hey all, i'm back again, taking another stab at the juicy characters CBS has given us! wow, didn't u just LOVE friday's episode?! i cried so hard! and it is seriously hard not to spoil it for anyone who might have not seen it yet, lol. i have a problem with that, sorry in advance.

sry about the long wait, no matter how hard i tried, i couldn't seem to get ANYTHING to come out of my head and out onto the page. so i had to apply to one of my genius friends who is singularly amazing at diffusing writers block -we're actually writing an independent novel together, she really hates fan fiction lol- and i cobbled together a few ideas. for the next few chapters. not sure if i'm entirely satisfied with how this worked out, but hey, i owe you guys a chapter and its not gonna get better just by me looking at it!

alrighty, so down to business folks. i've been playing around with an idea and i've decided to go with it. i'm going to confess something to you all: i've gotten most of the muse for this story from my i-pod, so i think its about time to give Xavier some credit. yes, i named my i-pod. don't laugh at me, i love that thing. lol, so i'm going to try and name every chapter after the song that inspired it. don't worry, i'll tell you what it is in my author's note. and i'm going to try my darnedest to write the song into the chapter somehow. but hey, if it doesn't work, i'm not going to sacrifice the chapter to fit it in.

'Indian Love' is a song by the Lakes. Enjoy!

Josef woke several hours later, alert, aware, and happy. He smiled broadly to himself as he opened the top of his freezer and hoisted himself out. Listening intently, he heard the soft thump of Sam's heart in the next room thudding gently in her newer, more powerful body. He pulled the jeans he had discarded last night over his boxers and kept listening. He heard the beat accelerate and he felt her moving to a different spot in the room. She was closer-

He heard a yelp of pain as Sam's heart rate sped up to alarming proportions and he heard her whimpering near the door. He quickly ran out of his freezer room to find his fledgling curled up in a ball near the door, in pain, clutching her eyes.

"Sam?" he asked, kneeling down in front of her, already knowing what had happened. She looked up at him and winced. "I guess you opened the blinds, huh?" She nodded and glared at him when he smiled.

"It's not funny." she growled, pushing herself off the ground, hands clenched into fists. Who was he to mock and ridicule? Who was he to kneel there- shirtless- and pretend to be some all- knowing, Adonis, benevolent and genius to a fault!? God damn it, he isn't perfect! Right there, his eyebrows aren't even! There, right there, plain as day!

Without understanding the impulse, Sam gave in and launched herself at Josef, fists flying, fighting to wipe that imperious smirk right off his too-handsome face. She clawed at his bare chest when she knocked him over flat on his back, straddling him and fighting to make him hold still.

Josef was surprised. The rage had really blossomed in her. Normally it took a while for a fledgling to give into the fury that seized every newborn, the need to spill blood, to avenge, and to enjoy doing so. Not with Sam apparently. He let her get in a few good punches, smiling to himself as she did so- she was definitely his baby vamp, those punches had really hurt!- before bucking her off him and standing up. Sam glared at him, eyes following as he went over to the mirror to inspect the damage before it vanished. Her nail marks were deep, war trenches marring the smooth perfection of his skin. He smiled at the sight of them and turned back to Sam, who had stood and was ready to attack again.

"Come on Sam. You aren't really angry with me." he told her, smirk once again in place. With an infuriated roar, Sam's face changed to that of the beast inside her and she lunged at Josef, intent on causing as much damage as possible before he threw her off. He stepped out of the way just in time, allowing Sam to crash into the dresser, headfirst. He picked her up by the scruff of the neck and demanded,

"Are you finished?" Sam snarled in his face and tried to bite him. He dropped her and went over to the door. Sam followed. She tackled him around the waist, hard, sending them both crashing through the solid oak door, great hunks of wood flying through the air. Now Josef was pissed.

"That's enough Sam!" he roared, jumping out of the rubble faster than the dazed fledgling could follow. She shook her head to clear it and stood up, swaying on her feet. There he was, glaring at her, stance restless, eyes challenging. One she had to accept.

"I disagree." she managed to say somewhat calmly. He sneered at her, inciting her rage to even higher levels. She tried to punch him, only to have her pathetically tiny fist flicked away brusquely. She tried to get at him, every attempt failing. I have to get behind him! I have to get-

Sam found herself standing behind Josef, eyes widening in surprise as she wobbled precariously at the edge of the stairs they had fought to.

"Shit!" she cursed as she slipped and fell down them, arm snapping with a dry 'crack!' somewhere around the middle of the fall. Josef stood at the top of the stairs, watching as finally she reached the ground floor of the house, to astounded to feel any pain.

