Chris Larabee entered the Clarion Tower, intent on reaching his office before running into any of his men. Particularly Buck. Especially Buck.
Luck had it that his friend was already out with Josiah on his latest case, leaving Chris to release a sigh of relief. Sinking into his chair he gave the stack of paperwork the evil eye, then switched on his computer and logged in.
Meeting for new cases.
Emails to answer.
Report to write.
People to avoid.
Especially Buck.
Not looking at the date in the corner of his computer screen, Chris set to work. He went through the open cases, fixed a problem with Accounting, followed some leads on his own case, then decided to head out and see if Nathan had anything on the car accident from yesterday. Autopsy should be done by now. Teenager run over on front of a liquor store. Not only was the kid too young to be out that time of night, he had also been liberally bathed in hard alcohol, a bag still laying beside the dead body. Parents grieving, babysitter nowhere to find, car driver under shock.
 

Two hours later Chris was out of pathology, wishing his sense of smell would stop screaming at him. Vampires, antiseptics and those incredibly intense smelling preservative fluids just didn't mix. He felt like someone had just cauterized his sense of smell. Blood was bad already, but he had a handle on that; had had it since the early months. It was one of the first things Luther had taught him. But pathology was a still nightmare.
Trudging over to his office to get his jacket, he quickly checked on anyone present. He heard JD talking to someone on the phone. No sound of Buck. But he almost ran into Vin.
"Whoa, sorry!" the younger man exclaimed and danced out of his way, trying to keep the herbal tea from splashing everywhere.
"I thought you were at home," Chris sighed.
"I'm fine, Chris. Really. Thought I'd help JD with some work."
Larabee glared. Vin tried to look healthy and completely unbothered by watery, red-rimmed eyes and his sore throat. Flu bug. Real bad case. Buck was as to yet unaffected, but due to their close contact -- called relationship -- it was only a matter of time.
"Go home."
"Chris..."
"Last call: go home, Vin. Bed, chicken soup, you know the routine. Go!"
Vin sighed, sniffling a little. "I feel useless at home!"
"Do some billing, entertain the cats, whatever," Chris told him firmly. "But I don't want to see your ass around till you are over this flu bug! Understood?"
"Yessir," came the mumbled reply.
Chris shook his head and walked into his office, snatching his jacket.
He made the mistake to look at the date.
Two hours in the morgue, perverse smells, and a sick Vin hadn't really been enough. Tomorrow was the day. Ah hell.
Larabee, ignore the day. Just get to work. Tomorrow... unplug the phone, lock the door, ignore the world.
Good plan.
 

