Forever Love, AKA Kelsey's Journey

by TwilightAngel08

Okay guys, it's been a really long time, but I've finished this story. It's all posted as one chapter, but it's the full story. Big thanks to my friends, for bugging me to finish it even though I had moved on. Hope you all enjoy! R&R!

Kelsey's Journey

Chapter 1

It was midnight, and Kelsey Birchwood was running. Her heart was beating so hard that she thought it was going to break through her chest. She did not know where she was going, but she did not care. As long as she got away from the orphanage, she would be fine.

By now, her lungs were throbbing and she could barely breath. She was running through the woods with Charcoal, the black wolf puppy she had found abandoned by the Happy Homes Orphanage. Kelsey laughed bitterly. As if. Kelsey had spent the last eight years of her life in that horrible place, where they beat you 'till you couldn't even stand. They beat you for defiance, doing your chores wrong, and any time that you stood around doing nothing. That place was a nightmare. As Kelsey was thinking this, Charcoal barked.

"Please Charcoal don't make any noise!" she pleaded. Soon they would have to stop. She could barely go on now. The only thought that kept her going was the thought that if they caught her, she would be beaten until she was practically dead, or they'd put her in jail.

Kelsey's mom had died from leukemia when she was seven and her dad had died a few years before, but know one actually knew what had killed him…

Kelsey realized with a jolt that she was running along a path.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" She thought. She veered off into the forest with Charcoal by her side. Kelsey knew that she couldn't afford to make this kind of mistake. The last kid who had tried to escape from the orphanage was looked for with dogs and hadn't had a chance. The head mistress was so worried about anyone escaping and telling about how badly the kids were treated. If Kelsey got caught, there was no telling what they would do. She realized that the abandoned mill was coming up off to her left and headed that way. She unsteadily stumbled inside and fell immediately behind the old equipment and was asleep in seconds.

Charcoal sat down beside Kelsey and watched her sleep. She laid her head down and watched the door until she fell asleep curled up against Kelsey's back.

Chapter 2

Kelsey and Charcoal slept in the mill. At 7:00, Kelsey was out of the mill and fifteen minutes down the river that ran by it. Kelsey decided to stop and make some breakfast from the berries and walnuts she had found earlier. She didn't worry about Charcoal, knowing that she was more than capable of finding her own food.

After they ate, Kelsey and Charcoal started running again. They were still too close to the orphanage to be safe. Kelsey thought about the last eight years she spent at her personal hell, remembering her first night there, when she was eight.

The nurse, who had found her sobbing in the corner of the hospital after her mother had been buried, dropped her off at the orphanage.

"You're no more than a child!" she had said. "Don't worry, you can come with me. I know the perfect place for you."

The nurse had taken Kelsey to the orphanage, unaware of the life she was condemning her to. Kelsey stood alone in the bleak dilapidated room that was to serve as her room. Of course she didn't get her own room. She had shared the room with the other fourteen girls at the orphanage. But Kelsey supposed that the other girls had really helped her through her time there. If it hadn't have been for Cecelia, Kelsey doubted that she would even be alive. Cecelia was about 12 when Kelsey came, and had been a true friend. It was Cecelia who had helped Kelsey with her chores, and comforted her when she would sob silently in her cot. Cecelia had taken the blame for Kelsey's faults, and it was because of Cecelia that Kelsey had escaped.

Kelsey and Charcoal traveled until late at night, while she thought of her past. She felt lonely. It was very dark, and Charcoal kept growling at something every few minutes.

"Charcoal, stop that!" Kelsey said. She was getting a little paranoid and it felt like something was following her. Kelsey wasn't one to be scared of bandits or thieves, but being alone at night wasn't the best time to be alone in the forest. So she decided to stop farther down the river.

"Come on Charcoal, let's go to sleep." Kelsey whispered. Charcoal was still growling, even while Kelsey set up her bed.

Kelsey slept soundly, until she heard a twig snap behind her. Kelsey turned around to see what had made the noise, but someone suddenly grabbed her and pinned her down and stifled her screams with his hand.

Chapter 3

Charcoal tackled the person on Kelsey and pinned him down. Kelsey looked at him, and then realized that he was about her own age. He was only a little taller than Kelsey, but he looked very strong.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kelsey shouted. "Why did you do that?"

"I'm sorry," he said "but you wouldn't understand, so I won't waste my breath."

"Wouldn't understand what?"

"Nothing. I'll just leave, and I promise I won't bother you again, just get your dog off me!" he said.

"She won't hurt you. Charcoal, down." Kelsey said. She figured that he could have really just push Charcoal off, but she didn't know how Charcoal would handle that. "You can stay for awhile, if you want. The least you owe me is an explanation."

"I don't owe you anything." He said. "I think that I'll just leave now."

"At least just stay the night," Kelsey said, "it can be dangerous at night when you're alone."

"You're alone" he said with a grin.

"That's not the same thing!" she said. "I can take care of myself."

"I never said you couldn't." he replied. "So, what's your name?"

"My name is Kelsey Birchwood. What's yours?"

"My name is Riley." He said and held out his hand. "So what are you doing out here?"

"Well, to tell the truth, I'm sort of a…"

"A what?"

"… a runaway. Long story short, I was practically dying in a run down orphanage and so I decided to escape."

"I see."

"So what about you? What's your story?"

"Actually, I'm sort of a runaway too. I was—framed – and I escaped before they could put me in jail." Riley said simply. "You seem really tired." He said. "Why don't we go to sleep?"

Kelsey lay on her makeshift bed, deep in thought. Riley was different than most other boys she had ever met. He was nice, and extremely attractive. His eyes were the color of chocolate. They were so bright and had topaz streaks close to his pupils. His hair was a butterscotch color with darker streaks through it. She thought that it looked the opposite of his eyes.

His skin was pale, and was bright in contrast with his eyes. Kelsey contemplated Riley while she drifted off to sleep.

***

When Kelsey woke up the next morning, she didn't see Riley.

"Riley…where are you?" she said

"Over here." Riley replied.

Kelsey walked over and looked to see what he was doing.

"Are you cooking?" She asked. Boys, as far as Kelsey knew, couldn't cook…at all.

"Yeah, here, yours is ready." He said.

Kelsey looked closer and saw that he was only cooking enough food for one person. "But…where's yours?"

His expression flickered, but then he said, "I ate it."

"Oh, okay. Thanks, it looks really good." She said a little suspiciously. And then she realized, it was good. "This is the best food I've tasted for along time."

"When you've been alone as long as I have, you learn to try new things."

"Oh." That sounded strange to Kelsey, because Riley seemed her age.

***

After she finished, Kelsey decided to get going. She was going to say good-bye, but strangely, she didn't want to.

"Hey Riley, do you want to come with me? I thought about what you said, and it is dangerous to be alone..." Kelsey said sheepishly. She really wanted to get to know him better.

"I don't know…" he replied. "…It might be dangerous for you to be around me."

"What do you mean?" Kelsey said. She felt really stupid now. It was so random that she asked him to stay.

Chapter 4

"Riley, what are you talking about?" Kelsey asked. He wasn't dangerous…he couldn't be. She'd felt safe around. She had to admit that the reason she felt safer was probably just because he seemed so strong. He did attack her, but that was a mistake, right? She didn't want him to leave. It felt really good to be around another person…to have someone to talk to.

"Kelsey, I'm a lot more dangerous than you know!" Riley said. He felt guilty, because the look she gave him was heart breaking…but he couldn't stay. People were looking for him, and if Kelsey got in the way, they'd hurt her, and he would be completely responsible. "I just met you and now you want me to stay with you after I attacked you? I thought you had more common sense than that."

"But…I'm so lonely, you know, it's just Charcoal and me. I really like having someone else to talk to…" Kelsey's voice failed her. She knew that she might not be able to trust anyone for a long time. It was ridiculous that she felt this way. She really didn't know him, but she couldn't help herself from asking him to stay…the words just found their own way out.

Riley looked into her eyes and knew that what he should say and what he wanted to say could impact Kelsey's life forever. What should he do? Say the right thing and leave her alone, or say what he wanted to and maybe mess up her life and future. Looking into her eyes again, he felt as if the whole world rested in his hands. Again. This seemed so unfair, to him and Kelsey.

"Kelsey, I can't come with you. I have my own plans and problems, and I don't want to get you into this mess. I really need to be on my own." Riley said gently. She didn't know that he would love to go with her, just to have someone to talk to as well.

Kelsey gave up. She sounded like a fool. "Oh, okay. Um…I guess I should probably get going. I think I'm still too close to the orphanage to be really safe. Bye, Riley."

"Bye Kelsey. Maybe we'll see each other again sometime."

"Not likely." Riley thought. "He didn't add that, though, because she seemed a little hopeful. No reason to crush the only hope that she had left. Kelsey will forget about me soon enough. The sooner the better." He thought as he watched Kelsey sullenly walk away.

Chapter 5

Kelsey thought about Riley. Too much. "Of course, it is ok for me to think of him." She reasoned. "Stunningly beautiful boys usually do that to people." And then her thoughts took a different path…one with love and children and marriage, and having her own family and a house by the sea. "Why am I acting like this?" she thought. "I've never acted this way over a boy before! I'm acting like he's the love of my life!"

"Riley may be stunning, but I don't know anything about him. And I really don't need any distractions right now…I should be trying to get out of the woods. It couldn't be too far." Kelsey thought.

In the opposite direction, Riley's thoughts were taking the same direction.

"What the hell am I going to do?" Riley said to himself. "I shouldn't be distracted by Kelsey!" But then his thought took him back to when he first saw her in the clearing.

Riley was sprinting through the forest when he heard her quiet breathing. Of course she hadn't heard him, her breathing was too deep and even for her to be awake. But he still wanted to check, make sure he wasn't being followed.

He crept into the clearing and looked at her from the cover of the bushes. She seemed different from any other human he'd seen before. Her face was peaceful, serene. She was very pale; her dark, shoulder length hair had made her face seem even paler. She was small. She couldn't weigh much…she really looked malnourished. He remembered how thin her arms were. She must have only been five feet, maybe, give or take an inch. She seemed so frail…how easily her arm could break, her skin could tear…maybe she was just delicate, or maybe she just looked that way, but in sleep she seemed even more fragile yet.

Riley was jolted back to the present as he almost ran into a low tree branch.

"Damn it! Why am I acting like this?" he hissed. "I've never been so…out of focus!"

Riley tried to focus on his journey, but whatever he thought of, his thoughts kept swirling back to Kelsey.

Chapter 6

Kelsey was running. She had just seen Charcoal been killed, right in front of her. Ms. Ophelia was coming for her.

"Kelsey?" a high, piercing voice called. "Kelsey come on dear, I want to take you home."

"Home is anywhere away from you!" Kelsey shrieked, trying to suppress the fear that was clawing its way up her throat.

"Kelsey!" Ophelia screeched, "I will get you, and don't think I won't!"

Kelsey heard the evil witch from right above her now. She felt a cold hand grab at her, entwining in her hair.

"NO!" Kelsey screamed, kicking and scratching with all her might. "Let me GO!"

Ms. Ophelia pulled Kelsey up to her eye level, her eyes gleaming cruelly.

"Why would I do that?" she asked. She spoke in such a gentle voice that it made the words somehow more threatening. "I plan on killing you. You probably know that, but guess what?" she asked, her voice still horribly tender. "I'll make sure I do it real slow." She emphasized the last two words. Ms. Ophelia smiled cruelly. "You'll be begging me to die."

"I would never, ever beg you for my life!" Kelsey spat at her.

"Oh, well we'll…"

The evil witch didn't even have time to finish her sentence. Kelsey heard a sickening thud and the witch's grip was loosened. But now she was falling.

"If I fall from this high," Kelsey thought, "I'll die!"

But just when she should have hit the ground, someone caught her. Kelsey looked up to see Riley holding her, looking at her anxiously. Twenty feet away, Ms. Ophelia lay, unmoving.

"Are you okay?" Riley asked, his voice filled with stress.

Kelsey just looked at him, unable to speak. She started shaking, unable to stop herself. And then she felt a sharp poke in her side.

Kelsey jerked awake covered in a cold sweat. A stick was poking her, the reason why she woke. She looked around frantically for Charcoal, making sure she was really awake. Charcoal was there, growling a little in her sleep.

Kelsey sighed, relieved. Why had she dreamed of Ms. Ophelia and Riley? That was one of the most terrifying nightmares she had ever had. Kelsey sighed and uneasily lay back down. She felt unable to sleep and troubled by her dream. But eventually, the rhythmic sounds of the forest lulled her back into a dreamless, peaceful sleep.

Chapter 7

Riley wasn't too far from Kelsey. He wasn't aware of this as he walked through the forest. He picked his way around the twisted roots with grace and ease. He didn't even have to look at his feet. Riley was used to this terrain; it felt like home. He wasn't really comfortable in the villages and towns, near so many people…modern things. This place was so…unchanged, undisturbed…like him. Well, usually like him.

"Why can't I stop thinking about her?" Riley said, frustrated. Thinking about someone all the time was something he never did. He just moved on. And yet, here he was, thinking about Kelsey, wondering where she was. It was hard not to think about her. He couldn't stop thinking about her beautiful brown hair, her pale skin, her eyes, bright even in darkness. He didn't want to think about her like that, because he couldn't think about anyone like that. If he ever got too close to people, allowed himself to love again…no, that wasn't an option for him. If he lost someone close to him again…he couldn't live with that. "Why is Kelsey any different? Just forget her and move on." Riley thought. "Sometimes, I wish I wasn't me." He said aloud. He was dead tired. He hadn't been sleeping good, and even though it was still a little light out, he climbed up a tree with good, wide branches, and slept.

Kelsey was thinking about her dream again. It made her anxious. She kept looking over her shoulder, telling herself that nobody was there. It troubled her. Even Charcoal seemed edgy because of her.

"Soon we'll be at Sunville, and we can find someone to believe us Charcoal. Maybe we could settle down there for a while. I could get a job, and someday, we could even buy a little house. We'd be far away enough from the orphanage that no one will ever find us there." Charcoal just looked at her and barked once. Kelsey jumped. It was infuriating to be so nervous over a dream that could never happen.

