"It's my only day off, and I'm not watching a bunch of busty blondes cavort on my TV." Adrian had gotten a little tired of seeing it. After he glanced around at the motley crew taking up residence in his living room, he sighed and headed for the couch to plop down. He grabbed the remote control from Kyle, and the werecat stretched out, propping elbow and head in Adrian's lap. With the remote under his control, Adrian switched channels to the Cartoon Network just in time for the start of Scooby-Doo.

"I ain't complaining." Kyle smirked at Adrian over his shoulder. Of course he wouldn't complain; Kyle was in his favorite place, Adrian's lap. Whether in animal or human form, he had the patented 'kitty look' every time he wanted to be petted. Those beautiful baby blues remained fastened on Adrian as Adrian's fingers ran though Kyle's golden hair.

"We've seen this one fifty million times, Adrian. How 'bout changing the channel?" Indy grumbled, as she settled on the other side of Adrian, her hand petting over Kyle's hair. Ever since Adrian had saved Kyle's life and taken him in, everybody had gotten used to his weretiger tendencies of wanting to be petted and in close contact, even Indy, which said a lot given she was a vampire. The diminutive brunette was in residence at Adrian's apartment more often than she was at the club her Father owned. It surprised Adrian, but Gabriel hadn't said anything about his daughter's behavior.

For Kyle's part, he had calmed when in the presence of vampires.

Sarah and Michael, the other two weres, who had been sprawled on the floor in front of the TV, moved to their hands and knees, crawling toward Adrian and Indy. They wanted the same attention Kyle had. Adrian hadn't minded taking in the other two six months ago, and he still didn't mind. He'd gotten used to their habits and being used as an occasional kitty commune focal point. He was happy with those who had chosen to stay by him. Most of his old friends had deserted him because of suspicions about his relationship with the vampire Prince, Gabriel. The one whose desertion stung the most was an old family friend and the mayor's office's supernatural liaison, Gray, who had become less and less friendly to Adrian.

"Scooby again?" Wolf piped in, as he came out of the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn in one arm and Allie on the other. It had only taken them thirty minutes to fix the popcorn; last time it'd taken them over an hour. Adrian didn't think his kitchen was the place for romantic interludes between the vampire son of Prince Gabriel and a mortal witch, but what the hell. He hadn't cared much for the idea of romance between a vamp and his best friend, but it was obvious they were in love with each other. The tall, dark-haired, sunglasses-wearing vampire and the red-headed, fair-skinned woman fit each other in both temperament and personality. Most people likened Allie to a pocket Venus; Adrian preferred to call her a short little shit.

"So enjoy the fifty millionth and first time. Now shush, all of you." Nobody could talk while Scooby was on. Adrian was a diehard fan and openly admitted it. His Scooby memorabilia and avid show watching were testimony to that.

Sylvia, who was curled up on the other side of the couch, kept quiet. He'd never regretted hiring her several months ago to help him in the guide business. Though she did look rather tired, and might or might not have a few regrets signing on with Adrian. Noting her wan features and messy brown hair, Adrian figured he'd better talk to Charlie, his secretary, about giving her some time off. While she might prefer jeans and T-shirts like Adrian did, Sylvia didn't step out of her house without makeup and hair in place.

Thankfully, everybody fell silent, and quiet reigned for the first half of the show. Indy propped herself against Adrian's side, while Michael curled around Adrian's leg and Sarah curled up to Indy's leg. Allie was ensconced on Wolf's lap as everybody passed around the bowl of popcorn and watched the show.

A pool of darkness formed near the front door. Two seconds later, Gabriel and his vampiric son, Skye, stepped from the shadows. Adrian's ghoul senses picked up the scent of Gabriel's blood. The immortal Prince of San Diego had the face of an unholy angel and the body to match. Adrian had done his best to resist the blue-black strands of hair curled at Gabriel's neck and the mesmerizing, dark gaze, but he was fighting a losing battle. As always, the faint, seductive curve of Gabriel's smile and knowing look in the blue eyes hinted at a more intimate knowledge of Adrian than Adrian wanted to accept.

