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  "description": "This is a story bit I got the idea for - oddly enough - by looking at a car. This is the story bit that developed as a result. This is a work-in-progress story and this is only a piece of the actual story. This is just one of several other stories like this I have in mind, and I'll try to upload the rest here. ",
  "description_bbcode_parsed": "<span style='word-wrap: break-word;'>This is a story bit I got the idea for - oddly enough - by looking at a car. This is the story bit that developed as a result. This is a work-in-progress story and this is only a piece of the actual story. This is just one of several other stories like this I have in mind, and I&#039;ll try to upload the rest here. </span>",
  "writing": "CRASH!\n\nThe sound of the impact echoed through the old house as pieces of the old wood broke off, flying in all directions and landing on the floor below. Dust settled around him as he coughed and groaned, feeling the pain beginning to subside. Being thrown into a wall certainly wasn't the highlight of his evening.\n\nHe looked up, one eye open, the other closed as a scar ran diagonally down it. He grinned. \"That was some throw there, fella... Actually stung a little.\"\n\nThe creature before him slowly approached him, it's spectral form glowing, its yellow eyes piercing through the darkness. Its glowing green, decrepit appearance would cause the bravest of souls to shiver in fear. But not him. It was nothing new to him. Nothing new to a Reaper.\n\nHe glanced over, seeing where his scythe had landed. \"So ya wanna fight, eh?\" He lifted a hand to summon it, when...\n\n\"Mickey!\"\n\nHe turned to the doorway leading into the room, seeing her standing there. She turned to the ghostly apparition, and her face turned into one of anger. In a flash of white light a pistol materialized in her right hand.\n\n\"Keep away from him.\" Her tone was low, but firm. She drew her weapon, aiming it at the creature's head. \"I'm giving you once chance to stop.\" She tightened her grip on the handle, and pressed her index finger against the trigger. The creature paused for only a second, before letting out a wail and disappearing into a mist of green. She took a glance around the room, using her senses to detect its presence. But she felt nothing. She took a few steps over toward him as she pointed the barrel of her weapon up, still grasping it firmly in her palms before sprinting over to him. \"Are you alright?\" she asked him as her gun vanished, extending an arm to help him.\n\n\"Yeah...\" He grunted. \"...Yeah, I'm alright.\"\n\nShe checked over his face, seeing the scar that ran down his closed eye. She winced upon seeing it. Then, using her angelic grace, she lifted a hand and stroked her fingers across his eye, pressed her hand on the side of his head. As her hand began to glow white, his wound began to heal. In just a few seconds, his wound was healed. \"There. Now open your eye.\"\n\nHe did as she instructed, and could see clearly. \"Thanks,\" he told her, giving a gentle smile.\n\n\"What the heck were you tryin' to do?\" she asked, her voice suddenly a higher pitch. \"You take off on your own and leave me in the dining room, then I hear you getting slammed through a wall. Why do you have to be so reckless?!\"\n\nHe looked at her, seeing she was angry with him for leaving her alone. Though he doubted it was the concept itself of him leaving her alone, he pretty much knew it was because he'd told her to stay put while he checked out one of the rooms. \"Well... I found it, didn't I?\" He offered a light grin.\n\nShe stood as she wrung her hands at her sides, feeling more frustrated now. \"Ahhg! Everything's a game to you. Don't you realize you coulda been seriously hurt? You got thrown through a wall for Heaven's sake!\"\n\nHe couldn't help it as a chuckle escaped him.\n\n\"What?\" she asked, crossing her arms.\n\n\"Heh. You said Heaven. Angel pun, heh.\"\n\nShe facepalmed. \"Uuhhh!\" she sighed in exasperation. \"I give up. You're impossible.\" She knelt down and gripped his arm as she helped him stand.\n\n\"Yet you're helpin' me?\"\n\nShe huffed, her cheeks now a very light pink. \"Well, I can't just let you sit there, now can I?\"\n\n\"Why didn'tcha take the shot?\" he asked as he lifted his hand, his scythe disappearing and reappearing in his grip.\n\n\"I couldn't just kill it,\" she retorted. \"I have to give it a chance to at least try to make amends.\"\n\n\"Oh? Really?\" His arms flailed out. \"Even after it threw me through a wall?!\"\n\n\"Well... ...you're alive, aren't you?\" she smirked.\n\nHe sighed. \"And ya say I'm impossible to work with.\"\n\nShe turned away from him, giving him a glance over her shoulder. \"Touche.\"\n\nHe looked around the room, then calmly back to her. \"You know it's not gone, right?\"\n\nShe stopped. She started to detect a presence, one other then his. She raised her hands, her gun appearing once again. \"H-How did you...\"\n\n\"Doll, I've been at this a long time,\" he replied calmly. \"I've been a reaper longer than ya've been an angel.\" He raised his scythe, ready to attack. \"When ya've been in the business as long as I have ya come to know these sorts a' things.\n\n\"It's angry.\" She backed up closer to him. \"I can't feel anything from it except... anger...\"\n\n\"Some spirits...\" he sighed, \"are every bit as evil in death as they were alive. Ya can't save them all.\" Their eyes surveyed the room, ready and waiting.\n\nShe cast a glance back to him. \"Can I count on you to not do anything ridiculous?\"\n\nHe grinned. \"Ya don't hafta worry about me, doll.\"\n\nShe rolled her eyes. \"That's exactly why I'm worried. Just don't go getting yourself killed, okay?\"\n\nJust then, the creature rose from the ground, its spectral light illuminating the room as its eyes began to glow. It let out a hiss as it neared the two mice.\n\nMinnie gripped the handle of her gun. \"Ready?\"\n\n\"Say the word.\" Mickey pulled his scythe back.\n\nThe creature lunged at them.\n\n\"Break!\"\n\nThe mice each jumped in a different direction as the ghost landed right between them.\n\n\"Now, Mins!\" Mickey jumped at the creature as he gripped his weapon in both hands.\n\nBANG!\n\nSHIING!\n\nThe mice had jumped past each other over top of the ghost and landed on opposite sides of it. The muzzle of Minnie's gun was smoking, as was the blade of Mickey's scythe. The creature was frozen in place, its body twitching as the light in its eyes began to fade. Its body had been cut clean in two by the Reaper's blade, and a hole had been blown through the spirit's head, courtesy of the Angel's gun. The creature hissed, its body beginning to spasm as a whirlpool of black mist appeared around the tail of the ghost. The mice watched as it was sucked into the pit, it wailing, screeching and attempting fruitlessly to claw its way out of the pit until its head disappeared into the mist. Then the mist shrunk and vanished.\n\nIn a flash of white light, the Reaper's scythe vanished, and the Angel's gun soon followed.\n\nMinnie looked to the floor where the spirit had met its fate, and she couldn't get rid of the slight feeling of guilt she felt. Was there really no other way? Did they really have to sentence the being to eternal damnation? She knew that some spirits were evil, and that there was no help or hope for many of them. But did that spirit feel no remorse for what it had done? She focused on it the energy she'd felt from it earlier, and it was completely gone. She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up to meet the gaze of the Reaper.\n\nThey were kind, gentle. Something she wasn't aware a Reaper was capable of yet had saw such a thing in him. And then she saw him give a sympathetic smile. She knew what he was saying without the words. She nodded, understanding. They did what they had to do. And people were safer for it.\n\nHe leaned back, cracking his back. \"Gah! That's smarts.\"\n\nShe giggled. \"How's your eye?\"\n\n\"Hm? Oh, it's fine.\" He looked over the old mirror that sat in the corner of the room, and approached it. Blowing off the dust and glancing inside, he saw that she had completely healed his scar. Not a trace of it remained. \"Yer really good with those powers a' yours.\"\n\nShe felt a sudden heat in her cheeks as she kicked a small piece of concrete gently. \"Hm-hm, thanks. Want me to take care of your back?\"\n\nHe turned back to her with a wave of his hand. \"Nah, I'm good. 'Sides, I'm a Reaper, heh.\" He stepped closer to her.\n\n\"C'mon... whataya say we get a burger?\"\n\nShe looked at her watch. \"It's after eleven. Everything's closed.\"\n\nHe wasn't disappointed. \"No problem. We can grab a bite at my place. I've got some leftover pizza in the fridge. Or if you'd prefer, I can whip something up.\"\n\nShe tilted her head in thought, and honestly, left over pizza sounded pretty good right then. \"Pizza sounds good.\"\n\nThe two started back to the front door, and was soon met with the cool night air as they stepped out into the night.\n\nGlancing up, Minnie saw the multitude of stars above, shimmering and twinkling brilliantly. Mickey, not hearing her footsteps, stopped and turned back to see her staring up at the sky. As he glanced up to see what she was staring at, an idea hit him.\n\n\"How about instead of eating at my place we eat somewhere else?\"\n\nShe looked back down to him, curious as to what he had in mind. \"Where do you have in mind?\"\n\nHe chuckled. \"Ya trust me?\"\n\nShe gave a light grin. \"Do I have a choice?\"\n\nHe laughed. \"Not exactly the answer I was looking for.\"\n\nShe grinned. \"Mmm... Give me some time to think it over.\"\n\n\"Fair enough,\" he said, and started down the walkway to the car. As they approached the old sedan, Mickey opened the door for her.\n\nMinnie smiled, but couldn't help being playful with him. \"I still can't believe you can be such a gentleman.\"\n\nHe leaned against the car, offering her a cocky smile. \"I toldja I'm full of surprises. Yer just gonna hafta get to know me better.\"\n\nShe snickered and got inside the car. He closed the door and walked around to the other side. As she reached for her seat belt, suddenly the '71 Imperial lifted up its right side, causing her, with a squeak, to slide down the bench seat until she was pressed against his side. They turned to look at each other and realized how close their faces were.