For I Don't Want To Taste This Poison...

"Allen, I'm sorry if I was harsh with you. Situations like this... umm, get me a little tense..."

It was strange seeing this darker side of her. He had always though Plant-Lady to be happy and cheerful... he hadn't thought a grim side to her was possible. After her, she had softened up an old, rusted tin man. It was certainly no easy feat. He nodded at her response anyway, though. "Understandable..." he said to her. "I just didn't think Plant-Lady could be mean." He grinned, obviously joking with her.

"What? Any pain?"

The immortal was relieved that she hadn't heard the disappointment. Even so, Allen couldn't help but feel a little bit guilty about causing even more concern for her. "No... I'm fine..." he said, averting his eyes. "Sorry for making you worry like this..." He grit his teeth. "Just remember I'm immortal.... I'm not going to die easily..." Allen smiled and winked at her, hoping to calm her with that statement. He had made it through seven-hundred-seven years of famine, death, war, infections, and many other fatal things. He could handle a little poison.

"You need to rest, now."

"Changing the subject, eh?" Allen questioned her. Sure, he had merely been teasing, but he still wanted an answer. "Just like she used to..." He had mumbled it into his pillow, so hopefully she wouldn't hear it all. It wasn't that it was a bad statement... he just didn't want her to take it as an insult. He had loved Esme, but those little annoying traits couldn't be avoided. Traits like that were in everyone.

"Well, you know... What's that they call it... Tough love? Yeah... that's the one!"

Allen just laughed quietly. "Oh, indeed," he said. It was nice to see her laugh in this kind of a situation. Enelya was his friend — he didn't want to see her upset. Her smile always made him at least the tinniest bit happier inside... it was just a fact of who he was.

"Isn't going to change me worrying about you though. Immortal or not, I'm a true worry wart. Especially for people I care about."

Another smile. Who would have thought that him being hurt would have resulted in such a lovely conversation, with such a lovely smile and such beautiful laughter? Allen rolled his eyes jokingly at her statement of always worrying. Truth be told, though, he was glad someone actually cared about him. Had it not been for Enelya, well, he probably wouldn't have made it, even if he was immortal. "Well, then I suppose it's ok for you to worry," he said. "As long as you care about me, I'm happy."

A few days ago, he never would have said things like this. Enelya really did know how to make a guy rethink where he stood in life, that was for sure. But, she knew that, since he had told her when they had first met.

"Like who used to?"

Brown eyes softened somewhat. There was no use in hiding it anymore. Allen pushed himself up slightly so he was sitting up more, and decided it was time to summarize his life.

"Like Esme used to...." he said quietly. "She always changed the subject when she didn't want to answer something... I loved her, and she loved me, but... she just wasn't one who could talk about what bothered her..." He bit his lip. It was the first time he was revealing his past to anyone, and it was going to take a bit, even in just a summary. "And yet she didn't like the way I was raising our daughter when all she did was teach the girl how to sew and cook..."

He snorted. Teaching Emily how to sew and cook wasn't going to help her survive. Sure, back then women were supposed to rely on men, but he wanted his daughter to be a bit stronger than that. Was that a crime?

"So, she left and took Em with her... I searched, and I searched, and I searched just because I wanted to be with her... and eventually the Revolutionary War rolled around, and just because I thought it might impress her, I fought... war is such a horrible thing... I was an idiot to do it..." Allen paused, just remembering. "Then the Civil War came... and you know what? She wasn't even ALIVE anymore. I was fighting to impress woman and a child who weren't even ALIVE!" He laughed at how foolish he was, but he was obviously upset. It was all in his voice.

"And that's basically the highlights. Esme saved me from a fatal wound when I was a knight... so she could help with my problems, but not even express her own..." Allen sighed, pausing again. "So, anyway, I was asleep after the Civil War and up to 2005... then I woke up, found out about guitars... and I've basically been the Tin Man that I am for two years."

It was amazing that it was only two years... really amazing.

"I need to check your chest to make sure you're breathing is okay."

Allen nodded. If it was what the doctor ordered, then he wouldn't object to it. Enelya knew more about medicine than he ever would. Besides, it did make sense for her to need to check his lungs. He was certain that he would be fine because of the medicine he gave her, but it was always best to make sure.

Enelya rested her hand on his stomach to check his breathing, and he smiled somewhat. He liked her hugs, her medical treatment, her touch, that kiss from before... and he really liked her. He hadn't quite admitted that last fact to himself yet, but it was beginning to form in the back of his head. The immortal would realize it soon enough.

"Sounds like you're getting better, mister."

