North American Vampire Council & Past Calling (Hypernaturals 12 & 13)

Ruminations and Readiness

Dinner was uneventful after my mistake about Sam and Ken wanting some time to have me aside. No additional facts were revealed about the case.

Carol and DeWayne appeared for dinner, so it was a full house.

Carol did not haul out her joke again, so I called dinner a success.

Sam kept looking at Laura when he thought no one was looking. Silly boy. It was interesting to me that it is Sam, more than Ken, that is interested in Morgan's biological progeny.

Laura was watching the room with interest. She may not be as socially adept as Diana, but she does like to people watch. I think she is trying to figure out people the same way she figures out the insides of the blender. The blades to the blender are always stored separately from the blender. Same thing with the food processor. And the attachments to the mixer.

"Trying to figure out when you will be working for Laura?" I finally asked Sam in amusement when I caught him looking at her, and she was looking at him:

Sam looked chagrined. "You may be joking, but you are not kidding."

Morgan shook her head at that. "No. Laura will be chief scientist. Diana will be in charge, Nakoma chief medical officer, and Rachel will be head of security."

All the girls were pleased with their assignments in the future.

Helen was slightly less thrilled but said nothing. I think she would prefer Diana is the chief diplomat and Rachel is in charge of whatever scenario that is.

To my way of thinking that works either way. so I stirred the pot. "If Laura decides human bodies are as interesting as mechanical things? She and Nakoma might be medical." I said.

Laura gave me solemn eyes. The eyes of her Bio-mom.

Jessica agreed. "Genetics and Laura. Can you imagine?"

I sensed upcoming field trips to the fertility clinic for Laura. It is not merely a fertility clinic, but the center for genetic study of all the subspecies. Mom and Jessica and various guest doctors from around the Vampire world coming there to learn about us. The only sanctioned place in the world right now where records are kept (deeply, heavily encrypted) about how Vampires are made. What makes an Astral an Astral. Genetic drift and variance of Sirens. How Vampire, Siren, and human genetics came together in Ninovan. It's all getting started there.

Sam and Ken left our house early to go back to their hotel because we had an early morning departure time for Houston, and we had to pack an RV. Carol and DeWayne stayed late to help pack the RV, and to engage in pregnant Vampire adult activities.

That is a regular thing right now. DeWayne needs help.

Vera and Carol. Two pregnant Vampires at the same time. The last time that happened it was Jessica and Helen, and I about died from blood loss. Not really, but I did end up getting transfusions. Carol got her fangs into me. So did Vera. Vera got all the rest. She is a Succubus unchained due to the pregnant Vampire thing. She thinks it is new, different, and over the top, but she was not around for Morgan when she was pregnant with Laura.

Morgan did not bite. Big win for me.

At times like this, it is not about being a rare male. It is about being the only Vampire one in the family. I'll be so happy when Danny and/or DeWayne take the change! Kevin and Johnny can't keep up with Vera right now to save their lives.

I avoided thinking about how we lost Helen's baby such that in the end I was only getting bitten by one Vampire. I would rather have had transfusions.

Murdering bastard.

In the in-between moments of packing the RV for an unknown length trip to Houston and loving, I took some time to ruminate. I have now met Morgan's partner on the force, Sam Parker. I knew about him from what Morgan has told me plus my own research. It's always different to meet and put the person with the reputation. Not that Morgan ever exaggerates anything.

I have now met two of Morgan's former lovers: DeWayne Kelly and Ken Cunningham. It would not be absolutely correct to call them 'Ex's'. They never broke up. They were never really together other than as Morgan's lovers. There were no commitments beyond that. Further: DeWayne is a current if not currently frequent lover. Carol and Vera are leaving behind mostly desolation. DeWayne is grateful for any and all assistance. Vampire bonding, like all things Vampire, is amped up. A female Vampire is already (give or take) five times as strong. Now she has an even more amped up sex drive. Vera is not that full-tilt Vampire lady physically strong, but she makes up for it in drive.

Angel is always happy for help too. "It's like trying to make love to a hurricane." She once said.

Of her return to intimacy with DeWayne, Morgan once said: "You know: In some ways is it as if nothing has changed, still an occasional lover. In the way that counts, everything has: occasional now because we both are married and he has a kid on the way. Also, no one gives me any crap about him anymore, other than Jessica, who mostly wants to know when I want to have some more DeWayne so that she can share. You would think that he is a cup of sugar one can borrow."

I stifled my response to that. Morgan was being sincere and sharing. Never to be discouraged by me saying something like 'Welcome to male Vampire life'. Also, DeWayne is not Vampire. He is therefore a much more limited resource.

Nothing like a return to intimacy is going to happen with Ken. Not merely because he is human and married and locked into the human world and morals surrounding monogamy and jealousy and all of that. Morgan would never reopen such a path that would lead inevitably to Ken getting a divorce and leaving his daughter without her two parents. I doubt Ken would either, despite any temptation to the contrary. There is also still the asymmetric relationship. Morgan would never open a path to hurting Ken because he is not 'The One'.

My impression of Ken is that even if he were a Vampire, he would have a very long time coming to accept the way the Vampire world works in terms of relationships. He might never, or perhaps settle in the way Rachel has: A one-at-a-time Vampire. Being a Vampire is not an automatic path to opening your heart to everyone around you that you might love.

It is interesting meeting and seeing a man that my wife used to be lovers with. There are ways in which Ken reminds me of me. Kind of nerdy. We are both big guys. Ken has the same fight with the waistline I used to have before I turned. Different reasons. Mine was a love of beer, and Ken's is a love of food. Same result.

I can't get too judge-y about humans and monogamy either. If I were human, and Morgan was human, then she and I have already discussed we would be perfectly happy settling down with only each other in the short time we would have together as humans. If I understood women better than I do, that might have been our fate.

As we finished up the night's activities and wound down for bed, I thought about that alternate path I could have been on. A simpler life, for sure. Less challenging. No life or death Crew or Council. But no family. No this family. I would have been happy with only Morgan. I am going to be happier for a lot longer with Vampire life, including leveraging that life to help Ken and Sam. Humans that have no idea how much help they are about to get.