Fire and Ice Ch. 04-05

I heard the phone ring a couple times and her familiar voice was on the other end of the line.

"Hey mom."

"Emma? Hey honey, is something wrong? You sound sad..."

3 days later...

I sat on the plane, looking out the window at the white expanse of clouds below me. They looked so peaceful up above, it was hard to believe that beneath those clouds blizzard conditions ruled.

I was flying home, back to my family for the holidays. The stress of school was behind me, at least for a little while, and I was looking forward to celebrating Christmas. I still had my Christmas shopping to do, but I planned on doing that at home. I needed to have my days planned out so I could distract myself from thinking of Adam. I would be landing within the next twenty minutes and my mom, dad, and brother would be waiting at the airport to pick me up. We would make Christmas cookies, decorate our tree, hang stockings and drink hot chocolate. I loved Christmas time.

I saw the seat-belt light click on and I followed it's instructions, sitting back in my seat as we prepared to land. I put my faith in the pilot and his ability to land a plane in snow.

I felt the familiar 'pop' as the pressure adjusted in my ears as we descended in altitude and leaned back, shutting my eyes. The angle grew steeper, then leveled out, and I felt a bump as the tires made contact with the runway. We bounced a few times, then we were riding smoothly, slowing down.

"Please don't forget your carry-ons and have a nice holiday, ladies and gentleman," a voice announced over the speakers and I grabbed my purse, smoothing my skirt, stepping into the aisle.

It took a while to get through the gates and to the baggage claim area where my family would be waiting for me. I found my bags and glanced around. They obviously hadn't arrived yet, so I sat on a bench, pulling my things with me.

I waited. And waited. And waited. After about 30 minutes, I started to get worried and dialed my mom's cell phone, my dad's cell phone, and even my brother's cell. None answered. A deep feeling of unease settled itself in the pit of my gut. I sat there, reassuring myself until my cell phone rang. It was a number that I didn't recognize.

"Hello?"

"Emma Avonside?" A deep, man's voice boomed out of the speaker at my ear.

"Yeah, this is her..."

"I'm calling to inform you that there's been an accident. Your family..."

His voice kept on, but I heard nothing as my world stopped.

I was going to separate these two chapters in terms of submissions, but I felt that would be too cruel to my readers!

Chapter 5

The next few months were a blur. Funerals, bills, grieving, more bills; I found out that my parents had remortgaged the house to help me pay for college. Their bills became my bills. I couldn't afford college anymore. I moved back home, into my emptied parents house.

I cried as I took down the Christmas decorations. I cried as I put a "FOR SALE BY OWNER" sign in their front yard. I cried when I accepted a job as the secretary in a doctor's office. I cried as I cancelled the internet service, cable, cell phones, and everything that I couldn't afford.

I had become poor. I could barely afford the monthly mortgage payments, car insurance payments, and gas money. As I struggled to make it, Adam was in the back of my mind. How would he contact me now? I had no way of knowing when he would be back, he had no way of knowing that I wasn't back at college. The likelihood of ever seeing him grew dim.

My heart yelled at me, screamed at me for letting him go. I was completely alone, left in an unforgiving and dismal world. How had he endured 1800 years of this?

Eventually though, I started feeling better. The sadness lingered, but I understood that a grin could cover it up, even if for a little while. I started making a few friends—nobody important came into my life, but then, nobody was Adam. The doctor's office that I was working for realized that I had an almost-completed biology degree and promoted me to lab assistant. It wasn't being a doctor, but I liked the work. I got to run analysis on blood samples, testing for anything from drugs to diseases. With that promotion came a little more money and I started going out again with friends.

I still lived in the house I grew up in, but the sadness around every corner was starting to become muted. If I could have moved, I would have, but I didn't have enough money for a down payment until this house was sold, and with the economy the way it was, nobody was buying. So, for now, I was stuck.

I still remember Adam. I'll always remember Adam.

October, 2011

I sighed and massaged the back of my neck, working late in the lab again. I only had a few more blood samples to run to make sure the drug tests were back to the company by their deadline. We routinely did drug tests of the employees of certain large corporations, and they were guaranteed their results within two weeks or the tests were free. Those free tests were deducted from my paycheck, and they weren't cheap, so it was imperative that I got them all done.

