I started to stand, and found that I was wearing no clothing.  I had never had much of a problem with nudity, but I was suddenly feeling very naked.  A small gust of warm wind blew past me.  My hair swept up in front of my face.  I looked, expecting to see Rick’s blood all over me, but there was nothing.  I looked down at my hands.  They were clean.  “I’m dreaming.”  I heard the words come softly out of my mouth.  I was intelligent enough to know that I was probably in shock.  I had always had a keen ability to dream and be fully aware that I was doing it. 

            “Are you feeling better now?”

            The sound of the voice made me jump.  I stood quickly, and turned to see Pallo standing behind me.  He was perfect.  The white light in the room seemed to radiate from him.  His skin looked tanner than I had remembered.  But it was my dream, so I guess I was compensating for the whole pale, dead guy thing. 

            I smiled.  If I was going to dream about someone, a few-centuries-old hottie like Pallo would do just fine.  He was incredible.  I had made him every bit as beautiful as he had been when I first laid eyes upon him.  He was wearing a dark olive-colored pair of loose pajama bottoms and no top.  His curly brown hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail.  I wanted to undo it and run fingers through his hair.  I didn’t.  Instead, I let my eyes trace the contours of his chiseled face, and soak in the beauty of his dark eyes. 

            “Why’d I let you wear clothes?”  I asked, expecting him to be a fountain of wisdom in my own dream.  The edges of his lips curved into a tiny smile.  He took a step closer to me.  He looked over my body like you would look at a piece of artwork--studying it, examining it, admiring it.  

            “If you insist,” he said waving his hand out in front of me. 

            I expected to find Pallo standing nude before me.  I was actually a bit disappointed to find that I was now wearing a long, sheer white night gown.  I didn’t wait for him to touch me.  It was my dream, and I was going to run it the way I saw fit, and right about now I wanted him in me.  I reached out and let my fingers slide down his rippled chest.  He shuddered slightly and clasped my wrist quickly.  I could feel his pulse beating.  I looked up into his eyes.  That’s why he appeared to be darker, and not allergic to the sun around us.  I had made him human in my dream.  He was alive. 

            Knowing that I had recreated him as a human made him all the more appealing.  The few reservations I’d had about him being walking death, were now gone.  There was nothing stopping my desire for him.  I grew damp standing near him, and ached for his touch.  It was obvious that my mind agreed with my body--Pallo, minus the vamp thing, equaled the perfect man. 

            “As much as I want to take you here and now, you would not be pleased with me later.”  His head fell forward slightly.  I took my other hand and brushed it along his cheek.  I couldn’t understand why I was letting him fight me so hard in my own dream.  Hell, I was ready to get busy, why wouldn’t I want him to be too?

            “Don’t fight me, please!”  I let my hand slide around and trace his jaw.  His lips met the palm of my hand and he kissed it gently.  “You can have me.  I want you to take me, really!” I said this so quickly that I took myself by surprise as well. 

            Pallo continued to kiss my hand, and moved slowly down to my wrist.  He pulled my arm up and around his neck.  I had to stand on my tip toes to avoid having my arm pulled too tightly.  Our lips were so close that I could feel his soft, sweet breath upon them.  I made the first move.  I put my lips to his and pushed my tongue into his mouth.  It was every bit as warm and wonderful as I had envisioned it to be.  There were no fangs to be found in there, only his tongue caressing mine.  His arms came around my body and pulled me close to him.  The sensation of his warm body against mine made my knees give out.  Thankfully, he was there and pulled me close to him.  I drew in a sharp breath as I took in his fresh vanilla scent.

             I felt like a schoolgirl with butterflies in my stomach.  I wasn’t sure if I wanted to giggle and write him a love note or take him to the ground and have mad animal sex with him.  The latter of the two seemed more likely.  I had never had a dream of this nature with this much intensity before.  I knew I’d been missing out all my life.  If I could pull this off every night, I’d never need a man. 

            I pressed my head to Pallo’s chest and let the coolness of his skin soothe me.  My fingers went to the tiny scars under his nipple and I toyed with them, running my fingers across them softly.  It was his turn to gasp as I slid my fingers up and over his erect nipple.  My five foot five frame fit nicely against him, and left my mouth lined up with it.  My tongue flickered out and over it as my mind pleaded to push the dream to the next level and have Pallo make love to me. 

            Pallo pulled back from me slightly, still managing to hold me in his arms.  “Ahh,” he said, more a sigh than anything else.  “I must go now, you are safe.” 

            He started to back away from me.  “Wait! Don’t leave yet.  I don’t want to wake up … I….”  The thought of Rick’s office came to my mind.  I didn’t want to wake up.  I didn’t want to ever wake up. 

            “No, I must go now.  We will be together again.”  As I heard the words come from his mouth I felt myself sinking.  I looked down and felt my body being pulled gently down into the bed of violas.  The glowing and green and yellow flowers met me head on, swallowing my body whole.  Pallo never moved.  He stayed standing above me as I sank away.