CHAPTER 12

It wasn't until they were back at the Navy yard, and the après-vampire-sex sense of wellbeing had started to wear off, that Tony remembered that he was still pissed at Gibbs. More than pissed; upset and angry, like really angry. Of course, he had been a willing participant in the crime-scene sex, and he had the holes in his neck, and a sore ass, to prove it, but still… Gibbs couldn't just use him like that!

Tony fumed silently while he ran a search on the recently deceased Dr. Maleki. All the time he was working, the thought, vampire or not, Jethro was not going to get away with leaving their bed before dawn so he could hook up with that sleazy woman. And then Jethro had the nerve to fuck him at a crime scene, acting like nothing was wrong. What was he doing? Trying to prove he could do whatever he wanted, because he was a vampire?

And that bitch, she had marked his man with her scent, trying to claim Gibbs as her own. Well, no way was she going to get away with such a lowlife move, because Gibbs … Jethro… was already taken. If she didn't keep her hands off him, he'd make her regret it!

The worst part of this whole thing was that Jethro had thought nothing about cheating on him. He didn't think that Tony would see what was going on? Or that he wouldn't protest? Or did Jethro simply not care what he thought? Tony couldn't believe that the older man didn't care about his feelings, after everything they'd been through together. They'd declared undying love for each other, hadn't they? Or had it all been a vampire ploy to suck Tony in, to make him agree to the Change? He shook his head, and laid a hand over his heart. He could feel it beating, sense the blood as it pumped an even rhythm, and it wasn't his imagination that it ached fiercely. At least he had meant it when he'd told Jethro he loved him. Even though he was angry enough to spit, he still loved the man, which made no sense at all.

But… Jethro was a vampire, and they were used to taking what they wanted, always getting their own way. They were the strongest creatures on the planet, at the top of the food chain, and having a relationship with a human, taking one as a mate – well, it just wasn't normal. What kind of creature would ask their lover to give up his life, to literally die for him? To leave everything he'd ever known behind, and to be Turned into a bloodsucking creature of the night?

Maybe he should have paid more attention to Senior's proselytizing. Just as he often shouted to riled-up anti-vamp crowds, vampires and humans could not co-exist peacefully. They were never meant to share blood. Mating was vile and unnatural. Humans were no more than an easy food source to vampires. The prospect of eternal life was one hell of an enticing carrot to dangle in front of humans; converting them was child's play to the Undead; human were weak, easy pickings.

Tony sighed unhappily. Maybe if he had heeded his father's anti-vampire rhetoric, it would have saved him from a world of heartache, he thought morosely. It was now obvious that his relationship with Jethro was a farce, and had been from the start. He had been a gullible fool.

When Gibbs – he had to think of him as Gibbs at the office – passed by him on the way to get more coffee, Tony noticed that the vampire now smelled like him. He smiled. Their lovemaking had eradicated the bad smell of that lowlife blood-bitch. Now the aroma that Gibbs emitted announced to all vampires within half a mile that he had fucked Tony, and that they'd shared blood as part of the sex act. Making your mark, proving you're the top was of utmost importance in the vampire world, where possession and sexual conquest played a major part in their power games. Yeah, Tony thought, baring his still-forming vampire teeth in a triumphant smile – that woman had nothing on him.

For the next couple of hours they did background checks, made calls, and went over the forensic results, but found nothing to suggest that Dr. Reza Maleki's death was suspicious. Tony did some deeper checks into the doctor's former friends and lovers, but as he did so, he felt increasingly antsy. He couldn't sit still, kept tapping his fingers, humming little tunes. Pulling at his collar, which was strangling him, he groaned. It was like he'd had too much coffee or was high on something.

"You okay, Tony?" McGee cast a worried frown his way.

"Me? Yeah, sure, fine and dandy, McMother. I just need to get out of here." As soon as they got in the door, he was going to confront Gibbs.

By now Tony knew for certain who she was, the woman who had dared to hunt down his man, but he refused to speak her name. Their paths had crossed during the course of more than one investigation, and he'd disliked her from the start. He had seen the way she'd clung to Gibbs, getting in his face, looking him up and down with those slitty eyes, and talking to him in that fake sultry way she had. She talked in innuendos, replied with questions of her own, treating everything like it was a game. If she knew Gibbs at all, she would never speak to him like that, because he hated it when people didn't lay it on the line and say exactly what they meant – in plain speech. She was a leech though, willing to let vampires drink from her in exchange for intel, for political favors and anything that would further her career. No vampire would ever mate her, or bring her over to the Life, but they would use her, just as she used them.

