The Guilty Innocent by D N Simmons Page A

my damp hair from my face. He rested his head on his arm as he gazed at me. Our eyes locked on each other, I could hear the birds beginning to chirp and it could only mean one thing...the morning sun was rising. Xavier looked towards the window and frowned.
    “I've always hated this part. This is the one thing I envy about not being human, I miss the sunlight.” He turned to face me. “Do you want me to leave?” he asked.
    At first, I had no idea why he would ask such a question, but then I began to realize why he did. His body would rest as the sun rose, he would not be able to prevent it and he would be dead to me then. I thought about the possibility of him sleeping in my bed, practically a corpse, if not truly a corpse. Then I decided to except the fact that he was what he was.
    “No, stay here.” I said.
    “You'll be alone when the sun rises,” he cautioned. “I know...it's okay,” I smiled slightly.
    He smiled and kissed my forehead, then he climbed out of the bed and walked to the window. He closed the drapes, before covering the window with a thick blanket to darken the room completely. He climbed back into the bed and took me into his arms again.
    “I want to hold you, if only for a few more moments.” He whispered into my ear.
    I snuggled closer to him. After a while, I began to feel his body grow cooler, this was a new experience for me, but I wanted to experience it.
    “Is it happening?” I asked.
    He nodded. “I'm going to let you go now,” Xavier released me. For a brief moment, I loathe the absence of his warm embrace. “Natasha?” he began “Yeah?” “I love you.”
    With that, he drifted off to sleep. His body grew heavy and limp against me. I rolled away and turned on the lights. I looked at him, his eyes were closed, his hair was tangled as it framed his face on the pillow. He looked to be in a deep sleep. I was still shocked by the last thing he said to me before he fell asleep. He said he loved me! Could he really mean that? I looked at his slumbering form. How do I feel about him? I knew I cared for him a great deal, I believe I loved him, but am I in love with him? I reached out and touched his shoulders, his skin was cool, but pliant, not like a corpse at all. I brushed some of his hair from his face and gazed at him. His long dark lashes brushed his cheeks, his perfectly lined lips were lightly pressed together. Even in a deathlike state, he was beautiful, I could see why Darian chose him as his companion. I gathered up a blanket, having decided to sleep on the couch. I would have to really get used to seeing Xavier in that state before I would feel comfortable sleeping in the same bed with him.
    As soon as my head hit the pillow, I felt myself drifting off to sleep. Multiple visions began to flash through my mind, I immediately started filtering them, searching for the important ones. Just when I thought another day would pass in vain, I came across a vision that would help us.

Chapter Five
    Day Three

    I was looking at a female, she was speaking Russian to someone on the telephone. Her blonde hair was cut short in a twenties-style bob. She was dressed in a black pantsuit that seemed to hug her every curve. I could understand what she was saying and knew who she was speaking with. She was speaking to the head of her organization and her lover, stating that they had the information and were on a plane flying back to Russia at this very moment. She went on to say that she was quiet pleased by how smoothly things went with Darian's arrest. The female then ended her phone call and looked in my direction.
    “Nikolai...you idiot! If it were not for me, this entire operation would have been a disaster!” she said spitefully in Russian.
    “If it weren't for you fucking Anthony, he may have been able to keep his mind on the job, instead of blotching it and getting killed!” replied the voice of the man who's vision I was witnessing. I tried to peer further into his mind, but there was