Author notes: Here we go. After almost a year and a half I have now reached the last chapter of this story. I want to take a moment to thank all of you who have followed me and my characters on this journey. I have appreciated it more than you will ever know. This story was my first posted story, my first multi chapter and my first time getting comments. I have loved all of the comments I've gotten, even if I've sometimes been a little slow in giving a reply or even sometimes forgotten to reply. I hope you have all enjoyed this experience as much as I have. Love you guys and I hope you will follow me as I continue my writing in other fics *big hugs*

Rated R for safety

Disclaimer: If you recognize it then I don't own it. A few of the characters are though, such as Cat, Mia, Maria and Tina. Any resemblance between them and any living, dead or fictional characters is purely coincidental! No copyright infringement intended in any way or form.

Comments are still the only food my muses accept so please... send any comments you have, good or bad

*Josef*

I paced nervously as I waited for her to arrive. What did it mean that she was coming? Was she willing to give them a chance? Or had she decided she couldn't handle the vampire aspect? I sincerely hoped she would give the relationship a chance. That she loved me as much as I loved her. I turned around to move the other way, impatiently waiting for the woman I loved.

*Cat*

The drive up to his house was the longest drive ever. My belly was filled with butterflies. What if he didn't love me? What if he didn't want the same thing I wanted? When I knocked on the door, he was the one that opened it. Almost before I had even knocked, the door opened and he stood there as handsome as ever. His hair in array as if he had ran his fingers through it multiple times. His shirt was open at the neck, no tie for a change, and slightly wrinkly. His chins covered in a 5 o'clock shadow, I didn't know vampires could get that. Despite, or maybe because of all this, he was still the most handsome man I had ever met. I could feel my body react to him just by looking at him.

"Cat", his voice brought me out of my reverie and I blinked. Gathering my thoughts as I walked past him when he stepped aside in a silent invitation.

"Is there somewhere private where we can talk?" I asked, trying to avoid looking at him to keep myself from jumping him. We needed to talk before anything like that.

*Josef*

My heart sank as I saw her avoiding to look at me. This could not be good. I had thought I'd seen a hint of her usual arousal when she looked at me but perhaps I was wrong. Her body was giving me such mixed signals I was finding it difficult to read her.

"This way. We can talk in my office", I closed the door behind her and turned my back to her as I walked into my office, doing my best to keep calm and prepare myself for the pain I knew would come if she said she didn't want a relationship with me. But then… if that was her decision she could have said so on the phone. She wouldn't have had to come here and talk to me face to face. That thought encouraged me and I clung to it as I walked over to take a seat in a chair in my office. I watched her as she took a seat on the couch and faced me. She seemed almost nervous.

*Cat*

Nervously, I followed him. He looked almost hard as he walked away. When I sat down on the couch and looked over at him, his face was unreadable but at least he didn't look hard anymore. I looked down at my hands and tried to figure out how to start.

"You wanted to talk?" Josef said, almost as if he wanted to make this easier on me.

"Yes. I… I've been thinking"; I fiddled with my car keys and kept my eyes focused on them instead of him.

"About us?" he asked and I looked up. His face was still unreadable so I had to look away before I lost my nerve.

"Yes", I almost winced at the sound of my voice, so shaky.

"And?" I glanced up at him and saw him looking intently at me. It almost looked as if he was waiting breathlessly for my reply, though breathless was literally what he was considering him being a vampire and all. I blinked to get my head back on track again.

"I… I don't think I could handle you biting other girls", I blurted out.

*Josef*

I felt my world rock and my undead heart break as she blurted out the words. The hope I had nurtured was waning fast.

"My friends… they said there was an option… is… is that something you could maybe consider? Instead of biting freshies I mean", she stumbled over the words and nervously fumbled with her keys. Her words revived the hope inside me again and made it even stronger than before.

"There are other options", I agreed as I tried to figure out a good way to phrase my question. She looked up at me. Those magnificent green eyes showing with perfect clarity how sensitive this subject was for her and that made me wonder.

"May I ask why this is so important to you?" I asked, and looked at her. She looked away after a moment and seemed embarrassed. I waited quietly for her to decide if she wanted to tell me or not. The silence stretched out between us until she finally began to talk.

"The night I met you, my friends had dragged me out of my apartment and dressed me up in hopes to get me out in the world. In the hope that it would help me get over what had happened to me", she swallowed and seemed to go quiet. I waited quietly for a moment.

