Author's Note: Thank you all for making such wonderful comments and keeping me in-line.

Let me see, I was stuck on this chapter for a very long time because I had written a bunch of sections with scenes that were fun to write, but didn't add to the overall story. Then there were scenes that were important to the story but are boring and uninspiring. So I scrapped a bunch of sections, adding, deleting, excuses, excuses. I also spent a lot of time story boarding. So I hope the effort is worth it. And if it isn't, please let me know.

The countryside was scenic. Glistening snow-capped mountains rose like a giant in the distance, skirted by deciduous forest in the thralls of Spring. The sun was halfway across the sky, leaving a few hours of daylight remaining. Everything was in the lull of a lazy afternoon. Massive stands of lilac trees filled the forest with scent and color. Birds and butterflies danced in the air. Wild deer grazed placidly in the shady meadows between the trees. They looked up momentarily when a roving vehicle came roaring through the unused path.

Yoko clutched car frame with one hand, the other on her cell phone. She regularly declared their location and distance to target to her reluctant chauffeur. GPS was truly a wonderful device, being able to track anyone in the world as long as they had a cell phone and not too deep in magically created environments. Personal empowerment had never been so readily available to novice stalkers like her. Yoko inwardly giggled at mental images of Genya's surprised face. That one moment would be worth more than possible pay cuts and death glares.

"I have this feeling in my gut that says we're about to do something stupid," Julius commented as they swerved to avoiding driving off a ledge. They had turned off a nondescript roadway onto what seemed like an ancient Roman road. The road was no longer paved asphalt, but interlocking stones. The ride was bumpy, to say the least, and punctuated with signs of "DO NOT TRESPASS" and "BEWARE OF DOG."

"You and your blubbery gut," Yoko dismissed, her attention on the view. She could see why Genya would come to a place like this. It was isolated, shaded, ghostly and beautiful. Her girly side gushed at the possibility of going on romantic strolls through the cobblestone paths alongside a handsome man.

"I trust my gut," said Julius, ever the voice of reason, "It's served as a shock absorber for those more important internal organs. Wouldn't have lived this long without it."

"You're such a scared pot-bellied codger," Yoko threw back at him. "Where is your sense of adventure?"

"Well...let me see..." Julius swerved the car again. "The eclipse. Dracula's castle. Amnesia. No retirement fund. No life insurance. Getting old. Witch-in-law..."

Yoko only rolled her eyes, undaunted. "Excuses. Excuses. This is going to be fun, trust me. And you're my chaperone, you're supposed to go wherever I go and protect me."

Julius muttered something unkind about the female gender underneath his breath.

"What is that!?"

"Nothing, Ms. Belandes," Julius sang.

A few more turns and they finally saw something.

There was a fiftieth-century manor home nestled in a clearing at a few hundred yards from a river.

"I think we just hit the jackpot," said Yoko with a wide grin. She knew Genya was onto something.

They came along a red brick wall lined with decorative iron wrought spokes and followed it. Red ivy lined the wall, giving a rusted feeling of decay and age. The grounds were well manicured, though, with fresh seasonal perennials surrounding old growth hardwood that seemed to have been there forever. The mansion itself had a stone veneer. A set large double leaf iron gates were open. There were successive parapet walls and two spiral towers with tiny narrow slots. The windows were small and shuttered as if the owner shunned natural light. There were general ancillary buildings to the manor home, with a greenhouse, an unused stable, a smithy and a number of barns.

Julius slowed down and parked just beyond the opened front gate. He turned off the engine and immediately noted a strange sound.

There was music! Something from the string family, either a cello or a viola.

The melody was, steady, unwavering, deep and longing. The song came from everywhere, echoing off the mountains.

Stricken by the mix of emotions and beauty in the sound, Yoko put a hand to her mouth, grimacing, trying not to cry. Those darn female hormones!

Julius looked away, uncomfortable. He could deal with half-rotting ghouls coming after him with blood-stained swords and insults at his manhood. An overly emotional female on a verge of bawling her eyes out, though, would send him running for the hills. As for the melody, he could barely hear it. He probably lost some of his hearing in the higher register from his misspent life as a vampire hunter. He coughed and turned her attention to the task at hand, "What does your tracking device say?"

"Oh!" Yoko looked at her almost forgotten positioning device. "He should be within two-hundred square meters from here." She pointed to a recently disturbed gravel road that went off a distance along the walls.

