Chapter 30: This seemed to be the best draft to continue moving the story along. I hope you all enjoy! R&R

P.S. You can't make a phone call to the police before an incident takes place because they date and time stamp those calls and it would look bad like it was staged and for an insurance policy or something silly so that's why they had to face it head on.

Blip. Blip. Blip.

Three men.

One: petty theft, a small heist, larceny, one grand theft auto. Bulky and short but very quick.

Second: sexual assault, two rapes, home invasion, larceny. Lumbering, tall, an over-powering man.

Third: assault with a deadly weapon, grand theft auto, heist with number One. Average height and build, but very crafty.

They wanted in on something. Something promised. They didn't know the person behind the gig but when they were approached by the supposed middle-man, they took up the offer. Upon down payment, of course. The only requirement was to be marked with three red lines on their cheeks. (They bitched and bellowed against it but then a bigger down payment was laid before them and three small marks on their cheeks didn't mean shit.)

The job? Stake out a woman's house and kill a vampire. Sounded fun. They didn't believe in vampires but the terrified man that approached them did. They were in it for the money and the hell of it. They each had a reputation to uphold back on the inside after all.

Erin and Brigid sat silently in the car a couple of blocks over. The crafty one would cut the power to not only their house but a few of the surrounding ones to ensure total darkness. The three men were to pay special attention to the back garden and the field behind it leading to the forest line. They had been cautioned that the vampire would come from that direction. Each were armed with CZ 550s. The men had been told vampires were tough to kill, but three of those rifles against one vampire, well, their chances were easily in their favor.

Erin took a deep breath as she saw the streetlights on their block flicker off. She turned the car engine on and looked at Brigid. Brigid was in her track clothes. She was to run the minute they got there and phone the police. They had tried to plan the whole thing and it would seem to be easy considering they knew what was going to happen. But they didn't know. They only knew up to a certain extent. No one can ever truly know. And this way seemed to be the best that would not lead to the color red. Hopefully.

Erin took a deep breath and pulled out of the gravel drive way. She touched the necklace Larten had given her. Brigid had seen her put it on but didn't ask why.

"Say it again."

Brigid took a shaky breath.

"You go in. I am out for a run. Disturbance. Distract. Run to neighbors. Police. No red."

Erin nodded, "No red."

This had been their best plan with what they knew and what they didn't or couldn't know. It was all they had to go on.

Erin stopped the car at the end of their road. Brigid got out.

"Make it over to the next block and call the police. Don't stray from the plan. We're going to be okay."

"Erin…?"

"Go, Brigid. Let's get this over with."

Brigid nodded and shut the car door immediately breaking into a sprint around the corner to the opposite block. Erin put the car into drive and pulled into the dark driveway. She could see a couple of flickering candles in the house to the right. Someone would be phoning the electric company. Perfect.

Erin took a deep breath and cut the engine off. She sat for a minute gathering herself. She had her conceal and carry in her purse. Walking to the front door she jingled her keys extra loud on purpose. Stuffing her hand back into her purse around the handle of her gun she gripped it tightly and opened the door.

"You fool! You foolish woman!"

A harsh voice yelled above her.

Erin grimaced in pain.

"G-get out of here. The-the police are coming." She gasped out, her eyes unable to focus.

There was a frustrated snarl above her and then a flutter of wind against her face.

Suddenly it was very bright above her and dark figures moved around her. There was the sound of sirens and flashing lights.

"Repeat we need medic here asap. Evans, clear the area, go! Ma'am, you're going to be okay."

"B-Brigid!" She coughed out. There was something warm and coppery in her mouth.

"Your sister is fine. We're going to get you to a hospital, stay calm for me. I want a 200-yard perimeter around this area. We still have one perp out there."

Erin tried to focus her eyes. The medics were on their way in. She could see a gurney being pushed into one of the ambulances. She thought it looked like Brigid. She tried to get up.

"Ma'am, please, stay still. We're here to help you."

"My...my sister…"

"Eddie, stabilize her. Okay, here we go, 1, 2, and 3."

Erin felt her body slid onto the gurney, strapped in, and oxygen immediately placed over her mouth. She could feel a heavy compress around her shoulder. They immediately hooked her up to check her vital signs. Erin's eyes fluttered. She knew no more.

Larten circled back towards the town. It had been 3 days since he'd been able to make the trek, short though it may be. He had to return to the Cirque to deal with his wounds. Mostly superficial the shots had only grazed his skin, but one had partly penetrated into his arm. Truska persistently tended to him and along with his healing saliva, he was able to resume his mission. Three men with high-powered modern hunting rifles was easier said than done, even for a vampire. His stealth and speed, silent and faster than a regular vampire, gave him the element of surprise and thus, the upper-hand.

He dealt with the one posted in the garden. He had been the easiest, barely even cognizant of Larten sneaking up behind him and snapping his neck. It was the two on the inside that would be the difficult ones. Especially with Erin. Her well-being was in his mind, but more so was the chance of her doing something unexpected that would get in his way and result in someone getting hurt. His forethought had proven correct: they both ended up injured.

