Chapter Text
Months passed with Pyro in the manor, with Owen trying to see him once a week when able. It was a week after Pyro's move to California that Owen saw his brother again. His brother whose hair was now white, his skin paler than it should be and his eyes red.
Pyro smiled more, talked about things he'd learned, information he'd had at his fingertips. He found himself befriending Drift, helping her with some of her investigations, found himself with contacts he hadn't had before. He found himself throwing himself into research and journalism.
Scott was determined to ensure that Pyro was cared for correctly. That meant keeping him as close as possible, it meant ensuring he was cared for and held as someone precious not a pawn.
Scott kept Pyro close, introduced him as his brother and smiled when filming started and he watched Owen see Pyro sat in the corner of the room researching something for an article he was writing, something he'd started researching after Drift shared a case with him. They were working on it together.
Shelby and Pyro's fights over who was older were stopped by Scott gently ruffling their hair one night and asking why they couldn't just claim they were twins, if they were so set on arguing about who was older that much.
Shelby then started to introduce Pyro as such, smiling as she talked about how both her and her twin were writers, how she wrote stories and he wrote articles, how they both shared a love of rats.
Owen watched Pyro become their brother.
Though they never wrote Owen out of the picture.
He was their unnamed third brother.
He heard it in their words, in how they talked about a brother who enjoyed acting.
They made room for him, though was it truly for him or for who he'd been in his last life?
He hadn't planned on learning which it was.
One day Louis sat him down to talk about a friend he'd met, a woman who ran the soup kitchen he volunteered at. A woman who Owen had met a few times, a woman whose sister owned a no kill shelter that seemed to always be expanding and taking in more animals.
A woman named Elle.
A woman who had invited them to dinner.
It should have been a simple dinner.
~~~~
Elle hadn't known that the Louis who volunteered at her soup kitchen was- well Owen's Louis. It was a common name. She hadn't thought the man she met was the man who she'd heard Owen talk about in the decades she knew him before his death.
She didn't think that by inviting Louis and his partner over for dinner that she'd be inviting in Louis and Owen. That she'd be opening a can of worms.
It was just going to be her and Avid at home.
Shelby was with Scott working on things for their show, Drift and Pyro were out doing research for a case.
It was just going to be Elle and Avid, perfect for a dinner party with humans.
A dinner with people they knew without having to worry about answering questions about the blood in the wine glasses and how rare the steaks were that everyone around were eating.
Tim joined them for this dinner as well, in California for the month to visit.
It was just going to be the three of them and Louis and his partner.
No vampires allowed.
~~~~
Owen didn't think he'd ever return to the Goldsmith Manor.
Yet here he was with Louis because he'd been invited to dinner.
Scott wasn't here.
Pyro wasn't here.
Shelby wasn't here.
There were no vampires here, just Avid and Elle and a man whose voice sounded like a slightly older version of the man on the tape.
The man smiled as he offered his hand to Louis.
"Tim Stoker-Blackwood-Sims"
"Louis. It's nice to meet you, Tim."
"Likewise."
"This is my husband, Owen."
"Nice to meet you Owen."
Owen smiled as he shook Tim's hand, as if he hadn't heard this man on a tape from two hundred years ago.
"A pleasure."
A voice came from behind them and a woman emerged, a smile on her face.
"Louis! Hello! Come on in, come on in! Dinner's just about done."
"Oh I hope we're not too early."
"Nonsense! You're just on time! Owen, it's lovely to see you again. Come, you have to meet my sister, she's just inside. Her partners are both out at work tonight, it's rare that we have so few people in the house. Just the three of us. Four if Abolish visits. He claims he's not part of the family, but he's got his own room and shows up to every family dinner he can."
Abolish.
The man who had driven him home and given him his number. The man who had told him that they'd missed him, that sometimes after so long alive you can find yourself mourning an idea more than a person.
Abolish who hadn't tried to get him to return, merely given Owen his number in case he needed something or had questions and had left.
Tim laughed as he passed them on his way to the kitchen.
"He's family. Everyone here has a stray problem, Drift and Scott collect stray cats, Abolish and Avid find so many stray dogs, Elle was followed by a cow for a block once and collects people almost as quickly as Shelby. Don't even get me started on Shelby, she's always collecting people. Siblings, friends, partners, you name it she has at least two."
"What about P-"
"Rats."
"…Yeah. Shelby also takes in rats."
"Because of him."
"True."
Pyro.
They were talking about his brother so simply as if he was part of their family.
