4.9 Trust Issues

"My Grandparents are working on this problem. You have to see them. They could help you. Please we want this to stop as much as you do," Kimberly tried to persuade the one with the scar on his face.
The two men exchanged looks, nodding the pinked haired male said "alright we'll go."

When the boy released his grip on Gwen's shoulder she slumped weakly on the sofa close to tears. "I want to go home" she whimpered leaning into Kimberly.

Looking up she asked "I'll come with you if you let my cousin go."

The younger of the two knelt on the floor beside them. "I'm sorry for scaring you. We weren't prepared for you to want to help us."

"Maybe you should try asking first," Kimberly said beginning to relax around him. The one with the scar was still strung up tight pacing the floor muttering to himself.

Instead of taking offense the young man chuckled a little "you're probably right. We should have asked for your help."

Turning to face them his companion snarled "we tried that remember?"

A look of pain flashed across the young man's features. "I remember," he said almost too soft for anyone to hear. "This is different. A different dimension. What happened there might not happen here. Things could be different."

"She wants us to go to Moonlight Falls. You know what happened the last time we went there." The man was becoming even more agitated the more he talked.

The pinked haired male lowered his head nodding. To Kimberly's eyes it looked like he was trying not to cry. What happened to them she wondered. "Please come with me to Moonlight Falls. My grandparents will help you. I know they will."

"What choice do we have?" the boy looked up his soft brown eyes moist with tears.

"Alright we go," his companion grumbled "but she comes with us." He pointed towards Gwen.

"That's not the deal," Kimberly shook her head refusing to let him dictate what they would do. "You have me. There's no reason you need her."

"How do we know you're not leading us into a trap?" the man asked.

"I can't make you trust me anymore then you can make me trust you." Kimberly sighed "I don't know what happened to you before to make you this way. All I know is your judging me based upon what someone else did in another dimension. That's hardly fair."

"You're right," the man stopped his pacing to stare back at her. His dark grey eyes filled with immeasurable pain and sadness "the last time we were in Moonlight Falls it cost us our parents lives." Pointing to the younger man still kneeling on the floor "I won't lose my brother the same way."

***

Adam sighed in relief when he heard the dimension travelers had agreed to release Gwen and accompany Kimberly to Moonlight Falls. Turning to his dad he said "let's hold off going to Oasis Landing until after we talk to the dimension travelers. We may learn something that could be useful."

Nodding Peter agreed "Jean will be relieved to hear that."

"How is she doing?" Adam asked with concern.

"She's terrified" was his simple response "she's old and she believes I won't come back." He felt his son's hand give his shoulder a quick firm squeeze. "I can't blame her for being upset. I've lost so much time with her. I barely come back and I'm already planning on leaving again. I worry that this time when I do come back she's the one who won't be here."

"Dad I..." Adam lost his voice as emotions threatened to overwhelm him "I do understand. I look in the mirror everyday and I still see the same face. I won't ever age but Beverly keeps getting older with each passing year. Everything in me screams it's not fair. I was supposed to grow old with her. Now because of some ancient vampire prophecy Alessandro turned me into this blood sucking monstrosity."

Peter listened to the anger and pain just under the surface of his son's voice. He wondered how much of this was his fault. If he hadn't followed Emit to the future when Adam was being led into a trap he might have been able to prevent this. What could he have done to prevent it? He didn't really know but in his bones he felt he could have. He'll always wonder. "You feel cheated out of the life you expected to have."

Nodding Adam was thankful that he and his father were alone. It was a conversation that wouldn't help moral among his staff. He was their ruler. They expected him to know what he was doing even when he didn't. "I could change back. Become human again," he mumbled a thought not altogether new but one rejected each time because it would mean abandoning a people who had backed him, who trusted him.

"That would leave Keenan on his own," Peter reminded him .

"It would and he's not ready. He deserves a chance to live without having to worry about all of this." Adam sighed "I know this is little consolation but I'm glad you're here. You've always been my rock."

Peter clasped his son's shoulder "that makes things better knowing you're here." Peter said pulling him close. He tried not to think about his other children who would eventually grow old and die. He'd out live them all and most of his grandchildren thanks to what Emit did to him. He tried not to dwell upon it but sometimes the injustice of it boiled over clouding his judgment.

***

After the night they confirmed the existence of the force field around their prison Don watched helplessly while the boy slipped further and further into depression. "Malachi it's going to be alright," Don said trying to be upbeat despite his growing doubts "they'll find us. I know they will."

"No they won't," Malachi shouted at him "we're going to disappear. Vanish into nothingness." His lips trembled as he tried to hold back tears. He'll never have the chance to tell his parents that he loved them despite their single minded obsession of turning him into a musician. He'd never know what it would be like to be with Kimberly intimately. He knew when he said goodbye to her that he loved her. He wanted to marry her. Now all the things he wanted most were going to be unrealized dreams.

