An: Sorry for the delay. I just haven't felt like writing ever since CH passed :(. But I'm back now with inspiration, time and a wole lot of sugar! Thank you reviewers you all make my day.

Ouestion? Should Michael, Sammy and them make an appearance in IAWOFT or should I make a sequel following the movie, since this is pre-movie...which one do you prefer?

Disclaimer: I do not own the Lost Boys. Or the Chapter titles by the way. Bailey is someone my mind came up with though.

Chapter 7

Santa Carla Twilight

And we kiss, in the Santa Carla twilight
On the beach, under a Santa Carla moon
I am lost - but I've found you in my arms
And my heart is blacker than the dark ocean

Eternity... belongs to us
Eternally... lasts our love
If you want forever close your eyes and surrender to me
Just remember today was the last that you'll ever see the sun
In Santa Carla

Hear the song of night tide
It's been ages since I felt this alive
At long last I've found you and it ends
The loneliness we feel that they could never understand

And in this land beyond the dusk
A consummation of unholy love
Between two children of the night
As all time dissolves into a crimson dream

-Tiger Army-

Two days. Two nights. That was my deadline. How can you put a deadline to how long a life will last? Because either way, life as I knew it would end. If I walked through door number one I would become a child of the night, an immortal. And as tempting as that sounded there was still the matter of killing to survive and the fact that I would have to give up and probably forget most of my mortal life. Door number two led to a much grimmer fate, dying and not seeing another night. I had made my choice and I thought it was the right one.

When I woke up in the morning I spent the whole day outside with Jack, taking in the warmth and the sun. Tonight I would have to tell them what my choice was. Tonight my life would change forever. I was terrified of what was coming. Jack noticed something was off, of course, but he apparently decided to humour my half hearted attempts to stay joyful and happy. As the sun reached to point when it was about to set I left jack to his own devices and headed down to the beach. The same spot Paul and I talked on two nights ago. I sat down and looked at the sun setting, watching the colours blend together over the ocean. A thought hit me as I sat there; this might be my last sunset. It made the scene even more mesmerizing and I tried to imprint the image in my mind so it would stay there forever.

I didn't go looking for them; I knew they would come to me, eventually. And I was right, not long after the sunset heavy boots landed next to me. I didn't look at them at first; I just continued staring straight forward.

"Have you made your decision?" I looked up at David and only now did I realize that he was alone. A shudder went through my body and I hoped that the other boys were near.

"Yes," I whispered but I knew he heard me. I had read up on vampires and knew that their hearing was excellent apparently. Not that it had to be true, I just assumed. He nodded, but didn't say anything. He just looked out at the ocean and smoked on his cigarette, I continued looking at him, wondering. What was he doing here alone?

"I am here alone so you can tell me, the leader of my pack, your choice before you tell the others." He finally turned his head towards me and the emotion in his eyes was for once not hidden, it was right there plain as day. Fierce protectiveness of his pack, his brothers…his family.

"I know you would have preferred to tell Paul first, but as the leader I feel that I should know first. Whatever your choice is it will have a deep impact on my pack," his voice was smooth as ever but there was a hint of warning and an undertone of uncertainness in it. I understood what he was trying to say of course but I still felt nervous around the peroxide blonde and telling him my decision was nerve-racking.

"You already know though, don't you?" I questioned slowly, I had a feeling that David knew what my decision would be the moment he threatened me on that dark, abandoned street. A small smirk flittered over his face but he didn't say anything. I looked out over the glistering ocean and took a deep breath. I was just about to open my mouth when David started talking again.

"It's a lot harder for you then it was for us." I looked at him but he was looking straight forward.

"What…what do you mean?" I was a little surprised that we were actually having a civil conversation of sorts. David had always intimidated me so we never really talked before.

"Well I didn't even think about turning into a vampire. My father was a bastard and when my sire found me and took me in it was an easy choice. Dwayne lost all his family during some…unfortunate events so he was all alone when we found him. Marko…Marko was a runaway, all alone. And Paul, well his parents wouldn't have noticed if he changed right in front of them." I stared at him, I wanted to know more but something told me that he wouldn't be the one telling me the actual stories. They were not his tales to tell.

