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WARNING: Some portions of the following work of fiction contain explicit sex. If you are under 18 (or whatever age is appropriate for your location), HIT YOUR BACK BROWSER BUTTON NOW. If you find explicit sex offensive, please don't offend yourself by reading further.

The full disclaimer for this work of Vampire Hunter D fanfiction is at the beginning of Chapter 1.

Author: Charlotte MacFarlane
Email: duckey@ns.sympatico.ca
Feedback: Please, yes, lots.
Forward to others: would be flattered if you did.
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Of the Heart

Chapter 5 Daddy D?

By covering KD's ears and wrapping her in a warm blanket, D & Kale managed to obtain a room in one of the many small town inns, three days later. The nights had been getting colder and the horses were in danger of overheating at night, trying to keep them warm. Their food supplies were also dangerously low, and though they could hunt for themselves, their baby needed special care.

Finally secure in a warm room, the new family was able to rest comfortably. KD's bed, a dresser drawer lined with soft warm blankets, was set on the floor next to their bed on Kale's side. KD had been restless these last few nights, which kept the new mother up at all hours of the night. Though she didn't complain, and even refused to let D care for their new daughter in the wee hours, he could see it was taking its toll on her.

This night, he stayed awake, waiting for the baby to start fussing, which after midnight she did. Kale at once tried to get up, only to find D taking KD out of her little bed. "Go back to sleep," he whispered to her. "I meant it." She huffed and lay back down. How could she argue, she was so worn out. She was asleep again before she had a chance to close her eyes. "What's wrong KD?" he asked the fidgeting bundle. "Are you hungry?" he put his finger to her mouth and she immediately tried to suck on it. "Yha, ok, ok. Hold on." Deftly with one hand, he was able to ready a bottle for her.

Then sitting in the plush armchair in the corner of the room, he began to feed her. "There. Now there's nothing to fuss about." She closed her eyes and lay there. "You know what I am? Don't you?" KD just flashed a blue-eyed gaze at him, while she pulled at his fingers and kicked her little feet. "Don't worry. I'm not a bad person. I guess you can sense that. You know, we're both real new at this parenting thing. So I'd really appreciate it if you'd let up a little on your mother." The baby fussed slightly. "I know, I know. We're not really your parents, but we'd like to be. We don't know where your folks are. We don't even know if they're alive. But this isn't a safe place for you right now. I promise you this. Right here right now. When you're older. We'll help you find your people."

"That's it!!" whispered the sym, so that if Kale were awake, she would not hear it speak. "I think I'm gonna be sick!"

"Be silent!" D snapped, having to move the baby from his left arm to his right, as the sym took control of his hand and tried to wriggle out from under the child.

"Ah, at last I can breath. D, get this glove off me."

"Why?" he asked it, looking over to Kale. She was sound asleep.

"Please D, I've asked so little of late."

"Alright." He gently kissed KD's brow. "Don't be afraid little one. I won't let him hurt you." Using his teeth he pulled off his glove and laid it over his leg.

"Ah, that's better," they sym turned and looked at KD. "So, you're the one producing that noxtiouse scent." The baby just reached up and pulled on D's thumb. "You know, she's not half bad looking."

"What would you know!" said D harshly, shifting slightly to make it easier to hold the bottle in hi right hand. "She's perfect."

"You would say that. D, she's not yours. I hate to break it to you, but its true."

"Be still!" he hid his hand as Kale moaned slightly and turned on the bed. He got up and retreated to the lav, closing the door behind him he sat down, and continued to feed KD. "For now she is mine! Her family is most likely dead. Her people are being wiped out! I won't let her suffer the same fate!"

"Steady D, I was only making a point."

"To hell with your point!...oh...sorry KD. Daddy didn't mean that."

"Daddy? D please. You're jumping into this far too quickly. Are you sure you aren't wanting to keep this kid, because she makes Kale happy?"

D shook his head. "I've wanted a family," he said sadly, gently rubbing his chin across KD's brow. "When I learned what I was, I was furious at my father. Years later, I thought about a family, only to find that what I am would be passed on to my children. I wasn't going to let my children suffer the same stigma and hatred I did. I decided never to father children."

The sym. sighed and looked at how carefully D held little KD. "You never told me that," it said softly.

"It was never your concern...but when I saw Kale holding her, I knew. She was meant to be ours." He put the empty bottle in the sink, put his glove back on, took a small towel & draped it over his shoulder.

"I hope you're right D," sighed the sym. as D used his left hand to burp KD. "I'd hate for this to hurt the two of you."

"We're going to father's after we return Mina's ashes to her father. We'll find a place from there."

"Well, before you ride off like a happy little family, D would you please...Change this Kid's Diaper!"

After a fresh diaper put on her, and a few more minutes of playing with D's fingers, he tucked her into her bed, where she quickly fell asleep. Dawn was still hours away and Kale had streatched out over the bed. Rather than wake her, returning to her side, he went to the chair and fell asleep. Dreams of the three of them sitting in front of the fire place of his father's home filled him. KD about a year old, with brown hair like Kale's, and Kale smiling brightly as the toddler took steadier steps from his arms to hers. In his sleep, he almost smiled himself.

