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"Even if nobody else sings along…"

"Make Your Own Kind of Music" - Mama Cass

The lunch crowd came and went, but the rush never really ended. The weather was sunny and unseasonably warm, and people were out enjoying it. There was a slight lull around four, and I used it to make arrangements for my evening with Gaelen and to fix myself something to eat. I'd decided it was a good idea to put extra food into the furnace, and hoped that would forestall my need for large amounts of energy, at least temporarily - assuming, of course, that I got lucky again.

I kept hoping that Gaelen would come back to the kitchen to say hi, but she didn't, though I could hear her voice from time to time out front. I did get the occasional visit from Grace, to oversee my cooking skills, and a disturbing check-in from Dex, who had apparently had a tremendous fight with Jorje over something or other. He gave me no details, just said he was going up to our room and would talk to me later.

I was ready for a shower when the night cook, Claude, showed up early. He laughed about my hair being greasier than his dreadlocks and said he'd heard Richie would be at home recovering for at least two weeks. "Grace won't be hirin' nobody else for dat short a time," he said, "dis job be yours, mon." I smiled and agreed I would undoubtedly see him tomorrow. Claude was a nice guy and a good cook, even if he did reek of ganja.

"I plan to pay you for this," Grace said, stopping me on my way to the stairs.

I smiled. "Just donate it to the Democratic presidential campaign."

He snorted. "I ain't planning to pay you enough to help with that!"

I had to agree that it was probably a lost cause. I just wished the Democrats could find someone who had a chance against George Bush. Maybe that southerner, Bill Clinton?

Dex was lying on the bed when I opened the door, his normally cheerful face wearing a frown. "What's up?" I asked, shedding greasy clothing.

"I hate this fucking town, Evan. The head vamp doesn't like Mr. D, and I've run into some flack because of it. I thought Jorje was different, but I guess not. And that isn't the worst of it. I really miss that bastard, Eric. I thought he was the one, you know?"

I sat beside him on the bed. "Are you sorry you didn't go to Hungary with him?"

He shook his head. "Vampire politics never left the stone age back in the old country. They won't even try the daylight drug. Eric thinks we're supposed to live in the dark; I can't deal with that."

I rubbed his back. "I'm sorry you're unhappy."

"Yeah, thanks. I've enjoyed being here with you. You couldn't have known that the local vampires would be such asses. Maybe it's just better if I go back to Denver."

He pulled me down and rubbed his forehead against mine, and then we were kissing. My body stayed male while we had sex, but that didn't bother either of us. Afterwards, Dex got into the shower with me.

"I need a shower, after rubbing against you." He laughed, pouring extra shampoo on my hair. I was glad to see his spirits improve a little. I felt like having a talk with the local head vampire, but didn't know how that would go over, or what repercussions it might have for Mr. D. I promised to send Dex home whenever he wanted to go, and he said he thought he'd sleep on it.

* * *

I dressed for my second meeting with Gaelen in black pants, open collared shirt, and sports jacket. If I couldn't wear jeans, I felt most comfortable in black. She hadn't asked where I planned to take her, and I had no idea how she'd dress. It didn't matter; Gaelen would look beautiful in anything.

The limo was due at ten fifteen, so I went downstairs to wait. I was glad to see Dex and Grace sitting at their usual table, especially since they were both smiling. I had time to note that Ben was alone behind the bar, and then the back door opened and she walked in. Her dress was powder blue, knee length, and slightly flared, with fly-away sleeves that revealed her arms to the shoulder. The v-neck framed a short string of pearls that shone against her bronze skin. Her hair was piled up, with curls cascading down around her face and neck. She was wearing black three-inch heels and had a wool coat of a darker blue shade thrown over her arm. For a moment, I couldn't do anything but stare.

She walked leisurely over to the table, looking even more like a queen than she had the night before. She stopped next to me, gave all of us a quick smile, and put a hand on Dex's shoulder. "I'm glad to see you smiling," she said. "You looked awfully grim when you came in earlier."

Dex smiled up at her, proving he wasn't completely immune to the feminine persuasion. "Thanks, Gaelen. Whatever was in that drink you made for me must have helped." She squeezed his shoulder.

"What about me?" Grace asked. "Aren't you glad to see me smiling?"

"Boss," she said, "you're always smiling, except when you're throwing a fit about something." Grace sniffed, but he looked pleased.

She looked up at me. "What about you, laughing boy? Cat got your tongue?"

I cleared my throat, still trying to swallow the lump that had formed in it. "Um… I think it's time for us to leave. Have a good night, guys." I turned my back on Grace and Dex, who were giving each other knowing looks, and held my arm out for Gaelen.

The limo was out front, just as I had requested, and Gaelen didn't even blink as the uniformed driver opened the passenger door and handed us in.