Good plan, bad execution.
The next day came and Chris woke to the enticing sight of one Ezra Standish, head honcho vampire of Salt Lake City, his lover, one damn good looking man, next to him in bed. Unable to resist, Chris leaned over and gently nibbled at one smooth shoulder. The delicious body moved lazily and a purr of appreciation encouraged his ministrations. Feeling bold, Chris rolled over the other man, effectively trapping him as he was, and lightly bit him where the neck joined the shoulder. A gasp answered him.
"Chris!" Ezra hissed.
"Hm?" He continued his erotic trail.
Ezra squirmed and finally managed to turn around. His arms came up around Chris's neck and he pulled the blond into a deep kiss. Larabee forgot all around him, just concentrated on the kiss, the wonderful feeling of soft lips against his, an agile tongue dancing against his own.
"Good morning," Standish murmured as they parted.
"A wonderful morning."
A Saturday in that, too. No work. Except emergencies. Real emergencies. Josiah had the honor of being on call this weekend, in case something happened that required them.
The reason slammed home and Chris closed his eyes.
Lock doors. Unplug phone.
Climbing off his puzzled lover, he walked out of the bedroom, pulled the phone cord, shut off the cell phone, and checked the door locks. Satisfied, he re-entered the bedroom.
"Chris? Something wrong?" Ezra asked, slightly bemused by his behavior.
"No," he lied.
Gentle hands massaged his sides.
"Try again."
Damn.
Green eyes met hazel ones and the hazel ones looked away.
"Chris?"
Larabee rubbed a hand over his face. "I was just thinking that today is a day I'd like to spend with you. Alone."
Maybe if he began like that? Maybe it derailed Ezra from what was the real problem.
"Alone?"
"Uh-huh."
"Any special reason?"
"Do I need a reason?"
Ezra smiled. "No. I'd like to have a day to ourselves, but we can have that here."
"Doors locked, phone unplugged."
The older vampire laughed. "Sound isolating the walls?" he teased.
"The Homestore's not far away," Chris readily fell into it.
"And now the truth?"
So much for derailing.
"It's the date, right?" Ezra prodded gently.
Of course he knew. After all that time he had to know. Ezra knew everything about him. Inside out. Good and bad.
Chris sighed. "Yes. No... Kinda."
Ezra laughed, eyes sparkling. "Okay, what? Yes? No? Kinda?"
Larabee leaned back against the headboard. "All?" he tried weakly.
"Chris, what's your problem? It's your birthday. Oh, and happy birthday, love." Ezra settled himself over the long legs, curled a hand around his lover's neck and pulled him into a kiss. Chris answered it, both men exploring the other's mouth leisurely. Ezra drew back, smiling. "Presents later..."
Chris chuckled, his hands resting on his lover's hips, moving warmly toward the curve of the shapely behind. "Now?" he whispered huskily.
Ezra nipped at his lower lip. "Only if you answer my question."
So much for that, too. Damn.
"It is your birthday, right?" Standish dug deeper.
"Yeah."
"And?"
"And it's one of those with a big, fat 'Oh' at the end!" Chris muttered, scowling.
Ezra stared at him, still settled over his legs, green eyes widening in what was first surprise, then unabridged amusement. He shook his head, trying to squelch his laughter.
"What's so funny?"
"Chris! You're a vampire! A vampire turned fifty!" More laughter escaped.
"Rub it in, will ya!"
"Listen to me. A vampire, Chris."
"Turned fifty! The big five-oh. Yes, I *know*!"
"Your point being?" Ezra leaned forward inquisitively.
"I'm fifty gawd damn freakin' years old!"
"I repeat my question: your point being?"
Chris opened his mouth, then shut it again, stopping. My point being? I'm fifty. Fifty years old. I'm having my midlife crisis here, okay? Accept it. Late bloomer. Mid-life crisis with fifty. What's next? Geriatric food?
He stopped again, running smack into a wall. Ouch. Okay, that had hurt.
Fifty.
Yeah.
Five-smackin'-Oh
And a vampire.
Oh...
Vampire.... near immortal.
Oh!
Laughing emeralds met his suddenly sheepish gaze as realization smacked him over the head with a barn door. Re-enforced barn door. Layered steel.
"Oh," he mumbled.
"You're still thinking human terms, Chris," Ezra told him gently. "After all this time. Could be because you still insist on eating junk food."
"Am not."
"So it's Vin who's stocking our fridge and freezer?"
He grinned. "Probably."
Standish kissed his nose. "Incorrigible."
"Learned from the best."
"So... any other problems?"
"Aside from getting old?" Chris whined.
Ezra rolled his eyes. "If you're old, I'm ancient."
"Mummified," came the immediate agreement.
"Thank you, I needed that," was the answering growl.
Chris laughed and drew him close, inhaling the scent that was uniquely Ezra. He kissed a line along the jaw and gently tugged at one earlobe with his teeth. Ezra rumbled appreciatively.
"Don't know why it got me so bad about the big five-oh..."
"Wait till you hit the full century. That gets you depressive," Ezra mumbled, tracing Chris's lips.
"Ahum. Have you to cheer me up."
"You got that right."
"You have to really work at it, though," Chris continued, pulling the hard, naked body closer.
"I see. How about I try today? You know... get some more experience?"
"Good idea," Larabee breathed, stirring.
Ezra's hands glided down his sides and Chris squirmed as a ticklish spot was hit. "I assumed as much."
"It's good you assume."
Chris was by now pulling them onto the mattress.
"Yes," was all the reply he got, then he was pushed onto his back and had Ezra on top, grinning devilishly. "Time to get my experience...."

*

Some time and a lot of experience gathering later, Chris stepped out from under the shower, feeling pleasantly sore. His body still tingled from the erotic recollection and he wasn't surprised to note that it was already early evening.
Time flies when you're having fun.
Fun with Ezra.
Another tingle.
A cloud of pheromones that was his lover approached and Chris pulled him close into a lingering kiss.
"Thanks," he whispered.
"Happy birthday," Ezra chuckled. "Ready to unlock the doors and plug the phone back in?"
"If you ask like that..."
The smaller vampire laughed and shook his head. "For an old man, you sure have stamina."
"Old man?" Chris cried with mock-anger.
"Hey, you're fifty, love. The big five-oh."
Larabee chuckled. "Yep. The big five-oh, and damn, I feel young. And like you said, if I'm old, you're ancient."
"Me and my big mouth."
"But I love your mouth," Larabee grinned. "And the rest. Every little detail..."
 

