Chapter Nine
Questions Answered and Others Left Unspoken

Marcus sat up long after the others were all sleeping peacefully during the brightest hours of the day holding Jeffrey and the babe Gabriel in his arms staring off into space. Matthew had been convinced to spend the night with O'Haire for one day only. Surprisingly O'Haire had made it exciting for Matthew turning it into a slumber party which Shannon and Jay Jay were both joining also. Thomas and Glenn were standing watch somewhere in the old farmhouse as it was their turn. Adam, Raven, and Shane were huddled together in one room with Sean to help him through his first sleep. Marcus could sense Peter awake and roaming around the old house. Sighing he wished that he knew what to do for the young mortal, but frankly he didn't have a clue and at that moment had more important things on his mind.

Looking down he saw big brown eyes staring up at him and smiling softly he brushed a finger over Gabriel's cheek. Two days before he had complained that Shannon was too young and now he had a babe under his care. Gabriel giggled happily reaching for Marcus' hair and the old vampire smiled softly. "Oh so you see the irony huh kiddo?" Gabriel giggled again and farted and Marcus threw his head back and laughed. "You know some days that's about what I think about it all too little one."

"He's beautiful." Marcus looked up seeing Raven standing in the doorway watching the baby. Motioning him in Raven walked in soundlessly and sat cross legged next to him staring at the babe intently. Marcus smiled at Raven then looked back down at the babe. "Yes he is. You know I didn't have time to tell you, but you did a wonderful job with the mortal. Are you sure that you don't mind taking responsibility for him?" Raven shook his head not taking his eyes off of the little one. "Not at all in fact maybe now I can finally make up for my last attempt."

Marcus cocked his head to one side sensing something there that the younger man needed to say. "You know Raven the second that Thomas identified you as his mate you became one of my children. That means that your pains hurt me, your troubles keep me awake when I should be sleeping and all of your skeletons are mine as well. What happened to your first child? You don't seem like the kind of vampire to abandon your creation." Raven nodded and sighed hanging his head. "I didn't abandon him, but… I didn't do right by him either. I didn't raise him right. I didn't… I didn't warn him that not all vampires are to be trusted. He was young and innocent and… probably too young to be a vampire but I couldn't leave him to die. Thomas warned me to would be more humane, but I didn't listen. I did my best to protect him and teach him… Thomas said that I wasn't teaching enough about the bad, but… he was so… pure. I just couldn't stand to destroy that. Then one day he met the devil and… I lost him. He fell for the dark eyes and the cocky smile and the smooth talk and promised and when push came to shove I lost him."

Marcus sighed feeling the other man's pain knowing it probably would stay with him for the rest of his life. "What happened?" Raven sniffled and ran a hand over his face. "They took him and used him as their play thing. They bent his mind and destroyed all the goodness that was once inside of him. Then once there was nothing left of him they left him to die in the sun." Marcus frowned. "He was of the old kind?" Raven nodded and bit his lip looking at the other man. "We… we all were, me and Thomas and my child. Thomas said… he said that we were the last. Us and…" Marcus nodded frowning after Raven stopped speaking. Marcus' mind worked furiously over the facts. No one really knew what happened causing the transformation. One night they had all gone to sleep and the next morning they had woken up changed. None of them could be out in the sun all day, but most of them could now sustain short periods exposed to the light. There were even some like the little ones that could be out in the sun at its hottest hours. Jeff was known to… Mark's thoughts stopped as they grabbed onto something. Looking down at Gabriel who was looking up at him calmly Marcus suddenly had more questions than answers. Raven looked at the older vampire confused as he put Jeffrey into his arms and stood still holding Gabriel. "Watch Jeffrey for me Raven ok? I need to check out some things." Raven nodded and watched confused as Marcus hurried out of the room.

Marcus hurried from the room and down to the living room where Thomas and Glenn were sitting. Both men looked up greeting their leader, but when the big man's eyes did not move off of Thomas the other vampire's eyebrow arched. "What's up brother?" Glenn asked but Marcus remained silent continuing to study his friend. "Marcus?" Glenn prompted, but still his brother remained silent for several more moments watching Thomas before finally speaking. "Who are you Thomas?" Glenn frowned looking at his brother wondering if the day's stress hadn't temporarily robbed him of his senses. They had been with Thomas for longer than Glenn could remember and it had always been an unspoken rule that Thomas' past was to be left to him. "Marcus have you lost your mind?"

Marcus finally turned his eyes to Glenn and the younger brother paused seeing the intense look on his brother's face. "Glenn, do you remember when we became able to withstand the light?" Glenn nodded looking from Marcus to Thomas who was strangely silent and calm. "It was just before we found Matthew and Jeffrey." No sooner were the words out of Glenn's mouth then he realized what he had said. Marcus watched Glenn's eyes turn to Thomas and nodded looking at him again. "Yeah right before we found the boys. I am guessing the morning after Gabriel and his brother were born. Am I right Thomas?"

Thomas nodded quietly watching his friends. "Gabriel and Lucian's births brought a great many changes. Most of which were not as readily apparent as that one." Marcus nodded watching Thomas. "Jeffrey and Matthew… are they vampires?" Glenn frowned again wondering where that came from, but Thomas' answer confused him even more. "More or less they are." Marcus nodded stroking his chin. "I have always found it strange that Matthew's mind was not fixed by his change and I also found it weird that they both have no memory of their transformation. It is a very painful and traumatic process that is not easily forgotten." Thomas nodded. "They will someday have the option to return to their… mortal lives if that is what they choose."

Glenn's eyes got big and he opened his mouth to finally speak, but his brother's next statement threw him into speechlessness. "That is a very nice thing for their father to do for them." Glenn's jaw dropped and he sank down onto the table behind him as his brother continued talking. "It would be natural for you to mate with Raven's child. It was done often in the old times, but when he left I am guessing that you had no clue that he was pregnant. Was it with Matthew or Jeffrey? I suppose which ever it doesn't matter much. I figure that you knew about the babes. You knew when Raven turned his child that he was the mother of the Giver of Life because of how pure he was. When the boy left I am guessing that you thought that you could keep an eye on them and intervene when the time was right. Or maybe you thought that because he was being tainted that the prophecy would not be fulfilled. Either way you didn't realize until too late that you had fucked up. Once you figured it out you went after them. You convinced them to let you and Raven join their clan you on the hunt for your children and Raven on the hunt for his child." Thomas nodded carefully. "The leader Paul E was the man who had conned Raven's child. Later he figured out who I was and staked me out in the sun and stole Raven from me thinking I would fry." Marcus nodded and crossed the space to Thomas lifting the amulet Thomas always wore from under his clothing that looked eerily like the two that Peter had given him. "But this protected you didn't it?" When Thomas nodded carefully Taker studied the amulet. "What happened to Raven's child? Is he really dead?"

Thomas sighed and shrugged. "I don't know, but I don't think so. Paul E had gotten rid of him by then and the babes were a bigger priority." Marcus nodded watching Thomas. "So where do we go from here?" Thomas smiled and looked at his friend. "You Marcus are and always will be our leader. You must make that decision, but before you do I think that you should know there is another on his way to join us, someone from your past that you have recently reconnected with." Marcus' eyes got big as he searched for the familiar essence and when Gabriel put his baby fingers over Marcus' mouth Marcus looked down into the soft eyes and nodded. The name that came out of Marcus' mouth sent Glenn into a state of loss and confusion that would last throughout the day. "Shawn."

TBC...

On to Chapter Ten ... And it just keeps on growing