AN: I'm surprised at how long this chapter ended up being. I knew it would be long, but I never knew it would end up being on 13 pages on Microsoft Word.

I just want to explain a few things first. The paragraphs written in italix are ment to show what's going on in each of the Bohemians' orbs. Also, I need to appologise for the huge cliffhanger at the end. I promice to do everything in my power to have the next chapter up by Halloween. (Although, I do have bad news: someone does die in this chapter. But I'm not saying who. You'll just have to wait and see, and try to forgive me for killing someone off.)

"We gotta stop this ritual, or whatever you'd call it!" Benny moved to try to free one of the people by force.

"STOP!" Roger shouted in warning. "If you try doing it that way, you'll only end up killing them."

"Then how can we stop this from happening?" Allison asked.

"I don't know," Roger groaned in frustration, starting to pace the room, looking around at the victims of the Haunted House. As Roger continued his pacing, Benny and Allison hovered over the magic circle, hoping that they'd somehow be able to see some solution there. However, no more then about two minutes had gone by before they heard Roger cry out in devastation. Immediately, they looked up to see what caused him to cry out like that and found him staring at six of the Haunted House victims, all bound to the wall side-by-side. It was Joanne, Maureen, Mark, Emily, Penny and Mimi.

"No, not you guys, too," Roger moaned.

Joanne sat at a park bench, her fingers laced around Maureen's. The two of them were simply enjoying their time together. Joanne didn't have any cases to prepare for and Maureen was currently between Broadway performances. This left them free to have more 'them time'.

Letting out a contended sigh, Joanne leaned closer to Maureen, who suddenly shifted. When Joanne looked up to ask what was wrong, Maureen surprised her with a deep kiss, which Joanne instantly returned. It wasn't long before hands began to roam as well. Suddenly, the sound of someone clearing their throat caused them to pull apart, quite annoyed by the interruption.

"Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt," the young man apologized. "But I was hoping you could tell me how to get to Battery Park?" Smiling, Joanne gave him the quickest route.

"Thanks for your help," the young man thanked them in gratitude. "Carry on." Needing no further invitation, the two continued with their kisses, while the young man continued on, not even batting an eye. Even while she was absorbed with Maureen, Joanne couldn't help but feel a wave of satisfaction. It was so nice to not receive any disapproving looks anymore, now that homosexuality had become widely accepted in America.

Maureen stood inside her old performance space, absorbing herself in memories. She'd had a lot of good times here, and she'd always remember them. But now, it was hard to say if she was more sad or happy. Maybe a combination of both, it was hard to say. She'd felt this way before, when they'd left the Loft for the last time. Maybe this was how it always felt when a chapter of your life ended.

Moving further into the performance space, Maureen got up on the stage to look out at the building from that point of view one final time. For the briefest moment, she had a vision of the large group of people who had come to see her protests. Blinking back a sudden tear, Maureen glanced down and noticed something nearby. She bent down to get a better look, and gave a sudden laugh, seeing it was the cowbell she'd used during one particular protest. Once again, she absorbed herself in memories.

"Maureen?" The Drama Queen quickly looked up and smiled when she saw her friends were all standing in the doorway, smiling back at her.

"Come on, Auntie Maureen!" Penny called. "We're heading down to the Life to celebrate. You don't want to be left behind, do you?"

"No, I'm coming," Maureen replied, tenderly storing the cowbell in her bag, to keep it as an emblem to the past. When she'd joined her friends at the door, they each enveloped her in a large hug.

"Great job, honey," Joanne whispered into her ear. "You did it." Instantly, a triumphant smile stretched across Maureen's face. Those words were still so good to hear. As shocking as it was to believe, the world had finally reached an acceptable unity, and while corruption did appear from time to time, it was always bought to a halt before it could spread. There was no longer any need for protests.

Mark stood by the window in the Condo, filming whatever he could. The city always seemed so peaceful in the early spring.

His filming was interrupted when someone wrapped their arms around his middle from behind and placed a small kiss on his cheek. A smile instantly began to form at the corners of his mouth. He could always recognize that familiar smell of developing solution mixed with fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies. It was a unique smell he could always attribute to one person.

