Tempting the Vampire Who: Alejandro and Ava Where: Ava's apartment When: 5ishAM
Showing up at Ava's apartment right before dawn wasn't really how Alejandro wanted to spend his morning, but hey. He didn't really have anything better to do, did he? Besides take a flight around the lake, or something, in the damp air? Get caught out after dawn because he loved the damn sun so much, and the weather report said sun today, finally? At least it's stopped raining, so his kitchen window had stopped leaking. Getting that fixed was going to be a pain in the ass.
So was visiting Ava. He had no idea what she wanted, and her admonishment on his answering machine to not eat first had nearly made him laugh. As if he ate here, where people could see him. Yeah, right.
He took the stairs rather than the elevator, and knocked on her door when he got there.
Ava was pleased when Alejandro showed up on time, just as she was finishing her waking routine. The temptation to sip on some of her stock of angel blood was high, but she wasn't about to muddy her mind with the high and peace that came from drinking her own blood type when she had some serious work to do on her young protégé. She had her wings out and was dressed for flying, with leggings under one of her stash of sweet-looking halter dresses. She wanted to look as innocent as she could, knowing he'd be less on his guard if she didn't look overly dangerous.
She pulled the door open to allow him in, recessed lighting making the pale gold of her wings shimmer softly - something she'd planned when she bought the condo. She gave Alejandro a small smile - too big and he'd know something was up. This was polite with just the tiniest hint of warmth, and paired with her youthful features and wings made her look almost disarmingly sweet. "Come in, Alejandro," she invited.
"Okay." Looking down at her and trying to remember that she was just as dead and monstrous as he was, Alejandro came in warily. "What did you want?" he asked, without preamble or even a whole lot of politeness. "Why do you want to see me?" It'd been a week, after all. More than a week, it'd been ten days. Had she taken that long to decide she wanted to... whatever it was? Mentor him? Or was it something else?
"Courtesy, for one," Ava replied promptly. "You're a guest in my home, I expect you to act as such. Particularly when I've prepared such a pleasant surprise for you. Have I ever hurt you, Alejandro? No. I dislike being treated as though I'm about to kill your favorite puppy." She closed the door and locked it behind him, gesturing down the hall towards the living room. "I trust you've been well?" she asked, pleasant tone never wavering, as if he hadn't just been borderline insulting at her threshold.
"I've never met a vampire who was worth trusting," Alejandro told her bluntly, wary of her "surprise". "Never. If you haven't hurt me, or hurt someone else, it's cuz you're biding your time until the right moment. We're all monsters, so why should I act otherwise? And I've been about as awful as usual, thank for asking. How about you?" The last question came out snidely. In the ten days since his last visit, yes, most of what little manners she'd demanded of him had backslid into his usual surliness.
"Because it's unacceptable," Ava said sharply. "I am sure you weren't raised to be an animal, and I won't have you snarling and snapping at me as if you were. What have we discussed about pigeonholing all vampires into the same category? You are no more monstrous than any other being on this planet unless you choose to be, and I doubt you were raised in such a manner. If you were, then you leave such tendencies at the door or I shan't bother to arrange further gifts." She took a seat on the couch and raised an eyebrow at him, clearing expecting him to take a seat as well. "I have been very well, thank you. Now tell me, is there a particular reason for your childish attack behavior or has our equally dismal weather simply taken its toll on your sunny disposition?"
He glowered at her. Did she know anything about their kind of vampire? How they were made to corrupt and attack and cause pain? Even before he'd been turned, Alejandro knew about Gabriel House and hated them.
Not that he'd hated many other types of vampire less, but this type tended to go out of its way to be horrible.
"When have I ever had a sunny disposition?" he snorted at her, but he did at least sit-- not on the couch, but on anything else that might've been handy to sit on. He did give her a wary, and warily curious, look, though. "What do you mean, gifts?"
"You haven't," Ava said dryly. "I was being sarcastic." Of course, much of what he'd said happened to be true, in her case - she was patient, biding her time until the best moment to strike. However, when it came to him, she didn't plan to hurt him. He was too useful as a tool to throw away on a few hours of enjoyment. And, of course, he was part of the same House. That just wasn't done.
