From: ephemeral@ephemeralfic.org Date: 8 Nov 2001 16:17:57 -0000 Subject: Final Curtain by Palm Reader Source: direct Reply To: pr@pr.com xoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo "Don't think I don't notice you being the incessant troublemaker." "What, me?" "Forget the advocate. You're the devil himself." "Mmm. Somehow I don't think that pinch on my ass was a reprimand." "The devil's cupcake delight." "Did I tell you lately how much I love you?" "Shall I count the ways?" "Allow me, m'lady. Firstly, you've got a killer smile." "You gave it to me." "And you gave me the twinkle in my eyes." "I suspect, Mr. I'veLancedLot, that those stars have been in those eyes all along." "Your turn. Tell me." "Hmm?" "Tell me how you feel about me." "Mmm. At present, I feel your hands cupping my ass." "These, my dear, are the mounds of my heart. Want me to stop?" "Oh be still, my beating heart, lest I swoon from a Spenserian reprise." "Seriously, tell me." "Mmm. Help me concentrate." "Yes?" "I love you in ways that you can't imagine." "In ways that I can't imagine? Imagine that." "But, see, I don't have to imagine. I have you right here in front of me. Live." "The real and the true." "All mine? Just for me?" "Just for you, sweetheart." "Did I mention how much I appreciated the hundred-budded sweetheart roses?" "Did I mention how much I appreciated the hundred places you've treated me to?" "The journey into this heart of mine has only just begun, baby." "Want me to bring along the scuba gear?" "Mmmm... depends on how wet we're gonna get." "Let's keep the wetness between us." "I don't kiss and tell. That's Diana." "That's her need for validation, you mean. Hey, I thought I told you not to mention her ever again." "Oops. Forgot. Forgive me?" "These wicked hands absolve you of everything, my precious." "I do believe it's you requiring the absolution." "Pardon me?" "You know I've pardoned you. But seriously, how's she taking everything?" "Well, she's never been good at hiding her feelings." "She does have a wide emotional range." "You know how possessive she gets. But she's always been that way. Needing to be the center of attention. She revels in being a troublemaker. War and drama give her life a stimulation that is somewhat lacking." "It's what she gets from you, isn't? Drama? I mean, if men treated her with respect she'd be bored to the hilt. Don't think I don't notice how you provoke her and her emotional streak." "I've been treating her with much respect lately." "You'd be wise to. With her streak for vengeance, she could destroy your career. Besides, her kissing your ass can only make you look good. Course, no one knows just exactly.... " "Exactly what?" "C'mere." "Like this?" "Mmm. Yes..." "Yes?" "No one knows you just exactly the way that I do." "Mmm. Exactly." "I know just exactly how much you love women fawning and falling all over you." "I reward those who do it best." "I noticed. Is that why you're with me?" "Touche." "Do you really need validation?" "Confirmation." "I know why I'm with you. And as long as you know why you're with me, that's all that matters." "My oh my, could it be possible that you're trusting the well- strategied executions of my mind?" "Don't you mean god-like?" "Oh if you insist, I'll most certainly oblige." "I am trusting your heart. I am trusting all that you've opened to me. I am trusting the way you've exposed your soul." "There isn't anything others have seen that you already haven't." "Which is why I cherish all that you've given me, these past few weeks. All that we've kept to ourselves. I get all of you out there, plus more." "Nobody know us like we do." "Have I mentioned how much I enjoy your stories?" "Ooooh. As much as Diana?" "Well, I don't think I'm quite addicted to angst and tales of dark despair in the way that she is. I don't need pain to recognize all the joyful things in my life." "It's one of the appealing things about her, except that she sometimes blurs the boundaries between fantasy and reality." "As if you harbor no guilt for egging her on." "Like I said, I don't deny enjoying her knowing how to stroke a man. But I've made it clear in real terms what I want and expect in my life. Studying her makes for an excellent X-file. The study of what defines a reality and the study of what is willed into existence." "Be careful not to let her know. It would give her all the more reason to start some trouble." "Sometimes the mind wills things out of sheer need." "Diana's got quite a talent for weaving stories, don't you think?" "It's what she does best. Her life revolves and depends on it." "You're taking advantage of the way she depends on the written word. In fact, I think you delight in seeing her teeter between sanity and despair. She might hurt you one day." "She won't. She needs men too much." "Do you think my being with you would be a source of pain and discomfort to her in anyway?" "Well, I've tried my best to compensate for it, especially when I worry about how strong her fantasies for blood and self- mutilation run." "So you have." "You can offer me to all the women out there in the world, push me away, walk out on me, leave the country- but I will keep coming back, because I want no one else. I'll never let you get rid of me. I want no one else by my side but you." "With the things you've done for me this past month, you've never given me a reason to doubt you or your love for me, have you?" "Never will. Over my dead body. Do you remember what I told you?" "And what was that?" "There is no one out there but you. No one else exists." "C'mere, cobra." "Hmm?" "I like it like this." "Like what?" "This. Having you here. In front of me. And knowing that when your family and friends see me even when you're not, it's knowing that they recognize me as the one who loves you. The one whom you love. It's your greatest gift. You've given me an honor that no one can take away." "Though I know I've made you the target of plenty of ill will." "Yes, but that's part of the thrill of the study for you, isn't it? Seeing what parts they prefer to believe. Don't deny it, I see the glee in your eyes." "You see too much, my love." "I've seen the ways those eyes move like no one else. Up close and personal. And I saw that flickering soul of yours long before you care to admit." "Is that why I love you?" "It's certainly not because I coddle your every whim, is it?" "Is it?" "C'mere, sweetcheeks." "Yes?" "Only you and I know." "Mmm... just you and me." "Mmm, yes... you and me against the world." xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxo ~fin~