Vienna, on a particularly cold Christmas Eve

Vienna, December 24, 1999.

Around midnight a man sat in front of his desk reading a book, a collection of works by Mister Edgar Allan Poe. He pulled his long, wavy hair back with one hand while still holding the book with the other. He had just re-read one of his favorites: The Raven. And that last part still rang heavy in his mind.

"And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted - nevermore!"

This man was cursed. Cursed to live forever in darkness, to drink only blood, to eat only ashes, to always be as he was at death. Never dying, ever living, to walk forever in darkness until the last days. This was a minor problem to him, throughout his unlife he had taken advantage of his condition; but sometimes he hits a low point and angst and anxiety takes hold of him, and a shadow is cast over him that made him be aware just how vastly empty he felt.

That was absurd. He was in a position of certain power, Sheriff of Vienna; he had servants. This was a man that had fought and clawed his way to get there, his enemies always spoke his name half whispered... He was feared. But tonight, this monster was the one that was afraid.

"What are you doing?" he said softly, frowning, and then he heard a noise. Footsteps. Someone was coming. He stood very still. He knew that if he did, whomever walked in the room would not notice him, and his eyes turned like those of a beast, and the darkness became clear as daylight to him. The door opened, but it was not gang members send to kill him. It was a just little girl carrying a poorly wrapped present and a woman; Annie and Dianna. His progeny. He relaxed, let himself be seen by them and the little girl ran towards him, tripped and began to fall... But he wouldn't let that happen, not to her. He moved with supernatural speed and caught her before she hit the ground.

-"For fuck sake, Annie...!" He loved that girl like a daughter, but he was a little rough with words.

Annie just smiled, handed him the present and told him, in the worst Italian you will ever hear -"Buon Natale, Marko!" all the while smiling like a golden haired angel.

The man look at the woman, they had known each other long enough to know what the other was thinking without even speaking... This, all this was the little girl's idea, and there was nothing nobody could have done or said to stopped her from getting that Kittie CD, a more or less mediocre band "But they are all girls, and Marko likes girls". Those were the words she told Dianna when she tried to convince her it was a bad idea. 

The man saw this in the woman's eyes. He realized he was still holding the book in his left hand. He placed it on the floor as he rubbed his eyes with his right hand fingers. Then he looked back at the little girl and smiled as he took the present from her hands and softly said to her -"Grazie!. You guys are truly something."

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If you can understand what I mean by this, then you know I wrote this for you.

Either way, Merry Christmas all.