Let's Play!

Alyson looked up.



" I'm trying."



She replied gently. near murdered, physc ward, hospitalization, institutionalized, released on heavy meds, raped, pregnant, and now moving to a different country. THAT was all in the span of a year. . .

Cael nodded.



"I know. You are doing just fine. Now, would you like to go back with me?"



He opened the car door.

" I don't know why I tried."



She admitted gently, climbing into the backseat. She honestly didn't.

"What do you mean?"



Cael started the car.

" To change my stripes. I am what I am and need to accept it. I'm not a freaking mountain lion, just an alley cat."

"Maybe here."



Cael shrugged and drove away, back towards the house.



"But we're going to a whole different country. No one knows anything that happened back here. You can make yourself into whatever you want. No one can see your past."



It was softly offered.

" you can take the cat out of the alley, but you can't take the alley out of the cat."

Cael shook his head.



"Alright. You can have your clever sayings."



The man parked the car, tossing the keys onto the seat as he climbed out.



"Maybe you're right. But I'll stick with what I know, and I'll disappear again when we get there. Only you and Mason will know what I did. I'm certainly not going to talk about it."



There was something there. Perhaps... maybe it was related to why he moved to Denmark?

Alyson looked to Cael, moving after him, catching his hand.



" I don't want you disappearing."



She protested now.

Cael's mouth twitched, though whether with frown or smile it wasn't clear.



"not like that," he answered softly.

Alyson looked over him.



" I meant in any sense. "



She clarified.

Cael's eyes drifted to her.



"You've never wanted to be invisible?"

" Only for a small while."



she offered with a small nod.

"Then there you go."



He shrugged and closed the crappy old shed, beginning the walk back towards the house.

Alyson looked over him, curious.



" I just..."



If he vanished he might not come back to her.

"Just what?"



Cael absently reached into his pocket and drew out his ring of keys, one that led into the house.

" I don't want you to vanish forever."

Cael paused, glancing back her.



"I don't. You can always find me."

alyson nodded, reaching out and touching him.



" please don't let that change."

Cael just nodded, trying to get the stupid door open. Yeah, that still hadn't changed. That door was incredibly finicky. He had tried to fix it for the next tenants... now it got stuck instead of never staying closed. After a minute, he just shook his head and physically disappeared. Alyson would be able to hear some tool sounds from the other side and then the man would open it for her.

Alyson smiled at him, kissing him.



" i'd just replace it."

Cael just waved absently.



"Tried once. Didn't make a difference. Something about the way the house settled."



He shrugged.



"It's not our problem for that much longer anyhow."

Alyson looked over the house, making a small face before she moved and rummaged around mason's room, pulling out the polaroid she'd found in there, soon moving about the house, taking all kinds of photos. She didn't explain, she just took the photos, and then took all the finished photos in a stack and silently worked on getting them put away.

Cael would eventually poke his head in.



"You want an album... or a folder? I had a bunch of office supplies left over from the yard sale."

Alyson looked up.



" An album would work..."



She offered, nodding.

Cael nodded and came back after a minute with two in hand.



"Black or brown?"

" black."



she offered, holding her hand out, even as she was shifting on the bed so she could get all the pictures put up. She didn't even look guilty about the fact she'd snatched the camera

Cael handed it to her and then let her be. He went back to his room and finished taping up all but one box. He was going to live out of that box, laundry and all.

Alyson was happily putting the book together, and despite the fact she was presently refusing to speak to mason, when he showed up how she did the classic FB pose and pressed her cheek to his to snap a photo before darting off to do the same to Cael.

Mason didn't smile for it. He didn't do anything. He just went to his room and locked the door. You could hear him rustling about, but that was it.







Cael blinked a few times after being blinded momentarily.



"What was that for?"

" ... I just wanted a picture."



she offered softly, looking kind of sad now. Was he upset?

"You should have said something. I would have smiled instead of looking all shocked and codfish-like."



He laughed lightly.

alyson shrugged.



" Well, Mason glared, so I figured if you smiled it might look wrong."

"Nah. It would just show who the best man was," Cael quipped.

Alyson smiled.



" I can take another, I have more film "



She purred, leaning over and kissing him, snapping another photo. And another, and another.

"I kind of feel..."



Pose.



"...like I'm in..."



Pose.



"...a photo booth."



Pose.

Alyson smiled.



" Next time we go to the mall we'll all have to pile in one =) "



she purred, smiling big, camera sat down, pictures safely in her hand as she kissed him more, arms about his neck now.

Cael laughed.



"that's interesting to imagine"

Alyson smiled.



" we'll do it .... If Mason ever decides he's a nice person again."



She added with a little look on her face, glancing off towards the hall. Spoil sport meanie head.

Cael shrugged and gave a half smile.



"I, however, think that will have to be another day. It's time for a warm shower and some comfy clothes for sleeping, in my opinion."