"In Time..My Love Will Find You."...open for Destiny only.

[Rick_Knight]

Isabella opened her door slightly and brought the flower arrangement in. It was beautiful, it was something that was given only to someone that one really cared for. He knew in the bottom of his heart that she was he beloved Isabelle, only in a different life time. How many times did this turn of events happen to someone, and worse yet how many times did it happen and both parties knew it? She knew because of her dreams, and he obviously knew it because he had lived it. Somehow he had lived this long by some means, perhaps that was one of the good side effects of being a vampire, one did not age as fast, she could only guess. Her curiosity had been sparked, she had to know. The intrigue was to much, and she needed answers. Though she fully realized she was playing with fire, and the possibilities of getting burned were astronomical, still, she would not be denied.


She thought about her dreams, how she saw him wounded at heart for having lost his family. She saw his beloved Isabelle how even after death adoring him. She would have died a second death in order to be with with him again, it was plain to see. Yet, it was her, Isabelle, had reincarnated in her. She was Isabelle, but now Isabella, just one letter difference in her name, even that matched. Why didn't she feel attracted to this man, he had been polite at dinner, and she was attracted to him as a man, but there was still that void of not being able to recapture the love Isabelle felt for him. It very much existed in her dreams it was very much there. Perhaps the vampire was to blame for her diabolical curse on Isabelle's spirit. That Isabelle must not return ever again. Isabella placed her face in her hands and cried. 'Why was this happening to her? I did not ask for any of this to happen, I only know that I have dreams of a far away land where I feel at peace. This present world in which I live in, is not for me, it never has been.'

She needed time, time to find out the key to the mystery. It was a puzzle that had been laid out for her to figure out. She felt out of sorts and climbed back into bed and closed her eyes. It was not long before she started to dream again. This time she saw herself in the arms of her beloved husband, she was in bed and he laid next to her. She awoke in her dream and saw how he was contemplating her, how he was admiring her beauty and professing his eternal love for her. She heard him say in her ear that if anything should ever happen to her he would search until the end of time just to find her again, such was his love for her. Then he made the most exquisite love to her, it was not two bodies making love, it was body and soul all wrapped up in one, each movement, every word that was spoken between them was marked for eternity.

Isabella awoke from her dream, she felt between her legs and thought that her menstrual cycle had begun early, 'Oh no, I messed the sheets and the bed.' she thought. Upon further examination, she discovered she was just wet from the excitement of the dream. Oh my God this man truly loved his wife, there was not one thing he would not do for her. It was his castle, and she was his wife. It was the same castle she saw herself in her dreams, night after night dream after dream. This was her home, this was where she belonged and where she felt she needed to be. Tomorrow,... tomorrow she would confront him and she would get to the bottom of it all even at the cost of her own life.

 

[Rick_Knight]

The ride back to the hotel was one filled with marvel for the young girl. "Is this your personal car?" she asked. "Yes it is, and it is now your personal car too. My name is Eric of Blackthorn, and I am owner of a chain of hotels. You will be staying at my hotel, and you will have your private semi suite, you will never again have to fight for food, the hotel provides breakfast, lunch, and supper. I will help you find suitable clothing and you will attend a school where you will keep up your grades in order for me to give you all of this. Do you think you can do it?"

The child was astonished, never in her young life had anyone bothered to give her the time of day let alone offer her so much. Her jaw had dropped and she now covered it up with one little hand and tears of joy were welling in her eyes. All she could do was nod in agreement. 'Her own room, and new clothes to wear and shoes.' she looked down at her torn dress, and her shoes looked raggedy. She had saved a few coins and had barely managed to buy them used at a goodwill store. Eric looked at her eyes and followed her gaze down to her shoes. "You will never have to worry about shoes or dresses or anything that you might need, I have excellent credit all over town, and when you are ready you are welcome to go with one of the ladies in my staff and shop until you get tired, how is that?" The young girl was again speechless, more tears of joy came from her eyes as she looked at Eric not believing her ears.

At last the lump in her throat subsided somewhat to allow her to speak. "Thank you Mr. Blackthorn, thank you for all you are doing for me, but most of all thank you for saving my life twice. If you had not been around surely I would be dead by now. My name is Rebecca Thorton, my mother died two years ago, since then I have been by my self fighting to survive one day to the next. The day you rescued me from the ally I had just came from collecting bread that had been thrown out by one of the local bakeries when those bad men attacked me, then you were there, only you were somewhat different then. This doll is all I have to remember my mother she made it for me, and her picture." She pulled the dusty picture frame of a pretty lady that looked very much like her.