He smiled. "That's good," Allen told her. "I wouldn't want to leave my Plant-Lady all alone in the world." He laughed softly. Once again, he was joking, but this one did hold truth behind it. He really didn't want her to be alone... not after that last jerk had left her behind. He had made a promise to protect her, and that's what he was always going to do. Some habits, like protected loved ones, were hard to break.

As he was telling the story, Enelya moved to the bed and was hugging him. He lifted his hand to hold her arm, since he couldn't really hug her back at the moment. The gesture was one of thanks, and one to comfort himself. This was the first, and probably only, time he would tell someone about his past. It was too hard... too filled with pain and memories he hadn't wanted to relive... but he was glad Enelya knew about it.

Once he was done, Enelya's lips once again pressed against his. This time, though, there wasn't blood to slide down his throat and kill the poison. This one seemed a lot different... and unlike last time, he actually cared about it. It was hard being kissed after talking about his wife, but he didn't hate Enelya for it. He returned it only slightly before she pulled away and just smiled softly at her. "You're rather affectionate today," he stated with a chuckle.

"I'm... I'm sorry..."

He shook his head at her apology, dismissing it. "I don't know whether you're apologizing for the kiss or my past," he said, "but either way, you don't have to say you're sorry for either. The kiss was fine, I don't mind it, and there's no use in apologizing for something that's already done. My past can't be changed either... so there's really no use in saying you're sorry." Allen offered her a smile, hoping she would stop feeling so embarrassed... even if she was cute like that.

"Mother Nature knows a Tin Man would only rust by himself. Being alone wouldn't do him any good at all."

Allen smiled. It was the truth. The longer he would have been alone in life, then the more cold he would have become until he was just a shell of a human being. Enelya had come in at just the right time in his life. If he hadn't been reminded of what genuine kindness was, then he might have lost hope forever. Years of being callous didn't exactly make one wake up in the morning and whistle a happy tune.

"Oh, no it wouldn't," the immortal agreed. "It wouldn't be good for anyone to be alone, in the end."

He watched as she covered her face and blushed. Even though he said it was fine, she obviously felt bad. Sure, he missed Esme and Emily, but they were dead... what was the point in wishing for something that definitely couldn't happen? It had been two hundred years, he had to get over them at some point.

Enelya then left the cottage, leaving a worried Allen behind. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to be walking in his condition, but he would do it anyway. The immortal slowly pushed himself up and put his legs over the side of the bed, taking a breath. At least if he fell, he would fall back on the bed. If he fell on the floor, well, then that would just be more unnecessary worry for Enelya.

Slowly, he stretched his legs and pushed himself up so he was standing. His head felt dizzy for a moment as the blood rushed to his head and he stood for a moment, waiting for it to disappear before he started walking. Allen opened the door to the house and slowly stepped outside, squinting as the sunlight hit his brown eyes.

"I'm an official idiot!"

Allen looked up to a nearby tree as he heard a familiar voice say that. He was still holding onto the door for support, just because he didn't want to fall and look like an idiot, and possibly injure himself further. "Enelya?" he called. "Gah, come down here, I don't feel like yelling!" It hurt his lungs to yell.... but he would say one more thing anyway. "Why'd you run out? What, did I grow another arm or something?" The immortal turned in a circle and looked at himself, but upon seeing that wasn't the case, shrugged his shoulders. Looked like she had some explaining to do.

"AHHH!!

Allen's eyes widened. Great, now he had made her fall out of the stupid tree! He watched as she fell, ready to catch her or let her fall on him when she reached him. The latter would be much more painful, and probably only make the situation even more embarrassing, but oh well. As long as she didn't get hurt in the fall, everything would be fine.

Fortunately, she didn't have to fall on him. Another branch had come and wrapped itself around her leg. His left eyebrow perked up in amusement as she slowly spun in circles, dangling from the branch just a few inches away from him. He laughed, shaking his head. "Did you have a nice trip, Enelya?" the immortal asked with a smirk, holding back laughter. He probably wasn't helping, but it was just so funny!

"No...I shouldn't have kissed you Allen... I... I don't know what came over me..."

Allen shook his head. She obviously didn't understand that he just didn't care. Lifting his hands and gently grabbing her cheeks so he was eye level with her and she couldn't spin around, the immortal shook his head. "Enelya... how many times do I have to say that it was fine?" he questioned her quietly, not intending to be rude and hoping it hadn't come across that way. "They're dead. It's been two-hundred years since I found out they were dead, and even longer since I had actually seen them. Esme obviously didn't want to be with me, and I need to stop living a life for someone who didn't even really care..." He sighed. "I have to get over it sometime, right? Yeah, it's depressing, but Enelya... don't beat yourself up over it. It was just a kiss. You didn't do anything wrong, Enelya..."