Disclaimer: I disclaim this. All hail Vivian Vande Velde, owner and creator of Companions of the Night and the characters featured in this fic.

Kerry examined her reflection feeling pleased. She looked good, if she did say so herself. Her light brown hair was swept back into an elegant chignon, gentle tendrils wisping around her face. She fingered the pearls at her throat, wondering if they were a tad too June Cleaver. But no, she decided, they were perfect for the little black dress. The whole ensemble spoke of power and sophistication, just what the vice president of an up-and-coming publishing house needed to be. Of course, she felt neither powerful nor sophisticated, but she'd managed to fool them thus far; hopefully she would continue to do so. She smiled one last time at the mirror- were those wrinkles starting at the corners of her eyes? After years of tireless moisturizing and the meticulous application of sunscreen? She frowned, but that just made matters worse. She was thirty-five, wrinkles were inevitable, she supposed.

With a sigh, she turned and exited her hotel room. The annual end of year banquet was being held in the- she double-checked her invitation- West Ballroom. At the doorshe braced herself and prepared to mingle. Stepping into the grand room, she had to agree that the exorbitant fee they were paying the party planner was worth it. Towering centerpieces of blue, purple and white lilies, asters and roses dominated the tables swathed in matching table clothes, there was a champagne fountain, and a live band set up in one corner. They were actually pretty good, she was surprised to note. They played jazzy stuff that could actually be danced to, if she could dance in the first place. The scenery was upstaged, though, by the beautiful people that the Californian art scene seemed to be wholly populated with. Her company was considering opening an office on the west coast, which was the primary purpose for her trip here. Statuesque trophy wives stood preening by rich husbands twice their age in dresses as expensive as they were garish. For a moment Kerry wished she'd worn something other than the black New Yorkers were so notorious for, but then, who did she think she was kidding?

She was distracted by her fashion woes by a loud cry of "Well, damn, if it isn't Kerry Garrett." She jumped hearing hermarried name; she'd thought about keeping her maiden names, but Todd thought it would just cause too much confusion. She gritted her teeth in what might have passed as a smile. "Hi, Greg."

Greg Chamberlain, a shortish, stoutish man with receding and unnaturally shiny black hair, ambushed her in a hug that was borderline work-inappropriate. She disentangled herself from his grubby embrace while trying not to choke on his overpowering cologne. She managed the former, if not the latter. Greg had the dubious honor of being one of the most annoying men she'd ever had the misfortune to meet. He was also the most profitable marketer.

"Kerry, Kerry, Kerry. How you doin' babe?" hepractically oozed. Luckily, Greg didn't actually expect conversation from women and kept going. "I have been just fan-fucking-tabulous. Business- whew!" He threw his hands up in an explosive gesture. Kerry flinched involuntarily. "It's through the fucking roof! You okay, doll? You seem jumpy. But of course, you already know all about the business…and who's responsible for our good fortune, eh, eh, eh. But that's not the only place I've been profiting. I got married!" He waved a plump hand in her face, displaying an expensive and tacky ring. Kerry murmured congratulations and wondered what woman would sentence herself to a life with Greg. "Yep, got hitched, the ol' ball and chain. My wife's here somewhere. Honey!" he bellowed. "Oh, there she is. Honey! Come over here, I got someone for you to meet." A woman with impossible tall shoes and impossibly tall turned from where she'd been conversing with a dark-haired young man. Kerry let herself be steered over to the pair, gratefully grabbing a frothy pink cocktail from the tray of a passing waiter. She knew she would need many more before she escaped from Greg and his bimbo wife.

"Kerry, this is Theresa, my wife." Theresa may have said something, but Kerry was too busy staring at the young man next too her. She felt simultaneously hot and cold and struggled to draw breath. Greg, thick as he was, managed to pick up on her discomfiture. "This is Owen Black, the new marketing intern."

"A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Garrett," Michel said brightly, taking Kerry's shaking hand in his own.

Heart in her throat, Kerry managed a shaky pleasantry in return, vaguely aware that Greg and his wife were looking at her strangely. She had to pull herself together. He might not even recognize her. It had been nearly two decades since he last saw her. She'd changed since then, and she was pretty sure he'd had more impact in her life than she had in his. But as she steeled herself to look him in the eye, she knew he knew. Probably remembered every detail far better than she.

Greg's wife was saying something about dinner about to be served and prodded them all toward one of the tables. Kerry felt a wash of gratitude toward the woman, and reassessed her previous conclusions. Clearly, Greg had chosen a woman with a heart as big as her hair.

Dinner seemed to take hours, every minute acutely felt. And Kerry spent every moment trying to not look at the vampire seated next to her. She could only manage a few bites of whatever was served; it all tasted like ash on her tongue.

"Christ, Kerry, you look like you're going to be sick," Greg said, giving her something to focus on.

