It had been five days since that night in the cave and Marko was still as high-strung as a racehorse, ready to bolt at the merest puff of wind. No amount of coaxing would get him to come out of the house, which was probably a good thing seeing that David and his ever-growing posse would probably be out searching the streets for their lost boy. But it was only a matter of time before they came knocking on the door and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it.

"Marko. Hey Marko! Can you get the phone!" Fay yelled out from the bathroom as she quickly wrapped a towel around her head, twisting it into a makeshift turban as she slipped on her pink, fluffy bathrobe. Figaro was sitting calmly on the toilet seat lid, licking the dampness off of his paw as he watched Fay bustle about, grabbing hairspray bottles, brushes and whatever it was that women used on their hair in those days.

"Uh, Fay? It's for you." Marko said softly as he suddenly materialized outside of the bathroom doorway, looking uncomfortable as he kept his eyes on the floor.

"Did you ask who it is? Here, hold these." Fay said as she hurried out of the bathroom, shoving a bunch of toiletries into Marko's arms before dashing off to her bedroom. Marko glanced down at the stuff in his arms before raising an eyebrow and quickly looking away. There were just some things that a guy didn't want to know girls and feminine hygiene products were one of those things. He scurried after her and tiptoed into the room, depositing her stuff onto her bed and quickly exited.

"Ugh," he grimaced as he walked down the corridor, only to be stopped by an accusatory glare from two of Fay's many cats. "What?" He said as the cats looked at each other and turned their backs to him, walking away with their tails held high.

"Fine, be that way." Marko snorted before he headed for the guest bedroom that Fay had given him to stay in. The curtains were raised and the window was opened. They remained tightly closed during the day, but at night Fay kept them open. She had told him that if he didn't want to step out of the house that was his choice, but there was no way that she was going to keep the windows shut if there was a decent breeze outside. Marko sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. Things were starting to get difficult and even though Fay had done a thorough job explaining everything there was to know about vampires and stuff, he couldn't bring himself to face her. He had been surprised to find out that she was a twelfth generation witch, but the house load of cats kind of made it obvious.

"Hey, you ok?" Fay asked as she stuck her head into the room, eyeing Marko quietly.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He replied, giving her a forced smile that she didn't buy for a second. With a snort, she walked into the room, robe and all, and sat down on the bed beside him, completely unafraid.

"No you're not. We both know it. So spill it." She said as she pulled a brush out of a huge pocket and placed it on her lap. She kept one ear cocked, listening to him while she unwound the towel turban and started to brush her hair, which was easier said than done.

"It's getting harder now. I…I don't know what it is. Every night I feel drawn to something, something out there, but I don't want to know what it is. And then…there's the other thing." He said, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees, eyes downcast like they usually were of late. Fay pursed her lips as she continued to brush her hair, watching Marko from the corner of her eye. There was no denying it, Marko was a half-vampire and it was really starting to show. She had caught him yesterday trying to take a bite out of one of her cats, but it did him more harm then good. Those cats can take care of themselves, be it from dogs, other cats or even vampires.

"It just gets harder every day. I don't know how long I can fight it…" He trailed off, his tongue failing him. Fay put the brush down and sighed.

"I know, I know." She said softly as she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and cradled him, much like a mother would do to a child. It was the only comfort that she could give him. It wasn't enough, but at least it was something. "It's David." She said softly as she rocked him back and forth, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. "That thing that you're drawn to is David. He's trying to coax you out…it's a vampire thing." She murmured as her eyes strayed to the open window and out into the night. They were out there, somewhere, searching.

"What's that?" Marko said as he suddenly stiffened and pulled away, listening.

"What's what?" Fay asked, listening as well, but didn't hear anything out of the ordinary.

"They're coming." Was all he said. Fay looked at him with a slight frown before realization hit her. Vampire hearing was exceptionally acute.

"Well then, I'll just have to send them packing." She said, all business now as she rose to her feet. With a flick of her wrist, the window slammed shut and locked itself as the curtains flew over it. "I want you to stay here. No matter what you hear, you stay put." Fay said, as she adjusted her robe and walked out of the room. Marko tried to follow, but Fay stopped him.

"Stay put." She said as the door slammed shut and locked itself just like the window had.

Marko cursed but hurried over to the window as the distinct sound of motorcycles was heard, breaking the balmy atmosphere of the suburban neighbourhood. He carefully peeked through the curtains to see David, Paul and Dwayne pull up in front of the house. He pulled away from the window when David looked up and glanced right at him, the knowing smirk appearing on his lips.

