Autumn's Beginning, Autumn's Breeze

When Gerard calmed down they stood up and started walking. "You need to hunt," Alise said, "if you hunt regularly for the first few months you'll have so much more control at the end."

Gerard sighed and pulled Alise close.

"Everything will get better, I promise." Alise said.

Gerard-

I sighed again. "I suppose."

I looked around. "So...will you teach me how to hunt. I'm still not familiar with everything a vampire can do yet."

"Sure," she said smiling. "Follow me."

Alise taught him the basics of hunting, humans were much tastier but animals were just as good nutritionally, Alise even prefered animals, they healed faster.

"THe less humans you drink from the easier it is to maintain control around them."

"How often do you drink from humans?"

Alise shrugged, "not very often, animals are easier to get to. They seem drawn to me."

Gerard-

"I'll never drink from a human." I vowed. "Only animals."

We set off into the forest to find a suitable animal.


*Dont have much*

"I prefer wolves," Alise said, "something ravenous and carneverous."

"How do they compare to something like deer?"

"Deer's blood is very plain, there is a very salad like flavor to their blood. Carneverous aniamls are more like an actual meal."

Alise enjoyed explaining everything about being a vampire to Gerard, there had been so much she was afraid to tell him before, now, there was nothing about this to fear.

Gerard-

I'd have rather eaten something that harmed regular people, so i could do some good.

"What about bears?" I asked.

She shrugged. "A bit like wolf blood."

"Ok, so wolf or bear it is, i suppose." i said. We continued walking for a few minutes. Suddenly a small red fox burst from the bush and made a dash for a nearby hole in the ground. Again, i was reminded of Nat.

"If Nat were a vampire, i bet that's what he'd prefer. He's always been kind of sly and sneaky..." i said, smiling warily. I sighed again.

"You know you could always change him," Alise suggested, "I am sure that he would get used to it. Becoming a vampire will heal everything about him. BUt i am not sure how him being a mage would effect him."

Gerard shook his head, "he would hate me for the rest of eternity if i did that."

"But he'll come around."

Two hours later there were in an inn drousing on the bed, fully fed. "Have i said again how sorry I am that i killed you?"

Gerard-

I chuckled. "Yes, love, you have. And how many times have i told YOU that i forgive you?"

She didn't answer. It was a rhetorical question.

I was still mulling over the thought of changing Nat. I thought of what would happen if i didnt. He would go about his life with Bella, of course, but he would age...unlike me. And eventually he would die...

But if i changed him, he would hate me. Forever. I don't think he'd ever forgive me for that, because then he would be forced to change Bella, too, or risk losing her.

No, i wouldn't change him, i decided. But i would find him and appoligize. Only if he asked would i even consider changing him. And only if Bella agreed to it, too.

I slowly dozed off to sleep, my dreams filled with ravenous wolves, stalking bears, and sly foxes...

Vampires don't normally sleep, or dream for that matter, but since i was new i guessed those rules didn't apply to me yet. And hey, human habits die hard...

It was strange, Alise thought, for the first time in centuries she slept, she had always gotten a bit dreary during the day, but hadn't slept. Today she slept, and she dreamed.

She dreamed that she and Gerard were human, they had a family, Nat and Bella would come visit often, with their childeren to play with theirs. Until now she had thought that she had loved being a vampire, eternal life, but it denied her what she had wanted when she was human, a young nieve girl. She had wanted a family, and a place to call home.

She woke up, blood red tears staining her cheeks. Luckily she had woken before Gerard and was able to splash her face with some water and remove the stains on her cheeks. Sighing she laid back down with him on the bed.

Was there away to become human again? She had heard of vampires who had done it. perhaps Gerard would want to go back too. And then they could have what she wanted, they could have a family.

Gerard-

I woke up to find Alise moving around the room at random. I smiled.

"Whatcha doin'?" I asked.

"Thinking."

"About...?"

She sighed. "Well, i've heard stories before of Vampires turning human again and i was thinking... what if WE could become human again?"

I thought. The sound of that was incredibly tempting. "What do you think?"

"Whatever makes you happy. I wouldn't mind being human again."

"I'm up for it," I said, smiling. "So, how do we become human?"

"Thats the problem," I shrugged, "I don't know!"

"Well, lets figure it out then." Gerard rose and strode towards me, locking me in his embrace, "any idea where we should start?"

"I did have a few thoughts..."

Gerard-

"So where do you propose we begin?" i asked, trying to hide my excitement. Being human again means i could go and find Nat again and appologize with no fear. I smiled at the warming prospect.

She glanced a me quickly. "Maybe the mages might be able to help...?"

"Worth a try," i said, shrugging. I expected Nat would stay as far away from the place as possible so i had no worries of running into him there and making him angrier.

"Nat, if you don't tell me, I can't do much help," Bella prompted quietly, snuggling close to him. She was testing him, in a way. She knew she could get him to tell her almost anything; this was one of her many talents. Manipulative, as people often told her. She could get people to see things her way, whether it be the right way or not.

"I doubt you could help either way," Nat replied softly, putting an arm around her.

"Try me."

Nathaniel-

I sighed. I wanted to tell her, i really did. I just didn't think she'd understand. Not yet. I would not let her see the burning jealously and selfishness in me.

"No, Bella. Not now. Maybe later, though."

She frowned up at me, her eyes luminous.

I shook my head and smiled weakly.

Alise and Gerard embraced each other and focused on the tower room of the mages castle.

"Do you think they'll have noticed?" Alise asked.

"Yeah we noticed," Nat said. They spun around quickly, and Gerard looked faint.

"What are you doing here?" Gerard asked.

"What are you doing here?" Nat shot back.