"...I never really appreciated how pretty Santa Carla is at night. It's really something..." Elizabeth whispered, breaking the silence of the night, propping her chin up and onto her knees as she gazed out into the distance. While it was overcast, with the dark and low clouds preventing the stars from shining and showing their designs, it added to the generally comfortable atmosphere of the night. The stillness had felt a little ominous when she was meeting David and Paul but she could appreciate the beauty of it now. The beach down and away from the house looked pristine in the inky darkness of the night and she almost wanted to go down there and dip her toes in the water, "I never really thought about it before. It's always so sunny, I kind of focused on that..."

It looked so peaceful and, after an evening of being intimate with the man she loved, she felt rested and peaceful, too.

"Beautiful" Dwayne agreed with a deep murmur.

She smiled over at Dwayne, a small and pleased little grin, before turning her gaze back towards the glittering ocean. She was still wearing his jacket and she sighed a little, knowing that she would have to hand it back to him before he left. It was such a contrast to her usual clothes and such an obviously masculine item, if anyone happened to see it, questions would be asked. She was thrilled to be with Dwayne but she knew that he had to be her secret.

"Dwayne?"

"Elizabeth"

She bit down another small and fleeting smile. She thought he knew that her comment about the beauty of the night was leading towards her next question. He had waited long enough for it.

With a soft little whisper she asked, "...what does it feel like to fly?"

She had been thinking about it for a while but it had taken her some time to finally muster up the courage to ask him.

After their adventure in the Fun House, they had reluctantly dressed and Dwayne had expertly led her out, back to the crazy, lively boardwalk. She'd not wanted to stay there, it had been far too loud and far too brash after such a special and intimate time. She didn't want to go to the cave, not at that moment and she didn't fancy heading towards any of the late night restaurants. Instead, he had dutifully taken her back to her home, a place where they could be together in peace, quiet and privacy.

He had brought her there using his bike and while she was thrilled to be riding with him again, she hadn't been able to help the creeping sense of concern that steadily built as they approached the hill, the cliff that Grandpa's house was built upon. Dwayne's bike had sounded so loud, so thunderous in the stillness of the night that her concern had quickly changed to genuine, serious worry. She'd been worried that the noise of his engine would wake someone but, thankfully and knowingly, he had stopped before she could ask him to, before they were close enough to interrupt sleep.

Ever the gentleman, he had offered to escort her to the house but she'd quickly and easily dismissed him. She didn't want to part ways on the driveway, she didn't want to watch him return back down the dark and empty road and then go alone to her own dark and empty house, Nanook's angry barks probably cutting through the night. It would be a formal, cold and disappointing departure and she'd wanted nothing to do with it. With a smile, he had patiently offered to get her up and into her room instead but with a shake of her head, she'd dismissed that, too. She knew how he would get her up into the little attic room and that wasn't what put her off...she knew that if she sat on the bed, if she made any move to settle down, she'd be asleep in minutes and that simply wasn't up for debate. It was also a hard no. She wasn't trying to be difficult, she just hadn't wanted to sleep, either.

"We could go to the roof?" she had suggested quietly.

"We could"

"Can you take me there?"

"I can"

"Dwayne, will you take me there?" she'd asked with a little laugh and a fond shake of her head.

"Of course" he had replied with a little smile of his own but she saw the reason for his previous playfulness. He was nervous for her, "are you OK to...?"

"Fly?"

He'd nodded.

"I still don't want to see, not yet but..yes...I'm OK. I trust you..."

And that had been that. With a gentle kiss, one of those familiar and beautiful pecks on her head, Dwayne had carefully wrapped his arms around her body and in return she'd clutched at his chest, burying her face into his shirt. There was a rush of wind, of air and the feeling of being supported fully by him and him alone and then, sooner than expected, her feet met the rough material of the roof. With a little exclamation, a shaky release of breath she didn't realize she'd even been holding, Elizabeth carefully extracted herself from the man she loved and sat down, worried that her legs would simply refuse to support her. It wasn't a scary experience but it was unsettling, a little shocking and jarring just because of how odd, how unreal it was. Like in the mirror maze, her mind was trying so hard to reject the impossibility of her new reality.

