Not At All, Chapter 4
“Did you bring us food?” Henry questions as soon as Angel and Cordelia enter the room. He hops out of Kennedy’s lap and abandons the card game spread out on his twin’s bed.
“Are you starving them, Kennedy?” Angel asks, smile brought on by the laugh Cordy graces Henry with as he bounces toward her.
Taken aback by the normally broody vampire’s warmth, Kennedy searches for a response.
“No, we were waiting for you, Cordy,” Bella informs them, slinged arm resting lightly on her stomach.
“Good thing we brought dinner, then, huh?”
“Oh, is that spaghetti?”
“Henry, take a breath,” Bella chastises.
“Here, monster,” Cordy teases, handing off the plates. “Let me check out your sister.”
Henry settles into a chair and digs into his dinner.
“Becky stopped by earlier,” Kennedy offers. “She said the cast should come off tomorrow morning.”
Cordy nods, tipping up the blonde girl’s chin, studying the healing scar, blood no longer soaking through the bandage.
“How’s it feel, Bella-bear?”
“Fine.”
“Fine?”
“Yes. It only hurts a little.”
Cordy looks skeptical, but merely offers the girl her dinner. “Eat up, little one.”
“So, Angel,” Henry says, mouth full of pasta. “Any fun stories about our Cordy?”
“You two behave,” Cordy warns, shooting a playful look first at Henry, then at Angel.
Kennedy bids the twins goodbye and takes her leave of the grinning group.
Halfway through their meal, Henry launches into a story about a concierge in Prague and how much Cordy annoyed him.
“Thankfully, two adorable blond children get you out of about everything in the world,” Cordy quips.
“Yeah. He let us get our stuff before he threw us out,” Henry grins.
“That was the nicest place we’d stayed in months,” Bella complains, eliciting a giggle from Henry as she slurps her spaghetti.
“Where do you usually stay?” Angel asks, kindly, not catching Cordy’s uncomfortable look.
“Where ever’s dry and not near vampires,” Henry shrugs.
Bella laughs. “Remember that place in Istanbul? For a Higher Being, Cordy’s really afraid of bugs.”
“Behave!” Cordy objects, the twins sharing a conspiratorial look.
***
Hours, blissful hours, later, Henry, having earlier plopped into Angel’s lap, falls asleep rambling about Caracas with marinara smeared on his face. Cordy and Bella share the infirmary bed, eventually drifting off to sleep themselves. Surrounded by the slow, steady heartbeats, the echoes of earlier laughter, and the warmth of the boy’s body snuggled against his cold chest, sleep soon claims the vampire against his will.
“Well, ‘ello there, big guy.”
Eyes blinking against the blindingly white light, Angel spots a long lost friend, complete with brogue and bright blue eyes, playing cards on a pair of fold out chairs and a card table with young Henry McAlister.
“Hank, m’boy. How ‘bout you run along? Nothin’ special tonight.”
Henry’s eyes slip over to Angel briefly, then he smacks hands with his adult companion and disappears from view with a “Later, Doyle.”
“This’s never happened before,” Doyle says amiably, offering Angel the chair Henry has just vacated. “I’d offer you a drink, but this is a ten-year-old’s dreamscape. And, scary as my boy Henry’s dreams may be, no alcohol.”
“Dreamscape?” Is all Angel catches.
“Lil’ Bella calls our boy a dream walker. A higher affinity for the dream plane, you might say. I’m his guide. Known the little buddy all his life.”
“You live in Henry’s head?”
“His dreams, Boss. Not his head. Can’t touch ‘im when he’s awake. Try to give ‘im as much of a male influence as I can, but I’m not enough.”
“Where’s his dad?”
“Ah, Oliver Hampton. A creep, not father material. Julia never even told him she was pregnant. Says even back then she knew they were too special to let him get his hands on. Don’t all mothers know? I think they can feel it, their babe’s destinies. Anyway, Julia loved those babes like no other. Right cute wee ones, too. No wonder the Princess fell in love. The terrible twos I could’ve done without…”
“Doyle,” Angel interrupts. “Why am I here?”
“Don’t rightly know,” Doyle admits. “Must be about the kids. But I’m glad you’re here, so I can give you the talking-to I’ve been wanting to give you since they set foot in this castle.”
Angel sighs and sits back in his chair.
“What’s that, Doyle?”
