Authors Note:

Over the last couple of years, I have written several Bill and Sookie stories. Not because I am a tiresome 'shipper', but simply because I loved the character of Bill so much. Now my enthusiasm for the show has waned, the season is over (and Bill and Sook are over), I'm moving on and shutting up my fangirl bullshit for good, and I am archiving all my fictions here. This is the first fiction I ever wrote, and you might have read it on the True Blood Wiki or the Bill Wiki. It was inspired by my frustration with and dislike of the later SVM books, and Arcade Fire's 'Funeral'- one of my favourite albums. If you haven't read it already and you like it, please let me know in the comments.

It's the kind of night where I have nothing to do and I am not in the mood to sit down and brood over my fairly eventful life. I don't have to work, no one is banging on my front door demanding my attention for once, the house is as neat as a pin and I have no books or movies or chatty room mates around to distract me. It's a warm spring evening, the sun is sinking slowly into the dark trees that surround my garden, the air is thick and rich with green and growing things, and the happy trill of frogs and bugs tuning up for the summer.

I wander restlessly around my living room, suffering the dangerous itch in my veins, something electric and undefinable that churns through my body, I can almost feel my damp hair crackling with sparks, the thrum of life in the soles of my bare feet. It is times like these I wish I could change into a bird, or a cat, like the two natured I know who inhabit my strange world, and fly on out the front door into the night, free of all my worries and responsibilities, a simple creature exploring the woods, hunting for food, or a mate, without any of the mental baggage of human life.

Entranced by this thought, I head for the door and fling it open, hovering on the threshold, staring blankly at the sky turning purple over the trees that crowd the space between my house, and your house. If I was a cat, I would cross that space in a heartbeat, there would be no nagging pain and bad memories to slow me down, I would just go, gliding silently into your garden and lingering until you caught my scent and came out to find me. Would I let you hunt me through the woods? Would I let you catch me at last?

I watch my bare brown feet step lightly off the porch and onto the dewy grass, not knowing where they are taking me, or trying not to think about it. Don't think, just do. My pace quickens, I have to look up to see where I am going, I don't want to slam into a tree or a gravestone. Soon I am running, as quietly as I can, my white dress kilted up in one hand, it is not the same one I wore the night I took this path and gave you my blood and my innocence, but my lips curl at the irony. It has been a terrible long time since that night, but it is still as fresh to me as yesterday, the pain and the pleasure, it was always those two extremes with you and me.

My breath is heaving through my lungs as I break through the trees, and I pause, my eyes sweeping over your gracious old house. I can see a light on inside your living room, you are awake. I close my eyes, reaching through the muddle of our history and the forceful presence of another to find that blood bond we used to have, concentrating with all my might. It is so weak it is merely a flicker, but I find you, I feel your surprise, can almost see you stir from your seat on the couch behind my closed lids. I hear footsteps, and the creak of the door being opened, and as I open my eyes you are standing on the porch, looking down at me, your normally calm white face twisted with amazement.

God, you are so damn handsome, how could I forget the way you can make me feel by just looking at me? My toes curl in the grass, seeking an anchor, you're wearing that simple white shirt I like, and your eyes are so very blue, your lips so beautiful, your hair so dark and shadowy, I want to run to you immediately and demand that you take me here and now, on the porch as you once threatened to long ago. But no, you have to catch me first. I give you a slow, taunting smile, and not waiting for a response I turn on my heel and dash into the woods, hoping you will take up the challenge I am offering. I know I have no chance at hiding from you in the trees, you are a hunter and I am very clumsy prey, but tonight I am playing a role, not thinking, just acting on instinct.

