The end was far sooner than she had anticipated, and her feeling regarding it a far cry from what she had feared. She wouldn?t call what they had an argument, no it was more that he had some conversation in his head and she had just heard the last part. He?d left her there feeling confused at first, and then just numb.

It had taken her more than a week to sort out what she thought happened. He had constructed some version of ?Summer? in his head, one that was judgmental and driven to chain him down. The talk they had was civil but it amounted to they weren?t dating anymore, and to be honest she preferred it that way. Why date someone that wasn?t paying attention to the person she was in reality? Someone that believed that she wanted to change anyone wasn?t trying to see her at all.

?You do not allow people to see the real you, Summer. You keep that locked away presenting only the most superficial picture possible. A polite Southern belle that is a bit short on intelligence but makes up for it with enthusiasm.? The crisp words spoken from a few feet away make her nearly jump out of her skin in surprise.

?I have got to stop speaking my thoughts aloud.? She muttered as one hand pressed against her chest, her heart threatening to leap from her ribcage with thunderous drumming. ?Wait, no, you have got to stop sneaking up on me, Jacks. It just ain?t right a man moving that silently.? She didn?t turn to look at him, knew that there were emotions on her face she didn?t want him to see.

?Like now. You throw the word ?ain?t? out there like a shield. Turn the tables so that the conversation should be focused on me when we both know it should not.? He was not of a mind to allow her to pretend, was tired of allowing her to present this facade to him. His hands took hold of her shoulders and turned her around to face him, going so far as to cup a hand beneath her chin to force her to look him in the eyes. ?I see you Summer.?

?I told my family I?m going back home for a few weeks.? Pressing on to something else entirely, she could give lessons in stubbornness; her view of Jacks obscured by tears that were ready but not allowed to fall. ?Need you to deliver some letters if things don?t go as planned, I left them in the safe upstairs.?

He was the only other person that could get into the safe, a sign of the trust she had for him. She was going home, was even planning on spending a few days with her brothers and parents, so it wasn?t all a lie. But after a few days she had other plans, other places to be and things to get done. Jacks and two others were going with her but she suspected that it?d be just Jacks coming back. She wasn?t suicidal, it wasn?t at all like that. It was something she felt she had to do and so she?d be doing it. No one else in her family would be involved, they all had their own bridges to cross, and crosses to bear. ?You?ll do that for me, right??

?I will not try to talk you out of this, Summer, but if you are determined to take this route I need to know...? It wasn?t the first time he?d been this close to Summer, not the first time he gripped her shoulders and pulled her close; a motion slow enough that she could pull away if she really wanted. ?I need to hear you say you understand.?

Hell, she?d just gotten through with an uncomfortable conversation like this. No, not quite like this. Zan really didn?t understand her, and that wasn?t all his fault. Jacks was right about the walls she put up, the persona she projected to protect herself from ... from moments just like this. ?What do you want me to say, Jacks? That I trust you more than I?ve trusted anyone in a long time? You know I do.?

She took a breath and nearly cursed at how shaky it sounded to her ears. ?You want me to say that if you weren?t a vampire that I?d be all about dating you?? Her voice cracked and she paused to collect herself. ?You are a vampire, and you know I don?t want to be with someone that won?t ever grow old with me so what can saying those things do other than...hurt??

It was harder to say those things today. Maybe it was the loss of whatever it had been with Zan, or the knowledge that she wasn?t expecting to grow all that much older. What harm would it have been if she?d been with Jacks until that foreseeable future? That thought dug deep and she could feel a knife twist, the next breath was harder than the last.

She was about to say something she probably would have regretted when she was tugged in hard against his chest. One of his hand cupped the back of her neck and he gently stroked her hair as he whispered. ?Forgive me. I should not have... forgive me.? He meant to soothe her, she knew that, but him asking her forgiveness broke something inside and she sobbed against his chest. The weight of tears too great to ignore gravity any longer fell from her eyes and stained his lovely silk shirt.

?Forgive me... when I bring it up again.? The words a promised whisper in her ear even as he continued to stroke her hair. It only took another minute before she pushed away, turning away and taking first one step and then another.