"How in the name of God-" she tried to ask coherently before a wave of sickening pain rolled through her. She looked down at her arm and was shocked to see pale bone poking through the skin, her blood running down her arm, staining her ripped jeans from the day before even more.

"Oh God," she moaned tearing her eyes away from the sight and fixing them on Josef who still stood at the top of the stairs, a proud smile gracing his handsome features. All the damage she had done was gone, no more blood or scratches.

"Help?" she asked tentatively. He nodded and jumped down all the stairs, landing next to her in a crouch, with barely a sound. He grabbed her arm in his hands and warned,

"This is going to hurt. A lot." She nodded and looked away as Josef snapped the bone back into place. Sam howled in animal pain as he did so, groaning and attempting to pull the injured appendage close to her body. Josef let go and watched, satisfied, as the skin began to stitch together and as he heard the bone knit back together.

"You'll be fine." he told her with a squeeze to her shoulder. She nodded and looked up at him, questions written plainly in her bright green eyes. He smiled at her and offered her a hand up. She took it and leaned heavily against him, all energy drained.

"You need to eat Sam." he told her, wrapping an arm protectively around her waist and leading her to the downstairs study. "And then you need to sleep. Which I'm assuming you didn't do last night?" Sam shook her head which lay weakly against his chest, all her anger at him forgotten completely. "Sam," he tried to scold, but she was just too out of it. Josef shook his head. She wouldn't remember much of what he said until she had fed anyways.

"Come on," he ordered, walking her to one of the many closed doors in his house. Opening it with his free hand, he led her inside and gently helped her onto the leather couch in the corner. Sam winced as he laid her head down into a direct path of sunlight. Josef went to the windows and closed the blinds, smiling when he heard Sam sigh in gratitude and burrow deeper into the soft brown leather. He turned around to face his groggy fledgling and was struck with a sudden burst of affection for the frail vampire in front of him. He smiled slightly, startled by the sudden lump of protectiveness in his chest.

He heard her sigh again as she almost slipped into sleep and he shook off his reflections. Food first, sleep second, training third.

"Nope Sam, sorry. Can't sleep yet." Sam groaned and rolled over, facing the back of the couch now. Josef smiled ans rolled her on her back. She popped open her eyes and glared.

"Weren't you just saying I should get some sl-eeeeeep?" she yawned. Josef smiled at her and nodded.

"You have a surprisingly good memory for a fledgling," he mocked gently. She rolled her eyes at him and allowed him to sit her up with only a few protests. He sat next to her and asked,

"What do you remember from last night?" he asked, stretching his legs out in front of him. Sam squinted her eyes and stared off hard at the opposite wall. He watched her calmly, knowing it wasn't going to be much.

"I remember... a fight. We were fighting about something. And I remember pain. And the blood... I think there was blood. And I remember the kiss." She blushed an looked at her feet. Her demur, shy manner was actually kind of cute in a way...

"Is that it?" he asked, trying to make her poke around in her brain for a little while. She frowned and nodded.

"There was blood." he confirmed for her, voice gentling from his mocking tone of earlier. She started then shrugged.

"So, it was only your blood. Nothing new." she reminded him, nonchalant without the facts. Josef shook his head.

"No, it wasn't mine." Sam looked up at him, brow furrowed again. "It was human blood, Sam. You had your first real meal as a vampire last night before I left you to stare at the rug for hours." he told her softly, wanting to spare her from the pain this would cause, but not seeing a way around it. She would begin to remember her feedings now, and she couldn't live off of his blood forever.

Sam's face had gone slack. Her eyes stiller than he had ever seen them. She stared at him blankly, clearly not processing this information the way he wanted her to.

"He's fine, Sam. Probably a little dizzy, but otherwise none the worse for wear." he jumped to assure her, hoping it would animate her again. It did. Just, again, not the way he wanted it to. This girl was infuriatingly difficult.

"You mean to tell me," she began, mouth moving but eyes still very much not in his study. "That I actually," she paused to look quickly around the comfortable room. "Ate someone?" she hissed quietly.

Josef couldn't help himself. He shouldn't have, he knew it. At this stage in Sam's development, she was extremely sensitive and very malleable. But he really couldn't stop himself. The way she said it, as though she expected the armies of God to come running through the door at any moment and condemn her to the fiery pits of blackest Hell, it was too much. She was serious. That was how she actually thought of what she had done.

He laughed.

Josef threw his head back and howled, unable to stop the waves of amusement from washing over him, unable to stop the tears from rolling down his face as he pictured her face over again. It was just too much!

