Blood Connection

::Brooke's P.O.V::

I picked up Lili and kissed her head as I held her. Even if she was a Surprise, she's no mistake. I wouldn't change a thing that happened. Well, maybe I'd try and keep her father around to help. But that's it. I wish he would have at least known that I was pregnant before he took off. But, it is what it is.

"Bye, Sean. I'll see you tomorrow." My best friend Mandy shouted from the kitchen as she came out. She's always loud and out there. Me? I just like to blend in with the crowd. But now its kinda hard to do when your a 17 year old girl holding a baby. But that's what I got Mandy for. She's my rock.

Mandy came up and kissed my cheek so hard it made me wince. Then she placed to softest kiss on Lili's head. "Ow. Why does she get the softer kisses?" I said shifting Lili to my hip and rubbing my cheek.

"Because she a baby and you need to toughen up, girl." She said, pushing her blond bang out of her eyes and put her jacket on over her waitress outfit. She pulled her black hair from under the jacket collar and fixed her jacket so she could button it right. She was so beautiful and I envy her sometimes. Her brown sugar skin tone and deep brown eyes. You tend to notice them more when her blond bang is in front of them. I don't know why though.

I shook my head and placed Lili on a table, who was gnawing on her on fingers. I pulled them out her mouth and put on her cute little pink sweater that goes with her pink overall-dress and her little black shoes. I picked her up once again "Night, Paulie!" I called to the manger.

"Be careful." He called back from the back. He's always so kind. He was nice enough to get me a job and watch Little Lili when I work sometimes. "You too Mandy!"

"Thanks, bub!" She shouted and we walked out the diner together, only being separated while walking to our different cars. I set Lili up in her car seat in the backseat then walked over to the driver's side and looked over at Mandy. "Hey Chicky, your gonna share that money, right?" She joked.

"Sorry, Mandle-dee. I got a mouth to feed." I said and unlocked the car door. She shrugged.

"Fair enough. I call leftovers, though. See ya, Babeh." She winked and threw me a piece sign with her fingers before sliding into her car. I did the same and looked in the mirror to see Lili falling asleep. I started the car and drove. Once I got home, I unbuckled Lilian and let her sleep on my shoulder. It was sundown now and knew my mother would be home but not dad. I pulled out my keys and unlocked the door.

"Mom, I'm home." I said quietly so i didn't wake up Lilian.

"Hi Honey." My mother walked out the kitchen in a robe and kissed my cheek then kissed Lili head. "How was work?" She said trying to distract me so she could take Lilian. I rolled my eyes and pulled away from her.

"It was fine mom." My mother put on a sad face. You know how grandmas get with babies. They always wanna hold them, then never give them back? Yeah, thats my mother. "I got to get Lili in bed. I have something to tell you when I get back." I smiled brightly and walked up the stairs. I went into Lili's room and laid her on the baby-changer. I took off her clothes, changed her diper and put her pajamas. I placed her in the crib and kissed her cheek. "Night, Sweetheart." I walk back down stairs.

"So, Hun. What is it you wanted to tell me?" I smiled running over to the couch and bounced on it. "Wow," She said being bounced on the couch from the impact of my jump. "What is it that got you so excited?" She looked at me.

"I don't know." I said and pulled out the money from my pocket. "You tell me?" My mother's eyes widen and she took it from me.

"Where did you get this?" She looked through at. "$2,500!? Brooke, what did you do!? Murder someone?" I laughed.

"No." I shook my head. "I spoke to the nicest guy at the diner today." My mother gave me a look. "Mom, its nothing like that. We just talked about Lili and-"

"Brooke." She said with a sigh. "You can't just talk to random men about your child. Maybe if the father was around, yes. But they see a single woman with a child that they can take advantage of." She said and took my hand.

"Mom, I swear to you. We just talked about her. And a little bit about the father but-" I quickly added. "...Mom he left it as a tip and left." My mother just looked at me and the money. She sighed then smiled.

"You can finally get that apartment." She pitched and I squealed hugging her. Because knowing her, she would have made me search the world for that guy and return his money.

