Leaving Mum and Julian to enjoy their dessert and coffee alone, lost in each other, we said goodbye to Luigi, and after having listened to his well meant advice to be careful, we finally exited the restaurant.

"So what happened to Padfoot?" Lucas asked, closing the door behind us as we stepped into the near-perfect silence of the freezing night.

"I forced Lia to take him to her aunt and uncle, seeing that my parents would not keep him. When they moved to Cheshire, they took Padfoot with them. He's still alive and happy, as far as I know." I said, smiling at the memory.

We walked swiftly down the path lining the pond's shore to the bus stop, stirring a gaggle of always hungry and noisy geese to life, then broke into a jog when I noticed our bus approaching along the high road.

"How come there are... so many of you?" I asked Lucas once we were seated inside, and I got my breath back.

My eyes kept strolling back towards the restaurant perched on the other side of the pond through the misted window of the near-empty bus. I still couldn't believe that Luigi and Veronica were vampires, or better, that I had not seen it till now.

"Well, without the Council interfering with, and forbidding the mixed relationships, I think there's more vampires and half-vampires here than... " Lucas said letting his voice trail off, knowing that I would understand anyway.

I looked at him, shivering involuntarily at the unwelcome flashback of Petru Rareş and the other members of the awful Vampire Council deciding against Clara and Ioan's wedding. The wedding that will never happen now...

"You seem to be well informed." I forced a smile, trying to disperse the chilling memories. Hopefully at least Clara is safe...

"I know a lot about your other world." Lucas admitted. "The idea, the possibility of getting in has always fascinated me, despite my father's, and Uncle's insisting that it was all only a legend." He smiled.

"I always dreamed of finding my way in," Lucas added, lost in memories, as I pondered over his words mutely. It was so strange, speaking to someone who grew up listening to my and Vlad's story like a fairy tale.

"And that's why Uncle never told me that he had really visited the place, until I found out on my own and he couldn't deny it anymore. But he still refuses to tell me how he got in. He just keeps repeating that he didn't walk through in Bran, and that the place is too dangerous." Lucas shrugged.

It hadn't looked all that dangerous to me, but that was surely because Vlad had always been there for me, and I had never been left quite on my own... Who knows how and where Stoker got in? I remembered the words of Alina, the receptionist from the hotel. She had said that there must be at least one more passage somewhere... You need to talk to Stoker, he must know so much more than what he has told you so far...

We spent the rest of the short journey lost in our thoughts, but as we got out of the station, Lucas broke the silence again.

"Have you planned anything for tomorrow?"

"Hmm... no." I admitted. "I guess I should do some cleaning and shopping, we're running out of food."

"Ok. We can do that in the morning. And after lunch, we could go to Uncle's. He won't be back before dinner, but I want to show you something..." Lucas said, the corners of his lips lifting while his eyes crinkled with a smile that was halfway between mysterious and cheeky. What is he up to?

"Fine." I agreed without questions, knowing that he would not tell me anything more even if I asked.

As we walked down the road I studied his profile, exposed to my scrutiny by the streetlights and the lights of the passing cars one moment, then  hidden in shadows the next. Just what's on his mind...

When we reached our house and Lucas unlocked the door for me, he laughed, "I'm not telling you."

I pressed my lips tightly together not to show him the smile I had difficulty to suppress, "I did not ask anything."

I managed to stay serious as I ran up the stairs in front of him, but I was giggling when we reached the flat and Lia, standing in the doorway, waiting for us. It was so easy to feel good around Lucas.

"Thanks, Lia," I giggled as she moved to the side to let me enter.

"You two are so noisy." She scoffed, looking from me to Lucas. "I heard you as soon as you walked in. How did it go?"

"It was ok." I removed my coat  and shoes, then followed her and Lucas into the sitting room.

We talked about Mum and Julian for a while, but when the conversation, thanks to Lia, started slipping always more often to Stoker, I disappeared into the kitchen. I made myself a cup of tea but instead of going back to them, I went into my room.

Lying down on the bed I realised just how tired I was again. I forced myself to get up one more time to take a shower, hearing the other two still absorbed in their conversation as I walked across the corridor, and after that, I fell asleep in no time.

I woke up in the morning to the sound of the door closing behind Lia. She was off to hospital early, as usual.

As soon as I was dressed I changed my sheets,  organized my room collecting other used clothes to wash, then put the washing machine on. After, I started to make my way around the flat, cleaning while getting lost in my thoughts.

It had been another dreamless night, and while it left me feeling rested, I missed my visions, craved Vlad's presence if only in dreams...

I was so absorbed in my fantasies that I jumped when Lucas, his golden cup in his hand, approached me while I was going through the fridge, making a list of what was missing.

"If you give me your list, I'll do the shopping while you finish here and make yourself some lunch. Then we'll go to Uncle's, what do you think?" He proposed.

