A/N: Let's meet Danny, shall we?

We'd been getting nowhere. Hennessy was still looking to restock his stable. Francesca had confirmed what Lola and Charlie had told us, and so far the only thing of note she'd been able to tell us was that she'd overheard a mysterious human partner referred to as "Your Honor." Could just be sarcasm, but combined with the tampered police records, we were thinking it was for real. I was thinking a judge, so we were working that angle, but we were still hunting down Switch. And, as we had no idea who Switch was, we figured a little bait placed temptingly out on a hook couldn't hurt.

So, during the day Kitten went to classes, and at night we went out to every sleazy bar we could find. It was at one of these that my happy little Kitten-world almost came crashing down.

I was towards the back of the bar, near the door for easy following access, but I kept my eyes on her and I could hear her as well. It was late and she'd fended off human after human, until one ordinary looking bloke came up behind her.

"Catherine? My God, Catherine, is that you?"

She spun in her chair, her face went pure white, and the G&T she'd been holding went crashing to the floor. I tensed, ready to spring forward, as she looked like she was about to faint, but waited to see how this played out. Only one person could cause that reaction in her, and he was not going to enjoy meeting me.

Her one-nighter seemed agog at her appearance in her tight fitting silver dress, black gloves and black boots. I watched the shit look from her face to her cleavage and back as he said, "Wow, Catherine, you look…wow!"

Brilliant conversationalist, he was. I could almost see Kitten running through a list of options in her mind as to how to handle the situation, and I waited to see what she chose before I made my move.

She gave him a truly black stare and turned back to the bar, indicating he should leave. The shit didn't get the message.

"Hey, you've got to remember me. We met on the road and you helped me change my tire. And you can't forget I was the first person you ever—"

"Shut up, you idiot!" she snapped. And really, who could blame her? What woman wanted someone announcing to an entire bar that they were the one who took her virginity?

"See, you do remember me," he went on, apparently not catching the 'idiot' part. "Gee, it's been…what, six years? More? I almost didn't recognize you. I know you didn't look like this before. Not that you weren't cute and all, but you kind of looked like a baby then. You're all grown up now."

He didn't appear to be anything special, much, to me, but then I was biased. Sandy brown hair cut medium short, blue eyes, medium height. Absolutely ordinary.

"Danny, for your own good, turn around and walk away," I heard her say, even as I made my way through the throngs of people towards them.

"But why? We should catch up. After all, it's been a long time." He plunked down on the stool next to her.

"There's nothing to catch up on. You came, you saw, you scored, you left. End of story."

"Oh, come on, Catherine, it wasn't all like that—"

"Well, hallo there, mate. What have we here?" I reached them, appearing behind him with a vicious smile on my face.

"This person was just leaving," Kitten tried, probably hoping the shit would take the hint and leave, or that I wouldn't have put together who he was. Not gonna happen, as Kitten would say. I was in full on predator mode.

"Not yet, Kitten, we haven't been introduced. My name is Bones, and you are…?"

"Danny Milton. I'm an old friend of Catherine's."

I held out my hand for him to shake and didn't let go, even when the shit attempted to tug it free. Nice try.

"Hey, man, I don't want any trouble, I was just saying hello to Catherine and…uunnngghhhh."

"Don't say a word." My voice was so low it was barely audible, and my eyes blazed green under my lashes. I knew Kitten could feel the power leaking off of me. I tightened my grip, and I knew Kitten could hear it as well when the bones shattered in the shit's hand.

"Stop it," she whispered, standing up and reaching out to touch my face.

I didn't move under my fingers, only my hand kept contracting. The shit began crying, although silently.

"It isn't worth it. You're not changing anything that happened."

"He hurt you, Kitten," I replied, watching the tears roll down the shit's face without pity. "I'll kill him for it."

"Don't. It's over. If it wasn't for him using me, I'd have never gone for that first vampire. That means I wouldn't have met you. Things happen for a reason, don't you believe that?"

I didn't relax my hand, but I did look over at her.

She brushed her fingers, her long, elegant fingers, across my face. I loved her hands. "Please. Let him go."

I released him. The shit fell to the ground and promptly retched. Blood seeped from his hand where his bones had broken through his skin. "Bartender, he looks like he might need a cab," I said tersely to the man behind the counter, who hadn't noticed a bloomin' thing. "Poor bugger can't hold his drink."

