Kara paused for a moment with Hallbjorn's revelation. Soon she resumed her attention to his hair as she listened to what he told her. It was strange to think she could have been a vampire, and she found that she was glad he was just the way he was. She would not change him. She was held in rapt attention as he told her of that night so long ago.<br/><br/>Her heart ached for what he and his fellow Vikings had endured, and what he told her about those vampires made her sure that she'd be happy enough to never encounter another beside his brother. She may be part vampire, but what she had seen and was now hearing about them, she did not feel as if she was part of them.<br/><br/>When he finished speaking, she came around Hallbjorn so that she could face him. She set the brush on the counter, and then took his big hands in hers. “I will never run from your past, Hallbjorn. But if it makes you unhappy to tell me of it, then we can leave the past in the past, and work on making happier memories for you now.”<br/><br/>Kara's words were earnest, and she meant them. She wanted to fill her mate's life with good memories, with ones that would bring a small smile to his lips. She leaned up on her toes and placed a loving kiss on those lips, then smiled at him. Hallbjorn was hers. He loved her and would protect her. That was really all she needed to know.<br/><br/>She led him by the hand to his closet so he could get dressed, and when he was finished she led him to her closet, where she dressed in jeans, sneakers, and the pink t-shirt she'd been wearing earlier. It was not a sexy outfit in the least, but it was comfortable, and if they were able to go to her home town today, she didn't want to be teased by her octogenarian friends for wearing something alluring.<br/><br/>Kara and Hallbjorn went into the back yard, and it struck her again at how very large his property was. She couldn't see the back wall, and the walls to the side seemed so far away. There was a kind of wild beauty to the back yard. The grass grew higher, and a bit away was a copse of small trees.<br/><br/>Her curiosity got the better of her, and soon she was leading Hallbjorn to the copse of trees. Kara was delighted when she heard the croaking of frogs. When they reached the young trees, she grinned happily to find a small stream meandering through them. Frogs sat lazily at the water's edge and their song was louder now as the pre-dawn light turned to a gloriously sunny morning.<br/><br/>The sun was soon steaming the dew off of the grass and causing a mist to lay low to the ground. Kara turned around and took in all of the beauty around her, and then smiled at Hallbjorn. “This is so beautiful, Hallbjorn. And its in your back yard, too! Aside from our bedroom, I think this might be my favorite place.”