Josef is hosting his annual Christmas Party at his home in Beverly Hills.  There are little twinkling white lights strung along the path through his rock garden and Koi ponds that lead into his home.

When he spots Beth on her way in he smiles until he notices her boyfriend trailing after her like a little lost puppy, but he renews his smile and after approaching them says, “Blondie, you made it.”

Frowning Josh puts a possessive hand on Beth’s shoulder and says, “Well,  you did invite us.”

Frowning back, Josef raises an eyebrow and points out, “For the record, I invited Blondie, not you.  The only reason you were allowed admittance is that she brought you as her plus one and I didn’t give guidelines for who was and was not an acceptable companion.  I’ll make sure to be more specific in the future.”

Beth smiles and giggles before she gently slaps his arm telling him, “Behave you.”

Josef shifts on his feet and lets out a long-suffering sigh before he says, “If I must.”

Giggling again and still smiling, she says, “You must.”

He nods and says, “Enjoy yourselves, eat, drink, and be merry.  Now if you’ll excuse me, someone else just showed up, and a proper host always greets his guests,” then he walks away a few feet to speak with the new arrivals.

Josh grabs Beth’s arm and pulls her farther away from Josef before he asks, “Why are you giggling like a school girl?”

She laughs a regular laugh, not a giggle, and tells him, “Josef must just bring out the school girl in me.  Relax, he’s harmless.”

Josh crosses his arms over his chest and grumbles, “Multi-Billionaires are not harmless.  In my experience, they think they’re God, and they expect everyone to treat them like a king.  They also usually believe and act like the rules don’t apply to them.”

Beth smiles and nods before telling him, “Well that pretty much sums up Josef, but provided you don’t go after him or those he cares about he’s harmless.  Since I have it on good authority that Josef feels breaking the law is beneath him you have no reason to go after him so he shall remain harmless.  Now how often do we get to party with the 1%?  Brush aside your worries and let’s mingle.”

An hour later and Josh’s frown just keeps getting deeper.  He sighs and says, mostly to himself, “That guy!”

Beth turns to look at him and asks, “What guy?”

Josh nods his head across the room and says, “Mick St. John.  He hasn’t taken his eyes off of you since he said hello.  If I didn’t know better, I’d say he’s been slowly undressing you with his eyes, but I think that’s a little too forward even for Mick.”

Beth’s eyes widen at that, and she whispers, ever mindful that probably at least half the people in attendance are Vampires, “Keep your voice down.  He’s not undressing me.  He just likes to keep an eye on me because he knows how much of a danger magnet I usually am.  I think he doesn’t have to worry tonight, but it’s a good thing that he has that habit because it’s saved my life multiple times in the few months I’ve known him.”

Josh nods, but says, “I think it’s creepy.”

Beth sighs but smiles before telling him, “I’m gonna go get something to drink, be right back.”

Once she gets her glass of Scotch, she takes a slow sip and holds in her moan before she looks across the room at Mick and Josh staring daggers at each other.  Sighing, she decides to avoid them both for the time being and instead walks towards the sliding glass door.  Stepping out into the yard, she takes in the stunning night view of the lit up L.A. Skyline.

She just stands there for a few minutes enjoying the peace and quiet before she jumps in place when Josef’s smooth voice asks from beside one of the pillars holding up the roof of the covered patio, “Finally fed up with Mick and your boyfriend posturing over you.”

Huffing, she says, “Josh is the only one posturing if you must know.  And he’s doing it because he’s misinterpreting Mick’s behavior.”

Josef steps out of the shadows a bit and smirks before asking “And how exactly is the Deputy D.A. misinterpreting Mick’s behavior?”

Stepping closer to him in the hopes that Josh won’t overhear she lowers her voice a bit knowing Josef will still be able to hear her and tells him, “Josh thinks Mick is watching me, but in reality, Mick is observing everyone, just like he usually does.

Frowning a little, he tells her, “I think we both know that Mick isn’t watching everyone.  Your boyfriend certainly knows it, and I think you do too.”

She shakes her head but Josef nods and says, “You’re smart Blondie, probably smarter than most of the humans I’ve met in my long life so don’t act like you aren’t fully aware of the fact that Mick is interested in you and only you.”

