EPILOGUE I

Business or Pleasure

Part II

Warren had gotten up that morning with the determination to clear his head. He needed to for the sake of his thirst alone. So, he had taken to the streets of Rio just after dawn for a jog. After a shower and fresh clothes, he'd left his room once more and discovered many of the local amenities before returning to The Vida Hotel at around five in the evening. Magnus had called him at some point, and they'd agreed to meet in the hotel's bar; the others would be joining them again. Tonight, Magnus had insisted that he stay for longer and let his hair down for a change. Warren couldn't argue that he was overdue a night of social drinking and whatever mischief he and his drunken comrades might find.

Although Mikhail and Armie had spent some of the last evening complaining about the lack of available and loose females on the guest list of their particular hotel, they'd both managed to find two reasonably attractive women to spend that evening with. The two had joined the four men at their booth. Though they'd joined in the conversation here and there, the drunker they became, the more frequent the periods of them falling into silence to whisper suggestive things into the ears of the two men they had fallen victim to became. Then began the obnoxious, public make-out sessions that left Magnus and Warren alone in their conversation. During one of those times, Magnus said: "You know, it wouldn't hurt for you to take a leaf out of their book." The Spaniard glanced to their drinking buddies with a smirk. "That woman over there keeps looking at you."

"I'm not interested," Warren stated, even if he did allow himself to look at the woman in question perhaps a moment longer than what could be considered a glance.

"Really, what's wrong with her?" Magnus asked as he also turned to ogle the woman. In a brazen fashion that some men found attractive, she waved her fingers in their direction with a coy smirk pulling up the corners of her painted lips. Magnus waved back and rose his brown brows daringly. "If you're going to pass her up, I won't." With that, he stood from the booth and abandoned Warren to his own devices.

"Typical," Warren grumbled to himself as he downed what remained in his scotch glass. He never ceased to find it ironic that he, the bachelor of the group, always seemed to end up being the only one without company. All three, Armie, Mikhail, and Magnus, were all married men and unashamedly adulterous. They always mixed business with pleasure. Without even excusing themselves from the booth, the other four slipped away towards the lobby and elevator, with little doubt left as to where they were headed. Apparently, Warren had become invisible and resigned to the fact that he would probably end up drinking away the rest of his evening alone.

Eight O'clock rolled around, and Karou had made up her mind. She was done sitting in her room alone, just thinking about doing it. Still wearing the dress she'd worn to the conference that day, she ventured out of her hotel room and held her head high as she sauntered through The Sena Hotel's Lobby as if daring anyone to ask her where she was going so late and alone. Over the road, she entered The Vida Hotel's front entrance without being questioned by anyone. She navigated her way to the bar with ease and stood a moment in the golden framework of the doors as she eyed over the menu.

Thank Gods, blood is listed.

Magnus noticed her first. Quite taken back by her image, he zoned out from what his lady friend was saying to him.

She stood there in a berry red pencil dress that fit her slender frame tightly; she looked quite executive and well-manicured. Showing just enough leg to still be considered ladylike, grown-up and not the socially awkward, nerdy-looking yet desperately pretty teenage girl, Magnus remembered. The way her almost black, brown hair had been curled and gathered over one side of her head with delicate hairpins flattered her neckline. The chain around her neck and the bracelet on her wrist finished off her look. For now, her wings were tucked away, dormant in her back even if it was a little uncomfortable; she didn't want to be denied entry into this hotel due to them.

With a mind to intervene preemptively and avoid any uncomfortable interactions, Magnus excused himself from the blonde's table and made his way towards Karou while she was still looking over the impressive choice of blood-infused cocktails. It was a concept that was foreign to her, but some of them sounded utterly delicious.

"What is a little lady like you doing in a place like this?" Magnus asked, breaking the silence and her concentration on the menu.

"Magnus!" Karou exclaimed when she took in his face and shot him an unbridled grin.

