Closure:

Dark Eclipse (CH4)

By obi's girl

I played with the silver ring on my finger as I sat at dinner with Dracula. It was weird. My life, everything I was – left behind to begin anew. I had been married to Dracula for a year now and never once, did I have a craving to return to my former life, though I did think about my Uncle a lot. Was he disappointed in me for choosing this life? Did he hate me for it? Most of all, was he vengeful against my beloved husband for taking me from him. I didn't wish any harm to come to Dracula. He was my life now and I had to fit the role of his devoted and loving wife. And I was.

He smiled back at me, drinking some wine. "You're not hungry, my love?"

"Just thinking. My life before, I left everything and never once looked back...and my Uncle. He took care of me when my parents died, and I never told him how grateful I was." I mused, looking down. Dracula stood up and walked towards me. I felt his hands on my shoulders, massaging them and I smiled thank you. "I know I shouldn't think about what was, but still – when you met me, you knew nothing about me. Where I was from, my family, my friends. I mean, doesn't it bother you're married to a stranger?"

He knelt down and kissed my hand, smiling devilishly, "You are not a stranger, Sarah. I know who you are."

I frowned, "You do?" If he knew I was the Slayer, I'm dead (for real this time). "Who am I?"

Dracula lovingly brushed my blonde hair, kissing my forehead. "You are my wife. What you used to be was a lost girl, but I found you...rather you found me and you're not lost anymore."

"But you don't know what I was running from." I mused.

"Wolves, I know." He replied as I stood up and paced about the dining room. "Sarah, what is it? Lately, it seems you've been lost, somewhere else."

I peered up at him and wandered how I could ever lie to him. I gave up everything for him; my calling, Christian, my Uncle and he had no idea. "You know I would never keep anything back from you; I love you so much – but there's something you need to know about me, about where I'm from."

Dracula remained silent for a moment, staring back at me with his dark eyes. He looked down, walking towards me and behind me, slipping his arm across my waist. "It doesn't matter, my love. Past is past." He whispered, causing me to freeze.

"I know but...I gave up everything for you and...."

He kissed my cheek and continued, "And I would have given up everything for you. Sarah, your past, it doesn't matter to me. Time doesn't matter as long as you are here with me and safe in my arms." He paused, stroking my cheek. "We were destined for each other."

I nodded off the feeling, and smiled back at him. "You're right, I shouldn't worry myself about the past. Going back to the past means regret and sorrow, and I don't regret anything, especially you." I kissed him, safe in his arms. "I'm tired. Let's go to bed."

"...Not right away my love; the night is still young." He smiled mischievously at me. I blushed as he kissed my neck and arms. He certainly had a way with words, seducing his own wife for the pleasure of it. "Sarah, that life is behind you – you are mine. Come to bed with me; make love to me."

I turned to him and smiled, "You go on ahead; I'll be up soon." He nodded all right, slipping his arms from my waist and walking on up.

**

Since my arrival at the castle, I hadn't been sleeping in my former bedchambers – mostly because Dracula's were more appealing. Surprisingly, not much had changed since I abandoned the place. The chandelier was still beautiful, the canopy bed and the dress I wore on my first night with Dracula to dinner. The dress. I would have to grab it on my way out, but that wasn't' what I came here for.

I rushed to the dresser, going through the various compartments looking for my weapons. Got it! I smiled, removing the stash of weapons I had brought me with to kill Dracula, though now I loved him and was his devoted wife, I couldn't kill.

Dracula was right. My past was long dead and my life was with him now, and there had to be nothing of my past to interfere. No one. I grabbed the crossbow, checked it and aimed at the castle window to make sure my aim was still good. Perfect aim, I still got it – even undead.

"No one from my past can know what monster I have become, the concubine to the devil. No one can know that." I mused, hiding the weapons under the sheets as I put on the gown.

**

"Sarah?" Dracula questioned as I entered the bedchambers, wearing the gown he first seduced me in. He smiled as I neared the bed and crawled under the covers. "Still beautiful, my love. Dance with me?"

I leaned down, kissing him as he removed the dress from my shoulders. I had conveniently left it loose. "My love, you were right. My past is long dead; it died the day you made me eternally yours. I cannot live my life without you; I want to be with you always and forever, eternally."

I closed my eyes, calm of breath, "Kiss me, love me."

Dracula smiled, kissing my forehead as he continued to make love to me, a devilish smile on his face the entire time.

**

"Did you really mean that? You cannot live without me?" he questioned, hours later, still lying in bed next to me.

I nodded yes, staring up at the ceiling. "My love, I made a choice to be with you. Before, when I came here, I was scared and insecure, but you showed me it didn't have to be like that." I paused, kissing him, whispering, "I am your wife." I kissed him again, this time more deeply, "Your lover."

I felt his hand caress my back as I offered him my breasts. "My body. And I don't regret any of it." I turned to him and smiled, kissing him deeply. "I would do anything for you, just to keep you with me and safe. I can't loose you."

Dracula smiled, "I know you gave up everything for me, but are you sure you want to do this? Family, dead or alive, is always important."

"Yes, but with my family, my Uncle, trust me, you wouldn't exactly want him coming up for a family reunion." I joked, though he didn't smile.

"Sarah, do you regret what happened? Are you ashamed you married me?" he asked, staring into my eyes.

I gasped, sitting from the bed, grabbing a robe, pacing about the room. "Of course, I'm not ashamed of you, but even though I am yours, I still have strong ties to my past. And I don't know if you'll accept that. I will always be your wife, but there always be some reminder of what I once was."

"Who are you then?"

I frowned, tears in my eyes. I didn't want to put him through this pain but he deserved to know; he deserved to know everything. I looked back at him, staring deeply into his eyes, sudennly forgetting what I was going to say. What did it matter? It didn't I left that life a long time ago; it was a life I didn't even want to begin with. Why bring it up now? All the Slaying had really done for me was give me grief, grief for my lost parents and lost childhood innocence. I smiled at him again and nodded, "It doesn't matter to me anymore. I don't even know why I brought it up. You're my life now...that's all that matters to me."

He raised an eyebrow at me, walking towards me. Dracula held me close to him, feeling around my neck, lightly kissing it with his tongue. "You don't regret it, then? That you married me?"

I nodded no furiously, lost in his embrace and love. "I don't. I love you; I'm a slave to your passion. What's a gurl gonna do?"

"Sarah," he mused, letting go of my neck, stroking my back. "You are my life; without you I would not survive. You gave life back to me. Thank you. And now, I feel I can trust you completely. Do you trust me?"

I frowned, kissing his cheek, "Of course I do. If I didn't, I would be out that door and out of your life." I paused, nodding to the bed, with a mischievous smile on my face. "Still want to dance?" I walked over to the bed and laid down, pushing of my robe as my love slipped in behind me and kissed my shoulder and back.

I fell asleep, feeling his kisses over me, finally releasing myself from my life as the Slayer but to his arms as his wife.

TBC