Leah stopped at the police station on her way home from the grocery store. Jake and Tommy were both napping, and Jake was scheduled to patrol later that night. "Hey, Charlie," she greeted her stepfather. "Is Mike in today?"
"Nope, he's on the night shift," Charlie replied. He turned to look at her, suspicion suddenly clouding his dark eyes. "Why?"
"Oh, it's nothing important," Leah added hastily. "Seth left something at their house the other day. Maybe I'll stop by and pick it up."
"Leah, I think it would be a good idea for you to stay away from Mike Youngblood," Charlie advised, frowning. "He's not a very friendly guy, and I know how easily you…take offense," he continued.
Leah smirked. "You calling me a bitch, Charlie?" she asked.
He grinned at her. "Heaven forbid! Your mother would murder me! Besides, I happen to like you just the way you are."
Leah laughed. "Flattery will get you nowhere. And what is it, exactly, that Mike might say to offend me?" She raised her eyebrows innocently.
"Well, it's no secret that he doesn't approve of Seth," Charlie answered, "and I can't imagine why. But seriously, Leah, give him a wide berth. He's bad news. Just between you and me, I'm having second thoughts about having given him a job. But I don't want to hurt Christy, so I'm biding my time. One of these days, though, he's going to push me too far."
The phone rang, and as Charlie reached across his desk to pick it up Leah waved and slipped out. He had a pretty good idea where she was headed, but there didn't seem to be anything he could do about it.
Mike was in the driveway, rinsing the soap off his truck, when Leah pulled up in front of the house. He dropped the hose, reaching inside the passenger side.
Leah looked pointedly toward his hand, guessing that it was gripping his service revolver. "You know that would only piss me off, Mike," she said softly, "and nobody wants that."
He slammed the truck door. "What do you want?" he asked rudely.
Leah didn't mince words. She strode right up to him and grabbed a fistful of his shirt, lifting his feet a good inch off the ground with one hand. "What I want," she growled, "is for you to stop bad-mouthing my brother and me. It's getting tiresome. Your daughter and my brother are dating, and they don't need anyone's permission – so get used to it."
She set him back down and rearranged his shirt, making a half-hearted attempt to smooth out the wrinkles she'd made. "Are we clear?" He glared at her without answering, and she got back in her car and drove away.
Seth arrived right on time to pick Christy up. He gritted his teeth and rang the doorbell, hoping it would be Christy who answered. It wasn't. He forced himself to nod to Mike, who bellowed up the stairs. "Christy! Your date's here!" He knew it irked her that he refused to use Seth's name.
Seth was instantly suspicious when Mike stepped out onto the porch and closed the door behind him. "I ran into an old friend of yours today, and she said to be sure and say hello. Name's Jane." Seth paled visibly. "Anderson, I think. Yeah, Jane Anderson." Before Seth could form a question, the door opened again.
Christy took in Seth's pallor and glared at her father. "What did you say to him?" she demanded.
Seth snaked his arm around her waist and guided her down the steps. "Don't worry about it, Christy. It's not his fault." He refused to discuss it further, but his mind was whirling. Who was Jane Anderson? Was it really Jane Volturi? Was she planning to harm Christy? Would she be safer with him or with Mike?
"I think that waitress is an alien, Seth. There are some strange lights flashing through her uniform," Christy murmured.
"Hmmm? I'm sorry, Christy. I didn't catch that."
Christy shook her head. "That was a test, Seth. You haven't heard anything I've said tonight." Her smile was sympathetic as she reached across the table and took his warm hand in hers. "Won't you please tell me what's bothering you? You haven't touched your dinner. It's not something I've done, is it?"
Seth's eyes made one more circuit of the crowded restaurant, and he seemed reassured for the moment. He forced himself to look into Christy's eyes. "No, it's not you. And I'm really sorry. I've been having flashbacks." He looked down at the stump of his left arm. Well, it was partially true. Ever since Mike had uttered the name Jane, Seth couldn't get the hateful little vamp out of his mind. He had wracked his brain, but he couldn't come up with a Jane Anderson. And the connection between Mike and Christy simply couldn't be coincidence.
Christy signaled the waitress. "Would you mind wrapping our meals to take home? My friend isn't feeling well, but it's no reflection on the food." She smiled until the waitress turned away with their plates, then turned back to Seth as the smile faded. "My dad's on the night shift, so let's take our food back to my house. There won't be anyone around, and we need to talk."
Christy picked up the bag of food, and Seth wrapped his arm protectively around her shoulder as they made their way to his truck. He glanced over his shoulder when he heard footsteps behind them. The steps suddenly quickened.
Seth shoved Christy toward his truck and whirled on the young girl with a blonde ponytail. She stifled a scream as he uttered a guttural snarl, his hand reaching for her throat. She was a complete stranger.
"Oh, god, I'm so sorry," he moaned, his hand dropping to his side. Christy had regained her footing and hurried over to the frightened girl.
"Are you okay?" she asked the girl, bending down to retrieve the purse that had slipped from her grasp. Christy dusted it off and handed it to her. The girl shook her head, her eyes wide. "I'm really sorry," Christy apologized again. "It's post traumatic stress," she whispered, nodding toward Seth's missing arm. The girl pressed her purse to her chest and ran to her car, fumbling to get the key in the lock. When she got in the car she quickly locked the doors, fearfully glancing their way to make sure they weren't following her.