"Bonita." Magnus greeted her with open arms. She took to them and hugged him, greeting him in the way fitting of an old friend and confidant.

Try not to over-react, but Karou has just walked into the bar. Magnus thought to Warren. He had no idea if he was still sitting at the booth at that moment, but he thought that perhaps he should at least warn him.

From the booth, Warren couldn't see the door. He'd just gotten up from the curved leather bench to go order another drink from the bar. Hearing Magnus in his head he stopped dead in his tracks and instinctively took a sniff of the air. Her scent hit him hard - it was unmistakable. She really was there.

"So, what brings you here?" Magnus asked Karou, trying to stall her entrance.

"Well, it so happens that I'm on a covert sort of mission." She explained and wasn't at all put off entering the bar by Magnus. She weaved her way around the tall, dark, and handsome Spaniard with a cute smile on her face.

"A mission for what, might I ask?"

Magnus prayed that she wasn't looking for Warren, though immediately, he began scooping the vicinity for him. He was slightly comforted to find him attempting to hide at the far end of the bar. Even though it was the darkest side of the room, he was still visible.

Warren hoped that if he kept his eyes down that she wouldn't notice him, there was no way he could escape because she was nearer the only exit than him. He'd have to walk right past her to get back out to the lobby. With a fresh scotch in hand and a side order of O positive, he downed both, hoping that his thirst wouldn't start to hinder him since he'd inhaled her scent.

"For blood, obviously... they don't serve it at the other hotel," Karou said as she climbed up onto a barstool and adjusted the hem of her dress over her thighs. Magnus sat at her side, hoping that his body would shield Warren from her view.

"Really? That's rather peculiar." Magnus played along with the pretence of the idle conversation for now.

"Apparently, it would offend some of the hotel's guests if it was on their menu. How ridiculous is that?" Karou rolled her thirsty black eyes just as the bartender asked her what she'd like to order. Being daring, she decided on one of the cocktails that she'd noticed earlier and reached into her purse for her wallet.

"Oh, no, let me buy you your drink." Magnus insisted, holding up his hand to halt her from paying up.

"You're such a gentleman, Magnus; it's really great to see you." Karou gushed and took in a deep breath as she grinned. Her grin disappeared, and her expression changed the moment she caught a scent in the air. She knew, and Magnus knew she knew. The Spaniard bit onto his lower lip as he and Karou shared a look. "He's here, isn't he?"

"Si."

"In this room?"

"Si."

"But I shouldn't..." Karou didn't finish her sentence, but Magnus knew that she was insinuating that she shouldn't attempt to say hello or strike up a conversation with her estranged Sire.

"No." Magnus shook his head.

Warren had ordered yet another round and downed it just as quickly as his last. With the first knuckle of his left hand pushing into his lips, he stared hard at the glossy surface of the bar. His mind reeled. His thighs tense. His chest ached. Mostly his fangs were threatening to bare.

Meanwhile, the bartender set a delicious-looking, dark red cocktail before Karou before he wandered back down the bar to serve Warren his next round. Karou's dark eyes followed the barman to his next customer and leaned around Magnus to notice who it was. Her heart skipped; he wasn't even sitting eight feet away.

He was closer than he had been in three decades, and he looked just the same. Stylish as ever, black leather Oxfords perched on the stool's footrest, his checked grey dress pants had risen up his ankles a little to show the deep plum coloured socks that matched the shade of the tie he wore through the neck of a slim fitting charcoal dress shirt. It was no surprise to Karou that its sleeves were rolled to his elbows, seeing as he was drinking and probably winding down for the day. Her eyes panned up his body to find that his hair was cut in exactly the same style she remembered; why change it when it suited him so well? She noticed the silver wristwatch he wore and even the band on his fourth finger that he stubbornly never removed despite never having walked down the aisle. At that, she couldn't help but smile at how unchanged he was.