He struggled against the arms that wrapped around him. He didn't want to be comforted. He wanted to fight. To fight against the injustice of it all. To his astonishment he heard Don speaking to him "it'll be alright. Just let it out. I understand..." The annoying wailing sound in his ears was him crying like a baby upon Don's shoulder.

Holding the boy, Don tried to comfort him to the best of his ability. There was so little he could do but believe that someone was looking for them. They had to be looking for them. Heath would be doing everything he could to find Malachi. Kimberly loved the boy as much as he loved her. Heath would be searching for him whether or not he knew about his impostor yet.

Watching Malachi gave  him a new perception on what Heath must have experienced the first time they had been trapped in a Bubble Universe. Barely eighteen years old. Cut off from everything and everyone he new. He'd grown up so much and Don never realized. Never gave him the credit he deserved. No wonder Heath had tried so hard to prove himself. He should never have made Heath feel that he wasn't good enough. There was so much he wanted to tell Heath if he ever got the chance.

***

Heath fingered the necklace his dad gave him. Should he wear it? He might miss something important if Kimberly needed to reach him. Thanks to Keenan he now realized why his father had given it to him. The necklace had the ability to keep Silver from contacting him. He understood why his dad hadn't told him but he was so tired of everyone treating him like a child when he was an adult with children of his own. 

His hands fell to his side. He wouldn't wear it. It was better to be available for Kimberly as she traveled then to protect himself from Silver's assaults. He had to admit he hoped that Silver would contact him. Set up a meeting to exchange himself for Don. What if he did and he had to choose between his husband or being here for Kimberly? Which would Don want him to choose?

The answer was clear. If it came to a choice between his husband or his child, Don would want him to choose whatever it took to protect their child. If Kimberly arrived here safe and sound, then what?

Before he was able to contemplate his answer Keenan walked into the room. Turning to the boy he could see something was weighing upon his mind. "I'm sorry for making you take me to dad and spoiling your escape from future groundings," he said not knowing what else to say.

Shrugging Keenan sat down on the bed. Turning worried eyes towards his older brother he asked "what's Silver like?"

That wasn't a question Heath anticipated he would ask him. It wasn't surprising that Keenan would be curious of the man who was responsible for half his DNA. "Don't you think you should ask dad about him?"

"I guess," came the surely response "dad can't really answer my questions though. He wasn't inside his body at the time I came about. Ambrogio won't talk about him. Dad tries but it's not the same as first hand knowledge." He gave Heath an unsettling stare "you have that first hand knowledge I need. Please..." the anguish in his voice tore at Heath "I need to understand why dad doesn't want Silver to know about me. Is he afraid that I'll turn out like him?"

Before Heath was able to respond he received a message from Kimberly to expect the dimension travelers at the house. Turning to the boy he said. "I'll answer all of your questions later but Kimberly is on her way here." He nodded obviously having tuned into their conversation giving Heath a momentary concern that the boy wasn't wearing his necklace either. But events soon pushed the concern from his mind.

***

Pulling up in front of the castle Kimberly moved to get out of the car when the oldest of her passengers snarled "we're not going in there."

"That's where they're expecting us," Kimberly shrugged his restraining hand from her shoulder. "It's ok Grandpa won't let anything happen to you or your brother." She turned to look at the boy in the back seat. He had grown quieter the closer they came to Moonlight Falls. The fear in his eyes spoke volumes more than his brother's anger. "Alright we'll go some place else," she got back into the car. She sent a quick message to her dad hoping he would be able to contact Grandpa to let him know.

"Where are we going?" her gloomy passenger asked.

"To Grandpa's house," she informed him "my dad will be there until Grandpa can come."

"I thought you said he lived here."

"No I said he'd be at the castle. I said nothing about him living there," she clarified as she drove carefully through the quiet streets of Moonlight Falls. "Grandpa has a lot of work to do at the castle."

"He works for Alessandro?" the long haired man growled.

"Never," she shook her head "not even when Alessandro was alive."

"How is that possible?" the boy in the backseat asked "you're only human. Humans can't defy someone as powerful as Alessandro."

"I am human but my Grandpa isn't. At least not anymore. We almost lost him before I was born. Alessandro had him imprisoned in the castle. Performed some kind of rite of adoption on him making him Alessandro's son."

The older brother glanced back at his younger brother asking "sound familiar?"

"Yeah," the boy shivered "I'm surprised Alessandro didn't have him killed later."

"Oh he tried," Kimberly told him "there was a huge battle. In the end Alessandro lost." Pointing down a street towards the center of town "he was beheaded down there. The people made my grandpa ruler of Moonlight Falls after that."

