AN: Thank you, Dragonheart, for reviewing. So long as there is at least one comment, I'll continue this fic. If no one is interested, then there isn't much of a point to it. But I'm glad you like it, Dragonheart666 :)

Chapter Seven: 12/25

A light powdering of snow, more ice than anything else, crunched underfoot as Lucian walked the perimeter of the coven complex. He was glad he chose to dress warmly that day. He may not have been as affected by the temperature as a mortal, but today was just plain frigid. He thought longingly of the fireplace in his rooms. All he really wanted to do right then was curl up with a good book by a cozy hearth.

He had volunteered to walk the edge with a couple of his men, though, and check the security of the wall in the daylight. There were a lot of things done much easier when the sun was up but Aislyn and her mother were often swamped with having to do all the daylight chores while everyone else slept. Lucian wanted to help lessen that load as much as he could. He often had his men delegated to aid Lina and Aislyn whenever they needed the extra hand. Lucian himself signed up for the labor when he had some free time.

It didn't take too terribly long to cover the distance around the coven and soon they were standing back inside the complex. Lucian dismissed his men and took his time walking back to the house, despite his wishes for a warm fire. He had some thinking to do lately and he hadn't had a good opportunity to indulge in his private thoughts. Since he often went out on patrol with his men, he had other things to think about. Now, with a free moment, he was determined to start putting in order the jumbled ideas and insights he had gained in the past month.

The Dolls were still somewhat quiet. They had only a few small skirmishes that hardly warranted his presence. Most of his day was filled with the organizing and running of patrols and helping around the house. When he was idle, he would find himself gravitating to Aislyn for company.

Lucian found his feet taking him around the side and back of the manor to where the gardens lay. They were barren and snow dusted now, but Aislyn had told him it was quiet pretty in the spring once the flowers bloomed. He wound his way through the little trails around the planters until he found a large pond and a couple benches. He brushed the powder off a bench and sat, ignoring the slightly cold damp that seeped through his pants.

The lycan took a deep breath and closed his eyes, shoving all thoughts of the war and his wolves out of his mind. His whole reason for coming out here was to organize the troubling thoughts he kept having. He had to find a reason for them and put it into some sort of perspective. He needed to understand what was going on with him lately.

To say he was confused and rattled was an understatement. Ever since he had brought Aislyn back from Victoria Tower a month ago, things had turned… not exactly weird but sometimes uncomfortable between them. It was as if they were not always quite on the same page or even in the same room when they were sitting together. Not long before they could sit at a table and work diligently for hours making plans, comfortable when silence fell as they thought. Now he felt as though they couldn't be in the same place in the quiet without a tension forming. Perhaps he was imagining it but she seemed more hesitant around him now, like she wanted to say something into the lull in conversation but just couldn't bring herself to do so. It wasn't as though they didn't enjoy each other's company, he just got the distinct impression that her mind wasn't always on what they were supposed to be doing. Guiltily, he realized his wasn't, either.

Her nearness was sometimes distracting. More than once he had to force himself back to the task at hand if she leaned over a little too closely or if her hand brushed some part of his body in accident. If she so much as put a hand on his shoulder when trying to look at something he was doing, he could feel it burn through even the thickest jacket even after she removed the hand. The most innocent of touches lingered on his skin long after she had left the room.

Lucian sighed and leaned forward in his seat, arms resting on his knees. He watched his breath swirl away in the cold December air without really seeing it. He needed to figure out what was happening to their friendship before things got out of hand.

A small voice in the back of his head was snorting derisively as he kept trying to ignore it. Finally, frustrated, he buried his face in his hands and let it speak its part. He knew damn well all of this stemmed from the fact that every day he saw her, and even every day they were apart, he was becoming more and more attracted to Aislyn.

'And why not?' the scornful little voice asked. 'She's smart, she's pretty, and she fights like a wildcat.' He tried to argue that he had only known her for a short time, not nearly enough to really know her. Three months in a lifetime of 600 some odd years was only a blink of an eye.

'And how long did it take you to fall for Sonja?' the voice asked. 'Three days, wasn't it? Three days and you knew it would be her. Three months is an eternity to that.'

Lucian stood with a growl, letting his hands smooth back his loose locks. He quickly clammed up the voice of reason and shook his head to himself. He was not about to let infatuation win out right then. Yet, he could usually hold intellectual conversations with her that would keep his interest past when they should have dropped the subject and moved on to do something productive. That was something he longed for in all his years of hiding, someone to share ideas with who had more than a menial intelligence. But he knew this went far beyond that, now.

He was often overcome with urges to touch her, hold her, be near her. He wanted to run his hands through her hair and take in her lovely scent, a mixture of green apple shampoo and the cinnamon she liked to put in her coffee. His body was starting to react whenever he let his guard down around her and it was disturbing to feel things he hadn't felt in so long. More than once he had started to get the nerve to talk to her about his feelings but held back. She had mentioned how she treasured their growing friendship since she had so few friends as close as him. He didn't want to do anything to jeopardize that for her so he bottled up how he felt and smiled the way a good friend would smile.

His feelings, as natural as they were, did make him feel guilty to an extent. He had loved Sonja so desperately that he had been willing to give his own life to avenge her death. He put his people into a war that waged for centuries all because of the death of his mate at the hands of Viktor. In a way, he felt as though he was betraying Sonja's memory each time Aislyn's mere entrance into a room made him giddy.

With a deep sigh, Lucian headed back up the paths toward the house. He didn't really feel any more resolved on his thoughts but he was starting to feel the cold and didn't want to freeze to death after having survived all these years. He figured he would just have to keep on doing exactly what he was doing: giving Aislyn her space in hopes that perhaps she would feel the same about him one day. Maybe when this war was over he could propose to her to settle down with him, even if - and the thought nearly broke his heart – as friends only. But a life lived with her platonically was better than a life away from her, he reasoned. At least he could watch over her that way.

He pushed open the front door and paused on the threshold. Inhaling deeply, Lucian frowned. The manor smelled slightly of popcorn. He knew well enough that Aislyn ate a variety of foods just because she liked the taste and not because it did anything for her nutritionally, but he had yet to hear her even mention popcorn as being one of her peculiarities. As far as he knew, her biggest thing was the lime Jell-O, just as Vlad was partial to cheesecake and Lina could not go without her apples. Additionally, no one in his pack liked corn much, even popped and covered in butter and salt.

Following his nose out of curiosity, the lycan mounted the stairs and headed to the right. The smell seemed to be coming from a room on the right hand side of the hallway, across from a large door Aislyn had told him led to her mother and father's chambers. Although he had been warned to stay out of Vlad's downstairs studies, no one said he wasn't allowed in any of the upstairs rooms. In fact, Lina had told them they were welcome to explore the junk rooms if they were bored.

Tentatively, Lucian glanced up and down the hallway at the deserted corridor before trying the handle. It was unlocked and he pushed the door open slowly.

Sitting on a large, woven rug, popcorn scattered around them and piled into large, plastic mixing bowls, was Aislyn and her mother. Lina had popcorn in her hair from where Aislyn had chucked it only moments before. Spread across their laps and half the floor were long lines of popcorn being strung on some thread. They looked up as he entered and smiled a welcome.

"Don't step on any," Lina warned as he picked his way across the floor and finally managed to find a seat on a couch not covered in popcorn strings.

"What in the world are you two doing?" he asked once he had settled himself.

"We have t-minus two weeks until Christmas," Lina announced, popping another piece of fluffy white onto her string. "We are decorating!"

Lucian blinked a few times, watching as the two women deftly plucked popcorn out of the bowls and added them to their lines. "Christmas? You celebrate Christmas?"

"Only the 'everyone gets together, gives gifts, and gets drunk' part," Aislyn confirmed. "Not the whole Jesus part."

Lucian considered that for a moment. "So a lot like most Christians, actually." He was rewarded by a hail of popcorn. Flicking it off his lap, he watched them for a moment longer. Aislyn was diligently building popcorn garlands, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was watching her so intently.

