Ready Or Not

White Flowers, Not So White Lies

**Theo**

I hadn't slept well. Again. It was happening more and more. Not even the strong, soothing hands of my fiance could relax me. Probably because I could tell that beneath his calm, logical exterior, he was just as anxious as I was. He was keeping it together remarkably well though. Only a few outbursts of frustrated energy here and there and one irrational attempt at picking a fight with me for no reason had happened all week.

Daniel was still relatively new. His emotions ran high and low, and likely would for… well, some vamps, like Lydia, did the emotional rollercoaster thing for years. Some, like Anna, got it together in twelve months or less. Considering all we had to worry about, I couldn't blame my love for his mild irritability.

I was irritated too. Vampire Vice didn’t normally walk the streets, but there were officers out and about now. I saw them, and if I hadn’t, the news would have made sure I knew they were around. My home life was affected, my social life was affected, and my professional life too. Pines made more vampire jokes than necessary (not that that was a big change), and a few of my employees were acting awkwardly, like they didn’t know how to interact with me.

Hannah, being Hannah, hadn't danced around or avoided sensitive topics though. The day after the police chase she locked my office door and parked herself in a chair, firing questions at me. I answered as best I could.

No, I didn't know him. Yes, it took us by surprise, though there had been rumors, and Daniel had been suspicious. We were all okay, if a bit knocked off balance. Yes, I was sure more announcements were coming.

No, I had no idea if they were going to postpone the marriage vote.

Business had gone on as usual. Until she surprised me late in the week with another question.

“Should I be worried about you...or Lydia...and all this Vampire Vice bullshit?”

She tucked a pen into her ponytail and waited patiently for my answer.

It was a hard one to give. I wanted to be honest with this woman. I felt she deserved it if she was going to be putting up with me and mine for the foreseeable future. She deserved it as both somebody who had started to become my friend, and as somebody who was very possibly starting something romantic with my best friend.

She deserved the truth as somebody who was counting on me for her paycheck too. Not that Talbot House would collapse if something were to happen to me, but her involvement with me would be scrutinized, and if she ever left the company, “Executive Assistant to the disgraced founder and former VP I swear I had nothing to do with any of his shenanigans” is a lot to squeeze onto a resume. The less she knew, the better. But at the same time, it would be for the best not to hide too much from her.

I decided small doses of the truth would have to suffice until I knew her better. Until Lydia knew her better.

“I only know two vampires who can say they won't have to make major changes to their routine to avoid V.V. breathing down their necks​, Hannah, and that's Anna and Daniel.”

She pressed her lips together and took a deep breath through her nose. “What does that mean? It's​ not an answer, boss.”

I twirled my pen and regarded her while I thought out how best to say what I wanted to say.

“I guess it means that Lydia and I spend a lot more time 'on the hunt’ than our nestmates. That she and I are a lot more removed from our human years, and our humanity as a whole. We mostly follow the rules, but since we don't know yet what they're going to say we can and can't do, or what kind of crackdown we're looking at, we're going to have to be a lot more tame.” I almost choked on the word.