Relationship

" Selene!... Selene ! Selene turned away from the kitchen sink with a cup of tea in her hand to face the door opening, just as her mate appeared in his birthday suit. "You left us all alone," he said. A broad smile slowly appeared on her face, which turned into a grin, when her eyes travelled down to stay fixed somewhat below his mid - section. "Well, little Michael seems okay," she said amused, as she slowly sipped from her cup. "Little…little," he said with a quasi angry look "See, now you've made him angry." and with his best 'The Incredible Hulk' impression he was advancing towards her, saying: "You won't like him when he's angry." "Quite the contrary, "she answered.

She wrapped her legs tighter around Michael's thighs and they reached for each other's hand and interlaced their fingers. Her moaning was in tune with grunts that were escaping from his throat as their love dance was nearing its peak. A sense of euphoria hit her when a warmth released somewhere in her underbelly was slowly spreading throughout her body just when he was letting out the final short grunts as he released his warmth into her womb, sending bolts of electricity that caused small explosions in her brain. They lay until their breathing quieted down. Then he rolled away from on top of her to lie flat on his back. He reached for her breast and started fondling it and they looked into each other's eyes both still dazzled. "That was incredible!" she whispered and she remembered how the passion in those eyes had melted her, like butter… there at the train station on that faithful night. They still did." Am I not the loooove doctor? They laughed. He so loved to hear the sound of her laughter. She who had rekindled his love and ironically enough his zest for life. He pulled her on top of him. "Are you sure you're ready for me?" she asked, teasingly and she immediately felt the answer growing between her thighs. "Always on call," he said, before he laughingly covered her mouth with his.

Tonight was the third night of his nightshift at the hospital. She entered the sitting room with a jug with dinner that she had just warmed in the microwave oven and two large mugs on a salver. She put the tray down on the coffee table as she sat next to him on the sofa. "You know, I hate it when you have the nightshift… and what makes it worse is that it's Saturday. Michael was watching the NBA finals' game between the Chicago Bulls and the Lakers that was nearing its end. She had filled both mugs with their fluid of life and handed him his mug. "Maybe we should tell them that we own the hospital and that your Saturdays are for me," she said, while she sipped from her drink. Coach Phil Jackson called for a time out and Michael turned to his mate: "Now, didn't I just spent the whole Saturday afternoon on you," he said teasingly, before he gulped down his drink. He filled his mug once more and gulped that down, just when Michael Jordan scored the winning basket. "Yes! " He jumped up and did a little dance "You lose! He said pointing at her. "Now what are you going to do for 'The Michael'?" She laughed half heartedly and pulled him down. She curled up next to him and unbuttoned his shirt enough to stroke his chest freely, while she licked the remaining fluid from his lips and they kissed. He took her in his arms tenderly and whispered in her hair: "Four more nights. Then I get three days off." "Yeah… I hate it that you have to go… " He nibbled at her ear from where his lips travelled to explore her neck. This made her giggle and she put her arms around his waist and to pull him closer she put each hand in the back pockets of his trousers. She felt a piece of paper in his left pocket and she pulled it out, still laughing and preventing his lips from claiming hers. She unfolded it to see if it was important enough not to throw away. Meanwhile his lips had settled for her neck again. She stiffened and let out a sharp gasp. "What's wrong," he said pulling away, with a searching glance running up and down her face. Then he followed her stare and saw the paper that she was holding in her hand. "This is, "she said and handed him the note with a puzzled look on her face.

Michael,

I miss you. We need to talk.

03. 00 pm, in the armory.

Alana

He scratched his head. "Oh fuck!" he said as he turned his eyes to hers. He opened his mouth in an attempt to say something, decided against it and slammed it shut. She pulled away from him and sat quietly… anticipating, waiting for him to speak. He tried it again, let out a sigh and turned his face away from hers. Then it was dead quiet in the room.

There had never been a need to tell Selene about Alana. He and Alana were over long before he had met her. It had been one of those friends – with – benefits type of things. He was a new arrival in Budapest and she was a fellow doctor apprentice at the hospital where he had applied for his internship, and a fellow American who knew her way around, because she had been there for a while. She had taught him how to get around in the city, where the best supermarkets were and she had taken him sightseeing on those rare occasions that they were free. They both felt nostalgic when they had discovered a Mc Donald's branch right there in the city, during one of those trips. After some time they had become lovers and on occasion she had stayed over at his apartment. She had been beautiful then and she still was. She had a long narrow face that was enclosed by long black hair, with piercing grey eyes which were shaped like almonds and were accentuated by her high cheekbones. She had a Grecian nose and sensual lips that shaped an attractive big mouth. She had a slim neck and straight shoulders that emphasized her firm full breasts. On free days she loved to wear jeans that revealed her tall frame and her slim waist that flowed over in two endless legs. She had cared for him but could never claim him. He had been too detached and emotionally distraught by the death of his wife Samantha at the time. As time passed they lost sight of each other as the work schedules and the study intensified. He later learnt that she had transferred to another facility.

