The Runner contemplated his position as he sat, watching his trap with interest. He was probably the longest lived Runner in history. He'd been running for six or seven years at least. He was so skilled at slaying or eluding his tormentors that he wondered if it would be his age that killed him after all. Especially with the addition of his newfound partner.

They heard the rustling of the approaching wraith. Psychic phantoms darted around them, they were too experienced to pay them any heed. The wraith appeared, more than one. Many, many more than one. Amber eyes meet green, containing identical questions. Why so many.

So, they really mean to be rid of me this time? Jonathen thought. It's good to know I've become more than a minor irritation, I suppose they'd rather not train humans to be able to escape them. That is exactly what they have done to me. They mean to erase their mistake.

It would take more work than either of the men like or expected, but ultimately, it would be the wraith who were erased.

Chapter 14 – This is what together means.

Vicky awoke gasping. She's had the dream again. You'd think she wouldn't, considering she went to bed early, fell right asleep and hadn't even had those bean burritos for dinner. But no. She sat there shivering and wiping away tears of fear.

She laid back, but soon realised she would be quite awake for quite some time now. She sighed and threw off the covers.

Seth heard her before he saw her. He was awake, reading the unusual book the humans called "The Bible". Her bare feet made a soft slipping sound as she lifted them for each step, the skin of her soles sticking slightly to the cold floors.

At the swish of the door opening, he looked up. She stood there, coincidentally in the rays of the moonlight. She was shivering slightly. He would have attributed that to the fact that she was wearing a slip of a nightgown; it could not give her warmth as it could not cover much of her body. Did she not know what this immodesty did to him?

She was not cold, however, or at least that is not entirely why she was shivering. He spied the glistening of sweat on her arms; she was afraid. And the tracks of tears on her cheeks… She sniffled.

He immediately got up and went over to her.

"What's the matter?" he asked wrapping his arms around her to warm her up.

"It's nothing," She said. "Just a bad dream. I couldn't sleep after so…"

He leaned back and looked at her to gauge the truth of her words but she wouldn't meet his eyes. She was lying. Not about the dream part he guessed, but about it meaning nothing.

She was the first to break the ice.

"Hey, is that a stereo?" she broke the embrace and walked over to the large box shaped device.

"What music do you have?" She asked. He walked up behind her, putting his chin on her shoulder and hugging her waist.

"I have no idea." His people's idea of music was chanting or a sort of mantra humming. Human music was so exotic and abundant. so...interesting.

Vicky selected a shiny data disk and inspected the "stereo". She pushed a few random buttons. One opened the device.

"Eureka," She said semi-enthusiatically.

She placed the disk, shiny side down in the device and closed the lid.

She pressed another random button and music began to play. Marvellous piece of equipment, he thought.

Vicky sat on the bed and hugged her knees, her eyes unfocused, thoughts far away.

He sat beside her.

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

"No….yes…I don't-" She took a shuddering breath and put her head in her knees. "Just a dream...It was my mother…when we were on…when they…when she.."

When she died…he finished the thought for her. He felt a great sadness build inside, sadness for her, and guilt for his people.

Vicky burst out crying. He lifted her onto his lap and wrapped himself around her. His timer went off, and he ignored it. He squeezed her tight, as if she could somehow integrate into him and fill the emptiness inside.

Vicky felt safe in his arms. She would feel so alone if it wasn't for him. She's never felt so in love with him than at this moment. As she sat there hiccupping her tears away, a thought occurred to her. They knew they loved each other, but what had they done about it?

What could they do about it? Nobody wanted to see them together, a sort of wraith and a human. But, then again, no-one knew anything about them really. They just figured they were messed in the head partners.

What did people do once they were in love? She surprised herself that she had never thought of that, she was so caught up in being with him. When people are in love, they get married don't they? She couldn't very well marry him, I mean what minister in his right mind would-

"I am so sorry." He broke into her thoughts. She squirmed in his lap and turned to face him. His eyes were closed, his face cast down with a curtain of hair obscuring it. But she could still make out the contours of his face, he was turning back into a wraith, he must not have taken his nightly dosage of the retrovirus. His brows were arched now, his skin a pale aqua, she could see the blue lines of his veins and the teardrop shaped slits on his cheeks.

He was so beautiful.

"Hey."

He looked up and she leaned forward and kissed him. It wasn't as short this time; she held on. Her tongue begged entry at his lips and they complied. She was mindful of his teeth. Her fingers stopped running through his hair. They trailed down his neck to the collar of his shirt. To the top button, which she undid. The second followed. She felt him start to break the kiss, but she took his face in her hands. He gave her a shove and she landed on her back. She started to get up but he held her shoulders down. He frowned and peered down at her quizzically.

What are you doing little human?

In the silence that followed the following lyrics could be heard.

….we ain't gonna live forever
Let me show you all the things that we could do
You know you wanna be together
And I wanna spend the night with you…

An unspoken understanding passed between them.

She grasped the bottom of his shirt and drew it over his head…