Eternity's Ending (our version of events) - Book One

Vincent

"What did you say?" I'm pretty certain Xander is still sleeping but I check to see if she is actually talking to me.

"Xander?" I say loud enough be heard if she is awake but not disturb her if she is sleeping.

Another round of indiscernible words passes from her. Before I can make the move to wake her she is sobbing hysterically. It becomes clear to me why I never had the chance to witness a sleeping Xander. I fluctuate between waking her and giving her the privacy she is used to having when dealing with bad dreams. A split second recap of our conversation last night, where she purged her closet of all potential skeletons yet failed to mention night terrors, tells me she doesn't want my involvement. But I refuse to allow her to suffer through a nightmare.

"Xander," my voice is immediately drowned out by a blaring sound coming from her coat pocket across the room. I jump up to grab it and she wakes as well. I was hoping to ease her into consciousness instead of her being ripped into it by her alarm clock.

"What are you doing?" I can't place her tone; accusatory, unwelcoming, confused... "Vincent?"

"Yes?"

"What are you doing?" she repeats.

"I was going to turn off your alarm. I didn't mean to jump up like that. It just startled me, is all." I feel very much like an intruder.

The brilliant red of her tear stained eyes gauges the plausibility of my story.

"Were you going to wake me or just turn off the alarm?"

"I was going to wake you, Xander. I just wanted you to be able to wake up slowly. You know, ease into the morning." I lay back down on the bed next to her. "Isn't that traumatic, waking up like that, like the world is on fire and you need to get a move on?"

She laughs at some inside joke.

"What's funny?"

"There are far worse ways to wake up than the sound of my alarm clock, Vincent."

"Like what?" I'm prying now. I want to see if she mistakenly omitted the dreams or if she just doesn't want me to know about them.

"Like..." her phone plays a jazz instrumental, "like an ultra nosey Cassie."

She bounds off the bed and grabs her phone.

"I can't talk, he's still here," she whispers poorly, grinning at me all the while.

"You can talk. I'll go make us some pancakes."

"Let me call you right back," I hear Xander say, "Vincent wait."

"I turn to face her.

"You don't like pancakes?"

"I love pancakes but I don't have time. I've got to get to work."

"Work?"

"You've heard of it, right? It's a place where people go to make this stuff called money. You know, to pay their bills or leave on people's nightstands," she is highly entertained by that one but I must look as though her words aren't registering.

She adds a reference she feels will drive the point home for me.

"It's the reason why I can't wake up slowly, at least not during the week."

"I know what work is, Xander. The question isn't what is work, the question is why are you required to go?"

"Because you have yet to appoint yourself as my sugar daddy."

"Fine. I'm your sugar daddy. You'll stay home then," my words have a very commanding feel.

"I can't stay home. I have to go to work."

"No, you're choosing to go to work. It's no longer a requirement since I'm officially your sugar daddy."

"Fine. Then I am choosing to go to work."

"But it's raining out," I cross the room to her and pull back the window curtains to reveal the dreary morning, "there's no need to go outside."

"I won't melt."

"But your sugar daddy will and I know you aren't going to let me hang out here and sniff through all of your belongings. That's eight whole hours I'll have to look for secrets while you're away," I've garnered a smile and pull her into me encouraged.

"The outside world can't offer us anything better than what we are holding in our arms. Stay here with me. I'll make you some banana pancakes, put you back to sleep. We can spend all day practicing the art of waking up slowly."

Cassie calls back before Xander has a chance to agree.

"You don't really need to answer that do you?"

"Let me at least tell her I'm not going in."

"She's a smart girl. I'm sure she will figure it out."

The phone goes silent.

I kiss her lips gratefully.

"Work, the outside world, Cassie, they will all be there tomorrow but today is special. It's National Xander Has A Boyfriend Day and it's required that you stay home and celebrate with me. Clothing is optional but frowned upon," I decide to keep this day perfect by mentioning neither the dream nor that she is officially my greatest birthday gift.