anger.

"You hired a hooker?" she asked.

"No! I didn't pay her......"

Luc stopped talking, it was clear that he had been with this woman.

"And you," Veronica chimed in looking at Rik, "did you screw this.... This ... whatever in the hell she is?"

"No, I never touched her, I swear to you." Rik said relieved that he left before anything happened with Nina.

"So what is it you do?" Vanessa asked, "Do you cruise the bars looking for men?" she asked coldly.

"Look bitch...." was all Frannie got out.

Vanessa had moved so fast that the woman didn't see her until she was in her face. Vanessa's blue eyes blazed in anger as she moved so close to the woman that all she had to do was purse her lips and she could have kissed her.

It took Veronica several seconds to get over her shock, she had never seen Vanessa act like this and if she didn't do something Vanessa was going to slap the woman.

The brothers looked at each other and then back at the scene unfolding in front of them.

"Bitch?" Vanessa hissed, "Look...."

"Nessa stand down." Veronica said softly, "both of them are skanks and not worth it."

She and Vanessa stood side by side but it was Veronica who spoke.

"Get away from this table or I'll kick your asses myself."

Nina apparently was the brains of the two began to pull on Frannie's arm.

"I told you that we should have left them alone, now let's go."

Frannie didn't move but continued to stare until Vanessa took a step toward her. By this time their section of the restaurant was silent waiting to see who was going to throw the first punch. Frannie finally gave in and allowed herself to be led away from the table. They passed the manager on their way out ignoring his angry stare; he had decided that the next time they came he wouldn't allow them in. This wasn't the first time that they had caused a problem.

He rushed over to the table where Vanessa and Veronica were getting ready to leave.

"Please my apologies! Stay and have dinner on the house."

"No thank you, we've lost our appetite." Veronica said as she reached for her bag and grabbed Vanessa's while she was at it.

"Please don't leave." Rik said, "Give us a chance to explain."

"Explain what?" Veronica asked, "How you know those women?"

Now Rik was angry.

"Excuse me, but when we came here we had no idea that we would find you...."

Rik stopped talking when he saw that the manager was still there and listening.

"Excuse us please and bring fresh drinks." he snapped.

"Please both of you sit down." he said his tone calm but firm.

Veronica looked at Vanessa who nodded at her and they walked out of the restaurant without looking back.

Rik looked at Luc, anger in his eyes.

"Do you see what your indiscriminant fucking has done? My mate is angry with me and I have done nothing to deserve her anger!"

"Rik I'm sorry but I didn't think that I'd see those two again and you forget my mate is angry too!"

"As she should be!" Rik snapped.

"What do we do now?" Luc asked.

"What is this we?" Rik asked.

'Like it or not your mate thinks that you've been using prostitutes so we're in this together." Luc replied.

Rik glared at Luc, stood up and threw money on the table and left. When he got outside Nina and Frannie were waiting for them.

********

Vanessa had never been so embarrassed; she had never acted like that in her life and hoped that she never did again.

"Ronnie, did you hear me?" she asked for the hundredth time? "I acted like a....a .. Idiot!" 

Veronica let her vent. Truth be told she was as shocked as Vanessa had been; she had no idea that her sweet mild mannered sister was capable of such anger and jealousy. She was jealous as well but shit, Vanessa was going to beat the one called Frannie to the ground if she hadn't been stopped.

"Nessa, you didn't act like an idiot." Veronica assured her when she could get a word in, "You were having a normal reaction to another woman who had been with your mate."

"Your mate was with someone too and you didn't act like that." Vanessa retorted.

"Oh I was jealous alright but Nessa, Rik wasn't lying when he said that he didn't touch the one named Nina."

"Why did you leave then?" Vanessa asked.

"Because you are my sister and best friend silly." Veronica replied, "I wasn't about to let you come home alone and besides, he isn't going anywhere."

"What about Luc?" Vanessa asked.

"I don't know, what about him?"

"Did you notice anything about them?" Vanessa asked.

"Aside from the fact that they're both hot?"

Vanessa rolled her eyes and in spite of her embarrassment laughed, "Yes aside from that."

"I don't.....they're our opposites!" Veronica exclaimed. "What do you suppose it means?" 

"I don't know but I hope that I don't go around wanting to beat up every woman who looks at him." Vanessa replied.

"Sounds like you're ready to talk to him." Veronica said.

"Not yet, let him sweat a little." Vanessa replied much to Veronica's surprise.

"Well damn! Look at you." she quipped.

*******

"Go away." Rik said when Nina called his name.

"Hey look, I'm sorry! I tried to stop her."

"So you came with her even though you knew what she was going to do?" he asked.

He could hear Luc talking to Frannie who apparently wasn't taking no for an answer. He turned his attention back to Nina.

"I am going to give you a small piece of advice." he said, "this game that you and your friend play is a very dangerous one, you should stop playing it before one or both of you gets hurt."

Nina looked away and then back at Rik, "You know what? You're right and again I'm really sorry that we messed up your date."

Rik nodded and watched Nina go to drag Frannie away from Luc. He knew that Luc must have compelled her because of how easily she allowed herself to be led away.

They looked around and vanished to their home, each to his part of the house.

Rik plopped down on the bed that he had hoped to be sharing with Veronica after their meeting and became angry with Luc all over. It didn't matter that Veronica believed him when he said that he hadn't touched the woman it was the fact that he had been dragged into Luc's drama.

"Damn it!" he cursed as he thought about how long he should wait before reaching out to his mate again. What he was almost certain of was the fact that their mates were joined at the hip and that Veronica wasn't going to do anything until Luc and Vanessa worked out their issues.

*******

Luc paced back and forth across his bedroom cursing at himself for his lack of foresight. When he and Rik were working on projects together his shortsightedness was an asset but in life it was his downfall and Rik had warned him several times but now it was too late to listen. He wondered what Vanessa's family would think of him and what she would tell them. Both sisters were very angry and that was no way to start a relationship. 

He wanted to talk to Rik and apologize but knew better than to approach him now, he was much too angry and rightfully so. It was one thing to fuck up his life but another thing entirely when it was Rik's and his mate's.

One thing was clear, he couldn't and wouldn't let Rik suffer for his shortcomings, if he had to he'd go talk to Veronica himself then that's what he would do. Having made that decision, he vanished from his room to Vanessa and Veronica's house.

"Who goes there?" a voice called from the darkness.

"Fuck!" Luc swore under his breath, he hadn't thought about the possibility of guards although he should have given who they were.

Luc vanished as quickly as he could back into his own room where he resumed pacing. He didn't notice Rik sitting on the bed with his back against the headboard.

"Where have you been?" he asked.

"I went to talk to your mate to tell her that you did nothing wrong."

"You what?" Rik asked incredulous.

"There is no point to having your mate angry at you too..."

"You really don't think do you?" Rik asked. "Veronica already knows that I did nothing wrong!"

"But she left..."

"In support of her sister." Rik interrupted, "The problem is this, until you fix things with Vanessa there is no me and Veronica unless I can change her mind."

"How do I do that?" Luc asked. He really was at a loss as to what to do. All of his relationships had been one night stands so there was never a need for him to think about the other person's feelings.

"How in the hell should I know?" Rik shot back, "but whatever it is you're thinking of doing do it fast."

*******

Ethan went back into the house and made a phone call. He wanted to know who lived in the house down the beach from Vanessa and Veronica.

"Call me back with the information." he said and hung up.

Veronica came in at the end of the phone call and wondered who he had been talking to.

"I want to know who moved into that house down the way from you."

"Why?" Veronica asked.

"While you were in the kitchen someone was out front, a vampire. When I called out to him he took off." Ethan replied.

"What's going on? Vanessa asked.

"Dad felt someone in the front yard." Veronica explained, "He wants to know who lives in the house down the beach."

Ethan looked at Vanessa and then Veronica, something was going on. They both seemed nervous somehow and for Veronica that was something new. He didn't ask taking the same position that Patrick did, they were grown women and knew that they could come to him with anything. If he thought for one second that they were in trouble or in danger he would have pressed the issue.

"Umm dad, we know who lives in that house." Veronica said.

"You do? Who is it?"

"Rik and Luc Gabriel, they're from France and are here on a year's vacation." she replied.

"Have you met them?' Ethan asked.

"We... we had drinks with them earlier this evening." Veronica replied.

"I see." Ethan said, "Is there any reason why one of them would be loitering in your front yard?"

Vanessa and Veronica looked at each other and shook their heads no, as far as they were concerned they were telling the truth.

Ethan looked at each of them a moment longer and made another phone call.

"Bernie, I want a couple of guards here at Vanessa and Veronica's house, visible. How soon can they be here? Fifteen? I'll wait."

"Dad, we don't need guards." Vanessa said.

"Until I know more about these brothers you're getting guards." Ethan said in a tone of voice that they recognized. It was the "Do not even think of arguing with me voice." He didn't use it often but when he did the wise thing to do was to shut up and listen.

Vanessa was thinking about telling him that the brothers were their mates but saw the panicked expression on Veronica's face. If they told him now he would insist on meeting them right then and Vanessa and Luc had yet to talk.

"Alright if it'll make you feel better." Veronica said.

"It isn't about me feeling better at least not entirely." he replied, 'It's about you being safe and a promise that me and your mother made to you. Like it or not you're still our little girls and until I know more about your neighbors the guards stay."

Ethan looked toward the front door just as someone knocked, "They're here." He said as he walked to the door.

"Graham and Lena, these are my daughters Vanessa and Veronica." Ethan said, "You don't need to follow them personally unless you feel that you need to and in that case you are to call me immediately."

"Dad this really isn't....."

Ethan gave Veronica a look that silenced her.

"As I was saying, they are able to protect themselves but I want them to have extra protection for a short time."

Both vampires nodded at Vanessa and Veronica and then Ethan before vanishing. Ethan looked at his daughters and smiled.

"I know that you think that I'm being over protective but indulge me alright? And by the way, your lab is being watched too."

"Dad!" both of them said at the same time.

"Just teasing!" he said laughing.

"Hey, you never told us why you came over." Vanessa said.

"I need a reason to visit my children?" Ethan said.

"Well no, it's just that you don't usually just pop in like this." Vanessa replied.

"True but here's the reason why I just popped in, your mother doesn't know I'm here. I want you to help me plan a birthday party for her."

"Ummm dad, I don't think ....."

"I know that she says that she doesn't want a party but I think she'd like it." Ethan said.

"Dad, I think that you'd better think about this.... Is it going to be a surprise party? If it is remember what happened the last time?" Veronica asked.

"Alright so she threw up, so we won't make it a surprise party."

"Why don't you do what you always do? Take her to a nice dinner and one of those art shows that she likes?" Vanessa asked.

"Because it's always what we do, I want something different this year." Ethan replied.

"Tell you what, let me and Nessa put our heads together and see what we can come up other than a party. Her birthday isn't for another two months so we have time."

"Dad?" Vanessa called shyly, "could you call first the next time?"

The question caught him off guard and he realized that she was right, the opportunity to see them had come up unexpectedly and he just took off without thinking.

"Of course, I apologize." he said embarrassed. 

"No problem." Veronica said kissing his cheek.

Vanessa kissed him next and whispered in his ear, "We love you papa."

"I love you too and be careful." and then he was gone.

Vanessa looked at Veronica both of them thinking the same thing; it wouldn't have been a good thing if Ethan had just dropped in on them if their mates were there.

"I wonder which of the two was outside." Vanessa asked.

"My guess?" Veronica asked, "Luc."

"You're probably right." Vanessa agreed.

"Nessa look, you and Luc need to talk, I have a feeling that he has quite a bit to tell you but in the meantime, I'm going to at least talk to Rik telepathically."

Vanessa blew out her breath, "I'll talk to him tonight."

********

Rik went back to his side of the house no longer angry at Luc; he had finally understood what he had been trying to tell him for centuries. It was too bad that it took finding his mate to bring it home to him but that was his issue. He was going to pursue his mate no matter what Luc decided to do. 

Rik stripped and lay on the bed looking up at the ceiling. He closed his eyes and whispered Veronica's name jumping when she actually responded.

"I am very sorry about tonight." he said.

"I know, how's Luc?"

"Upset and angry at himself."

"Was he here earlier tonight?" 

"Oui-yes, he wanted to talk to you." 

"Me? Why me?" Veronica asked.

"He wanted to tell you that I did nothing wrong."

"He almost got caught; my dad was here and sensed him so now we have guards."

"Your father was there?"

"Yes, why?"

"What would have happened if we came home with you?" Rik asked.

"It wouldn't have been pretty." Veronica replied with a small laugh, "You don't know my father."

"I know what I have read and I watched several videos of him." Rik said, "He is a dangerous vampire."

"Not to those that he loves." Veronica said.

"What will he think of me?"

"I think that he might be wary at first oh and by the way he's having you investigated."

"Investigated? Why?"

"If you knew our family history you wouldn't have to ask." Veronica replied.

"Of course I understand." Rik replied.

He looked down at himself to see his cock standing straight up pointing at the ceiling. 

"Veronica, are you alone?"

"I'm in my room why?"

"Are you clothed?'

"Yes," Veronica replied wondering why he was asking such strange questions.

"I am not."

"You am not what?" Veronica asked.

"Clothed, I am lying naked on my bed."

Veronica's breath caught and she was suddenly too warm.

"I am thinking of you, how I wish that you were on the bed with me." he said, his voice low and seductive, "Would you like to hear what I would be doing to you?"

"I.... no!"

"Really?" he asked, "You do not wish to hear how I would start with your beautiful lips? How I would kiss them and nip at them so that there would be just a hint of pain but mostly pleasure?"

Veronica heart pounded, she did want to heat about all of the things that he could do to make her body sing but then she would be left unsatisfied.

"Veronica? Are you still clothed?"

"Yes."

"Why is that?" he asked. "I want you to be as naked as I am."

It was getting to be too much, he had to stop or else..... The next thing she knew she was naked and on her bed.

"You are ready for me?" he asked.

"I.... I'm naked." she replied not believing she was going to have the equivalent of telephone sex.

"Good, now close your eyes and listen to my voice."

"Rik....."

"Shhh, just listen for a moment." he whispered, "I am kissing you, the kisses are so light that you are not even sure that you have been kissed."

Veronica gasped as she could have sworn she felt something just barely touch her lips.

"Did you feel that? Rik asked as he visualized kissing her again. 

"How are you doing this?" she asked.

"It is something that Luc and I have always been able to do, you can do it as well." Rik replied as in his mind his lips slid across her lips and to her jaw line. "Do you like that?" he asked as he kissed her cheeks and then her neck never losing contact with her.

Veronica was fully aware that her nipples were hard and that she was wet. She had to wonder what it would be like to actually feel his lips on her skin. It had to be nothing short of incredible if it felt this good and he wasn't even touching her. 

"Veronica, try it, just close your eyes and visualize me and what you want to do to me." Rik said.

Veronica closed her eyes and imagined herself kissing him, she heard him moan in her mind telling her that she had been successful.

"You learn quickly." He said as he broke the kiss and visualized taking a hard nipple into his mouth and sucking hard.

Veronica bit her lip to hold back her moan. As good as this was, Veronica wanted the real thing.

"May I come to you?" Rik asked.

*********

Vanessa was going to knock on Veronica's door but stopped when she heard her moan. 

"Just great!" she grumbled as she walked away.

She went to her room, lay on her bed and became restless. She got up, went to her window and called out to Luc.

"Vanessa?"

"It's me and you had better start explaining."

"I am so sorry for tonight. I didn't think that we would see those women again. It was a one time thing....."

"Stop! You mean that you picked them up?"

"Yes, we haven't been here for long and.... Vanessa, I cannot and will not lie to you. I haven't been .... Celibate."

"How old are you and Rik?" Vanessa asked.

"Four-hundred give or take a few years."

"Alright, I don't expect celibacy then but I think that there's more."

Luc hesitated, "There is." he admitted.

Vanessa's heart pounded, she hoped to god that Luc wasn't one of those that she was studying. She took a deep breath and asked the hard question.




Vanessa and Veronica Ch. 04



"Luc, are you and your brother rapists?"

There was a shocked silence.

"No! Neither of us has ever forced a woman even by compulsion! Why would you think such a thing?" he demanded, his feelings hurt.

"Luc I'm sorry but I had to ask!" 

"I am your mate! I would never hurt you or any other woman in that manner!"

"I get it and I believe you.... You don't know my family history do you?" 

"I am well aware of who your father is if that is what you are referring to."

"I meant personal history." Vanessa said.

Luc hesitated, "No I am afraid that I do not keep up with things like that." and then regretted not listening when Rik tried to tell him about the family.

Vanessa gave him a quick overview of her family.

"That's partly why Veronica and I went into genetics, our uncle just found his mate and he knew her as soon as she saw her but it didn't take away the rage..."

Vanessa stopped herself, it had just occurred to her that maybe he didn't want to be a part of this crazy family of hers.

"Vanessa? Why did you stop talking?"

"It just occurred to me that I was really pissed off at you and after hearing what I just told you that you might not want to be a part of this family." she replied.

"Vanessa, it is I who is not worthy. Rik tried to warn me but I didn't listen to him."

"Warned you about what?"

"Vanessa, I .... I know that you say that you don't expect celibacy but ..... I was very active sexually, even after we arrived to this country."

"I don't ....."

"I fucked anyone who would have me." Luc said. "Luc tried to warn me that one day that I would have to answer to my mate and I didn't believe him."

"What did you believe?" Vanessa asked.

"That she would understand and that she would just have to accept my sexual activity without question."

"In other words you're a male version of those women." Vanessa said. 

"You are not being fair!" Luc said, "Surely you didn't expect me to remain celibate until I found you."

"I'm not being fair?" Vanessa asked, "I'm not the one who had two women show up during our first meeting as mates! And I wasn't expecting a virgin but you're the one who said you fucked anyone who would have you."

"I know what I said!" Luc snapped, "I suppose you're going to tell me that you've been celibate?"

"As a matter of fact I am!" Vanessa snapped back, "I haven't been with anyone in over two years and it was a long time even before that. Just how many women are we talking about?"

"It doesn't matter....."

"The hell it doesn't!"

"Vanessa, I apologize for my actions, can we start over?"

But she was gone.

*******

"Veronica, may I come to you?' Rik asked again.

"I want to but we can't"

"Why not?"

"Because I have to make sure Vanessa is alright."

"Vanessa and Luc are adults; their problem is for them to work out and has nothing to do with us."

Rik was right and she knew it.

"I understand that she is your twin and that you love her and that you are concerned for her as I am Luc but Veronica this is our time. We can only be there to support them but we cannot put our lives on hold while they figure theirs out."

"You're right but Vanessa and I have always done everything together."

Rik knew when he was fighting a losing battle and made a suggestion.

"Talk with Vanessa." he said, "And see what she thinks, I would wager that she would tell you what I am."

"What's the big secret anyway?" Veronica asked.

"That isn't for me to say but know that Vanessa is safe with Luc, he would never hurt her or allow anyone else to harm her."

"I wasn't worried about that." Veronica said getting under the sheets and snuggling in and yawning. Her nipples were no longer hard and her body had cooled during their talk. "I'll talk to Vanessa and I'll let you know. I know that isn't what you want to hear but it's the best that I can do right now, you understand don't you?"

"I understand and even agree to a point but may I take you to dinner?"

"Do you promise to keep your hands and your thoughts to yourself?" Veronica asked.

"Rik laughed, "I can only promise to try, you are after all a beautiful woman who is meant to be touched."

"I suppose that's as good as I'm going to get?" Veronica asked.

"I am afraid so." Rik replied, "So will you have dinner with me?"

"Alright but not at the same place." Veronica replied.

"You choose the place and I will come for you at six."

