How many time do I love, again? Tell me how many beads there are In a silver chain Of evening rain Unraveled from the trembling main And threading the eye of a yellow star:-- So many time do I love again.

-Thomas Lovell Beddoes

"Now I am assuming that it was Christina who turned you, which means she did something to make you forget me before that. I guess I was just too close to you for her to take."

"She was always jealous of any other women in my life." Henry replied, conspicuously trying not to look at Vicki when he spoke. Of course Vicki wasn't going to let that slide.

"He means she tried to kill me just a few weeks ago. Thought it might hurt Henry."

"Really? Well that's not surprising. Anyone can see how you two feel about each other. You are just too precious; such a cute couple."

"Auntie!"

"Kitty…" it was said simultaneously, one embarrassed the other frustrated, as Kit tried to look innocent and Coreen tried and failed to hold in her laughter. It was then that they heard a noise in the hallway.

It was Mike growling over Kits insightful choice of words to describe our favorite couple. Henry ran to the door and yanked it open in time to see Mike Celluci fall through the door. After hearing his reasons for eavesdropping which included asking Vicki for help with a case and listening to his apology, he was allowed to stay for the rest of the conversation. Coreen was the only one to really sympathize with the detective and sent him a smile as he sat on the edge of the sofa nearest to Vicki. The room was quiet as everyone tried to figure out what they could or couldn't, should or shouldn't say. Well everyone except Kit and Henry. They didn't really care if they embarrassed anyone.

Coreen tried to help ease the tension in the room by asking what she thought would be an easy question. "So you went to Russia. What was that like?"

Appreciating her attempt, Kit decided to help. "It was wonderful. It wasn't the first time I visited there though. But that time I did meet some wonderful people, and I got a couple of great fur wraps. Russia has the best fox pelts I have ever seen."

The next question was posed by Henry, but it was one that was on all their minds and got them all back on track.

"How was it that you managed to survive all these years. Do you have some type of supernatural ability that protects you; keeps you from being harmed? Its just that it was unusual for a woman, any woman, to be on her own. How did you do it?"

"Well I stayed at the temple for a while, until my sister died. Then I went back to Alexandria…

Alexandria had changed in the years since my last visit. There were newer buildings and different people, and yet it was still the same. I obtained a position as a secretary for a dignitary's wife and aside from my duties to her, I was able to do basically whatever I wanted. But I had to set a time limit for myself, I could only stay ten years in any one place, or with any one person. The only people who knew my secret, were my sister's children and grand children back at the temple, and they weren't going to tell anyone. I could have stayed with them but I knew I would go crazy there. So I went to Alexandria, and after that I boarded a ship and traveled to what is now Turkey. From there I went on to India." Here she sighed. "India was amazing. So colorful, and so many different people. Anyway, I eventually wound up back in Greece. Almost sixty years had passed and before that another fifty. I was over a hundred years old and still looked only eighteen. It was hard, at times; I would wonder what I was going to do for the rest of eternity. And that's why I went back to the temple. Once there, I learned that some of Phaidra's descendants had left and gone out into the world to try to make it on their own, away from the safety of the temple. I knew then that what I was meant to do was watch over my sisters children. Make sure that her line survived. And they did, because here I am talking to you Victoria." she smiled and held out her hand to Vicki.

"It wasn't always easy. There were times when I feared for my life. I don't have super strength or senses like a vampire; I just can't be killed. I learned that the hard way when the ship that was carrying me across the Arabian Sea, sank. Everyone drowned. Except me. That was only the first time I almost died."

She saw that they looked confused and tried to explain, "Don't misunderstand; I feel pain and all the 'side effects' of any near death accident, I just miraculously recover. From everything. I have survived everything from drowning to hanging to being shot at. I suppose it's the curse; if I am meant to see the end of time, I guess it would ruin things if I were to die in my first hundred years." this last was said very sarcastically and bitter. Henry stood and went behind Kit to rub her shoulders. It was a move that was not lost on the others in the room and Vicki couldn't help but snatch her hand back from her aunt. Kit simply moved to grasp Henry's sitting on her shoulder.

"So you traveled a lot and watched over us, but that still doesn't explain how you managed to do it all. Like Henry said, women didn't really go around by themselves."

"Well I wasn't by myself. At least not all the time. I had… companions, benefactors if you will, who I spent my time with. I always made sure I was protected, in the sense that I let others take care of the more practical and monetary things. At least, up to a certain point. I was still very independent of course. But that's how I met Henry. I was being kept by his cousin James."

Again she had rendered the others in the room silent with her simple explanation. Henry was the only one who understood, but that was due to his having been raised in a time where being someone's mistress wasn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact most mistresses were treated better than wives by both their lovers and society! His mother had been the King's mistress for awhile, so how could he possibly think ill of Kitty for doing something that his own mother had.

The others however didn't quite know what to say and so naturally it was Mike that finally exploded with a very ill thought out statement.

"So you were a whore?!"

Needless to say this caused some strife.

A/N: Now ya'll remember any questions you have send them to me and I'll try to work them into the story. And let me know how ya'll think its going. -Goldie