The early afternoon was spent re-shooting the scene from yesterday, Bill was in a damned fine mood, the night scene place had been found and he anticipated it would look fantastic. His actors were doing their usual exuding way too much chemistry. He found himself fanning his flushed face, wondering if he should put an explicit scene warning at the front of the clip. Danika was fed this time and the repaired corset was tied a little looser this time. Of course, the bite mark had healed and Lucian was forced to put a new set on her delicate skin. Not that he minded, he enjoyed feeding from Danika, her blood was so sweet and addictive, he craved her. And her response. He would give her until after the meeting as she requested but he desperately wanted to know. Again she was driving him crazy. In between shots, she was writing something in a little book. Never showing anyone, never speaking about it. It was a list of things she wanted to know, pros and cons of this path that had been offered to her. She had to be analytical about it, she had to be sure that she was making the right decision. Although as she wrote down the pros and cons, she knew that she had already made her decision. She just didn't know how it would be taken.

Whilst Danika was speaking with the heads of council that had arrive much earlier than expected, Lucian watched over the workers as they set up the scene. Not that there were any dramas, he just had to make sure they respected his wishes in regards to how far they ventured up the path. Of course, none of them wanted to go any further, to them it was far too creepy. The sun had begun to set and the crew took a few shots of the varying views, knowing that Bill would love them. The sun formed a creepy glow, the shadows of the trees cast over the brick wall. The castle looked ominous in the light and sent a few shivers up their spines. They tested the fog machine to ensure it worked, none of them wanting it to fail when the sun had finally set. Lucian was standing at the gate, his eyes caught a glimpse of Rosa standing near the fountain.

'Take a break, ok guys?'

They all nodded and followed him through to the main garden.

'Thank you, your highness, I can't...'

'I know Rosa, it's ok.'

'Your mother and the council wishes for you to join them.'

'Of course.'

He watched a very relieved Rosa head back to the house. Lucian knew it was important that the path be fixed, his staff fearing it was too much for him. Lucian entered the boardroom, his mother sitting at the head of the table, at the other end of it was Danika, in between them was Terrance and Miranda on one side, and Josie on the other.

'Lucian, please sit.'

He sat quietly beside Josie and waited for the inevitable decision. Lucian was worried that they wouldn't grant permission or that they would find some fault with her.

'We have had a pleasant discussion with Danika and she has had many questions that we have been able to answer to her satisfaction. Now as for the requirements, we believe that you have already changed your ways prior to our previous discussion, why did you not tell us?'

'What difference would it make? You wanted certain things changed, there were some things that had already finished and there were some things that were still being changed. Technically, I was only half way there.'

'And what of the unknown?' Miranda gave him a cheeky smirk.

'You tell me.'

'We know what we need to know, except for one thing. Only you can tell us that.'

'It is confirmed.'

'Excellent.' Terrance clasped his hands together.

He reached below the table and dumped a rather large stack of papers onto the table in front of Alina.

'Sign away.'

'Mother, have you spoken to everyone about this?'

Alina gave her son a wry smile and signed on the various pages.

'I have and everyone is more than happy and in fact see it as a positive phase in your life.'

It was something that he had feared with his taking the throne, his siblings resenting him, the dark past that has haunted his family caused him to have negative thoughts about his siblings. He feared one of them trying to kill him to take the throne. His thoughts always haunted him about it and was relieved to know that they didn't think that way. Terrance gestured for Lucian to come around and sign the documents. Danika watched on with quiet confusion, unsure of what was going on.

'All done, take care of it son, make me proud.'

'I will mother.'

'Right, it will be made official by next week, a proclamation will be sent out to the kingdoms and the official ceremony will take place...' Terrance frowned as he turned to Miranda. 'When do you think it would fit in darling?'

'Probably this time next week, we should allow time for the invitations to be sent, I am sure there are many who would like to attend.'

'Ok then, we will get onto it when we return to mid-jump, in the meantime, we will leave you two in peace.'

Terrance collected the paperwork and everyone left them alone to discuss their future.

'What was that about?'

'My future. What's that?'

'Oh. I uh, made a list.'

'Really?' Lucian sat back down in his seat near her, grinning at the thought of a list.

'Go on.'

'Ok, don't get upset ok, I had to approach this logically.'

'Of course, I would expect that from you.'

