Dawn's Second Chance

"Toby says this thing is wireless and I can carry you around with me wherever I go." Janine frowned, flipping the handheld video camera in her hand. "Toby how does this thing work?"

Anna laughed as Toby appeared on her monitor. The camera caught a close up of his face as he twisted and turned the device in his fingers, explaining to Janine how to operate the device. "Janine it's working." He extended his arm, panning the lens back. Slowly he came into focus. "Hi, babe," he said, giving her a wink.

"Hi," Anna replied. She ran her fingers along the cool, glassy surface of the monitor, tracing the outline of his smile. She missed him so much.

Janine squealed with delight, clapping her hands and bouncing wildly. "Here's the birthday girl now!" She snatched the camera from Toby's grip. Holding it in her palm she panned the room. "Come on Anna, lets go wish our girl happy birthday."

Anna watched as the image on her monitor bumped and bobbed with Janine's steps. She wiped away a stray tear of loneliness as she laughed.

Toby watched Anna on the monitor, tracing the tear as it rolled from the corner of her eye. She must not realize that she was still live and on camera or she would have hidden the gentle tear from him. "I love you," he whispered.

Anna giggled and snorted hysterically as Alex's face popped into view. The look of shock and surprise in her expression was worth millions. "Hi Alex!" she called into the microphone. A chorus of happy birthday, sang way off key, filled the speakers. Anna clapped in approval, joining in and singing along.

Chance wrapped a protective arm around Alex's waist as Janine shoved the camera into her face. He slid the camera out of Janine's hand and guided it around the room to give Anna a good look at all the guests. He turned the camera back to his face. "We have an announcement," he said as the birthday song ended.

Everyone looked at Alex expectantly. She felt as if she wanted to dissolve into the floor and disappear. A red tinge spread across her cheeks. She stared up at Chance. Waiting for him to break the news.

Chance took a deep breath. "As some of you may have heard," he paused as head bobbed up and down in agreement. His suspicions were confirmed. They'd all heard, at least the ones that shared a link had, which was about everyone in attendance. "Alex and I have become quite fond of each other." He smiled, beaming down at her. "I've asked her to marry me."

A synchronized gasp and silence filled the room. "I said yes!" Alex grinned, extending her left hand to the room. Her engagement ring sparkled on her finger. A loud round of clapping and shouting echoed in the room.

Janine grabbed Alex throwing her arms around her neck as she jumped up and down. "I'm so excited!" She grabbed the camera out of Chance's hand. "Anna, get a look at the size of that rock," she said, zooming the lens in on Alex's ring.

Anna nodded in agreement as the ring popped onto the monitor. "That's nice." Chance had excellent taste. "An alexandrite, how clever."

Janine gasped, turning the camera to her face. "That's exactly what I said!" She grinned. "Come on let me show you around." She stopped at Alex's parents. "Say Hi" Alex's parents waved obediently into the lens. "And Dane, John Mark, and Robbie." She swiveled abruptly, the camera slipping from her fingers. "Oops, sorry. Anna I dropped you. Are you all right?"

Anna was laughing so hard she gripped her side. "I'm fine. Janine stop shaking the camera you're going to make me puke!"

"Sorry, my bad. Look at this cake," Janine said. She grabbed the disposable lighter and lit the candles. "Alex blow these out before you burn down the compound."

Alex made her way to the cake and drew a deep breath. Pausing to think of what to wish for. All her wishes had already come true. She closed her eyes, smiling. There was one more thing left to wish for. But, it wasn't for her. She blew out the candles in one big gust of air.

Anna popped the lid on the cardboard box and plunged her fork into the rich, decadent layers of chocolate cake and icing inside. This had to be Bryce's idea. He was still under the impression that she suffered from a life altering case of PMS and chocolate was the cure all. She smiled as she took a bite off the fork and rolled the sweet, creamy, smoothness around on her tongue.

Alex opened her presents, handing the abandoned wrapping paper and bows to Janine and the cards to Chance. The gifts sat at a loose pile at her feet. From Robbie and John Mark, a pair of boxing gloves: a relaxation CD and a cuddly, stuffed panda bear from Dane and Chris: from her mom and dad, an antique snow globe: from her cousin Erica, a gift card to Starbuck's (Erica had no idea she was a vampire. And Alex wasn't telling her anytime soon): from Toby and Anna, a new cover to replace her old, battered, cover for her e-reader (Coach, of course, Anna loved style and opulence, and naturally shopping almost as much as Janine): from Patrick, a teething ring (he'd never quite gotten over the time when Alex snacked on Janine): and from the guys (well, she didn't know what she'd ever do with a pair of crotchless panties and a peekaboo bra, but...). Alex saved Janine's gift for last, taking her time unwrapping it.

