Lilith/Cain

15 Months Later...

“Mom, sit still. If I have to reapply your blush for the third time I’m just going to leave it uneven.”

Vivian brushed her daughter’s hand away anxiously. “Who cares about rouge? I’m flushed as it is.” She waved at her face with one white-gloved hand. “I can’t believe I’m so nervous, at my age!”

“Arthur’s not going anywhere, don’t worry.” Angie held up the makeup brush determinedly. “Chris is keeping an eye on him.”

Vivian bit back an exasperated sigh. “I’m not worried about Arthur!” Her demeanor softened. “Do you think they’ll be here?”

“Gabriel is picking them up from the airport now,” Angie assured her.

This information seemed to increase her anxiety more than ease it. A sharp cry could be heard from the hallway and Vivian shot to her feet. She pushed past Angie and out the door.

Callie was there, smiling reassuringly. She held a fussy six month old on her hip, bouncing it soothingly. “It’s fine, Viv, Straya is just being irritable. She misses being the center of attention.” The baby let out another cry. “Also she has another tooth coming in.”

Vivian reached for the baby but Callie pulled away. “She’ll spit up all over your dress if you hold her,” she said playfully. “I’ve got her till the ceremony is over.”

Vivian looked down at her long white dress in irritation. “How’s-”

Callie cut her off. “Sybil has Mordy, see?”

Sybil headed up the hall, holding another six month old. “He is such a dream,” Sybil cooed. “He slept all morning and he’s been quiet all day. He likes looking at all the people gathering in the Hall.”

Angie and Callie both wore peach-colored dresses, but Sybil wore her usual hooded sweatshirt. This time it was light gray, instead of black.

Vivian gave both vampires grateful looks. “What would I do without you two?”

Callie’s smile was dazzling. “We love the twins, Viv. We’re so glad you let us watch them so much.” She turned to the baby in her arms. “And you love us, too? Don’t you?” Estrella let out another sharp cry. She didn’t look upset, so maybe she just liked the way her voice echoed.

Mordecai gurgled happily, drool running out of his mouth and onto Sybil’s shoulder. Callie handed Sybil a napkin from the reception table.

“Evangeline, Estrella, and Mordecai.” Angie counted on her fingers. She turned to her mother. “Arthur has to stop you from naming your kids.”

Vivian bristled. “That’s not his choice now, is it? Besides, you all have lovely names.” She hugged her eldest warmly and kissed her hair. “You’re not going to spit up on my dress, are you?” she asked teasingly.

“I’m thinking about it,” Angie admitted.

The lights overhead darkened and a chill ran down Angie’s spine. She pulled away from her mother and turned.

Cain and Lilith walked towards them, side by side. Lilith wore a long white dress, and carried a silver wrapped box, tied with a blue bow. Cain was dressed in a black suit and red vest. He wore his usual red sunglasses. In his hand was a black envelope, closed with a shiny red sticker.

“We have brought gifts,” Cain announced smoothly.

Vivian pulled back slightly when he held out the envelope to her. “Gifts go on the table by the entrance,” she told him nervously.

“I will set your new baby blankets there,” Lilith assured her.

Cain pulled his hand back. “It’s a gift card,” he told her with a wide smile. “For Babies R Us.”

“Thank you,” Vivian said primly, trying to compose herself.

“Where can we sit?” Lilith asked.

“Family is in the first seven rows,” Angie told them. “Pick somewhere close to the back, and you’ll be fine.”

“Excellent.” Cain’s eyes glowed behind his glasses. “I was told the ceremony would be starting in fifteen minutes, and to pass this information on to you.” He looked at Vivian over his glasses. “Vivian, you are a vision. That hunter is a lucky man. I wish you happiness for the rest of your short lives.”

Vivian swallowed, her face paling. “Thank you. Again.”

The couple turned and headed back down the hall. The lights brightened back to normal. Vivian let out a pent up breath. Sybil frowned. “Don’t they know how gift wrapping works? You’re not supposed to tell the person you’re giving the presents to what’s inside.”

