Vincent Prologue

by Skater Valentine

My own Fanfic about Vincent, a prologue to Vacation, a fic Jennifer and I were working on. Vincent finds himself in a clinic with my OC, Jessica. This is the story of how they meet before the events of Vacation. DO NOT READ! MArySUe suckage lies within.

Vincent Prologue

By: Skater Valentine

Author's Note: I would like to thank all that helped me complete this. Jenny first though, because she typed it for me. And anyone else who would care enough to read this fanfic. I apologize for any wasted time. It's the VERY beginning of Vacation, a fic by Jenny and I. Feel free to email me when you want about this. SkaterValentine@hotmail.com Don't forget!: Mindy, Erin, and Jessica belong to me, Skater Valentine, and Vincent belongs to SquareSoft. So you can't sue me now. HA!

************

The day had been uneventful. Jessica and Mindy sat in the waiting room of their clinic on the neutral world of Terra. No one had come to the clinic that day. Jessica thought it was good for the people's health, as they weren't getting hurt, but she was still bored out of her mind. She had completed every mindless chore (twice) and found all the words in several word searches. She was almost to the point of taking off her shoes to play shadow sock puppets in the fading afternoon sunlight coming through a window. At this point she questioned her sanity. Instead she opted for braiding her long black hair, seeing as it was something to play with. Just as she was tying the end of her custom french braid, a frantic paramedic burst through the front door, pushing a stretcher with a bloody body on it. Jessica and Mindy snapped into action, moving to help the medic.

"Young man, attacked by a Ruby Dragon from a nearby world. You were the closest thing to a hospital we could find," the medic spoke frantically. Jessica nodded and wheeled the stretcher into place next to a medical bed. "This was his only possession," he said as he leaned the man's long barreled gun against the wall. He soon departed as he saw that Jessica and Mindy had things under control, not wanting to be a hindrance. It was then, when they lifted the patient onto the medical bed, and moved the stretcher out of the way, Jessica got her first good look at the wounded man.

He lay on his back, his dirt-smudged face staring upwards at her, though he wasn't looking at her. His ruby eyes had trouble focusing on anything. He blinked repeatedly at the harsh lights above him, pain written on his pale face with a grimace as he tried to escape the blaring lights. His midnight hair was soaked with blood, saturating his red bandana. Several tears in his shirt caught her attention; gory gashes lay beneath the material. The cuts in his chest were so deep, she could see parts of his broken ribcage. The thick, red liquid poured from his shoulder and ran down his left arm.

That was when Jessica noticed his metal claw hanging off the bed. A river of blood ran ominously down the cold metal, dripping off the sharp fingers that twitched with pain. The man held his right gloved hand over his heart. His eyes were wide in fear, he gasped for air. He tried to sit up but let out a cry of anguish, slumping back to the bed. His breath had become so short he was barely breathing.

"Jessica, hold him down while I set his leg," Mindy sounded from the man's right side. Jessica glanced at his leg and could tell the tibia was broken. She nodded and tried to keep her medical cool while looking at his leg. It looked like the Ruby Dragon had happily chewed on it. It was barely recognizable as marred flesh under the torn, bloodstained pant leg.

Jessica gently kept the man's shoulders from moving. She saw his eyes dart to her in confusion and he began moving away, but Jessica kept him in place. Suddenly she heard a disgusting crack, and the man's wild eyes stopped looking at her and flew wide open in pain. He jerked up, trying to move, to run away from the agonizing torture. Sweat formed on his brow as he clinched his teeth together, striving hard not to let out an ear-splitting scream. Jessica pressed her weight on his shoulders, trying not to hurt him. He finally released that pent up scream of intense misery and Jessica heard it all too well, since she was practically laying on him, holding him still. Her face was very close to his.

And suffering was expressed so greatly on this face, Jessica could feel it herself. His anguished eyes searched hers madly, wildly examining her face. He still struggled under her grip, but soon he weakly stopped. His body was reduced to pain induced spasmodic twitching.

"Please... make it stop..." Jessica was surprised to hear him speak, though it was barely a whisper. Yet with her keen Elf ears she heard the suffering in his voice as clear as day. Jessica was overwhelmed with sympathy. She wanted to stop his pain, the endless suffering he had endured. She put her fingers to his bloody lips. He took a wavering breath at her touch.

"Shh..." she soothed. "Victim, sleep away the pain..." She brushed her hands over his eyes murmuring, "Nia, peth aless somnos." [ a Sleep spell] He blinked, confused, a few times, his eyelashes tickling her palm. When she removed her hand, he looked at her, grateful for the sleeping spell that he could feel was quickly taking hold of him. He closed his exhausted eyes and his tense body relaxed. He took short, uneven breaths, as if he couldn't decide whether to breathe or not. His face was etched with pain, contorting his handsome features. His muscles still twitched uncontrollably.

"Well, this is the worst we've seen so far," Mindy said as she moved aside his ripped pant leg to allow full access to his shin. She began cleaning and disinfecting the wound, preparing for the healing spell. Jessica began removing the man's soiled cloak and shirt. She needed to see all the deep gashes in his chest, for they were hampering his breathing. Once she carefully slipped his shirtsleeve over his claw, she began to clean the wounds of dirt clots and grass. Several of his ribs were broken, slashed clean through from the quick attack of the dragon. She hoped the fragmented bone hadn't punctured his lungs. If so, they would have to operate to save him from drowning in the blood spilled into his lungs. But as Jessica continued cleaning his wounds, she discovered the broken ribs had only bruised the soft tissue, leaving the muscles sore and stiff, constricting his breathing.

She used a healing spell while the wounds were still open to fuse the pieces of bone together to where they were supposed to be. When she was healing the gashes themselves she noticed how thin this man was. He looked almost starved. She wondered when the last time he had eaten was. Jessica healed the gashes on his shoulders next, then moved to heal his potentially dangerous head injuries. She unwound his bandana for his blood-soaked hair and she ran her fingers through his it; feeling for cuts and bruises. She found several. They were what made him so... confused. As she was casting the spell she heard him whimper in pain, but he was still asleep.

"It's okay, you'll be alright," she spoke smoothly, trying to comfort the distressed, sleeping man. It seemed to work, but Jessica was positive he hadn't heard her. She had put him into a deep sleep. When she removed her hands from his hair they were covered in red. Jessica gasped and ran to the sink to rid her fingers of his sticky, half-dried blood. Mindy brought the man's shirt and cloak to her.

"Might as well wash these out as well while you're at it," she said. "His breathing is returning to normal, he calmed down quite a bit. How strong was the sleeping spell you used?"

"Pretty strong, to take away the pain. He'll be out for quite a long while."

"Well it was a good thing we were around 'cuz he would have died with the loss of all that blood." Jessica nodded at her comment as Mindy went off to return to her beloved paperwork. Jessica started washing the man's clothes free of his drying blood. Mindy had already cleaned and sewn his pants. Afterwards Jessica dried the clothes and sat down across from where the man laid, sewing his shirt. She couldn't help but look at him every few minutes to see if he was still alive, his face a mix of confusion and peace.

************

Vincent graciously accepted the sleep spell that was given to him by the Elf. He had seen the sympathy in her deep, sea-blue eyes. He wondered how he had gotten to be under the harsh lights, with her looming over him. He couldn't remember anything after the Ruby Dragon. Come to think of it, he couldn't remember anything before the Ruby Dragon.

He had been walking aimlessly through its territory, though he hadn't known how he had wandered there. He remembered his name and that he knew how to use a gun extraordinarily well. Other than that, he didn't know who he was or why he had a frightening claw instead of a left arm.

The dragon had attacked soundlessly from the side, surprising him and knocking him into a tree, headfirst. As he had tried to get up, clawing at the tree trunk for support, the beast slashed him several times across his chest. After that, Vincent had trouble breathing. He wanted to run away, but the dragon had taken advantage of his unbalanced state to clamp its jaws around his leg, effectively immobilizing him. It tried to drag him away from the tree, tearing the muscles in his leg with its razor-like teeth. Vincent left long scratch marks in the bark, trying to fight the grip on his leg, but that only made the pain worse. He had no breath to scream for help as he lost his hold on the unfortunate, newly scarred tree. He pulled up dirt with his mismatched hands while the dragon hauled him to an unknown place. Vincent coughed as he inhaled the moist, bloodied earth, trying to turn himself on his back. The dragon stopped its torture, pausing its plight to take him away, to watch as he continued to struggle onto his back. He succeeded with a painful grunt, though he wasn't allowed to catch his breath. The dragon was toying with him now. It pushed him around the rocky earth, tearing his shoulders with tiny, sharp pebbles.

Finally, when the pain seemed obsolete, Vincent had made his only, and final attack. He reared his claw back, mustering his last strength to thrust it deep into the dragon's neck, opening it wide. He lay, watching with a pleased, sinister smile. He began laughing at the dying, writhing dragon. He laughed louder as its blood pooled around him, mixing with his own.

The dragon was still alive when Vincent shot it. He had weakly lifted and held his gun somewhat steadily, chuckling at his weakness, for he no longer felt his pain. He shot it several times from his vantage point, lying on this forest floor. Now bleeding from holes in its side, the dragon stopped moving and looked at him. Though Vincent hadn't moved, he could still see the expiring, pleading eyes of the once vicious beast. And the moment before it died, Vincent saw the accusation in those eyes. And it was no longer funny.

At this point, he realized what he had done: he had wickedly killed a living being in cold blood. He was a dangerous freak at first glance, a killer, an assassin. He became weak to his stomach. The pain had suddenly returned full force, nearly making him sick and he had relaxed his damaged back to the ground. All he could do was lay there in a pool of his own blood, mixed with the dragon's, and wait for the pain to take him completely.

And overtake him it had... He had shouted weakly for help, his reality distorted, but no one seemed to come. No one wanted to help a dangerous man. Until the pretty Elf had seen the pain and given him release from it. And for that, he was eternally grateful. He rested, thinking, dreaming of her. He could hear her voice telling him things would be all right. She had a beautiful voice, soft and soothing.

He could feel his heart rate stabilize and his breathing was finally back to normal. He could almost feel the pain ceasing, almost. He thought he would have died of pain if that girl hadn't put him in a deep sleep. But he was afraid he had hurt her in his painful thrashings, his claw was sharp, and unmerciful.

************

Vincent sat up suddenly as pain seared through his head and pounded in his chest. He stumbled out of a bed, trying to escape the pain. His right leg gave out and he crashed to the cold floor, his eyes fearfully darting around the room. The light hurt his eyes severely, his pupils struggled to adjust to the blaze that shined too intensely. He felt small hands grip his sore shoulders and attempt to roll him onto his bare back.

The harmless action took Vincent by surprise and he lashed out to stop what he thought was an attack. His left claw slashed something soft. A yelp of surprise and pain greeted his ears and the hands were gone. It was a girl's voice that had shouted... Oh no... What had he done now? Vincent forced his eyes to focus on the figure huddled next to him. His heart nearly stopped when he saw a growing pool of crimson forming from her wrist. Vincent stared at his claw, at her blood dripping from his menacing fingers.

"No... No..." he stumbled with gasping breaths. "I'm so..." Breathing suddenly became very difficult. He couldn't get enough air into his lungs. "...sorry..." he finished weakly. He tried to sit up and go to help her, but darkness overcame his eyes as he passed out. He had hurt another life. Another living being dying because of him.

