Heartbeats fast;

Colors and promises.

How to be brave,

How can I love when I'm afraid to fall?

Peter Vincent walked slowly up to the grave of his beloved Ginger. Three hundred years had passed since she'd died, but he still felt the sting of her absence. He'd been turned by those vampires down in the Hive, and three hundred years is a long time to live like that; especially when Ginger was dead and buried. Peter stood silent at the foot of the grave; the cloud-covered sky his only protection from death and the swirling snow around him his only companion.

But watching you stand alone,

All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow;

One step closer.

Anyone who'd seen them interact would've thought they hated each other; name-calling, middle fingers, and yelling didn't usually express affection, and it definitely didn't start out that way. At first, they'd done all those things to get the other's goad, but soon enough, it was because they loved each other. Peter shifted his weight and let a tear escape his sober brown eyes. He'd given up the drink a few days ago; he wanted to feel everything when he visited Ginger. Just as he felt everything the night she died.

I have died everyday waiting for you.

Darling don't be afraid,

I have love you for a thousand years,

I'll love you for a thousand more.

All hell had broken loose inside Peter's apartment and he'd locked himself in his safe-room, hiding just like he had when his parents had died. There was a bottle of liquor still in his hand, and he took an immense gulp to try to block out thoughts of what was going on outside the thick walls of the room. He felt something shift at feet and he looked down to see Ed's arm twitching on the floor. Peter jumped back and hit the far wall, sliding down until he was seated on the floor. He caught his reflection in the safe-room doors and he hardly recognized himself; his hair was disheveled, his face coated in vampire blood, and the black satin robe he was wearing was askew. The drunken stupor that shone behind his dark brown eyes was like an old girlfriend; familiar, but almost unwelcome.

He went to take another drink, but something on the security monitors caught his eye. Ginger was lying, half-in, half-out of the elevator. Her throat was torn open and her lovely, doe-like eyes were lifeless. Peter felt like his heart had been ripped out; vampires took his parents, and now his girlfriend. What else was there to take? The arm on the floor twitched in his direction and answered his question. They could still take his life. He wasn't 'Peter Vincent the Un-Killable' like he was on stage; he was 'Peter Vincent the Human'. 'Peter Vincent the Target'. But mostly, he was just scared.

Time stands still,

Beauty in all she is.

I will be brave,

I will not let anything

Take away what's standing in front of me.

Peter curled himself tighter in the corner he was in and let the alcohol bottle roll away from his grasp. He had his eyes glued to the safety-monitor, stuck on the image of his dead Ginger. He didn't even flinch when the arm exploded; a sign that one vampire was dead. Peter scanned the monitors and saw Jerry chase Charlie and Amy down the stairs; it was safe to come out.

Every breath

Every hour has come to this:

One step closer.

Peter walked slowly and carefully to the elevator where Ginger lay; there was blood everywhere. He stopped a few feet from her and just stared, his heart jumped to his throat and tried to suffocate him, "Ginger?" He whispered. It was the first time he'd said her name in a volume below a yell. She didn't respond.

I have died everyday waiting for you.

Darling don't be afraid,

I have loved you for a thousand years,

I'll love you for a thousand more.

Peter sat down on the floor by her head and reached out to brush the brown curls from her deathly pale face. Hot tears stung his eyes and Ginger's body swam in front him. He just let the salty tears fall and they landed delicately on the brunette hair that was splayed out on the floor in front of him, "I'm sorry." He said and continued to stroke her hair as his silent tears turned to sobs.

And all along, I believed I would find you.

Time has brought your heart to me,

I have loved you for a thousand years,

I'll love you for a thousand more.

Peter pulled himself out of the memory and out of all memories completely. He didn't want to remember when he buried Ginger in this small grave on the hill, or when he had to go to Charlie's funeral, and then Amy's. But that's what happens when you live forever. If you called it living. Peter closed his eyes and breathed in the cold air, trying to calm his ragged, tear-choked breaths. The denim of his jeans seemed sharp in the cold, and he thrust his hands farther into his jacket. If he'd known that being a vampire meant you felt as a human, but felt it forever, he would've shot himself before he turned.

One step closer,

One step closer.

And maybe it wasn't worth it anymore. Living forever while everyone around you died off. How useful is agelessness if you can't age with another person? Ginger and he had once considered growing old together. In fact, they'd more than considered it. Right now, Ginger was in a box beneath the Earth, her favorite gown dressing her body, and a diamond ring brandishing her left hand. Too bad the ring had never turned to marriage. Only the promise of one. Peter couldn't breathe; the tears were trying to drown him in his own sorrow.

I have died everyday waiting for you.

Darling don't be afraid,

I have loved you for a thousand years,

I'll love you for a thousand more.

Peter lay down in the snow next to the earthy tomb; the cold chilled him, but not any worse than the thought of it being Ginger's burial place. He laid his hand across the grave and sighed deeply. He still remembered lying in bed next to her, his arm draped over her in the same way it was now, "Just like old times, eh Ginge?" He gave a sad laugh.

She didn't answer him, nothing but silence laughed at his joke. The sun peeked out from behind the clouds and began to shine down on the graveyard. Peter knew he should go find shade, but he didn't want to leave Ginger. So he watched as the rays fell on his hand, and the flesh slowly caught fire.

And all along, I believed I would find you.

Time has brought your heart to me,

I have loved you for a thousand years.

Peter closed his eyes and succumbed to the numbing blackness of death. Maybe now, he'd get to see his Ginger again.

I'll love you for a thousand more.