"Hey guys, it's ok, that right there is my Mom and Dad, and that over there is Harry's Mom and Dad. They are safe; and these people here are Eric, and Phoebe, those are Jo's other kids. That is David, Gemma's husband; he helped us get Harry's and my Dad out like those men from earlier helped get you out. You are safe now ok? We are all going to do our best to protect you at all cost, you're safe," Grayson said. Harry knelt down to their level and smiled at them holding his arms open.
"Why don't we go get you something to eat, then we can get you to bed ok?" Harry said to Xavier and Red, both little boys nodded and walked over to Harry and hugged him tightly letting him pick them up.
"Come on, follow us," Harry said to the others.
The other teenagers and the 21-year-old followed Harry into the kitchen. Grayson stood there looking at them go as Isabel, Leeann, Frank, and Kenneth all walked up to Grayson surrounding him, Eric, and Phoebe followed after Harry and the rest of them once they had hugged Jo, Sheila, and Matt. Matt gave Eric a big kiss and sighed once he had him in his arms.
"Mom should I wake her, she should eat right? She is so tiny, and it's been a while since she last ate," Grayson said quietly; Isabel looked at Pari with a loving expression as she pet her little head.
"Such a beautiful little girl, how old is she?" Leeann asked quietly.
"She's 6 years old; Xavier, the youngest boy, is 8 years old, and Red is 10 years old. The others I'll introduce to you in a minute. I think we can put them in the guest bedroom next to mine don't you think? Jo, Sheila, and Phoebe can sleep in the room adjoining mine, and Matt and Eric can sleep in the guest room down stairs unless Mr. and Mrs. McDonnell are going to stay. I already gave David the guest room across form that one. There are so many of them though; where are we going to fit seven of them? Hey Mom do we still have Dad's old camping cots and sleeping bags out in the storage shed?" Grayson asked quietly, Isabel nodded.
Kenneth's camping cots weren't the normal run of the mill cots, they were wide, double the size of a normal cot, and they were thick, a lot more comfortable than the normal. The cots were custom made to his Dad's size and thickly layered so that it would be as comfortable as possible. As long as they didn't roll off, they would sleep very comfortably.
"Yeah sweetheart we do; Gray why do you have these children with you? Where are all the others?" Isabel asked quietly to not wake Pari up; Grayson sighed.
"There were too many to bring to the house Mom. They are in a huge cave system in Alaska; there were 3052 of them, out of all of them though, these were the only children and unchanged ones, except for Patrick, the 21-year-old, he only changed a day ago. The Void killed their parents, so we are responsible for them now. They can stay, right Mom, Dad?" Grayson asked looking worried.
He knew his Mother would never say no, they were all children in need in her eyes and she would not turn down someone in need of help if she could help it.
"Their parents are dead? Oh god, poor babies, of course they can stay here Gray; you don't even have to ask me that. We'll have to buy more beds, I am going to have to work harder now. It's going to get expensive around here with so many mouths to feed," Isabel said in a worried tone. Grayson smiled at his Mom and kissed the top of her head.
"Don't worry Mom, I remembered where I kept gold that Harry and I have accumulated over many millennia. It should be more than sufficient, enough for all the Sentinels in the cave and here as well. No one would have been able to get it except for Harry, even another Sentinel; I buried it deep. Plus even if it is gone, I know where to get more," Grayson said with a wide grin, Isabel looked at him and sighed shaking her head.
"Ok sweetheart, why don't we let the precious little angel sleep honey? I think I still have some of your old baby clothes somewhere we can change her into so she can sleep comfortably," Isabel said and tried to take Pari from Grayson but she wouldn't let go.
She had an iron grip on Grayson and refused to let go of him, which made Grayson laugh quietly.
"I really have to take a leak too," Grayson mumbled.
Ken, Frank, Matt, and Eric laughed, Isabel and Leeann giggle and Jo, Sheila, and Phoebe snorted when they heard his comment.
"How long have you been holding it Gray?" Jo asked.
"Since we got to the cave," Grayson said. Now that he spoke of it, he felt like he had to go more.
"Pari, wake up precious, I am going to give you to my Mom ok? She's going to change you so you can go to bed, unless you want to eat something first," Grayson said quietly shaking Pari.
