Nightfall

Less than an hour after the little boy had showed up, Duncan had him bathed, and dressed in one of his shirts. It hung down almost to the floor, but the clothes he had been wearing were no good, and they didn't have anything that would fit someone who was only four or five years old.

"So, do you think you can tell me your name now?" Duncan asked again. So far the little boy hadn't said a word, but just stared at Duncan with those big yellow eyes. "Well I have to call you something. So how about this?"

Duncan picked the boy up under his arms, and sat him on the sink, so they were close to eye to eye. "I'll say a few names, and you let me know if you like any of them. Okay?"

The boy blinked at Duncan then slowly nodded. "Good!" Duncan said with a grin. "Lets see, how about David?" The boy shook his head immediately. "Okay, that ones no good, how about... Scott?"

Again the boy shook his head. "Okay, lets try Frank?" Again the head shake. "Thomas? Conner? Carter? Samuel? Decker?" The last one got a little giggle out of the boy, yet he still shock his head no. Duncan filed away the little fact that the boy could obviously make sounds, he just didn't speak.

Deciding to try and make the boy laugh more. "Okay, got it... Mortimer!" Duncan loved the little laugh that came out of the boy and the rapid head shake. "Redford...Fredrick...Albert!" By now the boy was laughing out right, and the musical sound of the little boy's laughter was music to Duncan's ear.

"Okay, seriously. I have one that's kinda special to me. Would you like to hear it?" The little boy smiled and nodded. "Micah." Duncan said and the boy didn't make a move for a few moments as he thought it over, finally, the boy started to smile, and then nod his head.

Duncan grinned broadly. "Micah it is then. Now, the next question should be easier." Micah smiled and nodded, saying he was ready. "How old were you when you were turned?" The smile faded on the little boy's face as he held up one hand, four fingers extended. Duncan nodded, then asked the next question. "How many years ago was that?"

Micah thought for a second before he held up both hands, all five fingers extended. Before Duncan could say anything, the boy closed his tiny hands, then extended them all again. He then dropped one hand while closing the other one, and then extending three fingers. Duncan's mind couldn't accept it. "Twenty three years?" He breathed out, not knowing what to think. The boy nodded his head, then held his arms out to Duncan.

Duncan lifted the boy off the sink and hugged him tightly. "You're safe now. I don't know what happened to you before, but from now on, you're safe. I promise you."

Micah pulled back and looked Duncan in the eyes searching to see if Duncan was telling the truth. Obviously satisfied with the answer, Micah smiled and proceeded to give Duncan a wet sloppy kiss on the check.

 

---

 

It was just after noon when Mary Connolly walked into her kitchen. To everyone in the house, that's exactly what it was, her kitchen. There were only a few people who were awake at this time, mostly the security detail which usually stayed in the first basement, unless something was going on. Then there was the rest of the 'cleaning staff'. Windsor had always thought it was beneath vampires to clean the house, and the like, so he paid humans to do it. Most of them came from families that knew about vampires, so he didn't have to worry about them 'talking'.

Ever since Runi took over, oh she knew that officially it was Duncan's house, but Runi was the one in charge, ever since he took over, things had looked up for everyone at the house. One thing was for sure, there was more excitement going on around the house than she had ever had in her over 20 years of working there. For one thing, she had always wanted kids, and grand kids. Sadly that wasn't to be the case. Now, however, she had so many kids running around the house, her heart was overflowing with joy. The only part that was slightly sad to her was that most of the kids only ran around at night.

Slowly, over the next half hour, the rest of the staff, including some of the day time security, came tumbling into the kitchen. As soon as they walked in, they grabbed a plate, and filled it up with the food she had whipped up moments before.

The last person had just sat down when a crash came from upstairs. Immediately several people were on their feet, and running. Mary being at the head of the line. No one should have been upstairs during the day time. Even the human children that were there had taken a night time schedule... so they should all have been asleep.

Mary may have been in her sixties, but she was not an old lady, which she proved by taking the stairs two at a time, while reaching behind her and grabbing the small pistol she kept hidden at the small of her back. The gun itself was a normal nine millimeter, however, the bullets were known as 'Black Sands specials'. They were a modified tracer round, with a magnesium tip. If the person they were fired at was a vampire, it might not actually kill them, depending on how old and strong they were, but, it would most assuredly give them a VERY bad night.

When she rounded the corner, she almost fell over herself in shock. One of the small tables in the hallway that had previously held a vase filled with roses, was now on it's side, the roses scattered and the vase in a thousand pieces. That wasn't really the thing that surprised her though. At the end of the hallway pressed up against the big bay window was Runi.

