Thank you so much, all of you who are reading and reviewing. This is the last chapter, but I will be starting the sequel very soon. Hope you like it!

Laddie

Marko found me not far from the beach, sobbing as if somebody was wrenching my heart right from my chest. His arms wrapped around me and seemed to steady me, calming me down until I was able to speak without blubbering like a complete moron. "I wanna go home," I murmured to him, but the words sounded wrong. When I said home, I meant the cave. But I knew in my heart that it wasn't home. Home would be the comic store, not some vampire's cave. But I had no choice.

Marko nodded, his eyes sympathetic and sad. Without another word, we both headed back to the cliffside where the vampires had left their motorcycles the night before to collect them before they could be stolen. The ride back was quiet and painful, but at least it was fast. As soon as we reached the cave, I headed into the sleeping cavern, hovered up to the bar, and found refuge from the pain through sleep.

Later on, I awoke to the sound of loud voices, arguing. Blinking to wake myself up, I realized that the yelling was coming from the main cavern, and I crawled sleepily out to see what was going on. My heart thumped painfully in my chest at the sight before me.

Marko stood with his back against a wall, shielding a small child that I realized with an inner groan was Laddie. Paul and David advanced on the two of them with teeth bared angrily. Dwayne just stood back, watching with his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes aloof.

"How could you be this stupid, Marko?" Paul hissed. "You do know we have to kill him now, right?" David murmured, his voice dripping venom like the teeth of a cobra. I swallowed hard, but my throat felt dry. My tongue felt like it was covered in fuzz and for a moment I couldn't catch my breath. They were going to kill Laddie?

"He's just a boy," Marko reasoned, but I could sense that behind his calm words was the hint of a threat. "Just a boy that could spill about us, man. We have to kill him," Paul retorted, but his voice was less menacing. And suddenly I was talking, talking fast, trying to stall them somehow.

"But there's got to be another way," I protested, coming to stand at Marko's side. "Like what?" Paul snapped and I glared at him. "I don't know! But there's got to be some other alternative, some way to keep Laddie alive…" I trailed off, and my heart sank. My stomach twisted and I glanced at my little cousin, crouching behind his older brother. "We have to Change him," I realized out loud. "What?" Marko hissed.

David watched me with thoughtful eyes as I continued. "I know that we can't risk him spilling our secret, and as much as I hate to admit it, Laddie can't go back into the human world the way he is now. He either is Changed or…" "Or he dies," Paul finished coldly. "No, we can't-'' Marko began but I cut him off.

"I know you're scared for him. I am too. But this is the only way we can keep our secret and our cousin safe. Would you rather him be out there, without our protection, than gifted with these powers and strengths along with our protection?" I inquired- my mouth was speaking of its own free will now. Inside, my gut was twisting painfully. I couldn't let Laddie be bitten, could I? I mean, this was exactly why I'd left!

I could see that Marko was considering my words carefully, even though he hated it about as much as I did. Finally, he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "I suppose you're right. But I can't do it," he stated, glancing with despair at his little brother. I closed my eyes and nodded, knowing what I had to do. "I'll do it," I volunteered quietly and everyone fixed me with shocked stares.

"Are you sure you can handle it without killing him?" Dwayne asked and I shrugged. "No, I don't…but we don't know that any of you can handle it either and at least I'll have some reason to stop if I need to," I reasoned. My eyes drifted to Laddie, where he was watching us all with wide, scared eyes. I crouched down in front of him and opened my arms out so that I could hug him. For a moment he hesitated, and then he raced into my arms.

"I missed you, Megan," he told me, sobbing. "I missed you, too," I replied and then held him out at arm's length, fixing him with a stern look. "Why are you here, anyway?" Laddie shrugged sheepishly. "I was worried about you, so I snuck away from your mom and followed the motorcycle tracks out here," he said and I raised an eyebrow. "Smart kid," Paul muttered.

"Well, you realize you got yourself into a lot of trouble, right?" I asked him and he nodded solemnly, almost like a grown-up. "And do you know that I have to do something really…bad, to get you out of that trouble, right?" Laddie's eyes filled with fresh fear. "Like what?" he asked, a quiver in his voice. I closed my eyes against the new tears that budded in my eyes and then went on.

"Do you know what I am now?" I asked him quietly. Slowly, he nodded. "You're a vampire," he stated evenly and I blinked in shock. "H-how did you know?" I asked him. "Eddie told me," he said, shrugging, although the fear didn't leave his eyes. "Eddie?" I breathed, feeling a sharp slice of pain, a burning sense of love and gratitude.

"Yeah, your friend. I asked him where you'd been and he told me." "Did he tell my mom anything?" Laddie shook his head and I became dizzy with relief. No need to drag my poor mom into this. "Well…now that I'm a vampire, I can't have humans know about me or my friends or Marko. And, well, you know now…" I trailed off, finding it hard to speak against the lump in my throat.

