Early one morning, a few hours after sunrise, Sybille placed George in a box in the front seat of the car. And after putting Niko in the back seat, she climbed in, waved to her family, and headed north to Forfar and George's new home.
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The next day, Sybille pulled into the driveway of the Levitt farm. Leo came out to meet her and opened the door for her before letting Niko out. "Well, this is a nice surprise, Mrs. Jones."
"It's not a friendly visit." After climbing out, she picked up George
Upon seeing the young babe, Leo told her. "You best come in the house; Ruth will want to know what's going on."
He closed the car door and led Sybille and Niko into the house. Upon seeing the babe in Sybille's arms, Ruth sighed. Leo pulled out a chair for Syb and she sat down. Niko laid down on the floor beside her like a good dog.
"Let me guess, that babe happens to be my grandchild?" Ruth deduced.
Sybille nodded. "Yes; Elaine got pregnant while in Calgary."
Ruth took George from Sybille's arms. "And why isn't she here?" Leo asked.
Ruth began crying. "Because she's dead, isn't that right?"
Sybille felt tears fall from her eyes, she hadn't realized she started crying. "Yes; she died in childbirth."
Leo wrapped his wife and the babe in his arms as Ruth cried. "We'll raise the baby ourselves."
"I knew you would." Sybille wiped tears from her cheeks. "You should know, however, that the father wasn't in favour of the child's birth. He may come after him."
"I got a nice collection of shotguns if he tries." Leo told her. "No one is going to hurt my grandson."
Sybille smiled at his enthusiasm. "Thank you for that." After heaving a big sigh, Sybille stood. "I believe that's my cue to leave."
"Will you come visit the baby?" Ruth asked.
"No, it'll be safer for him if I don't. After all, the father could find me first."
Ruth nodded in understanding. "Very well; may your life be filled with joy."
"Thank you." Sybille's turned to leave before turning back. "I will always keep him in my prayers." With that she and Niko left. Syb was hoping her grandfather would have just as happy a life in this timeline as he had had the first time around.
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June 1925
After taking care of things in Calgary, the family bused up to Athabasca where Sybille and Niko met them. She had cleaned up and opened the house at The Farm; it was ready for them to live in again. It was now time for them to turn Alexei.
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January 1926
After confirming that Alexei still wanted to become a Vampire, Tess sat with him in the small bedroom. "I'm going to ask one more time. Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?"
Alexei nodded his head. "Yes, I do."
"Are you ready?"
"Yes."
With a deep breath, she tried to calm her nerves as Tess had no idea if this process would work with his hemophilia. "Alright, here we go." She bit her wrist and let some of her blood fall into the waiting glass. Then, she handed it to Alexei. "It's going to be sweet, but I need you to drink it all down."
"Okay." He listened and finished the glass of blood. "Anything else?"
"One more thing." Without telling him what it was, Tess broke his neck. Then, after confirming his heart was still beating, she left the room. Over a week had gone by, and Alexei was still turning. He hadn't screamed even once. Finally, on day nine, he awoke. Tess was sitting there with him, holding one of his hands; for some reason she felt especially worried about him. When he opened his eyes, she spoke to him. "How do you feel?"
"Strong and healthy."
"That's exactly how you should feel." Tess rubbed the hand she had been holding. I only feel this way because he's family. "Are you ready to train?"
He nodded his head. "Yes."
"Okay, let's go." After Alexei was hugged by the rest of the family, Tess led him out to the field. It was a bitter, cold night and the wind howled loud. It was the best time to train him because no one would hear them. "We're going to start with sparring."
"What do you mean?"
"Fighting." Tess clarified. "You need to learn to fight in case you ever need to. More importantly, you need to learn to control your strength in case you need to fight a human and don't need to or want to kill them."
Alexei hated the thought of harming anyone, especially Tess. He had had feelings for her for a while now. "Have you ever killed a human?"
"No, and I don't plan to. Sybille's and Lisette's ability to manipulate memories and thoughts often comes in handy and makes it so I don't have to. Like with the guards that night." Alexei winced having to think of his parents' deaths. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up."
"It's fine." He reassured her. "I don't ever want to forget it; if I do, then I forget them."
"I understand, somewhat." Tess told him. "I haven't seen my parents in almost four hundred years. It feels like they're dead sometimes. I lose faith that I'll see them again."
"I'll never see my parents again." Alexei said sadly. "I lost that chance when I decided to become a Vampire."
"You could still die you know; you still have a chance at seeing them again."
He shook his head. "If I ever die, no God would let a Vampire into heaven."
Tess rubbed his shoulder, wanting to comfort him. "I don't believe that's true. As long as you are a good person, then God would accept you." Alexei smiled at her. "Now, it's time to begin." Tess moved a few feet away. "Since you haven't mastered your speed yet, I'll run to you. Try to limit how much strength you use, but don't be worried about hurting me. I heal easily. Also, try not to use your fangs, those hurts like hell."
"Alright."
Tess broke into a run and tried to punch Alexei, but his reflexes were too quick. He grabbed her and held her by the neck. She kicked him in the groin, and he let go. "That's good. It didn't hurt too bad."
Alexei hated the thought of hurting her even a little. "I can't do this anymore."
"What? Why not?"
"I can't hurt you; I don't want to hurt the woman I'm falling in love with."
Tess stood there, floored, blinking at him as the words sank in. Then, she blushed. "I didn't know that."
"Of course not; I never told you." Alexei walked slowly towards her. "You don't have to reciprocate, in any way. Just know this, I will always care for you. Platonically and romantically. I will forever have you in my heart."
He stopped just in front of her. Suddenly, Tess realized what she had been denying a long time; she cared for him as well. But since she had known him since he was a child, her mind refused to accept it. "I...I..." Without a thought, she kissed him passionately before placing their foreheads together. "I don't know how much I care for you yet, but I know that I do."
Alexei placed his arms around her waist, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "That is enough for me."
They kissed a few times more before Tess convinced him to keep fighting. They spent the entire night sparring before going inside. Tess wasn't ready for a relationship yet, as she wanted to sort out her feelings first, but she knew that soon she would succumb to her own desires and be with him.
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August 1936
Ruth Levitt had passed away in January. As the family was preparing to leave the country, they sold the land and house to Leo who was now raising George on his own. Neither Ruth nor Leo had ever been to The Farm and so, it was easy for Sybille to masquerade as a war widow to sell them the land. She claimed she had gotten it as compensation for the death of her husband.
The family had spent the last ten years just farming and living. It had been a peaceful life, a nice respite before the dangers they were about to face. Tess had finally sorted out her feelings and had now been with Alexei for eight years. They had not been intimate yet as the house was too small, and they didn't want the family to hear them.
On board a ship bound for Amsterdam, the family mentally prepared for the war that was coming.