Not my characters.

Many thanks for the Vlad/Ingrid prompt, for some reason a fake engagement story hadn't occured to me before but I like it!

Set post season four, ignores season five.

On we go!

-YD-

After Malik and Erin had left, and Elisabetta was dealt with and their father safe (pushing that poison from his system was a bitch), Vlad and Ingrid were sat by the fire listening to their father complain. "I wish you would let me reverse the mindwipe on Miss McCauley, you two should be together." "She can't handle life with a vampire, and I don't want to bite her!" Ingrid spent all of a minute being a little softer with him when she asked if Vlad missed Erin, but then the Count was complaining again and she was off. "I have to find that girl a husband, you come of age in a few short months and I want her out of here when it's time for you to be Grand High Vampire!" "Dad, you can't just marry her off because you want to, it's unfair." "I am the Prince of darkness, I don't do fair." Sighing, Vlad screwed up the newspaper with Malik and Erin's faces on and tossed it into the fire. Seems recovering from near death had stopped their father remembering he had admitted that he loved his daughter.

Landing in the library, Vlad felt an acute ache of guilt thinking of Bertrand. Pulling down the books he was looking for, he looked up to see Ingrid holding out a goblet of blood. "Pinot Norwegian, dad won't miss it. Hates the stuff, buys it because it is supposed to be impressive." Taking the goblet but not drinking it yet, Vlad looked up at her. "Ok, what do you want now?" "This time? Nothing. Just thought you could do with a pick me up after the poisoning." Not totally sure but indeed thirsty, Vlad sipped the glass. "Thanks." Ingrid eyed the books he was reading. "Blood binding? Something you want to tell me little brother?" "Nothing yet, depends what I find." Ingrid wandered off again, leaving him with blood and books for a few hours. An old tome gave him the answer he was looking for, so he picked up that book, put the others back and leapt up to his room for the day. Stripping off the jacket he had on, Vlad stretched out in his coffin and clicked the lid closed, desperate for rest.

Checking off the three month marker until his eighteenth birthday the next night, Vlad sighed to himself again. He didn't want to lead the Vampire world, but if he didn't keep his status then everything he had worked for, sacrificed for, it would be for nothing. "So, what were you reading up on binding for?" "Told you, depends what I find out and I haven't found it yet." He was lying, but Ingrid didn't need to know that. "Besides, don't you have a splash to make at the VHC again, now Lanzley is dead? Still a bit ticked you tricked me into that." Ingrid simply smirked, shrugging. "He would have dusted you then and there. And yes, I'm on my way to the VHC now. Just thought I would irritate you on my way." "Bye then."

And then Ingrid was gone, leaving Vlad to plan and avoid his father. The second part didn't go so well, his father summoning him to the dining room to complain about Ingrid, the cease fire, mad ex girlfriends and Ingrid again. Answering with "yes dad" and "ok" whenever he paused, Vlad grew progressively more bored and eventually excused himself for a drink. Ingrid returned in an irritated mood, someone at the VHC had probably told her girls couldn't do this or do that. Resuming his planning, Vlad was confident he had enough to challenge his father. The hardest step would be convincing Ingrid, but he figured she would come around when he explained. Now, when she was breaking something no doubt valuable, was probably not the time. Crossing off another day closer to his birthday when he got up the next night, he was just leaving the blood cellar when he heard the Count and Ingrid arguing. Flitting upstairs to grab his book just in case, Vlad followed the sound of angry shouting to the throne room.

"I am not marrying some dusty old coffin lodger you picked. Eat garlic!" "I am head of this clan, you will do as I say girl! Be grateful someone wants to marry you!" Predicting the argument topic correctly, Vlad stepped into the room. "Dad, could you give me a minute with Ingrid?" "What on earth for?" "That's my business. Go. I won't ask nicely again." Already riled, his father growled but shot out of the room. "What was that about?" Trying to work out how to word this so Ingrid wouldn't get the wrong idea, Vlad held up the book. "As head of the clan, he can push you to marry. The only person who can override that is me as heir, but I have to have an alternate option in place." "I'm not getting married!" Sitting down and bidding Ingrid to sit opposite him, Vlad thumbed through the pages. "This is not some kind of weird attempt on you, but I do have an option that will buy you time." Ingrid gestured for him to continue. "I can declare you as my betrothed. From then you can't get betrothed to anyone else, and we don't have to bind for five years." "You must be joking. That's not even legal, let alone considerable."