Veronica cut off communication because she fell asleep even though she hadn't planned on it; she woke up when she felt Vanessa sit on her bed.

*******

Vanessa was still upset with Luc or more accurately his confession. She didn't answer him when he asked about starting over. What she didn't understand is why she felt so betrayed and she was hoping that Veronica would shed some light on the subject.

Veronica woke up and moved over to make room for Vanessa.

"Are you alright?' she asked.

"I guess, are you and Rik alright?" 

"Yeah, we are... we're going out to dinner tonight."

"Ronnie, if I ask you a question, will you give me an honest answer?"

"Don't I always?"

"Yeah you do." Vanessa agreed. She told Veronica about her talk with Luc, "Why am I so mad about this?" she asked.

"You want honesty right?" Veronica asked.

"Yes."

"Remember when we were little girls and we would plan our weddings?"

"Sure, you were going to wear some atrocious shade of yellow-what's that have to do with anything?"

"Do you remember how you described your mate? He was going to be handsome-he is, he was going to be fun-I think he is and he wouldn't touch anyone, he was going to wait for you and you were going to wait for him. The problem as I see it is that neither thing happened. You weren't promiscuous by any stretch of the imagination but I think what's got you riled is that you showed restraint whether it was intentional or not and Luc didn't think about how his actions would affect you even though you hadn't found each other yet. In effect he destroyed your image of a perfect mate, or what you considered to be a perfect mate."

"But there were so many women!" Vanessa exclaimed.

"I'm not saying that he was right but I am saying that he didn't hide it from you and that should count for something." Veronica replied.

Vanessa blew out a breath, "I know that you're right .... But its papa, he's going to have a fit."

"Why? Is there something that you haven't told me?"

"No, it's just that you know how protective he is and before you say it I understand why."

"True which is why we tell him together and we prepare the guys as much as we can." Veronica said, "Now go make up with Luc so you can go to dinner with us."

*******

Rik watched Luc as he sat down, stood up and sat down again.

"She was that angry?" he asked.

"She was how do they say? Pissed off?" Luc replied, "I apologized and asked for another chance to begin again and she did not respond."

"Maybe she just needs time after all no one wants to hear that their mate has serviced hundreds of women." Luc replied.

"Where are things between you and Veronica?"

"We talked quite a bit and we are going out to dinner tonight."

"She agreed to go without her sister?"

"I am going to tell you what I told her and that is whatever issues you are having are between you and Vanessa and we will not put our lives on hold while you and she work out your differences. Now, if you resolved your differences in time for dinner, you are more than welcome to join us."

********

Ethan read over the files on the Gabriel brothers, there was nothing in them to indicate that they were dangerous as a matter of fact they were both physicians with degrees in mathematics amongst other things. He reread the files on the brothers and set them aside. He was satisfied that the brothers were harmless but there was still the issue of someone being in the girl's front yard.

Ethan chuckled at still referring to them as the girls but in his mind even when they were centuries old they would still be the girls, his and Katrina's girls along with Victoria and in a few years she would be gone too. He found himself wishing for another child and wondered if Katrina had given it any thought.....

*********

"Luc?" Vanessa called

"I am here."

"I'm sorry that I left so abruptly, I was upset and angry."

"Are you still angry with me?"

"Not as angry but a little."

"Vanessa, I am truly sorry that I was so loose with my affections and I would like another chance with you."

Vanessa hesitated and then agreed, it was the past and Veronica had been right in saying that he really didn't have to tell her.

"Veronica and Rik have invited us to dinner with them, does that suit you?"

"We're not going to run into any of your conquests are we?" Vanessa asked only half teasing.

"No, you have my word." Luc replied.

********

As they got ready for the evening Vanessa and Veronica talked about when they were going to introduce Rik and Luc.

"I say we do it tonight and get it over with." Veronica said as she combed her hair.

"Shouldn't we ask them first?" Vanessa asked.

*******

"I'm glad that you and Vanessa worked things out." Rik said as they walked to the car.

"Me too and for the record, let me apologize to you once more for my shortsightedness, I have learned my lesson."

*********

Vanessa answered the door when Rik rang the doorbell.

"Hi, come on in, Veronica should be down in a few minutes"

Both Rik and Luc noticed the guards but didn't say anything instead talking about other things.

"Has Veronica mentioned where we will be going?" Rik asked.

"No but my guess is that it's someplace that has seafood on the menu."

Luc moved so that he was standing next to Vanessa and kissed her cheek, "Thank you for this new start." he said and put an arm around her waist.

Veronica came down the stairs a few minutes later and announced that they were going to 'Red Lobster' if there were no objections. 

An hour later they were sitting at the 'Red Lobster' eating appetizers and talking as they should have during their first meeting. Veronica liked Luc; she liked the way that Vanessa seemed to be more lighthearted around him. As they were eating dessert, Veronica and Vanessa looked at each other and nodded.

"Guys, we'd like for you to meet our parents."

"That is a good idea." Rik said, "When?"

"Tonight."

Luc paled, "Tonight? Should we not call them or something?"

"They're home." Veronica said, "I called before we left."

**********

"What do you think the girls are up to?" Katrina asked.

"I don't know but Veronica was very secretive and adamant that you be here." Ethan replied and then hesitated.

"What's on your mind?" Katrina asked putting her book down.

"I was thinking that in a few years Victoria will be gone."

"Yes and?" 

"How would you feel about another child if it were to happen?"

"I hadn't really thought about it." Katrina replied, "But if it were to happen I would be alright with it."

"We make such beautiful babies don't we?"

"We do." Katrina agreed warming to the idea of another baby.

*********

Luc was a basket case; his usual calm, laid back demeanor was nowhere to be seen. Vanessa held his hand and tried to reassure him.

"Papa may be a bear but he really is a softie."

Luc wasn't convinced.

"He will hate me. And then what?"

"There are some things that even he can't deny or change and one of those is who our mates are." Vanessa said. She looked at Luc and wondered what the real issue was so she asked.

"What's the real problem here? This is beyond the normal nervousness of meeting your mate's parents."

"You are acknowledging me as your mate?" Luc asked.

"Of course I am! We wouldn't be going to my parent's house otherwise." Vanessa replied.

"Will you tell him about me?"

So that was it.

"What we discussed remains between us, if he should ask then don't you dare lie to him, he'll know and you will never gain his trust no matter how good you are to me." Vanessa said, "But he will respect you if you tell the truth and he knows better than most that people can change."

Luc nodded and gave Vanessa's hand a squeeze.

********

Rik was excited and nervous at the same time but there was no fear, he felt prepared to answer any question that Ethan threw at him. He had his arm around Veronica enjoying the feel of her, if he had his way, by morning they would be mated.

He glanced over at Luc taking in his pale color. Reluctantly he broke away from Veronica and asked to speak with him in private.

"Luc, relax, I am sure that it will be fine."

"Vanessa thinks so too."

"And she should know." Rik said putting an arm around Luc's shoulders, "Just think, the next time we wake, it won't be alone."

Luc gave him a weak smile, "There is that... they are beautiful are they not?" he asked looking at the twins.

"Yes brother, they are and I believe that we will have our hands full." Rik replied.

Luc chuckled, "They are quite the pair." He turned serious, "Rik, I am truly sorry that I did not listen to you."

"It is now past history and it has ended well so no more apologies."



**********

An hour later, they were sitting in the car parked in front Ethan and Katrina's. Luc's anxiety level was up again, he didn't deserve Vanessa and he knew it. If asked he would admit to that fact but he would also tell her parents that he would love and keep her safe.

Vanessa leaned over and kissed Luc's cheek, "It'll be fine, you'll see."

A few minutes later the two couples sat in the living room waiting for Ethan and Katrina to appear. They heard them approaching and each twin grabbed the hand of her mate.

"Alright what's the.....? Ethan said and then hesitated, his blue eyes flashed as he stared at Luc.



Vanessa and Veronica Ch. 05



The tension in the room was palpable as Ethan stared at Luc without speaking. Katrina looked at Ethan and then at Luc and wondered what the problem was. To his credit, Luc returned Ethan's stare without flinching and managed not to look away no matter how badly he wanted to. He knew that if he did that Ethan Sinclaire would never consider him worthy of his daughter. He felt Vanessa beside him and then felt a hand on his back lightly rubbing it, she had just chosen.

Luc had no doubt that Ethan would respect him but that respect would only be because he was another being. If it extended beyond that, it would be because of Vanessa. He wondered why Ethan was so angry and then he remembered that he and Rik had been investigated. Ethan knew about the countless women that he had dipped his cock into, that had to be it. What else could it be? But that was his and Vanessa's issue to talk about and not her father's.

Katrina stepped forward and made an attempt to diffuse the situation.

"Hello, I'm Katrina Sinclaire." she said politely, "and this is Ethan my husband."

Only then did Luc take his eyes from Ethan's. Both brothers stood and kissed Katrina's hand.

"I am Rik Gabriel and this is my brother Luc, it is a pleasure to meet you."

There was a tense silence as no one knew what to say or do next.

"Please sit down." Katrina said, "Can we offer you something to drink or eat?"

"No thanks." Veronica said, "We just came from the 'Red lobster."

Ethan's eyes slowly left Luc's face and went to Rik's but didn't stay there for long. He knew who they were and why they were here but wondered why neither of them stated their intent. Luc he could understand, after all he took off like a frightened rabbit when he was challenged in the girl's yard but the other one....

"We are here on a year's sabbatical." Rik said drawing Ethan's cool gaze from Luc back to him.

"How nice and how do you know our girls?" Katrina asked already knowing the answer but trying to help.

"We are staying in the house down the beach from them." Rik replied.

"I see," Katrina said watching Ethan from her peripheral vision and wondering why he was so angry, "and what are you taking a sabbatical from?" she asked.

Again it was Rik who spoke, "We are both physicians with various degrees in the sciences and mathematics."

Ethan had yet to speak which alarmed both Vanessa and Veronica, for him not to warmly greet a guest was unheard of unless......there was something wrong but these were their mates what could possibly be wrong?

Ethan suddenly stood up and looked at Rik.

"Follow me." he said and walked away fully expecting Rik to follow him.

Veronica looked at Katrina who was as confused as they were and stood up to follow Rik.

"Veronica, you can't go with him." Katrina said.

"But mom... what's wrong with him tonight?" she asked as she heard the door to the study quietly close

"I really don't know." Katrina said.

*******

"Have a seat." Ethan said to Rik, his eyes flashing in warning.

Rik sat down and gave Ethan a curious look and then spoke.

"It is quite obvious that you are angry with us and I would like to know why."

"This is more like it." Ethan thought to himself.

"I don't trust men who don't come out and say what they want; if I wanted to go on a fishing expedition then I would go fishing." Ethan replied his tone curt.

"I see." Rik said, "So because we are taking the time to become acquainted with you that makes us untrustworthy?"

Ethan was beginning to like this one but he wasn't finished yet.

"In my experience, yes." Ethan replied watching Rik's reaction.

"Please, explain this to me, how does this make me suspect of wrong doing?" Rik asked thoroughly enjoying what he considered to be a game but he kept his guard up, Ethan was as he had surmised a very dangerous vampire especially now that his daughters were involved.

"A man who hesitates to state his intentions is one of three things, a manipulator, dishonest or a combination of the two. Which of the three are you Mr. Gabriel?" Ethan asked as he leaned forward in his chair and looked directly into Rik's eyes and waited.

Rik leaned forward and met Ethan's gaze with one of his own, "I sir am none of those." he replied "I am simply a vampire on sabbatical who had the good fortune of finding his mate. Your daughter Veronica as you know is my mate. I apologize if you misunderstood my intentions when I did not immediately claim her as such but that is not the way of my family."

"Explain." Ethan said still staring at Rik impressed that he was pushing back as hard as he as being pushed.

"If a man does not take the time to get to know the family of his mate then the question is what is he hiding that he is in such a rush? So you see I was showing you that I had nothing to hide."

Ethan liked this young vampire.

"And what about my daughter?" he asked.

"She is mine to love and protect and I would die protecting her although I am certain that she could hold her own." Rik replied.

Ethan held back a smile.

"Even so...."

"Even so, her safety and happiness are my first concern." Rik interrupted, "everything else is secondary."

Ethan waited for several minutes before speaking.

"My daughters mean more to me than my own life." Ethan said, "I will kill anyone and I mean anyone who harms them in any way whether it be a stranger, friend or mate. Do you understand what I'm saying to you? If I entrust Veronica to your care you'd damn well better make sure that she is cared for and protected in every way possible. If you cannot make this promise to me then I will not allow her to mate with you."

Rik took a deep breath, he was about to push the envelope.

"With all due respect, it is not for you to decide whether Veronica and I mate. It has already been decided and as formidable as I know you to be, not even you can change that. The only one who can send me away is Veronica, now, having said that I am fully prepared to swear to you that I will always love and protect Veronica even at the cost of my own life. I swear to you that she will want for nothing and that there isn't anything that I will not do to ensure her happiness."

When he was finished, Rik sat back and waited.

Ethan looked at Rik and then said, "So have you seen her temper yet?"

"Oui-yes!" Rik exclaimed.

"Ethan laughed, "I will tell you this, there will never be a dull moment."

"I look forward to all of those moments." Rik replied.

"Yes well remember what I told you." Ethan said standing up and extending his hand, "welcome."

*********

Vanessa held Luc's hand on one side and Veronica's hand on the other. Rik had been in Ethan's study for almost twenty minutes.

"What is he doing to him?" Veronica asked nervously.

"Just getting acquainted." Katrina said although she was getting a little concerned herself. She had decided to give it another five minutes and if Rik wasn't out of the office by then, she would go and check on him.

Luc held Vanessa's hand, he knew that Ethan didn't like him although he wasn't sure of why. While it was true that he had been very sexually active he had never hurt anyone or forced anyone to sleep with him. Could he have been more discreet? Luc wondered, possibly no not possibly, yes he admitted to himself. But there was more to it than that and from what Rik told him about Ethan Sinclaire he would respect a man who changed and was honest about his past. So what was it?

There was one thing that he understood about Ethan Sinclaire and that was he-Luc couldn't back down; it would be seen as a sign of weakness. He knew that Veronica was worried about Rik but there was no need for the worry, chances were that by now Ethan and Rik were chatting like old friends. Rik always did have a way with other beings that Luc could only hope to emulate. Vanessa he noticed had the same quality, she like Rik was slow to anger but when it hit one had to duck while Veronica was more like him. He wondered what that meant but it really didn't matter much in the scheme of things, he had to get past the interview with Ethan.

Luc's stomach did a flip. While he knew that Ethan couldn't forbid the mating, he could simply accept him as Vanessa's mate and that's as far as it would go unless he proved himself. He looked over at Vanessa, "she is as beautiful as her mother" he thought as he gave her hand a little squeeze.

After what seemed to be an eternity, the door to the study opened and voices wafted down the hall. They all anxiously waited for Rik and Ethan to come to the living room.

Ethan and Rik walked in side by side both of them smiling, there was no sign of the stern expression that Ethan had left the living room with. In fact he was downright relaxed until his eyes met Luc's and that cold look was back in his eyes.

"Damn it!" Luc thought to himself as Ethan put a hand on Rik's shoulder.

"Katrina sweetheart, meet Rik mate to our Veronica."

Katrina stood up and walked over to Rik.

"Welcome to our family Rik."

Rik took Katrina's hand and kissed the back of it, "I am pleased and honored to be accepted into your family." Rik said, "Thank you."

Rik released Katrina's hand and extended his hand to Ethan who accepted it without hesitation.

"Remember my warning." Ethan said as he shook Rik's hand, "Now go to my daughter, your mate."

Rik smiled, released Ethan's hand and went to Veronica who was smiling happily. She was really nervous for Rik and realized that she didn't need to be. She took his hand as soon as he was sitting next to her on the couch and glanced over at Vanessa. For some reason Ethan didn't like Luc and Veronica was nervous for both Vanessa and Luc. As she felt Rik's arm go around her she wondered what it was that her father knew about Luc that elicited such a strong dislike.

Ethan smiled at Veronica pleased that she was happy and then looked at Luc.

"My study, now." he said in a tone so cold that Vanessa shivered. 

She had only seen this anger a few times in her life and the recipient of that anger never made the same mistake again but what was it that Luc did? She wondered. She gave Luc's hand a reassuring squeeze and whispered a silent prayer that whatever it was that had her father so angry would be resolved. He would never deny her happiness with her mate but Luc would have a hard time of it.

She watched as Luc followed Ethan down the hall toward the study, she jumped when she heard the study door close firmly.

"Vanessa, why is he so mad at Luc?" Veronica asked.

"I wish I knew." Vanessa murmured.

*******

"Sit down." Ethan said as he sat down himself.

Luc sat down and met Ethan's direct gaze and went on the offensive.

"What is your problem with me? As far as I know we have never met."

"You're wrong there but we'll talk about that in a few minutes." Ethan replied coolly.

He had to admit that he liked the way Luc went on the offensive. He gave Luc the same rundown that he gave Luc except for the speech about protecting Vanessa. They had some talking to before he did the welcome to the family bit.

Like Rik, Luc gave the same reasons for not just saying who he was and what he wanted.

"I am aware that things are done differently here and I was remiss in not researching it but to be fair, I wasn't expecting to find my mate here."

"Did you ever expect to find her?" Ethan asked.

"No I did not at least not anytime soon." Luc replied honestly, "Sir if I may, if your dislike of me is because of my past.... History, please be assured that I haven't so much as glanced at another woman since I found Vanessa."

"Your past history is between you and Vanessa." Ethan replied, "I'm the last person to judge a man because of his past."

"Then what is the difficulty between us?" Luc asked confused.

"Earlier you said that we've never met, that isn't true."

Luc frowned, he was certain that he and Ethan had never met; he would have remembered meeting anyone from the Sinclaire family.

"I beg your pardon." Luc said, "But you are mistaken, we have never met."

Ethan didn't immediately reply. He wanted Luc to stew a little longer.

"Then you have me at a disadvantage." Luc said softly.

"The other night, I called to you why didn't you answer?" Ethan asked.

"The other night?" Luc asked and then he remembered someone calling out to him as he was standing in front of Vanessa and Veronica's house.

"I wasn't aware that it was you, I thought that you were a guard and had no desire to engage you." Luc replied.

"What if I wasn't Vanessa's father or a guard? What if I was someone intending to do her harm?" Ethan asked.

"I sensed no danger from you." Luc replied.

"Why didn't you answer me?" Ethan shot back at him.

Ethan had him there and Luc knew it, his best option was to tell the truth and besides, Ethan would see through a lie.

"You are correct in that I should have acknowledged your call out to me; I had other things on my mind and hadn't anticipated seeing anyone." Luc replied.

"You ran because I startled you?" Ethan asked.

"No! I...." Luc stopped, he wasn't helping himself and he was allowing Ethan to intimidate him.

"Then by all means explain to me why you didn't respond when I called and why you didn't check to be sure that my daughter, your mate was safe." Ethan said.

Luc took a deep breath and blew it out and began to tell Ethan about the events of the evening.

"So you see I was there to talk to Veronica about Rik. I wanted to let her know that he was innocent and had nothing to so with my.... Past. When I got there I was caught totally by surprise and I have already conceded your point about responding to you when you called out to me."

"Here's my issue," Ethan said, "being caught off guard or not, concern for Vanessa's safety should have overridden any surprise but it didn't, you hauled ass and didn't look back. How can I be certain that you'll be able to keep her safe?"

Ethan's reaction to him made sense now, he was a rapist and abuser of women and the thought that something like that could happen to Vanessa frightened him even though he wasn't about to come out and say it. The question was how to convince him that he would and could keep Vanessa safe.

"What is it that you need from me?" Luc asked.

The question seemed to surprise Ethan.