He'd sat beside her wordlessly, letting her process her miniature flight in silence.

They had sat together in that comfortable quiet, the two of them simply thinking about the events of the evening before Elizabeth had spoken, first about the beauty of the night and then, finally, addressing his skill.

"To fly?" he repeated, bring her out of her thoughts, "it feels very freeing"

She nodded. She could image flight eliciting a sense of freedom, "...how does it work?"

"I don't know"

"What?" he smirked at her query, nudging her shoulder a little with his own. Her body rocked lightly and she shot him a small grin as her body swung back to his, "how can you not know? You do it.."

"It's just something I can do, something we can do. It's second nature now, like blinking..." he was speaking with a seriousness that she appreciated, giving her the simple facts and while strange, it wasn't overwhelming, "how do you blink?"

"I don't know, I just do.." she shrugged and he nodded, his point having been made.

She couldn't help the little quirk of her lip before she asked her next question, "...it wasn't always second nature?"

"No" he shifted a little, moving his arm to rest comfortably over her shoulder. As she leaned into him, he carried on, "it's a skill that we all have but like all skills you have to work at it a little"

"Oh..." she whispered with a little nod.

"Weird?"

"Yeah, a little?" she replied, glad and very grateful for their easy relationship. It was strange to be talking about something so supernatural in such a casual way but it was good at the same time. She was experiencing so many conflicting emotions but despite that, she didn't know how to feel, not really. There was so much to work through and she knew that she was starting with the small stuff. It was only going to get more surreal, "...but it's not terrible. It's just a little...odd...I mean...you can fly..you don't have a reflection..."

She peered out into the distance before asking, "was it..was it easy for you? To..you know? 'Work at it'?"

"Yes..easy enough" he was frowning a little, she noted, and she could tell he was having to really think about it. She imagined it came so easily to him now that the ability to fly being anything other than a natural thing to do was a foreign idea and that in itself was a wild thing for her to consider. He carried on, "it feels like nothing now but yeah, it took me a little while to get the hang of it. My culture is quite big on superstitions and it was challenging to overcome some stuff at first. I embraced it, I loved it but learning what I was, what I could do was sort of like...undoing a lifetime of established norms. It was undoing as lifetime of established norms. Marko was the same. We weren't like Paul, he took to it like that.."

As he clicked his fingers, Elizabeth looked up at him, "really?"

"Yeah" Dwayne exhaled a little laugh, smiling with a fondness that made Elizabeth smile, "he was like a rocket, we couldn't get him to stop. He loved it, he loved everything-"

"-did everything come easily to Paul?" she shook her head a little, she hadn't meant to interrupt him, "sorry"

"Not a problem. Yeah" Dwayne laughed a little again and Elizabeth couldn't help but brighten at his reaction. It was so refreshing and so nice to see him smile at the memory, to smile and laugh when talking about Paul, "he was a natural at everything and he wasn't shy about showing off. I'm sure you can imagine..." he glanced down at her, "..you should ask him one day. To tell you his story..."

"..you all have stories?"

He nodded.

"Different stories?"

"Wildly different"

"Do you think he would share his story with me?"

"Paul? Yeah, he'll talk your ear off..." he kissed her temple, pulling her close once more.

"Marko?"

"For sure"

"...David?"

Dwayne laughed a little though she didn't know why. She did note that his laugh was harder. He was still angry with the icy blonde, "yes but at his own pace and in his own way"

Elizabeth nodded slowly, carefully whispering "...would you tell me your story?"

"Anything you want to know" he replied.

"Dwayne?" she swallowed, "how old are you?" she asked, eyebrows furrowing a little as she looked up at him, "I mean, vam..." she still couldn't quite say the word, "...how old are you, really?"

