Re-Organizing - 10. Chapter 10

“I hope this incident doesn’t ruin our day,” I said as I looked at the Baronets kneeling on the floor. “Please, stand. If any of you need to freshen up, I’m sure Andrew can assist with that. For now, I hope you’ll excuse me while I get myself cleaned up.”

As I turned for the door, Andrew announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, if you follow me, I will show you to the east sitting room where you can await His Lordship’s return. Please let me know if any of you need assistance with removing blood from your clothing.”

Scott, Billy, and my Council followed me down the hall toward our room. When we were out of earshot, I looked at Jake and said, “Get in touch with Ted. Tell him that Scott and I need to be in Lake Placid as soon as physically possible. Tell him I want the larger plane, too.” Turning to Riva I added, “You will need eight additional Marshals, prepared for a possible hostile situation.”

“If it’s hostile, Greg, you’re not going in,” Johnny stated defiantly.

I stopped and put my hand on his shoulder. “I trust that you, Tony, and the team Tony gathers will keep us safe, Johnny, but I have to do this. I won’t put myself at risk, I promise, okay?” I turned to Jonesy and added, “You stay here and protect Billy.”

“What’s this ‘Scott and me’ shit?” Billy objected. “If the two of you are going, I’m going.”

“I need you to be Lord Steward, Billy. I have an empty Baronet slot, and I need you to come up with suggestions on who I might name,” I said, trying to reason with him. “If I’m honest, I should do that before I go, but I need to get these boys out of danger before word gets back to Boels’ Esquire.”

Billy looked hurt, but he straightened and said, “As you command, My Lord. I should also notify Viscount Chester of the vacancy.”

Chris said, “Not before Greg makes three attempts at filling the position, Billy. After Erich told us about appointing nobles I did some research. Greg can make three attempts before he is required to notify the Viscount, then he can continue naming replacements until one is accepted or the Viscount notifies us that a ‘chosen’ replacement has been found.”

Billy asked, “Can the Viscount force us to attempt a name he chooses?”

“The Viscount can make any command he likes, and we’d have a hard time arguing. That’s why we give Greg at least three tries,” Chris explained. He then grinned and added, “maybe even sneak in a fourth or fifth.”

“There you have it, Billy. Get me a list of at least five vampires that I can trust to run Lake Placid.” As we neared the door to our room I said, “Paddy, please ask Andrew to join us as soon as he can without causing a stir.”

I was in the shower when Scott came in to say that Andrew was waiting. I said to show him in, and when he did, I said, “I need to make a trip, Andrew, and I can’t stay around to continue the meetings with the Baronets. How would you suggest I handle it?”

Andrew looked stunned that I would ask him this, rather than the others on my council, but he knew court politics better than most of us, and I trusted his judgement. When he realized this, he thought for a moment, then asked the reason for my trip. After I explained, he gave me his suggestions. I was right to ask him, his ideas were the perfect thing to show my Baronets who I was and how I intended to lead the Barony of Pittsburgh. I thanked him for his wise counsel and asked him to make the required preparations.

After showering, Scott and I dressed in jeans, tee-shirts, and hiking boots. Our Marshals quickly donned black, gray, and white camouflage uniforms, complete with holstered pistols and assault rifles hanging on their shoulders. As Billy was remaining at the castle, he stayed in his Dracul garb. He would continue to host the Baronets until we either returned or sent word that we wouldn’t be back before they all left.

Andrew had advised me that appearing before the Baronets in my jeans and explaining that we were personally going to rescue children would go a long way to smooth any ruffled feathers caused by our sudden departure from the meeting. Twenty minutes after Baronet and Lady Boels breathed their last, Andrew again pounded his staff on the floor and announced, “Baron Fowler, Baron Consort Warnick, and Lord Steward White,” as we entered the east sitting room.

“We ask that you forgive us, but due to the events in the main hall, Baron Warnick and I must leave you for a quick trip to Lake Placid. At this time, we will not go into specific details, other than to say the lives of two young vampires weigh on our minds more than this social gathering does. Lord Steward White will remain, as will most of our Council. They speak for us until we return. If we are not able to return by the afternoon meal, please accept our apologies. We will certainly speak to each and every one of you before our December court. We thank you for your understanding.” With that, we turned on our heels and marched out the door, followed by ten Marshals dressed for an urban assault.