"I need to know beyond any shadow of a doubt that you will be able to care for and protect Vanessa even at the cost of your life and right now, I don't think you can give me that."

"Now wait a damned minute!" Luc said angrily, "You are judging me on one incident? If I had any thought that Vanessa or Veronica was in danger I would have defended them but as I said, I sensed no danger. Now, you can accept that or not, it no longer concerns me but Vanessa does."

Ethan's opinion of Luc changed-slightly.

"When I first found out that you were Vanessa's father, I became nervous, after all you are the great Ethan Sinclaire but now I no longer care about that. My only concern is Vanessa's happiness and if she asks me to go away then I will but I will continue to try to win her heart."

Something about Luc reminded Ethan a little of himself, maybe that was why the strong reaction to him. That and the fact that he ran off. The last comment reminded him of what he had promised himself after he had raped Katrina. He also sensed that Luc no longer cared about what he thought about him and that the only opinion that counted as far as he concerned was Vanessa's.

"Alright Luc." Ethan said, "I'm going to give you the same warning that I gave Rik, if anything happens to my daughter I will kill you no questions asked. Is that understood?"

It wasn't a ringing endorsement by any stretch of the imagination but it wasn't a flat out rejection of him either. He had another chance to earn the respect of Ethan Sinclaire.

"I understand why you're so angry and that you do not trust me to keep Vanessa safe but you have my word that I will do everything possible to ensure that no harm comes to her."

Ethan nodded, he had to accept that and believed that Luc would try to protect Vanessa, but he did respect the fact that he hadn't backed down from him and was willing to consider that the initial contact was a one time deal and that Luc's mind really was on other things. That didn't negate the fact that Vanessa's safety should have superseded any thoughts but he didn't think that she was in danger. "I'm being an over protective father." Ethan thought to himself but he knew that if his first contact with Luc had been different he wouldn't be worried about Vanessa's safety.

"I believe that we understand each other." Ethan said as he stood and extended his hand.

Luc took it without hesitation but understood that he would be watched. He shook Ethan's hand grateful that the interview was over and that Ethan didn't hate him.

"I'll ask you the same question that I asked Rik." Ethan said, "Have you seen Vanessa's temper?"

"Yes and all I can say is wow!"

Ethan laughed, "Wow is right, she doesn't get angry often but when she does..."

"Believe me; I do not plan to make her angry again."

"Smart man." Ethan replied chuckling, "we'd better go before Vanessa thinks that I've executed you or something."

"Please, just a moment more." Luc said, "I know that we began this relationship on the wrong foot and for that I am sorry but understand this, Vanessa is not only your daughter but my mate and I will not allow you or anyone else to stand between us."

"Glad to hear it." Ethan said totally nonplussed by Luc's declaration, "now let's go."

********

Vanessa paced for several minutes, sat down and then got up to pace again. Luc had been with her father much longer than Rik had been and that wasn't good. 

"Vanessa sit down." Veronica said, "I'm sure he's fine."

Vanessa ignored Veronica and turned to Katrina.

"Do you know why dad is so mad at Luc?" she asked.

"No I'm sorry but I don't." Katrina replied. She was just as curious as Vanessa was because Ethan hadn't mentioned meeting Luc before.

"I think that I might know the reason for his anger." Rik said.

All eyes went to him.

"Why?" Veronica asked.

"The night he went to talk to you he mentioned that there was a guard." Rik said, "He didn't want trouble so he left without answering the hail. The guard was your father...."

"And he thinks that Luc can't or won't protect me." Vanessa finished as she sat down.

Because of Ethan's own personal background Vanessa knew that this was no minor thing. The safety of all of them was at the top of his list. She could only hope that Luc was able to convince him otherwise, she didn't want to have to choose between her father and her mate.... It would break her heart but Ethan would lose.

It was another fifteen minutes before they heard the door to the study open. Vanessa stood up and waited, she would know by the expression on Luc's face how it went.

*******

Ethan stopped Luc just before he opened the door.

"You do understand that what I felt had nothing to do with not liking you don't you?"

"I hadn't realized that." Luc replied honestly.

"It didn't but it has everything to do with what I was- a rapist and what I am- a father. My family means more to me than any amount of money and I am now depending on you and your brother to help keep them safe as we will help keep you safe."

"I understand." Luc replied, "We have the same goals in mind."

Ethan nodded and opened the door.

*******

Finally they heard voices coming toward them. All of them were relieved that the voices didn't sound angry or tense. As soon as she saw Luc, Vanessa ran to him and hugged him.

"I am fine." Luc said hugging her back. There was another thing that he needed to find out, was it acceptable to kiss one's mate in the presence of others? At home it as a given but here? He just didn't know. There had already been one misunderstanding about the speed in which he and Rik had claimed the twins and he wanted no more problems. 




Vanessa and Veronica Ch. 05



"Katrina sweetheart," Ethan said, "Meet Luc Gabriel, mate to our Vanessa."

Katrina let out a sigh of relief; whatever the issue had been was resolved for the time being. She walked over to Luc who as Rik had done kissed the back of her hand.

"Welcome." she said softly.

"The honor and pleasure are mine." Luc replied.

"Luc, Rik." Ethan called, "why don't we have a drink in the study?"

The brothers looked at each other and then at their mates before following Ethan. As soon as they were gone, the room erupted in excited chatter. Katrina hugged both girls thankful that they had been found in the way that she wished that she had been found.

"I suppose you'll want a wedding?" she teased.

"Of course we do!" Veronica replied speaking for Vanessa.

"I am so happy for the both of you and I like your mates." Katrina said, "so when would you like to have the wedding and tomorrow is too soon." she added laughing. She knew the twins well.

"Two weeks?" Vanessa asked.

Veronica gave it some thought, "two weeks is fine." she agreed.

Katrina got pens and some paper and handed some to each girl. They both knew what to do, it was the same thing they did when they were old enough to help plan their birthday parties. Each wrote down what they wanted for the party and then compared notes. The last step was to consolidate the list that way each of them had something that they wanted for the party.

"We'll meet a couple of days from now and begin planning." Katrina said.

********

Ethan handed each brother a goblet of wine and invited them to sit down. The stern, intimidating father that they had seen not that long ago was gone but was barely beneath the surface.

"I just wanted to give them a few minutes to talk." Ethan said as he sat down. "I suppose you know that I had both of you investigated."

"We are aware of that fact." Rik said, "It didn't surprise me in the least."

"Really? Why is that?" Ethan asked.

"I would have done the same." Rik replied.

They talked about other things and finding out that they all had a mutual love of sports.

"Katrina doesn't watch but the girls do, they were athletes in high school." Ethan said.

"That is good news." Luc said as he visualized Sunday afternoons watching whatever sport happened to be in season on television with Vanessa at his side.

After fifteen minutes they rejoined the women in the living room. The two couples said their goodbyes and headed out to their car leaving a happy but pensive Katrina and Ethan alone.

"Are you alright?" he asked hugging Katrina from behind.

"Our babies have grown up." she said softly.

"Yes they have but what else?"

Katrina hesitated.

"Tell me." Ethan urged.

"I was just wishing that we had met like that and how happy I am that their meeting was a good one."

"I was thinking the same thing." Ethan replied squeezing her tighter.

*******

Vanessa and Veronica were talking at the same time and at a mile a minute.

"Where are we going to live?" one would ask, "I don't know." the other replied before the question was completely asked. Neither Rik nor Luc could get a word in to make a suggestion. Finally Luc whistled and spoke when there was finally silence.

"I have a suggestion." he said.

"You have the floor." Veronica said.

"Thank you." Luc said and continued with his idea, "Our home has two wings that are fully furnished and is connected by a communal living area which includes a kitchen. My suggestion is this, Rik and I will buy the house and you and Vanessa move there."

"I think that is a good idea." Rik said.

Vanessa and Veronica looked at each other and shrugged.

"We want to see the house first." Vanessa said.

"That is no problem." Luc said, "So my love, what do you like to eat for breakfast?"

*******

The vampire sat at his desk with his feet propped up thinking of what his options were. He hated the Sinclaire family with a passion that he couldn't even begin to describe. They had taken something very precious from him and he wanted to take something from them. 

That he had waited so long to decide what he was going to do had just complicated things. Once he decided upon his course of action and began to make plans the mates of the twins showed up. He was going to take one of the twins and he really didn't care which one. He only wanted Ethan and Katrina Sinclaire to feel the pain of loss and to feel the helplessness that accompanied that loss.

He had let several opportunities pass him by thinking that he had time and that another opportunity would present itself but now he had the mates of the Sinclaire women to contend with. For now all he could do was watch and wait. He would learn the habits of the males and go from there but he did do something that helped ease his rage at the Sinclaire's.

Vanessa and Veronica Sinclaire were in for a surprise when they went to their lab the next time. The vampire chuckled as he imagined the look on their faces and regretted not being there to see it. He stood up and stretched to his full six feet one inch height and vanished from where he stood, he had places to be.



Vanessa and Veronica Ch. 06



Rik parked in the garage, jumped out of the car and ran to the passenger side to help Veronica out. Luc and Vanessa were already out of the car and were already on their way into the house.

"I've been wondering what this house looks like on the inside." Vanessa said as she followed Luc in.

"Wonder no more!" Luc exclaimed taking Vanessa's hand and leading her to the kitchen.

"This is the community kitchen." he explained, "each of our wings is like its own separate house complete with everything that we could ever need."

"Have you cooked in here?" Vanessa asked.

"No but I think that we will start now that you and Veronica are here." Luc replied, "But you haven't answered my question, what do you like to eat for breakfast?"

"I'm not big on eating right after I get up." Vanessa replied, "I have to wait at least an hour or so but when I do eat, I like fruit and cereal." she replied.

"I think we can make sure that we have those things." Luc replied, "Let me show you the rest of the house."

Luc gave Vanessa the grand tour but she knew that he had something to say to her. Once they got to the Jacuzzi room she stopped him.

"You have something to tell me?" she asked.

"Vanessa, I know that I have not been discreet...."

"Luc, stop." Vanessa said pressing her fingertips against his lips, "its past history and we don't need to talk about it."

"But you said that we needed to discuss this."

"I was wrong, we don't need to." Vanessa said, "Talking about it won't change it and you're right we hadn't found each other yet and it was my choice to stay almost celibate."

"You are alright with this?" he asked.

"I'm alright with it so.... Show me where our room is." she said changing the subject.

*********

Veronica leaned back into Rik's arms.

"Was it bad?" she asked.

"You mean the meeting with your father? No, not bad but he is a formidable man especially where you and your sisters are concerned." Rik replied.

"He can be on the overprotective side but he's always been that way."

"I can understand why and I expected it." Rik replied.

Vanessa turned around in his arms, "what about your parents? What will they say about us and my family?"

"They will be excited and will be anxious to meet both of you." Rik assured her, "Would you like to see the house?"

"The only things that I'm interested in seeing are the bed and you without clothes on." Veronica said as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

Rik was suddenly nervous; somehow making love to her telepathically seemed a whole lot easier than being with her in person.

"You are shy aren't you?" Veronica asked surprised.

"No, not really." Rik said, "I am... nervous."

Veronica frowned.

"Why? I won't bite unless you want me to." she said as she slipped her hands under his shirt and rubbed his back before sliding them down to his ass and squeezing before moving them back up to his lower back.

"I just never expected to find you and now that you are here....." 

Rik cupped Veronica's face in his hands and kissed her for the first time as her mate. During the kiss all nervousness faded as the want and need to claim what was his took over. He broke the kiss, stepped back and took Veronica's hand and began to lead her through the house.

They heard Vanessa and Luc's voices coming from another part of the house but didn't stop or acknowledge them in any way as they made their way up the stairs. When they got to the top of the stairs Rik stopped Veronica and picked her up.

"What are you doing?" she asked surprised.

"Carrying my bride to bed." He replied.

"The wedding isn't for two weeks so I'm not a bride yet." Veronica replied.

"As far as I am concerned you are a bride, the real wedding is taking place now and soon we will be mated." 

Rik opened the door and revealed an immaculate suite. Veronica looked around for anything out of place and realized that they both had some adjusting to do. She continued to look around as Rik carried her as though she weighed nothing through his wing of the house not stopping until they reached the bedroom.

Rik sat her on the bed and stepped back, he just wanted to look at her.

"You are very beautiful." he said softly as he walked toward her and knelt down at her feet and removed her shoes before kissing the top of each foot, "and I am lucky to have found you." he added as he ran his hands up over her jean clad legs and thighs until they rested on her hips.

Veronica put her hands on Rik's shoulders and waited. Rik stood up from his kneeling position and pulled Veronica up by her hands and kissed her until she melted into him. 

Veronica pulled Rik's shirt up and over his head before trying to unbutton his slacks. She became frustrated and pulled the waistband of his slacks until the buttons flew off and the zipper now ruined was opened. She looked down at Rik's hard member, took it in her hand and stroked until Rik stopped her.

"Not like this." he breathed as he took her hands and put them on his chest, "do not move them." he commanded as he began to undress her. 

Veronica wanted so badly to move her hands over his chest and down his stomach but she didn't. Her hands trembled as Rik continued to undress her until all that was left was her bra and panties.

"Mon dieu! My god!" Rik murmured as he took in her smooth coffee with cream colored skin, "you are even more beautiful than I had imagined."

Veronica's body thrummed and he hadn't really touched her yet except with his eyes. Rik took her hand and led her in a slow spin in front of him once, twice, three times until he was sure that he had seen as much of her as he could from the current angle.

His cock was already leaking and throbbing but he wanted to see every inch of her before he took her. After a final spin he reached behind her and undid her bra letting the straps fall over her shoulders and down her arms. The bra landed in a heap at their feet as Rik took a breast in each hand and squeezed and stroked the nipples until Veronica was biting her lip and moaning with both pleasure and impatience.

Not to be hurried, Rik slowly ran a finger along the waistband of her panties before hooking a finger inside and sliding them slowly over her hips.

"Rik....."

"I want to see all of you." he murmured as the panties fell to the floor. He kicked them out of the way and had her repeat the slow spin, "you are perfect." he told her after the last spin. He eased Veronica back on the bed so that her legs hung over the sides, knelt between them and spread her legs wide open revealing what he wanted to see the most.

The scent of her arousal was almost his undoing, the pungent but far from unpleasant smell made his cock jump and throb but he wanted just a little taste of her before they were mated. 

Veronica was beside herself with impatience and need

"Rik for god's sake!"

Rik refused to be hurried; he had waited far too long for this moment. After he had his time they could go as hard and as fast she wanted but for now....

"You smell divine." he said as he nuzzled the inside of her right thigh and kissed it before turning his attention to her throbbing and glistening jewel. Without warning he licked and then sucked catching Veronica completely off guard.

The little taste became a long drink as he lapped up her juices catching them with his tongue before they hit the bed.

Veronica didn't know what hit her. She had experienced orgasms before but they hadn't even close to what she was experiencing now, no one had ever made her scream the way that she was screaming now. Rik continued to drink from her long after her climax waned, he couldn't seem to get enough of her.

Finally he stopped although he didn't want to. It was time for them to be joined as mates. He rose from his kneeling position and called Veronica's name.

"Look at me and hear my words." he said as he positioned himself to enter her for the first time.

"I Rik Gabriel claim you Veronica Sinclaire to be mine for eternity." 

And then he rammed into her and stilled not moving until he felt Veronica moving beneath him. Rik stretched out over her not losing his tempo until he was face to face with her. He kissed her full lips taking in her breath and she his only leaving them long enough to lick the tears that streamed down the side of her face.

He felt the tingle at the balls of his feet and knew that within seconds the tingle would travel from the balls of his feet, up his legs and spread to his ass before it finally centered on his cock, Rik glued his mouth to Veronica's and moaned as his seed filled her. He ground against her until she came once again with a scream that was every bit as loud as the first one.

Rik slowly pulled out of her, moved to her side and snuggled her against his side. Neither of them spoke for several minutes as they caught their breaths. Until that moment Veronica couldn't have said that she loved Rik but now she could.

"I love you Rik." she said softly.

"Je t'aime- I love you." Rik replied, "Now sleep."

*********

Vanessa looked around at the slightly cluttered room and wondered why they had been paired as they were. She would have bet her bottom dollar that Rik's side of the house was as immaculate as her room at the other house. "Life is going to be interesting." she thought as she walked around the huge bedroom. 

Luc was in the bathroom doing something that he didn't want her to see. 

"Please wait here." he said as he kissed her and headed into the bathroom.

A few minutes later he came out and held his hand out to her, "come.'

Vanessa stopped at the doorway, the entire bathroom was alit with soft candle light, fresh flowers and rose petals floating in the tub that was already filled with hot water. An ice bucket with champagne sat on a small table that held two champagne glasses and an assortment of fresh fruits. 

Luc like Rik wasn't going to rush his first time with Vanessa for two reasons, the first and main one was that he wanted her to feel how much he loved her, the second was the same as Rik's he had been waiting for her even if he had never admitted it until now.

"This is beautiful." Vanessa murmured softly. This was how she had envisioned her first night with her mate. The flowers, the romance; all of it. 

"Do you really like it?" Rik asked peering into her eyes.

"Yes, I really like it." she said smiling up at him.

With a thought they were both naked. Luc's breath caught as he surveyed the naked woman standing before him. His mouth watered when his eyes landed on hard nipples that were centered on breasts that were large and looked soft enough to sleep on. Unable to resist, Luc lifted Vanessa up so that her nipples were at his mouth and began nibbling at them.

Vanessa wrapped her arms around Luc's head and held him tight against her breasts as she ground against him seeking relief. Luc released her nipple and set her down, it was going much too fast. He poured her a glass of champagne and handed it to her.

"Why did we stop?" Vanessa asked taking the glass of champagne.

"Because I do not want to rush this." Luc replied as he pushed a strand of hair out of her face, "It has been a long time in getting here.

He took the empty champagne glass and led her to the tub, got in before helping Vanessa in. Luc sat down and positioned Vanessa so that she faced forward and straddled his lap, he groaned when Vanessa rubbed her sex against his cock. As much as he hadn't wanted to rush, it was clear that he was fighting a losing battle. He lifted Vanessa up by her hips and eased her down until he was buried deep inside of her. 

"I Luc Gabriel take you Vanessa Sinclaire as my mate; I swear to you that there will never be another and that I will protect you with my life. Je t'aime-I love you Vanessa."

Vanessa began to rock back and forth on him with her lips pressed against his neck before she realized what she was doing; she bit hard enough to draw blood. She came the moment his blood touched her tongue and he came with the first pull of blood that Vanessa took from him. Water mixed with rose petals splashed over the side of the tub soaking the floor.

Vanessa laid her head on Luc's shoulder and closed her eyes, as far as she was concerned everything was perfect. The sense of urgency that she felt when they first began to make love was gone replaced with the feeling that they could now relax and take as long as they wished.

The thing was, as perfect as she thought it was, Vanessa didn't understand the urgency or the sense of relief that followed it. She finally attributed as being a part of the mating ad relaxed as Luc stood still holding her and stepped out of the tub and headed into the bedroom.

Luc lay Vanessa on the bed, turned her onto her stomach and began a head to toe massage that had her purring in no time, when the back was finished, he turned her onto her back and massaged her paying special attention to her breasts. He pinched and rolled her nipples until she was whimpering but he refused to rush this time as he took one and then the other nipple into his mouth sucking and then nipping as his hands skimmed down her body, the touch so light it was a tease.

When he reached her mound, Vanessa raised her hips to meet his touch but Luc pulled back keeping the touch as light as a butterfly's until she was begging him for release. Luc slid two fingers inside of her while using his thumb to massage her clit. When she was close to coming, Luc quickly moved so that he was poised above her. The head of his cock was aimed at her opening, taking a breath he slid into her triggering her climax with his immediately following. He was going to move to lie beside her but she wouldn't let him.

