A/N: Voala! Took some time to study French yesterday evening and now I can post somemore. Let's just get this done and over with. :) Wherever you may be, I hope you guys have lots of fun putting on decorations on the Christmas tree and wrapping gifts for friends. :)

DISCLAIMER: As much as I hate to say this, CSI:Miami, characters like Grey and Casey, and the lyrics in bold black are not mine. They belong to CBS, YUMGirlAndMoltMan, and Coldplay respectively.

And the fact that they are awesome people. :D

Chapter 13:

Ryan's POV:

I gracefully leapt on the bedside as Anastasia went to close the door. I ran myself around in circles before finally finding the right spot, resting on it, all curled up. Your bed sure is comfortable.

"Why, thank you. You're welcome to rest on it, but Dad probably didn't like it when other people sleep with me," she let out a soft chuckle. Man, she's cute when she does that. She disappeared into her own bathroom, before coming back out towards me holding a first aid kit and a basin of water.

There was a gain of weight on the bed as she gently sat down, placing the first aid kit and basin on the night table. She went on to examine the wounds again, dipping a cotton ball into the basin, making sure that it was well soaked, before patting it gently on the wound. I let out a small groan of pain, in which it turns out to be an audible growl. Anne reacted to it by backing off awhile, stopping what she does best, but seeing the true feelings in my eyes, to feel that I am all right, she went back to cleaning the wound.

"I'm sorry it hurts so badly, Ryan. What happened to you? I'm pretty sure a wound as deep as this can't be caused by man."

Annie, Annie, That's okay. I do really need to man up sometimes. That's what I'm destined to do. I just got into a fight with another animal. That's all.

After cleaning the wounds, making sure that it stopped leaking and has no dirt or bacteria surrounding them, she scurried through her first aid kit for a plaster and an iodine solution, before her shoulders dropped, "I forgot. The fur will actually obstruct the plaster so it won't stick. I hate to say this but," she looked at me, eye to eye, "is it okay if you change back?"

That shouldn't be a problem now, would it, Anne? But I don't have any shirt on me now, my tail curled around her arm as her free hand went on to feel it. Her warm touch was perfect against my hot skin.

I rested my head on her knees when she crossed her legs, "That's okay. Just change back. I'll talk to Uncle Eric to see whether he got some shirts he might lend to you," I edged closer to her, feeling comfortable being around her, as she bent down and kissed the top of my head, just in between my ears. She felt like she was mean when she pushed my head gently, trying to go out of the room to ask Eric, but I raised my head, licked her cheeks in a form of a kiss, before backing off and trotting towards the toilet, closing the doors behind me by the tail.

I looked around at the toilet, surprised that a fifteen year old like her could keep her room, even her own bathroom, so clean. The tiles on the walls as well as the bathtub and toilet bowl were all sparkling, bringing this room to life. I would have expected a few servants to do it, but there's only one butler in the house, and he seems unsuitable to be doing those kinds of jobs due to his physical features. This felt like a bonus to me, to be able to have someone I love so much, and the fact that she could do household chores.

I closed my eyes, imagining myself back to becoming the old, hippy Ryan again, breathing in and out slowly. And before you knew it, I opened my eyes to find myself in nothing but a pair of ripped jeans wrapped around my bottom, the wounds beneath my chest still clearly shown. This is the third time I've transformed into a wolf, and after a few advices from my father, I've gotten better at it. I've managed my anger well, and the signs are certainly not out of my reach. I turned to look at the mirror, and everything felt different.

For once in the mirror, the man stood behind it has a more manly build body. His chest is bulging out with the most amounts of muscles a man could have, perfectly toned. The bags beneath his eyes were clearly gone, and his face was certainly tighter, showing no signs of stress or pressure. I noticed the slight difference in skin colour on his left arm, and true enough, as I looked over to mine, there was a little mark in a form of a scar below my "bee-poker" tattoo to remind me of who I am. A Wolfe.

I didn't really pay close attention to the grip of the sink, because the next second it broke, with one small piece still in my hands, while the rest are either hanging there, or have crumbled onto the floor. I let it fall on the ground, eyes widened and jaw dropped to its maximum flexibility.

