?

Sebastian was quiet, but he simply looked exhausted. At last they reached the farm, and everyone piled out. Michael helped Sonya with her bags. Seb went straight for the cows. The sounds of their arrival brought the others running.

They observed each subtle hint, and commented. ''Well, it looks like Seb has lost his preferance for humans. He might have met this girl as a human, but she ain't human now!'' Livia gleefully noted. Goldie observed, ''But she doesn't look very happy about it! Oh, I'm fit to bust with curiousity. I can't stand it. They don't look like a 'happy couple'. I wonder what he did to piss her off!'' He knew it was catty, but he couldn't help it; he was smiling.

Gwen, too, was curious, ''There's a rich story there, I'm sure.'' Sonya didn't know what to make of the lot of them, all agaggle like that. She turned to Michael, in whom she sensed both gentility and strength. ''What should I do?'' She asked, her eyes full of tears. ''Come this way, to my office. We'll set your bags there.''

Once there, out of sight of everyone's prying eyes, he gently asked her what was wrong, and was there anything he could do to help. Sonya burst out crying in his arms. She sobbed. ''He put me under a spell. I didn't even know what was happening to me!'' And she sobbed some more. ''Could it be he assumed you knew what was going on?'' Michael gently probed. Sonya shook her head, ''No, whenever I got the least bit curious or distressed about anything, he fogged my head. He fogged my head, I tell you!''

Michael thought of a solution, ''I'll tell you what, Seb's out in the fields feeding. Why don't you have a drink, as well? You do know how to do the 'little drink', to not overly weaken the cow? Wait, I shall go with you!''

While leading her there, he explained the system, ''The cows have differently colored 'earrings'. The number on the earring is their individual code number, by which they're identified. But the color of the tag indicates what family member has been assigned that cow for feeding purposes. It is the business of each of us to know which cows have been fed from each day, and not overtax any. We will need to re-organize the system, to add a new subdivision for you. For now, you can share those alloted to me.''

Sonya lost her glum look momentarily, and replied, ''Wow, that's scientific! I'm impressed.'' After learning how to do the 'little drink', she smiled, ''Oh, that's SO much nicer than the awful hunt!'' Michael took her arm, and said, ''Yes, that's why I set the whole farm up. We can be guiltless. We do not have to take life in order to live.'' Sonya gave him a positively adoring eye, which Michael did notice, blushing.

''Now that we've taken care of that basic need, how about the two of you join me in my office!'' Michael suggested brightly. Seb was exhausted, but having been fed, he was amenable. Sonya wanted to air her grievances, with Michael listening. She trusted Michael and felt safe with him.

Before Michael shut the office door, he craned his head out for interlopers. The others were in their rooms, gratefully minding their own business. He made sure each had a seat, and then began, ''I assume both of you have varying accounts of what has happened, and I want to hear both.''

Sonya began, glaring at the thin man beside her, ''HE lied, he used his 'mind trick' on me. I never knew what happened. After I was turned, he couldn't cloud my mind so easily, and I figured out what had happened.''

Michael looked Sebastian in the eyes, which wasn't easy, for Seb was blinking nervously, ''What do you have to say to that? Was there an element of deception? Do you use any mind control on Sonya?''

Seb stammered, ''I, ugh, I . . .'' Michael assured him, ''If you have, I'm not going to toss you out on your ear. I'm after the truth here. Just the truth, as best you can recall it. How did you meet each other?''

Seb stuttered, ''Ugh, we, ugh, were on this vampire chat thingy, and I met her there.'' Michael could see this was going to take some coaxing, ''What happened there?''

''I really liked the way she played her character. She had a lot of fire and zest. And I wanted to get to know her better.''

Michael turned to Sonya, ''Does this gel with you so far?'' She nodded, ''Yes, that's what happened. And then we started writing personal e-mails.''

Michael probed, ''What did you know of Sebastian then? Who did you think he was?'' Sonya looked confused, ''He used all these sexy words, he knew how to turn me on. I didn't really think about who he was. He said he had long red hair and was skinny. I assumed he was mortal, that he was playing a game like I was.''

Looking at an uncomfortable Sebastian, Michael asked, ''So you didn't reveal much about yourself?'' Seb looked in pain, ''I, um, told the truth when we were roleplaying. Only she didn't know it wasn't roleplaying.''

Michael smiled grimly, ''Hmmm, I see. And you took no effort to clarify this for Sonya, did you?''

Seb's eyes bulged wide, ''Um, ah, um, no!'' Michael probed still further, ''What did you imagine she think you was? Did you assume she 'just knew' you were a real vampire?'' Seb squirmed, ''Yeah, I think that's what I did. Just assume.'' He looked as though he wanted to slink off somewhere and hide.

Michael clarified the events so far, ''So both of you began with false assumptions, then! What happened once you arrived at her home?''