'You would?'

'Oddly enough, yes. Proceed.' he flicked his fingers at the list.

'Ok, cons, the taste of blood, eww.'

'Can I respond to these?'

'Uh, yeah ok.'

'Good, the blood will taste amazing to you, once you have turned. Next.'

'Ok.' she breathed, now a little unsure of her list. 'Um, do you turn into a bat or something?'

'Not as a vampire, no. As a shape shifter, yes.'

'I have an additional question to this one that's not on the list.'

'Ok.'

'If I drink your blood, does that make me half-half like you?'

'Oh, that is a great question and I have no idea. But how about for argument's sake we assume yes, does that make any difference to your decision?'

'Uh no. It actually makes it kind of cooler.' she gushed just a little.

'Then why was turning into a bat on your con list?'

'Oh, uh... I don't know actually. Hmm. You are right, that should be on the pro list or maybe the fact that vamps can't it should be on the con list.'

'A point well made, proceed with the next one.'

'They told us of some things about vampires but I kind of got the impression that there was a certain element of secrecy. So uh, can you go into a church?

'Yes.'

'Crosses?'

'Not my thing, but that's a personal choice. Keep going.'

'Running water?'

'Again, no issue.'

'Ok. Holy water?'

'Same as the church and the crosses, perfectly fine.'

'Stakes?'

'Yes, well that is a bit of an issue. However, yours truly can help you in respect to that.'

'How so?'

'The first born of the leader of the realm is a healer of vampires. Just like Finn is a healer for the wolves and Phabel is a healer for the shifters.'

'Witches?'

'Don't have a realm yet but can cast a spell to sort out their own problems.'

'So do you have vamps knocking on your door wanting you to fix them?'

'Most wounds will heal themselves naturally. It is only if they are impaled with a stake or something rather dire happens, then they will be brought here. Otherwise, no.'

'So, will I be dead?'

'Do I look dead?' he smirked at her 'No, we are still a living being.'

'But your heart doesn't beat.'

'Actually it does. A vampire heart can beat several ways, mine beats a low hum, very feint you would never hear it.'

'Oh.'

'If you were put a stethoscope to my chest you still would not hear it.'

'Right.' she paused as she realised she was at the end of her con list.

As she looked at the list, she remembered something she had wanted to put at the top of her list, her family.

'My family.'

'Can turn if council approval is granted. They have to be sponsored by a vampire and generally it's one human per vampire for so many years. It's pretty rare but it can happen. The vampire has to ensure that the human is compliant with the laws of our kind and of the human world as well. There is a tax that the vampire has to pay that is a contribution to the human's life and administration costs for the approval. Most of the time when a human is turned into a vampire, it's in this kind of situation, for love. That way the contribution the vampire makes is of no consequence because the human would be living with them anyway. The human is required to be educated in our history so that they understand the need for friendly relations with the humans. They also require the human to be gainfully employed or like you, leeching off the vampire.' he grinned.

'I am gainfully employed, thank you very much.' she folded her arms 'And I don't need your stinking money.'

Lucian laughed.

'I am only teasing. Sponsorship lasts for a hundred years. The vampire is responsible for the human for all that time, ensuring they are a well behaved citizen and valued member of the community. This is why it is rare, punishment for a turned human that misbehaves isn't very nice.'

'But if the human is well behaved, then there is no issue, right?'

'Of course not. So if your family wants to join you in this world, you need to find vampires that will sponsor them. I would not be able to do it, if you chose to join me, I would be sponsoring you.'

Danika nodded as she thought about her family. It was only Louise, Brendan and their mother in this world now. They had lost their father a year ago and the pain of death was still raw. She didn't want to lose the rest of her family.

'What if they don't want it?'

'Then sadly you will watch them grow old and die while you stay young and beautiful.'

Danika could feel her heart clench tight as she thought about it.

'My suggestion to you would be that you try to convince them to turn, we could try to find someone to sponsor them, it shouldn't be too hard. If they are that important to you, then tell them that. That is what my mother did when she was faced with the notion of her adoptive parents dying. She had an open, honest conversation with them and told them that she didn't want a life without them, she begged them to join us.'

'And did they?'

'They did. The thought that their only child would have to bury them, to never see all of their grandchildren, it made them sad and so they decided that it was in their best interest to join us.' Lucian grinned 'And do you know what made it all the more better for them?'

