tampered | Log; Complete

Oh, good, he's awake. That means he got everything ready just in time and he hasn't had reason to prepare a birthday surprise like this for anybody in a long, long time. He's checked and double-checked and everything -- thankfully -- is in working order, although he's certainly no whiz at this kind of stuff. Fortunately he knows someone who is, and Abby walked him through the process. It's so easy to get things done knowing Lestat won't be awake during the day.

When he stands, Horatio and Apolline do too: they've been sitting at his feet waiting. "See? I promised you he'd be awake soon. Go say happy birthday." The dogs bound over joyfully, ready to be petted; it's so easy to follow them and wait his turn.

"Happy birthday." It's customary on Mars to give people cards for their birthdays, but he doesn't have anything like that. What he's got is even better.

First things first, though. "What do you think of the redecorating job?"

It just so happens that all the candles in this room smell like different types of candy or sweets: from chocolate to vanilla to cherry to butterscotch to cotton candy to strawberry and so on. There are 232 total in the house, one for each year, and getting them all lit -- and safely -- was no small project. But there are buckets of sand in each room lugged in from the beach (just in case) and the candle placement was very well planned, and the cats were given a stern talking to about not jumping up near them, and so far, so good.

Lestat, of course, gets to blow out all the candles... eventually.

But not just yet. The night's barely getting started.

He laughs at the dogs and kneels down so he can be at their level when they try to knock him over. If he didn't have his unnatural strength, their attempts might have worked. Unfortunately, he does so he just covers their faces with kisses before rising again and closing the distance between himself and Gren.

Candies. That's what this room smells like. An overflowing smell of sweets. He's always loved that sugary scent. It's like he can actually taste the air around him. And what he wants to know is where Gren hid all of these. Even unlit, scented candles still give off a scent. And he's been in both apartments quite a bit this past week.

"Very impressive. I'm not sure I have ever seen this many candles in one place before. And thank you. I like this night already. Even if I have no idea what you have planned. Something I hope you plan to reveal. I'm tired of waiting."

Impatience is flooding from him as he reaches for Gren.

"Will a kiss further begin things?"

Kisses are always good and he'd be a terrible boyfriend if he didn't let Lestat do whatever he wants on his birthday. It's a good thing they both want the same thing here and he does lean in for a kiss and it's a really nice one.

Really nice.

"No sitting around waiting for you, huh? You want to get right to it?"

As if the candles weren't enough: he had to make half a dozen trips back and forth just to carry them all over here from the store earlier. But it was worth it, and so was not getting much sleep today after staying awake at the zoo half the night last night.

The unicorns were amazing.

But that was last night, a prelude to the main event which is tonight, and he really has checked and double-checked and everything's ready to go as soon as Lestat gives the word.

One golden brow rises at the questions. The answer is all too simple. Of course he wants to get right to it. He's waited a week to find out what is going on. A week. It's finally the night of his birthday and he's done with waiting.

The smile he gives doesn't betray him though. One would never realize what he is feeling now if they only glanced at him. However, he has a feeling Gren will see right through the mask to the very core of this overwhelming impatience.

"No sitting around. The anticipation has grown over the seven days and now it is time for you to reveal what is going on. Try as I might, I couldn't figure it out on my own. For that, I applaud you."

And he gives another kiss as a reward.

"Now stop stalling. I'm far too impatient and want to know."

"All right, then. Come sit with me on the couch." There's a little gleam in his eye: he takes his seat, pats the spot next to him. "Here's my question: what do you get the vampire who has everything? What's the one thing he just can't get for himself?"

He's beaming with mischief right now. The dogs take their usual seat on the floor; Gren hugs his knees to his chest like an excited kid.

"I won't make you guess unless you want to."

What exactly could have Gren this excited?

Frowning in confusion, he moves over to sit next to him. It will be far easier to study his face that way. Then he thinks. The one thing a vampire cannot get for himself. Well, there are a variety of things. But what does that have to do with any of this?

