A/N: Ok, I took a few liberties with this one-I thought I remembered Carlos talking about siblings at one point, although I couldn't find the reference again when I went digging through the Continuum Wiki. So if I'm wrong, I apologize!

Keira

"Keira, let's go!"

"Coming!" Critically, Keira eyed herself in the mirror. The gold spangles in her hair, heavy makeup and metallic skirt set looked ridiculous. She couldn't believe she'd let Emily talk her into going to this party, some Halloween event a friend of hers was hosting. Emily had insisted that it would be fun to go in costume.

Keira was beginning to suspect she shouldn't take advice on what constituted as "fun" from someone who thought it was still cool to pop a bubble and cover her face in chewing gum.

Too late to back out now. Sighing, Keira set the brush down and, after one last critical look at her reflection, turned and headed downstairs. At least Alec and Carlos were going to be there. She'd have someone to talk to…and make her excuses when she ducked out early.

"You look awesome!" Emily, dressed in an outfit similar to Keira's but with red rather than gold, grinned, reaching out to grab both of her hands with excitement. "I can't wait to show Alec. He and Carlos had a bet going, you know."

"Oh?" Keira raised an eyebrow, reaching into the tiny coat closet to pull out her red overcoat-which, coincidentally, covered the majority of her outfit. She wouldn't have to worry about someone thinking she was a hooker going down the street. She was more than capable of disillusioning anyone stupid enough to mistake her for a sex worker, but that had a tendency to get messy and they were already late.

"Yeah. Alec said you'd never do it. He figured you'd bail at the last minute and program your suit to look all Men In Black."

Keira laughed. "I thought about it. Then I figured you weren't going to give me any peace if I did." She paused, trying to decide how badly she wanted to know, then took the plunge. "What did Carlos say?"

"He said he wasn't going to bet against you, because you'd go through with it just to spite him."

"Well, he was right." Stepping outside and locking the door, Keira took a deep breath. The night was clear and cold-par for the course for Vancouver at the end of October. The faint smells of gasoline and pollution mixed with trash and the scents of people cooking that she was rapidly beginning to associate with this timeline.

Her city, the one she'd come from, had always smelled like the commercial filtration system SadTech had established to keep the air purified as the city's population continued to grow. It was undoubtedly healthier for her, but it was less…real.

A lot of things about her time had been less real, she realized as Emily fell into step beside her. Everything had been programmed or modified for convenience and conservation, and while there were some things she missed-her vaccinations were starting to wear down, and she'd gotten her first cold the week before-it was…nice.

"So, how are wedding plans coming along?" Keira asked when the silence started to drag. Emily, flushing, pulled out her hand to eye the diamond sitting on her third finger.

"It's driving me crazy. Alec's mom has her heart set on this big wedding. I kinda want to just hop on a plane and go to Vegas, you know?" Emily laughed shyly. "Poor Alec keeps getting stuck playing go-between. I think he's about ready to kill both of us."

"I'm sure whatever you decide, it's going to be lovely." Keira felt a quick pang in the region of her heart-her own wedding seemed like a million years ago.

As though reading her mind, Emily reached out and looped her arm through Keira's. "Alec told me you were married before you came here. What was your wedding like? If you don't mind me asking," she added hurriedly, as if she'd just realized that she might be stepping on sensitive ground. "If you don't want to talk about it, it's okay. I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's okay." Keira laughed, letting her mind drift back. "It was beautiful. Small-I was already pregnant with Sam, and we didn't want to waste time or credits having a big wedding. It was just us, our immediate family and a couple of friends in the living room of Greg's apartment."

"See, that's what I'm talking about," Emily grumbled, squeezing Keira's arm. Keira laughed again. In spite of their age difference, it was nice to have a girl friend again. She'd been so wrapped up in her mission since she arrived that she hadn't taken the time to make friends outside of Alec and Carlos. Now that she was staying, that was something she'd have to rectify.

"This is it." Emily let go of her arm, catching her wrist and dragging her into a small warehouse just a few blocks from Keira's apartment. The smell of artificial smoke and popcorn and a few other substances Keira couldn't immediately identify wafted out at her the minute Emily opened the door. Squinting in the smoky room, Keira could make out shadowy dancers moving in time with the music while costumed waiters worked the crowd.

"Alec said he'd meet us by the DJ table," Emily shouted, cutting through the crowd. Keira followed along obligingly, amused. She'd been worried about being overly conspicuous in her costume. It was a far cry from the conservative colors she usually wore, and while the short skirt and high heels made her legs look a million miles long they were both revealing and uncomfortable.

