There was a knock at Declan’s door which woke him from his sleep. He walked to the door slowly because he was still fighting against the tiredness that was trying to overtake him.

“Who is it?” Declan yawned a loud yawn.

“It’s me!” Noelle announced.

Declan opened the door and revealed Noelle standing before him, looking much like the old huntress he used to know. She walked into the apartment without waiting for an invitation and sat down on the couch. Declan couldn’t help but smile at her, it was as though she had been in this place a thousand times before.

“Well, come on in!” He laughed.

“Declan,” Noelle said seriously, “what are we going to do about Gabriel? We have got to stop him from ripping this pack apart. And that ritual he’s planning, are you kidding me?”

“I know.” Declan sighed, slightly disappointed that their encounter went straight to business. “I think I might have an idea, but your cousin might not like it too much.” Noelle raised her eyebrows at his suggestion. “We could stage a ritual,” Declan continued. “We will just have to convince Gabriel that it should just be between you and Megan, and no one else. Also, we will have to make sure that it’s not ‘to the death’ as he suggested.”

Noelle looked at Declan and he saw a shadow cross over her face as she considered this plan.

“You don’t think it will work?” Declan asked. “I just feel like Megan might be able to talk some sense into him. He still cares about her, I know he does. He just isn’t used to this kind of power, and it’s getting to his head.”

“I think you’re right,” Noelle said slowly, but Declan could still tell that there was something bothering her.

“What is the problem then?” he asked, confused.

Noelle looked up at Declan and sighed as she pushed her hair back into a loose ponytail. “I wasn’t sure if I should tell you any of this,” Noelle said.

She started to explain to him about the council rebels and Edmund’s tie to them —she glossed over the bit that her parents had told her the previous night. And regarding the mass genocide which might incur if they did not choose to change back. Eventually, she got to the part concerning her, and the battle which was continuously making her weaker, day by day.

“So, that’s it. I have to choose which life I want —human or wolf —before I can no longer choose anything.” Declan stared at her with a blank expression. She waited for a reaction, but none came. “So,” Noelle said slowly, “are you going to say anything? Or are you just going to stare at me?”

“Let’s go on a date,” Declan said.

“What?” Noelle asked, visibly shocked by his suggestion.

“I’m serious,” Declan said as he smiled at Noelle. “All we ever do is talk about everything that is happening around us, and we make plans and those plans get ruined by something else. And our entire lives are just whirling around us and we are missing out on it. So, let’s go out on a date together.”

Noelle surprised him by smiling and saying, “Okay.”

Declan went into the room and pulled on a pair of jeans over his boxers, and then he added a simple blue t-shirt. He looked at himself in the mirror and shook his head.

No, this is our first real date and I want to dress to impress, he thought to himself. He went back to his closet and pulled out one of his only button-down shirts and put it on. He rolled up the sleeves and adjusted his collar. In the mirror, he brushed his hair to the side which he hadn’t done in ages. He was surprised by the difference it made and he felt like a new man.

He walked out into the living room where Noelle was patiently waiting for him and she smiled as she looked at him. “Are you sure you want to go out?” she asked seductively, as her eyes grazed over him.

Declan laughed and said, “Let’s go before we change our minds.”

The pair of them walked out of his apartment and went to the parking lot where they climbed into Declan’s car. He drove out onto the main highway and rolled the windows down. Noelle looked at him and smiled as she reached for his hand. He turned up the music on the radio and they drove together like this for a while. They did so until Declan saw the place he wanted to go.

“Where are we?” Noelle asked.

Declan told her that it was just a quick pit stop and that she could stay in the car. She waited there for him and closed her eyes, relishing the excitement of their spontaneous adventure. She refused to let the day be ruined by anything.

Declan returned shortly thereafter, holding a few bags which he quickly deposited into his trunk. He pulled the car back onto the road and continued their drive. Part of Noelle wanted to know where he was taking them, but the other part of her wanted to be surprised. So, she stayed quiet and watched as the sun rose into the sky bathing the world around it with light.

He pulled the car off the road and they drove down an unpaved path. Noelle wondered quietly as to whether this was a road at all that they should be travelling on. But in the spirit of their adventure, she didn’t question it.

Declan smiled as they reached their destination and he put the car in park. Noelle could only see trees in front of them and Declan explained, “This is as far as we can go in the car. We have to walk the rest of the way.”

Noelle nodded and climbed out of the car. Declan grabbed a backpack and put the bags inside. He took a blanket from the trunk and tucked it underneath his arm.

“Can I carry something?” Noelle asked.

Declan shook his head and said, “No, Ma’am. A proper gentleman would never let a lady carry anything.”

