My Guardian Vampire

"I shit you not," Gerard said, stepping to my side with a few dull thunks of his shoes on the dock before sitting down. How had I not heard him approach--had I really been so absorbed in my thoughts? Gerard moved, distracting me, my eyes betraying me as they followed his every movement, curious. He leaned his arms on his knees, folding them over, his head resting on them as he stared out at the black sea of nothing that laid before us.

I hugged my knees close to me, trying to keep warm.

"What are you doing here anyway?" I asked after a minute or two of silence. He laughed, but I just continued to stare at him, waiting for an answer. If anything, he had my curiosity.

"I could ask you the same thing," he purred, and I finally looked away from him, rolling my eyes at his cliché. He laughed again, and for a brief moment I had to subdue my own smirk. His laugh always surprised me--I expected it to be taunting, but instead, it sounded warm. True. After a moment's pause, I decided to answer first.

"I'm doing a favor for my mom; we partly own a house down here. She sent me down here to do something for a tenant." Gerard looked surprised.

"Just my luck..." he said quietly, the comment seeming more to himself than for my ears. I looked at him strangely, not understanding what that meant. Did he not want me here or something? I decided to take this as a good sign that he didn’t like me, a thought I thankfully welcomed. All the more reason to not see each other, all the more chance to get my heart to stop feeling so fragile.

"So what are you doing here?" I asked again, slightly more comfortable now. I suddenly felt a strange sadness, watching him stare out into the water, the illumination from the antique lights lining the dock bouncing off the water, illuminating his face.

Maybe... Maybe I did like him a little, but still, I don't think I needed all this confusion.

"Your last name doesn't happen to be Reed, does it?" he asked, ignoring my question. I sighed.

"It is, but you're not answering my question," I said stubbornly, resisting the urge to have my tone become cross.

"I guess I'm your tenant.."

'Oh...crap.'

"O-oh..." I stuttered, my surprise tripping my thoughts. "That's... unusual..." I trailed as I tried to take this information in. Gerard laughed, and for the briefest of moments my stomach tensed in an odd lurch. It was cut off quickly though, as my whole body abruptly shivered. Gerard looked concerned.

"Want to go in now?" he asked, preparing to stand. He didn't look cold in the slightest.

"No--that’s ok, I like it out here," I admitted, closing my eyes and breathing into my hands for warmth.

"Okay," Gerard said simply, shrugging off his jacket. He put it over me.

"Won’t you g-get c-c-cold?" I asked, really shivering now. Smooth. He laughed again.

"No, trust me, I don’t get cold," he said, putting his arm around me. I shivered again from his touch, and hoped he would think it was just from the air. It was a gentleman's act, and seemed well enough to have no bad intentions behind it, but it felt odd. Usually when guys did that it was cheesy, a way for them to get close. For him it seemed... Automatic. Like it was simply what he was supposed to do. I supposed I liked that it was genuine, but it was still odd in a way that made me frown in confusion.

He and I stared at nothing for a while once again, and I had to admit I enjoyed just sitting here at night. The calm rolling of the soft waves as they hit the dock was peaceful, almost putting me to sleep. The black ink below us just seemed to stretch to endless depths, a void of night sky pinpointed by wavering stars that were the lamplights around us. As time blurred on I felt as almost if I could fall into the black in a peaceful manner, calmly dissolve into the night. The peace of it all made me strangely happy, not knowing I could be so content in this situation. Surprising myself, I realized I actually enjoyed this.

Suddenly, Gerard moved his arm off around me, putting his hands behind him, leaning on them. He then began to sing, momentarily bringing me out of my zen.

"Late dawns and early sunsets, just like my favorite scenes
Then holding hands and life was perfect, just like up on the screen...
And the whole time while always giving
Counting your face among the living..."

I watched him, my face emotionless as I continued to hug my knees. Though I was in peace, I was still cold--but only noticed this as I suddenly began to feel warmer. I stopped shivering as he looked at me as he sang.

"Up and down escalators, pennies and colder fountains
Elevators and half price sales, trapped in by all these mountains...
Running away and hiding with you,
I never thought they'd get me here
Not knowing you'd change from just one bite
I fought them all off just to hold you close and tight..."

Though some part of me knew it was still bitter cold, the air began to felt very thick, almost humid. I closed my eyes, beginning to feel drowsy from the heat. The more I wanted to open my eyes, the more my body wanted to close them.

"But does anyone notice?
But does anyone care?
And if I had the guts to put this to your head...
But would anything matter
If you're already dead?
And well should I be shocked now
By the last thing you said?
Before I pull this trigger,
Your eyes vacant and stained..."

I decided to not fight the urge to close my eyes, figuring as long as I stayed awake, I would be okay. I just listened to his voice, singing along perfectly to a silent tune, the melody somehow there in the back of my mind, without music.

"But does anyone notice?
But does anyone care?
And if I had the guts to put this to your head...
And would anything matter if you're already dead?
And now should I be shocked by the last thing you said?
Before I pull this trigger,
Your eyes vacant and stained...
And in saying you loved me,
Made things harder at best,
And these words changing nothing
As your body remains,
And there's no room in this hell,
There's no room in the next,
And our memories defeat us,
And I'll end this direst.

But does anyone notice?
But does anyone care?
And if I had the guts to put this to your head...
But does anything matter if you're already dead?
And should I be shocked now by the last thing you said?
Before I pull this trigger,
Your eyes vacant and stained...
And in saying you loved me,
Made things harder at best,
And these words changing nothing
As your body remains,
And there's no room in this hell,
There's no room in the next,
But does anyone notice there's a corpse in this bed?"

I opened my eyes slowly as I realized the song had ended. I felt the cold of the real world seep in again, my shiver returning. Gerard held out his arm, and I moved close to him, his arm sliding carefully around my back before my head rested on his shoulder.

We sat for a moment like this, still gazing into that everlasting nothingness.

"Ali..?" he ventured, probably wondering if I had fallen asleep.

"Hmm?" I hummed, looking up into his face. He touched my cheek lightly with his free hand, not quite smiling. His thumb ran smoothly but delicately across my cheek, as if I was breakable, or as if I would suddenly disappear. He seemed lost in thought still, and I tried reading his eyes. There was no emotion behind them-- totally unreadable. I closed my eyes and shuddered slightly, wondering why there was never any life behind them.

"Ali Reed?" he asked softly, and I opened my eyes again, looking at him. He then leaned forward, closing that gap, and began to kiss me. Though I knew--at least some part, floating on my conscious knew--I should have, I didn't fight it. I was so tired, so abused, so alone that I couldn't fight him anymore, not tonight. There was that same odd feeling--but after tonight, with my exhaustion, I could barely comprehend it, and just let it flow. I hesitantly responded to his mouth,leaning in as he held my face softly yet firmly to his own.

I suddenly opened my eyes wide as I thought of something, the thought striking me like an a-bomb. I hastily began to push him away, leaving him looking very confused.

"Gerard," I said, holding his arms and looking into his face closely. "How did you know my name?"