Terrance sighed slightly as Mark introduced himself and wondered if all elves had this natural...confidence. Then again, he wasn't one to talk. "Fine, the elf prince can go with Eslatar. That way you're free to do...that job," Mr. T offered to Neal with a significant look. "Of course, that's if these arrangements are alright with you," Terrance added, looking over at Richard and Maev.

Eslatar, magically appearing back at camp, stepped out onto the decrepit porch with a look at the two guests. "What exactly am I being volunteered for?" he asked with a look of derision directed at Terrance.

---

Satin looked over to where Pavel had been staring. "That's Curse and Caerwyn. She's a half-witch and he's...well, no one really knows what to call him. He speaks to everyone through his mind...it's a bit, unsettling."

Curse looked down at Caerwyn with a smile, "Don't worry, we'll come again," she offered and bent down to kiss the top of his head. "Goodbye," she offered before detaching herself from Caerwyn and taking Emmaline's hand.

---

Lark shivered slightly at the sudden tight feeling in her gut as she watched Brick smooth out strands of her hair. Silent, she observed his expression as he pulled away and wondered if he'd ever see her as anything more than a little sister.

"What's happened in the camp- since I've been gone?" she asked, turning over on her side to have a better view of Brick's face.

---

Wystan looked over at Gwen.

"If you want power, if you want prestige, if you want safety, if you want companionship, if you want anything then yes, I would call it a 'good pay-off'," he answered with a grim look.

Talullah lingered in the halls, knowing it was too dangerous to try and rile Father and Mother again. She would have to lay low until dinner. Sighing, she walked slowly, suddenly missing her 'pet'. It wouldn't do to be this bored after all. Maybe it was time to seek out another to take Graeme's place.

---

Darileen didn't pull away from Victor's grasp immediately and felt odd for not doing so. Usually she wouldn't be this open with a stranger but concluded it must have something to do with the connection they were sharing at the moment. Whatever it was, it annoyed her.

"I doubt I'd be of much use finding anything," she answered, staring ahead with her blind eyes. She closed them and tried to listen in the silence for any sign of water sounds. "I think...I think there's a stream or something that way," she offered and pointed before opening her eyes.

---

Coriander smiled a bit stiffly, "She...she was found to be an unnatural poor woman. They took her to trial and I haven't seen or heard of her since. No doubt she's been shipped to that prison island they've been sending all the dangerous criminals lately."

---

Crazy man having disappeared, Kanti decided to go home and get ready for the ball. After all, if she had to go, she might as well look presentable. There was also the added concern that Graeme might have gone stir-crazy by now. Once arrived, Kanti opened up the front door and went into her house, looking around for Graeme.

Watching the girl with an unusual sense of...compassion and a furrowed brow, Victor waited in silence while Darileen listened for any sound of nearby water. Satisfied that she knew what she had heard, he nodded and stood up. "Well then, let's not draw this out any longer than necessary," he huffed, holding out his hand to her.

Darileen didn't take his offered grasp and Victor rolled his eyes. He reached down and took her by the hand to help pull her to her feet. "I'm extremely thirsty," he sighed in exasperation.

===

Graeme was sitting in the middle of the living room floor of the farm house with newspapers from the past week spread all around him in haphazard fashion, several of them torn and re-pieced together. A pen was behind his ear, two articles in hand as he looked back and forth between the two with a wrinkle of concentration going down the middle of his forehead.

===

"Alright then," Richard replied, looking down at his watch once more. "We should probably head back as soon as possible." At least three hours until the fundraiser, which was plenty of time to make a person who had been living out in the woods for a number of weeks look presentable. He looked back behind him when he heard Eslatar approach, then glanced at Terrance, deciding to let him explain what the vampire had been volunteered for.

Neal gave a short nod to Terrance, catching the shape shifters drift. "Congratulation Eslatar! Your going to the ball with the senator's son and Mark." The Darkling said to Eslatar in a playful, yet sarcastic tone as the vamp approached.

