~ TWO DAYS LATER ~ LATE AFTERNOON~
~ IN THE LAIR ~ JUST BEFORE VINTAGE NIGHT STARTS ~
Alice and Elena are already at the club giving final instructions to the men in the gang. They want everything to be perfect tonight, because on the one hand they want to celebrate their victory against Margaret properly, and on the other hand they want to welcome the new members of the pack, Connor, and Luna, who, by the way, are happy to finally meet the whole family.
The only dark spot of the evening is the absence of Jared and Chloe. Some felt that they should be invited, but Sebastian flatly refused. There was no way he was going to force Jared to attend a party that was taking place because they not only defeated his own daughter, but punished her as well. Even though he feels like half a man without his beta, Sebastian loves and respects Jared too much to subject him to this kind of torture.
~ A FEW HOURS LATER ~
The club is packed with people who paid a lot of money to be here tonight. The money raised will be donated to a new foundation working to implant artificial limbs in children and young adults with disabilities. Right. The first patient of this foundation who will receive a state-of-the-art titanium prosthetic leg is little Benjamin, the son of Emma the waitress.
Our pack has been gathered here for some time. They all look beautiful in their expensive and sexy vintage clothes. Beautiful and radiant. Everyone's eyes sparkle with the shine that victory gives after a battle. All except Sebastian, who has a shadow in his beautiful blue eyes because the seat next to him is empty. But he has no intention of spoiling the party. He's going to have fun and do his best on the dance floor, just like every time he grabs the microphone to sing for the great love of his life, his wife. Because yes, all the songs he sings are always dedicated to his Lois.
They all sit in the special VIP booth and drink while laughing and teasing each other. Everyone is relaxed except Nicolae and Elena who are excited. They look anxiously at the door, where in a few minutes Connor and Luna will appear.
Franco ... Do you remember Franco? Yes, the gang driver who has now been promoted to head of the family's vehicle fleet. He's responsible for the maintenance and repair of all the vehicles, cars, and motorcycles, and only takes on chauffeur duties in exceptional cases like tonight, when he's supposed to pick up the two new family members from home and bring them to the club.
As expected, the obvious tension in the eyes of Nicolae and Elena provokes the teasing of the others and especially of Damon, who makes their lives hell.
Damon: For heaven's sake, guys! We're in love too, but we don't act like it. Sit back and enjoy your drink.
Elena: Damon, please plug your cakehole if you want to keep your stupid head on your shoulders.
Nicolae: Same goes for that thing between your legs. Shut the fuck up!
Damon opens his mouth to say something that might be more teasing, but the recipients aren't listening anymore. They have gotten up and are already running to the door because it has just opened and their loved ones have appeared, standing there looking around in rapture.
Before we continue, let's see what they see. The main room of the club has been transformed into an authentic 80s disco. Colorful spotlights cast their light around, while the waiters' white T-shirts and socks glow in the black light under their ankle-length pants. A huge silver disco ball hangs above the large dance floor, spinning and sparkling and reflecting the colorful light of the spotlights.
Everything reminds of that wonderful and unforgettable time. The room, the clothes, the glasses and bottles, the records and even the machines in the DJ booth. Oh, yeah! He's playing vinyl tonight on a perfectly preserved old record player that cost the owners several hundred dollars, not to buy it, but to rent it for tonight from a collector who owns the largest collection from those decades. Needless to say, DJ had to attend a four-hour seminar to learn how to use this equipment properly and without the slightest possibility of error or damage.
But now back to the normal flow of our story and the reception of the newcomers, because Nicolae and Elena have already reached the door. Elena jumps on Connor, who hugs her tightly, while Nicolae takes Luna's hand, brings it to his lips and gives her a soft kiss on the palm. Then the two boys greet each other with a handshake, and Nicolae introduces Luna to Elena. You see, Connor and Luna had time to somehow get to know each other in the luxurious and of course bulletproof car that transported them.
Nicolae: Here it is, Moonshine. The first and most beautiful specimen of my family. My cousin Elena.
Luna: Your father's sister's daughter.
Nicolae: That's right.
Luna offers her hand to Elena, but having seen several visions of her before, she feels she already knows her and hugs her tightly. Luna is startled at first, but immediately returns the hug with warmth, making Nicolae smile.
Elena: I'm so glad to finally meet you, Luna.
Luna: Me too, Elena. Nic has already told me so much about you.
Elena: Me too. He won't stop talking about you.
Nicolae: Okay, girls. You've said enough already. Besides, we have to go to the others who are dying to meet the new members. Right, Connor?
Connor: The others maybe, but your uncle not so much. The way he's looking at me right now, he'll eat me alive and spit my bones on the floor when I get there.
Elena: You don't have to be afraid, babe. As you can see, my mother is sitting next to him.
Nicolae: And she's holding him very tightly on a leash. Trust me, buddy.
Connor: Let's hope so.
Elena: Let's go.
Elena takes Connor's hand and they walk to the booth. Nicolae and Luna follow them with his arm around her waist. He leans down to her and speaks into her ear.
