A/N: I made it back from California! Had a blast Halloween night. It's been a long time since I trick or treated and got a bag full. Anyway, I wanted to let you all know that this chapter, in the beginning might seem a little redundant, but it is needed as there is a lot going on here in terms of trust between Serenity and the boys. David will continue to test her until she steps up completely. Being realistic, I can't see anyone being okay with having a huge part of their life taken. There is a small twist coming up and I can't wait to share it with you.


David had made his decision clear, but he could still see the uncertainty in Serenity's eyes. There was doubt when it came to knowing her position in their world, and he wanted to make absolutely sure she would come around when needed in the end. It was time to test her, and even though doing so would be a slight contradiction, he wasn't afraid to test the waves.

Paul knew better than to go against him, but ultimately, David couldn't stop a relationship from forming between the two and he couldn't deny or pretend he hadn't seen the sparks. And judging by the way Marko was grasping for some kind of connection with her still, after the mark, David knew he felt it too; he was just better at hiding the knowledge.

"Will you do this for me? For us?"

The heavy vibration of David's words moved through Serenity as he gave her a pointed look, urging her to assume the position as Paul's bodyguard. Moments before it had sounded as if there were no other choice, but now he was asking for the favor. Yet she could tell by the look in his eyes there was still no other answer except yes, and she felt the weight of his will crashing down over her shoulders.

It wasn't that she didn't want to protect Paul, she did, now more than ever, but following him around like a watchdog seemed overzealous. It meant slipping and eventually expressing feelings she was still scared to let loose. The ones she wasn't sure she should have been having, and maybe David had caught onto it. After all, those arctic blue eyes were working to keep her frozen there in her seat as she studied the dilation of his pupils, without realizing she had already plunged deep into his mind with her own gift.

David felt it and his lips curled slightly. He let her see the memory of Paul's death from his point of view, when he had found her there, hovering over the bathtub, desperate to bring him back into the world of the living.

"You remember it don't you?" he asked, stepping forward to grab her by the wrist. Getting his point across was important, and he held it up in the air for Marko and Paul to see. "The night you were willing to die for him." He struck her mentally so that the feeling of glass slipping across her wrist to open flesh and let the red flood of life pour over Paul's bones was prominent.

She grimaced but tried not to flinch. The vision was vivid and made her feel hollow, leaving nothing inside but the pain from losing Paul. It struck every chorded nerve in her body and she swallowed hard. "I-I feeeel it…and I would do it again!" she strained to say.

Marko frowned and jerked forward a little in his seat. Curiosity plagued him as his fingers tapped lightly against the small of her back, refraining from much more knowing it would disrupt whatever point David was about to make. "David, what are you doing?" He asked in a barely audible whisper.

"Just wait a minute, you'll see," David answered, slipping a finger across her wrist to hear her whimper once more.

Paul could feel the agony she was in as he acknowledged the strange new connection blossoming between them and his face twisted from the effect. Utterly lost in the moment with her, he kept his eyes forward and his mouth shut, hoping his own secrets would remain concealed, even though he hated seeing her struggle.

Stubborn as always, she did fight against the invasion for several minutes until her eyes met Paul, and then a flood of despair and devotion painted a clear picture for David. She knew at that point it was all about the tall blonde. There was no hiding that fact, but it didn't change the yearning she had to regain the other memories from her childhood. Perhaps those were worth bargaining for, even if she had already made up her mind?

"If I do this, will you give the others back?"

"I can't give them back."

David hesitated for a second and then gave in, letting her hand fall to rest in her lap before he moved away with a look of discontent. It wasn't the exact answer he had been looking for, but it wasn't Serenity's fault either. Unless she remembered the past on her own, those memories would be forever departed, and he didn't want that to hinder her loyalty to them.

"It's not part of my ability. I take life, I don't give it back." He took a heavy seat in his throne of a wheelchair, resting his elbows against the arms as his fingertips tapped against each other. His blood was the only thing that could give her what she wanted but it wasn't an option. "But know this Serenity, if you would ever except an apology, I would offer one."

