"I take it that you won't be joining Charlie for his birthday today?" Gregory asked Elizabeth with a sigh for the fifth year in a row. "He's seventeen, you know."

"No," Elizabeth shook her head. "I mean, I'll send him a present, but I won't be taking him to the beach. I'm going with Leo instead."

"That's a bit cruel, isn't it?" Gregory asked. "You used to go to the beach with Charlie on his birthday."

"No," Elizabeth replied. "He has to learn."

So she and Leo went to the beach and took photos, then she had one of her and Leo framed and took it to Charlie.

"This is for you," Elizabeth said when Charlie answered the door.

"I thought you forgot my birthday," Charlie replied.

"Oh, I wouldn't," Elizabeth replied. "Open it!"

Charlie opened the picture of her and Leo, and then threw it at her. "You bitch!" He cried.

Elizabeth moved out of the way just in time and the frame hit the ground and broke. "Are you insane?" She asked. "I don't heal like you do, remember?"

"Oh, I know," Charlie replied, advancing on her as she backed away. "Aren't you just a sneaky little thing? You knew exactly what would piss me off and then you went and did it!" He grabbed her. "I loathe you!" He said, right up in her face.

"Let me go, you bully!" Elizabeth replied and slapped him.

"I want a better present!" Charlie cried.

"Oh?" Elizabeth shouted. "Like what?"

It was then that he leaned forward and kissed her hard. He then pulled away and, still glaring at her said, "There, that's better. Then, he kissed her again and pulled her inside. They knocked one of the Edward's antique vases that had been on a stand flanking the door and it fell to the floor with a crash that brought Edward to the door. Since he was focused on the vase, what Charlie and Elizabeth were doing didn't automatically register. But when it did, he just decided that it would be best to back away. He didn't want to separate them lest they start fighting again. He was already having enough trouble with Katherine and Laura, so having Elizabeth and Charlie's feud over would be a nice break for him.

"Did you hear something?" Elizabeth asked when they finally pulled apart for good. Then Charlie noticed the vase. "Oh, shit!" He cried. "I didn't mean to break that! Dad will kill me!"

"Well, maybe we can clean up the pieces and he won't notice," Elizabeth replied. She picked up a shard with with a particularly sharp edge and cried out as it cut her and she dropped it, shattering even further.

"Did you cut yourself?" Charlie asked. Elizabeth showed him her hand and he nodded. "Of course you did. Any idiot could see that the shards had sharp edges and would have cut them without some sort of protective gloves on!"

"I was just trying to help," Elizabeth scowled, licking her finger. "You don't have to yell."

"I'm not yelling," Charlie replied. "I'm scolding you for not being careful. There's a difference, you know."

"Whatever!" Elizabeth said as she stared at her bleeding hand. "Just get me a bandage, would you?"

"And why do you need a bandage?" Charlie asked.

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, my hand is bleeding!" Elizabeth waved it in his face. "See?" She then noticed his eyes becoming veiny as he took her outstretched hand, rubbing her palm so that he got some of her blood on his finger, which he then licked off.

"Charlie?" She asked nervously and tried to pull her hand away. "Charlie, what's wrong with you?" She continued to try and get out of his grip, but he just held on tighter, sinking his fangs into her wrist, and sucking greedily.

"Help, Aunt Laura!" She cried. "Uncle Edward, help!"

She must have sounded as panicked as she felt because Laura sped up from the basement and, after a brief tussle, managed to pry Charlie off of her.

"What the hell was that, Charles Oliver Emerson?" She asked as Elizabeth collapsed on the floor.

"I-I don't know!" Charlie replied, coming back to himself and looking scared. "I-I haven't eaten today, and she cut herself, and I got hungry, and..." He pulled Elizabeth against himself and hugged her, heedless of the blood getting on his shirt. "You're gonna be all right," he told her. "We'll get you to the hospital, and you'll be okay."

Laura gave Elizabeth some of her blood to heal her, and then she and Charlie took Elizabeth to the hospital to have her checked out.

"This is exactly why we want you to feed early," Laura told Charlie, who sat in the back with a woozy Elizabeth's head on his lap while he stroked her hair. "We don't want you to hurt people."

"It's-it's kind of my fault," Elizabeth said. "I waved my bleeding hand in his face."

"Don't try and take the blame for this," Charlie looked down at her sternly. "You didn't know that I hadn't fed yet. How could you? It's my fault, not yours."

"Okay," Elizabeth shut her eyes. "Whatever."

They got to the hospital and the doctor looked Elizabeth over, prescribing rest and an iron supplement.

"Do I really look that pale?" Elizabeth asked as Charlie carried her out of the hospital, her bandaged wrist on his shoulder. "And why are you carrying me? I can walk."

