The Getaway Car
Flight 1397, a red-eye out of O'hare International, had flown nonstop from Chicago to Houston. Middle-of-the-night quiet settled over the loading zone for arrivals, only broken occasionally by luggage wheels and engine noise. A navy blue rental car out front had its trunk open. Two people, a broad-shouldered man and a dark-haired woman, arranged their suitcases in it. Since the trip would only last a few days, they had brought a modest amount of belongings, which fit neatly, though there were more of her hard-shelled, red suitcases.

Rosalyn stood back while Gavin made final adjustments. She unfolded a piece of paper with a valet's handwritten notes on it. It was 50 degrees outside and a mild breeze ruffled the hem of her skirt. "Highway 45 South goes to Galveston," she said. "It'll only take about 50 minutes... less if we put the pedal to the metal." The vampire held back her hair and looked up. Ever since the werewolf suggested it, she had been dying to embark on this secret getaway. To be away with him, nobody knowing where either of them had gone, was a decidedly thrilling prospect. Their destination was a mystery until they got to the airport and scouted the flights, both of them agreeing that the warm beaches in Galveston were too tempting to pass up, when the midwestern winter was such a drag.

All through the flight, Rose had leaned across the armrest, her cheek on the werewolf's shoulder, an index finger drawing patterns on his denim-clad leg. Now they were here.

Quietly Gavin had wondered, with his arm entwined with Rosalyn's, if she had ever done this before. The way she had curled against him during the flight made him realise that he didn't care. What mattered was that she was with him now, and this was significant to him. To be so bold and impulsive, knowing the risks were high but doing it anyway, was only something Rosalyn could invoke in him. In those moments, those hours, he knew what it meant to be truly alive.

"Highway 45 it is." The werewolf pushed down, a soft click emitting from the trunk as it locked. Casually the palm of his hand ran along the polished surface, his head cocked to the side, watching Rosalyn until his lips quirked into a contented smile. The flight had been shorter than he expected, but he was enjoying the freedom to stretch his legs now, and walk around. Which was a perfect excuse for Gavin as he sauntered over to the vampire, his strong arms wrapping around her in order to place his lips against her cheek gently. "Have I told you that this is the best decision I've made this year?" His words seemed serious but his tone was light and teasing as he lingered a moment in the embrace, the delicate scent of her perfume mingling with his deodorant and the undertones of sweat from sitting so long in small space.

Gently squeezing her arms, the werewolf pulled back and walked to the passenger door, his fingers pulling it open for her, "Ready when you are." The truth was he'd never felt happier than he did right now, so even if they sat on the car and looked at the stars, he wouldn't have minded. Being able to be around Rosalyn so freely was almost addictive, a niggling part of him worried that when they got back to Chicago, he wouldn't be able to give it up again. "Shall we?"

"We shall," she said, giving him an imperious look as she ducked into the seat. "You know, I'm gonna take that as the best decision since last February, not New Year's." Rose was teasing, as exhibited by a flash in her eye; she was in far too light a spirit to nitpick anything. Besides, she wasn't the type. Lifting the pale length of her calf into the car, Rose smoothed her skirt to her knees and sat there, as prim and proper as could be, a real society girl with her escort, who looked good enough to give a Victorian the vapors.

When she was younger, Rose would've taken the precious seconds while her date circled the car to check her appearance. Not having that luxury now, she inspected the interior, particularly fascinated with the glove box. Nothing was in there but a car manual, registration papers, and a folded map. Rentals hadn't the fun history of used cars. She snapped it shut and belted herself in. Immortal or not, a trip through the windshield was bound to be the pits.

Gavin grinned, adding a wink as he closed her door. Standing straight, he smoothed his jacket and jingled the car keys hooked around his finger, making his way around to his door. Despite his large frame, he was in and buckled swiftly, the key already turning to spark the engine into life with a rumbled purr. Though before they moved, the werewolf rolled his window down, enjoying the sweet warm air. All the scents new and yet oddly familiar.

"Now just so we're clear, if I get lost I'm blaming you, if we get there in under an hour I'm brilliant." The corners of his lips twitched as he struggled to keep a straight face, the tires crunching against the ground as he pulled out, heading out of the parking lot in hopes of finding highway 45. The night itself didn't seem as dark as Chicago, almost bright in the way it cast everything in a silver light, the headlights seemed to complement the road. Every few seconds Gavin's face tuned slightly to the window, "You know what I'm looking forward to?" The werewolf turned to look at Rosalyn, hazel eyes twinkling almost, "Walking barefoot in the sand with you."

