Evolution by BJ Jones

~ Detention Center: Speed's Cell ~


The pain began in a rush, like a limb reawakening after not being used for a while; blood gushing unchecked, back into stiffly aching joints and muscles.

But it didn't stop at his limbs.

It progressed hideously fast all the way down his body, until everything was on fire.

Timothy Quinn had not felt such pain in all his centuries of existence.

It was as if he burned up from the inside out, and there was a part of him that couldn't help but wonder if such was how Patrick McKenna had felt on that morning in Rome, as the whole world watched his Assumption.

A last, passing guard smirked at him as he stuck his head into the cell. "Enjoy hell!"

Speed smirked right back. "You first."

The guard stilled, his back stiffening at the touch of soft breath against his ear.

It was the very last thing he ever did.

The body dropped, blood spilling out onto the floor in a slick puddle.

Dexter stepped over it and looked at the other Vampire.

He sniffed then frowned.

Something really didn't smell right.

"Timothy?" He reached up and unhooked the other Vampire's shackles, lowering him cautiously to the ground. "You smell different."

"New shampoo." He tried to be snarky, but he was just too tired to care all that much. He shivered uncontrollably, the tremors that quaked through his flesh, hitting bone deep. "I'm fine. Just go get the bastards."

"I don't think you're fine at all." Dexter frowned, contemplating what he might do to help him. He had much respect for Sylum Clan's Advisor, for they shared a certain sense of righteousness in how they chose to live their respective lives.

"Go!" Timothy looked up at him, struggling to sit of his own free will, and finally leaning back against the stonework. "Make the sons of bitches pay for this."

He nodded.

Yes.

Indeed.

That he could do.


~ Detention Center: Hallways ~


Alarms had sounded the moment the helicopter's undercarriage touched down, bouncing lightly on the grass.

Everyone leapt out with an astounding degree of practiced ease, moving quickly across the field to the gates.

The Hunters aimed careful shots even as they ran, taking out the guards in moments.

With a few fierce tugs to the security chains, the locks meant as protection from the outside world, broke free and fell clear, allowing the gates to open easily.

Two helicopters from the back of the small compound, had already been seen lifting off and pulling away in different directions.

Having split into three teams as previously instructed, Billy and Garret headed for the rear buildings of the complex, while Jimmy and Noah protected Nicolaus and Lucien as they moved toward the transportation depot.

Warrick was still pissed as hell that he'd been forced to stay with the chopper to maintain their escape route.

Horatio, Jethro and Tony ran to the building that had seemed on their map, most likely to allow access down to the cells underground. Jethro took the guard out, while Tony kicked down the doors and dealt with the next two guards on the inside. After that, was very little in the way of resistance as the three of them took the nearest flight of stairs that spiraled into a surprising number of sub-levels and increasing darkness.

All the while, alarms kept on blaring over the speakers, and the lights flickered above them in what was meant to be a visual distraction for those intent on attacking the structure.

At times, they could see movement from a distance, only to hear a muted groan, and witness a slumped body fall to the floor.

"Is it just me, or did we walk into a bad horror movie?" Tony muttered, as they stalked ever deeper into the Detention Center.

Jethro gave his Mate a somewhat disgusted glare, but in the end he couldn't help agreeing with that assessment. He watched as Horatio braced his back against the wall at a turn in the hallway.

Their Head of Security peered cautiously around the corner, then nodded.

All clear.

Jethro moved past him silently, gun raised, making sure there were no hidden surprises, but he paused at the sight laid out before him.

Horatio and Tony moved in tandem to cover him, only to stop just as he did.

"This is not helping that creepy Horror Film feeling." Tony looked down the hall at the trail of bodies that littered it, each victim's blood splattered in great arterial gouts against the walls and doors and even the ceiling.

They had each seen some horrendous crime scenes in their lives, but nothing could compare to carnage on such an extent.

Guns raised, they worked their way down the hall, picking a careful path through the devastation.

Tony found himself half expecting the bodies to rise up and come chasing after them, moaning 'brainzzzzzzz' like some bad zombie flick.

But as they rounded the next corner, so they came face to face to the reason for such a gruesome trail of bodies.

Jethro and Tony held their guns steady, while Horatio holstered his and took a few small steps toward the other Vampire.

"Dexter?" he asked quietly.

"Caine."

There was no emotion on the face that looked up at him.

Blood splatter ran down Dexter's cheek, and across his forehead. His clothes too, were covered in blood, and his shoes were soaked in it, leaving behind him a long and steady trail of clearly defined red footprints. "Timothy is just down the hall. There are no guards left here, and the doors are open."

Horatio nodded. "Our chopper is waiting…"

He shook his head. "Sarah and John are not on the premises. These men will have to pay for taking what is mine."

Jethro understood such a sentiment.

They all did.

"Do you know where they would have been taken?" Horatio asked.

Dexter shook his head. "They never discussed another location where I could hear them. But you should go to Timothy. He doesn't smell right."

Horatio didn't need to hear anything else.

He took off down the hall, his feet skidding on the slickly smeared floors as he rounded the last corner.

There were four cells.

Three of them were open.

The bodies of two guards lay sprawled at the far end.

Instinct led him to the open cell in the furthest right.

He stepped inside.

The tiny room was dark and unwelcoming.

His Mate lay slumped against the wall, pale and sweating, struggling to stay alert.

Horatio fell to his knees beside him. "Speed?" He reached out.

Timothy looked up and gave him a weak smile. "Not feeling so good, H," he murmured.

The redhead clamped down on his panic and fear. "Well, seeing that you missed your appointment with Janet, she's making you see House."

"She's evil." Speed leaned his head back, but he couldn't get the pain to stop. Every fiber of his body was hurting, and he couldn't get his limbs to cooperate.

He was scared.

And a part of him really, really just wanted his Papa.

"Tony!" Horatio yelled, knowing help was on the way. "Radio Warrick, tell him to get the chopper ready, and to let House and Janet know we're coming in hot." He ran his fingers through his Mate's sweat soaked, dark locks. "Can you stand?"

Speed could barely shake his head. "Everything hurts," he whispered.

"Okay. It's okay. I've got you." Horatio slid one arm under Tim's knees and the other around his shoulders, lifting him up, cradling him close to his chest.

He was not a heavy burden.

And he never would be.

He moved out of the cell into the hallway.

Jethro had cleared a safe path and was ready to follow him, when he heard a shout and banging on the remaining closed door.

"Go!" He pointed him to where Tony was waiting to lead him back up to the outside world.

It seemed like hours before they got free of the Detention Center and were moving again across the field toward the Black Hawk that sat waiting for them, when in truth it was barely a few minutes.

Tony slid the door open, and helped Horatio inside with his Mate, climbing in after him, aiding him as they lay Speed on the floor and tried vainly to get him comfortable.

Slamming the door shut, he finally tapped Warrick's shoulder indicating it was okay for them to get the hell out of there. Questions and answers would have to come later.

With luck and good grace.

Tony sat down next to Horatio, his eyes on his sibling.

Words weren't needed.

Something was terribly wrong.

He reached out, gently running a hand through his brother's damp and sticky hair.

The last time he had seen Timothy so pale, was the day they'd found him dying in a field in Ireland.

As the chopper lifted off the ground, he bowed his head and prayed.

Warrick contacted Claudio on their preset emergency channel. "We're heading to the hospital. Get a medical team up on the roof."

'How bad is it?' Claudio asked.

Warrick glanced into the back of his bird, only to see Tony's head down, and his hands clasped in supplication to Heaven. "Bad," he answered.

There was a pause on the other end of the radio. 'Our Doctors are already moving upstairs to the chopper pad. ETA?'

"Twenty. Patch me through to Nico."

There was the briefest of pauses.

'You're through.'

'Warrick! What's going on?'

"We have Speed. I'm heading to the Hospital. Once I drop everyone off, I'll come back to get the rest of you out." All he could do was cite the facts as he knew them and saw them. His own emotions were irrelevant at that point, and he clamped them down before they got in the way.

'Tell me.'

Of course that tactic never really worked where his Mate was concerned. "It's bad, Nico. Horatio carried him to the chopper and Tony is lost in prayer. No idea what's happened, but Speed's not doing good here."

Curses in Latin came as a sure sign that Nicolaus Valerius Meridius was quite seriously pissed. 'Get them to House then get back here. Fast.'

"How bad is it there?" Warrick asked.

'Let just say, what I'm seeing gives my imagination fuel for what might have happened to my Antonio.'

Warrick closed his eyes for a moment, sending up his own prayers, and when he opened them again so he pushed the chopper's airspeed just that little bit faster. "I'll contact you again when heading in. Oh, and Nico? Stay close to our Hunters. They're there for a reason."

'I will.'

Warrick cut the line, then glanced back into the cabin.

Tony looked up, catching his eye, blinking back tears.

And Razi wanted nothing then, but to hold both his kids.


~ Detention Center: Cells ~


Nicolaus hung up his phone as he headed down toward the furthest cells.

He didn't even blink at the bodies of the guards all lined against the wall, but he'd at least give Dexter points for thoroughness. It was Lucien however, who had a small, prideful grin on his face.

"You know he didn't do it for any Clan." Nico couldn't help put point out the obvious.

"You’re just jealous that no one in your Clan would ever be this ruthless." La Croix waved his hand around at the blood stained walls.

Twitching lips were the only things that rose to the bait as far at Nicolaus was concerned. Instead, he calmly answered, "I can understand Dexter's want for blood all too well. These men stole his Mate."

The two Clan Leaders turned a corner to see all four Hunters and Jethro Gibbs, standing together, staring at the only closed door in the hallway.

"What's going on?" they demanded simultaneously.

"That roaring on the other side, would suggest we might not want to find out any time soon," Hickok answered.

There was a loud, booming growl, and suddenly metal and concrete was being shredded as if by some gigantic machine powering up.

Jimmy grabbed his Clan Leader and tossed him to the ground, covering him while Garret and Billy grabbed the Vampire who was their own particular responsibility.

Jethro and Noah hit the deck together, as a large metal support beam that normally weighed several tons, sailed through the air toward them like a twig on the wind, only to embed itself into the wall next to them.

"What the fucking fuck!" Billy yelled, as he blinked upward through the thick and heavy dust, to see a big empty hole where the cell used to be.

They scrambled to their feet, moving through the wreckage, heading up again to the daylight that was suddenly springing in through the ruined ceiling several hundred feet above.

Each of them had caught sight of something enormous.

And green.

All four Hunters pulled their weapons once they were back outside, and trained them on the creature, trapped, or so it seemed, in the ruins of the building that once sat over the stairway.

Whatever it was, it snarled and roared back at them, searching for a way out.

Jethro, with his own weapon at the ready, moved in front of Jimmy and Noah as they protected Nicolaus.

"In God's Name!" La Croix cried. "What is that?"

Nico looked around the area, realizing it suddenly appeared more like some kind of containment zone, as though the people who had been responsible for running the place, might actually have known there could be a possibility of whatever the creature was, breaking out of its cell and wreaking havoc.

Not that the cells he'd seen could have been anywhere near large enough to hold something that big to begin with.

The huge creature roared again with terrible rage, and Nicolaus could do nothing but watch as his Hunters cautiously moved towards it.

"Stand back!"

He wasn't nearly as shocked as he should have been, at hearing a strongly southern, and very familiar accent start yelling orders above all the chaos, and he glanced across the devastation, to where his beloved city's protector stood amongst the shattered glass and powdered concrete.

"Remy?" In fact he was much more astonished that the Spirit of New Orleans would even be outside the city limits. He couldn't actually remember the last time that had happened.

"Mon General." He bowed his head slightly, having skipped lithely toward them over the rubble. "It would be extremely wise, not to upset Dr. Banner any further."

"Doctor?" Billy scoffed, gun trained at the thing that still seemed intent on destroying everything in its path.

"Lucien? I suggest you tell your 'ot-'eaded gunfighter there, to back off before he ends up a greasy smear, that even Vampires cannot recover from, eh?" Gambit gave the former Regulator a pointed, and slightly bored look. "He just needs to calm down. And all will be well."

"Calm down?" Noah glared over at him. "How exactly do you calm it down? Sing a lullaby?"

"By not shooting at 'im, cher," Remy answered simply.

"If it steps on me, I'm sending you the medical bills." Jimmy holstered his weapon, and the gesture was soon followed by Noah.

Jethro lowered his own gun, but kept it close at his side.

"Billy! Garrett!" La Croix gestured for them to put their weapons away. "Might as well see if Beauty can calm down the Beast."

"Remy? Care to explain this?" Nico asked, gesturing at the enraged creature as it pushed against what turned out to be a vast electric fence.

"This is a Detention Center, cher. 'ere they were keeping those they weren't quite sure what else to do with," he answered, shrugging. "Dr. Banner, when 'e is frustrated, basically when he loses control of his anger…" He cocked his head at the continued snarling, growling and stomping. "Dr. Banner is sometimes ver' angry."

"Well that part was obvious." Lucien rolled his eyes. "And what do you suggest we do now?"

But Nico was already on the phone. Things had gone way beyond Vampire knowledge and protocol. "Charles, we have a little situation here."

'What type of situation?'

A firm yet concerned voice filtered out to them over the phone speaker.

"A Mutant with a tendency to rip things to shreds when he's angry." Nico watched as Banner moved around the containment area, and he hoped to God that whoever built the place did a better job on securing the fences than the actual building. "Remy is trying to calm him down enough to get him back into his normal state."

'Have him bring the Mutant to the School. I'll see about being able to keep him calm more when you get here. Were you able to find young Timothy?'

"Yes. He's been injured. To what extent right now, I'm not sure. I'll keep you posted." He hung up the phone and could nothing more after that, until Remy worked his magic.

So they all watched with rapt attention as Gambit walked forward, talking soothingly to Dr. Banner, his accent soft and caring, his gestures non-threatening.

In a blink of an eye, the green creature shrank down, seeming to wither from the inside out, and in its place stood a pale, naked, scrawny human being, with a sheepish and horrified look on his face.

Remy wrapped his own coat around the man's shivering shoulders, and walked him back to the group of Vampires.

"He don't seem so bad now." Billy frowned, trying to rationalize what he'd just seen. "I could easily take him."

"You would piss him off again, and he would step on you," Garrett pointed out.

"Nicolaus? Allow me to introduce Dr. Bruce Banner. Bruce, this is the man I was telling you about." Remy introduced the two of them very politely, and they shook hands in a most cordial fashion as though nothing strange had happened in the last few minutes whatsoever.

Banner still leaned against Remy though, weakened from his ordeal, and struggling to explain. "Sorry about…" He waved his hand at the ruins.

"From what I've seen here so far, I think you're quite entitled to be pissed." Nico kept his voice calm, yet in control. "Can you tell us anything that might help us with all this?"

"Magneto. The Mutant in charge. He calls himself Magneto." Bruce tried pulling together his own thoughts on what he'd seen and heard for the past few weeks. "They are on some kind of quest. Tests. Lots of tests. Laboratory tests. Blood work. So many different Mutants. In the end they gave what they've been working on to my cell neighbor. But they had no time to see if it worked. I don't understand why they should go to such trouble."

"Speed," Jethro commented from nearby. "The man we came to find. His cell was next to yours, Doctor."

"Do you know what it was? What did they give him?" Nico asked, instantly concerned yet hoping for more than vague reference.

"Something that will show him the truth. I couldn't hear all that well. I was trying to keep myself in check," Banner said simply. "Something to show him the truth about himself."

Nicolaus nodded. "Thank you." He then turned to address Remy. "Charles wants you to get him to the School. He'll be safe there. Get him settled then come find me. You can explain to me what you're doing here, and tell me everything else I know you have."

Gambit smirked and gave him a quick bow. "Mon General. We shall steal a car and be back in a flash."

For a moment, they all stood watching him lead Banner away toward the main buildings and a small parking lot, through a gate in the electric fence that had somehow sprung open.

Once they were gone, Nico started issuing orders. "Jimmy, Noah, take Billy the Kid and his Mate here, and go see what else you can find. Look everywhere while we have the chance."

"If it's huge, mean and ugly, you can handle it, Wild Bill." Billy snickered at Sylum's Hunter.

Jimmy just looked at his Clan Leader and sighed. "Could you just shoot him, please?"

Garrett chuckled. "Play nice, Billy. Just for once."

The four Hunters headed back into the Center through the destroyed wall.

Nicolaus, Lucien and Jethro followed close behind but made straight for what remained of the cells, silent and watchful as they split into two teams and the Hunters moved off to explore further.

Nico gripped the cell door, even as it hung there on its hinges, a victim of Dr. Banner's rage.

It wasn't the first time they had been forced to pull Timothy out of such a place, but the darkness and pain that still somehow resonated from the walls, shocked him.

Speed had not been alone in his suffering, that much was certain.

But those who had harmed him, would pay dearly for what they did to his son.

