Restless nights were common for Arven. While he didn't often remember dreams, he could tell when he'd been plagued by them. Waking up in a sweat, or feeling as if he'd only slept for a couple of hours when he'd been lying there for at least six or seven. Those nights were common to him.

Waking up feeling fully rested though, that was new. As was waking up and not being able to see.

Blinking, Arven couldn't see anything. Well he could, but his vision was taken up by something. Something light, and ticklish. He went to move an arm, but he found that his arms were trapped. One of them was lying underneath a rather heavy weight that didn't budge even a little when he tried to pull on his arm gently. His other arm wasn't stuck, but as he went to move it something pulled it right back into place. A moment later, and he felt a rather soothing sensation of something scratching gently at his bare skin.

It took him a bit to realise what was happening as the grogginess one felt after waking left him, and he understood. His vision was totally obscured by Serana's long hair, as he laid on his side, cuddled up to her with one arm wrapped under her body and the other resting on her torso. His head was relaxing on her chest, and the two were in somewhat of a heap, all tangled up.

Arven's bedsheets had been half kicked off their bodies, only covering his feet. He was only wearing his pants, while Serana was the opposite with only a shirt and her undergarments. There was a small moment of shock, but he didn't feel the panic he might've previously expected, or the desire to quickly pull himself away. He just felt incredibly comfortable.

As he lay there, he felt Serana's chest rising and falling with her breathing as she slept. The gap between her breaths was much longer than you'd expect from someone who was living, but it was still comforting. Serana's hand was absentmindedly running over his forearm. She alternated between running her fingertips over his skin and running her nails against it instead. Both felt rather soothing in their own way.

While her touch was cold, Arven's was as well. Both of their bodies produced little to no heat, so while he might've previously gotten uncomfortable, perhaps sweaty from being like this for too long, that didn't happen. So he was rather content to simply lie in place, giving Serana a soft squeeze as he let his eyes close once again.

There were thoughts and questions to answer, of course. He was horribly confused as to what their relationship was. It was no doubt unique; how many people could say they were developing strong feelings for the woman who saved their life by turning them into a vampire?

Not to mention, the way in which their relationship was 'progressing' was far from normal. This was the first time Arven had shared his bed with anyone in years. With a woman who he had stronger feelings for than any women who had come before her, if he was being truthful to himself. By a significant margin, no less.

Yet despite how close they seemed to grow; they hadn't kissed. Nor had they properly spoke of their feelings to each other. They had spoken of it to some extent. At least, Arven had memories coming back of such a thing. When he had felt life slipping from him, with Serana kneeling over his body, speaking to him.

But he couldn't really take those words to be truthful, could he? She was merely stricken with grief.

Right?

But, that wasn't something to dwell on. Right now Arven felt relaxed. And he had forgotten how much he enjoyed such a thing. So, his eyelids closing once more, he willingly let sleep greet him again.

As his eyes closed, and his breathing settled back down into a steadier, more natural rhythm, Serana opened a single eye to peer down at him. Confirming that he had gone back into a light sleep, she smiled. A single hand was raised from Arven's forearm, tracing up his arm, fingers against his bare skin until she was running them through his messy hair. Arven seemed to nuzzle against her subconsciously as she did so, and her smile grew wider. All as her heart ached. It ached so much, yet it had never felt as full as it did now.

Since they were no longer fully covered by the blanket Serana went to sit up ever so slightly, doing her best not to disturb Arven. But as she did she found that his arms gripped her tighter, refusing to let her move away. She paused, looking back down at him. It was almost perfect, everything in that moment. She just wished she could feel the warmth from his arms that he used to radiate, before she stole that from him.

But it wasn't a matter to concern herself with now. Instead she laid back down, readjusting so they were facing each other once more. She looked over him as Arven had his eyes closed, lips ever so barely parted as he took in slow breaths. With her forehead lightly resting against his she had a hand caressing his cheek with her thumb reaching out to gently brush over his lips. There was a temptation, a rather extreme one to steal a kiss from him. She wasn't going to give in, as it wouldn't be fair to do such a thing while he was unconscious and couldn't agree, but she rather enjoyed that temptation.

She simply enjoyed lying next to him like this, and wished it could go on forever.

Of course, it couldn't. As she laid there, she heard the sound of Arven's front door slowly creaking open. With a deep, long sigh, Serana did her best to remove herself from the tangled heap the two found themselves in. Moving ever so delicately, and placing the hand that was wrapped around her down on the bed as gently as she could instead of letting it drop, Serana found her pants and put them on, muffling the sound with illusion magic as she did so.

