Disclaimer: I own nothing. Everything belongs to Richelle Mead.

Author's Note: Hey guys! In this chapter, Neil and Olive finally meet! Also, my birthday was on the 14th and I'm 14 now! I got a hamster with all the money I got. Her name is Honey and she's really cute! I was supposed to get a cat but my sister told me that I'm not allowed one.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter and please review! :D

Chapter Ten

As I followed the others, I wondered what I would find. My guess was that this Olive girl, if she was anything like what I'd heard about restored strigoi, would be very weak and probably pretty confused and scared.

As I was thinking about this, we stepped into a large bedroom with peeling wall paper and a dark haired girl sitting up in a quilted bed. I tried to hold back a gasp. Olive was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Her long dark hair was like silk, her coppery skin glowed faintly with a kind of shine and her big dark eyes looked like pools of melted chocolate.

I had never really noticed girls before. I hadn't even really thought about dating or anything like that. My guardian duty was always more important. Everything else in my life was meaningless in comparison. But, as I looked at Olive Sinclair, I wondered what it would be like to kiss her. To hold her hand. To...

Suddenly, I realized that I couldn't think like this. Not while she was so newly restored. She needed comfort and encouragement, not romantic admiration.

I looked around. While I'd been staring dreamily at Olive, Adrian had been ... well, I'm not too sure. He was staring at her too, but not in an admiring or in any way romantic way. It was more like he was trying to look into her soul or trying to read her mind.

After a moment, Adrian spoke in a tone that I'd never heard him use before. Usually, he spoke sarcastically or arrogantly. Now, though, he spoke with authority.

"If you want any chance to learn how to save others," Adrian told us clearly. "You need to do exactly what I say and you need to do it now."

We all stared at him in surprise or shock. What had he seen? Was Olive OK? I needed answers.

"We need to get a doctor here," Adrian said to the room at large. "Or a nurse. Hell, anyone who can safely draw blood."

Immediately, Dimitri took out his mobile phone and hurriedly left the room, already dialling a number.

"Why are you taking her blood?" Nina asked fiercely.

"Because you better have a good reason!" Olive snapped. Yes, there was definitely a fire in her that I really liked. "Or I'm going to walk right out of here!" I couldn't help a slight twinge of amusement. She would never get past any one of the guardians but again, I had to admire her courage and certainty of her own abilities.

My admiring was cut off when I noticed Olive shudder. "I've seen enough blood for a lifetime these past three months."

Now, hearing her mention her strigoi days, I felt sympathy for her wash through me. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to be a monster like that. I wanted to comfort her. To tell her that everything would be OK.

"Your blood may save lives." Adrian explained to Olive simply. Then, he seemed to rethink his word choice. "Or well souls. No strigoi can ever turn you again."

Some of Olive's fierceness melted away to be replaced by... I'm not entirely sure. Hope? Wonder? Relief? "Really? You mean it? Because I really would rather be dead than go through that again."

Olive squeezed her eyes shut and again I wanted to comfort her. Surely, I could at least make her feel a little better. "It was awful." She said in a small voice.

"I know," Adrian said soothingly. I knew that he was just trying to sooth her but I had to hold back a scowl. He'd never gone through what she had. How could he know how it felt?

After some more discussion, I saw an opportunity to talk to Olive alone. I approached her slowly, slightly nervous that I might embarrass myself.

"Olive?" I asked quietly. She looked at me warily.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Neil," I told her. "I just wanted to tell you that I think it's admirable. Coming through all of this the way you have."

"Thanks, I guess." Olive said cautiously. "But I've done a lot of really terrible things. If you knew what I'd done in the past few months ... well, I'm pretty positive you wouldn't even speak to me."

"That wasn't you, Olive." I said soothingly. I knew that I wasn't very good at comforting people, but I had to try. "You're brave and beautiful and you have to let go of the things that you couldn't control in the past few months. You can do it, Olive, because you're brave and I know you'll have the determination to do it."

"That means a lot," She whispered. "Having someone say that they believe in you."

"Well, it's true." I promised. "And I'll be there if you ever need someone to talk to. I mean ... only if you want, of course."

"I'd like that," Olive said and then she smiled at me and I thought that she had the most beautiful smile I had ever seen. I smiled back at her gently and wondered how anyone could possibly be so brave and determined.

Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed. Also thank you to Rainy for her two reviews. I get what you mean and you're probably right. Oh well, maybe you'll enjoy this chapter more. hunterofartemis126 (Nicolaclair)

PS: I've got a new Bloodlines fanfic coming out. It's called "The Unknown Dragomir", and it would mean a lot of you check it out and review it! Thanks!