Abbey's POV

"I need you to act like you put me in the deep sleep again," I tell my mother. "There's no doubt that when my friends show up, Stern is going to knock me out, just to keep me out of the way."

"Okay," she says, getting up off of my bed and walking to the door, turning around to face me. "Is there anything else?"

"Yeah, I need you to invite Sarah and Jesse in when they all get here," I say.

"Jesse?" my mom asks, putting her hands on her hips, and raising an eyebrow. "The Jesse who you said you never wanted to see again?"

"Yes," I sigh. "He's only here because he's dealt with the Sinisteros before, and we needed his help."

"Uh, huh," she says, not buying it. "What happened?"

How she knew something was going on between us, I had no idea. Did her witch's sense tell her about relationships too?

"Nothing…" I trail off. "I forgave him. That's all."

"You did more than that sweetie," my mother says, unconvinced. "I can smell him on you."

"What?"

She could smell him?

"Another one of my many powers," she explains, tapping her nose. "Now, tell me what happened?"

I was about to answer her when my phone thankfully started going off. I didn't look at the Caller I.D., I just answered it, avoiding the awkward conversation me and my mom were about to have.

"Hello?" I answer.

"Hey, we're outside. Are you ready?" Ethan says.

"Yeah, we're ready. My mom is going to invite you guys in, while I pretend to still be in the deep sleep," I explain.

"Why? You're going to miss the fight."

"I'm going to sneak up behind him while you distract him."

"Okay."

"One more thing, I want you to send Jesse up to my window, so he can help me finish off Stern."

"Why?"

"I want to kill Stern, but I don't think I can drain him completely dry because I don't think I can handle it."

"Gross," I hear Benny comment.

"Am I on speakerphone?"

"Yeah," Ethan says.

"Okay. We're ready. Oh, and Benny? Get used the fact that I'm a vampire."

I hang up before anyone could say anything.

I look up at my mom.

"They're all waiting outside," I tell her. "But Jesse is coming in through my window."

My mom didn't looked too pleased at that.

"Mom, it's not like we're going to do anything," I point out. "He's going to help me kill Stern."

She nods and heads for the door.

I lay down on my pillow, closing my eyes, just in case Stern wanted to see that I was asleep for himself.

There was a knock on my window. I open my eyes, and see Jesse floating in front of it.

I quietly get up and go over to the window, and open it as fast as I could.

"Come in," I tell him.

He climbs through the window without saying a word. Once his feet are securely on the floor, he wraps me in a big hug.

"I'm sorry I let him take you," he whispers in my ear. "I'm just glad you're ok."

"Me too," I whisper back.

I look up at him and smile. In response, he leans down and kisses my lips.

His lips were soft and sweet and felt just as perfect as they had the night before.

I knew we were wasting time, but I was in no hurry because I wasn't sure if we'd be able to have a moment like this anytime soon.

My phone started to vibrate in my pocket.

I sigh, wishing that kissing Jesse didn't have to end.

I pull away from him and check my phone. 1 new message.

It was from Ethan: "We're in."

"Looks like it's time to do this," I say putting my phone in my pocket.

I look up at Jesse, and he's smirking.

"What?" I ask.

"Nothing," he answers. "Let's go."

He takes my hand and leads me downstairs to where Stern is being distracted by the boys and Sarah.

"You think you can take me down?" Stern asks them. I could hear the smile in his voice.

Stern quickly turns around, facing me and Jesse, chanting something in Latin.

I start to feel like I couldn't breathe, and I quickly dropped to the floor, gasping for air. I looked over at Jesse and he was struggling too. I was dying, I could feel it.

"Abbey!" Benny yelled, trying to come and help me, but was stopped by Stern, with a twist of his hand and a bolt of power, directed at Benny, who fell unconscious.

I tried to yell out his name, but nothing was coming out.

I was starting to get lightheaded from the lack of oxygen going to my brain.

I see my mom coming up behind Stern with her hands raised, chanting in Latin. A bolt of power shoots out and hits Stern, making him falter onto the floor.

"Gabriele, what are you doing?!" Stern yells, coughing. "You're betraying your family!"

"You were never my family," my mom says, in a voice I had never heard before. "Families are supposed to be there for each other, not shun them when they don't come into the same mindset. All those years being bullied by you, all those years of me being the strange child because I refused to practice Black Magic, the time has come for you to pay for it. I blame you for turning our parents against me, and I blame you for Thomas' death!"

She said my father's name with emotion, but hardening her voice as she continued.

"I did you a favor," Stern says, now laying on the floor. "That worthless mortal was holding you back!"

"I loved him," she started to yell. "And you just had to take away my happiness!"

Stern killed my father? Now I really wanted to rip his head off.

I tried getting up, but was still gasping for air and couldn't move.

"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be living in Whitechapel," Stern says. "You said it yourself that you felt proud to be living in the town that our family came to when they came to the New World."

"I was weak," she explained. "I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what was best for Abbey, but now I do. It's getting rid of you."

"You'd kill your own brother just so your disgrace of a daughter can be friends with vampires?" Stern asks.

"You were never my brother," my mom says. "You were just some bully I was forced to live with for eighteen years."

The bolts of power coming out of my mother's hands were intensifying, weakening Stern.

It wasn't long until there was a burst of light and Stern was gone.

Due to the lack of oxygen in my lungs, I soon passed out into an empty nothingness.

Please continue to read and review :)