Sydney and I stayed in bed all day, watching TV and ordering room service. Initially, David had objected to Sydney staying in the same room he was, well, dead in all day, but eventually gave into my pleading. I didn't want to be without either of them all day. I had enough trouble letting idi go back to him room with no one there to watch him. Needless to say, I was feeling very protective. What really irked me was not knowing if my overprotectiveness was because David and I almost died last night and at least two people were still after me, or my gut was trying to tell me to keep my people close.

At any rate, I felt better once I talked to those important to me. First I called my mom at work (hey, we weren't overly close, but she was still my mom).

"Good morning, this is Kendra." She sounded so happy. She always sounded happy. She could give Santa Claus a run for his money in the jolly department.

"Hi mom."

"Oh, hi Sloane. How was the wedding?" I had told her about the wedding in the abstract. She had no idea that I was dating a vampire or that the wedding was between two of the most powerful vampires in Michigan. That was a whole world that she didn't even need to know about. Not to mention she would freak out if she knew. It's not that she's not bigoted; she can just smell trouble a mile away and these three were Trouble.

"It was more of a vow renewal, but it was good. They kissed, and now everything's happily ever after."

"That's good. You and Syd had fun, then?" I knew I had her undivided attention, even though I could hear her typing furiously. She could multitask like no other. Maybe that was a skill learned while having a particularly difficult child.

"Yup. Great time."

"You never mentioned who the bride and groom were. Anyone I know?"

Uh oh. She was using her Jedi mind tricks on me. She knew something was up. "No, you haven't met them."

"Hm, I thought I knew all of your friends." When I didn't comment, she went right on with her information gathering. "Why didn't you take a date?"

Oh, tricky question. She was getting better at this in her old age. "Who said I didn't take a date?" I could play this game.

She let out a long sigh. "As much as I love this game we play, I'm already late for a meeting, so let's cut to the chase. Are you dating anyone?"

I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing. "Oh, mom, you do know how to make me laugh." I decided on the truth. It was always the best policy, especially when dealing with your mother. "Yes, I'm dating someone."

"Am I going to get grandchildren out if this?"

I laughed again. She was being to the point. "First of all, I'm barely 23, I've got time for that later. Secondly, not a chance."

Without missing a step, she continued on with her barrage. "Will you be bringing him over for Christmas? Will you be home for Christmas?"

Now it was my turn to sigh. "I don't know when we're coming home, and you're not going to let me have a boyfriend and not bring him over for Christmas. But I warn you, you're not going to like him."

"Why not? Does Sydney know him? Does she like him?"

"Of course she knows him. And I don't really know how she feels about him, deep down." Before she could even open her mouth, I silently shushed her.

"Well, your dad and I will see you when you get home. We love you."

"Love you too."

We hung up at the same time. I figured I should probably call my dad before my mom can get around to it. I should warn him about the onslaught that's coming.

He answered on the second ring. "Hi Sloane. What's up?"

If nothing else, I could appreciate my dad's ability to get to the point every time. "Hi dad. Sorry, but I just told mom I have a boyfriend, so get ready."

He took a deep breath and exhaled while tapping his tongue against his teeth like he always did when he wasn't looking forward to something. It sounded like an old idling engine from really far away. "Alright. I assume he's coming over for Christmas, then?"

I smiled. "You think there's a chance mom wouldn't make me drag him along?"

"Yea, yea. Thanks for the heads up."

"Yea, see you then."

Next and last on my list of people to call was Moose. It was a sad commentary on my life when there were only 5 people in my life, and two of them were family.

"Heya," he answered.

"Hey Moose, how's it going?"

"Mac! It's going. Just waiting for the PCR to run."

I know how that goes, although I don't think I would be sitting there waiting for it just days before the holidays. "Sounds like a great time. How's everything there? Everyone OK?"

He answered with skepticism. "That I know of. Everything OK with you?"

"Debatable."

"That always seems to be your answer." He had a point. I only seemed to call him when things were falling apart. "Are you going to share?"

No. "It's a complicated story. I'll explain when I can draw you a diagram."

"That doesn't sound good. You should ditch the vamps and come home. We miss you."

"I want to, but it's not that easy."

"It should be. Oh, hey, there was a guy here asking about you."

My curiosity was peaked. "What do you mean?"

"He was a big guy, maybe ex-Army or something, he was in a suit. He came into the lab and started asking about you. He didn't ask if you were here, just started asking things like where you hang out, who your friends were, what your research was in… "

Shit. That can't be good. They were coming after me at my home, whoever they are. "What did you tell him?"