\n\n\"O-Ooh!\" Minnie squeaked shyly as she averted her eyes away, her cheeks reddening. \"Your, um... car seems to have a mind of its own, heh...\"\n\n\"Uh, heh... Yeah...\" Mickey said bashfully as he rubbed the back of his neck. \"Uh, Chrys... Don'tcha think you could level us out? ...Please...\" Though Mickey wasn't really complaining with the current position. And neither was Minnie.\n\nThe Imperial slowly lowered its right side, allowing Minnie to scoot back up to the seat at the door. But she didn't. Not at first anyway. It took her a moment to realize she was still sitting right beside him. And when it dawned on her, her cheeks got even hotter.\n\n\"Oh, uh, heh... Sorry...\" She scooted back across the seat to the door and buckled up. \"So, uh... Where do you have in mind to eat?\" she asked, deciding to change the subject.\n\nHe buckled his seat belt and eased his foot on the gas as he turned the key, giving her a wink. \"Trust me, you'll love it.\" As the 440 V-8 roared to life, he put the Imperial in drive and the two mice left the old house.\n\nThe moonlight shone down on the old dirt road, illuminating the fields of flowers on each side of the old LeBaron as it traveled down the dusty road, a small trail of dust flying up behind it illuminated by the tail lights.\n\n\"You sure we won't get lost or stuck up here?\" the young female mouse asked, casting a glance to him.\n\nThe Reaper chuckled, moving his arm to let it hang out the open driver window. \"I've been down this road many a time. We won't get stuck. Now if we were in a newer car with a low stance, then yeah, we'd have a problem.\" He patted the door as his hand hung limply next to it outside. \"But not in ol' Chrys here. We never got stuck once.\"\n\nShe offered a little smile. \"You know there's a first time for everything, right?\"\n\nHe laughed. \"If we do, we'll get unstuck. You sit in the car and I'll push. Easy.\"\n\nShe had to admire how relaxed he was about such an issue. He wasn't concerned in the slightest, but was just taking everything in stride. She thought back to when she first started working with him, how his easy going attitude actually got on her nerves. But now, it was different. She actually admired him for it. He was easy going, carefree, simple. And dare she admit it, she liked that about him. She hadn't realized it up till now, but maybe his ways of living had slowly been rubbing off on her. The idea of getting stuck up this dusty old beaten path didn't bother her. Why? She couldn't really answer for sure but she believed it was because...\n\n...she was with him.\n\nIn the beginning, his perviness and laid back attitude actually annoyed her. But now, she didn't mind it. In fact she found herself actually... liking it. She shook her head quickly. He was beginning to get under her skin. Was this an effect of working with a Reaper? Was this what happened an Angel and Reaper worked together for too long? Was this a spell or something he'd put on her? She looked back over at him, seeing the soft moonlight glow giving his raven black hair a nice shine, and giving his nose a cute glimmer. He was actually adorable. He was cute, funny... a perv, yeah, but... she didn't mind it now. Kind of liked it now. He was laid back, but when it came to doing his job, he did it well, and with a style all his own. She sighed as she focused her vision back to the road ahead, which lay beyond the vision of the head lights. She might as well get used to working with him. If she kept going down the path she was with him, she wouldn't be an angel anymore...\n\nBefore she knew it they were pulling onto a hill, and as the gold metal flake hood leveled out, she saw the lights of the town below. He put the Imperial in park and unbuckled himself. \"C'mon. Yer gonna love this.\" He exited the car and walked over to open the door for her. As she got out, she gasped as she looked over the hill at the view.\n\nIt was gorgeous. The soft glow of the street lights below along with the warm twinkling of the stars above made the scene absolutely breath taking. She turned to her right and noticed a pond near an apple tree. The moonlight and stars sparkled in the clear water of the pond. Crickets could be heard in the distance as a gentle breeze made the grass sway.\n\n\"Woow...\" she said, staring in awe.\n\nThe Reaper chuckled. \"Ha ha, toldja you'd like it.\" The Imperial's right rear door popped open and Mickey pulled the picnic basket out from the back seat. Closing the door, he walked toward the pond, giving a wave toward it as he turned back to her. \"C'mon, Min!\"\n\nShe saw his smile. It wasn't pervy or evil, it was genuine. And it made her feel fuzzy inside. As her cheeks pinkened she closed the door and glanced out over the city below again. Suddenly she felt the car door nudging her toward the pond. She glanced back to the car with even pinker cheeks. \"Okay, I'm going, I'm going, sheesh, heh heh.\" She playfully stuck her tongue out at the Imperial which flashed its headlights at her, making her laugh as she stepped down the small field of daffodils toward the pond. She stopped and squeaked gleefully as she knelt down to pick up one.\n\nMickey sat down the basket and pulled out the blanket as he looked up and saw her. He just watched with a smile as she sniffed of the flower, then looked out across the pond. Then she stood and started toward him. \"Ya like daffodils?\" he asked as she approached, holding it in her hand.\n\n\"They're my favorite kind of flower,\" she replied, looking down at the flower as she stroked her finger tips across its petals.\n\n\"Really?\" he asked as he spread out the blanket. Then he sat down, taking a deep breath as he did.\n\nShe daintily sat down on the blanket, moving her legs to one side of her. \"Oh, I love all kinds of flowers. But daffodils are my favorite.\"\n\n\"And yer second favorite?\"\n\nHer cheeks pinkened. \"Roses.\" She tilted her head. \"Why?\"\n\nHe shrugged. \"Just curious, is all.\" Then he offered a grin. \"I'd like to know who I'm working with.\"\n\nShe chuckled. \"Alright, what about you? What's your favorite flower?\"\n\nHe leaned his head back with a sigh, as if thinking, then turned his gaze to her and paused for a brief moment before answering. \"Proly the small, dainty flowers.\"\n\nShe couldn't help it, but her heart seemed to skip. Was he talking about a flower or her? And why was she suddenly hoping he was referring to the latter? \"Well... can you give me a name?\"\n\nHe chuckled. \"I could, but you'd smack me upside the head fer it.\"\n\n\"I promise I won't,\" she assured, twirling the flower lightly in her fingers.\n\nHe quirked a brow, as if studying her to see if she was laying, joking or being serious. She was a Angel, so he knew, or at least reasoned, she wouldn't lie to him. And she wasn't exactly the joking type with some things. Eh. Might as well get a knock upside the noggin for the evening. \"Alright. Minicus Cuteicus.\"\n\nShe quirked a brow. \"Huh?\"\n\n\"You.\"\n\nHer heart stopped. She somehow knew, and oddly enough hoped, that would be his answer, yet no matter how much she mentally prepared for it, it still had a forceful impact. Of course, he had been flirting with her since she met him. So why did this feel different now? She thought it was just his personality before, but now it seemed so... real. And genuine. She didn't realize until then the warmth that had rushed to her cheeks and adverted her gaze away from his, looking up at the stars. \"You old flatterer, you.\"\n\nHe chuckled as he leaned his head back. \"Anyway, I really love Lavandula.\"\n\n\"Ooh, those are really beautiful, too. Especially when there's a lot of them together.\"\n\n\"Sure is. I love watchin' 'em when they're swayin' in the breeze.\" He motioned his head toward the tree. \"There's only one lavender up here. I planted it a little while back. It grows underneath that tree. It's alone, with no other flowers near it. Every time I come up here I check on it, to see if there might be another flower growing there with it, so it'll have a friend, but...\" He sighed as he lowered his head. \"So far, nothing.\"\n\nThe Angel felt a lump in her throat as she looked toward the tree. She glanced down at the daffodil she held in her hands. She lifted herself up and walked over to the tree. Mickey watched with curiosity as she walked toward it, and lifted himself up as well. Minnie found the single lavender, resting by itself at the base of the tree. She felt bad for the little flower, and reached a hand down to stroke it tenderly. Then she gently dug a small hole and stuck the daffodil she held into the ground next to the lavender. She turned to the mouse kneeling next to her. \"Can you get me a cup of water, please?\"\n\n\"Yeah.\" Mickey stood and went over to the basket, pulled out a cup and dipped it into the pond. As he made it back to the tree, he handed her the cup. She poured the water around the base of the flowers then sat up on her knees with her legs underneath her.\n\n\"There.\" She wasn't sure if the flower would live, but she found herself hoping it would. At least for a while anyway. \"Now you've got a friend.\"\n\nMickey smiled, and watched her with admiration. No wonder she was an Angel. She really did have a heart of gold. As she stood up, she looked back to him. \"He seems happy now.\"\n\nMickey looked at the flower. \"Happiest I've seen the little guy in a long time.\" He turned back to her. \"You ready for some pizza?\"\n\nShe nodded. \"Yeah. I'm starving.\"\n\n\"Me, too.\" The two walked back over to the blanket and knelt down, where he pulled out a slice of pizza wrapped in aluminum foil and placed it on a plate.\n\n\"Alright, so are we supposed to eat cold pizza?\" she asked, looking at him skeptically.\n\nHe grinned. \"Ya forgot I'm a Reaper.\" He held the pizza up and held his other hand near it. Then a small burst of flame erupted from his hand. She qawked as she watched him \"cook\" the pizza with his hand. After just a few seconds, the flame burned out and disappeared. Then he blew on the pizza and handed it to her.\n\nHer mouth still agape, she took it slowly and cautiously, and was surprised to find it didn't burn her hands. \"How... How did you do that?