Sorry i am so slow. life and work and ugh. i hope thiss makes up for it. please reviewif you can. it's good for my ego ;)

Alucard adjusted his coat as he attempted to make himself comfortable on the hard bench. It was not made for comfort but for durability, much like everything else in the small cabin he sat in. Hardwood floors with a large fireplace in the middle of the main room for warmth as well as meal preparation. Pots and pans of various sizes dangled from hooks and beams around it. A worn ladder led to a small loft made into a designated storage area filled with piles of cloth and furs and beneath the loft a desk covered in discarded papers and books assorted into several stacks around it. In all, just another unremarkable cabin among many that populated the land, at least at first glance.

Behind the fireplace, a frayed and tattered piece of cloth hung as a makeshift room divider one would assume was for designating a sleeping space. And to a degree, they would be right. There most certainly was a small cot used for sleep. There were also tables covered with vials and containers, some over small burners with bubbling liquid within. Books with what some would claim were forbidden symbols, but the enlightened would recognize as formulas or equations. Various plants and herbs hung from the ceiling, while others were ground up into dust and set onto scales. Alchemy, or the devil's work, depending on your point of view. Either way, it was why he was here.

Alucard watched as small, wiry fellow who inhabited the cabin rummaged around, muttering to himself. Giovanni Gandolfi was not an old man, although he had a habit of puttering like one. Short messy black hair sat atop his head, the only grooming it had more than likely seen was when long thin fingers raked through it in frustration. He would be considered tall if he were to ever stand up straight. He was so often hunched over in thought or over a book it was hard to tell. Large circular glasses sat on a prominent nose that was smudged with ink from being pushed back into place by fingers that were stained with it. Quills poked out of every pocket on his person causing ink spots to appear on all of his clothing that often looked wrinkled as if worn for several days before being discarded. But in spite of his appearance, he was easily one of the great alchemists of this age. His family had lived in the area for generations, serving the Belmont clan. It was how Alucard came to know him, sometimes sitting in the small cabin till the early hours of the morning discussing the endless wealth of theories and mysteries that Giovanni obsessed over. One of the last few humans Alucard had contact with.

Alucard waited patiently as Giovanni stood before the fireplace, one hand on his hip as the other scratched absently at his head, a look of consternation on his face. He more than likely had forgotten what he was looking for in the first place. He suddenly yelped in triumph as he grabbed a small cup that hung from the mantle only to resume his look of consternation when he discovered the tea kettle empty. Alucard smiled.

"I erm ..." Giovanni glanced around the roomed, "I have some ... tea, yes ... somewhere ..." his voice trailed off to the absent muttering once more.

"It is alright Giovanni," Alucard reassured. "I am more interested in your views on what I told you."

"Ah, yes. That's interesting. Time travel you say? Through the mirrors?" Giovanni continued to move about the cabin as he spoke, fetching water from a barrel with the kettle and placing it over the fire. "I suppose it could be feasible. Yes, quite feasible. Why not? We know the mirrors allow you to look at places far away or move matter through them. Why not through time as well? Perhaps creating a hole in time for one to move through? Distorting, bending time and space? Although, I would imagine there would be some risk."

"Risk?"

"Well, ah yes, I mean, in theory, one could go back and completely alter the timeline couldn't they. I mean, imagine if you yourself were to travel back and stop your mother from meeting your father. While you bring a stop to what happened from her death, would you then cease to exist? I mean, your future depends on their meeting. Would you simply disappear with that reality gone and another now in its place or would you be trapped in that time? Would altering the timeline cause it to collapse on itself? Or would it continuously try to rectify the change?"

Alucard tapped his fingers against the table in thought. "That had occurred to me, but I don't believe that could be a problem. A possibility perhaps, but not an immediate problem. She has not only traveled through time, but to a different location entirely. Nowhere near the lands her family is from."

"Oh. Well, I suppose that is good. Although it brings the next question why she was sent here. To this specific location and this specific time."