"So, I take it by your comment that you do not celebrate the birth of the human's lord?" Lina asked conversationally, breaking Lucian out of his staring. He mentally shook himself and met the woman's eyes. She had the knowing expression again that had a tendency to irritate him. She had seen him watching her daughter and was almost smug about it.

"Of course not," he responded instead, ignoring her superior glances as he usually did. Whatever private little joke she had going was not really any of his business. He wasn't going to rise to her games if he could help it. That was probably what she wanted and he would be damned if he would give Gates that sort of satisfaction. "I have no reason to believe this man is a god when I have lived for as long as I have."

"Well, I'm inclined to called Bull on it, too," Aislyn chimed in as she tied off the end of her string, completing the home-made garland. "We all are. But it's still fun to give gifts and Daddy usually throws a big party. With all your wolves, it will be quite an event this year. Invitations will be going out soon if I'm not mistaken." Aislyn lifted her garland to eye her handiwork. Satisfied, she stood in a fluid motion and moved to a tree Lucian hadn't noticed at first.

He realized, with hidden embarrassment, that the moment he had entered, his entire focus was settled on the younger vampress. He took a look around and realized he was sitting in what appeared to be a decent sized library, about the same length as the hallway and half as deep. There were no windows but a fireplace sat cold in one wall. Apart from the books there were a number of couches and chairs, reading lamps, and potted plants. He noticed, with some amusement, that Aislyn had already decked out the house plants with smaller popcorn strings.

"We usually hold our private Christmas in here," Aislyn was explaining as if he had asked her a question. "Just the family. There are too many coven members to really give gifts to everyone but Daddy sends out bonus checks to each member to thank them for their contribution to the safety of the complex."

"Sounds cozy," Lucian murmured. Although the fireplace was cold, the room was rather warm, making him feel like he wanted to take a nap. He was still fully dressed from being outside, though, and worked to peel off the layers of clothing, depositing them on the cushion beside him. Down to the bottom layer, he felt much better and a lot less sleepy.

"I think that will about do it for the corn," Aislyn said as she stepped back to assess her handiwork. The tree sagged under the weight of so many other bobbles and lights already that the popcorn made it look completely downtrodden. Lucian chuckled while Lina surveyed the tree with a face set in seriousness.

"Once you father wakes up, we will have him put the star on and it will be perfect," the mother finally agreed, standing up amongst the mess of popcorn around them. She cast a glance in Lucian's direction then back to her daughter. "I've got this mess if you two wanted to go do something else for a bit." Her eyes twinkled at Lucian and he felt a bit uncomfortable at the suggestion he saw in them.

"Actually, there was something I wanted to talk to him about," Aislyn mused. Picking her way across the floor, she beckoned for Lucian to follow her. She led him out of the study and across the hallway to her chambers. Without a word, she unlocked the door and went inside. Lucian closed the door behind them as she took up her perch on the couch they usually occupied when visiting in her rooms. He flipped the lock then sat next to her, settling his weight into the familiar cushion like so many times before.

At first she just sat back, propping her fit up on an ottoman. He traced the line of her jaw with his eyes, waiting for her to spit out whatever it was. They were alone again and he really didn't want his mind to start wandering to matters not appropriate.

"I figured you didn't celebrate Christmas, or any holiday really," she started a bit slowly. "I was hoping you would be willing to join us this year."

Lucian frowned a bit. "I can hardly back out of a party thrown by the man who is currently paying for my keep."

That damnable silence returned and Aislyn still hadn't looked directly at him. She pursed her lips and finally turned her head to catch his gaze. He had one elbow propped up on the back of the couch, head leaning against his hand. She thought she caught something peculiar in his eyes but it vanished almost instantly and she played it off as a trick of the light.

"Every year," she continued, this time with an air of exasperation, "I'm expected to be escorted." When he didn't respond to this, she tried to elaborate a bit. "As the daughter of the house, Father thinks I would look best not alone. He's old fashioned; he thinks I need an escort, a date, to look out for me. Honestly, he treats me like a child. I'm not some seventeen year old bimbo going to my first Christmas dance! I'm over thirty, for God's sake!" She kicked the ottoman to the side and drew her socked feet up under her so she was leaning a little more closely toward Lucian. Although he hadn't expressly asked her age at any point in their association, he had already figured that based on what he knew of Lina's age.

"I know that these events and gatherings really aren't your bag but will you come with me so my esteemed and overbearing Papa won't pick some dried up vampire to accompany me and make my night hell? He's done it before."

She looked at him so eagerly that, even if he didn't want to go, he wouldn't have been able to refuse. As it was he was pleased she had thought of him. "Would i have to do anything official?"

At this her eyes turned mischievous. "Only dance with me," she said slyly.

"Heaven forbid," he joked back, smiling. "I would be more than happy to go with you and keep your virtue guarded against musty old vampires." The smirk on his face spoke of the irony in his statement. He was older than almost everyone else in the complex, with the exception of Vlad and possibly a few others such as Nagire.

Her breath exploded in a grateful sigh. "Thank you! You're much better company than any of those business men I usually get stuck with."

"My pleasure," he murmured, nodding his head. "I've never been to Christmas festivities so this will be a learning experience." He hesitated. "Am I required to gift anything to the hosts?"

Aislyn chuckled and shook her head. "You don't even have to get me anything if you don't want to," she said. "We do gift exchanges among the family because of mother, I think. Christmas was a big holiday for her family and she missed it when she moved in with my father. I think he incorporated it into the life of the coven for her. Since then everyone has had such a good time with it that it sort of stuck. No one expects anything from someone who doesn't usually partake in the holidays."

"I never had reason to. Life was not exactly something to celebrate," he replied somewhat darkly.

With a soft look, Aislyn reached over and brushed a tendril of his hair back behind his ear from where it was threatening to fall into his eyes. "I hope now you'll feel a little more in the holiday spirit."

He caught her hand automatically and gazed into her face for a long moment. His thumb was moving of its own accord, stroking the back of her hand lightly. He wasn't sure what to say to that and was very tempted to show her instead how he felt about being here now. He had about made up his mind to pull her forward when a light rap on her door interrupted their intense eye-lock. He released her hand as she called for whoever it was to identify themselves.

"I'm just making sure nothing's going on in there that will make your father angry," Lina called in a sing-song voice. "And I need your help with the invitations, sweetie."

Aislyn grumbled something not at all flattering under her breath and stood from the couch. "I hate my parents," she added, cheeks pink as she made her way to the door to unlock it and let Lina in.

The elder Hunter winked saucily at Lucian before snagging her daughter's wrist and pulling her out the door. Lucian was left alone on the couch in a mix of both relief and disappointment. If Lina had waited any longer to interrupt, he was almost certain to have kissed Aislyn. He felt a bit of relief because he wasn't sure if that would have upset Aislyn but disappointed that he hadn't been able to act on his feelings.

With a sigh, Lucian lay back on the couch, gazing up at the ceiling. He folded his arms behind his head and thought about the upcoming holiday. She said he didn't have to get anyone anything since he didn't usually celebrate. This year, though, he was going to. He would be damned if he wasn't going to find something to give to Aislyn.

Shopping wasn't a promising thought for him, though. He didn't like large crowds of humans shoving and pushing to get to the stores. He also had no idea what she would want. Money wasn't an issue. He hadn't been around for six centuries without some fiscal responsibility. He probably had enough money stowed in the banks to support his own coven.

What would she want, though? He looked around her room at the shelves of books and decorative armor that hung on the walls. She had a rack near one of the windows full of a variety of weapons she didn't use on a regular basis. She had a few paintings of landscapes. Nothing really stood out to him.

Aislyn never wore jewelry. He was pretty sure she didn't own make-up. Most of her wardrobe consisted of t-shirts and cargo pants. In her free time she usually was either practicing her combat skills or reading. There were so many books in this house, though; he doubted there was anything she didn't have.

Standing from the couch, he moved toward the weapon rack. There were axes, glaives, daggers, and guns all jumbled together in an order only Aislyn understood. He did notice something was missing and a thought occurred to him. It had been a while since he had made anything.