Through the trees, Kelsey saw the remaining daylight filtering down to the ground. She decided to stop and rest for the night. Maybe a good night's sleep would let her forget her troubles and relax. She hoped so.

Chapter 8

Kelsey got up the next morning and noticed that the forest was barely recognizable. The usually blue-gem sky had turned a deep purplish-gray overnight. The placid air had turned frigid and whipped around Kelsey, whistling through the trees. Even the grass had turned darker, from brilliant jade to a faded dark green. And the sun was nowhere in sight.

Kelsey rose and decided to get going before the storm came. She hoped that she could get to a somewhat more stable shelter.

"Come on Charcoal. We'd better get going." Charcoal hopped up and followed Kelsey. They started through the forest at a quick pace, hoping to outrun the storm. This didn't seem likely, as the purplish clouds went on for as far as the eye could see.

Riley didn't like how the clouds looked. A very big storm was about to hit. As soon as he thought that, he caught himself hoping that Kelsey would be all right. He shrugged it off and climbed out of the tree. He didn't want to be there when the lightning started. He walked along, and noticed how eerily quiet it was. The birds weren't singing, and there weren't any animals around.

He was about a mile from the tree that he had slept in when he heard footsteps behind him. He didn't turn around, but kept walking. He figured he was fast enough to restrain the person, and figure out why he was following him.

Riley turned around and ran behind the person following him. But no one was there. As he looked around, bewildered, a tall woman stepped out of the closely pressed trees beside him.

"Violet." He said. It wasn't a greeting; it was an acknowledgment.

"Hello Riley. How have you been doing?" she asked warmly. Her voice was high and lilting. " Why don't we go home and catch up on things?" she said.

Riley wasn't fooled. She wasn't really asking him, she was telling him. "I'm fine here, thank you. I'm sure you'll give my regards to the others?" His gentle voice somehow made the words more threatening.

Violet raised one perfect eyebrow. Her voice instantly turned hard. "I'm afraid they won't accept your regards, and want you in person. Either come with me, or you will die."

"I have no intentions of ever going back there. I hope you're not disappointed." Riley's voice was full of acid.

Violet sighed. "I really didn't want to do this to you Riley. I was actually starting to like you, but I guess you're more trouble than your worth." As she finished her sentence, she slipped into a crouch, tensing, waiting for the fight to begin.

Rain poured down in great drops from the sky as Riley also crouched and started pacing around in a circle. Violet mimicked his actions. All at once, they flew towards each other, faster than any human ever could be. Their pale skin blurred as they flew toward each other again and again.

Thunder and lightning accompanied the hisses and snarls ripped across the clearing as Riley grabbed Violet and flung her at a tree. She pushed off of it and raced towards Riley. She kicked Riley and he fell. She then picked him up threw him across the clearing. He hit a tree and fell to the ground. As soon as he was on the ground he got back up and grabbed a thick tree branch and hit Violet. She rebounded backwards and snapped a young tree in two. She lay on the ground, motionless. Riley limped toward her and checked her breathing. No breath came in or out.

Despite his injury, Riley ran with abnormal speed out of the clearing to the nearest cavern he could find. He sat there, wishing he could just fade into nothingness.

Chapter 9

Riley jerked awake the next morning remembering what had just taken place the night before. He looked around and realized rain was coming down in sheets outside of the little cave. He walked into the rain, under the endless gray clouds. Riley looked around and realized that he needed to keep moving. Violet's body was still back there, and he didn't want to be anywhere near it when people found it.

Under the cover of the trees, Riley walked sullenly through the dark forest. He hated killing Violet, but that was the only way to be sure he'd be safe. Even if she was a good fighter, he was better. Her speed was nothing compared to his, and he was at least five times stronger. She was no match.

"I guess they want me back." Riley thought. "Maybe they'll give up."

But he really doubted that. Bastien would either welcome him back with open arms or have him killed. Riley didn't want to be killed, and he didn't want to go back to the Chateau. That left him with one choice–run.

On the day Riley should have turned sixteen he was attacked by thieves. Normally, thieves weren't a problem, but there must have been twenty, and all of them came out of nowhere. He was left, bleeding and wounded, to die. Riley remembered being in so much pain that death was a welcome solitude. As he lay there, writhing in agony, someone came over to him. He picked Riley up and ran to the Chateau. It felt like flying. When he opened his eyes again, Riley was in a darkened castle with someone leaning intently over him.

Riley tried to sit up and bit back a scream of torture. Pain twisted its way through his body, clawing and scratching. The person leaning over him, he later found out it was Bastien, asked him something. He had to repeat it for Riley to hear over his tortured moans.

"Do you want the pain to stop?" Bastien asked Riley. He nodded, hoping that the pain would cease. But it didn't. The pain increased and Riley gasped, thrashing against the pain that was overtaking him. But then, darkness pulled him under, the pain receded, and blackness enveloped him.

When Riley woke up, he was told that he had new life. That he could never go back, that he was a vampire. He had to forget about his blood family and all of his friends. He was destined to kill and be a cannibal. That was how he looked at it, at least. Most others were excited by the prospect of eternal life, even if it meant killing others. Riley hated his life, and wished that he was dead, instead of turning to this life of murder.

The pain of losing his family was just as bad as the physical pain had been. He could never see his little brother, Marcus, or his little sister, Aurelia, again. He wasn't allowed to see his parents, either. But losing the two small siblings was the worst pain of all. Riley had looked forward to showing his siblings around the forests and how to grow plants. But that life was lost to him forever.

And so he had left his vampire "family", although he never really looked at the vampires that way. Riley ran faster and faster, trying to leave the life that was so full of evil and blood behind.

Chapter 10

Kelsey woke up the next day and noticed how bright the day was, compared to the darkness from two days ago. She ate her breakfast slowly, enjoying the warm morning sun. Charcoal came into the clearing and sat down by Kelsey's side.

"Come on Charcoal, we'd better get going. We still have a long way to go." Kelsey said. She wasn't sure if the second sentence was true, because she didn't really know where they were going. She figured it was far, though.

Walking ahead, Charcoal was sniffing the ground intently. As she kept going, she wagged her tail excitedly. Kelsey followed, wondering why Charcoal was behaving so strangely. Charcoal ran ahead, and her barking became louder and consistent.

Kelsey ran into the clearing, hearing Charcoal bark. As she ran under the wide, overhanging branches of two birches, she practically tripped over her own feet. There in the clearing, not twenty feet from her was an unbelievably beautiful woman. Usually, Kelsey wouldn't have reacted like she had, under normal circumstances. The woman was crumpled on the ground. No blood was noticeable in the clearing, but a struggle had definitely taken place.

Kelsey was too stunned to move. Charcoal ran over and licked her hand, and Kelsey lunged toward the woman. She stumbled over to where the woman lay, frozen and motionless. Her skin, unimaginably pale, was covered in bruises. She wasn't breathing, and Kelsey quickly bent down to take her pulse. There was none.

Kelsey felt like the world was crashing down around her. She gasped and started to run, stumbling over the uneven ground. Charcoal ran with her, right on her heels.

Kelsey wasn't even a few yards out of the clearing when she fell to the ground. Her body started to shake in convulsions that she was powerless to stop. Sobs shook her, the tears flowing down her cheeks. She was unable to stop and scared thoughts flowed through her mind.

What had happened? Who could've done this? This world was so full of evil and malice, how could anyone ever deal with this wretched place?

With a horrible, sickening feeling, Kelsey realized that the person who did this might not be far off. She pushed herself to her feet, still crying hysterically with fear, and started running.

If someone could do that to a strong-looking woman, imagine what he or she could do to a sixteen-year-old girl! Running and stumbling, Kelsey didn't look where she was going. She didn't care. Terror was in every part of her being. Even though the convulsions had stopped, Kelsey still trembled violently.

She continued running all through the next day, still terrified and fueled by adrenaline. When she saw a cave off the path a little, she ran to its protective cover. Kelsey knew she should have rested at the first cave she saw, but she was so scared.

As she tripped on a stone and fell, Kelsey realized she wasn't alone. Looking up, she found herself gazing into a pair of familiar, chocolate-brown eyes.

Chapter 11

Riley looked down into Kelsey's eyes, eyes that were panicked.

"Wow," he thought. "She looks like hell." Her eyes had purple bruises underneath, like she hadn't slept for a while. Her skin was paler than usual. It was so bad that Riley had to wonder what had happened to her. And then it hit him. Kelsey had seen Violet's body.

Riley ran over to her and picked her up. She was shaking to the point of convulsions. He took her to a blanket he had spread out earlier, and wrapped her in it. She looked at him pleadingly, asking him to stay, to help, to protect.

Riley looked at her and knew he could not leave her alone right now. As much as he needed to have some space to himself right now, that would be impossible. Vampires struggled to keep control around humans, and Riley was no exception. Kelsey's blood smelled good, but he fought to control his instincts.

"Kelsey, are you okay?" he asked after she stopped shaking.

"Yeah, I guess." Her tone was bleak and flat.

"I want you to rest, okay? Tomorrow you can tell me what happened."

"Mmhmm." She mumbled, falling asleep almost instantly.

Riley ran a hand through his had as he watched Kelsey sleep. She looked peaceful, mostly. Sometimes she would thrash around and mumble incoherently. He sat ten feet away, where her blood didn't smell so strong. Losing himself in his thoughts, Riley thought about being a vampire. It sucked, literally. Years of withstanding the smell of blood, trying to control the hunger. Murdering people was not something Riley could deal with, but what was he supposed to do? The whole freaking concept sucked. He only killed when it was for the benefit of someone in trouble. Once he saved a teenage girl from rape. He killed the guy before he could lay a finger on her. Another time he saved a man from being stabbed. There were countless other times, too. It had to count for something, saving the innocent and killing the evil.

Riley liked to believe he had a soul, even if it was condemned to hell. Killing people usually did that to you. But, it wasn't his fault that he had this life, he didn't choose it. He had just wanted the pain to go away…

Kelsey moaned and his head snapped up. She rolled over and was watching him quietly. She smiled weakly, and started to push herself up. Riley ran over and held her down, and her face slipped into a pout. He chuckled.

"Hold on, you're probably disoriented."

"Yeah, right. Let me up." He obeyed, and let her sit up.

"Are you okay, you seemed really…scared."

"I-I saw a body…in a meadow…" her voice trailed off.

"What happened?"

"It was a woman, she was pretty. I think someone raped her…maybe, it's hard to tell, she was covered in bruises, and there were a lot of footprints, like there was a struggle."

"Kelsey, there is a lot more evil that good in this world. It's horrible when something like this happens, but…"

"I know…but at least I got to see you again." She smiled a little.

"Yeah, that's good. I really didn't think I'd ever see you again."

"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?" She asked playfully.

"I'm really happy you found me, actually."

"Well good. I missed you." She admitted, blushing.

"Can you believe that I missed you too?"

"No, not really."

"Well, I did."

A little awkward and embarrassed, Riley looked down, while Kelsey pretended to examine a fingernail. After a minute, they looked up, Kelsey blushing again, Riley smiling a little.

"Why don't we get going…it's a nice day, we might as well make the most of it." Riley said, and rising, they walked out of the cave with Charcoal following closely behind.

Chapter 12

Riley was watching her…again. Yet, somehow, this little fact pleased Kelsey. Whenever she would look up at Riley, she'd end up looking down again, blushing furiously. Maybe he liked her…or maybe he just thought she was crazy. Kelsey stared at him carefully for a minute, and then sighed in defeat. She wished she knew what he was thinking, but, of course, that was impossible…unless he told her.

"So what are you thinking about?" Kelsey asked, struggling to keep her tone light.

"I guess you want the truth?" Riley asked with a smile. Kelsey nodded. "I was thinking about the first night we met, and how fragile you looked. Now you tell me what you're thinking." Kelsey blushed again.

"I…I was thinking about…how, um…" She trailed off, stuttering. "…About how happy I was to find you. You know, I really was mad you wouldn't come with me."

"Hmm. I wish I would've. Maybe I'll be able to stay with you for a while."

"Really?" she asked too quickly. Kelsey looked down, embarrassed.

Riley studied her face for a minute. He gently took her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Yes," he breathed, "I would really like to."

Before he could do anything, she hugged him, only for a second. After she let go and stepped away, Riley stepped closer and suddenly he was kissing her.

Kelsey kissed him back passionately, letting their lips move together in harmony. She was getting dizzy when he pulled away. It only lasted a few seconds, but both Riley and Kelsey were breathing raggedly.

Kelsey looked up at Riley, dazed and happy. That answered her question from earlier. Kelsey's knees turned to jelly and she was falling, but before she hit the ground Riley caught her. He swung her legs over his arm and carried her to a nearby tree.

"What am I going to do if that happens every time I kiss you?" Riley teased her. She just laughed, her breathing still uneven. Kelsey looked into Riley's eyes and felt that she would be happy forever, just sitting here, curled up against his chest.

"So was that your first kiss?" Riley asked slowly.

"No, but it was the only one worth having…so yes, it was."

"That was the best kiss I've ever had. We'll just stay here while your heart restarts." Riley said.

"Oh you should talk! Your heart probably stopped too!"

Riley laughed. It was so effortless, so…natural. He hadn't laughed for such a long time. Kelsey was enjoying herself, too. She was ecstatic that Riley felt the same way about her as she did about him. She felt so happy, for what felt like the first time. She had never felt this good. Kelsey laughed as Riley stood up, still holding her.

"Let's try to find somewhere to stay the night." Riley said. Kelsey sighed. She wanted this moment to last forever. She looked at the sky, which had just a hint of pink on the western horizon. The stars were already out, and some constellations were visible. The forest was alive with the sounds of hundreds of animals. Crickets played their bright songs and frogs sang as night enveloped them with a cool embrace, covering them with darkness.

Riley took off running, cradling Kelsey to his chest. She was so tired, too tired to notice the night racing by in a dark blur. Listening to Riley's deep, even breathing, Kelsey drifted off to sleep under the silver gaze of the moon.

Chapter 13

Riley knew right from wrong. He knew that he should have told Kelsey that they should go their separate paths. But he told her the truth, which was usually right but had been wrong.