"So he can be anywhere on this property," Julius deduced. The accuracy of the GPS device was dependent on the number of cell phone towers and satellites. They were in the boonies with plenty of tree cover, so accuracy was thrown out of the window. "How about we split up?" Julius wanted to be conveniently absent just in case Yoko looks toward him for awkward hugs. He was a married man, after all, and Yoko was an attractive woman.

Yoko nodded absently.

They went their separate ways. Julius took off toward the barns.

Yoko followed the gravel road to a drive up. She easily found the main doorway and was prepared to break in through the solid oak front doors. However, the doors were unlocked. Yoko was able to push them open soundlessly and effortlessly.

Inside, the main receiving hall was poorly illuminated due to drawn curtains. Yoko could make out the grand staircase and dark hallways. With a snap of a finger, Yoko held up her own light in the palm of her hand. She proceeded to explore for Genya with that haunting song in the background.

Most of the rooms were the same. Furniture covered with white sheets and curtains closed. The walls were bare, hard gray stone. The usual decorative paintings and portraits lined the walls but all the rooms were too dark to make out anything. The floor was made of placed stones and smelled sterile. The temperature inside was chilly. The fragrance of the house suggested periodic incense burning and bleach cleaning. Yoko did try to use her supernatural senses to see if there was any out of the ordinary. There were no ghosts to speak of, but there were definitely supernatural elements about this place.

What was Genya doing here? Was he doing a personal investigation on the side? He did have inexplicable disappearances, not that Yoko was concerned. Genya was a big boy who took care of himself and anyone who had the misfortune to cross him. Her curiosity, though, was high. What else better to satisfy that urge than the possibility of discovering blackmail material on her stoic boss?

Where did Genya come from anyways? Yoko found herself wondering as she roamed room to room. The question was important because those gifted with supernatural powers were under the constant scrutiny and regulation of the Church. Every person, from talented sorcerers to the ordinary palm readers, were profiled. The main Vatican computer server kept those profiles, detailing information from the basic birthdates to in-depth analysis of ancestry.

Yoko herself was heavily investigated when her magic manifested. She still remembered the doctors' hands probing her, taking blood samples and EEG scans of her brain. The Church was paranoid of people with high magical talents, ones who could best serve and oppose the Church. So she was constantly watched, more so when she was younger. Her own case worker, an obese woman named Jana, followed her for fives years after her sixteenth, teaching her the rudiments of magic and the consequences of disobeying orders from the Vatican.

Once she became an agent in her twenties, she gained limited access to all registered Society members profiles across the globe. That was how she eventually traced her lineage back nearly ten generations and realized that she was distantly related to Julius and a number of other magically talented individuals.

Of course, Yoko looked at Genya's file. Who wouldn't wonder about their superiors? Plus, she might even curry his favor if she found out his birthday and gave him a gift. However, unlike her, his profile was minimal, listing only his aptitudes and work history. There was nothing on the basics like blood type, birthday, even simple things like eye color and height. Apparently, she needed a higher security clearance to view Genya's profile. A fact that only further add fuel to her burning curiosity.

Yoko had no more time to ponder such questions as she saw a shape from the corner of her eyes as she was passing through another hallway.

Standing underneath a large tree with thousands of purple blossoms was Genya, wearing his usual business clothes, tie and all, playing the viola.

Without any decorum, Yoko rushed past the double doors and yelled, "Arikado!"

The music screeched to a halt. The entire world seemed to shudder at the sudden change as Genya turned from the musical instrument and looked at her, incredulous.

Yoko almost giggled. The look on Genya's face was so precious! He actually seemed surprised. Once she got his attention, she strolled over to him, smiling.

"What are you doing here?" The spoken words were clipped.

"Why, looking for you, of course," she said with her usual coy smile.

Genya's expression was "Look for you?" Genya echoed. "You don't have a better excuse?"

Leave it to Genya to be rude and nasty to one of his closest associates. "Of course, I can. The real reason..."

"Belnades," Genya cut her off. His eyes seemed to turn yellow. "Leave. You are trespassing."

It was Yoko's turn to be annoyed. "Why? It's not like you aren't trespassing too. Which rich playboy's mansion are we on?"

Genya's expression barely changed. "Get. Out."

Yoko felt her cheeks turned pink. Part of her was hurt that he just literally tried to toss her out of a place. Part of her was angry at his terrible reception. "Now wait a second mister..."

Genya did not even wait to cut her off. He looked to a place slightly past her and shouted, "Cerberus!"

"Master!"

