I know this is coming in late in the story, but this is where it actually gets good. This is from my last draft, in the Spring, so it's not the new one I'm working on, but I wanted to get some opinions on the dialogue exchange especially. But go with whatever strikes your fancy.

Again, I apolgize because this is jumping into the middle of it all, but... hey...

Rated PG-13 for language and content, mostly alcohol and drug reference. Set at my main characters 21st birthday.

Placed in Fantasy because the guy she speaks to is a vampire... which you find out later. Those of you familiar with my work already know that, of course, but... uh, yeah...

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Annie had never seen so many people in this house at one time. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been to a party with this many people. If she had been, it was back in High School, before the social structure had divided into smaller groups. People started arriving before the verbal invitation had told them—around eight o’ clock—though those had been the types that were within walking distance, and some helped set up the last bits and hung out in a small party atmosphere before the droves came crashing down. Annie spoke with a few of these early birds and had a Smirnoff while she, too, waited for everything to get started. The waiting, instead of the actual partying, was what Annie had dreaded the most. It was the calm before the storm, when her nerves were at their peek. Some of the individuals that had been invited Annie had not seen for months or even years. Jodi jokingly mentioned that this was a mini High School reunion, and said that she looked forward to seeing old faces.

Annie remembered her time in the public school system as being dismal, if not downright miserable. At the time, Annie had weighed a good twenty pounds more then she did before she started running track (at first by herself, and later for the schools Junior and Senior team). She remembered the cruel remarks and sour looks on so many faces. She remembered that more then her increased popularity in the last two years, when she had fully come out as a vibrant and beautiful individual. The fact that some of her guests that night were not only old friends but even older enemies gave her a twisted feeling in her stomach. Her imagination carried her into scenes where the pretty, popular girls, would arrive looking just as glamorous and sneer at her outfit, her hair, her body, her life. It was the last thing that she needed right now.

The first few people to arrive, however, each embraced Annie and exclaimed over how long it had been. She recognized a few of them but re-introduced herself to them all just in case. Matt, Bach and Twinkie arrived at seven thirty and set up in the living room, using the only power strip in the house to plug in three amps, all of which were as big as the coffee table, which was moved down into the basement when it became obvious that the living room was far too crowded.

“You look different,” Bach had said to Annie while they were setting up. “Did you change your hair?” He was smiling while he said it, a smile that would put Tom Cruise to shame.

Annie pulled at her curls and gave a little shrug, “A woman should never reveal her secrets.”

Bach just gave her a look, a good sweeping one, then turned around and talked to his band mates about the inevitable break-up with his girlfriend, Ginger. With the way his voice rose on the subject whenever Annie was around, she could tell that her outfit, as well as the new strut she was acquiring, were working their charm. She took the time to skirt off to the bathroom and apply makeup she borrowed from Jodi’s room. Silver eye shadow, black eyeliner, vividly red lipstick and some light blush brought the entire ensemble together. At least, that was what Ryan told her as soon as he spotted her coming back from the bathroom, giving him one of the best smiles she had in a while.

It was around eight fifteen that the influx was most powerful. The doorbell had ceased being rung as so many people stepped up to the porch that the front door was still open from the last arriver. Quite a few cars were so packed with people that it reminded Annie of a boarder run, eight of them pouring out of a passenger vehicle. Cars parked on the front lawn and in the driveway, until the front of the house looked like the makings of a concert. Though a good few had walked, they were only the desperate or close, or perhaps the drunks that were conscious enough not to endanger anyone else on the road, but did not have the social life to acquire a ride. You could tell who these individuals were at first glance, with ripped pants, lopsided hair cuts, stained teeth and t-shirts. They were the loudest, the most obnoxious, and generally the most draining people Annie knew.

Annie had greeted most of the guests that she knew right off the bat when they arrived, but soon the house was packed so much that Annie could barely see the front door, nonetheless the newer guests. Soon enough, though, everyone seemed to find her, draw her away, and fill her in on everything that had been happening in the last year. Annie remembered, in an off-handed sort of way, of what she did not like about hosting parties. She listened politely to about four of these people before she found convincing ways of leaving them to tend to something else. She invented chores to do, even though all the functions of the party were taken care of by Ryan, Tess and Jodi. It was on the back porch and in the lawn, where Annie escaped occasionally, that she was able to compose herself properly and refresh the smile on her face.

