Chapter NINE

Kate sat alone in her room, unable to sleep, unable to think, unable feel. No, that was not true; she could feel the confusion in her very core. After Godric had left she had tested her so called strength and broken the table. She hadn't meant to, she was going to see if she could leave a mark by pressing her finger against it. It had gone straight through, breaking the table in two. After that she had tried to control her emotions, tried to feel nothing so that he… so that he would what exactly? She couldn't remember what she'd been thinking, but it hadn't worked. After that she tried to see of she could feel Godric. If he could feel and locate her wouldn't it only be fair if she could as well. But apparently fairness was not important to vampire biology. And that left her where she was, a mess. A month ago her life had been simple, she had a normal human life with a vague notion there were vampires out there. But it, and they, had nothing to do with her. Now… now she didn't know what she had or what she was.

But at least she could move her legs, despite apparently having broken her spine. That, if nothing else, made it all worth it. For that alone she could live with Godric knowing what she was feeling she just wished he wouldn't have to be with her. That way he may know what she was feeling but not why or who caused it. Sadly it seemed like she wouldn't be able to get away from him for a while. She didn't trust herself with her new strength. She needed Godric to… she needed Godric. Simple as that.

After that sudden realisation Kate knew she had to find him, to apologise for her reaction earlier. All he had done was help, and she had not exactly taken kindly to it. What she should have done was thank him. And she would.

Stepping out the door she started heading towards her only lead concerning his whereabouts. The roof. It was more complicated getting there than she had expected, first she had tried to take the lift to the top floor only to find it was a locked floor, as were all the higher floors, due to the light sensitivity of the guests. In other words, that was where the vampires slept. Next she had taken the stairs, and once again they were locked. This lock however was easier to overcome; she merely used her new strength and ran.

Kate had never been an athletic person, she could walk up a few hills, you couldn't live in Edinburgh if you couldn't. But that was about as much as she could do. At least under normal circumstances, now she was able to run up ten flights of stairs without even breathing hard, a feat she had never imagines herself capable of. And the closer she came to the door the more excited she became. The sun was rising; she didn't know how she knew that, she had always been able to tell, and for the first time in weeks she would be able to soak it up without UV window hindering the warm rays. She wondered if this was how her mother felt every time she went to soak in the sun. She had never understood her before. But whether she finally did or not it seemed Kate had missed the sun more than she had allowed herself to know. Her happiness however was short lived. Almost in the same second as she'd felt it she'd also remembered just what Godric was. If he and Eric were still on that roof they would be burning to crisps soon. Surely they would have left by now... but then Godric had sounded... odd earlier.

Pushing herself even faster she found herself on the top floor before she even knew it and without a second's hesitation she stepped out on the rooftop only to find Eric on his knees in front of Godric with blood rolling down his face as if it was tears. She barely even noticed the human that had come with Eric standing out there as well. She was not important, she would be fine. She was after all just that, human. Eric and Godric were not. And they were still there.

"What is going on?" Kate demanded to know, making both Godric and Eric look her way.

"Kate." Godric said, and for once he seemed unsure. But that was fine, Kate was down right terrified. This did not look right. She'd rather have walked in on an axe murder of a stranger than this.

"Godric, it is almost sunrise. Get inside." He didn't move. "Now!" She ordered.

Instead of doing as ordered Godric turned to Eric and commanded him to do as she had said. As if in pain he did so, but Godric did not.

"Godric!"

"I'm sorry." Was all he said, looking at her with such an expression that Kate could not stop the tears from falling. "I want this."

"No, no you don't. You want to see humans and vampires living together in peace. You want to go night diving, you have never done that remember? You want to come and visit me in Edinburgh and see the new parliament building. You want lots of things. Not this!"

"I want nothing as much as I want this." He told her sounding almost guilty. Good, he should feel guilty.

"Fine, I don't care what you want!" She snapped, allowing her anger to take over. Anything was better than the panic that threatened to overcome her. "You do not make friends with someone and then kill yourself! How can you be that selfish?! I need you, you are responsible for me until your damned blood is out of my system! I just broke a table in my room, I am not paying for that." She knew she was being childish, that she was gasping at straws. But he was not allowed to kill himself!

She could feel the sun coming closer, and despite the circumstances it was as if her very soul revelled in the thought of bathing in the sunlight. She felt sick. What was wrong with her? He was going to die! "What about Eric and Nora?"

"They have not needed me in centuries."

"Please." She said sounding pitifully in her desperation. But there was nothing left but begging. She could see the shifting colour of the morning sky. Still he remained quiet. She didn't know what to do, all she knew was that the sun was not allowed to touch him, she forbid it. She would cover him with her own body if she had to.