Opening the door she peeked out to see Lydia standing near the kitchen and – all of a sudden, the scent of blood hit Serana's nose. Feeling a small amount of panic she descended the steps, peering around the corner until any fears she might have had stopped. Lydia was standing in the kitchen with a few empty bottles, bottles which she was now filling up with her own blood. The woman barely winced as she cut her forearm, letting an almost shocking amount of her own blood flow from the wound.

Taking the opportunity while Lydia was distracted, Serana stuck into the guest bedroom without making a sound. She then opened it, purposely ensuring that she did make sound doing this, enough so that Lydia would hear.

Lydia did in fact hear that and she turned, just as she had started sealing the vials.

"Oh, my lady," Lydia said. "I'm sorry, I didn't wake you did I?"

Serana shook her head, a hand in her hair as she ruffled it to try and make it straight again. "No, not at all. Don't mind me," Serana replied. Although, she couldn't help but feel slightly worried.

"Lydia, that's a lot of blood," she said.

Lydia looked to Serana, then back at the vials. "It's fine, my lady," she said as she corked the final vial. "It's the least I can do." As soon as she was finished Lydia pulled out another potion, this one full of a lighter red liquid that she then drank. As soon as she did the bleeding stopped, and Lydia let out a short sigh.

"You really are dedicated to him, aren't you?" Serana asked as she leaned up against a wall.

"It's my duty after all," Lydia replied. "I am sworn to be his housecarl, to protect him and this city. Arven does everything he can to keep Whiterun safe, so by helping him I'm helping the people who live here," she explained.

"I doubt most housecarls would go to the same lengths, though," Serana stated.

"It's only natural to help someone who's saved your own life, my lady," Lydia responded. That made Serana raise a brow. "Spilling a small amount of blood to help him, considering what he is now, it doesn't seem like much. I just hope-" Lydia said before she suddenly cut off.

In a rather uncharacteristic moment, Lydia then stuttered for a moment, looking to Serana. It was as if she just remembered. "Ah, I'm sorry my lady, this must be-" she said before she ran out of words again. She went to hide the vials, then paused, obviously unsure. "I'm not… do you, want…?"

Serana raised her hands shaking them as she suppressed a small chuckle of laughter.

"I guess that secret is out in the open now. And no, I'm fine, although it's kind of you to check," Serana said. "I'm not hungry."

"Still though, the smell?" Lydia asked.

"I'm used to it. But, it might wake Arven if he isn't in a deep sleep," Serana explained.

Lydia cursed softly under her breath.

"It's fine, he's been sleeping for hours. It's about time that he woke," Serana said. "And thank you, on his behalf. You're making this much, much easier for him."

Lydia didn't respond. Instead, the woman turned to Serana, facing her head on. Seeing her like this, it was obvious that Lydia was rather strong in her own right. Despite being a rather attractive woman she still had a strong frame.

"There was no other way, was there?" Lydia asked. Although it wasn't a question, more as if she was trying to reaffirm a statement.

Serana paused before she understood what Lydia meant.

"No, there wasn't," Serana said in a softer tone. "When I… When I turned him, he was already dead. There was no heartbeat."

Lydia nodded, not speaking as she absorbed the information. She seemed incredibly stiff, stern, almost as if she was ready to move if she needed to. To fight. But she relaxed, if only by the smallest amount. Then she bowed her head to Serana once more.

"Then I have to thank you once more, for saving him," Lydia said. "I'm sorry, please excuse me, I've disturbed you enough for one day."

"It's quite alright," Serana said, although she didn't make any efforts to stop the woman as she left. Serana let out a long, deep sigh as the door closed behind Lydia once more.

Gods, that was awkward, she thought to herself. There was obviously a strong level of resentment, or at least judgement that the woman held towards Serana. And she couldn't blame her, not really. If Serana cared for someone, and another person came along and dragged them through the danger that Serana had subjected Arven to? Well, she'd be far less agreeable than Lydia was.

Shaking her head slightly, Serana looked at the vials neatly resting on the table. She felt a small pang of hunger. Fighting Garan had taken some of her energy away, but she didn't need to eat right now. And the thought of drinking blood that wasn't Arven's felt… wrong, almost.

So instead she turned, deciding to sneak back upstairs. With any luck, Arven might still be sleeping. And if he was she could slide back into bed next to him.

