((Hey guys! Hope you enjoy a little breather before the plunge, or the calm after the storm...whichever way you want to see it, there's action ahead, and mystery behind. Thanks for always commenting and supporting me! Your support is what keeps me going! Also, just to let you know, Mae and the boys are open for questions over at .com, my tumblr dedicated to The Lost Boys and this fic! As always, comments feed my soul! I hope you like this chapter!))

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Los Angeles. 1987. Miguel's House. Sometime around midnight.

"You know I hate it when you smoke those things, Viejo."

"Ah, fine. But only for you, Chiquita."

"You say that every time, Túlio, and yet you still try to sneak one in whenever we're out here."

"Sí, but if I didn't try, you wouldn't know it was me!"

"True."

Mae turned back to the open sky, watching a plane fly into LAX as she heard Túlio put away his cigarettes. The roof of Miguel's old house was her favorite place to hang out when she wanted to be alone. It was about as secluded as one could be in a house full of vampires, the air was relatively free of smoke and incense, and you could pretend that the airplanes overhead were shooting stars making their way across the sky. Of course, she was never up there alone for long, but those few precious minutes meant the world to her. She loved her friends, don't get her wrong, but they were a rambunctious bunch at the best of times. A girl needed her privacy once in a while.

A cold hand found hers, their fingers tangling as Túlio lay down beside her. He was growing out his hair, the strands straight and thick and as black as the night he loved so dearly. Out of all of her friends, he was the one she held closest to her heart. Túlio was just about the only one she could truly count on, or so she hoped. He hadn't let her down yet, but he was bound to Miguel's will, and if his sire decided that Mae was no longer welcome in his coven and his home, Túlio would have no choice but to kill her. It was the way of things here, and she did her best to accept it.

She lifted their hands up, studying his skin against hers. Where she was pale, he was as dark as the champurrado the abuelas at the markets made. Some days, she caught him staring sadly at one of the old women working at a fruit stand. Once, she'd asked him why he did that. After a few moments of silence, he had quietly said that she was meant to be family, but her love of God kept her from taking the final step, and now he was doomed to watch her die.

It was times like those that made her grateful that she had no one so dear to leave behind. Attachments were as terrible as they were beautiful.

"What are you thinking of, Chiquita?"

"Dreadful things."

"For one so young, you are so dour!" His laughter was like crushed velvet. "When you are my age, you can spend your days brooding, although I hope you choose not to."

"I will do as I see fit, Túlio. Remember the last time you tried to tell me what to do?"

"Ah, sí! You nearly scared poor Helena into an early grave! That would have been awful, too. Nina was about to turn her, too."

"Well, they're happy now, so I guess all is forgiven."

"Indeed. Tell me, though, how are things between you and Veronica? She's been…well, how to put this delicately…"

"Whoring around? Yeah, she dumped me."

"I thought that might be the case. Although Casper says you told him that you dumped her."

"I tell Casper a lot of things, some of them very untrue, you know this."

"I do, but I'm glad you don't need to lie to me."

"I don't need to lie to him, it's just so fun! He likes it, you know, figuring out what people really mean."

"Sí. I know. But stop deflecting. Did she hurt you?"

"No. Not physically, at least. Everywhere else? Yeah. A lot. I…with you, Viejo, I never feel lesser. I never feel...human. But with the rest of the gang, I sometimes feel so insignificant. I know that for most of you, I'm just a passerby, someone here for a moment and then gone forever, but I want to be more. I want a family. I want permanence. I've spent my whole life wondering where I'll be shuffled off to next. I want to come home."

"And you thought you'd found your home with Veronica?"

"…I don't know. I don't think so. I just…I fell in love. In retrospect, maybe it wasn't love. I don't know. But she was my first, in so many ways. I used to read about these kinds of things, and wonder what it was like, but now? Mostly I'm just disappointed. I haven't really had time to think it over. I just feel like a convenience to her. Or I was, anyway."

