Runaway Love

David Rossi is a vampire who arrives in Houston never expecting to find his mate. Penelope Garcia is a simple farm girl the baby of the Garcia family, the only one that never married. She and Dave meet and sparks immediately fly. Will the two of them be able to get away from Houston to start a life together without trouble from her father who loathes vamps? Hotch/OC Spencer/Emily

Part 1

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The year was 1858 and David Rossi originally born in Pisa Italy having finally decided that it was time for him to explore some of America, which had been discovered not quite 400 years ago by Christopher Columbus.

He had been wanting to come to America for sometime, but had stayed in European countries such as England, Scotland, France, Ireland and his own native Italy. He had enjoyed exploring those countries he had to admit that while he had been with plenty of women he was lonely as he was a 800 year old vampire. In fact, he had been born one along with the rest of his family, as he had numerous siblings and while he loved every single one of his family. He only got a chance to visit every few decades though, as he had enjoyed wandering the world working jobs that interested him and investing as much as he could. He was now quite wealthy and could afford to live anywhere he so desired, but he never stayed in one place very long. One thing he really appreciated was despite being a vampire with blood being his true substance he could still eat human food and enjoy it even if he didn't sustain him as blood did. The food was just processed in a different way and it would never make him fat like it could any mortal species whether they be humans, magicals or shifters. Also despite being a vampire while he did have to drink blood he didn't have to kill whoever he was drinking from and just took enough to satisfy his thirst and for that he was very grateful. It wasn't that he couldn't kill when there was a need to, it was just that he preferred not to, unless necessary.

Dave, as he was known had to admit that while he enjoyed all the traveling and exploring the different cultures learning new things he was lonely. He admitted that he'd had plenty of lovers over the years, but he always had to be extremely careful with them. Most of his past lovers had been mortal and he was considerably stronger then anybody, except another vampire, although shifters were also incredibly strong, but not as strong as one of his own kind.

What he really wanted was to find his mate as he knew that vampires along with shifters were the only two species on this planet that had such a thing, but there was no guarantees that his mate had even been born or if she had she could be long dead since he was over 800 years old after all, even if he didn't look more than in his mid 30s or it was possible that she had been born and he just hadn't found her.

Dave sighed and decided to head for Texas as he had never been there before. Luckily, for him while vampires were a known species they looked human, even if the were inhumanly handsome or beautiful. It certainly helped that they could eat and a vampire didn't have to expel whatever they had consumed in the way that mortals did and he would make sure that he was well fed before he bought train tickets. In a lot of places vampires weren't exactly very trusted, particularly here in America where vampires were rare, although that would change as the centuries marched on. So long as a vampire was careful they never had to reveal what they were, as vampires didn't even have the red eyes to give them away, although they certainly did when they were first born or made, but they faded after the first year so long as they ate human food along with drinking blood, which he was certainly grateful for as it did make it easier to get around.

At least it wasn't like the old days before trains had even been thought of, much less realized, as he would've had to get around by horse or carriage or his own 2 feet and despite vampire speed that wouldn't've been a very fast way to travel. Not for long journeys anyway where humans would've been few and far between, which was one of the reasons he had stayed in the European countries until a few years ago, as it was much more populated.

Dave sighed again and decided that he might as well just pack up his stuff and head directly to the train station, as it wasn't like he had anything better to do.

Dave packed his trunk quickly and was soon on his way to the train station after hiring a cart to transport him and his luggage since he was acting human after all. He knew that that hiring a cart was what humans would do instead of dragging their luggage all by themselves unless they couldn't afford it, which was not a problem in his case.

It wasn't long before he had a series of colorful pasteboards, one way all the way to Houston Texas that had him getting on several different trains before he reached his destination. He was glad that there were several stops in between, so he could feed discreetly, preferably at night as he was less likely to be spotted that way. Human eyesight for the most part was very poor after dark.

He waited patiently for his train where he had gotten a first class compartment so he wouldn't have to share it with anyone and when he finally arrived the steward loaded his luggage onboard before he got on train himself and he knew that he was on his way.