"What the fuck is going on, Michael?" she asked in an icy tone. The deep frown between her brows was accompanied by an angry look in two dark brown eyes. Eyes, which had looked at him so tenderly, not two minutes ago.

"Selene, it's…it's not what you think."

"Who died and made you mind reader?" she asked with one eyebrow raised.

He could tell that she was ready to explode. "I have done nothing wrong," he said defensively, while he too was getting angry. She jumped up from the coach and he watched her eyes turn to a bluish white while her fangs became visible. "You… have the audacity to sit right next to me, here in our sitting room, thinking about another woman...and then say to my face that you have done nothing wrong?"

"C'mon Selene, let's not fight now." He was trying to calm her down. He hated fighting with her, especially on a night they would spend apart from each other.

"No, lets!"

"I really have to go now. "

"How convenient for you," she said and she stormed out of the room.

"How dare he" she thought. At first she didn't know where she was going. She just wanted to get away from him as far as possible. She assumed her human form the minute she decided to set course for the shooting range. That was the one place she went when she needed to blow off steam. She emptied a whole round on the target, reloaded the gun and aimed for the new target. Alana, eh, who the fuck are you and why do you miss my mate, she thought as she aimed between the target's eyes. Bang! Right on target. My mate. Why had he become so tongue tied and who was she to him? Bang! Bang! Bang! She was consumed with jealousy, knowing that it was unreasonable, but having no defense against it. Bang! Bang! That was not enough to repress her anger, so she emptied the barrel. New target. Before him, life had been simple. She had shut off all feeling, except for hate… an all – consuming hate against those who had butchered everyone and everything she had loved. It had all come crashing down the minute that Michael somehow found his way into her heart. Bang! Bang! Bang! With a single look, he had penetrated the abyss that was her soul and made her aware of her emptiness… and his overpowering hunger for love… joy ... ecstasy. They had eased her pain and had provided her with a new definition for life. But with them came the sense of oneness and everyone that threatened that state invoked jealousy, which stood above all reason. Bang!

Why was she so mad? She was almost certain that he could not fuck a human girl, even if he wanted to. The hybrid wouldn't allow it… would suck her dry and tear her to pieces. The wolf in him was faithful to her, but the vampire? To the best of her knowledge, vampires were cold hearted, sex crazed beings. That was all the socialites did: eat, sex and sleep. She had always avoided the orgies going on in the mansion. In all her life as a vampire, she only gave in to sex, when she needed to blow off steam after a fierce battle. But somehow Kraven had always been on top of things and had the vampire in question killed. So, she had given up on that indulgence long… long ago…until Michael. She suddenly found herself thinking about the first night they made love in the container in the deserted garage and a gentle feeling swept over her. They had both wanted it to happen... needed it to happen …badly and as they rode on the wings of passion, she shivered like a maiden in his arms, while he whispered sweet nothings in her ear… satisfying a long, deep hunger again and again until it was subdued. Afterwards he had pulled her on top of him, away from the hard floor. "Are you okay," he had asked and she had let out a little throat laugh while she had placed her arms around his neck. "Exhausted," she had said, yawning. "Sleep… I will watch over you."She was not one to easily surrender, but there she was, lying allover him, feeling safe. "If I die here and now, I know that I will die happy." He knew she was thinking about Marcus and the upcoming battle. "No one's going to die tonight, "he had answered soothingly. She was never one to give in to fear… but she worried… for him. He was strong… stronger than her. Strong enough to take on an elder, but he lacked their experience. Up to now she had never felt protective towards anyone. She rested her head on his chest and knew she had never felt more comfortable. When she woke up at dusk, she found him repairing their getaway car, right in front of the entrance of their love nest…making sure she slept safely within. Michael, her daytime guardian.