Leaves rustle, twigs crack, bark scrapes against my trailing hands as I twist and turn through the darkening forest. Creatures leap away in fright at my approach, my heart leaps in delicious fear and exertion as I try hard to keep ahead of you. I can hear you moving behind me, as silent and swift as a panther. The powerful grace of your body always reminded me of a jungle creature, and how I missed that body looming over me, straining with the effort of holding back from ripping me to pieces. You always made me feel so good, before it all went to hell, the joy and delight I had under your skilled hands and mouth kept me thinking of you even when I hated you more than anything. If you can catch me, I will tell you not to hold back, I will let you have all of me. For one night, or perhaps forever.

My knees are shaking at the thought, my pace is slowing, I dive through a thicket of fragrant bushes, worming through, hoping the smell of the blossoms will distract you, but no, you can hear my blood thundering through my veins, it calls to you, there is no escape, not that I wanted it. I giggle nervously and duck behind a live oak, screened by the swinging moss in its branches, my eyes are sweeping around the clearing I have stumbled in, looking for an exit, but I'm getting tired, and my will to resist is crumbling to dust.

Every hair on my body is standing up as I wait for the pounce, but the woods are silent. There is now not a single frog, bird or cricket singing, no breath of wind, everything is dead. I cannot hear you anymore, maybe you have got frustrated and given up, unable to face yet another challenge you must meet to win me. My head droops in disappointment, and I begin to think about how I am going to get home if you do not find me, I am totally lost and alone out here.

I have left it too long now, your silent heart is too wounded for you to answer my challenge. While I was healing, you were suffering, and even though I tried to deny your existence I knew it, I could feel it, like an aching tooth or a twinge in my bad knee. The giddy excitement that lured me out the door is fast being swamped by that old familiar friend misery.

Before I can start to sniffle I feel a wisp of movement behind me, and I whirl around, finding myself held between two strong hands, cool and hard through the thin cotton of my dress. I am suddenly scared to look at you, and I struggle uselessly, but I am backed up against the tree and in your clutches. 'Sookie?' You whisper, in that thick, sweet voice that makes me melt, and I dare a glance upwards through strands of messy hair. Your face holds nothing but raw, painful need, and your fangs are already out from the thrill of the hunt, glinting in the sparse light of the glade. I close my mind to everything been and gone, and just let go, arching my back and exposing my throat in an obvious gesture of submission. There's my white flag, I capitulate, today's word in my calendar.

There is a breathless pause while you absorb the signal, and the hands holding me still fall away. You collapse to your knees in front of me, and my hand hesitantly reaches for your head, which is now buried in my ruffled skirts like a shamed child. Your broad shoulders are shaking, some internal battle is going on which I cannot listen to. I am now upset, I tug at a handful of dark hair to get you to look up, no, no, no, don't fall apart, just get up and kiss me, you damn fool.

Long fingers clutch at my waist, then my hips, tracing my body, maybe making sure I'm not just a tricky vision, a ghost, and finally you respond to my urging and turn your face to me. Something ice-locked splinters free inside my chest, causing a dart of agony that makes me gasp, there is a single tear trailing down your cheek, dark red, like the spots on my dress. 'I am sorry,' you say simply, letting me see how much you are feeling in your sad blue eyes, your mouth held as thin and stark as a knife slash. I don't want to see it, I can't deal with it now, what we have done to each other.

'Hush now,' I reply, in a tiny, weak voice, and stoop down to you, catching the tear on my tongue and licking it away, tasting a hint of the remembered sweetness of your blood before I lay my lips softly over yours, wiping away that bitter shape. I don't see you move, my eyes cannot catch you when you act at vampire speed, I squeak in shock when I find myself slammed against the bark of the tree, my feet off the ground, an iron-hard grip holding me perfectly balanced in mid air. I wind my bare legs around your waist to secure myself, Jesus, I am so stupidly nervous, and I am sure you can sense it, how long has it been since I was this close to you?

