Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or it's characters as I'm not the great Stephanie Meyer

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or it's characters as I'm not the great Stephanie Meyer. I do own my own creations however.

Summary: This is the story of a family of vampires, not quite as good at Carlisle and his family but not evil either. They would have liked to help when Carlisle and Esme asked but they had their own reason for staying under the Volturi's radar, for staying away. This is their story.

Warning: Violence and slash (later on). You no likey, you no ready. Kay?

A/N The first five chapters are completely about the OC's I have created but have no fear, our favourite vampires and werewolves will be in this story!

Where Loyalties Lie.

Chapter Three: Thomas.

"Guy?" he asked softly as he entered the abandoned boathouse, holding the candle before him as he shut the creaking door. It had once been his family's main boathouse but in the 1890's a bigger one had been built closer to the house and this one had fallen into disrepair. It served well as a secret meeting place however for romantic rendezvous. "Are you in here?"

"Aye," the voice came from the shadows and then the young gardener stepped out into the light given off by the little candle. "I'm sorry about your father."

"Thank you," Thomas whispered, his eyes dropping briefly to the floor as he thought of the events that had brought him here tonight. Yesterday his father had passed away and today his mother had made a long distance phone call and arranged for herself and her four children to move back to her family home. In America.

"Your note said it was urgent," Guy said, walking up to Thomas with a worried frown on his handsome face.

"It is," Thomas' throat was think and his eyes were watering, "Mother has decided that we are to live with her mother…in New York."

"New York? That's…that's in America isn't it?" Guy asked fearfully.

"Yes," Thomas swallowed thickly, "Mother's booking us passage on the TITANIC. We go in a month. So…we…our relationship will have to end." His free hand was shaking as it came up to cup Guy's bristled cheek.

"End?" Guy asked in disbelief. "But…"

"I'm sorry. I thought we could be together forever, secretly of course but…but my fathers death has changed all that," Thomas said tearfully, his thumb stroking his lover of two years cheek, "I want to thank you for everything, for helping me see that I can't live a life pretending to be something I'm not, for teaching me to live but live discretely and most of all thank you for loving me." Guy was openly crying by the time Thomas had finished speaking.

"Can't you stay?" he finally asked quietly.

"Mothers selling the house. She's going to talk to the servants this evening so you should find out officially then," Thomas explained quietly. "I'm…I'm going to miss you Guy. I'll never forget you."

"I'm never gonna forget you either sir," Guy murmured quietly, his hands moving slowly to take the candle from his older lover and put it on an old crate. Then his hands cupped Thomas' face and their lips met. "A month…"

"Or there abouts…" Thomas murmured against the soft lips he knew so well.

"A month to say goodbye…" Together the two moved over to the old sofa that Thomas had had moved into the boathouse when his mother deemed it past it's usefulness and bought a new one. It was Guy who took charge then, who gently stripped Thomas of his fine clothes and lay him down before stripping himself and joining him. Both of them wept silent tears as they made love and curled up in each other arms once they'd reached their pleasure, just holding each other.

~ * ~ * ~

Thomas held Alice around the waist tightly as his youngest sister stood on the bottom rail of the white railings, waving madly at the crowd bellow with both arms. His free arm waved too but his eyes searched every face for the one who had promised to be there for him. It took him nearly fifteen minutes to find that one face in the crowd of hundreds. Their eyes met as such a distance and they waved to each other and only to each other, at that moment there was no one else in the world.

"We're moving!" Alice screamed in her high voice, all but jumping up and down on the railing, "We're moving!" She was right but Thomas didn't take his eyes away from Guy's to watch the grand ship moving like everyone else, he didn't break their final look until he had not other choice. "Thomas…why are you crying?"

"Because it's sad to say goodbye," Thomas said quietly.

~ * ~ * ~

Thomas first met Daniel and Cossette Gilbert after dinner there first night on board. He'd slipped out onto the boat deck to have a cigarette alone, walking in the night air. His thoughts had drifted to his last time with Guy and he was so distracted that he walked into Cossette.

"I'm sorry ma'am," he said quietly.

"It's alright," she had a lovely French accent to go with her beautiful looks. "You must have been very lost in thought not see us."

"Yes I was," he said with a slight blush, throwing what remained of his cigarette over the side of the ship, "My apologies again for walking into you Miss…?" He frowned softly as he realised that he didn't know her name.