"Tell me."

"Daytime."

It's such a simple answer. "So for your birthday, I'm bringing daytime to you. Ready?" He flicks the TV set on with the remote and presses a few buttons and... the first image on the screen is the beach here in the City at sunrise. The camera holds steady on the scene: sun peeking over the water, tinging both sky and ocean violet, then gray, then yellow, pink, and finally blue. It's a pretty spectacular sunrise, really, and he was lucky. This was probably the most difficult piece to film and he had to try it three mornings in a row: waiting until Lestat fell asleep and then hurrying to the beach armed with the video camera, just for sunrise.

He's pretty pleased with the results. Just as the sun lifts brilliantly over the water, he pauses the scene.

"I hope you're not in a hurry to go anywhere. We have a whole day to get through here. Want me to keep going?"

The smell of candy infuses the room; he breathes it in deeply. If he could have orchestrated the different scents to go along with the little home movie he's made, he would have done so. As it is, vanilla and chocolate will have to suffice.

Daytime...

Looking at the screen, his eyes become glued. Those colors. He knows them. A complete sunrise. And that...it's the sun. This is no mere movie or anything like that. This is daytime filmed just for him. He forgets about the scents around him as he just stares at the screen. It's...beautiful.

When he speaks, his eyes remain where they are and his words come out in a whisper. "Keep going. Let me see this."

The last time he was able to relive daytime, he couldn't truly experience it. Being forced back into the past. It meant so little to him since he could easily take it for granted at that time.

But what's more, there is no mask upon his face. All of these emotions are raw and exposed. Yes, he loves being a vampire but to never see the sun. To be hurt by it. He misses it. There is such a beauty in daylight that he cannot experience.

"I want to see it."

First, he has to kiss the side of Lestat's face: so far, so good. The view from here is already delightful. All it takes is the press of a button for the film he made and then burned (with Abby's help) to DVD to play again and this time, it's later in the morning but still early; the scene's still the beach but now Apolline and Horatio are there, chasing sticks and waves and seagulls. There's only minimal commentary -- he figured he could do better narrating in person anyway -- but occasionally as the camera moves, Gren can be heard. Things like nice morning and fetch, Horatio and that house in the distance is where Abby lives and look, this is her dog, Jethro Junior and good girl, Apolline. It's all pretty mellow, just a slice of time with the dogs on the beach.

And then the scene changes, and now they're walking back through the City by daylight, through the gate from the beach to the Square.

"See how well-behaved the dogs are when we're out together? They're like mind-readers themselves, Lestat. They're so good." The camera pans to show the streets in the light; the place is far more drab without all its streetlamps and neon lights and so on, but it has its own kind of beauty.

"Record shop by day. See the Open Late sign in the window? And there's the music store, the one with all the instruments where I get my reeds. And back there -- see that little place without any sign? That's the most fantastic restaurant. Julia took me there once: it's fixed-price, like... nine courses. It's great."

He could take Lestat, but it would be a pretty one-sided meal and half the fun is watching the other person try some of the delicacies there. "And look. Lux by day. Doesn't look like much, does it."

His hand finds Lestat's now; he gives it a squeeze.

He listens to every word and doesn't let go of the hand that takes his. All of these places are ones that he's never seen by day. They all look so different. With people walking around. Children playing in the streets. And those are his dogs. There with Gren. Walking these streets and going into shops with him. He absorbs it all just because he's afraid to miss anything. Even the barely audible words coming from the screen. He wants to remember all of it. Every last second.

Leaning forward suddenly, he points to the upper portion of the screen. "That bird. There are such beautiful birds here in the City?"

Of course there are. He doesn't need to ask that. But, he wants to. So much of this is so new. During his time here, he's only been able to go into the sun twice. And he never saw any of these things. How could he have missed them?

He moves closer to Gren while his eyes never leave the screen so that the dogs can have an easier time joining them on the couch. Particularly, Horatio. He's so large now. And still not fully grown.