But I don't have time to flinch back, or the space, you are kissing me, my insides turn to mush, and even though you're cool to the touch and as hard as marble I feel like I have been dipped in warm treacle, swimming in it lazily, my hands flutter uselessly at my sides for a moment before grasping your face. I am wrapped as tightly as a vine around you, I am breathing in your musky, unique scent, hearing you groan softly in the back of your throat as your tongue finds mine, lips moving carefully so you don't nick me with your fangs.

But it's not enough, I don't care if you hurt me, a sick part of me wants you to, and I'm hungry, so hungry I ache with it. A brief encounter with the other vampire in my life and my trusty right hand are nothing compared to this immense excitement that bubbles inside me, spills over and pools between my thighs, where I can feel your hardness rubbing against my entrance. I grind myself against it and plunge my tongue deeper into your mouth, my lips encountering sharp points, there is a sting like a wasp, and I hear you growl. There, you can taste me, and it breaks your restraint, the tree trunk scrapes nastily against my back as you haul me upwards, a deft tongue wiping the blood from my lower lip before slipping to my ear, making me whine and twitch as it then slithers to that place on my neck, the artery flickering wildly beneath the skin.

My nails scratch under the collar of your shirt, pressing you down, I'm trying to make you do it, but you're teasing me awfully, my flesh tingling all over as you nip lightly at my vulnerable throat. A hand shifts from my waist to claw at the bodice of my dress, a quick yank and the fabric tears, my favourite bra goes the same way. I shriek, half in outrage, half in delight, a downright evil chuckle vibrates in my ear before you raise your head to look. The night air brings my nipples to hard points, your hand glows in the dark as it skims over my breasts, squeezing them, filling your palm with their softness and warmth. The famished look on your face as you gaze at my nakedness sends a jolt right down my body to my loins, I feel of throb of pure need, I groan in frustration and circle my hips closely against you.

'Take me,' I sigh. 'Mark me, make me yours again...please.' I'm not nervous anymore, as I know you love me, haven't you tried to prove it in a dozen different ways? But you're still hesitating, you're afraid of showing me what you are capable of, chill fingertips take hold of my chin, forcing me to look into your burning eyes, to look at your bared fangs, the stuff of nightmares, but not for me.

'Sookie, I cannot control myself,' you warn me. 'It has been too long, I want you so much...I want to...' Your hand is laid flat on my left breast, trembling with effort, my heart is thudding erratically under its cool weight, and in answer I laugh lightly, arching my back in invitation, my breasts pressing against your chest, my neck stretched in a tempting curve, pieces of bark snagging in my hair.

'I was counting on it,' I say boldly, and you respond immediately, putting me down long enough to get rid of the rest of my dress, tearing it to ribbons in careless haste. Your face is buried between my breasts, rough kisses and muffled words of admiration and lust driving me mad, I'm so crazily roused my hands are useless, trembling and fumbling awkwardly at the zipper on your trousers. After months, no, years, I'm going to have you inside me, huge and hard and so utterly perfect, and I can't wait.

Long, graceful fingers tiptoe down my stomach, I open my legs wide, stifling a loud moan in the crook of your shoulder. The irritating trousers fall loose the same moment my panties are peeled from my body, also ripped in two, you will be carrying me back to the house buck naked, as I sure do doubt I'm going to be able to walk after this. I'm rudely reminded of how big you are, as my hand can barely circle your girth when you push yourself into my touch, and you're too focused to think about easing your path. A finger parts my lips quickly to check my wetness, a thumb swipes over my nub firmly, my harmless teeth sinking into your neck at the pleasure, and I'm up in the air again, my thighs closing tightly around your flanks, your strong hands cupping my bare buttocks.

'Look at me,' you hiss. I'm holding my breath, my eyes scrunched closed, the thick head of your cock is rubbing against my entrance, the jump off the cliff is a split second away. I do what I'm told, cracking my lids to find us nose to nose, I can't see what is in your eyes in the growing dark, they are pools of shadow, but I can feel the desire, the thirst, coming off you in waves, and then the silent well of your mind opens for a brief, shattering moment. There is only one you, my love, my life...never ever hurt you again, I swear it...There's no time to think about this moment, the first time I've caught any of your thoughts, my gasp of shock is cut off by the scream ripped from my chest, it echoes through the woods as you thrust upwards, my flesh opened abruptly and cruelly.