She parked in front of the house. Getting out of the car the two men hesitated a moment then slowly followed her. "If your grandpa is the ruler of Moonlight Falls why doesn't he live at the castle?"

"Would  you want to live in the place that gave you nightmares?" She asked turning to smile at a man coming from the house to greet them "daddy" she cried running to him.

The brothers exchanged glances as a feeling of envy passed between them. Could this have been them if their parents had been successful in removing Alessandro in their own dimension?

***

Adam turned to Peter "the dimension travelers are at the house."

"I thought they were coming here," Peter said frowning "why the change?"

"Evidently they refused to come inside the castle," Adam explained "I can't say I blame them." He rubbed his neck "I wouldn't come here either if I had a choice."

"What if it's a diversion?" Peter asked "what if they aren't who they appear? Now they have access to your house. Your family."

Moving swiftly to the door using his vampiric speed forgetting his dad couldn't move as quickly as he could. "I didn't think of that," he muttered under his breath.

"Son slow down and think a moment," Peter entreated him " what's your plan?"

"I don't know," he shook his head "I haven't thought about it. I guess was just going to play it by ear like we usually do. I'd be more worried if we had an actual plan."

Peter nodded as he followed him from the office "you'll let me know what you find out?"

Frowning Adam asked "aren't you coming with me?"

"I thought...did you want me to come?" Peter asked.

"Of course I do," Adam was surprised that his dad felt like he had to ask "I have so few people I trust and can come to for advice. As leader I have to give the appearance of always being in control even when I'm clueless. It's a fine line I walk between lying and acting."

"You were never good at either one as I recall," Peter said "I always could tell when you were lying as a kid."

"Which is why I never did it...much," Adam amended when his dad gave him the look he remembered so well from his childhood "don't get me wrong I still tried but I was never any good at it. Not like Corina and Doloris were."

"You could have learned a thing or two from them," Peter laughed "if  you don't mind me putting in my two cents worth then I'll come."

***

Malachi spent a restless night trying to sleep. Every time he closed his eyes he would see his parents or Kimberly. He pushed the blanket aside and sat up swinging his legs to the side. Were his parents worried about him? Did they know he was even gone?

He rather doubted it. His parents didn't exactly like the decisions he had been making recently. Hadn't liked him dating Kimberly. No doubt they thought she was a bad influence, a distraction from his music career. A career he didn't even want. Did he miss his parents or just the idea of them?

Standing he looked over at the man he had thought would someday be his father-in-law. He had been envious of Kimberly and how close she was to her parents. They never seemed to expect more of her then she was capable of doing. Always encouraging her to follow her dreams. At least Heath always seemed to. He hadn't known Don. The impostor was kind of stand offish. He rather liked this Don more. He couldn't help but wonder why no one had figured it out yet.

Moving toward the door Malachi walked outside. The air was chilly raising goose flesh on his arms. The landscape was breath taking. He longed to explore it. The few weeks he'd been in this place he never tired of looking at the view.

The door opened behind him "son what are you doing out here?"

Shrugging "I couldn't sleep so I came out here."

Nodding Don came to stand beside him. Leaning over the railing he asked 

are you up to doing some experiments?"

Nodding Malachi turned to look at him "what kind of experiments?"

"I'm wondering why no one notices us" Don said as cars drove past "can't they see us? Are we inside a force field that we can see out of but no one can see inside? If that's the case, what would happen if we were able to draw attention to ourselves?"

"What if they work for Silver?" Malachi asked "what if they report what we're doing to him?"

"What if they do?" Don asked "we can't be any worse off then we already are."

"Let's do it," the boy said giving him a wide grin glad for something to do.

4.8 Trouble With Time

Kimberly found herself alone facing two heavily muscled men. Where had everyone else gone? There had been several students milling around between classes. "Who are you?" she demanded keeping her voice firm, unafraid. She hoped she could stall long enough for someone to come along to help her.

"We've already told you," one of the men told her his patience slipping as his fake smile slipped and faded away. "You're grandfather sent us to escort you to Moonlight Falls."

"No he didn't" she took a couple of steps back "he would have told me to expect you."

"There wasn't time," the man's companion snarled. Turning to his partner he said "I told you this wouldn't work."

Nodding the other man said "she's too smart for her own good."

While the men conversed amongst themselves Kimberly observed her surroundings. If she was quick enough she might be able to make it to the science building. Then what? All they'd have to do is wait for her come out again.

