Dawn Breaks, Our Moment Ends

[xXPeterxX]

When the rain is blowing in your face,
and the whole world is on your case,
I could offer you a warm embrace
to make you feel my love.

When the evening shadows and the stars appear,
and there is no one there to dry your tears,
I could hold you for a million years
to make you feel my love.

Peter was floating… drifting… held up by something that was neither air nor water. Just darkness. He couldn’t tell if the darkness was his own doing, or if there was simply nothing to see.

He felt very alone here. And although Peter was used to being alone, as he had been all his life, he was tired of it, and he no longer knew which thought frightened him more: being alone the rest of his days, or needing someone to fill void.

Then Peter suddenly became aware of a weight on his arm. In this cold, empty place, Peter’s fingers brushed over a warm shape, wrapped loosely in his arms. As he did, he felt the warmth spread through him like fire in a forest, and he pulled the shape closer to him, taking comfort in its presence as a baby would a pacifier. In the back of his mind, Peter baulked at the idea, but the thought slipped away quickly. In this moment, Peter didn’t find the idea of reliance so repulsive.

I know you haven't made your mind up yet,
but I would never do you wrong.
I've known it from the moment that we met,
no doubt in my mind where you belong.

With that, Peter drifted into consciousness. For a few seconds, his eyes remained closed, his mind clinging to the belief that he was still in that cool, dark space with his warm foreign shape, and thus far away from the imminent dangers of the waking world. His arms tightened around the shape, afraid it would disappear should he let it go. But as he did, he heard a grunt, and the shape shifted in his arms, pushing further back against his chest.

Peter’s eyes flew open, and it took all his will power not to lurch away from the shape, which he realized, after a moment, would have left him on the floor of Autumn’s tent, and probably would have knocked the cot they were sleeping on to the ground as well. As his senses returned to him, Peter was able to more clearly take in his surroundings and, unfortunately, remember the events of the night before.

Pride… he thought with malice. The devilish little specter had drugged them, leaving them both more undisposed than anything they could have ordered at the bar would have. Undisposed, and completely vulnerable. Peter’s stomach coiled at the thought.

Fortunately, Peter’s vampire blood kicked in after a few hours, and he came to his senses in the middle of watching Autumn belt out a love song on karaoke. He’d been momentarily mesmerized, and 100% confused, but as he put two and two together, Peter wrote it off as an effect of the drug. By the time Peter had collected Autumn and all but carried her back to the camp, shushing her as he would a child so no soldier would wake, Pride had vanished. The ghoul had probably realized that sticking around at that point would have been a mistake.

Peter had tried to tune out Autumn’s ramblings as he helped her to her tent, knowing that anything she said would have no meaning in the morning, but snippets of her words were emblazoned in his mind. Would she remember telling him that she didn’t want to die anymore? If she did, would she feel the same way now in the faint morning light?

And for all that had been said last night, there was more left unsaid.

I'd go hungry; I'd go black and blue,
I'd go crawling down the avenue.
No, there's nothing that I wouldn't do
to make you feel my love.

As soon as Peter had deposited Autumn on her cot, she’d begun stripping down to her under clothes, leaving her in a tank top and underwear. Peter had averted his eyes, his cheeks warmer than was comfortable. He’d turned to leave as she crawled under the sheets.

“Don’t go…”

Peter paused in the doorway.

“Please don’t leave me...”

When he turned to look at her, her expression was somewhere between exhaustion and sorrow. He couldn’t leave her like that. “Lay with me,” she commanded, though it came out more as a question than a demand, sounding as sad and tired as she looked.

He crossed the tent in a few strides, kicked off his shoes and carefully lifted himself over her and lowered himself on the other side of the cot. She turned into him, burying her face in his shirt. He pulled the sheet up over them, tucking it around her shoulders to keep her warm. Still, she shivered as she drifted off to sleep, the toxin working its way out of her system and leaving her defenseless against the cold night. He wiggled out of his t-shirt and held her up to carefully slip it over her head. It came down slightly past her thighs, relieving him slightly, and it seemed to do the trick. Autumn was out like a light, curled tightly against him.