Runi turned at the sounds of shock and surprise behind him. Mary could see the tears running down from very bright orange colored eyes. "Aten..." Runi whispered in disbelief. "The sun... Ra!" Runi cried out before turning fully and running right past Mary, the robes he was wearing fluttering as he flew down the steps, Colt hot on his heels, calling his name.

When Mary and the rest got to the side doors of the house, Runi was standing outside his arms thrown out wide, his head up, and the sun beating down on his face. The smile on his face was huge, and the tears that freely flowed down his eyes made rivers on his cheeks. Colt was right by his side hugging him, also crying.

"Runi?" Mary asked, her tone all that needed to know what she was really asking.

Runi turned around, a somewhat goofy grin on his face. "Ra has allowed me to see him again..." Runi said, somewhat breathless.

"But... how?" She asked, but Runi had turned back around and was once again basking in the light of the day. She instead turned her gaze to Colt who was looking at her with so many questions running through his eyes.

"I... I don't know. When he woke up last night, his eyes were different. Anubis and Thoth told Runi that the answers he needed were in a book they gave him. When I went to sleep a few hours before dawn, Runi was reading the book. The next thing I know, Runi's screaming about something not being able to be." It woke me up, and when I looked at the clock... well it was only a few minutes ago. I've no clue whats going on."

Mary walked up and cautiously put her arm around Runi's small shoulders. "Runi... aren't you tired?"

Runi looked up at her, then closed his eyes while he considered the question. "Not really... I mean, I am, but no more than I would be near dawn, after a full night." In a rare moment of Runi being flustered, he stuttered as he tried to find the right words. "I am not feeling Ra's pull to sleep, if that is what you mean."

He closed his eyes again and thought deeply. "However, something is not as it should be." He said deep in thought, but a moment later he opened his eyes and the grin re-appeared. "I will deal with that later. For now, I wish to reacquaint myself with Ra."

 

---

 

Several hours later, after the sun was well and truly down, Shane found Ramon sitting alone outside. For a few moments, Shane simply stood there looking at the boy he loved. He knew Ramon was not having a very good time dealing with being a vampire, but he really didn't know how to help him much.

He had an idea forming in his head, but he really didn't know how to talk to Ramon about it. Finally he summoned up his courage. He'd always been able to talk to Ramon about anything, this would be no different.

He finally took the last few steps so he was standing next to the chair Ramon was sitting in. "I was wondering how long you were going to stand there looking at me." Ramon said as he turned to look at Shane. There was no malice or anything in his words, just a statement of fact.

"I was trying to figure out how to talk to you about something." Shane said quietly as he sat down across the small table from Ramon.

Ramon smiled sadly at Shane then reached across the table and took the boy's hands in his own. "You remember when we first found out we could talk to each other in our minds?"

Shane smiled as he thought back to a time that seemed so long ago, and nodded. "Well, I need to confess something." Ramon started with a smile. "Last night I started being able to hear this gentle hum in the back of my mind. But then it started to get louder and louder. Finally, I asked Roger about it, and he told me that it was just one of the Vampire abilities coming to the fore... the ability to read human minds. But above every one else was you. You know how we said it was like we were talking down a long corridor or something?" Shane simply nodded. "Well now it's like your sitting right next to me, whispering in my ear all the time."

Shane gave him a concerned look, but Ramon just squeezed his hand and smiled at him. "Don't worry Shane, it's like I really know you now, and Runi has said he'll help teach us how to be connected, so you can see in my mind what I can see in yours. But really, you're the reason that I'm still sane. I was so worried that you'd hate me when I woke up, but I know that you don't... that you still love me... that you still want me. It's like... I know deep down that you love me no matter what, and... well, it's given me the strength to... to go on."

By now Ramon was crying, but the smile on his face told Shane that he was not upset. Matching tears started to come down Shane's face as what Ramon was saying started to filter into his brain. Ramon smiled even more, and kept talking even through his tears. "I know what you want to do, what you are thinking about, and even planning. I just want you to know one thing..." Ramon squeezed Shane's hands harder, almost to the point of being painful, while staring his lover directly in the eyes. "No matter what I am, or you are, or what we become, I will always love you. I don't want you to have to go through what I did, but if you choose to do it, then I'll still love you." He paused for a moment, never breaking eye contact. "I guess what I'm saying is that you don't have to do this for me, but if you decide to do it for you, I'll love you no matter what."

Hope grabbed onto Cedric's hand and squeezed tightly, pulling her husband inside and leaving the boys alone. Once they were inside, Hope looked at Cedric and smiled sadly. "You know I never really realized the depth of the their love."

Cedric shook his head. "Yeah, but is Shane thinking what I think he's thinking?"

