Greetings all!

Ok, I lied. Now there are three chapters left to this story. This chapter popped into my head when I started writing what will now be called chapter 20 and I could not ignore it. So, I spent a good couple of weeks trying to get this thing written, but due to a severe case of temporary writer's block...let's just say it took me a good long while. Anyways, I want to thank everyone for reviewing, you guys are awesome! So many many many thanks all. (hugs)

Also for this chapter, reader discretion is advised. It involves David and Max and I willtell you that this chapter isn't one about sunshine and roses. It may be hard to read for the younger readers out there, but it had to be written. I know this story has taken a dark turn, but like life, everything isn't as hunky dory as we'd like it to be. But we all know how the story ends...or so you wouldthink. So before things can work themselvesout, theyhave to get worse before they get better. And well, here's rock bottom folks.

Enjoy

Ok folks let's take a quick breather shall we? Every time I tell this story I always get tense at this part. They say time heals all wounds, which is true enough, but they don't tell you about what happens to the scars that are left behind. Some disfigure, some are just visible and some flare up now and again like an old complaint, a little reminder of the things that you try to put behind you. And now I'm sounding cliché and if I continue on this train of thought I'll be on the next Oprah show with twenty million stay-at-home moms crying their eyes out. Joy.

I see that I have some explaining to do before I can go on telling the story. Where to being, let me think. Ok, I'm sure you are all scratching your head as to why I went at Star like a deranged mad woman right? I thought so. Well, as I have told you previously, the vision that I had when I first met the girl was one that centered on her and the boys. I saw their deaths and I saw her smack dab in the middle of it all, along with a few others that I had no idea as to who they were at the time. And I don't know about you, but when I see my lover and those that I consider my best friends slash family deader than doornails, it's safe to say that I would be worried, beyond worried, paranoid and panicky to be exact. So when I walked into the cave that night and saw Star and the kid with the bottle of David's blood, I didn't stand around and wait for an explanation to come my way. Leave it to Paul to leaving it out in the open after using it for a quick fix. Honestly, sometimes I wonder if his brain has sustained permanent damage due to excessive head-banging and drug use. Anyways, I quickly assumed that that no-good, low life tramp had been up to some sort of diabolical scheme to oust me from pack and with me ousted, the boys would be vulnerable and then dead. Images of the boys dead instantly popped into my head and before I even knew it, I was trying to tear her head off of that pretty neck of hers and before I could accomplish that, the boys arrived and David had to come to the rescue. I find the whole "damsel in distress" thing friggin hilarious, especially when you put David in as the knight in shining armor. I mean, c'mon folks, it's David. He'd be the dragon not the knight for heavens sake.

Now nothing is ever one hundred percent when it comes to visions and the like and visions are mostly based on interpretation, which makes everything ten times harder than one would think. Now I am lucky enough to have had female ancestors that were quite accomplished in foretelling future events, my mother being one of the best during the previous century. She taught me the how's and why's of divination, oracle readings, interpreting signs and so forth, everything a good psychic needs to know in order to get the job done properly. But there is one major rule that applies to every vision of the foreseeing kind and this one rule is to be extremely careful when trying to decipher and prevent the foreseen future from coming to pass. Ever read Macbeth? Especially the part when the three witches tell him the prophecy about him becoming king and how no man born of a woman could kill him? Well our friend Macbeth took everything a little too literally and thought himself invincible, which was his greatest folly and it ended up costing him his life. This kind of thing always happens when it comes to visions and prophecies and well, I'm only human. I make mistakes just as much as the next person and I blame myself for what happened. I never should have left the cave, I never should have triggered David's anger…I never should have done a lot of things now that I look back on it all. But what's done is done and you cannot change the past.

