Sorry for the long delay between chapters. There were so many other things going on that I simply had no time to write. I hope you haven't forgotten about this story though.


I'll Always Stay With You – Chapter 7

Selene opened her eyes and squinted at the sun, shining into the room through half opened curtains and bathing it in warm light. She let out a low groan towards the disturbing celestial body, but in the next moment her groaning stopped and her lips curled slightly up. After so many centuries without being able to look at the sun, this was something she would accept gladly and every time just to be able to do it every day.

"Selene?" Michael's voice, still thick with sleep caused her to turn her head towards him. As soon as she laid her eyes upon her mate, she had to grin involuntarily. He was completely disheveled, his eyes opened just a crack and the blanket was pulled almost over his head. He was sprawled on the bed on his belly and after seeing his position on the bed Selene had to ask herself where she had actually found enough place to sleep with Michael requesting almost complete bed for himself.

"What's so funny?" Michael noticed Selene's small grin.

Selene shook her head amused. "Nothing. Just looking at this hybrid who looks like an ordinary human in the morning." She bent over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "But you should get up slowly. I can hear that Eve's already awake and if I remember correctly, you promised her we'd go out today. And because she's like daughter like father, she'll be here very soon to challenge you on fulfilling your promise."

Michael rolled his eyes but smiled nevertheless. "She didn't almost get trampled into ground yesterday and didn't have to go stealing blood after that. She should show some mercy to her father."

Selene looked at him amused, but before she could say anything, the door flew open and Eve stood in the doorway, still in her pajamas but grinning at them wide. "Well? Are we going or not?"

Michael lifted his head and looked at her sleepily. "Just few more minutes, Eve."

Eve's face suddenly got the distinct mischievous expression and as soon as Selene noticed it, she knew what was about to come and she said to Michael, without averting her eyes from their daughter. "Don't say I didn't warn you!"

"What?" Michael tried to turn his head towards his woman, but got interrupted by an enthusiastic yell coming from the direction of the door and before he could check what was going on, a slender frame of his daughter crashed on the bed between him and Selene. However, because they lay quite close together, the arm and leg crashed almost painfully in his side.

After crashing in between her parents, Eve wiggled a little so to get comfortable and was now on her back, squeezed between Selene and Michael, her face glowing in satisfaction. "OK, if dad's not awake yet than I will take care that he wakes up very fast." She began to tickle Michael.

For few seconds Michael controlled himself not to burst out in laughter, but Eve knew exactly where and how she should continue her 'torture'. Therefore, she needed only moments before Michael burst out in laughter and finally grabbed Eve's tiny hands to stop tickling him.

"OK, stop it, enough!" Michael howled in laughter and squirmed under Eve's hands. But as his daughter refused to follow his plea, he grabbed her wrists and tried to pry her hands away from his sides, just to find that his daughter was almost as strong as he. She's definitely a lot stronger than she looks like! I guess she'll soon be stronger than me! But he finally managed to remove her invading fingers from his body and grinned at her face. "That was … an effective wake-up call!"

Selene looked at the 'fight' which two persons that meant the world to her fought and smiled happily at the sight. She couldn't believe that things changed so drastically for her in these months after she had been unfrozen. She felt inexplicable warmth in her chest and for a moment considered to join the fight, but Eve and Michael calmed down before she decided. "Michael, I'm almost certain that your daughter expects something from you, something you promised her last evening."

"And she shall be granted the realization of my promise." Michael smiled as Eve stopped struggling to get free of his iron grip and released her, just to be stormed by her, as she threw herself into his arms.

"YES! Let's go out immediately!"

"Well, now, we should put on some proper clothing, don't you think so? How would it look like if we'd roam the forests just in what we are dressed in now? I'm almost sure that should someone see us, they'd be rightfully confused and would begin to ask themselves who or what we are. Not to mention that they'd probably consider calling a mental institution to come and take the three lunatics away." Michael grinned at his daughter.

Eve gave him a look that was clearly conveying her thoughts, moving in the clear line of "Do you think I'm that stupid?"

Selene meanwhile got up and pointed herself towards the door. "I'll warm up some blood."

