The vampires walked into Max's video store about two hours after sunset with me on David's arm.

Had we not been the only ones in the store – thanks to the deferring by Michael, Sam and the Frog's down the way – I was certain that we would have been thrown out. Max had to keep up appearances, after all.

"How many times do I have to tell you boys to stay away from here?" Max asked with a slight snarl – much different from his usual composed persona.

"Chill out, Pops," Paul laughed as he jumped up to sit on the edge of the counter.

"We have a situation," Dwayne scowled as he spoke in a hard voice.

Max cocked an eyebrow in confusion as he turned to look at me. His eyes briefly raked over me before he turned his attention to David, "Who is she? What happened with Star?"

Mad had never formally met Star. His son's had been forbidden to bring her – who he had chosen after carefully watching to be a companion for the boys – around. No one who wasn't an official member of the family was to know about Max or that he was the head vampire.

When he saw me – who was obviously in the loop – rage began to bubble up inside of him.

"You chose Star as bait, Max. We had no choice in the matter and she was too weak to comply with our lifestyle," David stated as he trailed his sharp fingernails over my lower back. "Rhiannon is someone we enjoy the company of – she's going to become one of us."

"Yeah, we like her," Paul purred and I rolled my eyes with a playful scowl aimed towards him.

"Not yours," David growled in a reminder.

"Really?" Max asked with an over-abundance of surprise in his voice. His eyes quickly locked back with mine. "Dear child, are you certain about this decision you're making?"

"First off, Max," I snarled as my eyes narrowed into thin slits. "I may be young, but I am not a child. You should be respectful enough to remember that."

I could feel Marko and Dwayne exchange a look of disbelief behind me as Paul held back a snort of laughter. They weren't used to anyone talking to Max with such hostility, not even David. They had been teased when they suggested that I take an attitude with their elder.

I felt the need to prove something, I guessed.

"Secondly, yes, I know the life that I am choosing for myself. I'm an intelligent girl; I know how to weigh all of the options. I wouldn't be here if I had any doubts on becoming a part of this family."

Max's face remained stone solid for a few moments before a grin broke out over his lips, "Welcome to the family." He turned his attention to David. "She's a spitfire. I like that."

"So do I," David smirked as he pressed a kiss into my hair.

"So, is this the situation that couldn't wait?"

David shook his head at Max's question, "The situation is Star. She needs to be eliminated."

"Is it that serious?" Max gaped.

"She won't turn," Dwayne cut back in with a frown. "She's a constant burden and we think she may turn dangerous – she might reveal us."

"That is a problem," Max made a small noise of agreement as he strummed his fingers along the counter under his hands. "I'll come by the cave tonight."

"Good."

"Michael, I'm frightened," Star whispered to him from where her head was rested in the crook of his shoulder – she had just put Laddie in his own bed and told him to keep quiet.

"Everything will be fine," Michael assured her as his jaw tensed and he let his eyes scan over the room for a brief moment before letting them fall shut.

I watched my parents with a solemn look on my face from across the cave.

I hoped that everything would be okay.

The Frogs were outside the cave; far away enough so that Max wouldn't be able to sense their presence, but close enough so that they would be able to see his entrance.

I didn't trust them, but I knew they wanted Max gone just as much as I did. Also, they weren't nearly as intimidating as they appeared – not when their victims were alerts and awake, at least.

Sam was the only one missing. He was off occupying Lucy for the night – Max cancelled his date with her for the forthcoming plans.

"Come on, girl," Paul laughed as he pulled me to my feet and swayed behind me as a heavy rock tune filled the air. "Perk up."

"Watch those hands, Paul," I teased as I – unwillingly – allowed myself to fall into the music. "Also, I'm perked up just fine. I'm just feeling a little weak on my feet."

David narrowed his eyes as he took a seat beside Dwayne, "Well, if you would have slept – "

"I don't need the lecture, sweetheart," I snarled as I loosely wrapped my hands behind Paul's neck with a smirk as Marko chuckled from a few feet away.

"You better watch your girl, David," Dwayne laughed as David narrowed his eyes at Paul – who was now dancing closer to me, strictly to get a rise out of his eldest brother.

I crooked my finger at David with a glint in my eye, "You could come and dance with me, you know?"

David shook his head, "I don't dance."

"You're no fun," I pouted as I twirled away from Paul and placed myself on David's lap. "Am I really going to have to spend an eternity dancing with everyone but you?"