************

Jessica stared at the cut on her wrist like an idiot. She was so surprised when he had cut her that all she could do was stare at it. She watched the blood run down her fingers and into a puddle growing at her knees. She heard the man gasp at what he had done. He struggled out an apology and lost consciousness again. When his metal hand hit the floor, making a loud sound, Jessica snapped out of it. Feeling light headed from the loss of blood, she quickly healed herself. Then she tried to get up, but sank back to the floor, her legs wobbly and her head spinning. She stayed on her hands and knees, taking deep breaths and replaying what had happened.

The man had suddenly awoke from his induced sleep. The unexpected movement had startled Jessica out of her wits. The man wasn't supposed to be awake for at least another two hours. He hadn't seen her and when he collapsed on the floor Jessica dropped her stitching, and rushed to his side. He was gasping for air and his red eyes were searching madly for... something. He was twisting uncontrollably and Jessica had attempted to turn him on his back to see what was wrong. He had grabbed her wrist suddenly and quickly slashed it. Jessica had retreated at once with a yelp of surprise.

In all her life Jessica had never seen her own blood flow so freely, it was mesmerizing her. It only hurt a little bit before Jessica was hypnotized by the loss of life from her. She faintly heard him apologizing. But it wasn't his fault. He had been confused, his mind lost in obvious hysteria. He had mistaken her for something else. After awhile of thinking, she concluded that he hadn't "attacked" her with his claw on purpose. It took Jessica a few minutes to come to her senses.

Jessica turned her head to the man. He was sprawled on the floor, facedown, his bloody metal hand extended slightly towards her. Jessica noticed her reflection in the dull surface of the pointed fingers. She decided that this would be the last time she stared at it. This man clearly had enough trouble dealing with it. She wouldn't add to the problem. Instead she watched his shirtless back rise and fall unsteadily. She saw his muscles spasm occasionally.

It wasn't his fault. She shouldn't have gone so close to him. She approached him too fast, that was the problem. She resolved to help this man as much as possible. After she tested her legs for strength, she crawled over to him. Jessica gently rolled the man onto his back. He groaned in pain despite her caution.

*He must have internal injuries...* she thought. He would have to heal from those by himself. She pressed her hand to his forehead and drew it back quickly. He had a high fever.

Jessica quickly hefted the thin man back onto the bed, making him comfortable. She rubbed the crook of his right elbow with alcohol. She injected him with antibiotics, knowing they would bring his fever down. His face flinched a little as the needle penetrated his skin, but he didn't wake. She returned his fixed shirt to him and draped a blanket over him to keep his shivering body warm. She laid his cloak and bandana on the chair next to his bed. As she began cleaning the blood off of the floor, she realized how late it was. Mindy had already left for her home. Jessica didn't think leaving the man alone in this condition was a good idea.

So when Jessica was finished cleaning up, she headed upstairs to her room. Nothing much was there, a bed and a desk. The only thing she owned was Kagé no Ken, a special gift from a patient she had saved. It was a sword with a black blade and an ivory hilt, delicate flowers etched into it. He had taught her how to use it too. She had mastered the art of sword work easily. Jessica grabbed a blanket off of the bed and went back downstairs. She curled up in a nearby chair, where after a few minutes of gazing at the man and pondering over his story, she fell asleep.

************

Oh no… he had hurt the only person that had ever helped him! How could he? He would never forgive himself if he woke up and she was lying in a pool of her own blood, dead by the wound he had caused. The only one who had shown him kindness and released him from pain. Guilt washed over him in a wave of despair. His heart felt to wretched with ache to think of anything but the angel he killed…. The only one...

************

Vincent felt himself slowly awaken. He kept his eyes tightly closed, not wanting to see that pretty Elf girl's body. Oh, how it ate at his soul... Vincent allowed the stalled tears to flow from the corners of his eyes. He didn't have the energy to wipe them away, or hold them back any longer, the dread had drained him. He was crying for the girl... a sin to kill. She was dead, and he knew it. He cursed himself and his menacing claw that killed the dragon.

He shouldn't have allowed her to take care of him. He should have refused her help. It would have saved her life, even if it meant letting himself die, it was better than the hurt he felt now. He should have gotten away somehow... He felt a tear drop into his hair.

As if in a dream of grief he suddenly felt something angel soft and warm touch his cheek. It tenderly moved to his temples, and then his eyes. It was wiping the tears that feel from his eyes away. It carefully wiped them all away, and his face was dry and warm with its touch. It came to rest on his cheek, and Vincent, in a daze, gently reached up to touch it, to keep the warmth to his once cold face. He slowly opened his eyes, wanting to see what was giving him such needed comfort. Gradually his blurred vision focused on a face. A very pretty face. Bright blue eyes looked down into his, filled with compassion and sweet kindness...

Vincent found himself getting lost in the sea of those eyes. So deep and understanding... Wait! This was the Elf girl that he had killed! He realized he was holding her hand. It was still warm. She wasn't dead, cold and bloody on the floor, but standing with her beautiful face alive and well! No! He couldn't get too close to her, for her life. He might hurt her again, as a matter of fact there was a good chance he would. Damn! He was holding her hand. She was still wiping the remaining tears he shed for her away with the hand that he wasn't clasping desperately to his cheek. Vincent gasped and quickly let go of her; she let both hands fall to her side. But she continued to stare into his eyes, coming closer. Vincent averted his gaze to the wall. He couldn't get lost in those eyes again. It could kill her.

"S-Stay away..." he said calmly, shifting away from her as much as he could, sitting up and ignoring the room as it spun violently around him. He would NOT hurt her again.

************

Jessica watched as the man squirmed away from her fearfully. She cursed to herself. She had gotten too close for his comfort! She couldn't stand to watch him cry, so she had wiped his tears away, thinking he was still sleeping. She had been surprised when he had held her hand to his cheek. He had opened his eyes and looked at her. Actually saw her clearly, perhaps for the first time. His red eyes had stared at her in wonder. His look had seemed lost, confused at her presence.

She didn't understand why he looked at her like she was a ghost until she realized that she was supposed to be dead. If she hadn't known any healing spells, with the way she had been bleeding, she would have died. She should have approached him more slowly, so as not to startle him in his flustered state. So she did, she slowly stepped to him, speaking softly as she went.

"Shh," she soothed. "It's alright. I won't hurt you." That's what seemed to be in his eyes, hurt and fear of more hurting. She didn't want him to suffer, it was her job to make people feel better.

"No..." he said weakly as she continued to advance.

"Do you remember your name?" she continued gently. He stopped trying to look away and gazed back into her eyes. Jessica saw him calm down a little when he found the kindness in those blue depths. He nodded slightly, but didn't speak. "What is it?" She wanted to call him by name, for him to have an identity. She waited patiently, as all doctors should, for him to answer.

************

Damn! Vincent was hypnotized as soon as he made eye contact. The bright blue eyes shining with gentleness... and those eyes had asked him a question. His name? Oh, yes, he remembered now.

"Vincent Valentine." He saw the corners of her mouth turn up into a beautiful smile. She smiled at him! His heart started to beat faster with joy... *No! Stop that!* he mentally slapped himself. He kept his face the same. He would not smile back. But she continued to smile at him, despite his efforts.

"Well Mr. Valentine, my name is Jessica," she said, still grinning at him. Jessica... what a nice name. He liked it, he liked it a lot. He forced himself to avert his eyes again. They didn't go very far. His eyes rested on her heartstone, set in the middle of her pale forehead. It perfectly matched her eyes in color. Her long slender Elf ears poked out from her jet black, silky hair, a contrast to her snow-white skin. Vincent dimly wondered what it would be like to run his fingers through that soft hair…..

************

He was looking at her! She stared right back into his ruby eyes. Jessica fought to control the blush working its way to her face. Vincent Valentine... such an elegant name. She liked the sound of it. And my, was he handsome... She took a step closer and the admiration in his eyes suddenly turned to fear. He swiftly put his right hand out to stop her from coming any closer.

"No... stay away, please. I don't want t-to hurt you again," Vincent said feebly, trying to get away again. He didn't get very far because the wall stopped him from moving away any farther. Jessica stopped in her tracks. He blamed himself for her mistake. How tragic this situation was.

"Vincent, it wasn't your fault..." she began. She saw Vincent's eyes focus on her again. "Please don't blame yourself. I'm okay now, see?" She held out the wrist he had slashed. Vincent stared at it wide-eyed. There was no blood, just her pale, delicate skin. Nothing but a thin white line was there. He had marred her perfect image with that reminder of near death. He felt overwhelmed with guilt for the second time. She slowly moved towards him, she seemed not upset at him for scarring her, she still advanced with that sweet look in her smile. He couldn't move away this time, the wall he was now leaning on prevented it.

"You're...not mad at me…or even afraid?" he asked in a hushed voice. Jessica thought the question odd, but answered anyway.

"Now, why should I be angry or afraid of a concerned person such as yourself?" He didn't answer that compliment, but held out his left hand to her in a silent explanation. The hand that was replaced by a cold metal claw. "Oh, I suppose some people might be intimidated by this, but I'm not." To prove her point, she slipped her hand into his metal one. She watched as Vincent's eyes widened in surprise.

************

So it turned out she wasn't afraid of him. His heart nearly stopped when she slipped her hand into his claw. She kept it there, oblivious to the damage the sharp fingers could do. Or the damage they had already done. Vincent felt as if an extremely heavy weight had been lifted from his already sore shoulders. He had hurt this girl, and she still befriended him, shown him the kindness and compassion he needed right now.

She was incredibly close, still holding his hand.

"Will you forgive me?" he weakly asked of her, his voice wavering at her closeness. Vincent bowed his head, afraid of her answer. He couldn't bring himself to look at her beautiful face. He felt the pressure of her hand leave his, only to cup her soft fingers under his chin. A jolt ran through him at her delicate touch. She gently forced him to look at her. He met her deep blue eyes of understanding that seemed to know all in this tender moment.

"I forgive you." She said the words with a smile, and Vincent's heart sped with delight. Relief and happiness overcame him once more. He felt like crying out his tears of joy, but the room began to spin around Jessica, and Vincent couldn't ignore it this time. He became very dizzy, barely able to stay sitting up. His eyelids fluttered shut, making him lose sight of Jessica. He felt himself passing out. He lost his balance and fell into Jessica's warm, waiting arms.

************

Jessica caught Vincent as he fell forward. He whimpered in pain as his head came to rest on her shoulder. He was hurting inside again. She whispered soothingly to him as she stroked his hair comfortingly and laid him back down on the bed. He was shivering wildly, his teeth chattering loudly. Jessica pulled the blanket up to his chin. She placed a hand on his hot forehead. His temperature was still very high. She went and dampened a cloth with cold water. She began to gently dab his forehead, anything to bring his deadly fever down. She softly sang to him a melody she remembered from when she was a child. Her mother had sung it to her to calm her down on restless nights. Vincent visibly relaxed into a deep sleep after a while. Jessica dimly wondered what was going on inside his troubled mind at the moment.

************

Vincent felt himself awakening from a restful sleep. A wonderful, pleasant aroma filled the air, a sweet song drifted to his ears, urging him to open his eyes. He felt a damp cloth against his heated forehead, cooling the uncomfortable fever. His eyelids fluttered open very cautiously. The soft singing stopped. He was looking at a white ceiling.

