Chapter Six:

It wasn't supposed to be like this. They were supposed to have come to this club to get away. To keep Arianna safe. Now, Arianna was dying and Josef was in danger of being killed. Mick couldn't have been any less pleased. Watching the scene unfold before him with a critical eye, he threw an arm out, catching Beth in the chest and stopping her from rushing forward. "I don't like this…"

"MICK! Let GO!" Beth hissed vehemently, fighting uselessly to break the vampire's grip. "She needs help!"

"If by 'she', you mean Arianna, then yes. Otherwise, no, she doesn't." Mick indicated a prone Arianna, lying a few feet away from Josef.

Beth stopped struggling, looking baffled. "Why is she so still? She doesn't even look like she's breathing…"

"Stake." Was all Mick said, and he edged towards the younger vampire.

"BACK OFF!" Mick ducked as "Sara", or whoever it was, aimed a strike at him. "If you know what's good for you, you'll leave yourself out of this." She snarled, wrapping the loose ends of the chain around Josef's exposed neck.

The elder vampire's eyes widened, and he let out a soft whimper of agony, pupils dilating from the pain. Mick couldn't believe his eyes. In the space of thirty seconds, Josef had been reduced from a swaggering, arrogant vampire into a cowering, groveling one. "Who ARE you?" Mick blurted, grabbing "Sara's" wrist as she aimed another slap at him. "You're not acting like the Sara Josef knew."

Josef's eyes widened even further at this realization, and "Sara" let an angry growl escape her throat. "You know NOTHING of Sara and Josef. Keep OUT of this! She's too powerful, and she's gotten what's due to her. Back off!"

Mick frowned, stepping forward away from Beth and Arianna. "You're not Sara." He stated quietly, reaching out and taking hold of the elegant necklace "Sara" wore. "And this isn't Josef's necklace." With a deft jerk, he broke the chain, and the tall, stately redhead vanished into a short, shy, dark-haired girl. With speed only a vampire could achieve, Mick reached out, grabbing hold of the girl's hair and wrenching her head back to expose her throat. "Drop the chains. Now."

Shaking, the girl did as she was told. "You haven't won. Not yet."

Mick snarled at her, fangs elongating in anger. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now."

"Because if you waste any more time…the fledgling will die." With a grin, the girl jerked away, vanishing off into the stunned crowd.

Mick turned to the other two vampires, who had, mercifully, passed out.

"Josef? Josef, wake up!" The elder vampire groaned, opening his eyes to see a pale blonde hovering over him.

"Beth…?" He slurred, starting to sit up, before realizing that he couldn't move. "What the-"

"Easy, Josef." A gentle hand placed itself on the vampire's shoulder, before she turned, yelling, "Mick, he's awake!"

Josef turned his head as Mick St. John came barreling through the doors, bearing a large beaker of red liquid from which protruded a straw. "Here. Drink it."

Josef sniffed, grinning. "AB positive? You know me too well, Mick." He opened his mouth, allowing the younger vampire to insert the straw, and thus, the life-giving liquid. He had all but drained the beaker when memories crashed in around his ears. "Arianna! Where is she?"

Mick removed the glass, setting it on the bedside table. "Josef, you have to understand that we tried everything we could…"

"She's NOT dead!" Josef cut in sharply, starting to sit up, before realizing that his wrists and ankles were restrained to the bed. "What the HELL?!"

"You were making a huge fuss. Silver is excruciating when the injuries are healing." Mick explained, removing the restraints closest to him, before making his way around the bed to do likewise to the others.

When he was completely free, Josef sat up, massaging life back into the slightly numbed limbs. "Where is she?" He asked softly, scanning the room quickly with hazel eyes.

"She's…in a state right now…" Mick explained hesitantly, stepping back to allow Josef to get out of the bed. "It's not pretty."

"Neither am I, when I'm mad. Let me see her."

