Time froze suddenly, teenagers stuck in mid motion as they moved around to
Bon Jovi's captive lyrics. The question sounded in her ears over and over,
the fast beating drum of desire and hope.

She blinked and everything sped up again, the movement around her dizzying.
'Answer her you idiot!' Her mind shouted along with the hammering of her
heart. 'Just tell her no thanks, and it's like nothing ever happened! YOU
DON'T EVEN KNOW HER NAME!!!'

"Uh sure, I suppose." She nearly physically showed it as she mentally slapped
herself. Instead she twisted her expression into a sheepish one that didn't
last two seconds when she turned to meet the girl's eyes. No doubt about it,
the same heavenly angel from this morning with her hair back in a strict and
disciplined ponytail, and her onyx eyes able to search the very depths of your
soul. "But, I...uh, don't even know your name yet."

Yet again, her mind sent a slap towards itself. 'Oh great, now she's going to
back off...how could anyone like her want to dance with someone like you?'

But instead, a lazy grin grew upon the Chinese angel's face and Laura watched
in utter amazement at the change that seemed to make a dazzling creature even
more so. "Well then, how about a formal introduction?" The angel asked, that
grin remaining. "My name is Yun Li [1]. I recently transferred from China. And
you are?"

Yun...so this angel had a name. "I am Laura Sidhe [2], I've lived here in
Rockville [3] for all my life." That's when Yun did something quite surprising-
she leaned down, taking Laura's hand and pressing a tiny and very gentle kiss
upon the back. Warmth spread up Laura's arm like a tidal wave, coursing through
her body so violently she felt a strange sense that she should have fainted by
now. But instead of feeling faint, she felt very very alive, and very ready to
dance. "Shall we?" Yun asked, and all Laura could do to respond was to nod.

“I see dark clouds outside my window,
I know the storm is coming any minute.
And the thunder just confirms my fears,
And I know the tears are never ending."

As the song started, the two found themselves on the dance floor, Yun's steady arms
weaving their way around Laura's thin waist while Laura's own found a comfortable
spot draped over Yun's shoulders. The song wasn't made for either slow dancing or
the fast paced riots either, but somehow their bodies melted into each other and
the music became a sort of make shift sanctuary. It felt like returning home after
a very long trip.

"I'll be crying unable to stop.
Look here comes the very first drop."

"Such a poetic song, don't you think?" Yun's voice startled her slightly, but she
nodded. Ace of Base had always been her favorite band [4], and somehow...it felt
like the right song for her first dance with Yun. 'Now where did that come from?!
Hold back girl, breathe...she asked you to dance, not to marry her.'

"Cause every time it rains,
I fall to pieces
So many memories the rain releases
I feel you, I taste you, I cannot forget.
Every time it rains...I get wet." [5]

The song ended, and the two drew back from each other. From across the room, Ting
gestured to Laura as she called out- it was getting late and the two needed to get
heading home.

"Uh, looks like I need to go. Thanks for the dance." Laura mumbled gently, waving
slightly to Yun as she jogged across the room to Ting. Many of the teens were heading
home, even though it was a Friday, and these two were of no exception-their parents
did expect them home.

"Well well, I didn't know you preferred girls." Laura stopped dead in her tracks,
staring at Ting as the girl stopped ahead of her on the sidewalk leading to Laura's
1976[6] spider convertible. "Look, I understand okay? Don't think I'm goin' to shoo you
off because of that."

Laura blinked, looking at Ting hopefully-the fact that she liked both guys and girls
was the only secret she had ever kept from her childhood friend. "You mean, you're not
mad at me?"

This got a laugh out of Ting, and Laura's cheeks blazed with a deep crimson tint as
her fist tightened. "Of course not!" Hands loosened, color began to drop slight. "Why
would I be mad?"

She grinned and calm down, fallowing Ting back to the car as they went over the matter
carefully. Ting was fine with this, as long as Laura agreed never to hit on her- which
Laura quickly agreed to- and the two were speeding down the highway home talking about
nothing but the newest band. Things couldn't get any better than this.

* * * *
"You do realize-sss- that I cannot kill any mortal-sss-." The extra 'sss' added to almost
each word was unnerving at first when you had to deal with Schlange [7]. Hell, just dealing
with the 7 foot high, snake-with-legs supporting the last 1/3 of his black and red scaled
body was unnerving enough. It didn't help that this particular snake relative had two heads,
each with a mouth filled with razor point teeth that could send gallons of poison into you
at one time. Not the usually business partner.

But this particular business man was not your normal suit and wand politic of the Dark court.
He was cool and dignified, getting what he wanted while never losing more than he intended.
"I understand that my friend and this is my point exactly." His voice was deep and smooth,
a lulling kind of voice that could put you to sleep if each word didn't send shivers down
your back. "This particular creature is an immortal...one that if you kill, the great
goddesses will reward you for."