"Are you awake?" a voice asked him, and he painfully turned his head to see Jessica, looking at him with curious, blue eyes. He tried to blink away the ache residing inside his temples with no success. He shut his eyes tight against it, and he was unable to speak an answer. But Jessica must have seen the pain on his face, for she slowly approached him. Though his eyes were clamped shut, he could sense her near him. She placed a cool hand on his cheek.

"You're still running a high fever," she said as she took the damp cloth on his forehead and re-soaked it in cold water. She returned it to his fevered face. "Do you feel like eating?"

That was when Vincent noticed the wonderful smell again. He opened his eyes again to see Jessica sitting next to him with a bowl of soup in her hands. It smelled delicious, but Vincent didn't think he could keep it down. His stomach wasn't exactly stable at the moment. He weakly shook his head.

"Alright then, you should try to rest for today. My partner and I will be back here occasionally for supplies, but I'll make sure to keep it as quiet as possible. Mindy should be here soon. We'll be in the next room. Alright?" she said all of this very fast. Vincent, being sick as he was, had some trouble processing the speedy information. He wondered how many cups of coffee she had drank. He nodded slowly.

"Alright, rest now, your fever is still extremely high. Sweet dreams!" And with that she smiled sweetly and exited the room, skipping all the way.

************

Jessica sat behind the front desk, her head bobbing forward every time she began to drift off to sleep. However as soon as she would realize she was falling asleep she jerked her head up in a vain attempt to stay awake. *Have to stay awake, have to stay a……WAKE!!!* She'd mentally, as well as physically, slap herself to force her brain to function. By the time Mindy arrived Jessica's head was on the desk and she had just fallen into a reluctant dream, the mission of staying up long aborted.

Mindy hung her coat up and walked over to Jessica. She casually put her hands next to Jessica's ear and clapped them loudly. Jessica's bloodshot eyes snapped open and she sat bolt upright, gripping the edge of the desk tightly, startled out of her dreams.

"Good morning!" Mindy said cheerfully, laughing at Jessica's reaction. "No sleeping on the job. How is our newest patient?" At the mention of him Jessica was suddenly alert.

"I stayed up all night watching him. His mind is somewhat confused. His "claw" might be a little problem, he cut my wrist once already, but I'm okay now. He has a high fever, which isn't going down. I asked him if he thought her could keep any food down and he said no. He's sleeping now, and we should keep a close eye on him-- I mean his condition." Jessica finished in a rush and took several deep breaths. Mindy raised an eyebrow at her.

"Anything else?"

"Yeah! His name is Vincent Valentine."

"Oh. And how many cups of coffee have you had?"

Jessica blushed slightly, twirling her hair around a finger."...a few... five... maybe more..."

"No wonder you're so wired, when you were knocked out a few seconds ago." she scolded.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep..."

"Well we might as well forget about it, because we have customers." Mindy pointed through the window where they could see a troubled young boy carrying a smaller child in his arms. The child was obviously crying.

Jessica and Mindy rushed to let the boy in. He was about seven years old and clinging to him was a toddler that was crying her tiny heart out.

"What happened?" Jessica and Mindy asked at the same time, The boy seemed a little afraid of them, but still answered.

"We was climbin' trees 'n me sister fell out. Somethin's wrong wi' 'er arm," he said in a thick Gaelic accent. Jessica took the child into her arms and tried to calm her as Mindy examined her arm.

"What's her name?" Jessica asked over the child's screams.

"Erin, ma'am. An' I'm Joshua."

"Well, Joshua, Erin here has an internal bone fracture," Mindy told him. Joshua looked very shocked and worried.

"Is she gonna be all right?" he asked, lower lip trembling.

"She'll be fine, it might take a while to cast it though. Jessica, please calm Erin down while I heal and put a cast on her arm." Jessica nodded and held Erin in her lap so Mindy could have access to the arm. Jessica began working her natural magic.

"Erin, huh?" Jessica asked the little girl, getting her attention. She spoke in her softest, most calming voice. "I have a little sister named that." The girl was looking at her now with interest. " It's a very pretty name." Slowly the little girl's crying was reduced to whimpers and sniffs. Jessica wiped the child's tears of pain away and looked into the girl's eyes. The child looked deep into Jessica's blue eyes, hypnotized.

"Sleep child. Be free of your pain. Nia, peth aless somnos..." Jessica spoke softly, murmuring the Sleep spell. As she spoke, Erin's eyes became distant and her eyelids slid closed. Erin's head landed easily on Jessica's chest. And she was already asleep.

Mindy was quick to get to work. She quickly set the bone and did her best to heal the internal injury from the outside, but the cast was still needed. Jessica gently rocked the small child as Mindy went to get the plaster materials for a cast. Jessica was quick to remind her about the sleeping Vincent. Mindy was extra careful not to wake him and Jessica was relieved to hear that. Erin was still sleeping soundly as Jessica held her carefully so she wouldn't move as Mindy set the cast. About two hours later the thick cast was complete, and Erin was still asleep.

"Okay Joshua. The cast is done, come back in a month to have it removed," Mindy said to the boy without turning around. When Joshua didn't answer, she turned around to find him gone. "Joshua?" She asked. Now Jessica was scanning the room for him... but only found the wide-open front door.

"He ran away!?!" Jessica yelled, astonished. Mindy rushed to the door in hope of maybe catching a glimpse of the fleeing Joshua.

"He's long gone," she said sadly. "He probably didn't want to get in trouble..."

"Well we can't keep Erin!" Jessica yelled, almost panicked.

"What are we going to do? Let her loose outside? She's easy-pickings for any animal in the forest! Our best bet is to hope Joshua will come back," she said as she shut the front door. "I'm terrible with kids. She's better off staying with you. You're a much better mother figure than I'll ever be."

Jessica was silenced at that remark. Was she really a good mother? She didn't know. But she did know that holding Erin felt like the most natural thing in the world.

"Maybe you're right, but I don't have enough food for her. She's probably able to eat solids, but I only get enough food for me and maybe one other patient," she said, thinking about Vincent refusing his soup. She had eaten it instead.

"Don't worry, I'll get food for you. I'll pay for it."

"Oh, Mindy, thank you!" Jessica said, almost in tears at her friend's generosity. Money didn't come easy these days.

"I'll go now before it gets too crowded at the market."

"Thank you," Jessica said again as Mindy put on her jacket.

"No problem," she said as she walked out the door. Jessica was left to her thoughts as she continued to rock Erin. She wondered if she would ever have a child. She couldn't help but glance subconsciously in Vincent's direction. Soon her busy mind shut down and she fell asleep to join Erin and Vincent in the Dream Realm.

************

About an hour later Mindy returned to find Jessica and Erin asleep. She let Jessica sleep, thinking of the long night she must have had. She was right about Jessica being the better mother figure. She looked so peaceful with Erin. Mindy quickly checked on Vincent. He was still sleeping so she went to the front desk and took Jessica's place.

She waited for something to happen, a new patient to come, for Joshua to return...anything really. Though she didn't think she could take Erin from Jessica's arms. But absolutely nothing happened. She just busied herself with paperwork. The day drew to a close and night fell, time for Mindy to go home. She made sure Vincent was still sleeping and quietly put away the groceries.

She walked over to Jessica and was surprised to find Erin awake. She wasn't crying or anything. She was just laying on Jessica's shoulder, totally aware and content.

That changed fast when she saw Mindy. She started crying again, and Jessica instantly woke up at Erin's first wail. She rubbed her eyes and began to rock Erin again.

"Sorry. She must not like me. Vincent's still resting, and I put away your new groceries. I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Mindy said.

"Thank you so much," Jessica said for the third time and got up to hug Mindy the best she could with an upset Erin in her arms. "I'll see you tomorrow." With that Mindy left, leaving Jessica with a wakeful night ahead.

************

Jessica walked around the room with Erin, trying to get her to calm down. She patted her back and whispered calming words. After about thirty minutes, she had stopped crying when she found Jessica's braided hair, and began studying it closely. Jessica, thankful for the sudden silence, then carefully walked into the kitchen/hospital room.

"Shh..." she whispered to Erin as she tiptoed to the cabinets. She glanced at Vincent... still sleeping deeply, on his side, the covers drawn tightly around him. The fever must have knocked him out. The fingers of his claw poked out from beneath the blanket. The sharp digits were a surprising contrast to his peaceful face.

And Jessica wanted for him to stay undisturbed. So she quickly picked 'spaghetti with meatballs in a can' and got a pot out to make it in, all with one free hand because she was still carrying Erin, who was mostly quiet, to Jessica's relief. She just needed to be hushed every once in a while.

When Jessica realized that the pot was almost boiling over when she neglected to watch it because she was staring at Vincent's rather handsome face, she quickly turned the stove off and grabbed a napkin and a fork. She then took the pot to the front room and sat Erin on the desk while she sat in the chair. She waited until dinner was cool enough for Erin and began giving her little bits, just to see if she could chew correctly. Erin hungrily ate all Jessica gave her, which was more than half the pot. As soon she began turning her head away and Jessica knew the child was full. Jessica ate what was left for herself, the meager portion of the whole.

After Jessica wiped Erin's face clean of spaghetti sauce, she started to rock her again, singing her to sleep this time, a surprisingly easy task. Once she was completely asleep, Jessica laid her on the chair and made sure she wouldn't fall off. She put her trench coat over Erin so she wouldn't get cold, the room was known to be drafty. Once she was secure in the fact that Erin would be all right, Jessica went to watch over her other patient, Vincent. She sat in a chair and watched him sleep. He was so still in his slumber, so tranquil. Jessica began to envy him as she stayed awake for as long as she could.

************

Darkness.

All around.

Vincent couldn't see. The harsh cold that always accompanied the dark crept through his skin and seeped into his bone marrow. His teeth began to chatter as his body shook violently. It was so cold in the darkness.... it chilled his very soul... the depth of the unending darkness swallowed him whole, distorting him further.

But suddenly, there was light. It shone brightly with eternal warmth behind him. He slowly turned to face it, afraid of what it could be. But a warm smile and gleaming blue eyes were what met him. Light radiated from her, heating his face as he stared in awe at her. Overwhelmed by the powerful fight coming from her, he fell to his knees.

"Why are you afraid, Vincent?" Jessica asked, her voice echoing in the void. He felt strangely near tears at her question.

"I-I don't want to hurt anyone... I don't want to hurt you..." He buried his face in his hands to hide from her blaring, questioning light. But Jessica's smiles never faded, even when an earsplitting roar of a beast sounded throughout the bleak emptiness.

Vincent snapped his head back up to see the Ruby Dragon looming threateningly over a still smiling Jessica. She was oblivious to the danger standing right behind her. Vincent suddenly felt the need to protect her, this wonderful person, who, in his eyes was absolutely perfect.

"No! Look out!" he yelled as he ran to her. Too late... The dragon raised its sharp claw over its head and brought it slashing down to rake Jessica's back with deadly wounds. Blood and gore spilled from the gashes, her face locked in shock and pain. Vincent reached her in time only to catch her dead body before it fell to the ground. He held her limp form, cradling her in his shaking arms. He began to cry in disbelief and extreme loss.

************

"NO! LOOK OUT!"

