Author's Note:

Hi! This is the end! Et voila! Hope this lives up to my reputation as a good writer. And you guys…Wow! What did I do so right to be graced with such wonderful reader and reviews? Thank you ever so much. Even those who read and don't review, thank you too. I love all of y'all to pieces! I hope that I continue to entertain each one of you. All's well on this end…I'm feeling really inspired. Hope everyone out there is healthy and doing well also. Many blessing to all of you! Until next time…I remain your faithful servant.

McFadden-

Chapter 11: The Calm Before The Storm

Abby woke up, startled when she felt cold metal prodding her bare skin. Her eye's focused on the form of Sommerfield poking her with her walking stick. She then switched to the dead weight at her side, which was King. As Sommer jabbed him he just groaned and swatted the imposing stick away. Abby sat up and covered her self even though she knew her friend couldn't see she was naked. Something told Abby that Sommer just knew that already.

"Morning Sunshine, sleep well?"

There it was. That tone, that condescending 'I know what you did' tone. She took a glance at her partner who was dead to the world and sleeping without a care. Of course he would have the ability to do that! Abby chose to reply only to find her voice sounding sheepish and guilty no matter how hard she tried to force it not to.

"Hi Sommer…"

Sommerfield smirked at her.

"So…How was he?"

Abby's mouth fell agape at her friend's boldness.

"Sommer!"

She just shrugged nonchalantly, the smirk still firmly planted on her lips.

"What? When my daughter comes downstairs to tell me that my favorite duo had a sleepover, I had to come up here and see for myself. And don't deny it Abigail. I smell sex in this room."

Abigail couldn't believe Sommer's playful audacity and she felt her cheeks begin to burn. But what could she say? She had nothing in her defense.

"I…"

Suddenly a gruff and cocky voice popped up from somewhere between the multitude of sheets and pillows.

"Damn right! And it was good too!"

Abby then turned to look at King, appalled that he wasn't embarrassed by it, but bragging about something so personal to her. He was just laying there casually stretching out his powerful and lean form. She caught herself biting her lower lip. Sommer then tapped Abby on the leg, bringing her attention back in place.

"You owe me a detailed explanation later…"

All Sommerfield offered was a raised eyebrow before turning to leave Abby fell back on the bed, pulling her pillow over her head and groaning into it. She heard King chuckle beside her and felt his hand circling her waist.

"Don't…even…touch…me."

She slinked out of the bed and groaned achingly. Her hair situated itself to conceal the horrid bite mark that was thankfully closer to the back of her neck. Lightly touching it, she turned and gave him a fiercely angry look King returned her gaze with one chocked full of all his charm and spoke.

"Now that's hot…"

She turned around, haughtily and started pulling her linen pants on. King got up quickly, wrapping the sheet around his waist and came over to her side of the bed.

"Awe baby, don't be mad. I was just trying to get you riled up."

He pulled at her waist until she sat back onto the bed and he wrapped himself behind her, hugging her tight. King kissed the spot under her ear and nuzzled up to her neck whispering and pleading quietly in her ear.

"C'mon Kitten. Play with me…"

Whatever little resistance Abigail had to his magnetism quickly melted away when he gave her his bedroom eye. She cracked a smile and playfully shoved him. He chuckled a bit and kissed her cheek, his beard tickling it in the process. Abby wriggled out of his clutches and got off the bed.

"As much as I'd love to play with you, I have to go and endure Sommer's scrutiny of my sex life because of you."

King stuck out his bottom lip in a pout for her. He leaned back and ran his hand down his body, teasingly. A cocky smile broke out on his face and he waggled his eyebrows.

"Yeah but I'll be here for a good consolation prize."

Abby shook her head and gave him the evil eye.

"Keep it up King, and you won't even have a sex life."

As she walked out the door, she heard him growl at her and she couldn't help but giggle. Downstairs, the rest of the gang had gathered for breakfast. Abby was half expecting all of them to look up at her accusingly as she walked through the door, but to her surprise, they didn't. Dex, Hedges, and Zoë were eating pancakes, all of them looking tired, and Sommerfield was busy fumbling about the kitchen feeling around for different ingredients. Dex looked up and nodded to her. Sommerfield halted her ministrations and ticked Abby in the sides

"So…would you like some pancakes and sausage Abby? Or have you already eaten this morning? I may not be able to cook sausage as well as King, but they may be less salty."