"Last I checked, the meaning of a 'gift' hadn't changed," she continued, amused. "Though I see now that is apparently what's necessary to gain your attention." She crossed her legs, hands folded demurely in her lap. "Tell me, have you done any further experimentation with supernatural blood?" she asked pleasantly, though she already knew how much he'd owed Ezra for the fire elemental blood.
"Uh...." He shifted a little uncomfortably in his chair, trying to find a good way to lie about it, but he was really in too bad of a mood to manage a good one about that particular topic. "All right, I did," he grumbled a bit. "I bought some fire elemental blood... it keeps people from finding out what I am, if I'm careful with it." And there was the enjoyment factor, but he'd managed to keep the self-control to not use it when he didn't have another purpose-- namely, Jovie.
"I don't understand why you're embarrassed about it," Ava said, tone gentler but not so much that he'd think she was pitying him. "There's nothing wrong with taking pleasure in variety of the blood we have available to drink. Nor is there anything wrong with people finding out what you are, but that's likely a discussion for another day. For now, we'll focus on blood. As a human, you wouldn't eat nothing but... oh, bran flakes and tofu because it kept you alive, would you? Of course not - humans eat for pleasure as much as nourishment. We have the opportunity to do the same, so why shouldn't we?"
Scowling, unable to really explain why it bothered him-- not without getting into those hatreds again, and probably getting more into his own personal self-hatred than he'd like to with another vampire-- Alejandro went with the easiest reason. "Probably because I can't exactly afford it. I still haven't paid for that fire elemental blood." And he'd probably not be able to for a good, long time, either. He hoped that damned hunter was patient.
"I didn't say you had to pay for it," Ava pointed out with a raised eyebrow. There hadn't always been blood hunters available for the discerning vampire. Sometimes it was as easy as asking what someone was and then taking what one wanted. "But as it happens," she said, standing and heading into the kitchen, "I have a few varieties on hand that you may sample. You need to learn what different types do, if only to avoid hurting yourself. Not all blood is necessarily beneficial to us. Or at least, the side effects aren't."
Alejandro gaped at her. The idea of asking simply hadn't occurred to him-- he assumed others, like himself, were fairly discrete about what they were. Well, except Jovie... who apparently was brave enough not to care that people knew. Or him, anyway. "You're going to just give me some?" he asked in a slightly strangled voice, torn between a desire to flee and greed. More fire elemental blood, maybe something else that would do other living-like things.... "Special blood that'll... that'll do things?"
"Think of it as a wine tasting," Ava said, concealing her triumphant smile with the refrigerator door as she opened it to withdraw a set of vials she'd prepared earlier. "I'll send a little home with you, but the majority will just be to feel the effects." Returning to the living room, she set the vials on the table. Only a mouthful or so apiece, but the effects would last for hours. "You may want your wings out for later," she told him. "You may use the tub in the bathroom down the hall if you like." She didn't want him spraying blood all over her carpet.
The look he shot her was guilty and annoyed. The one thing he enjoyed about this whole condition was the wings, and he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to share that. But he eyed the selection of drinks, considered his options, then sighed heavily and got up to go remove the shirt and get the painful part over with without a word. Might as well be somewhat comfortable, in all this.
He came back a few minutes and a little running water later, shirtless and with the black and red wings folded over his damp back, the feathers stark against his skin.
Ava was pleased that his recalcitrance seemed to be fading, if only a little. She doubted any resistance would be left once the evening was finished, not after tasting the little cocktail she'd devised for him. "Very dramatic," she complimented, giving his wings a glance as she selected a vial. "Now, with regards to blood type - A, B, O and all combinations thereof - it's a matter of personal taste. I'm A-negative, and that along with O-positive are my personal preferences. I'm sure you're aware that drinking your own type sustains you the longest. You're part of Gabriel House, which means you were angel-blooded in life. Find an angel-blooded donor of your own type and you'll drastically increase the time between feedings." She cracked the vial's seal and handed it over. "Angel blood has an added benefit. Try it and see."
The wings twitched and Alejandro looked sour, but he didn't say anything. He just sat down on the floor in front of the coffee table. The thought of drinking angel blood made him feel sick. He took it, but didn't drink. "They really are corrupting it, aren't they," he muttered, staring at it unhappily.