It wasn’t that Annie did not enjoy the party, she found herself enjoying it quite a bit, but this had been her being dunked head-first into a pool of faces that she barely remembered. In the back of her mind Annie wished that a smaller party had been formed this night, but as she reminded herself over and over again, her friends had gone through a lot of trouble to bring her this one night. So Annie smiled through her teeth and found herself relaxing more and more as drinks were pushed into her hand, forced down her throat, and more people came up to speak to her. Soon the drink filling her belly was more then warm, it was wonderful, and Annie did not even protest when Ryan and Jodi appeared at her elbow with a home-made funnel system and a bottle of tequila.

Annie ended up in the kitchen, followed by a multitude of bodies as the shouts of “The Birthday Girl is getting drunk!” traveled throughout the house, trying to drink a girl she had never met before under the table. The girls name was Frankie, someone Annie had met only a few times during High School and had foggy memories of, and she had her own group of friends cheering her on. The crowd leaned in Annie’s favor, drowning out Frankie’s pathetic group whenever Annie poured or downed another shot. They had competed to seven full shots of tequila in ten minutes when Frankie grinned at Annie over the dining room table, “Ready for another one?” She asked, her voice betraying a bit of a slur.

Annie nodded, not taking her eyes off of this Frankie girl, who grinned and poured the both of them a new shot. Annie raised her glass and toasted Frankie, then downed it to loud cheers, wolf-whistles and back slaps. Annie didn’t feel it any more, but Frankie swayed slightly on her feet. “Whoa,” the crowd murmured, then cheered when Frankie stumbled, and fell sideways into one of her buxom young friends.

Annie threw her arms into the air in triumph, grinning as cheers and cries poured over her. She heard a few drowned-out voices of various boys offering to buy her another one, followed by scattered laughter, but for the most part, she was reining champion of the Suava bottle. Frankie nearly fell into Annie in her attempted to give her a congratulatory slap on the back, which turned into a bit of a stumble as both the girls almost fell to the floor. Annie laughed considerably at this while Frankie was convinced to sit down in the living room by her group of giggling fan girls. In the hazy corners of her mind, Annie wondered if Frankie was a dyke.

The band had been playing since eight o’ clock on the dot, the music so loud it felt like Annie’s eardrums were bleeding. She made her way to the living room anyway, where a few guys were bashing into each other where the T.V. had stood until a few hours ago, hitting the wall now and then to bounce back and start pounding into each other once more. Annie knew a make shift mosh pit when she saw it, and steered clear, since she had the hazard of stiletto heels to worry about. Instead she leaned against the banister separating the stair well going down to the front door from the living room. She held another Smirnoff in her hand and had not remembered where she got it from. Shrugging, she took a swig and let her eyes rest on Bach, who was head banging to the base guitar and drum rift that Twinkie and Matt produced, before he leaned into the microphone and started singing in his low, deep tones. His eyes, brown like John’s had been, found Annie’s and he gave her a small smile. Bach was typical to Annie of lead singers, with his long, untidy black hair and a lean body with plenty of leather, studs, and black fabric. Annie watched him and scanned the crowd for his girlfriend, saw her knocking back drinks with her friends, then went back to watching him. She loved her eye candy.

For the most part Annie could not hear what the band was singing about, but their music was melodic and had a good rhythm, which she bobbed her head to and got up and danced to a few times while her body adjusted to being drunk again. Annie danced with Jodi and Ryan (Tess had disappeared downstairs), then danced with a few guys she knew from years back, and a guy she had never seen before. All of them asked to dance with her again, but she declined each of them in turn. Their hands had roamed and with the alcohol on their breath and the desire in their eyes, she had not trusted them or herself. After the attention became a little too much, and the music started to become a little too loud, Annie moved through the sea of bodies and grabbed a bottle of tequila on her way out the back door, and into the semi-deserted darkness of the back yard. Her feet hurt from dancing and the cool breeze felt good on her cheeks after the heat of so many bodies close together. She was enjoying the feeling in her stomach, the way that her vision swam just slightly when she looked around to fast. She felt invincible. Annie was not naïve to the glances of the men in those rooms, or out here on the porch where they were fewer in number.