While his arm was still around her shoulder, keeping her comfortably close to his body, his free hand sought hers out. As their fingers laced together, she looked down and studied his hand, studying the few bracelets and rings he wore, before once more again meeting his eyes. His comforting gesture, the way he was holding and supporting her led her to believe that he wasn't young. She loved him with all her heart, crazy though it was, and she knew it wouldn't change anything but she steeled herself for his answer.

"I've been a vampire for a hundred and two years, Elizabeth..."

His voice was sympathetic and she swallowed, digesting his words in slow shock.

"One...one hundred and....holy shit...." she whispered in stunned awe. She studied his face intently, his flawless, chiseled features but there was nothing new to be found, "..but you look so...so..."

He sent a small, patient smile down at her, nodding as he did.

"You...you've been alive..ali-dea..." she shook her head a little, "you've been around for a hundred and two years?"

"Are you OK?"

"I'm...that's mind blowing..."

"But are you OK?"

"I'm fine..." she murmured, still studying his face, his eyes, his lips, anything for a hint of wrinkle, a hint of age but there was nothing. He was flawless, ageless, perfect. Her mind was working hard to think of ways to dismiss his words, "I just...God, over a hundred?"

"Elizabeth?"

She closed her mouth and met his eyes again, finding it difficult not to continue inspecting his skin for signs of age and wear.

"...I've been a vampire for a hundred and two years" he squeezed her hand softly, "I've been around for a hundred and twenty three..."

"Ha..." she exhaled a weak little laugh, impossibilities all but racing through her mind.

"Do you need to lie down?"

"No...no...I just" she shook her head, "Dwayne you're so...you're so...old"

He laughed gently and nodded, releasing her hand and gently tipping her chin upwards, "does it change anything?"

"No, not at all...I...I mean, I love history..." she breathed, "it's just...it's a shock"

She thought back to their meeting in the cave, when the boys had all talked with such enthusiastic realness about the history of Santa Carla, of the hotel that preceded the cave and, thinking about it, she realized that they had described fashions and styles and the people of the time with such an intense and seemingly accurate, in depth knowledge because they knew, because they had lived it.

They had been there.

It was insane but suddenly, her mind wasn't fighting her so hard on it.

He kissed her gently and she responded briefly before asking, with a thoughtful slowness, "...are you the oldest?"

"Vampire or been around the longest?"

She blinked. He had said the word again, he had addressed what he was without hesitation. She was glad he wasn't afraid to hide his truth from her but it was still a little too much for her to outwardly address, despite their conversation.

"David is the oldest vampire, I've been around the longest"

"OK..."

"You still with me?"

She swallowed and nodded, "...this is a lot"

"Yeah"

"..it doesn't change anything" she repeated, "it's..it's just a lot to process..to think about..my mind is kind of cracking here, I trust you but.."

"…but you're trying to reconcile what you now know to be the truth with what you've always known to be a lie" he summarized, "it's strange"

"It is…" she shifted again and placed her head on his chest. It was a little uncomfortable and he immediately shifted his body backwards, accommodating her. She didn't feel like she was taking it badly but she felt like she was a bumbling, confused mess as she tried to process everything.

It was a lot to take in and there was so much more to come. There was a lot to address and she wasn't sure where to begin, where to go. Did she start with asking about his life? She was curious, wonderfully curious but then, what about the realities of what he was? She wanted to know that, too, though it was a scary concept. There were the supernatural abilities that she knew about, surely there would be more than-

-she gasped loudly, sitting up suddenly and breaking away from her jumbled thoughts. Right then, in a sudden flash, her mind focused on the supernatural as it was, she remembered what had happened on the boardwalk, "Dwayne? Did you know that I could feel you? On the boardwalk, I mean...I knew that you were there..."

"You did?"

She nodded.

"I didn't know where, exactly and I was surprised to see you so close but I knew that you weren't far...that you were near to me. David said you always know where I am..."

"I do" he confirmed, watching her.

"I'm not a vampire, not yet, but I could feel you?" she was so absorbed in thinking about her experience that she didn't notice the look of pure elation dance over his face, she didn't see how thrilled he was at her casual use of the word yet. She hadn't even picked up on it herself and, when she met his eyes again, his face was once again controlled and serious, "I'm just regular me but I could feel you, I knew..I...is that weird?"