"I'm so sorry you lost your mother, I know all about losing someone dear to you, but things will be different from now on you'll see. Just make excellent grades for me in school, and then you will be off to college so you can make something of your self, and who knows, in time you may be able to run all of my business, when I get old and can't move anymore." Eric smiled at her and winked an eye. She remembered the blur of motion in the ally and the lightning fast reflexes in her dirty apartment as the would be assailants all lost hands and fingers. She briefly recalled the scene in the ally but was not all together sure what is was she was seeing. All she remembered was the howls of pain from the attackers, and then being picked up and carried to safety.

"I will study hard Mr. Blackthorn, I promise. Thank you for being so nice to me." again she reached up with trembling hands and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. Then she settled down in her seat. Eric reached down into one of the coolers, and pulled out a soft drink for her to enjoy the rest of the way home.

On arrival he instructed the personnel at the desk that she was to be a permanent guest, and which room she was to have, and that she was to be taken to a clothing store and outfitted with whatever she desired. Then she was to be enrolled in the best pvt school, where she was to be transported daily in his limo. The young girl could hardly believe her ears, she looked around at the fancy hotel that looked fit to receive royal personalities and felt small, smaller than she ever felt in her short life. How could all of this be made possible just for her. Tears continued to run down her face leaving clean streaks as they ran down her face. "Cheer up, there is no need for all those tears now." Eric was trying to be soothing to her. He knew what she must be feeling, one moment she was in poverty and the next she was surrounded in grandeur. She would adapt, and she would make something of herself he was sure.

"I'll leave you now Ms. Thorton, I will see you later at dinner, six pm. Run along now." He turned and whispered in the ear of one of the female attendants to go and buy her a pretty dress, and everything she would need to be presentable on her trip to the stores where she would get everything she needed and liked. "It will be as you ordered sir, I will personally take care of it right away." thank you replied Eric.

With that, Eric walked out into the street and decided to go for a walk. He could not get enough of the day, and all of it's daytime wonders. It had been so very long ago since he had enjoyed the warmth of the sun on his face. Since the arrival of the blue eyed black hearted woman that had came into his life and had made shambles of it, destroying him and all those around him. That had been an insurmountable loss that to this day it still cause heart ache. He thought of his Isabelle and the children, and then he thought of Isabella, why had she not returned his calls, why had she not answered the door when she knew it was him on the other side. Something was not right, something was amiss. There was a meeting scheduled for the next day, in which she would have to be present to convey the profits and losses to the committee. She would have no way out but to be there. Until then he hoped that whatever she was suffering from would soon dissipate.

 

[Rick_Knight]

The next day the board convened for the usual six month briefing. All of the members were there, and Eric sat at the head of the table. All of the topics were discussed and finally the matter turned towards the financial status of the business, and still Isabella had not arrived. Eric was looking at his watch, and was just about to speak ready to detail a story about Isabella's illness that possibly had prevented her from attending the important meeting. At that moment the door opened and she entered the meeting room, looking a little flushed.

"I am sorry I am late, but I really haven't been feeling well these last few days, I knew you needed my report on the financial status of the chain, and I am here to present it to you. In the last quarter we had a big deficit and were contemplating bankruptcy. I am happy to tell you that we have made a complete turn, and are now quite profitable. A few changes were made, and a few needless drains of money were eliminated, and thanks to the intervention, we are out of the red and well into the black. I dare say that within the next year or so, a new acquisition can be contemplated which can really send this hotel chain well over the top in profits depending on the location. I grant that some thought will have to be agreed upon by you gentlemen as far as location. As far as affordability is concerned, we can do it quite comfortably." Everyone clapped their hands and marveled at her accomplishments in such a short period. Eric was booming with pride in having found her, as everyone congratulated him and Isabella both.

Before the meeting was over, Eric made it a point to tell Isabella that he would like to speak to her in private and not to leave before she did. She acknowledged his request with a curt nod of her head, and walked out to her office. Eric was still puzzled as to why she was being so distant when she was normally quite sweet and good natured.

The board members soon left, and Eric made his way to his office where he got on the intercom to the front desk, and had Isabella paged to his office.
When she walked in, she stepped up to the front of his desk and nodded. "Yes sir, did you want to see me about something?" She stared hard into his eyes as if searching for the answer she was looking for. His eyes met hers trying to interpret her gaze into his eyes, instead he met her eyes briefly and then looked away not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable.

"Yes Miss Longtree, I have noticed that for the past few days, you have not been yourself, and I was informed that you might be ill or something of that nature. I just wanted you to know that I am here if you need any assistance. Please feel free to tell me, all you have to do is ask. Secondly, I want to thank you for all of the hard work that you have done, you have worked miracles in the short time you have been here, and I wanted to personally convey all of the admiration from the board members today, they were very pleased with your report."