There was a moment before another person entered the room, a salad bowl in her hands.
"Tim you say that as if you don't adopt every member of the Magnus Archives whenever they hire more people."
Tim laughed, though Louis cut in before he could respond.
"You know the Magnus Institute? Owen's brother used to work in the Archives."
Tim smiled as he motioned for them to sit down at the table while Avid and Elle carried in the last few dishes.
"I worked there a while ago."
"Pyro said it's a dangerous place."
"It can be, the Archives especially. I try to help out when I can. I lost a friend to the Institute, almost died myself working there. So did my husbands."
"Oh my I'm sorry to hear that."
"It was years ago. Now I make sure others don't meet their fate."
"Why can't you get it shut down?"
"Oh we've tried, the head has too many connections, too much money."
Elle spoke next as she sat down.
"It helps us that our family is so…influential. Keeps him from trying anything with us. Keeps people safe when he realizes we know them."
Tim laughed then, a smile on his face.
"He's mostly scared of Gem. Sweetest person you'll ever meet while also being the most terrifying."
Before anything else could be said there was something touching Owen's legs.
Owen looked under the table to see a cat looking up at him.
"Hello there."
There was silence for a moment before Elle spoke.
"Oh that's The Admiral. He's Tim's cat, follows him everywhere."
Tim shook his head.
"My husband's cat. I got him in the will."
Oh.
Owen watched the realization dawn on Louis' face. Before anything could be said Tim noticed their reactions and spoke.
"Age is something that's hard to beat."
Elle shook her head lightly.
"Lets talk about something lighter, yes?"
"Yes, lets."
~~~~
Dinner was a lovely thing.
Elle was quite glad that it went well. She smiled as she, Louis, Tim, Avid and Owen sat on the couch after dinner, Admiral on Owen's lap while her dog Lucky and Avid's service dog Allium lay nearby. Louis watched as Bishop, Drift's cat, made her way towards him.
"Oh who is this one?"
"That's Bishop, she's Drift's cat. There's a few more animals wandering around. Two more cats and another three dogs. There are rats as well in their cages."
"You all love animals, don't you?"
"We do. Avid and I were never allowed pets as kids in the orphanage. She got a dog the moment she could. I got one when I moved in with her, back when we lived in New York."
Avid smiled as she chimed in.
"Abolish has a tendency to bring home strays. Though he's also helpful for getting homes for the pets at the shelter."
Louis tilted his head, intrigued.
"Really?"
"Yep. He's got contacts all over. Whenever someone says anything about wanting a pet or he thinks he's found one that they'll like he's quick to make sure that the animal's given the best home possible. It's turned into a running joke with all of the people he's close with. Every household has a 'maximum amount of pets allowed' sign somewhere."
Louis laughed.
"Have you hit your max then?"
"Not yet!"
Elle laughed, a light thing as she shook her head at Avid.
"She's been wanting to bring in some of the older dogs that don't get adopted, though we have to be careful with the pets we get seeing as we have so many. At least we're no longer in New York. She kept trying to bring home pigeons."
Avid pouted at Elle.
"They needed good homes."
"The cats would have tried to eat them, Avid."
"They don't eat Shelby's rats!"
"Because the rats live in a cage when the cats are around."
~~~~
On the way home Louis was the first to speak.
"That's where Pyro's living, isn't it?"
"It is."
There was silence for a moment.
"They didn't seem like vampires."
"Elle and Avid and Tim aren't. I'm not sure what they are. But Shelby, Scott, Drift and Pyro? They're vampires."
"I don't doubt you my love."
Silence.
"They seem lovely."
"You haven't met Scott."
"You haven't introduced me."
"Louis-"
"Owen. I'm not saying you must be around them, but you must agree with me that they're kind people. Maybe Scott's a bit…much to handle. Every family has someone that's difficult. I'm just saying, these are Pyro's people, maybe try to get to know them and see them as more than just people trying to steal away your brother."
Silence.
"I'll give them a chance."
"Thank you, love."
~~~~
Scott hadn't been expecting for Owen to come over for dinner with Louis behind him, though he saw it as progress.
He smiled as he invited them inside.
"Come inside, dinner will be done soon."
He watched as Owen and Louis stepped inside, as Owen kept himself between Scott and Owen.
"I'm glad you've decided to come to family dinner this month Owen. We've got quite the full house tonight, most of the family is here."
Owen raised an eyebrow at him.
"Most?"