Jessica snapped herself awake. Damn! She had dozed off. She had meant to stay awake to watch Vincent. But sleep had overtaken her for just a few minutes, and now Vincent was paying for it. He was thrashing in the clinic bed, sweat mixed with tears on his face. His expression twisted in abandonment and agony.

He was moving so much he nearly fell off of the bed. Jessica quickly went to him and firmly held his shoulders down. But he just fought more, throwing her away. She landed hard on her rear end, but got right back up, determined to wake Vincent from his painful nightmare.

She replaced her hands on his shoulders and leaned all her weight on him to keep him still. She was practically laying on him for the second time, yet he still squirmed beneath her. His left claw was flailing madly. She didn't notice it until it almost scratched her. She ducked out of the way to avoid it and it scratched Vincent instead. A thin line of blood formed on his cheek. It took only a few seconds for the wound to gush blood.

Jessica gasped and instantly placed her hand on his cheek to stop the blood flow. His warm blood leaked between her fingers. She had to wake him up, now! The blood mixed with his tears in her hand.

"Vincent, wake up!" she yelled, panic-stricken that he wouldn't wake up. No response. She shook his shirt with her free hand. "Vincent, please! Wake up?" she asked him with worry in her voice.

Suddenly his eyes snapped open, wild with fear and tears. He sat up so sharply, he knocked Jessica off of him with a cry of surprise from her. She was afraid she was going to hit the ground harder than before and on her face, when sturdy arms caught her and pulled her close. Her eyes grew wide with astonishment as Vincent held her tightly in his lap, like if he ever let her go she would evaporate into thin air. He just sat there, holding her and whimpering slightly, trying to get a hold of himself.

Jessica thought she should feel uncomfortable, but instead she felt at ease with him holding her with such dependence. After a few moments of shock, Jessica finally looked up at him. His arms were trembling around her, and his grip was deathly cold. Despite how cold he was, sweat still collected on his forehead. His cheeks were pale from sickness and tearstained.

Blood still gushed from the cut on his left cheek, with her hand not there to apply pressure the blood flowed freely down his cheek and dripped off of his chin. Drops of blood fell onto her own pale, confused face. Vincent's eyes were tightly shut, as if to keep the nightmare shut out of his mind. And from the tears lining his eyelashes, he was losing his battle and the nightmare was scaring him beyond his comprehension.

As if sensing Jessica's eyes upon him, Vincent slowly opened his eyelids and tentatively looked back at her. She was paler than usual, spots of blood on her forehead and cheek. She looked at him with wide blue eyes, not frightened but more confused by his sudden closeness. His gaze landed upon her bloody hand.

Vincent gasped, seeing the blood on her, and abruptly let Jessica go, knowing she would want to flee his arms because he had harmed her again. But she didn't move, she stayed sitting in his lap, the bewilderment in her eyes growing. So Vincent took the action upon himself and gently pushed her away, off of his lap and to stand beside the bed.

"I have hurt you again..." he said in a sad whisper. He recoiled as much as he could away from her, not wanting to harm her any more. He silently hung his head in remorse.

Jessica stood where Vincent had put her, thoroughly confused. He had hurt her? When had that happened? She looked herself over quickly to see if he had indeed hurt her. Her eyes landed on her hand. It was washed in his blood. He thought his blood was hers. She remembered the cut on his cheek. He hadn't noticed it. He thought he had cut her again! Jessica couldn't believe she had forgotten such a fact, but being caught in Vincent's gaze made her forget everything but him. She had to make him feel better!

"No! You don't understand!" she said in a rush, wanting to soothe his unnecessary guilt as soon as possible. "You were having a nightmare and you scratched yourself." She quickly reached for some gauze to clean off the drying blood on his face. "I had to stop the bleeding..." She held out her hand to demonstrate what she had done.

Vincent looked at her with visible relief in his eyes. He put his right hand to his sticky face and when he looked at it, his hand was also covered in blood. Jessica approached him slowly, her hand with the gauze extended so he knew what she was going to do. But when she got closer to him, he timidly shied away. He looked so vulnerable, his lower lip was quivering and he looked like he was going to cry. She quietly sat next to him and gently wiped the blood off of his chin. He winced.

"Oh, I'm sorry, does it hurt?" she asked him in the softest voice she could manage. He only answered with a small nod. Jessica smiled sweetly at his silence. She continued to wash clean his face of blood, sweat, and tears, gently massaging his thin features. He let her treat the cut and bandage it. The whole time he sat looking at her, marveling at the fact that she still helped him, with all the trouble he was. She gently ran her fingers over the bandage, making sure it was secure. She put her bloody hand to his forehead to take his temperature.

"You're still sick-" she started, but Vincent had taken her hand into his. She stopped talking as he began to clean off his blood from her hand. His real hand held hers with the utmost caution as he wiped the blood away with the gauze in his claw.

"Why are you so afraid, Vincent?" Jessica didn't know where the question came from, but while she was tending his face, he had looked so frightened, even though he had been looking at her. And while he was quietly taking care of her hand, she was the one looking at him. His face was seemingly absent of fear, but Jessica could tell it was still there.

Vincent didn't answer at first. He stopped cleaning her hand to look at her, trying to read something unknown to her. Then he suddenly smiled at her. Oh, what a wonderful smile... It was the first time he actually looked happy since the drama of last night's 'incident.' Vincent carefully wiped away the dots of blood on her face, then returned to her hand, breaking the eye contact Jessica wanted to see from him. Why was she so enveloped with a man she hardly knew? But as soon as he spoke, she forgot her previous thoughts.

"I don't want to hurt... anyone. I have already killed who knows how many and I have almost killed you." His eyes were downcast towards the deep, but fine-lined scar on her wrist. Jessica felt sorry for him. What else she felt was a mystery to her though... Vincent placed the gauze in her hand and curled her fingers around it.

So that was it. He was afraid of hurting and killing her. It was a relief to know that it wasn't she herself that scared him.

"I thought that you were frightened of me..." she trailed, wanting him to know her side to it all. He looked at her again with surprise in his eyes.

"How can somebody fear such a kind being as yourself?" Jessica was touched by his familiar statement. She rewarded him with her best smile. She was happily surprised when he smiled back.

"You should rest," Jessica finally said, breaking the silence in which they had stared at each other. She patted his hand affectionately. "You're still sick. You should be better tomorrow--if you rest." She pushed him down until he was laying again. He pulled the cover up to his chest. "Then maybe I can catch up on my sleep. Don't worry. I'll be in the next room." She smiled again as Vincent's eyes shut sleepily with a grin on his face. She sighed longingly as she left the room to check to see if Erin had woken up in the commotion, replacing her sleeping form in her arms. Soon Jessica fell asleep again out of exhaustion of the body and mind.

************

Vincent's eyes were closed, but sleep didn't come for quite some time. He kept thinking of his horrid nightmare and the overwhelming need to protect Jessica. But he barely knew this woman. Why did he feel for her so much? Why did he feel the need to protect a stranger? Well, she wasn't exactly a stranger now... he felt like he had known her forever. He had seen her soul through her clear, welcoming eyes, that kind, innocent soul that showed him such compassion, even when he was a bother to handle.

Vincent didn't know why he felt this way. All he knew was that in his arms she felt as familiar and beloved as someone he had known all his life. With the warmth of her heart still in his mind, he finally fell asleep, feeling much better.

************

Jessica had wonderful dreams that night. She replayed Vincent's arms around her over and over in her mind. She liked the feeling of ease that welcomed her in his embrace, his touch. The feeling that everything was all right. Everything was peaceful and nothing bad could happen.

She dreamed of his deep, red eyes, eyes of such depth and intelligence, eyes of caring that shone brightly. She read his feelings through his eyes. His soul was kind and tender, his feelings for her were caring, and gentle. And he expressed it by taking her hand and cleaning it with such carefulness. It was amazing what Jessica could read from those submissive orbs.

He was cautious not to hurt her again. He didn't want to hurt anyone. He was afraid of himself, of what he could do to people, that was it. But Jessica wasn't afraid of him. She wouldn't let a man she was afraid of hold her in his arms or take care of her like Vincent had. No, Jessica didn't fear Vincent Valentine. As a matter of fact you could say she was beginning to like him very, very much...

************

Jessica awoke to Erin's cries. It was morning, and she was probably hungry.

"Shh, dear. Please calm down." Jessica tried to soothe the child, but she only continued to wail. She needed to be fed. And that meant going into the kitchen and possibly waking up Vincent. Well, a hungry child is more important. Jessica tiptoed over to the door and peeked in.

She was very surprised to see Vincent sitting up in the hospital bed with his feet dangling off of the side. His face was one of intense concentration and worry. Jessica walked in with the wailing Erin and pretended to be surprised that Vincent was awake.

"Oh! I'm glad she didn't wake you," she said, tilting her head to indicate Erin in her arms. "She's just hungry." Vincent's face went blank at the sight of Erin in Jessica's arms. "Hey, could you do me a favor and hold her while I make us breakfast?" His face was still blank, but changed to mild shock. He nodded feebly. "Oh, thank you. Just make sure she doesn't fall over." She handed the crying child over to Vincent and he held her securely in his lap. He was extremely watchful while holding her, he didn't want to 'make a mistake' with such a small being.

Vincent dimly heard Jessica making breakfast, he was so concentrated on the life in his dreadful hands. She was still whimpering, but realized Jessica had let her go and placed her with a new face. She looked at him through teary eyes, confusion written on her face because she had never seen him before. Suddenly she stopped crying all together. Vincent watched intently with a somber expression as she reached her small hand to his face, pressing her tiny palm against his cheek. Vincent saw her face twist into a cute smirk. He had to admit she was a very cute kid. She put her other hand on his cheek and stretched his mouth into a smile.

Her hysterical laughter sounded throughout the bare room. Vincent suddenly found himself smiling for real, which made her burst into more happy giggles. She started clapping every time he smiled. Well, it was hard for Vincent NOT to smile, she was being absolutely adorable. She made Vincent feel better. He let out a soft laugh and joined her happy mood.

************

Jessica watched in awe as she saw Erin playing with Vincent. To be honest she had thought Erin would freak out at the sight of him, like she freaked out at Mindy. Jessica liked the way Erin was bringing out a side of Vincent she had never seen before. And Jessica liked what she saw.

Erin laid her head on Vincent's shoulder, she was gripping his shirt in her tiny hands, a smile of intense happiness on her face. Jessica had never seen Erin smile. She had just looked so sad, always crying, but now she was laughing into Vincent's shoulder!

Jessica stared in astonishment. They were getting along so well! Even Vincent was laughing. He had a wonderful, enjoyable laugh with a lovely grin to match. Jessica noticed how careful he was being. He held Erin with his clawed left arm and was rubbing her back soothingly with his right hand.

"Wow, she really likes you," Jessica said, stirring the soup. "She hasn't taken to anyone except me. She's terrified of Mindy."

"Mindy?" he asked.

"She's my partner-slash-friend. You don't remember her?" He shook his head. "Well, she set your leg. She should be coming in soon. She lives in the village. I live upstairs."

"Speaking of my leg... I tried to walk this morning and it was rather difficult. I found it somewhat disturbing..." He paused to pull his hair out of Erin's hands.

*So that was why he was so worried just now.* Jessica thought back to the confused face he had worn before she had walked in.

"Don't worry, that's supposed to happen. Your muscles are weak after the bone is broken like that. I'll help you when Mindy gets here so she can watch Erin," Jessica explained.