Riley hadn't been prepared when Kelsey had hugged him. That little show of affection was so strange, so foreign. Riley didn't have anyone who loved him, or who he loved. But after he kissed Kelsey, (which, again was a surprise) Riley realized that he was in love with Kelsey. Just admitting that sent little shivers down his spine. He hoped she felt the same way about him.

It felt impossible that this fragile little human girl was able to shake his life, all 94 years, so completely. Riley had spent half a century just trying to build up the iron wall around his heart. He made his heart a black lock, vowing never to care for anyone again. Sure, girls had tried to get him to unlock his heart, but they were all keys, none of which fit quite right. Kelsey had come along and opened his heart. It was like seeing the beauty of the world for the first time. There was no way going back. She had shown Riley the light, and there was no going back to the darkness.

What was worse was the fact that Riley had never felt love so intense. He was a vampire and Kelsey was human. They should have been enemies. Every minute, every second that he spent with her was only endangering her life. He wanted to stay with her forever, every single second of forever.

How could they make it work? He was a wolf, and she was a small lamb, a lamb that didn't know her sheep from wolves. But it would kill him to leave. What if she didn't mind him being a vampire? Maybe she wouldn't be scared, wouldn't run screaming. Maybe was only a chance, and a small one, at that.

Riley was running, with Kelsey in his arms as he thought this. She was sleeping, peaceful and serene. He wanted to kiss her again, but knew he shouldn't wake her. Kissing Kelsey was unbelievable. She kissed him back. She loved him.

Riley was tired and needed sleep. He gently set Kelsey on the soft moss he found growing between two trees. She moaned quietly and rolled over, settling down with a sigh. Riley lay down a few feet away, praying he wouldn't be the one to kill her.

Riley was glad he was a vampire, in spite of the killing and blood. If he had died, he never would've met Kelsey, and she seemed like the angel who could help him change, if only he let her.

Riley listened to Kelsey's heartbeat, quiet but there. No vampire in the world would understand him. Not anyone. He wished his family were still alive, just to see that he had found the one person that could make him happy.

Chapter 14

Riley woke up to a piercing scream. He jumped to his feet and looked to where Kelsey was…or should've been. No one was there but Riley, and he knew Kelsey had screamed.

"Riley help!" Kelsey screamed, sounding farther away.

Riley started running in the direction that Kelsey's voice had come from. He ran as fast as he could, the forest blurring into one green wall. He stopped and looked around, not sure where to go.

"Kelsey?" He shouted. Riley looked around wildly, waiting, watching for any sign of her.

"Please don't do this!" She pleaded, which was followed by a scream that was abruptly cut off.

"Kelsey where are you? Kelsey? Kelsey!" Riley was shouting, screaming her name. He couldn't lose her! He just found someone to be close to, to love…and now she was going to be taken away! He couldn't even protect her…

"If you want her back, return to where you were born anew…" a voice hissed, faraway and faint. It was like leaves rustling in a faint breeze. "…There you will find her, waiting to die, begging, if you don't come fast…" The voice faded into the light rain that was just starting to fall.

"Bring her back!" Riley screamed, knowing full well that it was useless. Whoever had taken Kelsey was gone. He sank to his knees, fear dragging him down. It wasn't fear for him, but fear for Kelsey. What if something happened to her? He would never forgive himself.

Riley pushed himself up on his feet and started running towards the Household. That was where he was reborn as a vampire. Bastien must want him back, and had someone spying on him. Whoever it was saw Riley hanging out with Kelsey, had seen the kiss…everything. Whatever happened to Kelsey would be all his fault.

What would they do to Kelsey? Maybe they wouldn't hurt her, just keep her locked up and use her as bait. Riley heard the echo of the voice in his head.

He didn't want Kelsey to die! She couldn't! He had to save her. Riley sprinted towards the Household, praying that he wouldn't be too late…

***

Kelsey slept peacefully beside Riley, but someone was moving her. She jerked awake, thrown over somebody's shoulder.

"Don't say anything." He hissed. "If you make any noise at all, you will wish you were never born!"

Kelsey's eyes were wide in panic. She twisted and thrashed, trying to get loose, but her hands and feet were bound. She started hyperventilating as she lost sight of Riley who was looking peaceful in his sleep. She screamed, hoping that he would hear. Her captor took off into a flat sprint, hitting her across the face.

"Riley, help!" She screamed, and was met by another slap, sending red dots dancing across her eyes.

"Please don't do this!" she screamed again, begging, pleading. Riley wasn't visible anymore, just as she finished her sentence, she was struck again, more dots swirling into her vision. She screamed, was hit one more time, and sank into black unconsciousness.

Chapter 15

Kelsey awoke with a painful jolt. She gasped, landing on cold, hard stones. She looked around but couldn't see anything. Feeling her way around, Kelsey figured out she was in a room made of rough-cut stone for three walls, thick iron bars for the fourth. The bars criss-crossed so that there were only squares small enough to fit a pinkie finger through. She was trapped.

"Hello?" Kelsey whispered. She felt so alone.

"Hello," a warm voice greeted her. "So what's your name?" The woman's voice was smooth and gentle, but there was a hidden edge, seething and impatient.

"My name is Kelsey." She whispered. "Why am I here? What do you want from me?"

"Keep your mouth shut, you whiney brat! Answer my questions, that's all you need to do."

Kelsey was even more scared now. She had fled back to a corner of the stonewalls, cringing as the woman's voice became more acidic with each word. She shivered with cold and fear.

"Why were you traveling with Riley?"

"We…we're just friends." Well actually they had been something more, something Kelsey hoped wouldn't end so soon.

"You were more than just friends," she sneered the word. "Lucas saw you kissing him, and friends don't kiss like that. I don't know why he liked you anyways. You're just an ugly, little human."

"No," Kelsey whispered, "You're wrong."

"Am I? Riley never loved you, he just felt sorry for you. You're so weak and pathetic. He never would love someone as insignificant as you. Look at him. He's strong and beautiful, but you're weak and ugly. Never could he love you."

"I know he loved me. Your lies won't change anything!"

"Lies? You don't know anything! I'm only telling the truth."

The woman walked out, her steps fading away gradually. Kelsey was left alone again. She might never see Riley again, and that thought alone brought up tears that she had suppressed while talking. She cried, sobs wracking her thin frame. They passed gradually, and Kelsey curled up, trying to hold herself together. She was tired, but if she fell asleep, she was scared she would never wake up again. They could do anything, even kill her. No one cared for her, except for Riley, and she might not ever live to see his face again.

Kelsey kept thinking about Riley. She hoped he wasn't coming to find her, because then these evil people would get him too. She remembered every moment they were together, going over it piece by piece, letting it play like a movie through her head.

Kelsey jerked back to the present as she heard footsteps ricocheting off the walls. Light flooded through the doorway, showing the silhouette of a tall man.

"So Kelsey, how was your trip?" the man asked in a deep voice.

"Please take me back." She pleaded, hoping she could go home…wherever that was.

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Please. I want to go home. I never did anything to you!" She yelled, scared and exhausted.

"You won't leave now, we still need you. But maybe after Riley comes to get you, you can leave. Somehow, I doubt you'll ever leave this cell."

Kelsey didn't want to hear him. She wanted him to leave her alone. Riley wouldn't come…he wasn't stupid, and he'd know the danger.

"He won't come. He isn't stupid, you know."

"Oh, I can assure you, he is on his way right now."

"What are you going to do to me?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

Chapter 16

Kelsey was momentarily blinded as lights flickered on all around her. Blinking away spots, she looked for a way out of the cell. There was no way out except the barred door, but someone walking toward her.

It was a tall man, thin, but powerfully muscled. Kelsey stood up, edging closer toward the damp stonewall. Before Kelsey could say anything the man had clamped his hand onto her wrist and slammed it against the solid stonewall.

The snap echoed across the room, accompanied by Kelsey's scream of agony. The man let go, and she fell on knees, gasping at the pain. The man let out a booming laugh, and Kelsey looked up, shuddering at the sound.

"What are you doing?" she whispered, barely audible.

"What do you think? This is Riley's punishment."

"I…don't…understand…"

"What's not to understand? Riley obviously loved you. He ran away from us, and so this is his punishment. Seeing you in pain will hurt him more than physical pain. He was trained to withstand pain. But now, he gets to watch you die!" He laughed, saying this with apparent pleasure.

"But…"

"Riley isn't that far away. He'll be here soon, you'll die, and he will go on living life as a vampire."

Kelsey laughed. "Vampire?" I think you need to control imagination! Or are you just crazy?" She couldn't help laughing; she actually felt on the edge of hysteria. The man gave her a savage kick that silenced her.

"You mean he didn't tell you? Riley's a vampire, as am I, and everyone else in this building!"

Kelsey wanted to laugh again, but the man had said that seriously…and proudly. There was no way he was telling the truth. Vampires were fairytales, nothing more than fiction. Could they really exist?

"If Riley is a vampire, I don't think he would have kissed me. He would have left me alone when we met."

"Believe what you want to, but I only speak the truth." The man turned around and walked out, locking the barred door behind him.

Kelsey didn't believe that what he had said could be true. Suppose Riley was a vampire. So maybe he had tried to eat her the night they met. Maybe he didn't love her, but was just looking for a take-along meal. Kelsey slumped to the floor. It was wrong to think about Riley like that because he loved her. She was ashamed she had even considered it. She felt miserable again. Her wrist throbbed and she was cold. At least she could see.

She lay there for an hour, hoping that no one would come back for her.

At the end of the hour, a door shifted and footsteps echoed down the stairs. Kelsey jumped up and slid into the corner, bracing herself for the pain she knew would come.

There were two people dragging the limp form of something between them. They stopped four or five steps from the bottom and threw it down the stairs, where it landed in a heap on the floor.

It was Riley.

Chapter 17

"Riley!" Kelsey screamed. She sprinted over to the bars, tripping and stumbling until she fell on her knees. The pain of her wrist was forgotten as she tried to get through the barrier of Riley's unconsciousness.

"Please wake up! Don't leave me!" She cried, hoping he wasn't dead. The seconds stretched on; Riley lay motionless. Tears streamed down Kelsey's face as the people who had thrown him down the steps laughed bitterly. Riley moved, groaning, and Kelsey gasped, trying to stand up. He got on his knees and tried to drag himself to where Kelsey was. She stuck her hand on the bars, flat out and Riley did the same. The bars separated their hands, so close, but unable to touch.

"I love you." He whispered, so low, only she could here. "I want you to know that I want to spend my life with you. I love you so much."

"I love you, too." She was scared, but Riley knew the truth now. "I-" She couldn't finish. Someone had grasped her arm and threw her across the room. She hit the stonewall with a thud and sank to the ground, blood cascading down the wall. Dazed and confused, bleeding and wounded, Kelsey felt agony, overtake her. She saw Riley jump up, but he was thrown back down to the ground by two people…vampires Kelsey thought. He stared at her with anguish in his eyes.

Kelsey felt more pain, this time in her shoulder, and she fell sideways to the ground, as blackness pulled her under. Right before she sank into nothingness, she saw everyone in the room, except Riley, walking toward her smirking with pleasure and greediness. Riley looked at her, horrified, and raced toward her…

*~*~*

Chapter 18

Riley ran back the way he had come, not sure of the way to the Household from where he was. Shattered thoughts ran through his mind, jumping from one topic to another.

Before he had taken off running, Riley had seen Charcoal's body lying lifeless on the ground. She had been killed so she wouldn't wake anyone up. Riley had been in a deep sleep since he had skipped sleeping for a night. He wondered how Kelsey would take Charcoal's death.

Riley knew Kelsey was going to be used as bait. Lucas had obviously seen them together and now…she might die. He was walking right into their trap too. He didn't care, As long as Kelsey would be all right.

Riley pushed himself faster, trying to hold on to his hope that Kelsey was okay. Could he ever get there in time? The question bit into him like a whip. It was agony, not knowing if she was alive…

Riley recognized the forest surrounding him. He was still far off, but getting closer by the minute. He slowed a little, making sure he was going the right direction when someone whipped out in front of him and pulled his feet out from under him. Riley caught himself, and rolling to his left, he sprang to his feet. The movement was quick, but another person slammed into his side, sending him sprawling to the ground again. He saw a foot flash before his face and his hand lashed out, pulling the man to the earth. Riley jumped on him to pin him down, but the first person, Nicolas Riley realized, had kicked him in the ribs, leaving him gasping for air. Nicolas held him down as the other man held something over his mouth, and Riley succumbed to the cool embrace of night.

*~*~*

Riley sank through shadowy colors, each pulling him around and shifting his position. He tried to move, but he felt too heavy. He didn't remember how he got here, or where he was going, but it was easier just to let the colors flash past and not think.

Riley tried to make sense of the palette of colors, swirling around the dark place. There was dark brown, black, grayish blue, and murky green. The colors shifted, and Riley was standing in a field.

The field was beautiful. It had different flowers; most were red, yellow, and white. There was a stream running through the middle, with throngs of geese and swans. A red brick bridge arched over it, where two wooden benches sat parallel from each other. There was even a little house in the distance. It was white, with a gray roof. It was nice-looking, like it was well cared for. A small windmill stood near it, the sails turning lazily in the breeze.

Riley walked to the house, gazing at the clear blue river. The door was unlocked, and he went in, not caring who lived there. He walked through the living room and the kitchen, and saw a small office. Riley walked inside, and looked around.

"Do you like it here, Riley?" a voice asked him. Someone was sitting in the chair facing away from him.

"I really do. I've never seen any place more beautiful."

"Would you like to live here?"

"Really? I could?"

"Yes." The person turned the chair around, and Riley gasped. He was looking at an exact image of himself. He continued speaking. "If you really want to live like this, you need to save her."

"Who?"

"You know who I'm talking about. You're life won't feel like anything compared to how it could be if you don't save her."

"I…"

"Look at your life without her."

The house melted into a dismal forest. The gray sky oppressed Riley, making him feel like he was being flattened. The dark forest closed in around him, making him feel claustrophobic. All over the floor there was skeletons lying around, their blank gazes watching him. His replica self stood in front of him, glaring.

"Do you want to live here?"

"No, I-"

"Then SAVE KELSEY!" he yelled, and his replica disappeared, and the forest scene dissolved, and Riley was lying on a cold, stone floor.

