Author's Note: Decided it would be a one-shot, since it originally was meant to be that way and I accidentally made this a continuous story. There will be a sequel though.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Years had passed from that infamous night. Years from the last time Lydia had seen him. Three years to be exact and much had changed over the course of time.

She had gotten a job in the bookstore down in the town. She'd travel there after school and work until 7, where she'd then come home, do her homework, talk to the Maitlands, go to bed, and start a whole new day.

When she wasn't working, she would read, write poetry, and spend some time with her new friends. She wasn't popular in school. Actually, she was far from it. But she had come out of her shell and made two good friends.

They knew nothing of him or of the Maitlands. Lydia did not privy them with that information but she enjoyed the company of her friends, even if she couldn't share every secret or detail of her life, which she didn't mind. Old habits are hard to break. She had never been too social and this was practically a breakthrough.

At first, Barbara and Adam had been worried. They thought that the whole incident with him had mentally scarred her or that she would be even more reserved and introverted than she already was. It hadn't. When she made friends, they were relieved and proud. Proud and happy for her in a way that her parents would have been if they had cared, of course.

What Barbara and Adam could never understand was that she had not been scared of him. In fact, she was intrigued by his character, even if he was a dirty slob and a pervert that conned her into almost marrying him. Apart from that, she actually enjoyed the brief pleasure of his compan.

She would never voice that out loud. Lydia swore that Delia had sonic hearing because anytime he was mentioned, she would come bounding into whatever room they were in and start on one of her tirades. And Lydia would also never say anything because she didn't want to worry Adam and Barbara, and she certainly did not want to hear their lectures about what kind of undead person he was, or is.

She knew he was a con man and a trickster; always up to no good and just a filthy character. But she didn't care. For the first time in her life, she felt a sense of ease and closeness being around someone, not counting the Maitlands.

He was basically a forbidden subject for fear that even the mention of him would bring him back in a whirl of chaos and disorder. God knew they did not need a repeat incident.

Lydia knew all this but she still felt a sort of need to see him again; to hear that raspy voice and hear the perversions expelling from his mouth, and see all his tricks.

She often dreamed of just saying his name three times and summoning him back from wherever he went. Sandworms or not, Lydia somehow knew that that would never stop him. He'd be back. Eventually.

Anytime she caught herself saying his name, she had to stop herself and berate her actions.

He's nothing but trouble. He'd ruin everything.

But despite her constant mantra, she couldn't shake the desire to speak the forbidden word that would bring him back.

Maybe one day she would.

Maybe.