Vivian pulled her cellphone out of a hidden pocket sewn into her dress. She checked the time and her anxiety came back in a rush. “It’s almost time, where are they?”

Angie patted her shoulder soothingly. From down the hall they heard Chris shout. “Mom! They’re here!”

Vivian’s heart lept. She pushed past everyone, lifting up the front of her voluminous dress and jogging down the hall in heels.

She turned the corner, facing the entrance way. An elderly man sat in a wheelchair. His white hair was slicked back, most of it hidden under a small straw hat. His mustache was thick, and his brown eyes sparkled. He was being pushed by a woman younger than him, but still elderly. She had long white hair drifting down her back, and her vividly blue eyes twinkled. Behind them were several young men dressed in black suits. Gabriel stood in the very back, waiting to get past the crowd.

“Mama! Papi!” Vivian cried, running up to them. She embraced her mother, her eyes wet. “I was so worried you’d get stopped on the way.”

Alice Riley-Garcia laughed softly. “We missed the last one because of the Policia, so we were determined not to miss this one.”

Ariel Garcia hugged his daughter around the waist briefly, then settled back into his chair. “I must meet this man of yours, Vivian. The one who left you with Evangeline.” His voice was hard.

Vivian turned to him, kneeling down by his chair. “Papi, please listen. Arthur is a good man. I told you what happened.”

“Si, I read your letter. I will be the judge of him, though.” He gazed at his only daughter’s face and his expression softened. “In the meantime, let me meet all of my new grandchildren.”

Vivian stood up. “Ricardo and Lucille are already here. They have little Jack. Angelo and Rebecca are here with Matthew, Luis, and Jenna. Arturo’s wife passed last year. Carlos is with him. I’ll bring Mordecai and Estrella, and we can all meet in the Hall.”

Alice gave Vivian a patient look. “I’m buying you a baby names book,” she told her.

Vivian frowned. “There is nothing wrong with my babies’ names…”

xxxXXXxxx

Arthur straightened his baby blue tie for the final time. Chris stood in the doorway, waiting patiently for him to be ready. His hands trembled as he readjusted his silver cufflinks. “Do you think he’ll shoot me himself, or have one of his bodyguards do it?” he asked Chris casually.

“If it’s going to be done, Grandpa will do it himself,” Chris answered honestly.

“I can respect that.” Arthur turned away from the mirror. “Alright, I’m ready.”

Chris walked with him down the hall. “It’s a shame about the white suit,” he remarked. “If stuff does go down, it’s gonna stain easy.”

“I certainly won’t be getting my deposit back.”

Arthur entered the Hall. Some guests turned to him, mostly Vivian’s family. His guests were nonexistent.

Ariel Garcia sat in his wheelchair, Mordecai and Estrella on his lap. He was speaking to Matthew, Vivian’s nephew, about third grade school work. He looked like the epitome of the proud, happy grandpa.

His dark brown eyes moved to Arthur and hardened. He lifted Mordecai up to Sybil, and Estrella up to Callie. Matthew stepped back, pulling his younger sister with him.

Vivian’s father wheeled himself over to Arthur, who stepped away from Chris. Ariel stopped, and gripped the arms of his chair. Slowly he pulled himself to his feet, so that he could look Arthur in the eyes.

Arthur stood there as his face was carefully scrutinized. Ariel spoke, “Show me your hands,” and he complied without a word.

Ariel looked down at Arthur’s hands, taking them in his own so he could study them intently. “I see many scars here,” he observed. “And calluses from using a firearm.” His accent was thick, but his words were unmistakeable. He looked back at Arthur’s face. “My daughter tells me you have faced many demons, and your hands show me that this is true. These hands have blood on them.”

“Everything you say is correct,” Arthur answered.

“In my mind, I saw a cowardly man who ran away from his duties. In front of me, I see a man who could not bear to touch anyone with these hands.” His eyes narrowed. “I have killed men too, as I’m sure you know. I did not shield my wife from this. She is my partner, and I trust her strength. You did not give my Vivian that same trust.”

