The first indication anyone in the Acton household had of their visitor arriving was the loud revving of an engine approaching at speed through the admittedly sleepy streets that surrounded them. As that engine drew closer, it became obvious that it belonged to a motorcycle, stopping with terrifying abruptness outside the Acton house. The rider jumped off, and headed straight for the porch, shaking her hair out as she removed the helmet from her head. She didn't even bother to knock, simply walking straight in through the door and jumping on Tobias in an embrace that would have thrown anyone else onto the floor. The vampire simply laughed and hugged her, seemingly oblivious to the audience they had for a long overdue reunion.
"Toby, you old reprobate, it has been far too long since you called me!" a warm voice declared out of the wild mane of hair that seemed to have enveloped both heads for the time being. "I'm only in New York, it's not like I'm a thousand miles away anymore!"
Tobias chuckled again, putting his friend down on her own feet and blowing her hair out of his mouth. "Lauren, you know perfectly well that I never call unless I need to," he reminded her fondly. "And that you are welcome to barge in here at any time. Always have been."
The proclaimed Lauren shook her long hair back out of her face and grinned. "Not when you've got company, poodle," she teased the vampire, and turned her attention onto Nick and Willow. The first thing that caught the attention was her eyes - pale, pale green and bright with liveliness, but old, too, in a way you wouldn't notice if you didn't know what you were looking at. She was still young and vibrant, tall, and possessed of clever fingers and wide lips that were ready to smile. It was hard to believe that she really was over one hundred and fifty years old. "You must be the Gregorys," she said cheerfully. "I'm Lauren."
Nick studied her with interest, noting the differences and similarities to both vampires and humans. If he didn't know better, he might have mistaken her for human, but there was something about her that told him otherwise, and it wasn't just the paleness of her green eyes. It was hard to believe she was as old as Tobias claimed, especially given her seemingly cheerful disposition. Nick couldn't help but notice that she was drop dead gorgeous, admiring her beauty like one might admire a work of art, but nothing more. He had eyes for one woman and one woman alone. "I'm Nick," he introduced himself from the perch he'd taken on the arm of Willow's chair, hovering beside her protectively. "This is Willow, my wife," he continued, introducing the woman at his side.
"Nick, and Willow," Lauren nodded, absorbing the names before her pale gaze flickered down to Willow's midriff. "And daughter, I see." She hesitated then, glancing at Tobias. "I assume that's why I'm here. They do know, yes?"
Tobias chuckled, nodding to her. "Yes, they know," he assured her. "Sit down, girl, stop bouncing around like a deranged billiard ball. Nick, Willow ....this is Laurentia Emmeline VanArkle, who currently goes by just Lauren, since she's become a somewhat notorious designer."
As Lauren laughed at her introduction and thumped down onto the couch, pulling Tobias down beside her, Willow couldn't help smiling. Strange though the situation was, it was also heartening to meet this apparently rare creature who was far more normal than she had been expecting.
Nick wasn't so easily swayed or convinced as his wife. As a cop, he'd been paid to be suspicious, especially when someone looked too good to be true. Trust was something that was earned with Nick, not given so easily, though he knew she was there to offer what help she could. "What do you mean, daughter?" he asked, backtracking to one of the first things she'd said to them before Tobias had gotten off track with his introduction. It would take more than a fancy name and profession to impress the former homicide detective.
Lauren took her eyes from Tobias to meet Nick's gaze head on, not intimidated by a new vampire in the slightest. It didn't seem there could be much at all that would frighten her. "Well, you're expecting a baby," she shrugged. "And she's like me, which means she's a girl. No male dhampir has ever been born - must be a genetic flaw, or maybe it's just human DNA protecting itself. A male dhampir could impregnate thousands of women over the course of his lifetime, and the world just isn't ready for that amount of power to be concentrated into a new hybrid race."
She looked to Willow, who looked a little surprised. The human woman, however, wasn't going to speak until she got an indication from her husband that he was okay with her talking to the newcomer, no matter how engaging Lauren could be.
Nick looked a little surprised by her answer, for more reasons than one. He had a strange feeling the child growing inside Willow was a girl, but he had no way of knowing for sure until now, and he wondered if it had just been a lucky guess or if he'd sensed it somehow. Then there was the fact that they'd had to hear this from the dhampir, rather than from Tobias, which left Nick wondering whether the vampire had withheld that little piece of information or whether he simply hadn't known. "What kind of power?" he asked curiously. It made sense that male dhampirs might be a bad thing, but every answer always seemed to lead to another question.
To his credit, Tobias was as surprised and interested as they were, expecting to learn a few things himself in the course of this interview. He kept himself quiet, though, more for Willow's sake, offering no interjection to keep her from feeling awkward about not speaking.
Lauren, on the other hand, was only too ready to answer any questions put to her. She'd done plenty of research on her own kind over the years, as close to an expert as they were ever likely to meet. "You know what kind of power, Nick, you have it," she pointed out. "Being a vampire doesn't just give you strength, and speed, and agility, and heightened senses. It makes you the perfect predator. But it balances out. You have weaknesses. I don't. Oh, I can still be killed by pretty much any means, but I have everything you have, and everything a human has. If I wanted it, I could put myself in the highest position of power in the country, and I'll bet you anything, the general population would think it was the best idea ever. It's all about seduction, all about appealing to what makes your prey comfortable, happy, secure. You can do that. I can do it. And if I was a man, spreading my seed, fathering a new race ....how long do you think it would be before a pure human became nothing more than a luxury food source?"