"Nothing's corrupted," Ava said, catching his meaning after a moment of nearly-exasperated bafflement. "Angel blood doesn't necessarily mean you're a good person." Though it usually did. "And to spare your delicate sensibilities," she added, concealing the acidity that threatened to creep into her tone, "all this blood was provided voluntarily by willing donors who knew exactly why they were donating it, just in case you thought we evil vampires obtained it by telling them they'd be helping sick children or what have you." Lies, of course; she didn't know or care how Ezra got his blood, but he wouldn't drink if he thought it was by force, she was willing to bet. "Now drink and tell me what you feel."
Quite honestly, Alejandro doubted that. No Gabriel House vampire took donations, they took by force. "Then you're breaking the rules, Ava," he snorted. "I didn't pick up a lot from the bitch who made me like this, but I did pick that up. We're not supposed to ask permission or take donations."
But they were corrupted, already, and he couldn't help but be a little curious, so he just made a face and downed the mouthful of blood.
The effect was pretty much immediate, and he blinked. "Fucking hell." Only, it wasn't. It was wonderful.
"It's discouraged, Alejandro," Ava corrected. "Not forbidden. And it wasn't from a bloodbank. And furthermore, was there any rulebreaking going on, it would be by you, not me. I'm not drinking the blood." Taking by force was simply the most expedient way to get what she wanted. It wasn't as if the humans mattered, after all. But he was drinking, and so she let the subject drop. The expression on his face was priceless, and she smiled as she took the vial and set it back in its place. "Well?"
For the first time in a while, Alejandro couldn't help but smile-- not for a purpose, not because he wanted something or to charm someone, but just to smile. Not at Ava, of course, either, but just... in general. It wasn't a lot of a smile, and it was kind of dazed and surprised, but it was still a smile just for the sake of it. "Wow, it's... wow." He felt... good. Undisturbed by everything and anything that'd been weighing on him. It was impossible to really put into words, or it was for someone with his kind of pride.
Still, he had the feeling Ava could guess. "It can do that?"
"Obviously it can," Ava said, amused as she watched the peace given by others of their former blood type settle over him. "Angel blood brings peace. Effects usually last for a few hours, which makes it a nice conclusion to a stressful day." Or to help troubled new vampires calm down for a few blessed hours and cease bothering everyone around them with pointless talk of becoming a monster.
"How can... how does it do that?" he asked, just puzzled. How anything could make him feel good... relaxed and almost uncaring... it was amazing, and for once he didn't have it in him to be suspicious of it. "It's not a mind thing-- I mean, it wouldn't work otherwise." He looked at the vial with some rather obvious hope that there might be some left.
"Magic," Ava said dryly. She could probably have come up with some sort of explanation - angel blood could bless, could protect. It made sense that one of its properties when ingested was to provide peace. "The 'why' is unimportant. In this case, this type of blood will also sustain you longer than most anything else." She watched him, hiding a smile. "I'll send some home with you for later. But you must be careful with it, Alejandro. It provides peace, but only for a short while. You'll have to come to terms with yourself for any real, lasting peace." She'd pegged him for an addictive personality, which is why he wasn't going to be trying any psychic or demon blood from her hands.
Alejandro could definitely be prone to addictions, though he'd never really had the leisure to indulge in any and he did have self control... sometimes. When he felt the need to. Which wasn't often, these days, unless it pertained to his safety. Angel blood didn't. The thought of having more of this stuff was more than he'd expected, and he gave her a surprised look. "You're just going to send it home with me?" he asked, trying to muster up some of his usual wariness. It wasn't coming, but at least he managed to ask.
Ava sighed, letting a tiny flash of hurt cross her face. With his defenses down, he was more likely to buy the act than any other time, and it looked particularly pathetic on her babyface. "Despite what you persist in thinking, Alejandro, I'm not in this to hurt you. Once upon a time, I was in your shoes - I wasn't turned by choice." Obviously. "But that doesn't mean I can't live a fulfilling, satisfying existence - and neither do you have to survive in misery for eternity. You need knowledge, experiences to show you the pleasures we can experience. I have the means and will to make that available to you, so why shouldn't I?"
It was so hard to remember this vampire wasn't actually a little kid, and if there was anyone in the world who Alejandro didn't want to particularly upset, it was little kids. "I don't know... you just...." It was also hard to remember his usual objections when he felt so damn good, for once in his unlife. With a slightly pained expression, he fell back on the usual excuse: "We're vampires." It sounded kind of pathetic, at the moment.