“You’re right,” Arthur agreed.

Ariel dropped Arthur’s hands. He reached into his suit jacket. The entire room tensed. Arthur didn’t move.

Ariel pulled out a white handkerchief and patted the side of his face as he settled back into his wheelchair with a wheeze. “You will show her that trust now, while you protect my new grandbabies from those hands of yours.”

“I promise,” Arthur said solemnly.

The room relaxed, and chatting resumed. Alice watched Arthur and Ariel as they continued to speak more casually. She smiled fondly.

A man appeared next to her, his dark hair and eyes reminding her of Ariel when he was younger. Though he had nothing like her husband’s deep tan. It was the man who had picked them up from the airport. Evangeline’s beau. Gabriel. “You’re Katrina Riley’s sister, correct?” he asked solemnly.

“You knew Trina?” she asked happily, her blue eyes lighting up. She held a hand out to him.
He took her hand gently. “I did. Better than most, I think.” His expression was remorseful and awkward. “We didn’t get along, though.”

“My sister never got along with anyone,” Alice told him. “If she spent any amount of time with you, then you must have been special to her.” She straightened his hair with a kind smile. “We you together? I wouldn’t put it past Trina to have kept a young man or two around every now and then.”

“We didn’t have that kind of relationship, but she did look after me, in a way.” His dark eyes kept flitting around, not staying on her blue ones too long. Almost as if it was painful to look at them. “I just wanted to tell you that I was with her... at the very end. Because of her, I met Evangeline.” He looked over at Angie. “The two of them are the strongest people I have ever met.”

Alice’s smile turned sympathetic. “You miss Trina.”

He nodded. “There was a lot I never got to say to her. To apologize for.”

“I miss her, too. I’ve missed her my whole life, actually. She was my only family, and I barely knew her. Every time I saw her she looked so angry and frustrated. I’m glad someone was there, who maybe saw her better side.” She hooked her arm through his and rested her hand on his forearm. “I would love to hear more about her.”

Now Gabriel looked nervous. “Well, she helped found a school. In Paris. It’s for orphans, though mostly girls stay there. They have a painting of her in the dining hall.”

Alice’s eyes widened in surprise. “That I did not know! It sounds wonderful. Ariel and I will have to visit.”

The group eventually settled into their seats. Angie sat up front with Chris, Gabriel on her other side. Behind her were Callie and Sybil, with the babies. On the other side of the aisle sat her grandparents. The next six rows of both sections were taken up with her uncles and their families. Cain and Lilith sat in the back row.

Angie took Gabriel’s hand while they waited for the ceremony to start. Arthur stood next to the altar, his back as stiff as a board.

“Azri sent me a text while I was picking up your grandparents,” Gabriel told her softly. “Donovan and crew will be docking next week.”

“We’ll have to visit them. It’s been a year.” She turned to him. “How are you enjoying normal life?”

“It’s a peaceful life, but not normal,” he laughed. He pulled her close. “I like it anyway.”

Angie glanced over his shoulder, towards the back. “Why are your parents here?”

“I have no idea. No one told them about the wedding.”

“Yeah, that’s not suspicious at all.”

Gabriel looked optimistic. “Maybe they just want to make up for your mother’s kidnapping?”

Angie frowned pessimistically. “They wouldn’t wait a year for that. You dad at least is up to something.”

Everyone hushed as the ceremony started. Vivian’s oldest brother, Carlos, was an ordained minister in the State of New York and was overseeing the wedding.

Vivian was escorted down the aisle by her mother, who was taking her father’s place. When they reached the altar, Alice stood in front, facing Arthur. “I’m giving you my only daughter and my youngest child. What do you give me in return?” Her eyes were chilly and calculating.

“I promise to send you weekly pictures of the kids, wearing any clothes you send them. No matter how silly.” Arthur’s promise was solemn.