Sam sat on the couch next to him, a slightly bemused expression on her face. She put her hand on Josef's knee to try and bring him back to the present. He looked at her and laughed again.

Finally, he managed to choke out through great heaving laughs,

"Yes Sam, you opened your mouth wide and took a great, giant bite out of him, bones and all." Sam realized that he was laughing at her. And that did not make her a happy camper.

"It's not funny Josef!" she roared at him, effectively stopping all laughter. "I might've hurt him!" Josef took her hands in his and tugged on them.

"Hey, Sam, I'm sorry. I was just joking around." Sam snorted. "I don't want to hurt you Sam. It's just that the idea of you taking a bite out of someone was just, well, absurd." Sam frowned at him, hurt. He smiled gently at her and pulled her close to his chest.

"I'm sorry if you thought I was making fun of you Sam. I really wasn't." She allowed herself to be petted and snuggled closer to him, her lack of sleep starting to tell, combined with the assault on her emotions he had just made.

"So, I, um, drank his blood?" she asked timidly, unaccustomed to the words and stumbling a little. Josef smiled proudly at the memory and nodded.

"That you did indeed. You managed quite well for your first time too." Sam shuddered.

"Please tell me I didn't hurt him. I don't think I could forgive myself if I killed him." Josef shook his head vigorously.

"Don't fret about it Sammy. You were perfect. And you didn't hurt him." She sighed sleepily. Josef decided to let her sleep for a bit before letting her eat. She needed the rest.

"Mick, this had better be important, you just woke up Sam." Josef told his friend as he opened the study door to find not only Mick, but Mick's human trailing after him. He smiled graciously at Beth. "Beth. How lovely to see you again." She smiled back at him and nearly jumped out of her skin when she turned to the couch to find Sam sitting absolutely still and staring at her like she was the most engrossing thing on the planet.

Mick knew that look and quickly put himself between them. Josef smiled and moved closer to Beth as well, ready to fight off a hungry fledgling if necessary.

"Just coming over to see if you've managed to kill your new pet yet. You didn't do so well with the fish I gave you for you birthday a few years ago." Mick joked, acting more relaxed than he was. Beth frowned.

"I thought you said vampires didn't do well with pets." she questioned him. Mick smiled as Josef looked down at Beth, a mischievous smile lighting his face.

"We don't. I've always wanted to taste tropical fish." he told her, grin on his face widening when she made the connection.

"But that's horrible!" she started to protest. Mick laid a hand on her shoulder.

"It was a joke Beth." Beth glared at the two of them as they laughed and crossed her arms.

"Fine, I'll just sit with Sam until the two of you learn some manners." She started to walk to the couch but was intercepted by two vampires who urgently herded her back to where she had been near the door.

"That wouldn't be a good idea." Josef told her, a sheepish smile on his face. Beth looked up at Mick, who only shook his head.

"Why not?" Beth asked. "I've spoken to her before, she isn't going to bite or anything." Sam continued to stare hungrily at Beth. Josef snorted.

"Well, that isn't exactly true." Beth raised an eyebrow at him. "She completed her transition last night, and when she smells fresh blood, especially blood so heady with pent up, ehem, energy like yours," Beth blushed and looked anywhere but at Mick who was trying to stare through the wall with equal fury. "She is very likely to forget that she likes you as a person and not as a meal and she will." Josef shrugged. "Bite." he finished with a proud grin. Mick rolled his eyes. He knew that if Josef had his way, Sam would be on the streets tonight, learning how to catch a willing meal on her own.

Beth's eyes widened, and she looked around the wall the two vampires had made of themselves at Sam. She started when she realized what the intense look was and glanced at Josef.

"She's eaten already today, hasn't she?" Josef shook his head.

"I was about to feed her when the two of you popped in." He shrugged and walked to his desk, pushing a button hidden under it. A few seconds later, one of the French girls from the day before waltzed into the room, sultry smile, and very little clothing, on. Beth was surprised that she didn't need a hip replacement with the way she walked.

"Oui?" she asked, grinning at Josef, who took no pains to conceal a smirk as he obviously looked her up and down, fangs extending slightly in approval. Sam noticed too, and stood up, ready to strike. As far as she was concerned, Josef was hers and anyone trying to steal him would be dealt with accordingly. Mick stepped in, grabbing her around the waist and hauling her back. The girl turned her pale blue eyes to Sam and smiled, giving her a friendly wave. Beth was stunned. She had almost had her throat ripped out, and she was waving and smiling at an angry, possessive vamp.

Josef obviously didn't hire freshies based on brains.

