As a break from writing my other set of stories, this is something a bit different. It's intended to be a look at what happened to Sarah in the gap between the two seasons of the show. It's in line with the run of the series, so is nothing to do with my other stories; I don't know if that period has ever been explained, but, even if it has, I hope that this will be original and interesting. I, of course, own nothing.

Enjoy!

Between the Lines

"Come on, Sarah, lighten up!" said Erica, nudging her. "So you're a vampire. So what? Doesn't bother us, eh, nerd?"

Obedient, Rory shook his head, not taking his eyes off of Erica. "No. Can I come closer now?"

Erica glanced at him, frowning. He was still the regulated three metres away. "No." She turned to Sarah, who was leaning morosely against the wall. "Come on, have a drink! There's, uh, orange juice, and lemonade, and, er –"

"Tomato juice!" beamed Rory. "And, if you screw your eyes up, and try really, really hard, you can almost imagine that it's blood! How cool is that?"

Sarah shuddered, burying her head in her hands. "Guys…" she groaned.

Erica sent a frown at Rory. "Look what you did," she hissed. "You've upset her!"

"S-Sorry –" started Rory. "I –"

"No, Rory, it's OK," said Sarah, sighing and raising up her head again. She tried a smile. "I guess I'm just going to have to get used to the fact that I'm a vampire. But –" She shuddered again and, seemingly, went a little pale. "I just can't stomach the thought of it right now…" She grimaced. "I can still taste it in my mouth…"

"Not in your ear?" said Erica, lightly, bending down to Sarah's level. She smiled.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Ha ha." Her eyes went vacant. "It was so bitter. I thought that it might at least taste of something bearable. But no. Yuck. If that's what I have to live off for the rest of my – forever – then I'd rather not…"

Erica frowned. "I've never found that."

Rory shook his head in concert. "The metal tang takes a bit of getting used to, but it's not unpleasant," he said.

"It might have been because Jesse had just bitten him," reasoned Erica. "You did suck the poison out. Not all blood tastes like what you tasted."

Sarah pulled a face. "Still, I'm not in a hurry to try again, in case it does."

"Well," said Rory, "there's only one way to find out…" He tipped his head towards various partygoers.

"Rory!" snapped Sarah, scandalised. "That would be wrong!"

Erica stared at her. "You really are just little miss goody-two-shoes, aren't you?"

"Indiscriminately biting people? What are you talking about? Of course that isn't right!" burst out Sarah.

"Girl's gotta eat…" muttered Erica.

"No," said Sarah, pushing away from the wall. "I'll find another way." She looked about, sucking at her cheeks, and wincing. "Did you say there was orange juice? I've got to have something to get rid of this in my mouth."

"I'll get it!" said Rory, zooming off across the room, sending paper cups, plates, and some of the smaller partyers flying.

"You know," said Erica, slowly, swirling her cup, "I think that you can have just about enough orange juice…"

Sarah nodded. "It tastes a bit off after a while, doesn't it?" She sighed again. "But at least it's got of that other taste."

"Any more juice, anyone?" crowed Rory, swinging by with three more cups. He bounced from one foot to the other, buzzing with energy.

"Uh, we're fine, thanks, Rory…" said Sarah, wary. He shrugged, and then downed all three cups, before speeding off again. Sarah looked across at Erica. "Do you reckon there's something funny in the juice?"

"You mean in his head? I'd say…" Erica smirked. "He's always like that. It's just sugar. I've seen it in loads of little kids when I'm babysitting. He's just not developed past that stage." She grinned at Sarah. "You, of course, babysit teenagers, so you don't have that problem."

"You'd be surprised," muttered Sarah, darkly. Then her face clouded.

"Oh, come on, Sarah!" said Erica, picking up on her friend's expression. "You've got to get over this!"

"But he could have died! And it would have been all my fault…" Sarah looked miserable.

