Mikal had been up for some odd hours before I even started waking up.

She's got an appointment in a couple hours and, early bird that she's been since we got back, she wanted to make sure she was up in plenty of time to take Luna for her morning walk, feed her, grab some breakfast for herself, and then change.

My eyes, still sleepy, open slowly, as I awake to the rapid jangling of Luna's collar and the click, click, click, click! of her nails against the hardwood floor which lead to the carpeted bedroom, just beyond the now open door.

Luna leaps up onto the bed, immediately attacking my face with her tongue.

My face scrunches into a grin, as I laugh it off and Mikal comes trailing in just behind her.

She smiles, crawling onto the bed when she comes in, and scruffs up her fur before returning her attention back to me.

"Sorry babe, but you do have to get up soon anyway" she apologizes.

I smile, sitting up to kiss her. "You're good, I probably wouldn't have slept much longer anyway."

"Mmmnn...bad dreams again?" she asks.

I shake my head. "Nahhh, I mean they're not particularly bad, but no not even that this time. Just been a restless night...slash morning."

She nods. "Nervous about today?"

I kiss her again, placing a hand down over her stomach which wouldn't even begin to show for another couple months or so, but she smiled at the gesture anyway. "Good nervous though."

She grins even wider now, as if we hadn't been over this before. "Yeah?"

I nod. "Yeah."

She pecks me on the cheek, as she gradually pulls away and stands up, turning toward the door. "Breakfast is on the table, if you want it."

"You didn't have to do that." I remind her.

She smiles back at me. "Wanted to."

I nod. "Well thank you, I'll be right down."

She nods back and shuts the door behind her, as I slide my feet around to the side of the bed, to start getting dressed.

Mikal leans her seat back, resting her feet up on the dashboard, while I start the car up and begin flipping through the stations on the radio.

She gets visibly annoyed at my refusal to just settle on a station already, so I promise her to make just "one more round" before I stop.

I'm flipping through the last of the stations, once more, when a familiar old tune comes playing through the speakers.

"When there is trap set up for you

In every cooorner of this town

And so you learn the only way to go is underground

When there's a trap set up for you

In every corner of your room

And so you learn the only way to go is through the roof..."

Mikal raises her eyebrows in surprise, changing to a grimace. "Tell me that's not what I think it is..."

I chuckle at her, cranking it up a little.

"What else would it be?"

"Ughh, I thought we were done with having to hear that ever agaaaiin" she groans, dramatically.

"Ahh, come on, it's not that bad. I like it" I insist.

She lightens up a little. "You miss him, don't you?"

I shrug. I would never admit it to anyone but myself, but I suppose I kind of did, and Mikal saw through that.

All that time on the road, with him and his cocky attitude and seemingly bullshit opinions, looking for Desiree, I suppose I had gotten used to him.

"...And if you want it, you'll always have to make your own fuuun..."

"I'll tell you what I don't miss..." I start, attempting to change the subject, before dropping the coke I'd been sipping on...and then immediately panicking, out of habit, fully expecting it to disappear into a black hole.

"SHITT!" I blurt out, pulling the car over to lean down and slam my hand to the carpet.

Mikal jerks upright in her seat.

"Zia! Zia, it's just right there!" she chuckles, pointing at my half spilled can which was rolling around, just inches away from where my hand was slamming.

"Ohh...heh, right" I chuckle nervously, slightly embarrassed at the realization that I should be used to that not being here by now. "...I knew that.."

She places a hand, lovingly, on my shoulder. "It's okay, it happens. I still do that too, sometimes."

I chuckle at her attempt to make me feel better. "No you don't, but I appreciate the gesture."

She giggles, trying to convince me. "I swear...yeah, no, last night I dropped my book and COMPLETELY freaked out."

I shake my head. "Liar, you were passed out with your book ON you, when I came up last night."

"Maybe it happened before I passed out, you don't know."

I smile, shaking my head in disbelief, cranking the stereo up a little more. "If you say so."

She grins. "I do."