"How are you feeling?" Nixon asked as I came back into the room. I wanted to explain to him what Emily had said but he probably already knew. Vampires could hear that far. I shook my head as if to say that I didn't want to talk about it. Maybe I really just needed to leave and get space.

I walked over to the drawer and pulled out my old clothes and shoes. "Maybe I should leave right now," I said without turning to look at him. I knew he was coming closer to me.

"Emily can be fired if she offended you," he said in a harsh tone.

I turned around and whispered, "That would only make her right."

I walked into the bathroom and shut the door. Nixon was of course listening on the other side of the door.

"But she is right. You're one of us."

I struggled to get out of the tight fitting white dress. It was really pretty and did hug my curves very well. It almost made me re think leaving it behind.

"I am still human last time I checked," I said as I slipped on my jeans and tee. My converses were also cleaned which shocked me. I never would have cleaned them myself.

He tapped the door, "But you're forgetting that you only have a year left of your humanity."

I paused for a second, "I know."

We were both silent. I looked up to my hair and began to braid it to the side as I usually did. I did take some time to admire my hair down because I figured that I would never have it down ever again. Or maybe not for a while.

When I was done I looked the same as I had every day of my life. My eyes were a dull lifeless gray and my lips rather plump. I had lost my little touch of Nixon. I left the bathroom and saw Nixon sitting down on the bed. He was staring at me and seemed to be lost in thoughts.

"Nixon, " I breathed.

His head snapped in my direction and next thing I knew he was in front of me. He put his arms around me in an embrace. I melted in it because I felt that same pain that he was feeling.

"Tell me why I should let you go?" He whispered into my ear.

"Because you love me."

He chuckled but it sounded rough,"That's the dumbest notion I've ever heard."

I laughed with him because that did sound pretty dumb. I mean if you love someone, won't that make it even harder to let go?

"Okay. Let me go because I will be back," I said kissing his cheek. He turned his head and my lips collided with his. I swore that our lips were made for each other. There's no way that we would fit together this well if they weren't. His tongue slid into my mouth without permission and I welcomed it. I was barely breathing as we continued to suffocate each other.

He broke the kiss and his eyes were glowing green down at me. "You better come back," he warned. I smiled at his possessiveness. I would miss it.

"I suppose I have to tell the others," he said in a monotone voice. I nodded and saw him clap twice. I raised my eyebrow at him and he just nodded to behind me. The bedroom door closed and I turned around. My heart almost jumped out of my chest. Standing there was Celia, Cas, Fredrick, and Kane. They were all bowing at Nixon respectfully.

Nixon spoke with authority, "I want you to take Aubrey back to her house. She is to wake up in her bed. She will be unconscious so make sure that she is handled with care." They all nodded at his instructions as if they were simple.

I looked back at Nixon, "Why will I be unconscious?"

He pulled out the picture of me from his back pocket, "I want to enjoy the little time that we do have. Just us."

Celia had her arms wrapped around me very quickly as if she were steadying me. I nodded at him and he closed his eyes. The familiar drowsiness came upon me and I welcomed the slumber with a silent yawn.

Dream

We were dancing among the flowers. And if you stared hard enough it almost looked like the flowers were dancing with us. There was no music. We were dancing at our own pace with the wind. I was in my white dress again and flowers were in my hair. Nixon was an incredible dancer, he spun me back and forth as if I were an extension of his own body. I giggled when he gave me a playful peck on my lips.

His eyes were shining and his smile was dazzling. I smiled back and laid my head on his chest. I didn't fell any sign of a heartbeat and I wasn't that surprised. I didn't expect anything to be there but realization still hurt. We could never be normal. With him, I could never be normal.

"Penny for your thoughts," He asked stroking my hair. He could be so gentle but so possessive.

"What if I change my mind about next year?" I asked in a whisper. I knew he'd hear me anyway.

He looked down at me, "You can't love. You promised."

"I know but what if I get into a good college. Or what if things get complicated with my mom and I wanna help her. What if me and Alissa go to college together?"

He stayed quiet for a moment and I already knew his answer. It didn't matter if I wanted to stay because to him I was already his. I really did want to come back and see him but I just wished that he could somehow come to me. A countryside in Romania was cute but it wasn't realistic for jobs.

He pulled back and kissed my forehead, "Let's not worry about that. Just dance with me."

So we did. We danced and kissed and laughed for hours. Time stood still and let us have our little infinity. No one to disturb us. I should have thought about how confusing it would be when I returned home. People would think that I ran away because I couldn't handle James's death. I would agree with them. That's better than the truth.

He stopped dancing with me and pulled me back to look up into his face. We stared at each other for some moments.

"It's time for me to let you go," He said with a lump stuck in his throat. His voice sounded so hoarse. I nodded and blinked back some tears that threatened to fall down.

"It's not fair," I whispered as a tear escaped.

"Life isn't," he said stroking my hair, "But we will meet again Aubrey Nova."

The sky dimmed and his face slowly faded away, until all I saw was a shimmer of green.

***********************************************************************

My head hurts.

I almost jumped out of bed when I realized that I was awake. I was tucked away safely in bed with my clothes and even my shoes still on. I pulled the covers off and headed to the room door. There were definitely voices from the living room. I don't think anyone even knew that I was home yet.

I took off my shoes and put them by the door. If no one knew I was here, then how did I get here? I looked around my room but saw no evidence of a break in. The latch on my window however was unlocked. I smiled softly. Of course.

I decided that I couldn't hide out in my room because what if they came in here? How would I explain that I got back in here. How would I explain it if I did leave? Oh well. I walked out of the room and down the stairs quietly. I could recognize my mom's voice and then some man's voice.

"But it's been a week Ray. I was never fair to her. She left because of me," she sobbed. My heart almost broke. She was fair to me for everything. She just tried to push me harder. My mother saw potential in me that I never understood. While I thought I was ugly and ordinary she thought I was beautiful and unique.

"Aubrey will come back, I have to meet my daughter at least once," said the man's voice. He sounded buff. Like a body builder or something. My heart rate sped up. So my dad was in my house. Without thinking I rushed into the living room.

They were sitting on the couch cuddled together consoling one another. My moms eyes widened and she almost jumped on me as she saw me. My father's eyes widened as well. My mom just kept whispering, "I'm sorry."

I wanted to tell her that it wasn't her fault but I was still looking at my father. He had short brown hair and tattoo's that were visible under his white tee shirt. He didn't look dangerous but he did look as if he had gone through a whole lot. My mother pulled away from me and she was still crying.

"I'm sorry baby. I'm sorry that I wasn't supportive enough and that I never helped out when you lost James. I will be better," she said patting my shoulders to make sure that I was really there.

I gave her a tight hug, "I love you mom. Its not your fault, I just needed a break from everything." I said which wasn't completely a lie. I did need a break from the struggle of things.

My father stood up and cleared his throat. His grey eyes seemed nervous. "Hey Aubrey. I'm Ray Simmon's. Your dad."

I bit my lip and looked for any similarities between us. He had the same eyes and the same sculpted jaw line. I gave him a small smile.

"My name is Aubrey."