"No, not yet." 

Luc stayed where he was watching for signs that he was hurting her or getting too heavy. When he saw her eyes closing he began to slowly move.

"Luc?" Vanessa called.

"Yes?

"Je t' aime- I love you."

"Je t' aime Vanessa- I love you Vanessa." Luc replied as he kissed her cheek.

Vanessa turned to face him, laid her head on his shoulder and was asleep in seconds.

********

He paced back and forth filled with fury that Ethan and Katrina Sinclaire were happy, that their daughters had their mates and were at this very movement making love with them. "It isn't right!" he yelled into the air, "They should not be this happy!" he added as he threw a goblet filled with blood laced with wine across the room. 

If he had his way every damned Sinclaire would be dead male and female both but he considered himself a fair man, he only needed one life. At first he wanted one of the twins but now it had come down to whoever it was he could get and no one was exempt.

He wasn't fooling himself, he knew that if he were caught and he was almost certain that he would be that Ethan Sinclaire would show no mercy to him whatsoever. He also knew that his mate Katrina as tenderhearted as he knew her to be wouldn't speak on his behalf. He had actually thought about ending his life after he killed one of them but decided that it would be the coward's way out. He wanted to suffer at their hands because no matter what they did to him, whoever he got a hold of would never be back and the Sinclaires would know the true meaning of loss.

He poured himself another drink and sat down at his desk. He turned on his laptop and pulled up his accounts, he had to make sure that everything was in order in the event of his probable death. His servants would want for nothing and would never have to work another day in their lives unless they wanted to as all of his money was to be split among them. They had become his family and each of them would inherit a home to do with as they pleased, he really didn't care.

Of all his house servants there was only one who wasn't afraid to confront him and for that reason alone he treasured her more than any of the others. He knew that she was in love with him but she wasn't his.... His was....

He gulped down wine/blood mixture and began to plan where he would go if by some chance he could escape. It didn't take him long before he realized that there was no place that he could go that he could escape the wrath of the Sinclaire family as a whole but that wasn't reason enough to dissuade him. 

He resigned himself to his death.

********

The two couples spent the entire next day and night in their separate wings of the house before meeting in the common kitchen for a meal. Veronica noticed that Vanessa had lost some of her shyness while Vanessa noticed that Veronica seemed a little more settled. 

It hadn't taken Luc long to realize that Vanessa liked everything in its place. He had gone into the bathroom for just a few minutes and when he came out everything had been put away. After a long discussion they came to a compromise.

Rik and Veronica also had to come to some kind of agreement. Rik was amazed that in two days their room looked like a cyclone had hit it and Veronica hadn't even moved her things in yet. Once again he was struck by the fact that their mates were the opposite of them and to a large extent were the opposites of each other although they were physically identical in every way except eye color.

"We have to go over to mom and dads tonight." Vanessa said, "The wedding is in less than two weeks."

"I've got my notebook done, how about you?" Veronica asked.

"Yep, what time are we going over there?" 

"I told mom around six-thirty..... Ummm guys, tonight you talk to mom."

Rik and Luc looked at each other and shrugged thinking that compared to the meeting with Ethan a meeting with Katrina would be a walk in the park and were actually looking forward to talking with Katrina.

"Do you suppose we could go to your lab?" Rik asked Veronica, "I would like to see your research."

"As would I." Luc chimed in.

"We'd have to do it early or after we're done at mom and dads." Vanessa said, "and remember mom hates lateness." she said to Veronica.

"Then we'd better go afterwards." Veronica said remembering the last lecture they got when they late.

********

Katrina checked on the roast while Victoria set the table excited to be meeting who she considered to be her new brothers. She had even baked snickerdoodles for the occasion and had they gift wrapped to give as presents. She was just as excited to see her sisters; she missed them horribly and hoped that because they were mated that they wouldn't allow her to visit.

Katrina planned dinner for seven-thirty which would allow plenty of time for her to talk with Rik and Luc and for Victoria to get acquainted with the brothers. She liked both men and only planned to reiterate what Ethan told them although in a much nicer way and she would talk to them together instead of separately so that she wouldn't have to repeat herself.

She glanced at the clock and left Victoria to finish setting the table and Ethan to keep an eye on Victoria and the roast while she took a quick shower and changed. As she looked through the closet trying to decide what to wear she came across a box labeled 'maternity clothes' she resisted the urge to take the box out and to look at them for two reasons, the girls would be arriving soon, she wasn't pregnant and didn't know when or if it would happen again. To her opening the box would be jinxing herself if there was a chance of pregnancy. Instead she mused over what she should wear and went with comfort. 

Twenty minutes later she was back in the kitchen checking on the progress of the meal. She looked at the clock when she heard Vanessa and Veronica's voices. She couldn't believe it, they were fifteen minutes early and she wondered which brother she had to thank for it. Her gut told her Rik although she wasn't sure of why she thought that.

Victoria was already sizing the brothers up with a critical eye.




Vanessa and Veronica Ch. 06



"Are you nice to my sisters?" she asked her tone serious.

Rik and Luc looked at each other and then at the intense little girl standing in front of them with her hands on her hips.

"Why do you not ask them?" Rik asked.

"Ask us what?" Vanessa said from behind Luc.

"Are they nice to you?" Victoria asked.

"Very nice so no worries and if you're worried that you can't come to visit don't be." Vanessa said.

"I see that you've met Victoria." Ethan said when he reached the living room.

"Yes and may I say that you are as beautiful as your mother and sisters?" Luc said kneeling before her, taking her hand and kissing the back of it,

Victoria blushed and then giggled; Luc had just won her over. Following suit, Rik had the same results.

"I made you a present!" she said happy that she liked the brothers.

While Victoria ran off to get the presents Katrina looked at the two couples. She had kept her promise to her girls, they were happy and safe. Ethan was watching too and relaxed, his concerns about Luc's ability to keep Vanessa safe were diminishing as he watched how Luc was never more than a touch away and his body was between Vanessa and the door.

Victoria came back with two boxes and handed a box to each brother.

"Thank you but may I ask what's inside?" Rik asked.

"Snickerdoodles!"

"I am sorry but what are snickerdoodles?" Rik asked.

Victoria gave him an incredulous look. 

"Snickerdoodles are only the best cookie on the entire planet." she replied.

"And you made these cookies?" Luc asked.

"I sure did." Victoria replied proudly.

"Then I am certain that we shall enjoy them." Rik said speaking for both him and Luc.

Katrina let them talk for a few more minutes before pulling the brothers away to the study. They waited until she was seated before they sat down. They waited in silence for Katrina to speak not quite knowing what to expect.

"I'm sure that by now you know the history of this family and how Vanessa and Veronica came to be." Katrina said, "So I won't go into the details but I want to tell you what I promised all of my girls on the day that they were born. I promised them a safe and happy life and I also promised to kill anyone or anything that threatened them and that includes the two of you." 

Her eyes never lost their warmth as she threatened two vampires well over a foot taller than she was and outweighed her as well. Somehow the threat/promise felt more intimidating coming from her than it did Ethan.

"Ethan and I love those girls and if I have as much as a hint that either of you are hurting them...." 

She left the threat unspoken and continued in her soft voice.

"We are entrusting the happiness and safety of our daughters to you, do not fail them or us."

Luc spoke first.

"Mad...."

"Katrina please." she interrupted.

"Katrina, I speak on behalf of Rik as well as myself, you have our word that no harm will come to any of your daughters and that includes Victoria. We are now members of this family and will die defending it."

Katrina gave each brother a long look and then nodded. 

She was satisfied.

*******

Vanessa and Veronica busied themselves in the kitchen. They were actually more worried about Rik and Luc's meeting with their mother than they had been with their meeting with Ethan. They both knew that the guys were sucked in by Katrina's shy, quiet manner but a threat given in that soft voice of hers was worse than a threat spoken in anger.

"I like them." Victoria said as she watched Vanessa get ready to mash the potatoes.

"They like you too." Vanessa said with a smile, "Go grab the milk for me will you?"

Ethan chuckled as he thought about Katrina issuing a threat in her soft voice. "Those two are in for a surprise." he thought as he took the roast out of the oven at the appointed time and put the tray of rolls in oven. That done he took the creamy horseradish out of the fridge and set it on the counter to be taken to the dining room.

A few minutes later, Katrina, Rik and Luc came out of the study. Each man went to his mate and kissed her on the cheek and hugged her. Each one of them had the same thought, they didn't want to find out if their mother was capable of doing what she threatened although they were certain that she could and would.

Dinner was pleasant with Rik and Luc teaching Victoria several words in French. Everyone was surprised to find that she had an ear for languages and as for Victoria- she was thrilled. Dessert consisted of snickerdoodles and coffee with Victoria drinking milk.

Ethan, Rik and Luc cleaned up while the women went to the study to make wedding plans.

"Has anyone heard from Uncle Patrick?" Vanessa asked.

"No but apparently things are going as well as can be expected." Katrina replied as she sat down, "alright, what do we have?" asked.

They worked on the wedding for two solid hours.

"Well, it helps that you each want the same things." Katrina said relieved, "Rik and Luc will take care of calling their parents right?" She asked.

"Yes, they've already talked to them." Veronica said, "They'll be here a few days before the wedding."

"Where are they staying? Katrina asked.

"We thought that they could stay at the house down the beach from us." Veronica replied.

"Why don't we have them stay here?" Katrina asked, "We have plenty of room and they wouldn't have to worry about meals and since the wedding will be here they won't have to worry about finding their way around."

The girls agreed to talk to Rik and Luc about it and to leave the decision to them.

By the time they left, it was past one am, there was still plenty of time to show Luc and Rik around. Luc pulled up to the gate and entered the access code that Vanessa gave him. They drove to the gate and parked right in front of the door. Rik and Luc made Vanessa and Veronica stay in the car while they scanned the area for danger. As soon as Vanessa was out of the car, she looked at Veronica; someone had been in the lab.

"What is it?" Luc asked.

"Someone's been here." Vanessa replied looking around.

"Do you have lab techs?" Luc asked.

"No and we're the only ones besides Uncle Patrick who knows the codes to get in." Vanessa replied.

"Wait here......"

"Oh no you don't!" Veronica said, "This is our lab and we're going in."

"And besides, "Vanessa said, "They could still be in there although I don't smell anything."

"Fine but don't go wandering away from us." Rik said firmly.

Vanessa said the codes and the doors swung open.

"Ewww!" Veronica said covering her nose, "What is that smell?" she asked.

"Spoiled blood." Rik replied.

"Spoiled bl...."

Vanessa and Veronica looked at each other and stepped into the lab.

"Lights!" Veronica called out.

When the lights came on, they all gasped. The lab was totally destroyed, the PET scan machine was in pieces and strewn all over the lab, blood from the samples that had been collected splattered the walls and the floors, computers and diagnostic machines were totally destroyed. There wasn't a single piece of equipment spared; any data on paper had been run thru the shredder before the shredder itself was destroyed.

Shocked, they walked through the rest of the lab only to find that not even the personal areas had been spared. The thing that concerned Rik and Luc was the smell. Yes there had been blood from the lab samples but not enough to cause the stench that assailed their nostrils.

Luc stopped them when they got to what would have been Vanessa's room. The smell was strongest there, slowly he opened the door.

"Lights!" he said.

Their mouths dropped open in horror.

**********

Ethan was playing scrabble with Katrina and Victoria and as usual was getting his ass kicked. He was in the middle of laying a word down when he froze.

"Stay here!" he whispered and vanished outside.

"Who goes there?" one of his guards called out.

"Stand down it's me!" Ethan said looking around.

The guard appeared before Ethan.

"Is there a problem?" 

"Did you see or hear anything?" Ethan asked looking around.

"Not a peep but I'll check with the others." he said.

"Good and let me know what they say." Ethan replied.

He took another look around, someone or something had been here. He would bet every dime that he had on it but why hadn't his guards picked up on it?

As he headed back into the house he heard Katrina call his name.

"What is it sweetheart?" he asked.

"The girls just called, their lab is completely destroyed, and the only data that they have left is what's on their laptops."

"Where are they now?" he asked.

"At the lab, they want us to come, there's something that they want us to see."

********

He felt so much better now that he had given them a glimpse of who he was. His only regret was that he couldn't see the expression on the one named Vanessa's face when they went into her bedroom. He finished another drink and vanished to the basement where his bed was. It was early yet but there were plans to be considered and initiated.

"Good rest Ethan Sinclaire." he whispered as he lay on the bed fully clothed.



Vanessa and Veronica Ch. 07



Ethan was shocked, who would destroy the girl's lab and why? And what did they want him to see? Then there was the issue of sensing someone even though the security team didn't see or sense them. Ethan began to get a very bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"What's going on?" Katrina asked.

"I wish I knew." Ethan replied absently. "I'm going over to the lab you stay here with Victoria and don't let her out of your sight."

"They wanted me to come too." Katrina replied.

"I know but something's wrong and I need to know that you and Victoria are safe." Ethan replied. "Stay in the house and I'll be back soon."

Ethan was gone a few minutes later after kissing her and then Victoria goodbye.

"Make sure that you stay with your mom and that you listen to her." Ethan admonished.

"What's wrong papa?" Victoria asked worriedly.

"Probably nothing but be a good girl and listen to your mom." Ethan replied.

Victoria gave him a nervous smile and then nodded her head. Ethan took Katrina by the hand and led her to the door.

"I sensed someone outside but the guards didn't." he told her. He had learned long ago not to try to keep things from her, it always came back to bite him in the ass.

"Alright and that means what?" Katrina asked.

"I don't know but I have a really bad feeling in the pit of my stomach especially since the girl's lab has been broken into." Ethan replied. "I don't want to scare you but please stay indoors until I come back."

Ethan stepped outside and looked around trying to sense something about whoever had been there. Not once did he doubt what he sensed, someone had been on their property.

*******

Vanessa looked around her room stunned; the amount of rage directed at her was staggering. She wracked her brain trying to think who would be this angry at her and could think of no one. Tears ran down her face as she looked around her room trying to understand why someone would leave a corpse on her bed and her walls coated with animal blood. It wasn't a fresh body but one that had been exhumed.

The body was dressed in one of Vanessa's outfits holding dead flowers in its bony hands. Who ever had brought the body in had gone so far as to apply some of Vanessa's make up to the corpse. Vanessa began to shake but not with fear but pure anger.  She felt Anger that someone would remove a body from its resting place, anger that they had entered into her private place and desecrated it with the blood of what they knew to be a large animal of some kind.

Luc tightened his arms around Vanessa as her trembling increased. It took him several minutes to realize that she was trembling in anger.

"Who would do this?" She asked Veronica.

Veronica was at a loss for words. Of the two of them she was the one that trampled on people's toes and Vanessa was the one who soothed the hurts away, it just didn't make sense unless...

"Nessa, what if who did this chose you because he thinks that you would be an easier mark?" She asked. Vanessa, Luc and Rik looked at her.

"Vanessa? An easy mark?" Luc asked remembering the brief show of her temper.

"Yes, just hear me out." Veronica said, "Anyone who knows us knows that I'm the one or I was the one with the temper. Even when we were kids I was the one who got into fights while Vanessa was the peacemaker, I mean until that night the restaurant I didn't even know that she had a temper like that."

"What you are saying," Luc said, "is that if you didn't know then neither would anyone else."

"Exactly, we....."

"Shit!" they heard come from the front of the lab, "what in the hell..."

********

Ethan walked into the lab and stopped in his tracks, the first thing that hit him was the stench of spoiled blood. The second thing that hit him was the amount of damage that was done to the lab; he could almost feel the hatred as he looked around the room. He began to run through his list of enemies and the list was quite long but none of them were stupid enough to piss in his back yard but someone had. 

Suddenly Ethan knew that whoever had done this was the same person that he sensed in his yard. He knew something else, whoever it was wasn't really after the girls at least not in the traditional sense, and they were after him and using the girls to do it.

The question was how he and Ethan was convinced it was a male had managed to get by his security and how he had gotten into the lab. He didn't even know the access code to get in and as far as he knew only the girls, Patrick and now their mates knew the code.

The amount of damage told Ethan that the male was completely out of control and that both girls were in danger, they had to find a new lab and there was going to be security whether they wanted it or not.

"Dad!" Vanessa cried out as she broke free from Luc and threw herself into Ethan's arms.

"Are you alright?" he asked kissing Vanessa's head.

"I'm fine just mad as hell!" she exclaimed her temper showing, "Just look at this mess!" she added looking around the lab.

"My only concern is you and everyone else." Ethan replied, "You mom said that you wanted us to see something?"

"Yes, where is mom?" Veronica asked.

"I had her stay home with Victoria." Ethan replied.

"All is well?" Luc asked.

"I don't think so." Ethan replied and then told them about the intruder he sensed at the house.

"You're saying that this is connected?" Vanessa asked.

"I think so." Ethan replied but show me what you wanted me to see.

Ethan stared at the body in total shock. Whatever he had been expecting, it wasn't this. The smell of spoiled blood was almost overwhelming as he approached the body on Vanessa's bed. It was then that his suspicions were confirmed; this was very personal but why involve the girls?

When he got to the bed he looked at the body. He didn't recognize her but knew that somehow her identity was a part of whatever was going on. Ethan took out his phone and called Katrina.

"Is everything alright there?" he asked.

"So far." Katrina replied, "What's going on there?"

"I'll explain when I get back, where's Victoria?"

"Here with me.... Ethan what's going on?" Katrina asked now concerned, "is everyone alright?"

"They're fine." Ethan replied "But I want to bring them home with me."

"I'll get the rooms ready." Katrina replied.

"Fine but keep Victoria with you."

********

He chuckled softly as he thought about Ethan's reaction to his presence and wished that he could have seen Vanessa's reaction to her room. It really wasn't anything personal it was just that her room was so immaculate that it was worthy of leaving his beloved there. The other room was.... At any rate, Vanessa's room was worthy and that was all that mattered.

He was certain that Ethan would be called and he was certain that Ethan suspected that someone was after him and his precious family. He wished that he could take them all but one of them was all that he was permitted, a life for a life. He was also aware that they would all think that Vanessa was the target that had been unintentional but to his benefit.

He had thought to take one of them and do to them what had been done to his beloved but he didn't think that he could, doing so would have made him as bad as them. He would be satisfied with knowing that they would suffer as he had and was. That he would die was of no consequence as long as he took one of the females with him.

The chuckles turned into soft sobs as he remembered his beloved and the way that he found her. She was so beautiful with long red hair and green eyes. Her skin was almost flawless and her laugh... it reminded him of tinkling bells. She had brought out the very best in him; her death had brought out the worst. "I miss you Rosie." he murmured.

In some ways he blamed himself for her rape and subsequent death. If he would have just claimed her she would be with him now. But he hadn't, he wanted to take the time to really get to know her, he wanted to court her and present her with a diamond, all of it but it never happened.

He remembered it as if it had just happened instead of fifty years ago. That it wasn't Ethan that raped her was immaterial, it was fact that he admitted that he could have done something centuries before. He knew that what they were doing was wrong and he allowed it to continue stopping it too late to save Rosie.

He wasn't sure when he started thinking about revenge. Maybe it was when he decided to kill himself, it was then that he decided that it just wasn't fair so he watched and waited. When Ethan mated with the woman that he had raped and they had children the injustice of it all hit him. He would never have another mate and would never know the joys of holding a child and Ethan had all of those things and now his children would be having children two of them anyway.

*********

"Do you know her?" Veronica asked.

"No at least I don't think that I do." Ethan replied looking up from the corpse and at the blood splattered room. "Was anything left in Veronica's room? He asked.