She lifted her head slightly and peered at Grayson sleepily. She smiled at him, nuzzled her head back into the crook of his neck, and started falling asleep again.
"Pari wait don't fall asleep again just yet, let's go with my Mom so you can get changed for bed ok?" Grayson said again.
Pari lifted her head again and looked at Grayson and then turned her little head and looked at Isabel. She looked worriedly at Grayson again and tightened her hold on him not willing to let go.
"It's ok, she won't hurt you, see I look like her don't I? She's just like me, nicer even, so it's ok to go with her," Grayson said.
Pari shook her head silently and buried her face in the crook of his neck again; Grayson sighed.
"Ok then, can I leave you with Jo while I go to the bathroom precious? I'll be right back I promise," Grayson asked Pari.
Pari looked over at Jo who cocked her head and smiled at her reaching for her with her arms outstretched. Pari sighed dramatically, let go, and leaned toward Jo, letting Jo take her.
"I'll be right back," Grayson said and pet Pari's head gently, then kissed it then ran for the bathroom.
He heard everyone chuckle as he entered the bathroom. Once he relieved himself, he walked back out and saw that Jo was holding Pari and rocking gently but she was not asleep, she was watching for Grayson's return. When she saw him, she reached for him imperiously and waited for him to reach her and take her. Grayson couldn't help but grin at that, she was simply adorable but he could already tell she would be a handful.
It seemed Isabel was thinking along those lines because she said as much with a huge smile. He reached her and she practically leapt into his arms and cuddled into him, laying her head in the crook of his neck again, nuzzling into Grayson like a little kitten, then she started falling asleep again.
"Boy this one is going to be a handful, good thing she is so adorable, she can get away with all of it," Isabel said petting Pari who had turned her head to look at Isabel.
Pari reached out a hand and touched Isabel's hair, which was the same beautiful golden copper color as Grayson's, letting it run through her little fingers. She smiled at Isabel and sighed then pulled her hand away and gripped onto Grayson tightly again.
"Pretty," Pari said and closed her eyes.
Half an hour, later after all the refugees except Pari finished eating, Grayson and Harry had the sleeping bags and cots set up for Pari, Red, and Xavier at the foot of Grayson's bed, and Pari held his giant bear in her arms tightly. The boys had refused to take the bed when Grayson had offered it to them although they had insisted on sleeping in the same room with them.
The seven teenagers and 21-year-old were camped out in the adjoining room. Isabel had suggested they move the bed from the apartment over to the guest room but Aeri who was 18 years old, Keiran who was 18 years old, Eri, who was 19 years old and Patrick, had refused and told her that the cots were just fine.
The 16-year-old Bluebell, she preferred Bell, took the bed; Bell was sharing the bed with two others, one of the 18-year-olds, Hadley and one of the 19-year-olds Shell, her name was Shelby, shared the bed with Bell and Hadley. Phoebe said she liked Hadley's name, which made them all comment on their names.
The four older boys, Aeri, Keiran, Eri, and Patrick all slept on the cots surrounding the bed. Eric and Matt took the guest room next to Grayson's room, and Jo, Sheila, and Phoebe took the guest room next to Isabel and Ken's room. Mr. and Mrs. McDonnell took the guest room under the sta
irs and David and Gemma took the one across the stairs form the McDonnell's room. Harry and Grayson shared Grayson's bed.
By 1:18 A.M., they were all finally able to go to sleep; it had been a very long, long day. In the middle of the night, Pari, Xavier, and Red crawled into the bed with Grayson and Harry and curled up into them because they were unable to get to sleep due to fear. Unconsciously both Harry and Grayson hugged the children to them protectively and the children finally slept soundly and peacefully.
The next morning Isabel was dressed and ready for Grayson to take her back to Japan. Grayson had convinced her to let him and Harry go with her, with the help of Harry and his enthusiasm, so that he could introduce Harry to Mr. Kumasegawa.
Harry had become ecstatic at the thought of interning at such a prestigious company after Grayson had finally told him about what happened when he went to pick his Mom up in Japan. Harry wanted to go into international business and planned on studying it at the university, so a chance like this was amazing in his eyes.
