Surely... a nap won't kill me?

After reading the email Kiara didn’t feel like doing much. She held the bottle of her drugs: CeeNu. It had the active ingredient Lomustine which one of its common side effects was unusual tiredness or weakness. Well she was feeling tired and weak alright. She sat up from her computer after logging off her email and headed to the lounge chair. She would nap in the master bedroom but she didn’t want the room to smell of medicine, not to mention she would hate for that to be the trigger for Bill’s questions.

At least his anger meant he left her alone. She set the pill bottle down on her desk and kicked off her shoes. She looked at the tray where Tia had brought her some food. Everyone was now almost terrified to come near her and it didn’t help that there were dead bodies all around. The food turned her stomach on mere sight. The medicines were robbing her of appetite and strength to do much anything. Already the drugs were causing her to lose weight. If Bill saw her now he'd surely think something was wrong. She unbuttoned part of her blouse to get more comfortable and climbed up on the plush pillows of her large lounge chair.



Her hair was a mess and she used her foot to push the tray of food to the corner. She turned down the lights and turned on the small fan in the office to keep herself cool. Surely the guards could leave her alone for at least an hour right? As she laid her head on the pillow she figured she’d need more than an hour.

The drugs took effect hard, pulling her into unconsciousness with almost brutal efficiency. Her last conscious thought was hoping to dream of better days. So quickly was she pulled under she didn’t sense Bill at home, or her computer beeping from another email, not even her phone which lay nearby buzzing with a few messages.

Bill sat silent on his journey home, refusing to answer any calls that had been ringing through to his cell, diverting them all to voice mail. Not wishing to be disturbed. After his visit with Jessica, and now knowing of the Tiger's addiction to V which he found almost disturbing, that he was leaving his only progeny in the hands of an over aggressive Tiger that was stronger than her. He had ordered extra guards to be stationed around Jessica's home and to be on extra vigil and to be fully prepared to strike down the Tiger should he attack.

Arriving at home, he noted the silence that donned in the mansion, an eerie abyss silence that made even him shudder. The usual polluted noise of chattering human staff that went about their daily duties had ceased. Exiting the vehicle and entering his home, he began searching out for Kiara, having promised Jessica that he would seek out his own redemption of sorts. He ascended the stairs, sensing out Kiara and finding her in the master bedroom. He noted that her food had not been touched which he did find unusual.

He began to leave, when he heard her stir from her sleep, a thick heavy mist of an unusual scent filled the room, something that he had never smelled before.



"I did not mean to disturb you" he whispered.

Kiara groaned and stretched. As with all her drug induced naps she had not dreamed. She rubbed her eyes, wiggling in her spot where she had laid down.

"I did not mean to disturb you"

She heard a voice and it took her a few seconds to even register who it belonged to. Bill..... she sniffed around her and sighed. She stank of medicine, a sort of acrid, antiseptic smell that clung to her skin. She had hoped to wake and shower before Bill returned so as not to raise suspicion of her worsening condition but it seemed fate had other plans for her.

"It's alright....I was waking up anyways" she replied. At least she'd shut down her computer so any written evidence of her dire circumstance was hidden for now. She sat up, her hair messier, her blouse open enough to expose her stomach but a few buttons done to keep her chest covered. Her short shorts were wrinkled and one of her knee high socks had ridden down to her ankle.

"It's alright....I was waking up anyways"

Bill continued to unbutton his jacket as he slipped it off his shoulders as he hung it on the back of a chair by a dresser as he tried to block out the scent of all the new smells that he had not registered before.

"Do you wish to be left alone?" he quizzed.

Noting her very sleepy haze and slow reactions to him being there, he figured that she would prefer to be left alone.

"Do you wish to be left alone?"

She debated his question. She didn't have much time left.. after death she would be truly alone. So even spending time with Bill; a man who surely hated her was better than nothing at this point.

"No... I..." she shook her head "..you can stay if you'd like" she said softly. She turned around and began to get out of bed. Her mind was still fuzzy but at least one benefit of being a wolf meant she'd burn through the drugs within a few hours.

She stood, a tad unsteady on her feet but she remained upright. In her mind she knew she had to eat, shower, make herself somewhat decent yet her body did not want food. The shower however was something mind and body agreed on.

"No... I..you can stay if you'd like"

Bill watched how unsteady that she had become on her feet, as he rushed over to steady her as she remained off balance. One arm supporting her back, as the other gently gripped her arm.

"Are you unwell?...You should rest, get some sleep. It shall make you feel better, it is what humans do, from what I am told" he spoke, unsure of his own words.

She smiled at his worry. Well at least he wasn't totally cold with her.

"No...I've slept enough... it'll be alright Bill" she said softly. She wouldn't say 'I'll be alright' because that could be considered a lie. She blinked, the fuzziness in her vision slowly leaving. She could feel her strength returning enough that she was steadier on her feet.

She smiled sheepishly at him. "I think I'll shower... I must reek" she joked. She slowly made her way to the closet, fishing out a nice plush robe she could use.

"Perhaps it would be better to bathe. You are unsteady on your feet Kiara. I would not like for you to have an accident on my watch" he offered her a small smirk.

Turning her body as he forced her to sit down on the edge of the bed.

"I shall return" he nodded.

Turning to head into the large bathroom, he began filling the tub with hot water as he searched out some luxury bath oils, settling on some lavender and Camomile scented oil as he poured it under the faucet as it began to froth and bubbles seeped across the water's surface.

She watched him speed off. A bath would detox her scent even better so perhaps a bath was in order instead of a shower. While he was gone she rubbed her neck. She could feel the pinpricks in her mind that told her to do crazy things. Slowly she was beginning to lose herself again and it scared her.