As for David, well that is a different story all-together. I only found out about it years later and when the story was told, it was easy to see why David lost control when he saw Laddie for the first time. I can't blame the guy for what he did; I probably would have done the same thing if I had been in his position. The one that I blame is that bastard Max, may he burn in hell for all of eternity. The thing about TheLost Boys movie is that it doesn't do Max justice. You dislike the guy, even hate him maybe, but not because of what he had done but because you are supposed to be against him. He really does nothing throughout the entire movie until the end when we all get a good look at his true side, the whole oldest, foulest "almighty head vampire" bullshit, but that's really all there is. The movie never tells you just how evil, twisted and sick the guy was; the movie doesn't even come close. When I found out about what went on between Max and David I was speechless for a good long while before I damned him to every foulest place I knew. That mother-fucking son-of-a-bitch and you wonder why David was so uptight and foul…bastard!

"Well this really sucks ass." Paul grumbled woodenly as he dropped down from the metal rail that served as their perch, providing the four vampires a safe niche where they could hang up-side down as they slept throughout the day. He landed neatly on his bare feet just as Marko swooped down beside him, landing on a dime as he always did, yawning loudly as the blood in his head began to circulate throughout his body. During the day the four of them slept soundlessly, going into a state of pre-hibernation in which nothing short of an atomic blast could rouse them from their state of unconsciousness.

"What does?" Marko asked sleepily as he rubbed his hands over his face, his mind still muffled from the fifteen hour snooze that he had just woken up from. He blinked as Paul gave him a dirty look and it took him a few moments before he realized what his best friend was saying. "Oh yeah. It does." He said nodding in agreement as Paul handed him his boots. He was never an early riser and it always took him a few minutes before his brain kicked in and connected with reality.

"Where's Dwayne?" He asked Paul as he looked up, seeing the crisscrossed metal rails empty and bare of any vampiric life. Paul put on his boots as he nodded to the small opening in the wall and Marko didn't have to strain his ears to hear Dwayne moving about the main cave. It sounded like the guy was personally trying to redecorate the place single-handedly, starting with the rock walls themselves. The events from the previous night weighed heavily on all their minds and the two friends knew that no matter how badly they both hurt on the inside, Dwayne was getting the worst of it. And judging by the sounds that were coming from the cave, he wasn't handling it all too well.

"Do you think we should…?" Marko asked as he quickly yanked on his own footwear as he straightened out his disheveled appearance. Paul ran a hand through his tousled mane as he shook his head. He knew exactly what the guy was going through, but instead of destroying their home base, he was going to take his frustration and anger out on the ignorant party-goers of Santa Carla's Boardwalk. Kill two birds with one stone and plus, ripping people apart was more satisfying then busting your knuckles on solid stone. With that Paul flew out of the sleeping cavern and swooped out of the main cave and off into the night without waiting for Marko. He'd meet up with him later; right now he had a few parties to crash.

Marko flew out of the small cavern as well but landed quietly by the fountain, keeping it between himself and Dwayne as he surveyed the damage. The place had already been trashed from Fay and Star's all-out scratch attack but now it looked like a hurricane had hit it. The only thing that was not destroyed was the huge black and white poster of Jim Morrison and Marko doubted that it would remain in one piece for much longer.

"Dwayne?" Marko called softly as he eyed the dark haired vampire from behind, knowing that it would be extremely stupid to approach the guy. If Dwayne heard him, he didn't show it. He remained where he was, sitting on a rock ledge as he tinkered away at a spare engine, ignoring everyone and everything. When he had awoken, Star had quickly taken herself and Laddie out of the cave and were probably roaming the Boardwalk as far away from Dwayne and the others as they could possibly get. David was nowhere to be seen as well, having been the first to wake he had taken off before the others had even begun to stir. Marko stayed where he was for a minute or so but when Dwayne refused to acknowledge his presence, the youngest vampire just sighed to himself and headed for the mouth of the cave, leaving Dwayne to brood in silence. When Marko left Dwayne lifted his head to stare up at the huge picture of Jim Morrison, not seeing it as he glared at it, both hands clenched on the steel wrench that was instantly bent in half under the strain of the vampire's suppressed rage. Could it get any worse?

What do you think?

