For my Jester and story fans who bothered to write more than 'UPDATE' as a review. Flattery gets you everything with me.
Yes Violet I will be working on HD soon. You're very sweet to be asking and complimenting me so generously. ;)
I didn't post this yesterday because I wanted to proof read it.
Weeks went by until he switched the device that controlled the drugs that forced the human to sleep off and he allowed her to wake. "I'm ready." He kept repeating it to himself in anticipation of her bolting away, again. No need to run, he'd tell her he wasn't going to chase his beauty down, not again. It had been a fluke that he had seen her, perhaps a misstep on his part not to look into what or where she was at the time. A part of him did want to see her again; to look upon her fairness before time took it from him as it always did, to also be sure that she was alright, beg for her return if he had to. The truth was so much clearer now that he knew what it felt like when he almost lost her. He had the nurse come one last time to remove the plastic tube from S's vein and leave a supply of everything she might need should she stay or go. There was no telling what was happening in her mind. The doctors told him that she had no dreams in that state; the medications dulled them all. Once, perhaps twice he did let her stir into a state of awareness. Why? He asked himself, was it to let her know on some level that it was him who kept her safe and saved her life that night or was it to ease the eventual blow of waking up to find him. When she started to stir he couldn't bring himself to be in the room to watch; it was taxing on his nerves. He resorted to watch from a distance, though a crack in the open door of her room from across the room. Initially she slept but then her natural instinct of survival kicked in and she started to stir and lift a hand to her eyes to clear the sleep away. She then noticed the bracelet on her wrist, his, and then looked about more quickly to find him sitting at his desk. Her lips parted and for a moment he thought she'd might call for him but it was just a passing thought; she wasn't quite ready to speak. Though the ordeal he had all of her human needs tended to right down to the touch of gloss on her lips so they would stay moist as well as her hands. The fluid that fed her made her thinner; he didn't like it, she was more attractive before, when he cared for her back in the city. He turned away when he saw her looking where she was injured, the memory of which still, perhaps always, send a chill through him. He recalled every inch of her from the time they spent together right down to the curve of her lip, to seeing her on the operating table to sitting beside her as she slept. He listened instead of watched now, he listened to her slowly get up out of bed, move around, stumble and then swear at her discomfort and clumsiness. Vladimir would need to contact Stephan, to let him know where exactly he had been these last few weeks, months. It was common for them to go weeks, even months without contact but the circumstances were so different now. The were always in touch this last decade and he never went a day without hearing from him. He prepared himself for the onslaught of ridicule. "Brother."
"Well, what have you gotten yourself into with that human. Can you please just loose her body so we can get on with our business." Stephan was angered but even then, it didn't take much for either of them to become so.
Vladimir heard the door to her room open slightly and he turned to look at her; his posture subdued. He was pleased she was mobile but her mood was one of uncertainty. "It's no trouble. I will be conducting matters from here for the time being as I have been and I will let you know if things change." He kept his eyes on her and she on him. He ended the call and slipped his phone into his pocket.
She told herself she wasn't afraid of him; he was no threat to her but she could still recall what she saw. "Where have you brought me?" The first alarming thing she noted thus far had not been what had all happened since she had blacked out but her location. Everything outside her window was covered in a thick white blanket of snow and there was nothing in sight but pine trees and the a hint of a road in the distance.
"You are in my home, in Switzerland." He watched her brow wrinkle as she cautiously moved towards the large window in the room, closer to him, so she could look out. The robe that was set out for her in the room was found and it fit her well; anything to cover up the hospital gown was an improvement he thought.
Scarlett found an armrest on a couch to sit herself down on; the short distance she walked had already tired her out. The view before her was splendid though. The house was settled between two adjoining mountains, one covered in trees and the other a sheer face of stone with varying striations of curved rocks in a layered pattern. She was tired, even the view made her weary with its infinite vastness and splendor; it'd take a lifetime to take in and appreciate. She wanted to know what had happened to her, how she had been brought here and what was next. Looking over to her captor she noted how he wasn't looking out at the view; it was not impressing him as it did her, he looked pensive. She wasn't his subordinate now, he wasn't her employer; she wasn't sure what to make of him, the monster. "Tell me everything I want to know."