Michael was a bit angry with her. He knew that she was still struggling to deal with the emotions that she had denied for centuries. Emotions that bubbled up and crowded her sense whenever she had to deal with non practical situations. That is when she was most unreasonable .He took his bicycle, but lingered for a moment, hoping she would come to the door to see him off. All he wanted to do is lock her in his arms and kiss away all the pain he had caused her. He let out a sigh and took his ride up the path. There was a slight drizzle and he put on his coat, before he mounted his bike and then he looked up at the window, hoping that she would be there even if she didn't wave goodbye. But tonight there was no one. He was deeply disappointed when he left the gates behind him. Why couldn't he tell Selene about Alana? He had been just as surprised about the note as she was. He hadn't known where to begin. But his silence had spoken volumes.

He had met Alana again by chance somewhat two months ago on one of those rare occasions when he had gone for drinks with colleagues after work. She had walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hi, Michael. It's good to see you again." Hi, Alana, fancy meeting you here," he had said with a broad smile that met his eyes. "You transferred to 'Lake View'?" "Yes, I did," he had said, "almost a year now." "Hurrah, to that," his colleagues joked, raising their glasses. "Almost a year? And this is the first I see you? Hmmm… still quiet… still secretive eh?" she had said. "We will not keep it a secret that today he saved a little boy's life on the operating table. You should have been there… quite impressive" "The promising surgeon," she said, looking at him approvingly. "But then again, you've always shown potential." "Always, "said one of the colleagues. " Come and sit with us darling," he said while making room for her to sit "we'd like you to tell us all you know about young Dr. Corvin here." They had joked the night away and after the others had left they stayed to catch up on old times. "It is great that you got accepted at this hospital, Michael. Maybe I'll get a chance to admire your surgical skills sometime soon?" And soon it was. Within two weeks she had become part of his unit.

When Alana saw Michael in the bar after so long, she held her breath. Watching his tall slim frame from across the room she couldn't help herself as she was swept by the memory of the feel of his muscular body on top of hers. As she walked up to him and he turned his face in her direction, she remembered those expressive gentle greyish blue eyes, her favorite part of his handsome face… if you don't count his lips, she thought… oh how she remembered kissing them. As she approached him she made a most stunning discovery. Something about him had changed… he looked more balanced…with a kind of raw animalistic attraction that she didn't want to … could not resist. Her eyes automatically went for his left hand that sat op his lap. He had finally taken of the wedding ring of his dead wife. So she played it cool, playing the old friends card. Later that evening when they were alone she had said: "We had some good times together, didn't we?" while she placed her hand over his and with an encouraging look on her face. He squinted his eyes at her as he pulled his hand from under hers and said broadly smiling "Are you coming on to me Alana, or should I blame it on the alcohol?" "Well we never really finished what we started." Now he looked really surprised. "C'mon Alana, we were just foolin' around." "True, true, but you can't blame a girl for trying, can ya?" "A beautiful girl like you…I thought guys would be hitting on you left and right?" and then he had changed the subject. She remembered how her hopes crushed, when he opened his wallet to pay for their order and she saw a glimpse of a picture of him embracing a woman in it. "So, that's why," she had said pointing at his wallet. 'Yeah, he had answered, broadly smiling, "We have a good thing going." Like always he preferred concealing his personal life from others.

When Michael arrived at the hospital he felt miserable. He bought a cup of coffee in the cafeteria and headed straight for the locker room, where he put on his green suit and walked to the information desk where the attendant was already busy distributing patient's cards for the night shift team. After they had all taken their stacks, they started making rounds. The attendant presented them with clinical pictures and asked questions. After Michael had become a hybrid, his heightened senses enabled him to know the nidus and the pathological progress in that particular patient. It had something to do with instinct…his heightened sense of smell. So he was well known for predicting the onset of seizures and also knew if a patient was dying, long before others. His surgical skills were admired by his fellow interns and his advice was well sought after. Tonight the ER was crowded as usual. Michael put his personal problems aside and started concentrating on his patients. A young man and a girl were rushed in on gurneys. Michael had just finished redressing the wound on the leg of a 68 – year old diabetes patient he had removed necrotic tissue from five days ago. The tissue didn't only look healthy, his heightened smell confirmed that it was and he was telling her worried daughter that he was satisfied with the care and the healing process. He was suddenly distracted by a smell… he turned his head and saw his colleagues rushing to the gurneys. He first saw the girl… she was still breathing but his smell told him that she was beyond saving. The young man's forehead had a bloody bandage and his broken leg was splinted. A thin rusty iron bar was sticking out of his left chest and coming out the back. Michael excused himself and ran to the boy. He helped to guide the gurney to the elevator for x –rays as the surgical nurses were preparing for surgery.