"Yeah, he is..." Hope said seriously. "I thought this would happen, but I wasn't sure."

"So what are we going to do about it. I mean he's only thirteen!" Cedric said. Obviously he didn't have a problem with Vampires, but this was his son.

"I think we need to have a meeting with everyone in the house, except Runi." Cedric, confused by her changed of topic, stood there open mouthed as she walked away.

Just a bit more than an hour later found everyone in the house gathered in the great hall, all of them wondering why they were there. The only one missing was Runi, even Colt was there. Runi thought it would be best for everyone if what had happened earlier did not become common knowledge, so Colt, nor any of the humans who were awake had said anything.

Hope walked out in front of everyone and waited till everyone was quiet and watching her. Once she was assured she had everyone's attention she started. "I know you're all wondering why I wanted to talk to you, so I will cut right to the chase. I need to explain a few things about Runi to all of you. More specifically, how Runi sees family."

Starting to pace, Hope quickly organized her thoughts. These were things she had grown up with, and knew intimately, but had never had to try and explain before. "Some of you know this, some of you don't, so I will start at the top. I am a direct decedent of Runi's eldest brother. Runi had six older and six younger siblings, but he came from a family that was little more than slaves. They worked for a land owning farmer who was nice, as things go. But, from a very young age, the children had to either work in the fields, or the house. They were fed enough to survive, but not much else. They all slept in a one room hut that was no where near big enough for all of them. Runi spent many nights sleeping next to his eldest brother, who, for many reasons liked Runi the best out of his siblings.

"When he turned nine, Runi was taken before the Pharaoh. This was done because one of the Pharaoh's men had seen Runi, and had told the Pharaoh about the beautiful boy. The Pharaoh liked what he saw, and sent an invitation to Runi's family asking if Runi would join him in the palace. Understand the Pharaoh could have just taken Runi, but that was not the kind of man that he was. Yes, he enjoyed younger boys, but he wasn't mean or evil about it. Tiga, Runi's eldest brother, made sure Runi knew exactly what was being asked of him, what the Pharaoh would want from the boy, but also what was customary for the Pharaoh to do for his family. Tiga wrote that Runi never hesitated... once he had the information, he agreed immediately."

"What happened to his family?" Marco, the young ten year old human boy that Lugh had adopted asked with great interest.

"Because Runi accepted the Pharaoh's invitation, all of Runi's family were brought into the city and off the farm. Runi's parents were given good jobs inside the main Temple, and the Pharaoh made sure that all of Runi's brothers and sisters had the ability to get an education, something they never would have been able to do had it not been for Runi. The Pharaoh even gave a few of his siblings start up money when they got old enough so that they could open up a small business."

Hope paused for a moment and figured out where she would go now that the history lesson was over. Everyone else waited patiently to see what was going to come next.

"What I am getting at here is Runi has a very firm idea of what family means, and what his responsibilities now are."

"What do you mean, his responsibilities?" Lugh asked, but had a feeling he knew where this was going.

"Runi, even though he didn't know it, had been the head of a VERY large family for a long time. However, that's not the same as what is happening here. Here he is actively MAKING a family. He is rescuing people and making them part of his family. Does anyone here doubt that he is the head of the family here?"

All she got was 'no' and a lot of shaking heads from everyone in the room. "And is there anyone here that does not want to be part of this family?"

Again she got many negative responses, including one of the kids that was rescued from the sex shop speaking up. "We'd be nuts not to want to be a part of this. Even a stupid kid like me can see that something big is happening here. Not to mention, if it hadn't been for Runi and the rest, I'd still be chained to a bed getting fucked every night."

Many of the kids nodded their agreement, and Hope smiled warmly at all of them. "Runi has not mentioned this yet, mainly because I think he was waiting for you all to get more comfortable. But, since I never like to wait for people to do things in their own time, I'm doing this now."

That got a few chuckles from some of the people, but outright laughter from her family, who knew just how true that statement was. "Runi takes his responsibilities very seriously, especially when it comes to family. As far as he is concerned, everyone who lives here is one of his children, someone he is responsible for. Most of you already look at him as a father figure, there to help you out if you need it. But there is also a Vampire Head of Family that you need to learn about.

"See when Runi was first turned, he was brought into a Vampire family. Normally it would have been headed by his sire, or his sire's sire, but not in the case of Runi, since his turning was done by someone who was not from the area, but brought in because the Pharaoh asked him to be the one to turn Runi. So, it doesn't really matter if it was his Sire's family or not. When he was accepted into a family, that became his family. What I am trying to get at is there are protocols and duties that members of a Vampire Family have."

Samson raised his hand, as if he were in school, and Hope nodded to him. "I am sorry to interrupt, but... well, I have been a vampire for almost twenty years, I have never heard of Vampire Families."