(Line)

The throaty growl of David's motorcycle was the only sound aside from the constant crash of the seashore that penetrated the still night air as he left the boardwalk behind and headed for Max's place, one of the only houses in Santa Carla that had its own private view of the ocean on a cliff-face. Max's house was in the middle of nowhere and it was as secluded as you could get, the perfect little hide-away for the official leader of the Santa Carla vampires. He had no choice but to show up at Max's place and give the vampire a full explanation of what went on last night. No doubt Max already knew about it, but David had to find out just how much the older vampire knew because if he knew that Fay had been in the middle of it all, they were all dead men. Dreading the confrontation that was about to take place, David slowed the bike when he caught sight of the house around the final bend in the road. David was a lot of things, but he was no coward. He knew exactly what sort of reaction Max would have when he told him about the kid and he knew what would come after that, yet despite it all David growled in defiance.

It had been two months since Max had forced David to bend knee to his superiority and ever since that night he had been living in the proverbial hell, powerless to do anything about it and furious at his own helplessness. Every fiber of David's being willed him to fight Max, to meet him head on and make him pay for the utter humiliation and defeat that he had forced him to suffer through. But he couldn't. No matter how hard he tried or how slyly he went about it; Max was there at every turn, ready and waiting. The gaping wound on his face was nothing compared to what Max dished out whenever he caught David trying to undermine his authority. David could take physical punishment; abuse wasn't anything new to him. In fact it only fed his growing hate and desire to see Max dead, keeping him going when he was on the verge of cracking under the strain.

The thing is Max knew this. Oh he knew it well. The Austrian vampire knew that David would not submit quietly, he figured that out when he fought David months ago. In order to defeat him Max had had to trap him in a situation the resulted in death on both sides. The only problem was that he had trapped the tiger, but not tamed it. David was different. He couldn't just kill the vampire because he knew if he did so he would have the others on him like a pack of mad dogs, not that it mattered but why bother with all the unnecessary hassle? Also the boy had a cunning mind and a cruel intelligence to him, one that matched his own in more ways than one. He would never say it out loud, but in a way David was like the son that Max never had, stubborn, head-strong and fiercely independent. But in order to get the boy to obey him he would have to break him and this was something that he had been vigilantly trying to do for the past two months. David was now close to the edge and they both knew it. All he needed was a final push and Max would be there waiting to claim him.

David paused for a moment before he killed the engine, a frown appearing on his face as he realized that he had stopped himself. Pocketing the keys to the motorcycle David slowly made his way up the lit path, his face a mask of stone even when he heard Max's hellhound announce his presence. David stopped when he was halfway to the front door, standing stock still as Thorn came scrabbling madly around a corner, growling in warning. David knew better than to entice the man-eating mutt so instead of giving the dog a swift kick, he just kept his eyes forward and waited for Max to call the dog off and for once he didn't have to wait long. Light spilled onto the front porch as Max opened the door, the look on his face instantly telling David that Max was already aware of the situation.

"Inside, now." Max said, giving David a look that would have made a lesser vampire quake in fear. David matched the look with one of his own as he stepped past Thorn and walked towards Max, his eyes never wavering until the last possible moment when he had to move past Max who stood in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. Once the black clad vampire was inside Max turned and literally slammed the door shut, unintentionally locking Thorn outside without even realizing it.

"Do you mind telling me what is going on?" Max asked as he placed a hand on David's arm, stopping the younger vampire in mid-step. David arched an eyebrow as he looked down at Max's hand and then up at Max, not saying a word. Max's eyes narrowed slightly behind his glasses as he pushed David forward, getting him walking once more. The boy was starting to really test his patience and he was getting sick and tired of having to deal with David's presumptuous attitude. After tonight there were going to be some major changes around here that's for sure.

"What do you want to know?" David asked him as they stepped into Max's spacious living room. Everything from the modern art sculptures on the fireplace mantel to the zebra skin rug underneath the glass coffee table gave the feeling of wealth and modernism and it was hard to believe that Max actually lived here. The guy had surprised David with the red corvette, but then again who the hell in their right mind would ever say no to a corvette? David had always figured that Max, being who he was, would be into the whole dark oak paneling, suits of armor, floor to ceiling bookshelves look. Very Victorian. But after taking the grand tour of Max's home it would appear that the Austrian baron was quite up with the times. The guy even owned a Warhol piece that hung in its place of honour in the master bedroom that was never used. Yes, Max was defiantly a well-to-do modern man with everything going for him, or so it would seem. Max's basement however, told a different story. Behind the extensive wine rack was a heavy wooden door that led to a warren of hidden underground rooms and it was here that Max spent most of his time when he wasn't playing the façade of a video-store owner. There was one room down there that David knew quite well, Max's personal little torture chamber. The guy was sicker than a rabid dog and if David had been human, he would have had the scars to prove it.

