Missed this place

France. The country Elizabeth hadn't been to in a long time. She missed it. This particular place, the lake she had visited when she felt like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. The lake held good and bad memories for the twenty five year old, but she still adored the place.

Pulling off her shoes, she wandered down to the edge, and stood ankle deep in the water, sighing at the refreshing feeling it gave her. Yes, she missed this place, she couldn't deny it.

The young woman stood there for the longest time with her eyes closed, taking in the sun rays and the heat they gave off. She became so indulged by the warmth of the sun and coolness of the water, that she barely noticed the people around her, and for once that was a good thing.

She raised an eyebrow at the redhead, unable to help the small smile that tugged at her lips. "C'mon, Julie." Lucas grabbed one of her hands, and she allowed him to pull her towards the water, hand in hand. "You have to live a little."

"Yes, well," she pulled a face, bumping shoulders with him softly. "You don't have to make me run to prove that. We all know I could run circles around you." Sticking out her tongue, she let out a little squeak as she was lifted right off her feet.

"How fast are you now?" he teased, twirling her around. Giggling, her arms wrapped around his neck for a moment before she pulled away, wriggling out of his grip and landing feet first in the sand.

"That fast." She grinned, hands on her hips. She liked Lucas. For all intents and purposes, she shouldn't. She didn't expect to date him long, just a few months. Once she had enough money, she'd be long on her way. But enjoying herself now wouldn't hurt.

Lucas shook his head at her, rolling his eyes teasingly. "You're a piece of work, aren't you?" Wrapping his arms around her, he pressed a kiss to her cheek.

Grinning up at him, she kissed his lips. Pulling away, she raised her eyebrows. "Of course I am."

Laughing softly, Lucas glanced over at the water before turning back to his girlfriend. "Wanna swim?" He inclined his head towards the lake.

She shook her head, but waved him off. "Have fun," she called, shaking her head slightly. Pulling off her flip-flops, she hummed softly, the sand warm against her feet.

It was moments like these that made her feel almost human again.

Glancing over at a brunette by the shore, Juliette moved towards her, flopping down beside her. "Enjoying yourself?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

Opening her eyes, Elizabeth looked over at the young woman sitting next to her on the sand. Smiling politely and nodding, she replied, "Yes, actually, thank you. How about you?"

She stared at the girl, a little longer than neccessary. It was odd, she looked rather...beautiful. Not in the way most people would think. She looked...eerily beautiful. The woman herself was lovely, but there was something else that seemed to add on to it.

Shaking her head, Elizabeth decided not to dwell on it. It wasn't important to her. Not really.

Turning her head back to the sky, she closed her eyes once more and started to hum to herself before saying, "It's probably one of the better days I've seen this summer." she said smiling. "What do you think?"

Fiddling with the hem of her shorts, Juliette tilted her head towards the woman, grinning. "It's summer. There's nothing you can really hate about it." The heat she'd always been able to stand. It was better than the winter by far and the snowstorms that came with it. Shuddering for a moment at the thought of all that snow, she glanced back over the water, shaking her head amusedly at Lucas' antics.

He could be such a child sometimes.

Glancing back at the woman, she raised an eyebrow, the staring not completely unnoticed. "Got something on your mind?" Juliette asked. She didn't mind the attention. She supposed that this wouldn't be the first time a girl had been attracted to her.

Humming a cheery tune, she laid down flat on her back, relishing in the sunlight. "Oh, I don't know about that. It's been a nice summer. And I suppose the weather's nice. Better than some years. Remember - what was it? Four years, now? - when it just wouldn't stop raining all summer. That was terrible."

Sitting back up, she offered the woman a hand to shake. "Juliette Josse, by the way."

Elizabeth nodded, agreeing completely with the woman. "Very true." she replied grinning. "I do prefer spring season, but summer isn't so bad."

She realized that the woman noticed her staring, and Elizabeth suddenly felt awkward. The way the other woman stared back at her, was like she thought she was attracted to her. Not that the woman was unattractive, it was the fact that Elizabeth was not homosexual.

