The Beach, Saturday afternoon

[allie_vamp]

It was a sunny, summer Saturday afternoon. It was pretty much required that the former vampire, now newly human Allie put on a bikini, grab an iced coffee to go and head to the beach to work on her tan.

She made sure to wear a hat and put on plenty of sunscreen. She didn't want to burn as she appreciated the sun.

[So very open.]

Comments

[not_a_whiner]

After the confusing... whatever with radio and the confusing... whatever with Derek, Kaidan badly needed his twice-postponed jog.

Sadly for him, that jog took him straight to the beach, where-- "Allie?!?" ... he was running right downhill to help her out before she burned to a crisp.

[allie_vamp]

"Kaidan! Hi!" Allie said cheerfully. "Don't panic. I remembered sunscreen."

[not_a_whiner]

"Sunscreen?"

Kaidan was using up a whole lot of emotion today that he usually kept pent up. "Allie, you're a vampire."

[allie_vamp]

"Was a vampire," she reminded him. "But we got lucky and fixed that."

During sweeps week. It was really good for the ratings.

[not_a_whiner]

"...Since when?"

Wait. Now he was starting to remember.

"I mean. You look good."

[allie_vamp]

"Thanks," Allie smiled. "I'm trying to work on getting to lightly tanned instead of undead pale, all while avoiding lobster red."

"You should join me when you're done with your run."

[not_a_whiner]

"I've got time now," Kaidan said, walking down the beach towards her.

[allie_vamp]

Allie slid over to make room on her beach towel. No need for Kaidan to sit on the sand after all.

"I'm going to miss this when I leave for school in a few weeks."

The beach? The company?

[not_a_whiner]

Kaidan sat down on the towel next to her. There were just a few inches between them. And a little bit of tension.

"It's going to be rough without you," he admitted.

[allie_vamp]

A tension that made her lean in his direction just the slightest bit.

"There's Skype," Allie pointed out. "And Boston's not that far away. You could come up for a visit."

[not_a_whiner]

"I'll try. If I ever get leave again," Kaidan said. "I... you know what the Alliance is like."

[allie_vamp]

"I do. And I know it's important to you." Just like learning was important to her. It was horrible being noble and making sacrifices. But at least they still had a few more weeks. "Just don't get hurt."

[not_a_whiner]

Kaidan reached for her hand in an obvious Romantic Statement Of Intent (that probably wouldn't go anywhere for at least another thirty pages). "I can't promise you that."

[allie_vamp]

Of course he was going to get hurt. How else would they get to the comfort part of the fic?

Allie took his hand, tangling their fingers together. "Tell me again why I thought leaving for school was such a good idea."

Because full scholarships to Harvard are so easy to earn.

[not_a_whiner]

"Because this is the best shot you're going to get," Kaidan said earnestly. "You're going to make an amazing surgeon."

Yep. That made sense.

[allie_vamp]

"Saving lives. Instead of taking them." She'd never not feel guilty about the lives she'd taken (never mind they were all bad guys looking to kill her first) but this was a way to start making up for it.