"Not that we can tell." Vanessa said earning a glare from her sister. "What do you think is going on?" she asked.

"Something very personal." Ethan replied "I know that you're newly mated but I want you all at the house."

Luc bristled and caught Ethan's attention.

"This has nothing to do with whether I feel that you can keep Vanessa safe; it's about safety in numbers. Whoever did this was able to approach the house without the guards noticing. I have Katrina and Vanessa under guard and in the same room as we speak."

"Do you think that someone is after us?" Veronica asked.

"I don't know what to think but I believe that it's a possibility." Ethan replied, "It'll be easier to keep everyone safe if we're together." 

Ethan waited for a few seconds; he was fully prepared to force the issue if he had to.

"We will meet you there." Rik said seeing and conceding Ethan's point.

"Fine and I'll send some people to clean up this mess." Ethan said looking around the room again.

"What about her?" Luc asked meaning the corpse. 

"She goes with us." Ethan said, "I think that she's at the center of whatever is going on."

**********

Victoria was going stir crazy, she wasn't used to being confined to just one room and she was beside herself with boredom.

"Mom can I go outside?" Victoria asked.

"For the tenth time, no!" Katrina said a little sharper than she had intended. "I'm sorry baby, I didn't mean to be sharp with you but you can't go outside until we know that it's safe."

Victoria started to argue that they had guards but held her tongue. It was a rare occurrence to see her mother so anxious and when she stopped to think about it, her father was tense. Instead of arguing Victoria turned on her laptop to play a game of scrabble against the computer.

As she waited for the game to load, she felt someone outside. She looked over at Katrina who was working on her laptop and then at the window. She was about to go see who or what was outside when Ethan appeared in front of her.

"Where were you going?" he asked scooping her up in his arms. He knew how hard it had to have been for her being confined to the one room.

Victoria squealed in surprise and the laughed in delight as Ethan swung her around until she was dizzy.

"Papa!" she laughed, "stop!"

Ethan kissed the laughing girl and sat her on her feet holding on to her until she was steady.

Katrina watched them with a smile on her face, the twins had stopped calling them "papa and mama" by the time they were Victoria's age they had long outgrown enjoying the games that Victoria still took delight in.

"Are they alright?" she asked after a moment.

"They're fine and they're coming here to stay until we know what's happening." Ethan replied as he walked over to Katrina and kissed her before sitting down to tell her about the lab and the corpse.

"You have no idea of who she is?" Katrina asked.

"Not a clue but she's at the center of this."

"Ethan.... Is it possible that she was a victim? One of yours maybe?" Katrina asked.

The thought had already crossed his mind and more than likely the woman had been a victim to one of them which meant that whoever destroyed the lab and whoever had been in the yard was the same person. It also explained the rage that Ethan felt when he walked into the lab; the woman had been the mate of a vampire. He couldn't have claimed her or else she wouldn't have been raped Ethan realized as he began to run all of the possibilities through his head. 

There were hundreds if not thousands of possibilities that could only be narrowed down if they found out who the woman was.

"It's possible." Ethan conceded, "We have to find out who she was."

Katrina hesitated, she knew that the corpse was going to be brought home and she didn't know how she felt about that.

"Does she have to come here?" she asked.

"We could take her somewhere else...... Victoria!" Ethan yelled just as he sensed the presence again and saw Victoria headed for the door. He vanished from where he was sitting to the door getting there just as she was reaching for the doorknob.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I.... there was someone outside asking if he could come in." Victoria replied.

Ethan vanished outside and looked around inhaling deeply trying to pick up on the scent. He felt his anger growing that someone would dare approach his home and threaten what was his. As he stood outside Vanessa, Luc, Veronica and Rik pulled up.

"What are you doing?" Veronica asked as she got out of the car.

"He was here." Ethan said, his blue eyes flashing in anger as he continued to look around the property. "Richard!" he shouted.

"Yes sir?" asked a vampire that appeared in front of Ethan.

"Did you see, hear or smell anything out of place in the last ten minutes?"

Richard frowned, "No sir, no one has been here other than us, you and your family."

*******

He watched as Ethan went back into his home followed by his daughters and their mates. He had almost gotten caught and by a child no less! "Interesting" he mused as he watched them go into the house. They were doing what the Sinclaires did best... circling the wagons. 

He went back to the lab to retrieve the body of his beloved not thinking that they would have taken it. He went through the lab and to Vanessa's room where he stopped and looked at the empty bed in shock and pain. 

"No!!" he screamed.

And made himself calm, this ended tonight and he didn't care which of the women he took.

********

Ethan and Katrina let the girls show their mates where they would be sleeping. Victoria they decided would sleep in their room. That she could sense someone that no one else other than Ethan could sense concerned all of them.

"I'm not a baby!" 

"We know you aren't a baby." Katrina soothed.

"So why can't I sleep in my own room?" Victoria asked pouting.

"You stay in here with us, end of discussion." Ethan said firmly. "Now your mom will go with you to your room so that you can change into your pajamas and get ready for bed now scoot."

Victoria looked at Ethan and then Katrina and back at Ethan again. She couldn't remember the last time he had used that tone with her any more than she could remember the last time her mother had snapped at her and the last time there had been something wrong too.

"Yes papa." Victoria said quietly as she headed fore the door.

"Victoria, come here." Ethan said gently. When she reached him he knelt before her and hugged her. "I'm sorry that I was so firm but there's someone who wants to hurt us and I need your complete obedience, do you understand?"

"Is it the man that was outside?" she asked.

"I think so and if he asks again about coming in the answer is no." Ethan replied.

Victoria nodded, she wasn't going to let the man in anyway, he didn't feel right to her, he felt... sick and very, very angry at all of them but especially her father and she wanted to know why. She didn't bother to ask, he wouldn't have told her deeming her too young and he didn't want to frighten her. Victoria kissed Ethan on the cheek and headed to her room with Katrina following close behind. As Katrina and Vanessa left the room, a guard fell in behind them, when they reached Victoria's room one went in before them.

********

Vanessa, Luc, Veronica and Rik were sitting in the living room talking.

"Who do you suppose she is?" Rik asked.

"If I had to guess, I would say that she was a victim." Veronica said, "Whose is anybody's guess."

"But what I don't understand is why now? That corpse has to be at least fifty years old and the last sanctioned rape was over twenty-five years ago." Veronica said.

"Maybe he's been waiting for what he considers to be the right time." Luc said.

"And what would make this the right time?" Vanessa asked.

"Us." Luc said.

"Us?" the girls asked at once.

"Let us think about this," Luc said, "when did the trouble start?"  When no one answered, he answered, "it was soon after Rik and I found you. Whoever this is has become .... Enraged, that is what we saw at the lab and the corpse? She is his."

"Why did he leave her there?" Veronica asked.

"He wants us to know the reason for his anger..... Fuck!" Luc exclaimed.

"What?" they all asked startled by Luc's outburst.

"We weren't supposed to take her; we were just supposed to see her."

"You think that he went back for her don't you?" Veronica asked.

"Luc is right" Rik said. "Neither of us was thinking but then we didn't know what was happening and my guess is that he already knows she's gone and that we've got her and if he hasn't gone over the edge, he has now."

********

His room was totally destroyed. "How can you take her from me again!" he screamed at no one in particular but meaning the Sinclaires. Tonight one of them would die and although he said that it didn't matter which one, it wouldn't be the child even though her death would hurt them more than any of the others.

Before anything else happened, he had to find Rosie and bring her back so that he could prepare her for their final departure. When he took the Sinclaire woman who was to pay the ultimate price for the sins of the family, He would be merciful, he wouldn't torture or needlessly hurt her, she wouldn't even see it coming which is more than they did for Rosie. 

He left his room and went to the room that he had specifically chosen for his final hours. The blue dress that he had chosen for Rosie was laid out on the bed waiting to be worn by her. It had taken some doing but he had finally located a vintage dress shop that had a dress similar to the one that Rosie had been wearing when he first found her. The shoes sat at the foot of the bed, they were a perfect match for the dress.... They were the original shoes, the only part of her outfit that he had been able to save.

"Soon my love." he murmured as he vanished from the room to begin his search for Rosie. Nothing else could or would be done until he found her.

*******

"What now?" Vanessa asked, "Can we take her back to the lab?"

"I do not think so, if I am correct, he has already been there and knows that we have her."

"I think that we must talk to your father." Rik said, "Maybe he has thought of something."

"I'll go get him." Vanessa said.

"I'm here." Ethan replied coming into the living room followed by Katrina and Victoria.

Luc waited until they were sitting and explained the situation.

"You're saying that we have to find someway of getting her back to him." Katrina said.

"Exactly." Luc said.

Ethan sat back in his chair his fingers tapping the arms as he thought about what to do next.

"He's been here twice, the first time I sensed him the second time Victoria did and he asked her to let him in." 

All eyes went to Victoria who knew what they wanted.




Vanessa and Veronica Ch. 07



She quickly told them of the brief interaction between her and the unknown vampire.

When she was finished Luc spoke.

"Giving her back isn't going to change anything, he still wants someone to die."

"Then I'll meet him." Ethan said.

"He doesn't want you." Luc said, "He wants you to suffer as he has."

"How do you know this?" Ethan asked. 

"I don't know" Luc replied, "I just do...."

"What else do you know?" Ethan asked.

Luc put his arm around Vanessa, "he wants one of our mates and he doesn't care which one. Victoria is exempt but only because of her age."

"Where is he?" Ethan asked.

"Close and whoever he is? He is much older than you, the things that he can do attest to that."

"Is there anyway to stop him?" Katrina asked.

"Other than killing him? Nothing." Luc replied, "And he plans on dying. He knows exactly who he's fucking with but he simply doesn't care."

"Shit." Ethan swore, "We need to find him."

"No." Katrina said, "He'll come here. " Maybe we can leave the body on a table in the front and we can catch him then."

There was a long silence as everyone thought about Katrina's suggestion. Reluctantly they all agreed that there was really no other option.

Luc and Rik went to retrieve the corpse from the garage while Ethan carried a table from the house to the front yard. Katrina and the girls got blankets to cover the table and the corpse with and a pillow for her head. 

As they situated the body on the table, Ethan touched a bony cheek.

"I am so very sorry for what we did to you and your mate." he said knowing how inadequate the apology was.

They all turned to walk back to the house when they heard the sound of rustling blankets. As one they stopped, turned and gasped. The body was gone but the blankets and pillow lay in a heap on the table.

Ethan looked around trying to sense the vampire but he was gone for now.

******

He kissed Rosie's cold bony cheek and held her close to him.

"I am so sorry to have used you like that but they needed to see you." he said as he laid her gently on the bed and began to undress her. "Soon we will be together."

Twenty minutes later the corpse that had been at one time Rosalind Jean Palmer was dressed and lying on the bed holding a fresh bouquet of flowers in her hands.

He kissed her cold lips, murmured a promise to return soon and vanished.

******

Three couples and one child sat together in the living room waiting for something to happen. Each of them were hoping that whoever the vampire was would be appeased by the care that they had given his mate and would either go on his way or confront them openly.

"Mama I'm hungry" Victoria said standing and heading toward the kitchen.

"You stay here." Veronica said, "I'll go get you something, anyone else?"

"I'll come too." Rik said.

"No, I'll be fine; she just wants her cookies and a glass of milk." Veronica replied.

Ten minutes later she hadn't come back. Rik went to the kitchen to see what was keeping her. He let out an anguished cry as he saw the back door flung wide open and a bouquet of dead flowers in the doorway. 



Vanessa and Veronica Ch. 08



Veronica blinked rapidly, "What the hell?" she asked as she looked around. She had gone to the kitchen to get Victoria cookies and milk, Rik had wanted to come with her, she told him that she would be fine... and why wouldn't she be? She was in the house! Then she saw something at the back door, a face but she felt no threat but a great deal of pain, sorrow and sadness. She remembered going to the door, she had no intentions of opening it but she did. The emotions of the vampire standing on the back steps almost overwhelmed her. Veronica had never considered herself the most empathetic of vampires but the pain and suffering... she hadn't planned to step outside any more than she had planned to open the door but she did and now she was .... Wherever here was.

She looked around the small room and tried to stand.

"You cannot break those chains." a voice said from behind her.

"Who are you?" Veronica asked as she tried to turn to see who was behind her.

"My name does not matter." he replied.

"Well it matters to me!" Veronica shot back, her temper flaring.

"Very well but it won't mean much to you nor will your knowing it change anything." the voice said. "My name is Bradford Jefferson."

"Alright Mr. Jefferson, who was the corpse?" she asked in full no nonsense Veronica mode.

Bradford blinked, here she was chained to a chair and she was demanding answers. The impressive thing was that there wasn't a trace of fear but much curiosity.

"Are you not afraid?" he asked.

"Would it help if I said yes?" Veronica asked.

"No." Bradford replied, "It would change nothing."

"Then no I'm not afraid." Veronica replied, "But I will admit to being as mad as hell. So who was the corpse?"

Instead of answering her Bradford left the room closing and locking the door behind him.

*******

Everyone ran into the kitchen when they heard Rik call out.

"Wha....." then Ethan saw the open door and the dead flowers on the doorstep.

Katrina stopped dead in her tracks her dark eyes filled with fear and fury. It was the soft sobbing of Victoria that calmed her.

"We'll find her." Katrina soothed hugging the crying girl.

"M....my fault... M... I..." she sobbed.

"No it isn't." Katrina said.

"B... I wanted cookies and...."

Ethan tamped down his anger and picked Victoria up.

"This isn't your fault! Do you understand? It's the fault of whoever who took her and we're going to find her."

Victoria looked tearfully at Rik, "I...." was all that she got out before she shattered into tears.

Rik like Ethan swallowed his anger and went to Victoria, "No little one, it is not your fault and I swear to you we will bring her back."

"Rik, Luc you start searching the property, Vanessa and Katrina you stay here in case she comes back," Ethan said as he took out his cell phone. "Katrina baby, pack a bag for Victoria, I'm calling Mason to see if she can stay with him and Toni until this is over."

Victoria started to cry even harder, "Please don't make me go! I want to stay here and help look for Ronnie!"

"No sweetheart, we need to know that you're safe." Ethan replied.

"Come on pumpkin." Vanessa said taking Victoria's hand.

"I'll pack some of your cookies." Katrina said thinking that it would help.

Victoria pulled away from Vanessa, walked to the counter where the cookie jar was, picked it up and threw it out of the open back door as hard as she could with a scream of rage. She sobbed as the ceramic jar hit a tree and then shattered.

"Mason and Toni will be here in about an hour," Ethan said as he picked up a still sobbing Victoria. He held her until her sobs were sniffles and she was hiccupping. "Alright baby, go with your mom and Vanessa."

"Papa?" 

"Yes baby?"

"Hurry up and find her."

********

Rik took the back of the property with Luc taking the front. Security combed the entire area looking in every building there was and then extended the search beyond the perimeters of Ethan's considerable property.

Ethan was going to call Patrick but decided to wait; Martin, Rachel and their boys were on the way as well as other friends and relatives, which included Maryanne, her husband and his family. He would call Patrick if they hadn't found Veronica by morning. He knew that they were just getting home and he didn't want to alarm them just yet.

After all of the necessary calls completed, Ethan kissed Katrina, Vanessa and Victoria goodbye. Victoria clung to him so tightly that he had to peel her arms from around his neck.

"Papa please don't make me go!" she begged again.

"Ethan?" Mason called out as he walked into the kitchen. "Veronica is missing?" he asked.

"Yes, I'll let Katrina fill you in and thank you and Toni both for taking care of Victoria but I've got to go."

A few minutes later, he was gone.

Mason bent down to Victoria, "hey kiddo." 

"H...hi Uncle Mason"

"Ready to go? I promise that you can call as many times as you want and you won't even have to go to bed until Veronica is found."

Reluctantly Victoria took Mason's hand. Her bag was waiting by the front door having been packed by Katrina.

"Victoria, do you remember Toni? My wife and this is our son Jamie."

"H...Hi." Victoria said still sniffling.

"Hi Victoria." Toni said bending over as far as her large pregnant belly would allow. "I know that you're scared and that you want to stay and help but the best way to do that is if you come with us."

Victoria slowly nodded her head as the tears began anew.

Twenty-one year old Jamie looked at the sobbing girl and felt a pull on his heart, the need to soothe and protect her hit him so hard that his head spun. He knew exactly who this girl was. That it would be years before they could be anymore than friends didn't matter... he could wait for centuries if he had to but his priority was the here and now.

"Come on squirt." he said lightly, "I'll even let you beat me in scrabble."

Victoria's eyes flashed, "Squirt? My name is Victoria!" she said her voice full of indignation.

"Victoria then," Jamie said with a smile, getting to know Victoria Sinclaire and watching her grow up was going to be interesting indeed.

**********

Veronica was getting angrier by the minute, "Hey!" she called out several times and then stopped realizing that as long as Bradford wasn't in the room with her it gave Rik and the others more time to find her. She had no plans of just sitting there and waiting for them to find her, she'd kick his ass herself if she had too.

In the meantime, she had to use her head. She remembered how surprised he had been when she told him that she wasn't afraid of him. It was then that she realized that he didn't know what to make of her; she wasn't what he was expecting. He was expecting her to cry, beg and plead for her life and she sure as hell wasn't about to do that, she would die fighting him first.

However, she was curious about him as well. She really wanted to know who the woman was and why he waited so long to seek his vengeance. 

******

Bradford stood outside of the door wishing now that he had taken the child; the one that he had taken unnerved him with her calm acceptance of her fate. He didn't like the way that she seemed to be turning him into one of her subject matter that she studied in her lab. 

He took a deep breath and silently went back into the room.

"I know that you're back there." Veronica said in a matter of fact tone, "You didn't answer my question, who was the corpse?"

When he didn't answer, Veronica continued.

"Let's get a few things straight so that we don't waste time. If you're waiting for me to beg, cry and plead for my life it isn't going to happen. We both know that it won't make any difference...."

"You think that they are going to save you." Bradford stated calmly.

"Do you think that they won't?" Veronica challenged.

"I think that they will try" Bradford replied, "But they won't succeed."

"Why don't we agree to disagree and you tell me about the woman, was she your mate?"

Bradford was struck by the fact that Veronica had yet to ask about why he took her. She seemed more interested in knowing about Rosie than she did about his plans to kill her. Bradford hesitated; the truth was Veronica Sinclaire intrigued him.

"Why do you care?" He asked.

"Curiosity." Veronica replied.

"You think to study me?" he asked irritated.

"No not really and how could I do that if I'm going to die?" she asked.

"She was my mate." Bradford said softly, "I hadn't claimed her yet because I wanted to take my time in getting to know her.... If I had claimed her...."

Veronica listened as Bradford's demeanor changed. She could hear the same pain, sadness and rage that she saw in his face when he came to the house. For just a moment, she felt sorry for him but then her anger rose. She forced it down; it wouldn't do to antagonize him even more before she was freed from the chains.

"So why didn't you claim her?" Veronica asked trying to get Bradford back on track.

"I wanted to take my time in getting to know her." he replied. "I have always found our way of mating so.... Fast ands after looking for her for centuries, I wanted to take my time and relish every moment that it took to get to know her as a person and as my mate. Had I even suspected that she was going to be defiled by one of yours...." the anger rose again barely controlled.

"Tell me about her." Veronica said wishing that Bradford would stand where she could see him.

"Again, I ask you." Bradford said, "Why do you care?"

Veronica shrugged her shoulders rattling the heavy chains, "Curious." she replied. "Why are you standing behind me?" she asked a challenge in her voice.