A second later she decided that doing something was better than doing nothing. She took off running. Sprinting for the science building. She could hear them behind her breathing hard. She concentrated on looking ahead, refusing to look behind and risk stumbling over something in her path. The door flew open just as she got there and a couple of teachers walked out. She slipped past them inside the building. She leaned against the wall, breathing hard trying to catch her breath. The men didn't follow her inside. Once she had calmed down she walked to class trying to decide what to do when she had to leave again

***

Heath breathed a little easier knowing his daughter was safe for the moment. "Find someone to walk with you to your next class," he told her "I'm going to talk to dad about what just happened." Turning to his brother "can you get through to dad?"

Shaking his head Keenan looked at the necklace in his hands "not if he's still wearing this." He bit his lip savoring the copper scent and taste of his own blood. "Come with me..." he said hopping off the bed "I've got an idea."

Heath followed the boy wondering if he should be following a teenage boy. Sighing he decided he didn't have any other ideas. Keenan knew his way around Moonlight Falls. He also knew how to contact their dad when he was in lock down mode. He had no reason to be jealous or feel like price had been wounded. He followed his brother into the basement of the house. He couldn't refrain from asking "where are we going?"

"A lot of  these old houses have secret passage ways to the castle. This one has a tunnel that leads into Dad's office. We should be able to slip in without being noticed."

"What if dad's not there?" Heath asked.

Looking down Keenan shuffled his feet "I'd prefer that he wasn't. He doesn't know...."

"I see" Heath gave his brother a thoughtful glance "I suppose this comes in handy when you've been grounded." The boy nodded "I wont' say anything to Dad....as long as you don't tell my kids about the secret tunnels."

Giving him a wide grin Keenan said "it'll be our secret."

***

An hour later Adam walked into his office. "Dad" Keenan and Heath said simultaneously. Adam's shock at finding them in his office soon turned to anger. "I told you to stay at the house."

"I know dad but...." Keenan's voice faltered as he became unsure of himself in the face of his father's displeasure. "I'm sorry," he mumbled looking away.

"This is an emergency," Heath said capturing his father's gaze.

Locking onto his eldest's son's steady, determined gaze Adam asked " what's so important that you had to bypass my security measures?" Glaring at Keenan he continued "don't think for a moment that I don't know how you got here. I've known about the secret passageways to the castle."

"But dad..."

"I've closed off all the others. Too much of a security risk. I kept the one from our house to the castle open just in case we needed an escape route. I've closed my eyes on your escapes from the house in the past but this is too much. When are you going to use your head...."

"We don't have time for this," Heath interrupted "Keenan wouldn't have shown me the tunnel unless it was an emergency." He looked at his dad willing him to calm down enough to at least listen to them.

Sitting on the edge of his desk Adam took several deep breaths before saying "alright I'm listening."

"Did you send someone to bring Kimberly to Moonlight Falls?" Heath asked.

Adam's forehead crinkled in concern. "I sent guards to everyone in the extended family to keep watch over them. I didn't tell them to bring anyone here. My orders were to observe and only let their presence be known if anyone was in immediate danger." Turning to Keenan is asked "did they have the security code?"

"No, that's why we thought you needed to be informed right away of what was happening." Keenan explained hoping to redeem himself in his dad's eyes.

Nodding Adam new that when the castle went into lock down mode he was next to impossible to contact. At those times he would remove his necklace to connect with Keenan to check on the family. 

"You did just fine son," Adam assured his son noting the look of relief that came over the teen.

***

Another week passed as Don watched the boy grow younger still. It was odd to watch the aging process in reverse. Don knew he was aging backwards too but he had more years to play with then Malachi did. Time wasn't a luxury they had here.

Looking up from where he was sitting glumly watching the bustling city landscape. People coming and going but never towards them. "Do they even know we're here?" Malachi asked.

Sitting beside him Don shrugged "I don't know. I assume not since they don't seem to notice us up here."

"You'd think they would since we look so different from them." Malachi muttered "have you ever tried to go out there?" he asked waving towards the city.

"There's a force field around the property..."

The boy looked up catching on the note of uncertainty in the older man's voice. "Haven't you ever try to go beyond the boundary?"

It seemed impossible to think that neither he nor Heath had attempted to do that. Although the majority of the time one or the other hadn't been healthy enough to do much exploring. What if they had? Would they have found people who could have helped them?

Shaking his head to dispel the nagging questions. Don looked up at the darkening skies. "Tomorrow" he said "tomorrow let's explore your idea."

Smiling Malachi stood up "I'm hungry. Want anything?"

Following him into the kitchen Don watched him prepare a simple salad from the remnants inside the fridge. "I've always wondered how they restock our food supply."

"We may have to stay up and watch" Malachi suggested setting a plate in front of Don "it may prove useful to us."

After lunch they spent the rest of the day jeer rigging kitchen utensils into a drill. After several hours they had a hole big enough to see through but small enough that they hoped wouldn't be too noticeable.