"Ah, so that's her name," Vincent said. "What happened to her?"

"She broke her arm climbing a tree."

"Oh." Vincent inspected the cast and got to thinking. Was Jessica married? Was this her child? If so, that meant he shouldn't be liking Jessica the way he was, he felt it morally wrong. He got quiet all of a sudden while Jessica continued to cook. She seemed so natural towards Erin, like she was used to having her around. After a while of silence, except for Erin, Vincent finally worked up the nerve to ask.

"Is Erin your child?" he spoke softly, almost afraid of the answer, his courage dwindling at the last second. But Jessica heard him anyway. She seemed very shocked and surprised.

"Good heavens NO! You thought she was! Look, I like Erin and all, but I'm not ready to have a baby, I don't even have a boyfriend! Erin was brought to the clinic yesterday by her older brother. Before Mindy was done casting her arm, he ran away and left her here. I'm just taking care of her until he hopefully comes back."

"Oh, uh, well.... You're doing a good job," Vincent said, but there was no hiding the breath relief he gave out. She raised an eyebrow at him and he could feel his face becoming warm. He turned away and Jessica went to the cabinets for bowls and spoons. She placed them on the table and filled each one.

Jessica then took Erin form Vincent's lap. She was disappointed to leave him, but once she saw she was just being taken to sit at the table a few feet away she became happy again. She smiled and waved playfully to him from her spot. Jessica let out a small giggle and handed Vincent a bowl of soup.

"You're eating today." She said authoritatively. She put her hand to his forehead. "Your fever's down, but not gone. The soup should make you feel better." She looked down to see Vincent already hungrily eating the soup. Jessica went back to Erin, satisfied.

Jessica was surprised to see Erin mimicking Vincent and eating the soup with the spoon, by herself. She was remarkably steady with the spoon. Jessica watched in curiosity as she ate, Erin switched the spoon to her right hand when she realized Vincent was holding the spoon in HIS right hand. He was holding the bowl in his left claw. Jessica saw Erin's eyes widen a little as the light sparkled over it. But she just continued eating and being wonderfully happy. Jessica decided she liked Erin's happy smile. She wondered if Erin could talk yet. She hadn't said anything to Jessica or Vincent as of now, so she was guessing no.

************

Mindy arrived after breakfast. She walked to the kitchen and saw Vincent awake, sitting up on his bed. She was, to say the least, surprised. Jessica introduced them.

"Mindy, this is Vincent. Vincent, meet Mindy." Mindy shook Vincent's hand.

"Glad to see you awake. How's your leg?"

"Umm... Jessica's going to help me with that."

"The muscles need to get used to walking again. It really shouldn't take that long. By the end of today he should be able to walk short distances. I'll take him outside; it's a nice day. Could you watch Erin?" Jessica explained.

"Sure, but she doesn't like me."

"I'm sure if you spend some time with her she'll like you better."

"I hope so..." Mindy picked up Erin from the table. Erin looked so disappointed to be leaving Jessica and Vincent, but Jessica gave her a happy wave, which made Erin lighten up. Once Mindy had gone, Jessica turned her attention to Vincent.

"There's a nice park near here, good exercise for you and it has benches so you can rest. And I haven't been outside much recently so I'll be happy."

"Let's go then," Vincent said, sounding eager to be able to walk again. Jessica was glad to be alone with him, even if they were on a mission. Jessica walked over to Vincent and sat next to him. She draped his right arm over her shoulders. She then put her other arm around his back. She could feel his back muscles tense at her closeness.

*Well he better get used to me because we're in for a lot of closeness.* she thought to herself.

On the count of three, they stood up together. Vincent was unsteady at first, but Jessica quickly balanced him. They walked together to the door. Jessica was the perfect height to support Vincent. Once they got outside, they matched strides so that when Vincent's right foot stepped, Jessica's left foot stepped with it, so Vincent could always have Jessica to lean on.

************

Vincent tried not to mind that Jessica had her arm around him and that she was holding his right hand that she had draped over her shoulders. He had been slightly stunned when she so casually touched him. She seemed to actually care if he got better or not. That's what he found himself liking about her: she just simply cared.

She walked slowly for Vincent, taking small steps. Vincent could feel his leg getting used to walking... somewhat. It didn't hurt, but it felt weak, kind of tingling, like he hadn't used it in a few years. It could barely support him. He was leaning on Jessica too much for his own liking. But Jessica was strong; she held him up.

What should have been a ten-minute maximum walk took half an hour. Jessica didn't mind though, they stopped at the first bench they saw. It was a nice park, nearly deserted. They were sitting in the partial shade of several maple trees, the smell of flowers was everywhere. She sat next to him, their arms stayed around each other a little longer than necessary. After they realized it, they untangled from each other, faces slightly red. Jessica leaned back and closed her eyes, letting the warm breeze blow her long black hair into her face. It wasn't very often she got to relax like this. She found herself very close to sleep, so she didn't hear when Vincent asked her a question.

She sat up suddenly and opened her eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was drifting off, what did you say?" She rubbed her eyes sleepily.

"Quite alright," Vincent assured her. "I asked if you thought Erin's older brother would come back."

"Joshua? Well, I don't know... He couldn't have been more than seven years old. Mindy thinks he ran away because he didn't want to get in trouble."

"I think you would get in more trouble if you returned home without your little sister than with your little sister and a broken arm that was treated," Vincent said, trying to make sense of the little boy.

"Well, I can't keep Erin for long. She is such a darling, but we don't receive enough money to feed and clothe her. I'd hate to have to give her to an orphanage. She's such a nice child. So dependant..."

"I think you're a natural mother," Vincent said shyly. "The way you care for her. She really likes you."

"Don't give me all the credit, she likes you too!" Jessica said, poking Vincent in the ribs. He let out an amused laugh. Jessica laughed too, she was happy at the moment, and being happy, for her, was a rare moment indeed. She suddenly became sober. "I hope she hasn't imprinted on us. It would make it harder for her to leave."

"She seems like a strong soul. She won't cry over us forever."

"I hope so..." she sighed heavily. Vincent changed the subject when he saw the depressed look overcome Jessica's face.

"How did you and Mindy meet?"

"Med school, last year. We're not best friends, but we shared the common goal of a clinic, so we're partners. She's not good with kids and Erin's probably giving her a hard time. We should get back. Are you rested?" she asked, and Vincent nodded. He put his arm around her this time. They smiled at each other and Jessica put her arm around his back, he was comfortable with her now. They rose and began walking back together.

About halfway back, something interesting happened. Jessica was starting to doze off again and Vincent wasn't paying much attention to walking any more, he was watching Jessica. And since they neglected to watch where their feet were going, Jessica sleepily tripped over Vincent's foot. Since Vincent was leaning on her for support, he went down on top of her.

Neither knew what had happened until they were on the ground. Vincent was spread on top of Jessica, his head next to hers, their cheeks touching. Below him Jessica was now wide-awake, eyes locked open with shock. Vincent didn't know what to do, he was frozen in fear. He realized this was the closest he'd ever been to her, his body pressed upon hers. This was too close, extremely close, too much for his comfort.

He finally gathered his wits and lifted his head a little, only to find her face directly beneath his. Their lips were so close... At that moment, Jessica shifted under him and his lips landed on hers, her warm ones heating his. He closed his eyes to the world, and all he felt was her. Jessica opened her mouth a little in surprise and Vincent instinctually took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. Jessica made a startled noise under Vincent, and he finally realized what he was doing... he was kissing her! Of all the things he should NOT be doing! Though part of him was enjoying it, the other part was screaming at him, *What do you think you're doing!? You're getting too close! Run away! Run away!! RUN AWAY!!!* The problem was, he couldn't run away. But that part knew that what he was doing was definitely wrong. Kissing Jessica without her permission was a major violation in his eyes.

Vincent threw himself off of Jessica, rolling away onto his back next to her. He covered his face with his hands, to hide the shame he felt. He could feel the sharp ends of his claw biting into his face, but he kept it there.

"I'm sorry, I'm SO sorry..." he stuttered repeatedly, frightened at what he had done.

************

Jessica laid on the ground for a while, stunned, listening to Vincent sob. She touched her lips, still disoriented from the accidental kiss. She let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. His lips had been so cold.... His closeness had startled her, but she would have loved to kiss him back, to warm his lips further with hers. But that wouldn't have been very good for him, judging by his reaction to her. He was afraid of connecting to anyone. He just didn't know that people had connected to him.

Jessica finally broke out of her trance when she felt the blush burn over her face. She turned her head to look at Vincent. His hands covered his face, mumbling frantic apologies. His claw was practically digging into the skin on his face. She didn't want him to hurt himself, so she sat up and crawled to him.

"Vincent, it's okay... Please don't be upset. I'm here..." she spoke softly as she pulled his hands away from his face. There were indentations from sharp fingers on his forehead, but no broken skin or blood. She took both metal and flesh wrists and pulled them away from his face.

Now she could see his ruby eyes filled with fear and guilt. They were screaming that he had done something sinful. Vincent was biting his bottom lip to keep it from trembling. He looked up at her reluctantly, and their eyes locked gazes. He looked torn up inside, like he couldn't decide to stay be cause he wanted to, or run away in panic. Jessica hoped he would stay, but that was his decision and she would do her best to convince him to stick around with her.

She gently brought her hand to his cheek. He flinched a little, but didn't break eye contact. His eyes were slowly calming down, confiding in her, seeing her as safe place to hide from his feelings of guilt. He let her touch his face, lovingly stroking it, soothing him greatly. Her caressing fingers landed upon his bandaged cut, and she carefully removed it, making sure to cause no pain.

"I can heal this if you want?" she offered him. He nodded slightly, not trusting his voice. Jessica placed her warm hand over the cut. His cheek was cold, he always seemed cold, but that changed as his cheek was quickly warmed by the healing spell. Vincent put his hand on top of hers, keeping the warmth as he had done before. He shut his eyes in relaxation and stopped biting his lip.

"Vincent, you don't need to be sorry, I tripped. You shouldn't be afraid either, I won't hurt you," she said softly as she removed her hand from his cheek. He opened her eyes and cupped her hand in his.

"I didn't mean to violate you... I'm sorry," Vincent said in a whisper, looking away with shame and embarrassment written on his face. Jessica shook her head.

"But you haven't violated me. You can't violate me with an innocent kiss." She smiled at him, hoping to get one in return. She did. He smiled his wonderful smile that she loved so much.

"We should go back," Jessica suggested. Vincent nodded dimly, still looking at her. Normally Jessica would be self-conscious if someone was staring at her like Vincent was. But she wasn't, and she liked the way Vincent was looking at her.

He reluctantly let go of her hand so she could get up. She offered the same hand to help him up, and he gratefully accepted it. She was happy to see he could get himself up and stand without too much help. Today's exercise had helped, but he still needed support. And Jessica was glad to give it. They walked the rest of the way to the clinic, Jessica holding Vincent a little tighter than before.

************

When Vincent and Jessica stepped inside they heard the pitter-patter of small bare feet. They weren't surprised when they saw Erin round the corner at full speed. She let out a squeal of joy at the sight of them. Still running, she jumped into Jessica's open arms, where she was greeted by a bear hug. Jessica let out a laugh of happiness and spun Erin around. For a moment, she forgot that the child in her arms was not her own. More squeals and laughter reached Vincent's ears. He saw how cheerful and comfortable Jessica was with Erin. Vincent wished he could be part of that happiness.