"No." He wasn't going to let a human command him, not ever; they only were good for doing what they were told and tasted like. "You don't need to know. You should be glad that I stopped your death and had you mended. You will go when you are capable." She was upset, the little bit of strength she had left showed as she slowly stumbled her way back to her room. He hung his head down low as he listened to her quiet complaints as she got back into bed. She did need to eat so he called down to the human servant he hired to tend to her. He couldn't do what Stephan suggested to him; not ever. She fell back into a slumber and he took the opportunity to leave and go feed himself. There was no temptation in her blood for him; he had resisted it when it was spilling out before him and now it was still laden with drugs. He didn't want it. The mountains before him were crawling with arrogant humans thinking they could brave the elements; bodies would be ravished by wild animals before they were to be found.
Scarlett slept, it was hours she imagined as it was dark when she woke up again. The smell of soup in a small crock-pot made her stir; her stomach hurt for it. There was a bowl set out, some bread and a glass of water with a pill bottle next to it. She didn't bother to see what the the pills were, she wanted nothing to do with them or any drugs from now, not after being out for so long. She needed to know what happened to her but food was her only focus now. She ate and promptly went back to sleep on a nearby couch in the main area; not bothering to see if her host was around.
Vladimir returned several hours later, well past midnight and paused at the door to listen for her; a slow steady heartbeat met his ears. He entered and turned to check himself for any stray droplets that may upset her in the mirror beside the door and found none; should she still be awake. She was one of very few humans that knew what he was but he didn't seem to care if the others saw him in a state of post feeding. This was significant to him he thought. He found her curled up on one of the many couches and he spent many moments debating internally if he should move her back to her bed or not; he'd leave her there. Weeks ago, while she slept, he had moved his office to this place and would conduct his business from a small desk. He watched her from that place now and only glanced up when she shifted her position or made a slight sound. It wasn't long when the rhythm of her heart changed; he suspected her to be in another dream state. The drugs had denied her of that luxury that no amount of money he'd pay he could he ever purchase it back for himself but a quick glance brought her tired eyes to his. "Good morning." His words were quiet, almost too quiet he suspected to be heard. "Do you want your breakfast?" He asked in the same tone and volume; to which she nodded. A quick call to the servant was made, his eyes not leaving hers that were fixed on his. She had seen them in their full blazing glory and now they weren't horrifying to her; he was pleased at the hurdle. It wasn't too long before the food came and he hid his eyes; shades quietly fell into place blocking out the sun that was streaming into the room. The servant came in and he drew her attention to where Scarlett was reclined. The servant saw to helping Scarlett up to take care of her human needs and then to wash her up a little before returning back to where her meal waited. Words were few, Scarlet allowed her side to be looked at and from what he heard, she was fine but still weak. He didn't hear any discourse regarding him. Wise. He wasn't going to allow anymore humans into knowing him or his secret. Did she kept her silence since she left him? He suspected she did but he would need to know for sure. He kept his eyes down on his screen, seemingly preoccupied for the sake of appearances when she was returned to her spot. He maintained his silence and committed to doing so until she addressed him; he needed to know, for some reason, what her perceptions were but she didn't speak, not for a while until after she finished her food and reclined back to continue to watch him.
Scarlett cleared her throat, she hadn't talked with him at length in a very long time. That last normal day that she had, before the incident, there was too much to say but but few words were said; all of it didn't seem to matter now. "Thank you for getting me to the hospital, I would have died in that awful place." She swallowed hard, he was watching her with those eyes that haunted a few of her dreams for a short time. "But I didn't, I don't know why you felt the need to bring me here and not just leave me in the hospital to recover and be discharged?" She had seen her wound and had realized that her time in his care was significant as the scars of her attack were already starting to fade. In his employ he possessed her with money so she'd agree to stay but now he possessed her by keeping her drugged for an undetermined amount of time. Scarlett knew nothing of how long one takes to recover, she didn't have the benefit of advanced education. His hands folded them opened up as if he were about to stand only then to be placed back down on the surface of his desk; he watched her the whole time.