"Hey, sweetie." Emily smiled up at him. "What are you doing way over here? Come join us for a change." Mark lowered his camera, not even putting up a fight, and allowed Emily to pull him back among the group. As he and Emily took a place among the others, Mark caught Roger's eye. The two of them shared a brotherly smile before Roger turned his attention back to gently playing with the tips of Mimi's hair while the dancer cuddled up against him, hugging his arm close to her. Maureen and Joanne were content to snuggle together, listening to Collins as he told them the story of his first anarchistic act while he kept Rodolfo balanced on his knee. And close by, Penny was perched on the arm of the easy chair, watching as her new baby brother was being rocked and fed by Angel. As the baby drifted off to sleep, Angel looked up at Mark and Emily with her warmest smile ever.

"I know they say that a baby's eyes are supposed to get darker as they get older," she stated. "But I think this little one's inherited your eyes, Mark." Mark let a small chuckle escape his throat as he cast his eyes over his friends, all of them still alive and strong.

"Hey, when the babies are a bit older," Maureen spoke up, "we should all go on a road trip somewhere. You know, a family vacation. We haven't done that Mimi won that trip to Lake Austin Spa Resort."

"A vacation to where?" Mimi asked, her eyes sparkling.

"Hey, we don't have to decide right now," Roger laughed. "We've got our whole lives ahead of us, don't we?" Mark's smile grew wider. Words couldn't describe how good that sentence sounded to him. They summed up how things were perfectly. There was no HIV. Everyone was perfectly healthy. No one would be dying slowly before his eyes. Life was good.

Emily let out an appreciative laugh when the punch line to the joke had been reached. Her father, Zeke, always came up with the best jokes. Even as her laughter died down, the large smile never left her face as she watched her mother, Natalie, lean over to kiss Zeke's cheek.

"Emily, eat up before your dinner gets cold," Natalie advised.

"Sure, Mom," Emily replied, bringing a spoonful of the risotto into her mouth. While her friends often praised her cooking skills, she'd never been able to make risotto that could match her mother's. Natalie always added some special secret combination of herbs and spices that put it right over the edge.

"It's still a shame Mark and the kids couldn't make it tonight," Zeke noted.

"Yeah," Emily agreed. "But today's the Jewish holiday, Purim, so Mark'll be off at the synagogue with our son, and Penny's doing something with her Girl Scout troop. But I think everyone would be available next week."

"In that case, we should have another family dinner next week." Emily turned to smile at her brother, Zack, as he spoke, and he returned the smile eagerly. As much as Emily loved Mark and the children, and enjoyed being with her friends, her love for her parents and older brother was in a class of its own. Because of that, she always enjoyed the times when she could spend quality time with them.

Penny walked down the street to the mailbox on the corner, holding Wenceslas' leash in one hand and a stack of envelopes in the other. Within each envelope was an individual invitation.

It had been five years since the Center was no longer needed;, five years since the last unwanted child had entered the world. Everyone who had lived in the Center since its creation had found a home, and a family who was willing to adopt them. And just the other day, Nana had come up with the idea to have a special five-year reunion for all the children who had once lived at the Center. Penny had volunteered to mail the invitations, each one addressed to the families that had adopted each of the children. It would be so nice to see her childhood friends again, to see the children she'd grown up with before Emily had finally managed to adopt her. Most of all, however, she wanted to see her old friends as happy as she was. She'd always felt guilty that she had lived her life with the high chances of being adopted, when no one else in the Center had that chance due to the circumstances of their birth. But that was all in the past. Because now, every one of the children had what they deserved at last. A happy life and a loving family.

A smile stretched across Penny's face as she reached the mailbox and dropped the stack of invitations through the slot. She couldn't wait to see everyone again.

Mimi sat on the couch reading a magazine, but looked up with a smile when the front door opened and Roger entered, his guitar case in one hand and the battered duffel bag in the other.

"Welcome home, babe," Mimi greeted, immediately abandoning her magazine to greet him with a loving kiss. "How did the tour …?" Mimi's words were cut off with a sudden squeal as Roger responded by wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her off the floor, twirling her around once.

"Honestly? Could have been better," he replied, pressing his forehead to hers. "I spent most of the time missing you."

"Sweet talker," Mimi grinned as Roger returned her to the ground. But she still responded when he bent down to kiss her. "Besides, I know the fangirl groupies kept you more then occupied."

"Never. You know I never see anyone but you, baby. And don't pretend you didn't miss me."

"Hmm. I don't know Roger." Mimi turned so her back was facing him, flipping some of her hair over her shoulder. "I've had plenty of guys who frequent the Cat Scratch stop by to keep me company. And even Benny came around to…" Roger quickly grabbed her arms to pull her toward him, so her back was pressed to his chest.

