So just the epilogue to go! I bet you'll be able to guess what it is after reading this! Again, thanks so much for all the support, and I hope you like this look at things from a different perspective. If you're not reading The Night Huntress books, then why not? It's a whole year until we get another SVM book, so I hope you'll give them a shot!

I'll be giving teases for the epilogue, which I'm going to try and work on tomorrow with this chapter, so if you don't want one, please let me know!

Bones

"Wow," she gulped, squeezing my hand tight. "there are so many of them."

"We can get through this Kitten," I replied, taking a deep breath. "We're both strong, and there are weapons at our disposal."

"Thank fuck for that," she whispered, handing me a gin and tonic from the bar. "If they weren't our bosses, I never would have agreed to any of this. I can fake it with their kids, but shit, this is like they mass produced. They could take over the world." She gasped, as about five of them started towards us, heading for the giant bounce castle to our left in Darth Vader masks.

"I've never seen these movies. I think I like them even less in masks." I downed the G&T and put my hand out for another, stuffing a five dollar bill in the tip cup. "Keep them coming, good sir."

"At least Pam had the good sense to have an open bar."

"Pam's on our side, Luv. Her little one was an accident." I raised my glass to Alcide, who was holding their daughter, whose hair seemed to be arranged in an elaborate hairstyle, with two giant piles of hair over her ears.

Cat grabbed the collar of my shirt. "Listen here, Bones. We won't be having any accidents of that sort. You got it?"

I nodded, a bit intimidated by the flare in her nostrils and the fire in her eyes. "Of course, Luv."

"And you're not going to change your mind."

My eyes went wide, as my drink was thrown out of my hand by a hoard of small ones with plastic round swords ran by. "No. Never."

She exhaled loudly. "Okay. Okay. Now we're going to get through this. It's three hours, and then we can stagger off to to their guest house and pass out."

We'd gotten an invitation for this party, and for the Memorial Day long weekend, which Cat had been thrilled about. I didn't know much about the Hamptons, besides that Sookie had a cute little house here on the beach that she'd retreated to a month or so again. She was back, now that her and Eric had made nice again, largely in part to a very smart plan that Cat had devised.

I didn't particularly care if Eric and Sookie were together, but it did mean that Sookie was back in the office and had a certain spring in her step, which made my job a little easier to handle. I didn't like being the boss, especially when all the other bosses above me had flown the proverbial coop. Apparently, Niall didn't work once the snow was gone. I hadn't seen him in months. Once and a while, I'd get a cryptic email, and I'd send a full financial report for the division, but that was it.

Eric wasn't so bad either. Despite the fact that our 'friendship' had been an elaborate rouse in the beginning, once we made a go of it, things weren't so terrible. Neither of us were versed in the act of having male friends, and incredibly inappropriate, so it kept things interesting. I was now allowed in their basement, and he and I had started a ritual of having a beer or two every Friday night. Sookie just shook her head at us, when we'd start talking about football, or some other thing she was disinterested in.

I could tell she liked it though. I'm sure it was a huge relief for her not to have to tiptoe around our working relationship. It wasn't long before Eric and I were laughing about what had happened in the fall.

Although he'd threatened my life if anything of the sort ever happened again. And not just a joking, had too many beers threat. I had the feeling he meant it. That was fine. I had come to understand their dynamic far better than I had in the beginning. He wasn't so bad.

And I was head over heels in love with Cat.

It turned out that the Hamptons was this sort of exclusive place for all the New Yorkers that hated New York in the summer. From what I'd seen of the area, you didn't have to be rich, as Pam and Alcide were to stay here, but if you weren't, chances are that you were staying with eight other people in a tiny cabin. I'd seen some girls doing this yesterday at the beach, and they kind of looked like they were piling into a clown car at the end of the night. It surprised me to know that Cat had been one of those girls once upon a time, when she was in her early twenties and had taken a waitressing job in Bridgehampton to get away from her mum for a while.

"I'm glad they worked things out," Cat said, raising her glass to the proud parents, who was dressed to fit the theme. "Eric was a real bear at work when they were having problems."

