OUCH! What the...

Pam.

Well, if I'm to be torn away from my favorite dream, at least it's for her. I wonder what's wrong? When she wants... attention she usually garners it by behaving in a much different manner.

"Pam! What is the meaning of this?" I ask as I hold her arms at her sides to deter any further violent outbursts. For someone with such a slight build she packs quite a punch. My ego swelled a bit at the thought of how well I had trained her, but I digress.

"I had a bad dream," she explains, sounding completely bored in spite of the feelings of anxiety I can still feel roiling throughout our bond.

Pam had a nightmare? Peculiar. What exactly would her nightmares consist of? Her favorite designer closing up shop? Ruining her favorite pumps? Actually, I already knew the answer to that. Several hunting trips undertaken without giving her ample opportunity to dress for the occasion had resulted in my wallet feeling a great deal lighter the following day. Perhaps the improper pairing of vintage Cartier accessories with certain outfits? Tough to tell.

"You have a strange way of seeking comfort from such disturbances," I quip in an attempt to lighten the mood and cease the tumult still raging in her - our - blood.

"It was the worst thing you could ever imagine. Well, maybe not you, but it was certainly not something I would ever willingly endure."

Wow. She seems genuinely shaken.

"What happened? Tell me about it, Hasi." I inquire using one of her favorite terms of endearment in a futile effort to calm her as my eyes search her own for the explanation she's not willing to give.

She rolls her eyes to the side in order to escape my gaze, pursing her lips into a smirk, and responds bluntly, "Never mind. Bottom line: we need a change of scenery and fast. Let's leave at dusk. Please?" She looks back up at me, her eyes pleading. "I don't care where we go, but I don't want to stay on this island any longer. It's toxic."

Please? I was unaware that word was even in her vocabulary. And what's this? She wants to leave Örland? I thought she was enjoying our time back here; I know I've been.

Hell, I'd even made improvements - expensive ones - to the house in order to end her incessant whining over missing our Parisian apartment and the modern luxuries it held. I don't get it. It seemed so crowded there despite the nearly 3,000 square feet of living space it afforded us, and this place, well, it's liberating.

I love (un)living here, even more so with her as my companion. It reminds me of when I first turned her. I brought her back to Sweden for a brief time because it was quiet and uncomplicated here. Quaint. There wasn't much here in the way of temptation, so it was easier (for both of us) to help her learn to control her new instincts, which made molding her into the most perfect vampire child who ever existed (aside from myself, obviously) a relatively simple task.

While she was, and still is, lazy at times, she was never disobedient. She always aimed to please and consistently hit her mark - still does - she's my pride and joy. Best of all, I had her all to myself. She was mine. She ismine. För alltid.

It brings to mind my human life when I was married with children and lived simply. This place is magical. Perhaps that explains why I've been having the dreamso often.

My favorite dream.

If I could choose my heaven it would be that dream.

I've never wanted anything more than forever with my darling, Pam, but if we could live, truly live, I would never ask for another thing. I think that's what brings the dream back day after day. I want to feel her warmth, keep her safe, and see her beauty live on in our children, but most of all, I want to revel in her happiness night and day by giving her everything her heart desires.

Her familiar cadence interrupts my reverie.

"Actually, I've been thinking of a different kind of island life lately. What are your thoughts on the Caribbean? They've got fantastic, sprawling, pastel-painted plantation beach villas there. Pastels, Eric. You know I absolutely adore pastels, and I've always wanted a pink - no, lavender - house; it is my favorite color."

The tropics? Oh great, she's back on that kick again.

Virtually equal amounts of night and day all year round. I've tried explaining to her many times that it's far easier for us to exist in these northern climes because of the longer nights they grant us at certain times during the year. She was still so young and wanted - needed - to experience so much. Perhaps she had a point. Change was good. If nothing else, we'd acquire some interesting new tastes; Pam always did enjoy variety in her diet.

It doesn't matter where we go as long as she's by my side. My love for her is immeasurable. I would do anything and go anywhere for her. Even the bloody tropics. Besides, she's always looked stunning in pastels.

There is nothing I would ever deny her.

That being said, I'd be a wise man to keep that little chestnut to myself.

A/N: According to Google Translate, för alltid means forever or for keeps. My apologies to any Swedish readers for butchering their beautiful language as that is not my intent. Please keep in mind that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. :)