Katerina closed her eyes as her feet swung forward and back again, pushing her higher and keeping her momentum at the steady pace she liked it at. The metal chain's that held the swing up were cold, but she liked the feeling of the cold as it seeped into her fingers and stung her cheeks the longer she held on and continued to swing.

Everything was peaceful here, it always was, even when she was a child. Perhaps that was why her dreams led her here; her life was no longer as peacful as it was before and her mind was in shambles trying to figure out just what it was with this mystery man and why he was affecting so much of her life without even trying.

Almost as if in answer to her thoughts, she felt his presence enter her dream and sighed lightly.

"Hello, Harry."

Her voice carried in the wind and sounded sweet and gentle in both her own ears and in his.

His name was foreign to her tongue but rolled off effortlessly and in an almost familiar manner.

Harry kept his distance and remained out of her sight. Katerina didn't bother to turn her head and look for him because it was pointless considering his almost standoffish behavior.

It surprised her when he took a seat on the swing next to her and spoke her name softly, "Katerina."

Silence was all that passed between them for minutes upon minutes, but it wasn't a heavy and smothering silence, it was more like a light and comfortable one even though the two knew each other well enough to still be considered strangers.

A breeze swept through and sent the dead and rich coloured leaves in a frenzy and Katerina finally decided to ask the question she's been wanting to ask him since she learned his name in a dream a week ago, "Who's Charlotte?"

He didn't answer at first, his thoughts busy and the beautiful scenery captivating his senses, but when he did it certainly wasn't what she had expected.

Harry let out a low and quiet breath and let his fingers tighten around the cold metal as his eyes closed and his memories played behind his eyelids.

He hadn't talked about Charlotte with anyone since it happened, and he didn't know why he was going to tell her, but he did it anyway.

"She was my fiancè. My first love actually."

A sad smile graced his lips and Katerina frowned as he continued, "I...something terrible happened to me and we fought. Charlotte left me, but I wasn't willing to just give up on us and I fought to keep her love."

The smile that he wore now was genuine and Katerina watched him curiously.

A puff of air left his nose in one of those half-hearted laughs, his pink heart-shaped lips pushed out slightly before he continued, "It wasn't a very long or a very hard battle and she took me back in the blink of an eye. But then...then everything was out of control and she was there in my arms, dying, and I couldn't stop it. God, I couldn't stop it.

And then she was gone. She was gone and I couldn't bring her back. I tried for hours but it just didn't work, it didn't matter how much I loved her or how much I needed her, she was gone and this time I couldn't get her back.

I think about it every day. I know she won't ever forgive me again because of what happened, but I can't let it go. I can't just let her go."

Katerina didn't know what to say and he was looking at her with saddened and hopeful eyes, like she held all the answers that he had been longing to find for all this time.

She focused on the breaths that she took, how her lungs expanded and then contracted with each inhale and exhale, and let her thoughts clear.

Harry watched her as intently and as curiously as she had just watched him as he rambled on about something that happened a hundred or so years before. His green eyes searched hers for answers but came up blank.

There was no explanation as to why she could not be compelled or why she could see him and, while this frustrated him, it made had him very intrigued because she wasn't so easy to read or even manipulate.

His green eyes focused on her lips that were painted in their usual shade of red and how they parted carefully before she spoke.

"I'd like to tell you that I understand, but that would be a lie and we both know it. I can't begin to imagine what that's like, but if you keep dwelling in the past it isnt going to help anything.

And I know that no one wants to hear this, but sometimes its better to move on because there's nothing that you can do and focusing on it does more harm than good in most scenarios."

Harry nodded but kept his mouth shut because he had nothing to say. The wind continued to blow at steady intervals and Katerina started to blow warm air into her hands because they grew too cold.

Harry watched her but he didn't mimick her actions because he didn't feel things unless he wanted to and thefore he wasn't cold.

"Why do I keep seeing you here?"

Harry smiled softly and pushed himself gently on the swing with his feet, "The subconscious mind turns dreams into something the conscious mind wants or something that was present before dreams took their hold. Perhaps you want to see me."

Katerina scoffed lightly, a small smile on her lips, "Quite the opposite actually."

Harry smiled keeping his teeth to himself, "Why's that?"

Her smile grew to match his although her eyes were focused on the beautiful and serene scenery in front of them, "Because you're avoidant and slightly irritating."

