Blueblood 5: Exposed The Secrets about V5H Revealed - 25. Concepts

“Ellis,” I began, “I know this is new, but I hope you realize how much we all like having you and Kev with us.”

Ellis smiled and I was not surprised when his Cockney took a back seat. “Yes, I know that.” He nodded. “Kev and I lost a lot during those years below in the Tubes...friends mostly.” He nodded at me. “It’s nice to feel so welcome.”

“You’re one of us,” I said simply. “I don’t mean the venom or vampire part, but because of who you two are.” I squeezed Mark’s shoulder. “They don’t have a drop of venom but believe me. They are part of us, too. Just as you and Kev now are now.”

Ellis smiled at me, but this time because he had moisture in him and in his eyes, I saw a tear form as he hugged me. “Thank you, Devon.” Then he was back to being his happy Cockney self. “Well, time to pop off below again.” He put his arm around Mark’s neck and shoulders. “So, kiss the ol’ trouble and strife ta ta.”

Mark was staring at him a second and then shook his head quickly. “What!?” He smiled at him. “I know you speak English, Ellis!” He pointed to Stan and me. “We all just heard you!”

“’ow is that fun?” Ellis wasn’t bothered a bit. “I said, kiss yer husband goodbye and we need to go! We’ve got some lost souls to find out there.” He thumbed over his shoulder and pointed to the floor meaning the subways and Manhattan as a whole. “And that was English! There is absolutely nothin’ wrong with the way I talk.” He said poking Mark lightly on the chest. “It's you Yanks that talk funny.”

Mark shook his head again but turned to Stan. “See you later, Baby.” Ellis and I pulled away a bit to give them space and some privacy. He said leaning in and kissing Stan gently, but it was heartfelt as it lingered a little. That vampire hearing, I heard it all. So did Ellis.

Stan’s fingers went into Mark’s dark hair as he rested his forehead against Mark’s. “Be careful. I am going to marry you, but that means you have to be here. Stay safe, please?”

Mark’s smile I didn’t have to see to know it was there. “I will.” He kissed Stan again and stood up. “I’ll be in contact with you the whole night!” He tapped his earpiece with the little throat mic. “Don’t lose me!”

Stan smiled back. “Never.” He swore.

Ellis suddenly looked up and stated. “I need to see Kev again!”

Chuckling, I nodded understanding fully. “I need to see Colin.” I took Ellis’ arm pulling him toward the door. “Then I am going to spend time with the boys.”

“You really like them, don’t you?” Ellis asked as we walked down the hall and I nodded to his question. “What are you trying to do with them?”

“I’m trying to get them to understand the world a little more,” I said simply and shrugged. “Until now, their lives have been the same every night. They wake up hungry and find blood, feed and rest again at sunup and do it again. I am trying to get them to see who they are and who we, who the victims are.”

Ellis nodded. “How is that going?”

“They communicate so differently, getting them to make sentences and be understood is hard, while at the same time they don’t seem to realize what they are versus what we are.” I saw his confusion when I said that. Sighing I tried to explain. “There is one primary need for them. Blood. I mean, they wake up and search for blood. The victim is just the means to the end. The ends justify the means. I don’t know that they realize what they do or the consequences of what they do.”

Ellis looked at me surprised. “They don’t know what they’re doing or why?”

I shrugged again. “I can’t say, but the hunger is the thing that needs satisfying. That is the only important thing in their lives. That one need drowns everything else.” I smiled at Ellis. “Now that need is more easily met, with no deaths…they are just…children!” I punched him lightly in the arm. “Now…” I grinned, “you are capable of speaking so you’re understood. Why the accent?”

Ellis chuckled, bowing his head a little guiltily. “Well, I can be understood.” He shrugged. “It’s more of habit now.” He smiled as he remembered. “When I started working for Kev, he was so…serious!” He grudgingly nodded. “A lot of times, just sad. I made it my mission to make him laugh!” He brightened. “I did it!” He said triumphantly. “Then I caught him on a few occasions looking at me…” he got closer to share something in more confidence, “that way.” He shook his head and went into the act again. “’e was a proper gentleman, ‘e was!” Then he dropped the accent again. “If looking at me made him happy, I didn’t care. He did so much for me. He never treated me like simple labor.” He laughed. “He offered to tutor me in things like how to read more.” He looked at me. “I could read! I dropped out about the fifth or sixth year. I could read, but not that well. He would sit and teach me to read better. He taught me more than just reading, but history and science. I began to think he was doing more than just to be nice. He seemed to like being around me. After a few weeks, I realized I loved him.” He said helplessly. “He was so shy! He would never start anything, but I did.”

