When I wake up I'm back in the race car bed but it's like I never went to sleep. I'm alone and that scares me until I catch the sound of a smile. My vampire hearing is so weird and getting weirder because I think I can hear the sound of teasing touches I don't understand. I narrow my eyes and all of a sudden a weird rip in my mouth and something takes up so much room. I reach my hand up to touch it and that's when I realize it's fangs. Not just fangs. /My/ fangs.

I look down at myself and see that I'm wearing pajamas with cowboys and Indians on them and I have to tell mom I'm not a kid anymore. Maybe if I stopped blanking out I could dress myself. But it's not my fault. It's Sandy. She shows up all beautiful and dead and then guilt goes everywhere and I can't breathe.

No. I can't blame her for being dead. I can't blame her for anything. That's the luxury of being dead, /really/ dead. You're not responsible for anything anymore.

I look at the bed side table and see its only eight at night. I wonder why mom has just left me in bed. Does she not love me anymore? I look closer at the clock and find myself shivering. It's eight at night..three days later than I remember it being.

I step from the bed in such a fast way I get a little dizzy. I spread my arms out to steady myself and that's when I notice the little feet under the door. Quiet like a mouse the door opens with no squeaks and in a nervous manner I ask, "Mom?"

Arms are around me before I can recover and understand what's going on and I move to get them off but suddenly I hear, "Little Bear! I missed you so much! I thought you were gone forever! I was so scared! I did everything I could to wake you up! I sang, I danced, I read you stories! I tried to make cookies but they all burned! I'm so happy you're hear!"

I want to ask questions but all I can do is sink into the warm embrace. I had never really gotten these kinds of hugs, even Sandy was weary to give them up because our mother never really taught us to love. I zip my lips and wrap my arms back around her because I start to realize I missed her too and the void of nothingness becomes real. There's a shift in the ground and I move mom behind me to protect her but I see it's that guy that I remember from before. I don't lower my guard.

"Bernard, relax," mom says as she prances around me to wrap her arms around the guy in a lover's way, "I was going to introduce you before but then you proofed. This is Godric, my maker, my boyfriend, my true love."

I'm stunned. Mom looks too young to have a 'true love' and this guy may look like he's her age but I can tell he's not. He's old, vampire old, and his eyes are hard on me; I can't even look into them. I can't say anything.

"Stop being so shy and come on, there's so much I've been planning on telling you!" She grinned, slipping out from under the man and running out the door.

He gives me a sudden look, like a warning to not hurt my own mom or something and I return it. How could I ever do that? I don't understand this guy or his relationship with my mom but I know there's going to be trouble.

...

I can hardly contain my excitement and the thought of my two boys finally meeting nearly throws me off track. All I want to do is sit them down and talk about all the things they have in common but I know that will come up later, it has to. My first stop is the library-where me and Godric have been spending our time in wait for Bernard-and I clap my hands together when they both finally get there behind me. I motion to the room, "This is the library, where we will be doing most of our education."

"Our education?" He asks and I can see deep in his beautiful eyes there is confusion.

"Yes!" I answer quickly because I don't want him to think too much. Last time I left him to pick out an outfit he left me for three days. I didn't want that to happen again, "You see, I'm a new vampire too. I'm hardly a year old. Godric turned me not too long ago to save me from that place, much like I saved you. Of course he did a better job."

I look up at him with a breathless smile because suddenly I'm thinking of what we were doing in there before I heard Bernard. He had been touching my thigh absentmindedly while he read to me and I kept pushing it away but his hand did keep returning and getting closer to my private spot. I know he remembers by the glance he gave to me but he's not my gentle man, he's hard and stoic and serious and I just hate the way he looks at Little Bear.

"So," I continue, "Our formal education will begin in there. Now, I know it's not the funnest thing to d-"

"It is," he interrupts, his eyes scanning all the books, "I love to read. I always had straight 'A's in school. I'm a fast learner."

The memory of us on the grave comes back and I'm reminded of the fact that I do know this, I know everything about his life but it's so strange. It's like all of that is in a secret part of my brain I have to work at to uncover. I wonder if it's like that for everyone or just for me. I stare at him in amazement, I always got 'B's. I clap my hands together, "That's so wonderful, Little Bear. I'm so happy you're going to enjoy learning with me. Maybe you can teach me a thing or two."

There's a grunt from Godric and I look to him with narrows eyes. He doesn't look at me but I feel a rolling thunder of frustration and jealousy. He blinks once then speaks, "Let's continue."

I turn around and run to the dressing room I had left him in before but this time it's all different. While he was gone I realized part of being a woman is maintaining your home and it's appearance. I had my one true love and now I have my own child, if that didn't make me a woman I don't know what would. I took cues from Isabel and Pam and understood matching outfits was apart of the whole thing. Godric of course was difficult. He told me, "I don't get told what to wear, I simply take suggestions." Which meant I had to plan three different outfits for him to mix and match or just ignore.

"I remember this place," Bernard whispered as I stepped inside the room.

"You do? That's good," I nod, "But I made sure to preplan outfits for all of us so...you don't have to stress yourself."

"I like planning outfits," he surprised me again.

"But it made you...?" I trailed off unsure.

He shook his head, "No...my sister made me. Everything I see her...I guess /it/ happens."

I felt Godric shift and I narrowed my eyes too, "What does she say?"

"She's the one that told me you were my mom and you turned me into a vampire. When you showed me all the clothes I was so happy and so thankful but I felt so guilty because she should be here...not me. She told me to stop thinking about her and to not feel so guilty. And then she left and now I'm here," he explained.

I lower my head at the thought of her. She was so beautiful and if I had saved her none of this would happen. As if he knows what I'm thinking, Godric laces his fingers with mine. I smile up at him before looking to Bernard, "She seemed like an incredible person. I'm so sorry I couldn't save her."

He smiles weakly, "It's okay. She didn't seem angry. She really liked you."

"Did she?" I ask with cheeriness.

"Of course, who couldn't like you?" He questions, "You're beautiful."

Godric's grip on my hand tightens.

He did not like that.