While Sam had been hiding in his room upstairs, the others had managed to decorate and ready the house in record time, it seemed. There weren't balloons or streamers or anything of that sort, but there was strategically balanced furniture, space and food in each room or area he passed (he really should ask Max about the square footage of this place). Everything was perfectly tidy and spotless, of course; this house never did seem to get dirty, and most of its furniture looked so untouched that Sam wondered just how often the boys hung out there, or even visited this half of their home.

"How old is this house?" Sam asked suddenly.

David shrugged. "I think Max had it custom built about a hundred years ago."

Custom built by a vampire. He wondered what kind of features this house had to suit the needs of the undead… It was tempting to go on an adventure to find out for himself.

For another time, though.

Marko and Paul were standing just up ahead, mulling about by a set of doors (old houses had so many doors…). Paul leaned against the doorframe, looking relaxed as always and gazing down at Marko. The latter did not seem nearly as calm.

It was Marko who noticed David and Sam first. He tore his eyes away from Paul and they settled directly on Sam. The human felt something heavy sit on his chest at the sight of the old vampire's black eyes. He'd seen eyes just like those before…

"You're accompanying Sam with me," David said.

"Of course I am," came Marko's dry response.

"What about me?" A smile lit up Paul's face. "Is this gonna be a double date?"

Sam's heart skipped a beat at that last word. "What? No! Of course not. Not at all." He spoke so quickly he nearly stumbled over his words.

David lifted an eyebrow at Sam's outburst but calmly explained to Paul, "You should hang with Star tonight. She shouldn't be by herself in there."

Paul accepted that easily enough. "Right. See you guys later." He gave Marko one last lingering look before pushing the door open. Voices could be heard instantly (damn that's a thick door) and two thoughts ran through Sam's mind, the first being that there were already quite a few guests in that room. The second thought was a single word: What?

He didn't realize he was giving Marko a strange look until the latter snapped at him, "What?"

That's funny, Sam thought. That's exactly what I was about to ask.

David rolled his eyes. "Calm down. He looks at everyone like that."

Marko shook his head slightly, and then his dark eyes darted from Sam to David. "So he's going in without a bite? Are you sure about that?"

"Yes." David didn't even hesitate. "You're fifteen times my age. No one's going to bother him if you stick around." Then he lifted a pale eyebrow. "Right?"

And oh, Marko did not like the challenge in David's tone. Sam could tell that instantly. "No one ever troubles any of my humans."

I'm not your human, Sam thought, but quickly realized that the vampire guests didn't know that. They were supposed to think that Sam was "with" Marko and David.

Ah. Right.

"Are you sure?"

"I don't lie." Marko declared it fiercely enough that Sam didn't doubt his word for even a second. Without saying anything further, he turned his back and pushed open the door to the party. David placed his hand on the middle of Sam's back and began leading him forward.

Oh God. We're doing this.

Michael shook his leg up and down as he sat in Bernard's living room, arms crossed and elbows resting on his knees. Dwayne sat on the opposite end of the coach in a much more relaxed fashion, partly facing Michael and waiting for him to speak.

Long moments of silence passed between them, and each stretched minute only exemplified the cushion-sized space between the two men. It grew until Dwayne felt so far away that Michael forgot they shared the same air. Until Dwayne spoke up, that is.

"The transition can be…rough for some people."

No shit, he thought bitterly.

"Especially for those in your particular situation," Dwayne added tactfully.

"You mean people who are turned without being given a choice, or even a heads up?" Michael ground out. Dwayne had no immediate response, and Michael refused to look at the raven-haired vampire to gauge his expression, just in case it was filled with sympathy. "I never wanted this."

"I know."

"Then you realize that I can't do this!" Michael stared at his hands, willing them not to shake. "You haven't taught me anything. You've prepared me for nothing. Hell, you even lied to me."

"I did?"

Michael sighed. "No." It wasn't fair to include Dwayne on the "you" generalization; Michael was speaking about Max and the others as a unit. "But you were around when the lie was told."

Dwayne's forehead creased. "What was it?"

Michael fixed his gaze on the floor again. "That I can't go out in the sunlight." If he had been looking, he would've seen Dwayne's eyebrows shoot up.

"You can't."

"And now you're lying!" He shot off the couch and ran a hand through his messy hair. He needed to calm down or he was going to start panicking again; he knew that. But how could he be calm when everything was so confusing and messy and upsetting?

