Sunlight streams in through the open curtains and casts a warm glow upon their skin as they lie in bed. Annabel's fingers are absentmindedly tracing patterns on Harry's skin as she listens to him talk about the first time he killed someone. It was some annoying girl that wouldn't leave him alone during his A levels and she drove him absolutely crazy.

She followed him everywhere and sent him these really creepy love notes. One time he even caught her trying to sneak into his house so that she could see him in the shower. He tried his best not to do it for a while, but one day he just snapped and came up with a plan.

He let her into his home, he fucked her, and then he killed her. It was the beginning of his hobby, although she wasn't the point of origin. His infatuation with death and murder started when he was about seven when he saw a dead rabbit on the side of the road and he felt the need to know what the inside looked like.

Of course, he tells Annabel all of this and there's a part of him that feels like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders because she's actually listening and she isn't afraid of him like she should be. He's never told anyone else before because he hasn't ever trusted anyone else like this and because everyone else would either be afraid or call him a freak, or both.

Annabel thinks that it's incredibly interesting, but now she's curious about his love life for some reason and she ends up actually asking about it.

"Tell me about the worst date you've ever been on."

She figures that this is a question that isn't so personal and one that has a massive shot at making her laugh. Everyone's been on some terrible dates, but he's so different and she's incredibly interested to know some of his relationship stories. Lord knows that she has a thousand, so he has to have at least one really bad date that he can tell her about.

Harry's silent for far too long and Annabel stops tracing his skin and turns on her side so that she's looking at him.

Her eyes are soft and he thinks that he can see a hint of sadness behind them, "You've never been on a date, have you?"

He sighs softly and lowers his eyes because he's embarrassed that he's let her work out for herself that he's never actually been on a proper date.

"No. I just...I pick people up; I don't date them."

Annabel frowns and removes her legs from his before getting out of the bed and putting her clothes back on.

Harry's incredibly confused with her actions and raises his eyebrows as he watches her dress, "What are you doing?"

She looks at him like he just asked her if the sky is really blue, "Taking you out on a date."

Now he's really confused because they're already starting to take this too far and he doesn't think that going on a date is going to help that. Plus, he doesn't see why she needs to do this, it doesn't really bother him that he's never been on an actual date before.

"Annabel..."

He leaves his sentence open hoping that she'll understand where he's going because they're good at that, it's why they don't talk as much as normal people do.

Annabel smiles, "Harry. We're doing this whether you like it or not."

"Why?"

Now she looks at him seriously, her smile soft, "Because everyone needs to go on at least one proper date in their lifetime. Plus, it's a little boring just sitting 'round here and having sex all day."

Harry chuckles because he knows that she's definitely not bored with all of the sex they'd been having recently, "Please, earlier you jumped me. The sex is definitely not boring."

Annabel laughs and rolls her eyes as she throws his shirt at him, "Shut up and get dressed!"

Harry does as he's told and in ten minutes, they're in the car and headed to some random destination that Annabel has decided is ideal for a date. He still thinks that this whole thing is weird, going on a date with Annabel.

Lately they've been weird because they're supposed to be trying to keep their distance, but neither of them seem to be able to do that, especially when the number of times they have sex is bumped up because they have to lay low for a while.

Annabel's a lot better at it than he is though because she likes it downstairs and she still prefers to be alone for at least a few hours a day. He's not used to having people around though and he's found that he actually likes her company so, he's usually the one that ends up caving and joining Annabel downstairs.

Sometimes it's a little awkward because neither of them really know what to do, but that's okay because it helps their distance plan.

They've been driving in silence for around two hours and he's just realized that he's been stuck in his head the entire time. It's getting dark now, the sun sinking low on the horizon and leaving faded pastels covering the sky. The windows are down and Harry thinks that she's beautiful with the wind blowing through her hair and the fading rays upon her skin. It's a dangerous thought and he knows it, but he can't seem to get it out of his head even after he looks away and turns the volume up on the radio.

They're in the middle of nowhere with absolutely no cars or street lights in sight and he's wondering where in the hell she's taking him and how much longer it's going to take before they get there.

He's quiet for about ten minutes before he decides to ask, "Where exactly are we going?"

Annabel smiles but her eyes don't leave the road, "A little place at the edge of town."

