Adrian had just collapsed onto the couch when he realized that he had already decided to let Danielle have it for the evening, and the evening was nearly gone. He quickly (but regretfully) moved over as she sat down, the motion gentle and graceful, just as everything else she had done before him so far.

He reached for his stereo remote and lazily turned on the CD player. Hmm, was that Crazy Town? How appropriate.....she was no butterfly, but still she had wings.....or at least she would once she earned her angelship once more.

He cut the music down a tad and glanced over at her. She was still taking in the place, glancing around with a bemused expression as a foot patted awkwardly to the beat. She pitched her long brown hair from her face and cleared her throat softly. "I like it, Adrian. It's nice." She smiled and glanced at him, and seemed to notice just then that he had been watching her for about three straight minutes.

"So, um, where did you want to go tomorrow?" He asked suddenly, realizing this at a similar rate, a fact that was signified by the rapid blinking of two worn eyes.

"Do you want to go to a bar?" She asked, kicking off her shoes and lying opposite him, so that they now each had one end of the couch and their feet met in the middle. "We could play some darts, get some pizza, have a few drinks, you know."

He nodded, taking this in. "So is this what you want to do as long as we're stuck here? Party by ourselves and spend the night at my apartment?"

"Is there something bad about that?" She asked, reclining against a pillow.

"No." He said quickly. "Erm.....well, then, a bar it is."

"It's not your bedtime already, is it?" She asked playfully, smiling in an innocent fashion.

"I don't sleep." He smirked.

"You don't?" She smiled. "Maybe angels look cuter doing it than demons. You'll have to let me know." With that she curled up slightly and closed her eyes.

He watched her for a while, blinking every time she moved. His cold eyes warmed slightly as they traced along her body, and you could almost see the ice melting from within their depths. Where once they had been there to lure in the unsuspecting, they were lured into the completely aware.

*~*~*

Danielle woke up the next morning around seven and got up, leaving Adrian asleep at her feet. She was pleased to see that he had lied (such a silly lie) in order to impress her. She pulled her hair back, leaving three or four tendrils hanging elegantly in her eyes, and changed into a black Boxcar Racer tank top and a pair of long, tight glittery jeans. She left her shoes off long enough to paint her toenails and fingernails a dark red and then slipped into a rather cute pair of platform sandals. Whoever Adrian had killed and stolen this house from had been quite stylish.

About this time Adrian woke up and began to follow her lead, changing into a button-down t-shirt he had purchased the other day with a white wife beater underneath. Adrian had the bloody king's abs, but he didn't want to suggest anything that involved the absence of clothing to the girl. He pulled on a baggy pair of black pants and his boots, glancing remorsefully at his fiery trenchcoat, which lay absurdly on the armchair in the corner.

At last they spoke.

"So.....Danielle." Adrian glanced at her. "Where to?"

"Well.....my friend is having this party. A girl I met down here. Well, I should say a group of our friends.....anyway, I called her last night while you were asleep and she totally wants to meet you. She likes bad boys."

"Ah." That was his complete response. What should he say to someone who wanted to get into his devilishly sexy pants when he was, in fact, 'involved'?

"Do you have any friends down here?"

"Well....."

~*~*~

"This is great, Adrian! I'm totally glad you offered to bring me here!" Adrian cursed under his breath at the threatening slap on his back. Cassius laughed hoarsely and took another gulp of his Sam Adams.

Friends.....he would have rather shipped Nicky here, almost, than bring his true brother, but Cassius was simply more convenient. Perhaps he would be 'bad' enough for Danielle's friends, so that Adrian and she could have some time alone.

So he had fetched Cassius from the depths of downtown Los Angeles, where he was in trouble with the law, and perhaps more trouble with the female population of imported starseekers from Harlem. Adrian had no idea what 'pimping' meant, but by the sound of it the phrase wasn't something you used in relation to a woman.
The two of them entered the party and the instant he walked through the door he saw Danielle. She greeted him by hopping up onto his front and throwing her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek with a loud smacking sound. He blushed a little, just a bit, and hid it quickly as he glanced at Cassius, who shot him a feisty thumbs-up. He rolled his eyes in the characteristic fashion.

A couple of Danielle's friends, a blonde and an Asian girl, headed past him over to his brother. He watched them, amused, as Cassius looked to him as to what to do. He seemed to be used to his own harem of Hades-bound ladies, a gift from his father for his 204th birthday last year, and was unsure what to do with the real thing.

He pulled Danielle aside and sat her down on one of the couches. "Really, love, can you work on being a tad bit less obvious?" He hissed softly.

"What?" She asked, confused.

"Nevermind." He responded.

"Hey, Danielle, your boyfriend's friend is cute." The Asian girl said silkily as she walked by, carrying a drink which she proceeded to tip delicately into Cassius's mouth.

"When did you start calling me your boyfriend?" He asked her, glaring after the girl. "Besides, I thought she was interested in me."

"Evidently she's more interested in him." Danielle nodded to Cassius. "But it might be that way because I kind of told them beforehand to back off of you..."

"You what?" He almost laughed. She'd become jealous!

"You know..." She smiled. "Who is he, anyway? I think I've seen him before..."

"Oh, he...he's just another lost soul from back home. You know, the kind with an interesting file."

She smiled. "Hey, come here." She took his hand and led him upstairs and into a dark bedroom, closing the door and cutting the light on behind them.

The room was a rich dark blue color, and there was a large bed to one side, catty-corner to the TV. A tall oak armoire stood off to the other end, by the large window overlooking the street with a black steel cage over it that suggested Parisian elegance. Inside the glass cabinet were a number of framed photos, and by the look of them Adrian could see that Danielle had already been all over the world in the short time she'd been on the earth. He stood in the center of the room, her waiting patiently with a smile at his side, and stared around at the various posters that cluttered certain spots on the walls. Why, Nicky liked some of these bands, didn't he?

"I'm just staying here with Claira until I can afford an apartment of my own. But as you can see, I can't seem to stay in one place for long." She smiled and guided him over to her bed. She laid down and gestured for him to do the same, and she took his hand again. "Do you think I can stay with you for a while, Adrian? If you don't mind. I just...you know, I really like you." She smiled and blushed gently.

Just then Adrian began to realize the innocence he held cupped in his clawed hands. It was Beauty and the Beast all over again, and she wanted to be with him. She was beautiful, she was the only example of perfection he'd ever since in his young life (well, somewhat young as far as demon standards went). To his surprise he slowly found himself wanting her as well, with a passion he'd never experienced while torturing souls or punishing slow worker demons.

Before he knew it she glanced up and kissed him, her lips pressing against his with a fervor he'd never before known. She massaged his lips with her own and he pushed her down on the bed, continuing to kiss her. He slipped his tongue between her slightly parted lips and she accepted him as both arms and lips embraced. Then it was over, and she was breaking the kiss and getting up and leading them back out to the world.