"Nothing that he couldn't pull from Facebook. What's going on?"

"I have no idea." I checked the clock on the bedside table; about an hour and a half until the vampires woke up. This is the kind of information that David needed to know. "He was human?"

"As far as I could tell."

"Thanks, Moose. I'll give you a call when I'm back in Michigan."

"Yup. Stay safe, Mac."

"Thanks, you too."

I relayed the new information to Sydney as she considered the (human) room service menu. Instead of being frightened for me or concerned, she glared angrily at David's lifeless body on the other side of the bed from her. "I don't know why you blame everything on him," I said. "It was just a matter of time before this psychic thing came back to bite me in the ass."

"You don't know that." She paused as I raised my eyebrow in disbelief. "Or did you?"

I shrugged. "I had a hunch." I could be useful to a lot of different people, not just the supernatural community. It wasn't a large stretch of the imagination to think it was going to become a problem at some point. "Food?"

She eyed me suspiciously before answering. "I'll order." She grabbed the bedside phone and wandered into the sitting room, leaving me alone in the bedroom with nothing but my thoughts and a dead-for-the-day vampire.

For some reason, Sydney ordered us both macaroni and cheese for our late lunch. You just can't take the kid out of some people. After our child-like feast, Sydney stood and stretched out her body, limb by limb. "Well, I need a shower. Are you going to be good with me going back to my room for just a little while?"

"I was actually going to do the same thing, maybe even get in a nap. Thanks for hanging with me all day." I licked my fork clean and put it back on the plate.

She grabbed my hand and sat next to me. "Please don't do anything dangerous tonight, no matter what David says."

I squeezed her hand lightly as she stood. "It's a promise."

She looked deep into my eyes, looking for any signs of deceit. When she didn't find any, she let go of my hand. "Toodles." She pulled on the jeans she had shucked sometime of the course of the day and left the hotel room.

I stood and walked experimentally. After all that blood (a thought that still made me somewhat queasy), my ankle felt good as new and I was willing to bet my bruises were gone, leaving nothing but perfect, smooth, alabaster skin. My core muscles, on the other hand, were tight and sore. It felt like I had done several hundred sit-ups the night before. I moved slowly, stripping off the shirt David had put me in the night before (one of his, of course) and tossed it on the bed as I passed. After closing the door to the bathroom tight, I turned the water on hot and jumped under the stream. I'm sure I shampooed and conditioned my hair because I could smell the rosemary and mint, but I couldn't remember doing it. I could smell the hibiscus soap on my skin, but didn't remember lathering up. My legs were perfectly smooth, even though I didn't remember shaving. I had drifted through my hot shower, mind focused on more pressing problems. I was trying to remember how long I had been standing, relatively motionless under the stream of water, when a cold arm snuck around my waist. My pulse skyrocketed and I froze. I glimpsed down to see David's hand working its way dangerously low. I relaxed somewhat and leaned back into the rock hard body behind me. He responded by rocking into me and tracing a line down my arm and across my breast with his other hand.

"Good evening, My Darling," he whispered seductively in my ear. The only response I could manage was a light moan as he probed a finger into me. "Would you like me to continue?"

What a stupid question. I followed it with an even more idiotic answer. "Oh, yes," I whispered as I braced myself against the arms that were still wrapped around me. He grabbed my shoulders and turned me around to face him before lifting me up into arms. I entwined my arms and legs around him as he carried me out of the shower and leaned me against the countertop in the steam filled room. He grunted and pressed even harder into me as I kissed his chest. Oh,wow; I could feel every inch of him pressed against me. I wanted it and I wanted it now, and he knew it. I threw my head back and screamed in pleasure when he read my mind and lifted me onto his erect penis. God, he felt perfect. He cupped my butt with one hand to hold me on him, apparently not impressed with the strength with which I wrapped my legs around him, and fondled my chest with his other hand while kissing me deeply. I was in heaven as his hands and mouth worked miracles all over my body. I nipped at his lower lip, which it appears drives him crazy. He thudded me into the door, nearly rocking it from its hinges, and thrust into me hard. I screamed his name with every plunge, which only served to drive him crazier and crazier. Right when I thought I was going to melt to the floor, he bit into my neck, driving both him and me over the glorious edge.

I shuddered in him arms as he set me back down on the marble countertop. Without letting me go, he grabbed two towels, wrapping one around my shoulders and taking another for himself. In a moment of lucidity in an otherwise gelatinous state of pleasure, I remembered my conversations of the day. "I have bad news and really bad news. Which do you want first?"