"Why don't you start by telling me what happened to your face?" Max said as he and David simultaneously moved to sit down on the white leather couches. As they did this, the two locked gazes and the head vampire waited until David stood back up before he sat. Seething inwardly at this small act of submission, David calmly sunk into the comfortable leather when Max gave him a small nod, donning the image of being perfectly at ease.

"Ran into a vampire hunter wannabe last night and got the wrong end of a knife. The boys and I took care of him." David lied smoothly as he slipped off one of his leather gloves and gingerly touched the left side of his face, wincing slightly as he did so. The wound wasn't a pretty sight but it was on the mend and David made a mental note to himself that once Max was destroyed he would repay Fay for her small attempt at a face lift.

"I see. So I'm guessing that is what caused the ruckus at the cave and if that is the case, I suggest that you boys find a new living space. The cave is easy to access and sooner or later you are going to wake up one night to find a stake between your ribs. That is if you even wake up at all." Max said, his eyes never leaving David's face as he spoke. He knew he was right and it bothered David to no end when he brought up the subject of inadequate living conditions. After all, it was the head vampire's duty to find a suitable residence and ensure the safety of his pack members. "You know David my offer is still open if you and the others want to stay here. There is more than enough room for us all."

"Thank you but no. I can assure you that the others and I are quite content with where we are now." David replied, cutting Max off before he could say anything else. He knew better then to disrespect Max so openly but he couldn't help himself. Every time they saw one another, Max always had to bring up the subject. There's only so much a guy can take, vampire or not.

"Suit yourself then." Max said as he rose to his feet, noticing out of the corner of his eye that David was subtly watching his every move. The lad was nervous and Max knew that he was hiding something. He walked over to the glass sideboard and poured himself a glass of brandy from one of the crystal decanters that sat there as he mulled over this information. He knew that David would never willingly admit to what he was hiding and a night spent on beating it out of him wasn't something that he was in the mood for, so Max decided to take a different route and see how far he could go before David caught on.

"You know, I heard that a child went missing yesterday. Vanished right off the Boardwalk without anyone seeing a thing. Strange wouldn't you say?" Max said casually as he lifted the bell shaped glass to his lips and took a sip, his back facing David. The old vampire could practically hear David squirm slightly and Max smiled to himself. So his suspicions had been true about the missing child. Well well, this was interesting.

"Kids go missing all the time. It's just one more missing poster to add on the wall. Santa Carla is covered with them after all." David said, matching Max's casual tone as his eyes darkened slightly, instincts telling him to be on his guard.

"Of course and most of them are the result of your doing. But tell me David," Max said as he turned to face the boy, "you wouldn't have anything to do with the child's disappearance would you?" He asked as he locked eyes with David. Even if he wanted to look away, there was no way that David could have hid anything from Max at that point. When you stand face to face with a dragon, you know that you are going to get scorched.

"Not personally no. But…the kid's with us." David said, gritting his teeth as he spoke every word. Max's face remained expressionless as he drained half the glass, his eyes never leaving David's face for a moment.

"What do you mean with us?" He said quietly as he lowered the glass, swirling the amber contents lazily with his left hand. From an outsider's point-of-view, the two could have been talking about the weather because neither of the vampires seemed to be bothered by the topic of conversation but David knew from experience just how misleading Max's poker face could be.

"What do you think I mean? The kid got a hold of the bottle and drank from it. Do you honestly think that I would purposely cradle-snatch a 10 year old kid just for the hell of it? I'm not as stupid as you think I am Max." David snorted, knowing that Max was going to peg this on him even if he had nothing to do with it. Might as well grab the bull by the horns and get it over with.