Christy turned to Seth, touching her wrist to his forehead. "It's impossible to tell if you have a fever or not, Seth," she grumbled. His skim was clammy, but his temperature didn't seem any hotter than usual. He stood obediently as she loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top of his shirt. When she held out her hand for his keys, he meekly turned them over to her.
Thankfully, the Youngblood house was dark and empty when Christy pulled into the driveway. Seth jumped out of the truck and shepherded her inside. He perched on the edge of the couch and Christy sat beside him, taking his hand in hers. "Now what's going on, Seth? I think it's time to share."
He was silent for a couple of minutes as he weighed how much he wanted to say. He finally sighed. "I thought I saw the vamp that bit my arm," he said softly, looking at the floor between his feet.
Christy lifted his chin and looked into his eyes. "Seth, you've been looking over your shoulder all evening, even before you saw that girl. What made you think of her today?"
"Your dad told me he ran into an old friend of mine, and her name was Jane. I don't have any friends named Jane."
"Seth," Christy said softly, "do you remember the name of every person you've ever met? It could be someone totally innocent. In fact, it probably was. How would she find my father, of all people, if she wanted to scare you?"
Seth cupped her chin in his hand and looked intently into her eyes. "What if she intends to hurt you, Christy? She's pure evil, and I don't know how to protect you."
Christy tried to reason with him. "Look, Seth, it's probably someone you or Leah went to school with. I appreciate your concern, but you're overreacting. You have absolutely no reason to believe an evil vampire is tracking me or you." He shivered slightly. "Now, I want you to go home and get some rest. This will all look very different in the morning. Please?"
"Okay, Christy. You may be safer without me around anyway." He kissed her softly. "Lock the doors when I leave, and sleep with your phone next to you. Promise you'll call me if you see or hear anything odd."
Christy nodded. "I promise. Now get some sleep." She stood and kissed his forehead. "Call me when you get up in the morning, okay?"
Seth was somehow looking down at himself and Christy walking hand in hand through the sun dappled woods. Suddenly Jane dropped out of a tree and landed right in front of Christy. She snarled, grabbing Christy by the hair and sinking her gleaming fangs into Christy's tender white throat. There was a terrible ripping noise, and she growled while she gnawed on the soft flesh as Christy's blood dripped down the front of her pink shirt. Seth screamed and tried to run to her, but something was holding his legs and he couldn't move.
He woke with a start to see Charlie standing over him, his forehead creased with concern. Seth realized he was drenched in sweat and his legs were hopelessly tangled up in the sheets. The nightmare came rushing back.
"Sorry, Charlie," he whispered. "Bad dream."
Charlie sat on the edge of his bed. "I'd say so," he said gently. "You were screaming like the hounds of hell were snapping at your heels."
Seth picked up the edge of the sheet and wiped the moisture from his face and neck. "You go back to bed, Charlie. I'll turn the TV on low for a while. And thanks." Seth spent the rest of the night staring at the ceiling, afraid that closing his eyes would invite the nightmare to return.
He stumbled down to the kitchen in the morning to find Leah having coffee with Sue. "You look like shit," Leah greeted him. Sue frowned at Leah, but she couldn't disagree.
Seth threw himself into a chair and looked at Leah. "Do you remember anyone named Jane Anderson in school, Leah?"
Leah shook her head slightly, then snapped her fingers. Wasn't that the name of that girl who had a crush on you? She was maybe a year behind you…"
Seth sighed. "No, her name was Janet. Mike Youngblood said he ran into an old friend of mine named Jane, and I just can't think of anyone I've ever known by that name."
Leah raised an eyebrow. "Seth, you can't go off the deep end every time someone says the name Jane," she said quietly. "Maybe it's just someone you've forgotten. You've met a lot of people in 20 years."
Seth nodded morosely. "I know, Leah, and you're right." He went to the cabinet and took out a box of cereal and a bowl. Sue pushed the milk across the table, and he ate quietly.
"Wouldn't you like some eggs, Seth? Or maybe pancakes?" she asked hopefully.
"No thanks, Mom, I'm good," he mumbled between bites. The phone rang and he dropped his spoon, splashing milk on the clean tablecloth. He jumped up and grabbed it before it could ring a second time.
"All quiet here, Seth. Did you get some sleep?" It was Christy's voice, full of concern.
Seth stretched the cord across the kitchen and walked into the pantry before answering so his mother and sister wouldn't hear his lie. "Yeah, I guess I did overreact at the restaurant. I'm fine, Christy, and I'm feeling better today. I'm really sorry about last night. I owe you a dinner." He tried to laugh, but the sound caught in his throat. "I'll call you later, okay?"
Sue and Leah exchanged a look but didn't comment as he put his half-empty bowl in the sink and walked into the living room, checking the lock on the front door before flopping onto the couch. He lay on his back, unblinking, until his eyes started to close of their own accord. He was exhausted, and if he could just get a few minutes…
Seth's scream brought Sue and Leah flying into the room. He sat bolt upright as they came in, his eyes wild. Sue reached him first and put her arms around him. "It's okay, Seth, it was just a dream," she murmured soothingly. Leah sat beside him, wishing she could help but feeling utterly useless.
His trembling slowed and, incredibly, a weak smile attempted to brighten his face. They both turned to see Emmy toddling into the room, concern etched onto her tiny features. She climbed up onto Sue's lap and wrapped her arms as far as she could reach around Seth, patting his back and pressing her cheek against his side. He hugged her back, kissing her soft curls.
Leah shook her head, trying to shake off the nagging possibility that Seth could be right. If he was, they could all be in big trouble.