Stalking

[Demeter]

He's seen her only a few weeks ago, strutting across the stage. She was from that American group touring England. Sean watched as the girl bounced across the dance floor of the pub. Of course, that group had left after their last run so why was the girl still here? Sean raised his pint glass up and watched her through the foamy glass. He wondered about the pale blonde with the bouncy attitude.

Okay, so part of that was because she smelled like so many other things. The other part was because he saw her everywhere he went lately. Or smelled her. He wanted to taste her. He wondered what his grandparents would think of her.

When his friends nudged him, he sighed and glanced at them. They were his co-workers and often invited him out for a pint at the nearby pub. He normally went. He often spotted the blonde at this pub. He pulled out with wallet and payed his half the tab. The other's left. He stayed.

The blonde was alone. The other wolf that was normally around her hadn't been smelled for weeks now. He was gone. Both Sean and Ripper grinned. She was free for the taking. Only one question remained...did she want to be taken?

Sean slid out from the both and walked over to the bar where the blonde was standing around with her apparent friends. She wasn't drinking. She never did. He leaned against the polished wood, close enough to be heard over the live band if he yelled. "Hello, Darling. I've seen you several times now and I just have to know. What's your name?"

[Maira]

She knew he was watching her. Whenever she came to this particular pub and he was there he always watched her. The first few times she had come had been with Gareth for dinner and music before he'd left. Then they'd lost the baby, they'd fought, and he'd gone home without her.

For about two weeks she'd gone back to the apartment in London that Uncle Lysander had arranged for her when the theatre group had first come to England. It still had his scent lingering, and it was where their child had been concieved. It was as close to home as she would get without actually leaving and she refused to leave. She couldn't go home and face her family right now.

When Uncle Lysander had come to visit her(supposedly on business), Lani had cried as he'd held her, she'd told him everything that had happened. He'd stayed for a few days, cooking for her and making sure she was okay in general. When Uncle L had gone left London, so had Lani. She'd gone back north to where she'd rented an apartment with Gareth before he'd left. After all, the lease wasn't going to be up for another 4 months or so she may as well live there.

She had been back in her apartment in northern England for a few weeks and it had taken that long for her to clear the place of Gareth's scent. Now that she was free of his scent, she could pretend she was free of him as well. And while she was pretending, she liked to go out with some of her friends that she had made since moving here.

This night she actually wanted to be alone but her friends knew what had happened two months prior and they refused to leave her alone. They had dragged her out, threatening to get her drunk, but like always she had turned the alcohol down. She didn't like how it messed with her senses, and like her father she couldn't really hold her liquor... The best way to hide that embarrassing fact was to just not drink.

She was sipping on some water listening to her friends chatter about their daily nonsense when she smelled him. When he spoke she had to force herself not to stiffen. With a small, somewhat distant smile on her lips she answered, "My name is Lani."

[Demeter]

Sean grinned. "Well, Lani" he practically purred the name out, "I'm Sean. I've seen you here plenty but you seem to be free of your usual baggage." he was referring to the man normally found around the girl. He just didn't like the way the other wolf smelled. "Where has he gone?"

Sean turned and arounded a second drink. When the pint was in his hand, Sean rested his back against the bar and, ignoring the glares of the people around him, turned his face to Lani. "I've seen you act. I know that the troupe has moved on but why are you still in town?" He took a long sip from his drink while he waited for her answer.

[Maira]

Okay, now she couldn't help but stiffen. Her baggage?! If they hadn't been surrounded by people, Lani likely would have smacked the man for his impertinence. How dare he talk about things he didn't understand!

So she -wouldn't- smack him, Lani held her tongue until she was sure he was done talking. Then, in a rather detached tone she told him. "My baggage was my ex-fiance. He left because I lost our baby. He wanted to go home and I didn't. When I wouldn't agree to go, he left me. I didn't go when he and the troupe left because I can't face my family right now."

She watched the man, who smelled unmistakabley like wolf, as her words sunk in. She hoped that he'd just leave her alone now. Tonight was not the night she needed to be hit on. Only, judging by the looks her girlfriends were giving her, its exactly what she needed. One of them had even slid their beer down the bar so that it would be within her reach. She smiled at Lucy and then turned her attention back to Sean.