But then she noticed how tense he seemed. He was unmoving and didn't even look to be breathing. Had he noticed her presence? Was it bothering him that much? Was her being there painful? Even so, she wasn't sure that she could turn away. An instinct that she'd buried inside herself for so long came rushing from the depths of her psyche, and she found herself sliding down from the barstool, going to rush to Warren's aid.

Magnus grabbed her arm to stop her, and she looked up to the vampire she'd once considered her mentor in shock.

"After all this time, you're going to stop me?" Karou asked, her expression was pleading with him not to.

"It could only do more harm than good."

"You know he won't do anything he doesn't want to. I can't make him talk to me if he doesn't want to... What harm could saying, 'hello' do?" Karou attempted to reason as she gathered her cocktail in her free hand, her purse in the other.

"You made him do many things that I never expected he was capable of, Karou. It took a long, long time for him to recover when you left... Hello, could do a lot of harm. What comes after hello, Karou?" Magnus stated his case, but he didn't let go of her upper arm yet.

"Please?" Karou pleaded; by now, Magnus' grip was a little uncomfortable.

Magnus, take your hand off of her. Warren demanded. He wasn't watching the scene down the other end of the bar, but somehow, he knew what was happening. A Sire's instinct, perhaps? Her discomfort, her desperation to at least say hello, was palpable to him.

Mijo, this is a bad idea! He warned in return.

Still, take your hand off of her, Magnus. Warren reiterated testily.

Doing as he had been ordered, Magnus sighed and released Karou's arm. "I'm not sticking around to babysit you. You're a grown woman now." The Spaniard stated. He didn't agree with their risky cause of action and knew ultimately he'd have to mop up whatever mess was left afterwards, but he'd be damned if he had to watch the calamity happen in real-time. Magus leant in to kiss Karou's cheek goodbye and left the bar.

Warren still hadn't looked Karou's way but was acutely aware that she was standing facing in his direction, not ten feet away. He downed another scotch, and the bartender went about refilling his glass without needing to be prompted.

"Can I sit here?" Karou's sweet voice rang in his ears. She had made her way over to sit next to him. Before he could say anything, he found he had just nodded; yes.

Climbing up onto yet another bar stool Karou adjusted her dress and sipped at her bloody cocktail. It was salty and sweet in just the right combination, making it delicious and thirst-quenching.

"What on earth are you drinking?" Warren cleared his throat to ask, still without really looking at her. Though, he was giving her a very obvious side-eye that made her grin. Karou was looking directly at him and taking her time admiring his unchanged face unashamedly.

"I have no idea what it's called..." She stated and giggled before taking another long sip from her glass. "But if you tried it, you wouldn't be so quick to judge. It's rather delicious. They don't serve these at the hotel I'm staying in."

Her giggle had caused him to almost smile. He was attempting, in vain, to distract himself from her by staring at the scotch glass he was turning in his fingers. "The Sena?"

"Mhmm. You know the organisers have segregated the conference guests?" Karou shrugged one of her shoulders, and out of the corner of his eye, Warren noticed how the strap of her dark pink dress slipped down it.

"You've made the right decision in putting your wings away before you entered this hotel then. As saddening as that is to admit, it's a given considering the state of things."

"Hm yeah, I didn't want to get turned away at the door." She admitted and took another sip from her drink through its skinny black straw. "What do you mean by 'the state of things'?"

"You probably know more about the political turbulence than I do. I just meant the mounting racial tensions; the segregation should have almost been expected." Warren reached into one of his pant pockets and retrieved his cigarettes. He went about lighting one and could feel Karou's eyes on him and every move he made. "When we don't have a common enemy, it's every race for itself. It's pathetic how quickly we turn on each other."

"I don't really have anything to do with world politics, so to speak... and thank Gods, I have enough on my plate trying to wrap my head around Enoch's politics most of the time." Karou sighed. The conversation had taken a rather serious turn, but honestly, she was just pleased to be able to listen to his voice again and sit close to him. Though she did remember that he detested small talk so eager to change the subject, she sipped the last of her cocktail, which brought her eyes nearer to the stunning gun-metal blue shade that she knew Warren liked best and asked a more probing question. "Did you dream about me last night?" Bravely she stared at him intrusively and waited for his answer.