I am filled to the limit repeatedly, holding onto your shoulders for dear life though you bear my weight as if I weigh no more than an armful of feathers. Agony and bliss fight in my loins, I grow slick and hot, as soft as butter, moving of my own accord, down onto that sweet sweet torture piercing me. I catch glimpses of you through my streaming hair, your fangs fully extended and your face contorted into a mask of pure lust. Later you will cradle me in your arms like I was made of precious glass, play with my hair and kiss me all over, but now you just want to be brutal, to rip and tear and fuck and devour and oh God, nothing ever felt so good.

I can feel every inch of you sliding past my aching walls, can feel the white hot pressure building in my belly, more screams, I completely lose it, grinding myself tightly against you to catch the friction on my nub, biting every patch of gleaming white skin I can reach. 'I'm yours, oh I'm yours...bite me, bite me hard, please Bill...so close...'

Until now you have been quiet, apart from the ragged breaths that heave from your chest though you don't need the air, but at my pleading words a terrifying growl breaks free. Your harsh grip slides to my thighs, the tree hits my back again, winding me at the solid impact. I'm pinned between the trunk and the relentless pounding of your cock within me, each bruising slap of your pelvis driving the pleasure higher and higher. Millions of tiny stars are forming in my mind, your mouth finds the curve of my neck, the awful crunch, the burst of pain, and you tear into me. The stars thicken and swirl sickeningly, the pressure breaks, and I am howling, ripples of heat closing around you tightly, a wash of pinpricks forming at my throat and racing through my veins to clash with the orgasm.

It goes on forever, sucking the life out of me, so much pleasure I'm beginning to weaken, but I can hear your deep groans, the slurp of your lips taking your fill, and at last your cries of completion, my name merging into raw sounds of triumph as you force yourself away from the lure of my blood to bellow at the black heavens. The stars blur and I feel myself going limp, sliding down your shaking body and out of your clutches.

The last thing I see is your blood glossed lips, taking mine in a fierce kiss I cannot finish, I fade to black, swimming in oblivion. You are gone, the woods are gone, all sense of my own ravaged body is gone. Either this was all a crazy dream I am now coming out of, or have you killed me?

Reality was still a little blurry around the edges, but I was now reasonably sure I wasn't dead. I was lying on something soft, not damp earth, I could sense light behind my heavy eyelids, and there was something, or someone, sprawled on top of me. My own bed, or yours? Was I with the other man and had just awoken from a violently erotic dream that had spelled out who out of the two of you I really wanted to be with? I had not dreamed the bite at least, I could feel the itch of healing wounds on my throat, and the invisible being with me in bed was doing something to me that was very pleasant and wonderfully familiar. I was being woken up half way down the road.

Gentle lips encircle my right nipple, pulling it taut while the other is pinched lightly, a hand lifts and squeezes each breast before roaming down my stomach to cup the soft rise of my mound. I wriggle slightly against the sheets, enjoying the cool, silky weight of the body between my legs, sighing at the rain of kisses that then travel down between my slightly parted thighs. A long sniff and a light nipping kiss over my sore flesh and my lover slides back up, I finally gain control over my eyes and hands, grabbing a fistful of the hair of whoever it is. Slippery, thick, chocolate dark, oh, thank God.

Your clear blue eyes are filled with light, I don't remember seeing you this happy for a long, long time, you're practically grinning from ear to ear, it makes the old ice in my heart melt to a tiny pebble. There is a slight tinge of pink in your pale cheeks, you must have taken a lot of blood, which explains my weakness, I finally find some words, forgetting the warm rush of emotion inside me and resorting to female grumpiness. Okay, I'm coming out of a swoon, without clothes, with several bumps and scrapes decorating my body...I should by rights be real mad with you.

