A/N: Hello my wonderful friends! It's been awhile since I have updated for your viewing pleasure and I apologize for that. Thank you for all of the lovely reviews and comments and for the support you've shown me throughout this journey. Unfortunately, this is probably the last chapter I'm going to write for this particular story as my Muses have gone off in search of new blood, but there will be other stories to go along with this once I figure out how to start them…
For now, enjoy this little piece my lovelies!
OOOOOOOOO
David and the other Boys had been thrown around by Max like they were nothing, but they managed to get some decent blows on him. Somehow when he was thrown back against the far wall, David lost track of his sire. The Boys scrambled after Max when they realized where he was heading after so many hours of fighting. David was holding his breath and snarling at the same time, trying to get to Faith before Max could do something that would be unforgivable.
Dwayne and David managed to get a hold of Max when the crazed vampire moved over the bed that Faith was sleeping on. Her breathing was softer and growing rarer as she slumbered, completely unaware of the danger that she was in. It had been a full day since she had fallen asleep after the blood exchange and David knew that she could wake up at any time. And the last thing he wanted was for her to wake up with a snarling Max hovering over her.
"Get away from her!" David ordered, struggling to pull the older vampire back.
The redhead's body shuddered as she came back into consciousness and she took a big gulp of air. David could see her eyes opening and mentally cursed at himself, knowing that she would freak out at the sight playing out above her.
Her heart continued its slow, calm pace and her body didn't tense up or tremble at the sight of Max hovering over her with David's arm around his throat.
"Hello Max," the redhead said evenly. "You've lost."
"Adalyn," Max growled, sounding almost shocked in his anger to the point that David and his brothers managed to pull him away from the bed.
The redhead propped herself onto her elbows, watching the scene with mild interest. When she pushed herself into a seated position, David could see the Southern Belle peering out of those grey eyes, but it was mixed with the modern girl's spunk. The corner of her lips twitched as she held Max's gaze evenly.
"Not quite," the redhead said and that smile on her face grew mocking. "We've come to an agreement and you, Max, are a giant dick-wad."
David felt Max recoil in surprise at the sudden use of foul, modern language from the redhead. Faith moved off the bed and put her hands on her hips.
"History repeats, Max," Faith said, her eyes burning with a slight feral gleam. "Almost…I'm not dead and I'm not yours." Her eyes softened only slightly when she looked at David. "I'm David's and that's what I will always be. You and me, we're only connected through David and my brothers. You lost. Again…"
Max glared at her, but softened his voice. "I could have given you everything," he told the redhead. "A nice house, a comfortable bed, nice clothes, the choicest feeding grounds, and protection."
"The only thing that I need protection from is you," Faith told him coolly. "But you also need protection from me."
"What?" Max asked with a smirk. "You think you can challenge me? That a mere fledgling can take on me?"
"Oh, yes." Faith moved closer to the angry sire, not looking at David but he knew what she was up to. "Listen to me, Max. I may not be an old vampire like you and right now, I may not even be a true vampire, but you're wrong. If you come anywhere near me or try to hurt any of the Boys – my brothers and David included – I will get pissed and I will come after you." Her lips twitched into a mocking smile again. "And you know Hell has no fury like a woman tampered with." She stepped even closer to the old sire, holding her head high. "I will make you run and keep you afraid of the shadows. You have and always will lose."
David felt Max tense up at the redhead's words and then Max's body relaxed. His anger dissipated, becoming only a constant simmer. The elder Lost Boy held onto the man until he was sure that Max wouldn't leap forward and kill Faith. Max straightened his suit-jacket and gave off the air of perfect calm.
"You have made a mistake, Adalyn," Max said softly, his voice full of a pathetic sadness.
"No, Max. I have made the best decision I could ever make. Again. You will never get another chance with me or Faith…As Faith says: you are such a loser!"
The Boys laughed at the Southern accent and smacked their hands together. Max sent one final glare in the direction of the redhead before turning to look at his creations. His eyes were even harder than ever when they landed on the four Lost Boys.
"Never turn someone with your own blood," he growled, shaking a finger at the four Boys. "I am the sire of you pathetic bunch and I have many more years of experience when it comes to siring new vampires. If I catch you turning anyone without my blood, heads will roll."
"Sorry, but you ain't rolling our pen-" Paul began with a smirk.