------------------------------

After leaving the meeting room, Karl wandered through the mansion of Talullah's coven. The Hybrid was cautious in his wanderings, being sure not to enter any rooms that had vamps in them and staying away from closed doors.... well, most closed doors. As was his style, Karl payed especially close attention to the assortment of paintings and other artifacts throughout the house.

"This is quite odd for a vampire coven.... I highly doubt all this came from Talullah. Most of this must have belonged to that old vamp who used to live here... what was his name?" Karl thought to himself as he stood in-front of a large painting of a medieval battle scene that was hanging in one of the second story hallways. "Eslatar! That's it!" The Hybrid said aloud. A few pale faces emerged from doorways at the sudden outburst from the "guest". "Sorry about that...." Karl said, sticking his hands in his jacket pockets and walking back down to the main floor.

"Touchy vamp's they have here...." He mused with a chuckle as he reached the main floor and began walking down the main hallway.

Caerwyn watched Curse leave with a sad, wistful frown. He did not want her to leave, but it was inevitable. He just wished he could see her more often. Waiting until she and Emmaline came with the supplies somehow made him anxious. He knew what people would do if they found out Curse was an Unnatural.

Goodbye, he pressed gently into her mind. He wondered if he should say anything to Emmaline, but decided not to.

Pavel frowned as Satin spoke. Watching the way the two interacted with each other. They seemed to be saying goodbye.

"She doesn't seem to be uneasy around him," he observed. He started then when Caerwyn suddenly turned and fixed him with a stare. Pavel did not exactly know what to make of the look. However he did relax visibly when the boy turned and walked away toward the back of the chapel.

----

Brick continued to stare at the tree, knowing he would not be able to answer if he looked at her. He shrugged slightly. "Not much," he said. "It's all been pretty dull. Interesting that the day you show up we get strange visitors." He smirked slightly and felt he was safe to look at her now, so he glanced over at her. Instantly regretting it, he swallowed hard and turned his eyes on the sky, thinking of anything besides how Lark looked right now.

----

Gwen pursed her lips. "Thank you," she said with genuine gratitude. Giving him another long look, she moved off past the vampire and into the hall.

P.S."Brooklyn!"

Standing, Darileen turned her head towards Victor, almost too chagrined to ask for more help. "If you wouldn't mind, I'll hold onto your arm," she said awkwardly, moving her gloved hand down to hold on, "The woods are a bit...troublesome," she added.

---

"What now?" Kanti asked, leaning against the entrance to the living room. She knew Graeme hadn't lost his desire to investigate, in fact being locked up in the house probably made the obsession worse. She took another step inside, glancing down at the scattered articles.

---

"I can't tell you how ecstatic I am," Eslatar offered, rolling his eyes at Neal. "Despite your assumptions, has anyone considered that I don't want to be in a room full of scantily-clad women stinking of blood and staring at me like I'm the handsomest creature they've ever laid eyes on?"

Terrance stared up at the vampire, waiting for the punchline.

"Well if I must," Eslatar finally drawled with a wry smirk.

"Good," Terrance answered with a lazy wink. "You'll enjoy yourself I'm sure. Just make sure to use self-control, even if you do come across someone who isn't as enamored with you as you are."

Maev dearly hoped that a vampire's idea of enjoying himself didn't include sucking people's blood.

---

"I imagine Curse would be kind to almost anyone," Satin replied, "But her and Caerwyn have become friends. I suppose it's good," she mused, glancing over at the boy.

Emmaline and Curse left the chapel and headed into the woods and towards where they'd parked the car. Emmaline hoped they'd be able to return in time. Lying to her husband wasn't something she was fond of...though she seemed to be doing it more and more these days.

---

Lark sighed. "I wish they'd all just leave us be," she said softly. Even after spending time in Button's zoo, Lark still found herself hoping that some day they'd be able to live as normally as possible without a gang with pitchforks constantly labeling them as monsters and chasing them around.