It was about two in the morning when he washed up and made it to the armory. He lay on the bed and closed his eyes. An image of Selene filled his vision. The end of his last nightshift coincided with the Diana Ross' final concert in Budapest and Selene couldn't wait for him to put on a three – piece suit. He only wore them to oblige her… and because she was so handy in getting him out of them. He smiled to himself at that thought. That night they had said goodnight to Mrs. Corvinus *and Becky* and her fiancé – the co- pilot, who Michael had saved from the helicopter, Marcus had pulled down – Before they stepped out of the limo underway, to walk the remainder of the road to their mansion. Suddenly out of nowhere a red corvette came and headed straight for them. Michael had changed in his hybrid form and pulled her to safety. She quickly took note of the license plate to report it to the police. As he changed back he noticed the look of despair in Selene's eyes as she was eying his torn suit. "You've managed to ruin a perfectly good $3,500 Calvin Klein," she had finally managed to say, while she was holding both sides of the jacket that three buttons used to close. He had at least expected a little thank you. "What can I say…she drives like you," he retorted drily. She opened her mouth in protest, but the smirk on his mouth and the twinkle in his eyes made her decide to let that one go. "Now, I'm forced to take you to CK's again, for a new suit, she said instead, as she wrapped her arms around his lean, well muscled frame, while she looked at him, trying hard to contain her laughter.

He smiled at the memory of that shopping adventure. As they resumed their evening stroll, he thought how she had then almost dragged him into their long white limousine that had driven them to town, in front of Calvin Klein's, where she had pre arranged a private showing of their latest collection by male models. Sitting next to her on the loveseat, he was at first indifferent to all of it, but after a few glasses of bourbon he had loosened up a little. He glanced over at her and saw how intently she was watching the show. He brought his lips close to her ear "You know Selene," he whispered "when I asked you to open up more to humans, It didn't include you staring at other men's bums.

"Well, I have to start somewhere, don't I," she said in a teasing tone.

"Well I'm pretty sure that last night I thought you how to be nice to that area, among others," he said.

Despite of herself, she blushed with the memory of it and moved closer to him. She knew that the lycan in him was very possessive of her. "If I didn't know any better Mr. Corvin, I would say that you are jealous."

"Well not anymore, Mrs. Corvin."

Later on he allowed her to make some choices from the collection and then he insisted on giving her a private showing of his own, mocking the poses of the male models. She burst out laughing and came into the dressing room to help him take off the clothes piece by piece, allowing her hands to rest and stroke slowly over his erogenous zones, while she deliberately pressed her body to his in the small space and he of course resigned himself to her countless assault as he did some damage of his own. Afterwards they had stepped into the limousine and had closed the sliding window that separated them from the driver.

Returning to the present, he had pulled her closer and kissed her on the temple. "Have you noticed how people don't say thank you anymore," he said with mock reproach in his voice. She squinted her eyes at him as she answered with a naughty smile: "you know, if you play nice, I might think of a few ways to thank you tonight." "Hmmm" is all he said and his smile broadened as the roof of their home came into view.

Tonight Selene was restless. After she had meticulously cleaned her guns and removed all the shot off pieces of the targets, she tidied up the room. For the first time in a very long time she was overcome by a feeling of utter loneliness. Loneliness that had been her welcomed companion when she was a death dealer was now her enemy, crushing her very being. Usually on nights like these she would go out and kill some lycans, after which she would sleep peacefully during the day. But now there were no lycans to fight, to battle her inner frustrations, none to shoot at, to justify her hate for them for making her suffer the insurmountable loss of her loved ones. The desire to waste their blood and look into their dead stares, the same empty stare she had seen in her nieces' and her father's eyes. The screams of her mother and sister that had awakened her on that fateful night, had been dying screams that had cut through her heart like a knife. There were no goodbyes. Before she knew it she lay helplessly in the embrace of a tall stalk fatherly looking man. "There, there my child, you are save now," he had said before she felt a razor sharp pain as his fangs pierced her neck. She remembered her blood curdling scream of pain and the realization that she was tricked, followed by a floating, soothing feeling as she felt her life slipping away from her before everything went black. She later awoke in a richly furnished room with decorated walls and ceiling shrouded in dark, with a loud grumbling stomach and a feeling of hunger she could not describe. He was sitting on the edge of her bed, looking at her. She looked at him in terror and had tried to get up… away from him, but he had sat there 600 years ago and had returned again and again patiently until he had won her over and convinced her of her new mission and the attributes of her new life. There was a before and an after, but there was no going back.