Chapter 19

Riley groaned as he heard Kelsey screaming. She was begging, pleading for him to get up. Each breath he took caused him agony; maybe he had broken some ribs. He pulled himself over to the iron bars, trying to close the gap between Kelsey and himself. They put their hands together, only separated by the iron bars. Riley looked into her brown eyes and knew that they may not make it out alive. She had to know how he felt. She had a right to.

"I love you." He said each word separately, whispering almost inaudibly.

"I love you, too. I-" And she was gone. Lucas, moving so quickly that Riley hadn't seen him, had thrown Kelsey into the stonewall across the room. She fell to the floor looking crumpled and broken. Blood poured down the wall and Kelsey's eyes closed. All of the vampires stalked forward, each wanting their share of blood. He jumped up and flew towards her as the scent of her blood became maddening. He rushed in and threw aside the few vampires standing in his way. Nicolas stopped him, just as the last vampire reached Kelsey.

Lucas bent down, his mouth right above her shoulder, where blood flowed freely. He put his mouth on her wound and bit her.

Kelsey writhed in agony for a moment and went still.

It only took Riley a second to throw Nicolas out of the way. He grabbed Lucas and dragged him off of Kelsey, pushing him back with all the strength he had. The other vampires screeched as Riley picked up Kelsey and sprinted from the room.

Vampires sped after him, coming at him from all sides. He was faster, and was soon out running all of them. He was terrified for Kelsey, so he headed for the only safe place he knew.

His old house.

His house had everything they needed for the moment. It was secluded. It was far in the forest and shrouded by trees. The house was also abandoned. No one lived there, but Riley dropped in occasionally to make sure it was well stocked and not falling in on itself. The house had everything from medical supplies, which would really come in handy, to a small library. Kelsey could rest while she got better. The house wasn't far away, either-maybe twenty or thirty minutes.

Riley reached the house after he was sure nobody was following him. He went inside and immediately laid Kelsey down on a huge bed. He ran downstairs to get medical supplies and set to work on healing Kelsey. Her heartbeat was slow and labored. She was very pale and losing blood quickly. He wrapped her head and should in thick white gauze after he applied a gelatinous ointment to them. The bleeding was still bad, and Riley tried not to breathe too much.

Kelsey's wrist was broken, probably in a few different places. He tried to set the bones in place and placed two long wooden splints on each side. He wrapped gauze around it, too.

Then he unwrapped her shoulder to look at the bite.

It was still bleeding, even though most of the other bleeding had stopped. A vampire's teeth had a toxin that kept blood flowing from a bite. He cleaned the bite marks, hoping the bleeding would stop if the toxin were out. But it didn't. It kept coming, no matter how many times Riley tried to stop it. Her heartbeat was weaker, like her heart didn't have any blood left to pump.

All he could do was wait. Either Kelsey would wake up as a vampire, or she would die.

Chapter 20

Three days passed. Kelsey's heartbeat slowed and weakened until it was as soft as a spring mist. She grew paler and thinner, death starting to take its toll. Riley stayed by her side day and night, waiting for something to happen.

Waiting wasn't something Riley was good at. He couldn't just sit and wait for things to happen. He tried to make things happen. But he didn't dare touch Kelsey; she was so fragile looking. Waiting for her to wake up was excruciatingly painful.

Most of the time Riley would sit in a chair across from the bed. He would stare at Kelsey, sometimes falling asleep, only to jump up when he would have a nightmare that Kelsey died.

He stared at her through the dark, rain coming down in sheets outside. The summer night was cooler than summer should be. Thunder rumbled and lightning clawed its way through the black sky. Riley felt numb and empty.

He walked over to the bed and sat by Kelsey's feet.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered, almost noiselessly. "I never wanted any of this to happen to you. I should've never brought you into this. I love you so much, but I wish I had never met you. You would've been better off alone than with me."

He lay down beside Kelsey, and listened to the storm outside. Time stopped as he listened to her feeble pulse. The sound grew fainter and fainter, fading with each passing minute.

Riley lay there for three more tortuous days. Being a vampire, he was blood thirsty, but he didn't move at all. Time seemed to slow, each minute seeming like an hour. Riley could only watch as his love's life looked as if it were slipping away.

Riley had never seen a person changed into a vampire before, but he was sure it didn't take this long. He remembered being bitten, but then there was a void of black amnesia. Six days was so long, Riley wasn't sure if there was a way to check if the process was working or not. Kelsey had lost so much blood…she might just die.

Riley sat up as her heartbeat faltered…and faded away completely. At 4:25 am on her sixth day of being unconscious Kelsey Birchwood died.

Chapter 21

Kelsey was on beach with Riley. The sand was white and soft with scattered shells gleaming like gems. The clear blue-green water crashed against the sand, spraying both of them. The sun shone down brightly.

They walked in silence for a while, admiring the beauty of the scene that was spread out before them. Riley took Kelsey's hand and led her to a tide pool. They sat on the sand in silence, still not saying anything. It was a comfortable silence that neither of them minded. Riley dipped his hand into the tide pool and pulled up a swirled shell, and dropped it into Kelsey's hand. She turned it over, awestruck because of its perfect shape, color and texture. The light green shell had brown and black specks across its smooth spiral. She played with it, letting the sun make it shimmer and glitter.

"Thank you. It's beautiful." She said quietly. Riley sat there and smiled beatifically at her. She smiled back and picked up a starfish, careful to keep it in the water. Little minnows darted around her hand, tickling her with their noses. Kelsey giggled, setting the starfish back down. Riley stood up and together they walked to the ocean's edge. Kelsey tested the water temperature with her foot and found out that it was pretty warm. The water felt good compared to the hot sun.

Riley took Kelsey's hand again, but this time he led her into the water. They swam far out and the coast became a strip of white. There were green dots, which could only be palm trees. They tread water for a few minutes, but three fins were approaching them, coming very quickly. She tried to pull Riley away, scared that they were sharks, but Riley swam closer with Kelsey in tow. He grabbed one of the fins, lying on the dolphin's back. He pulled Kelsey close, angling her body so she was on the other side of the fin. She held on as the dolphin dove under water. Kelsey opened her eyes to see colorful fish and plants flying by. Riley helped her hold on, her own strength not enough to keep her from being pulled away. The dolphin shifted upward and broke through the surface, slicing through the air in a graceful arc. It stopped after it had reentered the water and Kelsey and Riley swam back to the beach.

They lay on the sand, watching the sunset. The sky was painted pink and orange, the sea melting into the same colors. Riley was watching Kelsey as she curled up beside him and laid her head on his chest. She listened to the sound of his breathing, her shoulder hurting a little.

Riley looked at her expression and laughed, but then paused and frowned a little and said, "I'm so sorry." He whispered, almost noiselessly. "I never wanted any of this to happen to you. I should've never brought you into this. I love you so much, but I wish I had never met you. You would've been better off alone than with me."

Kelsey could feel the tears beginning to well up…she didn't understand. A sharp pain in her chest made her gasp, and the beautiful scene and Riley vanished, replaced by a blinding white light. The brilliance of the place was overwhelming, but it didn't take Kelsey's problems away. She gasped again and fell, her body going into convulsions. An unfamiliar house flashed before her eyes, and suddenly everything was nothing.

*~*~*

Riley jumped up as Kelsey's heartbeat stuttered to a stop. He began CPR and tried to get her heart restarted, but nothing happened. Her eyes fluttered open and she gasped, and went limp.

Riley gave up: ten minutes had passed since her heart gave out. But a sudden gasp made him fly to the bedside again. Kelsey was breathing raggedly, eyes flying open as she fully came awake. Riley stared at her as her breathing became regulated. She still had no heartbeat. Kelsey had died, but only to become a vampire.

Chapter 22

Kelsey stared at Riley, scared and uncertain. Her wide eyes mirrored the shock and disbelief on his face. He took a step towards her, and her eyes got a little wider, so he sat on the edge of the bed. Kelsey slumped back, tired, even after her "coma".

"You're a vampire." She mumbled quietly. It wasn't a question or and accusation, but more of a statement. She looked at Riley wearily through half-closed eyes.

"Yes. I would've told you, but…" He trailed off. What could he say, 'I would've told you, but I'm not supposed to exist.' "You wouldn't have believed me."

"You're probably right. But you could've killed me!"

"Never. I never kill innocent people."

"It's okay. I bet it's hard being you. Guess I won't ever know what that's like, being a vampire."

Great. Riley had not really wanted to explain that she was a vampire already. He had hoped he could have put this conversation off. "Kelsey…you remember before you went into your…coma? All the vampires were going to kill you, so I tried to stop them. I did, too, all except one, because another vampire held me back. Lucas sort of…bit you. You've been unconscious for six days. I tried to help you heal, but it was too late. You're a vampire now."

Kelsey looked at him blankly. Her face had gone white and she grabbed her shoulder, remembering what had happened six nights ago. Riley took her shoulders and shook her gently, hoping she would be okay.

"Kelsey?"

"Huh?" she said, trying to blink away her confusion.

"Are you okay with this? I know it's hard to take in, but…"

"I'm fine Riley, honestly." She smiled. "This just means we can be together forever. Vampires do live forever, right?"

Riley smiled at her, and suddenly they were kissing. He didn't hold back because he didn't have to worry about killing her. She was just like him. Kelsey kissed him back passionately.

She pulled back, breathing quickly. Riley laughed, but he was gasping for air, too. The room felt like it was spinning. Kelsey lay down on the bed, pulling Riley beside her. He pulled her close against his chest. She felt so drained after learning she was a vampire.

Riley whispered in her ear. "I love you. Go to sleep Kelsey. We will talk in the morning." She couldn't help but listen. Riley loved her and they could live in peace forever. She curled up in a ball, Riley still holding her, and drifted off to sleep.

*~*~*

Kelsey woke up and saw that Riley was gone. She walked downstairs and sat at the kitchen table. Looking around curiously, she felt Riley's arms wrap around her. Kelsey giggled, stood up, and turned around to press her lips to Riley's. He smiled as she jumped into his outstretched arms. He carried Kelsey into the living room and set her on the loveseat, watching her.

"So," Kelsey said, ready to learn about her new life. "What's different about being a vampire than being a human?"

"I guess the first thing is our diet." Riley replied, sitting next to Kelsey. "You know vampires drink human blood, but I've been trying to find an alternative."

"Maybe animal blood?" Kelsey asked. She'd been wondering about that problem in the kitchen. She couldn't bear to kill people.

"We'll try. I don't know if it will work, but we will try." Riley said cautiously. He didn't want to let her down if it didn't work.

"'Kay"

"The next differences are physical. First of all, you'll get paler, because you don't have any blood to give you color. You'll also get faster and stronger too. Your body will change gradually instead of all at once."

"What about being around people? Will I want to kill them?" Kelsey asked.

Maybe at first, but I will help you to resist it. Don't think of them as food. Think of them as living, breathing people who have families and dreams and who love."

As Kelsey took all of this in, she felt something eating at her, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She started thinking about how horrible it would be to kill people. She hoped animal blood would work. Then it clicked. She knew what was bothering her.

"Riley, where's Charcoal?"

"Kelsey, she didn't make it. Lucas killed her."

Kelsey felt tears welling up in her eyes. "She was only a baby!" She shouted, the tears spilling over. Riley pulled her onto his lap and rocked her back and forth as she cried silently. She held on to Riley, for he was the only person who was important to her anymore. He held her for a while, until she finally sniffled once and looked at him. Kelsey smiled weakly and Riley carried her out into the afternoon sun.

"Why don't we go out for brunch?" He asked her, thinking she could use the energy hunting would give her.

"Yeah. Can we try animal blood instead?" she asked quietly.

"Whatever you want." Riley said, kissing her gently.

They ran through the forest until they found suitable game. There were two deer in a small meadow. Riley told Kelsey what to do.

"Wait until they aren't looking at you. Let your instincts take over. It's as easy as one, two, three." Riley looked at Kelsey, and she looked sort of scared.

"Okay."

"Ready?" He whispered, so quietly that it didn't even bother the deer. "Go!"

Kelsey and Riley ran, blurring as they pounced on the two deer. Kelsey felt her mind go blank and suddenly she knew what to do. She killed the animal instantly and drank its blood. She ran over to Riley, who was finished and waiting at the meadow's edge.

"I have to say, that was better than drinking human blood." Riley said.

"I don't think I'll have a problem with this lifestyle."

Running hand in hand, Kelsey and Riley returned to the house. Kelsey thought that being a vampire wouldn't be too bad. Riley would keep her from killing people. He would help her adjust.

"What do you want to do now?" Kelsey asked. She was excited to test her speed and strength.

"We can race, if you want. I don't think you have too good a chance of winning, but…" Riley laughed. "You ready?"

"Yeah, and we'll see who's the fastest." Kelsey giggled and was ready to go. " Ready…set…go!"

They flew past each other, dodging trees and jumping streams. Always neck and neck, they pushed themselves faster, trying to win. They ran in a big loop back to Riley's house, Riley only beating Kelsey by a second.

"You cheated!" Kelsey complained, laughing at Riley's mock surprise.

"Me cheating? Never!" He said, his voice full of fake disapproval. "If anyone cheated it was you!"

Kelsey laughed. You haven't seen anything yet. This is cheating!" She said, plastering an evil smile on her face. She walked up to Riley and, wrapping her arms around his neck, kissed him. She sighed as he kissed her back, holding on with all of her strength, her body molded to his. Showers of sparkles bloomed across Kelsey's vision. She pulled away, breathing heavily. Riley looked at Kelsey as she gasped for air. He had found his angel. He supported most of Kelsey's weight, holding her close.

Riley turned around and ran into the house, leaving Kelsey alone momentarily. He ran back out, and slid down onto one knee. She watched him, oblivious to what he was doing.

"Kelsey, I know I've only known you for a couple of weeks, but I love you. I love you so much I can't even express it in words. You are the only person who has captured my heart, and the only person who ever will. You are my angel, without whom my life is not worth living. I will love you for all eternity. Will you marry me?"

Kelsey gaped at Riley, mouth open. She imagined a family with Riley, growing to love him more each day. True love forever.

"Riley, I, I, I…YES!" She squeaked, overcome with happiness and joy. "Yes, yes, yes, yes!"

Riley smiled angelically at her and took her left hand. He slid the shining diamond and silver ring on her fourth finger in the fading daylight.

