It's You and Me Against the World, Kid (Sylvia)

I sat on the carpet by the fire, smiling up at Edie. After I read a few chapters, she climbed into one of the chairs and wanted to look at the pictures. Before I knew it, she curled up into a ball and was fast asleep. "She could never stay up the whole night." Daniel chuckled.

He scooped Edith into his arms and carried her up the steps. I wasn't too far behind them, admiring the great care Daniel took with his sister as he lowered her into her bed. It wasn't hard to tell that he loved Edie very much, but he was at a loss. He had no idea how to be a parent, especially to a girl.

I honestly didn't think I knew how, either. I mean, everything I was doing, I learned from watching Mom. It still came as a surprise that these techniques worked for me.

"Night night, Sylvie." Edie's sleepy voice broke into my thoughts.

"Night night, Edie." I smiled warmly.

I felt Daniel's hand fall gently onto the small of my back as we left Edie's room. As we walked back towards the staircase, he put a hand on my shoulder and stopped me.

"I-I have something that I wanted to propose to you." He looked down at his hands as they grasped mine.

"Do tell." I chuckled.

"Well, I..." He paused, bringing his eyes to mine. His eyes had gone back to their normal grey and there was nervousness swimming in them.

"What is it?" I pressed. "It's okay, you can tell me."

"I was wondering if you wanted to be bonded with me?" He let the sentence out in a rush. It was like we were high schoolers and he just asked me to prom.

"Bonded with you?" I questioned. "Doesn't that usually come along after a few dates?"

"W-what? No! T-that's not it, at all!"

His eyes looked like they would pop out of their heads. It took everything in me to laugh at his fidgeting.

"Don't be so nervous, I was just kidding." I chuckled lightly. "Just take your time and explain it to me."

He let out a heavy sigh. "Well, when I was turned, I found out that there was a way for us to stay connected with other vampires or anyone we wanted, really." He toyed with a stray braid that fell into my face. "All it takes is a drop of blood shared from each person. It allows us to communicate telepathically, know where the other is," he smiled sympathetically at me, "and you would never feel alone."

It almost embarrassed me how much that last part intrigued me. "What do you mean 'never feel alone'?" I ventured anyway.

"The connection is always there." He stated simply. "So, even when you're by yourself, you always feel the comfort of having someone else around."

It was a more than welcoming thought, not being lonely anymore. I would always have a connection with my new little family. At least, with Daniel anyway. That thought made me even giddier inside.

"Okay. How do we do this?"

I watched in slight amazement as his fangs extended. That was still going to take some getting used to. He brought his thumb to a fang and punctured it. He gently brought mine to his mouth but stopped short at the last second.

"Are you sure you're okay with this? You don't have to if you're not comfortable."

"Yes, I'm sure." I answered breathlessly.

He punctured my thumb and I jumped involuntarily. "Sorry." He mumbled.

He pressed our thumbs together and, after a few seconds, I felt a bit of a head rush. It didn't last very long, and nothing felt too different.

'That was weird.'

'That's a normal reaction.' A chuckling voice circled in my mind. I looked up at Daniel, shock written all over my face.

'Wait. Can you hear what I'm thinking? '

'Of course.' He gave me a wink. 'We're bonded now, remember?'

I smiled at him, a vision of me stroking his cheek playing in my head. At almost the same time, he smiled and closed his eyes as his head tilted slightly.

'You can feel that? This is part of it, too?'

'More perks.' He smiled, pulling me close. I felt something akin to warm sunlight traveling over my skin. It was warm, welcoming, and safe.

"Wow." Daniel said breathlessly, looking at me with wide-eyed wonder.

"What is it?"

"I had forgotten how that felt." He mused quietly. "I haven't been able to walk in the sun in such a long time, I didn't remember what it was like to be warmed by it."

I smiled at him, though it was a little sad. I didn't know if I could handle being without the sunlight like that for so long. It made me wonder how he and Edie didn't go insane. Well, more him than her.

"Don't do that." He scolded lightly. "It's not that bad. Really. I've gotten used to it over the centuries."

I just chuckled and shook my head. This is going to take some getting used to.

'You have no idea.'

"All right, enough of that, Mister." I laughed at him and playfully socked him in the arm.