"Fine," I agreed, passing him the list and the jar in which we kept money for food and other things we shared in the flat.

"Oh let me add my part, I forgot to ask about this," he smiled. "We had something similar at Mark's."

By the time Lucas got back with the shopping I finished cleaning, and when he agreed to have lunch with me I cooked some pasta quickly for both of us.

"I'll wash up, you go get dressed." Lucas announced, collecting our plates and glasses.

"But I'm dressed, haven't you noticed?" I said, puzzled by his words, pointing at the long skirt I've been wearing all morning.

"Hmm... For what I have in mind... Could you wear a pair of jeans today?"

Oh? I was really curious now but I was not going to ask. No way.

"Fine." I said simply, exiting the kitchen.

In my room, I rummaged through my wardrobe coming up with the very same pair of jeans I wore for the trip to Bran, and never since. I pulled them on quickly and... couldn't zip them up. Looking in the large mirror on the door of my room I noticed my growing belly properly for the first time in a while. It had grown quite a bit... While it was still invisible in my wide skirts, in my old jeans the difference was striking. You're getting big, soon you'll be as large as a small elephant. My subconscious whispered and I wasn't sure if the image my mind brought up to accompany and underline the words was making me want to cry or laugh...

I peeled the tight jeans off quickly while ordering my subconscious to shut up and donned my skirt again. Then I joined Lucas in the sitting room where he was waiting for me.

"I'm ready. We can go." I announced simply.

"Hmm... what happened to the jeans you were supposed to wear?" He asked, helping me in my jacket.

"Well... they shrunk in the dryer. They don't fit anymore."

"Oh... of course... I see." he said, an exasperating, all-knowing smile playing on his lips.

"You see what?" I challenged, as we walked out but he only mimed zipping up his lips, thus wisely ending the conversation.

Lucas insisted on driving and I did not argue against it this time. He had done the journey between Hammersmith and Pimlico so many times that he knew which roads to choose to avoid the worst of London's traffic and we reached the place in no time.

We found Stoker's house looking as abandoned as when I used to come here before. But Lucas had his keys and let us in.

"Does your uncle own the two houses attached to this one?" I asked, remembering that I've never seen anyone going in or out of them.

"He does actually, as a precaution. He always has friends visiting and some of them don't look or act exactly... inconspicuously. So, this helps him feel less visible and overlooked, and more normal." He shrugged. "My room is on the top floor, do you want to see it?"

"Why not?" I agreed.

He led me up the three flights of creaky stairs, not unlike those we had at home. This house was at least as ancient as my parents'.

When we entered his room, my jaw dropped in surprise. It was large, bright, with a beautiful view of the back garden, and crammed with all sorts of strange things. There were swords and bows hanging on the walls, different kinds of knives lying on bookshelves full of books, and a large number of martial arts' gizmos and gadgets everywhere.

"Why did you live with Mark if you have this place here?" I asked, amused, as I walked to what looked like a medieval armour placed in front of the window.

"For the same reason Uncle bought the other two houses. Not to attract too much attention, to look more normal. Do you want me to lend you a pair of tracksuit bottoms?" He asked, walking to a chest of drawers next to his bed.

"No. Thanks." I said decisively. "What for, anyway?" I couldn't resist asking anymore.

He sat down on the bed, patting the place next to him.

"I want to teach you to fight. To defend yourself." He said when I joined him. "I'm sure you'll try to go back to your other world, no matter what I tell you. So, you must learn to fight before next Halloween."

"Nonsense. I don't want to fight anyone."

"You can't possibly go back so... helpless. It might not go as smoothly as before this time. And not just that, even here, with Viorel determined to talk to you, and all the others... We might slip one day, I might not be near enough... Right now, you are such an easy prey, Samara."

"All right, fine!" I said, raising my hands in the air, surrendering. "I got it. But I'm not good at this and... even if I was, could I really fight a vampire?" I asked, trying to dissuade him.

"You can't beat a vampire, but you could harm, or even kill a half-vampire. And in any case, you would slow them down, buying time for those who could help you."

That actually made sense. "Okay. So..."

"So I think we'll start with a self-defence. Then knives, maybe archery if you want... I'll teach you to use a sword, as I'm sure that's something you would easily come across in your other world, once the baby is born. They are far too heavy."

"I don't want to fight." I repeated, closing my eyes.

"I know, Samara, but you might get into a situation when no one will ask you if you want to fight or not. You'll just have to defend yourself or..."

When I felt his hand resting on my shoulder I opened my eyes again and nodded, resigning. "Let's do this then." I said, looking in his eyes.

"Shall we go to the garden? We need more space." Lucas proposed, smiling.

I agreed, following him down the stairs, then across the sitting room to the French windows opening to the garden.