"Do you think they know they aren't surrounded?" Paul uttered as they watched Star and Edgar tremble with fear.

"No." Dwayne barely spoke, as he studied everything inside the store. He tracked every move, no matter how slight, and every word no matter how quietly Edgar and Star spoke.

Paul made a surprised grunt when David's voice chimed out from the other side of the glass.

"He's got the other Frog." Dwayne's lips twitched at the corner, a smile trying to break free.

"What does she think she's doing in there," Paul hissed. "She should be out here with us... or on the menu."

"If we had been watching Star's, she wouldn't be in there right now. Now, let's fix it before David-"

"'Before David' what?" asked the man himself.

Paul let out a pained groan, his eyes rolling towards the voice.

David rounded the corner, striding towards them. Marko flanked him, Alan Frog dangling next to him, his arm draped around the vampire's shoulder like a drunk. They stopped short of the store window. Marko gave his Brothers a sheepish look, then glanced away guiltily. He'd done nothing wrong, yet somehow the older vampires always made him feel like he was betraying them. If they hadn't abandoned him, then he wouldn't look like the goodie two shoes in the picture.

Dwayne and Paul shrunk under David's furious glare, his one good eye unblinking as he waited for answers. The accused vampires both winced as they studied the wounds on their leader's face, trying to avoid the impending confrontation.

"David, we're sorry," Paul started.

"Sorry? You're sorry?!" David repeated coldly.

"Really sorry," Paul added, glancing back through the window to check on their confused and frightened prey.

From inside the store neither Star nor Edgar could see who the vampires were talking to. They could only guess (they guessed correct), and were now scribbling frantic notes to each other on the back of a comic book. They knew they didn't have long to plan something, anything, and they couldn't let the vampires hear what it was. This was made almost impossible due to Edgar's handwriting and the fact that they didn't want to look away from the window for more than a second. Right now Edgar was scrawling out a plan that consisted of rescuing Alan and killing all the vampires. What it didn't mention was how they were going to achieve that.

David turned his eye to the other vampire. "Dwayne?" he asked calmly.

Dwayne looked down. "I'll make it up to you David, I swear."

"We'll make it up to you. Both of us," Paul piped in.

"There'll be time for that later. Right now we have a show to put on," he gestured to Alan, whose head bobbed to the side as Marko changed his grip.

David stepped to the window. "Ahhh.. we have our captive audience."

Edgar and Star's suspicions were now proven as they watched David join Paul and Dwayne.

"Oh my god," Star breathed, taking a fresh look at David's face.

"My aim is impecable," Edgar commented loudly, refusing to let his worry for Alan show.

Alan's limp body entered the view as Marko handed him to David. The mortals inside the store took a step toward the window, the sight of Alan helpless drawing them closer. Edgar let loose a string of expletives. Star grabbed Edgar's arm, trying to hold him back. She frantically shook her head at David.

"Don't do this David. I'll come out now," she promised.

Time stopped as David pushed Alan's head to the side, his eye glued on Star. Edgar sprinted forward as David bared his fangs and sunk them into flesh.

Alan's eyes fluttered and his mouth opened in a wordless scream as David fed. Edgar reached the window and banged on it in agony, his howl filling the night. Tears streamed down Star's face as she raced to pull Edgar away.

"Don't kill him! I'll come out!" Star shouted as she tried again to restrain Edgar.

Her pleading eyes turned to Marko, Paul and Dwayne, who stood watching the scene as if their lottery numbers were being called, or a favourite sports team was winning a final. After all, Alan's blood was healing David, and Edgar was suffering the torment of watching his brother die at the hands of his enemy.

David pulled back when he felt Alan at death's door.... then he did the unthinkable. He held Alan easily while drawing a sharp fingernail across his own wrist. David put his bleeding wound to Alan's mouth.

Star and Edgar yelled out in unison, but it was too late. It was done. Alan crumpled to the ground with a thud as David released him.

"Is he alive?" Edgar wailed, fighting in Star's embrace.

"I don't know," she replied with a sob.

"He's half-alive," David answered loudly enough for them to hear. He paused, then held out a hand. "Come now Star, or I'll finish him."

Edgar shivered with shock in her arms. His brother was alive... but drained and turned. A half-vampire.

Star nodded and slowly lowered Edgar to the ground. "Bring Alan to the door."

"David, we can't go now. We can kill both Frogs," Paul ordered, dragging his eyes off the pitiful Frog inside the store.

David turned slowy, his face already healing. Both eyes warned Paul.

"Don't doubt me Paul. We'll finish this. But first let the brothers deal with their new situation. We will make them suffer in every way."

Star pulled the noisy bolts on the door, each one like a bell tolling at a funeral. Whose would it be? The heavy door suddenly swung open, Dwayne holding the handle. Paul dumped the body at her feet unceremoniously. She tried to be careful as she tugged the Alan inside, the wound on his neck raw and leaking blood. His chest rose and fell with obvious effort.

"Look after him. He's still the same. He's your brother..."

Edgar's eyes were empty as he crawled to Alan's side. That was all she had time for. A warm hand wrapped around her wrist and then she was on the outside looking in. Dwayne stared down at her, his cheeks flushed. She tried not to think about the person who had died to give him that warmth.

"Time to go," he said quietly.

She glanced over her shoulder, the sight of Edgar propping Alan up disappearing as the other three stepped in behind. She couldn't hear anything but her steady heart, this time beating out a funeral march. It was over. No one was going to fight for her now; no one except for the four she was with.

The Boardwalk blinked past her. As they left behind the Frogs, the Boys eased back into their casual ways. Behind her Paul laughed at something Dwayne said. She wasn't listening; Edgar's howl echoed in her mind. How had it gone so wrong so fast? And how could the Boys joke around her like everything was normal. Her life was about to be over for a second time.

Dwayne's hand was gone, freeing her wrist. A different hand slid into her's, entwining their fingers. She looked up at David, his face almost normal again.

"Welcome home," he said with an icy smile.