"I…I don't feel well. I think I got too much sun today." She managed a weak smile. "If you'll excuse me." She made it to her feet, not waiting for a reply, and made it out of the ballroom. She walked and didn't stop until she was out of the hotel. There was a pool with adeck behind the hotel for those whom were unwilling to walk the few hundred yards to the ocean. Lounge chairs were arranged for those tired of swimming, a darkened snack bar was at the far end. It was empty now; the moonlight gave everything a sense of serenity, which she could desperately use right now. She sank down onto one of the deck chairs, letting the sound of the ocean wash over her. She closed her eyes, and felt the pressure that had been weighing her down ease a bit.

She been imagining this day since she was sixteen. For years, she'd expected to run into him around every corner. Had hoped she would. Had feared she would. It hadn't been easy, but she'd made it through the trial. Had managed to put her life back together. She'd been to a dozen therapists; they helped some though she could never tell them the truth. She'd almost cometo believe her own story about the kidnapping. As she'd gotten older, she'd pushed him from her mind, had gone months without thinking of him, and even then in the most idle and passing way. Except for the dreams.

"Kerry." She didn't have to open her eyes to know who it was. After a moment in which she neither moved nor spoke, she heard the scrape of chair feet on cement indicating he'd taken the seat next to her. She tried to slow her breathing and heart rate, knowing he was aware of every beat.

"…Michel?" she asked tentatively, half-expecting to open her eyes and find herself talking to the night breeze.

"Yes?" His voice was soft

"Did you know I would be here?" It had been weighing on her mind since she'd gotten over her initial surprise.

He gave her that unreadable vampire look she knew all too well, deciding what answer would please her. "No," he said finally. Kerry was both relieved and disappointed. "I looked at the guest list but didn't know your married name." He shrugged as if to apologize.

"We're separated," she said unsure why she volunteered information she still hadn't told her family, but was careful to keep her expression neutral. She was determined to use the hard won restraint she'd lacked at sixteen.

"I'm sorry."

She shrugged. "It happens. People change." At least, some people did. "So," she started searching for a topic of conversation, and finding it very hard to think with him standing there regarding her with beautiful blue eyes. "You have an internship with Sterling and Sauls? You must have been a promising applicant."

"Owen Black was, yes."

"And what happened to Owen? Won't he be disappointed he's missing this party?" she asked against her will.

"He doesn't even know that he applied." She nodded, feeling relieved. Maybe it was a lie, but she found she didn't even care. It was a lie she could live with. She had learned the importance of those lies the past few years. They'd been all that held her marriage together. You miss them when the truth is revealed.

"So, you're getting into the publishing business?"

"No." Michel didn't elaborate further and Kerry didn't feel like pressing. "Do you have any children?"

"What? No." She was surprised at his line of questioning. "I always wanted to, but Todd…" Todd never thought it was the right time. "Things didn't work out." She stood and walked out to the rail of the deck, looking down on the sandy beach and watching the play of moonlight on the waves. Michel followed, setting his elbow on the rail next to her and leaning out. But he wasn't watching the waves. "I'd ask what you've been up to, but I'm sure it's top-secret vampire affairs."

"Something like that." She snuck a look at him. He was just like she remembered, and yet different somehow too. But the difference was in herself, she realized. His features seemed younger now, looking at him through older eyes. He was just as beautiful, but she saw the ferocity and danger where she had missed it as an innocent girl. The sense of age and knowledge hung around him like cologne.

"Do you ever regret it?" she asked, afraid of the answer but tired of wondering.

He raked a hand through his dark hair, considering. Either he was wearing it longer or hadn't had a chance to cut it. "Do you?" His cool gaze met hers.

"Not fair, I asked first," she protested. She waited as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and offered her one. She made a face and he put them away without lighting himself one, but rolled his eyes.

"Sometimes, I do." For once he was the one to look away first. "Your turn."

"Sometimes for me too. I mean, I guess it's understandable. Grass is always is greener, right? Of course that grass is going to look that much greener when this side of the fence is a rocky marriage to a husband who you're pretty sure isn't really in love with you and possibly never was, and a 80 hours a week at a job that you're not too sure you're even good at. But then, I'm sure vampirism has some downsides they don't put in the brochure. Like…" She struggled to think of some downsides. "Vampire hunters and never being able to work on your tan." God, she was rambling. "So yeah. Sometimes."

He looked her for a long moment, his eyes seemed silver in the moonlight, then reached out and ever so lightly traced her collarbone and down her throat. She shivered and meant to push him away, but found she was clinging to him instead. He was so strong; she could feel the iron beneath the tenderness of his touch. It was so easy to let him support her; she wasn't sure if she could rely on her trembling legs anyway. His lips pressed against hers, soft cool, something to focus on in the frenzy of her mind. She knew what he was going to do, but couldn't stop him. Didn't want to. A tiny voice in the back of her mind reminded her that he was dangerous. He could kill her, but even that thought didn't bother her. Just so long as he held her first…

She felt more than heard him whisper against her throat. "Just a taste…" She cried out when his fangs pierced her skin; the pain was sharp but also sweet. It was quickly over, leaving her floating in warmth. She could feel him, totally and completely, his thoughts, feelings, emotions. It was a joining that made the mere physical joining of sex pale in comparison. This was better than sex, this was what sex should be but never was. And for the first time in nearly twenty years, Kerry felt truly at peace.