'Louis, chere?' Lestat's voice rung through the town house.

Upstairs in his study Louis' heart sunk. He so wanted to finish the book he was reading, and now Lestat was here, Louis knew he would want to go out and do something.

'There you are.' The door to the room opened and a mop of blond hair appeared closely followed by a pair of sparkling blue eyes.

Sighing Louis put down a rather dog-earred copy of 'War and Peace' and turned to his maker.

'Lestat what a pleasant surprise.'

'Nonsense,' Lestat replied, 'you could have heard me from four blocks away if you only bothered to listen. Honestly sometimes I think the dark gift is wasted on you - you never use any of your powers.'

'well if you think it was such a waste why turn me in the first place.' Louis retorted.

'you know very well why I 'turned you' as you so eloquently put it.' Lestat came over to sit astride Louis' lap pressing his lips to the younger vampire's, 'because I fell helplessly and completely in love with you.' And he leant in for another, deeper kiss.

'aah,' Louis sighed and melted into the kiss. Not needing to breathe certainly had it's advantages.

'Come with me.' Lestat said when they finally broke for unnecessary air.

'Stat…' Louis started to protest as he was dragged out of his chair.

'No arguments and here,' Lestat pulled Louis' heavy overcoat from the closet and draped it round his shoulders 'you'd better wrap up warm.'

//Oh great// Louis thought //when Lestat tells me to wrap up warm that usually means only one thing. Flying.//

Louis' suspicions were confirmed when Lestat led him out into the courtyard that fronted their house.

'Now hold on tight,' he instructed.

Louis wrapped his arms round his lover's neck, feeling Lestat’s strong arms encircle themselves around his waist as they began to gracefully glide upwards. Louis tightened his grip, he knew that Lestat would never let him fall but even so he was taking no chances. No matter how many times they did this, the feeling of wonder and awe at travelling in such a manner never left Louis. To fly above the clouds, to see the stars without the cover of light pollution, to feel the night air on his face, to be soaring so high above the unsuspecting mortals who could only dream of such feats.

He remembered the first time that they had done this, Lestat taking him to the Talamasca motherhouse in London, Lestat always wanting to push the ‘rules’ as far as he could and then push them a little bit more. A true Brat Prince in every sense of the word.

'Just relax, will you?' Lestat said with a chuckle. 'I'm not about to drop you. You should try and get some sleep.' And gently he induced sleep into Louis' mind. It was much easier to concentrate on the task in hand if Louis was asleep. He felt the body in his arms relax and go limp. ‘Forgive me beautiful one.’ He murmured, knowing how Louis hated it when he messed with his mind, but it really was for the best. They had a long way to go and he wanted the other vampire to be fully awake for what he had in store.

Onwards he flew, soon leaving the rooftops of New Orleans far behind them, flying West fleeing the coming sun. On over the coast of Mexico and out into the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean. Heading South he finally came to rest at his first destination.

‘Chere, we’re here.’ Lestat whispered softly in Louis’ ear.

‘Hmm?’ Slowly Louis roused himself from his slumber. Looking around him he gasped in amazement. They were standing ankle deep in snow, atop a mountain. A full moon shone bright in the sky, illuminating everything with it’s silvery light. It was indescribable. The snow was freshly fallen, devoid of footprints, the whiteness glistening back up at him, intensified in the moonlight. To the right of him was a lake, glinting blues and greens and he caught the faint odour of sulphur on the night breeze. He paused for a few minutes, drinking in the breathtaking scene before him before turning to Lestat and asking incredulously ‘Where are we?’

Lestat, pleased with the reaction his little surprise had had on his fledging, tightened his hold on Louis’ waist and drew him to him. ‘Mount Ruapehu, New Zealand. Like it?’

In answer Louis’ closed the minute distance still between them and pressed his lips to Lestat’s, running his tongue along the blond vampire’s upper lip demanding entry, which Lestat gladly granted. Bringing his hands up to caress the back of his lover’s head, Louis drew him even deeper into the kiss, relishing the coldness of the other’s hands on his cheeks as Lestat responded in kind.

‘What made you think of bringing me here?’ Louis’ asked relinquishing Lestat’s mouth to lay his head on his chest.

