"Are you hungry?"

"No, not so much" Elizabeth replied, nestling into him a little more. She was still happily full from the obscene Emerson barbecue, her appetite wasn't exactly raging. Dinner wasn't needed though at his mention of hunger, she did remember the enticing smell of popcorn from earlier. She felt like she couldn't go wrong with some of that, "but could we get some caramel popcorn on the way back?"

"I'm taking you back?" he asked, his voice totally flat.

Laughing she nodded, "and buying me popcorn"

"You got it"

She smiled up at him as the lightness returned to his voice before dropping her head onto his shoulder. Shifting in his arms a little, she murmured for the third or fourth time, "you're sure I'm not annoying you?"

"No. Come on, stop asking me that" his finger danced over her exposed thigh and she nodded at his words, tucking her hands into the thick material of his jacket. He had offered it to her as the night took a cool turn. While her dress hadn't been torn or ripped - amazingly enough - it didn't offer the best protection against the chill. It was the first time she had felt cold in the Santa Carla night and she couldn't help but think that the weather was going to take a turn for the worse in the upcoming days.

"Just checking" she replied.

"Well stop checking"

Elizabeth could't help but giggle at the tone of his voice. It was clear that her thinking she was being difficult or annoying to him actually was annoying him, but she couldn't help but worry.

She had been using his arm like the back of a chair for a while and it was strange to think it didn't affect him in the slightest. She had been curled up on his lap, her bare feet resting on the bench and her shoulder tucked up nicely against his chest. He had scooped his arm around her, kind of resting his hand above her hip. His grip was loose but his arm rigid, and she'd leaned into it fully. She was comfortable and content, cradled in the arms of the man she loved but it boggled her mind a little.

If he dropped his arm, if he slackened his grip in any way she would have fallen backwards onto the bench without a doubt. She was infinitely warm and snuggled up to perfection, but she couldn't help but feel like he was going to shake her off any minute. How could he be sitting there so comfortably, supporting her entire weight without even the smallest of pins and needles in his arm, without the tiniest hint of aching muscles? She knew what he was but still. Little things were hard to get used to and his unrelenting strength was wild, "sorry. It's just kind of insane, you know?"

"Insane?" he sounded patiently amused.

"Yeah. Your arm should have died ages ago already"

"It's already dead" he told her, his eyes dancing a little, "and you do know you've flown with me, right?" he added with a grin.

She laughed once, "well, yeah but this is...it's like...it's a different kind of wild! Flying is..that's a you thing, that's one hundred percent you and special and unique and so supernatural but this? Holding me, it's so normal. It's such a normal thing but you make it abnormal because can just...hold me like this. Like it's nothing!"

She could tell by his silent laugh that he thought she was being over dramatic, and she continued, "you make the usual unusual and that's...it takes some getting used to. A lesser man would have dropped ages ago already..." she looked up at him, "you know what I mean?"

"I do" he kissed her forehead, "good thing I'm not a lesser man, huh?"

Remembering their evening, thinking about his strength and stamina, she swallowed and nodded, "yeah...in more ways than one"

As he used his free hand to brush some stray hair from her face, he looked down at her in mock seriousness, "I was trying to engage in your serious conversation, Elizabeth but I see that I'm nothing more than a sex tool to you. I am, aren't I?"

Absolutely adoring his dry, sarcastic playful side, Elizabeth nodded and said peppily, "heck yes. Three orgasms in one night? Why else do you think I'm keeping you around, buddy?"

"I knew it"

She jerked her body a little, moving hard against his rigid arm. He didn't move an inch, "and your strength. This is great for me, really"

"I'm buying you popcorn, too"

"See? Pleasure, relaxation and money. I don't need your brains, Dwayne"

Looking seriously into each other's eyes, Elizabeth couldn't help but break. She knew she would break before him, he was the king of cool. Giggling a little and shaking her head, beaming as he smiled down at her, she kissed him before dropping her head back onto his chest.

"That was fun"

"Glad I amuse you"

"And pleasure me, remember?" she flicked her gaze upwards, seeing the glittering humor in his eyes, before looking out into the dark beach, "so...back on track with our serious conversation...my weight isn't even a little annoying?"

"What?"

"You know, you made a joke about trying to engage me in serious conversation and-"

"-no, I meant what as in.."what is this question?""

"Oh, it was an exasperated what?" she said, still feeling a little playful. He nodded and she asked, "my weight doesn't bother you even a little?"

She wasn't exaggerating - she had been using his lap as a chair, his arm as a very comfortable and sturdy back for a long time and he'd not made even the smallest of shuffles.

He was looking down at her with an odd look on his face as he said, "of course not, you're a feather to me"

"Really?"