"Shut your mouth, Paul," Max ordered, giving the blonde a particularly hard look. "Do any turning on your own and I will see to it that whoever you turn will die before your eyes, slowly and painfully…Do you boys understand?"
The Lost Boys stared at him with a mixture of different emotions playing on their faces. None of them made a sound as they watched him. It was rather difficult too because Faith was making faces behind their sire's back. Max turned and Faith had the look of the most innocent nun in the world, though her eyes burned with scorn.
"You have made a very big mistake," Max repeated, shaking his head before turning and leaving the room.
David turned his gaze on Paul and Marko, gesturing for them to follow Max to make sure he didn't do anything stupid. Both of the blonds laughed and ran off, howling random curses and rude goodbyes to their sire. Dwayne remained by the door, watching the two lovers with keen eyes.
Help her, Dwayne ordered.
When David looked back at Faith, he saw that she was actually trembling. The guise of calmness had fallen and now she was shaking, her hand pressed against her stomach. Through their bond, he could feel her pain and the blood thirst that she now had to deal with because of her new vampirism. The leader of the Lost Boys moved towards her as she let out a small whimper.
OOOOOOOOO
Faith had waited until Max left before letting herself show any discomfort and fear. She didn't know how she had lasted so long with that damn vampire in her face; her control had been challenged and almost gave in when the angry man had been there. Adalyn had provided support, but it had been a close one.
With Max far gone, the redhead relinquished her control and started trembling again. The scars across her stomach were burning, though it was diminishing as the older vampire moved farther and farther away from them. She knew that the scars could be her warning sign about Max's location even before David could tell her.
"Faith," David said and she felt his arms around her. His large hand cupped her face and tilted it back. "Are you okay?"
Faith grimaced and slid a hand over his. "Not as much as I'd like," she admitted, looking up at him. "I'll survive…"
A sudden hardness clouded David's eyes and he frowned at her. "Do you realize how stupid you were? Challenging Max when you're not even a full vampire yet? Do you know what he could have done to you?"
The redhead shrugged and moved away from him, rubbing her stomach. "Max wouldn't try to kill me – not when he thought he had a chance to convince Adalyn to finally come to his side. You know me, David. I'm not scared of Max, even if he has hundreds of years over my skill level."
She could feel his brief flash of anger dissipate through their mental bond. The redhead had to admit that it was strange to have another voice in her head and one that wasn't somewhat like hers. Adalyn had taken some time to get used to and now she had to worry about David's voice mingling with her thoughts, discovering her secrets with ease. That, she knew, would take some time to get used to and to figure out how to block.
Swearing softly, Faith sat back down on the edge of the bed and placed her hand on her lap. David was looking at her with a question in his eyes. "You want to know what happened to Adalyn, don't you?" she guessed with a small twitch at the corner of her lips. "Of course you do."
The oldest Lost Boy watched her. "Did you send her away?"
"Not exactly," Faith said with a small smile. "We came to an agreement of sorts. She gets to stay around in my body for a while and in return, she doesn't control my body unless something really bothers me and I need a break." Her smile widened a little. "That way Max will constantly be reminded of what he lost and know who's in charge when it comes to this redhead." She pointed at herself and then frowned. "My stomach hurts…and not in the warning kind of way."
David held a hand out to her and sighed. "You need to eat something – someone, actually. It's the only way for you to become a full vampire. You must feed."
"And I gotta kill too," Faith recalled from her earlier conversations with Dwayne. "Hides the secret of the vampires and adds yet another body to the mix." She allowed him to pull her back onto her feet.
That familiar smirk returned to David's lips. "It's time to eat…Let's see who you can snare."
OOOOOOOOO
Faith moved ahead of the Boys on the beach, her head held high and a strange, gnawing hunger in her stomach. Her grey eyes scanned the beach's bonfires, drunken teenagers littering the logs around them, just waiting for the right moment. She spotted one teen that seemed vaguely familiar and upon stepping closer, she recognized one of the Surf Nazis who had messed with her before she had grown used to the boardwalk. Her gums ached as she stared at him, standing beyond the glow of the fire so she could observe him without being seen.
What do you think?
I think he's the one I'm going to eat, Faith answered through her mental bond with David.
Go for it.
