The next morning I awoke to the sounds of small pops from the fireplace. The sound sent a wave of nostalgia through my brain. I quietly reminisced over the events of the past year. Both good and bad, lonely and full of love, and so many other things. Soft footsteps made their way around the room until eventually, Alucard sat down on the edge of the bed at my feet.

"Are you awake beautiful..?" He asked while letting his hands rub my legs through the thick comforter. I nodded quietly, still trying to let myself wake up fully.

"I prepared a nice warm bath for you. There's some coffee on the table next to the bath if you want it. I came across coffee not too long ago in a village far off, and I brought some back thinking you might like it." Alucard continued talking like a crazed little boy who hadn't seen his friends in months. I finally leaned up against the headboard, letting his gorgeous voice trail off until he looked me in the eyes. I crawled to him and softly placed a kiss on his lips.

"Thank you, darling. I appreciate everything, I really do." I smiled as I finished talking. His kindness towards me was unprecedented, but I valued every second of it. I looked back at Alucard, his cheeks flushed bright red. I stood to my feet, standing stark naked in front of him. Placing a light kiss on his forehead I leaned down and whispered in his ear,

"I love you Alucard." I grinned happily at him. As I started walking towards the bathroom door, he grabbed my arm harshly, tugging my body back towards him.

"I will… Bend you over the bed and fuck you right here if you continue to tease me like that…" His eyes traveled up and down my naked body. I felt no fear, but I felt strangely exposed. I know, logically, that I'm naked; but when he looks at me with those eyes I can't help but feel like he would ravage me. We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before he dropped my arm from his grip.

I walked to the bathroom, finding the tub filled to the brim with bubbling suds. I let my bones soak for about an hour. After last night, this relaxed my tight back muscles from arching my back for so long. I grabbed the hot mug off the side table and took a small sip. The dark brown liquid was bitter, yet had hidden notes of sweetness. I didn't love it but figured it would taste nice mixed with other things like sugar and the cream of a cow.

I dried off and walked back into the bedroom to find a different dress laid across the freshly made bed. A long deep blue satin dress lay neatly arranged in front of me. It had delicate quarter lace sleeves and a jeweled belt around the waist. To top it all off it had a deep V-neck which showed off my small perky breasts.

I found Alucard in the kitchen, serving what looked like pancakes. Fresh flowers sat in a vase on the old table. The kitchen window was open, the bright light making Alucard's hair shine an almost silver color. If life stayed like this for even a moment, I knew I would be content.

"You look… Amazing Iona." Alucard said, walking up to me and pulling me into a hug.

"You don't look too bad yourself, Alucard," I replied, evening out the collar of his shirt with my hands. Today he wore a black notched lapel shirt and white slacks, finished off with black dress shoes.

"Why are you cooking in such nice clothes?" I asked, perplexed.

"Unlike most, I know how not to make a mess dear." He replied, grinning at me. I laughed quietly. He just had a way of saying things so calmly and gently that it brought me joy. Maybe it was the way his eyes glowed or the way his lips curled up into a smile when he'd finished talking. Eventually, he handed me a set of plates and nicely asked me to set the table for us and our guests.

"Hopefully those two will wake up sometime in this century." Alucard laughed. He placed a large stack of freshly made pancakes on the table. Freshly picked berries from the surrounding forest were washed and placed in a separate bowl. Some golden syrup and what looked like freshly churned butter completed the table setting.

"Take a seat. I'm going to go see what Sypha and the fucking Belmont are up to." Alucard said, annoyed. He darted down the hallway with speed and in an instant I was alone. I took a few minutes to tidy up the kitchen, washing up some of the pans that Alucard had used this morning to put away for future use. I wiped down the counters and shut open cabinets, just trying to make good use of my time instead of sitting.

Eventually, the hustle and bustle of feet made their way back down the hallway. The sound of joyous voices rang through my head and I smiled to greet Sypha and Trevor. I just now realized that I had a splitting headache and the talking from the hallway was enough to make my vision go blurry. I guess after last night my body was trying to find a way to recover from the pounding.

I took a seat while everyone entered the room. My head spinning I tried to put on a brave face and push through nausea that was slowly taking over. Trevor and Sypha sat down promptly, dishing themselves up breakfast just as quickly as they sat. Alucard smiled at me before dishing me a couple of pancakes and a handful of berries. He drizzled on some of the golden glaze and motioned for me to dig in. His eyes looked brightly at me. For once he seemed completely at ease. He was surrounded by his friends and I think that is all he ever wanted. He always ever wanted the ones he held close to be safe and with him.

I finished my breakfast, trying to get myself to push past the voices and the now overwhelming nausea that was kicking in.

"I'm going to excuse myself for a bit," I stated while standing up and pushing in my chair. I hurried down the hall, trying to avoid hurling on the red carpet that lined the walkway. The walls were spinning and I reached for a nearby shelf to catch my fall.

"Iona!" Alucard called out as my vision went black. I leaned against the wall, nausea, and headache making it impossible to even answer Alucard. I hazily watched as Sypha and Trevor ran into the hallway. They must have gotten up after they heard Alucard call my name. Sypha joined me on the floor leaning above me. Her on my left and Alucard is on my right. Alucard placed a hand on my face and noticed my flushed cheeks.

"She's warm." Alucard looked at Sypha.

"There's a lot going around out there. Knowing what's most common for this time of year, I'd say it's probably Influenza. And unfortunately, she probably got it from one of us." Sypha looked amongst the group, concern in her blue eyes. I could feel the tension in the room. I had never felt worse in my entire life. My body felt achy, sore, and tired. It took so much energy to move even an inch. I couldn't bring myself to even speak. I felt awful.

"Sypha, I'll meet you in a few minutes in a room down the corridor. It was a room my mother used to practice medicine in. I think we will be able to find some useful information and remedies in there." Sypha nodded at Alucard before grabbing Trevor's arm and trotting down the hallway. Alucard lifted me up into his arms, holding me tighter than usual. He seemed worried, his brow furrowed in thought. I took what little energy I had and poked in between his eyebrows, forcing him to relax them. He smiled, it was a worried smile, but he smiled.

Alucard laid me on our bed gently. His worried face returned when he took the time to place the back of his hand against my forehead. He removed the satin dress and replaced it with one of his large cotton v-neck shirts, hoping that it would let my body cool off some. As Alucard turned to walk away, I grabbed his arm.

"Please don't leave me alone…" It took all my strength to get those words out, "I don't want to be alone." His face told me everything even before he muttered the words,

"I'll have Sypha and Trevor come in here. But I need to go get them and the materials we need to help you love. We will try to stay relatively quiet for you, is that alright?" His voice was soft and wavered slightly. I could tell he didn't really know what to say and I was sure this was a situation that he had never encountered before. He pulled the sheets over me before exiting the room. His slender and tall body swayed with the room. The nausea was back.

All three returned a few moments later and I struggled to keep my eyes open when they started talking. The white noise they created in the room was a reassurance that they all cared for me. All three are trying to find the best way to help me. I squinted across the room looking at Alucard's stiff posture. He was listening to Sypha intently, making sure to gather what he needed to. He looked concerned, a look of dread hiding somewhere on his face.

It took a while for my thoughts to turn off and let sleep encumber me. But little did I know that I wasn't sleeping, I was slipping into death's grasp…