Isabel couldn't deny Harry when she saw how excited he was about the prospect of going with them to meet Mr. Kumasegawa. Therefore, Harry went the three houses down to his house to get one of his suits while Grayson borrowed one of his Dad's suits and in no time, at all they were ready to go.
Just as they were about to leave, Pari ran up to Grayson and clung to him, scared that he would not be coming back, she looked just as fearful that Harry wouldn't come back either.
"Hey precious, we are taking my Mom to work that's all. We'll only be gone for a little while; I promise we'll be back soon ok? Jo is here and she won't leave you alone, plus I have a phone with me if you get really scared you can call me and make sure we are fine, ok?" Grayson said picking her up and hugging her tightly.
Pari looked sad but nodded and reached for Harry; Harry, whom always had the desire to please, smiled and took her, hugging her tightly also, as Grayson turned to the Xavier, and Red.
"You guys too, I know you're older but if you feel the need to call just to check in, it's fine too. I still call my Mom to check in so being big doesn't really matter, ok?" Grayson said.
Both boys nodded and hugged him tightly when he opened his arms to them for a hug, they did the same to Harry and all three watched as Grayson grabbed Isabel and Harry's hands to transport them back to his Mother's hotel room in Japan.
Jo stood beside the three children watching with them, Sheila and Matt held on to a small hand each, Pari was in the middle and holding onto Xavier and Red's hands. Eric and Phoebe stood next to Matt and Sheila on their other side. Ken having already said goodbye was in his study with Frank, the teenagers, and Patrick, working on getting identification papers for everyone. Kenneth had also suggested adding rooms to the house so that they would have enough space for everyone, and Isabel and Grayson had agreed.
Grayson not only transported then to Isabel's hotel room, but he transported them to the appropriate time when his Mother was supposed to have her meeting as well. They made it to Mr. Kumasegawa's building just in time. Grayson and Harry's height made their walk easier; though Grayson saw some people stop and stare at Harry with their mouths open. Grayson laughed to himself when he heard a few of the women and girls squeal when they saw Harry as well.
Harry could certainly stop traffic and Grayson loved it, he wanted to show Harry off like a prized possession, but he knew Harry hated that so he refrained from doing it most times. When they walked into the building, once again, they received stares but this time the people tried to be a bit more discrete about them.
Isabel walked up to the reception desk and announced them and after a few minutes, they were surprised to see Mr. Kumasegawa himself and his whole entourage of men coming to receive them. Isabel, Grayson, and Harry all bowed at the waist and showed their respect as was custom.
"Good morning Kumasegawa-sama, as agreed, I am here to continue our interrupted meeting. You met my son Grayson yesterday; this is Harry McDonnell, his best friend and better half, as Grayson stated yesterday. Harry this is Kumasegawa Toshihiro," Isabel said in fluent Japanese, as all three stood up and Isabel stretched out her hand in greeting.
Not one of the men or Mr. Kumasegawa batted an eyelash or changed their expressions at Isabel's words of introduction. Harry however, blushed at the fact that Isabel openly admitted and accepted so fully, Grayson's and his relationship. Grayson just smiled happily not caring what anyone but Harry thought of his relationship with him.
Mr. Kumasegawa was smiling so wide his face looked like it was about to split in two as he looked from Grayson, to Harry, then back to Grayson. The men behind him Mr. Kumasegawa were speechless staring at Harry then glancing at Grayson then returning their gaze to Harry.
Grayson wanted to laugh, and again the urge to gloat that Harry was his swept over him but he knew it was not necessary, it was just some primal urge to lay claim to Harry for the world to see. Harry would flay him alive for a move like that and that was not a good thing, plus Grayson would never really do that, but the urge was there nonetheless.
However Grayson did grin at Mr. Kumasegawa and the men behind him, he knew Harry looked good; Frank's suit looked damn good on him. Although it was cut for his Dad's slightly thicker body, it was not really noticeable, and the suit was a classic dark charcoal grey with thin pinstripes that made him look snazzy. His Mom looked great, as always, dressed to kill and to lure the customer in. Mr. Kumasegawa turned to Grayson and Harry, looking at Harry as if he were some prized and long awaited conquest.
