"Thank you for letting us speak with you, Duke Jeffers." Neville said. He nodded as he showed the two out the front door.

"Of course, feel free to come by any time. My mother really enjoyed your company." They stepped out onto the snowy walkway and Neville instantly started to shiver. It suddenly occurred to him that they hadn't called a car to take them back home.

Super.

"If you remember anything about that man or if you find anything more about my father, please write me." She handed him a small slip of paper with one word written on it.

'Hogwarts.'

Jackson stared at it curiously.

"Where the devil is this?"

"Don't worry about it, just write my name on an envelope with that written in the address line. It'll get there." He nodded as she pulled on her fitted trench coat and popped the collar. She took hold of Neville's hand and pulled him close, strutting away from the house.

"Are you all right?" He asked. She shook her head and kept walking.

"I can't look back." She whispered as they walked through the front gate and onto the sidewalk. It wasn't likely that they would see a taxi until they reached downtown, so for now they would have to walk.

"So…did you hear everything that you needed to hear?" Noel nodded, forcing a smile onto her face.

"I showed you a picture of me when I was fat and I proved that I was right." Neville chuckled.

"Fine, you were fat." He muttered. "But, are you okay?" She instantly shook her head.

"That was the most depressing experience of my life. I can't believe that my father lost his mind and killed himself over the fact that I became a vampire."

"Hey, they weren't sure if he jumped or if he was pushed." Noel glared up at him with narrowed eyes.

"Are you serious? Who would push my father in front of a train in a train station where there are hundreds of people watching? There would have been witnesses and whoever pushed him would have been caught. It doesn't make sense so don't pull the whole it was an accident shit." She kicked the snow on the curb. "My family fell apart because William got horny. Well fuck William and his penis." She kicked another huge load of snow flying into the street with a loud growl.

"Maybe…maybe I shouldn't have brought you here." Noel suddenly dove into his arms, burying her head against his chest.

"Don't say that. I may have found out some things that I didn't want to know, but you brought me to my home and I met my family. I'm going to treasure this day for the rest of my life and I have you to thank for it." She craned her neck up and gently kissing him, causing them both to smile. "And I can only think of one way to thank you."

"Sex in my gram's house? Sounds kinky…as long as I'm the one getting the action." Noel let out a dramatic sigh, rolling her eyes.

"Didn't I tell you? I'm leaving you for your gram, I'm turning her tonight and we're gonna run away together." Neville smiled widely and wrapped his arms tightly around Noel.

"Don't turn her, turn me."

Noel stiffened in his arms, slowly pulling back with her eyes focused on his neck.

"You can't be serious." She muttered.

"I don't see why not. It's either that or you kill me and I'd like to think that you've become attached to me and that you wouldn't want to kill me." Noel sighed, shaking her head and quickly walking down the sidewalk.

"You're so young."

"Well so are you!"

"Neville, I'm one hundred and fifty five years old! I only look young, remember? It's the whole curse of being a vampire and I hate the thought of cursing you too." He ran after and continued running after her to keep up.

"It'll happen eventually, you know that it will."

"I don't want to think about you going through what I went through…it's the most painful thing that you'll ever experience. You die, your heart actually stops and your woken up with a shot to the head!" She glanced back at Neville, who was totally out of breath. "You honestly don't know what you're getting yourself into."

"But I do." He insisted. "Being with you is worth the pain." The smile that she gave him was sweet, and somehow very encouraging.

"I could pose the cheesy question of how I ended up with you, but I think that's already been implied many times." Neville wrapped an arm around her shoulder and they continued to walk.

"You could at least consider turning me."

"Oh I have, but it's not going to happen any time soon."

"Well why the fuck not?" Noel raised an eyebrow with a little chuckle.

"Did you just say 'fuck'?" She asked. "I don't think that I've ever heard you curse."

"You're avoiding the question." He muttered. Noel sighed.

"Okay, you have an incredible life ahead of you and you just want to throw it away. Seriously, that bothers me."

"You've got to look at it from my point of view. After I graduate, what am I gonna do? And besides, my gram is old…horrible to say, but she's gonna die any day." Noel shook her head.

"That is horrible."

"But it's the truth." He insisted. "When she dies and I graduate, I'll have nothing…so turn me then."

They finally reached London's downtown, both happy to see cabs and cars zooming past them. Neville hailed them a cab to take them back to his house. Both sat silently for a while until Noel finally spoke up.

"I'll give you two years after you graduate. If by then you haven't figured out a good career or your gram is still alive, then we're waiting until you're thirty." Neville raised an eyebrow.

"Do you realize how bad that would look? I'd be a cradle robber."

"Only by appearance and those are my conditions. If you don't accept them, I'm jumping out the window right now and you'll never see me again." Neville stared at her, briefly considering his options. Was it worth the wait to stand by Noel's side? And then it suddenly occurred to him.

"You want me to be older then you in terms of our technical ages." She quickly looked away.

"That's not true."

"It is too! You hate the thought of you technically being older." She grabbed his hand and pulled him close.

"I'm doing this because I want you to have an opportunity at a real life. I'm giving you the choice that I was never offered, appreciate it." She slumped back in her seat with her arms crossed. Now Neville didn't know what to say. She was upset and was waiting for him to answer.

"So, I just have to wait a few years?" He asked quietly. Noel quickly nodded.

"I just want you to figure out who you are before I turn you. You should really know what you're getting yourself into." Neville nodded.

"All right…then I'll wait. If that's what's going to make you happy, then I'll wait. But when that day comes, you turn me, no questions asked." Noel raised an eyebrow with a small smirk.

"Fine, it's a deal."