Author's Note: We're winding down to the end here, folks. The reason for the delay in updating was due to be attempting to stretch it out as much as possible, possibly two more chapters left. There may or may not be a prequel and a sequel to this story…I'm still debating turning it into a series. As always, thanks for those who read and/or reviewed!

***START OF CHAPTER***

The House

The teenagers entered the house in a whirlwind; Michael had Star in his arms while Sam had Laddie; Edgar and Alan followed up the rear. They had just reached the stairs when Nanook came racing up, barking at them loudly.

"No, Nanook!" Sam snapped. "Quiet!"

"Your dog knows flesh-eaters when he smells 'em." Edgar growled as Nanook continued to bark.

"Take him outside, Sam." Michael ordered.

Handing Laddie over to a disgruntled Alan, Sam grabbed Nanook by the collar and led him outside. The others began to climb the stairs.

"Hey!" The group whirled around to find Grandpa standing near his taxidermy room. "Do you know the rule about filling the car up with gas when you take it without asking?"

Michael frowned, expecting instead to have been chewed out. "No."

His grandfather smiled slightly. "Well now you know."

Grandpa entered his red room, shutting the door behind him. After recovering from their disbelief, the group hurried upstairs to Michael's room.

The Frog Brothers watched warily from the hallway as Michael made Star and Laddie comfortable on his bed. Sam barreled up the stairs, glanced into Michael's bedroom, and then focused his attention on the Frog Brothers.

"Well...," Sam sighed. "We blew Plan A."

Alan nodded. "Time to activate Plan B."

Sam looked at him expectantly. "What's Plan B?"

Instead of answering, Edgar and Alan shared a look.

"We don't have one yet." Edgar admitted before looking down at his watch. "And we only have two and a half hours to come up with one."

Sam frowned. "What happens in two and a half hours?"

Edgar's voice was grave as he replied, "The sun goes down and they'll be comin' for us."

***BREAK***

Sundown

Mattie looked at the mess that had been Marko, her eyes welling up with tears as her fingers brushed his jacket in fond remembrance. She had spent the first hour of her night cleaning it of the debris that had once been her brother in a daze. She felt a black hole in her essence; the link between them had been severed forever and it left a notable void.

"I don't understand why they would want to kill us." She said softly, breaking the heavy silence that pervaded the cave. When she looked up, it was David's eyes she met. "We didn't do anything to them."

David's response was to brush her shoulder with his hand as he passed by. Paul was pacing angrily nearby. He had been closest to Marko and it was he who was taking it the hardest. No matter what she did, Mattie couldn't calm him down. It was obvious to all of them that he was moments away from losing what little control he had.

"Michael." Dwayne was the one who answered, his voice low but filled with venom.

David nodded. "He had the chance to turn and he refused. He thinks we're evil." David's eyes found Mattie again. "He isn't going to change, Mattie."

Mattie turned away. She knew David was right, but there was a small part of her that just didn't want to admit defeat. "Maybe I should try talking to him…."

"No!" Paul snarled, whirling around. "I won't take the chance that they'll kill you too."

Mattie recoiled, even though Paul was feet away. "They're my brothers." She reminded him softly.

"You're a vampire." David reminded her. "As far as they're concerned, you're no different from Marko." Their eyes met once again. "We're your family now, Mattie."

Mattie felt her heart breaking. "I still think I could make a difference." She pressed.

"No." Paul stated firmly. "We will handle this."

"Paul, I get what you're saying, but Michael is my twin and – "

Without warning, Paul picked her up in an iron-tight grip.

"Paul!" Mattie exclaimed as they headed back into the main part of the cave. "What are you doing?!"

"Keeping you safe." He replied. Shortly after, they entered a room that Mattie had never seen before. Paul put her down on the bed, cupped her face, and examined her for a moment. "I love you." He murmured before giving her a deep kiss. And then he was out of the room and locking the door. "It'll open at midnight if we aren't back by then."

His words were muted by the thick door between them. Mattie rushed forward and began to bang on the metal door.

Her angry screams and howls followed the boys as they left the cave.

***BREAK***

As the distinctive horn blast of the Emerson grandpa taking off for the Widow Johnson's faded, the teenagers began to prepare the house for the upcoming battle. Michael locked the doors and windows; Sam prepared bowls of garlic in the kitchen; the Frog brothers poured holy water into the upstairs bathroom bathtub before filling up their water guns with the same water.

As the night crept on, Michael, Star, and Laddie began to recover their strength.

"They'll be coming for Laddie and me, won't they?" Star asked fretfully as Michael entered the room.

"They'll be coming for all of us." Michael replied as he went to his closet and took out his hunting bow.

Michael's thoughts were racing a million miles a minute and memories of the past few weeks flashed through his head, but it was his twin's face that stayed foremost in his mind. He knew she was dead, but he swore that he could still feel her presence. They were twins and had always had a weird sort of connection; her death should've changed that, but he didn't. He could almost feel her screaming his name. Sensing his pain, Star placed a comforting hand on his thigh. Michael glanced up at her and saw the guilt in her eyes. Wanting to ease her discomfort, Michael pushed aside his own guilt and forced a comforting smile onto his face.

"Everything's going to be fine."

***BREAK***

The room was the size of a one-stall department store bathroom and had all the charm to match. There were (obviously) no windows and only the one, heavy door as an entry or exit point. Décor was sparse; chipped steel blue paint and a handful of old rock posters were the only things lining the four walls. Aside from the large, wooden bed decked out in faded red velvet blankets, the only other furniture was a wooden chair and a bedside table; the table had at least a dozen, well-read books.

Mattie had spent the last ten minutes screaming Michael's name both out loud and in her own head; she could feel him hearing her and yet he wouldn't respond. It was clear that David and the others had been right – her blood…no, human…family no longer wanted anything to do with her because she was a vampire. A growl ripped through Mattie's throat as she threw a copy of the Phantom of the Opera against the wall.

She was trapped and she knew it. And for the first time in her life, Mattie felt hopeless.

***BREAK***

The air was tense now that the sky was completely dark. The group had assembled for a final talk, knowing that the time they had before the vampires arrived was brief.

"I think I should warn you all," Edgar warned, "It's never pretty when a vampire buys it. No two bloodsuckers ever go out the same way. Some scream and yell. Some go quietly. Some explode. Some implode. But all will try to take you with them."

Michael and Sam exchanged a look, but before anyone could say anything Nanook began to bark outside.

"Nanook!" Sam exclaimed, horrified. "I left him tied up in the yard!"

Sam rushed outside even as the others tried to stop him. Sam raced across the lawn towards Nanook as Michael screamed for him to get back in the house. Nanook's barking became more insistent as unnatural sounds filled the night air. As soon as Nanook was free, he and Sam rushed into the house and slammed the door. Sam leaned against the front door, totally out of breath, as everyone calmed down, but the excitement was short lived.

Dwayne exploded from the fireplace and the fighting began.

***END OF CHAPTER***

Author's Note: Hopefully, despite the delay, I still have people reading this. Thanks for reading!