{Chapter 8}
“About fuckin’ time,” Kennedy said when Glen made it back home. “We looked everywhere for you. Thorn's been back for an hour.”
“Ran into hunters. Had to make sure I wasn't tracked,” Glen replied. “What’s going on?” It was then that he heard Joselyn’s pain filled screech from upstairs. “Joselyn?”
“It’s time,” Kennedy replied. “She’s been in labor for nearly two hours. David’s here, but he hasn’t been able to stop the pain.”
Glen took off up the stairs, taking them two at a time. “Joselyn,” he called. He headed toward the sound of her cries and found David speaking to her softly trying to comfort the scared woman. Mark sat silently in the corner, his eyes never leaving Joselyn.
“I’m here,” Glen said taking her hand and kissing the back of it. “I’m here, Joselyn.”
“Where…were…you,” she choked out. Her eyes went wide as she had another contraction and realization washed over her. “Dear God, they’re going to tear their way out of me!” Fresh tears slipped down her cheeks. “Why didn’t you tell me,” she demanded of Glen, her sapphire orbs full of betrayal and fear.
“I tried,” he replied, his heart breaking. “You wouldn’t listen.”
“I can ease the pain,” Heath said softly. “Joselyn, you’ll simply go to sleep.”
“And never wake up,” she said the tears pouring down her cheeks.
“Yes,” Heath replied.
“Do it,” Glen replied, kissing her forehead. “I couldn’t save you, my sweet Joselyn, but I will not sit by and watch you die a slow painful death.”
Heath busied himself with preparing the draught for Joselyn. Glen helped her to drink it, holding the small bottle to her lips. She brought his face down to hers and placed a feather light kiss to his lips. “Thank you,” she said weakly. Within seconds she closed her eyes and was silent.
“The birth has begun,” Heath informed them as claw marks appeared on Joselyn’s stomach. From the doorway Kennedy stood watching the scene. Cherry and Mickie were cuddled to his sides as silent tears streamed down their cheeks. Their hearts were breaking as they watched Glen saying goodbye to his love.
Soon a small hand tore it’s way out of Joselyn’s body. Heath took the hand helping the small vampire enter the world. A head of auburn hair and big green eyes greeted them as Heath helped the newborn the rest of the way out.
“It’s a girl,” he informed everyone as he placed the child by her mother’s neck. Small fangs sunk into the delicate flesh and she drank deep.
“She’s healthy,” Mark said coming over to see his newborn daughter. He smiled seeing the fruit of his loins thriving. “What about the other one?”
A small hand reached out and Heath once again helped the child enter the world. A shock of golden blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes greeted them. Heath smiled down at the newborn. “It’s a boy,” he said as he placed the child on the other side of his mother’s neck.
Mark watched him intently, frowning when the infant made no attempt to feed. “Something’s wrong with him,” he grumbled.
Heath had taken the little girl and began to clean her up. He turned his attention to the boy and frowned. “Give him a few more moments,” he said as he bundled up the girl and handed her to Mark.
Mark stared down into eyes that mirrored his own. She cuddled close to him letting out a content sigh. “You’re gonna be daddy’s little girl, aren’t you,” he asked tickling her chin. She cuddled closer to his touch, nipping his finger lightly. Mark chuckled.
“Clean up this mess,” he demanded of Heath.
“What of the boy,” Heath asked, noting he had yet to feed. He was growing more and more concerned that the child would fail to thrive.
“Kill him,” Mark replied before taking his daughter out of the room.
At his words Glen got to his feet, following his brother out of the room. “The boy is not lost,” Glen said, refusing to part with what was obviously the last remnant of his beloved Joselyn.
“He’s not Joselyn, Glen,” Mark replied. “No, he’s not. This, Glen, is the new Joselyn.” Glen glared at him as Mark held up the infant for him to see. “This is Joselyn Rose Calaway.” He chuckled as he cradled his daughter once again. “She’s Joselyn the way she was meant to be.”
“You bastard,” Glen growled before heading back into the room.
Heath had given the boy more time to feed, though he did not seem to have the desire at all. He had set about cleaning Joselyn up, stitching closed the gaping wounds in her stomach. He knew that her heart was moments away from beating for the last time. He could hear it growing weaker as he worked on her body. What he was doing at the moment was simply for aesthetics, so that Glen could grieve the loss without having to stare at the reason for her losing her life.
“Has he fed yet,” Glen demanded.
“No,” Heath replied preparing a small syringe. He brought it to the infant, but Glen grabbed his hand. “It’s a small dose of pure silver. He’ll feel no pain.”
“He’s not lost,” Glen said lifting the child and taking up a small knife Heath had used to sever the umbilical cords. He sliced open his finger and held it to the child’s mouth. “Feed, damn it! Don’t make your mother’s death for nothing!” To his surprise and pleasure the child began to suckle on his finger.
“Shall I tell Mark,” Heath asked.