"Damn you, woman." Larten hissed to himself as he made his way down dark alleys towards the hospital.

He stopped in the shadows across the street from the hospital. He knew what room she was in, he had Evra call the hospital inquiring what room she was in in order to send flowers. Brigid was in there as well. His heart gave a painful thump of guilt. Brigid had ended up injured as well, though not as acutely as Erin or himself. He took a deep breath. Showing his face, he had an inkling that that child would end up the death of him, he just knew it.

Larten sneaked carefully to the correct side of the inpatient building and started climbing. Coming to their window, he slowly pried it open and slipped into the darkness. The beep of a monitor was the only sound in the room. His nose got used to the overpowering smell of disinfectant and he stood at the end of their beds.

Brigid had broken an ankle after running straight into the fray like the young, brash idiot she was, and thank the vampire gods, that was the only injury she sustained.

Larten looked to Erin. There was a cannula in her nose, an IV bag of fluids, and a vital monitor next to her. She looked terrible. Her right eye was bruised shut, stitches on her lip, a couple of broken fingers, and a large bandage around her left shoulder. That's where she had been shot. But by the gods, it had only been like his own injury, missing any arteries or major nerves in the area, and for that he was grateful to his lucky star.

"Larten?"

Larten swiftly turned his head, surprised to hear his name in the quiet.

It was Brigid. She tried to shift herself in her bed to sit up a bit more which was a bit difficult as her ankle was casted and bandaged and in a strap, that kept it elevated.

"Ssh. Stop moving." He whispered sharply, walking to the end of her bed.

Even with all the shadows playing across Brigid's face he could feel the intensity of her stare at him. He looked away from her face and out the window, unable to bear its anger and contempt.

"What are you doing here?" Her voice was like ice.

Larten looked back at her.

"I'm checking on you, what does it look like?" He replied in a quiet huff.

"Get out."

The command hit him in the gut.

He faced the blood-lust in her eyes with his own anger.

"No."

"What use are you? You left us! You left Erin after you promised! I thought vampires were adamant about their promises, about their duties, about staying true to themselves and their feelings. And here you are. Back like you saved the day. But, no, you didn't really, did you? How do you think this would have gone down if you hadn't left, hmm? Have you thought about that? No, you ran away!" Brigid hissed with such venom, the volume of her voice rising with each accusation. It was almost too much to bear for him.

"Keep your voice down!" He snapped.

"Look." Brigid pointed.

"What?"

"Look over there. On Erin's side table. Look and tell me what you see." Brigid commanded.

Larten turned his head, his heart dropping into his stomach, his throat dry, his eyes wide. He lowered his head as he could feel the shame spread through his entire body. The necklace he had given her on her birthday, that magical night shattered by his cowardice, lay on her bedside table. Even in the shadows the gems had a faint glint to them.

"Yes, she did wear it and refused to part with it. She wanted it in her sight at all times if she couldn't wear it. I've seen her hold it and watched as her eyes water, thinking, wondering and praying that you were okay! We both saw red, Larten, in our flashes. We figured it was injury, yes, but I think she secretly hoped it meant you. Just like she hoped the red gem on her necklace meant you." Brigid finished coldly.

"It did mean me!" He spat, swiveling his head around.

"I did come back! And I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere." Larten's voice choked, upset, halfway through in his anger. He swallowed hard before lifting his eyes to meet Brigid's.

"I am the red and I'm not going anywhere so you may as well get used to me all over again." He said viciously.

Brigid's contemptuous smirk made him want to destroy the whole room. His chest was heaving with anger.

There was a rustling in the other bed. Both Brigid and Larten stopped. There was a small gasp of pain and then nothing more. Larten quickly shifted to Erin's bed. Her eyebrows were knitted together and he knew she was dreaming. It brought back the memory of when he had held her as she fought through a terrible psychic nightmare. He reached out a hand and smoothed the hair off of her forehead like he had done when he first rescued her from Murlough. He wanted to kiss her cold forehead. He leaned down.

"Don't even think about it." Brigid spat.

Larten straightened and ran his hand over her forehead once more.

"You should probably go. They're going to be doing rounds soon." Brigid said trying to resettle her pillows.

Larten went to help but Brigid slapped his hand away.

"I can do it myself." She huffed.

Larten huffed back and scratched his scar glaring down at the teen.

Brigid glanced at him once more. Her features softened imperceptibly, but Larten noticed and furrowed his eyebrows slightly.

"You really should go. I'm not going to tell Erin you were here. It would be too distressing for her. We're going to be discharged soon. The house is a mess but we can return. There will be regular patrols now in our area. The police are back on the watch again. All the attackers-well, you know what happened. We're safe though. So…bye." Brigid ended abruptly, fluffing a pillow and closing her eyes.

With a small nod, Larten headed to the window and was halfway out when he heard Brigid.

"If you're the red in her necklace then be the red, Larten." She whispered almost inaudibly, but knew he would hear it.

Throwing his other leg out of the window, he closed it shut silently and dropped to the ground before slipping into the shadows once more.