Kyle took a seat at the back of the lecture theatre; he was one of the first people there as usual which always amazed him. He lived at home while most, if not all, of the other students lived on campus in dorms, yet they were always late. Kyle guessed they took the stereotype of drunken frat boy and free loving sorority girl to heart, he guessed he'd be the same too if normal alcohol could get him drunk. Kyle flicked a glance down to his watch; he'd gotten here a good fifteen minutes early, probably why he got this seat. Kyle had eyed it up everyday for the last year. Ever since they got moved into this lecture hall with the raised seats like an amphitheatre, Kyle had wanted to get the seats situated in the back where it was darkest, that way he could chat to his friends without being under the all seeing eye of Dr. Julian Alexander. And ever since he'd wanted it, someone had been sitting in it, usually a girl or her friend. Kyle was just delighting in stretching back in his seat when the door opened near him, he leant forward to see some girl coming through the door, it was the girl that normally had this seat. Their eyes locked for a moment and Kyle looked away feeling a little uncomfortable that he had taken her seat, but at the same time unwilling to give it up. The girl's mouth tightened and she shimmied down the aisle to sit a chair away from him; she put her bag on the chair between them. Kyle thought it was a bit of a childish thing to do, like kids in kindergarten, when they believed that members of the opposite sex would give them cooties. Kyle flicked his eyes up and saw she was looking at him; she had a moody face, not ugly, just stern and kind of harassed looking. Like someone had dumped a dump load of responsibility on her shoulders and the last thing she wanted to tolerate was a fool around her.

"Is it okay if I put this here? It's a bit heavy," she added with a grimace.

"No problem," Kyle said with a smile, her voice was not what he had expected, it wasn't harsh or low or grunting, it was rather melodic. An even tone that was lightly accented and pleasing to the ear, even if it were just a little soft. The girl gave him a half smile back and began to unzip her bag, she pulled out the texts they needed, Kyle noted that the pages were tabbed and colour coded. She also pulled out a pad and started hunting around at the bottom of her bag, no doubt for a pen. Kyle taped his thumb against his pocket laptop and wondered why people made life difficult for themselves.

Being a person who generally talked to anyone he was near and usually uncomfortable with the silences, Kyle leant his head nearer, "How was your summer?"

The girl brought her head up and stared at him for two seconds, as if trying to decide what his motive was for speaking to her. Apparently she decided he was just one of those social butterflies that liked to talk to everyone because she answered in a casually friendly way.

"Err, I went home for the first part then spent the rest with a friend."

Kyle nodded as if interested, but when you barely knew someone it was hard to be interested in their life, he felt the conversation dying before she saved it. "You?"

"Oh, same really. Just stayed at home, no vacation though."

She nodded her head with an awkward expression on her face that told Kyle she wasn't finding him interesting either.

"So … where's home for you then?" Kyle asked.

The dead limbs were still twitching they could possibly save it.

"Just around the corner," she said with a slight laugh in her voice. Big twitch!

"Really? Me too, kinda."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. My family own the bar on Ursulines Avenue."

"Sanctuary?"

"Yeah."

"Nice place you got. I love it there." Just about every girl in town did.

"Thanks."

The girl gave him a strange look, "you lived here all your life?"

"Yep," Kyle replied, a grin gracing his face at the thought of just how long the lives of his brothers and parents were who also lived there too. The grin faded when he thought of his parents and it was followed by an intense pain that had him avoiding her eye.

"Hmm," she said with interest, "so have I. But I just don't remember ever seeing you, and I don't live that far from Ursulines."

"Oh well, when I was a kid my mom never, ever let me hang out. I think she took being a mama bear to a whole new level." Again that pain, the very mention of his mother caused him to want to bawl.

She smiled, "that's probably it. I suppose you work there the rest of your free time, huh?"

"Yeah," Kyle muttered unable to work up a casual tone when his heart was shredding.

"Why you complaining? If my family had a bar that great, I'd never be out of there. My Aunt owns a gift shop in the French Quarter and my Ma owns - used to own a small spa."

"What happened?"

"Not enough trade and too much competition."

"That sucks."

"Yeah, it was fun working there too. But, oh well …" she trailed off with an all-is-good type of smile.

Kyle felt his face lift in a genuine smile, "I'm Kyle by the way," he held his hand out.

"I know," Naomi said, everybody knew, "I'm Naomi."

"Cool," Kyle said, the awkwardness was creeping back between them.

