"Pandora's Box"

"Tabby? Is that you?"

There was a sound like a box of silverware falling to the floor in the background and a muffled curse and then Tabitha returned her attention to the phone call. "Hey Ally, how ya doin?"

Alicia laughed at her friend and the vain attempt to cover her accident. "I'm good Tabs, still dropping things I hear."

"Damn, you never forget do you?" Tabitha laughed.

"Comes from working around elephants. Hey, I got a question for you. Where's a good place to go dancing?"

Tabitha snorted into the phone, "Depends, you want Mandy's type of dancing or mine?"

Alicia thought about that for a brief second and replied, "Tabby don't you know me better than that by now?"

"Fine, then I'll do you one better than telling you, I'll show you. Wanna come down to my shop and then we can just walk over from here?"

Alicia had been looking at all of the interesting things in Tabitha's shop for about an hour now and she was starting to get bored. They were just waiting on Tabitha's friend Marla to come and take over the shop so they could leave to go dancing. Alicia was about to start whining again when the bells on the door jangled and a large woman came bustling in.

"Sorry I'm late shug, couldn't find my eyes," the woman said as she hurried behind the counter. "All right you two be on your way and have some fun for me now here? Oh and Tabby you tell Mister Man that if he don't want that nice black coat any more I'll be happy to find it a new home."

Tabitha laughed as she grabbed her jacket and hustled Alicia out of the shop, "Will do Marla. I'll see you tomorrow okay?"

Alicia stood outside the shop waiting and grabbed Tabitha by the elbow before she could escape. "And just who is Mister Man? Are you holding out on me?"

Tabitha had the good sense to look ashamed that she hadn't told her friend about the man she loved. But then again, Valerius was out of town right now so it wasn't like she could meet him. "Well, you see…I kinda fell in love."

"What?!" Alicia's screech made several passerby look over at the two women. "And just when were you planning on telling me this Tabitha Devereaux? Some nerve you have, and I thought we were friends."

"You done yet?"

Alicia couldn't hold the anger and broke out in giggles which set Tabitha off too and when they finally calmed down Tabby told her about how she'd fallen in love with Valerius Magnus. They talked as they walked across Jackson Square towards Toulouse where the club Tabby knew was located. They worked their way through the crowded streets of the Quarter and Alicia marveled at how full of life the city was once more. She'd watched all she could find on the news with coverage of Katrina, fearful that her friends may come to harm. She'd seen all of the pictures of the devastation and eagerly helped out with donations and food drives to assist the victims of the storm. Some of the remnants of the water damage and debris were still visible but most of the Quarter had been restored in hopes of having the tourists return. And return they did if the size of the crowds packing the street in front of the club were any indication.

Alicia hesitated as Tabitha barreled her way past the waiting crowds and right up to the door of the club where and extremely large black man sat on a stool looking bored with the whole scene. His face perked up when he saw Tabby pop up in front of him and he ran an appreciative glance up and down Alicia.

"Tabby! Long time no see," his deep voice sounded like thunder.

"Hey Bobby Ray, how's your momma doing?"

"Oh she's good, you tell Tia that cream she gave her worked just like she said. Don't you go getting into trouble tonight okay?" he said as he waved the two women past.

Tabby lead Alicia through a hallway that a deep thumping bass echoed through. "Jeez Tabs do you know everyone?" Alicia asked before they entered a bar that was packed full of people in leather and black Goth clothing. Alicia immediately relaxed into her natural comfort zone and she grinned at her friend.

They let the crowd's movement carry them around the dance floor and then by unspoken agreement they launched themselves into the thick of the crowd. Both women danced happily with whoever was around them, sometimes even each other. Alicia lost sight of Tabitha but wasn't worried because she knew that she'd find her friend eventually. She happily danced to the deep rumble of the music until she was panting from the heat being generated by all of the bodies. So she worked her way over towards the bar to get a drink.

