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.