After that things became better among them once more. As the months passed Melissa became more and more uncomfortable. The three began to fight over space and let her know that they aren't happy about having to share such close quarters.

Melissa is more than ready to have the three fighters out of her and can't wait for them to be born. But first, there is Ovilla's birthday.

Since vampire babies are quick to mature she already knows what she would like for her birthday. She wants to go out to eat. With all her fathers there with her.

So on her birthday they go to the restaurant that Ovilla chose. Melissa smirks at how uncomfortable Timothy is in the restaurant geared for children. He's long been used to the high class black tie places that wouldn't dream of allowing children inside their hallowed doors. 

Melissa thinks that it's about time that he lived like the other ninety nine percent. She knows that he's been poor more than once in his life, but not for several centuries. He's grown used to the fancy cooking and looks rather ill at the food choices placed before him.

"Just get something and if you don't like it, no problem, you can go hunting later." Melissa tells him mentally as he looks at the menu selection.

Timothy nods and sets down the menu.

The night goes well, although Melissa's food tastes funny and later on she rushes to the restroom.

Shortly after that they return home and she collapses.

It's at this point that all memory goes to what she gleaned from the males.

"What do you mean you will have to take the children by c section?" Timothy demands of Cliff. "Will she even be able to survive the surgery?"

Cliff is tired and looks at Timothy exasperatedly, "It's the only chance you have of saving any of the children. One has already died. I think she is doing her best to keep the poison from killing the other children. If you don't take the children now it will kill them and might kill her trying to keep them from dying. The choice is yours, Timothy, she is your wife and marked one."

The other three males look at him, pleading with him to save the children and give Melissa a chance. They are all hurting with the announcement that she already lost one child.

"Very well, Cliff, go ahead." Timothy says discouragedly. He moves to leave, but the others hold him back.

"Where do you think you are going, Timothy?" Cliff demands without even looking up from his preparations. "She will need all of you here to help her make it through. I will need each father to take his child as he or she is handed to him. I am sorry in advance to whichever one of you lost your child. There was nothing I could do, it was already too late."

"We understand, Cliff. We know that if there was any way you could have saved the baby you would have. If only because the knowledge will hurt Melissa badly." Travis says heavily. He already knows in is heart that he is the one that will be crying over his dead baby.

"Thank you, Travis." Cliff says absently as he begins the surgery.

The first baby is handed to Travis, "I am sorry." Cliff says as the still baby is given to him. Travis just nods and moves out of the way so the others can be there to receive their babies as well.

"We will have a casket made for him and he'll be buried in the most beautiful spot I can find." Timothy tells the grieving man.

"Thank you, Timothy,"  Travis goes to the rocking chair by the window and just holds his son to him as he cries for his loss. For Melissa and her loss.

Tad is handed his daughter and then TJ is handed his daughter. They are quick to wrap them in clean blankets. They are relieved to hear the plaintive cries as they mourn their brother and cry for their mother.

Cliff hurries to sew up Melissa and hopes that she didn't lose too much blood. Now only time will tell.

Seeing the grief of the four males and the unconscious state of his adopted daughter, Cliff is angry. More angry than he can remember being. He determines to find out what the hell happened and deal with whoever it was himself.

Timothy is quietly giving orders to Mel. Mel nods once before leaving.

"Timothy, once we know who did this, you and these others are not to do anything about it. I will be dealing with those bastards, not you four."

Timothy stands up in anger at Cliffs pronouncement. "How dare you Cliff? She is my wife, and our marked. We have the right to avenge her for what was done."

The others look at Cliff with anger as well. Even as Tad and TJ do their best to quiet their daughters. They don't like the anger in the room, not on top of the pain they feel at losing their brother and their mother being too ill to respond to them.

"You have the children and Melissa to attend to. She will need to have lots of love and care once she wakes up and finds out that she lost one of her babies."

Cliff looks to Travis, "I know the pain is there and it's very powerful right now, Travis. Just know, once Melissa wakes up, she will be driven to have another child. The bonds you five share will demand it. It's not fair nor right, none of what happened is and I will deal with it. Is that clear?"

Travis is too overwhelmed with grief right now to have any energy to fight with any way. He nods as he pulls his son closer to him.

Mel comes back in and whispers something to Timothy. "We have on camera the human female that slipped poison onto Melissa's food as it was being served to her. We have an ID and location for the female. Cliff, Mel is waiting for you to take you to her location, but I think it's only fair that when Melissa wakes up, that she gets to be the one to kill the bitch."

"Fair enough, but I don't think that she was working alone. I will be questioning her to find out just who is behind the poisoning and that person I will deal with personally."

"Let me help, Cliff. She might be able to hide the information from you, or give you wrong information, but I will know, I will see." Tad says taking his eyes off his precious bundle. His eyes glowing in anger at the thought of what happened this night.

Cliff smiles nastily, "Very well, youngling, I will accept your assistance. Stay with your daughter until I return. Timothy, give Melissa some of your blood so that the girls can eat, that is if you are going to have Melissa breastfeed the girls." So saying Cliff leaves the room, a determined step and a glint in his eye makes people get out of his way as quickly as they can.

Within a short amount of time Cliff has the human that was guilty of trying to kill Melissa and did kill the young baby boy. 

They bring her back to the mansion and take her to the cells that Melissa spent some quality time in so long ago. Then Cliff begins the questioning once Timothy, Tad and TJ make it there. Travis was both too angry and too devastated to be around the prisoner safely. Timothy isn't sure that he'd be able to keep Travis from killing the bitch out of hand.

Not that he would blame Travis any either. He's having a difficult time not killing the bitch and he's had a far greater amount of control over his emotions than Travis does.

Tad allows Cliff to have some fun before he starts giving him the answers that the girl is refusing to give him.

It only takes a couple of hours for the answers to be given and once he has what he wants he leaves her to the mercy of the others. They watch as he disappears out of the cells and up the stairs.

"Now what are you going to do to me?" The woman says through broken lips.

"That will depend on the female you tried to kill. I'm sure that she'll be more than a bit upset that you killed one of her babies."

"She still lives? I was assured that the poison is invariably lethal. It should have killed her and any children she was carrying." The female says lethargically.

Timothy smiles nastily at the prisoner before him. "Yeah, but you see, we aren't that easy to kill. If we had been human, I'm sure that she would be dead along with my children." To the outside world they would be his children.

"What do you mean?" The woman says trying to focus on him but he keeps going in and out of focus.

"We aren't human and haven't been for some time." TJ says smiling widely, showing his fangs at the now terrified female.

"That's not possible, vampires don't exist."

With that all three males start to chuckle darkly. "Oh, but we do, and my wife is one as well." Timothy says as he moves closer to the female. "Look at me!" The female has no choice but to look at him.

"I'm going to heal your wounds, but you will still feel the pain. I don't want you to get an infection while we wait for Melissa to wake up from her healing sleep. Nor do we want you to feel any less pain from this session." With that Timothy bites his wrist and has her drink his blood.

After the wounds close, Timothy drops her onto the ground. "Murdering bitch." Timothy spits on her as he ushers the others out of the cell and locks it behind him.

After that Melissa has the memories of what Cliff did to Marissa and she shudders as she once more wakes up.