***

The rest of the day went on uneventfully. Kimberly kept a wary eye open for the two men from earlier but didn't see them hanging about anywhere. Either they had left or were well hidden out of sight. Despite their disappearance Kimberly made sure she walked in groups instead of alone. At times like this she felt the absence of Malachi the most. His disappearance made her studies even more important than they were before. There had to be a way to close the bubble universes once and for all times. One of her current theories was that once the bubble universes were closed for good that would get rid of the Watchers for good too. It would trap them inside their own realm and leave their's alone. 

Of course that was just a theory and one her grandparents didn't agree with. She understood why they felt that way. If she was right that would mean their time has been distorting and changing for centuries, since the day Silver came into existence. To Kimberly it only made sense. It would explain why the time distortions and deviations were becoming worse and more numerous. If they didn't do something soon time would completely unravel and their world would implode. If she could figure out a way to destroy Silver the time line would right itself.

She walked into the house absorbed in her thoughts she failed to notice the two men standing in her living room. When she looked up it was already too late to do anything about it. "Shut the door," the man closest to her commanded.

Shocked she turned frightened eyes towards Gwen who looked liked she was about to feint. "Dad" Kimberly cried out in her mind "they're back and they have Gwen and me trapped."

***

Heath jerked as Kimberly's plea penetrated his thoughts. Falling to his knees he wordlessly whimpered on the floor. He felt someone touch is shoulder but their words were lost to him. A jumble of emotion swamped him. "Kimberly calm down and breathe" he pleaded. He squeezed the hand that was offered to him to help him up. He tried to focus on her voice as she attempted to do as he requested.

"Dad they say Gwen will be released once I agree to go with them," she said her voice less frantic but no less fearful. "I can't let them take her. She's so scared..."

"Who are they?" Heath asked knowing it was pointless at this point to her not to sacrifice herself and go with the men. It was what he would do to save someone he loved. What he was prepared to do to save Don. The silence in his mind was frightening as he waited for her to respond. He looked up and found his dad and brother staring intently at him. They both had removed their necklaces from round their necks listening.

"Kimberly" Adam interrupted breaking into their combined thoughts "are these men colorful or different from us in anyway?"

"No" she replied somewhat subdued "they look just like us. They're not Watchers."

"Good" Keenan said with emphasis "it's also not Silver."

"Do they work for him though?" Heath asked knowing how Silver could disguise himself to look like anyone he wanted to look like. Was that what happened to Don? Had he really been living with Silver all those months? A shiver ran through him. He kept his eyes focused on the floor afraid to see the contempt in his dad's eyes. He should have been able to tell the difference. Should have been able to detect it.

"Daddy it wasn't Silver in disguise as Dad" Kimberly stated firmly "I would have been able to tell, to feel it." As frightened as she was she was still thinking of others. "These men say they're from a different dimension. Their world is falling into chaos because of all the time distortions. They need our help."

***

It was the middle of the night when someone came to restock their nearly empty fridge. Don motioned for Malachi to be on the look out for their visitor when they left. Malachi moved cautiously to the propped open door to peer over the balcony edge.

Lying flat Malachi had a clear view of the ground below near the road. There was a shimmer as their visitor lowered the force field allowing them to leave. The force field was reengaged almost at once leaving no room for the hope of making it through behind them.

When they were alone again Don joined Malachi on the balcony. "Did you learn anything?"

"Yeah, we're never going to get out of here," he slumped against the wall letting depression overwhelm him. Gone were the witty positive quotes it was all slipping away.

"Well we know more than we did before," Don said trying to sound positive. 

"What good is it? We still can't leave," Malachi wiped his eyes "we're never going to get out of here. We're going to fade away into nothingness."

There was  very little Don could say that would convince him otherwise. He didn't know what was worse having hope and having it ripped away from him or having no hope at all. He pulled the boy close and held him as he gave into the tears he had been fighting since he got there. If it was the last thing Don did he was going to make sure the boy got home. He wouldn't except defeat.

***

Several weeks later Peter sighed loudly rubbing his dry eyes. He slowly turned to towards Jean nodding wearily. "No absolutely not," her voice was firm with an edge of anger to it. 

"I don't see any other way" Peter tried to put his arms around his wife only have her push him away.

"No" her voice was low full of pain.

Adam watched silently. He knew what his dad was about to say and wished there was another way. "Dad are you sure?"

"I'm positive. The bubble universes are a direct result of the time distortions our dimension is experiencing. The bubbles will continue to multiply and sooner rather than later we'll have innocent people falling into them disrupting time even more." He rubbed his tired eyes "I've gone over the information every which way looking for another way. I keep coming up with one conclusion...I need to go back to Oasis Landing...."

