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Chapter Text

1. EXT. MIAMI BAYSIDE - NIGHT

Subtitle reads 'Miami, Florida 1981'.

DANIEL watches from on board the cruise ship back to Night Island as JESSE is turned away by BOUNCER. Occasional words from their conversation make their way across to him around the wind on the sea pulling them away. He sees her desperate attempt to board anyway and, for a moment, it almost look as though her eye meets DANIEL'S before BOUNCER pulls her away. DANIEL looks away for a moment, unable to watch as JESSE accuses BOUNCER of manhandling, but then he makes himself watch as the ship begins to pull from dock, leaving JESSE alone on the pier.

Opening credits flash "Night Island".

2. INT. NIGHT ISLAND CELLAR – NIGHT

DANIEL looks towards LOUIS who is staring in ARMAND'S direction. As DANIEL watches, ARMAND looks away from him, narrows his eyes and gets a distant expression on his features.

DANIEL looks again to LOUIS in question.

DANIEL looks to ARMAND again. ARMAND is still staring into a middle distance only he can see. DANIEL'S shoulders slump slightly but he rallies enough to nod once to LOUIS.

LOUIS just gives DANIEL a flat look leading DANIEL to sigh, cross his arms over his chest and turn away.

3. INT. NIGHT ISLAND FIRST LEVEL - NIGHT

DANIEL looks up from a conversation he's having in a bar with LOUIS. The noises of conversation surround them but DANIEL'S eye is drawn to ARMAND, and then to the other person having a conversation with him, SETH. He can't make out all their words because of the conversations around them, but he leans forward as though he's interested in hearing more.

DANIEL stares abruptly from ARMAND and SETH back to LOUIS who's still sitting directly in front of him.

DANIEL opens his mouth to object but LOUIS is already looking past him and lifting his hand as though to make an order of something. DANIEL looks again to SETH, and ARMAND who is starting to walk back towards them. DANIEL gets up to meet him halfway.

DANIEL stares after SETH, still a stranger to him. ARMAND lifts an eyebrow daringly. DANIEL huffs out a breath at the implied dare and his jaw juts out in the face of the challenge.

ARMAND watches after him as DANIEL all but trots over to catch up with SETH.

4. INT. NIGHT ISLAND CELLAR – NIGHT

DANIEL is sitting on a bed, looking at ARMAND as he meticulously undresses himself and places each item of discarded clothing just so before moving onto the next. He's still facing away from DANIEL when he speaks.

ARMAND doesn't answer, calmly proceeding with undressing himself the rest of the way. Only when he has stripped down topless and bare foot does he turn around to face DANIEL as though that alone will be the end to this discussion.

ARMAND takes DANIEL in a commanding kiss and DANIEL is helpless to push him away as ARMAND reaches pointedly for DANIEL'S trousers without doing him the courtesy of so much as ever taking them off.

5. EXT. MIAMI HOTEL - DAY

DANIEL stands in front of a hotel. Soft elevator music plays in the background, a wholesome contrast to the music played at night and at Night Island. DANIEL has a messenger bag behind one shoulder. Despite wearing expensive clothing tailored to fit him, they are hopelessly rumpled as though he's slept in them. His dark curls look like he's only wet them and run hands through them. He looks up as if to double check the name of the hotel he's in front of, nods to himself, then walks in through doors that are opened by uniformed attendants that seem paid not to give him a second glance.

6. INT. MIAMI HOTEL LOBBY - DAY

DANIEL is sitting on a chair with an unfolded newspaper that he's peering over the top of as JESSE steps out of an elevator and begins to stride towards the lobby doors. DANIEL discards the newspaper before falling into step with her. She grabs a hand to her chest, then does a double take when she realises it's DANIEL.

DANIEL'S eyes widen slightly, before he tips his head in the direction of a slightly less populated part of the lobby that's tucked away from the reception desk or the front doors.

DANIEL ducks his head with a shrug that seems to say that he might not be quite so casual about whatever ARMAND might choose to do to the thieves as his words indicate. JESSE watches him a moment without saying anything.

JESSE goes silent with shock. She opens her mouth a few times as if to explain something, but doesn't seem to come up with any fitting explanation.

Close up of JESSE flashing back to a previous conversation had with MAEL.

Camera comes back to JESSE'S face and widens to include DANIEL before she speaks.

He offers her a quick salute from the temple before turning on his heel and heading out of the hotel lobby.

7. INT. NIGHT ISLAND BALLROOM - NIGHT

Camera shot starts at the very back of the ballroom. Everyone in the room is clapping and speaking loud enough to make a cacophony that the person on the stage at the front can't possible speak through. As the camera pans across those assembled there, every single one shown has iridescent and unnaturally vivid eyes of the vampire.

As the camera moves forward, it becomes clear that ARMAND is the one on the stage. He's smiling, seemingly set alight by this near standing ovation he's come on stage to receive. As soon as he lifts both hands above his head, the sound of clapping and conversation disappears almost at once.

There's some polite laughter to this opening. ARMAND shakes his head even as he says this, but the smile on his face even despite his lowered eyes betrays that he may be privately happy about this.

ARMAND'S orange eyes glint slightly predatory here, at odds with the friendly tone and smile on his lips, and it's clear he's not just meaning a cost of money in all cases.

Ballroom music starts to rise as soon as ARMAND has finished his speech and steps down from the podium. There's a close up of Daniel grinning and clapping hard. Louis is more reserved but clapping all the same. Then we go to GREGORY. And JESSE who isn't clapping, but is standing in Night Island, next to MAEL.

Then flash to SETH and FAREED alone together in a laboratory, pointing and explaining silent things with each other.

Flash to BENEDICT and RHOSH in Saint Rayne with a pair of dead young men carelessly discarded on the stone floor and BENEDICT and RHOSH gazing at each other as though no one else exists.

Back in the Night Island ballroom, there's a shot that briefly looks like it could be a longer haired Justin Kirk.

Finally the camera returns to the podium, and ARMAND. He's frozen as though he's seen a ghost in the crowd.

ARMAND doesn't acknowledge DANIEL as he starts forward near the front of the crowd, just presses into a different section of the same crowd. DANIEL and LOUIS exchange glances, before DANIEL attempts to follow with LOUIS reaching out behind him, opening his mouth in an objection we don't hear.

By the time ARMAND reaches far enough into the crowd that he seems to think he would have come across MARIUS, he stops and stares around, but doesn't seem to find what he's looking for. He manages to get his wild eyes under control and a blank expression returns to his features.

One last look around, and then ARMAND takes a deep breath in, then out. He is obviously disappointed and disheartened. Lifting his chin, ARMAND steels his expression back to neutrality before before returning back to where DANIEL has ended up following him in the crowd. ARMAND gives a single shake of his head to show he'll not be inviting questions, not even from DANIEL.

9. INT. NIGHT ISLAND LOWEST CELLAR - NIGHT

In the last shot is an unconscious LESTAT lying flat in a glass topped coffin, somewhere in the lowest level of Night Island.

The shot fades to black, with credits and the full musical theme for Night Island beginning to play, this last time with overtures from the ballroom score from this episode.