Noises, distant and aloof to his comprehension, drifted to Adam's ears and he grimaced in pain, each individual sound hurting his head and making the ache worse. Though he had no memory of what had occurred after passing out in the night, a fear rose in him that he couldn't understand. He struggled to awaken, needing desperately to know where he was. He knew he wasn't dead...yet...and that he was very warm but that was all. His eyelids felt weighted as he tried to open them, so much so that he gave up, deciding to bask in the intense warmth that cradled him. The dull pain throbbing throughout his body was soothed by the small comfort and he sighed, his head falling to the side.

A weight settled next to his side and something cold was pressed against his forehead, traveling to each cheek and down around his neck. The contrast between the temperature of his body and the invasive entity made him shiver and his teeth began to chatter. Then a voice, perhaps a woman's but he wasn't sure, entreated to swallow what was about to be given to him. His eyebrows furrowed slightly, not understanding what was expected of him. The same coldness slipped under his neck and he felt his head raised. His head began to swim and he groaned harshly. The cold pressed against his lips, startling him when a metallic taste invaded his mouth. Twisting his head away weakly, he tried to escape but was held fast by a pressure on his neck. All he could do was clamp his mouth shut and so he did. A tiny part of him felt triumphant when the intruder left his lips and the weight lifted from the bed. A small victory but a victory nonetheless and should be enjoyed. He may be out of touch with reality but he could still resist if he wanted to. A little smile crossed his face.

Fresh, delicious warmth covered his neck and he could feel someone tucking the blankets tighter about him. Then he was left alone, to drift on the plains between lucidity and unconsciousness. Random thoughts floated through his head such as where he was, who was taking care of him, what was his family doing at that moment and so on but his strength failed him to run after any one of those concerns. Instead, he gave himself up to his exhaustion and slipped away, sighing as he passed.

I* * * * *I

Angelina sank into a chair with a frustrated sigh. She sat with her arms crossed over her chest and a troubled look on her face as she watched Adam sleep after tucking him tightly to preserve his body heat. Her attempts at getting him to drink her healing blood had failed because he had fought her. A smile twitched about the corners of her mouth as she marveled at his strength of spirit, to fight so hard even when he was so close to death's door. She liked that stubbornness and found herself to be admiring his courage more and more. He was a marvel and she wished to have more time to discover what made him tick. Still, this development was troubling and meant that she would have to wait until he was fully awake before trying again to heal him.

One of the few upsides to being a vampire was the ability to heal if the injured party would drink willingly from her veins. She had found this out quite by accident decades before. The downside was that only non-fatal injuries and illnesses could be healed and she wasn't sure if his current state could be classified as such or not. If Adam didn't drink, he would have to suffer the pain of a long sickness and would most likely die.

Rising from her seat, she knelt by the fire to tend it, adding more logs to make the flames burn hotter for her patient's comfort. Strange, she mused, how such a pretty mystery of nature could bring me no solace. She stretched out her hand towards the dancing flames but felt nothing, only the same numbness that she had felt for the last one hundred and fifty years. She glanced around at her tiny cottage in the woods and wondered if she had done the right thing bringing Adam Cartwright here. Perhaps she should have taken him to his family or to a doctor or simply taken his life so that his suffering would be at an end. He had been ready to die, she had seen the submission in his eyes. The mere thought of how sweet and pure his blood had been sent an ache to her gums and her eyes darkened.

Never before had a human's blood captured her heart so. There was no bitterness and no distasteful relics of an unhealthy lifestyle such as an overabundance of sugar or fat particles lingering nor was it watery from lack of nutrition. She touched her lips with a shaking hand, remembering the sigh that he had released as she had fed upon his neck. The sound had been one of unadulterated peace, as if he had been waiting for a long time to feel that sensation and now that he had, he was ready to die. The memories she had seen had been brief before she had broken the connection but from what she could tell, he had lived a hard life, filled with sorrow and pain. True, she had seen smiling faces gathered 'round him in certain events but one memory stood out especially. She had seen him sitting alone, a book forgotten in his hand as he had stared out into a darkened room. Though he hadn't blinked, a tear had flowed down his left cheek and soaked into the collar of his blue robe and all while he stared into the fireplace, a glass of whiskey dangling from limp fingers. What had he been thinking of? What had troubled him so? Too many questions were filling her mind with not enough answers to go around.