"Indigo still all angsty?" she asked.

---

Wystan watched Gwen disappear and then turned his face back to the empty room. He had a hard time reading this female- though somehow that seemed to be his lot in life.

Pavel was quiet for a long moment, then,

"Will you be my friend?" he asked in a small, almost childish voice, looking up at her hopefully. He wet his dry lips with his tongue, suddenly nervous that she would refuse. He did not think she would, but there was always that small doubt in the back of his mind, waiting to pounce whenever he asked a question.

----

Brick grinned faintly, concentrating now on the grass beside him. He pulled a couple of blades and let them fall slowly between his fingers.

"Of course," he said. "Now that we have a new vampire I'm guessing he's going to be even more angsty." He rolled his eyes. "Guy's really got to pick his girl soon. It's not fair to Curse to leave her wondering like he does." Brick paused a moment and then snorted softly. "Although she does have that freakazoid kid to keep her company."

----

Katie learned a system of operation quickly. Washing and drying dishes really was not that hard once you got said system down. She know could observe her surroundings while she worked. It was not hard to guess that the workers there came from poor families like herself (like her alias's self at least). They never looked very refined and certainly did not speak refined. The main chef was gruff but kind enough. He let the children take longer lunch breaks than the others because of their size and age (she was 10, he was 12, allegedly). Grinning slightly, Katie started work on the next stack, thinking she could get used to this thing called "work."

Billy had a harder time adjusting. Which was strange considering he had grown up doing dishes. The only explanation he and Katie could come up with, was the fact that he was constantly afraid they would be found out. He jumped at the slightest sound, he flinched when someone clapped him on the shoulder, and he frequently glanced over his shoulder, whether he was working or just on break.

Several dishes had shattered on the floor from his hands trembling too much. The chef got cross with him and it was only by the swift intervention of his "sister" that he escaped unemployment. He swore he would do better, but it was hard to feel safe when you were used to being chased.

P.S."Brooklyn!"

Looking down at the small gloved hand, Victor had almost forgotten that the Mrina was capable of disintegrating objects with her bare hands. He thought for a moment, about removing her hand, then decided that it wouldn't be too much trouble to have something so small using him as support. It might even be nice.

He relented with a grunt, saying nothing, but did nothing to dissuade Darileen from holding onto his arm.

===

Graeme looked up as Kanti came into the living room, a sheepish look crossing his face before he glanced back at the mess he had made. "Sorry," he apologized for his lack of tidiness over Kanti's home, "I couldn't sleep anymore," he explained, shaking his head before laying the articles down on the floor. He frowned, pulling the pen from behind his ear and circling a few lines.

He tapped the pen against one in an absentminded motion. "Talullah's crew didn't do this," he said, thinking to himself aloud now that there was someone around to listen.

Time-Jump to that night

Emmaline finished dressing and looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Curse had gone to bed already, and although Emmaline was reticent to leave her alone in the Manor, she knew that it was safer here than to where they were going. Although she'd once been used to the society affairs that were required of Mrs. Hook, Emmaline was not looking forward to tonight. Going to a ball, especially one to raise money for the anti-unnatural cause, was not her idea of a good time.

Sighing, Emmaline tucked a loose strand of golden hair back into the updo she'd painstakingly created and opened the door to leave the master bathroom that connected with the bedroom. The swish of fabric filled her ears as she searched the closet for the heels she hadn't worn in months. Snatching them up, Emmaline quickly slipped them on and languidly crossed the room, wondering if Charles would notice her effort tonight.

Lately it seemed that nothing could tear him from his fanatical dedication to his research. Emmaline was beginning to think that the man she loved had forgotten about her completely.

