CHAPTER 2.7: I am transformed

Audra could not understand Theo's demands, how could a man of science who had been helping her find a cure want to become a vampire?  It made no sense to her.  She told him that she would need to think about it and left.

She stroked her ever growing stomach and thought about the baby inside.  She did not know if she could prevent her baby being born infected with vampirism, all she knew for certain was if she didn't try to stop it then her child would grow up just as she had, different.


But could she change Theo into a vampire just to get what she wanted?  Once over she would have stopped at nothing to get a cure, but since she lost Dr Parsons and Patrick due to her blind pursuit, she felt that too many peoples lives had been ruined because of it.


She could not make the decision alone so she turned to her father for help.

His brow furrowed when she told him of Theo's demands, "It makes no sense."  He said, confirming her doubts.  "We need to get to the bottom of this."  Jonny resolved.


That night they returned to the lab and searched for any clues as to what was motivating Theo's request.

As they looked around it was clear that Theo had become more frantic as time went on, his lab was in total disarray with files and papers strewn all over.

Jonny began to look through the files as  Audra spotted a familiar looking laptop which had been carelessly left out on the counter. 

As she ran her fingers over the machine she noticed an inscription on the side reading "Property of Bridgeport PD"  she flipped it open and recognised the login page immediately. 

This was the laptop Patrick had used to unencrypt the files, how had it ended up here?

"Audra!"  Jonny called, "Come see this."


Audra walked over to her father, he was staring at a strange red vial which was shut away in a glass case.

"Do you think this could be the anti virus?"  Jonny asked.


"But it was destroyed by Jessica."  Audra replied.


"What if everything this Theo told you was a lie?"


Audra thought it through, it had been Theo who had told them that the anti virus was destroyed, and it was Theo who had asked for Dr Parsons research.  Now he had Patrick's laptop. 

"What if Theo was somehow involved in Jessica's plan?"  Audra asked her father.


"The police know nothing about Patricks disappearance, as far as they know he just left town."  Jonny began, "But if they were to find his laptop here in the lab, along with Dr Parson's files."


"Then it puts Theo in the frame for Dr Parsons murder and Patricks disappearance."  Audra finished.

 Audra dialled the Bridgeport police department and spoke with Patricks partner,  who agreed to come straight to the lab.


Before she arrived Jonny forced the glass case open and removed the vial containing the suspected anti virus.


"What are you doing?"  Audra exclaimed, "That's evidence."


"No, this is yours Audra, if the police find it then it will be impounded for months, maybe years before Theo stands trial.  Take it!"  He demanded.

When officer Cliff arrived she confirmed that the laptop had indeed been missing from the CSI department for months now.  She told Audra and Jonny to go home before she called it in, she would invent an anonymous call tipping her off to a break in at the lab to explain how she had found the evidence against Theo Singer.


"Don't worry, I'll see that he goes down for this."  She promised Audra.

True to her word Officer Cliff had arrested Theo that night,  he had resisted arrest claiming that he had nothing to do with Patricks death.


"No one mentioned anything about him being dead."  Officer Cliff had replied stony faced.


"B-But Audra is the one who told me!"  Theo exclaimed, "She knows all about it."


"Sure she does."  Officer Cliff replied, this guy was clearly a whack job.

As Theo was lead away to the police car he kept on repeating the name Jessica over and over.

When they arrived back home Audra placed the vial on the kitchen table.


"Are you going to test it?"  Jonny asked her.


She shook her head, "I can't do that, this is the only anti virus Dr Kaminski made, if it works then we need to be able to make more."  she promptly burst into tears.


"Hey, come on now." Jonny soothed as he took her in  his arms.

"We'll find someone who can reproduce it." He said as he stroked her hair, "There has to be some non crazy scientists down at the lab, right?"


Audra laughed through her tears at this, "I'm sure there is, but it may be too late by then."


Jonny regarded her with a puzzled expression.


"I'm pregnant."  She declared, "and if i don't take the anti virus soon then my baby will be born infected just like i was, it will have a horrible life."


"Oh Audra, you can't really think that?"  Jonny asked, "Look at your brothers, they have never been ashamed of how they were born.  If your life was horrible then it was your mothers influence not the virus."