Jessica assisted Vincent into the front room, which he hadn't seen before. She helped him sit down and pointed things out, like the stairs to her part of the clinic, where she slept. And the front door and desk still full of paperwork of mortgage and miscellaneous things to be filed. What she didn't point out was the filing cabinet where the papers were suppose to be, because they didn't have one. She sat down next to him with Erin in her lap. Mindy minded her business at the front desk in the middle room. She was glad to be relieved of Erin. The child had cried the whole hour and a half that Jessica and Vincent had been gone.

Erin waved happily at Vincent from Jessica's lap. Vincent smiled and waved back. Erin buried her face in Jessica's shoulder, laughing into her shirt.

"Erin, honey, do you know where your big brother Joshua went to?" Jessica asked the small child, trying to find out anything of Joshua's location. Erin pointed to the door in the middle room. "She saw him leave..." Jessica's hope was beginning to waver.

"Don't worry, I believe he will return," Vincent assured her. Jessica sat back and tried to relax. Vincent's assurance did make her feel a little better, but just having him next to her made her feel better. She rested her eyes for a moment and unexpectedly found herself asleep.

************

Vincent watched Jessica fall asleep, and didn't stop her. She seemed so tired. Vincent watched her relaxed face; with the stress lines gone, she looked so beautiful, so at ease and peaceful. He almost raised his hand to touch her snow-white cheek, but stopped himself. He should deny himself these feelings if he wanted to leave her unharmed. Sooner or later he would end up doing something terrible in that direction.

Erin raised her head from Jessica's shoulder when her breathing had become steady. She looked at Jessica and decided she was asleep. Erin gently sat up and gingerly planted a kiss on her cheek. She touched Jessica's cheek softly and looked at her with admiration, as a child would look at their mother.

Vincent didn't know if this show of compassion was good or not. Erin was imprinting on Jessica, and as he was finding out, himself as well. Erin looked at Vincent and raised her arms at him, silently asking to be picked up. Vincent carefully lifted her up and into his lap. She laughed quietly, aware that Jessica was sleeping. Next to him, now that Erin wasn't in her lap, Jessica curled towards him, bringing her knees to her chest and leaning on him. She mumbled something in her sleep and put her head on his shoulder, she hugged his arm loosely.

Shock temporarily held Vincent, and he would have stayed staring with his mouth open if Erin had not put her hand on top of Jessica's and smiled at Vincent. She smiled like she knew something about the two. Vincent relaxed slowly, and Erin smiled at him again. She reached up to his hair and began playing with it like nothing had happened.

"What do you know that I do not?" he asked Erin. She just looked him straight in the eye, then looked at Jessica. She again placed her hand on top of Jessica's, still holding his right arm.

Vincent still didn't understand the way he felt toward Jessica. He thought he had never felt it before... whatever it was. Maybe Erin knew. She seemed to understand things Vincent himself did not understand. Erin went back to playing with his hair. She began to braid it with a great deal of talent for a young child. It took a long while though for her to complete one braid. Vincent wondered where she had learned to braid things. Probably from someone in her family, most likely her mother.

Soon she got bored with his hair, leaving it braided. She turned her attention to his left "hand." Vincent thought she would be afraid of it, but she held it in her hand and moved it around, looking at it with quiet interest. Vincent watched her very closely, making sure he didn't accidentally cut her, he had had enough of those for one day. But Erin was very careful by herself.

She spread out his metallic fingers so his hand was open. Then she placed her hand inside his palm, palm against cold palm, comparing the sizes of their hands. Her hand fit right inside the metal surface. She took his other, real hand and held it up the same way. She placed her other hand to that one and smiled at the comparison, they were different, yet the same.

Erin suddenly yawned. She put his hands down. Vincent was surprised when she gave him a kiss on his cheek goodnight, just as she had with Jessica, who still held his arm.

"Goodnight," he whispered as she put her head on his shoulder. In a few minutes, her breathing was deep and steady. She had her arms hugging his neck and shoulder, her tiny hands clutching his shirt. So now Vincent had two girls clinging to him.

"That was so cute!" Vincent looked up to see Mindy standing in the doorway to the waiting room.

"Oh, hello," he simply said, trying to hide the fact that he was startled.

"Erin really likes you two. She cried the whole time you guys were out walking. No wonder she's so tired. Did it help your leg at all?"

"Yes, I don't think it will be long before I can walk without help."

"That's good," she said, walking into the room and shifting her attention to Jessica, who was clinging to his arm.

Mindy made a mental note of that.

"Is she asleep again?" Vincent nodded, replying,

"For almost an hour."

"Well she's been staying awake the last few nights watching and caring for you."

"Really?" he asked, and Mindy nodded. So that's why Jessica had always been there...in the nights when he had been in the most pain, comforting him through it all. That's why she was so tired. She went out of her way to care for him. He glanced at her sleeping face adoringly.

Mindy also took note of that.

"Do you want anything to eat yet? It's almost lunchtime."

"Alright."

"I think I'll make good old-fashioned peanut butter and jelly sandwiches."

"Sounds good," Vincent said, rubbing the sleeping child's back comfortingly, whether he was comforting the child, or himself, he did not know.

"I'll make one for Erin too. She'll probably wake up soon from her nap. I think Jessica should sleep through lunch, she really needs it."

"Yes, she does," Vincent agreed. He gazed at Jessica with a soft look in his eyes. Mindy went off to make lunch, silently reviewing the mental notes she had made about how Jessica had changed since Vincent's arrival.

************

Over the next few hours, Vincent flexed his injured leg almost constantly, so that even though he wasn't walking, he wouldn't lose any progress. It was like exercise without getting up, and since he was stuck down, it made sense. Jessica continued to sleep, still clinging to his arm. She mumbled an awful lot. One time Vincent was able to make out his name, but didn't know why she used it. He guessed she was dreaming of him.

Jessica awoke an hour before Mindy had to leave for the evening. She was surprised to find her hand on Vincent's arm; she withdrew it nervously.

"Did I talk in my sleep?" she asked him. He answered truthfully.

"Yes, but mostly mumbles."

"...What wasn't mumbles?" she asked, getting anxious.

"My name," he said, and watched her color red.

"Oh... I dreamed I was standing on a beach, looking out to sea, the full moon was just right over the water. You were there, standing with me. You were talking, but I couldn't hear you. It was a weird dream..." she trailed.

Vincent nodded understandingly. He had had some strange dreams too. In Vincent's lap Erin reached for Jessica. She opened her arms and Erin crawled into them. The two smiled and laughed.

"How about Ramen noodles for dinner?" Jessica asked Vincent.

"Alright, sounds yummy!" he said, with more enthusiasm than usual. Jessica smiled, laughing at his perky statement. Vincent smiled because he had made her laugh. She put Erin down and told her to go to the kitchen. Once she was in a seat at the table, Jessica stood with Vincent. She led him to the seat next to Erin and began to make dinner.

"Vincent, can I ask you a question?" Jessica asked after a moment of silence.

"Of course," Vincent said.

"Why were you so freaked out last night?" Vincent fell silent as the previously forgotten horrid dream came suddenly rushing back to him, haunting his soul.

"I had a dream," he murmured flatly, not wanting to even think about such a morbid nightmare.

"Want to talk about it?" she asked with concern.

Vincent thought about saying no. She wouldn't talk about it after that and Vincent wouldn't have to remember. But if he told her, he could feel better, he could get the dreadful feelings off of his chest by sharing them with Jessica. He knew she would listen and be understanding about it, but it was a most unspeakable vision. After very carefully thinking about both ends and their possible outcome, he decided he would just tell her to get it over with. And so he began after a significant pause.

"I was somewhere, but nowhere at the same time. It was really dark, and very cold." His voice suddenly cracked in memory of the fear he had felt in the black void. He never wanted to experience such a thing again. "I wandered around, alone for awhile. Until I saw you. And then something... grim... happened." He stopped, suddenly unable to go on telling her. The image of her lovely face locked in anguish, even in death, was burned into his mind. He shut his eyes tight against the memory.

************

Jessica saw how scared Vincent was getting over this dream; he left it unfinished. He needed to finish though, and she needed to comfort him. She turned off the stove to go to him.

"Vincent, what happened?" she questioned gently as she knelt by his chair. She took his right hand firmly into hers. "Please tell me..."

Vincent opened his eyes to stare her down. He looked straight into the blue orbs that were her eyes and saw the determination there. She actually wanted to know. So Vincent took a deep breath and told her.

"The dragon that attacked me, it reappeared and attacked you. I tried to warn you, but it slashed you once across the back, but that was all that it needed. There was so much blood... I couldn't protect you, by the time I reached you, you were already dead..." His voice was shaking, as well as his hand inside hers.

She held his hand tighter and let him lead her into a hug. He pulled her off of the floor and into his lap, he hugged her tightly like he had the night before. She let him, knowing that if he hugged her like a teddy bear he would feel better. His shaking arms held her as steady as he could. Strangely, he seemed close to tears. This dream scared him more than she thought. The dream scared her, too... She was a firm believer in the fact that dreams might tell a possible future.

Jessica held Vincent's hand close to her, stroking it comfortingly.

"Vincent, I'm here, it's okay. It was just a dream...it hasn't happened." She looked up to see his eyes staring at her, glad she was there to comfort him, which had been her intention. Erin left her seat to go over to him and hugged Vincent's left leg, also trying to give him comfort. Jessica laughed softly.

"Don't worry, Vincent, I'm not going anywhere." She smiled at him, getting up from his lap. He reluctantly let her go. "I need to finish dinner," she explained, going back to the stove and reheating the noodles. Erin crawled into Vincent's arms to replace Jessica. Vincent hugged the somehow knowing child, feeling his fear slowly disappearing.

************

After everybody ate and Mindy had gone home, Jessica suggested that Vincent should go walking once more before dark. Vincent agreed and Erin jumped into Jessica's arms, happy to be going outside. After all, she hadn't been outside since her unsuccessful tree climbing adventure. Vincent said he though he didn't need so much support from her any more, just balance. Jessica smiled as he got up by himself and wobbled unsteadily to her. He quickly put his left claw on her shoulder to catch himself.

"I'm sorry," he apologized suddenly, removing his claw.

"Vincent, you don't have to worry about scaring me or hurting me."

"I know, I just feel I have to apologize..." he explained.

"Well, you shouldn't have to." She said. Vincent limped to her left side and put his right hand on her shoulder. Jessica led him outside.

"I promise to pay attention and not trip this time." Jessica laughed and Vincent smiled warmly at her, remembering the kiss he had accidentally planted on her. He was glad she made him feel better about that, other wise he would have let it haunt him. Now he could look back and smile about it. He thought it important that she was so forgiving.

They reached a bench just in time to watch the sunset over the hill. It was very peaceful and relaxing. Erin "oooh"ed and "aaah"ed at the brilliant colors formed by the setting sun. She sat in Jessica's lap for awhile, then crawled into Vincent's arms.

When the last shreds of light were disappearing, Erin said something odd. She took Vincent's left hand and Jessica's right one. She brought the two together and entwined the fingers carefully so they were holding hands. Vincent and Jessica watched her, amused and curious, small blushes on their faces at the thought of holding hands.

