Thanks to all my reviewers. I apologize for the long wait. With the rush of the depressing holidays of doom and a severe case of writers block, I haven't had the chance to write in a while. I have some lyrics in this chapter by Simon and Garfunkel. Never heard of 'em? Then listen to them, those guys are brilliant!

And you probably noticed that I changed my pen name to "PhantomVarg" Just so you know, 'varg' is the word for 'wolf' in the awesome book, "The Sight" by David-Clement Davies.

Allright, enough of that..

--

"Damnit," Devi cursed herself under her breath. She had been sitting on her couch for the past few hours, trying to contemplate exactly why she was helping Johnny. In the corner of her living room was an old easel, surrounded by newspapers and adorned with an unfinished painting. Next to it, an old radio was playing an oldie's station. The song was soft, and the notes floated around the room.

"Are you going to Scarborough Fair

Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme

Remember me to one who lives there

She once was a true love of mine…"

Shit, Devi, she thought, ignoring the song. Why the hell did you drag him here!

Sighing to herself for what seemed like the thousandth time that day, Devi shook her head slowly. She got up, walked into the kitchen and filled a glass of water. Then she peered into her room. Johnny was lying silently on her bed. Except for his breathing, he seemed to make no other movements. As quietly as she could, Devi walked in to get a better look. She was astonished at what she saw.

Johnny was fast asleep, curled up on his side like a small child. His injured arm was protruding from the blankets, but the rest of his body was snuggled warmly under them. His mouth was slightly open, and his eyes were gently closed. Though he would twitch or whimper in his sleep once in a while, he did not wake. He seemed almost… peaceful, innocent, even.

Devi approached the bedside quietly, and set the glass of water on her nightstand. She pulled a small chair from under it and sat down. For the next few minutes, she watched Johnny's chest rise and fall as he breathed. He must've been sleeping all this time, she thought. Funny, I thought he hated sleeping…

She was jerked from her thoughts as Johnny stirred suddenly in his sleep and gave a small groan. The sound of it made Devi jump slightly. Although he was wounded and weak, Devi felt somewhat fearful of him. She regained her composure and continued to watch him. She noticed that he had started to tremble again. It wasn't the violent shivering he had experienced before, but the quaking of a person who is dreaming deeply. Another whimper escaped his mouth, and Devi began to wonder what he was dreaming of…

--

"I really enjoyed tonight, Nny. Really, we should've gone out sooner! Why didn't we do this sooner? I mean, we've known each other for, what, about three months now? And this is the first time we've ever been out together! What would you have done if I had never asked you out?"

"I would have been happy just to go to the bookstore and see you there. I always like doing that."

He had dreamt this before. It was the night of his date with Devi. Johnny hardly slept, but, when he did, he would almost always dream of this moment in time. It was the first time he had ever cared for someone so deeply. Sometimes, it would give him comfort, but other times…

"But you have to admit," Devi went on, "tonight was fun. The conversation, the movie, and that view! Looking down on all the people who deserve to be looked down on. Fun!"

"Yeah, it was very nice, completely. I love Brazil, Gilliam is God." He paused, getting off his couch and turning away from Devi. "Umm…Devi?"

…other times, Devi wouldn't get away in time.

--

Johnny gave another shudder, muttering something incoherently. Devi looked up from the book she had been reading, and glanced over at him. He didn't seem to be feeling too well. He was shivering again, and he had begun to sweat a bit. She continued to watch him with worried eyes.

--

"It's simple; I like you. I enjoy our talks, when you come to visit me at the bookstore… I like you for all those reasons people ask a person out for. There, I've said my thing, now I just hope your thoughts run along the same lines. If not, then I'll just get awkward, and leave, quietly…after killing you."

They looked at each other in silence, and then burst into hysterical laughter. When he could finally breathe again, Johnny sat back on the couch, and gave a deep, contented sigh.

"Yeah…" he said. "This is strange. What do I say? You are beautiful. I mean… God, I'm so completely happy right now. You've made me happy."

Devi smiled, and, slowly, began to inch forward. "Good," she whispered. "Then let's both be happy…"

She moved her face closer to his, and Johnny began to shut his eyes. He felt her nose brush against his own, their lips about to meet…

"Yes!" Johnny's eyes flew open abruptly. He bolted off the couch, and walked into his bedroom. "Yes! Happiness! I'm happy!"

"Nny! Where are you going! Nny!"

He slammed the door behind him, blocking out Devi's calls.

--

"Devi…" Johnny whispered her name as he dreamt. He was shaking uncontrollably, and his long, claw-like fingers clutched the blankets. Devi couldn't stand seeing him like this any longer. She began to shake his shoulders gently, trying to rouse him.

"Johnny? Johnny, wake up."