"No, Jean's anguished cry was hard to ignore "what if you never come back?"

"I wouldn't do this if I didn't think it was necessary," Peter tried to reason with her but she turned and fled from his touch. 

"I'll go," Adam told him "I've been there before. I can do the necessary adjustments."

"No son it won't work. it has to be me. I'm the one who will effect the time line the least if I don't come back." Peter tried to smile "I should have died years ago when you were a kid. I didn't because of Emit. Then I was stuck in the future. That may have been the timeline trying to right itself."

"It's too late for that," Adam shook his head "what about everyone who has been born since Emit saved you? Their kids? Don't tell me they shouldn't exist." Adam shook his head "Emit needed you to survive to preserve the timeline so he could exist in the future. Something else is affecting the timeline...."

Nodding he rubbed his bearded chin "you may be right but only Emit has the answeres we need."

"You hope," Adam amended "why can't we just call him and have him come here?" He was no more ready for his dad to go then Jean was.

"No Emit was injured pretty severely the last time he was here. He can't travel through time again."

"Chase married Jennifer Bennett, didn't he?" Adam asked thinking out loud.

"Yes," Peter gave him a thoughtful look "what are you thinking?"

"Chase is the product of the future right?"

"He's a halfling ... he was born in the future." Shaking his head Peter sighed "I don't get what your implying."

"I'm thinking that the imbalance in time may be a result of Chase marrying someone from our time. Their children shouldn't exist."

"And because they do the time disruptions keep increasing." Peter slumped against the wall "that's not what I wanted to hear."

Nodding Adam couldn't help but wonder how one could tell another parent that for the good of the world and countless other dimensions their children can't exist." There has to be another way." He spoke with fierce determination causing his dad to look at him with renewed respect. "Go to Oasis Landing. Talk to Emit. If we've figured this out, so has he. Maybe he has a solution we haven't thought of yet."

4.7 Contact

"Is it done?" the disembodied voice demanded.

Nodding Silver gave the mirror a smug self-satisfied smile "the boy is contained within a bubble universe..."

"That's not what we agreed upon" the voice was a low angry grumble.

Taking a step nearer the mirror that contained the hidden communication device Silver laughed "what are you going to do about it? He'll stay there until you give me what I want."

"You're in no position to be making demands" the low menacing voice replied "your dimension is in as much trouble as mine is."

"Do you think I care?" Silver guffawed loudly "this boy will make no difference to either dimension...."

"That's where you're wrong" the voice said cutting through the irritating laughter "the boy is the time keepers ancestor or at least he will be if we let him. We get rid of him we get rid of the time keeper."

"You get rid of one time keeper" Silver corrected "there are multiple versions of him in every dimension. What good would eliminating this one do you?"

"Give us the boy or suffer the consequences" the voice demanded.

"You'll get him when I get what I want" Silver leaned forward terminating the connection.

***

Adam stood back while his wife welcomed their son and grandchildren into their home. It hurt to see her progressively growing older, the gray in her brilliant red gold hair, the fine lines around her emerald green eyes, the wrinkles in her once smooth skin. He wished he could hold back time or be able to grow old with her. If he could he would relinquish his position as ruler over Moonlight Falls and Midnight Hollow but Keenan wasn't of age yet. Even then he wouldn't be able to reverse his vamperism. He needed to be available to assist his son in the future, if Keenan even wanted to take over. 

Looking at his youngest child, the son he carried within him all the while loathing the person who had impregnated him. Keenan looked so much like that loathsome creature that it hurt sometimes to look at him. Intellectually Adam knew that was where the similarities ended. That the sometimes rebellious attitude and appearance was only surface deep that beneath it all was a kind caring young man. As long as he could Adam hoped to keep Silver from discovering Keenan existed.

"Dad" Heath's voice broke through his dad's dark thoughts "I know this is a big inconvenience..."

Shaking his head Adam said "son you're never an inconvenience. I'm glad to help. I wish I could do more." His eyes strayed towards Beverly who was happily hugging her grandchildren "we'll talk more later."

Heath nodded accepting that now wasn't the time to bring up more serious concerns. Not in front of the children. They would have to be told sooner or later but not now. It was something he learned from his dad. The truth was better than any lie or half truth designed to make them feel better. Heath knew if there was a way to find Don and Malachi his dad would find it.

***

Once Adam had a chance to hug his grandchildren he had Heath accompany him to his office in the old castle. "I hate this place," Adam mumbled as he sat behind his desk "it's the traditional home of the ruler of Moonlight Falls. It's expected I run things from here."