"What do you mean?" Alucard's brow furrowed slightly.

"Well, the mirrors are not random correct? One must have some semblance of a destination in mind for them to be of use yes?"

"Yes."

"Ah yes, well then that would leave one to conclude that, whether it was her or someone else, they had a reasonably clear image of the destination in mind."

The tea kettle began to let out a high pitched whistle. Giovanni walked over and took the kettle from the hook and poured the steaming hot liquid into cups.

"She was sent here intentionally," something else Alucard had thought of.

"Or she sent herself here intentionally," Giovanni shrugged as he handed a cup to Alucard.

"I do not believe that to be the case," Alucard said.

"Why?"

"Because she is as much at a loss as to how she came here as I am."

"Oh? Are we taking her at her word?" Alucard smiled. Giovanni did not present the question in suspicion or doubt but as simply a way to make sure he had all the variables for the equation.

"Yes."

"Well then, either someone sent her here or not."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, ah, I mean we can't leave out the possibility that this was just some accident. Ah, you did say that she was cleaning or adjusting the mirror in someway. Could she have just fallen through."

Alucard chuckled as he brought his cup to his lips. After all that had happened in the woods he could see her of all people stumbling blindly through the mirror with no idea of what she was doing. But that was not how the mirrors worked.

"No. That is impossible. The magic does not work that way." Does it?

"No? Ah, alright, then she was sent here."

"Wait," Alucard said suddenly, the realization striking him then. The magic does not work that way. The magic of the mirrors does not work that way. But what of magic of the blood? What of Bloodborne magic? Alucard looked to see Giovanni, cup halfway to his lips, waiting for him to speak. "Giovanni, have you ever heard of Bloodborne magic?"

"Magic of the blood?" Giovanni blinked as his nose scrunched up in distaste as he set his cup down on the table. He was not fond of the word or even the idea of magic. As far as Giovanni was concerned there was nothing that could not be explained with enough investigation. To claim it was 'magic' was unacceptable to him. "Oh well now, that is something isn't it? The myth of being born with the ability to call the elements. To manipulate them even. Those are just stories though. And even if they did exist, they had been hunted to the point of extinction by Dracula ... erm, no offense."

Alucard dismissed the comment with a casual wave. It was true. His father was a very predominant reason as to why there were none with the gift any longer.

"She is Bloodborne Giovanni."

"Are you certain?" There was no skepticism or doubt in his voice, simply a need for facts.

"Yes."

"Ah, well then, this ah, this changes things indeed," Giovanni's lit up as he stood and began to pace the length of the table. "Yes, I mean ... you combine the elements of the mirror with the ah, innate abilities of one with the gift then, well, who knows what could happen? Could it have warped the mirror somehow? Creating the bend in time? I mean, now with this information, she could have very well affected the mirror somehow. Did the mirror react to her blood? How strong in the gift is she and could that play a part as well? Was she using it when she was at the mirror and was somehow pulled in? This opens so many more variables yes?"

As Giovanni spoke Alucard set his cup down on the table and folded his arms across his chest. This did bring up new questions.

"If she was using her powers at the mirror when this happened then it was not intentional. I do not believe she is even aware of what she is capable of. I only discovered what she was by chance. I don't think she even knows when she is summoning."

"You have seen her summon?"

"Briefly yes."

"Oh, oh, well, oh my. Yes," Giovanni was becoming quite animated now. He flew about the cabin, grabbing parchment and ink, "yes well, what happened? Was there some sign of what was to happen? And what was the result? Did it wear her down? And what happened to what it was directed at? You know, it has been at least, oh a century since someone has walked in the open with the ability. I may even have some literature in the back. You most certainly should, within the castle certainly if not the Belmont hold."

Alucard sat silent, staring at the table, Giovanni's voice becoming nothing more than a buzzing in the back of his head. This complicated things. If her magic did play some part in her coming here, he was certain that she would not have even the slightest clue as to how she would duplicate it. Yes, it most certainly brought up new questions and many new complications.

