Predetermined

Chapter 7 - It's How It's Done

This story belongs to: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/615457/yeknodelttil 

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Vlad looked down at Erin, she was fast asleep on him now. They'd come inside half an hour ago, she'd calmed down somewhat. The confrontation with her parents had clearly exhausted her so he'd just let her sleep. Erin would need her rest if she were to remain with them and fight her parents.

Carefully Vlad lifted her up, taking care not to jostle Erin as he gently lifted her head from his chest. He place one hand underneath her head and lowered her down do her head rested against the cushioned, green arm of the sofa.

He straightened her legs out before brushing his lips over her forehead. Erin muttered something before her lips quirked upwards at his gesture. Vlad grinned; he hadn't expected that reaction, he slowly brushed her hair from her eyes before straightening completely and moving away, not before letting his eyes linger on her sleeping form for a few more seconds.

"I don't trust them." Vlad whispered quietly to his family. "We have to do something. I'm not letting them take her if she doesn't want to go."

"They're right Vlad, we're not her legal guardians." Bertrand whispered to the younger vampire, taking care not to wake the former slayer, "They can take her if they want to. Until Erin's eighteen she hadn't got any rights in any world. It doesn't matter if she's your girlfriend." Bertrand had become an expert on breather and slayer law in recent months. He wouldn't admit it but he found it interesting.

"They have no right to tell her what she's supposed to be." Ingrid hissed defending Erin.

"Your destiny was to always become a vampire." The Count pointed out to both of his children.

"But you never decided that, just as you didn't decide that I would be Grand High Vampire, fate chose it." Vlad told them quietly. "When I was at the tribunal hearing they said her punishment was permanent. Unless she appealed then and there then her punishment would be permanent."

"How have they managed to undo it then?" Ingrid asked them quietly.

"I don't know." Neither did anyone else judging by the silence that followed. A grimace crossed Vlad's features as he realised there was someone who might be able to answer this. They didn't know anything about the slayer world they needed someone who had high authority and who knew all the ins and outs of their laws. There was only one person he could think of. "I know someone who might be able to help." He broached slowly.

"Who?" Bertrand asked, he didn't like this he didn't want Vlad putting himself in danger and knowing him he would just to save Erin.

"Jonno."

The name hit them like a ton of bricks, there wasn't as much anger between them as there once was considering the role Vlad had played in Eric Van Helsing's death but there was no way of knowing for certain that Vlad could trust him completely.

"I'll come with you." The Count offered, eager to defend his son. Vlad shook his head; it wasn't that he didn't appreciate his offer it was that he didn't really want to leave Erin on her own.

"I want you to stay here and look after Erin." Vlad's eyebrows rose as he spoke, showing that he wanted to make sure Erin remained safe from Bertrand and Ingrid.

"I'll go with Vlad." Ingrid offered, Vlad looked at her sceptically.

Vlad wasn't going to beat around the bush, Ingrid never offered out of the goodness of her heart.

"What do you want out of this?"

"I want to help Vlad." Ingrid told him sincerely, she honestly wanted to help. She always thought Erin had the freedom she never had and that had made her jealous of the young woman (although she'd never admit to it), finding out Erin was just as trapped as she was, made her want to help her out.