"I never thought that you are stupid David. Misguided and too sure of yourself yes, but never stupid." Max said as he drained the rest of the brandy and placed the glass down on the glass service tray behind him. "But what I want to know is that if you didn't take the child, then who did?"

David ground his teeth together as Max waited for a response. What was he going to tell him? That the kid had followed Star all the way to the cave and had found the bottle that Paul had accidentally left lying out in the open? Max would never believe it. David didn't either but when he questioned Star, this was what she had told him. It wasn't a lie, David would have instantly picked up on it if she had tried to tell him anything but the truth, but he knew that there was more to the story then what she professed. Max stood there, leaning slightly against the marble mantle as he watched David closely, waiting to see what the answer would be, true or false.

"It was Star wasn't it?" Max said, speaking the words that were on the tip of David's tongue. David looked sharply at Max, eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion and surprise as Max just smiled softly to himself. "Of course it was. And I'm assuming that she did it to get at you, correct? Women are so predictable David that it's almost sad. However, despite the lack of intelligence that the other boys possess, you and I both know that they know the rules well and know what happens when my rules are broken. No children must ever be turned. Yet it seems that Star does not know this. And that is something that troubles me David. Why doesn't she know? Have you not told her the rules? Are you so lacking in motivation David that you cannot perform the simplest of tasks? Because if that is the case David we are defiantly going to have to do something about it. Is that it? Is that what you want? Look at me when I am talking to you." Max said his voice hard but leveled. At Max's command David turned his head slightly and raised his eyes to look at him, yet despite everything that Max had just said, David remained silent, refusing to say a word.

Smack!

The sound of Max's hand striking David's face practically echoed through the room as David doubled over half-blinded in pain. Before David had even known what had happened, Max had crossed the room and dealt him a hefty shot across the left side of his face, right on the wound that Fay had given him.

"Is that what you want David? Do I personally have to motivate you to do what I ask?" Max growled in a low voice as David placed a hand over the wound, blinking back the tears of pain that were pricking the corner of his eyes. No, he could not rise to Max's challenge, it was what he wanted. He was trying to get a reaction out of him, trying to get him to fight back. If David did, he knew he would be finished. No, he could not, would not give into Max. When David didn't reply, Max grabbed him by the long hair of his mullet and forced his head back so that they were eye to eye.

"Is it?" Max growled, the smoky blue of his eyes slowly starting to take on a slight reddish hue. David just gave him an icy look before sneering at him.

"Got to hell." He hissed under his breath and in the next instant he was seeing stars. If Max's could knock the teeth out of a vampire with one blow, imagine what the guy could do with two?

"I've had enough of this." Max snorted as David blinked, his senses disoriented by the haymaker that had temporarily stunned him. He felt Max pick him up off the couch and some small part of his mind that was still functioning screamed at him to do something. If Max was physically carrying him, there was only one answer as to where they were going. Without thinking, David grew out his fangs and sunk his teeth into Max's shoulder blade, biting through fabric and skin as he jerked his head upwards in an attempt to tear a good sized chunk out of the head vampire. Max let out a startled yell and staggered into the corridor wall with David taking most of the impact, seeing that he was slung over Max's shoulder like a sack of grain. Unsheathing his fangs, David clawed at Max's face as he used the wall to propel Max away from him. It would have worked had it not been for Max who went down on his knees and pitched David off his shoulder, sending the rebellious vampire tumbling across the floor. David was the first one up on his feet and he growled in defiance as he stepped back, searching for a way out. Max blocked the corridor that led to the front entrance, so David knew that he had to find a window or some other opening and fast.

"What do you think you are doing David?" Max asked as he rose easily to his feet, rolling his shoulders as he did so to figure out how much damage David had inflicted.

"Stay away from me Max." David bristled as he took another step back, keeping a large gap between the two of them. Instead of snarling in fury, Max just blinked once as he watched David, taking a step forward in order to force David to move back. "I mean it."

