Awkward silence at a very awkward brunch.

When Sonya mentioned that Sasha was coming for brunch,, he expected it to be just him, Sasha and ofcourse, Niko. To his regret, that had not been the case at all. Nicholae stared at his parents on the other side of the table with their smiling faces. His mother was doing a consistent job of keeping the conversation going with Sasha Draga. Niko looked at his father and gave him a tortured look Nicholae understood full well because he was feeling the same. They both could be doing better things with their lives and yet, here they were listening to his mother's idle chatter with Sasha and his father's obligatory response to the conversation per his mother's cue. The silence was sometimes filled with Niko mixing more kool aid into his glass of punch. Fortunately his parents didn't know what koolaid was.

Nicholae played with his glass of blood and orange marmalade punch, afraid to upset his stomach again. HIs mind went to Valentina, whose blood had settled the churning in his belly just as the vampire blood had. Nicholae really couldn't figure out what was wrong with him, he'd have to go and see a doctor when he got back from the human world.

'Nicholae loves to go there all the time.'

'Is that true?' Sasha asked him directly, the first time in the twenty minutes that she's been there that she'd directly spoken to him. Unfortunately, Nicholae had been lost in his thoughts and so had no clue what they were talking about.
'Yes, Papa does take frequent trips to the human world.' Niko answered for him.

'I've been there a number of times myself for pleasure,' she said with a sparkle in her eye making him aware of just what she sought when she went there; human blood. The human in the other realm and a more liberal way of living with no strict rules for the suernatural and no regard to what other creatures walked with them in the night or morning in Sasha's case. Since she was also a noble it meant that she had a closet of enchanted clothes that helped her walk in the sun. There, on the otherside of the veil, supernaturals could get away with a number of things that's why it was a hub for the younger and more carefree immortals.
'I heard he is planning another trip there.' Nicholae tried to hide the suprise in his expression when his mother told their guest of a plan she was not suposed to be aware of.
Nicholae looked at Erik who stoically avoided his gaze. He was the first culprit, and the other was Sonya who had decided not to even show up after setting up this stupid brunch date. Nicholae's blood was boiling.
'That's sounds fun.' Sasha smiled at him.
'Sasha, you should go with him and report back to us exactly what he does when he goes there.'

'What I do there is my business and i'd like to keep it that way.' Nicholae said a little too passionately. He looked down when he felt Niko's smaller hands on his and he calmed down considerably choosing his next words with more care.

'Forgive my outburst, I told certain individuals that information in confidence.' he focused on Sasha when he spoke his next words but they were intended for a certain blond vampire holding a jug of punch.
'Don't you just hate it when people can't keep secrets?'

Sasha nodded. 'Totally understand.'

'It's not right to keep secrets from your parents.'

Sasha laughed at his mother when she said that. 'Your ladyship, I do not say this with any disrespect but sometimes parents don't need to know everything.'
As it turned out, Sasha wasn't such a bad person afterall. She did seem boring at the banquet but as she openly displayed, she wasn't as uninteresting as she looked with her blond hair and sky blue eyes.

Nicholae caught Niko nodding along to Sasha's words. No. No. That does not apply to you young man, Nicholae said with his eyes. He was glad his message got accross when Niko frowned and pursed his lips at the glass.
He wasn't old enough to be keeping secrets from Nicholae just yet. The thought made him dread Niko's teenage years should they come, somehow he knew his son wouldn't be the horny teen but the troublesome one sneaking away doing experiments on poor clueless animals. He might even elevate and experiment on people.

Nicholae breathed a huge sigh of relief when he bid Sasha farewell. Before his parents could further pounce on him, he announced
'I'm taking Niko and Fauna and a few others to visit Osei, I'm already late, we will discuss this when I get back, please and thank you.' He moved while he spoke carrying his son and giving them no chance to stop him. Before he completely disappeared he gave Erik one disppointed look. He honestly thought he could trust the butler who had proven himself to be Niko's guardian when Nicholae wasn't around. For his son's sake he had to trust someone in the household and that had been Erik and Sonya, not it seemed it wasn't the case anymore.
Nicholae opened the door to his room and found Rex patiently waiting at the door for his new best friend.
As Nichlae set his son to the floor he had to wonder which secrets Sonya and Erik were privy to, and just who had they shared them with? Had they all been family? or were there some foes on the list? And just how did Sonya dig up these secrets? Nicholae run a frustrated hand through his hair, he could not trust anybody with anything. He definitely couldn't keep Valentina in the Manor knowing SOnya and Eri coud stumble upon her at any given time, and when they did the whole world would find out about it.