Serenity took a breath and let it out slow when she felt Marko press up against her back. "No. I understand why you did it, why you're testing me, but that doesn't change the fact that it's part of my life. Part of what makes me feel empty inside right now. How can I move forward when I don't know who I really am supposed to be?"

"Aww come on, girl," The tone of the atmosphere was dragging Paul down, and he reached forward sweeping his hand against her knee to reassure her. "Takes time, that's all. I can guarantee you though, if you have our back, we've got yours, just like back in the lab with Max. We can make this work. Let us make it up to you like we should have a long time ago. I mean it's not like I need a babysitter, but getting my little pal back? I can't say no to that!"

"I dunno about that babysitter part, Paul," Marko chuckled and dipped forward to rest his chin on Serenity's shoulder. "You should be happy I'm lending you my girl. Looks like we're gonna be the three amigos again for awhile. Least until Mr boss man here gives the green light on killin' this broad."

There was comfort in having Marko against her, but Serenity still hadn't decided how she felt about being considered his property. She could tell Paul felt the same by the way his eyes dulled and his lips fell slack, as if remaining engaged in the conversation he had been trying to build up on a positive note was hard.

However, as always, the look was short lived, and Paul snapped his fingers, popping up out of his seat like a jack in the box.

Dwayne had finally returned which meant the sun was rising. It caused a shift in the shadows of the cave, making the lobby brighter as the new day's light poured in through the old stained glass windows above the entrance. It came to claim the vampires and take them to rest somewhere in the darkness where the harmful rays wouldn't disintegrate their flesh.

"Bottoms up, girl! It's time for some shuteye." Paul winked. "Be seeing you bright an early this evening, I hope." He headed towards the back half of the cave, looking back at her once over his shoulder wishing she could follow.

Serenity could see the sleep in his eyes from where she sat, as his internal clock began shutting his body down. She was tired as well, but couldn't rest yet, not until a few things had been taken care of when it came to her human world. As much as the boys were determined to keep her around, she was still part of the mortal race. That meant figuring out where she could stay and possibly finding employment, even if the thought of doing so made her head spin. She wasn't sure how she was going to balance two lives at once, but she wasn't about to play the damsel in distress for much longer, mooching off four vampires for survival.

She knew trying to explain it to them would be hard, considering they lived such carefree, undead lives with the world swaying to their needs.

"Hey, Marko?" She turned into him as soon as David and Dwayne disappeared into the darkness, figuring it would be easiest to confide in him. "There's something I need to tell you."

"I think I already know." He gave her a lazy grin full of sleep. "You 're not staying. Am I right?" He cupped her cheek, which she quickly denied, grabbing hold of his wrist without shoving it away as she shied.

"Actually," she hesitated, worried that the others were still listening behind them somewhere, "No. I have to go, at least for the day. The cabin needs cleaning, and I was thinking about looking for a job or at least contemplating one. You know, since I'm still human. I'm no good mooching. That would be weak. I don't want to be weak."

His grin remained due to her perseverance, but retained a serious composure as he glanced down at her hand over his wrist. "Definitely not weak." He tilted his chin down and averted his eyes, considering the mark he had given her wasn't helping the disconnection between them any. "I gotta wonder though. I thought we had something, ya know? I mean, I get it, there's a hell of a lot to take in right now."

"I'm just not sure what I want when it comes to this." She sighed and placed her hand over the matador sewn onto his jacket, just over his heart. "Like I said, I'm still human. What could you possibly want with me in the long run? I know my blood torments you. I can see it in your eyes." She grabbed his face and pulled it up to look into those blue green orbs. "Can't you?" Her voice deepened, attempting to mimic his. "Hey guys, this is my girl, and every second we're together I'd like to eat her." She tilted her head and made a quirky face, to which he laughed.

When the moment was over, their bodies stilled and she felt feverish, reaching in despite what she had just said to kiss him.