Nicolae: How are you?
Luna: I was a little nervous when I came, but Elena helped me a lot.
Nicolae: That's my girl! After all, they're all normal people, and especially my parents.
After this statement, Luna stops for a moment and puts her feet on the ground. Nicolae looks at her in amazement.
Nicolae: What?
Luna: Are you actually listening to yourself, Nic? Your father is one of the richest men in the world. Your mother is a famous painter who didn't hesitate to take a bullet to save her husband. Your uncle and aunt are the biggest names of the night. Your brother and nephew run a huge business, while his wife runs the most famous and expensive restaurant in town. Your sister and her husband are leaders in education. Your half-sister is a high-ranking police officer, while her husband is a famous veterinarian. The same goes for your other sister, whose boyfriend is a top trainer for the K9 unit. Your cousin and Elena have this amazing place and then there's the famous top model, your brother's godfather, and his husband, the most famous and hottest couple in the LGBTQ community. Sure, Nic. They're all normal people.
Nicolae's astonishment has grown and now he's looking at Luna with wide eyes and a big mouth.
Nicolae: How the hell do you know all this? I didn't tell you anything.
Luna: Too easy, Nic. I Googled you all and remembered the essentials about the people I was going to meet tonight. I also found information about the others, but I'll remember them when the time is right, because they're all abroad now and won't be back until summer for your regular family vacation on the most beautiful island in Greece, Santorini.
Nicolae: Do you know about that too?
Luna: Of course, and I'd like to hope that you'll take me with you this summer. I've never been to Greece and I really want to go there. Actually, I've never traveled anywhere before.
Damon: That's more than certain, Moonlight. Even if my cousin doesn't, I'll take you there myself, even with a magic carpet.
Damon's voice, unable to wait any longer and coming towards them, made them both turn around in surprise. Nicolae looks at him a bit grimly, while Luna's mouth is open.
She knows exactly who is the young man standing in front of her. She has seen pictures of him on the Internet and knew how handsome he is and how adorable his blue eyes are, but his live version is something else. Especially his eyes that put you in a trance with just one look. He's just as handsome as Nicolae, but with a completely different beauty. While Nicolae spreads the life-giving sunlight around him, Damon radiates a total and very charming darkness, the darkness of the night. She finally understands what was written in all those pages and reports she read ... "These two men are two halves of a whole. They're yin and yang. Light and darkness that cannot exist without each other." Luna, despite her name, naturally prefers the sun, but still ...
But she's not the only one fascinated by Damon's presence. He feels the same way. Luna is gorgeous and a perfect match for Nicolae. Two people as different as day and night, like the sun and the moon, yet so much alike. The perfect couple. As for her smell ... Mmmm! The scent of the moon. Yummy!
Damon takes her hand and kisses it reverently like something sacred. As he does with all the females of the pack.
Damon: Hello, Luna. You have no idea how happy I am to finally meet you and understand why my cousin has kept you a secret for so long. I don't know if he told you about me. I'm ...
Luna: Damon Stefan Jones. Firstborn son of Sebastian Julius Jones and Lois Rose Harronate. Brother of Elena and first cousin of Nicolae. You were named after your two grandfathers, whom you unfortunately never met. You're the owner of this club and the hereditary leader of the "Angelic Demons" gang. You studied business administration, but you use your knowledge to run the club together with your sister. You speak several languages and do extreme and dangerous sports like skydiving. You had a long-term relationship with your godfather's daughter, but for some unknown reason you broke up and after several flings you're now dating the club's HR manager, who in my humble opinion is a better match for you than the other and I can't wait to meet her.
After the initial shock, Damon bursts out laughing.
Damon: Although it's most unfair that you know everything about me, while I know only your name, I hereby declare responsibly, and knowing the consequences of the law, that from today and for all eternity I'm officially your slave, my lady.
He bows to her before embracing her as he hugs Elena and leads her into the booth. Nicolae follows the two and is very pleased with Luna's impeccable adaptation to the family's style so far. He's even more pleased as Luna gradually impresses all the members of the pack and especially his parents. Mary embraces her like a real mother, while Jace is impressed by her beauty, her perspicacity, but also by her uncanny resemblance to Mary.
Finally, Sebastian has welcomed her into the pack, though she has no idea yet what that really means. As for Connor, he impressed all the females and all the males except Sebastian. They liked him right away. Of course, in the end, with a little leash pulling from Lois, the leader welcomed him into the pack as well. Like Luna, Connor doesn't know exactly what that means yet, but they'll both find out in a few days. Valentine's Day to be exact.
After introductions and initial conversation, Isaiah comes to the table and informs Damon that the show is about to begin. He sips his drink in one go and heads to the dance floor. The crowd erupts in cheers and applause, with Alice being the loudest, but everyone pauses when he begins to speak from behind the microphone stand.
Damon: Ladies and gentlemen, I'm Damon and I thank you all for participating in this thematic celebration of my family, which of course has a charitable character. The money raised tonight, along with a generous donation from Harronate Corporation, will benefit a new foundation called "Titanium Fighter", which will provide prosthetic limbs to children and young adults.
