The Bohemians sat in silence around the Loft, occasionally glancing over at Roger who was on the couch with Mimi cuddled next to him, holding on to him as if he'd disappear if she loosened her grip. Everyone was too uncomfortable to risk speaking, but it wasn't like they had something to say anyway. Coming up with a comprehensible sentence was always a difficult undertaking when you had to deal with your close friend becoming a vampire.

In the aftermath of Roger regaining control of his mind, Mark had called up everyone to tell them everything. Collins, Maureen, Joanne, Robbie and Nana had all came over to confirm what Mark had told them. Benny had not yet been reached, since he was most likely trying to smooth things over with Allison and Mr. Grey for running off when he did. The Bohemians were going to try and call him again in the morning. As for the children, Penny, Rupert,and Jerry, they were still upstairs sleeping. It was a unanimous decision to wait until morning to explain things to them.

At the current time, the only sounds in the room were coming from the news broadcast that was being shown on television.

"The body of a young man, Ralph Olson, was found along Ninth Avenue and West 45th Street two hours ago, in a similar state to the longshoreman who was found dead yesterday night. Whether or not there is any connection …"

"Turn it off." Roger spoke with such a rough voice, everyone in the room jumped. After the shock of hearing Roger speak wore away, Mark complied with his best friend's wish. But even after the television had been switched off, the musician still looked shaken.

"I did that," he whispered after a lengthy pause. "That guy, Ralph Olson. That was me. I… I fed on him, right before I came here to do the same to…."

"It wasn't your fault, Rog," Collins comforted while Mimi tightened her hold on her husband. "You… you weren't yourself."

"But I knew what I was doing," Roger argued. "Everything I did. I was aware of everything I did. And if I hadn't been able to regain control of myself when I did, I might have killed Mimi, Mark and Emily."

"The important thing is that you did regain control of your mind, Roger," Joanne reasoned.

"Yeah," Roger sighed heavily, placing his forehead in his hands with his elbows resting on his knees. "But that doesn't change what I could have done."

"I really don't think that's something to keep brining up," Mark snapped suddenly. "No offence, Roger, but you're not the only one here who found that whole experience horrible."

"Mark, you know I'm really sorry about the things I did," Roger apologized before looking worried. "When… when I threw you, I didn't hurt you too bad, did I?"

"No, I'm fine, but that's not what I was talking about."

"You're not still upset that I didn't run when you told me to, are you?" Emily asked.

"Well, can you blame me?" Mark cried. "Fu-k, Emily! I told you to run because I didn't want to see you killed tonight, or die knowing you'd be next. I promised your brother, and myself, that I'd do whatever I could to protect you, if you'd remember."

"So, after all the times you were there for me, you seriously expected me to just up and run, leaving you behind? I thought you knew me better then that, Mark Cohen!" Emily fired back. "Tell me, what would I have gained if I had listened to you and just abandoned you? A life without you? Fat chance!"

"And what about the baby?!" Mark shouted back. "Did you even think about how his or her survival depends on yours?"

"The baby?" Collins' eyes widened. "Whoa, Emily, girl! You mean….?"

"Yeah," Emily nodded, lowering her eyes, consciously aware that everyone in the room was now looking at her. "Mark and I were planning on telling you all at the Life over dinner. But then Roger went missing, and…."

It just didn't seem like the right time," Mark finished.

"Congratulations," Roger spoke flatly, wishing he could have heard the news in a better situation. Once again, an uneasy silence filled the Loft. This time, it was broken by Nana.

"Roger? If you don't mind me asking, do you remember the name of the vampire who attacked you?" Roger took a moment before answering.

"Kain," he replied finally. "He… he said that he had many names, but… when he…after I was…attacked, I got a lot of his thoughts and memories in my head. The name that stood out the most was Kain."

"But what's that got to do with anything?" Maureen questioned.

"When you get as old as I am, Maureen," Nana explained, "you'll learn that nothing is unimportant. Especially in matters such as this. Who's to say there wouldn't be some useful information on Kain in at least one of the books I've collected through the years? I'm sure I'll be able to find something while I'm looking for a possible way to revert Roger back to his previous state."