"Thank you so much." Riley said, getting up and crushing Kelsey to his chest. "I will never let you down."

*~*~*

Chapter 23

Kelsey was content, but so much more. She was getting married! She ran into the house to find a mirror and looked at the sparkling ring on her finger. It was beautiful, but Kelsey couldn't help but wonder where Riley had gotten it. The silver was laced around the eight diamonds, shining brightly. Kelsey ran back outside to tell Riley how excited she was.

He was gone.

"Riley?" she called. The forest had become eerily quiet. "This isn't funny. Where are you?" Kelsey had been jumpy since she had been kidnapped. She ran around the house, calling Riley's name.

"Run!" Riley hissed. Kelsey whipped her head around, looking in the direction his voice had come from. Riley's voice had been nothing more than a whisper, but it was a distinct whisper; something only she was meant to hear. There was even a note of urgency in his voice, like something was wrong. Kelsey pushed her way through the thick underbrush and stumbled into a meadow.

Riley was standing in the center of the clearing. He had a six-inch knife held to his throat. The problem was, no one was holding the knife. Kelsey started to run forward to help him, but Riley hissed. She stopped in her tracks and stared at him.

"They're invisible!" He said, so low only a vampire could hear. "Run Kelsey!"

Kelsey started running, trying to figure out what had happened. Had Riley gone crazy? Yeah, right. Maybe he was messing with her…but his voice was too urgent for that.

Kelsey was ducking and weaving through the clearing as she squinted, trying to find someone, anyone, who would pose a threat. She turned just as someone snatched her foot and threw her to the ground. Kelsey turned, preparing to kick whomever it was in the face, but nobody was there. Instead a silver knife hovered less than an inch above her heart.

Kelsey's breath caught and Riley snarled as Kelsey was pulled to her feet. The knife was pressed to her throat and a hand flashed in front of her face. People were appearing all over the meadow. They were all laughing and Kelsey realized that she knew them.

Each person was an orphan from the Happy Homes Orphanage. The person holding Riley was none other than the orphanage owner, Ms. Ophelia. Kelsey looked at her, panic=stricken as Ophelia laughed.

"So surprised to see me, Kelsey? You definitely were hard to find. Usually we catch you runaways faster. By the way, who is your friend? I think we could let one of the girls have her way with him, maybe one of your old friends."

Kelsey snarled and thrashed against her captor, but the knife flashed menacingly across her vision. Riley gave her a pained look, begging her to relax.

"Did I strike a nerve?" Ophelia asked, laughing shrilly.

Kelsey was about to scream at her, but she was flipped to face her attacker. She looked into the face of one of her old friends.

The girl had to be around eighteen. She had blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, fair skin and light freckles. It was Cecelia.

"Miss me?" she asked, smiling sweetly. "How could you have left me behind?"

"What are you?" Kelsey asked, distressing about her friend's change.

"I'm a Chamaelonidae Sapien. (A.N.) This pretty much means chameleon person. I thought of it myself. What do you think?) Ophelia's own DNA morphed and put into our genes. We are a superior race, one that no one will surpass."

"You've really changed Cecelia. But guess what-so did I." Kelsey growled as she grabbed Cecelia's arm and twisted it back. Four people jumped at Kelsey, throwing her to the ground. Kelsey kicked her way out of the jumble and ran to Ophelia. She grabbed the knife and flung it back where the pile of people used to be. Riley kicked Ophelia's legs out from under her and ran, pulling Kelsey with him. Arrows flew at them from behind. They swerved wildly, trying to evade the arrows, but one caught Kelsey in the shoulder, sticking in with a final twang. She screamed out in pain and Riley grabbed her hand, trying to urge her faster. Kelsey was the main target and most of the arrows flew headed for her. Another arrow found its mark, burying its head deep in Kelsey's leg. She cried out in torture as the ground churned and flew towards her face. Riley caught her hand just before she hit and, without breaking stride, flung her up to carry her against his chest.

"Riley, please, leave me behind! They only want me!" Kelsey cried out, looking at Riley's beautiful face. He roared and said, "Damn it Kelsey! Shut up! I will never leave you behind!" But then someone caught Riley's foot and he fell, twisting wildly in midair so he wouldn't fall on Kelsey.

Cecelia looked down on them, snickering scornfully. Riley was growling so loudly that Kelsey couldn't hear over it. He thrashed furiously against the hands that held him back. Kelsey felt dizzy; something had been shoved over her mouth. Riley's growls became less pronounced, and ceased completely. His body went limp as Kelsey's vision took on tunnel like aspects and faded entirely.

*~*~*

Kelsey woke up on a steel bed with metal restraints. Riley was on the bed next to her, in the same condition. There were sharp metal instruments on a table between them. The room had bright surgical lights overhead. Across the room there was a window showing six people in scrubs washing up for surgery. The room had charts and diagrams plastered over it; instructions of some sort. All around were oxygen masks and life support machines-signs of major surgery. The room suddenly felt cramped and tiny, the air suddenly seemed suffocating. There was no hope of escape.

"Riley!" Kelsey called, panic-stricken. "Riley, wake up!"

"Kelsey?" Riley groaned, turning to look at her. "Where are we?"

"They got us. We're in their…headquarters. Riley, we have to get out of here, they're gonna turn us into freaks like them!"

"We'll get out of this. Stay calm. Do you have any idea how to get out of here?"

"No. Please tell me you can break that metal." Kelsey said.

"I don't think I can. Can you reach that key on the table?" Riley asked hopefully.

"Maybe." Kelsey said, and tried to grab it. She hit it, and it fell to the floor with a clink. She stared at it, completely consumed with despair.

"There's only one chance." Riley said sadly. He grabbed a long scalpel off of the table and hid it under his wrist. "Someone's coming. Pretend to be asleep." He hissed, closing his eyes. Kelsey followed his lead and heard someone come in, dragging something heavy with him. He bent over Kelsey, strapped an oxygen mask to her face, and went to do the same to Riley. Riley flipped the scalpel out and stabbed the man, who gasped and fell to the floor. The smell of blood filled the room, and Kelsey found herself thrashing against her restraints, as was Riley.

Kelsey couldn't think, couldn't control herself, couldn't do anything. With a screeching snap, Riley broke through his restraints and was drinking the man's blood. Kelsey broke out a second later, her head starting to clear as the smell of blood vanished. Riley grabbed her hand and together they flew out of the room, throwing the incoming Chamailonidae Sapiens aside. The screamed at the sight of the dead man, his body drained of its blood.

Still high on the adrenaline rush the blood's smell had given them, Kelsey and Riley ran faster than ever, not pausing for a moment. They broke out into the moonlight, their pursuers falling behind with every step. Riley had a pained look in his eye. He tried to hide it when Kelsey looked at him. They were so far from everyone. There was no way anyone could catch them now.

"What's wrong Riley?" Kelsey asked gently. She could tell something was bothering him.

"Nothing." He said in a flat voice.

"It's not nothing. Please tell me. I'll worry about it so much more if you don't." She whispered pleadingly.

He looked at her sadly. "I killed a man for no reason other than to kill." He said. "I never did that before and…"

"Riley, you didn't kill just to kill. You killed to save us…to save me." Kelsey said, looking into his eyes. "It's okay. None of us are perfect. We all make mistakes…but this wasn't a mistake. Don't worry about it. For me?" She asked, hoping to make him feel better.

"Okay." Riley said, smiling weakly. He scooped her up in his arms and said, "I really want to get married soon. I didn't ever think I was a person for commitment, but I want to prove my love for you so much."

Kelsey looked at him and smiled. "You already have." She pressed her lips to his, intertwining her fingers in his hair. Riley pulled her closer to him, intensifying the kiss. Kelsey opened her mouth and sighed into his, and Riley's whole world exploded in neon colors of radiance and exuberance. Their breath mingled, and the kiss ended, and for the second time after they had kissed, Kelsey fell to the ground, absolutely in love with Riley.

Chapter 24

Riley picked Kelsey up and bent his head down. He brushed feather-light kisses along her cheek and down her neck. She giggled weakly and her eyes fluttered open. Riley kissed the tip of her nose and she pressed her lips against his neck in return.

Riley started running again and said, "You know, I don't think you're supposed to fall down after we kiss. Must I always hold you up?" He grinned.

Kelsey smiled. "Oh, I don't object to it. I don't think you do, either." She laughed. "By the way, when are we going to get married? You think you're impatient, but you haven't been nearly as impatient as me. I wanted to ask you where you got this ring, too. It's beautiful."

Riley shrugged. "When I was younger, my dad gave it to me. He told me to give it to the girl I wanted to marry. He said if I would regret marrying her after a few years then I shouldn't give it to her. I realized that you would always be the only one I want to wake up next to morning after morning. You're the only one I won't ever regret marrying." He smiled angelically at her. It would have been enough to make her heart stutter if it still beat.

"Wow. You're practically the only person who has ever told me you didn't regret me being alive. Well, mostly. Usually people just imply that. Once I was taken to the orphanage, I completely changed. I wasn't the sweet little girl people used to tell me I was. I became stubborn and defiant. I closed myself off to the world, relying only on myself." She looked at Riley. "You make me feel that little girl again."

Riley looked at Kelsey, wondering how much pain and suffering she had gone through as a child. "You always were that little girl. She was just hidden under the hard outer edges of your self-protection. You didn't know any better. You were just protecting yourself."

"Maybe. My dad was killed and my mom died of leukemia. I've always felt alone. What about your family?"

"They're gone. I'm seventeen physically, but technically I'm ninety-four. I had some siblings but they are either eighty something or dead. I have some nieces and nephews a few miles west of here. I would really like to visit them, but what would I tell them?"
Kelsey cocked her head to the side. "It's no big deal, Riley, they're kids. Tell them you're their uncle, explain it to their parents and you're clear. I wouldn't tell them how old you are or that you are a vampire, but really, we could visit them tomorrow."

"I don't think that would work. It would be hard to explain…" Riley said uncertainly.

"Shhh." Kelsey said, putting her finger to his lips. "It's settled. We'll run over there, get some sleep and visit tomorrow. 'Kay?"

"This is why I love you. You make anything possible." Riley said, laughing.

"The sky's the limit." Kelsey grinned. "Let's go hunting and we'll run over there after. We could be there in an hour and sleep 'till morning."

"Let's go." Riley laughed.

*~*~*

Morning broke over the beach where Kelsey and Riley had slept. Kelsey sat watching the waves break over the sand as Riley sat beside her, running sand over Kelsey's hand. The clouds were streaked with pink and orange. The beach was beautiful. The ocean was a scintillating blue and the sand was pure white. Riley seemed a little nervous; he kept moving around and sighing.

Kelsey stood up, pulled Riley up and said, "Come on. They're up. I can hear them moving around. Let's go meet your relatives!"

"I'm nervous. What if they don't buy my explanation? What if the kids don't like me?" He grimaced.

"Riley, don't dwell on the "what ifs." Everything's going to be fine. If it doesn't…well, we can just run like the vampires we are." Kelsey smirked.

They walked up to the beach house, which was sprawled out behind the dunes. It was huge.

Kelsey whistled. "Nice place." She stepped up to the door, took a deep breath and said, "Ready or not, here we come."
A young woman answered the door. "Hello. Can I help you?" she asked nicely.

"Yes." Riley answered. Kelsey took his hand and squeezed it. "I'm a relative of yours. I think your…Anna?"

"Yes I'm Anna. Who are you?" she asked, confused.

"I'm Riley Veran and this is my fiancé Kelsey."

"Wait, are you…Uncle Riley?" Anna asked happily. "My grandmother used to talk about you. She said you disappeared years ago. What happened?"

"I was kidnapped. I couldn't ever get back to my family."

"Shouldn't you be…I don't know, old?" She asked.

"Long story." Kelsey piped up. "It's so nice to meet you. I don't have any family, and I was starting to think Riley didn't either."
"Well, I guess he does now." Anna said. "Why don't you come in? You could meet the family." She gestured them into the house. Kelsey and Riley walked inside. Anna called out and a young man and four small children cam over. There were three girls and a boy.

"Hello." Riley said politely. "I'm Riley Veran. I'm related to Anna."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Max. What brings you here?"

"I just haven't seen the family forever." Riley smiled. "Who are these kids?"

Anna smiled proudly and said, "This is Eliza, Noelle, Joey, and Sawyer."

The kids were beautiful. Eliza was the youngest at age two. She had dark brown hair and wide brown eyes which were staring at Kelsey. She was tall for her age and was skinny, but she had an athletic build. Her skin was pale and had a few brown freckles.

Noelle was three. She had brown hair too, though it was slightly lighter than Eliza's. Her eyes were bright blue. She was short but thin. She looked at her feet and batted her eyelashes shyly.

Joey was also three. He was Noelle's twin and they looked completely alike. They were built the same and the only real difference between them was Joey's eye color, which was hazel.

Sawyer was the oldest. She was four with sandy blonde hair. Her eyes were brown. She was tall and thin, but unlike Eliza, she wasn't athletic-looking. She looked more gangly and uncoordinated.

"They're beautiful." Riley said.

"Thank you. If you want to stay with us for awhile, you can stay in the guest room." Max said cheerily.

"Thank you so much! Kelsey and I would love to stay with you. We could watch the kids or help out in any way you need." Riley said gratefully.

"I have to go to work. I'll call you at lunch." Max said as he walked out the door.

"Bye Max." Anna said. "Miss you already!" She turned toward Riley and Kelsey. "I'll let you get acquainted with the kids."

Riley bent down and held his hand out to Sawyer. She came over and Riley said, "Hi, my name's Riley." Sawyer smiled. "Want a piggyback ride?"

Sawyer smiled wider and said, "Yeah." Riley put her on his back and walked up the stairs to her room.

"Do you guys want to show me your rooms?" They nodded and Kelsey picked up Eliza and put Joey on her back. She held Noelle's hand and they walked up the stairs. Kelsey peeked in Sawyer's room and saw her standing on the bed talking to Riley.

"…This is my bedroom. Look, you can see the beach down there. Have you ever been to the beach? What 'bout Kelsey? Are you gonna get married, 'cause she's really pretty…"

Sawyer's voice faded as Kelsey walked down the hall. "Where's your room, Noelle?"

