It had been a long time since she'd been plagued by nightmares, but she'd woken up at 4 after reliving her brother's final moments. What an odd moment to dream about this, just after Walden and she had decided to get married and she was finally allowing herself to be happy.

She had disentangled herself from Walden and left the room as quietly as she could. She joined Tony in the dining room. He looked uncharacteristically mopey. "Hey," she said, "are you alright?"

He grumbled something inaudible in reply.

"I don't remember ever seeing you like that," she went on as she sat down beside him. "Did something happen during your little jaunt outside?" He hadn't talked about it at all, which was rather surprising. Walden said he used to tell him everything – in almost painful detail – about his personal life.

"Not really," he mumbled.

"I take it your dream day didn't go on as planned?" she prodded him. "No voluptuous blonde would have you? Or did she refuse to share you with others?" She couldn't understand why people would want more than one lover at a time, but to each his own, she supposed.

Tony sighed heavily. "It was just 10 when I went out, so I figured it was a little early for that sort of activities. I went over to the estate to check on the house elf and make sure everything was in order. Then I thought I'd go by your place, like I said, and that creepy old lady held me there for almost an hour, until she said she had to meet a friend for lunch. I went shopping for some time after that. I never imagined how much shopping malls could change in fifteen years. I visited every boutique I saw and I cursed myself for not waiting long enough to gather some money before I left in the morning. And I knew you'd be in trouble if I visited Gringotts, so I didn't."

"You could have just come back here to grab some money," she pointed out. "I never said you were forbidden to return until the next day."

He shrugged. "I know, I know. I just didn't want to lose any time outside." He passed a hand through his hair – it seemed he'd been doing that a lot that night; it was quite tousled. "I lost track of time, I guess. Before I knew what was happening there were announcing that the mall would be closing in a few minutes. I thought it was about time I started looking for potential candidates with whom to spend the night." Potential candidates. Very classy, she thought amusedly. "I went to a pub," he went on obliviously. "A nice one. Très chic. I sat near the entrance so I could watch people come and go discreetly, but then I saw that girl across the bar from me. She looked annoyed, so I assumed she'd been stood up. I sent her a drink, and she smiled, but the bartender said she declined, because she was expecting someone. So I waited. I don't know why I didn't look for someone else or just go to another place. She was… Hell, I don't know." He shook his head. "An hour later, she was still there, alone, so I offered to buy her another drink, and this time she took it and came to sit with me. We talked for a long time, then she asked me if I'd already eaten. The bloke she was supposed to meet had promised her dinner, so we went to the Italian."

"You said you didn't have any money," Evey said with a frown. "How did you even pay for the drinks? And I thought you couldn't drink or eat, by the way."

"I can't. I just ordered a couple of cheap beers and slowly emptied the glasses with a nonverbal spell. And I… well, I didn't pay. Before we left the pub, I patted myself and pretended to have forgotten my wallet." He glanced at Evey. "I know, it's terrible. But what was I supposed to do? I couldn't just steal the money from someone else. That would have been worse. She just laughed, though. She paid for all the drinks, and then she even bought me dinner. She said she was damned if she was going to spend the evening alone. We really hit it off, you see."

"What's her name?" Evey asked curiously.

"Natalie," he replied with a genuine smile. Damn, he looked smitten. What had the woman done to him? "She's a nurse. Works the night shifts." He paused and glanced at her again, as if wondering how much he should tell her. "See, the thing is, I had to come up with a story. I couldn't tell her I was an outlawed vampire who lives in a world of magic," he went on with a smirk. "So I told her I'd just spend a few years working in a research station in Antarctica."

Evey burst out laughing. "And she bought it?" Well, to be fair, his skin tone matched that of someone who'd spent plenty of time in the southernmost continent. All in all, it was a good enough explanation, except for the fact that it was so far-fetched.

"I thought she did. She asked tons of questions, you know, and I always came up with something perfectly coherent. After dinner, however, she said we should have a last drink at her place. That was clear enough," he said matter-of-factly, "but all of a sudden I felt bad about lying to her. She was so nice, you know, and besides she'd just paid for a whole meal that I hadn't even touched. So I came clean – partially, anyway. I told her I'd been in prison." He let out a small laugh. "She said 'Yeah, I figured, but I liked the Antarctica story better. Sounds like you put a lot of work into it. That deserves some reward.' And next thing I know she was kissing me. So we ended up in her tiny flat, but I'll spare you the details. Unless you want to hear them?" he asked her with a leer.

Evey snorted. "Nope. I just don't get why you look so dejected, if you had such an amazing day – and night," she added slyly.

He sobered up at that. "I don't know exactly."

"You can see her again when we're out of here, if that's what's bothering you," she said sympathetically.

"But that's the thing. I can't," he said miserably.

"Why not?" she asked with a frown. "Is there a rule against Ancients dating Muggles?"

"No, there are no rules regarding that at all, except that we're not supposed to tell anyone. But how can I engage in any sort of lasting relationship, knowing they will die and I won't?"

Oh, that was what was bothering him. Being immortal. How ironic, considering it was precisely what Voldemort sought. "Tony," she told him gently, "we're all going to die eventually. You'll just have to get used to it. You can't live your everlasting life without getting attached to anyone for fear of losing them in the end. If you do that, the loneliness will kill you inside. You have to accept that most people you know are mortal. But I'm sure losing them will get easier, with time," she added wisely.

"But how would I explain to them that I don't age, if I can't tell them what I am? And even if I did tell them," he went on, "how can I expect them to be with me, knowing I can't have children, can't have any sort of normal life?"

"That's something you'll have to figure out as it comes, I suspect. Why don't you just ask Jeanne or the others how they handle these things? It must have been difficult for them, too, especially considering they're Muggles, originally."

"I guess you're right," he said reluctantly. "Although I doubt most of them had trouble adjusting. They're a peculiar lot, you know. Some are seriously deranged. I wonder why they were even turned. Jeanne herself is quite crazy. She's not the type to fret over mere mortals – and yes, that's what she calls you people. What most of them call you."

"Well, that's what we are," Evey conceded pragmatically. "Maybe you should focus on those who still see us as humans, not as cattle," she added wryly.

"The older ones tend to be more compassionate. Yeah, I should talk to them, I suppose. It's just… they're a bit intimidating, if I'm being honest. They're so fucking old. Thousands of years old. They're like living fragments of history."

"I can imagine. But you're one of them, aren't you? They ought to be nice to you. And at least a few of them share your blood. They're almost… family."

Tony eyed her doubtfully. "Clearly, you haven't met them," he muttered. "But I don't have much choice, do I? Immortals don't exactly grow on trees." He stood up abruptly. "If you're not going back to sleep, can we duel for a while? You can certainly use all the practise you can get," he said with a grin.

She glared at him. She wasn't that bad! He seemed to forget that they were all experienced duellists, while she had never been in an actual fight before in her life. And unfortunately, while she had inherited his ability to turn invisible, her reflexes weren't enhanced as his were – or Greyback's, she amended bitterly. To think she shared some the werewolf's traits made her shudder in disgust, but she entertained a faint hope that it would go away when she killed the beast – and kill him she would.