Dwayne's hand was on his forearm, gentle but firm, keeping him from storming out—and then, "Please sit."

After a deep breath, he did. "I was standing right in the middle of sunlight today," he said, his voice calmer than before. Dwayne was watching him quietly, so he continued. "I woke up in the afternoon, in my room. The blinds were open and I could feel the sun on me." He sighed. "I know I didn't imagine it. I was awake. After I woke up, I took a shower." He'd tried to, at least. "Then I called Sam, and tried to start my bike…" The things he did after that didn't matter. He didn't need to tell Dwayne about how he'd nearly suffered from a panic attack in the garage.

"We can't touch silver. You should be careful around that thing."

He shook his head. "I think it's chrome."

A small smile formed on Dwayne's lips. "Luckily for you, then." His grin faded. "I don't know what to tell you. Unless the blood Marko gave you is still affecting you somehow, you should have caught on fire from that sunlight. And maybe that is the case; maybe his blood is more potent than we thought. In that case, it'll probably pass. But Michael…you need to feed. You'll go crazy if you don't."

"I can't kill anyone."

"You don't have to. You already fought Max's order to do that, somehow." His smile returned. "I don't know how you did it, honestly. It's interesting."

Michael didn't think so. His mind was still on the topic of humans and blood. "What if I can't…hunt? What if I can't bite someone?" He'd gone deer hunting before with his father, many years ago. It had gone terribly.

"You can. It's in our nature." When Michael failed to respond, Dwayne added, "I think you have some misconceptions about what it's like to feed. It's not violent. Well…it can be. But only if that's what a vampire is into."

"How do you do it? Stalk people until they're alone and helpless? Lead them into an alley?"

"Actually, we usually go to strip clubs and feed while we're there. It's less work that way."

Michael's mouth just about dropped open. "Are you serious? You bite the strippers?"

"And the patrons. Whoever smells good."

"You have got to be kidding." He put his head in his hands and his shoulders shook with laughter. He couldn't believe this. Why didn't anyone tell him sooner? He just might have gone "hunting" with Paul and Dwayne last week after all. A strip club? That sounded too simple to be true, but it made perfect sense. Loud music, dark lighting, attractive people, alcohol, sometimes drugs…

"Are you interested?"

Michael shook his head. "I still don't know if I can bite someone."

"If you can't do it, then you won't. It's not a big deal."

For the first time since sitting back down, Michael looked at Dwayne. The latter was grinning at him mischievously, a confident glint in his eyes.

Michael sighed and shook his head some more, but he was smiling too. "Why not..."

A small part of Sam wished that David would've bitten him before the party, just to be safe. Marko had seemed extremely confident in his ability to keep Sam away from any stray fangs, and nothing had happened so far, but this party scene still didn't feel safe.

Much to Sam's surprise, he wasn't the only human here. These humans were all blood pouches for their designated vampire, but they looked nothing like he had expected. For some reason, he'd imagined fidgety, malnourished humans with bags under their eyes and bite wounds adorning their necks. Many of these humans did have neck bites, as far as Sam could see. The bites were exposed—intentionally so, no doubt—but the human attached to each bite mark looked put-together and…happy. Happy and healthy. Huh.

One of these such humans was none other than Maria herself. Sam spotted her from across the room. She had dark curls and tanned skin, and was arm-in-arm with Max. Sam admired her from afar for a while, until Max brought it upon himself to introduce her.

The vampire guests were very lovely, and they had bright smiles that appeared as genuine as any, but Sam could tell that they were not at all human, just like he'd been able to detect Sandra was a vampire at that diner last night. He couldn't explain it, really… Maybe it was the look in their eyes, or the extra sharp points in their canines, or their ghastly white skin… But Maria—a warm and rosy-cheeked human—was nothing like them. Her smile was sweet, and it might be due to all the unnerving vampires around her, but he sensed that she was good. A good, virtuous person. Was it possible to detect that upon first meeting someone?

"Sam," Max began, "this is Maria, my…" He struggled for the right words, but Sam understood. It was probably complicated. Plus, David had already laid out the basic functions behind their relationship.

"Right," Sam said. There was no need for an explanation. Even without David's input, Maria still had her arm linked through Max's. That wasn't exactly customary for acquaintances.