I bent down as if to help the shit to his feet, and I spoke to him quietly, but in no less terrifying tones. "You say one more blasted word and the next thing I'll be crushing is your stones. Tonight's your lucky night, mate. You'd better thank your bleedin' stars she stopped me, or you and I would be having a party you wouldn't live long enough to forget."

The shit gulped, sobbing and clutching his hand to his chest, and I led Kitten out toward the door after throwing a fifty at the bartender. "Best be leaving, pet. We'll have to try it another night. This has attracted a bit too much attention."

"I told you to leave it alone." She followed me to the truck, peeling out as soon as we got in. "Dammit, Bones, that could have been avoided."

"I saw your face when he spoke to you. You went white as a ghost. Knew who it had to be, and I know how hurt you were by it." I spoke softly to her as well, but this time my tone was caressing, loving, tender.

"But what did smashing his hand accomplish? We won't know if Hennessey or Switch comes tonight. What if one of them do, and they nab someone? Danny isn't worth a woman's life because he slept with me and then dumped me!"

"I love you. You have no idea what you're worth to me." I could hear my voice vibrate with emotion.

Agitated, she pulled off the highway and faced me.

"Bones, I—I can't say the same, but you mean more to me than anyone else has. Ever. Isn't that worth something?"

I leaned over and took her face in my hands. I delicately traced her jaw as though it were fine crystal.

"It's worth something, but I'm still holding out to hear the other. Do you realize that tonight is the first time I've heard someone call you by your real name?"

"That's not my real name anymore."

"What's your full name? I already know it, of course, but I want to hear you say it."

"Catherine Kathleen Crawfield. But you can call me Cat." She said the last part with a smile, since I'd only ever spoken to her one way.

"I think I'll stay with Kitten." I smiled back, and some of the tension eased. "It's what you reminded me of when we met. An angry, defiant, brave little kitten. And every once in a while you're cuddly like one."

"Bones, I know you didn't want to walk away before at the bar, and if I know you, you're numbering Danny's days. But I don't want his death on my conscience. Promise me you'll never do it."

I looked at her, amazed. "You don't still have feelings for that wanker, do you?"

"Oh, I have feelings for him, all right. I'd like to put him in the ground myself, believe me. Still, it would be wrong. Promise me."

"Fine. I promise I won't kill him," I agreed easily. Her eyes narrowed.

"Promise me right here and now that you will also never cripple, maim, dismember, blind, torture, bleed, or otherwise inflict any injury on Danny Milton. Or otherwise stand by while someone else does as you watch."

"Blimey, that's not fair!" I protested.

"Promise!"

I grunted. "Fine. Bloody hell. Didn't I teach you too well to cover all of your bases?"

"Yes, you did. We can't go back to the bar now. What do you want to do?"

I traced a finger across her lips. "You decide."

I could see a little twinge of mischief cross her face. She put the truck back into gear with a small smile on her lips. Whatever I was in for, it should be fun. We hadn't had much time for fun lately, so I just stretched back on the seat and waited.

After an hour, she pulled onto a gravel road. I gave her a sideways smile. "Taking a trip down memory lane, are we?"

"So you do remember this place."

"Hard to forget," I snorted. "This is where you tried to kill me. You were so nervous, you kept blushing. Never had someone try to stake me who blushed so much."

She parked within view of the water and unfastened her seat belt. "You knocked the living daylights out of me that night. Want to try it again?"

A laugh escaped me. "You want me to hit you? Blimey, but you do like it rough."

"No. Let's try the other. Maybe you'll have better results. Want to shag?" She kept a straight face, but her lips twitched.

A green light began to appear in my eyes. "Still wearing your stakes? Going to make me rest in pieces?" I took off my jacket as I spoke, not worried in the slightest.

"Kiss me and find out."

I moved at vampire speed, pulling her to me, tilting her head back and covering her mouth with mine before she could blink.

"Not much room in here," I whispered after a long minute. "Want to go outside so you can stretch out?"

"Oh no. Right here. Love to do it in a truck."

My former words rolled off her tongue and I laughed. My Kitten did always make me laugh. My eyes glowed pure emerald and when I smiled, my fangs protruded from my lips. "Let's find out."