Disclaimer: Don't own RK. If you tried to sue me, you'd only inherit all my debts. *grin*

Author's Notes: Hmm, more development. I'm still wondering as to the direction of this fic. Much to my dismay, I haven't really made any progress with this particular story since I'm almost always coming up with new ideas as opposed to concentrating on finishing a story. *sigh* I promise I will try my best to continue this fic for those who are reading it!

Dedications: For Kirstian, who has abandoned her neechan for a fun trip in Japan and is no doubt scaring the streets of Japan with her antics. Mark my words, Japan will never be the same again (with strange boys yelling "atashi" at the top of their lungs). Also to Aoko-chan who likes my fic enough to want new chapters! *blush*

**********

The room was unearthly silent, which given the current number of creatures gathered here was unnerving to say the least. She stood to the side and could only gape at him. Whatever she had expected his announcement to be, it sure as hell wasn't this.

She had arrived in the room a little after her lover. The younger vampire from earlier had smirked at her mussed hair and disheveled appearance.

"My, my. Someone certain got some action and a half," he said with lecherous waggle of his eyebrows.

Fighting back the urge to beat the living daylights out of him, she had only smiled at him sweetly and took a step closer. "Would you like to know what we did?"

His dark brown eyes had flickered in surprise. "Er, sure."

Clearly, he hadn't been expecting that response from her. With the widest grin she had ever produced, her expression was one of pure innocence as she stomped on his foot with her heel. "A lady never kisses and tells."

"Bitch!!" he had yelled out as her lover doubled over in laughter, much to the shock of the other vampires.

Then, the all-mighty Council Head had stunned everyone in the room, including the very female involved with the announcement. She took a step backwards as he came over to her.

"What?" he asked gruffly. Reaching out for her hand, he encased it firmly within his larger one.

She could only stare at their joined hands. "What have you done?"

"What does it look like?" he remarked carelessly.

She wasn't ready for this. She couldn't possibly be ready for this. He was asking for the impossible. She couldn't do what he wanted. She could hear the strange note of hesitancy and uncertainty that had entered his voice. Her usually confident, arrogant, macho as all hell lover was nearly acting like an inexperienced schoolboy.

"I... why did you do that?"

"I would've thought that was obvious, even to a hatchling like yourself."

"But... in the time we've been together..."

She was so confused. For one brief moment, she had been happy. That she could not deny. But reality was reality. It wasn't fair to lead him on. She wasn't sure of anything. She knew the passion within them was powerful, and that though vampires were lusty creatures by nature, what they had was something that went beyond all experience. It was different than the bond she shared with the other. It brought her to her knees, and made them shake. It heated the blood, and her brain became inundated with memories. Some were of their bodies moving against each other, others were of him holding her so tenderly as if he were afraid that she would break.

He shrugged. "I didn't think I needed to. You could see for yourself, and feel each time we were near each other."

Her eyes began to water. "Stop that, hatchling. You know I hate that type of manipulation."

"I don't want to hurt you..." she whispered. It was the truth. The last thing she wanted to do was to hurt someone who made her feel the way she did.

His finger brushed the tears away gently. "I forbid you to cry. It doesn't matter if you want it or not. When I say you have my Protection, you'll have it."

The tears wouldn't stop. This powerful man, who could have any female he wanted, was willing to put up with her even if she didn't return his feelings. It awed and moved her.

"You..."

"Shut up before you make an even bigger scene," he commanded. She could feel his hurt but he was overriding his pain for her.

Just then, the same young man from earlier reappeared. He gave her a death glare and focused his attention on her lover.

"What have you done?"

His tone was lazy though it belied the lethal warning that lay beneath. "It's none of your business."

"You know of the Prophecy," the other man hissed from between clenched teeth.

Her ears picked that up despite her blubbering emotions. His hand moved to grab her wrist as he stood in front of her protectively. "The Prophecy was left unfinished. Anything can happen," he growled out.

"She's truly caught you, hasn't she?" the younger man murmured.

"Don't stick your nose into affairs that don't concern you." With a swift tug of her wrist, he dragged her out.

Both she and the other man noticed that he hadn't bothered to deny it.

***********

He drove home with a speed that frightened her. His muscles were tense, straining with unleashed anger. Something had upset him greatly. As they came to an abrupt halt, he turned around to look at her.