"Alucard, what do you think?"

Alucard's snapped up. He realized that Giovanni had been speaking the entire time. "Forgive me Giovanni, I was lost in thought for a moment. Ask again?"

"Yes, yes of course," if Giovanni was the least of all bothered by Alucard's rudeness, he did not show it. He more than likely did not even notice it. "I was saying perhaps I could research the hold for you."

Alucard smiled. Giovanni had been itching to go within the Belmont hold for as long as Alucard knew him. The only thing that kept Alucard from allowing him was his fear that he would never see him again. Even now he was hesitant to allow it. It meant there would be yet another person within the castle and hold.

"Giovanni, were you able to see to the other request I had?"

"Request ... what ... oh! Yes!" Giovanni had looked at Alucard blankly before it dawned on him what he was being asked. "Yes the staff you need. Yes, well ah, it wasn't easy mind you. I'm afraid that there aren't many who are too eager to come to the castle, in spite of knowing of Dracula's demise. In fact I was run out of quite a few establishments. Not very friendly, some of these people. And I talked to everyone who would let me. But even with the promise of pay they weren't having it. But ah, I am pleased to report I was able to find someone that would accept."

It did not surprise Alucard that many of the villagers would not be receptive to the offer of employment at the castle. Even though Alucard would be offering handsome pay for the work, the castle was too much of a symbol of darker times. Who ever took the offer would be peculiar people to say the least.

"Who?"

"Yes well ... a young man named Cornell and his younger sister and son, Ada and Henry."

Alucard winced at the number of people. Three. Four with the girl. His entire world was shattering before his very eyes. Something about Giovanni's expression told him that that was not all.

"What is it," he prompted.

Giovanni fidgeted with the hem of his wrinkled shirt. "Well, ah see now, there's something you should know about Cornell ... he's a shapeshifter."

Alucard tensed, his jaw clenching. Werewolves.

"You would send me a mongrel," Alucard's voice dropped dangerously low.

"Now, now, Cornell is a good man, no mongrel as you say," Giovanni reassured. "Yes he is a shapeshifter, but that was not his choice and he has nothing to do with the more ... darker elements of his people. Much like you."

Alucard visibly roiled at this. "He is nothing like me."

"Oh, I don't know,"Giovanni shrugged, unfazed by Alucard's indignation, "you're actually quite similar when you look at it. You are both half human. Both wayward sons who have turned away from the dark paths of your kind. Both quite into self torment. And ah, both in no position to refuse the other as I cannot find anyone else who will come to the castle and he cannot find employment anywhere else."

Alucard closed his eyes and focused on his breathing. Giovanni's tone was never once condescending, never once lecturing. He was simply stating facts.

"You can feel free to inquire in the village yourself if you would like."

Alucard gave him a flat look. That statement may have contained a light sprinkling of sarcasm in it. They both knew that was not going to happen anyway. A tired sigh escaped him.

"Fine. I will expect them in the morning."

"Good, good, yes. Very good. Ah now, what about me?"

Alucard looked at Giovanni. "What about you?"

"The hold? Will I be able search the hold? For what we spoke about?"

Alucard could hear what remained for any hope of solitude crash to the ground behind him, the shattered tinkling of glass that was his life.

"Why not."

Giovanni practically squealed. "Good! Yes, very, very good! I will come in the morning as well yes? I will have to get a wagon for, ah my things of course. And I will need a space for research yes? I have many projects that I cannot stop now with. Too close you know, too close to the answers! Yes, yes ..."

Alucard watched as the thin little man began to move about the room in a flurry of activity. Parchment rustled and quills were gathered as Giovanni continued to mutter excitedly to himself. Alucard began to turn towards the door before remembering one more thing.

"Oh, and Giovanni ..."

The thin little man paused mid-mutter to look up at Alucard, one or two pieces of parchment falling to the floor from the pile cradled in his arms.

"You should poor our the kettle. I don't think those were tea leaves you brewed."

