Olive fidgeted as she sat outside the professors office. True to her word, Danika had gone in first to explain what had happened, hoping to avoid any discipline for Olive. It wasn't her fault, Danika should have waited until the end of the day like she was told.

'Jeez Phabe settle down. We were like five seconds late.'

'Danika you were ten minutes late, the class had already begun and besides I have to be seen punishing you both.'

'Can't you just pretend you punished Olive?'

Phabel bristled at the mention of her name. If you asked him why he would not have been able to give you an answer.

'I'm sorry Danika but what if she tells people that she got away with it?'

'I'll tell her not to say anything.'

'And if she lets slip?'

'Come on Phabe, don't be a crusty old man.'

'Here I am a professor you should remember that. You are pushing your luck by not calling me by my proper name.'

'But I am your queen.' she fluttered her eyes at him.

'You are queen of this land Danika, not of me. I am a shifter therefore not under your rule.'

'That may be so, Phabel.' she turned to the door 'But you forget that you reside in this land, I can rescind your work permit with one little phone call.'

'Go ahead, try it. See how far you get and if you succeed, what will your darling Lucian say? Or better yet, your mother-in-law?'

Danika squinted at Phabel, both of them knew that Alina would be super pissed if Phabel was kicked out of his job and Elm'nyth, thus ending a major portion of vamp life program. With Profossor Ronson out, Phabel was doing more than just history, he was doing law as well. Something that was necessary. Danika thought that this was a pain. She didn't want Olive punished for her stupidity and she didn't want to be on the outer with her mother-in-law. Alina liked her and Danika wanted to stay on her good side.

'You just want her in here because you like her.' Danika sauntered back very smug.

'Don't be preposterous.' he snapped.

'Shame you can't read her mind Phabe, it is very interesting.'

'Why, she has some sick fantasy about a tryst with her professor?'

'No.'

She shook her head with a devilish grin, knowing he had no clue. Danika wondered what happened to his memories of it, why could only one of them remember the night in question? She knew she would have to ask Lucian about it.

'So what then?'

'Just memories of her past. She had a fish theme going on Phabe. Fish. Don't you think that's interesting?'

Phabel screwed up his face at her like she was crazy.

'Not really. How about we talk about your punishment?'

'Yes punishment. I think your company at dinner Thursday night would be more than enough punishment.'

Danika turned back to the door.

'Seven pm Phabel, don't be late.'

She swung the door open with a subdued grin, as she partly closed it Phabel bellowed for Olive to enter.

'Hey, you want to come for dinner Thursday night?'

'Uh...' Olive's eyes darted to the door that was ajar.

'I was thinking of having fish, do you like fish?'

'Yeah.'

'Now Miss Matheson.' the voice from beyond the door boomed.

'Sure.' she grinned.

'Great, I'll pick you up at six, 'k? Scribble your address and your number here.'

Danika passed the book to her waiting for Olive to write her details.

'I'll see you later, good luck.'

Olive entered the room, one very dark room. The window that should offer light were muted by the heavy wood panelling, shelves lined the wall behind his desk laden with books and bizarre objects. By the window were two leather wing back chairs and a tiny circle lamp table, books were stacked high on it. The room was dominated by one very large antique desk, sitting over a patterned rug. It was thin, worn heavily in a few spots. It was a rectangle rug with borders running into the centre which was a pattern of flowers. Olive frowned at it slightly, wondering why he would have such a dated rug in such a grand room. It had to be expensive, that was the only conclusion that she could come to. Phabel waited patiently behind his oak desk, there were only a few pieces of modern technology in his room, all others were cast away with total disdain. Even the filing cabinets weren't the usual metal monstrosities that the other professors had. Phabel had wooden ones brought in to match the rest of the room. The pieces of technology that he reluctantly had to accept was the computer that sat to his right, the telephone and the clock.

Phabel looked up at Olive and saw the pretty young woman timidly standing before him. She was showing determination in her stance but by the books covering her chest, he knew she was frightened. He didn't want her frightened, he just wanted her to understand that the behaviour earlier on was unacceptable. Phabel knew that the professors around here liked to have a sense of superiority over the students, almost creating themselves to be ogres. But he never wanted to be like that, he just wanted hard working students that were compliant with the rules of the university. His eyes washed over her, she was a stunning creature, below the peasant skirt he could make the shape of a petite framed woman. The top was of a similar style, though he couldn't see much for the books. Something rattled inside of him, wishing she would drop the books, wishing she would undo a few of those buttons. Reality snapped back into place and he wondered why he had let himself think about a student like that. She pulled a stray lock of hair behind her ear, Phabel looked into those expressive hazel eyes and thought that he had gone mad. He was perving on a student. Taking a deep breath, he controlled his emotions and stopped mentally undressing her.