********

Rik was searching to the left of the property calling to Veronica telepathically and becoming more anxious when he received no response. The only thing that he knew for sure was that she wasn't dead, he would have felt it, and with that knowledge in mind, he continued his search. After ten minutes, he stopped short, something that Ethan said hit him; Ethan could sense the vampire and so could Victoria but none of the rest of them could. That told him something, one the vampire was an ancient, he had to be in order to do the things that he did. Rik believed that the vampire specifically made a point of revealing himself to Ethan in order to taunt him. The reason for Victoria being able to sense the vampire nagged at Rik as there could be any number of reasons, but he was guessing that she had an innate ability to do so and that was something that the vampire hadn't been expecting. 

When he asked Victoria to let him in, it was a spur of the moment decision that failed. It made Rik wonder if the fact that Victoria could sense the vampire was why he didn't wait or try to find an opportunity to take her. She would have been the most logical choice, as brave as she was; she was still a child and would have been frightened and more easily controlled where as Veronica..... Rik smiled, the vampire was in for a rude awakening. He headed back to the house, they needed to keep Victoria with them, she was going to be important in finding Veronica.

*********

As Ethan searched the furthest parts of his property, he wondered about his decision no to call Patrick. Patrick would want to know no matter what else was going on in his own life. It was just that he didn't want Kevyn's first experience with her new family to be like this but it couldn't be helped. He took out his cell phone and dialed Patrick's number.

"When did you get back?" Ethan asked.

"A couple of hours ago." Patrick replied, "What's happening?"

Ethan hesitated and then told Patrick about Veronica's disappearance. 

"Do you know who has her?" Patrick asked.

"We believe that it is the mate of one of our victims and so far out of all of us only Victoria and I are able to sense him." Ethan replied.

"I'm on my way." Patrick said.

"Go to the house, I'll meet you there." Ethan said, "Patrick? I'm sorry that your mate has to meet us under these circumstances."

"Me too, I'll see you soon." Patrick replied and hung up.

Ethan was surprised to see Victoria still at the house when he returned.

"Why are you still here?" he asked Mason.

"That is my fault." Rik said before Mason could respond. 

Ethan turned toward Rik his eyes filled with fury, "You have no right to make any decisions regarding Victoria! You should have gone with Veronica when she went to the kitchen..."

"Ethan!" Katrina said firmly and took his arm. "It's water under the bridge! Now listen to what Rik has to say and just for the record, I was the one who made the decision about whether Victoria leaves or not."

Ethan took a deep breath, the anger fading from his eyes as he looked at Rik.

"Rik, I'm sorry...."

"Please, no apologies." Rik said interrupting Ethan, "You are right; I should have gone with her."

"Then he would have had both of you." Victoria said softly.

All eyes went to Victoria.

"Why do you say that?" Luc asked.

"I... I don't know." Victoria replied. "I just know that he's very angry at us and that he's very old, much older than papa and Uncle Mason."

"Do you not see?" Rik asked Ethan, "out of all of us, you and Victoria are the only ones that can sense him. I believe that in your case, he chose to allow it but in Victoria's case, it is an innate ability that he hadn't planned on. I've tried calling out to Veronica but I hit nothing but dead space."

"So you're thinking that Victoria can help us track him is that it?" Ethan asked.

"Yes, but I am also wondering if Victoria can reach Veronica telepathically. For one so young she is quite strong..."

"I'll try!" Victoria exclaimed relieved to be able to help in some small way.

"Victoria...." Ethan called.

"Please papa, let me try." 

"Ethan and Katrina, a word please." Mason said and stepped away.

"I know that Victoria isn't my child but you know that I love her and the twins as if they were but you must let her help."

"She's a child!" Ethan replied.

"Yes and a very precocious one at that." Mason agreed, "But if you don't allow her to help in some way she will always feel responsible if this doesn't turn out well. She already feels at fault and if she isn't allowed to help, she will always feel as though she did nothing. Even it she tries and fails, that will be better than the alternative."

"Ethan, he's right." Katrina agreed, "I would be less than honest if I said that I'm scared but we have to let her help."

Ethan looked over at Victoria who was standing next to Jamie biting her lip nervously. Ethan looked back at Mason who gave a quick nod of his head.

Ethan nodded back and went back to the group followed by Katrina and Mason.

"Victoria and Katrina, come with me for a moment." he said holding out his hands.

When they were away from the group, Ethan knelt down in front of Victoria.

"Victoria, none of this is your fault, you know that don't you?"

Her silence told him that she still believed that it was.

"Baby, it wasn't." Katrina said kneeling down next to Ethan, "you couldn't have known what was going to happen."

Victoria didn't reply but began to cry again, no matter what anyone said, Veronica's disappearance was her fault and she was going to help find her even if she had to run away to do it.

Ethan realized that Mason was right, it they didn't let Victoria help in some way....

"Alright pumpkin." Ethan said, "Before I say yes to anything I need your word on a few things. The first thing is that you will do as you're told without question or argument, can you give me your word on that?"

"Yes papa!" Victoria replied. She would have promised never to ask another questioned if that's what it took.

"Good, I want your word that you won't go wandering off and that you will always stay within sight of an adult."

"I promise."

"Katrina what do you think?" Ethan asked already knowing the answer but it was important that Victoria know that she had the full support of both parents.

"I agree but as soon as you disobey one time, it's done."

"I promise to listen." Victoria said anxiously.

They went back to the group and stood in front of Rik. Victoria reached out and took Rik's much larger hand in hers.

"Tell me what to do."

Rik looked down at her and knelt before her, "You are a very brave little girl." he told her.

"I just want my sister back." Victoria said. "I can go back to being scared later."

Rik pulled Victoria into his arms and hugged her, "Thank you little sister." he whispered in her ear. Victoria returned the hug and then broke away, she was anxious to get started.

Rik and Victoria sat on the floor facing each other. Rik had Victoria's hands in his and spoke softly.

"Close your eyes and try to empty your mind of everything except Veronica. Do not worry if it takes some time, it's hard to do. Once everything except for Veronica is gone from your mind, just say her name. You will know if you got through or not, I cannot explain the feeling but you will know."

It took Victoria several tries before she felt ready enough to call to Veronica.

"Ronnie?" she called telepathically.

*******

"Why are you standing behind me?" Veronica asked again, "Don't I have the right to face my accuser?"

"You are not accused of anything." Bradford replied.

"Really?" Veronica snapped back, "You broke into our lab and destroyed a very expensive piece of equipment as well as invaluable data; you left a corpse on my sister's bed and spray painted the room with animal blood which by the way stank to high heaven and let's see what else? Oh you tried to get my little sister to let you in and then you convince me to leave the safety of the house and finally, you have me chained to a chair so tell me how I am not accused of anything."

"I am not accusing you specifically." Bradford replied, "I...."

"I what?" Veronica interrupted. "I get it, you're angry at my family for what happened to Rosie and I don't blame you, I would be angry too but here's my question, why didn't you confront my father face to face? He would have respected that but he sees this as cowardice and for cowards he had no respect and neither do I for that matter."

"I am no coward!" Bradford exclaimed angrily.

"So you say." Veronica replied calmly "yet here I am, a woman who is physically no match for you chained to a chair all because you're too afraid to talk to my father..."

"I want him to feel loss!" Bradford screamed as he moved to stand before Veronica. "I want him to feel the pain that I have felt for the past decades. I want him to feel the helplessness that I felt when I found Rosie dead by her own hand; I want him to feel the anguish that I felt when one of them raped her, the guilt that I felt because I didn't protect her!"

Veronica looked up at the face of a vampire who would have been handsome if not for the sadness and rage that was in his eyes and on his face. Tears ran down his face as he glared at her, "I want him to suffer."

"I can't tell you how sorry I am that this happened to you and Rosie." Veronica said, "But killing me isn't going to change anything."

"No, it won't." Bradford agreed in a much calmer voice, "Why are you not threatening me with the fact that your father will kill me?" he asked.

"Why state the obvious?" Veronica said, "Which brings up another point, this could have been over by now, if you had confronted him you would be dead by now; you would have let him kill you."

"Yes, this is true but I had to see him frightened ....."

"Frightened?" Veronica asked, "You obviously didn't do you research, all you've done is pissed him off....."

"Ronnie?" Veronica heard in head.

"Victoria?" she sent back.

*********

Tears of relief and pain ran down Victoria's face when she heard Veronica reply. The pain was due to the massive headache she developed while trying to contact Veronica. She didn't let anyone know because if she did, they would have made her stop. Just hearing Veronica's voice made the pounding in her head worth it.




Vanessa and Veronica Ch. 08



"She answered me!" Victoria exclaimed and then threw up.

When she opened her eyes, she was laying on the couch with a cold washcloth over her eyes and Jamie Donahue sitting on the end of the couch watching her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Better, where's my mom?"

"In the kitchen getting you something to drink." Jamie replied. "That was a very brave thing that you did."

Victoria sat up just as Katrina came in with two glasses, one with water and the other filled with juice.

"Drink all of it." she admonished.

"Where's everybody?" Victoria asked as she took the glass of water.

"In the other room..."

"I need to talk to Ronnie again, this time it won't be as hard."

"Squirt....."

"I told you not to call me that!" Victoria said to Jamie before turning her attention back to Katrina. "Mama I have to, I can help find her and... I think that I can talk to him too."

"Absolutely not!" Katrina exclaimed.

Ethan came into the room followed by Patrick who was holding the hand of a woman that Victoria knew to be his mate.

"Uncle Patrick!" Victoria screamed as she jumped off the couch and ran to him giving him her standard greeting.

"Hey pumpkin!" Patrick greeted as he hugged her tight. "I hear that you've been quite the brave one."

"Not really, I just want Ronnie back.... Is that your mate?" she asked looking at Kevyn.

"Yes and when this mess is over you can visit so that you can get to know her better."

"Okay but who's the lady with her?" Victoria asked.

"That's Kevyn's sister Louise and no she doesn't know about us so be careful."

"I get it." Victoria replied kissing Patrick on the cheek.

Patrick sat Victoria on her feet and quickly introduced her to Kevyn and Louise. While the introductions were happening, Katrina told Ethan about what Victoria wanted to do and his reaction matched her.

"There is no fucking way that I'm letting her do that!" he exclaimed.

The fact that Ethan cursed told Katrina how strongly he felt about Victoria's idea.

"I feel the same way." Katrina replied, "But what if it's the only way to save Veronica?"

Ethan didn't reply but hugged Katrina close, he didn't want to think about another one of his girls being in danger.

********

Something had just happened, Bradford felt it and saw the surprise on Veronica's face. He wondered if they had been found already and how much time he had left before the entire Sinclaire clan pounced on him.

"Who spoke to you?" he asked.

"My sister, they're coming for me and please don't take that as the cliché and predictable response of someone in trouble. I think that you know by now that I don't play the poor me, have pity on me game. It was meant as a fact and not a hope or dream." 

Bradford looked at Veronica closely, she was telling the truth and if she got out of those chains, she would try to kill him. Logic told him to kill her right then and there but he didn't, he wanted to talk with her, he wanted to know where her courage came from.

"Courage?" Veronica asked. "Courage my ass! I told you that I'm pissed off! However, back to my question, why are you so afraid to confront my father? After all you have a death wish, your kidnapping me tells me that... do you want to be a martyr? To be considered yet another victim to the Sinclaires? And are you that afraid of me that you keep me in chains?"

"I fear no one!" Bradford exclaimed and slapped Veronica across the face hard enough that he drew blood.

"Uh huh," Veronica replied with a smile, "so Brad, tell me about Rosie, what did she look like?"

"What?" he asked thrown off by the sudden change of subject.

"I mean if you're going to kill me, I would like to know about the woman who I am being killed for."

Bradford hesitated, he really didn't want to tell this woman about Rosie but he felt compelled to tell her. Maybe it was because he felt that she was owed an explanation that he told her, he would never know.

As soon as he began to describe Rosie, Veronica knew which of her relatives raped her.... Patrick.

********

Katrina took Kevyn aside.

"I'm so sorry that your first time meeting us isn't a happy occasion."

"No worries, I just hope that everything is alright." Kevyn replied.

"Thank you for understanding." Katrina replied, "Maybe we can talk when this is over? Go to lunch or something."

"I would like that." Kevyn replied, "And please let me know if I can help in any way."

Katrina and Kevyn walked back to the group where a heated discussion was going on about Victoria reaching out to the vampire who had Veronica. Ethan was standing by his decision.

"Reaching out to Veronica is one thing but to reach out to him is another thing entirely!"

"I think that we're getting ahead of ourselves." Patrick said as Kevyn moved to his side, "Can we at least find out his name? It might help."

Everyone turned to Victoria who was again standing next to Jamie, "I can ask her." she said answering the unspoken question.

"If we allow you to do this," Katrina said, "you have to promise not to speak to him."

"I promise." Victoria said placing her hand over her heart."

Ten minutes later Victoria was sitting on the couch with Jamie standing behind her. If anyone noticed how protective he was, becoming no one said anything. Victoria closed her eyes and made contact with Veronica, this time being much easier than the first.

"Ronnie? What's his name?"

******

This time when Veronica heard Victoria's voice she didn't jump. She didn't want to alert Bradford that she was talking with anyone from her family.

"Ronnie? You there?" Victoria asked

"I'm here and I'm ok for now, is Rik alright?"

"He's fine, just worried about you." Victoria replied, "Do you know the name of the vampire who took you?" 

"Bradford Jefferson and the woman's name was Rosie-she was his mate."

"Okay, Ronnie? I'm sorry."

Veronica tamped down a surge of anger that Victoria was blaming herself for what Bradford was doing.

"No worries pumpkin." Veronica said, "There's one more thing, "tell papa that Uncle Patrick knew her. I have to go now."

As soon as she closed the connection to Victoria, Veronica turned her full attention back to Bradford. He was still talking about Rosie. A part of her truly sympathized with him but like her father she appreciated directness as opposed to game playing.

When Bradford stopped talking Veronica decided to make him an offer that he would be foolish to turn down.

"Brad, listen, we both know how this is going to end, either I will kill you or my father will so I'm going to make you an offer that you would be stupid to refuse."

Bradford laughed, "You have nothing that I would be interested in unless.... You took Rosie's place by my side in every way."

It was Veronica's turn to laugh, "You have got to be kidding! You and me? Never mind the fact that I'm already mated." she replied still laughing. "Here's my offer, you leave here now with Rosie and never come back. You have my word that you won't be hunted."

"That is no offer." Bradford shot back.

"Let me ask you this." Veronica said, "My family wasn't the only family doing this, so why did you target us?"

"Your father was ultimately responsible! He admits that he should have stopped the sanctioned rapes sooner, if he had Rosie would still be alive and I wouldn't be here getting ready to take your life. There is no offer that you can make that will change that."

"So it doesn't matter who did it just so someone pays is that it?" Veronica asked.

"Your father....."

"Yes, I get it." Veronica said cutting him off, "My family is responsible for what happened to Rosie, you're angry about it, and justifiably so but if you want to die so badly why kill me? You won't be around to see my family suffer so what's the point?"

"I don't have to see it; just knowing that they are suffering will be enough." Bradford replied.

"Ronnie!" Victoria whispered, "Uncle Patrick wants to meet with him."

"No." Veronica shot back and closed off communication.

********

"What happened?" Rik asked.

"She said no." Victoria replied as she tried to reach Veronica again.

Patrick sat on the sofa with Kevyn in his lap. This was his doing, the woman had been one of his victims and he needed and wanted to speak with her mate. "And say what?" he asked himself, "I'm sorry?" This was one thing that the Sinclaire power couldn't fix.

Kevyn sensing his discomfort held his hands tight in hers, she didn't say anything, she didn't know what to say other than the normal platitudes, "it'll be alright" was the one that came to mind. She had no idea if it was going to be alright but she did know remorse when she saw it. It occurred to her then that the Sinclaire family as a whole would always pay the price for their past as well as the victims and any surviving family or mates.

Guiltily she looked around the room for Louise. Once the introductions were over, she lost track of her when things started happening. She finally spotted her in a corner talking to a tall, handsome man who could only be a relative of the Sinclaire's with the blond hair and height.

"I know where she is!" Victoria exclaimed, "I know where she is!"

********

"It is most unfortunate that I have to kill you." Bradford said with true remorse.

"Then don't." Veronica countered, "My offer still stands."

"As does mine." Bradford countered.

"You mean the one about taking Rosie's place?" Veronica asked. "As you say, that's no offer but I do have a request."

"What would that be?" Bradford asked.

"Unchain me."

"Why would I want to do that?" Bradford asked amused.

"Because in spite of everything, you're a fair man. Isn't that what this is all about? You lost Rosie and you want to take one us? So here's what I'm thinking, you unchain me and if I manage to escape this whole thing is over. You take Rosie back to her resting place and from there you can do whatever you want with the exception of coming after my family again. So what do you say?"

Instead of answering, Bradford slowly began to approach Veronica.



Vanessa and Veronica Ch. 09



Louise looked around the foyer of Patrick's house. She had never seen the like other than in magazines and on television, but this was real. It struck her for the first time that people really did live like some of the people on television. She looked at the immaculate floor and kicked her shoes off then looked at the walls that were covered with beautiful paintings that had to be replicates.

"Louise?" Patrick called, "You don't have to take your shoes off unless you want to."

"You live here?" she asked seeming not to hear the statement about the shoes.

"Yes this is Kevyn's and my home and now yours for as long as you wish it to be." Patrick replied taking her bag from her. "Come on, I'll show you where things are and introduce you to any staff that's still here."

Louise looked over at Kevyn who seemed as surprised as she was but was doing a better job at hiding it. The sisters held hands as they followed Patrick through the house stopping any staff person that he saw. Finally, they were at the bottom of the stairs.

"Louise, your rooms are upstairs but you are free to go to any part of the house. If you need something and we don't have it just ask and it'll be taken care of."

Louise could only nod as she looked around her still not believing that she would be living here at least for a while with Kevyn and Patrick. They followed Patrick up the stairs where he waited for them to catch up before going into a room.

"This is your bedroom." Patrick said setting her bag down. "If you don't like how it's decorated, feel free to change anything that you don't like."

Louise and Kevyn looked around the room that would have held Louise's bedroom at least five times. The walls were an eggshell white with white borders and had paintings on the wall. The king-sized bed was already turned back with chocolates on the pillow. 

"There's plenty of closet and dresser space and as I said, make yourself at home." Patrick said as he walked through the room. "The bathroom is here and it's fully stocked with towels and thing s like that."

"This is all so beautiful!" Louise exclaimed as she took in the large tub complete with jets and the shower that looked as if it could hold six people without a problem.

"I'm glad that you like it." Patrick said with a smile, "Are you alright for a few moments? I would like to show Kevyn our rooms."

"I'm fine." Louise replied as she continued to look around the room as if she was in a dream.

Patrick took Kevyn's hand and led her from Louise's room to the stairs.

"Our rooms are downstairs in the basement if you want to call it that." Patrick said as they walked. "Tomorrow I'll give a more thorough tour but there is a room that I want to show you."

Up until this point Kevyn hadn't spoken. She like Louise knew that people lived like this but she had never seen it in person. She allowed Patrick to lead her into a room that looked like a small movie theater complete with a concession stand just like at a real movie theater.

"Remember those championship parties that you talked about having?" he asked.

"Yes." Kevyn whispered.

"This is where they would happen, the screen goes up and there's a large screen television behind it."

"You lived here alone?" Kevyn asked.

"I did until you and Louise." Patrick replied taking her into his arms, "What's wrong?" he asked when Kevyn didn't say anything.

"Nothing, I just... this is all new to me I guess." she replied.

"You're lying." Patrick said kissing her, "tell me the truth."

Kevyn hesitated before speaking, "I just don't want you thinking that I'm here because you have money."

"Kevyn, I know that." Patrick said.

"And Louise, she really likes you and she's not here because of your money either...."