Houston, here I come, Dave thought happily, as he was glad to be going someplace new, someplace he had never been before and he knew it would be a wild place, as it had not been settled all that long ago, just a little bit over 20 years actually and that was fine with him.

~~~Runaway Love~~~

Dave stared at the beautiful woman who had crossed the street to the general store in astonishment. She was lovely, with pure blond hair and the most beautiful brown eyes he had ever seen and he was instantly smitten by her beauty.

He had arrived in Houston only a few days ago and settled into his hotel and had been exploring this city before now. The city was large and he'd had to feed once already, but he had done so at night, so it was less likely that he would be seen, but thanks to his hypnotic powers they would never know he was there. The person he fed from might be dizzy or weak for awhile, but that could be put down to being drunk, or something else entirely.

Dave knew that he had to get to know this lovely beauty that had accidentally crossed his path and he wasn't exactly sure why that was as he had met many gorgeous women over his centuries, but for some reason this vision of loveliness attracted him like none other.

Wait a minute hadn't he just been thinking recently about finding his mate? Was it possible that this gorgeous lady with the pure blonde hair and gorgeous brown eyes was his? If that was the case he knew that he would have to change her into a vampire like himself at some point and if the family objected to that, then he would simply take her away where she would never be found as they would go over to Europe or somewhere equally far away. However, he was a gentleman and he would try his best to win her love first and hopefully, that would work as he'd rather change her into a vampire on her own free will. He would change her anyway if she was indeed his mate, even if he was forced to, because he knew from other vampires, his parents in particular, that you could not lose your mate and live.

But those kind of thoughts were for later, because at the moment he didn't even know her name and so he casually crossed the street and headed for the general store where the lady with the beautiful brown eyes had disappeared into.

Dave entered the shop and looked around and saw what he expected to and that was a little bit of everything, from nonperishable staples, to clothing, although they didn't appear to be much of a selection, but really that wasn't surprising considering that Houston had only been formed about 20 years ago. They even had a few simple toys for children.

"Can I help you, sir?" asked a man who had come up on Dave nearly silently or at least silently to anybody, but a vampire who could hear much better than any mortal, as their hearing was much more acute even than a dog's as was their sense of smell.

"I'm new in town and I just thought I'd look around," Dave told the man politely.

"Just passing through?" the man asked understandingly.

"Haven't decided yet, but probably," Dave answered truthfully.

Of course, Dave had no intention of going anywhere so long as the blond haired young woman who couldn't be more then 30 was anywhere in town. He suspected that she probably lived out on one of the farms that were on the outskirts, just because of the way she was dressed.

"Well, sir, ask if you need any help," the man said Dave nodded thanking him politely.

While this had been going on the blond haired lady who was much bustier then some women, but by no means fat had been observing the extremely handsome man. Actually, she knew he was a vampire out of the corner of her eye as she looked at the few clothes that were on sale. How did she know that this man was a vampire? Well, to her the signs were rather obvious, the white skin that still glowed with health, the way he moved, which was smoothly and powerfully and also silently, but mostly it was the eyes, which while brown like her own, but seemed to hold an ancient knowledge, kindness and wisdom that could only be gotten if you had lived a very long time and it was often said that the eyes were the windows to the soul, which she could now testify was correct.

Besides, she had been getting dreams of the future for several years now and this man had had a starring role, although the name was never mentioned in any of her dreams, because it was as if they had known each other for several months at least. The reason that she had these dreams was she, Penelope Garcia, was a witch, as was her entire family including her four brothers and five sisters.