She looked down at her lap and smiled sadly. Jessica hated her, Quinn would never see her, and soon Bill too would scorn her presence. As crazy at it seemed at least this way no one would mourn her passing, not to mention no one would try and stop her from dying. She let out a sigh. It was just a pity she didn't have more time to do the things she really wanted to, find the redemption she long searched for.

He had waited until the tub was filled with steaming hot water, before he added in a little cold water to stop it from burning her skin, he knew that something was wrong with her, but he could not put her finger on it. Satisfied with the temperature of the water, he headed back into the bedroom.

"It is ready" he spoke softly.

He walked over towards her, and without waiting for her reply as he picked her up into his arms and cradled her as he carried her through to the bathroom. Settling her down on her feet, as he turned so that she could undress and settle into the hot water.

She smiled and nodded. Once he had set her down in the bathroom she began to undress. She felt sticky and the bath looked quite inviting. She placed her clothes in a small hamper in the corner before slowly settling into the tub.

She let out a groan as she settled in and smiled. Just the feel of the water and the scents of the oils went miles into waking her up and making her much more alert.

"Thank you Bill"

"Your most welcome" he replied, his thick southern accent heavy in his voice.

He headed towards a small cupboard as he picked out two fluffy towels, one large and one small as he placed them on a small chair next to the tub.

"I shall have Tia make you some soup, i hear it is what humans eat when they are unwell" he remembered.

He turned to leave the bathroom, but not before making sure that she was settled.

Kiara smiled then looked up at Bill. "It's alright Bill....I'm really not hungry" she said, knowing that sounded ludicrous coming from her.

She reached for a washcloth, lathering it up. Part of her wanted Bill to stay, knowing her time with him now had a very real deadline, yet part of her knew Bill didn't really want to be around her.

"I won't keep you though...I'm sure you have much work to get done"

"I won't keep you though...I'm sure you have much work to get done"

"It is nothing that cannot be done another night. After all, that is all my days are filled with, nights" he joked a little.

He perched himself on the edge on the large tub as he took the washcloth from her as he began lathering up as he began washing her shoulders.

She smiled gently. "Nights...huh..." she said softly. Once she used to relish the nights. It meant time with him, time doing everything and nothing... being able to love, run, frolic and laugh. Now her nights were spent with worry, wondering if she would wake in the morning or if that night would be her last.

She took a deep breath, finding some courage before speaking. She didn't want to tip her hand, but if anyone deserved to at least find out what was going on, Bill did.

"Bill... can I ask you something? A hypothetical question..."

He continued to lather up the washcloth between his hands as he began a system of lathering, washing, clearing the washcloth over and over. Using other scented oils that were dotted around the large tub.

"....Of course. Anything you like" he whispered as he continued to wash her shoulders.

She nodded, taking a moment to word her question carefully.

"What would you do... if I suddenly... wasn't around?" she asked softly. "If you went to day rest... and when you woke at night I was...gone... permanently"

She didn't want to say 'die' because that would be a bit much, but she knew that if her time was up she would leave the mansion and die somewhere else, so no one brought her back as a vampire.

"If you went to day rest... and when you woke at night I was...gone... permanently"

Bill frowned at her question as he haled on what he has doing. Why would she ask such a question?

"...I would find you..You have had my blood. So I would look until I found you. And if you didn't want to be found, then that would be your choice. But i would search until i found you, even if it to tell me that you did not want me any longer"

She nodded. True with his blood she couldn't just disappear like that.

"But what if...you found me... and I was beyond your reach?"she asked, turning around and looking at him.

"What if I was gone? by no choice of my own..."

"What if I was gone? by no choice of my own..."

Bill stopped what he was doing altogether, dropping the washcloth into the tub as it splashed water on his trousers. He had never heard Kiara talk this way before, never in their time together had it come to something this serious in conversation.

"Why do you talk of such things?" he quizzed.

She sighed. "Bill... some things...recent things... are making me re-evaluate my own mortality" she looked at him sadly.

"When we fought before...and I told you I was going to die... I meant it" she whispered. "My time...is running out"

"My time...is running out"

He froze.

He felt every single thing in his entire body freeze, he had no control over his own body. Powerless to do anything, to move, to think, to speak. Paralyzed with this sudden new feeling of fear that he had never felt before in his entire existence. Finally he gather his thoughts to string a sentence together.

"I...I don't...I don't understand" he stated.

She didn't know how much plainer she could put it. So she just came out and said it. Strangely, voicing it made it all that more real for her, but he deserved to know, at least deserved to be prepared if he chose to mourn.

"Bill....I'm dying" she said sadly.

"Bill....I'm dying"

Hearing those two solid words, shuddered Bill through to his core. This was not supposed to be happening...She was still so young, how could this be happening now? Her constant intake of his blood should have hindered this, or healed her altogether. Forcing himself up from the side of the tub, he walked across towards the sink, the closest thing to him, his hands gripping the side of the porcelain sink. Soon his grip got harder and to full strength, his hands gripped tighter as he felt the sink's edge crack in his hands as he felt every single take over him.

He threw what remained of the porcelain sink across the bathroom as it hit the shower cubicle glass as it shattered on impact.

"NOOO! NOOO! NOOO!" he screamed out.

She winced. So clearly he was not taking this as well as she had, but for her she'd always known this day would come.

She slowly stood out of the tub, carefully stepping out and placing a towel around her body. She walked carefully, avoiding the bits of glass that littered the floor. She placed her hand on his arm.

"Bill...its alright... it'll be alright..." she whispered encouragingly.