Chapter 23

Nikola got back from the football field on Wednesday with Sadik after kindergarten. He was on the Turk’s shoulders and they were debating the pros and cons of relying only on magic to fight. Nikola held his ground that it would be awesome if he could do more than telekinesis and give headaches but Sadik kept telling him how his body will suffer for it and he would be stabbed in the back during an incantation one day.

The Turk opened the front door and Nikola gave a loud gasp. His mother was in the kitchen with Vasilisa! His Vasilisa! And Dimitri was there too and there were two Malkavs with matching suits on the couch and they were speaking with Ivan and Matthew! He scanned the room one more time just in case he was dreaming and saw that he had missed seeing Freddie sitting in a the loveseat with Roger and Anna arguing with her boyfriend in a corner.

A tear fell down. Then another and Sadik was teasing him how he had reverted back to being a sap and setting him on the ground. He ran to the nearest Malkav and jumped into his lap. He wrapped his hands around his neck and the Malkav wrapped his around him too.

“Nikola, we met briefly before you died yet I am the first one you greet? I feel touched that I left such a nice impression on you.”

Nikola turned his head to stare into the smiling face and noticed the small differences.

“Samyaza?”

Samyaza nodded at him and put him in Malkav’s lap who immediately hugged him and kissed his hair. Soon Dimitri was on them and ruffing up Nikola’s hair.

“Morsel! Long time no see! Niki, why didn’t you ran up to me first? I feel hurt! Now come here, you little heartbreaker!”

Dimitri tried to pry Nikola out of Malkav’s arms but the Antediluvian was having none of it and he pulled Dimitri into his lap and then placed Nikola into his arms and embraced them both. Samyaza put a reassuring hand on his brother’s shoulders. Dimitri laughed and kept talking.

“I suppose this works too, daddy. Niki, you have to tell me everything! But we are forgetting someone, aren’t we? Vasilisa Prekrasnaia come over here, lovely. There is enough space in daddy’s arms for you too!”

Samyaza stood up and offered his seat to Vasilisa who took it gladly. Vasilisa was in his female form, all dolled up in a simple white dress with long sleeves that had ribbons at the cuffs. He managed to get into the group embrace but it was a tight squeeze. Malkav closed his eyes and leaned back and laid them all on the couch with him.

“Fly, aren’t you the most adorable munchkin? Makes me want to eat you up. I just can’t wait for you to grow up and be embraced! So I decided that I will be growing up with you! Feast your eyes on me today in this form for tomorrow I will be a little girl and living in your room. The documents are already made and I got enrolled into the same kindergarten as you. We will go to the same school too. And you better ask me out on the graduation dance because if you don’t I will be very displeased!”

Nikola smiled at that. He could do things properly by Vasilisa this time. Show him what a real childhood was like. Then a thought struck him.

“Does that mean that Malkav and Dimitri will…?”

Malkav breathed in softly and hugged them harder before giving him the answer to his unspoken question.

“No, childe. We won’t be doing the same. Both Dimitri and I are anathemas and we rank high on the Red list because of the bloody retribution we wrought against the Assamite clan after you died. The Malkavian clan is no longer a part of the Camarilla and Dimitri and Matthew got kicked out of the Toreadors because they were too much trouble for Arikel. The Sabbat doesn’t want us either and we don’t need them. We are standing our ground fine on our own and we, together with Hell’s demons, are not to be trifled with.” 

Guilt filled Nikola. A clan without any protection would have it bad, an active Antediluvian protecting them or not. And Dimitri and Matthew were now entirely clan less. Ivan was next to make himself known as he went to pinch Nikola’s check. Mathew began poking the child’s nose. Nikola giggled and snuggled into the embrace. Then Ivan got a thoughtful look on his face and began to speak.

“Cousin Niki, it’s been very long and I have news for you! Matthew and I are now fathers to a boy we adopted named Ravil. We got him while we were travelling in Kazakhstan. He was captured by some Samedi but we rescued him! He is upstairs sleeping in your room. You will meet him when he wakes, da?”

Ivan looked hopeful and Matthew grabbed his husband’s hand. The two blondes looked adorable together and Nikola nearly cooed at them. But he knew that Ivan wouldn’t appreciate it so he held himself back.

“Of course, Vanya! And Ravil can stay in my room. I can always sleep with Mama.” 

“Oh, it’s ok, cousin Niki. We have booked a hotel suite in this town. Only Vasilisa will be staying with you. And I am sorry to say this but after the wedding we are all going back where we came from. I can’t tell you where that is for your own protection, we are all hunted and the Masquerade in it’s entirety wants us dead, but we will still keep in touch and visit you as often as we can!”  

