Deciding to ignore the dishes waiting for me in the kitchen, I dragged myself towards my bedroom.

I was feeling exhausted, drained by everything that kept happening in my life, all those bizarre events, both real and dreamed-up, appearing more and more frequently. So fast that I did not have time to pause and decide what was more sensible and coherent, my dreams, or my reality?

I needed to take a shower, then bury myself in the bed, hoping that sooner or later it would all make sense.

Grabbing my pyjamas from under my pillow I proceeded into the bathroom immediately, before I could change my mind and simply curl under my warm quilt and sleep, dressed as I was.

Don't think about anything, I warned myself as I tried to ignore the endless, tangled strings of thoughts and confused images which Stoker's words wove inside my mind. I could feel them lying in wait, begging to be unravelled, but I simply couldn't think about any of it now.

I let the water, as hot as I could stand it, pour over me for a long time, wishing it would wash away my confusion and loneliness, at least momentarily. Hoping it would take away my sadness, and my insecurity about my current situation, about the decision which I was pushed to take. It didn't feel right, but I didn't know what else could I do...

Do not think if you want to sleep tonight. My subconscious hissed when my thoughts started to stroll, unsurprisingly, to Vlad. I shook my head as a subconscious, involuntary decision formed in my mind, not leaving space for argument.

You will let him decide for himself. He has his other world and his... other family to think about, too. You love him and that's why you won't ask for what he can't give you when... if... you see him again. You must let him choose freely now and when you go back... you'll accept his decision, whatever it will be. If he chooses... his other life, for whatever reason, you'll let him be, you won't make it more difficult for him. Because you want him to be happy... Because you don't even know if you can go back, because he doesn't believe you can... but sent you back here alone nonetheless. You simply... mustn't keep him waiting, hoping, for another six hundred years!

It was still less than a month since we got separated but it felt incredibly long, it wasn't easy at all. I couldn't imagine surviving one whole year without him, let alone six hundred. Vlad deserved better than this, he deserved to be freed from that awful cell and go back to his life, the way it had been before I turned up in his castle. Stoker is right, you are only a trouble for him.

Sighing heavily, I switched the water off. I wiped the tears I couldn't hold back, mixed with the drops of water trickling down my face from my wet hair, away with a warm towel. Once I was dressed and my hair was dry, I walked over to Lia's door to say good night.

I found her lying on her bed in the dark, looking at the screen of her phone. Her face was illuminated by its cold light, the only thing visible in the darkness, her lips fixed in a dreamy, tell-tale smile. Oh no.

I flicked on the light switch by the door, making her groan as she brought her free arm over her eyes.

Pushing her legs away unceremoniously to make space for me when I reached her bed, I sat down next to her.

"He's a vampire, you know that, right?" I asked, getting straight to the point.

"And?" She asked, pulling herself up and sitting crossed-legged on her pillows, looking at me challengingly.

"You shouldn't date, or fall in love with a vampire. It's... weird and dangerous." I announced seriously.

"Aren't you married to one, and pregnant, and doing everything you can to get back to him?"

"Lia, that's different!" I called, looking away from her before she would notice the blush flooding my cheeks and the sadness creeping in my eyes. Please let's not talk about Vlad.

Of course she was right. But... There were so many 'normal' men here in London, it was beyond me why she had to fall for Bram Stoker, a very old vampire.

"Hmmm... How, exactly is that different?" She was not about to give up easily.

"I... hmm... I don't know. But I don't... quite like Abraham, he's annoying." I tried.

"Then it's great that it won't be you, but me, who's going out with him as soon as he's back in London." She smiled at me patiently and I knew that she had been expecting this conversation and was prepared for me.

There was nothing that I could tell her to make her change her mind. I sighed, but did not say anything more. It was her life, after all.

"Good night, Sam." She said and I pulled her into a hug.

"I'll leave this to you." I promised.

"Thanks, friend." She beamed at me as I stood up. "See you in the morning. Lucas will pick you up after work."

I nodded and walked towards the door but she stopped me before I could reach it, "I gave Abraham the spare set of keys for Lucas, so he can move his stuff over slowly. I'm really glad about this decision Samara, you'll be so much safer with one of them constantly around."

"I know you are right, all of you!" I exclaimed, willing her to stop talking about it. It still didn't feel quite right to me.

"Please don't be silly. However this will look to the others, you know he will just be your friend. A good friend, as not many guys that I know would offer themselves for something like this. It's very... knightly, chivalrous and noble of him..."

"I know Lia, I'll owe him forever!"

"Then behave. Don't make him regret this decision. Try not to overcomplicate it by your misgivings, doubts and regret. Take what he's ready to give you and pay him back, as well as you can, either now or later. That's how friendship works, isn't it?" She asked, pausing and looking at me intently to make her point clear, then continued, "You were... cast back into this life, which suddenly looks so much more dangerous than before, alone. But it's obvious you can't handle everything on your own. How could you? You are pregnant, responsible not only for yourself anymore... it's tough. You are lucky to have stumbled upon Lucas."

And I'm lucky to have you too, annoying as you can be sometimes. I thought.

"Ok, ok I got it, Lia." I said instead as I finally reached her door and switched the light off again. "I'll be good. Sleep well."

After a perfectly dreamless night I woke up feeling rested, but more miserable than before. I missed Vlad. Too much. And any dream concerning him, pleasant or not, is better than no dreams at all, I realised.

