It was another beautiful summer day and Jem wanted to spend time outside. She walked through the shady wood on her way to see if Zero was at the stables again. During the day it was more likely for him to be found there as opposed to his room. She finally came across the clearing, streaming with sunlight, and turned the corner to the stalls. Sure enough, there he was.

"Hey stable boy," Jem greeted, claiming his attention. Then she saw what he was doing, "Are you going for a horseback ride?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said casually, hoisting the saddle onto the white mare. "Why, you want to come?"

"Sure," Jem responded just as the horse jumped up and started to protest.

"Easy, easy Lily," Zero eased, trying to take her face gently in his hands. "Don't worry, she will take someone else. I won't let her ride you." The horse settled down, somehow managing to give Jem the evil eye. "Here," said Zero, turning away, "you can take Lucy." Zero turned and purposefully walked down to a rounder mare.

Jem walked over when she was called, approaching cautiously. "Don't worry, she's friendly, and Lily doesn't mind her as much as she does the others." Jem slowly raised her hands. Lucy reached out her neck to her, and Jem responded by leaning back a little. Zero saw her hesitation. "Have you ever ridden before?" he asked.

"No," answered Jem, keeping her eyes fixed on Lucy.

"She wants you to pet her, Mea, that's why she's doing that. Go ahead. Talk to her," he motioned.

Jem gently put her hands on the horse. One on her face, the other on her velvet nose. "Hi Lucy, that's a nice name," she began. The horse was brown with a white diamond between its eyes. "I like your rhombus, that's pretty impressive," she complimented.

As Jem familiarized herself with the horse, Zero went and grabbed a handful of grains. "Here," he said to Jem, offering her some. He gave her half the handful. Then he held out his hand. "You feed it to her like this, just keep your hand flat," he said as he showed her, Lucy excitedly accepting the treat.

Jem then did the same thing. "It kind of tickles," she commented. From the other side of the stable, Lily snorted.

"Don't worry, Lily. I haven't forgotten about you," he said before he took another handful and went down to her. He fed her and patted her twice before he went back to Jem and Lucy. As he prepared Lucy, he explained to Jem what she would need to do once she was up there.

Zero finished and turned to her. "All right, how's the helmet?" he asked, reaching out to check it and see if Jem had done it right. "Looks good," he said. "Ok, now what you're going to do is put one hand firmly on the front and back of the saddle, get your foot in the stirrup, and hoist yourself up over," he explained.

"I'll do my best," replied Jem. She tried. "I can't reach the stirrup."

Zero sighed, putting his hands together. "Step in my hands." She followed his instruction and he lifted her as she swung her leg over. She let out a breath. "You ok up there?" he asked.

"I think so," she answered nervously.

He walked over to Lily and checked her again, then hoisted himself up. "Ok, follow us."

Jem was able to follow them through the trees. Zero was right when he said it wasn't too hard, it just took some adjusting to. After a while, Zero asked over his shoulder, "You think you can handle a trot?"

"I'll give it a try," she answered hesitantly.

"Just give her a little kick, more of a squeeze," Zero directed as he did it to Lily.

Jem complied, and soon they were both trotting through the woods, Zero and Lily slightly ahead of Jem and Lucy. That was, until a squirrel ran across Lily's path and spooked her.

Zero went flying, his body slamming hard into a nearby tree, accompanied by his cry of pain. He slid to the ground.

"Zero!" cried Jem, pulling on the reins. Lucy stopped on the other side of the now collected and concerned Lily, who was extending her nose to Zero. Jem threw her leg over and hopped down, taking her helmet off as she ran to Zero's side.

"Zero! Zero, are you ok?" she kept asking frantically as she knelt between his feet. He leaned against the tree, one hand on his blood covered arm. His head was bowed with one eye closed and the other halfway open. He grimaced and was clearly in a lot of pain. She reached out and lightly touched his seemingly good arm, leaning forward and showing her concern. "Where does it hurt?"

"I think," he started to gasp. "I think I broke my leg, and my arm is gashed," he winced. Jem looked down at his leg, and it was mangled. She didn't know what to say, there was no way she could support him, not even to get him back on the horse. But other thoughts started to consume his mind, even stronger than the pain.

As Jem looked at his leg, his focus was on where the wind brushed the hair away from her neck. He could hear her heart beat and all the blood course through her body. His breathing started to become labored. "Oh no, you're going into shock," she panicked.

"No," he grimaced. He had these thoughts before, but never an urge this strong. "Get away, you have to get away." He tried to stand up but only fell harder against the tree.

"Zero, please don't move! Calm down, I'm not leaving," she said, placing both hands on his shoulders to help steady him. "Is there anything that can help? Can you think of any natural painkillers or anything that I might be able to find? Something to slow the bleeding maybe?"