\"\n\nHe chuckled as he repeated the same heating process with the next slice. \"Little trick I learned. Nothing special.\"\n\nIt dawned on her how he could have used that technique when fighting creatures. \"Why have you never used it before? Do you know how helpful it would've been?\"\n\n\"I keep it as a last resort,\" he said, and blew off the slice of pizza he had just finished warming up. \"My scythe works just fine, and I can summon it, so I don't have a need for this power in battle. But I have it should I ever have to use it.\" He gave her a grin. \"Like heating up pizza.\"\n\nShe couldn't help but chuckle. \"So... how come this doesn't burn me? You used fire right on the plate, but... it's not hot to the touch.\"\n\n\"Special thing about that trick. It only affects someone I intend for it to effect. Here, lemme show you.\" Poof. A small flame appeared in his palm. \"Watch.\" She watched with amazement as he manipulated the flame, making it sort of dance about in his palm. First it bowed, then began to dance. After a bit, it stopped. \"Now you try.\"\n\nShe looked at him like he was nuts. \"What? I can't do that.\"\n\nHe merely chuckled. \"That's not what I meant. Here.\" He moved closer to her and reached for her hand and gently took it. He felt her hand tug back slightly with apprehension. \"Don't worry, it won't hurt you. Do ya trust me?\"\n\nShe looked at him, and although he was a Reaper, he hadn't given her a reason to doubt him yet. She slowly uncurled her fingers and watched as he held his palm next to hers. The flame jumped over into her hand and she jumped a little at first, but was shocked to find only a minor warmth, certainly no where near what you would expect from an open flame.\n\n\"Now... just concentrate.\"\n\nShe gave him a quick look and looked back to the flame that rested on her palm. He moved close to her, so close that she could faintly feel his warm breath upon her neck, which she found made her shiver. Not with uneasiness, but with delight, much to her sudden surprise. Keeping his palm pressed against the top of her hand, he smiled as he waved his other hand across the top of the flame.\n\n\"It's yours to command.\"\n\nShe lifted a hand and moved it slowly across the flame, again only feeling a small warmth. She focused on it and saw the little flame twitch.\n\nHe chuckled softly as he withdrew his hand. \"It takes some getting used to, believe me.\"\n\nShe wasn't about to quit though. She focused on it and soon, it began to move. It moved around her palm, first rolling around like a little fireball before it stopped and began to move around. She focused harder, and watched in awe as it began to dance. It wasn't as rhythmic and fluid as he had demonstrated earlier, but it was still movement, and it was still dancing a little. \"Wow... How am I...?\" She looked at him.\n\nHe shrugged. \"Beats the heck outta me. But yer doin' it.\"\n\nShe smiled as she turned back to the flame, a giggle erupting from her. Then she concentrated and the flame then moved up her arm and onto her shoulder. \"Hee hee. Kinda tickles.\" Then she moved it back down onto her palm. He lifted his hand and held it next to hers as another flame materialized in his hand. Suddenly, she saw the flame in his hand seem to bow to the one in her hand. This caught her by surprise. She wasn't controlling the flame now. The flame in her hand nodded toward his, and then moved closer, as the two flames began to move around together, seemingly sharing a waltz together. The flames flickered and moved about together, before merging together and both becoming a larger blue flame, positioned between the two mice' palms. Then it vanished.\n\nMinnie lowered her hand and looked to the mouse sitting close, very close, to her, and saw he had a look of bewilderment on his face. \"Wow... Has that... ever happened before?\"\n\nHe shook his head. \"Never seen anythin' like that before. Maybe it's because yer an angel.\" He honestly didn't know what to make of it, nor did she.\n\n\"Were you making them move like that?\"\n\nHe looked at her, confused. \"Ya mean you weren't?\"\n\nHer eyes widened. \"At first, yeah, but then once you made the second one appear, I didn't do anything.\"\n\nHis eyes widened this time. \"Once mine popped up I thought you were controllin' 'em both.\" He turned away from her a little as he thought about what had just happened. And suddenly something hit him. He turned back to her and forgot she was so close, nearly bumping his nose into hers. \"Oops, heh. Sorry.\"\n\n\"'S okay,\" she said softly, offering a little smile.\n\n\"I've wondered before if the fire isn't somehow connected to emotions.\"\n\n\"Hm?\" She tilted her head, her curiosity now piqued.\n\n\"Like it represents the heart, or a fire that burns inside the heart. What the person feels when they use it depicts what the flame will do.\" He shrugged. \"I dunno. I'm just ramblin'.\"\n\nHowever, his theory had a strong impact on her. What if he was right? What if... It was a silly thought. ...Wasn't it? Could the two flames... have represented them? A fire burning within both their hearts longing to be free, to be with each other? Two embers sparked upon meeting that have been burning and getting bigger and brighter, and upon fully acknowledging it and being together, would make for an ever stronger, much brighter flame? She was so deep into her thoughts that she was suddenly only vaguely aware he was speaking to her. \"Huh? W-What?\"\n\n\"I said are ya ready to eat?\" he repeated with a little grin. \"Ya kinda spaced out there fer a second.\"\n\nShe blushed. \"Oh, um, sorry. I was just.. thinking.\"\n\n\"Well, let's dig in. I'm starvin'!\" he said.\n\nShe'd think about the flaming heart thing later. Right now, she was hungry as well.\n\nOnce the mice had ate and placed everything back in the trunk of the car, they laid down for a rest in the soft grass by the pond. Mickey lay on his back with his hands behind his head with one knee bent and raised. Minnie lay next to him with one hand behind her head and the other on her stomach. Mickey also had a blade of grass in his mouth sucking on it every little bit as the two lay looking up at the stars.\n\n\"Thanks for bringing me up here, Mickey. It really is lovely,\" Minnie said, turning to him. Her smile was genuine, warm. Something he found his heart feeling fuzzy to.\n\n\"I knew ya'd like it,\" Mickey replied, then turned to her. \"And you're welcome.\"\n\nShe first thought of looking back up to the stars, but found herself unable to break her gaze from his. She had to admit, he had gorgeous brown eyes. Eyes she could find herself getting easily lost in. When he finally broke eye contact and looked back up to the stars, she still found herself watching him, studying him. He was a mystery it seemed, acting like a perv and a goofball one minute then acting like a true gentleman and hero the next. She liked the gentleman side of him but wasn't turned off of his pervy side either. Did she actually find it cute? Maybe she'd been working with him for too long, even though they hadn't been working together for very long at all. He really was starting to get in her head. She'd have to watch to make sure he didn't elsewhere... Or... would that be such a bad thing? She shook her head and looked back up at the stars. He was consuming her every thought. She needed to clear her head.\n\nLaying here with him wasn't helping the situation. She knew the odds were against them. An Angel and a Reaper. A forbidden love if there ever was one. She was supposed to be a being of grace and peace and he was a being of death and destruction. So why was it they actually worked so well together? In the beginning she never thought working with him would work. Yes, there were some moments he'd upset her with his reckless behavior, but he still got the job done. And they actually seemed to be a pretty good team. Now that she knew and understood him a little better she could tolerate his recklessness, provided of course that it didn't endanger anyone or himself. And his attitude was... dare she admit it, interesting. He was funny, and just like now, could be sweet when he wanted to be. She wondered before if there were more to him than meets the eye and now she knew there definitely was. She didn't mind his perviness as much now, and was shocked that she actually found it rather cute. Yep, he'd definitely gotten into her head.\n\n\"I'm really glad yer here with me, Min.\"\n\nShe turned to him, surprised to hear those words come out of his mouth.\n\nHe kept his gaze fixated on the stars. \"Yer the only other person that knows of this place. Until now I've just been comin' up here alone. Now... yer here to share it with me.\"\n\nThat surprised her even more. All this time and she was only one to see his special place. \"...Mickey...\"\n\nHe turned to her, the edge of his mouth turned up into a cute, crooked smile. \"I'm really glad I could share it with ya.\"\n\nHer heart was aflutter. She was too stunned to speak at first, but managed to force her brain and mouth to work. \"Oh, Mickey... T-Thank you.\" The two shared a warm smile before he turned back to the sky. As she did as well, she saw that the clouds were beginning to cover the stars, indicating it was going to rain soon. \"You know, you continue to surprise me,\" she said.\n\nHe turned to her, and saw the edge of her lips turned up into a playful smirk. \"Huh?\"\n\n\"We've been up here together this long and you haven't once made any remark about us making out or something else.\"\n\nHe laughed. \"What, ya didn't think I was like that all th' time, didja?\"\n\nShe chuckled. \"Oh, you're not?\" Wait. Did she actually want him to say something like that? Did she actually want him to come onto her? Was she going insane?\n\nHe gave her a look. \"Ya know, it's kinda hard to not think about somethin' like that when yer puttin' ideas in my head.\"\n\nHe was right. Was she actually trying to make him think those sorts of thoughts? Was she secretly hoping he would? Yep. She was going bonkers.\n\nHe shook his head, still grinning. \"Nah. I broughtcha up here 'cause I wanted to show it to ya. I'm not a jerk all the time, ya know.\"\n\nShe looked a little saddened at his remark. \"I never said you were a jerk.\"\n\n\"No, ya called me a perv.\"\n\nShe rolled onto her side facing him. \"There's a big difference.