Jethro knelt down in the rubble and dust, pulling out a handkerchief from his pants pocket, that he might carefully pick up a discarded and broken syringe.

He wrapped it up and put it inside his coat.

All the evidence they could find, would doubtless be useful, but there was little else of real note, bar the shackles on the wall.

There were similar arrangements in each of the other cells they passed, though some were equipped with far more elaborate restraints.

The structures built underground, far outweighed the simple buildings on the surface.

But there was no time to examine them all, no matter how intriguing the laboratories looked.

Most of the other rooms were clearly for various kinds of testing – perhaps physical and psychological, sensory, or even extra-sensory - but they had been quite effectively rendered useless in the very obvious haste with which the facility had been abandoned.

Turning left on a floor above the cells, they found an undamaged flight of metal stairs, and heading back up to the main area of the small Compound above them.

One building still remained to be searched, and they were hopeful that it might hold computer and IT facilities that could prove useful to more than one interested party, concerned with the implications of such a place as they had found themselves in.

They needed information.

Lots of it.

And fast.

"As this is certainly not the main facility, need to find their primary lab," Lucien said simply, as they entered the building, stepping once more over Dexter's handiwork. "We still have no idea why they took Sarah and her son."

"They would seem to be the key to all of this. Whatever Magneto is up to, it's not likely to favor humans," Nicolaus added. "I'm not above letting Dexter loose some more to hunt them down, and just follow the trail of bodies he likes leaving for us."

"You are a vindictive bastard aren't you?" Lucien smirked joyfully. "I find myself liking this side of you."

"Only when it's not being directed at you." Nico gave him a pointed look. "If Magneto has them…" He shook his head. "We need to find out where. And the sooner the better. There's still too much we don't know about all this."

"Well, who is this Magneto?" Jethro asked curiously. "I'm going to take a guess and say he's a Mutant, since most of us haven't heard about him before now."

"And you'd be right. He has the same theory that some Vampires get from time to time, that they should be ruling over humans," Nico informed him. "I've never had the pleasure of meeting him in person, but from what Charles says he's smart, very powerful and endowed with quite the God Complex."

"Making him dangerous, if somewhat predictable," Lucien added, as they walked further down the hall. He paused and peered into one of the rooms that had a sliding glass door. He then opened it with a flourish and very disturbing grin. "Computer lab, anyone?"

They each stepped inside, footfalls silenced by the heavy carpeting.

Chairs were overturned, several screens smashed on the floor, items scattered everywhere, as if those responsible for the place had left in a tearing hurry and simply forgotten to take things with them.

"Amateurs," Lucien scoffed, as he walked through the debris. "If you're going to do evil doings, at least have an escape route. And do not leave behind the evidence. I mean, really?"

"Speaking from experience?" Jethro asked with a chuckle.

"Certainly!"

Nicolaus walked over to one of the terminals and cautiously clicked the mouse. The system was, not shockingly, Password protected. He smirked. Well, he did know a few people who could easily get around such pesky little details.

He pulled out his cell and dialed.

'I'm busy.'

"Stark!" Nico replied, easily ignoring the snark infested tirade that followed his introduction. "I need know how to break into a computer mainframe."

There was a sigh.

'Are you calling me from the phone I gave you?'

He glanced down at the device in his hand. Tony Stark had sent it to him a few months after the whole situation in Egypt, along with a note stating that he should never leave home without it. As far as he could tell, there was nothing like it whatsoever on the open market. "Yes."

'Jarvis isn't picking up any wireless connections.'

He really didn't want to know how Stark did that, so he just kept his mouth shut.

'Are there any cables near by?'

He put down the phone as he rummaged through the cartons of wires and cables over by the back wall.

"Found one."

'Good now plug it in, do I need to explain which end goes where?'

Rolling his eyes, he hooked the phone to the computer. "Okay. Do your thing."

It was strangely fascinating to watch the phone black out, then flash up a new screen that showed the rapid transfer of encrypted files. He could hear Jarvis talking to Stark about the algorithms required for breaking down data security, and questioning what servers to put the information on. Apparently there was a lot of it, and it wasn't entirely compressed.

There was a beep, and then his cell system restarted.

Nico unplugged it and held back up to his ear. "Can you work with that?"

'Already done. I'll make sure your illegally obtained evidence is sent discreetly to the proper persons. You can thank me later.'

And with that he hung up.

Slipping his phone back into his pocket, Nicolaus looked at his companions and just shrugged, before heading out.

"If this is just a satellite base and it's this well equipped," Lucien muttered, waving his arm around the area, "then their main one is going to be harder to find and break into. A lot harder."

Nico nodded. "Meantime I think we need to make a statement." He glanced over at Jethro. "Round up the Hunters, then blow this place. And don’t scrimp on the noise and flames."

"On it!" Jethro winked, more than ready for some fun.


~ Hospital ~


Doctors House and Barton stood near a gurney, waiting for the chopper to land, anticipating everything and anything that might be coming at them. Claudio hadn't given them much information. He hadn't had that much to share.

Janet was outwardly calm. There were moments though, when Gregory would look at her, and flash back to the war; hearing soldiers scream in pain, seeing blood everywhere as Clara Barton moved amongst them, attending each and every one of them with equal concern and care. It seemed strange, and yet not, to witness her bearing at that moment, the same look she had worn from all those years gone past, when they would wait together by the medical tents for the wounded to start to pouring in from battle.

Anticipation.

That was it.

Anticipation mixed with fear at what horrors they might come to see that day.

The sound of the chopper broke through his thoughts, and Gregory turned toward it, waiting for it to land.

The moment the door opened, he was moving.

Horatio stepped out of the Black Hawk, Timothy in his arms.

And House bit back a sudden, unaccustomed sense of panic.

Tony helped to get Speed laid out on the gurney, yet before he could even step back, Gregory pushed him aside to get to his patient.

He looked down at his friend, seeing a sudden flash of time from when their roles had been reversed.

"So once more I have to tell you to stay out of trouble?" Gregory lectured him, only to have the fear return with the panic when Timothy reached out and grabbed his hand.

Warm and sweaty fingers slipped against his skin.

Speed tried to speak but could only cough, the effort of it shaking his entire frame.

"Move it!" he yelled, as they pushed the gurney to the waiting elevator.

He didn't even care when the doors shut, leaving Horatio and Tony still on the roof.

House watched Janet run her hands down the Vampire's body, checking for injuries like broken bones and punctures.

She looked up, frowning. "Nothing."

"He's warm." House laid a palm over Speed's forehead before running his finger through the familiar thick, dark hair. "Wet. Sweating profusely. Speed! Come on! Stay awake. I need you to tell me what happened."

Timothy opened his eyes, barely. Adjusting to the light was like having a poker jammed through his skull. "Gave me something," he gasped, coughing again.

"A drug?" House pushed. "I can't help you if you don't tell me everything."

He shook his head.

"Come on, Tim. You know how this works. What did they give you? How was it administered?"

House watched Janet checking his reaction to her penlight.

"Injection. Neck. Just said I would see the truth." He coughed once more, wracked with pain, blood spraying from his lips. "Feels like plague, but worse. Can't breathe."

"That isn't helping. You don't need to breathe." House put a firm hand over his patient's chest as he struggled to try and sit up. "Stay still!" He paused, frowning as he grabbed his stethoscope from around his neck and tore Speed's shirt open.

He moved it around the diaphragm, his frown deepening.

He opened his mouth to speak but thought better of it, and checked what he was hearing for a second time, just to be sure.

"Clara?"

She looked up at him, snagging her own stethoscope and placing it on Speed's chest.

With a frown that matched her fellow Doctor's concern she tilted her head and tried again. "His lungs sound congested," she said at last.

Gregory nodded. "Lungs that haven't worked regularly or fully in nearly 700 years."

The elevator doors opened, and together they pushed the gurney straight into what had been Yev's room just a short while before.

Working as a team, they swiftly set up the necessary vital signs monitoring, very much aware that under normal conditions, Vampires never needed them.

Janet stopped for a moment and looked down at her patient.

She hadn't been there when he and Tony had caught the plague, but the fear of how very close they had come to losing both boys, was always there in Nico's eyes whenever he told the story.

"What did you do for Tony the last time he had the plague?" House asked.

"Feeding," Janet answered, thinking of the more modern occurrence of plague that Tony had been struck with. "It was how they handled it the first time around. Continually feeding. They bled volunteers, and made them drink. It took a long time but it worked. Now with the ability to get fresh blood straight into the veins, it’s a bit easier."

Gregory leaned over the railings of the bed they had transferred Speed onto.

Their patient was still.

Too still.

The heart monitor suddenly made rapid and erratic noises, startling them both.

He checked the connections but it was behaving perfectly normally. "Vampires aren't supposed to have high heart rates," he muttered, watching the trace line bounce all over the place.

"Aren't supposed to have heart rates, period," Janet muttered, as she listened once again to Speed's chest. "With as much as we've learned in the past few centuries, we still don't know how the body works as a Vampire. Not precisely."

"We need to know what they gave him. And we need it now." House grabbed a syringe off one of the carts and drew some blood into three vials, then slammed his hand down on the intercom. "Chase! Get in here!" he growled.

"Cuddy wants an update." The door opened and the very man he'd been yelling for, strolled in like tomorrow would do. "The team is set up outside to help."

House thrust the vials at him. "Get those analyzed. Need you to pull off that fancy lab work they do on those crappy Medical dramas. Need it fifteen minutes ago." He looked over to see Cuddy at the door too.

"House…?"

"Little busy here!" he snapped. "Go try making sure Mate and Papa don't go batshit and kill things," he commented, just as every alarm on their monitoring station started going off.

"The rest of the team is on their way back." She ignored him, eyes narrowing as she saw the equipment read outs, her medical curiosity drawn to the problem before she even realized that those standing outside were actually getting a good view of what was going on within.

"Get the hell in here!" he snarled, yanking her by the collar into the room. "What are you thinking? We're dealing with a critical situation and you just stand there letting the 'family' watch?"

"But he's a Vampire." Cuddy looked at the man in the bed, so remarkably like the last patient to have lain there.

"Once." House ran with a hunch. "His body is re-animating." He turned his back on her as Janet monitored their equipment, watching the heartbeat even out and appear steady, only to have it fade away into nothing. "We need information. Let me know when Nico gets back. And go find out what Caine and Anthony know. Anything. Everything. Find it."

Speed screamed out in pain, jerking upwards in the bed, no longer in control of his body.

Every muscle he possessed, tensed rigid like steel. His eyes bulged. His chest heaved. His fingers dug helplessly into the sheet beneath him.

His head thrown back, he clenched his teeth, looking for all the world like a man suffering the final stages of Tetanus.

Janet tried to get him settled, or at least help him through it.

And just as quickly as the terrifying episode started, it simply stopped.

He slumped back down into the bed, exhausted and soaking, his body wracked with so much pain it seemed a wonder he could even remain conscious.

Janet ran a hand through his hair, trying to soothe him as tears coursed down his cheeks. The small whimper of fear and misery that escaped him, clutched fiercely at her heart.

It had been years since she last felt such helplessness, but Speed needed her, and she didn't have time to break down. So she turned to more practical matters.

"Someone get me a gown. I want him out of these clothes and into some dry," she said quickly.

But no one was paying attention.

A loud commotion out in the hall, raised voices, yelling and threatening, the sounds of violent struggle, had drawn Gregory instantly from the room, and as she spun on her heel, she saw him holding Horatio up, pushing him back against the far wall.

But he could not maintain his own balance, and the redhead slid down until he was sitting on the cold linoleum floor, gripping at his chest, utterly agony etched across his face.

House moved with him, ending up on his knees right in front of him.

And for a second the scene changed.

Time raced backwards.

The walls faded away into what was a wooded field.

All he could hear was gunfire.

Cannons boomed.

The air felt thick with powder and smoke.

"Captain Caine!" He cupped the redhead's cheek. "Caine! I need you to focus on me."

Blue eyes blinked vaguely at him. "It's gone."

The world came rushing back to the present moment, as alarms started blaring from the hospital room.

Gregory glanced in frustration over his shoulder at the still open door, then looked back at Horatio.

"It's gone." He leaned his head back against the wall, tears flowing freely despite all attempts at holding them in. "The Bond! It's gone…"


~ Miami, Florida: Miami-Dade Police Department ~


Danny smiled at the receptionist, as he came in carrying a few of his newly tidied files. "Hey Sandy! How's the kids?"

"My five year old thinks he's Superman." She grinned up at him from her desk. "Henry has caught him more than once, trying to jump headlong off the couch."

"Ha! I think all of us five year old boys try to fly." He smiled at her knowingly, setting his files on the ledge over her workspace. "And most of us broke our arm at some point."

She sighed, "Well, so far we've been lucky. You wanted to be Superman?"

"Nah, I always wanted to be Batman." The look on his face faded a little, at the memory of late night talks up on the roofs of New York.

There were days when he really missed Blade, and his forceful advice.

"I can see you as the rich billionaire with a secret past," Sandy teased him.

She had a soft spot for the shy, scruffy ones who always needed mothering. Though their last ME had taken care of the other scruffy one who came before, she had the pleasure of watching over this particular young man, and just like Timothy, Danny had another caretaker higher up the chain of command, whom few would ever dare to cross. Mac Taylor didn't quite have Horatio's level of reputation yet, but he was getting there, and she took great joy in watching it all unfold.

"As much as I love our little chats, you called me?" Danny asked, not sure what was going on.

He had a lot of paperwork still to do, and about five open cases; let alone the late nights spent looking into who had attacked Speed, and the two miss Knight Clan Vampires.

Sandy nodded over at the two men in suits who were standing across from her desk by the window. "They needed to speak to you."

It didn't take Danny long to figure out who his visitors were, and it took him even less time to figure out why they were there.

"Do me a favor? Call Mac," he muttered.

But Sandy was way ahead of him. "Already done. Buzzed the Lieutenant right after I got hold of you. He's on his way in from a crime scene." She kept her fingers on the phone, in case she needed Security down in the Lobby fast.

Danny gave her a quick wink before stepping up to the two men who were waiting. "Hi! I'm Danny Messer. How can I help you, gentlemen?"

The older guy strode right into his personal space and handed him a folded sheet of paper. "You've been served. We're contesting Paul Messer's Will, and will be seeking his Estate and Funds for the proper heir."

Danny looked at the paper, read it over, then handed it back with a shrug. "You can sue all you want. There's nothing left."

"What!?" The other man scooted forward, glaring furious at Danny as though he couldn't quite believe what he'd just heard. "You spent it?"

"It's all gone. I didn't want any of the bastard's money, so I arranged with my lawyer to have the Estate, the bonds, the whole portfolio, everything liquidated. The money was then given away to a variety of charities."

"You can't do that. It's my money!"

"Then you can contact my lawyer about it. His name is Harvey Specter." Danny smirked at the wide eyes he got from both of them. "Or you can sue the American Cancer Association, the Humane Society, the 9/11 Foundation, the Disabled Veterans Association, and the Salvation Army, to name a few."

"Is there a problem gentlemen?"

Danny turned and smiled over at Mac, who strode into the lobby still wearing his vest and gear.

"Nah, got it covered, Lieutenant." He grinned at the two men who had been hoping for so much more, and were so sadly disappointed. "Oh, and Paul? There were a lot of papers in Papa Messer's things. I mean, a lot of papers. So don't think for a second I don't know who you are, or what you're involved in."

Paul took a step toward him, only to stop when Mac Taylor put a hand on his gun and flicked the catch open on its holster.

"Next time you want to speak to me, you can contact Mr. Specter." Danny turned his back on his brother, smirking broadly when he saw his Mate, Riddick and Eric all standing close by with weapons in easy reach.


~ Grand Ballroom, The Plaza Hotel, New York ~


Nathan Petrelli looked out through the crowd to see his mother talking softly with someone who stood next to her.

He didn't recognize the woman, but from the way she was smiling, Nathan could feel his gut start to squirm. So he sought out his brother instead, to at least gain some comfort and stability, finding Peter across the room, leaning against the other wall.

He got a quick wink and a smile for his efforts.

It made him feel a bit better.

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he focused on what was going on, but he still had no idea what Stillson was up to, and thinking about it just made him feel slightly sick again.

Presidential Candidate Gregory Stillson, stood behind the Podium, which sported an enormous bank of microphones bedecked with the logos of every major media outlet in the country, and then some….

He gave his audience a calm, and charmingly sincere smile.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press! I thank you for coming here today on such a short notice, and apologize for the haste that brought you, but the moment my suspicions were confirmed, I knew it had become my primary duty today, to allow the American People to see a terrible and terrifying truth."

There were murmurs.

Many, many murmurs.

Peter glanced over at his brother, realizing Nathan's look was about as confused as everyone else's.

"The current Administration has been lying to you. They have been hiding a threat to the American People, a very grave threat that could destroy the very foundation and fabric of our great, free society." His words, his tone, his expression, were all specifically crafted to ensure that everyone was paying attention.

