A/N: One day late, but here's the final chapter! Thanks for sticking with us until the end!

Nadja hadn't even needed to taste the little group of nerds Guillermo had found to know they'd be bitter. No matter how good their obviously virginal blood might have tasted, the sadness would overpower it. Besides, it was more about the principle of virgin blood anyway, in the same way that you'd simply enjoy a sandwich more if you knew no one had fucked it.

It wasn't the game of make believe that made the girl seem so terribly miserable - Nadja herself had done plenty of daydreaming as a young human girl, longing to escape her little village, her overcrowded home, her sad little island - it had been the way that stupid man bossed her around. Men like that were often bitter and miserable as well, so Nadja didn't make a habit of biting them, even if she wished to take them out of the world.

Nadja returned to the next meeting alone, watching the sad girl again while Nandor and Laszlo plotted against the Staten Island Borough Council on the Baron's misguided orders. The girl was pressed into the corner, trying to take up as little space as possible. Nadja had been like that once, and seeing this sad girl was enough to make all those painful memories come rushing back.

Nadja had visited Antipaxos a few times in the hundreds of years since she had made her escape. Laszlo had wanted to see where she had grown up, so of course Nadja had given him the tour, although the island that had once been her whole world was now foriegn to her.

Many generations had passed, and the stories she once had known were almost lost. Even her own legend - the one that had terrified the locals into driving her away in the first place - had faded over time. The small villages had been rebuilt, and the people seemed lighter, happier. Nadja never killed anyone when she visited her first home, no matter how hungry she memories of the agony she endured in her early days as a vampire in Antipaxos were still far too fresh in her mind.

Once Nadja had laid eyes on that sad little girl, she had known what she had to do. Every woman deserved the power to overcome bullies, and Nadja was the one who could share it. Nadja could give this girl the freedom she deserved.

Even at the cost of her own comfort.

Nadja had known what she was getting into when she decided to bite Jenna. Unsurprisingly, her stomach started to cramp up on her flight back to Staten Island. Such a sad, lonely girl was bound to taste bitter, no matter how virginal she was. Of course, Nadja had been careful not to drink too much from the little human - just enough for her own ancient blood to take root in Jenna's veins, but that had still been enough to turn her stomach.

Nadja was sure that the girl was in an even worse state, riding out the painful transformation process. But Jenna would emerge stronger than ever, and then Nadja would be there as her mentor. Until she was ready, Nadja allowed herself to rest, gathering her own strength.

Nadja spent the rest of that night curled up on the couch in the fancy room with Gizmo's hot water bottle laid across her middle to ease the cramping. She gritted her teeth and groaned as the waves of pain came. Colin Robinson, the only one home, had been kind enough not to mention the fact that she had changed into the gray sweats he hadn't seen in eight years, and Nadja suspected that his rambling had been a concentrated effort to help her get some sleep despite her stomach ache, rather than any attempt to actually drain her already low energy levels.

Nadja had only just woken up by the time Laszlo returned, smelling vaguely of garbage. Her hot water bottle had long since gone cold, but her stomach had settled somewhat. The nap had helped a little - not that she'd ever admit that to Colin Robinson. Still, Laszlo took one look at her in those baggy pajamas and rushed to her side in concern.

"My darling! What happened?"

Nadja allowed him to fuss over her. Laszlo draped a blanket over her shoulders and sat down beside her on the sofa.

"Those little nerds Gizmo picked out," Nadja admitted. "My own fault, really."

"They did smell good," Laszlo said. "Still, you shouldn't have done it!"

Nadja winced as her belly cramped again. "Laszlo, please, lecture me when I'm better."

He looked guilty. "Yes, sorry darling. Would you like me to run you a bath?"

It took almost three days for Nadja to be able to eat again without feeling sick to her stomach. At least her recovery had been far from lonely. Laszlo stayed by her side, while Guillermo and Nandor kept the camera crew busy enough to ensure that her moment of weakness went undocumented. When she was finally feeling better, Nadja put her returned strength to good use and prepared Jenna's training schedule.

Nadja had been keeping an eye on Jenna from afar. The potential she had seen in the girl remained… unfulfilled. She was still in the hissing and eating small livestock stage of her transformation. Nadja remembered it well from her own - how her body had changed, how the sun had burnt, how the hunger she'd felt her whole life had morphed into something new.

It was becoming clear that Nadja would have to quit observing and actually teach Jenna herself - it was too painful to see the poor girl try to figure it out on her own. So, she stepped in one night while Jenna was wandering around in a park.