The fair-haired Skye took up residence near the front door as Gabriel approached Adrian. Trying to ignore the twinge of hunger, Adrian smiled at Gabriel before looking back at the TV. That he semi-dated the vampire, and was also Gabriel's ghoul, was something he tried to keep from most everybody outside this room.

"I should know better than come over during Scooby." Gabriel's tone sounded dry as he motioned with one hand. The movement made the others scramble away from Adrian to leave space for Gabriel. He noted Adrian's reaction and approached Adrian, holding his hand out. "But I think I have something that might make up for taking your attention away from your favorite show."

Adrian gave him a mixed 'are you kidding me?' and 'do I have to get up?' look. The others around them snickered behind their hands.

"Now, if you please." Gabriel's voice, though quiet, held an edge, warning Adrian of his mood.

Adrian didn't need to look up to know there would be a glimmer of hunger in the blue depths of Gabriel's eyes.

A smile twitched at his lips as Adrian took the offered hand and stood. "What is so important, Gabriel?" Contrary to popular belief, a vampire's touch wasn't like the icy feeling of death unless it was the dead of winter and they were outside. Their bodies were the same as the room temperature wherever they were. Gabriel made the effort to keep his body at normal human temperature through his own means.

Sylvia lunged for the remote Adrian left on the couch before any of the guys could get it. "No, no naked blondes." She clutched it to her chest and glared at them, daring one of them to try to get it.

"No naked blondes tonight. Got it?" Adrian gave a warning look to everybody involved. A second later he blinked in surprise, watching Gabriel's enforcers, Steel and Jade, emerge from the portal of darkness Gabriel had left open.

"What the…" Adrian trailed off, staring at the very large cake in Jade's hands. A small figure of Shaggy, holding a scared Scooby in his arms, decorated the front of it, along with ghosts and other assorted monsters. In large red letters were the words '24 And Holding.'

"It is your birthday, Adrian." Gabriel's tone was amused as he took in Adrian's expression before gesturing for his enforcers to set everything down on the dining room table.

Thoughts of his secretary, Charlie, sprang into Adrian's mind. He'd never told anybody his birthday, and he knew Allie wouldn't have shared the information. That left only Charlie and his meddling ways.

Xander emerged from the portal, chuckling as he headed to Adrian, holding out a brightly wrapped, small, thin box. Since Adrian also dated Xander, he held the position of Adrian's somewhat boyfriend, as well as being a mummy in his own right. After placing a quick kiss to Adrian's lips, Xander stepped back as Adrian set the box on the table. It had been Xander's boy next door charm and honey-shaded brown hair that attracted Adrian to him. A gleam in the dark green eyes signaled Xander's amusement at Adrian's current situation.

Marcus, another of Gabriel's enforcers, trailed behind Xander, carrying several other packages. A knock at the door heralded the arrival of Charlie, Adrian's mentor Dakota, and Dakota’s sister Casey. They were all grinning like banshees as Adrian scowled at them.

"Damn it, you guys." It was hard to sound peeved about all the attention.

Kyle moved from the couch to get utensils and plates from the kitchen as everybody gathered around the table. Adrian could see everybody had been in on it, and he knew exactly who the masterminds behind it were. He laughed as he eyed both Xander and Gabriel. "I'll get you guys back one day."

"Not before you blow out the candles and open your presents." Gabriel smirked at him. Sarah lit the candles as Gabriel and Xander stepped up on either side of Adrian.

"Now make a wish and blow out the candles." Xander, being ever helpful, tempted Adrian to whap him. Rolling his eyes, Adrian took a deep breath and blew out all twenty-four candles.

Gabriel ceremoniously handed him a knife to cut the cake.

"Make 'em big pieces, I'm hungry."

As per Kyle's request, Adrian cut several large slices from the cake, but saved the piece with the figurine for himself. Once everyone who wanted to eat had settled with cake and ice cream, Adrian took his plate and joined Gabriel and Xander. "All right, I won't kill you guys for this. But I'm going to kill Charlie."

"Your secretary is not proof against my persuasive powers, Adrian."

"Yeah, right, Gabriel. Like he needed any persuading." Adrian knew Charlie better than that.