"Don't even try to tease me, Mimi Davis," Roger chuckled, nuzzling her cheek with his nose before placing a series of tiny kisses over her neck and shoulder. Letting out a moan, Mimi instinctively tilted her head, exposing more of her neck. What was he trying to pull? He knew perfectly well that she couldn't resist him when he kissed her in that spot.

"Roger," Mimi put all of her effort into resisting him long enough to speak. "Come on, Rog. The kids are home."

"Good point," Roger breathed, pausing in his actions. "That reminds me anyway. Let's go to Grimaldi's for dinner tonight. The whole family."

"You just got home, and you want to go right back out again?"

"Hey, can't a guy want to spend dinner out with his family once in a while?" Roger pointed out. "Come on, Meems. I'm sure they'd want to eat at Grimaldi's, too. Then afterwards," Roger's voice dropped to a low tone, "we can send them all off to bed, and…" Mimi couldn't hold back a sudden gasp when she felt Roger's tongue lightly touch her earlobe. If he wasn't careful, she'd loose control and take him right here and now.

"All right," Mimi gave in. "Get the children and we'll go to Grimaldi's." As Mimi grabbed her coat and bag, she looked over her shoulder to watch as Roger was greeted by their children. Rodolfo was almost a mirror image of Roger, with the same dirty brown hair, even having the same completion and cleft chin. The twins on the other hand looked more like their mother. But like Rodolfo had Mimi's eyes, the twins both had inherited Roger's green eyes.

Already, Mimi was looking forward to watching all three of their children growing up, from finding their first loves, attending the school dances, graduating high school, and moving off to finish college the way their parents never did. And when they left the nest to live their own lives, she and Roger would still be there, living out their long lives together. It was more then she could have ever wished for.

"There must be someway to get them and the rest of these people out of here," Benny declared. "I don't know, a way to wake them up, or destroy that magic circle, or…"

"What did you say?" Roger's head shot up suddenly.

"Um… I said we could destroy the…."

"No, before that!"

"Oh. Well, I'm just saying that they're being kept asleep by showing them what they want the most, right? So, it's like they're having the best possible dream they could have."

"But if they were having a bad dream," Allison added, catching on. "Then they might wake up. That always did the trick for me when I was a child."

"Is there a way to turn the good dreams into bad ones, Roger?" Benny asked. Roger was quiet for a moment as he thought.

"Well, conveniently enough," he replied, crouching down at the central rune in the magic circle. "The rune Wunjo is not that dissimilar in appearance to the near opposite rune. That's the rune Thurisaz, the rune that means destruction and conflict. I suppose, if Wunjo is changed to Thurisaz, then the 'good dreams' would turn into 'bad dreams', and the magic circle's hold on everyone will break."

"Then let's do that then!" Allison smiled. "If we wait much longer, this Kain person might drain all of the life energy he needs. Nodding once, Roger turned his attention on the Wunjo rune. But he still found himself hesitating. Changing the symbol would mean giving his friends nightmares. The very idea was tormenting to him. But it could be argued that, if having your life energy drained was the alternative, a brief nightmare was certainly more preferable.

"Benny, Allison," Roger looked up at them. "Just to be on the safe side, the two of you better get out of here. I don't know what this'll do to this place, and I don't want to risk your safety."

"All right," Benny agreed. "Good luck, Roger." With that, Benny led Allison out of the room, leaving Roger to his task. Once he was sure they'd had enough time to get to a safe distance, Roger looked back at the rune symbol.

"Guys," Roger spoke to his friends' still forms. "I'm not sure you can hear me, but if you can, I'm sorry about this. Just remember it'll be over soon. I hope." With a set expression on his face, Roger extended a line on the rune symbol, changing it from Wunjo to Thurisaz. Almost immediately, the lighting of the room changed, and the orbs turned from the translucent blue to an inky black.

Collins and Paul made their way up to the Haunted House with Rodolfo in tow.

"I'm telling you something's not right," Collins said. "They've been gone way too long."

"I think you might be right," Paul agreed. "Perhaps we should go in after them."

"Collins!" Both Collins and Paul looked up at the sound of someone calling out, and saw Benny and Allison hurrying up to them.

"Hey, Benny," Collins greeted. "We're just heading up to the Haunted House to look for…."

"You can't!" Allison interrupted. "You can't go in there!"

"What do you mean?" Paul frowned.