[Demeter]

Sean cringed. Okay, so he'd deserved that one. His tounge got a little loose whenever he drank more then one pint. The boys had started early tonight and this was pint number four. He carefully set his glass down on the counter. "Well, I hardly knew that. It's not like I have a memo about your life on hand. I see a pretty, seemingly unattached girl having fun and I'm going to approach said girl. No need to take your life problems out on me."

Sean smiled at Lani once more. "Also, I came over here to present myself to you." Sean pulled out a business card from his wallet. "Sean Greenly, I represent talent and I sure for it. You have a nice singing voice, Lani." He turned away from the girl and walked over to a single table. He sat so that he faced the band. He studyed the young group, mentally rating their talent. He made a mental note to talk to those young men before the night was out.

He tilted his chair back on it's rear legs and played with the pile of napkins the previous table occupant had left on the table. He'd wait Lani out, see if she came over. Most people had, once or twice, thought about become famous. He had the ability to make that happen. His superious often said that anyone he touched went platinum. They were either buttering him up to find new talent or they were playing to his title, rather his grandfather's title.

[Maira]

She saw him cringe and Lani tried to feel bad about it. She really did. Normally she wasn't the snappish or grumpy type but Gareth being called her baggage was just a bit much considering how high her emotions were already running. She'd been able to push them aside, if not totally away, by dancing and singing a few songs when the band asked her. For some reason they seemed to like her voice.

When Sean finally replied, she looked away. Now she was embarrassed and slightly ashamed. She really shouldn't have let into him that way, though she had been fairly calm about how she'd informed him of just what her 'baggage' included. Then he went on to play that he'd been searching her out because of her apparent talent. She nearly laughed when he complimented her singing voice. Apparently the band members weren't the only people in the pub who liked to hear her sing.

When he walked away, Lani watched him wander off to a table near the band. Once he was situated she forced herself to ignore him for a while. She took the beer that her friend Lucy had shoved at her and downed it then proceeded to drag her friends back out to the open area that passed for a dance floor. If nothing else, the beer would help her push past the sudden onslaught of emotions that Sean had brought back to the surface. Hopefully it'd give her the courage to actually go over and talk to him some more.

*****

Two beers later, Lani was feeling quite a bit happier and quite a bit more confident. With only gentle prodding from Lucy and the others, Lani finally worked up the nerve to go talk to Sean. He was still at his table watching the band and he seemed rather engrossed in their current song. When she took a chair next to him and leaned in so he could hear her above the music, she told him, "I'm sorry about earlier. I try not to unload on people like that but you sorta took me off guard." Then, with a playful smile she added, "Can we start over maybe?"

[Demeter]

Sean looked up at Lani and smiled. "Sure, we can start over. Name's Sean. I'm a Music Producer. I'm also a member of the minor nobility. Please, sit." He motioned to the chair oppostie of his, shoving it out from under the table with a quick shove from his foot.

"Excuse me for one moment" he quickly took a PDA out of his coat pocket and jotted down a note to find and contact the ringleader of this band. He wanted them. They'd want him. They needed each other. After replacing the PDA in his coat, Sean looked over at Lani. "I am sorry about earlier. The boys got me drunk." he shot a glare over to the table where his co-workers still sat. They raised their glasses to him with big grins on their faces. "see if I introduce them to anyone every again."

"So, your...friend, he's no longer around, is he?" There were just some things he needed ot be sure about before he made an even bigger ass out of himself.

[Maira]

When Sean introduced himself Lani had to fight hard not to snicker at the mention of himbeing a member of the minor nobility. It would be a looong time before she told him about just who her great grandfather was and that she too was nobility of a sort. At the offered chair, Lani sat gracefully and waited for him to finish poking at his PDA.

Once his attention was finally back on her, Lani did laugh a little when he glared at his buddies when he explained they'd gotten him drunk. She had occasionally let her friends do that to her before Gareth left and if it hadn't been for him, those few instances could have ended rather awkwardly.

