Angel sat bolt upright and groped for the lamp at the head of the couch. The light flickered on, and she grabbed at a pillow. “Damn,” she mumbled under her breath. “Not another one.”
The kitchen light was on. She sighed, knowing that Kobra, Ghoul, and Star were all fond of late-night snacking. Hadn't Ghoul mentioned they were low on food? She flipped the light off, turned around, and yelped.
Midnight was fast asleep on the other couch. At her shout, he jolted awake, asked, “Angel?” and fell off the couch in a heap of bony limbs and blankets.
“Midnight!” she gasped. He stood up, half of his black hair standing up from his head. “I-it's true!”
He took two uneven steps forward, so that they were standing nose to nose. “Hey,” he said. “Five long years, and you haven't changed a bit. But, uh, if you want to punch me in the face, go ahead. I wouldn't blame you.”
“You're alive?” she asked. “You're really alive?”
“Well, yeah. You didn't think you could get rid of me that easily, did you?”
She laughed weakly and hugged him. “No, of course I didn't,” she whispered.
“That's what I thought.” He sat down on the couch. She sat down next to him, and he draped the blanket over their shoulders. “I missed you, Angel. I missed you so much. Did you get my letter?”
She nodded. “I should get Spencer and Leo up-- they go by their Killjoy names, Deviant and Venom, now...”
“It's, like, two in the morning,” he whispered. “I hardly think they'd appreciate being woken up.”
She laughed again. “I can't believe you're back.”
“I can't believe you waited for so long.”
A smile danced across her face. “You didn't expect me to?”
“Well, you're young, you're gorgeous, and you're a good Killjoy. I'd imagine you could marry anyone you wanted.”
“And I did. I married you, didn't I?”
He sighed and shook his head. “I still don't' know how I duped you into doing that. Honestly.”
“Were you chased by dracs on the way here?” she asked.
“I shook 'em. Honestly, I wasn't much of a priority.”
“It was really you, that night in the desert, wasn't it?”
“Yeah, it was.” He grinned and ruffled her hair. “I'm sorry I had to lie. I wasn't sure if I was going to be punished if I told you the truth.”
She nodded, stifling a yawn. “I understand.”
“You look wiped,” he said. “Come on. You need sleep. When's the last time you actually got a full night of sleep?”
“I don't remember.”
“Go to sleep,” he instructed. “I'll keep whatever goes 'bump' in the night away.”
She grinned and flopped back down on the couch. He stretched out next to her, and she closed her eyes.
“Hey! No fair--”
“MIDNIGHT!”
Deviant, Midnight, and Missile all jumped onto the couch. “No fair!” Venom repeated. “You PROMISED you would get us up!”
Midnight was up in a flash, hugging Deviant and Venom. “Hey! Mini-Midnights! Venom and Deviant, right?”
They puffed out their chests. “I'm Venom Velocity!”