\"\n\n\"Yeah?\"\n\n\"Of course! If you were a jerk, I wouldn't be here with you right now. I'd rather you be a perv than a jerk.\" She suddenly realized what she said, and although her cheeks pinkened, she was honest about it.\n\n\"So yer here because I'm a perv and not a jerk?\" Was he playing with her mind? \"I thought you hated me being a perv.\"\n\n[i]I never said that[/i]. \"I... You're... Uhhg!\" She facepalmed. Then she poked him playfully with her finger as she laughed. \"Will you stop messing with my head?\"\n\n\"So you like me bein' a perv?\" he asked with a wide grin.\n\n\"Stop messing with me!\" she laughed as she playfully slapped his side.\n\n\"Yer an angel and ya like me bein' a perv!\" he laughed as he suddenly tickled her, making her squeak and laugh.\n\n\"Ooh! Now you're gonna get it!\" Laughing as well, she started her own tickle assault, and was surprised, yet also delighted, that he was ticklish as well. She didn't know that before. Now she had an edge, something to use against him. And why was she loving it so much? When she found out he was ticklish, she increased her tactics. She moved over top of him, straddling him as she tickled his upper torso, all the while both were laughing. Then she stopped, letting him catch his breath as she moved down closer to him, still keeping him pinned beneath her.\n\n\"I can see... yer the dominant one,\" he said, panting with a grin.\n\nShe rolled her eyes with a grin. \"You didn't tell me you were ticklish.\"\n\nHe gave her a look. \"Not exactly somethin' a Reaper wants t' to get out, ya know.\"\n\nShe giggled. \"Don't worry, my lips are sealed.\"\n\nIt was then that they both realized how close their faces were, and that she was on top of him, her legs on each side of him. They just stared for a moment, neither saying a word. They felt each other's breath, and could actually taste it faintly. Her breath smelled of peppermint, not surprising for an angel. And he found it rather intoxicating. He suddenly wondered if her lips tasted as her breath smelled. If so, man, would they be delicious to suck on.\n\nShe half expected his breath to smell of cheese or of fire and brimstone, but no. Surprisingly, it smelled like cinnamon, a delightful and rather intoxicating scent. His breath was also warm and soothing against her face, not like the fiery burning breath she expected. He certainly wasn't at all like she expected him to be. Instead, he was... better. She admitted it. She was also vaguely aware that their faces were slowly inching closer. When she finally realized it, her lips were so close to his. Her eyes were slowly closing. But she didn't pull back. She didn't want to stop.\n\nPlip.\n\nShe stopped, as did he. Her eyes opened up as she pulled her head back a bit.\n\nPlip. Plip.\n\nShe felt something tiny hit the back of her ear, making it twitch. She lifted her head to see not a star could nor the moon could be seen.\n\nPlip.\n\n\"Ow.\"\n\nShe looked back down to see his right eye closed. She smiled sympathetically, knowing a rain drop must have hit him. Then she felt one on her nose. [i]Stupid rain.[/i]\n\n\"We better-\" he started to say before it started raining even harder, \"-get to the car!\"\n\nBoth mice laughed as she quickly got off of him and both started running to the car. The right door of the Imperial opened as the mice neared it, and Minnie quickly got inside. Mickey ran around to the other side and the door opened, him jumping inside after.\n\n\"Well, that was interesting,\" Mickey said, wiping the water from his ears.\n\n\"At least we didn't get too soaked,\" Minnie added with a chuckle.\n\n\"True.\"\n\nThe mice sat there for a moment, listening to the rain beat down on the old hood, windshield and vinyl roof. Minnie had to admit it was rather peaceful, and romantic.\n\n\"We better head back,\" Mickey said then, and reached down to start the car. As the engine came to life, Minnie buckled her seat belt as Mickey switched on the wipers and headlights. Mickey shifted the old Chrysler into drive and put his foot on the gas. The engine revved a little, but the car didn't budge. He tried again, but again the car didn't move an inch. Applying a little more pressure, they heard the rear tires spin. Mickey eased off the gas and put it in park. He sighed and looked at her with a forced grin. \"We're stuck.\"\n\n\"Must be where the road is wet,\" she said, offering a light smile.\n\n\"Yep.\" He put his hand on the door handle. \"First time for everything, right?\" He chuckled and opened the door, stepping out into the rain. She felt really bad for him as she slid over behind the wheel and cracked the window so she could hear him.\n\nHe ran behind the car and put his hands on the trunk lid. \"Alright! Give it some gas!\" he called.\n\nShe applied some pressure on the accelerator and felt the car give a bit. \"C'mon, c'mon.\" She looked in the mirror, seeing his silhouette through the rain splattered window. With one more push the car was free. She stopped the car, put it in park and opened the door for him as he ran around. She scooted over to the passenger seat as he entered the car, closing the door and rolling up the window.\n\n\"Okay. It's pouring out there.\"\n\n\"Hee hee, you look like a wet rat, heh heh,\" she snickered.\n\n\"Oh, yeah,\" he grinned and leaned closer to fling a little bit of water on her, making her squeak with laughter. \"Now yer a little wet rat too.\"\n\nShe playfully stuck out her tongue. \"You got some napkins in here?\"\n\n\"I got a towel underneath the seat here.\" He reached down and pulled out a small towel. \"I keep it to wipe off the car. Don't worry, it's clean. Ya think I'm gonna wipe off my car with a dirty towel?\" He laughed, then handed it to her.\n\nShe looked at it confused, then back to him. \"But I'm not as wet as you.\"\n\nHe smiled as he nudged it toward her. \"You first.\"\n\nShe smiled at his sweet offer, and took it as she started to wipe off her ears and head. \"You're really something, you know that?\" She quickly finished and handed it back to him.\n\nHe dried himself off then reached over the seat as he laid the towel in the rear floorboard. \"Now, ya ready to head back to dry land?\"\n\nShe chuckled. \"Yeah. I think I could do with a nice hot soak in the tub.\"\n\n\"Great. More water. I think I'm turning into a cat.\" He stuck his tongue out.\n\n\"Aw, don't do that. Mickey Mouse sounds better than Mickey Cat, ha ha!\" she giggled.\n\nMickey put the car in drive and the two mice headed for home.\n\nBack at his place, Mickey and Minnie walked through the door and trudged tiredly upstairs.\n\n\"Tub's all yours,\" Mickey said, stopping in the hall. \"I'll take one after you.\"\n\n\"Thanks, Mickey,\" Minnie said appreciatively as she stopped at the bathroom door. \"And thanks again for the dinner and the evening. It was really wonderful.\" She chuckled. \"Even the rainy bit.\"\n\nHe quirked a brow. \"Even that?\"\n\nShe nodded. \"Even that.\"\n\nHe smiled and waved his hand. \"Aw, yer welcome, kiddo. I had a good time, too.\" Her heart fluttered, happy that he actually enjoyed the time spent with her. \"Go on and relax. I'll be downstairs if ya need anything.\"\n\n\"Okay. Thank you.\"\n\nAfter sharing a smile, she stepped into the bathroom and closed the door. She started running the water and started to get undressed. She was almost fully undressed when she heard a knock at the door. She glanced back over her shoulder, knowing who it was. \"Yeah?\"\n\n\"Mind if I watch?\"\n\n\"Mickey!\" she shrieked.\n\n\"Ha ha, alright, I'm goin', I'm goin'!\" She heard his footsteps fade as he went downstairs.\n\nAlthough her cheeks were bright pink, she couldn't help but smile. \"You big lug,\" she said to herself with a grin.\n\nTo be continued...\n\n\n",
  "writing_bbcode_parsed": "<span style='word-wrap: break-word;'>CRASH!<br /><br />The sound of the impact echoed through the old house as pieces of the old wood broke off, flying in all directions and landing on the floor below. Dust settled around him as he coughed and groaned, feeling the pain beginning to subside. Being thrown into a wall certainly wasn&#039;t the highlight of his evening.<br /><br />He looked up, one eye open, the other closed as a scar ran diagonally down it. He grinned. &quot;That was some throw there, fella... Actually stung a little.&quot;<br /><br />The creature before him slowly approached him, it&#039;s spectral form glowing, its yellow eyes piercing through the darkness. Its glowing green, decrepit appearance would cause the bravest of souls to shiver in fear. But not him. It was nothing new to him. Nothing new to a Reaper.<br /><br />He glanced over, seeing where his scythe had landed. &quot;So ya wanna fight, eh?&quot; He lifted a hand to summon it, when...<br /><br />&quot;Mickey!&quot;<br /><br />He turned to the doorway leading into the room, seeing her standing there. She turned to the ghostly apparition, and her face turned into one of anger. In a flash of white light a pistol materialized in her right hand.<br /><br />&quot;Keep away from him.&quot; Her tone was low, but firm. She drew her weapon, aiming it at the creature&#039;s head. &quot;I&#039;m giving you once chance to stop.&quot; She tightened her grip on the handle, and pressed her index finger against the trigger. The creature paused for only a second, before letting out a wail and disappearing into a mist of green. She took a glance around the room, using her senses to detect its presence. But she felt nothing. She took a few steps over toward him as she pointed the barrel of her weapon up, still grasping it firmly in her palms before sprinting over to him. &quot;Are you alright?&quot; she asked him as her gun vanished, extending an arm to help him.<br /><br />&quot;Yeah...&quot; He grunted. &quot;...Yeah, I&#039;m alright.&quot;<br /><br />She checked over his face, seeing the scar that ran down his closed eye. She winced upon seeing it. Then, using her angelic grace, she lifted a hand and stroked her fingers across his eye, pressed her hand on the side of his head. As her hand began to glow white, his wound began to heal. In just a few seconds, his wound was healed. &quot;There. Now open your eye.&quot;<br /><br />He did as she instructed, and could see clearly. &quot;Thanks,&quot; he told her, giving a gentle smile.