"No hurting the secretary. You'll have a hard time replacing him." Xander winked at Adrian before taking a bite of his cake.

"Wanna bet?" The surprise party had lightened Adrian’s mood. If he'd been told about it beforehand, though, he wouldn’t have been home. After they ate, everybody insisted Adrian return to the table and open his presents.

The first one he opened was a very large box from Marcus. When he pulled out a three-foot tall, stuffed Scooby, Adrian blinked in disbelief.

Big, bad, and scary were mutually inclusive words when Adrian though of the bad-ass vampire Marcus. He carried a baseball bat, and Adrian had trouble with the image of Marcus walking into any store and purchasing a large Scooby.

Marcus looked at a space on the wall behind Adrian. "I knew you'd like something like that," he muttered.

"Thanks, Marcus. I already have the perfect place for him." Adrian set the stuffed animal down and reached for the next box. He tried to get everybody's attention away from Marcus. The enforcer was worse at being the center of attention than Adrian. Since the vampire’s temper matched the perpetual scowl on Marcus' features, everybody kept their snickers to themselves.

Adrian ended up opening eight presents in all. Indy and Skye had given him a beautiful silver dagger with a lone ruby at the end of the hilt and a finely decorated blade. It already had place of honor, replacing Adrian's old dagger. Sarah, Michael, and Kyle had given him an animation cell from his favorite Scooby episode. Xander's gift was a papyrus scroll he had painted with the images of Osiris and Isis. For the first time, Adrian could see them with the lifelike detail of Xander's memory.

From Jade, he received a smaller version of Scooby. It shook and said "Rut ro" when you squeezed its paw. Steel had gotten him a huge Scooby bath towel. Dakota and Casey had gone in together and bought Adrian a case of blood for his work. Sylvia, being a joker, had bought Adrian a replacement holster for his staker and a pack of stakes. Working with Adrian in the guide business had not dulled her sense of humor.

"Trying to tell me something, Sylvia?"

"Might help in keeping any more away."

Since Gabriel had entered his life, Adrian had gained a bad track record for attracting vampires.

"I expect most of you at the club in one hour. No excuses." Gabriel issued the order as he moved to the portal when it reappeared.

Adrian knew Gabriel expected him to follow. He strapped on his weaponry and grabbed his leather jacket. Now Adrian never left home without the dagger, charm, staker, and rider; a bad habit he'd picked up since vampires started to like to hang around him. The ghost Adrian called to be his rider slipped into him as he finished straightening the staker holster. If any vamp tried to take Adrian over, the additional aid of the wraith would prevent it.

The cats were back on the couch, and Sarah wrestled with Kyle for the remote. Everybody else either made themselves comfortable in various spots around the living room or left via the front door.

"Anybody important showing up tonight, Gabriel?"

"Everybody who comes to the club believes they are important, Adrian."

"Yours is the only important ego allowed, I know." Adrian quipped, as he followed Gabriel, Xander right behind him. A wall of darkness rose, followed by a sensation akin to falling through the floor as Adrian entered into the portal.

Traveling this way was unnerving, and he had yet to get used to it. Black-holing was what the younger set called it. That was close enough, as it felt like getting sucked into a void and then spit out someplace else. Damn vampire powers.

When the blackness faded, they were in Gabriel's bedroom. The entire place was a huge, underground structure beneath the city block. Adrian had only had one grand tour of the place, and a person could easily get lost. Only a few knew about the private section of Gabriel's quarters. There were other facilities in the rest of the building, including housing for quite a few of the city's vampires.

Adrian leaned back against Xander for a moment as a source of support until his legs remembered they were on solid ground. He also had to blink several times and take a deep breath to reorient himself.

"You'll be an old pro at it before you know it, Adrian." Gabriel waited for him to regain his equilibrium.

"Yeah, thanks to you, Gabriel." The tightness around his lips was slow in easing, but Adrian started to relax. "Now, why did you want me here early?"