A week later the snow was deep enough that children were building snowmen and having massive scale wars in the parks. It swirled down from the air in big, fat, lazy flakes to stick to anything and everything it could. Lucian was getting tired of brushing them off his eyelashes and thought that the next time he went out on a patrol he was going to wear a hat with a brim.

The two members of his pack with him had started up an impromptu snowball fight behind him, dumping handfuls onto each others' heads and trying to shove it down one another's shirts. He let them continue with their childish game, amused despite himself. The streets were bustling with people who chuckled at the grown men playing in the snow. This Christmas spirit thing was becoming infectious.

They were paused outside a small café, deciding whether or not to take a rest when the door to the business opened to allow a patron out. In that brief moment when the human exited the building, Lucian heard a faint but familiar laugh from inside that made his heart beat faster. Aislyn?

Signaling to his men to follow, he went inside and looked around. Standing near the barista, chatting good naturedly with the woman behind the counter, was the vampire he hoped would be there.

"Lucian!" Lina's voice called from somewhere in the crowds of people. He saw a hand jut into the air and wave him over. He and his men squeezed past the crowd to a table Lina was sitting at. Aislyn, having heard her mother, turned as well to see the wolf. She smiled widely at him, took her drink from the barista, and moved to join the small group now seated around the table.

"Braving the crowds for coffee?" Lucian asked once Aislyn sat next to him. He took a polite sip of the mocha she offered and passed it back. He wasn't surprised at all to taste the cinnamon. He also noted she set it directly between them as a silent invite to share it with her. Lucian saw Lina's eyes flicker between the coffee and her daughter then sparkle with their usual private laughter.

"We're actually doing some shopping," Lina explained as she pushed a tray of cookies and muffins at the other two lycans. They glanced at Lucian for permission and he nodded. The lycan king glanced down at the floor by the table legs and saw bags sitting there. One of them, he noted with interest, looked like it was from a well known dress shop. His eye flicked to Aislyn but she was watching the other lycans debate which flavor of muffin tasted better. They were bickering in good nature and Aislyn recognized them as the twins that had come from Hungary with Lucian.

"There's only a week left to get everything ready," Aislyn added, taking a drink of her coffee. Lucian took it from her before set it back down, helping himself. It was addicting stuff, he had to admit.

"Nothing says Christmas like waiting until the last minute." Lina chuckled and snagged a muffin from the tray. "You boys out on a patrol?"

"Yeah, although we're almost finished," one of the two brothers said between bites. Aislyn never could tell who was who. He checked his watch. "Next group takes over in half an hour. Our route takes us right to the edge of Daniel's territory then we're done."

"Do you have time to be consorting with the likes of us, then?" Lina asked.

"They've been quiet for a long time," Lucian said softly, taking another drink then handing it to Aislyn. She sipped a bit then helped herself to a cookie. "It's not even a kilometer to Daniel's turf. We can make the time up. They will patrol even if we don't meet up with them, anyway."

Aislyn nodded absently as she finished her cookie. She swirled the coffee cup around a bit before downing all but the last mouthful. She handed it to Lucian, who obligingly finished the drink. "I think we're parked on his land, actually. We can walk with you back to the car and give you a lift home." She turned her eyes to her mother. "I'm pretty sure we got everything on our lists for today, right?" Lina nodded and Aislyn stood up from her chair. "Good. Shall we?"

They stood, and Lucian made a quick motion to his men to grab the parcels before either woman had a chance. He stooped and picked up Aislyn's things, ignoring the tut from Lina. "We are not about to make you carry it all." Lucian moved through the humans to the door, backing into it to hold it open for everyone else.

Outside, Lina took point to lead them toward the car. The twins carried up the rear leaving Aislyn and Lucian walking together in the middle. Lucian ignored any attempt Aislyn made to take some of the bags in his hands. He smirked at her whenever she tried and she eventually gave up, shoving her hands into her jacket pockets. She stuck her tongue out at him, eliciting a chuckle from the elder.

It did not take long to get to the car and Lina popped the trunk with a button on her keychain. Aislyn supervised the loading of the boot and shut the lid firmly as soon as the last package was safely stowed.

The roads were busy with shoppers going to and from the stores and it took them nearly an hour to get back to the manor. By the time they arrived, all the tire tracks from when the women had left were covered in fresh snow. They parked the car in front of the house and unloaded themselves. Aislyn was heading toward the rear of the car when a loosely molded ball of snow hit her square in the face.

Everyone stilled for a moment as the brothers looked at each other in mortification. She had walked right into the snowball launched by one at the other. The woman reached up and wiped the snow away, flicking her fingers to the side to rid them of water droplets. "Who threw that?" she demanded.

As if on cue, the brothers pointed to Lucian, who turned to look at them. "I did not-" he started to say as he spun back toward Aislyn. He was cut off by the snowball she quickly flung at him. It landed squarely in the middle of his face with a thwump.

Sputtering, he dashed the snow from his face and looked at her with a mixture of shock and indecision. He wasn't expecting that at all and wasn't sure what he should do. Part of him said drop it and go inside the house. But the puppy hiding behind his stern exterior overruled the logic and, before he registered what he was doing, he had grabbed a handful of snow and thrown it back.

Aislyn ducked and a squeal rang out as Lina, poking her head around the side of the car to see what was taking so long, received Lucian's snowball. Aislyn stifled a giggle at the look of surprise on her mother's face. The woman stood for a moment, the melting snow dripping off her hair. Then, she raised her keychain and pressed a button. The car beeped, signaling it was now locked. She very slowly pocketed the keys, bent down, and scooped up some snow. She deliberately shaped it into a perfect ball. She tossed it up a few times in her hand, gazing at them resolutely. Then, in a move blurred with speed, she threw it right into the face of the nearest twin. "It is on!" she announced, ducking behind the car for safety as the brothers moved to retaliate.

Aislyn, laughing, went straight for Lucian, snagged a handful of snow as she went. He barely avoided it as he swerved out of her path. His own snowball splatted against the small of her back. She bent to grab two handfuls at once, launching them sideways before she had even fully righted herself. One hit Lucian on the hip; the other flew past him to nail her mother in the side of the face as the elder woman stood to throw snow at the brothers.

Aislyn back peddled, keeping her eyes on the lycan as he advanced with a large lump of snow in his hands. She ducked under his throw but slipped on some hidden ice, going down with a soft fump into a snow bank. Taking advantage of that, Lucian rained down another clump of snow onto her as she floundered in the white powder on the lawn. She kicked out, effectively tripping him.

Lucian stumbled in the snow, trying to right himself before he went down completely. Aislyn wasn't about to let that happen and threw herself at his legs, wrapping her arms around his knees. The lycan king fell face first into the snow and tried to wriggle out of Aislyn's grip. Without waiting for him to regain control of the situation, the woman scrambled up the length of him to straddle his back. With a hoot of triumph, she grabbed handful of snow and shoved it down the back of his shirt.

Lucian gasped and flipped himself over onto his back with a burst of speed that sent Aislyn off him and into the snow nearby. He quickly rolled himself over on top of her and pinned her there, panting and laughing at the same time. She scooped up a last handful and rubbed it into his face before letting her arms flop out to either side of her body. She felt him relax too and took that moment to make her move. She hooked his leg with her calf and bridged up onto her shoulders, flipping their positions again so she straddled his lap.

Still chuckling, Lucian gazed up at her through half closed eyes. She was haloed in snow and breathing heavily. He didn't think he'd seen anything quite so lovely in a long time. Reaching up with both hands, he tucked her hair behind her ears to see her face better, and then pulled her down toward him, overcome with the need to touch her in some way. A volley of snowballs halted his progress though as Lina and the brothers came to some mutual conclusion that Aislyn and Lucian were presenting themselves as easy targets. Aislyn rolled off him and scurried away, diving behind a nearby bush to get out of the way. Lucian silently cursed his luck as he held his arms up in surrender. His will to play had left him and he was done.