"It's Kain, the vampire," Benny explained. "We just came from there. Kain's turned the place into some sort of trap. If you go in, you're used in this ritual or something to give Kain more strength. Roger's in there right now, trying to put a stop to…" Before Benny could continue, a loud explosion rang through the park. Looking back, the group saw a plume of smoke pouring out from the side of the Haunted House, where an entire wall had been blasted away. Without any hesitation, the four of them hurried over in order to see if everyone was all right.

All around the destroyed chamber, people were coming around, a little disoriented but unharmed. Among the rescued victims, Mark pulled himself into a sitting position, rubbing the back of his neck before opening his eyes.

"Maureen, Joanne!" he gaped upon seeing the two women coming to next to him. "What are … where is this place…Where's…. Emily?!" Just as Mark started to look around, he heard Emily give out a small cry. Turning to his left, he saw her trying to stand. But without her cane to help her, she was having a difficult time in getting her bad leg to support her weight.

"Emily, don't!" Mark immediately stopped her before she made another attempt. "You know you can't risk standing without your cane. You might fall, and that could hurt the baby."

"Here, let me help," Joanne stepped forward and helped Mark support Emily. Meanwhile, Penny and Mimi were also waking up.

"Mmm," Penny groaned as she looked up. "Mom, Dad! What happened?"

"Penny!" Emily breathed a relieved sigh. "You're here, too. I thought we'd lost you."

"I repeat Penny's question," Maureen stepped in. "What exactly happened? Last thing I remember was the walls… OH!" Maureen stopped talking as she noticed something in the center of the room, amongst the smoke that was slowly dissipating. The others followed her stare and saw a figure in a familiar leather jacket sprawled out on the floor. Letting out the smallest of noises, Mimi slowly moved forward. As she approached him, Roger gingerly pushed himself off the floor, rubbing his head with a low groan. He hadn't expected stopping the ritual would cause that much of a disturbance.

"Roger." The musician's eyes snapped open at the sound of that voice speaking his name. With a breathy gasp, he looked up into the smiling face of Mimi.

"Where were you?" she whispered, the faintest hint of tears in her eyes.

"Mimi," Roger sighed, his face melting as he gazed at her tenderly. Before he could say anything else, Mimi launched herself toward him, hugging him as tightly as she could.

"Welcome back," Mimi whispered into his ear."

"Yeah," Roger breathed, returning the embrace while burying his face into her hair. He'd almost forgotten how good it felt to have her this close. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Staying away for so long." Mimi pulled back, taking his face in her hands to look him in the eyes. This time, there were tears flowing down her cheeks. But they were clearly not caused by sadness.

"That's not important," Mimi choked. "All I care about is that you're back." Finding a lump forming in his throat, Roger instinctively moved to kiss her, but stopped himself as he remembered how dangerous that could be. Instead, he covered her hands with his own, softly stroking them with his thumbs. However, the moment was broken when he became aware that the others were now all standing there in front of him, with expressions ranging from surprise to joy at seeing him back.

"So," Mark smirked, eyeing the damage in the room. "Did you do all this, Rog?"

"Yeah. I did. Of course, I didn't know putting a stop to it would do this much damage."

"Stop what?" Maureen asked. Roger quickly summed up what Kain had been planning, from turning the Haunted House into a trap to his attempts at being able to go out during the day.

"Kain can do that?" Joanne spoke in surprise.

"Yeah," Roger nodded. "But speaking of Kain, it might be a good idea if we all got out of here. He might sense his spell was broken and come back. Besides, everyone else seems to have already left." Sure enough, the other victims of the Haunted House had all decided to clear out of the room, so only the Bohemians were left.

"Sounds good," Mimi replied, placing a gentle kiss on Roger's cheek. "Let's get you home. Vampire or not, you're still Roger Davis, and you belong home with us. Even Rodolfo misses you." Roger had to admit that sounded good. He did miss being able to sleep in his bed, or fiddle around with his fender while trying to come up with a new song. But most of all, he missed hanging around with his friends, and holding his son in his arms while Mimi cuddled next to him.

The Bohemians began to exit the room through the broken-down wall, with Mimi keeping her hand entwined with Roger's. She had to let go, though, when he turned to offer assistance to Mark and Joanne in helping Emily through the hole.

"How about I go back in to get your cane?" Roger offered with a smile. Just as Emily was opening her mouth to reply, Mimi's cry rang out. Immediately, Roger spun around. What he saw placed an iron grip over his heart. Kain had returned and had taken Mimi hostage, leering at her terrified expression.

