Well, I think this is the fastest update I've ever made on this story. We're entering into the dreaded "hell week" for the show I'm in, so updating is gonna be a while. We open on Thursday and I have four performances to get through. I'm going to be honest though. We haven't even run the show all the way through yet, so I'm a bit scared. Anyway, that's enough about my life that y'all care nothing about. Remember, I don't own Baccano and never will. Enjoy the chapter. I worked really hard on it.

"Immortal?" I asked. I stared at Luck in a disbelieving manner. "So, basically what you're telling me is you drank some magic potion and now you can never die?" I made a hesitant decision to ignore the whole mafia boss situation for the moment.

"Well," Luck said, looking down at his hands. "Yes, in a nutshell."

"I don't believe that. I mean, this is the 21st century for God's sake." I said, shaking my head. "It just doesn't make sense."

He opened his mouth as if he was going to say something else, but instead just reached his hand into his pocket. I watched him curiously, as he pulled out a small knife and opened the blade. "What are you doing?" I asked, glancing at him nervously.

"Proving to you I'm not lying." he said, pulling off his suit jacket and rolling up the sleeve of his dress shirt. I watched with apprehension as he pressed the blade against his skin. I winced when it broke the skin and blood starting to flow from the wound.

"What the hell, Luck?" I asked. My stomach turned a bit, making me look away. Why in the world would he do that to himself?

"No, just watch." he said, gently. Hesitantly, I looked back.

My eyes widened as the blood reversed its flow and started returning into the wound. It was as if someone had pressed the reverse button on an old VCR. Even the blood on the blade drifted back into the cut before the skin reconnected, becoming whole again. There wasn't even a mark. It was as if nothing had even happened.

"It… I… That… Huh?"

"Shocking isn't it?" he asked. "Imagine my reaction the first time. It was all so confusing. Firo explained it all, but it was still a bit overwhelming. And I know how you must be feeling right now. I'm sorry you had to find out this way. I was really hoping to ease you into it. Maybe do something like this? But, then that man had to try and kill me…" He trailed off, watching me cautiously. "Are you okay, Caroline? You're very pale…"

I shook my head, unable to make my mouth work to utter any type of coherent response. Finally, after a moment of him going quiet, looking at the ground nervously, I reached over and ran my fingers over his arm. I couldn't even feel where the cut had been made. The skin there was perfectly flawless, not even a scar. I looked up into gentle golden eyes. Only now did I notice the emotion in them. Then, there was something else, something older. It was as if this seemingly young man seen too much with those golden eyes. Had lived through pain and sadness. Had watched people die around him, without aging himself. Had cried a few too many times.

"It's all true, isn't it?" I asked, almost astounded at myself for not noticing the power in those eyes.

"Yes." he whispered, nodding. He smiled, a small, sheepish grin almost. "Again, I'm sorry you had to find out this way. It was never my intention to drag you into it at all. I am truly sorry, and I hope you'll be able to see past all of this. I would hate to have to walk away and never see you again. I've grown quite attached to you, Caroline."

"Luck…" I started, feeling my cheeks heat up.

"It's the truth." He smiled again. "I've already told you this. Of course, you don't remember much of last night, do you?"

Oh, that's right. Last night. Something happened last night. I still wasn't actually sure what, but I had a pretty good idea. Waking up in
someone else's bed, wearing someone else's clothes wasn't exactly my optimum example of good choices.

"What exactly did happen last night?" I prodded, allowing some suspicion to creep into my voice.

He looked away, a mix of emotion on his face. I thought he looked a bit embarrassed, but no, that wasn't possible, really.

"I wish, I could put this in some way that didn't sound so brash, but we both drank a bit too much wine and…ended up in my bedroom. I believe I may have taken advantage of you, my dear, and for that I apologize."

Did he just call me 'my dear'? Oh well, I couldn't think too much about that right now. "You were drunk too…" I pointed out.

"Not nearly as much as you were." He looked at me again. "Honestly, it wasn't the best decision on my part, but I didn't think you were so far gone that you would blank the whole thing out."

"I didn't. I mean, I still remember bits and pieces. Like the wine. I don't think it was good thinking on either of our parts. I knew how I usually react to alcohol, so I shouldn't have drank so much."

"I offered you the wine in the first place though."

"It's not as if you planned the whole thing, though." I paused for a second. "Did you?"

"No, of course not. I will admit to having sexual relations with many women through the years, but I've never tried to trick a women into my bedroom. I don't think I've ever even brought a girl home from a bar as drunk as you were. I mean, honestly, I didn't think you could get that drunk off wine."

"It's not my fault! I don't drink a lot and so I'm not used to it." I didn't even sound convincing to myself.