"You know that wasn't very nice of you." Max said simply as he took another step forward and then another. "The last time someone pulled a stunt like the one you just did, I ripped his heart out. God what a mess that was. You know I don't take kind to mutiny David. So why don't you just give it up now or are you trying to get yourself killed? Looking for the easy way out again? I thought that you of all people would stick it out to the bitter end." Max said, slowly pecking away at David's composure as the two moved down the hall, one step forward and one step back. There is more than one way to defeat an opponent and by messing with his mind Max was doing just that. If he pushed then David would push back, but if he nudged ever so slightly he might just drive the boy mad.

"This is the bitter end." David growled as the heel of his left boot brushed up against the wall. He didn't dare take his eyes off of the head vampire who paused in the middle of the corridor, less than two meters away from him. With the wall to his back and Max to his front there was no where left to go. "Damn you." He cursed under his breath, glaring darkly at Max.

"So it would seem." Max said softly. Backed into a corner Max had him exactly where he wanted him. "You've fought the good fight for long enough David, let it go. You can't beat me." He shook his head softly as he took off his glasses and slid them into the breast pocket of his high-collared shirt. David just sneered as he shook his head softly from side to side.

"I wouldn't be so sure of myself." David spat as he steeled himself for what was about to come. The gut-wrenching feeling of helplessness reared its ugly head as memories of that night on the beach surfaced in his mind. Over two months ago Max had been a hairsbreadth away from finishing him off for good and now it was happening all over again. This time there wasn't anyone who was suddenly going to spring out of the shadows and come to his rescue. He could make a go at Max, but he knew if he tried that Max would kill him without a second thought. David wanted Max dead, not the other way around. Fear and doubt mingled with anger and determination coursed through him as he balled his fists at his sides, his nails digging into the palm of his hands hard enough to break the skin.

"Fuck you."

Wham!

Max didn't even bat an eyelash as he slammed through David's mental barrier with the force of a freight train, shattering the boy's defensive shields like a rock thrown through a glass window. David let out a yell of pain as he staggered back into the wall as his thoughts and senses scattered to the four winds. Max didn't hesitate a moment as he forced his way into David's mind, getting a death grip on his conscience while simultaneously pressing down on his mind as hard as he could before David could attempt to fight back.

"I gave you the chance David, but you always were too stubborn." Max said as he took a step forward, his mental hold increasing as he got closer. David bit back a roar of pain as Max started to tear at his mind, mauling him from the inside. He couldn't do a damn thing, all he could feel was the pain. By the time Max was standing over him David wasn't even aware of him. Max narrowed his eyes slightly as he increased his efforts, forcing David to his knees as entered the boy's unguarded thoughts, calling up suppressed memories of David's past life. David, unable to hardly move much less fight off Max's mental barrage, was forced to witness once more the aspect of himself that he had buried long ago.

"God….no….arrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" David yelled as the image of his father appeared, towering over him as he swore something at him as his mother stood off to the side, drinking herself into oblivion. The image faded and a new one appeared, his father once again looming above him, but this time he had a leather belt coiled around his hand.

"You lair, you god-damn, shit-disturbing liar! WHAM.

"Dad, I didn't…argh! Dad don't!"

"My own son. I can't believe it. My own god-damn son. I should have let them take you, you no-good, worthless, lazy, bastard!" Once, twice, the blows rained down without mercy.

"Dad it wasn't..."

"I'll kill you, you little shit. I'll send you to hell and back. Maybe then you'll learn. Maybe…then…you'll…fucking…learn. I promised them I'd teach you a lesson. And…by…God…I'm…gonna…"

With each word the blows rained down and Max stood where he was, looking down at David as he watched the boy curl into a protective ball, arms covering his head as the he shuddered and jerked under the imaginary blows, yelping and crying out as the memory began to fade. Max frowned, realizing why David had done everything within his power to get at him. The boy saw him in the same light as he saw his abusive father. This new piece of knowledge didn't shake Max off however. Instead he wrenched out another hidden memory, this one more painful than the last and as he did so David screamed and began to claw at his head, rocking back and forth as Max's mental grip shook him like a rag doll.

"So what's is gonna be buddy? Huh? You or her?"

"David help me! Please don't let him hurt me."