"What are you going to do to me?" Laddie asked me quietly, and I began to speak. But a new voice interrupted me. "You don't have to bite him, you know." That voice…I knew him! I looked up, and swallowed a snarl. It was the vampire that had bit me, Axel's friend. He strolled into the cavern as if he owned the world, looking bored.

"Damien," David greeted in a steely voice. "How can we Change him without biting him?" Marko demanded. Damien grinned a sly, sharp-toothed grin and took out a wine bottle, decorated with golden chains and beads. Inside, the thick red liquid was undeniable. It was blood.

"Whose blood is that?" David demanded, stepping toward the other vampire. "Your master's," Damien sneered and David narrowed his fiery eyes. "He is not my master!" he snapped, his eyes gleaming fury. "Fine, your daddy, but either way, you know whose it is," the vampire replied, contempt thick in his voice.

"And what are you suggesting? That the kid drink it?" Paul demanded, glaring at Damien. "No, I expect him to eat the bottle," he retorted sarcastically. I narrowed my eyes. Laddie had to drink blood?

"David, whose blood is it?" Marko asked, but David ignored him. "Why are you doing this?" the white-haired vampire asked suspiciously. Damien shrugged, showing his teeth. "I figured I'd help you, one last time. For old time's sake," he replied, and something flashed between the two vampires that I couldn't understand. I could tell that Paul, Dwayne, and Marko had no idea what they were talking about, either.

"Yeah, well you can leave now," David growled, snatching the bottle of blood from Damien's hand. "Okay, okay, I'm leaving." Damien's eyes flickered over to me and I bared my teeth at him. He just grinned. "Its fun being a vampire, isn't it?" I snapped at him and he laughed. "Good-bye boys, Megan," he said, bowing and then leaping out of the cave.

"What was that all about?" Paul demanded and David shook his head furiously. "Nothing," he muttered, and then shoved the bottle at me. "This is a vampire's blood, so it has the same desired effect as biting him does," David explained when I hesitated. Gingerly, I took the bottle from his hand and then glanced at the still-cowering Laddie. "What if he's not able to drink it?" "Then you either bite him or kill him. Your choice." I flinched at the options and then turned back to Laddie.

"Can you drink some of this for me?" Laddie shook his head, backing into Marko. "Please, Laddie, you have to. You don't want me to bite you, do you?" Again Laddie shook his head, and he took one hesitant step back in my direction. I popped open the wine bottle and the smell hit me then, sharp, spicy, although not as good-smelling as human blood. I was sorely tempted to take a swig myself, but I had to make sure Laddie got some.

I handed the bottle to him and he hefted the rim up to his mouth. I could tell by his scrunched-up face that the smell had registered to him, too. "Don't worry, Laddie, me and Marko are here. We wouldn't let anything bad happen to you," I assured him, although inside my heart was screaming that if that were true, Laddie wouldn't be here right now. Laddie nodded, and then took a sip.

His reaction came fast, and it was a good thing I had vampire speed and quickness. Laddie spluttered, spewing the red liquid out of his mouth like a hose. At the same time he threw the bottle, almost pushed it away from him like it was made of fire. I caught it before it could shatter on the ground, and Marko caught Laddie before he could crack open his head on the rocks below. Because Laddie had begun to convulse, a thin line of blood running from his mouth down his cheek and neck. I hoped it was just the blood he'd spit out and not his own.

"What's wrong with him?" I screamed at David. He only shrugged. "Everyone has different reactions to vampire blood, but don't worry. As soon as you swallow it, you can't die, and I know he swallowed it because of his reaction." I bit my lip, hoping that David was right. Eventually, Laddie grew still, but I could tell he was still alive because his chest rose and fell as he drew in shallow breaths. When his eyes fluttered open, he drew in a deep breath, gasping in surprise.

"Oh, Laddie! You're alive," I cried, hugging him close to me. "Everything's so clear, Megan," he whispered in wonder and I smiled. "I know," I told him. "Well are you happy now?" Paul asked and I nodded. Marko hugged Laddie and me close as Paul rolled his eyes in disgust. "Can we go now? I'm starving," he demanded. "Yeah, yeah, we can go. Should we bring Laddie?" I asked, too relieved to be annoyed with Paul, and David answered. "It's as good a time as any to teach him hunting…and if I remember right, you have to learn, too?" I nodded. "Alright, then let's go."

With that, all six of us headed out into the night. I had no idea where my new life would lead me, though I hoped with all of my new beating heart that somehow it lead me back to Edgar and Allan. I hoped that someday I could apologize to my mom for every wrong thing I'd done, and I hoped that someday the Frog brothers could find the vampire that Changed their parents and avenge them. In that moment, all I felt was the freedom of starting anew and the hope that someday, everything would be alright again.

R+R please!! No flames. =]