Giovanni blinked at Alucard card several times in confusion from behind thick glasses before they went wide with realization. He looked at the kettle in horror.

"Oh! Oh dear! Oh no, Alucard ... I am so sorry. I ... I don't know how ... oh, I hope it wasn't the oleander leaves again. Oh my, I should move those. Yes, I should move those ..." Giovanni moved back and forth, not wanting to drop the armful of parchment and yet wanting to get the kettle.

"Allow me." Alucard walked over to the fireplace and took the kettle. It was better that he just go ahead and dispose of the contents himself. Knowing Giovanni, he would simply become distracted once more and forget only to return to the kettle later to have some tea.

"You know Giovanni, with your permission I would like to keep this. I have been in need of one for some time."

In fact, Alucard decided to just dispose of the kettle completely. It was not the first time Giovanni had accidentally poisoned him and while it would not kill him, it would leave him with a rather distressed stomach for several hours.

"Oh ah, yes, of course Alucard. I'm not even certain as to why I even have one anyway. I'm not even fond of tea. Ah, please, it's yours. It's the least I can do."

Once he was outside and a good distance from the cabin, Alucard chucked the kettle into the woods with a sigh.

And now there were five.

Things were becoming quite crowded rather quickly.

Upon returning he went straight to the hold. He did not wish to go to the castle at the moment. He was more than likely going to have to move back into it very soon anyway. There was no possible way he would be able to remain down here with Giovanni was puttering around talking to himself the entire time. Upon thinking of Giovanni his stomach gave a slight twinge. Alucard winced. A portend of things to come he supposed. No, he was not going to return to the castle just yet. He wished to enjoy these last few moments of complete solitude while he still could.

As he walked along the endless dark silent shelves of Belmont history, he went over the laundry list of tasks he had seen to. He had made sure a tailor would see to the necessary clothing for the girl. A horse and wagon may also be necessary. A larder would have to be stocked. Perhaps even a small parcel of land would be needed for harvesting. He would have to instruct the staff on where.

Alucard's thoughts came to an abrupt halt. Staff. The castle would soon have staff. What the hell was happening? All this for some girl who fell through the looking glass. There had to be a solution for returning her to where she belongs. He could not have this many people here.

Still, he supposed her presence has not been all that tedious. It was not fair for him to lay all of the blame on her either. He should have seen to the mirror some time ago. It was careless for him to assume that it had been rendered inoperable in that chaos.

There was no doubt that this was just as trying for her as well. One only had to listen to her rambling at night to know that she struggled. It was the only time she let her guard down. When he would see her in the halls as he was now she rarely said much, remaining cautious and reserved. He kept his words to a minimum, always careful not to allow her to see his teeth. He did not want to frighten her. She already seemed wary of him, something he could not understand since he went out of his way to be polite.

But at night, when he was in wolf form, she would lay herself bare. Literally.

Her penchant for going nude at night was a little unnerving at times. He would always look away, something she found amusing. But he tolerated it. Only because his wolf form seemed to bring her some comfort, allowing her a few precious moments of respite from her world being upended. It was the only time she smiled. And so he tolerated it. He would tolerate her need for contact. Or the way she needed his presence to fall asleep. He would tolerate how she would kiss his face and the warmth from her body as it curved gently around his.

Alucard stopped and wiped at his forehead. It was damp. Giovanni's tea must be starting to take affect.

He began to walk back to where his coffin lay when noise caught his attention. It was barely there, a soft clicking noise. Like a pebble being dropped. He thought for a moment that was just some lose rubble, it still happened from time to time. But when it happened again, the singular clinking noise, he no longer thought it was random. He began to walk towards the entrance, or what was left of it, only to stop at the edge of the shadows. At the top of the cavern stood Sonia, peering down into the darkness below, dropping pebbles.

Alucard felt a flash of irritation. She stood at the edge like some child ignorant of the dangers. There was no way for her to come down here. The stairs had never been repaired and he had never needed for them to be. But the ground around the edge was still unstable. She could fall through. And he had told her to stay away from the eastern side of the castle.