<br /><br />&quot;What the heck were you tryin&#039; to do?&quot; she asked, her voice suddenly a higher pitch. &quot;You take off on your own and leave me in the dining room, then I hear you getting slammed through a wall. Why do you have to be so reckless?!&quot;<br /><br />He looked at her, seeing she was angry with him for leaving her alone. Though he doubted it was the concept itself of him leaving her alone, he pretty much knew it was because he&#039;d told her to stay put while he checked out one of the rooms. &quot;Well... I found it, didn&#039;t I?&quot; He offered a light grin.<br /><br />She stood as she wrung her hands at her sides, feeling more frustrated now. &quot;Ahhg! Everything&#039;s a game to you. Don&#039;t you realize you coulda been seriously hurt? You got thrown through a wall for Heaven&#039;s sake!&quot;<br /><br />He couldn&#039;t help it as a chuckle escaped him.<br /><br />&quot;What?&quot; she asked, crossing her arms.<br /><br />&quot;Heh. You said Heaven. Angel pun, heh.&quot;<br /><br />She facepalmed. &quot;Uuhhh!&quot; she sighed in exasperation. &quot;I give up. You&#039;re impossible.&quot; She knelt down and gripped his arm as she helped him stand.<br /><br />&quot;Yet you&#039;re helpin&#039; me?&quot;<br /><br />She huffed, her cheeks now a very light pink. &quot;Well, I can&#039;t just let you sit there, now can I?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Why didn&#039;tcha take the shot?&quot; he asked as he lifted his hand, his scythe disappearing and reappearing in his grip.<br /><br />&quot;I couldn&#039;t just kill it,&quot; she retorted. &quot;I have to give it a chance to at least try to make amends.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Oh? Really?&quot; His arms flailed out. &quot;Even after it threw me through a wall?!&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Well... ...you&#039;re alive, aren&#039;t you?&quot; she smirked.<br /><br />He sighed. &quot;And ya say I&#039;m impossible to work with.&quot;<br /><br />She turned away from him, giving him a glance over her shoulder. &quot;Touche.&quot;<br /><br />He looked around the room, then calmly back to her. &quot;You know it&#039;s not gone, right?&quot;<br /><br />She stopped. She started to detect a presence, one other then his. She raised her hands, her gun appearing once again. &quot;H-How did you...&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Doll, I&#039;ve been at this a long time,&quot; he replied calmly. &quot;I&#039;ve been a reaper longer than ya&#039;ve been an angel.&quot; He raised his scythe, ready to attack. &quot;When ya&#039;ve been in the business as long as I have ya come to know these sorts a&#039; things.<br /><br />&quot;It&#039;s angry.&quot; She backed up closer to him. &quot;I can&#039;t feel anything from it except... anger...&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Some spirits...&quot; he sighed, &quot;are every bit as evil in death as they were alive. Ya can&#039;t save them all.&quot; Their eyes surveyed the room, ready and waiting.<br /><br />She cast a glance back to him. &quot;Can I count on you to not do anything ridiculous?&quot;<br /><br />He grinned. &quot;Ya don&#039;t hafta worry about me, doll.&quot;<br /><br />She rolled her eyes. &quot;That&#039;s exactly why I&#039;m worried. Just don&#039;t go getting yourself killed, okay?&quot;<br /><br />Just then, the creature rose from the ground, its spectral light illuminating the room as its eyes began to glow. It let out a hiss as it neared the two mice.<br /><br />Minnie gripped the handle of her gun. &quot;Ready?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Say the word.&quot; Mickey pulled his scythe back.<br /><br />The creature lunged at them.<br /><br />&quot;Break!&quot;<br /><br />The mice each jumped in a different direction as the ghost landed right between them.<br /><br />&quot;Now, Mins!&quot; Mickey jumped at the creature as he gripped his weapon in both hands.<br /><br />BANG!<br /><br />SHIING!<br /><br />The mice had jumped past each other over top of the ghost and landed on opposite sides of it. The muzzle of Minnie&#039;s gun was smoking, as was the blade of Mickey&#039;s scythe. The creature was frozen in place, its body twitching as the light in its eyes began to fade. Its body had been cut clean in two by the Reaper&#039;s blade, and a hole had been blown through the spirit&#039;s head, courtesy of the Angel&#039;s gun. The creature hissed, its body beginning to spasm as a whirlpool of black mist appeared around the tail of the ghost. The mice watched as it was sucked into the pit, it wailing, screeching and attempting fruitlessly to claw its way out of the pit until its head disappeared into the mist. Then the mist shrunk and vanished.<br /><br />In a flash of white light, the Reaper&#039;s scythe vanished, and the Angel&#039;s gun soon followed.<br /><br />Minnie looked to the floor where the spirit had met its fate, and she couldn&#039;t get rid of the slight feeling of guilt she felt. Was there really no other way? Did they really have to sentence the being to eternal damnation? She knew that some spirits were evil, and that there was no help or hope for many of them. But did that spirit feel no remorse for what it had done? She focused on it the energy she&#039;d felt from it earlier, and it was completely gone. She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up to meet the gaze of the Reaper.<br /><br />They were kind, gentle. Something she wasn&#039;t aware a Reaper was capable of yet had saw such a thing in him. And then she saw him give a sympathetic smile. She knew what he was saying without the words. She nodded, understanding. They did what they had to do. And people were safer for it.<br /><br />He leaned back, cracking his back. &quot;Gah! That&#039;s smarts.&quot;<br /><br />She giggled. &quot;How&#039;s your eye?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Hm? Oh, it&#039;s fine.&quot; He looked over the old mirror that sat in the corner of the room, and approached it. Blowing off the dust and glancing inside, he saw that she had completely healed his scar. Not a trace of it remained. &quot;Yer really good with those powers a&#039; yours.&quot;<br /><br />She felt a sudden heat in her cheeks as she kicked a small piece of concrete gently. &quot;Hm-hm, thanks. Want me to take care of your back?&quot;<br /><br />He turned back to her with a wave of his hand. &quot;Nah, I&#039;m good. &#039;Sides, I&#039;m a Reaper, heh.&quot; He stepped closer to her.<br /><br />&quot;C&#039;mon... whataya say we get a burger?&quot;<br /><br />She looked at her watch. &quot;It&#039;s after eleven. Everything&#039;s closed.&quot;<br /><br />He wasn&#039;t disappointed. &quot;No problem. We can grab a bite at my place. I&#039;ve got some leftover pizza in the fridge. Or if you&#039;d prefer, I can whip something up.&quot;<br /><br />She tilted her head in thought, and honestly, left over pizza sounded pretty good right then. &quot;Pizza sounds good.&quot;<br /><br />The two started back to the front door, and was soon met with the cool night air as they stepped out into the night.<br /><br />Glancing up, Minnie saw the multitude of stars above, shimmering and twinkling brilliantly. Mickey, not hearing her footsteps, stopped and turned back to see her staring up at the sky. As he glanced up to see what she was staring at, an idea hit him.<br /><br />&quot;How about instead of eating at my place we eat somewhere else?&quot;<br /><br />She looked back down to him, curious as to what he had in mind. &quot;Where do you have in mind?&quot;<br /><br />He chuckled. &quot;Ya trust me?&quot;<br /><br />She gave a light grin. &quot;Do I have a choice?&quot;<br /><br />He laughed. &quot;Not exactly the answer I was looking for.&quot;<br /><br />She grinned. &quot;Mmm... Give me some time to think it over.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Fair enough,&quot; he said, and started down the walkway to the car. As they approached the old sedan, Mickey opened the door for her.<br /><br />Minnie smiled, but couldn&#039;t help being playful with him. &quot;I still can&#039;t believe you can be such a gentleman.&quot;<br /><br />He leaned against the car, offering her a cocky smile. &quot;I toldja I&#039;m full of surprises. Yer just gonna hafta get to know me better.&quot;<br /><br />She snickered and got inside the car. He closed the door and walked around to the other side. As she reached for her seat belt, suddenly the &#039;71 Imperial lifted up its right side, causing her, with a squeak, to slide down the bench seat until she was pressed against his side. They turned to look at each other and realized how close their faces were.<br /><br />&quot;O-Ooh!&quot; Minnie squeaked shyly as she averted her eyes away, her cheeks reddening. &quot;Your, um... car seems to have a mind of its own, heh...&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Uh, heh... Yeah...&quot; Mickey said bashfully as he rubbed the back of his neck. &quot;Uh, Chrys... Don&#039;tcha think you could level us out? ...Please...&quot; Though Mickey wasn&#039;t really complaining with the current position. And neither was Minnie.<br /><br />The Imperial slowly lowered its right side, allowing Minnie to scoot back up to the seat at the door. But she didn&#039;t. Not at first anyway. It took her a moment to realize she was still sitting right beside him. And when it dawned on her, her cheeks got even hotter.<br /><br />&quot;Oh, uh, heh... Sorry...&quot; She scooted back across the seat to the door and buckled up. &quot;So, uh... Where do you have in mind to eat?&quot; she asked, deciding to change the subject.<br /><br />He buckled his seat belt and eased his foot on the gas as he turned the key, giving her a wink. &quot;Trust me, you&#039;ll love it.&quot; As the 440 V-8 roared to life, he put the Imperial in drive and the two mice left the old house.<br /><br />The moonlight shone down on the old dirt road, illuminating the fields of flowers on each side of the old LeBaron as it traveled down the dusty road, a small trail of dust flying up behind it illuminated by the tail lights.<br /><br />&quot;You sure we won&#039;t get lost or stuck up here?&quot; the young female mouse asked, casting a glance to him.