[Dennis]As dawn drew near, we knew our time was almost up. Without Tyler awake and interrupting us, Sybil and I were free to be as physically affectionate as we desired. I was amazed by the beauty and purity of my sweet Sybil. Her love for me was refreshing and comforting. She went to dress for bed and I put her journal back onto the shelves. I went to my room to change as well. It would be one less thing to do when it was time for me to sleep. The door to my room opened before I had a chance to put on my nightshirt. I turned to see who came in. It was Sybil, followed by Franny, who excitedly jumped onto the bed and settled in. Sybil’s eyes slowly took in my form. She had seen me like this in her dreams back when she was alive, but never in real life. Slowly, she moved toward me, as if she had no control of it. When she reached me, Sybil put a hand out and slowly trailed it down my body. “Wow, you really do look like that. Some part of me thought it wasn’t entirely real because of the dream….”“I told you, this is what I really look like. We should get you to bed. The sun will rise soon,” I told her. “Can I sleep with you? No ѕex or anything, but I know you’ve been moving me to your room at night. Can I start the night in here instead of finding myself here when I wake up?” she asked. I sighed. “Come then, Sybil. Let’s go to bed together. I will lie with you until you sleep, then I will return to have my rest when it’s time.” Taking her hand, I helped her into my bed, then went to the other side to join her. Franny crawled up until she lay between us. Sybil laughed and started petting my dog. I joined her. “Looks like little Franny missed you. We should have left the office door open so she could come in when she wanted,” Sybil said. “Indeed. She’s a good girl and shouldn’t have been left out,” I agreed. “She is the best dog.” I smiled and we continued praising and petting Franny until Sybil laid back on the pillows. She looked weak and I knew it was the sun forcing her consciousness down deep inside her. It was as if something inside us was running away from the sun. “One last request before I go to sleep, Dennis,” she murmured. “What is it, Sybil?” “A goodnight kiss. One last one, so I have something happy and loving to hold on to while I dream of my lonely and cold life. Can I have that?” Sybil asked. Leaning in, I gently kissed her lips until I felt her mouth go slack. I pulled back and looked at my sleeping love. She was everything I ever dreamed she could be. If the goddess truly didn’t give her a Solus Amor and never would, then I wanted to keep her. For too long, I thought I was meant to be alone. Maybe this meant I wasn’t. This time my heart and my love would be cherished. Francesca hadn’t even entered my mind since I became close to Sybil. My sorrow at losing Sybil was in no way connected with the other woman I had lost. I got out of bed and put my nightshirt on over the pants it matched. Franny pawed at Sybil and whined. I called her to me and we left Sybil to rest while I got Franny her soft food and a treat for being a good girl. Just as I was putting her bowl on the ground, I heard my front door opening. Tyler shouldn’t have been up yet. I headed toward the entryway, prepared to defend my home. “Come in Marius, Phoebe, and Felix,” Mistress Talia was saying as I neared. I froze in my steps. The High Council was in my entryway. And they came in from where the sun was. Were they immune to sunlight? I heard rumors, but I thought they were simply rumors. Vampires not bound by the sun’s light. It would be terrifying to anyone else who found out. It was to me. They could simply come into your home and toss you into the sun if they were displeased with you. That was frightening. I couldn’t let them find fault in me. Quickly, I went into the entryway and bowed. “Welcome to my home, High Council. It is a pleasure to host you, Mistress Talia, Master Marius, Master Phoebe, and Master Felix.” “You remembered that I prefer being called Master and not Mistress. I like that. One point to Dennis,” Master Phoebe said with a laugh. “Yes, but he put me after Talia when I am the head of the High Council. The point should be deducted for that alone.”“Since when were we on a point system?” Master Felix asked. “Stop your bickering. You’re confusing Mister Lyons. Dennis, we’re here to assess whether or not Sybil is truly remembering her life. The assertion is fairly serious and we need to know if it is true. Her request is something we can only address after we know the facts in this case,” Mistress Talia assured me. Franny chose that moment to make her grand entrance. She walked into the entryway with her head and tail held high. My dog was not wary of guests, she knew anyone who was with me was a friend. She wagged her tail and trotted over to Mistress Talia, who squealed in delight and started petting the dog. “What a darling puppy! She’s so pretty!” she cooed. I stood up and watched as my dog enjoyed the attention of three of the four deadliest beings on earth. Master Phoebe, though a woman, preferred dressing and being addressed as a male. She had dark hair and ruby-red eyes. Today, she was in a handsome suit that would be welcome in any gentleman’s closet or parlor. Master Felix was different. He had yellow-blond hair that he wore pulled back and golden eyes. His specialty was healing and necromancy and he was called The Angel. He had a melancholy look about him even when he was enjoying my dog. It was as if he were wishing someone else were there. Master Marius didn’t come anywhere near my dog, instead, he watched the others with a look of disdain. Franny was loving the attention and didn’t seem to mind that Master Marius wasn’t getting involved. “Alright, we need to take care of business,” Mistress Talia said, getting off her knees and standing up to her full, yet miniature, height. “We understand that you can manipulate the dream realm. This is a very powerful ability. I will be assessing if you are manipulating Sybil’s dreams to make her think she is getting her memory back.” I hadn’t even thought of that. If there was a way to fake it, this was the way. Though I knew I wasn’t manipulating Sybil, the fear was still there. I didn’t know how she could tell, but Mistress Talia seemed to be certain she could. If something went wrong, I would be punished for something I didn’t do. “Show us where your childe is,” Master Marius ordered. “She asked to sleep in my room today. She is right this way,” I replied, leading them further into my house. They followed me to my room and filed in ahead of me. I went in after they were in and closed the door behind me, so Franny