While Marko paced the bedroom, Fay was on the warpath. Knife in pocket, her sleeves rolled up and Figaro hot on her heels, she marched straight for the front door and threw it open just as David reached for the doorknob. With a wordless feline snarl, Fay lashed out at David, nailing him a blow to the face before he even knew what hit him.

"YOU BASTARD!" She shrieked as she threw her hand out once more, not even touching him as he was bodily thrown off the porch by an invisible force, landing on his back as she slammed the door behind her. He hit the ground and rolled back onto his feet, swearing.

"What the fuck!" He growled as he took his hand away from his face, his glove covered in blood. Fay hadn't bitch-slapped him, she had clawed him, clawed him hard enough to leave bleeding furrows across his face.

"Either of you boys move and I swear I'll send you into outer orbit." She hissed, raising her hand toward Dwayne and Paul as they moved towards David. Paul and Dwayne exchanged glanced, not knowing whether they should risk it or not. David motioned for them to back down as he stepped forward to face the furious Fay.

"Why all the fuss Fay?" David asked steadily, ignoring the token of her affection on his face as he stared her down, not budging an inch.

"Why the fuss? Why you sneering low-life son-of-a-man whore! I THINK YOU KNOW WHY ALL THE FUSS GODDAMIT!" She belted, marching down those steps like a dark thundercloud ready to unleash some serious damage. She stopped a foot away from David, looking up at him as she stood toe to toe, the calm before the fury.

"Why don't you speak a little louder Fay? The neighbours are watching." He hissed between his teeth, keeping his face a mask of neutral calm, his composure never wavering as she visibly spazzed out, just short of hissing and spitting like a freaked out cat.

"Maybe I will speak a little louder so that the entire world can know of how much of a dick you are David." She shot right back, her hand twitching as she fought the urge to backhand that smug expression right off of his face.

"Hey Fay, it's ok man. Just calm down for a minute." Paul said, trying ease the mounting tension, only to have his efforts blow up in his face.

"Shut up Paul! No it is not ok and no I will not calm down." Fay snarled at him, one finger pointed in his direction.

"Honestly Fay, enough of the dramatics. I would have thought that a witch would have a little more self-control." David said as she turned back to him, her eyes flashing.

"Don't you talk to me about self-control. Is there even a demon under that pasty white shell of yours or is this the only facial expression you can manage?" Fay growled, lowering her voice a tad before she actually woke any of the neighbours up. A witch having it out with a gang of vampires in the middle of the American dreamland somehow didn't seem quite right.

"Was that an insult because it was a little weak." David commented, his expression hardly changing as she shot him a searing glare.

"What do you want David." She growled as she bit back what she really wanted to say at that moment. The guy just got under your skin and in order to win this battle, freaking out in the middle of the street wasn't the best tactic to use. Fine, she'll fight fire with frigging fire.

"You know what I want Fay. I've come to claim what is mine." David said as his eyes briefly strayed up to the window that Marko was looking out of.

"No, I won't allow it. You can't have him." Fay simply and utterly refused, right then and there, no questions ask. It was simply out of the question.

"You know the rules Fay. You can't interfere." David said steadily, knowing that what he said was the truth. A witch could not interfere with a vampire's business when it came to siring fledglings. It was a rule that Fay knew well, but she was ready for him.

"Yes, but as long as he seeks sanctuary under my protection and in my house, you can't do a damn thing about it. But I guess you already knew that did you. And that's why you brought your little "gang" with you. What, you were going to have Dwayne and Paul fight me off while you dragged that boy out of the house? Not fucking likely." She said, crossing her arms over her chest as she put her foot down. She may have accidentally invited every vampire in the California state to come barging into her house, but that didn't mean she was helpless. She has her own ways with dealing with vampires.

As Fay and David went head to head, Dwayne nudged Paul and motioned at the porch with a slight nod of his head. There were cats everywhere, sitting along the railing, on the steps, practically covering every inch of the porch. They had appeared without a sound and were watching Dwayne and Paul with dangerous, gleaming eyes as if they knew what they were up to. No sneaking around the back for those two. Time to go to plan B.

"He's a half-vampire Fay. What are you going to do with him? There's no turning him back unless you kill me and that isn't likely to happen any time soon, so what were you planning to do with him? Hmm? Wait until he looses it completely and attacks you so then you'll be forced to kill him? The whole Mother Teresa act is touching Fay, but it has to stop." David said, as if trying to make the stubborn witch see reason. What he was really doing was buying time, forcing her to channel her concentration on him so that Dwayne could get a mind-lock on Marko and coax him out mentally. Fay, in all of her anger, wasn't aware of what was going on behind her back and neither were the cats.