"They would have cared for you only to release you to a life of what? I have no doubt you would have managed well in whatever you decided to do but it concerned me that you might get yourself into a similar situation that I could not recover you from." There, he told himself, he said it. He admitted nothing to her and mostly to himself why his actions were what they were. She didn't move after he talked, her breaths were deep and filling. "You should know by now you need not fear me, from what you witnessed, I never wished that to be your fate."
Scarlett took her eyes off of him to look around. The place was as luxurious as the other one they occupied. He didn't fail to disappoint in showing off his fortune. But then she asked herself, why should he choose to live in squalor as she did when she escaped him; he didn't have a limited amount like she did. Did she fear him, perhaps. 'Her fate' she pondered, she did fear that, she was too young to die such a violent death; her life was too peaceful for such an end. "What makes you think I fear you? If you wanted me dead you could have done it or just left me?" It wasn't the events leading up to the reason of the attack that haunted her but the feel of the metal blade in her side; the sharp pain followed by the warmth of the blood spilling out of her along with her fading ability to fight for survival. "You should have left me there. It was my fate all along after the misery of my life. I had been dodging it for too long but for a short time, I believed, I thought I'd broken the cycle I was born into. I survived but now I think fate has a twisted sense of humour." She looked back at him, he had risen from his place.
"How is it then that I know what you are thinking and feeling more than yourself? Have I not been observing you, listening to every beat your heart makes for how long now?" He tilted his head in question before proceeding. "Just now, before you said your peace your heart raced slightly when you saw that I was rising from my place and now, now that you told me that you believe you should be dead it's calm." He took a few slow steps towards her then a quick one and smirked. "Feel that, it's racing again. You cling to life just as much as anyone else does. You don't believe what you told me is true do you? I don't." He continued towards her slowly her. "I think that you're too quick to decide what your fate or think; it's ulterior motive is to play with you like a cat does a mouse. I think you should continue to benefit us all with your spirit a little bit longer before the ravages of time takes you from me." He was looking down on her now. Yes, he thought, he felt he possessed her still and would continue to do so for some time. He'd be hesitant to let her go even if she'd wish it. "I had you kept sedated for about a month and as for your injury, I dared not heal it as much as I did to not make your doctors and nurses suspicious or for it to have a more..." he paused, he stopped himself from saying it. "Let's just say it was a bit too tempting to allow what you suspected your fate was, to come to pass."
Scarlett's jaw dropped slightly. She didn't know exactly what he meant but her gut was uneasy at what she suspected he implied. Only a month, one too many, but it was better than the several more that she had suspected. "I suppose I should thank you for that, on both counts." She glanced down to her side, he had touched her, to heal her injury faster than normal.
Vladimir picked up on her body language easily; he knew her too well. He dared to wait for her to look back up at him before he moistened his upper lip and smirked. "You had a cut on your hand, from picking up shards of glass, I saw it and was able to aide in its repair. It was the first time I allowed myself to touch you." Her heart picked up its pace for a few beats then settled; she recalled the incident. After returning to his desk he shifted his attention back to the computer screen to type out a few dozen sentences in a matter of seconds before glancing back up to her.
