The Blue Rose: The Other Side of Me

by SPDudley

Erin Forrestal has kept a dark secret most of her childhood: she is the pilot of Evangelion Unit 04. After years of training in isolation she is finally fulfilling the role she's been prepared for yet she's haunted by strange dreams of a mysterious boy. This is the Blue Rose saga, from the other side of the mirror.

5. The House By the Lake

We spent the next full week in training for the Evangelion, running simulations in the afternoons and then actual EVA operations in the evenings. All of my regular classes were cancelled, but I was so busy with everything we were doing that I had little
time to think about what was happening outside of EVA.

In that same amount of time Vance and I did nearly everything together, not just the EVA stuff but we had lunch and dinner together and when we had any wait time between things we'd talk to each other about anything. He told me about this home in Maine
and about how much he loved to hunt and go boating, and it sounded not too different from those weird dreams I'd get late at night. I told him about the dreams too and he thought it was funny I'd have them, wondering if I wasn't reading too many of
those teen romance paperback novels I'd now gotten addicted to. We talked about just little things, I'd share not only my now disappearing hopes of medaling in gymnastics but also all of my everyday live growing up at Second Branch. He seems to understand
a little bit, as he was an only child and knew about how lonely that could be.

On one Thursday morning I woke up in the townhouse and shuffled over to the kitchen. Being as we were often going on late at night with EVA stuff, I usually didn't actually get to sleep now until after one or even two in the morning, so getting up before
ten was unusual. I heard some strange noises from the other side of our place and that got my curiosity, so still in my nightgown I walked in to the dining room and saw Dad standing at the table, with my breakfast of fruit and oatmeal already laid
out.

"G'morning, Dad," I said to him, plunking down at the table.

"Good morning, dear," he replied in an unusually cheerful voice. "I have a surprise for you." I looked up and saw what Dad had brought into the apartment: it was a fairly good size soft suitcase, colored in pink and green.

"What's that for?"

"That," he said as he pointed to the suitcase, "is for you." My spoon full of oatmeal immediately dropped back into the bowl with a splat.

"For me?!"

"Yes," dad said with a smile. "I'll need to do some travelling this weekend, and you will too."

My mouth gaped as wide as a crater. "Where?! Am I going with you this time?"

"No, I'm afraid. I'll be needing to go to the capital again, but we're taking a break with the Evangelion unit as the engineers fit in some additional components. That will take a few days, but the Vinsons have been kind enough to extend an invitation
to visit them at their home."

"Where? In Maine?"

"Yes. I understand it's quite pretty where they live. You'll be there for the whole weekend."

I was ecstatically happy, as for the first time in my entire life I was going to leave the local area. I was so happy that I practically leapt out of my seat and ran dad over. As usual dad wasn't really great with affection but he didn't push me away
either as I hugged him tight. "When am I going?"

"It's a midnight flight, so I'd suggest you pack by this afternoon."

"I'm going to do it right now!" I let go of dad, grabbed the suitcase, and then rushed back to my bedroom to start getting ready, just leaving my unfinished breakfast on the kitchen table.

---

That weekend was to see a lot of "firsts" for me, one of which was it that it was my first time in a cross-country plane trip. I had been flying before, as sometimes my dad had me with him in a helicopter they used at Second Branch, but we never went
anywhere far.

The plane that took us from Second Branch to First Branch was a UN air transport, a big cargo jet with four engines that normally hauled supplies and equipment between different bases all over the world. There was a small cabin in front for passengers
however, and myself along with Vance and his father, got comfortable seats for the five-hour flight to Massachusetts. As this was my first real vacation, I brought lots of comfortable clothes with me and wore a designer green and white striped shirt
dress with white strappy sandals, something that was just a touch nice while being comfortable to wear for the trip.