But Zero's eyes were on her neck, his thirst consuming. "Your... blood..." he whispered longingly, his eyes starting to glow a faint red. He turned his head up and grimaced again, his fangs on display. Jem saw all of this, and put it together.

"Zero, you're..." she held him back, bewildered, then whispered, "you're-" Was she really going to say this? "You're a vampire?"

Zero didn't answer, tilting his head back against the tree, then heaved, "You have- to get- away. When we're hurt- the thirst is so great-"

"...because it will heal you?" she deduced. He grimaced again, clearly in unbearable pain. Jem promptly let go of him and gathered her hair, braiding it to one side. "You can bite me," she told him.

He lowered his head again to look at her, "Mea... no... I won't," he breathed.

"You wouldn't ever do anything to hurt me. I know that without a doubt, and I can't take seeing you in this pain. So if this will really hurt me more than leaving you to die will," she leaned close to his ear, placing one hand in his hair, her neck close to his mouth, "then you won't bite me."

It was right there. Zero didn't want to do it, well he wanted to, but he had promised himself he would never become this, this thing that he hated. But it was right there, and she was asking him to do it... His eyes glowed as he considered it, trying to hold back. But then she whispered, "Please, Zero. You're the only person who has ever looked out for me. You're the only friend I ever made, so please don't let it end this way. It would break my heart."

He couldn't hold back anymore, his fangs sank into her neck. She took in a short, quick breath at the initial pain, but then embraced him, her arms encompassing his shoulders and hands holding his head, softly stroking his hair for comfort. This was the first time he had bitten someone. At the sight, Lily looked up, making sure that Lucy did not notice and keeping watch for anyone who might discover them.

Zero felt her blood as it entered his body. He was surprised at how warm it was, much more than he expected. He hated himself for this, but part of him was appeased. He felt her lovingly stroke his hair and hold him, much like how a mother would. He couldn't believe that she would do this for him, that she was ok with this. But somehow she was. He remembered when she had apologized and told him that she really cared about him. Back then, he wasn't completely sold, knowing that she had something to gain out of it, but now he knew without a doubt just how much she truly cared.

Zero let go of his arm and gently pulled his hand back. He then placed his arms loosely around her. Jem felt a warm fluid on her skin that was different from her blood, and knew what it was. With one hand, she reached down and softly wiped his warm tears away. It was then that she realized just how fragile this boy was.

He let go, slowly pulling back, his eyes downcast in shame and guilt. But Jem had other concerns, "Did it work? Do you feel better?"

"Yes," he murmured, "I'll heal quickly. The pain is gone, and my arm is healing, but I am sure my leg is still broken. I still need to sit here a while and wait." He was afraid to ask the next question. "How do you feel?"

"A lot better," she answered to his surprise. He knew she wasn't talking about her physical state. She pulled off her outer shirt, then twisted and sat next to Zero, leaning against the tree. She folded her spare shirt and held it up to her neck, pressing hard. He knew that the blood would help him heal, but it was working surprisingly fast.

They sat there in silence for a moment. "Have you been like this the whole time I have known you?" she asked after a minute.

Zero knew that he owed her answers. "Yes, but I wasn't always. I was turned three years ago. It was a vampire that attacked my family, a family of hunters." Then he had a thought, "Weren't you afraid that I could turn you?"

"Honestly, it didn't cross my mind. I had other things I was concerned about," she answered. "I really thought you might die, Zero. Broken legs can be serious, and I didn't know how to help you." She turned to look at him. "I'm just glad you're ok, that there was something I could actually do." But then she saw his eyes still downcast, and remembered how he had protested. "Are you ok?" she inquired.

"I've become everything I hate," he quavered. "I'm nothing but a bloodsucking monster..."

But Jem let out a sigh of relief at this. "For a second there I thought you were going to say you hated being my friend."

He turned to her, in disbelief of her whole reaction. "How can you be ok with this?" he insisted.

She looked at him, puzzled. "You did say you've been like this since we met, right?"

"Yes."

"Then... that means you're the same person?" she surmised. "So, why would I suddenly dislike you now? Jeez, Zero. You may be the only friend I've ever had, but that doesn't mean I don't know how to be a friend. I'm not going to leave you just because something bad happened. Give me some credit. Besides, it just doesn't feel like you're a vampire. It's a little hard to believe as you tell me how much you hate them while we sit in the sunshine. And you're still, I don't know, you."

Zero had been hating himself for three years, ever since that incident. He had been afraid to get close to anyone, afraid he might hurt them, or lose them like he did his family. Afraid their disgusted reaction would make him hate himself more than he already did, confirming what a vile thing he really was. But someone had managed to get close, and he had done exactly what he had feared he would do, and she still accepted him. For the first time, he felt like he could actually be a person again. That he wasn't truly a monster.