They were interrupted by an old man in an automatic wheelchair. He was heavily blanketed and smelled like moth balls. His eyes were rheumy and clouded over. His white hair was thin but long. The face was heavily creviced like the trunks of an ancient oak tree. "Master," The withered prune repeated in a softer voice. "Please do be polite and finish the melody. The Mistress would've appreciated it. I will take care of our...guest." There was an emphasis on the word 'guest.'

Genya seemed mollified by the suggestion. Then, making a decision, he stowed away his stewing irritation and spoke no more. He took his instrument, exhibiting inhuman athleticism, went off a distance and began playing the soothing melody again. Soon, the music echoed again through the mountain.

"You will have to forgive him," said the old man to Yoko once Genya graced the area with music again. "He can be horribly quick tempered."

Yoko snapped back to reality. She gazed upon this frail-looking, skeletal old man. "Ma..Master? You've called him Master."

The old man gave her a penetrating gaze as if the films in his cataract eyes clarified the sight into the soul. He ignored the inherent question in her statement. "Come inside." It was a command. He whirled his chair around and the chair slowly buzzed toward one of the many steel-reinforced wooden doors.

After staring at the retreating figure for about ten seconds, Yoko sullenly followed.

The old man led her through the many heavy doors and hallways, the candles on the walls seemed to light own their own as they passed. Yoko's eyes kept busy, noting the mirrors and paintings as she passed. The doors all seemed to open on their own. Finally, she was led back into the grand receiving hall. Now, with all the candles and torches lit, she could see that the man hall was at least three floors tall, flanked by grand staircases. There was a cavernous lit master fireplace. Following the stone contours, Yoko's eyes noted the particular notes of soot and cleaning. This place, it seemed, must had a fire at one point.

"You must make an exception to the Master's rudeness," the withered human apologized to Yoko, taking her attention away from the clinically cold interior. "He does not like surprises. Otherwise, he is a most exemplary host."

Yoko took the answer in and quickly asked, "So wait. He really wasn't kidding? He actually owns this place?"

The wrinkled human nodded in a resigning sort of way. "Yes. This was the home he had built and shared with his Lady. He rarely visits now, after her passing. Even we dare not mention her name in his presence. Doing so only makes him...volatile."

Yoko just stood there, feeling more than insensitive. Here she was, thinking that Genya was doing some side job to make some spending money and she came barging in. This must be a place of happy and terrible memories.

Her ever inquisitive mind had another question, however. "Wait. He built this place? Did he win the lottery or something? Oh my God. Don't tell me that he's a trust fund baby."

The old man tilted his head and peered at her thoughtfully. Then he laughed heartily. "You are amusing, young one." The tension diffused, he stuck out a thin skeletal hand. "I'm Ben. The steward of this property."

Yoko followed up on the introduction with a charming smile. She took hold of the cold hand and said, "I'm Yoko Belnades. I work with Genya."

"Such tender young hands," said the old man, as he took her hand roughly, turning the fingers and touching the fine lines of her palm like a fortune teller before letting go.

Yoko quickly retracted her hand. She could not help but feel her personal space invaded.

"You are a sorceress," Ben stated in all seriousness. "A powerful one, with a talent for destructive magic."

Ben's sudden display of sensitivity was not too surprising. All sorts of weirdness could happen around Genya. "Are you a magician also?" Yoko asked.

"A dabbler, mainly," said Ben modestly. "Enough to teach Young Master some basics, once upon a time."

Yoko unconsciously smiled. At last! The mine of childhood blackmail material! She just needed to use her charm on him and get him to talk.

All the sudden, there was a loud crash followed by a deep growl. A yell was uttered in reply.

Without waiting for Ben, Yoko turned on a heel and run outside toward the sound.

Yoko's eagerness brought her toward the west wing of the manor. Out there, in a clearing, Julius was completely bowled over by a three-headed dog the size of an elephant. Yoko prepared a small fireball immediately, but something made her hesitate.

The huge dog wasn't trying to crush or eat Julius; it was trying to lick him!

The middle head of the dog was busily slobbering all over the conquered Belmont. The left head panted happily and joined in the kicking when it's not distracted. The right head whined a little before deciding to preoccupy itself with biting its own butt.

"Oh God! Your breath smells." Julius coughed out in between being licked. His upper torso, arms, and face had the fresh glistening of drool. "Get off of me!"

Yoko heard the crunching of a twig and saw that Genya had shown up too. The expression on his face was just as priceless.

Genya covered his mouth with a gloved hand at the sight. His eyes narrowed, his body trembled and he coughed. If Yoko could trust her own eyes, she would've sworn that Genya had struggled not to laugh.