It was very early in the morning when we left, and try as I might I couldn't sleep much the day before I was so excited to be going. Flying in the air transport was pretty interesting, and after the thrill of taking off for the first time it was cool
to finally look down on the rest of the world that I had wanted to see for so long. Despite the fact that it was still dark over most of the country as we flew over, I saw so many things down below in the moonlight, as the views from the aircraft
were beautiful. Vance and his father sat in the next row, the admiral wearing not a uniform but just a red flannel shirt and blue jeans while Vance wore a blue track suit. The two of them spent the flight just having a conversation about ordinary
things, while a uniformed steward was nice enough to provide me with a never-ending supply of snacks and drinks for the flight.

We arrived at the airfield at NERV's First Branch about late morning, which gave me just a brief look at the "other" NERV facility in America I had heard so much about. As we exited the aircraft, Vance told me about the base which was where he and his
father had been just before coming to Nevada, he explained it mostly as a bunch of laboratories with one real large building for the construction of his Unit 03, but nowhere like a spacious training ground to really operate the EVA like we have at
Second Branch.

As we got into Admiral Vinson's SUV, which was parked and waiting for us on the edge of the airfield when we arrived, both Vance and his father cautioned me about one thing in particular to be careful to avoid while visiting their home: Vance's mother
didn't know that he was piloting EVA, and in fact didn't know anything about EVA at all. They wanted to be sure I kept the secret, and I nodded and agreed to be careful, not entirely sure what else I should expect from visiting their home.

The drive from First Branch to their home in Maine took about two hours as I sat in the back of their SUV and looked at the scenery from the windows. So many trees! Maine was much cooler than Nevada was and so much more lush, there were plants and greenery
everywhere. During the drive the Admiral said that where we were travelling used to be even more pretty before Second Impact happened and wrecked the climate, but I couldn't' imagine how it could.

The car trip took a little over two hours and after driving through some windy little roads throughout the countryside we finally arrived at a clearing in the woods. Vance's father parked his SUV next to a black sedan and I got my first good look at the
Vinson's house. It looked large but not mansion-sized, a two-story wood Cape Cod style with windows everywhere. While the house was pretty from the outside, what was even more impressive was where it was located, as the Vinson's house sat on the edge
of a large lake. There was a small boat dock on the side where two boats, including a speedboat, were anchored and waiting on the water.

"Wow, this is so pretty," I told Vance as we got our luggage out of the back of the SUV.

"You should see the inside," he replied.

The three of us proceeded to go inside, the admiral opening the door and walking in first. "Maria?" he called out, "we're here!"

From out of a hallway inside came a middle-aged woman that was about as petite as I was, with black hair down to her shoulders, and dressed in a blue and white casual boating-type outfit. She held a computer tablet in her hands. The admiral gently kiss
her on the cheek and then Vance went to greet her, getting a big hug from her, not easy as her son was over a foot taller than she was.

"It's so good to see you!" she told Vance. I noticed then that Maria spoke English with a slight accent, which I thought might be Spanish but then I wasn't sure. He just looked back towards me and did the introductions. "Mom, meet our new houseguest."

I put down my luggage and offered my hand. "Hi," I said as an introduction, "I'm Erin Forrestal. Nice to meet you." Maria shook my hand while still filming me with the tablet in her left hand, something that looked like she got a lot of practice of already.
"It's nice to meet you," she replied. "I'm Maria, please make yourself at home."

Now inside the house, I took a look around and saw how real people lived and decorated their houses, and the Vinson's was just so much more warm and colorful that anything I had expected. Just in the living room there were shelves filed with books, model
boats, and other keepsakes that all had a boating or ship theme, while paintings and pictures of larger ships and boats adorned the wood-panel walls. The carpet was a dark green, and there was a giant leather couch that looked old but comfortable
right next to it. This looked like a real house for a real family, and not the townhouse filled with computer screens I had grown up in.

"Wow, this is beautiful!" I exclaimed after taking it all in. "I'm so afraid to touch anything!"

Vance's voice came from the hallway, as he was putting luggage away. "Wait 'till you see the lake," he called back. The whole idea of being able to go play on a giant body of water was irresistible to a girl who had grown up in the desert. "Great! Can
we go on it?"

"Why don't you kids get settled down first," said Marina, "and then Vance can take you out on his boat. Vance?" she called to him.

"Yes, mom?"

