"So, all's well with the world again…" Marko stated, not unkindly, turning away from Dwayne and Elizabeth. He was never one to shy away from a little voyeurism but he thought they deserved their time together, their privacy, even though their chosen location was incredibly public. He tilted his head, instead observing a beach party off and in the far distance. It looked to be rowdy, filled with a small group of guys who seemed determined to get absolutely fucked out of their skulls with hard, cheap liquor. They were loud and raucous but not of particular interest to him that night. He wasn't hungry and he knew they'd taste like shit, though the promise of a solid fight did hold a niggling appeal to him.

"All's well with the world again…" Paul said somberly, moving to hitch his body up and onto the railing his brother was leaning against. He nudged Marko's hands a little as he shimmied up, not needing the space but wanting to annoy his friend. It had been a tense few days and he was ready to cut loose and have fun once more, "wonder where those two are going?" he wiggled his eyebrows as he jerked his head towards the couple, watching them with absolutely zero of the discretion Marko had shown.

"After the events of the past few days?" David said dryly, "definitely going find a nice little place to-"

"-make love?" Paul supplied, his voice filled with sugary sweet, innocent playfulness, "cement and affirm their physical need for each other? Partake in the most intimate expression of earthly love and lust?" He sighed wistfully, fluttering his eyes a little before snorting a laugh as he saw Dwayne's hand resting gently on Elizabeth's lower back, guiding and leading her somewhere. David chuckled too but by the time Marko turned to look at what had caught their attention, Dwayne had allowed himself to be swallowed by the crowd.

"What?"

"Well, I'll tell you what. Our good friend and brother flipped you and David off" Paul said through an incredibly wide, teasing grin, "guess he didn't appreciate your commentary on his…canoodling…tsk, you guys should have known better, poor baby's so fragile right now...Lizzie, too"

Marko grinned knowing that Paul was going to go back to teasing the brunette relentlessly now that the air had been cleared. He was going to make up for lost time, there was no doubt about that. There had never been such a cold war between them, never before such an angry atmosphere and Paul was going to put it all behind him the best way he knew how – through teasing, joking and laughing, and all at Dwayne's expense.

"Well, I for one am offended on your behalf" Paul said grandly, hand on his chest in a wonderful imitation of great upset, "I mean, surely an audience was wanted? I found their display of passion to be quite beautiful. Touching, even. Moving. Why, when he slipped her the tongue-"

"-actually, I think she slipped him the tongue" David corrected languidly.

Pretending to wipe a tear from his eyes and speaking with a terribly impassioned tone, Paul continued, "and it was beautiful..."

He laughed, righting himself easily as Marko gave him a shove.

"Cute. Just don't embarrass Liz about it" he warned.

"She can take it" Paul said confidently, tugging a cigarette from the battered packet in the jacket of his tux, "she's a tough cookie, I see it. I got the sight, bro. And you know what else I see? I see that she can give as good as she gets, I think she's gonna give as good as she gets from now on, too - she played along earlier. She's got the balls to handle me-"

"You think so?"

Both Marko and Paul blinked at David, surprised to hear him listening to Paul. Usually he tuned out when Paul was goofing about.

"You think she's tough, I mean? You think she's got balls?" the icy blonde clarified curiously, taking a cigarette from the packet as Paul offered one. Marko leaned over and swiped a smoke, too, interested in the conversation David was starting.

Paul shrugged, "well, I mean, I don't think she's weak"

David raised an eyebrow, "that doesn't mean you think she's tough. Marko?"

"I don't think she's like us, not entirely" both David and Paul nodded at Marko's words, "but yeah, I don't think she's weak. I think she's delicate but strong, you know?"

"Delicate but strong?" David repeated, "makes no sense. You're either one or the other"

Paul nodded with a thoughtful frown, seemingly agreeing with Marko's description, "nah, I see it…she's not a cunt, not like us-" he grinned at Marko, "-she doesn't have that darkness. I don't ever see her enjoying the hunt like we do, you know? No nipples in the mouth, no blood baths. I mean, no fuckin' shit, the other night I was like, you know, I was just shreddin' these nice big old titties, not even thinking, just goin' with it, letting my thoughts drift and then I realize that I'm packing a major fucking hard on" his voice was animated and he laughed, shaking his head at the memory, "she's never gonna be like that. I think she's soft…she'll be a soft killer…but that's fine. She'll just do it her way…"

"…you think she has it in her?"