"Oh come on! Open the damn thing!" Janine pouted. She turned the camera to her face and huffed into the screen. "Anna can you believe she's doing this to me?"

Anna chuckled. Alex knew exactly how to drive Janine to the point of insanity. But, then again, it wasn't that difficult. She smiled, aiming for the trash and tossed the now empty white cardboard box, banking it off the rim to land in the basket. She was grateful that Toby had thought to put her name on the card and include her when he gave Alex her gift.

Alex slid her finger along the edge of the box, breaking the tape seal. She grinned up at Janine as she opened the box and pulled out a brand new, ceramic coffee mug. The mug was perfect. Decorated with scrawled inspirational sayings. She blinked back a tear as she jumped up to hug her best friend. "I love it."

Janine hugged Alex back. "I knew you would. Happy birthday. And congratulations."

Chance rescued the bobbing camera from Janine's hand. "Anna, I'll save you."

Anna laughed. "Thanks." She smiled as she looked into the monitor at Chance. "I'm so happy for the both of you."

"Thanks," Chance replied. He scanned the room, looking for someone to pass Anna off to. The candles were blown out. The cake cut. The birthday wishes conveyed. And the presents opened. Now that Alex's guests were beginning to mull about, breaking up into clusters of conversations. He hoped to sneak her out before anyone noticed. "Here's my mom and dad."

"Ok. Hi Candace. Hi, Will," Anna said, leaning close to the camera on her end of the connection. She hoped she wasn't too close and all Candace and Will saw was her nose or something.

"We're so thrilled that you could be here with us," Candace said into the camera and then turned the lens to Will.

"Good to see you again Anna," Will said into the camera. "When will you be back?"

"I'm not sure," Anna replied. Could these people make it any harder to stay away? She'd lived in the city all of her life. But, she felt the tiny pang of homesickness growing larger and larger.

"Can you believe my little boy is getting married?" Candace asked, turning the camera to Chance and Alex and catching them in a playful embrace.

"It's very exciting. I'm so happy for them." Anna snickered as the camera bobbed and rocked as Janine repossessed it from Candace.

"Bye Anna!" Candace and Will cried out, waving into the lens as Janine carried the camera away.

"Ooh, look at that butt!" Janine said, aiming the camera at a denim-clad man's butt, zooming in for a closer view.

Anna chuckled, "Janine, whose butt is that?" She leaned in closer to the monitor for a better look. Yeah, it was a nice butt, tight and round, filling out the pockets nicely. Totally grabable. But, whose butt was it?

Janine giggled, zooming the camera, still aimed below the beltline, from the butt to the front. "Ooh, look at that package! Check it out giiirrllll. Can you say nut hugger or what?"

Anna burst out in laughter, trying not to scope out the rise beneath the unknown zipper. Yeah...nut hugger summed it up nicely. The guy must have painted those jeans on. "Janine who is that?" she gasped.

Janine slowly panned the camera up, revealing the man's face. "It's my boy toy Patrick!" She burst into peals of laughter as he scowled at her and plucked the camera from her fingers.

"I hope you enjoyed the view," Patrick drawled into the microphone. "How's it going, Anna?"

"Fine Patrick!" Anna yelled, hoping to be heard over the din of party noise. "The view was somewhat less than perfect. I didn't think a camera could zoom in on something that tiny," she teased.

Patrick's lips curled in a sly smile. He picked his way through the crowd and deposited her on the rustic wood mantle above the fireplace. "See ya!" he said, laughing as he sauntered away, leaving her there.

Anna had an excellent view of the party from her new vantage point. She continued watching the festivities as the partygoers mingled with one another. Running her fingers down the monitor screen, she wished she were there with them. She smiled as the party wound down and the guests slowly filtered out.

Chapter 49

When the coast was clear enough to make a respectable exit. Chance grabbed Alex's hand and whisked her away from the few stragglers left, towing her down the hall to her room. He lifted her, kicking the door open with his foot. "Finally, I didn't think I'd ever get you alone again."

Alex wrapped her arms around Chance's neck. "It was a wonderful party. Janine really outdid herself."