An ignorant child.

~oOo~

Sonia pulled at the dress she wore as she walked along the grounds outside the castle. Nothing seemed to fit correctly. She would lace the dress up but it never seemed to close completely so now she took to wearing what she thought were shirts beneath it so she would not feel exposed. At least the weather was pleasant so she did not feel a draft. The sun was beginning its descent but there was still plenty of daylight left. Enough for her to try and enjoy being outside and maybe learn more about her surroundings. Especially since she had no idea how long she would be here.

Sonia shuddered slightly. The thought unsettled her every time she had it. She could not quite come to grips with it. There had to be some way for her to go home. If it was possible to come here then it had to be possible to go back. Unless this door only opened one way ...

Sonia folded her arms across her chest, stifling another shudder. She would not think that way. She could not.

She supposed she should be grateful. At least her host was gracious. Who knows where she could have been zapped too if not here. But then, anywhere else would have to have one of those mirrors ... would it not?

The mirrors. She wanted to see the one she came through here but had not ventured out in the castle as of yet to find it. She was a bit nervous to do so, to be honest. She was afraid the hallways would begin to play it's mind tricks and she would become lost again. No, she did not dare try it again, not without her friend.

The thought of him caused her to look around the grounds, but to no avail. He was nowhere to be seen. He would come to her room every night. It seemed to Sonia that he was starting to become accustomed to the nightly routine. He even would go straight to the bed now and wait for her. She no longer received the annoyed glances or irritated huffs when she would scratch at his ears or kiss his nose. Often he would push his head beneath her hand when she would stop scratching or nuzzle his nose against her neck when she would lay down to sleep.

But then she would wake in the morning and he would be gone. Off with his owner she supposed.

His owner. That was an entirely different list of concerns.

He seemed nice enough. It was hard to tell though. On the rare occasions she did see him in the halls or for dinner he rarely said more than a few words to her. When he did speak he never looked directly at her, always keeping his head tilted and slightly turned, as if looking at her sideways. It was unnerving. She wanted to grab his face and force him to look at her. Probably not the best idea she ever had, but then she was frustrated.

Sonia stopped and adjusted her dress once more. She looked around a realized she had almost walked the entire perimeter of the castle. The sun was behind her now, causing her shadow to stretch long across the ground. She looked to see that she had come upon ruins. These must be the same ruins she had stumbled on that first night here.

It looked to be the remains of a some house. Most of it was grown over with moss and trees. Ivy creeped along what was left of the rotting framework. Tiny little purple flowers peeked out from the remnants of stairs and a fireplace. She wondered what had happened. It seemed as if the castle had been built over a portion of the ruins, had they moved out after building the castle? How large had it been? It seemed to Sonia that it may have been sizable.

Those thoughts were confirmed when she came to what must have once been the entrance to the basement. Now it was nothing more than a large gaping hole. A very large gaping hole.

Sonia approached cautiously approached the edge and peered down into the darkness. How far did it go down? It seemed as if there was no end.

Sonia grabbed a small rock and dropped it into the black where it disappeared. It took a long time for the sound of it reaching the bottom to echo back to her ears. She must not have heard correctly. There was no way it could have taken that long to reach the bottom. She grabbed a slightly larger rock and dropped it into the darkness and waited ... and waited ... and waited till she finally heard the tick tick ticking of the rock bouncing at the bottom.

That is impossible. There is no way it is that deep. She was about to grab another rock when a sudden cool breeze blew up from the pitch black. A bird or bat must have been disturbed by her little experiment and flew out of the cavern below. Sonia felt herself teeter slightly at the edge and was about to step back when she felt something slide around her waist, pulling her away.

"I told you to stay away from the eastern side of the castle," a low voice hissed from behind her.

What the hell.

For a moment, Sonia could not move. Everything had happened so quickly. She stood several feet back from the opening now and there was an arm that held her firmly by the waist. It took only a second more to realize who it belonged to.