He nodded and she smiled again, "that's still pretty cool"

"I just want to confirm, you do remember flying with me, right?"

She laughed, "yes! But it's disorientating how you can make something as simple as this feel surreal!"

"You sure that's it?" he asked, kissing her head again, "nothing else?"

She nodded, "I'm sure. So...is anyone heavy to you?"

"The guys are a little heavy. Kind of weighty. We all have strength and power behind us and we can feel it.."

"So...if I tried to fight you, I'd be a goner?" when he smirked, she understood his answer was a clear 'yes' and so she continued, "but if, I dunno...if David went for you-"

"-that would be interesting"

"You two would be equally matched?"

"No. It wouldn't be an easy fight but I'm physically the strongest" he told her, not sounding even a little arrogant or big headed, "I think I would come out on top but it's not a certainty. The stakes are a little more even, vampire on vampire"

"Could you hold David like you're holding me? Without flinching?"

Dwayne laughed, a deep and genuine belly chuckle, "Jesus, I wouldn't want to!"

Giggling herself, realizing what she had said, Elizabeth grinned, "yeah, he's not such a cuddler, huh?"

As their laughter subsided and wide smiles rested in its place, she asked, "I just meant with the weight"

"It would get uncomfortable after a while" he told her.

"If I tackled you?"

"I would fall down, of course"

She smiled, pleased his his sweet words, "thank you. If some random guy from the boardwalk tackled you?"

Dwayne shook his head and Elizabeth nodded. She could imagine him standing strong and unmovable while a hapless man writhed on the ground before him, "he'd just bounce off you?"

"Pretty much" his fingers once again began tracing patterns on her thigh, "sometimes the guys like to pretend it hurts them-"

"-you get into a lot of fights?"

He shrugged easily, "a lot of hot heads around the boardwalk"

"Uh-huh" she replied, smiling. She could imagine the boys, Paul in particular, feeling energetic and scrappy and heading out into the night, looking for a good little fight to pass the time.

"That's actually a hobby of Paul's, you know"

"Fighting randoms?" she asked, blinking in surprise at hearing Dwayne vocalize her thoughts.

He chuckled at the surprise in her voice, "not so much but he likes tackling me. Sometimes, he'll just come at me from nowhere. I can feel that..."

"Is it painful?" she grinned.

"Not so much painful as jarring"

"But he's so slim!"

"Nah. He's a heifer"

Elizabeth giggled again. She could imagine Paul, lean and slim and playful absolutely blasting all of his weight and power into Dwayne. She could imagine his laugh, his giggle, his joy in a successful sneak attack and it made her happy. Paul's zest for everything made her happy. She could imagine David and Marko laughing, enjoying the scene. She could picture Dwayne dusting himself off, stunned and caught off guard for a rare moment.

And then, out of nowhere, she thought of the Frog Brothers.

It was stupid and she was annoyed at herself for it but thinking of her friends, thinking of her pack...suddenly, those idiot faces had popped into her head. The two of brothers had spent the day laughing and whooping, playing war games and stuffing their faces. They had explored with Sammy, giggling and gossiping among themselves. She absolutely did not equate the Frog Brothers with the pack, in absolutely no way did she consider them to have any similarities at all...but still.

Their faces - and their words - suddenly rang in her memory.

"Hey" she said.

"Hi?"

"What?"

"You just took on a completely different tone of voice" he told her.

She understood what he meant. Her tone had been light and easy before but the second she had said 'hey' she had sounded serious, like she was readying herself to ask a loaded question. If she could note the change in her tone, of course he would have been able to.

"I did, huh.." she smiled, "sorry.I..uh...OK..." she laughed nervously before asking somewhat awkwardly, "just, I was wondering if maybe...do you think I've gained a little weight recently?"

"What?"

His voice was hard and he was staring down at her with a strange look splashed across his face. He looked annoyed, concerned, angry but handsome, still and she could tell none of those negative feelings were directed at her.

"Just, I don't know. Objectively speaking-"

"-I can't be objective with you-"

"-would you say I've put on some...wait? You can't?"

"No. You're my everything, how could I be objective?"

"...I love you" she whispered, sitting up a little and kissing him. He wasn't swayed or moved by her proclamation. He still looked thunderstruck, angry.

"Why are you asking stupid questions like that?"

"Oh, no. No reason. I was just wondering..."

His free arm had been languidly and lazily resting on her thigh, his fingers running circles on her skin but upon her vague and dismissive answer, he gently tipped her head up towards his once more. The set of his face told her she wasn't getting a kiss. As his thumb rested on her chin, he asked her again, "Elizabeth. Why are you asking stupid questions like that? I knew something was odd when you asked me about my arm-"

"-no, no not wrong. Nothing was wrong, I was just curious about your strength then. I promise"

"OK" he sounded unconvinced, "so what made you curious about your weight now?"

