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"Right," Julian called after hi at Nikki "Want another drink? Wait, you didn’t actually have a first one That was iced tea, right?"

Nikki slid off her stool "I have to get ho with you," he said firmly

"Julian, you don’t have to co you walk back alone"

She sighed, growing nervous She didn’t want Julian with her tonight Brent would probably be unhappy to see him She was sure Brent didn’t want to explain what they were up to

"I’m fine, Julian, honestly You’ve been the best friend in the world I appreciate everything you’ve done"

"And that’s why you have to be a friend back tonight," he told her "Nikki, I can’t go back to o back there"

"You’re not a kid, Julian Tell her how you feel It’s your place You’ve got to get her out of it"

"All right, but I’ to walk you hoate, and he followed her in "Hey… I can go hole up in the guest rooo home Explain nicely that you’re just not ready for the kind of commitment she seems to need"

He nodded, but he still stood there at her front door "Julian? What’s wrong?"

"I just… I’roaned and opened the door wide "Fine Coe look when she opened her door again a fewthat Andy Ciello, or her spirit, had stopped in once again

But Andy wasn’t there

Instead, he found someone very much alive

Julian

"Julian didn’t want me to be alone," Nikki said

"Thanks, Julian But I’m back," Brent said pointedly

Julian stood up and looked at them both, suddenly serious as he stared at Brent "I don’t knohat you two are doing," he said flatly, "but you’re not doing it without h she tried to speak teasingly, her nerves were apparent in her voice "Julian, I’m sorry your love life is reat I don’t need a chaperone"

"You two aren’t headed out on a hot date," Julian said flatly, staring at Brent

Brent crossed his arued Why the hell would Julian suddenly be so suspicious of their ely at the ce," Julian said "I don’t knohat she thinks she saw, but I watched her during the afternoon"

"You were sleeping all afternoon," Nikki said

"That’s what you think Nikki, I know you I know you better than this guy," Julian argued

Brent clenched his teeth Ti away This was his chance to discover the truth about Julian

But at what cost?

Massey and Joulette would be there Maybe he should take this opportunity to test the o"

"What?" Nikki deet out of that shirt, Julian, into so to "

Julian seemed startled to have won so easily He jumped up, stared at Brent, then headed for the stairs He paused halfway up "Listen, you’re not going to run out while I’… ?"

"No," Brent said

When Julian had disappeared, Nikki stared at Brent, baffled "You’re letting hi to be at the cemetery whether we let him come with us or not"

"But you don’t trust him," Nikki reminded him "You don’t trust anyone"

"Like I said, I think he intends to go, with us or without us If he’s with us, we’ll knohere he is"

"For our own safety, right?" Nikki said a little tightly

"And his," Brent assured her

Julian raced back down the stairs then, anxiously looking at the to hio," Brent said

They saw to it that Nikki’s door was locked, then started down the street As they walked, Julian said, "Shouldn’t we be slinking along or soh; it had sounded like a serious question

"I don’t think we need to slink around on this part of Canal--there are a lot of people out"

"Uh, right"

But when they moved away from the center of activity in the Quarter, Brent did start to walk in the shadows, and when they neared the cele file by the wall

"There’s a good place to hop over," Julian whispered

"The gate will be opened," Brent said

"How do you know?"

"Just a feeling"

It was open Either soate open They slipped in The graveyard was heavy with the sound of silence