I haven't had the time to just sit and write this chapter out before I checked it and everything. So I'm writing it out without editing and proofing and everything and I sincerely hope that you guys will forgive me for awfulness of my grammar.

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Kerry took a deep breath and began to choke on the water. There was something holding her down, though, so no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't break free to get to the surface of the water. As she choked, she continued to swallow more and more water. Soon she couldn't get the strength to move and her vision began to cloud.

She hardly noticed as the door swung open. She didn't even realize when the woman jumped the window. She was unconscious by the time Michel finally pulled her out.

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Kerry jolted back into reality as she spit and choked out water. She vaguely remembered what happened and burst into great wrenching sobs. She kept repeating one word over and over in whispers, as she tried to convince herself it wasn't true.

Soon she was bundled up in Michel's arms as he picked her up and carried her out of the bathroom.

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Kerry woke up, still in Michel's arms. He was sitting on her bed with his back against the wall. She was in his lap with her head resting against his shoulder as he stroked her hair calmingly. Sensing the awkwardness of the situation, she tried to pull back, but he wouldn't release his grip.

"You know," he began slowly, as if he were unsure of himself, "I think I was scared for the first time in ages when I saw you in the bathroom with that woman standing over you. She was holding you down with her mind, you know. Some vampires do that. They like to play with their prey before they, you know." He absently stroked her neck.

Kerry jerked back a little and that brought him back to his senses. He gave her an amused smile and said, "I'm not going to hurt you, Kerry." In a flash, he was serious, and a little bit worried, again. "How are you feeling?"

She focused on how she felt for a couple seconds before answering. "I'm a little sore. It kind of hurts to breath. Plus, I think I got some water up my nose." She wrinkled her nose and pointed at it to emphasize. He smiled again.

He must really have been worried, she realized. He's smiling very easily, even at things he would normally just ignore. Kerry looked at her window and realized something else.

"What time is it? Where are you going to sleep? How are you going to get there in time? Why are you laughing at me?!" There she was worrying about him and he sat there and laughed. What a blow to her pride.

From her closet, he pulled out a thick comforter. He took some pushpins from her desk and stood up on her bed and pinned the comforter in front of the window so no light would get in from anywhere.

"I'm staying right here," he said, as if it were obvious.

Kerry couldn't help but be a little skeptical. "What? You're not even going to handcuff me?" She still remembered that night in the subway.

"Of course not. I think I trust you a little bit. After all, you did save my life. Besides, you owe me big time."

Kerry made a face, but she had to admit that he was right. She did owe him. He saved her from drowning in the bathtub. What a horrible place to die. Out of all places, in the bathroom. Kerry rolled her eyes at herself for being so ridiculous.

Just before the sun began to come up, Michel pulled her close and brushed his lips against hers and breathed out a, "Goodnight," before he lay back on the bed and stopped breathing.

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Kerry stood there for a moment, and touched her lips disbelievingly. That completely proved Kerry wasn't dreaming. Michel was here in real life and he just kissed her. She walked out of her room and shut the door behind her. She was about to sit on the couch when she realized she wasn't the only one in the room.

Seb was sitting on the chair in front of the TV. There was a pizza box on the coffee table. It was a medium cheese pizza. There was a note on the box with elegant handwriting on it.

Kerry,

I did NOT drain the pizza guy. Your pizza is paid for, out of your own purse of course. I figured I'd take the liberty of paying him for you. Make sure you eat. We're going to have a big night ahead of us.

- Isaac

P.S.

You really shouldn't keep such big bills in your pocket. You'd be very sad if somebody decided to rob you.

Kerry immediately jumped up and grabbed her purse. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he didn't give the hundred to the pizza guy. Her dad left it with her as emergency cash in case she went broke.

She opened the pizza box and grabbed a slice of great cheesy goodness. She offered Sebastian a piece, but he just stared blankly at her. She began feasting on the great unhealthiness before her.

As she put the slice in her mouth for another bite, Sebastian asked her, "Who's Isaac? Is he the vampire in your room?"

Kerry almost choked on her pizza, but managed to swallow before she turned her gaze on him. Trying to avoid answering the question, she countered with, "Where's Beth? Isn't she in your guys' room?"

He winced and said, "Touché."

There was silence. Then he said, "How long have you known him?"

"Who?"

"Isaac."

Oh. Should she tell the truth? Probably. Was she going to? She didn't think so.

Kerry shrugged.

Seb banged the armrests of the chair with his hands. It was sudden and made Kerry jump. "Damn it Kerry! Don't give me that. I need to know."

"Why?" She was honestly very confused.

"Because I need to know how much you know about his kind." Way to be subtle, she thought.

"And how might that be of any use to you?"

"Are you the one who killed Marsala?"

Again. Should she tell the truth? This time: definitely no.

"No. I don't even know who you're talking about. Besides, even if I did kill him, why would I tell you?"

"Because the person who killed him was under the wing of one of the most notorious vampires there are. Marsala was an old fool. He believed all that shit about vampires being allergic to garlic, holy water and dead man's blood. He believed that vampires would burn if they touched a cross or a stake through the heart would kill them. The only thing he got right was the sun. That's the only thing any of the vampire hunters of his caliber got right.

"But the rest of us who knew what we were doing understood what really happened to him. We were all on the scene when we learned he had failed. A vampire would have killed him differently, drained him. Marsala fell down the stairs. So that girl who was there when he died pushed him down and has been covering up for that son of a bitch vampire ever since.

"That girl who came to the police when he was murdered was named Kerry Nowicki. What are the chances that there were two people of that name living around that area just around the time of the murder? Very slim. Which leads me to believe that you've been lying to me. I almost believed it, too. I went and I researched everything that happened within those three days you were missing. You weren't kidnapped by Marsala at all. You were with that bloodsucker who's asleep in your room right now."

Kerry couldn't take it any more. Seb was yelling and soon she was too.

"And what's it to you? He was trying to kill Isaac! All you hunters see is some monster who sucks human's blood. someone who's unholy and needs to be destroyed! You don't see the good in them, you see the worst. Granted, he lied to me a lot when I was with him but for the most part, it was about stuff that wasn't important. The only serious lie he told me was that my dad and brother weren't safe when they really were, but all he wanted was help.

"So I helped him. I helped him until Marsala changed my mind about him again by pointing out his lie. Then I realized that Marsala was just some sick creep who enjoyed torturing these people just because they need to survive in a way that would be considered sick and twisted to humans. I didn't mean to make him fall down the stairs, but he did, ok? And now he's dead. But my time with Isaac made me realize that even dead people have emotions and reasons to survive."

Sebastian marched right up to Kerry's door and was about to open it. Before he could she shoved him out of the way and screamed at him, "What the hell are you doing?!"

"I want you to look at what's in there and tell me that thing has emotions."

"You're going to show me Isaac when I can show you Beth?"

He looked furious as he hissed, "She's different."

"How so? They both are the same thing. You're telling me that he's bad and she's not? Because you've known her longer? Is that it? In that case, I suggest that you get to know him."

"I know that if she had a choice she wouldn't change."

"They all have a choice." She remembered what Michel told her before. "They have a choice to change. And even as vampires, they can change back into humans. They just choose not to."

Seb looked shocked.

"So before you get on my case about Isaac being such a dangerous creature, ask Beth why she's choosing to stay like him." Kerry was almost whispering by the time she was done

It was silent between them until nightfall when both of their vampires awoke.

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Ok, guys. I hope you liked this chapter. I didn't realize how much I wrote until up about five seconds ago. Please review.