Aiden did as instructed, placing her bag on the floor against the counter he’d set his books atop before joining her on the couch. “Maybe we should get you something to eat,” he suggested, although he wasn’t exactly sure it would help her at all. She needed blood, and he’d happily go and find a willing donor for her if she’d allow it. They were going to need to talk about this soon, he knew, but he would put it off for a little while.

The boy put an arm around his surprisingly pale girlfriend, not caring to abide by her shy customs at the moment. They were alone, anyway, and he was feeling far more protective now that it was clear that she was suffering… being a bit more affectionate seemed to some with the package somehow.

“Do you want me to put on a movie?” he asked, although his patience was slowly wearing away. He was pretty sure he’d caught the smell of blood – her blood, - and he would not have much more of this. He’d take her to the doctor himself if he had to. Dangle some poor red blood in front of her like a piece of meat. After all, she was weak… it would all be so much easier for him.

That was absolutely the last straw. The girl was practically passing out on him (or, well, she might’ve if it wasn’t for the coughing) and she was still going to try to convince him that everything was alright? As far as he could tell, everything was far from alright. She was falling too ill too fast and he was pretty sure that he wouldn’t be able to take any more of this.

“I think you should get them now,” he said. It was certainly better than not having any blood at all, although he was thinking she may have pushed herself to the point where blood bags wouldn’t help her enough. He wasn’t sure if that was possible or not, but it certainly seemed like it would be. It was for that very reason that he took the blood fresh… well, that and because he couldn’t imagine old blood tasting very good…

He’d completely forgotten about the movie, tightening his grip on her a bit as he prepared to lift her up if need be. “You’re really not taking this seriously enough, Hana. I can’t believe you’ll make a big deal about my dreams and then ignore the fact that you’re withering away right in front of me.” He didn’t want to make it seem like he was accusing her of anything, but he was hoping that being a bit more stern might get her to attempt to fix herself…

Aiden let go of her immediately, leaning forward and propping himself against his knees as she headed into the kitchen. He hadn’t meant to hurt her, of course. Intimidate her a little, maybe, but never hurt her. He could smell the blood in the air when she opened it, so he could at least satisfy himself with the knowledge that she was taking care of things, but, mixed with the shame and guilt he was currently feeling, it did little to lighten his mood.

Her words stung so that he was too far in shock to even remind her that she was denying a part of herself by refusing blood. In fact, he didn’t retaliate at all, just stare blankly at the floor as he tried to undo everything that had just happened with his thoughts (something he knew was, of course, impossible). It was amazing how quickly things changed in just a few seconds.

He both felt and heard (not to mention smelled) her near him again soundlessly, but he wasn’t really ready to say anything still. Did it really mean so much to her that he remember who she was in some other life? Why? He just couldn’t understand it. Wasn’t who she was now so much more important than the past that had come with her? He certainly didn’t want to be known for his previous occupation (or, rather, calling). Maybe it wasn’t as dark as it sounded, but did it really matter.

This was the first time he could remember their differences clashing in a way that was less than happy. He wanted so badly to just please her, but It just went against everything he’d taught himself to care about to become Saraqael. Why wasn’t Aiden enough? Standing, he said “I should probably go,” in a voice that was shockingly flat for the usually lively boy.

Aiden put his arms around her, finding it difficult to deal with all of the emotions he was feeling today. He wasn’t angry with her, of course. She didn’t have anything to apologize for... he was just angry with himself for letting all of this happen. She was right. Everyone was right and he knew it. He needed to accept his memories and have away with all of this secrecy where they were involved. It just wasn’t healthy; particularly not when she could still anticipate his every thought.

His grip on her was very loose now; his motions guarded so as to avoid the fiasco they had just gotten out of. Aiden knew that he probably didn’t need to be so gently now that her strength was returning, but he couldn’t help it. The thought of hurting her actually made him feel physically sick, and he hated feeling ill.

Kissing her head, he told her, “I would love you as anything,” feeling a bit exposed as he said it regardless of whether or not it was the truth. “I could never leave you.” His assurances were the only things he could offer her at the moment, but he knew that they were the real, unchanging truth. He didn’t need other lives to know that, but he was beginning to think that he might have to try for her… at a price, of course, but that could all wait for later.

Smiling at her words, Aiden stroked her hair a bit, sad to see that she was crying at the same time that he was happy they could never have a real fight. Emotions were so complex and confusing! He really didn’t know how people did this all the time. Aiden was almost always sure of himself until it came to something like this and then suddenly it was as if he was trapped in a stranger’s body watching him do everything.

“Don’t worry, Hana… everything will be fine,” he cooed softly, hoping to help her relax a bit. It was far too early for the day to be so full already. He remained there for a moment, not wanting to break away from her too soon when she was in this condition (had he really never noticed how fragile she really was? Power could be deceiving…) He imagined she could do with some rest, however, so he eventually pulled away and took her hand, leading her over to the couch again.

“So how about that movie?” he asked with a smile, switching back to himself quickly. He motioned for her to sit before heading over to the dvd player. “What do you feel like today?” Aiden was a master at acting as if things had never happened…

Aiden held back a chuckle at the irony of her choice. The DaVinci Code was so very Hana… not that he minded that at all. Dan Brown was quite the unusual writer, his tales a blend of his own fictional taste and the many legends that surrounded all things heavenly. At least her choice hadn’t been angels and demons; the last thing he needed to be doing was trying to decide where they belonged in that title.

The ‘and’ perhaps?

No matter, this movie wasn’t all religious, and Aiden could certainly enjoy a good car chase. Murdering monks and strange sects… yes, this was just fictional enough for him to appreciate it at the moment. Reading wasn’t his favorite thing to do, of course, but he was perfectly fine with watching a movie at any time.

The blue blood placed the movie into the dvd player and started it up before heading back over to reclaim his spot on the couch, reclining comfortably into his seat. At times he imagined what it would be like if a red blood made them for what they were – vampires enjoying a nice movie on a quiet weekend, just hanging out in their expensive homes. The looks on their face would be priceless, he imagined.

So much for Dracula.