"That doesn't change the sort of people we were before we became vampires," Ava pointed out gently, sensing his wavering resolve and pouring on the cute with everything she had. She looked almost excruciatingly honest and earnest, hands clasped as she leaned forward and turned big, thick-lashed green eyes up to him. "You can still find so much joy in what we are, Alejandro," she murmured with a soft smile, as if reliving some of those joys in her mind. And she was - the thick, hot spray of arterial blood, how sweetly a sharpened knife slid through flesh, the shiver that slid down her spine whenever a victim screamed themselves hoarse. "You just have to be open to it. It's so lonely and tiring when you spend all your energy fighting your nature. At the end of it, all you have left is dissatisfaction and emptiness. No one deserves that."
The only joys Alejandro could think of right then he didn't want to think about. Not when he actually felt nice for once. They were, after all, a lot like the ones she was remembering. He sighed and ran a hand through his tangled curls. "I wasn't a very good person then," he admitted reluctantly, "and I'm even worse now, so... I'm not really all that open to the kinds of things that'd make me 'happy'." Even if he indulged in them. He just hated himself afterwards. "Could we not talk about that right now?" he asked a little plaintively. "I don't wanna ruin all this."
"Everyone deserves happiness," Ava said quietly, but let the subject lie. For now. She had a feeling it was an important key to his future acquiescence. "There are two types of blood that you'll want to avoid," she said instead, voice taking on a more instructional tone. "The first is the blood of psychics. The effects of drinking it vary - and vary wildly. One drink could give you the greatest high imaginable, and the next could be like the worst acid trip ever. There's no way to tell what you're going to get, but either way, it's not something you want to take even if you're secure in your own home. The second is demon blood. It's not necessarily harmful, per se - it makes you rather... egomaniacal. Arrogant. Like nothing can touch you. The problem is, you don't actually receive an increase in power to match this feeling, and if you anger the wrong person while you're high, I guarantee you won't like the consequences."
Everyone except Alejandro, at least to his own mind. He left that alone for now, too, really just glad she wasn't going to pursue it. "No psychics or demon blood. Okay." He wasn't going to be feeding off Jovie any time soon, probably, then, not unless he wanted something really unpredictable, or something. She'd be glad to hear it. With anyone else, though.... "How do you tell? With just normal people. You can't really ask...."
"If they've slipped up or demonstrated something supernatural, there's no reason you couldn't," Ava said with a shrug. "Otherwise... you are a Gabriel House vampire, dear. 'Are you psychic' is usually simple enough to use a mental command and get an honest answer. Now, weres will boost your senses, but it depends on the type of animal you're ingesting. Birds of prey will boost your eyesight, cats help your balance, and so on. Air elementals are for creativity, earth elementals will heal wounds made by fire or silver. Now, water elementals..." She selected another vial and handed it over.
"More?" Alejandro asked, surprised, but he took it. After the angel blood, he was definitely curious what else she had for him. Since she'd already warned him off the "worst" of things, he had no reason to assume she was out to hurt him, now. Besides, if it was good....
Huh. "It tastes like water," he said, probably stating the obvious, but... well, it did. He'd never had blood that tasted like water before.
"Two more, after this. We'll take them together," Ava told him. She'd saved the best for last - though it wouldn't wear off for a bit, she didn't want him drinking it too soon. "Water elementals," she repeated. "Taste like water." Cool and refreshing on occasion, but she wasn't particularly squeamish about her blood tasting like blood. "Witch blood will increase your own powers," she said. "The mental command, our other gifts. Sirens... sirens will increase sexual drive and performance." It was something she had extremely little use for; all siren blood did for her was raise her bloodlust. "Though I've never had one, they say mermaid blood will give you charisma, a small compulsion."
The idea of being more charming made Alejandro grin, already able to think of who he'd want to use that particular blood-gift on. He even knew where a mermaid happened to be. Maybe sometime he'd have to try it. "What else do you have here?" he asked, peering at the last ones. He was sure if she'd had witch blood or siren blood-- not something he wanted to be taking with her around, thanks-- here, she'd have made him try it before explaining.
