Have You Been Listening?

Sarah awoke on her basement couch, Michael on the floor beside her. She stared at the ceiling blankly.

"So…this is what immortality feels like."

"Interesting, isn't it?"

Sarah jumped.

"I didn't know you were up," she mumbled.

"How do you feel?" he asked, sitting up and pushing away his blanket.

"The same, actually."

"Does that surprise you?"

"Well…yes. I thought, well, you always felt so cold. I guess I just assumed I would."

"I don't feel a thing," he said arrogantly, playing with his fingers.

"I've realized that now," she said as she rolled her eyes.

There was a short, awkward silence between the two before Michael spoke.

"Do you want to get your brother tonight? Or would your rather get used to living like this first? There are a few things I need to teach you about being a vampire."

"Oh my god! Toby!" she gasped. "I should have gone last night! He might not have…" her voice trailed off, unwilling to finish her thought. She rolled off the couch to look at him, faces only inches apart. "Michael, we have to go now."

He took her head in his hand .

"We'll go as soon as…" He slowly pulled her chin towards himself before he could finish. He kissed her gently and Sarah was in to much of a hurry to yell at him. Instead she practically pulled him up by his shirt before running to the stairs. Michael came up slowly, and by then Sarah had already started the car. He slid into the passengers seat and thy sped to the hospital, not stopping at the usual garage.

Sarah was glad it was so late, she was able to get a good parking spot. Her and Michael walked up to the hospital hand in hand. Sarah was at peace for the first time since the accident. Everything was falling into place now that she had Michael. They headed to the front doors, when Michael stopped suddenly.

"What? I'm in a hurry."

"I know. And I also know that there is no way they are going to let you in to see him at this hour." Sarah paused.

"I hadn't thought of that."

"Of course not," he chuckled. "Now follow me, girl." He lead her around a corner of the building. He looked up at the many windows, paused, then pointed at a center window on the fifth floor.

"That one is his."

"How do you know? It could be any on that level." He looked at her sharply, his impatience with her showing clearly. "Ok ok, just asking. Now what do we do?"

"Start climbing." He stepped closer to the wall.

"Are you crazy?"

"Absolutely." Sarah looked even less comfortable. "Don't ask questions if you don't want the answers," and with that he took hold of a brick with one hand, his thin fingers easily gripping it firmly. "Are you coming?" he asked over his shoulder.

"There's no way I could do that! I'll fall!"

"First lesson. Vampires aren't stupid, nor are they clumsy. They never fall." He huffed as he reached for another brick. "But if you so detest this way," he looked over his shoulder and down at her, "why don't you just run up the wall?"

"What are you talking about?" Sarah jumped as Michael appeared beside her. "How did you get down here?"

"Haven't you been listening?" he asked annoyed. "Forget it, there'll be pleanty of time for these things latter." Sarah let out a surprised noise when he wrapped his arms around her and felt her feet leave the ground. Suddenly they were outside the open window, and he helped her in.

"You can fly?" Michael ignored her, pushing past to walk across the room. "Toby!" she whispered, hurrying over to him. "Michael what are you doing?" He was pulling all of the equipment from the electrical sockets. "You're going to kill him!"

"Isn't that what we came here to do?" he snapped. Sarah took in a harsh breath.

"In-in a sense…" She took one of Toby's hands into hers.

"We don't want the machines to alert everyone, do we?" He unplugged the last wire.

"No." She hadn't thought of that either.

"Right. Well, now that we are all on the same page, let's see this boy."

Michael walked to the side of the bed and took a long, hard look at Toby. He pulled the sheets back to see the stitches from his many emergency operations. His fingers trailed over them, then up to his face. He smoothed his wild blonde hair, and that was when he noticed how young he looked.

"How old is this child?"

"Seven."

Michaels brow furrowed as his mind raced. He was too young. Sarah looked to be in her twenties, he had assumed her brother wouldn't be far behind…He couldn't become a vampire, it wouldn't be allowed. He glanced at Sarah who was looking from him to her brother. Michael sighed. His perfect family wasn't going to work out after all. He had pictured them raising a boy around seventeen, fifteen at least. Well, this could easily be fixed.

"He's off his life support," Sarah said quietly. "I don't mean to rush you, but, I don't think there's much time."

Michael leaned over Toby, holding the boys body up against his. He saw Sarah stand and walk to the window. His fingers twitched. It had been years since he'd bitten a child. Such sweet blood they had…

He lowered his lips to Toby's throat, biting slowly into it, savoring the taste of the rich blood. His eyes almost rolled with pleasure, and he faintly heard Sarah choke back a sob through the loud beating of Toby's heart. Regretfully he pulled up, still wanting more but knowing he couldn't. He slit the boy's wrist with a sharp nail, Sarah still not looking over. He then slit his own, and held it to Toby's mouth. He knew he was too weak to drink any. He smeared some around the child's tiny lips, to give the illusion he had.

Sarah turned around and walked over. She looked from the vampire to her brother.

"Is he…a…?" Michael said nothing "Toby?" she whispered. Something was wrong. "Why isn't he waking up?" she asked, voice getting stronger.

"I don't know," Michael lied. He eyed the cut wrist. He was sure he was almost completely drained of blood. He'd be dead in minutes. He started to walk around the bed to Sarah.

"Why didn't it work?" she hissed.

"Sarah," he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, looking down at Toby sadly. "He must've been too young. He wasn't strong enough."

"What!" she shrieked, throwing him off her and taking a step back, standing against the wall. Michael took a step closer to her.

"There was no way we could have known."

"Damn you!" she cried. "You killed him!" She struggled for breath through her tears. "You were supposed to save him!

"Sarah, I'm sorry, but we can't change what happened. But the two of us," he reached his hand out for hers, "the two of us are still here. We're still together."

"Get away from me!" She started for the window but he grabbed her.

"Where are you going?"

"Anywhere!" she sobbed. "Let me go!"

"Sarah-"

"Don't touch me!" She whirled around to face him. "You made me this way. I let you, but you were supposed to save him. I'm stuck like this forever and for what? Nothing!" She pulled away from him. "I want nothing to do with you Michael! Don't get near me!"

"Sarah! You gave me your word you wouldn't leave me."

"That was before you fucking killed my brother! The deal is off!"

"You need me! You don't know the first thing about being a vampire! You couldn't even get into this hospital room by yourself!"

"I'll live."

She jumped out the window without a thought, and the second she hit the ground she took off running for her car.