The Hardest Part of Saying Goodbye

Characters: Etahn Cassidy, Reese Morgan
Where: Ethan's apartment
When: The sun setting; a solemn mood-ending of things
Summary: It's always hard to say goodbye when your lips want to say 'Come with me'. When your hands squeeze harder, knowing that it could be their last. The hesitation in feet as they dare not travel mere inches, afraid of never the other's shadow again. It's always hard to good bye...

-0-

Near Ethan's Apartment
Seattle, WA

Twilight--a time when the shadows of the darkness would begin to lurk around every corner, frightening anyone that might be walking about. However, that wasn't the case with Reese as she was doing her usual trek in the city. Dressed in a black sleeveless top, black jeans with combat boots over the bottom of her jeans and a black motorcycle jacket, Reese was really the Arcane Protector she was born to be with her attire. Her knives were safely in their respectful holsters while a pair of Sais were tucked in a chest holster that was easily concealed underneath her motorcycle jacket.

Reese's amber brown eyes drank in the downtown norm as she strolled along the sidewalks. Her fingerless gloved hands brushed back her hair every now and then as she walked, not once giving the appearance that she was in the middle of a routine patrol that she took to doing ever since she returned home from New Orleans. Reese stopped when she realized that she had made it to the beach side of downtown Seattle and saw that the sunset was glorious. She sat up on one of the borders of the beach separating from the street itself and drank in the scenery.

He folded the the sleeves at the shoulder and across the front. With each line was straight, and pulled tight to remove all the creases from his uniform. It was a timeless task to press and fold his ACU top and bottoms the correct way. But, it was also something that let his mind flow free as his fingers went through the steps of flattening and folding. Ethan let a smile flitter across his lips for the first time since he had woke up this morning. So much had happened in the span of days that he could hardly believe.

He had met his cousins. Hell, that was enough to put some pieces of the puzzle in his mind together, but it also raised a couple of more questions. Why here? Why now? What was happening in Seattle that his family had contacted him at this time?..."Fuck..." he exhaled as he bit his lip. Too much worrying for one man...one soldier... hell, one Cassidy. Life was simple. Live. Fuck. Die. Ethan just had to remember that, and he was going to be alright. He was an NCO after all. It was his job to handle stress.

Reese on the other hand. That was a entire new ball of wax. He hardly knew where he stood in her mind, let alone in her life. He knew so very little about her... life. What he did know about her besides her cup size, the perfume that she used, and the color sheets of her bed... he could count on his one hand. Maybe thats why he felt a little used. They had met, danced, kissed, and nearly... nearly... hit a home run.

If not for him... He had stopped them. Why? Hell, he hardly knew. Even as he slipped his pressed clothes into his dark green duffel bag, he still could not figure out why he had not just done the deed. Buried his hatchet. Went the whole nine yards. Just given them both a night to forget. He didn't know.

Clasping the bag shut, he turned towards the doorway to the small bedroom and stopped short. The full length mirror gazed back at him with a smile. There he stood. His khaki boots were cleaned, the stray fibers of his ACUs were burned off, and even his beret was cooperating.

A phone call from his cousin had invited him to their home. A simple phone call. It had been short and sweet. Something about a family gathering, but Ethan knew very little so it didn't mean much to him. Another opportunity to meet the family. And, so he had washed the few civilian clothes that he owned and cleaned the small apartment. It had been simple to wipe down some stray dishes and clean the bed. His friend was not due home for another couple of months from Iraq; And, so it was more for looks. But, a friend never let a friend down. And a battle buddy was family.

The only thing that stopped his hand was his phone. It caused his soft green orbs to catch the light, almost glowing. His fingers flicked open the top and found they moved of their own accord. A simple text. His address. And a message, "Come say hello". He clicked send, and went to the coffee maker. He could wait a little longer. His family has been around for how many years without him... they could wait a few more hours.

Reese was just enjoying herself when a vampire attacked her out of nowhere. She tried to kill it quickly, but left a nice tear on her sleeve and nearly had her arm become candy for the vampire....but she managed to kill it with a stab through it's him upward. Lighting the dead body on fire with her Zippo, she managed to get a few feet of distance from the burning remains before her phone beeped with a new text. She read it and smiled as she replied back, saying that she will be there. She was debating whether she should ditch the jacket or not, but the tear wasn't really that noticeable. She traveled the mile and a half hike to where Ethan's place was located and knocked on the door. She made sure to hide her Sais inside the holster in her jacket, making sure it wasn't showing.