He clicked the remote control he'd been holding onto, bringing to life the TV monitors centered around the platform.

On them appeared a fresh-faced young teenager, who seemed like a perfectly normal boy until ice broke out from his fingertips, and promptly froze the earth around him.

Nathan recognized the kid.

He swallowed, controlling all of his emotions, showing nothing on his face, and refusing to make eye contact with anyone. Not that anyone was watching him. They were all too busy staring at the screens.

The video replayed, then paused at the moment when ice came flowing from the kid's fingers.

Stillson turned back to the stunned media hawks who were already buzzing with questions.

"They are called Mutants," he said simply, like he was ordering a meal off the hotel menu. "Some can even walk through walls, read our minds, bend us to their will. They can run on water, manipulate the elements, turn us against ourselves if they so wish. They live among us. They go to school with our children. The Government has been funding a school to protect them."

Questions started flying in from every direction, but not one of them even suggested the whole thing might be a prank, a joke, a movie special effect.

"Who is the kid?"

"Where is this school?"

"How many of these Mutants are there?"

"Is this a disease?"

"Are all our kids going to catch this?"

"Could this be an epidemic?"

Nathan saw Peter moving out of the crowd, pulling his cell phone.

He gave an inward sigh, hoping he wasn't seen to be squirming too much.

The kid who could make ice out of thin air, was a boy who went to school with his daughter.

The very same school that Stillson was now threatening.

"There is hope!" Stillson smiled brightly, offering his hands out to the crowd as though about to bless them for their faith in him. "Gen-Cris, a leading Pharmaceutical Company, has been working with funding from Private Corporations and Citizens of our great nation, who are rightly concerned for the safety of these United States of America."

He paused dramatically.

Nathan fought with himself not to roll his eyes.

"They have found a cure!"

Every news reporter leapt up, asking millions of questions; flashing camera lights blinding anyone near the stage.

The Presidential Candidate smiled beatifically.

It was chaos.

It was perfect.

The Vice Presidential Candidate stepped off the podium in disgust.

Sickened by what just happened, all he could think about was getting the hell out of there.

Stillson had been hoping this would take down Bartlet.

But his every instinct was screaming at him that it could actually be much worse than that.

Nathan shook off his mother's hand and turned to face her. "You knew about this." It was a simple fact, neither an accusation nor a question.

"Yes! It's so horrible that the Administration has been lying to the American People all these years. They have put all our lives in jeopardy." Angela Petrelli made quite sure her words could be overheard by the reporters standing near her.

"No, Mother! This is an abomination of the American Political System. This…" He waved his hand around the room, realizing it looked like he was flailing. "This is nothing but a freak show for the hungry media, looking for the six pm sound byte! This is not what I signed up for!"

"This will get us into the White House!" she hissed.

He shook his head. "I won't be a part of this. I can't."

Angela grabbed her son's arm and squeezed it tightly. "Don't think I don't know about your kid. Just imagine for a second if anyone…"

"You won't tell another soul, Mother," he growled, pulling her hand away and discarding it like it was a filthy thing. "Why?" He dropped his voice low. "Because the idea of me having an illegitimate daughter would only humiliate you in the Press. It would bring scandal to the election. Don't play this game with me, Mother, especially since it was you who taught me how to play it." He stepped back and fixed his tie. "And if I hear of anything even remotely bothersome happening to my daughter…? I'll make absolutely sure all your dirty little secrets end up on the news, front page, above the fold, and all over Fox." He looked across the room at the still riled media. "You know that people around here have short attention spans, and illicit sex and murder is so much more juicy than a sci-fi film."

With that he turned and stormed out of the room.

He had more important things to deal with, than his Mother's vain ambition.


~ Washington D.C. ~


"Did someone forget to get me the Mutant Memo?" Jed Bartlet looked around the Oval Office at his advisers. "I got the Vampire one, and the Alien one. Did we miss this one?"

If it wasn't such a serious moment he would certainly have been chuckling at the fact that his Aides were actually shuffling through papers looking for an actual memo.

"I want information on this, and I want it five minutes ago. Toby? Sam? Start working up a speech to refute this. CJ…?" He paused when he realized she was too busy still focused on the television to answer him. "Claudia Jean?"

She picked up the remote and hit the rewind button on the TiVo, then hit play. "See that? In the corner?" She rewound the footage again. "That is Nathan Petrelli. He seems more than a little bit upset over this spectacle. Look at his face. He had no idea this was coming. He's expressionless, but he's furious. See that…?"

Jed Bartlet watched the scene play out, focusing in on the background around the media frenzy. "Huh! See if you can find out what's upset Senator Petrelli. Mean time someone get me the Roman on the phone. I have a few questions." He tossed his glasses onto the blotter and sighed as he leaned back in his chair.

Mutants.

Seriously?

Part of him wanted to ask what was next.

But the other part of him was smart enough not to.


~ New Jersey: Hospital ~


They were out of the helicopter the moment Warrick finished with shut down procedures, and considering how long it actually took to do that with a Black Hawk, it was pretty amazing that the Pirate had done it in half the normal time.

Nicolaus stumbled forward as he stepped down onto the helipad.

Something was wrong.

He couldn't feel…

He couldn't feel his son.

Casting around, dazed by the sensation that somehow, something he had never taken for granted, yet never contemplated losing, was gone.

The Bond with his son.

With Speed.

His Childe.

His Antonio.

Snapped.

Like it simply sparked out of existence.

He took a long, slow breath and felt Warrick's hand on his elbow.

"What?" his Mate asked. "You okay?"

"We have to hurry," he replied.

But his words conveyed so much more than mere urgency.

Lucien stayed a few feet behind the Leaders of Sylum Clan, not wanting to get in their way.

He could rant for hours about Nico and his children. He could give detailed accounts of the many games he had played with each of them over the centuries, enjoying the frustrated and pissed off looks they all wore whenever he annoyed them. But over recent years they all settled into a far more civil relationship, and after Egypt there had clearly come to be a great deal more in the way of open communication between the two Clans.

Though even with the many torments he played on Nicolaus and his rugrats, he was never stupid enough to actually hurt the rugrats in front of their protective Papa.

Lucien was however, sincerely looking forward to seeing the wrath that Nico would bring down on Magneto.

All three of them stepped out of the elevator to find Tony sitting on the floor, his back against the wall just a short way down the otherwise empty corridor.

Head bowed, Rosary in hand, lost in prayer, he never even heard them approach.

"Elena?"

Tony looked up, his eyes red rimmed.

"Papa!"

The pain in his voice was enough to break Nico's heart.

Dropping to the floor at his side, he folded Tony into his arms, and for the first time in centuries the last Templar Knight simply laid his head on his Father's shoulder and let the tears fall.

Warrick settled on the other side of his kid, desperately wanting information but knowing it would be wrong to interrupt. Instead he ran a hand up and down Tony's back, hoping the simple gesture would be soothing.

Lucien took up point further along the hallway, making sure no one should disturb the family. He had no idea what was going on at that precise moment, but he would make damn sure they were left alone.

He could be decent.

Occasionally.

Urgent alarms pierced the brief pause they had all taken for peace.

A great deal of cursing soon followed, and the sounds of valuable hospital equipment being tossed around in the room they sat opposite.

It didn't take long before the door to that room was flung open, revealing a stressed and seriously pissed off Gregory House.

"Tell me you have information!" he demanded, glaring at Nico in a fury.

Sylum's Clan Leader stood up and pulled out of the small satchel that Jethro had found, the broken syringe, and some vials with similarly colored liquid inside them. Billy had been hunting through an open fridge in one of the labs and snagged anything that looked useful.

"It's what they gave him," Nicolaus explained. "From the way the vials were being stored, it's likely the same material, or a variation thereof."

"CHASE!!!" House bellowed, not really caring if he disturbed anyone. He offered Nico a tight nod. "Good. Anything else? I mean it. Anything. We're flying blind here."

Nico rummaged in the bag again and handed him a slightly chipped USB Drive in a black plastic case. "My Hunters got some of this off one of their lab computers that was still open and active. The little I could read before we got out of there, suggests they were doing experiments on Mutants. Biochemical. Biomechanical. Genetic."

House looked at the unpromising little device in his palm. "This could save your son's life."

It was a tone he had heard before, decades ago on the battlefield. "Talk to me, Doctor."

"His heart rate is up. Lungs are congested." House looked over his shoulder into the room, where Janet was noting down the readings from each monitor. Her hair was falling into her face, and she looked decidedly haggard, but she wasn't about to give up. "His body is coming back to life, like suddenly he's cured of being a Vampire."

Chase and Wilson both came running around the corner.

Gregory handed Chase the syringe and the vials. "Run every damn test we have. If you can think of any more, do it. But that's all there is. Don’t waste it." Chase nodded, but didn't argue. Taking what he was given, he ran back the way he came.

Wilson laid a hand on his Mate's shoulder, giving him some comfort. He could feel the anger racing through him, and knew it was the one thing that kept him going when he couldn't resolve whatever his patient was suffering. But it was never an easy thing to bear, and he doubted it ever would be.

Glancing at Sylum's Leader, he explained, "I've called in Robert Neville. He's one of the leading experts on Vampire DNA. He's on his way…"

"Okay. Neville is a good choice." Nicolaus nodded. "I'll get some calls out to the Council and see if we can set up a conference with them. Their Doctors should know what's going on."

House handed Wilson the USB Drive. "Get a head start on this. See if you can figure out what the hell is going on. Do it fast." Wilson gave his shoulder a brief squeeze, and made his way back to the lab.

Gregory looked at Nico. "I told your to kid stay out of trouble."

"Yeah, well he gets it from me." He tried to lighten the moment. "Could be genetic. So, the truth Dr. House. What's the prognosis?"

"If we don't figure out what the hell they gave him, his body will simply continue to re-animate. But nothing in his body has worked properly for hundreds of years. Every organ is under extreme stress. Usage is fluctuating wildly. Unless the process can be stabilized, or better yet, reversed…" He hated the fear that flickered across Nico's eyes. "…his body will shut down. Organs will start to fail, or tear themselves apart…" House laid it on the line, seeing no point in lying. "…as they struggle to go back to what they once were. We're giving him fluids, but there's nothing else that could even be remotely useful right now. He's in and out of consciousness. Pain medication is useless, and giving him too much could be lethal."

Tony stood up and walked away quickly, unable hear the rest of what House had to say.

Warrick slowly struggled to his feet, and slipped his arm around his Mate, pulling him close to him. "What about Horatio?" he asked quietly.

"The Mate Bond broke." House tried not to shiver at recalling the haunted look in Caine's eyes.

"Fuck!" Warrick shook his head.

"It happened to me too," Nico muttered, feeling his Mate hold him tighter. "The Childe Bond. I don't feel him any more."

It seemed like the strangest thing to say, but that was the only way he knew how.

"It tracks with what's happening. He's returning to humanity. But if we lose Timothy, we won't lose Horatio. At least not physically…" Gregory left the rest unsaid.

In the end Horatio would demand someone take his head.

They all knew it too.

"Where is he?" Nico asked.

"Down the hall. He's resting. I had to sedate him. Hopefully he's not getting out of bed for a while."

Warrick nodded. "I'll check on him." He let go of Nicolaus only with great reluctance. "Come find me when you can. We'll talk," he murmured, patting him on the shoulder. "Go see our boy." The pain he felt through the Bond, was not all his own concern, as the very idea of watching your Mate die and not go with them, struck both Vampires in equal measure, and set a fresh aching in their chests.

Nico walked past House, and into the hospital room, his head up and his jaw set.

His Childe was resting at that moment, breathing laboriously, his chest heaving. His face was pale, sweat beading on his forehead, soaking his hair. He barely seemed to know much of what was happening around him, which was small blessing enough.

Nico took his son's hand, the skin clammy and wet.

"We're doing everything…" Janet spoke up softly, wanting him to hear it said.

"I know." Nico didn't look up at either of the Doctors. His focus was entirely on his boy, and he stroked cheek as he stirred, needing him to sense his Papa close by.

"We have information that will help."

Everyone turned to where Yev stood in the hall, looking at his ancestor, gauging the nature of his sufferings. "This is not only the work of Magneto. He is being manipulated by another. We believe it to be Frankenstein."

"That doesn't surprise me." Nico settled on the edge of the bed.

"Frankenstein hasn't experimented on Vampires for decades now. Has he?" Janet asked. "Is this attack on Vampires?"

"No." Yev shook his head firmly. "As far as we have been made aware by sources, he has not experimented that way since the Second World War. Instead he has been experimenting with Mutants. From the intelligence so far gathered, it would appear he is both funding and using them at the same time."

House looked over at Speed. "Didn't you say they took him not knowing he's a Vampire?"

"Yes." Nicolaus truly believed that, given what they had already put together.

"So if they think he's a Mutant…?"

Janet followed his logic. "Then this isn't an attack on the Vampire but on the Mutant, which means…"

"We've totally been looking at this the wrong way." House lunged for the phone on the wall by the door, and called the lab. "Wilson! Think of the Vampire Gene we already recognize, as a Mutant Gene instead, and then read those files."

"Maybe I can help?"

"Who the hell are you!?" House demanded, glaring at the newcomer.

"Dr. Bruce Banner," he answered quietly. "I specialize in genetics."

Yevgeny moved out of his way.

"Didn't I send you with Remy to see Charles?" Nico was not amused at being disobeyed.

"There was no way I was going to stay in a place full of kids," Banner answered honestly. "I talked to the Professor on the phone, and he helped me focus on making sure the beast inside me stays down."

Nicolaus nodded. He could respect the fact that Banner didn't want to take the chance of hurting innocent children.

"It sounds like they may have given him what they say is the 'cure to Mutation'." he continued. "It's a weird dynamic going on. Magneto doesn't want to hide Mutants, but instead wants to live loud and proud, yet at the same time he's working with some heavy-handed individuals to find the cure for it all. I'm not entirely sure why."

"Kinda like an openly gay guy working for a homophobic prick." House shook his head then moved next to the bed to check Speed's vitals. He frowned as his patient's heart rate spiked again.

A pained moan caught everyone's attention.

House looked at Janet. "We'll have to keep him sedated."

"Why didn't he give you this cure?" Nico asked, glancing up at Banner again. "Or did Magneto enjoy seeing you do damage when your Mutation kicks in?"

"Not a Mutant." Banner shrugged, trying to hide the blush on his cheeks. "They tried blood tests on me, trying to figure out how to recreate my situation, but nothing punctures my skin. Ever."

Janet stared at him as she worked.

"If you're not a Mutant, then what the hell are you?" House studied the smaller man more closely, realizing there was nothing abnormal about him at first glance.

"The product of extremely high dose Gamma Radiation exposure for development of bio weaponry, courtesy of Obediah fucking Stane." He took a few deep breaths to get his emotions in check, closing his eyes as he suddenly felt a calming force run through him like fresh blood filling his veins. "Wow! Okay, the Professor is good. That's…" He grinned to himself. "That's pretty awesome."

House tilted his head, observing the other Doctor's reactions, but deciding not to go there with the snark. After all, if any of what he'd heard about was the guy getting angry was even remotely true, he didn't want to piss Banner off any time soon – at least not without a safe place he could run to.

"So we have two different masterminds, seeking to follow two different agendas, both using the other in a mutual agreement to get what they want?" Nico commented. "How? Why? Magneto wants Mutants to be out and proud. He wants recognition. He wants control over his people. It's almost noble in a way."

"While Frankenstein wants a much wider control, for very different reasons." Yev followed his train of thought. "Frankenstein's experimentation caused the disaster at Chernobyl, and accelerated the steadily building trend toward Mutation, bringing forward more Mutants and more Mutations than there ever were before. Mutants are something for him to study. He would want to see how far he can push…"

"But what is his main goal?" Craig added, joining them in the rapidly filling room. He'd been on a private call with Lamont, getting a quick briefing on how Mutants had spies too. "There has to be something in this that he wants. Chernobyl was many things." And most of it, he couldn't freely talk about. "But it's had repercussions way beyond the first tragedy. Catherine is still dealing with it, and so are we."

Craig could sense his Mate's anxiety, laced with an underlying sense of outrage. Yevgeny had been hunting Frankenstein and his multi-layered organization, since the day they discovered that events at Chernobyl weren't altogether a horrible accident. It was only in the past few years however, that he had finally gotten close enough to Frankenstein's camp to find out what the bastard was really up to.

"Right now I don't give a shit about his plans. We need to figure out how to reverse…" House stopped suddenly, looked at Speed, then grinned at Nico, before rushing as quickly as he could out of the room.

A moment later he reached back into the doorway and grabbed Dr. Banner, who squeaked in surprise, but followed him to the elevators.

Everyone stared at the door, then at each other.

"That is good sign, yes?" Yev asked.

Jethro appeared, with Jimmy at his shoulder.

