Chapter Text
Dracula neared the library, the last remnant of sun sinking over the Carpathian mountains, throwing golden-red highlights against the corridor and his cloak. Since Lisa had moved into his castle this had become his routine; waking early enough to see the sunset, and making his way to the library or laboratory where Lisa studied and worked. She often had questions for him, or wants to talk through what she’s researching. Recently, she had asked for help running a few experiments, and Vlad was only too glad to show her how to use the equipment. After a few hours of this, they ate together; it had been a long time since Vlad had bothered with regular food, but Lisa had reminded him first that it was good manners to share a meal, and second how good regular food could be. Everything had seemed much more worth the effort since she turned up. After dinner Lisa liked to spend some time doing something leisurely– they play cards, or chess, or she plays pianoforte and Vlad listens, even her mistakes sounding beautiful to him. When she sleeps he goes over her notes, leaving comments in the margins, smiling to himself at her written mannerisms.
And of course, recently, there had been other pursuits– ones that stirred a hunger he thought he had forgotten centuries ago.
He paused at the door, watching Lisa take notes, cross-referencing one giant tome against two others. She’s beautiful– focused, precise, careful. In short, she’s changed his life. He loved teaching her, and he loved that she’s not afraid to argue her point, to ask difficult questions. She expected him to be kind and generous, and he rose to her expectations.
“You know, I’ve gotten pretty good at knowing when you’re lurking, Vlad,” Lisa said without looking up from her book. Her voice was warm- full of humor and affection. She had gotten good at sensing him because the castle knew. When he was near the floating candelabras that never reacted to her presence flickered on when he approached, the temperature in the library dropped, just enough to be noticeable. The cavernous rooms of the castle seemed to adjust around him, the dark corners of the rooms and details of the high-vaulted ceilings solidifying in his presence.
Dracula chuckled, stepping into the library. He peered over her shoulder to see what she was working on. Several books on herbal medicine lay open—she seemed to be checking which herbs and remedies were mentioned by all the authors. “Not lurking, just looking.”
His tone caused her to look up, blushing a bit at his attention- though they’ve been together just a few months, he was completely unguarded in his want. She thought that was the benefit of being monstrous- that he can want, demand, grasp for in ways that would be seen as shameful for a human man. The last orange glow slipped from the clerestory windows, deepening the shadows behind him.
“Lord Tepes,” Lisa’s tone is professional, almost like a student speaking to a teacher. Not necessarily discouraging, though she probably means it to be. “It is too early to be looking like that.” Nevertheless, she stood, leaned up to give him a chaste kiss, and allowed him to wrap his arms around her. She’s so warm- he can feel her heart beating and wonders if he can do something subtle to increase her heart rate, to turn her mind away from her studies. As he considered this, he heard something tiny and fluttering below her heart. He freezes, a look of shock and deep affection on his face.
“Vlad?” She took a half a step back, still in his arms, worry apparent on her face as she tried to read his. “What’s… wrong?” It didn’t look like anything was necessarily wrong, but she couldn’t imagine what would cause such a sudden, strong reaction in his generally stoic demeanor.
Vlad dropped to his knees at her feet, pulled her close to him, pressed his face against her abdomen. Lisa blushed, felt her body react to his face so near her waist, to Vlad Dracula Tepes submissive to her, at her feet. But she was so close to finishing her notes for the day. “Soon, love,” she ran her fingers through his hair, pulling gently away from her.
Vlad barely registered her words, so focused as he was on listening for something else. He pressed one ear against the space between her hips- the small, soft pouch behind which her womb cycled, or perhaps had paused its cycle to hold something new. There he heard it- the weak fluttering of a tiny heart. His mind went blank as a tide of emotion rose in him- protectiveness for Lisa and the life growing within her, a deep and immortal loyalty, love the likes of which he’s never felt before. And something else, even less familiar than affection.
Hope.
He meets Lisa’s eyes, unsure how to say all he wants to, so Vlad settles for the facts. “There are two heart beats,” he said, so quiet it’s like a prayer.
