A month outside the gates (a VA fanfic)ON HOLD

Chapter 79

Warning: proceed with caution, some very sensitive and serious issues broached in this chapter. Hopefully the only one touched on in detail. I promise I tried not to be too graphic.

Emil'sPOV

With Vasilisa just barely on the throne, her surprise half-sister Jill now the Dragomir Princess, Rose juggling six children under four years old, Tatiana dead, rebels running riot left, right, and bloody centre, another Ozera betrayal, and my wife in fucking labor with our third child, I was stuck in the family courtroom trying to wrap up seven months of custody hearings and battles. Was I going to get my oldest child or wasn't I?! Just decide already and let me settle into my new life or tell me to continue on with my old one. Just stop being so indecisive!

Finally I had my oldest child, Oliver, released into my full-time custody and care. His least-stable or suitable relatives unable to contact him in any way as, in winning the custody case, I had also won the battle to have strict restraining orders put on them. Emotionally drained, I retrieved my nine-year-old from Social Services before explaining to him that we were going to the hospital for him to finally meet Holly properly and his new little brother. When we arrived at the Academy, he would meet his little sisters who were in Day Care with the Mazur twins and their brother Bernard, and Hunter and Scarlet Dragomir.

Oliver'sPOV

My new stepmom Holly was very pretty. Even though she was very sweaty and tired. She welcomed me to her family with a smile and very warm hug.

Safe.

I am safe now.

No one will hurt me.

Daddy—my REAL Daddy—was very strong and protective. I could look up to him and want to be like him when I grow up. My fake Daddy I would look at and want to be nothing like him. My real Daddy I was happy to be around. And my stepmomma. My real Mommy may have loved me, but she always told me that my fake Daddy did things that she should have stopped because he loved me. But he didn't. He hit me at daytime. He'd been coming into my room more and more at night... and would touch me. The last time he put a ball in my mouth and tied it to my face. He'd taken all my clothes off before touching me. Then he'd taken his off and made me touch him. I was crying but I did it because he would not let me eat all day if I didn't, and if I screamed he would hurt Mommy in the morning.

The only time I was with his family, they did the same. Hit me for no reason or touch me when no one looked. If Mommy had said something to my fake and evil Daddy, she didn't tell me... and I think she could have because he hit her really bad and her head hit the kitchen table before he hit me for the last time then...

I shivered uncontrollably at the memory. I would like nothing more than to permanently forget it all. But I didn't think it was possible. Even if my head forgot my body was not going to.

The sound of my stepmomma Holly's voice calmed me down and reassured me that I was safe. That I was protected. And that she, my real Daddy and my new school would teach me how to protect myself and others. I grinned. "Momma, where's my baby brother?"

She ruffled my hair before nodding her head toward Daddy, who had a tiny bundle of blankets in his arms and was smiling happily at what had to be my brother inside. "Daddy's got him. Do you want to meet him now?"

I nodded in excitement. I was very happy to have a big, big family. One that very much so showed they wanted me. Daddy put my brother in my arms, making sure I held him right and protected his head and neck. "Hi," I said quietly to the sleeping little human. I looked at Momma and Daddy. "What's his name?"

Daddy smiled cheekily. "Owen. Holly and I inherited this thing from her parents of using the same first letter for names. Since Holly's only sibling is her sister Helena and we named your sisters Katherine and Kelly, we decided that your brother should have a name starting with O just like yours does."

I watched Owen very closely. "He looks like a Owen," I said, proud. He looked like Daddy. Just like me!

Emil'sPOV

It had taken little more than helping me help Oliver get better for Holly to come around to taking him in as her own. After a few brief greetings when she accompanied me to visit him, she soon grew to love him as her own. The first time they hugged, I could see it in her eyes. Tears of joy, and resolve. We spoke to my lawyer and the Alchemist that afternoon and they assured us that the likelihood of me getting custody would increase the sooner we married. And so, that's how I ended up married to the love of my life just days later.

Eventually, Holly ordered me to take Oliver to the Academy and settle him in before introducing him to his really rather precocious sisters. Not to mention all the paperwork to do to enrol him. I had done enough paperwork to last me several lifetimes in the past seven months!

Kirova was not particularly impressed when I returned to campus having won full custody of my son. Apparently I was as bad as Rose and Dimitri when it came to my, what she termed 'breeding habits'. I love my kids, dammit! I love my wife more than words could describe. I'm sorry, totally not sorry, that we can't keep our hands off each other. I'm not going to reject my son from my stupid high school summer fling with a pretty human just because her sorry ass didn't track me down to tell me, never mind jumping into the next human relationship she could and claimed my son to be his. Even if he wasn't genetically mine, there was no way I could let him be released into the care of such sick indirect relatives.

I brought Oliver into the gym with me, suspecting Dimitri and Rose to be training while Delilah baby sat the triplets. I was not disappointed. Oliver's jaw dropped when he saw them training on the dummies.

"Cool!"

Rose spun mid-strike and grinned at my son. "Now you must be young Oliver—you look exactly like your daddy. He hasn't stopped talking about how much he wants to get the chance to actually be your Daddy."

He nodded mutely as a laughing Dimitri strode up behind Rose and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Roza, Roza, Roza," Dimitri sighed and she relaxed into him. "Do try not to overwhelm him."

"Oliver, meet Rose and Dimitri; two of the best people you will ever meet."

"Hi," he greeted meekly.

Realising how imposing they could be, they both crouched down and introduced themselves more fully. Explaining our world as they did so.

"Will you teach me what you just did!"

"Not just yet, young one. First of all, we have to make you strong, fast and muscular," grinned Rose. "Dimitri's really good at that—he made me as strong and fast as I am now."

"Yay! Thank you!"

When he met his sisters, he reacted just the same way as he had to Owen. He adored them instantly. Just as they took to him so easily. I had to have the best kids to ever exist.