Abby gawked at her, looking to the others to see if they caught her alternative meanings, luckily they still sat there obliviously eating. She just took a plate as Sommer smiled, feeling her friend's embarrassment seething off of her. Sommer patted her shoulder as she loaded her plate up with food. As she sat down, King made his glorious entrance and Abby just kept her eyes trained on her food. Trying to avoid any eye contact proved to be harder than she though since King decided to plop his shirtless body in the chair right next to her. She knew he was enjoying the fact that his presence made her uncomfortable but he didn't say a word. Hedges handed King the comics section of the newspaper as per usual. Meanwhile Zoë spoke up.

"Abby, thanks for keeping the monster away in my room."

Abby smiled at the little girl and stuck a forkful of pancakes in her mouth. Zoë continued to talk.

"Did it follow you back into your room? Is that why King stayed with you, or did he have a nightmare?"

Immediately, three sets of surprised and amused eyes were on her. King decided to try and save Abigail.

"I just had another nightmare Zoë. It's okay now."

Before Zoë could dig and pry any further, Sommerfield spoke.

"Zoë, I think you may be excused from the table now."

The tone in her mother's voice let Zoë know that it wasn't really a choice for her to say so she huffily got up and left the kitchen, Sommer following promptly behind her. Still there was no relief on Abby's side. Her partners definitely put two and two together and each one had a shit-eating grin spread across their faces, Dex even had the audacity to high-five King in front of her face. She then decided that it would be better that she leave but before she could get up, Abby felt King's hand on her thigh underneath the table, pressuring her to remained seated. His hand then grasped hers and rubbed his thumb soothingly across her knuckles. After a minute of Dex and Hedges waiting for an explanation, they finally gave up and she stole a glance in King's direction. His eyes me hers briefly, his lashes framed them beautifully and he looked very sweet and sorry at that moment and her heart instantly forgave him for a second time that morning. After breakfast, King decided to just chill out and watch one of his favorite B-rated films. Most of them sucked but he defended them saying that they were cult classics. Abby retreated back into her offices. There was still a lot of work that she needed to do. Once Whistler closed her door and retrieved some case files she was able to relax a bit. An hour passed by and Dex buzzed over her intercom.

"Abigail, could you please come down to Sommer's computer center? We have a lot of information coming in."

She pushed the call button and replied.

"I'll be right there."

When she walked down the steel steps, she saw everyone hovered around the main computer. Hedges was already busy tinkering with some new weapons, Sommer moved frantically from her computer center to her lab where she was working on her new bio-virus. Abby walked up behind Dex and King to see exactly what was going on. King turned to her with a stunned expression on his face, his voice mirrored his disbelief.

"It's all from your dad…"

Abby froze. The last time she talked to her father was just after she joined the Nightstalkers. Sure, the rest of her teammates depended upon her to relate messages and requests back and forth between them but that was all business. She read the massive amounts of information that Sommer was in the process of decoding. Sure enough, it was all from her dad, but this time was different. Her dad was never one to frivolously transfer information like this, so when all of his data had been transferred to Sommer's computer, Abby knew something was wrong. Something personal and dangerous had happened. Her father was desperate for their help. She breathed evenly in and out, and questioned out loud more to herself then anyone else.

"What the Hell has happened?"

She pursed her lips together tightly. King tapped her on the shoulder lightly. His face was somber and worried. He held a small envelope in his hands that was addressed to her. Quietly, the rest of the team slipped out of the room and King was about to follow them when he felt her hand grab his. For the first time, King realized just how small and fragile her hands were. She looked up at him with eyes filled with a foreign emotion. It was fear. Silently, Abby was asking him to stay and he would never refuse her. With a shaky hand, she tore open the seal of her letter and began to read it to herself.

Abigail,

I never wanted this kind of life for you. I know too, that I can never fully make up for the mistakes I have made. It would take a lifetime to undo the things I have done, and that's more than I have to give you. I'm sorry. I had hoped at one point things would change. But now, due to circumstances beyond my control, it seems as though I need you more than ever now. If something should happen to me, I want you to use what you've been taught and fight until this ungodly war is all over. If there is anything in my life that I have done right, it was you. Please remember that whatever does happen, I have always been proud to call you my daughter. I love you.

Your Father,

A. Whistler

Abby's heart fell into the pit of her stomach. The tears were already falling. Somehow she knew that her father was already dead. She hadn't realized that she was squeezing King's hand so hard, but he didn't say anything. He just pulled her into an embrace and held her there with his lips resting against her forehead, hoping it was enough to let her know he loved her. Then it came, the changing of her emotions. She began to stiffen up and he felt her heartbeat accelerate. She had shut down. Now, she was ready to fight. The last code transfer popped onto the computer screen confirming their worst fear. Abby and King both reread the message to make sure their eyes didn't deceive them. They had to gear up, the war was on. As they left for the tactical room, the message stayed flashing on the screen in a now empty room.

They had Blade, the Daywalker… and they found HIM…

Dracula.