Noelle lifted an eyebrow at him and said, “Well, I guess we are in luck then because I am not just a lady, and you are not a proper gentleman.” Declan laughed and handed her the blanket to carry. She smiled and tucked it under her arm as they began making their way through the trees.

They walked for a few minutes in silence, but Noelle’s curiosity was beginning to get the best of her. “Where are we going?” she asked Declan finally.

“You’ll see!” he whispered excitedly.

Noelle laughed at his boyish excitement, which was contagious. She found herself picking up her pace and urging Declan to move faster. She noticed that he was beginning to get out of breath, so she slowed her pace to match his. Declan smiled at her appreciatively.

“We’re here,” Declan said. He pulled Noelle to him and kissed her tenderly. When she closed her eyes as she kissed him, she heard a faint rumbling noise.

“What is that?” Noelle asked. She moved forward and pushed aside some branches. “Oh, my goodness!”

Noelle stared in amazement at a beautiful waterfall cascading down the side of the mountain. It fell into a large pool at the bottom which was surrounded by lush grass. Noelle turned to look at Declan who had been watching her closely. He reached for the blanket she was holding and spread it on the ground for them to sit. He reached into his backpack and pulled out the sandwiches. And he also took some water and fruit out; some he had bought at the store.

“It’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed a nice picnic,” Declan admitted.

“I’ve never been on a picnic,” Noelle said quietly. “Thank you for this.” Declan handed her a sandwich and they ate together as they admired the majesty of nature which surrounded them.

“How have you never been on a picnic?” Declan asked. “Your family seems like the type to do this type of stuff all the time.”

Noelle smiled as she reflected back on her own childhood. “Well, we never did picnics, I don’t know why. Actually, thinking about it now, I guess it is possible that they were afraid of what might be lurking in the woods.” Declan rolled his eyes at this and took another bite of his sandwich. “We did other fun things with all of us together, and every year we would have our family reunion which was always a good time.” Noelle stopped talking as she thought about the past year’s reunion and how much devastation had come to their family.

“Sounds fun!” said Declan. “My mom used to take me on picnics every weekend,” Declan said quietly. “I didn’t have much growing up, but I had her. She did everything she could for me, and those picnics, they meant more to me than she ever knew.”

Noelle nodded. “Isn’t it strange how the simplest things stick with us the most, especially once someone is gone? I never thanked my nana enough for everything she did for me while she was here. And now, not a day goes by that I don’t wish I could tell her that I love her. Just one more time.”

“You can still tell her,” Declan said. “She will hear you, wherever she is now, and trust me, Noelle, she already knows how much you loved her.”

Noelle smiled at him and couldn’t stop the tears from coming to her eyes. She laughed as she wiped them away. “How do you know about this place?” she asked him.

“After I was turned, I didn’t know where to go and I started living outside in the woods. I just happened upon this place one day when I was traveling through the woods. This seemed to be the first place where I could just relax and think —something about the sound of the water was meditative to me, you know?” Noelle nodded as she herself, was feeling extremely peaceful.

They spent the rest of the afternoon sharing childhood memories with each other, and Declan explained the real relationship between Dustin and himself. Noelle was uniquely interested in the forbidden love that Dustin had for Declan’s mother, and she wanted to know why he never chose to act on it.

Before they knew it, the light was fading from the sky and the trees around them grew darker. “We should get back,” Declan said. Noelle nodded, although reluctant to leave.

They gathered all of their belongings from the ground, and started walking back to the car. It was at a much slower pace than the one used to get there. Declan unlocked the car and the two of them climbed inside. Declan placed his hand on Noelle’s knee and they drove along the road in silence, just the wind whirring in their ears through the open windows.

“I had a daydream yesterday,” Declan said to Noelle. She looked at him as he continued. “We were at that waterfall, you and me, and…” He paused, unsure of how she would respond to his admission.

“And?” Noelle prodded.

“Our son,” Declan said quietly. He didn’t dare to look at her to see how she reacted to his fantasy.

“Can you pull over?” Noelle whispered.

“What?” Declan asked, looking at her quickly.

“Pull over, please.”

Declan did as she asked, and a feeling of regret quickly came over him. Why did he have to open his mouth about this? They had just had such a wonderful time at one of his favorite places… and he had to go and ruin it.

“Noelle, I’m sorry,” Declan said quickly as he put the car in park. “I didn’t mean for that to upset you. It was just a silly thought I had since now I’m human, and I don’t know…” Declan trailed off as Noelle turned to look at him.

“Was it, though?” she asked.

“What?”

“Was it just a silly thought or was it something that you would actually consider?” Declan was not sure how to interpret her question, so he stayed quiet and waited for Noelle to continue. “You and I…” Noelle sighed, frustrated.