Luck gave me a look that stated very clearly he didn't believe me, but just shook his head. "So, are you so mad at me that you'll never speak to me again? I would really hope you aren't. But after this morning…"

"No, I'm not mad." I said, honestly. "It was just so awkward this morning. And I didn't remember anything, so I didn't know what to say to you." I trialed off, then looked down at my hands. "I was also a bit worried that you had gotten what you'd wanted from me and that's the last I'd see of you…"

"Is that what you really think of me?" he asked, a bit of hurt in his voice.

"That's what I think of most men." I whispered. "Don't feel special."

I felt his fingers press against my chin as he tilted my head up so he could meet my eyes with his. "I swear to you, Caroline, that was never my plan." His words rang with truth that was also expressed very clearly in his golden orbs. "I had only hoped to get to know you better. And in my family we always drink so… It just got out of hand."

"I believe you." I whispered, smiling a bit. He returned it, which made my heart flutter. I found myself looking down, a blush surely staining my cheeks. "I'm not mad."

"Caroline, you're one of the most interesting girls I've ever met." he said, which made my face heat up even more.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like something to eat?" I asked him. "I can go check the fridge."

"Yes, let's eat." When I looked up again, he was smiling again.

I quickly stood and made my way to the small kitchen area in my apartment. I dug around in the refrigerator for something more akin to the taste Luck had to be used to. With his wealth and power, he must have been accustomed to more extravagant meals than I could ever prepare here. It was soon to the point that I was on my knees in front of the open refrigerator door looking for something that didn't say 'microwave instructions' on the packaging.

"If it's too much trouble to find something, we can always go out." Luck said from behind me.

I stood up quickly, knocking my head on the refrigerator ceiling. How long had he been standing there watching me pathetically dig through the packages? Before I could reply, however, there was a knock on the door. Luck looked around suspiciously.

"You expecting company tonight, Caroline?" His voice had taken on a dangerous edge. At first I was frightened and confused by the change in his demeanor, but then I remembered somebody had tried to kill him a little over an hour ago.

"No. I don't think so. It's probably one of the neighbors."

"Your neighbors drop by a lot?"

"No…"

Without saying another word, he walked out of the room and to the door. I followed him against my better judgment. He pulled a gun out of the inner pocket of his jacket on the couch before discarding it again and walking toward the door. He stood by the side of the frame before readying the weapon and swinging the door open.

"Hello…? Caroline, right?" a familiar voice said, as a man stepped into the room.

Luck sighed, lowering his weapon. "Hello, Firo."

The short man looked over at him, confused. "Luck, what are you doing here?" His eyes eventually turned to me. "And why are you holding a gun to my head like I'm some kind of criminal? What's that gonna accomplish anyway?"

"Someone tried to kill me tonight. They found out I was heading to the bookstore tonight and had a guy waiting to whack me when I got there. I'm not taking any chances."

"But…" His eyes found me again, as he started to trail off.

"Besides, she was here, and I don't want her to get caught in the crossfire. I don't want her dragged into our mess, got it?"

"Right…" Firo said, looking down. "Are you two…dating…or something?"

I blushed again, looking away from the two. But somehow, I found myself struggling to hear exactly what Luck would say to that question. I didn't really even know the answer myself.

"I suppose you could say that." I could almost hear the smile in his voice. It was the happiest thing he'd said since Firo had arrived. "But, what are you doing over here?"

"Oh right. Well, Ennis remembered how both of us had invited Caroline over for dinner, but we'd never came through on the promise. So I was coming to see if she would like to join us. You're welcome to come to, if you'd like."

"What do you say Caroline?" Luck asked me. I looked up when I heard my name. "Were you dead set on cooking something or would you like to join them?"

"No. It'd be great to come to dinner with y'all." I said, making a face when my accent slipped through again.

Firo grinned. "Great. Come on over then."

We followed him across the hall into the other's apartment. It had the same basic set up as mine, flipped like a mirror. Ennis walked around the corner from the kitchen and smiled when she saw us. "I told you she would come." the woman said. "And here's Luck, too."

Luck smiled at her. "I haven't seen you in a while, Ennis. How are you doing?"

"I suppose, I'm as good as always."

He nodded at her in a friendly manner, before stepping up to me and wrapping his arm around me. I, of course, blushed heavily and looked way wondering why in the world he was doing this.

"Czeslaw is waiting for us. Let's all go eat."

I nodded and looked up at Luck. He was watching me with a smile on his lips. I stared up at him for a few seconds before Firo cleared his throat and pushed both of us slightly.

"I realize you two are having some kind of magical moment here, but please, let's go eat already." he said, chuckling a bit.