He looked around the room, taking in the scene. His first instinct was to demand where his Mate was, since he'd been feeling Tony's distress for some considerable time, but he had a job to do first. "The location has been destroyed," he reported, and Nicolaus nodded approvingly. "Now though, we have an entirely different problem."

"What the bloody hell?" Craig demanded.

Jethro glanced at him and his startlingly Speed-like companion, unaware of their true status in the bigger scheme of things, but willing to accept them, as his Clan Leader didn't seem disturbed at their presence.

Without another word, he simply marched further into the room and turned the TV on, having gotten an angry call from Toby Ziegler in DC, that reached him the very moment he set foot in the hospital. It seemed no one else in the higher Clan structure was answering their phone, and the White House was desperate to locate Nicolaus.

A glamorous and elegantly coiffed reporter, sat before a backdrop that blared the words 'Mutants Amongst Us?' superimposed over a film still of a boy, apparently generating ice from his bare hands. She started off with some overly dramatic, yet seriously presented speculation, and then recapped the momentous Press Conference, showing the footage that had been released by the Office of the Republican Presidential Candidate.

"They are called Mutants. They live among us. Go to school with our children. The Government has been funding a school to protect them."

Questions started coming from every direction.

"Who is the kid?"

"Where is this school?"

"How many of these Mutants are there?"

"Is this a disease?"

"Are all our kids going to catch this?"

"Could this be an epidemic?"

"There is hope!" Stillson smiled brightly. "Gen-Cris, a leading Pharmaceutical Company, has been working with funding from Private Corporations and Citizens of our great nation, who are rightly concerned for the safety of these United States of America."

Nicolaus stared at the screen, even as he grabbed his phone from his pocket and looked through the backlog to see a dozen missed calls.

He clicked Toby's number.

'Finally!'

"I've been busy," Nico answered bluntly, his tone clipped.

'The President wants to speak to you.'

"Toby, right now I don't have time for this. Something's happened here. I can't go running off to the White House."

'Just tell me if this crap is real.'

"It is. And very few of us ever knew about it," he answered. "Here's the best briefing you're going to get right now. Mutants do exist. Mutants do not know about Vampires. Only a handful Vampires know about Mutants. If Stillson has footage like I'm seeing on CNN here, then he's working with others who fed it to him." He paused, looking over at Craig and Yev. "Toby, work a speech around this. I know you can. Go after Stillson, but do not comment on Mutants. Don't refute or agree with anything. The President will see why. Tell him I'll call him directly later on, as soon as I can get away. And Toby? I know he's a man of faith, as are you. Just…" He licked his lips. "Pray for my son, okay?"

He hung up, and tossed his phone on the bedside table. "This!" He gestured rudely at the TV as Jethro turned volume down. "This is Frankenstein’s plan. He's always wanted the wider power. He gives Magneto funds and free reign to wreak havoc, while at the same time developing the 'cure' for it all, so he can save humanity from terror of Mutants."

"Putting him in the good graces of all mankind," Craig growled bitterly.

"Fucking bastard," Yev muttered.

Or at least that was what it sounded like, but there were a considerable number of other less well known Russian epithets thrown in with it for good measure.

"Jethro?" Nico paused, looking at him intently. "Tony's gone to the Chapel. He needs you near him."

Gibbs didn't have to be told twice.

Jimmy nodded and let him go.

Nicolaus could see the conflict on his Hunter's face. Timothy was Jimmy's Sire, and they had a long history together. He understood the anguish. "I need you to go find out where Magneto has gone, where Frankenstein might be, and what the hell Stillson is up to. Co-ordinate with Yev and Craig here. Cash in every favor you have if you need to."

Jimmy nodded, his eyes shifting to Speed before he finally turned and left the room.

Warrick came in, with Horatio next to him.

Nico had never seen the redhead so disheveled and exhausted.

Janet moved out from her spot next to the bed, that she might allow Horatio chance to settle next to his Mate.

Nico understood the need for Horatio to be there, but he wasn't about to leave his son's side either.

Horatio looked over at his Clan Leader, and nodded before settling next to Speed, taking his hand in his and laying his head down on his Mate's shoulder.

Craig glanced quickly at his buzzing phone. "Layer." He rolled his eyes as he moved out of the room, snagging Yev's sleeve and nodding briskly. "No, I'm not doing the damn blackbird spiel…"

Warrick slid into one of the chairs under the window, and watched over his family.

It was going to be a long night.


~ Hospital Lab ~


House limped into the lab, finding Wilson looking through a pair of microscopes and taking down notes.

Chase and Freeman were working their own tests.

"Reverse it." House moved over to where they were working, reading over their progress so far. "They made the cure to attack Mutant genes, which means there's has to be a way to reverse it."

"That's what I thought. Treat this thing as if it was a virus. Get the body to fight it, and reverse it," Chase spoke up from his spot, watching over a spinning centrifuge. "Problem is, the Vampire doesn't exactly produce enough white blood cells to do the job. Actually the Vampire doesn't produce any…"

Banner strode past House and went straight to the microscope, keen to make his own assessment. "When was this sample taken?"

"When he first got here. That was about six hours ago," Freeman answered. He gestured at the sample he was working with himself. "This one was an hour ago."

Banner took a good long look into both microscopes. "He was given the 'cure' moments before the raid on the lab, so that would make it less than hour or so from initial injection, to first blood test." He studied both of the magnified, glass slides, shaking his head. "It's not acting like a virus. It's not attacking the cells, but pulling things away from the DNA. It's stripping it of anything it doesn't see as being 'human'."

"Vampire DNA wraps itself around human DNA. This action results not so much in a mutation of base pairs, but an enhancement to the whole, as though removing unnecessary, potentially weakening system parameters," Wilson said, quoting from a fellow Vampire, "reinforcing them to a degree where such weakness is no longer relevant to maintenance of the whole."

Banner looked up, one eyebrow raised. "Who was that?"

"Dr. Robert Neville. He's on his way here now, should be here within an hour." Wilson answered. "We just got him on speaker phone."

'Hello!' said a disembodied voice from a nearby, slimline speaker.

"Dr. Neville, I'm Bruce Banner. My specialty is in genetics. I'll help anyway I can." He glanced around to where a white board stood against the back wall, emblazoned with the titles: Symptoms, Disease, Treatment.

There had been already been a few things listed and crossed out.

"From what I'm hearing there, it seems to be attacking the DNA itself." Neville sounded frustrated at how long it was taking to get anywhere.

"So we need to figure out how to stop the attack."

"Or reverse it."

"Now there's a thought." House rolled his eyes. "We know it's bad. How do we fix it?"

Freeman spoke first. "Well we need to identify…"

"We don't have the time. We are dealing with unknown factors outside human medicine." House cut him off in mid-thought, as he stalked angrily over to the board. "What is it simulating?"

"Advanced Cancer." Chase spoke up, seeing at least something he knew how to deal with. "The aggression it shows is similar to Stage 4, in just about every organ. Let's get him in an MRI. We need to see deeper."

House nodded at Freeman. "Do it. Right now." Then he smiled thoughtfully over at his Mate. "If we treating him as a cancer patient, it might stem the tide. Radio therapy, chemo… Maybe target heavy dosages of radiation…"

"Remember the radiation nightmare with Hammerback, when he was Turned? It took forever just getting the radiation out of his system even after the Vampire Gene started doing its thing," Wilson pointed out.

"Yeah, Speed doesn't have the time, or sufficient Vampire strength left to heal to from radiation poisoning. Too much radiation can kill a Vampire as easily as a human… Or so our Amnesiac Spy has informed us."

"Who?" Neville asked. "What?"

"Never mind," House muttered. There wasn't enough time for lengthy explanations either, though he wondered why he hadn't heard that stuff about Chernobyl before.

"How about simple feeding?" Wilson suggested. "Maybe we're making this to complex? Go back to basics?"

Everyone present looked at him to elaborate.

"Dialysis? Transfusion on a massive scale?" he shrugged. "Boost the Vampire Gene with some help?"

House waved a hand a Chase. "Get me Janet on the phone."

Wilson nodded. "Clean out his system. See what happens."

'Yes? What is it?'

House was playing another hunch. But his hunches weren't generally that faulty. "Janet!" He snatched the phone away that Chase was offering him helpfully, trying to formulate the ideas running through his mind. "When you were working with John Tracy and his leukemia, how did you deal with the cancer cells in his blood?"

'I had his Sire draw a little to start the Turning. Of course there was a risk to him too, so he was deliberately fed and purged as soon as possible and I monitored his blood work for weeks afterward. Once John was Turned, we slowly fed and purged him over several weeks to make sure all trace was gone. It wasn't easy,' she answered. 'And it was very stressful for both Vampires. If I remember correctly, it was similar for Sid Hammerback and the radiation he suffered, but it didn’t take weeks to clear his body of the poisoning. Are you thinking of the same thing for Speed?'

"He isn't dying. He's already dead and coming to life," Chase pointed out.

"Yes, but the Vampire Gene is a kind of 'cure all'." Neville's voice came from the speaker again. "It's what cures the disease, knits bones, heals wounds. It's going to be fighting this cure and attempting to heal itself."

"What's the most recent blood sample we have?" Banner commented, as he looked at the slides again.

Wilson slipped a new one under the microscope lens. "Janet sent this one down thirty minutes ago."

Banner peered at it hopefully. "Well now! There! See that?" He moved so the others could take a look. "Neville's right. It's weaker. Not by a lot, but definitely weaker."

"Problem is, we don't have time for the Vampire Gene to take out this 'cure' at it's own rate. It's never had to deal with something like this. Speed's body is reanimating, which means organs that should've been dead and in the grave centuries ago, are inevitably going fail under the stress, and it's going to kill him." House knew full well his frustration was showing. "The cure is working too fast for the Vampire to counter, and by time it breaks down there won't be anything left of the Vampire."

"Then what about the dialysis idea?" Banner asked, not exactly sure how the physiology of a Vampire worked, but more than willing to learn as he went along.

"Push it too fast and we'll destroy the veins. Then without the Vampire Gene they won't heal," Wilson countered.

"But in theory it could work," Chase commented. "Drain him physically, and then force him to drink…"

"With the Bond broken to his Mate, we can't be sure the Vampire will survive something that drastic. The Bond is the Will to live. Without it…"

No one knew what might happen.

No one could recall a single Mate losing the Bond that way before.

"Look, the plane's finally landing. I'll be at the hospital in 30, depending on how fast I can drive," Neville said before hanging up.

"The Sire Bond," House muttered, then turned and looked at Wilson. "We have Nick Turn him again. Don't drain him and make him feed, but actually do the whole process as if he really was dying. Just like the first time."

"Reinstating the Vampire Gene as dominant," Bruce commented. "Didn't Neville say that it's the cure all? So if this was just a human dying…"

House flung the door open and limped away, leaving the others to talk amongst themselves.


~ Speed's Hospital Room ~


It was quiet.

The only sounds they could hear, came from the machines that monitored Speed's deteriorating condition.

None of them knew for sure how much time had passed since House ran off, but in the interim a portable X-Ray machine had been wheeled in to take images of Speed's lungs, an elaborate but movable CT Scanner had captured the marked increase in blood flow through his internal organs, and he had been taken away from them for Magnetic Resonance Imaging scans, that the Doctors might see inside him a little deeper, to better assess just what was going on. Naturally his family had wanted to go with him, but Janet held them back, urgently assuring them that all would be well. Such tests were necessary on normal human beings, but hearing her actually say that out loud, had Nicolaus wanting to smack her, even though she was only telling him the truth of it.

Having analyzed what appeared to all intents and purposes like Stage 4 Cancer at multiple locations in his system, Wilson wanted to see with his own two eyes just what the hell that meant in structural terms, and ascertain whether the 'cure' was creating tumors or cancer cells anywhere on Speed's organs, perhaps as a biological reaction to the genetic battle going on inside of him.

It was fascinating, in a detached and purely professional way.

But none of the Doctors would ever had said so where they could be misconstrued.

45 minutes had never felt to interminably long.

But once Speed was back in his room, they could focus on keeping him both mentally calm and physically at ease.

Nicolaus could feel the muscles contracting along his son's body, tensing up stiff and hard, only to relax again a moment later.

His labored breaths though, were the worst of all, sounding harsh and raw until Janet finally put him on oxygen to try and boost the saturation of his blood.

Horatio refused to move his hand from his Mate's chest, feeling every heartbeat grow steadily stronger as time went on. He had always wondered what it might feel like, or how it might sound, but suddenly he was praying it might fall silent again.

When the door banged open, it startled everyone in the room, including Warrick.

It also woke Timothy, who blinked a few times, trying to take in his surroundings, confused and afraid. But as pain and loss settled around him, he tensed again in pain, gasping a little before the moment passed.

Horatio leaned forward once he relaxed, kissing his temple, whispering of his love, falling into the old language shared between them.

"Turn him."

Janet looked up from labeling the last set of blood work she had just finished taking, and glared at House. "What? Are you mad?"

"Turn him." House waved his hand at their patient. "The 'cure' is disintegrating slowly, and there are signs that the Vampire Gene is fighting back."

"So it will reverse itself?" Warrick asked, leaping out of his seat.

"Timothy doesn't have time for it to reverse itself, but the one thing we know that can cure everything…" Gregory looked at everyone in the room, just to make sure they were all paying the proper attention. "… is being Turned into a Vampire. He still has some of the Vampire Gene, but he's essentially human right now. By re-Turning him, the Vampire will overpower the 'cure'."

"Are you certain?" Janet asked.

"I'll do it."

"No." Nicolaus glanced at Horatio.

"He's my Mate!" the redhead growled.

"And he's my son!" Sylum's Clan Leader growled back.

"Actually it needs to be Nico," House replied, ending the argument. "His Bond was the very first one. His was the original Siring."

"Mate Bonds are stronger," Janet interjected.

"Duh!" Gregory rolled his eyes at the blank stares he was getting. "Nicolaus Valerius Meridius originally Turned Timothy Quinn, in the Fourteenth Century. He's the one who made him a Vampire to start with. As strong as the Mate Bond certainly is, Timothy was the one who Turned Horatio…"

"So you're saying we need the original Vampire?" Janet could see where House was going with his line of reasoning. "Nico is older, stronger, and the length of the Sire to Childe Bond with Speed means he has a stronger opportunity of fighting off the 'cure'."

"Exactly!" House nodded over at Horatio. "I know you want your Mate. I get that. I can't understand what you're really feeling right now, but please Captain, let us do what we need to save the both of you."

Horatio's instinct was pulling him two different directions at once.

And it was tearing him apart on the inside.

The Vampire screamed frantically to Claim his Mate.

HIS MATE!

HIS!!

While the logical side of him, the rational, reasoning part that could see and understand what they were saying, kept him from going crazy; telling him that it all made sense, and it would all be okay.

He offered Nicolaus a small, weary smile, but he could see in those knowing, yet worried brown eyes, a very deep pain that somehow matched his own, and that noble compassion of a father who would do anything to save his child. He realized only then, that Nico had also lost his own Bond with Timothy.

There were tears in the eyes of both Vampires, for Timothy Quinn was more than a Mate, he was a son, a father, a brother, an uncle.

And they needed him.

All of them.

Horatio nodded, leaned over and kissed Speed softly on the forehead. "Come back to me, Mo Shearc," he whispered. "Le do thoil."

Speed opened his eyes, reaching out to his Mate with a tremulous hand. "My Lord…?" he murmured, barely audible beneath the oxygen mask.

Janet took Horatio by the elbow, and urged him to the door.

Warrick wrapped his arm around the redhead's slim shoulders, holding him close.

House stopped them just as they left. "I would never let anything happen to him," he said quietly.

"I know." Horatio turned to offer him some other encouragement, but nothing else would come to mind, and was led away with Janet and Warrick not leaving his side.

House closed the door and grabbed the phone. "Wilson! Get as many blood packets as you can up to this room. No! No Chosen Ones yet. Later. Definitely later. For now, just bring hazmat. Tell them it's a bio spill. This is going to get messy. Yeah, you have five minutes, so don't hang about."

He hung up, and set about disconnecting all the machines that were connected to his patient, leaving the oxygen for last.

The sudden quiet was quite remarkable.

He then forced Nicolaus to listen closely to his instructions.

"One bite. One. Spit it out. Rinse your mouth. Don’t you dare swallow. The 'cure' is swimming through his blood, and last thing we need is Lady Heather coming out here to re-Turn you. I got one crazed Mate on my hands already, I do not want to deal with two."

"It's alright. I understand. Do like Ardeth did for Alexander when he fell sick." He nodded, his focus on his son.

"Actually," House frowned, "no he didn't. Ardeth nearly poisoned himself, the idiot."

"Wait, what?" Nicolaus found his head snapping round as he glared at the Doctor. "What did you just say?"

Gregory let it pass, but knew that his Clan Leader suddenly had something else on his mind, to snag at his attention and keep him grounded.

The Meridii could go yell at each other later.