Lisa understood what this meant but couldn't process it. “No,” she muttered, trying to pull Vlad to his feet, not meeting his gaze. “I’m a scientist, I’m a student. I’m not..” she couldn’t say it. Lisa stepped away, turned back to her books, and tried to hide the tears welling in her eyes. She was overwhelmed, couldn’t find one singular emotion to hold onto, or even one singular thought.
Vlad stood, watching her. He’s not surprised that she’s not overjoyed. It was a big change for both of them, but for Lisa this derailment represents a much more significant portion of her time and energy. Still, he couldn’t pretend he’s not hurt that she reacted so negatively. He had lived over 400 years and yet, fatherhood is one of the few things he’s never experienced. And watching Lisa turn away from him to hide her tears, he thought, he may still not. Certainly her happiness is worth more than his legacy.
He stepped forward, his hand landing gently on her shoulder. She shook her head, not able to speak. She didn’t shake off his touch but he felt her tense beneath him and removed his hand at her discomfort. “Have you eaten since this morning?”
She grabbed for a thought that is here and now, external rather than internal. She shook her head no. She hadn’t– long days in the library made her forget to eat.
“I’ll bring some dinner in while you finish your notes.” He turned to leave but stopped, turned back, reached for her hand, which she gave after wiping her tears. “We don’t have to talk about it yet.”
His gentleness was grounding. Lisa felt herself return to the present. Here she is safe, and loved, and Vlad would take care of her. She leaned up, planted a tender kiss on his cheek.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Lisa sighed, massaging her temple after refocusing for the third time in the past fifteen minutes. Her hand wandered to her stomach again despite herself. She didn’t feel pregnant- but then, would she? So early on? How early did a neonate grow a heart anyway? She wondered if there would be books about pregnancy, or at least sections on it, somewhere in the library. She closed the books she’d been taking notes from and turned towards the stacks, already finding it easier to organize her thoughts around research.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
When Vlad returned to the library Lisa moved from the smaller desk near the fireplace to the long center table. Several books and scrolls were already open, and he could hear her pacing the stacks nearby. Vlad bent over one of the volumes and recognized an excerpt from the Sha’ar Ha-Nashim. Another contained rough translations of the Carlsburg papyri, a third was an anthology including the works of Soronus, Agnodice, and Galen. Vlad continued down the table, listening to Lisa’s footsteps several shelves away. He considered whether she had pulled every text mentioning pregnancy in his collections. He could follow her logic from the first book, open to a section on how to test for pregnancy, to the next, open on a page about natural aborticides, and then beyond, where multiple scrolls described the progression of pregnancy, its inward and outward symptoms. He felt a groundswell of hope, though he tried to quash it. Further down the table he recognized a few diaries by Vampires who had children with humans in the past. He frowned, picked one up to leaf through- he had collected these works without ever really reading them.
Lisa rounded the corner, brows furrowed, and was startled a bit when she noticed Vlad. “I thought you knew when I was lurking,” his tone was casual but too schooled.
“Maybe just when you’re looking,” she said, a hesitation in her voice that reminded him of her first few weeks in the castle- before they had become comfortable with each other. It stings, but he moved on.
“You look concerned.” He placed the book he had been paging through back on the table.
Lisa gestured to the stack of diaries, “I encountered the idea that bringing a half-vampire into the world would be different than a normal pregnancy and went to find any information on it at all, but all that’s here are accounts from the vampire fathers which are,” she glanced at Vlad, unsure, “frustrating. To say the least.”
“Say what you mean. I have no great respect for most of my own kind, Lisa.”
“Unscientific. Emotional,” she picked up a thick tome bound in red leather, then tossed it back onto the table in frustration. “This one seems so uninterested in the mother of his child- sees her like some animal to breed.” Her disgust was evident, her face pinched, hands on her hips. “I don't even think he enjoyed having sex with women.”
Vlad recognized the handwriting of his predecessor, Walter Bernhardt, and didn't argue.