---

Kanti pulled up the skirt of her dress as she walked quickly up the stairs towards the entrance of the hotel. She'd never actually been inside the stately building, as it was far too expensive for a detective's salary. She almost tripped on her way through the doors and cursed the necessity of dressing up for such an event. It was annoying enough having to abandon a case to stick around and watch politicians mingle but wearing heels was just ridiculous.

Sighing, she finally made it to the ballroom that had been set aside for the occasion and entered after flashing her id at a guard standing there. There were no guests inside yet, just the band setting up in the corner and a hotel employee getting the last smudge off of one of the glorious floor-length windows on the opposite side of the large, marble-floored room.

Kanti tried not to be impressed, after all her job was to provide undercover security, not worry about how fairy-tale like the whole atmosphere seemed. Catching a glance of Ms. Scope coming through the doors, Kanti averted her gaze, not wanting to get involved in conversation with the giantess.

---

Snapping a bracelet into place on her arm, Elisabeth hummed, trying to remember the words to the song that'd somehow entered her head. Satisfied with the result that an hour had produced, the princess smoothed down the dress and sat down in one of the easy chairs in the room, abandoning her heels nearby. She doubted the rest of her family was done getting ready yet, especially with Thomas's aversion to formal clothing.

---

Skipping down the halls of Eslatar's mansion was one of Talullah's favorite hobbies. Unfortunately, now that Mother and Father were visiting, Talullah didn't dare disgrace herself in front of their followers. Sighing at the necessity of simply walking from the dining room, the small vampire tried to cheer her up by thinking that at least they had had visitors for dinner- even if they didn't stay very long. She knew they probably had some mischief planned and wished she could volunteer to tag along.

Being a matriarch was more of a pain than it was worth sometimes.

---

Lark crept through the underbrush in her human form, a slight grin on her face. The darkness made this game of hide-and-seek with Brick and Indigo absolutely perfect. She hadn't had fun like this with her supposed 'family' for the past week and was glad to be back where she felt she belonged- though she'd hardly admit how happy it made her to anyone but herself.

Readying herself to skirt around a patch of moonlight in the forest, Lark tensed and then suddenly sensed the presence of someone close by. Assuming it was one of the boys, Lark and sighed, ready to see a tall, tan-chested werewolf. Instead, she found herself meeting the gaze of a pale-faced man, his eyes obscured by the reflection of moonlight on his glasses.

There was no time to shift before another shadow moved nearby and a needle was stuck into her neck. Lark felt herself fading and wondered where she'd seen the man with the mustache before...

(no interference yet please )

Caerwyn crouched in the shadow of the bushes that surrounded the manor. He knew that the Hooks were going to the ball, and he figured it was the perfect opportunity to visit Curse in the house. He shivered slightly in the night air and drew his dark cloak around him, glad he had his hood up for the color of his skin would have shown clearly between the branches of the shrubbery.

----

Thomas struggled with his tie in front of his mirror, scowling at his reflection. He hated dressing up for things like balls and dinner parties. He had gone to multiple social gatherings, yet for some reason it took him forever to put his tie on. With a frustrated grunt, he tore the tie off and tossed it across the room onto the bed. Turning, he picked up his belt and foil, leaving his dress shirt open at the collar under his suit jacket. After bucking the belt and adjusting the foil at his side, he turned to the royal sash.

Sighing slightly, he picked it up and draped it over his head and right shoulder. It signified his royalty yet he did not know why he needed it. Everyone knew he was the prince. With another sigh, he ran his fingers through his hair, doing his best to smooth it down. It did not work very well. Giving his hair up for a lost cause, he exited his room and walked out into the main room. He sat down across from Elisabeth and made a face at the poofiness of her dress.

"You look like a wedding cake," he told her.

----

Uncomfortable in his suit and tie, Jason made his way into the hotel ballroom, flashing his badge at the man at the door. He pocketed the badge then and glanced around, seeing not many people had arrived yet. He saw a beautiful young woman in a blue dress and Ms. Scope. He stepped farther into the room, looking for the Detective. It took him several glances around the room before it registered that the beautiful woman in the blue dress was in fact Kanti. He did a double-take and then had to keep himself suddenly from staring.