Annie also remembered how she had felt the last time she had trusted one of those men, and the feeling of invincibility even when their relationship had shattered in front of her. Annie shook her head and tried to stop thinking about John, and those eight months of silence, the night where they had screamed at each other and he had told her she was a slut. Just because those men had looked at her, and the word had been a slap in the face. Stunned, that was when she had started packing her bags.

Shaking her head, Annie tried to clear her mind of it, but it was like a sore in her mouth that she kept prodding at. She unscrewed the cap of the tequila bottle and took another drink, to the loud, congratulatory yell of an old friend of hers that was leaning against the porch railing. “How are you doing, Annie?” He called to her.

“Just fine,” she said, giving him a wavy salute, hiccupping, “Lucas.” She swallowed the belch that tried to escape, then asked, “How are you doing?”

Lucas shrugged, and then tilted his head in the direction of a quite busty blond holding onto his arm and looking particularly inebriated. “I think I’m doing pretty well.” He grinned at her, “Nice party. Happy Birthday.”

“Thank you,” she said, then gave him a little wave, her feet already on the steps down the porch and into the yard, “See you around.”

Annie clattered down the stairs, leaned against the house with one hand and took off her boots, pulling on them with a pained expression on her face. She had thigh-high sheer stockings on, but they were cheep and she had bought them with her Target store discount after work. She could get another pair just as cheap the next day, so she kept them on, mainly for the comfort of something shrouding her legs against the slight chill in the air.

The grass felt wonderful under her and she curled her toes into it as she walked. There was an old gazebo, even though Ryan called it a pagoda, that had been erected by tenants long gone. It was very old and run down, but Annie felt like paying it a long overdue visit. She had never been that far back in the yard; hell, she barely spent that much time in the house, so caught up in college schoolwork and the obligatory work schedule. She and her friends had talked about restoring it before the reality of utility bills, groceries and rent caught up with them. They had abandoned that idea a long time ago.

Annie felt like running, like tossing her head and laughing into the face of the night. She was one year older, one year wiser, one year better. She smiled with the joy of it, grinned into the shadows and passed her eyes over the couples that locked lips close to the trees and on the ground, where they rolled shamelessly together. Her smile fell as she remembered John, the last man she had been intimate with, their encounters in public places where they would run off and never get caught. The thrill of doing something wrong. Her gut tightened and she shook her head, staring up at the stars and smiling slightly, this is my night, she thought, nothing can take that away.

Annie realized as she walked how wonderful it felt to be free of all those shapeless, bulky clothes she had been wearing. It felt wonderful to have the breeze touch parts of her it had not caressed in months. She felt strong in this outfit, felt strong with her hair wild and her eyes flashing, her smile coming like strikes of lightening. Annie felt that perhaps Jodi was right, they were all right, that Annie was not herself unless she let herself cut loose.

With these thoughts on her mind, Annie broke into a jog, skirting around trees and shrubs and people to get to the pagoda and its wonderful view of the stars.

The pagoda was moss and termite ridden. It looked like it was leaning against itself for support, the beams miss-placed by weather and wear. Annie circled it once, glancing up through the tree branches even though she knew the clearest view of the stars was from the center of the gazebo. She stopped near the stairs and considered the structure with a long, careful look. Then she unscrewed her tequila bottle, took another swig, and stepped forward.

The view was magnificent. Annie and her family had driven to Dallas, Texas to visit relatives once and Annie had been surprised to find that the stars were dull and hidden behind a colorless sheen on the sky. Out here, though, in the country of West Missouri, the sky stretched in a long, clean, glimmering expanse. Annie stared because she loved to look, even though she knew none of the constellations aside from the big dipper and Orion.

“I question the integrity of this structure. I think it would be best if you came down.”