“That was punishable then! That was very dangerous.” I said incredibly not knowing much about it, but I knew from history the English were very conscious of class. A man, Cockney from the East End and a doctor from Chelsea!? That was a lot of why My Fair Lady was about! Those two worlds should never have gotten together, much less fall in love! Never two men! “He could have had you arrested and put in jail!”

“I thought he was worth the risk,” Ellis said shrugging simply. “I didn’t think he would have me arrested. The first time I kissed him, my heart was pounding, but I kissed him. He didn’t get upset but said we couldn’t do that.” He went into a near perfect imitation of Kev’s proper English and accent. “Things like that just aren’t done.” He laughed again. “But he didn’t have me arrested and didn’t fire me! So, I kept it up, but not so obvious. Then one night, I worked late and I hurt myself. I cut myself on my right side, making a nasty cut which bled and bled.” He indicated his chest down toward his right side. He was remembering something fondly. “He was a doctor, so…he took care of it. I took my shirt off and well…he kissed me that time!” He laughed again. “We had a great night. It was worth the loss of blood!”

“Okay, so what about the accent?”

He nodded. “Well, back then it was me naturally, but…he had guilt after that night and well, I did it to cheer him up. I don’t know if you noticed, but Kev is a really deep thinker. Many times, he would get depressed…dark and moody, it became a reflex. I would make him smile or even just laugh. That look he gave me from those eyes when I did that made my heart melt. I knew we were in love.” We slowed our pace as he frowned. “The night he and I were bitten and we became what we were…I just had to keep it up.” He said helplessly. “It was my turn. I took care of him. He wanted to step out in the sun almost immediately, but I wouldn’t let him.” He stopped and looked at me. “There were ways to handle what we’d become other than killing ourselves so we wouldn’t feed on people…there were plenty of rats!”

I chuckled again. “They are not an endangered species.”

“Hardly,” Ellis said in laughing agreement. “The accent just became a habit.”

I hugged him. “No, I don’t think so. It’s just who you are.” I patted his arm as we got the door of the lab. “Swear not to change.”

Ellis looked surprised. “I don’t think I could.” He looked up and into the lab and smiled softer. “Just look at him.” He said looking fondly.

I looked where Ellis saw Kev as Kev was studying something on the lab table. Kev was a handsome man, I won’t lie, but I didn’t feel what Ellis did. Turning back to Ellis. “I’m afraid, I don’t see what you do. I see a handsome, good, smart man, but I think his charms only work that way,” I poked Ellis lightly on the chest, “on you. That is love.”

“Yeh.” Ellis went in the lab and turned Kev around suddenly and kissed him, but this time it was more intense and deep. Kev was surprised half a second but gave in quickly returning the kiss with equal passion. Now, I really had to see Colin…badly. I went quickly to Colin’s and my apartment, I found him looking at the computer again, typing something. All the love in the air just made my desire for him intensify. I did what Ellis did to Kev. Going up behind him, I turned Colin around in that swivel chair and kissed him deeply. He didn’t resist at all but returned it instantly. Probing, hungry with desire from both of us. I often felt it, but this time was that familiar swoon came quickly as I felt those arms come around me bringing me even closer to him. Our breaths shortened and quickened and only when air became absolutely necessary, did we part even a fraction.

“Do I need to ask?” Colin chuckled as his voice rumbled. “That’s no complaint.”

“I just felt I needed that,” I said simply. “And to tell you, I love you,” I said looking those beautiful emerald colored eyes.

Colin’s eyebrows rose. “If I had any doubts,” he held his finger up, “which I don’t and never did have any. I couldn’t deny it now.” He rose from the chair. “I love you, too.”

“I know you do!” I smiled and walked back toward the door.

“Hey!” Colin objected holding my hand and not letting go. “You kiss me like you did and leave!? You can’t leave!”

Coming back to him I slipped my arms around him again. “Baby, there is nothing more important to me than you. We are connected in a way so few human beings ever are.” I smiled kissing him again. “We will connect again, in a few hours.” I looked out at the terrace and the light was fading. “However, I have work to do.” I kissed him again patting him on the back. “You do, too.”

“Which I can do any time.”

I nodded. “Yes, but I can’t.”

Colin nodded understanding. “Okay. You’re going back with the boys.”

“Repetate, Iustina, and Ralph are coming along,” I said explaining. “I like to be there when they wake up, give them their blood and start telling them more about their world.” I shrugged. “It gives continuity to them if I do. For the first time in their long, long life they are feeling secure. They trust me! They are learning.” I chuckled. “That’s kind of exciting.”