"I don't want to risk you getting hurt again," Charlie replied. "Just let me do this. Please?"

"Fine," Elizabeth rolled her dark eyes. "Whatever."

"Thank you very much," Charlie replied and plopped her in the backseat when they reached the car.

"You wanna buckle me in, too?" Elizabeth asked dryly.

"No," Charlie replied snarkily. "You can do that on your own." He crawled into the seat beside her and said, "You're not gonna tell your parents about this, are you?"

Elizabeth sighed. "Well, I suppose I don't need to. I suppose I can make up an excuse. You're pathetic enough already without my adding to it."

"Well, I'll take that as a 'Yes, of course I won't tell my mom, Charlie', and say 'Thank you'," Charlie replied. After watching her nearly wet herself while she was being fed on, he could stand her sarcasm, at least for a little while.

"All right," Laura said when they reached home again. "Elizabeth, the doctor said you should rest. You can lie down in my and Edward's bed if you want."

"Do I really have to do that, Aunt Laura?" Elizabeth asked. "I feel fine."

"I really think you should do what the doctor says," Laura replied firmly. "Either you lie down by choice or I make you."

"Okay," Elizabeth replied, not wanting to see another vampire face. "I'll go quietly.

"Good girl," Laura replied with a smile as her niece scampered away and they heard a door close.

"I didn't mean to do it, you know," Charlie told his mother. "I didn't mean to hurt her."

"I know you didn't," Laura replied. "Sometimes, it just happens and we have to accept it, move on, and tell ourselves we'll try harder not to repeat the experience. It's no good dwelling on it, and she seems to be pretty much back to normal."

"I hope Uncle Gregory and Katherine see it that way," Charlie replied.

Laura scoffed. "It would be completely hypocritical for my brother to yell at you about this. If it would make you feel better, I'll talk to him about it in private. Do you want that?"

"No," Charlie shook his head. "I want to forget the whole thing."

"All right," Laura nodded. "Then we'll do that. You wanna have some of your cake? I got you chocolate."

"All right," Charlie replied. "Maybe a little piece of cake would help."

"Well, okay," Laura nodded. "Let's get you some."

"So, how did Charlie like your present?" Gregory asked Elizabeth when she returned home. "Did he enjoy it?"

"Surprisingly no," Elizabeth replied. "But I gave him something better."

"Good," Gregory nodded. "That's very mature of you. What happened to your wrist?"

"Charlie and I were kissing and I knocked one of Uncle Edward's vases to the floor," Elizabeth replied. "And When Charlie and I were picking up the pieces, I got cut by one with a sharp edge. But I'm fine, though. Aunt Laura took me to the hospital."

"Good," Gregory nodded. "If everything worked out, I won't say any more about it."

"And Charlie and me aren't fighting anymore," Elizabeth added. "Uncle Edward is happy about that cause now he just has to worry about Mom and Aunt Laura killing each other and not us too."

"Yes," Gregory nodded. "I think that's a relief for all of us. After five years of fighting, it's a definite relief."

When Katherine came in to inquire about Elizabeth's day, she told her mother the same story she'd told her father.

"Well, do you want some blood so you won't have to walk around with the inconvenience of a bandage on your wrist?" Katherine asked. She went and got a knife and was prepared to cut herself when Elizabeth replied, "No, Mom, it's fine. The bandage isn't a problem, I promise."

"Oh, all right," Katherine replied, looking surprised. "If you insist."

Elizabeth yawned. "I have an iron supplement to take," she said. "That shard of pot really did a number on my wrist. And then I'm gonna go lie down."

"You do whatever you need to to feel better," Gregory told her. "If you need anything from us, just ask."

"All right," Elizabeth replied. "I will." She went and lay down in bed, wondering, after what she'd seen from Charlie, how long it would take her to be able to think of her family as her family again, and not vicious predators that could tear her to pieces if they wanted to. It would probably be awhile. She shut her eyes and then woke up in a sweat with her father sitting on the bed next to her.

"What's the matter?" He asked. "You were yelling and screaming when I got in here."

"Sorry," Elizabeth replied quickly. "Bad dream. I didn't mean to disturb you."

Her father gave her a smile and she tried not to stare too openly at his teeth. "You didn't disturb me," he said, giving her a tight hug.

"Daddy, can you just let me go, please?" She asked, memories of Charlie's iron grip being stirred up by the hug. "No offense or anything."

"Oh, no trouble," Gregory replied, feeling a little hurt. "You just get some rest. Sleep well."

"Thanks, Daddy," Elizabeth called after him. Once he was gone, she locked the windows and the doors, tucked herself in tight, and tried not to dream of Charlie's frightening, veiny face.