The battle over, the five immortal beings went back to the car to get the packages from the boot. Covered in snow from head to foot they made their way into the house, mostly content and out of breath. Raze and a few others were sitting in the common room when the group entered and stopped their conversations to stare at the Hunters, their leader, and the brothers. Lucian ignored them while the brothers grinned and shrugged. In a wet processional, the five disappeared up the stairs to dry off and change.


Aislyn sat in front of her dresser mirror on a stool set up for just that purpose. She watched her reflection as she slowly worked out the tangles and snarls in her long, black hair. A hot shower had done wonders to reviving her after the energetic snow ball fight. Now, as she ran her brush through her damp locks, she thought about the odd ending to their vigorous exercise.

What had been Lucian's intention? He had started something right before they were attacked by her mother and the twins. That peculiar look in his eyes had returned. Usually that expression vanished the moment she noticed his eyes on her. He was rather good at avoiding the issue, hiding his true motives. What was he playing at now?

She eventually shoved the thought away into the back of her mind. It was probably nothing anyway. She had been caught up in the excitement of playing out of doors in the snow and let her inhibitions go for that brief moment. She had briefly wanted to entertain the idea that he wanted to kiss her but that was preposterous. Friends didn't just kiss their friends because of a silly snow ball fight. She was just being self serving with such thoughts.

She hadn't forgotten her dream last month and wasn't surprised to have more of them afterward. She was starting to realize that her subconscious was trying to tell her that she was attracted to her best friend. She just didn't want to admit it. The absolute last thing she wanted was to ruin what she had going with Lucian. The best way to undo their connection was to become giddy and clingy toward him so she tried her best to respect certain boundaries and didn't make any moved to let her real feelings known.

Asking him to escort her to the Christmas party had taken a lot more guts than she had let on. True, she prefaced it with the fact that if he didn't go with her, she would be forced to attend the festivities with one of her father's friends. It wasn't an enjoyable prospect. She was truly grateful that Lucian had agreed. She had spent the better part of that day getting up the nerve to talk to him about it and had been waiting anxiously for him to return from the complex perimeter.

Now that the day was only a week away, she felt the butterflies return to her belly. She paused in her hair care to look over her shoulder at where her dress hung by the closet. She was glad Lina had come with her to buy it because Aislyn very rarely wore something so fancy and needed that second opinion. As it was, it took the two women the better part of three hours to find a dress they both agreed upon.

Now she gazed at it with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. She would have to wear that in front of Lucian. Normally wearing a dress was more of just a big hassle. She had to do her hair, wear heels, and pretend to be interested in the economics of her date's business ventures. This time would be different. This time she actually wanted to make a good impression for the sake of her date.

She and Lina had made the executive decision that Aislyn should wear flats this Christmas. If both Lucian and Aislyn stood next to each other barefoot, Lucian was perhaps only a few inches taller than the woman. Normally, Aislyn wore her clunky boots which added at least two inches to her normally short stature. Wearing heels though would put her taller than her date and she didn't want that.

Aislyn had also made sure that whatever dress she bought matched something she knew was in Lucian's closet. She had taken him shopping a few months ago and knew what dressy clothing he had. She was positive that he had a red dress shirt that matched the color of the satiny skirt of the dress hanging behind her. She just had to make sure he knew to wear it otherwise they might clash terribly.

Aislyn rolled her eyes and tossed her hairbrush onto the dresser. She let her head fall onto the top of the counter with a soft thud. Never before had she thought about such trivialities as matching clothing and whether or not heels would be appropriate. She even went as far as to ask her mother to borrow some jewelry. Her ears were pierced, though she hardly put anything into them, but she wanted to look especially nice on Christmas this year. She refused to admit it was because she wanted to look good for Lucian. Lina didn't ask and merely agreed to help her daughter get spruced up, that knowing look dancing around in the corners of her eyes.


Lucian glanced at the clock ticking quietly in the corner of his sitting room then back down at the elongated parcel on his coffee table. It was Christmas Eve. The sun had just set, which meant Aislyn's family had started their private gift giving in the small library across from Vlad's chambers. He wondered how long they would take before he could give Aislyn his gift, or even when he should do that at all. More than once he considered shoving it under his bed and forgetting the entire thing but he had worked rather hard on it and didn't want to just chuck the whole thing.

The party was set to start around midnight, right as it turned into Christmas. This was the reason, Aislyn explained, that they opened their gifts as soon as it got dark. Guests would be showing up shortly before that and Lucian wanted to be dressed and ready to go at least half an hour before he was expected to make an appearance. It was only now five o'clock and there were many hours before midnight in which to catch Aislyn's attention and pull her aside.

Pushing the anxiousness out of his belly, Lucian went to his book shelves and scoured the books for something to read that would take his mind off tonight. Nothing seemed to be promising and he went into his bedroom to where his personal books had been set up, the ones he brought from Hungary. He pulled down a first edition print of Dracula and reclined on his bed. This never ceased to amuse him before but he found himself distracted and unable to read more than a few pages before checking his watch.

He gave up and left the book on his pillow. He paused to check his appearance in a mirror, smoothing down hair that was never cooperative. He thought that perhaps tonight he would tie the whole mess back. He would cross that hurtle when it came, though. With one last look at the package on his table, he exited his room and headed for the commons down the stairs. There was a mixing of vampires and lycans there that, three months ago, Lucian would have called impossible.

He had watched as, slowly, Aislyn's coven and his pack intermixed and starting forming friendships. Leaning on the railing above the room, he watched in amusement as the twins flirted uselessly with a couple blond vampresses who were trying to explain the rules to a card game the four were playing. In another corner, Raze and a vampire Lucian recognized as one of Vlad's officers, were comparing ammunition rounds from clips set out on a table.

Dubas looked up from his seat on a couch and barked out a gruff command to the other wolves. The lycans' activities ceased instantly and they gazed up at their alpha as if awaiting orders. The vampires gazed around at their companions then followed their gazes up to where Lucian stood. Many of the vampires' expression turned from confusion to understanding. They had become accustomed to the behavior of the werewolves when the dominant male appeared.

"Don't mind me," Lucian called from the walkway. "Enjoy yourselves." Immediately, the activity level picked back up. Lucian descended the stairs to head toward Raze, interested in what he was up to. Along the way, he kept his ears open and overheard a few conversational remarks.

One of the blonds was leaning in to talk to Romulus, the elder twin. "You know, it's spooky how you all do that at once," she was saying in an undertone that Lucian was still able to pick up.

Remus chuckled from where he sat next to his brother. "You should see it when he walks into the room of the entire pack, back at Adrian's. Now that is impressive."

"It's still spooky…"

The conversation faded out of his earshot as he passed them and arrived at Raze. The second nodded a greeting as Lucian looked down at the weaponry on the table. Lucian motioned for them to continue what they were doing while he perused the various clips, exploring what was in them. He hissed as his bare fingers came into contact with the shell casing on one particular clip he was handling. He dropped it and jammed the burning fingers into his mouth, sucking on them as if that would help relieve the pain.

"Those are coated in silver," the vampire supplied when he looked at what Lucian had been touching.

"So I see now," Lucian grumbled, pulling his hand out of his mouth and rubbing his fingers together to assess damage. The ugly red marks were fading quickly from the tips and he took a moment to inspect whether or not he lost any finger prints.

"I am sorry, My Lord," Raze rumbled from across the table. "I should have mentioned that."

Lucian waved off the apology. "What else do we have here?" he asked, bringing both warriors' attentions back to the weaponry.

The lycan managed to distract himself with the gun clips for a while, withstanding the urge to check his watch every few minutes. It was almost an hour later when he heard footfalls on the stairs and turned to look, mouth going dry.

Aislyn was practically skipping down the steps, hair flowing loosely behind her. She was clad in green pajama pants, red fuzzy socks, and a white tank top that hugged her frame suggestively. Lucian swallowed quickly and kept his eyes on her face and not the chest that bounced with each step. She moved across the floor to him, smiling.