“Look, the Princess, she’s been through hell. The visions, the possession, the dying, all that you know. But it’s no picnic now. Having lost you, it was hard for her to open up, but life on the run and carin’ for the babes bred a bond between Julia and Cordelia. I don’t think she’ll ever get over the twins’ mum dyin’ like that, will always think she should’ve gone. Silly, o’ course. Illogical. But our Princess…”
“Why are you telling me this, Doyle?”
“Because I’m impotent! Lil’ Bella almost got her throat ripped out and I can’t even reach out and hug the Princess, let alone help defend these kids. They need someone, a father figure, a helping hand. They’re all each other has in this world. And this world wants to destroy them.”
“What am I supposed to do, Doyle? She doesn’t want me to come along.”
Doyle laughs affectionately.
“I’ve missed you, big guy. Don’t be dense. She wants you. She’s just been stuck playing martyr so long she won’t let herself want you.” He tips back in his chair. “You better start taking care of my family. I’m giving them to… Ah, hell!!”
Doyle’s on his feet, pacing.
“Henry!” Doyle starts calling. “Hank, buddy, get your cute little arse back here.”
Breathless, Henry skids in from nowhere.
“Big stuff, little man. Trouble coming; time to rally the troops.”
“Trouble? We’re safe here,” Angel objects.
Henry, eyes filling with fear as scenes from the coming battle start swirling around them, as the stench of blood and rot and mud rises, turns on Angel in a flash, young voice strangely harsh.
“We’re never safe.”
With a jolt, Angel is awake, Henry already on his feet waking Bella and Cordelia.
“What is it, Henry?’ Cordelia questions, instantly awake.
“Trouble coming,” the boy answers, closing his eyes. “The undead. Vampires, zombies. Surrounding the castle.”
“When?”
“Any minute now.”
Cordy’s face grows pale. “Go get Kennedy and Becky, Henry, now. Run.”
The boy takes off on her orders. The Higher Being turns to her remaining charge. “I’m going to go check on the situation. You sit tight, alright, Bella-bear? Everything’s going to be…”
“Fine?” Bella finishes for her.
“Brat,” Cordy says affectionately before turning her attention to Angel seriously. “What’s the best way out of here? A secret way.”
“I know one.”
“Good. Stay here with Bella. I’ll be right back.”
“What?”
“Stay here with Bella. Don’t let anything happen to her.”
Before Angel can object, she’s out the door.
“You better start taking care of my family.”
TBC
“Are you starving them, Kennedy?” Angel asks, smile brought on by the laugh Cordy graces Henry with as he bounces toward her.
Taken aback by the normally broody vampire’s warmth, Kennedy searches for a response.
“No, we were waiting for you, Cordy,” Bella informs them, slinged arm resting lightly on her stomach.
“Good thing we brought dinner, then, huh?”
“Oh, is that spaghetti?”
“Henry, take a breath,” Bella chastises.
“Here, monster,” Cordy teases, handing off the plates. “Let me check out your sister.”
Henry settles into a chair and digs into his dinner.
“Becky stopped by earlier,” Kennedy offers. “She said the cast should come off tomorrow morning.”
Cordy nods, tipping up the blonde girl’s chin, studying the healing scar, blood no longer soaking through the bandage.
“How’s it feel, Bella-bear?”
“Fine.”
“Fine?”
“Yes. It only hurts a little.”
Cordy looks skeptical, but merely offers the girl her dinner. “Eat up, little one.”
“So, Angel,” Henry says, mouth full of pasta. “Any fun stories about our Cordy?”
“You two behave,” Cordy warns, shooting a playful look first at Henry, then at Angel.
Kennedy bids the twins goodbye and takes her leave of the grinning group.
Halfway through their meal, Henry launches into a story about a concierge in Prague and how much Cordy annoyed him.
“Thankfully, two adorable blond children get you out of about everything in the world,” Cordy quips.
“Yeah. He let us get our stuff before he threw us out,” Henry grins.
“That was the nicest place we’d stayed in months,” Bella complains, eliciting a giggle from Henry as she slurps her spaghetti.
“Where do you usually stay?” Angel asks, kindly, not catching Cordy’s uncomfortable look.
“Where ever’s dry and not near vampires,” Henry shrugs.
Bella laughs. “Remember that place in Istanbul? For a Higher Being, Cordy’s really afraid of bugs.”
“Behave!” Cordy objects, the twins sharing a conspiratorial look.