"Yes, well thank you Sir, I only did what should have been obvious to everyone. Finances are my specialty, and I only put my training and good sense to work, and it looks like it payed off." "Yes. replied Eric. "It really makes a difference when one can be at the helm twenty four seven. I became a creature of habit, only working at night, it was not until I started working during the day, that I could really appreciate what I have been missing all of these years. Which brings me to my next question, I have business to attend to in the homeland of my ancestors, and I would like for you to attend to the business part of it for me, if you don't mind. I need your expertise in finances to close a deal on quite a substantial real estate matter that I am interested in clearing up. Would you be able to help me? We would be gone approximately one week. All you have to do is bring yourself everything will be taken care of."

Isabella was taken aback, here she was, ready to resign and this man was offering her a trip abroad to God knows where when she did not have a clue as to who he was or his past. He was very much tied in with her dreams of that she was sure without a doubt. If she declined she might be missing out on a piece of her jumbled up puzzle that she was trying desperately to solve if nothing else for her sanity alone. He did not fit the role of the stereo-typed vampire that only lurks about at night looking for victims. Here he was in broad daylight unaffected by sunlight if that was what killed most vampires.
Her mind was in turmoil, as she heard herself say yes, that she would go, but would have to go home to prepare for the trip. She heard herself acknowledge him as if it were not her assenting to his request but someone else. She was now committed. "When do we leave sir?" she asked. "We leave tomorrow evening, I have two tickets reserved first class, into the old country."

In his mind he was already there, seeing the mountains, the villages, all of the places he well remembered before his ordeal so long ago. He wondered if it had changed much, it probably had in all likelihood. Things always changed with the passage of time. "Very well sir, I will be ready tomorrow, you know where my apartment is." again she heard her own voice as if in a fog. "Very well, I will be by in the limo, and we can have the driver take us to the airport." travel had become far different from when he first arrived by ship. The trip had taken almost three months when they would arrive by plane in a matter of a day at the most. The old country in Romania was but a hop and a skip away with the technology of modern times.

Isabella walked out of his office as if in a cloud, she had just consented to a trip with the man she feared but at the same time respected. He had not brought her ill will, and had always been a gentleman with her, she hoped that her intuition was not wrong about him. She hurried off to her apartment to get everything ready that she would need.

 

[Destiny]

In a fog about what she was going to to , Isabelle walked into her apartment not even remembering how she got there. It was like being on autopilot watching someone else control her body. The calls to companies that needed her attention. Packing her clothing, making arrangements for packages that were to be delivered. He has said old country, would it be cold? Warm? clothes were being packed as if she knew what she would need. Finally all the arrangements that she need were made and she moved to the window of her apartment and stood there looking out at the fading light How long she stood and watched the city begin to move into the night life she wasn't sure. Startled out of her revelry she gasped as the phone rang. Letting the machine pick up she didn't bother answering to find out who it was and moved woodenly about the apartment to eat and find her bed.

The dream started almost soon as she fell into bed and she closed her eyes. Standing before the window once more, dressed in her over large t-shirt she wasn't alone. she could feel the length of his baody against her back and then his hands were at her hips pulling her back against his own. her breathing began to climb and still he kept her pinned to his front not allowing her to turn to face him. Something wasn't right about the man behind her, it wasn't Eric. But she couldn't move couldn't turn to face him his hand on her hips began to grow stronger as she struggled to free herself. Then a voice spoke behind her ear, " remember the fear, remember the pain, remember the screams, remember again." The sounds of screaming and crying began around her and she couldn't move to go to them, to go and stop their screams calling for their mother, calling for their Lady to help them. The sound of men howling in release, the sound of strangled cries and still she couldn't move. She opened her mouth to scream...

Sitting bolt upright Isabella gasped, sweat soaked and her bed in disarray she scrambled out of as if she had been burned. Wincing in pain she looked at her hisp and saw the evidence of bruises, hand print bruises. Feeling a cold dredge she moved away from the bed looking at the clock, 6AM. She wouldn't be going back to sleep.

Her hair pulled back into a small bun at the nape of her neck, She was dressed smartly in a black blazer cut to her finger and a white silk blouse. the Balck skirt that complimented the out stop a few inches above the knee and her long legs were encased in black stockings. A small silver anklet holding a charm of the tree of life dangled delicately against her skin. The black stiletto pumps rounded out the outfit as she stood before her mirror and examined her features she hoped the application of light make up which she never wore hid the dark circles under her eyes, and that it wouldn't reveal the horrible night that had passed.