Annie jumped, looking around with her tequila bottle sloshing in her hands. There was a man standing outside the steps of the gazebo with a small, careful smile on his face. She did not recognize him, but she could barely see him. She smiled at him and swayed slightly on her feet, “Yeah?”

He motioned at the bottle with his hand, “You are drunk, aren’t you?”

“What’s it to you?” She asked, and was almost ashamed to hear the slur in her voice. However, she had never met this man and, her mind reasoned, she owed nothing to him. So what if she was drunk? It was her birthday, her twenty-first birthday, of course she was drunk.

The man started the small walk out from under the shadows of the tree and towards the gazebo, so Annie could see him now. He had fair hair, dark eyes and pale skin. He was also taller then Annie, which was something she did not see quite as often since she was nearly six feet herself. He smiled at her, “You’re the birthday girl; I’m just looking out for you. It would be a shame if you fell and twisted an ankle on this most momentous of occasions.” He held out his hand to her, “Would you like an escort back to the party?”

Faintly Annie heard the band start up again accompanied by cheers from her party goers. Annie shook her head, “I came out here for quiet. Who are you, anyway?”

A smile flashed on his face, “My name is Antonio.” His eyes seemed to glow in the dark, almost like cats eyes, “I came on the arm of a young woman that has abandoned me for the attentions of another suitor.”

Annie frowned, “You talk funny,” she said, “Are you saying that your girlfriend dumped you?”

Antonio gave a small laugh and shook his head, “Not at all. I came with a friend, but she is absorbed with the attentions of another man. I am left to my own devices. Being that it is such a beautiful night, I decided to come out for a cigarette.” As he spoke, he produced a pack from his pocket, “Would you care for one?” He pulled a cigarette out, placed it between his lips and lit it with a silver Zippo in one fluid, practiced movement.

Annie shook her head, “I don’t smoke.”

He exhaled his smoke away from her, waving his hand in front of his face to dissipate it quicker, “Just as well, do you mind coming down from there? I am worried that this gazebo saw its glory years quite a while back. It looks unstable.”

Annie giggled and dropped the tequila bottle, bending to grab it quickly, “Oh, shit,” she muttered.

The bottle rolled over to the stairs and Antonio picked it up, staring quietly at the yellow liquid, “Tequila? Not my first choice for a lady, but it does the trick.”

“Does what trick?” Annie hiccupped and covered her mouth, blushing though he could not see in the dark.

Antonio laughed a little, “That trick where you get drunk.”

Annie giggled, hiccupped, covered her mouth for a moment and then giggled again, “You’re funny.”

Antonio took another drag of his cigarette, “So are you going to come down or do I have to come up?” Without waiting for a reply, Antonio stepped up onto the gazebo and flicked his cigarette, even though he had not finished it, into the yard. “What is your name?” He asked.

“Annie,” she said quietly, surprised at his boldness. She took a step back, felt the wood underneath her give way, and before she knew it, she was sprawled backwards and looking straight up at the stars. “Wow,” she whispered.

Antonio bent down to her, “Are you alright?” He asked, holding his hand out to her.

“Look at the stars,” she said, “They’re so bright.”

Antonio looked up, then back down at her, “Yes, they are,” he said, grasping her hand and pulling her to her feet, “Do you believe me now? Can we get down from this catastrophe waiting to happen?”

Annie laughed, but when he pulled her to her feet it was all too sudden and she felt her stomach lurch. Annie tried to open her mouth to warn Antonio, but it was too much, and she ended up heaving the contents of her stomach on the gazebo. Oh, god, she thought to herself, some first impression, and he was really cute.

Strangely enough, he stayed right next to her, holding her hair back and supporting her so she did not fall over. When she had finished, though she coughed for a good minute afterwards to clear her throat, he simply asked her, “Are you alright?”

Annie looked up at him, his face so close that she had a moment to realize how stunning he was, her image almost perfectly reflected in the darkness of those eyes. She gave a shaky laugh, trying to dislodge the clenching in her gut, “I’m fine. Sorry.” She stood up again, having fallen to her knees to heave the contents of her stomach. She lifted her hand to her head and moaned a little with the way the world spinned. “God damn it,” she whispered.