Lestat gave a soft laugh. ‘I wanted to stand with you on a mountain.’

Louis raised his head to look quizzically into Lestat’s drowning pool eyes.

‘Call it a hunch.’ Lestat told him. ‘I just thought you might like it. Now if you have finished ‘gazing at buttons’ we must leave. There is more that I want to show you before the sun rises.’

Reluctantly tearing his gaze away from the unbelievable beauty around him, Louis submitted once more to Lestat’s embrace, stealing one last kiss as he set his arms round his neck.

This time Louis stayed awake as Lestat sped them towards his second surprise. Once more flying West but banking sharply North if the slight movement of the constellations was anything to go by. Very shortly they had arrived and again Louis marvelled at the sight that greeted him.

Now they were standing on a beach, a white sandy beach fringed with lush palm leaves, the sea crystal clear breaking effortlessly on the shore. The night air warm and balmy around them.

‘Malaysia.’ Lestat said in answer to Louis’ unspoken question, his hands moving to remove the other’s heavy coat. Shrugging it off Louis made as if to speak. ‘Ssh,’ silencing him with a finger to his lips, Lestat continued undressing him, discarding Louis’ shirt and trousers before adding his own clothes to the pile.

When they both stood naked, Lestat took Louis’ hand in his and lead him down to the water’s edge. Cool water lapped around them as they waded out until it reached up to their waists. Releasing Louis’ hand, Lestat lowered himself onto his back, a perfect marble statue floating in the midnight sea, the moonlight reflecting off of his bare arms as he beckoned for Louis to join him.

‘Lestat.’ Louis began only to find himself submerged as with one swift movement Lestat grabbed him and pulled him under, locking his mouth to his as he did so. Breaking the surface and the kiss, Louis placed his hands on Lestat’s chest and playfully ran his fingers over the smooth surface. ‘So what was that in aid of?’ He wasn’t angry just a little bemused. What had got into Lestat tonight. He was being unusually attentive. He had obviously given a lot of thought to the proceedings.

Lestat brushed back the now dripping raven hair from his beloved’s face and gazed into his emerald eyes. ‘I wanted to bathe with you in the sea.’ He said simply as if this was something they did every night of the week.

Seeds of recognition began to grow in Louis’ mind. The mountain and now the beach. He wouldn’t, he wasn’t. He couldn’t know, could he?

‘Lestat, have you been going through my CD collection again?’ Louis asked trying to keep the amusement out of his voice.

Lestat looked mortified. ‘Never,’ then his face relaxed into a grin. ‘Come on with a name like that I had to at least have a listen. Call if professional curiosity if you will.’

Louis sighed, Lestat’s ‘professional curiosity’ really would get the better of him one day but Louis also knew that it was part of his love’s irresistible charm and he wouldn’t change it for the world.

‘Plus the fact that you have played that track practically non-stop since you brought the album.’

‘But…I.’

‘Louis, my love’ Lestat pre-empted him, ‘you forget that my hearing is much more acute than yours. Despite your best efforts I can hear you listening to it on the headphones. Over and over’, he added in mock annoyance, kissing Louis affectionately on the forehead as he did so.

Sighing Louis admitted defeat, at least he now knew where they were going next or if not where then at least what they would be doing when they got there and the thought of it caused a warm glow to envelop his entire body.

Swimming back to the shore, they shook the drops of water from themselves and got dressed before once more ascending into the night air.

This trip proved to be the longest yet and Louis guessed that they were heading back East. Resting his head on Lestat’s shoulder he drifted in and out of sleep until looking below them the dark-haired vampire recognised the lighted outline of the Golden Gate bridge. Lestat was taking him back to San Francisco. To be more precise back to the house on Divisadero Street. A house he hadn’t visited in nearly a decade.

Alighting on the front porch, Lestat unlocked the door and ushered Louis inside. ‘Go on,’ he inclined his head towards the stairs, ‘I believe you know the way.’

Stunned Louis started upstairs. ‘Why here?’ he enquired, his hand on the handle to the main bedroom.

Lestat merely shrugged. ‘Why not? It had to be somewhere that you wouldn’t think to come. I couldn’t have you walking in on my preparations.