Swallowing a couple times, he made his way over to her. "Good evening," he said politely, keeping an eye on Ms. Scope. He had taken a nap earlier and felt much better, although the stress of the day still gave him a slight headache.

Ian stood in the front lobby of the hotel, fiddling with his camera as he waited for the royals to make an appearance. As he did so, he glanced surreptitiously over at his sister. She had insisted on coming, and he had finally given in. Seeing her now it their mother's old wedding dress (complete with the veil), he suddenly wondered if giving in had been a good idea.

Melanie swished the skirt of her dress back and forth gently, keeping an eye on the door, obviously waiting for someone.

----

Gwen made her way demurely down the sidewalk toward the hotel. The dinner had gone well enough, although she was somewhat annoyed that she had not been able to enjoy the meal as much as she would have liked. There was something very unnerving about that place and the vampries that lived there. She had come away with shivers, and that did not happen often.

----

Brick ran stealthily through the forest, searching the wood eagerly for his brother and Lark. He hoped he would reach Lark first. Then maybe they could go off somewhere and leave Indigo as a joke. He could just see his brother's annoyed expression and chuckled under his breath.

He heard a noise to his left and pounced automatically, ramming into his brother. They tumbled to the ground and Brick stood up quickly.

"Aw man, that was too easy," he complained.

"You're just too good at this game," Indigo said reassuringly, even though he knew they both knew he had not really put his heart into it.

Brick snorted, obviously thinking the same thing. He stood and brushed off his shorts. "Time to look for Lark I guess." He headed off into the forest once more.

Indigo watched him go with a slight sigh, wishing he could do more to make his little brother's life easier. He picked himself up and headed off toward the camp, figuring Brick would want to find Lark by himself.

----

Katie hopped excitedly from one foot to the other. She had begged and pleaded for her and Billy to be able to serve at the ball and the chef had finally agreed. She had a feeling it was because he was more annoyed with her nagging than anything else, but she was satisfied. Adjusting her glasses, she smoothed her hands over her suit, having never worn such a costume before. It felt exhilarating and frightening at the same time. To be close to so many people at one time! She had never experienced it before.

Billy was more nervous than excited. His palms were sweaty and he constantly rubbed them against his pants. He was terrified that he would drop a plate or something at the party and be fired for good. However Katie's infectious grins relieved him somewhat. Sidling over to her, he bent close to her ear.

"Help me if I drop anything?" he asked pleadingly.

Katie gave him a sharp look. "I'll only be able to slow it. You'll still need to catch it."

Billy nodded, swallowing hard. "Thanks," he muttered, his voice hoarser than usual.

P.S."Brooklyn!"

Even at home Hook was hidden away, his thoughts consuming him. His meeting with the group that Daniel had introduced him to was approaching at a faster rate than he approved. On top of that, he had forgotten about the fundraiser where he was supposed to make an appearance. Hook hated making an appearance anywhere.

After his fiasco with Savage all those years ago, it just didn't do well for him to be away from home for long periods of time. People talked when he showed his face, dredging up painful pasts. Of course people talked whether or not he was around, but when he was around, he could hear every whisper made.

His formal suit was rather shabby looking as he hadn't had time or bothered to search for a new one, but he really didn't care what he looked like. Hook grabbed his jacket from the bed, sliding it on as Emma came into the room. His actions slowed as he looked at her, his arm catching in the sleeve.

===

Moonlight made things difficult to track, but a full moon was almost as good as the sun as its beams rained down through the trees, illuminating the path that Graeme had found leading through the forest. He turned another corner, pushing past a branch and found himself near a trickling stream. Crouching down, he studied a few light markings that looked like tiny footprints.

"Are you lost or found?" came a voice from behind him.