"Let me tell you a secret, Chiquita. Home is not something you find. Home is something you create. If you want this place to be your home, it will become home. All of us are here because we want to be. All of us joined Miguel because we wanted to make our home here with him. We accept each new brother or sister because they want to be one of us. But you, my darling…I have yet to hear you say you want to make a home with us. You only ever say that you want a home."

"Túlio, I…"

"Ssshh, Chiquita. I'm not hurt. None of us are. You and Veronica were not meant to be. You know this now. You deserve the world, and so does Veronica. I'm angry with her on your behalf, but I knew of her nature long before I met you. Perhaps I should have warned you, but you're a stubborn one, Mae. You needed to learn for yourself, to grow on your own. If she had hurt you beyond repair, believe me, Miguel himself would have cast her out, but this was not the case. Mae, you are meant for a wonderful home. You are meant for great things. I can see it."

"Túlio, you know you can't actually see the future, right?"

"Hush, Chiquita. Let me have my moment."

"Fiiiine."

"Mae, mi hermosa, I don't know what the future holds, it's true, but I think you're not meant for this place. Not that you're not welcome, but because your home lies beyond the city. I can't speak for the others, not really. Perhaps they do see you as insignificant. Perhaps they are all cruel. Perhaps they are all liars. People are not so easy to define. We are all more than one thing, even if we do not acknowledge it ourselves. Do not label them so quickly, Chiquita, because you will find yourself missing the parts of them that are worth cherishing." He sighed, his breath rustling like old, dry leaves.

"You're hurt. I understand, believe me, I do. Just remember that out of all of us, Mae, my love for you is beyond doubt. This I swear to you. You are my sister."

It took many long moments for Mae to respond. A new plane flew by. A passing truck somewhere in the distance set off a blaring car alarm. Someone turned on the stereo down below them, shouts of pleasure echoing in the air as an impromptu party began. All the while, Túlio held her hand.

"I love you too."

"She's waking up."

"Close the door. The sun's gonna rise."

"Hang on, I'll make sure everything's locked up."

"Hurry up."

"Has anyone seen the cooler?"

"It's in the corner."

"Thanks."

Mae's eyes fluttered open just as someone switched on the lamp. With a hiss, she shut them again, wincing as searing pain shot through her head. A muffled apology was whispered into her ear, a pair of lips brushing across her forehead. Paul. Another set kissed her cheek. Marko. Someone's hand was resting on her knee. Most likely David, if the rhythmic tapping was anything to go by. The door to the secret room closed, and Dwayne could be heard messing with what she assumed to be the cooler, his disgruntled muttering barely audible above the soft music filtering out of the stereo. Deciding to give it another try, Mae opened her eyes once more, her wincing less pronounced now that she was expecting the ache the light would bring.

"Hey, girlie." Paul murmured, his blonde hair barely visible out of the corner of her eye.

She was laying down on the boys' makeshift beds, her head and shoulders laying on Marko's lap. Her legs were apparently on Paul's lap. After a few moments, she noticed that David's hand was still on her knee, seemingly with no intent of leaving it. A quickly aborted stretch showed that she was in a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, her hair damp and skin clean. She hurt all over and her mouth tasted like dead rat. Mae was just about to ask for a drink when Dwayne, ever the attentive brother, came over with a bottle of water and a pack of cookies. He sat next to her head, helping Marko lift her up onto the younger's lap. With a small sigh, she leaned into her boyfriend, letting him help her drink with only a minimal amount of grumbling.

"I'm not an infant, guys…" She croaked, her throat raw from screaming.

"No, but you're the baby of the family now, so get used to it." David grinned, his smirk only growing wider when she glared daggers at him.

"Fuck yeah! I get to boss you around now!" Paul laughed, ignoring her weak kick to his stomach.

"Assholes. All of you, assholes." Mae groaned.

"Hey, I didn't do anything!" Mark complained, but his giggles weren't being smothered very well, so she glared at him too.

