Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2021 21:27:48 -0500
From: Richard McQueen <mcqueen.richarderic@gmail.com>
Subject: Blueblood, Chapter 18 Thornwood

Story: Blueblood

Chapter 18 Thornwood

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

Adult Readers, Sexual Situations, Sex

Freedom of expression is precious. To do that Nifty needs help. Your
donation is greatly desired. Give to http://donate.nifty.org/ or this story
ends and all the others! That would be a crime!

Thornwood

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"And why?" I asked.

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

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

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

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

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

Colin's eyebrows rose. "A what?"

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

Colin frowned. "I've been busy!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Colin nodded. "I am."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Willie nodded. "I was a century ago."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

"It's William." She confessed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She didn't exactly answer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mom nodded. "We need to be sure."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Colin gave a weary nod. "I suppose."

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

"Age?" Colin asked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Seasoned!?" Colin asked.

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

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

I nodded. "Does he have any theories?"

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

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

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

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

"Daddy!?" Colin repeated loud.

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

Colin looked surprised. "Harrods'?"

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

Colin chuckled. "Sure, why not?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I can look it up," I said.

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads.

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

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

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


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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"What?"

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

Colin looked and smiled. "Why?"

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

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

"Of course, I do."

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

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

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

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

Colin nodded. "It's very possible."

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

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

"What?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

Shelly nodded. "We'll be ready."

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

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

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

Shelly frowned. "Why?"

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

"What's the difference?" Shelly asked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mom smiled. "Oh."

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

He nodded. "Now."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Know where we are?" Colin asked grinning.

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

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

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

Colin smiled. "You never know."

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

"This requires reservations?" I asked in amazement.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The man nodded. "Business then?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Do we need jackets?" I asked.

Nigel nodded. "You might."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Colin frowned. "It is!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"How do you know?" The man asked.

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

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

Edwin looked at Nigel. "Were you followed?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"A condition?" Edwin repeated doubtfully.

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

Edwin nodded. "You are."

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

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

"You're First Vampire?" Colin asked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Colin frowned disappointingly. "I see."

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

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

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

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

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

I grinned. "Sort of a Vampire Vigilante?"

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

"And the others around here?" Colin asked.

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

"You?" Colin smiled.

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

Now I understood why he looked like he did.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"We know the number," Colin said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

"We do?" Chuck asked.

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

Edwin nodded.

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

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

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