Heath shivered in the cool damp air. He always felt uneasy in the castle. He understood why his dad refused to live within these cold walls. "I suppose the dungeons are below," he had no idea what prompted him to say that. He wished immediately that he hadn't as he watched his dad's normally stoic face slip. It was probably within these very walls where his dad was turned. Where he had struggled against the urge to give into his need to feed. Heath knew he shouldn't have brought it up. Those memories were painful. It was here where Heath had all but died after Beverly fed upon him. He definitely shouldn't have brought it up as he shivered under the weight of those memories.

Adam ran a hand over his face breathing deeply. He hated this place. Hated the memories he couldn't escape while he was. Shaking his head he asked "Is Kimberly back in school?" It was a feeble attempt to change the subject.

Nodding Heath sighed "it took every ounce of persuasion I had to get her to go back." Heath leaned forward "she's anxious to find Malachi" He pointed to his forehead "it's a struggle to keep her out of my head."

"I can help you with that," Adam said rummaging in his desk for something "wear this" he said handing his son a necklace similar to the one Adam and Keenan both wore. "Alanon designed it to block others from reading our thoughts." Adam gave him a rueful grin "I've been wearing it ever since Kimberly blasted me after you disappeared. You can still let her in if you wish but it forces her to announce herself first."

Heath took it and slipped the necklace over his head sighing in relief "that's much better thank you."

"Thank Alanon" Adam frowned before asking "have you been contacted by Silver?"

The lengthy pause was answer enough but Heath eventually nodded "he wants me in exchange for Don."

"We'll find another way," Adam told him in a tone he knew well. The one that meant that he was to sit tight and not doing anything stupid. Rubbing his chin Adam asked "did Silver make any other demands?"

Before Heath could respond Ambrogio burst into the room looking disheveled and hurried. He stopped long enough whisper something to Adam before rushing from the room. Adam stood up dismay written on his face as he walked from the room forgetting about what he and Heath were discussing. Heath followed him "dad?" he called confused.

Adam turned vague distracted eyes to him, his mind elsewhere as he spoke "I'm sorry I have to go. Something has came up..."

Heath watched him turn, joined by several heavily armed guards as he strode purposefully down the corridor. Others scurried in every direction to get out of their way upon their approach. Heath wondered what new emergency just arose that would cause his dad to abandon their conversation something he had always been careful to never let happen.

Adam walked into the ancient control room his displeasure palpable in the small room. "Do we know who is contacting us?" he demanded as he stood behind Alanon.

"No" came the curt reply as Alanon scanned the controls.

Growling Adam paced the room with growing impatience "what do you know?" Alanon winced at the displeasure in Adam's voice "Well?" Adam demanded his voice echoing against the stone walls.

Turning to face him Alanon squared his shoulders "all we know for sure is the contact is coming from a dimension that has been isolated..."

"I thought we had contact with all dimensions," Adam snapped.

"So did I" Alanon shot back "according to all the ancient manuscripts your supposed to be ruler over all Moonlight Falls in every dimension."

Nodding Adam paced silently fuming. He always thought that was a half truth something included to appease the ego of the then ruling vampire. Dismissing it for now he asked "Is this a trick by Silver to get us out in the open?" Then as if struck with horror he asked "where's my son?"

"Safe" Alanon replied answering the last question first "Ambrogio went to collect the boy from school. He'll take the boy home."

Adam breathed easier "has Heath been escorted home?"

"I sent someone" Alanon assured him "I also took the liberty of setting up guards to keep watch over the entire family."

"Good" Adam stood still content for the moment that all precautions that could be made have been done "tell the guard that no one is to leave the grounds or enter without my prior approval."

Alanon gave him a concerned look before relaying the command to a subordinate to carry out. "May I ask why I just put your family under house arrest?"

"My son Heath has it in his head that he can deal with Silver by exchanging himself to gain the release of his husband. I want to ensure that doesn't happen. Silver will not have either of my sons."

"So it's been confirmed then?" Alanon asked.

"It has" Adam waved a hand towards the dimension control center "what's going on with our unexpected contact? Do we know who is contacting us?"

"It's puzzling sir" Alanon always reverted back to formalities when subordinates were within hearing "this dimension has been silent for decades...."

"Isn't that what Alessandro wanted?" Adam asked "to cut Moonlight Falls off from the rest of the world and other dimensions?"

"Yes but I think in doing so it weakened the time continuum" Alanon said "I suspect that in each dimension they're experiencing some sort of time distortions."

"Could the bubble universes be a result of these distortions?" Adam asked his scientific mind already at work on the problem. Turning to someone else he asked "has my father arrived in Moonlight Falls yet?"

"He arrived this morning" was the immediate response.

"Send someone for him. I want him to look at this" Adam commanded.

