A Complicated Life [COMPLETED]

Chapter Three

"If you'll just excuse me, I was just about to leave," Deuce said quietly. I was back in the doorway. I was upset and I wanted to see Deuce get hurt. He deserved it.

"You are not leaving," Grandpa said. I could hear Deuce wince as Grandpa's hand clamped down on his shoulder. "What's going on, here?" He asked. Deuce gulped and looked at Daddy and then back at Grandpa. Grandpa let go of Deuce and crossed his arms.

"Deuce is threatening to sue Nicole if she doesn't stay away from Calvin," Daddy said angrily. Grandpa grunted and uncrossed his arms. In an instant, Deuce was pinned to the wall, Grandpa's arm digging into his throat. I wanted to yell for him to stop, but a part of me almost enjoyed seeing Deuce get hurt.

"I should kill you," he hissed, bearing his fangs. Deuce scratched at Grandpa's arm, trying to give himself room to breathe. "I'm letting you off this time. But, I swear to God, if I ever hear of something like this again, I will kill you. No hesitation. Do you understand me?" Deuce nodded. Grandpa pulled his arm away from Deuce, causing him to slide down the wall and to the floor. He held his hands to his throat and drew in deep breath after deep breath. Grandpa grabbed Deuce's shirt collar and picked him up off the floor and drug him out of the house. He shook his head and walked back inside, slamming the door behind him.

"Remain calm, son. I have everything under control," Grandpa said. "Clawd, deep breath," he said. Every word he spoke was thick with his Transylvanian accent. "If that kid comes close to Nicole, I will end him. That is my little girl's little girl and I refuse to let anyone hurt her. Emotionally or physically," he said, walking over to me. He scooped me up in his arms and held me close to his chest. I wanted to shout "Grandpa!", but I couldn't. I was crying. Grandpa ran his hand through my hair, his other hand pressed firmly against my back. Lovey slithered off of me and down to the floor. My chest heaved with sobs as I cried. Daddy stood helplessly in the corner by the doorway, just watching Grandpa sway side to side.

"Shhhh," Grandpa cooed. "Everything is going to be ok, my princess. Grandpa will figure everything out," he said softly. I rubbed my nose with my hand and snuggled closer to him. He walked towards the stairs, stopping for a second to stare at a coffee stain on the carpet. He shook his head and continued to walk, slowly walking up the stairs. He turned into my bedroom and carefully laid me on my bed.

"I will not let De Nile take away your new friend. And I sure will not let her sue you. I would rather die than see you hurt like that," he said softly as he ran the back of his hand across my cheek. I smiled and sniffled.

"Grandpa? Can I ask you something?" I asked as I sat up. He nodded and ran his fingers through my hair.

"Go for it."

"Why did Grandma take care of me when I was baby?" I asked. He sighed and ran his hand over his face.

"Your father went into a very deep depression when your mother died. We all did. But, you see, werewolves mate for life. They find someone they love and their instincts tell them that that is the person that they have to spend the rest of their life with, no matter what. And, your mother was his mate. When she died, we couldn't even get him to leave the house for over a year. Whenever I would bring him food or money for bills, he was just sitting in the kitchen, looking at photos of her," Grandpa said softly. He covered his mouth with his hand and the let it drop back to his lap.

"Your father just couldn't bring himself to raise you at the time. His instincts told him that you were bad because of what happened to your mother. Of course, you're not bad. That's not your fault, at all. Don't let anyone ever make you think that it was your fault," he drew in a deep breath before he continued. "It was just too much for him to take. He didn't talk to anyone, he rarely even got up to shower. He just... moped. Can't say I blame him. Poor boy. I was... destroyed by the news of your mother. I went into a depression deeper than your father's for quiet a while. And then I saw you," he said. I smiled warmly and scooted closer to him.

"That's all I wanted to know, Grandpa. You don't have to tell me anymore," he smiled and looked towards the door. He sighed and looked back at me.

"You look so much like your mother," he said softly.

"I do?" I asked. He nodded.

"Of course. Have you not seen a picture of her?" He asked. I shook my head. I had never seen a picture of my mom. My house showed that my father and I were the only two people to have ever lived in it.

"Daddy doesn't have any pictures of her. I think they make him sad," I said quietly. Grandpa nodded and reached behind him. Now another thought crossed my mind. How would I have seen pictures of my mother? She was a vampire. Vampires couldn't see their reflections, let alone take pictures. Grandpa opened his wallet and slid out a picture and handed it to me.

"There you go. You look just like her," he said softly. I looked down at the picture of my mother and smiled. I really did look like her. Her deep violet eyes stared back at me, a wide smile spread across her face. Although she looked weak in the picture, all of her features were there. I had the exact same facial features as her, and, from what I could see, we were built almost the same.

"How do you have a picture?" I asked. I looked up at Grandpa in time to watch as he wiped away a tear.

"Your mother became human in the last several years of her life," he said quietly. I looked back down at the picture. "This was taken two months before you were born," he said.

"Really?" He nodded. "How did she become human?" I asked.

"Your mother was originally a human. When I found her and her mother, your grandmother, they were both very sick. Your mother was only a kid. She was sixteen. I remember her always telling me that she was younger than that. She was so wrong," he paused, a low chuckle escaping him. "Your grandmother's illness got worse and she died. It took awhile to realize that the same would happen to your mother. I turned her into a vampire before I could lose her, too. Shortly after, I adopted her and raised her as my own. The poor girl. She had to live without a mother for over a thousand years. I guess you know what that is like," he said. I nodded. "From what I know, she wished she would become human so she could feel normal. Of course, it was just a dream. Like a fantasy. I guess some genie heard her and made the wish come true. Said genie also took the liberty of making Jackson Jekyll and your mother date. Since genies grant three wishes, she had one left. And she wished that her and Clawd would be back together," he sighed

"She begged me to turn her back into a vampire. But, I told her that it was not safe. I could kill her on accident. When I finally agreed to it, she had changed her mind. Being the person she was, she refused to allow me to turn her back into a vampire simply to prove a point to Clawd. I love her with all my heart, but... I regret not forcing her to let me turn her back. If anything, it's my fault that she is not here with us, today," he said softly.

"It's not your fault, Grandpa," I said after a long time of silence. "Everything happens for a reason. I don't know the reason, yet. But it's not your fault."