A/N: As always I want to say thanks to the people who reviewed the previous chapter. There's not much else to say about this chapter except that I have to give credit to "Down with the Sickness" by Disturbed for creative inspiration of parts of chapter 10.

"There's been another disappearance. This time a man in East Barton," Mr. Branagh announced as he read the paper during breakfast.

"What terrible news," Mrs. Branagh said, bringing over a jug of orange juice and sitting down at the crowded kitchen table. Mrs. Branagh always felt genuinely sorry when something bad happened to strangers. "That must be the third missing person in two weeks."

Mr. Branagh nodded. "All gone without a trace."

"Maybe it's aliens," Paul suggested.

"Yeah, aliens abducting people so they can perform weird experiments on them," Ian added with a grin. Robin could only roll his eyes as he poured a glass of orange juice and wondered if the twins would ever move out of the house.

Chloe had craned her neck around to see the page Mr. Branagh was reading. "They were all last seen at night?"

"That's right," confirmed Mr. Branagh. "One was out jogging and the other two were on their way home from pubs."

Paul grabbed a piece of toast from Chloe's plate. "Nighttime abductions? Maybe it wasn't aliens after all, maybe it was space vampires."

At hearing the word 'vampires' Robin nearly choked on a spoonful of cornflakes and started coughing. "What?" he sputtered, still red in the face.

"Like in the Space Vampires movies. Vampires from outer space who come to earth and abduct people they want to bite."

Ian laughed. "Maybe they'll get you next, Robin."

"They wouldn't want him," Paul said with a laugh, "He'd enjoy it too much."

"Boys, stop it and eat your breakfasts," Mrs. Branagh scolded them though she also smiled.

Chloe didn't smile. She gave Robin a knowing look across the table, which he hastily avoided by taking a sudden interest in the contents of his bowl. But he had lost his appetite. People disappearing, all in or near Stokely, and all at night? It sounded suspicious. Could Paul be right?

Jonathan and Eric Van Helsing sat at the fold down table in their caravan, hunched over the front page of the Stokely Morning Chorus while Mina stood by the stovetop tending a skillet of eggs. They spoke in hushed voices in the hope that Mina wouldn't hear them. "This is exactly what I've been worried about," Mr. Van Helsing whispered, tapping his finger on the headline. "These blood-suckers are good at what they do… not a shred of evidence left behind."

"That's three now," Jonathan said. "But what's happened to these people? No bodies have been discovered."

"At best the vampires have kept them alive in the castle's dungeons to slowly harvest their blood. At worst…" Eric trailed off, letting Jonathan conclude what the 'worst' was.

In all the years they'd been in Stokely, the Draculas had never been the sort of vampires to go on killing sprees. It couldn't be a coincidence that the disappearances started so soon after Vlad turned. He shook off a sudden chill and asked, "What if that's what happened to the other slayer… Noah? He said he was going up to the castle, but we never saw him again."

"It's possible. Vampires are capable of almost anything."

Jonathan had heard enough. "Dad, if they are killing people we have to stop them." He couldn't believe that he almost used to feel sympathy for Vlad when they were younger. On the night of the hunt ball he had been so helpless, tied to a chair and crying as he begged for his father's life. But if Vlad was indeed the reason people were disappearing, no amount of pleading would spare him from a stake to the heart, courtesy of Jonathan Van Helsing.

"Believe me, Jonno, we will," Eric assured him.

"What are you going to do?" Mina asked, setting out the plate of eggs as she joined them.

Eric quickly flipped over the newspaper to hide the article he had been reading. "Jonno was just saying that he wants me to take him camping again. You know, father and son."

"Camping?" Mina asked incredulously. "The last time you boys went 'camping' you spent the entire weekend looking for vampires. After two years I thought you were finished with all that nonsense."

Laughing nervously, Eric replied, "We are finished with it." He cleared his throat and added in a steadier voice, "It's been such a long time since we last went camping, and this time we want to do it properly. And it means so much to Jonno."

Jonathan quickly nodded and said, "Yes, that's right, it does."

Mina sighed. "Well, if it's that important to you, don't let me stop you."

Robin felt uneasy through the entire morning at school. He kept glancing over at Vlad when he thought he wasn't looking, thinking over and over about what Ian and Paul had said at breakfast. He was certain he must have been obviously jumpy, but Vlad either didn't sense Robin's discomfort or was pretending not to notice. Vlad was already waiting at their usual lunch table when Robin arrived, and Vlad smiled when he saw him. "Hey Robin."

He murmured a greeting in response and sat down. They engaged in the usual small talk while they ate. Recently Vlad had been bringing food with him from home – if it could be called food. Robin suspected that each meal had blood mixed in, judging from the vitality Vlad gained from the concoctions. That day he had a container of one of Renfield's infamous stews. Robin didn't want to know what was in it. Once he was finished with his sandwich he pushed his lunch things aside and said, "Vlad, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

Robin wavered, afraid of saying something that could offend him. "I probably shouldn't."

Vlad fixed Robin with a penetrating stare he seemed to have mastered since his transformation. "What is it?"

"Have you ever had…" Robin glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one could overhear, then leaned closer across the table and whispered, "human blood?"

"No, of course not," Vlad said, frowning. "Why are you asking?"

"I was just wondering."

"Renfield gets animal blood for me," Vlad explained in a low voice. "I don't drink anything else."