It took a while for them to get dressed, but they eventually made it. Chris opened the door to the back terrace and stepped out into the dusk, enjoying the cooling air. The trees were casting long shadows and a few fingers of sunlight still touched the ground. None of it was dangerous, though.
"Hey, Pard!" a jovial voice called.
He smiled as he discovered Buck next to his car. While they had a perfectly good car park up front, repairs and washing was done around back. From the looks of it, Wilmington was cleaning out the inside.
"Nice of you to finally rise and shine," his oldest friend went on. "I know old people need sleep, but hey, in your case... that's serious..."
"Buck? Shut up," Chris said amiably.
"And it's not like beauty sleep does anything for you either."
"Can it, Wilmington."
Buck chuckled. "Had trouble unwrapping your present?"
Chris sighed deeply. He'd never shut up. He just knew it.
"So, you gonna invite us over to the Watering Hole for a round or do we have to seriously think about eating the cake ourselves?"
"Don't tell me you bought a cake!" Chris groaned.
"Yep. Vin's still trying to get all fifty candles on it, but they keep falling off. Got the biggest they had, but it's just too much wax...." Buck grinned widely. "And he keeps coughing on the whipped cream..."
Chris ignored him.
"Did I hear cake and drinks?" Ezra’s voice floated toward them from inside the house. The vampire stepped outside, smiling.
"Chris's is buying!" Buck called jovially.
"Buck's driving," came the dry reply.
"Nope. Not my turn to be the designated driver. And hey, you guys don't get drunk that easily, so it's your turn."
Ezra chuckled. "Where to?"
"We thought the Watering Hole, for old time's sake. You okay with that, Ez?"
"Of course. I suspect the others are already there?"
"Yep."
Chris sighed. No chance. He had no chance. Oh well... Into the fire we go.