***
Hours, blissful hours, later, Henry, having earlier plopped into Angel’s lap, falls asleep rambling about Caracas with marinara smeared on his face. Cordy and Bella share the infirmary bed, eventually drifting off to sleep themselves. Surrounded by the slow, steady heartbeats, the echoes of earlier laughter, and the warmth of the boy’s body snuggled against his cold chest, sleep soon claims the vampire against his will.
“Well, ‘ello there, big guy.”
Eyes blinking against the blindingly white light, Angel spots a long lost friend, complete with brogue and bright blue eyes, playing cards on a pair of fold out chairs and a card table with young Henry McAlister.
“Hank, m’boy. How ‘bout you run along? Nothin’ special tonight.”
Henry’s eyes slip over to Angel briefly, then he smacks hands with his adult companion and disappears from view with a “Later, Doyle.”
“This’s never happened before,” Doyle says amiably, offering Angel the chair Henry has just vacated. “I’d offer you a drink, but this is a ten-year-old’s dreamscape. And, scary as my boy Henry’s dreams may be, no alcohol.”
“Dreamscape?” Is all Angel catches.
“Lil’ Bella calls our boy a dream walker. A higher affinity for the dream plane, you might say. I’m his guide. Known the little buddy all his life.”
“You live in Henry’s head?”
“His dreams, Boss. Not his head. Can’t touch ‘im when he’s awake. Try to give ‘im as much of a male influence as I can, but I’m not enough.”
“Where’s his dad?”
“Ah, Oliver Hampton. A creep, not father material. Julia never even told him she was pregnant. Says even back then she knew they were too special to let him get his hands on. Don’t all mothers know? I think they can feel it, their babe’s destinies. Anyway, Julia loved those babes like no other. Right cute wee ones, too. No wonder the Princess fell in love. The terrible twos I could’ve done without…”
“Doyle,” Angel interrupts. “Why am I here?”
“Don’t rightly know,” Doyle admits. “Must be about the kids. But I’m glad you’re here, so I can give you the talking-to I’ve been wanting to give you since they set foot in this castle.”
Angel sighs and sits back in his chair.
“What’s that, Doyle?”
“Look, the Princess, she’s been through hell. The visions, the possession, the dying, all that you know. But it’s no picnic now. Having lost you, it was hard for her to open up, but life on the run and carin’ for the babes bred a bond between Julia and Cordelia. I don’t think she’ll ever get over the twins’ mum dyin’ like that, will always think she should’ve gone. Silly, o’ course. Illogical. But our Princess…”
“Why are you telling me this, Doyle?”
“Because I’m impotent! Lil’ Bella almost got her throat ripped out and I can’t even reach out and hug the Princess, let alone help defend these kids. They need someone, a father figure, a helping hand. They’re all each other has in this world. And this world wants to destroy them.”
“What am I supposed to do, Doyle? She doesn’t want me to come along.”
Doyle laughs affectionately.
“I’ve missed you, big guy. Don’t be dense. She wants you. She’s just been stuck playing martyr so long she won’t let herself want you.” He tips back in his chair. “You better start taking care of my family. I’m giving them to… Ah, hell!!”
Doyle’s on his feet, pacing.
“Henry!” Doyle starts calling. “Hank, buddy, get your cute little arse back here.”
Breathless, Henry skids in from nowhere.
“Big stuff, little man. Trouble coming; time to rally the troops.”
“Trouble? We’re safe here,” Angel objects.
Henry, eyes filling with fear as scenes from the coming battle start swirling around them, as the stench of blood and rot and mud rises, turns on Angel in a flash, young voice strangely harsh.
“We’re never safe.”
With a jolt, Angel is awake, Henry already on his feet waking Bella and Cordelia.
“What is it, Henry?’ Cordelia questions, instantly awake.
“Trouble coming,” the boy answers, closing his eyes. “The undead. Vampires, zombies. Surrounding the castle.”
“When?”
“Any minute now.”
Cordy’s face grows pale. “Go get Kennedy and Becky, Henry, now. Run.”
The boy takes off on her orders. The Higher Being turns to her remaining charge. “I’m going to go check on the situation. You sit tight, alright, Bella-bear? Everything’s going to be…”
“Fine?” Bella finishes for her.
“Brat,” Cordy says affectionately before turning her attention to Angel seriously. “What’s the best way out of here? A secret way.”
“I know one.”
“Good. Stay here with Bella. I’ll be right back.”
“What?”
“Stay here with Bella. Don’t let anything happen to her.”
Before Angel can object, she’s out the door.
“You better start taking care of my family.”
TBC