"Why?" snorted Erica. "It was Jesse – and it was them who released him. Well, I guess, it was Rory that summoned the demon that possessed you, and then that resulted in them accidentally resurrecting Jesse. But when haven't we been able to blame Rory for something?" She smirked at Sarah, who smiled weakly. Erica shook her head and kept on talking. "And he didn't die. He's fine, at home in bed, probably playing some video game with Benny, and having a great time." She looked around the room and then back into her orange juice. "Better than we're having, I'd reckon…"

"But don't you get it, Erica!" snapped Sarah, her eyes watering. "I'm a –"

"Girl without a date?" Sarah looked up to see a red-haired guy with glasses leaning against the wall next to her.

"Oh, hi, Sam," she said, surprised, blinking rapidly. "I didn't see that you were here at the party."

He laughed. "Party! This? Hardly justifies that description." He grinned at Erica. "Even the music's pretty rubbish. You two out to come to where the real party is."

Erica raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah? And where's that, then?"

"Out the back." He pointed vaguely, and then frowned. "I think it's that door, anyway…"

Sarah frowned at him. "Sam, are you drunk?"

He shook his head. Probably a few more times than was needed or normal. "No. No." He twitched his mouth up at the sides. "Not yet, at least." He smiled, and pushed off from the wall, stumbling a little. "I leave you the invitation. Or, of course, you can just have more orange juice." He glanced across the room and smiled. "I think your friend might have just about had enough, though." Giving them a small, wave, he slid off across the room.

Erica watched him go. She opened her mouth.

"No."

"What?" said Erica. "You didn't even know what I was going to say."

"Let me guess…" said Sarah. "Either you were going to suggest that we go out there and get drunk because we can't amuse ourselves properly, or you were going to make some comment about biting him. Whatever, I'm not interested."

Erica groaned. "I can see you being fun for the next forever."

"It's illegal, Erica! We're not even eighteen, let alone nineteen."

"Sarah, we're never going to be nineteen. Or eighteen for that matter. So what?"

Sarah's lip trembled, and then she burst into tears.

Erica went to roll her eyes, but then took pity on her friend, and, uncertain, put her arm around her. "There, there…" she ventured. "It'll be OK. I'm sorry I said that, it wasn't a good thing to remind you of. But you should embrace it, Sarah! It's nothing to get upset about. You, like me, will just be perpetually young and stunning. Or, at the very least, young, which is more than half of the battle in most cases, I reckon. But if you don't want to talk about it, we don't have to. We can just sit here and talk about other stuff. Or you could go and get illegally drunk and forget all about it."

Sarah sniffed. "I don't know what I want, Erica…" She wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "I just want to be normal. But I can't have that." She fished a tissue from her pocket and dabbed at her face. She went to open a compact to check her reflection –

With a clatter, it bounced off the floor as she threw it violently away. "Something else I can't do." She stared angrily at the floor. "I just can't – I can't deal with this right now! This forever, but it's happen now. And it feels like everything's happening at once – and I just don't know what I feel! Nothing makes sense. I'm not making sense."

She leaned against Erica, snivelling softly. "I need some time to work everything out. Space. Breathing room. Well, I guess, not that. But you know what I mean."

"I'm here for you, Sarah. I've been through it. I can tell you all the tips and tricks –"

"I don't want that!" exclaimed Sarah. "I don't want to be told how to be a vampire. I want to work out how a vampire can be me. How I can not be a vampire!"

"Sorry…" mumbled Erica, looking down at her shoes. "I was only trying to –"

"I know, I know…" said Sarah, solemnly. She got to her feet.

"Sarah?" asked Erica. "Where are you going?"

"Out. Let's have a drink." She walked, almost like a sleepwalker, towards the door at the other end of the room. Stale crisps squashed under her shoes, and the tinny music piped over the little squeaks they made. Erica hurried after her.

"Sarah? Erica?" Rory rushed over to them. "Where are you going?"

Sarah put her arm through his. "For a proper party! And you two are coming with me."

She kicked open the back door, and dragged the pair of them out into the night. A ragged cheer rose up around the little camp fire that was burning cheerfully at the end of the yard.

"Are you sure about this?" murmured Erica.

"Oh, yes," said Sarah. "I'm going to make sure that you have a good time tonight…"

TBC...