Scarlett was in a mix of several emotions, fear, disgust, curiosity and above all anger. "So what is it then that you want from me?" He just shook his head at her and kept to his work; fingers typing at a dizzying pace. "I mean, are you some kind of weirdo on top of being a," she swallowed hard. "what you are." Her hand went to her head, it hurt as if a headache was coming on. "You stalk me. Hire me to pose for you. I see what you are and I get out alive by some kind of miracle. I try to put the whole thing behind me and there you are again... I try to get away from you again but hey, boom, some creep sticks me because I must have a wad of money in my purse right, but ha ha on him I don't." Scarlet breathed, she was nearly yelling now. "The last thing I remember is seeing you and the paramedics before I black out." Her head shook. "Strange voices including yours in a language I don't understand...then I wake up here." That's it, the headache hit her and the traces of drugs in her system couldn't stop it. Her eyes welled up and she forced herself not to cry. "Now what, you got me here, I'm still hurting and even when I do get better I honestly don't trust you now to let me go." She looked out to the falling snow outside. "I thought, if I didn't say anything about you you'd leave me alone I'd never see you again and I could go on with my miserable life."
Vladimir took in a deep breath, her scent filled him, it was good that the drugs were starting to dissipate. "Was your life so miserable when you were with me?" He waited for her to ponder the question. "I kept you safe, well fed, you served a very noble purpose and were instrumental in aiding me in negotiations. I showered you with tokens of my appreciation and often, very often had to hold myself back from being too generous. I'm grateful I found you when I did to preserve your life. You see Scarlett," He noticed her stiffen at her name, of course he knew it. "I can buy anything. I can do anything but it never impressed you. With you I found that I had to earn every milestone and that was an entirely alien thing to me. I don't ever give people the chance to do that." He then rose up and in a split second was by her again. Scarlet jumped and shrank into the couch. He was looking down at her but then took a knee. "For someone who thinks so little of their lives it's curious that they fail to see what astronomical standards they hold yet something so simple as an unexpected insignificant kindness can touch their hearts and invoke the most sincerest of smiles." He wanted to touch her just then but her fingers were clenched so tightly they were going white. "Stay long enough so I can earn that trust I once enjoyed."
Scarlett's head was now swimming in a pool of words all being accented by the overwhelming pain of realization. She was tempted to say that she trusted him now but with no bases in any truth, the lie, would be easily caught. "I can try to do that." He gave her a small smirk and backed away. Had she those standards he spoke up? She thought back but couldn't pick out any instance when he'd have seen it but then recalled the contract she made with him. All her choices never amounted to allowing him to touch or treat her in any disrespectful manner; he must have meant that right? The kiss, that wonderfully intoxicating kiss; it started it all. The phone in V's pocket rang and his hand slipped down to retrieve it. Scarlett listened as he spoke easily with the person on the other end in a language that was foreign to her. Dropping to a knee in front of her again, his free hand slipped on to her exposed ankle as he talked; his eyes didn't leave hers. He had turned back into the person she knew when blindfolded, but the two images, the one of him holding the bloodied woman and this one now were getting mixed up in her mind. She wanted to ask him 'why her' but after the time she had spent with him she had gathered that it was her looks that drew him to her initially and then everything he has just told her. Scarlett knew she looked awful now and wanted to turn her head away but his eyes held hers.
He ended the call and returned his phone into his pocket having noticed, during his call, her attention was going between his eyes and mouth. He opened his mouth slightly and ran his tongue along his top teeth. "They are sharp but no fangs if that's what you are wondering. The eyes are usually red but go dark when I need to...nourish myself or when I'm very angry or emotionally charged." He gave her ankle a soft squeeze and let it go and hoped his choice of words weren't too threatening to her. She remained silent. "Use your words Scarlett I'm a poor mind reader at best but I do know of one I can call if you keep yourself to being a mute." She looked alarmed. "He'd bring his entourage with him and yes they are all..." He didn't feel the need to inform her if the difference in dietary preference. " like me."
"How many of you are there?" One, no two including his brother was plenty but the word entourage implied several.
Vladimir smirked. "In all, if I was to guess because we don't have censuses for our kind, I'd say a hundred and fifty to two hundred at most." He watched her eyes grow and her form tighten up further. "Most of us are civilized and get by unnoticed. There are a few that are purist and well...let's just say they upset the ones who seek to keep our kind hidden. No. I don't think you'd tell. You're too smart to let something so guarded slip." He watched her tremble but wasn't alarmed; he'd let her know something very sensitive and she was handling it rather well. "You must be hungry. I'll order something up for you."