"Do you think we'll have Professor Alexander this year too?"

Kyle shrugged, "maybe." He gave her a mischievous side-long glance, "bet your praying it is, huh?"

Naomi laughed but felt the heat rise in her cheeks, she gave him a grimace. "Maybe. He is a good lecturer though."

"Uhuh, I'm sure that's what you are paying attention to …"

"So there was a hefty amount of drool over my notes - I'm sure you were ogling something other then ancient artefacts in Professor Kaferi's class."

"Hell no!" Kyle laughed, "I know her husband, the guy reads minds!"

Naomi laughed, "yeah, I saw him once. I had no idea she was even married until he turned up that day at her office. I never actually saw him, but I was caught in the crowd of girls around her office."

Kyle laughed, "yeah, he gets that a lot," he pretended to be puzzled, "never could find out why."

Naomi chuckled and then whipped her head around when the door of the lecture hall opened, Kyle craned his neck to see who it was and smiled at his own friends. Phillip and Andrea, who had been going out with each other since the first week they met at college. Stephanie James, Kyle grimaced, she still hadn't gotten over that one time she had come on to him and he had turned her down. Rhys and Travis, who were the most easy-going pair of humans that Kyle had ever met, Kyle was always surprised that there wasn't a perpetual cloud of green haze hanging around them for how much weed they smoked and how little they washed. Their dorm room was a no go area for him and his highly tuned senses. Kyle saw Naomi do a quick scan of the seats along the back row; suddenly she looked down at the second entrance at the bottom of the stairs.

"See ya," she said sweetly.

"You don't have to leave, there is enough room, you know," Kyle laughed as if she was being silly and she smiled at him.

"That's okay, my friends are there," Kyle looked to the bottom of the lecture hall and saw a gang of girls filing into the seats on a lower row. "Thanks though."

She grabbed her bag and scooted out of the row, Stephanie barely moved to let her past, Phillip and Andrea began to move into their seats, but Travis was talking to Naomi. Kyle leaned forward and tuned into their conversation.

"Hey girl, you cool?" Travis asked, while Rhys, as usual, stayed silent except for the dazed smile on his face.

"Yeah, I'm good. You?"

"Same shit, different day, you know how it is."

"Yeah, ain't it the truth. I'll catch you later, 'kay?"

"Ah! Don't I get a hug?" Travis held his arms out and Kyle cringed for her, Naomi laughed and hesitated.

"You gonna try and grope me again?"

Travis burst out into a fit of drug induced giggles. "Not since you floored me the last time!"

Naomi laughed and moved into his arms for a brief hug, before breaking away, giving Rhys a friendly punch on the arm and practically skipping down the stairs to the group of girls who pounced on her with hugs and conversation.

Heedless of the people already in the seats before him, Travis climbed over the chairs and table until he flopped his gangly form into the seat next to Kyle. Stoner or not, the guy had the best stories and the best attitude you could ask for when facing a three hour lecture on ancient civilisations.

"Dude!" Travis cried joyfully, "You good?"

"Same shit, different day," Kyle threw the stoners favourite phrase back at him and Travis nodded solemnly.

"That's what I thought! That's what I thought! You seen Stephanie this year though," Travis purposely raised his voice so Stephanie could hear. "She needs to sue her surgeon, man!"

"Shut up, Travis," she snapped down the row, knowing full well her perfectly pretty face was fine, but too vain to shrug his comment off. "You're such an asshole!"

Travis merely laughed. "Round one to me," he said while getting his laptop out, Kyle was surprise the guy even knew how to turn it on.

"You love to taunt her," Kyle chuckled.

"One of life's pleasure, dude. The girl is so flaky, she gives me the creeps."

Kyle raised a cynical eyebrow, "you wouldn't like to bone her?" he whispered to Travis so Stephanie would have no reason to shout at him.

"On a purely biological level, yes I would. And also so I could torment her for the rest of her life about knowing about some freaky mole she has on her ass or some shit. But really, dude? Would you want to go anywhere near her? Miss Preppy Psycho would cause me to commit murder!"

Kyle laughed and nodded in agreement, then because curiosity got the better of him he asked, "what about that chick?"

"Who?"

"The one you were getting all physical with. You like her? She your girlfriend or something?"

"Naomi?"

"Err, yeah," Kyle said, playing it cool. "Is that her name?"

"Yeah, Naomi Reilly. She's tight, you know."

