Harvest Moon - Neil Young

That night Eddie sat at one of the booths with Gretchen over beers.

Gretchen had bought the first round, insisting after his "swift rescue" as she called it. In that time Eddie had learned that Gretchen was taking a few years off after graduating high school, working as a waitress trying to save up for college, where she figured she would probably study business, and maybe open her own hair salon, since she had worked on and off styling hair as a side gig ever since she had finished school. She was originally from New Mexico, where her parents had died in an accident when she was only eight. Her aunt had raised her, and was sadly now in hospice after developing lung cancer. Gretchen usually drove down there every other weekend on her days off and spend time with her, but the doctors had told her it was sadly just a matter of weeks before she finally passed. After that Gretchen was going to have to tie up some things back at her house, sell it, and take whatever money she had and attempt to put that together with her savings she had gained waitressing and finish college and move on. She hated working at places like this, but the tips were great, and she had always loved California, and was renting a small little place in town.

When they finished their beers, it was Eddie who now insisted on buying the second round. Gretchen glanced at the clock before shrugging and figuring it couldn't do any harm, she had five minutes left, and her shift was ending in less than an hour. Eddie smiled, before signaling the other waitress for two more beers.

"So what about you?"

"What about me?"

"What's your story? Or are you this mysterious gentleman who comes to a waitress' rescue when needed?"

Eddie chuckled, absently playing with his empty beer bottle, making tiny ring marks against the rough surface of the wooden tabletop.

"Well...I live in LA, and I work as a sketch artist there."

Gretchen raised an eyebrow.

"A sketch artist?"

"Yeah, I get commissioned to do pieces here and there, that's what pays the rent. Usually I just sell portraits for ten bucks a whack."

"What are you doing so far up the coast?"

"Um...I got family who live in this...well colony about sixty miles up North. It's a retreat that my siblings live and work out of. It's run by a man named Dr. Waggner."

"The author?"

Eddie looked surprised.

"You know him?"

"I've seen him on TV before. Haven't read any of his books, but I've heard of the colony. I thought it was just some rich people's resort or something."

Eddie smiled.

"It's far from that, but my parents died when my siblings and I were young too...the doc sorta took us in and I come up every few weekends to visit."

"It must be beautiful there."

Eddie smiled, locking eyes with her, when the waitress came over carrying the trays of beers.

"Hey Gretchen, Larry asked if I could take Candy's shift...I can't drive you home. Sorry love!"

Gretchen sighed before nodding, taking her beer bottle.

"No problem hun, I'll catch a ride elsewhere."

The waitress handed Eddie his beer, before she smirked in Gretchen's direction, motioning slightly with her head at him before carrying her tray away. Eddie caught this, and saw Gretchen's cheeks starting to blush slightly. Smiling, he took a swing of his beer.

"I can drive you home."

Gretchen looked across at him.

"Oh no I couldn't..."

"I insist."

Gretchen smiled.

"You do huh?"

"Absloutely."

"You would have to wait another hour. You sure?"

"Positive."

Gretchen smiled before taking three large gulps of her beer before sliding it over to him.

"Here you have the rest, I gotta get back to work before Larry fires me. I'll meet you outside in an hour?"

"Sounds like a plan."

Gretchen smiled, before sliding out of the booth, and heading straight towards the bar. Eddie turned slightly watching her and smiling. Her scent was unlike any drug he had ever tried. It sent shivers up and down his arms as he slightly licked his lips feeling extremely turned on.

Later...

Eddie sat on his bike waiting for her as the bar emptied out for closing. He spotted her instantly wearing a red leather jacket. She saw him, and smiled, her purse hanging over one of her shoulders, as she made her way towards him. Eddie smirked.

"Hope you don't mind riding on one of these. I promise it's absolutely safe."

Gretchen smiled, tucking a fallen blond strand of hair that hung in her face behind her ear before circling the bike, her boots crunching on the gravel.

"Hey as long as I don't end up like roadkill I'm fine."

Eddie smiled, offering his hand as she carefully climbed on behind him.

"Hold on tight."

He said, suddenly feeling her body right up against his back, her arms reaching around his waist, right above his crotch, and grabbing on, her hands lacing together. Eddie continued smelling her sweet perfume, enjoying the feeling of her body right up against his, as he kick started the engine with a roar, and pulled out of the lot onto the sea side highway. He kept the speed up, enjoying the wind hitting them, blowing his hair back, as he heard her over the engine laugh, nuzzling her face against his shoulder. Riding like that, Eddie could almost remember what it had once been like when he was human...

Later...

Eddie had found Gretchen's apartment building with no trouble, and had parked by the curb. He helped her off the bike, before she laughed, attempting to fix her wind blown hair, before laughing, and reaching over, gently brushing his wild long brown hair back.

"Thank you so much for the ride. That was amazing. I could have driven around all night...despite how our hair looks."

Eddie laughed, before Gretchen stood there, shifting from one foot to another, her hands stuffed in her pockets before she looked around the dark street.

"Say...would you like to come up for a drink?"

Grinning, Eddie nodded.

"Thought you would never ask."

Climbing off, he stood on the sidewalk, towering over her, before Gretchen nervously giggled staring up at him. With that, he leaned down as she tilted her head up, and together they kissed as the wind continued to pick up.

Present.

She was gone.

Eddie had collapsed onto his knees on the cliff, having found her other gold earring that had fallen off her in the grass, right beside the pile of silver bullets she had thrown at him. He knelt there, feeling the wind blow his hair around, closing his eyes and remembering the first night they met, and how the wind had blown back against them as he rode his bike against the coast. He moaned softly, as if in pain, still holding her gold earing, knowing that she was really gone.

She couldn't bring herself to kill him, but had turned the gun on herself. Now he was all alone. For the first time in what seemed like twenty years, Eddie softly cried. Finally, he lifted his head, the wind still blowing his hair back as he stared out at the sea, feeling as if life had just dealt him the cruelest hand ever given. The only person that understood him, that had truly loved him was gone. His mate, his soulmate...his everything...gone.

She rather had killed herself than to live beside him. Maybe he really was cursed? That's when the horrible aching grief he felt turned into something else, something that boiled over into his soul and turned everything pitch black. A rage so terrible, he knew he would never be able to control. The thirst for blood, and need to hurt took over him as he continued kneeling there, figuring if he wasn't allowed to be happy...nobody could.

With that Eddie snapped his eyes shut, threw his head back and howled as loud as he could, a sound that carried for miles down the coast.

A sound full of hurt, and anger. A dangerous sound that could no longer be contained...