"Merry Christmas!" she announced, stopping in front of him. Without any warning, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. "I have something for you," she continued before he had a chance to say anything. "Come with me!" She let him out of the hug and snagged his wrist, pulling him toward the stairs.

Surprised, but secretly pleased, he let himself be tugged up the stairs and toward her room. "Wait," he said quickly, waylaying her. He detached his wrist from her hand and ran across the walkway to his rooms to get the gift he had for her. As he was bending down to pick it off his coffee table, he heard the door close behind him and turned to see Aislyn standing there with a rectangular box in her hands.

"This room will do as well as mine," she said by way of explanation. Although she looked curiously at the long, thin box on the table, she held out her gift first. Lucian took it and they sat on his couch.

It was heavy and his first thought was 'book.' It was a rather large book if that was what it truly turned out to be and he wondered what in the world she had found that he either didn't have or hadn't read yet. With careful fingers he peeled back the tape on the colorful paper and unfolded the edges. She chuckled under her breath at how gentle he was being to the wrapping paper. She usually just tore into it with no regard for saving the wrapping, but she quieted herself with the reminder that this was his first Christmas after all. He probably didn't receive many wrapped presents, anyway.

The gift was indeed a book when he finally pulled the paper away. He set it on his lap and ran fingers over the cover, frowning slightly. There was nothing written there but the leather felt odd but familiar. He tilted his head at it, then looked over at Aislyn. "Is this skin?"

"Human, yes," she confirmed, nodding. "Nagire bound it himself." She didn't elaborate further and Lucian took hold of the cover and opened it slowly.

The pages looked like they had been written on homemade paper, which added to the overall heaviness of the tome. His eyebrows rose to see it was done with type and in Latin. He ran his eyes over the cover page then looked sharply at Aislyn once more. She looked perfectly pleased with herself, barely concealing her grin behind her hands.

"This is…" he started, running his fingers gingerly over the type of the title.

"Our only written history," she said triumphantly. "Nagire has always been a history buff and wanted to chronicle our people. There are only three copies." She held up her fingers. "Daddy has one in his private library. Nagire has one in his. Now you have the third." Her hand fell to her lap.

Lucian wasn't sure what to say. He ran his tongue over his lips a few times, trying to come up with the proper words. "This is too much," he finally managed. "Too rare to give to me."

"No, it isn't." Aislyn shook her head firmly. "You will use this more than I. There are details in here of my father before he started the coven. There is stuff in here I really don't want to know, but I know you do." She paused for a moment before touching the open cover carefully. "You're in this, too, you know." At the question in his eyes, she continued. "When Nagire found you he was actually researching Viktor's people, for this book. He wanted to know what was happening with those Father created by accident. He thought it necessary to include you and the war in here, even though it did not directly affect my kind."

Again, Lucian found himself speechless. His curiosity peaked and it was all he could do to keep himself from turning to that particular section and seeing what Nagire had written. Instead, he forced himself to close the book and set it on the table as if it were made of glass. "Thank you," he said as he turned back to Aislyn. "I still think it was too much to give but I will take good care of it for you." He grabbed his parcel sitting next to the book and laid it across her lap.

The box was wrapped in simple brown paper and was about a meter long. It was heavy. Aislyn had seen it the moment she had entered and was very keen to find out what it was. Now that it sat on her lap, she took her time to open it as he had her gift.

The box was lacquered wood, dark red and dense. Two clasps held it shut on either end and she unclipped them with deft fingers. She took a breath and opened the lid to see what was inside.

Her eyes widen much as his had when he first glimpsed the book. She moved the box to the table and grasped the hilt of the long, slender sword that sat nestled in a satin pillow within the case. Standing, she lifted the sword and turned it in the light, testing its balance. She took a couple steps back away from Lucian and gave the blade a few experimental passes, marveling at how well it seemed to fit in her hand.

Carefully, she touched the edge with her thumb, satisfied to see her blood well up instantly. It was terribly sharp. She inspected the hilt and the delicate hand guard with great interest. It was designed more like a rapier, slender and fast. The blade itself was thin but strong. She gazed at it for a long moment then looked up at him just as sharply as he had when she gave him the book.

"Where in the world did you find this?"

He smiled from his seat, pleased by her surprise and admiration. "I made it."

"You made it? Lucian, this is silver!" Aislyn moved back to the box and set it carefully back within its protective pillow.

"I was once a blacksmith in Viktor's coven." He stood and moved toward her. "I long ago learned how to work silver without too much personal injury."

"And you say that my gift was too much." She crouched to finger the hilt in its case once more. This had taken some time and effort. She suddenly realized why he had been harder to find lately. He must have been off crafting it in the complex's forge.

"I noticed you were missing something in your arsenal," Lucian said, brushing aside her comment. "This may not be an Animus blade, but it will do you as well as your mother's sword does her." He paused to gaze down at where she knelt. "All we need now is the proper sheath for it." He moved out of her plane of vision but she was too engrossed in the weapon to notice where exactly he went.

"I'm sure my father has something that would work…" she halted as his hand came under her arm and pulled her gently to her feet. From behind she felt his arms circle her waist and something light but firm touched around her hips. Looking down at the circle of his arms she saw a belt being fastened around her middle, the sheath hanging over her left hip.

"Like I would give you a sword without the proper adornments," he murmured in her ear with mock scorn. Once his fingers finished the buckle, he pulled his hands away, letting them linger on her hips perhaps a fraction of a second longer than appropriate.

Aislyn took the sword up again as Lucian moved away back to the couch. Carefully, she fit the blade into the scabbard, feeling it click into place with a perfect fit. "Did you make this, too?" she asked, fingering the silver gilt on the hard casing.

"Yes." He watched her as she drew and sheathed her sword a few times, testing the smoothness of the movement. Although it was not her choice weapon, he could tell she knew how to use one. He would imagine with Lina for a mother, she would have to practice swords with the woman.

Finally, she unbuckled the belt and carefully put the entire bundle on a nearby table. She sat next to him and, impulsively, reached out to hug him again. "Thank you," she murmured into his ear as he squeezed her back. "It's beautiful."

"It fits you," he replied before he checked himself. He pushed her back slightly to see her face. "I suppose now is when I wish you a Happy Christmas?"

"Traditionally," she said with a smirk.

"Well, then, I would hate to mess with that. Happy Christmas, Aislyn."

"And to you." She leaned in and touched her forehead to his. "I'm glad you're here."

Lucian chuckled. "Me, too."

She was close enough he could feel her breath on his lips and he wondered if he dared to move that last few inches. His decision was made up for him, though, as a door bell rang from somewhere in the house. Aislyn pulled back, releasing him with a frown.

"It's too early for guests," she noted, looking at his clock.

Leaving their things where they were, they left Lucian's room and practically jogged down the stairs. Someone was half dragging a very snow-covered something into the main room. They deposited it on a couch right as Lucian and Aislyn arrived.

"Someone get a blanket!" Aislyn barked as Lucian crouched at the person's feet, lifting the chin to look into the face.

"Trina?" Lucian brushed some blonde locks tinged with red out of the girls face and looked at the blood left on his fingers. "What happened?" he demanded as her eyes focused on him.

"I ran away," she whimpered. Someone deposited a blanket around her shoulders and she gripped it tightly, shivering.

"I see that," Lucian said, holding back an impatient tone as best he could. "Why?"

"Grandfather. He's getting worse." She shuddered, from fear or cold Lucian could not tell.

"Tell me what happened," he said again, more gently this time. He looked up briefly to catch Aislyn's eyes.

"I'm going to get her something warm to drink," the woman offered before vanishing into the kitchen.

"He was going on about you and the vampires and how all this was a waste of time and resources." She clutched at the blanket more firmly, her hands shaking. "All the alphas got the invitations, of course. He said it was disgraceful to be expected to come at the beck and call of a vampire. I told him it wasn't for them but for you we were doing this." She paused here, swallowing hard. She seemed mortified that she had thought to speak back to her grandfather in such a way. "I told him we should listen to you and do what we're told. You're our king, it's our duty."