When Sean asked about her "friend" being gone, Lani nodded and answered simply, "Gone and never coming back, hasn't spoken to me since the day he left."

[Demeter]

Sean grinned a decidedly wolfish grin. "Good for me. I'm guessing you're not to happy with the situation." he leaned across the table. "Or are you?" Sean was interested in the young woman on both a person and professional level. Sean leaned back in his chair. "If you don't mind me asking, why did he leave and just where did he go?"

Ripper snarled that it didn't matter where the other wolf went. He'd just rip him apart. Ripper, being slightly over-confidant in his ability to defend himself and maul others, tended to forget about that other side of the other wolf. "Also, if you don't mind me asking. What was he? I know about the wolf but what else was present?"

Sean fiddled with his glass. He wanted to get to know this woman. There was something about her that drew him in and made him do stupid things.

[Maira]

Something about Sean both drew her to him and made her want to snarl at him all at the same time. She really did wish he'd drop the Gareth subject but since it didn't seem he was going to any time soon, she figured indulging him now might head off more discomfort at a later time. "I didn't want him to leave so when he did I wasn't happy with it. I have since learned to live with his decision. As for why he left and where he went, I sort of told you already when I lost my temper earlier... He went home to the States after I lost our baby 2 months ago."

The next question that Sean asked about Gareth was easier to answer, though she had to admit she was a bit surprised he asked it. Still, even though it was easier to answer she wasn't about to in such a public place. "I don't mind you asking what he is, but I'm afraid I can't answer you here. There are too many people that don't know about him or me, including some of my friends and I'd just rather not start any rumors."

Two months was not a long enough time for Lani to forget the tradgedy of her miscarriage or get over her lover and fiance abandoning her but it -was- enough time for her to realize that she couldn't keep to herself forever. If nothing else, Sean could at least help her build up a little bit of courage to interact with the male half of the world's population again so she wasn't totally opposed to possibly spending more time with him later.

[Demeter]

Sean considered his vaccum cleaner. He'd only used the thing once, maybe twice, in the year he'd been in this particular residence. He didn't even want to considering what could be living in the carpeting. On the other hand, he was pretty sure that Lani would not be impressed by dingy beige carpet. Heaving out a great sigh, Sean plugged cord into socket and flipped the switched. It took three rounds before he was satifised that nothing remained in the fibers.

Nornally, he didn't care about the state of his residence. The only woman who'd ever been beyond the door was his younger sister and she was usually an uninvited guest. Madison had a habit of popping up unexpectedly, which was why he never entertained at home. However, Madison was out of the country right now...which explained the freshly-vaccumed-lemon-furniture-polish smell.

Chucking the vaccum back into it's closet, Sean attacked the bags of food he'd picked up from the market only a few hours earlier. He'd invited Lani over for dinner. They'd been seeing each other, socially, for a few weeks and he wanted to get to know her without the crowds they habittually found themselves in.

He cooked, a skill he was proud of, and thought about Lani. She was...well, not perfect but damn near close. When the doorbell rang, he jumped before going to answer it. Lani stood on the otherside, giving his neighbor's stoop a doubious look. He doubted that, while Martin the Neighbor owned a few gutiars, that the man even knew a what a vaccum looked like. Sean considered that a few points had to be tallied under his name for simply owning one.

[Maira]

Why in the world she thought dating again was a good idea was beyond Lani. Yet, for the first time in her life she didn't have brothers and a cousin, 3 fathers, and numerous other family members watching to make sure whatever man in her life was good enough for her. It was such a novelty that she just had to take advantage of the situation.

Plus, if she really wanted to admit it to herself Sean wasn't really that bad of a guy. Once she got past her own hang-ups he'd been sweet and courteous, a bit curious about her past and her talents on the stage, and truth be told he was pretty easy on the eyes as well. The strangest thing about dating Sean had been that she didn't know every last detail of his life. She hadn't grown up with him practically from birth, so learning about him had been very interesting for her.

