Opposites - ReVamped (Highlander/ Kindred: The Embraced Crossover)

Chapter 6 - Transitions

Andre knew it the moment Richie opened his eyes as a Kindred for the first time, but he did not rush to his childe's side. He wanted to, but he needed to know how Richie was reacting first to know exactly what to do, so he stood a few feet away and waited. 

He saw Richie frown and rub his neck, before slowly sitting up and looking around. There was something slightly off about the way Richie moved. Then, when Richie finally looked at him and Richie's eyes went large and round and, of all things, innocent, Andre realised what it was.

"Who are you?" Richie asked in a tone that only backed up Andre's assessment. "Where am I?"

Richie did not sound like an adult, in fact he sounded like a scared child.

"Don't you remember?" Andre asked, not really knowing what else to do.

Richie shook his head.

This had never happened to Andre before. In fact he was not sure he had heard of exactly this happening to anyone he knew either, but he had heard of some strange things occurring because of the embrace, so he did not panic.

"I feel funny," Richie said, sounding scared, which pushed Andre into motion.

"It's alright," he said, walking across to his childe and reaching out his hand, "there is no need to be afraid. I will not let anything hurt you."

Protective instincts weren't exactly what he had expected to be feeling first, but it seemed life was determined to surprise him. When Richie tentatively took his hand he found himself smiling.

"I'm Andre," he said, sitting down beside Richie, "and I will look after you until you are feeling better."

He gave his new childe his best smile, and Richie smiled back; it was the most innocent thing Andre had seen in a long time. He was used to dealing with Kindred, and to see into a Kindred's eyes was to see many things, but innocence was not one of them.

"Do you remember anything at all?" he asked gently, stroking the hand in his with his gentle fingers.

Richie frowned for a moment and, just for a fraction of a second, Andre glimpsed something other than the childlike persona he was seeing, but it lasted only a moment before the innocent gaze was back. Richie shook his head.

"Well don't worry," Andre said, rearranging all his plans in his head, "I am sure you will remember in time; you've been through a big change and it must have affected you."

This seemed to relax Richie somewhat and the smile came back.

"I'm hungry," was the next pronouncement, and it was Andre's turn to smile.

"I'm sure you are," he replied and patted Richie's hand, "but before we eat we need to make sure you are presentable. Come on, you are taking a shower."

When he stood and tugged gently on Richie's hand, his childe stood and followed him meekly. He led Richie through the bedroom to the bathroom. Then he leant into the shower cubicle and turned on the water, before pulling back and looking Richie up and down.

"Now," he said with a small smile, "climb in and have a nice hot shower while I organise dinner."

Richie didn't appear to like that idea, in fact, when Andre went to leave, he found his hand was clamped in a vicelike grip. It seemed Richie did not want him to leave.

"Please don't leave me," Richie said quietly, and Andre had the feeling that he might have chosen an Adonis with more of a past than he had thought.

"I'll be right back, I promise," Andre said, feeling more like a real parent with every moment. "Look, you get undressed, I'll make a very quick phone call and then I'll be right back, how's that?"