“No,” Glen replied. “Take the child, David. Feed him any animal blood you can find. I’ll come for him soon.” His gazed turned to Joselyn’s prone form. Her heart had finally stopped beating. “I have something I need to do,” he said softly.
Heath nodded, taking the infant from Glen and bundling him up. As quietly as he could he left the mansion. Mark had no idea that his son was still alive.
~~~~~
“Hey, Bobby,” Hunter said poking his head into the hospital room a few days later. It had been touch and go for a while, but Lashley’s condition had finally stabilized and he was moved out of ICU.
“No Shawn,” Lashley asked grimacing as he shifted position in bed.
Hunter shook his head no pulling up a chair and sitting down. “’Fraid you’re stuck with me,” he replied. Lashley offered him a tight smile, in too much pain to laugh. “Small comfort to me, you won’t be able to dole out that ass whoopin’ you promised when I shot you.”
“Remind me when I’m all healed up to kick your ass,” Lashley replied.
“Oh yeah, it’s right at the top of my list of things not to fuckin’ do,” Hunter replied. “Look at it this way, this has got to have taken your mind off the hole I put in your thigh.”
“Fuck you,” Lashley groaned. “Shawn is still beating himself up about this, huh?” Hunter nodded with a sigh. “It’s not his fault. I let my guard down. You can be damn sure that won’t happen twice.”
Before Hunter could reply Punk ran into the room, a newspaper in his hand. “They found her,” he said waving the paper around.
“Who,” Hunter asked.
“Joselyn Levesque,” Punk replied and scanned the article. “She was found in a shallow grave in the woods. Their working theory is that she was kidnapped because she was pregnant and someone tore the baby out of her stomach then stitched her up and ditched the body.”
The truth of the matter was that Glen had grieved, cradling her limp body in his arms as Thorn dug the grave. It had been shallow so that she would be found quickly and put to rest properly. When the task was done he laid a single red rose on the grave and left, never looking back.
“Son of a bitch,” Hunter said slamming his fist on the arm of the chair. “Calaway was using her as a fuckin' incubator?”
“It would appear that way,” Punk replied.
“I have to get into the morgue. I need to see the body,” Hunter said as Cena made his way into the room.
“Those are words I never want to hear again,” he replied. “What’s going on?”
“Take care of Bobby, Doc,” Hunter said standing and pulling Punk with him. “Leave the other shit to us.” With that he left to find out what he needed to know.
~~~~~
“I was beginning to wonder if you would ever come for the boy,” Heath said when Glen knocked on his door a few days later.
“His name is Marcus,” Glen said entering the cottage and going over to where the baby lay, gently picking him up. “Marcus Anthony Levesque.”
“He’s done well with animal blood,” Heath said.
“Good,” Glen said, cradling the infant to his body. “Thank you for your help, David.”
“Glen, if Mark finds out that the boy still lives he will kill him,” Heath warned as Glen headed toward the door.
“He’ll have to get through me first,” Glen replied as he left the cottage.
Gently he placed the still sleeping Marcus in the sidecar of the motorcycle Thorn had loaned him. The infant did not stir when the engine roared into life. Casting a glance down at the last piece of Joselyn he had left Glen set the bike in motion, taking the child to his new home.
An hour later he pulled up outside of a small house on the outskirts of town. As he got off the bike and pulled Marcus out of the sidecar a woman came out of the house. Glen turned to face her.
“Is this the little one,” she asked with a smile, her raven curls fluttering in the breeze.
“Yes, Layla,” Glen said smiling sadly down at the child in his arms. “I wouldn’t ask this of you…”
Layla silenced him with the wave of her hand as she carefully took the still sleeping child from him. “You know my spells will protect him,” she said softly. “I can provide him safe haven until he is ready to stand on his own as a man.”
“Thank you for this, Layla,” Glen said. “I will be back to visit with him as often as I can get away. I must not make Mark suspect that he is still alive.”
“With my protection he need never know the child exists,” Layla said. Glen nodded before hopping back on the bike and heading off back to the mansion.
~~~~~
Shawn listened as Hunter and Punk explained what they had discovered in their research and impromptu visit to the morgue. He did not look at either one of his friends as they rattled off what they now knew. When they had finished both men looked at him expectantly.
A small smile curled Shawn’s lips for the first time in days. “You did real good, boys,” he said.
“We still don’t have dick on Calaway,” Hunter fumed.
“True, but we now know what will surely be a major weakness,” Shawn replied. Hunter quirked a brow at him. “His child.” Hunter nodded a smirk curling his lips. “It’s just a matter of time before we find him.”
“Punk, looks like you're in for a bit of research,” Hunter said slapping the younger man on the back. “We know that this child is hybrid. Having both human and vampire lineage. What we need to know is how quickly it will age and what are the strengths and weaknesses.”
“And how we kill it,” Shawn said. Punk nodded heading over to his computer, in full research mode.
“While we wait for Punk to work his magic, how about I take you to see Bobby,” Hunter asked Shawn. With a sigh Shawn nodded, knowing that he needed to see his friend if he was ever going to rid himself of the guilt he felt.
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