While the team worked on their reports, Tony managed to avoid looking at Gibbs. It wasn't easy as he was always drawn to him. Gibbs said barely a word, seeming intent upon wrapping up the case as quickly as possible. They were still missing the autopsy report, but it took time to process a body and to write out the official findings.

Ziva looked pointedly at her watch and asked, "Do we wait for Ducky?"

"I'll go see where he's at. DiNozzo, you're with me." Gibbs pushed away from his desk and marched towards the stairs, not looking back, assuming that his second-in-command would follow him without question.

For a moment, Tony considered refusing, but then he thought that Gibbs might be planning to take the opportunity to talk to him privately, maybe even to apologize. But Gibbs didn't pause in the stairwell, or in the empty hallway outside Autopsy, either. He just marched ahead as if he wasn't even aware Tony was right on his heels.

Once in autopsy, they listened to Ducky's conclusions about the death of the Navy researcher. Tony kept his eyes down, concentrating on taking notes while Ducky talked.

When the ME finally handed over a printed copy of the report, Gibbs immediately handed the paperwork to Tony. "Think you can review McGee and Ziva's reports?"

Tony's eyes flicked up and caught Gibbs' questioning stare. "Uh, sure. Why? You got some reason to doubt me, Boss?"

"You've been through a lot," Gibbs said with a shrug.

"A lot?" Tony queried, wondering what was going on.

"You're a human," Gibbs replied, casually pointing out Tony belonged to a weaker race.

Tony flushed at the insult. He could feel Ducky watching them both intently, like a referee waiting for someone to foul out. Well, it wasn't going to be him who gave up the ball. Intent upon proving himself, and resenting that he had to do so, Tony asked sarcastically, "So, when you say I've been through a lot, you're referring to the fact that you've put me through all sorts of shit the past couple of weeks?"

"What the hell're you talking about?" Gibbs snapped.

"Gee, I dunno. Maybe all that blood play and spiky little torture toys, and the way you take some twisted kinda pleasure out of making my dick bleed? Or maybe you're talking about your need to fuck me endlessly, even at work, because you think I need it? And it doesn't matter if I want it or not, because, as we all know, humans are a lower species, who are dumb fucks who don't really know what they want. Isn't that right, Mr. Leroy Jethro Vampire?"

"That's not how it is, and you know it," Gibbs said tightly.

Tony laughed and said loudly, "I know exactly how it is! You claim you want me for your mate, and expect me to give up everything, to become your One, and yet, for some reason, you find it necessary to sneak out in the middle of the night to go to your fucking blood-whore–" Gibbs started to protest, but Tony shouted over him. "And you have the nerve to come in to work stinking of her blood!" Stopping to catch his breath, Tony raised his chin, refusing to buckle under to the vampire's fierce glare. The second Gibbs opened his mouth, Tony said harshly, "Like I said earlier, I can do my job just fine, Boss." He did an about-face and stalked out, and was in the elevator within seconds.

Behind him, he could hear Ducky giving Gibbs a reprimand. "What on earth have you been doing to that boy…?"

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Tony dropped the autopsy report on McGee's desk with more force than was necessary. "Dr. Maleki died of natural causes. An aneurysm."

McGee looked up at Tony and frowned. "You sure you're okay?"

Tony smiled tightly. "Never better. Be glad to get home and eat some dinner though. I'm in the mood for pizza, extra cheese."

"What? No extra blood sausage and blue cheese?" teased Ziva. She turned around to watch Gibbs as he strode into the bullpen and sat at his desk, but his stony face warned her not to bother him.

"No, Ziva," Tony replied. "I prefer a more human-style pizza, thank you very much. And thank you, McGee, for voicing your concern over my well-being."

Gibbs was staring at his computer screen, his right hand fisted around the mouse as if he were intent upon crushing it. His jaw worked, his lips compressed into a thin line. It was obvious that he was working hard to keep a lid on his emotions.

Ziva hissed at Tony, "Perhaps you are not cut out to Become a vampire, after all, little fledgling."

"Perhaps you're right," was all Tony said. He saw Gibbs tense up and turn to glare at him. By now, the vampire knew that he was having second thoughts about committing himself to an eternal life. In truth, Tony didn't know what he was going to do, to agree or to flee, but one thing he did know: he needed a good night's sleep before coming to any life-changing decisions.

