Salvation

All Good Things Must Come To An End

He didn't remember when he started to wake up, but he was positive he didn't want to. For what felt like an hour he drifted in and out of a content sleep, unwilling to allow his eyes to open and let light in just yet. His sleepy mind didn't question the unusual comfort he was experiencing, as it drugged him back towards sleep once more. Releasing a sigh of abnormal contentment, he pulled the comforter close to him...

Suddenly his eyes were opening, and his entire body went rigid upon seeing the oriental embroidery sewn into the blanket. He was frozen, and he was almost positive his heart had stopped beating. When he regained his ability to move, however, he promptly flung himself up and stepped off the bed, but because he rose so fast without throwing the blankets off, he found himself tripping like an animal caught in a net, and the next thing he knew he was toppling over, arms flailing in a fashion that was a little too animated for his nature. There was a small, feminine squeak, and he snapped his head up. His eyes flew wide when he caught a glimpse of bare skin.

"Sorry!" He blurted, and in his haste he bumped the nightstand beside the bed. The lamp residing on it wobbled hazardously before taking a staggering topple over the edge. Reflexes kicking in, he lunged for it outfielder style, catching it in his hands just as it was going to shatter to the floor. His legs were still tangled in the blankets, and that was when he heard her laughter ringing through the air. Carefully placing the lamp on the floor, he turned his head over his shoulder to send her a cautious glance. She was now covered, having pulled a navy blue sweater over her head, and she was laughing heartily.

"Look at you! You're a mess!" She exclaimed with mirth in her voice.

He was in a state of numbing shock as she came over to help untangle him from the mess of blankets. Thinking he was free, he stood up swiftly, but his ankle was still snagged. His eyes flew wide as he tripped, and before he could stop himself he was smacking straight into her, causing her to release a surprised squeak as they fell backwards. She landed on her back on the bed with him on top of her, but he had managed to catch himself with his arms. The look on his face was absolutely priceless, and for a moment they just stared at each other - before she snorted into another fit of laughter.

"You should see your face! You're beat red!" She laughed.

He quickly got off her, hastily moving to the spot beside her so he wasn't on top of her.

"What just happened? That was like a cartoon!"

"Why are you laughing?" He asked, finally managing to find his voice.

"Because I've never seen a priest trip all over himself like that before! You're so flustered!" She continued to laugh. He still looked shocked. "Relax! It's okay to laugh a little, you know. It's not like anything bad happened."

At seeing she wasn't upset, he hesitantly allowed his muscles to relax a little, auburn eyes darting all over her face. She gave his shoulder a small shove, and finally he allowed the tiniest of smiled to appear as he watched her. Her eyes were sparkling like diamonds, her entire face illuminated by her smile. Before he realized it, he was chuckling quietly. She was beaming at him with that look in her eyes he loved.

"Wow..."

He looked at her. "What?"

"It's just so strange seeing you laugh." She smiled softly.

The corners of his lips twitched. "It's not often I find myself in a laughable situation."

Her gaze held warm compassion. "It makes me happy to know I've changed that."

His lips twitched, and without really thinking about it his eyes shifted downwards towards her side. Her shirt was riding up slightly from the struggle, and he could see some of her skin was exposed. What caught his attention were the strange marks, which were slightly darker than the rest of her skin, and without realizing it his eyebrows knitted together a bit. Blinking, she followed his gaze to her side and realized what he was looking at. Reaching down, she moved the hem of her sweater up, and it was revealed that the marks were indeed scars, but not just any scars. It had hit him the moment she uncovered the rest that they were indeed bite marks. She had been bitten by a vampire. More scars were visible a little higher up in two sets of three, where the vampire had gripped her body to hold her down while it bit her. His eyes were wide as he stare at it openly.