*

The Watering Hole was full, but not filled to capacity. Music played, people talked, and the CSI team around Chris Larabee, including one Ezra Standish, was having immense fun. JD and Buck were over at the pool table with Josiah, Nathan was on the dance floor, and Vin had decided that eating four slices of cake had really been a bad idea, especially with a flu bug. As a werewolf he healed fast, but little viral infections weren’t that easily fought off. At least the medication had helped diminish the symptoms and he had been able to enjoy the evening.
Chris looked at what had been left of the cake... a ruin of crumbs, cream and eight candles, smiling.
Not fifty.
Eight.
Eight years being a vampire.
Not fifty human years.
It had floored him. They hadn't celebrated this before. His 'death day'. Buck had just smiled, his eyes serious though as he had explained. Not a death day. A birth day of some kind, too. He had been given a second chance at life and that was what they were celebrating. Okay, so it wasn't today exactly, but Chris had been touched nevertheless. Ezra had first gone very quiet, his face looking drawn, but life had quickly returned as he understood the significance as well.
Second chances.
"Thank you," Chris whispered and leaned over, lightly brushing his lover's lips.
He didn't care who saw him.
No one did, actually.
"For everything," he added. "I owe you so much, Ez. So much."
Ezra smiled softly. "As do I to you."
"Love you."
Their lips met again, slowly, sensuously. Chris felt the beat of the music around him, pulsing through him, through Ezra. Felt the life. The lust. The love. Felt Ezra.
The big five-oh.
What was so big about it anyway? It was a number. Nothing more. Counting time.
No more of that.
I have more time than I had ever thought. With this man. My lover.
Green eyes that sparkled. Lips that stretched into a smile.
"Yo, guys, stop going all goo-goo eyed!"
Voices that interrupted.
Chris turned and glowered at Buck. "Look who's talking."
"At least Vin and I don't do it in public."
"Depends on your definition of public," Vin laughed and joined his lover.
Buck opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by the sweet addition of 'you, me, the pick-up...?'. He blushed slightly.
Ezra chuckled. Chris shook his head. And to think that those two had been a couple a lot longer than them. Vin and Buck sometimes reminded him of a freshly in love couple. Being werewolves had not only slowed their aging process as well, it had apparently turned out to energize a lot more.
Then again, looking at his and Chris's love-life... He barely suppressed a grin.
"Did I miss something?"
The young voice startled Chris and his eyes widened in pleasant surprise. "Drew!"
Andrew Larabee, Chris’s only son, smiled at them. "Hey, Dad. Looking good for an oldtimer!"
Chris rolled his eyes.
"Hey, Ezra. Guys." Drew plopped down on an empty chair. "Weekend traffic. Murder."
"You drove here?"
"Had my driver's license for a while now, Dad, so, yeah, I drove. It's not that far from the university." Drew smiled and poked at the ruins of the cake. "Seems like I'm too late anyway."
"With Vin around, you can never be fast enough," Buck joked.
"Experience, hm?" Drew teased.
"In rescuing my food from his hungry jaws? Hell, yes, I have."
"I'm not that bad," Vin grumbled.
"You ate four pieces, love. Four pieces. On top of being sick, you also stuffed yourself," Wilmington chuckled.
"Did not."
"Did too."
"Did not!"
"And they are how old?" Drew asked rhetorically, looking at Chris, eyebrows rising.
His father shrugged. "Sometimes I wonder... So, how are you?"
"Shouldn't I ask you that? You're the birthday boy."
"I'm fifty, son. That's how I am."
"Like I said, oldtimer. Is that a gray hair I see?"
"Andrew Larabee...." Chris growled a warning.
"What? It's an honest question. With fifty, all kinds of things can happen."
Ezra hid his grin behind his beer. Drew had been in Salt Lake for the last eight years, studying anthropology at the local university and he was currently in the last months of his time at SLCU, working on his dissertation to get his doctorate. It had floored his father, as well as Ezra, when they had found out just what Drew was studying: ancient myths and legends, which included vampires, werewolves, demons, the whole enchilada. His dissertation was about the modern belief of ancient legends.
“Like?" Larabee senior sighed.
"Oh, don't know. Senior discount at the movies, saving for the chair lift in the house, needing new teeth, arthritis..."
Drew's eyes danced as he looked at his father. It wasn't as if he didn't know about Chris's 'condition'. His declaration of 'My father's a gay vampire? Cool!' was lodged firmly in Chris's memory. His son had taken his 'coming out' and the later change in a stride.
"Wait till he turns one hundred," Ezra smirked.
Chris shot him a deadly glare. The other vampire just grinned brightly. "Die," Larabee muttered.
"Too late."
"Oh, Mom says hi and happy b-day as well," Drew laughed. "She's currently cruising. Some kind of vacation. No idea."
Chris nodded, somehow very content. It felt good to have his son here, celebrating with them. While he now lived in the same city, they saw little of each other. More than before, but not on a regular basis.
A new round of drinks was brought over by a waitress and Drew ordered some food and a soda, joining in the fun and laughter, teasing and bantering.
 

They called it a night two hours later. Nathan had been Josiah and JD's designated driver, Ezra had volunteered to play cabby to the others. Vin was still feeling a bit sickly from the cake overdose as well as his receding flu, Buck had too much alcohol in his blood, and Chris had simply stated that it was still his birthday, and old men shouldn't drive that late at night. Drew tagged along, claiming he was dead asleep on his feet and would crash at his father's place. Chris didn't object. The guest room was always prepared.

They returned in the wee hours of the morning. Their two werewolves managed to get upstairs on their own, and Chris and Ezra closed the door after them. Andrew just grinned, said good-night, and walked into th guest room. Standing together, arms around the other, the two vampires just enjoyed the silence, broken only by the soft purr and inquisitive mrowing from two cats.
"Feed the cats?" Chris whispered against one ear.
"Hm-mh."
It took them a while to separate, then feed the cats. Shawn and Cassie happily munched away as Chris pulled his lover with him to the large, very comfortable couch. They settled down, wrapped in each other. Neither was sleepy, neither wanted to move.
A perfect place to be.
With each other.

* * *

Chris peeled himself out of bed around noon. At least it felt like noon. His body had learned to ‘tell time’, so to speak. He knew when the sun was up, even though he couldn’t really explain it, and right now it felt like noon. Simple. Ezra moved sleepily at his side, then cracked his eyes open and smiled at the sight.
“Morning,” he drawled.
“And a very good one to you, too…” Chris kissed him. “Shower?”
“Wonderful idea.”
 