"Arikado," Julius was able to bite out, trying to fend off the offending tongue with his arms. "Get this thing off of me!"

After two more minutes of relentless licking, the dog finally got off Julius. It padded toward Genya. Each head lowered for an obligatory pet. Genya said something to the middle head which caused the other two heads to whine. The middle head barked at the other two and nipped at their ears as if reprimanding them for something. Genya uttered something unintelligible to them. The beast scratched the back of its right head with its massive hind leg, kicking off whatever parasitic bugs that lived there. Then the massive beast turned and darted off into the forest.

The bonafide vampire hunter waved his arms, trying to sweep most of the pungent drool off of himself. "I really hope this washes off."

"Here," The skeletal Ben had wheeled himself over on his automatic wheelchair and handed the Belmont a beige colored towel. The old steward's arm shook and seemed on the verge of snapping like a twig. "There is a bath inside in the cellar," he offered. "Go through the door and turn left. Once you get to a single leaf metal door, knock. Angelica will answer and she will see to your needs."

Julius grabbed the towel with an automatic utterance of gratification and went about the business of cleaning up his face. "Thanks, but I think I better stay with Mr. Doggie Owner here so he can protect me from further puppy attacks." He peeked at Genya between towel wipes. "I guess I don't have to remind you that the Church frowns on keeping hell-hounds as pets."

It was the old man Ben who replied. "Many things are frowned upon in this world, Belmont. Coarse language. Lies. Dishonor. Disrespect. Covet. Sexual Immorality..."

"That's enough, Ben. They know and don't need your lecture." Genya finally spoke up. He seemed to have recovered from his earlier peevishness.

"Do they?" Ben returned. "That sorceress over covets what she cannot obtain, commits sexual immorality with many..."

This time, it was Yoko's turn to become offended. Her cheek was turning red as she felt heat upon her face.

"Oh relax, Ms. Belandes," said Ben. "Our Master here doesn't take me seriously. Besides, we won't be talking for long. The Master had obtained what he came here for. I imagine that he is anxious to leave here."

"And not a moment too soon," Genya followed up.

That disappointed Yoko. "You're not going to take us on a house tour at least?" She had expected it since that was would be the normal thing to do.

"No," came the firm, decisive, reply. "We leave now."

The car ride back was filled with the usual banter between Julius and Yoko. Genya rode in the back seat, giving single word answers to his friend's attempt to engage him in conversation. Even the simple question of "how did you get here without a car?" received a "humph" for an answer.

Genya just looked out the window most of the time, lost in thought. He did not exude the usually confident and slightly haughty manner. The frown was too neutral, riddled by an unknown conundrum.

Yoko understood the silence, though, and felt that she should steer the conversation away from the mysterious manor house they had just come from. Yoko could easily put two and two together. Genya just visited a place of happy and dark memories and he had mentally retreated into his man-cave. Men were not as good as women with their emotions and Yoko knew that if she wanted Genya to talk, she would need to back off first.

Julius respected another man's privacy so the idea of asking never crossed his mind.

All three went back to Julius's little townhome in Bucharest by evening and everything became a blur from there.

The baptism had become the unintentional family reunion. Julius's extended family, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins all came en mass. There were numerous Belmonts, some Schneiders, and a few other unpronounceable names. Julius was clearly overwhelmed because he did not expect such a turn out for a simple baptism.

Ingrid's family was notably fewer in number, as she tried to contain the size of the party. The larger the group, the greater the expected donation to their local church for performing the baptism rites. She did not come from a large family anyways. Still, she was not expecting a large crowd from Julius's side. Where were these people when they got married in the first place?

Many of the Belmont family close friends came too, people like Bishop Rollo, some of Ingrid's work friends and Julius's colleagues from the Romanian Archeological Society. Even Hammer showed up.

The entire night was spent reconnecting with family, making new friends, drinking, and merrymaking.

Hammer flirted shamelessly with Yoko and serenaded her publicly. At first, Yoko was embarrassed at the awkward pick-up lines but his voice proved sonorous. He sang a couple rhythm and blue love songs to her for which he received enthusiastic drunken applause. Yoko was so impressed that she gave him a hug and a peck on the cheeks.

Gertrude, the overbearing mother-in-law of the fearless vampire hunter, turned a new leaf. She would not bear the idea that all these people, particularly Bishop Rollo, to have a poor opinion of her family. She was the exemplary host, smiling wide and kept the munchies and alcohol flowing.