Apparently things were going well between them because Sean, instead of asking her to one of their normal hangouts, had asked her to his home for dinner. She was both excited and nervous as she parked her car in front of his house and walked up to the door and rang the bell. As she waited for Sean to answer the door, Lani took a look around his neighborhood and couldn't help but eye the neighbor's front porch. To say it was cluttered was being extremely kind...

When Sean finally answered the door, warmth and the smell of food wafted out to her and Lani's gaze turned from the neighbor's messy front porch to him with a warm smile. "Evening Sean," she said as she handed him a bottle of wine. "I'm not sure what we're having for dinner but this tends to go well with just about everything."

[Demeter]

He burned dinner. Well, not really. It was more like his stupid stove decided that dinner really needed to be cooked at a temperature higher then what the recipe called for. So, chucked the chicken into the trash and called in an order of pizza.

They sat on the floor of his living room, eating the pizza, drinking the wine that Lani had bought and laughed. He'd told her stories of the antics that he and his sister had gotten up to as children. And declared her the winner of the most outrageous childhood antics when she told him about the things she had done as a child. They talked about friends and family, hopes and dreams. Somehow they got on the subject of things that annoyed them. Sean could only laugh when Lani said that he annoyed her.

He set aside their wine glasses and scooted closer to her. He reached out and tucked a loose strand of her pale blonde hair behind her ear. "But, sometimes," he said while leaning closer to her, "something that is annoying can be a good thing, can't it?" And then he kissed her.

She tasted of the wine and pizza and something that could only be discribed as pure Lani. He pulled back after a moment. "I like the fact that I annoy you, Lani. It means that you notice me at the very least. I very much want to continue to annoy you," he said before dragging her against him for another kiss.

[Maira]

Having dealt with finicky kitchen appliances on more than one occasion herself, Lani wasn't upset about Sean's oven burning dinner. And considering the alternative was pizza from her favorite local pizza shop, she wasn't opposed to the new meal plan one bit.

Once they were settled on the livingroom floor with the pizza and wine, Lani listened to stories that Sean told her of his childhood with his sister. Then it was her turn to relate childhood stories and poor Sean sat there mouth gaping for most of them, especially the ones involving her cousin Rowan. From there they talked about so many different things, at one point Lani even admitted to Sean that he annoyed the crap out of her a good part of the time and he just laughed.

That wasn't the reaction that Lani expected to that particular admission but she was glad she hadn't actually upset him by telling him. Instead of getting upset he actually scooted closer to her, set aside their wine glasses, and said a few things that she didn't really hear because she was suddenly very aware of his proximity. He smelled so good!

And then he kissed her. She could feel her fire suddenly surging inside her, her leopard was also demanding to be heard. When Sean pulled back, Lani had to take a couple deep breaths to get herself under control and again she mostly missed what he said before he dragged her body against his for another kiss.

Her body had never reacted this strongly to Gareth, or any of the boys she'd snuck kisses with where her brothers couldn't see while she was in highschool, and to suddenly have to be fighting to keep things under control was shocking to her. With his arms around her, his body pressed to hers, and his lips having their way with hers, Lani was lost. Her own arms immediately snaked around Sean holding onto him probably a little more tightly than was necessary.

When she felt her temperature start to rise again despite her best efforts to keep it under control, Lani reluctantly released Sean and placed her hands on his chest to push him away as gently but as firmly as she could. Breathlessly she apologized, "I'm sorry Sean I really don't want to accidentally burn you, or singe your carpet, but if we keep this up I just might..." She looked at him, searching his eyes for any sign of a freak out. When she didn't see one, she took a steadying breath and before she could change her mind explained, "I'm half Keahi vampire and their element is fire, hence the possible burns and singed carpet if you get me too worked up. I'm also part Pard, part Angel, and part Custos."

There, she'd done it, finally spilled the beans on just what kind of mutt she was. Sean had never actually asked her, he'd asked about Gareth but never her, and she couldn't help but wonder if its because she smelled a little to weird to even want to know. Oh well, he knew now and could do whatever he wanted with that information. She just hoped that the insanity that was her genetic make-up wouldn't scare him off when, at last on her end, they were so obviously physically compatible.