"You stay away from her you son-of-a-bitch. YOU STAY AWAY FROM HER!"

"Oh yeah? And you'll what? Huh? You'll what? Nobody cares about you David. If you and your fucking sister are found dead in the gutter, no one will care.

"David!"

"Get your hands off her! I'll kill you. I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

"Yeah, sure you will. Hold the bitch down guys and make sure he sees everything."

"DAVID!"

Like thirty years ago, David again watched helplessly as the greasy haired hood raped his younger sister before his very eyes. He struggled to get to her as her screams rang in his ears, cursing and calling out her name, unable to throw off those that were holding him down. Max took a step back as David flailed about on the floor, completely lost in his own mind. If he continued to torture him like this, he would drive David completely insane but that was something Max was willing to risk. The boy had to be taught a lesson and by god it was going to be a bitter pill to swallow. But even he was not prepared for the next memory that surfaced. It was the memory of the night David died.

"Holy shit, he's dead. Hank's dead."

"Yeah well he had it coming. Everyone knows that you don't piss David off."

"Oh yeah? Well Hank ain't the only one dead. David has one foot in the grave already. Lookit him, he's bleedin' like a suck pig."

"We gotta help him. David, get up man. C'mon man, get up." In the distance the sounds of police sirens are heard.

"Holy shit it's the cops."

"C'mon man let's go."

"But what about David? We can't leave him here like this."

"He was stabbed in the lung; he's a dead man anyways. C'mon, we gotta split before the fuzz get here. C'mon man, he's gonna die and there's nothin' we can do about it. C'mon!"

"Shit!"

As the running footsteps of his friends faded away, Max slowly knelt down beside Davidwith a faint hint of what you could actually call pity on his face. Abused by his father, abandoned by his friends and forced to witness the violation of his own sister all over again, David was curled up into a fetal position, his mind laid naked under Max's scrutiny.

"It hurts doesn't it?" Max said softly as he gently laid a hand on David's shoulder. Upon contact David whimpered and shrunk away from Max's touch, shaking like a terrified rabbit as he slowly started to come back to reality. He couldn't take it anymore, it had hurt so bad…so bad.

'No more…please." David murmured as he slowly cracked open an eye, his vision burly and unfocused. His head felt as if a red hot spoke had been driven deep within his mind and moved around, stirring up things that should never have been remembered. Max looked at him with an unreadable expression on his face as David lay beside him, unarmed and unable to defend himself.

"Then tell me who gave you that wound. It wasn't a vampire hunter was it? You lied to me, didn't you David?" Max asked softly, leaning forward so that he could get a good look at David's face. David shook violently as Max got closer but there was nothing he could do. Nothing.

"It…was…" David whispered, nodding his head as he cringed when Max moved one of his arms away from his head. He shut his eyes closed and refused to look at Max, even when he felt Max start to apply more pressure on his mind in an attempt to squeeze the truth from him.

"Who hurt you?" Max asked once more, but this time his words were not so softly spoken. David hissed in pain as Max began to draw forth another unwanted memory, holding David down physically so that he couldn't move at all as the pain in his head began to build up once more. He was in the cave, everything was red. He was fighting someone, and there was screaming in the background. Something hit him in the head as he bit down on his opponent in order to rip his throat open. Someone appeared through all the red and that someone was….

"AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" David screamed as he threw himself against Max, knocking the head vampire down beside him. Max blinked in surprise but didn't let go of David as he flailed about like a live wire. David's piercing shrieks were making it hard for Max to keep his firm hold on the young vampire's mind and as a result of his momentary blunder the rest of the memory slipped through his fingers so to speak. Eyes flashing in annoyance Max grabbed both of David's arms and pinned him to the floor, his arm across David's throat, holding his head down as he did so.

"Who was it? Who was it!" Max demanded as doubled his efforts to get a hold of the illusive memory. In doing so he was doing more harm to David's mind then before and if he didn't stop now he would essentially end up killing David never mind driving him insane.

"Star! It was Star!" David yelled as Max ripped through his mind in vain. He heard David the second time and when he did, Max instantly released his mental hold on him before he drove him over the edge.