"Once you've bitten him, we'll let the blood drain from his system, then we'll cut you and start feeding him fresh from your veins. I need you to give up as much as you can. The more Vampire blood he takes, the better this might be." House grabbed a few towels from the nearby shelf over the sink, and tossed them at Nico. "Once we get him settled, then we'll feed you. I want to get you as close to drained and re-fed as we possibly can, to keep the cure out of your own system too. It's going to take a while, but it's all we have right now."

"How will we know if it works?"

"When he wakes up dead."


~ Hospital Chapel ~


Jethro found Tony kneeling before the Altar, his hands clasped, his head bowed.

The light was muted inside what was effectively a small, simple room, with beige painted walls and soft carpeting on the floor.

Hail Mary, full of Grace…

Several rows of warm, cherry wood chairs, divided by a central aisle, were set as pews.

…the Lord is with Thee.

An elegant window of post-modern stained glass, replete with the glorious imagery and hope of the Resurrected Christ, shone down upon the small Sanctuary, illuminating his Mate's hair and shoulders, like some otherworldly halo.

Blessed art Thou amongst women…

The beads of polished, white marble from Italy, that formed the Decades of Tony's Rosary, tapped together quietly as he prayed.

It contained within the smoothly worn medal, a relic from the Tomb of Christ.

…and Blessed is the Fruit of Thy Womb, Jesus.

Ever since That Night, he had taken to carrying it with him, always. But before then it had sat beside his bed, laid carefully upon the outstretched arms of a small bronze statue of Our Lady of Grace.

Holy Mary, Mother of God…

Jethro could hear the Hail Mary muttered low, repeated over and over as Tony prayed for her intercession on behalf of his brother.

…pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Jethro gently closed the Chapel door, and moved slowly down the aisle to the front pew, where he sat, just behind his Mate, keeping watch.

Ave María, grátia plena, Dóminus tecum.

His eyes never left him.

Benedícta tu in muliéribus, et benedíctus fructus ventris tui, Iesus.

He wasn't a religious man. Were anyone to ask him, he would say he had lost his faith the day Shannon and Kelly were taken from him.

Sancta María, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatóribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostræ. Amen

But he had regained at least some of it, when Tony came into his life.

Gloria al Padre e al Figlio e allo Spirito Santo. Come era nel principio, ora e sempre nei secoli dei secoli. Amen.

In the past few years he had gone with his Mate every week to Mass, had sat next to him, and watched him say his prayers.

O mon Jésus, pardonne-nous nos péchés, préserve-nous du feu de l'enfer et conduis au ciel toutes les petit âmes surtout celles qui ont le plus besoin de ta miséricorde. Amen.

At first it had been odd, to be back in church, to watch Tony DiNozzo kneel in devotion and pray, but as he learned more about the man who was Antonio Crisafi, so the trips to Mass had become a time for him to reflect upon his life, on being a Vampire, and being Mated.

Ár nAthair, atá ar neamh, go naomhaítear t'ainm, go dtaga do ríocht, go ndeintear do thoil ar an dtalamh mar a deintear ar neamh. Ár n-arán laethúil tabhair dhúinn inniu, agus maith dhúinn ár gcionta mar a mhaithimíd do chách, agus ná lig sinn i gcathú, ach saor sinn ó olc. áiméin.

Though he still hadn't prayed, it felt as though Tony had faith enough for both of them.

Sé do bheatha, a Mhuire, atá lán de ghrásta, tá an Tiarna leat. Is beannaithe thú idir na mná agus is beannaithe toradh do bhroinne, Íosa. A Naomh-Mhuire, a Mháthair Dé, guigh orainn na peacaigh,anois agus ar uair ár mbáis. áiméin.

And he found he needed that.

Sé do bheatha, a Mhuire, atá lán de ghrásta, tá an Tiarna leat. Is beannaithe thú idir na mná agus is beannaithe toradh do bhroinne, Íosa. A Naomh-Mhuire, a Mháthair Dé, guigh orainn na peacaigh, anois agus ar uair ár mbáis. áiméin.

So he sat quietly, closed his eyes, and focused on his Mate.

Sé do bheatha, a Mhuire, atá lán de ghrásta, tá an Tiarna leat. Is beannaithe thú idir na mná agus is beannaithe toradh do bhroinne, Íosa. A Naomh-Mhuire, a Mháthair Dé, guigh orainn na peacaigh, anois agus ar uair ár mbáis. áiméin.

It was Tony, whom Jethro had faith in.


~ Hospital Room ~


Nicolaus looked down upon his son.

So many memories assailed him as he leaned forward, fangs biting into the pale and clammy skin of his exposed neck.

Blood came.

Flooding his mouth.

It assaulted his senses.

He pulled back, spitting it into the bowl placed on his knee.

It was all wrong.

Bitter.

Foul.

Worse.

Even when he had bitten those close to death, tasting the promise of Elysium upon his tongue, it had never been that way.

Sometimes it had been cold.

But never like that.

He watched, anxiously anticipating the moment as his boy was bled, that newly awakened heartbeat pumping his vital life's blood out into a cell saver, that was normally used capture and help recirculate it during heart and lung surgery.

Timothy paled so rapidly.

He could hear his pulse.

Slowing.

Slowing.

And that agony, writ so very large upon his boy's face, was as holding a mirror to his own.

He rinsed his mouth out with a fiery mouthwash that House handed him in a small cup.

That too he grateful spat into the bowl.

It seemed to take hours.

Just sat watching.

Waiting.

Finally House handed him a scalpel, and Nicolaus found his own heart yearning for the dagger he had used that day in Ireland.

He slit his wrist, not too deep, refusing to acknowledge the pain.

Pushing his son's head back, he forced his mouth onto the open wound, and let him drink.

Time shifted.

Instead of a sterile hospital room, he crouched in a dark, green meadow.

He could feel the long, damp grass against his knees, and the cool breeze of night waft across the back of his neck. Their horses were neighing somewhere behind him.

He could taste the rich, coppery tang of blood in his mouth.

But close to death.

So very close to death.

Dark eyes focused upon him, as weak hands gripped his arm, and held fast to his wrist as he was drunk from.

His son.

He had found his son once more.

The Gods had blessed him, returning his precious Antonio…

The moment shifted.

Everything was harsh and white.

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts.

There was a buzzing at his ear.

He tried to swat at it, only to have his hand caught and shaken fiercely.

"Nicolaus!" House yelled.

Nico swayed dizzily, looking at the Doctor in confusion.

"Drink." House held up a blood packet, and practically shoved it down his friend's throat. "Come on! Drink it! Your kid took a lot of blood."

His thoughts grew gradually more clear as he consumed each packet that Gregory forced into his hand.

The wound to his wrist, healed easily.

With the tube removed, so too the bite he had made on Speed's neck, began slowly closing.

There was blood.

It stained the blankets and sheets.

The very smell of it hung in the air.

"We do this again in a few minutes," House reminded him. "And again if he needs it. This will take some time."

The Doctor drew more blood for testing.

"This took a week when Janet dealt with a leukemia patient for Turning. So drink. Get your strength back. We're not done yet."

It took every ounce of that formidable and infamous Meridius fortitude, for Nicolaus to keep going.

Chase and Freeman took the cell saver away, and returned with a fresh one, yet he barely noticed even the passage of time.

He said little.

There was little to say.

But he knew that if he stayed strong, so too would his son.

It had always been his way, with each of his children.

Long into the night and the next morning, he sat patiently and gave again and again of himself, that his boy might come back to him.

And it seemed wildly ironic, that life should bring death, whilst death brought new life.

"Your kind are the very embodiment of what it means to be born of new Faith…" a familiar voice said simply, lurking there in the back of his mind as he replenished himself for the third time. "To find life, one must lose it. Surrendering? Now that is the hardest part of all for the ego to bear."

Nico smiled to himself.

Jed Bartlet would have made a truly great Priest.

More blood tests were taken.

Speed had finally slipped from the world after that final episode, surrendering to the Vampire Gene that was by then, much stronger in his blood stream. His heartbeat fully stilled, his breathing ceased, as for the second time in his life, he died.

Nicolaus pushed House away, though the Doctor tried to stop him, and he shifted on the bed until he was leaning against the head, pulling Timothy into his arms, cradling him close.

He was no longer in the hospital.

Or even in the United States.

He was so far away then, that Americas themselves were an unheard of, undiscovered fantasy on the other side of the world…

…if there ever was such a place at all.

He was in Rome.

At the Villa.

And it his home was finally quiet.

It was dark outside.

His boy had been up for over twenty-four hours.

The fever that had struck him was finally breaking, letting the exhausted six-year-old get some rest.

Nico wiped the sweat from his son's forehead, and kissed it softly, relieved to feel the skin beneath it so much cooler than it had been.

'Tell me a story?' his little one muttered.

And Nico smiled. 'There was once a greatly respected General, who stood up against a tyrannical Caesar. He was sold into slavery, but because he was strong, he lived to fight in the Arena as a Gladiator. Then one day, he got to face the man who had destroyed his life.'

'Tell me more, Papa…'

Nico kissed the top of his boy's head and began a tale of old, his voice cracking with the strain, so that as dawn approached it became more a whisper, telling the quiet legend of his stubbornly determined ancestor.

But his son had finally fallen into a peaceful slumber, no doubt dreaming of honor, loyalty and family.

Nico sighed, drawn again into the present moment as he kissed the top of Timothy's sweat soaked head and began to tell the tale of a young Irish lad, who fought to save his Lord, his Clan, his name…

House collapsed into the nearest chair, and watched as father took care of son.

He blinked away the tears and looked heavenward, imploring a God he would never admit to actually believing in, 'You owe them! Don't You even think about taking Timothy Quinn.'


~ Hallway ~


Lucien had never truly left the area.

Instead, he roamed around the halls, checking in on his own Mate, and with his Hunters, who were patrolling the floor, and checking with hospital security at regular intervals.

He watched as Wilson and the so-called 'Ducklings' studied the science behind the 'cure' they had brought in, and the files on the USB drive.

And then later, he had found himself outside the Chapel, looking in at Anthony deep in prayer, Rosary in hand, his protector at his side.

In the end though, he found himself back in that same hallway by the elevators, right where he had started.

Flanked by Janet and Warrick, Horatio Caine sat opposite the door he kept struggling so very hard not to stare at. The good doctor held his hand, while Warrick ran a hand through his hair, holding him close to his shoulder, offering unspoken support.

None of them so much as acknowledged Knight Clan's Leader, but he was grateful that someone had at least found them chairs to sit in.

He realized then, that he was seeing something no one else would ever be privy too, and he wasn't sure if he should be thoroughly disgusted at all the family sentimentality, or insanely jealous. But in truth, he couldn't see any of his own Clan doing the same for other Clan Members. They simply weren't made the same way. And though he doubted such things as he was witnessing that night, made Sylum unique in their love and affection for one another, he knew it certainly made them deadly.

The door finally opened and Dr. Gregory House limped out, leaning heavily on his cane.

He was tired, worn, and looked about ready to collapse.

He moved in front of Horatio, and knelt down as best he could. "Congratulations," he murmured meaningfully, "it's a Vampire."

Horatio gave him a tight, cheerless smile, tears falling down his cheeks as he stood uncertainly up and stepped into the hospital room.

Gregory struggled for a moment to stand, then shifted slowly down the hall to the labs, very much in need of his own Mate. But first, he knew there was a Templar Knight who needed to hear that his brother was going to be alright.

Warrick slid over and pulled Janet into his arms, both of them letting the tears fall.

That was when Lucien sighed, nodded and walked away, leaving the family alone to grieve and rejoice in equal measure.

Though he was surely looking forward to the wrath they would bring down on Magneto and his Mutants, he knew they needed time together.

Still, he couldn't help the evil smirk that crossed his face as the elevator opened.

Whatever Sylum chose to do in revenge, it would make recent events from back in Egypt look like a simple Sunday picnic.


~ Hospital – Five Days Later ~


Tony was laid out next to Speed on the bed.

The moment House had told him his brother was going to be fine, he hadn't left his sibling's side.

Well that wasn't fully true. There had been that moment when Jethro dragged him out to go stake his own Claim and leave Horatio with his own Mate.

The next morning however, Tony was back in his spot, with a contented settled Timothy Quinn lying next to him.

He was still dealing with the idea of losing his little brother, and somewhere along the way, Elena's fears had mixed with his own, leaving him with the distracting sensation that there were some very old memories he wasn't really sure about, skirting around the edges of his mind.

They had talked for hours though, sharing recollections from their time together in Rome, not just as children, but also as Vampires over the past few centuries. Suddenly it seemed there were some things they both could remember, but not yet place.

They would never admit it, but there were tears aplenty, and a few well-heated arguments, but over the past few days the two of them had grown that much closer than they had ever been before.

"Speed has promised me, and a few others of course, not to do anything stupid." Tony glanced significantly around the room at the rest of the family.

"And we believe this?" Greg asked skeptically.

"Dr. House is working on implanting a GPS under his skin." From his chair next to the bed, Danny glanced over at the laptop on the trolley, where they had Greg and Abby on a Video Chat.

"Like you are any better?" A deeper voice was added into the mixture. "Considering the trouble you two always got into back in Ireland?"

Danny shrugged. "Hey! At least I'm not a Meridius kid." He pointed at Speed. "He's a double trouble magnet." He tilted his head slightly. "Actually, that sounded better in my brain."

"It's so nice to be talked about like I'm not even in the room." Timothy glared at everyone one, then rolled his eyes when they all ignored him.

They startled slightly when the door slammed open.

Dean Winchester dragged his younger brother inside, and sat him down in one of the chairs.

Sam opened his mouth to say something only to snap it shut again, when Dean glared and pointed a finger at him.

"Sit!" His whole expression just dared Sam to move out of there. "Do you think it's possible for you to stay out of trouble for a few hours?"

Sam just nodded and leaned back a little, not daring to piss his brother off anymore than he already was.

Dean huffed and turned around. "And while I'm at it, can the rest of you stay out of trouble and not get yourselves kidnapped by crazy ass people?!"

They all looked at Speed, who gave up trying to defend himself and just pulled up the book he had been trying to read.

Dean stalked out of the room, then paused and turned to the burly guy leaning against the wall in the corner. He was clad in a short-sleeved t-shirt, jeans and work boots, and the heavily muscled, seriously tattooed arms crossed over his chest screamed trouble to his professional mind.

Though it shocked him then to discover he actually possessed a professional mind.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked curiously. "I've seen what the Meridius kids can get into and I haven't seen you before."

"That's 'cause I'm a Quinn," he answered. "James Harrison, the eldest brother of the lot of them." He looked past him to frown at Danny and Timothy. "The one that no body bothered to call. I had to hear about this whole situation from Jack."

"Which Jack?" Dean rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Nope. Never mind I don't want to know. By the way, nice tats."

"Thanks!" James beamed at him.

Dean tore the door open, then turned back to the insane family behind him. "Really need to get GPS on the lot of you." And with that, he stalked out, making damn sure the door slammed shut again behind him.

Everyone turned and looked at Sam.

"Hostage situation," he said simply.

"You were held in that Bank as a hostage all this time?" Tony asked, shocked. He wasn't sure whether he should impressed or horrified.

"Different situation." Sam frowned. "We were on our way here. We stopped for gas. I ran into the convenience store to grab some food, and well…" He shrugged. "Some idiot took the place hostage, demanding ransom from the owner."

James just stared at him. "Damn it, kid! You got some luck there."

"How did you get out?" Danny asked.

"Dean marched into the store, walked up to the gunman, ripped the shotgun out of his hand, turned it on him and told him that if he ever heard so much as a rumor of him breaking the law again, he would come back, hunt him down and shoot him in the ass." Sam chuckled at the memory of the gunman on his knees, crying his eyes out, pleading to be saved from the crazy man.

"Damn! That must have been hot!"

"Hello Abby!" Sam shook his head, then waved when Tony shifted the computer so he could see his sister.

She waved back happily. "Hi!"

"It's not healthy, y'know, your obsession with our love lives," Tony commented, as he settled the laptop down so everyone could be seen.

"Hot guys with hot guys!" Abby waved her arms around. "Ichabod doesn't complain, especially when I…"

"Stop!!!"

Everyone yelled it at the same instant.

James just chuckled. He hadn't spent a lot of time with the entire family all together like that, but he was enjoying watching them interact with each other. "Wild one you got there."

"We'll ship her to Australia." Speed gave the crab fisherman a pointed look. "You'll have fun."

"I'll just leave her with Kirk," James countered.

Tony opened and then closed his mouth. "I'm not sure who just got insulted in that sentence."

"Hey!" Abby yelled, her grin wide and utterly unrepentant. "I want to know why no one has told me about the new kid in the family."

"He's a Quinn," Danny pointed out.

"And?" she pushed.

"Not a Meridius?" He eyed Speed with a puzzled expression. "Help me out here?"