He watched me pull my sopping wet hair to the side and wring it out with one hand. My other hand was resting lightly on his ribcage. "Whichever regards you."

I couldn't help but smile. The sentiment behind the words was sweet. "I called Moose today, he said a guy came around to the lab and was asking all sorts of questions about me."

When he deemed me dry, he pulled me off the countertop and set me on my feet next to him. "Pertaining to?"

I followed him into the bedroom, where he went straight to his suitcase. I just put his shirt back on and climbed under the still clean side of the comforter. "Friends, hang out spots, what my research is in. Moose said he didn't really tell him anything."

He seemed concerned, but not overly so. "Good. I will look into it when we get home." Instead of putting on any clothes, he grabbed something, dropped his towel, and crawled into the bed with me completely naked. He loomed over me, his nostrils flaring and his fangs down. "This room smells irresistible." He kissed my lips with passion. "And the other news?"

For a moment, I completely forgot what he was talking about. When I didn't answer, he stopped kissing a trail down my body and looked up at me. He cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, right. Well…" He started his way down my body, pushing the t-shirt up as he made his way down my stomach to my belly button. "I talked to my mom today…"

"Mm hm." He spread my legs and started lapping at me.

I reached down and tangled my hands in his hair. "And, uh…God yes." I arched my back and spread my legs farther apart. "She wants to meet you, and…"

"Mm hm." I stopped talking all together and just concentrated on the ecstasy that was just around the corner. Just before I was ready to jump off the proverbial cliff again, he stopped. "And?"

I pouted at him, which just made him smirk ear to ear. I couldn't think about anything other than David's tongue (and a select few other parts) right now. With my hands still tangled in his wavy hair, I pulled him up my body until I could push him on his back and kiss his lips. He tasted like me. Once on his back, I straddled him, lowering myself onto his length. It only took a few strokes until I had pushed myself over that cliff and was again a pool of happy just lying against his chest. Once I had caught my breath, I could answer. "She wants you to come over for Christmas."

"And you agreed?" He started to breathe for me, which was comforting. It's one thing knowing that your boyfriend is dead, it's a whole other thing to actually feel it.

I shrugged against him as he traced a pattern into my back. "She tends to get what she wants." The combination of being a gelatinous pool of bliss and him rubbing my back was working quickly to put me to sleep.

"That seems to be a family trait," he whispered. My eyes closed as I let out a half sigh of contentment, half yawn. I was as happy as I had been in a long while just curled up on David's chest, his arms wrapped around me. When I shivered from my cold, wet hair trailing down my back, he pulled my shirt back down (it had somehow been pulled up during our fun) and pulled the comforter up to my shoulders. I could feel myself drifting into sleep. My breathing slowed and deepened. My muscles relaxed completely. I was almost asleep when his phone vibrated against the bedside table. "Hello, sister," he whispered.

My head was close enough to the speaker of his Blackberry that I could hear Emma's voice on the line. "Good evening, brother. Why so quiet?"

"Sloane is asleep," he replied. "It is day in Korea right now." That was a statement that was packed full of a question.

"Yes, after hearing of the attack on your life, we decided to stay closer to home. We are in Windsor." Only a few mere hours by car from home, another couple to here. A smart location. "I can hear her breathing; she must be quite close to you."

He paused to kiss my hair. "She is."

"David, brother, do not force your presence on her. She will come back to you in her own time, but you need to give her space." I could hear the worry in her voice, I just didn't know who she was worried about; me or David.

"I did not force my presence on her, she fell asleep on my chest by choice."

Now it was Emma's turn to pause. "That is good news. Has she forgiven me yet?"

"I do not know. I do not want to push the issue." He absent mindedly rubbed my back a little harder at the mention of a conversation he obviously thought might upset me. It seemed ridiculous, but I wasn't sure I did forgive her yet. Her betrayal cut me deeper than David's did.

After almost a full minute pause, David spoke again. "Who is our Area Investigator? Ariel Erbright, correct?" He pronounced her name 'R-ay-yell.' I couldn't tell if it was just his accent and this woman was really a Disney character or that was how it was pronounced.

"Correct. For what do you need her services?"

David briefly explained the conversation I had with Moose earlier that day. "I would like her to find this man. Watch, but do not approach. I want her to try and find out who this man is working for."

"Would you like me to call her?" Emma sounded a bit like she would rather have her fangs pulled out. I wonder what she had against the woman.

"No, I will call."