"Do you think that is wise sir?" Alanon asked bowing his head as protocol demanded to show he meant no disrespect.

"My father spent years with the time keeper in Oasis Landing. He's the closest we have to an expert in time travel. Who better to help us figure out these time distortions?"  Adam turned to address everyone in the room "I want to know everything we can about this isolated dimension. I have a feeling we're going to need it."

"If they call again," Alanon asked "shall we respond back?"

Thinking for a moment Adam shook his head "no. For now let's monitor how they react to our silence."

***

Adam looked up as his office door opened and his father walked in. He suppressed a grin at the surly expression upon Peter's face. Walking towards Adam he leaned on the desk "what was so important it couldn't wait until I had a chance to settle in?" Peter demanded "Jean isn't as young as you and I appear to be. She needs help...."

Adam let his dad blow off steam for a moment before cutting him off. "I'm sorry dad I really am. I have a crisis building. If it helps I've dispatched several werewolves to help mom move in."

Peter eyed his son a moment before heaving a heavy sigh "I have a feeling I'm not going to like this."

"You know if it weren't important I'd wait for you to move in first," Adam stood up moving around his desk to give his dad a hug "you should know I've also stationed a security detail around your house. You might want to warn mom not to leave the grounds without getting prior approval first."

"This sounds worse than I imagined," Peter asked "is Silver causing problems again?"

Nodding Adam said "you know he already has Don and Malachi trapped in another one of those infernal bubble universes."

"Yeah ... but what else has happened?"

"We received a communique from a dimension that has been silent for decades according to Alanon."

"Friend or foe?" Peter asked.

"We don't know," Adam leaned against his desk "all we know for sure is this voice requested to speak with me or rather the ruler of Moonlight Falls. Then the contact was terminated."

"Have they tried calling back?"

"They either can't or delaying" Adam said

"So what do you need me to do?"

"I need your help in understanding the controls, dimensions and if the time distortions are a result of the Alessandro isolating our dimension from the others. I need to know as much as I can about the other dimension before they try to contact us again." Sighing he looked at his dad "in short I need to know what I'm dealing with and all we have to work with are controls no one has used in hundreds of years and obsolete scrolls that may or may not be accurate."

Grunting Peter rubbed his chin whiskers "you're not asking for much." Looking up "is that why my wife is under house arrest?" he didn't bother to disguise his displeasure.

"Yes I'm not taking any chances. I have guards on all soft targets," Adam walked towards the door sure his dad would follow "I even have guards stationed discreetly on extended family outside of Moonlight Falls. I can't take the chance that this isn't a trick and Silver is waiting to make a move of some kind."

"I thought it wasn't safe for supernaturals to be out in the open yet?" Peter asked following Adam.

"It's not. These are mostly IF's I trust, werewolves and witches that can pass as human," Adam explained.

***

Beverly looked up in concern as Keenan walked through the front door. She knew immediately something was wrong "your father must be concerned about something "she said keeping her voice calm and made her comment understated so as not to alarm the younger children.

"Things must be....unusual" Keenan told her taking his queue from her to keep from scaring the children. He knew it was bad though. The only time he had been taken from school under guard was when Silver had kidnapped Heath. That man was a menace. He hated the fact half his DNA was from him. It was a useless fantasy but he still wished he was Beverly's biological son. She was his mother in every way that counted. 

Sighing he went upstairs looking for his brother. He knocked before entering the room set aside for him and found Heath inspecting a necklace similar to the one he wore. "I see dad gave you one to match mine."

Heath lifted the necklace saying "dad said it would protect me from anyone trying to invade my mind."

"It does have that added benefit," Keenan said flopping on the bed.

"What else does it do?" Heath asked watching the boy closely.

"Didn't dad tell you?" he asked sitting up frowning.

Shaking his head Heath lifted the necklace from around his neck. Almost at once he was bombarded with frantic cries from Kimberly. Smiling he said "I'm here. Calm down. I'm fine. Sweetie I promise I'm fine. Now go back to class."

"Daddy that's what I was trying to tell you. I can't go back to class."

"What do you mean you can't?" he asked his anxiety sky rocketing. He looked towards his baby brother who had also removed his necklace "have you been listening?"

"Yes" Keenan admitted "dad is on high alert. Something bad is happening. That's why I'm here instead of in school. He probably sent guards to bring Kimberly to Moonlight Falls."

"So these goons are legit?" Kimberly asked.

Thinking for a moment Keenan said "ask them for the code word."

"What code word?" she asked in exasperation "I don't even know it. How am I supposed to know if it's right or not?"

"Just ask them I'll know it" Keenan told her. While Kimberly conversed with the guards Keenan's brow creased in worry "that's not the code word. Dad would never use his name. Get out of there now."