Alice’s eyes narrowed. “The deal has been made.” She took Vivian by the hand and pulled her forward, while she stepped back. “This ceremony will now commence!” she announced imperiously.

Vivian’s face was bright red with embarrassment. “Mother please sit down!” she hissed. Alice retook her seat, completely composed.

Arthur stepped up to Vivian, placing his cool hands on her burning cheeks. He spoke only to her, but the whole room could hear every word. “Vivian, you are a bright, vibrant woman. You’re still so young, too. That you would choose to spend the rest of your life with this old man fills me with joy. I can’t think of anything in the world that could make me happier.”

She closed her eyes briefly, letting his touch calm her. “The first time we met, neither of us was ready to be together. You gave me Evangeline, but that was all you could give me.” She opened her eyes. “After spending the last few years with you, I know the man before me, through and through. We’re ready now. I know now that my first instincts about you were the right ones.”

Arthur pulled her close, kissing her firmly. Carlos, her brother and the one overseeing the ceremony, fidgeted. “Uhm, that part isn’t yet.” The couple ignored him. He threw one hand in the air as he placed his bible on the altar. “Forget it, you guys already have you license anyway. This is all for show.” He raised his voice over the applause that was starting. “By the power invested in me, by the State of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife!”

Everyone stood and the applause was deafening. Estrella and Mordecai were looking all around. Estrella tried to make her voice louder than the crowd, and Mordecai pressed his hands together firmly, trying to make the same noise. He concentrated so much that bubbles came out of his mouth. Sybil quickly wiped his face.

Arthur and Vivian pulled away and stepped down from the altar, still holding hands. Angie was the first one to reach them, wrapping her arms around both their necks.
Vivian hugged her and Angie pulled away from Arthur to hug her back firmly. “You guys finally did it,” she whispered, her eyes wet.

“Nothing was going to stop us, not even vampires,” Vivian assured her.

Angie released her mother and turned to Arthur. Her eyes shined with tears. “I know you and mom are happy, so I’m happy too. You’re important to her, and that makes you important to me.” She exhaled fully and inhaled again. “Dad.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

Arthur’s brown eyes were wide with shock, but they softened as he held her. Carefully at first, as if that moment could shatter, then more firmly when he realize it was real. He closed his eyes, never wanting to forget this feeling.

Time marched always onward, though, and the reception was next. Everyone wanted to wish the couple well, and were quite demanding in their determination. Angie returned to Gabriel as they exited the Hall and headed to the reception area.

Angie wiped away her tears while Gabriel held her hand. “I still don’t want to get married,” she told him.

He squeezed her hand. “Same.”

She let out a small laugh while she looked at him from under her hair. “Glad to see we agree on something.”

They passed a window in the hallway and she stopped, looking out. “Hold on, the sun is out.”

Gabriel stood on the edge of the sun’s rays. “The weather said cloudy all day.”

“I’m going to enjoy it for a bit.” She smiled warmly. “For as long as I can.”

The hallway was empty now, everyone else starting the reception. “What do you mean?” Gabriel asked, his stomach twisting.

She turned to him. “I made a promise to you mother. She saved you, and Chris, and your brother, so I have to keep it.”

Gabriel’s grip on her hand tightened uncomfortably as panic spread across his face.

Angie looked over his shoulder. “Though it won’t be the way you thought it would, Lilith.”
Lilith appeared at the end of the hall, walking towards the pair. “I figured it wouldn’t be.”

“I’m afraid you won’t be the one to turn me.” Angie’s voice grew serious. “Gabriel will.”

He looked back and forth between them. “I will not!”

Angie put a hand on his cheek reassuringly. “I want YOU to, not Lilith.”

He shook his head. “And I won’t. I refuse.” His free hand was starting to shake.

She gazed into his face. “If Lilith does it, my memories will stay with me, and I don’t want that. You have to be the one to do it. When I turn ninety-nine.”

He blinked at her. “What?”

“I’ve been thinking for a while now how I could keep my promise to Lilith, while also making sure you’re not alone when I’m gone. You have your friends, and your brother now, but I know you’ll miss me.” Her eyes grew sad. “You love me, I know you’ll be sad.”