Back… She walked up two stairs and headed for the French windows in their living room. She opened them up, went on the balcony and looked down where Corvinus' men were just making their rounds with the dogs. She turned her attention to the high trees and the woods that shrouded their home from the rest of the world. She pulled up a chair and sat down in deep thought. She had been her father's daughter or better yet his son. She smiled to herself at that thought. He was a metalworker whose craftsmanship had won him favors with the nobles which in turn had substantially increased his wealth to the extent that he could be considered a nobleman himself. Her sister was very girlish, but she had been a bit of a tomboy. She reveled when her father taught her to sit a pony first and later her own horse, not like a lady, but one leg on each side. She had begged him to take her hunting down the countryside and she remembered how proud she was when she had killed her first deer. On one such night when the moon was high he had told her that the night she was born, there had been a full moon and it had been unusually large. That's why they had named her Selene, "Goddess of the moon." Hers was the 14th century world, where the written word was preserved for the upper classes and women existed only to fall in love and breed. But her father had arranged for monks to teach his daughters to read and write. Music and stories were brought to her by travelling troubadours, but the monk's books with stories about Beowulf, King Arthur and the writer of her time, Geoffrey Chaucer opened up the world of knights to her. She remembered when she earnestly declared to the monk that she would grow up to be the first female knight. The old monk had laughed his head off, but the next day he had surprised her with a wooden sword and one for him. After reading they would go around beating swords and she thought that she would ask her father to make her an iron one someday. Then there was Ian. He had courageously walked up to her in her valley where she practiced her swordsmanship and had told her that she should be his girl. She was 11 then. She punched him hard right in the eye and when he fell she sat on top of him and told him to take back those words. But he refused though she kept punching him. She had finally given in, if only because she needed a sparing partner. The old monk had died and the new one was a real bore. 2 years later, her sister married a nobleman from a small English town called Raveloe and had moved away. By then she had taught Ian how to read and they had already exchanged innocent kisses in their valley and he was trying to feel her up, but she kept pushing his hands away. But it hadn't escaped her that his freckled face was becoming more angular like her father's and how his golden curls shone in the sun. They had also accidently discovered how to tongue kiss. That was the first exciting news she exchanged with her sister after she had crawled into her bed and they had giggled and talked about boys all night. But her sister had whispered it to her mother, who in turn enlightened her father. When they returned home, her father kept sending Ian away, or gave him the evil eye. It was no secret that her parents wanted both their daughters to marry nobly, but Selene always referred to the nobles as snobbish brats. In the following years, many a nobleman had come to her door to ask for her hand in marriage, and as if she could smell them coming, she was always conveniently away from home at such times. To her it was a game and as a perfect getaway she rode her horse in the valley, pushing it to the limit and afterwards she would jump from the highest cliff into the lake to swim. To Ian it was bitter earnest. He became jealous every time she jokingly told him that another 'snob' had ventured to pursue her, so he became more active in his father's bakery, and was working hard to make it the best bakery in town, to prove that he too was worthy of her. It was one of those times that she had run to him to hide that it happened for the first time. It had been awkward, but he had been sweet and gentle and she felt good about it. But the metalworker felt Ian had thrown a spanner into the works when he had returned to his door to earnestly request her hand in marriage, and Selene's presence at home at the time had made him suspicious, so he had sent for her sister to talk some sense into her. That's why her sister was there on that fateful night. It was also fate's cruel joke that she became the chosen daughter of a nobleman, Viktor, thereby becoming a high society brat herself.

She wondered if she would ever tell Michael about Ian. Didn't she herself have her little secrets… or a past that had been?

Michael took his phone from his pocket to call Selene up just to hear her voice, but decided not to. As the events earlier this night started to crowd his brain, the smile left his face. He let out a deep sigh, opened his eyes and sat up.