Now this got Nikola worried. Just what have they done? He turned to Malkav for answers as he always had.

“Sire, you said that you declared war on the Assamites. Just how many did you all kill for the Masquerade to want you dead?”

“The entire clan bar Haqim and Sadik. Haqim is hiding in the Sahara desert and Sadik is a slippery snake. But he did reunited us with you. So I suppose he is off our Red List now.”

Sadik started grumbling how his fun was over and went in the kitchen to help Elizabeta set the table. She was taking it all very well, considering two fully grown men and a beautiful woman were using her son as a teddy bear. She finally finished filling all the glasses with blood for the vampires and setting three plates with food for her, Nikola and Ravil.

That was the cue for Matthew to go and pick a sleepy boy from Nikola’s room. The child was about 7 and was hugging Nikola’s bunny plushy to himself. He didn’t speak, but then again he had been a blood bank for one of the most wretched vampire clans in existence so it was understandable. But he waved the plushy at Nikola when he was put down to sit beside him. Nikola smiled and waved back. A lightning flashed from somewhere and Nikola turned to look at a grinning Dimitri holding a camera. He had forgotten how annoying it was to be stalked everywhere with that thing.

Everyone sat down and Matthew cleared his throat when he noticed them trying to eat and put his hands in a prayer. So Matthew still liked to say grace? Nikola pointed his hands to the ground and thought of his own satanic grace.

Dear Satan, you, who left me to rot on this Earth

You, whose kingdom is vile and doomed to failure

Because let us face it you are never winning against big boss

Curse this food but don’t give me indigestion

It’s the least you can do, you lazy ass

Fuck you, shithead.

Everyone was staring at him and Nikola noticed that his lips had been moving. So he had spoken it all aloud? He smiled up at his mother as she made the sign of the cross and muttered something about making him have a bath in holy water to save his soul.

Samyaza tugged his ear mercilessly and began to sing praises to God, which earned him cookie points with Elizabeta. That in turn made Sadik jealous and he challenged the angel on a duel. That made Malkav angry and he took out an honest to Satan flaming sword from somewhere and pointed it at Sadik in defense of his brother. Then Matthew surprised everyone by giving them the mother of all angry outbursts and they, including Nikola, were all forced to repeat his own words as they said grace.

They ate their food and Nikola was send back to his room to sleep. Sadik surprised him by tucking him in and giving him a new plushy to hold. Ravil ended up going back to the hotel room with Nikola’s plushy in hand and a big smile on his face. He remained silent as Ivan and Matthew talked to him but he would nod his head excitedly every so often.

The next day the boy jumped on Ivan and Matthew’s bed until they paid him attention and he kept pointing at the plushy and opening and closing his mouth. Ivan was the one to address him.

“You want back to cousin Niki’s house, buddy?”

Ravil nodded enthusiastically and hugged the plushy to himself. Ivan ruffled the boy’s hair in a fatherly manner and got up to get dressed. Matthew was pulling Ravil’s clothes out of their luggage as he did so.

They were at the front door just as Elizabeta was preparing to take Nikola to kindergarten together with Vasilisa. Vasilisa looked like a little princess all dolled up in a multi-colored Hungarian style dress and Ravil ran up to him and extended the plushy to him while blushing. Vasilisa pinched the boy’s cheek as Nikola pointed a finger at the boy and stepped in front of Vasilisa.

“Ravil, you can’t make Vasilisa presents! He is my wife! Now don’t look at me like that, it’s true!”

Ravil hit Nikola with the plushy and then extended it towards Vasilisa with a dreamy expression on his face. He looked thoughtfully for a second then looked at the ground, saw the daisies that Nikola used as a sort of an obstacle in his trainings, and picked one and put it in Vasilisa’s hair. Vasilisa giggled at the child.

“Why thank you, Ravil. But I am a bit too old for you, sweeting. And Nikola’s wife besides. But I am sure you will find someone else at the playground to give daisies to.”

Ravil pouted at that and hit Nikola with the plushy again. Matthew pulled him in his arms and lifted him up as Ivan tugged his son’s ear. Matthew was the one to berate Ravil.

“What has gotten into you, Ravil Braginski? Little Nikola is only three years old! Am I raising a bully? You disappoint me, son.”

