The One and Only

@officialgrantriley​

“Grant? Riley, we need talk like now,” Dani said, the anxiousness practically spilling out of her as she began to pace back and forth. “Why would the Alliance grant wishes?” She asked, not being able to calm down since Heather put the thought into her head. Especially not when their son of all people was one.

Grant didn’t know what he was expecting when Dani walked over to him, but what she said made him pause. He hadn’t been thinking about that part, that Ben was a product of a wish granted by the Alliance. This group was already ruining his daughter’s life. He didn’t know what that could mean for their son. Or for them. “Blackmail. Why else? It sure as hell wasn’t out of the goodness of their hearts. If they want us, they’ve got us right in the palm of their hands because we won’t give up our son.” 

“Mi Ladrón?” Dani raised an eyebrow up at her husband. Popping out one of her ear plugs, she reached up to him, pulling him in for a real kiss. A laugh escaping her lips at she popped out the other ear plug she had been wearing. “One word- earplugs. Gabs has a voice of an angel, but you’re not the only one whose a little sick of show tunes. But, oh! What if instead of a soundproof room, we get her a sound studio? Then it will be soundproofed from us and she can start learning how to record records for when she becomes a hit singer someday? And yes, I know trying to capitalize off of your kids is wrong, but it will make her happy? And I don’t know. I just really want us to be those parents who support her dreams is all.”

“But she keeps calling me into the room to hear it. I’m good at supportive father and all but I’m definitely ready to jump out the nearest window and die for a couple of hours on impact. I never thought I’d reach my show tunes limit. And I like musicals.” Grant laughed. “I like that idea. Everyone in the Riley home earns their keep anyway so we’ve got to start her early. Even Anikan, he’s going to be in a commercial next week. But that way we’ll be supportive and not have to hear her musicals on a loop.” 

“I just said that I should be another that gets killed, so doesn’t that by default add me to the list?” Chloe pointed out with a faltering smile. “To hell with hope. You were right from the start. Vinny didn’t care about me. The Alliance just was using us for their own schemes and I’m a skinwalker. I’m not a good person and I think I’m finally okay with that? I have you and Lily and Nat and those are the people worth my time. Not someone six feet under and as for the Alliance… on second thought- maybe we should start working on a hit list. Any chance you want to show me the ropes on how to get revenge?”

“Actually as my daughter no. No matter what I’d never hurt you so by default you’re exempt from that list. I might have been right but I wasn’t being a good father by crushing hope. I should have been encouraging you, but I’m new at the hope thing.” Honestly, he didn’t truly know how to be hopeful, but he was working on trying to find the right words for his kids. “You’re not a perfect person, but there is no one that’s inherently just good or just bad. You’re a person, and people are flawed.” Grant chuckled, it was a humorless, dark chuckle. “Protective father in me should decline, but I think they’re going to try to take Ben. So I’d be happy to. But it’d have to be our little secret. There are some humans in this group, and the only law that applies is that we don’t get caught killing humans. We could string the supernaturals up and make examples out of them if we wanted to.” 

“Yes it was the metal straw,” Isa mumbled under her breath. “But, telling me to be calm only makes me feel the need to panic even more,” She gasped. But, when his hand touched her shoulder, she instantly felt a relief wash over her. “Better. How did you do that? And oh! I’m ready for the fun? Which reminds me, is everything suppose to be this bright? Because the colors look brighter and- have your eyes always been that blue?”

“A lot of vampires have abilities. Mine just happens to be that I can feel what people are feeling and I can also transfer an emotion to them for a short time. Comes in handy with crying babies. Upset little girls who have nowhere to put a pony because we don’t live on a farm and I won’t wish for one. “Well...yeah, the blood kind of enhances things. That’s a fraction of what it’s like to be a vampire. You see things in their true brightness, hear things from far away. Human eyes are like looking at things through a plastic bag by comparison. 

“Riley,” Astrid gave her friend a knowing look. “We both know you already know the answer to that question and we both know if you really wanted to go on a killing spree, you would have already done it by now and no potential damage to your reputation would stop you. But, you’ve haven’t. Instead you’re here. And I’m guessing it’s because you want me to talk you out of it and remind you, as your friend and someone whose been there too a million times over, that no amount of killing is going to fix this for her. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t still make it better. How off am I here?”

“You’re right. I would have. But in my time as a family man I’m more think about my actions before I commit them. I actually have to think about the fact that I’d be murdering people in a rage and I’d surely be messy. And it doesn’t solve the issue of helping my daughter and we’re friends so yes I came here for you to talk me down.” 

