Blueeyeddevil06, thank you for being my awesome beta!

Luna looked at Makoto in frustration. "I don't get why you hesitate to meet her."

"That's why you tracked me down?" Makoto asked, annoyed. "It's my choice."

"She's sweet. She met Rei, and they hit it off right away."

Makoto looked at Luna like she was crazy. "It's not so simple for me! Rei doesn't get what Usagi really is!"

The look of hurt that crossed Luna's face made Makoto feel bad for her outburst. "I don't mean there is anything wrong with Usagi. That's not the problem…" she sighed out, deflated, and added, "she's not just some vampire like me that I can meet. She's Usagi, friends with all the important vampires, and incredibly powerful. I've heard of her; most vampires have. Her group of vampires that she's friends with is the closest thing we have to an aristocracy." She then fidgeted and said, "I'm just an orphan and a brand new vampire. Why would she even want to meet me?"

Luna smiled kindly at Makoto, "Not to sound like I'm bragging, but she wants to meet you because I asked her to. And then I told her your story. You had the exact same beginning as vampires."

Makoto frowned, "I didn't know."

"It's not like that is something anyone wants to advertise. She understands what you've been through. On top of that, she's sweet. I think you'll get along."

Luna watched as Makoto seemed to retreat into herself. It broke her heart for the poor girl. She knew she had felt rejected since childhood and being in an orphanage. She didn't open up to people, and then there was the trauma of suddenly finding herself as a vampire against her will. She put a comforting hand on Makoto's arm. "Do you trust me?"

That got Makoto to smile for the first time. "Yes. I do trust you. Fine, I'll meet her. I guess it wouldn't hurt."

"There's the spirit," Luna teased.

Makoto huffed and confessed, "I'm just so used to disappointment."

"Just try. Meet her and see. I wouldn't set you up for hurt."

Artemis was at the other end of town, handling a very different type of situation. Yamato had been right; the drug overdose had been the beginning of more violence. The problem was that the detective strongly suspected it wasn't as clear-cut as it all appeared.

"Mamoru not with you today?" Artemis asked as Yamato walked up to him with his gear. They were staring at the dead body. It was a couple of days old and stank. A patrol officer had found the man and called it in.

"After discussing Usagi yesterday, I gave him the day off. No matter how the conversation went, I figured he'd need time to sort it all out. His worldview just changed fundamentally."

"So did yours. How are you handling it?"

Yamato sighed and said, "I've seen weird things in my line of work…. That said, it's still a huge adjustment. I'm holding onto the idea that the police in London are working with vampires."

Artemis nodded, "Yeah. That was news to me. Usagi saved my life as a child, and I've known about vampires since I was four. Still, it feels weird from time to time."

Yamato bent down to examine the corpse, changing the subject as other officers and detectives started making their way over to the crime scene. He knit his brows and said, "You see it too?"

Artemis didn't even feign confusion. "Yes, someone's instigating a yakuza war, and it's not either of the groups tangled up in this."

"Yeah. It's just too blatant and heavy-handed. I get these guys aren't subtle, but sheesh, it practically screams rival gunfire."

"The problem is I think this is going to be Diamond's doing."

Yamato looked up at him with confusion on his face. "I get he's awful, but what makes him worse than anyone else?"

"That is exactly what I want to ask Usagi," Artemis huffed. "She gets weird about him. I think she knows much more than she's saying, and that's bad."

"You don't trust her on this?!" Yamato was concerned about Artemis' statement, especially since he advised Mamoru to help her.

Artemis shook his head. "No. I think she's protecting me. And if that's true, it means he's involved in the…" he looked around furtively and whispered, "It would mean the supernatural is involved. I don't think he's human."

Yamato stood and then idly kicked a pebble by his foot. "And now Mamoru is involved."

"She looks tiny and sweet, doesn't she?" he asked rhetorically. "She could destroy anyone."

"I've actually never met her."

Artemis raised an eyebrow at him, "And you support her?"

He frowned in response and shook his head. "You saw Mamoru's background report, you wrote it. I've grown attached to him. I never had children…he's becoming like a son to me. I want him to find the right woman. He deserves it."

Artemis motioned for Yamato to follow him and he led him to the side far away from anyone. "She's not strong because she's a vampire. She's strong for a vampire. Even her own kind isn't a threat to her. The only ones stronger than her at all are her closest friends. Including the Dracula. He sees her like a little sister."

That got Yamato's eyes to pop open wide. "So you're saying he's safe, but she doesn't think you would be?" referring back to Diamond.

"Ha!" Artemis said, laughing. "You must not know me very well. She knows I'll go against Diamond even if I don't stand a chance. Mamoru isn't that stupid or a detective."

"So, she's not telling you because she knows you'll go after him and put your life in danger."

"Yup."

Yamato then laughed. "You'd think you'd be more careful being a married man. Particularly to a hot younger woman."

Artemis smiled, thinking about Luna. "I love that woman so much. But she respects me because I'm not afraid to do the hard things."

"Let me guess; she finds it sexy when you bust the baddies?"

"It drives her wild," Artemis said, bragging.

Usagi and Mamoru were both cuddled up on his couch. She had her phone clutched in her hands, and she was texting. Since she wasn't hiding her screen, he asked, "Who are you texting?"

She huffed and sighed. "Some of my friends, Lucy and Vlad. He's being impossible and saying, 'I told you so.'"

"About what."

She looked up at him, kissed his chin, and said, "You. I was always against finding destined love. It always looked so intense to me. He kept on insisting I would change my tune when I met you. The truth is, he's right."

"They are vampires too?"

That got her to giggle. "He's the original vampire. He's Dracula."

Mamoru looked at her in shock. "Wait. You're texting Dracula right now?"

"Yes, and his wife," she looked at Mamoru, confused as to what was bothering him.

"It's… Dracula texts!?"

"Oh, don't believe what you heard about him from that awful hit piece written about him. He's not just someone who holes himself up in a mansion. He's very modern, actually."

"My life is so weird!"

Usagi was saddened and looked at him. "Is it the bad kind of weird? Do you wish I stayed away?"

He growled a deep throaty growl that he knew she loved and shifted, pressing her to her back on the couch and covering her with his body. He kissed her hard, then said, "It's just weird, Usagi. But I would deal with anything to be with you. You might not understand, but I feel the pull to you powerfully. I'm ridiculously happy for the first time in my life. Please let me be honest and tell you when things are weird and don't doubt my adoration for you."

"I've never had this feeling in all my centuries. And somehow, looking back, I don't know how I lived without you. I just get scared sometimes. You're the only one I know who could hurt me."

He huffed a small laugh and said, "Well, that would be stupid since it would destroy me if I did that." He then caressed her cheek lovingly. "You're it for me, Usako."