Ravil looked crestfallen for a while and hanged his head in shame. But then he got an angry expression on his face. He pointed at Nikola then showed Matthew three fingers. Then he pointed at himself and showed one finger at his father which was then immediately pointed at Vasilisa.  Matthew gave a sigh as Ivan was chuckling at his side. He wasn’t going to be any help as usual.

“So what if Nikola has three spouses? They treat each other right! What right do you have to separate them? By the time I’m done chewing you out you will outgrow your little crush and see the error of your ways, mister! Now since you misbehaved and keep trying to steal things from Nikola return him his plushy right this instant!”

Ravil clutched the toy to himself and began shaking his head back and forth in mute horror. Ivan put a hand over it and tried to take it himself but Ravil began to tear up. Nikola exhaled and came to his rescue.

“It’s ok if he keeps it. I forgive him for using it to batter me with. Just explain to him that he can’t have Vasilisa.”

Ravil looked very grateful and bounced in Matthew’s arms a few times. Then he looked back at Vasilisa and was just about to throw the plushy at Nikola when he remembered himself and began petting it in regret. He was carried away back towards the hotel in punishment.

Just as the car drove off Vasilisa twirled in his dress and grabbed Nikola’s hand. Ravil was staring at them from the car window and he hit it with the plushy. Then he remembered himself again and began petting it once more. Vasilisa giggled in satisfaction at that. Nikola gave a disappointed sigh at the display.

“Vasilisa this was positively cruel of you. Ravil is just a child and you were probably his first crush. It was funny that a toy was chosen over you, thou.”

Vasilisa picked a daisy from the ground and put it behind Nikola’s ear so that they matched before speaking.

“I didn’t find it as amusing. I expected to be fought over and to feel special. But that’s ok. I’m sure someone at the kindergarten can make you jealous too.”

Nikola had never had a worse day in kindergarten before. All the boys were falling over themselves to bring Vasilisa things. Paintings, flowers, their toys and art supplies. The girls crowded around his wife and couldn’t keep their hands off of the demon’s hair.

Lena, who had had an adorable crush on him for months now, had been talked out of it by an amused Vasilisa and the girl now avoided him and was raised to Vasilisa’s best friend forever for it.

Valentina, who kept saying he was her prince and made him save her from dragons during each play time, was now the chief sorter of all of Vasilisa’s presents and she now wanted to watch as he rescued Vasilisa from dragons in their pillow fort.

But the worst was Johanna. The girl had gotten angry at him being around Vasilisa and proclaimed the blonde her eternal rival for Nikola’s heart. Nikola hadn’t even known that the brunet wanted to “marry you and cuddle you and have your babies, Niki”. He found it all greatly disturbing. Especially since Vasilisa had taken the challenge seriously and isolated the poor toddler in the matter of hours. Which had resulted in Johanna clutching to him.

He managed to get himself out of Johanna’s arms just as Vasilisa was telling her “I am his lawfully wedded wife, pork chops! Now honk away or I will start pulling at your pig tails!” Nikola hanged his head low and went to the boy corner where they were all busy making Valentine day stile cards for his wife. He sat by Tobias who was just drawing clouds in the shape of strangely formed puppies and tried to have a heart to heart with him.

Tobias turned out to be very wise for a three year old. He told Nikola that if he wanted to keep Vasilisa he should make her something just like everyone else. Nikola was strangely surprised at how simple it all sounded. Then Tobias hopped off of his chair and went to Vasilisa and gave her his painting. He was commented for his originality and was allowed to sit by the girls. Traitor.

Nikola racked his brain for what to do as he went to the arts and crafts materials corner. He picked paper, glue, pink thread and confetti. His finished product looked like unicorn barf but Vasilisa still proclaimed it the best of all since it came from the heart. He was the envy of all of the boys as he went to sit by the girls. Vasilisa smirked at him and didn’t send Tobias away.

They ended up making up new names to describe Vasilisa’s beauty the whole day and Vasilisa gave them a kiss on the cheek each. But she did so for Tobias first. Nikola threw the first punch. Tobias got the first fistful of hair. Their friendship was forever ruined.

The teachers finally caught wind of what was happening and they put both Nikola and Tobias in time out. But they put them right next to each other and as soon as their back was turn the two toddlers were trading insults. Nikola had to admit that Tobias was very original for a child. Still he wondered what to think about the boy’s opinion of him when he called him caramel unicorn poop.

Elizabeta and Sadik had a blast listening to Vasilisa retell her day as Nikola pouted next to her on the backseat. Sadik kept asking questions about the words that Tobias had used to describe Vasilisa and he really liked fairy biscuit. With all of the seriousness of his adult self he took Elizabeta’s hand in his and called her that to her face. Nikola’s mother couldn’t stop laughing at how a three year old was nearly stealing away her son’s wife and giving her fiancé romance pointers.