Ziva grinned at what she took to be Tony backing out of the chance to become a vampire, and was about to start into him, but McGee stood and said tersely, "Ziva, for once, leave him alone." She stiffened but kept her mouth closed. McGee turned to Tony and asked, "Hey, Tony, you want company? I'm in the mood for pizza, too. We could go to Pizza House."

Everyone knew that Pizza House had a strict No Vamps policy, and Tony appreciated McGee's gesture. Still, he shook his head. "No thanks. I plan to turn in early, catch up on my sleep." Tony put a hand over his heart and said, in a thick Russian accent, "I just vant to be alone."

Ziva's eyes lit up, and she made motions with her hands, as if she was acting out a clue to a charade. "Oh oh! I know that! It's… it's a movie… it's from… Big Hotel!"

"Grand Hotel. 1932," Tony agreed, playing along. "Garbo was a goddess."

"I thought she was a Russian ballerina," Ziva said, puzzled.

Tony sighed deeply. "Mmm. So romantic. 'I'm someone who could love you. Someone who's forgotten everything else but you.' Can you imagine–"

Gibbs cut short Tony's response by saying curtly, "Imagine this: If you don't get your asses back to work, I'll muzzle the lot of you and put you on latrine duty. McGee, hand DiNozzo your report when you're done. Ziva, I'll take yours."

"I am not done," Ziva admitted as she slid behind her desk.

"Then why are you wasting company time picking on DiNozzo?" It only took one glare and a small show of teeth from Gibbs to make Ziva hurriedly return to work.

McGee completed his paperwork first, and left with a "Night, everyone," as soon as Tony reviewed it. The moment Gibbs signed off on Ziva's, she grabbed her bag and practically ran for the elevator.

Tony was putting the paper files in order, thinking about getting a cab in order to avoid being in the same car as Gibbs all the way home – they'd been coming in together ever since he'd been staying at Gibbs' – when Gibbs came over and stood in front of his desk. "Something you want, Boss?" Tony asked, acting innocent.

Gibbs asked impatiently, "You gonna camp out here all night or what?"

"Camping? Wow, that's a great idea! I can pitch a tent over my desk and get some quality shut-eye," Tony said with a big fake smile.

Gibbs growled in frustration. "I wasn't giving you a choice. I want you at home."

Tony snorted and busied himself, neatening up his desk. "Of course you weren't giving me a choice. Why should you? After all, as Ziva pointed out, I'm a mere human and I have to do everything my superior-in-every-way vampire boss tells me to do. Good thing I'm used to following orders without question."

Gibbs looked at Tony as if he didn't know what to make of him, or his tone. "There something you want to say to me?"

"Yes, I do have something I want to say to you," Tony said truthfully. He handed Gibbs the completed case file, and said firmly, "But not here."

After studying Tony's face, Gibbs took the report back to his desk and read through it in record time. He signed it with his usual scrawl and tossed it at Tony. "Send it, so we can go."

Tony raised one eyebrow. "I know that vampires have all sorts of mad skills, but is speed-reading one of them?"

Gibbs shrugged, as if were perfectly natural. "You just have to focus."

Tony filed the paperwork and the digital copy, and turned off his computer. Once it was done, he couldn't stall any longer. He picked up his backpack but hesitated.

Gibbs held out a hand to usher him ahead. "Let's go."

"I didn't say I was going home with you," Tony said, standing his ground.

At first, it looked as if Gibbs was going to stalk away, but instead he cleared his throat and asked, "Will you come home with me? Please, Tony."

Tony figured if Gibbs could find it within himself to be so polite, and actually say 'please,' the least he could do was gracefully accept the invitation. He said stiffly, "Okay then." It wasn't his imagination that Gibbs sighed in relief. Maybe Gibbs really wanted his company, and this wasn't just about being possessive in a vampirish way.

Tony headed to the elevator without a word. Gibbs, who always led, instead followed a few paces behind. Tony could feel the vampire's eyes boring a hole in the back of his head. It was unnerving, to say the least. Gibbs stared at him all the way down to the parking area, and Tony just knew he was in deep shit and going to hear all about it once they got home.

۷2۷ • ۷2۷ • ۷2۷

The heavy front door slammed shut behind them, and Jethro turned on Tony, his teeth gleaming in the hall light. "You want to tell me what's going on?"