"For Dwayne? Yeah, I do" Marko shrugged, taking over for the perky blonde. Paul nodded along with him, "not brutal, she won't be fun with it, not like us but I think she'll sign up...I think she'll feed when she's hungry and be very neat about it…"

"Dab her fangs with a napkin neat?" Paul chortled.

Marko shrugged and Paul grinned, eyebrows wiggling, "let Dwayne feed her, neat?"

"I'm thrilled you're taking this so seriously" David intoned, his voice bored.

"Dude, just tell us what you're thinking then" Paul demanded, exhaling as he did, "if my contribution doesn't meet your high standards maybe you should be just a tiny bit more specific?"

David froze for a second but Paul carried on. He always respected David's leadership, he would do anything for his pack and he knew there was a hierarchy…but he'd be fucked before he followed it with any rigid seriousness, "…like, are you worried about her in the pack? 'Cause even I know she belongs with us. She knows what Dwayne is and she's definitely porking him right now, so that's pretty much a done deal. She survived us, she's chosen him…I think this is a no brainer…"

"Thank you for for the astute summation" David said dryly, "I'm merely concerned that she's too…innocent"

Marko laughed and nodded, "yeah she's innocent-"

"-not that innocent, no doubt she's riding some brunette dick right n-"

"-but she's chosen, hasn't she? She's made her choice," Marko spoke over Paul, shooting him a grin as he did, "she's chosen him"

David said nothing and Paul continued to smoke. Marko let the silence surround them for a moment, looking back at the raging party on the beach. The party had amped up a little bit more since they had been talking and two of the beefier guys were jostling each other, looking ready to throw punches. Marko narrowed his eyes a little. Amidst Paul's impassioned talks about hunting, he's found himself becoming somewhat antsy. The rowdy group off in the distance had suddenly become a little more interesting to him, not for the food but for the sport.

Paul drummed his free hand on the rough wood of the railing before shrugging and filling the silence, "she's not Star…"

Marko blinked away from the group in the distance and turned to study David, Paul's surprising words taking the two of them off guard. For someone who played stupid with incredible realism, Paul's comment was surprisingly on the mark.

There was a kind and unobtrusive sympathy in his voice but David had frozen at Paul's words, the cigarette in his mouth smoking gently. He had never before discussed his feelings towards Star with anyone other than Dwayne. It was Dwayne, his second in command, the silent and stoic friend that knew the depths and the complications of his feelings. He had confided only in Dwayne and for a moment, hearing Paul address something so personal in such a casual, such a knowing way took the wind clear from David's sails.

It was a rare occurrence.

"She's a different girl in a totally different situation" Paul carried on, totally unaware of the surprise he'd given David, flicking the stub of his cigarette over his shoulder and into the sand behind him, not concerned with the families and visitors that would be flocking to the beach in the bright and sunny afternoon, "I get the hesitance-"

David's eyebrow arched, though it was the only movement he made.

"-but, I don't know man" Paul shrugged, lighting another smoke, "you're doing a total disservice to Liz if you compare her to Star. Like, keep your distance and be Mr Leader until she's, like, one of us us, you know" he briefly made two fangs with his fingers before taking a drag from his cigarette, "…that's fine but for your own peace of mind, man" he shrugged again, "you gotta separate them" he tapped his temple, cigarette wedged between his fingers, "up in here. Different girls, different scenario…"

As David watched in stunned silence, Marko continued, "I was so sure that I was meant to join your pack, David. When I knew, I knew. I feel that way about Liz. I know you do, too" he addressed David but Paul nodded at his words, "and I get it, where you're coming from. I know that everything about her is different, it's new for us. She's a mate and she has a family-"

"-she's not unattached, like we all were, plus. You know, she's got a vagina an' all the emotional shit that goes with it-" Paul added.