'You can say sorry now,' I sniff. 'Damn it, Bill, you ripped all my clothes off, my back is scraped to hell...how am I going to get home like this? Ow, forget it, don't think I can walk anyway.'

Scowling, I try to hoist myself up against the pillows to put some space between us, but I give in quickly, I'm too relaxed to stay in a huff, boneless and helpless, and I sure like having you lying over me, now totally naked and obviously not finished with me yet. I want to kiss your pretty mouth, I want to climb all over that gorgeous, sculpted body and gorge myself on it, if I had the energy, I certainly don't want to slap you for your boldness and stumble home through the graveyard wearing one of your borrowed shirts. I can't keep the indignant expression on my face, I break into a smile, which you swoop in to taste, your lips lingering over mine, fangs only slightly protruding, almost cute, like a kitten's, damn, I'm going to start giggling like a crazy woman in a minute.

'You were smiling like that while I carried you back home, so I don't feel too sorry,' you drawl, your lips curling as you pull away. An eager, slightly fearful expression then flits through your eyes, your fingers comb through my hair, tidying it absently, tree bark and leaves picked out and deposited neatly on the pillow. I'm waiting for you to continue but I'm distracted by your closeness, my body fast heating up in a certain place, hands busy mapping the sleek muscles of your back and shoulders, the lovely curve of your buttocks.

You sigh and press yourself against me, threatening another assault, your cock lying heavy against my leg. 'God, you're so warm,' you say softly. 'So beautiful and so warm, too long have I dreamed of this...having you back in my bed. Sookie...' You hand drifts up to cup my cheek, and your eyes bore into mine, forcing me to quit fondling and pay attention. 'Sookie, what does this mean?'

The frown line reappears between my brows. I'm pretty good at avoiding painful conversations with the men in my life when I want to, but I know I am not going to get out of this tonight, you're as stubborn as I am when you are challenged. I don't feel like giving in too easy, as I am enjoying this interlude far too much. The parade of past misdemeanours, yours and mine, and what happens when dawn breaks, can darn well wait, I've had precious little joy in my life lately. How wonderful, and how strange, that I turned to you to get it. 'You'll just have to try and find out,' I say obscurely, stretching my limbs in an inviting and distracting fashion.

Man, I'm so comfortable in your arms, buzzing with afterglow, I'm not going to let your now annoyed expression trick me into discussing why I am here. I reach up to kiss it away, stroking the strong lines of your face while I peck lightly at your eyelids, your nose, and finally your lips. A weary sigh turns into a rumble of pleasure when my tongue flicks delicately over your fangs. 'Mmm, I will get it out of you somehow,' you mutter darkly, and I shiver in delight. You are not satisfied, and I hope that frustration is vented in the best way possible, a determined attack on my body and senses until I'm a babbling wreck, incapable of saying no to anything you ask.

Tingles of fresh excitement chase away my laziness, and the need to taste and explore before you completely take control forces me to move. I wrap myself around you and roll us over quickly, a wave of light headedness making me gasp and blink when I sit up, I swallow a very unladylike curse. You look up at me, sprawled against the pillows, managing to look smug, intrigued and concerned all at once, a hand sliding up over my dangling breasts to my neck, lingering over the mark there. 'I fear you are too weak to do me any damage.'

I snort, ignoring your words and the urge to collapse in a heap, and bend my head to rub my face against the broad expanse of your chest, my blonde curls falling like a curtain around me, catching sparks in the lamp light. Your chest hair tickles my lips, but all is smooth and cool underneath, you smell both frightening and comforting. I close my mouth around one nipple, tongue swirling a wet pattern, a soft moan and a hand laces in my hair, holding me down, guiding me to the other. For a creature as unyielding as stone and near impossible to wound, your skin is extremely sensitive, a strange trait that never ceases to amaze me.