Aislyn returned with a steaming mug of tea held in her hands. She knelt down beside Lucian and pressed the mug into Trina's trembling fingers. The girl looked gratefully at the vampress before taking a sip of the warming liquid. Lucian could smell chamomile and something stronger he didn't recognize. He glanced at Aislyn with question and saw her mouth 'poppy.' He nodded almost imperceptibly. The herbs were strong ones and the tea would help calm Trina's shaky nerves.

"Go on, please." Lucian urged after Trina had finished at least half of her mug. She seemed to be shivering less as her body temperature rose toward normal and the calming herbs kicked in.

"He told me I shouldn't be so impudent, that I was a disgrace and an embarrassment to him." She looked down, her bottom lip starting to shake. "He told me if I wanted to go be their lapdog I was welcome to but not to come crawling back to him when things didn't turn out how I wanted them."

"Why are you bleeding?" Aislyn prompted quietly, pushing Trina's bangs back to see the long, angry streaks slowly healing under her scalp line. Head wounds always took a while to seal over and bled like stuck pigs. They seemed to be taking care of themselves, though, so the older woman didn't bother trying to speed up the process.

"I told him I'd rather go live with Uncle than be forced to follow him for the rest of my life. I said it was better to die fighting for our people than to live like a coward under the ground." One very fat tear slid down Trina's cheek. "Then he…" she made a vague motion to her forehead and Aislyn frowned, inspecting the wounds again.

"These were made by transformed claws," the vampire stated bluntly. She had seen enough lycan-inflicted wounds lately to know the difference between extended nails and full on claw-marks.

"He morphed," the lycan replied quietly then finished her tea in one large gulp. "I thought I was dead at first." The woman fingered the mug's handle carefully for a moment before looking hopefully at Aislyn. "Can I… can I stay here? I don't have anywhere else to go…"

Lucian reached out a hand and placed it on Trina's shoulder. "Your loyalty in face of such a monster as my brother is admirable. I would be honored to have such courage in my pack." He stood from his crouch, Aislyn following his example. He looked around and spotted Raze hovering nearby as usual.

"Really?" Trina hiccoughed, the tears flowing more freely now as all the anxiety and negative emotions released at once. She snagged his hand and kissed it a few times. "Thank you! I won't let you down!"

Lucian carefully extracted himself from the crying girl and nodded. "Raze, Dubas. With me, my chambers. Now." He turned to Aislyn with an apologetic look. "Can I ask you to…" he motioned to his sobbing niece.

"Of course." Aislyn was already moving to sit next to Trina, wrapping an arm around the younger woman's shoulders and pulling her closer in comfort.

After the men had left and Trina had finally run herself down into mere sniffles, Aislyn urged her to stand and follow. The vampire led her up to her own quarters. The elder woman dug around in a cupboard for a moment before coming out with a large, fluffy towel. She pressed it into Trina's hands.

"Take a bath, relax for a little bit. I'm going to go speak with my mother and see if we can find you something clean to wear. You're a bit smaller than most of us but I think my sister-in-law is about your size. She should have something that will fit."

As Aislyn turned to leave, she heard Trina call out a 'thank you.' The vampire smiled over her shoulder at the girl and left without another word. She made straight for the library she had left her family in not long before. They were still there, as she suspected, relaxing in the familiar comfort.

"There you are," Lina commented as Aislyn shut the door behind her. "I was wondering what was taking you so long. Who was at the door?"

Aislyn quickly explained what had taken place then turned to a small, olive-skinned woman sitting beside Nagire. The woman's dark brown eyes shone with sympathy as Aislyn explained who Trina was and what had happened to her.

"Poor thing," the woman murmured when Aislyn had finished. "I'm sure I have something she can wear." She stood then stooped to kiss Nagire on the forehead, promising to return shortly. She exited with Aislyn and they moved further down the hall to the rooms Nagire occupied.

It didn't take them long to shift through the dressers and come up with something comfortable. The dark woman followed Aislyn back to the younger vampire's quarters. They found Trina soaking in a bathtub filled with bubbles. The lycan looked a bit shyly up at both the vampires, cheeks pink.

"I've never had bubbles," she said in a small voice. Aislyn chuckled and the other woman smiled.

"Trina," Aislyn said, turning to the other vampire. "This is Tekala, my sister-in-law."

"Aislyn told me what happened. I'm more than happy to help. These should fit nicely." She hefted the bundle of clothing and set them on the counter near the sink. "Will you be coming to the party tonight?"

Trina blinked a few times. "Am I invited?" she asked tentatively.

"You're a member of Lucian's pack now," Aislyn reminded her.

"I don't think I can. I don't have anything…"

Tekala tutted from near the sink. "The number of parties I've been to, I have so many dresses!" she spun to look at the she-lycan. "Actually, I think I have the perfect thing for you. Your eyes are such a startling color, it will work great. When she's done here," Tekala continued, turning to Aislyn, "send her my way."

Aislyn nodded as her sister-in-law swept from the room. "I'll be in my bedroom when you're all finished. Call if you need anything."

When Trina emerged from the bathroom, Aislyn was working on pinning her hair up in some complicated knot. A slew of bobby pins were sticking out of her mouth in such a way that it looked like she was trying to swallow a hedgehog. A red and black dress was hanging up on a rack not far away and Trina went to look at it.

"You should just wear your hair down," the lycan suggested after taking a good look at the garment.

"Murf?" Aislyn glanced over at her, one hand twisting the bun around while the other reached for a pin.

"Well, I can't exactly speak for my uncle since I don't know him that well, but a lot of our men like loose hair."

Aislyn finally managed to get her hair into place and spat out the other pins. "What makes you think I'm doing my hair for your uncle?"

Trina looked slightly taken aback. "Oh. Sure." She didn't sound convinced and Aislyn rolled her eyes.

"I'm not," Aislyn defended firmly, looking at her reflection to see how her hair sat.

"Mm." Trina looked again at the strapless dress.

"What is that supposed to mean?" the vampire snapped as she brushed bobby pins into the top drawer of her desk.

"I'm sorry," Trina said in a tone that wasn't really all that apologetic. "I should know better than to listen to rumors."

"What rumors?" Aislyn was starting to feel exasperated.

"That you're…" she made a vague sort of gesture then started to vigorously towel her short hair.

"That we're what?" Aislyn frowned. "What're they saying?"

"Well, the main rumor is that you guys are mated, but the alphas know that's not true. They can tell that sort of thing and it's obviously not the case." Trina plopped down at the edge of Aislyn's bed. "Can I use your brush?"

The vampire handed it over and watched as the girl tamed her hair. The blond locks had spiked from the towel but were quickly lying flat again.

"The other rumor is that you're in the pre-mating stages. You know: courtship."

Aislyn snorted and took her brush back once Trina had finished. "That's ridiculous." She turned back to her mirror and checked her hair again. "We're just friends." Pulling a face, Aislyn started to unpin her hair and shake it out. Maybe she would just curl the ends and pull back the hair at her temples? That would look nice with her dress.

Trina tossed the towel in a hamper and stood from the bed. "I guess I'll leave you to it, then. Where is Tekala's room?" Aislyn gave her directions and turned back to the mirror, lips thin with thought.

So the packs thought they were together, did they? Let them think what they wanted. She would hold firm to the conviction that she and Lucian were only friends. The lycans would see that for themselves at the party, anyway, so there was no point making a fuss about it now.


Lucian stood at the base of the stairs, leaning against the banister in an attempt to look like he wasn't nervous. He had settled on not doing much of anything with his hair besides pulling the sides away from his face in his usual style. Following instructions from Aislyn, he was wearing the red vest and tie under a black dress jacket.

His wolves and a few other guests were loitering in the commons as the party had not yet officially started. A number of the alphas from other packs had decided to attend with small entourages of higher ranking pack members. Daniel had brought his entire den, but he had a pack only two or three members larger than Lucian's.

Nagire stood nearby, occasionally making friendly remarks to Lucian about this or that. The lycan replied in kind, enjoying the distraction his old acquaintance was giving him.