"He's still getting used to the whole Quinn thing there Abs, let's not scare him with the Meridius family line." Timothy grinned gently at his sister.

"And how did we find him again?" Greg asked curiously. "Gil hasn't mentioned any new Vampires in the Clan."

"See what you miss when you run off to France to play with DNA?" Tony teased his youngest sibling.

"I think it's cool what he's working on." Abby was quick to defend her baby brother. "It's important stuff."

"Never said it wasn't," Timothy replied but addressed his next question to Greg. "How are you and Gil handling the separation? You're a long way apart."

"We're doing decent. It's not easy, but the Vid Chats and daily phone calls help." Greg's voice dropped a little quieter. "I miss him, but he's coming out during the school holidays so that will be cool."

"What exactly are you doing in France?" Sam asked.

"Mass graves near Fromelles from World War One. We're using new DNA techniques on old remains to see if we can identify who they were, and hopefully give their loved ones some kind of closure," he explained. "It's pretty neat, but heart breaking at the same time. The advancements we've developed while doing this is amazing, but finding so many bodies…" He sighed. "So many lost. That's a hard thing."

"It was bad." Tony closed his eyes, images of that war invading his mind.

He knew about Fromelles, and what had happened there as a diversion for the Battle of the Somme. It had been hell on earth. Literally.

He opened his eyes when he felt a soft touch on his hand, and he grinned humbly at Speed, before turning back to the computer screen. "It's good that you’re doing this little bro'. Really. But don't lose sight of Gil, okay? I mean it."

"Those soldiers were mostly from Oz. I've been reading out it," James muttered. "It's been a big deal in Australia. And to answer his question, that's mostly where I've been. Oceania Clan. It's crazier than Sylum. Occasionally."

Greg just blinked at him. "That so doesn't answer anything."

"Which really does prove he's a Quinn!" Tony grinned at the three brothers. "He stopped by earlier this Spring."

"I was told about Timothy's great library…" James started the tale.

"The reading thing is obviously inherited," Tony continued, adding a side commentary.

"So Frank…"

"His Mate," Tony interjected.

"Surprised me with a trip to New Orleans."

"Aw, that's cute!"

"And when the door was opened…"

"There was Speed with his mouth dropping to the ground." Tony chuckled.

James and Timothy just stared at him as Abby giggled.

"Are you done telling the story? Or can I continue?" Harrison barked.

"Go ahead." Tony waved his hand at him. "The floor is yours."

James rolled his eyes. "Thank you!" He opened his mouth, then eyed Tony, just daring him to speak. "It was like I knew Timothy instantly, and before you know it I'm speaking Gaelic."

Speed grinned broadly slipping into his native tongue. "Ag labhairt di ar a bhfuil conas do dheartháir Ghaeilge??"

"Mar gheall ar na leabhair chuir tú dom i nGaeilge? Maith go leor," he answered easily, before switching back to English. "So that's how the new kid showed up."

"Cool!" Abby grinned. "Now we need to know about everything. Your life. Hobbies. Mate. Is he cute?"

Harrison was ready to answer when his phone rang. Checking the caller ID, he shook his head. "Hi Frank."

'Where the fuck are you right now?'

"New Jersey," he answered. "I left a note with instructions on how to take care of my Mrs. Chippy."

'There is no… Wait!' James could hear paper rustling, and a loud, disgruntled yeowl.

"Hey! Watch the cat."

'I didn't harm Mrs. Chippy. She, on the other hand, drew blood.' Frank cursed at the cat. 'Why are you in New Jersey?'

"Timothy was kidnapped. There was some trouble. I needed to be here," he replied, glaring at his younger brother. He really didn't care that in Vampire terms Timothy was the older one. As far as he was personally concerned, he himself would always be the eldest.

'Trouble magnets! The whole lot of them! I'm surprised you didn't take Mrs. Chippy.'

"Flew commercial."

'Do you need me to come out with the cat?' Frank asked, deadly serious.

James smiled, blushing slightly, knowing that Frank really would bring his cat to him, no matter the inconvenience. "Nah! Got enough riff-raff running around here. Don't need Mrs. Chippy to get lost in the shuffle."

'Okay. Well, call me if you need me. Take care, James.'

"You too." He hung up the phone.

"Mrs. Chippy?" Sam asked, confused.

"My cat," James answered. "She's the third Mrs. Chippy actually. The child of Mrs. Chippy the Second, and that tomcat Dean." He growled just thinking about it. He couldn't help it.

Sam's eyes grew wide. "The tomcat up in Serenity Clan?"

"Yeah." He turned and looked at him. "Wait! Your brother's named Dean, and you're Sam. So you’re the two they keep referring to?"

Sam glanced nervous over at the rest of the siblings. "Ahh! Erm…! I swear Dean's not a tomcat! I mean my Dean isn't a…" He paused. "Y'know I had nothing to do with anything." He threw his hands up in surrender.

James continued to glare, his muscular arms across his chest.

"Wow! You’re kinda of scary." Sam shifted slightly in his seat, wondering if he could get around the guy and flee the room.

"He's a crab fisherman," Danny smirked. "They're born bad ass."

"Are we interrupting?" Craig asked, walking into the room with his Mate at his shoulder, the two spies pausing at the tense stare off between James and Sam.

"We can come back after bloodshed is done, yes?" Yev commented.

James grinned, then laughed. "I like you kid! Though I hold the right to keep reservations about Dean."

Timothy shook his head. "No bloodshed, Yev. Really. What d'you need?"

"There is conference, going on upstairs," he explained, trying not to get agitated with himself that his words were coming out more as a mental translation from Russian to English, rather than with the kind of perfect fluency he knew he could normally use to speak the language.

"Nice for us kids to be invited." Tony eyed Speed and they both rolled their eyes knowingly.

"You can take bloodshed up with Papa later." Yev didn't want to get in the middle of that argument. "You have something. We need. Vital."

Speed gestured for him to come out with it, and say what he wanted, but Yev looked deliberately around the room, at all the faces he did not know, and did not trust.

"They're family," Timothy finally admitted, somewhat wryly. "And you're not likely to get them out of this room any time soon. So just spill it."

"I once sent you book of Russian Poetry. You remember?" he asked. "Podorozhnik by Anna Andreyevna Akhmatova."

Tony groaned. "You mean the book that got a few of us investigated by the House Un-American Activities Committee?"

Yev nodded.

"The same book that had me sitting in an un-air conditioned room for ten hours, being grilled on my reasons for having a banned Russian Poetry volume in my library?" Speed asked.

He nodded again.

"The Poetry book that had Harvey working overtime when they started investigating Papa, since he owned the Manor 'n' all? The book that got them digging into his relationship with Warrick?" Tony continued.

Another nod.

"The book you sent to me with only a note saying 'please keep in my library'?" Timothy crossed his arms over his chest, and glared at his descendant.

"Yes! That book." Yev glared right back at him.

"It's at the Manor under lock and key," Speed informed him. "Are you going to explain what the hell it is?"

"Klyuch. The Key," Yev answered. "Looks like kids may be go to meeting."

"You do realize I'm older than you, right?" Speed muttered, as he began moving off the bed.

"And what do you think you're doing?" James stepped away from the wall and got into Speed's personal space.

"Getting up," he answered honestly, looking at him squarely.

"Danny, go get a wheelchair." He ignored Speed's vehement, Gaelic protestations. "You are supposed to be on bed rest. Don't you argue with me."

"I'm fine!" he growled, glancing around the room, where everyone, even those on Vid Chat, just glared back. "Okay! Fine!"

"Abby? Greg? We'll talk with you later." Tony gave them a quick wave. "Stay out of trouble!"

"Right back at ya, sis!" Abby waved then signed off.

"Take care." Greg gave them all a small smile, before signing out.

The computer screen went dark.

"I can walk!" Speed tried again, only to be utterly ignored, then unceremoniously dumped into the wheelchair that was brought for him. "When I get my hands on Magneto and his little bitch…" he grumbled.

"Get in line, bro. Get in line." Tony growled low in his throat as he tucked a blanket around his brother's knees and made sure he had slippers on to keep his feet warm. "Okay. You're good to go. Let's do this thing."


~ Hospital Conference Room: AKA War Room ~


The place was packed.

Nicolaus sat over on the far side of the table, with Warrick next to him.

Jimmy and Noah both leaned up against the wall next to Billy and Garret, where all four Hunters could keep watch over their Clan Leaders.

La Croix sat two seats up from Nico. Claudio however, was dealing with Clan issues elsewhere.

Jethro urged Horatio into the chair opposite their Clan Leader, and then sat next to him, having gotten the redhead out of Speed's room by literally shoving him through the door, and manhandling him away with threats of violence. Horatio had not left his Mate's side since the re-Turning, and had only Bonded with him again the night before.

House had even left the sock on the door handle for them.

Gregory was over next to Janet, with the Ducklings pushed back near the wall.

Robert Neville sat across from them, going through notes with newly found friend, Bruce Banner. They had already started working up potential scenarios with the 'cure', and had been busy testing the vials of blood they took from Speed both before and after it was purged from his system.

A video conference had been set up with the War Room at Sylum Manor; Artemus and Giles having updated Nicolaus on what was going on there, but there was little they could pass on by way of useful information at that point. Thomas could be seen standing quietly in the background, waiting to see if he should be needed.

It was Johnathon D'Artagnian however, who was making the most noise, ensuring Nico knew exactly just how pissed off he was, at not being informed of the situation.

"I can't believe you didn't call me!" John yelled at his Sire. "I had to hear about from Giles, when I called with our flight details! How could you do that?"

Nicolaus shrugged. "We're not used to you being so available."

"They were able to reach me in Atlantis when you were kidnapped!" John actually cringed when he got hit on the back of his head.

"Secret government project is secret!" Rodney hissed, glaring at his Mate.

"Oh, please." Lucien rolled his eyes. "It's not that big a secret when everyone in the Council knows, and they all go gossiping about it to the other Clan Leaders."

"Really?" Shep shook his head, and continued glaring at Nico. "I'm now reachable by, y'know phone," he growled, waving his cell around for extra emphasis, "and you couldn't call?"

"Didn't cross my mind, honestly. Normally, in situations like these, we would send information to Jack after the fact. It's not personal Shep, I'm just not used to having you around yet."

"Wait." He paused when he could see the door opening, and Tony wheeling Speed into the conference room. "How many times does this kind of thing happen then?"

Speed grinned at the screen. "Hey, John! You're home? How was Australia?"

"Fine. But your brother probably told you that already." Shep gave him a look. "And was anyone going to tell me about that?"

"I clearly recall stating that when you were in Australia, you were to give James a book of mine," Timothy commented. "But I may have forgotten to mention whose Soul he has…" He turned away from the screen and grinned at Horatio, who leaned over and gave him a lingering kiss.

"Great! They're back in the honeymoon stage again." House rolled his eyes, but couldn't keep the smile off his face.

"They never left the honeymoon stage," Tony replied, taking a seat next to Jethro. "The rest of the kids say hello too, Dad."

Nicolaus nodded absently as he checked his phone, frowning at the missed calls and text messages. He put it back in his pocket with a sigh, and looked at his two eldest. "So where did all the others go?"

"James went to hunt down Dean." Speed held up his hand. "Sam is with him. Just don't ask. Danny went to find Mac, who was last I heard, busy talking with Riddick since Van Helsing is unavailable."

"Where's Van Helsing?" Billy asked, surprised.

"Hunting Balthazar," Nicolaus informed him. "Along with Bauer."

They had kept Sam and Dean busy with Gerard, and out of Balthazar's grasp, especially after what had happened the previous summer.

"So the big guy won't be helping us?" Billy sounded almost disappointed.

Jimmy glared at his fellow Hunter.

"Hey! Not that you're not sufficiently badass too, Wild Bill." Billy just had to get a little teasing into the conversation. Always.

"No, you can't shoot him." Warrick answered before Nico could say it. "So, now that everyone we need to talk to is here, what is this book and code that we're looking for?"

"Right before the situation that went down in Egypt, I'd started getting recruitment folders." Neville grabbed his bag and pulled it up on the table. "Normally this isn't a big deal. But once I started researching the company they were coming from, I ran into some familiar names."

"What names?" Giles asked.

"Names I worked with back in the Seventies." He pulled a thick book of paper from his satchel, and tossed it onto the table.

Warrick grabbed for the bound volume and handed it to Nicolaus, who started thumbing through it.

"This looks like the manuscript for some really bad lifetime movie," he snorted. "What's its significance?"

"Well, the whole recruiting thing just got me suspicious, so I started investigating where the last one came from, and who the people were that it mentions." Robert continued with his story, finally able to admit what he'd been up to. "When Jack… That's Jack Carter, my Mate. Yeah, I know we have too many Jacks," he shrugged. "He did some forensic analysis on it, and actually took apart the folder itself, seeing if he could trace the elements that it was made from. If he could do that, he might find where it was produced, and who did it. After all, the actual address on there is a vacant lot."

"How very CSI," Lucien drawled, smirking sideways at Nico.

"Don't diss the profession Lucien," Sylum's Clan Leader retorted, not looking up from the manuscript.

"In cutting the folder, thousands of microdots fell out of the seam. It looked like some sort of sand." Neville pulled a plastic baggie from his apparently never ending supply satchel, and tossed it on to the table.

Speed reached over for it, and studied the contents. "I've heard about these. They're used for security marking. Paint them inside computers, on high-end car parts, all kind of valuables. Someone steals them, they get these on their hands or clothes, and you can never get them all out again. Makes criminals and fences that much easier to find. Banks and museums are starting to put them in their security systems, to spray out on thieves passing through doors, that kind of thing, or in place of dye-packs. More efficient. Less mess."

Nicolaus smiled generously at his son, a surge of pride running through him.

"Right!" Neville continued. "Out of all those, just one had information embedded on it." He pointed to the manuscript. "That thing, is the result of what we found."

"Then how is the poetry book related?" Tony asked.

"It is Key," Yev answered. "While investigating Frankenstein over past decades, I discover he has built himself thriving business. A cooperation of sorts. His Board Members are fellow Rogues and Vampires wanted by Council. Whole operation highly secured, so only small information come from within now and then."

"Frankenstein sends everything out in code." Craig took over the explanation when he could sense his Mate getting frustrated with his language skills again. "We have someone available to us, who can pretty much find any of Frankenstein’s messages in public print. That's how he gets operational information to his people. Very old school, but with a modern sophistication. Our guy scans newspapers, finds and translates them, then sends them to us. All of his instructions were perfectly legible, but we were unable to break the code inside the messages themselves, though our best experts in the field tried for decades."

"Recently we discover through old source, that certain book was used to code all personal files." Yev looked over at Speed and nodded. "When I first obtained book, I knew it important, but not what extent. I had it sent to you, to hide in library among so many other books."

"Since everyone knows not to touch Speed's library without paying a deadly price." Warrick smirked at his kid.

"Didn't stop dumb ass Rogues from threatening to torch it though," he grumbled.

"And they were all duly killed," Warrick pointed out.

"With blood splatter all over the Russian Literature section!" Giles glared at Warrick as though it were his fault.

"How ironic," Tony snickered. "The book Yev sent was one we're very well acquainted with."

Nicolaus frowned, gesturing for him to continue.

"Plantain by Anna Akhmatova," he grinned.

Warrick groaned.

Nico barely resisted the urge to slam his head into the table.

"Isn't that the book that got Nick arrested and investigated as a sodomite?" John asked.

"Yes. That book." Yev growled, his Russian accent thickening. "We have come to understanding that Senator McCarthy and his political reformers were total asshairs." He frowned. "Hats!" He shook his head. "Heads!!" He rolled his eyes, searching for the word. "HOLES!" It was almost triumphant the way he said it. "Assholes!!"

Try as they might, no one present in the room that afternoon, could keep much of a straight face, and they all laughed discreetly, hoping to hide their amusement as much as possible.

"Probably all closeted Communist to start with," the Russian concluded darkly.

"In the end, we still need the book if we're going to decode this bloody manuscript." Craig nodded at the thick book under Nico's hand.

"I'll fetch it." Giles stood up and headed for the library, passing Willow who lurked in the doorway.

She gave him a soft smile, playing with her cell phone in her hand. When he left, she turned and walked away.

"I'll bring it with me to New Jersey." John crossed his arms over his chest, just daring his Sire to argue with him.

"What about Torren?" Nicolaus asked.

"Rodney will stay here to watch him. Besides, he's getting along with the twins quite nicely. I'll be there by tomorrow with the book." Shep turned around just as the camera went out.

"What?" Horatio frowned, right along with everyone else. It wasn't normal for their systems to just cut off like that. "Jethro…?"

"Already calling Artemus," he said, standing up, putting the phone to his ear.

"Mr. Clan Leader? Toss that manuscript down here, I want to take a look at it." Nico slid the book along the table to House.

Speed leaned back in his wheelchair with a heavy sigh.

"Are you tired?" Horatio asked, reaching out taking Speed's hand in his.