He frowned a little, looking a bit concerned, “Don’t usually party this hard?” He asked.

Annie shook her head, “I’m sorry,” she said.

“Nothing to be sorry about,” he assured her, “Come on, lets get off this thing.”

Antonio helped her off the pagoda and she gave him her thanks, “You’re being very nice to me.”

“Why not?” He asked, “It is as though I’ve been thrown into a story with a beautiful damsel in distress while I play the prince on a white horse.”

Annie tried to laugh, but was afraid of what it might do to her stomach, which still ached from its recent ejaculation. She smiled instead, “Clever.”

“I thought so.” Antonio smiled again, “Do you want to join the party?”

Annie shook her head, “I want to go to bed. Some twenty-first,” she glanced up, “Though I did meet you, and you are awfully pretty.” Then she laughed, “I’m sorry, I’m drunk.”

Antonio looked pleased with himself, “Nothing to apologize about. I’ll take you back inside, and we’ll find your friends for you, if you will accept my help.”

“Of course,” she said quite cheerily, then belched, “God, I need to brush my teeth.”

Antonio laughed, “Charming.”

They walked through the backyard to the porch, skirting around the couples still entwined on the ground with each other. The couples did not seem to take much notice of Annie or Antonio, caught up in their own world of heat, in the moment. Annie longed for those days with a suddenness that startled her. She looked at Antonio out of the corner of her eye and let her imagination run wild. She smiled slow and lazy, leaning on this man a little for support, noticing how he was muscle-bound under his long black shirt, his arm muscles flexing as he supported her.

They made it up the stairs and onto the porch without incident, but navigating the crowd ended up being a new problem of its own. Annie’s guests still wanted her attention, so when she announced she was retiring there was some bemoaning and griping about her drinking habits. Annie laughed at them and held onto Antonio, pleased that the girls looked at her with jealousy in her eyes. Antonio spoke to a few people Annie did not recognize, and in the light she could see that he was quite handsome, that his eyes were dark blue. Bach, Matt and Twinkie had finished playing, or were having an intermission, but she saw the frown on Bach’s face and smiled a little at the thought she was disappointing his plans. Even though he was the sort she usually fell for, Annie reflected passively, she had gotten over it. Looking at Antonio again, Annie wondered.

They finally made it through the crowded living room and into the hallway towards Annie’s room, where she produced her key from between her breasts. It was the safest place she could think of to put it, but she could not help but notice the way Antonio’s eyes followed her hand as she pulled it out. She smiled at him, “Getting an eye full?”

Antonio shrugged, “I would be lying if I said no.”

Annie gave him a considering look, laughed, then unlocked the door to her room, stumbling inside a little. Antonio’s eyes swept around the crowded shelves littered with trinkets and laid with colorful fabrics. Renters were not allowed to paint the walls, so Annie had pinned up bolts of red and crimson fabric to cover the white that she despised. Antonio nodded in approval, “I like the decorating.”

Annie shot him with a look, “You’re not gay, are you?”

Antonio gave a shrug, but did not seem offended by the question. Annie wondered if he had been asked more then this once, “I can’t say I am; no.”

Annie shut the door behind them and locked it, “Can’t be too careful with all the drunks wandering about,” she said in a sing-song voice.

“Not locking me in?” He said with a smile in his voice.

Annie turned to look at him; he was studying the books on the shelf above the desk she did her homework at. She had a collection of philosophers; Bacon, Freud, Nietzsche, Plato, Aristotle, among others. He touched the spine of Nietzsche, “I find his views flawed; don’t you?”

Annie tilted her head, “I don’t know,” she said slowly, “He says some good things.”

“As do many people,” Antonio replied casually, “That does not make their views good or bad; it makes them human.”

Annie nodded, knowing she was not in the right frame of mind to be discussing dead philosophers. “I’m going to go brush my teeth,” she announced, walking to her bathroom quickly and locking the door behind her. The carpet felt wonderful under her feet, as she first peeled off her stockings and then went to un-lace the back of her dress. There was a bruise on her ankle where she had stepped clean through the floor of the pagoda, but other then that she seemed unharmed.

