Italy

[Rochelle Parnell]

"I love you too," she said looking back at him. Rochelle leaned her head down and rested it on his chest with one of her hands on his chest as well. "I never want this to end," she said quietly.

[Matthew "Sully" Sullivan]

Sully closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of her hair. She smelled like lilacs, wild, yet sweet. It seemed like he was noticing more things like that--smells and tastes and sounds--ever since he had realized that he loved her. Everything seemed sharper and clearer and more potent. "It won't, I promise," he whispered.

[Rochelle Parnell]

Rochelle gave a soft smile. She continued to listen to his heart beat softly and feel his chest rise and fall as she matched her breathing to his. Everything seemed to be almost perfect. The almost being they were on the run. She didn't mind running, as long as she had Sully around, she would be fine. Rochelle looked up at Sully. "I'm going to hold you to that promise," she said with a wink and another soft smile.

[Matthew "Sully" Sullivan]

Sully put his hand on her cheek and kissed her deeply. "When Jessie was alive, I sometimes took her for granted. I would let myself get too busy for her, and sometimes I forgot to spend time with her, or tell her how much I loved her. But now I know that it can all go away in a minute, so I promise you, love, I am going to hold onto every minute I have with you. I was dead inside for so long, and you brought me back to life. I hope you know just how much you mean to me."

[Rochelle Parnell]

Rochelle gave him another soft smile. "I think I do. I know now why other girls would be excited most of the time when they were with a guy, or when they would talk excitedly about something that had happened with someone they loved, because of that feeling," said Rochelle. "I didn't really understand how someone could make someone else feel so excited or so happy, but then you came along."

[Matthew "Sully" Sullivan]

"I didn't think I would ever feel that way again," Sully said. I had truly lost everything that mattered to me in my life, and now it's all coming back to me. I just wish I didn't have to leave Ashura so soon after finding her. I hope she'll be OK."

[Rochelle Parnell]

"We'll meet back up with your sister soon, and I have a feeling that she'll be fine," said Rochelle. "You should write her soon. If I remember correctly, there's a place up the street like an owlery you could use, if you wanted to."

[Matthew "Sully" Sullivan]

"Aye, I'll write to her soon. It's just..." he sighed. "She has forgotten everything. Everything about who she used to be. She doesn't even remember how to read. It's so strange, Rochelle... she used to read all the time when she was a wee lass. How could she forget everything like that?"

[Rochelle Parnell]

"I'm not really sure," said Rochelle. "I still can't read that great. I think it's just the fact of getting bitten that is scary. Maybe she was so scared at what she became, she just forgot, or she could have hit her head, other than that, I'm not sure."

[Matthew "Sully" Sullivan]

Sully kissed her gently. "I still can't bear the thought of you--or of her--being attacked like that. I can't even imagine the kind of fear you must have felt. I've faced many werewolves in the past, but I was always sure that they would kill me, rather than turn me. I was never afraid of death. In fact, I welcomed it in those days. But now... now I'm glad to be alive, because I have you."

[Rochelle Parnell]

"Not all werewolves will turn you. There are random times when a werewolf turns someone. Usually it's when they need more pack members, or children, so to speak. Then there are times when they make mistakes, but that doesn't happen very often," said Rochelle. She gave him a soft smile. "I couldn't kill anyone. Just the way it happens when a wolf attacks a human. Killing animals is different, because most of the time you have too, if you want to continue to be healthy, since it's food."

[Matthew "Sully" Sullivan]

Sully nodded. "I can't really understand what it's like to... to be what you are. I never cared to before. I never thought of how it would feel to change into something else... to have your body be re-arranged into something else and having no control over it." He kissed her softly. "Rochelle, have you thought about... about what you'll do on the full moon?"

[Rochelle Parnell]

"No, I haven't really thought about it," said Rochelle. "I don't really know what to do actually. I'm not really sure were I would go, unless I head to the woods that's not far from here. I could do that. I don't really think that would be a problem."

[Matthew "Sully" Sullivan]

"That's probably a good idea," Sully said. "It's strange... I still can hardly believe that you're... you're a werewolf. I thought it would have bothered me, but when I look in your eyes, I know... none of it matters. What matters is who you are inside." He kissed her deeply, his hands caressing her back.

[Rochelle Parnell]

Rochelle gave him a soft smile. "Yeah. It's just different that I'm going to be on my own on full moons instead of with a pack, but it'll be alright. You're the only full human that knows my secret and hasn't hated me afterwards." She kissed him back and then rested her head on his chest.

[Matthew "Sully" Sullivan]

He ran his hands through her hair. "I could never hate you," he said softly. "From the first time that we talked, I felt a connection with you... it was like a part of me always knew that we were meant to be together..."

[Rochelle Parnell]

Rochelle sighed softly. "I didn't think that werewolves were really supposed to feel anything like that. I mean I saw it, but I didn't know what it was. I was completely lost when I met you. I didn't know what I was doing. To be honest, I didn't really care to much for you when I first saw you. I just saw you as the person that killed Buck. Good thing I went through with it. When I was sort of staring at you, I was debating on if I wanted to do it or not, but then you made that decision for me."

[Matthew "Sully" Sullivan]

"I couldn't take my eyes off of you," Sully said. "Sometimes, I still can't." He kissed her again, then looked at her seriously. "This isn't going to be easy, for either of us, being on the run like this. I can't help worrying about Ashura... and I know it must be hard for you to be away from everyone you know. But what matters is that we're together."

[Rochelle Parnell]

"It's alright," said Rochelle. "They probably wouldn't like me to stick around anyway after Korbel reported back to Gretchen what happened before we ran." She gave him another smile. "You know, you should let some of your beard grow back, like when it's stubby. I think that would look good on you, not that the shaven look doesn't look good."

[Matthew "Sully" Sullivan]

Sully laughed. "I can do that," he said. "I just don't want to go back to when my beard was really long and shaggy. That was when I didn't care about myself or how I looked." He kissed her tenderly. "I don't want to go back to being that person who was angry at the world, and even angrier at himself. But I won't as long as I have you."