"Put her things in the guest room and then you can go boating this afternoon. I've got lunch all ready for everyone." After some arrangements, including having Vance show me to a guest bedroom his mother had already prepared for me on the second floor,
the four of us were treated to a lunch of hotdogs and fries in the dining room, which was just as cozy and lavishly decorated as the living room was.

By that afternoon I was ready to unwind even though I was still so very excited to be anywhere else other than Nevada, and going out on the Vinson's lake seemed like the perfect thing to do. I ran up the steps to the guest bedroom and closed the door,
then opened up my suitcase and went through my things. Wondering if maybe I could not only just ride in a boat but also swim I decided today would be the day to be a little daring and promptly found my bikini.

Five minutes later I was back down the stairs, wearing my green-colored bikini along with some blue denim cutoffs and some Converse flat-soled shoes that I thought should be good for a boat. I promptly went out the back door of the house and onto the
dock and there was Vance, already behind the controls of his candy-red speed boat.

I got on board along with Vance's mom and then nearly as soon as I got seated in back Vance gunned the engine and went straight forward and off the dock. I felt myself pushed right back into the seat cushions and while Maria wasn't really thrilled about
her son's need for boating speed I was thrilled.

For the next few minutes Vance pushed the limits of his speedboat, racing down the side of the lake and then across, making tight turns at high speed that would throw up waves of water. I thought it was great fun, waving my arms in the air and enjoying
the rush of the speed as Maria took her tablet, thankfully now in a water-resistant outer case, and took video of me as I enjoyed my first boat ride.

"So are you having fun?" she asked as she kept filming.

"Oh, yeah! That was great!"

"Have you ever been in a boat before?"

"No! This is the first time!" I replied, shaking my hair in the wind as Vance kept the boat in a sprint. "We live in a desert so I've never gotten to do this before."

Vance ran the speedboat for another minute until he decided to stop along the shoreline. He cut the engine and then got out of the seat, he was now wearing a t-shirt and swim trunks and waterproof plastic dock shoes. Vance walked over to see how I was
doing, and I got up from the back seat of the boat.

"Was that cool?" he asked me. My face was all smiles. "Yeah!"

"Do you want to see more of the lake?"

"Okay!"

"Here you go!"

Before I could do anything else Vance quickly used both of his palms and pushed me over the edge of the boat. Within a second I found myself flying backwards towards the lake water, squealing as I fell. I plunged into the water which felt vigorously cold.
Fortunately I was a pretty strong swimmer by this point, so once I got over the shock of hitting the lake I immediately recoiled and rushed back up to the surface. On the side of the boat was Vance, looking at me with a grin a mile wide. The teasing,
bratty Vance had made a surprise return.

Floating right next to the boat and drenched with lake water, I shook my hair like a dog to get out the excess water. Maria chastised Vance for his little prank. "Now Vance, that wasn't nice!"

"But Mom," he said with a telling grin, "She said she wanted to see more of the lake!"

"Not that much more!" I yelled at him from the surface. "Vance, you asshole!"

I managed to get back into the boat and got a towel to dry myself off. Lucky Vance got a bonus for plunging me into the lake, as I dropped my shorts and revealed my bikini bottom to get myself more dry. I didn't care by this point, and while I played
annoyed with him I had to admit to myself that was pretty funny.

Once back on shore I went back into the house and upstairs to shower and change clothes while Maria started on dinner. After drying off I plopped on a t-shirt, another pair of shorts and then put a white designer sweatshirt over that, and then came back
down where Vance and the admiral were waiting for me at the dining room table. Maria came out a second later with dinner on a tray she was holding.

By all indications the Vinsons were an incredibly normal family, the kind that would have dinner together and play together and generally got along together. We said grace at the dining table, something we never did at home, and then got to eating whatever
it was that Maria had baked for us.

"What are these anyway," I asked her with a mouth full of something that tasted like a meat dumpling made with bread.

"They're Empanadas, dear."

"Well they're delicious!" I went through another one until I was completely full and satisfied.

Not long after we finished eating the family got to asking questions about their new houseguest, Maria again holding up the computer tablet to film me as Vance's parents both asked me thinks. Vance sat right next to me at the table, and watched intently
as I sat there and answered everything.

