"Hmmmm?"

"Wake up. I need to talk," he said, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Whassamatter?" she mumbled, opening her sleepy eyes. She knew it wasn't time to wake up yet. Way too early.

"She's here, you know," he said.

"I know. I heard them on the Playstation earlier. I know you want to get up and be with her, but just wait a little longer, ok? Go back to sleep."

"I can't sleep. I just can't," he said sadly.

"Stop making yourself miserable, Kevin. You need to concentrate on making her happy and stop feeling sorry for yourself."

"I know. I'm trying," he said plaintively.

"No you're not. You haven't said one thing about her death that doesn't revolve around how unhappy you'll be when she's gone. That's selfish, Kevin. Selfish, selfish, selfish."

"I'm sorry," he whispered. She could hear the tears in his voice.

"No, don't be sorry. I'm sorry for being so short with you," she said, stroking his cheek. "I know you're hurting. If I could make it go away, you know I would."

"I know," he said.

"Try to go back to sleep, baby. She's fine up there with Nick."

"Ok. Hold me please," he said quietly. Rhiannon put her arms around him and pressed his head to her shoulder. She rested her cheek on top of his head and rubbed his back.

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

"Can we go wake them up now?" Nick asked, exasperated.

"Why? You sick of me already?" Kathleen laughed.

"Yes."

"Hey, just because I kicked your ass at the NASCAR game, you don't have to get all pissy," she said, smirking at him.

"NASCAR is for rednecks anyway," Nick pouted.

"Oh that's just sour grapes, Nicky Gene," she laughed.

"Don't call me that," he snapped.

"Nicky Gene, Nicky Gene," she said, then stuck her tongue out at him.

"You're worse than my sister, did you know that?"

"I try," she said, smiling triumphantly. "Order us a pizza or something."

"I don't want pizza," he said, folding his arms across his chest.

"Yeah right. When do you not want pizza?" Kathleen snorted.

"I'm gonna wake their asses up," Nick said. "I've had enough of you."

"Kevin'll kick you ass if you wake him up before the sun goes down all the way," Kathleen warned.

"It wouldn't be the first time Kevin kicked my ass," Nick said, walking toward the door leading downstairs. He opened the door and stared down the dark stairway. A chill went through his body, and he shivered. He knew it was just Rhiannon and Kevin down there, but it was still so spooky.

"Come with me," he said tentatively.

"I'm not going down there," she said, laughing. "There's vampires down there."

"Shut up," he muttered. "It's just Kevin and Rhiannon."

"Ooooh but what if there are ghosts down there, too?" she said in her best scary voice.

"There's no such thing as ghosts," Nick said crossly.

"Yeah, well, up until a few months ago, I'll bet you thought there was no such thing as vampires either, didn't you?" she snickered.

Nick looked at her and made a face. "Are you coming with me, or not?"

"I said I'm not going down there," she laughed. "It's dark and it's scary. Have you ever been down there?"

"No. Have you?"

"Uh-uh, and I don't want to either."

"Aren't you at least a little curious?" he asked.

"No..." she replied quietly.

"I am," Nick said, smiling mischievously. "Come on. Go with me."

Kathleen grinned. "Ok, but we can't wake them up, alright?"

"Ok. But I just have to see what's down there. Let's go."

Kathleen giggled as she walked to the top of the stairs. "Hold my hand," she said. "I'm scared."

"Oh I'll hold more than your hand if you want me to," Nick snickered.

"Perv."

"Damn skippy," he said, nodding. They held hands like kids as they walked quietly down the stairs.

"It sure is dark down here," Kathleen whispered. "Do you think there are spiders?"

"Don't say that," Nick said, shivering. "I hate spiders."

Once they were at the bottom of the long staircase, Nick felt along the wall for a light switch. He found one and flipped it on. They both sucked in their breath as they looked around the coffin room. It was painted a deep shade of hunter green, with flowing tapestries from all over the world hanging on the walls. There was dim, recessed lighting, giving the room a serene feel. The walls were lined with 5 coffins, but they were unobtrusive. There were beautiful overstuffed couches and soft throw pillows everywhere. The whole room looked comfortable and homey, very unlike anything either of them had expected. Kathleen sat down on one of the couches and looked up at Nick.

"No ghosts down here, I would venture to say," she whispered.

"This place is amazing," Nick said, looking around the room in astonishment. "Where the hell did they get all the money to do this? You know Kevin's the only one who works, and this is not really his taste in decor."

"You actually used the word 'decor'. And you used it correctly. I'm proud of you," Kathleen laughed.

