Ahem: I have an announcement. LASSSSST CHAPTERRRRRRRRR! Thank you to those who have been here for the whole ride! I love you! Stay tuned for more fanfics!

~Chapter 14~

Two girls stood outside a house with blacked-out windows. One had dark brown hair; the other black. Both wore crosses and were armed to the teeth with assorted weapons. And both were very scared.

Jewel watched as the sun crawled its way over the horizon, bathing her and Brii in soft golden light. It was time. Briana was the first to speak. "Are you ready?"

Jewel wrapped her fingers tight around her cross. She took a deep breath. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Okay, then. Let's go." Brii started for the side door, but Jewel put out a hand to stop her. Brii looked at her questioningly.

"We're not going in that way," Jewel declared. "No more sneaking. No more hiding. No more fear! We're going in right through the monster's front door—and we are not gonna knock." With those brave words, she marched right up to the front stoop. With emotion- (and werewolf?) –fueled strength she didn't even know she had, Jewel kicked open the door! She and Brianna rushed inside. They didn't care how much noise they made—the bloodsuckers probably already knew they'd been coming anyway. Jewel went to the nearest window and ripped the construction paper away. Sunlight burst into the long-darkened nest. Glorious, life-giving, vamp-killing sunlight!

Brianna followed Jewel's lead until every window on the main floor was uncovered. That proved to be the easy part; the enemies must all be waiting downstairs. The duo crept down the steps with the most cautious movements they could manage, wary of any vampires that might be near. They reached the basement—dim, musty, and smelling strongly of earth—without incident.

Brii turned to Jewel, her eyes wide. There was a gleam in those eyes that Jewel couldn't quite read… "Where are they? Are they all asleep?"

"Oh, no. They're here." Jewel nodded toward a large outcropping of shadow that was much darker and thicker than the rest. She raised a stake, trying her hardest to keep her hand form shaking. "Come on out, leeches. There's no need for anyone to hide anymore." Slowly, in ones and two and threes, a small army of vampires emerged from the darkness. Stone was in the lead. He narrowed his gleaming crimson eyes.

"You're just in time, girls. We're starved."

Brii gulped loudly. She appeared to be losing courage fast…Jewel put an encouraging hand on her shoulder and did her best to put on a brave face of her own. "We just want Cam back, Stone. That's all."

Stone smirked. "I think that can be arranged. We'd all be more than happy to turn you." He glanced back at his army with a casual smile. "Who wants to do the honors?" Before the last words were out of his mouth, at least ten vampires separated from the crowd and lunged at them!

Jewel reacted instantly, stabbing left and right as quickly as she could. She would often use the same stake for several different kills; her aim grew better with each vampire she took out. She was doing quite well, but for every foe she slew, another took its place. Jewel was beginning to get desperate when she realized that Brianna was not fighting….nor were the vampires attacking her. She turned to Brii in shock. "B-Brianna? What's going on here?"

Brii lifted her chin, her entire face consumed with a cruel expression. "I'm sorry to do this to you, Jewel. I was the one who told them about our plan. I was just trying to distract you when I got all my stakes blessed at the mall. And I'm the one who's turning you over to them now. Because they promised me immortality if I gave them what they wanted—and they promised to leave my family alone."

Jewel stood frozen to the spot, no longer aware of the vampires who still swarmed around her, waiting to resume the assault as Brianna explained. "B-But….we were your friends! You said you were a vampire SLAYER! The four of us have been through so much, and now you betray us?"

Brii refused to meet her eyes. "I advertised that I was a vampire slayer, sure. But I never actually believed in vampires—until I saw Jerry. I knew it was hopeless to fight from the moment I saw what he did to Fallon. So, to protect my family, I switched sides. He really only wanted Camille anyway."

"So I assume these bloodsuckers are holding off so you can finish me?" Jewel growled, using anger as a way to hide the sorrow that now threatened to crush her.

Brianna nodded matter-of-factly. "Fallon, get over here! You said you wanted to help."

Jewel stumbled back as the two girls began to advance upon her—but she had only gone three steps when several of Jerry's minions forced her to stop. She struggled, her heart beating all the way up in her throat so that she couldn't breathe. What was she to do now? All the struggling in the world proved no good as Fallon squeezed iron fingers around her throat….

Suddenly, with an almighty screech that was loud enough to wake the dead (undead?), the vampiress burst into flames! At once Jess broke free and leaped upon Brianna! She didn't even care what had killed Fallon. She and Brii rolled across the silty basement as they fought, and at once they were thronged by a horde of leeches eager to get in on the action. There were just too many! With Brianna trying to stab her with a hairbow and powerful jaws snapping inches from her face, Jess knew she was done for. Or was she? From the opposite end of the room came furious caterwauls and hisses. There was someone else fighting too!

Jess finished Brii off quickly, them wrestled herself away from a (very literally) bloodthirsty mob. She knew what she had to do. The only way to get rid of so many foes…was to let the light in. She snatched up Brii's crossbow, which had been abandoned during their tussle, and aimed it at the floor above their heads.

Bang! Bang! Bang! The floorboards shattered like bubbles, and sunshine poured in from the upper floor. Jewel scrambled into a patch of sunlight as vampires rushed to kill her. Seconds later someone else joined her. Her mouth dropped open in awe. "Bliss? You've been helping me fight these demons off the whole time? But…I thought you were dead!"