"Erin, is this your first trip to New England?"

I smiled wider as I spoke. "This is my first trip practically anywhere! I pretty much stay in Nevada all of the time."

"Your parents don't take you on any trips? Or vacations?"

"I live with my dad in the Science City that's part of NERV-2. He's really busy with his work so I guess we don't get out much."

"And your mother?" Maria asked. I should have known that might come up. My happy reactions were dialed down a couple of notches.

"Um, my mother died a long time ago." Maria gasped. "Oh, my child! I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay," I said as I tried to be cheerful about it as much as I could. "I was very young when she died. It was some sort of an accident in the laboratory. To be honest I don't remember much about her."

"Well, I'm sorry just the same. It must be difficult living without her."

"We've gotten used to it, I guess," I said with a sheepish expression. Before they could change the subject Vance suddenly held the side of his head and winced in pain. That headache he got occasionally was showing up again. With deep concern his mother
asked him "Honey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Mom," he told her. "Just got these weird headaches, that's all."

I slid closer to him, feeling horrible that he'd get one of those headaches again while we were all having such a good time. "Do you want some water?" I asked him. He nodded and then I jumped out of the seat and rushed towards the Vinson's kitchen. Eventually
I found both a glass and where the drinking water was dispensed from the refrigerator and came back with the glass full. By the time I got back Maria had started to get aspirin, and Vance took the glass and then the aspirin his mom gave him and downed
it immediately. After a few seconds more he started to feel better and we all went back to what we were doing around the dining table like nothing had happened. The admiral started again with the questions. "Do you like it here, Miss Forrestal?"

"Oh, yeah!" I said, now sitting closer to Vance as I continued with the interview. "I can't believe you've got your own lake!"

"We own the property out back a mile north," the admiral said. "In the fall we go hunting for deer."

"What? You mean you shoot them?"

"What's wrong with that?" Vance interjected.

"Nothing," I said in an annoyed tone, "as long as they can shoot back!" Everyone else laughed at my comeback. Vance's Mother then asked me another question while I stole another last bite of the apple pie that she had brought out as part of desert. "So
Erin, you go to school with Vance, yes?" My mouth was full so I just nodded yes.

"What do you like to do when you're not studying?"

"Well," I said, "I'm pretty busy with piloting these days." Just as I said it, I nearly chocked on my pie as I just realized we weren't supposed to be talking about piloting at all with Vance's mom. The admiral's face went sheet white, while Vance just
looked at me with this glance of daggers. I sheepishly smiled at him, not knowing quite else what to do.

"Piloting?" Mrs. Vinson asked. "You mean like airplanes?"

Oh, God I'm saved! "Uh, yes! That's it, that's the ticket! Yes, I'm learning to fly airplanes in my spare time!"

Maria thought my answer was wonderful. "Incredible! You're so capable as such a young age!"

I smiled back at her. "Oh, it's not so difficult. Kinda fun, actually." I smiled back at Vance as both he and his father looked very relieved.

"Is that all you do?"

"I like sports," I said to Maria. "I play tennis and I swim. I do gymnastics too." All and all Mrs. Vinson seemed very impressed. "It sounds like you're a very talented and charming girl," she concluded. "A pity we couldn't meet your father."

"Trust me," said the admiral with a frown on this face, "you don't want to meet her father."

"Oh, he can't be that bad!" Maria protested.

"My dad's nice but," I explained, "sometimes he's a bit of a control freak. Too much time on the computer I think."

"Then it's a good thing he's got you there next to him to keep him grounded. Erin, do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"No, ma'am," I finished. "It's just me."

---

I spent the next day being shown around the area, with Vance's mother driving him and I to a little town not far away called Lake Arrowhead while the admiral had to stay behind and take care of business at the house. For most of the morning and early
afternoon I got the grand tour of small towns with cozy cafes and neat little shops, and nearby forests, lakes and mountains that we could see as we drove through windy little roads through the countryside. Compared to where I came from it was like
heaven, especially as the weather was cool with a slight breeze, an unusually cool period for the Summer I was told by Maria. It was nice of the weather to cooperate for my visit.