"Fire elemental and fae blood," Ava said. Unless he'd done some research on his own, he'd have no idea what fae blood did, and she was counting on it. This little cocktail - warmth and immunity to sunlight - was the final snare that would trap him until he came to her willingly. A glance out her windows showed that about as much time as she'd planned had passed, and the sun was just threatening to rise above the horizon. "Drink quickly, then follow me," she said, handing him two of the vials, taking the last two for herself and downing them with two long swallows. Passing her tongue over her teeth to cleanse them of the last bits of blood, she grinned at him with a deliberate little-girl charm and headed for the french doors leading to her balcony.
Fire elemental blood, he knew, and he was perfectly happy for another dose of that. He still had one in the fridge at home, in fact, that he'd been saving for a really bad mood or something. Fae blood, he remembered something vague about, but nothing clear came to mind. Shrugging, he took the familiar one first, actually smiling again at the feeling on top of the angel blood. He could learn to like this.
He climbed to his feet idly and took the second dose, the fae blood, with him as he followed. "Sun's coming up," he warned, probably stupidly.
Ava laughed as she opened the doors. "I know," she said with another smile over her shoulder at him. "Drink." Typically, he saved the important one to hold on to. She'd tell him what it did if he didn't drink and find out on his own, but she hoped he'd put aside the paranoia for a few more moments.
Eying her briefly, he sighed and downed the last vial of blood. It didn't taste particularly special, this time-- just like normal blood, really, though maybe it was a tiny bit sweeter?-- so he wasn't sure what it did. "All right, then. What's it do?" He gave the rising sun a look of definite mixed feelings: he missed the sun dreadfully, but he hated what it did to him these days, like a constant reminder of what he'd become.
The sun's first rays were just breaking over the horizon as he asked what it did, and Ava couldn't help but laugh at his utterly perfect timing. She flung the french doors wide, letting the weak sunlight stream into the condo. Two long steps and she jumped up onto the balcony's rail, balancing effortlessly. Her wings spread, a shimmering gold as they caught the light, and she beamed at Alejandro. "Come outside and find out," she dared him.
"You're the one who's out, Ava, not me. I don't need people in town seeing these things!" One wing half-opened in demonstration. He did step out onto the balcony, but he hung back, half wanting to stay hidden from the town at large and half flinching from the sunlight.
Though something was off. There wasn't any of that customary drain from the sunlight. He squinted into it, confused.
"Do you know how high up we are?" Ava asked him, masterfully refraining from rolling her eyes. "All anyone can see down there are two winged people." As if for emphasis, she stretched hers out, enjoying the feel of the muscles pulling and loosening. "Stop being a scaredy cat and enjoy the morning. Your wings are lovely and unique, and I want to go flying."
That, she was never going to get him to do-- well, not on a stomach full of angel and fae blood, anyway. Demon blood, where he thought he was on top of the world? Maybe. But not this. He shook his head firmly. "You can go flying. I don't fly over my own town, no matter how high up I am. Some people have better eyes than others-- I wouldn't be surprise if there's a damn werehawk in this town, or something." It'd certainly be his luck.
"So we'll fly fast until we're over the woods," Ava said in reference to the speed possessed by vampires of their house, waving a hand. "Or you can wear a hood, for god's sake." She stamped her foot, looking like a child denied an ice-cream cone. "I've just given you a marvelous gift, Alejandro, you can't just sit there and waste it like a boor. I won't have it." Only this idiot would be standing in the sunlight and worry over a werehawk spotting him. "No one's awake at dawn, anyway."
The expression on her face did make him grin a little, at the pure childishness of it all. "You like my company that much, huh?" Quite honestly, her little tantrum had distracted him from the sunlight-- he hadn't even put together yet why he wasn't feeling anything different. He might in a minute or two, but he wasn't there yet. Sadly, Alejandro wasn't exactly the smartest kid on the block sometimes.
"If stroking your ego is what it takes, then yes, I absolutely pine for your charming scowl and pessimistic demeanor whenever you're away," Ava said dryly. "Or perhaps I'd just like you to be able to enjoy a flight in the sun, Alejandro." He obviously needed some nudging, so she might as well bring the ever-strengthening light to his attention. If she didn't, the fae blood would likely wear off before they got a chance to truly use it.
Blinking, Alejandro looked away from her to the dawn, and squinted into the sun. "Well, I can always-- wait." He frowned, his brain finally catching on that and grinding on it for a moment. The angel-blood had made him, admittedly, a little less sharp than usual-- which wasn't saying much, really, but still. "What does fae blood do?" he asked slowly, needing confirmation for what his pessimistic brain was trying to tell him he was just imagining.