"Aluard?" Sonia grabbed ahold of his arm but did not push away, she was still stunned. How had they gotten back so far and so quickly?

"The ground is unstable. Just walking over it could unsettle already unstable framework. It is not safe for you to be here."

Sonia gathered her wits and was immediately aware that her back was pressed against his chest. She twisted slightly in an attempt to wriggle out of his grasp. He must have realized that he still held her as well, for he quickly released her and took a step back.

"Forgive me, but I did tell you to stay away from the east end," he said again.

Sonia adjusted her dress with an irritated yank. Had he been standing behind her the entire time?

"How was I supposed to know," she snapped back. "It's not like there are any signs that say "east end" or anything."

If he was bothered by her tone he did not show it, much to her annoyance. He simply stared at her in that strange sideways manner of his that bothered her so much. Sonia met his stare unblinking. She remembered now that he did say something about staying away from a particular area, but really, how was she to know. She had no idea which was east, and it was not like she had a compass on her. She gave her dress another irked tug.

"I have seen to acquiring a staff for the castle. A task I now see was long over due. They will be seeing to any needs you may have, including proper fitting attire."

She watched as he turned to head back to the castle. For reasons unknown to Sonia, that comment seemed to ruffle her even more.

"What's wrong with my clothes?"

Sonia fought the urge to wince as he turned back to look at her. It was a stupid question of course. Anyone could see something was wrong with her clothes. He considered her for a moment before he spoke.

"The clothes were not made for you, therefore they do not fit properly. And you have been wearing your dress backwards."

Sonia felt her face go warm as she looked down at her chest.

"It laces in the back? Seriously? Well that's just ridiculous. A person can't even dress themselves like that."

Sonia looked back up to see that he still stared at her, head tilted and slightly turned, but with what looked to be a hint of smile on his face. Perhaps it was because she was not used to seeing any expression on his face at all, or maybe it was because she simply was not used to having any company other than her four legged friend, but that small tiny hint of a smile seemed to change his entire countenance at that moment. She felt a smile of her own coming in spite of her embarrassment. She might have even started laughing, if not for the sudden grimace he made as he bent over slightly holding his stomach.

Sonia moved quickly over to where he was bent over and tried to peer through his hair to see his face, uncertain of whether she should touch him.

"Alucard? Are you alright?"

When all she got in response was a short grunt, she set her reservations aside. She pushed his hair back and away from his face and could see a sheen of sweat on his brow. She placed her palm against his forehead and gasped.

"Oh my God, you're burning up."

"I'm fine," he said, his voice breathy. "I just ... ate something that did not agree with me."

Sonia ignored his feeble attempts to swat her hands away. Her training was kicking in now. People who were sick and did not want help was something she was familiar with; it was something she could handle. She took his arm and placed it over his shoulder. It was her turn now to grab his waist.

"Whatever. Let's get you inside."

They made their way into the castle and after no small amount of arguing, he finally allowed her to take him to what she assumed was his rooms. It seemed to be a large study. All of the walls were lined with shelves that were stacked with books. How many books did this guy read? Sonia glanced around the room but did not see a bed, so she settled on what looked to be a sort of chaise lounge type of chair and set him down. She did not see anything for water and since she did not know where the kitchens were, she went to the only place she could find any. She ran back to her rooms and grabbed the basin and a wash rag. She impressed herself when she managed to return to the study without getting lost. She must be getting used to the place.

He was still in the chaise where she had left him. He lay there, as still as stone, the only the slow rise and fall of his chest gave away that he was alive.

She set the basin down on the floor next to him. The water was not cold, but it was cool enough. She had only used it this morning to splash her face, it was not like she bathed in it. She hoped he would not mind. She took the rag and placed it on his forehead. She thought she saw one eye open slightly to look at her and then closed once more. Sonia had a feeling of deja-vu come over her.