Audra wasn't certain if she believed her father at that point but one thing she did know was that she couldn't keep Tate in the dark any longer.


She decided to tell him about the baby.

Tate's face said it all, he was overjoyed that Audra was carrying his baby. 

She knew she should tell him the truth that she suspected the baby wasn't his.

But he was so excited at the prospect of becoming a father that she hadn't the heart to disappoint him.


She stopped worrying about the anti virus for a while and enjoyed her pregnancy.

She made sure she read all the books and took things as easy as possible.  One thing she knew for certain this baby was going to be loved.


A few weeks before her due date Audra woke in the night with searing pain shooting through her stomach.

The baby was coming!


With Tate by her side the whole way Audra delivered a beautiful baby girl who she named Eliza.

Eliza was an excitable Sim who loved the outdoors.


As Audra cradled her baby, she knew her father had once again been right, there was no way that her daughter was ever going to be made to feel ashamed of who she was, and when she reached the young adult stage of her life Audra would make sure that the anti virus was available to her if she chose to take it.


With a renewed determination she decided to find someone who would certainly be able to reproduce the anti virus, it's creator Dr Kaminski! 

She couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it sooner, the Doctor had only left town because of Jessica but now she was gone he and his family could return to Bridgeport safely.


A little digging down at the lab and she found someone who had his new address in Riverview. 

Within days the Doctor wrote back to tell Audra that he was relived that Jessica was dead but that his family was settled in their new home so he would not return. 

However if she was willing to test the anti virus and could confirm that it worked he would happily make as much of it as she wanted.

Audra set the vial before her, she took a deep breath and set it to her lips.

"Wait!"  Jonny cried, making Audra jump. "You don't even know if this is going to work.  Audra you have a baby to take care of you can't take this risk."  He lectured.

"Then what do you suggest?"  She asked.

"Let me take it."

"Dad, no way!  If you take take it and it actually works you're going to age rapidly."

"Audra, I have lived my live twice over.  I should be an old man by now, like all my friends."

Before she could argue further Jonny grabbed the vial and downed it.

A familiar pain engulfed him and he saw the same red haze that had wrapped around him on the day he changed all those years before.

As the haze subsided he blinked and saw the world through his original eyes for the first time in over forty years.  He knew instantly that the serum had worked.

Audra wasted no time in letting Dr Kaminski know that his cure was a success, he immediately produced more and posted them to her.

The next day when Jonny awoke, he felt different again.  As he got out of bed his back made a clicking noise and a sharp pain flashed along his spine.

He made his way to the bathroom and caught sight of himself in the mirror.

He had grown into an old man overnight!  As he ran his fingers over his lined face he realised how Leila must have felt the day she aged into an adult while he remained forever young. 

Yet he did not hate his new appearance, it was fitting that he should look as old as he felt and since he was already a grandfather twice over it was about time his hair turned silver!

That weekend it was Delta and Eliza's birthday so Jonny threw a big party for the whole family.

Delta was up first, she aged into a child and developed the neurotic trait.

Next up Eliza who grew into a toddler.

She cerftainly hadn't inherited her mothers hair colour, but those glowing eyes were the same.  She wondered if underneath they were as blue as Patrick's eyes had been.

After the children were put to bed the Traytor family sat around the kitchen table, Audra laid out the anti virus vials that Dr Kaminski had sent in the post.  One for each member of her family.

The boys looked nervously at each other, they had been shocked to see their father's aged appearance but were safe in the knowledge that they would still be young adults once they had drank the potion.

Audra stepped up first as the eldest she felt it was fair that she led the way to the families transformation.

But before she drank Casper spoke up, "I'm gonna pass."  He said.

Jonny reached over to his youngest child and asked if he was sure, "I'm not saying i want this forever but until Delta can change too I want to stay the same as her." He explained, he looked at Audra, "Just so you know I don't think any less of you for not wanting the same for Eliza, I know what this means to you sis."

Audra choked back her tears at her brothers confession, he was so kind and strong to be able to put this off, but she knew she couldn't wait a minute longer. 

She had hated herself for too long.

Theo

Chapter2.8