Walking into the kitchen, both freshly showered – a shower which had taken quite a while due to nimble Ezra hands interfering with Chris’s as he reached for shower gel or shampoo – Chris was surprised to see his son sitting at the kitchen table.
A mug of coffee steaming in front of him, breakfast already eaten, the younger Larabee was typing away at his laptop – glasses perched on his nose. Yes, he did remember that Drew had spent the night, but it was still a bit of an out of the ordinary picture. Now he looked up, smiling at the two vampires.
“Morning Dad, morning Mom!” he called cheerfully.
Chris grinned and looked at Ezra, who had simply raised his eyebrows. “I know I’m his father, so that makes you….?” he teased.
“Chris, shut up!” the smaller vampire growled good-naturedly.
“Shakes are in the microwave… body temp,” Drew went on, gesturing at the machine in question.
“Well… thank you,” Ezra answered, walking over to the microwave. “Very considerate.”
“I noticed you ate a lot of human food last night, so I thought to balance the nutritional intake, you’ll need one or two shakes this morning,” Drew explained, smiling. “And considering the further activities behind closed doors, I think your bodies are in for replenishing spent energy.”
Ezra’s eyebrows did the climb again and he handed his lover a container of warm blood.
“Further activities?” Chris echoed.
“Oh, c’mon, Dad, I’m twenty-seven! I know about the birds and the bees, and about the bats.”
“Vampires and their relation to bats are a gross misconception,” Standish muttered.
“Yep, I know. Movie industry. You’re talking to the guy who not only has a vampire as his father, but who’s also working on his doctorate in anthropology.”
“Studying us,” Chris sighed, then shot his son a half-glare as Drew scribbled something on his notepad. “Don’t tell me you’re starting to take notes about us again!”
“Nope. Just jotting down reminders. So, how is the morning after depression? Better?” Drew gave his father a critical once-over, almost like a personal physician would his patient. “Interesting that a vampire would have age depression anyway.”
Ezra smirked and hid it behind the blood container while Chris rolled his eyes.
“I’m not depressed!”
“Oh? Fifty years old? Not depressed? Tell me another one!”
“I am not depressed, okay?”
“He’s just adjusting,” Ezra supplied, not at all helpful.
Larabee growled almost sub sonically. It had no effect on his green-eyed lover.
“So, how long does the adjustment period last?” Drew inquired, looking at Ezra.
The vampire shrugged. “Depends on the subject. In your father’s case, taking the stubbornness into consideration, it might…”
“Ezra!”
“Yes?”
“Shut up. I’m not a research object!”
Drew chuckled. “I never said so, Dad. And it’s not like I can actually write about modern day vampires in our city. My dissertation is about the belief, the myth, the legend, the kernel of truth and what writers, movie makers and old wives tales made of what might once have been just a harmless condition, an illness, or half-truths set into the world by overzealous warlords.” He shrugged. “Can’t list ‘Larabee, Christopher’ as my test subject.”
“Thank god,” Chris muttered.
He emptied the container and reached for the second, drawing a grin from his son. He choose to ignore it.
“And by the way, I’ve had a job offer.”
Chris shot him a surprised look. “Oh? Now you tell me?”
“Well, would have told you sooner, but you were so depressed yesterday.”
“Was not.”
“Was too.”
“Was not.”
“Now you’re childish, Dad.”
“Drew!”
“Denial,” Andrew went on, eyes dancing behind the glasses.
“Andrew Larabee!” Chris growled.
Ezra was hard pressed not to laugh.
“Dad, don’t forget, I minored in psychology. I know what denial looks like. And this is denial. Big time.”
It got him a silent, dark look.
“Yes?” Drew asked lightly.
“Job offer?” Chris demanded, trying to get this back on track.
“Oh, yeah. Had the interview a few days ago. Went back for a second one. The moment I get my doctorate, I’m starting.”
Larabee’s forehead furrowed slightly. “Okay, I bite. Where does an anthropologist with vampire knowledge get a job?”
Drew raised his eyebrows.
Realization had a sledge hammer, but she chose to hit Chris with an anvil. “Oh no… oh no! You’re not telling me…”
Drew grinned. “Yes, The Branch.”
There was a choking noise, then a wheeze. “WHAT?!”