Like Adrian had to ask with the way Gabriel was eyeing him. He'd gotten more comfortable with Gabriel's need to feed from him. Adrian shouldn't have, but there was something to be said for habits growing on one, and this particular habit could be more like an addiction. Just the thought of it made Adrian's body tingle in expectation. It didn't happen very often, and Adrian wouldn't even mention he was tad hungry since it was about feeding time for him. He'd made his own adjustments to being Gabriel's ghoul. Nothing could change it, so Adrian either had to work with it or piss and moan about it. He never had been much of a whiner.

Xander shifted from his position, remaining silent as he stepped around Adrian.

"Isn't it apparent?" The tenor of Gabriel's voice lowered as he took Xander's place, standing behind Adrian. Raising his hand to Adrian's throat, his thumb rubbed along the skin.

Sensation quivered straight through Adrian with the caress of sound and touch. The pressure of Gabriel's hand at his hip drew Adrian back against the vampire. The more time went by, the harder it became to resist Gabriel, though Adrian still had his moments of trying. He glanced over at Xander, hoping for a little help. He received a slow smile from Xander, and the expression told Adrian the mummy would help the other side.

Adrian knew he was in for it if they were both ganging up on him. The piercing pain at the side of his throat barely registered in Adrian's mind before the accompanying swift flow of pleasure enveloped him. His lips parted with a sharp gasp before it was silenced by Xander's mouth, drawing his breath from him.

The sudden flood left Adrian drowning in the pure feel of both of them. Somehow this was different, but he couldn't perceive how. Sensations spilled over him, fueled by their actions. The source was indistinguishable to Adrian, as one of his hands sought the back of Gabriel's head and the other kneaded Xander's chest. They were deliberately doing this to Adrian, and part of him didn't care. Touch and taste blended as emotions became seamless, flowing over the three of them. Thoughts and words flooded between them, a blending of the three within the melding of sensations, physical and ephemeral.

His fingers nudged between the buttons of Xander's shirt, nails raking into the mummy's skin. A shudder from Xander answered Adrian as a deep growl sounded from Gabriel's throat. The hands holding to Adrian's hips slid upward under his shirt to brush over his chest. Xander's fingers followed in Gabriel's wake. Each touch left Adrian craving more, as the pull of Gabriel's mouth sent the most exquisite sensations through him. The arousal and need had them enthralled with each other, then it faded as they both stopped. Adrian wouldn't be able to take much more of this and knew it.

Xander's lips lifted from Adrian's, and he whispered, "Happy birthday, Adrian." Gabriel's whisper sounded near Adrian's ear, "You will have many more of them with us, my Favored One."

The soft murmur of their voices washed over Adrian, each speaking in their own way. Gabriel bit into his own wrist before lifting it to Adrian's lips. Blood welled from the wounds he had made to feed Adrian. Adrian's lips sealed over the holes, drawing hungrily on Gabriel. The rest of the world faded, leaving Adrian completely in the moment. Something Adrian hadn't previously experienced echoed in the flavor, making Adrian pause for an instant.

"My birthday present to you." The quiet tone of Gabriel's thoughts filled Adrian's mind. And Adrian understood Gabriel had undergone a special ritual necessary to strengthen their ties. Gabriel left unsaid the fact it had been painful, but Adrian could sense it. As Adrian caught the whispering explanation of Gabriel's thoughts, the sudden rush of power enveloped him, leaving a euphoric mass of feelings in its wake.

Up until now, on a mental level, Adrian had only been vaguely aware of both Xander and Gabriel unless they strengthened Adrian's awareness of them. Now their thoughts and emotions filtered into the vague awareness, causing it to grow stronger.

As Adrian drew a long pull of Gabriel's blood, for an odd moment it was as if they were in the same body. He understood what Gabriel had gifted him with. Gabriel had given Adrian the power to read their thoughts and emotions unless they blocked them. An implicit trust in Adrian, though unspoken, dwelled in the fact Gabriel allowed him so much.

Opening his eyes, he saw Xander watching them. The smile on Xander's lips told Adrian the mummy was well aware of what everything meant. Once his hunger for Gabriel's blood faded, Adrian let go of the vampire's hand. As he glanced between them, Adrian caught the odd softening of their expressions as they looked each other. Not for the first time, it made him wonder. What exactly was their relationship to each other?