"Oh, you're a riot," she said, cutting him a bemused eye. She collected the map from the glove box on second thought, deciding to cross-reference it with the valet's scribbles. "Keep the scenarios coming. I want to know whose fault it is if we get a flat tire!" Rose's black curls got into a wild tangle around her head, the wind from Gavin's open window tossing them about. As the page plastered itself against the passenger window, she was grateful she hadn't rolled that down yet. Her luck, it'd fly around and somehow stick to the windshield.

Tracing her finger along a blue seam on the map, Rosalyn followed 45 South to the small island. It went to Galveston, alright. If she hadn't been so all-fire anxious to get there herself, Rose might've sabotaged her directions, just to see if steam came out of his ears like an engine. "Know what I'm looking forward to?" she echoed, taking pains to fold the map properly and avoid any gender stereotypes. It wasn't going too well. "Chasing you into the freezing water. Betcha I can stand it longer." There were other things Rose couldn't wait to experience. The weight of hotel linens on them while she traced patterns on Gavin's bare shoulder. Holding his hand or dancing with him in public, not the slightest bit concerned over who might see. Not having to turn Gavin's chin away whenever someone walked through the door, in case they knew him. Getting sand in places she couldn't have told her mother about.

Snorting, the werewolf gave Rosalyn a wicked look, "That would be the road's fault." Perhaps he shouldn't tease her so much, the trouble was, being excited brought out the mischief in him. Another reason why he didn't put his window up as she struggled to get a hold of the map. It would be his luck to push her too far and wind up sleeping on the floor for the first night. In his mind he was deciding that should that happen, he'd look back and laugh, keeping it as a good memory for years later. The kind to look back on and smile.

Now that was something he hadn't thought of, and it showed when he pressed his lips together, "How cold are we talking here?" Gavin liked to swim, but he enjoyed the luxury of warm water, not the kind that would shrink parts of his anatomy. "Do we have to run straight in, or more of a... walk?" Providing she didn't throw a stick into the water, Gavin realised he would be just fine. What's a little cold water ever done to someone? Besides, there's always the opportunity of getting to warm Rosalyn up afterwards, and what better way to spend their time than by diving into the whims of each other. Confident and safe due to the trust they had built.

"I'm not going in past my toes," she said, creasing the map and smashing it into submission. It was doubtful that it would ever fit into its original shape again. "But you might want to watch your back, clyde." Tiny as the vampire was, she had enough strength to send the werewolf flying, if she caught him off-guard. Even if the weather was warm, the water would be around sixty-three degrees. By the time he stopped sputtering and got his limbs to react, she'd be halfway up the beach, laughing her head off.

As their car pulled onto the proper highway, she gave up on old Rand McNally and tossed it in the back seat. Rose cranked down the window, which unleashed a powerful gust of wind inside the vehicle. With the air rushing past her ears, she reached for the radio knob. "Mind if I put on some tunes?" Already the sound of static crackled from the speakers. She surfed through the channels, looking for something that might suit, quickly flipping past a classical station with a pronouncement of, "Dulls-ville. What do you like? Besides the Righteous Brothers?"

Gavin cocked his head to the side, giving the vampire a cool look, "Is that a threat before we even get to the hotel?" He turned his attention back to the road, appearing to remain serious, until he added, "I like that in a woman." His smile was soft, but his hand moved from the gear stick to clasp around one of Rosalyn's. With some slight wiggling, he entwined their fingers, his palm warm and rough against her smooth skin. "I'd be careful though, your bag with your make-up might go missing in the hotel." It was an idle threat, he wouldn't actually hide it... For more than an hour.

"Very funny." The werewolf grinned, shrugging as his hand stayed on the wheel, his attention more on the road than the radio. "I like music you can find a steady beat in but I'm terrible with band names, although I can't listen to rap." Gavin cringed slightly, "It's one of those things where we don't suit each other." Meaning of course, that the music went far too fast with too many words he doesn't understand, not to mention it's not something he could walk around singing. "What kind of music do you like?"

In answer to the make-up bag threat, she had simply scowled and poked out her tongue. Fat chance she'd leave the hotel room without curled eyelashes and her lipstick! But she didn't voice that particular reaction, since he was a man and might find the scenario appealing.