"Am I going to feel like crap for all of eternity?" Jenna sounded so small, so pitiful, that it was almost like she didn't have powerful, supernatural blood running through her veins.

It was becoming very clear that Nadja's mentorship was sorely needed.

"Darling, you feel like crap because you are eating crap. Let's find you something better to eat."

"Like what?" Jenna asked timidly.

"Human blood baby! I saw how those nasty men treated you. Let's prove them wrong." Jenna still seemed unsure of herself. Nadja wrapped an arm around her fondly and pulled the girl into a hug. "I'll train you myself. Best of the best. Just listen to mama you stupid little baby."

Jenna's training began shortly after, although there were definitely some setbacks. Even with Laszlo's help, Jenna wasn't very good at climbing, or flying, or transformation. But every vampire had their strength, and Nadja was determined to help Jenna discover whatever that ability was.

"I guess I got invited to a party. Well, kinda, they invited the girl next to me and I was in hearing range so…."

"Excellent!" Nadja clapped her hands excitedly. "We will get you the first tasty human meal and you will feel amazing darling."

Jenna looked unsure. "Really? I don't like parties and I don't even have anything nice to wear."

Nadja looked her over. "That's alright. How about I teach you the art of doing makeup without a mirror?"

"Sounds easier than flying," Jenna said. "I mean, you look amazing, so…"

"Come along darling." Nadja sat Jenna down and started looking through her bag. She got most of her makeup by stealing from their familiars. Her favorite lipstick had belonged to one of the ones who had met an unfortunate end after trying on Laszlo's witch skin hat, and her best eyeliner was once Guillermo's, from back before he started dressing like a librarian.

She showed Jenna how to apply eyeshadow by touch alone, something that came in handy when Laszlo wasn't around to do Nadja's makeup for her.

"I wish I could be more confident," Jenna admitted. "You wear these badass Victorian dresses and no one gives you a hard time. I don't even have the confidence to wear my light up sneakers."

"I was like you once," Nadja told her. "I was a little sad girl with no friends, stuck on a miserable island in the middle of the ocean. They chased me away."

"But you're so cool!"

"Darling," Nadja said gently, "you will be cool too! And beautiful, and powerful, and sexy. No need to look so bashful, baby, we will do this! You will be the best vampire I've ever trained. Don't tell Laszlo that. Or do!" Nadja pressed her lips together and smiled. "Are you ready? Shall we show those stupid human men this new, cool Jenna?"

"Hell yeah!"

"Best night of my life!"

The party had gone well - Jenna had finally hit her stride, taking out three victims in one night. Once Nadja had cleaned the blood from her sweet little face, they opted to walk home. Jenna wasn't quite up to flying yet, but a few more lessons would take care of that, especially now her confidence was much improved by her first successful hunt.

"Can we watch the sunrise? I've never stayed up late enough to and it would be so fun and cozy!"

Nadja winced. "So, funny story…"

Before she could get into exactly how horrible and firey their deaths would be if they tried, Jenna stopped walking and groaned. She clutched her stomach. "Ouch."

"Jenna my sweet little baby turkey, are you feeling alright?" Nadja was momentarily overwhelmed by the urge to lay a palm across Jenna's forehead to see if she had a fever.

"Yeah - no, I think?"

Nadja arched a brow at her, confused.

"It's just, um, does your stomach ever hurt after you, uh, eat someone?" Jenna asked. She had managed to stabilize herself, standing up again, although she kept her arms wrapped around herself. "Is this like, part of the transformation?"

Nadja sighed - she'd hoped that her…allergies (she'd come to think of them as such ever since Guillermo had explained the concept) wouldn't be passed on to Jenna, but no such luck. Laszlo had gone unaffected by both the nausea and stomach cramps that had plagued Nadja ever since she was turned, but Jenna clearly wasn't so lucky.

"I was afraid of this." Nadja admitted. "But let's get you home first darling, then I'll explain?"

Jenna nodded. She was in no state to fly, even if she could, so Nadja simply scooped her up in her arms and headed in the direction of the house.

No one else was home when Nadja and Jenna arrived back at the house, so Nadja led her charge into the fancy room and gestured for Jenna to make herself comfortable on the antique sofa.

"Tell me, darling, did you have any allergies when you were a pathetic little human?" Nadja said, sitting on the armchair opposite Jenna

"Um, I couldn't eat gluten?" Jenna said, more a question than a statement.

"And that shit stupid man you feasted on last night, what did you notice about him? How did he taste?"