Kyle nodded, "how did you meet her?" Kyle was genuinely curious about that and slightly surprised. Even though Travis was a genuinely friendly guy, and so was Kyle for that matter, they still tended to stay with certain types of people. He wasn't going to say popular because he'd grown out of high school labelling but Naomi Reilly didn't look like the type of girl that would be in their group, and to be fair she didn't seem the type that would give Travis the time of day.

"First year," Travis said simply, "remember when I misplaced my paper?"

Kyle nodded, he'd seen his friend practically edging towards a breakdown trying to re-write his 6000 word essay in only a week, having lost his notes too he was surely going to fail.

"Well, I was doing, like, all-nighters in the library and you know ... she used to work there part-time. And she like caught me seriously tripping and just came over and started to help me out. Gave me her notes, got me all the right books. Even checked my work for me. And then when it came to the exams I asked her if she would tutor me."

"You actually care what you get in your exams?" Kyle asked astonished and Travis grinned mischievously.

"My indifferent, flippant stone-head persona is merely an artfully placed façade which my real, and actually rather cunning, self hides beneath."

Kyle snorted out a laugh and pretended to tap out something on his computer but out the corner of his eye he watched Naomi Reilly talking enthusiastically to her friend. She surprised him. Truly surprised him. Guys mostly loved Travis, he was funny and witty and so relaxed but as a rule girls usually hated him. They either found him creepy, disgusting, unattractive or all three put together, which was fine with Travis since he didn't like most of the girls he saw anyway, they were all too 'flaky' for him. But apparently Naomi had seen what most of the guys saw in him, a really swell person. For that alone Kyle was intrigued by her, but he really didn't have the time to indulge in intrigues at the present time, it just made him smile to know there were still good people out there.


"I know I should study," Kyle was looking down at his books that lay unopened on his desk, he looked at his computer and became entranced by the shifting screensaver. He used to have family pictures flashing up as his old screen saver but he couldn't really look at anything with his mother and father on anymore.

"I know I should study," he repeated and looked pleadingly at his books, wanting them to burst open and read themselves for him. Sighing he got up and went downstairs to the bar; he'd try and fit his reading in somewhere, somehow in some other time.

"Shouldn't you be studying?" asked Dev when he saw Kyle emerging into the bar, Kyle ground his teeth in agitation. His brothers often made this happen. None of them had ever attended college except him; their own education was limited to the prehistoric ramblings of philosophers and poets of the sixteenth century. Yet they all felt they had some expertise on the subject and never failed to remind Kyle that he should study.

"I'll do it later," Kyle said neutrally, trying to keep the irritation from his voice, Dev raised his eyebrows with a well-its-your-funeral kind of look.

"If you're sure, but you don't want to fall behind," he said and Kyle immediately redirected his route, going to the front door instead of the pool table. He needed air … and normality. Ever since his parents had died his family had pulled together tighter then ever, but they had also felt the need, that with no real parental figure around, that they all must take up the task of keeping Kyle on the straight and narrow. Kyle wanted to growl in frustration, what could possibly happen!

He was out of the danger zone for succumbing to the Trelosa, drugs and alcohol didn't work on him and no one in the Limani was brave enough to sell him the kind that would because, as his brothers had said, they would relocate the bones in the legs of whichever person did such a thing. Kyle was as straight-laced as it was possible to be and he was pretty sure he was very likely the only virgin his entire college.

It wasn't something he had been particularly ashamed of while in the shelter of Sanctuary. As a rule were-hunters do not become sexually active so soon out of puberty, in fact in some senses should a woman from the bar and Kyle get it on it would a weird case of statutory rape on her part because in his world Kyle was just - and literally just - out of his teenage years. This didn't mean he was entirely ignorant of sex, he knew as much as it was possible to know for someone who was continually surrounded by it but had never had it. A fully fledged were-hunter out of puberty had a ferocious sexual appetite, coupled with the fact that they had to sleep around to find their mates; Kyle considered his race the biggest whores of the magical world.

It had only been when Kyle had gone to college and seen how sexual tension and need was rife in the air did he feel out of place. For humans just on the verge of adulthood it was on their minds constantly, girls as well as the boys. It had Stephanie literally crawling drunkenly into his lap at parties and then running off crying when he rejected her, yet girls seemed to like him more for it. Women thought he was "decent" because he wouldn't just sleep around like most of the guys, and some of the guys got jealous. So Kyle gave the illusion that he was unavailable and surprise surprise they just tried harder.