A moan permeated the silence and drew her attention back to the present. She glanced over to Adam's sleeping form as a cough wracked his tortured lungs. His face relaxed as the pain lessened and his rugged features softened into a carefree mask. Angelina rose from stoking the fire and walked over to the bed, her red robes dragging behind her as she passed. Adam's breathing was softer and not so labored but his chest was still barely rising when he took a breath and that had her worried. She knew a thing or two about medicine and how it had progressed during the last century but there wouldn't be any hope for him on that front. All a doctor could hope to do was to keep his fever down and give him as much comfort as possible. More than that hadn't been discovered yet. Other than her vampire senses, there was no way to see inside the human body and no way to know exactly what was wrong. He was better off with her than with a doctor so she made her decision.

Moving to a desk under the only window in the cottage, she sat and took a pen to paper...

To Mr Cartwright, sons and Hop Sing,

Adam is very ill but safe with me. Don't worry. Whether or not he recovers, I will assist him back to you. Until then, he cannot be moved and for his safety, I must insist you not look for him. He will rest easier and recover faster knowing that you are not putting yourselves in peril for his sake. I will write another note each night, telling you of his progress. Until then, please know that I am taking good care of him.

Sincerely your servant,

A

Rereading the letter over until she was satisfied, Angelina folded it up neatly and slipped it into an envelope. Taking a moment to stand next to the bed, she looked upon Adam's sleeping visage and couldn't help the confident smile coming over her face. She had made the right choice and for the first time in many, many years, there was something akin to gratification lurking about the reaches of her mind.

Pausing to listen to Adam's breathing and taking note of his injuries, she felt a wave of pity come over her. She might not be able to heal his entire body but she could heal the superficial cuts he had sustained. The blow to his head was a different matter as that damage was deeper but at least she could take away the sting of the scratches that covered his neck. She leaned down, took his chin in her gentle grasp and tilted his head to one side. She winced as she bit down hard on her bottom lip, drawing blood. Carefully smacking her lips to make sure they were covered, she leaned down and kissed the angry bite mark that had been inflicted hours earlier. Under her touch, the wound shriveled and shrank into nothing until the tanned skin was healthy once more. But she wasn't content yet. Running an index finger in her blood, she traced each scratch on his neck, collarbone and pulled the blankets down to catch the four reddened marks on his bare chest. A gulp contracted her throat as her fingertips lingered in the downy, black hair...so soft in contrast to the hardened muscle...she snapped out of the trance and replaced the blankets, feeling ashamed to have taken advantage of his weak state in such a vulgar way.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she looked about the cottage and grimaced. Filled with rows of books, a desk, two armchairs, one bed, a sofa and a closet in the corner, her haven was comfortable enough for her needs but not his. There was no food of any kind or water or medicine or blankets other than the ones already wrapped around Adam's shivering frame. Being an immortal being, she had no need for such luxuries but knew that he would, being the frail human that he was. She resolved to stop back into Genoa after delivering the note and pick up supplies then.

But before she tore herself away to tend to her errands, her hand lingered on his coarse cheek. Deep in slumber, he jerked away, whispering little fevered nothings to himself that only he knew the meanings to. It had been an involuntary response to the chill of her fingers but still one that hurt her. What a fool she was, thinking that a man like him could ever learn to love a monster like her. She had no right to expect anything from him but perhaps some small gratitude when this was all over. If he lived that is. He would go back to living his life and she would leave the area to find another safe haven to live her eternal days since her cover was close to being revealed. Yes, that would be best for both of them if they parted ways, not as friends and not as enemies either.

