As I lay

Anabelle sat on the ground and stared over the cliff to the rushing waters below. The gray clouds were just starting to cover the sky. She looked up and sighed, feeling connected to the earth. A few cold rain drops fell upon her face. A small grin spread across her pink lips.

She rose in one fluid movement. The wind picked up, sending her long brown hair and white dress blowing back. Closing her eyes and outstretching her arms, it began to pour. She giggled as the cold droplets hit her skin.

"Anabelle my love," Whispered a mans voice. He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her petite waist.

"Oh Joseph. Isn't this just wonderful?" She lay her head back against his shoulder, quickly soaking his gray shirt with her wet hair.

"Yes dear. I know how much you love the rain." A grin also appearing on his face.

There was nothing more Anabelle loved than the rain, aside from Joseph. She loved the wetness and the loud rumble of thunder. She loved when the lightening lit up the sky with its bolts. Above all else she loved the smell that the rain left behind.

"When I was little, I used to believe that when it rained, it was cleansing everything. That it was washing away all of the bad things. Seems silly when I think about it now."

"We all had strange ideas when we were young." Joseph let out a sigh. "That seems like so long ago."

Anabelle turned to face her husband. She thought she saw a bit of sadness but Joseph hid his emotions so well she couldn't be sure.

"It was," she said simply in hopes of brightening his mood.

His face softened. "I know. How about we get out of here."

"Where to?"

"Who knows." He shrugged. Anabelle laughed and followed Joseph to the monstrous house.

Inside she changed out of her wet dress into some jeans and a button down shirt. Not sure of where they would end up tonight she put on sneakers.

She went down the two flights of stairs to the kitchen where she found Joseph, who had changed into something similar to her outfit, leaning against the counter.

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

Anabelle followed him out the side door to the garage, which could have been mistaken for another house due to its size.

Without asking, she got in to the passenger side of her favorite car, which also happened to be one of the fastest of the bunch they had. Joseph got in to the driver side of the sleek white Audi R8 and they were off.

On the drive Anabelle thought of how they got to were they are now.

Just a short hundred years ago. Anabelle live a normal life with her mother and two sisters, a completely human life.

One night she was at a small get together with some people from her town. she stayed late so someone who she thought she knew quite well offered to accompany her home.

Instead of leading her home her led her away from town to an abandoned building. He told her to trust him, and at one point she did. But she knew something was not right.

He came at her faster than she had ever seen anything move before. His mouth closed down over her neck. She though she would die that night but it never seemed to end. Anabelle stayed on the cold floor of that building for what could have been weeks, wishing she were dead.

Eventually Joseph came and found her. He explained to her what had happened. How some masochistic man with no control had ended her human life. How she was now a vampire.

"Anabelle? Are you alright?" Joseph knew that whenever Anabelle got unusually quiet, she was thinking about that night.

"I'm fine dear."

"You never have to worry about anything like that happening again," he said taking her hand.

Anabelle nodded and continued looking out the window. Of course nothing like that would happen again. "Nothing worse can happen," she whispered.

Joseph sighed. This was always a touchy subject with Anabelle. This was the only thing in the world that still bothered her deeply. He wished that one day she would just forget it. She would never see that man again. No one would. Joseph had ended that maleficent mans life in much the same way that he had ended Anabelles. But this was permanent.

There was nothing that bothered Joseph more than Anabelles pain. Even on the day that he found her, alone on the cold dirty floor of that building covered in blood, he knew he could never let anything happen to her again. He felt that it was his duty to protect her.

After a few hours of driving they decided to take a break. Not that the ride was uncomfortable, they could have sat for days and it would not have bothered them.

Anabelle walked around to the trunk of the car. She pulled out a metal water bottle filled with the thick red liquid. Blood. She sipped it as if it were a fine wine meant to be savored and appreciated.

"So are you going to tell me where we are going yet?" Asked Anabelle.

Joseph thought for a minute. "No," he decided. The truth is, he wasn't quite sure where he was taking her yet. But he had an idea.

Grasping her hand he pulled her into a tight hug. She sighed, content with this gesture. It made her happy. Joseph made her happy. There was always going to be things that she wanted, but nothing more than Joseph himself.

He released her and took a sip of the liquid from his bottle. Re-storing the canisters to their place, they headed back for the road.

The sun was setting, causing the trees to cast their shadows across the streets. Joseph preferred the dark. It was quieter, peaceful. He didn't have to worry about hiding himself from anyone.

Deciding to have some fun he shut off the headlights and stared straight at Anabelle. She stared back into his eyes as his foot pressed the gas pedal down farther.

He turned with ease on the corners as the car crept faster and faster. Anabelle did not worry though. Joseph knew these roads like he knew the back of his hand. She laughed at him as her favorite car finally hit top speed. Joseph smiled with her and turned his attention back to the road.

"Very funny Joseph," Anabelle laughed again.

"You're just mad because you can't do that," he teased.

She just shook her head and settled back into the seat.

When the next morning came, they were in Anabelles favorite city of Blackpool. Whenever they came here, Anabelle would get a happy feeling, at ease. She always had a suspicion that Joseph brought her here when he thought she needed to clear her mind. Whatever the reason, she never complained.

Joseph pulled into the driveway of a small cottage. Well, compared to their actual house this place was tiny. She loved England so much; she had insisted that they purchase a small estate here.

The outside of the house was built up with bricks, that over the years had faded to a dull rust color, and the walk up to the door consisted of large stones. Anabelle had those added on. The original walkway was a path of dirt.

On the inside, the walls were painted lovely beige and the floors made of oak. All of the doorways were arched, giving the place a romantic feel. As much as Anabelle would love to live here, she loved her house by the ocean more.

She stood at the dining room window looking out across the back yard. it was a large open space, with not a spot of discolored grass. Perfect.

Joseph walked into the room and stood at Anabelle's side, arms just touching.

"What shall we do on our first day in England?"

She thought for a minute. "How about we visit some old friends?" She suggested. She turned as she heard him shift uneasily.

"I don't see why not." Anabelle could tell he wasn't very fond of the idea, but if it made her happy, he could deal with it.