After Selene disappeared through the door, Eve and Michael looked at each other with surprised faces. "Since when does your mother act like an ordinary woman?"

"I heard that Michael!" Selene's voice came through open door and caused Eve to giggle.

"You should take care not to make her angry, dad. Otherwise you might be forced to take care of your blood for yourself!"

"I heard that too, Eve!" Selene's voice, this time a little more distant than before, came through the door again.

This time Michael and Eve just looked at each other and after Michael put as finger over his lips and shook his head, they just giggled quietly. Selene's hearing was definitely formidable.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Catch me if you can!" Eve's merry voice rang in Michael's ears as his daughter darted from them into the forest, challenging her parents to catch up with her.

"She's not serious, is she?" Selene's voice was clearly indicating that she was baffled upon Eve's actions and words.

"I'm afraid she is, love."

"But … I'm not the one to chase a running girl in the forest, even though she is my daughter!" A slight indignation could be traced in Selene's voice. She, more than six centuries old vampire, with thousands of kills on her hands should act like a merry young mother, chasing her fleeing daughter through the snow covered forest?

Michael saw the put-off expression on his lover's face and her slightly pouting lips. Does she know how adorable she is when she pouts? One could say that she's one really lovable person. Wait! Actually she IS lovable! However not to everyone and at every time, but to those she loves ... He bowed to her and kissed her on the inviting lips. "Maybe you should try it, Selene. You've relaxed so much in the last time and this would definitely bond you two even more."

Selene looked unconvinced and her eyes turned to Michael. But before she could answer, he grabbed her hand and pulled her after their daughter, who already vanished into the forest. "Come on, let's follow her!"

Reluctantly, Selene followed her mate in a run, Eve's footprints in the snow as a clear path to follow. For a second she considered stopping and pulling her hand free from Michael's, but she reconsidered almost immediately. Maybe, just maybe, she could actually act like a young mother? There was no one around to see her, but Michael and Eve, and a word of a playful Death dealer wouldn't spread and ruin her image. She sighed exasperatedly, not knowing exactly how to act. And this hesitation was something she never experienced before. Up until now she always knew how to react, how to act and what to do and think.

Michael felt Selene's inner battle and also noticed how she finally relaxed and followed his lead, so he smiled to himself and raised the pace. Eve's tracks were clearly visible and he could even hear her laughing far ahead in the woods.

For few minutes, Michael and Selene followed Eve's footprints, gaining on her and now they finally saw her in front of them, running at a steady pace and after she felt their presence, she laughed aloud. "You won't catch me!"

"How can you be so sure?" Michael answered in the same merry tone and raised the pace again, pulling now smiling Selene after him. All the time they had been running, he refused to let her hand go. This is the best! I never knew how beautiful it can be to let it all go with your family!

It took them another few minutes to catch up with Eve and as they did, they found themselves on the small clearing in the middle of the forest. Eve stood at the edge of the forest and stared like mesmerized at the snow white clearing, covered with untouched snow. As Michael and Selene stopped at her side, she turned towards her father with bright eyes. "Can we now have a snowball fight dad?"

Michael smiled at the sight of his excited daughter and just nodded, while lightly squeezing Selene's hand too, to signal to her not to be a game spoiler. He still remembered how she reacted the evening before as he attacked her with snowballs. But … on the other hand he also remembered how she accepted the playfulness too.

Funny, but Selene was thinking about exactly the same things as her mate. She looked into his eyes and smiled briefly before turning towards Eve, who was expectantly gazing at her mother.

Eve knew exactly that she wouldn't have any problems convincing her father, but her mother … Well, she was another story. Even though she changed immensely in last time, she was still a death dealer and her image was really different than what Eve expected from her just now. But she was still her mother.

"Why not?" Surprisingly it was Selene, who answered Eve's request and in the next moment she was already crouching and making a snowball.

Eve grinned like an idiot and let out a high pitched scream, before she ran away few steps and bent down to make her own snowball. But before she could, a snowy projectile, launched by her mother hit her exactly in the middle of the small of her back, causing her to jump a little and shriek in surprise as something cold hit her.