Hope nodded in agreement. "That's because Vampire Families is something that was almost exclusive to the Egyptian Vampires." She paused for a moment, then continued.

"Colt might know some of this, but I am not sure if any of you know the difference between the Egyptian Vampires and the rest of the world. Even before Runi was turned, the Egyptian Vampires did things differently than the rest of the world. No one really knows when it started, but legend says a very old and powerful vampire came to Egypt because there were no other Vampires in that area. He didn't like the way things were done, so he started his own 'society'. The biggest differences being how they treated humans, and how they would share what they knew with each other. It is said that this vampire was more interested in knowledge then lording power.

"The bottom line however, is that the Egyptian Vampires do not hide themselves like the rest do. They are not common knowledge to everyone, but they are much more widely known in Egypt than in other parts of the world.

"The next big difference is how they feel about their 'extras'. Most of you grew up hearing how your extra was a part of you, and not something to be shared, except in very certain circumstances."

Again she got a nod from most of the people there. "In Egypt though, Extras were shared freely among family members. It made the whole greater, and brought the family together in ways that not many other things could."

Most of the people in the room were nodding their heads in agreement, thinking that it made sense. "They did not isolate themselves from the humans around them, they helped to protect them, to teach them, to help make them better. Yes, they had to feed, but mostly they fed on those that broke laws, or were old enough that they felt their lives were over. It was a great honor for someone who could no longer help out the society, someone who was becoming a drain on their families, to go to the Vampire Family and offer themselves up."

Hope let them think on what she had said for several minutes before she once again spoke up. "They also kept to a very strict moral code, some of you have already learned from Runi what, and how he expects you to act. It would be good for those of you that do know to tell those that do not. Sadly there is only one Vampire Family left, even in Egypt, and Runi has always been the head of that family, even if he didn't know it."

Again she got nods of agreement, then took a deep breath, and got to the point of why she was saying all of this, and giving this history lesson. "Each head of a family had different rules that Runi will have to let people know about, but there is one thing that is the same no matter what family you are in, and that's the making of another vampire. Before anyone is allowed to turn a human, they MUST get permission. There are several reasons for this, mainly to keep the number of vampires to a level that doesn't outpace the food supply, but there is also the fact that if one of you were to turn someone else, Runi then has to look out for them as well. There might be a reason that he can't or won't. In most cases that Vampire will have to bring the one they want to turn in front of the Head of House and 'petition' for the human's entrance into the house. It is then up to Runi to decide if the person is a proper fit for the family, and if they should be turned."

One of the kids raised their hands, and Hope nodded to him to speak. "What if someone turned someone else with out getting permission?"

Hope sighed before answering. "That's a tough one, it depends a lot on why and how. If someone did it intentionally, knowing what they were doing, knowing that they needed to get permission, and did it anyways... Well, sometimes they would be put to death, or expelled from the family. The childe was never punished if they didn't know the rules, but the Sire was. Now if it was accidental, and that does happen sometimes... or there was some other reason that the Sire didn't have the ability to ask permission, the Head of the House would normally weigh all that and make a decision from there."

Hope hoped that she had answered the boy's question sufficiently, and from the nodding of his head, she thought she did. Then she got into the crux of the matter as far as she was concerned. "Now, there were always normal humans inside of a Vampire House. Sometimes they were being groomed to become a vampire, and other times they were there performing a function needed to the house, or even some other reason. However, if any of them wanted to be turned, they would have to go to the Head of the House and ask permission. Sometimes the answer was yes, and sometimes no, but no matter what the answer was, it was final. If the answer was no, the person must wait at least one year before asking again. If the answer was yes, the Head of the House would then work with the person and figure out who the Sire would be."

Even though this was mostly directed at Shane, she did not look directly at him. Although she could see the blush on his face out of the corner of her eye, and knew that he knew why she was saying this.

Lugh also had a good idea of why it was being said, and knew that what she needed to say was done. "Was there anything else that we need to know?" he asked.

"The rest really depends on Runi, and he will have to explain what it is that he wants, when he is ready to..."

"And that time is now." Runi said as he walked down the stairs. All heads turned towards the sound of his voice, and gasps could be heard as they caught sight of the change in his eyes. Standing next to him was Hank, who had the same different colored eyes, but not quite so bright.

Together they moved down the stairs, and over to where Hope was standing in front of the group. Hope bowed low to Runi who placed his small hand on the top of her head. "Thank you my faithful Child. It is good to learn that the ways of Egypt have not been lost." While keeping his hand on her head, he let his eyes wonder over the assembled group. "Tonight marks the awakening of the Old Ways." He allowed his hand to drop from her head, and she quickly backed away and stood by Cedric. Everyone could tell that this was a new side of Runi that they had never seen before. Most of them knew there was a difference in Runi when he was acting as a High Priest, but this was different even from that.