"I'm fine…" He squeezed the redhead's fingers. "Though a nap later would be nice."

Tony snorted. "Get a room. Wait!"

Speed winked at him.

"No I'm not doing the Blackbird…" Craig sighed. "Okay, fine. A Blackbird flies at night." He rolled his eyes then moved away from the wall, cradling his phone. No one had even heard it buzz. "Are you sure of that? Of course you're sure. Yes I know you're the best. Yes, yes. Thank you." He hung up and looked over at Nico. "Those codes we were just talking about?"

"The ones found in newspapers that are usually orders?" Warrick asked.

"He just discovered one. It appears to be confirmation for a hit on Tracy Island," Craig informed them.

"What the hell?" Speed coughed. "Seriously?"

"Tracy Island? Where the hell is that?" Lucien demanded.

"Get Sam and Dean in here now!" Nicolaus ordered. "I want them packed and on a flight out there within the hour."

Tony stood up and headed for the door, going in search of their two Hunters. He already had his phone out, and was calling the Clan's pilot who had stayed on standby at Newark.

"Who is this guy?" Horatio asked, knowing he needed to get to his laptop and pull as much information together for Sam and Dean as he possibly could. "Doing this code work?"

"Mozzie," Nico answered.

"Who?" Horatio looked at his Mate. "You know him?"

Speed however, was more concerned about his Sire, who was checking his phone again and frowning. "Papa?"

He held up his hand, and dialed a specific number he never put in his phonebook, only to get the call connect with voicemail.

Clearly disgruntled, he sent out a text, hoping to find out what the fuck was going on, only to be floored by the reply that came a moment later.

‘He had an episode. It’s being taken care of. Will contact later.'

He responded back to Albus, then pocketed his phone again.

"There seems to be rash of not answering calls," he sighed, by way of explanation. "The Council, has worked with Mozzie for years. And so have I. He's good. Very good."

"And you were going to let us in on this, when?" Speed asked.

The shock at figuring that Nico was not always telling them things, really should've been fading for his kids, but just lately Speed and Tony had been discovering Papa had a lot more secrets than they'd ever imagined.

"When it needed to be known." Nicolaus stood up and gestured for Jimmy and Noah. "Let's go! If we're going to crack this other code, we're going to need a Master Code Breaker."

"So we're picking up this Mozzie?" Jimmy asked.

"No, someone else." He headed for the door.

"Who? And why us?" Noah demanded, following their Clan Leader.

"I need you two to cut off his engagement ring."


~ Crimson Moon: Board Meeting ~


There were days when Frankenstein wondered how the idiots he worked with actually survived without him.

He snapped his fingers, then looked up with a furious glare when he realized his PA wasn't at his side in a matter of seconds.

"Royce!"

The missing assistant glanced over from where he was printing out the emails his boss had asked for ninety seconds ago.

"Where is the file on Longworth?" Frankenstein demanded. "And the one on Balthazar?"

Royce simply marched over, leaned across him, and pulled a file out from under the stack piled neatly at his elbow, before handing it to him with an utterly neutral expression on his face that belied his exhaustion. He then pulled out two others files that corresponded with the first, and put them down on the top of his blotter. Moving to the beverages station, he quickly made a cup of tea, bringing it back and setting it close by on the table, but not close enough to be knocked over.

Frankenstein shooed him away with an impatient gesture, and he promptly went back to the printer in the corner, desperate to get his work done before the meeting started and they all snarled at him for being annoying. He did his best to ignore the Board Members as they came in and settled down at their customary places around the main table.

Victor looked up to see elements of his Council not in attendance.

Angela Petrelli was in Washington, hosting Fund Raisers to educate people about the threats against their children.

Frankenstein couldn't help the inward chuckle that caught him at that particular thought.

Humans were so very ignorant about the real threats.

Magneto and his bunch were nothing compared to what he could release upon the population.

Adrian had gone into hiding, when he'd learned that the Comedian was spotted doing something on US soil.

And Fitzgerald was in New York, supposedly dealing with the Sonny situation.

He sat back and listened to the conversation going on around the table.

Edward Vogler was grumbling about the books, sending death glares at Paul Messer Jr., who was actually stupid enough to be arguing back.

John was in a quiet discussion with Vondoome, while Victoria just worked on her nails.

She was always working on her damned nails.

"Messer?"

Paul paused, then looked over at Frankenstein. "What?"

"There is no use going after the money, especially with Specter involved now. You screwed up and waited too long. Daniel simply outsmarted you." He smirked. Just a little. "Maybe I recruited the wrong son?"

Paul's eyes narrowed.

"Just remember you are nothing to us but a snack." He disregarded Paul's outraged stuttering, and moved the discussion on to more pressing matters. "Magneto has made quite the splash on the Political scene. Gallup polls show that Stillson is gaining on Bartlet."

"Well someone has got to think of the poor children." Victoria fanned herself with her hand, being all overly dramatic and sarcastic at the same time. "I mean, how horrid that the government hasn't done anything to protect our children! It's an outrage!"

"Your motherly instinct astounds me," Vondoome drawled, clearly missing the point.

"Well, we do have a real situation." John tossed a file down the table at Victor. "Sonny is planning something in an effort to bring Daniel Messer back to New York."

Frankenstein looked through the photos he was presented with, mostly of Sonny talking to some known criminals, one of them a Mutant who worked with Magneto. "Find out what he's up to…" He paused turning one of the pictures around. "Who's the cop here?"

"Robert Goren. Detective. Major Crimes," John answered. "Word is he's brilliant. Thinks outside every box you can imagine. After Sonny shot Mac Taylor and DA McCoy, Major Crimes has been tracking him down."

"So why haven't we just killed him?" Vondoome looked quite bored.

"When this Goren arrests him, he could end up following a trail back to us," Vogler pointed out, like he was instructing an infant.

Victor gave Vogler the kind of stare that shut him up instantly. "If Goren arrests him, the DA will be contacted. The same DA that Sonny shot."

Vondoome snorted. "You know, I rather want to watch McCoy rip into the idiot. It would be most amusing."

"Dr. Chase? What word do we have on Magneto?" Frankenstein turned to the quieter man of the group, and fixed him with an unnerving smile.

"He's hiding out at a secret location," he answered, rolling his eyes. "He makes it sound so terribly dramatic. The 'cure' however, is coming around nicely. So far the prototype serum has cured every Mutation its had contact with."

Victoria sighed and set down her nail file. "Okay, explain to me again why Magneto is actually helping you with the cure thing? How is that in his best interest?"

"He thinks he's being sneaky," Vondoome mocked. "He is helping 'us' on the condition the world finds out about Mutants."

"And when we're not looking he's going to take over," Frankenstein chuckled.

"The total idiot has no idea who we are." Vondoome sounded almost overjoyed by that. Almost. "By the time he realizes the depth of his mistake, we'll be the ones to take him down, thereby saving all humanity."

That he actually came across like a voiceover on a movie trailer, seemed irrelevant.

"But did we have to use Stillson?" she asked. "He's creepy…" She pursed her lips. "…and stupid."

"But he's pretty," Dr. Chase added with a smirk. "He's terribly photogenic."

"And politics is all about who looks good on camera, and can say the right things to appease the public. Like, oohhh let's say, making sure they feel safe from evil Mutants who are going to destroy their Apple Pie life." Frankenstein winked at her. "So now that we're done spelling out our evil doings, I would like someone here to explain what happened at the detention center. Quickly."

"Banner escaped is what happened!" Rowan looked pointedly at John. "You know your security teams suck! First Alyc, now Banner?"

"I had nothing to do with security for either of your secret labs," Jon growled back. "From the sources I've been able to pull, it was the husband."

"And here I thought it was the butler who did it." Vondoome practically chuckled in his colleague's face.

"Care to explain why we lost a multi-million dollar facility?" Victor demanded.

"The husband," he repeated, as if they were all five year olds. "The one Magneto so thoughtfully brought with him when he took the kid and his mother. Yeah well, turns out the husband is none other than Dexter Morgan. How d'you like them apples?"

"Shit!" Vogler gawped at John with wide eyes.

"How did our intelligence miss the fact that this kid and his mother were being personally protected by Knight's resident psychopath?" Victor eyed Royce, needing someone to take his temper out on.

"Because it wasn't our intelligence that was running the operation," he pointed out, not even bothering to look up from the Minutes he was taking. "As you might recall, Magneto doesn't know about Vampires. So how would he know the husband was even one such specimen?"

"Well he escaped his cell, and killed just about everyone there," John continued. "Since most of those present died either at Dexter's hands or as a result of the explosion, it's not exactly clear how Banner got out at all. The only technicians who escaped, both confirmed that it was Banner in his Mutated form who did all the damage. There was no remaining security footage to verify that."

"And the witnesses?" Rowan demanded.

"Failed to survive their injuries," John concluded.

Royce blinked but didn't stop writing.

"I just realized how quiet it is. Where the hell is Stane?" Vogler asked.

"Attacking Tracy Island." Vondoome managed to yawn and roll his eyes at the same moment. "This time it's going to work. No really!" His voice took on a hyper positive, cheery tone.

Victor ignored the sniping as he grabbed his files and stood up. "Stane is set to raid the Island in a few days. He's taking some of the best of our Hunters. The only ones present in such a godforsaken hole, will be Stark and his Mate, plus a handful of idiotic humans."

"It's a fools errand." Vondoome totally believed that. "But if Stane wants to get his ass kicked by the short dude with the goatee, then by all means, be my guest."

"Stark isn't that handy in a fight," John pointed out. "He supposedly has a bodyguard for that. Scott Tracy on the other hand is military trained, and his record suggests he's quite formidable."

Vondoome stood up and smoothed the front of his jacket, before heading for the door. "Well, history doesn't give me much faith in Stane's ability to take down Anthony Stark. So far he's failed at every attempt, including killing him when he was seven."

"We all have to have our arch rivals," Victor chuckled, following him out. "How's that beef with Arthur going?" He brushed his fingers down his cheek most discreetly, mimicking the place where Vondoome bore a long, and ugly scar upon his own, courtesy of Excalibur.

And with a low but significant growl rumbling back at him, he brushed past without a second glance.


~ New York - Petrelli Residence ~


Peter stepped into the penthouse from the elevator, and watched his brother pacing back and forth.

Ever since Stillson's massively ridiculous bombshell, his brother had been on edge.

Peter had talked with the Professor for a few moments while it was happening, and then talked to his niece. Hearing both their voices had settled the fear rippling through him.

"Claire is safe."

Nathan stopped pacing, and slumped into the nearest chair with a sigh of relief. "What about the school?"

"Security is tight." He tossed his coat onto the table, and sat across from his brother. "What the hell is going on Nate?"

"Stillson is insane." Nathan answered that one easily enough, shaking his head. "I… I mean I knew he wasn't all stable, but this…?" He flailed in frustration. "He's threatening children, for God's sake!"

"He's saving us from the unnatural." Peter rolled his eyes, dramatically mocking the whole thing.

"Does Professor Xavier know how he got the footage?" he asked curiously. "If we can find out who's supplying him with information…?"

"His staff are busy looking into it." He watched his brother for a few moments. "Nathan? What are you going to do?"

He opened his mouth, closed it, then shook his head. "I seriously don't know. I can't. I just can't stand by him." He stood up and began to pace, restless and angry. "Mom knows."

"Knows what?" Peter stood too as a sudden spike of fear rushed through him.

"About Claire."

"Fuck! Nate!" He ran his hands through his hair. "How? How could she?"

"No fucking clue." Nathan shrugged, spun on his heels and stalked over to the bar, pouring himself a drink. He was just reaching to take a sip when the glass was rudely snatched out of his hand. "Peter!"

"Don't you 'Peter!' me. I will not allow them to break years of sobriety." He dumped the drink and handed his brother a bottle of water from the fridge behind the bar.

Nathan opened it and downed half of it in two swallows. "Doesn't quite do the same thing."

"That's the point." He grinned. "So, focus. Any ideas here?"

"Well mom won't say anything about Claire, since I have those photos and enough evidence to get her arrested in five seconds flat." Nathan sat down again and leaned his head back, closing his eyes for a moment.

"And what about Stillson?"

Nathan lifted his head a little too fast, and grimaced as he looked at his brother. "I need to talk with the President in private."

"And how the hell do you plan on doing that without a bazillion reporters finding out?" Peter demanded, suddenly wanting the drink he had just poured down the drain.

"I don't know yet."


~ New Jersey - Next Day - Private Office of Gregory House, MD ~


Timothy smiled as Elizabeth chatted away, flipping between three different languages.

She was content in her Uncle's lap, jabbering on happily, while playing with a big, stuffed fluffy toy.

Dino held her close, making sure she kept her focus on the camera and the screen.

"Did you understand anything she said?" Terry asked with a grin, holding onto Sean, who was clutching his beloved stuffed Koala, and giggling at he bounced it on his Uncle's shoulder.

"Something about furry hair." Horatio grinned at his kids. "I think."

"She was talking about her new stuffed bear." Speed translated for them. "She really picks up other languages. I don't think I taught her a few of those words."

"Well Dean had a conference call yesterday." Terry chuckled at the memory. "I swear no one understood any of their conversation, except Sean, who added a few words for good measure. Though this time even Sam looked confused as hell."

"God help anyone on this planet, if they ever hurt Lizzy." Dino kissed her temple. "Her parents are bad enough, add the Grandparent and way too many Uncles… All of that would be tame compared to what Dean would do them."

Horatio laughed gratefully. "There's a sheet of note paper somewhere in the manor, listing what Dean will do to her first boyfriend. There's a second sheet listing what I'll do to the first guy who breaks her heart, and a third listing what Speed will do to her when she wrecks the Ducati."

Terry leaned over to his Mate. "We need to get in on that bet."

"Way ahead of you, mate." Dino grinned back at him, but was serious once more when he turned to his brother. "You two want to tell us what happened?"

Horatio shivered at just thinking about how close he came to losing everything. "Not right now."

Dino just stared at him, but finally nodded in understanding. "Okay. Later we can do the whole brother bonding thing. We're just glad to see you're both alright."

"We're doing better." Speed took Horatio's hand and squeezed it.

It was going to be a while before either of them could truly say they were settled, either in themselves, or in their Bond. No longer feeling that deeply intimate connection between them, had been worse than any physical pain, even that imposed by Magneto's so-called 'cure'. In truth, Speed had no idea how Will and Sparrow, or even Barrett and Charlie for that matter, had ever survived the influence of Davy Jones' Locker on the nature of their own Bonds. He knew only that he would rather die, than ever endure it again.

"After all of this is over, and we spend some time with our kids, how would you like to babysit for a bit longer?"

"These two, monsters?" Terry looked down at a sleepy Sean. "We would need hazard pay, and at least two weeks with them."

Horatio leaned over and kissed Speed's temple. "Actually we're thinking of taking time off and go to Caine Manor, and would like it very much if you came with us."

Dino nodded quickly. "I would like to see it. Guess I should know more of its history."

Terry shook his head as an unwanted memory resurfaced. "Been there, done that. But this time will be much better."

His Mate frowned at him, wondering what he could sense through their Bond.

He was just about to open his mouth when Terry said, "Don't ask."

Dino's eyebrows went up. "Oh!" And that was when he suddenly remembered why Terry had been at Caine Manor. "I'm so going to…"

Horatio coughed by way of interruption. "Make sure every room has a new set of memories?"

Terry just shook his head, trying not to smirk. "Good save, mate."

Horatio laughed, enjoying the humor.

"Papa? Home?" Elizabeth asked.

"Soon baby." Sylum's Head of Security knew he would forever hate being away from his kids. "Soon."


~ Hospital Conference Room ~


John Sheppard leaned against the conference table, arms crossed, glaring at his Clan's Co-Leader and Second in Command.

The two of them just smirked straight back.

"I'm still pissed I wasn't called!" He dropped his arms with a sigh, and grabbed the bag he had next to him.

"That the book?" Tony asked.

"The one and only. Can't believe this little thing could be Frankenstein's downfall. I mean it got enough of us in trouble already!" Shep handed the poetry book to Warrick like he was handling precious jewels.

"I wonder why he picked that one?" Tony pondered, as Warrick flipped through the pages, glancing over a few of the poems before closing it.

"Not many of them around," Warrick answered, passing it over to him. "Only about a thousand copies were ever published. Its estimated not that many survived. I think Catherine would probably have one. She collects Russian Literature pretty voraciously."

"Frankenstein should've known Speed would have it, or the Council. I'm not sure whose library rivals whose." Tony flipped through the pages, hoping something would leap out at him.

It didn't.

"Council has the space." Warrick smirked. "Speed though, has the storage facilities."

Shep paused. "You know I should really have known that, considering the trunks of books we dragged around while we traveled."

Tony snickered. "Yeah! That was insane. Still, such a little book and so much trouble."

"Well for once it's going to be good for us. Or it should be, when Nico gets back with our Codebreaker."