Vlad's response sounded earnest, and Robin felt relieved to hear his assurance. He had been overreacting after all. He really needed to stop allowing Ian and Paul's stupid comments to make him suspicious.

Vlad flew back up to the castle after an early evening hunt. He had snuck out for a quick bite and hoped to get back before anyone noticed he had gone. Upon reaching the tower he discovered the window shutters he had left open for his return were securely closed. No doubt Renfield had closed them while going about his chores. As Vlad landed by the front door he decided he would need to remind Renfield to stay out of his room.

He began to carefully open the castle door, praying it wouldn't squeak. As he pushed, the door suddenly flew open all the way and Ingrid bumped into him.

"Watch where you're going, bat brain!" Ingrid said reflexively, walking by. Then she stopped and turned, scrutinizing him. "Where have you been?"

"Out. Where are you going?" Vlad asked, noticing that she had on a skirt and top she hadn't worn since her transformation.

"Out."

"Where? And why are you wearing breather clothes?"

"I'm not telling you," she scoffed.

"So I should tell Dad you'll be back late," Vlad said casually, turning to go inside.

In an instant Ingrid stood before him, having flitted into his path. "Don't you dare tell Dad anything!"

"Where are you going that's so secret?"

"If you must know, I have a date. What do you care?"

"A date? With who?" Before Ingrid could consider a response to his questions, a revelation struck Vlad. The clues made perfect sense. "You're dating a breather, aren't you? That's why you're dressed like that. That's why you don't want Dad to know!"

"Why you little…" Ingrid began, but Vlad stared her down. "Fine. You're right. But you'd better not tell Dad, or I may have to let slip that you've been sneaking out and coming home smelling of breather," she said, looking him over.

"I was watching TV at Robin's." He thought it would be a perfect alibi, but he underestimated the acuity of Ingrid's senses. She leaned close to him, getting near enough to make him uncomfortable. Vlad stopped breathing and hoped there weren't any stray drops of blood on his clothing. What if there was blood on him? Would she notice?

Ingrid sniffed once and straightened up with a victorious gleam in her eye. She shook her head as a wicked smile played across her lips. "That's not Branagh. Tell me, what naughty things have you been up to?" In a mocked-scandalized tone she asked, "Have you been hunting breathers?"

"No!" His denial came out sounding louder and more panicked than he intended. Fighting to regain his composure, he said, "Chloe and one of her friends were there with us."

Ingrid frowned, disappointed at receiving a perfectly normal explanation. "One of Chloe's friends. Of course. You'll never hunt your precious breathers." Relieved that Ingrid believed him, Vlad relaxed enough to start breathing again. Lowering her voice, she said to him, "But you know what Vlad? No matter how much you try to act like them, or how much you try to deny your instincts with your self-imposed delusions of humanity, you'll never be human again." She paused, waiting for her words to sink in and reveling in Vlad's pain as only she could. "We're vampires. Get used to it."

With those words Ingrid brushed past Vlad and left him standing there, frozen in place like a stone carving in the moonlight.

Everything Ingrid said to him churned in his mind, mixing with his thoughts and consuming them. Vlad felt as though a fire was burning from deep inside of him, fighting its way to the surface. Just when he felt he couldn't take anymore, the feeling vanished. It was like something in him had finally snapped under an incredible pressure and in that moment all his worry, self-loathing, guilt, anger, and sadness faded away. Suddenly he could see everything clearly. He had spent his life as a captive of his own desperate need to be something he was not. Now – for the first time – he was free.

"Murderer!"

Vlad stopped. He had snuck outside to avoid woodwork again, preferring to lurk behind the school building rather than put up with Mr. Van Helsing for an entire lesson. Almost no one went out there during school hours, and normally he could hide without being disturbed. All he wanted was to be left alone.

Vlad turned to face his accuser and found none other than Jonathan Van Helsing standing by the doors, his hands clenched into fists at his sides and his dark eyes blazing with hate. "What?"

"You heard me, vampire! I know what you did!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Vlad said, feigning innocence.

Advancing towards him, Jonathan looked ready to slay him right then. "I'm talking about the people who've been disappearing. I know it was you!"

Vlad's features slowly twisted into a smirk. "Let's say you're right. What are you going to do about it?"

"I'm going to make you pay." Jonathan swung a fist at Vlad's face, but he swiftly stepped out of the way. Each time he struck, Vlad was just out of reach. Vlad could have easily ended the fight but he held back, letting Jonathan continue his fruitless efforts to hurt him until the young slayer gave up. "Freak! Monster!" he spat furiously.

"Funny, that's what the other slayer called me."

Jonathan let out a guttural cry and rushed at Vlad, pushing him backwards against the brick wall of the school and grabbing hold of his shirt collar. "You'd better watch your back, blood-sucker! Because someday I'm going to put a stake in it!"

"Are you?" Vlad grinned and the other boy's eyes widened as he watched Vlad's fangs slide into place. Vlad effortlessly brushed Jonathan's hands away and grabbed him by the throat with one hand, using just enough pressure to make him struggle to breathe. He wasn't smiling anymore, but watching Jonathan coolly. "You don't have what it takes to slay me, Jonno. Try anything like this again and I won't be so nice about it." Vlad released his hold on Jonathan's neck and stalked back into the building.