More things continue to catch his attention. The little girl with brown curls. The colors in the candy store in the sunlight. The people walking their dog. To anyone else they'd be such small details. But he's seeing what they look like in daylight. Not a film where they color certain things to make the scene flawless but reality playing out on the screen in front of him. Life in the sun.

The question catches him by surprise: he should have expected it. "It's called a varied thrush. An Earth variety, or so I was told. I thought it was beautiful too. There are lots of birds in the City. Most of them sleep by night but if you want, I can take pictures of more of them for you."

Since Lestat's lap is occupied by a very large Newfie, Apolline jumps up on his side, settling her paws on his thigh. The fleeting thought family passes through his mind, making him laugh: some family. Vampire, dead man, and two dogs.

Actually, he likes it. It works for him.

On screen, the scene shifts: it's mid-afternoon now and the sun shines down, bright and hazy. The carousel makes its never-ending circle; in the distance, the fountain sprays merrily. The water droplets catch the light and turn the whole thing a little bit golden; it's pretty. He likes the fountain by day and maybe it's because it's the first landmark he knew here.

"Enjoying my day so far? My work with the camera really isn't that good, but it'll get better the more I use it." He's not usually that self-effacing and there's nothing wrong with the images on the screen. He just sees ways where they could be framed more eloquently. For better artistic effect.

"I would like such pictures. And I don't care about that last part. I cannot help but to enjoy this. All of it."

Once more, he's spotting all of these little details. The clothing of that one woman is nothing like what she wears at night. Or that old man is someone he's never seen before. He feels like he's a child once more and living life all over again. Even if he's forgotten most of his childhood memories.

"Is this what you see during the day? Are these the places you go? Are any of these people in certain places often?"

He can't help the way he's bombarding Gren with questions. Daytime is his lover's world. And he wants to know all about what he experiences. Everything. Even if it's something that is so unimportant others would forget it or take it for granted.

He knows that he'll watch this disc time and again.

Pictures of birds: he can do that. He knows how different things look in the daytime, but it's nothing he ever focused on until now. It was always just day versus night. Light versus absence of light. He really wouldn't want to have to live in the darkness all the time, and he almost adds if it was my choice. And it is his choice. Lestat, though, wasn't given the choice. His only options were to die or become a vampire. Faced with that, who wouldn't make the same decision?

His appreciation for life has always been strong, even when he told Faye he had no fear of death. It was true then and it's doubly true now, and he has no fear of vampires or pain or differences. The only thing he fears is being randomly removed from this place or having the same thing happen to Lestat or Julia or Abby or Machi: he's done having his loved ones ripped from his side.

"This is what I sometimes see during the day. There's no set routine; I just wanted to give you an overview of the City. There's no journey to the Underground here: just the locations above-ground." There are plenty of places missing. The zoo isn't on here -- he hadn't been until last night -- and neither is Xanadu. But there's plenty of City and plenty of beach and he's so glad Lestat seems to be enjoying his present too.

Putting it together was so much fun, even if he's pretty exhausted. After tonight, though, he can catch up on his sleep. It's been so worth it.

"Some of the people are regulars. You know, like I have regulars at the club? A lot of the restaurants and cafes have them too, and the music store definitely does. In fact, I was surprised at how many people are such creatures of habit. I guess that makes me one too, if I was around enough to notice." The scene on the TV right now is just another busy street scene with people going about their everyday activities, not really stopping to look around or think. There are people with coffee cups and people carrying briefcases and some with pets and some with children, and some in groups and some alone. One thing he never captured on camera was his friends: that can happen some other time and he didn't want to drive people crazy asking them to commit themselves to film or tape. That can be a separate project for another time.

Humans by nature are creatures of habit. It's something that tends to move on into the vampire years if the human is given the Gift. Habits are something to cling to when everything is changing. Even he enjoys something that is continuing and just his. Seeing Gren on Saturdays at Lux, caring for his animals...things like that.