"Toby, you old reprobate, it has been far too long since you called me!" a warm voice declared out of the wild mane of hair that seemed to have enveloped both heads for the time being. "I'm only in New York, it's not like I'm a thousand miles away anymore!"
Tobias chuckled again, putting his friend down on her own feet and blowing her hair out of his mouth. "Lauren, you know perfectly well that I never call unless I need to," he reminded her fondly. "And that you are welcome to barge in here at any time. Always have been."
The proclaimed Lauren shook her long hair back out of her face and grinned. "Not when you've got company, poodle," she teased the vampire, and turned her attention onto Nick and Willow. The first thing that caught the attention was her eyes - pale, pale green and bright with liveliness, but old, too, in a way you wouldn't notice if you didn't know what you were looking at. She was still young and vibrant, tall, and possessed of clever fingers and wide lips that were ready to smile. It was hard to believe that she really was over one hundred and fifty years old. "You must be the Gregorys," she said cheerfully. "I'm Lauren."
Nick studied her with interest, noting the differences and similarities to both vampires and humans. If he didn't know better, he might have mistaken her for human, but there was something about her that told him otherwise, and it wasn't just the paleness of her green eyes. It was hard to believe she was as old as Tobias claimed, especially given her seemingly cheerful disposition. Nick couldn't help but notice that she was drop dead gorgeous, admiring her beauty like one might admire a work of art, but nothing more. He had eyes for one woman and one woman alone. "I'm Nick," he introduced himself from the perch he'd taken on the arm of Willow's chair, hovering beside her protectively. "This is Willow, my wife," he continued, introducing the woman at his side.
"Nick, and Willow," Lauren nodded, absorbing the names before her pale gaze flickered down to Willow's midriff. "And daughter, I see." She hesitated then, glancing at Tobias. "I assume that's why I'm here. They do know, yes?"
Tobias chuckled, nodding to her. "Yes, they know," he assured her. "Sit down, girl, stop bouncing around like a deranged billiard ball. Nick, Willow ....this is Laurentia Emmeline VanArkle, who currently goes by just Lauren, since she's become a somewhat notorious designer."
As Lauren laughed at her introduction and thumped down onto the couch, pulling Tobias down beside her, Willow couldn't help smiling. Strange though the situation was, it was also heartening to meet this apparently rare creature who was far more normal than she had been expecting.
Nick wasn't so easily swayed or convinced as his wife. As a cop, he'd been paid to be suspicious, especially when someone looked too good to be true. Trust was something that was earned with Nick, not given so easily, though he knew she was there to offer what help she could. "What do you mean, daughter?" he asked, backtracking to one of the first things she'd said to them before Tobias had gotten off track with his introduction. It would take more than a fancy name and profession to impress the former homicide detective.
Lauren took her eyes from Tobias to meet Nick's gaze head on, not intimidated by a new vampire in the slightest. It didn't seem there could be much at all that would frighten her. "Well, you're expecting a baby," she shrugged. "And she's like me, which means she's a girl. No male dhampir has ever been born - must be a genetic flaw, or maybe it's just human DNA protecting itself. A male dhampir could impregnate thousands of women over the course of his lifetime, and the world just isn't ready for that amount of power to be concentrated into a new hybrid race."
She looked to Willow, who looked a little surprised. The human woman, however, wasn't going to speak until she got an indication from her husband that he was okay with her talking to the newcomer, no matter how engaging Lauren could be.
Nick looked a little surprised by her answer, for more reasons than one. He had a strange feeling the child growing inside Willow was a girl, but he had no way of knowing for sure until now, and he wondered if it had just been a lucky guess or if he'd sensed it somehow. Then there was the fact that they'd had to hear this from the dhampir, rather than from Tobias, which left Nick wondering whether the vampire had withheld that little piece of information or whether he simply hadn't known. "What kind of power?" he asked curiously. It made sense that male dhampirs might be a bad thing, but every answer always seemed to lead to another question.
To his credit, Tobias was as surprised and interested as they were, expecting to learn a few things himself in the course of this interview. He kept himself quiet, though, more for Willow's sake, offering no interjection to keep her from feeling awkward about not speaking.
Lauren, on the other hand, was only too ready to answer any questions put to her. She'd done plenty of research on her own kind over the years, as close to an expert as they were ever likely to meet. "You know what kind of power, Nick, you have it," she pointed out. "Being a vampire doesn't just give you strength, and speed, and agility, and heightened senses. It makes you the perfect predator. But it balances out. You have weaknesses. I don't. Oh, I can still be killed by pretty much any means, but I have everything you have, and everything a human has. If I wanted it, I could put myself in the highest position of power in the country, and I'll bet you anything, the general population would think it was the best idea ever. It's all about seduction, all about appealing to what makes your prey comfortable, happy, secure. You can do that. I can do it. And if I was a man, spreading my seed, fathering a new race ....how long do you think it would be before a pure human became nothing more than a luxury food source?"