A few months had gone by peacefully. The pregnancy has been great, but the stress has caused me to lose some weight, when I should be gaining. I lost my appetite, and had started to struggle with preeclampsia, all serious things I acknowledge. Lucian had made peace with the idea that the baby may not be his, or rather he might be starting too, he made a joke that the baby seemed to be sucking the life out of me, he felt bad apologized and awkwardly left. Sometimes I find him watching me from a distance, and I know he is worried. He did feel distant from me, but it may have been for the best. He doesn’t know it, but I saw him that day. What he did... and for the first time I was faced with the realization that he was indeed a werewolf. Lucian had never shown me his other form, and I had never asked to see it. Foolish of me, because now I was afraid, in love but afraid. The obvious truth shown on my face each time I looked in a mirror, and realized... I truly knew nothing of my husband. Once again, I rushed blindly into something, someone. In the face of Vlad’s abuse, I was all to ready to throw my arms around another. If it means feeling safe, loved and accepted. But now my problem stood before me, I know nothing about him, but will he be willing to open up to me. And will I be able to accept what’s handed to me considering what I’ve seen. I don’t want to stay with someone out of fear, I want to be sure I love, and can love everything he throws at me. If he is indeed a werewolf, that means he has been alive for a long time. It did seem like him and Vlad knew one another, and Vlad did say something in reference to them and another. I scratched my pregnancy brain to try and remember but it alas, useless. It might be easier to just confront him directly.My phone goes off and It’s a message from William?“If you desire answers, come meet me where you feel the safest” I feel my brow furrow. And then I hear Lucian’s voice behind me.“I think he means the beach, as you tend to go there when you are sad” and I jumped and turned around dropping my phone, he catches it and hands it to me.“I think you should go Celeste” I took my phone back and stared at him confused.“You are telling me, your pregnant wife, to go see a man you don’t know” I said half joking, but also half serious. “What’s up”“Nothing, he just might have answers to questions” he shrugged and started to walk away.I started to reach out, but he stopped walking.“I realized you, might have questions, seeking answers and I am sorry for not opening that door wider for you”Guilt itched into my heart “To be fair I never asked” I whispered.“And he might be able to better answer some other questions for you, they probably have a lot to explain to you”“Lucian, do you know William?”Lucian looked at me out the corner of his eye, “You should talk to William”, and with that he turned and exited the room. I messaged William back asking if we could meet today, and he agreed. I rushed to change, answers within reach.Celestine’s POVI sat in the sand bar waiting on William. Somehow, I had a feeling he would be here. I left home, letting Mateo know I would be back soon. Secretly I broke the coffee maker as an excuse to go out. Things had been quiet lately.A few months ago, Mateo woke up in the middle of the night, he said a sharp pain in his neck made him jump, something deep within him had reverberated and disbursed. He shrugged it off as a bad dream, vaguely remembering something but nothing and rolled back over. But I knew better, I know Vlad had died, and that sense he had experienced was loss, but Mateo’s negative emotions towards Vlad probably left him feeling unchained, vs hindered by the painfulness that loss brings. Soon his snoring filled the room, the twins as well slept peacefully in their crib, and I went downstairs and wept by fire. While I held resentment for Vlad, it was still sad to see him come to an end. A Vampire as old as me, we walked alongside time itself, seen empires be built only to crumble under human greed and animosity. If I had to guess it was Lucian that finally did him in, who else could. I let out a long sigh, and grabbed a cigarette, a full circle moment I’d like to think. How poetic. “From dust we were born, to dust we shall return” see you on the other side.A loud scooting of the chair next to me, brought me back to reality. I looked up to see William and Celeste standing before me, William that innocent smile, Celeste very pregnant and very confused. I glanced at him. “Idiot”.“Celeste please sit, we have so much to tell you”Celeste POV“So, let me get this right? You are not my parents but probably my great-great-great grandparents?” Celeste stated, taking in the story she had just heard. Vlad and Celestine, Celestine runs away from Vlad and runs to Lucian, Leaves Lucian so he doesn’t get killed and runs into William. Where she settles down, has a kid, before their attacked, she sleeps for centuries in the aftermath, wakes up, child and William gone.“But how can you know, were related, it can’t be just a feeling” she said.“Well, it’s a feeling for me” Celestine said. “But also, we look so much alike” she reached her hand out to touch Celeste’s face, cold slender fingers brush my cheek.“Yes, quiet, but it’s also not just a feeling” William smiled. “Believe it or not, I’ve been watching over our family for generations. Once they turned to humans, I kept my distance, not wanting to upset the flow of life. But I observed from the shadows. Ironically the vampire blood begins and ends at Celestine. But our child” he reached over and put his hand on Celestine, the conversation seemed to shift, and you could feel he was talking more to her and less to us. “Our child went on, to marry a well-to-do farmer. And have a child of her own, that son worked hard and was eventually made a lord over a small territory, his daughter would later enter the dutchy, marry very rich, her husband was terrible so I may have pushed him off a balcony” he paused to laugh, and I could see Celestines eyes glisten, she sniffled bringing a napkin to her nose. “My point love, our family lived on, for centuries and generations. I watched it all, because one day, I had hoped if you woke up, when you woke up. I could tell you everything you missed. It has been a beautiful journey, and I am sorry I didn’t do better to keep it from coming to a head this way. I am also sorry to you too Celeste; I should have done better to protect you. You may not know me, but I have known you all your life...”“Then, what happened to my parents?” for a moment, a look shown on William’s face, an emotion Celeste did not recognize immediately.“You were raised by your grandmother, after your mother died of pneumonia. I know you were a shy and quiet child, a rebellious teenager who slowly drifted to drugs. I lost track of you for a while, and then one day you just appeared. Like nothing happened. You were fine, clean, clearly an adult and doing your own thing. I have no idea what happened to you in those 5 years you were missing” he said solemnlyThe more Celeste thought about it, she didn’t remember the previous five years either…Meanwhile….“You know Adelaide, I am sorry I was unable to do better by you in life, hopefully in death I can reach you. I always did love you”“But you never came to see me! You sent me away”“That was for you my dear, you see your brother was so jealous of you, because you looked more like me, in fact you are me. Me and more” Vlad said slyly“He should have protected you, he failed you papa” she said through tears and gritted teeth.“But Don’t worry papa, I’ll take care of everything”Vlad hugged her and smiled.“Good”To be continued……………