By the time the sacraments of baptism came about in the morning, coffee, milk, water and vinegar hangover cure concoction were distributed. By the general moans and snorts in the pews, more hangover cure concoctions were in need.

The ceremony proceeded quickly, with Bishop Rollo giving a brief reading from the Bible and a quick humorous anecdote. Then, Genya and Ingrid's sister, Linda, were presented as the godparents who will oversee the spiritual growth of the newborn. The baby girl Sofia, dressed in a frilly white Christening gown, cried like any other normal baby when the cold water touched her head. Some more drinking and partying followed the ceremony, but had moved mostly to the pubs and bars.

Later, in private, with only immediate family and closest of friends, Julius, and his wife gathered them all in the small den of the house. The two proud parents opened up baptismal gifts one by one and read the cards. There were plenty of clothes, bibs, toys, personalized crosses, board books and of hundreds of dollars in gift cards.

Linda, as the godmother, gave a personalized Bible with the name and birth dates of the newborn, along with a Children's Bible. She gave a speech at length about how special her niece was to her and she will guide the child to become a God-loving Christian.

Yoko herself did not give a gift; she simply did not have the time to purchase or make one. She would have to spend some time to craft a suitable gift, perhaps a charm to ward off unwanted future boyfriends.

Hammer gave a set of handmade tungsten carbide hunting knives tipped with silver, the ones particularly good for disemboweling large were-creatures. Just as Hammer was about to tell everyone how each knife was tailored to gut specific monsters, Julius quickly stepped on Hammer's foot and declared the knives as kitchen cutlery. There was no need to alarm the layman relatives to the true nature of Julius' job.

The last gift was wrapped in a white silk without a name. Julius picked up the item from the table and unwrapped the gift without much forethought. Inside the silk wrapping was an old, worn cedar box about the size of an adult hand. The box was inlaid with mother of pearl and other semi-precious stones. Inscribed on the box was the word "Софія ," which was "Sofia" in Cyrillic.

"How charming!" Ingrid exclaimed with a wide smile. "It looks antique."

"Who gave us this?" Julius asked, noting that there were no cards indicating the giver.

Genya, who had been standing quietly behind other friends and family with his arms crossed, slightly raised forefinger.

"Well. Thank you, Arikado."

Genya nodded only, remaining silent.

Julius opened the box. Inside was a dark string of rosary beads necklace. Upon closer inspection, it was the smaller beads that were made of cedar while the larger beads appeared to be turquoise. The individual balls were worn smooth and shiny. At one end were the necklace was clipped together ended in a white tassel centerpiece that was tied to a cross. The entire strand was very long, easily hanging down to the middle of the chest of an adult when worn.

Julius reached out and even without touching the beads, Julius automatically felt holy power emanating from the strand, a power that even made his skin crawl. Someone with a high amount of magic and faith must have taken a long time to imbue protection into these beads. This relic would keep the holder from both magical and physical harm. Something like this would easily fetch thousands into millions at auction or be kept in the Vatican's private collection. This was a rare and expensive gift.

"It's beautiful, Mr. Arikado," Ingrid said appreciatively, oblivious to the bead's innate powers. She quickly brought over the baby and immediately stringed the beads about the girl, making three loops, adjusting the jewelry so the cross lies in the middle of her chest. "There you go, Sophia Alexandria Belmont," Ingrid cooed, holding the baby close, "What a pretty girl you are."

Yoko watched the entire exchange with a wistful sigh, feeling illogical creeping envy. Julius Belmont, a vampire hunter, had conquered many trials, put Dracula away for a time and maintain his important work for the Society. Despite his unconventional profession, life altering amnesia, and being an old grizzled red head, he was living a normal happy life. He had everything a normal person could want, a wife, two lovely children, many family, and friends. Somehow, Julius achieved a domestic happiness that did not often occur in the normal human population, much less than magically talented individuals like themselves. Really, Ingrid was a lucky woman. Yoko was happy for them, but would not mind having the same domestic bliss herself.

She glanced over at Genya, her long-time crush. The man had a gentle look on his face as he watched the Belmont family. Yoko even found herself smiling too. Perhaps there was hope still for her.

The party was over. By the dawn of the next day, Genya and Hammer were already on the first flight back. A number of relatives loitered, seeing the sights, having last minute gossip sessions. Julius and a couple of Society colleagues shuttled people back and forth from hotels, the townhouse and transit hubs. All in all, it was a madhouse for the past three or so days.

