A bit of a romantic comedy. thanks so much for all the lovely comments (and if your address is elvis I won't be trying to reply by email anymore!) and here, as promised, is the sequel. Apologies and thanks to the Righteous Brothers, Gloria Gaynor and all the other songs i've plagiarized here. i make no money, not even in my job- damn minimum wage!
A note for clarity's sake: if it's in quotes one of the characters has it passing from their lips, if it's in caps it's being sung, caps no quotes it's the recording, caps quotes it's being sung by armand, got me? whew, where's the coffee?
*Unchained Melody*
Oh, my love, my darling
I’ve hungered for your touch
A long, lonely time
And time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine?
I need your love
I need your love
God speed your love to me
Lonely rivers flow to the sea, to the sea
To the open arms of the sea
Lonely rivers sigh,
Wait for me, wait for me
I’ll be coming home, wait for me
Oh, my love, my darling
I’ve hungered, hungered for your touch
A long, lonely time
And time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine?
I need your love
I need your love
God speed your love to me
* * *
Armand here. I have to have Daniel back. He left me last night, singing that insidious “You’ve lost that lovin feelin.” I have not lost that lovin feelin, and I’m going to prove it! I’m going to give him a taste of his own medicine!
Unchained Melody should do it. I’ll sing to him like I used to do for Marius when I was his angel. I’ll play the music like he did for me, and I’ll win him back. God will speed his love to me.
Right now I’m standing under his balcony. How very Romeo and Juliet… except he has a that insipid Jesse instead of the nurse. I can hear screams of ecstasy in both his and her voices. How typical. He’s probably been carrying this on behind my back for months. Time goes by so slowly, and time can do so much!
Is he still mine?
I haven’t lost that lovin feelin! *He* has lost that lovin feelin! And now he’s tempted by the fruit of another! Did he ever have to finally decide? Dammit, where’s my tambourine man!
With a skilled crack of my essential Indiana Jones whip I unlock it, and a well-placed rock opens it enough for the sound to come in.
The song begins and I raise my voice so they can both hear it above their own pounding hearts.
“OH, MY LOVE MY DARLING
I’VE HUNGERED FOR YOUR TOUCH
A LONG LONELY TIME”
Daniel comes to the window and pulls it completely open. I can see bite marks on his chest and neck quickly healing, and his face is streaked with blood. He is totally naked.
“TIME GOES BY SO SLOWLY
AND TIME CAN DO SO MUCH”
“Armand, what the hell is this? Did you not get the message last night?”
“ARE YOU STILL MINE?”
“Dude, I am not still yours. I am now property of Jesse Reeves. See?”
Scratched into his back, but healing quickly, are the words “Property of Jessica Reeves, Milky Way Creatures #17”
“I need your love, Daniel! I need your love! I haven’t lost that lovin feelin, and you know it! Come down here and I’ll show you! Daniel, listen to me. Lonely rivers flow to the sea-“
“To the sea?” asks Jesse.
“To the open arms of the sea! Lonely rivers sigh, wait for me!”
“Wait for me?” repeats Jesse. She really is quite dense.
“I’ll be coming home, wait for me!”
I begin to sing along again. “OH MY LOVE, MY DARLING!
I’VE HUNGERED FOR YOUR TOUCH”
“If you’re hungry, Armand, you know mortal blood is much better than mine. I would not build you up, build you up, buttercup baby, just to let you down. Go on now go. Walk out the door. Don’t turn around now, cuz you’re not welcome anymore!”
Tears of anger, frustration and grief well up in my eyes and I walk away. But I hear Jesse’s voice in the cool night air: “This sounds to me like a Case of the X. What’cha gonna do now he wants you back?”
I duck behind a bush to listen to their conversation.
“It’s you I want, Jesse. Oh, Mickey, you’re so pretty, don’t you understand- you take me by the heart when you take me by the hand.”
“Did you ever have to finally decide? To pick up on one and let the other one fly?”
“What are you saying, Jesse? Are you dumping me? Have you, too, lost that lovin feelin?”
“I don’t know, Daniel. But I know Armand hasn’t. Go to him, Daniel. See what you could’ve had. I’ll always wait for you. Death cannot stop true love!”
“Jesse, we’re immortal. Death cannot touch us.”
“Geez, I keep forgetting! Now go!”
I hear his footsteps on the pavement. I stand up so he’ll see me.
“I need your love,” he whispers, his voice cracking with emotion. Blood tears run in lines down his face.
“I need your love,” I reply at the same volume, afraid to move toward him.
“God, speed your love to me!” And we fall into each other’s arms.