Tabitha meanwhile had spotted someone that couldn't be mistaken for anyone else and worked her way across the floor to snake up beside Acheron Parthenopaeus. He was scanning the crowd from behind his ever present dark sunglasses. Tabby knew what the silver swirling of his eyes did to people that weren't a part of their world so she simply accepted them now as a part of his being.

"Hey gorgeous babe!" she shouted over the music.

"Tabitha, how are you?" Ash asked in his deep bass rumble. He looked like he was about twenty one but Tabby knew that he was much, much older than that. She still wasn't sure exactly what he was but she knew that he was a damn powerful being and she never questioned any further than that.

"Good, what's up?" she said as she slid up next to him and began scanning the crowd as well. Ash didn't usually show up at the Dungeon unless there were Daimons out and about but she hadn't felt that familiar tingle between her shoulders so she hadn't been looking for the ethereally pretty blondes that meant nothing but trouble.

He glanced down at her and chuckled. Tabitha Devereaux was one of the things that kept the things that go bump in the night from killing innocent people. Of course when the Daimons were about Ash tended to be close behind if there was serious trouble so Tabitha had immediately gone on guard when she saw him scanning the crowd. "Nothing Tabby, relax. You know you shouldn't let Valerius hear you calling me 'gorgeous babe' like that, He'll get all jealous and then I'll have to hurt him."

Tabitha shimmied up and down, "Oooo, you sure know how to make a girl miss her man."

Ash peered over the top of his sunglasses at her, "Yuck! That's a mental picture I did not need."

Tabitha burst out laughing at him and went back to looking around the crowd. "So where's Simi tonight?"

"Oh she and Xirena said something about it being 'girl's night' and kicked me out so I figured I'd come hang out for a while."

Tabitha nodded and empathized with Simi, after all the little demon had been all alone for a very long time and since she'd found out that her sister was alive and well she'd spent a great deal of time with Xirena. Tabitha had befriended Simi a while back and she was trying to make friends with Xirena too but the older demon simply did not like humans.

"So what brings you up here tonight?" Ash asked, still scanning the crowd.

"Friend in town, thought I'd take her out to dance."

Ash nodded sagely, "And where is this friend?"

Tabitha looked up at him. It was hard not to look up at him since he was six foot eight. "Dancing somewhere over there," she gestured casually. She knew that Alicia wouldn't leave without her and she wasn't into blondes so Daimons would have a hard time with her.

Ash rumbled low in his chest, perhaps a laugh, perhaps something else and flicked a glance at his friend, "Don't let her get into trouble."

"No worries big guy, I…" she trailed off as Ash's attention was suddenly turned towards something on the other side of the room. He stepped away from the table, mouth gaping and he reached up and took his sunglasses off, something Tabitha had never seen him do in public before. "Ash?"

His swirling silvery eyes scanned the crowd trying to catch another glimpse of the person he'd seen. He was completely mystified by her presence because he hadn't seen her since he was still alive which was several thousand years ago. Surely it was someone that just looked remarkably like her. He edged his way into the crowd of dancers, Tabitha right behind him in case there was trouble.

There, he caught another glance of her from behind, he still wasn't sure if it was her or not so he edged closer to where she was dancing with a tall black man. Tabitha was a comforting warmth behind him and she craned her neck to try to spot what he was looking at. Suddenly the dancing woman swirled to face him and he saw her face. "Phae…?" he stammered.

"Ash?" Tabby called from behind him. He swiveled around to look down at her and then he glanced back to where the other woman was but she'd moved aside and he'd lost sight of her. "Ash you're scaring me here. What's going on?"

Ash turned around and his face didn't so much change, as revert to its usual blank expression. "Nothing Tab, just thought I saw someone I used to know. Hey, I'm gonna go visit with Marissa for a bit, I'll catch you next week for movies okay?"

She nodded at him, "Sure, say hi to Simi for me."

"Will do. You and your friend have fun." And then he melted into the crowd leaving Tabitha staring dumbly behind him.