Edgar jammed the walkie-talkie up to his mouth again, "ALAN! Where the fucking hell are you?!"

Star pushed herself off the counter, her sandals making a light slap as she landed. She approached the arsenal that the Frogs had assembled behind the counter. She ran her fingers over the handles of a set of small knives, the watergun left forgotten on the bench.

"I'm just going to help myself," she told Edgar, as hitched up her skirt and belted a sheath to her firm thigh. She slid the sharp knife into place, feeling safer already.

Static buzzing filled the room as Edgar tried yet again to reach his brother. There was a crackle, then silence…

"…Eagle Eye can't come to the phone right now…"

Edgar stared in disbelief at the walkie. He turned slowly and looked at Star, his throat gulping.

Star's eyes were wide with alarm. "Oh no, not Alan," she gasped.

She ran around the counter and tentatively squeezed Edgar's shoulder in comfort.

"I'm so sorry. This is my fault," whispered Star. She felt him tense under her hand.

"How could They have him…" he uttered, his lips barely moving. "We were careful and fully armed… how?"

"The others must've been out there like David said."

"What do I say? What do we do?" Edgar asked in a small voice.

Star was momentarily speechless. This was possibly the first time Edgar was not the one giving orders. The fact that he was asking her, an ex-half-vamp he hated, for advice spoke volumes of his emotional state.

She cleared her throat and gave his back a soothing rub. "Well, we make a deal. David wants me back. Trade me for Alan." She wasn't going to be responsible for anyone else getting hurt because of her.

He sniffed and shot her a lost look, "David can't win this. He can't."

"Ask David what he wants."

Edgar composed himself, then pressed the button. His voice rang out strong and clear. "Don't even think about hurting my brother."

Laughter crackled out from the speaker. "Or what Frog?"

"Edgar, don't piss him off anymore than he already his," Star warned. "We want all of Alan back, and in one piece."

He hesitated then swallowed the insults that had been on the tip of his tongue. 'What do you want?" Edgar growled.

The pair waited with baited breath. The radio hissed with silence.

Edgar gritted his teeth and thumped his fist on the counter. "Why is he making us wait?!"

Sighing under the stress, she pushed a hand through her hair. "Because its what he does. Mind games. You can't trust him. God, he tricked Michael into drinking blood!"

"I HATE him!" Edgar yelled, kicking a box of comics.

Star was jolted by the outburst. She didn't know how to calm him – what could you say to make this situation any easier? Only the safe return of Alan would bring the old, confident Edgar back. The death of all vampires couldn't hurt either.

Edgar prowled in agitation, the walkie-talkie dormant in his hand.

Movement at the corner of Star's eye drew her attention. Star turned to look out the store window and a frightened scream burst from her lips.

"What now?-"

Edgar's eyes followed hers. She didn't need to answer him. They both stared motionless at the window. Dwayne and Paul stared back. As if all four were frozen, they merely observed each other. Dwayne broke the spell by lifting his hand slowly and wiggling his fingers 'hello' at Star.

"Do you think this time we are surrounded?" she whispered.

Both mortals jumped when Paul and Dwayne nodded in unison.

"You need thicker glass..." Star commented flatly, imagining not only sound traveling, but vampires smashing through.

"Glass, no matter how thick, isn't going to stop a vampire," Edgar replied as if reading her mind.

Suddenly the walkie-talkie squalked to life once more, causing both to jump again.

David's voice echoed around the store. "I have a gift for you."

"Don't want it," came Edgar's terse response, gaze still locked on the vampire duo outside.

"Oh, you'll want this gift."

"I want my brother," demanded Edgar.

"And so you shall have him."

He pressed the button to talk, then gave Star a panicked frown.

She glanced from the window to Edgar, back and forth, as if watching a tennis match. There was no way she was letting Dwayne or Paul out of her sight.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"There is no signal anymore. I think David killed the other walkie."

Star bit back her intended remark; she had been about to tell Edgar that she hoped that's all David had killed.