"Before I tell you what is expected in my Family, I am sure many of you are wondering about the changes you can see to Hank and myself." Many nods answered Runi's question. "I found out last evening that my Sire was not who I was told he was. But someone who was much more powerful than I could imagine, and much older than I am, even now. Last night I was given a book, written by his own hand, detailing his life, and the things that he had learned. I still have much to learn, however, one thing that I have learned is that something changed in me while I was re-turning Hank, and I inadvertently pulled him along with me. This happened to my Sire shortly after he turned me, and caused many changes. Thankfully, I will have his book to help me along the changes that will happen in the future."

He turned to Hank, who had yet to learn anything about why his eyes were different. "The main change that has happened so far, and this morning before we retire for the day, we will test with you, is this. I am no longer forbidden to gaze upon Ra." Sensing that, neither Hank, nor anyone else understood what he meant, Runi rephrased what he had just said. "What I mean is, the sun no longer commands me to sleep, nor burns me with it's light."

Gasps and shouts of shock rippled throughout the room. When things calmed down enough Runi spoke again. "I do not know how it will effect you, but seeing the color of your eyes, I feel that you may also see the sun again."

"How.... how is that possible?" Hank asked, so shocked he wasn't sure if he could keep standing.

"I do not really know, and so far, in what I have read, my Sire was not sure either. All that I know is that I stood outside, in the full sight of Ra, and was not burned. What we will do tonight is wait inside as the sun rises. If you are not pulled to sleep, then we will go from there."

Hank nodded, unable to speak, as the tears ran down his face. Runi turned and looked back at the large group in the room and saw some jealousy in their eyes, and knew what they must have been feeling. "The book speaks of ways that my Sire was able to teach others how to do the same, but it did not work for everyone, and some it did not work right away. As soon as I know more, I will share what I can with all of you. Do not get your hopes up, as I do not know how long it will take me to figure out how to teach someone else to 'day walk', nor how long it will take for you to learn it." His eyes fell on Duncan and the little boy sitting in his lap, the bright yellow eyes filled with wonder and amazement that can only come from such a young boy. "I give you my word, that I will do what I can, as quickly as I can."

Excited murmurs flew through out the group as everyone tried to imagine what it would be like to be able to see the sun again. Runi allowed it to go on for several minutes, before he held up his hand to stop it. "For now, let us not worry about what might happen in the future, and deal with the things that we must deal with now."

Waiting to make sure he had everyone's attention, Runi thought about what he wanted to say. Once he was sure he had what he needed firmly in his mind, and the room was quiet, Runi began again. "First, let me say again what Hope said earlier. No one in this house is allowed to turn someone with out my permission. This is not meant as some way for me to keep power over you, but simply a way to make sure that we have the ability to support a new member. Next, no one is allowed to hunt for food with out permission. The reason for that is simple. There are many of us here, and if we started hunting with out coordination, we would soon be found out. Lugh is in charge of making sure that the sub basements are full of appropriate humans for us to feed off of. Only those who are criminals or evil of mind and soul are approved to be fed from. If I find that anyone has fed off of an innocent they will face me. Is that understood?"

What Runi didn't know was that, as he was talking the Orange eyes that he now had, burned brighter and everyone could see power crackling behind those eyes. Even Samson and Lugh, who were not easily intimidated found themselves hoping to never see those eyes turned on them in true anger. No one dared to challenge Runi on his order, and his eyes slowly returned to normal as he saw everyone agree. "Thank you. There are very few things that I will not tolerate, but the feeding from innocents is one of them." He paused long enough to allow everyone in the room to calm down some before he continued.

"Next will be something that I am sure many of you will be interested in. Starting tomorrow evening, I will begin teaching extras to those who wish to learn them. However, I have one rule for anyone who wishes to attend. If I am going to teach you an extra, you must be willing to teach your extra to anyone in the Family that wishes to learn it." He pointed to Drew Lyle, one of the gang kids, and motioned for the boy to join him up front. Slowly he stood and walked over to stand in front of him. Gently Runi turned him around, and then moved to stand next to Drew. "Drew here will be in charge of the family records. It will be his responsibility to keep track of what Extras all of you know, and when someone wants to learn a new one, it is his job to put that person with someone who knows the Extra. I do not require you to learn any other Extras, but I would encourage it. However, remember my rule, if you wish to learn from someone else, you have to be willing to teach."