"Gilbert, Cossette Gilbert. And this is my husband Daniel," she smiled pleasantly at him. "And you are?"

"Er Thomas Jones, at your service," he smiled shyly at the beautiful pair. Only then did he notice their eyes and gasped, stepping back a pace, their eyes were red! "I'm sorry, your eyes startled me…"

"Oh yes the redness," Daniel spoke with the same thick accent as his wife, "My wife and I have been travelling for a few years and unfortunately we picked up an illness that affected our eye colour. It is not contagious and the Doctors have reassured us it will fade in time." The pair shared a secret smile at their rehearsed story explaining the red eyes.

"Oh," Thomas nodded, stepping towards them again, "I'm sorry about my reaction. As I said it startled me."

"Do not worry, most people are startled by it," Cossette said gently. "Are you travelling alone?" Both of them were thinking the same thing, if he were he would make a good meal. There was no one on the boat deck and his body could be easily disposed of over the side.

"No. I'm travelling with my mother, two of my sisters and my brother," Thomas said, taking out another cigarette. He offered the case to Daniel who declined. "My closest sister has remained in England with her fiancé."

"What of your father?" Daniel asked after sharing another look with his wife, this boy was not going to be their meal after all. "Is he not travelling with you?"

"My father died a month ago. We are travelling to live with my mothers family in New York," Thomas explained sadly, taking out his lighter as he did so.

"I'm sorry," Cossette murmured. "How old are your siblings?" They were all walking now, strolling around the first class boat deck by the ships lights.

"Anna, my sister who stayed behind is nineteen, then it's the twins Lillian and Laurence at sixteen and lastly Alice is twelve," Thomas said with a smile, "Poor Alice is terribly seasick."

"Oh the poor dear," Cossette said softly, meaning what she said. She had always had a soft spot for children, being motherly was in her nature. It was one of the few things she missed as a vampire, being unable to have children of her own.

"So you are the eldest?" Daniel asked.

"Yes. I'm twenty-one," Thomas answered.

"And the man of the family," Daniel smiled at the boy.

"Yes I guess you could call me that now. It sounds strange though," Thomas admitted, "The man of the house was always my father." He looked out to the horizon and therefore missed the flaring of the couples nostrils as the sea breeze ruffled his hair, blowing his delicious sent into the their faces. "Do you have any children?"

"No, we have not been blessed with any children," Daniel said slowly, holding his need in check. They could not feed on this boy, he would be missed and he was too…nice. Both vampires preferred to feed from loners and people who weren't…nice. Thomas was still leant on the railings smoking his cigarette, now instead of looking out at the horizon looking down at the water.

"You said your sister stayed behind with her fiancé. Did you have someone special too?" Cossette asked, leaning on the railing beside him.

"I did," Thomas said, his voice suddenly a little choked.

"Why did you not stay in England then?" Cossette asked.

"My…mother would not have approved of our relationship," Thomas admitted quietly, Guy's handsome face floating across his mind. What would he be doing now? Was he missing Thomas as much as Thomas was missing him?

"So you ended it," Daniel said softly.

"Yes," Thomas smiled sadly, looking over his shoulder at the man standing a little way behind him and his wife, "I did the right thing."

"But not the thing you wanted to," Cossette pointed out.

"No. Not the thing I wanted to," his smile turned to her. He finished his cigarette and let the butt drop down into the waves below, loosing sight of it almost instantly. Standing up straight he turned around and held his hand out to Daniel, "It was a pleasure meeting you but I'd best be getting back to my family before they worry." Daniel nodded and shook his hand firmly but quickly.

"Maybe we'll see each other again before the ship docks," Cossette said brightly. "I enjoyed our little chat."

"Maybe we will," he agreed, shaking her hand delicately like he'd been taught, treating her with the respect a lady deserves. "Goodnight." They bid him goodnight in return and watched as he went inside.

They did not speak the next day but they saw him walking the boat deck with a girl they assumed to be Alice, holding her hand and talking to her, distracting her from her sea sickness no doubt. He did not see them but felt as if someone's eyes were constantly on him, of course he supposed someone was always watching him what with the many passengers on the fine ship.