She had known for several years that she and this strange vampire were soulmates meant to meet and while she had talked over her dreams with her mother she had never mentioned them to her father because she knew very well that he would never understand. She didn't deny that her father loved her, but there were also certain things he would never abide and one of his children getting involved with a vampire was one of those things. It wasn't that he hated them, or at least she didn't think he did, he just didn't want any of his children to get involved with any of them, particularly his youngest. She was the only Garcia that had never married and her father had been urging her to for at least the last five or six years. He had told her that she needed to settle down like her siblings and start a family as she was quickly approaching the age where it would be unsafe for her to have any children at all. Unfortunately for her she had never met any man around her age or even a few years older or younger that she would care to spend more than a few hours at most with. Besides, most men never gave her more than a single glance because the most of them her body was to big to be of interest, although she was the appropriate shape her her bone structure. She was more sturdy then skinny, but still all the men looked right past her and didn't see her as anything, but a friend or acquaintance. Of course, it wasn't just her body shape that turned men off it was how intelligent she was and the fact that she wasn't about to hide it, as she knew that would only make her unhappy in the long run. Penelope felt that she shouldn't have to at act like some of those silly girls she had known growing up, just to attract a little bit of attention from men and that if she did do that initially they'd lose interest whenever she returned to her real intelligent self. Or perhaps feel like they married her under false pretenses if there had actually been a wedding. She was intelligent enough to know that there was no way that she could have hidden her intelligent mind forever, so she wasn't about to try, even if it meant that she remained unmarried for the rest of her life. Of course, she had been thinking this long before she had started having dreams of a future with this tall dark haired vampire, but now things were different, as she felt as if her destiny had finally arrived.

Unfortunately, she knew that she took after her father when it came to the shape of her body while all her sisters look after their mother who was much slenderer, which most men liked more then someone of her girth.

Her mother had understood that her dreams were telling her what her future held, so she had told her youngest daughter that if the time came and she met this vampire, she was to runaway with him. They both knew that her father would never agree to let her associate with him, much less marry him. Melinda knew that her daughter's dreams were really of the future and therefore, the vampire would kill her and if her husband if he had to in order to get access to his mate. This scenario was something that both Penelope and her mother were hoping to avoid happening, which was why Melinda had given her daughter the advice she had.

Melinda had immediately realized that if her daughter really was this vampire's mate that there was no way that he would let anything get in the way of their being together then that would lead to the scenario that Penelope had seen. As much as it pained Melinda to lose her youngest daughter she understood that her destiny was elsewhere and urged her to runaway when the time came.

Unfortunately, Penelope had agreed, as she had a certain talent for seeing the future and that was definitely one possibility that could come to pass unless she did exactly what her mother recommended, because she had already been through every possibility and her father would never accept the fact that she and this vampire were mates and would try his best to keep his daughter away from him, which would only end in tragedy with his death at the very least. There were also other possibilities to where she or her mother or even some of her siblings died as well, and the only possibility that prevented all the deaths was her leaving with this vampire within just a few weeks at most.

She truly hated to leave her family with no more than a note of explanation, but she well knew it was the only way. She also knew that she would be happy with this vampire for many centuries, so the choice had been made sometime ago and she had just been waiting for him to appear, which had finally happened.

Dave wondered around the store and Penelope didn't make yourself visible at first as she kept moving so she wasn't directly in of his line of vision. She knew very well that they couldn't afford to talk here, as while the owners of the general store were very kind, word would get back that she had been seen talking with a strange man. It would then get back to her father, which was the last thing she wanted as that would just cause problems and might end in several of her families deaths, which was the last thing she wanted.

Finally, the vampire wandered over to a section that was not in the direct line of sight of anybody and quickly walked over in that direction.

"Excuse me," Penelope said quietly, but politely, knowing that the vampire would be able to hear her quietly spoken words.

Dave looked up in surprise, as he had been so involved that he hadn't even heard her come up on him.

"I need to talk quickly, so just listen. I'm a witch," Penelope begin to softly explain, "and I often have visions of the future. I know exactly who and what you are, however, we cannot be caught together because my father..."

"I understand," Dave said quickly. "You don't want anybody to be seen talking to a stranger."

"Definitely not, as word would quickly reach my father and he would ask me about it, so it is just better that he never knows anything or that you were even in town."