At first he had considered Alana a welcome addition to his unit, because they had worked well together in the past. She liked giving him innocent pats on his arms or on his back, which he thought nothing of. Then once, when they were having coffee, she had taken the freedom to brush some stray strands of hair away from his face. The look in her eyes when their eyes met had made him a bit uneasy, but she had quickly jumped up and run off on account of her beeper. That was the first time that he started wondering if to her they had not just been foolin' around in the past. But he laughed at himself and quickly let go of such a vain idea. One night shortly after that as he was sleeping on his back in the armory, she had come in and had positioned herself on top of him and kissed him on the mouth. She felt familiar, so at first he thought it was Selene, but something didn't feel right. He quickly opened his eyes and pushed her from him, while he looked at her quite shocked. "C'mon Michael, we've been dancing around this long enough." He had been too surprised by this and could neither move nor speak, until a colleague opened the door, assessed the situation quite wrongly and closed the door again. That was when he quickly moved away from the bed and caught his breath. "Whatever the hell are you doing, Alana?" "Nothing we haven't done before," she answered. She got up to sit on the edge of the bed, while she straightened her clothes and she was looking him dead in the eyes. For a second there it seemed to her that his had turned black, but she imagined it to be a trick of the dim light. "I thought we were friends'" he said, still heavily breathing. She didn't know that he was fighting to control the urge to rip her apart. She thought he was excited, so she got up from the bed and started to walk towards him, saying "Weren't we always?" "Yes, we were and friends respect each other's …space, he said a bit calmer. " I respect your mind," she said, "I just find your body so undeniably …sexy." "Well, you can have neither," he had answered as he opened the door and rushed out of the room. On his return home, he had wanted to tell Selene about Alana, but he couldn't find the right words, so instead he had started to avoid Alana socially. He knew that he had to talk with Alana about what had happened some time, but between the suspicious looks of some female colleagues and nurses and some male colleagues teasing him, he just went about, practicing to refine his surgical skills, searching the web to learn about the latest procedures or tending to patients. He still went out with the guys for drinks and pool after work, before going home and after a while people started minding their own business and he decided to leave things be… until tonight when Selene found the letter of course. He knew he wouldn't be able to rest again, so he went back to the ward to check on his patients and bring his charts up to date.

Selene watched the clouds silver linings, preparing to let light through. Then she surrendered to her memories. Five – something years after she had been turned, Viktor had given her the deed to her father's estate. Two years later he had sent her on a mission to her native country near her old village and she took the chance to pay it a visit. She made sure she remained out of sight and sat on top of one of the new high building across Ian's family bakery…waiting. Her human spies had written to her that Ian had refused to marry, so she had decided to give him closure to resume his life as she had started a new one. Suddenly she saw a lone figure on horseback approaching the bakery. He had dismounted his horse which was then taken away by a servant, and he took off his hat. Bustling curls were now replaced by short cropped hair and in the lamplight in front of the building she could discern a more virile face and masculine build than she remembered, but it was definitely him. Two days later, distinguished looking men entered the bakery to talk to Ian. Three days later, he prepared his coach for a long journey to the city of Ulster, where he found Selene's grave, just like the men had told him. He had replaced her tombstone with one of marble stone before he had returned home. Within a year he fell in love and married the town's miller's daughter, whom he bought his flour from. She had long curly black hair, which she wore in braids and brown eyes. She vaguely reminded him of her … but he knew she was Anne and was perfectly content. Every villager knew or had heard a version of how screams had come from the estate of the metal worker one night and how the home and stable were burnt to the ground. Afterwards villagers could discern vague tracks of blood, but no bodies were found. They also knew about Ian's attachment and they were pleased that he was happy again. His first child was a girl and though she was not born on a night with a full moon, they named her Selene.

Selene woke up in the chair. It was always hard for her to sleep at night if Michael was away. Her heartbeat quickened at the thought of him and in spite of herself she was struggling hard to repress a smile at a memory of them in the safe house.

"Just make sure you come back," he had told her as he moved closer to her. She had looked into his eyes in which she saw the true meaning behind those words as they pulled her in drowning her in pools of tenderness. But she was not used to feel let alone express emotions then, so she couldn't find the words… couldn't even find her own voice.

Tonight she had asked him a simple question… and he had lost his. She was hurt, because he shared a secret with another woman... and she felt left out. Had his past caught up with him? Surely, other women noticed him, she thought. I did.

She thought about the fight they had last night. "It's not what you think," he had told her. What was she supposed to think after reading that note? But he looked just as surprised as she was when he had read the note. So, he hadn't known about it, which can mean a number of things, but he had also told her that he 'had done nothing wrong.' Could 'I miss you,' mean that she wanted Michael…back? Then this was probably a desperate attempt on her part to get his attention. Maybe like Ian, Alana too needed closure? she thought, as she let out a deep sigh and got up.

Michael handed his charts to the attendant and headed for the locker room, freshened up and changed his clothes. He longed to lock his Selene in his arms, yet he was not in a hurry to go home, because he felt that she was picking a fight. So totally uncharacteristic for him, he headed for the bar, where he sat down. "Hello, stranger," he heard a familiar voice and he looked up without smiling. It was Alana and she didn't look quite at ease as she had tried to sound. He said: "We need to talk."