I heard a few knocks on the door, hearing Anne's raised voice, "RYAN! Are you all right?"

I knew I've had no choice but to tell her the truth, so I unlocked the door and opened it slowly, "Anne, I could explain everything…"

She slammed the door opened, making sure I wasn't in the middle of the way, before pulling my arm with her hand, while the other holding on to a new black and white striped shirt, "That's not the matter right now! What matters now is that you're okay. Come on, I'll help you to clean up and bandage your palm. It's such a big mess!"

I sighed, shaking my head back and forth. She tends to be too overreacting, could she? I gave my famous glare, the one that I normally used when interrogating suspects, before going up to her, bending my knees so that I could sweep her up into my arms. That prompted a little 'Hey!' from her, as I made sure that my bloody palm didn't touch her, "You know you need to relax, right? It's just a scratch or two."

"Do you know of the multiple infections and diseases that you could get just from that little scratch? I don't want you to get that!" she brought up my bloody palm, examining it in great detail, as she leaned her head against my shoulders. She sure would make a good doctor one day, helping other people in need of help with whatever power she could.

I cocked my head so that it gets nearer to hers, as I took in her heavenly scent. We walked back into the room, well, when I said we, I meant me carrying her along the way; I went to place her gently on the bed. She kept on looking at my palm, which finished healing by then.

"How did you do that? That's amazing! One that I've never seen before," her head full of curiosity, like she always was. Then, I did something I wasn't supposed to do; I bent closer and kissed her cheeks, feeling sparks between us as I edged away from her. I smiled and my face reddened as she didn't freak out like she did when other people do surprise her now and then, but I changed into my 'serious Ryan look' the sooner Anne turned to look at me.

"You know, usually I would really freak out and run out of this bedroom. But this time, it felt different. I felt better since that kiss on the cheek," for the second time, I thought I saw her genuine smile again, but this time brighter and more cheerful than before.

"I could always do that again," I went over to the other side of the bed and joined in with her, pulling the warm blankets over our figure. I know I don't really bother about the cold nowadays, but at least I have more reason to cuddle closer to her.

"Sheesh, Ryan. You can be so cheeky," Anne smiled, before her mind brought back to the main objective. She pulled the blanket slightly away from us, revealing my toned chest yet again, but this time the skin was flawless. It was as if the scar didn't exist. She rolled her eyes, "Oh great. It healed."

"Yep, it did. When the wound is cleaned properly, it'll heal faster, just like a wound on a human," I rubbed up and down her waist, telling her to just relax, letting out a smile as a way of saying sorry. "Speaking of which, I saw you with a shirt earlier. Is it for me?"

"Ah, yeah, it is! I'm pretty sure Uncle Eric is bigger than you in terms of size, so the shirt shouldn't be a problem," she handed the shirt over to me, in which I took it from her, grabbing her arm in the process, and pulled her closer to me. "Thank you so much, I'm very sure it fits me perfectly."

As I put on the shirt, I was surprised not only to see it fits my size, but also my style as well. Am I really that obvious to her? Or is it just fate that she knows almost everything about me, just as much as I knew about her. She ran her hand through the shirt, trying to smoothen out the edges, and sniffles some laughs when I saw the sleeves has been shorter, revealing my tattoo and the mark.

"Nice tattoo you have. I don't normally like people with tattoos on them. I think it's against the commandment. But as for yours, I think it's really interesting. When did you get it?"

I shrugged, trying to bring my mind back to the event itself, "probably about five years ago. It was painful, and excruciating, but I want for it to be done."

Noble Ryan, Anne smiled to herself at the thought, "Does my dad know about it? And how on earth could you become a cop without revealing the tattoo?"

"You know your dad, of course he knows everything," both of us chuckled in unison at the evaluation. It came naturally for all of us whom worked or have ever been with the ever famous Lieutenant. "I'd buy a really big shirt for my uniform, comfortable enough to run in but also have a sleeve long enough to cover my tattoo. Turns out its two sizes too big."