Harry chuckled and Katerina's lips tilted up a little more at the sound of it. This was the first time she had ever heard him make such a noise and she was very curious about how his full laugh sounded.

"Fair enough."

"I do like to see you though, gives me something to think about when I'm bored because you're just so strange and standoffish, not to mention the fact that you just randomly appear in my dreams just about every night."

Harry notched his head to the side to glance at her with a playful light in his eyes and that same gentle smile, "Really?"

Katerina hummed in response and ignored his gaze although she wanted to look at him too.

"Is that all?"

Katerina shook her head and lied, "Yes."

She actually liked to look at him and wonder what went on inside that strange mind of his, but that wasn't for him to know.

What he asked next surprised her, "Have you really never been touched?"

Her cheeks that were already flushed from the cold temperature grew a shade darker, "Why would you ask such a thing?"

Harry laughed lightly, "People talk and that one dream you had last week...yeah. Plus, I wanted to know the truth for myself."

"No, I haven't. Been kissed plenty of times though. Well, mostly by you, but that still counts too because I know that you aren't just a figment of my imagination."

Harry smirked as he watched the dead leaves spiral around carelessly in the wind, "Honesty is a great trait Miss Lockette. I quite like that it's greatly in your possession."

"Mother always said honesty was the best policy."

Harry chuckled lightly and folded his hands together, his long fingers lacing up nicely and his green eyes alight with amusement, "My mother said the same exact thing."

Katerina averted her gaze from his hands to his face again, he was still, essentially, unreadable.

"Then why are you hardly ever honest with me?"

His expression changed almost instantly. Where his features were once soft and almost inviting, they were now hard and avoidant, "Because it's something I simply cannot be anymore. I'm sorry."

That was the first time she had ever heard him use the words "I'm" and "sorry" next to one another. Her lips parted to say something but his apology had caught her off guard and she had forgotten what it was that she wanted to say.

"But, I can be honest on a good number of things. I wasn't lying about Charlotte and the name she told you was correct. And I certainly wouldn't lie about wanting to do very sinful things to you over and over again if only you'd let me."

If she hadn't been expecting his previous words, she certainly hadn't been expecting that.

Katerina stared at him with her mouth agape and her eyes wide. Harry grinned and kept his gaze away from her.

Harry turned to look at her again, a devilish smirk on his lips, "Do you know what you want, Katerina?"

Her lips moved but no sound came out. Harry chuckled lightly and licked his lips which didn't help Katerina at all.

"N-no. I don't know what I want."

Harry leaned in so that his lips were hovering over her ear, "And why's that?"

Katerina's breath caught in her throat and she could feel her heart beating against her chest.

"Y-you."

She could feel his smile even though it wasn't on her skin and it was out of her sight.

His breath was hot against her skin, "Do you want me to kiss you?" He knew that she did.

Katerina couldn't form her words properly. She wanted to say no but her body was screaming yes.

She nodded and this time his lips were warm as they met her neck. He bit here there, but she didn't notice and he took very little blood. He wasn't very hungry, tonight he wanted something else.

And Katerina, much to his surprise, seemed very willing to give it to him.

A soft whimper fell from her lips as his own heated her exposed skin, moving from her neck to her jaw and finally up to meet her own lips tenderly.

He'd given in to making himself more human for her because, no matter how good his kiss was, it was never good to Katerina because it was cold and she didn't like that at all.

Harry was kind enough to take things slowly and only move forward in the progression of his kisses. He wanted to take her right there on the ground beneath the swings, but that was wrong and even he knew it.

Tonight he would just kiss her and sway her mind naturally since his compulsion didn't work on her.

She was actually a great kisser, despite her lack of experience, and he was impressed. Katerina was shy when it came to things like this, but she hardly showed it as she fought his tongue with her own and gently bit his lower lip, tugging it back and forcing out a low moan from deep in his throat.

His fangs popped out in response as he did the same to her lip. Katerina winced and pulled back quickly, her fingers raising to her lips and coming away with spots of bright red blood.

Harry opened his mouth to say something but the look in her eyes said it all.

He lifted a hand to her soft cheek and noticed how she was trembling slightly. She was more afraid of him than she had been before and he couldn't cover it up this time.

His eyes were soft and held a twinge of sadness as he spoke softly against the wind, "You should wake up now, Katerina."