Erin looked like she was concentrating really hard on the two hands. She took a big breath and spoke her first words.

"Mommy." She pointed at Jessica.

"Daddy." She pointed at Vincent.

"Baby." She pointed to herself and held the two hands together.

Jessica and Vincent blushed a brighter red, almost as bright as the setting sun. Vincent was speechless, and Jessica stunned. They still held hands, and after a while, they worked up the courage to look at one another.

"She thinks we're a... a..." Jessica stuttered, unable to finish the sentence, looking at Vincent. She turned away.

"A family..." Vincent finished for her. He was touched and stupefied at the same time. Erin saw them as mother and father, as in wife and husband. That made Vincent blush even worse... Erin though Jessica and Vincent were a couple! Vincent continued to look at Jessica. He liked her, a lot. He knew it was wrong of him, but how could he NOT like her?

Meanwhile Jessica was trying to calm herself. She was forced to think of her feelings towards Vincent. She liked him, but she knew practically nothing about him. But she liked him still... She made herself look at him again. He looked so handsome in the setting sun, his red eyes were sparkling at her.

Jessica found herself leaning towards him, wanting to kiss him. Vincent forgot his fear of hurting Jessica, holding her hand tighter. She returned the pressure instead of pulling away. Vincent allowed himself to lean closer to her. Their lips had become very close, almost touching...

Then the fear abruptly came back. Without warning his conscience kicked him. *WHAT are you doing!?*

Vincent gasped and suddenly pulled away. He yanked his "hand" from hers, more violently than he had intended. He heard her gasp in pain and saw several faint scratches on her hand in the fading sunlight.

Erin wore a disappointed face, but laid her head on Vincent's chest, tired. Apparently her long awaited plans had failed.

"I have hurt you yet again," he stated, sorrow and frustration at himself in his voice. He couldn't be with her, as much as he wanted to, he would probably end up killing her.

"No, Vincent. If you hadn't gotten scared you would have... kissed me. But you have to trust me." She moved her uninjured hand to cure the injured one, but Vincent stopped her.

"Allow me," he said, and cupped the injured hand into his right one. He gently whispered a healing spell, rubbing the back of her hand slowly. Jessica's eyes grew wide.

"You know magic?!"

"Some, very small scale. Mostly healing spells... I think. I'm better off with my gun."

"See? You shouldn't be afraid, you could help me," she said, but her teeth began to chatter in the growing cold and Erin sneezed.

"We should go back, before you and Erin catch colds," Jessica said. Erin climbed to her and Jessica helped Vincent walk back. Halfway there, Vincent let go of Jessica's shoulder and walked by himself. A little unbalanced, but still, he was walking. Jessica showered him with praise for his partial recovery. Erin clapped joyously for him.

************

When they returned, Vincent sat on the hospital bed, tired. The day had been long and exhausting. Erin had fell asleep on the way home; Jessica laid her in a chair in the waiting room. When she went back to Vincent, she found herself marveling that he was still alive with what he had been through. And she had helped to save him. She stood in the doorway, staring at him. It took awhile for Vincent to realize that she was looking at him.

"What?" he asked, afraid that something was wrong.

"Nothing. I'm just surprised you're alive, after how badly you were hurt."

Vincent swallowed loudly.

"How bad was I hurt?" he asked carefully. Jessica walked up to him and casually pointed at his chest.

"Here, here, and here." She pointed to the four slashes the dragon's claws had made. He flinched slightly as she poked him in the still tender flesh of the wound. "This is where the dragon slashed you pretty bad. I could see your broken ribs inside the gashes. That was effecting your breathing. And your leg was broken. It was an open wound fracture though, so Mindy set it and healed the bone again. It was really gruesome." Jessica hesitated. "If I didn't know any better, I'd almost say that dragon intended for you to be immobilized for quite some time, like it wanted you to be here or something..."

Vincent winced and covered his chest, remembering the excruciating pain. Jessica sat next to him on the hospital bed. So close... His eyes looked up into hers and he felt his heart beat increase rapidly. He should have stopped her hands when they rose to gingerly touch his face, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He let her run her soft fingers through his hair and massage his scalp. This brought their faces closer together. Vincent's mind was screaming at him to push her away like he had before, but something in her eyes made him ignore his mind's logic.

"You had several head injuries, I think that's why you were so confused and frightened," she told him, continuing to massage his scalp. It felt so relaxing... until her fingers ran over a bruise on his head from falling that first night. Vincent winced.

"I'm sorry!" Jessica said as soon as she saw the pain in his eyes. She withdrew her hands from the mass of hair that was slightly knotted from Erin playing with it. Her hand became entangled and Vincent had to help her untangle it. Which meant he had to hold her hand. They exchanged smiles of amusement after her hand was free. Vincent actually found himself wanting to kiss her smiling lips, but he pushed the feeling away, not wanting to get close enough to hurt her, there was no doubt in his mind that he would too. He had hurt her so many times, it was a wonder she still looked at him.

"Why?" He simply asked her.

"Huh? Why what?" she asked, confused.

"Why do you still befriend me after I've hurt you so many times?" His voice ached with seriousness. Jessica looked at him with bewilderment on her face.

"Well... why not?" she said, as if the answer was that easy.

"Because I make you bleed," he said with the urgency to make her understand. He pointed to the hand he had just injured. "I must leave," he said suddenly, quickly getting up with his spur of the moment thought. But Jessica caught his hand, she was unprepared for that last statement, it was so unexpected.

"What? No, you can't!" she exclaimed with fear in her eyes. She didn't want him to leave her... "You're not fully recovered!" She was desperate for a reason to make him stay. "Erin will miss you, she wouldn't stop crying. She likes you too much."

*I'd miss you, I want you to stay! I like you!* she almost said, but stopped talking just in time.

Vincent paused, listening to the desperation in her voice. Aware of the way she was gripping his hand... He slowly sat back down. Jessica breathed a sigh of relief, and gently let his hand go.

"Please stay..." she said quietly.

"I cannot stay here forever," he remarked forlornly. Jessica looked up at him with big, blue, pleading eyes.

"For a little while?" Her voice was shaking.

"Why?" he asked again, referring to his previous question she hadn't exactly answered.

"Because I'm not afraid of you. Because I trust you," she finally answered him. Vincent looked deep into her blue eyes and could plainly see the truth. She was not afraid, she helped him, fed him, and gave him shelter. She was not afraid of the horrible things he had done.

************

After Vincent had finally fallen into a deep sleep, which had been awhile, (They had stayed up all night talking. Well, mostly Jessica was the one talking, but Vincent had been the ever-avid listener.) Jessica made some coffee. Even if she hated the smell and taste, it was the only thing strong enough to keep her awake. She continued to watch over Vincent, wondering if he was getting better. He had walked by himself that day, and most signs of his fever had left him, but he wasn't totally in the clear. Perhaps after tomorrow morning's walk, he would be able to climb up stairs. She was confident that his fever would be better by then, but you could never be one hundred percent sure. Then she would finally be able to rest easy. It was very strange how she cared for Vincent way more than her usual patients. But at the same time it felt natural and normal, like it was meant to be. She found herself smiling and blushing more often when she was around him. Just the sight of his smile made her happy. His closeness... He was so gentle with her and Erin.

Jessica glanced at the sleeping child on a chair in the waiting room. She was a very beautiful young child, very well mannered. Jessica was suddenly jealous of Erin's mother and family for having such a precious, fragile being as a family member. Jessica remembered what Erin had said that night; she had thought Jessica and Vincent were her parents, as in married. Did she really believe that? Did Jessica and Vincent act that way? Jessica had tried to keep their relationship professional, but her feelings for Vincent were too strong, and they scared her slightly. She hadn't felt this way ever before.

As she had watched Vincent grow stronger, he had slowly revealed himself to her. She found her feelings for him growing along with his strength. Every small thing he revealed, she liked him that much more. His use of magic had been the most surprising so far. She wondered why he hadn't used it until that night. He seemed confused about it himself. He had probably forgotten about it in the commotion of the past few days. He seemed so quiet and unsure of himself. He left her wondering what she would learn from him tomorrow.

************

"Daddy! Daddy!" Erin yelled as she ran to Vincent. He opened his arms and she jumped into them. As he hoisted her up, he spoke soothingly to her.

"Erin, I'm not your father." He still held her carefully as Erin put on a sad face. "I'm sorry, Erin. But I cannot pretend to be what I am not."

"This is bad... she's imprinted on us. It will be hard on her when she leaves," Jessica said worriedly she led Vincent outside for a morning walk.

"I will miss her, when she leaves," Vincent murmured sadly. Jessica walked next to him in fascination. He didn't want to see Erin leave so soon, just as she felt. That was something he hadn't expressed before.

Vincent was walking all by himself next to Jessica, still holding Erin. The child sadly played with his hair, knotting it, and then trying to comb it out with her fingers without meeting any success. The child had tangled the raven mass too many times. Finally she gave up and wrapped her arms tiredly around his neck. She had been gloomy all morning, not wanting to play or smile for either Vincent or Jessica.

"I'm sorry Erin, but you shouldn't call me father. I am unworthy of the title," Vincent said depressingly. Jessica realized he had low self-esteem to say such a thing. She thought he had been a very good father figure to Erin. He was always watchful and gentle...He had always acknowledged the child's tender affection for Jessica and himself.

Why did he think himself so unworthy? This again had her wondering of his past. Perhaps she would ask him someday. But in the mean time, she thought he was worthy of such a touching title. He was stroking Erin's back lovingly, trying to calm the distressed child, which had become a habit in the few days he had known her. The action seemed to calm both greatly. He finally noticed Jessica staring at him in confusion and admiration. He raised an eyebrow at her. She quickly looked away, embarrassed, but certainly not ashamed for looking at such a worthy man.

************

"Erin, grow strong and be happy." Jessica read what Vincent had written on Erin's cast. "Signed Vincent Valentine."

"That was so sweet of you!" Jessica said. Vincent handed to her the marker he had used to sign Erin's cast.

"It was a lovely experience getting to know you. Be careful climbing those trees next time, Jessica." Then Jessica, in turn, handed the marker to Mindy.

"You are such a sweetheart, when you want to be. Stay that way. Mindy." Erin then took the marker from Mindy and began to draw on her cast, pictures of flowers and stick people that suspiciously looked like Jessica and Vincent holding hands with Erin.

Suddenly Jessica fell out of her seat at the lunch table. A surprised Mindy, Vincent and Erin all looked over the edge of the table to see Jessica sprawled on the floor, her arms and legs spread in awkward positions. She was totally out of it, and Mindy couldn't get her awake to move her off of the floor, every time she tried, Jessica just rolled over.

"She stayed up all night... again," Mindy stated after giving up. Vincent nodded and silently left his seat. He knelt next to Jessica and slipped his arms carefully under her. He stood with her in his arms, protectively holding her to his chest. Mindy just gave him a confused look.

"Where is her room?" he plainly asked. Mindy's confused look vanished as she nodded, finally understanding.

"Oh, I see! Upstairs, can you climb up them still holding her?" Vincent nodded, as of that morning he had made a full recovery, but some extra practice wouldn't hurt. Mindy led Vincent up the stairs with Erin in her arms, who was only being quite because Vincent was right behind them. Mindy opened the door to Jessica's room and let Vincent in. He had made it to the room with no trouble; Mindy marveled as she silently spied on Vincent. Erin was also watching quietly, with interest.

