disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer, these are not my characters. Except for Allegri. He's all mine ;)

Chapter 10: Fascination

I had spent most of the morning talking with Alice, trying to get as much information about her as I could. She had been very reluctant in the beginning, but as the hours passed she had grown more comfortable with me. I had learned quite a bit about her family in particular, and even though it wasn't necessary, I had soaked up all of the information.

Alice's father seemed like something of a totalitarian, her mother as a submissive housewife. She was particularly fond of her little sister, and was unable to talk about her without crying. I had felt the oddest desire to comfort her as she sobbed, but was at a complete loss as to how to go about it. My human years were so long past that I simply could not remember. I was only able to keep my distance and wait until the fit was past.

I was forced to stay a few feet away from her body, because as time went on, I found her scent difficult to resist. The venom kept pooling in the back of my throat, even though I had just fed last night. I could not possibly be thirsty and yet the intense burning would not go away.

Alice was certainly not helping the situation. She seemed too comfortable with me, and I wasn't quite sure why. I had not interacted with any sane humans for such a long period of time in centuries, but I was relatively sure this was not normal. My low temperature did not seem to bother her, and neither did my beauty or gold eyes. I would catch her staring at me from time to time, with the most curious expression on her face.

It was not amazement, nor fear or repulsion. Rather, it was understanding. She looked at me as if she knew I was an outsider, confided in me as if we were two members of the same shunned group. Eventually she would creep closer, almost touching me before I created distance again.

When I left to attend my other patients, I kept the image of Alice in the back of my mind. I was not able to stay with her again, except for brief visits, and this introduced a sense of anxiety. I was afraid of what they would do to her when I was gone, particularly on the night watch. This was not normal either. She was just another patient, I told myself repeatedly. Just another patient, another human whose life would pass in a matter of decades. That particular thought brought on a sharp stab of pain in the middle of my empty chest.

I went home that night much against my own will. I had told Greene over and over that I believed Alice required special attention, that I was afraid of leaving her alone. He had muttered some nonsense of me needing sleep and sent me out. And so I found myself alone in my makeshift home, a small cottage a quick run from the hospital.

Time had never passed so slowly as that night. I could not get the silly human girl out of my thoughts. What bothered me most was that I could not understand why. Yes, she was unique, as far as her accurate visions went. Her pixie features were curiously beautiful, and she carried herself with a certain grace. But I had met many humans like her in my six hundred years of existence.

Time came for me to go to work again, and I still had not figured out the unnatural hold Alice possessed over me.

"Did you sleep at all, Daniel?" Greene's voice sounded concerned when he cornered me in the office the next morning. "Day in and day out, I see you in here. It seems like all you do is work."

I tried to brush off his concerns. There was no use in telling him that I had nothing to live for besides my work. I had no coven, no mate, nothing to look forward to tomorrow. The last one hundred years or so had passed in this way.

The first four hundred years of my existence I had lived as all nomad vampires do, traveling the European and Asian continents. I had had my share of encounters with other vampires, but had never formed allegiances, or met my true mate. Feed on humans when necessary, travel, and keep hidden – that was all there was to the immortal life. There had been no moral issues until I had met a fair-haired vampire in London.

His golden eyes drew my attention, and we had played a game of cat and mouse for weeks. Had I known my life would change so drastically, I may have not pursued him. We fought briefly the night we met, but soon his civilized words had won me over. I spent the next year essentially as an apprentice, learning the ways of this curious golden-eyed vampire. He fed on animal blood, having some sort of moral opposition to human blood. And for some reason, this life appealed to me.

We eventually went our separate ways, but I would spend the next one hundred years in constant battle with myself. That was how long it took me to become accustomed to the new life. The compassionate side of me had been awakened, and there was no going back. I would spend weeks feeding solely on animal blood, then come across a particularly delicious scent and slip up. I would torture myself for it, and then the cycle would begin anew. I eventually grew strong, and after I became used to the constant aching for human blood, I had slowly introduced myself into their society.

And these last one hundred years had been spent serving them as a doctor in the United States. A part of me hoped that by saving lives, I would eventually redeem myself for all those I had taken. But I had quickly learned that I could not handle fresh blood – working in a regular hospital was out of the question. Instead, I had attended the university and installed myself as a specialist in mental disorders at Milledgeville State Hospital. These patients did not bleed.

My life flashed through my mind in the amount of time Mr. Greene had finished telling me about my morning assignments. "…and I would like you to keep an eye on Miss Brandon. I thought she was adjusting well yesterday – it seemed like you made good progress – but this morning she appeared unwell."

"Yes, certainly. In fact, I'll go check on her now." I didn't give him a chance to respond, rushing at a barely human pace out of my office. The anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach was growing. I had a strong desire to see her again.

I reached her room and eased in silently. As soon as she saw me, Alice threw her arms around me, sobbing endlessly. I immediately saw the source of her distress.

Her inky black tresses were gone. Someone had cut off all of her beautiful hair, leaving a ragged mess. It was ridiculously short in some areas, bald in others. I was feeling ready to go and murder the one who had done this to her, when I recalled the scribbled note at the bottom of her chart this morning. 'High fever. Attempted to lower.'

"I'm so sorry Alice, I'm so very sorry." Her hot cheek pressed against my shirt, and I realized that she still felt too warm. I carefully pulled her away from me, feeling a little uncomfortable with the human contact. It was too difficult. Instead I pressed my hand to her forehead, knowing I would feel even icier than usual to her.

She let out a shuddering breath, whispering in a voice so low only I could hear. "Why?"

"You had a high fever, and particular member – idiot – of the night shift believes long hair contributes unnecessary heat to the body." I was sure to insert my own opinion so quickly she would not catch it. "I'm sorry I wasn't here to stop them."

She was silent for a few moments. I could tell she was leaning slightly into my hand. "Please don't leave again. Bad things happen when you aren't here." Her voice was so small; I found it impossible to say no.

"I won't, Alice. I promise I will do my best to protect you." Little did I know in less than twenty-four hours I would be forced to break my promise.

author's note: I seriously did not plan to include so much Dr. Allegri back story, but he won't stay quiet! He keeps popping in as I'm writing, telling me more about his life, and I just feel obligated to include at least pieces of it (yes, my characters talk to me - often). I promise this will become more Alice-focused later, but... well, I think the vampire that turned her is important too, no? Reviews are love :)