White Veil

Carolyn awoke to the scent of bacon pervading the air. She stretched her limbs and groaned before rolling off the bed onto her legs.

"Well, that's one thing off my bucket list."

Silently, she crept through the door leading into the hall. Spike was in the kitchen standing over the stove. She snuck up behind him and wrapped her forelegs around him.

"Morning."

"Hey..."

"You okay?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Better than that."

"That's good. I was worried I might've got a little too rough last night."

"Nope. It was just the right amount."

"You're funny."

"Wanna' hear something hysterical?"

"Whatcha' got?"

"I've been dreaming about getting laid since I was sixteen."

"Fifteen for me."

Carolyn hacked up a lung at his response. Spike put the spatula down and turned around. He knelt before his flame. He brushed her bangs which covered her left eye to the side.

"Hey, gorgeous. Where have you been all my life?"

"Avoiding you on purpose until you got the biggest hard-on ever."

"Blunt and direct as always."

"Would you have it any other way?"

"Nope."

They shared a gentle kiss. Carolyn's ear twitched. She hadn't noticed the TV was turned on.

"What band is that?"

"7 Angels 7 Plagues."

"Why do I feel like I've heard them before?"

"The EP came out when we were little. You might have heard it when it was new."

"'Until the Day Breathes and the Shadows Flee, huh? The art looks pretty old school."

"It came out in 2000 I think."

"Damn. That was when everybody wanted to skate."

"You ever notice how extreme music always pops up around the same time skating sees a surge in popularity?"

"Teen angst is a hell of a drug."

"Interestingly enough, this is one of the few heavy bands Twilight actually likes."

"Probably because of the progressive rock elements. Sounds like they did something similar to Hopesfall."

"Evergreen Terrace, too."

"Wonder why they stopped making stuff like this."

"It was kind of a trend more than anything at the time, but it's one of the few trends I actually thought was kind of cool. 7 Angels in particular had lyrics similar to stuff you see a lot in gothic rock. They just made it heavier."

"You did strike me as a mixed personality. I guess you follow all sorts of alternative scenes."

"Goth, metal, emo, punk - whatever I really feel like at the time. There were other groups back in the day that mixed gothic rock with death and doom metal. First ones that come to mind are My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost, Pyogenesis, Anathema, and Katatonia. Most of them changed up their sounds later."

"You know a lot about this stuff."

"I secluded myself for ten years. Had to do something to pass the time."

"For what it's worth, I'm glad you came back."

"So am I."

Spike and Carolyn hugged each other tightly. The comfort their contact brought one another was far beyond description.

"I should get home after we eat. Twilight's probably worrying her head off right now."

"We'll skate later."

"Yeah."

The leaves crunched beneath Spike's shoes as he approached the house he shared with Twilight and Flash.

"Here goes..."

The door was locked. He pulled his key from the pocket of his jeans.

"I'm home," he called out. There was no reply, "Must be out. Guess I'll have to take my tongue lashing later. Fun," He climbed the stairs to his room.

Twilight and Flash made it home a quarter after five with groceries in tow.

"Spike, are you home?"

The dragon stepped back down.

"Hey..."

"You look down. Did something happen?"

"I figured you'd be mad about not getting in touch last night."

"I can take a guess what you were doing. How was it?"

"How was what?"

"Don't try to play dumb. You're a terrible liar."

"All I can say is, what I suspected is true,"

"And what would that be?"

"Now I know why you and Flash go at it so often. Can we drop it now, please?"

"Fair enough."

"I swear, sometimes you're way too curious for your own good."

"I can't help it."

"If you say so."

Spike helped Flash and Twilight put the food away before going back upstairs. On the desk next to his bed, there was a notebook. He rarely wrote anything down unless he was deeply lost in thought. Now was one of those times. He opened it to a page marked with 7 Angels 7 Plagues lyrics. Next to them, he wrote something new.

"I wonder if she likes dandelions..."