Chapter 13: Fire

"Fern, you do realize what you've made me do, don't you?"

In an amazingly unappealing show of spits, gurgles, and twitches, Leo's distended eye balls started to retreat back into his head. Fern tentatively set him down on the bar, ignoring Eric's question and his progeny's sarcastic mumbles upon finding the distasteful scene. In a pale wave, Leo's skin started to re-emerge where it had disappeared into gore and bone, dropping out pieces of bloody fabric that had been clothes at one point in time. Leo emitted as small gasp when the skin grew back around his face, but his eyes closed instinctively.

"Look, I'm sure this re-awakening process is disgustingly important to you…but I asked you a question", said the cool voice of Eric, once Fern hadn't paid attention to him for a few minutes.

"You asked me if I realized what I've made you do. My answer is that I know you have saved my progeny, and for that I owe you humble reparation."

Fern laid her tiny index finger across one of Leo's cheekbones and blinked back what felt like oncoming tears. He was vampire again, and he was hers forever…she would let nothing change that. Not Eric, or Bill, or any vampire authority would pry him out from under her.

"Don't be naïve", barked Eric, "you know there will be repercussions to me giving him my blood. Vampires aren't meant to have two makers, neither are they meant to awaken twice. Besides, who knows why he rejected your blood in the first place, it's an-"

"Eric, be quiet", Fern hissed.

Leo's eyes had flickered open, and he was staring up at the ceiling, seemingly unaware of the people around him and his whereabouts.

"Leo? Oh, Leo can you hear me? Do you remember anything that happened?" Fern grasped one of his hands in hers and looked into his face, searching for any register in his expression that her voice sounded familiar. His eyes widened, and in less than a second he was up off the bar counter and backed up against an opposite wall. For a moment his lips quivered in an effort to formulate words. His blue eyes darted back from Eric, to Fern, and back to Eric.

"W…what the fuck did you do to me? I…I…I feel like I'm on fire", he murmured.

"Obviously if you felt like you were on fire you would be screaming like a little girl," Eric commented in a somewhat sardonic manner.

"Eric! Please be quiet!" Fern said for a second time. She looked over at Leo, and extended a hand gently toward him "come to me Leo, I'm sure you're feeling bad because you haven't fed."

Leo stared vacantly over at Fern and shook his head "No…this isn't pain…it's…different…"

In another blur, Leo's shaking hands were around Eric's neck, his arms stretched to their limit because of the staggering height difference. Eric appeared to be more annoyed than surprised at the sudden outburst. He extended his fangs and let out a snarl.

"I really don't feel like staking a useless vampire tonight…but if you don't get the fuck off me I may have a change of heart" he growled.

Despite Eric's warning, Leo continued to wrap his hands around his muscular neck, his focused not phased in the little by Fern's whimpers of "no" and "get off". Angrily, Eric flung Leo onto the ground and pinned him by the shoulders.

"Don't be foolish, I saved your life!" Eric yelled. Leo made no move to escape from his grasp; he only extended his own fangs…and started to laugh manically. Fern watched in horror as two long, white bones also extended out from his shoulder blades, piercing Eric in the chest and sending him reeling back in shock.

Eric's two wounds healed quickly, but he continued to look completely bewildered.

"How…how did you that?" Fern whispered.

"I told you…I feel like I'm on fire…like I could kill anything that crossed me…"

Leo was standing directly in front of Eric in a frighteningly fast motion, so fast that Fern had not even noticed a blur. With a single, seemingly effortless swing of his arm, Eric was flung back into the bar- breaking glasses and splintering the table in two. Eric's progeny flew to his side just as Leo began to raise his arm again-

Fern jumped in front of Eric and cried out "No! As your maker I command you to leave them alone!"

Ok, so...I'm predicting that there's going to be like 4 more chapters and then I'm going to make a sequel to this story. I don't really thing that 20+ chapters is necessary. Oh, and also if you read and have any (and I mean any) suggestions for how I can improve my writing, the plot, or just comments in general please drop by and give me a review. Them things make my day.

~Navets