[Demeter]

Seam raised a single eyebrow when Lani explained exactly what she was. So that explained why he couldn't get a read on her. "So? I'm wolven. I also happen to be the heir of an earldom that I don't really want and that my grandfather doesn't really want to give me. No one's perfect and I honestly wouldn't mind if you burned the carpet. Would force the landlord to replace it."

He could only grin at the woman in his lap. She appeared to be a little stunned. "Lani, please don't tell me that the Aristocrat thing is a deal breaker. I would really love it if you didn't care."

In the end, if turned out that Lani didn't care. And Sean continued to take her out. Sometimes it was dinner in, sometimes it was dinner at family oriented places and other times it was fancy restaurants where being an Honorable so-and-so got him very nice tables and excellent service. 

It was at once such dinner, tucked away in their own private alcove, that Sean brought up the subject of family. Holding Lani's hand across the table, he smiled at her. "My grandmother and sister want to meet you. My sister is being launched on society next weekend and I'm expected to be at her ball. Say you'll come with me?"

[Maira]

Her body clearly favored Sean, her heart followed right along. It was only her mind that had any real problems with what seemed to be turning into a rather serious relationship. Her last one hadn't ended very well and it had nearly destroyed her, she was scared of that happening again. Still, despite her fears, Lani continued to go out on dates with Sean and she could feel herself falling harder and harder for the wolven.

One one of the more romantic dinners he took her to, Sean told Lani that his grandmother and sister wanted to meet him and then he asked her to attend his sister's ball. She could feel panic rising slowly in her and she did her best to ignore it. "I'd like to come with you but despite my great-grandpa's rather impressive slew of titles, I've never been to a ball before. I'm not entirely sure I'd live up to expectations and I don't want to embarrass you," she answered him nervously. She tried to ignore the idea of his family wanting to meet her because if she focussed on it right now it was entirely possible something might get a bit singed.

When Sean just smiled at her encouragingly, Lani couldn't resist him and she caved, "Fine, I'll go with you but I'd like to meet at least your sister before we go so she can help me find an appropriate dress at least."

*****

When she got home from her date with Sean, Lani waited only long enough for his car to pull away before she dug out her cell phone and dialed home. When her Dad answered the phone she said, "Hi Dad, can I talk to Papa for a sec?

On the other end, Dominic just smirked and answered her, "Of course sweety, let me find him." Lani rarely called home, and when she asked for Lysander before even talking to him a little bit it always turned out being her panicking about something. Some parents might have been hurt that their child preferred the other parent over them but honestly Dominic loved the bond that L and Lani shared, it was part of why he loved the man so much.

When he finally found L at his desk glaring at the computer, Dominic walked over and he held out the phone, a hand over the reciever, and whispered, "Your girl is having a moment." When L looked at him, one eyebrow raised curioiusly, Dominic added, "I don't know, she just asked for you."

Lani had been fiddling with the pen and paper she kept by her bed and when she heard the phone changed hands, she dropped the pen to the floor. Hearing Lysander's voice come across the line, Lani immediately blurted out, "I'm not sure I'm ready to fall in love, Papa! He's a wonderful man, he drives me bonkers half the time, but the more time I spend with him the harder it is to tell myself that I don't want another serious relationship because I really don't think my heart is giving me a choice in the matter. He wants me to meet his family next weekend, at a ball for his sister of all things, and I told him I'd go but I just have no idea if that's really a good idea. I also have no idea what happens at balls, Grandpa Darius never had any that I was able to go to." Basically the only thing Lani left unspoken was one single word, "help!"

[Demeter]

Rather then simply taking the phone from Dominic, Lysander grasped the other man's wrist and tugged him over the arm of the desk chair and into his lap. He grinned at the scowling man before taking the phone, leaning back and addressing his daughter. "Flutterbye, what's wrong?"

He made her slow down and repeat everything. "So, this guy you've been seeing," Lysander had to smother a laugh at the way Dominic glared at the phone, "asked you to go to a ball and you think you love him?" he asked while swatting a Dominic's reaching hand.