Michael's skin basked in the morning sun and as he was making his way through the gate of their home, he was whistling a tune. He instinctively looked to the window and was pleased to find her standing there…watching him and he smiled. He was about an hour later than usual, but he had brought her a single red rose as a peace offering. He opened the door to their garage and remained smiling as he glanced over Selene's sports car collection. While he was resting his bike on the wall he heard the door to their home open and when he turned around she was standing in the door opening. His eyes moved from her thick hair, that she now wore long and had given a dark brownish color rinse, to her almond shaped chestnut brown eyes that were accentuated by high cheek bones and perfectly shaped eyebrows that formed a smooth line with her classic nose above full lips. His eyes first focused on her long slender neck and then slowly moved down. She was straight limbed, tall and slim, which added to the ever present air of cool confidence. His eyes rested on her full voluptuous breasts, before they travelled down to her slim waist to her well rounded hips, which he knew continued in two shapely buttocks. His heart skipped a beat and he felt desire taking hold of him, so he quickly moved his eyes in the opposite direction. His eyes met hers and he found himself still smiling. He started walking towards her, realizing that she too was moving towards him. Suddenly they were locked in each other's arms, and he nearly crushed her. "I missed you, so much," he said as he buried his face in her hair. " I'm so sorry." He then loosened his hold on her to take a step back to look into her eyes."I don't deserve you," he said. "No you don't," she said with a half smile and she took his hand. "Come," she said and she led him into the house and then up the stairs. "Yes, ma' m," he answered, and he felt like a little boy who had got his birthday wish.

"Who's the flower for?" She asked when they were upstairs. "For thee, my lady, he said and he made a slight bow as he handed her the rose. "Hmm," she said, and she turned quickly to hide a blush, saying: "go to the sitting room, I'll be there with breakfast." His heart was pounding in his chest when she sat down next to him on the couch and poured the fluid of life into their mugs. Michael didn't know how hungry he was until she handed him the mug and he gulped down his drink to fill his mug again and sent it down the same way. She was sitting calmly, studying his face, while she was sipping from her cup. She put it down. "Now", she said, as she put her cup down on the coffee table and focused her attention on him." I want you to tell me all about you and your puny human tart… and I want you to tell me every sordid little detail, or else I'll go down to the hospital to kick her ass after I'm done with you. He put down his mug too and when he turned his face to her it was dead serious. He inhaled sharply. " I met Alana when I had just arrived in Budapest and… and then one thing led to another but then suddenly it was allover…" he cast down his eyes shortly as if he had difficulty finishing, but then he looked at her and her eyes encouraged him to continue. He let out a sigh. "A few months ago… I discovered that she was my colleague at this hospital. I…I thought we were friends, when she transferred to my unit…and at first it seemed so, but then she made it clear that she wanted more. .. anyway, I stopped socializing with her." He let out a sigh of relief. "I know that I waited too long to tell you all this… until last night. I thought I could handle it alone… I didn't want to involve you. But I know I should have. He looked a bit embarrassed when he asked her: "I guess your picture of me as the perfect gentleman is completely shattered?" and he started studying the patterns on the floor.

