Chapter 7 - Saved (Posted 27 August 2011)

Ethan suddenly felt very scared. And very alone. And he hated that feeling. Especially since Benny was usually the one to drive it away instead of be the cause of it. He didn't know what to do. So he pulled out his cell phone and called Sarah.

"Hey, Ethan." she answered. "How's it going? Are you-"

"Sarah, you have to help me." Ethan interrupted her loudly. "Please, Sarah, I'm so scared. I have no idea..."

"Woah, woah, Ethan calm down. What's wrong?"

"Benny. He just... he's not... he's all pale and cold and he's not waking up and his heart is barely beating and he's not breathing, Sarah. He's not breathing and I don't know what to do."

"Oh my gosh, Ethan, just stay calm, I'll be right there. But you have to come downstairs and let me in, okay? I'll be there in just a minute."

"Okay." Ethan hung up and tried to gather enough strength to stand up but as soon as contact with Benny was broken the pain crippled him. He fell to a heap on the floor. He knew Sarah would be waiting for him, but he also knew he couldn't make it downstairs. So he crawled over to the window. "Sarah!" he yelled out.

"Ethan?" he heard Sarah's voice call back. "Where are you?"

"Bedroom window." he answered as loud as he could. The pain was really starting to get to him. But he knew Sarah was a full vampire now, so she could fly.

"Why aren't you downstairs?"

"Just come in. Then I'll tell you."

Since Sarah had now officially been invited into Ethan's house, she flew inside and landed on the floor with a soft thump. "Benny still hasn't woken up?"

"No." Ethan panted.

"What's wrong with you?"

"The pain... it... I can't..."

Sarah leaned down and picked Ethan up, carrying him over to Benny and setting him aside of him. "That better?"

As soon as Ethan was touching Benny, he felt instantly better. It took a few seconds for him to get his strength back, but he was able to speak and think clearly. "Yeah. Thanks."

"I thought that was supposed to go away when you bit him?"

"It was!" Ethan realized. "Oh my god, I killed him..."

"No, you didn't..." Sarah said. She could hear his heart beating. "Something is delaying the change, keeping him human, but just barely alive. Was there something else you were supposed to do?'

"I don't think so. Benny's gramma didn't say anything. All I know is that because of the blood bond we created when we were little, Benny's body couldn't handle being different from mine. That's why I had to bite him, because-"

"That's it!" Sarah pointed at him. "You're bodies are still too different. When you bit him, you became a full vampire, but he only became a fledgeling. So his body is refusing to let the change happen unless it'll happen all the way. That's why you're still in pain, because you didn't fix the whole problem."

"But... he's dying..." Ethan looked back at his unconscious friend.

"How much blood did you take?"

"Too much. I know I took too much. I didn't mean to..."

"I know." Sarah said. "But you didn't kill him. Honestly, it's probably better this way because if you had let him keep enough blood to keep him conscious, he'd probably be in a lot of pain."

"What do we do?" Ethan asked.

"He needs human blood to make the transformation complete."

"But he's unconscious! He can't bite anyone..."

"I know... but there has to be a way..."

Ethan's eyes widened as an idea came to him. "Duh!" he yelled to himself. "He can drink my blood!"

"Ethan, no, it doesn't work that way."

"No, you don't understand. Remember when that blood bank came to our school and it turned out they were vampires? We were able to save Rory and Erica by giving them some of my blood."

"Okay, but you're a vampire now, you don't-"

"I know that. But a few days after that, I realized that we might have more situations like that. And so I went and had some more taken out and kept in storage in case we needed it."

"Ethan, that's brilliant!"

"Right?" Ethan said excitedly. "But it's at my uncle's lab in the next city."

"Did you tell your uncle that you planned on using your blood to bargain with evil vampires?"

"Of course not." Ethan stood, but kept touching Benny. "I told him it was for a science experiment. He's a biochemist, so he has this amazing laboratory."

"Awesome. So how do we get the blood?"

"It won't take us long to get there, but I don't like the idea of leaving Benny here until we get back. So we have to take him and give him the blood there. I can fly, right?"

"You should be able to, yeah."

"Good. Grab under his shoulder, like this." Ethan demonstrated, hooking his arm under Benny's armpit and grabbing his arm.

"Okay." Sarah copied him on the other side.

Ethan bent forward and reached into Benny's pants pocket. He pulled something out with a smile and stuck it in his own pocket before nodding and saying, "Now we'll carry him to the lab." They lifted Benny and dragged him over to the window. He wasn't that heavy, since they had super strength. "Ready?"

"Ready."

They jumped out the window, Benny dangling lifelessly between them as Ethan led the way to his uncle's lab. When they landed out front, Ethan pulled a key out of his pocket and handed it to Sarah. "Here, you open the door."

Sarah took the key ad unlocked the door as she watched Ethan lift Benny's entire body into his arms. "Is this what you took out of Benny's pocket before we left?"

"Yep. He keeps the key with him all the time."

"Why?"

"He was with me when I had the blood drawn." Ethan answered, carrying Benny inside the building. He carried him into a room filled with fireproof tables and set him down propped up against the wall. "He came with me because I'm terrified of needles. And, you know... he really knows how to keep me calm. And then when my uncle gave me the key, Benny offered to keep it so I wouldn't have to be reminded of needles all the time."

"That's sweet of him."

"Yeah." Ethan smiled a little as he walked over to a large vault with a number pad on the front. "He's always looking out for me. And I repay him by almost killing him."

"Come on, Ethan, you didn't do it on purpose. And he knows that."

"I know." He punched a code into the keypad and the vault opened.

"What's that?"