Luck pulled away from me and glared at the smaller man. "I don't interrupt you and Ennis for food, do I? So why would you do it to me?"

"I'm sorry, but my wife won't let me eat until all the guest are seated."

They continued their argument as I slipped away and walked over to Ennis who sighed. "These two are too much like brothers at times. Well, they basically are."

"They're brothers?" I asked.

"No. But they've known each other they're whole lives so they might as well be. It gets worse if you put Claire in a room with them too." She shook her head and led me into the kitchen. "Claire is Luck's other brother, by the way."

"We've met…" I said, laughing. "And I will say that was an interesting experience."

"Well, he's a…interesting person."

I nodded in agreement and smiled at the young boy sitting at the table. He had his elbow propped up with his chin resting on his fist. He watched us as we walked in. "Does this mean we can eat now?"

"Don't be rude, Czes…" she scolded, sitting down. "But yes. The other two might take an hour to get in here, so I'm not going to make you wait anymore."

"Thank you, Ennis." he said, grinning. He immediately sat up and started scooping food onto his plate. I waited then served myself after Ennis, starting to eat the delicious food. I wished I could prepare this kind of meal, but I had no talent in the kitchen.

Eventually, Firo and Luck walked in, still bickering. Firo sat down by his wife and took a huge helping for himself. Luck found the last seat by me, and also sat. Eventually, they're conversation widened to include us all.

"So, Luck?" Firo nudged his friend's arm. "Aren't you gonna tell us how exactly you and Caroline met? I don't think you ever told us, and I have to say I'm more than curious." Ennis nodded in agreement.

"She works in the bookstore."

"You mean the bookstore where you were-"

"Exactly."

"Wow. What is it with people shooting up that place? Remember that time you were reading Edgar Allen Poe to me and some dudes decided to whack you? Ha! I miss those days."

"Firo, watch what you say." Ennis warned, her eyes widening a bit. I realized she was looking at me. I immediately averted my gaze down to the plate of food.

"She already knows Ennis." Luck said, smiling at her. "She was there when this guy shot me today, so I had no choice but to tell her."

"Oh…" Ennis said, trailing off.

"Wait, so she knew this whole time and you still let me sit here and pretend to be seven years old?" Czeslaw's voice entered the conversation. "And why exactly did you HAVE to tell her. You should have just knocked her out and told her it was all a dream. That makes more sense than endangering all of us, Gandor. Not the smartest move you could have made."

Apparently Czeslaw was an immortal, too. He glared at the older man. Or was he older? I didn't know anymore.

"Calm down, Czes." Firo said. "You know we're not gonna let anyone get to you again. Come on, she's just a friend. I don't think she's hiding a research lab for immortals in her bathroom."

"Exactly." Luck agreed. "We all trust her, so you should, too."

Czes glared at both of them in turn before looking at Ennis questioningly. "What do you think?"

"I don't think we have anything to fear from her." Ennis said quietly. "As long as she can keep her mouth shut." She looked at me again, a strange look on her face.

"She can be." Luck affirmed. "I've told her everything."

"Wait. Everything?" Firo asked. "By everything…"

"Everything." Luck shoved the last bit of food in his mouth.

"So she knows about the business you two are in?" Ennis asked, showing a bit of surprise.

"I told her the whole story. Leaving out the more gruesome details I wasn't around to witness. But yes, she knows about the business I'm in. And all I said about Firo was he was similar."

"Now, you see." Czeslaw said, throwing his fork down. "This is ridiculous! He had no right to tell her anything!"

"Calm down, Czes." Firo said again. "Though I do agree, this time."

"Okay, maybe I should have shut my mouth before I told her about the mafia, but I wanted her to know the whole story before I dragged her into it. Think about it from her perspective for a minute."

The table fell into a heavy, uncomfortable silence. I stared at the pasta on my plate, frowning slightly. Maybe Luck shouldn't have told me. It seemed to be causing some sort of panic with the neighbors. I didn't exactly understand why, though. If they were all immortal like Luck, and for God's sake he could take a bullet, then I don't know exactly what they thought I could do to them.

Finally, Ennis broke the silence. "Well, I think we should give her a chance. I know if I hadn't helped Firo instead of Szilard, then none of us would be here right now. So, let's give her the same chance."

Luck smiled wider than I'd ever seen him. "That's what I've been trying to say."

"Alright, I agree. I don't think she'd go behind our back or anything." Firo said.

Czeslaw hesitated for a second, before whispering, "I don't necessarily trust her, but I trust you Ennis."

We returned to regular dinner conversation, me a bit happier than before. I actually felt accepted by these people, and that was altogether new to me. When the meal was over, I helped Ennis with the dishes while Luck and Firo went in the other room to talk some more.