"What you'd call oldies," she said, skipping past an abundance of country-western channels to find a station. She went through twice before the tuner found a recording of the Monotones performing 'The Book of Love'. As the decades wore on, music from the 1970s and 1980s had made it onto such play-lists, frustrating the purist in her, but the classics were still put on the air. "I like rock 'n roll and jazz. Call me nuts if you want, but I miss vinyl. That white noise they had? All the little crackles and scratches?" Rose waxed nostalgic at the thought. "I'd take it over digital any day of the week. It's soulless, excuse the irony."

She parted her legs. The fabric of her skirt drooped inward loosely. She inserted their clasped hands between her knees and squeezed. Even the tamest activities got a little raunchy when she had her way. It was just an intimate touch, not orchestrated to go anywhere, but she liked to keep the gears in his head turning, and let him know she found him desirable.

As their car got farther out of the city, the scent of the air changed. Rose leaned her face toward the window and breathed deep. "Do you smell that, Gav? I think it's clean air!" she joked, "And look at the stars!" In the city, it was easy to forget how many were visible from Earth. Light pollution blocked out the faint speckles.

"I don't think you're nuts, Rosalyn." Briefly the werewolf's head turned, his hazel eyes almost sparkling as he looked at her, "I think you're wonderful." Then his attention was back on the road, the hint of a smile curling the edge of his mouth. "Do you have a record player?" Gavin's posture shifted with the question, almost leaning towards the vampire although somehow remaining forward, a way to show that he was truly interested. Partially because he couldn't really remember vinyl. Cassette tapes, for sure, but not vinyl.

The gesture from Rosalyn made the werewolf glow somewhere deep inside his chest. Not because it was sexual, although it was, but because it symbolised that she had him. Gavin took pride in that. The more time he spent with her, the stronger those feelings got, and he was smart enough to know what they meant.

On impulse, Gavin pushed his face out his open window, breathing deep. Slowly exhaling, the werewolf settled back into his seat as if that was perfectly normal, the back of his collar rubbed the base of his neck as his shoulders shifted. "Smells much better than Chicago." Hunching his large frame down towards the steering wheel, Gavin's upper chest sounded the car horn as he looked up at the sky, the sudden loud noise was enough to send his back against the seat much faster than it had left it. Coughing, he added "The stars are nice."

The sound startled Rose and she automatically retreated into the vehicle, bumping her noggin on the car roof. "Ouch!" She rubbed it and stared at Gavin's profile in wide-eyed amusement, trying to decide whether or not to laugh. "Hey, slick, watch where you're goin' with those pecs." She reached across the car and honked at his chest muscles. "They're dangerous." When she eased back into her seat reluctantly she said, "Yes, I've got a record player. The next time you're over, we'll take a listen and you can judge for yourself. You're an old-fashioned kind of guy. I bet you'll dig it."

A pair of headlights appeared over a rise in the road. The driver clicked to their low beams while they passed. It was a few days away yet, but Rose already dreaded the return trip to the airport.

If ever there was a time when Gavin wished to die of embarrassment, now would be it. The moment she reached across and those words left her mouth the werewolf's neck flamed a scarlet trail up over his cheeks. Later he would think of something witty to say, right now he was going to ignore it, or at least try. "You know what? I think I'd like that." Who would have thought the prospect of staying at home just listening to music would make the werewolf grin. "Maybe I'll introduce you to console games." The tone was teasing, which left it open for Rosalyn to decide whether he was serious or not.

As the car passed Gavin felt a little surge of excitement, his fingers absently tapping against the steering wheel, "We must be getting closer." Part of him wanted to get to the hotel as fast as possible, afraid the whole thing wouldn't be real unless they were both standing in that room. Then, he could safely say they had made it.

"Console games?" Rose's knees swayed back and forth, their hands still trapped between the soft flesh. "You mean like Super Mario?" Of the sophisticated qualities Rose had, an understanding of modern technology didn't rank terribly high. She had a cellular phone and could work a computer. That was the sum total of it. Her attention wandered to the road when Gavin said they were close. The amber streetlights of the highway stretched ahead, though that would give way to a bridge soon enough. Rose looked forward to it. It would smell like the sea, and she liked the rhythmic bounce of a car over the joints in the road. "You're not going to make me play boy-games, are you?" She pictured tiny, round-headed peg people chasing pellets or balls across the screen.