"Well, why'd you want to?" Maureen inquired. "I mean think about it. I used to watch vampire movies when I was a teenager. I have some idea of some of the stuff you can do. You have much stronger senses, you're faster, you can jump up so much higher then a human, and you can heal faster. You're like a superhero! Why'd you want to give that up?" Roger abruptly stood up, turning to Maureen with a piercing stare.

"You have no idea what it's really like, do you?" he whispered. "You couldn't know. Before tonight, I thought withdrawal was the most agonizing experience I'd ever go through. But this… it's like withdrawal, but at the same time, it's so much worse. Because when you're going through withdrawal, no matter how much pain you're in, you know, deep down, that it'll pass. But this isn't just going to pass like withdrawal. If I stay like this, it'll be permanent. It's taking every last bit of self control I've got to keep myself from feeding on you. If you were here earlier, you would have had some idea of how unbearable this is. I even attacked Mimi and Mark! I didn't even know my own wife, or my best friend! I wouldn't wish this on anyone. Not even the Man." Maureen stared open-mouthed as she listened to Roger's explanation, and when he finished, she couldn't find the strength to speak.

"Roger," Mimi stood up and wrapped her arms around him, holding him as tight as she could. "It'll be okay, Roger. We'll find some way to fix this." Roger let out a sudden breath, reaching out to rest a hand on the back of her head. This had been the first time she'd spoken since he'd regained control of his mind. For a full minute, the other Bohemians kept a respectful distance, allowing them to have this moment. But Roger suddenly pulled back, looking very worried about something.

"What time is it?" he hissed.

"It's a little after six," Joanne announced, checking her watch. Immediately, Roger was making his way to the window.

"I have to go!" he stated, opening the window.

"No!" Mimi was at his side in an instant, gripping his arm. "Roger, please! We just got you back! Please, don't leave me again!" Roger's face contorted with guilt, seeing the hints of tears in her brown eyes.

"Meems," Roger sighed, wrapping her in a strong hug. "You know I'd do anything to stay. But the sun's going to come up soon. Remember when I said that some of Kain's memories entered my mind when I was changed? Well, at the same time, I also got some important facts about being a vampire. We need to return to the appointed place before sunrise. There's a reason why Kain has to wear that trench coat getup when he's out during the day. Sunlight's fatal to us. If I'm still here when the sun comes up, I'm dust." Bending slightly, Roger rested his forehead against Mimi's. "I'll be back here when the sun goes down. I promise. Okay?"

"O…okay," Mimi nodded, doing her best to hold back her tears. But when she moved in to kiss him, Roger pulled away again.

"I can't," Roger gasped. "Meems, I can't kiss you. It's too dangerous. If my fangs scratched you… sh-t, Meems, I'm so, so sorry." Mimi nodded in understanding, her eyes extremely over bright.

"Tonight, baby," Roger whispered softly. "I'll see you tonight."

"I love you!" Mimi cried as Roger tuned to leave. Instantly, Roger looked back, gazing at her with great tenderness.

"I love you, too." With that, Roger tore his eyes away and glided off into the quickly fading darkness. Mimi remained by the window, watching him leave, until Collins walked up and wrapped her in a caring hug.

"We'd better get to work," Nana spoke up after a few minutes. "There are a lot of books to cover at my apartment."

"I'll help you look," Emily volunteered.

"And here I thought you saw all of that as horse bunk," Nana teased in an attempt to provide some levity to lighten to mood.

"I suppose you can't be wrong all the time," Emily shrugged.

"We'll all help," Mark agreed.

"Guys?" Joanne spoke up. "I… I think we should also figure out what we'll do in the meantime. Finding a cure for Roger might take some time, so until then, there is the problem of… what Roger's going to eat. We can't forget he needs blood to survive."

"Actually," Collins spoke up, still hugging Mimi in comfort. "I think I might have a solution for that."