"Yes." I pumped my fist in the air. "And I can decorate Lili's room with the extra money. And get her whatever she wants because of this money and the money I've been saving that's more then 4,300 dollars." I stood up and stretched with a sigh. My mother giggled at me.

"You're such a big kid. You'd never know you're a mother." She said and i pouted at her but then we both just laughed. I smiled.

"Things are just coming together smoothly." I said and laid my head in my mother's lap. She stroked my hair like she use to do when I was a little girl.

::Tarri/Tony's P.O.V::

I sat in a tree in front of Brooke's house. My back against it, one leg propped up, the other swinging loosely back and forth as I watched the mother-daughter interaction through the window. I pushed the fake glasses up into my hair and smiled as I watched them. Brooke looked so peaceful as her eyes closed and Susan, Brooke's Mother, stroked her hair. I stood up on the branch and climbed up high to get to the roof. I jumped from the tree to the roof with grace and ease then walked down to the back of the house and hung down to the second window to the left. One of my favorite windows. I looked inside to see my little flower fast asleep. I leaned my head against the window and smiled. She looked just like her mother did downstairs.

Lili started to move around in her sleep. My fatherly senses kicked in, making me open the window and hop into the room. She wiggled around and I reached into my coat to pull out a bottle of blood. I gently teased her mouth with it until she opened it. Once she took the bottle for herself and leaned against her crib and watched her drink as she was half asleep. I started to think about how long I've been doing this. At least 5 to 6 months. Now that I think about it, in a few more months and it will be her first birthday. I walked over to the calendar that was on the back of the door. Yup. November 4th. The day she was born. I wish I was there. But I didn't find out about her until a few months after her birth. I came sneaking into Brooke's room one night to watch her sleep when I noticed a the little bald bump next to her. It took me time to realize it was a baby and she was breast feed in her sleep.

At first I thought Lilian was someone elses, until I actually got closer to Lili was when I noticed she had my eyes. Then after that, I've been here every since. I dug up info about Lili from eavesdropping on Brooke's phone calls and sneaking into the local hospitals trying to find Lili's Birth Certificate. Wasn't all that hard. I walked back to Lili's crib to noticed the bottle of blood out her mouth and next to her head. She was sleep now. My head jerked to the door as I heard someone walking up the stairs. I jumped out the window before the door opened. It was Susan. She looked at the window and closed it. Then looked inside the crib and picked up the bottle of blood. "Crap." I muttered to myself. I forgot to take it. I can now heard Susan talking.

"What in the world is your mother giving you?" She whispered to Lili as if she was awake and talking. "What is this?" She turned the bottle around and watching the red, thick liquid move inside. I had to do something. I jumped down out the tree and landed softly on my feet. I ran to the kitchen window where I slipped in and looked around. 'Think, Tony! Think! I put an egg in a bowl and put it in the microwave. I covered my head preparing for the loud sound it was gonna make. The egg twirled in the microwave before bursting. I hopped out the window and quickly climbed up the tree to see Susan had dropped the bottle because of the startling loud sound. She ran out the room and down the stairs. I opened the window and grabbed the blood bottle and replaced it with a milk one. As I stood up straight, I saw Lili on her stomach with her head up looking at me with the same grey eyes I had.

"I'm sorry, sweetie." I smiled and kissed her head. She smiled with her small teeth showing and gave me a giggle. I knew she knew I was her father. Vampire infants can tell by the parental smell we give off. "Daddy Loves You." I said in a whisper on her head as I kissed it one last time and jumped out the window and closed it. I watched in the shadows as Lili stood up in her crib and looked out the window for me. Then her attention went to the door before it opened and the lights turned on. That's my girl. Got hearing like her daddy. Brooke hustled to her and checked to see if she was okay. Susan walked in and went straight for the bottle on the floor.

"Huh? I could have swear this was red." She said as she examined it. "But then again it was dark in here." She let it go and put it in the crib. Brooke took Lilian and held her in her arms as she walked around the room, trying bouncing her back to sleep.

'That was close' I thought.