Blood Connection

:: Tony's POV::

After breakfast, I secretly called everyone into the lounge except Brooke, Mandy, Will, and --Of Course-- Kendrick. I wanted to hear what everyone one had to say about Brook and Lilian being here. I wanted to know if they liked it, hated it, if they had comments or concerns, what they thought about her, what they think dad would do or say, everything. Anything they were thinking I wanted to hear it. While this was happening, I had Will continue the tour for Mandy and Brooke. I walked into the room as everyone was chatting among themselves, but it died down when I leaned against the wall with my hands in my pockets and Hannah, being the last one, entered the room.

“Already, everyone,” I sighed, “so, what are you thinking?”

“She’s sweet.” Kimberly instantly said while smiling. Everyone murmured in agreement.

“I can see her in the family.” Natalie said and looked down at Sid who was siting below her on the couch that she stood in the back of. Sid just nodded once which was good enough for me.

“I adore this little thing.” Denis said laughing as he bounce Lilian around and then throw her up on his shoulders. “She’s so cute.”

I rolled my eyes. “Stop being so censored. I want to hear what you think, not want you think I want to hear.” I pushed myself off the wall and crossed my arms. At that, it got quiet. Everyone either glanced at someone else or forced their eyes on something unimportant like the floor. “Well...”

Hannah spoke up first. “I don’t think it was a good idea for you to bring her here Tony.” she said with a strained expression. I nodded slightly. Now I was getting somewhere. I looked at everyone else as if to say ”Anyone else?”

“I kind of agree.” Denis said raising his hand as Lilian was taken from his lap by Lyza. “ I mean, why bring her straight to the one who’s after her?” He meant my father.

“Well, he kind of had to.” Kimberly interjected, “Why leave Brooke and Lilian unguarded all the way in the States? How else was he going to stop it?”

“If it was wasn’t for a certain someone, Dad wouldn’t have found out.” Lyza said looking at Hannah. Hannah shrunk in her seat.

“I was just concerned about you, Tony.” She said softly, “I didn’t mean to tell Kendrick, it just slipped.”

“It always does.” Lyza muttered as she placed Lilian in Sid’s lap and walked over to the window where she just glazed out and listened. Sid blinked at Lilian and she did the same thing. Sid looked lost as to what he was supposed to do with her, so he just let her sit there. I didn’t blame Hannah. She was just being her worried self. But, I know for a fact, that as soon as Hannah said where I was to Kendrick, he went right to Dad for payback.

“Are you going to keep her here?” Natalie asked curiously as she flicked her bangs out of her eyes. Everyone listened in, even stopping the side conversations to listen.

“No.” I stated. “Brooke has a life and parents back home. She can’t stay here.”

“Then what are you going to do?” She said quietly.

I shrugged, “Where she and Lili goes, I go.” Natalie looked sad after I said that.

“And... what are you going to do when Dad gets here.” She continued her quiet tone.

I sighed and scratched my head, “Well, I have to tell him about Lili and I also plan to tell him that he has to get through me to get to Brooke and I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure that Brooke’s safety is completely adequate.”

“Do you plan on changing her?” Kimberly asked looking me dead in the eyes. I looked away.

“I don’t know” I simply said.

“You need to start thinking on it, Tony, because bring her here to stop Dad just so she could raise a vampire child back in Arizona until she dies is pretty worthless.” I didn’t respond or even look at her but I heard her. And she, in a sense, was right.

“I think Tony was right to bring her here.” Samantha finally spoke up after coming out of her meditation, “It was either this or have Dad play Cat and Mouse with Brooke in Arizona. There’s not much he can do with her being here. He would never try to hurt her with us around.

“Oh, shut up, Sam.” Natalie rolled her eyes. “You always take Tony’s side.”

“I do not.” Samantha said calmly with a glare.

“Yes, you do.”

“So, what about Lili?” I said cutting their argument short. It got quiet again. Sid looked down at Lili in his lap as did everyone else in the room.

“There’s no telling what Dad’s reaction to you having a kid, Tony.” Denis said looking serious. “Do you think he would try to get rid of her too?”

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::Brooke’s POV::

Will finished up me and Mandy’s tour, so I decided to see where Tony went to. Mandy had decided to take a nap in her room since she didn’t get much sleep on the plane. The house was gorgeous. I couldn’t believe Tony had lived here all his life and had left it. Even so, if I was in Tony’s shoes of seeing this everyday, all day, I’d probably feel the same way he did and left myself. While I was wondering the halls of the magnificent home, I wondered who Lilian was with at the moment. They all passed her around as if she was some kind of hot potato but I knew that they all just wanted their fair share of the newest member of their family. Just then I bumped into a wall, or what I thought was a wall since it was so hard. I looked up only to stare into a pair of cold grey eyes. I gasped and took a few steps back. Kendrick’s eyes bored into mine before he took me in from head to toe.

“Little human, don’t even know what you got yourself into.” He said lowly but his voice was so deep it still sounded loud. I couldn’t say anything because I didn’t know what to say. What do you say to someone who seemed to hate his own brother? “Watch yourself.” He said just before someone called my name behind him.

“There you are Brooke.” Will smiled and walked up to me, putting his arm around me. “I lost you for a minute but I followed to scent of strawberries and baby power.” He laughed and looked at Kendrick. “Ken, how’s it going?”

“Don’t start, Will.” He muttered before stalking down the hall.

“Bitter.” He stated to me with a smile and a wink. “I believe Tony’s wait for you...”