By about mid-afternoon I had done so much riding, eating, walking, shopping, and touring that I was starting to tire out, so they drove me back to the house. Still excited from being able to see what a normal part of the country looked like, I marched
upstairs back to my guest room to take a break.

The guest bedroom the Vinsons put me was just as pretty and decorated as the rest of the house, and in keeping with Maria's tastes there was a theme just like nearly every other room at her home. The comfy chair was a nice leafy green and the wallpaper
reflected a garden pattern with vines and flowers, with the bedspread having a matching pattern. There were several shelves in the room with various little knickknacks and little animals or all with gardening and other nature themes. My guest room
also had an adjoining bathroom with both a small shower and a large bathtub, and it too was decorated in green and white. It was clear that Vance's mom took her housewifing seriously from the delicate and coordinated appearance of my room, and I just
fell in love with all of it.

Still tired from the day's excursion, I just sat in the comfy chair and looked out towards the lake behind the house. This place was a dream come true, and I wondered if I'd ever get a chance to come back here after all was done with EVA and things. That
got me to thinking what my life might have been like had my mother not died, and that made me sigh a lot and just start to wonder what else in my life I had missed out on. I mean, I loved my dad, and all of the things I did at Second Branch were like
an adventure. Certainly who else would ever have a chance to drive giant robots! But just being a normal girl was also something I'd always wanted, and it always seemed just out of reach. No wonder I started having dreams about living up in the mountains
and away from everything. I had another of those dreams last night, and all of a sudden just realized something about them when Vance walked into the room. He was wearing a black printed t-shirt with some gun manufacturer logos and blue jeans, while
I still had on my white golf polo and pleated green miniskirt, and wore ankle socks as I sat with my feet behind me on the chair.

I didn't say anything at Vance at first as he came in the guest room but just gave him a small smile and went back to looking wistfully out the window. He noticed my mood however, and quietly sat down on the mattress opposite of me, his hands holding
a computer tablet.

"What'cha thinking about?"

"Oh, I had that dream again."

"The one with that boy in the mountains?"

"Yeah, only I just realized something," I told him. " I'm the boy."

"That's weird. How did you know?"

"I just knew, that's all."

Vance smirked at me "You didn't just reach down inside your pants and…" Oh, God, please. I took one of the cushions out of the comfy chair and hit him as hard as I could with it. "You are so gross! Of course not!" He laughed as I sat back down in the
chair.

"Besides" I explained, "I don't really control the dreams, they just sort of come. It's like I can see what he sees."

"And just what does he see?"

"There's this cabin in the woods and someone else is there, some older guy who I can't see clearly. And that's about it really."

He gave me this smirk and looked at me with a narrow glance. "I know what this is really about: You're just lonely for a boy in your life."

What he said hit just a little too close for me and I adjusted myself on the seat, careful to not let Vance get a good view of what was underneath my skirt. "I am not!" I said in a firm, dignified voice as I leaned back in the chair and shook my hair
into place. "I'm just fine the way I am now."

"Then why do you keep imagining this guy?

"Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?"

"Oh, so you are in love!"

That deserved another strike, and again I jumped up and hit him with the chair cushion. "You stop it! That is none of your business!"

"It's okay," Vance said as he gently wiggled the tablet in his hands, "I've got it all on video."

Oh, shit. Damn he had gone out and got my private thoughts recorded. I suddenly felt vulnerable, more than I'd ever been with him. "You delete that now, Vance Vinson," I commanded.

"Make me," he teased back. Well, this means war.

I grabbed the cushion again and this time didn't let up, as I kept hitting him on the bed enough times for him to drop the tablet to the bed. I didn't care, I was winning this battle as far as I was concerned and kept up my attacks, with him and I both
giggling as I escalated our pillow fight by jumping on the mattress. I continued my attacks while I knelt on the bedspread, as Vance playfully kept batting away my cushion weapon, then getting his own pillow and fighting back by hitting me with it
several times.