David made a small murmur as he pressed his lips to my neck and I felt his – now dull – teeth graze against the soft skin there, "You can dance with them. You'll have me for everything else."

It was strange how close we had all become in the last few hours alone.

It made me curious of how we would be 100 years from now.

"Oh, hush," I scolded as I pulled away and turned my eyes back to Star and Michael, who were both motionless and oblivious. "How long?"

David tensed and took a deep – albeit unneeded – breath, "He's close."

"Star, Mike!" Paul yelled out. "We have a surprise for you!"

"Yeah, a real special visitor," Marko smiled as he threw an arm around the older blonde's shoulders.

Michael and Star awoke in an instant at the previously determined code – when Max was close enough, we didn't want to risk him overhearing anything but what he was expected to hear.

It was only moments later that Max gracefully descended the steps into the cave, "You boys really should clean up in here more often. It's a disgrace."

"Who are you?" Star asked in a believably oblivious tone.

"Max," Michael growled out as he got to his feet. "You. What are you doing here…?"

"Your brother is a lot smarter than you give him credit for," Max chuckled as he pulled his glasses off and stuck them down on his blazer pocket. "I know he and those little comic book misfits knew who I was – before I received an invitation to your home and they became powerless, at least."

"You're the head vampire."

Max nodded as he turned his attention towards David, "Are you certain about this, son?"

David looked up at me and I quickly gave him a gentle smile. He shared a quiet look with me before grazing his lips against mine and turning back to Max as I moved out of his lap, "I'm positive."

Max moved closer to Star and Michael as two voices broke his movements.

"Welcome to your grave, death breath."

The Frogs were standing in the opening of the cave with holy water and stakes in hand.

Max snorted with a glare, "Paul, Marko – Take care of our guests."

"No," David stated quite plainly as I moved over to stand behind Dwayne.

Max cocked his head to the side as realization started to sweep over him, "Really, boys? You think that you can take me out?"

"I know we can," David growled as he got to his feet.

"Why would my own sons turn against me?"

"They aren't your boys anymore," I smirked as my eyes started to yellow. "They're mine."

That was the moment that all hell broke loose.

Star, having been the closest to Max, was thrown across the room and through the beam over Laddie's bed with a loud scream. Michael went straight into defense mode and managed to clip Max on the side of the head before being thrown off as well.

I tensed as I watched both of my parents crumple to the floor. This was why I wanted them to steer clear.

Edgar and Alan charged forward – stakes and water pistols blazing. Max snarled as he knocked them backwards and a stream of holy water streaked across his face, sizzling at the skin underneath his eye.

It was enough of a distraction to allow the rest of us the upper hand.

I was not of much help, and quickly slumped down to the floor as I landed inches away from Michael with a stream of blood dripping down my face.

The rest of the boys fared much better.

They – as a team – were stronger than Max. While Max had the upper hand of age and experience, the boys had physical strength.

They fed more often than Max and had the advantage of having fresh blood in their systems.

They went completely feral.

I discovered in that moment – that while it had been such a short time that I had been a part of their group – they valued me more than I had expected.

It was comforting and terrifying all at the same time.

My eyes watched everything in a haze as my mind tried to keep up.

Dwayne sunk his teeth in Max's arm, ripping it clear off of the rest of his body with a blood chilling snarl. Marko had the other arm twisted into a broken, contorted position. Paul had one of Max's legs pinned under his weight as he snapped the knee while all three of them pinned Max to the ground with every bit of strength they had.

"C'mon David," Max snarled through a bloodied jaw as David knelt over him. "You aren't going to kill me. I made you!"

David had a brush of hesitation cross over his features as he clasped at the stake in his hand, "I know that you made me, Max. I owe you so much for that."

"I can let all of this go if you walk away now."

I looked over to David as he sat motionless while his brothers continued to pin the snarling Max in place, "David, please."

David locked eyes with me and let the stake fall to the ground as a gasp left my lips – I was so certain that I had lost.

David would continuously prove me wrong.

"Sorry, Max," David chuckled as his eyes narrowed. "You would never let this go."

In a swift motion, his hand punched a hole straight through Max's chest and an ear splitting shriek filled the room. David gave a small twist of his wrist and pulled his hand back out as Max went limp – his heart was clenched in David's fingers, being crushed by the heavy pressure as a stream of smoke wafted off of the eliminated head vampire.

The boys were all thrown backwards as his body – in a theatrically delayed moment – imploded from the impact.

No two vampires ever went out the same way, after all.

"Rhiannon?"