Max pursed his lips into a tight smile and Maria stepped forward to shake Sam's hand. "It's nice to meet you," Maria greeted warmly. "I've heard so much about you."

"Oh." I've heard hardly anything about you…

"Don't worry—only good things," she assured him. He returned her smile; her genuine disposition made it easy to do so. Max looked as though he couldn't be happier, seeing the two start off so well.

Unfortunately, the rest of the people he met weren't like Maria.

That wasn't to say that none of the vampires here were friendly. They just…weren't genuine in the conventional sense.

Upon meeting a blonde Swedish vampire whose name he couldn't even begin to repeat, he was caught off guard when she was suddenly upon him in a flash. Before he could even gasp his surprise, she sucked him into a tight hug. David instantly grabbed Sam's arm, but there proved to be no real danger in the situation. "It is wonderful to meet you, Samuel," she cooed, and pulled away to look at him fully. "I do not usually bother to acquaint with humans very often, but as you are one with Max's family, I have no qualms against associating with you, and hope you may one day live to see the night."

"Uh…thanks…"

Her embrace had been cold and hard—nothing like Maria's warm handshake— and her smile didn't do anything to put his nerves at ease.

Several vampires commented on how good he smelled; several more took on a glazed look whenever they were near him. Sam was never alone, though; David never left his side. Marko strayed every so often, but never for an extended period of time. Sam wasn't the most relaxed in the short blond's presence, but he couldn't ignore the fact that whenever Marko was introducing him to someone, that person kept a wide distance from the human they believed to be under Marko's watch.

"Are you the oldest person here?" Sam asked him at one point. Marko snorted. "One of the oldest?" he tried again.

"See the woman in the gold dress over there?" He discreetly motioned towards a black vampire who looked no older than thirteen. She certainly didn't look old enough to be a "woman."

"What about her?"

"She witnessed the construction of the Pyramid of Khufu." He sighed when Sam only stared. "The one in Giza. It's over four thousand years old."

"No fucking way!" Sam's eyes just about fell out of their sockets. "You're kidding."

"Why the hell would I lie?"

"Hey," David began easily, ending any budding argument between the two. "You ever get to see any of the Seven Wonders in their primes, Marko?"

"No. The Great Lighthouse went to shit a few decades before I saw it. But Egypt as a whole was its own wonder back then, if you ask me."

"I bet it was."

Sam was hardly listening to their little conversation; he was still staring at the pyramid-aged vampire across the room.

"Want to meet her?"

He vehemently shook his head.

The vampire must have sensed his gaze on her, because she turned her head and looked directly at him. Sam's heart skipped a few consecutive beats and he frantically spun around so that he could pretend to be talking to David.

He and David were face-to-face now—almost. There was a height difference. Not a large one, though, Sam noticed. He was leveled with David's chin…

"You okay?" Slight concern laced his voice.

"Uh…yeah." He almost said she's scary but she could probably hear everything he was saying, so… "Is Mike here yet?"

"No."

He tried to hide his disappointment. "Must've had bike troubles or something. I think he said he doesn't know how to fly. Maybe Dwayne's carrying him." That image certainly was entertaining.

"Are you having fun?" David asked him at one point. They'd taken a break from the party for the briefest of moments and were preparing new drinks in the kitchen, as per request of Max. These dark-colored drinks smelled the faintest bit like alcohol, but Sam knew better. He curled his nose in distaste as David distributed the liquid from different wine bottles into small glasses aligned on the counter. They were up for grabs from anyone; any guest could walk into the kitchen, which was just one room (and no doors) away from the party's focal point, to grab a drink. The simple setup was oddly fascinating to Sam. The blood (it couldn't be pure blood, but he assumed it was at least partly so) was being served as nonchalantly as sparkling wine at a girl's sweet sixteen.

"That's blood, right?"

David lifted his gaze only long enough to respond, "What do you think?" He continued pouring exact amounts into the very thin (and stem-less) glassware.

"You can't answer a question with a question." He rolled his eyes and then fidgeted impatiently when another round of silence passed between them. In reality it only lasted a few seconds, but Sam never could deal well with any level of silence. "How do you store it? Like, in the fridge?"

"The fridge, the freezer, the basement. Whichever has room."

"It doesn't go bad?"

"Blood is blood, no matter how old it is, as long as it's not dried. We store it in a way that keeps it mostly fresh."

Ah. That made sense. "Does it get better with age like wine?"