"Well, aren't you a pretty little thing?" Kain sneered, running one of his fingers down the side of her neck. "A beauty like you could make a very suitable queen."

"Let her go, Kain," Roger growled, stepping forward. Kain glowered up at the musician.

"So, Crimson. You've regained control of your mind, I see."

"Yeah, that's right," Roger couldn't hold back a cheeky smile. "So you can call me Roger, not Crimson."

"A shame. You were a fine vampire. But no matter. There's always this fine little minx." As Kain spoke, his tongue darted out to run across a vein in her neck, an act that made Roger's anger flair up, along with a wave of desperation at the sound of Mimi whimpering. Kain's cruel smile widened upon seeing Roger's tangible fury, and began to hiss into Mimi's ear. "What do you say, my dear? You can live by my side as my queen. You needn't fear about the pain. You'll find I can be most gentle in my feeding." Mimi, her throat to tight to speak, could only give out another whimper, trying to convey to Roger through her eyes how much she loved him.

"That's it, my queen," Kain chuckled, exposing his jagged fangs. "Let your fear grow. It makes the blood taste so much sweeter." But as Kain lowered his head to feed, Roger fell to his knees.

"Kain, please!" Kain instantly stopped upon hearing Roger begging in a trembling voice. The vampire paused as he stared at Roger, who had never looked so anguished.

"Please, Kain," Roger continued. "She… she's my wife. Don't hurt her, I beg you. Please. I… I'll do whatever you want. Anything at all. Just please, let her go." Kain remained quiet, studying Roger's face. But a sly smile began to form on his face.

"Very well," Kain agreed, releasing Mimi and pushing her toward Roger. "We have a bargain." Mimi immediately threw himself into Roger's waiting arms, silently sobbing as he rocked her back and forth, stroking her hair in an attempt to comfort her. After watching the display for a brief moment, Kain's smile grew even crueler. "Now feed on her."

Roger blinked in confusion. Did he just hear him right?

"W...what?" Roger turned to Kain, eyeing him questioningly. Even Mimi had pulled back slightly to stare at the smirking vampire.

"We had a bargain, Roger. You said if I let her go, you would do anything, did you not? You said you'd do whatever I wanted. And I say, feed on her."

"No!" Roger cried adamantly, only vaguely aware that the other Bohemians had spoken in unison with him.

"So, you're going back on your word?" Kain taunted. "Then I'll just have to go back on mine. You made your promise, Roger, and you know the binding nature of the word of a vampire. If you go back on your word and do not fulfill my request, then the agreement is broken. Which means you have only two options. Either you do as I say and feed on her, or I will do it for you. If you ask me, seeing how this woman is your wife, she might prefer dying in your arms over mine."

Roger was immediately filled with an intense hatred for Kain. The older vampire was clearly enjoying this, knowing he had given an impossible choice. It was either kill the woman he loved more then his very life, or hand her back over to Kain. Either way, Kain won. Even his friends had clearly realized this, as they were all too stunned to even speak.

"Do it, Roger," Mimi whispered. Roger immediately stiffened. He didn't hear that right.

"What did you…?" he looked down at her in shock, causing him to see the tears staining her tanned cheeks.

"Please, Roger," Mimi continued to speak, not breaking eye contact. "If that's how it has to be…."

"No! Mimi, I'm not gonna do that! I can't!"

"Yes, you can! Because it's the only way! I don't care, Roger! I just wanna be with you! I don't care about anything else!"

"Not even our son?" Roger hissed. "Don't you care that this would make him an orphan?"

"He was going to be an orphan eventually, anyway!" Roger couldn't stop the inward flinch at Mimi's subtle reference to the HIV. "And we'd still be able to see him every night. Maybe even watch him grow up."

"Mimi…."

"Please, Roger." Mimi's voice once again dropped to a whisper as she took his face in her hands. "If I can't be with you as a mortal, I'll be with you as a vampire. We made a promise to face each day together, didn't we? For better or for worse, right?" For a moment, Roger was silent, gazing into her face. But then he squeezed his eyes shut in a vain attempt at holding back his tears.

"I'm sorry," Roger spoke through suppressed sobs. "I'm so sorry." Mimi responded by gently covering his forehead with tiny kisses.

"It's okay," she comforted between kisses. "It'll be all right. For us, Roger. It's for us, remember that."