"Where do you want meet away from spying eyes?" Dave asked trying not to sound too eager for now he knew that this woman was definitely his mate, now that he had actually stared into her eyes, as he had felt the bond that had been described to him, when he was a very young vampire, snap into place.

"I'm sure you can follow me home, then wait until after my parents go to bed and I'll meet you outside my window."

"Alright," Dave immediately agreed. "Can I at least have a name before we leave each other?"

"It's Penelope, Penelope Garcia," Penelope answered a little shyly.

"I'm Dave, David Rossi," Dave introduced himself.

"It's nice to meet you, we'll have to talk more tonight, as both my parents go to bed really early, about 8 o'clock," Penelope said and Dave nodded in understanding.

Penelope and Dave quickly parted and went in separate directions before anybody saw them together and Penelope was quickly out of sight heading up to the front counter to purchase what she had come to and as for Dave he wandered around the store for a few more minutes thinking about the short conversation that he'd had with Penelope.

That Penelope had known he was coming was something of a surprise, but a pleasant one as that meant that she knew the two of them belonged together. He suspected that he wouldn't be forced to change her into a vampire at some point, because if her words were any indication she'd go through it on her own free will. The fact that she was worried about her father discovering that they were associating was something of a worry, because that told him that the father likely at least disliked vampires. It was possible that he hated them, which told Dave that he would likely be running away with Penelope sometime in the next week or two. There was no way that he was going to allow her father to try to scare him off by trying to shoot him or something equally silly, because it was very possible that Penelope or her mother could get caught in the crossfire and he wouldn't stand for that.

He and Penelope could be two or three hundred miles away by morning even if he was only using his own 2 feet. Even if the father or her siblings searched for her there was no way that they'd be able to find her, as they might as well be on the other side of the world by sunrise, even if it was only a few hundred miles. As sad as it made him to separate her from her family he knew very well that it was necessary as he'd be miserable without her and when she died he would die as well. Of course, in order to be so far away by morning they'd have to leave most of their possessions and clothing behind, but that wasn't a worry as he could always purchase more for both of them once they were far way.

Dave well knew that he would likely be the main suspect when Penelope disappeared particularly if he left his clothing behind, but unfortunately, it couldn't be helped.

Finally Dave bought several small items, including several canvas sacks that could be slung over the shoulders, as he figured that they could be used to carry small items including some clothing if they had to leave most of their possessions behind.

"Planning on doing some hiking are you?" The general store owner asked when Dave moved to the front counter to purchase the items he had chosen.

"I have some nephews that enjoy hiking back east," Dave lied glibly. "I felt these would make nice presents for them."

The clerk accepted the explanation and Dave was glad that he was so good at stretching the truth, but then most vampires who were any age at all were. Of course, it wasn't all a lie, as he did indeed have some nephews from some of his brothers and sisters, but it was better to mix a little bit of truth with the lie, as that made it more believable

"Thank you for your purchase, come again," The clerk behind the counter told him.

"Before I go could you tell me where the Garcias are located?" Dave asked casually.

When the clerk seemed hesitant Dave had no choice, but to use his vampire powers on the man, although he made sure that there was nobody else in the store first, because he didn't want anybody to see what he was doing.

The clerk with his suspicions gone quickly told Dave where the Garcia farm was located and that it was only the parents and Penelope that lived there as all the other children were married with families of their own.

It didn't take Dave long to learn everything he could from the clerk, so he used his hypnotic powers to make sure the man forgot that he had been questioned at all and then quickly left the store before the man could regain his wits.

Dave walked at a normal pace back to his hotel as he didn't want to arouse suspicion and once there he begin packing the items that were most important in case he and Penelope had to make a quick getaway.

It didn't hurt to be prepared just in case, although hopefully, they would get away long before her parents realized that she was missing.

By the time he was done packing the items that were most important to him along with a few items of clothing it was getting late, so Dave had a quick meal at the diner in town to continue with the illusion that he was human and then headed out to the Garcia farm without a word.

Luckily, he had already had a meal of blood just yesterday, so he didn't need another one right then, but he would have to make sure that he fed frequently in the next few days, just in case they had to make a quick escape.