Nearly losing his balance out of sheer fright, Graeme whirled around, landing on his backside in the stream with a splash and a loud curse. Once he had regained a heartbeat, he looked up at the cause of his fright to find himself face-to-face with...a small girl, the moonlight streaming down over her blonde hair.

"Not exactly," he answered, cautious. He was starting to think that coming out here had been a bad idea after all.

===

Renting the penthouse suite of the Bradford Hotel when his own home was just a few miles outside of town seemed silly, but it made sense to Richard. In his mind, anything he did made sense. Seeing as the fundraiser was taking place right downstairs in the ballroom, staying upstairs seemed to be the best idea.

He stood in front of the floor length mirror, fiddling with the bow-tie of his tuxedo until the knot was perfect. Satisfied with his own perfection, he went about the room searching for his shoes. Richard wondered how his vampire companion was faring, but decided to just leave him be until he was ready. It was his fundraiser after all, so he was entitled to be as late or early as he pleased.

Emmaline finally looked up at her husband, noting with sudden bashfulness that he was looking at her. The feeling lasted a moment and she crossed over to him with a smile, holding out the red skirt of her dress slightly to show it off.

"Oh Charles," she suddenly said, touching the sleeve of his suit jacket, "We could have bought another suit," her smile was soft and amused as their eyes met.

---

Kanti started slightly as Jason spoke and turned to face her superior. Pleasantly surprised at the difference a suit and tie could make for a guy, she smiled slightly.

"Good evening," she returned and saluted out of habit before realizing it was a very out of place motion in the ballroom.

Cyrano entered the Bradford Hotel wearing slacks paired with a suit jacket and white button-down shirt. He knew it was too informal for the occasion but figured the clothing wouldn't matter considering he was here for a story and not much else.

Spotting Ian, Cyrano headed over, only realizing the girl in the white dress was Melanie after he got closer.

---

"Thank you," Elisabeth answered sarcastically, "Just what every girl wants to hear." She looked her brother up and down with a smile, "Looks like you gave up on the tie?" she asked, in a slightly better mood now that they were about to enter a very familiar atmosphere. Parties, Elisabeth could handle.

---

Maev knocked on the door that led to the room Eslatar had stationed himself in before quietly letting herself in. As anxious as she was about allowing the vampire into the ball, it'd only be more trouble if he didn't show up looking presentable.

In a moment she found her worries were quite unfounded. In fact, the usually unaffected secretary managed to just stare for several seconds before realizing this was an Unnatural- though a very handsome one, nobody could deny.

Eslatar smirked at the pause in Maev's steps and turned from the mirror, still adjusting his cuffs, "Well?" he asked, "Am I a suitable poster boy?"

Maev just nodded silently.

Stepping closer, Eslatar took the woman's hand and kissed it before looking up into her eyes, "Then perhaps we should see if your employer is ready to go? Unless you'd rather spend the evening between the two of us."

Shaking herself out of her stupefied state, Maev nodded and hurried out the door and across to the room Richard was dressing in. After that encounter, it was almost easy to see Richard dressed to the nines.

"Our guest is ready," she offered to him.

---

Cotton stumbled through the woods towards the Unnatural camp, angry that it'd taken him this long to figure out where they were stationed. He'd spent enough energy covering his tracks and was hoping even irate werewolves would be safer than Kes's wrath.

Neal stood by the dresser in his room making one last mental check-list to be sure he had everything he needed for the job. "Revolver... check. Knife... check. Map that Emmaline drew... check. O.K, I think I have everything." The Man in Black said as he headed for the door, being sure to grab his black fedora which was hanging on a nail in the wall as he left.

Neal quietly made his way through the chapel and out the font door. Fortunately, most of the others we're busy or asleep at this time of night, which made leaving without being stopped for questions much easier. Neal stopped by the forest's edge and gave one last look at the camp before putting his fedora on and disappearing into the shadows.