Yoko stayed a while, helping Ingrid clean house and watch the children, killing time. That was the downside of having so a great party, the clean up was tedious and long. Plus, she had one last thing to do in Europe before going home or some serious nagging would be in her future. Soon, even she needed to leave.

"You sure you don't need a ride to the airport?" Julius offered.

The two of them were standing on the front porch. Yoko's suitcase was packed. She had put on her favorite casual clothes in purple, half heels and a pair of black rimmed glasses. She looked nothing less than a cafe frequenting intellectual.

Yoko shook her head. "Blind date my friend," she reminded him. "I've already called a cab. I'm meeting him at the central plaza in a sandwich shop."

"Oh yeah...That...Casper, the friendly ghost, fellow," Julius mused.

The woman gave him a blank stare, confused.

Julius sighed. His young friend was definitely missing out on some good old 80s cartoons about a haunted house with ghosts. "Anyways. I would like to meet that young man. This Kasper Zollern fellow. You know, size him up in person, check him out."

Yoko rolled her eyes. "Julius, please don't be overly protective. People will mistake you for my father or worse."

"I'm just looking out for my friend here," the man defended. "I will have you know that he is not on the sex offender registry, the felony registry, and the Euro-zone security threat records. He is probably the best out of that list of losers you provided me."

Yoko gazed at him incomprehensively. "You actually checked out that stupid notepad of names that my mother bought on the internet?"

Julius nodded. "Of course. I can't let one of my closest friends go on a date with a possible psychopath." Without waiting for further works from Yoko, he continued. "Now that Kasper fellow. You will be pleased to know that his credit history is clean. He has a decent retirement account, a few insurances. An accountant by trade but studied fine arts. Volunteers at charity events. No living relations outside of an uncle three times removed. Otherwise, he's an upstanding, boring good citizen. I say this one is a "maybe" on your list of potential blind dates."

"Yep, I completely agree," said Yoko. She did not have high hopes on blind dates.

"So, why are you going on a blind date?" Julius asked. "Resorting to dating people from the internet speaks of desperation." he grinned wickedly, "You're not that desperate, are you?"

Yoko put on an imperious air. "I'm not. But my mother is. She still thinks that a woman can only be happy if she is married to the right man and have a lot of babies. I don't completely disagree with her but I think it's better to be alone than to be with the wrong guy for the rest of my life."

Julius nodded knowingly. He understood the pressure to get hitched and the more important baby making. Heck. Before Gabi was born, the Belmont patriarch used to gave him lectures weekly about continuing their so called 'holy bloodline.' The family's treasured weapon, the Vampire Killer, had finally selected someone in main Belmont line after many centuries in the branch families. The patriarch always took those times when the Vampire Killer selected someone in the branch families as its wielder as a personal insult.

Usually, Julius sang a happy country tune in his head when the patriarch spouted harangues about 'duty, honor and sacrifice.' They were not in the dark ages anymore. What did Julius care if the holy relic decides to jump from family to family? The Vampire Killer chose the most qualified owner and if that owner happened to be outside of the main line, so be it. That way, the sweating, grunting, hunting, aching and vanquishing would be someone else's problem.

"So who do you want to be with?" Julius asked.

Yoko gave her friend a look. "I think you know."

The famed vampire hunter gave a blank stare.

"Arikado!" Yoko almost yelled in annoyance. Seriously. Were all men this oblivious to the matters of women's hearts? How did this old geezer ever scored a pretty young thing like Ingrid in the first place?

"So what's the issue?" said Julius, following up, completely oblivious to Yoko's irritation "You're attractive. He's single. I don't see the problem."

"Julius, I've worked with him regularly for years and dropped many hints," Yoko pointed out. "Last year, I even flat out ask him if he wants some adult fun."

"And?"

"And he flat out spurned me," Yoko said as matter-of-factly. "Look, if it was meant to be, it probably would have already happened. I should just give up. He's probably a closet gay anyways," She then saw the devious look developing on the man's face. "Oh no, Julius. Don't you go set up something? I can screw over my love life just fine without your help."

"Whatever you say, Belnades," said Julius with that same grin on his lips.

Yoko shook her head and gazed upon Julius fondly. He was like a big brother she never had. "You're incorrigible."

They stood in silence for only a few more seconds before a cab came rolling up the driveway.

"I have to go now," said Yoko. "See ya, Julius."

The two friends shared a heartfelt hug. "Hey. Yoko. It's nice to see you again."

"And it's nice to see you again, you chubby-old-demented-badger."

The two finally parted. Yoko got into her cab. Julius waved goodbye.