It was nice, but a mistake and she jerked back, placing a hand over her mouth. Regret instantly filled the pit of her stomach, while his hands fell away and he leaned back, immediately recognizing the cold that had suddenly crept in between them.

"I'm sorry, Marko." She turned from him and got out of her seat.

"This got anything to do with someone else?" he asked.

Swallowing hard, Serenity dared to look back at him again. His brows were high, questioning, calculating. She should have known he had been keeping tabs, but how much did he really know? "Not really," she lied, regretting that too.

His face softened and he grinned, but she still wasn't sure if he believed her.

He followed her towards the cave exit. "Hey. You don't have to lie about it," he said, turning her towards him once more.

This caught her off guard and she took in a breath, shaking under his touch, afraid of what he would say next.

"Truth is, I know how close you feel to Paul, especially after that dream. No lie, you guys were real pals back then. It's not gonna hurt my feelings any, if you want to get close again, you know? Long as you give me a chance."

This made her even more uncomfortable and her heart started to beat fast. Getting close to Paul again was an understatement, but then she realized she hadn't agreed to make sure Sasha couldn't put him under her spell again.

Immediate worry hazed her eyes as she danced around the subject Marko had brought up. "I'll remember that, thank you, but…I forgot to give David a definite answer…"

He chuckled, kissed her quick on the cheek and stuck his thumbs into his pockets to give her the space she desired. "Don't worry about it. I think he knows. We'll be here, waiting for you tonight. Don't be late." He winked and sent her on her way.


Serenity was actually weary by the time she reached the cabin and for the first time since her arrival back in Santa Carla she longed for the vampires and their company. She was sick of feeling weak from all the bad memories that threatened to haunt her, even if she had managed to keep them at bay. Now she felt like she was facing one of the biggest monsters all over again as the key slipped into the lock. The heavy bolt flipped, the doorknob turned and there she was, face to face with a mass of disarray.

Her bag slipped from her hand and hit the floor with a thud as she stumbled forward to examine the dwelling, leaving the door wide open.

Food containers still sat on the nightstands, crusted and dried, and a bottle of booze, emptied, had made itself comfortable on top of the kitchen table. Dried water stains covered the floor from the kitchen into the bathroom and the sheets of her bed were still unmade. Nothing had changed, yet Serenity could feel a difference as she adjusted the crooked mirror on the wall and hesitated to look into it. The fear that her old haunt, Howie would pop up to scold her remained, but nothing came of it. There was no ghost, just the visual of the bed in the background, the doorway, and a figure…

"SERENITY!" an excited, familiar voice came from the person, and hurried footsteps moved along the groaning floorboards until Marie stumbled into view. Never mind the danger she put herself in by technically trespassing.

After leaving the coffee house, all she could think about was finding a place to settle into as soon as possible, and the search for available rentals by sheer luck, had brought her to this picturesque cabin along the way.

Serenity felt a cold chill slip down her spine when Marie entered the cabin out of nowhere. She hadn't expected the girl to show up in Santa Carla, let alone her cabin and yet here she was front and center, having been the one thing Serenity kept a secret from the boys.

"What luck!" Marie said, winding down fast when she saw the bed. All she wanted to do was curl up on it, seeing as the affects of the coffee she had consumed hours before was beginning to wear off, and the need for sleep was threatening to claim her. Her eyes burned and her body ached, but she gushed as she leaned against the nearby wall for support. "Who would have thought that house hunting would lead me to finding you just like your note told me to do! Do you want to look through this place with me?"

"What luck," Serenity responded, letting out a bit of a worried sigh. It wasn't that she didn't want to see Marie again, but now that her situation wasn't dire, she feared what would happen when the boys found out.

Pushing herself away from the mirror, she moved to close the door, even though the vampires were nowhere around. "This is my place actually. The one from the book." She laughed again, halfheartedly and sat down on the bed. "Can't you tell? It's a mess. I only came by to clean it and debate what to do with my life, as odd as that sounds." She paused and then threw a curious look at Marie. "Did you really come here to find me? Are you here to stay?"