Did Jethro really not know why he was angry, or did he believe he hadn't done anything wrong? He had to know Tony would be upset that he'd left their bed to meet a woman. Maybe he didn't care. The thought sickened Tony. Perhaps Jethro was just that arrogant, as so many vampires were, treating humans like they were beneath them. But this was Jethro, the man who had asked him to Change so they could be together forever. This was the man he had put his trust in, Tony thought, which made him all the more angry.

"I trusted you," Tony spat. "You expect me to give up my humanness, my past, my life, and yet you can't remain faithful to me?"

"What?"

"I could smell her on you, and so could the whole office," Tony growled. "How could you cheat on me? Why would you do that? What? I'm not good enough for you?"

"Cheat on you? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Like you don't know!" Tony gave Jethro a dark look and pushed past him. Acting aggressively towards a vampire was stupid, under any circumstances, but right now Tony was so angry, his emotions ruled his actions. He didn't get two steps into the living room before a strong hand grabbed his arm and swung him around. Faced by Jethro, his eyes dark with anger, was alarming, and made Tony's heart beat madly. Deep down, he was sure Jethro wouldn't hurt him, but seeing the vampire's lips draw back to expose wickedly sharp teeth gave him second thoughts.

"How about you just tell me what I've done," Jethro snarled, giving Tony's arm an impatient shake.

Jethro's anger came off him in waves, overloading Tony's senses and causing him to stagger a little. Ever since he'd tasted Gibbs' blood, Tony's senses had become increasingly sensitive. Being a fledgling vampire came with some drawbacks; minor sounds and smells were now magnified to the point where Tony found them hard to take. Hypersensitive senses might make sex feel incredible, but when he was out in the noisy, colorful, bustling world, everything seemed so loud. More than once, he'd had to reach for his sunglasses when a sight disturbed him, or cover his ears when ordinary sounds seemed as bad as fingernails screeching across a blackboard. There were times Tony could literally feel surges of emotions coming off people, as if they were physical manifestations. Of all the senses, odors – both pleasant and foul – hit him the hardest, which was why he was so upset at smelling a woman's blood clinging to Gibbs that morning.

Tony forced himself not to waver under the vampire's powerful glare. "You know I've always been sensitive to smells, Jethro, and it's just…it's hard to take! It's painful, like I need to puke. You didn't even care enough to wash that smell off you!"

"What smell?"

"Her smell! It was all over you!"

"Hers…? Are you telling me this is because I met…? You're getting yourself all keyed up over nothing, Tony. Let's get you some blood." Jethro released Tony's arm so he could roll up his sleeve. "You'll feel better after you've had some nourishment."

Being dismissed as being overly emotional only served to make Tony all the more incensed. "It isn't nothing! The hell with you! I don't want your blood!" He headed for the kitchen and Jethro followed him.

"Where're you going?"

"I need blood to make me feel better – isn't that what you said? So I'm going to get some synth."

Gibbs' nose wrinkled in distaste. "Don't drink that crap."

"You expect me to act like it's nothing when you fuck around with women you meet on the sly," Tony retorted. "Well, it isn't nothing!"

"You're being dramatic," Jethro scoffed, holding out his arm for Tony to drink from.

"Damn right I am," Tony shot back as he opened the fridge. It wasn't easy to ignore Jethro's offering. Warm flesh, with all that tasty blood running around just underneath the surface…? Tony hated the taste of synth blood, but as his only alternative was to drink directly from Jethro, and right now he was too pissed off to even touch him. No, he wasn't going to drink from Gibbs. He was not. The synth that Ducky had given him as a backup was his only option.

At least HV2x was quality blood product and suitable for the fragile human digestive system. The man-made blood sickened vampires, so they never ingested it – but both humans and vampires could shoot it directly into a vein with few side-effects. At least that's what Ducky had said. So far, Tony had received all his blood product directly from Jethro, by sucking his lover's warm, rich blood directly from his body. HV2x, on the other hand, was like a mix of Dr. Pepper and Moxie, distilled in formaldehyde and left out in the sun too long. The one time Tony had tasted it, he'd gagged, and he didn't know how he was going to drink a glassful of the stuff.

He knew how lucky he was. Normally, fledglings were pumped with synth twice a day, through a central venous line that was surgically inserted in the jugular for easy access. Some young vamps were kept lined up, as they called it, and were pumped with HV2x until they fully matured. You could tell which vamps were lined up, from an odd blue tinge to their skin.

