After school one day, all the cast and crew of Romeo and Juliet got together to paint the sets. Satine, dressed in an old white dress shirt and black soccer shorts, dipped her paintbrush in the green and set it on the backdrop.

Christian sighed, watching her from a distance. His heart was beating fast and he smiled, happy just to watch her paint. She laughed as Ariana said something and turned her head, catching a slight glimpse of Christian. Her smile faded as she stared at him, and, biting her lip, she turned away.

Christian raked a hand through his hair. The morning she kissed him was the best day of his life. Never before had he felt more alive and whole. She was so warm, so perfect. He looked down at his arms and felt empty and cold. He didn't feel complete before he held her in his arms. It was like she was the missing piece of his puzzle. "I love you," he whispered under his breath, walking toward her.

Satine was looking away, her arms across her waist, painting a shrub.

". . .and so I said, 'that's wasn't me, that was my mother you were talking to'!" Ariana broke out into hysterical laughter, while the people around her moderatly chuckled. "No, seriously, for real, you guy's. Like this one time. . ."

"May I?" Christian whispered, sitting next to Satine and painting a flower next to the shrub she was working on.

She dipped her brush back in the bucket. "So how are things?" she wondered quietly.

"They're good," he said, starting on a purple flower. "Except. . ." He took a deep breath.

He said nothing for a while, so she looked and briefly caught his eye. "Except what?"

"Well, I have this thing. . ." Christian scratched the back of his head. "I've been, uh, wanting to check out that new pizza place downtown. Have. . . have you heard of it before?"

She shook her head, her hands in her lap.

"Well, I was just wondering. . . if you would like to. . . I mean, if you want to, if you would like-"

"Stop." She looked up, her green eyes dull. "Please, don't do this. I can't."

Christian looked confused. "Can't? You mean your father won't let you date?"

She looked away. "I. . . I don't have a father. He died when I was seven. I've lived with. . . my uncle ever since."

"Oh. . . Satine, I'm so sorry-"

"No, no, it doesn't matter. That has nothing to do with it."

"Well. . . then. . . what is it?" he asked as Ariana laughed again.

"I don't need love," she whispered.

"Don't need. . . What are you talking about? Everyone needs love! Love is like oxygen! Love is a many splendid thing. Love lifts us up where we belongs."

"Love is just a word, made up by those who sing about it!" she hissed, looking him square in the eyes.

"Love is the most important thing in this world!"

"I have lived the past ten years without it, and I'm doing pretty fine." A tear trickled from her eye.

Christian reached up and dried her eyes. "Let me love you," he whispered, leaning in closer to kiss the tip of her nose. "Let me love you."

She bit her lip as she closed her eyes. "Don't try something that can't be done."

Satine picked up her bucket of green paint and moved away, as Christian promised himself to show her the reason that we are all living for.

------------------------------------------ Disclaimer: All characters belong to Baz, me, and my good friend Will Shakespeare.

A/N: Ok, this is very short, but just getting these out there and moving the story along. Please tell me what you think about this story.