She was at the door to the room before she spoke. ?Please make sure you?re ready for the trip, Jacks. And I?m going to assume that you agreed to my request to deliver those letters.? The door was pushed open and it wasn?t until it nearly closed that her final words drifted in. ?I will forgive you if you forgive me.?

Secure transmission to headquarters, level delta, reverse path destruct based off of S.R.D. program. Failed hand off. Day detail found in pieces. Evidence suggests SRD not lost but has not made contact. Advise mobilize ream Beta, require day detail before sunrise.

He hit the send and stared at the screen. This was the second time this year he had lost track of Summer, considering he'd successfully protected her the four years previous he wasn't sure what to make of this latest development. There was a concern wat the back of his thoughts that she had decided she wanted to die, there were signs. One sign was her seeming willingness to give them a chance. Them, whatever that meant to her, a statement she had promised to explain after this job, something she would not have to do if she didn't survive it.

The screen changed and he read the incoming reply. More men would arrive shortly, he could commence his search. He suspected Summer had gone to ground to wait for him, or perhaps that was wishful thinking. He doubted she had been hurt, there was none of her blood at the scene and good indicators that she had left of her power before his men were killed. Probably meant that his men had died giving her the opportunity to escape, and for a miracle Summer had done just that.

The extraction of self was not easy when you took into consideration the sheer number of women that had been surrounding him only an hour before at the Duchesses house. He had not been made aware that others had been informed that he would be accompanying the young Dermot home before moving on to his father's estates. The promise had been made months ago that he would visit with the Duchess and give her a report on her son?s progress, a report that was both honest and favorable.

When he got to his own home he was exhausted but had nervous energy to spare as he had been informed on the ride over that he would be attending a Masquerade Ball that very evening with some stranger that his mother had taken in on a whim. This was, he was sure, his mothers way of attempting to push him to choose a woman of proper social standing to court. He would not do it, not just to spite his mother but because he still did not feel the need to settle down. There would be time later to find a wife, for now he wanted to enjoy his youth and his freedom, what little he was afforded in between social and military commitments.

His shirt was open, all the buttons having been undone in a vain attempt to cool himself off from the brisk workout he was in the middle of completing; it was his habit to do these things in the morning and then again in the evening to keep in shape. What he was not in the habit of was doing such things in front of strangers. He whipped the sword around striking out an an unseen opponent and nearly impaled a young woman that was standing there gaping at him.

There was a pause while he tried to determine the correct course of action, he had no idea who she was nor where she came from but the expression on her face triggered something in him that wanted to laugh. He might not know much about women but he did know they did not appreciate it when you laughed at them so instead he sheathed the sword, his blue eyes staying on her face and cleared his throat. ?Lady, I am not sure who you are but I see you have Sasha in tow so you must be a guest here.? There was a flush creeping up the pale cheeks of the girl and he looked down, he had forgotten about the open shirt. The blush was pretty against the blond of her hair and the blue of her eyes. ?I am James. Are you feeling well? You look about to faint.?

That seemed to snap her out of whatever trance she was in, her hands went to her hips in that way that women had when they were about to give you a lecture, only she didn?t. Her lips moved for a moment before her hands fell back down to her sides. ?James? You look an awful lot like someone else I know, it took me by surprise.? Her chin tilted down and away, it was an action he did not believe she did often, it was too docile for the spirit he could see in her gaze. ?I am Summer.? She paused as if he should recognize the name. ?Summer Rose Daniels.?

?Your name and the manner of your words are foreign I think. I have traveled extensively and yet I do not believe I have heard your accent before. From whence do you hail? And, am I to assume that you are the young Lady that I will be escorting to the ball tonight?? Much to his surprise he found himself hoping she would say yes, there was something unique about Summer that he could not quite put his finger on, but he liked it.

??m from Constantinople. My family did a lot of traveling, military and what-not.? Her gaze flicked up to his face and away again, she was not very good at lying but he thought she did so at his mother's behest and not of her own volition. Her hands smoothed down the front of the dress she wore, a nervous habit he?d seen on other women that were far less lovely than Summer.

?Forgive my state, I was not expecting an audience. Perhaps you would be so kind as to allow me to retreat and clean up. You have not broken your fast yet?? His own accent was crisp and clearly from the London area.