"Ah, I see my wife," Nagire announced, moving away from the lycan to wait for her at the bottom of the stairs. "Your niece makes a fine figure, too," he added when he saw the company Tekala was with.

The two short women descended the stairs, arms linked and chatting as if they had been friends forever. Tekala's bubbly and naturally friendly nature seemed to lend well to making friends and it had only taken a few moments for the two women to decide they liked each other.

Trina was dressed in a green, gauzy frock that Tekala hadn't worn in years. It fit her as if made for her, giving the lycan an aura of being much older than she was. Lucian was impressed and greeted his niece with a warm smile. She returned it, waved good-bye to Tekala and went to settle herself on a couch to wait. The lycans would not enter the ballroom until Lucian did out of respect for their leader. The elder vampire and his wife disappeared into a far door to the right of the room that Lucian had not gone through before. He knew from talking to Nagire that it led to the ballroom where the party would be taking place.

As Lucian went back to waiting, Trina watched as the large, black lieutenant sat next to her. He wore a simple black suit with no tie but a collard white shirt buttoned at the Adam's apple. Trina thought it looked rather dashing on the quiet man. They said nothing for a very long time, waiting as patiently as possible for the proceedings to begin.

"You look nice."

Trina jumped at the unexpected gravelly complement. "Oh. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Lucian watched his second sitting awkwardly by his niece and hid a smile. Raze looked up, caught his eye, then gazed purposeful to the stairway. Lucian, taking the hint, looked up as well and very firmly kept his jaw from dropping.

Aislyn stood at the top of the steps, hand on the railing to make her way carefully down the stairs. Lucian had never seen her in anything but pants and was surprised that this was the same woman. She had kept her hair down, as per Trina's suggestion, and it bounced around her bare shoulders with a slight curl. He noted a sparkle at her ears and realized he didn't know she had them pierced until now. She was not the most feminine of women when it came to everyday wear.

As she reached the bottom, he held out a hand to help her off the last step. Unable to take his eyes off her, he brought the hand to his mouth to kiss it lightly before lifting it to spin her around once. She obliged before settling in front of him.

"You look splendid," he murmured, looking her up and down in noticeable admiration.

She dipped slightly in thanks, grinning. "You don't clean up half bad yourself."

Lucian tilted his head at her. "You're… shorter," he commented.

"Flats."

"Ah." He continued to stand there, looking her over as if trying to memorize what she looked like at that exact moment. At last he shook himself out of his stupor and pulled her hand through his arm. "Shall we, then?"

"Let's shall." Aislyn beamed at him, liking the way she felt settled on his arm like a lady. Her life was such a chaotic, militaristic affair it wasn't often she acted like the nobility she was. Not that she wanted to on a normal basis, but with Lucian it was different. She couldn't explain how, but it was.

"I would be honored to walk you in," Raze said, offering his arm stiffly to Trina. The girl blinked, then took it and they stood together. He was terribly tall compared to her but she didn't mind. He was nice to offer.

The ballroom was well lit and filled with vampires when the lycans entered. There was a lull in conversation as Lucian escorted Aislyn into their midst. Lina made a motion with her hand and things picked back up almost instantly.

Lucian and Aislyn made their way over to a table laden with snacks and drinks. Neither had eaten much lately in anticipation of the event and were intent on the buffet. Lucian excused himself to get some drinks while Aislyn filled a small plate with bite sized goodies. There were cakes, candies, sweetmeats, fruits, breads, and just about anything imaginable. Vlad had not held back in his preparations. When the lycan returned he pressed a goblet of thick red liquid into her hand in exchange for the plate of food.

"I'm not having you pass out on me tonight," he joked as she raised an eyebrow at the blood.

"I don't plan to be on you tonight at all," she quipped back before she could hold her tongue. Lucian choked on a piece of meat he had just popped into his mouth. He glanced sidelong at her and saw the saucy smirk that reminded him strongly of Lina. She did drink the blood, though, without any fuss. She frowned slightly as she finished the drink, setting it aside and licking her lips.

"Everything alright?" He asked when she didn't say anything.

"Can you get me another glass?" She had a very thoughtful look on her face and Lucian set the plate aside to do so. Returning, he handed her the glass and she downed it more slowly, as if taking her time to actually taste the liquid. "Thought so," she sighed when it was done. To his questioning expression, she flicked her eyes toward her mother. "She's spiked it. I swear she does that every year. Vodka, this time I think."

"Your mother spiked the punch?" Lucian raised an eyebrow. "A bit juvenile isn't that?"

"It's my mother. She likes to play Dance Dance Revolution after taking Jell-O shots. I guess it happens when you're turned so young."

Lucian nodded absently and found himself sniffing his own drink carefully. He had gone for what he had assumed was actual punch. He took a sip and chuckled. "Looks like she hit this, too. Any guesses what she put in here?"

Aislyn took a sip of his drink and pulled a face. "Bacardi 151 rum. Is she trying to get everyone drunk in as little time as possible?"

Lucian shrugged and took the drink back. "It's not that bad."

"I'll ask you again then after you've had a few." Aislyn went back to their snack plate, sharing it between them. Lucian eventually left to refill their drinks and Trina wandered over to chat for a bit. Lina came over after a while, too.

"You should dance," her mother encouraged as Lucian returned with punch for both himself and Aislyn. She had drunk enough blood to satisfy her nutritional requirements for the time being and was willing to have some of the alcoholic fruity juice. "You two are stuck over here like wallflowers. Everyone is going to think you're not having any fun."

"We're having fun," Aislyn objected, looking at her mother through slightly unfocused eyes. How much vodka was in that blood? It was starting to go to her head to the point where she hardly tasted the rum in the punch.

"Then go dance! This is a good song!" Lina practically shoved her daughter at Lucian, who had to hold his drink up to avoid spilling it. The lycan caught Aislyn with his other arm and blinked at Lina in surprise. The woman flounced off without another word, looking for her husband to try to coerce him into a dance, too.

Lucian set his drink aside and motioned toward the dance floor in question. Aislyn shrugged and took his hand. "I suppose I did say you were required to dance with me," she mused as he pulled her into closed position.

"I do remember something about that, yes. Traditionally, it is expected and now is as good a time as any." He took a few experimental steps, feeling for the rhythm and for her willingness to follow his lead.

"Just don't step on my feet. I imagine your experience with dancing isn't very extensive."

Lucian chuckled at her as he spun her around easily. "Then you will be surprised by my natural ability. I never step on toes."

Meanwhile, back at the tables laden with goodies, Trina stood watching them with a tilted head. "You must admit, they do look cute together," she commented idly to Raze, who had returned to her side not long after Aislyn and Lucian waltz off. "I don't know why he doesn't just do something about it."

"Yes," he replied in his usual monotone. "It is frustrating to watch him pretend there is nothing there."

"She's the same, claims they're 'friends.'" At that Trina made little quote marks with her fingers. "It's like they're the only two who don't notice the love-struck looks they send at each other when they don't think the other is looking."

"Tell me about it." Lina walked up beside them, sipping a drink. In her other hand she held the sticks of numerous little cocktail wieners. Her quest to pull her husband into a dance obviously failed. "I wish they'd just get on with it."

Raze shifted uncomfortably around Lina. Three months still had not fully convinced him she was not a danger to his well being.

"Maybe he's not ready for this sort of commitment," Trina suggested, selecting a wiener when Lina offered. "I mean, its one of those forever things."

Lina nodded thoughtfully, chewing on one of her hors d'oeuvres. "Best not to rush it, I suppose. It'll happen eventually."

"You've put enough alcohol in the drinks that tonight might be eventually," Raze growled.

Lina smirked. "A little liquid courage to help smooth things over."

"It's dangerous," Raze pressed. "Even drunk, it would bind them for life."

Lina sighed and gave the large man a very level graze. "Ye of little faith in your boss. I trust them to not get carried away. I'm just trying to get them to loosen up around each other. They're so afraid to make a move its making everyone around them want to lock them up in the same room until one finally confesses."

