This is a fairly long vampire based Hanson story that I first began writing in the summer of 2001. The vampire mythology used here (which I created years before ever reading Twilight) has nothing to do with the amazing and complex Universe created by Stephenie Meyer, I'm sad to say. Also I don't really believe Taylor Hanson chows down on the necks of fandom fans. Though if any of you disagree, and know how I might reach him to volunteer… Consider yourself disclaimed.

A little more "EE!" commeth soon.

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Chapter 25

"Mom! Zoë wet her pants!" Mackenzie cried as he entered the kitchen where Diana stood, washing out the coffeepot.

Closing her eyes, she sighed and turned off the water. "Alright, I'll be there in a minute. Are you all packed?" She asked, looking down at her youngest son.

"Yeah. Can I watch TV now?" He asked.

"Well, I don't know. Can you help anyone else finish? We need to leave here in about an hour, you know." She said, wiping her hands and heading off to get everyone in order. Mackenzie shrugged his shoulders and went into the living room and switched on the television. The madness had begun.

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Sonya opened the hatch on the Volvo. "Grab that bottle of water out of there." She said, and then she went around to the front of the car and unlocked the doors.

Taylor got into the car and handed her the water. "That's for you." She said, and she turned the key. "We're actually closer to JFK here, but I'm taking you back to the hotel anyway. I'm handing you over to your parents."

He didn't say anything for a moment. Twisting the lid off the bottle, he tipped it up and downed gulp after gulp of the cool liquid. Closing it again, he tucked the bottle between his legs and looked at Sonya. "Um, do you know there's a stain on the carpet back there?" He asked, looking for something to talk about.

"Yes, I'm aware of that." She said.

"Don't be mad at me, Sonya." He said quietly.

"Why not?" She said back.

"I just don't want you to be." He said. She looked over at him. His eyes were sad and perfectly human looking.

"You can't always get what you want, Taylor. You of all people should know that. I can't stand to watch you do these things. You have to promise me, right now, that you are never going to do that again. Who knows what it could be doing to you! I can't believe you drank from Beatriz! And don't try to deny it–I'm not stupid. You're lucky it didn't turn you into a wolf or something." She said, shaking her head.

"Can we do that?!" He asked, suddenly very intrigued.

"Of course not! What do you think this is? The Munsters?!" she shouted. He slunk back in his seat and she put her hand on his knee. "Taylor, it would kill me if anything happened to you. If you're just trying to see what kind of powers you can get, then you can stop now. This is as good as it gets–you'll never fly or walk through walls or turn into anything other than what you are right now. All that is going to happen is that it'll be harder for you to handle what you have now. Stop endangering yourself and those around you. Right now."

"I wasn't trying to get more powers. I don't want any of that crap anyway." He said, looking out the window as the city came into view. "I don't know why I bit her."

"What do you want?" She asked.

"I want my life back." He said, turning back to her.

"Taylor, you've got that. Now, don't fuck it up." She said gently. "You've been given quite a special gift. We don't give up our own easily. For Beatriz to allow you to go back to your family is just…it's just not done."

Nothing more was said between the two until they arrived at the hotel. They parked a few blocks away and walked to the building, taking an alley around the back so that they wouldn't have to go through the lobby. Though it wouldn't have mattered. The girls had finally given up on seeing any of the Hanson clan this trip. As they rode the elevator up to the suite, Taylor finally broke the silence. "So, will you be in Chicago next week?" He asked.

"I don't believe I have a choice." She answered.

"Please don't be like this, Sonya. I said I was sorry." He said, stepping in front of her and looking into her eyes.

She looked down at his jacket, "You've got blood on your sleeve." She said.

Taylor put his hand under her chin and raised her face. "I promise, I won't do it ever again, ok? I promise."

She took in his features and she listened to his thoughts. Nothing made her think that he wasn't telling her the truth. When he placed his lips over hers, she wasn't surprised. And when the door slid open and he pulled back again, she sighed, wondering what the next few weeks would hold for them all.