"But you, you have a family still. One that cares, your brother and your grandfather will surely miss you. And you actually care for them; unlike us you still have a connection to your mortal life. You're not lost like us," David's voice was low and I followed his every word. His eyes turned to me and he spoke again;

"I think I know your decision, but I want you to tell me." I just stared at him, every word he had just said spun in my mind. He was right of course. I had been up most of the night just thinking and my decision was not an easy one.

"I…I thought about it a lot. About what Paul said and everything. I thought about running, telling Jack and just getting out of here. But then this feeling, this feeling of emptiness washed over me. And I knew. I knew what I was going to…what I had to do." He was looking at me with such intensity that I had to turn away.

"Whenever Paul's ready to do it," I said quietly and I saw David's mask fall slightly.

"I will become one of you; I choose to be with him." All I could hear was the ocean and my own breathing, for a moment I thought that David had left me. But then a cold hand clamped down on my shoulder and I jumped in surprise. I looked at the blonde next to me and saw him smile, actually smile and not smirk.

"I figured you'd make the right decision. If you truly were fated you would choose him. Go tell him, he's waiting on the boardwalk. He's been staring at us since I came here," he grinned when he said it and actually rolled his eyes at the last part. I couldn't help but gape at him; this was so unlike the David I knew. But I figured that he was just happy that one of his pack mates wouldn't have to do something he wouldn't want to do. I walked over the beach without looking back at David. And true to his word…Paul stood right there, staring at me as I approached. He didn't say anything as he took my hand and led me right to the middle of the crowded boardwalk. At first I didn't understand where we were going but I suddenly noticed that we were not heading for the middle but past it. He took me out to the pier that out looked to ocean. On the way here he didn't say a thing, he just kept tugging me along and I simply followed. When we stopped at the end of the pier he turned and looked at me. He didn't say anything, just looked. But he and I both knew that no words were necessary, we both knew what he wanted to know.

"I chose you," I said quietly with a small smile playing on my lips. The sombre look on his face disappeared and he grinned. Before my mind could register what he was doing he had swooped me up and spun me around as he planted his lips on mine.

"I knew you would make the right decision, I just knew it!" I laughed loudly with him as he finally put me down. The feeling of emptiness was once again gone and I felt…whole, content. I don't know how long we stayed there but at some point the other boys joined us. They were grinning, happy with my decision. They took me to the cave, whooping all the way. I was nervous, scared, how could I not be? They wanted me to become one of them; I wanted to become one of them. When we entered the cave I was attacked by a small blur that I soon realized was Laddie.

"Paul said you were going to stay with us now Bailey, is it true, is it?" he blurted out and I laughed at him.

"Yeah bud, I'm staying," I said with a smile on my face, how could you not smile at someone like Laddie. My eyes travelled to the canopy bed and the girl in it. She was staring at me, a horrified look in her eyes. She didn't understand how could she? From what I gathered she hadn't actually chosen her fate.

We were messing around again, like any other night when the air changed. I looked up and watched Marko carry a bottle almost like the one David had wanted me to drink from all those nights ago. Marko handed the bottle to Paul and I couldn't take my eyes off it. That bottle contained their blood, and the beginning to my new life. Was I scared? Of course I was. I couldn't take my eyes of the bottle as Paul drank from it just like David had that other night only this time when he offered it to me I took the bottle in my shaking hand. I stared at it, the glistering rubies and the ruby red liquid in it. I knew it was the boys' blood mixed together but mostly Pauls'. The boys started chanting my name softly and I looked up at them.