Vincent pulled back the covers of Jessica's bed and gently placed her there. He removed her shoes and put the thin blanket up to her chin. He hoped it would keep her warm. Vincent brushed away a strand of her midnight hair that had gotten in her face, his fingers lingering a little longer than he thought necessary, but no harm was done. Jessica hummed in her sleep and hugged the covers closer to her. He resisted the urge to lightly kiss her cheek by standing up and leaving her bare room. He had noticed upon entering that the decor was very... sparse. She obviously didn't have many possessions. He also noticed Mindy, holding Erin, listening intently at the door, which he had left open a crack.

"Oh! Umm...." Mindy stuttered. Erin just giggled and reached for Vincent to take her. He did, but shushed the two.

"She needs the rest."

Erin covered her mouth and Mindy led the two back downstairs.

************

Over the next hour or so, Vincent read the children's books from the waiting room to Erin. She smiled and laughed at the pictures of princes and princesses falling in love, and a horrible evil coming between them, only to be vanquished in the name of true love. When Vincent had finished the fifth and last book about a princess, Erin climbed out of his lap. She ran out of the waiting room. Curious, Vincent got up and followed her. He found her halfway up the stairs to Jessica's room. She was pretty fast for such tiny legs. Vincent quickly reached her and scooped her up before she could fall.

"Mommy!" she said, pointing to the room around the corner.

"No, Erin," Vincent said gently, "She's not your mother either." But the child just continued to point and wear a longing look on her face. Vincent sighed, not able to resist those puppy-dog eyes. "Alright... we'll go see Jessica. But we have to be quiet, she's probably still sleeping."

Vincent opened the door quietly. Jessica was still sleeping soundly, as expected, laying on her back, her hand stretched out. He stepped in and sat at the desk chair. Erin sat on Vincent's lap, intently watching Jessica sleep for some reason. She just stared and stared and stared some more…. Vincent began to wonder if Erin had a secret motive. Although Vincent himself stared at Jessica's face, wondering what she was dreaming of. He also found himself wondering if she had a "significant other." She had said she didn't have a boyfriend, but how could other guys not be attracted to her? He also thought about why he was here. Why did he like Jessica? He suddenly felt the need to be with her and protect her. It was strange, and Vincent didn't like it. The new emotion scared him.

An hour later, he had made up his mind to leave. He didn't know when, how, or where he would go, but he would leave, to escape the strange feeling of growing love that frightened him so much. He would leave before he hurt anyone, physically or emotionally. He would miss Erin and Jessica, yes, but it was for the best. It was better that way, yes... It was better...

Jessica stirred in her sleep, shifting to her side, facing him.

"Whatever makes you happy, Vincent," she said clearly, but her eyes stayed closed, asleep. Vincent thought it awkward, if not a little freaky, that her mumblings seemed to answer his thoughts.

************

After awhile Erin had grown tired of watching Jessica sleep and had soon slipped into a nap of her own, having nothing in the barren room to entertain her. Vincent rubbed her back with his right hand to continually soothe her. Jessica slept restfully until dinner. Vincent watched her, knowing it would be the only time he could stare at her undisturbed. He memorized her face, every little detail. So he would never forget her.

When she began to wake up, he turned his eyes away. He turned his attention to Erin instead, pretending he hadn't acknowledged Jessica at all. She sat up slowly, blinking a few times, confused.

"How did I get here?" she asked herself, not seeing Vincent or Erin yet.

"You passed out," Vincent said coolly. She jumped as he spoke, finally seeing him. She looked around her room in a panic.

"Why are you in my room?" she asked him accusingly.

"Erin wanted to visit you." Vincent stayed calm, as if none of this mattered. Jessica visibly relaxed in her spot on the bed. Mindy peeked her head in and smiled at the three of them.

"Dinner's ready! Come and get it before I eat it all!" she exclaimed cheerfully before leaving. Vincent stood up with the still sleeping Erin. He said nothing, not looking at Jessica as he left her room. It was better if he started to recoil now before he got too close and became entangled in his feelings.

Immediately Jessica noticed the growing distance between them, but was too confused, having just woke up, to do anything about it.

************

Vincent said nothing at dinner. Mindy found that odd, but talked with Jessica to keep her busy. Erin ate silently, nervously glancing in the direction of the front door. Jessica just poked at her meal, barely paying attention to Mindy. Mindy just stared at the trio, wondering what had happened. Everyone seemed so gloomy. She felt her cheerful mood dwindling.

When dinner was over, Erin got really agitated. She reached for Vincent to take her, but he just ignored her, turning away with a blank expression on his face. He had been that way since he came downstairs. With hurt written on her face, Erin turned to Jessica. She took the child and tried to calm her, but Erin clung to Jessica's shirt with a death grip. Jessica gave Vincent a confused and injured look. He pretended not to notice.

A soft knock came at the door and all went to go see who it was. Mindy answered the door as Jessica was holding Erin, and Vincent stood behind both of them. Erin began to cry, and Jessica's face became sad.

It was Joshua.

"Hello ma'am. I came to bring back me sis. Me family been missin' 'er," he said, opening his arms to receive the child. Jessica reluctantly moved towards him. Erin began screaming as Jessica passed her to her brother. Jessica could feel her heart being torn into terribly small pieces.

"No more climbing in trees, don't get her cast wet," Jessica said forlornly to Joshua.

"Yes ma'am. Thank yeh fer takin' care of me sis, ma'am." He turned to leave, Erin reached for Jessica and Vincent as they became father and farther away. Jessica could still hear Erin's cries as she slowly shut the door. She leaned against it, trying to compose herself. She looked to Vincent for comfort, but was met by cold, red eyes and an emotionless face. Discouraged to the point of depression, Jessica ran past him and up the stairs to her room, tears streaming down her face.

************

Vincent turned away from Jessica's fleeing form and went to the hospital bed to lay down. It was emotionally exhausting to watch Jessica cry and not go to comfort her. He had never seen her cry before. It was a horribly heart-breaking sobbing. He thought it better if she hated him more than she liked him, hate was an emotion he knew about. This way when he left tomorrow, she wouldn't care. And he wasn't supposed to care. But he couldn't stop thinking about Jessica crying into her pillow. He wanted to go and comfort her of her loss, he missed Erin as well. But he mustn't care, for the sake of her health. He tried convincing himself that he didn't care about her, an attempt that went on for hours and achieved little results.

*I don't care about her, I don't care…* he repeated to himself. But if that was true, why did he fall asleep feeling sick because he wasn't with her?

************

Jessica awoke feeling awful. She had cried herself to sleep last night, unable to stop the tears, and not wanting to. She missed Erin greatly, the sweet child was the closest Jessica would probably get to ever having her own child. She got out of bed, rubbing away her dried tears. She brushed her hair in a vain attempt to comfort herself. Nevertheless, she composed herself, as women do before doing something they were uncomfortable doing. She was going to talk to Vincent. She left the room confident, until Mindy came rushing up to her.

"He's leaving!!" Mindy told her hurriedly.

"What?!" Jessica asked, confused.

"Vincent's leaving!"

Realization struck Jessica like lightning. She ran down the stairs, almost tripping several times. She raced to the kitchen to find Vincent with his bandana back on, fastening his cape into place, his back turned to her. Hot anger suddenly flared up inside of her.

"So that's it, huh? Not even a goodbye or a thank you?!" she yelled at him. He stopped fixing his cloak and turned around to face her. His face was a strange mix of sadness and unconcern. But Jessica looked into his eyes and read past his surface feelings, seeing internal struggle deep within him. Her angry tone and scowl softened.

"Erin's gone, and now you're leaving me alone too?" she asked in an offended voice.

"I am sorry that I have hurt your feelings," he said, recognizing her wavering tone. "But it is for the best."

"What? You running away without saying anything is for the best?"

He looked at her intently as he took the few steps separating them, strands of his dark hair dangling in front of his burning eyes. Jessica stayed rooted to her spot as he leaned over her. She looked up into his eyes that had come so close to hers, trying to read any emotions whatsoever. But she only found one, and she couldn't understand that one at the moment.

Suddenly she found herself in his arms for a tight embrace. He hugged her so close that she could hear his heart beating frantically inside his warm chest. Jessica returned the hug, pulling him even closer, his thin body pressing against hers.

"Thank you..." he whispered softly in her ear. "For everything..."

"You're welcome..." she breathed to him with the breath she had been holding. He pulled away, but instead of leaving, Jessica found his lips to hers in an unexpected kiss. Alarm rose within her, but also excitement. She could feel his strong pulse through his lips that were lightly pressed to hers. Once the initial shock wore off, she relaxed into his arms and closed her eyes in bliss. It was exactly what she thought her first real kiss would feel like, her stomach in wonderful butterflies and her knees turning into water. But Vincent's arms kept her steady, even though he was trembling himself. Jessica felt as if she was sharing something special with Vincent, something special she had never felt or comprehended before, she felt it growing inside them both. She didn't know how to express it because she didn't understand it. She had a feeling that perhaps someday she would... Jessica could feel her lips quivering as she tried to deepen the kiss, but Vincent gently recoiled and broke away.

"I'm sorry. I must leave. Good bye... Jessica," he said quickly before she could recover fully. She heard a strain of emotion in his voice. He left her standing there, stunned. He picked up his gun and headed for the door, feeling like he had just lost a part of himself.

Halfway to the door, Mindy ran past him and went to Jessica.

"How come you didn't go with him? I thought you would without hesitation!" she asked a statue-like Jessica.

"He didn't want me to go with him," Jessica said with a depressed sigh. She could still feel his warmth around her and she was desperately trying to remember it forever. She did not want to forget Vincent Valentine.

"Well he's hesitating, he's stuck at the door."

"Let him go. I need to be alone." The ache was evident in Jessica's wavering voice.

Mindy nodded, heading back upstairs to the office to busy her confused mind with paperwork. Jessica touched her lips, still feeling Vincent there.

And the hesitating Vincent finally opened the door...

~Enter Vacation~

Another Author's Note: WOW!!! I'm FINALLY done!! I never thought I could do it. If I've intrigued anyone into reading further, you'll have to read Vacation, as I said before. It's the continuation of this story and another. Jenny and I have written it over the three or so years we've known each other. It's our crowning achievement.

Thanks again to: (Inspiration comes form every where, so don't be surprised if you find your name here.) All the people who have encouraged me to write my problems out; Jenny and Will, for being my friends; Ice Cream; my sophomore English teacher, Mr. Thill, for letting me write this in his class; Chocolate Chip Bagels; my junior English teacher, Mr. Braun, for constantly giving me feedback; my aunt, for letting me use her computer all the time; pens, especially the ones you can never find when you need them; Insomnia, where all my ideas come from; Hugs, share the warmth, have YOU hugged your buddy today? And anyone who read this fanfic and this long author's note. Oh yes, who can forget life's little lonely angst-y moments that drives you to write stupid stuff like this. :p

I thought that I should note here that I started this late in my sophomore year and finished the story over the summer. The typing etc. has taken ALL the way to now, the beginning of my senior year. This just shows what a procrastinator I am. But anyway, I was in a totally different frame of mind when I wrote this, I'm pretty sure you can see that. My other work is…well, let's just say it's different.