“Thanks but- but I’m pretty sure the only person at fault here worth killing is me,” Chloe said, wincing slightly as she downed another swig from the bottle. “I’m the idiot who didn’t listen. No one forced me to write my name down on that list. I chose to. I wanted to. I mean you, Nat, Rick, Alexa all tried to talk me out of it- for months now, I’ve been clinging onto some stupid thread of hope trying to convince pretty much everybody that the Alliance are worth hearing out, that Vinny wasn’t pure evil, that maybe if we keep an open mind, we might be able to change people’s points of view- but for what? So that I could suffocate inside a car? So that I could be kidnapped, shoved in some cave and performed a blood ritual on? So that my bond with my sister could be used against me? So that someone who I thought was my friend- my own uncle could trap me and all of my loved ones and friends in a warehouse to try to torture and kill them? For the people who promised peace to be the ones who brought all of this upon us to begin with?” She shook her head, trying to will the tears back as she looked over at her dad helplessly. For months, she had been supporting and defending the group and people who had tortured her, attempted to kill her and made her feel helpless. She had been clinging onto the idea that there had to be good in Vinny and she had been clinging onto an idea of a homeland- a place where she wouldn’t have to live in constant fear- fear of being persecuted and fear of being inherently evil like the protestors at Pride claimed Supernaturals were- but now? “If this is what hope brings, I don’t want any part of it,” She shook her head once more. Throwing the half empty bottle of whiskey as hard as she could, before her face collapsed into the palms of her hands.

“Well, no. I would never kill you and i don’t agree with that. I personally think the assholes that actually set this in motion are the ones that need killing. And anyone that said anything about you should be another that gets killed. Listen, Sweetie, I get it. I completely understand your need for hope, for wanting Vincent to have actually meant what he said. To actively want to be a part of something bigger and be accepted. I get having hope and getting let down by the world.” Grant was the way he was because the world had constantly let him down. If he could have taken the brunt end of it so that Chloe would never have to feel that way, he would. He didn’t flinch when she threw the bottle but rather pulled her into an embrace. “I’m not going to tell you that it gets better or that having hope makes the world go around or anything crazy. I’m just going to say that Vincent might not have been there for the right reasons, the alliance might not have been there for the right reasons, but I am. Your family is. You have a whole family behind you, ready to support you and love you. People who see you for you and don’t expect anything of you but just you being in our lives. Who want to protect you. To help in anyway I can, or we can.” 

“You what?” Isa blinked as he mentioned the other vampire. “And oh… I guess that makes sense? And really because I don’t really feel much different except- wait- is that… is that your… why can I hear your heartbeat?” She asked, her eyes widening as she looked over at him in panic. The high starting to set in.

“So which part of that actually had you confused? Because I said a couple of things was it the metal straw part?” Grant burst into laughter when she asked him about his heart beating. “Yeah, it’s starting to kick in. Calm down. Breathe. It’s normal no need to panic.” Of course he could feel her emotions and know that she was panicking. He reached out and touched her shoulder, transferring some calm over to her. “So how do you feel now? Calm? It takes a minute but the fun sets in at some point. Unless you get paranoid and panicky which I hope not because that’s not fun.” 

“And you care about it now? Your life that is?” Chloe asked curiously. “See, I love the adrenaline of it all? The danger and risk and knowing that you’ve accomplished feats that shouldn’t be capable with the human body. It’s why I love stunts and why I love fighting. I know the risk and I do value my life, but the adrenaline and the rush that comes over you and makes you feel practically invincible? That is livin’ to me. And… I… I don’t believe that. He cared about me. It wasn’t a facade either. If it was, he would have dropped it the act the moment he revealed he was revelationist and started attackin’ folks at the warehouse. You know, he never felt like he was accepted or loved? And he hated how some supernaturals, even though technically he viewed it as all, treat hedge witches, mediums and humans as lesser beings and he wanted to expose the hypocrisy of acting superior only to pretend to be equal when our species came out in the open. Don’t get me wrong, I know Vinny was a lot of things. I know he felt like his cause was more important than his or anyone else’s lives, but he had a cause. He had something he cared so strongly about that he’d do whatever it took to make it happen and that just doesn’t seem like a shell to me. It sounds like someone who is misunderstood, misguided, and was never allowed to understand what love is because he was never shown it. And there is help for everyone. At least that’s what I believe anyways.”