It seemed that luck wasn't on her side though. When she placed a foot on the first step she heard the door to Arven's bedroom opening and a few seconds later he was descending the stairs, before he paused as he realised she was standing at the bottom.

"Morning," she said with a soft smile. "Well, not morning. But you get it." Of course, it wasn't morning. It was late afternoon, with the Sun starting to set. Light enough that they couldn't leave the house, but it wouldn't be a long wait until they could.

"Was Lydia just here?" Arven asked. He was still groggy, rubbing his eyes with a hand as the other grabbed onto the railing to guide him down the steps. He hadn't put on his shirt, and Serana caught herself staring just a bit as he walked past her.

She had been feeling conflicted the night before. On one hand she had Arven in her arms, and that brought her an immense level of joy. On the other hand, he was right there, but there was still so much that she couldn't do with him. To him. Things that she very, very much wanted to do, but things that would be entirely inappropriate.

Her first priority was to help him navigate life as a vampire, either temporarily or permanently. Her feelings and desires came second to that.

"She was, yes," Serana said to answer him after she regained control of her thoughts. "Did the scent wake you up?"

Arven nodded at her, although he was looking to the vials on the table. He sighed, his broad chest deflating as he did so. Serana couldn't help but watch, her eyes alternating between tracing the lines of definition on his chest, and the scars that littered his skin.

"Yeah, it did," he said. Raising a hand to his mouth he pushed his index finger under his top lip, running it along his teeth. He felt one of the canines, long and pronounced, and razor sharp. So sharp that he nicked himself on it, although the wound healed within seconds.

"Why am I so hungry, Serana?" He asked before turning back to face her. "You can go days, longer without it. I'm already starting to feel like I can't focus if I don't get a fix sooner or later."

She walked up to him, placing one hand on his shoulder and the other reaching down to grab his own hand. "It's normal," she said. "You've only been a vampire for a few days now. You're still in the infancy stage so, you're hungrier than usual. It will pass."

"How long will that take?" Arven asked.

In response she pulled on his hand, guiding him to sit down on the table opposite her. "You should sit down. I haven't really had a chance to answer all your questions about this. When I turned I was prepared, so I can only imagine the things going through your head."

Arven paused for a moment, looking back at the blood.

"It's okay," Serana said. "I know you don't want to, but that was given to you, freely. No one was hurt to get it. No one will get hurt if you drink it. If you don't want to then I won't judge you and I won't press, but if you do, there's nothing wrong with that Arven."

Looking at the vials, seeing the way the blood seemed to swirl within, an incredibly rich, deep colour that was so irresistibly alluring, Arven felt saliva filling up his mouth. He swallowed it, then moved over to grab a bottle, pulling out the cork. Just as he went to lift it to his lips, Serana was beside him with a hand on his own.

He looked at her, confusion and a small amount of anger on his face. "Why-"

"Let me," Serana interrupted. "Right now you can't tell the difference between how much you need, and how much you want. When you start you won't want to stop, and you could end up wasting a lot of it."

Looking back to the blood in the vial, Arven exhaled and relented. He gave Serana the vial and tilted his head back, opening his lips. In response Serana held the vial just above his head before pouring the blood in. As soon as it hit his tongue, that incredible taste washed over his senses once more. His eyes went wide, and before he knew it his hands were reaching up for the bottle to rip it free from Serana's hands.

Thankfully she was ready for that and pulled it away, placing a firm hand on Arven's chest to hold him off. She wasn't strong enough to push him back if he really tried, but it shocked him back into a proper state of mind.

"I-" Arven started, blinking. "Sorry. I didn't even realise what I was doing."

Serana responded with a sweet, gentle smile. "It's alright. Come on, you need a bit more."

So she did the same as before, but this time Arven balled his fists at his sized and tried his best to focus on keeping them there. The taste of the blood overwhelmed him once more, but instead his arms were kept shaking at his sides as he fought for control. All while guzzling down the blood like his life depended on it.

When Serana pulled away and sealed the bottle once more, Arven turned his back to her. He walked over to the closest wall and reached out, hands flat against it as he looked down to the ground. He breathed in deeply. Not out of a need for oxygen, but in an attempt to calm himself. The hunger was worse than before. As soon as he started to feed the hunger intensified tenfold and he needed more. He needed so much more of it.