Jimmy had told Tony that being lined up long-term was considered a bad practice. "Infections, veins collapsing, becoming allergic to real blood are serious problems," Jimmy had said knowingly. "There have been reports of younglings regressing mentally, having chronic circulation problems, becoming impotent…" Jimmy rattled on, but Tony didn't hear anything else after the word 'impotent.'

Jethro followed the old practices and avoided synthetic products. Both he and Tony had been drinking from each other exclusively, keeping their connection pure and strong. But occasionally Jethro had to replenish his own store of blood from an outside source, or else he'd weaken. He'd admitted he visited donors only when he needed them, more like a business relationship. If he needed to, he could drink pre-packaged donor's blood as a backup. But if that was the truth, then why had Jethro visited that blood-whore behind his back?

Now Tony planned microwave some synth and drink it in a mug, even if the stuff tasted foul. It would keep up his strength, just until Jethro came to his senses. Tony pulled out a bag of dark red liquid from the fridge but when he reached for the microwave, Jethro leaned against the counter, blocking him. "Can you move? I need to warm this up," Tony said tiredly. As an alternative, he could do this by transfusion. Ducky had provided him in a kit, but he didn't like needles, and the intravenous ones looked huge.

Jethro raised his chin a little, exposing his neck. "My blood is warm. Feed on me," he challenged.

Tony wanted to, really he did. The pull was strong, the deep desire to sink his partially formed vamp teeth into Jethro's flesh, to drink the intoxicatingly delicious blood, to feel his strength, his heartbeat, his essence… Tony swayed a little, but all of a sudden his anger rose like a shield, and he stepped back, declaring, "No!"

"You won't drink my blood now?" The possessive look in Jethro's eyes was fueled by anger. "You got a problem with the way I'm treating you?"

Breathing hard, Tony, declared, "Yeah, I have a problem with you, Jethro! You need to treat me with more respect, to listen to what I'm saying, and to not come to work with some blood-whore's scent all over you. You told me, that night you admitted you were stalking me, that you'd wanted me ever since we met in Baltimore, and that you didn't want to mess up. Well, right now you're coming real close to messing everything up! You told me there'd never be anyone else but me! So you need to stay away from her, and any of the other wannabes who'd like to get a taste of you. You don't go near her again!"

Jethro bared his teeth, showing his displeasure. "You do not have the right to dictate what I do."

Aware that he was treading on dangerous territory, Tony met Jethro's eyes, glare for glare. "As your mate, I have the right to speak up, and to be heard. And I'm telling you straight out, I don't want you anywhere near her!"

Jethro weighed Tony's words, and finally said, "She means nothing to me."

"Yeah, well, she may not mean anything to you, but you'd have to be blind not to see she's after you. She isn't going to let go of you so easy, not without a fight. And I'm warning you, I plan to fight back – hard!"

Jethro made a motion with his hand. "I told you, there's no need. I meant it when I said I'd always come home to you, Tony."

"I am not going to share you, Jethro, not with her," Tony insisted. "I understand you need to feed from donors, but that's not what this woman is. She's trying to take you away from me, and you're playing right into her plan. I want her gone. You do not see her again, not even at work."

"You can't tell me what to do," Jethro snarled, grabbing a fistful of Tony's shirt and pushing him against a cabinet, making the dishes rattle. He leaned into Tony, his knee nudging his legs apart, and Tony could feel his arousal pressing hard against his thigh.

"Let go of me!" Tony ordered, struggling to get out of Jethro's grip. Jethro leaned in to kiss him, but Tony averted his face. Jethro grabbed him by the jaw and kissed him, but Tony bit his lip; Jethro bit back, drawing blood. Tony cried out, "No!" To his surprise, Jethro released him and stepped back. They were still close, too close, but not touching.

Tony raised his fingers to his mouth, and they came away bloody. He licked his lip and the flow soon stopped.

Jethro looked confused, and when he reached out to touch Tony's cheek, Tony swatted his hand away. "Don't!"

"Tony," the vampire said, sounding apologetic.

"Please… please don't." Tony tried to read Jethro's emotions, but it was like trying to penetrate a stone wall. "If you really want to make this work between us, and I'm having serious doubts that you do, then you need to figure out exactly what it is you want. If it's a fuck-buddy, someone to practice your newfound love of kink with, well…I'm sure you can find a bleeder in the nearest snag club who's perfectly willing. But it you want someone who truly cares for you, even when you're being a total fuckwad asshole, then you need to think about what you're doing, and fix it."