“Of course. I have a lot to look forward to now. I have you. Lily, Dani, Gabby, Benji. I never want to leave any of you. I loved the adrenaline but I also am older now so I can’t really fight to the near-death anymore not with a family. When I had nothing to live for it was how I felt alive. Now you and your siblings and Dani make me feel alive.” Grant heaved a sigh. he knew that Chloe believed that Vincent cared, but he’d known the man longer than anyone. “He may have cared but I don’t think it was much. He swore he cared about and loved me and that he just wanted us to be closer when in reality it was his way in. So I don’t know about that Chloe. There are other ways to get a message across. He wasn’t misunderstood. He came through loud and clear and he wasn’t misguided because he was leading the charge. There’s always another way. I learned that long ago, but Vincent didn’t want to learn it. The man was a police officer sworn to protect and serve and then a security guard that endangered the lives of everyone on set. Even people he claimed were his family.” Grant always grew angry thinking about Vincent. About how he’d injected silver into his wife’s veins to torture her. How he’d hurt the people on set, endangered the lives over everyone and ripped away their rights and he got the sweetest escape in death. It made him angry all over again, but he took a breath so Chloe wouldn’t see his anger. 

“What do you mean I can’t? Just cause you’re a vampire, don’t mean you can’t feel pain. And I take vervain ever since the kidnapped and shoved in a cave thing… But, how about we say that you did if Nat asks? You’re getting very close to being disowned, you know that, Grant?” Chloe narrowed her eyes over at the man. “And fried oreos?”

“I mean you’d have to damn near kill me to truly hurt me. I’ve been tied up with silver chains and drained before. My threshold for pain has been upped. Chloe, I don’t know if you know you or not but I don’t think you have the ability to lie to your wife,” he pointed out. “And sure fried Oreos too. Full disclosure though I’ve never made a turducken or a friend oreo so you might very well hate them.” 

“Like vampires… you drink straight from each other’s veins?” Isa started to ask, before letting out as gasp as Grant sunk his teeth into his own flesh. Covering her hand over her mouth as she watched him with wide eyes. Taking the cup from him and letting out a little gulp as she looked down at the blood. “This- so this is just a normal thing you do?” She asked, still trying to wrap her head around it. “Sounds like quite the love story. So I just- I just drink it now? And then what happens? Just so I know what to expect?”

“Yeah, well depends on the vampire. I once knew a guy that carried a metal straw and stuck it in the neck of whoever he was feeding from. But for the most part I just go straight for the veins. What? Give out blood? No. Usually only if someone’s dying and they need to heal quickly. For the most part, though this is a first. Then the high is going to hit you like no other. V is fast acting and very...potent. So you are probably in for a very floaty, high, calming, generally chilled out feeling.” 

“Benjamin Skye Riley it is. I might end up calling him Benji at some point, but I like it,” Dani said with a smile. “It is, isn’t it? And you say that, but if I recall when we first started hooking up, someone said no all of the time or at least things that would intentionally drive me crazy,” She couldn’t help, but laugh at the thought. “Hey! I don’t want to be the strict one. I mean I kind of don’t mind being the scary one, but I still want to be fun. And since when are you saying no to stealing and I’m the one suggesting it? But, okay. We can buy it. But, seeing that it’s midnight, we’re going to have to call in a celebrity favor at this hour.”

“I like it. I think he might evolve to Ben one day but Benji works too. For all we know he might even move to Skye. But either way our beautiful baby boy has options,” he smiled thinking about it. Their son. Their beautiful baby boy now had a name.  It all seemed like a dream but now was shaping up to be the best kind of dream come true. “Too late. You are already the strict one. Just ask Gabs. Since I have a son now and I don’t want to have to murder a whole bunch of people should we get caught. I say we call in a celebrity favor. I always like to use my name and make extravagant demands.” 

“What? I wasn’t a complete goodie-two shoes,” Dani laughed, not being able to hide her smile as she hide her face against his shoulder. “Grant Riley,” She shook her head as he mentioned having a talk with Gabby about significant others already. “What am I going to do with you? And I mean now that you put it like that, I might be able to see it. With you though. Not me. I’m totally cool, clearly,” She teased, enjoying every moment of watching Grant with Gabs. 

“Now, I hate to break it to you, but because you have the strict parent tone, you are definitely not cool. If anything you’re leading in the embarrassing situations. Next she’s going to say ‘you never let me have any fun, and I’m going to know she’s been watching too many movies with pre-teen rebellion in them.”