But, that feeling was quickly subsiding. It ebbed away along with his incredibly slow heartbeat. And eventually it was gone. He wasn't entirely full, but the hunger was no longer there. He then stood up straight and, as Serana suggested sat down at the table. After doing so he ran his fingers through his hair, looking down at the table while cursing under his breath.

"How is anyone meant to resist that by themselves?" Arven asked.

"They aren't," Serana answered as she sat down opposite him. "Almost every vampire goes on a rampage when they first turn, unless they're supervised by others. But like I said, it will pass. You'll get more and more control every time, I promise."

"I hope you're right," Arven said. He then looked up at her, arms resting on the table. "So, what do I need to know?"

"What, no immediate questions?" Serana asked.

"Too many to sort out."

"That's fair enough," Serana responded as she tilted her head off to the side, thinking to herself. "Well, I suppose the most important things are all the physical changes. First of all, especially as a vampire lord, you're going to be even faster and stronger than before. Considering how strong you were already, I don't even know just how powerful you are now."

"So I'm the same as you? As your father?" Arven asked.

Serana hesitated for a second before answering. "Almost. I think… actually, I'm really not too sure."

"Thanks for the clarification," Arven said with a small smirk.

"Oh, good to know you're still a smartass even when you're undead," Serana retorted. "But no. I haven't turned anyone else before, neither has father or mother. I was shocked when father offered his blood to you, honestly. But I think you're one step down from us."

"What do you mean?" Arven asked.

"Well, we all got our blood from Molag Bal himself. Since we got it from the original source, we're 'pure-blooded', as father likes to say. You on the other hand didn't get it from the source. You're one step removed. Still far above any regular vampire, but I don't think your vampirism is quite as, well, 'potent' as mine. Or fathers," Serana explained to him.

"I could still turn into… that, though," Arven said.

"It was different," Serana said. "I didn't really notice at the time but your form was a bit off. Your wings were more tattered, and the shade of your skin was more pale as well. It was the same for Garan, if I was able to turn I'm sure that I would've been able to beat him."

"Well, that's… I don't know how to feel about that," Arven said as he looked down to his hands.

"I think if, hypothetically, the blood kept being passed down generation to generation it would eventually get to the point where the transformation wouldn't be possible any longer. But that doesn't matter," Serana said, trying to stop herself before she rambled on for too long.

"Am I stronger than your father?" Arven asked.

"In his human form? Most definitely," Serana responded. "As a vampire lord? I'm… well, I'm not sure. I would say it'd be close."

Arven didn't respond. He knew he was stronger than he was before, he just didn't feel like testing it out. Having his strength come from the two beasts he hated the most didn't make him eager to go around flaunting it. But if he could simply go and fight Harkon as he is now? Well, that might just make the whole ordeal worth it.

"Although, after what you did in the Soul Cairn? Honestly, even if you fought like that without the vampirism you would've given father a run for his money," Serana added.

"What do you mean?" Arven asked. His memory of the Soul Cairn was still shaky at best.

"After I got injured. I thought you were dead, but you stood up and shouted with so much force that you sent the dragon flying. It was incredible, honestly. I've never seen something shock mother so much before either," Serana said.

At the mention of that fight Arven reclined back into his chair. He knew what she was talking about, of course.

"What was that, Arven? You've never shown power like that before," Serana asked.

"I… ah, dammit why is this still so hard to talk about," Arven said. "I suppress a lot of the strength that I get from being Dragonborn. I've done it so much it's basically second nature to me now."

"I didn't even know you could do that."

"All my power comes from the souls I absorb, yeah? Except when I use that power or when I shout, I can feel the souls flaring up inside of my chest. They… it feels like they're raging around inside of me. The more power I use, the more I feel their presence. And I feel their emotions, as well. The anger and bloodlust those dragons have, it all rises within me, and I hate it. So I try not to use it," Arven explained.

"You sounded like them, you know," Serana said.

Arven didn't reply, but his eyes narrowed as he looked at her. Inviting a response, yet at the same time being critical of what she said.

Serana shrugged meekly. "When you shouted, I thought for a second that another dragon had come down. You sounded just like them, your shout. If anything it sounded more draconic than the ones I've heard from them."

"I hope you don't mean that as a compliment," Arven said with a half-crooked smile.

"No, no of course not," Serana quickly replied. "I'm just saying. It was strong."

Arven clasped his hands in front of himself on the table. His thumbs were fidgeting as he took in a breath. He was starting to wish that he could just go back upstairs, back to how he was an hour ago. He could never say that though, could he? There's no way he could ask Serana for that.