She remembered when she was younger, she went out with girls before, but she was never really, attracted to them the way she was attracted to men. That was the time when Elizabeth realized she was definitely heterosexual.

"Sorry, I don't mean to stare. You're just really lovely." she said, but she said it in a way to let the woman know that she wasn't into her in that way. "I'm not homosexual, if you were wondering. It's just you have an odd sort of beauty." she said nodding her head before turning to look back out at the water.

"Ah, that was by far one of the worst summers as far as I can remember. I rarely went outside that year, unless I had to get something." she said, remembering how rainy and miserable it was.

Elizabeth gave Juliette a smile as she introduced herself and shook the woman's hand. "Elizabeth Foster. Nice to meet you."

"Spring," Juliette murmured, a hand fiddling with her lapis lazuli necklace. She'd died in the spring. It'd just been a matter of months ago, and compared to many vampires, she was young, exceedingly so. "I suppose it's alright. But it's rather rainy."

Propping her head up in her hands, she sighed softly. She'd never liked the rain. It was boring and ruined her ability to go outside. Being wet wasn't fun. And dying hadn't changed her mind.

A wry smile pulled her lips upwards. "No need to apologize. You have good taste, regardless of sexuality." Flipping her hair, she grinned at the woman. "As long as odd's a good thing, I shall take that as a compliment."

She smiled fondly at the memories. "You literally had to drag me out of my house if you wanted me to go outside. I do not like being wet, not at all." Laughing softly, she shook her head.

Letting go, she nodded. "Nice name. And the feeling's likewise."

Elizabeth had to agree with that, though she did sort of like the rain. Plus without rain there would be no flowers which were part of the reason she liked Spring so much.

Giving Juliette a shrug and a quick nod of her head, Elizabeth said, "True, but I do like the rain." She smiled.

The young brunette couldn't resist a small chuckle. "Well, you are very pretty, so I guess I wouldn't be surprised if a boy or a girl fancied you." she said grinning, still laughing, but in a kind manner.

"Wow. Really? I used to go outside all the time with my brother before...well, let's just say I'm used to the outdoors, rain or shine." she explained, dusting sand off her skirt absent-mindedly.

"Thank you. I rather like yours. I've always liked the name, Juliette." she said with a nod of her head.

"I knew there was something weird about you," Juliette teased, smirking. Nudging the older woman's shoulder, her smirk quickly became an amused grin. "It's rain, though. It's all dreary and miserable-making. What's to like?"

The only thing that rain was good for was that it made you have to stay inside. And there were a lot of fun things you could do inside if you were with the right people.

She grinned brightly, dipping her head in thanks. "And trust me, there are many of those. So many people, so little time." She winked knowingly, smirking.

"I do love the outdoors though. So much to see, so much to do. But only when you have nice weather like this." Besides, she had all the time in the world, didn't she? She could wait for a sunny day.

"Well, that's good for me, isn't it?" She grinned. "Tell me, what else do you like?"

Elizabeth managed a small laugh. If liking rain made her weird, then what did having her brother's voice in her head, make her? Insane? Probably, though that wasn't the only weird thing about her. "I don't know why I like rain so much." she said with a shrug. "Always have."

She wasn't really certain as to why she enjoyed the rain. As a child Elizabeth had always loved splashing around in puddles. 'I guess some things don't change.' she thought to herself.

"I love the outdoors too. Mostly on nice days, such as this, but I don't mind the occasional rainy day." she said with a nod of her head, still smiling.

"Haha. That it is." she said softly laughing. "Hmm well growing up with muggles, I like movies...music, pancakes, dogs, and er...fluffy slippers." she ended with a laugh. She had to admit she loved slippers. Elizabeth decided to leave out the fact about fires, she didn't want to be more weird.

"What about you?" she asked in turn.

She nodded her head, crossing a leg over the other, leaning back on her arms and just soaking up the sun. Though she doubted that she'd ever be able to tan again, just the feel of the rays on her skin was enough. "I suppose we all have strange things we like."

Juliette glanced back over the water, giving Lucas a sweeping wave when he looked in her direction. Sighing happily, she nudged the other woman. "Isn't he just perfect?" In many ways, Lucas was. But still, she felt nothing towards him.