"He was kinda…sour," Jenna said. "And not like, in the good way like gummy worms!" She clarified. "That's part of it, right? I mean, should the blood you drink taste a certain way?"

"Precisely! Very good, little one." Nadja encouraged, smiling wolfishly. "You will be an expert vampire in no time! That means he was a miserable, depressed arsehole - I can't eat them without getting sick either."

Jenna nodded thoughtfully. "I probably can't take any medicine for this, can I?"

Nadja shook her head. "I'm afraid not, my dear."

"So… what can I do, then?" Jenna asked. "What do you do?"

"Well, it helps to stay warm, and get plenty of rest." Nadja said. "You can take a bath, or use one of those hot water bottle thingies." She paused thoughtfully. "And I always have Laszlo around to take care of me."

"Wish I had a Laszlo…"

"You will, baby! Do not worry." Nadja assured her. "But for tonight, you have me! You will stay here, and I will help you feel better, alright?"

"You will?" Jenna asked, her eyes getting all big and wet. Nadja patted her shoulder. "So, we're like, having a sleepover?" Jenna asked.

"A what?"

"A sleepover!" Jenna repeated. "You know, when you stay over at someone's house in your pajamas and you paint each other's nails and talk about your crushes and stay up all night watching movies - you never did that?"

Nadja smiled wistfully. "It's been a very, very long time since I was a little girl…"

"Well, then this will just be extra special!" Jenna said brightly, already looking more perky. "Y'know, 'cause it's your first one!"

Nadja hated wearing her usual Victorian finery when she wasn't feeling well, so the first order of business was to find something extra cozy for Jenna to wear.

Up in Nadja and Laszlo's shared crypt, Jenna watched as Nadja rifled through an old oak dresser, flinging clothes here and there as she searched.

"Ah-ha!" Nadja exclaimed. "Here we are!" She held up a faded sweatshirt and a pair of gray sweatpants. "Now, these are very, very ugly but they will be much more comfortable than your jeans and the rest of your silly layers."

"These are yours?" Jenna stifled a laugh at the thought of elegant, fashionable Nadja wearing such ratty old sweats.

"Of course not! They are Colin Robinson's!" Nadja's affronted expression suddenly went soft. "He - he sort of let me borrow them the last time that I was getting really sick, and I - well, it's not very nice to wear a corset when your tummy hurts..." She trailed off, staring at the bundle of fabric in her hands.

"You cannot ever tell him this," Nadja continued with a pointed look at Jenna. "But I guess his stupid ugly sweating clothes did help me feel better, so now you may have them." She handed the pajamas over to Jenna.

"Then what are you gonna wear?" Jenna asked.

"What?" Nadja asked. "I'm not the sick one here."

"You can't stay in your fancy clothes during a sleepover!" Jenna said. Then, she was struck by an idea. "Oh wait! I think I actually have something for you!"

Jenna shrugged off her backpack and began rifling through the pockets.

"I saw this super cool tie-dye thing on Pinterest, so I tried to make a cute lounge set like they did in the video, but then the sweats I dyed were too big on me, and black really isn't my color." She produced a bundle of bleach-stained black fleece from her bag. "I put them in here because I thought it would make me remember to drop them off at one of the donation boxes on campus, but I never did." She handed her failed craft over to Nadja. "So now you can have them!"

Nadja ran her hands over the fabric. It was the same soft fleece as Colin Robinson's gray ones, but much more her style. "You made these?"

"I more sort of decorated them." Jenna corrected. "You like them?"

Nadja got changed behind the antique room divider, leaving her elaborate gown, corset, and layers of complicated petticoats in a pile on the floor. The pajamas were even more comfortable than she'd hoped, though the joggers weren't quite long enough on her legs. Even if Jenna hadn't offered, there was no way that Nadja was giving them back.

"I'll be right back my dear!" Nadja left Jenna alone to get changed. Jenna didn't have a coffin yet, but she would still need somewhere comfortable to rest for the day, so Nadja swept through the house snatching up spare blankets and pillows. At least Jenna would actually be able to sleep - she wouldn't ever have to worry about keeping ancestral soil with her unless she left the country.

Nadja decided against barging back in unannounced. "Jenna my darling, are you decent?" She asked, knocking on the closed door. It would take time for Jenna to get accustomed to the casual attitudes toward nudity and privacy that so many vampires shared.