"What happened to you?" I urged her on. Something about the way she looked told me I wasn't going to like hearing this.

"Over a year ago I met a guy. Charming, arrogant and drop dead sexy. Or so I thought at the time. Everyone told me he was a bad guy and that he would hurt me but I didn't want to listen. He charmed me and very soon I had given up everything in my life to be a good girlfriend to him. I was the doting little girlfriend he kept hidden at home", she sighed and looked closely at her keys. "At first everything was like a dream to me. I thought I had the best boyfriend ever and I dreamed about marriage and children."

I listened to her story, my teeth clenching at what I thought was coming. As she mentioned children my heart felt like she had hit me. Of course she would one day want children. Children, the one thing I would never be able to give her.

"Soon, things began to change", She continued, oblivious to my inner turmoil. "It was small things at first. Him mentioning that maybe I shouldn't eat something. Hints that he thought I should loose weight. He began comparing me to my friends, always with me coming out on the short end. He began flirting with them in front of me until I got so jealous and hurt that I cut them out of my life. It wasn't their fault, I know that now, but back then he made me think it was. Their fault and mine for not living up to them. I thought he was right and he kept making me feel it was my own fault he was flirting so much with them and other girls. I began isolating myself. Trying to change myself to fit this image he had of how I was supposed to be", she paused and looked pained. I fought down the urge to hunt down this man and hurt him for what he had done to this lovely woman.

"First time he told me I was so ugly he had been forced to have sex with another girl to find pleasure in sex, I cried myself to sleep and started a diet the next day. Unfortunately I comfort ate so much every time he said something mean that my diet didn't work and instead I gained weight. One day when I returned from the store, I found him in bed with another woman. In our bed", she shook her head and her fingers were holding so tightly on to the keys her knuckles where white. "Something broke inside me. I cried and screamed at him, but I still shrank back when he came toward me with that disappointed and disgusted look in his eyes. When he hit me to silence my crying something changed. I began fighting back and ran out of the room. He pushed me from behind and I fell down the stairs, landing me in a hospital", she blinked back the tears as she spoke, and I couldn't help moving over to the couch to take her in my arms. Holding her tightly to my chest.

"I was injured in the fall since I fell into the banister and sustained severe internal injuries. They had to operate… ", she swallowed and obviously struggled to speak. "When I woke up, they told me I would never be able to have children", she hid her face against my chest and snuggled closer, obviously seeking comfort. "My friends showed up at the hospital after I called them and we have managed to repair our relationships but I think I will always be a little afraid men will compare us and find me lacking", her voice shivered as she held herself close to me then pulled back and looked at me seriously.

"My anger at the pain he caused me helped me through and I got myself into therapy to get better but I still have big trust issues. Especially when it comes to a man I like being with other girls", she looked at me seriously and I nodded that I understood. What she had told me amazed me. Somehow she had managed to find the strength to get out of an abusive relationship. Unfortunately not before she had been severely but she had gotten out of it. The inner strength that must have taken was unfathomable to me. Not only had she gotten out of it, she had found the strength to start a new relationship with me.

"You are one amazing woman Cat. To have gone through that and come out at the other side the way you have", I shook my head and looked at her. I was in awe of this amazing woman that had captured my heart. I knew that should this man ever cross her path again I would gladly make him pay dearly for the pain he caused her. She relaxed and looked at me, seeming to find comfort in my arms.

"Do you understand why I have a problem with seeing you feed from freshies?" she looked at me almost pleadingly. I nodded.

"Yes, Cat. I understand completely. I will make arrangements right away", I smiled at her and she relaxed even more.

"Do you… do you think you could give this relationship a chance?" I couldn't believe that was me. Josef Kostan. She looked up at me and met my eyes. A jolt of happiness soared through me at the love I could read in her eyes.

"Yes, Josef. Something about you makes me trust you. Makes me think you will never hurt me", I stared at her in wonder before I smiled and hugged her close, nuzzling her neck.

"I never will. Not if I can help it", I smiled and gently made her look at me.

"I love you, Cat", the surprised happiness in her eyes made me smile and I kissed her.

"I love you too, Josef", she exclaimed when I let her up to breathe.

"Then we will take care of each other?" I asked and smiled as she nodded. I kissed her again and carried her up to my bedroom. There was more we needed to talk about, but for now the fact she loved me and we would be together was enough. The rest would solve itself.

THE END