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As Scooby Doo and Shaggy made their way through the hallways of a wonderfully spooky old house, Mackenzie ate the last Skittle from the small red bag in his lap. In the next room, he could hear the sounds of his sisters arguing over clothes and his brothers' laughter at some joke known only to them. So, the quiet knocking on the door nearly went unnoticed by him. Getting up from the couch, he looked around to see if anyone were going to answer the door, but it appeared it was up to him. He pulled a chair from the kitchen and stood on it so he could look out the peephole. There, he saw Taylor and a woman with long blonde hair. Jumping down from the chair, he yanked the door open as fast as he could. "Tay!" He exclaimed, grabbing his brother around the waist.

"Hey Buddy!" Taylor said back, picking the boy up and hoisting him up on his hip the way he had when he was three. Sonya smiled watching the two. As Taylor stepped into the room, he turned back to her, "C'mon in. This is Mackie by the way. I think he was asleep last night when you were here." He said, introducing the boy to her. "Mac, this is Sonya. She's gonna be coming with us on the bus after turkey day."

"Hi, Sonya." He said, leaning into Taylor's shoulder.

"Hello." She said, smiling. "Is it fun on the bus?" She asked.

"Sometimes." The little boy stated, "But, sometimes, it's boring." Taylor shut the door and they all walked into the living room.

"Mom! Hey, I'm home!" He shouted. Suddenly, the sounds of feet coming from every room in the suite were heard and Sonya looked up to see people aged from three on up charging down the hall towards them. Hugs and kisses and tears and laughter were all present as Taylor was surrounded by his family.

Sonya stepped back, amazed by the outpouring of love and attention he was getting. As the talking and chittering dropped to a level that did not hurt her ears, the children began to take notice of her. Avery stood behind Taylor, peering out at her, remembering her face from a nightmarish encounter weeks previous. Jessica was admiring her shiny, straight blonde hair and her perfectly worn, lace up boots as Zoë looked up at her curiously. "That's Sonya." Mackenzie said, pointing to her, "She's going with us when we go back on the bus."

Avery gasped and Taylor turned to her. "Don't worry–she's not going to hurt you. She's nice, really." The little girl heard in her mind as he reached down and put his arm around her shoulder protectively.

"Are you like Taylor?" Jessica asked.

All eyes turned to Sonya as she answered. "In some ways." She said.

Jessica cocked her head, "You know what I mean." She smiled.

Sonya sighed, "Yes, I am." She said.

"Cool. How old are you?" The girl asked, her eyes bright and inquisitive.

"Very." Sonya answered, looking over at Diana.

"Like, older than Mom and Dad?" She asked amid chuckles.

"I'm afraid so." Sonya answered. Jessica marveled as Sonya twisted her hair into a bun and fastened it with an ink pen she'd pulled from her pocket.

Isaac and Zac both laughed, looking at their parents' faces. "Jess, leave her alone." Zac said, and he yanked her hair and made his way to the living room.

"Taylor, I better go." Sonya said, looking at him. "Be sure and feed often. Don't wait. I'll see you next week."

Taylor pried his hand out of his sister's and walked towards the door, followed by Zoë. "Tay." She said, tugging on his back pocket.

"Yeah?" He answered her. She didn't say anything, just raised her arms and he reached down and picked her up. Opening the door with his free hand, he gave Sonya a smile, "So, I'll see you in Chicago next week, right?" He said to her, but in her mind, she heard him, "I'll drink up every girl in Tulsa if it will keep you from being pissed off at me."

"You know what pisses me off. I don't want to have to tell your parents about this, but I will if I have to. No more vampire's blood." Isaac and Zac both watched as Taylor and Sonya had an odd kind of communication going. "I'll be there." She said.

"Alright, tell Beatriz I said goodbye." He said. "There aren't any vampires in Tulsa."

"I will." She answered. "Of course there are, and if I hear that you've had any of them, you'll be coming back to New York in chains. I'm leaving now. Behave." She reached up and touched his cheek, "See ya soon." She said quietly, and she turned and headed down the hallway as Zoë waved to her. "Call me if you need anything, I'll be there."

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Mr. Jones looked at his watch. Thirty-two minutes late. The flight was scheduled to leave in less than forty minutes, yet his nine companions were nowhere in sight. Picking up the book he'd brought along, he plopped down in the hard plastic seat and began to read, deciding if he should head off to Tulsa alone if they didn't show up. Fifteen minutes later, he looked up to see a group of people rushing towards him, Taylor leading the pack and carrying a good part of the luggage. At least the strength he'd gained when he was turned into a vampire wouldn't go to waste, Mr. Jones thought. Standing, he walked towards the group. "You're late, Mr. Hanson." He said to Taylor. Isaac and Zac snickered.