“And of course the women had no diaries, or if they did, they weren’t preserved. They weren’t considered a matter of scientific or historic relevance,” she glowered at him, tone acrid. “Even female vampires- who might very well experience an entirely different pregnancy in the event of a human/vampire offspring- haven’t had their work preserved.”
“Female vampires can’t sustain a pregnancy,” Vlad offered quietly, not upset by her anger. He assumed he would have felt much the same in her place. But what a difference from the man he had been just a few months ago- that he’d consider another’s perspective so carefully.
She stopped pacing, ran her hands through her hair. She sighed, “that’s fucking stupid.”
Vlad’s eyes widened, a smile twisting the corner of his mouth. She didn’t curse often, and he enjoyed the novelty of it when she did. “Why?”
She touched one of the books a few feet down the table. “Producing spermatozoa is a biological process. By any stretch of the imagination, you shouldn’t be able to do it at all, being undead.” He raised an eyebrow but let her continue. “Meanwhile, women are born with all of our ovum- one would expect all of them to be turned undead as well when a woman is turned.”
“Ah, but female vampires don’t menstruate," Vlad explained, comforted by the familiarity of this banter. “Without their own blood, they can’t build up the lining around the uterus for the fertilized ovum to cling to.”
“So none of you should be able to reproduce, but the men mysteriously can? Typical.” Lisa calmed, taking in the resources spread before her- the books and her lover, watching her intently. She returned to him at the far end of the table, leaned against him. Though he didn't have an answer for her- hadn’t given much thought to Dhampyre children in centuries- he stroked her back, offering silent support.
The far door opened; two vampire servants entered, carrying several trays. Lisa said “Thank you,” and the same moment Dracula hissed, “ten minutes late.” They bowed to Dracula and, separately, to Lisa after setting the trays on a nearby desk. Vlad took notice of this– Lisa already had a reputation for lessening the consequences of displeasing him among the underlings. He reminded himself that he’ll have to fix that soon.
“Don’t be angry with them,” Lisa said after they left, and Vlad rolled his eyes but let it go. Lisa made herself a plate and sat at the long table, reading while she ate. Vlad sat with her, ate a bit, but mostly watched her.
“So, you lack knowledge when it comes to Dhampyre pregnancies, and that worries you.” She hummed her agreement, only half listening. “But you know that there are options. You don’t have to continue this pregnancy if you don’t want to.”
Lisa looked up from her book, her eyes wide and thoughtful. “You wouldn’t forbid it? You wouldn’t want to end our- relationship,” she hesitated, “if I were to choose that?”
Vlad sighed, reached out, and felt steadied when she took his hand. “My primary concern is for your happiness. It would bring me greater joy than I deserve to be a father to your child, Lisa,” he paused, glancing at her stomach, “but if it would bring you suffering to go through with it, I would help you end your pregnancy.”
Lisa held his gaze, waited to see if he would flinch, if this is something he’ll say now, in theory, but will feel differently about it if it comes to pass. She doesn’t think so. “How long do I have to decide?”
Vlad considered, “Dhampyr usually gestate and mature faster than human children. Since this is the first time I’ve heard a heartbeat, it’s likely you’re at about six weeks gestation, though you may have conceived more recently. After two weeks an herbal abortive may be less effective, but it could still work up to four weeks from now.”
“And, if the herbs don’t work?”
Vlad shifted, uncomfortable, “if the herbs don’t work, ending the pregnancy would require surgery– which I could do. But, Lisa,” he hesitated, worry clear on his face, “there’s always a risk of infection or complications.”
Lisa nodded, not really interested in going under the knife. “Let me think about it. I’ll have an answer for you by the end of the week.” They ate in silence, Lisa finally focused on dinner rather than the texts littering the table.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“Dhampyre… that’s the word for a half human, half vampire?” Lisa asked later, wrapped in Vlad’s cape though otherwise naked, sprawled on his silk sheets. She was pleasantly surprised that the pregnancy- and the possibility of ending it- hadn’t dulled either of their passions. She snuggled further into the pillows, cozy in the afterglow of sex and the dim glow of light from the girandoles.
