Take My Hand

[Sushi]

Ephriam looked at her with a sort of sad expression. He gently brushed away the hair from her face, peering at her intently with the washed out eyes that were slowly losing their redness and regaining their color.



"Marina. At least for now, you are my life." In every meaning of the phrase.

[Tree]

Marina smiled slightly, biting back tears now. This was not easy on her emotional state right now.



" I'm a passing phase in your life though. Please understand I'm of lesser importance in the long run, even if you value me highly right now."

[Sushi]

Ephriam just looked at her for a long moment. He didn't say anything at first, turning and laying her on her pillow. His slender hands pulled the blanket over her and he bent over, kissing her forehead.



"For now."

[Tree]

Marina looked him over, nuzzling him softly.



" For now, later, you'll still have Jethro, and his new attraction... Understand me, I don't want something to happen to you... especially when i could help."



Marina replied softly, holding to him, not wanting him to leave, but not having and strength to force him to stay as she rested back.

[Sushi]

Ephriam was on his knees beside the bed, hunched forward so that his face was almost against her shoulder. It was kind of interesting. His skin was flushed, but in a healthy way. He looked - dare we say it? - human.



"You misunderstand my implication. Your state may not remain the same forever."

[Tree]

"... Might change? now your speaking foolishly, my blood went right to your head."



Marina joked softly, smiling.



" I don't get something though... Does different blood taste or smell, or something more appealing then others?"

[Sushi]

Ephriam smiled faintly at her, not carrying the first statement any further. Now was not the right time for it. He skimmed his finger along her shoulder where not so long ago his mouth had been planted.



"Yes." His eyes drifted to her beautiful olive skin.



"Like a sort of wine. Some brands are worlds better than others, and you can never tell by the bottle." He cast a sad smile at her. "I like yours especially."

[Tree]

" Bottle, or wine?"



marina asked cutely, resting her head in his hand, drifting off some more, cooing to him, waiting for his answer before she considered sleep more fully.

[Sushi]

Ephriam smiled softly and leaned closer to her ear, giving her a little peck on the cheek before whispering in her ear.



"Both."

[Tree]

" then don't be afraid to drink in moderation."



Marina replied simply as she let herself fall asleep, breathing a bit more shallow the normal, but otherwise completely fine as she slumbered, resting on his hand still.

[Sushi]

Ephriam's sad smile took a while to fade as he stayed there, not wanting to wake her up. He remained absolutely still, watching her sleep. He was just watching, the same as he had done countless times before. It was just that this time he was closer. Absently he wondered what she was dreaming about.

[Tree]

Smiling and kissing Ephriam as they sat underneath the willow tree, she gazed up through the large canopy of stars, soon resting back into his arms. They were happy, and so were the kids off playing with jethro, the twins, a boy, and a girl. she wasn't sure how she was going to have to handle telling them that they'd have their father forever... and she was going to be gone before she saw her great, great grandchildren. It was something she was having a problem a problem with as she leaned back closer into her lover's arms, wiping the absent tears away. She'd been minorly depressed since having them, despite how much she loved them.. It was hard to explain that she was jealous that she wouldn't always be the women their father wanted, or that she wouldn't always be around for them, ....





Marina rolled over and tears fell from her face as she dreamt on.

[Sushi]

Ephriam watched her, moving for the first time. Lightly he stroked away the tears. Marina was in pain, even when she slept. And it was probably his fault. Wonderful. The man settled back to his stillness as he waited out the day, waited out her sleep.

[Tree]

When the dream hit a point she couldn't tolerate the agony her mind was putting her though ( not to mention, it was about ten hours or so now), Marian sat straight up, head spinning slightly as she muttered she didn't wanna have kids..... which contradicted previous conversations she recalled having.

[Sushi]

Ephriam just remained still, watching her. How are you supposed to react to a random proclamation of anti-childbirth? Ephriam chose to not say anything at all, his only movement being to draw back the hand that hand been pinned under the woman all of this time.

[Tree]

Marina looked at Ephriam, moving to kiss him.



" Don't ever tell me you love me. I couldn't handle it. If it's so, show me, never tell me. I can't know."



She informed him simply, moving to kiss him again, slipping into his lap. She felt closer then ever to him, and yet, she felt like she was being forced to let him go, she was not liking this.

[Sushi]

Ephriam pulled away from her, his brow furrowing as he sat there on the floor with her. He hadn't changed from yesterday. Hadn't bathed or anything. (Not that he had the opportunity.) Yet she seemed to have changed in every way over night.



"I do not understand."

[Tree]

" don't love me. I can't handle knowing you would love me, then another, and I forbid you not to love again. therefore, just don't tell me. ..... Does that process give you bad dreams?"



Marina asked softly, fingers tracing over the fang marks on her shoulder, tears looking like they might come again as she pressed closer to him, as if she would die at any second.

[Sushi]

"Oh." Ephriam paused a moment, wishing that he could just wipe her sadness away. The man looked down at her.



"Marina..." He was just now realizing that she hadn't noticed (even though he hadn't bothered to try and hide it anymore).



"Nothing you do could give me bad dreams. I do not sleep."