Of course, he wasn't the only one having those thoughts at that moment.

"These souls, they were the only reason I managed to turn back into a human," Arven said.

"What do you mean?" Serana asked.

"When I first turned. The only way I could transform back, from being a Vampire Lord. In that form I was so consumed by everything and I just couldn't focus. The only way I could was by trying to think about something else that'd distract me," Arven said.

"So you focused on being Dragonborn?"

"Yeah, something like that. It was funny," Arven started. "When I, I don't really know how to describe it. When I let the souls out, I suppose. Let them free, they raged. It was like my dragon blood was fighting against the vampiric side of me. I said that I could feel their emotions sometimes, and it was like they were angry, that I'd become dirty." Arven scoffed, a half-hearted laugh coming from him.

"Maybe I do have something in common with them after all," he continued. "But after I focused on that strength for a while they… settled down, somewhat. It went from a raging flame to just this, burning ember. Remining me that they were there, but it was nowhere near as mentally demanding."

"And what about now?" Serana asked.

"Gone," Arven answered. "I pushed it all down as soon as I felt like I could." A weak grin on his lips, he shrugged. As if apologising. "It's going to take more than that for me to get comfortable with it. If I ever do."

"But anyway," he continued, purposely changing the subject. "Do you think if we went back to Volkihar now that I could beat your father?"

"No," Serana replied. "Well, if you could coax him out to fight you one on one? Maybe, you'd have a good chance honestly. But that'd never happen. He'd throw everyone in his court at you, every creation he has in that castle before he fought you himself. Unless you feel like you could take on a couple dozen vampires at once, I don't think we'd stand too much of a chance. Plus, if he was willing to turn Garan, he might be willing to turn others."

Arven cursed softly to himself. "And what if I brought the Dawnguard?" He asked.

"If they cooperated," Serana added.

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't they, this is the whole reason that they exist."

"It is, and they'd cooperate if you were still human. But two Vampire Lords asking them for help?" Serana shook her head softly. "Honestly, I don't think they're going to do much for us now."

"I may be a vampire now but I fought for them before this. They know who I am, they wouldn't just kick me out. Kick us out," Arven retorted.

"I like your optimism, but Isran… isn't a trusting man. He already has some qualms about trusting you. If you turn back up I'd bet good money that he'd assume I've won you over, and that we're there to trick him somehow," Serana said while she folded her arms across her chest. She was still wearing that plain white shirt, and as it shifted about Arven's gaze kept getting distracted.

Not that Serana was any better. With Arven sitting across from her shirtless, she was having a harder time than usual focusing on their conversation.

"Well shit," Arven muttered. "So what, we just have to keep working with the scrolls then."

"Yep," Serana added. "Same as we were before. We'll just be hunting for a cure while we're at it."

Arven grunted in response. He'd be doing everything he could to try and find a cure, of course. But his optimism wasn't exactly high.

"I suppose either way we're going back to that castle though, to talk to the Moth Priest," Serana said.

"We have to go to Winterhold first. Drop by the College," Arven said.

"Winterhold? That's a long detour," Serana said.

"And a cold one. I know."

"Oh actually, it isn't," Serana argued. Arven looked to her, a single brow quirked. "Vampire, remember? You can't walk under the Sun, at least not for a while longer until you get used to it but you'll basically never get cold again. Remember the blizzard when we first met?"

Arven's eyes widened slightly. "Oh, you're right. I guess that's one perk."

"But anyway, why are we going there?" Serana asked.

"There's the other scroll, remember? I left it at the College," Arven explained.

"I… I guess that works. But why the College? You aren't exactly the scholarly type," Serana noted.

Arven scoffed. "No, but there's a librarian there who'd sooner see Skyrim burn than have harm come to his collection. It's safe there."

"Not a bad place to do a bit of research either," Serana said. "See what the college knows about vampirism, and cures."

"It's worth a shot. There's a few other things I want to check out as well," Arven said. "Travelling is going to be frustrating, though."

"Why's that?" Serana asked.

Arven sighed, folding his arms over his chest as he did so. The action distracted Serana, and she found herself staring. What's more, she wasn't exactly being subtle. After a night of sleeping with him in her arms it should've cleared her head, or so she naively thought. But if anything it had the opposite effect.