If that were true, it would have been the most moving thing Serenity had ever experienced from a stranger. Then again, the last acquaintance had only been pretending he was a friend, and that landed him a spot as permanent ghost.

Squaring her shoulders and lifting her chin, Marie firmly replied, "Both!"

She briefly studied the room, recalling the description from the book, and couldn't believe she was actually in THE cabin from the story. She didn't allow the fact that it belonged to Serenity deter her for long. She would find her own place to call home soon enough in town.

"Sooo, what's going on with your life?" Marie decided to ask, hoping she wasn't prying too much already. "I've found you and I'm staying in town, so, what can I do for you?"

She tilted her head back and searched the ceiling, as if she was readying herself to speak to God.

"Are you really okay?" she asked without looking at the blonde. "Or are you in more trouble?"

"That's a good question," Serenity smiled but it was fake. "I thought coming over here would help answer that question. Am I okay in the fact that I'm not going to die at the moment? Yes." She too looked up at the ceiling and then down at the water stains leading in from the bathroom. "David told me that I've actually known them my whole life," she shook her head and shrugged. "But I can't remember any of it because he took the memories from me. Apparently he was trying to keep me away from Max from the very start! So now I have this adopted family I don't even know and they want me here, but they don't want me to publish that book I left you. And I'm not sure what to do about it."

Marie closed her eyes and rubbed at her eyelids with her fingertips. She was crashing and fading fast, but she truly wanted to help Serenity if she could. After reading the book and hearing about the latest predicament, she pitied the other female.

"These guys, David and the others, they're your protectors right? If you're the Chosen One, can't you outrank them and tell them to let you make your own decisions? If they consider you family, they should consider your needs."

Lowering her hand from her face, Marie opened her eyes and saw Serenity staring at the water stained floor. She looked more lost and confused than someone who could use her powers to tear apart the earth with her mind.

"It's a lot more complicated than that. Writing this book could mean big time trouble if the world as we know it saw truth in it. There is a hint of reality in all fiction as they say, although to me, it seems like most of the time humans tend to brush off what they can't explain. Like what happened here in town with Max." She got off the bed and superstition led her to look in the mirror again as she walked into the kitchen, just to make sure Howie wasn't there.

Since the entire cabin was open, no matter where she stood, she was able to see Marie. She opened the fridge and glared. "Blah!" The door was fast shut. "Nothing good in there. All that's gotta go." Then she moved to the cupboards, which were also bare. "I'd offer you something but there isn't anything here. Not even booze. I think Paul drank the last bottle." She shrugged and turned around, leaning against the counter.

"You obviously read about Marko and I, but here's the other issue. That dream I had that I was telling you about in the train? It was about Paul and ever since I've been having these feelings. On top of that, you remember Sasha? She's here! In town! And she's trying to pull this big time mind whammy on him. I saw it first hand last night." She blew air through her lips. "This is a lot of info isn't it? Marie I'm so sorry I dragged you into this."

Marie chuckled quietly over the mention of mind whammy. It made her think back to what happened at the coffee shop with the dark haired girl and the employee.

It doesn't work unless you have the gift of mind control.

Marie could hear her clear as day in her mind. For some reason, she could picture her playing the part of Sasha, or maybe her brain was working overtime despite the caffeine.

"That book was an outlet for you," Marie stated as she crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head to one side. "There was no way you could keep all of that to yourself. In a way it's good that you have this 'family' of yours, but it's not very helpful if they keep secrets from you, too. Family shouldn't hide stuff from one another, you know?"

She chewed on her inner lip as if reflecting on her own personal demons related to family, but said nothing of that matter.

"I'm not sure how I can help you out, but I'll try."

"Actually..." Serenity hopped up on the counter, "just having someone to talk to about this helps. But I'm afraid I might have put you in the danger zone. I didn't tell them I left you the book. I wanted you to come here because I thought they were going to kill me. I was wrong." She sighed. "Have you ever dealt with anything like this before? Supernatural I mean?"