"Yeah, I know. Sorry." Taylor said sheepishly, "Uh, dude," he whispered, "don't call me that in front of my brothers, man."

Mr. Jones looked over at Isaac and Zac, "Why not?" He asked.

"'Cause they'll give me crap for it." Taylor retorted, sitting down some of the bags. As his father approached, Taylor backed up a bit, "Dad, this is Mr. Jones."

"Yes, we've met." Walker smiled, putting his hand out to shake the other man's. Taylor furrowed his brow and watched as the two men smiled at each other and made small talk.

Walking over to his mother, Taylor took her purse from her and sat it on the floor, "You guys have met Mr. Jones?" He asked, sitting down next to Jessica and pulling Avery up on his lap. Diana sat next to him and handed Zoë a small box of animal crackers that looked like a circus wagon. Immediately, she began to hand them out to her brothers and sisters and to compare the animals.

"Yes. He came to visit us a time or two." She said, watching the smallest children to make sure they didn't stray. Before Taylor could ask anymore, they began calling the flight they would be on. Walker and Mr. Jones had gone up to the desk to gather boarding passes and check in the luggage that hadn't been sent ahead. Everyone stood up again and began making their way to the gate to board their plane. They felt lucky it was such a late flight–not only were the children in quiet mode, but none of the passengers seemed to notice or care who they were.

Walker and Mr. Jones joined the line. In front of him, was Taylor, Zoë in his arms, her head on his shoulder. She looked up at the man and held out a small brown cookie in the shape of a camel. "No, thank you." He said, smiling at the little girl. He then watched as she offered it to Taylor, holding it up to his face. He opened his mouth, and she stuck the cookie in. "Make sure you don't swallow that." Mr. Jones said quietly into his ear.

"Crap, I forgot." Taylor said, turning towards the man. Suddenly, his hand was in front of Taylor's face, a handkerchief ready to take the offending morsel. Taylor closed his eyes for a moment, then spit the cookie into the cloth. "Geez…" he said, rolling his eyes.

"You'll thank me later." He said, dropping it into the waste can situated by the door.

Taylor looked up to see his family watching the scene. "I got a giraffe," Zoë stated, "since you didn't like the camel."

"Thanks baby, I'm just not hungry right now, ok?" He told her. The matter closed, she lay her head back down on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

As they continued on their way, Mr. Jones observed the interaction between the family members. He was seated at the window, next to Taylor, and once in the air, it seemed they all played musical chairs, each wanting to sit next to the prodigal child who'd just returned to them. Mackenzie had filled him in on all the things he'd missed–the monumental feat of his having beaten Zac at a certain video game, his skinned knee from a slip at the pool, a special treat when their mother had made her homemade brownies for them all three days ago. Jessica had commented on his new clothes and asked him if he thought her hair was too long to wear in the same style Sonya had worn that evening which had prompted the boy to turn her around as he twisted the long strands into a knot at the back of her head. It didn't have quite the same effect though, her hair being wavier and softer than Sonya's very straight hair. Still, he assured her it was equally as beautiful, just in a different way. Isaac had showed him a piece of paper covered with scrawled out lyrics and other scribbles Mr. Jones just wasn't certain of. In a very animated conversation, they had pulled Zac away from his seat to give his opinion on a particularly tricky rhyme. But, Mr. Jones noticed the boy's eyes kept wandering to his brother's hand and the dark stain on his jacket. When he went back to his seat, the man took the opportunity to take it from Taylor. "Let me have your jacket. What happened to it?" He asked quietly. He was met with Taylor's blue eyes, shaded by the overhead light.

"I cut myself." He said, taking it off and handing it to the man.

"Interesting." Mr. Jones replied, looking at the cuff. He then folded the jacket up and put it in his bag. Taylor continued to look at the man. "You may as well not try to intimidate me–I've faced much worse than you. The lady sent me to keep an eye on you and that's what I intend to do." As the stewardess stepped up to see if they wanted anything to drink, Taylor shook his head, but Mr. Jones said, "Water–three, please." When she handed him the bottles, he gave two to Taylor, "Drink those please." He said and he unscrewed his own and began to drink it as Taylor's parents looked at each other, their eyebrows raised in surprise.