"Come 'ere." Roger opened his arms, and Mimi immediately moved into them, allowing her lover to cradle her body. In doing so, she was able to feel his chest shaking from his silent crying. Hoping to offer comfort to him, Mimi held him as tight as she could. This action prompted Roger to nuzzle her neck with his nose, making it possible for Mimi to feel his hot tears on her skin. It was all she could do to keep from crying herself. She hated seeing Roger in this much pain, and wished there was some other way.

"Mimi. Meems." Roger's words were almost completely muffled against her shoulder. "I love you. I love you, baby." Despite everything, these words brought a small smile to her face, along with the comfort she needed.

"I love you, too," Mimi replied, trying to sound braver then she felt. She could vaguely hear Maureen and Penny making helpless sounds from behind them, and a faint grunt from Emily, indicating that she was trying to move forward to stop this, even though her bad leg couldn't support her. When she felt Roger's breath hit her neck in tiny puffs, she closed her eyes in preparation, and began to pepper his shoulder with reassuring kisses, hoping to let him know she wasn't blaming him for any of this, and that she was okay with her fate. Any moment now, and she'd feel his fangs break her skin, and she immediately felt Roger's hold on her tighten at the same time she did the same to him.

Just when Mimi felt the tips of Roger's fangs lightly touch her neck, a sudden shout rang out, causing everyone to jump. The cry had come from Collins, who was running towards them. Paul, Benny and Allison were standing at a close distance, watching with shock. Collins had apparently passed Rodolfo into Paul's care, as the seven-month-old was being held securely in the other man's arms.

"Do it, Penny!" Collins instructed. Penny instantly made a step forward, throwing a bag of something at Kain. When the bag was inches from him, Kain slashed at it, tearing it open. A small amount of some sort of tan powder flew out, and Kain quickly recoiled, letting out an agonized hiss. Before anyone could figure out what was going on, Collins called over to Roger.

"Here, Roger! Quick!" With that, Collins threw another object to the musician. Realizing instinctively what it was, Roger shot an arm out to grab it, feeling a sudden burning in his hand the moment he touched it. Without a second's hesitation, he swiftly threw the object around Mimi's neck and stepped backwards, looking relieved and satisfied with what he just did. Curiosity getting the better of her, she glanced down at the object and saw it was one of Nana's anti-vampire charms. When she looked up at Roger in surprise, she saw him sending a self-satisfied smirk towards an enraged Kain.

"I guess neither of us can feed on her now, don't you agree, Kain?" Roger mocked. Snarling, Kain turned to take his revenge by feeding on one of the other Bohemians, but froze instantly. The group, who had now been joined by Paul, Benny and Allison, was now surrounded by a circle of salt that had been poured onto the ground. Penny and Collins, deciding to add insult to injury, held up two blue cans of salt.

"We remembered Roger saying something about you planning something tonight," Collins explained.

"So, we decided to take some precautions, just in case," Penny added. "Namely packing some of Nana's charms, as well as some salt and garlic powder from Mom's spice rack."

"Looks like you won't be touching my friends anytime soon," Roger frowned at Kain, as if daring him to even try, walking closer to the older vampire as he spoke. But to his surprise, Kain began to laugh cruelly.

"You should remember, Roger," Kain smirked. "I don't need to touch them." It took a moment for Roger to register that Kain was no longer looking at him, but a heavy-looking tree branch nearby, which was starting to shake.

"NO!" Roger's cry came too late. The branch snapped off the tree with a resounding crack, and hurtled in Mimi's direction with such speed, Roger knew he wouldn't make it in time. The only thing he could do was turn his head, so he wouldn't be able to watch it happen. But he couldn't block out the cry of Mimi, or the crunching sound of the branch hitting the ground. A terrible silence filled the air, and Roger felt his heart start to break, knowing what he'd see when he looked up. But to his surprise, Mimi's voice once again reached his ears. However, his hope was mixed with foreboding when he registered the agonized note to her voice. He finally looked up, and his breath caught in his throat. Mimi was crouched beside the fallen tree branch, staring in shock at the person who had been pinned beneath it. It was Paul.

Roger was taken aback, realizing instantly what had happened. He must have pushed her out of the way, taking the hit himself. In an instant, Roger was at Mimi's side and used his vampiric strength to push the branch off of Paul. One by one, the other Bohemians joined them. Paul was laying completely still, his eyes closed, with a bleeding cut in his forehead. When Roger turned to glare at Kain, he saw the older vampire had taken their distraction to make his escape. But he could still see his figure flying off.

And that was when he made his decision.