We played together like we were little children, both of us going at each other with an arsenal of pillow weapons until we both collapsed on the bedspread right next to each other. Then suddenly I noticed that Vance's face was within an inch of my own
and we both stopped fighting.

We lie there on the bed, our eyes locked on each other for the next minute. Saying nothing, each of us caught our breath from our pillow fight, but I was close enough to him now to feel the warmth of his body. Suddenly I felt a lot weaker, my heart started
beating fast.

Vance quietly took my hand in his, and for a moment we locked fingers together like lovers. The smile came off of his face, and off of mine. That still look from his dark brown eyes, the ones I remember when he caught me falling off the balance beam,
they were back, and they were peering right into me.

At that moment I was completely unsure what I should do next. Was I scared? Oh, I was terrified. Here I was with someone I barely knew, thousands of miles from home. But the mood was quiet, the weather nice and cool, the sunlight coming out of the windows.
It also seemed just so easy, so easy for me just to close my eyes and pretend to be that princess that I wanted to be so much. I took a deep breath and swallowed, and Vance took a firmer grip of my hand. I prepared for what was to come.

Slowly, he approached me, closing the distance between his lips and mine. I closed my eyes and waited, and then suddenly fear gripped me hard. This was way too fast, I thought to myself, I was supposed to hate this boy and now we're coming down to this,
and on a bed no less. I didn't feel safe.

I jerked and pushed myself away from Vance, and then got up from the bed. "Gotta go pee," I said as an excuse and before he could say anything else I rushed into the guest bathroom and slammed the door. I didn't hear anything from behind but I did actually
try and go pee, and then afterwards spent the next few minutes looking at myself in the bathroom mirror.

I really didn't want to fall in love with this guy. Vance Vinson was a violent jerk, and had a crass and mean sense of humor. Yet I had never felt warmer than with any other human being than I had with him. I could see myself doing it, I could see myself
being held in his arms and suddenly that was I all that I wanted. I didn't want to be alone anymore, despite how scared I was. Getting my courage, I turned and opened the guest bathroom door. He was gone from my room, and that gave me a sigh of relief.
Maybe it wasn't going to happen today I knew, but I also knew it was going to happen soon.

---

We spent the rest of the day just hanging together with Vance's mother, as she cooked dinner on an outdoor barbeque that consisted of ribs and roasted chicken, all of which was delicious. The admiral only joined us briefly, as it seemed Vance's father
was always on the telephone. Like dad I know Admiral Vinson had a serious job but it seems like a bummer to have to spend your whole vacation weekend doing work and not enjoying things. But the rest of us had fun, spending time eating by the lakeside
and watching the skies at night. Vance and I stayed close but we didn't talk about what almost happened today, and when I went to bed I just told him goodnight and went straight to my room.

Unfortunately my trip to paradise had to come to an end and I slowly made my way downstairs the following morning. Maria was already in the kitchen, having just prepared a breakfast of pancakes and eggs for all us, and again it was amazingly delicious.
Vance and his father got into another long conversation about things that I could only think were military, they used a lot of terminology between them I didn't understand even after being at NERV for years. Seeing that I was just sitting at the table
after eating, Maria asked me if I wouldn't mind joining her upstairs.

She led me to the master bedroom, which like all of the rooms in the Vinson house had a theme and again it was nautical in nature, with little ship models and pictures of boats and of the ocean hung all over. I noticed one large painting on one side which
looked like the Vinsons when they were very young: he was wearing a white navy uniform while she had on a powder-blue dress, and they looked stunningly attractive and very much in love in the painting. I had noticed after the whole weekend trip that
the Vinsons now seemed like there was some emotional distance between them since the time of the painting, and it made me wonder why it had become that way? Was this how older couples handled things that were difficult, or maybe they were just really
private. Having never seen my parents together very much, I really didn't know what was normal and what wasn't.

"Here," Maria said to me, "I got you something as a going-away present." She handed me a large box in colorful patters. I gasped in surprise, as I had not really expected anything, and in fact I felt rather guilty for not thinking to give the Vinsons
any kind of gift in return for their generosity for having me in their home.