“You and I what?” Declan asked.

“This is it, Declan. Don’t you see? This is our chance. You and I are finally able to choose to be together. You don’t have to find a way to turn back, and me, I can choose to stay human. We can choose each other.”

“We can!” Declan smiled softly. “We can live our lives far away from all of this chaos, and finally get the peace that we deserve. We can start a family and live a normal life.”

Noelle nodded and looked at Declan seriously. “I choose you, Declan,” she whispered.

“I choose us,” Declan said softly. He reached for Noelle and kissed her passionately. The world faded away into the background as the two of them melted into the new possibilities that were afforded to them by human life.

Declan pulled back from Noelle slightly and then touched his forehead to hers gently. They breathed in and out together as though, in the moment, they were one body. Declan could feel his heart slowing down and speeding up all at once —a strange sensation came over him as he desired to stay in this moment with her, forever. He feared that if they moved, the globe around them would shatter, allowing reality to creep back in.

Noelle moved first, bringing her lips to his again. He could taste her sweetness and he craved her more than anything else in the world. She climbed over the center console of the car and into his lap. Noelle looked him in the eyes as her fingers drifted tenderly over each of his buttons, undoing them slowly. She opened his shirt and brought her lips down tenderly to his neck. She trailed down his collarbone with the tip of her tongue and she could feel Declan’s excitement growing beneath her. Her entire body filled with warmth, and her face flushed as she remembered the nights before and how sweetly they had made love.

Noelle reached for the button on his jeans and undid it slowly. She sat up just enough so that she could pull down his zipper and unleash him from his boxers. To her excitement, he was more than ready to go.

Declan reached for the handle on the side of his seat and he reclined himself back to enjoy the moment. Noelle clumsily took off her own pants, but neither of them laughed or spoke, not wanting to interrupt the moment.

They had made a choice, and as Noelle brought herself down onto Declan gently, it was as though the choice had been solidified. She moved her hips against him slowly, shifting herself up and then lifting herself slightly before pushing back on top of him, once again. There was no urgency in her movement, yet she could still feel the buildup welling inside of her.

She leaned down toward him and he reached under her shirt and bra and caressed her breasts, rubbing his thumb over her hardened nipples. She closed the space between their lips again, and teasingly opened his lips with her tongue. She bit down softly on his lower lips and she felt his soft moan reverberate through his chest.

Noelle lifted herself again and planted her hands against his chest. She started to pick up speed and threw her head back as the wave of sweet relief filled her body. Declan grabbed her hips in that moment and began thrusting himself inside of her. Gone was the sense of timid pleasure as his ravenous passion took over. A wildness, and a man, coming together, wanting only her.

In one swift motion, he managed to flip Noelle so that she was now laying in the seat; Declan was on top of her, riding her. He pushed her legs so that she could hold them against her chest and he rocked himself deep into her. He did it steadily, until the moment came when he finally released himself into her.

He rolled off her and into the passenger seat. They breathed heavily in the silence, and he noticed that the windows of the car were completely fogged up. He turned his head when he heard Noelle let out a small laugh.

He smiled at her and asked, “What’s so funny?”

She lifted the seat and turned to face him, a sweet blush coloring her cheeks. “I guess it’s not really a successful date unless it ends with car sex!” Again, she laughed.

Declan laughed, and soon, the two of them were caught up in a fit of uncontrollable laughter —the kind of laughter that seized your abdomen and threatened your body to be deprived of all its oxygen.

After they recovered themselves, they got dressed again, and resumed their seats. Once again, Declan rolled down the windows and started back onto the highway. They held hands the rest of the way, and more than once, Declan brought her hand to his lips and kissed it gently, as though it was a gentle reminder of the pact they had made to each other.

However, the closer they got to the apartments, the more tangible reality became, and both Declan and Noelle could feel the pressure from the outside threatening their little bubble of tranquility.

As Declan pulled into the parking lot, they found that night had fallen completely, like a blanket on the city, suggesting all its citizens should find comfort in their beds and dreams. Noelle looked at Declan and nodded, and the two of them climbed out of the car.

They reached the steps together to walk to their apartments, but before they began to walk up, Declan heard someone call his name from the distance. He turned and saw a small figure making its way through the parking lot. He looked at Noelle, who was now staring at the figure with wide eyes.

“Declan,” the voice called again.

This time, Declan recognized the voice. It belonged to Maria. As she got closer, he quickly understood Noelle’s expression. Maria stood before him, her shirt and hands covered in blood.

“Maria?” Declan moved toward her, releasing Noelle’s hand.

“They killed them, Declan,” she said between sobs. “They killed them all.”

“The world faded away into the background as the two of them melted into the new possibilities that were afforded to them by human life.”