She sounded relieved. "Good. I am flattered at her advances, but there comes a time at which persistence does more harm than good." Oh, now I understood. I wonder if Ariel is just after the power or really fancies Emma. Maybe a bit of both. I'm squarely in the heterosexual column, and even I had a bit of a female crush on Emma. She is breathtaking, after all. "Have you scheduled your return trip?"

"I believe tonight. I believe Sloane and Sydney would like to be home for Christmas. Sloane's mother invited me over for Christmas evening."

"And are you going?" This was the most interest I have heard from her all night.

"I don't believe I have much of a choice. Her mother seems to be more strong-willed than she is."

I had heard enough at this point; I didn't want them discussing my family in that particular tone of voice. I wasn't sure I wanted them discussing my family at all. I sighed heavily and stretched out my balled up hand against David's bare chest. I wanted to make it look like I was just waking up from one of the shortest naps in human history. It worked; every one of David's muscles tensed beneath me, then relaxed as he realized I was waking up. I swallowed and slowly opened my eyes. He kissed my lips lightly. "I did not mean to wake you."

I closed my eyes before they could give away my deception and tucked my head into David's neck. "It's OK. Who are you talking to?" I asked in my most drowsy voice.

"Emma."

I figured it was safe to 'wake up' at this point. I braced myself and pushed myself into a sitting position, still straddling David's torso. I yawned for good measure. "How's Korea?"

"They are not in Korea." I smiled internally. He trusted me enough to not lie to me. Externally, I raised an eyebrow. Before he could explain what I already knew, he frowned into the phone. "Emma would like to know if you have forgiven her for her actions the night of her bachelorette party."

I scowled for a split second before rolling my eyes and lowering myself to the floor. I didn't answer, I just walked into the bathroom and shut the door. Only a vampire hotel would have a floor made of marble without thinking about bath rugs. The floor was freezing on my feet.

When I emerged from the bathroom, David was fully dressed, sitting on the end of the bed. "Where are you going?"

"If it is all right with you, we are leaving to go home." He pulled my cell phone off the bedside table and after licking the last touch of blood from the cover (eww), he dialed a number. I watched him with interest as it rang. Who was he calling on my cell phone?

"Who is Pony?" Oh. He must be talking to Sydney. On my phone. This wasn't going to end well. He looked at me, amusement in his eyes. "Hm. Well I am calling to ask if you would like to go home tonight." After a slight pause for her answer, it was his turn to roll his eyes. "Sloane is fine. Do not worry, I have not forgotten your threats." After another pause, he clenched his jaw and held out the phone for me. "She would like to talk to you."

I crawled onto the bed and took the phone. "Hey, Syd."

She was livid. "What, now he just steals your phone and calls me out of the blue? What, he doesn't think I'll answer if he calls me from his number? That's probably true, he's the last person I want to talk to."

"I used your phone because I do not have her cell phone number programmed into my Blackberry." He explained from across the room. Damn vampire hearing.

I glared at him and shooed him out of the room. I ignored Sydney's outburst and got down to brass tacks (whatever that means). "So, do you want to go home?"

"Do you want to go?" God, I hated this tactic. She wanted to hear my answer before she committed to something, most likely because she thought I wasn't going to like her answer.

"Yea. We can stay if you want more time with Gary, though."

"Stop using your super duper X-ray vision on me!" I didn't explain how I didn't need my foresight to tell what she wanted. Being attached at the hip with her since elementary school was enough to give me that kind of insight into her brain.

"She can stay for as long as she'd like. I will send the private jet for her when she is ready to leave," I hear from just outside the door. He was still eavesdropping on the conversation.

I shoved some annoyance at him through the bond as glare substitute. He sent back a silent apology. "David says you can stay as long as you want. He'll fly you back when you're ready."

"Would you mind if I stayed? I just don't get a lot of vacations…" She sounded apologetic.

"I'll just have to manage," I said playfully. "David and I are leaving tonight, I guess. I'll call you when we get home."

"OK. Do you still have your vampire mace?"

I walked over to my suitcase and rummaged around. The cape and my purse from the other night had somehow made it into the top pocket. I opened the purse; it still had everything I had packed in there. "Yes, mother," I said mockingly. I shoved the small canister into my everyday purse and repacked my suitcase.

"Well, don't be afraid to mace the shit out of his face. You know, even just for fun, if you want." That was her funny way of telling me to protect myself.

I smiled. "I love you too, Syd. See you when you get home. Oh, and use protection." Knowing her, as soon as she hung up the phone with me, she was going to call Gary. We all know where that will lead.