"You only need one drink Bailey," David's silky voice stated slowly as his eyes bore into mine. I turned my head and looked at Paul, his blue eyes were pleading, hopeful. I looked down at the bottle in my hand again and with a deep breath I raised it to my mouth and took a big swig. Cheers rang out in the cave but I barely heard them. The blood wasn't warm but it wasn't cold either. I have never tasted something like it. A coppery smell reached my nostrils as the thick liquid went down my throat. A calm settled over my body and this yearning was building up in the pit of my stomach. I thought that I would feel revolted but instead I found myself taking bigger gulps and I felt myself get drowsy. The bottle was taken from my hands as soon as it left my lips. Through hooded eyes I saw Paul take a big gulp and hand it over to Marko, the bottle barely left his hand before his blood smeared lips were on mine. When he drew back he was smiling and then he let out a whoop.

"You're one of us now, babe. You're with me now, for real," he said smiling. I just smiled back and let myself be dragged to my feet and into some kind of dance. I felt woozy and this surreal feeling came over me. I don't know how you were supposed to feel when you drank vampire blood but I felt great. Like I was on the top of the world, like I was free falling. Ironically the song that blasted out of Paul's rock box at that very moment was Tom Petty's Free Fallin'.

All the vampires walkin' through the valley. Move west down Ventura Blvd. And all the bad boys are standing in the shadows. All the good girls are home with broken hearts. And I'm free, I'm free fallin'.

I spun around and laughed out of the corner of my eye I spotted Star shaking her head.

I wanna glide down over Mulholland. I wanna write her name in the sky. I wanna free fall out into nothin'. Gonna leave this world for awhile. And I'm free, I'm free fallin'.

And as the last chords started to play this most peculiar feeling came over me. It felt like I was flying, falling and watching myself dance around with the boys. It was strange but a very relaxing feeling; it felt like I had hit the mother load. I was freebasing, I was on one of the greatest trips I'd ever had. My mind disconnected from my body and then I don't remember anything else.

When I woke up I was at home in my bed and Jack was standing over me. The setting sun was glaring at me and my sensitive eyes squinted as my hazed mind tried to figure out what was going on.

"What up little sis, how was the party? I hope you were just drinking booze but it sure as hell doesn't smell like it," Jack said with a raised eyebrow. I just stared at him dumbly, my ears hearing the words but my mind not understanding them. He sighed and told me to get dressed and come down for dinner. Dinner? Had I slept the day away? I sat up and my hand touched a paper like surface I looked down at my hand and found a small note. I scrunched up my face in confusion as I lifted the note. Sorry, but you fell asleep and we thought it would be better if you were at home. With Jack on a warpath and all that I know we both prefer if I am alive. See you tonight Brown Eyes. X Blondie. I shook my head with a smile and got up slowly. That's when I realized something; I was only a Halfling. I managed to talk to grandpa and told him that I wasn't going to be living here no more, I was moving in with my boyfriend. He just gave me a nod and told me I reminded him of my mum when she told him about dad. I never thought the old man was going to be so understanding, boy was I wrong.

I was once again at the boardwalk walking around aimlessly. The closer to night it got the louder this strange thumping noise seemed to get. It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out that I was hearing the heartbeats of the people around me, it was terrifying. Was I going to attack these people and expose myself any minute now? I was walking towards the beach when this unexplainable pain ripped through my stomach. I made a face and doubled over slightly in pain. I knew what it was, Paul had explained this to me but I honestly didn't think it would be this bad. I staggered down the steps and onto the beach; I didn't want to risk anything. A hand on my shoulder startled me and my eyes found familiar blue ones.

"Paul," I said with a slightly strained smile.

"Come on," he said and took my arm and led me down the beach. The boys were waiting, sitting on some abandoned logs. They looked up as we approached and smirked in union.

"Feeling hungry already Bay?" Marko chortled and I threw him a small playful glare. We sat down and David answered my questions on why I was only a Halfling still, why had they sent me home?

"We thought that you might want to tell your brother that you're moving in with us and everything," he said. I hadn't even thought of that. How was I supposed to tell jack that I was moving in with Paul and that he wouldn't be able to see me during the day? David had it all figured out apparently. I was to tell jack that Paul and the boys worked out of town and they had managed to hook me up with one too. I wasn't sure that jack was going to buy that but I had to try, right? So that I did, I left the boys but not before Paul let e take a swig from the bottle. Jack was at work talking with Donny when I showed up. He looked at me strangely when I told him bluntly that Paul had asked me to move in with him and David's scheme about that job. He thought the job sounded great but the moving in thing…well.