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Beatriz and Sonya stepped into the bar for the second time in two days. At once, all talk ceased and all eyes went to the door. "This place is so pleasant, don't you think?" Beatriz said to Sonya.

"Yes, quite." Sonya replied, looking around with a bored look on her face. She noticed the coffin was long gone and a piece of plastic covered the spot where the now broken mirror had once been. Stopping in the middle of the room, Sonya took off her sweater and draped it across a chair at a table. She wore a Grateful Dead T-shirt. Reaching up to her ear, she adjusted the shiny silver loop, looking up through her bangs at all the others watching them. She knew she and Beatriz were more powerful than anyone else there, but still, they were terribly outnumbered.

"Hello, Sam. Looking good tonight." Beatriz stated, walking up to the bar.

"Thank you, Lady." The man said back to her.

"Give me some of that tasty, brown water, please." She smiled. Then she turned and faced the rest of the patrons. "Please, carry on with whatever you were doing." She said to them, taking the glass from him. Lifting it up to them, she then placed it to her lips and took a long drink.

Sonya watched as a tall man walked in from the back room. He had to be well over six feet, thin and graceful. He had bluish gray eyes and dark, curly hair, stylishly cut. He wore a long, black leather coat. It was the man the younger ones jokingly called, "The Count".

"Roberto," Beatriz said, smiling, "I was wondering where you'd been keeping yourself."

"I haven't been hiding. If you ever came down from your palace, you'd know that." He retorted.

Beatriz looked over at Sonya, "Charming, as always." She said to her. She then turned back to him, "You know, sometimes I'm sorry I made you."

"Well, you tired of me long ago. I see you've made yourself a new one. New and improved, in fact." He said with a smirk.

"Yes, I did tire of you." Beatriz said, turning and setting the glass down on the bar. She then walked over and sat down at the table with Sonya. The chair screeched as she pulled it out across the bare floor. She winced and turned to him, "And yes, I think he is an improvement." She said, crossing her legs and tapping her fingernails on the table. The onlookers had begun to talk quietly amongst themselves while still keeping a watchful eye on the two women. Sonya kept the same vigil for Beatriz.

"So," he said, putting his hands in the pockets of the coat, "what did you do to give him that little bit of something extra?"

Sonya couldn't believe the story hadn't gotten around. Kirk had seemed to know all about Taylor's short history. But, Kirk was naturally very inquisitive and hopefully had just worked on Melanie until she'd told him. They would have to be more careful, she thought and she made a mental note to inform the others that Taylor's transgressions were to be kept between them and only them. She watched as a sly smile crossed Beatriz' face, "Well, not that it's any of your business," she said, standing and stepping behind him, "but, I guess my powers have grown since you were made. After all, it was a very long time ago." She brushed some imaginary dust from his shoulder.

"It's not normal Beatriz." Roberto said, crossing his arms over his chest. "He's too young to have what he has." His eyes were beginning to shine, he was becoming angry. Sonya felt her own senses sharpen as she watched him. "He's some kind of freak and you should've kept him out of the light altogether. Instead though, he's out there on television where the whole world can see what he is!"

"Only you or I could see what he is. A human would never know there was anything different about him. Drugged? Anemic? Maybe. Tired? Definitely. A vampire? They wouldn't even consider it a possibility." Beatriz stepped over to the bar again, the slinky, wine colored dress she wore swaying as she walked. Picking up the glass, she downed the rest of it, "Besides, he would draw much more attention if he disappeared." She said, handing the glass to the bartender. "Thank you, Sam. That was just delicious." She said dryly.

"Well, I did a bit of research on your little protégé." He said. "Let's see, he's seventeen…" He gave her a sidelong glance as a few of those watching reacted to that bit of information. "He sings, he plays piano, he's a Pisces, and best of all, his favorite color is red. Now, how fitting is that?" He exclaimed. Now, some laughter came from the room.