"Was it her? Was she the one who did this?" Max demanded, forcing David to look at him while he slowly slipped in and out of awareness.

"Yes." David murmured before he slid temporarily out of consciousness, Max last attempt at getting the truth having proven too much for him to bear. Max frowned as he let go of David and sat back, massaging his forehead as he carefully analyzed David's answer in his head. The boy wasn't lying but somehow doubt still nagged at the back of his mind. If he pressed David further he might as well just kill him because a mentally unhinged vampire was more of a threat to him then anything else. No, it would be a terrible waste of a good mind. A persistent barking caught Max's attention, snapping out of his thoughts as he realized that Thorn was outside and just short of breaking down the door to get inside. Baring the underside of his wrist, Max bit into it before bringing the wound to David's mouth, forcing his blood down the unconscious vampire's throat in order to revive him.

Allowing David to feed off his own blood enabled Max to form a stronger bond with him, both mentally and physically, which would allow him to exert more control over the vampire and give him the ability to access his thoughts more readily, hence the success of his mental investigation. But at the same time David was also getting stronger, which was why Fay was so taken aback the previous night when David had lost control over himself and attacked Dwayne.

David groaned as he slowly regained consciousness, the after effects of Max's mind pulling making him feel sicker than a dying dog while a migraine the size of mars made itself known to him.

"Next time when I ask you a question, you tell me the answer right away." Max said in a tired voice as he rose to his feet, Thorn's persistent braying wanting immediate attention. David gingerly nodded his head as he rolled onto his side, staying there a moment as he waited for the world to stop spinning.

"Yes…sir." David muttered quietly as he kept his eyes closed, fighting back the wave of nausea that swept over him.

"Good, now get up and get the hell out of my house." Max said as he turned and headed towards the front door, leaving David lying where he was on the hard wooden floor. David carefully opened one eye as he watched Max walk away, the fiery orange pigment of his eye slowly fading back to its startling blue. Max had succeeded in breaking David so he didn't see the boy as a threat any longer, turning his back to him as he walked towards the door. But what he didn't see was the small smirk that tugged at the left corner of David's mouth, one that instantly vanished as David cringed in pain when the wound made itself known once more.

Fifteen minutes later David dragged himself off of Max's property, still battered and broken and feeling as if he had been stretched out on a rack. Max watched him as he slunk off and drove away, his face as unreadable as before. Instead of hunkering down in some isolated spot to lick his wounds and his shattered pride, David headed straight for the boardwalk, trying his best to put the throbbing headache out of his mind as best as possible. He had one thing left to do and he was going to do it, even if it killed him.

Pulling up to the nearest phone booth, he dismounted the bike and pulled back the folding glass door even though the booth was already occupied. Without saying a word, he grabbed the guy in the cut-off flannel shirt who was talking to someone named Sally and drained him dry before he could even let out a surprised squawk. Hanging up on Sally, David placed a quarter into the phone and quickly dialed a number he had made sure to memorize before he had left to go see Max. After two tries at getting the right number, he waited but it wasn't until the fifth ring when someone picked up on the other end.

"Hello?" An all too familiar voice said. However, this time David was actually happy to hear it.

"Is the plan ready?" He growled, holding his throbbing head in one hand and the phone in the other.

"Yes. What happened?" Fay asked from the other end, the tone of her voice low and worried. David wanted to laugh.

"Good. It starts tonight." David said before slamming the phone onto the receiver. Without so much as a downward glance, David stepped over the mauled body of his most recent kill and mounted his bike, revving the engine before he peeled away and drove off into the night. He wouldn't go back to the cave for the next two days as he tried to piece together some sort of image of normality. Max may have finally won but like hell was he going to let the others see just what the guy had done to him. He may be beaten but he still had his pride, what was left of it anyways.

And from that night on, I spent my nights working with David, explaining my plan to him so that he could relay it back to the others and make sure that everything would be ready. It was the first and only time that he and I actually worked alongside one another without trying to bite off each other's heads. I had figured that something had happened between him and Max on the night that he called me, but like I said, only later did I find out what had actually gone on.