<br /><br />The Reaper chuckled, moving his arm to let it hang out the open driver window. &quot;I&#039;ve been down this road many a time. We won&#039;t get stuck. Now if we were in a newer car with a low stance, then yeah, we&#039;d have a problem.&quot; He patted the door as his hand hung limply next to it outside. &quot;But not in ol&#039; Chrys here. We never got stuck once.&quot;<br /><br />She offered a little smile. &quot;You know there&#039;s a first time for everything, right?&quot;<br /><br />He laughed. &quot;If we do, we&#039;ll get unstuck. You sit in the car and I&#039;ll push. Easy.&quot;<br /><br />She had to admire how relaxed he was about such an issue. He wasn&#039;t concerned in the slightest, but was just taking everything in stride. She thought back to when she first started working with him, how his easy going attitude actually got on her nerves. But now, it was different. She actually admired him for it. He was easy going, carefree, simple. And dare she admit it, she liked that about him. She hadn&#039;t realized it up till now, but maybe his ways of living had slowly been rubbing off on her. The idea of getting stuck up this dusty old beaten path didn&#039;t bother her. Why? She couldn&#039;t really answer for sure but she believed it was because...<br /><br />...she was with him.<br /><br />In the beginning, his perviness and laid back attitude actually annoyed her. But now, she didn&#039;t mind it. In fact she found herself actually... liking it. She shook her head quickly. He was beginning to get under her skin. Was this an effect of working with a Reaper? Was this what happened an Angel and Reaper worked together for too long? Was this a spell or something he&#039;d put on her? She looked back over at him, seeing the soft moonlight glow giving his raven black hair a nice shine, and giving his nose a cute glimmer. He was actually adorable. He was cute, funny... a perv, yeah, but... she didn&#039;t mind it now. Kind of liked it now. He was laid back, but when it came to doing his job, he did it well, and with a style all his own. She sighed as she focused her vision back to the road ahead, which lay beyond the vision of the head lights. She might as well get used to working with him. If she kept going down the path she was with him, she wouldn&#039;t be an angel anymore...<br /><br />Before she knew it they were pulling onto a hill, and as the gold metal flake hood leveled out, she saw the lights of the town below. He put the Imperial in park and unbuckled himself. &quot;C&#039;mon. Yer gonna love this.&quot; He exited the car and walked over to open the door for her. As she got out, she gasped as she looked over the hill at the view.<br /><br />It was gorgeous. The soft glow of the street lights below along with the warm twinkling of the stars above made the scene absolutely breath taking. She turned to her right and noticed a pond near an apple tree. The moonlight and stars sparkled in the clear water of the pond. Crickets could be heard in the distance as a gentle breeze made the grass sway.<br /><br />&quot;Woow...&quot; she said, staring in awe.<br /><br />The Reaper chuckled. &quot;Ha ha, toldja you&#039;d like it.&quot; The Imperial&#039;s right rear door popped open and Mickey pulled the picnic basket out from the back seat. Closing the door, he walked toward the pond, giving a wave toward it as he turned back to her. &quot;C&#039;mon, Min!&quot;<br /><br />She saw his smile. It wasn&#039;t pervy or evil, it was genuine. And it made her feel fuzzy inside. As her cheeks pinkened she closed the door and glanced out over the city below again. Suddenly she felt the car door nudging her toward the pond. She glanced back to the car with even pinker cheeks. &quot;Okay, I&#039;m going, I&#039;m going, sheesh, heh heh.&quot; She playfully stuck her tongue out at the Imperial which flashed its headlights at her, making her laugh as she stepped down the small field of daffodils toward the pond. She stopped and squeaked gleefully as she knelt down to pick up one.<br /><br />Mickey sat down the basket and pulled out the blanket as he looked up and saw her. He just watched with a smile as she sniffed of the flower, then looked out across the pond. Then she stood and started toward him. &quot;Ya like daffodils?&quot; he asked as she approached, holding it in her hand.<br /><br />&quot;They&#039;re my favorite kind of flower,&quot; she replied, looking down at the flower as she stroked her finger tips across its petals.<br /><br />&quot;Really?&quot; he asked as he spread out the blanket. Then he sat down, taking a deep breath as he did.<br /><br />She daintily sat down on the blanket, moving her legs to one side of her. &quot;Oh, I love all kinds of flowers. But daffodils are my favorite.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;And yer second favorite?&quot;<br /><br />Her cheeks pinkened. &quot;Roses.&quot; She tilted her head. &quot;Why?&quot;<br /><br />He shrugged. &quot;Just curious, is all.&quot; Then he offered a grin. &quot;I&#039;d like to know who I&#039;m working with.&quot;<br /><br />She chuckled. &quot;Alright, what about you? What&#039;s your favorite flower?&quot;<br /><br />He leaned his head back with a sigh, as if thinking, then turned his gaze to her and paused for a brief moment before answering. &quot;Proly the small, dainty flowers.&quot;<br /><br />She couldn&#039;t help it, but her heart seemed to skip. Was he talking about a flower or her? And why was she suddenly hoping he was referring to the latter? &quot;Well... can you give me a name?&quot;<br /><br />He chuckled. &quot;I could, but you&#039;d smack me upside the head fer it.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I promise I won&#039;t,&quot; she assured, twirling the flower lightly in her fingers.<br /><br />He quirked a brow, as if studying her to see if she was laying, joking or being serious. She was a Angel, so he knew, or at least reasoned, she wouldn&#039;t lie to him. And she wasn&#039;t exactly the joking type with some things. Eh. Might as well get a knock upside the noggin for the evening. &quot;Alright. Minicus Cuteicus.&quot;<br /><br />She quirked a brow. &quot;Huh?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;You.&quot;<br /><br />Her heart stopped. She somehow knew, and oddly enough hoped, that would be his answer, yet no matter how much she mentally prepared for it, it still had a forceful impact. Of course, he had been flirting with her since she met him. So why did this feel different now? She thought it was just his personality before, but now it seemed so... real. And genuine. She didn&#039;t realize until then the warmth that had rushed to her cheeks and adverted her gaze away from his, looking up at the stars. &quot;You old flatterer, you.&quot;<br /><br />He chuckled as he leaned his head back. &quot;Anyway, I really love Lavandula.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Ooh, those are really beautiful, too. Especially when there&#039;s a lot of them together.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Sure is. I love watchin&#039; &#039;em when they&#039;re swayin&#039; in the breeze.&quot; He motioned his head toward the tree. &quot;There&#039;s only one lavender up here. I planted it a little while back. It grows underneath that tree. It&#039;s alone, with no other flowers near it. Every time I come up here I check on it, to see if there might be another flower growing there with it, so it&#039;ll have a friend, but...&quot; He sighed as he lowered his head. &quot;So far, nothing.&quot;<br /><br />The Angel felt a lump in her throat as she looked toward the tree. She glanced down at the daffodil she held in her hands. She lifted herself up and walked over to the tree. Mickey watched with curiosity as she walked toward it, and lifted himself up as well. Minnie found the single lavender, resting by itself at the base of the tree. She felt bad for the little flower, and reached a hand down to stroke it tenderly. Then she gently dug a small hole and stuck the daffodil she held into the ground next to the lavender. She turned to the mouse kneeling next to her. &quot;Can you get me a cup of water, please?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Yeah.&quot; Mickey stood and went over to the basket, pulled out a cup and dipped it into the pond. As he made it back to the tree, he handed her the cup. She poured the water around the base of the flowers then sat up on her knees with her legs underneath her.<br /><br />&quot;There.&quot; She wasn&#039;t sure if the flower would live, but she found herself hoping it would. At least for a while anyway. &quot;Now you&#039;ve got a friend.&quot;<br /><br />Mickey smiled, and watched her with admiration. No wonder she was an Angel. She really did have a heart of gold. As she stood up, she looked back to him. &quot;He seems happy now.&quot;<br /><br />Mickey looked at the flower. &quot;Happiest I&#039;ve seen the little guy in a long time.&quot; He turned back to her. &quot;You ready for some pizza?&quot;<br /><br />She nodded. &quot;Yeah. I&#039;m starving.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Me, too.&quot; The two walked back over to the blanket and knelt down, where he pulled out a slice of pizza wrapped in aluminum foil and placed it on a plate.<br /><br />&quot;Alright, so are we supposed to eat cold pizza?&quot; she asked, looking at him skeptically.<br /><br />He grinned. &quot;Ya forgot I&#039;m a Reaper.&quot; He held the pizza up and held his other hand near it. Then a small burst of flame erupted from his hand. She qawked as she watched him &quot;cook&quot; the pizza with his hand. After just a few seconds, the flame burned out and disappeared. Then he blew on the pizza and handed it to her.<br /><br />Her mouth still agape, she took it slowly and cautiously, and was surprised to find it didn&#039;t burn her hands. &quot;How... How did you do that?&quot;<br /><br />He chuckled as he repeated the same heating process with the next slice. &quot;Little trick I learned. Nothing special.&quot;<br /><br />It dawned on her how he could have used that technique when fighting creatures. &quot;Why have you never used it before? Do you know how helpful it would&#039;ve been?