I had just finished the last sample when Mary walked into the room. She had taken the job as the secretary when I got promoted. It was strange that she was still here, she usually packed up and left at 6:00 pm precisely, and it was going on 7:00 pm now. I looked up at her quizzically and she just made an exasperated motion,

"There's some guy in the waiting room that's asking for you, he says he needs to get checked out. I keep telling him that you're not a doctor, but he won't listen, he just keeps giving me this sample of blood and telling you to test it. It's actually kind of freaking me out, Emma."

I gave her a little grin and patted her on the shoulder. This kind of thing actually happened a lot, people would come in and say that 'something was wrong' with their first sample and I needed to test a different one. Usually, it was because their first sample contained evidence of drug use and they were trying to cover it up. I took the sample from Mary and followed her to the waiting room.

I stepped across the threshold into the small room and glanced at Mary. The room was empty.

"I swear he was here! I just..." she ran fingers through her short hair frustratedly, "...God! What a day." Stalking back to her desk, she gathered some papers and her bag.

"I'm going home, Emma."

I nodded at her, "Make something good for dinner for me," I commented, thinking on the microwave meal I had waiting for me in the freezer at home. It was times like this that I really missed my Mom.

She just smiled at me and left the office, locking the door behind her. I went back to the lab, the random sample of blood in my hand still.

Curious, I held it up to the light. It looked like normal blood to me. Setting it into my sample rack, I turned back to my desk, trying to complete the paperwork that went along with the samples that I had run previously. "No evidence of drug use found," I wrote, then initialed each sample. Sighing, I sat back in my chair. I twisted my head to and fro, trying to loosen the muscles in my neck. Hunching over these samples wasn't the best for my posture. I glanced over at the lone sample in the rack and blinked a couple of times.

The sample looked darker than before, if only slightly. It was like the blood was dying slowly in front of me. That couldn't be right. Blood cells usually take about 100-120 days to die, so every 4 months a human should have a brand new supply of cells in circulation. But these cells seemed to be dying so quickly—darkening as the dead cells stopped carrying the oxygen. I took the vial and held it up to the light once more.

It still looked normal, only slightly darker now, not the normal bright red color of blood exposed to the air. It was more muted.

Puzzled, I slipped some latex gloves over my hands and pulled my mask over my nose and mouth. I grabbed a pipet and pulled a small droplet of the sample up into the small tube, then placed it on a glass slide, covering it with a small, thin, square piece of glass. I loaded the slide into the light microscope and looked through the eye piece, turning the coarse focus knob as I did so. What I saw through the scope looked odd, and I used the fine focus to get a better look.

The blood cells looked normal, but barely discernible proteins were mingling with the healthy blood cells. I watched as one protein latched onto a red blood cell and buried itself into the cell.

Instead of dying, the cell got healthier. It looked as if it was holding twice the amount of oxygen based on the color. I focused on a different cell. It was on the verge of dying. I watched, intrigued, as the protein crawled back out of that cell and latched onto a different one.

These cells must have life spans of no more than a week, based on the rate of turnover and the amount of healthy cells without proteins. I gasped as I realized what I was looking at.

Vampire blood.

Had Adam been here? I quickly grabbed the sample, tossing the slide, gloves, and mask into the biological waste bin, putting on my coat, and walking out into the waiting room.

I scanned the small room, but it was clear that no one was there. Sighing, I palmed my keys, unlocking and relocking the door to the small office behind me, and walking in the parking lot towards my car.

He was in the exact same position as the last time that I had seen him—leaning against the driver door of my car, waiting for me.

It was dark, but I could feel his eyes on me as I stopped walking towards him, stunned, standing in the middle of the emptied parking lot.

"Adam?"

He pushed up off of my car and started walking quickly towards me. I broke free of the shock and started walking towards him, eyes wide.

As he got close I could make out his face. Everything about him looked just as I remembered. His eyes still held me close. Those lips had a very small smile on them as he watched me walk towards him. He opened his arms and I dropped my purse, taking the last steps to reach him, and finally I was in his arms once more.