She shouldn't have worried. Almost everyone there was in costume, many so outlandish that Keira herself was barely noticeable. Which was exactly how she liked it.

They were halfway across the dance floor before someone caught her hand and spun her around, bending down and pretending to take a bite out of her neck.

"I haf come to suck your blood," the costumed figure said in a deep, throaty voice with a terrible accent. Keira cracked up.

"You're going to 'haf' to work harder than that to get the drop on me."

Behind the white face paint, her partner's eyes gleamed while he flashed the fake fangs he'd found at a party store during a bust the week before. "Oh, c'mon. Not even a little scary?"

Keira rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the smile that stayed on her face. "If you want to sneak up on someone, you're going to have to wear a little less aftershave."

Frowning, Carlos sniffed the front of his shirt, then shrugged. "Ah well. I'm glad you're here. I think I'm the oldest person in this room by, like, a million years. And not just because I'm undead, either."

Looking around the room, Keira couldn't help but agree. It looked like just about everyone there was Alec and Emily's age or younger. "As long as no one expects me to be a chaperone, we'll be all right."

"Pretty sure we get to pass on being responsible adults for one night." Catching her hand, Carlos tugged her along with him, cutting through the crowd toward the DJ station where Emily and Alec were waiting for them. Bemused, Keira stared down at their joined hands. This had become a habit since Brad left, any time she and Carlos were off the clock. Never at work, or course, but just about everywhere else.

It had surprised her at first, but she had to admit, it was nice. His hands were nearly a full fingertip longer than hers, lightly calloused without being rough, and his grip was firm without being rough. It made her feel…protected. Connected, somehow. Which was silly, she supposed, but that didn't stop her from enjoying it.

Carlos

He'd been getting ready to make his excuses and leave when she showed up. The club-like atmosphere really wasn't his scene-he'd rather be curled up on the couch with a beer. But Alec had all but begged him to come, and when he'd found out Keira was coming he hadn't been able to resist.

Looking at her 80s rocker getup, a near-perfect match for Emily's, he was glad he didn't. Keira had told him they didn't really do Halloween in her time. The year before, she admitted she'd nearly pulled her weapon on a bunch of teenagers that showed up on her doorstep in costume to trick or treat. He'd laughed about that one for a week.

It was fun to see her in the Halloween spirit, and when the music cut down to something slow and he saw her eyes drift wistfully to the dance floor, he didn't think twice about changing course and pulling her out there.

"I didn't know you could dance," she said, surprised, when he caught her hand in his and began moving them in time with the beat.

"I can't," he said honestly, unable to hold back the self deprecating grin. "My brother was always the one that had all the moves. I can do a pretty good job faking it though, as long as we're not moving too fast."

"I didn't know you had a brother either. You're full of surprises tonight."

Carlos shrugged. "He moved back to Columbia when he was old enough, works in tourism. I only see him once every couple of years when he's back in the states on business."

"Ah. I'm sorry. You must miss him."

"Sometimes. Mostly I'm just glad he found something to do with his life that didn't involve setting things on fire or going to prison," Carlos said dryly, shaking his head as he remembered their younger years. "Seemed like he was always getting in one scrape or another, and dragging me along with him, although he always found his way back out."

"Sounds like it runs in the family." Keira was smiling at him now, and Carlos couldn't help but smile back. He probably shouldn't tell her the number of hours his sainted mother had spent praying for both their souls. Carlos was pretty sure she'd lit enough candles to light up a city block.

His mom would like Keira, he thought wistfully, tucking her a little closer as the song came to an end. Assuming things went the way he was hoping they would, he couldn't wait to introduce them. They were both brassy, independent women. Toss his sister into the room too, and a smart man would run like hell. On second thought, maybe he shouldn't be in such a hurry to take Keira home.

Neither one of them was smiling when the music flipped over a second later, filling the room with a loud, pounding base that made the floor shake under his feet.

"This is ridiculous," he heard Keira mutter, before stretching up on her tiptoes so her lips were brushing his ear. "How do you feel about getting out of here?"

"Best idea I've heard all week," he said gratefully. Looking around, he caught Alec's eye and waved toward the door, mouthing, 'We're out of here.' Alec started to pull away from the group he was talking to, but Carlos shook his head. No sense in making the kid miss out on the fun. Pointing to Emily, he waited for Alec to nod that yes, he'd take her home, and Emily to turn her head and wave goodbye before pulling Keira back through the crowd and out the back door.