I* * * * *I

When Hoss came around the corner from the kitchen with two mugs of coffee in his hands, he saw Joe sitting on the settee. Both long legs stretched out in front of him, his little brother appeared to be pondering something of a dire nature as his face was creased with worry. Hoss strode forward and held out a cup to Joe.

"Here, brother, have a swig of this. I put a little brandy in it. May sharpen your mind a mite."

"Thanks, Hoss," Joe replied, still staring straight ahead at a stone in the fireplace that had suddenly fascinated him more than twenty minutes ago. "We should have gone with Pa. He was too upset when he left and maybe he's out there somewhere in the dark right now and all alone with this."

"Pa wanted us to stay here and I wasn't about to cross him when he is that mad at himself and the world."

"But this isn't his fault! How was he to know this morning that Adam was not feeling up to par? He knows better than anyone how stubborn our older brother can be when he puts his mind to it! If he was feeling bad, he wouldn't have wanted to tell Pa and so he didn't. That's how Adam handles his own health. Disregards it and then we pay the price when he goes down! He should have told somebody he was feeling that bad."

Hoss sighed, shaking his head. He opened his mouth to comment when the sounds of hoofbeats came to his ears. Looking at each other, both brothers jumped to their feet and raced to the door. But only their pa was in the yard and there was no sign of their brother. Their hearts sank as their father walked toward the house after handing Buck off to one of the hands.

"You didn't find him?" Joe asked, hoping against hope that maybe Adam was at the doctor's in town and their pa had ridden in to share the news.

"Does it look like I found him?!" Ben snapped, brushing past his two younger sons and stomping into the house. Striding to his desk, he took off his gloves and slammed them down on the solid pine as he sank into the chair, his head coming to rest in his right hand. When he finally looked up, Joe and Hoss were hesitating outside the office and looking decidedly unsure after being yelled at. Another shot of pain stabbed into Ben's sore heart. After twice failing his eldest son that day, now he had alienated his two youngest. Another winning moment to put down into his parenthood log of mistakes.

He waved them in with a tired gesture. "Come in, boys, I'm sorry for shouting. You didn't deserve that, Joe. Sit down and I'll tell you both what I know up to now."

Once the two young men were seated, Hoss in the chair and Joe on the edge of the desk, Ben took a deep breath. "As you know, Bob, the mill foreman, came to find me today at the timber camp. He said that Adam was back at the mill resting after a fall from a ladder and that he had also appeared very ill before the accident. He had hit his head pretty good and was drifting in and out of consciousness. Well, after I left here and got back with help, he was gone."

"Gone? What do you mean, gone?" Hoss asked, a frown creasing his brow and he leaned forward in earnest.

"Just what it sounds like. Bob had left your brother on his cot in the back room but when I got there, Adam wasn't to be found and Sport had vanished too. His gunbelt, hat and boots had been left behind though, that right there proving that he wasn't right in the head. I mobilized everyone at the mill to go out looking but Sport's tracks only went so far and then they stopped at a meadow," Ben looked up, his eyes shining with emotion, "I don't know where he is and couldn't find him even after hours upon hours of searching. To be honest, I don't know what to do. It's dark now and he is probably out there all alone somewhere, injured and afraid for his life and here I am. So useless!"

"Now, Pa, don't take on so. We just need to keep looking," Hoss said quietly, rising from his seat. "Joe, come on, it's our turn. Pa, get some rest and you can join us in the morning. Have Hop Sing make you some tea and maybe a bowl o' soup. That oughta put you right as rein."

Touched by the concern being shown, Ben thought for a minute before nodding. As one, Joe and Hoss disappeared, intent upon their quest. Ben relinquished his head to his hands again. Miserable, exhausted and filled with fear for a son's life, he didn't hear the knock at the door. Only when there were shouting did his gaze snap up to see what was happening. His youngest sons came dashing around the corner and thrust a piece of paper into his hands.

"Pa! Adam's alive!"

"You gotta read this, Pa!"