"Guys, get Paul to a hospital," Roger instructed, getting to his feet, staring after Kain.

"What are you going to do?" Mark asked, noting the look on Roger's face.

"This ends tonight," Roger vowed. "Too many people have died because of Kain. And now this. I'm going after him to put a stop to this."

"But how?" Maureen asked. "No offence, Roger, but Kain's been a vampire for years and years. You've only been one for a few weeks. So, wouldn't he have powers you don't?"

"So what? Does that mean I should just stand back and let him get away after all he's done? This is something I have to do."

"I don't suppose we can talk you out of this?" Benny asked. Roger looked over at his friend, who was now holding Rodolfo, indicating that Paul had passed the baby over to him before he'd saved Mimi.

"No. There's not." Roger paused for a moment to gaze at the faces of his friends and loved ones, trying to contribute them to memory. "I'll be seeing you." With that promise, Roger turned to fly off after Kain.

"Roger!" Mimi cried out to him, leaping to her feet and taking a few steps forward. Instantly, Roger had spun back around, and the two stared at each other with great intensity. Silence filled the air as they gazed at each other. Then, throwing caution to the winds, Roger ran at her, and in one quick movement, pulled her to him for a deep, passionate, intense kiss. Groaning softly, Mimi leaned into the kiss, wrapping one arm around Roger's neck while her other hand found a place on his cheek. In response, Roger entwined one of his arms around her waist, holding her securely against him, and gently placed his free hand on the back of her head, enjoying the feel of her soft hair beneath his touch. He'd missed this so much.

In the middle of the kiss, Roger abruptly pulled away, paying no heed to Mimi's devastated cry as he quickly turned and flew off after Kain. He didn't look back. He couldn't look back, knowing that if he did, he'd have second thoughts about what he was planning on doing. Second thoughts weren't something he could afford anymore. He'd made his choice, and there was no turning back.

Kain flew above the city, away from the park. His only choice was leaving the city and trying again somewhere else. Somewhere where there wouldn't be anyone around who could ruin everything again. Next time, he would succeed. He was sure of it.

At that moment, something collided with him, throwing him off course for a moment. Kain's anger intensified when he turned and saw Roger glaring back at him.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance, boy," Kain shouted with rage.

"Come and try, then," Roger challenged as he shot off to a nearby cathedral. Seething in fury, Kain pursued. But when he landed on the roof of the cathedral, Roger was nowhere in sight.

"So, you're hiding, are you?" Kain lurked along the roof, eyeing the gargoyles for signs of movement. "You realize it doesn't have to be this way. Think about what I can offer you, what we could do together. Anything you have ever wanted, it would be yours. Think about it, Roger. Friends you have lost returned to you, never needing to fear death. And your friends; you saw their deepest desires within their orbs, I trust. Those desires could be given to all of them. Think about that for a moment, Roger. Think long and hard."

From his hiding place behind a stone statue of an angel, Roger paused as Kain's words tempted him, and thought about what was being offered to him. He wouldn't have to worry about him or the others dying from AIDS. He could grow old with Mimi and have the large family he knew they both wanted. He could get the chance to be a proper uncle to Mark and Emily's unborn child, and see Rodolfo grow up with his future 'cousin'. He could make it so Angel could come back. Everything he and his friends ever wanted could happen.

But as the words of Kain began to seriously tempt him, a soft voice seemed to come from the stone angel he was hiding behind.

"Roger, could you really make the necessary sacrifices to regain what is gone? Is all of that worth your soul?" Hearing the familiar voice, a soft smile appeared on Roger's face.

"No. No chance, Angel," he whispered back. "Thanks."

Taking strength from his friend's wisdom, Roger closed his ears to Kain's continued offerings. But he was aware that he was coming closer every second. Any moment, and his hiding place would be discovered. But then, he saw a large pile of bricks lying nearby, no doubt left from some workers doing maintenance on the chapel. A sudden thought came to him instantly. But could he do it? Kain had managed to move objects at will, but could he do the same? Did he have enough control as a vampire to use that power yet? He never made the attempt before, and he would have preferred a less urgent time to try. But there wasn't time for ifs, ands, or buts. Concentrating hard, Roger put all his energy into trying to get the bricks to move. But he just couldn't manage. He didn't have enough control yet.

Kain was now right next to him. If he came any closer, he was sure to find his hiding place. Desperation seeping into his heart, Roger focused on the bricks as hard as he could. Finally, the bricks started to shake. Feeling a wave of triumph, Roger forced the bricks to fly at Kain, hitting him hard in the shoulder. The shock of the sudden attack sent Kain stumbling backwards.