Scarlett could only nod as she watched V rise the appear back at his desk to pick up the phone on it. He seemed so natural in his composure executing normal motions at his speed that it that it was a stark contrast from what she internally pictured him as before when blindfolded. Putting her fear aside, as this was nothing in comparison from how she'd discovered his being, she was more curious than anything; besides if he wanted her dead, she reasoned, he could have done it or let her die in the alley. She remained silent the entire time she waited for her meal to arrive and even long after it was done. Her fear of V subsided even more as she mulled over several questions as she watched him working and taking calls. She then realized how odd it was that he was the one on display now, not her. When she finally did decide to move it was back to her bedroom get cleaned up; as comfortable as she was lounging about in a house coat with a hospital gown underneath she wanted back into normal clothes. Behind a closed door that she, oddly enough, trusted him to respect her privacy as she cast aside what she was wearing, found a two piece pair of silk pajamas with shorts, some underwear and then headed towards the shower. As her time with him before she noticed everything was provided for her so it didn't strike her as anything unusual. Before long she emerged from the bathroom refreshed. The pale pink of the silk she wore made her look less ghostly pale. She decided to explore the room she'd been occupying all this time and started opening and closing drawers to find all kinds of things for her, again nothing uncommon but then froze when one drawer held something she didn't expect; the little clutch from the night she was attacked. She stared at it, she recalled that the mugger had taken it just before the knife pierced her side. She picked it up and opened it to find the contents in it from that night; a key, her lip gloss and the note V wrote her telling her about her drink being drugged. She had kept it as well as the bracelet he gifted her when another memory struck her; the bracelet had been ripped from her wrist that night but there it was back on her wrist. Her head shook as she put the contents of the clutch back and returned it to its place. She recalled more of that night, how she felt and the brief moment they had made contact before she ran out. It was numbing to her how things worked out to her being back with him again at his home, his beautiful home. She went out onto the main living area to see that he hadn't moved from his desk; he met her attire with an approving nod before returning to his call as she went back to the bank of windows to look out at the view. When she noticed he had set the phone down she asked, "Why here, Switzerland?" then turned to him.
"They were the most capable to care for you." The entire time Scarlett was in her room he'd been listening to her movements right down to discovering her little purse. "I can guess why you kept the bracelet but I'm curious as to why you kept my note?" He crooked his finger at her beckoning her over to where he sat.
Scarlett went over and rested herself on the edge of his desk to look down on him but she didn't feel superior at all by it. "I, when I found it I didn't feel so alone I guess. Like there was there wasn't someone out there who didn't want to use me." She frowned slightly and looked away. "Isn't that how the world works? See what you can get out of someone then toss them away? It's funny how I always feel like that person. The bracelet I kept as a reminder of… I'd rather not say."
It must have been bad or insulting to him Vladimir guessed and polite decorum suggested that he not press the matter. When she trusted him enough she'd find the courage to tell him. "I'd suggest trying not being that person who feels used but that's part of your many charms, innocence." Vladimir's eyes fell to where her injury was. "May I?"
She nodded and mumbled 'sure' then lifted up the hem of the silken blouse she had on. The scar was still pink and would never heal fully; it made her upset. With another look and a slight movement forward Scarlett picked up on his intent and gave him a nod. She would be curious about what he was doing to her while she slept. Once he was close enough she thought he was just going to pepper her scar with kisses but then she felt his silken tongue drag across her irregular skin surface. He placed his arm across her lap as his head tilted as if he intended to stay there for some time. As her side started tingling she recalled the one kiss they shared, how it left her so incapacitated; she craved for that feeling again. V lingered for a few moments more, lapping at her skin, then he edged away and met her eyes looking down at him. "I don't understand you V."