Kyle walked through the French Quarter wondering what to do with himself. He was thinking of going to see Xedix but his female was about to drop her first Charonte slash Dimmi simi and they were all very edgy about outsiders hanging around. Kyle grumbled as he was about to spin around and return home to his books when he sniffed up. A variety of smells collided in his brain but one which was familiar and utterly unexpected, Kyle followed it and it led him straight to Bride's boutique. Stopping before the window he stared at Naomi Riley, she was sorting through a rack of slinky dresses. Her short brown hair was held back by a black Alice band and in her ears she wore dainty studs, she wore black overalls with a white tank top on underneath and the toes of her sneakers peaked out under them. Despite being hugely popular, Kyle didn't associate with or see many of his friends outside of college, but he found himself strangely relieved to see Naomi Riley. Knowing that she wasn't studying at that precise moment either made Kyle feel a hell of a lot better.

A middle-aged woman came out of the door holding on to a handful of bags in one hand and clinging to a small child with the other. Ever the gentleman Kyle quickly held the door open earning him an adoring look from the woman; he let her past then shot in. Naomi had her back to him, she was browsing the dresses again, Kyle licked his lips feeling nervous about striking up a I-met-you-here-by-chance conversation in the middle of a ladies boutique.

"Naomi?" Kyle said and she looked around, her face was blank for a moment then she smiled friendlily.

"Kyle, hi," she said, surprise evident in her voice, "what's happening?"

"Ah you know," he shrugged, "same shit -"

"Different day," she finished and plucked three dresses from the rack, "ain't that the truth? How come you're in here?"

"Saw you. Thought I'd say hello," Kyle shrugged.

"Aww, that's nice," she said casually, walking around the counter. Kyle sensed a certain note of cynicism in her tone as if she didn't believe he had come in just to say hello to her.

"You work here?" he asked and Naomi nodded as she wrapped the dresses in the stuff they put your clothes in at the dry cleaners.

"Yeah, this is my aunt's store."

"Bride's your aunt?" Kyle asked with surprise and Naomi frowned curiously at him.

"You know Bride?"

"Well, more her husband then her, but yeah, she's a nice lady."

Naomi smiled widely and nodded in agreement, "yeah, she is. And she's technically not my aunt, her brother is my brother-in-law but we get confused trying to tell people that so we settle for aunt. Though I think she would prefer cousin. It sounds younger."

Kyle smiled but wondered whether Naomi knew what Vane really was.

"So why aren't you studying today?" Naomi said after a pause, her eyes fixed on what she was wrapping and hanging up.

"Couldn't be bothered," Kyle said, not feeling at all irritated when someone who actually attended college with him asked the question.

"I know what you mean," Naomi agreed, sounding half exasperated half amused, "I'd rather watch paint dry then read that article about the use of Plato in Ancient Greek civilisations or whatever it was."

"Yeah, have you seen how many pages it is? And the font is tiny!"

Naomi laughed, "I know!"

"Naomi?"

Naomi held a finger up to Kyle letting him know she would be a minute, Kyle nodded and hitched himself up on the counter while she walked to the back door and lean her head in.

"Yeah?"

"I meant to say can you rearrange the display under the counter, you know you're always good at that sort of thing!"

"Okay!"

Naomi walked back and gave Kyle a firm push on the small of his back, he laughed as he hopped off but felt an unfamiliar thrill at being touched by a girl; he'd never gotten that feeling before. Naomi got on her knees and unlocked the glass display case under the cash register, and began to gently remove all the delicate little womanly things that were in there. Kyle knelt down so he was looking at Naomi through the glass and tapped on it, she looked up and smiled.

"Travis knows you work here?" Kyle asked and Naomi looked puzzled, she shook her head.

"Why would he?"

"You two seem pretty close …"

"Not really," Naomi said with indifference as she swept the dust from the glass with a cloth, "he's a good guy though."

"That's true; I'm surprised he doesn't have more luck with the ladies."

Naomi stopped dusting and pinned Kyle with a gimlet stare, "did he send you here?"

"Who?" Kyle said nonplussed.

"Travis. Did Travis send you here to ask me out or something?"

Kyle laughed, "we're not ten, you know!"

Naomi's mouth softened, "hard to tell with guys sometimes."

Kyle made a face at her, "and no, by the way, he didn't. He just mentioned you the other day I class, said you helped him out quite a bit."

