The moon shone brightly through the sheer curtains. A stream of moonbeams illuminated the bed where they both lay entwined together. His gentle rhythm slowly increased then came to a pause as he was so close and wanted this to last. She began kissing him deeply, hungrily, then licking and gently biting down his neck and across his shoulder, and back up to his neck, where she bit down hard, deep enough to draw blood. Sucking and licking feverishly as it flowed down his chest, still warm and wet. He sunk his drawn fangs deep into her wrist sweetly sucking every drop until he was fully satisfied. Then gently applied pressure to stop the bleeding. He held her tightly and again, he began to thrust gently inside of her slowly, as he kissed her sweet lips, still tasting of his blood. She felt him deep inside of her beginning to pause once more. She raised her legs up to his waist and holding on tightly, she thrust herself upward against him begging him not to stop.

"Oh! God, now." She begged, as she rode out the waves of her own orgasm. She heard him scream with desire as he released his pleasure inside of her. She followed him onto her side as he collapsed off of her and relaxed on the bed nuzzled beside her.

Buzzz------

"What the?" Carter awoke, startled to say the least as he reached over to turn off the alarm. His hair was wet from perspiration, but that wasn't the only thing that was wet.

"Man, I haven't had a dream like that since high school." As he examined himself and pulled himself out of bed and into the shower. He felt a bit dizzy, not quite himself, as he allowed the hot water to wash down his head and face.

All day at work all Carter could think about was his dream or rather his nightmare. It had not really frightened him but he just couldn't get over the realness of it. Right down to. well that was real enough at least.

"What the hell is wrong with me? This is crazy." Carter said to his reflection in the mirror as he was washing his hands in the men's room. He bent down to splash some cold water onto his face and tried to come to his senses. When he looked up he could see another reflection looking at him.

"Oh! God." He jumped and turned around with a start, grabbing the edge of the sink as if he were going to faint.

"I'm sorry John, I didn't mean to startle you." Luka looked into John's face and saw him pale. Suddenly, Carter ran into one of the stalls, and falling to his knees, he became violently ill.

"Are you okay, John?" Luka asked as he stood in front of one of the urinals.

After a few minutes had passed, Carter came out of the stall and returned to the sink. He leaned over and cupped his hands to take in a long drink of water to rinse out his mouth. When he looked into the mirror he could only see a very dim reflection almost as if not there at all.

Luka had just pulled himself together and turned toward the sink in just enough time to catch Carter as he sank like a rag doll into Luka's arms.

"What's going on in here?" Mark asked as he entered the room and saw Luka holding on to Carter's lifeless body.

"Give me a hand here, Mark." Luka shouted. " I don't know what is wrong with him." Luka recounted to Mark the events of the last few minutes starting with him coming in and finding Carter talking to himself in the mirror.

Together they managed to get Carter into an exam room and up onto a bed.

After a thorough examination and a few tests, both men looked at each other in confusion. Carter was still unconscious, but with no apparent reason why.

A couple hours had passed and still no response. Everyone in the hospital had heard by now of Carter's mystery illness. Specialist had even been called in.

Carter's grandparents arrived only to hear that no one had any answers to explain their grandson's condition.

Mark explained to Mrs. Carter. "It is almost like he has fallen into some sort of a deep sleep, like a coma but there is no evidence of any kind of head trauma and test do not indicate that he is actually comatose. I have never seen anything like this nor has anyone else that has seen him today.

Luka was standing outside in the ambulance bay not wanting to go home.

Kerry stepped outside and approached him. "Luka, what are you still doing here? You need to go home and get some sleep. We have no idea how long Carter is going to be out and you will most likely be needed to cover some shifts."

It had been dark for some time now and as the two of them continued there conversation, Luka looked up into the night sky. "What a beautiful full moon." He casually commented.

"Yes, it is." Kerry agreed. "It's rare that it's even clear enough to see it."

"Well, I guess I should go and try to get some sleep." Luka said. "It's just that my apartment is going to feel so empty without John there tonight." Luka added as he began to walk away.

"Goodnight, Luka." Kerry called out to him before turning to go back inside.

At the admit desk Jerry and Randi were discussing Carter. Several others soon had gathered around.

"This is like the story of "Sleeping Beauty." Randi said jokingly. "Maybe he just needs someone to go in and give him a big kiss."

Jerry turned to look at Randi. "You wouldn't?" He said, as he watched her slide from her stool and walk purposefully towards Carter's room.

Abby followed closely behind. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." She protested. She went off in the opposite direction, hoping to find Luka.

Randi entered Carter's room and proceeded to climb up onto the bed. She threw her leg over Carter's body mounting him and bent over to press her lips against his.

"What on earth do you think you are doing, Randi?" Luka shouted as he ran into the room. He took a deep breath, trying to keep his jealousy in check. He reached out and gently grabbed Randi by the waist, pulling her down off of Carter. He firmly planted her back onto the ground and scowled.

"If there is to be any kissing of Carter too be done, it will be done by me. Do you understand that?" The words caught in Luka's throat. He could not believe what he had just heard himself say. Luka turned back to face Carter. Could it work? The idea swam in his brain. Well, it certainly couldn't hurt; he did know that for certain.

He stepped closer to the bed bent over and placed his lips upon Carter's mouth, closing his eyes, willing with all of his might to awaken him.

After what seemed like an eternity he broke off the kiss and stepped away. He had dared himself to believe, to hope that Carter would awaken. Nothing happened. His head dropped and he could no longer fight back the tears.

******

Luka was finally asleep. His mind carried him back to far away places, to his home in Croatia, to a time long ago, long before Chicago or America for that matter. He could see himself frolicking in an open field with his wife of long ago. The memory of a time, before his children, before the war, before their deaths; were bittersweet in their intensity. He remembered how beautiful everything was back then. He was so young, an ambitious med. student. His thoughts drifted even farther back to his college years.

Then he thought he could hear a faint cry.

"Luka." It called to him. "Luka, don't leave me. JA ljubav te." (I love you)

The voice was so familiar, as it spoke to him in his native language. Words he had not heard for many years. Except by...

"JA potreba te. (I need you) Ti si moj srcem i dusom." (You are my heart and soul) the voice continued.

There was only one voice like that in the entire world. But this person should not be speaking his language. "How?" He wondered.

He felt a pounding in his head as he heard the voice calling out to him again.

"Oh! Luka please wake up."

Luka's eyes opened but everything was a blur. He could hear what he knew now to be John's voice. "Oh! Thank God. You really had me worried."

Luka was unable to hear the words that he was trying to speak. His throat was sore and his head ached. He was still fighting the confusion as he tried to bring John's face into focus.

"Don't try to speak." John said. "You have been in a coma, but you are going to be all right now.

When Luka could finally speak he looked at John with a very puzzled expression. " I had the strangest dream about you, John. First you were having erotic sex with this female vampira, but you were a vampire also. Then you became very ill and no one knew what was wrong with you. Everyone was doing everything they could but you just lay there so quite and so still. I tried to kiss you to wake you up."

"Well, I am fine Luka." John interrupted, " And you are going to be just fine, also."

Both men looked at each other and began to laugh.

"Yes! Everything is going to be fine." They both said together.

John held Luka's hand and they both knew that together they would live happily ever after.

The End