The both of us lied down on the soft bed, as she bent over to pull the blankets between us. We continued talking for the next hour or so, with me telling her of my life, about being an alpha of the pack and generally growing up, and in exchange she, too, told me about her life. Through this, the both of us realized that we have many things in common; parents who want the best for us, lots of friends and some foes in schools, and generally the intelligence.

Out of the blue, Anastasia stifled a yawn. I pulled her into my arms, in which she allowed me to, and glanced up at the 'Winnie-The-Pooh' wall clock; it read 1:00 in the morning, wee in the morning, "Oh dear, Anne. I'm sorry that you have to sleep so late."

"That's okay. It only happens once in awhile, I don't really mind about it," she was very much exhausted, I could tell, but she managed a smile in the end. The both of us moved closer to each other, and closed our eyes as sleep comes naturally to us, my arms wrapped around her lean figure, while she leans her head against my chest.

Anastasia's POV:

Sleep comes easily to me, and that is something that makes me, well, unique. But never in my life have I ever had a sensible dream. They are all weird to me. However, tonight's dream was the scariest of them all:

I'm in the woods: trees and every plant that is registered in this planet were in it. I don't even know how I got here in the first place. The path was paved with nothing but mud, leaves and sometimes branches. I jerked my head as a sound protruded the still sounds of wildlife, only to find out that it was the squawking of the bird, signaling the day approaching,

Or danger.

I began to walk on the path that was laid in front of me, taking in every step with caution. I don't want to accidentally step on a creature. I'm not really that scared whether or not it's dangerous, I just can't stand the thought about hurting them. As I accidentally stepped on a branch, I immediately stopped and took a good look around, telling myself not to keep my heart rate up. Instead, the plan didn't work, and my heart is thumping against my chest, loudly.

I decided to continue walking in my usual pace, trying to look normal and just take in the beauty that the man above has provided me. As I kept on walking, I thought I smelt a faint scent of an organism which is rotting. I quickly ran towards the direction of the scent, trying to make out what kind of animal it could be, so that I may bury it in peace.

I regretted doing that, because the instant I got over there, my eyes widened and my jaw dropped to the ground. I could only stand there and take in the surroundings, frozen in shock:

They were dead bodies, strewn on the ground. Neither of them was a pretty sight, and it's as if an animal, or another vampire, has destroyed their lives, killing them for the culprit's own good. Their chests have holes in them, and they are rotting not to the ground for plants, but to ashes. But they aren't just any beings; that's my family.

I went over to father, whose fingers in both his hands and feet has disintegrated, "Dad, dad, are you there? Don't die! Listen to me!" I shook his body, in hopes that he would revive like he always do, but he was silent, never moving, and completely lifeless even for a vampire.

Ryan, his name came forth into my mind, as I went up towards his body, doing the same thing I did to father, but this time harder and faster, "Ryan, I love you. I've wanted to tell you this earlier and for a long time, but I didn't have the courage to. I don't want you to leave me alone, please."

I let out a tear, something that I wished I had never done. I wished that my family are back safe and sound, to be able to be comforted and loved by them. I know it's impossible, but I kept on wishing, deep down inside of me.

A voice suddenly came out of nowhere, "What's wrong Anastasia? Feeling a little blue?"

No one dares to talk me back like that when I'm feeling sad, especially if it is the death of my family members and my secret love, "Why don't you come out yourself? You little coward!"

I stood up straight, looking around the trees for signs of visual contact, instead, there were none. I felt myself and found a pocket knife on my back pocket, I took it out, and was ready for combat.

Instead, the sound of a shot ricochet through the air, and a bullet went straight pass my chest. So this is what 'taking a bullet' feels like.

I struggled trying to look at the person who is doing this to me, but with the amount of blood lost, and the heart rate rapidly decreasing it's speed, I fell, back first, on the ground. My eyes tried to maintain the sight, but sooner or later my eyelids fell, and I thought I saw a dark figure in a sweater before feeling like I was falling through the Earth, deep down into an unknown world.