"That's it. Dwayne's my only brother now." Mae huffed before accepting a few cookies from the brunet, who smiled triumphantly at the others.

On the surface, everything seemed normal, as if everyone was just ignoring the events of the past day, but the tension lingered like an unwelcome guest. Even though Mae wanted to just forget everything, she knew that someone would bring the topic up sooner or later. Paul was fidgeting, his fingers picking at some loose strings at the bottoms of her old sweatpants. Marko was quiet as usual, but his body was tense beneath her, and his hand was gripping her waist so tightly that she was afraid that he'd bruise her if he didn't stop soon. Dwayne's eyes kept running over her face, as if looking for something he'd missed, some injury that still needed tending to. David had the best poker face, but she liked to think that she knew him well enough to tell that this was all an act for the benefit of his family, to put them at ease when even he was worried. It made her want to scream. Since screaming would probably freak them all out more than it would make her feel better, she decided to just jump in headfirst and rip the band-aid right off.

"So. I was kidnapped. That was fun." Mae's voice was surprisingly calm, but she was obviously shaking. Marko growled, pulling her even closer, tilting her head back so he could look her in the eye.

"Don't you fucking make this into a joke, Mae." His teeth were bared, human but no less frightening. "You…You were gone, and…"

"Don't get all emotional on me now, babe." Mae's laugh was hollow, but she leaned in and kissed him gently. "I'm here. Let me handle this my way, babe. If I take this too seriously, I…I won't be able to get it out."

Marko was quiet for a moment, searching her eyes and reading her face. Mae let him, grateful that her brothers were giving them a minute. When he found whatever he was looking for, Marko nodded, sighing as he tried to let go of the pressure building inside of him. Mae kissed his cheek before turning back to David, who was still wearing his mask of calm.

"I was walking to the store, soaking wet. Fucking rain. I usually love it, but right now, I'm not too happy about it." She scrubbed her hands across her face, biting back the anxiety. "I was almost to the door of the grocery store when I felt someone watching me. I stopped to try and see who it was when someone stuffed a rag in my face and held me so tight that I couldn't break away. I bit down and hoped to god that you guys would find the blood trail. I was in and out for hours. Every time I woke up, I was in a different place: the back of a car, some dusty old room, the car again, then the basement. I don't remember what happened, since whenever I woke up the rag was stuffed in my face again. Next thing I know, I'm here. I think I remember you washing my hair, babe, but I'm not sure. I never saw who got me, or if there was anyone else."

With a final, shuddering sigh, Mae leaned back into Marko, curling up as much as she could. She grabbed Dwayne's hand and held it so tightly that it would have hurt anyone who wasn't a vampire. David kept his hand on her knee, while Paul moved closer to Marko, his thumb stroking her ankle. They were all silent for a moment while Depeche Mode played in the background, David Gahan begging to see the listener stripped down to the bone. David was the first to stir, looking strangely young in just his shirt and jeans, his feet bare and his hair mussed.

"The guy who got you was a human named Isaac, a drug dealer. Paul knew him and recognized his scent. If it wasn't for Paul, we wouldn't have found you." Paul preened a little under the praise. "We tracked you to his shack over by the shore. You were tied to a chair…with Isaac's corpse at your feet. A message was written behind you on the wall in Isaac's blood: 'Run and hide, little boys. Mother's home.' We're not sure if he wrote it, or if someone else did. It definitely wasn't you, though. We didn't find any blood on your hands. His death, though…"

"What about it?" Mae asked, leaning forwards a bit. She felt Marko try to pull her back, but she ignored him. Paul and Dwayne tensed up again, which only added to her unease.

"He was killed by a vampire. We couldn't find any trace of them, but that was probably because of all the blood splattered around. They managed to keep from leaving any footprints or handprints, but I'd bet you good money that it was the rogues."

"…So they were behind all of this…" Mae bit her lip, her hands shaking. She clasped them together tightly to keep them still.