With Tony using the lights, it only took us twelve minutes from the castle to the airport, fifteen miles away. Ted took my request to heart and the engines were idling as we climbed onto the plane. Three minutes later we were in the air. Ted pushed the throttles to maximum as soon as he could, and ninety minutes after walking from our meeting with our Baronets, we were climbing into Suburbans Tommy had commandeered from the local Marshals. Rather than risk any of their loyalties being misplaced, Tony had chosen to risk offending them by insisting they surrender the vehicles and remain with our planes. Ten minutes later we pulled up to a large log cabin overlooking Wolf Pond, in the village of Ray Brook, New York.

On the way, Tony risked my anger by insisting Scott and I remain in the vehicle until his Marshals were fully deployed and he motioned for us to exit. I didn’t like it, but at Scott’s insistence, I agreed. Three minutes later, Scott and I exited the Suburban and I immediately headed for the door. Inside I found two male vampires on the floor with a Marshal over them, repeatedly telling them to stay still. It took me only a moment to orient myself and find the door to the basement. As I reached for the door, Johnny pushed me aside; I followed him and Tony down the stairs where we were confronted by a female vampire who shouted that we had no right to be there. I quickly shifted my eyes and when she saw the glowing green of a Baron, she suddenly changed her attitude.

“Where are the twins?” I asked.

“In their cage, My Lord, as Baronet Boels ordered,” she replied.

“Show me!” I shouted, looking at her with disgust. “You should know not to follow such an inhumane command.”

As she opened the door behind her, she tried to offer excuses about following orders and being bound to the Baronet’s service. Rather than listen to her gibberish, I pushed past her and entered what passed for a bedroom for these two tortured boys. What I found almost made me sick. Craig and Chipper’s living conditions were caused by poverty and need; these conditions were, in many ways, worse. In the room we found two young vampires naked and cuddled together in a steel cage built into a corner of the room, barely large enough to allow them to squat. The floor of the cage was covered with excrement and the food bowl was filled with rotting food.

Like I had with Chipper, I approached slowly, offering my hand as I said, “Matthew? Michael? You’re safe now. No one will ever hurt you again, you have my word.”

“Who are you?” one of the boys asked.

“Go away! If Stepmother finds out you know about us, she’ll beat us,” the other cried.

“She’s dead, son; both of them are. You’re safe now, I promise,” I replied.

I saw a glimmer of hope in their eyes before they looked at each other. Like I had observed with Josh and Jake, they seemed to engage in a mind-to-mind conversation for the briefest moment, then the first one again asked, “Who are you?”

Scott spoke before I could. “My name’s Scott,” and pointing at me added, “and that’s Greg. We came to take you home with us.”

The second asked, “No more cage?”

The first asked, “No more beatings?”

“No more cages or beatings; you have my word,” I replied.

“Your new brothers won’t allow it,” Scott said, letting me know without a doubt what we were going to do with these unfortunate little boys.

I turned to the nurse, disgusted at using that term for her, and asked, “Where’s the key to that lock?” pointing at the lock on the cage.

“Sire Boels has it, My Lord,” she replied without lifting her gaze from the floor.

I quickly cursed under my breath for overlooking something I’d seen in his blood. I looked at the cage and heard my beast say, ‘I will help’. I immediately understood what he meant. I slowly approached the cage, still talking softly to the boys. Once I could reach it, I explained what I was going to do, so they wouldn’t be startled. When they nodded, I shifted. We wrapped a claw around the corner of the cage door, pulling with all we had. Slowly the steel bent. My beast said, ‘Pull harder’. We got a better grip and pulled. This time, the hinges of the cage door ripped apart and the lock snapped. We tossed the door aside and shifted back to human.

I gently reached out and said, “Come on out, boys; you’re safe now.”

They looked at each other then back to me, still unsure. Behind me, Scott asked, “When’s the last time you boys had any blood?”

Before they could reply, Scott and I both bit into our wrists and held them out, hoping to tempt the boys out of their cage. After only a few seconds, the thought of fresh blood overcame their fears, and they slowly crawled out of the cage. They paused and looked at us, still unsure, but their hunger won out. Slowly the first one came to me and, keeping his eyes on mine, leaned his head down to feed. When I didn’t attack his brother, the second boy moved to take Scott’s outstretched wrist. As they fed, we both gently stroked their hair while sending them loving thoughts through our blood. Once both were sated, they looked around, still unsure what to think.

Scott asked, “Do you want to come home with us? Or is there someone you’d rather live with?”

The first replied, “We don’t know anyone but Father, Stepmother, and nurse Janet.”

The second added, “And she’ll put us back in the cage.”

“No one will ever put either of you in a cage ever again. If they try, they’ll face my beast,” I said.