There was a privacy barrier between front seat and back, so we didn't have to worry about what we might say.

"You look wonderful," I said, unable to pull my eyes away from her. Her dark skin seemed to shine with health, and her eyes sparkled.

She grinned. "I expected to be tired today, or at least a little sore." She winked, and I know I blushed. "But I feel fine… better than fine, even after standing on my feet for eight hours." She looked thoughtful. "You know, I'd about half decided not to meet you tonight, but when I saw you, well, I was glad I did."

"I'm very glad you're here."

She nodded. "It's funny, when I'm not with you, this whole thing seems crazy, but the minute I see you it makes perfect sense."

"All the time I was in the kitchen I kept thinking about you." I took her hand, noticing that tingling energy still flowed between us. "I don't want this to be just about sex. I want to get to know you better, and I want you to know me. I want you to meet my family too."

She looked away from me, out the window. "You have family?"

"Well, yes, my cousin Star and his wife and kids."

She turned back to me. "A cousin? No one else?"

I shrugged. "It's more than I had before I met him."

"I guess I could stand to meet a cousin. I don't even have that anymore."

I squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, well. Shit happens. What did you say your cousin's name was? Star?"

"That's right. Well, his legal name is Paul, but he has this birthmark… so that's what all his friends call him."

She nodded. "And what do they call you?"

"Just Evan. The kids used to call me Uncle, but since they became teenagers, that's been dropped."

"How many kids?"

"Well, two sets of twins: boys, and then girls two years younger. Come to think of it, Vaira was about ready to have another one when I left. I should give them a call."

At the mention of a baby, I got a flash from Gaelen's mind. Nothing was clear - the faded image of a photo, perhaps. She looked as young as she did now and was holding a laughing baby in her arms. An older child leaned on her shoulder, and a man stood behind them, one arm around her. If she had no family, then what had happened to the people in the picture?

"Gaelen," I said softly. "Have you ever been married?"

She sighed and pulled her hand away. "Yeah, a couple times." She shook herself and gave me a fake smile. "But that was a long time ago. Let's talk about something else, okay?"

I sat back. I was used to the women, and the men, of course, wanting me - no reservations. Gaelen wanted me, she'd proved that the night before, but on some level she didn't, she fought against it. Why?

We hadn't said much more by the time we reached the restaurant. Gaelen took my arm for the walk inside, and we were shown to a table with a view of the water. She opened the menu in front of her face, and in spite of the beautiful surroundings, I wished I was elsewhere. If anyone but her had behaved as she did, I would have taken the hint and said goodbye. With Gaelen, I just couldn't.

The food and wine were excellent, as well as being our sole topic of conversation. I ate more than I wanted; the tension was tying my stomach in knots.

You could still find dance clubs that played disco, but I had chosen a place where the dancing was more traditional. Gaelen's mood seemed to lift a little when we'd checked our coats and she got the first view of the ballroom. She looked at me and raised one eyebrow. "Classy."

"Only the best for you," I said with a hopeful smile. Then we spun onto the dance floor, and everything seemed to be all right.

I don't know how many times we danced, just that it was two thirty in the morning when the driver dropped us off in front of Grace's bar. Gaelen allowed me to access the fire escape ladder this time, and even help her through the window.

Without speaking, we made our way into her bedroom. Standing together, she reached up and pulled my head down until our lips met. I shuddered when her tongue pushed its way into my mouth. She let her coat fall to the floor, then used both hands to slip the jacket off my shoulders. Before I knew it, she was unbuttoning my shirt and reaching for my fly. I felt for the zipper at her back, and when it was undone the soft dress pooled at her feet. There was nothing under it. I kicked away what remained of my clothes and lifted her onto the bed.

Our bodies came together eagerly, as though we'd been lovers forever. In minutes, the first orgasm was upon us, and I felt the now familiar outpouring of energy, this time able to sense my level of reserve strength and know I had enough left for another time without having to seek more.

"You know," she said breathlessly. "One of these days we have to talk."

"I'm ready when you are," I said. I had secrets, and perhaps she did too. I didn't want them to stand between us.

I loved everything about her, just to see her lying there, eyes closed, mouth relaxed into a Mona Lisa smile. One soft, strong, hand rested on my chest. The contrast of her golden bronze skin against my paleness was startling. Together, they were a perfect balance. I couldn't resist. I took the warm hand in my own, turned it over, and put the palm against my lips. Gaelen sighed lazily.

"Hey, big boy, don't start anything you can't finish."

I ran my thumb over her palm.

She shivered. "I warned you." Then her mouth was on mine again.

This time the explosion took longer to build, and I activated the connection between myself and the atomic power plant just in time, drawing off a large amount of energy as heat, transforming it on the way thorough my system, and delivering it to Gaelen. When I could breathe again, I checked my memory and found that there had been no dimming of streetlights. The plan was working.