Michael, who had been spared of the duel for a moment, smiled at the sight of his mate and daughter exchanging the barrage of snowballs and laughing aloud. But his luck wouldn't last too long, for before he could react, he was hit in the face by Selene. After he cleaned the snow from his cheek, he looked at Selene, who was now standing few meters away from him, her hands on her hips, head tilted to the side and smiling at him challengingly.

"Yes! Let's attack dad!" Eve exclaimed elated and began to prepare for the inevitable battle of the hybrids.

"Oh no, you won't get away with it that easy!" Michael managed between laughing fits and bowed to make his own ammunition to fight his two girls.

For the next few minutes the exchange of 'non-hostile hostilities' and occasional shriek, mostly female as well as laughter was all that could be heard and seen. The trio ran across the clearing in search of ever new untouched snow, suitable for making the required ammunition. Even Selene felt at ease and content, despite her initial reservation. The twelve years that had been stolen away from her, from this entire family, seemed like erased at this moment and she enjoyed the fact that they were together and that the dangers seemed to be far away even if just for a little while.

Just as Selene and Eve simultaneously aimed for Michael, he rose his arms in surrender. "Enough, girls! It's not fair that you two are joining forces against me." Smiling wide at his two girls, he added. "Maybe we should start some other, more creative activity like, I don't know … building a snowman?"

Eve and Selene looked at each other and Eve's lips stretched into a beaming smile, while Selene still looked a bit undecided. But her frown and blank face had been long gone today. Almost nothing reminded of the tough vampiress, whose only goal was to kill as many lycans as possible. She looked like a beautiful young mother, enjoying the day out in a snow with her family.

"Come on, it's not such difficult decision to make!" Michael hurried them and let his arm fall down to his sides.

Selene noticed that his arms were now down and smirked at Eve, while nodding barely noticeably. Eve understood her mother's smirk and nodded back.

Michael noticed the exchange between mother and daughter and also interpreted it correctly. His eyes widened in fake horror as he tried to cover his face, but he was too late. Eve and Selene suddenly turned towards him and the last two snowballs were already on their way towards his face, as a wild shriek "BANZAI!" emanated from Eve's lips.

Before he could react, Michael stood there like frozen, snow covering his face and his hands slowly lifting to clear it. "That was so not cool!"

Selene meanwhile looked at Eve slightly astonished. "Where did you get that? Banzai?"

Eve blushed a little and shrugged. "I've read it in a book and thought it would be appropriate at the moment. Was it wrong?"

"No, it was exactly the right thing to say." Selene reassured her daughter before stepping over to Michael, who was still fighting with snow in his face. "Here, let me help you." Her voice was soft and the smile, adoring her lips was warmer than ever.

"Well thank you! First you hit me with a snowball directly in my face and then you pretend to care by trying to help me!" Michael complained pouting, but a small grin couldn't be hidden from Selene's vigilant eyes.

This time Selene grinned wide as she brushed the rest of the snow from Michael's face. "Oh, don't be such a baby, Michael! Just for the record … I'm not pretending in any way." She stretched to him and kissed him on the cold lips. "I'm not pretending." She repeated in a whisper, causing Michael to smile wide at her.

Eve noticed that her parents were again on the brink of loosing themselves in each other's eyes, so she cleared her throat suggestively and very aloud to get their attention. "Aren't we supposed to make a snowman?"

Michael forced himself to tear his eyes away from Selene's ones who seemed to be gazing into his very soul and turned towards his daughter. "Of course, Eve. Come on let's find a suitable place with enough not completely trampled snow." He pulled Selene after him as he started towards Eve.

It didn't took them long to find a suitable place and after another hour of work and fun, a snowman, as big as Michael was standing in the middle of the clearing.

Eve, Selene and Michael stood in semicircle a meter away from it and admired their handicraft. Suddenly Eve frowned. "Something's missing!" Before anyone could react, she turned on her heel and disappeared into the woods.

"What is she …" Selene turned to Michael, confusion written all over her face.

Michael eyed the snowman critically and suddenly his face brightened. "I believe to know what she's looking for."

"What?"

"Wait and see!"

"You're not being helpful!"