The following day they found him after dinner scolding a younger boy who had evidently been teasing little Alice about being seasick. From their first talk they deduced that this must be Laurence and the girl stood with Alice must be his twin Lillian. When they made their presence known with a gentle cough Thomas almost jumped a mile into the air and little Alice giggled, forgetting her tears momentarily.

"Good evening Mr Jones," Daniel said politely.

"Good evening Mr Gilbert, Mrs Gilbert," Thomas replied, smiling now. Secretly he'd been hoping to see the couple again. He'd returned to his room that first night feeling much better than he had since he'd known he would be travelling across the sea, talking with them had calmed him and made leaving Guy a little less painful. And having someone who wasn't in his care or his mother to talk to was just…a relief. "Might I introduce my younger brother Laurence who's causing plenty of trouble as usual and my younger sisters Lillian and Alice."

"Pleasure to meet you all," Cossette smiled around at them. Alice gave a loud gasp and literally hid behind Thomas. "Oh dear, what have I done."

"Alice?" Thomas asked.

"Her eyes…" his twelve-year-old sister mumbled, "They're witches eyes."

"No they're not Alice. Mr and Mrs Gilbert have been travelling and along the way they contracted a bug that turned their eyes red. It's harmless," Thomas explained, smiling over his shoulder at the little girl hiding.

"Your dress is lovely," Lillian said breathily, eyeing the terribly expensive gown the French woman wore perfectly. "Is it satin?" Cossette and Lillian were immediately lost in a conversation about clothes, a conversation soon joined by the still slightly nervous Alice. But at least she was distracted from feeling sick.

"Women and clothes," Daniel laughed softly as both girls gently touched the fabric of Cossette skirt. They thought their mother's clothes were nice but Cossettes were even lovelier. "How are you today Thomas?"

"Fine thank you. And yourself?" Thomas asked, ignoring Laurence as he sighed loudly. There was a loud giggle from the girls as Cossette unpinned her expensive hat and swapped it for the little straw one with a pink ribbon that Alice wore over her blond ringlets.

"I can't complain," Daniel answered, once again declining the cigarette Thomas offered him. Laurence went to take one from the case but Thomas snapped it shut quickly, glaring at his brother.

"You were smoking at my age, I saw you," Laurence said sulkily.

"Yes and look at me now, addicted to the things. Wait until you're older to start and you'll enjoy them more. Trust me," Thomas said calmly, lighting the cigarette with his practised ease. "Why don't you go and find someone your own age to play with?"

"Mother told us to stay with you," Laurence was definitely having a big sulk.

"Well you know where the cabin is don't you?" Thomas asked and Laurence nodded, "Then as long as you return there before nine o'clock you can go off by yourself. And if you promise your best behaviour…"

"Promise! Thanks Tom! Lily! Lets go," Laurence grabbed his twin's hand and pulled her away from the fur-lined jacket she'd been admiring. Soon the twins were out of sight and temporarily out of mind.

"So where do you go to live in America?" Daniel asked as he and Thomas began to walk together, leaving little Alice to be thoroughly charmed by Cossette.

"Somewhere in New York. Our mother was born there but moved to England when she married father. My siblings and I were all born in England however and this is the first time we are going to America," Thomas answered calmly. "Yourself?"

"My wife and I decided we wanted a change again and we have never been to America before either," Daniel explained. "And what better way than to travel on this fine ship. Unsinkable they say."

"Yes but I'd rather not test that out if it's all the same to you," Thomas said with a small laugh, "I heard one of the sailors talking about the water being so cold you'd freeze to death in minutes."

"Ah but that's what lifeboats are for," Daniel said, pointing to the nearest one.

"Yes of course but what about the people of the lower classes?" Thomas asked, nodding to the lower boat deck crowded with people dressed in dirty clothes.

"What do you mean?" Daniel asked.

"Well look how many boats there are, there's only enough for first class. What about second and third?" Thomas asked. Daniel frowned thoughtfully, looking along the ship at the few lifeboats.

"You are right. Maybe they have some others stored somewhere for the others. Not that we will need them of course, a ship like this is as safe as houses," Daniel said, his voice loud and sure. Thomas resisted the need to point out that houses fall down when the support beams break.

The two men talked about men's things for the rest of the day and Cossette entertained Alice for the same amount of time, giving her the hat as a gift when they parted at the dinner call to get ready. Alice's sickness was now entirely gone, spirited away by the 'witch' with the beautiful clothes.