The redhead moved slowly into the glow of the fire, making her body soft and innocent like. "Excuse me," she said, moving past some of the less drunk teens. "Hi."
The Surf Nazi who'd messed with her looked up and smiled. "Hey…Come to do the horizontal bop, Fire-crotch?"
Faith smiled and pressed a hand against her hip. "Maybe I am…What's it to you?" She let her eyes slide down his body and back up. "It doesn't look like you've got much to gloat about, actually."
A chorus of drunken laughter swelled around them. The Surf Nazi adjusted his stance and glared darkly at his friends, taking a final swallow of his beer. With a dirty look, the guy tossed his empty can aside and moved towards Faith.
"Little bit-" he began.
"Listen, I don't care what you have to say," Faith cut across him, not flinching when he drew close. "I'm not looking for a friendship. Just a screw." She glanced in the direction of the boardwalk. "Payback for my man sneaking around with some slut…Even your little friend would work…"
The Surf Nazi swaggered closer and she could smell the alcohol wafting off of him. "That blond bastard cheats on you? Damn…Fire-crotches are supposed to be the best…" He smiled at her. "Don't worry, babe. I got you."
I'm sure you do, Faith thought, turning and heading away from the bonfire with a small sway in her hips.
Faith couldn't see her brothers or David as she led the Surf Nazi farther and farther from his friends, but she could feel them nearby. A smile crept across her lips as she felt Paul and Marko's happy vibes fill the air, their silent laughter contagious. The Surf Nazi tried to reach out and touch her a few times, but she made sure that she was just out of reach every time.
Didn't anyone ever tell you not to play with your food?
The redhead smiled and danced out of the reach of the Surf Nazi, laughing when he tripped over his own feet. Nope…
Well, I am now. I don't want him to enjoy himself before he goes.
Don't worry. He won't.
"You really don't want to give a show, huh?" the Surf Nazi said when Faith turned to look at him.
"I ain't that kind of girl," Faith told him, hearing his heartbeat and feeling her gums ache as she thought about the blood so close to her. "And I don't think they want to see what happens."
The Surf Nazi moved closer to her, hands outstretched to grab her and Faith gave into the demon now burrowing in her veins with David's coaxing. The fangs tore through her gums and her face changed. The Surf Nazi's scream died before it could escape when Faith bit down on his throat.
OOOOOOOOO
David stayed back as he and his brothers watched Faith make her first kill, their bodies hidden in the darkness. Paul and Marko let out low whistles of approval when she forced her fangs deeper and deeper, yet managed to not get blood everywhere. Dwayne had his arms folded over his chest, his dark eyes watching with mild interest.
"She's one of us now," David said with a small smirk. "And nothing is going to change that." He glanced sideways at his brothers. "And you better not try to get a peep show from her."
"Peeping on our sister?" Marko asked, his eyebrows rising in shock.
"What kind of people do you think we are?" Paul smiled at him. "The bonds of family are strong and we won't be looking for boners from our sister."
"Yeah, there are other girls. Speaking of which," Marko turned to look at Paul, "you wanna go find a couple nice ones?"
David watched as his two blond brothers took off into the night, howling like banshees. Faith's consciousness brushed against his own and he heard the sound of something heavy hit the ground. Turning his attention back to the redhead, he saw that the crumpled lifeless body of the Surf Nazi was resting at her feet. Faith had her back to him and she was staring down at her hands.
Listening intently, David could hear her heart beat once, twice, and then it stopped beating completely. Faith took a swallow of air and let it pass through her mouth, the oxygen no longer needed in her undead form. She didn't move for a long moment, still staring at her hands and David knew she was trying to reclaim her human face – the one she had to wear like a mask now among the masses.
The oldest Lost Boy moved towards her and placed his hands just below her shoulders. "Welcome to the fold, Faith," he whispered when she turned her head slightly. "Welcome home."
OOOOOOOOO
A/N: And so this story comes to a close (unless I can think of a non-cliché epilogue) and new ones could come afterwards. I thank you for all of the support you've shown me these months and I am forever grateful for your support and ideas. Thank you for tolerating the grammar mistakes and the OOC moments and the Mary Sue like problems that were scattered amongst the story. Thank you for being loyal fans and wonderful friends! I hope to feed your mind again one day soon and wish you all the best. -Much love, Scarlet!