Josef stepped lightly to the girl and gestured for her to walk closer to Sam. He smiled as Sam glared and growled a little, eyes switching to their icy vampire blue.

"Sam, this is Valerie." Sam made no sign of hearing him. Valerie continued to smile as Josef said, "Sam, you may feed from her, but I swear if you don't control your anger and if you don't stop at exactly the right time, I won't take you out hunting tonight." Sam glared at him, most definitely not approving of this plan. She finally nodded, glowering, and Mick released her. Beth huffed.

"Mick, you know she won't stop. She's pissed!" Mick smiled down at her.

"If she doesn't, Josef isn't joking. And Beth, there are two older vampires in the room, don't you think we could save her from the wrath of a day old baby?" Beth flushed and shrugged, not believing.

"Mick, you should do something." Mick shook his head and led her out of the room, hand at the small of her back.

"Interfering between a fledgling and their sire is one of the biggest unwritten no-no's of the vampire community Beth." She frowned, not in agreement but let the door close after them. The pair waited outside for a few minuets and Beth was surprised to see Valerie exiting the room, unscathed save for the two small puncture marks on her neck. She smiled at them as she passed. Beth only just managed one back. Mick smiled down at the feisty reporter.

"See? Josef knows what he's doing." Beth shook her head in amazement. "Sam needed to learn to control herself, so Josef made sure she was good and riled up."

"You vampires are crazy." was all Beth managed to say, Mick chuckling quietly next to her.

Sam stood riveted to the spot, feeling the new blood coursing through her veins with a pleased smile one her face. Josef looked on, proud she was able to reign in her emotions and feed without hurting the freshie.

"Good job Sam." he praised quietly. Sam opened her eyes and looked at Josef, still vamped out, a worried expression on her face.

"My face feels strange." Josef smiled at her. It really was like having a baby.

"That's because your features are still decidedly vampiric," he told her gently, grabbing her elbow and leading her to a bathroom off of the study. Sam gasped when she saw her face in the mirror, and turned away sharply.

"I look like a monster!" she whispered quietly, shock written plainly on her pale face. Josef shook his head with a frown.

"No, you look like a vampire ought to look." he told her seriously. He was going to have none of this monster business bandied about in his house. Sam snorted.

"Yeah, I think the two are pretty much synonymous." Josef snarled at her, earning another startled intake of breath.

"Don't ever say that again." he warned quietly. Sam nodded slowly, fear trickling into her scent. He sighed. "Sam, you aren't a monster, you're just not human anymore. The two don't go hand in hand." She nodded and he beckoned for her to come closer. She did so, and he grabbed her hand, leading her to the mirror again. He turned her around and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Sam, you can control this, just like you can control your anger." She nodded, still refusing to look into the mirror. Josef sighed. "You have to look into the mirror to see Sam, the effect is kind of lost if you aren't paying attention." She smiled slightly at his exasperated tone and looked up. Josef had let his face slip into that of a vampire. And then he switched it back again. Sam blinked.

"How did you...?" she asked. Josef smiled and rubbed her shoulders.

"Wash your hands." Sam turned around and looked at him like he was crazy. He smiled at her and nodded his head at the sink. She sighed and rolled her eyes, turning the hot water on high and grabbing the soap.

"If I smell, you can just tell me, you know. I know I must look awful, I did die and then drink blood. Twice." she joked, washing her hands thoroughly, enjoying the relaxingly normal chore. Josef shook his head, still rubbing her shoulders.

"Just relax." Sam shook her head again, and after five whole minutes of washing with the piping hot water, she turned it off and asked,

"Now what?" Josef inhaled deeply, her cent was truly intoxicating now. She was relaxed, she was happy, if not a little worried her face was still in vamp mode.

"Look at your reflection and breathe." Sam complied and waited. "Now, be Sam the human again." he ordered, still rubbing her shoulders. Sam sighed and let go. He felt the worry leave her body, replaced by a deep calm he didn't know a girl of her temperament could find. And with a triumphant 'yes!' her face was back. He felt the world come back and her vamp face was back on. Then she was calm, and it went away.

He grinned, pleased at her improvement.

"Careful," he chided with an ever widening grin. "Your face might stick that way." Sam stuck her tongue out at his reflection and they both laughed, her mind eased for the moment. But Josef knew that that was likely going to change soon.

"Thanks." Sam said eventually, serious face on. Josef smiled gently down at her. He kissed her forehead gently, all teasing gone and nodded.

"Its what I'm here for." He nudged her nose with his. "What I'll always be here for." he promised her, his eyes soft and gentle. Sam grinned back at him slowly and nodded.