The storms are raging on the rolling sea
and on the highway of regret.
Though the winds of change are throwing wild and free,
you ain't seen nothing like me yet.

Peter had planned to only stay long enough to make sure she was sound asleep and safe. Then he would slip away into the trees before she could wake. Neither one of them really wanted to say goodbye, so why not skip the affair all together? However, the exhaustion from his lack of sleep kept him where he was just a little longer than it should have, and the warmth radiating from Autumn’s body lulled him into a deep sleep.

It was not yet morning, but Peter could hear the birds of the forest stirring in their nests, getting ready to sing their morning tune. The sky was lighter, and Peter knew he didn’t have much time if he wanted to slip away quietly without notice. But he continued to lie there, Autumn’s back pressed to his front, her head in the crook of his arm and her hair in his face. It felt nice, like the feeling from his dream.

But he knew that it had to end. If he was caught in Autumn’s tent, she would be in more trouble than Peter could save her from. So he squeezed her tighter, just for a minute, closing his eyes and savoring her warmth.

I could make you happy, make your dreams come true.
Nothing that I wouldn't do.
Go to the ends of the Earth for you
to make you feel my love.

[/sub]

[xWolfx]

They said that I can't change without you
That I can't change without you
That I can't change without you

dry, so very dry. her tongue felt too big to fit in her mouth and dryer than the desert sun. she woke to the uncomfortable feeling of her dry mouth followed by a tangy, unnamed after taste. slowly, her body and mind slipped into a fuzzy consciousness. her eyelids felt almost too heavy to open, so set let them stay closed for a moment longer. brow creasing, she slowly became aware of three very confusing realities.

she couldn't remember anything of the night before.

she couldn't explain where she was at this moment.

and finally, worst of all, there was someone laying directly behind her.

Those nights I can't sleep
I'm stuck here
Lost in your dreams
I'm stuck in here

what happened last night? i only had two drinks, there's no way i could have gotten drunk for the moment, autumn refused to move. her mind was too fuzzy to hold any sustaining thoughts for too long, and when she tried to remember the events that took place the previous night, only static replaced what should have been crystal clear memories. her temples seemed to throb with each passing heartbeat, making anything fulfilling thoughts slip into smoke before she could cling onto them for any period of time.

Like why can't I get much better?
Like why can't I get much better?

So fight me and take it away
And never, never lie to me
So fight me and take it away
And never, never lie to me

where was she? had one of her enemies drugged her drink when she wasn't paying attention? she forced her breathing to say calm and even, trying to keep the appearance of being in a deep sleep. if she had been taken, she didn't want to face her kidnappers with her mind so unclear and foggy. slowly, trying to avoid catching anyone's eye, she tested the weights on her wrists and ankles where she normally loaded down with blades. unfortunately, all four limbs were free from the cold bite of metal against skin.

The only reason my eyes close.
Is so they open with you by my side

creasing her brow even further, she realized that there was a soft breeze on her legs, and whatever top she was wearing was far looser than she would have chosen. had she changed into this before falling asleep? or had her kidnappers forced her into this attire? gritting her teeth, she tried again to replay the images of last night. she had gone out with......someone. who? where did she go? she remember feeling sad, almost empty, as if she was saying goodbye to someone she knew she was going to miss deeply.

Like why can't I get much better?
Like why can't I get much better?

So fight me and take it away
And never, never lie to me
So fight me and take it away
And never, never lie to me

where ever she was, she'd figure it out soon enough. flexing her muscles one at a time, she checked to see of there were any injuries before figuring out her surroundings. besides the slow pounding in her skull, there was no other injures that she could tell. tensing up, she prepared to roll over, trying to pin who ever it was beside her to the ground. as she tensed, her mind cleared enough for her to realize the soft, musky scent that surrounded her wasn't the scent of any enemy she knew. in fact, it wasn't the scent of an enemy at all. peter.....