The next day their mother insisted on meeting the couple that had been such a success with her children and Thomas was set the task of finding the couple after breakfast and bringing them to their stateroom for tea and a little chat. It took him the better part of an hour to find Cossette and Daniel, eventually finding them watching the third class with a strange sort of interest from the shade on the promenade. He had no idea of course that they'd been looking out for loners to pick for their meal that day, the need to feed now nagging at their minds almost constantly.

Somehow they resisted the call of the families blood long enough to sit with them in their grand stateroom, asking that the curtains be closed due to their delicate eye condition, sipping tea and chatting until it was time for luncheon. Victoria Jones was pleased at the friends their children had made, the elegant French couple meeting her approval. Their range of conversation was adequate and their clothes showed they obviously possessed as much money as the Jones family if not more, a thing she always looked out for with new acquaintances.

After luncheon Victoria and Alice painted together in their stateroom, something the mother and daughter often did. Laurence went exploring by himself, surprisingly getting permission from Thomas first and even more surprisingly leaving Lillian behind. Apparently all she'd done the day before was talk about Cossette and her clothes and Laurence was sick of it. Lillian got a rare treat that afternoon, with permission from her mother she went with Cossette to see some of her other clothes in her own room, a real treat for the girl quickly turning into a beautiful woman. That left Thomas and Daniel sitting in Daniels own stateroom sipping whiskey and talking about anything and everything, finding once again how much they had in common and how easily they got on with each other.

Daniel didn't want to admit it but he was starting to understand what Cossette meant when she had told him years ago that she had known from the instant she'd talked to him that he would make a great companion and an even greater vampire. He was getting this feeling for Thomas but the biggest difference, the biggest reason not to say anything or do anything was that this boy, for Daniel couldn't call him a man yet, had so much of his life left to live, so much left to experience.

That evening for dinner Lillian was dressed in one of Cossettes dresses, pinned in by Cossette herself. All of the young men's eyes followed the pretty girl as she walked through the room and sat at the table between Thomas and Daniel. The couple had been invited to at with the family that night for Thomas hadn't seen them at any of the meals so far. At their table the conversation was light and pleasant and filled with laugher, something it hadn't been for a while. Their meals had been ruled by manners and silence since their father had died. Cossette joined the women of the family for tea after the meal and Thomas and Daniel went out onto the boat deck for a walk and a cigarette (Thomas only of course), opting out of joining the other men in the smoking room. In there it would be all politics and prattle, something they could both live without.

And it was the next day that disaster struck.

~ * ~ * ~

The family hadn't seen Cossette or Daniel all day even though they'd kept an eye out for them on the sunny boat deck. It was Thomas who finally pointed out that he couple didn't like the sun, reminding the others about their eyes being sensitive to light. Cossette found them when they came back inside to dress for dinner, walking with them so as to talk to Victoria. She asked to be allowed to give the two girls a dress each; she'd been working on them all day. Victoria agreed and Lillian and Alice followed her eagerly, emerging for dinner dressed in perfectly fitting dresses made form two of Cossettes own.

They'd sat together at dinner and had all retired to the Jones family stateroom afterwards for a game of cards and a chat. Alice and the twins had long been in bed, Alice still dressed in her evening gown at her own insistence, when the ship seemed to judder, startling the adults still playing cards.

"What was that?" Victoria asked worriedly. Daniel went to the door and opened it, finding nothing out of the ordinary going on in the corridor.

"Probably something to do with the engine," he shrugged and they returned to their card game only to be disturbed ten minutes later by the steward knocking and entering, looking a little pale and more than a little frightened.

"Is something wrong?" Victoria asked.

"Nothing wrong madam, we're just having a lifeboat drill. If you'd all like to dress warmly, put your life belts on and make your way up to the boat deck as soon as possible it would be greatly appreciated," he said, opening a cupboard and pulling out the white lifebelts. He left then and slowly they did as he said, waking the three sleeping children. Alice refused to change her new dress for a warmer one and so Victoria simply put her coat on over it. Cossette helped get Lillian ready at the same time, the sixteen year old behaving younger than her years and insisting on wearing her new gown as well, almost throwing a strop when her mother tried to say no.