D woke to the dawn breaking over the horizon & shining through their room window, directly into his eyes. after the moment of discomfort over its brightness, he rose, checked on his family and proceded to the lav.

A few minutes later, the room door opened, and the Inn Keeper's wife entered and laid fresh towels on the table. As she turned to quietly leave, she saw the drawer on the floor. Being a mother herself she loved to look on sleeping babies and crept quietly closer. She saw KD, with her ears exposed, lay sleeping in the drawer. As she backed away, D imerged from the lav. Their eyes locked for just a moment and he knew she'd seen KD. Before he could grab the woman, she dashed out the door and he could hear her running foot steps down the hall stairs. "Kale. Wake up!" he urged, shaking her.

"What?"

"We have to leave. Now!"

"What's wrong?"

D handed her her cloak and the bag of supplies for the baby. "The nosey wife saw KD. She's gone to tell her husband."

Quickly Kale dressed, and took the still sleeping child from D. They left the room fee on the table and left, by way of the back stairs. They made sure the baby was protected from the morning chill, then made their way to the barn. It was there they heard the histerically angry voice of the woman. "...up there now! You've got to do something!"

"We will. Now, go make sure they don't get out the front door. We've got their horses, they won't leave without them."

"Just kill the damn thing!"

D hid them behind the hay bales stacked outside, as the occupants of the barn left. "You stay here Tem, lock down the horses."

"Yes sir."

"Stay here," D whispered, as the yard cleared. He went to the barn & she could hear a minor scuffle, then Max trotted into the yard, already saddled. "Kale!" She darted out from her hiding place & handed KD to him to climb into her saddle. "They never took their tack off last night."

"Some full service stable," she took KD back and followed D out of the village.

At a safe distance, they pulled to a stop, long enough for Kale to feed the baby, yet another cold bottle. "This is insane D," she said as Max followed Nightmare further down the road. "She's only a baby. What did she ever do the them?"

"They're purists Kale. In their twisted minds they need not further justification than she's different." He glanced back when he heard shouting. "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to her, or you. Get going I'll draw them away."

"But..."

"Go. I'll catch up. The road a head splits, take the road to the right, it goes around a hill. Wait for me on the other side. I won't be long."

She didn't argue further, as the shouting got louder, and what seemed like laser fire going off. "Don't get hurt," she said, as he quickly kissed them both. She then urged Max onward. D turned back to their pursuers, drawing his sward.

"You're not going to hurt them? Are you?" asked the sym.

"They're after my daughter," he said coldly. "They'll have to get passed me first."


The parting in the road was muddy, before she let Max near it, she looked around. If she went to the right, as D had told her, and if D went left to draw away the mob, they would know they split up by the tracks left in the mud. The road to the right didn't really go around a hill, it followed the path made on a cliff ledge, far too steep for Max to jump to after cutting across land if she took the left trail.

KD fussed, and she realized she'd taken the bottle away to guide Max. "Easy honey. I just need a minute to think." Seeming to sense the coming danger, KD settled.

She looked again to her two paths, both seemed to lead to danger. Or did they? The shoulders of both roads were grass covered, or graveled, haven beep beaten off by travelers and never put back. There were a number of tracks of horses and other vehicles along the sides of both roads, their riders and drivers refusing to risk getting caught in the mud. "That's it," and at once she galloped Max down the left road, through the mud.

After clearing the mud, and his further movements ridding his legs of all mud, she returned to the fork in the road, by way of the grass. Crossing on a more solid section of the road, she trotted Max down the shoulder of the right road, hoping the difference in the gait, if noticed, would convince the pursuers she'd gone left. Once more solid road lay ahead, she continued on around the cliff, as fast as Max could go.


D waited till the crowd of people following, could see him, then turned and ran for the divided road way. "Kale Run!!" he shouted, hoping they would think she was just ahead of him.

As he neared the intersection he saw Max's tracks through the mud to the left. "Oh no."

"D calm down. Look to the grass on the right," said the sym. Sure enough he could tell where Max's feet had trod through. "Smart girl."

"Brilliant My Kale." And he galloped through the mud next to Max's first set of tracks. It wasn't long before he heard the crowd following down the left road, just as he'd hoped.

As he crested the hill a short ways further, he found the remains of an abandoned village. The buildings had been stripped of what was usable and the shells remaining to rot and decay. The ground being firm it would be difficult for the mob to track him. Taking shelter in the ruins he watched the mob, mostly horses and riders but also a few motorized vehicles though speed was not their best, pass the ruins, accept one. "It's amazing," whispered the sym. "That after more than 10,000 years, how there are still brainless humans."

"There's one smart one," said D, as the lone pursuer turned his motorized four-wheeler toward the ruins. "Nightmare, stay out of sight, but stay near me." the horse disappeared around the ruins, and D moved higher to follow the pursuer, as he slowed his vehicle following Nightmare's occasional tracks in the dust. As he watched from the shadows of an old barn, the man got off his vehicle and removed his helmet.