"Special cryogenic chamber. Benny and I helped design it. With a little bit of magic, of course." Ethan walked inside and came out a few seconds later with a bag filled with thick, red liquid. "Keeps the blood cold like it's frozen, but it's not solid."

"Geeks to the very end."

"Absolutely." Ethan crouched down next to Benny. He pulled him against him and let Benny's head lay against his shoulder. Opening the plastic cap sticking out of the bag, he placed the opening on Benny's lips. Then he took his other hand and pulled Benny's lower jaw down, pressing the side of his neck so the blood would go down the right pipe. Benny wasn't breathing anyway, so he wasn't too worried about cutting off his air supply. He tipped the back of the blood bag up, letting some of the blood flow into Benny's open mouth and down his throat.

The bag was about half empty when Benny started coughing violently, spitting drops of blood all over the floor.

"Benny!" Ethan gasped, holding onto him. Benny was crouching forward now, on his hands and knees, trying to get his breath back. He felt a hand on his back, rubbing it soothingly and he tried to focus on that instead of the fact that he couldn't breathe. "Breathe slowly, Benny. If you breathe too fast you'll only choke harder."

Benny nodded like he understood and tried to take smaller, slower breaths until he finally took one big one and let his shoulders slump down as his breathing returned to normal. Then he sat back up against the wall, still breathing kind of heavily but mostly because he was so thankful to be breathing again.

"Benny-" Ethan leaned forward to ask him something, but forgot what as soon as he felt hands on his shoulders and a pair of soft lips on his. He heard Sarah gasp but his eyes closed and, even though he knew Benny was kissing him, it was like he didn't really know what was happening until he felt himself being pushed away.

"I'm sorry." Benny's voice was saturated with guilt and his eyes, formerly glassed over were now brimming with tears. "I'm so sorry, Ethan. It was just a heat of the moment thing, you know? I couldn't control it... I... I totally ruined the moment."

"No, Benny-" Ethan tried to protest, but Benny stood and began walking away from him. "Where are you going?"

"Home."

"What? You can't just go home." Ethan called after him as he stood.

"Yeah I can." Benny said without turning around. "You saved me. Which means we don't have to be touching anymore."

"That doesn't mean you can just leave."

"Ethan, you have no idea how horrible I feel..."

"What, because of a kiss? It's just a kiss, it's not a big deal."

"No, it is a big deal. I never wanted to do that, Ethan. I just... I was overwhelmed and I was so proud of you and... I wasn't thinking. I mean that's always why things go wrong, right? Because I wasn't thinking. I can't believe I-"

"Stop it!" Ethan demanded. "Just stop it, Benny. Sarah," he looked over to the girl, who was wearing a shocked and confused face, "can you give us a minute?"

She blinked a few times and nodded. "Uh... sure." And she left the room.

"I hate this." Benny whispered once she was gone. He still didn't turn to face Ethan.

"What are you talking about?"

"I hate that I have these feelings, Ethan. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's totally worth it, but sometimes I just hate myself so much for being so stupid..."

"Don't say that."

"But it's true. I don't understand why I had to be the one to fall in love with you. Why couldn't it be someone else?" Benny's voice was broken, like he was crying. "Why couldn't it be some who actually had a chance with you?"

"Like who?"

"Like Sarah. I mean I really don't understand what's wrong with her. Here you are, obviously head over heals for her, and she totally brushes it off like it doesn't even matter. I wish she'd just realize how totally freaking awesome you are and just admit that she likes you already."

"But that doesn't... wait... she likes me?"

"Of course she does. Which is why I don't understand why one of you hasn't made a move yet. You both stare at each other and flirt with each other and all that lovey dovey stuff. If you like each other so much, you should do something about it."

Ethan thought for a minute. "How did you saying you hate yourself turn into a lecture on how much Sarah and I like each other."

"Because I just kissed you in front of her."

"Oh... well maybe she'll just pass it off as a reaction to being alive?"

"But she heard some of the things I was saying." Benny told him. "We're going to have to tell her what's going on, or else she might come to the wrong conclusion." He turned around and finally looked at Ethan. "I've been rooting for you guys."

"You have?"

"Yeah." Benny said like it should have been obvious.

"But... you..."

"You like her. A lot. And I love you but... do you really think I would prevent you from being with someone who makes you happy?"

Ethan furrowed his brows. "Benny..."

"No, dude, listen." Benny walked toward him and put a hand on his shoulder. "You know how I feel about you. And if I thought for a second that I honestly had a shot... I would probably be trying my hardest to woo you." He winked, making Ethan laugh a little and roll his eyes. "But I don't. And I'm okay with that as long as I can help you find someone you do want to be with. And right now that person is Sarah. So I think we need to tell her what's going on, so she doesn't think there's someone going on between us."

"You really want to do that for me?"

"Of course."

"And... it won't be weird for you if... I ask her out?"

"It might be a little weird for me." Benny admitted. "But the the pros outweigh the cons."

"What are the pros?"

"Seeing you happy and knowing I had a hand in that happiness."

Ethan bit his lip. "And the cons?"

"Seeing you with someone else. But like I said, it won't be that bad as long as you're happy."

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For being honest with me."

Benny smiled. "It's what you asked me to do."

"Are you feeling better now? You're not gonna storm out of here and leave me wondering if you're okay?"

"I'm not going to storm out." Benny said. "But I am going to leave."

"What? Why?"

"I have to go home and tell Gramma how everything worked out. And you have to take Sarah back to your house so she can take your family out of the trance she put them in. We'll talk about this more in school tomorrow, okay?"

"Well... okay..."

Benny smiled again and pulled Ethan into a quick, tight hug before running out of the building.