"What do you think it really is?" Thomas asked Daniel quietly as he buttoned up his coat. Beside him Laurence was doing the same, his cap already on his head.

"I don't know," Daniel admitted quietly, picking up one of the lifebelts and putting it on Laurence who seemed to still be half asleep, rubbing his eyes and yawning. The girls emerged then and they put the lifebelts on Lillian and Alice who was getting a little tearful, frightened by what was going on.

"Wait! My hat!" she cried, as they were about to leave, the adults carrying their lifebelts rather than wearing them. She rushed into her room and returned with the large hat Cossette had given her, putting it on her head calmly. Cossette smiled warmly down at her and pulled the long pin from her own hair, securing the hat to Alice's head and then they headed up to the boat deck like the other first class passengers. "It's cold."

"Maybe we should wait inside," Victoria said quietly, frowning at the sailors hurriedly preparing the nearest lifeboat.

"No, I think we should stay out here," Daniel said softly, noticing at once the way the deck was tipping a lot more than usual. Alice and Lillian were shivering terribly though and so Daniel stripped off his coat, putting it around Alice and buttoning over the lifebelt. Thomas did the same, shivering almost instantly as he put it on Lillian. "Let's go sit on that bench shall we?"

"Good idea darling," Cossette said softly, taking one of Alice's hands while Victoria took the other. The women and girls sat while the men stood, watching the goings on worriedly, all of them thinking the same thing. This was something more than a lifeboat drill. Officers were barking strange orders and sailors were rushing to obey, their muscles bulging under their uniforms as they pulled on the thick ropes.

"Everyone else is inside," Lillian said, as the Officers seemed to notice the same thing, sending someone inside to fetch the passengers.

"Could I have women and children first please," the officer said when the passengers started to come out. A murmur of panic swept around then, if this was a drill why were they getting in the boats. Victoria stood quickly and pulled her two girls to the front of the crowd by their hands, keeping an eye on Thomas and Laurence as they went. Cossette and Daniel followed.

"In you get darling," a sailor said suddenly, picking Alice up like she weight nothing and handing him to his friend standing the swinging boat. She looked around fearfully as she was pushed into a seat at the front of the boat. Lillian was helped on board then and cuddled up close to her sister. Victoria took Laurence's hand and then the trouble started anew,

"I'm sorry miss, women and children only for now," the officer said to her.

"He is a child! He's only sixteen!" she gasped, holding the abnormally quiet Laurence close to her side. He looked at her apologetically and shook his head before helping another woman into the boat.

"Mother, you go. I'll make sure Laurence and I get on a later boat," Thomas said quickly, worried if his mother waited any longer there wouldn't be a place for her in the lifeboat. She looked at them fearfully. "We'll be fine mother, go with the girls." Eventually she nodded and kissed both of them on the cheek.

"Keep him safe and we'll see you when this is over," she said, hugging them tightly before allowing herself to be helped into the boat.

"Cossette?" Thomas asked.

"I shall stay with Daniel," she said calmly.

"But…" Thomas protested.

"We'll all catch a later one together," she told him. It was too late then anyway, the boat was being lowered. Thomas pulled Laurence along to the railings and the brothers watched their mother and sisters as the boat was lowered. Almost subconsciously they waved.

"There will be another boat wont there?" Laurence asked fearfully, turning his big eyes on his older brother.

"I will make sure you get on one of the other boats Laurence, I promise you just like I promised mother," Thomas said passionately. "Now don't let go of my hand." Laurence nodded and held on tightly as Thomas turned to Cossette and Daniel. "We'll have to try the other boats." They nodded and they head further along the ship, towards the back noticing that it was a little more difficult than usual.

"Is that the band playing?" Cossette asked suddenly.

"Yes," Daniel said, holding her hand in his own. "Try to get your brother on this one," he said as they reached the next boat taking on people.

"I'm sorry sir only women and children at this time," the officer was younger than the other one but said the same thing. Thomas looked at him pleadingly,

"Please, just my little brother. He's only sixteen…"

"I'm sorry I can't. You'll have to wait until later," the officer said, sounding honestly apologetic. "You Miss?" he asked Cossette, holding out a hand. She shook her head and held tightly to Daniels arm. Neither of them would go in a boat and take up someone's space when they themselves couldn't die no matter what happened to them this night. All their worry was for Thomas and Laurence.