However, it never fails. And it's stays true for those who claim to not be creatures of habit. They are the ones who visit the same coffee shop before beginning their adventures. Criminals especially are those who enjoy habit. In their minds, it keeps them safe. Usually, these habits are subtle. Things the police won't be able to trace. But that's the wonder of it. And the reason why he has the habit of falling in love with his victims. Their lives are so fascinating.

But at night, life is different. That's the way it's always been. At night, there is a sense of danger and the unknown. People fear it for that reason.

"An overview of the City...It's beautiful. Just look at the colors. And these young children. How they laugh and play. They would usually be kept home by the time night comes around. To keep them safe. Once, I watched a family at home eating dinner. So happy they were."

Again though, that was at night.

Leaning forward, he laughs. "It's like a new world. And I've only seen it twice but have missed so much during those two days. So very much."

"I'll document it for you any time you want." It's an honest offer and one he means from the bottom of his heart; it's cemented with a kiss to the side of Lestat's face so he can keep watching.

The very last thing on the disc is a return to the beach to watch the sun set and the moon begin to rise. This was Wednesday night -- the night of the bonfires -- and ought to explain why he wasn't here when the sun finally went down. He wanted a complete day, though, and he managed to get it on his own. It would have been only too easy to hand off the task to someone else, but then this wouldn't have been his birthday gift to Lestat.

And he's glad he did it that way. As the sun finally sets and darkness takes over, the images on the screen fade to black.

"That's it." It suddenly seems a hugely inadequate way of expressing everything he feels, but he says the words anyway.

"Happy birthday."

A sunset. These he's seen quite often. Just because he can see more of them then he can of sunrises. Smiling, he leans over and takes Gren's face between his hands. For a moment, he just looks at him lovingly before kissing him. It's his way of saying 'thank you'.

Of course, he also has to vocalize it. "Thank you, Gren. I will treasure this always. This taste of daylight. Of an entire day. It was so beautiful."

Horatio adjust himself so that he's not in Lestat's lap in order to allow him to move. Shifting, he turns more towards his lover and kisses him again. One that is lasting and full of meaning. The intent and everything else can be saved for later. Now is the time to show his appreciation. And they can do this without speaking a single word.

Still, he pulls back and so he can continue to look in Gren's eyes.

"My beautiful, beautiful lover. Musician. Angel."

He guesses that means Lestat likes his gift: he's so glad. It was fun to put together and he'd do it again. He will do it again, and if there's ever some sort of City curse that allows Lestat to be out in the daylight they can both go to all these places in the sunshine together.

The kisses make him melt and not just a little bit: he loves Lestat, sure, but he has this need for him that just keeps growing. If he was addicted before he's doubly addicted now and he never ever wants to be without this or without Lestat. That's why he put so much time and effort into this, and on short notice: he hasn't had someone's birthday to celebrate in a lot of years and it's such fun. In fact, he's gone all out and this is just one part of...

"Oh! I almost forgot. Stay right here."

When he returns from the kitchen, it's with champagne. Just one glass, but he offers it to Lestat. His lover's a creative man, and he wants to see what will be done with it.

Now really, just what is he supposed to do with this? He can't drink champagne. Although...

Smiling, he takes it and pulls Gren into his lap. His finger dips into it. But not just the tip this time. He's not planning on tracing anything currently. That can always come later. And will. It always does. He loves being able to expect that.

The champagne finger gets offered to Gren. And the smile becomes playful and mischievous.

"Would you like some, angel?"

It's such a simple thing but it puts such a big smile on his face: he knew Lestat would think up something. He doesn't say a word, but he does lick the champagne off that offered finger. Everything about Lestat is tinged with this level of eroticism and he loves it: memories of it color everything he does during the day and it's getting to be that he can't wait until sunset every night because it means they can be together.

What did he do before this? How did he survive? He's not sure, but he does know that this is really good champagne: he picked it on purpose.