“I’m prepared for that,” he insisted. “Just because I’ve lived longer it doesn’t mean our time will be short. A day is a day, a year a year, a decade a decade. That doesn’t change because I’ve had more of them. I am going to spend a lifetime with you.”

“And we will have that lifetime,” she assured him. She turned to Lilith. “When it’s done, you won’t be getting a knight. You’ll get a granddaughter.”

This took Lilith by surprise. She expressed that by blinking. “What do you mean?”

Angie put her free hand on her chest while squeezing Gabriel’s hand. “When I’m turned, I won’t be ME anymore. It’ll be part me, part Gabriel, and mostly something entirely new. Someone else will use this body, like an organ transplant.” Her hand clenched into a fist. “My daughter will have this body when I die.”

Gabriel stared at her in shock. Lilith’s lips tugged into a half smile. “How interesting.” She approached Angie, lifting her hands as if she might touch Angie’s hair. Her hands hovered an inch away. “I have had a husband, sons, and knights. I have never had a granddaughter. How splendid.”
Angie gaze was steady and strong. “When I turn ninety-nine, and not a day before. Gabriel and I have a lifetime ahead of us, and if ANYTHING gets in the way of that, you lose that granddaughter.”

“Then I must always protect you, at all costs, till that day arrives,” Lilith promised. “Cain and I will keep you free from harm, and drive away any threat, so that you and Gabriel can have your lifetime of peace.”

“We’ll still manage to get in trouble from time to time,” Angie told her.

“I don’t expect anything less. It would be too boring otherwise.” She lowered her hands and folded them together. “I will tell Cain of this arrangement, and we will both wish you a long, healthy life.”

When she was gone, Angie let out a long breath she was holding in. Her shoulders drooped. Gabriel released her hand and placed his on her shoulder.

She turned to him, eyes worried. “You’re still against it, aren’t you?”

“I’m still processing it, to be honest. It’s a lot to take in. You could have told me what was on your mind.”

“Well, I wasn’t completely certain of what I wanted until today. Lilith was here, so I felt it was a good time.”

“Both of my sons are dead,” Gabriel said solemnly. “It still weighs on me very much, and will for a very long time. But… maybe in eighty years I’ll be ready to have a daughter.”

She threw both arms around his neck and kissed his cheek firmly. “Thank you.”

“It’s a bit far off, but do you know what you’ll name her?”

“No idea, but I do know one thing. I am NOT asking my mother for suggestions.” She looked at him in eyes with deadly seriousness.

“Fair enough.”

xxxXXXxxx

The party was in full swing when Chris sidled up to Angie. “Look alive sunshine, Master Vamp is talking to Granddad.”

Angie checked just to be sure, and spotted Cain speaking with Ariel Garcia. “I have a bad feeling about this.” She pushed through family members till she reached her grandfather’s wheelchair. She also saw Lilith speaking to Grandma Alice, but she deemed Cain as the bigger threat.

“What are you doing with my ganddad, Cain?” She got right to the point as she pulled out a silver switchblade from her dress.

Cain smiled charmingly at her. “If you do not like my answer, will you prick me with that toothpick of yours?”

“It might be a toothpick to you, but I’ll make sure you feel it,” she promised.

“We’re just talking business,” Ariel assured her with a laugh. “He befuddled all of my boys, but not you.” As evidence of this, none of his bodyguards were in sight. He looked Angie over with new appreciation. “Perhaps I should skip over Vivian’s older brothers and focus on her, and you, for my successors.”

She glanced down at him. “What is it that Mister Adamson wants from you, then?”

“Access to some ‘facilities’ I control in Puerto Rico and Guatemala.” He told her. “It seems this businessman is looking to get his hands dirty in pharmaceuticals.”

“Is he now? He should do some research before approaching you then. You don’t like Capitalists, and the U.S. Government acknowledges that you DON’T have any medical facilities in either location, as part of your plea bargain.”