He smiled nodding. “Okay.” He brought me in putting his forehead against mine. “But afterward, we eat and come right here.”

“Count on it,” I assured kissing him again more gently. “Never forget how important you are to me.”

Colin grinned. “As long as you are the same for me.”

I got to the door of Repetate’s, Iustina’s, and Ralph’s room just as a guard was about to open it and give them the cooler of blood. Thanking him, I took in with the smiles of all three greeting me. No anxiousness about finding blood, but secure in knowing it would be there.

“Hi, Devon!” I heard the three simulated voices greet me as they all signed the same thing.

I didn’t hold back the chuckle as I greeted them all. “Hello!” I said opening the cooler. “I have the beginning meal for you,” I said holding out a bag for each. They enjoyed their blood and watched some cartoons a while. It was time I began to work again with them. Getting them to understand things and what we called them was not hard if it was an object. Concepts were difficult, such as time, for instance. A day was sunset to sunup for them. I had gotten across time we had been away using that timeframe. Now, going back in time was a challenge. There was little to...mark that past time...memory wise. “Do you remember before here?” I asked them. “When you were with Vlad...or Dragon?” I looked at Ralph. “Or when you were in the caves before you arrived here?”

“Before here,” Iustina said simply.

I nodded. “Yes, before. Do you remember being out, before you arrived to Vlad?”

“Yes,” Repetate answered. “Hunger.”

“Do you remember where you were with the hunger?” I asked.

“Out,” Iustina answered.

Now, came the fun. I had used a visual image of them in previous...lessons. I didn’t know if they had a concept of self. Would they recognize themselves? For the following days after they got here, I had shown them images of themselves. They quickly got to know who they were on the screen. They never looked at themselves before. They simply were. I used the camera part of the laptop and it reflected what they saw themselves do on the screen. A dog would get upset at a reflection of itself thinking that reflection was another dog and bark at this new dog. Primates took a little while to realize the reflection was of themselves. The Old Ones understood after a few seconds when what they did was reflected on the screen and some testing was done to see if what they did, the image of themselves did the same thing. They knew what the images were when I showed them. I had prepared something for them to see. “So, where are you now?”

I saw three confused faces. “We are here!” Iustina said simply.

I nodded. “Where is that?”

“Here.” Ralph again said firmly and I tell you…the translator and program even made it sound a little irritated.

I had to laugh a little. To tell him what he expressed was irritation and was a feeling was another concept I would have to teach them, but later. Knowing what he felt and giving it a name was going to be another challenge, but right now, I wanted them to get a sense of where they were and names for what it is called. And time. I switched to a file, where a recording was done by me where I left them, went down the hall they knew from going to shower. I wasn’t showing the way out, but where they were. They didn’t seem to be wanting to be out at all! Why? They no longer had to hunt for blood or find new shelter. No cartoons!? No, they weren’t going to try to escape. They quit trying to seek a way out weeks ago. They knew what they had was good. On that clip, I went to the elevator and up to the roof where the sun blazed down. They did react to that but sensed no harm so relaxed again. From there I got in a helicopter which rose in the air. I couldn’t personally go high enough but switched to footage from a weather balloon where the eye kept going and going up, fast forwarded through the clouds higher until the curve of the Earth was seen. A switch to a space probe where the eye kept going up and up until the fact that the world was a ball was clearly seen. The satellite image of the Earth until it was small. Flat Earth people were screwballs. I went back on the clip to the room they shared. “This is your room,” I said and pointed to the floor. “Here.” I showed the image of the hall and roof. I showed the image of the roof receding and all of Manhattan was seen below. “The room is here.” I pointed to the VUN building which they saw the eye rise from. I was watching as what I said was getting through and their eyes were widening. It showed the image of greater Manhattan with Long Island stretching out next to Manhattan, below New York City was New Jersey that could be seen. “The room is here.” I pointed to the image where the building was. The curve the Earth. “This room is here.” The image of the whole Earth. “The room is here. This round ball is the Earth. That’s our world. You are here.”

“Big,” Repetate said. “Small.”

Now, I was confused.

“Here, big.” He pointed to the room and then to the image of the Earth. “Here, small.”

“Yes!” I nearly shouted. “That’s right! You got it!” I was happy he got it, I looked at the other two. “Do you get it?” They nodded. Now to teach them about time. The rest of the night I showed them various images of the earth, the solar system, and rotation and how we developed the concept of time. The night seemed to fly by now. What I was extremely pleased with...they forgot the cartoons and like sponges took everything I taught with rapt attention. They were fascinated. They had never really learned things except for a new area and how to hunt for the next meal. They knew to look for shelter for when the sun came up. But they remembered!