"Come on," Daniel said, taking Laurence's arm and pulling them along with the crowd to the next boat. It was much more crowded on the boat deck now, more and more people realising that something was wrong. "Excuse me officer, I have a child here." Daniels powerful voice carried above the noise of the crowd and this officer turned to him, "He's not yet sixteen," he said a little quieter. For a few moments the officer looked at Laurence who was shaking from the fear and cold now. Then finally he nodded.

"When this is over find mother ok?" Thomas said, hugging Laurence tightly, "Tell her I had to stay behind to help."

"But Tom…"

"I'll be alright Laurence. You know me," the smile he shot his brother was completely fake and they all knew it. "Do what they tell you."

"I will. L-Love you Tom," Laurence mumbled, hugging his older brother back tightly before stepping into the boat and sitting beside an elderly lady who immediately put her arm around him.

"I'll look after you love," she said kindly.

"Miss?" once again Cossette was being asked.

"No," she shook her head, "I'll stay with my husband." They moved out of the way to let other women and children on board, Daniel helping to lift them onto the boat while Thomas and Cossette leant against he railings and watched Laurence. People were beginning to panic now as the front end of the ship was slowly going further down, there were screams from all across the ship.

"Tell the others I love them!" Thomas shouted at Laurence as the boat gave a lurch and then started to descend smoothly. Laurence nodded. Soon it reached the water and the oars were sorted out. This time they stayed where they were and watched the boat rowing out to join the others already moving away from the sinking ship. Finally Thomas turned to the couple he'd known for a grand total of four days and grinned, "Unsinkable my foot." They couldn't help it, they laughed.

Time seemed to speed up them as things went from bad to worse and people began to panic, risking their lives and the lives of others in a hope of getting on a lifeboat. Daniel and Cossette wouldn't go and Thomas had long ago realised he wasn't getting off this boat.

"I think I should have stayed in England and just had my mother hate me," he said loudly above the screams. Cossette went to answer but stopped when one of the big funnels suddenly snapped away from its lines and fell onto the sea.

"Oh my God…" she breathed.

"We should get as far aft as we can," Daniel said.

"Aft?" Thomas asked with a frown.

"The back," Daniel explained quickly. Thomas nodded and both of them took one of Cossettes hands and went with the flow of people hurrying up the slanting deck to the back of the ship. Almost all of the boats were gone now and people were jumping from the ship in a hope of getting to one already on the water. "She's going down faster now."

"More water inside the ship now," Thomas shrugged. Eventually they reached the crowded back of the ship and managed to get to the railing on one side, "I told you there weren't enough boats."

"Not the time for I told you so's," Cossette pointed out, clutching the railing as tight as she could as more of the funnels broke off and the deck tipped and tipped. "The bands stopped…"

"Can you blame them?" a young woman next to them asked. Daniel put one arm around Cossette and the other around Thomas, holding them close to him and to the railings as the deck rose and rose. Soon they were struggling to stand and not slip sideways, so many people were sliding down the deck to the water that had covered the front of the grand ship entirely now.

"Never thought I'd die this way," Thomas said quietly, "Always thought I'd die in my bed in the arms of the person I loved." Just as he finished speaking there was the loudest crack anyone had ever heard and the back of the ship, the bit they were standing on plummeted towards the water at an alarming rate. Cossette wasn't the only one to scream.

"What now?" the young woman asked. Slowly the deck began to tip again.

"The end," Daniel said quietly. It tipped more and more this time until it finally bobbed vertical in the water. The three hung entwined with each other from what had been the vertical bar of the railing but was now horizontal. "Move around to the outside," he ordered them suddenly. Cossette went first, then Thomas and finally Daniel. The young woman hanging below them copied them as the ship sank rapidly towards the water, people disappearing into the white froth. "Take a deep breath and kick away from the ship when you hit the water or she'll pull you down."

"How do you know this?" Thomas asked fearfully.

"I read a book on sailing! Just do as I say!" Daniel snapped, for the first time since Thomas had met him raising his voice in anger. The young woman disappeared beneath them and then the cold water hit them.

For a moment Thomas couldn't think, it was colder than he could ever have imagined, like a thousand needles stabbing him all over his body. Then he felt the suction of the sinking ship and kicked like Daniel had said to, hopefully kicking towards the surface. His lungs felt like they would burst, he felt like he was going no where, he felt like was going to die…and then he broke to the surface.