"Down the hall and to the…that way." Noelle said, pointing.

Joey said, "Me and Elle and Liza, we share a room. It's really cool."

Kelsey chuckled. "Okay, you guys can each show me your room and tell me a little about yourself." She walked into their room. It was three rooms in one. They all came together at an extra-wide doorway. Noelle led her in and sat on the edge of the bed.

"This is my part of the room. I like it 'cause it's all purple and purple is my favorite color. See, this is a purple seashell I found at the beach. Will you take me to the beach, maybe?" She asked Kelsey, blinking rapidly.

"We'll see. Joey let's go to your room now."

"'Kay." He said as Kelsey walked into his room. He was more interested in her and Riley's life. "This is my room. My favorite color's blue. What's your favorite color? Are you and Riley gonna stay at my house? I want you to. Sawyer said something 'bout you and Riley getting married. Are you?"

"My favorite color is baby blue. We are going to stay here for a couple days, and later we'll get married." Kelsey laughed. Little kids could have such a short attention span.

Eliza looked at her with wide eyes. "My…room." She said haltingly. Kelsey smiled.

"Okay, your turn." They went into Eliza's room and Kelsey set her down. She toddled around, pointing to different objects.

"Yellow. Pink. Bear. Bed." Eliza crowed happily.

Riley came into the room, holding Sawyer. He whispered in Kelsey's ear. "Sawyer wants to be read a story. Maybe the other kids would like it as well?"

"Do you guys want to listen to a story?" They nodded and Kelsey and Riley took turns making up a story. Kelsey began: (AN) bold italics are Riley and regular italics are Kelsey.

Once upon a time there was a lonely girl who lived in an orphanage. She was forced to work very hard and was very scared. She escaped from the orphanage, and ran away into the forest. There she met a handsome prince who helped her.

The prince liked the girl very much, but didn't want her to get hurt by the evil wizards who were chasing him. He told her that he had to leave and she couldn't come with her. She was sad but she listened to him.

Later the girl met the prince again. They were happy to see each other. They stayed together for a while, but then one of the evil wizards kidnapped the girl. The boy tried to stop him, but he was too fast.

The wizards locked the girl up in their dungeon. She was scared but then the price came to save her. He rescued her, but before he could get her to safety one evil wizard cast a spell on her.

The prince took her to a secret house where the wizards wouldn't find them. The girl fell into a deep sleep for six days. The prince got very worried and on the sixth day he kissed her.

The girl woke up as a princess. She loved the prince because he saved her life. The prince took the princess to the royal palace. They got married and ruled over the land with kindness and love. The prince and the princess lived happily ever after.

By the time the story was finished, all of the kids were sleeping soundly. Kelsey and Riley tucked them in and went downstairs where Anna was sitting at the table, eating a sandwich.

"They're sleeping. Anna, do you mind if we run into town? We'd like to look at some wedding stuff. We may get married here."

"No, go ahead. You two really helped out with the kids. Thanks a bunch!" She said contentedly.

"No problem. Bye!" Kelsey said.

*~*~*

Riley and Kelsey walked through town until he pulled her into a bridal shop.

"You can't get married in jeans. Technically I'm not supposed to see it before the wedding, but…" Riley trailed off.

"Where will we get the money?" Kelsey asked, worried.

"I have a lot of money, Kelsey. I've saved up for practically ninety-four years. I have enough money to buy us a huge house somewhere nice." He smiled and said, "I can even pay for your dress in cash once you pick one out."

Kelsey blinked back her astonishment. "Wow. Let's go then."

They walked into the shop and Riley took Kelsey to the counter.

"Hi! May I help you?" A young woman said way too enthusiastically.

"Yes. We're going to need a bridal gown and tux."

"Okay!" She grabbed Riley's hand. She seemed oblivious to Kelsey, standing there with Riley's ring on her finger. "This way." She said. Riley shot Kelsey a "I-really-hate this, -hold-on" look. Kelsey wasn't going to "hold on." The girl's body language was making it easy enough to determine her intentions. She kept rubbing her hip against Riley's and making it seem like an accident. She also dropped her pen three times in less than a minute. She was a preppy little poodle who was used to getting everything she wanted. No, Kelsey wasn't going to "hold on."

She strode up to the girl and sweetly said, "I think it would be in your best interest if you got your freakin' hands off my fiancé!" Kelsey shrieked, her voice growing more acidic with each word. She grabbed the girl's hand and yanked it away from Riley's. "Now, Alyssa, why don't you get your prissy little face out of here and stick it where it belongs!"

"I didn't know you got jealous. It's pretty cute, actually." Riley chuckled.

"Yeah, well now you know." Kelsey replied, laughing.

"By the way, what kind of dress do you want?" Riley asked.

"I'm not sure, but I was thinking maybe something strapless with a hint of baby blue." Kelsey said thoughtfully.

"Would this work?" Riley asked, grinning.

Kelsey gasped. The dress was beautiful. It was strapless. The color was ivory with a baby blue sash around the middle. It had beading on the chest and down the trail, which was long, and very showy. The veil had diamonds sparkling at intervals.

"It's so elegant Riley, I love it! How'd you get it?"

"I had it pre-made. I called here and told them I wanted one of the most unique, beautiful dresses they had. It had to be one-of-a-kind for you." Riley beamed. "Go try it on. Don't show me, I want to wait 'till our wedding day to see you in it."

Kelsey ran in and tried it on, treating it as if it were made of glass. She gingerly slid it on. It fit perfectly, showing off her curves and highlighting her face. She took it off, slid it in the bag and ran back out to Riley. He had just finished paying.

"It's so perfect Riley! Thank you so much!" She ran over, hugged him tightly and pressed her lips to his. "Did you get your tux?"

"Yes. It's ivory also. Is that okay?" He asked.

"Definitely. I think it will make you look stunning, not that you need it to make you stunning." Kelsey smirked.

"Let's go back to the house. We can make some reservations." Riley said.

"How do you feel about beach weddings?" Kelsey asked, smiling.

"A little superfluous for some, but for me, that's exactly right." He replied. "What about receptions on the beach?"

"I love them." Kelsey smiled.

They walked to the edge of town and Riley slung Kelsey across his back and carried her back to the house.

Chapter 25

Kelsey held on to Riley's neck as he ran through the sparse forest. She was so excited they were getting married. There was so much to do!

Kelsey laughed. "You know, we still haven't set the date. It should be soon, but not too soon. We have so much stuff to get ready."

"That's true." Riley pondered. "We'll have to see what date we can book with the priest and then we'll schedule everything around that. Do you want to hire a professional wedding planner? It would probably go a lot faster."

"I suppose. It would help and I think it might make the whole process less stressful." Kelsey answered. She didn't want to run into a control freak. This was her wedding so she should at least be able to plan some of it.

Riley ran in silence for some time. Kelsey thought about Anna's children. She'd like to have a family like that one day…could a vampire even get pregnant?

"Riley, can a vampire get pregnant?" Kelsey blurted out. "I was just wondering, 'cause…" Her voice faded as her embarrassment grew.

Riley frowned a little. "To tell you the truth, I really don't think so. The vampires I knew were…involved…but I never asked them anything about it. Why do you ask?" Riley asked casually, trying to make her say what he already knew.

"Well, I was wondering…and…it's just…I…really can't…but…" Kelsey stuttered, trying to find her voice. "I was just, you know, thinking and…"

Riley laughed at her expression. "I really don't think it can happen. You don't need to worry about that now, maybe later, but not now."

"Uh, yeah." Kelsey muttered as the house came into view. She jumped off Riley's back and looked down at her feet as she walked. If she could blush, her face would be pure red. She almost died of embarrassment.

Riley took her face between his hands, forcing her to look up into his eyes. "Don't be embarrassed." He said quietly. "You were just asking. If we were human you might be asking somewhat of the same thing."

Kelsey smiled a little as Sawyer ran outside. "Hey, what's that?" She said, pointing to the bags Riley was carrying. "What's in there?"

Kelsey bent down to Sawyer's level. "That's my wedding dress and that is Riley's suit. If you want, later we can get you a dress and you can be a flower girl. Okay?" Sawyer smiled and nodded. "Is that okay with you Riley?"

"Of course."

Riley walked inside and got the phone book out. He talked to the priest and wedding planners. He turned towards Kelsey.

"The date is June 18 and the planners are coming today at four." Riley told her.

"Okay but…planners?" Kelsey asked, emphasizing the s.

"They're a couple and both work as planners." Riley said indifferently. "They're bringing cake samples, dress swatches, everything."
"Fun." Kelsey said sarcastically. "Um, what do we do about the cake samples? We can't eat cake."

"I'm sure Sawyer will try it for us. We'll just say we're…allergic to cake."

"Fine. Let's go hunting before we meet them. We haven't gone forever."

*~*~*

Kelsey and Riley were in the living room, sitting on the loveseat. A man and a woman were sitting opposite them. They were the wedding planners.

Evan and Lilly had gone all out. They brought cake samples, dress swatches, menus, and rental prices.

"So where do you want to start?" Lilly asked. She was in her early thirties. She had blonde hair, green eyes and was very thin.

Kelsey looked at Riley. "Let's start with the easier stuff first. Then we'll move up to the harder things."

"Okay. We'll begin with flower girl dress swatches." Evan said as Lilly pulled out an album. "These would match your dress. These ones are plane white. Do you want a different dress for each girl?"

"No. We'd like them to have the same dress. Which do you like Kelsey?"

"I like this one." Kelsey said, pointing to a picture. "It reminds me of my dress."

"That's my choice too." Riley grinned. "Let's pick the cake now. Sawyer, can you come here?" She ran in and nodded. "We're allergic to cake." Riley explained. "We thought we'd get Sawyer to try it for us." Sawyer tried different pieces of cake.

"I like this one the best." She said. It was vanilla-fudge swirl with strawberry filling.

"Okay. We'll go with that one." Kelsey said simply.

"Now you have to pick the courses for the menu." Evan told them.

After thirty minutes, Kelsey and Riley picked the courses of either lobster or sautéed shrimp, with a baked or mashed potato and a salad. Then they chose to rent a canopy that would seat fifty people. They rented fifty chairs and made the invitations be printed and sent to the guests.

"Thanks so much!" Kelsey said gratefully. "Everything's done and all in one day, too!"

"You're welcome. It's great to help people start a new life together." Lilly replied as they walked out the door.

Riley took Kelsey's hand and led her to the guest room. He lay on the bed and pulled her down on top of him. He held her close as she laid her head on his chest. She listened to his deep breathing and to his silent heartbeat. Riley pushed her hair aside and kissed the back of her neck. Kelsey giggled and grabbed Riley's hand. She kissed the palm of his hand once. He flipped her over so she was laying down facing him. Kelsey's breathing accelerated as Riley's lips crashed down onto hers. There was so much passion hidden in the kiss and it spread to Kelsey like wildfire. She sighed and knotted her fingers in his hair. He did the same to her.

"I love you so much. I want you so much." His tongue touched Kelsey's lower lip and she shivered out of pure bliss.

"The wedding!" She gasped. "After the wedding!"

Riley pulled Kelsey closer and she sighed, fighting to keep her will from crumbling. "Riley let's do this right!" She whispered.

Riley pulled away and stared at the ceiling. "Why?"

Kelsey sighed. "You know I love you so much, I can't even express it in words. But this isn't the place and now's not the time. One: we are guests in this house and it might not be appreciated if we…you know. Two: there are kids in this house, kids without any sense of privacy whatsoever. Three: I want to wait till after the wedding. It's right to do so." Kelsey shook her head sadly. "I want to just as badly as you do, but we have to wait."

Riley smiled wistfully. "Ever the virtuous one. You're right and I'm sorry if I pressured you. We'll wait until our honeymoon. Has anyone ever told you how great a kisser you are?"

Kelsey snickered. "No."

"Well you are. Very persuasive. Let's go hunting and take some excitation out on some animals."

"Okay. Race you downstairs!" She said, leaping up and running out the door.

"You're on!" Riley laughed and followed her down.

*~*~*

The next few days were pure torture. The wedding was ready, with ninety-five percent of the guests attending. Everything was paid for, all with Riley's huge sums of money. Each minute seemed to take an hour, but suddenly, it was June 18th. Kelsey had her dress on and was walking down the aisle, her hair piled on top of her head with her veil sparkling in the sun. The wedding march was played on a keyboard. Everything was perfect.

Riley saw Kelsey and smiled. She beamed back at him, and then she was right next to him, the love of her life.

The service flew by in a blur, and it was time to recite the vows. Riley went first:

"Kelsey, I want you in my life forever. For as long as I live, I will never love another the way I love you. I will never let you down because I know you'll never let me down. I am nothing without you. Forever- that's how long I'll love you." Riley slid the ring on her finger. Kelsey was crying out of joy and could barely see, but her eyes never left Riley's.

Kelsey went next:

"Riley, before I met you, I was a lost and lonely little girl, loved by no one with no one to love. Now I have found true love. I am past the point of no return. Without your love I would die like a plant without the sunlight. You are my sunlight, my everlasting day. I love you now and forever." She slid the ring on his finger and smiled.

"Do you, Riley Veran, take Kelsey Birchwood to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better or for worse, 'til death do you part?"

"I do." Riley said quietly, looking in Kelsey's eyes.

"Do you, Kelsey Birchwood, take Riley Veran to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better or for worse, 'til death do you part?"

"I do." Kelsey whispered.

"By the power invested in me, I know pronounce you man and wife! You may kiss the bride!"

Kelsey and Riley kissed lovingly. It was flawless, but they were both disappointed they couldn't really kiss…at least, not in front of the audience. They turned toward everyone.

"For the first time, I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Riley Veran." Everyone stood and clapped, and for the second time that day, life seemed like it was stuck on fast-forward. There were numerous congratulations from people Kelsey and Riley had never even met at the reception. Then they were on the plane taking them to Hawaii.

They were spending three weeks in Hawaii, in a small beach house with its own private property. Kelsey couldn't wait. She sat on the plane seat next to Riley and waited to take off. "I'm so tired. What about you?" She asked.

Riley chuckled. "Well, we were at the reception until one, and then we came straight here. I'm pretty tired. Why don't you go to sleep so you're rested up when we get there?"