~~~Runaway Love~~~

Dave arrived at the Garcia farm just as the sun was setting and was careful to stay out of sight of any windows until it was completely dark, as he couldn't chance either of Penelope's parents catching even a little glimpse of him. Thanks to his keen hearing he could hear the sounds of dinner preparations going on within the wooden farmhouse and once he was sure they were occupied eating their meal he explored the farm at vampire speed. He eventually found Penelope's downstairs window as she had left it open, probably on purpose.

Dave silently slipped into the room and looked around after he was sure the others were occupied eating their dinner.

The room was small and there was several childish knickknacks on shelves along with several books and what looked like a diary that Dave knew Penelope would likely want to take with her.

Dave explored the room, which didn't take long as it wasn't very big and once he was sure that he had seen it all he left again, although he made sure to leave a note for Penelope in plain view under the edge of her pillow. Really there wasn't much in the room considering that she was probably 30, as apparently, his mate lived very simply, but that would soon change if he had any say in the matter. He intended to shower her with expensive presents to show how much he adored her and he was determined to do just that no matter how much she protested. Of course, with her being able to see the future it was very possible that she would already know what he intended and so wouldn't protest at all, which he really hoped was the case, as he had no intention of backing down.

Dave heard the sounds of chairs in the kitchen being pushed back and so he knew that dinner was almost over, so it was time for him to take his leave, although he wasn't about to go very far, just somewhere where nobody could spot him until it was time for Penelope's parents to go to bed in a couple of hours.

Dave watched from under the cover of some trees as Penelope entered her room and looked around as if looking for signs that he had been there and how she finally spotted the note he had left her.

He watched as Penelope came to the window with the note in hand and opened it reading it silently, a blush coming to her face.

Well, apparently Penelope had liked what he had written, which was good as far as he was concerned, Dave thought with a grin.

The two of them had to have some serious talks, because although he knew that his mate had been seeing the future, so she knew precisely what who he was and why he was there, he really didn't know much else other than her name. She didn't know anything about him either, other than the fact that they belonged together, so the two of them would be going through a get to know you stage, but then all new couples did, mates or not. Dave was going to enjoy learning everything he could about his mate, her likes, dislikes, the things she loved, the things she hated and the things she was passionate about. He was going to learn all these things about her so he could make her as happy as possible, because he suspected that the two of them were going to have to run away together. This scenario was the most viable one mainly because of her father, Dave suspected, but it had to be done. Dave knew Penelope would likely miss her family, so he wanted to make sure she was happy with her decision to leave them behind without telling her father at least about him or allowing her parents to meet him.

Penelope looked around, though Dave knew that he was to far way under cover of the trees for her human eyesight to be able to spot him. She knew he was there, so that would have to be good enough for the moment as they didn't want her parents, particularly her father catching them together and ruin their chances of getting away clean. They had been so careful up until now that it was not the time to get careless. Finally Penelope turned away from the window and although Dave was sad to see her go he knew it was for the best.

Finally, although it seemed to take forever it started to get really dark outside and the lights begin to be extinguished in the farmhouse. Dave moved closer to the house and listened for the three heartbeats that should be there and heard two of them slow down, which meant that Penelope parents were sleeping.

Dave listened carefully and heard the sound of even breathing, so he moved even closer walking silently until he was under Penelope's window.

"Penelope," Dave called quietly, but loud enough that she should be able to hear him.

Penelope appeared suddenly still dressed even though it was after 9 o'clock at night, which was okay for city folks, but not for somebody who helped run a working farm as they worked dawn to dusk

"Here let me help you," Dave said immediately, as he helped Penelope over the windowsill easily. "Just let me carry you, as it will be easier," Dave suggested quietly and Penelope nodded as she put her arms around his neck trustingly.

Dave loved the sensation of having his mate in his arms, her arms around his neck, but he said nothing, as he swiftly transported them away from the farmhouse. Finally once he was several miles away he set her down under a tree and sat beside her.

"So I know we didn't get a chance to talk much in the general store," Dave began and Penelope nodded.

"No, if anybody had seen us, believe me, I would've been questioned about who you were," Penelope agreed calmly.

Dave listened to the sound of his mate's heartbeat, although it had sped up a little when he had appeared right underneath her ground floor window it wasn't from fright, but from anticipation and excitement.

"You're not frightened of me at all," Dave said in wonder.

"No, because I've seen snippets of our immediate future together and I know that you would never hurt me," Penelope explained with a little smile. "That's the reason I approached you in the general store, because I knew that we were meant to be together and I've been waiting several years for you to appear."

"That we are," Dave immediately agreed. "So is it common for magicals to be able to see the future?"

"I wouldn't exactly say it's common," Penelope admitted, "but it's not exactly uncommon either. Certainly part of it is having a talent for it."

"Does that mean that you're willing to come with me, even if that means you leave your family?" Dave asked.