"Yeah, you can come in!" Jenna had folded up her jeans and shirt and shoved them back in her bag, and had taken out a slim computer. It was a newer model, at least a decade ahead of Nadja's own. "Movies!" Jenna exclaimed as she unfolded her laptop.

"Wait! I almost forgot!" Nadja said, dropping everything she had gathered onto the floor. "I'll be right back, just make yourself comfortable!"

Nadja made her way down the hall and under the stairs to Guillermo's sad little corner, where she quickly located the hot water bottle she had borrowed earlier that same week. Since Nadja had forced Guillermo and Nandor to swear that they would keep the cameras distracted while she recovered from the bout of illness brought on by turning Jenna, she'd finally caved and asked Guillermo how to use the electric kettle he kept in their seldom-used kitchen. Thankfully, the process turned out to be as simple as filling the kettle and flicking a switch.

When Nadja returned to her crypt with the hot water bottle in hand, Jenna had taken the liberty of spreading all the blankets and pillows around on the floor to create a cozy little nest. Nadja sat down beside her as Jenna set up her laptop in front of them.

"Here you are, little one!" Nadja sing-songed as she handed the hot water bottle to Jenna, who accepted it gratefully. "That should help you feel better."

Nadja couldn't help but smile at Jenna's contented sigh when she hugged it to her middle. The stomach aches that Nadja had suffered in her early years paled in comparison to the ones she would get these days, but it had still been uncomfortable. If only she could send a hot water bottle to her younger self.

Nadja draped a blanket over Jenna's shoulders and watched in awe at how quickly Jenna navigated the glowing screen before them - she'd have to ask for lessons sometime.

They watched all of Jenna's favorites, which she insisted was a sleepover tradition. Nadja thoroughly enjoyed Legally Blonde and She's The Man, but she was rather disappointed when Jenna told her that she wasn't actually supposed to root for the stroppy boy in the trench coat in Heathers.

Halfway through Clueless, Jenna gave a wistful little sigh.

"I've always wanted to go to California. It was my dream as a kid." Jenna repositioned herself, pulling another blanket onto her lap. "I've never even left Staten Island before."

Nadja was reminded of her time in California with Laszlo. It had been out of necessity but they did have an excellent time. Maybe being around all those stars was exactly what Jenna needed. "You know, sweetie, maybe you should think about going to the hills of Beverly!"

"What would I do there?" Jenna asked, looking at Nadja in confusion.

"Well, now that you are vampire, and you have all eternity to go exploring, it might be a good place to start your journey!" Nadja explained. "I went there with Laszlo during the big sadness in the 1930s - everyone here was so miserable and I was getting sick all the time, but all the rich people in Hollywood were much happier. Much easier to find good food."

"I guess I have always wanted to see LA…" Jenna said thoughtfully.

"I spent my life on a little island too, before I was turned. I finally got to see the world. If I had never left Antipaxos, I would have never met my darling Laszlo…" Nadja smiled and turned back to the movie. "Just something to think about."

Jenna fell asleep towards the end of Empire Records, so Nadja draped a blanket over her and shut down Jenna's laptop before curling up on the floor facing her.

My sweet little Jenna… Nadja thought.

They could talk more about California when she was better.

Nadja wiped at her eyes as Jenna finally loaded her final suitcase up onto the train. She was filled with a strange, almost maternal pride. Jenna bounded back over, left with only her bulky backpack. She was smiling already, sharp teeth on display.

"I can't believe I'm doing this!" Jenna said, bouncing up and down, causing the little lights in her shoes to flash. "I would never be brave enough to do any of it without you."

"I always knew there was a brave little fighter in there," Nadja said affectionately. "Now, do you remember what I told you?"

"Hypnosis is all about confidence, don't fly in bad weather and make sure my food isn't too sour," Jenna recited. "You taught me so much."

"Of course baby." Nadja reached out and pinched Jenna's cheeks. "Look at you! Ready to leave your home for the first time!"

"Thank you for everything." Jenna said, pulling Nadja into a tight hug. "I'll send you a postcard from LA!"

Nadja nodded. "Excellent." The final boarding announcement crackled over the speakers and Jenna turned back to her train. "I'm so proud."

Jenna was already stepping onto the train, turning to wave at Nadja one last time before the doors closed. Nadja dabbed at her eyes again. She always got attached to those who she had turned. Jenna would have been a great addition to their strange family, but she had adventures of her own to go on first.

And if Jenna was even half of what Nadja had been at her age, she had many more adventures ahead of her, and a family of her own to find.

A/N: Don't forget to leave a review if you enjoyed!