Seb blushed, ''I found her beautiful, and was enchanted with her. I loved her and wanted her.'' Michael looked at Sonya, ''And you, what were your initial impressions of Sebastian in person?'' She smiled wistfully, ''That he was worldly and oh so exciting!''

Michael smiled, ''And THEN what happened?'' Sonya grew angry, ''He bit my neck and stayed at my neck a long time. I thought we were just roleplaying. But then I felt so weird afterwards. He did admit to leaving something of himself inside of me. But he left a lot more than he let on. I had four months in which I was in torment, for I was neither human nor vampire.''

At this point, Seb interrupted, ''I didn't know I'd left that much inside of her, to cause that. I thought I only left a little bit.'' Michael glared into his eyes, ''How empty were your glands? You know what I'm talking about!'' And he pointed to what used to be his lymph nodes, prior to transformation. ''You can feel them draining. You know when they're empty and when they're full. How full were yours afterwards?''

This was a new concept to Sebastian, ''I've never made anyone before. I didn't pay attention to them. Let's see, I gave Golden a few deposits because I knew he didn't have enough blood bits inside of his large body. Yes, I remember an 'empty feeling' when I gave them to him. I don't think I was 'empty' with Sonya's first little deposit. But she is so tiny, maybe it didn't take much to effect such a change. I didn't know what I was doing. I apologize.''

Michael agreed, ''That does sound reasonable. Can you admit that, Sonya, that he just didn't know what he was doing, and had no intention to leave you in torment?''

Sonya glared at Sebastian, ''I tried to tell him I was in torment, that I knew I 'wasn't right', and that I knew HE had the solution, but he'd just fog my mind, and tell me to wait until I was eighteen. That's what he did, he always fogged my mind. For four months, I waited for him to come and drug me with his 'mind fog'.''

Michael also glared at Sebastian, ''Can you truly say you had no idea of what she was going through? What did you think? She was just being over dramatic? Why did you just 'cloud her mind'?''

Sebastian grimaced, ''I, uh, really did not know what the hell I was doing! I just thought she was hot for me, and craved the Dark Blood. I didn't know it was torment. I was STUPID! Can you believe that, Sonya? I was friggin' STUPID! I'm so sorry! If I had any idea of what I'd done, I'd never leave you that way, make you wait.'' And he tried to caress Sonya.

''So WHY did you mess with my mind? If you didn't fog my mind, I could have TOLD you, and you would have HAD to listen!'' Sonya was livid.

Michael's eyes bulged with alarm, ''Yes, Sebastian, WHY did you do that? Sonya is no evildoer one must play tricks on. I understand with the evil Sardok, you had to keep him continually charmed. But why did you pull this on a poor innocent mortal you claim to love?''

Sebastian looked horrified, ''I don't KNOW why. Maybe I didn't know I was doing it. Maybe I thought I was just 'soothing' her. It took such a great depth of will power and intent to charm a 4000 year old evil vampire, that the will power needed to charm a mortal is negligible in comparison. And then, to successfully charm Sardok, I had to be 'unaware' myself that I was doing it, for such an ancient and powerful vampire would easily detect any awareness I had of it.

He then held Sonya by the shoulders, ''My dear, I simply did not know I was doing it. In that state, I could have only conceived of it as 'soothing'. I'm sorry you spent four mind-clouded months in hell. I truly cannot apologize sufficiently for this. I am a bumbling idiot. But I love you! I have given you what I have never given any other mortal in 270 years. I want you by my side for my centuries. I love you! Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?''

Sonya looked frightened and leery, ''I don't know. I don't know if I can trust you. If YOU YOURSELF do not know what you are doing, HOW CAN I trust you? How do I know you're not going to put the whammy on me again?''

Sebastian looked crestfallen, ''My dear, you are right. You are correct. I don't know what to say. I can only say I will try to be aware of all my conscious and unconscious motivations. I love you. I am sorry that it is not enough. I do understand why.''

Sonya looked some relieved, ''I'm glad you at least understand why I will never be able to trust you again. I feel bad. I did love you. You did excite me. Now I'm just scared of you.'' Then she addressed Michael, ''Thank you Michael, for sitting with us and working this through. You I DO trust, and I really appreciate your warm welcome. I hope you let me stay with your family. Now that I am changed, I really have nowhere else to go!''

And she burst out sobbing. ''I didn't ask for this, you know. I thought we were just playing a game. I had no idea what was happening to me!'' And she sobbed some more. Michael walked over to her, and hugged her, letting her cry in his arms. ''Thank you, Michael. Thank you!''

Sebastian began crying, too. ''I have no idea how this got so completely screwed up. One thing just led to another. I never meant to hurt you. I never did. I'm so sorry.'' He truly looked remorseful.

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