My arms wrapped around his waist and I buried my head in his chest, breathing him in, proving to myself that he was real. He seemed to be doing the same thing, holding me so tightly that it was almost hard to breathe, his nose in my hair, kissing my forehead.

I looked up at him, not letting go, and swallowed a bit of emotion that had risen to the top of my throat,

"I missed you, Adam."

He let out a little groan and clutched me to him, holding me tightly, "I won't ever leave again, Emma."

I choked back a sob as I realized that he meant it. He wouldn't leave me. He wouldn't die on me. He wasn't going anywhere.

I felt his fingers running through my hair as he gently tucked a strand of it behind my ear. I looked up at him, our eyes meeting.

His head dipped down, the tip of his nose touching mine as his hand caressed my face, his thumb wiping away the single tear that had escaped from my eyes. I heard him inhale, taking a deep breath, then he pressed his lips to mine for the second time in our lives.

They were soft, gentle, tender. He kissed me with the utmost care, as if I was something entirely too precious to let go. My heart leapt into my throat and my hands clutched at the jacket on his back, trying to pull him closer to me. His fingers twisted in my hair, holding me tightly.

I kissed him back with everything that I had, molding my body to his, holding onto him tightly. I felt the rush of warmth run in waves through my body, felt the butterflies taking off in my stomach, felt time stand still as my lips stayed where they were supposed to be—against his.

Our lips eventually pulled away from each other, but we stood in the parking lot, holding each other quietly in the dark fall night.

He sighed, pressing his forehead against mine, and I closed my eyes gently.

"I'm sorry, Emma," he voiced in a pained whisper.

The last six months came rushing back at me. My family dying. Quitting college. Losing Adam. The enormity of it all hit me, and the air rushed out of my lungs.

The first sob came out as a small squeak, and the rest followed. I clung to Adam, sobbing, in the dark parking lot as he held me close, stroked my hair, and let me cry.

Once I had started, I couldn't stop. The flood of tears that had been building was released, and

Adam held me up as I wept. It was such a relief, not being alone anymore. Not hiding the sadness anymore. Not being strong anymore.

I quieted as he rubbed a hand gently up and down my back, consoling me without words.He led me silently to his car. I made a motion to mine with my hand and started to say that I needed to drive, but he just shook his head.

"We'll come back and get it tomorrow, Em. Right now, I just want to be with you."

I nodded, understanding and agreeing. I needed to be with him now too.

We drove through the city and pulled in front of an apartment complex of the same caliber that his other had been. I was in too much of a daze to notice much, but I could tell we were in one of the nicer areas of town.

He led me up the stairs and got out a set of keys, unlocking the door in front of us. This apartment was set up differently, but it had the same masculine color scheme as the other one. It was slightly smaller, a kitchen on my left, a sitting room on my right, a hallway leading to a bathroom and bedrooms in front of me. He led me to his couch and we sat down.

"I'm so sorry for leaving you Emma. I should have stayed with you."

I shook my head, "You did what you needed to do, Adam. I understand. I would have done the same thing if I were you."

He reached out and gently stroked my cheek, "I shouldn't have left someone so important behind." He sighed, then continued, "When I tried to call you, it said your number had been disconnected. It got me worried, but I figured that I'd see you when I returned. I tried not to let myself think about it too much.

"When I got back to the university during the last week of classes in May, you were nowhere to be found. I thought that you might have been avoiding me at first, but then I went to the registrar's office. You weren't registered for any classes.

"I panicked, Em. I didn't know where to begin looking for you. You'd never mentioned if you were from out of state, or in state, or anything.

"I started getting closer to you by searching for people with your last name. Finally, I found your family. And their death certificates."

I shuddered, closing my eyes. Adam reached out and took my hand.

"I completely lost it, Emma. I thought you were dead. I thought that your entire family, you included, had been in that car accident. But when I pulled it together and looked, I couldn't find your certificate anywhere. That gave me hope.

"Two days ago, I found out where you worked. I couldn't help it, I flew here right away. I promised you I would come back—I couldn't break that promise."

I sighed and leaned into Adam's shoulder. His arm came up and wrapped around me. We sat their quietly until I spoke up.