Patrick interrupted her with a kiss, "Stop worrying, I know that you love me and that even if I had no money that you would still be with me. As far as Louise goes, I like her too; she's as easy to read as you are. Now let's go to our rooms.

He led her from the theater to a set of stairs that led downstairs.

"Lights" he said softly and the stairway was illuminated with the soft glow of the overhead lights. They made a right at the bottom of the stairs and walked until they reached an ornately decorated door. 

"This is the entrance to our rooms." Patrick said as he opened the door. He took Kevyn's hand and pulled her inside. "If there's anything that you don't like just say the word and it will be taken care of." he said as he watched her look around the room.

The room was even bigger than Louise's and had an office in addition to a small kitchenette. The bathroom was larger as well. The counter had all of the skin and hair care products that she used lined up in a row. 

"Did I forget anything?" Patrick asked.

"No." Kevyn whispered.

Patrick put his arms around her from behind and nibbled at her neck, "I can't wait to get you into that bed....."

Patrick swore when his cell phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Ethan. With one arm around Kevyn, he listened as Ethan told him about Veronica's kidnapping. Kevyn turned in his arms, wrapped her arms around his waist, and waited.

Patrick hung up and blew out a breath. He hadn't wanted Kevyn and Louise to meet their new family like this....

"Patrick what's happening?" Kevyn asked.

"My niece Veronica has been kidnapped."

"Oh my god! Do you know by whom?" she asked.

Patrick hesitated, "Yes... not his name but, Kevyn, it's the mate to one of the women that one of us raped."

"What? Why did he take Veronica?" she asked confused.

"He wants us to suffer as he has...."

"He's going to kill her?" Kevyn asked shocked.

"Unless we find her first." Patrick replied, "I'm sorry baby but I've got to get over there, you can stay here with Louise if you want...."

"I'm going with you." Kevyn interrupted and I'm sure that Louise will want to as well."

When Patrick started to protest, Kevyn interrupted him, "What did you tell me about mates and being able to depend on each other?"

"Kevyn, I'm sorry." Patrick said.

"It's alright now let's get Louise and go."

******

Thirty minutes later Patrick, Kevyn and Louise were walking into Ethan's front door. Louise looked around once again amazed by the fact that people really lived as the Sinclaires obviously did. Kevyn paid the house no mind as she held Patrick's hand as he walked into the living roomy where a large group of people was congregated. The fact that they were all vampire didn't faze Kevyn but she did wonder what Louise's reaction would have been had she known.

She immediately noticed the anxious atmosphere in the room and saw that some of it was directed at a little girl sitting on a couch. Kevyn jumped when the girl jumped off the couch, took a running start and leapt up into Patrick's arms with a squeal of delight.

A few minutes later, the introductions were over and Katrina told Ethan that Victoria thought that she could talk to the vampire that had Veronica. Patrick's reaction was the same as Ethan's and Katrina; he wanted Victoria nowhere near the vampire but he did wonder if it was possible to find out the name of the vampire.

After making Victoria promise not to attempt to contact the vampire, Ethan and Katrina finally agreed to let her contact Veronica again. Several minutes later, she had the information.

"His name is Bradford Jefferson and the woman was his mate Rosie." Victoria said, "And she said to tell papa that Uncle Patrick knew her."

Patrick felt as if the floor just dropped from beneath him, the woman had been one of his victims and now her mate wanted vengeance. He sat in a couch pulling Kevyn down into his lap and hugged her, what needed to happen was clear, he needed to talk to the vampire. There was nothing that he could say or do that would change what happened but he had to try. He hugged Kevyn closer to him and asked Victoria to tell Veronica that he wanted to talk to Bradford; he had his answer in seconds, "no".

"Contact her again!" Patrick insisted.

Victoria tried and couldn't get through, "she won't let me in." she said as she tried again.

Kevyn didn't know what to do for him other than offer any moral support that she could. She saw Louise talking to a handsome man in a corner and wondered who he was. Now wasn't the time to ask, Patrick and his family was hurting and Louise seemed to be comfortable with the man.

Kevyn gripped his hands in hers, "tell me what to do to help." she said.

"You're doing it." Patrick replied as he returned the tight grip on her hands.

They all jumped when Victoria announced, "I know where she is!"

All eyes went to Victoria when she announced for the second time that she knew where Veronica was.

"Where?" Rik asked urgently.

"It's far from here; I think that he used to live there." Victoria replied.

"How far?" Ethan asked.

"Three hundred miles, maybe." Victoria replied.

Ethan, Patrick, Rik, Luc and Martin all got ready to vanish but Victoria stopped them, "but you won't find them." she said dejectedly.

"Why not?" Rik asked confused. "You just said that you knew where she was."

Victoria started to cry partly from exhaustion and partly because she couldn't be any more specific than she was. Jamie moved closer to her on the couch and toyed with a braid as he looked at Rik.

"I'm sorry that your mate is missing but she is exhausted, she has done the work of someone much older than she."

"I'm ok." Victoria said tiredly, "I can try again."

"No you won't." Ethan said firmly. "Just tell us what direction to go and we'll take it from here."

"But papa..."

"No buts baby." Ethan said sitting on the other side of her and hugging her, "Jamie is right, you're exhausted and you were absolutely phenomenal! But you need to rest now."

Victoria finally gave up. She was beyond tired. She resigned herself to waiting and praying along with the others who would also be waiting.

They were about to vanish again when she stopped them.

"Wait!" she called out.

"You have to take her and her." she said pointing at Kevyn and Louise who was still in the corner talking with Nathan Sinclaire.

"What?" Patrick asked, "No...."

"You have to." Victoria insisted.

"Why?" Patrick asked, "Why do we need them?"

"I.... I don't know." Victoria confessed. "I only know that you do."

Everyone looked at each other not sure of what to do. By this time Nathan realized that something was happening and that it somehow involved Louise and he didn't like it. He stood behind her not quite touching her but close enough that he could feel the heat radiating from her body.

"What's happening?" he asked.

"You want to take a hu.... Woman along to rescue Veronica?" he asked when he was brought up to speed.

"Want to? No." Patrick replied, "I want both her and Kevyn to stay here where it's safe but Victoria says that they have to go with us."

The debate as to whether Louise and Kevyn should go went on for almost ten minutes before Kevyn spoke up.

"I'm going and that's all there is to it, I can't and won't speak for Louise but even though we don't know each other, we're family and if I can help in some way, then I will."

Louise not wanting to be alone with people that she didn't know decided to go with Kevyn.

"Then I'm going too." Nathan said putting his hands on Louise's shoulders.

"Is there enough time to drive?" Rik asked anxiously.

"Rik, " Ethan said, "You, me, Luc and Patrick will go ahead and see if we can find him, the rest of you get there as fast as you can."

Seconds later, four of the rescue party was gone leaving Nathan and Martin his father to get Kevyn and Louise to the designated area.

Remembering that Louise didn't know that her new family was vampire, the four of them vanished from the garage.

Louise looked at the remaining group realizing that there was something very different about them. For one thing, they were all drop dead gorgeous and the woman who was supposed to be Patrick's mother looked not much older than her sons....

"Come on Louise, time to go." Kevyn said interrupting her musings.

*******

Veronica didn't flinch as Bradford approached her at what seemed to be a snail's pace. She didn't know if the intent was to rattle her or not but it wasn't working and she told him so.

"Are you trying to scare me?" she asked, "because if you are, it isn't working."

Bradford stopped in his tracks and eyed her for several long minutes before he began to move again.

"So brave." he murmured as he inched closer to her.

Veronica watched his approach not sure of what he was going to do. The idea of telling him that she knew who raped Rosie crossed her mind but she discarded it. It would have done nothing except buy the others a little more time to find her and it wouldn't have been long before Bradford figured out that she had no plans to tell him anyway.

"Tell me what you were like before this." she said surprising him.

"An attempt to stall for time?" he asked again pausing.

"Curiosity." she replied. "I'm sure that you know that my sister and I are scientists and that we're trying to figure things out..."

"You mean that you're trying to find a reason to exonerate your family for what they did." Bradford interrupted.

"I can see why you would think that." Veronica replied, "And maybe you're right to some degree but as I've mentioned before, there are other families that teach the same thing, we're trying to help everyone."

"It's too late for that...."

"For God's sake!" Veronica exclaimed, "Don't you think that I know that? Rosie isn't the only one who died because of what my family did and you aren't the only vampire without a mate because of it! If I could have been born earlier or if I had someway to go back in time to fix this and to save her and others I would! However, the reality of it is that I can't change what happened any more than you can.

Look, I'm sorry and yes, I know that my apologies mean nothing to you but I have to tell you that what sympathy I have for you is wearing thin. I'm going to make my offer to you one more time, unchain me and if I escape you disappear and we never hear from you again and that includes sending anyone in your place."

"And I am just supposed to fall to my knees in thanks?" Bradford asked amused.

"It's either that or you die." Veronica said nonchalantly, "but consider this, what's going to happen if my family finds me dead chained to a chair? By the way... what kind of material is this?"

She didn't give him a change to continue, "As I was saying and correct me if I'm wrong but you're planning on a quick death aren't you? If you kill me like this, the chances of that happening are nil and it's not even my father who you really need to be afraid of." 

"How quickly I die is of no consequence." Bradford replied with a small smile, "and if it is a slow painful death it will only be an extension of the pain that I have felt for decades and then the centuries before I found Rosie and then lost her."

"A martyr? You want to be a martyr?" Veronica asked. "You want to go down in history as another victim of the Sinclaire's is that it?"

"No!"

"Really? Are you going to tell me that you don't have what you were planning to do documented somewhere?" she asked. "Are you going to tell me that you didn't give a copy or copies to someone to make public when this is over? 

"For someone who is chained to a chair you are how should I say this..."

"Mouthy?" Veronica offered. "Yes well, I've been told that but that doesn't address what we're going to do here does it? Do we have a deal?"

If it weren't for the seriousness of the situation, he would have laughed. He had to admit that he liked the young woman that he had chained to the chair even if she was a Sinclaire. For the first time he wondered what it must have felt like for her and her sister to know what their family was, they were victims of a sort too.

That didn't change anything because they still ended up happy, well adjusted and with mates while he suffered in pain and loneliness. By rights, he should have ended his life when Rosie died but the desire to see the Sinclaires suffer overrode that desire, it just took awhile in coming.

Was he a martyr? She had been right on one point; he did have his plans documented so that everyone would know what happened to him...

"Brad!" Veronica called, "what are we doing here?"

He considered his options. He could just let her go and leave, kill her and then himself or do as she proposed which was the fair thing to do. That was another thing that she had been right about, it was about fairness, one life for another.

Veronica saw the indecision in his eyes but didn't comment as she tried to work her hands out of the chains. As of yet she had made little progress but given enough time... if she could get him to let her go she could vanish.

Bradford looked at her and smiled, "alright, I agree to your terms."

Veronica stilled her hands, she really hadn't expected him to agree and she wanted to know why he was.

"It's as you say," he replied, "I am a fair man."

"No," Veronica said, "there's more to it than that. "You don't think that I can get away, that's why you agreed. You wouldn't take the risk otherwise."

"I'm agreeing to your terms, what more do you want?" he asked.

"Yes you are and really? The reasons don't matter although I have my suspicions. So let's do this shall we?" Veronica said and waited.

*******

The drive to where Ethan and the others were waiting seemed to take forever. Kevyn looked out into the darkness her mind on Patrick. She had to wonder to what lengths he would go in order to ease his sense of guilt, would he offer himself in Veronica's place? He would... she knew it, she could feel it, and she could almost hear his thoughts although they sounded fuzzy. She also knew that they had to hurry... she could hear the thoughts of someone else as well; Veronica was running out of time.

She didn't want to say anything, she knew that Martin understood that they needed to get to wherever they were going but she thought it, "hurry, hurry, hurry...."

"I'm going as fast as I can." Martin replied without thinking about the fact that she hadn't spoken aloud. The realization came about 10 minutes later.

"Kevyn, can you hear me?" Martin thought to her.

Kevyn looked over at Martin shocked, "how did I do that?" she asked verbally.

"You must be a telepath and a strong one in order for you to hear me, have you tried it with Patrick?"

"No, I didn't know that I could even do it with you." Kevyn replied. "What does this mean?"

"It means that I think that I understand why you needed to come with us." Martin replied, "It also means that once this is over Patrick needs to teach you how to block out the thoughts of others."

"Do you think that I can talk to people that way too?" she asked.

"Yes, I know you can, I heard you." Martin replied. "Have you tried to hear Patrick?"

"I can hear him but it's fuzzy, how can I do this?" Kevyn asked.

"My guess is that it's a latent psychic gift, being Patrick's mate woke it." Martin replied.

"You think that I'll be able to talk to the vampire that has Veronica don't you?" Kevyn asked telepathically.

"Yes but what I don't understand is why your sister had to come." Martin replied.

Kevyn didn't understand it anymore than Martin did and she worried for Louise's safety. She glanced in the back to see Louise looking out of the window and Nathan watching her. Taking a chance, Kevyn decided to see if she could read Nathan's thoughts. Immediately Nathan's gaze went from Louise to Kevyn's, there was no warmth in them as he spoke to her telepathically.

"I understand that you are new to all of this but what you are doing is nothing more than eaves dropping."




Vanessa and Veronica Ch. 09



"Nathan..." Martin started to say.

"No, he's right." Kevyn replied telepathically, "I'm sorry, it's just that she's my sister and I wanted to know what you were thinking about her."

"All you had to do was ask." Nathan replied, "Your apology is accepted but please don't do it again."

Louise felt the tension in the car but attributed it to the situation at hand not once thinking that she was partially the cause.

"It's going to be alright." she said softly to no one in particular. It was a sentiment that she had used often with her mother when she sat up with her as she stroked her hand until she slept. Those five words seemed to calm her more than any anti anxiety medication that their mother always kept within her reach. And it had the same effect now, the tension in the car dissipated and Louise went back to looking out of the car window even though she couldn't see anything.

Kevyn closed her eyes and sent a thought to Patrick not knowing if he could hear her or not.

"Don't you dare do anything stupid!"

******

Patrick, Rik, Luc and Ethan walked around the general area in which Victoria sent them. None of them could sense or hear anything out of the ordinary. Rik made several attempts to reach Veronica but failed each time. He wished that they had brought Victoria with them but knew that neither Ethan nor Katrina would have allowed it. It was enough that one of their daughters was in danger without risking another. Each of them headed in a different direction and stopped every few seconds to scan and then listen. An hour later, they still were no closer to finding Veronica than when they started.

Patrick was almost overcome with guilt, He had a mate and she was safe but he had taken the mate of another. For a brief moment, he thought to offer himself to the vampire in exchange for Veronica. If he hadn't found Kevyn, he would have with no questions asked but fair or not, he found her and he wasn't about to leave her.

"Don't you dare do anything stupid!" ricocheted in his head so suddenly that he jumped.

"Kev?" he whispered.

"Yeah and I mean it, don't you even think about doing whatever it is that you're thinking about doing."

Up until that point, Patrick wasn't sure of why Kevyn had to be there but now he understood. Of all of them other than Victoria, she would be the one that could talk to Bradford and more than likely sense him. He had the same question that everyone else had, where did Louise fit into the scheme of things? He hadn't wanted her to come, but when Nathan stepped up he felt better about it, Nathan would keep Louise safe.

While they waited, Patrick told them why Kevyn had to come with them.

"What about her sister?" Luc asked.

"I have no idea." Patrick confessed.

An hour later, Martin was parking the car not far from where Ethan stood waiting with the others. Kevyn was out of the car and halfway to Patrick before the others were out of the car.

******

Bradford made his way to Veronica, reached out a hand and pointed a finger. The chains holding Veronica fell to the floor with a loud clang.

"You never did say what was in the chains." Veronica said as she stood, stretched and tried to vanish.

Bradford watched her amused, "This room is warded, and you cannot leave here unless you go through that door. It is because of this room that your family won't be able to find you."

"That's why you agreed to my terms." Veronica said, "so now what? You kill me?"

"As regrettable as that is... yes." Bradford replied.

"You're sure that you have to do this?" Veronica asked as she moved away from Bradford and toward the door.

Bradford already anticipating her plan moved with her but made no effort to touch her.

"Ronnie? Hang in there." Victoria said in her head, "they're there but they need to find you."

Veronica didn't acknowledge Victoria in anyway; she didn't want to tip Bradford off. She stopped moving and waited for him to make a move toward her.

"Just how old are you that you can compel another vampire to leave her place of safety?" she asked as she formulated a plan on how best to fight him.

"I am well over a thousand years old." he replied, "I can remember what the humans call the ice age and even beyond that."

He took a step toward her, smiling as she backed away. Veronica looked at Bradford and realized that he really was going to try to kill her. The time for talk was rapidly passing and she had to figure out how to kill a thousand plus year old vampire. She took a quick glance around the room looking for anything that she could use as a weapon. The only things were the chain and the chair on which she had been sitting. Of the two objects, only the chain would be of any use and that was if it would work on him.

"Veronica, use your brains!" she admonished herself. There was no way that she could physically take him but maybe....

"So Brad, let's just say that I wanted to reconsider your offer."

Bradford stopped moving, "I wouldn't believe you but let's just say that I accepted, why the change of heart?"

"I'm a realist." Veronica replied, "There's no way in hell that I could physically take you, I'd be dead in no time."

Bradford gave her a smile filled with regret and triumph as he moved so fast that Veronica almost didn't see him. She moved as fast as she could grabbing the coiled chain as she passed by. Before Bradford could touch her, she swung the chain and hit him on the side of the head. He let out a howl of pain as the chain connected and the blood began to flow from the cut made from the chain.

******

Kevyn had just finished a very fast lesson on blocking unwanted interference when a stab of pain went through her head. She heard Bradford's howl of pain as it resonated through her head causing a pain that made her knees buckle. Patrick caught her as she dropped to her knees holding her head. She had just gotten a fix on him.

"He's hurt... I just heard him scream... she hit him with something."

"Which way?" Rik asked anxiously watching his tone.

"That way." Kevyn said pointing east, "there's a house about thirty miles that way."

"Are you alright?" Patrick asked as he kissed her.

"Yes, no my head really hurts." Kevyn replied.

Patrick kissed her forehead taking away the majority of the pain before helping her to the car.

"I'll see you there." he said as he helped her in.

*******

Seconds later, Ethan, Luc, Rik and Patrick stood at a spot thirty miles away from the last spot. They saw the house but it looked empty and Rik still couldn't reach Veronica. He knew that she still lived because Victoria was still able to reach her even though Veronica wasn't responding.

"Maybe there's another house." Luc offered.

"Maybe." Rik offered as he headed toward the house "but I don't think so. My question is why can't we sense anything coming from the house?" 

Patrick stopped Rik before he had gone too far, "we need to wait for Kevyn..."

"Would you wait?" Rik asked.

Patrick said no more, he would be doing exactly what Rik was doing, as would any of them.

"Just watch yourself," Patrick said, "it concerns me that we can't sense either of them and he could have booby traps set."

Rik nodded and began to move slowly toward the house as he began to reach for Veronica in his mind.

Martin and the others arrived a few minutes later; Patrick's first question was about Kevyn's headache.

"I'm fine, so this is the place." she mused as she looked around. "He's in there." she murmured to herself.

"Veronica?" Patrick asked.

"She's in there too and she's as mad as hell."

"That's good." Patrick replied.

"It won't help." Kevyn said taking Patrick's hand, "no matter what you offer or say it won't change anything. He wants to die and it won't matter who he takes with him."

"Maybe I can talk him out of it...."

"No, you can't" Kevyn interrupted.

"What about Veronica? Will he kill her?"