"I want you to know that I will never leave you alone."

Her breath caught at his words. Tears flooded her eyes again, much to both their dismay. "Someone... someone said that to me once."

He cursed fluently under his breath.

"He betrayed me, and made me who I am now," she whispered. "I'm afraid. I'm so afraid you'll end up being like him."

"I'll never be like that bastard," he said vehemently. His eyes shone with a fierce promise as he grabbed her arms. "I told you, you have my Protection. From a Council Head no less. That's almost like the word of God."

She gave a choked laugh. "That's blasphemous, you idiot."

The expression upon his face softened. "I mean it."

"I know."

He pulled her against him, and despite the awkwardness of her position, she felt comforted by him. His mere presence did things to her that was surely illegal.

"Tell me about the Prophecy," she said.

He made a rude sound of exasperation and mumbled additional curses. "I'm going to kill that son of a bitch."

"You like him anyway, don't you?"

A glimmer of amusement appeared upon his face. "What makes you say that?"

"I'm smart like that. Now stop avoiding the question."

He looked away from her. "You really want to know?"

She felt the hint of trepidation before firmly squelching it. It wouldn't do. She had to know the truth. If they were all somehow tied in, she had to know it.

"We knew of Your creation long before you were even made. Your Creator is actually my Creation."

With that announcement came shock number two of the night. Her lover spawned the man she had once loved?

He continued in a monotone voice. "I was younger back then, a mere fledgling like yourself. There's no real excuse for my actions, but I was truly stupid back then."

Hearing him admit to being stupid emphasized the grave importance of the situation. Somehow, she still managed to find faint humour at his proclamation.

"I hadn't paid attention to the Prophecy, and that I had been responsible for bringing about the downfall of our kind. He was a tortured soul, and he had become obsessed with a young human female. He tormented her before finally turning her into one of us. By doing so, he spawned one of the most treacherous vampires to ever roam the earth. I had become a part of the Council by then, and in one of the darkest days in our history, I had to stake one of our own, and destroy her."

She gasped out loud. He was gripping the steering wheel as if he were squeezing the life out of it. He seemed upset by it though his expression still remained unreadable.

"He was relentless. The Prophecy spoke of the Saviour who would bring an end of it. Unfortunately, like most damned prophecies, it was vague, and we weren't entirely sure if it meant that she would stop him or destroy the lot of us."

"You don't think I'm that Saviour, do you?"

"You have skills and gifts that are beyond any other vampire. You took to them so quickly. You far exceed anything ever created."

Her mouth trembled as she tried to absorb what he was saying. "When... when you met me at the harbour, ... was it by accident?"

She hoped. She would pray to God and incur His wrath if only to hear him deny her words. She hadn't realized how much she had put into that one answer until he spoke it.

"No."

The word echoed in her head. No sound would come from her. Something within her died at the very moment, and it didn't fail to strike her as ironic that the dead could feel something like this.

She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails pricked her flesh. She vaguely heard his startled exclamation as he reached for her hands at the scent of her blood.

"No!!!!" she screamed out, pulling her hands away from him. "Don't touch me," she whispered. The tears wouldn't come out this time. It stung the hell out of her eyes, and it hurt so much more than the first betrayal had. She had unexpectedly fallen in love even though she had tried her very best not to.

Through clenched teeth, he bit out, "I told you you had my Protection. It doesn't matter if you want it or not."

She wasn't sure if she could hurt any more. "I don't want it. Another pack of lies to mislead me? So you can betray me?" She laughed bitterly.

He turned around and shook her hard. "Listen to me, you idiot. Don't you understand the meaning of what I gave you?"

As if he hadn't spoken, she continued, "I was a fool, a damn fool to believe for a second you would be different. I thought even though I was cursed that I could find some semblance of happiness. I thought you would be the last person to ever hurt me. But you're just the same as him."

"I'm not like that fucking bastard!!" he shouted, incensed beyond all belief.

"Exactly the same," she repeated. In a sudden move, she had the door open and began sprinting like she had what seemed like ages ago. The wind whistled past her ears, and the sights and smells of the Night enveloped her. She could hear him cursing as he tried to chase her, but she tuned him out. She didn't want to listen anymore.

In a house some distance away, someone smiled in anticipation. "She's coming back."