"I didn't know what it was like, Adam. I had no idea."

He looked down at me, his hazel-grey eyes locking onto mine, "Didn't know what, Emma?"

"Being alone. How horrible it is. Having no one to turn to, no one to talk to. I can't imagine how you did it for so long, Adam. I just can't..." I trailed off, unable to continue.

These past few months had been horrible, but Adam had been alone for so much longer. How had he done it?

"I held out hope that someone like you would come along, Emma. That's how I did it for so long."

I looked up at him and met his eyes. He was looking at me tenderly, intimately. I felt as if he could see my soul. My heart cried out to me once more, telling me that I loved him, that he loved me, that we were supposed to be together. This time, I listened.

My hand reached up and my fingers trailed along his cheekbone.

"I'll never leave you either, Adam."

He looked down at me and a grin played across his lips. He kissed me softly, then smiled at me, "Best news I've heard for one thousand, eight hundred, and fifty five years."

I leaned up against him and he pulled me close, kissing my forehead. Suddenly, he pulled away, faced me towards him, and looked at me questioningly.

"Wait, what did you mean by that?"

I tilted my head at him and bit my lower lip, then took a deep breath.

"I want to be like you."

Adam shook his head. "You don't know that, you can't know that for sure. It's not something that you can change, Emma."

I nodded, "I know, Adam."

He sat across from me, his eyes wide, just staring at me. He obviously wasn't going to make a move, so I did.

I stood up and took off my jacket, letting it fall to the floor. Kneeling back onto the couch next to him, I took hold of his chin with both hands and pulled his lips to mine. A low growl echoed from the back of his throat as his arms came up around me and pulled me to him tightly. He broke the kiss and looked at me, concerned.

"It hurts, Emma."

I pressed my lips back to his and spoke against them, "They always say the first time hurts, Adam."

He put his hands on my shoulders and sat me back a few inches. "I wasn't talking about that first time, Emma." He took a breath, then stopped, "Wait...you're a virgin?"

I blushed, looking down. "Yeah," I mumbled, and Adam tilted my chin up to look at him. He was smiling.

"Really?"

I nodded and I could see the happiness on his face. His happiness made my lack of experience look like a good thing. Suddenly, his face regained it's serious expression once more.

"I meant that becoming a vampire hurts, Emma. Introducing vampirism to your system is painful."

I nodded at him, trying to pull him closer. He wiggled out of my grasp.

"You have to be sure, Emma. I'd like nothing more than to..." he paused and I could see desire take over his face for a few moments, "...have you in every way, forever. But you have to understand."

I shook my head; my mind had been made up a long time ago, when I saw him walking away for the first time.

"I know what I want, Adam. I want you. Forever."

Adam groaned, closing the distance between us and picking me up in one motion. His lips never left mine as he carried me into his bedroom and set me on the bed, gently.

I felt a flutter of nervousness in my belly—what was I supposed to do now? But Adam seemed to sense it and he grinned at me,

"I'll take care of you, Emma. From now until time ends."

I relaxed as climbed over me, pressing his lips against mine. His hands roamed, starting at my neck, working their way under my shirt until they cupped my breasts. I gasped as he found his way underneath my bra and brushed his thumbs on my nipples, arching my back up into him. He took the opportunity to seize control of my mouth, his tongue dancing with mine. He sat me up just long enough to pull the shirt over my head and unclasp my bra before sliding it off, then laid me back down on the bed.

I felt his lips leave mine and wander along my jaw, down my neck. He kissed the vein there, throbbing in time with my pulse. I felt blood rush to my skin and Adam groaned, looking up at me.

"Let me taste you."

I nodded at him and he kissed the vein on my neck once more. My hands reached up and grasped at his hair as I felt him bite down on the tender skin there. He exhaled and I felt two sharp points of pain and I cried out. The pain was quickly replaced by a sense of euphoria as I felt him suck gently. It was like all of the nerve endings in my body were on fire, and all I wanted was more!

I gasped and clutched him closer as his hand began to knead my breast once more. He released me from his fangs and gave a small lick to the wound. The pain disappeared instantly and I moaned as pleasure took its place.