******

Veronica didn't give Bradford a chance to recover before she swung the chain again this time hitting him on the arm as he raised it to protect his head. He managed to grab the end of the chain wrapped it around his hand and pulled it hard. Veronica let go of the chain causing Bradford to fly backwards, her element of surprise was now gone. With nothing else to lose, she made a dash for the door and safety.

"Frightened now?" he asked from behind her.

She stopped, turned around and faced him. The vampire who had shown regret at what he thought he had to do was gone. In his place was a very angry and homicidal vampire with which there could be no reasoning with but still she wasn't afraid of him.

"No, I'm not frightened." she replied as she edged toward the door. "I'm simply trying to escape but I do have a question for you... I do get a last request don't I?"

Bradford gave her a curt nod of permission to speak.

"Why didn't you kill me right away? I mean you compelled me to go with you so I wouldn't have resisted."

"I told you." he replied, "I wanted to see Ethan Sinclaire afraid."

"Maybe that's part of it but I think it's because you want me to be afraid and I'm not. Even under compulsion you knew that I wasn't afraid and that intrigued you admit it, it still does."

"Be that as it may," Bradford replied, "it changes nothing, the game ends now."

Veronica kept her eyes on Bradford waiting for him to charge her, she didn't stand a snowball's chance in hell against him but she was going to go down fighting. 

Ten seconds....

Twenty seconds....

And he hadn't moved, Veronica watched as the expression on his face went from determination to surprise. Taking the opportunity, she dove for the chain snatching it from his hand and wrapped it around his neck as she circled behind him and began to pull. 

******

Holding on to Patrick's hand, Kevyn called Bradford's name several times until she felt a response. Even though she wasn't physically in the room, she felt his anger and the madness that possessed his mind.

"Don't kill her; she's done nothing to you." Kevyn murmured.

Luc, Ethan, Nathan and Louise made their way to the house. Rik was already inside searching the seemingly empty house verbally and mentally calling Veronica's name. When the others got there, they took a portion of the house with Nathan holding Louise tightly against him.

"Geez, will you let go?" she asked irritated but liking the feeling of safety.

Nathan released her only slightly making sure that she was away from any doorways.

******

"Kev, can you tell where she is?" Patrick asked.

"I don't know.... Wait a minute, the basement! There's a room down there...how do I know this?"

"I don't know and we'll figure it out later." Patrick said as he called to Ethan and relayed the information.

Kevyn kept talking to Bradford hoping that she could keep him distracted enough to give Veronica a chance and the others more time to find her.

Suddenly, she gasped and pain ripped through her head.

"Kev?" Patrick called out just as she fainted.

********

Veronica continued to pull the chain as hard as she could but she was at a disadvantage because of the difference in their height, it wasn't until Bradford dropped to his knees that she was able to pull with everything that she had.

"You could have walked away!" she said as she pulled, "you could have taken Rosie and been gone!" 

She cried out when she felt the chain begin to cut through Bradford's neck. She was so intent on her task that she didn't hear the door open. She almost discounted the arms that she felt go around her and the voice whispering in her ear telling her to let the chain go. Instead, she pulled even harder; she wanted to destroy the vampire that threatened her and her family.

"Veronica, it is alright... let it go." Rik encouraged, "we will finish it."

Slowly the voice began to sink in and she let the chain slide from her hand watching as Bradford fell face first to the floor.

Ethan, Luc, Nathan and Louise were in the room seconds later.

"Veronica!" Ethan called completely ignoring the barely alive vampire on the floor.

"Papa!" Veronica called reverting to the childhood name that she hadn't used in ages. She broke away from Rik and flew into Ethan's arms. Close but not quite in tears, Veronica hugged Ethan, somehow for her to cry in this room with Bradford still in it meant weakness to her and after all, that she had been through with him she wasn't going to give him that satisfaction.

The only person in the room that paid any attention to Bradford was Louise. Perhaps it was because she wasn't aware of the history between the Sinclaires and Bradford that she felt compassion for him but she approached him. She could see that he was still alive but barely and she didn't think that anyone should die alone no matter what they did or didn't do.

As she started to move, Nathan grabbed her hand.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"He needs someone to sit with him." she replied as she pulled away.

"He doesn't deserve your concern." Nathan replied taking her hand again.

"Maybe he doesn't but I'm going to give it anyway now let me go." she said in a voice that surprised her.

"I'm coming with you." 

"Fine." she replied and walked over to Bradford with Nathan close on her heels. When she reached him, she sat on the floor and looked into his face. She didn't see a face filled with rage or anger but a handsome face filled with pain and sorrow. Without saying anything, she smoothed Bradford's hair away from his face, took a rapidly cooling hand in hers, and began to stroke it murmuring, "It's going to be alright now."

As Bradford lay on the floor dying, he wondered how it had gone so wrong so quickly. He should have killed the Sinclaire woman immediately but it was as she said, he had been intrigued by her courage. He was going to die, they would continue with their lives, and he and Rosie would be nothing more than a memory to them. 

He felt surprise and then relief as someone; a woman sat next to him and smoothed his hair back away from his face as she murmured small comforts to him. The last thing he remembered before he died was the woman, a human woman he now realized, was holding his hand and telling him that "it's going to be alright now." those words soothed him in a way that he didn't understand.... Then, it was over.

Nathan helped Louise up and led her away from the body before it began to turn to dust. When she tried to look back, he kept her moving forward. Now wasn't the time or the place to explain things to her but he did feel pride that she was his even though she didn't know it. Ethan and Luc searched the basement and found Rosie's corpse dressed in a blue dress with matching shoes.

"We'll send someone back and have her properly buried." Ethan said as he walked away.

Rik and Veronica followed by Nathan and Louise had already left the house and were on the way back to the car by the time Ethan and Luc left the house. 

Rik picked Veronica up and carried her in spite of her protests that she was fine.

"I don't care if you are fine; I am going to care for you."

She finally gave up and laid her head on his shoulder, she was very tired.

Ethan took out his cell phone and called Katrina who anxiously answered on the first ring.

"We've got her and she's alright, yes, sweetheart she killed him. We'll be home soon, I love you too."

Ethan was proud of Veronica and the courage that she displayed, he felt sorrow that she had to take a life no matter how justified it was. He also had to wonder if there were others with the same agenda as Bradford's and how soon it would be before one or more of them came forward.

For the moment though, all of his girls were safe and that was very mattered.

*******

Kevyn woke up sitting in Patrick's lap in the back seat of the car.

"What happened? Veronica? Is she alright?"

"We got her thanks to you and Victoria." Patrick said, "How's your head?"

"Better, I've never fainted before, I feel kind of silly." Kevyn replied.

"Don't, you expended a lot of energy." Patrick told her, "You fainted to protect yourself."

"You're sure that she's alright?" Kevyn asked again.

"She's fine," Patrick assured her, "You were phenomenal!" he added, "you just stepped up to help us without question."

"You mean like you did with my totally crazy family?" she asked. "Patrick your family is my family too and I will do whatever I can to help keep all of us safe so no thanks alright?"

******

Everyone was waiting in the living room for the first group of rescuers to arrive. As soon as Veronica saw Victoria, she ran over to her, picked her up and kissed her face all over until Victoria was giggling.

"Thank you pumpkin!" Veronica said repeatedly.

Ethan hugged and kissed Katrina assuring her that it was over and then hugged and kissed Vanessa before taking Victoria from Veronica's arms.

"I am so very proud of you!" Ethan said hugging her tight. He didn't miss the look of approval that Jamie Donahue was giving Victoria and was grateful that their mating wouldn't happen for several more years, he needed to catch his breath from the events of the past few weeks.

Vanessa and Veronica hugged, it was then that Veronica began to let go. It wasn't about being afraid, it was about the fact that she, a physician killed someone, that he was going to kill her didn't matter. She had the feeling that it would be a long time before she reconciled the two parts of her. She also suspected that at some point, she would have to talk with someone about her time with Bradford but not now, it could wait.

"Come Veronica," Rik urged, "you need to eat and rest."

"No, I want to meet Uncle Patrick's mate and to thank her and her sister."

"It will be another two or three hours before they get here, you can rest until then." Rik said and tried to lead her away.

"I'm fine and I'm waiting for them." she said firmly.

Three hours later, the rest of the rescue party arrived tired, hungry and closer to sunrise than they liked. Louise didn't get what the big deal was but said nothing as they sped home. Once again, the thought occurred to her that there was something very odd about the Sinclaires. She made a mental note to ask Kevyn about it as soon as she could catch her alone. As soon as they were in the door, Veronica rushed to greet them. She didn't give Kevyn a chance to say anything as she threw her arms around her and hugged her.

"Thank you for everything that you did."

"You're welcome; I'm glad that you're alright." Kevyn said returning the hug.

Veronica went to Louise next and hugged her too.

"I don't know what you did but I know that Bradford felt some measure of peace when he died. Thank you for coming with them to rescue me."

Louise had reverted to her shy, quiet self and found herself embarrassed by all of the attention. "You're welcome." she said not knowing what else to say.

"You're tired." Rik said from behind Veronica, "let's rest and we can all talk later."

*******

Once alone in their room, Rik crushed Veronica to him. While she was missing he made several promises to himself, she was never going anywhere alone again topped the list, the second thing was that he would never complain about her messiness again, he had been very close to never seeing her again and in the scheme of things how neat she was or wasn't just didn't matter anymore. He would gladly spend the rest of eternity picking up after her and not utter a single word of complaint.

Now that things were calming down he could deal with his own sense of guilt. He should never have left her go to the kitchen alone but it was so close... Ethan's doubts had been misplaced, instead of Luc failing to protect his mate, it was he but it would never happen again.

"It wasn't your fault." Veronica said, "it was only a matter of time before he got one of us and truth be told I'm glad that it was me as opposed to Victoria, Vanessa or mom but it's over and we can move on."




Vanessa and Veronica Ch. 09



Rik nodded, she was alright for now and so was he but at some point she would fall apart it was just a matter of time. He knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't talk before she was ready and he would be ready when she was.

"You're waiting for me to fall apart aren't you?" she asked reading his mind. "Stop worrying because it's not going to happen. I'm sorry that I had to kill him, I didn't want to but he gave me no choice."

"I know that..."

"Hear me out." she interrupted, "while we were waiting for the others to come back, I took the time to think about what happened. When I was with him in that room, the doctor part of me was in control; I tried to find out about him and even offered him a way out. When he came after me, the doctor part of me disappeared and Veronica the kidnap victim and the one who loves her family took over and she doesn't feel guilty about what she did. So no more worries and I want you to stop feeling guilty." she said as she began to unbutton his shirt.

"You need to rest." Rik said but made no move to stop her from undressing him.

"I need you more than I need rest, I've missed you." she replied.

"And I you but you really should..."

"Be made love to." Veronica interrupted as she kissed his chest stopping to kiss each nipple as she wrapped her arms around his waist and stepped in close.

Rik tipped her face up to his and kissed her inhaling the scent of her, it came to him again just how close he had come to losing her. He deepened his kiss, pulled her even tighter against him, walked backwards to the bed, and sat when the back of his knees touched the side of the bed. 

Vanessa straddled his lap and began to rub against Rik's hardness slowly at first and then building up speed. Suddenly they were both naked and touching each other wherever they could reach. Rik in a sudden move had Veronica beneath him. He looked deep into her eyes as he slid into her warm wetness and stilled, "never again will I let anyone near you." he swore and then be began to slide in and out of her almost frantically. Veronica's movements were just as frantic and they reached climax quickly. The second time Rik refused to be pleasured in any way; he wanted to devote all of his attention to Veronica. He ran the bathtub for her, helped her in and slid in behind her.

Veronica leaned back against his chest, closed her eyes and let the hot bubbling water soothe away the tension of the past hours. She only roused when Rik kissed her shoulder to wake her up, "Come, it is time to put you to sleep." Putting her to sleep consisted of a massage with warmed lavender scented oil with special attention paid to all of her erogenous zones beginning with her nipples. He took his time teasing and pulling on them until Veronica whimpered for him to stop teasing her. He massaged her soft belly bypassing her mound even though she raised her hips as a hint as to where she wanted his hands to go next. Rik ignored her and rubbed her legs all the way down to her feet before making his way back up to her waiting mound. He inhaled deeply and then planted a soft kiss at the top of her slit smiling to himself when she jumped. He opened her lips with his fingers, took a swipe and then latched onto her clit sucking and licking until she came with a scream that started low in her throat. When it was over, Veronica turned on her side and was fast asleep in seconds not waking until early evening. Rik lay awake watching her sleep and wondered if she was dreaming of the past hours when she occasionally jerked her hands as if she was trying to free them.

"I am here." he soothed as he stroked her hands until they relaxed.

*******

Ethan and Katrina sat up long after everyone else had gone to their rooms. Neither of them missed the way that Jamie had taken Victoria under his wing nor did the miss the way in which Victoria responded to him even though she didn't realize or understand it.

"He's going to have his hands full." Ethan remarked as he pulled Katrina into his arms.

"Somehow, I think he'll be able to handle her." Katrina replied, "Do you suppose someone else will come for us?" she asked changing the subject.

"It's possible." Ethan conceded, "We hurt a lot of people but for the moment all is well, come on, time for bed."

The house was quiet as they made their way to their rooms at the far end of the house. For the first time since the fiasco with Bradford began, the house felt at peace. 

*******

Patrick and Kevyn were the first ones in the kitchen and were in the process of preparing food for everyone when Louise walked in followed by Nathan. She gave Kevyn a shy smile as she said good morning and offered to help make the meal.

"You sit." Nathan said as he held out a chair for her, "I'll help them, are you thirsty?"

Kevyn looked at Louise and then at Nathan but said nothing. It would only embarrass Louise and besides, she was an adult and it was obvious that Nathan cared for her. The next to appear was Luc and Vanessa followed by Victoria who was looking a little lost.

"What's wrong pumpkin?" Patrick asked.

"Nothing." she replied not understanding the reason for her mood.

Vanessa went to one of the kitchen counters and grabbed an envelope. "Jamie left this for you."

Victoria took the envelope already feeling better and quickly read the note before tucking it in her pocket. Patrick gave Vanessa a curious look and then understood when she winked at him. The last ones to show up were Rik and Veronica, which surprised no one. They went up to everyone, greeted and then hugged them whispering a heart-felt thanks in their ears.

Both Rik and Veronica gave Kevyn and Louise extra long hugs and welcomed them both to the family. Louise looked around the kitchen and began to wonder about them. Now that the dust had cleared, she had time she really looked at the people who were calling her family and then there was Nathan Sinclaire. No one, especially a man had ever paid so much attention to her and made her feel so safe. She and Kevyn needed to talk and soon.

Veronica caught Vanessa's eye and met her in a corner.

"What do you think about pushing the wedding back a few weeks?" Veronica asked, "So much has happened and I think it would be nice to get to know Kevyn and Louise better."

"I agree and after the past few weeks, I want and need a breather." Vanessa said, "how about a month?"

*********

One month later

Things had settled down back to some semblance of normalcy. Rik, Veronica, Luc and Vanessa stayed with Ethan and Katrina, which made planning the wedding easier. Rik and Luc's parents and family arrived two weeks before and opted to stay at Rik and Luc's home.

"There are so many of us and we would be underfoot when it came time to decorating the house for the wedding." Raquel Rik and Luc's mother said. "Are you sure? We have plenty of space." Katrina replied.

"I am certain." Raquel replied patting Katrina's arm.

*******

Rik kept a watchful eye on Veronica never letting her out of his sight for long. It wasn't until she got tired of it that he backed off.

"I'm fine now will you stop worrying?" she asked.

"Your sleep... it is disturbed." Rik replied and that was all he got out.

"I'm a restless sleeper but I'll make you a promise, if I feel like I'm having problems I'll tell you but you have got to stop hovering. Deal?"

Seeing that he really had no other choice, he agreed.

*******

The evening of the wedding had arrived. The entire house was abuzz with activity and the aromas of food cooking filled the air. The rooms will filled with fresh flowers and soft music came from the sound system, the atmosphere was a happy one, even Caesar Ethan's head chef had a smile on his usually somber face.

Victoria pranced around in her lilac colored dress with matching shoes. She felt like a grown up and she was looking forward to seeing Jamie who still insisted on calling her "squirt" she always fussed about it but in reality she liked the nickname. In less than two hours time she would have an entirely new family to get to know, already under their tutelage she was speaking French almost fluently and was learning Latin and whatever other languages any of them knew. 

She ran over to the room where Vanessa and Veronica were getting ready for the wedding. Just as they did when they were children, they fixed each other's hair and applied each other's make up. Their white dresses were hanging side by side in the closet with the matching shoes on the floor. Victoria sat on a chair and watched with growing excitement, one day she would be getting ready for her own wedding and she hoped that she would be half as beautiful as her sisters were.

The entrance of Katrina and Raquel the mother of the groom interrupted her musings. Each woman gave Victoria a warm smile before turning her attention to the brides.

"So beautiful!" Raquel exclaimed as she hugged and kissed each twin. 

Katrina couldn't help but agree with the assessment although she knew that she was biased. She dabbed at her eyes determined not to cry and mess up the makeup that she so rarely wore. As she helped Vanessa with her dress, she realized that she had kept her promise; her girls were safe, loved and happy.

*********

Ethan and Henri the father of the grooms had their hands busy keeping the anxious grooms calm, especially Rik. Ever since the kidnapping, he grew anxious if Veronica was out of sight for more than five minutes. Ethan knew that Rik still felt guilty about that night and went through great pains to reassure him. He finally gave up deciding that it was something that Rik was going to have to work through with Veronica.

While Henri kept the grooms company, Ethan walked around the grounds making sure that everything was ready. He also wanted a few minutes alone before he gave his girls away. As he walked, he thought about the past and how far they had come as a family and where they were headed. He would always regret the manner in which they were conceived but other than that, there was nothing that he would change. He caught sight of Mason sitting between Jamie and a very uncomfortable looking Toni who was due about any time. Next to them sat Martin, Rachel, their youngest son and then Nathan with his arm around Louise who looked uncertain as to how she should be reacting to the attention. He knew that Nathan had already talked with her but as far as he knew that's as far as it had gone. The fact that she was still here and hadn't gone running told him that it was only a matter of time before they mated.

He looked around to see who else had arrived. He smiled and waved at Eustace and Gretchen noticing the small bump of Gretchen's stomach. Patrick and Kevyn had just arrived and were making a beeline for the empty seats next to Louise. This, he realized was really happening, he was giving their babies away and in a few years they would be doing it again with Victoria. Lumps formed in his throat... their babies were no longer babies. He took a deep breath as a tear made its way down his cheek, in a few minutes he would be giving his and Katrina's babies away. "But they're not babies." he murmured as he wiped away another tear. 

The servers had just finished setting up the table when the music began. Ethan went back to check on Rik and Luc and was pleased to see that Rik had calmed down considerably.

"He talked with Veronica." Luc said slapping Rik on the back.

Ten minutes later, Ethan and Katrina were tearfully walking their daughters down the aisle, an hour later it was over and Ethan was dancing the first of the father/daughter dances with Vanessa while everyone watched. As he swung Vanessa in a circle, he saw Jamie dancing with Victoria. She was standing on his feet as he held her hands to keep her steady. Ethan smiled, Jamie would be good for Victoria and she would keep him on his toes. He was glad that it was Jamie as opposed a stranger. He wouldn't worry so much.

Ethan spun Vanessa around, kissed her cheek just as the song ended, and then took Veronica's hand as he handed Vanessa off to Luc. Something told him to enjoy the time of peace and happiness while it lasted, that somewhere another wronged mate or female would make an appearance. He pushed the knowledge out of his mind; it had no place in the present. Today was a day of celebration, a day of new beginnings; they would deal with it when and if it came.