Hearing the buzzer near the door she moved across her apartment and answered" Yes." The doorman came across the speaker,"The car is hear ma'am." She responded,"Thank you, John, I will be right down. " Grabbing her coat and her luggage she moved about the apartment making sure nothing was out of order as she moved, The bed made the clothing all put away, it looked as if no one lived here at all, its usual state when ever she left. The short Elevator ride the the ground floor did nothing to sooth her nerves, and the pain at her hips was still evident as she moved. Ignoring it though she stepped into the bright light of the new day and was greeted by the limo driver who took her luggage and opened the door all at once to admit her into the car. Eric wasn't in the car, she took a deep breath and asked,"Where is Mr. Blakthorn?" The driver looked up and smiled a bit and then remarked,"He asked that he meet you at the plane Miss Longtree." She nodded and then looked out the window at the city passing by, her thoughts moved to the man awaiting her, and the planned trip ahead, the Old country...his old country? Was the castle still there, she smiled a bit and shook her head, Knights and ladies of old... she took a deep breath and sighed wishing time were liquid and that she could step back into the past.

 

[Rick_Knight]

Eric had left instructions for his driver to assist Isabella with all of her wishes as he was to take her to the airport, he wished he had been there to accompany her, but last-minute details had prevented him from doing so. As he sat in the lounge in the airport, he thought how far he had come, and how fate had made it possible for him to return his beloved country from which he had left so many, many years ago. He had vowed never to return as he felt the old pain that lived in his heart come alive once more. He felt the anguish of the impotence of not having been there for his family, for his beautiful wife Isabelle and his innocent children. The image of the blood bath in which he found them would forever be engraved in his mind. He could feel his anger rising almost to the point of turning his eyes red as he stared into his drink, his hand holding the glass unconsciously tightened at its base until the glass shattered. The bar tender instantly looked in his direction expecting the worst to happen as was usually the case with someone that could not handle his alcohol. He noticed the broken glass and the spilled contents on the bar, and half expected blood to flow from profuse cuts that the glass shards would surely cause, and the mess he would have to clean up, not to mention the fuss it would create with the airport authorities when they would have to escort the out of the airport.

Eric looked up as he felt the bartender's eyes on him, reality instantly came back as he regained his composure, "I'm so sorry, the glass must have been weak, before it could reach my lips it fell apart." "Are you alright?" asked the bewildered bartender, "Did your hand get cut, are your bleeding?" "No, I'm perfectly fine, as he looked at his unscathed hand turning it around so the bartender could see for himself that there had been no injury. "Would you like another drink, sir?" asked the bartender. "I am so sorry this happened, let me get you another glass," as he proceeded to clean up the spilled contents as well as the remaining shards that had scattered on the bar's surface. He was perplexed as to how this man could not have gotten cut as the glass had seemingly exploded into a hundred pieces almost right in front of his eyes. He quickly cleaned up the mess and produced a fresh glass and deftly poured more of the vintage red wine his patron had ordered.

That had been a close call, the last thing Eric needed was to draw the attention of the airport authorities, or the curiosity of onlookers speculating or surmising conclusions that would cause any type of alarm. Again, Eric contemplated his drink as his thoughts returned once more to the carnage that never allowed peace to live in his mind. As his thoughts once more returned to that horrible day, as if in a in a fog, and

 

[Rick_Knight]

Eric had left instructions for his driver to assist Isabella with all of her wishes as he was to take her to the airport, he wished he had been there to accompany her, but last-minute details had prevented him from doing so. As he sat in the lounge in the airport, he thought how far he had come, and how fate had made it possible for him to return his beloved country from which he had left so many, many years ago. He had vowed never to return as he felt the old pain that lived in his heart come alive once more. He felt the anguish return, the impotence he had felt for not having been there for his family, for his beautiful wife Isabelle and his innocent children. The image of the blood bath in which he found them would forever be engraved in his mind. He could feel his anger rising almost to the point of turning his eyes red as he stared into his drink, his hand holding the glass unconsciously tightened at its base until the glass shattered. The bar tender instantly looked in his direction expecting the worst to happen as was usually the case with someone that could not handle his alcohol. He noticed the broken glass and the spilled contents on the bar, and half expected blood to flow from profuse cuts that the glass shards would surely have caused and the mess he would have to clean up, not to mention the fuss it would create with the airport authorities when they would have to escort the out of the airport.