She's being vague on purpose because if he knows then it will ruin the spontaneity of it and it adds a safety layer because, if he doesn't like it, then he can't make her turn around. But she knows him and she's certain that he'll like where she's taking him for his first real date.

Harry playfully rolls his eyes, "Right. Surprise first date so surprise location. Can I at least know how much longer we're going to be in the car for?"

Annabel smirks, "Correct. About twenty minutes. Don't worry, I'm not taking you to some shitty motel in the middle of nowhere."

Truthfully, he wouldn't mind if she was taking him to a shitty motel in the middle of nowhere. She'd find a way to make it interesting because that's what she did. That and it meant the promise of sex. It had become an addiction for both of them but they didn't seem to mind.

Twenty minutes turned into forty-five because they hit incredible traffic about three miles down the road. Annabel seemed to have known that this would happen though and she's incredibly calm as they move inch by inch.

Harry's incredibly bored and he's tapping his fingers against the door impatiently. He absolutely hates being stuck in traffic and if he stops moving his fingers he's going to get really angry and probably start yelling at people that can't hear him.

"Well, since we're stuck in traffic and almost there, wanna tell me where we're going?"

Annabel smiles again as she inches forward, "I dunno, you might lose your irritating finger tapping and then irritate me by being excited."

Harry rolls his eyes but he's smiling nonetheless, "Right, because we both know I get excited about everything."

She actually looks at him this time and she's got this nostalgic look in her eyes, "We're going to The City of Lights."

He's lost because he just moved to town about a year ago and he hasn't been this far out or really tried to explore much. Harry's never heard of The City of Lights and it sounds like something she's just made up to keep him confused.

He sighs, "Gee, thanks. I'll just wait until we get there to find out."

Annabel nearly gets rear ended as she stares at Harry with a curious look, "You've never heard of it, have you?"

He raises an eyebrow in question because he's not sure if she's just fucking with him anymore, "No?"

"Then you have not lived yet, my friend."

Traffic finally starts moving and he doesn't ask any more questions because it finally comes into view. Harry's surprised to see that it's some sort of carnival mixed with what looks like a very bright and lively strip mall. It's weird that they have it in the middle of nowhere, but he thinks he understands the reasoning because he has to make decisions like that a lot.

He's caught up in watching a number of lights spin around as the rides move and he doesn't realize that Annabel's finally parked until his door opens and she's standing there with a smile on her face and her hand held out.

"Well, are you ready for your first date or not? I mean, I guess we can sit in the car and skip to like date three, but that's no fun and I brought you here for a real date."

It doesn't take him long to snap out of whatever trance he's in and he grins as he steps out of the car and takes her hand in his, making sure to lace their fingers together, "I thought that I was supposed to do that."

Annabel laughs and pulls him closer as they walk toward the shops that lead up to the array of bright lights.

"Yes, but I'm the one taking you on a date so I'm bending the rules a little bit."

He kept quiet and absorbed everything around him as Annabel pulled him down the street and into a shop that was moderately empty and had stacks and stacks of costumes in a room that was visible from the front door. Pictures lined the wall from floor to ceiling and they all had that daguerreotype film quality, although he doubted that they used an authentic daguerreotype.

Harry's incredibly curious to know why she's brought him inside this building in particular, because she doesn't particularly like being photographed. He knows this because he's tried multiple times and she only likes it when she's in a good mood or she doesn't know that he's taken one.

"So now you like pictures. I see."

Annabel rolls her eyes and elbows him in the side, "You know I'm particular about photographs of me. This one's different though; there's a purpose."

While they wait for someone to help them he asks, "Oh yeah? What's the purpose?"

He knows that it isn't just for him to remember his first date and he's, once again, incredibly curious. It's nice to see this side of Annabel and he's wondering how long that it's going to last because she's like a lightbulb: always on and off again depending on who's pushing the switch.

A wicked grin takes hold of her lips, "To be remembered, of course."

She's very vague with that and he's thinking of all the possible people they could end up dressed like when someone finally makes their way to the front and asks how they can be helped. Annabel asks him a question that Harry can't quite hear because she's purposely leaned over the counter to whisper in the man's ear.

He nods and leads them back to the room full of costumes before handing Annabel an array of items and then following up by doing the same to Harry. He points to rooms where they can change and Annabel leaves him alone and wondering what the hell is going on in that wonderful mind of hers.

