Author's Note: This is the chapter that more or less gives the story its T rating. I don't want any complaints about the material being out of character here. It's part of the story and my first experiment with really making something T, okay?

*S. Snowflake

Trust Me, It's True

Part Two: I Still Love You

"Really Seymour, you've neva' had anotha' girl?" Audrey asked her date as they left the nice uptown restaurant together, ducking under their umbrella to avoid the small pellets of rain.

"Nope. Girls never talk to me, 'cept for you that is," Seymour replied.

Audrey smiled and looked into Seymour's blue-grey eyes. "That's too bad. I think any girl would feel lucky to be with you."

"I guess Audrey Two has been making us pretty lucky."

"Huh? Oh, well, sure the money has been nice, but I mean I'm just lucky to have you around."

Seymour smiled at last. "And I'm lucky to have you. I think I'd lose it if you weren't here." He paused and looked down at his toes, biting his lip. "Audrey, you don't know how much has been going on lately."

"Well, we work togetha'. I know how pesky those reporta's and businesses can be, but there's somethin' else that's bothering you, isn't there?" She paused, receiving no response. "Seymour, you can tell me anything."

Seymour winced at Audrey's words, thinking of the horrible, dark secrets he was keeping from her. Could he really admit that he had stood by and watched her former boyfriend die, then chopped up the body and fed it to his gigantic, blood-eating plant? And would she ever accept him if she knew that he had been there when the plant had swallowed their boss with barely three bites from its massive jaws? These questions burned in Seymour's mind as they walked toward the familiar slums that they called home, and he hardly spoke to his lover.

Just as the couple had turned the corner onto the familiar street, the rain began to pick up again, striking their umbrella with sudden, violent force. Audrey squeaked and ducked down lower as her heels scraped the damp sidewalk while Seymour's glasses fogged up and he scrambled to hold onto Audrey.

"Damn, why does it rain so much harder here than uptown?" Seymour asked.

"Hurry up, we'll go to my place!" Audrey yelped and dragged Seymour down the street a little ways to her apartment. They ran together through the heavy rain, overcoming the obstacle of the weather. The thunder growled angrily above, as if some monster from above was hungry, but they escaped the beast together.

Thrusting the door open, they burst into the apartment. They fell on top of each other, laughing as if the whole thing were a joke, then slowly stood up.

"Oh boy, nothin' like a thunda'storm to make a date exciting, huh?" Audrey asked.

"I'll say," Seymour gasped before standing up and wiping off his glasses with his shirt. He sat there on the floor for a little while, thinking over about going back into the pouring rain right away, before asking, "Audrey, mind if I stay here a minute or two and get dried off?"

Audrey turned and smiled at Seymour. "Not at all. 'Scuse me though, I have to freshen up." She grabbed her nightgown and winked at him before turning around into the bathroom to change.

"Oh… Okay," Seymour replied, unsure as she closed the door and left him sitting on her bed.

Seymour decided to occupy his time by looking around the apartment that he still was not very familiar with. It was such a small room; what a pity that an angel resided in such a tiny Skid Row dungeon. He noticed that the color pink dominated all the other colors in her room, glowing faintly on the near bare walls. There were simple necessities, her beauty products and such along with things that reflected Audrey's interests and innocence everywhere. Fluffy throw pillows sat on the bed behind him, Better Homes and Gardens magazines rested on the dresser drawer in great heaps, and sitting faithfully on the chair by the window was a stuffed, cocker spaniel dog. Seymour did not like the dog's plastic eyes staring at him, so he gently turned its head toward the window so that he no longer felt like he was being watched.

"What do you want me to do? Tell her?" he asked the toy, as if it could understand. "She can never know the truth."

"Seymour, who are you talkin' to?" asked Audrey's soft voice from behind him.

"Oh, nobody. I was just practicing lines for a play, and-"

He stopped talking when he turned around and saw Audrey in her nightgown with her hair flowing down to her shoulders. There was not a trace of hairspray or makeup to distract from her natural beauty.

"Wow. Err… wow. I'm sorry, I've j-just never seen you like this before, Audrey."

"What's the matta'?" she asked him sweetly. "You don't like me?"

"Oh-oh no, Audrey, I love you, I just…" Seymour coughed under his breath and looked away from her hypnotizing body. "-I think I have to go now."

"Back outside? Oh, no, I won't let you go back out into the cold," Audrey said and walked over to hug him tightly. "You'll freeze out there, Seymour sweetheart. And besides, the basement leaks like the rest of that shop. Stay here with me t'night."

"Well, that's very nice of you, Audrey, but what about the plant? It needs to be watered twice a day and I think I forgot to before we left."

Audrey pouted and kissed Seymour near his ear. "I think the plant will live, Seymour. It's big and strong now. Just for one night?"

"Okay, but where will I sleep?"

Audrey laughed. "Oh boy, now I have to play the teacha'. Seymour, there's only one bed here. Where d'ya think I want you to sleep?"

"Um… under the bed?" Seymour asked, trying to act innocent.

"No, silly! You're my boyfriend now, that means we can sleep togetha', right?" Audrey said with a laugh.

"Well, I-I- does that mean you want to… you know..."

Audrey nodded with a smile before frizzing up Seymour's hair playfully.

Seymour took another breath and gulped before adding, "Audrey, I've never… you're my first girlfriend."

"I know," Audrey whispered, hugging his frame gently in her arms before pushing him down on her bed. "But I still love you."

Then Audrey kissed his cheek a few times, feeling his heart beating below in tune with her heart. Seymour found some courage at last, then smiled and kissed her back, carefully wrapping his arms around her in an embrace where they simply kissed passionately for a minute or two. Even though he was soaked through and through from the rain, Audrey kept him more than warm in that moment. Then, suddenly, a thought struck Audrey and she broke away from their lock of love.

"Um, Seymour honey, maybe we oughtta' close the blinds before we go any further with this," she suggested.

"Huh? Oh, yeah," Seymour grumbled, half dazed.

* * *

"What's takin' that boy so long?" Audrey II asked itself, tapping a vine on the shop floor as if it were a finger.

The plant turned its pod to the shop window, sensing only the faintest light changes, since it had no eyes to see with. It saw only the light of Audrey's apartment window glowing down the street before a faint shadow came over the window and then the light shut off altogether. After putting two and two together, the plant grinned devilishly and cackled to itself.

"Oh-oh ha, ha, boy! Damn, Seymour! I knew it!" it said and slapped its leaves and tendrils onto the floor in a laughing fit. "Hoo-wee, boy. Well, looks like I won't be seein' him anytime tonight." It turned around to the telephone, coming up with an idea. "If Seymour won't bring me dinner, maybe I'll just get some myself."

Then its mighty vines began to dial a phone number, and Audrey II pulled the phone up to the base of its pod to listen to the dial tone. If this works, this might actually be a clever way to get food, it thought.

When the line finally stopped ringing, the plant cleared its stem of a throat and spoke, "Yeah, I'd like ten large pizzas with extra pepperoni." It paused, listening, before adding, "Yes, to thirteen-thirteen Skid Row- uh-huh. And send the juiciest… I mean, best delivery boy ya got," it finished and licked its lips in hunger.