WARNING: Five for Five features stunts performed either by professionals or under the supervision of professionals to ensure the saftey of both animals and performers alike. Accordingly, MTV and the producers must insist that no one attempt to recreate or reenact any of these stunts or activities. Blah.

Just kidding. A little bit of a language warning here, but that's all. Enjoy.

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He had been born somewhere in Scandinavia. She wasn’t quite sure where, but it didn’t much matter. That kind of thing had its place in life, but Saleen didn’t care for such details. Raine’s thick accent was the only hint left that he hadn’t been born in the US, and she enjoyed pestering him for his odd speech. No, the fact that he was foreign hadn’t changed anything.

Saleen was a Yankee girl, raised somewhere near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. That didn’t matter to him, either. It didn’t matter at all.

She shuffled over to her desk, her long tumble of silver hair a cool shade of cerulean in the low lighting. The laptop bleeped in sleepy greeting as she tapped the mouse. She settled her keys down onto the desk, slipping her heavy purse off of her shoulder and onto the floor. Saleen dragged at her clothes, dropping her jacket in a puddle of ebony. Then came the long black skirt, the black ruffled blouse, a long pair of black, cross earrings, each dropping to the hardwood with its own unique sound. The black pumps came to rest a little more gently, by the front door, so as to be easily found in the morning. She carefully locked the door for the night, smiling in contentment.

Today had been a good day.

The city bustled outside, low and quiet from the twentieth floor. It felt kind of dangerous this high up, giving her hypsophobic nerves a rush every time she looked out of the window; Saleen loved it.

Raine hated it.

But that didn’t much matter either. He probably wouldn’t come to see her here.

Wrapped in thick pajamas against the New England chill, Saleen settled in front of the computer desk. The area was dry; there weren’t any photos around the desk, no personal items. It felt temporary, which was nice. There was no attachment to this place; nothing would be left behind when she picked up and left in a month or so.

Her laptop chirped; her mailbox was full. She quickly sorted through piles of junk mail, sifting through more than a hundred e-mails selling cruises, sex, and gaming systems. Her screen name was flashing orange at the bottom of her screen, betraying the messages that had been left for her.

Saleen clicked off the away message, and her screen flooded with large, IM bubbles. She sorted through them grimly, noting the relevant ones and throwing out the others. Sei’ne’s screen name appeared in one of the many AIM bubbles and she smiled, reading and rereading his little “love” note to her. Darling, darling, was in Philly and thought about u today. Call me sometime, will yah? Love to hear ur voice. Love and all that crap.

She laughed and closed the box, vowing to give Sei’ne a call before the week was out. ‘Such a good kid. I miss him more than I’d realized…’

A window popped open on her screen, startling her out of her distraction.

Th1sBr0kenW1ng: Good evening! Or at least, it’s evening here.

Saleen laughed, clicking on The Killers before answering the sudden greeting.

Cl0ckw0rkSKY: Hello, Raine darling.

Th1sBr0kenW1ng: How was work? I missed you today.

“Today was a wonderful day.” She breathed as she typed the words. They rolled out of her fingers, peacefulness spreading like hot tea through her whole body.

Th1sBr0kenW1ng: That’s wonderful to hear; how long until you come home?

Cl0ckw0rkSKY: I wish I knew, love. Won’t be more than a month. This project is going very well.

Th1sBr0kenW1ng: A shame really. You should be here. I think you like picking odd jobs in the Americas to avoid me.

Saleen smiled at the long joke; it was something Raine had been accusing her of since the beginning. The beginning… that reminded her…

Th1sBr0kenW1ng: What kind of side project are you working on?

Cl0ckw0rkSKY: How did you know there was one?

Th1sBr0kenW1ng: LOL, you could never work on only one project at a time; you would go insane.

Laughing out loud, Saleen imagined him, his thin, pretty face crinkled up as he chuckled at her. The image was so real, tangible, she felt her heart warping in lonely misery. He knew her better than any one ever, and she loved him for that.

She sat back, half-formed ideas tumbling around in her mind.

Cl0ckw0rkSKY: You’re going to hate this.

Th1sBr0kenW1ng: Try me.

Cl0ckw0rkSKY: I was thinking about writing an autobiography. My life has been so goddamn interesting, I thought… Well, I don’t know what I thought. But now that the idea’s in my head, it feels right.

Silence.

He said nothing for a long time, making Saleen wondered what he was thinking, halfway around the world. She knew he would be considering the idea from every angle, pondering how it would effect their respective careers. Raine was careful, sometimes overly so, pondering over every facet of situations before he got involved in things.

Th1sBr0kenW1ng: Well, I don’t hate it.

‘At least he’s feeling good enough about it to makes jokes.’ Saleen recognized his twisted, so-called “sense of humor” all the way from New York.

Cl0ckw0rkSKY: Don’t sound so goddamn excited. I’m writing it no matter what you think. But, whether or not I publish will be entirely up to you.

Th1sBr0kenW1ng: Oh, for fuck’s sake, what difference does it make? Darling, you do as you like. I’m sure it would be great publicity for us both.

Cl0ckw0rkSKY: Haha, there you go, thinking in dollar signs again.

Th1sBr0kenW1ng: I’m being serious here.