'No, what?'

'Prior to their turning they were unable to conceive a child, that is why they chose to adopt. However, upon their turning, everything that was wrong with their bodies changed for the better. Now my mother has siblings, something that she had long wanted and never thought that she would get.'

'Wow.' she gasped.

'Does anyone have medical issues in your family?'

Danika nodded.

'We aren't farm bred, we are from a long line of those that had been trusted to roam the earth freely right from the very beginning.'

'Really?' Lucian was rather shocked.

There were only a few hundred people that were allowed to walk the earth, the rest of them were put into the farm. He thought that her family lineage must be of some worth, to be given this when the vampires thought the humans didn't deserve freedom was truly an honour. But the fact that she nodded to medical issues within her family proved the farms point about genetic selection. The farm had managed to wipe out many mortal killing diseases. Now the human race was a strong and healthy species.

'Danika, I do not want you to hold hope that this will save your family, they would have to agree to turn and surprisingly humans can be stubborn regarding this subject. I can tell you that the issues will go when your family member turns, it is the truth, but they have to agree to become a vampire.'

He gestured to the list.

'It is something to keep in mind for later on, now off the morbid subject and move onto the pro list.'

'Ok.' her cheeks flushed as she looked at it, grateful his mother wasn't around to listen to it.

'Uh, last night, wow.'

Lucian chuckled.

'I'll take those kind of compliments any day of the week, next.'

'Yesterday in the kitchen, wow again.'

'I'm beginning to like this list, continue.'

'Uh, ok, this one is a bit of in between the two lists.' she sighed 'I do like being here, with you. I mean, I know it's only been a short while but I feel ok about it. It doesn't seem hard, it seems easy. You're asking for a lifetime and it's a lifetime that we have to get to know each other better. I just worry if we end up disliking each other after like a hundred years. I broke up with a guy after a year and it hurt like hell, can you imagine what it would feel like after a hundred years?'

Lucian nodded.

'I know you are uneasy about it but there isn't a lot that I can say to reassure you. I know people that have been together for thousands of years and it is still hot and heavy for them, their love is still as if they are in their first year. Vampires are very loving creatures, they are sex mad and when they find their mate they find their eternal happiness.' he cleared his throat as he looked at her 'Ok so this isn't a common known thing. This is one of those secrets that vampires like to keep to themselves. We have what is known as mated love. It means that when a vampire feeds on another they are able to tell if that person is their mate just by the taste of their blood. It is so sweet, very tasty to them. When they love each other anything previous pales by comparison. It is perfect love.'

'And I'm sweet, right?'

'There isn't nobody sweeter than you.' he grinned.

'So you're saying that we are made for each other?'

'If you don't want to be here then you do not have to be. Just because your blood is sweet to me doesn't mean that you are forced to be with me. But be honest with yourself, what do you think you would feel if you walked away?'

Danika frowned as she searched her feelings.

'Heartbroken.'

'And if you stayed?'

'Beyond happy.'

'When you saw me that night of the concert, what did you think?'

'To be honest, I actually knew who you were because of the studies I'd done.' she bit her lip feeling her cheeks flush 'Kinda had a bit of a crush maybe. But when we came here, I saw the real you and I was a bit worried, thinking you were a bit of a lost cause.'

'But I've redeemed myself, haven't I? Still crush worthy?' he grinned.

'Oh yeah, absolutely.'

'And you persisted with me, would you have done that with anyone else?'

'Family yes, though I probably would have sent them to a rehab clinic if an intervention didn't work. Outside of family I don't know. I've never been in this situation before. Well except for Seth.' she crinkled her face 'But he was out on his arse long before he ever managed to overdose on me.'

'So the boyfriend that was an addict got booted?'

'Well we both kind of got booted, didn't pay the rent.' she shrugged 'I went home to my parents and he went to a friend's place.'

'But you didn't try and help him.'

'He didn't want help.'

'Neither did I.'

Danika looked up at him, realising where he was leading her. A knock at the door interrupted them.

'Your highness, I am sorry for interrupting you, but the director requests that you hurry the night is starting to descend and he wishes for some sunset shots.'

'Of course, thank you Rosa.'

Lucian took her hand and kissed her knuckles.

'Think about it some more, sleep on it if you want.'