DISCLAIMER: Dick Clair and Jenna McMahon created "The Facts of Life" fictional characters borrowed for this fan fiction. Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher wrote "The Private War of Major Benson," from which the title of this work was borrowed. Mitch Markowitz wrote "Good Morning, Vietnam," from which the title of this chapter was borrowed. The fictional characters, Countess Natsuki Kruger and Countess Shizuru Viola are from my AU Yuri fan fiction, "The Crimson Countess" and I borrowed them from "My-Otome," which is owned by Sunrise. The author of this fan fiction does not profit, in any way, from the story and that all creative rights to the characters and titles belong to their original creator(s).

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Well, I finally found my long missing muse hiding inside my Christmas present!

The Private War of Joanna Polniaczek

Good Morning, Peekskill

Blair knew she was taking the coward's way out of her situation, but she was terrified. She knew what her fate would be, no matter the choice…death. She was not ready to die.

"I'm too young…and pretty to die," Blair thought as she looked out the private jet's window.

As she considered everything Countess Viola told her, including the very real, and very scary fact she was about to experience extreme pain. Blair winced as the memories flooded back with a nasty vengeance. She could feel the changes beginning to ravage her body.

"What's going to become of me?" Blair softly bemoaned.

The attendant leaned down and asked, "Miss Warner, do you need anything?"

"Wha?" Blair looked up at the attendant.

Blair could see the young woman's lips moving, but she could not hear anything. All she could concentrate on was the tempting scent tantalizing her olfactory system. The heiress' mouth began to water and it took every ounce of her quickly depleting self-control to stay in her seat.

"Miss Warner? Are you okay? You look a bit flushed," the concerned attendant asked.

The attendant's voice quickly brought Blair to her senses. She knew she needed to get back to Peekskill as soon as possible, before she did something she would regret. Reluctantly, she decided, for the safety of the crew, to lock herself in the small onboard sleeping quarters for the duration of the long flight. Blair pasted on her best debutante face and smiled.

"Actually, no, I am feeling a bit airsick. If you need me, I will be in the sleeping quarters for the rest of the flight and do not wish to be disturbed for any reason," Blair stood and walked back to the sleeping quarters.

Blair stared at the ceiling and contemplated her dismal future. Her temper briefly flared at the beautiful countess, until reality set in. In her heart, she knew the only one to blame was the male vampire who attacked her in the garden.

"Oh Jo…," Blair softly lamented, "…I really need you right now."

A knock on the cabin door startled Blair out of her misery.

"Yes?"

The attendant peeked in her head and smiled, "Miss Warner, we are approaching dinner service and…"

Blair's stomach growled in response.

The attendant stifled a giggle and asked, "Surf or turf?"

"I'd love to have you for dinner," Blair thought as her 'brown with green and gold flecks' bore through the young woman, causing the attendant to blush.

Emboldened by the blood lust surging through her veins, Blair stood and slowly approached the young woman, her eyes locked on her prey.

"Beware young lady, do not let your growing bloodlust best your humanity," Blair suddenly remembered the Countess Viola's stern warning.

Blair violently shook her head, temporarily keeping her bloodlust at bay and shoved her young prey out of the cabin doorway. After slamming the door shut, she leaned against it.

Back at the villa in Italy, Countess Viola shuddered.

"Shizuru?" Natsuki asked.

"It has begun," Shizuru sadly stated.

No one disturbed Blair for the duration of the flight. After her last shocking interaction with the young heiress, the flight attendant decided it would be prudent to leave the obviously disturbed woman alone for the remainder of the flight. By the time the private jet landed at the small airstrip on the outskirts of Peekskill, Blair's bloodlust was nearly uncontrollable. She could hear the swiftly deplaning flight crew softly arguing which one of them should let their strange passenger know the plane landed.

In a fit of anger, Blair yelled from inside the cabin, "I AM NOT STUPID! I KNOW WE HAVE LANDED!"

This outburst swiftly cleared the last of the flight crew out of the plane. Blair immerged from the cabin completely engulfed in her new bloodlust. She quickly disappeared into the dark night in search of food.

The next day, Blair awoke to the smell of something burning. She quickly leapt from her bed and drew the bedroom curtains. The blistered skin on her arm stung, so she carefully made her way through the sunlit bedroom and into the dressing room. She sat at her vanity and examined the seared pale skin on her arm. When she looked up into the mirror, her mouth dropped open and a shaky hand reached out to touch the smooth glass.

"Why?" Blair softly asked the mirror.

Once a source of comfort and pleasure, the mirror now joined the sunlight as a bane of Blair's existence. She quickly picked up the princess telephone on her vanity and just as quickly slammed it back down.

"I don't even know her number," Blair cursed.

She briefly considered calling Jo for help, but knew there was nothing her best friend could do for her. After several minutes, Blair finally rose and proceeded to block the sunlight from entering every room of her house.

"I can't believe I did all that myself. If the girls could see me now, they would be laughing," Blair bitterly chuckled. "If this wasn't so tragic, I would be laughing right along with them."

Blair wanted to exhibit some sort of emotional response, but discovered, to her horror, she was now devoid of all human emotion. When she threw back the covers on her bed, a new horror greeted her and she wondered what inhuman thing she perpetrated last night. She quickly stripped the bed of the blood soaked sheets and threw them into the washing machine.

"I'll never get that much dried blood out of those sheets," Blair growled.

She grabbed the sheets out of the washing machine and brought them downstairs to the basement. After a bit of searching, she finally found a small can of gasoline and some matches. She opened the old abandoned wood burning furnace and threw in the sheets.

Blair made sure everything burned completely before returning upstairs. As she headed for her bedroom, the doorbell rang. She tried to peek out at who was at the door, but the sunlight forced her away. After a couple more rings, loud knocking startled Blair.

"Headmistress Warner, this is the Peekskill police!"

"If only it were night," Blair grumbled and quickly tried to figure out her next move.

A second round of loud knocks angered Blair.

"Yes?" Blair asked from behind the closed door.

"Headmistress Warner, are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Blair replied, trying to sound convincing.

"Could you please open the door…so we can be certain?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm not presentable," Blair curtly replied.

"Miss Warner, we really need to ascertain you are well."

Blair finally lost her tentative hold on what little patience she possessed and tore open the front door. As soon as the sunlight scorched her vampire skin, she realized her mistake and immediately slammed the door on two extremely shocked Peekskill police officers. It took the two civil servants a few minutes to process what they just witnessed, before kicking in the front door. As soon as they entered the house, Blair attacked.

On a balcony in Italy, two heads bowed in mourning for Blair's lost humanity.