"The outdoors are beautiful. Some people just don't give them enough respect." She nodded decisively, grinning around at her. How could someone possibly hate this?

"Ooh, you're Muggle-born? I spent my whole life around wizards. Always exciting, but I always wondered how Muggles lived." She hummed softly, nodding along to the rest of Elizabeth's list.

"Fluffy slippers?" She laughed along with her. "Well, they are rather comfortable." She shook her head at the woman, smiling amusedly.

She thought for a moment before beginning, ticking off her list on her fingers. "Well, I love shopping. You can never have too many clothes. There's food of course." She left out that to her, food consisted of only blood. "Specifically steaks. I always did like steaks." An amused grin flitted across her face. She loved steaks, and stakes could kill her.

"Family. I've always loved my family." Something in her expression faded for a moment before she shook her head and her expression went back to being bright. "And I love parties and friends as well."

Giving Juliette a small smile, before glancing out towards the boy, Elizabeth assumed she was talking about. Though she couldn't see the young man very clear from where she was, but she supposed he was perfect in his own way. "He's certainly interesting." she said with a small smile and chuckle.

"Oh my goodness I know what you mean. Some people just don't understand the wonderful things of being outside." she said with a slight shake of her head at the thought of those who didn't like the outdoors.

Shaking her head, Elizabeth said, "Not muggle-born, half-blood actually. So I did get some muggle interaction." she smiled. "They are, you have to admit and very warm." Elizabeth replied in reference to the slippers. She had always loved them, the fluffier the better.

"Mmm. Steak is pretty amazing." she said, the very thought of it making her hungry. "But I'm more of a pasta person, also pancakes." she laughed.

Elizabeth smiled at Juliette's response. Family was important and it's important to love your family, even if things do go wrong sometimes. "Family is one of the only things you have in the world that is really important." she said with a sad look in her eyes, even though there was a smile on her face.

"He is," she sighed, grinning. A little strange, but she supposed that that was natural. Wasn't everyone strange in their own way? After all, she was undead for Merlin's sake. She didn't really have the right to go around criticizing people, not when she was as strange as they got. "I'm lucky to have him."

Juliette shook her head, continuing to glance around her. Across the lake, she watched a pair of sibling play, reminding the woman of her sister. A little smile growing across her face, she glanced back at Elizabeth. "People who don't see the beauty of nature should just be forced to stay outside until they do."

It seemed like a simple enough solution.

"I'm a half-blood as well. My mother's a Muggle." She shrugged her shoulders, clicking her feet together. "But I really did spend most of my life in the Wizarding world." Juliette gave her head an amused shake. "Whatever you say, Lizzie."

Fiddling with the hem of her shirt, she said, "I don't really care what kind of food it is. If it's food, I want it." The woman laughed, though the look in her eyes was almost bitter. But she didn't regret what she'd done. Not being able to eat food was an acceptable payoff for the ability to live.

"Yep," she said, nodding in agreement. "Because no matter what, they're your family, and you'll always have them. Even when they're not around." Even if she didn't spend everyday with her family, they were still in her heart - even if the organ didn't work anymore.

Elizabeth said nothing more, but watched as the man in question ran around and continued to look back at Juliette. She wished deep down that she would find someone who would look at her that way, and maybe one day she will...it was just a matter of time.

"Perfect plan." the young woman replied with a hearty laugh. She had to admit, it was a decent plan, maybe not one most people would like, but it worked. Oooh, yes, forcing people is always the answer. Jack piped up.

"Oh neat!" she replied, ignoring her brother's words. "I'm serious though! Although I guess you could say I hung around a mix of both. But it was mostly my brother, I didn't have many friends as a kid." she said with a shrug. It was the truth. Her brother, Jack, was her only true friend.

Elizabeth's brown eyes scanned the beach, looking at everyone who was running around, swimming or just laying out on the sand. "Yeah, as long as it's food, it's good with me. Though, I admit, I am a picky eater." Elizabeth said with a small laugh.