Runi was greeted with nods from everyone, some enthusiastic, while others were more reluctant, but everyone had agreed to his rules. "Now, I know that some of you may not wish to leave here for a while, and that is fine. But I also do not want anyone to think that they can not go out if they so choose. However, for safety reasons, I do not want anyone leaving this house alone. If you have something that you feel is private, simply ask someone to go with you, but when you get where you are going, to stay back, and let you do what you need to do. Samson is in charge of security for us, so if you need anything in that regard, you will speak to him."

Again Runi paused to make sure everyone was following what he was saying before he moved onto the next section. "Something you must all consider. When I was told to reform the Hawks, I did so knowing that a war was coming. I do not know what form or shape this war will take, but I have some ideas. I feel this war will take the form of us putting a stop to the evils within the Vampire world. This will not be a quick war, but it will be dangerous. For that, I am naming Lugh as my General." He looked Lugh in the eyes, and saw them go from shock to agreement and even pride. It was what he was... a warrior. "Lugh, if you accept, I will get with you soon and tell you what I expect from you."

Lugh stood up, and then slowly bowed to Runi, feeling somewhat out of place by doing so. "It will be my honor to lead your armies, Elder." Normally Runi does not stand for formality, but in this case, it was appropriate.

"Thank you." Runi said sincerely, then paused to look out over the rest of the group. After several moments of silence, he saw Shane raise his hand. "Shane..." Runi said in way of acknowledgment.

Shane slowly rose to his feet, and everyone could see that his knees were shaking. "Runi... Elder...Uhhh... I would like to request that... well... I want to be turned." He said the last part in a rush, and stunned silence greeted his words.

Cedric was the first one to find his voice. "No Shane! You're too young!"

Shane turned towards his father with fire in his eyes. "Tell that to most of the people in this room." He shot back with unrestrained anger.

Runi knowing that this conversation should not happen here in front of everyone else, spoke up. "Perhaps you should talk to your family first."

Shane turned his glare towards Runi. "No, this is what I want to do. I've thought about it constantly for the last week. This is what I am going to do."

"No you're not!" Cedric said emphatically. Hope put a restraining arm on the man's shoulder, but he just shrugged it away.

Runi decided to put an end to this. First he turned to Cedric. "I am sorry sir, but the choice is not yours. It is up to Shane if he wants to be turned, and then it is up to myself if I will accept." He then turned to Shane. "For now, I am NOT accepting. Speak to me in one week. During that time I want you to speak with your parents, and especially Ramon." Shane stared daggers into Runi's eyes, and for a moment the little vampire was actually impressed that the human boy had the will power to try and stare down Runi. 'He will make a very interesting Vampire...' Runi thought to himself. Of course, he wasn't about to let a human stare him down, no matter how much he liked him.

Thankfully the staring match ended quickly when the door bell rang. All eyes turned towards the door, but it was Samson who moved first. When he got to the door, he looked over his shoulder, right at Runi. The small boy gave a nod as he pulled the hood of his cloak up, and over his head.

When Samson opened the door, everyone saw three Half lifes standing there. Two boys and a girl. The youngest looked to be about twelve, while the oldest, the girl, looked to be about fifteen. They were all in torn, ratty clothes, with dirty hair, and faces. They looked like kids who really were homeless, or just came on a long trip, or both.

"May I help you?" Samson asked as gently as he could since it was obvious that he had intimidated them just by his size. All three of them had taken a step back when they saw just how big he was. Samson got down on a knee and said in a soft voice. "It's okay, we're not going to hurt you or anything. Do you guys need a place to stay?"

The oldest one, the girl took a small step forward and nodded. "Yeah... we heard that there was a place for half lifes, that.. that we'd be safe."

"You heard right." Samson said as he stood back up, took a step back, and invited them in. "Welcome home..." Samson said with a smile. The three kids walked into the room and stopped when they saw everyone in the room looking at them. Samson moved to their side after shutting the door, and motioned for them to come into the main room.

Slowly and nervously they followed Samson into the room, and up to where Runi was standing. Deciding to go with protocol, Samson bowed deeply to Runi before speaking. "Elder... I have three who have come seeking your protection."

From inside the hood Runi nodded. Samson stepped to the side and the three were left facing Runi. Slowly Runi rose his hands and pulled back the hood, causing all three of them to gasp as they saw his eyes.

"Fear not from me young ones." Runi said in a soft soothing voice. "If you wish to stay here and join my Family, they I promise to protect you with every ounce of my being." The three stared at him, then the youngest one started to shed tears of relief.

"Thank you... elder." He said quietly, not knowing how he should address someone like Runi.

Runi smiled to calm the young boy. "Think nothing of it. And please, unless you wish to speak with me in an official manner, I prefer my family to call me by name... Runi."

