Erasure and Affirmation (Hypernaturals 11)

Get Used To It

I watched the sun setting over the Nightwing. Remembering that first sunset on her. I looked over at Jessica chatting animately with Tala about something. I was not listening. I was remembering the sunset colors playing across her skin that day. How the sun loves Gaia.

DeWayne and Carol sat down on either side of me. They had been playing together up over the ridge. If Vera and Angel meant for their wedding to equal lots of people finding physical ways to say 'I love you' somewhere in the cove or on the boat, they succeeded.

"What are you looking at?" DeWayne asked.

"The past more than anything. My first night with Jessica was on the Nightwing after a day on a nude beach. Not this one. This one did not exist back then. Hippie Hollow. Up the lake that way." I gestured vaguely. "The night she turned me, though she did not know that at the time."

"Ahh." DeWayne said. He looked around. "Where are Danny and Lori?"

"While you two were making love back up over there, they swam back to the Nightwing to make love in the bed." I explained. "Danny is still a little shy about some things."

"You are not, I take it?" DeWayne asked.

"At this point, not so much. Denise watched me go to the bathroom when I was darted. My last private thing. Gone with the Denise. That is like 'With the Wind' except its 'With the Denise'. "

Denise, being in earshot, came over and sat down. All honey-colored wind-blown hair and the scent of coconut from the sunscreen. A chemical we have to tolerate when we are her skin color. "You know what? I regret the day. He will not let me forget it. What are you looking at?" she asked me.

"Color matching." I said. Normally I would never say such a thing, but the point is to embarrass Denise as she did me.

"Oh. OK. As long as it is a good reason." Denise said. "I am told by Vera I did that for you."

"You did. Thank you." I agreed.

"Ok. Fine. I did. At least you noticed." Denise said.

"Oh, please." Carol laughed. "He's a nice guy and tried to hide it, but he always notices women. The first time he saw me naked, he noticed."

I did but saw no point in admitting that.

DeWayne crossed his legs, and Carol laid down in his lap.

"I want our wedding day to be this perfect." Carol said.

"The secret? My opinion? No stress. No one saying how it had to be done. No motherly interference about details. Ask Lori about that. Her mom has all these ideas about the perfect wedding for her baby. Why Lori and Danny are getting married in our Hall. So her mom can plan the perfect wedding and not even know they are already hitched. They won't sweat the details of the second ceremony because to them, there are not any. Lori's mom will tell them what to do, and they will not care. Their marital issues are getting used to the things Vampiredom will bring them later. For Danny, that means being comfortable not only naked but admitting he is attracted to women other than Lori. He can't stand that about himself right now. He wants to be true blue. He does not yet see when you live our lifespans, you can build on love."

"It's a very human point of view." Carol noted. She was not intentionally poking at DeWayne I think. DeWayne overall does seem to be adapting better than Danny to the way of things.

"I'm going to lay in your lap." Denise told me and stretched out.

Carol rolled her head over to watch Denise arrange herself. "How are you going to work that, Denise?"

"Work what?" Denise asked. I had to admit, I had no idea what Carol meant either.

"Him. The guy you are laying on. That you would like to turn into a lollipop, starting right there?" Carol asked.