She nods and looks around before she lowers her voice even more and says, “I know that, but I can’t explain to Josh why Mick’s so fixated on me without bringing up when I was taken, and we both know that needs to stay in the past.  Josh… he’s a good man, but he wouldn’t handle certain aspects of that story well and don’t worry I didn’t seriously consider telling him.  I seriously considered asking you for your opinion but then I realized, pretty easily, that Josh is one of the people in this world who would grab a pitch-fork and collect a mob.  Anyway, I can’t explain my connection to Mick, so Josh is acting like a… a… I don’t even know a word.”

Josef chuckles before telling her, “He’s acting like a man who knows he has competition for the affection of the woman he loves.”

Frowning Beth says, “But there’s no competition.”

He shrugs and tells her, “If you say so.”

They lapse into silence just standing and staring out at the lit up city lights, enjoying the companionship without the need to fill the emptiness with words.

Beth takes a sip of her drink and this time she moans loudly.  Josef turns to look at her with a raised eyebrow, so she chuckles and tells him, “Sorry, it’s just… I’ve never had anything but the cheapest liquor money can buy and this, this is amazing.”

Josef chuckles back, and they return to silence until maybe ten minutes later Mick comes outside and says to them, “There you guys are.  I was wondering where you’d gotten off to.”  He pauses and then with an awkward chuckle he points to the Mistletoe above their heads.

Josef chuckles and raises his eyebrow again before Beth smiles at him and says, “Well, it is a tradition.”

She doesn’t let him respond before she walks the few steps to him, leans up, and brushes her mouth over his soft lips.  When she goes to pull away, his hands come up and cup her cheeks while he deepens the kiss.  They kiss for maybe 30 seconds, and when they part they only do so because another party comes out onto the patio and asks, “What the hell is going on here?  Beth?”

Beth pulls away slowly and pants for air a bit while smiling at Josef before wiping her lipstick off his smirking lips and then turns to face Josh.  She smiles at him too and tells him, “Mistletoe,” and points above their heads.

Josh, showing just how tired he actually is doesn’t argue and just nods before he asks, “I’m tired.  I had a long day at work.  You mind if we head out now?”

Beth’s shoulders slump at his words, but she nods before turning to face Josef and Mick and telling them, “Josef, thank you for inviting us.  I had fun.  Mick, I’ll see you around.  Merry Christmas to both of you.”

They both nod and watch as Beth and Josh head back inside and then leave the party.  Josef smirks and tells his best friend, “I like her.  I’m glad I decided to invite her.”

Mick frowns and crosses his arms over his chest but tells his friend, “I’m glad you’re both getting along.  Just… don’t cause trouble for her and Josh.  He’s suspicious of me enough as it is without adding you to the mix.”

Josef just nods and then says, “Well, the only human not in the know is now officially on his way home, so I think this calls for a little liquid refreshment and I’m not talking about the scotch.”

Mick nods, and they both go inside while Josef secretly plots.

The next morning Beth and Josh are woken by a knock on her front door.  She throws on a robe and then answers the door.  A delivery man has a rolling cart with a wooden case of Scotch on it.  He asks, “Beth Turner?”

Nodding, she tells him, “That’s me.”

He holds out his clipboard and says, “Please sign here and then tell me where you want it.”

She signs and then points to the floor in front of the couch.  After the delivery man leaves she grabs the envelope on top of the case and opens it before reading ‘Blondie, no friend of mine is going to drink cheap liquor.  Here’s to a future of many years of friendship.  Merry Christmas.  -JK.”

Josh comes out of the bedroom still in his boxers and asks, “Who was at the door?”

She points and says, “A delivery man.  Josef sent me a case of Scotch because apparently friends of his aren’t allowed to drink cheap Whisky.”

He sighs but says nothing and goes back into the other room.  Beth, on the other hand, sits down on her couch and stares at the handwritten note.  Josef Kostan doesn’t strike her as a man or a vampire, whatever, with very many friends so this offer of friendship isn’t something she feels she can just turn a blind eye to and she likes Josef too much to turn down his offer.

Standing she manages to push the case of scotch into her front closet and then she opens the case and takes a bottle out before going into the kitchen and despite it being 7 a.m. pours herself a drink.

Before she takes a sip, she whispers, “To friendship, may this one last a lifetime and beyond,” and then she takes a sip of what is possibly the best Whisky ever made.

The End