"-so I understand your concern but Dickhead here's right" Paul seemed unaffected by the nickname, "you can't let your experience with Star cloud everything.."

"Liz won't hurt Dwayne like Star hurt you" Paul said, "she won't hurt the pack like Star did"

David said nothing, body still frozen. He was looking at Paul with a very cold, calculated gaze but the wild haired blonde didn't really seem to care. He looked a little bored with the seriousness of the situation, "I get that you have your special bond with Dwayne but I'm your friend too" he said with a little grin, "come on, lighten up.."

"What?" it was the first word that David had spoken.

"We're not idiots" Paul said, slapping his hand on Marko's shoulder, "we know shit-"

"-I never loved Star" David said interrupted, his voice somewhat cold.

Paul snorted, exhaling a stream of smoke as he did, "yeah, no fucking shit-"

"-no need for clarification on that…" Marko rolled his eyes.

"Star did not hurt me"

Paul rolled his eyes and Marko looked away. They both knew that when David had taken Star in there was a little something between them. It definitely wasn't love, it wasn't affection but there had been a small, hopeful little nudge of attraction…but in the end, she'd shat all over their efforts to include and support her, she'd crushed David's attempt at kindness...of which he usually offered very little. She'd had no idea of the importance, of the seriousness of the gesture David had made in taking her in and in the end, she didn't care to try and see.

It was a sore spot for all of them though nobody had outwardly brought it up with David in the way Paul had.

"Eh, I mean...she did, a little.." Paul protested, deflecting Marko's warning shot.

"This conversation is over"

"…you started it in the first place" Paul said, rolling his eyes when David, his voice hard retorted, "and now I'm finishing it"

"…yeah okaaaaay, Dad"

Marko disguised his bark of laughter as a cough and turned away from the scene. He knew that David's patience was being pushed by Paul's surprisingly sincere discussion and the energetic blonde's final, sullen comment was so completely inappropriate that it was impossible not to laugh.

Paul snorted a long laugh, too, watching as Marko turned away from them both. He bit his lip, shoulders shaking as his cigarette all but crumbled in his grip. David looked mutinous but also somewhat placated, like he wanted to rip them both a new one but also like the conversation had satisfied him in some way. Seeing him anything other than cool and collected was a very rare event.

"Dude come on, let's go fucking let loose already" Paul said, his smile wide and his voice bright. He kicked himself off the barrier and slung one arm around Marko's shoulder, sending the other clear over David's, "I'm over this!"

While Marko laughed, a dark and happy chuckle and embraced his friend, David was frozen solid, his body jerking a little with the sudden weight he was carrying.

Paul lifted his feet off the ground and swung, "right, that's fucking it! We are done! I'm fucking over this!"

"….over what?" David's voice was controlled, a total contrast to the dramatic flair Paul's had adopted.

"The seriousness" Paul sung, still swinging. He groaned and ducked, laughing as he dropped away from them both, swatting away Marko's fists, before tackling him with absolutely zero of the grace he could employ if he wanted to.

As the two blondes laughed and fought playfully between themselves, wrestling and throwing jabs at each other, knocking into a few passing pedestrians as they did, David watched them with wide and disbelieving eyes.

Paul had traversed a huge range of emotions in the shortest space of time. Elizabeth was right when she mentioned emotional whiplash. He had been playful, sincere, deep, bored, goofy, understanding and he didn't even appreciate how welcome it all was, though David would never admit it. That wasn't his style, it would never be his style.

David smiled briefly, locking eyes with Marko.

As Marko winked, a telling and self aware gesture, David nodded, allowing his cold, detached smirk to fall into place once more.

"So, you fuckers hungry?" Paul asked, breaking away from Marko and righting his tux, eyeing up a passing blonde.

"No"

"Same"

Marko grinned and jerked his head towards the beach, "then let's just have have some fun..."

A/N: it's always so much fun to write about the boys! I always imagine they have such a wonderfully deep, distinct and powerful friendship/brotherhood.