It's magic of course. There is magic under my mouth and hands, a dead man full of life and feelings, so many strong feelings that have battered down my defenses, as responsive to pleasure and pain and anguish as any other warm blooded man. You could rip me in two and kill me in a heartbeat, drain me and leave me a cold husk, but you love me, and have fought so hard to bring the man you used to be back to life. For me. I now know you would never willingly hurt me, not my frail body, or my foolish little heart.

But now is not the time to have this great revelation, and break down in tears though they threaten to spill out. Your beautiful body is mine to touch, to lick and bite and fondle. The shuddering breaths you pretend to take as I work my way downwards are sweet to my ears, I am not the ignorant virgin, the repressed good girl I once was. You were my tutor in the delights of sex and there were others since, and I want to show you what I have learned, to make you moan and growl until you snap and take your revenge.

The milk-white skin on your inner thigh is smooth and hairless like a boy's, my mouth hovers there, I breathe you in before taking a sharp bite, a subtle hint as I remember very well the bliss of having you feed from me there. My hand brushes lightly over your groin, feeling the solid weight, the thickness of the shaft between my curled fingers. Strangled sounds escape your mouth as I nibble a trail upwards, very slowly, my lips and tongue wet and warm. You're probably imagining how warm they will feel when I wrap them around your cock, but I try and hold out, shifting to the other thigh and nuzzling you there, my hair tickling you as it drags across your hardness.

A nagging throb down below and I can't tease any longer, I lift my head slightly, catching a peek of your face, fangs fully out and your eyes closed tightly as you wait for it. I move quickly, plunging my head down and taking as much of you as I can in my throat, squeezing tightly with my lips. My hands draw circles on your flat, taut stomach as I suck deeply, barely moving except for my tongue. When I finally draw back for air, you hiss like a snake, arching off the bed, then fumble for my hair, gathering it in a cord around your wrist so you can watch me serve you.

The flavour of you is intoxicating, I find a rhythm which flows easily, the liquid heat growing in my loins as I enjoy the taste, the hoarse sounds, the simple act of giving you pleasure. I feel so powerful, causing you to writhe and call out like this, but I can sense the extreme tension in your body, coiling tighter and tighter. You won't stay submissive for long, so I take advantage of your helplessness, I scoop my hands under your flanks to grab your buttocks, kneading the firm roundness as I move faster, teeth scraping lightly over the shaft as I press down until my forehead is resting on your belly, forgetting the need to breathe for a long moment.

Too wound up to act at a speed which is normal and comforting for me, all is a blur of tangled limbs, your sudden growl, my shriek of surprise, and I am on my back again, thighs pulled so wide my muscles are cramping. A punishing grip holds me spread apart and exposed, my backside in mid-air, a beast crouches before me, a flash of blackened eyes and a tongue flickering across razor sharp teeth making me jump before you bend your head. Carefully, oh so carefully, my moist flesh is drawn into your mouth, it's my turn to thrash about and whine, hands clenching into fists before twining in your hair, holding you as close as possible, riding the skilled tongue that slides up inside me and out, up and down my parted folds, and twirls around my nub, making it swell and burn.

You always loved the taste of my juices, so the noises you make are almost as frantic as mine. As sweet as your blood, you once whispered to me, making me blush crimson. I am blushing now, my skin bathed in heat, my wetness filling your mouth as you bring me to a fever pitch, bubbles of sensation forming and bursting. When you let go of one leg to enter me with your long, cold fingers, wrenching me open in your search for that secret spot high up inside me, I scream sharply, launching myself off the pillows as if trying to escape the pleasure, but I don't want this to stop, I don't want to escape, ever.

