"Issues"

Kiara blinked. No surely she hadn't heard what Bill had just said. Surely there was something stuck in her ear, and someone was talking outside the door and something was playing on the computer to justify the group of sounds she'd just heard that formed the sentence that came out of his mouth.

"Marry me......Tonight"

The words seemed to echo inside her head. All the while she was struck speechless. But just as her mind seemed to catch up with her ears she reverted back. How many times had he promised things would be better and they never were? How many times had she gotten her hopes up only to be massively disappointed?

She looked away with a scowl. "Marry me...he says... is this a joke to you Bill Compton?" she asked, turning her head back to look at him. There was a pained look in her eyes, the sort of look of someone who was fed up with lies and tricks.

"Why would you say such a thing when you know you'll never go through with it? It's always the same, you get my hopes up only to let something else 'occupy' you when the time comes" she said in frustration.

"You said so yourself! You don't have time for this... time for me for anything other than your precious vampire world!"

Bill was unprepared for what she said, he had expected her to find his proposal romantic. But that was not the case. He had made his choice loud and clear but it seems that she was not even remotely satisfied with his answer.

"A joke? I would not joke about such things" he barked at her.

He still had her pinned down by her arms as he hoovered above her as he heard her snap her last comments out.

"I made my choice! I am making it now!" he growled.

She looked up at him with that look in her eyes that a child would have when they're fighting back tears "Have you? Or are you just spewing words to appease me when you'll just go back to being wrapped up in your own problems?"

She sighed. "It's always the same Bill.... you promise me the world and I believe you.. then when the moment comes theres always something more important... always some other vampire, some other vampire thing that magically takes precedence"

She looked at him again. "I rather be told that you will never have time for me... than to be strung along like this"

Bill used his speed as he stood to his feet and dusted himself off as Kiara remained on the floor as she now sat up.

"Is that what you want? For me to tell you to leave? Well then if that is what you want then you do not need my permission to leave. You can leave whenever you want. I will not stop you!" he growled at her.

Turning from her as he walked around to his desk and opened the drawer and pulled out a small black box as he tossed it at her as she caught it.

"It was meant to be a surprise. For the New Year....But it seems that you think so little of me that all I care about is my work.....Well you are wrong" he snapped.

Turning from her again as he stormed from the office the sound of doors slamming as he headed towards the main entrance as he slammed the door open as he climbed down the steps to stand in the front yard of his estate as he tried to calm himself down. 


Kiara infuriating him to the point of fearing what else he might say or do.

Kiara just laid there for a while and sighed. She got up, brushed herself off and left his office. It was hard to believe that he cared for something other than his job when all they ever did together WAS work.

She couldn't recall the last time they just spent time together for the sake of being together. She looked at the box but didn't open it, she didn't need any more broken hopes at this point. She set the box down on his desk and left the office. She only went upstairs to grab her planner and returned downstairs.

As she opened the door to head outside two guards stopped her.

"You're not to be leaving the premises Miss Griffen" said one of them. She had to chuckle as she'd already left once tonight and no one had noticed.

"The King has seen fit to dismiss me... so it is best if I leave as soon as possible. I shall have someone come in the morning for my things" she said, putting on a brave face. Gods she couldn't recall the last time she wanted to curl up in a corner and cry so badly but yet again, she always had to be the strong one, and that meant no tears for her tonight.

The guards looked hesitant. They hadn't heard anything about her dismissal which in turn made them try to hold Kiara back. She let her head drop. "Really boys... the King is pretty fed up with my performance as his employee... among other things... don't make this any more difficult by keeping me here"

Bill remained still and silent as his eyes gazed to the heaven's as the once empty sky was now filled with sparkling stars as they scattered and made themselves known to all those who were lucky enough to witness such a beauty. Not a single cloud in the sky, signalling a clear and calm night for once. His ears picked up the sound of guards trying to stop Kiara from leaving, having not gone too far from the entrance as he cast a glance around as the guards looked to him for approval.

"Let her leave" he ordered the guards.

He had enough.

He was not sure how much more he could take of this arguing constantly with Kiara. It looked as though she had made her choice, he had made his but it was still not enough for her.

The guards both looked hesitant but they obeyed and moved away. Kiara had barely taken one step before another guard approached her, this one holding something for her.

"I'm sorry to interrupt Miss Griffen but it just arrived" he said, holding something out for her. Kiara looked confused at the envelope being handed to her but she took it anyways.

Standing there she opened it up and slid out a large picture. She blinked and chuckled before looking up at the sky.

"anytime God...that'll be great" she muttered. She slid the picture back into the envelope and walked over to Bill. She held it out for him.

"This is yours" she said, waiting until he took it before dropping her hand.

