The Heart Of A Vampire

oneshot #4:

By the end of the week, Vlad had finally almost come to terms with the fact that he was going to be a father.

He'd never, in the hundreds of years that he had been alive, ever considered such an idea- but then again, he also expected to remain alone for all of eternity.

Both of those expectations, of course, being interrupted by the blonde girl sitting across from him, cozied up in the bedroom of his castle.

The day after the two found out of her pregnancy, he'd rushed her back home to Romania, cutting their honeymoon short.

Obviously she wasn't in a good mood about the whole thing, but she didn't exactly have much of a choice.

After all, when Vlad made a decision, it was final.

"Here then," her husband mumbled quietly in a soothing voice, handing her a glass filled with a green liquid.

It was thick and sloshy, bubbling a bit- not the most appetizing sort of thing.

"The healer gave it to me," Vlad explained, noting her disgusted and expecting look. "Told me it would help with morning sickness."

"Uh- huh..."

"Pinch your nose when you swallow. You won't taste it that way," he advised.

"You know, I think this might actually make me vomit instead of preventing it."

He disregarded her comment, only moving to grab one of the pillows that he had placed under her feet.

"Do you need more support to your back?" He questioned, already moving it behind her. "I can get you more pillows from the drawing room."

"Any more pillows and I'll suffocate underneath them all."

He paused.

"So that's a no?"

She shook her head. He sighed.

"Alright... you, drink that- is there anything else you need? Maybe some food to fulfill a craving? Should I bring you a board game? We can play- it'll help ease your boredom, seeing as you'll be bedridden for a while. Or perhaps-"

"Vlad," she cut him off, fighting back a smile. "I'm fine! Truly! You need not cling so- I'm sure you must have work to get to!"

"Evangeline, you're carrying our child- work be damned. I must ensure your safety and comfortability before all else."

"Then who shall rule over vampire society?" She inquired.

"That's none of your concern," he assured her. "You need not stress yourself over such matters. I would rather you remain calm and carefree, for the sake of both your health and that of the baby."

She grumbled quietly in response, scrunching up her nose.

"Now then," Vlad sighed, standing up. "What about a round of poker?"

Immediately, all previous bitterness about being left out of the loop was gone, replaced with a bright excitement that practically set her face aglow.

"You're on."

"I thought you might say that..."

He reached over to a nearby drawer, pulling out a small deck of cards before rejoining her on the sheets.

"However," he suddenly began, a bit of a smirk starting to tug at his lips.

"Oh gosh..." Evangeline mumbled, knowing she was definitely not about to be a fan of the next words to leave his mouth.

"You have to take a sip of the juice every time you choose to draw a card."

"Damn you, Vlad."

"You know you love me."