"Is that all? My brother has spent the better part of his life trying to figure me out so I wouldn't waste too much of your time on it either." Vladimir recalled the several dozen times he spent with his tongue on Scarlett, holding her hand as he willed some good to come from his venom. He still had his arm across her lap and he wasn't about to move it just yet; he missed having physical contact with her. "You were never alone Scarlett. The only time you were when you were on your break from me, I trusted you enough to keep yourself safe and again when you left me. It'd be too upsetting for me to see you again and not be able to come near you."
She wasn't sure if she believed him or not but that wasn't her main concern. "What am I to you?" He had her in a position that she still couldn't come to grasp with.
Vladimir didn't hesitate. "A treasure." A true prize that he had killed for but he wasn't about to let her know about that yet.
"Is that all? Seems like one hell of a responsibility." She dismissed the notion and felt an odd relief knowing that there was no real substance to her presence now.
She didn't believe him, he could tell but he wasn't going to overly press the matter now. "You're a natural." Vladimir noticed the slight smirk on her lips, even if it was brief and was pleased that he put it there.
The scoff that came out of Scarlett's mouth made Vladimir laugh out. His arm had shifted and now he had his hand on her knee that was the closest to him. She didn't mind his hand being there or him being as close as she was. Scarlett now armed with the notion that he didn't want her dead, thought of her as her treasure and his healing of her side, that was still tingling, calmed her down significantly.
"I like this, I like being able to look at you and you back at me without hiding. I intended for you being able to do just this eventually, once you had the chance to know who I was and that I never intended to harm you." Vladimir felt good saying that, being open with her like this now. His other intentions that involved her would need to be delayed, slightly; he underestimated how peaceful this stage of their progress would have felt. "These," He pointed to his eyes. "you should never be afraid of and also when they go dark when I hunger, I will not allow myself to harm you as best as I can."
His hunger, Scarlett saw that first hand but she trusted V to keep to his word. "I don't know your name V." His hand had migrated midway up her thigh and she gave him a look but didn't move or say anything against it. "I didn't find a razor in my toiletry supplies so..."
His eyes glanced down for a moment and took note of why she mentioned it. "If you're not too weak still I can arrange a car to take you into the city. You can go shopping, eat out, be with people or escape me...do anything you need or want to." He watched her brow raise but there was no other response. He was infinitely curious as to what she'd do once she had the chance. "My name is Vladimir." She finally broke her stare and smirked.
"Nice to finally meet you Vladimir." She noticed how his eyes lit up slightly at the use of his name. Scarlett decided she liked him; again or still, it was a tough call. "I might just keep calling you V though." His hand was still on her mid thigh, he seemed to have decided to stop there and let his fingers massage the area. It felt good, his hand was cold but it did feel good. "Going out sounds good, I'd like that a lot but I didn't find my regular purse or any other of my things." She watched his free hand go for a drawer to open it and out came her wallet that contained her ID. "So you broke into my apartment as well? Whatever. I don't care. I might not ever go back there now if you're willing to put up with me."
"I am very willing to put up with you my dear." It was a flutter of hope that he felt and it made him infinitely happy. "If you're willing to trust me we can have quite the adventure together. I'll need to keep working, mostly when you sleep but I will promise to devote as much or as little attention to you as you wish." The joy in him was palatable now and his mind raced with ideas to try. "I will be needing you for one event that, try as I may, I can not avoid attending... I will require a date and the gentlemen who are hosting it are insisting that you attend with me."
"A date?" Scarlett laughed. "Sure, I'd love to. After saving my life how could I say no." She was beaming. "When?" She tossed her wallet aside; she didn't need it now.