"Yes, it does, because as I said I've seen the immediate future not all of it, just snippets and I know we'll be very happy together for centuries to come," Penelope explained causing Dave to get a massive grin on his face. "The future isn't like a still pool water where you can see the fish swimming on the bottom, it's more like one with ripples because you've thrown a stone in it and it skips. Whoever controls such things as being able to see the future doesn't allow me to see more than they want me to and I have no way to control what I am shown. Besides, I know very well that if I don't go with you that it will end in tragedy, as I've been shown several futures, one where not only my father is killed, but also one where my mother joins him and several of my siblings. There is even one very dark future where I also die and you don't want to know what happens if that occurs," Penelope explained.

"Definitely not," Dave said shuddering at that possibility. "So this means that we will have to runaway together and be at least two or three hundred miles away by morning."

"Not tonight, but sometime in the next month or so yes, we will," Penelope agreed calmly. "My father has no idea that I've been dreaming of the future, because I knew if I told him that he would arrange a marriage for me, even if that wouldn't have done any good in the end and would have led to multiple deaths, which I'd like to avoid that if it all possible."

"I don't want to have to kill anyone, but I will if it's necessary to get you away and I'll not feel the least guilty for doing so, because you cannot keep a vampire from their mate, no matter what your father believes," Dave agreed looking fiercely protective.

"My mother knows what I've seen in my future and she agreed that the best solution is simply for us to runaway together. It isn't that she isn't sad to be losing her baby, but she also knows that no matter what my father believes you can't prevent destiny and that's what we are, destined to be together no matter what my father wants," Penelope said.

"I would think your father would want you to be happy," Dave said.

"He does," Penelope assured him. "It's just that his ideas of what would make me happy and my ideas are two totally opposite views. It's not that he hates your kind, he just doesn't want any of his children or any of his family for that matter to become involved with them."

"I wonder why?" Dave mused.

"I've never bothered to ask, as it's one subject that isn't brought up in our house," Penelope said.

"It might have to do with the fact that he doesn't want any of his children to be transformed into vampires as a lot of people don't like our kind," Dave suggested.

"That's as good a reason as any, since we don't know the real one," Penelope agreed. "In any case, I'm going to leave my parents a nice long letter explaining why I did runaway and they'll find it after we're far away. Hopefully, my father won't bother to search for us, because there'll be no way he can find us if we're over in Europe for example."

"I would love to show you my native Italy," Dave said immediately. "I have an estate over there that I've owned for centuries."

"I really hate to do this to my father who's just doing his best to protect me, but I know I'd never be happy if the two of us weren't together and I've been waiting for several years for you to show up, ever since my visions of the future started," said Penelope.

"I promise I will love you forever," Dave told her tenderly, even as he gently took her into his arms and gave her, her very first kiss on the lips, although it was way to brief for both of them, but now was not the time to get caught up in a major kissing session, since they didn't need to lose track of time.

"I would love to make love to you and complete the bond that we share," Dave told Penelope who blushed, even as he continued to hold her gently in his arms, a place Penelope was happy to be. "If I did that though you'd very likely be pregnant afterwards and we need to wait and until after you're a vampire, as mortals have trouble giving birth to a vampire's child. It is always a risky proposition and I won't risk your life that way for any reason."

"I would love for you to do that, but it's best to wait," Penelope told him kissing him this time, which Dave accepted with pleasure knowing that his life was going to be very interesting and certainly more fulfilling from this moment forth and he was truly looking forward to it.

"I can hardly wait until we have a child of our own," Dave said. "I can easily see a whole bunch of them jumping into bed with us or us going to the zoo or some other attraction."

"That sounds wonderful," Penelope said wistfully.

"It won't be long before we have a child of our own or even several," Dave promised her.

"I can hardly wait," Penelope said, "as I've been wanting a family for years and although witches are fertile much longer than anybody else, except vampires of course, it's not really safe to have children past thirty or so."

"That will likely change as technology improves," Dave suggested and Penelope nodded. "The human race in particular is very inventive and there are a lot of things we have now that weren't possible even hundred years ago, much less existed back when I was born."