"Weird? No, it's not weird. Did you think it was?"

She shook her head, "no...no I guess not but it was just this knowledge, this infallible feeling. It's so...it's not usual. I knew you were there-"

"-how did you feel?"

"...thrilled" she told him with a smile, "I could feel that you were close to me, of course I was thrilled, what else would I feel?"

"You're my mate"

"...I am, aren't I?" she swallowed and sat up on her knees, "I really am..."

Looking into his eyes, a soft and content smile decorating her face, Elizabeth reached out for his hand, considering him.

"Are you and the others like mates, too?"

He tilted his head and she carried on, "...not in that way. I mean, like, destined to be a..a pack, or whatever?"

He nodded a little, understanding her question, "I think so. We're not mates, that would be weird but I think there was something that pulled us together"

"Like whatever it was that pulled us together?"

He smiled, "similar, yes but I have no desire to be intimate with any of them"

"Good" she returned his smile, a sleepy little grin, "because I don't think I could take any of them in a fight, but I would, you know?"

"Fight for me?"

She shrugged and nodded. He moved to kiss her and she smiled softly against his lips, blushing when a yawn suddenly erupted from deep within her, "-sorry"

She pulled away, shaking her head and blinking through the tears the yawn had produced.

"Time to call it a night?"

"...I think so" she confirmed sadly.

"Do you want me to stay with you?"

She wanted nothing more than to accept his offer but she knew what had to be done, "...no. I want you to but...Dwayne, I think you should go see the guys...I think it's important for you. Go talk to him.."

"Who?"

"David. I think you need to"

"You do?"

"Yes"

He nodded somberly, "if you insist"

She poked his leg, "you want to, I know you do"

He kissed her, "there are no secrets between mates, huh?"

"No. Now go..." she kissed him again.

"Want me to pick you up or do you want to find me?"

"I'll come-no...oh Dwayne, my Mom is back tomorrow...I can't just..." she couldn't help the upset panic lacing her tone.

"It's alright, you'll see me-"

"-but how?" she was starting to feel upset, "you can't exactly knock the door, Nanook'll go wild and there are a thousand mirrors downstairs and I can't get past my Mom without lying and I don't even have a good lie? Dwayne, she's going to want to eat dinner and then it'll be bed time and-"

His eyes sparkled a little when she mentioned her bed time, "you've never snuck out before? This isn't a problem, Elizabeth"

"No, of course not...why would I have ever needed to?" she looked up at him, eyes sad. She wanted to see him, she even didn't want to think about a night without him.

"You really were a good girl.." he said with a grin but she wasn't placated enough to join in with his little joke. He continued, "It's fine. I'll come to you. This isn't a problem"

"Is it OK? Can we?"

"Of course we can" he regarded her, brushing some hair away from her face, "spend time with your Mom as usual and when you go up to bed, I'll be here"

"Promise?"

He kissed her.

"Promise"

"I'll drink coffee" she assured him and he grinned, "come on, let's get you to bed"

"Where is she?"

Dwayne kicked off and away from his bike, leaving it parked beside the other three. He didn't throw even a cursory glance towards his brother as he slipped his keys into the pocket of his jacket.

He was glad to have it back, it smelled like her.

"Sleeping, I imagine"

That was a lie. He knew that's what she was doing, no question. He'd waited for her as she'd brushed her teeth and addressed all her mortal needs before helping her into bed, waiting with her, stroking her hair until she'd fallen into a deep and peaceful sleep.

"Is she alright?"

"She's fine"

That was also a lie - fine was a terrible understatement. She went to bed satisfied and feeling loved and in the end, her feelings were so strong, so palpable that it had been hard to leave her room.

"Fine?"

"Fine"

David's body was tensed, his body frozen in a calculated thoughtfulness. He followed the tall brunette with his eyes, watching as he came to stand close to the edge of the cliff.