Once he tastes of the really fine champagne he leans forward for a kiss.

It's Lestat's birthday. It's only fair to share.

Never will he miss an opportunity to have a taste of something from Gren's mouth in the form of a kiss. It's just too delicious a treat. One would think that he rarely ever receives them with how he much he wants them. But, others can have their opinions. He'll listen to them all with a bemused smile. Just like he always does.

However, he's busy right now with a man in his lap who is sharing kisses with him.

And this is such a fine champagne. Where on earth did Gren get the money for it and the candles? If he thinks about it, he knows there was a great expense involved and he knows his lover doesn't live on finery. Unless he provides it for him. Then he really doesn't have a choice in the matter. And he always manages to pay him back. Not in money but in moments like this.

"A taste of daytime, champagne to share with you, candles spreading delicious scents everywhere...is there more? Even if there isn't I can easily ensure that there is. But, I cannot help being curious."

"Just a song."

One he wrote in all his spare time, but it's from his heart. It's sweet and sexy and moody and brash and intricate, just like Lestat. "I've been working on it for a while, but it's ready." Once they take all the candles off his sax case, he can play it: he really did cover just about every available surface in the whole house with candles. The ones in the music room all smell like fruits and foods and it's a little bit wonderful in there.

"And of course, you get to make wishes and blow out all the candles. But first you might want this." As if it's the sneakiest hiding place ever, he reaches down and pulls out a good-sized fairly flat box from under the couch: it's wrapped up nicely and has a bow trailing off it, and Luce comes over to investigate the ribbons -- as if she can resist -- and hands it to Lestat.

"Go on, open it. Luce has been waiting patiently for that ribbon all day long."

Hiding things in plain sight is so much fun.

And...he frowns.

(He really should have thought of that.)

Going to the edge, he quickly unwraps the gift and pauses only long enough to give the bow to Luce. Then he looks inside with all the curiosity of a child. What he see though is something he doesn't understand. What is this exactly?

And even without knowing what it is, he loves it.

"I've never seen anything like this. What is it exactly?"

Oh, good: again, he's managed to surprise the man who's seen and done everything. "Stay right here -- again -- for just a moment and I'll show you." Good thing the kitchen's right there; in a moment he's back with a small cup filled with water. That goes on the table in front of them; he nods to the brush. "It's called a Sumi-E board. You dampen the brush and then paint. Whatever you paint stays there for a few minutes. Until the water evaporates, then you've got a blank canvas again."

He had one from the time he was little until the time he joined the Army and he loved it. "They're great for practicing some of the more difficult alphabets. Kanji, katakana, hiragana. But they're also fun for drawing and painting. Go ahead, try it out. See if you like it." The board goes on the little easel packaged with it: now their living room is an artist's studio. Really, it always was.

Now, who can resist trying something like this? Dipping the brush into the water to get it damp, he touches the board and his eyes widen with wonderment as ink appears from nothing. He's never been one for painting or anything like that but he might try it now that he has this. It's just...fun.

"And this ink disappears after a time?"

Already his hand is rapidly moving across the page. A face appearing with every stroke. Long dark hair with strands that stray in front of the eyes. He may never have painted before but he's seen other do so and can mimic their abilities with ease.

"As soon as the water evaporates." The first strokes are already starting to dry up: call it an exercise in quick thinking. And of course, Lestat's absolutely wonderful at this and he's not surprised. "If you want to capture what you've made, you'll have to take a picture of it. Otherwise, it's fleeting." The little red digital camera's on the table on purpose.

He watches the image of himself on the canvas start to disappear slowly. "The more water you have on the brush, the longer the image stays. But it's only fractionally longer."

While Lestat's admiring his handiwork, he helps himself to a sip of very nice champagne. Someone's got to enjoy it and so far, this has been a really nice little surprise party.

"And if you want me to play the day DVD again, just say the word." It's there for posterity, a record of this place strictly for the man he loves. He can't imagine having done it for anyone else.

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