Instead she found herself looking. Her eyes ran along this figure, from his bare chest to the arms crossed over them. She knew he was muscular, but seeing him without a shirt emphasised that fact. And after touching him, her fingers resting on forearms, tracing along the veins running up his arm, a palm pressed flat against his broad chest which was shockingly firm to the touch, her other hand resting on his broad back which she just wanted to dig her nails into as he-

"Serana," Arven said in a much louder voice than the one he had used previously.

Serana blinked, moving her eyes up to meet Arven's own. She did her best to feign ignorance, simply raising a brow at him.

"Really?" Arven asked. He couldn't hide a smirk of amusement, but it was mixed with a level of disbelief.

"Hmm?" Serana's brows shot up a little bit, feigning confusion.

"Don't hmm me, what the hell was that?" he asked.

"What was what?"

Arven just sighed. "Okay, what was I just talking about?"

"Going back to the College," she said immediately.

"No, after that. While you were staring at me, zoning out, pursing your lips…" Arven retorted.

Serana's feigned shock turned into a more real version. "I- I was not doing that," she said.

Arven uncrossed his arms, instead placing his hands on the back of his head. "You definitely were. What, are you hungry or something?" He asked.

Gods yes-

"No," Serana said stronger than she intended, pushing unwanted thoughts out of her head. She cleared her throat. "No, sorry. I just zoned out a little, I think I'm still a bit tired."

"…right," Arven said. He knew, of course. He wasn't quite that dense. But while it was incredibly amusing, it also raised a few questions that he wasn't ready to talk about yet.

"Anyway, as I was saying," he then continued. "Travelling is going to be a pain."

Serana, who was now looking off to the side, deliberately not at Arven to try and clear her head resisted the natural urge to look back at him as she went to question him. But she didn't have to, as he continued on speaking.

"Only being able to travel during the night is going to be painful. We'll have to plot out places to stay, unless I get used to the sun really quick," he explained.

"It'll likely take more than a few days, I'm afraid," Serana responded. "If it was winter it wouldn't be as bad, but the winter will make things unpleasant. Once we get to the colder weather though it might be doable for you."

"So, I'll need to have a look at inns. I'd rather not be sleeping in caves every night," Arven said.

"A nice warm bed is more preferable, yes," Serana remarked.

"There's an inn about halfway," Arven remembered. "The midnight? No… Nightgate Inn. That's it. We could make it there in one night, then to the College the next."

"You know Arven, we don't have to leave right away," Serana said as she finally looked back to him.

"Why not? There's no point in just waiting around, Arven asked.

This time she was looking him in the eyes, the ones which looked at her with that captivating, sanguine gaze. As a vampire Arven would no doubt be able to seduce women, or even men with ease. But that wasn't why Serana felt as she did now. No, those feelings had been there for quite a while now. Although she did feel regret at seeing a pair of red eyes looking back at her, instead of blue.

"More rest isn't a bad idea. You've only been a vampire for a very short time, giving yourself more time to get used to things might help," she argued.

"If we waited for me to get used to being a vampire before we left, we'd stay here forever," Arven said.

Serana hid a grimace. "Fair enough. But still, a few more days and your tolerance for blood will likely be better."

Arven let out a sigh, thinking to himself. "Honestly, a part of me does want to just rest. Forget about fighting and just take some time to do… nothing. But I don't know if I can do that here, not as I am," he said.

Serana tilted her head, prompting a response from him.

"This city is too full. I can smell people walking past the door. It's impossible to properly relax, not while I'm awake. I'm half paranoid that the smith down the road will cut her finger and I'll go crazy," he continued.

"It's a shame you don't have a nice cabin somewhere in the woods," Serana joked. "For someone who likes their private space, having a house in the middle of a city wasn't the smartest move, you know."

"Not all of us can afford a castle off the coast, Serana," Arven retorted with half a smile. "Would a cabin in the woods even be enough for a Lady like yourself?"

With you there, I'd have everything I need. Those words danced on the tip of Serana's tongue, threatening to slide off at any second. But she held them back, now wasn't the time for more teasing.

"I mean, it'd have to be a big cabin. Maybe built into the side of a mountain. Get some servants, y'know. The usual stuff," Serana said.

"Oh yeah, your regular, average cabin. You can find those all over the place," Arven said, rolling his eyes.

"See? You get it."

The two then sat in silence for a moment, before it was broken by Arven standing up. He moved to go back upstairs, his movements seeming slightly lethargic.

"I suppose I should get ready. No point wasting time," he said. As he passed Serana, noting how she was still half-dressed, he quickly averted his gaze. "We should both get ready."