--

"But decay soon follows. A degeneration into the tired old situation. The rot sets in. This way, there is only the beauty of the start!" he said, blades in hand.

"Shit! Stay away!" Devi screamed. She grabbed the doorknob and tried desperately to turn it, only to find that it was locked. "I'm leaving, and I don't want you coming near me!"

Still, Johnny continued his approach. "I can't let you leave, Devi. I want you, always, in my mind. Happiness is such a rare thing." He brought the blades closer to his face, and a maddened, smiled twisted onto his face.

"I can't recall a bad memory for any of the others," he continued. "They were all beautiful! All of them! And now you!"

Devi's eyes became huge with terror. "Them! God, how many! Oh, fuck! Get the hell away from me! Don't touch me!"

"Please," Johnny said, almost kindly, "be silent, before you say something to spoil the mood."

With that, he charged toward the terrified woman. Johnny lifted his blades high, ready to kill. Closer and closer he came, and then…

--

Johnny's eyes flew open with a loud gasp. He sat up suddenly, panting heavily and wondering where he was. He surveyed his surroundings, and found Devi staring at him worryingly.

"Are you all right?" she asked..

"A dream…" Johnny said weakly. "It was only… a dream…"

He blinked, realizing that his vision was no longer blurry. His head was no longer aching, though he still felt a dull pain along is ribs and left arm. He glanced at his arm, and saw that it was wrapped with a white bandage, which was slightly stained with blood. He looked over the rest of his body. He winced as he saw a huge bruise along his side, and he vaguely recalled being kicked during the fight. He also realized that he wasn't wearing a shirt.

"You're sure you're okay?" she asked again, noticing the bewildered look on his face.

"Yes… yes, I'm fine. It was only a dream…" He gazed up at Devi, getting his first good look at her since the last time he saw her. Her hair was no short and black. It was longer than before, dyed a dark purple color and held into two long pigtails on the top of her head. But she still had the same pale skin, the same beautiful face, and those defiant, emerald eyes. Except for her hair, Devi hadn't changed at all. Johnny became lost in his thoughts as he stared at her.

"What are you staring at?" Devi asked, lifting an eyebrow in slight annoyance.

Johnny broke from his trance. "Oh, sorry. I just noticed that your hair is different. I like it."

Devi smiled weakly, running a finger through one of her pigtails. "Oh… thanks."

There was an uneasy pause, and silence descended upon them. Both of them had no idea what to say to each other. It seemed like an eternity until one of them, finally, broke the silence.

"Umm…here, let me check your arm," Devi said, walking over to the bedside. "It was cut up pretty badly."

"Yeah, I noticed," Johnny said as Devi began to unwrap the bloodstained linen. He winced as she cleaned the wound with stinging disinfectant. Johnny looked up at Devi, guilt in his dark brown eyes.

"Devi… I owe you an apology."

Devi looked up at him, recalling their phone conversation from long ago. "We've been through this before, remember?"

"I know," Johnny said, sighing harshly. "But… I feel that I still need to say this…" He trailed off. Devi finished wrapping the bandage and walked to the other side of the bed. She kept her back turned to him, trying to ignore him.

"I know there's a good chance you won't accept this, and I admit that the last time I tried was, well, idiotic of me. But, I need you to know this now… I'm truly sorry for what I almost did to you."

Slowly, Devi turned to him, staring at him with narrowed eyes. "Damnit, Johnny! You can't just forgive someone who tried to fucking kill you! You tried to kill me! Why should I accept your apology!"

Johnny recoiled slightly at her outburst, but he continued as sincerely as before. "Devi, that night, things went out of my hands. I had no control over myself. But… I've changed. And I want you to know that I'd never try to harm you, in any way, ever again. I want us to start over… as friends."

"Friends?" Devi looked at him in confusion. Was a friendship between them even possible anymore?

"Please, Devi. I…" he closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, they were filled emotion. "I don't want you out of my life."

Silence reared its ugly head once more. Devi and Johnny stared at one another, studying each other's eyes. Devi's green eyes were glittering with confusion and anger, while Johnny's dark irises were wide and pleading. Devi knew that he meant every word that he said, and she slowly found herself believing his words. Her hard expression softened, and melted into a soft smile.

She approached Johnny quietly, and to his surprise, grasped his hand. Johnny's eyes widened in shock, but he gently grasped her hand in his own, unconsciously shaking it as Devi shook his own hand.

"Apology accepted."

--

DONE! FINALLY! WHEE! My God, I love the way this came out! YEEHEEHAWHAWHAW! Umm... Okay I'll stop now.

So, Devi and Nny have reconciled. Aww… how cute! And I have no idea what to write next… so if any of you have any suggestions, say so.