"So when were you born?" Penelope asked shyly, tucking a stray strand of blond hair behind her ear.

"You don't ever have to be afraid of asking me a question, as I'll answer you as honestly as I can, since keeping secrets is not good for any relationship. As mates I know I can be completely honest with you," Dave promised his mate tenderly holding her in his arms where Penelope snuggled in contentedly. Dave tenderly kissed her hair, taking in the scent of her likely homemade shampoo and memorizing it. He would now be able to recognize her in a crowded room, just from her unique scent. "I know it will take time for the two of us to get to know each other, no matter that we know we are meant to be together. It doesn't matter that we know we are mates, it still takes time to truly get to know a person and the two of us have centuries to do just that. In a hundred years we will know each other so well that we will be able to communicate without speaking. As for when I was born it was more than 800 years ago, around 1132 AD."

"I had no idea of you were that ancient," Penelope whistled appreciatively.

"Compared to other vampires I've met over the centuries I'm a mere babe in the woods," Dave told Penelope with a grin. "I've met vampires that are over 5000 years old. So when do you want to leave?"

"Not for a few weeks as I need to give my mother at least some warning since she already knows about my dreams. I would like to take a few things with me at the very least."

"I bought a couple of knapsacks at the general store after you had left," Dave offered. "They can be used to transport some clothes and some of your favorite items that you don't want to leave behind, but they'll only hold so much. I was just going to leave the trunk I had with me in the hotel room I rented, as none of it is really important and I can always buy clothes and other things when we reach whatever destination we decide on."

"There's no need to do that as I can shrink it down," Penelope explained, "one of the advantages of having magic. Besides, it's never a good idea to leave items that have belonged to someone behind as magicals can track someone down using their possessions, so it's better, just to take everything with us to be on the safe side."

"So we can, just put everything you want in my trunk and you could shrink it down so that it fits in one of the knapsacks," Dave said.

"Exactly," Penelope agreed kissing his cheek. "I don't plan on taking much as I figure I can always get new clothes, ones that are more fit for wherever we travel then simple dresses that were made to be worn by people like me who work on a farm."

"What you're not going to protest just because I intend on spoiling you?" Dave asked in surprise Penelope looking at her appraisingly.

"No, although I don't intend to be a homebody," Penelope told Dave firmly. "I am a witch after all and I can mix up potions and sell them in big cities in the magical quarter. I'm sure we'll settle one place for decades before we move on."

"I'm not going to object, as you do need something to keep yourself busy as a vampire's life can be very stale and boring and even if we weren't mates that would still be true. I'm not going to insist that you stick to things that are considered suitable for women, because the world is rapidly changing for one thing. Besides, while things that are considered appropriate for females to do might be okay for somebody who is mortal, once you're a vampire you would soon find those things very boring, because we live basically forever. If you want to try your hand at something that is only considered appropriate for a man then that's okay with me and I'll help you in anyway I can," Dave said.

"Well, that's for the future," Penelope said, as she kissing his cheek again causing Dave to grin happily at her.

"I suppose I should get you home before your parents wake," Dave said reluctantly.

"Yeah, you should, because my father gets up around dawn and it's not too far from that now," Penelope said.

"We'll have to have some more of these conversations, but I know you need a certain amount of sleep as well," Dave said. "I'm staying at a hotel in town, but I guarantee you I'll be around, as I'll be keeping a very close eye on you until we're far away from here in a few weeks."

"We'll talk some more," Penelope promised, "but not tomorrow night, as I do need a certain amount of sleep as you pointed out, because as it is I'm going to be very tired."

"That will change once you are vampire," Dave suggested.

"I know, and I'm looking forward to us going somewhere, so you can do that, but still it will be a few weeks," Penelope said.

"I can hardly wait," Dave said fervently.

"It won't be long and the time will pass fast," Penelope promised him thinking privately that David Rossi was a very handsome man, although calling him that didn't really do him justice, as he was way more than just handsome at least in her eyes.

"It can't come soon enough for me," Dave told her, even as he gave her one final kiss before picking her up in his arms gently to take her home.

"Or me," Penelope agreed, snuggling into her mate's chest contentedly, causing Dave to smile down at her tenderly.

~~~Runaway Love~~~