I switched on the phone and found a text from William, asking me to forgive him, and meet him in the afternoon.

'You are forgiven. I'm meeting a friend, one of those you met on Sunday, after work. I can't see you today. Have a nice day.' I texted back.

There. The sooner William will believe in me and Lucas, the sooner I'll be free from him.

I made my bed and got dressed, then headed into the kitchen to wash the plates from the previous night. Having done that, I prepared my lunch for the first time ever, not wanting to upset Lucas again. Lia was right, I should make this as easy for him as I could.

I was just finishing my breakfast when Lia entered the kitchen, all smiley and rosy-cheeked, her expression in a neat contrast with my own. But she deserves to be happy and if dating a vampire is what she needs... I shook my head at her, smiling.

"We are leaving in ten minutes," she announced as I walked past her to get my things.

"You look good this morning," I couldn't help saying as I observed her blonde hair, happy that her yesterday's curls relaxed into smooth waves overnight.

She rolled her eyes at me, "And I've seen you looking better. Are you all right?"

"As good as it gets." I replied walking away from her, letting her understand that I wasn't in the mood to talk about me.

Lia left me in front of the shop and the morning passed without incident.

Anne arrived shortly after lunch, and after she had deposited her jacket and bag in our kitchen, she came to inform me excitedly that she had spent the morning by packing all her belongings into a few boxes which now sat in our corridor. She would move them over to Mark's at the weekend.

"But the room, my old bedroom, is now empty, clean, and ready for Lucas," she announced, winking at me conspiratorially and adding in a low whisper no one but I could hear, "I knew you liked him!"

Then she disappeared among the bookshelves, giggling, not noticing how I rolled my eyes at her. Whatever.

Lucas arrived precisely on time, a large bag on his shoulder. His friendly face and the encouraging smile he gave me when Anne skipped over to us, exclaiming, "I knew you two would get together!" lured the first proper smile from me today. It didn't matter what anyone else thought as long as we understood it ourselves.

I rushed to get my things and say goodbye to Mr. Turner, impatient to be out.

"You should have left the bag in the flat. Lia said she had given you the spare keys." I said as we stepped outside, and he offered me his arm to lead me through the rush hour crowd.

"Well, I didn't feel like going in without one of you."

"I know what you mean," I laughed. "It still feels weird even for me and I moved in nearly a week ago. And now it's your flat too," I added, unbelieving. So much has happened since that trip to Bran Castle.

We reached the flat absorbed in small talk. On entering, I pointed him out to Anne's bedroom, situated across the corridor from mine and Lia's.

I took my things into my room, got changed, then knocked on Lucas' door on my way to the kitchen, telling him that I would prepare coffee.

"So," he said, reaching me in the kitchen after a while, just as I was going through the food left in the fridge to see what I could cook for dinner. "I was told by Anne and Mark to stay here from today, they basically kicked me out as soon as I said that we were considering this idea. But if you don't agree..."

"No, Lucas, that's perfect if it suits you." It would change nothing if he moved in now, or in two or three days. "Do you... will you eat dinner with us if I cook?" I asked, passing him his mug of coffee over the table where he was seated.

"Sure." He said, adding a spoonful of sugar in it, then another, as if he was unsure of how he liked it better. "Do you want me to go and do some shopping?"

"No, we are good for today. We can buy a few things tomorrow." I replied, smiling as I watched him adding more and more milk to his mug.

"I have something for you." Lucas said as I sat down opposite of him.

He pushed a small, leather-bound book across the table towards me.

I reached for it curiously. "A notebook?"

"Uncle's idea. He wants you to write down your dreams, visions and memories. He says he's sure that they are more important than what you think."

Lucas shrugged when he saw my puzzled, and exasperated look. Stoker was annoyingly relentless. And I still did not like the idea of sharing my dreams with anyone.

As I said nothing, Lucas continued, "Uncle didn't want to tell me much without you being present too, but he said that he's sure... that you are not what you think you are."

"And what does that suppose to mean?" I asked as I sipped my coffee, surprisingly unimpressed and undisturbed by what seemed to be Stoker's newest theory.

"Well, it means that he's either a genius, or an old vampire going completely insane." Lucas grinned. "Uncle comes up with quite eccentric ideas sometimes. They are not always correct, though. Anyway. Please write those dreams down for him and once you do that, find a page to list all your appointments and commitments for me, so I can organize my time and accompany you."

"Ok." I agreed, taking a pen lying between us on the table. Remembering the brief phone call with my midwife from this morning, I scribbled down, 'Friday morning at ten, Hammersmith Hospital.'

I read it to him aloud, and explained. "My first scan with Doctor Murray, Lia's mum. And because of that, I'll be working in the afternoon on Friday."

"Fine," he said, taking his phone from the pocket of his jeans and typing it into his calendar. "We will be there. And when is your day off?"

"Sunday."

"Good. Would you mind meeting Anaïs tomorrow? She put it in her mind that she wants to see you again, and they are leaving on Friday." He asked tentatively as I stood and collected our empty mugs.

"Of course not!" I was at least as excited about seeing the girl again, as she seemed to be about seeing me.

"That's great, thanks. I'll bring her with me to the shop to pick you up. I'm sure she will drag us for a pizza and ice cream somewhere, not necessarily in that order."

"That sounds good to me." I smiled.

I needed to relax, and having an ice cream pizza in the company of two half-vampires seemed to be an event that would definitely take my mind off other things, at least for a couple of hours.