Eric looked up as he felt the bartender's eyes on him, reality instantly came back as he regained his composure, "I'm so sorry, the glass must have been weak, before it could reach my lips it fell apart." "Are you alright?" asked the bewildered bartender, "Did your hand get cut, are your bleeding?" "No, I'm perfectly fine," as he looked at his unscathed hand turning it around so the bartender could see for himself that there had been no injury. "Would you like another drink, sir?" asked the bewildered bartender. "I am so sorry this happened, let me get you another glass," as he speedily proceeded to clean up the spilled contents as well as the remaining shards that had scattered all over the bar's surface. He was perplexed as to how this man did not have a single cut on his hand, as the glass had seemingly exploded into a hundred pieces almost right in front of his eyes. He quickly cleaned up the mess and produced a fresh glass and deftly poured more of the vintage red wine his patron had ordered. "There you are sir, and again my apologies," as he swiftly retreated to the other end of the bar where other patrons were waiting to be served.

That had been a close call, the last thing Eric needed was to draw attention of the airport authorities, or the curiosity of onlookers speculating or surmising conclusions that would cause any type of alarm. Again, Eric contemplated his drink as his thoughts once more returned to the carnage of that fateful day, never allowing peace to live in his mind a perpetual maelstrom that would forever whirl in his mind, an eternal living hell that allowed no rest or quarter regardless of the time that had gone by. As his thoughts once more returned to that horrible day, he heard as if from some place far away, a small voice, a voice so now familiar to his ears, that instantly again regained his composure, as he felt a small hand touch his shoulder..."Mr. Blackthorn, Eric are you alright?" He turned to see the beautiful face and the beautiful eyes of Isabella Longtree, her flaming red hair had been taken up to form a small but attractive bun. "Yes, I'm fine, I was just enjoying a drink awaiting your arrival, I am delighted that you are finally here, did you have a pleasant drive to the airport?" He noticed the unmistakable look in her eyes of bewilderment and question, he wondered how much or how little she had witnessed of the broken glass episode.

 

[Rick_Knight]

Arriving at the airport Isabella proceeded to the check in area, checked in her bags and proceeded to the lounge area where she hoped that she would meet up with Eric, as she reached the end of the bar, she noticed Eric sitting alone and appeared to be in deep thought fixing his gaze on the glass that was in his hand. All of a sudden, the glass seemed to explode of its own volition sending shards all over the bar in a four-foot radius, his long black hair that draped down and partially covered his face as he looked down. As the glass shattered in his hand, he quickly looked up and she could almost see a red tinge to his eyes as he looked around seemingly angry at something or someone searching for any onlooker that might have witnessed the incident. Eric quickly looked in the direction of the bar tender and she could not clearly make out his words due to the distance. She observed the bartender acknowledge him and saw how he cleaned up the pieces of glass and drink off of the bar, afterwards replacing the glass with a fresh one filling it with more wine. She walked towards Eric who was still unaware of her presence and when she reached him, she gently touched him on the shoulder to let him know she had arrived. "Mr. Blackthorn, Eric are you alright?" she heard herself ask, as if she had all of a sudden stepped into a fog where only the two of them existed.

His look of surprise was evident as he turned his eyes towards her to look into deeply into her eyes looking for recognition of her presence and yet perhaps not. He stared into her eyes as if searching for his way back into reality from his obvious far away thoughts. "Please forgive me, I had other things on my mind and completely lost track of time, yes I am fine, I was just enjoying a drink awaiting your arrival, I am delighted that you are finally here, did you have a pleasant drive to the airport?" Isabella had a look of question in her eyes as she looked back into his. How much of what had just happened did she witness, and what was going to be her reaction. Eric hoped that she would not perceive him as some sort of psycho and change her mind about accompanying him to his beloved country. As he beheld her presence memories again flooded his mind as he saw her beautiful eyes and flaming red hair, the delicate features on her face and the warmth of her small hands.

Isabella looked into his dark eyes that were staring deeply into hers as if trying to look into her very soul. Could she have been mistaken in thinking she had seen a hint of red in them as she walked up, or perhaps it was the soft red and blue soft lights adorning the bar giving it a Christmasy look, they now looked normal and captivating as usual. "I couldn't help but see the glass of wine you were holding break in your hand, are you alright, did it cut you?" She reached for his hand and examined it for cuts or imbedded glass and was surprised to see no wounds of any sort. "You must have pretty tough skin, or an iron fist!" she softly muttered. "How did you not even get a single piece of glass stuck into your hand?" "I couldn't begin to tell you, I guess that glass was possessed!" He laughed at his own comment trying to lose the subject on a humorous note. "Hmmmmm, you are very fortunate, not to have to go to the hospital just to get stitched up so close to departure." replied Isabella.