For the next few weeks, Justin's life couldn't have been better.

He compelled a professor at PIFA to provide paperwork showing him as an enrolled student so he could get hired at Kinnetik as an intern.

He left work late one night, having stayed behind to finish the boards for an important campaign. He knew Brian had lost all hope that they'd be ready by noon the next day for the client meeting, so Justin had locked himself in the art department after everyone else had gone home and had finished the job. He couldn't wait to find Brian in all his glory in the middle of Babylon and tell him the storyboards were done.

On the way to the club, that strange feeling of being followed returned tenfold. Justin whirled around and gasped in shock.

"Good evening, Justin."

"Ethan?" Justin asked, unable to believe his eyes. When the man smiled, Justin pulled him into a tight hug. "Ethan," he cried in relief.

Many questions zoomed through his mind: Why now? How come he was still alive? How was he here? What did it mean?

"Easy, or you'll give me whiplash," Ethan joked, taking Justin's hands. "First things first. Is there a place we could be alone?"

"You've been following me around for weeks! You tell me."

When Ethan frowned, Justin realized that the situation was much worse than he'd first thought.

"Who have you angered now?" Ethan groaned.

"No one that I know of. Come on. I live on the outskirts of town." As they walked to Justin's car, Justin shot Brian a text message saying he couldn't make it to Babylon that night.

"A new lover? Should I be jealous?"

Justin snorted. "You were... I thought you... I have no idea. We have a lot to talk about, Ethan."

"I figured as much. So you're fucking a human?"

"I know what you must think, but it's different."

"Isn't it always? Just be careful, Jus. I can smell him all over you."

Once they arrived at Justin's house, they headed inside.

"I have to admit, I thought you had more style than this rathole," Ethan commented, kicking a large rodent out of his way.

"Hey, that's one of my friends."

"I bet you gave them names."

"Maybe I did." Justin laughed. "I haven't had time to make what I want of this house. I plan to restore it."

"This century?"

"I'm thinking next century." Justin tapped his chin. "Or the next."

"You're still crazy."

"And you're alive!" Justin brought up the dreaded subject.

Ethan widened his arms. "It appears I am."

"Cut the bullshit, Ethan. The last thing I remember, you were stuck in that burning house with Bernard!"

"I made it out," he explained softly.

"What aren't you telling me? And how could you? I was there watching as it burned to the ground… waiting and hoping you'd make it out."

"Bernard knew the subterranean tunnels. We walked for weeks underground."

If Justin's heart had still throbbed, it would have skipped a beat upon hearing the news. "You mean Bernard is… still… around?" Panic rose in his chest, and for a wild second he felt like he was suffocating.

Bernard. The man who'd turned him. The man who'd ruined his life, even after death. "It was him!" Justin gasped.

"How stupid do you think he is? He didn't set his own house on fire!"

"No! Who I felt. He could always conceal himself from me."

"We separated when we managed to dig out from below ground somewhere in Spain. Last I heard, he was in South America."

"And… how did you find me?" Justin asked fearfully.

"I've been tracking you for years through your paintings. But whenever I reached a city I'd heard you were in… you were gone. Then I heard your name linked to some big-shot advertising company."

"Yeah. I'm doing what I enjoy for the first time since Paris. Remember how happy I was to paint in the park? That's how happy I am now."

"I can see that. Though, is this human worth it?"

"Can we not discuss this? I don't like thinking of the future. We'll let this… whatever this is… go whichever way."

"All I'm saying is… if you care about him, you should get ready to protect him. If Bernard is around… we don't want another me, do we?"

Justin's eyes filled with tears. "Must you remind me of that? I will kill him myself if he dares look at Brian, let alone touch him."

Ethan sighed heavily. "What is it with you and falling for humans?"

Justin glared, grinding his teeth.

"What's so irresistible about them? Now that I've had a few humans myself, I can attest vampires are ten thousand times better lovers."

"Brian's different."

"Just like I was."