"Yes, mother," she responded mockingly.

After we hung up, I pulled a pair of jeans and a fitted t-shirt out of my suitcase. I topped the outfit with a blazer made of sweatshirt material so I could wear some great heels. I had lugged them all the way to Maryland, it would be a shame not to wear them at some point. After fishing a hair tie out of my cosmetics bag and winding my hair into a bun at the base of my neck, I walked into the sitting room. David was deep into a conversation with someone on his phone and completely oblivious to my entrance. So I dropped my still heeled feet in his lap and pulled out my computer to get back to work. First order of business, however, was the check my e-mail. Luckily, most people remembered that I was on vacation and didn't e-mail me about trivial little things. I did have one troubling e-mail from Debbie.

Hi Sloane.

Hope vacation's going well. Just wanted to let you know that there was a guy that came around asking for you at the office. Tall, muscular, even a little hot in a G. I. Joe kind of way. It sounds like you might have a secret admirer out there because he left a small box on your desk. Sorry, I didn't get a name.

Deb

I spun my computer around to let David read the e-mail. He must have been talking to Ariel the entire time, because he immediately relayed the new information to her. "Have Lupe's trackers get a scent off the box," he said into the phone. He was actually somewhat good at giving orders. He must have been a good king to work for. "No, leave it. Sloane and I will retrieve it when we get home. If it is a message for her, it is one only she will understand." After a few more instructions, he hung up the phone and I got back to my computer.

I got in almost a whole hour of research (code word for internet procrastination) before there was a knock at the door. Setting my feet aside, David got up and answered the door, allowing a small weasely bellboy in. "The bags are in the bedroom," David said after the bellboy stared at me for just a moment too long with just a little too much interest.

He dropped his gaze to the floor. "Yes, sir, ma'am." After grabbing our suitcases, he practically ran from the room with them without collecting a tip, obviously eager to be away from us.

"Are you ready to go?"

I sighed and closed my computer. "I guess." I packed my backpack and my purse. After grabbing our coats, David took my backpack from me and we left.

First stop was Eric and Sookie's just down the hall. David knocked, and quite a while later, the door opened. Eric was standing in the doorway with nothing but a too-small towel wrapped around his waist. His hair was dripping wet and I could hear the shower still running through the open door. I think my jaw dropped, but I couldn't be sure. "O'Hara, you are still looking quite pale," he said.

David responded with a smile after wrapping my hand in his. "I will gladly be pale for a few days."

Eric's eyes betrayed him, he knew exactly what David meant. "Speaking of, nice to see you are feeling better, Sloane."

"Thanks to you and Sookie." I bowed slightly. "Where is she? I'd like to say goodbye."

Eric smiled a fangy smile. "In the shower."

I couldn't help but grin ear to ear. I wonder what they could have been doing together in the shower. Maybe a little of what David and I just did in the shower? "In that case, we will let you get back to her. Please come and visit this winter, it is supposed to be one of the wettest winters on record. We already have several feet of snow," David said.

Eric's eyes lit up. "Snow? Perhaps I will come and visit."

David nodded turned to walk away, tugging me along with him. Before we were two steps away, their door shut. I grinned again. Go, Sookie!

When we were in the elevator, it occurred to me I hadn't seen my personal bodyguard all night. Irrationally, terror shot through me. "Where's Idi?" I tried to ask nonchalantly.

Either David noticed the change in my mood through the bond or my face wasn't that of the stone-cold poker player's I had thought, because he immediately noticed the change. He let go of my hand as his eyebrow furrowed. "He will meet us at the airfield." He clutched his hands into balls at his side.

I inched away from him, toward the other side of the elevator. "I thought he was supposed to…" protect me from you… "be where I am."

David took a deep breath to control his anger as he leaned against the elevator wall, folding his arms across his body. "His job is to protect you, and that is what he is doing." His temper was starting to rear its ugly head again.

"How?" I asked as the elevator door opened onto the lobby.

He didn't answer. "Please wait in the car as I settle the bill." He immediately left my side and walked to the front counter. The same nervous, overattentive girl that was on duty last night was on duty again, and again she was shamelessly flirting with David. When he looked over his shoulder to see if I had listened to him (like that was going to happen), I glared at him. He pasted a flirty smile on his face and turned back to the girl behind the counter, reciprocating her enthusiasm. Oh, he knew just how to push my buttons. I shoved my arms into my coat, threw my purse over my shoulder, and stalked toward the idling town car. As soon as I slid into the car and slammed the door shut, a cold yet tan hand clasped over my mouth.