"We think so. At least one of them is older than we thought, if he can control a human for that long during the daytime." David ran his hand through his hair.

"But what about the message? What does it meant?"

"It's a challenge. They want to take over this town. We'll have to fight them, sooner rather than later. Fucking bastards. I had this whole thing planned out. We were gonna find wherever they're hiding and ambush them, but that plan's scrapped."

"Why? We can still find them and kill them before they can come after us."

"It's not that simple. This is a challenge to my authority." David growled in irritation. "While they're marked for death, this challenge, if they make it public like I think they will, forces my hand. We'll have to meet them somewhere visible and fight it out. Loser dies, winner takes all."

"But how are they gonna make it public? The councils want them dead." Mae's mind was racing a mile a minute.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling that they'll do it remotely. They could find some wanderer and make them send a message to the San Francisco council, maybe. Regardless of how they do it, if we ambush them now, it puts us in a precarious position. Someone could find out that they challenged us and come and take up their fight. It makes me look weak as a leader if I kill them now. Fucking politics. I wish I'd never known about the goddamn councils.

"You've been doing some studying." Mae grinned, her voice teasing.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, chuckles." David shoved her, making sure not to use too much force. If her laughter was anything to go by, Mae wasn't as intimidated as she should have been. Oh, well. He'd let it slide. Last night had sucked hard enough that they could all use a little amusement.

"…Something's worrying me, though…" Marko frowned, absentmindedly stroking Mae's side.

"What is it?" Dwayne asked. He kept watching Mae, nudging another snack into her hand whenever she finished the one she was currently eating.

"It's the way they ended the note. 'Mother's home.' I can't be the only one who thinks it might have something to do with Widow Johnson."

"The thought did cross my mind." David leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped beneath his chin. "But I don't want to jump to conclusions. They could be working for her, but I don't see why. People like that chafe at authority, and she hasn't made a play for power yet, despite having ample time to."

"I wouldn't put it past her to find some way to use them, though." Marko replied. "From what you've told me, she was a tricky one when you and Max first came here. You took her power away. She probably wants it back."

"You could be right, but we can't go after her without solid evidence. We're about to have even more attention brought down on us. We don't need to add the old bitch to our troubles right now."

"The way she was creeping on Mae isn't exactly what I'd call friendly, though." Dwayne rested his chin on his palm. "She knows Mae's our weakest link. It makes sense for Widow Johnson to go after her."

"Like I said, you guys could be right. To be honest, I'm inclined to agree with you." David snatched a cookie for himself, talking with his mouth full. "But like I also said, we can't do much about her at the moment. I'd love to go rip her head off, believe me. I'd like to go stake those rogue bastards while they sleep, too, but if the councils get involved, we'll be outnumbered so badly we might as well walk into the sun by ourselves. What we need right now is backup."

"Backup?" Paul tilted his head. "Who we gonna call?"

"Ghostbusters." Marko grinned, cackling when Paul smacked him upside the head.

"Nah. I got someone better." David turned to Mae. "While you were out, I placed a call to your friends down in L.A. It took a bit of doing, but I finally got on the line with Túlio. He's coming up tomorrow night."

"We better get ready, then. He'll probably bring some of the guys along with him." Mae groaned, rubbing at her forehead. Thinking about how much her friends ate was a lot easier than thinking about the mess they were in. "They'll eat me out of house and home, I swear. For people who don't need to eat human food, you guys sure eat a lot of it!"

"We'll keep an eye on the kitchen. We promise." Paul poked at her shin.

"With your friends here, we have better odds of things going our way. They can't help in the fight itself, but they can keep things on the up and up." David shrugged. "And if your friends are as connected as you say, they can get us some support from the Los Angeles council, at least."

"True. Miguel is on the council, actually." Mae stretched a little, her spine popping a little bit. "He can't force them to do anything, but he's one of the oldest vampires in L.A. His influence is undeniable, and Túlio is usually allowed to make decisions in his stead. He's the Dwayne to Miguel's David."