"He's different than anyone else, Ethan. I can't explain it. I've never felt this connected to anyone else."

"Did you have him drink from you?"

"We exchanged blood, but he's not aware."

Justin's words distracted Ethan from the rat he'd grabbed. He dropped the rodent, gaping at his old friend.

"You mean your human doesn't know what you are?"

"Would you stop referring to Brian as my human? His name is Brian!"

Ethan caught the rat again, stroking between its eyes. "So you love this hmm... this Brian?"

"Just BRIAN!"

"You didn't answer me."

Justin huffed, refusing to answer, afraid of his own admission.

"Ben here is curious."

Justin snatched the rat from Ethan's hands, throwing him towards the kitchen. "Fuck the rat! And fuck you!"

"Okay, that answered me."

"What? Did you think you could waltz into my life after five decades and reclaim me? I've moved on!"

"I think if I'd found you before you reached Pittsburgh, you'd feel differently."

"Ethan, stop playing mind games. I fucking hate that!"

The shrill ring of Justin's cellphone interrupted their fight. "What?" Justin muttered into the phone.

"Change of plans?" Brian quoted the message Justin had sent him. "You're not still at Kinnetik?"

"I'm home," Justin explained, pinning Ethan to the wall when he kept making kissy faces. I'm going to rip your head off and shove it up your ass! he threatened Ethan wordlessly.

"You're not feeling well?" Brian asked in concern.

"Just peachy," Justin answered, kneeing Ethan in the groin when his threat made him laugh.

"Are you… with someone?"

"I ran into an old friend."

Aw, how sweet. I'm still your friend. Ethan beamed.

"I see. So… I'll see you tomorrow at work," Brian said.

"Sure." He glared at Ethan.

"Don't forget about our lunch appointment with the electronics company." Brian hung up before Justin could find another excuse.

"Going out in daylight, are we?" Ethan raised a brow in surprise.

"No. I'm not stupid."

"So what do you have in your fabulous house? Besides rats."

"A variety of bugs."

"Charming."

They stared at each other for a long moment before embracing tightly.

"I missed you so fucking much, you moron," Justin mumbled into Ethan's neck. "I still can't believe you're here."

"You're hard to find, but apparently I did the impossible and tracked you down."

When Ethan made to kiss him, Justin turned his head away. Ethan tilted Justin's face toward him, searching his eyes.

"I do, okay?" Justin groaned, exasperated. It was the truth – he'd fallen for Brian.

"Want to tell me about him?"

He sat heavily on the stairs, staring at his fingers. "Brian's fascinating. I've never met anyone like him before. He's stronger than most people I know, me included. He doesn't take bullshit from anyone and would defend his friends until the end of the world. I can tell how much he cares for them, though he'd never admit it out loud. He's strong-willed and determined. He's not into relationship bullshit, just like me. We have this little arrangement. It's been working wonders."

"But you want more." Ethan wrapped an arm around his friend's shoulders.

"I don't know what the fuck I want."

"Does he love you too?"

"How the fuck should I know?"

"The link?" Ethan raised a brow.

Justin sagged into Ethan's side. "His feelings have changed, but it's nothing as strong as what I feel for him. Why do I fall for humans?"

"Why are you asking me? I used to be an innocent human you corrupted many years ago."

Silence fell between them, but Justin could see something was still bothering Ethan. When he focused on Ethan's thoughts, he wished he hadn't. "The answer is no," he whispered.

"What about Brian?"

"Of course, I'd never turn him! I don't even know how to do it!"

"So if Bernard hadn't bitten me… I'd have watched you stay young and beautiful while I aged?"

"Ethan, I never stick around for more than ten years… tops."

"Then why do you let yourself fall in love?"

"Because I'm an idiot! It doesn't happen all that often. In truth, the only two humans I ever loved were you… and now Brian."

"So once every fifty or so years, you go crazy."

Justin shot him a dirty look.

"It's okay. I still love you, even crazy." Ethan kissed his cheek.