The costume he's been handed is a suit that looks like it's from the early thirties. The guy didn't give him shoes, so he figures that the photograph won't be full scale which is nice because he kind of hates taking photographs like that because they just feel awkward to him.

He didn't realize what his costume really amounted to until Annabel met him in the studio also dressed in clothing from the 30's.

"Bonnie and Clyde! Wow that took me a century. Why Bonnie and Clyde?"

No one is in the room with them yet and Annabel pulls Harry closer by his tie and presses her body against his, "Because, we're like a more modern and maybe even a little more dangerous version of them and I thought it would be fitting. You know, just in case the cops ever get us."

For some reason, his mouth wants to say 'I love you,' but he ends up stopping his lips before anything comes out and instead he just smiles. He's terrified because he's almost told her that he loves her and he's not really sure what that means because he's never been in love before and he's not sure if he is. He's terrified because if he does love her he's putting both her and himself at a bigger risk and he's not looking forward to taking away a life that he actually cares for.

"How'd I get so lucky?"

Annabel is about to answer when the photographer makes an entrance and poses them. They take about six photos before changing and returning to the front counter to choose which one they like best for the prints.

In the end, they ended up choosing the one where they were both facing each other, their plastic guns pointing at the roof and their expressions deadly. Harry was sure that he'd like this from the start because he was big on cameras and photography, but he didn't know that he'd love the outcome.

As they left, Annabel smirked as they admired their photograph, "We look killer."

Harry laughed as she took the prints and tucked them carefully inside her bag, "Definitely. Where to next?"

"The lights of course!"

She drags him on all of these terrifying rides until he's nearly sick to his stomach because he's been spun around far too many times and far too high off the ground. He will admit that it was incredibly fun though because she made him face his fear of heights and the feeling that he got in the pit of his stomach was strangely exhilarating, even if he was terrified of falling out of his seat and smacking into the ground.

They end up sharing a funnel cake that's completely saturated in confection sugar and waiting in line for the Ferris wheel. Annabel was holding his hand again and leaning into his side as she looked up at the bright lights that lined the massive rotating structure.

"I know that this has been really cliché, but I hope that you've enjoyed your first date because I'm not really good at these things and I just wanted to give you something to remember, even if you hate it later on down the road."

Harry doesn't know what to say because he's never heard her say anything like this before and, again, he's scared that he's falling in love with her even though neither of them are trying to start any type of real relationship with the other.

Really, he's loved how the day went because she's surprised him with so many wonderful things that he didn't think he'd enjoy and she's actually opened up to him. Even if she's managed to scare the crap out of him in the last two hours, he can't really say that he minded.

He smiles, "I wouldn't really know what a cliché date is like, but thank you. I've really enjoyed this even if it's just a one-time thing."

She surprises him again by standing on her toes and kissing his cheek. She doesn't say anything and he doesn't ask why she did it because he knows that she's feeling the same way he is and he doesn't want to ruin the little bubble that they've put themselves in.

The line moves quickly and in no time they're in one of the cars and rising gradually. He thought that the lights were beautiful before, but they're stunning now as he looks over the side of the car and out at the sea of light that stretches for at least a few miles.

Annabel's looking too and he takes a moment to spare a glance at her because he knows that these lights will really make her exquisite. And he's right. The view he got in the car was nothing compared to this and he risked getting her mad by snapping a photograph of her on his emergency phone.

She noticed, but she pretended that she didn't because she's finally started to feel the color seeping into her bones and she's not suffocating anymore.

A few minutes pass before the cars stop and they're left swinging somewhere near the top of the giant wheel and smiling like idiots because they're getting that feeling in their stomachs again.

Harry's still laughing a little when Annabel leans forward and kisses him with such tenderness that he knows this has already gone too far. And, while he wants it to stop, he also wants it to continue because he's never felt like this before and it's not a bad feeling at all.

She's blushing as she pulls away and Harry's grinning as bright as the lights that surround them.

"We're really bad at this."

Harry looks at her and she's captivated by the color of his eyes as it mixes with the streams of lights, "But is that really such a bad thing?"

Annabel's not too sure that it is at this point, even though she's still terrified of the prospect of love itself, she's not really scared of him and she likes the things that she's experiencing with him far more than she thought she would.

"I don't know."