This certainly got Schlange's attention as the giant beast halted their pace down one of
the dark catacombs he had made his home in Paris. It was lovely down here-or at least to
the four eyes of this Snake-beast. "A creature-sss- that the godesses-ssss- would reward
the death -sss- of?" His forest green eyes focused on the dark figure of the business man.
"Now I am -sss- listening -sss-. What creature -sss- do you -sss-speak of?"

A deep humble laugh erupted from the man. "Why, a vampire my dear friend. The scoundrels of
the court! To rid of one would be to end the nuisance to the goddesses. They would smile
upon you once more! And only a brave creature like you is strong enough to take on such a
creature." He gently stroked at the beast's ego, knowing it was this creature's weakness.

And indeed it was as those green eyes flashed in glee. "But of course -sss-. My kind has
-sss- always -sss- been the strongest -sss- of the courts -sss-. I could take -sss- a mere
vampire -sss-." One of his heads turned to look down the tunnel, holding itself high while
the second looked down upon the business man. "I trust -sss- your judgment -sss- that this
-sss- vampire has -sss- troubled the goddesses -sss-, so I -sss- shall rid of it -sss-.
Give me its -sss- name."

Another laugh from the business man as he bowed to the snake-beast, a sign of respect
whenever the creature agrees to something that you yourself wants done. "All in due time
my friend, all in due time."

* * * *

Yun left the dance party a considerable amount of time after Laura, when most of the students
but a few had stayed behind, and the parents had cautiously left their hiding place in the
back. She was dreadfully hungry, her fangs having proved that point as they descended without
her command- her body's way of shouting for blood. So she seduced one of the young men leaving
the party, gently taking her share of blood from him before handing him off to a friend.
Explaining that he had fainted from too much of that spiked punch, and needed to be driven home.
He would retrieve his car in the morning.

Then she disappeared into the night, playing Ms. Mysterious as she had grown accustom to doing
for the last 450 years. She regretted not bringing her coat as the nightly chill crept up on her,
engulfing her in a mist of nightly passion and frozen rain. The aroma of the air reeked of
dampness and other unpleasantries as she made her way farther into the city. Many men had tried
to get her into their cars, or grab her as she walked by.

And many men had ended up face first into a brick wall, or had their cars explode.

By the time she had reached the main entrance to the counsel halls, she was pissed. Her closes
entrance was inside the Club Esclavo [8], named after the large amount of sexual sadists it
seemed to bring to its doors. It didn't help that half of these were either demons with very
good glamour spells or vampires looking for a treat.

"Hey Yun, looks like you had a rough night." Yun took a seat at the bar, smiling to Timmy. Timmy
was a half demon, half human born from rape but he didn't mind that much. A sweet guy, one
that Yun was surprised to find was one of the few people she trusted after she had returned,
and that she had grown to trust him so soon. He was bald, though two thin horns that humans
must have passed as fakes were jutting from his head and wrapping around his ears. Eyes of
vixen brown that became orange in the light, he was kind of handsome for the blooming age of
49. Kind of. "Want the usual?"

"Nah, no thanks." She gestured to her fangs, still out and soaking with blood-she was lucky
it was dark when she had handed off the unconscious boy. "Just ate. What's activity been like?"
Timmy shook his head, meaning nothing out of the ordinary- the usual girls being ‘napped for
sex-slaves for demons, a few fainters due to vampires feeding freely. Nothing new here.

"So, meet anyone tonight?" Timmy asked, placing a drink before a man sitting a few seats away
from Yun, before starting to clean out a glass. "Besides your last meal."

'Hell yes...' Yun's thoughts trailed to Laura, but she shook her head to rid of the thoughts-
and to answer Timmy's question. "No...no-one but a few rowdy teenagers." Timmy excepted that
answer and moved on to pour a drink for someone else.

Yun was left questioning why she had even thought of Laura again…

A/n- Third chapter redone! Now all I have to do is think up the fourth one. Oh well, should be soon…

[1]- She's going to kill me if she ever finds out...
[2]- I think Sidhe was an old version of either an elf or a fey...anyone know?
[3]- Rockville, MD...I use to live there, we just moved though. All the chars in this that are old
friends of mine, do live there, excepts from Yun who lives in China.
[4]- Mine too! The one thing I want in the world is the CD with this song on it, it's like their
greatest hits album.
[5]- Gonna end the song here, for time's sake. If you want the full lyrics, ask in reviews and
leave me your email.
[6]- Best car in the world- well not really, but mine is cool! Yet my mom thinks we should paint
it a gross blue when it looks great in red.
[7]- The German word for Snake...
[8]- Spanish for Slave.

Disclaimer- I don’t own Jewel, Sir Mix-a-lot (I wish I did), Bon Jovi or Ace of Base…I take it
y’all already figured that much out.