Fay swore a stream of colourful words that would have made a sailor blush as she told David exactly what she thought of him.

"You underestimate me David. You think that I haven't thought about that? Like you said, the only way to turn him back is to kill you. And what makes you think that I haven't thought about doing just that?" Fay said, bringing down the raging eruption to a simmer just below her self-control. She stared at David, mirroring his cocky smirk, and watched as a flash of uncertainty crept across those devilish blue eyes of his. What she bluffing or was she really serious?

"What's the matter? Not so sure of yourself anymore?" She asked as she cocked an eyebrow.

Paul stood in front of Dwayne, blocking him from Fay's line of vision just in case she decided to glance their way. He was chewing on his lower lip without even realizing it as he quietly urged Dwayne to hurry up. Things weren't looking so good.

"C'mon man, get him out of there before all hell breaks loose." Paul muttered under his breath as he watched David and Fay size each other up, looking for the best place to strike the most devastating blow. They reminded him of a pair of gladiators that he had once seen in a picture in a history textbook, both imposing in their own way and both ready to kill when the moment was right.

"I'm trying as hard as I can. He's resisting me damn it." Dwayne growled softly as he redoubled his efforts, attacking Marko's mind harder than ever. The kid was fighting hard, but it was only a matter of time before Dwayne would break through. All he needed was more time.

"You're bluffing. You couldn't kill me even if you tried." David said, switching tactics as he went back to being offensive, prodding Fay with his words so that she would make the first move and the last mistake.

"Oh really? Don't tempt me David. I could have your head on my wall before sunup if I wanted to." Fay retorted as the two slowly began to circle one another. Paul moved back as David prowled past him, watching the two with a sick fascination.

"Then go ahead because I'm not leaving here without him. If that means killing you to do it, well, what's one less witch in the world?" David leered, taunting her with his eyes as a matador would taunt a bull with a red flag. Fay didn't say anything, but the snarl she gave was answer enough. They were going to lock horns and someone was going to get hurt tonight.

"David, you don't seriously mean that right? I'm mean…c'mon, you're joking right?" Paul interjected, not knowing if David was actually serious about killing Fay.

"What do you think?" David snapped at Paul, taking his eyes off Fay for a split second and that's when Fay decided to strike.

"Holy shit! Dwayne do something!" Paul said, stumbling backwards as David leapt away from Fay's knife as she lunged, aiming to gut him with a downward swipe. Dwayne swore something in French as he tore his eyes away from the bedroom window, severing the mental connection that he had been forging for the past ten minutes. David and Fay were battling it out, Fay lunging and retreating as David danced just out of the knife's reach, drawing her away from the front door with every step he took. If David had actually wanted to kill her, he would have made his move by now. Instead, the two of them kept up their deadly dance; twisting and sidestepping like a pair of cobras fighting for dominance.

"Go left." Dwayne barked as he circled the other way, keeping well out of the combatants' way. He watched them fight it out, calculating and timing their movements as a choreographer would do with a pair of dancers. He wasn't fool enough to simply jump into the middle of the fight, so he had to take care of how he went about trying to separate the two. Paul mirrored Dwayne as he kept just outside the line of fire, his eyes locked onto Fay's knife. When Dwayne made his move, he'd go for the knife. Vampire or no vampire it's all fun and games until someone looses an eye or worse.

Dwayne waited until David backed off before he sidestepped the vampire leader and came up between the two, shoving David away with his shoulder as he blocked Fay's oncoming blow with his arm. Paul lunged at the woman in pink and grabbed her knife arm, hauling her away from the two vampires as he wrestled her for the possession of the weapon. For a woman that petite, she was a lot stronger than he would have guessed.

"NO! STOP!" Marko cried out as he ran out of the house, causing the cats to scatter in all directions. He had been fighting his own mental battle with Dwayne, but when he had stopped feeling the effects of Dwayne's telepathic abilities, he had rushed to the window to see the two leap into the fray. Someone would end up dead because of him and when he saw Paul go for Fay he knew that he had to stop them. Breaking through the locked door with a blow from his shoulder, he had practically flown out of the house in his desperation.

"Let go." She hissed as she twisted and slipped out of Paul's grasp, the knife flashing upwards as the tip caught Paul just above his left eye. Paul let out a surprised yelp as he backed off, instinctively bringing his hand up to the wound. It hurt like hell but there was no blood.

"Holy oil. Very clever." David growled as he looked at Paul's wound and then to the knife that was glinting under the lamplight. The oil that coated the knife had the same affect on vampires as holy water did, scarring, pain and instant cauterization.

