“Oh, wait Mrs. Howe, let me help you.”

“It’s alright, Angel. Stay here and I’ll be back in a sec.”

“No, Mom. It’s okay,” added John, “We won’t be here for long. We have to get back to the Senate.”

His mother ignored him saying, “Your work can wait. Besides, we have visitors and I don’t want them leaving without any refreshment.” She left them and could be heard calling one of the maids to come and help her.

“So, what brings you here?” John said as Helen walked out of the room.

“I needed to talk to you about Alex, Mr. Howe. I’m really worried about him.”

“So are we,” John said. “But don’t worry too much. Everything’s going to be fine.”

“I saw the news and my parents are a little apprehensive.”

“This is only temporary,” said John. “I’m only doing it for Alex; I want him back and this is the best option we have. Don’t worry about politics, Angel. These things happen every ten years or so.”

“Mr. Howe, if I don’t get married to Alex, it will be bad for everyone.”

“What do you mean?”

Mrs. Howe came back with four cups of tea and a plate full of scones and biscuits.

“Mom! There’s no need–”

She shushed him and sat down, taking her own cup of tea.

John smiled and shook his head, sipping his cup. He sighed and sat back, more relaxed. “Now, Angel, what do you mean by all this?”

“I need to tell you...alone.” She said, eyeing Richard. “It’s a family thing.”

Richard cleared his throat and finished his cup of tea. “Thanks, Mrs. Howe, for the tea.” He got up and walked to the door, as the butler opened it for him. “I’ll be waiting in the car.”

John nodded and said, “It won’t take long.”

“Sure,” said Richard. He left the Estate and waited for John outside.

“So, what’s this big thing?” asked Mrs. Howe, “I hope things are fine between you and Alex.”

“Everything’s fine. I love Alex very much and want to marry him and like I told you...” she looked at John, “I have to marry him and no one else.” But she stopped, her eyes moving rapidly as she pondered on what to say next.

“Well?” John and Helen said.

“I’m pregnant.”

Mrs. Howe coughed uncontrollably, choking on her tea. “What did you say?”

“Calm down, Mom,” said John. He called one of the butlers, “Charles! Charles!”

The butler rushed in, “Yes, Mr. Howe?”

“Get some water! Can’t you see her coughing?” The butler ran out quickly, fetched some water and served it to Mrs. Howe.

She drank it and after a few moments was fine. Finally, she sighed and said, “How do you know? Are you sure?”

“Yes, Mrs. Howe. I’m sorry if you’re hurt about it. I want you to know that even if I wasn’t pregnant, I would still marry Alex.”

“I know,” said Mrs. Howe, composing herself, “I’m not hurt; it’s just a bit of a shock to me...to us,” she said, turning to John, who seemed not to have heard because he was lost in his own thoughts. “Isn’t that right, John?”

“What?” John shook out of his own thoughts on the situation. How could Alex impregnate someone if he was a vampire? “Right...yes... well, Angel...I’m not angry about the situation, just amazed.”

“Amazed?” Angel said, smiling, “I don’t quite understand.”

“I mean.” He got a hold of himself, “I’m surprised by it. I don’t have a problem. Just don’t tell anyone else, alright?”

“Of course not,” Angel said.

“Did Alex tell you anything important in the afternoon, Angel?” he asked her.

“Well, I don’t suppose so. No, not really. Why?”

“No, it’s fine. He’ll tell you when he can and when he’s ready. Soon enough everyone’s going to know.”

Angel seemed confused by this statement. “Alright, Mr. Howe. So, I guess I’ll be leaving.” The three of them stood up together. Angel hugged both of them, thanked them for the tea and left reluctantly.

“Well, what do you think?” John asked his mother.

“About what?” Helen said.

“Angel’s situation.”

“Whatever it is, John, I have always accepted Angel as my granddaughter. I’m happy that they will have a child, but I would have preferred it if they were married first.” She sighed.

“I have my mind on something else,” said John. “The fact that Angel is going to have a baby and that it’s Alex’s is something I don’t understand. Alex’s genes, I’m sure, are dominated by vampiric DNA, and yet he is able to procreate. It doesn’t make sense.” He walked towards the hallway and to the door. He turned to his mother and hugged her. “But, it’s a good thing, I guess. The vamps down there are going to find out soon and they’re probably going to take advantage of it. By now, they must have found out his true lineage and who he really is. It’s bound to come out, and it’s safer for him. It gives him a sort of protection, on top of the protection that he has from Nikolas.”

“What about him and the others? Are you going to make sure they get in?”

“One way or another I’ll make sure of it,” John said and left.

This day was like a dream and yet so real. After listening to Nikolas’s story about what his father had told Uncle John, his mind was dazed and tired. Hearing about his father made him feel happy and proud. He imagined what it must have been like for Uncle John, on that cold frosty night, to have known about the initiation. Alex was sure that it must have been like how he felt now, knowing that his time would come soon. This would be so beneficial for the Human Race. Nikolas must have known that it would be the secret weapon to defeat the vampires. If only they had used it earlier, none of this would have happened. They would all be on Earth and everything would be alright. But, alas, it was not to be! And Alex understood that his father knew it and accepted that it was meant to be this way so that the prophecies could be fulfilled.

He couldn’t sleep. He was paranoid that they might kill him while he slept. He sat on a chair, staring at the door and broke out into a sweat. He was inside the Earth’s crust now, and it felt wrong. He would rather have stayed above, where he could see more of his home planet. He wanted to know exactly what was going on. Why did Daniel react the way he did and who was the other man? It was puzzling to see this cousin of his so happy and welcoming. Daniel had spoken incessantly about the grandeur of the Earth and other matters ranging from history to science. Alex had noticed, however, that he never made eye contact with him.

Sleep grew heavier by the minute. He felt suffocated and frustrated that he couldn’t know what was going on. He was curious to know more about the Earth, his heritage, and ultimately his final destiny. He also worried about Angel and wanted to know when exactly John would come to rescue him. He got up from the chair and lied down on the bed. He closed his eyes and slowly let his mind relax. In a few seconds, he fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

The limo flew into the air to avoid street traffic. John and Richard were told to be in the Senate Hall by 8:00 pm and they wanted to be on time. Right now, John’s watch read 7:45. “Damn it! I don’t want to be late, Bill,” he said to the chauffeur.

“Relax, John,” Richard said, laying his head back and sighing. “I know things will work out for us.”

“Yeah, I hope.” He folded his legs and sat back.

“Is everything okay? Did that girl say something?”

“No, nothing important. Just something between her and Alex.”

“I hope everything’s fine.”

“Yeah, everything’s alright. I’m just nervous, that’s all. There’s still a chance that they might not–”

“We’ll be fine, John. The Senate will have to give you emergency powers. The vampires are going to send an ultimatum and we will send them one of our own.”

“Will our boys be ready?” John shook his head. “I’m not sure they will.”

“We’ll give them time. When the Senate hears of the ultimatum, they’ll know it’s come to war, and they’ll have no choice but to elect you Supreme Leader.”