Gavin snorted, "Super Mario... Do you know what an X box or a PlayStation is?" There was a hint of mischief in his voice, "What if I did make you play boy-games?" Quickly, he flashed Rosalyn a toothy grin, the smell of salt already in the air. "There's one called Gears of War, which I think you would just hate." Saying it with a smile almost made it sound like she would have a good time. Of course he would never do that to Rosalyn, but teasing her about it was entirely too much fun to pass up. "Monsters, guns with chainsaws, hiding behind walls so you don't get killed... Sounds like fun, doesn't it?"

"Sounds like New Years. That was a gas." She wrinkled her nose daintily. A sudden thought occurred, piquing her interest so much that she turned towards Gavin in the seat. "Do they make games about vampires and werewolves? Bet you couldn't take me..." Of course, she was mostly pulling his leg, so unpracticed at video games she'd probably get thumb cramps, or whatever digit cramps. Did they still use joysticks? Rose hadn't indulged in anything of the sort since Ms. Pac-Man hit the local bars.

As the car drove onto the bridge, the lights overhead became closer together, arcing over the windshield like a golden, ethereal ribcage. Each thunk-thunk of the tires took them closer to the island, which could be spotted through the dark by its twinkling lights. It was windier on the open water of the gulf. The map in the back seat rustled around, plastering itself against Gavin's headrest.

"Actually they do..." The werewolf coughed, many nights had been passed as he and his pack tore into those kind of games, never going as the vampires of course. It was surprisingly realistic in the brutal horror of it. "But they have other kinds of games, too, user friendly ones that everyone tends to enjoy. Then again there are all the fighting games, I could take you at one of those." The grin was cheeky as Gavin turned his head, giving Rosalyn a quick wink.

The map scratched the back of his neck as it flapped wildly behind him, disgruntled he freed his hand from Rosalyn's to reach back and grab it. The paper crinkled as Gavin's fist scrunched one half up; opening the glove compartment he then stuffed it inside, closing it with a surprisingly soft click. "Nintendo has this thing called a DS, it's hand held, you can get some kind of virtual pet game." As the lights passed over them, Gavin stopped talking, watching the lights grow brighter as they drove closer. The werewolf's heart thumped against his ribcage, they were almost there.

"Virtual pet?" Rose didn't seem impressed; she hadn't owned an actual pet since she was a young girl. Milton was the family cat, a self-important Persian that pulled snags in all the curtains and insisted upon sleeping in the bathroom sink. "I'd rather just hang onto you. Maybe a little, tiny version of you I could fit in my purse." The vampire held up her fingers a few inches apart. "Maybe they make those. I'd be all set."

The shocks in the car didn't fully absorb the bump when they crossed onto land. The sedan bounced, jostling its passengers around. But they had arrived on Galveston Island a nigh on 1 a.m. The lights of most private residences had gone out, but resort hotels were still brightly illuminated, along with a bars and such. "First waterfront hotel we find with a vacancy, whaddya say?" Rose reached across and squeezed the werewolf's bicep. She didn't know whether he wanted to sleep first, or a shower, or take a walk in the surprisingly warm air, or get a drink or food. Being nocturnal by nature, she could've gone for any of those options. Rose wasn't tired, but stretching out on a mattress after being couped up in a plane and a rental car was plenty appealing.

"You'd be lucky to find any part of me that size, never mind a miniature version." Gavin's teeth flashed as he grinned, quite content with his cocky remark, "You wouldn't... Make a doll of me, right?" The werewolf didn't look at Rosalyn, but he did lean towards her, "No practicing voodoo for you." The warm palm of his hand suddenly found the vampire's thigh as he gave it a gentle, almost reassuring squeeze, his words nothing more than a playful taunt.

The lights from various places blinked invitingly, their colours almost alluring, as they caught Gavin's attention while he drove. The excitement was expanding inside his chest, until he felt like he could fill the car, "You got it." Then he paused, turning to gaze at the woman who had willingly got on the first available flight with him, "I don't usually take risks that I don't have to." Hazel eyes flickered towards the road briefly, but the werewolf's hand stayed on her thigh, the tone of his voice suggesting that he wasn't just talking about their trip. "But I'd take them for you. You make me happy, Rosalyn."

"Good thing you feel that way, hot rod." Sidling across the emergency brake between their seats, Rose curled her fingers into his collar. "'Cause I don't plan on going anyplace you're not." The vampire tilted her head, the angle perfect for a demon going in for a killing bite. Instead, her mouth closed over his skin, soft and damp and lipsticked, the kiss as delicate as a flower petal. "We're gonna have a blast."