I whimper your name and flinch at every thrust of your hand inside me, your tongue drawing crazy patterns on my nub, bringing me to the very edge, oh yes, I need this, I need you. 'Now, do it now!' I cry out, falling backwards and lifting my hips higher. You hesitate for a split second, worrying about weakening me still further, but you cannot resist what is so eagerly offered. A thumb finds my nub, stroking it firmly, your lips burrow into the soft skin of my inner thigh, an insignificant sting as you break through, and I'm flying, diving through every dark wave of climax, writhing against the sheets as if having a seizure. You moan ecstatically, swapping between my blood and my pulsing flesh, and your shoulders are shaking as you fight with the urge to keep taking from me.

After one final suck your tongue brushes the bite marks to seal them closed, I watch you lick the blood from your fangs through glazed eyes. That's it, I'm done, I won't be moving for some time, you will have to do the moving for the both of us, I am one big puddle of satisfied mess. A strong aftershock darts through me when your fingers slip free from my centre, I open my arms to you as you slide up to take your rightful place, filling me again with your cock, the sensation so intense it brings tears to my eyes. I ache deep inside, every particle of flesh overly sensitive, but this is heaven, even if I faint again I want this, I want you so lost inside me you can never get out.

We are lying together skin to skin, face to face, lips fumbling, nipping, tangling. It should be slow and leisurely, making love, and it is, but your have angled yourself in some breath stealing way that you penetrate me deeply, so deep my eyes roll into the back of my head at every movement of your hips. Your gaze is fixed on my face, absorbing all the twitches and grimaces of tortured delight. I feel surrounded by your desire, your determined love, cocooned in it, it's impossible to deny it, shrug it aside and dismiss this as an interlude of springtime lust and madness. I knew as I ran out the door tonight that if I let you catch me, you would make me fall in love with you all over again, and as I kiss away the taste of my body from your lips I know you have succeeded.

It's still horribly daunting, and yet I feel so good, so safe, shielded from the difficult world outside. There is only you and me, in this old bed, in this silent house, we are lost in another time and place, every enemy and worry and heartbreak locked out. A miracle, but I am going to come again, very soon, I sense my walls tightening around you, my legs manage to lift and close over the small of your back, my nails claw frantically at your shoulders, sobs well in my throat, gagged by your greedy mouth.

You stiffen in my arms, tense as wire, perfectly tuned into the impending storm. You are murmuring low words into my lips, your rich and sensual voice ragged and desperate. 'I love you...love you...say you are mine again, Sookie, please...oh God.'

There is nothing else to say except yes. I scream it out, tiny tremors spilling my throbbing core and growing, radiating out to my fingers and toes. Your hips are jerking roughly, your face hidden in the curve of my throat, feral growls and grunts vibrating against the mark of your fangs, but there is no bite this time, only a kiss, I feel you pouring yourself into me, giving, surrendering.

I am somewhere near the ceiling, floating gently downwards as the storm recedes, I have never been so tired, but I manage to lift you from your hiding place with one trembling hand, snagging a handful of dark, silken hair. You look down at me, glowing and eerily beautiful, strong and sometimes very weak. And sometimes stubborn and close mouthed and cold and secretive and possessive. And always dead. But none of those bad things matter anymore. 'Yes, I am yours,' I say, faintly but honestly, the bright spark of joy in your ancient eyes making me smile before my own eyes flutter closed.

I continue to float like a cloud in my exhausted mind, but behind my black lids I can see us, lying together on the carved oak bed. A man from another age, caught preserved in time forever, his head pillowed on my breasts, his white skin flushed with the glow of taking love and life from the blonde, brown, girl-woman that holds him so close. Tell me no lies, keep nothing from me, give me everything of yourself that you have to give, and I will never destroy this wonderful picture again. I swear I will love you for everything you are, the good and the bad and the scary.

The quietness of your mind surrounds me, blocking out the hushed whispers of hundreds, thousands of heads. I don't need to know what you are thinking, I can see it in your face. You are thinking nothing, you are content as I am.

I love you, I say in my head, and kiss I get shows me that you heard it.

THE END