A short while later, Gaelen pushed back and sat up, leaning against the headboard. "I meant to talk about this before, but every time I get close to you sex is all I can think of."

"What is it?" My former tension returned in a rush.

"When I saw Dex earlier, he was in the worst possible mood. Then when I met you downstairs he was all smiles. I touched him and… somehow he felt a little like you do."

I swallowed hard.

"Are you responsible for that?"

"I like Dex a lot, Gaelen."

"Me too. You going to answer my question?"

"I don't know what to say."

"You're having sex with him, aren't you?"

"Yes," I said finally, watching her mouth draw into a frown. "But Dex isn't my lover, he's my friend, and… he's not the only one." Whatever was between us, I had to be honest, and it might as well be now as later.

"Gaelen, I don't do relationships, not like that, not any more. There have been a few people I suppose I fell in love with in the past, but it's been years since I've even had what you'd call an affair. These days I love a lot of people, and have sex with some of them. The most important one is my cousin, Star."

"That's the guy who's married," she said slowly.

"Yes."

"And you still have sex with him? Doesn't his wife care?"

"I've had sex with her too."

She sighed. "Man, that's one interesting family you've got there."

I didn't say anything.

Then she sat up, as though a light bulb had come on in her head. "Wait a minute. How can you say you've been in love with 'a few people'? You aren't old enough for more than one serious love affair; you look like you ought to be in high school!"

I smiled a little. "I told you I'm older than I look."

"Yeah, that makes two of us," she muttered, eyeing me skeptically. "Well, it's been a while since I had sex with anybody. So long I thought I'd broken the habit. There are too many husbands and kids in my past for me to want that kind of relationship, ever again. I can't even believe I had sex with you!"

"I'm glad you did," I said. Husbands and kids, plural?

"Yeah, but…." She stopped speaking and frowned again. "Hey, it just occurred to me that we didn't use condoms last night or tonight, not even once. I could be pregnant, you son of a bitch!"

"There's no danger of that, I promise you. And before you ask, I don't have anything contagious, either."

"Fine, but how can you be so sure you didn't knock me up?"

"I… uh… I'm infertile."

Her expression changed. "For real?"

"Cross my heart," I said, doing so. "The doctors don't know why." True enough-I'd never consulted a doctor about it.

She sighed. "Well, I'm sorry for you, but that's good for me, anyway. The last thing I'd need is a kid to raise on my own."

I had a sudden picture of having a child with this beautiful woman, a sweet child with her curly hair and dark, liquid eyes, someone I wouldn't have to share with Star and Vaira. I found I wouldn't mind sharing a baby with Gaelen at all.

I shook myself. That wasn't going to happen.

"So, how long do these little 'not relationships' of your usually last?" she asked bitterly.

"I don't know… a day or two, sometimes, maybe a few weeks. I've been having sex with Dex for years now; he's become a good friend. Grace is my friend too and…"

"You have sex with Grace?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"He's old enough to be your…. Okay, the first night I saw you, I thought you were maybe twenty-five. When you asked me to walk with you, you were so shy I revised that estimate down to about eighteen. Now… tell me. How old are you? The truth this time."

I took a deep breath and stared into her eyes. "I'm over ninety years old, Gaelen."

"God damn it, I knew it! You lied to me, you fucker! You're not human! I should have known something was strange the first night, when that music came out of nowhere!"

"Neither are you." I tried to answer her calmly, but my heart was thudding in my throat.

She stared at me. "Oh… and how did you figure that one out? Do you read minds too?"

"Yes, but I never read yours, Gaelen. I swear it. I don't go where I'm not invited."

She flew off the bed, walked a few jerky steps, then collapsed onto the floor, knees to her chest, both hands covering her face. "I don't know what to think. I don't know who I am anymore. You've done something to me. It has to be you; there's nothing else new in my life. Those energy surges when we make love… it's crazy…."

I knelt beside her. "Make love, Gaelen? Is that how you think of it? Because I felt the connection the first moment I saw you. I… I love you, Gaelen."

She looked up.

"The way you love Grace and Dex?"

I sighed. It didn't feel the same, but…. "I don't know. I guess so." What I felt for Gaelen seemed so much stronger, but I had no other words to give her.

"C'mon, old man," she said, pushing me away from her with a foot. "Let's get some sleep. I have a job to go to in a few hours, and so do you." I rose and gave her my hand. She winced a little when she stood up. "If I can walk," she added.

"Are you all right?"

She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I'm fine. We can talk again later; I just can't stand any more right now."

We lay down and pulled up the blankets. I held her against me, and after a while her breathing slowed and I knew she slept.