"You didn't have to do this!" I protested, not even knowing what was in the box.

"It's quite alright, I saw this while we were out shopping yesterday and it seemed perfect for you." Reluctantly I did open the box and saw that it was a dress, one made of very soft cotton that had thin green and yellow stripes and delicate patterns
woven into the fabric. From the brand name on the tag I knew it was from a famous maker and was not at all cheap.

"Oh, this is so nice!"

"Please try it on," Maria asked and I did so, quickly finding the master bathroom and taking a few minutes to undress and slip on the new outfit. It was very comfortable, with cap sleeves and a hemline that was about mid-thigh, and the material was very
light: perfect for wearing out in the desert. I popped back out of the bathroom and showed it to Maria, who was as delighted as I was with the dress.

"You look beautiful, my dear," she told me, gently caressing the side of the dress as she spoke to me. Maria was about my height, so we could see each other eye to eye, and I knew she would have a lot more to say to me.

"I enjoyed having you here this whole weekend, I really did."

"Well, thank you so much! Everything was so wonderful out here!"

"Not bad for your first vacation, isn't it?" I smiled and nodded at her, feeling great that I had made another friend.

"You know, it's difficult living with boys and especially these two. They're always having to prove what men they are. It's very nice having someone else here who can appreciate things from a woman's perspective." I nodded along, knowing exactly what
she meant from my experience with Vance.

"But," she continued, "I've…I've seen a big change in Vance since he left for Nevada. Somehow he's managed to act a bit more mature in the time that he's been here. I can't help but think you had something to do with that." I didn't really know how to
respond to that, and felt myself blushing.

"Vance grew up an only child. I always wished that somehow I could have found a way for him to have someone else to grow up around, maybe that could have taken the edge off of him." She looked at me directly, "but you're also an only child, and I think
you understand that sense of loneliness. You might be able to reach through to him where I couldn't, find a way how to tame him."

She gently reached for my face and caressed it in affection. "You're very special, senorita. Beautiful and talented, and very kind. Please take care of my son for me while he's in your casa."

Maria Vinson wasn't blind, and even then she could see what was happening between Vance and I. She wanted him to be happy, and she wanted to be sure that I could make him happy. After hearing that from her I somehow felt better inside, and much more confident
about Vance and about everything between us. I smiled at her and told her "I will!" and then we hugged each other tight.

I went out of the back door and towards the lake to find Vance, and there he was standing at the edge of the water. He was wearing a blue and red flannel shirt, jeans, and hiking boots while I still had on the dress that Maria gave me along with my white
sandals. Vance's mouth went into a smile as soon as he saw me.

"You look nice," he told me as I got closer to him. I told him that his mom had bought me the dress and he didn't seem surprised.

"Yeah, I think mom's taking a pretty strong liking to you." We walked together on a pathway around the edge of the lake as we talked, we were so close to each other that we kept bumping into each other as we went along.

"I meant to ask, but I just didn't want to be rude…"

"What is it?"

"Is your mom from Mexico or something? She has an accent and all."

"It's Colombia," Vance clarified for me. "The story is that my grandfather was the chief of the Colombian navy and dad was down there a long time ago to train their marine commandoes. They met each other at some party and I guess it stuck."

"She's amazingly nice," I complemented.

"She is that, basically the perfect mom. A bit protective though."

"Really?"

"Yeah, when I was little she'd always bother me about not doing dangerous stuff, like shooting, or boats, or things like that. But I said "Yes, mom," and then I did it anyway." I couldn't help but giggle at that. "Maybe she really wanted a girl," I replied
and Vance laughed out loud. "Yeah, that could be true too."

"Have you ever been to Colombia?"

"Never. It's a shithole. After Second Impact the drug lords took over and made the whole country their backyard drug lab, whorehouse, and hunting range all in one. Then the UN military came and fucking killed nearly everyone else left. Dad went back there
after that to try and get my grandparents out but they were already dead by the time he showed up."

"Wow, that's sad. I guess being isolated it's hard to really think much about how the rest of the world is."

