He spent this night alone in the bed, watching the small creature above him. Rina slept deeply, but his ears picked up the small whimpers. He stood up to take a closer look at her, just in time to catch the small bat.

He had read that bats kept hanging on the ceiling even if they were dead, but apparently this didn't apply to vampires.

Data carefully cradled the small animal form of his girlfriend in his palm. She hadn't woken up.

He carefully scratched between those, compared to the rest of her head, large ears, eliciting soft purrs from her.

This wasn't the first time she fell down. Data remembered clearly how embarrassed she had been about him seeing her like this. She had called it 'awkward'.

In her sleep Rina leaned into his gentle touch. He moved down her back, accidentally brushing her wing.

Black eyes snapped open. She lifted herself off his hand, circled the room and landed in a far corner.

Now that she was back in her humanoid form he could see how much she shook. She was crying.

He moved closer and gently touched her arm. "What is the matter, Rina?"

She shrugged him off. "I told you already: Don't touch me!"

He reached for her again, this time holding her as firmly as he could without hurting her. "Please tell me what is bothering you."

She sobbed. "I can't."

He maneuvered them to sit on the bed. She had stopped resisting. He noticed now how she shivered when he touched her. Goosebumps were rising on her skin and her breathing was shallow and rapid.

"Why?"

"I'm too ashamed," she whimpered quietly.

"Why are you ashamed?"

"Because of my current state. My feelings are wreaking havoc on my mind and I just can't act on my impulses because I could hurt you in the process."

"I do not understand."

He gently wiped her tears away. She swallowed hard. "I've always been ashamed of myself, of my body. After everything my foster dad did to me, I couldn't think of sex as something natural, beautiful and normal. And now my hormones are driving me completely crazy."

That explained the desire and the shame.

"If you require intimacy then why did you not say so?"

"Because it's different this time. It's a vampire-thing. I hoped that being born half-human would prevent this, but I was mistaken. The charkanuc."

"What is the charkanuc?"

"Female vampires are already very passionate and emotional creatures. When we find somebody to love, we develop very strong feelings for this someone, in my case: You. During this relationship a mental link is formed. That's why we could communicate telepathically. The charkanuc is the time to create a real bond."

"And how is that accomplished?"

She took a deep breath. "Sex. But in a different way than that what we did. And I won't be able to restrain myself or my powers. I'm afraid of frying your circuitry with my magical energy."

He smiled at her gently. "Why did you not tell me?"

"Because my…needs are quite…unusual."

"What is it I need to do?"

"Are you sure you want this? I warn you: This is the equivalent of a wedding, but you can't solve it with a simple divorce. You'll be trapped with me. Forever."

He stroked her cheek. She flinched again, but only blushed and smiled sheepishly. "The word 'trapped' would imply that I do not wish to be with you, which is not the case. Quite the contrary, I wish very much to spend my life with you."

Rina stood up and went to the closet. She took out a book and handed it to him. "My friend Saskia gave it to me. In it you'll find everything you need to know. It's too embarrassing for me to tell you."

He nodded. "I believe I have an idea about your powers. That band around your wrist keeps your powers in check, does it not?"

She blinked. "Yes. In Perlagan this material is used to restrain prisoners because it absorbs magical energy…but my bracelet won't be enough."

"May I borrow it? I am certain that I can figure out what gives it its ability and create something to restrain you."

She gave him a mischievous glance. "Wouldn't be the first time, hm? Alright." She handed him the band.

He took it with a nod and stood, but was held back by her hand on his. "Wait! I…thank you. For being so understanding. And I'm deeply sorry for my behavior towards you."

"It is alright. Follow the doctor's orders and rest. I will work as fast as I can. I will not let you fall."

She smiled and kissed him softly on the lips before crawling under the blanket and falling asleep quickly.

He left for the lab to find a solution.

Hi, I hope you liked this chapter. I'll try to update soon. Please review.