It's summer and I have nothing better to do. Come September, these are going to slow waaaaaaay down, but until then, I'mma be churnin' these out like nobody's business.
Too bad there's no way to get myself into the Dark-Hunter's world. I mean, I wouldn't mind if there were some crazy site that lets people write themselves into whatever world they want. That would be so cool!! What do you think it'd be called? I'm thinking something like… fanfiction. Yeah!
Oh, wait… standard disclaimers apply.
Anya pushed away from him. "I can't do this." She wrapped her arms around herself, turning away.
Paris came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Why not?" he didn't sound accusing, merely curious.
Anya laughed, the sound empty. She flashed the silver promise ring on her left hand. "I'm still his."
"And who is this lucky bastard, and does he realize how much of a lucky bastard he is?"
Anya laughed again, but tears choked her laughter. "He did, when he was alive."
He sat, pulling her into his lap. Stroking her hair back, he murmured, "What happened?"
She shook her head. "I don't know. I must be cursed, or something." She sighed. "When we met, I was in love with an utter jackass. Because of how much my friends hated him for hurting me, we stopped calling him by his real name and started calling him Eustace." She laughed again, remembering her sophomore year of high school and all of the inside jokes that came from it. "He killed himself, June eighth. The bastard almost made me cry, like he didn't enough while I loved him. Dee and Joe helped me through it the most. We were supposed to get married, Joe and I. Dee was running around, getting everything set up… she and Rue even dragged me to a mall to go lingerie shopping, and we checked out rings. I didn't know they were waiting for me to chose an engagement ring, so they could go back to Joe and report. He was going to the mall to pick up the ring I loved most when-" she choked on a sob, burying her face in Paris' shoulder.
He rocked her gently, stroking her hair. "You don't have to continue if you don't want to."
She shook her head. "The worst part? It was June eighth. Four years after Eustace's death. Exactly, down to the time." She shook her head. "I'm cursed, Paris. And it hurts still. So much." She pulled away to look up at him. Her eyes burned into his. "I was only ever his. I haven't been with anyone else since."
"How long ago was it?" he asked softly.
"Two years," she whispered.
"Two years is a long time to go without anyone."
She nodded. "Dee and Rue kept saying the same thing. But… This is the first time I've been out of the apartment with the purpose of finding someone to go home with." She shook her head. "Every other time it was with Rue to find her a lover or with Dee so she could pretend to be drunk and flirt with everyone." She shook her head. "We've mostly spent nights on the couch and floor with chick flicks and Reddi-Whip shots. Hell, when it was really bad, we'd have chocolate whipped cream."
Paris smiled sadly. "They sound like good friends."
"oh, they're the best. Certifiable at times certainly, but the best. I wouldn't trade them for the world." She looked up at him. "Are the triplets like that for you?"
"I can honestly say I have never watched chick flicks from my couch taking Reddi-Whip shots with Trey, Ax, and Trion."
Anya laughed hard. "I don't mean like that," she gasped between laughs. "No, I mean, are they always there for you type thing?"
Paris shrugged. "We aren't as codependent as you and your friends are. We're more of the stand-alone type. We only really band together when-" he cut off.
Anya looked up at him with curiosity. "When what?"
But Paris had already shut himself off. "I've said too much."
Anya cocked her head to the side, resting it on his shoulder. "C'mon. Before I met Dee, I was superstitious to a fault. After, she's taught me to believe in a hell of a lot more that before. I'll believe just about anything you tell me."
Paris raised an eyebrow. "What if I told you I was a were-lion and the triplets were were-tigers, and we band together to hunt down those of out kind that are born humans instead of animals?" he asked, keeping his voice light and teasing.
"Wow. When Dee said she wanted to marry me off to someone in a fantasy world, she really goes all the way." Anya looked up at him. "Are you? Really?"
Paris hesitated. He didn't know if she was teasing or not. "Are you real? Do you honestly believe that?"
Anya nodded. "It's possible, I guess. I could believe it, if it were real, I mean. Dee's the one you want to go to for all of that kind of stuff. She can rattle off faery statistics like nobody's business. Rue has all the info on vamps. I just know the stuff they constantly repeat, and one of them is to keep an open mind. So, yeah, I can believe it."
"Your friends really do their research, don't they?" he mused. "How much do you believe, though? Just you, yourself?"
Anya smiled, leaning back against him. "Dee and Rue got me believing almost everything. I believe that we've got mythical beings living among us as us. I don't know how to identify them, but I can believe anything you put to me." She cuddled up to him. "so tell me. How did your kind come to be, and why do you hunt down the human-like kind?"
Paris smiled at her. "You're really real." He said. "Never though I'd find someone like you." He proceeded to go into the history of the Were-Hunters for her.
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"So you let Anya go home with someone you've never met, and you didn't even bother to get his address?" Runa snapped.
Dessa cringed away from her friend. "He has the threat of castration over his head! And with how well-endowed he is, it's a real threat!"
Runa growled softly. "Oh, Chickadee, you are so dense sometimes."
"But he was really nice-looking, and he's friends with Dr. Tory's husband!" Dessa protested. "He can't be that bad."
Runa's eyes widened. "If you haven't realized, Tory's husband doesn't exactly run with the safest of people," she growled.
"No, but none of them would ever hurt someone when they've got the threat of castration over their heads. Especially considering half of them are married."
Runa paled. "Oh, dear gods, Dee, don't tell me he was married."
Dessa shook her head with conviction. "Anny would have noticed and told me. No, he was a good guy. Promise, Runimou."
Runa rolled her eyes. "Fine. Looks like it's just you and me tonight."
Dessa grinned at her. "Wanna go to Tip's? We haven't haunted there in a while."
Runa's responding grin was devilish. "Let me get ready."
So begins their trip to the impossible. And with how desperate Dee is to get into the whole mythical scene, who knows how it's going to turn out? Well, I do, for one. But I'm not telling. HAHA! Anyway. Review, lovers, and I'll post as fast as I can. Agapay!