'You were ten minutes late to the class Miss Matheson. Do you understand the problems this poses for myself and the rest of the class? The students may think that it is acceptable to turn up as they please, the disruption to the lesson that was already in progress, the vital pieces of information that you missed out on. All things that make this situation completely unacceptable. It is disrespectful and annoying, not only to myself but to the other students. Do you have issues with time management Miss Matheson?'

'No professor.' she said low but stood firm.

'Do you understand that I can mark you as absent from the lesson thus affecting your overall record?'

'Yes professor.'

'Are you going to do it again Miss Matheson?'

'No professor.'

'And how are you going to ensure this happens?'

'Pay attention to the time.'

'Good. Now as this is your first day and you were led astray by Miss Smith I am going to be lenient on you. This time only Miss Matheson, do not try my patience again and certainly do not attempt this with Professor Ronson. You are dismissed.'

'Thank you professor.' she whispered and quickly fled the room.

 ************************

Olive walked back to her apartment at the end of the day, it had been a very long one. A very trying day that had worn her down. As the rain slowly settled into a constant patter against the pavement, Olive let a few tears slip. He wasn't the man she fell in love with all those years ago. Now he was cold and distant towards her, he didn't recognise her or if he did he chose not to acknowledge it. She thought that maybe he was trying to adhere to the rules of fraternisation between students and staff. Either way it made her sad. Olive had been saving for years to pay for this education, she worked a part time job and yet she could barely afford her life as it was. Stupidly she had held hope when she saw his name as one of her professors but now her life was a misery because of him. Her life has always been a struggle, right from the moment her mother died. Being forced out of her education by her father was hard, she had to do short courses to bring her education up to a level acceptable for university. After he died she was forced out of the little shack, unable to afford the rent. The rent that her father hadn't paid in quite some time. Any money that they might have had was taken by the landlord, as was most of their possessions. All she made it out with was a few clothes, money and things that she had hidden from her father and the landlord and the necklace which had also been hidden from both of them. Olive didn't want to walk away from the shack, it might have been the place where so many bad things happened, but good things happened there as well. When her mother was alive, the place was warm and homely, she met the love of her life in a little stream a short walk from the shack, she spent a night in his arms watching the stars and eating the most amazing tasting fish. But like all things in her life, it was fleeting. As she trudged her soggy body up the few little stairs into the entry of her apartment complex, she thought back to the night she met him. The night that was so good and so bad.

***************************

'Not tonight aui leabu. You are not an adult and I can not entertain thoughts of taking this any further.'

'I am only hours away from my eighteenth, you do not need to worry about it.'

'Of course.' he grinned against the soft skin of her neck 'Tomorrow, it will be far more perfect. Only the best for you.'

Phabel kissed the stone, pressing it against her delicate skin, Olive gasped as it tingled into her body. He could feel an unknown sensation creeping through his mind, something was closing in on him as he trailed kisses up her neck.

'For now, you must rest.'

As he stood, he lifted her to her feet. With her hand in his, he kissed her knuckles, turning her hand over and kissed her palm. She trailed her hand over his jaw, the stubble beginning to break through his once smooth skin. One soft kiss later Phabel stepped back.

'Until tomorrow, aui leabu.'

Olive frowned as she closed the door to her apartment, water pooling at her feet. Tomorrow never came. Until this morning, she hadn't spoken to Phabel since that night. She looked for him but could not find him. No one in the town had ever heard of a Phabel and Olive thought that he must have lied to her about his name. She felt cheated and angry, for a long time she was grateful she didn't give herself to him but as time pressed on, she remembered the love that she felt that night and pined for his return. 

It was also the night that her father died. He had stumbled his way home, drunk as usual. Only this time, in his drunken stumbling, he fell off a bridge and drowned in the river. When she woke in the morning to the sound of someone thumping on the door, she never thought that it would be the police telling her that her father was dead. The rest of the day was a blur, she didn't remember much else. It was her eighteenth birthday and her present was a dead father and with that awful present came the realisation that she had no relatives left. She was alone in the world. Her mind cast back a few hours to the time she had spent with a lovely young man. She raced out the back door, to the bed cover that should have still been sprawled out over the grass. There was no bed cover, nor any dishes. There was no evidence of dinner being cooked, scraps from the vegetables. Nothing. Olive thought that she had imagined it. One lonely little girl in her fantasy world pretending that there was someone out there that loved her. She thought that until she looked at herself in the reflection of the dirty window. The necklace around her neck that gleamed in the light. He was real.