Chapter 5: Can't We Just Be Friends?

Alex stormed passed Jerry, ramming his shoulder into his chest as he walked by. Alex turned around and gave him a dirty look before walking out and slamming the door behind him. Sandra stayed in the bathroom crying. Jerry walked toward the bathroom, going to see what was wrong. But when he moved, he fell to one knee. He forgot all about feeding, all that talking and coffee kept his mind off the fact he was overdue for nourishment.

He staggered around the apartment, looking for anything that had blood in it. There wasn't anything around. Just when he was about to pass out, he looked to the kitchen. Then it hit him, there might be something with blood in it. With all his might he pulled himself toward the refrigerator. He yanked the door open and there on the middle rack, was a big slab of fresh steak. Fresh, BLOODY, steak. Without thinking, he grabbed the it and ripped off the wrapping. He sucked every drop of blood he could. From the steak down to licking the container in which the steak was held. He felt like a wild animal that had successfully caught his prey. His eyes turned cat-like and glossed over.

Sandra walked out of the bathroom, trying to regain her composure. Jerry heard her coming and wiped his mouth of all lingering blood and hid the steak behind his back just as Sandra walked into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry about all of that. Just a family problem. My brother can be a real jerk sometimes."

"It's ok."

She walked up to him and looked at him hard.

"Are you ok? You look really pale."

"Oh, I'm fine, just a little hungry."

"Oh ok, I can make you something!" quick as a flash she was in the fridge looking for something. She leaned her head up when she couldn't find it.

"You know, I could have sworn there was a steak in here."

Jerry dropped it into a waste basket and stood in front of it.

"Ahh well, Alex probably ate it. Pig." she slammed the door shut.

"it's ok, I can eat later. I'm more tired than anything right now."

"Are you sure? I mean it's no big deal."

"Yes, I'm ok."

"Ok well in that case, I'm going to take a nap. I have a killer headache. You can eat whatever you want, watch tv. The livingroom is all yours. See ya in the morning." Sandra walked into her bedroom and shut the door. Jerry let out a big sigh as he looked into the waste basket at the mangled meat.

"That was too close."

The Next Day

Sandra let Carly stay at her friend's house for the rest of the weekend. She had some serious mending to do with Alex and she didn't want Carly to be around for it. Jerry had been asleep all day and Sandra wanted to find Alex. So she left him a note:

"Went to go find the 'goon'. Be back soon.

Sandy."

With that, she grabbed her keys and walked out of the apartment in search of her brother. After looking around all the spots he frequented, Sandra walked into Trash and Vaudeville, a punk rock and alternative clothing store. The perfect place to look for someone like Alex. She walked up to the clerk, and asked her if she had seen him.

"Oh yea," the clerk said as she scratched her pink and purple hair. "He was here a little bit ago, seemed real upset. He got some Manic Panic and then said he was going some place high up to think."

" 'High up'? " Sandra said, thinking for a minute. Then she realized what he meant. "I know where he is. Thanks a bunch."

She ran down the block and into a train station. She got on the first train that pulled in. Soon after, she reached where she was headed. She ran into the building and got on the elevator. Up and up it went, until she hit the 'Observation Deck' of the Empire State Building. Alex would go there when he had a lot on his mind, and it seemed old habits died hard for him, because sure enough he was up there. Looking off into the sky.

She walked up to him, hugging herself to keep warm in the cool breeze.

"Alex?"

He looked over his shoulder to see who was calling him. When he saw her, he rolled his eyes.

"How did you know I was up here?" he asked, not actually wanting an answer. The question was just a reflex, something he would normally say.

"You would come up here all the time when Dad would get drunk. The more things change the more they stay the same, huh?"

He scuffed, not the response she wanted.

"Did you ever sleep with them?" he asked, prepared for the worst.

The question surprised her a little, but she answered. "No, I never did, I have more self respect than that."

"Was it really me? Did I cause you to do all of this?"

"It was a lot of things that factored into it, even though you leaving didn't help, it wasn't your fault. After all we went through as kids, I can't blame you for waiting to leave like that."

He looked up at her, he could see in her eyes that she was telling the truth.

"I'm sorry," he looked back toward the skyline. The sun was setting and there were only a few red strands of sunlight left, streaking the sky.

"I should have let you explain before I exploded like that. I...I know you have more sense than that. I'm just...I don't want what happened to mama, happen to you. I don't want you ending up with a guy in that club who abuses you and then ends up killing you. I don't want Carly to have to deal with that either. I mean, she came around toward the end, she doesn't know the horror of that type of family and I don't want her to ever."

He turned around fully and walked toward Sandra.

"Can we start over, Sandy?"

She thought about it for a minute.

"Ok, we can do that."

They hugged.

"Just one more thing," Alex said as they walked toward the elevator.

"What's that?" Sandra asked.

"Who the hell is that guy you came in with last night?"

"Ohh, hehe, um, funny story," she told him how they met.

She could swear she could see steam coming out of his ears.

"You WHAT!"

"Now wait a minute, you said you wouldn't overreact anymore."

The two argued on the way down in the elevator.

Meanwhile Back At Sandra's Apartment

Jerry flipped on the couch, dreaming of various things. He even dreamt of the day he came back for the Army.

Flashback

"Emily! Don't let it fall!" a woman yelled as she and Emily tried to catch a expensive looking glass pitcher. Emily's hands slid under the pitcher just as it hit the floor.

"I got it, mom." she said, while still laying on the floor.

"Oh thank goodness, you're Grandmother would die if her favorite pitcher broke!"

"Don'y worry, not even a scratch." she handed it to her mother with a smile.

Knock Knock

"I'll get it mom."

Emily strolled over to the door and looked through the window. She could see a young man, wearing Army fatigues, but she couldn't see his face because the fly zapper was blocking it. She opened the door and her mouth fell open.

"Jer...Jeremy? Jeremy Lynn is that you?"

She placed her hand over her mouth and started to cry. There he was, Jeremy, her high school sweetheart. Alive. A few weeks earlier she had received a notice informing her he had been killed in an ambush on his platoon. She jumped on him, almost knocking him down. She kissed him all over, so relieved to see him.

After nearly being pummeled with kisses, he was invited in by Emily's dumbfounded mother and he explained what happened.

"I spent the last few weeks in that hospital, healing up my leg. After they let me go, I came straight here. I would have called, but there was no phone and I came back on a ship from Korea. But there was something I wanted to ask you Emily, even before I left for the service."

He got down on one knee. "Ever since the day I met you, I knew you were THE one. I knew I would want to be with you always. Before I 'die' again, I need to know the answer to this question," he pulled out a little gold ring. "Emily, will you marry me?"

Her eyes lit up. "Oh Jeremy," just then her face turned into Draven's. "Yes."

Jerry shot up from his sleep. Sweat poured off of his body. He had been having that same dream every night since being turned. He started to sob a little, even after all those years, it was still painful. He got up and walked into the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror, his hair was all over the place.

Wait.

Mirror?

How the hell could he see himself in a mirror?

Flashback

"You are just as humans are, everything the same. You can be in the sun, you aren't afraid of crosses and all that other bullshit. And most importantly, you can be seen in a mirror. The only difference is that we must drink blood to stay alive."

"That's insane, David."

"I know Jeremy. I didn't believe it myself, until I tested everything. It all was true."

End Flashback

"Oh yea, I forgot about that." he hadn't looked at himself for so long he forgot he could see himself in a mirror. Just one of the things being turned by Draven did. He ran some cold water over his face and patted it dry. As he walked out of the bathroom, he noticed a Polaroid of Sandra and Carly stuck to the mirror. He chuckled a little and walked out of the room.