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While Aidan would never forget the thirst of being a vampire he thought that he had come to a place where it didn't haunt him like it used to. Drinking blood was an addiction, possibly stronger than any other since it would kill him if he didn't do it while a vampire, so he didn't think he'd ever be free about it.

He used to have nightmares about it, about the insatiable thirst for it and the horror of knowing what giving in to it would be. There hadn't been a dream for a while though, not since Rachel, not since he had something that was more important and more powerful than that all consuming need to drink.

Which is why it was so unexpected when he felt the thirst again, the hunger pains that let him know that his body was going to kill or be killed if he didn't consume blood right this instant. Fortunately, something even worse followed right on the heels of the thirst, something that prevented him from sinking his teeth into the warm body next to him and having his fill.

The burning. The burning came and the agony was unspeakable. He screamed, not even sure if he was making a sound, the pain was so all encompassing. Every nerve ending was literally on fire, the vampire's price for entering a home without being welcomed.

He tried to leap out of bed but the pain was too intense, his movements powerful but uncoordinated. Aidan wasn't even sure if he knew where the door was, he just knew he had to get out fast or he was going to die.

"Out!" he screamed, stumbling forward. "Have to get out!"

Aidan had tried to create a balance between smothering Rachel when she was in someone elses body but also giving her some space. Aidan wanted to help her with it but he knew that Rachel was strong enough to handle the bodyswap. It was also a little weird to have his girlfriend's actions reflected in a different body. He knew, mentally, that it was Rachel but it was still hard to get used to. So when she had reassured him that she was fine by herself that night he didn't protest too hard about spending it apart from her.

Alright, so he hadn't protested at all. He didn't even wake up immediately that morning because some part of him really hoped that everyone would be back to normal and Rachel would have found her way back to her own hut in her own body. It would be a relief if that happened, if for no other reason than dealing with Zero and the octopus-thing was getting to be annoying.

So that morning he'd been slow about making his way to her place, grabbing breakfast (and some sausages for Zero) and double-checking that the clinic wasn't swamped with work. Since it wasn't he felt comfortable enough about heading up to Rachel's without seeming like an overprotective boyfriend.

Tossing the sausages to the wolfhound as he knocked on the door and stuck his head inside he called out for Rachel.

"You here?" he asked, not sure if he wanted her to be or not.

It hadn't taken Aidan very long to realize what was going on today. For someone who was as old as he was with the past that he's had, being forced to tell the truth is a specifically unpleasant circumstance. Not being able to lie wouldn't have been such a bad thing, but Aidan was feeling compelled to tell more than he normally would. Telling the whole truth, as it was.

Fortunately he had thought of a way to turn this to his advantage. For weeks he had been thinking over the problem of having a family, of wanting one but knowing it was a horrible idea here on the island. He'd come to the conclusion before today that it wasn't the right thing to do, but today he couldn't even lie to himself, it was undoubtedly the wrong thing to do, especially for him.

It also meant that maybe today he could use his condition to help convince Rachel that's how he really felt. He had headed out to her hut completely sure that this was going to work. By the time he got there, he was a little less sure, remembering just how much Rachel could think of the worst possible circumstances in things and doubt that things would turn out for the best.

Still, this was the best chance he had of convincing her. Taking a deep breath he gave three knocks on the door and called out her name.

Aidan was happy to be having Henry shadow him in the clinic. It almost felt a bit ridiculous, considering that when they first met Henry's medical training exceeded his own. He was glad that his son was going to get back to it though, he imagined with how low Henry had to lay the last 80 years it would be hard to keep up with it as much as he might want to.

"And that's really all there is to it," Aidan said. Being conservative and creative with what they had wouldn't be anything new to Henry and that was the most important thing. It didn't seem like the island really ever let them lack for anything though. Between that and how brilliant some of the residents were, it was pretty close to a fully functioning hospital, or at least doctor's office.

"I'm sure you'll pick it up quickly."

Aidan wasn't having the easiest time of things with Rachel. On one hand, Rachel was great. She was smart, funny, sexy, and kind. She also had a ton of issues, which Aidan considered as a plus since he had a ton of his own and didn't feel guilty bringing that into a relationship with her.