"Marko, get inside." Fay panted as she fought to catch her breath, knife still held tightly in her right hand. She glared defiantly at the three of them, willing to take them all on at once if it meant keeping Marko out of David's clutches. The kid had struck a chord in her, one that had awoken a part of her that she hadn't known existed. Maybe it was feminine side of her working in overtime, but whatever it was, she felt responsible for Marko and like hell was just going to stand there and no nothing.

"No." Marko said, shaking his head. He couldn't believe he was doing this. It could possibly the worst decision that he ever made, but he couldn't stand by and watch his friends tear themselves to pieces because of him. "No more fighting." He said, avoiding everyone's gaze by staring down at the ground. Fay gaped at him, not quite believing what he was implying. After a few minutes, the fury in her eyes died out and she seemed to crumple slightly. David had won.

Paul gave a sigh of relief when Fay lowered the knife and slipped it into her pocket. He stepped away and moved back to the bikes when Dwayne herded Marko past Fay. The half-vampire couldn't meet Fay's eye as he walked past. What was there to say? He had chosen and it was going to be a decision that he alone would carry.

"Welcome to the fold little brother." Paul said, slapping Marko on his shoulder as he mounted his bike. Marko gave him a weak smile before he climbed on behind him, keeping his eyes downcast. Paul and Dwayne exchanged a look and with a slight nod of Dwayne's head, Paul kicked the bike to life and went tearing down the quiet suburban street. No one said anything until the roar of the motorcycle became a thing of the past.

"I'll meet you at the cave." David murmured quietly to Dwayne as he took his leave. He glanced at Fay who was determined to burn a hole into the grass with her eyes. He thought about saying something, but then decided against it. She would only throw it back in face and with witches; you never knew what they might pull when given the chance. They both knew that he was the victor of this authoritative dispute, but David had a feeling that it wouldn't end here. He may have won the battle, but the war wasn't over yet.

"I hope you can stomach the consequences of your actions David. I wouldn't be surprised if they gave you heartburn." Fay growled as she raised her gaze from the patch of now dead brown grass that she had been cursing and speared David with a look that would have sent a lesser vampire backing away with his tail tucked between his legs, so to speak. David met her gaze and his only was answer was the harsh growl of his bike as he revved the engine and pulled out of the driveway. Fay watched him drive away, her eyes narrowed into slits as she muttered something under her breath. It was now only her and Dwayne left on the empty street, aside from the cats that were now watching them intently. Dwayne ran a hand through his hair as he looked around. Well, might as well say something to break the silence.

"Look, Fay…" He began before his voice trailed off. He watched Fay stiffen and turn around to face him and it took a lot of nerve for him to keep from taking a step back. To say that she was pissed off was clearly an understatement.

"What." Fay growled from between clenched teeth.

"You knew this would happen. It was only a matter of time before he went a-wall. There was nothing you could do Fay." He said, telling it like it was, even if Fay refused to hear it.

"Whatever Dwayne." She sighed before turning her back on him and headed for the stairs.

"Fay, don't do this." Dwayne said as he started after her.

"Reeeeeeeerrrrr, hisssss," Fat Cat snarled as he planted his great bulk between Fay and Dwayne, puffing out his fur to make himself look as intimidating as possible. The black and white cat glared up at Dwayne with a look that clearly told him to "get lost". Dwayne stopped for a moment to look at the cat and tried to side step it, only to find his way blocked by an ever-growing barrier of angry felines, all of who were growling and hissing. One even tried to scratch him, but his leather boot took the blunt of the blow.

"Fay!" Dwayne said as he frowned and simply went up and over the cats, landing between Fay and the front door. Fat Cat looked around in surprise, not knowing where the vampire had went. Hey, even cats can forget about a vampire's ability to fly now and again.

Fay stopped and reluctantly met Dwayne's eye as she crossed her arms over her chest, tightening the collar of her bathrobe as she did so. "Move Dwayne." She said quietly, only telling him once.

"No." Dwayne said, grounding himself to the spot. If she wanted to get in, she'd have to move him herself. That was before Figaro decided to show Dwayne just what he thought of the guy. Leaping from the porch railing, the gray tabby pounced on Dwayne, landing on his shoulders as he swatted his unprotected face with his paw. Clinging to his leather jacket with three sets of claws, Figaro went for Dwayne's eyes, causing the vampire all sorts of grief. Dwayne instantly raised his hands to protect his face and as Figaro kept him distracted, Fay moved in and casually tripped him with the same foot maneuver that she had used on Paul a few nights back. As Dwayne went down, landing flat out on his back, Figaro spring boarded off of his shoulders and landed in Fay's waiting arms, purring contently.