David grinned. "No. The fresher it is, the better." He looked up at Sam again with a gaze that halted all nervous ticks the latter had been engaging in. "Nothing compares to blood coming directly from the source." Sam's heart skipped a beat.

"Oh." He swallowed. "Is that why a lot of vampires have walking blood banks?"

David chuckled. "You make it sound like such a terrible activity to engage in, Sam. Those humans are consenting to it. Do they look like they aren't being taken care of?"

No, they didn't. They looked perfectly healthy, as if vampires weren't feeding from them every waking minute of the night. So they weren't abused (not the ones here, at least). But still… "Doesn't it hurt, though?" It couldn't be the most pleasant job in the world. He'd been bitten before and it hadn't been a walk through the park, but he also been stricken with terror and didn't remember much of the actual act anymore. He shuddered just thinking about that vampire—what was his name again? Neil?

Now David smirked. "Not at all. Our bites become more enjoyable for humans as we age."

Sam lifted his eyebrows—something that David did a lot, he'd come to notice. He grinned. "Oh yeah? You know that for a fact?" How old was David again? Fifty-something? How would he measure up with his bite, if what he'd just said was true?

Sam was ashamed for wondering something like that…but he definitely wouldn't lose any sleep on it. He couldn't be sorry for being curious. Although, maybe he would lose sleep—but not because his conscience was clouded.

He'd posed his question teasingly, but he doubted David didn't see through it. He probably spotted Sam's genuine curiosity from a mile away.

David didn't say anything though. Sam's fingers tapped anxiously against the sleek mahogany in front of him. "Do you have fangs?"

David laughed and temporarily abandoned the wine bottle and fancy glassware. "If you want me to bite you, all you have to do is ask."

Sam blushed profusely. "What? I didn't… I mean, I don't want—"

"God your heart is loud. Relax. I was only offering."

He tried to calm his heartbeat, but his brain was still wrapped around the thought of being bitten in a non-aggressive way. A pleasant way, so he'd been told. "So like…do you have naturally pointy teeth or…"

He gasped sharply when David grabbed him by the waist and pulled him close so that his back was pressed against the counter—dangerously close to touching the glasses—and his chest was a mere inch away from touching David's. If his heart bad been beating fast before…

All of David's movements had been one blurred string of action. Vampire speed. It was a bit frightening, but also hot as hell.

Sam blinked, blue eyes wide like a doe's. He watched in fascination as David showed off his normal teeth first (his teeth were very white for a technically-dead person…) and then demonstrated what his fangs looked like. They seemed to slide right out of his regular teeth, wide but coming to a sharp point. Sam's eyes zoned in on just them—just his teeth. They looked dangerous, but they also…excited him. It was a visceral reaction in response to being pinned by a potentially murderous but also very attractive creature. Pulse hammering against his neck, he tipped his chin up to better expose his neck.

"Which side?" he breathed.

Instead of responding, David grabbed Sam's chin gently between his fingers and tilted it to the right. His teeth were so close—so sharp and white they were glistening under the kitchen lighting. The smooth fabric of his jacket felt so good under Sam's fingers. David wasn't the tallest of his brothers, nor did he look to be physically the strongest of them either, but right now he oozed power and control, and that was far more of a turn on than any physical characteristics Sam could think of.

He closed his lips and eyes and waited.

"Whoa."

And just like that, they broke apart. Sam nearly knocked over several glasses in his haste to get himself together and make it seem like he hadn't been about to offer his neck to a vampire. It wasn't just any vampire—it was David—but still. What if it had been Michael to walk in on them, and not Paul?

David's eyebrows did their usual thing—that high, expectant lift.

"Sorry." Paul smiled sheepishly. "It's not important. I'll come back later." He took one step backwards.

"What is it, Paul?"

He hesitated. "Never mind. I'll tell you later. Continue—please." He winked at Sam before he left.

"Fuck," Sam breathed, patting his warm cheeks. "He's going to tell."

"Marko, maybe."

Because I need more of his disapproval… He sighed, unable to believe he'd been so entrapped by David that he'd completely forgotten they weren't in a private place. They weren't in their own little bubble. Seriously, what if Michael…?

"Are you okay?" David was still standing so close to him. Sam could feel his presence like its own gravitational pull. But he needed to get out of here and go back to the party, before he did anything he regretted.

"Yeah…yeah, I'm fine. Let's go."