When they nodded, all of them had some tears of relief falling, he pointed over the Duncan, who still had Micah sitting on his lap. "He is Duncan, an adopted Childe of mine. He will see to your needs, and help you settle in. If you have any questions, he's the one to ask."

"Huh?!" Came the response from Duncan who wasn't sure why the responsibility had been dropped onto him. He looked down at Micah, who simply looked up at him. "What do you mean?" Micah said nothing, but continued to stare at him. "No... I can't.. I mean I'm not...." Duncan trailed off as Micah's bottom lip started to quiver slightly. "Oh, okay, fine." He stood up, the young four year old boy switched to his left hip as he walked over to the three new arrivals. "Come on guys, lets get you cleaned up, and into some new clothes. I got some stuff that should fit you guys," Duncan then looked at the girl, then quickly to Jennifer who nodded. "And I know Jennifer has stuff that you can wear for now." He said as he looked back to the girl. The three nodded and silently followed Duncan out of the room.

Runi couldn't help but smile as he looked over at Colt who had walked up next to him. "I now think I have seen the most powerful force in the universe... cuteness." Colt and everyone around them broke out laughing, as did Runi. "Now it makes sense why my teachers always seemed to be wrapped around my finger."

 

---

 

"I can't believe how much stronger I feel now." Hank said as he, Colt and Runi sat around the small table in Colt and Runi's bedroom.

"Hank, there are some things that you need to know about what was done to you." Runi said carefully. "Which is why I asked you to come here. I wanted Colt to listen in because I have a feeling it will be important, although I am not sure why."

"Okay, so what did you want to talk to me about?" Hank asked settling in for a long talk.

"Well, first of all, I figured out why you were able to find out where all the kids were that your former sire turned." Hank's eyes went wide in shock. That was one of the big mysteries that Hank had never been able to figure out.

"Well, I know that you have blocked the night that you were turned from your memory, but I saw it clearly when I turned you. You Sire thought it would be... I believe the term is... kinky, to make you watch as he fed off someone else as he turned you. Well, I don't think he expected you to still be fighting him. So when you bit into him, he was too far gone in the lust of turning someone, that he didn't really notice. You ended up drinking a good bit of his blood while he was turning you. In essence, you were turned properly, but by someone who didn't know everything else that goes into a turning."

"Is that why I was stronger than people thought I should be, and was able to feel him at first?" Hank asked in wonder.

"Yes, although he quickly learned how to block the link that was formed. However, there are times that he would lose focus and the block would slip." Runi said as way of explanation.

"When he was turning someone else..." Hank said looking off out the window.

"Exactly. For now, I have blocked the bond while you dealt with the other new things that you have to deal with. However, I will open that bond slowly over the next few nights. By the time the bond is fully open, you will know exactly where I am, and, once you grow strong enough, we will be able to speak to each other."

"Really?!" Hank said with awe.

"Yes... The bond between a Sire and his Childe is very strong at first, and if we continue to share our blood, it will never diminish." Runi paused for a few moments to let all of that sink into Hanks mind.

When Hank was ready for more, he looked back to Runi. "What else?"

"Well, since I was the one to re-turn you, you will quickly find that your strength and speed have increased. You will also find that your extras are a bit more powerful than you remember, nor will they require as much energy as they used to." He paused again to allow Hank to digest what he had just said, then continued. "I would suggest that you go through your extras and figure out how they may have changed. Do this before you need to use them, so you are prepared for what will happen."

Hank nodded his agreement, then after making sure there was nothing else, left the room to do just that. Runi stood and took Colt's hand. Walking over to the bed, Runi leaned in close to Colt. "Tomorrow evening, we will go visit the Harris's." He said softly before leaning further in and bringing his lips to touch Colts.

Colt simply nodded before the two of them were lost to the lust that is inherent to young teen boys.

 

---

 

Jennifer went looking for Duncan about an hour before the sun was to rise. She hadn't seen him since the meeting broke up when the three new kids showed up.

The two of them had started to get to know each other, and even though Jennifer had thought she would never feel it again, she was starting to feel something for the red headed boy.

When she found him, though, she wasn't really ready for what she saw. He was sitting in his bedroom talking to about ten other kids; the three from earlier, and seven more that she had no idea where they came from. She leaned up against the door frame to listen to what was being said.

"I mean it guys, we ain't gonna force you to do anything you don't want to." Duncan said, sounding sort of exasperated.

"No one does anything for free." One of the boys, a kid who looked to be about twelve said. "So what's the angle?"

"Look guys, it's simple really. The guy who runs this place is a really old vampire..." Duncan started, but got interrupted by the girl that had come in earlier, and borrowed some of Jennifer's clothes.