Ava just smiled again, holding out her hands as if to invite him up on the ledge with her. He had, after all, gotten his wings out. It'd be a shame not to use them. "Temporary - and I must stress temporary - immunity to sunlight," she said. "Now do you want to go flying and watch the sun finish rising?"
His paranoia wasn't going to go away entirely, but-- it was sunlight and it wasn't hurting him. He couldn't quite resist it, even though he knew he probably should. He hopped up onto the ledge with her-- without her help; he figured he'd probably unbalance her, anyway-- and spread his much darker wings. "Better get moving, then, before I'm a mile away and you're still sitting here," he told her with a fangy grin-- one that, despite the fangs, still managed to be as charming as he could be when he wasn't being dour.
"Don't delude yourself," Ava sniffed, managing to look down her nose while looking up at him and hiding her amusement. "There's absolutely zero chance that you're faster than I am." He had a longer reach, of course, but she was quite confident she'd beat him in a race. "Even if I gave you a head start." Raising an eyebrow and concealing a smile, she leapt off the balcony rail, wings tucked tightly back, and let herself fall.
Alejandro wasn't about to fall. He wanted to stay as high above the city as he could. In fact, he let her fall, while he perched carefully on the ledge, wings spread and drinking in the warmth of the sun. Then, a moment later, he pushed off more outward than downward. He flapped heavily until he caught an updraft off the tall building and rose higher.
God, it was wonderful.
Ava's wings spread and turned her fall into a graceful arc as she leveled out, caught a thermal, and began to rise in one smooth motion. A few hard wingbeats and she'd rejoined Alejandro, winging her way out towards the miles of empty forest that bordered the town. She'd always been good in the air, a natural talent combined with small stature and slight weight, and she buzzed Alejandro with a laugh, passing by almost dangerously close before shooting out to take the lead.
For once, Alejandro wasn't feeling all that competitive. Especially not with a little girl obviously having fun, and even more especially not with angel blood and the joy of flight and sunlight all running through him. "Oh no," he called after her. "I think you're going to win!"
Ava's first reaction was a snarled retort not to patronize her, but she bit it back in time. "I'm older than you are," she called back, a subtle reminder. "Of course I will." She settled down all the same - she didn't want to leave him in the dust, and flying in the sun was relaxing. She glided as much as possible, catching the currents with lazy wingbeats.
Though he didn't really register the hint, Alejandro still didn't bother pursuing the line of teasing. "Do I get to take some of this home, too?" he asked hopefully, pulling up next to her. He'd have to ration himself carefully... he wanted it to last. But sunlight... being able to have sunlight when he wanted it... that could probably turn him back into the beach bunny he used to be.
"Not today," Ava said. She had some she could give to him, but she wanted him coming to her for his fixes. Too much too soon and he'd have no reason to keep visiting. "Fae blood is prized, for obvious reasons. It can be difficult to obtain, and I only had the one sample." She shrugged. "I have a standing order for a few varieties with the hunter I use. We'll see what he's able to drum up for me next time."
"Damn," Alejandro sighed, shutting his eyes and gliding on the wind, enjoying the warmth of the rising sun on his face. This was better than angel blood-- being able to have the sun back. It was all he wanted. He could even live with the urge to kill and torment people-- maybe; he might feel differently when it wore off-- if he could at least have the sun. "If I wasn't already fucking in debt with the only hunter I know, I'd buy some, myself...."
"You never know," Ava said lightly. "You might find someone on the street while out hunting. Otherwise, perhaps undertaking similar lessons with me will yield similar rewards." A snare, very loosely set. All he had to do was step into it and let it close. "Things have a way of working themselves out, Alejandro," she said with a luxurious stretch of her wings. "When you've lived as long as I have, it's easier to see the patterns."
No matter how good of a mood Alejandro was in, he couldn't accept the idea of "everything working out". He simply was too much of a pessimist-- or a realist-- and too many bad things had happened to him in his life, or so he saw it. It did, however, make him not really want to argue with her. "Can't imagine what else you'd have to teach that could compare to this," was all he said.
"You're still young," Ava reminded him. "You haven't the faintest idea of what I can teach you." If she'd read him right - and she usually did - they had more in common than he'd be willing to admit. At first. But she was fairly confident that he'd come around, given enough time. And the one thing they had in abundance was time.