"Cossette?!? Daniel?!?" he shouted, joining the hundreds of other people shouting in the water. The young woman was nowhere to be seen, just dozens of unfamiliar faces. He saw people squabbling over floating wreckage to cling to, he saw people giving up and lying back in the water. "Cossette?!? Daniel?!?" Had they not made it? Had they been pulled down. Thomas was terrified now, for the first time in his life he was alone and he didn't know what to do.

"Thomas!" the shout came from behind him and he turned as quickly as he could in the bulky lifebelt that was keeping him afloat as his legs went numb.

"Daniel?!?" he called out, his voice getting weaker by the second.

"Thomas swim to me!" Daniel's voice ordered. Gritting his teeth Thomas tried, kicking pathetically with legs that just wanted to sleep, paddling with arms so numb they almost hung useless. And then he finally saw Daniel, swimming almost easily towards him. "I thought you'd drowned!"

"I t-thought y-you'd drown-drowned!" Thomas stuttered, his teeth chattering. Daniels strong hand grabbed one of the shoulder straps of his belt and then he was being pulled along by the older man, away from all the other people in the water. "W-Where's C-C-C-C…"

"Cossette? She's over here. Come on, just a little further," Daniel wasn't shivering at all and in his freezing mind Thomas thought that very odd. But he also decided this was not the time to ask.

"Daniel! Have you got him?" Cossettes voice had Thomas going limp with relief; she was alive just like Daniel had said. Finally he could see her, holding an intact deck chair tightly. "Get him on the chair, get him out of the water!" Thomas felt himself being pushed onto the floating chair, lying on his back. Only his knees down were in the water now. He was just as cold though but he could lie back and not worry now, Daniel and Cossette were with him. "He's blue!"

"It's cold Cossette," Daniel pointed out. They were holding onto the chair on either side of him, Cossettes hand touching his face worriedly.

"Wh-Why aren't y-y-you shiver-r-r-ring?" Thomas thought this was not the right sort of time to ask. He saw them look at each other over his chest and then they looked at him with their odd red eyes.

"We've got a secret to tell you," Daniel said at last. Thomas frowned as best he could with his eyebrows freezing on his face. "We're not human, we're not even alive. We're vampires."

"Not r-r-real," Thomas growled. "S-S-Stories…"

"We said the same thing before we were turned," Daniel said gently. "It's the real reason our eyes are red, we're dead and we live off blood."

"B-B-But…"

"We only drink from people who won't be missed and never from people we like," Cossette said softly, stroking his rapidly stiffening hair. Her hair was freezing too but she obviously couldn't feel it. He'd like to not be able to feel it, it was so cold and it hurt…

"E-Evil?"

"No. There are evil vampires who kill for fun but we kill only for necessity," Daniel explained. Thomas gave a silent oh and looked up into the night sky, idly wondering how many stars there were in the sky that night. More than usual surely. "Thomas…we can save you."

"T-T-Too late," he mumbled.

"It's not. We could…turn you," Cossette said quietly, "We could make you a vampire like us. It would save you from this and you would live forever with us."

"I d-d-don't want t-t-t-to live…for-forever…I j-j-just w-w-want to s-s-s-see my f-f-f-family again," Thomas's whole body was shaking on the floating deckchair now. Cossette and Daniel shared another look over him, they hadn't been expecting that answer. Most people would jump at the chance of living forever.

"Please Thomas, don't make us watch you die," Cossette pleaded softly with him, her hand gently stroking the cold skin of his cheek. Slowly he turned his head to look at her fearful face, "I love you almost like a son Thomas. Please let us save you. You can see your family again in a few years if you still want to but please, don't decide to die simply because you don't understand us yet."

"If…if after we have turned you, you still wish to die we could find a way," Daniel said softly. Thomas' head turned over to look at him. It was obvious Daniel had not wanted to say that but he felt the same as his wife, he couldn't sit back and watch his young friend die.

"Daniel!" Cossette snapped at him.

"You'd d-d-d-do that? I-I-If I w-w-w-wasn't h-h-h-happy?" Thomas asked.