Annie brushed her teeth and took off her dress, throwing it into her laundry basket even though she knew full well it deserved a trip to the dry cleaners. Her closet was out in her main room, but Annie kept her nightclothes in one of the cabinets across from her shower, for easy access. She changed into a pair of flannel pants and a black tank top, pulling her hair into a ponytail. She could not hear Antonio moving around in her room, and wondered what he was up to.

Annie had to admit she felt much better now that she had thrown up, even though it had embarrassed the hell out of her. She still felt the effects of the alcohol, though it had taken on a calm, sleepy feeling. She still felt invincible, though slightly deterred from her course by her previous actions of the night. She wondered what she was doing with a strange man in her bedroom and decided not to second-guess herself. If she ended this night in a one-night stand, all the merrier. She knew she needed it.

Annie opened up the door between her bedroom and bathroom and blinked from the light of the overhead, which was much brighter. The room swam in red and gold colors; gold being the color of her bedspread. Annie fell against the doorway and hugged it for a second while her vision re-adjusted.

Off to the side she heard Antonio ask, “Are you alright?”

Annie had the strength in her to nod, then swallowed a few times, “I think I need some water.”

“Honestly, I think that water would be the worst thing for you until morning. Can you stand?”

Annie realized she had slid to the floor, blinking up at Antonio who was standing in front of her, “I don’t remember getting down here.” She said weakly.

Antonio smiled and shook his head, bending down to help pick her back up, “Come on, lets get you to bed. You need rest more then anything.”

“How do you know what I need?” Annie heard herself say from a fair distance. The room was spinning uncontrollably as Antonio walked her to the bed. She closed her eyes tight and tried to stop the motion, felt herself being steered onto her bed and sat down, where she curled up on top of her covers and pulled a pillow under her head.

Antonio pulled down the bedspread on the other side of her, “Get under the covers, you’ll catch something.”

Annie murmured into the pillow, “It’s summer.” She could already feel sleep dragging at her eyelids.

“What?”

“It’s summer,” she said, pulling the pillow up so he could hear her better, though the light from the overhead still hurt her eyes more then anything yet. “Oh,” she moaned, “Could you turn off the overhead light? The light in the bathroom is enough to see by.”

“Yes, if you’ll get under the covers.” Antonio helped her, and soon she was safely tucked into bed.

Antonio moved away from her and switched off the lights, “Better?” He asked.

Annie opened her eyes and did not have to squint, “Much better,” she sighed, “Thank you.” She frowned, “Hey, what happened to your friend? Shouldn’t you be out there so you don’t miss your ride?”

Antonio sat on the edge of the bed opposite her, “She’s left, and taken the car with her. Apparently my absence told her that I was occupied with another person.”

“I’m sorry,” Annie moaned, “That was because of me, I’m sorry.”

“It is not a problem,” Antonio said, “I will find my way home, I always do.”

Annie was seized with a moment of her own invincibility, “You can sleep here if you want,” she said.

Antonio raised an eyebrow at her, “You just met me, Annie, how do you know you can trust me?”

Annie smiled at him, her eyes wide and innocent, “I trust you. Anyway, someone needs to make sure I sleep on my side tonight.”

Antonio laughed, “How can I refuse an offer like that?” He stood up and pulled his cigarettes, lighter and a pair of keys out of his pocket, setting them on her homework desk. Then he pulled off his boots and socks, until he was wearing the general equivalent to Annie’s nightclothes. “I did not imagine that my night would be spent in the bed of a beautiful woman.”

“Stop saying I’m beautiful,” Annie grumbled, “Sounds cheesy.”

He laughed at her, “Perhaps because it is said so often?”

“Yeah,” Annie agreed sleepily, “That would be why.”

“But what if I mean it? You are very beautiful.” He pulled the covers aside and slid into bed beside her, his presence so close so suddenly that she caught her breath, before she slowly let herself breathe in the scent of him. He smelled wonderful, and her stomach clenched.

Annie shook her head, “You’re very strange.”

“And very often misconstrued as being the clever one.”

Annie looked at him in the dark, “You do talk funny.”

Antonio laughed and Annie’s stomach erupted in a flurry of butterflies.