Dwayne turned to him and watched him with dark eyes of his own, not quite brooding, certainly not sulking but clearly unhappy. As David pursed his lips a little in response to the somewhat challenging move, he studied the man before him. He had been expecting a hard time but not to this extent. After all, Dwayne had allowed them to reach out to Elizabeth, he'd fed, he had spent time with her. He should have been happier, relaxed but it was clear that his hurt ran deep. The cold tone, the curt answers sent a signal, loud and clear.

Forgiveness was not going to come easily.

"I had hoped you would have cooled off by now"

"Apparently not" while his voice was clipped, it was clear Dwayne wouldn't be drawn into a spat.

"I thought we were better than this"

Dwayne said nothing, refusing to respond to the obvious bait. They were better than this, their brotherhood had been long, impenetrable and unbreakable and David's shot was a cheap one.

They both knew it.

David's eyes narrowed a little as he considered the brunette, "if this is how it's going to be from now on-"

"-what?"

The waves crashed beneath them, not powerful but loud against the rocks.

"What, David?" Dwayne prodded, his voice hard, "what happens if this is how it'll be from now on? What if you crossed the line? I don't even have the energy to fight you, that's how tired I am. So what if I'm done?"

He wasn't. He would never be done with his pack, he would never be done with David but he was angry. If David could make cheap little shots, so could he.

"You're not"

Dwayne turned away from him, moving to stare out at the lighthouse methodically and slowly illuminating patches of sea. The wind had yet to pick up and it was still a cloudy, overcast night.

"Dwayne..." there was a patient tiredness in David's voice. He imagined that Paul would not be on the receiving end of such ice and while Dwayne didn't look like he was going to throw any punches, there was no immediate forgiveness to be given, either "…talk"

"You could have ruined everything with that stunt"

"But I didn't"

"Because she's nice. If it had been any other woman-"

"-Dwayne, I said talk but this is a pointless topic. It was Elizabeth, it was always going to be Elizabeth - that's the deal with mates. She is nice, that is her personality and she has gotten over it, nothing has been ruined"

"You're a patronizing fuck, you know that?"

"I've been informed"

Dwayne shook his head.

"What do you want from me?"

"I don't know" he shook his head again, exhaling a bitter little laugh, "congrats, man. All these years together and you've managed to create a new first. Relationships this long usually get a little stagnant but you really pulled it out of the bag"

"Shall I buy you flowers?"

"Have at it but I'm not as nice as Elizabeth"

The bitter sarcasm, the bad joke was so far removed from Dwayne's personality it gave David reason to pause. As the waves crashed beneath them, he clenched his jaw, "is Paul-"

"-just you"

David nodded slowly.

Dwayne's anger was directed solely at him.

"So that's what it comes down to?"

"You fucked up"

"I made it right. She liked her apology"

"Yeah, I heard about it"

"She's forgiven us"

"Heard about that, too"

"What else did you hear?"

"She wants me to forgive you. You're lucky it is her, you know that? You're lucky she is my mate. Any other woman..." he shook his head.

"You want to forgive me, too"

"Of course. I'm not going to, but I want to"

"I did you a favor. It's for the best, if you take a second to think about the bigger picture. Imagine if it had been perfect, Dwayne. Romantic and touching and so very sweet-"

"-fuck you-"

"-and" David paused, eyes narrowing "I'm being serious"

"Then watch your tone"

David's lips quirked upwards for the smallest of seconds. Paul would playfully tease and poke and joke, testing David's leadership in his casual and good natured way, Marko occasionally joining in but with a little less vigor than his brother. Dwayne was the only one who ever seriously questioned David, the only one with the authority to do so, though he was always respectful, thoughtful and considered in his words.

If he questioned David, it was never done lightly.

Dwayne being so ruthlessly blunt towards him was a rare occurrence.

David continued, speaking with more control and noticeably less sarcasm, "what if it had been like every cliché book, so dreamy and perfect and then she saw us feeding? Do you think Paul is suddenly going to feed once a month and take a dainty little bite? Elizabeth is coming into our pack. You know what we are, you know how we do things"

Dwayne tensed and David continued, "now she knows. She knows that isn't like a romance novel. She knows to expect darkness. In the long run, this will be easier for her. Dwayne?"