And never lie,
I will never lie,
I will wait for,
Wait for, wait for,
I will wait for,
Wait for, wait for,
I will wait for you,
Wait for,
I will wait for you,
I'll wait for tomorrow.

as if he had heard the thought, his loose grip on her tightened slightly. forgetting any caution about being kidnapped and enemies now, her eyes flew open. she had been sleeping next to peter after a night of drinking? that....that....no. forcing herself to sit up, ignoring the way the walls of her tent seemed to be swaying and the unsteadiness that rippled through her. her gaze first fell down to her lap where she sat in an oversized t-shirt that she assumed was peters and her own underwear. had they....? was it possible that she drank far more than she remembered and they ended up hooking up? a fresh wave of nausea had her grinding her teeth to keep from doubling over. slowly standing, she turned to finally face peter. "oh.......shit. we....uh...didn't................d- did we?" her voice was shaky and hoarse with a mixture of confusion, slight regret and a twinge of fear.

So open your eyes, my darling.
Today's a new day as I'm wakin' up

idiot. her mind snapped at her so loudly that she almost flinched against the loud noise. what if they had ended up together last night? would peter never want to see her again, thinking that she was sleazy. as she stood there, shaking from the concoction of the drugs and alcohol making their way out of her body, as well as the slight fear that everything she had felt for this half vampire had poured out of her last night. she could have driven him away from her indefinitely last night. another ripple of fear coursed through her body. why was this happening? how had it happened? hopefully peter could give her some answers.

Like why can't I get much better
Like why can't I get much better
Like why can't I
Like why can't I
Get better...

[/sub]

[xXPeterxX]

<sub>For the second time that morning, Peter nearly flew out of his skin and onto the floor. Autumn’s body was suddenly ripped from his grip, and all his senses went on defense. Fortunately, he caught himself before he could do any damage to the imaginary villain stealing Autumn away from him, and realized that it was only Autumn herself, waking in shock.

Peter watched her slowly gather her thoughts and piece together the scene. He didn’t realize how big the storm brewing inside her head was growing until she stood and he could see her shaking. Was she upset? Perhaps she could remember the previous night as clearly as he and was building a wall of rage inside to hurtle Pride through.

The image nearly made Peter smile.

But when she turned it wasn’t anger in her eyes, it was fear. “Oh... shit.” she said, her volume barely above a whisper. “We… uh… didn’t… d-did we?”

Peter was silent for a few beats, confused. And then he grasped what she was implying, realizing what a loss of memory would make their situation appear to be: she in his t-shirt, he in her bed.

“No,” he replied, his tone just the slightest bit harsher than he’d meant it to be, which he hadn’t at all. [b“We didn’t,”</sub>

[/b] he reassured her. He didn’t know why, but the obvious disgust she was displaying at the very notion of having accidently slept with him in a drunken haze felt like a slap in the face.

But… what if they had? The thought hadn’t even occurred to Peter last night. It’s not like it was something that he spent a great deal of time thinking about, unlike most boys his age. Peter assumed it was either because of his heritage—being half vampire—or because of his upbringing—or rather, lack there of. Being a half-breed and having to raise himself meant that he’d matured faster than then the average teen. And he knew that Autumn’s past experience had forced her to grow up pretty fast as well.

Still, what if they had? What if the drugs hadn’t worn off when they had? What if he’d been just as out of it as Autumn had when they’d trudged back to camp? What would have happened, and how would they have faced the consequences in the morning?

The vampire shook the thoughts from his mind. He had no answers to these questions, nor did he want to know them. There was no point in asking “what if” because it would make no difference. He was leaving, and Autumn was going to war, and that was the end of it.

Peter tossed the thin blanket aside and stood, stretching his arms behind him and then over his head, working out the stiffness that had settled in overnight. “Um…” he mumbled, looking around the floor of the tent and picking up the first discarded shirt he could find. He held it out to Autumn. “Do you mind?” he asked, glancing down at his t-shirt and then looking away a little sheepishly, not wanting to ogle at her but knowing that he kind of needed his shirt back if he didn’t want to freeze to death later that night.

Freeze to death. Huh. Peter wondered if death was capable of taking him in such an easy, human way.[/blockquote][/sub]