Then, without any warning, came the burning pain, she felt as if she was on fire. For a moment she thought she was feeling what Godric was feeling. Then the pain became too intense to think anything at all. She was being burned alive and it hurt! Not knowing what to do or how to stop it, she could do nothing but collapsed in pain and curl up into a ball. She wasn't even aware of her own screams; all she knew was pain until the darkness finally swallowed her whole.

Later Kate decided that the most shocking thing of the whole event was waking up in Godric's bedroom, safe in his cool arms. His eyes were rimmed red with blood. In fact she could have sworn his eyes were bleeding blood. But he was there. He was alive. And it was day-time, she could see the sun though the window.

"Godric." She whispered in relief, a smile on her lips. He was alive. "You're okay."

"Yes." He sounded odd, neither happy nor sad. He just sounded odd. But she didn't care.

"What made you change your mind?"

"You do not remember." He said, though it sounded almost like a question.

"No… the sun was rising, then my skin felt really warm, burning. I thought I was feeling what you felt. I felt like was on fire. Then nothing. What happened?"

"I saw the sun, it touched my skin and I felt nothing. No warmth. No pain. Nothing. Instead I heard you, screaming in pain. I felt your pain though the bond. Your skin looked like it was boiling. You screamed and screamed. You would not stop screaming until I took you inside. What did you do?"

"Do?" She echoed, sounding genuinely confused, even frightened. "Noting. This is all your doing, your blood. You should have told me I would have your sun allergy too."

"It was not the blood. Miss Stackhouse had had Eric's blood, she did not react like you did." He denied, sounding almost accusing. Was he mad at her? Did he blame her for the fact that he was still alive?

"Well, I don't know what else to tell you." She said defensively. "I have spent plenty of time the sun, this has never happened to me. The only thing different was your blood."

"I have never heard of anything like it before." He mused out loud, before looking back at her with an almost scientific curiosity. "You are sure your parents are human?"

"I have told you everything I know." She told him angrily. She was not a science project. She was normal, just like everyone else.

"What about your grandparents? Or their grandparents?"

"Aside from an almost manic love for the sun on my mother's side, considering we live in the UK, there is nothing strange. We are as normal as they come."

"You never called it manic before." He pointed out..

"It's not. Mum loves tanning, which woman doesn't? My grandfather used to sit in the garden and read every time it was sunny. What is so strange about that?"

"In any season?"

"No, I don't know. I barely remember him. Mum just said he liked to read in the sun, that's where she said we got our love for books. Nothing like this ever happened before! This has nothing to do with me and all to do with you and your blood. But if it kept you from killing yourself I am glad, I would happily do it again."

"Why?" He asked, sounding beyond stumped. "I felt your pain. It was excruciating."

"But I am alive, you are alive. We are both alive."

"I am no longer Sheriff…." Godric said and there was something in his tone that made Kate's heart clench. He sounded so lost, like he didn't know what he was without the title.

"Seems like I am going to need vampire housing for a while, why don't you come with me? We can travel together. See Machu Picchu under the moonlight? Walk the streets of Antigua and Santo Dominico at night? See the great Teotihuacán pyramid under the star light?"

"I thought you were abandoning your plans to visit Mexico."

"You said to avoid airplanes, that leaves cars. I don't have a choice." She smiled, then noticed that his bleeds were getting worse. She couldn't take it anymore, she had to ask. "Are you crying blood?"

"When vampires are awake during the day our eyes bleed."

"Does it hurt?" She asked, automatically reaching out to wipe it way. He smiled at her touch.

"No. But if I do not sleep soon I will need to feed to replace the blood I have lost."

"Then sleep, just promise you will be here tomorrow night, and the night after that."

"I will not leave until we figure out what caused your allergy to the sun, and my ability to withstand it."

"Good." If it meant he wouldn't kill himself she hoped they'd never figure it out.

The next time Kate opened her eyes it was the touch of cool lips on her forehead that had woken her. Lips much like the ones that had touched every part of her body in her dreams. This time she couldn't help it, she blushed.

"Good Evening." Godric whispered, and she took note that he had taken time to clean away the smeared blood from his face and put on clean cloths before waking her.

"What time is it?"

"Almost an hour after sunset." He told her. "You have slept late. If you wish you are welcome to stay, but I must go and find my child."

"Thanks, but I should get back to my room and shower and stuff too." Then after a second, blushing once again. She didn't want to bring it up but she had to. "About last- actually this morning…." She trailed off hoping he would say something. He didn't. "I meant it, if you don't want to stay here I want you to come with me."

"I have no plans of leaving your side until you ask it of me."

"Good." And with that she snuck out the door, hoping she wouldn't need a key to use the lift down as well. She really didn't want to run down the stairs in a bloodied shirt.

END OF PART ONE

A/N This is not the end of the story; I will start on Part TWO immediately. It will take place a year later. Starting out in Edinburgh. And I will post it right here after Part ONE.