"Well my boy, you were not exaggerating in the least, he is very pleasing to the eye. It is nice to meet you Harry McDonnell; if I have both of you on board, I will definitely be on top this year. Come, let's go introduce you to the others and see how your charm works on them," Mr. Kumasegawa said, his grin still seemingly too big for his face.
He directed them to a big conference room and introduced them all to the people in the room. Then Mr. Kumasegawa had all three of them sit to his left and he sat at the head of the long, room length conference table.
There were 26 people surrounding the table and about half of them stared openly at Harry and Grayson, the other half watched them intently but did not stare openly. About one third of the people in the room were female, and all were looking at Harry and Grayson as if they were starving and Grayson and Harry were the 'oh so tasty' meal.
Harry seemed uncomfortable and kept glancing around at everyone, then at Isabel, then at Grayson, who was smiling at him widely. He was seriously trying not to laugh because poor Harry was not used to such open admiration and desire. Others had always made fun of them or criticized them for their beauty, now that Harry was even more beautiful there were even more people looking at him, and he was not used to that level of admiration.
Grayson had always had the knack for feeling comfortable in almost any situation, all except when Harry had confessed. Then he'd been thrown for a loop, but it was a good thing it had not remained that way, he couldn't imagine his life without Harry in it now. It had been a horrible two years without him and Grayson would not allow that to happen again.
Grayson glanced around the room and caught quite a few eyes glued to him, both from men and women. He smiled at them and nodded slightly, acknowledging them, some blushed while others smiled back, yet others dropped their gaze quickly as if embarrassed. Grayson looked back at Harry, winked at him, and took his hand under the table, squeezing gently.
Though it seemed like he wasn't paying attention, he was actually following everything that Isabel was saying, as was Harry, he caught ever word Mr. Kumasegawa and his Mother said. Throughout the presentation, Mr. Kumasegawa had been giving Isabel's notes and paperwork on the presentation to Grayson and Harry to read.
Grayson figured Mr. Kumasegawa wanted them to review out loud, or to know what Isabel was speaking of, or both; Grayson obliged and read through the notes quickly and followed his Mother easily. Harry looked just as comfortable with the presentation and information as Gr
ayson did. The presentation didn't take as long as Grayson expected and by the time Isabel finished presenting, Grayson and Harry had finished reading all the material.
"Everyone I would like to inform you that Grayson Phillips and Harry McDonnell will be interning at Kumasegawa International Commerce this summer. Grayson-san if you don't mind, I would like to hear your and McDonnell-san's thoughts on the presentation Phillips-san gave just now," Mr. Kumasegawa said with a smile on his face lacing his fingers on his lap and leaning back in his chair.
Grayson smiled and looked over at Harry who nodded then they both looked over at Isabel and handed her notes back to her and smiled widely. Grayson and Harry stood and bowed, first to Mr. Kumasegawa, then to the rest of the room including Isabel. They made their way over to the projector where the presentation was still set up and started off with the basic concept of what Isabel had introduced and went from there. About half way through their version of the presentation, eight men and one Vampire burst through the door. They looked like the yakuza that Grayson and Harry had seen depicted in some of the Japanese mangas they'd read, and Grayson had the urge to laugh for a brief second.
Harry stopped mid-sentence and watched the intimidating men walk into the room; Grayson could see Harry’s urge to laugh as much as he felt but Harry remained silent as Grayson had.
"Uncle! How have you been? We've come to find out about this new moneymaking weapon you were boasting about to Father last night. He sent me himself, says he wants in if you've actually hit gold, and we already know when you speak of money you rarely boast. Since you left the group, we've had to find other means to replace the money you were bringing in, so we've come with a proposition uncle," the Vampire at the front said.
He looked like a young man, and from what Grayson could smell and see, he was a very new Vampire, only two months old. He didn't delve into his mind the way he had with Sven, the information would come to him or he would force it later if necessary. He was holding a walking stick like it was a weapon that Grayson was almost positive was a long dagger or sword because he smelled the distinctive scent of steel.
The Sentinels The First and the Second (second edition) Smashwords edition.doc Page 21