He dropped his face down, landing a kiss on her lips. "Oh, we're just getting started." He tossed Alex onto the bed and landed gracefully on top of her. "One last present."

"I thought I already got all my presents."

"Nope, I was saving the best for last." He unbuttoned her blouse and planted a trail of kisses down to her belly button.

"I didn't think it could get any better."

Chance chuckled, "Maybe not, but it's sure going to be fun to try."

Alex sighed in contentment as Chance took his time, continuing his slow seduction until she was shuddering and trembling with fulfillment beneath him. Their bodies wrapped and folded together, bare skin brushing against bare skin. Breaths and heartbeats in time as one. She closed her eyes, whispering a silent prayer of thanks to her ancestors for her newfound happiness.

*****

Anna sighed as she watched the last of the partygoers leave. As usual, she was left behind alone with the mess. She stretched and glanced at the clock, it was time for bed. She scowled glancing at the maze of wires and cables, not sure of how to end the transmission. "Hello....is there anybody there?" she shouted into the microphone. She had no idea of how to shut this thing off and didn't want big brother watching her get ready for work in the morning. Anna looked up, startled, as a face popped into the monitor. "Toby. I thought everyone was gone. Patrick left me on the mantle."

"Nope, I'm still here." He grinned, slyly. "Hey, you. How about a little striptease." He leered into the camera, cradling the smooth, cool plastic in his palm. "A little something for me to dream about." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively at Anna through the camera. "I'm always up for a little cybersex."

Anna snorted, "Are you crazy?" She leaned into the camera, balancing her weight on the edge of the desk, making sure he had a good view of her cleavage. "If you want it, come get it."

Toby moaned and licked his lips at the lush view of Anna's full breasts. He was tempted. But, his systems check wouldn't be done for a couple of days. Besides, he didn't want to foil his plan. He needed to keep Anna hanging on, dangling by a thread. "I really want to. But, I have to get these systems checks done first. I should be finished by the weekend." He balanced the camera on top of the monitor and stretched out in a chair.

Anna flopped down into her chair. "Your loss." She hid her disappointment behind a smile. A coy grin flashed across her lips. "I'm going to get ready for bed." She stood and backed away from the monitor, facing the camera. Slowly, she unbuttoned her blouse, sliding it down over her shoulders and dropping it to the floor. Next, she freed her hair from the pins securing it in place and sent it wafting down in a cascade of platinum blonde around her shoulders. "That's so much better."

Toby gulped, scooting closer to the monitor. If someone wandered in and saw the screen, he'd never hear the end of it. And he sure as hell didn't want one of his perverted brothers ogling his woman. His groin pulsed and throbbed as he watched her unzip and wiggle out of her narrow pencil skirt. "I wish the wireless connection would reach to my room," he growled in masculine approval of the lacy thong panties and the view. Damn, the view of her luscious ass. He groaned when she bent low, her backside to the camera, slowly removing her thigh high hose.

Anna stood in front of the camera. Gauging his reaction through his facial expressions. She smiled, seeing the peaks of his white fangs glistening from beneath his upper lip. He was turned on. Horny as hell. But, she was faltering, clad in nothing but her lacy bra and panties. She was too shy to take off anything else. Who knew if the connection was really private or not? She pulled her hair back, exposing her neck, running her hand down along her pulse point.

"Good god woman," Toby hissed. His body hummed with need. The front of his pants ballooned out as his erection grew to unbearable proportions. Agonized and uncomfortable, his hand hooked the bulge and adjusted the hard ridge of his cock. Tempted so tempted. There were some things a cold shower couldn't cure. His raging hard on was one of them. He ran his finger down the monitor tracing the curves of her body with his fingertip. And gripped himself harder. Trying to tamp down the ache in his groin.

Made brave by the arousal in Toby's voice, Anna turned her back to the monitor. Unhooking her bra and sliding the thin satin straps down over her arms, she tossed it over her head. Next, she worked her panties down her thighs, wiggling her butt suggestively. Taking her time to step free of the legs. A masculine growl echoed through the computer speakers. Giving him quite a show, she draped the filmy scrap of lace and satin over the camera's lens. "Goodnight Toby," she whispered, grinning in satisfaction as she turned off the dining room light and walked down the hall, unabashedly naked, to her room.