"What, what's wrong with how I am?" Serana said as she stood up, one hand on a hip cocked out to the side. Arven didn't look, which just made her pout.

"Oh come on, you bore," she teased as Arven started walking up the stairs, although he called out behind him.

"I think you've done enough staring for the both of us for one morning, haven't you?" He asked.

Serana felt a blush coming to her cheeks, and she quickly turned away before Arven could notice, should he decide to look back. She thought about denying it, but it was clearly too late for that. Mentally she chastised herself. A woman of her age acting like a love-struck teenager was embarrassing at best.

But, a part of her liked acting this way. Despite the embarrassment, it felt good. It almost made her feel human again, in a way. Like a young girl stumbling over herself handing her first crush with an innocence that had long since been lost to her.

She rather liked that feeling, and found that she wanted to hold onto it for as long as she could.

Eventually Arven came back down the stairs, wearing the same outfit he had on when he rescued Serana from Garan earlier. Now that she could study it more, it was the total opposite of his usual attire. Instead of steel plating, armour befitting a warrior, he wore simple leathers. He'd gone from a soldier to a traveller.

A traveller with broad shoulders she wanted to dig her nails into, but still.

"So what's with the new look?" She asked, sizing him up. She had also changed back into her regular attire, except her sword was now missing and had been replaced with Dawnbreaker, all wrapped up.

Arven looked at her confused before he realised what she meant. "Oh. Well, my armour is sort of ruined. Lying in pieces back at the castle, from memory. I don't think it'd even do me much good if I got it," he said. "So, the Jarl gave me some new clothes."

"But why that? Surely he could've given you some actual armour," Serana said.

"Didn't seem fitting, honestly," Arven said. "And I'm not even sure if I need it. I'd rather be comfortable while we travel."

"Not fitting? Why not?" Serana asked. She had a feeling that she knew why, but she wanted to understand.

"Well," Arven started, letting out a brief sigh. "I'm not the same anymore, am I? When's the last time you saw a vampire walking around in steel armour? It's just… I feel like I'd be lying if I walked around looking the same as I used to."

Serana walked on over to him. She extended a finger, placing it on Arven's forehead to give him a gentle poke. "Idiot," she said with a soft smile.

Arven just looked at her, confused.

"You haven't changed, Arven," she said. The hand she poked him with ended up cupping his cheek, looking into his red eyes with that sweet smile which would've made Arven's heart jump when he was still human. It was a sound she missed now.

"Your body has, but you haven't. I know you don't think so but you're still the same person you were before," she continued.

Arven reached up, placing his hand over the one she had on his cheek. "You can't know that, Serana. You don't know what I did in that cave-"

"I know, Arven. Not the specifics, but I know better than anyone. And you fought it. You're still fighting it," she said, with surprising conviction behind her voice. Arven turned his eyes away, but as he did she placed her other hand on his free cheek forcing him to look at her again.

"You're still the same person," she reaffirmed. "I can tell."

"Why do you have so much faith in me?" Arven asked.

"Why wouldn't I?" Serana retorted. "You're kind of incredible, you know."

Arven shrugged. "Not really. Half the time I feel like I'm just struggling to keep up with whatever's thrown at me. I'm just doing what anyone else would," he said.

"Trust me, Arven. In my whole life, I don't think I can recall one other person who could stand up to you, and the way you act. The person you try to be," Serana said. And she meant it, as well. "I mean, I know the crowds I associate with aren't the best people, but still," she added with a coy grin.

It was a strange feeling, Arven thought. Realising that a woman who you wanted to kill moments after meeting her, a woman who you instinctively didn't trust in the slightest had now become the most important person in your life. That, and now thinking that you didn't deserve them.

He really did wonder why she went to these lengths for him. Sure, she needed his help to stop her father, but everything they'd gone through together had put their relationship well past the point of one that existed solely for mutual benefit.

"Serana, why did you save me?" Arven asked. As he did, Serana's eyes widened ever so slightly. She obviously wasn't expecting him to ask that, of all things.

"Why wouldn't I?" She responded. "You say that like it was a hard choice I had to make. Or a choice at all."

"Bringing someone back from the dead is a pretty big choice. Especially the way you did it," Arven said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, giving me your blood. You said it yourself, it's a huge, well… 'gift'. Big enough that no one from your family ever did it, not until recently," he explained.