Pushing the book over, Vlad pointed out the passage. "Our parents were never married. And as I'm already legally the heir, you are basically just another Dracula. Meaning, thanks to the loophole there, I can claim you as a way to keep the bloodline Dracula." Ingrid's eyes read the words, but didn't seem to take them in. "Why would you even look for this? You might be the chosen one, but there are limits on who that makes you appealing to. And it's gross." "I'm not suggesting we get married for garlics sake, I'm offering you time to find someone you want to marry. If you haven't by the time the deadline is nearing, I'll work on changing the laws that let dad force you. I'll be Grand High Vampire by then remember." Ingrid was still wary, clearly suspicious Vlad had gone off the deep end on the rebound from Erin and was trying to trick Ingrid into something. "What do you get out of this?"

"Helping my sister. You saved my life from Elisabetta, I owe you big. Its not entirely selfless though. It means nobody can try to push another Adze on me, and I can work my way through leading the Vampire world without swarms of marriage offers. And of course, someone to accompany me to the VHC functions who won't try to stake me when my back is turned. We have to be seen together, but as vampires aren't big on public affection we won't have to touch each other or anything. Its your choice, but I thought I'd offer it to you." Ingrid's fingers tapped against the book, not speaking for several moments. "Dads coming back. What do you say?" "Fine. But I won't hesitate to stake you if this turns creepy." "Understood. Ready?" She nodded, staying seated while Vlad stood up to face their father. "You better have a damn good explanation Vladimir!" Casting an eye at Ingrid to check again, he got a short nod from her. "I do. I'm overriding your say so, and I'm claiming Ingrid. As my betrothed."

He choked on the blood he had been drinking, spraying a mouthful across Vlads face much to his disgust. Wiping it off, he waited for his father to find words. "Excuse me?" "You heard right. I'm invoking this law" he held up the book and pointed "to keep my future heirs purely Dracula. As the future Count Dracula myself, I and I alone can overturn you here. And as my betrothed, you can't push any other contract on to Ingrid." "You think you can defy me so easily?" Hissing angrily to further enforce his 'claim', Vlad took a step closer. "In just under three months, I will be the most powerful vampire to ever exist. I would think very carefully about alienating me. Father. Its your own fault really, never binding with Mum. If anything, I'm just extending my inheritance to the Westenra clan too, as Patrick makes mum ineligible and Wolfies technically illegal so he can't inherit either. Which leaves me. And Ingrid." The Count hissed back, forever complaining Vlad wasn't in touch with his vampire side, then acting angrily surprised when Vlad wasn't nice and compliant.

"I am your regent, I can overturn any contract involving you." "True, but I don't have to contractually file until I'm eighteen anyway, so there is nothing to overturn. And you will be made to regret trying to push a contract on Ingrid before then. Mark my words." "And where is your oh so irritating voice in all of this?" Their father aimed his next words at Ingrid, no doubt hoping she would reveal it was all some big joke, and things would all go his way. He seemed to forget who he was talking to however, Ingrid never made things easy for anyone but herself. "He's the chosen one. A good stepping stone." Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Vlad took a step back to stand by Ingrid, her seated position meaning he was 'above' her. As tradition would state. "This is not over!" Thunder rolled outside as the Count stormed off in a blur, no doubt to punish furniture or something. "Well, I think that went well." "We haven't heard the last of it from him, you do realise that?" "Lighten up, I'm doing you a favour here." "I will still stake you, betrothed or not." "I would expect nothing less." Ingrid stood up, offering him a hug so brief he thought he may have imagined it. "Thank you."

-YD-

because I'm a shameless Vlad/Ingrid addict and this prompt was excellent to me, and because obviously what I need right now is another thing to write... I know, I'm terrible.

This will be a glacial progress sort of thing, but you know me, can't resist these two!