Marie swallowed over the mention of the word "supernatural."

"No..." she began to say, as she always had anytime the subject was brought up. It was routine, what she had been taught since she was old enough to talk. But beings Serenity went above and beyond Marie, she felt more than compelled to speak about her beliefs and personal experiences in the supernatural world, yet continued to veer away from the topic.

"Family shouldn't hurt you," She insisted again as she rubbed her burning eyes. "But sometimes they do it because they mean well, or so they think..."

This brought back memories she didn't want to contemplate, and to put a stop to it she moved away from the wall and stood closer to Serenity. Despite looking like a tired wreck, Marie wore her best sincere expression as she offered protection to her new friend.

"I may not look it, but I like to think I'm pretty strong. I'll do my best to help protect you. If you need me to."

"Thank you. But I'm not the one who needs protection now." Serenity sighed. "Paul is. Seems I have the ability to keep him out from under Sasha's spell. Sooo...David asked me to be his guardian of sorts.. I guess when I was a little girl we spent a lot of time together." Now she laughed. "I'm hoping it wasn't in some creepy fashion because it does sound a little wrong, but my gut tells me it was more like making friends with the monsters in the closet."

"Ohhh, wow, then maybe you don't need my protection if you're already tight like that with your Lost Boys," Marie replied before yawning. She stretched her arms above her head before letting them go slack at her sides. She was losing the battle of consciousness.

"Are you all right?" Serenity asked, noticing how drowsy Marie had gotten.

"Mind if we continue this after I get some R&R? You might be one for staying up late, hanging with vampires and stuff, but I need my Zs. Not all of us are creatures of the night."

Marie's yawn influenced one from Serenity and she too stretched her arms out, realizing the sun was completely up and she hadn't gotten much for sleep. "I'm no creature of the night, trust me."

She hopped off the counter and moved towards the door to let Marie out. "I've been running off adrenaline and shock to tell you the truth, so no, I don't mind at all. I know as soon as my head hits that pillow over there, as gross as it might be, it's going to be lights out. Guess cleaning will have to wait, but hey? How would you feel about meeting up again tonight? I'd like to talk some more if that's all right?"

"Talking? Sure, as long as they aren't around..."

Marie couldn't help but sound apprehensive about seeing any of the Lost Boys. What she saw from the train, let alone read about in the book, didn't exactly make her want to have anything to do with them. They may have been Serenity's family, but Marie didn't particularly care for them at that moment. They sounded too rough for her liking.

With a slight nod while making her way to the door, she replied, "Rain check on that second half? I don't have a phone but I can give you the number of the motel I'm staying at."

"I know, it's scary, but it will be all right. It has to be." Serenity realized she was still putting Marie at risk, but there had to be a way around it, and didn't David owe her that at least? "That and I'm a little tied to one of them at the moment and trying to decide how I feel about the other that is trying to claim me at the same time. How pathetic does that sound? I'm not a hussy!" She laughed and grabbed a piece of paper from a pad she had sitting by the phone, along with a pen. "The one thing I DO have here. Give me your number and we can set something up."

Upon taking the pen, Marie wrote down the number and the room she was staying in.

"If I don't answer, just leave a message. I'll more than likely be out job hunting, house hunting, sleeping, eating - or doing all of the above at some point."

Handing the pen back with a smile, Marie waved good-bye to Serenity before stepping out into the new day.

Serenity waved good bye and shut the door, making sure to double lock it before she shut the blinds and headed over to the bed. She pulled the sheets back and climbed in, leaving her clothes on. The pillow was cold against her cheek. It helped her relax as she closed her eyes and drifted off.

There were no vivid dreams that day, no long lost memories, just a deep sleep that lasted past sunset.

When she finally woke up, she panicked. It was dark outside again and she had promised to be back at the cave.


Special thank you to Firstcome-Firststaked, Jessie, Edicts Galore, Gerribean, Mora, Liz and Leandramartel for your amazing reviews. They keep me happy and hungry for more. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and leave some more feedback!