"Speaking of," Shep asked. "Where is he?"

"New York," Warrick answered.


~ New York - FBI Headquarters ~


Jimmy opened the door of the Federal Building, letting his Clan Leader then his Mate inside.

He flashed his badge, as did Noah; the two of them quickly going through security procedures.

The Security Guard eyed Jimmy's hat and boots, but didn't comment.

Apparently he thought better of it.

Both US Marshals had their guns checked, and then continued on through security, escorting their Clan Leader up to the fourteenth floor.

They entered the second elevator to arrive.

After a few growls from Jimmy, the badge hanging around his neck, and the double shoulder holster he wore, seemed sufficient to discourage most other people from even thinking about joining them.

Noah just shook his head and grinned at his Mate's protective stance.

"You could have told us we were coming here." Jimmy looked over at Nicolaus.

"And ruin the surprise?" He grinned at his Hunters. He trusted all of those who worked for him and his Clan in such a capacity, but he only trusted Noah and Jimmy, with Neal. "Besides, I actually do need the services of the US Marshals to get him released."

"What did he do now?" Noah sighed. "I admit it's been a while since I've heard anything about him. Now that I think about it, I haven't heard from him since way before everything started going haywire."

Nico just looked at him, one eyebrow raised.

"Y'know, Richelieu’s attack, then Sabine, then Rome, and then there was the whole Egypt thing," Noah pointed out.

The doors opened, and the three stepped into a smartly ordered lobby.

"That's probably because he only got released from jail last year."

Jimmy chuckled at his Mate. "Ten to one odds, it was over a girl."

"So not taking that bet. And neither would Warrick." Noah shook his head as they followed their Clan Leader through a double set of glass doors, into a well appointed office area full of bureaucratic, administrative types, and up a chrome railed flight of stairs into one of the offices at the top.

Apparently someone had already told him exactly where to go.

"Special Agent Peter Burke?" Nicolaus asked, as he tapped on the open door and stepped into the room, leaving Jimmy and Noah outside, guarding it against any who might try to interfere.

Peter set his coffee mug down and stood up quickly. "Yes?"

"Do you know who I am?" he asked with a smile.

"I've seen you around, Mr. Meridius." Peter's mind was working over time, trying to figure out why Sylum's Clan Leader should be standing in his office, with two Hunters stationed at the door.

He knew who Nick was, having seen him on occasion while at the Tallikut Cabin. He was generally to be found talking with Benton whenever he was there, though Peter had actually spoken with him once…

No.

Wait.

That was his Mate, Warrick.

Though he couldn't recall what they'd said to each other.

Overall though Peter hadn't exactly been privy to Sylum's dealings over the years.

There had been incidents where he worked with McCoy, and even Blade a few times, dealing with Rogues and such like, who had been discovered during various investigations. But as a general rule, he wasn't of a high enough ranking in Tallikut Clan Membership to be kept in the loop on any major operation. Two years previously, when that big situation had happened and Benton had been drawn to New York, he hadn't even gotten to hear about it until after the fact.

So, needless to say, Peter Burke was somewhat bumfuzzled by what exactly might warrant a personal visit from Nicolaus Meridius.

"How can I help you?" he asked, pointing to one of the chairs in front of his desk. "Please, sit."

"I need to borrow Neal." Nico smiled very charmingly, but his manner and posture were business-like and his tone was deadly serious.

"Caffrey? Neal Caffrey?" Peter asked, clearly shocked.

Nico nodded. "You do realize he's a Vampire?"

Burke frowned. "Yeah, figured that out when he didn't have to breathe in an airless chamber." And that little episode had only marked the beginning of a whole flood of other revelations. "You must know that… Well…"

"He's yours and your wife's Mate." Nico nodded. "Yes. I'm aware of that. And while I'm enjoying seeing you blush, I have to approve of the idea that it really takes two people to keep an eye on Neal."

Peter snorted. "Yeah, well that tracker is never coming off."

"Speaking of trackers…"

"You need it off." Peter sat down and leaned back in his chair. "As much as I would like to hand him over, there are certain regulations here."

"The two men outside are US Marshals. They are well acquainted with Neal and his reputation. I can guarantee you, Neal won't run."

"Oh, I know he won't." Peter's smile broadened. "El would kill him."

Nico laughed gently. "I need to meet her."

"And she would love to meet you." Burke could just see his wife gushing all over Sylum's infamous Clan Leader, then promptly asking if he needed anything catered. "Can I ask why you need Neal? I'm guessing it's extremely important if you're sitting in my office in person."

"Did you see the news?" Nicolaus asked.

"You mean the whole Mutant thing?" He scoffed openly at such an idea, but Nick's serious expression gave him pause. "Really?"

"That isn't the problem. It's who's behind it. We have information in code form, and the book to break the code with," Nico explained.

"You just need a Codebreaker." Peter nodded thoughtfully before picking up his phone. "I'll need to call El, and tell her we won't be home for dinner."

Nicolaus didn't say anything, but he wasn't exactly surprised that Peter refused to let Neal too far off his leash. He'd had Peter Burke and his wife checked out thoroughly when Neal had informed him that the two of them were his Mates, but his only conclusion was that they would be good for the boy.

About as much as he would be good for them.

A sudden, loud commotion from the offices below, along with some half-smothered chuckling and exaggerated sighs from his Hunters, proved sufficient warning for him that Neal had returned.

"Jimmy! Noah!" Neal grinned wickedly at the Mated Pair. "How are my favorite Marshals?"

"Jail?" Jimmy looked at him sourly. "Seriously?"

Neal gave him a confident wink and a pat on the shoulder. "These things happen." He turned to Noah. "Keeping the gunfighter in line?"

"Always," he growled, stepping aside to let him into the office.

Neal slipped into Peter's office then stopped when he saw Nicolaus sitting there quietly.

"Uncle Nico!" he cried, grinning cockily as he took off his hat, flipping it casually his arm before flicking it up onto the coat rack in the corner.

Peter stared at Neal. "Uncle?"


~ New Jersey: Hospital Conference Room - Two Days Later -


Peter took off his glasses and tossed them onto the table.

They had been combing through hundreds of pages of coded text for hours on end, and his head was starting to thump.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he looked around the room, astonished at just who it was he found himself working with. Though some of them weren't exactly familiar, others most definitely were, at least in terms of history.

Timothy Quinn was sat with the poetry book, going through each line of every composition, and taking notes, working through the Russian text, making his own translations into English, and labeling words and codes they had discovered so far.

Antonio Crisafi was taking what his brother had done so far, and uploading that information into a special 'puzzle' program that had been created by other Sylum Clan Members for this specific occasion.

Peter watched him for a few moments, realizing how very careful Tony was with each line of text; sometimes pausing to make sure he had it right, or having Tim take a look at it to verify. It seemed a familiar sight, though it had taken him a while to realize he'd seen one of his Agents do the same thing, the same way – and Agent who was dyslexic.

The idea that a Vampire could be that way, had shocked him. So he continued to stare, until he'd gotten a curious look from Neal, and promptly blushed before turning away.

He couldn't help it.

He was in the presence of some of the most famous Vampires he'd ever heard of, whose legends were older than time.

Everyone knew about Nico and his kids. Those stories were like bedtime reading for new Vampires, but seeing them human, so to speak, was just weird.

Peter glanced at Neal.

Neal Caffrey.

The man he hunted for four years.

Caught.

Threw in jail.

Caught again and threw back in jail.

It was only after he'd figured out that Neal was his Mate, and he'd had a big crisis moment with El over it given how she was his Mate too, that he'd decided to take Neal up on his little offer and get him out of jail on an ankle bracelet.

Only to find out Neal Caffrey was already a damn Vampire!

Though he still hadn't explained how he faked the heartbeat.

Actually, Neal Caffrey had some seriously explaining over a great many other things too, and Peter certainly wasn't above siccing El on him.

Oh!

No!

No, no!

That would be fun.

He would seriously enjoy watching Neal squirm while she interrogated him.

He grinned somewhat lecherously, shook his head and got back to work on the section of code he had in front of him.

Peter had to give this Frankenstein person due credit. The code was complex, confusing and getting Neal frustrated as hell. It was hard going, as nothing on computer could even come close.

In the space of two days however, they had so far figured out only a few words.

But those few were more than enough for Neal.

Peter liked watching Neal at work.

He was beautiful when he got lost in a puzzle.

He'd taken his jacket off, and had his sleeves rolled up. His hat lay on the table, his hair in disarray.

All around him, crumpled sheets of paper littered the floor.

Old attempts at decoding.

Frustrated moments of anger.

A startling yelp and a quick slap against the tabletop, startled everyone in the room.

"You got something?" Speed asked, without even looking up from the book.

"Where’s Uncle Nico?" Neal demanded, looking around the room. "I swore he was just here."

"He left five hours ago, to go talk to Albus." Tony grinned at him. "You were a bit distracted."

"Well I need him now!"

Peter pulled one of Neal's tricks and raised his hand.

It was Robert Neville who chuckled and shook his head. "We're not that formal around here."

Peter rolled his eyes. "Well considering no one has answered me on this one. Nick is your Uncle?" He gave Neal a pointed look, the kind that demanded he damn well better explain.

Tony chuckled. "He's always called him Uncle Nico."

Peter glanced from one to the other of the two siblings, then back at Neal. "Well?"

Neal just shrugged as he grabbed his phone and started texting rapidly.

"Come on. I chased him for four years and had no idea he was even a Vampire! Give a guy a break!"

"Fake heart beat on a medical medallion." Neal leaned back in his chair, smiling confidently at his future Mate.

Peter just gave him his patented 'I am so annoyed with you' glare. "Which explains the medallion in the first place, since you had no medical condition that anyone ever knew about, and no medical records anywhere."

"Being dead should totally qualify as a medical condition," Neal smirked.

Speed and Tony chuckled, watching the interplay between them.

"Really, how did you not know he was your Mate?" Tony asked Neal, flabbergasted by that one.

"There was a girl wasn't there?" Speed commented decisively.

"Kate Monroe." Peter answered for Neal, knowing it was still sore subject, especially given how she died. "She was killed a few months back."

"To answer your question, Antonio, I figured it out in jail," Neal answered quietly. "But Agent Burke here still thinks I escaped because of her, when really I was just pulling his pigtails."

Peter stared at him with his equally patented 'I'm going to yell at you later' glare.

Tony snorted, realizing Peter was a lot like Gibbs, just without the coffee. "Haha! Neal's been around a lot longer than either me or Speed," he said bluntly. "Though I'm still not used to calling him Neal."

"How old are you?!" Peter demanded.

"He was born in 432 AD," Nicolaus answered, marching into the room with Jimmy and Noah.

Peter just stared at his future Mate, feeling like the baby of the group. "I'm telling El."

Neal cursed in florid Ancient Latin and Nico tried really hard not to smack him.

"You can leave painting the wine shop wall with that vulgarity for later. Just tell me what you've found."

Neal grabbed his notes off the table and pulled up the whiteboard at the end of the table. "With the few words we were able to figure out as being immutable, I put together some of the less detailed notes in the header section." He began writing, the dark blue marker squeaking horrible as everyone watched.

"This section is clearly a to-do list."

* Anger Mutation

"That's got to be about Dr. Banner," Neville commented.

Neal went back to the table and pulled up some extra sheets.

He scribbled a few words down then handed his notepad to Neville. "Add 'Banner' for the word I just took out. This list…" He held up his first set of notes, the paper flapping crisply. "It indicates they want to replicate that particular Mutation."

"But it isn't a Mutation," Neville added. "It has something to do with gamma radiation. His records on the permutations of his own condition are so extensive, I've not had time to do anything but glance at them yet."

"They didn't realize that then?"

"Not when they also thought I a Mutant too. I'm not going along Magneto being the brains of their operation," Speed muttered.

"Consider the very real possibility that Obediah Stane is a part of this." Neville waved his hand around the papers spread out in front of him. "He's the one who did research on gamma radiation for biological warfare. Dr. Banner was working on it for a kind of 'Magic Bullet' that could cure cancers but he got infected when he challenged Stane's applications for his research material. From what he's told me, it was that whole incident that led to Tony Stark finding out about Stane's secret department inside Stark Industries, and subsequently shutting it down."

"Leading to what happened in Afghanistan," Nico added. "So Frankenstein probably knows it's not a Mutation, that means they're looking for a way to turn it into one."

"That is not a pleasant idea." Neville shook his head.

"What's next on the, to-do list?" Peter asked, making his own list of questions for later on.

* Lycan/Lyca

"Lyca is Alyc," Neville explained. "That I do know without doubt. Lycan though, was the code name given to a man they were experimenting on in the lab I worked for back in the Seventies."

"What does he want with these two?" Tony asked.

"They were infusing metal into Lycan," Neville explained. "Long story short, he had claws. Like an animal. Bone maybe, or sinew. Maybe fibrous bone growth. Anyway, when he escaped he suddenly had metal claws. If Lyca is anything like him, then they would be a formidable enemy."

"Or a powerful ally," Nicolaus mused. "I'll contact Imenand and find out if he's got any more information on them. I have a feeling, Alyc would love to know the names of the men who held her captive." Sylum's Clan Leader had a small, evil smirk on his face. "What else we got?"

* Gregory Stillson

"I'm killing the arsehole!" Timothy growled, before anyone could so much as exclaim in surprise. "I don't give a shite what Frankenstein is using him for. He will be dead before November 4th."

"I think that's settled that one then." Tony glanced over at Neal. "Moving on?"

* Magneto/Mutants

"There's a lot of notes on this," Neal said simply, shoving a ream of pages at Nico. "I don't have enough code to get all the information out of it though."

"We've been able to piece enough together from other sources too," he replied. "No one knows where Magneto's at right now. Craig and Yevgeny are working to pull together everything they have on what Frankenstein is up to with regard to Mutants. Warrick is on the phone with the White House helping them figure out what to do with the crap that Stillson is spewing all over Fox News. Jimmy did some digging on Stillson's motives, and it's clearly connected to Petrelli. Actually to the VP Candidate's mother. She's hosting fundraisers almost nonstop since this broke."

"She's on Leno later on. And Dr. Phil this afternoon," Jimmy confirmed. "While the Candidate for VP is nowhere to be found. That's a little weird, wouldn't you say?"

Everyone nodded.

"Conclusions?" Peter demanded. "This is all well and good and everything, but what does either side gain from working with the other?"

"Give the Mutants the power they need to break free, while showing the world who they really are and what they can really do. Frankenstein set Stillson up perfectly, to demonstrate the evil threat that Mutants among us could bring." Speed rolled his eyes.

The drama was just too much.

It felt so fake he wanted to jam it down his idiot Childe's throat before he ripped his head off.

"Humans will not sit back and allow these 'inhuman, ungodly things' be near their kids, in their schools, or anywhere near their lives," Tony added. "He played it just right."

"War will break out. Between Humans and Mutants, with Vampires stuck in the middle," Neville continued, seeing where their comments were leading.

"If that happened, there's no way the Clans could stay out of it," Nicolaus agreed.

"In swoops Frankenstein when the Clans are at their weakest, and he get to takes over while everyone's too terrified to do anything about it," Neal concluded. "And that leads to the last item on this list. The key to this whole thing."

He wrote the last subject header on the whiteboard.

* John Conner: The Cure

"He's a Mutant." Neal tossed the marker onto the table. "His Mutation cures other Mutations."

No one asked him how he knew that.

"Basically if you were a Mutant, and you were sitting next to John, your Mutation would cease to exist. If you moved away from him, it would come back. He radiates it, like a shield around his body."

"You decoded that?" Peter demanded.

"I met him, and his Mom. They're good people. She'd do anything to protect him. In fact, she's pretty vicious about it," he answered.

"They're taking his DNA and making a cure," House interjected, having stepped unseen into the room quite some time before. "We just finished the first sequence run on the DNA found in that serum they gave to Timothy. In fact, thanks to one Doctor Gregory Sanders of Sylum Clan, and some of the work he did a few years back on that whole unsavory Jack the Ripper fiasco, we have some new and exciting DNA that it seems are being used by Frankenstein's labs now. I'd need an exemplar to test it against, but I'd say right now, we'll find it's John Conner's DNA that we've been staring at like idiots."

"This is what Stillson was talking about." Neville flipped through his own notes. "By having a cure, the Humans will demand that all Mutants get cured."

"Pissing off Magneto." Tony nodded. "Since he's out and proud. Wait until he hits the headlines too."

Speed looked at his Sire. "Stillson's footage was one of the kids from Charles Xavier's school."

"Then that's what he's going after."

The moment Nico said it, they all knew he was right.

"Taking out the only person who could counter Magneto," Timothy muttered. "It's actually brilliant in it's way."

Nicolaus grabbed his phone, knowing the man he needed to talk to could already sense his anguish.

"Charles?" he asked, once the line connected. "I know what's going on. We have to talk."

Copyright© 2013 by BJ Jones
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