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I keep it as a last resort,&quot; he said, and blew off the slice of pizza he had just finished warming up. &quot;My scythe works just fine, and I can summon it, so I don&#039;t have a need for this power in battle. But I have it should I ever have to use it.&quot; He gave her a grin. &quot;Like heating up pizza.&quot;<br /><br />She couldn&#039;t help but chuckle. &quot;So... how come this doesn&#039;t burn me? You used fire right on the plate, but... it&#039;s not hot to the touch.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Special thing about that trick. It only affects someone I intend for it to effect. Here, lemme show you.&quot; Poof. A small flame appeared in his palm. &quot;Watch.&quot; She watched with amazement as he manipulated the flame, making it sort of dance about in his palm. First it bowed, then began to dance. After a bit, it stopped. &quot;Now you try.&quot;<br /><br />She looked at him like he was nuts. &quot;What? I can&#039;t do that.&quot;<br /><br />He merely chuckled. &quot;That&#039;s not what I meant. Here.&quot; He moved closer to her and reached for her hand and gently took it. He felt her hand tug back slightly with apprehension. &quot;Don&#039;t worry, it won&#039;t hurt you. Do ya trust me?&quot;<br /><br />She looked at him, and although he was a Reaper, he hadn&#039;t given her a reason to doubt him yet. She slowly uncurled her fingers and watched as he held his palm next to hers. The flame jumped over into her hand and she jumped a little at first, but was shocked to find only a minor warmth, certainly no where near what you would expect from an open flame.<br /><br />&quot;Now... just concentrate.&quot;<br /><br />She gave him a quick look and looked back to the flame that rested on her palm. He moved close to her, so close that she could faintly feel his warm breath upon her neck, which she found made her shiver. Not with uneasiness, but with delight, much to her sudden surprise. Keeping his palm pressed against the top of her hand, he smiled as he waved his other hand across the top of the flame.<br /><br />&quot;It&#039;s yours to command.&quot;<br /><br />She lifted a hand and moved it slowly across the flame, again only feeling a small warmth. She focused on it and saw the little flame twitch.<br /><br />He chuckled softly as he withdrew his hand. &quot;It takes some getting used to, believe me.&quot;<br /><br />She wasn&#039;t about to quit though. She focused on it and soon, it began to move. It moved around her palm, first rolling around like a little fireball before it stopped and began to move around. She focused harder, and watched in awe as it began to dance. It wasn&#039;t as rhythmic and fluid as he had demonstrated earlier, but it was still movement, and it was still dancing a little. &quot;Wow... How am I...?&quot; She looked at him.<br /><br />He shrugged. &quot;Beats the heck outta me. But yer doin&#039; it.&quot;<br /><br />She smiled as she turned back to the flame, a giggle erupting from her. Then she concentrated and the flame then moved up her arm and onto her shoulder. &quot;Hee hee. Kinda tickles.&quot; Then she moved it back down onto her palm. He lifted his hand and held it next to hers as another flame materialized in his hand. Suddenly, she saw the flame in his hand seem to bow to the one in her hand. This caught her by surprise. She wasn&#039;t controlling the flame now. The flame in her hand nodded toward his, and then moved closer, as the two flames began to move around together, seemingly sharing a waltz together. The flames flickered and moved about together, before merging together and both becoming a larger blue flame, positioned between the two mice&#039; palms. Then it vanished.<br /><br />Minnie lowered her hand and looked to the mouse sitting close, very close, to her, and saw he had a look of bewilderment on his face. &quot;Wow... Has that... ever happened before?&quot;<br /><br />He shook his head. &quot;Never seen anythin&#039; like that before. Maybe it&#039;s because yer an angel.&quot; He honestly didn&#039;t know what to make of it, nor did she.<br /><br />&quot;Were you making them move like that?&quot;<br /><br />He looked at her, confused. &quot;Ya mean you weren&#039;t?&quot;<br /><br />Her eyes widened. &quot;At first, yeah, but then once you made the second one appear, I didn&#039;t do anything.&quot;<br /><br />His eyes widened this time. &quot;Once mine popped up I thought you were controllin&#039; &#039;em both.&quot; He turned away from her a little as he thought about what had just happened. And suddenly something hit him. He turned back to her and forgot she was so close, nearly bumping his nose into hers. &quot;Oops, heh. Sorry.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;&#039;S okay,&quot; she said softly, offering a little smile.<br /><br />&quot;I&#039;ve wondered before if the fire isn&#039;t somehow connected to emotions.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Hm?&quot; She tilted her head, her curiosity now piqued.<br /><br />&quot;Like it represents the heart, or a fire that burns inside the heart. What the person feels when they use it depicts what the flame will do.&quot; He shrugged. &quot;I dunno. I&#039;m just ramblin&#039;.&quot;<br /><br />However, his theory had a strong impact on her. What if he was right? What if... It was a silly thought. ...Wasn&#039;t it? Could the two flames... have represented them? A fire burning within both their hearts longing to be free, to be with each other? Two embers sparked upon meeting that have been burning and getting bigger and brighter, and upon fully acknowledging it and being together, would make for an ever stronger, much brighter flame? She was so deep into her thoughts that she was suddenly only vaguely aware he was speaking to her. &quot;Huh? W-What?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I said are ya ready to eat?&quot; he repeated with a little grin. &quot;Ya kinda spaced out there fer a second.&quot;<br /><br />She blushed. &quot;Oh, um, sorry. I was just.. thinking.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Well, let&#039;s dig in. I&#039;m starvin&#039;!&quot; he said.<br /><br />She&#039;d think about the flaming heart thing later. Right now, she was hungry as well.<br /><br />Once the mice had ate and placed everything back in the trunk of the car, they laid down for a rest in the soft grass by the pond. Mickey lay on his back with his hands behind his head with one knee bent and raised. Minnie lay next to him with one hand behind her head and the other on her stomach. Mickey also had a blade of grass in his mouth sucking on it every little bit as the two lay looking up at the stars.<br /><br />&quot;Thanks for bringing me up here, Mickey. It really is lovely,&quot; Minnie said, turning to him. Her smile was genuine, warm. Something he found his heart feeling fuzzy to.<br /><br />&quot;I knew ya&#039;d like it,&quot; Mickey replied, then turned to her. &quot;And you&#039;re welcome.&quot;<br /><br />She first thought of looking back up to the stars, but found herself unable to break her gaze from his. She had to admit, he had gorgeous brown eyes. Eyes she could find herself getting easily lost in. When he finally broke eye contact and looked back up to the stars, she still found herself watching him, studying him. He was a mystery it seemed, acting like a perv and a goofball one minute then acting like a true gentleman and hero the next. She liked the gentleman side of him but wasn&#039;t turned off of his pervy side either. Did she actually find it cute? Maybe she&#039;d been working with him for too long, even though they hadn&#039;t been working together for very long at all. He really was starting to get in her head. She&#039;d have to watch to make sure he didn&#039;t elsewhere... Or... would that be such a bad thing? She shook her head and looked back up at the stars. He was consuming her every thought. She needed to clear her head.<br /><br />Laying here with him wasn&#039;t helping the situation. She knew the odds were against them. An Angel and a Reaper. A forbidden love if there ever was one. She was supposed to be a being of grace and peace and he was a being of death and destruction. So why was it they actually worked so well together? In the beginning she never thought working with him would work. Yes, there were some moments he&#039;d upset her with his reckless behavior, but he still got the job done. And they actually seemed to be a pretty good team. Now that she knew and understood him a little better she could tolerate his recklessness, provided of course that it didn&#039;t endanger anyone or himself. And his attitude was... dare she admit it, interesting. He was funny, and just like now, could be sweet when he wanted to be. She wondered before if there were more to him than meets the eye and now she knew there definitely was. She didn&#039;t mind his perviness as much now, and was shocked that she actually found it rather cute. Yep, he&#039;d definitely gotten into her head.<br /><br />&quot;I&#039;m really glad yer here with me, Min.&quot;<br /><br />She turned to him, surprised to hear those words come out of his mouth.<br /><br />He kept his gaze fixated on the stars. &quot;Yer the only other person that knows of this place. Until now I&#039;ve just been comin&#039; up here alone. Now... yer here to share it with me.&quot;<br /><br />That surprised her even more. All this time and she was only one to see his special place. &quot;...Mickey...&quot;<br /><br />He turned to her, the edge of his mouth turned up into a cute, crooked smile. &quot;I&#039;m really glad I could share it with ya.&quot;<br /><br />Her heart was aflutter. She was too stunned to speak at first, but managed to force her brain and mouth to work. &quot;Oh, Mickey... T-Thank you.&quot; The two shared a warm smile before he turned back to the sky. As she did as well, she saw that the clouds were beginning to cover the stars, indicating it was going to rain soon. &quot;You know, you continue to surprise me,&quot; she said.<br /><br />He turned to her, and saw the edge of her lips turned up into a playful smirk. &quot;Huh?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;We&#039;ve been up here together this long and you haven&#039;t once made any remark about us making out or something else.&quot;<br /><br />He laughed. &quot;What, ya didn&#039;t think I was like that all th&#039; time, didja?