"Arven, that was the absolute last thing on my mind," Serana replied. "Turning you into a vampire was just a means to save you, any weight it carries was meaningless compared to that. If I could've, I would've given up my own power if that would've brought you back somehow."

Arven didn't reply, not straight away. He figured that giving the 'gift' wasn't something Serana would've cared about too much. But giving up her own power? That seemed extreme. Especially after everything she went through to get it. The way she argued, justified the things she was put through to get that power came back to the front of Arven's memory. Horrific torture that he could barely imagine.

And she'd give away the results of that just to save him?

"Serana, you went through hell to become a Vampire Lord," Arven said, as if he was trying to make Serana realise what she was saying.

Instead, she just looked at him, nodding casually. "I did, your point?" She asked.

"You can't just-" he started before trailing off, unable to properly verbalise his thoughts.

But Serana understood. Walking up to him, she paused as she stood only a foot or so away, looking deep into his eyes.

"This power is mine to do with as I please, Arven. And if I could've used it to save you, without turning you? That would've been the easiest choice I'd ever make," she said. "Remember when I told you, that it has to be worth it? Everything I went through?"

Arven looked her in the eye, nodding slowly.

"I still don't know if it's worth it, everything that happened. I tell myself that it is, but honestly I don't know," Serana said to him, a sad smile on her lips. "But, saving you? Bringing you back? That made it worth it. Even if it took my powers away, it still would've been worth it."

Arven didn't know what to say. It made him feel guilty, in a way. Before he'd been so nonchalant about accepting death, but hearing what Serana was willing to sacrifice for him shook him ever so slightly. And he didn't understand why she'd go to such lengths. So, he circled back to his original question.

"So, why?" he asked.

Serana reached out, grabbing hold of Arven's hands as she squeezed them softly.

"Are you going to make me say it again?" She asked, her lips still curled up into a half smile.

Arven didn't understand what she meant, not at first. But it clicked soon after.

"I wasn't sure if you actually did," he said. "I barely remember it, except a few flashes of you crying, kneeling over me." As he spoke the images of Serana looking down at him, her cheeks stained with tears, his blood on her lips in her mother's laboratory filled his mind. He closed his eyes, pushing them back. It almost physically hurt to remember Serana grieving like that.

"I did. And I meant it," Serana said. "Arven, I-" she continued before being interrupted.

"Wait, please," Arven interjected. "I… I need you to wait. I can't answer you, not right now. Not when I'm like this," he said. "If, when I turn back to normal, then I can. I'm sorry," he said.

He felt his heart ache as he said it. He wanted to respond to Serana, but he couldn't give her a clear answer. He was still confused. He still carried some lingering anger, a small sense of betrayal at being turned into a vampire even though he'd accepted it. But he couldn't respond to a confession when he wasn't alive. Even if choosing to do so made him feel like a coward.

He was expecting Serana's expression to darken, or for her smile to fade. But it didn't. Instead her smile grew wider.

"You know, I think I'd prefer that," she said. "And don't worry, I'll wait for as long as it takes. If we've got anything on our side, it's time, right?" Staring at him for a moment longer, Serana then rose up onto the tips of her toes and leaned in close. With a hand on Arven's chin, she turned his face to the side and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Arven didn't react, too shocked to do so, and essentially froze until Serana broke it off a few seconds later. All he could do was look at her, stunned by not only her words, and her actions, but just how in that moment she looked even more beautiful than she ever had. He didn't even know such a thing was possible.

But, it was reassuring for him to know that his heart could still yearn for something so strongly, even when he was undead.

Turning away, Serana then started heading towards the door.

"Anyway, it's about time we head out. Unless you just wanted to sleep for another day, which I'm more than happy to do," she said as she looked over her shoulder, giving him a coy wink. It'd been a while since she teased him like that, and even if he didn't feel the heat in his cheeks any longer he still felt that embarrassment. It was a rather pleasant feeling, really.

"And I hope you realise I'm going to be looking for that cure even harder now," she added.

Yeah, Arven thought to himself. So am I.

And I'm back, with chapter 20!

I feel like I say this a lot, but I do apologise for the wait. Unfortunately I came down with COVID over the holidays and I've been stuck with a lingering fatigue ever since, so I'm finding it harder to write. But, I'm getting better with every passing day so I've been able to finish this chapter off.

As always I hope you all enjoy reading it! And I hope you all had a good holiday period as well. And of course, a huge thank you to reading, and to everyone who leaves a review, or follows/favourites. Seeing those numbers go up is a small guilty pleasure of mine.