Ennis shook her head when yet another argument started up about something or another. "Those two… I've dealt with this for over seventy years…"

I smiled, but didn't reply for lack of knowing how to respond.

When we were finished we went into the living room to join them. Luck, was casually spread on the couch, and I walked over to join them. When Firo saw Ennis he smiled again. She sat down on the arm of the chair.

"So, when'd you start dating the librarian?" Czeslaw asked from his seat in the other chair.

"She's not a librarian." Luck said, glancing at the boy. "She works in a bookstore?"

"Close enough." he said. "So when did you start dating?"

I blushed, looking down as Luck responded. "Well, we haven't officially started dating yet, but…"

"When are you going to ask her then?" Firo said, catching his friend's attention. "Don't look at me like that. It's obvious you're head over heels for her."

"I…" Luck shook his head, standing up. "It's getting late. Why don't we get out of their hair, Caroline?" I stood with him as we started walking toward the door.

"Oh come on, Luck. Don't leave just because you don't want to answer a question."

"I'll see you later, Firo." he said, otherwise ignoring the smaller man.

I said my goodbyes to Ennis before Luck stepped out the door and pulled me with him. I was about to protest before I saw the look on his face. He shut the door behind us, before looking me in the eye with the same wondering look on his features. This was the first time I'd seen so much emotion on his face.

"Tell me something." he said, calmly enough. "If I did ask you to date me, would you? With everything you know about me?"

"I… I…" I shrugged, backing away from him slightly. He moved closer until I found myself pressed against my neighbors' door. "I don't know, Luck. I'd have to think about it."

He looked down, seemingly coming back to himself. "Sorry…" He stepped away allowing me to relax a bit. "I should probably just go. I don't want to make you uncomfortable. I'm sorry."

"It's fine." I whispered, stepping around him to unlock my door. "I really wouldn't mind if you came in for a few more minutes, though." I turned around, smiling at him.

He smiled back, stepping closer again, running his fingers over my cheek, causing me to blush heavily. "I would love to. Besides, it is late. They've probably already locked my car up for the night."

"Good point." I said, smiling.

We walked into the apartment together and I dropped down on the couch. He followed my example, running a hand through his hair, disheveling the neatly gelled style. I smiled at him, before removing my glasses and setting them on the coffee table.

"You know, you have a really pretty eyes." he said, smiling at me.

"Oh… Thanks." I said, looking away and blushing.

He gently reached over and turned my face back towards his before leaning in and kissing me lightly. I was a bit surprised by the sudden action but kissed back anyway.

"So, have you given it any thought?" he asked, after breaking the kiss.

"Hmmn?"

"Dating me, love."

"Oh." I blushed again. "Well, I did just recently get out of a relationship. I don't know if I want another one right now…" I trailed off at his disappointed expression. "Umm, but…"

He shook his head, leaning way from me. "No, it's fine. I understand."

I looked down, before scooting a bit closer to him. "But, I think I can make an exception for you."

"Really?" he asked, seemingly surprised.

I looked up at him again, smiling widely. "Yeah, I mean, why not? Who's it going to hurt? I like you. And I'm guessing you like me."

"I do." he confirmed.

"So, I guess it's a yes, if you were asking."

He smiled again, then leaned down kissing me again. I kissed back happily. His arms wound around me, as I wrapped mine around his neck. He deepened the kiss, and I responded as willingly as I could. It was when my back met the couch that memories from the previous night rushed back to me. I froze where I was, causing Luck to pull away slightly, confused.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

I stared at him for a minute, my mind working to unscramble the new thoughts in my head. We had had sex, which was for sure. And I remembered moving into the bedroom at some point. Even remembering the entire fiasco, I still wasn't angry or upset by it.

I simply blushed again, and dragged him back down for another kiss. I noticed he was stiff at first, probably wondering why I had stopped in the first place. But it didn't take him long to join in again. It wasn't long after that, when we made the joint decision to move to the bedroom. I decided I wouldn't tell him I remembered. It didn't really matter anyway.

I smiled gently at him as he threw off his shoes and shirt. However, surprising to me, he simply lied down and pulled down beside him. I pressed myself to his bare chest and let out a happy sigh. I felt his fingers running through my hair, which began to lull me to sleep. I hadn't realized how exhausted the day had left me until right then.

"Caroline, thank you for allowing me to stay. And for agreeing to be mine."

I mumbled an agreement, too tired to do much else.

I heard him let out a small chuckle. The last words I heard from him that night were, "Go to sleep, Caroline… I love you…"

It's the end of the chapter. And you know what that means. Leave me a review. Please. I love reviews, they make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, tell me. I love hearing from my readers. Thanks for reading. Bye for now!