"Oh, they've stopped dancing. Pity…" Trina sighed. "I guess looking at the snow is more interesting."

Lucian and Aislyn both caught sight of the snow falling at the same time. It was rather pretty and they stopped to watch it drift down gently outside one of the large French doors. Although the glass was frosted over, they still had a decent view.

"Hm."

Lucian glanced over at Aislyn, who was actually looking up and not out. He followed her gaze to the apex of the arched doors, eyebrows rising. "Is that…?"

"I do believe it is," Aislyn replied with a calm that was in reality faked.

"There is tradition in those little berries around Christmas time, too, isn't there?"

Aislyn nodded. "Ironic, since they're poisonous."

"As we're currently trying our best to observe traditions tonight, dare we pass this one up?"

The woman found herself laughing at his almost business-like tone. "It would be bad luck to ignore it," she answered honestly.

"Heaven forbid Baldr returns from the dead to smite us for not," Lucian murmured, turning more fully toward Aislyn. He cast his eyes quickly around and didn't see anyone paying the slightest attention to them. He wasn't aware of Lina, Raze, or Trina's sidelong glances and tittering conversation on the other side of the room.

Aislyn stood rooted in place, wondering vaguely if he was going to get on with it or not. She felt awkward enough that he had suggested they follow the doctrine of the mistletoe. She figured he would probably just peck her on the cheek or some other such nonsense, but it still didn't keep her stomach from doing back flips at the thought. Imagine her surprise then, when he suddenly slipped an arm around her waist, cupped her lightly behind the neck, and pulled her in.

His lips were surprisingly soft and Aislyn quickly got over her initial shock. She felt her body respond and she leaned forward into it, sliding her hands up his chest and around his neck. It seemed too brief when he tried to pull back and, almost aggressively, Aislyn pulled him back in. She moved her lips encouragingly against his, oblivious to the world around them.

He, too, found himself lost in everything except the kiss. He nipped lightly at her bottom lip, stroking the back of her neck lightly. What was originally intended to be only a small, relatively harmless kiss was rapidly taking on a life of its own and he had no will to stop it now that it had started. Although he had not ingested nearly enough alcohol to have serious effect on him, perhaps he had taken in enough to allow him this momentary lapse in his usual guarded nature.

So engrossed in their activity were the two that they didn't at all notice the three spies across the room. Lina had her hands steepled in front of her lips as they smiled cattishly. Trina was wiggling in place, giggling almost uncontrollably under her breath. Raze merely grunted, "About time."

"Think anyone else has noticed?" Trina asked once she had gained control of herself again.

"Probably not," Lina said doubtfully. "Most of them are too absorbed in their own happenings." She watched them for a moment longer as they seemed to be getting a little more serious. "Perhaps we should suggest they find a room?"

"Aww, but then we'd be interrupting and they probably would go back to their usual selves, blaming your alcohol on their behavior." Trina frowned at the thought.

"They need to come up for air eventually. That's all I'm saying," Lina defended.

"Let them be. Maybe if more see them, they won't hide their intentions so much," Raze supplied. He moved decisively toward Trina. "Would you like to dance?"

The young lycan agreed wholeheartedly and set off toward the dance floor with the large elder. Lina chuckled at the odd couple they were making but didn't make any comments. Instead she glanced back over at her daughter, then went searching for Vlad. Hopefully he hadn't seen this yet and she could keep him from noticing. He wouldn't be as pleased about the events as the three of them were.


Aislyn finally felt herself back away just enough to breathe. She felt an intoxication that wasn't due to the Bacardi and blinked hazy eyes up the inch or two to catch the dilated orbs of Lucian. He seemed rather taken aback with himself but looked at her with the same intensity she used on him. His cheeks were flushed beneath his beard, his breaths hallow. She could feel his pulse hammering in his neck and in his chest as it pressed against her.

She wanted to say something but found she couldn't locate her voice. Her eyes flickered over his face, resting on his lips for a long moment in which she could feel her tongue running over her own swollen bottom lip, remembering the feel of his mouth sliding over hers only a second ago. She wanted that back and had to use her whole self restraint to keep herself from pulling him back in for more. She saw him struggle with something internally, too, and hoped that perhaps he had enough words left to say something meaningful to explain what in the world had just happened between them.

"Aislyn, I-" he started in a hushed tone. He let his eye travel her face as he searched for what to say. "I-" he almost found himself apologizing for his actions but thought better of it. The look on her face was not one of anger but more of an earnest question. She looked about as lost as he felt and he wasn't sure how to express that right at that moment. He swallowed and tried again. "Ailsyn."

"Yes?" -

"That was-"

The alarm sounded. It rang with an insistence born of urgency and everyone in the ballroom froze at the irritating wail sounding over the noise of the music and chatter. Silence fell as everyone looked skyward toward the speakers blaring the noise. Then faces sought their leaders and Lucian and Aislyn broke apart as if burned, trying to organize their thoughts enough to bring order to the suddenly erupting chaos.

"Squad A, ready and report to Aislyn in the Commons!" a voice was barking over the squeal of the alarm. Lina was standing on a chair, her heels discarded somewhere. "Squad B, to me! Lycans, to your king! I need the Eagles in the air immediately! Intelligence to Vlad! Witches, to the Commons, too! You have fifteen minutes, tops, people, let's move!"

Lucian and Aislyn needed no second bidding. They raced from the hall with the crowd of others, making their way quickly to their rooms. Lucian didn't bother changing his pants or his shoes – he had worn his nicest pair of black boots and no one had noticed – and merely traded his vest and jacket for his long trench. He saw Aislyn's sword still sitting on his table and picked it up on his way out.

He was surprised to see her fully dressed and heading his direction the moment he stepped onto the walkway. Her ability to speed-change never ceased to amaze the lycan. He handed her the sword and wordlessly they descended the stairs to organize their gathered squadrons. Silence fell again as Lina leapt up onto a table. She held up what looked like a walkie-talkie, her face grim and somewhat confused. "Speak!" she commanded to the device.

It crackled briefly before a terrified voice came over the line. Lucian found it familiar and guessed it was one of the other alphas.

"It's not the Dolls but I don't know what the hell it is!" the voice was saying. "It's got green skin. There are humans here with some pretty big ass guns trying to kill it and my men! I don't know what side this thing is on but it's freaky."

"Is there a woman with him?" Lucian demanded before anyone else spoke. He had a very odd feeling about this. The werewolf on the line knew his king's voice and responded instantly.

"Looks like a vampire, but not a Doll," he said. "I haven't gotten a close enough look at the humans but I'm pretty sure they're Slayers. It's a big mess down here. News vans and everything are starting to show up."

"We have our coordinates. They're uploaded into your PDA's. Witches, I need you on crowd control. Squad A, your job will be to neutralize the Slayers. Squad B, we will take the… thing. Lucian, your men are yours to command." Lina looked to Lucian who was already thinking rapidly.

"Raze's half with me, Dubas' with Aislyn. I want Daniels pack and the other pack members present to stick to the vampires like glue. Protect the Squads. If these are Slayers we're dealing with, the vampires will be more vulnerable. Trina, you're to not leave Raze's side at any cost, am I clear, Young Lady?"

"Sir!" she chirped from her position behind the large, black werewolf.

"Alright," Lina hollered, bringing attention back to her. "We have large military grade trucks out front. Two per squad. Lycans, squeeze in where you can. Squad A, first two. B, second two. Eagles are in the air already and Vlad's with them. It's already three. We have four hours to get this thing under our control before that sun comes up."

Lina jumped off the table and moved purposely through the doors to the front. There was no talking as groups split and found room in the trucks. Aislyn glanced once at Lucian, caught his eyes, and felt an overwhelming urge to run to him. His steps faltered briefly at the look in her eyes, her expression mirrored on his face. The trunks thundered to life, diesel engines rumbling deeply in the dark, winter night. There was no time to spare and they parted to the separate Squads with only that look for good-bye.


AN: I think that's quite enough for Chapter 7.