The crowd, led by Emma the waitress, applauds, and cheers the establishment of the facility.
Damon: As you can see, the cause is sacred and so eat and drink as much as you can so that in return we can give as many young children as possible an equal right to life. As for your entertainment, leave that to us, my beautiful people. Me and my family. We promise you we'll do our best, starting with the prettiest, me and my cousin Nicolae Harronate.
Nicolae walks onto the dance floor next to Damon and after another round of applause, the lights go down, the spotlight falls on the two of them and the Latin dance music of their chosen song begins.
The crowd, recognizing the song immediately, claps again and the two young men begin to sing and sway their bodies to the sexy beat, while an old projector above their heads shows the details of the song ...
"Livin' la Vida Loca, Ricky Martin, 1999."
Damon: * She's into superstitions ... Black cats and voodoo dolls. I feel a premonition ... That girl's gonna make me fall. *
Nicolae: * She's into new sensations ... New kicks in the candlelight. She's got a new addiction ... For every day and night. *
Damon: * She'll make you take your clothes off and go dancing in the rain. *
Nicolae: * She'll make you live her crazy life, but she'll take away your pain. *
Both together: * Like a bullet to your brain. Come on! *
They take the microphones out of their stands, turn to each other and sing the chorus together while dancing even sexier by shaking their lower bodies even more.
Both together: * Upside, inside out ... She's livin' la vida loca. She'll push and pull you down, Livin' la vida loca. Her lips are devil red and her skin's the color mocha. She will wear you out, Livin' la vida loca. Come on! ... Livin' la vida loca. Come on! ... She's livin' la vida loca. *
Their girls rave about them, as do all the other women in the room. The song continues in the same rhythm until, just before they sing the chorus one last time, they jump to the first table, where a large group of women are sitting, ecstatic at the sight of them, and their drink consumption skyrockets. This may be a pretty sneaky move, but remember that the end justifies the means and their own goal is sacred.
As the song ends and Damon and Nicolae leave the dance floor, the amount they have collected has grown by quite a bit. So it is as Stefan and Jason enter the dance floor.
They unbutton a few buttons of their shirts to show more skin of their well-toned chests before they start rocking. The hard rock music kicks in once the details of the song are projected ...
"Eye of the Tiger, Survivor, 1982."
Fitting, don't you think? This time the cries come from Artemis and Cecilia, who stand on the table and scream when their husbands begin to sing.
Jason: * Rising up, back on the street. Did my time, took my chances. Went the distance, now I'm back on my feet. Just a man and his will to survive. *
Stefan: * So many times it happens too fast. You change your passion for glory. Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past. You must fight just to keep them alive. *
Both together: * It's the eye of the tiger. It's the thrill of the fight. Rising up to the challenge of our rival. And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night and he's watching us all with the eye of the tiger. *
A guitar comes down from the ceiling, hanging on a hook for Jason, who, after slinging the strap over his shoulder, begins sweetly torturing the strings and play his solo while Stefan performs his own vocal solo to close the song.
Stefan: * Face to face, out in the heat. Hanging tough, staying hungry. They stack the odds 'til we take to the street for the kill with the skill to survive. *
A wild applause breaks out as Jason sinks to his knees while continuing to play the guitar, and Stefan follows him by kneeling in front of him and singing the refrain one last time.
Stefan: * It's the eye of the tiger. It's the thrill of the fight. Rising up to the challenge of our rival. And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night and he's watching us all with the eye of the tiger. *
The heat in the room is already at its peak and it rises even more when Johnny and Lucida, with Prometheus, who never misses a night like tonight, take to the dance floor and sing the first Greek song of the evening, the translation of which appears in the projector after the details.
"A ship, Vassilis Papakonstantinou, 1993."
Johnny: * An old rotten ship, with some crazy pirate sailors, weighs anchor at dawn, there are empty seats if you want them. *
Lucida: * When it gets dark on the deck, a thousand little lights will come on. In our company the wind will come whistling old songs. *
Both together: * Let's tug on the rope, let's get started and I'm sick of them. I'm tired of them. Let's stay up late and get drunk and forget everyone here. *
People get up and dance to the rousing rhythm of the song, while a few who happen to speak Greek sing along.
Johnny: * An old, rotten ship tugs on the ropes and sets its sails, leaving behind crooked and absurd, it weighs anchor for far away. *
Lucida: * We'll dawn on the sea. The sun will come out to swim. The parrot will say ... *
Prometheus: * We have fled from them! *
Lucida: * ... We too will search for other lands. *
Both together: * Let's tug on the rope, let's get started and I'm sick of them. I'm tired of them. Let's stay up late and get drunk and forget everyone here. *
I don't know which of the three get the loudest applause, but if you ask me, I'm putting all my money on the parrot flying proudly over the boisterous crowd before landing on the shoulder of his beloved Matt, who rewards him with a gentle kiss on his feathers. Then the family takes a short break, during which the DJ entertains the crowd with different and quite wonderful songs from this incredible era.