Jethro didn't move, and even if his expression was stony, at least he wasn't yelling or pushing him around any more. Tony sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess this fledgling period isn't only for the newbie's sake. This is a time for the Maker to figure out if this is right for him, too." Tony turned away from Jethro and snagged a couple more bags of synth from the fridge. He didn't even look in the vampire's direction when he walked to the foyer to put them in his knapsack.

Jethro followed him, calling his name. He had let his guard down and his concern was so strong Tony could feel it as if it was his own emotion. Tony turned his back to the door and faced Jethro. He didn't know when he'd felt quite so tired, but he had to make one last attempt to reason with his man before he left. "If you don't promise me you'll never see her again, I'm walking away."

"You giving me an ultimatum?" Jethro asked.

"Just stating the truth," Tony replied matter-of-factly. Jethro's nearness caused his knees to tremble – not with fear but with longing; he was still hungry, but not for some man-made blood product. Still, he stuck to his guns. "I didn't know you thought so little of me, that you couldn't trust me."

"Trust you? I trust you every day."

"I'm not talking about at work. I'm saying that you didn't trust me enough to tell me you were interested in her, that you were meeting her. I never should've found out like I did," Tony insisted.

Jethro shook his head. "You're making too much out of this."

"Am I? You snuck out of the house, out of our bed, to meet her. You came to work smelling of her," Tony insisted. How could he not be affronted that his lover blatantly paraded his early morning liaison in front of the entire office. "You think I was the only one who caught her scent? Half the office knew, Jethro." The half that were vampires, anyway.

"We were talking business," Jethro said with an impatient shrug.

"At four in the morning?"

"Yeah, we had breakfast. Look, I don't have to explain myself to you, DiNozzo!"

"No, you don't have to," Tony said unhappily. "You don't have to, but I thought you cared about me enough to…"

Jethro said harshly, "This is my house. I don't take orders from any fledgling. I don't want to hear another word about this, understand?" He loomed over Tony and gave him a little shake, just a hint of his power. "Understand?"

It finally sank in. Tony realized he'd made a terrible mistake. He'd thought…he'd truly believed, in his heart, that Jethro loved him. Why else would he have chosen him, after all these years of knowing each other, to turn into one of his own kind, a vampire? "No, I don't! Why did you choose me if you don't even want me?"

Jethro cut him off with a kiss, a harsh, blood-drawing kiss that stole Tony's breath away and left him shaking. He could feel Jethro's hot breath as his mouth sucked and bit its way across his cheek and then along his jaw. Jethro hummed against his skin.

"Don't," Tony said, closing his eyes against his warring emotions. He still wanted Jethro, but not this way.

Jethro's strong hands pinned Tony's arms at his side. His teeth scraped the skin of Tony's neck and he bit down at the junction of his neck and shoulder.

"Let me go," Tony commanded, his tone even and strong despite the pain. Jethro released him but didn't move away. They were still too close. Tony wiped the back of his hand across his mouth and said, "You told me that there'd never be anyone but me, that I meant everything to you, but your actions don't match your words. You can't have both me and her. Now let me go."

"You need me," Jethro sharply. "I need you."

"I'm not so sure about that," Tony said, rubbing his chest. He closed his eyes for a moment. It truly felt as though his heart was breaking. "I'm going to take a few days. Maybe we'll see things more clearly if we take a break." Tony looked at Jethro's face and saw some disquiet in his eyes, but he didn't want to fight with him any more. "I'll see you Monday," he said in parting, opening the door.

"You need me," Jethro reiterated, grabbing hold of the open door as Tony passed through it.

Tony kept going. He had to get out of there, afraid that if he didn't do it now, he might give in to Jethro's demands. He still had a week before he had to make the final decision whether or not he'd become a full-fledged vampire, and a long weekend away from Jethro would give him the distance to think long and hard about what that would mean to both of them.

"If you leave, don't bother coming back," Jethro called after him.

Tony kept on walking.

"I should have stuck to redheads, got married again."

Tony stopped on the sidewalk and, even though he knew he should have kept his mouth shut, he turned to deliver a parting shot. "Like getting married has worked so well for you in the past."

Jethro retorted, "Better than a human who questions every move I make."

Although he knew it was in the vampire's nature to be the top dog, he'd always thought that Jethro had at least respected him, and valued him on some level. Angry and upset, Tony got in his car and drove off, telling himself not to look in the rear-view mirror.

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NOTE: Only one more chapter to go!