Don't look down,

Don't look into the eyes of the world beneath you.

Don't look you'll fall down

You'll become their sacrifice.

Right or wrong,

can't hold onto the feel that I'm lost without you.

If I can't feel I'm not real

I'm not mine.

-Evanescence, The Only One

Ves awoke in a cold sweat, and was thankfully fully clothed. It had been a fairly... intimate dream, a kind she was used to have invade her dreams during her old, out of control days. Her natural instincts as a vampire were pushy. Making sure she knew of her "desires".In her younger days, Ves would have happily let her vampire side take over and do as it pleased. Often leading to the deaths of many innocent people. Desperately, Ves wanted to say that this was not really her. She wanted it to be another enitity that existed inside her, seperatly from herself. But to say that, would be like ignoring that her hand was part of her arm. She was still present and in control. She would just let her inner desires take over.

That's how it's starts. A desire. The. A desire quickly becomes a decision.

Ever since Ves had decided to reign it in, her inner demons made themselves known in dreams. Through memories or fantasies. This was the part of her that she could never escape, especially when asleep.

Stretching out her sore muscles from sleeping on the unforgiving ground, Ves sat up breathing in the musty scent of air long trapped within the shadows that they had made into their camp. She was happy to see that Liam was still asleep, she was afraid of what she would do to him if he had been awake. Asked questions, showed interest. Shaking her head away from such thoughts, Ves worked to center her mind, before the sun set and she would have to wake up Liam.

After Liam had been roused, they packed their things and took to the forests again. It was a clear night. Filled with the sound of crickets chirping, and various animals moving through the shrubbery getting out of the strong predator coming their way. The air itself was just so alive. The smells of all creatures who stayed hidden during the day filled her senses. The sounds of them moving to what would be silent to a human, but were loud crunches of the feet of an inexperienced hunter to her. All the life seemed to run or watch as a feared master of the night walked through their territory. Almost reverent. To Ves, life was better at night, even the color of the trees in their orange and red glow, known only in the Rift, could ever truly be given the appreciation that they deserved from the bathing glow of moonlight. Colors always just popped in it. Her few memories of daylight could never compare to this. Though she had only seen the sun through the curtains of rain or snow clouds. Sadly humans didn't know what they were missing.

Nonetheless freedom felt wonderful.

Liam was allowed to lead the way, as he was more familiar with with this area than the prisoner of ten years. Ves had never been one to care who was in charge, as long as she herself would be able to take control of the situation should the need arise. It was a habit that had annoyed her father endlessly.

"So..." Liam said breaking the silence Ves had been relishing. He only spared a glance at her when she didn't answer. "What's so important about this Deepscorn Hallow?" He seemed to desperately want conversation.

"Oh things, we have all these rituals and what not." She replied in a sing song voice. She was a in a good mood.

"Like necromancy? Let me guess you use it for corpse animations? Experiments?" Liam replied in the same joking manner. He was a strange human, so at ease with being around her. It was a nice change for Ves.

"Why would we need an entire separate base for that?" She laughed smiling as his ears reddened at the sound. Young human boys always seemed to be affected like this. It was endearing in a way, an innocent untainted way. "We have entire castles, no this place holds secrets we can't trust to be around us." Ves even made herself put aside her joy to sound serious.

"That is...understandable."

And so they continued in an awkward silence. Most of their conversations died like this, Liam was out of his comfort zone around Ves , and it was obvious. But he only seemed to be like that with what to talk about. Otherwise he seemed happy to be with her. Though He still didn't seem truly know why he saved her from her tormentors. But maybe he would warm up even more. It had been so long since she had had a friend, especially one who didn't know a thing about her position in the vampire society.

Zane

Looking at the fifty or so men gathered in the main hall, he grew filled with fury. So few to answer the call, so few to survive the Hallow. Not nearly enough to take on Harkon let alone his army. Now that Ves was freed there was almost no hope for his plan. She had surely reached her father by now. They could be dead any day now from his wrath from the torture of his "favored" daughter.

Zane felt so trapped. Caught in this revenge scheme he had signed his own death sentance. If he couldn't pick up the pieces of this plan, all the years and sacrifices would be wasted. All the work that allowed him to survive well past the average lifespan of his kind. Wasted. Now was the time for him to be meticulous about his next steps. He was walking on already shattered glass.

Walking out of the main hall, Zane could feel his wolf struggling to the surface. His emotions always got the better of him while in stress. It was a shame he couldn't let it run free. Give his mind its' well needed rest. Sadly the Dawn Guard were hunters of all supernatural creatures. They were hardly better than the vampires in their control mentality, but at least they didn't enslave them. They knew better than to give them that mercy.

Nodding to people as he passed Zane headed for the Fort's roof, fresh air helped to tame the beast inside. Or so his mother used to say. He missed her, and held her advice in his heart.