"The rest of the world is a mess. Even out here, maybe where we are might be okay but go into what's just outside of Cambridge and it's a nightmare. Don't even talk about New York, at least the parts that aren't underwater." It was terrible to hear that
from Vance, but I also realized that he had, up until EVA, lived more of a normal life that I did. He was out in the world, his dad doing dangerous things, while I was raised completely behind the walls of Castle Second Branch. It made me wonder how
worse the outside world really was.

We walked together for a while alongside of the lake, not really saying anything else but just enjoying the time we had left before we had to go back. It was just so pretty out here, and so peaceful that you could hear the wind blow through the trees.
I felt comfortable, and I felt good having Vance right there next to me. As we continued we bumped into each other again but this time his finger got a hold of mine as we touched, and I decided not to let go of him. By the time we got half way down
the length of the lake where there was a little patch of clearing with yellow and white wildflowers, my hand was locked in his.

Vance stopped walking at the clearing and I stopped with him, still holding his hand as we faced each other in the middle of the grass and flowers. I felt the wind gently blowing on my dress and the coolness of the breeze felt good against my skin. I
loved the way that the grass tickled against my toes. It was perfect where we stood, and he knew it too.

"Erin?" he asked me. I looked up at him, realizing that I was the first time Vance really called me by my name.

"I know I'm not easy to get along with." I smiled at him knowingly. "I think I've gotten used to you by now," I told him.

"Well, I'm not even used to you yet, and I don't think I ever want to get used to you." Him saying that made me smile just a little bit more, and I knew now what I wanted, and what I feared, was actually coming true.

"Do you think it would be okay for us to, you know, be together? I mean, we sort of didn't hit it off at first but I think we work pretty well together, don't you?" I didn't say anything but I nodded at him.

"Anyway, I'd like to…" he paused for a bit, suddenly not his normally confident self, "…I mean, I'd like to, you know, kinda spend more time with you. If that's okay with you."

"We pilot EVA together," I told him. "We're kind of stuck together as it is."

"I know but I don't mean like that, I mean for all of the non-EVA stuff too."

My eyes met his and I could see that look on his face again, the quiet look, the one he gave me when he wanted to be the good Vance. I loved how his eyes were when he did that. I softened my own expression at him, I wanted to let him know it was okay,
but I was scared too. Vance struggled to get out what he really meant and I waited for it to come.

"I guess I just want you to, um," he paused again and then took a deep breath and blurted it out. "You want to go out with me?"

It was at that point that I melted, expectations griped me so that I couldn't do or say anything else except just quietly nod my head, but our eyes met and I knew what I wanted next. Thankfully he was able to give it nearly immediately.

Vance gently leaned down towards me and I raised myself up on my toes as I closed my eyes. I was never sure how people managed to get their lips on target when they did that, somehow in all of the romance books they never missed each other and ended up
falling over onto the ground or something. But I guess it works as a half-second later his lips met mine in mid-air.

For such a long moment I felt the sensation over my entire body, I remember how warm it was, I remember how good it felt, and I remember this strange tingling in my toes. I held the kiss for him as long as I could hold my breath, and as I was a pretty
good swimmer that was a long time. I wanted this moment to never end, I just wanted to die right here and now, that's how powerful it was to me.

Finally we let go and each of us took a deep breath as we opened our eyes, giggling because we had both done the same thing at the same moment. He then took me in his arms and wrapped them tight around me and I again felt wonderful. He was so strong,
and so warm, and I could only take another deep breath and close my eyes again, and I held him as tightly as I could.

We didn't say anything else, but that embrace lasted for minutes. We then kissed again, shorter but still just as sweet, and I smiled at him. I was happy and so was he: neither of us were alone any longer, we had ourselves and could share this wonderful
space and time together. He took another deep breath and then said the thing I didn't want to hear. "I guess we need to go back now."

"I don't want to go back," I told him.

"Well, that world won't save itself. Come on Tiger, we'd better go before they drag us back." I nodded again, reluctant to leave the little paradise where we had found each other. I put my hand inside of his and together we walked back to the house.

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No need for any comments on this chapter, it pretty much came together as good as it could. Hope you enjoyed it.