"Hmm …" Naomi muttered and Kyle hitched himself up on the glass case once more, they both heard it creak and Naomi quickly whipped her head and hand from it.

"If that glass caves in on me I will seriously hurt you!" she warned, Kyle looked at her over his shoulder with a mischievous grin.

"I doubt it, not if I land on your head."

Naomi laughed and swiped at him playfully then began to reset the cabinet, Kyle's heart picked up a beat faster then was normal and he licked his lips.

"What're you doing tonight?" he said as casually as possible.

"Rollerblading with Keanu Reeves," she replied wistfully and Kyle huffed out a laugh.

"That's cool; perhaps you and your not-very-attractive date can double up with me and Megan Fox?"

"I doubt it he wants me all to himself," she retorted in a sing song voice. Kyle laughed and leant back so he could see her, "What are you doing tonight?" he repeated, feeling like he had been alone in a playground and suddenly found a best friend.

Naomi paused and looked up at him her face showed a split second of confusion before she covered it by saying rather flippantly, "very fresh, Kyle. I wonder what other indecent proposals you have for me."

"Come to Sanctuary. I'll teach you to play pool," Kyle offered. Naomi laughed but pretended to be offended.

"I'll have you know I am very good at playing pool!"

"Yeah, but you're a girl," Kyle said dismissively, knowing it would aggravate her, she tried to hit him again but he dodged and laughed.

"I'm sorry, I was joking. C'mon, come tonight and we'll pretend to talk about ancient Greeks and Plato and whatever else."

"Sure why not," Naomi said, "then I can beat you at pool."

Kyle was about to retort when the door opened and in walked Fang and Aimee, Kyle was just as surprised to see them as they were to see him.

"Hi," he said automatically, he turned to Naomi so she didn't think he was just greeting customers, "she's my sister."

"I swear you know everyone, boy!" Kyle gave her a lopsided grin that made her stomach flutter.

"What are you doing here?" Aimee said as she came forward to hug him.

"Run into a friend," Kyle explained simply and saw Aimee and Fang raise their eyebrows; he gave them a stern look that told them not to embarrass him. They took the hint and after introducing themselves they went out back to find Vane.

"Your sister is beautiful," Naomi said; with something like envy in her voice, Kyle nodded.

"She looks like my mother," he said simply, quietly.

"Your mother must be stunning," Naomi said still eyeing the door where Aimee had gone out back.

"She was," Kyle commented and Naomi whipped her head round, she locked eyes with him and his meaning was made clear. Her own eyes grew shadowed with genuine sadness for him that he could feel, coupled with awkwardness because she didn't know what to say. No one ever did, it's why Kyle never told people but he wanted Naomi to know.

"I'm sorry, Kyle," she said softly and Kyle gave a one shoulder shrug that was meant to say 'hey, shit happens'. Naomi opened her mouth to ask something but thought better of it and her natural kindness had her giving his forearm a tight, friendly squeeze.

"What time should I come around to beat your ass at pool?" she said, trying to clear the grief from his face, Kyle smiled at her, glad to get the conversation back to something normal. Though she hadn't removed her hand from his arm, Kyle noted with a happy thrill.

"Seven?" he suggested and Naomi nodded.

Suddenly the bell above the door tinkled and they both looked up, with a jolt of surprise Kyle saw Stephanie walk through the door with Andrea and another girl, who Kyle knew was called Marlene. He knew because she too had come on to him many times. Kyle sensed Naomi's dismay and felt her snatch her hand away, but Stephanie's eyes had caught it there and narrowed on them.

"Hey Kyle," she purred and stalked over to him. It was one of the things that turned Kyle off of her in the first place, her overt sexuality threatened him and made the bear in him want to growl and warn her off.

"Can I help any of you?" Naomi said in a cheery, professional way, Andrea and Marlene both shook their heads and kept browsing, Stephanie said nothing but kept her eyes fixed on Kyle, she had a peculiar smile on her face as if they shared a private joke between them. If Kyle was supposed to know what it was she'd have to explain it to him because he was truly lost at sea. Naomi went about her business but the easy way with which they had chatted before was broken, Kyle knocked on the glass and she looked up from where she knelt, arranging rings and necklaces.

"See you later?" he asked hopefully and Naomi nodded with a small smile, Stephanie's pretty mouth tightened, but her smile flashed into place when Kyle nodded goodbye to her.