Preparations? Now Louis was intrigued.

‘Wait,’ Lestat pulled a thick piece of cotton from his pocket and proceeded to blindfold Louis.

‘Is this really necessary?’ he asked patiently.

‘Yes,’ replied Lestat firmly, ‘you don’t want to ruin the surprise do you? Besides it’s only for a minute. I’m not Armand you know.’

Louis smiled, the intricacies of Armand and Daniel’s sex life was one of the worse kept secrets in the coven. You didn’t have to be a mind-reader to know what went on in their bedroom. From behind his blindfold, he heard the bedroom door open as taking him by the hand Lestat guided him in.

With the merest exertion of his mind Lestat caused the dozens of candles he had previously place in the room to light before reaching round to remove the fabric covering his beloved's eyes.

Louis gasped in astonishment. The room was strewn with roses petals, deep red velvet petals, on the bed, on the dresser, even the floor was littered with them. Their rich, deep scent filled his nostrils adding to the already overwhelming headiness of the scene before him. The milky candles threw up a multitude of flickering shadows, bathing everything in their eerie glow. A large bed dominated the centre of the room, an impressive wrought iron four poster with rich velvet drapes and fresh white linen.

The room had certainly changed since he was last here.

‘Louis, my beautiful one.’ Lestat murmured seductively as he picked him up and gently laid him on the bed.

‘Lestat my brat prince’ Louis drew his lover to him and claimed his mouth with a kiss. He felt a chill run the length of his spine as Lestat’s nimble fingers undressed him for the second time that evening. Except that this time there was no urgency to his actions and where his fingers went his mouth quickly followed, covering Louis’ chest with hundreds of delicate kisses.

Louis moaned in delight as Lestat moved lower, ignoring his useless mortal organ, instead concentrating on the still sensitive area of Louis' thighs, using his razor sharp teeth to tease and graze the pale flesh there.

Looking up lust filled pale blue eyes locked onto desire laden green ones. Without breaking eye contact Louis tilted his head, wanting to give his lover all of him.

Sweeping back the silken veil, Lestat placed the briefest of kisses on his love's neck before sinking his fangs into the cool skin so invitingly offered to him. He heard Louis gasp and then cry out as the first drops of blood ran over his tongue. Drinking deeper, Louis' entreaties increased as the swoon came over him. ‘Oh yes, Lestat, oh yes my love.’ Two hands came up and clasped the back of his head, fingers entwining in his hair as Louis strove to drive him even deeper into this most intimate of acts.

The blood flowed freely now, rushing through Lestat, flooding his mind with images of Louis. Louis the plantation owner, Louis the drunkard, not caring if he lived or died, Louis his fledging, his beloved, his soulmate. In Louis he was complete.

Mindful of the need not to drain too much, yet with great reluctance, Lestat withdrew. Biting down on his finger he smeared blood over the puncture marks, then tenderly leant down and kissed away the beads of blood sweat that had gathered on Louis’ forehead. The younger vampire’s breathes were short and ragged as he too drifted back down.

Laying down beside him, Lestat lovingly ran his hand over Louis’ raven locks, inwardly pleased that tonight he had chosen not to cut it.

‘Lestat thank you.’ Louis turned to his lover and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. He may not have been able to read his mind anymore but Lestat could still read him like a book.

‘You are very welcome petit,' Lestat replied wrapping his arms protectively around his dark-haired beauty. ‘I know sometimes I don’t pay you the attention you deserve but I do love you.’

‘I know.’ A simple statement. Louis knew that for all their fights and disagreements Lestat did love him and just occasionally he found ways to show it.

‘So?’ Lestat prompted.

‘I want to lay like this forever.’ Louis sighed contentedly snuggling back further into Lestat’s embrace.

‘and so you shall.’ Lestat replied as he mentally hit the remote causing heavy steel shutters to commence coming down over the windows, safely shielding the two lovers from the encroaching dawn.

'So 'stat what are you going to do for an encore?' Louis enquired, already drowsy with the death sleep.

Lestat didn’t reply, he just smiled serenely and gazed up out of the now half shuttered window, at the rapidly fading moon. He was not quite sure what to do next. But he would think of something.