"Yes," Daniels voice was choked, he could never imagine killing this boy. Thomas's face turned back to the beautiful night sky as his thoughts whirled around his head, considering everything they'd said, what the pair were like…how much he was afraid of dying…

"Do it."

"Thank you," Daniel breathed, nodding to Cossette. It was she who sank her white teeth into Thomas's cold neck, making him gasp at the new pain, a burning pain. "It's ok, we're here with you. We'll be here with you until it is over and you are one of us." He took Thomas' hand and squeezed it tightly as Cossette pulled back with an unnecessary gasp, wiping Thomas' sweet blood from her lips.

"There we are," her hand stroked his face and hair again soothingly as he blinked slowly up at the sky, "Go to sleep Thomas, just let it happen. We're here, just go to sleep." Their soothing presence, the pain and the cold all worked against him and his eyes shut of their own accord even as he breathed a very quiet,

"Ok…"

~ * ~ * ~

It didn't take Thomas long to die in the water. Cossette and Daniel played dead when the one boat returned, holding Thomas tightly as the sailors examined the bodies. They were picked up the next day and laid out together under sheets on a ships deck, Daniel still holding Thomas' hand, they'd been unable to break the strong hold. Arriving in New York the bodies were taken to the morgue to be identified by relatives and friends. Once there and the coast was clear Cossette and Daniel sat up.

"Get rid of our records my love," Daniel ordered and she took the sheets of the paper that had been filled out about them as he picked up Thomas' still body easily. She then hid the blankets they'd been on and under and the two fled with Thomas, careful not to be seen.

He woke two days later in the abandoned warehouse they'd found to live in temporarily; waking so hungry for blood he almost escaped them before they could stop him. It was daylight out. But then Cossette noticed something odd, while she and Daniel glowed from the light coming through the broken doorway Thomas didn't. He looked human but the hungry black eyes were anything but human.

They struggled to help him through his bloodlust, he could go out in the daylight and they couldn't and he was a lot stronger than both of them. But somehow they managed it and two years (almost to the day) later he could control it as well almost as they could. In those two years he'd come to love being a vampire and Daniel was never called on to come through on his promise to kill him if he didn't like it. They did however have to take him to see his family like they'd promised.

They watched through the windows of the their house as the family went about their lives. Laurence was much more responsible now, taking everything seriously now he was eighteen years old. Lillian was a beauty, a pure English rose. She also seemed to be engaged if the ring was anything to go by. Alice was fourteen now and much quieter than she had been…and she still wore Cossettes hat seemingly everywhere. Victoria was much thinner than Thomas remembered, suffering after the loss of her husband and son. As they watched she'd gone to the mantelpiece and kissed two photographs standing at its centre, one of his father and one of him.

Thomas couldn't watch any more and they left.

War broke out soon after in Europe and they heard such distressing news about their countries that hey felt compelled to return, to England at least. The three of them had never really like living in America, missing England and France too much and so they book passage on the LUSITANIA.

"What is it with us and bloody boats?!?" Thomas has shouted as that ship too sank, the three of them floating together in the water once more. Arriving in Ireland they didn't go to the trial of the Captain who had only been doing his duty, instead heading for England to find somewhere in London to live. Everywhere they went however Thomas had a white feather pinned to his jacket and soon he was sick of being called a conchie.

"What can we do about it?" Cossette asked as she and Daniel sat together on the sofa in their sitting room. Thomas stood before them gazing into the fire.

"I'm going to join up," he said quietly.

"You can't!" Cossette gasped.

"I can. I'm special remember. I don't sparkle," he smiled at them, "And I can't die. I'd be a good soldier don't you think?" So he'd gone, he'd fought for the remainder of the war in France, fighting in trench after trench, watching men die all around him and killing as many Germans as he could. He'd sneak off every now and then, catch a German and drink from him. Never once in the whole war did he drink from someone on his side.

Finally the war ended and he returned a hero to the Cossette and Daniel who by now posed as his parents. If people noticed he hadn't aged in three years no one said anything about it. Peacetime flew by, the roaring twenties and the early thirties. The three vampires lived happily hidden away in London.

But then came another war, a more dangerous one for the people of London as bombs were dropped from the sky on civilians and military alike. And it was in one of these bombings that Cossette found Clara…

A/N Well…that was longer than I expected it to be and written almost all in one go. Let me know what you think. Two more chapters and the regular characters arrive. Promise.