"Oh, Cleo and Pearl elected to stay home this month, they're hosting next month though. They travel as little as they can with Doc so old. And Martyn and Ren have only just returned. Apo and Cherri have also decided to come this month, though they're rare to see here. I'm sure Apo only agreed to come because Pyro invited her."
There was a crash from another room and Scott sighed as he heard Gem's voice shout that everyone was fine.
"Full house today. Come, I'll introduce you to everyone."
Scott made his way to the living room where Gem was laughing with Drift and Tango, the others either outside or in the kitchen.
"Louis, Owen, this is Gem, Tango and Drift."
Louis smiled as he went to offer a hand for them to shake.
"Louis, it's lovely to meet you all."
~~~~
Tango stared at Louis.
Louis he'd been told had returned.
Louis who he'd lost.
Louis who was stood, holding his hand out to Tango with a smile, introducing himself because in this life they'd not yet met.
"Likewise."
"Can I…is it rude to ask about who turned who?"
Tango smiled as he motioned for Louis to sit.
"I turned Scott and Gem."
And you the first time was unsaid.
He didn't want to scare him.
"Scott turned Pyro, Apo and Drift. Shelby and Cleo were turned by Pyro back in Oakhurst, Avid by Shelby, though he…was cured in a way."
Killed went unsaid.
"Apo turned her wife, Cherri and another member of Oakhurst who I've yet to meet. Cleo turned their wife, Pearl."
Louis nodded, stared at Tango silently before he spoke.
"And you all think that Owen and Pyro are reincarnations of people from Oakhurst?"
Tim was the one to respond as he walked into the room.
"We know. Besides Pyro's memories and the fact they're nearly identical to how they were back then, not a thing that happens every time."
His eyes slid to Gem before he looked back at Louis.
"I can see bits of souls, living ghosts in a way. I met Pyro's ghost before he moved on. Met Owen before he died. Met your ghost as well."
"My ghost."
"Your ghost."
"Right. Owen said that the tape he heard had mentioned me."
Tim nodded.
"Yep."
There was silence for a moment before Louis spoke again.
"Were Owen and I vampires?"
It was Tango who responded.
"Yes."
"Who turned us?"
"I turned you. You turned Owen. You wrote to me about him, about how I needed to meet him."
He watched Louis' face, watched him nod.
There was silence for a moment before Louis spoke.
"Can I ask who turned you?"
Oh.
Well-
…
"My older sister, False."
There was silence for a moment, as if Louis was thinking about asking if she was there before Shelby burst into the room.
"Owen! Louis! Hello!!!"
He watched as Louis turned to Shelby.
"Hello. You must be Shelby."
"I am!"
"It's nice to meet you, Shelby."
"It's nice to meet you too! Owen's said you like to garden?"
Louis nodded and Shelby's smile only grew.
"Oh you'll love the backyard!"
~~~~
Pyro was in the back yard talking to Elle when Shelby came outside, a burst of energy as she showed Louis to the garden. Owen came to his side, leaving Louis with Shelby though keeping an eye on them as he smiled at Pyro.
"How have you been, Pyro?"
Owen speak for 'are you hurt, do you want to come home?'
"I'm doing well. I've got an office near Shelby's now. Scott insisted that if I'm going to shut myself away in a room to work it should be a room for work and not a room for rest. I'll have to show you my office after dinner."
It was a cozy thing, a small office with bookshelves, a nice desk and a small reading nook with a comfortable chair lit by lamps.
"I'd love to see it."
There was silence for a moment before Elle spoke.
"Pyro, why don't you introduce Owen to Apo?"
"Oh! Yes, you'll love her."
Pyro started to walk towards where Apo was sat nearby talking to Abolish.
"Owen, this is Apo."
Apo looked up at Owen with a raised eyebrow before she motioned for him to sit besides her.
"Join us, we're shit talking Scott."
"Apo."
"Pyro."
Pyro shook his head at her, he really should expect this.
"At least Cleo isn't her-"
"Oh I was just about to call them so they could join in on the gossip session."
Pyro walked away then to return to Elle and finish their conversation.
This was either a wonderful idea or a way to get Scott staked.
~~~~
Louis sat next to Owen and watched as this coven of vampires and other cryptids of some kind sat together, smiling and laughing. They made sure to include Owen and Louis in on conversations, to make sure they weren't left out.
Louis watched as Owen's walls softened.
It was nice to see Owen and Pyro both with a family this large, even if Owen didn't see how he'd already begun to see Shelby as his family right with Pyro.
He wouldn't mind coming around more often. Wouldn't mind this chaotic family being his.