"It was a very smart plan you came up with. I never imagined it would work as well as it did, tricking them into reconciling."

"We just needed to show them the root of the problem. And that you weren't so bad." She linked her arm with mine and leaned into my shoulder. "And I think you needed to see that he wasn't so bad either. You're very alike in many ways."

"But I'm better looking, right?" I said, taking a tiny cupcake with a little green man off a tray the the waiter brought by.

She shot me a wink. "Absolutely."

And then my cupcake was dashed to the ground by a child wielding some sort of large flashlight sword. "I'm think I'm about done then. Shall we take a walk on the beach?"

"Phew. I thought you'd never ask," she said, the relief visible on her face, as she downed the last of her martini. "They won't even miss us. I don't suppose it would be appropriate to have sex with a child's birthday party a few hundred feet away, right?"

Cat shook her head. "Not when the child belongs to our bosses, and I saw a couple of them peering in the window earlier. I thought about it, but it seems like a recipe for disaster."

We snuck back to the guest house, quickly changed into our swimwear and made our way down the short trail to probably one of the least crowded beaches I'd ever seen. Cat quickly explained that it was private, accessible only to the group of mansions that lined the strip. I wasn't sure that sort of thing was allowed, but I had no idea how water frontage worked in the states. Maybe if you were rich enough, you could do whatever you wanted.

I slathered sunscreen on Cat's porcelain skin around her tiny polka dot bikini, taking extra care to cover every inch of it. She pulled a large floppy hat over her beautiful red hair, and a huge pair of sunglasses over her eyes.

"Do you enjoy the beach, Luv?" I asked, smiling at her practically covered body already turning red in the small expanses of skin that were exposed.

"Not particularly," she grinned. "But I'm enjoying the company, and it's nice to know we'll have the whole guest house to ourselves when this fiasco is over."

"You too escaped too, huh?" I looked up and saw Sookie's ex, the philosophy professor that was under contract for a project he'd never delivered smiling down at us, flask in hand.

"Bill, right?"

"And you're Crispin, and Kathy?"

"Cat," Cat corrected. "You're not big on rugrats, either, huh?"

Bill sat down in the sand, letting out a big sigh. "I like my wife's because it makes her happy, and they like me, and I like Max because he's like a tiny adult, but no, I do like children."

"Well join the club then. And pass that flask," Cat grinned at him and took a swig.

"You owe me a book," I said, looking at him, my eyebrows raised. "A philosophy reader, if I'm not mistaken. We paid you an advance."

Bill rubbed the back of his neck with his palm. "Ah, well, I just, it's coming. I just, well..."

I patted him on the back. "I'm just fucking with you mate. But you should email your editor."

"Sookie was my editor when I agreed..." He shook his head. "I'll send you an email next week."

Cat gave me a punch in the arm. "No work talk. So you're at Columbia, Bill?"

"Yes, in philosophy. And you work with Eric."

"I work for Eric." She grinned. "Which isn't as bad as you are probably imagining it."

Bill chuckled. "Eric's not so bad, now. But I've never worked for him."

We sat there for a while, the three of us enjoying the late afternoon sunshine and silence, until a small redheaded kid ran on the beach and made a beeline for Bill.

"Mom is looking for you, Bill. It's time to go." He said, chocolate smeared from one end of his face to the other. "Your kids are probably looking for you too," he said to Cat and I.

"I assure you, they're not," I said, smiling as pleasantly as I could muster. "Good bye Bill. I'll look forward to hearing from you on Tuesday."

"Of course," he nodded at Cat and I. "Have a lovely evening you two."

I was never going to hear from him. I had a stack of contracts a foot tall just like his. I was surprised Sookie had dropped it though. She had a bit of a reputation as a punctuality pitbull when it came to manuscript submission. Maybe she didn't like harping on him. I had no idea what the circumstances of their split had been, but they were quite amicable now. They'd been having lunch one day when I dropped down to get her to sign some things when she was staying here, and I'd been impressed by the maturity of their relationship, which was clearly not inappropriate in any way, but still very friendly.