"Yeah guys, he ain't shittin'. I met some old vampires, and they don't even compare to this dude. He looks like ten, but damn... he's fuckin' OLD!" the entire time she was talking, the other two that came with her were nodding.

"How old?" One of the other kids asked skeptically.

All eyes feel on Duncan who squirmed a bit uncomfortably. "I wouldn't have believed it when I was first told, but I've tasted his blood. I don't doubt it now." They looked at him expectantly for a few seconds. Just as one was about to ask again, Duncan spoke. "He's just over six thousand years old."

There was stunned silence for several moments while the kids tried to digest what Duncan had just said. "No way..." One finally breathed out.

"It's true..." Duncan said softly. "Runi was turned in ancient Egypt. They did things a lot differently then, than they do now. He's trying to bring back the customs that they had back then. I don't know if we can or not, but I will say this much. The way Runi's teaching us to live is so much better than everything I've heard about how the normal vampires live now."

"Like what?" The same twelve year old asked.

"Well basically, we're family. We treat each other like family, we watch out for each other, and we do what we can to help each other out. We take in vampires that need help as long as they agree to join the family and do what we do." Duncan stood up out of his chair, and started to pace around the room in front of the ten kids.

"I don't know what it was like for you guys when you were first turned, but for me, it sucked." He stopped, grinned slightly and shook his head. "No pun intended." That got a round of laughter from the kids, then he continued.

"Anyways, I got to watch as some asshole killed my family, then toy with me for several nights before he raped and turned me." Duncan was actually surprised at how easy it was to talk about now. Maybe the talk he had with the rest of the street kids had really down him some good.

"When I woke up, he was gone, and I was alone. I wondered around alone for almost a month. When I started to get hungry, I didn't know what to do. See, I'm very religious, and the thought of killing someone so I could live, well... it wasn't something I could do. I just about went nuts when Runi found me."

He stopped and looked at each of the kids. "He didn't have to get involved. He could have just walked away from the religious zealot kid who couldn't deal with the truth of what he was now. But he didn't. He got some scum bag off the street and held me while I fed. He wouldn't let me kill the guy, and pulled him away before I did. He then held me while I cried. He took me into the shower and washed me up, and forced me to see what life was like now. He then adopted me." He started pacing again, knowing he had everyone there spell bound.

"When he found out how I got turned, he made it his mission to find out who it was. When he did, he took out the ENTIRE Elder Council because they knew about it, and didn't stop it. He single handedly killed every member of the council; all because they wouldn't stop some asshole from turning kids just for shit and grins. Then he took everything that they had, all their money, and everything else he could, and gave it to me. He forced the councilor from the Great American Council to agree to it. That's the kind of stuff that he's done since I met him. He's saved almost every person that lives here now, and all he's asked is that we try to help out others when we find them."

"I don't know how many of you ever thought about religion, but I'll tell you this much. Runi is everything that I think of when I think of what Jesus would do if he were around now. He doesn't care about who you are, or what's happened to you; if he can help you, he will. As long as you follow the rules, which aren't a problem for me, cause I could see Jesus saying the same things; only feed off the wicked, don't hurt the innocent, help your family as much as you can, and be a good person."

"You're serious aren't you?" The same kid asked. All Duncan could do was nod as he sat back down on the bed, and pulled Micah back onto his lap.

"I don't like being a vampire, but since I don't exactly have a choice about it anymore, I couldn't think of a place I'd rather be. When Runi first told me to take care of the half-lives that come around, I was shocked, I didn't think I could do it, but you know what. He gave me something that I could do that would help a lot of others out, and heck, I can't think of anything I would rather do."

 

---

 

It was minutes before sun rise, and three people were standing just inside the side patio doors. Others had started to bed down a half hour ago, and by now, all those who would be drawn to sleep by the sun were bedded down, waiting for the inevitable.

Understandably, Hank was very nervous. He was dressed in one of Runi's think robes, that covered him from head to toe. If anything were to happen, it would keep direct sunlight off of him.

Colt was there to help if either Runi or Hank had any issues. What he knew that the others didn't was that Mary was also waiting close by, as were some of the security guys.

"Are you feeling the pull?" Runi asked calmly. More calmly than he was actually feeling.

"A little bit, but not as much as I should." Hank said, nervousness shaking his still pre-pubesent voice.

"I do not feel it at all. Interesting." Runi said with a bit of wonder creeping into his voice.

They watched as the sun crested the horizon, and Hank couldn't stop the tears that fell from his eyes as he saw the sun's bright light for the first time in more than twenty years. "It's so beautiful..." Hank breathed out.