Gabriel (Book 1)

Roses are Red, Violtes are Blue, My Rose is White and its Bleeding for You...

July 26th, 2015 

We set up the nursery in my bedroom, Jordan had sent Josh to pick up another crib from the store for my son. Yes, the other child is a boy. I tried not to fall in love, I tried to call them 'the wife murderers', I tried to be angry with them...but I couldn't do any of those things. I fell in love instantly! The term 'wife murderer' froze on my lips before I could finish the first syllable. Angry? Who could be angry with the two most angelic faces ever? I hardly let them out of my sight during the past 4 days. I was here for every cry, burp, yawn, and diaper change. I currently sat on the bed with my beautiful Nikola in my arms sucking milk from a bottle. 

"Who is my gorgeous little girl? Yes, its you. I love you, Nikola. I love you so much," I cooed to her. 

Jordan came bounding into the room with more toys for them. 

"Hello, Nikola," she smiles. 

And then she rests her elbows on the crib and places her chin in her palm to stare down at my son, "Hello, little-no-name." 

"Stop calling him that," I laugh, "He might actually start to think that's his name." 

"Well, he needs one! You better get naming, mister!" 

"I can't, Johanna and I had a boy name all picked out; Nikolai. Then this little girl came out and, well, she has first dibs on names." 

"So just pick another name then, you had other brothers, right?" 

"Yeah," I mumble, "But I didn't like any of them." 

She throws her hands into the air, "Then that's it! I give up!" 

I laugh at her, "You're being so dramatic. 

She shrugs. 

There was a soft knock at the door, and if I had known things were going to turn ugly then I would have grabbed my children in my arms and jumped out the window. 

"Umm, Gabriel, there is someone here to see you," Rhoan says nervously with the door still half closed. 

"Well, who-?" 

"Christ, just let me in!" 

My smile fell as Ryder shoved past Rhoan and into the room. 

"Where's my sister? I gotta convince her not to have those little leeches you impregnated her with." 

Jordan exchanged a look with me that said 'what the hell is up with this guy'? 

Jordan and I shrugged our baby filled arms and turned them so he could see the baby faces. 

"They're already here," I reply. 

"Damn! I'm too late! Well, where is my sister? I gotta tell her that she made a mistake." 

I couldn't bring myself to say anything. I settled Nikola in her crib then took my son from the uncomfortable looking Jordan and put him down as well. 

"Ryder, we need to talk," I say sadly...

We sat on my bed, faces grief striken and hearts heavy. I couldn't bring myself to say that she-. 

The only thing close to the truth I could say is 'she fell asleep'.  

For once, Ryder was calm, eerily calm, and completely silent. At first I had thought that he would attack me; but then I saw a man experiencing the same things I was. He was grieving over the same loss I am, trying to cope with losing someone he really loved just as much as I did, he was trying to accept how sudden she had been taken from us both. 

"So these are her kids?" He asks to break the silence. 

I nod my head, "Yeah, this is Nikola. And she-well, before he was born she-" 

"He doesn't have a name?" Ryder asks. I was kind of shocked at how nice he was being, it is extremely out of character for him. But tragidies such as the one we are enduring do change people. 

"No. Johanna thought she was only having a boy. She wanted to name him Nikolai after my brother but then a little girl came out instead. And we had named her before we even knew there was another baby. I don't know what to name him." 

There was some more londely silence before he asked the question I was waiting for him to ask, "How is that possible? Two little monster vampires in the same womb?" 

Yes, 'how'? That had been the only question asked around here for the last four days. How could there be twins? How could two of them be living together in there when one was enough of a danger? And how come none of us knew about the 2nd child? How come we only heard one heartbeat? I first thought that it was because one child was more vampire than the other, but I am proved wrong. Both babies have a strong heartbeat, drink milk, all of the normal baby stuff. Carlisle suggested that though they might be human, perhaps one got the special ability part of being a vampire. 'So what?' I asked, 'one of them didn't want us to know it existed?' We have no idea what happened, or why, but I'm thankful that it did. I'm thankful that if she had to-, then I get these two out of it, they are more of a help to me than anything else is. 

"So whose godfather am I?" He asks with that smart ass tone of his returning. 

"Umm, I don't know! Johanna and I never talked about that-" 

"So I'll just be both of their godfathers-" 

"No. Rhoan is Nikola's godfather, your my sons." 

"But you just said you didn't know-" 

"Yeah, well, I'm the father so I can decide whatever I want, whenever I want." I held open the door for him, "Now please leave this room, I don't want you near my children unless I'm watching you." 

"Fine," he shoulders past me, "So glad you're treating your dead wifes brother so wonderfully. I'm the only one who really knew her, my blood runs through your children. Johanna might not have been a werewolf but one of those kids could be. And sorry, pal, but now you're clueless when it comes to the children of the full moon. I'll be at the bar wallowing over my sister's wasted years she spent with you." 

Not only was I terrified for myself, and what he would do to my children, but I was terrified of his past and the effect it could bring to them. What if Ryder is right? There is no way for me to know, so little about his kind is known and I couldn't even be certain if he was telling the truth or bluffing. 

I wandered down the hall and into the guest bedroom where I had lain Johanna. Her skin was that icy blue color, cold to the touch. Her cheeks aren't rosy and her hair is lifeless. After all the laughs we shared, the tears we cried, the smiles we wore, and the memories we created, I was left with nothing. No lasting smiles to wear, only one reason to cry, and not a reason to laugh. All I had were my memories and they wouldn't be enough. How could only 5 years of memories last me the rest of forever? I took her cold hand in mine and rubbed my thumb in circles. The room was lit by a few scattered candles, nothing more, they were the only things delivering warmth to the room. Making a dead place seem alive. 

Sitting across from me I see a ghostly looking Jane smiling evily. 

And I hear Natalia's laughter in my head. 

"I can't believe you left me," I whisper, "I need you, Johanna. I can't face my demons and the rest of forever without you."  

So maybe that was a small-ish lie. I would face forever... for my kids, but there is no way I could be as happy as I once imagined I would be. 

I became a slave to my own frozen body, I found myself unable to move as Jane stroked my arm, Natalia cackled in my mind, and Kali seared my soul. All I could do was whimper in pain and let my anger bottle up to a dangerous level. 

My mind was warped and twisted, filled and muttled...until I heard a heartbeat... 

-Gabriel