&quot;<br /><br />She chuckled. &quot;Oh, you&#039;re not?&quot; Wait. Did she actually want him to say something like that? Did she actually want him to come onto her? Was she going insane?<br /><br />He gave her a look. &quot;Ya know, it&#039;s kinda hard to not think about somethin&#039; like that when yer puttin&#039; ideas in my head.&quot;<br /><br />He was right. Was she actually trying to make him think those sorts of thoughts? Was she secretly hoping he would? Yep. She was going bonkers.<br /><br />He shook his head, still grinning. &quot;Nah. I broughtcha up here &#039;cause I wanted to show it to ya. I&#039;m not a jerk all the time, ya know.&quot;<br /><br />She looked a little saddened at his remark. &quot;I never said you were a jerk.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;No, ya called me a perv.&quot;<br /><br />She rolled onto her side facing him. &quot;There&#039;s a big difference.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Yeah?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Of course! If you were a jerk, I wouldn&#039;t be here with you right now. I&#039;d rather you be a perv than a jerk.&quot; She suddenly realized what she said, and although her cheeks pinkened, she was honest about it.<br /><br />&quot;So yer here because I&#039;m a perv and not a jerk?&quot; Was he playing with her mind? &quot;I thought you hated me being a perv.&quot;<br /><br /><em>I never said that</em>. &quot;I... You&#039;re... Uhhg!&quot; She facepalmed. Then she poked him playfully with her finger as she laughed. &quot;Will you stop messing with my head?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;So you like me bein&#039; a perv?&quot; he asked with a wide grin.<br /><br />&quot;Stop messing with me!&quot; she laughed as she playfully slapped his side.<br /><br />&quot;Yer an angel and ya like me bein&#039; a perv!&quot; he laughed as he suddenly tickled her, making her squeak and laugh.<br /><br />&quot;Ooh! Now you&#039;re gonna get it!&quot; Laughing as well, she started her own tickle assault, and was surprised, yet also delighted, that he was ticklish as well. She didn&#039;t know that before. Now she had an edge, something to use against him. And why was she loving it so much? When she found out he was ticklish, she increased her tactics. She moved over top of him, straddling him as she tickled his upper torso, all the while both were laughing. Then she stopped, letting him catch his breath as she moved down closer to him, still keeping him pinned beneath her.<br /><br />&quot;I can see... yer the dominant one,&quot; he said, panting with a grin.<br /><br />She rolled her eyes with a grin. &quot;You didn&#039;t tell me you were ticklish.&quot;<br /><br />He gave her a look. &quot;Not exactly somethin&#039; a Reaper wants t&#039; to get out, ya know.&quot;<br /><br />She giggled. &quot;Don&#039;t worry, my lips are sealed.&quot;<br /><br />It was then that they both realized how close their faces were, and that she was on top of him, her legs on each side of him. They just stared for a moment, neither saying a word. They felt each other&#039;s breath, and could actually taste it faintly. Her breath smelled of peppermint, not surprising for an angel. And he found it rather intoxicating. He suddenly wondered if her lips tasted as her breath smelled. If so, man, would they be delicious to suck on.<br /><br />She half expected his breath to smell of cheese or of fire and brimstone, but no. Surprisingly, it smelled like cinnamon, a delightful and rather intoxicating scent. His breath was also warm and soothing against her face, not like the fiery burning breath she expected. He certainly wasn&#039;t at all like she expected him to be. Instead, he was... better. She admitted it. She was also vaguely aware that their faces were slowly inching closer. When she finally realized it, her lips were so close to his. Her eyes were slowly closing. But she didn&#039;t pull back. She didn&#039;t want to stop.<br /><br />Plip.<br /><br />She stopped, as did he. Her eyes opened up as she pulled her head back a bit.<br /><br />Plip. Plip.<br /><br />She felt something tiny hit the back of her ear, making it twitch. She lifted her head to see not a star could nor the moon could be seen.<br /><br />Plip.<br /><br />&quot;Ow.&quot;<br /><br />She looked back down to see his right eye closed. She smiled sympathetically, knowing a rain drop must have hit him. Then she felt one on her nose. <em>Stupid rain.</em><br /><br />&quot;We better-&quot; he started to say before it started raining even harder, &quot;-get to the car!&quot;<br /><br />Both mice laughed as she quickly got off of him and both started running to the car. The right door of the Imperial opened as the mice neared it, and Minnie quickly got inside. Mickey ran around to the other side and the door opened, him jumping inside after.<br /><br />&quot;Well, that was interesting,&quot; Mickey said, wiping the water from his ears.<br /><br />&quot;At least we didn&#039;t get too soaked,&quot; Minnie added with a chuckle.<br /><br />&quot;True.&quot;<br /><br />The mice sat there for a moment, listening to the rain beat down on the old hood, windshield and vinyl roof. Minnie had to admit it was rather peaceful, and romantic.<br /><br />&quot;We better head back,&quot; Mickey said then, and reached down to start the car. As the engine came to life, Minnie buckled her seat belt as Mickey switched on the wipers and headlights. Mickey shifted the old Chrysler into drive and put his foot on the gas. The engine revved a little, but the car didn&#039;t budge. He tried again, but again the car didn&#039;t move an inch. Applying a little more pressure, they heard the rear tires spin. Mickey eased off the gas and put it in park. He sighed and looked at her with a forced grin. &quot;We&#039;re stuck.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Must be where the road is wet,&quot; she said, offering a light smile.<br /><br />&quot;Yep.&quot; He put his hand on the door handle. &quot;First time for everything, right?&quot; He chuckled and opened the door, stepping out into the rain. She felt really bad for him as she slid over behind the wheel and cracked the window so she could hear him.<br /><br />He ran behind the car and put his hands on the trunk lid. &quot;Alright! Give it some gas!&quot; he called.<br /><br />She applied some pressure on the accelerator and felt the car give a bit. &quot;C&#039;mon, c&#039;mon.&quot; She looked in the mirror, seeing his silhouette through the rain splattered window. With one more push the car was free. She stopped the car, put it in park and opened the door for him as he ran around. She scooted over to the passenger seat as he entered the car, closing the door and rolling up the window.<br /><br />&quot;Okay. It&#039;s pouring out there.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Hee hee, you look like a wet rat, heh heh,&quot; she snickered.<br /><br />&quot;Oh, yeah,&quot; he grinned and leaned closer to fling a little bit of water on her, making her squeak with laughter. &quot;Now yer a little wet rat too.&quot;<br /><br />She playfully stuck out her tongue. &quot;You got some napkins in here?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I got a towel underneath the seat here.&quot; He reached down and pulled out a small towel. &quot;I keep it to wipe off the car. Don&#039;t worry, it&#039;s clean. Ya think I&#039;m gonna wipe off my car with a dirty towel?&quot; He laughed, then handed it to her.<br /><br />She looked at it confused, then back to him. &quot;But I&#039;m not as wet as you.&quot;<br /><br />He smiled as he nudged it toward her. &quot;You first.&quot;<br /><br />She smiled at his sweet offer, and took it as she started to wipe off her ears and head. &quot;You&#039;re really something, you know that?&quot; She quickly finished and handed it back to him.<br /><br />He dried himself off then reached over the seat as he laid the towel in the rear floorboard. &quot;Now, ya ready to head back to dry land?&quot;<br /><br />She chuckled. &quot;Yeah. I think I could do with a nice hot soak in the tub.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Great. More water. I think I&#039;m turning into a cat.&quot; He stuck his tongue out.<br /><br />&quot;Aw, don&#039;t do that. Mickey Mouse sounds better than Mickey Cat, ha ha!&quot; she giggled.<br /><br />Mickey put the car in drive and the two mice headed for home.<br /><br />Back at his place, Mickey and Minnie walked through the door and trudged tiredly upstairs.<br /><br />&quot;Tub&#039;s all yours,&quot; Mickey said, stopping in the hall. &quot;I&#039;ll take one after you.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Thanks, Mickey,&quot; Minnie said appreciatively as she stopped at the bathroom door. &quot;And thanks again for the dinner and the evening. It was really wonderful.&quot; She chuckled. &quot;Even the rainy bit.&quot;<br /><br />He quirked a brow. &quot;Even that?&quot;<br /><br />She nodded. &quot;Even that.&quot;<br /><br />He smiled and waved his hand. &quot;Aw, yer welcome, kiddo. I had a good time, too.&quot; Her heart fluttered, happy that he actually enjoyed the time spent with her. &quot;Go on and relax. I&#039;ll be downstairs if ya need anything.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Okay. Thank you.&quot;<br /><br />After sharing a smile, she stepped into the bathroom and closed the door. She started running the water and started to get undressed. She was almost fully undressed when she heard a knock at the door. She glanced back over her shoulder, knowing who it was. &quot;Yeah?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Mind if I watch?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Mickey!&quot; she shrieked.<br /><br />&quot;Ha ha, alright, I&#039;m goin&#039;, I&#039;m goin&#039;!&quot; She heard his footsteps fade as he went downstairs.<br /><br />Although her cheeks were bright pink, she couldn&#039;t help but smile. &quot;You big lug,&quot; she said to herself with a grin.<br /><br />To be continued...<br /><br /><br /></span>",
  "pools_count": 0,
  "title": "The Angel and the Reaper",
  "deleted": "f",
  "public": "t",
  "mimetype": "text/plain",
  "pagecount": "1",
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