"Are you sure, Bay?" he asked, his face filled with doubt and worry.

"Yeah, I really like him, Jack." He stared at me but sighed in defeat.

"I can see you've already made up your mind, so I'm not going to stop you. But bailey if something seems off, anything. You know you can always look me up, right?" I stared into my brothers brown eyes, mum's eyes, my eyes and smiled.

"I know big brother," I said and gave him a hug, he didn't really understand what I was up to but he didn't want me to be unhappy. That was my brother for you. So before my mind could keep up I was told by the boys that they sort of picked my stuff up already, it made me laugh at them and their sureness of themselves.

The air changed dramatically once we stepped away from the boardwalk and onto the beach. I hadn't noticed it but we were apparently following a group of surfers.

"I think I knew that dude," Paul commented offhandedly as we casually strode by them, luring them into a false sense of security, like we weren't following them at all. I stared at him in surprise.

"I used to surf," he told me with a grin but that wasn't what I was confused about.

"You don't remember?" Dwayne spoke up and answered my distressed question casually;

"As time goes you tend to forget your mortal life. As a matter of fact a lot of it disappears as soon as you transform into a full vampire. Small snippets, memories might still stick…but people the way they look often wither away." I stared at him. Would I forget my family, my mortal family? What if I saw jack one day and didn't recognize him. As if reading my mind David spoke up;

"We already thought of that. That's why one of us will be with you the first time you see your brother after your transformation, that way if you don't know who he is…we'll be able to help." Relief flooded through my body but so did an increasing nervousness. Somewhere along the way we had turned around so we were once again behind the now partying group, watching them silently form a distance.

"Let the good times roll," Paul whispered in my ear and before I could do anything else they took off. The sight was incredible. Four young men literally flew at the group and scared them to death. Their usually handsome faces were transformed, disfigured. I watched as David tore into a boy's neck, Dwayne help a screaming girl obviously teasing her before he bit down. Marko caught my eye next, the small vampire viciously tore a young mans arm off and by the screams off pain that sounded through the night air he was still alive when his limb was torn mercilessly from his body. My eyes travelled to Paul who was painting, blood dripping down his chin a dead body by his feet and a wriggling one on his left hand. He was staring at me, waiting.

A breeze flew over the beach and the scent of blood hit me in the face like a wall. It should have been revolting, the sight of the bodies lying around, the bloody disfigured faces accompanied by the coppery smell of blood. But it wasn't the smell that made oh so many queasy made me take another deep breath, it smelled so good. I could feel my face changing, my never before used fangs grew and this longing I had never felt before erupted in my body. I opened my eyes and I knew they were red; they had bled over for the very first time. I watched Paul as he sauntered forward, the kid struggling in his grip. He stopped right in front of me and raised his left hand. I watched as his claw like nail tore at the boys' neck. Blood, sweet smelling, red blood trailed down his throat as he whimpered, pleaded, begged for mercy. His pleads was ignored all I saw was the line of blood running down his throat. I leaned forward and took another deep breath.

"You can do it babe," Paul spoke slowly, seductively. I looked at him and then back down at the boy. His scared, tear filled eyes met mine and I hesitated but only for a moment.

You'll never grow old, Bailey, and you'll never die. But you must feed…

David's words echoed in my head as I leaned forward and took a hold of him. I saw Paul loosening his grip and I took in the sweet smell again. A hunger, a thirst was growing inside of me, screaming to be sated. A flicker in the boys eyes, resolution, acceptance. His lips parted;

"Do it quick," it was barely a whisper, barely said at all but I heard it. Without a second thought I opened my mouth and let my fangs sink into the soft, warm flesh of the no longer struggling body beneath me.

If you want forever close your eyes and surrender to me, just remember today was the last that you'll ever see the sun…in Santa Carla…