"And you're frowning way too much, Selene!" Michael grinned and kissed the tip of Selene's nose, smiling as her eyes went cross as If she would try to look at it.

Before Selene could answer, Eve came back running, carrying a long stick of wood. "There!" She stopped at the snowman and worked on one of his 'arms' to fix the piece of wood in it. "There! Now it's perfect!" She took a step backwards and admired the snowman, now carrying a long stick in his left 'arm'.

Selene looked at the snowman for a moment before turning towards Michael. "This …"

"… is exactly what I expected her to look for as she ran into the woods." Michael grinned wide at his mate.

Selene turned back toward the snowman and almost subconsciously laid her arm around Eve's shoulders, as her daughter joined her. She slightly tilted her head before speaking quietly. "I like it."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Well, I have to say, that today was one of the best days I've ever had." Selene whispered softly into Michael's ear. They were on their way back to their house after wandering around in the forest for another few hours. "If not the best." She added after a short consideration.

Before Michael could answer her, he stopped dead in his tracks. "Someone's coming our way."

Eve stopped too, tilting her head a bit as if she'd try to listen to something very carefully. "I hear it too. I think it's human."

Michael nodded before tightening his grip on Selene's shoulders.

Selene noticed his gesture and smiled slightly gently at him. "No ordinary human can harm me Michael."

"I know, but I still feel the need to protect you and Eve as much as I can. I simply can't risk anything happening to anyone of you."

They continued along the path, waiting to meet the person who was coming their way. After few turns, they saw that there was a man coming towards them. Michael suddenly gasped and stopped again, his eyes wide, staring at the man.

Selene instantly understood that Michael must have known this person and she deduced that it probably was his former colleague, Adam. Who else would he meet here so far away from Budapest but the man, he already saw before.

The man, walking towards them obviously recognized Michael too, for he stopped dead in his tracks, before quickly resuming his walk towards them.

"Is that really you Michael?" Adam looked at Michael and his family astonished. His eyes scanned Michael and briefly also Selene and Eve, both clutching to Michael's sides, looking at the strange man. Selene with her blank face, as usually hiding that her senses were on alert, and Eve with clearly interested expression.

Michael seemed to overcome the shock first and he smiled a little strained at Adam. "Yeah, it's me, Adam. What a coincidence." Now if this isn't awkward?

Adam seemed not to have noticed that Michael was looking at him carefully and the slightly reserved tone of his voice. He grinned wide. "Michael! I haven't seen you in years!" He stretched his hand towards Michael.

It took Michael only a second to think about a proper response before he accepted Adam's hand and squeezed it carefully, paying attention not to apply too much force. "Yes, it's been quite a long time."

"You just vanished then in Budapest. No word, no line from you. May I ask who are these two beautiful ladies?" Adam gestured towards Selene and Eve.

"This is Selene, my wi … my fiancée." Michael bit his tongue to prevent himself from addressing Selene with a title he wanted her to bear. "And the beautiful girl here is Eve, our daughter."

Adam, visibly impressed by the sight of two female beauties now stretched his hand towards Selene. "I had no idea Michael had someone. He had always been so mysterious about his private life. But I must say that he shouldn't have hidden you." He anticipated that Selene was the reason that Michael disappeared so many years ago. And he was right, even though his ideas and suspicions were completely wrong.

Selene hesitated a bit, but then accepted shook Adam's hand. We might get some useful information if he's working for someone. "Glad to meet you too, Adam."

Eve was next to shake Adam's hand and she smiled at her father's former colleague brightly, trying to figure him out, but deciding to stay quiet and let her parents do the talking.

"Actually, I met Selene just about the time I left Budapest." Well not exactly a lie but also not the whole truth. Michael evaded the truth a little.

Adam shook his head in amazement. "You don't look a day older than you did then. How do you do it? Do you have some secret recipe or formula?" He winked at Michael conspiratorially.

"It's a secret. But it has a lot to do with my girls." Michael now smiled less strained than before. "And what brings you in this god forsaken village in the middle of nowhere?"