Bliss gave her a knowing smile. "So did Fallon. Nice job with the sunlight, by the way. They can't touch us here."

"No…not until night falls, anyway." Jewel couldn't suppress a shiver as Jerry stepped over his minions to the shaft of light that shielded them. "But that's only a few hours away—and we can wait. Vampires are masters at waiting. For instance, I waited so long for someone…special to come into my life. I finally found her—living just thirteen feet away from me."

"Shut up!" Jewel screamed. "How dare you prey upon her like that! How dare you take her away from us! You…you're a…a…." She trailed off, grief taking her words before she could say any more.

"A monster? Is that what you were going to say?" Jerry laughed. It wasn't one of his usual laughs, either—it was a full-on, evil, madly gleeful, bad-guy-about-to-mop-the-floor-with-the-good-guys laugh. He paced easily around the shaft of sunlight, grinning from ear to ear. "You're right, of course. I am a monster—and I enjoy every second of it. But that's enough about me. You came here for Camille! You must miss her so much…I'm sure she misses you too. Come here, princess." Camille melted out of the darkness to stand beside him. Her eyes were ruby red and the fangs poking above her lips were pearl white…but as she gazed up at Jerry, Jewel saw one familiar emotion: fear.

"Cam?" Bliss breathed, looking more horrified than Jewel had thought an android could look. "Are you okay? Do you know who we are?"

Camille blinked at her. "Of course I know who you are. An android who can't feel emotion or have true friends; and a filthy werewolf, the ultimate enemy of the vampire. Yes, I know very well who you are."

Jewel was now fighting even harder not to cry. "B-But we're your friends! We're your best friends, and we have been for years! A pair of fangs can't make you forget all that…can it?" Cam's eyes darkened with doubt.

"Cam, dearest, don't listen to them," Jerry purred, kissing her forehead lightly. "What did they ever to for you? Hm?" Camille stared dazed at her two friends until he gently turned her face back toward his own. "What have I done for you, Camille?"

"Everything," She breathed, and the word was immediately cut off as he pressed his mouth to hers.

That was Jewel's turning point. She was mad—mad at Jerry for moving here, mad at Brii for betraying them, mad at Cam for even getting them into this…and most of all, mad at the apparent hopelessness of her situation. She and Bliss had only to wait for certain death, and Jerry had the nerve to make love to their helpless friend right in front of them? There was only so much she could tolerate! "Bliss, listen up," She hissed. "I've got one more stake. When I count to five, you give these freaks all the hell you can give 'em!"

"What about you?" Bliss demanded.

Jewel glanced over to where her least-favorite vampire was biting at Cam's cheeks. "I'm going for Jerry."

Jewel actually heard it as one of Bliss's fuses blew. "Wh-What? You….you can't…can you?"

"The way I'm feeling right now, a thousand Jerry's couldn't stop me from saving my sisters!" Jewel threw an arm around Bliss, who returned the hug awkwardly. "You two are sisters to me, got it? Good. One….two…three…fourFIVE!"

They leaped into action! Jerry hissed as Jewel tackled him away from Camille. She groaned as his claws ripped down her cheek. He was so strong! So much more so than the others! Could she really do this?

Her eyes turned a feral gold as the wolf in her surfaced. She COULD do this. She had to. Jerry's arm snapped out and latched onto the stake in her hand, trying to pry it from her grip and leave her unarmed. They grappled briefly, Jerry's vampiric strength giving him the advantage, but Jewel had her own enhanced strength courtesy of her status as a werewolf. Plus she was angry. This oversized mosquito thought he could come into HER life and mess with HER pack. Well he had another think coming!

Jewel got in close – the type of close that would have meant being bitten for anyone other than a werewolf – and bit down with the strength of a wolf's jaws on Jerry's wrist, gagging on the taste of tainted blood as it filled her mouth. The bloodsucker hissed in pain and his grip on the wood slackened for a moment. But a moment was all Jewel needed.

With one last yell of effort, she twisted around, tearing the stake from Jerry's grip and plunged it

straight

into

his

heart.

There was an explosive burst of flame, followed by a ferocious howling wind. As one, Jerry's minions writhed and screeched in agony. Cam in particular seemed in excruciating pain. Jewel fought back panic. What was happening? Would they all die too, like their master?

Then, all at once, the wind stopped. Everything was still. Jewel dared not move. She was listening for anything…the slightest movement, the faintest breath…anything to tell her that she had not failed. At last she her a weak cough. "Ugh…Jewel? Is that you?" It was Camille's voice!

Jewel crawled over to her and wrapped her in a tight embrace. "Oh my God, Cam! You're alive! I mean…you are alive, aren't you?"

"I-I think so." Camille examined herself nervously. She might've kept going, but at that moment she noticed something more important. "Is that BLISS?"

The android hurried over to join them in their classic three-way hug. "I didn't think that a robot like me could feel love…but I was wrong. I love you guys. We did it!"

Their joy was interrupted by one more timid voice. "Um…can I see Cam, please?" Stone stumbled up to the group, once more his human self. Camille's eyes widened when she saw him. "Cam, I love you too. I should've told you how I felt a long time ago, but—" He broke off as she gave him a gentle kiss.

Jewel looked up at the sun, streaming even brighter into the house now than before, and couldn't suppress a smile. At last, at long last…all was well.

~End~