Had he ever seen her happy like this? No, but he was why she was now and it made him happy too. "In a month. I'll let them know you were kind enough to accept, oh, they are the same gentleman that you helped me sway into that deal. They made a considerable amount of money and are wanting to pursue other deals with Stephan and I." His phone rang just then and he picked it up and started talking. Scarlett eased herself up on to the surface of his desk to watch him; he didn't mind. She was still smiling down at him and he could have sworn he felt a few centuries younger because of it. A noise outside the door had him wedging the phone between his shoulder and ear as he went for his contacts, to put them in place, before the door opened. He gave Scarlett's thigh a light squeeze and pointed to the cart being wheeled in. 'Go eat' he mouthed and she obeyed without a sound. He liked that, a lot.
Scarlett followed the lady who brought her food to the small table in the room and sat down as she set it out. She was genuinely excited about going out with V as his date; to see a world she only dreamed about and briefly touched. She watched him from the table as she ate, he flicked out the contacts as soon as the stranger left the room and continued talking on the phone then end the conversation to type out something on his computer. "You don't like those do you?"
"No but they are necessary unfortunately." He looked up to Scarlett who was contently eating. "I can't very well blindfold everyone now." Her little laugh filled the space between them. "I'm debating what I shall dress you in for our date, I'm not letting you just wear anything." She shook her head and kept eating. She wasn't going to question him and he was pleased. "I may need to call in reinforcements, I've never brought a woman with me to one of these things, only taken them away." Scarlett frowned slightly; he knew she understood what he meant. "I'm going to have someone come in the morning to escort you out as we planed and then, in a week or so, we will depart here for Paris."
Scarlett's eyes lit up and the fork in her had nearly fell. This was too good to be true she thought; perhaps she was still in the hospital bed dreaming...she didn't care. Paris.
Vladimir set himself back to work; he knew Stephan wouldn't approve of him slacking off but in another respect he'd see the benefits of having Scarlett accompanying them to this event; knowing that their associates would be more malleable in her presence. He watched her finish her meal and wander about the place; she even ventured up the stairs that were around a corner up to his bedroom. She spent some time poking around in there but he didn't mind, she was now privy to his nature and him. When she did return back downstairs she spent some time looking out to the mountains and the snow drifting about. Her eyes never stopped darting about even when she wandered back over to where I hadn't moved from.
Scarlett was exhausted by the time she went to where he had been steadily working. Her exploration of the place did satisfy her curiosity to where he had brought her to recover but it also served the purpose of her wanting to appreciate every detail of the adventure she was now embarking on. V's dedication to work was admirable; he wasn't just a rich guy but he was one that had a work ethic. Her hand on the back of his neck made him pause his feverish typing for a moment, "I'm going to bed." and with that she returned to her room.
Vladimir listened to Scarlett puttering about her room before she settled herself into bed. He settled down to his work that was only going to take another hour at most and then he'd go out to satisfy his thirst. He mused over the happenings of the last day and a half, the thought of her staying out of her own free will liberated his mind of any concerns of her fleeing. Finding transportation for them to anywhere in the world wouldn't be difficult at all from this place, he would inform her that she would need to stay up late for it, travel through the night for him was a mandatory requirement. More sounds of tossing and turning from Scarlett's room brought his attentions to her door where she then appeared mumbling something to the effect of 'smelling like a hospital' as she crossed the room and threw herself down on a couch; pulling the trailed blanket behind her on top of herself. He debated leaving her there, the view would have suited him just fine but he concerned himself with her comfort. "You can't sleep there." He called out to which he got a grumbling response. She wasn't about to go back to her room and yes, it did still reek of medicines and the disinfectants the nurses insisted on using. He had no sooner thought of his actions when he found himself at his bedside pulling the covers back and then by her side. In one swift yet careful motion he had her in her arms and in the next he was setting her down and pulling the blankets over her. He departed to go feed and on his return,after he had a quick shower, that he checked on her again to find her in a deep sleep; he wanted to climb in beside her but kept his distance.
Time.
Chapter 7 is started, 1500 words in, but don't go nuts asking for it too soon, I have to cover a few things in it and haven't' figured out the sequence of events yet. I want to conclude this before Christmas so you have that bit of hope to cling to ;D