"Yeah." Kelsey yawned as the plane took off. "I love you. Forever and ever."

"I know and I'll love you till the day I die." Riley murmured. "Sleep Kelsey. I think we have some unfinished business to take care of when we get there…" He trailed off suggestively.

Kelsey giggled. "When will we get there?"

"Around five tonight."

"Perfect." Kelsey said, snuggling closer to Riley. Her eyes closed and she laughed quietly. "That means we have all the time in the world to do what we want."

Riley smiled and kissed the top of her head as he put his arms around her. Sleep overcame him minutes after Kelsey was slumbering peacefully.

*~*~*

Kelsey woke up to the sound of the flight attendant's voice. "If you will now unfasten your seatbelts and grab your carry-on items, you may proceed off the plane. Thank you for choosing American Airways."

Kelsey glanced at Riley, who was watching her. "Sleep well?" He asked, amused.

"Yep." She replied. "What time is it?"

"It's about 5:04. Come on. We have plans tonight."

"Okay. Hand me that bag and we'll get going."

Once they were at the beach house, Kelsey unpacked their things. She was about to get changed but Riley came in and pulled her onto the bed. Things started out much the same as before and both Kelsey and Riley knew were the majority of that night would be spent.

Kelsey felt the sun shining on her face. She sat up on the king-sized bed and realized two things. One: She wasn't wearing anything except the bed sheet. Two: Riley wasn't beside her.

She walked out onto the porch, sheet and all. Riley was sitting on the swing. He smiled and Kelsey sat down beside him. He put his arm around her and slid her closer. She laid her head on his shoulder.

"I think," Kelsey said quietly. "that was the best night of my life."

"I would definitely classify that as the best night." Riley chuckled. "So what do you want to do today? The possibilities are endless."

"I'm not sure. Maybe we could go scuba diving?" She answered thoughtfully. "Although, I could definitely go for more of last night!" Kelsey grinned.

Riley laughed. "Yeah, me too, but I think we should use the daylight wisely. Let's go into town and rent some scuba gear. I have a present for you up there."

"Really? Let's go…well, after I change."

"Yeah, that would probably be for the best." He said as Kelsey ran in and took the sheet with her. She changed into a red and white flower print dress. She walked out on the porch again and Riley pulled her up against him. She stood on tiptoe to press her lips gently to his.

"I love you." She whispered against his lips.

"Love you too." He whispered back. Riley grabbed Kelsey's hand and they started running. The wind tousled his hair and the light made his eyes sparkle. He looked magnificent.

Soon they came into town and Riley made Kelsey sit on a bench. "Stay here, okay. I'll be back in a minute." He ran into a house a few blocks away.

"He brings me here to sit on a bench? I thought we were going scuba diving." Kelsey muttered under her breath.

Riley came back to her, holding a small blanket and the scuba gear. "What is that?" She asked him.

Riley unwrapped the blanket. "Her name is Lulu. She's a Siberian Husky who was free to a good home. I know she can't take Charcoal's place, but…"

Kelsey held out her hands. "Lulu. Oh Riley, she's so cute!" The little puppy fit in Kelsey's arms easily and she looked up at Kelsey with big blue eyes. Riley took out a tiny blue collar and a leash. He put the collar on and clipped the leash on and Kelsey set Lulu down on the ground. She jumped around, biting at the leash.

Kelsey pulled Riley down to her level and kissed him. "Thank you. She's beautiful. Let's go scuba diving." Kelsey smiled.

When they got back into the house, Riley carried Lulu in and set the scuba gear on the porch. Kelsey got changed into a white bikini with island scenery on it. She walked into the hall and Riley looked at her.

"It really isn't right for you to look that hot." Riley said, grinning mischievously.

Kelsey shook her head and laughed, pulling him out to the beach. "Come on. We're wasting time."

Riley strapped the oxygen tank to Kelsey and then put his on. They slipped on the facemasks and flippers and swam into the ocean.

They were met by splashes of bright colors. The sunlight shone on every surface, only magnifying its brilliance. Kelsey gazed at all of the sights, thinking everything she would've said to Riley if he could've heard her.

The ocean was alive. Everywhere Kelsey looked, things were moving. Fish of every hue shot through the water, plants swayed in the undersea currents and the light played across the shells and rocks. Riley watched Kelsey as amusement played across her face. He took her hand and pulled her down to the coral reef below. She swam behind him, watching as he pulled up a shell out of a hole in the reef. A little crab pulled itself into its shell. Kelsey giggled and Riley set it back down where it was before. They spent hours under the waves, taking their time to explore. Eventually, they went back to the house.

Kelsey put her equipment on the porch and ran in to get Lulu. She was sleeping on the bed and Kelsey picked her up. She held her belly-up and Lulu yawned sleepily. Her foot twitched and she opened her eyes, blinking rapidly.

Riley walked in and told Kelsey, "I bought some dog stuff the other day. It's all in the living room." Kelsey smiled at him and took Lulu to her food bowl. Riley came up and wound his arms around her waist. "What should we do now?"

"I can think of a few things to do." She said playfully. "But first let's go hunting. I'm hungry."

"Mmhmm. Let's hurry. I'm sort of surprised you're hungry already. We just hunted yesterday."

"Well a girl's got to eat."

*~*~*

The next morning Kelsey woke up to something wet on her face. She wrinkled her nose and opened her eyes to a whitish puffball sitting on top of her. Lulu was licking her nose. Kelsey laughed and petted her. Lulu hopped down and went into the living room.

Kelsey looked at Riley, who was still sleeping. She moved closer to him, and he unconsciously wrapped his arms around her. She sighed blissfully and laid her head on his chest. She studied his hand as he slept.

After a few minutes, she turned her head and kissed him full on the lips. He smiled and opened his eyes. Riley yawned and stretched. Kelsey got her pajamas back on.

"Come on. We've got places to go, people to see, things to do." She snickered when he yawned again. "Are you seriously still tired?"

He just laughed. "Not all of us can run on three hours of sleep, love."

"It was more like six, almost seven!"

"Sure." He shook his head sarcastically. "What are we going to do today?"

"I don't know."

"I think," Riley said thoughtfully. "That I'm going to get a shower. We'll figure it out after that."

"Okay. I'm going for a walk. Maybe I'll collect some shells or something. I'll be back." Kelsey called as she ran out of the house.

Kelsey walked into the sun. She wasn't going to take a walk just yet. She was actually going hunting. Usually she and Riley could wait a week or two before going hunting again, but she was hungry. The only problem was that she had hunted two, now three days in a row. She didn't dare tell Riley because he didn't need to be worried when there was nothing wrong. But why did it feel like something was wrong?

"I'm probably just being paranoid." She told herself, trying to be reassuring. "This really isn't a big deal." But again a thought popped into her head, a thought telling her that something wasn't right. She tried to tell herself everything was okay, but she really was thinking, "I've been so hungry lately and now my stomach is hurting! What's wrong with me?"

Kelsey shook her head and tried to focus on hunting, attempting to push her troubles from her mind. It didn't work. She killed three animals and headed to the beach. She had told Riley that she would collect shells, and she couldn't come back empty handed. She grabbed some and ran to the house.

Riley was waiting for her, naturally. "Find anything good?" He asked, looking at her hands, which were full of shells. She sat down on his lap.

"Pretty well, actually. Did you find anything for us to do?"

"I was looking through some activity guides. I thought you'd enjoy parasailing. Want to try?"

"Sounds interesting. When will we go?"

"We have reservations for nine this morning. We can leave now so we're a little early." Riley replied as Kelsey laid her head on his chest and thought about how messed up her life was, even when she was with the love of her life.

Chapter 26

The rest of the honeymoon passed quickly. Kelsey and Riley tried different activities like parasailing and mountain climbing. Kelsey kept her secret well, but sometimes her pain or discomfort would show through her façade. Riley kept an eye on her, sometimes seeing through her mask.

Kelsey's condition continued to get worse. Her stomach would hurt and her feet would be sore every once in a while. She secretly hunted everyday, unknown to Riley. She would go out in the middle of the night so he wouldn't find out, but eventually he did.

It was midnight, and Kelsey was sneaking out. Again. She ran down the steps of Anna's house, where she and Riley were staying until they found a house of their own. She held her breath as she opened the creaky door. She hunted and came back as soon as she was finished.

Kelsey was just going to get back into bed when Riley turned on the bedside lamp. "Busted" a little voice sang out in her head. She stared at him, wide-eyed and panicked.

Riley sighed. "Where have you been Kelsey?" He asked, sounding exasperated and angry.

She felt like a deer caught in headlights. She quickly tried to come up with an excuse. "I…sort of…was…" Her voice trailed off.

"What's wrong with you?" Riley's whisper was harsh and cutting. "You've been acting completely different!"

"I…um…uh…"

"Kelsey, what's wrong? You can tell me. Please!" Riley begged her, looking at her with hurt and pleading eyes.

"I don't know!" Kelsey cried as she broke down sobbing. Riley pulled her over and held her. He whispered to her, trying to calm her down.

She finally got control of herself and Riley whispered to her, "What's wrong Kelsey? If you tell me I can help."

"No, you can't." Kelsey whispered, her voice a flat monotone. "No one can. I've had to hunt every night. If I don't, I get really bad pains, which I have anyways, but they aren't as bad. My feet get sore if I walk too much. I don't know what's wrong with me, but it's not normal. You never get sick."

Riley looked more horrified each second. He had never heard of a vampire getting sick before. Kelsey was so scared, and so was Riley, but he had to be strong for her. "It's okay Kelsey. I have a friend who works at a hospital. I'm sure she could help. We'll leave tomorrow for South Carolina. Try to get some sleep. You're going to be fine." At least, Riley hoped so. He hoped Kelsey couldn't see how scared he actually was.

Finally, Kelsey fell asleep. Riley watched her, no sleep coming to him. Dawn filtered through the windows as he packed their belongings and booked a flight. He walked down the stairs to tell Anna.

"Anna, I have something to tell you."

"Hmm?"

"We'll be leaving today. We want to check out a house in South Carolina." Riley said quietly.

"That's fine. We'll miss you. I hope you'll visit sometimes."

"We could definitely visit on holidays. Maybe on other days, too." Riley assured her.

Anna smiled and Kelsey walked down the stairs with the kids. After a few tearful goodbyes, Anna took Kelsey, Riley, and Lulu to the airport.

Once they were on the plane, Kelsey took a shuddering breath. "Where are we going?" She asked cautiously.

Riley sighed. He knew this had been coming. "We're going to South Carolina. I have a vampire friend that actually owns a hospital. He's going to run some tests and see what's wro-…happening to you. I've already contacted him."

Kelsey grimaced. "This friend of yours owns a hospital…with humans that bleed in it? And where exactly is the place?"

Riley smiled, but Kelsey could see it was a fake. "No, this is a strictly vampire hospital. The hospital actually is an old asylum. It looks abandoned on the outside, but truthfully, they have the most advanced equipment in the world."

"Oh. That's good. Wake me up when we get there. I'm so tired from sneaking out every night for almost three weeks." Kelsey told him wearily.

*~*~*

Riley carried Kelsey into the old asylum. They had gotten off the plane without a hitch and were heading to see Riley's friend. Riley had to carry Kelsey into the hospital after they had to run the whole way there. For obvious reasons, Kelsey hadn't wanted to take a cab.

Riley walked in and put Kelsey on her feet. He dragged her over to a young-looking doctor. "Hey David." Riley called. "I want to introduce you to my wife, Kelsey. Kelsey this is David. We met in college and have been friends ever since. He's going to help you out."

"It's nice to meet you Kelsey." David said cheerfully. David was a very muscular man. He was Jamaican, although his accent wasn't too pronounced.

"Hi David. I'm glad to see one vampire who's friendly. We haven't had too many good experiences with anyone yet."

"Well, you're sure to find friendly vampires here. Let's go get you tested. We'll find out what's going on."

"Okay." Kelsey said nervously.

David gave Kelsey a few tests before he decided to give her an Ultrasound. He rubbed the gel over Kelsey's stomach. She wished Riley was here, but David had made him stay in the waiting room. He didn't want Riley to make Kelsey any more nervous than she was already.

"I think I have good news for you. You're pregnant!" He said merrily.

Kelsey gasped. "Is that even possible? I thought vampires couldn't, but I mean…wow!" She said breathlessly.

"Actually you're having twins. Do you want to know the gender?"

"I don't know. Can I ask Riley first?" She replied uncertainly.

"Of course. I'll go get him." David told her. And with that, he walked out of the room.

He was back with a confused looking Riley in tow. "Is everything okay?" He asked, concerned.

"Yep. Guess what. I'm pregnant!" Kelsey shouted, hugging Riley to her. His face was torn between ecstasy and disbelief.

"Really? That's great!" Riley grabbed Kelsey and pulled her up so he could kiss her. Kelsey smiled and leaned her forehead on Riley's.

"Do you want to know what they are?" She asked, staring into his chocolate brown eyes.

"Definitely." Riley looked at David.

"You're having two girls!"

Kelsey screamed and Riley laughed. "When will they be due?"

"Around August 12th. I'll need to explain to you what is happening. Vampire babies are different than human babies." David explained.

"We can arrange for a time to meet. Whenever you want." Riley told David. "Whenever is convenient for you."

"I'll call you and we'll talk then. I have other patients, so I do have to go. Congratulations to you both. I'll see you soon." David walked out and grabbed a chart at the nurses' station.

Kelsey and Riley got into the cab that they had waiting outside. Lulu was sleeping on the seat as Riley told the driver where to go. Kelsey leaned against the seat and groaned loudly. Riley turned to her, his eyes searching her face.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm going to get fat!" Kelsey groaned.

Riley chuckled. "No, you're going to be pregnant. There is a difference. I'm happy to hear it too. I thought that you couldn't get pregnant."

Kelsey smiled and shook her head. "Where are we going?"

"We're going to see a house. Don't worry about anything. You are going to love this house."

The cab stopped and Riley got out with Kelsey and Lulu. Of course Riley was right. Kelsey loved the house. The siding was a speckled yellow and there was a brown roof. The driveway went under the roof to make an open garage. Steps led up to the front door on a wooden deck. The house was beachfront and two stories, including the garage.