What felt like a lifetimes ago she'd commissioned experts to experts to restore and blow up one of Bill's most prized pictures. It had been a rough job but at least the faces of his precious human family were much more visible, the details more highlighted. She didn't even remember what her reasoning behind doing this was, it had just seemed like something that would make him happy at the time.

Bill turned his attention back to the night sky as he continued to gaze at the sky filled with so many mysteries that had yet to be discovered. Man kind would spend many more years to come searching for the end of the solar system, they would never give up in their search to see what existed beyond the stars. They would fight to meet the endless night, but yet a small part of him was giving up on not only Kiara, but himself.

"This is yours"

Turning around to meet her gaze as he frowned curiously at the large brown envelope as he took it from her and opened it up to see the faces of those he would never see again; his human family.

"Sarah....." he whispered as his fingertips trailed across her face.

He was staring at an image from the past, faces they even through his tattered years he could never ever forget.

"I remember that day.....A year before I left for war....Caroline made her first ever home made bread...Thomas...Thomas was just starting to crawl" he whispered again.

She nodded "a family is a terrible thing to lose... especially through no fault of your own" she said before nodding her head. "It's why we cling so desperately to the memories they give us, forgetting all the bad things in a heart beat"

She looked down awkwardly at the floor and took a step back. "Guess I should g- oh...." she pulled out a page from her planner. "I promised Jessica I would get her companion a donor... and these are the names and details of the new guard for the daytime if you still want to approve of them.. as well as the invoice numbers of the shipment of blood on its way"

She handed him the paper. She couldn't believe she was still handing him things when she should have left, but her hurt feelings were no reason to half ass the protection around here.

"I should have never left them alone....They sat for many nights waiting for me to return home. A part of them knowing that I would never return....Thomas died alone without his father, Caroline believing that I died a hero.....Sarah begging me to release her from her death sentence....to save her" he whispered.

As he slid the image back into the brown envelope as he tucked it under his arm as he turned back to Kiara as she handed him another piece of paper with details on it, but right now he did not care.

"What would it take.....What would it take for you to stay?" he asked her.

She looked at him and shrugged with a sad smile. "I don't want to leave Bill... but you seem intent on pushing me away from you and from your vampire world"

She looked down. "But I suppose being a wolf I have no right to intrude into your world"

"It is for your own safety Kiara....You have to understand the position that I am in. I have to be a King and just plain old Bill. I cannot be two men at once" he sighed.

His hands reached for her as he wrapped them in his own broad hands.

"I cannot and will not lie to you any more. I cannot promise that things will change over night but I will try to make things right. It may take some time but I am willing to try if you are?" he asked her almost pleading.

She looked into his eyes "Bill... you know more of me than I know myself... every dark, miserable corner ...every sin, every... horrible thing I've done... " she said with a shudder "but yet... you think I cannot handle the same of you"

"I'm not asking for you to stop being a vampire...to..." she shrugged "to do something that you believe makes you look weak... but at least don't treat me like a child... don't think because you know all my dark secrets that I cannot handle all of yours"

"I could never stop being a vampire even if I tried....Even if I wanted to" he ended abruptly.

Bill shook himself as he attempted to stop floods of memories from entering his mind as he tried to block them all out.

"The things that I have done.....To women....men...children. I walked away from my own daughter. She begged me to make her like I am but I would never put that curse on her. Not now I know the full extend of it....You will grow old....frail and will eventually die. While I remain like I am now. Never changing, never moving forward. Will you be able to stand by my side like that for however long you live for? Can you handle that burden?" he quizzed her.

She chuckled morbidly "considering Stephan couldn't put me down with a bullet... I think I'll be around for quite some time scandalizing you" she said as she gave his hand a light squeeze.

"You're never a burden to me Bill... brooding and moody yes... often angry yes... but never a burden"

"I am a vampire....That is what I do" he joked a little.

As he sunk to his knees in front of her and still held her hand in his own.

"Let me do this the right way......The proper way......Marry me Kiara.....Please" he whispered.

She smiled and leaned down. "You sure you wish to? you'll never be rid of me once you do" she said softly, her eyes locking with his.

She was also glad for the modicum of privacy they had, even if they were outside as she didn't know how she'd react if the guards or if Jessica saw this.

"That is my intentions.....To never let you go" he whispered.

He stood to his feet as his hands remained locked around Kiara's as he gazed softly into her eyes.

"What is your answer?" he pleaded with her.

She leaned in close and kissed him. A gentle kiss, soft like a whisper. She wasn't even aware that she was trembling or that she was holding his hand like she was afraid he'd let go.

After a short moment she pulled her lips away, but kept them close to him as her whisper fell upon his lips.

"Yes..."