"Lani, honey, you love who you love. There's no rhyme or reason to who you fall in love with or when it happens. I'm pretty sure I fell for your father the moment I shove his head under a the faucet of a bar's bathroom sink. I certainly hadn't started out that day planning to fall ass over head in love with a straight asshole," he said and gave that asshole a kiss on the cheek, "and I know your dad didn't plan on it either. You're the only one who can decide if this guy is right for you.

"As for the ball, you get a nice dress, some shoes, spend the day at the salon. Then you go and dance. And between dances you drink, nibble on food, gossip and insult the gowns of the other ladies."

As much as he loved Lani, even the grown up version of her was exhausting. It took him twenty more minutes to wind her down enough to rational thought. By that point, Dominic was dozing with his head against Lysander's shoulder. He shook the man awake. "I think a trip to London is needed. She's not calming down this time."

***
Sean glanced from the crowd pressed up against the side of the building and then at Lani. “You’re sure about this, Lani? It’s going to take us forever to get in.” He knew it was futile, of course, when Lani had that look at her face. She was determined that he would meet her London friends and that he would meet them inside of Inferno, one of the hottest nightclubs in London. Taking her out dancing at Inferno was also his way of bribing her to go a high society ball the next night

He’d tried to get into the club before but not even his status as an heir to a title would get him past the doorman if he wasn’t on the list. And people rarely left the club once they were inside so standing in line was pointless unless you were close to the front. And Lani was damned sure she’d get into the club.

The blonde nodded her head while climbing from the taxi. She let Sean haul her up and adjusted the skirt she wore. “Oh, yeah, I’m sure about this. It’s been a while since I’ve been in there.”

Puzzling over that comment, Sean followed as Lani bounced across the street. She bounced right up to the muscle bound doorman. Sean had encountered this doorman before, all seven feet of him, during one of his wasted attempts to get past the door. He’d been soundly rejected as a “not on the list, get in line” loser. He watched, gaping slightly when Lani stood on the tips of her toes to smack a kiss on the doorman’s cheek before sliding around that velvet rope. She reached back and yanked him forward. “Come on, Sean, before Siegfried decides that you are cute enough to stash in his closet.”

Sean stumbled forward and glanced over his shoulder at the doorman. It may have just been the red lights of the entryway but he was damned sure that the guy was blushing. “His closet? Aren’t you in more danger of that?”

Lani shook her head while pulling him through the door. “Siegfried knows it’s his job if he stashes me in a closet. Besides, he’s gayer then a rainbow flag at a pride parade. You would be just his type.”

Sean scooted just a bit closer to Lani and felt a blush of his own when she laughed at him. “Oh, stop it. Now, how’d you get us in here?”

Lani peeled herself out of her coat and handed it to the coat check girl. She wiggled her fingers at him. “I’ve got connections. Hurry it up, Sean, and give Nancy your coat. Siegfried said the others are here and that we’ve got a booth reserved up on the second floor,” she turned to accept the ticket from the girl and leaned over the counter. Sean looked to see what was so interesting. There was a child building a block tower on the floor. “My god, Nancy, he’s getting so big. What is he now, two?”

Sean just blinked as the two women chatted. He’d thought he’d know all there was to know about Lani but apparently not. She could get them into a club that’d even royalty had to be on The List to get into. There was something about Inferno that was golden. The club had been open for over 50 years now, recreating itself every decade or so. Photographs lined the walls of time gone by.

When Lani slipped her arm around his and pulled him forward, he wondered about her again. Always some new and interesting facet to discover and he wanted to know what sort of connections she had to be on such a personal level with the club’s staff.

The ground floor of the club was packed. People gyrated on the dance floor while more roamed the edges, looking for someone to grind up against. Lani weaved her way across the floor and Sean followed in her wake, scowling at a man or two who thought to try their luck with the blonde. She bounced up a curving flight of stairs and headed straight for a corner booth. He held back when she rushed forward, squealing, into the arms of two other girls. He watched, amused, as they embraced and bounced around in circles.

Once the girl-fest, what he privately called those squealing moments, was over Lani introduced him and then ordered him to the bar on the other side of the floor to get drinks. Shaking his head as the squealing started up again, Sean headed towards the bar.

