My entry for the Valentine's Day Contest, proposed by CarlisleCullenIsMyHomeboy12.

Pairing: Arra Sails/Larten Crepsley.

Theme: Rainy romance.

Rating: T ('cause I'm paranoid)

Summary: The beauty of rain. The magic of love lost and found. And how the two combine together to create such an unforgettable moment in life. Set during Book Five – at the same time as The Festival of the Undead.

Disclaimer: I assure you, I'm not Darren Shan. I don't own the song either.

'And I'll be so alone without you. Maybe you'll be lonesome too.' – You Belong To Me – Jason Wade

----

The night was dark and cold; the moon was shrouded in mysterious grey rain clouds that were floating along swiftly thanks to the chill breeze that swept over and through the mountainous terrain. At present, The Festival of the Undead was in full swing and almost every Vampire who had ventured to this years Council was inside the mountain; drinking, catching up with old friends and generally having fun. The exceptions to this were the two Vampires who had left the hectic Festival for the relative calm of the outside.

It was the second night of The Festival – the night that was given to casualness rather then formal attitude and attire – and it was that which gave former mates Larten Crepsley and Arra Sails the chance to slip out unnoticed and finally spend some time together without being interrupted or disturbed.

The two walked side by side, the silence between them that had been awkward to begin with slowly fading into something more recognizable and comfortable. Neither knew exactly where they were going (neither particularly cared that much) but their snow boot covered feet seemed to be leading them towards the waterfall that spilled majestically from the mountain side. It was fitting really; the waterfall was where they had first realized their feelings for each other, then, only a year later, the same waterfall became the backdrop to their union – they had stood in the freezing rain, straining to hear Paris Skyle shout the traditional mating ceremony verses (he had had to shout to be heard over the sound of the rain pounding down around them), completely drenched yet completely happy.

As they neared the waterfall, the heavens above opened and icy rain slowly pattered down. Instead of turning back or finding shelter, the Vampires carried on, only coming to a stop when they reached the edge of the pool that had formed where the waterfall crashed into the ground. The rain had begun to get heavier and, for the first time since leaving The Festival, they spoke.

"It has not changed," Larten stated, sounding slightly awed by this fact, "Everything is the same."

"...right down to the rain." Arra grinned up at him, and Larten – also grinning - reached out a hand to gently move a stray strand of dripping hair from her eyes. She smiled in reply and moved closer, taking a hold of his arm and hugging it in a comforting way. Larten's grin turned to a caring smile and he took a moment to study her before directing his gaze to the landscape before them.

The rain had evened out now, though it was still heavy and consistent, and the only sounds were the waterfall cascading down and splashing into the pool of water below, and the rain; somehow, despite drenching the two Vampires to the skin, the sound it created as it hit the snow was relaxing.

"I missed this..." Arra sighed, resting her head against Larten's shoulder.

"'This' being...?" Larten questioned, blinking rain water from his eyes.

"Just being here," she lifted her head away from his shoulder and looked up at him, smiling sadly, "it hasn't been the same without you."

Larten stared down at her, guilt filling his eyes, unable to say anything. Rain continued to fall all around them, but they were both beyond caring at this point, "What do you mean?" Larten asked quietly.

Laughing, Arra pulled him into a lose hug and spoke into his neck, "What do you think I mean? I missed you." Larten sighed and returned her embrace for a while before stepping back ever-so slightly – as her hands fell from his shoulders he caught them, grasping them in his own tightly.

"I missed you too..." he said quietly as they stared intently into each others eyes – stormy grey (much like the rain clouds above) into olive green. Arra was the one to break eye contact – dropping her gaze from his eyes to their hands – and sighed happily. Larten watched her for a short moment before giving in; he leant down and caught her lips with his own. The kiss was short and sweet yet it confirmed something important; that they still, quite obviously, cared deeply for each other.

The two Vampires stood in the rain, facing each other; hands clasped together with soft smiles on their faces and shared another affectionate kiss.

Though almost sixty years had been and gone, they felt as if nothing had changed.

----

Fin.