I was a little annoyed when I noticed they were getting sluggish and realized the sun was about to rise. The door to their room opened and Colin came in smiling.

“Hi, Colin!” They greeted, but a little weary now. That also was conveyed by their translators.

“Hi.” Colin greeted them and smiled at me. “My goodness.” He said looking at the screen I had up showing the Earth as it rotated. “What are you teaching them?”

“What a day is, what a week is...a year,” I said grinning. “What the Earth is. Where it is. Where they are now.” I rubbed Iustina’s head who was growing more groggy but smiled as I toyed with his one remaining ear. “And they understand!” I said happily.

Colin’s eyes grew. “They do?”

I looked at them. “Where are you?”

“New York!” They all said together.

“City.” Ralph added and then Ralph looked a little worried. “Need sleep now.”

I laughed knowing they couldn’t help it. “Okay, okay.” I got up and went to them. “We’ll start again tomorrow,” I said kissing each on the head as always. “Go to sleep. I’ll be back.” They just relaxed and laid down and it wouldn’t take long as the sun was breaking the horizon.

Colin grinned at me as I stood next to him. “Good night, boys.” Colin waved to which he got a wave, no words. Colin chuckled and escorted me to the door with his arm around me. Once in the hall, he leaned in as his voice rumbled. “We have a date.”

I chuckled. “Yes, we do.” I nodded. “Every single day for the rest of our lives,” I said kissing him as we walked.

“What you’re doing it...” he looked back as the guards were changing and the Old Ones would be kept safely secured, “is unbelievable. You want them to understand time.”

“Instead of sunset to sundown, I will get them to understand weeks and then years. One finger can be a day or a week or a year. I hope they can remember the first sunset and sunrise. They might be able to tell what happened in the past if they know how far to go back.” I sighed. “Then again, they may associate memories by where they were. The past for them now is Romania...and England for Ralph. I hope to take them back further for memories of others like them if there were any. I’m sure they saw them more in the past. This will take time.”

Colin nodded. “We have time.” He said holding his stomach. “But first, a meal.” He grinned.

I took his hand and led him faster down the hall chuckling. “Let’s not waste time. You will need your strength for later!”

We got to Vamps and everyone had returned from patrol. There were many conversations going on at once. What I was pleased with, was Dr. William Canaday was there and his two lab assistants at the big table. I was also wary of that fact. As far as I knew, they only knew George, John, Wayne, Amasis, Colin and I were vampires. Commander William Canaday was eating breakfast as were his two assistants, but everyone else was eating dinner.

Wayne looked up seeing me and said happily. “Dad!” He teased me again. He pointed to the empty chairs near him. “I saved you two a couple of seats.”

Sargent Davis looked at us confused as his dark brows came together. “Okay, I know time for you guys is a little different and I know what happens, but...” he pointed at me and asked Wayne. “Is he your father?” Colin and I looked at each other as we sat at the table.

Wayne chuckled nodding. “Emotionally.” He grinned hugging me.

Sargent Davis nodded. “I know of six here that have the venom in you for sure.” He reasoned. “So, Devon Wentworth could be your father.” He said. “If he fathered a child before he got the venom and you got it later...” He shrugged. “We were told there were others that had the venom here.”

I grinned and nodded. “There are. But you can’t tell who has it. I can say, not everyone here at this table has the venom.” I shook my head. “There is a mother and father here, and a child or two, one child who shouldn’t be the age they are and be that child but is.”

“It will give you a headache if we told you all the familial connections.” Colin chuckled. “Believe me, you’re better off not knowing.”

Sargent McCall smiled. “There are a few I suspect. By the terms they use that are sort of old fashioned.” She looked at Sargent Davis. “We are here to work on the venom and serum.”

“She’s right,” Bill said. “They have been forthcoming telling us they are here and helping us deal with this. This a new sort of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell situation.” He shrugged as he ate some of his pancakes. “If you hear or see anything to raise suspicion, don’t ask about it.” He waved his fork at us. “And no one tells. That’s an order.”

Colin leaned closer to me. “This was bound to happen.” He whispered to me. “Our two newest members are sort of obvious at times.”

I nodded and whispered back. “They’re coming along. It won’t be too long before we merge with the different centuries.” Both Kev and Ellis had that vampire hearing and glanced at us smiling but gave no other indication.