"Bullshit"

David's eyes flashed with cold, icy anger, "I only have so much patience"

"You've got about the same amount as me and while that was a very well thought out speech, it's bullshit. You're a great speaker and a fucking master manipulator but you didn't do it to make it easier for her, that's-"

"-you're right"

Both men observed each other.

"You want the truth? Fine. I intervened because the situation was spiraling, she was hurt, you were hurt. I care about you and that's what it came down to. You're my brother, she's a mortal girl. I apologize for the fallout. I appreciate that it could have been handled in a different way but I'm no longer going to apologize for doing what you would have done if the situation was reversed"

Dwayne scoffed but there was a forced note about it.

"Tell me you wouldn't have done it differently. If it was Paul? Marko? If you could feel their mate running from them. If you could feel their hurt, their pain. If you could feel their vulnerability. What would you have done?"

Dwayne's jaw tensed and David said nothing, letting the silence speak instead.

Truthfully, it hurt him to even think about Marko having to deal with his mate's fear and rejection and he couldn't imagine the pain Paul would have felt if it had happened to him. He couldn't say he wouldn't do the same thing for them, he couldn't say that he wouldn't intervene.

They were his pack, he would do anything for them.

"I did it to protect you and I'd do it again, if I had to. If she had run, I would have caught her. I'm glad she's chosen you but if she hadn't, I would have made her" David shrugged, "that's all there is to it"

"You're an asshole"

"I know. I have to be. You're my brother"

"Don't do that to her again. Don't ever do that to her again"

David nodded.

"Say it"

"I'll support her, Dwayne, I don't hate the girl-"

"Say it"

Unblinkingly, they looked at each other.

"I won't hurt her, I won't scare her"

Dwayne nodded.

"I'm sorry"

Dwayne nodded again.

He knew that David's apology was sincere.

"Thank you. For your loyalty, for your support. Thank you for making it right. I agree that the pack comes first but she's part of it now..."

David inclined his head, a gesture of acceptance and acknowledgement and, in turn, Dwayne's whole demeanor changed.

"So, where are the others?"

"That's it?"

"What? Did you want a hug?"

David smirked, "no"

"You apologized. I don't need your blood, man, I needed to hear why. I felt betrayed by you"

David moved to light a cigarette, "well if I'd known that's all it would take, I would have apologized earlier"

Both men shared a small grin. They both knew he was a proud person but as a leader, he was almost never wrong. Nobody was infallible but he came pretty damn close to it. Apologies were never something he had to give and, if they were ever uttered, there was always a curt and cold ice lacing them. On the flip side, Dwayne was stoic and untouchable. Words meant nothing to him. He never got emotional, he was never upset. He was strong and detached and always had been.

It was the first time David had fucked up and the first time Dwayne had been hurt.

It had been a learning curve for both of them and they could both acknowledge it.

Silently, Dwayne reached out and clamped his hand over David's shoulder. His grip was firm. David met his eyes, intent and serious.

Words weren't enough but, as both men nodded, Dwayne retracted his arm. The apology in itself was enough, the depths of their brotherhood was too much for words anyway and sometimes, they just weren't needed.

"She's not just a mortal girl, OK? Don't call her that again"

"No, she's not" David agreed, "but she's not one of us, either"

Both men turned, walking towards the cave, "not yet..."

David gave Dwayne a curious look, noticing as the brunette finally allowed a smile to dance across his face.

A/N: Thank you all so, so much for the reviews. You motivate me so much to keep updating, I don't want to let anybody down. I always thought it would be a difficult thing, making the decision to become a vampire. Imagine having to consider losing your mortality; your friends, family, life, sunlight, leaving everything you've ever known behind and embracing something so dark, something so unknown. It's been exciting to write about that! And I love exploring the relationship between the boys. I've always imagined them as such tight knit, close brothers and I just love the idea of them having been vampires for a while.