Beth jumped in with a quiet opinion. "You really don't want to, Josef. It really is bad…"

Josef gave them both incredulous stares, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I have 400 years on this earth to my name. That's about 300 years more than both of you combined. I've seen many things in my lifetime. Now, tell me what you've done with her before I MAKE you."

Mick nodded quietly. "She got the worst of the silver treatment. We managed to get it away from her before it killed her, but…" He made his way over to the wall that held the keypad, punching in the code. The wall slid open with a hiss and Mick entered, followed closely by Josef, and Beth. Making his way around the main freezer chamber that Arianna and Josef shared, he approached another, smaller one. "This is from my house. You didn't have another one…so…" Gently, he opened the lid.

Josef had to grab hold of Beth's shoulder to keep himself upright. "My god…"

Arianna lay unconscious in the freezer chamber, paler than a sheet of paper, with tubes hooked to her arms and chest. A tube of red liquid flowed steadily into her arm, undoubtedly keeping her alive. However, it wasn't the tubing that scared Josef. A series of dark red, almost black marks ran their way around the vampire's neck and shoulders, snaking under the sheets that covered her body. "I told you it was bad. I'm sorry, Josef…"

"She's not…"

"No." Mick responded to Josef's unasked question. "But she's young. She needs you, Josef. I don't have the power to restore her vitality…nor do I have the right."

"Are you telling me that I should be on the other end of that blood tube?" Josef whispered, averting his eyes from Arianna's still form.

"Yes." Mick replied simply. "That's what I'm telling you."

"Guess."

"Come on, Josef! That's not fair, you only look like you're 20 something!" Arianna's lilting voice filled the once quiet bedroom, and Josef grinned.

"Come on, just guess. I'm not touchy like you. I won't be offended." Josef reached out, gently running his fingers through Arianna's hair as he sat on the edge of the bed.

Arianna closed her eyes, scrunching up her face in thought before, "800!"

Josef made a sound somewhere between a snort and a cough, before laughing outright. "Do you really think I'm that old, sweetheart?"

Arianna pouted childishly. "You said guess, I guessed!"

Josef flicked her nose gently, smiling when she wrinkled it playfully. "Guess again. Really, I'm not that old. I'm not that young, but I'm not that old."

"Shouldn't this have been passed on through the blood, or something? Like your name?"

Josef laughed once more. "You're giving up already, love?"

"NO!" Arianna stuck her tongue out at the elder vampire, before falling back into thought. "300."

"Ooh." Josef tsked quietly. "So close, yet so far."

"Just TELL me, Josef!" Arianna squealed as Josef dove at her, tickling her mercilessly. "Stoppit! JOSEF!"

"What?" Josef sat back innocently, allowing her to regain her breath. "400, dear."

"What?"

Josef rolled his eyes, reaching out and ruffling Arianna's long red hair gently before hopping off the bed. "You wanted my age. I gave it to you."

"That's IT?" Arianna frowned as she smoothed her hair. "I don't believe you."

"Believe me, okay?" Josef leaned down, planting a kiss on Arianna's nose. "I promise, I'm only 400 years old."

Arianna watched as Josef started to leave the room, before, "Josef?"

"Mm?" The vampire turned in the doorway, hazel eyes meeting blue.

"I love you!"

A soft laugh, before, "I love you too, my dear."

"Josef, are you okay? Josef!" Beth shook the semi-conscious vampire, before yelling for Mick again. "Josef, talk to me!"

"Whatever happened…to our love…" Josef murmured softly, obviously lost in is own world.

"Why is he quoting ABBA…MICK! GET IN HERE!" Beth yelled, still trying to get the vampire to consciously realize where he was.

Mick hurried in, bearing a blood bag. His eyes widened as he spotted Josef. "Take him off that thing. NOW!"

As Beth did as she was told, Mick opened the freezer, coming face to face with a fully conscious, and slightly scarred Arianna. "Where's Josef?"

Mick froze, glancing between Arianna and Beth, who was now supporting a nearly unconscious Josef. "He's…"

A/N: So…Yeah, I like beating characters up. I'm sorry if that's a bother. XD Read and Review, please!