"What?" Warren asked, astonished by her nerve. Now, he turned his head to look at her directly. His cigarette hung from his lips, and regardless of how dark and thirsty they were, his eyes expressed his surprise. At least, the empty glass that sat on the bar in front of him, which had obviously once held blood, indicated that he had tried to remedy his thirst, however unsuccessfully.

"I said, did you dre-" She began to repeat.

"I heard what you said," Warren interjected. He paused so that a silence hung between them as they stared at each other. Now that he was looking at her, he figured he might as well look properly. He gave her a very obvious, very slow, once over. She looked incredible. Karou sat still while he consumed her with his eyes; she didn't mind at all and was hoping he liked what he saw, what she had become. It wasn't her in her truest form, but she was sure he knew that. Inside and in private, she was still exactly the person she had been thirty years ago; at least, she liked to believe so. "Why'd you ask?"

"Because I think we had the same dream..." Karou crossed her legs and tipped her head to one side in that bird-like fashion that was an unmistakable Karou-like mannerism. "What I mean is... I think you shared your dream with me without realising it?"

Warren bashfully refocused back on the bar's counter. "I can only apologise for how disturbing that must've been for you." He cleared his throat and withdrew his cigarette from his lips as he exhaled a plume of thick smoke from his lungs. "It must have been the proximity."

"That or how intense what we were doing felt." A golden blush spread up her chest, neck, and cheeks. "In your dream, I mean. It's comforting to know you haven't forgotten about me at least."

He couldn't hide how their conversation flustered him and swept his hand back through his hair to calm himself a little. "You asked if I was there."

"Mhmm, and you answered, but I promise that I didn't come over to this hotel looking for you."

"I wasn't going to assume that you did; I wouldn't flatter myself like that." Warren finished his cigarette and stubbed out the remains in an ashtray. "I hope my dream didn't disturb your sleep too much."

"It kept me up all night. Luckily I was alone." Karou had already considered the fight that would've ensued if Eamon had heard her moan Warren's name in her semi-sleeping state. A daring thought crossed her mind just then... If Eamon was already going to assume she'd gotten up to no good during her business trip, what was the harm in pursuing a little trouble in the shape of Warren?

"No." Warren seemed to have grasped at the gist of her thought, although he hadn't heard it clearly and in its entirety. "You're married." He glanced to her left hand where her gold wedding band sat.

"Yes. We have a daughter too. Alessandra, but we call her Alice." Karou said and watched the way Warren desperately tried to look happy for her rather than pained. She knew it was her motherhood that probably got to him more than her being married. After all, he was so good at punishing himself over his infertility, even though it wasn't his fault and the unfortunate side effect of his Siring. "See, I did all the things you wanted me to." She offered a smile to lighten his expression, hopefully.

"Yes, I wanted you to live a full and happy life, Karou." He forced a smile. "I knew they were things you would eventually crave."

"Being a mother is as rewarding as it is challenging, but she's wonderful, really. Totally worth it." Karou hoped she could get by with just spewing about Alice. That way, she could give genuine and heartfelt responses.

"And being married? What's your husband like?"

"Eamon... He's..." Karou paused in thought. She hoped that being vague might convince Warren that she was embarrassed to talk about it. Maybe that way, she could fool him into thinking that she was utterly in love. She glanced at him from under her lashes and could tell by his expression that he was buying it. "Honestly, marriage is tough."

"I don't think anyone has ever found it easy." For now, that would be all he'd say. He'd gotten very mixed vibes from Karou about her marriage, so he thought it best to leave the topic alone. Besides, hadn't he already meddled in her love life an unhealthy amount? He loosened off his tie from his neck and went about removing it entirely to unbutton the collar of his shirt a little. He tucked the purple tie into his pocket and sighed.