On the other hand, Rachel didn't want a relationship. Rachel wanted to be good friends who slept together but weren't in a relationship. Most guys would kill for that sort of thing, but Aidan wasn't most guys. He'd come to realize that his time as a human was short and he wanted to make the most of it. Sex without feelings or a meaningful relationship was something he could easily do as a vampire. Having a real relationship was something more suited for being a human.

That wasn't something Rachel wanted though, and he was accepting of that. The problem was all too often he had trouble distinguishing the line between "friends with benefits" and "pushing for a relationship".

Case it point, Rachel had had a rough day. He wasn't even sure exactly why, but he could tell that it hadn't gone well. To help out, he'd come over that evening and cooked dinner for both of them and brought over a bottle of wine so she could just relax and unwind. No sex, no talking about feelings, just helping a friend get over a tough time while talking late into the night.

Maybe helping get her into bed and essentially tucking her in was a bit much, but he didn't think she would even remember that in the morning. He also thought he'd leave her something nice to wake up to, so before he went home he'd got a small bouquet of flowers together and left them in a vase on her table.

Several hours later he was still lying in bed awake, over-thinking those flowers. Too much? They were just flowers. Flowers didn't mean much, did they? Friends got flowers for each other, right?

Aidan sighed and rolled out of bed. That was stupid, friends didn't get each other flowers. It wasn't too long of a walk to Rachel's hut, even in the dark. He could go there, get the flowers, and be back before he lost too much sleep.

Once at Rachel's hut, he listened quietly at the door to see if she was up and moving around for some reason. Everything sounded dead quiet though so he cracked the door open and slipped inside, carefully feeling his way toward the table where he had left the flowers.

Ever since the bookshelf had given Aidan a copy of Leaves of Grass he had been spending most of his free time at home reading it. He had always liked Whitman, finding the man good company and an excellent poet, if a bit misunderstood. Reading his book was a little like reconnecting with the man, something he appreciated on the island. It was like connecting with some of the better parts of his life from before.

He wished that he could have something like that from here if or when he went back. There were more good memories associated with this place in the short time he had been here than there were in almost all the hundreds of years he had lived back on Earth. He'd have to settle for just enjoying it as much as he could while he was here.

With Henry far more stable, Aidan was able to get a bit more sleep than he had the last few days, which he badly needed. Seeing Henry for the first time in 80 years had brought back a flood of emotions and memories that he hadn't had to deal with for a long time. With Henry came thoughts of Suren and all that relationship had entailed. For some reason, thoughts of Suren made him think of Rachel.

The relationship they had was odd at best, although not unenjoyable. She had her issues but he didn't mind that. If he was honest, he would say he even liked that, it made him feel less like he was ruining someone because of his own issues just by being close to them. Not only that, but it gave him another person to look after, which is something that he knew he desperately needed. Not exactly the most healthy reasons to be with someone, but real ones all the same.

He figured that he owed her an explanation of where he had been the last few days. Maybe she had tried to find him and maybe she hadn't. He hoped she would have come looking though and found that he would feel a bit hurt if she hadn't. She didn't owe him anything, but still...

Aidan knew she taught on Wednesdays, and showed up just as her class was ending to ensure that he caught her. When he saw her, he gave a broader smile than he had in several days and gave her a wave. When she was done finishing everything up, he could talk to her about Henry.

The path to Kate's hut was a familiar one, it was a trip he'd made several times before, although usually for very different reasons than he was going now. He idly wondered if Lilo was home, he was interested in meeting the little girl that he had heard so much about from Kate. It amused him that Kate was not looking out for someone, not because it seemed unlike her but almost that it had taken this long.

Which was what he wanted to talk to her about now, children. Kate was one of his closer friends on the island and he felt like he should probably give her a heads up about Henry. At least, that was what he was telling himself, really he just needed to talk to someone about him who could react in a way that wasn't completely neurotic like Josh. Of course, Josh's neurosis provided their own insight Aidan couldn't get anywhere else.

Rubbing his eyes in an attempt to push out the cobwebs of his brain, Aidan knocked on the door of Kate's place. This was the first time in a few days he had left Henry's side for more than to just get a bite to eat and the unpleasant sleeping arrangements were starting to take their toll.