Adam shrugged. "It's funny really. I won a prize on some lottery and the prize was two weeks of vacation in this village." He snorted amused. "Although I must say that it's rather a punishment than a prize to be kept in the only inn in this village that has one store and nothing else for a fortnight."

Michael and Selene both thought along the same lines and Selene's face lit up slightly. "Why do you then stay here? You could have returned home earlier."

Adam sighed. "Yeah, I could, but then I'd have to pay for the days I've already stayed here. Stupid rules of the game!" He shook his head. "I knew I should have rejected the prize, but no, I had to do it. I won something for the first time and didn't want to throw it away like that."

"Strange rules, don't you think?" Michael was again becoming suspicious. He had never heard of such a condition for any game. Maybe it was a setup even Adam didn't know anything about. But how was he then to know what someone behind the whole thing expected from him?

Adam made a face while shrugging simultaneously. "Maybe. But I'm not the only one. I've talked to some other winners of this game and they all confirmed it, even the ones who won it years ago."

Michael wasn't sure what to think, so he turned towards Selene to see what she thought of it and saw that she shared his reservation, but she was still calm.

Adam meanwhile finally took a good look at Selene and then grinned at Michael. "Well, I have to say that your fiancée is really a stunning woman and your daughter is going to be one very shortly. Tell me, where have you been all those years?"

That was the question Michael feared and in his mind he already prepared an answer to it. He completely ignored Adam's compliment to his mate and daughter for the time being. "Oh, we've been up north in a very cold place in Alaska. A small town you probably never heard of." He grinned at Selene, noticing how she slightly rolled her eyes upon his lie. But it's true that it had been very, VERY cold where we have stayed the last twelve years!

Adam shook his head. "Moving from bustling Budapest to such a small place must have been a hard decision for you, I take?"

"More than you can imagine. But now we're here and we'll probably stay for a while. How about you? Are you staying much longer?" Michael finally asked the question that bothered him and tried to evade further questioning from his former colleague.

"Two days." Adam sighed and Michael couldn't determine if he was unhappy or satisfied that he'd be leaving the village in two days. "Maybe we could go for a drink?"

Michael managed to look convincing when he rejected Adam's offer. "I'm sorry, but we've been out the whole day and we'd like to return home. I wouldn't want any of my girls to catch cold or something even more dangerous." He put his arms around Selene's and Eve's waists to underline his words.

Adam nodded understandingly. "I understand. You must really be cold after such a long time in the snow." He turned towards Selene and bowed a little. "It was really a pleasure to meet you, Selene. Maybe we could meet again tomorrow? If you don't have any objections, I'd like to invite you to my inn." His last sentence was directed towards Michael.

Exactly what Selene had been afraid of before we decided to leave Budapest! Michael was trying to find a plausible excuse for rejecting yet another Adam's offer, but Selene cut him to it. "I have no objections and I believe Michael and Eve don't have them either."

Adam beamed at the vampiress and nodded eagerly. "Excellent! If it's OK with you, we could meet after my dinner, let's say around seven thirty pm?"

"Suits us well." Selene nodded once and gave Adam a ghost of a smile.

"Well then, I won't hold you up any more. It's really been a pleasure to see you again Michael. We'll have more time to talk tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to it." Adam was addressing Michael with a bright smile.

What did she think to have accepted his invitation? She knows perfectly that we can't take any drinks and will look suspicious! Michael fought to suppress his astonishment over Selene's decision and managed to look cheerful. "Sure! I'm glad to have met you too. Until tomorrow!" He waved good-bye to Adam, who was already turning and waved back.

After Adam was out of the hearing range, Michael turned towards Selene and noticed her serene expression. "Why did you accept his proposal? You know that we'll stick out like a sore thumb because we're not going to have anything to drink." He wasn't annoyed; he was just confused that Selene, the embodiment of caution did something like that.

Selene gave him a small smile. "We have to find out more about him. I'm not completely convinced that he's here just coincidentally, but am inclined to believe him. So … we need more time with him. And as for not having any drinks …" Her smile grew wider. "Don't worry about it. I've got it covered."

"How?" A surprised question from both Michael and Eve made Selene's lips curl upwards even more.

"You'll se. You just have to trust me."

TBC