I looked at them and almost cried. They were two and a half and should look like ten-year-old human boys, but they had been starved and it showed; they barely looked older than Chipper. As I examined them, I searched for a way to tell them apart. Both had filthy blond hair that was matted to their scalps, both were extremely underweight, with ribs and hip bones protruding. Both were identical everywhere I looked, from their eyes, noses, and ears to their tiny pink nipples, I could see no difference. Even their prepubescent penises were identical, right down to their perfectly matched foreskins. As my eyes returned to their faces I noticed it, I could tell them apart.

“Which one of you is Michael?” I asked.

The first one raised his hand as Matthew said, “It don’t matter which is which, no one can tell us apart.”

“Well, I can tell you apart, and now that I know that you are Michael, I’ll even make you a bet, if you’re brave enough to try me?” I said, pointing at Michael with a grin.

The first hint of boy appeared on Matthew’s face as he asked, “What’s the bet?”

“I’m going to turn away, and you boys can move around and trade places a few times to confuse me. I bet I can point at Matthew as soon as I turn back around; deal?”

They exchanged glances, then nodded, a hint of a grin on their dirty faces. When I turned away, I heard one say, “You too Mister, so we know you’re not cheating.” I laughed as Scott turned away. When they said they were ready, I turned and pointed at a stunned Matthew.

“How’d you know?” he asked, his voice filled with wonder.

“A good dad always knows his sons,” I replied. “Now, how about we get you two cleaned up so we can take you home?”

Michael said, “You don’t want us, Mister. Father says we’re an a-bon-i-ma-shun.”

“No, dummy, it’s abba-nasin,” Matthew corrected his brother.

“We don’t think either of you are an abomination,” Scott said as he stood and reached for Matthew’s hand. “Like your dad said, let’s go get you two cleaned up and get you home.”

Ignoring their smell, Scott and I each picked up one of the vile smelling boys and carried them upstairs. We found the primary bedroom suite and carried them into the attached bathroom. I carried Matthew directly into the shower, while Scott paused to undress. The boys seemed to enjoy the feel of the hot water as it washed the dried feces off their bodies. They closed their eyes and enjoyed the sensations as Scott and I used the body wash to scrub their faces, backs, and boney arms.

When my hand moved to wash his penis, Matthew screamed, “NO!! Don’t touch that!”

I quickly pulled my hand away, not wanting to further emotionally harm the boy. “Then you can clean it,” I said in a gentle tone.

“Father said we’re not allowed to touch them,” Michael explained. “He threw us in the cage when he caught us touching them.”

I looked at Scott, hoping he had a solution; he seemed as perplexed as I was. We could take hours and explain the truth to them, or simply ignore their concerns to quickly get them washed. The problem with the former lay in their trusting our words over those of their father; the problem with the latter was that our ignoring their fears might do more damage, both to their psychological health and to their trust in us. I saw Scott’s face change as he decided which was more important.

“Do you think we came here to help you? Or to hurt you?” Scott asked.

They exchanged a quick glance, then Michael said, “You’re helping us.”

“We felt it in your blood,” Matthew added.

His words gave me an idea. Rather than spend hours explaining why their father’s teachings were wrong, I opened my wrist and said, “I want you to look at my thoughts while I wash you there. It will help you understand some things about when it’s ok to be touched.” I looked Michael in the eyes and asked, “Is that okay?”

He glanced at his brother, then turned to me and nodded, leaning forward to take my offered wrist. As he fed, I sent him images of our washing Chipper and Craig. He listened to their words about how we were cleaning them and not doing anything wrong. When I felt him relax, I used my other hand and gently washed his penis, scrotum, and anus. When his body reacted to the stimulus by sending blood to the area, he tensed. I sent him soothing thoughts about how it was natural for him to react like that, and he demonstrated his trust in me as I felt him calm. Following his brother’s lead, Matthew looked at Scott and nodded. Scott opened his wrist and fed the boy as he washed him. I didn’t know what thoughts Scott was sharing but Matthew didn’t react poorly as his penis stiffened from the stimulation.

After our shower we learned the value of our valets. The late Baronet saw no reason for his spawn, as he called them, to own clothing, so the boys had nothing to wear for their trip to the castle. Johnny had the foresight to pack several blankets along with clothing for Scott and me. When I asked, he explained that he expected one or both of us to have to shift and thought it wise to bring clothing. When Scott asked about the blankets, he simply replied, “Saving children always includes wrapping them in a blanket, doesn’t it?”

Once Scott had the boys outside, Riva indicated the two males who had been in the living room and the nurse, all now in cuffs and sitting on the living room floor and asked, “What should we do with these prisoners, My Lord?”