Aidan hated to admit it, but the change in scenery had been good for him. He'd never really been a big fan of the old west. He'd been too focused on what was happening with the American Civil War to really experience the wild west, but it still brought him back to a time that he had lived through and with that, a fresh set of memories. The memories helped banish some of the pain that had come with losing Martha and reminded him that life goes on and few people got a second chance at their humanity.

Aidan wasn't going to waste that chance. He still missed Martha and Alfie, still ached at their loss, but it was something he could deal with and move on from. Which was why he had taken up Rachel on her offer of a date, although he had politely not mentioned her offer for a lap dance. No matter how nice that sounded, it wasn't what he wanted or needed right now. Besides, he had a good guess as to how uncomfortable that would be for Rachel.

Instead, he had asked her on a genuine date. He'd found an outfit that he was pleased with and, most importantly, was relatively clean. He'd also managed to gather a bouquet of wildflowers, mostly daisies, to bring her. He thought that was a good way to say, "Hey, I knew we had a one night stand before, but no pressure or expectations this time, okay?"

Even so, he was a bit nervous. It had been a while since he'd been on an actual "first date" so he was feeling a bit of pressure. Smoothing out his vest and wiping his palms on his pants, Aidan knocked on the door and waited for Rachel to answer.

Aidan had asked around the island to see who might be interested in getting some writing published now that he had a printing press, and most lines of inquiry had lead him to Richard Castle. It made sense, considering what he taught. Aidan had also managed to find several novels of his off the shelf. They were good. They would never win a Pulitzer, but he had no doubt that they were New York Times Best Sellers.

He had waited for the man's class to finish up before approaching him, being thankful that it was easy to pin down a time to where and when he could be found. For a small island it was sometimes more than a bit difficult to find someone.

"Mr. Castle?" Aidan said, smiling and offering his hand. "My name's Aidan McCollin. I found some of your books on the shelf and wanted to say I'm a huge fan."

Aidan wasn't so sure if he necessarily liked the change that the city had gone through, but he wasn't as thrown from it as others were. Having lived through this time, it made things quite simpler. He found himself sleeping into habits and mannerisms that he hadn't used in over a century. The clothing box seemed intent on giving him nothing but his Cival War uniform and what passed for 'casual' clothing back then, but he didn't mind much.

Martha was taking things fairly in stride, although to say she hated the extra work getting dressed was an understatement. There was no denying that she could rock a corset though and the way she could make the skirts swish when she walked... well, he had no complaints.

What he wanted to talk to Martha about now though had surprisingly little to do with just how good she looked in the clothes. He had yet to tell anyone about Mitchell, or at least the connection between himself and Mitchell, and he needed to. It wasn't so much that it was eating him up inside. It wasn't. He had carried far too many secrets for far too long to let that happen.

Rather, Aidan was worried about getting in the habit of keeping secrets. It had destroyed Sookie and Aidan's relationship and he was choosing to take that as a cautionary tale.

"Martha?" he asked, taking the kettle off the stove as he poured their tea. "I- I'd like to talk to you about something."

Aidan had never enjoyed the beach much as a vampire. Too much sun and too much skin for him to really enjoy it. Discomfort that was mildly annoying and a desire to feed on everyone you saw was not a good combination. Now though, he was enjoying it more and more, maybe just because he COULD enjoy it. It was a declaration of his humanity to just spend time in the sand and surf, enjoying it all.

That afternoon, he'd decided to go for a swim, picking a spot down the beach a ways and then swimming as parallel to the shore as he could until he found himself almost exhausted and swam onto the beach.

Climbing up out of the waves, Aidan noticed that he wasn't alone on the beach. It took him just a moment, but he recognized the blonde sunning on the beach.

"Sookie?"

Aidan wondered if the clothing box was up to something, what with how generous it had been in helping him pick out a costume. Indiana Jones, complete with bullwhip, hand, and a holster for his gun. Aidan had even neglected to shave for a few days so that he'd have the appropriate amount of scruff for the look. He was sure it foretold something ominous that it had all fallen into place so well.

Still, he was enjoying it while he could, trying to continue to ignore the darker thoughts that danced along the edges of his mind. He didn't want to remember Halloween's past, or who he wished he was spending this Halloween with. He just just going to enjoy the day so far.

Everyone he met that day got a tip of the hat and a, "Happy Halloween" in his best Harrison Ford, gravel voiced imitation.