“Yes.”
“And are there many of them? Compared to vampires?”
“No,” Vlad conceded, a bit uneasy to speak on the subject. He rested his head against her thigh,absentmindedly tracing alchemical symbols on her hip. Lisa knew that from this vantage point he could hear the second heart beating within her, and she wondered if he insisted on going down on her for this reason. She didn’t mind the thought- in fact, his eagerness to be a father surprised and endeared her. “There aren’t many of them,” Vlad said quietly.
When he didn’t elaborate, she asked. “Why not? Two of the diaries from other vampires mentioned that they’re immortal, so shouldn’t there be… more of them?” She smiles, amusing herself, “Enough for a whole Dhampyric city somewhere just slightly warmer than here?” She idly scratched his scalp, twisting her fingers in his hair.
“Dhampyres have some advantages-- they’re safe in the sun, they don’t need blood–” though they may desire it as much as we do, Dracula remembered, but doesn’t want to speak it aloud just yet “--but they’re usually weaker than their vampire parent. Physically, but they also often lack certain powers-- shapeshifting, certain types of magic. They’re more visible, because they often choose not to break with human society entirely, and are easier to hunt.”
Lisa sighed, contemplating an immortal being living among humanity. “I wouldn’t want our child to be cut off from humanity. I don’t think it’s healthy- for you either,” she reminded him, poking his cheek. She wondered if they could prepare their child for the losses of living in human society– if they could raise a resilient child.
Vlad groaned, trying to distract her, his fingers working closer to her inner thigh. “But if I left the castle, I would be away from you.”
“And if you don’t leave the castle, you will lose me anyway,” she reminded him- she meant to hold out on the sex until he had shown some commitment to traveling, to being a man rather than allowing himself to act like a monster. But he’s so knowledgeable, so kind to her. So, if she’s honest, intoxicatingly attractive, especially when he acquiesced to her every whim. And she was only human, after all. That’s what she told herself when she considered how embarrassing it was that she dodged marriage to village boys in Lupu for the past eight years but fell into Vlad Dracula Tepes’ bed months after entering his castle.
“Would you still leave me, if you had my child? Would you take our child away from me?” Vlad’s tone shifted, suddenly deep and dangerous, his mouth twisted to show off the tips of his fangs. She faltered, realizing that having a child with Dracula- the Dracula from the stories, the centuries old Vampire King- would carry consequences that having a man’s child never could. Not at all like starting a family with a village boy from Lupu.
Lisa considered her words carefully. “If I felt we couldn’t be more than co-parents anymore, I would try to stay in your home a nyway, at least until our child was grown, and could decide what they want from their life. Only if I felt unsafe- or felt the child was unsafe- would I leave. And, if I left, I would take them with me,” she finished, apologetic but firm.
“Fine,” Dracula growled as he pulled away, sitting up to his full height. “But permit me to stay by your side, helping with your studies, until the child is old enough to remain safely in your care.”
Lisa hesitated, uncomfortable making hypothetical promises. And what did he mean by ‘until the child is old enough to remain safely in your care?’ “If I have this child, I’d of course want you to be with us” She reached up, locked her arms around his neck, and pulled him down to her, kissing him roughly. She can’t handle more questions tonight. She just wants him, and what they had before this evening. Uncomplicated, undefined. He kisses her back, slowing her rushing lips, pulling away before he can begin to react to her body against his.
“You don’t have to seduce me, Lisa.” He held her face gently. Vlad thought he could spend decades just looking at her. “You can say you want to be done talking about this.”
Lisa swallowed around something- not fear, but close. Vulnerability, maybe. The intimacy of this surprised her, made her shiver. “I want to be done talking about this, Vlad. I want to sleep.”
He let her go, settled back into the bed. When she lay on his chest, he felt a swell of love. Maybe she would choose this life. With him. With their child. Maybe this time… he could have the life he thought he’d lost nearly 400 years ago.