[Tree]

Marina shook her head slowly, not bothering to try and explain her question as she looked him over, moving to kiss him.



" I know you don't sleep. I've noticed."

[Sushi]

Ephriam sighed slightly, feeling a bit foolish as he returned to her comment.



"I was telling you before. Things might not always be as you see them now."

[Tree]

Marina looked up at him, tears still in the fading process as she nestled tighter to him, looking him over, confused.



" I don't understand?"

[Sushi]

Ephriam looked at her for a long moment.



"You should not worry about it now." The man leaned back slightly, taking in her whole appearance.



"But you might not remain human forever." The door swung open and a huge pile of cheeses with legs walked in. Wait. No. It was Jethro carrying a huge pile of cheeses.



"Peace!"

[Tree]

" wine with that cheese?"



Marina asked softly, still in her night gown in Ephriam's arms, not paying much mind to his statement right now.

[Sushi]

Jethro poked his head to the side of the precariously teetering pile.



"Oh. Hope I wasn't interrupting. Do you like wine, Marina? Ephriam, do you want me to find you some wine? Or some nice clothes? Or some of the crown jewels? Don't kill me. She made me do it." Ephriam sighed.



"Stop groveling." He stood up and offered Marina a hand. "Will you be okay to walk now?"

[Tree]

" Yes, I will."



Marina purred softly, glancing to Jethro.



" Hush, I told him already. If he does anything, their will other problems later."



She replied simply, looking over both men before slowly moving into ephriam's arms, cuddling tight.



" I don't feel like wine right now. what's with the cheese?"

[Sushi]

Ephriam wrapped one arm absently around the woman, exchanging a glance with Jethro as they headed towards the kitchen. Jethro began to bumble out an explanation.



"Well... you see... it goes waaaaaaay back. I knew Eph back when he was only... But then... And..." Ephriam sighed.



"It's kind of like an inside joke. Except a gesture. A polite one of surrender."

[Tree]

" well be rid of it, please."



Marina purred, cuddling to Ephriam.



" As for everything else, it happened, it will most likely happen again, and that is that."

[Sushi]

Jethro and Ephriam spoke in unison.



"Uh..." The exchanged a glance as Jethro sat the cheese down and Ephriam began to go through it, examining it with touch and smell.



"We're keeping the cheese." He said it just like that to Marina. There was no way to put it lightly and Jethro didn't seem to mind.

[Tree]

" fine, but out of my way with it, please Jethro."



Marina purred softly, moving to kiss Ephriam, giving him one of those ' I fully expect it again' kind of looks, and then went about going to get something to made for food, glancing back at Jethro.



" Why do you never bring your girl with you?"

[Sushi]

Jethro suddenly looked taken aback.



"Sarah?" He frowned slightly.



"She doesn't go out much. We're not like you and ol' Effie here." He thumped his friend on the back, who looked a bit displeased as he began to carry the cheeses to what turned out to be a cheese pantry.



"Effie?"

[Tree]

Marina frowned, deeply.



" Your not some really dumb douch bag, are you?"



marina asked slowly, giving him one of those looks that would make you jump and call her mommy if it made them go away.

[Sushi]

Jethro sighed with a certain amount of exertion.



"And here I was thinking that you were actually starting to like me." His eyes trailed to the pantry door that was cracked open, but the other vampire never came to bail him out.



"I don't think so. What constitutes a 'really dumb douche bag'?"

[Tree]

Marina simply crossed her arms, giving him probably one of the worst looks yet.



" What did you do to her?"



She asked simply. Yes, she was starting to like him, however, if she wasn't being treated right, she'd probably make sure he lost all of his toes or something.

[Sushi]

Jethro held up his hands.



"Nothing she wasn't okay with! I swear!" The man swallowed hard, not liking the sudden image of disembowelment that flashed across his mind.



"I pick girls that don't like real attachment, that's all I meant!"

[Tree]

" Ah, in other words, simply pleasure, got you."



Marina replied, trying to let it go, as she wasn't that type, and walked back to her man, looking at him.



"Lots, and lots of cheese... Many arguements?"

[Sushi]

Ephriam looked up from where he was rearranging a few brownish cheese wheels. His eyes shifted over the pantry.



"It would seem that way, but not really. I told you, it is kind of an inside joke from way back when. Here..." He pulled off a tiny cheese wheel from a place a bit further back in the pantry, peeling off the wax cover.



"Try this." He held it out for Marina.

[Tree]

Slowly she took it into her hands, looking up at Ephriam as she slowly bit into the cheese, chewing it slowly, nodding as she looked to him.



" good, but where are you going with this?"

[Sushi]

Ephriam raised a brow just slightly.



"Not anywhere too important, I suppose. I just thought you might like it. That has been aging for..." He paused as though to tabulate. "About eighty-four years. Made it myself." He drifted a little closer to the door, waiting for her to leave. It was common courtesy not to turn the lights off on someone.

[Tree]

Marina smiled, moving to kiss him gently.



" It's way too old to think about then, thank you for reminding me nbot to ask the age of things."



Marina looked to jethro, smiling at him now.



" Now that I do have you back, thank you for doing what I asked."