DISCLAIMER: Richie doesn't belong to me. I don't know who he does belong to, but it sure as hell ain't the people who created him. Elaine also doesn't belong to me, but she occasionally lets me think she does.

A Minor Mystery Solved

By Elizabeth M. Lawrence (luckyliz@mindspring.com)

Comments always welcome. (This is a hint, people <G>) Other stories in the Elaine Saga can be found at http://www.mindspring.com/~luckyliz.

Elaine snuggled next to Richie, waiting for him to return to life. It still amazed her, how he did that. Half of her expected him to stay dead, but he'd never failed her yet.

There it was, the faintest trace of a heartbeat. Then another, stronger one. Finally, his chest rose and although he didn't awaken totally, he put an arm around her and fell into a deep slumber

It was his left arm. The one he always wore his watch on.

Why did he always wear that watch, she wondered. She usually wore something around her neck when she was out, but that was because necks were erotic to vampires and it felt funny to have it so exposed. And she always took it off before they made love. Kinda hard without taking it off. It was like a bra, possible, but not as much fun.

But she'd never seen Richie without that watch. Even in their most passionate moments, he always had it on. Why?

Growing up, Elaine had heard a story about a woman who always had a ribbon around her neck. Her husband kept asking her about it and all she would say was he would really regret it if he removed it. One night he did and her head fell off. But she didn't think that was the case with Richie and his watch.

Of course, there was an easy way to find out.

Richie was awakened by Elaine's laughter. When he opened his eyes and found her holding his watch in her hands, the first thing he did was grab it and put it back on.

"Happy now?" he asked, hurt and angry at the same time.

Elaine nodded, eyes red with tears of laughter. "Ah think it's cute. When did yah get it?"

"When I was twelve," he answered. "One of my foster fathers was a tattoo artist and had a wicked sense of humor."

"Punishmen' fah somethin'?" she guessed, now serious.

Richie shrugged. "Not really. I was always late for dinner because I kept forgetting to wear a watch. So one night he drugged me and did it, on the idea that I'd always wear a watch to hide it. It worked, too."

Oh, the poor kid. Twelve was the age when a boy's ego was the most vulnerable. No wonder he always wore it.

"Evah thought of havin' it removed?" Elaine asked.

"Never had the money," he answered. "And now I'm not sure it would work."

Good point. "Well, if it's any consolation, Ah like it," she said. "It means weh belon' togethah."

"It does?" he asked.

"Uh huh." She rolled onto his chest and looked at him. "Haven' yah noticed Ah tend tah smell like roses?"

"Well, yeah, but I thought it was your perfume," Richie answered. "It's not?"

Elaine shook her head. "Ah do weah pahfume, but the primarah ingredient is mah blood."

"Your blood smells like roses?" he asked, surprised.

"Ev'rybody's blood smells an' tastes like somethin'," she answered. "That's why pahfume smells diff'rentlay on ev'ryone -- it's combinin' with theah own fragrance. It's jus' a li'le strongah on some people."

"Oh." Richie thought that through. "So what do I smell like?"

Elaine got her knife out and made little nicks on his skin, lapping up the drops of blood that formed. "Sweat. An' leathah. An' somethin' else." She frowned, unsure of what it was. "Somethin' tah do with yah bike, Ah think."

"Axle grease?" Richie suggested.

"Yeah, axle grease," Elaine agreed. "That's why when yah've been wahkin' on yah bike the scent clin's tah yah fah hours."

She was right, Richie realized. It always did take the longest time for the smell to go away. "What about Joe?" he asked.

"What do yah think?" she asked back. "What does he remind yah of?"

"I don't know," Richie answered. "Whiskey, I guess."

"Yah missed the tobaccah an' Ol' Spice, but whiskay's the main thin'," she said, smiling. Then she paused and asked. "Since Ah know abou' the tattoo now, would yah mind takin' the watch off when weh'ah in bed?"

Richie hesitated. He was so used to it, it felt funny without it on.

"Please?" she pleaded. "Ah wan' tah see all of yah, not yah watch." To help convince him, she rained kissed down on the area she had recently perforated.

"Promise it won't disappear and get replaced with something else?" he asked. "Mac and Tessa gave it to me my first Christmas with them."

"It'll beh as safe as yah sahd," she assured him.

"Which sword?" he wanted to make sure.

"Does it ma'ah?"

Good enough. Richie started to unbuckle his watch when Elaine stopped him.

"Why don' yah le' meh do that?" she suggested, eyes glowing.

So, of course, he let her.