Taking advantage of Kain's surprise, Roger emerged from behind the stone angel, sending more of the bricks flying at Kain. For a while, he managed to get a few good hits on the older vampire. But all that changed with Kain's surprise had worn away. Taking advantage of his more advanced control, Kain simply sent the bricks back at Roger. But instead of simply striking Roger with the bricks, Kain had the bricks encircle him like a tornado. The bricks repeatedly slashed and struck Roger's body with great force, leading Roger to cry out in anguish every time he was hit. Even when a series of bricks hit home in Roger's knee and back, sending him to the ground, the blows continued. Finally, Kain called off the tornado of bricks and strolled over to Roger's fallen form. He paused while Roger pushed himself onto his hands and knees. The second Roger had gotten into that position, Kain sent him flying backwards, into a stone buttress which was smashed instantly under the impact of Roger's body hitting it. Relishing in the sound of Roger shouting out in pain, Kain waited until he landed hard amidst the rubble from the smashed buttress. At this point, Kain slowly approached Roger's fallen form a second time, and cruelly kicked him hard in the side, emitting a low groan from the musician. Using his abilities, Kain forced Roger to his feet and sneered at his weary face.

"You are a fool, Roger," Kain mocked. "You seriously believed you could defeat me? I'm older, stronger, and far more experienced then you. You're nothing more then a mere child compared to me. How could a weak pup like you hope to defeat me?"

Roger breathed heavily for a long moment. He had to admit he was slightly thankful to be a vampire at this point. As a mortal, he'd have been long dead by now. But his energy was quickly diminishing after Kain's brutal attacks. If Kain wasn't using his powers to keep him upright, he'd have lacked the energy to even stand, and it was taking everything he had to keep his eyes open.

But then, a smug smile appeared on Roger's face.

"You're the fool, Kain," Roger taunted.

"How do you figure?" Roger finally managed to raise his head, looking pleased with himself.

"You actually thought I was trying to defeat you? Can't you see I was only trying to distract you?"

"From what?"

"From keeping track of the time." Roger glanced over at something behind Kain's shoulder. When the older vampire turned, his eyes widened in shock at the sight of the sun starting to appear over the edge of the horizon.

Acting fast, Roger grabbed Kain from behind and launched them both into the sky. There, he held Kain still with all the adrenaline-induced strength he had left, forcing the vampire to face the rising sun.

"Fool! Release me!"

"Never! I don't know how many lives you've taken, Kain, or how long you've managed to exist before now. But you're not going to hurt anyone else!"

"Don't be stupid. You know you'll be killed, too."

"Yeah, I do," Roger spoke with passionate determination. "If that's the price I need to pay to keep you from hurting anyone else, and protecting my family from you, then it's a price I'm willing to pay."

As the light of the sun started to hit him, Kain began to twitch, writhe, and screech in pain. But Roger just tightened his hold on him. After a few agonizing moments, Kain burst into flames with one final scream. Letting pride at his achievement wash over him, Roger let the ashes that were Kain waft from his hands. It was over, in more ways then one.

Steeling himself, Roger looked up to face the rising sun. He knew there wouldn't be enough time to find safe refuge, and he'd known it would be like this from the start. The truth was, he had planned it this way from the moment he'd left the others in the park. He hoped they could forgive him, but he knew this was how it had to be. And he was at peace with that. All he could do now was wish them all happiness.

Closing his eyes, Roger allowed the sunlight to wash over his body, placing all his effort into enduring the pain he was already starting to feel. But then, out of the depths of his acceptance of this fate, his mind's eye gave him glimpses of a young Latina woman with beautiful brown eyes and a lively smile, both shining with love and life, and a small baby boy, with a face filled with wonder, laughing in delight. The images sent a jolt of pain into Roger's heart, leaving him wishing that he'd said a longer goodbye to them, and prayed that Mark and the others would take care of them.

"Mimi, Rodolfo," Roger whispered, letting his feelings for them consume him along with the light from the sun. "I love you. I'll always love you."

AN: I'm so sorry to end this chapter here. Hope you'll forgive me.

If anyone was confused with what everyone was 'wishing' for, just send me a PM. I had a very hard time in deciding what Maureen and Joanne's 'dreams' would be, so they may not be all that great. Once again, I'll have the next chapter up as soon as I can.