I was having a strange dream- I lay on my back in a meadow at sunset, staring up at the brilliant sky splashed with bright colours. Birds, thousands and thousands of birds, flew above me, so close to my body that they actually skimmed my lips, each one of them did. Yet I didn't move, or bat them away. It was somehow serene, but I knew if this was in reality I would have gone crazy trying to shield myself from the birds' erratic flying.

The sensation in my lips grew warmer. Uh, friction? Why was I starting to feel all hot and bothered? What a weird dream. I closed my eyes, opened them again, and Fang was kissing me. In my dream. I responded instantly, wrapping myself around him, loving the feel of him.

I woke up, and Fang was kissing me awake.

"Awake now?" he asked, his face an inch from mine, solemn as usual. Laughter bubbled in my chest and I pushed him away playfully. He sat back on his heels, his eyes glowing.

"Why did you wake me up in the middle of the night?" I inquired breathlessly.

"My shift is over." The older kids in the group were taking turns at night on watch. You could never be sure, not in our world. "Want to go for a fly?"

Yes! Yes! My mind screamed. Uh, that definitely wasn't the Voice. But it seemed the Voice had taken a leave of absence lately. I controlled myself, to protect my dignity. "Sure," I answered coolly.

While I got out of my sleeping bag, Fang woke up Ratchet.

"Wha... I'm next watch?" Ratchet groaned. "I was hoping you'd just skip me for one night." He glanced over at me, then back at Fang. "Ooh, I see. Going for a romantic late-night excursion, are you?"

I flushed, but Fang replied, "Something like that, yeah."

"Well, don't let me slow you down." He wiggled his eyebrows.

"God help me," I muttered, and jumped out the window.

We flew for a while, close together, not speaking. We didn't need to- we were that comfortable in each other's presence.

It was a couple days after we'd left Maya in the poor care of Dylan and the doctor and Jeb. We were on our way to crashing another Doomsday Group rally, and tonight we had found some poor sap's holiday home to stay at. They'd had tons of food in the pantry, and I felt decidedly content as I spotted a niche in the cliff, cozy for both of us. This time, Fang didn't one-up me. Maybe he saw a cave, but he shut up about it to be a gentleman.

We just lay around together for a while, the two of us snuggling up. It was kind of chilly. A thought occurred to me. "Fang?"

"Hmmm?" His face was nestled in my hair. Why he loved my hair so was totally beyond me.

"Can you check the back of my neck?"

He understood my train of thought instantly, and sidled behind me. His fingers brushed my throat, making me shiver, and he gently brushed my static-prone hair aside. He let out his breath.

"What?" I asked anxiously.

"It's gone. Completely faded away."

I grinned. "Excellent."

He removed his hand from my neck and instead slid his arms around my waist from behind, causing me to hyperventilate uncontrollably. He chucked. "Calm down."

"I am calm," I insisted, but I inhaled sharply as he pressed my body against his, his hands doing something wonderful to me.

"You're always tense. Relax." His hands moved to my shoulders, massaging and soothing. I started to loosen my muscles.

Fang turned me around to face him, grinning. "That's better." Then he swooped in and kissed me.

And I kissed him back. Madly. I wanted him, I loved him, and now I had him, and I had to wonder what angelic thing I'd done to deserve him. "I think I love you," I told him huskily.

"You think?" he asked with fake horror, but his eyes sparkled at my words. I leaned forward and kissed him again, loving the feel of my face, my lips, against his. My hands twined into his silky dark hair, and his hand brushed my hip... and over a small lump in my pocket.

"What's this?" He frowned, and glanced at me. I shrugged, equally puzzled.

Before I could object, his hand slipped into my pocket, and his fingers, only thin cloth away from my thigh, made my cheeks warm. His fingers closed around whatever was in my pocket and pulled it out to examine it in the light.

The ring.

Fang's ring. The one he'd given to me on our last birthday. My breath caught, looking at it after such a long time- it was so beautiful. And he'd given it to me.

Fang's eyes held a look of wonder to them as he gazed at the ring. Finally his eyes sought mine.

"You kept this?"

I nodded mutely, unable to speak right then because of the emotion in his voice. I cleared my throat.

"I wanted to remember you," I said softly. "In case..." I didn't need to finish the sentence. We both knew what I meant. In case things never were okay between us. If things were different.

"You didn't keep the letter?" He asked with mock outrage.

I smiled. "It's back at home, in Arizona. I thought it might get damaged on the journey."

"You really do love me," he said. I nodded my agreement. He smiled. "So do I. It's hard not to, isn't it?"

I rolled my eyes. "Just kiss me, will you?"

He obeyed.

And sitting there with him, kissing, as the rising sun painted the face of the cliff brightly and illuminating our faces, it was the best thing I could think of happening to me. My flock was safe, the Doomsday Group was about to go down, I wasn't going to expire, and best of all right now, I was with Fang.

It was almost like how things used to be before.

Except better.

THE END