When he had been younger, nights like this he would take Valette to Castle Volkihar's beach. They would sit and talk all night. Joking, laughing, talking, kissing. Whatever it took to break Zane away from his inner beast. During those days she had a calming effect on him. It was the sweet Valette that Zane missed so, but at the same time hated for ensnaring him for so long. Damning him to this existence.

As he reached the roof and nodded the sentries aside he couldn't help but feel sad that the face of such a loving person now belonged to an evil demon. Valette was dead. Ves was there now. She had said it herself all those years ago, surrounded by the ashes of his new family.

She smiled as her eyes met his. They were alive, happy, joyous. The way he immagined they would look at their reunion. To Zane's horror he almost felt the same joy. But when he looked at that happy face surrounded by fire, dancing in it's ashes, he changed.

Closing his eyes to block out the fires that had been forever burned into his mind that night. He even felt a tear slip through his closed lids. What does one do when they are alone, surrounded by enemies, just to kill their love.

Drawing a deep breath, Zane opened his eyes focusing on the moons reflection off the lake adjacent to the Fort. He missed Valette, that was undeniable. He hated her, he wanted her to die. Yet at the same time he loved her. In a sick was he wanted to crawl back to her open arms. And they would still be open, even after having her tortured. It was a game their love, one always avoiding the others. Wanting to hate each other, yet made for each other. And it would be like this until the day they killed each other. That was the fate that Zane foresaw for them, it was the only one that fit. For forgiveness was unreachable, a lie long since taken by a slowly drifting wind. Death was all that was left in their prolonged existence. It was the answer to a question his mother had once asked him.

Would you kill someone you loved, because you loved them? That would be the best way to end it once and for all.

Feeling fully resolved Zane let himself sink into planning. It was all he could do to ignore the past, because if he let himself remember he would lose all control over himself go wolf and die here, or worse go back to Valette and grovel.

Liam

Liam felt relaxed during their journey, Ves had this strange aura. It was relaxing in a way that inspired melancholy. She was alluring in the way all vampires were, but instead of using it for evil she had been fairly normal. Liam even found he was enjoying her company, even though he had always been taught that they were evil, she seemed pleasant enough. Their conversations were always short, but she was happy to joke around. She even smiled. A lot. It might have just been at the prospect of being free after so long, but it was a nice change of pace from life at Fort Dawnguard. He had joined wanting to do good, but life under Lord Zane and Master Isran was stressful. They were filled with so much hate that Zane had trouble not letting it consume him. Ves provided a nice contrast, happier, with small hints at sadness that sometimes entered her smile, or her scarlet eyes would seem on the verge of tears. Yet, pleasant nevertheless.

"How far do we have left until we reach the next city?" Ves spoke for the first time in several hours. It still struck him, even after several nights of traveling, how beautiful her voice was.

" Well, since we are traveling only at night, the walk to Whiterun would take only three to four days. But we have only just passed the town of Ivarstead, so I'd imagine we have good three days left."

"Thats not so bad...Are their any shortcuts? What if we aren't the first to get their." She said, with anxiety leaking through her normally eloquent noble way of talking.

What is hidden away so at Deepscorn?

"Then we can't do much." Liam said truthfully. "You read the reports. They were calling Daw-"

"That is not whom I'm worried about."

"Well the Order of Stendarr is gone. Who are you worried about, besides the..." He was an idiot he decided. "Oh! The Vampires!" Ves scoffed "Well the report did say the it was a very deep and intricate cave system. They were still digging though the tunnels. They couldn't have gotten that far?"

Ves made a sound between a sigh and snarl, before replying.

"Vampires can go days without sleep, and we don't tire quite the same way you do." Groaning she stopped walking and threw her head up looking at the sky.

It was her silence that gave Liam a chance to admire her beauty without feeling guilty for starring at her in her sleep. The blue glow of the moon made Ves's hair glow almost white. Her porcelain face was deep in thought as she continued to stare at the sky as if she was able to communicate with the heavens. As if even the stars saw her magnificent beauty and couldn't but to help her. Ves was so perfect. Even the heavens answered to her. Then as though she could hear his thoughts, Ves chose that moment to part her lips revealing her sharp, white, fangs. Giving a reminder of the danger she posed that broke Liam's trance.

After several more moments she finally turned to him with a mischievous smile.

"Have you ever heard of Black Reach?"

So this should have been out a while ago, and I wish it had been. But I have been really busy. Updates should start coming through, I'm going back though the story to edit alllllllll the errors because wow I was lazy. So if your email no when your email gets spammed sorry. Real changes will be made just grammar stuff.

Also the kill person you love thing from reference to Ga-Rei Zero. I'm a awesome just not that awesome. It's a great anime you should check it out the first episode is weird but makes sense at the end.

Thanks for reading and I hope you continue to follow it!

Oh and if Liam seems contradictory it is purposeful.