“She has a point,” Ariel told Cain.

Cain looked at the both of them in amusement. “Please don’t forget my offer, Senor Garcia. I’ve left my number with your people.”

Ariel laughed heartily when he left. “That man is foolish. No matter what you do in medicine, no one can live forever.”

“He promised you that, didn’t he?” Angie said as she pocketed her switchblade.

“Close enough to it. The thought was tempting, for a few second.”

Angie’s eyes grew distant. “You’re right though. No one lives forever. The more you try to grip life in a stranglehold, the less you actually live.”

Ariel nodded in agreement. He reached out and grasped his granddaughter’s hand. “One day, would you like to one day oversee a criminal empire?”

She gave him a frank look. “Chris works for the government. Don’t you think that would be conflict of interest?”

He called to his daughter over his shoulder. “Vivian, I am taking your daughter to work for me in Puerto Rico.”

“If you get her to listen to you for even one second, you can have her!” Vivian called back while she danced with Arthur. She was trying to get him to cha cha, but his legs had turned to wood. She frowned at him. “How can you fight so well, but not dance?”

“I don’t know any steps,” he explained helplessly. “I’ve never danced before.”

Chris and Gabriel stood near the bar. Chris looked despondent. “There’s never anyone to dance with at these things,” he said as he downed a shot of something clear and sweet-smelling. Gabriel suspected vodka flavored like strawberry ice cream, of all things.

“You’ll find someone,” Gabriel assured him.

Chris waved his hand. “Oh, I don’t care, I just hate being the third wheel at get togethers. Gramma is going to come up any minute and drill me as to why I don’t have a girlfriend.” He took another shot. “I’m a spy, doesn’t she get that? I like my work.”

Gabriel decided it was best to leave him there. “Excuse me, I have a call.” After he stepped away, his phone started vibrating in his pocket. He retrieved it. “Hello?”

“Hey, guess who’s in call range?” Azri asked cheerfully.

Gabriel smiled. “You’re in high spirits.”

“You have no idea. I am so drunk right now. Hey, did you know that Nymph was Fae?”

“I was aware of that, yes.”

“I got a harpoon right through my stomach and, poof, their blood healed me right up. You should have seen the bastard, all the way through the other side of me, back to front. Like, sticking three feet out of my stomach.”

“I see now why Donovan gave you alcohol.” Gabriel’s smile grew fond.

“He got the guy that shot me, too. Beheaded him on one swing. Did he have a knife? Or did he use his claws... I don’t remember. It was on purpose, can you believe that? They were on another ship though, not ours.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.”

“I’m a bit worried I’ve been on this ship too long. Florence is getting far too attractive for my liking. Don’t tell him I said that, though, he’ll take it as a compliment. The bastard.”

“I see you’re still fighting with him. That’s good.”

“He cheats at cards! Who even does that? Where does he keep hiding them?”

“Maybe he’s just beating you honestly?” Gabriel suggested.

“Psh, that’s totally impossible.” There was a muffled voice in the background. “Oh yeah, I’m supposed to tell you we’re reaching port one day late, because of the harpoon incident. We’ll be in Paris on time though. I literally cannot wait.”

Angie joined him in the one quiet corner of the reception hall. “Evangeline and I will meet you in Paris, no worries. We have friends there as well.”

“I hope it’s as gorgeous as everyone says. Did you know people actually have seizures when exposed to the art and architecture in Paris?”

“I hadn’t heard that.” Gabriel wrapped his arm around Angie’s shoulders and pulled her close. “I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

“I hope so too!” Static filled the line. “Dammit, the ship is moving too far. I’ll get back to you when another satellite is in range.” The static grew louder, then the call was cut.

“Everything okay?” Angie asked.

“Of course.” Gabriel returned his phone to its pocket and wrapped both arms around her.

“Good. We should dance before we’re branded as outcasts.”

He put a hand under her chin. “In a minute.”

She leaned up to him. “Maybe two minutes.” Her voice lowered as she kissed him.