Author's Note: I am so, so sorry it took me so long to update. Between a new job, school, and some other personal crap, my creativity's been shaky at best. But I swore once that I wouldn't abandon this story and I intend to follow through on that promise. Enjoy.

Rhode Island 1972

The decades that passed following Darien's death were the longest of Katherine's life. Year after year dragged on at the pace of a turtle, and every time she reached the end of a decade, she'd breathe a sigh of relief, only to remember that she had an infinite number ahead of her. This realization never failed to cut her to the core.

For a long time she hated herself for letting Darien go off to face the other band of vampires alone. Surely by the time Charlie got there, it had already been too late. She should've clung to him, tried harder to convince him to just run, or followed him despite his wishes. But she hadn't and her sire, her beloved, was long dead and would never rise again.

Deep down, she realized that no matter how good a resistance she had put up, she wouldn't have won. He had been a truly stubborn man, absolutely certain that he knew best and there was nothing on earth, in heaven, or even in hell that could get him to change his mind. It had been part of his charm and that charm was gone just like the rest of him, only existing in her memories.

Since then Katherine had drifted from location to location, making use of all the residences that her lover had left to her. By making a few wisely chosen investments, she had even managed to buy a few more all while keeping her head well above the water. Her finances had taken a bit of a hit during the Great Depression in the 1930s, but luckily most of her money was kept in accounts overseas, so she lost less than half of her total net worth.

Here and there she worked, if just to keep herself busy and provide a cover rather than for the sake of expenses. For a few years she took on the position of housekeeper for a an elderly English gentleman who kept a house in Yorkshire; during the first world war, she served as a nurse on the European front, saving lives where she could, and providing her own particular brand of euthanasia to ease the pain of death where there was no hope.

What Katherine prided herself on most, however, was the fact that she had gradually shied away from feeding on humans for the most part. It had taken a long time during which her hunger had been agonizingly unbearable, but she had eventually gotten her system to adjust so that she could subsist on animal blood. From time to time, when faced with a dying patient or a long-suffering stranger, she would indulge a little in her old ways, but more often than not, she refrained. It was a feat she probably wouldn't have ever been able to accomplish under Darien's tutelage, a fact that she accepted as the silver lining in the cloud that hung over her.

She had arrived in Rhode Island about a year ago, renting a house in a nice neighborhood and taking on volunteer work at the local hospital. The hospital was where she spent most of her days, as keeping busy had always had the effect on her of making time pass more quickly. Moreover, it kept her mind from drifting down unwanted paths, and, as of late, quite a few of them had made their presence known.

Upon losing Darien, she had felt lost, abandoned, and experienced a searing heartache that was far more painful than what she had felt when Gregory was killed right in front of her. He had been her husband, yes, and the father of her child, but the few years they were together were nothing compared to the century she had spent with Darien. Her sire had known her in more ways than Gregory could have ever hoped to and, if she was to be honest with herself, she had loved the vampire far more than she had the mortal man. Now she couldn't help but wonder if she'd ever feel that connection with anyone again.

For awhile she had managed to suppress her loneliness, to carry on with the endless string of days, months, weeks that made up her life. But now it was threatening to rise anew and she had started to feel that ache again, and as she watched the human families thriving all around her, it only grew worse. Katherine had begun to yearn for the love she had once known, for someone she could spend the rest of her days with. What was even more distressing was the resurgence of the maternal instincts that had long since lain dormant. She was under no delusion that she could ever possibly give birth to another child, in fact she reminded herself of the opposing truth constantly, but that didn't diminish her longing. Her son had been so young when she was turned and she had never gotten the chance to see him grow into a man. He had been raised motherless as well as fatherless and the guilt that arose from that knowledge only egged her desire for motherhood on, as if she could atone for the past via a second chance in the present.

But the event of her being given a second chance was highly improbable and she did the best to put it out of her mind, keeping herself distracted at all costs. Work was, indeed, the easiest way to do this. However, the time would occasionally arise when her volunteering at the hospital would bring her into contact with children and the longing returned in full force. It was after one such incident, involving a five-year-old stricken with leukemia, that the emotional strain became unbearable that she had to take off early.

In an attempt to clear her head, and not quite ready to go home to her empty house, Katherine decided to take a walk down a nearby street. It was a pleasant spring day and a warm breeze was in the air, ruffling her auburn hair and playing with the hem of her dress. She found herself being grateful that the sun, while high in the sky, was not beating down particularly hard since she had neither a jacket nor a hat to shield her fair skin from the harsh light.

Suddenly, she caught sight of a head of bright red hair out of the corner of her eye, and upon redirecting her attention, she saw that it belonged to a young girl. She couldn't have been any older than ten, eleven, Katherine surmised, and was kneeling down on the grass, tending to a bed of flowers. The copper strands were pulled back into a braid and the girl's hands were covered in gloves, a fixed, determined expression was etched onto her young face as she focused on her task.

For several minutes, Katherine just stood there unnoticed, watching her. It was unusual for such a young girl to be so zealously absorbed by something as menial as gardening. Yet, there she was, not once glancing up from the dirt, only pausing here and there to wipe the sheen of perspiration off of her pale forehead with the back of her hand. This intrigued her, which is why she finally crossed the street and made her way over.

"What are you planting there?" Katherine inquired lightly, coming to stand on the sidewalk opposite of the girl, her hands clasped together in front of her.

The child glanced up at that, surprise flickering briefly in green eyes, although her expression was one of carefully trained mildness. "Petunias," she answered softly before turning her attention back to the flowers.

"Mmm, very pretty," Katherine said, glancing down at the flowers. "It looks as if you have a bit of a green thumb on you. Who taught you how to garden?"

There was a distinct pause before she said, her voice even quieter than before, "My mother. It was one of her favorite things to do."

She felt a pang in her chest at that, the ache of loss starting to throb once more. So this child had evidently lost her mother in some way or another, much like her own son had lost her all those years ago. It was becoming more and more apparent to her how vicious life could be.

But although she felt for the poor girl, and felt deeply, Katherine knew it wasn't her place to pry, so she merely silenced her further inquiries by nipping her lower lip. "I see," was all she finally said, her own voice soft.

The girl continued on with her work without another word, not even glancing back up at her. Although her face was partly shielded from Katherine's view due to the way her head was tilted, the fact that a single tear splashed onto the soil didn't escape her notice. Unable to help herself, Katherine wordlessly knelt down onto the sidewalk, reaching out to place a gentle hand on the child's small shoulder.

She stiffened ever so slightly beneath Katherine's touch, her head slowly turning upwards to look at her again. Her eyes were wide, shock flickering in them again, but she said nothing, only staring at her wordlessly, as if unsure how else to react.

Katherine didn't speak again, either, only offering her a small, gentle smile. There was a second of hesitation before the girl started to return it ever so faintly, but the moment was broken by the sound of a sharp female voice calling from inside, "Bree, come in here this instant!"

Immediately, the child pulled back from Katherine's touch, moving to stand. "Excuse me, ma'am," she said quietly, dropping her gaze again as she pulled off her gloves. "I have to go inside. My stepmother's calling me."

"Of course," Katherine responded simply, rising to her feet as well and brushing off her skirt. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Bree."

"Same to you," Bree responded with automatic cordiality before turning to go into the house. Upon opening the door, however, she hovered on the threshold for a brief second, glancing back once more at Katherine before disappearing inside.