----------------------------------------

After leaving Eslatar's old mansion when the dinner was over, Karl had immediately returned to his hotel room to freshen up for the evenings festivities. As the Hybrid chose the right suit to wear, he thought back on the dinner and how the vamps seemed to have a kind of arrogant air about them. It was really nothing new, but it always amused Karl when vamps would try to appear better than him.

A few minutes later, Karl was standing in the bathroom admiring his suit in the mirror. It was quite an expensive suit, fortunately the store had had no problem with him taking it. "Probably having their precious little town burn down around them had something to do with it...." He said with an unnerving chuckle as he straitened his collar. "There, that gets it. Now it's just waiting on Gwen to arrive." Karl said as walked out of the bathroom and sat down on the bed, turning on the TV while he waited.

Mark was already in his suit and walking out of his room into the hallway, seeing no one but the secratary He checked his watch and leaned back agaist a wall. "Man these two are slow" before mentaly contacting the Vampire in the other room "Remmeber your place old man" he could have said 'boy' but he prefered to keep his youngster, inexperianced type of attitude when he was around potential enemys. That way he could suprise them if he needed.
---
Von walked up to the door way of the ball. Flashed his badge and when he was admited walked right in. Ryan was right behind him "Man I hate fancy balls" "You?" replied Von "I was the one raised on the streets".

Caerwyn crept closer to the manor, keeping an eye on both the door and Curse's window. When he was sure no one from the front would be able to spot him, he leaped into the air, much higher than a normal human would have been able to jump, and clung to the trellis that stood close to Curse's window. It shook slightly, and for a moment he was afraid he would fall. But then it settled and he climbed up easily.

The window was a tad trickier. It was locked from the inside. Staring at it intently, Caerwyn was able to move the lock, opening the window carefully, silently. He dropped into the room and shut the window behind him. Hesitating for a moment, he watched Curse in the bed, suddenly afraid to wake her. For some reason this seemed eerily similar to a different night, a long, long time ago. And that night had not ended well.

----

Jason could not help but smile slightly at her salute.

"No need for that in here, Detective," he said dismissing her gesture with a wave of his hand. He looked over at Ms. Scope and then the door where a few more of his men were entering. "Seems like our guests of honor are making it their duty to be fashionably late," he commented idly as the ballroom began to fill up slowly.

Melanie smiled suddenly when Cyrano entered the hotel. Picking up the folds of her dress, she walked hurriedly to him. "You came," she said, looking up at him with her usually intense gaze.

Ian grimaced slightly behind Melanie and took a step forward, grasping her shoulders and pushing her gently to the side. "Go on inside, Mel," he instructed quietly, and he waited while a somewhat dejected Melanie entered the ballroom. He turned to Cyrano.

"Sorry," he apologized. "She's not really supposed to be here, but she wanted to come." He left the reason up for interpretation.

----

Thomas scowled faintly. "Oh, shut up," he muttered, irritated at her tone. He hated the fact that while he was uncomfortable and awkward, Elisabeth was as calm and cool as ever. It was almost as if nothing could touch her, she was like this so often. Sometimes he liked to wonder if she was even human. That would certainly explain a lot, he thought. It had been years since he had seen her lose her temper. Every once and a while he wondered what would happen if he was able to push her buttons enough to get her to explode. But then the thought of a furious Elisabeth was almost scarier than the calm, cool, collected one. So he never really tried.

"Looks like Mother is planning on being 'fashionably late'," he commented idly after a moment, glancing toward the bedroom door where the Queen was taking her own sweet time getting ready. "I just want to get this over and done with," Thomas added sulkily.

----

Indigo entered the camp and then stopped, listening. Suddenly he whirled around and dropped into a crouch, recognizing Cotton's scent anywhere.

"What do you want, human?" he growled, a dangerous ripple coursing over his half-naked body.

P.S."Brooklyn!"