She's an outdoors kind of girl

"What about me?" Sara asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.

"What are you doing all the way out here by yourself?"

"I'm not by myself," she replied, pointing a finger knowingly at John. He rolled his eyes, smirking.

"Before I got here," he retorted, somewhat playfully.

"Fair enough," Sara answered, shifting into a sitting position. "I moved here."

"Why?" John asked, curious as he took another sip of coco.

"To get away from it all," she answered warily. "And before you ask, yes. It's...sort of similar to what you're going through."

That was a bald-faced lie and she knew it. She was hiding here more than anything else, like a coward. But he didn't need to know that.

"Where do you get your electricity?"

"I have a generator outback," she said, "and I've been maintaining it myself."

"But why come all the way out here?"

"I just love nature."

John shrugged, deciding that was a fair enough answer. He could certainly understand the appeal. "I see. So...about the whole...cat thing?"

"Oh, that?" She knew it would be one of his top questions, so no surprise. "I'm a Sheridan vampire."

"Sheridan?" John asked, sitting up straighter and in the process displaying his lean, strong chest for Sara to see. She didn't blush or do anything to indicate he should be embarrassed. She'd already seen quiet a bit, and after that makeout session, she liked it.

"Yeah, there's other vampires out there aside from Strigois. Y'know, the standard 'burns in sunlight, unholy creature of the night?' Like the Aswang, Adze, Asanbosam, Penangglan, hell, there's probably a few breeds that haven't been discovered yet. Anyway, Sheridans are a vampire clan which come from Ireland. We don't burn in sunlight nor are we hurt by religious items, and we turn into large cats, not bats. That's about it." She'd left out some of the other, juicier parts. Things he didn't need to know at this moment.

"Uh," John said, slightly impressed, "I wasn't aware of that. But when you...changed earlier...your behavior-"

"I'd rather not talk about that," Sara said softly.

"I understand," John said, and he meant it. There were some boundaries you just didn't push on. "But you do have healing saliva?"

Sara burst out laughing instantly, catching John by surprise. "God no! Where'd you get that idea? Healing saliva? That's one of the silliest things I have ever heard. Is that something you hunters came up with to explain vampires healing their victims wounds?"

He was speechless for a few moments, before finding his voice. "Wait, then how did you heal my wounds?"

"It's a gift," she answered curtly, "I just can do stuff like that."

"Healing?"

"Yup. I'm just gifted."

The more John talked with this vampire, something he was supposed to hate, the more he found himself liking her. She was, to an extent, open and cheerful, a tiny bit flirty, a tiny bit wild, very passionate and yet he couldn't forget how tender and gentle she'd been while they were entangled in one another, even when she lapped up his blood and...

Wait a moment.

"Hold on," he said quickly, holding up his hand, "I have another question. This one's important."

"I've already answered your previous ones, so fire away."

"Did you imprint on me?"

Sara's face fell the moment he said imprint. When she spoke again, there was venom lacing her words, but John knew it wasn't directed at him. Somehow, he just knew.

"Imprinting isn't something Sheridan do," she said, "it's an ugly, disgusting way to exploit another person disguised as a 'relationship.' Just because I drank your blood doesn't mean we imprinted."

John nodded, keeping silent the whole time. She was deeply offended, more than he had expected.

"I can't believe you'd think I'd do something so utterly repulsive-"

"I'm sorry I asked," John interrupted her before she could continue, "but I did because I was worried. Blood-drinking in vampires, from what I was told-"

"What you were told is wrong," Sara spat.

"But it's what I've been warned about for ages. Humans becoming imprinted and then enslaved by vampires."

"Well, you needn't worry about anything like that with me," she said irritated as she looked away from him.

"Good to know," John answered again, trying to find some way to calm her down, "and again, sorry I asked. I didn't mean to offend you whatsoever, I just-"

"Why do you care about offending me?"

"What?"

Sara was staring at him intently, her face as unreadable as stone.

"Why do you care if I'm offended?"

John didn't know what to say at first, but then he let out a small breath and answered her.

Or at least, tried to. His mind was coming up a blank on all answers save one.

"I don't want to...hurt you?"

Sara's eyes widened, her mouth dropping open slightly. "Oh my God," she said, cupping both hands around her mouth as she leaned away. "Oh my God, I am so sorry."

"What is it? What's wrong?"