Remembering how Andrew had explained that the former Baron’s staff had bent to his will out of fear, I debated whether these three were victims or criminals. Where was the line that determined when a person needs to stand up and refuse to do something they know to be wrong? Our history classes taught us that many of the Germans who worked in concentration camps claimed they were acting out of fear for their own lives. The evidence didn’t support the majority of these claims, but in this case, I wasn’t sure. Did these vampires believe as their Baronet did? Or did they genuinely fear that a refusal to follow his orders would result in their death? I didn’t have time to sort it out.

“Detain them pending investigation,” I ordered.

“As you command, My Lord,” he replied. He turned and instructed his Marshals to escort the prisoners to a vehicle for transport to the castle. He then instructed a Marshal to secure the house until a team from Pittsburgh arrived to complete the investigation.

As Riva handled those issues, I went to join Scott and the boys in our vehicle. I found Scott sitting in the middle of the rearmost seat, a sleeping boy on either side of him. Rather than wake them, I sat in the middle seat and waited for Riva to complete his duties so we could return to the castle. Once Tony joined us, our trip home was as swift and uneventful as we could hope. The boys slept the entire way, only waking as we transferred them between vehicles at the airports.

Once back home, Scott and I carried the boys to our room where we introduced them to Chipper and Charlie. Chipper immediately held out his arm to me. I realized what he wanted and had to make a decision. We hadn’t discussed our boys sharing blood since the night Charlie had offered his arm to Chipper, but based on what Scott had said, I knew he would agree with me. I gently bit into Chipper’s wrist and watched as he offered it to Matthew. The boy only fed for a moment, and while he did, his eyes never left those of his new brother. After he licked the wound, he smiled at Chipper and stepped back, allowing his twin to mimic his actions. When both had finished, Chipper looked at me. Once I nodded, he offered his wrist to Charlie for the first time.

After tasting Chipper, Charlie reached out to Scott who used a single fang to pierce the toddler’s wrist, allowing the twins and Chipper to take a small taste. After he tasted his new brothers, Matthew held his wrist up for me to pierce while his twin did the same with Scott. As Jenny and Scott had said, none of the boys took more than a mouthful of blood from their brothers. This wasn’t feeding, it was sharing. Sharing of memories, sharing of trust, creating a bond that humans simply could not experience. Scott and I glanced at each other and, without exchanging a word, understood that the next time our boys did this, he and I would also share in our sons’ blood.

When I mentioned that we were going to leave the boys in the care of Jenny while Scott and I rejoined the Baronets, they panicked. Before either of us could react, Chipper pulled both into a hug, calming them and assuring them that Jenny was a wonderful caregiver. While this served to alleviate their fears enough that we could go, I knew we needed to do something major to demonstrate to these injured pups that they were safe, now and forever. As Johnny helped us dress in our official garb, I explained my plan to Scott. Johnny assured us that he would enlist Jenny’s help while Scott and I went to deal with things.

As we left our bedroom, I contacted Billy and asked him to meet us in my office. The three of us arrived at the same time and, after Billy wrinkled our suits by hugging us both, we sat down to discuss who would replace Cornelis Boels as Lake Placid’s Baronet.

“I’ve failed you, Greg,” Billy said as he fell into the chair looking defeated.

“You haven’t failed me, honey, you did exactly what I asked,” I replied.

“Apparently you didn’t hear me. I have no names for you to consider,” Billy retorted. “None. Nada. Zilch. Zero. Null.”

“I heard you, and you obviously heard me when I said—”

“You told me to get a list of at least five names, Greg. How is a blank list doing what you said?” Billy interrupted, showing how frustrated he was. I raised an eyebrow, and he lowered his eyes to the floor and quietly said, “Sorry.”

“I said to make a list of five vampires that I can trust. Who do I know well enough to say that I trust them?”

Billy gave a dejected shrug.

Scott said, “Greg hasn’t been a vampire long enough to know anyone, Billy, let alone know anyone well enough to judge if they’re trustworthy and responsible enough to serve as a Baronet. The only ones he trusts are in this room, on his Council, or guarding us and our sons. You knew better than to suggest any of them.”

I was about to agree when my phone vibrated in my pocket. “I’m guessing the fates have chosen,” I said with a smirk. Then I accepted the call and said, “How may I help you, Your Highness?” I listened to George for a moment, then said, “Baronet Boels chose poorly George. He is no longer the Baronet of Lake Placid, nor is he still alive. His wife died with him, and Scott, Billy, and I are adopting his twin sons as our own, unless you object.” I listened again, then replied, “We were just discussing who we might attempt to name, George. I don’t know anyone.”

George assured me that he had no objection to our adopting Matthew and Michael. He went on to tell me of the phone call he had received mere minutes after Baronet Boels had died. When he told me who the call was from and the content of the conversation, I replied, “If you feel he is the right vampire for the position, I certainly won’t object.” I laughed at George’s reply, then wished him well and disconnected the call.

