---

Nova fiddled with the yellow post it pad, picking it apart into smaller and smaller little books, lining them on the table, sticking them all back together again.

She hated the whole idea of leaving a note. She wasn't Bobby's wife or his daughter and frankly she didn't owe him a damn thing. She hated that she knew he would keep it, that he was just stupidly sentimental enough to do that. She had been horrified, nauseated, to find a shoebox in their closet...his closet...whatever...filled with her little sticky notes. Even the ones that just said 'see you at 8' or 'I'll be late.' Her reaction had been blunt, as were most things about her.

'You keeping hairs from my brush too? Damn Bobby, this is creepy.'

Bobby didn't seem to mind, and didn't even care when she told him that she sure as hell didn't keep -his- notes.

Bobby. God. What a stupid name, a stupid frat boy college kid name. Odd that it was attached to such a -man-, and Bobby clearly was. Curly reddish blonde hair on his head with little hairs on his chest to match and rough, scratchy stubble. Quiet most of the time, easy going, and one would have never guessed he was a fucking demon in the sack.

Little drafts littered the table.

'Bye.' Why bother?

'Goodbye, Bobby.' God, too melodramatic.

'By the time you read this, I'll be...' No, a post it was too small for a note like that.

'I'm leaving a good thing, babe. I know it too.' Huh. Too...stupid.

'Come to Nachton. Cook me dinner.'

She smiled in spite of herself at that last one. Bobby was a damn good cook, even though most nights he was cooking for one. Well, that wasn't exactly true; he cooked for two even when he knew she wouldn't come home until late. He would leave her some leftovers in the fridge, and post its with instructions. They always ended with love, Bobby.

She finally told him she wished he wouldn't do that.

The notes disappeared. The food, however, did not.

It was kind of nice. Not in a 'hey, it's almost like we're married' sort of nice, not like that at all. He'd never asked, anyway, and if he had she would have told him to get the fuck out.

She might have smiled when she said it. But then, he had never asked.

She wasn't going to ask either. Not for a damn thing. The note disappeared in a crumple.

This was stupid. She had a plane to catch. People to meet, things to do. Oh, and Simon Huntington was going to turn her into a vampire.

It wasn't something you turned away from for a stupid boy. It wasn't even a choice, not really. She had barely thought of him at all when she made up her mind.

Fuck it. Stupid note.

She swept the pile into the trash, put her key on the hook, and picked up her bag.

---

Nova rolled over in bed and smiled, not quite ready to brush the dreams from her subconscious just yet. Weird dreams, for sure, but good nonetheless. Walking barefoot in the desert, in the heat of the day, hard packed sand baking her feet and dry air chapping her lips. She had met the strangest people, but they turned into friends when she started talking to them. And then one had turned into a rattlesnake, which Nova thought was pretty cool. Nothing much really happened in the dreams, or single dream, she wasn’t sure, but damn it was good to feel the sun.

Reluctantly getting up, she dressed slowly and made her way to the lab, where her colleague, Mandy, was waiting for her.

“I had the strangest dream today.”

Nova raised her eyebrows. “You too, huh?”

Mandy nodded. “Yeah…man, I haven’t dreamt of the sun in years.”

Nova wandered over to her computer and booted it up. “No shit? Guess for you it’s been a while, no?”

“Yeah, eighty years. What was really weird was there was this rattlesnake…”

Nova listened as Mandy recounted her dream, which was remarkably similar to her own. Okay, scratch that…it was the same dream.

And if that wasn’t some heavy shit right there, she didn’t know what was.

“I think we’re spending waaay too much time together.”

Deciding the whole damn thing was just plain unsettling and she should put in for a transfer as soon as vampirically possible, Nova slid into her chair and got to work. Of course, she realized after about fifteen minutes that her concentration was shot to shit today and decided to go about figuring this dream thing out in a scientific manner. Someone was definitely screwing around with the other’s dreams, but determining who was doing what to who was the trick.

She sure hoped Mandy wouldn’t mind.

---

“Damn but she’s a beauty.”

It was probably not all that bright to show how impressed she was with the car, as the dork who was selling it probably saw her as easy money now, but, unsurprisingly, Nova had spoken without thinking.

And it really was. Sure, the beauty was mostly potential right now, but with some good books and a lot of time…

“She’ll fly if you let her. This girl was –made- to fly.”

Nova rolled her eyes.

“Save it. I’m a buy her.”

Of course she haggled on the price, but she didn’t think the ’69 Firebird would mind.

It wasn’t until she got to her temporary dwelling under her lab and stretched out on her bed that she realized she had no idea what in the hell she was going to do with the damn thing when she left Arizona. Hopefully she could sell it without too much trouble, as in three month’s time she’d certainly be bored with her impulsive project.

On the other hand, maybe it would be nice to have a car in Nachton. Not that she stuck around long enough for it to be worth it, really, but the domicile had plenty of parking space so it wasn’t like it would cost her anything. Still, it was weird to think about something more permanent than her tee shirts to come home to.

Home? The hell?

Yeah, Nova. That place where your ‘dad’ of sorts, and your brother, and your clan live.

Nova decided she was officially going soft. What was next? Missing people back home? Thank god she wasn’t there yet. Sure it was nice to think of them. That sure as hell didn’t mean she was missing anyone like some stupid sappy girl.

She’d sell the stupid thing tomorrow before it tied her down.