A/N: That wasn't too much of a long wait was it? I tried my best to get this chapter out as soon as possible! I've been getting a lot of positive reviews for this story and it has really motivated me to keep writing. I have honestly thought about just dropping this story a few times but your reviews keep me going! Thank you so much!

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Kisses!

My father stood in my doorway holding two steaming mugs. He looked… tired. Like he hadn't slept since the last time I saw him.

"Hi," he mumbled, still standing in the doorway. He was staring at the foot of my bed as if that was the closest his eyes could get to looking at me.

"Hey. I didn't know you were home." I couldn't think of what else to say to him, he was almost unrecognizable.

"Yeah, I, uh just got home a few minutes ago."

"Oh."

He was still staring at the foot of my bed. I noticed that his hands carrying the mugs were shaking jut the slightest bit. He suddenly looked up and straight into my eyes. It caught me by surprise.

"Can I come in?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"Oh, uh, yeah." He stepped in the doorway, closing it behind him with his elbow. I sat up and pulled my legs to cross them.

My father walked up to the side of the bed and sat on the edge. He handed me one of the mugs in his hands.

"I brought you hot chocolate."

This made the corner of my mouth curve upwards just slightly. For as long as I could remember, whenever I was upset- be it from an argument with Mom or problems at school, etc.- and shut myself in my room, he would always come up with two mugs of steamy, rich hot chocolate with exactly seven tiny marshmallows. Looking in to my mug, I counted exactly seven of the sugary white puffs floating on the top of the warm, sweet beverage.

After that he would pull me to his chest as I either cried or just needed someone to hug.

The beverage shocked me enough in this situation, but when he pulled me to his chest, that familiar gesture astonished me.

His arms squeezed me tightly against him. It took me a moment to realize that he was shaking. I could feel water drops falling in to my hair.

"Dad?"

He pulled me in even closer, crushing my lungs. But it was in a good hugging-so-tight-crushing-lungs-can't-breathe kind of way, the way that lets you feel the other person's warmth.

"I am so sorry," My father sobbed quietly.

"Dad?" I repeated. What was going on? Why was he crying and apologizing to me?

I would have never expected this to be what would happen when I saw my dad again. If anything, I had always imagined him being hostile or just ignoring my existence altogether. Never could I have dreamt that he would be the one apologizing and shedding tears.

After a few moments he pulled back and let me go. When I looked at him he was wiping the tears form his eyes.

He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

"For what Dad?"

Dad looked up at my eyes. "For kicking you out, for all the things I said to you, for not being supportive of you, for failing you as a father," he said the last softly. I couldn't tell if it was because he didn't want me to hear or if he was just too ashamed to say it.

"Dad, you didn't fail me as a father. If anything, I failed you as a daughter."

We were both silent and I could see the wheels turning in his head. It was a ong time before either of us said anything.

Earlier, Billy and I talked a lot and resurfaced our bond, but for some reason I felt that a lot of words weren't needed this time.

Now it was my turn to pull him in to an embrace.

"I love you Dad."

"I love you too Raven."

Alexander's POV

"Alexander, please! We've been out here all night and haven't found any sign of Luna. Let's just go back to the mansion," Sebastian complained next to me.

I took in our surroundings on more time. Since Raven left both Sebastian and I have been searching for Luna everywhere in town. Tonight we were at the Sinclair Mill. It was such a huge place that it would most likely take us several nights to comb the whole place. I was reluctant to leave. We didn't ave that kind of time.

"Fine."

Sebastian dramatically threw his hands up in the air. "Thank you! The sun is going to be up in an hour and I am exhausted."

Even with the black curtain covering the only window in my attic room, I knew that the sun would show itself any minute now. No matter how much I thought about it, it was still strange to me. As a vampire, I was to naturally fear the sun, but even with it so close, I'd never seen it before. I'd seen pictures and paintings and read about it, but I have never witnessed the huge burning star filling the world with light for hours each day.

I sighed and shook my head at myself. What did it matter if I saw the sun or not? I was a vampire, a monster, who had no business wondering about it. But I did. I always wondered what it would be like to go outside during the day and have the bright sun beating down on me with the glare in my eyes, maybe even get a little sunburn. Then I could go outside with Raven during the day. We could go to the park, the beach, go to school together, we could do so much more if it weren't for that one star in the sky out of millions.

Raven. Just thinking her name caused my heart to ache. I'd heard nothing about her since I called Mrs. Madison that night. I knew she was staying at her family's house but I could never gather up the courage I needed to go over there. And anyway, if I didn't go over to see her, she would probably just refuse to see me and would banish me from bother her and out child's lives.

My heart squeezed again. What about my child? Will I have the chance to be the father I desperately wanted to be? Will I get to meet him or her?

These were all small branched-off questions from the one big one: Will I ever get Raven back?

With this last thought I climbed into my coffin and fell in to a cold, dark, dreamless sleep.

I used to enjoy waking up and going downstairs for "dinner". Jameson was a great chef and never failed to bring in a great meal. These days I barely even tasted the food or the goblets of blood. Sebastian's been telling me repeatedly that I "Take the term living corpse to a whole new level.". I guess he was right because it was like I died. Raven is my life, and she left. Now I was like an empty shell looking for my lost soul.

Jameson slowly walked into the dining room wheeling his metal cart. It creaked noisily until he finally reached where I sat.

"Good morning Master Alexander."

"Good morning Jameson."

My butler set my plate in front of me while stating everything on it, which I zoned out for.

"Your parents are out for their meal and Master Sebastian is still sleeping," he informed me.

"Thank you Jameson."

As I was eating my meal my phone rang from my pocket. I didn't bother looking at the caller ID and just picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Alexander?" a frantic female voice responded.

"Yes…?"

"It's Mrs. Maddison."

I suddenly sat up straighter and became completely alert. Why would she be calling me?

"What is it? Is Raven okay?"

"No. I went to wake her up but she's not responding."

My breath caught in my throat but I quickly recovered. "I'll be right over."

A/N: that wasn't too bad was it? I know it was a boring chapter but I need to put this in to get the story going again.

Please review! Your reviews motivate me to write faster and update more frequently!