A/N: This is a rewrite of the original ending, which I wasn't fully happy with.


Herrick helped the last youth into the back of the carrier and shut the door securely before heading round to the front, where Mitchell and Carl were standing.

"Come along, Mitchell," Herrick said.

Mitchell hesitated and glanced at Carl.

"He's not going with you, Herrick," Carl said, stepping up.

Mitchell swallowed. "I don't need you to speak for me, Carl."

"That's right," Herrick said. "You don't." He walked toward the driver's side door. "Come along."

Mitchell shifted. Carl kept his eyes on him. If he makes one step toward Herrick… he thought.

It was a few moments before he did.

"Mitchell -"

"He needs my help, Carl," Mitchell said. "All those kids. And we're responsible."

"What happened to 'he can handle it?'"

"Not alone."

Carl grabbed his arm. "You're not going with him." The carrier door slammed. "After everything we've been through? I thought -"

"What did you think, Carl? That we were going to go back like nothing had happened? That we were going to kick the blood and be in love?"

"We can help each other."

Mitchell shook his head. "No. In two week's time we'll be drunk on overpriced wine and convince ourselves it's OK to feed again. At least with Herrick, I'm not kidding myself."

"I can help you."

Mitchell was unmoved. "Gilbert was right. Love… it's just a lie. You just feel sorry for me. I see it in your eyes every day."

Carl's lips tightened. "Gilbert." He looked over at the ghost, obliviously listening to his Walkman. "Fucking Gilbert…" He marched toward him, ready to wring his neck. Gilbert saw him at the last second, and disappeared, reappearing beside Mitchell.

"What did I do?" Gilbert asked, pulling his headphones off.

Carl bristled. "I knew something was going on with you two."

"Oh, fer -" Mitchell sighed. "There's nothing going on."

Gilbert looked from Mitchell to Carl, confused. "With him? Oh, you're way off, mate."

"You fill his head with your ridiculous… teen angst. 'Love is just a lie' - are we twelve?"

Gilbert crossed his arms. "Well, it is a lie."

Mitchell nodded.

"Oh, you two deserve each other." Carl started toward the car. "No - better yet, Mitchell, you deserve Herrick."

Mitchell drew back, visibly offended.

Carl went to the car, hesitated, and walked back to Mitchell. "Give me the keys."

"I'm not giving you the keys. It's my car."

"Well, I'm not walking home."

The door to the carrier opened, and Herrick stuck his head out. "Mitchell!" he called.

Mitchell's eyes were set on Carl. "I'll meet you there, Herrick," he said. "I just have to take Carl home."

Herrick sighed and rolled his eyes. "Very well," he said. "But you had better meet me tonight."

Mitchell didn't respond. He walked to the car in silence, Carl beside him. He slid into the driver's seat and waited for Carl to join him.

Carl opened the passenger door and took his seat. "Mitchell -"

Mitchell shook his head.

"If you drop me off and leave, it's over," Carl said.

"I know."

Carl shifted. "I don't know how you can choose him -"

"I'm choosing to help those kids."

"Oh, bullshit. Any excuse, you'll take it."

Mitchell started the car. He sat, staring straight ahead. "Did you see how she killed him? She didn't think twice."

Carl blinked. "So, because Eddie's mum killed him, you suddenly think love isn't real?"

Mitchell shook his head. "No. That was real. That was real love." He looked at Carl. "I can't even… I can't even fathom it, Carl. I can't make it make sense, but if there's one thing I know, it's that Eddie's mum loved him."

"Then it's not a lie."

"No, but - for us? We just keep going. We just keep destroying people. We destroy love and life and everything that's good, then we sit and justify it." He looked at Carl. "We have the nerve to keep on going..."

"Well," Carl said, "we have a sort of built-in defense mechanism..."

"Whatever it is. Just… what's the point?"

"The point is, we can have something better."

"I wanted something better, and look what happened!"

Mitchell shifted into reverse and pulled out. He looked around for Gilbert, but he was gone. Probably back to his balcony. His safe place. He tried not to seethe with jealousy. Where was his safe place?

"He's fine," Carl said.

"I know."

They drove in silence, Mitchell mulling over what had happened with Eddie, Carl mulling over what was going to happen with Mitchell.

"Are you going to leave, then? Are you going to wax on about justifying this life and go back to Herrick, of all people?"

Mitchell paused. A heavy, long pause. Carl's place was ten minutes away. That was minutes before he'd know that answer to that himself.