The inside was just as beautiful. To the right in the main entrance were steps that went down to a simple laundry and storage area. Down the hall a few feet and to the left was a plain white room without any furniture. After it was a full bathroom. Riley explained. "I thought you would like to design a room. I guess it can be used as the nursery now." He gestured for her to move on. On the opposite side of the room were two large bedrooms, connected by a bathroom. Then there was a large living room, kitchen, and dining room. The living room and the kitchen were separated by a granite-topped bar, but there were no walls between any of the three rooms. Kelsey was awestruck by what she saw.

"Like it?" Riley asked enthusiastically.

Kelsey nodded. "It's perfect, but…"

"What is it?" He pressed her.

"…How much does this cost?"

"Not that much. It really was a fixer-upper. I had some help with it. I'm glad you like it cause I sort of already bought it. I had a lot of money saved over the years. I used to work as a criminal psychologist. That's why it's so easy to see your emotions sometimes."

"I never would have guessed." Kelsey said contemplatively.

"I had to make money somehow." Riley shrugged.

"Oh. Um, one more question. This furniture didn't come with the house, did it?"

Riley smiled sheepishly. "No. I was going to sell the house and furniture if you didn't like it."

"Okay, this really is my last question. You'd better say yes to this. Can we get something to eat?"

Riley laughed. "Still hungry?"

Kelsey grimaced. "I am eating for three now, remember?"

"I know." He said, chuckling at her expression.

*~*~*

Kelsey was half asleep when she rolled over. Riley caught her wrist. "You do that, and you'll be face down on the floor, love." He breathed in her ear. She giggled and crawled into his open arms. He hugged her to his chest and said, "Are you ready to get up yet? I didn't think you were sleeping. You were tossing and turning all night."

"I must have been asleep, because I don't remember that. I know I'm gaining weight, I just know it. Well, I'm going to soon if I don't now." Kelsey grumbled.

"No big deal, you'll just lose it when you're done. It seems like you'll never gain weight because of the way you're built." The doorbell rang as Riley finished saying this. Kelsey groaned.

"Who would come here at 8:30 in the morning? We still have to sleep, ya know."

"I invited David over now because he's very busy later on." Riley chuckled.

"Great. I'll get dressed." Kelsey told him as she hopped out of bed.

Riley was already dressed. "Come out when you're done." He told her as he shut their bedroom door.

"I'm coming." Kelsey muttered as she walked out to the living room couch. David was there talking to Riley. "Hi David. I'm glad you could come. I know how busy you are."

David smiled warmly. "It's not a problem at all, Kelsey. Did you know there are differences between human and vampire babies?" Kelsey shook her head. "There are some major differences. You know your heart doesn't beat, right." Kelsey nodded. "It probably seems pregnancy is even possible, but it is. Riley told me you've been hunting a lot. This is because you need blood to eat, and the babies need blood to eat and also to go in their veins. The babies, against all odds, will have a heartbeat, and this is for pumping their blood throughout their bodies. They will drink blood, grow older, and will have to be formally changed once they get older. Until then, they will be part vampire, part human. The genes that make the babies part human were buried deep inside you, and were, for lack of a better word, dormant. When you were bitten, the toxin slowed any human processes down just like a hibernating animal does.

"The babies will be smaller than human babies because the pregnancy is short-term. Instead of nine months, it will be two months. You probably won't be very big, Kelsey, because the babies won't be too big, either, but you'll need to hunt two to three times a day."

"Thank you so much David." Kelsey said. "I really hope I'll be strong enough to do this."

"I know you will." David assured her. "My first appointment is at ten, so I have to go now, but it was nice seeing you to again." He said as he walked out the door.

Kelsey looked at Riley. "I'm really scared." She told him, her voice quavering.

Riley grabbed her shoulders. "Don't be scared. I'll be with you every step of the way. Trust me." He said this so solemnly.

"I do." Kelsey whispered.

"Then don't be scared."

"I'll try."

Riley smiled. "I know you will."

Chapter 27

"Riley!" Kelsey screamed. She was lying on the couch reading Specials by Scott Westerfeld. (A.N.-I highly recommend the Uglies trilogy.) Riley was in the other room, rearranging the nursery furniture…for the twelfth time. "I think it's time!" Riley was by her side in an instant.

"Are you sure?" He asked, worried. "We still have a few days…"

"No," She was dimly aware of a ragged, tearing sound. "It's ok," She heard the same sound again. "David said they might be early because," Kelsey heard the sound a third time, louder, though. "There are two of them!" She realized that the noise she heard was coming from her lips, every time a new pain hit. She had been having the pains for maybe twenty minutes now. She didn't put two and two together until now; she was too absorbed in the book.

"Um, okay, let's get you in the car." Riley told her hesitantly. He picked her up and carried her there. She was still fairly light, but an armful for him to carry, all the same.

Riley set her in the passenger seat of their shiny black Chevy Cobalt LS and ran to the driver side. He pulled out at the normal, legal speed. He couldn't draw attention to them because they were going to David's hospital in the abandoned asylum. Riley was thinking about how scary childbirth could get. He was stolen from his reverie when gasped again.

"Are you okay?" Riley asked apprehensively as Kelsey set her head in her hands.

"Not really, but I'll live." Kelsey huffed.

"Let me help you get out. David's waiting for us."

"Is the wheelchair really necessary?" She sighed.

"David insists on it…it's sort of his hospital tradition." Riley chuckled as he set her on the seat of the wheelchair.

"You look well, Kelsey." David told her with a laugh.

"Not feeling too well, David." Kelsey replied. She felt irritated. Why was everyone so dang happy? She was in pain, after all.

*~*~*

"It's okay, Kelsey! You're almost done, just a little longer." Riley whispered feverishly into Kelsey's ear. He was holding her hand and was bent down to her level. Kelsey screamed and another cry answered hers. Riley stayed right by her as she squeezed his hand harder. Less than a minute later, another cry was heard as more pain ripped through Kelsey's body.

Riley pulled his hand free and brought their baby girls over. He handed one to her as tears of joy streamed down her face.

"I knew you could do it Kelsey, and look what we have! Two beautiful healthy babies of our own. I love you so much!"

Kelsey smiled as she kissed her baby. The babies' skin was a rosy peach color, with beautiful brown fuzz on their head. Both had eyes that looked like Riley's.

"What do you want to name them?" Riley asked her, breaking her out of her awe-struck silence. "You can pick a name and I'll pick a name." He told her.

"I like…Mia Marie." Kelsey told him, her voice weak with exhaustion.

"That's beautiful. Is Nicole Lynn okay with you, too?"

"I love it." Kelsey's eyelids drooped.

"You look so tired." Riley told her as he pressed his lips to hers. "Why don't you sleep? David has some tests to run on the babies and we'll go home with them tomorrow."

Kelsey shook her head rapidly. "I don't want you to go."

"I'll be right here the whole time." He whispered in her ear.

Kelsey could only nod weakly before she was carried off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

*~*~*

Kelsey opened her eyes to the black embrace of night. She blinked rapidly so her eyes would adjust, feeling disoriented. She remembered where she was and glanced at the glowing clock. It was two-oh-eight in the morning.

The moon showed through the window and the shining rays fell across Riley's sleeping form on the bed a few feet away. He rolled over and faced Kelsey, his face peaceful, serene, and unguarded. His nose twitched and his eyes fluttered open. He shook his head, shaking away most of his grogginess. He saw the moon reflected off of her open eyes and leaped up nimbly. He crossed the room in a long stride and got onto her bed, taking her into his arms. Kelsey turned to face him.

"Sleep well?" Riley asked her, his voice thick from sleep.

"Yeah. What about you?" She asked, her own voice hoarse.

"Of course, love. I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you. For helping me so much, I mean. You know I'll always love you, no matter what happens."

"I know you will. As will I you." He flipped her around so she was facing the window. "You really should sleep more, you know. You've been through a lot."

Kelsey shook her head resolutely. "I'm not tired." She said slowly, a traitorous yawn giving her away at the end of her sentence. Riley laughed melodically in her ear. He kissed along her neck for a few minutes and then kissed the top of her head.

The shining moon glittered on the silhouettes of the two vampires who didn't think life could get better.

*~*~*

"Riley." Kelsey whispered, shaking his shoulder. He grumbled incoherently, turning his face away from Kelsey. She smiled, knowing what would wake him up. She gently pulled his face towards hers, pressed her lips to his, speaking against them.

"You know you have to wake up now. I want to go home with the babies."

Riley's eyes shot open as she kissed him. As soon as she was sure he was awake, she pulled away from him quickly. He narrowed his eyes.

"Cheater." He mumbled. He pulled her on top of him and kissed her jawbone below her ear. He slowly traveled down to her collarbone. She sighed as he stopped, readjusting herself so her ear was against his chest. She listened to his rumbling breathing, to his heartbeat that wasn't there.

"Let's go see David to see if we can go." He lifted Kelsey into a wheelchair. They went to the nursery to get the twins and stopped at David's office.

He was inside, filling out the endless supply of paperwork he seemed to have. Riley knocked on the doorframe and David looked up. He smiled warmly.

"So, are we free to go?" Riley asked.

"Whenever you're ready."

"David, I can't thank you enough for all that you've done for us."

"No problem, Riley. Just make sure you two bring the babies every once in a while for a check-up."

"Sure, see you later David." Riley said, waving.

"Goodbye Kelsey, Riley."

Kelsey and Riley took Mia and Nicole through the hospital and out the doors, but not before one of the patients noticed them. He pulled out a black cell phone and spoke rapidly into it as they left.

Chapter 28

Riley's P.O.V.

Kelsey is dead. Kelsey is dead. Kelsey is dead.

Those were the only words going through my mind. She's never coming back, I thought as I listened to the quiet chatter of my children, my two beautiful girls, who did not know what had happened to their mother. I was past sorrow. I was past grief. This horrible feeling was so past any of those other feelings. I couldn't mourn, I couldn't weep. I just sat there in misery, knowing that my soul mate, my other half, was gone. It was all I could do to look ok for my girls. Nicole and Mia. The only ones left. I never let them out of my sight, knowing that they, too, could be killed. Everything was my fault.

Flashback

It had started out easy enough. I had taken the girls to the park. Kelsey was to come with us, but she stayed home to take care of the laundry. We were only gone two, maybe two and a half hours, but when we came home, the house was in disarray. There was the one I loved. And there was the one I hated.

Bastien.

He was holding Kelsey down, ripping at her throat and her face. Kelsey was screaming, and each time she screamed, he BROUGHT HIS LIPS TO HER MOUTH AND KISSED HER. That was more than I could take. I screeched at him, flying at him from all directions. I crushed his right arm, but he was stronger than me, more experienced. He threw me against the wall and I hit it, face first. Dots swirled in front of my eyes. Blackness started to take me under, but I was already on my feet.

"YOU WILL DIE FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" I screamed, but it was too late. I fell to the floor, my last sight being the only woman I could ever love breathe her final breath.

Bastien laughed cruelly; he thought I was dying. I remember waking from the black haze I wished was death in all its finality, to find myself stuffed in a tiny, tiny hole. Confusion and panic made me fumble around. I moved around enough that I fell onto a cold linoleum floor with a thud.

As I got up slowly, forsaking the tears that cascaded from my eyes, I discovered I was in a morgue. Bastien must have smuggled me in here. And that thought gave way to sudden hope: Kelsey could be in here! But as quickly as the hope came despair. I would not, could not, look at her beautiful face when it was defiled the way it was. I ran from the hospital as fast as I could, thinking of some way I could kill myself...

But, what about Nicole and Mia? Their mother was dead, and now, more than ever, they needed their father…they needed me.

As I walked to the neighbor's house where I had left my dear girls, I struggled with each step to keep from curling up on the sidewalk. When I finally got there, I took the girls with me, barely saying a word. We went inside, and I tried to act as if everything was normal…as if anything was normal anymore.

End Flashback

The girls were so young that they wouldn't remember Kelsey. They would never know their gentle mother's love. As much as it pained me to do so, I sat and played with them, when I felt like shutting off the world and fading away.

Months passed, and yet I felt no better about what had happened. The girls and I moved halfway across the country, for the house held too many good memories. My beautiful girls were growing into beautiful toddlers; their aging sped up by the vampire-human genetics. I could barely show anyone outside their small world the real me. I didn't have many friends, though David did help me get through some rough times.

A year passed. Time seemed to come to a standstill. The girls went off to school and time just stopped. It was a Tuesday when I heard a sharp knock on my door. Mia and Nicole were at kindergarten and I was alone. I ignored the knock and drifted back into my mournful silence. Knock. Who could it be? No one bothered to come over thanks to my attitude. Knock. Now I was annoyed. Knock, knock.

"Go away!" I groaned mentally. Bang, bang, bang! The knocking got louder and increased in tempo. I shoved myself to my feet savagely, ready to scream at whomever it was. I stomped over to the front door and flung it open, glaring viciously at…

Kelsey.

I stared, open-mouthed and wide-eyed, at my dead wife, mumbling inarticulately. I was dreaming, I had to be. There was no way this was happening! Kelsey was dead, gone! But there she stood, smiling up at me in wonder and awe.

"Riley? You're—" I cut off her sweet, sweet voice by pulling her to my chest, feeling tears pooling in my eyes. SHE LIVES! Was my only thought. I drew back and looked at her, seeing her for the first time in over a year.

"Kelsey?" I asked, my voice quiet and shaky.

"It's me baby," she sobbed, hugging me again. "I'm home." I picked her small, shaking frame up and took her into our new living room. I laid her on the couch, staring at her, unbelieving.

"How…what…you're alive!"

"Yes," she gasped, smiling through her tears. "And I've gone through hell to find you!"

I pulled her in and kissed her, showing her all my passion and joy, when we finally had to breathe, I gasped, "How?"

"I thought I had died, but it turns out that I was only in a short-term coma. My body was essentially healing over. I woke up to find my body dumped in a trash heap. I immediately went for you and the girls, but you were gone. I went to David, but he said he'd lost contact months ago…and after much searching, I'm finally here."

"I can't believe it. You're alive!"

"Yes!" she said, "and I've finally found my other half again." There was a knocking at the door and I checked my watch.

"That's the girls," I said, smiling. "Kelsey, come meet your children."

I took her hand and led her to the door, where we continued our everlasting love—our forever love.