As he waited for the drink order to be ready, Sean leaned against the railing and watched the crowd below. It seethed as the bodies rocked to the music. Inferno, he thought, was everything that its reputation suggested. He could feel the barely contained undercurrent of wildness that the crowd put off. He’d heard rumors that the owner employed a few incubi and succubae to turn up the tension and now, as he watched the crowd, he wondered if it was true.

He followed a waitress balancing a load tray back to the table and watched as she and Lani chatted like old friends. Again, he wondered about her and how she was connected to this club. He settled into one of the poofy chairs after being introduced and watched as the girls chatted. The mood of the club changed within a few minutes as the opening notes of some old song sounded through the cavernous, former warehouse. The crowd below roared and surged towards the bars on all the levels, which, Sean noticed, were now staffed with more people. He watched as the liquor flowed.

And then jumped when Lani screamed, jumping out of her seat and rushing for the stairs. Startled he watched as she raced into the crowd on the main floor and then turned to her friends. Tara, the bestest of Lani’s English friends, laughed. “You don’t know much about Inferno, do you?”

He shook his head and Tara laughed again. “The song that’s playing? Moves like Jagger? It’s kinda a signal around here. It means that the owners, who are American and only visit a few times a year are here tonight and have declared that all drinks are a quarter their normal price.”

Sean looked down at Lani’s glass. She’d barely touched the mixed drink he’d ordered her. “She’s still got plenty.”

Leslie, the other friend, giggled. “Tara, quit teasing him. Owners night means something else to Lani. Did you know that she has three dads? And that two of those three dads own Inferno? That’s how she always gets it and why she’s currently spazzing out. Her dads have come for a visit. They’re probably down there, causing a riot.”
Pale and shaky, as he hadn’t expected a round of meet the folks tonight, Sean peered down into the dancing crowd. It was easy to spot the center of attention. A circle had formed around the two male dancers and Sean choked. One was the male to Lani’s female appearance and the other was tall, dark, and handsome. And what were those two doing on the dance floor could only be described as horizontal, clothed sex. He choked again when Lani launched herself of the crowd and at the two men.

[Maira]

She'd been in a barely contained panic all week and she had hoped that her night at Inferno with the girls and Sean would help her relax a bit. Maybe a night of drinking and dancing the night before Sean's sister's ball was a bad idea, but Lani could hold her liquor surprisingly well and she desperately needed to relieve some tension with the dancing. As soon as she and Sean pulled up to the club and slipped in past Siegfried and Nancy, she could feel some of her anxiety melting away. She also felt a familiar touch of magic in the air and she couldn't help but smirk. Diana, a succubus in her fathers' employ, was visiting tonight to add a little oomph to the mood of the club. She'd have to find her later and say hello.

It wasn't long after making her way upstairs to the booth she always reserved and sending Sean after drinks that a certain song came blasting out of the club's speakers. Even knowing every note of that song by heart, it still took Lani a moment for it to filter through the conversation she was having with Tara and Leslie. As soon as she realized what was playing though, she was off like a shot for the stairs.

She didn't remember even getting to the main floor or pushing through the crowd, she didn't care how intimate of a dance her dad's were engaged in. Lani saw the two men and practically flew at them. The trio stumbled slightly, the two men stopped dancing to embrace her between them, and she whispered tearfully, "I'm so glad you're here!"

*****

Dominic had been grumbly all week since learning that Lani was not only dating a guy but possibly falling in love with him. He hadn't known the last guy who had broken her heart but he still wanted to strangle him, and now he had to worry about some other guy possibly doing it. He didn't really want to go to London, didn't want to have to behave himself in front of one of his daughter's love interests, he just wanted to stay home and be moody. But Lysander wasn't having any of it, so he'd had his butt dragged half way around the world to check on their daughter.