"At least there's someone man enough to stick up for me." She said as she hugged Figaro to her chest. Without a backward glance, Fay entered her house and slammed the door in the vampire's face.

Dwayne swiped his hair out of his face as he lay there for a moment, going over what just happened in his head.

"Fuck." He swore under his breath as he rose to his feet. His face was a complete mess, but the wounds would heal by tomorrow night. He looked at the closed door and shook his head. Even if he broke the door down, he knew that she would just ignore him. Women. God, sometimes there were as prickly as friggin' cacti. Dwayne glanced down at the lawn, only to find it deserted once more. Once again, Fay's multiple cats had pulled their law-defying vanishing act.

Fay leaned against the front door, listening quietly as Dwayne roared away into the night. She couldn't fight off the tickle in the back of her throat and sniffled loudly. A soft merwow caught her attention and she smiled softly as Figaro rubbed his rough nose against her cheek, as if to say "do not worry."

"What am I doing?" She asked him as she slowly sunk down to the ground, sitting cross-legged by the door. Figaro looked at her with his big bright eyes and purred, curling his tail around her wrist. She hugged him close and buried her face into his fur as a few involuntary tears trickled out of the corner of her eyes. In the next instant, Fat Cat was suddenly trying to climb into her lap as the rest of her cats came up to her, rubbing against her and meowing softly.

"At least I have my babies." She said as the cats mewed in unison and climbed all over her, trying their best to cheer her up. Despite their best efforts, a part of her felt like crawling under a rock and staying there. The one question that crossed her mind was this, "what now?"

The next night, just as the sun set over the horizon, Dwayne and Paul hit the streets. They made their way to Fay's house in record time, nearly running over an old man as they broke about twenty traffic laws. Dwayne would have preferred to fly, but Paul was still on shaky grounds when it came to flying and Dwayne needed him to help persuade Fay from doing anything regrettable, i.e. attempting to murder David…or one of them. Whoever wrote that quote, "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," clearly knew what they were talking about.

"I don't know about this man." Paul said as they neared Fay's house. Seeing her like that last night wasn't a pleasant experience and the gash that she gave him hadn't healed yet. David said that it would take up to a week before it healed completely, and when it did, he'd have a scar as a token of Fay's affection. Such were the effects of using anything that was blessed by a priest.

"Will you shut up?" Dwayne muttered as they pulled into Fay's driveway and killed the engines. Dwayne gazed up at the house with a far-away look on his face, as if concentrating on something he couldn't see.

"She home?" Paul asked, looking from Dwayne to the house and then back again. When Dwayne shook his head, Paul sighed. David wasn't going to like this.

"C'mon." Dwayne said as he dismounted and walked up to the front door with Paul hurrying after him. He tried the front door and found it locked.

"Go around back." He told Paul as he motioned him to move. Paul slipped around the back-way as Dwayne peered into the restored front window. The curtains were drawn tight and he couldn't get a clear view of the interior of the house.

"Can I help you?" Said a sharp voice. Dwayne looked over his shoulder at the elderly gentleman who was standing on the cracked cement porch of the house next door. Great, the neighbours.

"It's ok. The woman who lives here is a friend of mine." He said and got a scalding look from the man. The old man snorted and went into his house, locking the door behind him.

"Where are you Fay?" He muttered to himself as someone opened the front door of Fay's house. Paul had found an open window at the back of the house and had let himself in. Dwayne looked at Paul, who just shook his head. Frowning, Dwayne stepped into the house and closed the door behind him. He could now see why Paul was quiet. The house was empty. There wasn't even a tea cozy to be found. It seemed that Fay had packed everything up, all twenty cats included, and had moved out while the boys were dead to the world.

"Now what?" Paul asked as he trailed behind Dwayne, who went from room to room, checking to see if Fay had left anything behind. In one of the bedrooms, hers he rightfully guessed, Dwayne spied a small, broken figure lying abandoned in the corner. When he picked it up, he realized that it was a small statue of an Egyptian cat, a symbol of the cat goddess Bast, the goddess of love and joy. He pocketed the pieces and turned to Paul who drifted into the room after inspecting the bathroom.

"Let's go." Dwayne said and without another word, the two exited the house, but not before they closed the place up. Maybe someday, Fay would return. Dwayne doubted it, but they locked the place up anyways. Giving the house one last glance, Dwayne and Paul rode away, heading towards the Boardwalk where they would meet up with David and Marko and set out to hunt, like they would do from every night here on in. And that was the beginning of the Lost Boys.