'Papa, are you okay?' His son's worried voice broke him out f his head.

'Of course Niko.' He smiled at him.
'I want you to get some of your things, while I'm gone I want you to spend sometime with Osei and Semi.'

'Can Rex come along?'
Nicholae hesitated and then breathed out in surrender.
'They'll have to see him at some point, the earlier the better. Go on, be back here and wait for me, I'm going to get the girls.'

When he was alone, he made a quick phone call to Osei. He thought about calling Semi first but he knew Osei wouldn't like that since he was the Alpha and all. As the phone rang, he hoped Osei wouldn't shoot his request down.

          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Smuggling a person out of the was supereasy, barely an incovinience. Thankfully he'd had a lot of experience with sneaking in and out of the Manor. The guards at the gate barely checked the G wagon since it was Nicholae at the wheel making their escape relatively easy.
Fauna and Rex sat at the ends of the door with Valentina in the middle wearing a simply spelled cloak.
Beside him in the passenger seat was Nicholae who couldn't stop smiling.

The drive to Osei's territory didn't take too long, which was a good thing. Initially, Nicholae hadn't perceived the wolves proximity to the Vampire borders as a good thing, but now he was grateful for it.

He parked the G wagon under a canopy of tree.

'Fauna stay with Valentina, I'll let you know when it's safe to come out.'

Osei, Cayden and the twins approached the car with a palatable welcome. It wasn't warm but it was surely a good start.

'Nicholae.' Osei acknowledged with a nod and Cayden mumbled something similar.
'Where are our guests.' He asked looking behind Nicholae into the G wagon.

'Hey Osei!'
Niko greeted climbing out of the car and opening the door for Rex.

'What the f... Fhell?' Cayden quickly caught himself.

'What happened to Rex?' Osei asked his eyes wide with genuine shock and then he directed them at Nicholae.
'I had nothing to do with this. It was all their idea.' He raised his hand in surrender.

'I got to the scene of the crime after it had already taken place. I'm sure Rex and Niko would love to tell you all about it later.'
He pointedly looked at his troublesome child.

'Yes Papa.' Niko replied lowly.
Then he quickly picked up his cheer running away from the adults who would soon be talking about boring things.
'Come Rex, let's find Liza and Lupé.'
No doubt to show them his handiwork.
Nicholae didn't think Niko felt sorry at all for what he'd done, but he refrained from smiling since he didn't know how Osei felt yet about it.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Semi walking towards them just in time to catch a glimpse of Niko and Rex retreating.

'Who is that with Niko?' She asked after she gave Nicholae a small hug welcoming him once more to the den.

'Rex.' Cayden chuckled.

'I didn't know how to tell you.' Nicholae said apologetically to Osei. 'And if I can have it reversed I would, only we don't know exactly what he did in the potions room.'

'We'll discuss that some other time.' Osei waved away the topic but his worried gaze lingered still on Rex.

'So who is this other guest? You said we knew her.'

Fauna, on cue, walked out with Valentina still with the cloak over her head. When they stood beside him, Fauna dropped the hood and revealed Valentina's face to them.

'Valentina! Welcome back.' Semi squealed in excitement placing herself beside her friend.
'I've missed you...'
Semi's voice trailed away when she noticed what was new about Valentina.
'You're alive ? How?'

'We don't know.' Fauna replied.

'Well you all know her as Valentina Alexis, but let me introduce her as Valentina Tchkovsky. My wife.'

Everyone stood impaled with the unexpectedness of his words. Valentina herself made and audible gasp, her hand going to her mouth and midriff.

All around them they could hear the other wolves go about their business and Rex and Niko play and laugh with unadulterated joy.