As much as he wasn't thrilled about the reason they needed to go to London, he couldn't help but relax once they finally got there. There was something about the city that just soothed him and it immediately put him in a less grumpy mood before they even got settled. By the time L talked to Lani to "check on her", which was code for finding out her evening's plans so they could crash them, Dominic was actually feeling a little hopeful that this thing with Lani would be smoothed out soon and that he could just have L to himself for the rest of their extended weekend. He loved his daughter, but when she got worked up over something he was more than happy to let L handle it. That man had the patience of a saint when it came to Lani.

*****

At the club, Dominic and L snuck in the back. It wasn't that they didn't want the club patrons to know they were there, they just wanted to wait and make sure that Lani had gotten there before the crowds went crazy. As soon as they got word from Nancy at coat check that she'd seen Lani, the men waited about 10 more minutes to make sure she'd had a chance to make it to her booth with her friends.

Once they finally emerged from the kitchen, where they'd been hiding and grabbing a snack, and made their way to the dance floor Dominic couldn't help but smirk. Nancy had said Lani had a man with her. Dominic was just sure that the poor fellow was the new man in Lani's life and that he was about to be subjected to a heavy dose of the strangeness that made up Lani's family. When the song started to play that signalled their presence at the club, and in turn cheap drinks, the club went wild. They had barely had a chance to get into their traditional dirty dancing when they were plowed into by a very emotional Lani. He and L circled her with their arms, hugging her tight, and Dominic took the chance to look around and find the eyes he felt on him. Up on the balcony he spotted a man fitting the brief description that Nancy had give him on the phone. He couldn't help smirking again, but not until he'd turned his face from the younger man.

[Demeter]

Lysander felt like all the air was being squeezed out of him because Lani had a death grip on him. She'd been an emotional roller coaster the last few months and only he, and one other person, knew why. Promising himself that he'd find time for just the two of them during this short visit, Lysander pried Lani away from his body. "Need air, Butterfly," he said.

In short order, he and Dominic were following their daughter as she bounced towards the second floor. Even in the midst of a emotional cyclone, Lani still bounced everywhere. Even after more then twenty years, Lysander didn't understand how Dominic and Saiyuri had produced such a child since there was more to her bounce then biology.

Saiyuri may have been a spaz but she didn't bounce, Lysander thought as he and Dominic followed her up the stairs, and Dominic certainly didn't bounce. Well, there were some parts that bounced on Dominic, Lysander thought as he leered at his mate. He leaned in close to Dominic. "Once we are done scaring the kid, why don't I take you back to the office and we can continue our owner's night tradition without clothing," he said while wiggling his eyebrows.

***

Fathers were terrifying creatures and Lani apparently had three of them. Why had she never mentioned that or that she had a free pass into Inferno since one of her father's owned the damn place. He watched as the three climbed the stairs and quietly panicked. If fathers were anything like him when he was introduced to his sister's boyfriends, he was doomed.

When Lani bounced up to him and introduced the two men as Lysander and Dominic, her father and step-papa, Sean wiped his sweaty hand on his slacks and greeted them. "Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Gallagher, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Lysander left the grilling of young Sean to Dominic. His mate generally made the impression of being mild mannered and he normally was except for when Lani was involved. It was one of the reason's he hadn't told Dominic about events in Lani's past. So, while Dominic interrogated Sean, Lysander made arrangements to meet with Lani later in the week. He then turned to watch the show.

Sean gulped as Dominic asked after his family and future plans. The man had seemed so unassuming at first but he should have known that any man, straight or gay, who'd dance like that in a crowded club had a few hidden layers.

Twenth minutes into the meet and greet, when the boy was squirming in his seat, Lysander pulled Dominic away. Claiming that it was time to leave the youngsters to their evening and that as club owners they had duties to do, Lysander herded Dominic to the stairs after telling Lani they'd see her later.

Once they hit the crowded dance floor, Lysander turned, grabbed the belt loops of Dominic's jeans and yanked him close. "Do you have any idea how hot it makes me when you go all authoritative like that? I think its time that you do your duty by doing your co-owner in the back office," he said before towing Dominic across the floor.

***

Sean watched as Lani's fathers melted into the crowd. He hadn't expected that tonight but he'd lived. And then Lani said they were all meeting up for brunch. Sean couldn't help the groan.