• Sticks and stones are hard on bones aimed with angry art, words can sting like anything but silence breaks the heart.


    "So..." I said drawing the word out for four seconds, "You realize we've never gone on vacation in all the time we've worked together, right?" Right to the point, maybe he'll go for the bait this time. Just because he didn't know I liked him, he might. My best friend, Elite partner, sole companion since the beginning of my self exhile to this existence--a roaming spirit reincarnating herself into a newborn at each death--my vampire, Alaster, gave me a look.
    "That's because everytime we so much as step out of this city you go and get yourself killed, Mels."
    I rolled my eyes at the nickname, suppressing the need to say 'It's Melody, not Mels!' as normal. Instead, I gave my overexaggerating vampire love a look, "Twice. I've been killed twice and you still won't let it go!"
    "That's for damn sure. Who has to wait at least fifteen years for his partner to come back? Me. Besides, we've only left here three times. So two out of three is definitely not a good scale factor ma petite cherie," he grinned at me with his last bit of French. He knew I detested the language, so that usually meant I wouldn'treply to him. That's how he usually won our fights, cheater. In normal conversations that was his 'I'm not broaching the subject any longer,' I usually respected it, not today.
    "But Alaster, dear," I said, coating my tone with honey, "Those were all on the job. There's always a chance I'll be killed on the job--"
    My rude blond vampire interrupted, "While that may be true, you're only killed when we leave our safe little niche."
    I continued, ignoring him, "That's why I'm proposing an off-the-clock vacation. As every year we receive two weeks of vacation time, and we've worked here, together, for one hundred and seven years, we have...what? Two hundred and one weeks or something--"
    "Two hundred and fourteen."
    "Whatever, and you, my friend actually have two hundred and twenty weeks." I looked at him sweetly, innocently, pleadingly, and of course slyly, "So..."
    "No." That was all my vampire said.
    I glared at my purple eyed love with my jaw set defiantly, "Why not? I swear I won't get killed, besides, you need to relax! It's always work, work, work with you. Learn how to have fun!" I sighed, then noticing something important was lacking from my explosion, I opened my mouth to add it before he could jump onto my suggestion.
    However, he saw the gaping hole and with vampire speed clamped a pale, flawless hand over my mouth, "Oh, fine, you've convinced me to go on a vacation and relax. But I'm going alone and you're staying here," Damn him, well I'll just follow, "After all, if we both leave, who's going to watch the city?" That's what loads of Assigned and Choice were for so ha! He thinks I'm just going to do whatever he says, "Besides, the other Elite could use your help. I'll talk them into taking you with them on their missions--inside the city--so you won't be bored," Oh. So in other words, the other Elite would be babysitting/kidnapping (depends on your point of view, personally I'd go with kidnapping) me until he came back to make sure I didn't follow him. Lucky me
    I gave him a look, "I'm not letting you do that."
    He smiled widely his beautiful smile with fangs showing, "It was your idea ma petite. You wanted me to relax, go on a vacation. So I will, unless of course you don't want me to go at all." He looked into my eyes, his smile faltering. After a few seconds, his grin reappeared, "Which you undoubtedly don't want. So I'll be seeing you in a month or two. Really, thanks for the vacation idea. I wouldn't have thought about it if not for you."
    And with that he left before I could reply. I knew even as I said this he couldn't hear me. For which I was happy, I sounded much too pitiful even to my own ears, "I meant with me." I sighed, great, a full month without my beloved vampire. This was going to be horrible.


    Someday when we're at the same place. When we're on the same road. When it's okay to hold my hand, without feeling lost, without all the excuses. When it's just because you love me, you let me, you need me, then maybe.