"Fuck you," Nick snapped.

"No thanks."

The lid to Kevin's coffin opened, and Nick and Kathleen both jumped.

"Holy shit!" Nick exclaimed, running for the stairs. Kevin sat up and looked at them.

"What the hell are you two doing down here?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"We were... uh... curious," Kathleen said, smiling.

"Oh. Ok. You know it's not very safe for you guys to be venturing down here. What if Stephen or Lorelei had been here?" he said.

"Ohh didn't think of that," Nick said, shrugging.

"Yeah, well... just be careful next time," Kevin replied. Rhiannon sat up and ran her fingers through her hair. She hadn't slept long enough, and she was still a little mushy brained.

"Hey guys," she said, smiling. "Don't worry, Kat, I didn't touch him."

"I know. I trust you," Kathleen said, smiling. "And I trust him."

"Is it dark yet?" Rhiannon asked.

"Almost," Nick replied. "Why?"

"Cause I'm hungry," Rhiannon said. "Kev, you hungry?"

"Nah. Not really. Maybe later."

Rhiannon nodded and climbed out of the coffin. As she walked by Nick, she paused. She inhaled deeply. She could smell the blood in his veins. It was hot... she loved the taste of Nick. Her mouth began to water and her fangs threatened to unsheathe. She shook her head and patted Nick's cheek.

"Better stay away from me tonight, pretty boy," she said. "I'm feeling awfully randy."

"Oh, I like it when you're randy," Nick said, grabbing her around the waist.

"Ohhhh I wouldn't do that if I were you," she laughed, showing him a glimpse of her fangs. He smiled back.

"Do me baby," he said, lowering his eyes and smiling seductively.

"Don't tempt me," she said, extracting herself from his grasp. She made her way up to her bedroom and stripped off her clothes for a shower. As she stood under the hot spray, she closed her eyes and thought of AJ. She thought of his beautiful body. His hard, muscular chest. His strong hands. His soft, passionate lips. She ran her hands over her breasts, but her own hands did nothing for her. They weren't the hands she wanted.

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

Kevin hugged Kathleen and smiled down at her.

"Feel like going out tonight?" he asked.

"Yes. Yes I do," she answered. "Take me to the movies. We haven't had a real date in a long time."

"No, we haven't have we? Well, we'll definitely have to do something about that, won't we?"

"Yes. Go get dressed," she said, standing on her tip toes and kissing him.

"UGH! You two make me ill," Nick groaned. "I'm going upstairs." He stomped back up the stairs.

Kevin's hands roamed under the back of Kathleen's shirt, over her silky skin. She rested her head against his chest and held onto him tightly. Kevin slowly pulled her shirt up. She looked up at him curiously, and smiled.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm getting ready to make love to you," he said, smiling.

"Oh... well... if that's all," she said, shrugging. Kevin pulled her shirt over her head and threw it to the floor. He pressed his lips to hers and pulled her to his warm, naked chest. She moaned softly as his hands grazed down her back, then over her hips, pulling her shorts down with them. She stepped out of them and wrapped her arms around his neck. His green eyes locked with hers, and he smiled a sexy smile. He grasped her ass and picked her up, sitting her down on a desk in the corner. He stepped back in the dim light and slowly stripped off his boxers, never losing her gaze. When he returned to her, she put her arms around his neck and he leaned down, propping himself up with his hands on the desk. She wrapped her legs around his waist, as he entered her body. He closed his eyes and moaned softly, then kissed her deeply. He held her in a strong embrace and as he gently thrust into her over and over.

"I won't break," she said softly, smiling up at him. Kevin smiled and thrust into her a little harder. She closed her eyes and sighed. Kevin kissed her neck and ran his hand through her hair. He felt his fangs coming down involuntarily and he pulled back.

"What's wrong?" she whispered.

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head. He kissed her lips and willed his teeth to return to normal. The heat between their bodies rose, and Kevin found himself thrusting into her harder and harder. She cried out in passion as she came, her walls throbbing around his hardness. He slowed his pace and kissed down her neck, laying her down on the desk.

"Roll over," he whispered, smiling down at her.

"Wha.. .huh?" she said, laughing.

"Roll over," he repeated, withdrawing from her. She did as he asked, and he bent her over the desk. He thrust into her walls again, and groaned. He held her hips and began his rhythm. Within a few seconds, his orgasm overtook him, and he threw his head back, gasping.

"God, I love you," he said, breathlessly.

"I love you too," she said, standing and facing him. "More than anything in the world."

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