“Well, it seems the fates have chosen the new Baronet of Lake Placid,” I said, looking at Scott and Billy. I told them the name George had given me and told them that the new Baronet would be landing in Pittsburgh within the hour. With that news, I decided to delay rejoining the Baronets. Rather, I summoned the rest of my Council.

After telling them about our trip to Lake Placid, I said, “I’m resisting the temptation to immediately hold court and decide what to do about the staff at Boels’ house. I want a full investigation, Chief Marshal, and I want it quickly.”

“Tony called and explained, My Lord. A team is on their way and will be in Lake Placid within the hour,” Tommy replied.

Turning to Chris and Brian, I added, “All personal assets of Baronet Boels and his wife are forfeit to the new Baronet.”

“Shouldn’t that go to the twins?” Chris asked.

Scott shook his head and said, “I doubt they’ll ever want to see that house again, and the new Baronet will need a place to call home.” He smiled at me and added, “Greg, Billy, and I will take care of the twins.”

“I think I’ll have Alan plan several more bedrooms in the private quarters,” Josh said with a smirk. “At this rate, Greg and Scott are going to change their names to Beardsley-North.”

Chris surprised us by asking, “So who’s your oldest son, Greg? Josh and I are older than Charlie, but he was changed before us, and the twins have been vampires longer than all of us.”

I now understood how Donna felt when I asked a similar question shortly after my change. Taking my cue from her, I replied, “It's the same as asking 'which came first, the chicken or the egg'. If you ask 100 vampires, 50 will say your date of birth, and 50 will say your date of being a vampire. So you are just out of luck.”

“I believe Greg is mastering the art of the non-answer,” Andrew said with a laugh. Just then, Paddy knocked and opened the door to say that the new Baronet of Lake Placid had landed and would arrive in fifteen minutes. That was our cue.

Scott, Billy and I stood and waited as Johnny and Jonesy quickly checked our clothing for any problems. Once they declared us acceptable, we followed Andrew down the hall to the east sitting room. As we approached the doors, Andrew once again pounded his staff on the floor and announced us, “Baronets, Ladies, Gentlemen, and honored guests, Baron Fowler, Baron Consort Warnick, and Lord Steward White.”

Every head in the room bowed as we entered, followed closely by our Council. I made eye contact with each Baronet before clearing my throat and saying, “We thank you for your patience. Before we move into the dining room, we would like to introduce four very important parts of our lives.”

I turned and nodded to Andrew, who opened the door to allow Jenny to escort our sons into the room. Chipper and Charlie had official Dracul garb, but the twins didn’t. Rather than make them feel out of place, Jenny and Johnny had summoned Robert who had quickly pulled together two suits for Matthew and Michael, and all our sons were dressed in perfectly tailored grey suits.

I smiled at my boys, then turned back to the assembly and said, “Our sons, Matthew, Michael, Chipper, and Charlie.”

The twins beamed when I introduced them as our sons, then shyly turned their faces to the floor as the room applauded. Chipper was not quite as shy and instinctively nodded his head to the assembly, acknowledging their praise. Charlie, being a toddler, joined in the clapping, which caused several in the room to quietly laugh at his antics. When the applause quieted, I gave Jenny a slight nod and she quickly escorted the boys out of the room.

Once they were gone, I said, “As some of you are already aware, the twins, Matthew and Michael, were the sons of the late Baronet Boels. Due to his death, Scott, Billy, and I are now their fathers. I will not go into details here, as they will come out in court, but suffice it to say that the twins were abused at home. If you know of similar abuse in your Baronetcy, advise the abusers to stop. Past wrongs can be overlooked, but from this moment on, those who abuse children will find no refuge in the Barony of Pittsburgh.”

Baronet Iwan Reilly of Binghampton asked, “Forgive me, My Lord, but our children are not human children. Are we to adopt laws written for human children and apply them vampire children?”

“A very valid point, Baronet. We will be looking closely at the issues involved and taking all input under advisement,” I deflected. “For now, if your heart says it is abuse, then it likely is, and it is your responsibility to put an end to it. If you are unsure, we would advise you to err on the side of protecting the child.”

I glanced at Chris and got an approving nod at my non-answer. I was about to say more when Andrew interrupted me, mind-to-mind, to say that our new Baronet had arrived. I smiled, turned to the door, and nodded.

Andrew pounded his staff on the floor, and once the room was silent, announced, “My Lords, Baronets, Ladies, Gentlemen, and honored guests, the Baronet of Lake Placid.”