Beatriz raised an eyebrow at him, "Very." She said, her voice deepening. "Did you also learn that he was a self-made millionaire at the age of fourteen? And that he and his brothers wrote a song that went to number one in twenty seven countries?" She stepped over closer to him, her eyes glinting with the light of the candles that burned on the walls, "Did you also know…" she said, looking around the room, "that with one word from him, I would have come in here and laid this dump to waste? But, for some reason, he didn't want me to do that. One gesture to let me know exactly who put him in that fucking box for no reason, and I would have slain any one of you with a smile on my face, because it's what you deserved." Now her eyes searched the crowd, going from face to face as each person tried to hide their thoughts and memories from her. The room had become silent.

"You have no right to judge us." Roberto spoke up. Sonya watched as the three girls who'd been there the night before stepped up behind him, their eyes glimmering. She went into their minds–minds inextricably entwined with each other. She didn't know which girl, or whether it was all three, but she could see a vision of Taylor's face as he was pushed into the coffin. It was a look of sheer terror and one that had brought great enjoyment to them. It took everything she had not to attack them then and there, but she had to wait and see what Beatriz was going to do.

As she stepped closer to him, Beatriz put her hands on her hips, "I'm not here in any kind of official way. I'm not judging anyone. I don't need to hear anyone's side. I know what happened, I've seen it. I've seen it through Taylor's eyes and through those who were watching it happen. I already know who's guilty here." Again, she looked at certain faces around the room. "The only reason I came back here tonight was to make sure that filthy thing was gone. If you want to continue this discussion though, I'm all ears." She said, looking up at him with her black eyes.

"We don't need to discuss anything with you." He said, looking down his nose at her.

Beatriz smiled, "No, you don't." Then she eyed the three girls standing behind him, "Because I already know everything that goes on in your heads. And, usually I don't care about your petty goings on, but when you start attacking your own kind, simply because you are jealous of them, then I have to take notice."

"We're not jealous of that little boy." One of the girls said to her.

"You should be." Beatriz stated simply, then she crossed her arms over her chest and looked the girl up and down.

"Why?" One of the others spoke up. Now a third girl opened her mouth, "He's just a pussy you've fucked. He was so scared when that box closed on him I thought his little rabbit heart would explode."

Sonya stood up and was in front of them immediately. "Don't you ever speak to or about him again." She hissed. Roberto and Beatriz both backed up a little. They watched as all three of the girls felt the pain as she sent a mental blow at each of them, her hand raising toward them. "You make me sick, all of you. Are you all so old that you can't remember what it was like in the beginning?" She asked, turning her gaze on the rest of the room. Her green eyes had a fire in them and her fangs were visible. Returning her eyes to the girls, she spoke, "Be careful your prey doesn't turn into the predator. I believe that little bunny could make a quick meal of you three cats if he wanted to." She then turned and stalked toward the door, grabbing her sweater off the chair. With a look back at the girls and a flick of her wrist, one girl sunk into Roberto and the other two fell to their knees, their hands going up to their temples. She then went towards the door, flinging it open without touching it.

The wind rushed in and Beatriz smiled, "I guess we're leaving. See you soon." She said, "Be good." And she followed Sonya out the door, leaving the place in a tizzy for the second night in a row.

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"How come you talk funny?" Avery asked, sleepily. She was seated next to Taylor, her head on his shoulder, speaking to Mr. Jones.

"Funny? My dear girl, I am from Her Majesties British Isles. I was born in Buckinghamshire in England and I moved to London when I was just a boy."

"He's just got a British accent, Avie" Taylor said, smiling. "It took everything I had to make him stop calling me 'master Taylor'." He whispered to the little girl.

"Why did you do that? That would be cool." She asked, yawning.

"Uh, I don't think the guys would think that was cool. They'd think it was goofy and they'd make my life hell. So, don't tell anybody, ok?" He said, putting his hand in hers.

Lacing her small fingers through her brother's large ones, Avery looked down at their hands. "Tay, what's gonna happen now? Are you gonna have to leave again?" She asked.

"Well, I don't think so." He answered. "I think as long as I do what they tell me to, I can stay with you guys for as long as I want to." He smiled down at her, "You do know though, that eventually, I'm gonna move out, right? I mean, you don't want me to just stay with Mom and Dad forever, do ya?"

"Why not? Ike is." She answered, closing her eyes. Taylor chuckled and looked over at his brother, typing on his laptop, chewing on his bottom lip. He was glad to be back.