She looked him over. If he ate something that was bad, then his body would try to work it out. All she could really do is make sure he stayed hydrated and keep the fever down. She had nothing else. Mint and ginger might be something she could give him for his stomach but where would she find it. It was not like she could just run out and get some zofran for the nausea. She could try to make him more comfortable though, as he was still in his coat and boots. She had just began to pull gently at the collar of his overcoat when his hands suddenly covered hers. Both eyes were open now and staring at her. She found herself startled at the intensity of the color, like molten gold. Once again, the strong feeling of dejavu.

"What are you doing Sonia," he asked softly.

Sonia paused for a moment. What was she doing?

"I ... I was just trying to help you get your coat ... I thought you would be more comfortable with your coat, without your coat."

He released her hands and slowly sat up, his face now inches from her own, and began to shrug out of his coat. Sonia quickly busied herself with grabbing the rag that had fallen from his forehead and set it back into the basin. Once he had removed the coat completely, Sonia set it aside. She went back to the basin and rinsed the wash cloth. After she had wrung it out she turned to find that he had lain back down with his eyes closed once more.

Sonia stared at him. She had never come this close to him like this. He had always kept his face partially turned away. She could see his face clearly. A graceful brow line followed by a straight nose, fine cheekbones and a well defined jaw. Gone was the cold emotionless mask she was so used to seeing. Here in this moment, there was just a man at rest. And he was quite beautiful. Even the strange color of eyes only added to his otherworldly beauty. The color of honey and burnt copper. And they reminded her of ... what did they remind her of? She struggled to remember as she stared at them, the deep golden hues within seemed to burn back at her ... wait ... his eyes were staring back at her ...

... his eyes were open ...

... and he was staring at her ... staring at him ...

Sonia blinked as she realized that he had been watching her as she ogled him. With a squeak she practically slapped the wet piece of cloth down on his face causing him to give a little jump.

"If you need something ..."

Sonia never finished the sentence as she hurried out of the study and ran to her rooms.

Alucard slowly pulled the damp rag from his face. What had just happened back there? What was he doing? He sat up, his elbows resting on his knees and his head in his hands. What the hell was he doing?

Sonja did not leave her rooms again that night. If he needed anything he would know where to find her. She hoped he would not need anything.

She was not sure of exactly what happened back there. Whatever it was she was thoroughly embarrassed. She must be suffering from Stockholm syndrome. Was that possible when you were not kidnapped? It was not like she was being held against her will ... but then it was not like she had anywhere else she could go. Either way Sonia was mortified.

As she lay in bed she heard her door slowly creak open followed by the familiar sound of paws softly padding across the wood floor. After a moment the pressure of another being on the bed caused the mattress to sink as they flopped down next to her. Sonia rolled over to see her friend laying next to her, his eyes two thin slits glowing in the dark. He let out a low whine.

"Hey boy," she said softly, "where you been?"

She was answered with another low plaintive whine.

"Are you not feeling good either? You had some of what your dad had huh?"

Sonia rolled over and pulled the blankets over the two of them. She gave him some gentle scratches along his back and ears. He sighed at her touch.

"Well, at least I helped someone feel better tonight," she chuckled as she scratched his head. "I'm afraid you dad might think I am crazy though. And you know what? He may be right. I'm not sure how much longer I can just sit here with nothing to do. I don't know if I can make it without something to do ..."

Sonia wiped at the tears that had begun to flow and cursed softly. She was not going to cry. She felt something wet on her cheek and realized her friend was licking the tears on her face. Sonia grinned.

"Are you giving me kisses," giggled as she grabbed his head and covered it with kisses of her own. "Who's a sweet boy? Who's a good little pupper giving kisses?"

Sonia was answered with a low growl this time.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop," she laughed. "You know, I wonder what your dad would think about you coming in here every night like this. Somehow, I don't think he would approve ..." Sonia adjusted herself so she could bury her face in his fur and welcomed the heavy feel of sleep come over her. "Stockholm syndrome or no, he is good looking."

Her friend just sighed.