Cl0ckw0rkSKY: So am I! $$$$$$$$

Th1sBr0kenW1ng: Bloody hell. So, I’m assuming you’ve already started writing this little project. How far along are you?

Cl0ckw0rkSKY: Still in the outlining stage. I’m thinking I should start the story when we first met. It got me thinking about it…

Saleen left the statement wide open, and she knew that he was thinking back. The night had been windy, coolish for September. The city had been bustling, shining like a sun in the middle of the enveloping darkness. ‘Funny, how we both hate the cities, yet we keep ending up in the middle of one.’ Saleen had noticed him the moment he turned the corner onto the street. She’d recognized him immediately; everything about him was strikingly familiar, from the ebony-clad sway of his hips, to the long line of tattoo that broke up the pale skin of his stomach. His hair was a bit longer than Saleen had remembered, but that didn’t matter much. She wasn’t in love with his hair.

“Not really,” he had been saying as he came into hearing distance. He was standing next to a short man with nervous hands and a fumbling step. The other was obviously a reporter; he looked the part, completely and totally. Saleen couldn’t remember the details of the reporter; those didn’t matter. Her attention had been caught by the darker man, dressed all in black, topped with a tumble of blue-black curls and soft black mascara. He looked like a vampire wandering the dark. “You see, I feel… safer here. Although safer isn’t quite the word I’m looking for.” His thoughts tumbled out of his lips, battered and almost indistinguishable through the curl of his western European accent. “Perhaps, a little more alone. People don’t know me here; most couldn’t even sing a single lyric of one of my songs, much less recognize me. It’s not much at all like back home in Europe.” The men had shuffled forward as he spoke, coming almost close enough to touch.

Saleen must have chuckled behind her cigarette, because she was suddenly the focus of the two men. A nervous pair of eyes watched her from behind thick glasses; the other pair wide open and startlingly blue-white, even in the low light.

She intended to stay silent, but the shock in his disquieting eyes spurred her on. Saleen opened her mouth to speak, but out spilled a song, her favorite on this man’s new album. “A burgundy rose bloomed where my lips touched. Darlin’ I loved you, even as you tore at my heart…” Laughing again, Saleen dropped her cigarette butt onto the ground, snuffing it out with a push of her heel. “Don’t underestimate the power of your music, Raine. It could get you trouble someday.”

The two men gapped at her. Raine recovered quicker, his astonishment melting into a charming smile. “Was that a threat, darling?”

Th1sBr0kenW1ng: I thought you were beautiful, I remember that much. Funny, at first I thought you were just another fangirl. At least up until you answered your phone and ran off without asking for an autograph.

Cl0ckw0rkSKY: LOL, yeah. I had to leave; Kitty was sick. Speaking of Kitty, how is she?

Th1sBr0kenW1ng: She’s wonderful. I believe she’s doing homework. She misses you, Saleen.

‘Kitty, how I miss you.’ Tears touched the edges of her eyes. ‘Gods, you were... eight years old when Raine and I met. The first of the men in my life that you really took too.’ Saleen began to laugh in spite of the emptiness of her apartment.

Cl0ckw0rkSKY: I do miss you guys, terribly. You know, every time I come home she’s grown more. I feel like I’m missing her whole childhood. I’ve missed too much of it as it is.

Th1sBr0kenW1ng: I think she’s just happy that you come home at all. She has the boys here, and her aunt to watch her too. She misses you, love, but she’s not lonely.

Cl0ckw0rkSKY: She has you too, now, doesn’t she? :)

Th1sBr0kenW1ng: Very true. Speaking of which, I’m going to go tuck her in; she has to be at school early tomorrow morning for her field trip.

Cl0ckw0rkSKY: That already, hmm? Go on, Raine. I’m going to start writing...

The half-completed outline was printed and sat crinkled and forgotten on a pile of magazines by Saleen’s feet as she began to write, letting the strength of her memories pull the words from her tired mind.

It was two hours and several pages later when Raine came back online.

Th1sBr0kenW1ng: I’ve returned, darling. Sorry for taking so long :(

Saleen came back to herself with a start, her weary eyes strained and flicking over to the clock.

Cl0ckw0rkSKY: Jesus, I’ve just been writing. I didn’t even notice the time...

Th1sBr0kenW1ng: The autobiography?

Cl0ckw0rkSKY: Mmhmm. I’m trying to get down as many details as I can remember, so I’m 9,000 words into it and haven’t gotten anywhere. I don’t think we’ve even met yet.

Th1sBr0kenW1ng: Lol. Would you be interested in my side of it? You’re welcome to embellish, of course.

She stopped, reading, then rereading his last IM. It didn’t make any more sense the third or fourth time then it had the first. ‘He’s volunteering to help me; that’s something new. He must actually like this idea...’

Cl0ckw0rkSKY: Of course, darling. Anything you can add...

Th1sBr0kenW1ng: Thought I should help. I can keep the story straight, at least.

Laughing out loud, Saleen sat down to a purely personal project with a smile on her face for the first time since she’d left their home in England two weeks ago.

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Hooah. This was my final for Creative Writing. It could be on anything, and I started a story and rolled with it. I already have most of the next chapter written, so beware! There (may be/will be) more soooooon! Mwhahahaha.

Anyway... Hope everyone survived the year and has a great summer!!!

::mina::