Aidan had decided that now that he had a girlfriend, he should star treating her like the special person she is. It's been a while since he's done anything like this and dating protocols tend to change over the decades. Was a candlelight dinner under the stars cheesy or romantic at this point?

Insisting she might wear a blindfold might have been a bit much, but Aidan liked surprises. Martha was a surprise, something he hadn't been looking for but had definitely found him, and he was happy about that. Not even Godzilla and Mothra and all the craziness that happened over the weekend could take that away.

So he was leading Martha to a little spot not far from her place. He had set up a small table and chairs just to where they could see the beach and the night sky. Unlit candles were on the table, along with a few covered plates of food. Nothing really fancy, just some creatively cooked fish, along with vegetables, some fruit, and orange juice. Maybe in a few months they'll do it again with some wine.

"Alright, we're here."

"You have to keep your breathing rhythmical."

Aidan had been trying to help Martha prepare for the birth of Alfie, and while he wasn't an expert in maternity care he had seen several births in his time and had a general idea of things from his medical training. That, and it was an excellent reason to spend more time with Martha, which Aidan had to admit was becoming more and more difficult to do without seeming suspicious.

Not that he really needed an excuse, he supposed, it was just... complicated, if he showed up just to hang out, especially considering all the time he already spent with her. He just didn't want it to be weird.

"Short or long breaths, the important part is to keep it rhythmical."

Aidan wasn't nervous, that would have been to simple an emotion to describe how he felt. Confused would have been a better way to describe it. He wished he was just aroused, because that would have been an entirely convenient way to describe how he felt right now, but that wasn't the complete truth. It was what he was going to go with for the moment though. What good was being friends with benefits if you didn't take advantage of the benefits, right?

So, instead of being here because he hadn't seen her in a few days, he was definitely just here because he wanted something physical and since he had a roommate now... this was a good plan.

So here he was, knocking on her door as the sun was setting to see if Martha was up for some fun.

Despite insisting to himself that they were just friends with benefits, Aidan found himself enjoying Martha's company quite a bit. That didn't mean they were more than friends, it just meant that Aidan was more cautious about things than he normally would be. He wasn't worried that Martha would think they were more either, Aidan had just lived his life with a cautious mentality.

So when he and Martha had agreed to meet that day for an early morning walk along the beach, he had to tell himself that it wasn't something to be worried about. He was just going to enjoy Martha's company and not overthink it. Surprisingly, that shouldn't be hard since it was easy for him to enjoy Martha's company.

He had arrived at the beach a bit early, so he contented himself to build a small sandcastle. Lacking a bucket or shovel it wasn't anything impressive, but he felt it wasn't bad for what he had to work with. He even managed to make a crude little farm inside the castle walls. Maybe he could work in an irrigation canal if he had time before Martha arrived.

It had taken Aidan much less time to track down Coraline once he knew her real name and the fact that she was actually only 14 years old. While he still wasn’t thrilled about the fact that he had thought Caroline was an adventuresome woman in her 20’s who had been very interested in him and turned out to just be a very friendly 14 year old girl who was affected by Island weirdness, he knew that he had been a lot more harsh with her than necessary. Aidan had thought that he’d found someone that was a peer, and when that hadn’t turned out to be the case it was a little disappointing. Now that he had adjusted to that, he realized he needed to make an apology.

It seemed though that Coraline really was being truthful when talking about how she enjoyed gardening so he only had to check around a few places before he found her. From how well the plants around the place looked, she seemed to be fairly good at it.

“I have been to so many waterfalls and gardens today, you have no idea.”

The night air was sobering to Aidan, although not sobering enough for him to reconsider what he was about to do as much as he should. Martha was on his arm and there was a sort of giddy nervousness flushing through him as they left the party together. This was his first time in this situation since coming to the island, since being human, and it was like Christmas morning. He wouldn't have to be worried about losing control of himself and drinking from her, killing her, or even hurting her because of his unnatural strength.

Unfortunately, all that was clouding his better judgement that he could hurt her in other ways, especially since he wasn't looking for anything serious right now. It would have been easier if Martha was some sort of random hook up, but she wasn't, she was someone he genuinely liked and considered a friend.

"Fortunately, my hut isn't too far from here," he told her, flashing her a smile that betrayed none of the nervousness he felt.