"And you?" Karou asked. She eyed over his neck as he let his collar loose from it, and even if she had just had her bloody cocktail, she was powerless to stop herself from licking her lips. Her fangs were already bare, a small luxury that she could allow herself in front of the man that had gifted them to her. "Are you with anyone?"

"No. Of course not."

"Don't you ever get lonely? Even I get lonely in Enoch sometimes, and I'm surrounded by people twenty-four-seven."

"No. You know I don't."

"Right..." Karou nodded and looked down into her lap. You really don't care about people.

She'd wanted to ask if he ever missed her. Gods knew she missed him so much she was ashamed to admit it. Sometimes it kept her up at night. Wondering: Where he was? Who was he with? Had she been completely replaced by a new someone he loved? What had he been doing with himself all this time? Did he regularly think about her, like he had the night before? Ultimately, she figured he probably didn't. He hadn't stopped Cambria from taking her or fought to keep her in any capacity. He never even looked for her when she'd gone as far as she knew. He hadn't attempted to get in touch with her in the last thirty years. "I-... I should get going back to my hotel now. I've got a busy day tomorrow." Karou slipped down from the barstool and grabbed her purse from the counter. She took one last long look at Warren and found him staring back at her. "It was good to-..."

"Yes, it was good to see you too." He stared hard at her as she lingered before him, seeming less than willing to leave. "Why did you come to this hotel tonight?"

"I wasn't lying when I said that my hotel isn't serving blood... I came here because room service said that they couldn't fulfil my order, but the concierge was understanding enough to let me know that I could come here and get what I needed from this bar."

"I know you weren't lying about your hotel's menu Karou. Who do you think is supplying the caterers, huh?" He smirked. Obviously, REDford was. "But why are you leaving if you're still thirsty?" Her eyes weren't nearly blue enough for her to be well-fed, that much he knew for sure.

"I don't know. I just got the feeling that I should, that perhaps you wanted me to." With her purse clutched before her thighs, she stared down at the toes of her shiny black heels, timid in a way that she could only be in front of Warren. Under his gaze, she felt under scrutiny, and because she still cared about what he thought so much, it was affecting her confidence.

"I never wanted you to leave." Warren hoped that his simple statement would convey that he didn't just mean that night in particular. "I just knew you had to." He checked his wristwatch and slipped down from his barstool, and closed the gap between them to just inches. Karou didn't flinch away even when he looked down at her with an intensity behind his eyes that he couldn't help. "I'm going up to my room now… So… you can quench your thirst in peace."

"I came here expecting to drink alone, but it's quite depressing when it comes around to it," Karou said as she stared up into his onyx eyes. No one else would've been able to see what she could. His eyes always looked cold to everyone else, but not Karou. Even now, in their depths, she could see the man he kept behind his facade staring out at her. She smiled, and his lips twitched.

He didn't quite smile, but she knew he wanted to, but they were still in public, which mattered to him. Warren didn't say anything else. He looked away and rummaged around in the front pocket of his pants. From it, he retrieved his room key. The way he positioned it in his palm, she would've seen the three digits engraved into the gold plate that hung off of the keyring, his room number. It was a silent invite that incriminated neither of them. He hadn't asked her to join him in going back to his room, and she hadn't insisted that she would. Silently, Warren walked away from her.

Left alone, stood before the bar, Karou didn't look on after him longingly. 403, She repeated in her mind. She knew exactly what he'd meant in 'accidentally' revealing his room number. It made her heart race. Can I do this? She asked herself. Should I? Maybe he only means to talk, or maybe more? For now, she dared not imagine how far things could go. Karou had always been sure that she was a 'one-man band'. There was no other moral choice than to be faithfully monogamous, but in that moment, she wasn't sure that being faithful to Eamon actually mattered to her as it should; he wasn't. Maybe I want more? Haven't I already thought about it? Her mind was running away with her. Before she could answer any of the questions she'd posed to herse;f, she was making her way out of the bar, having paid her check.