"Then things should hopefully go our way." David laughed.

There was silence again for a while. Mae and Marko stayed curled up together, hands linked, but Paul succumbed to his restless nature and began shuffling through the various cassettes and records still stored in the room. Dwayne finished making sure that Mae ate something, his silent gaze enough to make her finish her food, despite her lack of appetite. David grabbed a beer out of the cooler, settling for alcohol since he couldn't smoke. Halfway through his beer, he noticed Dwayne and Marko sharing subtle looks over Mae's head. Their girl was half-asleep, her eyes closed and her body relaxed. The only thing that indicated that she was awake was her breathing pattern, which, while calm, wasn't slow enough for sleep yet. David caught their attention, raising an eyebrow. Marko glanced down at Mae, his frown deepening. Ah. So that was it. David hadn't planned on saying anything until morning, but they did have a point. It was probably better to get it over with now rather than later. Paul, meanwhile, had settled on Van Halen and was about to change out the cassettes when David cleared his throat.

"There's something else, Mae."

"Mmmm?" Mae stirred, lazily rubbing at her eyes as she sat up again. "What is it?"

"…There's no way to say this delicately, so I'm just going to say it. We think you've been given blood."

"…What?" Mae's whole body froze; even her lungs were motionless, her heart skipping a beat.

"Something about you is different. We can't see into your mind as easily, and there's something there, something that's blocking us out." David leaned forward, holding her gaze. "I think one of the rogues gave you his blood while you were knocked out. It only takes a little bit, and you probably swallowed it without waking up."

"Y-You mean I'm…I'm…"

"A half-vampire. At least, we think so. Tomorrow we can test it out." David took her hand, halting its constant trembling. "We can fix it, Mae. Once they're dead, their hold over you will be gone. It's one of the reasons why I called Túlio. He's old enough that he could hold you back if the others tried to use the blood to command you."

"…I…" Mae was at a loss for words, a rare thing. She held onto David's hand like a lifeline, trying to process everything she'd just been told. Marko rested his chin on her shoulder, his arms tightening around her waist.

"Breathe, babe. We'll kill them, and this'll all just be a terrible nightmare." He promised, kissing her neck. "We'll tear them apart so slowly they'll wish they'd never come to Santa Carla."

"You better." Mae whispered, her nails digging into David's skin. He let her, taking it as punishment for letting things get so beyond him. Logically, he knew there was nothing he could have done to stop it, but she was family. His greatest fear was failing to protect his family, and he may have let them down yet again. Mae loosening her grip on his hand broke the eldest's introspection. She took a deep breath, then spoke.

"David, I want you to promise me one thing." Mae's voice was calm, but her eyes were slowly turning from fear to anger.

"Anything."

"When the last one is one the ground, and you're about to tear his head off…"

"Yeah?"

"Make sure he's looking at me. I want to be the last thing he sees before he dies. I want him to see me laughing at his pain. I want him to know that I won. I want him to feel the same misery I've endured, to see the source of his terror taking pleasure in his destruction. Wherever he goes after he dies, I want him to remember my face. I want him to suffer."

David bared his teeth in a murderous mockery of a smile. If there was one thing he loved about his little sister, it was her ability to turn her fear into anger and hatred. He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it, grinning all the while. Paul's quiet cackle mixed with Dwayne's growl of approval. Marko licked his lips, his eyes promising murder while his fangs glinted in the dim lighting. Despite her shivering, Mae joined the others showing her teeth, defiant until the end. David had never been so proud of his family.

"I promise, little sister. I'll tear his eyelids off so he can't hide. He'll see you while his soul gets pulled from his body. Everyone will know you ordered his death. He'll feel every last second of it, I swear."

For the briefest of seconds, Mae's eyes turned a sickly yellow, the rims lined in red. The ghost of what she could become flickered before his eyes before vanishing, replaced by a gentle, slightly depraved smile.

"Aw, David. You're the best."