They had a nice dinner together, all of them just like the former day, and Ravil kept looking between Vasilisa and his plushy with a torn look. Then Matthew told him that the plushy will be left at the house if Ravil doesn’t start eating his food at once. Vasilisa was once again passed over for a toy and his mood dampened a little much to Nikola’s amusement.

Friday came and Nikola, with a heavy heart, went to kindergarten with Vasilisa again. Tobias had brought a giant chocolate egg while his mother was smiling behind him. She kept telling the teachers how glad she was that her son was this kind to such a pretty girl. Tobias ran up to Vasilisa and gave her the egg and then retreated to let him eat it in silence.

Nikola really wanted to break the egg on the ground but he didn’t dare as that would make Vasilisa, who loved chocolate more than him, sad. He did get a slight satisfaction when Vasilisa shared his food with him right in front of a gaping Tobias. The boy went in a corner and kept telling anyone who would listen that all women were the same and that they didn’t deserve him.

Once he was done with this he griped Fabian by the arm and dragged him towards his corner proclaiming they were getting married much to Fabian’s horror. Fabian looked like Vasilisa a little. He was blonde and blue eyed and had curly hair that made him look a little girly. The teachers put Tobias in timeout but he didn’t give up and soon Fabian was drawing clouds with him happily and calling him husband. Nikola wondered how the teachers were going to explain this to the two toddler’s parents.

Saturday he was presented with his very own suit and made to stand still as a tailor poked him with safety pins while making the finishing touches. Vasilisa picked a Ninos Rayon Pleated Dress with a rose belt. It was almost as expensive as his mother’s wedding dress but Vasilisa looked so pretty in it that he gave a sigh and pulled out his debit card for it without complaint. He was rewarded with a kiss on the lips, albeit a very kiddie one, for it.

His mother explained to the tailor that this card was indeed his and the money in it were his grandfather’s after who he was named. The tailor couldn’t stop cooing at what a young gentleman Elizabeta had after that and Elizabeta wholeheartedly agreed with her. He was very embarrassed as Sadik joined in on the fun and teased him mercilessly calling him Vasilisa’s sugar daddy when Elizabeta was out of earshot.

Vasilisa kept dancing in his dress and almost didn’t want to take it off but Nikola bought him a pink toddler polka dots summer dress which made the blonde look like a cherub. He was then bullied into promising to go with his wife for more dresses after the wedding. He patted his poor, abused, debit card in resignation and put it back in his small wallet.

On their way out they saw Tobias and Fabian walking hand in hand with their mothers walking behind them. Vasilisa waved at Tobias. He blushed and waved back. Fabian stomped off with a running Tobias behind him who didn’t stop apologizing for a second.

Nikola almost had a tantrum but then he remembered that he wasn’t actually three and calmed himself. He knew Vasilisa was doing this on purpose. He would make his wife forget all about Tobias’ compliments! He made a double back and bought Vasilisa a tiara for the wedding made of real silver. Beat that, Tobias!

At 8:00 am sharp the next day Nikola was in his suit in church holding a pillow with two rings on it. Vasilisa was in his designer dress and with his tiara in his hair. Sadik had taken a leaf out of Nikola’s book and bought a golden tiara with diamonds that probably costed a small fortune for Elizabeta. His mother looked every bit a queen with it as she walked on Samyaza’s arm to the alter.

Originally it was supposed to be Nikola giving her away as there was simply no one else. But the angel had told Nikola’s mother of what he was on Wednesday and she had been overexcited of the prospect of a real, breathing, angel blessing her union by giving her away. Samyaza hadn’t taken any convincing at all and had gotten a white suit in the same shades as Elizabeta’s dress to make her even happier.

The angel gave Sadik Elizabeta’s hand, who was still grumbling how this was a church and he was going to say bye, bye to Muslim Heaven because of it. The priest gave him a weird look but didn’t comment.

The two newlyweds said their words and Nikola went forward with the pillow. They exchanged the rings and Sadik carried Elizabeta out of the church bridal style. All of the women swooned as Vasilisa hopped on Nikola’s back and made him walk them out while carrying him piggyback style. Ravil gave up on Vasilisa completely after seeing this.

Nikola went to sleep happy that night with Vasilisa in his arms. He would miss all of his other friends and family when they leave tomorrow but he had a family again.