It was pretty early - around five in the morning - and the sky showed it was going to be a rainy day. Actually, the sky was still dark, seeing as how the sun hadn't rose yet, but it was darker than normal. And the weather man said it was going to rain. But anyways.

The morning had found twelve-year-old Darren Shan snuggled in his bed, his blond hair splayed all over his head, the thick covers pulled up to his nose, and his knees up to his chest. A small smile graced his lips, making the boy look even younger, and for some reason cuddly.

Sniffing the air delicately in his sleep, Darren licked his lips as the alluring aroma of coffee filled his nostrils. Opening his eyes and blinking sleepily, Darren lay for a moment wondering where he was, before remembering he and Mr Crepsley had found an empty cabin to stay in. He snuggled deeper into the covers, hoping to go back to sleep, but couldn't due to the aroma. Sighing, he kicked the covers off himself, biting his lip at the sudden coldness, and turned to look at the twin bed next to his. It was empty, indicating that it was Mr Crepsley who had made coffee.

He stood up, his bare feet sinking into the squishy green carpet, his baggy flannel pants covering his feet. The collar of his white shirt was more on the left than the right, but Darren was too sleep-disoriented to notice as he walked to the door and opened it, squeezing his eyes shut at the sudden light. He groaned softly and cracked open an eye, letting it get used to the light, before opening the other one. The door open a sliver, Darren blinked as he saw his mentor sitting on the couch, a mug of coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other. He wore a white dress shirt and red pants, his polished black shoes by the door, wearing only a pair of slippers. The older man was frowning as he read, occasionally sipping at the steaming cup.

Darren opened the door wider, cautiously, and his eyebrows rose when Mr Crepsley said nothing or did anything to acknowledge Darren's presence. He took a step into the room, and still the man said nothing. Stifling the urge to yawn, the blond-haired boy took another step in, and another when still the red-haired man said nothing. Soon he was standing at the opposite end of the couch, and he blinked his blue eyes at the vampire before him.

It seemed like an hour passed before Mr Crepsley put down the newspaper and sighed, taking a long sip of his coffee. He put the mug down and turned, nearly yelling in surprise when he saw Darren, who was still blinking sleepily. The older man shook his head, muttering about "how young kids just loved to sneak up on the elders", before standing up and stretching.

"You look tired," he noted aloud, eying his pupil in front of him. Darren said nothing, but nodded his head slightly. Darren hadn't been sleeping well lately ever since Sam died he had been haunted by the memories of the night and it seemed last night was the first good sleep he got in a while.

Mr Crepsley knew of this, for he often comforted the younger boy he had begun thinking of as his son (though he would, of course, deny this were anyone to ask), and he walked over to Darren. Darren blinked and looked up when Mr Crepsley was in front of him, and flinched when he saw the man raise a hand. Mr Crepsley chuckled and put his hand on the boy's head, rubbing the blond's head, smiling at Darren's confused expression.

"Mr Crepsley..." Darren said softly, hesitantly. "Are you...ill?"

The vampire chuckled, pulling the short boy closer to him. He bent down so he was at Darren's level, and hugged the boy. And for a while, all Darren could see was white. And all he could feel was Mr Crepsley's strong arms around him, the vampire's collarbone, and a feeling of safety he hadn't felt since he left home.