*****

Roark lounged back in his chair, hissing as he viewed the filmy white cloth covering the lens. "Damn," he cursed under his breath. The woman, one of the Sons' human whores, was delicate, tall and willowy, classically beautiful. And she'd tripped more than his radar. He wanted her. She was saucy and beautiful, with just a hint of innocence left in her crystalline, blue eyes. Soon, he'd have her and he'd claim that innocence for himself, returning her to the Sons an empty shell. Tainted. And unwanted.

He was the master of everything he surveyed. So many of the ancients failed because they could not adapt to the ever-changing world around them. Roark was better than the lot of them. He excelled in his mastery of technology. The PC he'd lifted off the Sons presented no great challenge. Once he'd hacked into the computer. Snaked his way in through the highly and creatively encrypted hard drive and found his way onto their Internet feed, the rest was simple. Tonight, he intercepted a video feed, posted over the net. He watched with benign curiosity from the comfort of his study, undetected and for the most part, uninterested. He suffered through the whole miserably sappy event. Sneaking a peek into the lair of his adversary. Only the last few minutes captured his attention.

Keene stood behind him, ever vigilant in his duties. So willing to do anything to keep his master happy. Roark backed up the feed to lock on the woman's face, freezing the frame. He so enjoyed a good game. And he had just the game in mind. Keene couldn't plot against him if his mind were thoroughly occupied. And by this stage in their relationship, his second knew the penalties for disappointing him. The woman, Anna, was in the city. His city. A virtual needle in a haystack of humanity. "Keene, find her."

Keene nodded in silence, dipping his head to Roark. Of course, the bastard wanted the woman. How in the hell was he supposed to locate her? He had no scent to go by. No name other than her first name. No clear lock on a location. Roark hoped he'd fail. Wanted him to. But, Keene had played this game before. And he never lost. Roark would have his woman.



Chapter 50

Alex dozed cradled in Chance's arms. She'd accepted his proposal. But, she needed to decide on the date. This time last year, her life had been calm, uneventful. Marriage was the furthest thing from her mind. And then Lucien stepped in, turning her universe upside down. They fell in love and were married under a canopy of stars in the warmth of a late spring night. Late that fall, he was taken from her. The event dominated her world, until Chance came along and rescued her from her self-imposed prison of mourning. She wanted to choose a day that would solely belong to the two of them. She wanted her wedding day to be clean and pure, untainted by the past.

"Chance," Alex whispered, nudging him awake. Let's do it next week."

"Do what?" Chance mumbled sleepily. After making love to Alex for hours he fell fast asleep and stayed there until her sharp, pointy elbow bashed him in the ribs.

"Get married." Alex stiffened in his arms, flooded with doubts. What if he thought it was too soon?

"Yeah sure, ok." He pressed his lips to her forehead. As far as he was concerned, the ceremony was a formality anyway. They were both wholly committed to each other and that's what a marriage truly was. But, if she wanted an official wedding, that was okay with him. He was getting to spend his life with the woman he loved, what else mattered?

Alex smiled a happy, contented smile. Next week she would become a wife. She didn't want a big production made out of the wedding. She wanted to keep it small and simple, just family and a few close friends. Her mother and Janine could have a little fun, decorating and planning a reception. But, Alex drew a line on one thing. NO BACHELORETTE PARTY.

*****

Janine stomped her foot in dismay. "What? No bachelorette party? Aw come on Alex." She put on her best pout face and pouched out her bottom lip. "You have to let me give you a send off. It's our last night out as sexy, single, women. I'll keep it low key. I promise." She batted her eyes and crossed her fingers behind her back. "Please." She kept her gaze on Alex, knowing her best friend would cave in.

"Oh," Alex huffed, "Ok, but I'm warning you. NO NUDITY!"

Janine grinned in triumph. "I promise." Giving Alex a light hug and trotted off. Alex didn't say Janine couldn't have strippers. Her only specification was no nudity. Janine would make sure the dancers kept their clothes on... sort of.

Marcus chuckled a deep throaty laugh as he talked to Janine on the cell phone. "Sure, count me in. Once Alex sees me in a g-string. She'll be glad she's getting married." He was back in the city now. On patrol with Bryce and Lance. His duties kept him busy. But, his thoughts still wandered to Sam. He didn't know if it was because they had spent those few days bonded together or not. But, he couldn't get her out of his mind. Reluctantly, and perhaps, a little happily, he mussed that it was nice to think of someone else besides Candace for a change. In fact, since he'd met Sam, other than as a friend, he didn't really think of Candace at all.