"So, Alana was your dirty little secret that blew up in your face?" It was more a statement than a question but it made him feel uncomfortable. "And what now," she asked and she gently removed stray strands of hair from his face. He took her hand in his and kissed her fingers. She got up from the couch and went to sit on the window sill and she was looking down at their garden, while she was sipping from her cup…trying to assimilate what he had said and what it meant. "Selene," he said from the couch where he was sitting, "please say something?" "I really don't know what to say, Michael, she said and as she turned to look at him the chestnut colored irises of her almond – shaped eyes were moving quickly from left to right, in a typical Selene fashion, that told him that she was in limbo." He got up and walked over to her as if to physically bridge the distance between them and sat down next to her. "It's allover now," he said. "Just this morning I saw her … and we talked. " Her request for transfer has already been granted…and she apologized." Now Michael was losing his patience. "Selene, I'll do anything you want, please say you still love me," he said as he got up to stand in front of her, placing a hand on each side of her seat on the window sill, and his face right in front of hers, to look straight into her eyes. Her eyes softened, but there was still doubt in them. "Michael, I do love you…," she said tenderly. "And I know you love me." Then she placed her palm on his chest as if to push him away. He swallowed hard. "What if I hadn't found the note last night, Michael… what then?" He bowed his head and placed it on her shoulder. She waited patiently for him to answer… she needed an answer. "I was ashamed. I didn't want you to know how I …that you would think less of me," he said. "So, you decided to sweep it under a rug," she said sounding a bit disappointed. "Michael, I want you to feel that you can tell me anything," she said while she was walking towards the couch where she seated herself. "Anything that really matters" and then softly… "I thought that's what we did." He walked over to her and as he sat next to her, he buried his face in her neck "I'm sorry. I wanted so much to believe that I was a good guy and I wanted you to believe that too, but…" She let out a short soft laugh and placed her palm on the back of his neck. "Michael… you bring out the best in me too, but If I had a soul," she continued as she turned his face towards hers," even the eternal hand stand behind door number three wouldn't be punishment enough for what I did these 600 years. "There was a guilty sad smile on her face. "That is not true. You were robbed," he said in her defense. "And then I corrupted you," she said. He rolled his eyes at her. "I wouldn't have forgiven you, if you had let me die." "I couldn't," she said, "but I assure you…my motives were truly selfish." "I wouldn't have it any other way." She smiled and she kissed him full on the lips as she put her arms around his neck. He pried her mouth open with his tongue and she let out a soft moan. He took that as a sign of encouragement and he put his left hand or her back, and as he greedily sucked on her tongue, and pushed his right hand under her blouse and cupped her left breast with his hand. She was breathing hard and she blindly reached for the zipper of his jacket and pulled it all the way down. She placed her hands under his shirt on his back and was trying to pull him on to her. He eased her down on the coach gently and quickly took off his jacket and shirt and he positioned himself next to her on his side. They shared a tender look and smile before he gave her a short gentle kiss and his eyes wandered down her neck to her breasts and then further down. He pulled up her dress to her belly button and he shifted so that he could kiss her there… and slowly continued till he reached her bra. She sat up and put her arms up, for him to pull her dress over her head. She then started kissing his hard pecks down to the somewhat hairy chest and slowly advanced to his neck all the while stroking his lean muscular frame as her mouth was working its way up to his lips, he was cupping her breast that he had just set free, each in one hand and when he started kneading her nipples, desire took hold of her and they kissed and she pushed her tongue in his mouth and threw her arms around his neck to draw his mouth closer to hers. She then reached down and unzipped his pants and slowly pulled it down. Her hands travelled from his buttocks to the front inside his shorts. A little laugh escaped her when she felt how hard he was and she gently stroked him moving her hand slowly up and down. He started breathing harder and his lips left hers as they moved down her neck to her breast, while his hand in – between her thighs was gently stroking her wetness up and down. She moaned with pleasure and she lay herself down on the sofa and shifted her legs. Then his mouth made its way all the way down, where he kissed her and impatiently pulled down her panties, which she kicked to the curb after which she shifted her legs a lot more. His tongue was sending convulsions throughout her body, while his hands were kneading her nipples. Her body arched as she was breathing harder her moans growing more intense. As he was slowly working his way up again and took her right breast in his mouth and sucked on it. Short laughs of pleasure escaped her in between moans as their private parts touched and he moved his hips so that his were gently stroking hers. His mouth was working on her left breast as her hands were feverishly pulling his head to her chest, while her hips were moving rhythmically with his. He took on the hybrid form and was looking her right in the face. Her pleasured doubled and a lascivious laugh escaped her. She whispered: "Yes, Michael…now, in between moans.

Hours later she lay relaxed in bed while he was looking for scratches on her skin."They've already healed," she said as she placed the palm of her hand on his neck, where there had been bite marks. Their bedclothes' were red with their blood and the smell of blood was all around making them feel aroused. "How many times must I tell you, you don't hurt me… this is how we are… we are not human. "Yeah, I know…it's just…," he said looking at her kindly. Most of the time he still thought like a human. "I know," she said and they kissed.

He was staring her dead in the eyes. "What now?"

"I want you to be able to trust me," he said. "Well, in future I want all the tarts you work with to keep their hands off of you or I'm going to cause some serious damage." "Do you really think that I can still sleep with them?" he asked a bit surprised and he turned to look at her. "Were you wondering?" she asked, with one eyebrow raised. " No, no, he said… there's only you. I want you to believe that." "Hmm, okay, but you're not out of the dog house yet," she said. He smiled broadly and stretches his body, letting out a loud yawn. "Not by far.""Well I promise that I will apply every part of my magnificent body "she started to giggle…" and carnal mind…" More giggles "to redeem myself to you… in every position imaginable." She felt his desire growing. "Well I just imagined something," she said and her lips were slowly working their way down his physic.