We continued our silent vigil to the childless, watching a group of windsurfers cruise along in wetsuits. The water was still quite chilly, but it didn't seem to be deterring anyone from enjoying the day.

"Have you heard from Annette lately?" Cat asked curiously, after a middle-aged woman in too much makeup walked by us with a tiny dog.

"No. And you haven't either, I assume?"

She shook her head, a devious smile on her face. "Not since the last time. But I don't expect to hear from her after that."

Cat had threatened to harm her if she kept bothering us. She'd threatened it, and I hadn't doubted that she'd do it for a minute. Annette had pushed her to the end of a very short leash, as she had quite a temper anyway, calling constantly and emailing me, and then Cat when she figured out who I was involved with. Annette wasn't really allowed in the states, after the scene at Christmas, but it was something she could sort out if she was willing to throw enough money at it.

So far, as far as I'd heard anyway, she hadn't been.

"You'd be surprised."

Annette was unstable at best. It had taken me a long time to realize that I had to leave her and move on with my life, no matter how cruel it felt to abandon her after everything she'd been through in her life. The terrible first husband, watching him disintegrate mentally for years. It had all taken its toll on her. I knew I was one of the only bright spots she had, but I couldn't live my life to be someone else's bright spot. That was no way to live.

"I want to see where you're from sometime though," she pouted. "I haven't been the the UK since I was seven and I went with my grandma, and I hardly remember that. I'd love the Bones tour."

"You're just saying that because I don't have any family for you to meet," I teased. If I was being honest, sharing my past, which was beyond shady, made me a bit uncomfortable. She was such an open book, and so innocent, and my life was anything but that.

"I'd meet your family. They can't be any worse than mother, and my absentee father."

That was something we had in common. British absentee fathers.

"Justina's not so bad. I think she's warming up to me."

She pushed up her glasses and narrowed her eyes at me. "She threw you out of her house last weekend."

"But she made me a drink first." I winked at her. Justina hated my guts. I knew it had nothing to do with me personally, even though I did egg her on from time to time. It was my accent.

"Fair enough. But she said you weren't welcome back, so you didn't exactly make any progress. Personally, I'm all for your continued beefing. It means I have to spend less time with her, and have more time for you. And work. But mostly you," she whispered, before kissing me chastely.

"Do you think they've cleared out yet? I guess we should go make a quick appearance before we vanish for the evening."

"I suppose so. I am looking forward to the disappearing though," she whispered into my ear seductively, before pulling her loose black dress over her bikini.

Cat had really come into her own sexually, and very quickly, since we'd become involved. Gone was the nervousness and hesitation that had been so prominent in the beginning, and they were replaced by a trait that I knew played a huge part in her personality.

A genuine thirst for knowledge.

That was seemingly never quenched.

We both breathed a sigh of relief at the drastically reduced number of children on the massive lawn when we returned. Cat and I went our separate ways to socialize briefly before retiring for a bit. We had dinner plans around eight with Pam, who I'd quickly befriended, and Alcide, who was a bit thick but generally well meaning, but terrible at golf.

I found Sookie, who was holding up a very sleepy Cecelia, who was wrapped around her legs looking positively knackered.

"Hello boss."

She greeted me with a put on smile, which was clearly masking exhaustion. "Hi Bones. Did you guys enjoy the party?"

"Oh yes, it was great. The drinks were especially wonderful." I leaned down and smiled at Ceci. She was really an adorable child. Very angelic looking. Looking being the operative term. I'd heard stories of her evil ways from both Sookie and Eric. "Hello gorgeous."

"I had too much cake," she said, looking positively tortured. "Momma, can we go home?"

Sookie sighed. "I'm only Momma when things are particularly bad. We might be back for dinner later if we can convince my stepdaughter to babysit. She's hungover from yesterday, so I have no idea what she'll say. I think they'll be pretty easy tonight though." She ruffled Ceci's hair. "You'll pass right out into a sugar coma, won't you baby."