?I haven?t done what?? Her brows crinkled at his phrasing before her mind processed the words and she continued. ?Oh, breakfast, no I ain?t.? There was another pause. ?I haven?t had breakfast yet. I... apologize for interrupting. I?ll just go walk the gardens, if you?d like company for breaking your fast you can have Sasha come get me.? With that she retreated with such alacrity that he had no time to respond but rather was left there with Sasha who was trying very hard not to stare at his bare chest.

?Sasha, it will take me about forty minutes to prepare, bring your Lady Summer to the sun room then and ask Minerva to send some light refreshments, please.? The blush that rose up the servants cheeks were something he was used to seeing but she would do as he asked, she was a good employee.

He turned to leave and make his way to his private rooms. His own manservant, Jeffries, waited there and was surprised at the fact his Master wanted one of the special outfits he usually reserved when he wanted to impress someone. ?Quickly Jeffries, I want to be there on time and looking sharp.? He barked out the words even as he stripped the rest of his clothes off and hurried into the bath.

Shock, that was what she had felt when ?James? had turned around. He looked remarkably like Jacks, only younger and more... human. Jacks showed more emotion around Summer than anyone else but there was something undeniably inhuman about him. James had been charming, warm, and standing out in the sun as though it was no big thing.

They had breakfast in a bright, beautiful room where they were served tea and biscuits. They spoke about trivial things, but somehow he had managed to get more information about her than she did of him. When they went to the Masquerade Ball she managed to even those scales, pulling out personal information from him subtly, although by the evening James had caught on and was eyeing her up like a foe that needed to bested. Later, when she was back in her room and being helped out of the dress by Sasha she realized that she had misinterpreted the expression, that he was looking at her like a welcomed challenge, she wasn?t sure that was better.

He was far too much like Jacks, his voice and some of his mannerisms were so painfully identical that she had nearly slipped once or twice and been too familiar with him. ?He likes you m?Lady.? Sasha?s voice broke into her thoughts.

?Excuse me??

?He likes you. I knew that he would. Everyone said that he would not get wed until his mother put down her foot and forced him, but I knew that he would fall for you. You are not like the other ladies, you have fire.? She sounded proud, and it took Summer a minute to realize that the women took pride in the accomplishments of those they served, especially on classic matters like finding a good mate.

The blush that took over Summers face was epic and she stammered trying to find a way to reply without hurting the girls feelings. ?Look, Sasha, Lord James is a nice enough fellow but I don?t know how long I?m going to be here. I am not looking for ...? She couldn?t finish the thought as some emotion began to choke off her air, her chest felt tight and her knees felt weak.

?Sit, sit!? Sasha said in an urgent voice, her firm grip lowering Summer to the edge of the bed. ?You look like you are about to be sick, I am sorry. You must be worried but you should not be, he likes you and he will follow you, I am sure of it.?

Follow her? Where? Back to the place an older, more vampiric version of himself lived? That would be more than just awkward. What was she thinking? This couldn?t work. And yet... here was the version of Jacks that didn?t present the same obstacles that had kept them apart for years. There would be no explaining why he couldn?t go in the sun, no long lonely days to suffer through, and James was so full of life. It wasn?t fair to Jacks, the man she?d come to count on, to trust implicitly, to care about more than just as a bodyguard or friend; and yet she couldn?t deny that she was drawn to James.

Outside fog rolled in across the flat lands and clouds moved to obscure the moon, the room got darker but Summer didn?t really notice, too wrapped up in thought. It was a sign that Sasha knew all too well and silently moved to closed and lock the windows, pulling the curtains tight as Summer did nothing. When the girl was done with that she came back over to Summer and put a hand on her forehead in a motherly way that belied her youthful face.

?You should get some sleep, you will feel better in the morning, m?Lady. Do you need something to eat before I retire??

Summer shook her head. ?No, Sasha, you go on ahead and get some rest. I?ll be just fine.? Only she really wasn?t sure that she would be if she stayed here much longer. Tomorrow she would have to carve out time to try and find a way home, she couldn?t afford to wait for Jacks to come to the rescue, not this time.