"Exactly." she said, sighing. Her brother was her closest family member, and even though he was dead, he was still with her...literally. Though she found it hard to deal with him, she still loved him to death. Jack was her brother, and she loved him more than anything.

She laughed along with her, a bright grin dancing across her face. "Of course it is, I came up with it." Her green eyes sparkling, she drummed her fingers against the sand.

"I had tons of friends as a kid," she mused, fond look in her eyes. How many of them did she still talk to know? Tracking them down would be more effort than it was worth. "Still do. Not the same ones, but friends are friends, right?" She shrugged her shoulders.

"I can't blame you for that," Juliette said amusedly, tilting her head at the woman. It wasn't as if she wasn't the same. Not with her overt distaste for drinking human blood.

Blinking over at the her, she reached out, patting her shoulder. She'd lost someone in her family, Juliette guessed. It was in the sad way she'd sighed. "I'm sorry," she murmured, retracting her hand back to her side.

"Of course." Elizabeth said laughing lightly as she turned her head to briefly look at Juliette. "That's true. Friends are friends, whether they are old or young, new or past friends." she said with a nod. As a child, Elizabeth had a few friends, but as they grew up, they grew apart, until she met new people, who became some of the coolest friends she'd had.

Elizabeth snorted softly as she laughed, not embarassed by it at all as she said, "Yeah, well...I've always been a picky eater...to some extent."

Glancing at Juliette, she gave her a small smile and then shrugged. "Thanks, but don't worry about it. We all move on with our lives right?" she said. She had, though it was a surprise even to her. It wasn't as hard as she thought, especially when Jack managed to bond himself to her somehow when he died.

She nodded along with Elizabeth's words, smiling softly. Her words were true, after all. Juliette didn't care what her friends were like, just as long as they could accept her and what she'd become. As long as they met that requirement, they were good to go.

But telling people that she was a vampire wasn't on her list of conversation starters. Befriending people would always come first.

"Friends are friends," she murmured, "and I have some of the best ones out there." Grinning brightly, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"And what's the extent?" she asked lazily, tilting her head towards the woman. "C'mon, you can't just end there. The suspense could drive someone crazy, and I have better things to do than waste away in Furmage." She smirked, though her eyes glittered with amusement.

Juliette shrugged her shoulders. "Some people do. We always hope everyone does, but in the grand scheme of life it just doesn't work that way." If one were to look, there were examples of people everywhere who hadn't been able to cope or deal. "It's a tragedy, really."

Elizabeth smiled, and nodded her head in agreement. Friends are friends, she just wished she had more than two, including her brother. Though he was dead, and his soul was attached to her own, he was still her best friend, he always has been.

"Friends are friends." she agreed. "The extent is that there are certain foods that I will refuse to eat, even if I haven't tried it before." she explained laughing at herself. It seemed a bit ridiculous that she would not even try certain foods, but that was the way she was, and there was nothing she could really do about it.

Lowering her head, and looking down at her feet that were stretched out in front of her, she sighed. It was the sad truth. "I know, it is rather sad. But I still always hope that even though I've...sort of, partly moved on, I hope that others do, with whatever it is that they've gone through." she said nodding.

Personally she had been through so much, especially with the death of Jack, but she liked to think that she had moved on, if not completely then partly.

She nodded as well, subconsciously continuing to run her fingers through the sand, leaving almost claw-like marks in her wake. She couldn't help it. Ever since she'd been turned, moving around had become something that she'd needed to do. She could move faster than she could possibly imagine. Was it so bad to want to?

Juliette let out a soft laugh, grinning at the other woman. "Now, now. You don't know, you might love it." Only laughing harder at her own words - she sounded like her mother - her grin widened.

"Yeah," she murmured, twirling a strand of hair around a finger. Had she moved on? She hadn't really ever had to. She was adaptable, she'd always known that. Becoming a vampire had been a blessing. She was determined to see it that way. "But somethings are had to get over. Some people aren't good at getting over thing."

DONE! THE TWO WILL MEET AGAIN ON THE NEW SITE!

-Agreed by Sav and Clarkey