She looked up and nodded. "Yes, Momma. Home please."

"You men are playing golf tomorrow?"

I'd convinced Eric and Alcide to try golf about a month ago, and we'd been playing quite regularly, even though they were both terrible. Eric was improving, and Alcide just drank more every time we went and enjoyed himself thoroughly.

"I believe so." I patted her back. "Do you say congratulations when you parent a child with a birthday?"

She shook her head. "No, since it's no longer the middle ages, most usually survive to adulthood, so it's not quite the proper sentiment, although sometimes I am impressed that we've managed to keep them alive this long, so I'll take your congratulations."

"We left Max a hundred on the gift table."

"That's very generous. You know it's not like a wedding; he has one of these every year." Sookie smiled and scanned the crowd for Eric, who was talking to Pam and Cat.

"Damn. Maybe we'll have to come every other year or something."

"I'd say they're not usually this grand, but Pam likes planning parties. Expensive parties, with Alcide's money, so they may be. We're going to go though. We'll see you sometime this weekend. I'm glad you've become friendly with Pam." She leaned down and covered Ceci's ears, "She can always use more friends that she's not having sex with, or had sex with in the past. It makes things so complicated."

"Yes, I can't help but notice Amelia isn't here," I said, chuckling.

"Indeed," Sookie replied, a genuine smile creeping across her face. "We'll try and make dinner later. It would be nice to have some adult conversation, and it means we'll get to avoid more wedding planning talk. We got your RSVP the other day. I know you don't know Stel, but it'll be a good, far more adult party. Very casual."

"Hey, any weekend that we get an invite to stay in that gorgeous guesthouse, we'll be here."

"I don't blame you. It's nicer than our place. It's got a hot tub for crying out loud."

We both walked over and found Eric, who was in a similar position with Max wrapped around his legs, also looking exhausted. And dirty. He was covered in green stains, a combination of cupcake icing and grass stains.

"Baby, we have to get these two home," Sookie said, looking up at Eric, the genuine smile remaining, as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Yes, we do. Max, go say goodbye to anyone that's left," Eric answered, leaning over to kiss Sookie's forehead and scoop up Ceci.

"And I think we're off for a nap before dinner," Cat said, shooting me a look that went straight to my cock.

Pam didn't miss it, and the perverse smile she got came over her face. "Maybe we'll join you for that nap," she said, visually locating Alcide, who was holding their little girl on his shoulders and speaking to a man that looked absolutely roasting in a suit.

Cat laughed. "Maybe not. We'll see you for dinner though. Eight, right?"

"Yes. Eight in the dining room. Eric, will you two be back?"

"Yes, we'll be back," Sookie answered for them, sliding her hand into his, as he gripped Ceci with the other.

"And we'll bring wine, and take a taxi. I heard the drinks were great, but I didn't get to have any." Eric sighed. "Drinks and the bounce tent didn't seem to go particularly well together, and Gaby didn't want to go alone, but she wanted to go a lot."

"Good party though," Cat said enthusiastically, pinching my ass out of the sight of everyone else.

"Don't think I didn't miss your great escape, Catherine," Eric said, raising an eyebrow. "This will count against your tenure application."

"Sure, Boss," she said, with a wink. "Bones, do you want to go?"

"I sure do, Kitten. We'll see everyone later then?"

They all nodded, and we walked back to the guest house quickly, before we could get ambushed by anyone else. Alcide tried to get my attention at one point, but I quickly waved him off. We ran the last hundred feet or so, and quickly locked the door behind us.

"We made it."

"And we didn't have sex during a kid's birthday party because it's over!" Cat giggled, quickly reaching for my belt.

"Close the blinds, Kitten. There might be some lurkers from earlier."

"We're going to wash the sand off first." she giggled, pulling the string on her bikini top and practically skipping off to the bathroom.

I wriggled out of my clothes as well and followed her in, leaning against the door and exhaling loudly as she dropped to her knees in front of me.

She looked up at me devilishly, the sex kitten unleashed.

"You first," she purred.