wouldn’t interrupt anything. The High Council stared at the body of Sybil in my bed. Mistress Talia climbed up on one side and took Sybil’s hand before laying with her. Even though the rest of the bed was available, she positioned herself on the edge. Mistress Talia closed her eyes and her body went slack. The other Masters started chatting as if they were standing anywhere other than in the middle of my bedroom. I didn’t know what to do. “What’s your dog’s name?” Master Phoebe asked me. “Francesca,” I answered. She snorted. “Like Francesca de Mere? The self-proclaimed Countess?” “I heard her Solus Amor was a dhampyr in his first life and she rejected him. Was that you, Dennis?” Master Felix asked. “It was. Naming my dog after her had been a joke, but I think it healed me to get love from someone who bore the same name as the woman who was supposed to be meant for me. I definitely recommend getting a dog to help heal a broken heart.” The air in the room got heavy. Master Phoebe and Master Felix seemed to be ruminating on that idea. Master Marius moved closer to the bed, watching over Mistress Talia and Sybil. I wondered what Mistress Talia was finding in the dreams of my Sybil. -[Talia]-When I popped into the dream realm, I was on a street where several people were crossing at the light. I found Sybil among them and followed her. No one seemed to notice me. I was small enough that I would see people looking at me if I was walking down the street. No one moved to avoid me and when I couldn’t avoid them, either, one went right through me. That was a good sign that this wasn’t a manufactured dream. In those, the people in the dream were programmed to react to the dreamer or potential dreamers. People would have tried to avoid me or talk to me. I followed her to a bistro with outdoor seating. She was meeting a friend. I watched as they exchanged greetings and complimented each other. It was all very boring and normal. Once they were seated, I went and stood next to their table. Neither one looked at me or acknowledged that I existed. This was another sign that it wasn’t a manufactured dream. The dreamer couldn’t see me. She was locked in the motions and emotions of the time she was experiencing. This test was tedious. I had to make sure there were no jumps or anything that stood out as strange. It could be anything that seemed overly dramatic or out of character for the setting. The most dramatic thing, aside from Sybil and her friend’s gossiping, was when a waiter’s tray fell and a glass broke. I tested if other people could see me and if all of the people around were unable to be distracted from their conversations by me.I got nothing. This was all boding well for Dennis’ case. Most of the people barely had faces. None of them were complete people. She wouldn’t have taken the time to memorize what each of them looked like. When the lunch was over, she said goodbye to her friend and headed down the street. I caught up with her again at a traffic light. A tall man came up beside her. He looked down at her, but she didn’t acknowledge him. “You know you’d be much prettier if you smiled,” the man told her. Sybil turned to him, raised her middle finger on each hand, and used the tips of the fingers to push her cheeks up, making her smile. I started laughing because that was something I could totally see Bellamy, or even myself, doing. “Am I prettier now?” she asked. “Bіtch,” he growled and started crossing the street as soon as the light changed. She chuckled to herself. “Good one, Bill.” Sybil crossed the street and kept on going while I laughed more. I didn’t know this woman before death, but she seemed like the type of person I wanted to know. The world dwindled the further she walked away from me. People disappeared, buildings faded, and all that was left was blackness. That sealed it for me. This was a dream of memory. I went back to my body and sat up. Marius was beside the bed. Phoebe and Felix were chatting off to the side. I looked over and saw Dennis in the bed next to Sybil. He had gone to his rest while I was working. Phoebe and Felix came over as I got out of the bed. Everyone stared expectantly at me. I turned back to the sleeping figures in the bed. They were a handsome couple. I could imagine they would be a force together once she came into whatever power she gained from the turning. “Well? Is it real?” Phoebe asked. I turned back and nodded. “It was a memory. A real memory. This woman is remembering her life before death. In light of it, I move that we grant her request. She is not being manipulated. If she wants him, we should give our blessing. But, on one condition.” “What condition?” Felix asked. “Dennis and Sybil are not allowed to turn any other vampires for at least one hundred years. I know this revelation will lead to other vampires wanting to have them turn their Solus Amors or lovers. We also don’t know if his ability works on vampires. If it does, that would make any childe of theirs very valuable. “We will have to let people know that we are watching them closely. I don’t want anyone getting ideas. They might take one or the other and try to force them into turning someone. There are too many ways this could be dangerous for both of them if we don’t take precautions,” I replied. “Then the ruling is that they are permitted to be in a relationship with each other and will be soul bound quickly. We don’t want anyone coming along and trying to break them up in order to get one away from the other,” Phoebe said. “They have until the New Year to complete the bond. If they do not, I will take the woman to my home for safekeeping,” Marius added. “You can’t imprison her, Marius. If you take her, you will treat her as if she were a childe of your own making,” I told him. “Of course. Echo likes this woman. I will not turn my daughter against me. Now, I must get home. Who will be staying to issue the decree here?” Marius asked. “I’ll stay,” I answered. “I want to visit with Victor a little. I have nothing better to do. Oh, Phoebe, Zen is almost finished with your gift. I think you’re going to like this one.” “Is it another dress?” she groaned. “She just wants you to wear one of them one time for her,” I responded with a laugh. Phoebe shook her head and Marius took them back home. When I was finally alone with Dennis and Sybil, I climbed up on the bed and moved them until they were holding hands. I thought it was cute. Once I was done with that, I headed back out to find the dog. I loved playing with Fenton the cat and couldn’t wait to have some fun with a dog that wasn’t afraid of me. At least I would have something to do while I waited for them to wake.