"You don't exist. You do not exist", Dylan was backing away from Ben in self-denial.

"I'm afraid I do. But I swear you're safe with me."

"A- a vigilante vampire! You – just you keep away from my dog. Never ever go near my dog or I will throw holy water over you and watch that cute little face go up in smoke."

"Not all the stories about us are true. Holy water doesn't have any effect. But I would never harm a dog. I once stood in the shadows, my belly aching with hunger, so that I didn't harm a kitten that was running around. Of course, that was back in 1891…"

"1891. So you were a dandy Victorian Vigilante vampire? And what are you feeding on now apart from thugs?"

Ben smiled which didn't do much for Dylan's already increased pulse rate. He told Dylan about the blood banks.

"Ethan Hardy? That grumpy little blighter is feeding you all from our blood banks?"

"You know yourself a lot of blood is wasted."

"Well aren't you a good little boy finding a use for it?"

"Let me see you safely back home."

Dylan gave an almost angry laugh.

"Funnily enough I do feel safe with you and I took a risk with that cash machine. But Dervla was hungry."

"Your dog?"

"I've told you…"

"I will not go near your dog. Get it?"

"I should report you to Connie Beauchamp."

"I'm afraid she's one of us too."

Dylan sighed heavily.

"Benjamin, once I'm safely in my houseboat I'm going to have a very stiff drink. Or two strong painkillers. And I'm going to go to sleep and pray that this has all been a hideous dream."

The next morning Dylan Keogh arrived at work with a scowl fixed almost permanently on his face. He went through the motions of working until the beginning of the evening shift when Dr Hanna went to him and told him to take time out to sit in the breakout area while she went to find him something to help.

"And then you're going home to that dog of yours."

Ben wisely kept as far away from Dr Keogh as he could that evening.

As promised, Dr Hanna went down to the pharmacy section and unfortunately Max decided to sneak down to watch her. He knew it was stalking and that he deserved a punch in the mouth for it. What he got was a lot worse.

He arrived a little before Zoe, to find Jeannie, the dour middle aged pharmacist, being threatened by a man with a shotgun.

"Give me what f****ing drugs you have, bitch. I just want this pain to stop."

He turned the gun on Max.

"Down on the floor, pretty boy. You've seen nothing, right?"

Once more he aimed the gun at the shivering Jeannie:

"Hand them over, you silly old cow, or I WILL use this."

"You really don't want to do that, Sir." Zoe's voice.

The gun was aimed at her, and the man fired. Max, putting heart before common sense, had thrown himself in front of her and now lay dying with a deep wound in his abdomen. Jeannie had mercifully fainted.

"Now give me…"

The man got no further. Zoe had snapped his neck hard. Ignoring him she knelt down by Max, who was trying to speak.

"Ssh… oh my God, you love me don't you? This won't hurt too much and it's better than dying…." She told him.

Then she bit him, judging the right moment.

"Right, darling, don't waste time querying, drink this…"

She had slashed her wrist and was offering it to him. She could see he was almost too weak to feed but held him so that he could take her life-giving blood.

Seconds later he looked up at her in a mixture of resentment and wry amusement.

"My dream girl and she just happens to be a vampire… hey am I one now?"

"I'm afraid so. Oh… Jeannie."

She knelt by Jeannie, whispering: "This never happened" in her ear.

"Go into my office and wait for me there" she told the stunned Max.

Looking totally nonplussed, the porter did as he was told.

"What the hell? I've never fainted on duty before." Jeannie had recovered.

"I'll check you over. Hmm… overwork maybe Jeannie? I'd put in for some annual leave."

Max and Zoe sat on the roof, mulling over recent events.

"So I have a girlfriend just like that. And she's a vampire. And she can erase minds."

"We both can now, darling."

"Can you put things into people's minds too?"

"If it's a pay rise you want, you're out of luck, Max. They come from Connie and…"

"Shit, a vampire me, a vampire girlfriend and a vampire clinical lead."

"You shouldn't throw yourself in front of men with shotguns."

"Ha ha. I suppose we'd better go in."

Zoe, with an impish expression, looked round. Nobody."

"Come on, one giant leap. Don't forget you can fly now."

They glided down to the ground with Max giggling like a naughty schoolboy.