"...just...someone mentioned that I put some weight on my face, that's all" she murmured, feeling a little silly, "and I'm fine but we were talking just then and I don't know. I just remembered-"

She was starting to feel like Dwayne was going to absolutely pummel whoever he found to have insulted her and that was the last thing she wanted. She didn't want trouble, she didn't want drama. She just wanted confirmation that she hadn't gained and suddenly, she realized she had been silly to seek it out.

The Frog Brothers were such insignificant little psychos, she knew she should have forgotten all about it. She largely had, but still, despite herself and the reasonable, logical part of her brain berating her...there was still that little niggle in the back of her head. Hearing the slender but defined Paul being called a heifer, in jest though it was and even though she knew he would have laughed at the comment, probably oinked or mooed or shoved a fistful of food into his face to further emphasis the comment...it had reminded her of her own weight.

"-who?"

"What?" she asked, blinking up at him.

He was watching her with a surprisingly blank face, "who told you that?"

"You want addresses too, or just names?" she asked him jokingly, moving her face away from his soft grip. She didn't want the only friends Sammy had made to be hurt. It wasn't fair on him, who else would he hang out with until school started?

"Names are fine"

"Stop" she whispered, planting a kiss on his lips, "I'm being stupid-"

"-don't say that. You didn't put on weight, you're not being stupid. Tell me, who got into your head like this?"

"Dwayne?"

"Elizabeth"

She smiled at him, "yes or no, did I-"

"No"

"OK. Thank you-"

"-now give me names"

"Why do you want names?" she asked him in light exasperation, shaking her head. She almost regretted asking him because it was beginning to feel like someone was going to get kneecapped, rather than bashed around a little.

"Why do you think?"

"...you're going to beat someone up because-"

"-they hurt you? Of course. What else should I do?"

"You'd do that for me?"

He blinked down at her, his face serious and hard.

"Thank you" she whispered, pleased and taken aback by his sincerity.

"Names" he whispered.

"Never" she replied, still smiling at his words.

She didn't like the idea of the Frog Brothers getting hurt for their careless words but she did like how dedicated and caring Dwayne was.

"Was it your brother?"

"What?" she laughed a little, shaking her head. She was surprised by the question and unable to keep the incredulous laughter from her voice, "of course not! Sammy's nice. He gives constructive feedback, he would never just say I'm fat! He'd...I dunno, he would suggest a slimming hairstyle or a way to cinch my clothes in a little. He's the best. I mean, he's an idiot" she laughed again, "but he's a good idiot"

The idea of Sammy being hurtful was genuinely laughable. He was fashionable and meticulous, he could be cool and didn't mind passing out judgement but he would never, ever say something like that. Hell, in all their sibling fights, he'd never stooped to weight or looks to get a dig in. He doled out a lot of fashion jibes, but he received an equal amount, so even that balanced out really.

Dwayne was watching her and Elizabeth had the feeling he was waiting for her to say more. No doubt about it, he was staring down at her, clearly waiting.

"Sammy's good. I swear, he would never, ever hurt me like that" she held his hand, "of all the people in the world you need to go after, he's definitely not one of them" she grinned, shaking her head again.

The idea of Sammy being cruel had tickled her. It was such a foreign idea and she was grateful that she'd spoken to Dwayne. Unintentionally, he had made her laugh and that small action had lifted her spirits. It was easy to see that she was actually being silly. The words of the Frog Brothers were nothing to cry over, nothing to worry about.

"I'm glad I spoke to you" she said, still smiling.

"Did I help that much?" he sounded a little strange and Elizabeth grinned up at him, assuming he just didn't understand quite how un-mean Sammy was, "yes! You made me laugh. I'm good now. It's the best medicine, right? I was being an idiot"

"You're sure there's nothing else?"

"Sure"

"...Elizabeth, are you sure that your brothers didn't upset you? I was under the impression they could both get a little uh, you know? Intense? Snappy or...?"

She smiled, finding the way he tripped over his words endearing and sweet, if not surprising. He must have really worried about her, "no. Like I said, Sammy is good. I promise. Thank you for worrying about me but my brother is not like that...you can trust him, Sammy wouldn't hurt me"

"You're perfect, Elizabeth. If anyone ever says something like that to you again-"

"I'll tell you" she said with a nod, surprised that he was apparently letting it go.

"OK" Dwayne replied, his voice a little strange.

"Anyway, it can't have hurt me that badly.." she told him, trying to bring their conversation back on track and happy once more.

"No?"

"No. I still want some popcorn"

A/N: sorry for the delay but infinite thanks to you all for sticking around. Your kind reviews light a fire under me and I've got the next few chapters already lined up and started!